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Topics Courses
The following descriptions provide information for courses which are not fully detailed in the departmental section of the Catalogue. These are courses with variable content which may change from year to year, or they are courses which are experimental and may be offered only once or twice before gaining approval to be listed along with other departmental or program courses. B.A. distribution requirements satisfied by these courses are shown at the end of each description.
ART
7-377. Advanced Topic: City of Rome (Rome, Italy) (same course as CLA 7-377)
This course, taught in Italy, traces the evolving nature of the Eternal City from antiquity and the world of Julius Caesar to Mussolini's vision of a New Rome and Empire in Fascist Italy. Topics include the evolution of the ancient city into the capital of the Roman empire, the Christianization of Rome, the revival of the past through Renaissance urban planning, and the Church Triumphant of the early modern popes. We will visit many of the most important sites and museums in Rome such the Forum, the Colosseum, and the Pantheon, Saint Peter's, Bramante's Tempietto, and the Trevi Fountain. Registration entails additional cost. Optional weekend trips to Pompeii, Florence, or Venice are possible, but will also entail additional cost. Prerequisites: writing-designated course (W), and any 100- or 200-level Art History or Classical Studies course (CLA, GRE, or LAT). (Humanities) McOMBER/GRUBER-MILLER [AH]
BIOLOGY
3-108. Topic: Food, Sex, and Violence: An Evolutionary (and Gendered) Perspective
This course examines the social behavior of humans (and other primates) from an evolutionary perspective. Topics range from meiosis to meat-eating and warfare. (Science) CONDON
4-108. Topic: Current Topics in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
How is climate change affecting plants and animals? Are our fisheries sustainable? Do we want to grow genetically engineered pharmaceutical crops in Iowa? Do species other than humans have ``culture''? These topics have all been in the news lately. This course will investigate the science behind some of the biological news reported over the last year or so. Using recent news reports as starting points, we will explore several topics related to ecology, evolutionary biology and animal behavior. We will go beyond the news to learn what scientists have discovered and how they have obtained the information leading to what you see reported (or misreported) in the news. Along the way, we will discuss the philosophy and process of science to see how our understanding of the natural world has grown and is still growing. (Science) McCOLLUM
5-108. Topic: Living with Germs
This course will be a survey into the amazing diversity of microbes (``good'' and ``bad'') that are all around us. Our journey will take us into five of the six kingdoms of life on our planet, uncovering physical and behavioral characteristics of the bad microbes (Germs), as well as our own defenses against them. We will end with a look into the future and what it means for us. (Science) KEYES
7-381. Advanced Topic: Molecular Evolution
Genes, genomes, and proteins are products of evolution: how do they evolve? Understanding the evolution of molecules is critically important to fields of medicine, agriculture, and conservation and to the reconstruction of the evolutionary history of all organisms. Prerequisite: BIO 205; BIO 211 or familiarity with population genetics and phylogenetic methods are strongly recommended. This course can be used to satisfy the ``cell'' distribution requirement for both Biology and Biochemistry and Moledular Biology majors. CONDON
6-382. Advanced Topic: Chemical Ecology
An investigation of how naturally occurring chemicals influence ecological interactions within the context of plant growth, insect and animal behavior, and microbial ecology. Special emphasis will be on the chemical structures and metabolic pathways of these chemicals within the host organism. This course can be used to satisfy the ``cell'' distribution requirement for both Biology and Biochemistry and Moledular Biology majors. Prerequisites: BIO 142 and CHE 225. NOWAK-THOMPSON
CHEMISTRY
1-108. Topic: Chemistry of Global Health Issues
Unsafe drinking water, infectious diseases, malnutrition, industrial pollution - these are all serious global health concerns. What is the chemistry behind these problems? How can an understanding of chemistry help us evaluate possible solutions? This course will begin with a basic introduction to chemistry and move into an examination of the chemistry behind global health challenges such as the provision of clean drinking water, the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, and the production of food to feed the world. Intended for non-science majors; no previous experience in chemistry required. (Science) STRONG
4-108. Topic: The Science of Energy
The concept of energy is central to all the natural sciences. This course will examine how energy is defined, measured, and used to understand and predict the behavior of matter. (Science) CARDON
CLASSICS
7-377. Advanced Topic: City of Rome (Rome, Italy) (same course as ART 7-377)
This course, taught in Italy, traces the evolving nature of the Eternal City from antiquity and the world of Julius Caesar to Mussolini's vision of a New Rome and Empire in Fascist Italy. Topics include the evolution of the ancient city into the capital of the Roman empire, the Christianization of Rome, the revival of the past through Renaissance urban planning, and the Church Triumphant of the early modern popes. We will visit many of the most important sites and museums in Rome such the Forum, the Colosseum, and the Pantheon, Saint Peter's, Bramante's Tempietto, and the Trevi Fountain. Registration entails additional cost. Optional weekend trips to Pompeii, Florence, or Venice are possible, but will also entail additional cost. Prerequisites: writing-designated course (W), and any 100- or 200-level Art History or Classical Studies course (CLA, GRE, or LAT). (Humanities) GRUBER-MILLER/McOMBER
COMMUNICATIONS
7-278. Topic: The Language of Film
