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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.
ANTHROPOLOGY
1-259. Topic: Mayan Culture
An introduction to the cultures, philosophies, and achievements of the Maya; presents Mesoamerican culture from ancient times to the present, examining the historical continuity of Mayan societies and the groups' current situation: ancient Mayan cultures, Spanish colonialism and the Mayan response, and analysis of the situation faced by contemporary Maya. Uses art, history, culture, society, language, beliefs, and experiences of the Mayas themselves, including materials written by Mayan authors when possible. Prerequisite: ANT 101 or LAS/HIS 141. (Social Science) SIEBERT
9-359. Advanced Topic: Introduction to Archaeological Field Methods
An ``outdoor laboratory'' providing practical field experience in modern archaeological techniques and exposing students to the scientific basis of archaeological data acquisition through hands-on collection of artifacts, features, and geofacts related to site location and context. Encourages the understanding that occurrence of preserved archaeological materials reflects human adaptational choices through time that hinge on subsistence opportunities, available technology, and belief systems. Students learn to identify vertical boundaries of culture-bearing deposits and to create detailed maps of archaeological site boundaries and landscape features, skills useful for full-length archaeological field schools. Field location: Palisades-Kepler State Park and Preserve. Prerequisites: ANT 101, 105, 110, 202, and permission of instructor. DOERSHUK
7-362. Advanced Topic: Language, Culture, and Race
Examines the strategic use of language by individuals and ethnic groups to reinforce or undermine relationships of power and to construct social or individual ``difference'' or ``sameness,'' uses of language demonstrated in film, music, and everyday life. Shows how diversity of values, changing ideologies, and shifting desires to belong to, or distance from, the ``group'' all contribute to distinctive styles in language and the meaning it carries. Examines language, its relationship to culture, and the ways it is used to express identity, and uses case studies from around the world (including Ebonics and Puerto Rican and ``Tex-Mex'' Spanish in the United States) to examine the ways language relates to self, ethnic identity, status, power, and change. Prerequisite: ANT 101. (Social Science) SIEBERT
BIOLOGY
1-108. Topic: Insect Fact and Folklore
An introduction to the biology of insects - the most diverse class of multicellular organisms on the planet. Examines how they feed, breed, grow, invade our homes and crops, and benefit us economically, and includes discussion of many insect myths and coverage of insects in literature and art. Each student will develop a set of pages to contribute to the existing Insect ABC web site. (Science) McCOLLUM
2-108. Topic: Gender, Health and Biology
This course considers anatomical and physiological differences between women and men. Topics in reproductive health, including hormonal control over reproductive processes, conception/contraception, development, and sexually-transmitted diseases will be discussed. Other topics include historical and current perspectives on gender-related health care issues. Students will view a cadaver. (Science, Writing Requirement) CHRISTIE-POPE
6-108. Topic: Insect Fact and Folklore
See Term 1 for description.
8-108. Topic: Food and Environment
Introduction to basic biology with an emphasis on agricultural ecology, the environmental implications of our current globalized food system, and the benefits of sustainable agriculture and local food. (Science) KROUSE
COMPUTER SCIENCE
4-355. Advanced Topic: Bioinformatics
Exploration of the intersection between computer science and biology, focusing on current problems in genomics and emphasizing discovery of the most effective algorithms for solving these problems. Begins with an introduction to Biology for Computer Science students and Computer Science for Biology students. Topics may include DNA sequence assembly, probe/primer design, protein sequence comparison, motif/signal detection, hybridization array analysis, linkage analysis, RNA and protein folding, phylogenic trees, and DNA computers. Prerequisite: CSC 213 or BIO 205. WILDENBERG
5-356. Advanced Topic: The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
Examines ways of organizing the components of large programs and specifying the interactions among those components using Scheme, a functional programming language. The perspective developed will complement that acquired from learning the Java programming language in CSC 140. The course originated with Hal Abelson and his colleagues at MIT and has been taught at many colleges. Prerequisites: CSC 140 and 151. TABAK
ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS
6-266. Topic: Economics of Sports
Economic analysis of various aspects of professional sports and intercollegiate athletics. Topics include the relationship between on-the-field success and economic profits, the market for professional franchises, public financing of stadiums and arenas, labor unions and labor relations, discrimination in the labor market for professional athletes, the market for intercollegiate athletes, and the role of the NCAA in intercollegiate athletics. Prerequisite: ECB 102. (Social Science) SAVITSKY
