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Liberal Studies
Director: Joanna Schneider Zangrando
LS1 Coordinator: Michael Marx
All Liberal Studies courses are interdisciplinary in perspective.
Faculty participate not only as specialists in particular fields
of knowledge, but as models of people who have themselves been
liberally educated, and are thus able to apply basic patterns
of thought and sensibility to a variety of new as well as familiar
experiences. Readings in major primary texts play a significant
role in Liberal Studies courses.
LS1: HUMAN DILEMMAS 4 An introduction to critical, interdisciplinary thinking and a foundation and context for future college studies, including LS2 courses. Weekly presentations (lectures, panels, performances, or films) for the entire course and small group discussion sections explore how we understand and respond to complex contemporary problems shaping our human experience as biological, socially-constituted beings and as creators of culture. Written assignments include personal response papers, critical analyses, and formal argumentation. Required of all first-year students in their first semester. This course must be taken for a letter grade.
LS2: INTEGRATIVE
TOPICS These courses make explicit connections
to LS1 by applying the key questions and the interdisciplinary
skills learned in LS1 to a more closely focused topic or problem.
Every student must take one LS2 course. In addition to the LS
courses described below, these courses fulfill the LS2 requirement:
CC 200 The Classical World ED 216 History of Education in the United States ED 217 Alternative Education in the United States: Political and Social Perspectives
FL 263 Special Topics in Foreign Literature and Culture: A. "The Fantastic in Fiction" D. "The Fate of Forbidden Knowledge in Literature and Science" FL 266 Images of Revolution and Social Upheaval: France 1789–1939 FL 267 Modern Japanese Culture and Society GO 209 The Latin American Puzzle GO 219 Political Economy of European Integration GO 224 American Indian Politics and Policy GO 227 Russia: A Century of Change IA 101 Introduction to International Affairs RE 205 Women, Religion, and Spirituality RE 220 Encountering the Goddess in India SW 214 Death and Dying SW 217 Obsessions and Addictions SW 218 Prisons in America WS 101 Introduction to Women's Studies WS 210 Ecofeminism, Women and the Environment
LS2 101H. THE
VICTORIAN ILLUSTRATED BOOK: A MARRIAGE OF IMAGE AND WORD 4 A study of the wedding of literature
to the visual arts in the Victorian period, focusing on exemplary
illustrated novels, picture-poems, and critical studies in aesthetics
and literature which either discern how a poem is like and different
from a picture (the "ut pictura poesis" tradition)
or comment upon the collaboration of image and word as an art
form. Special attention will be given to the poem and painting
pairs of D.G. Rossetti, the illustrated fiction of Dickens,
Carroll, Thackeray, and Potter, the essays of Horace and Lessing,
and current criticism by Meisel and Steiner. Weekly writing
assignments will encourage students to "read" illustrations
and texts much like their Victorian audience once did and to
explore different modes of exposition. (Meets expository writing
requirement for students who placed at EN105 level or who have
completed EN103.) C. Golden, English
LS2 102. ROMANCE
AND GENDER DIFFERENCES 4 This course will focus on one
literary genre, the modern romance narrative, as a means to
explore how gender differences have been and are constructed
in America in the twentieth century. It reaches back to the
tradition of the British romance novel and the history of romantic
love in Britain as important background; and it incorporates
fiction, criticism, and social theory as part of its study of
the contemporary patterns of heterosexual romance within which
(or against which) many of us shape our personal relationships.
Our guiding questions: To what extent and to what ends are gender
differences culturally constructed in such fictional paradigms?
What other cultural differences interconnect with gender? How
have the paradigms changed over time? To what extent are they
still with us? (Meets expository writing requirement for students
who placed at EN105
level or who have completed EN103.) S.
Goodwin, English
LS2 103. SCIENCE,
TECHNOLOGY, AND NATIONAL SECURITY 3 In the second half of the twentieth
century, the United States accelerated its dependence upon science
and technology in the service of national security. Starting
with World War II, basic research, technological achievement,
and public policy have delivered nuclear weapons, radar, ballistic
missiles, satellite surveillance, and many other technologies
that have renewed the means and definition of national security.
In the late 1980s, the nation departed the Cold War and moved
on to a new international order, still influenced heavily by
technological accomplishment. Now our nation encounters new
challenges in the definition of national security. Nonproliferation
of nuclear weapons, environmental safety, and technological
competitiveness are examples of challenges that summon new means
for assuring national security. Beginning with nuclear weapons,
this course explores several examples of scientific and technological
achievements that serve national security and examines the public
policy that guides and supports the role of these achievements.
Prerequisites: QR1 and EN103. R.
DeSieno, Mathematics and Computer Science
LS2 104. THE
NEW YORK SCHOOL: PAINTING, POETRY, CRITICISM 4 Cases in the interaction of painting,
poetry, and criticism from the beginnings of abstract expressionism
to its apparent repudiation in the sixties movements of Pop
and "post-painterly abstraction." Special attention
will be paid to such painters as Pollock, deKooning, Hartigan,
Rivers, and Newman, such poets as O'Hara and Ashbery, and such
critics as Greenberg and Rosenberg during the period 1945–1965.
Weekly assignments will explore the differences and similarities
between expository and creative discourse. (Meets expository
writing requirement for students who placed at EN105 level or
who have completed EN103.) T. Diggory,
English
LS2 105. MOTION
AND EMOTION IN THE TEMPORAL ARTS 3 How do works of art express feelings
that "move" us? And how do we experience "movement"
in particular art forms and works of art? This course explores
major examples of those art formsliterature, film, drama, dance,
and musicthat reveal their structures sequentially, demanding
that the reader or audience experience them in a specific order
in time. By (1) directly examining selected works, (2) understanding
through these works how each art form creates feeling, and (3)
analyzing the pattern of feeling in each work as it unfolds
in time, we will explore the nature of aesthetic experiencehow
the "movement" of particular art forms "moves"
us. The course's major critical question is not so much what
a novel or dance or concerto is as how it works and
what it does. The course integrates close analysis of
the works of art with readings in aesthetics and criticism that
specifically focus these issues of feeling and movement in each
of the arts. J. Rogoff, Liberal Studies
LS2 107. CHANGE
IN SPORT AND SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS 3 A reflective examination of American
sport since the seventeenth century. Focusing initially on the
classical roots of the Western conception of sport, the course
will explore ways in which the structure and culture of American
sport have changed over the last four-hundred years. Focusing
on the relationship between sport and a variety of other social
institutions, the course will address the significance of sport
as a personal endeavor and as a feature of American society.
Finally, by studying historical, literary, philosophical, and
sociological treatments of sport, we hope that students will
not only see the connections between past and present, but will
also learn to view sport as a subject for serious academic study.
(Meets expository writing requirement for students who placed
at EN105 level or who have completed EN103.) P.
Boshoff, English, or J. Segrave, Exercise Science, Dance, and
Athletics
LS2 109. THE
IMAGE OF THE ENEMY IN GERMAN FILM, 1919–45 3 Focusing on the capacity of mass
media to simultaneously reflect and shape public opinion, this
course examines the changing image of the enemy in German Cinema
from 1919 to 1945. Viewing film as a symbolic language which
inscribes cultural identity, we will explore anti-semitism,
xenophobia, jingoism, misogyny, and fascism as well as changes
in the public perception of the enemy that contributed to World
War II and the Holocaust. M. E. O'Brien,
Foreign Languages and Literatures
LS2 111. FROM
POOR LAW TO WELFARE STATE: AMERICAN SOCIAL WELFARE FROM 1647
TO THE PRESENT 3 This course will acquaint each
student with: (1) the philosophical principles and social values
represented in social welfare decisions, (2) the history and
structure of the social welfare system in the U.S., (3) contemporary
critiques of the social welfare system, and (4) life on "welfare."