This course explores the ways in which film works as a unique medium of communication, exploring some of the formal and technical characteristics of film as a narrative medium, but also examining the relationship between film and spectator, with all the psychological, sociological, political, and theoretical implications of that relationship. The course is intended to serve as an introduction to film studies. STAFF
COMPUTER SCIENCE
2-256. Topic: Design for the Web
Methods and principles for effective communication through the World Wide Web. Separation of content and format, organization that helps authors and readers, integration of text and images, and coordination of the dialog between machine and human being. Students will design, build, test, and present their own Web sites. The instructor would like to help students in all majors learn how to use an important and still young medium in their own work. TABAK
9-257. Topic: Geographical Information Systems
Representation, analysis, and visualization of spatial data for applications in the natural and social sciences. Survey of current standards, available tools, significant achievements, and potential for the future development of the technology. Implications for public policy. Students will learn to use GIS software for the solution of problems related to their own major fields of interest. TABAK
6-358. Advanced Topic: Software Applications for the Web
Design of software that includes components that execute on clients' machines and on remote servers, facilitate communication between clients and servers, and respond to clients' requests by querying databases. Identification of special challenges that arise in the development of applications for the Web. How to meet demands for scalability, reliability, performance, and security. Characteristics of the most successful applications for the Web. Prerequisites: CSC 140 and 151. TABAK
4-359. Advanced Topic: Robotics
Discusses the field of robotics, with an emphasis on designing and building small vehicles based on the VeX system that can explore and learn about the environment around them without human guidance. This will be a project-centered class, with early projects being simple tasks such as processing input from sensors and navigating mazes, and involving a large student-chosen open-ended project. Specific topics will include basic artificial intelligence, building and using sensors to make reliable measurements in the real world, and controlling systems in real-time based on those measurements. Prerequisites: CSC 213, and either CSC 218 or 302. WILDENBERG
ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS
3-272. Topic: Health Care Financing Mechanisms
Examination of the financing of the current U.S. health care system, including government programs, employer sponsored programs, and the individual insurance market. The U.S. system will also be compared to the health care delivery systems of other countries. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or instructor's permission. CONRAD
5-273. Topic: Introduction to Financial Management
Topics include asset valuation, market efficiency, discounted cash flows, risk and return analysis, bond and stock valuation, cost of capital, and choosing between competing projects. CONRAD
EDUCATION
8-205. Foundations of Education (in Greece)
In many ways, we in the western world can trace our educational genealogy back to the Ancient Greeks, whose ideas about the importance of what today we call ``liberal education'' laid the foundation for many of the grounding principles of K-12 education and college education. This class will begin on campus, studying the Ancient Greek ideas about liberal education and Renaissance and Modern revivals of Greek ideals in an effort to trace the thread of Greek thought and influence over the course of the past two and a half millennia. We will then travel to Greece for a two-week stay in order to explore ancient ruins that will provide us with a deeper understanding of the artistic, political, and philosophical culture that is the base of modern educational ideas - and that continue to inspire both great awe and great criticism today. During our time in Greece, we will both visit great sites, such as the Parthenon and Delphi, and read Greek authors that have long been considered foundational texts of liberal arts education. This course fulfils the EDU 205 requirement for the Education major, but it will not focus on public school education as do most other EDU 205 courses. Non-majors are especially encouraged to register for the course. Additional fees required. Prerequisite: approved application (available in the Office of Off-Campus Study, Room 112, College Hall). Applications were due by March 3, 2008. (Humanities) MACKLER
2-260. Topic: Policy to Practice: Comparative Educational Systems, the United States and Southern Africa (in Southern Africa)
The development of the education system in the U.S. has taken place for over 200 years, while the work for a similar system in Namibia has only been in effect for the past seventeen. In this course, you will examine the educational systems of the U.S. and southern Africa while reflecting on your own personal schooling and experiencing the differences in culture between the two regions. Topics explored in this course will focus on language, lower primary education policy, and policies regarding special education. Visits to schools in Namibia and South Africa, combined with personal interactions with teachers, students, and homestay families, will provide students with the ability to analyze the influence of culture and society on the different educational systems. Students will develop a research paper related to educational policy comparisons between southern Africa and the U.S. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. (Social Science) LUCK
ENGLISH
1-111. Topic: After Hamlet