7-268. Topic: The Global Environment
Economic analysis of global environmental issues, with special emphasis on developing countries. Review of basic economic theory with respect to environmental issues. Policy analysis of sustainable development, population growth, deforestation, air and water pollution, ecotourism, international hazardous waste, biodiversity, and global warming. Recommended prerequisite: ECB 101 or 102. (Social Science) FAROOQI
8-365. Advanced Topic: Managerial Economics
Application of microeconomic theory and statistical techniques to business and administrative decision-making. Topics may include economic theory of the firm, internal organization of the firm, demand theory and demand estimation, cost theory and cost estimation, forecasting demand and cost, optimization techniques, and pricing strategies under various market structures. Prerequisites: ECB 102 and either INT 201 or MAT 347. (Social Science) HEJEEBU
ENGLISH
1-111-A. Fairy Tales, Walt Disney, and Cultural Criticism
The pervasive influence of the Disney Corporation on American culture is examined through critical perspectives and readings of Disney films and other elements of the Disney Corporation, such as Disney World, Disney Cruise Lines, and Disney's residential community Celebration. How do Disney films affect and challenge our understandings of gender and race? What does Disney World's popularity reflect about American culture? Emphasis on critical reading and academic writing. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) MOUTON Open to First Year Students Only in Term 1.
1-111-B. The Cultural Uses of Censorship and Literature
Literature is powerful-—nowhere is this more evident than in attempts to suppress literature. In this course we will read Azar Nafisi's recent Reading Lolita in Tehran-—an English professor's experience of teaching banned literature in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This book and a few other dangerous texts (Nabokov's Lolita, Ginsberg's Howl) will prompt us to discuss and write about both the power of literature and the fears which drive people to suppress it. Thus we will not only look at the way censorship suppresses literature but also provide an opportunity for discussing the cultural and aesthetic value of literature. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) REED Open to First Year Students Only in Term 1.
2-111. Madness and Revolution in American Culture
An examination of the evolution of concepts such as ``freedom,'' ``rebellion,'' and ``normalcy'' as they were redefined in mid-twentieth century American society. This course will use these ideas to develop academic writing skills. Authors will include Jack Kerouac, Susanna Kaysen, Ken Kesey, and Thomas Pynchon. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) G. FREEMAN
3-111. Fairy Tales, Walt Disney, and Cultural Criticism
See Term 1 for description.
4-111. After Hamlet
An introduction to college writing, and literary and film analysis through a focused study of Shakespeare's famous play and its afterlife. The class will explore the interpretive possibilities suggested by the three texts of the play which date back to Shakespeare's era, and then study Hamlet's incarnations on the stage and the big screen (including Franco Zeffirelli's 1990 action film and Michael Almereyda's 2000 modern-dress film), and its creative adaptations by other writers. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) STAVREVA
5-111. The Cultural Uses of Censorship and Literature
See Term 1 for description.
6-111-A. Writing About Cinema and Literature
An introduction to the critical analysis of film and literature. Students do close readings of novels and close viewings of films, examine strategies used by cinema and fiction, and explore adaptation. We read a modernist novel, Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway (1925), view avant-garde films from the 1920s, screen director Marleen Gorris' film adaptation of Mrs. Dalloway (1997), read Michael Cunningham's The Hours (1998 Pulitzer-winning postmodern novel that ``adapts'' Woolf's novel), and study Stephen Daldry's 2001 film adaptation of The Hours. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) HANKINS
6-111-B. Nature Writers/Nature Writing
``Nature writers,'' says Stephen Trimble, ``speak for the earth. They articulate our neglected connections with the rest of the living world in language both passionate and thoughtful. Landscape threads through their words and their lives, while their ideas resonate far beyond their immediate subjects. They write. They live. And they forge a voice by doing both.'' Nature writers explore the meeting places of observation and imagination, of literature and science, of human life and other life; they help us think about the many dimensions of our relation to the environment. Students will read selected American nature writers and develop writing skills in formal papers, journals, and electronic newsgroups. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) R. MARTIN
7-111-A. Writing About Cinema and Literature
See Term 6 for description.