This course begins with a philosophical consideration of social
welfare. It then considers how history, cultural beliefs, and
economic conditions have interacted to create the U.S. social
welfare system, and how that system affects both recipients
and society. T. Oles, Sociology, Anthropology,
and Social Work
LS2 113. CHANGE
IN EARLY CHINA 3 This course examines a period
of Chinese history (551–221 BC), during which China changed
from many feudal states into one centralized bureaucracy. Profound
social, economic and political changes of this period were influenced
by and reflected in the writings of Confucius, Mencius and rivals.
These works continue to influence the cultures of East Asia.
(Designated a non-Western culture course.) M.
Pearson, History
LS2 114. CRISES
IN LIFE: THEORY AND PRACTICE OF MASS EXTINCTION 3 Extinction of the dinosaurs and
other terrestrial giants, such as the ice age mammoths, has
fascinated people for more than a century, resulting in theories
of proximal cause ranging from terminal stupidity to death star
radiations. Recently it has become evident that mass extinctions
are commonplace, possibly even cyclic, in the history of life
on Earth and extinction theories have proliferated. This course
explores the context within which the reality of extinction
events was originally realized, social influences on the formulation
of extinction theories, the test of these theories against the
record of life's history, and the contemporary role of Homo
sapiens as agents of mass extinction. R.
Lindemann, Geosciences
LS2 117. CLASS,
RACE, AND LABOR HISTORY 4 A critical investigation of several
crucial, defining moments in United States labor history. Special
attention will be given to issues related to class and race.
Between 1900 and the mid-twentieth century, a number of dramatic
social conflicts erupted that reconfigured fundamental political,
economic, and social relationships. The course will begin with
a critique of capitalism, encompassing an investigation of the
roles of capital, labor, and the state. Students will also investigate
the sources and implications of racial antagonism in the context
of class conflict, examining the factors that contribute to
interracial accord and solidarity among workers versus interracial
strife. Historical events such as the Great Steel Strike of
1919, the Panhandle War of 1927, and the Memorial Day massacre
of 1937 will provide comparative contexts for such investigation.
The theoretical and methodological tools of several social scientific
fields will be utilized to investigate these issues.
J. Brueggemann, Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
LS2 119. SOUTH
AFRICA AND RACE 3 The course traces the origins
and evolution of race and ethnicity in the history of South
African society. Discussion moves from an examination of the
pre-European cultures of southern Africa to the arrival of the
first European settlers, and then considers the segregationist
policies of 1652–1948 that ultimately resulted in the apartheid
government of 1948–90. The course concludes with an analysis
of present-day South Africa, and the problems it faces in building
a post-racial society. Throughout the course, the major ethnic
groups that comprise modern South Africa are studied separately
as well as in their interaction. (Designated a non-Western culture
course.) G. Erchak, Sociology, Anthropology,
and Social Work
LS2 120. SEXUAL
SCIENCE: CONTROVERSIES IN THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF HUMAN SEXUALITY 3 Human sexuality derives from
both biology and culture. This dual nature gave rise to the
"nature vs. nurture," "learned vs. inborn"
controversy which bedevils scientific studies of human nature,
including human sexuality, to this day. The course explores
this and other controversies, proposing that the nature vs.
nurture opposition is a false one, and that scientific understanding
of human sexuality can only be achieved by utilizing the methods
of both the natural and the social/behavioral sciences. Topics
explored include the evolution of sexuality, primate sexuality,
sex and gender, culture and sexuality, heterosexuality, homosexuality,
and other topics varying each semester. G.
Erchak, Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
LS2 122. MAJOR
STYLISTIC SIMILARITIES BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUAL ART OF THE TWENTIETH
CENTURY 3 This course will examine major
twentieth-century styles in both music and visual art which
display similar aesthetic inclinations. Direct comparisons will
be made among the Expressionists: Munch, Kandinsky, Schoenberg,
Berg; the Dadaists/Surrealists: Duchamp, Magritte, Satie, and
Cage; the Abstract Expressionists: Pollack, DeKooning, Cage,
and Brown; the Minimalists/1960's: Judd, Warhol, Reich, Adams;
and the Postmodernists/Neo-Romantics: Anderson, Andrejevic,
Gorecki, Pärt. An understanding will be developed of these
styles and their expres
LS2 123. JAZZ:
A MULTICULTURAL EXPRESSION 3 Jazz music, often referred to
as the only truly American art form, has a rich and unique history
of interaction among many diverse cultures, classes, ethnicities,
and geographically distant peoples. The emergence of Jazz in
the first decade of the twentieth century, as a separate, unique
and profound musical expression is a direct result of the combination
of African, African-American, European, Latin-American and American
folk influences. These combinations continued to feed Jazz through
each decade and "era" that followed. This course will
explore the most vivid demonstrations of these multicultural
interactions as they contributed to the development of what
is now considered to be "American Classical Music."
L. Rosengarten, Liberal Studies
LS2 124. ATHENIAN
DEMOCRACY: TRADITION AND SOCIAL CHANGE FROM 560 TO 399 B.C. 3 The literary, artistic, political,
and social climate of the first seat of democracy from the mid-sixth
century until the death of Socrates in 399 B.C. provides the
framework for a multidisciplinary study of the profound changes
in ancient Athens. The theme of the course will focus upon the
representation and self-awareness of the individual in classical
Athens against the background of traditional Greek ways of thought
and expression, and subsequently the changing relationship between
the individual and history's first democracy over a span of
160 years. M. Arnush, Classics
LS2 125. SALOME
VERSUS ST. JOHN 3 A study of John the Baptist and
Salome: his decapitation, her dance, their strange and violent
story as it appears in stories, painting, and music. Told and
retold for 2000 years, the story seems to have served different
purposes for different audiences, and can serve as a model for
the ways key stories in Western culture have changed over time
and in different media. In this case, the media range from Gospel
narratives to Renaissance painting and nineteenth-century music
and literature. We want to see what some of those purposes and
audiences have been, what is at stake in the different accounts,
and whether this story, with so much past, has a future. R.
Janes, English
LS2 126. LOVE
IN ART AND IDEA 3 An examination of the various
ways that love has been represented and accounted for in Western
culture. From the dialogues of Plato to contemporary theories
of rhetoric, myth, evolution, psychology, and biochemical interactions,
we will study conceptual explanations for what may or may not
have anything to do with ideas. Having established theoretical
approaches, we will consider this possible disharmony between
analytical method and subject matter by exploring artistic forms
which have sought to represent more than interpret love. Artistic
forms will include Toni Morrison's novel Beloved, the
films Dangerous Liaisons and The Fisher King,
short stories from Tolstoy and Kundera, rock music, a Beethoven
sonata, selections from operas by Puccini and Wagner, and The
Romance of Tristan and Iseult. F.
Bonneville, English
LS2 127. MUSIC
AND POLITICS IN INDIA: THE HISTORICAL STRUGGLE FOR IDENTITY
AND ART IN THE WORLD'S LARGEST DEMOCRACY 3 An examination of the relationship
between musical change and social, economic, and political change
in India. Special reference will be given to the sweeping changes
since the 1980s, including the opening up of India's economy
and the resulting changes in Indian culture. Of particular interest
is the longstanding rivalry between Hindus and Muslims and the
effects of this rivalry on Indian music and Indian identity.