Hamlet, the second most written-about text in Western literature after the Bible, is an elusive entity. Based on an older Scandinavian myth and perhaps a lost play, it has come down to us in no less than three seventeenth-century texts that present today's editors, readers, and theatre professionals with a host of interpretive questions. This introductory writing class begins by investigating some of the major interpretive puzzles and possibilities through a reading of Shakespeare's ``basic'' texts. We then study several film and theatre adaptations of Shakespeare's play and the interpretive choices of their creative teams. Finally, we will discuss other writers' creative adaptations, which re-interpret the characters and conflicts in Hamlet in daring and imaginative ways. Through discussion and daily writing assignments, you will develop your analytical and research skills and acquire some of the fundamental vocabulary for literary analysis. A research assignment will introduce you to the library resources and to research techniques in the field of literary studies. To perfect your writing skills and master the art of revision, you will keep a writer's journal, use it to draft and revise three formal papers, and generate a final project based on two of these papers. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) STAVREVA
2-111. Topic: ``Knowledge,'' ``Culture,'' and the Liberal Arts
How is an academic field defined? Are such divisions ``natural'' or do they reflect cultural biases? How is knowledge generated and developed? This course will examine the ways in which the liberal arts intersect with, and shape, cultural formations. We will use the idea of art in general, and literature more specifically, as a lens to explore the nature of the liberal arts as a whole. We will read literary, aesthetic, cultural, and political theory in an attempt to answer for ourselves what a college education is for. What is higher education's role in a democratic society? How should it serve both individuals and society? This course should give you the background and the critical eye to question and to make use of your experiences at Cornell and beyond. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) G. FREEMAN
3-111-A. Topic: Victorian Gothic: The Legend, Life, and Literature of the Bronte Sisters
A study of the legendary lives and literature of Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and Branwell Bronte. Readings may include Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Agnes Grey. The course is also an introduction to writing at the college level. Students will draft and revise several papers, and participate in academic writing workshops. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) MOUTON
3-111-B. Topic: Something Wicked This Way Comes: Monsters in Film and Literature
Since the beginning of written history, monsters have represented our cultural dark sides. They pervade our literature, our art, and our imaginations. But what does it mean to be a monster? How have our notions of monsters-from vampires to zombies to werewolves-changed over time? In this course, we will examine how monsters function in film and literature, and how the definition of ``monstrous'' has shifted as fears change and evolve. Emphasis will be placed on critical reading, academic writing, research, and revision. Students will complete several writing assignments, including a research project. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) JACKSON
4-111-A. Topic: From Esther to Elizabeth I: Queens in Sacred Writings, Literature, and Film
Savvy political power brokers and symbols of patriarchal power or male political alliances, sexualized entrancesses and skillful negotiators, she-wolves and saintly wives to the nation, defenders of their honor, their love, their nation, their faith: from the ancient Hebrews to today's cinematic audiences, queens have captured the imagination of story-tellers, writers, and visual artists. In this introductory writing course, we will study the representations of historical and mythologized women rulers in the Hebrew Bible, Renaissance and Romantic literature, and contemporary film-women such as Esther and Vashti, Isabella and Elizabeth I of England, the two Marguerites of Navarre (aunt and niece), and Catherine de Medici. Through writing and class discussions of chapters from the Hebrew Bible, Renaissance drama and narrative fiction, Romantic novel, and contemporary historical film, you will hone your analytical and critical reading skills. A research assignment will introduce you to the library resources and to research techniques in the field of literary and cultural studies. The course will involve daily writing and will give you multiple opportunities to reflect on the writing process and engage in writing revision. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) STAVREVA
4-111-B. Topic: Science, Fiction, and Culture (linked with PHY 1-125)
In PHY 125, students will use science fiction to explore the connection between science and the imagination, between science and creative thinking. In this course, students will continue their work, but we will explore the connections between science fiction as literature and the imagination. The physicist Amit Goswami suggests that ``Science Fiction is that class of fiction which contains the currents of change in science and society. It concerns itself with the critique, extension, revision, and conspiracy of revolution, all directed against static scientific paradigms. Its goal is to prompt a paradigm shift to a new view that will be more responsive and true to nature.'' Science fiction imagines different futures, impossible technologies, or unlikely encounters (with aliens, artificial intelligence, and so on) to invite readers to shift to that ``new view'' about almost any topic: gender, human existence, consequences of action or inaction. This course will read several short stories, a few novels and some critical articles to help us understand what science fiction is, how it works, and how it uses imagination differently than other forms of fiction. We might also, in the true spirit of science fictional inquiry, entertain ideas about what literature is, how it works in the world, and how it is created. This course fulfills the writing requirement and so includes an emphasis on critical reading, writing and revision. Some attention paid to writing style as well. Students will write and revise several papers and complete a research project which includes a short creative piece. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) REED
5-111-A. Topic: The Fictions of Racial Identity