7-111-B. Battle Scars: Literature and Cultural Conflict
An introduction to college writing, and literary and film analysis through the study of literary non-fiction, plays, and novels portraying war as fought not on the front lines, but within once-secure homes and human psyches, upon the bodies of civilian men and women. Daily practice of analytical and writing skills, acquisition of fundamental vocabulary for literary analysis, focus on revision and the use of reader input in the writing process. Not open to students who have previously completed ENG 111. (Humanities, Writing Requirement) STAVREVA
8-111. Nature Writers/Nature Writing
See Term 6 for description.
9-111. Madness and Revolution in American Culture
See Term 2 for description.
8-374. Advanced Writing and Information Literacy
Seminar designed for English majors and others, especially juniors and seniors, who desire to produce a paper that may be used for job or graduate school applications. Focus on academic writing skills. In intensive workshops, students will critically read and evaluate the work of their peers as well as professional academic writers. Includes a strong research component in which students will work closely with a consulting librarian to develop advanced information literacy skills. Prerequisite: Writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) REED
HISTORY
9-118. Introductory Seminar in History: Growing Up Crazy: From Flappers to Flower Children — The Rise and Fall of American Youth Culture
An exploration of two decades in which young persons articulated a self-consciousness about their place in society and youth were the center of public attention and debate - formative periods in the development of ``youth culture'' and youth markets. As an introduction to historical studies, documents and cultural expressions such as music, theater, film, and art are considered. Social, political, and demographic changes help put the two decades into perspective. (Humanities)
R. THOMAS
4-331. Topic: History of Spain: 700-1500
Medieval Spanish history from the final years of the Visigoths through the rise and demise of Islam and the unification of Christian Spain, and ending with Columbus' voyage of discovery. (Humanities) MILLER
8-331. Topic: Reading the Renaissance
The Renaissance and Humanism through primary sources: Petrarch, Alberti, Pico della Mirandola, Castiglione, Machiavelli, and others. (Humanities) MILLER
5-357. Seminar: The Documentary Imagination in American History
Exploration of the relationship between historical truth and fiction through an examination of the documentary impulse in 1930s America. During this period American writers, photographers, filmmakers, and social scientists began experimenting with the documentary form as a means for capturing the reality of people previously left out of the historical record. Through examination of different types of documentary expression, including photography, ethnography, literature, film, and oral history, students learn to interpret these texts as historical sources. Opportunity to videotape oral history interviews and edit into a documentary narrative. (Humanities) STEWART
7-357. Seminar: War, Racism and the Constitution: The Case of the Japanese-American Experience
An examination of the roots of anti-Asian sentiment, Chinese and Japanese immigration, and the denial of basic civil liberties to Japanese-Americans in 1942. The role of racism, the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court, as well as the personal dimensions of life in internment camps. Includes the issue of Japanese-American loyalty and military necessity and the successful efforts to secure ``redress'' from the U.S. government. Readings from the perspective of sociology, political science, religion, and literature; film and personal witnesses. (Humanities) R. THOMAS
9-357. Seminar: Chicago: The Transformation of America's Second City, 1880-1940
Learning the history of Chicago and completing an original research project based upon a first-hand exploration of the city and the holdings of the Newberry Library. Examination of crucial years in Chicago's evolution from regional center to metropolis by looking at the related themes of urbanization, industrialization, and immigration. Taught in Chicago and involves additional costs. (Humanities) STEWART
MUSIC
9-275. Topic: Music in Europe
A music performance tour in Italy focusing on vocal and instrumental chamber music. Visits to Rome, Florence, and Venice, as well as concert venues in the hill towns of Tuscany. Emphasis on the evolution of Western Music in the context of historical, artistic, and cultural development, including the influences of Renaissance, Roman, and Etruscan art and architecture. Enrollment by permission of instructors; audition required. Singers selected from Chamber Singers. Registration entails anticipated additional cost of $3,500; first installment due on October 1, 2004. (Fine Arts) L. HEARNE/M. HEARNE (CR)
PHILOSOPHY
8-361. Advanced Topic: Truth and Objectivity
Focus on issues of how (and whether) one can arrive at objectively justified beliefs, at knowledge. Examination of various forms of skepticism about the possibility of objectivity or knowledge, and prospects for objectivity in morality; consideration of whether objective knowledge of any sort is possible. Prerequisite: open only to Philosophy majors and minors. (Humanities) WHITE
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
3-101. Fitness for Life: Strength Training