(Designated a non-Western culture course.) G.
Thompson, Music
LS2 128. THE
AESTHETICS OF SCIENCE FICTION 4 An examination of significant
works of science fiction as well as examples of critical responses
such works have generated. Among authors and critics studied
are Asimov, Clarke, Wells, Zamyatin, Lem, Smith, Blish, Capek,
and LeGuin. The course will also examine a number of science
fiction films. (Meets expository writing requirement for students
who placed at EN105 level or who have completed EN103.) A.
Wheelock, English
LS2 129. MIND:
METAPHORS AND THEORIES 3 Explores the major metaphors
and analogies which have informed different theories of the
mind's nature and functions. The mind has, for example, been
described as a clock, a switchboard, an aviary, a mechanical
robot, an iceberg, and a cow's belly. Personal biases, social
values, and research findings have not only promoted these and
other metaphors but have been heavily influenced by such explanatory
images. Our goal is to see how society and scientific inquiry
interact, shaping our theories of mind. (Meets expository writing
requirement for students who placed at EN105 level or who have
completed EN103.) M.A. Foley, Psychology
LS2 132. AFRICAN
ARTS FROM THE OLD WORLD TO THE NEW 3 An examination of continuities
and changes in visual, verbal, and musical arts transmitted
from Africa to the New World through the transatlantic slave
trade. The course compares the arts in a traditional African
context with those assimilated in New World cultures of the
United States, Cuba, Haiti, and Brazil to demonstrate constraints
particular to each of the four areas. The question of change
relative to the type and function of each medium will also be
addressed. (Designated a non-Western culture course.) L.
Aronson, Art and Art History
LS2 135. LATIN
AMERICAN AND LATINO CINEMA 3 This course is a historical survey
of a unique cinematographic movement," the new Latin American
cinema," and a study of its repercussions/manifestations
in the United States through Latino film. We will study the
political, ideological, formal, and theoretical factors that
contributed to the emergence and development of a movement that
rejected the Hollywood studio and European commercial movies,
and that gave rise to a cinema engaged within cultural and historical
specificities. V. Rangil, Foreign Languages
and Literatures
LS2 136. AMERICAN
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS 3 A historical and sociological
examination and analysis of the entrepreneurial accomplishments
of American women from 1776 to the present in the broad categories
of agriculture and mining; construction; communications; manufacturing;
service, both for profit and not-for-profit; transportation;
and wholesale and retail trade. Their contributions to the United
States and global economies will be assessed through the critical
lens of the social, political, and legal constraints within
which they lived. B. Balevic, Management
and Business
LS2 137. BUSINESS
AND THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT 3 This course broadly examines
and appraises the role of business enterprise in relation to
the current, and future, state of the global natural environment.
It aims to foster awareness, sensitivity, and literacy regarding
the major forces and challenges that bear upon these multiple
and complex relationships. Environmental issues are examined
in relation to managerial decision making in the areas of manufacturing,
marketing and advertising, strategic planning, general management,
and other business disciplines. Topics include a review of sustainable
development, industrial ecology, total quality environmental
management, "green" marketing, and others. J.
Kennelly, Management and Business
LS2 142. GENETICS
AND GENERATION 3 Explanations of the generation
of organisms will be examined from historical and scientific
perspectives. The course begins with ancient Greek accounts
of generation, considers a variety of ideas about generation
in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, and shows how these
eventually led to the discovery of genes in the nineteenth century.
The course ends with a consideration of changing perspectives
in twentieth-century biology on the role of genes in the development
of organisms. B. Possidente, Biology
LS2 143. MADE
TO MOVE: THE HUMAN BODY IN A PHYSICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT 3 This course will explore the
human body as a biological entity and study how human movement
is determined and defined by late twentieth-century culture.
Emphasis is placed on the physiological functions necessary
to produce human movement and the cultural influences that determine
patterns of physical activity. Pathological conditions resulting
from inadequate or excessive physical activity will be considered
in relation to contemporary cultural expectations. P.
Arciero, P. Fehling, Exercise Science, Dance, and Athletics
LS2 144. AMERICANS
AT PLAY: ENTERTAINMENT AND AMUSEMENT IN AMERICAN SOCIETY, 1850–1960 3 This course will explore popular
adult amusements and entertainments in nineteenth- and twentieth-century
American society. These entertainments will include family and
community celebrations and festivals, carnivals and exhibitions,
popular literature and music, and other amusements in the public
arena. The course will analyze these within the context of social
change in the United States from 1850–1960, a period during
which leisure time increased dramatically, the country changed
from a rural agricultural society to an urban industrial one,
and its citizens' identities shifted from being members of local
communities to participants in mass culture. Changes in gender,
class, ethnicity, education, and technology will be examined
as factors creating and promoting diverse forms of entertainment.
(Meets expository writing requirement for students who placed
at EN105 level or who have completed EN103.) P.
Hardy, Liberal Studies
LS2 146. ENVIRONMENTAL
ISSUES 3 An exploration of the interaction
between humans and the environment with special emphasis on
differing points of view toward solutions of environmental problems.
Issues such as population, the environment and technology, global
warming, biological diversity, and economic survival will be
addressed through the perspectives of economics and ecology.
Prerequisite: QR1. W. Brown
LS2 147. ART
AND POLITICS IN WEIMAR GERMANY, 1918–1933 3 An examination of the artist,
focusing on the arts in the Weimar Republic during the rise
of Nazism. Movements (such as DaDa and Expressionism) and artists
(such as Brecht, Mann, and Grosz) responded to a period of perpetual
crisis due to war, revolution, and counterrevolution; economic
and governmental failure; massive unemployment; and political
strife abroad. Students will study the works and lives of selected
artists in music, dance, painting, literature, theater, film,
and architecture in relationship to the political, economic,
and social history of this period. L.
Opitz, Theater
LS2 148. KNOWING
TIBET: MAPPERS, MOUNTAINEERS, AND MILITARISTS 3 A history of the inscription
of Tibet onto the maps and imaginations of Euro-Americans. The
course will explore the Himalayas from multiple perspectives:
geography, geology, and their histories (explorations, anthropological
surveys, and mapping); mountaineering; and colonial history
(British and Chinese invasions). The course will consider the
narratives of French, British, and American explorers, seekers,
scientists, soldiers, and mountaineers who, in the course of
scientific, political, and sporting excursions, imposed on Tibet
a symbolic image as a sacred place. In turn, the romantic image
of Tibet in novels and films is exposed with the help of the
Orientalist discourse theory of Edward Said. The political and
economic consequences of Euro-American fascination with Tibet
and the Tibetan culture will also be explored. R.
Linrothe, Art and Art History
LS2 149. ART
AND IDEAS IN ITALY: ANCIENT ROME TO
THE RENAISSANCE 3 Continuity and change in Italian
culture from the Classical Age of the Roman Empire in the first
century through the rise of Christianity during the Middle Ages
to the synthesis of the classical world and Christianity during
the Renaissance of the sixteenth century. Central ideas expressed
by Italian art, literature, and philosophy, such as the changing
conception of human and divine beings, the relative impor tance
of the physical world versus the metaphysical, and the influence
of Aristotle and Plato on the Middle Ages and Renaissance, will
be explored. The course culminates with a close examination
of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. P. Jolly,
Art and Art History
LS2 150H. LITERACY
AND SOCIAL POWER IN THE UNITED STATES 4 This course is based on an observation
and a question. The observation: different social/cultural groups
(racial, ethnic, socioeconomic) historically have had, and continue
to have, different 'access' to literacy and this access has
important social, educational, and personal repercussions. The
question: why is this so? By focusing on literacy as a social
achievement, this course both explores important questions of
difference among racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups in
the United States and continues to develop a number of themes
and topics introduced in LS1, specifically, those of culture
and social context. (Meets expository writing requirement for
students who placed at EN105 level or who have completed EN103.) J.