A slave dresses as her white owner, and her husband poses as her slave; together they escape to freedom. A slave mother switches her own child with her owner's child, and her son is raised as heir of the house. This course will examine stories such as these to consider how people ``pass'' from one racial identity to another. Through the literature of passing, we will interrogate the reasons people pass, the anxieties surrounding passing, and the consequences when passers are exposed. We will focus on how racial identity is constructed personally, socially, legally, and scientifically. This literature course will emphasize critical thinking, reading, and writing skills and will introduce students to conventions of academic research. Students will be fully immersed in the writing and revision process through multiple writing assignments and workshops. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) ENTEL
5-111-B. Topic: The Cultural Uses of Censorship and Literature
The history of censorship is long and varied, but what induces people to censor literature and film? Beginning with the banishment of poets from Plato's Republic, this course examines discussions and justifications of censorship. Specifically, it asks why people find some fiction so threatening that they ban, burn, edit or in other ways attempt to control the texts, or the writers. In addition to Plato, we will read John Milton's Areopagitica, writings by Salman Rushdie and J. M. Coetzee, as well as works that have been censored. Emphasis on critical reading, writing and revision. Some attention also given to writing style. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) REED
6-111. Topic: On Being Ill: Patient/Doctor Dynamics in Film and Fiction
Virginia Woolf knew her doctors. Her novel, Mrs. Dalloway, is, among other things, a scathing indictment of the medical system and its treatment of WWI veterans with shellshock. Yet, Woolf also wrote a dazzling celebration of the creative potential of illness in her long essay, ``On Being Ill.'' We will begin with Woolf's treatment of doctors and illness and also examine depictions by other writers and filmmakers. What are some of the salient dynamics of the patient/doctor dynamic? How do fiction and film encourage us to accept and/or to re-examine them? What power structures are apparent in medical dynamics? If you are considering a medical career, this course may provide an opportunity to reflect upon such roles. In addition to readings, the course may incorporate speakers from within and without the medical system. All of this will be the backdrop for intense attention to writing critically, intelligently and regularly in papers from the essay to the research project. In class, in research, and in papers, we will study and theorize about the patient/doctor dance. Students will draft and redraft writings, from in-class writing to critical essays to research-informed critical projects. Students will learn how to search for literary and cultural scholarship, using library resources such as search engines and data bases. Challenging writing assignments will help develop critical thinking and critical writing skills. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) HANKINS
7-111-A. Topic: Site-Writing and Light-Writing: Journaling, Journeying, Walking, Writing and Photography
How can we relate site-seeking, sight-seeing, insight writing, and writing in light (photography)? What about journeying and journaling? Writing and walking? Wilderness sites, cityscapes, and others will be part of the trek of this course. We'll read the rich nature/wilderness journals of Dorothy Wordsworth (Lake Country England) and Emily Carr (painter, British Columbia) and essays by Virginia Woolf (``Street-Haunting: a London Adventure'' and others). We'll study the modernist/wilderness paintings of Emily Carr and works by nature photographers such as Imogen Cunningham and Ansel Adams and read what they write about their art. And, we'll do solo and group field trips to scenic downtown Mount Vernon and the Palisades and create journals in words and photographs. All of this will be the backdrop for intense attention to writing critically, intelligently and regularly in papers from the essay to the research project. In class, in research, and in papers, we will study and theorize about journaling, photography, and insights in sites. Students will draft and redraft writings, from in-class writing to critical essays to research-informed critical projects. Students will learn how to search for literary and cultural scholarship, using library resources such as search engines and data bases. Challenging writing assignments will help develop critical thinking and critical writing skills. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) HANKINS
7-111-B. Topic: Victorian Gothic: The Legend, Life, and Literature of the Bronte Sisters
See Term 3 for description. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) MOUTON
8-111. Topic: The Fictions of Racial Identity
See Term 5 for description. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) ENTEL
9-111. Topic: ``Knowledge,'' ``Culture,'' and the Liberal Arts
See Term 2 for description. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) G. FREEMAN
8-322. Medieval and Renaissance Drama: Shakespeare's Rivals (at the Newberry Library, Chicago)
In this undergraduate research seminar, you will study the drama of Shakespeare's contemporaries and rivals-Marlowe, Middleton, Dekker, Ford, or Webster-within the context of the highly theatrical culture of early modern England. You will have the opportunity to carry out original archival research in the Rare Book collections of the Newberry Library in Chicago, participate in the Newberry's welcoming community of scholars, and take advantage of Chicago's dynamic theater and cultural scene to bring the readings to life. The course will also serve as an introduction to historicist literary criticism, enabling you to approach your final research project in a theoretically informed manner. Registration entails additional fees. Prerequisite: writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) STAVREVA
1-347. Modern American Literature: Encountering the Wilderness, American Literature and Photography (Wilderness Field Station, Minnesota)
