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Interdisciplinary
Interdisciplinary Courses
IN 100. EXPLORATION
INTERNSHIP 3
Internship experience for students
in all classes who wish to gain professional or vocational experience
within an educational context at an entry level, or who wish
to have educational and work experience in a field not directly
related to an academic department at Skidmore. Proposals require
faculty sponsorship and are reviewed for credit by the Curriculum
Committee. Not for liberal arts credit.
ID 151. SCRIBNER
COLLOQUIA 1
A topic seminar that may emerge from a Scribner Seminar or as a novel
offering (e.g., a film series). The topic(s) will be addressed from
the perspective of different disciplines. The frequency with which the
seminar meets will vary depending on the goals of seminar. Open only
to first-year students and with the permission of the instructor.
May only be taken once for credit. May not be taken concurrently with ID 171.
ID 171. INTERDISCIPLINARY INDEPENDENT STUDY 1
Independent work for first-year students in collaboration with two
different project leaders. The project leaders will define the nature
of the interdisciplinary project and recruit first-year students for
participation. The participating
students will serve as apprentices to the project leaders and learn
about several different approaches to investigating the particular
project. May only be taken once for credit. May not be taken concurrently with ID 151.
ID 201. PEER MENTORING
SEMINAR 1, 4
An introduction to the theory and practice of collaborative learning
and mentoring as they relate to the interdisciplinary issues raised in
Scribner Seminars. The course examines the role of mentors, the ethics
of mentoring, and common mentoring problems. Students engage in a
consideration of the readings and topics in selected Scribner
Seminars, placing them in wider intellectual and pedagogical contexts,
and undertake a term project on mentoring. Required for all students
serving as Scribner Seminar mentors. M. Arnush, Classics
ID 210. INTRODUCTION TO
GIS 3
An introduction to
the concepts and principles of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for
computerized mapping and spatial analysis in the social and natural sciences
through both theoretical and practical means. Emphasis is on the interdisciplinary
nature of GIS in addition to its applications within various disciplines.
Prerequisite: QR2. R. Jones
ID 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. (Meets expository writing requirement for students who placed at EN105
level or who have completed EN103.) J. Devine, English
ID 271, 272. INTERDISCIPLINARY INDEPENDENT
STUDY 3–4
Independent work for sophomores or more advanced students whose academic
interests require an interdisciplinary approach beyond the academic
structures available through established departmental courses. The
student must have the background appropriate to the proposed study, must
have completed LS1 and at least one other interdisciplinary course at
Skidmore, must carefully define a plan of study, and must enlist the
guidance of one or more faculty, as appropriate. Proposals for ID271 and
272 are reviewed by the chair(s) of the sponsoring faculty member's
home department or interdisciplinary program; or in the case of students
with an approved self-determined major, by the chair of the
Self-Determined Majors Subcommittee.
ID 351. TOPICS
IN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 3
Topically organized courses based
on themes or problems that bring together the perspectives of
multiple disciplines. The specific themes or problems may differ
from year to year. Examples include "the family" as
a biological, psychological, sociological, and artistic construct;
science and music; and creativity in the arts and in the sciences.
The course with a different theme/topic may be repeated for
credit.
ID 371, 372. INTERDISCIPLINARY INDEPENDENT
STUDY 3-4
Independent work for juniors and seniors whose academic interests
require an interdisciplinary approach beyond the academic structures
available through established departmental courses. The student must
have background appropriate to the proposed study, must have completed
LS1 and at least one other interdisciplinary course at Skidmore, must
carefully define a plan of study, and must enlist the guidance of one or
more faculty as appropriate. Proposals for ID371 and 372 are reviewed
by the chair(s) of the sponsoring faculty member's home department or
interdisciplinary program; or in the case of students with an approved
self-determined major, by the chair of the Self -Determined Majors
Subcommittee.
LI 100. ELECTRONIC
INFORMATION RESOURCES 1
An introduction to electronic
information retrieval and evaluation. A team-taught course aimed
at the refinement of online searching skills using a variety
of electronic data bases. Although primarily tool-oriented,
the course will address the issues of the structure of disciplinary
information systems, the selection of proper information resources,
and the evaluation of search results. Some of the social implications
of the information revolution will also be discussed. Library
Faculty
LI 371, 372. INDEPENDENT
STUDY 1, 1
Preparation for a senior thesis, capstone, or honors project that
requires a serious research component. Students will work one-on-one
with a subject specialist in the library to prepare the groundwork for
an intensive academic project within their major. Students will be
instructed in the organization of information and in sophisticated
search strategies for finding, evaluating, and using information. A
critical annotated bibliography is required, as well as a strategy for
acquiring materials needed for the final project. Students must obtain
approval from their academic advisor. Permission of the instructor
required. Library Faculty
Liberal Studies Courses
LS2: INTEGRATIVE TOPICS
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.
AM 230 Born in America ED 216 History of Education in the United States ED 217 Alternative Education in the United States: Political and Social Perspectives ED 219 Social and Cultural Dimensions of Literacy and Education FL 242 Self and Society in Modern Japan FL 243 The World of Japanese Animation
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 FL 269 Cultural China: Trends and Themes FL 270 Holding Up Half the Sky: Gender, Writing, and Nationhood in China 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 HI 229 War and Peace in 20th Century Latin America 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 WS 227 Holding Up Half the Sky: Gender, Writing, and Nationhood in China
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 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 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 expressive relationship to the concerns and focus of the twentieth century. L. Rosengarten, Liberal Studies
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 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 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 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 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 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 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. K. Nichols, Geosciences
LS2 171. THE
FRENCH REVOLUTION: THE FIRST REVOLUTION 4 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 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. D. Eyman, Liberal Studies
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 that 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, Education
LS2 222H. INSITE: EXPLORING THE
VISUAL 3
How will the process of seeing lead to discovery? In this course, we will follow the trail
of this question as we explore how objects, the display of objects,
and the sites where we encounter objects create meaning. The Tang Teaching
Museum and Art Gallery, the Skidmore Campus, and the surrounding area
will serve as our primary research sites as we study how museum display
and the appearance of ordinary objects in our everyday landscapes give
shape to ideas and experiences. Drawing from the disciplines of museum
studies, visual art, cultural studies, and cultural geography, we will
investigate the process of seeing as a practice in interdisciplinary
thought as well as a method for identifying how the visual helps to
form the knowledge base of different disciplines. Throughout this course,
visual projects that explore site-specific elements of display will
accompany analysis of verbal and visual
texts. A. Barnes, English
LS2 223. THE LIVES AND WORKS OF
MARY SHELLEY AND HER FAMILY 3
An examination of the life and novels of Mary Shelley in the context of the fascinating
circle of her family and friends. This circle included her father, William
Godwin, anarchist political writer and novelist; her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft,
proto-feminist author of tracts and novellas; her husband, major Romantic
poet Percy Bysshe Shelley; and a number of half-siblings, friends, and
children-all with turbulent personal histories in a time of great social
and political unrest. The focus will be as much biographical as literary,
with the emphasis on appreciating the complex relation between the creative
mind and the network of relations that sustains it. The readings include
4 of Mary Shelley's post-Frankenstein novels, one of her mother's
novellas, two of her father's most influential novels, extracts from
political works by both parents, an assortment of Percy Shelley's poems,
and a number of biographical readings. R. Goodwin, Liberal Studies