Devine, English
LS2 152. WOMEN
AND MUSIC 3 A survey across time and cultures
of the ways in which women have participated in music. The course
will take a historical approach to the development of European
art music (musicology), and an anthropological approach to music-making
in non-Western cultures and European folk music (ethnomusicology).
Special attention will be given to gender-based divisions of
musical activity, and to the assumptions and values underlying
those divisions. The readings and discussions will address a
variety of related issues, including the conflict between public
and private spheres for women, and cultural beliefs about women
and musical creativity. (Meets expository writing requirement
for students who placed at EN105 level or who have completed
EN103.) D. Rohr, Music
LS2 153W. POLITICS
OF READING NON-WESTERN LITERATURE: THE EXAMPLE OF INDIA 4 The literature of India has traditionally
been read in terms of Western aesthetics, an inappropriate approach originating
with the political aims of Pax Britannica. This course
attempts to set right the imbalance by reading Indian literature
in terms of Indian aesthetics, and in the context of the Hindu
worldview, including mythology, religion, philosophy, and politics.
It will then examine the possibilities of using the insights
offered by Western aesthetics. This bifocal approach will help
the reader see the literature with greater clarity, and prepare
the ground for a new literary history of India. (Meets expository
writing requirement for students who placed at EN105 level or
who have completed EN103. Designated a non-Western culture course.) R.
Parthasarathy, English
LS2 154. MOVING
THE PUBLIC: RHETORIC, MEDIA, AND MANIPULATION IN AMERICAN POLITICS 3 An examination of the development
of "media politics" in the United States and its impact
on public opinion, political campaigns, political debate, and
public policy. The course traces the history of politicians'
efforts to influence public opinion or "move the public,"
touching on changes in the nature of public opinion, in understandings
of the public's proper influence on government, in the preferred
techniques for communicating with the public, and in the effectiveness
of those techniques. Students will be encouraged to assess critically
the proposition that the growing presence of television, pollsters,
speechwriters, and political consultants on the American political
scene has had lamentable consequences for political debate and
public policy. R. Seyb, Government
LS2 155. AFRICA
THROUGH ITS CHANGING CINEMA 3 This course explores through
film and other visual documents the causes of colonialism on
the African people, their society, and their culture. The colonial
experience, in all its political and psychological aspects,
provides a historical, economic, social, and aesthetic context
in which to study and understand African film. Although our
main focus is sub-Saharan Africa from the Second World War to
the present, we will refer, whenever pertinent, to the North
African filmmaking experience in our discussions. We will also
examine the practice of filmmaking in Africa and the factors
and forces that shape and influence the direction of this practice,
and discuss a number of theories and strategies of reading this
creative medium. (Designated a non-Western culture course.)
H. Jaouad, Foreign Languages and Literatures
LS2 156. THE
GOOD LIFE IN ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHY AND LITERATURE 3 An examination of ancient Greek
views of what it means to live a morally good and happy life
from the distinct perspectives of the poet and of the philosopher.
Some of the basic questions explored in this course are: What
is the relationship between human excellence and human happiness?
To what extent is living a good life something within our power?
What role do external factors play in the good life? The authors
studied are Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Aristophanes, Sophocles,
and Aeschylus. F. Gonzalez, Philosophy
and Religion
LS2 157. COMPUTERS,
ETHICS, AND SOCIETY 3 The intrusion of computers into
almost every aspect of our modern lives raises many interesting
and difficult ethical, legal, and social issues. By examining
some aspects of computer science and some specific incidents
and circumstances (such as the 1988 "Internet worm"
incident, the 1988 stock market crash, the Strategic Defense
Initiative, and the F.B.I. National Crime Information Center),
the course will provide a better understanding of how computers
work, the impact they have on human lives, the many difficult
issues which they raise, and finally the limitations which society,
in turn, puts on their further development. G.
Effinger, Mathematics and Computer Science
LS2 158. SELF
AND DESIRE: A STUDY OF DON JUAN 3 This course will study the figure
of Don Juan as a representation of the desiring self. The general
aim of this course is to examine the nature and modalities of
desire and its role in the constitution of the human subject.
An examination of the figure of Don Juan will serve to question
the relation of the self to self, of self to the other, of desire
to (self) mastery, of pleasure to pain, and of imagination to
reality. Readings and examples drawn from various artistic media
will provide the foundation for the study. R.
Lilly, Philosophy and Religion
LS2 159. VICTORIAN
CHILDHOOD: CHANGES IN IDEALS AND SOCIETY 4 This course studies changes in
ideals of childhood in Victorian England in relation to the
evolution of society's institutions, work place, laws, and literature
for children. The course examines literature and historical,
religious, sociological, and artistic works that emphasize continuing
tension between conflicting ideologies of childhood and the
reality of children's lives. Attention is given to how the notion
the sinful child is challenged by the romantic ideal of innocence
and how childhood gradually becomes a more secure and happy
time for the young of Victorian England and the following generations.
(Meets expository writing requirement for students who placed
at EN105
level or who have completed EN103.) C.
Golden, English
LS2 160. A
GREEN WORLD: HUMAN/PLANT COEVOLUTION 3 This course will deal with the
ways humans have derived invaluable resources from plants and
fungi such as the agricultural staffs of life and other important
commodities (e.g. paper, cotton, coffee). The thrust of the
course will be to display how the employment of constantly evolving
scientific methodology in plant/fungal studies has led to important,
symbiotic interactions between humans, plants, and fungi. Topics
to be covered include: humankind's early botanical experimentation,
the development of the sciences of botany and mycology, agricultural
methods and practice and the diverse methods of applied technologies
to production of botanical commodities for human use. D.
Domozych, Biology
LS2 162. FAITH
AND SCIENCE 3 An examination of historically
changing relationships between religion and science in crosscultural
perspective, but with an emphasis on Western culture. The course
focuses on two questions: (1) Why did modern science originate
in Western Europe and not elsewhere? and (2) What is the fundamental
nature of contemporary relationships between science and religion?
The questions are addressed from an interdisciplinary perspective,
drawing upon the history of science, sociology, psychology,
and religion. K. Szymborski, Library
LS2 163. CHINA
AND THE WEST: THE MYTH OF THE OTHER 3 Students will examine the experience
of the Other from both Chinese and Western standpoints. The
image of the Other has been historically shaped to represent
values that are considered different from one's own. Our perception
of the Other is largely determined by historical and ideological
givens. In this course, we will look at China as an idealized
utopia in the eyes of eighteenth-century Europeans, and as a
land of ignorance as described in early modern literature and
other media. We will also explore various Chinese responses
to the West. In addition, we will look at China's environmental
issues from the points of view of both Chinese and Western critics.
In studying several cases and discussing such issues as orientalism
vs. occidentalism, and cultural relativism vs. universalism,
we will examine the polemics of cultural difference in ethical
terms. (Designated a non-Western culture course.) M.
Chen, Foreign Languages and Literatures
LS2 164. FACTUAL
AND FICTIONAL: HISTORY AND THE NOVEL IN CHINA 3 This course will examine several
Chinese novels in terms of their special narrative modes and
the history that each mode implies. The course will consider
how each novel reveals the changing history of modern China.