From Thoreau to Hemingway, from the f/64 group of wilderness photographers to the contemporary wolf/wilderness photographer Jim Brandenberg, encounters with the wild have shaped American art and culture. What better way to study those encounters than within the wilderness that inspired the writers and photographers? Therefore, the class will journey to the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, to the Coe College Wilderness Field Station, where we will immerse ourselves in the glorious September outdoors, study journals, literature and photography and consider the interplay between our own encounters with the wilderness and the artworks about the wilderness that we study. The course will reflect upon art and meditation as ways of relating to the wilderness. To capture our own responses to the wilderness, we will keep journals/portfolios of projects involving writing, literary analysis, meditation, and photography (including a one-photo-a-day project inspired by Brandenberg's works). The class will study photographers Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham and others who created art from their encounters with the wilderness. We will study Thoreau's foundational essays from Walden and the vibrant journals and paintings of Emily Carr, the Canadian wilderness writer and painter of the first half of the 20th century. We'll read fiction and essays by a variety of American writers and discuss them over campfires and dinners, and by the lake. While at the Wilderness Field Station, depending on the class size and staff availability, we may do a canoe trip and camp for a few days at compelling sites of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, or we will stay at the Field Station on lovely Low Lake and do day trips. You may be a seasoned camper, a neophyte, or something in between, but the class will all work together to make the course and our trip, memorable. We may learn to portage, canoe, recognize trees and wolf scat and flora and fauna of the area as we interact with other courses at the Field Station for the Cornell Wilderness Term. The Field Station is primitive, rustic, and rather raw. Be ready to embrace the absence of electricity, laptops, cellphones, and iPods. But it is a worthwhile trade, because you gain breathtaking beauty, stunning silence, physical challenges of hoisting and canoeing, and moments of sublime revelation-plus camaraderie. (``Wake up! Are those wolves howling?! There must be fifty of them!'') Registration entails additional costs. Prerequisite: writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) HANKINS
2-372. Film and Film Criticism: International and Avant-Garde Films of the 1920s
In this engagement with film history, the class will screen and analyze an array of influential silent films from the 1920s, from classics of early Soviet cinema and German Expressionism, to short films by the French avant-garde, to quirky British films and a brief glance at mainstream American film. However, the main adventure will be to explore a wealth of avant-garde films that have come out of the archives recently in dazzling restored collections: treasures of early American cinema and of the European avant-garde. We will study historical accounts of the 1920s in film history, including accounts of the London Film Society and early film critics, such as Iris Barry. The course will focus on film history, but will also introduce students to other areas of film studies through a film textbook that covers film analysis and theory. Prerequisite: writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) HANKINS
2-374. Advanced Topic: Southern African Art, Literature, and Culture in Context
``Some have described Africa as the last frontier. I hesitate to use the term, for it may conjure the need for gung ho horsemen, ready to lasso it to order. However, it accurately describes the knowledge divide, which separates the developed world from the developing, and is most manifested in the digital divide. Only education can narrow this divide. Education on the Continent. . . and education about the continent. . .'' His Excellency Dr. Richard Sezibera,
Ambassador of The Republic of Rwanda
Dr. Sezibera's words call on those of us in the developing world to cross that divide. This course provides us with the opportunity to begin to understand southern Africa through its literature, art, and theater. In South Africa and Namibia, we will read contemporary southern African literature, meet its writers, and visit museums and galleries. We'll have the chance to do homestays in Soweto, South Africa, and study with university students in Windhoek, Namibia. We'll ask questions: what does it mean to be a writer or an artist in countries still dealing with the legacies of apartheid and colonialism? what role do the arts play in building a new nation and new national identity? and how do these art forms speak to us? Occasionally we'll play tourist, taking a moment to visit the Cape of Good Hope (stopping to visit the penguins in Simon's Town) in South Africa and a tour of Etosha Game Reserve in Namibia. Course entails additional costs. For more information, contact Shannon Reed. Prerequisites: writing-designated course (W) and sophomore standing. (Humanities) REED
9-381. Advanced Topic: Distinguished Visiting Poet Seminar: Representing Bodies
In this course, we will examine the political and ethical ramifications of representing bodies (our own included), particularly bodies in pain (though also bodies in love and bodies at rest), in poetry. As such, the course will be framed with a few theoretical texts-excerpts from Elaine Scarry's ``The Body in Pain,'' Susan Sontag's ``Regarding the Pain of Others,'' and Sadiya Hartman's ``Scenes of Subjection''-in addition to the work of several poets. We will be writing and workshopping poems composed in the midst of, and in conversation with, the ideas generated by these texts and our discussions of them. The class will be about half discussion of these texts and half workshop. Prerequisites: writing-designated course (W). (Fine Arts) GAY
7-382. Advanced Topic in Creative Writing or Journalism: Distinguished Visiting Feature Writer Seminar
