815 North Broadway
Saratoga Springs,
New York, 12866
SKIDMORE PHONE
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Scribner Seminars
Director of the First Year Experience: Michael Arnush
Administrative Coordinator: Chrisana McGill
All Scribner Seminars are interdisciplinary. The seminars invite
students to think about the liberal arts as a whole, to challenge
their preconceived notions about inquiry and knowledge, to examine
issues from multiple perspectives, and to make connections across
disciplines. Faculty instructors 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 their
thinking to a variety of new as well as familiar experiences.
SSP 100. SCRIBNER SEMINAR 4
These interdisciplinary seminars introduce students to perspectives on
a particular subject of inquiry. Each seminar, limited to 15
first-year students, allows participants to work together closely and
also acts as a foundation and context for future college studies.
Faculty instructors develop the seminar theme around their research
and scholarly interests. In addition, faculty instructors serve as
mentors and advisors to the students enrolled in the seminars. During
each seminar, students enhance their abilities to read critically,
communicate ideas both orally and in writing, and relate the seminar
to their educational goals. All first-year students must
take one Scribner Seminar in their first semester. This course must be
taken for a letter grade.
American Dreams
What are the dreams of 21st century America? What do these fantasies
reveal about our values, and what role do these dreams play in the
construction of our personal and collective identities? America is a
country long mythified as a place where dreams come true, a land that
boasts a signature fantasy called the American Dream. In this seminar,
we explore the places of the American dream-world where our fantasies
are scripted and squandered, fought for and fulfilled. These sites
will be diverse, ranging from the suburbs to the city, from the hip
world of advertising and the seductive realm of cinema to the planned
community of Celebration, Florida, from McWorld to a museum of old
bones. Topics up for discussion include nostalgia in the Natural
History Museum, cool architecture and hipster style at Rem Koolhaas'
Prada store in Soho, and convenience and speed in a "fast food
nation." B. Black, English
American Memories
How does memory work? What is the relationship between the past and
memory, between memory and history? How do individual and collective
memories influence, complement, and contradict one another? How are
memories reconstructed, interpreted, transmitted and transformed? In
this seminar, we explore disciplinary and interdisciplinary
perspectives on American memories, personal and public, considering
some of the many ways Americans have remembered (and forgotten)
specific people, places, and events in our national past, such as
Abraham Lincoln, colonial Williamsburg, and the Oklahoma City bombing.
Students will examine various cultural mechanisms of memory
production—monuments, museums, and movies—and will explore the
historically distinct ways in which memories have been reconstructed,
used and abused. D. Nathan, American Studies
Animals in History
What is an animal? Do animals have a history? Students in this class
will address these and other provocative questions about animals,
humans and the history the two groups share. Students will probe into
the philosophical, theological, and historical distinctions that have
been made between humans and animals; study the impact that European
imperialism had on the animal world; and explore animals as historical
actors and agentive subjects. The abiding purpose of the course will
be to have students finish their semester thinking about agency,
subjectivity, mastery and identity in new and creative ways. T. Nechtman, History
Buzz: The Visual and Material Culture of Caffeine
What keeps you awake? Caffeinated substances have been consumed in
many societies for hundreds of years, but the form and significance of
the "buzz" have varied greatly. In this seminar, students explore how
coffee, tea, chocolate and Coca-Cola have been presented to consumers
in different places and times, and how these modes of presentation
have engaged diverse cultural values. We will focus on the visual and
material aspects of caffeinated products: how they are packaged,
advertised, prepared, and served; the environments in which they are
sold and consumed; and their depiction in prints, paintings, and film.
We will discover how these representational strategies both express
and actively shape how people think about their bodies, their social
identities, and the world in which they live. Our investigation will
take us from coffeehouses in 17th century Europe to the ritual of the
Japanese tea ceremony to the design of Godiva chocolate boxes to the
marketing of Coca-Cola. Through a range of learning experiences, this
course will wake you up to new ideas about the history and meaning of
"buzz." M. Hellman, Art and Art History
Care of the Heart
Can you really die of a broken heart? The heart evokes images of love
and emotion, yet from a physiological perspective it is essentially a
pump designed to circulate blood through the body. In this seminar,
students will explore the historical association between the physical
function of the heart and the emotional meanings we attach to it.
Students will examine the physiological function of the cardiovascular
system from a scientific perspective. Students will compare normal
cardiovascular physiology to the pathological condition of
cardiovascular disease (CVD), and will then explore mechanisms of CVD
progression, risk factor identification, prevention strategies and
treatment options, and the impact of behavioral choices on CVD risk.