At the same time, it will also explore how each novel makes
its unique contribution to Chinese literature. Students will
discuss such issues as: history in literature, history outside
literature, literary histories, factual and fictional as literary
categories, and the historical novel. (Designated a non-Western
culture course.) M. Chen, Foreign
Languages and Literatures LS2 165. MODERN
CHINA AND JAPAN IN NARRATIVE AND FILM 3 This course will introduce masterworks
of modern Chinese and Japanese literature and film to students
who possess no knowledge of East Asian languages. The intrinsic
value of individual works will be examined in the light of both
East Asian and Western literary traditions. We will read novels
and novellas from modern China and Japan and, besides studying
each text's distinct literary features, we will discuss questions
concerning the individual's relationship to society during a
given historical moment. We will also focus on the study of
cinema as a narrative art, and its interrelations with disciplines
such as painting, music, psychology, and cultural history. There
will be a film screening and a discussion session each week.
(Designated a non-Western culture course.) M.
Chen, Foreign Languages and Literatures
LS2 166. HUMAN
INTERACTION WITH THE LAND ATTITUDES AND IMPACTS 3 An introduction to the interrelationships
between human attitudes and values and human management of the
land and its essential resources. The class will examine the
historical patterns of ways in which various societies have
substantially modified the natural landscapesometimes with a
sense of stewardship, sometimes with a sense of anthropocentric
arrogance. Geosciences Department
LS2 171. THE
FRENCH REVOLUTION: THE FIRST REVOLUTION 3 The revolution that began in
France in 1789 changed the meaning we assign to the word "revolution."
First used to describe the movement of the planets and the seasons,
"revolution" had to come to mean a momentous change
in any sphere, and in politics, the replacement of one set of
rulers by another. But with the revolution in France, the word
took on its modern sense of a fundamental alteration in the
form of government, coupled with social and economic innovation.
So contemporaries saw it, and so historians have seen it since.
But while everyone agrees the event was momentous, there was
at the same time and there has been since considerable dispute
as to whether it was momentously good or momentously evil. The
course will explore some of the contradictory and conflicting
interpretations of this first modern revolution through works
of political theory (e.g., Burke and Paine), literature (e.g.,
Wordsworth, Buchner, Carpentier), painting (e.g., David, Goya,
Delacroix) and film. (Meets expository writing requirement for
students who placed at EN105 level or who have completed EN103.) R.
Janes, English
LS2 173. ITALY,
FASCISM, AND JEWS 3 This course examines the Fascist
takeover of the Italian government in 1922 from several disciplinary
perspectives and based upon a variety of sources. Crucial to
this examination is the civil war against fascism, the Partisan
Resistance movement initiated during World War II, and the changing
status of Jews in Italy from their integration into Italian
life and culture beginning in 1861 to their disintegration,
and ultimately their mass deportation to Auschwitz in 1943.
Course materials for investigating Italian fascism, the resistance
against it, and the attempts by Jews to survive the fascist
government's mass deportation policy include diaries of witnesses,
history texts, memoirs, novels, films, and political documents. S.
Smith, Foreign Languages and Literatures
LS2 176. THE
ASIAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE 3 An examination of the social,
political, economic, and cultural experiences of Asian Americans
in the United States and their encounters with Americans of
European descent. Beginning with an analysis of the experiences
of the Chinese and Japanese immigrants before World War II,
the course continues with a critical and interdisciplinary look
at the international context of one or more of the more recent
waves of Asian immigration (which may include Korean, Filipino,
East Indian, Vietnamese, and Cambodian migrants, in addition
to whose who continue to arrive from China and Japan) and proceeds
to an exploration of the causes and legacies of anti-Asian sentiments
in the U.S. and Asian American responses to violence and assimilatory
pressures from prejudice and institutional racism. Systemic
connections between stereotyping past and contemporary Asian
Americans, the vicissitudes of a contested American identity,
and the struggle for cultural and political expression in a
multicultural America will also be considered. (Designated as
a Cultural Diversity course.) J. Ling,
Liberal Studies
LS2 177. HUMAN
COLONIZATION OF SPACE 3 Our exploration of space points
to eventual extraterrestrial human colonies. In fact, much of
the technology to begin small colonies already exists, and some
anthropologists argue that it is the nature of humankind to
explore and settle new "lands," even when that means
leaving the earth. This course surveys the issues involved in
making policy decisions in this area, including technological
limitations, political and economic motives, the possible catastrophic
destruction of earth, and the biological and psychological development
of individuals within a small, extremely isolated society. M.
Crone, Chemistry and Physics
LS2 178. BORN
IN AMERICA 3 An exploration of the changing
ways in which American women have experienced contraception,
abortion, pregnancy, and childbirth, from 1587 to the present.
The course examines developments in technology, law, medicine,
the economy, and the role and position of women and the family
in society as they influenced the reproductive lives of American
women, using sources from the history of medicine, social history,
literature, legal and constitutional studies, government, and
sociology. (Meets expository writing requirement for students
who placed at EN105 level or who have completed EN103.) M.
Lynn, American Studies
LS2 180. IMAGES
OF THE TWELVE CAESARS: PERSPECTIVES OF THE EMPEROR IN EARLY
IMPERIAL ROME 3 The lives of the twelve Caesars
have been romanticized by biographers, artists, playwrights,
novelists, and filmmakers from antiquity to recent times. We
will examine the nature of Roman society and the changing depiction
of these twelve Roman emperors, their wives, and children, as
represented in literature, the fine arts, and cinema. The course
begins with the tradition embodied by Julius Caesar of the rule
of might and virtue. It then examines the deification of Caesar
for political purposes by his successor Augustus, the degradations
of the imperial throne by the depraved Caligula, the even-handed
reign of the stammering idiot Claudius, the violent excesses
of Nero, the restoration of the honor of the emperor under Vespasian,
and then finishes with the brutal, repressive tyranny of his
son Domitian. (Meets expository writing requirement for students
who placed at EN105 level or who have completed EN103.) L.
Mechem, Classics
LS2 181. HOW
DO WOMEN LOOK?: WOMAN AS OBJECT/SUBJECT IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN
VISUAL CULTURE 3 In this course we will examine
how women appear in a range of visual culture, including high
art, mass culture (magazines and television), and films in contemporary
United States (1950s–90s). While we will be concerned with how
women look images might present women as objects for consumption,
for example we will also consider how women look at these
images, speculating whether they do so in active or passive
ways. (Meets expository writing requirement for students who
placed at EN105 level or who have completed EN103.) K.
Hauser, Art and Art History
LS2 183. AMERICAN
RADICAL THEATER IN THE 1930S, 1960S, AND 1990S 3 A study of American social and
political activist performance in the 1930s, 1960s, and 1990s
from the perspectives of history and performance. Major events
and issues in three decades of American history will be examined
along with the various types of theatrical performance that
emerged to move social and political agendas forward. Through
close readings from history, performance theory, primary sources
such as play texts, theater reviews, diaries, letters, and speeches,
as well as videos and films of performance, we will address
the concepts of activism as performance and performance as activism C.