An introduction to the major concepts and physiological bases of fitness and the evaluation of essential aspects of personal fitness and individual fitness programming. Instruction and practice in strength training includes assessment and interpretation of muscular strength and endurance, identification of muscle groups, and types of muscle fibers. Principles that govern strength development, individualized strength training program design, and systematic strength development exercise routines. STAFF
9-101. Fitness for Life: Personal Fitness Development
An introduction to the major concepts and physiological bases of fitness and the evaluation of essential aspects of personal fitness and individual fitness programming. Introduction to a variety of physical activity options with the goal of establishing a systematic exercise routine based on individual fitness and wellness goals and personal interests. Fitness assessments; identification of points of strengths and weaknesses. Guidance in constructing individualized prescriptions for physical activity with emphases on personal choice, motivation for exercise, and overall personal wellness. STAFF
7-258. Topic: Women and Sport
An introduction to current scholarship and debate surrounding issues of women's participation and involvement in sport; exploration of the dynamics of gender and sport participation. Lecture, discussion, small group work, media viewing, and student presentations. WHALE
6-356. Advanced Topic: Nutrition for Health and Sport Performance
An exploration of the relationships among nutrition, personal health and wellness, and sport and exercise performance. Study of essential nutrients and their functions in building and maintaining optimal health and sport and exercise performance. Common myths and scientific evidence related to healthy diet, weight management, and dietary supplements. How to conduct nutrient analyses, recognize dietary deficiencies, and make recommendations for healthy dietary modifications. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of the instructor. STAFF
POLITICS
7-335. Seminar: Ethnicity and Ethnic Conflicts
Discussion of the post-Cold War appearance, and in some cases resurgence, of various aspects of ``cultural pluralism.'' Focus on ethnicity but consideration also given to race and religion. Analyses of how ethnicity and other types of identity are constructed and to what effects, especially the consequences for conflict within and between nation-states. Prerequisite: POL 242 or 243. (Social Science) LOEBSACK
9-339. Seminar: Gender and Politics in Developing Countries
How gender relationships shape history, ideology, economy, and polity in developing countries. The role and status of Asian women; comparison of non-Western experiences with Western experiences. The forces of modernity and the impact on colonialism, especially in relation to the economic and political conditions of the non-Western world and development. Prerequisite: POL 243. Alternate years. (Social Science) A. THOMAS
RELIGION
6-368. Advanced Topic: Christianity in America
A study of key moments, movements, and personalities in American Christianity, from the Colonial period to the twentieth century. Topics may include Puritanism, evangelicalism, American Catholicism, the Black churches, the rise of Mormonism, and the social gospel movement. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. (Humanities) MOLLEUR [CS]
THEATRE
4-261. Topic: Photoshop Rendering
Instruction and practice using Adobe Photoshop software package, with particular emphasis on theatrical design applications. Photographic restoration and alteration, layout, and digital design renderings and color/texture studies. Discussion of large format printing as scenic elements. OLINGER
5-378. Advanced Topic: Asian Theatre
An introduction to Asian theatre practices, focusing primarily on India (Sanskrit theatre, Kathakali theatre) and Japan (Noh theatre, Kabuki theatre, Bunraku theatre, Butoh), though other Asian theatre forms may be considered. Study of these theatre forms in their historical manifestations and also in terms of the ways in which they have influenced the artists of today. Introduction to several modern Asian practitioners who have been influential across cultures. Prerequisite: Writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) HUNTER
9-379. Advanced Topic: Introduction to Performance Studies
An introduction to Performance Studies as a still-evolving academic discipline that studies human actions across a broad contextual spectrum, including ritual, play, popular entertainment, the performing arts, sport, and everyday life performances. Examination of this new field of scholarship and its cross-disciplinary influences: the performing arts, anthropology, post-structuralism, ritual theory, ethology, and philosophy. Prerequisite: Writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) HUNTER
WOMEN'S STUDIES
6-256. Topic: Women and Food: An Intimate (and) Gastro-political Relationship
Exploration of the meanings of food and food behavior in women's lives; cultural production of the meaning of food in popular literature, film, narratives, and advertising; women as food producers both locally and globally; hunger, welfare and food security in ``first world'' societies; food and ecofeminism; and food as a boundary marker of culture and identity. ROMALOV
4-302. 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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