Students will present and debate issues of public health policy
related to recreation, physical activity, nutrition and health care
service and their impact on CVD prevalence. D. Smith, Exercise Science
Class, Race, and Labor History
What makes a person think in terms of his class position versus his
racial identity? Under what circumstances is racial antagonism a more
important social force than class conflict? What are the connections
between class and race in power relations? This seminar investigates
several crucial, defining moments in United States labor history in
which class and race dynamics were both important. Between 1900 and
the mid-twentieth century, a number of dramatic social conflicts
erupted that reconfigured fundamental political, economic and social
relationships. We will begin with a critique of capitalism. Students
will then investigate the sources and implications of racial
antagonism in the context of class conflict, examining the factors
that contribute to interracial 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 the comparative contexts for such investigation.
Students will use the intellectual tools of economics, history,
literature, political science and sociology will be used to
examine these issues. J. Brueggemann, Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work
Democracy Inaction
What does it mean to be democratic? We speak of living in a democratic
society, we refer to the Republican and Democratic parties, and yet
do we understand what those terms signify, and what being "democratic"
really conveys? We will look for answers first far in the past, with the
ancient Greeks and their experiment with demokratia, and the Roman
government of the res publica. Students will conduct close readings of
Athenian and Roman philosophical, political, historical, dramatic and
comic texts; and will examine the archaeological
remains of ancient, civic Athens and republican Rome. Students will
also use a very modern and public exercise of democracy—the local
operations of the City Council in Saratoga Springs—as a living
laboratory for the contemporary American conception of democracy.
Students will analyze Saratoga Springs' city charter, examine local
monuments that celebrate democratic practices, critique Jon Stewart's
irreverent America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction,
investigate local candidates and issues, and examine participatory democracy—by
participating! For a final project, students will craft proposals for
contemporary, functioning democratic systems based upon their study of
ancient and modern democracies. M. Arnush, Classics
Earth System Evolution: The First Four Billion Years
Are there golden threads permeating Earth's history that could
contribute to the optimization of the human condition and the
longevity of our species? If so, where are they preserved and by what
signs might we recognize them? The Earth System has evolved over the
past 3.5 billion years through interactions between the planet's solid
surface, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. While changes in the
planet's inanimate components have been predominantly cyclic in
character, biospheric components ranging from bacteria to ecosystems
have evolved by adapting to global change through the development of
synergistic survival mechanisms. This course is a study of global
evolution from prebiotic times to the present to seek out modes of
change and adaptation within the Earth System that may be applicable
to envisioning a sustainable future for Homo sapiens. R. Lindemann, Geosciences
Extraordinary Bodies
What makes a body "extraordinary," and why do bodies that don't fit
established categories seem to provoke fear, confusion, pity, or wonder? This
course focuses on the literary representation of bodies in some way disabled,
disfigured, ill, or impaired. Our goal will be to investigate what so-called
"freaks" or "monsters" tell us about prevalent social attitudes toward the
body and identity, health and mortality, gender and sexuality. We'll
investigate what symbolic meanings get attached to anomalous bodies, and how
these have shifted over time, and consider what happens when disabled authors
write their own stories. Reading drama, poetry, fiction, autobiography, and
more, we'll explore the boundaries of the "normal," and consider the ways in
which we are all only temporarily "able-bodied." S. Mintz, English
Eyes Wide Open: Encountering Environments Through the Visual Arts
Does art have the power to transform our experience of environments?
In this seminar, we will explore the environments of wilderness,
sacred places, cities, border zones, and home. We will examine works
of art as varied as traditional landscapes, performance, and
installation in order to discover how artists reveal the layers of
diverse meaning embedded in our surroundings. Our search will also
draw from among the disciplines of history, environmental studies,
geography and psychology for broad perspectives. Students in this
seminar will reflect upon their own connections to environments
through visual expression (drawing, book-making, collage) and writing. J. Sorensen, Art History
Food, Groups and Mates: Evolutionary and Cultural Perspectives on Choice
What will you eat? Which group will you join, and what sorts of
relationships will exist among group members? With whom will you
share, fight, mate, or raise young? Insects, birds, social carnivores,
and primates, including humans, all face these choices. What
determines their behavior? In this seminar, students will compare the
choice behavior of a broad variety of animals, and explore
relationships among resource quality, distribution, and control,
mating systems, and the structure of families and societies from both
evolutionary and cultural perspectives. Students will bring evidence
and methodologies from the natural and social sciences to bear on the
patterns and relationships under study, and will determine where
generalizations regarding the determinants of choice behavior might be
possible, and where caution in making broad generalizations is
warranted. M. Raveret Richter, Biology
From Homer to Hip-Hop: Musical Aesthetics, Technology, and Copyright
Big music corporations are sending mixed messages. One company tells
kids to go ahead and "rip, mix, burn." while the industry's trade group
sues 12-year-olds for downloading songs from the Internet. What's
a first-year Skidmore student to do? This course takes a historical
perspective on some critical questions facing today's music industry.