Anderson, Theater
LS2 184. STRAVINSKY
AND BALANCHINE: A UNION OF MINDS 3 Igor Stravinsky and George Balanchine
emerged as two of the most powerful forces in shaping the direction
of music and ballet in the twentieth century. This course will
explore the close collaboration of these two men through study
of selected compositions and prose writings by and about each
artist. Special attention will be given to the nature of their
collaborations, including their similar views about creativity,
movement, the rhythm of time, and the balance of visual and
aural events. Analyses of the structural and stylistic elements
of music and choreography, especially as they are linked to
one another, will also be examined. The historical roots of
the musical and balletic styles of the Ballets Russes, from
which their partnership emerged, will also be explored. Emphasis
will be given to the writings of both men, with discussion of
their individual and shared artistic philosophies. Ballets to
be viewed and studied include The Firebird,Petrushka,
The Rite of Spring, Apollo, Jewels, Violin Concerto, Orpheus,
and Agon. A field trip to New York City for a performance
of a Stravinsky-Balanchine ballet will normally be arranged. C.
Joseph, Music; I. Brown, Exercise Science, Dance, and Athletics
LS2 185. HOLLYWOOD
GOES TO WAR: HISTORY VERSUS ART IN THE WORLD WAR II COMBAT FILM 3 Motion pictures about periods
of war are as much a reflection of the culture in which they
are produced as they are portrayals of the armed conflict. This
course will examine attitudes toward World War II as reflected
in motion pictures produced during and after the war, looking
at such issues as historical accuracy, the use of propaganda,
treatment of characters, and the overall artistic impact of
the films.
LS2 187. THE
ART OF ECSTASY 4 This course explores the literature
and visual art produced and inspired by medieval visionaries,
focusing on representations of ecstatic experience in medieval
mystical literature, manuscript illumination, painting and sculpture,
and on analytical discussions of ecstasy in theology, literature
and history, and in the social and natural sciences. Medieval
mystics ventured into a realm inaccessible to the normal processes
of sensation and reasoning and well beyond the grasp of faith
itself. In order to communicate their experiences they and their
followers "reinvented" language or turned away from
verbal expression in favor of the visual arts. (Meets expository
writing requirement for students who placed at EN105 level or
who have completed EN103.) K. Greenspan,
English
LS2 188. THE
DEBATE ABOUT WOMEN IN THE MIDDLE AGES 4 The medieval debate about women
had enduring impact upon Western ideas about gender and authority.
In this course, we will study questions raised by medieval theologians,
philosophers, poets, artists, and critics about the nature of
women, their abilities, virtues and vices, their power, and
their proper relation to men. We will explore the implications
of these questions both in medieval terms and in the light of
modern critical, historical, and especially feminist discussions.
(Meets expository writing requirement for students who placed
at EN105 level or who have completed EN103.) K.
Greenspan, English
LS2 189. THE
SEARCH FOR SYMMETRY AND PATTERN 3 This course examines the role
and significance of symmetry and pattern in diverse domains
of nature and of human endeavor. It is surprising how broad
a variety of disciplines share a common canon of criteria for
a "good" design: repetition, harmony, and variety.
The study of examples from the earth and the heavens, from human
visual and auditory art, from language and literature, and from
rhetoric and reasoning will show symmetry (or a lack of it)
as a crucial component of form and content. D.
Hurwitz, Mathematics and Computer Science
LS2 190. THE
HUMAN EXPERIENCE OF EXILE 3 This course will explore, through
appropriate texts and from the interdisciplinary perspective,
five areas which each relate in an exemplary way to exile experience,
highlighting both the different and unifying aspects of this
multifaceted topic. Using as a point of departure the traditional
understanding of exile as persecution and banishment from home
(exemplified in the Jewish suffering from exile throughout the
course of history), we will examine the U.S. as a country of
refuge and as one of forced exile within its expansion (slavery).
Further, exile experience will be explored in relation to existentialism.
We will then look at specific manifestations of exile experience
in humans' "normal" life cycles. Connections between
exile and creativity will also be examined. This course, in
its multifaceted approach, suggests that exile experience, in
its different manifestations, has significance in our everyday
lives, even if we may not be aware of it. U.
Giguere, Liberal Studies
LS2 191. DANTE'S
DIVINE COMEDY 3 An examination of Dante's Divine
Comedy from an interdisciplinary perspective, including
literature, history, politics, philosophy, and theology. Course
topics will include concerns of the medieval world such as allegory,
love, justice, secular and spiritual authority, images of women,
education, and the relationship between philosophy and religion.
Supplementary readings will provide a context for the medieval
world, its life and literature, and will also demonstrate how
Dante's text reflects the Zeitgeist of the Middle Ages. The
course will also take into account Dante's Divine Comedy
in relation to the visual arts by viewing several illustrations
from Botticelli and Renaissance illustrators to Gustave Dore,
and selected modern and contemporary paintings inspired by Dante's
poem. G. Faustini, Foreign Languages
and Literatures
LS2 192. THE
CHAOTIC UNIVERSE 3 A careful study of chaos theory
and of discrete dynamical systems is made in an interdisciplinary
setting, requiring a background of only high school algebra.
The ultimate goal of the course is to get to a working definition
of chaotic behavior, and to understand the reasons why chaotic
behavior is so pervasive in our world. Indeed chaotic behavior
is inherent in population dynamics, in the weather, in the stock
market, and in the motion of the planets in our solar system,
to cite just a few instances of its occurrence. Secondary goals
include looking at the reasons why chaotic behavior was neglected
by the scientific community until recently, and using discrete
dynamical systems as a window to understanding the more complicated
continuous dynamical systems. Prerequisite: QR1. (Fulfills
QR2 requirement.) D. Vella, Mathematics
and Computer Science
LS2 194. GENOCIDE,
WAR CRIMINALS, AND JUSTICE 3 An examination of the genesis
of international human rights, the legal mechanisms and institutions
developed to enforce these rights, and the strategies used by
societies to come to terms with massive human-rights abuses.
We explore how individual societies and international bodies
have struggled to balance the need for justice and stability
when confronting perpetrators of human-rights abuses. Using
a variety of sources and engaging texts from the intersecting
and overlapping fields of law, history, politics, sociology,
and religion, we analyze several countries (Germany, Cambodia,
Bosnia, Rwanda, and South Africa) where systematic and unspeakable
crimes were committed and examine how the United Nations, the
international courts, domestic legal systems, and truth and
reconciliation commissions sought to come to terms with these
atrocities. M. Hockenos, History
LS2 195. REPRESENTATIONS
OF THE HOLOCAUST 3 An examination of the problems
and controversies surrounding the depiction of the Nazi period
in German history from the perspectives of historians, playwrights,
poets, film directors, and artists constructing memorials in
commemoration of the Holocaust. Students will analyze significant
works, including the historians Maier on the Historians' Debate
in Germany in the 1980s; Finkelstein, Birn, and Browning on
Goldhagen's Hitler's Willing Executioners: Stannard and
Katz on the question of the uniqueness of the Holocaust; and
Novick on the role of the Holocaust in American life. They will
also study playwrights Brecht and Frisch; poets Celan, Sachs,
Fried, et al.; film makers Renais, Wertmuller, Chaplin, Spielberg,
and Benigni; and philosophers Habermas, Adorno, and Nietzsche. R.