Want a ticket to lifelong learning? In this course, you will learn the craft of feature writing, which, unlike straight news reporting, allows the author more creativity to tell stories. Feature writing starts with, first and foremost, finding and having good ideas; it depends on fundamentals that turn these ideas into articles appealing to audiences. Through listening, reading, research, reporting, and, of course, writing, you will be encouraged to stretch your thinking. We will hone these skills and apply them inside and outside the classroom. There will be opportunities to get work published. The ultimate goal is that you improve your writing, a benefit throughout life whether it is applied to professional journalism, newsletter writing, journaling, or other forms of communication requiring analytical skills developed in this class. Prerequisite: writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) CONKLIN
1-411. Senior Seminar: Colonial Literature and Postcolonial Theory, or The Strange but Surprisingly True Adventures of Eighteenth-Century Literature, together with an account of its humble origins in England and its subsequent travels around the world
Advanced, theoretically informed engagement with literary studies, broadly defined, including reflection on what the English major brings to intellectual and creative life beyond the undergraduate years. The scholarly focus will be on eighteenth-century literature (especially fiction) and postcolonial adaptations and responses to that literature. We will read some postcolonial literature and theory in addition to eighteenth-century specimens. How did writers in the eighteenth century conceive of and interact with the larger world? Why have those conceptions continued to intrigue and occupy writers in formerly colonized countries today? Students will initiate research projects, and will reflect on the place of literature in life beyond the English major. Prerequisites: English major and senior standing. (Humanities) REED
5-411. Senior Seminar: Literary Appropriation, Politics, and Cultural Knowledge
Advanced, theoretically informed engagement with literary studies, broadly defined, including reflection on what the English major brings to intellectual and creative life beyond the undergraduate years. The scholarly focus will be on writers' and performers' appropriation of influential literary texts to make sense of the past, shape cultural knowledge about the present, and impact the future. We will start with the changes in genre, content, and politics introduced by Renaissance playwrights Marlowe and Shakespeare to classical epic narratives, then read feminist ``re-visions,'' postcolonial ``writing back'' and postmodern ``counter-discourses'' that have adapted the work of these Renaissance authors. We will discuss theories of adaptation, intertextuality, and performance as well as literary texts, theater performances, and films. Collaborating in teams, students will develop publication proposals for book anthologies or hyper-text archives on the precursors and afterlife of a literary text of their choice-a text they believe resonates strongly with current and/or emerging ethical, political, epistemological, or cultural concerns. In addition, each member will contribute a research essay that could feature in a substantive editorial introduction to the anthology. Prerequisites: English major and senior standing. (Humanities) STAVREVA
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
6-261. Topic: Environmental Issues
Recommended for students interested in Environmental Studies and everyone else, this introduction to Environmental Studies addresses the breadth of environmental issues and represents a novel classroom model. While professors Freeman and McCollum will provide the day to day continuity to the course, a number of faculty from other departments will visit to lead discussions and bring out the finer points of issues from their disciplinary perspective. The course will be organized around one or a few themes. One such theme is salmon fisheries. Most of us eat fish, which is still mostly harvested from the wild by fishermen. But what are the environmental issues associated with our patterns of harvest and consumption of these natural resources? Faculty from geology, biology, chemistry, philosophy, sociology, politics and economics can all provide perspectives on fisheries of the Pacific Northwest. The course is not a fisheries course; we will explore environmental issues such as food and agriculture, pollution, climate change, population growth, waste, energy and loss of biodiversity from the perspectives of science, politics, ethics, arts and literature, economics and social justice. Our goal is to introduce students to the diverse connections that many disciplines have to environmental issues and the contributions that each can bring to complex environmental issues. G. FREEMAN/McCOLLUM
FRENCH
REL 9-366. Advanced Topic: Islam and Postcoloniality in Contemporary Morocco (in Morocco)
This course will focus on the role of Islam in post-colonial politics and culture in Northern Africa. Students will visit religious and historical sites, meet scholars and students, and study literary and religious textual sources. The course will take place in Fez, Morocco and will require additional costs. This course may be counted as a 300-level French course for the French major or minor. Students who wish to receive French credit for the course will be required to get prior approval from the French department and will complete a significant amount of their coursework in French. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. (Humanities) BATY/SACKS [CM]
HISTORY
3-118. Introductory Seminar: Growing Up Crazy: From Flappers to Flower Children (The Rise and Fall of Youth Culture)
In both the 1920s and 1960s youth rebelled against the prevailing culture with the creation of a subculture that challenges the values of the dominant culture. The stress and tensions of each period will be examined in this course with an interest in similarities and differences. The elements of what is called ``youth or counter culture'' will be evaluated in terms of any lasting contributions to American life in the twenty-first century. Each decade will be studied in the historical context and the new original contributions of the new music, language, interpersonal relations and politics. The role of popular film, recording technologies and college life are subjects for investigation. Special attention will center on what prompted the rise of and what curtailed this burst of preoccupation on the young and the future of American life.