What is a musical work? How have reproduction and distribution
technologies such as music notation, sound recording, and the Internet
altered the work-concept and the roles of composers and performers?
How, in grappling with these questions, should intellectual property
laws best preserve the rights of music producers and consumers? The
course will compare concepts of the art work in oral cultures--using
examples like Homeric epic poetry, Gregorian chant, and contemporary
hip-hop--with philosophical theories based on literate Western culture.
Classic writings by Walter Benjamin and Marshall McLuhan will suggest
some ways of understanding how sound recording and the Internet have
changed how people compose, perform, and listen to music. Students in
this seminar will explore historical, ethical and legal perspectives
on critical questions involving the conflict between musical ownership
and creative freedom. B. Givan, Music
Gender Benders: The Plays of Federico Garcia Lorca and the Films of Pedro Almodovar
How do novelists and filmmakers depict gender and sexuality? In this
course, students will compare these themes in the works of two
artists from different eras and manifesting distinct aesthetic
tendencies, the playwright Federico Garcia Lorca and the filmmaker
Pedro Almodovar, who both question the construction of gender in their
works. By alternative Lorca's plays with Almodovar's films, students
in this seminar will examine various aspects of and perspectives on
"masculinity" and "femininity." Students will do readings in and
discuss issues of modernity vs. post-modernity; the genres of film and
theatre; homosexuality, lesbianism, and heterosexuality; parents and
family structures; transvestism and transsexuality; dress and gesture;
and psychoanalytic theory. Students will also gain a background in
modern Spanish history from the Franco era to the present, with
emphasis on the transition from dictatorship to democracy. Note: The
films we will watch contain scenes of nudity and violence that may be
offensive to some students. Also, students must view the films during
the "fourth hour" outside of the classroom. M. Mudrovic, Foreign Languages and Literatures
Gendering God and "God-Talk"
Is the God of the three great monotheistic traditions—Judaism,
Christianity and Islam—an affirmative action, equal opportunity
Creator? Or is there something about the theology ("god-talk")
undergirding monotheism that necessitates gender inequality? A
generation ago, the radical feminist Mary Daly remarked, "As long as
God is male, the male is God." Is this true? What about God the Mother? Students in this seminar
explore women's religious and social experience in the three great
monotheistic traditions, paying particular attention to the ways in
which gender roles and expectations both give shape to, and are
legitimated by, theological discourse. Students will employ primary
and secondary sources from a variety of media, and will engage in
hands-on study, via such means as field research, role-playing, and
creative writing exercises, to frame the contemporary issues
surrounding gender, God, and god-talk in the context of two millennia
of Western monotheism. M. Stange, Women's Studies
Hard Times in the Big Easy: Finding Resilience in the Aftermath of the Storm
Whether natural or man-made, disasters challenge us to rethink and
often transcend the assumptions about how humans respond individually
and collectively to such events. In this seminar, students will
examine the devastating impact of the 2005 hurricanes on the people,
places and social institutions of New Orleans. Our study of the
devastation wrought by Katrina will draw on research and case studies
of other disasters, such as the Coconut Grove Fire of 1942 and the
Buffalo Creek flood of 1972. These cases have contributed to an
understanding of how to deal with the psychological impacts and social
disruption of a major disaster and will inform our exploration of
Katrina's impact on New Orleans. As in the case of the Buffalo Creek
flood, the question arises as to how much of Katrina's devastation was
due to the forces of nature and how much is a product of human choices
and technologies both prior to and after the event? Following this
line of inquiry, we will examine the history, culture and politics of
the city of New Orleans, its shifting role as a center of commerce,
and its racial relations. Finally, we will take up the looming
question of whether or not, or in what form, the city should be
rebuilt. M. Correa, Management and Business
How Do Women Look? Woman as Object/Subject in Contemporary American Visual Culture
Do blondes have more fun? Are lesbians really "invisible"? How
do women look? Women have long been subject to an excruciatingly exacting
visual evaluation from both men and women. In this class we will
examine the representation of women in a variety of media (visual art,
television, films) spanning the 1970s to today, considering how these
images, through emphasizing weight, race, and sexuality, objectify
women, encouraging the view to visually "consume" and appraise them.