Mayer, Foreign Languages and Literatures
LS2 196. READING
AND SEEING: THE VISUAL IN THE WRITTEN 3 In the Western world, there exists
a long tradition of written literary texts that describe visual
works of art and compel their readers to reflect upon the differences
of reading and seeing as interpretive activities. This course
will use a variety of disciplines to explore thematically and
historically such written representations of visual representations,
and to determine the complex implications of such a verbal-visual
interaction for early twenty-first century readers. We will
closely examine the Greek and Roman foundations of this tradition
and the Antique theories associated with it. We will then move
to the Renaissance, an age deeply marked by the ancient texts
and literary theories. In turn, this background will allow students
to explore the phenomenon in the nineteenth- and twentieth-century
literatures of Europe and America, and to come to conclusions
about the characteristics of the modes of knowledge seeing and
reading imply. M. Wiesmann, Foreign Languages
and Literatures
LS2 197. IMAGES
OF CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN WOMEN 3 An exploration of contemporary
Italian women as portrayed through both the words and images
of women artists. A first grouping of artistic works (novels
and films) illustrates some of the themes particularly relevant
to Italian women's lives: family, socialization, sexual politics,
Catholicism, friendship, and solitude. This first heading shows
women either as perpetrators of a system of morality or as individuals
who either accept the status quo or propose alternatives. A
second grouping shows women as artists: women shapers of cultures.
One of the topics explored under the second thematic heading
is "women as writers"; the critical work directs attention
to the debate on "gender and genre." S.
Smith, Foreign Languages and Literatures
LS2 198. IMAGES
OF LATINAS 3 This course will focus on the
experience of Latinas as portrayed in their literary work. In
studying the interplay of cultural, historical, political, and
socioeconomic factors affecting Latinas' roles and gender relationships,
we will be able to identify the uniqueness of their experiences
and its expression within the diverse multicultural society
of the United States. Interdisciplinary perspectives include
literature, literary criticism, history, and cultural studies. V.
Rangil, Foreign Languages and Literatures
LS2 200. GROWTH
AND RESPONSIBILITY IN COLLEGE 4 An examination of theoretical
and research approaches to understanding the factors that influence
adjustment and achievement during the college years by reviewing
how various disciplines have considered the following questions:
What does it mean to be educated? Why be educated? And, What
makes for personal growth during young adulthood? Answers will
contribute to formulating a model of the ideal college experience.
In addition to considering the views of psychologists, historians,
and economists, the scientific method and quantitative approaches
to understanding adjustment and growth will be emphasized. Students
will conduct a quantitative assessment of contemporary student
life at Skidmore College. Prerequisite: QR1. (Fulfills
QR2 requirement.) P. Colby, Psychology
LS2 202. PSYCHOACTIVE
DRUGS: SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIAL CONTEXTS 3 This course will trace the interaction
between scientific knowledge and social responses to such knowledge
regarding the use of psychoactive drug substances. After a consideration
of the nature of consciousness, and introduction to the structure
and the function of the nervous system, and exposure to some
basic pharmacological concepts, we will study the specific psychological
and physiological effects of various psychoactive substances
(e.g., caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin,
and LSD). Psychological, historical, and cultural influences
of drug use and the social regulation of drug use will then
be examined to demonstrate that the distinction between legal
and illegal substances is social rather than pharmacological,
and that social attitudes and legal proscriptions of drug substances
are not based on scientific and/or pharmacological concerns.
Finally, the general nature of the social use (or in this case,
nonuse) of scientific knowledge will be explored. G.
Goodwin, Psychology
LS2 203. SEXUALITIES/TEXTUALITIES 4 An exploration of the centrality
of the written word to the creation, promulgation, and enforcement
of human sexualities. The course examines the text as a place
where an otherwise amorphous network of desires gets clarified
and organized, deployed and policed. The main focus will be
nineteenth- and twentieth-century America, although this period
will be positioned in the context of its Classical and European
influences, as well as its early-American prehistory. Topics
may include: the textual emergence of gender; the creation of
hetero- and homosexuality; the literary romance; the scientific
treatise; guidebooks for the young; sex laws; the psychology
of sex; health manuals; love poems; sex and the memoir; and
sex and the church. (Meets expository writing requirement for
students who placed at EN105 level or who have completed EN103.) M.
Stokes, English
LS2 204. THE
ETHICS OF TOBACCO AND ALCOHOL ADVERTISING: JOE CAMEL IS DEAD,
ARE THE BUDWEISER LIZARDS NEXT? 3 Examination of the social, economic,
political/legal, and ethical implications of tobacco and alcohol
advertising. Particular attention will be given to the persuasive
techniques that advertisers use to influence people's attitudes
and opinions toward theses products. Students will examine societal
and economic trends, political, legal, and ethical principles
in terms of the extent to which they have had an impact on,
and been influenced by, the advertising of tobacco and alcohol
products. C. Page, Management and Business
LS2 205. PSYCHOLOGICAL
THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE: APPLICATIONS TO LAW AND BEHAVIOR 4 This course will focus on psychological
theories of social justice and their application to law and
behavior. Psychological research has demonstrated that people
are strongly affected by their judgments of what is fair and
unfair in their dealing with others. Judgments of fairness include
(a) assessments of who deserves and who does not deserve various
kinds of resources in society (who should get what and why),
(b) analyses of the processes through which different types
of allocation decisions are made, and (c) considerations of
how people should be treated when they break agreed upon justice
rules and norms. This course will examine theoretical models
of social justice from each of these three perspectives. We
will then use these theoretical frameworks as a guide for analysis
of a range of different types of social issues and case law
decisions. Issues examined will include such topics as affirmative
action, health care spending, divorce law, welfare reform, and
death penalty rulings. V. Murphy-Berman,
Psychology
LS2 206H. SLEEP
AND DREAMS 3 The course is an examination
of the experience of sleep and dreaming. Dreaming is a curious
phenomenon in that we experience vivid sensations, thoughts,
and emotions, but have muscular paralysis and usually are unaware
of being asleep. Humans in many cultures, and ages have been
interested in dreaming and have constructed narratives to understand
the role of dreaming in human life. We will consider texts from
some of the narratives that humans have constructed to make
sense of the dreaming, including accounts from neuroscience,
nonempirical Western psychology, and a few non-Western cultures.
Class participants also will spend several nights in a sleep
laboratory in order to experience dreaming as both an outside
observer (i.e., an experimenter) and as a participant (i.e.,
a sleeper). H. Hodgins, Psychology
LS2 207. SEEDS
OF CHANGE: PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBAL NUTRITION 4 A broad survey of the role of
the social, economic, political, cultural, nutritional, and
environmental factors that influence the food choices of individuals
and societies in different parts of the world at different times
in history. Topics such as the global interdependence of food
production and distribution, the environmental impact of changes
in food habits and production techniques, the use of food as
a tool to enforce religious and political beliefs, the worldwide
effect of the introduction of modern food technology, etc. will
be addressed through analysis of specific case studies. U.
Bray, Mathematics and Computer Science; V. Narasimhan, Chemistry
and Physics
LS2 208. IS
THE MELTING POT BOILING OVER? DIVERSITY IN THE AMERICAN WORKPLACE 3 An examination of the many challenges
and issues raised by the growing diversity and multiculturalism
of the North American workplace. The course provides a brief
historical introduction to the patterns of immigration that
affected different workplaces and offers an overview of the
legal structures that deal with questions of difference in work
organizations (e.g., the Equal Employment Opportunities Act).
It also examines how organization structures and cultures influence
the reception, inclusion, and experiences of different social
identity groups along dimensions of gender, race, age, ethnicity,
disability, and sexual preference. Recent workplace movements
that promote and oppose greater diversity are also discussed. P.