The course is intended to introduce new students to the range of issues addressed by the study of American history and the various themes and resources that contribute to our understanding of the past. Elements of popular culture are mixed with the use of traditional sources for writing history. Class participation, a mid-term exam, and research paper are required. (Humanities) R. THOMAS
4-333. Advanced Topic: The Crusades
This course approaches the history of the crusades in the context of the relations between Europe and Islam since the seventh century. With the help of some spectacular sources, including the memoirs of an Arabic knight, we will examine how the crusade was experienced in Western Europe and the Near East. Special attention will be paid to the crusades as an early and formative stage of European colonialism. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor. (Humanities) EPURESCU-PASCOVICI
7-334. Advanced Topic: National Identity, Community, and Race in the Middle Ages
As the traditional view of the Middle Ages as a hierarchical system - `feudalism' - came under more critical scrutiny in the last two decades, scholars have highlighted the role of other binding forces in medieval society, such as communal identity, ethnicity, and race. This course will explore some of the rich medieval literature on these topics, with an eye to the development of national identity in Europe. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor. (Humanities) EPURESCU-PASCOVICI
1-356. African Americans in U.S. History
The focus of this course will be on slavery in the American colonies and the United States. Prerequisite: junior standing. (Humanities) LUCAS
5-357. Seminar: Abraham Lincoln
An examination of Abraham Lincoln's political career and his accomplishments as president. Topics covered will include Lincoln's rise to prominence, his handling of the slavery issues, and his role as commander-in-chief during the Civil War. Prerequisite: junior standing. Not available to students who have taken HIS 353. (Humanities) LUCAS
KINESIOLOGY
3-255. Topic: History of Women's Sports
Exploration of the historical development of women's sports experience from primitive cultures to contemporary American society. Special focus on growth of sports in the U.S. and significant influential events. WHALE
LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES
5-235. Topic: Latin America through Film
This course is an introduction to Latin American cinema through the studies of its film production and film theory, emphasizing themes such as conquest, poverty, political turmoil, identity, migration, and gender. A survey of films from Cuba, Brazil, the U.S., Mexico, Argentina, and Chile will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the cinematic depictions about Latin America (from Latin American and American directors). Prerequisite: sophomore standing. (Humanities) OCHOA-SHIVAPOUR
MUSIC
6-273. Topic: Who Owns Music? The Practice and Politics of Musical Borrowing
This course will examine the broad concept of musical composition based on pre-existing material. We will consider the many different borrowing techniques that composers have used (such as parody, quotation, sampling, etc.), the many different reasons composers have had for using borrowed material, and the many different cultural and historical attitudes towards borrowing ranging from veneration and admiration to accusations of unoriginality, plagiarism, and even immorality. (Humanities) STILWELL
PHILOSOPHY
7-363. Advanced Topic: Idealism
Advanced study of the philosophical movement of idealism and its critics. Examination of such figures as Plato, Berkeley, Kant and Hegel and the influence of such views on later philosophy. Prerequisites: PHI 111 and sophomore standing. (Humanities) MIGELY
POLITICS
4-336. Seminar: Strategies to Alleviate Poverty
The course explores the nature of poverty in the developing world. What causes it? What behaviors does it induce? Emphasis is on discussing various institutional factors that lead to poverty. The course will explore strategies and programs designed to alleviate poverty at the international, national and local levels, and analyze the role of the World Bank, national governments and non-governmental organizations in eliminating poverty. Can poverty be eradicated and if so, can the solution be found in capitalism itself? If not, is there a viable alternative? Prerequisite: POL 242 or 243. (Social Science) A. THOMAS
4-352. Advanced Topic: Economic Regulation in the U.S.
An examination of regulatory policymaking and policies in the United States, this course will review the development of regulatory policies in the American federal system and consider theories about the formulation, analysis, and evaluation of regulations affecting economic activities. Students will produce case study analyses of specific regulatory policies or programs at the local, state, or federal level of U.S. government. Prerequisite: POL 242, 243, 262, or 282. (Social Science) GODEK
RELIGION
2-266. Topic: Biblical Hebrew
Introduction to classical Biblical Hebrew, with an emphasis on grammatical proficiency and sensitivity to the literary expression of the Bible. The course will provide the student with skills to read exemplary selections from the Hebrew Bible, and familiarity with the various genres of Biblical literature. (Humanities) SACKS [JS]
9-366. Advanced Topic: Islam and Postcoloniality in Contemporary Morocco (in Morocco)
This course will focus on the role of Islam in post-colonial politics and culture in Northern Africa. Students will visit religious and historical sites, meet scholars and students, and study literary and religious textual sources. The course will take place in Fez, Morocco and will require additional costs. This course may be counted as a 300-level French course for the French major or minor. Students who wish to receive French credit for the course will be required to get prior approval from the French department and will complete a significant amount of their coursework in French. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. (Humanities) BATY/SACKS [CM]
SOCIOLOGY
9-352. Advanced Topic: Wealth, Power, and Inequality