Prasad, Management and Business
LS2 210. TRAVELERS
AND TRAVEL LIARS IN LATIN AMERICA, 1500–1900 3 Examination of the ideas and
impact of European and North American travel narratives on Latin
America and the Caribbean from the sixteenth through early twentieth
centuries. The course studies how writings by conquerors, diplomats,
missionaries, scientists, pirates, and others reflected and
influenced the creation of historical, anthropolological, scientific,
political, and economic knowledge in and about Latin America,
Europe, and North America. J. Dym, History
LS2 220. INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA STUDIES 4 An interdisciplinary introduction to the questions re: human dilemmas in the
context of an increasingly technology and media saturated culture. The course
begins with close consideration of the nature and structure of human
communication and an historical overview of communications and media. Students
will study media from both psychological and societal perspectives and will
consider the impact of media on politics, government, community, and consumer
behavior. Special attention will be paid throughout the course to the personal
and social impact of current and emerging forms of communication and media. J. Devine, English
LS2 211. CREATIVITY 4 An exploration of the idea of
creativity, its varied expression, its diverse perpetrators,
and its cultural setting. Creativity spans all human endeavorsan
idea we will bring to life by studying artists, scientists,
political geniuses, business gurus, and our own creative powers.
The goal is to delve deeply into something we have all experienced
but studied very little. First, we explore the academic research
on creativity over the last 50 years. Then we read what renowned
creators have written about their work and their own and others'
creative powers. Finally, we mine our own creativity, probing
ways to enhance our own lives through our creative powers. S.
Belden, Management and Business
LS2 212. THINKING
ABOUT RACE AND ETHNICITY: "RACE"
IN AMERICA, 1776–PRESENT 3 An examination of the difference
between "race" and "ethnicity." What are
we referring to when we use these terms? Biology? Culture? Faith?
Skin color? Nationality? History? Epistemology? What makes categories
based on apparently natural differences useful? How has the
meaning of "race" and "ethnicity" changed
over time? In the United States, the categories have variously
overlapped, collided, or remained separate, depending on what
those categories have been called upon to explain. At one time,
Jews and the Irish were seen as separate races, then they were
seen as ethnicities, and eventually they became "white."
What accounts for these changes, and what does that say about
these categories? This course addresses these questions by examining
how intellectuals, social scientists, the law, and cultural
producers in America have historically defined and thought about
race, ethnicity, "blackness," and "whiteness."
(Designated as a Cultural Diversity course.) J.
Delton, History
LS2 213. NUCLEAR
RADIATION IN THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT 3 A broad investigation of the
environmental impact of human uses of radioactive materials
in power generation and nuclear weapons. The course examines
the implications of factors such as governmental and societal
priorities, national security interests, cultural and political
perspectives, and geography in decisions regarding reactor designs,
weapons manufacture, waste disposal, and the consequences for
the global environment of these decisions. Principles of nuclear
physics appropriate to a scientifically informed discussion
of these topics are presented. (Fulfills the ES Cluster C requirement.) W.
Standish, Chemistry and Physics
LS2 214. MATHEMATICS
AND THE ART OF M.C. ESCHER 3 An examination of the mathematical
ideas inherent in the work of the graphic artist M.C. Escher.
Two central aspects of Escher's art are geometry and symmetry.
The course explores the relationship between Escher's art and
the underlying mathematical themes and considers the artist's
success at achieving a visual representation of mathematical
ideas. Prerequisite: QR1. (Fulfills QR2 requirement.) M.
Hofmann, Mathematics and Computer Science
LS2 215. SHAPING
FORCES OF OPERA 4 Opera, one of the most complex
and fascinating of the theatrical arts, relies on the composer's
control of musical style to shape the action and the lyricism
at the heart of opera's appeal. Some consideration of the analogous
shaping role of stylistic shifts in film and spoken drama will
serve to develop a framework for understanding the central and
powerful role that stylistic forces play in shaping a wide range
of dramatic and expressive forms. T.
Denny, Music
LS2 216. WOMEN
IN SCIENCE 4 The history of Western science
records the contributions of very few women. In fact, even today
few women choose science as a profession. This course explores
the reasons for that phenomenon by identifying and analyzing
the historical and contemporary barriers to the full participation
of women in the natural sciences and mathematics, with a focus
on possible solutions for the future. During the semester, many
invited contemporary women scientists from academia, industry,
and government agencies speak about their professional experiences
in archaeology, biology, chemistry, environmental science, geoscience,
mathematics, computer science, and physics. Additionally, investigation
into the experiences and contributions of historical women in
science is an important aspect of this course. Finally, numerous
assigned readings challenge students to consider the gendering
of science in terms of how culture shapes science, how science
shapes culture, the feminist perspective on science, and why
the exclusion or marginalization of women from science matters. K.
Cartwright, Geosciences
LS2 217. MADNESS, ECCENTRICITY AND DISSIDENCE: PERSPECTIVES ON CHINESE CULTURE 3 A study of madness as a literary
theme in the Chinese tradition. From the shamanistic impulses
of China's first poet, Qu Yuan, to the present avant-garde
authors and filmmakers, students will learn about changing
perspectives on the dynamic relationship between self and
society. We will study such themes as feigned madness; didactic
pathological and philosophical uses of madness; women and madness;
the role of literature and the intellectual in China; and other
pathologies that are part of the social context. Having established
theoretical approaches (psychoanalytical and post-structuralist
theories) and looked at some prototypes of madness from the Western
tradition (Euripides, Shakespeare, Goethe, Rousseau, Kafka, Bernhard),
we will learn about the etymological, nosological, social, and medical
concepts of madness in China. Some of the questions this course seeks
to answer are: What is the relationship between madness and writing,
madness and truth? What concepts of reason and rationality do they
reveal? What view of the human psyche and individuality do they
reflect? How and why? How does our reading of Chinese madness challenge
Western notions of reason and individuality? (Designated a non-Western culture course.) B. Linder, Foreign Languages and Literatures
LS2 218. EXTRAORDINARY BODIES: DISABILITY IN LITERATURE 4 An exploration of representations of anomalous bodies in British and American culture from the early modern to postmodern periods. Our goal will be to investigate what the status of the "freak" or "monster" tells us about prevalent cultural anxieties or attitudes about subjectivity. We will read a range of literary texts and explore various theoretical approaches to the question of why bodies that don't fit established categories are so disruptive to the social order, even as they help establish the parameters of the "normal."
(Meets expository writing requirement for students who placed
at EN105 level or who have completed EN103.) S. Mintz, English
LS2 219. IRELAND IN THE NEW CENTURY: MYTH REALITY AND IDENTITY 3
An exploration, in a broad interdisciplinary manner, of the patterns of modern and
contemporary Irish life and culture, Ireland's unique "sense of place," and the
issue of Irish identity. This course aims to extend the discussion of the meaning
of Ireland, and of Irishness, and seeks to set aside simplified stereotypes of the
Irish and explore instead the diversity and plurality of Irish identity.
Ultimately, it seeks to answer such questions as: What does it mean to be Irish in
an Ireland that has radically changed the way it views itself and the world? Can
the Irish remain the most "globalized" economy in the world, without becoming less
Irish? If the country buries its past, what will replace it? J. Kennelly
LS2 221. THE ADOLESCENT EXPERIENCE: CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES ON UNIVERSAL THEMES 3
This course considers how the process of adolescent development has been used
as a major theme in literature and film. Using psychologically based research,
students will gain an understanding of the cognitive, emotional, physical and
social transformations which accompany this stage; so that they will be able
to critically examine these artistic portrayals. The selection of research,
literature and films is designed to reflect how adolescents from diverse
cultural backgrounds incorporate these changes. D. Brent
LS2 251. SPECIAL
TOPICS 3 Special Topics courses are interdisciplinary
and make explicit reference to the themes and issues considered
in LS1. They are typically offered on a one-time-only basis.