Emphasizes the importance of socio-economic class by exploring the meaning and measurement of social class, how social classes are formed, and how they change. This course explores issues of social mobility, investigates the relationship between various forms of inequality (i.e., social class, race-ethnicity, gender, sexuality) and contemplates the role of culture and social institutions (e.g., work, the health care system, schools, families, the political systems, etc.) in perpetuating, legitimizing, and sometimes challenging social inequality. Prerequisite: SOC 101. (Social Science) BARNES-BRUS [Hierarchy]
6-360. Advanced Topic: Reproductive Processes, Reproductive Policies
This course emphasizes the social construction of female reproductive processes and how culture and institutions shape our understandings and expectations of such processes. This course introduces topics pertaining to a variety of reproductive practices, experiences and ideologies and explores issues from social reproduction and birth control to menstruation and the construction of fetal personhood in order to shed light on the social and constructed nature of reproductive strategies and practices. We will discuss ideas about womanhood, motherhood, fatherhood, sexuality, eugenics, and reproductive freedom, as well as uncover the historical role and effect of the state, medical institutions, and women themselves as they struggle over, and shape such issues. The focus will be on the U.S., but we will also look at cases from other countries in order to examine our assumptions about reproductive practices and strategies. Prerequisite: SOC 101. BARNES-BRUS [Identity]
THEATRE
7-260. Topic: Advanced Scene Study
A more advanced study of the work of the actor building on the techniques learned in Basic and Advanced Acting. This class will focus on scene work and scene study through the use of ``heightened language'' playwrights (Euripides, Sophocles, Shakespeare, Moliere, Ibsen, Chekhov, Shaw, O'Neill, Williams, Mamet, etc.). Students will be required to present three scenes (chosen by the instructor) accompanied by a character analysis for each. A journal will be kept. Prerequisite: THE 215 (Fine Arts) VANVALEN
1-262. Topic: Advanced Costume Construction: Clothing and Undergarments of the
Neoclassical Age
The course teaches advanced sewing and construction techniques, leading to the completion of realized garments for the Department of Theatre's production of ``Les Liaisons Dangereuses.'' In addition to clothing, the course will focus on corsets, panniers, and petticoats and the historical development of undergarments in this era. Prerequisite: THE 108. (Fine Arts) KELCHEN
3-370. Advanced Topic: Contemporary Theatre (in New York)
This course offers a critical look at contemporary theatre and performance practice, as exemplified by the traditionally vital theatre scene in New York City. Approximately 2-1/2 weeks of the course will be spent in New York, attending and responding to a variety of performance events that range from Broadway shows and Off Broadway productions to performance art pieces in small galleries and experimental work. It is likely that students will also attend some dance events and a variety of art museums and galleries. The course will satisfy one of the theatre history and criticism credits required for the theatre major. Entails additional costs. Prerequisite: writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) OLINGER
9-371. Advanced Topic: Contemporary Drama
This course in contemporary playwriting focuses on selected playtexts written after the mid-twentieth century. It is intended to survey the range of contemporary dramaturgy, emphasizing plays acclaimed for their quality and influential impact on other writers. Prerequisite: writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) LEWIS
8-372. Advanced Topic: Master Works of Dramatic Literature
This course in dramatic literature examines a select group of playtexts that are acknowledged masterpieces and which have been especially influential in theatre history. Plays studied may include ancient Greek, early modern, Elizabethan, and Restoration comedy texts, as well as an assortment of 19th and early 20th century classics. Prerequisite: writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) HUNTER
2-379. Advanced Topic: Introduction to Performance Studies
Performance Studies has emerged as a still-evolving academic discipline that studies human behavior across a broad contextual spectrum, including ritual, play, popular entertainment, the performing arts, sport, and everyday life performances. This course serves as an introduction to this new field of scholarship and its cross-disciplinary influences: theatre studies, sociology, anthropology, post-structuralism, ritual theory, ethology, and philosophy. Prerequisite: writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) HUNTER
WOMEN'S STUDIES
2-257. Topic: Women Make Their Mark: The Feminist Politics of Body Art
The 1960s and 1970s were decades of enormous rebellion and change. Women were involved in both public and private battles to explore and expose traditional assumptions about gender, race, class, and especially sexuality. Women artists used their bodies to challenge the prevailing ideology of the time. This course will examine and discuss the provocative body artwork created and performed by women artists primarily during the 1960s and 1970s. This course will be conducted as a workshop, will include several in-depth assigned readings, viewing videos and slides pertaining to this work, several response papers, and projects involving using your own body as art. DYAS
4-260. Topic: Thinking Sexualities: A Survey of Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/
Transgendered and Queer Studies
This course will examine the development of sexuality studies from the homophile movement of the 1950s, through the Gay Liberation period following the Stonewall Riots of 1969, the rise of Lesbigay studies in the 1970s and 1980s, and the debate over theory and politics caused by the introduction of Queer theory in the 1990s through today. CROWDER
7-302. Advanced Topic: Global Feminisms
An inquiry into issues that have become part of the global agenda for women over the last three decades, the individuals, groups, and policies that have shaped this agenda, and the environment in which global feminisms are forged. Includes issues such as the influence of globalization and the role of state and international agencies, and explores varied expressions of women's activism at the local, national, and transnational levels. Prerequisite: WST 171. A. THOMAS
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