However, women also actively look—at themselves, at each other, and at
men. We will consider whether a woman's gaze can ever be as active as
a man's, and if there might be alternatives to the controlling,
patriarchal gaze. K. Hauser, Art and Art History
Human Colonization of Space
Our current 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. In this seminar, students explore 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 Odekon, Physics
Human Dilemmas
As you begin college, you are confronting the recurring dilemmas that
define and shape our lives: Who am I? What exactly am I? What is my
relationship to others? What is my responsibility to them and to the
world? As biologist E. O. Wilson contends in his 2003 book The Future of
Life, life is "an insoluble problem, a dynamic process in search of an
indefinable goal. [It is] neither a celebration nor a spectacle but
rather, as a later philosopher put it, a predicament" (xxii). "Human
Dilemmas" will challenge your conventional assumptions surrounding these
predicaments as we focus our attention on interdisciplinary readings,
critical thinking, and academic inquiry. Debates, field trips, and
writing will move us toward an understanding of what it means to be
human in our contemporary world. M. DiSanto-Rose, Dance;
T. Diggory, English; H. Hodgins, Psychology; S. Layden, HEOP; L. Rosengarten, HEOP;
S. Solomon, Psychology
Images of Education in Popular Culture
What stories do the movies we watch, the songs we sing, and the
stories we read tell us about the educational system in our society?
We can learn a great deal about our society's beliefs and expectations
about education by looking at the portrayal of the American
educational system in popular culture. The primary texts for this
course will be American films, television shows, books, comic strips
and songs. Through critical analysis, we will learn how schools,
teachers, and students are portrayed in the popular media. By watching
and reading, analyzing, discussing, and writing about these
portrayals, we will come to understand how popular culture has shaped
public images of the American educational system both past and
present. As a result, students will learn how to read media as culture
texts that help us better understand our society and ourselves. Some
of the materials we read and view will contain foul language,
sexually explicit material, and violence. If for whatever reason(s),
you feel you cannot deal with this kind of material in an academic
manner, then please choose not to take this course. L. de la Luna, Education
Images of Work in Literature, the Arts, and Popular Culture
What is it like to manage or be managed? Students in this seminar will
examine the concept of work and the complex issues faced by workers
and leaders in organizations and society using the varied perspectives
of literature, the arts, and popular culture. Work is a central life
experience that can be understood using sociological, psychological,
and managerial theories and models. Through the lenses of film,
literature, dance, music, theater and pop culture, the course will
illustrate these interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks and the
experience of work. We will study work-related topics such as employee
mentoring and coaching, business ethics, power and authority,
entrepreneurship, work/life balance, leadership, and white vs. blue
collar work in the context of films such as Wall Street, works of
literature like The Great Gatsby, and plays such as Arthur Miller's
All My Sons. The richness and accessibility of these textual,
artistic, and visual examples provides a powerful context for
understanding the complexities of the work experience. C. D'Abate, Management and Business
Indians and the American Imagination: Representation in Museums, Ethnography, and Fiction
What images come to mind when you visualize an Indian? In this seminar
students will explore not only the many ways non-Indians imagine,
depict, and will attempt to "make sense" of the Indian, but they will
also turn the tables to consider ways Native people imagine and depict
themselves and the non-Indians with whom they interact. We will
examine images in art, literature, and anthropology. Students will also
see how these various images have the power to influence policy makers
and shape Indian/non-Indian relations in the past as well as the
present. J. Sweet, Anthropology
Italian Cinema
What do Rossellini, De Sica, Visconti, Fellini, Wertmuller, Scola,
Tornatore and Benigni have in common? Students in this seminar will
examine 20th century Italian society's crises and transformations by
analyzing the social, political and cultural movements that have
defined Italian culture through film and literature. Students will
view and explore Italian cinematic Neorealism, examine the role in
Italian cinema of Director-Authors, analyze Italian 20th century and
classical literary works, and discuss cinematographic adaptations of
those works. In additions, students will learn how to read a film and
analyze the translation process from a literary text to film. Films in
Italian with English subtitles. G. Faustini, Foreign Languages and Literatures
The Killing State: Capital Punishment in America
Supporters of capital punishment often justify the practice by
appealing not only to ancient custom and historical tradition, but
also to the social benefit that accompanies killing our most dangerous
offenders. Opponents of capital punishment, in contrast, suggest that
the practice is outdated and ineffective. They insist, with similar
passion, that imposing a death sentence is so rare and so unsettling
that its place in the criminal justice system is, at best, tenuous. Of
course, both of these positions beg a number of important questions:
Is capital punishment morally justified or barbaric? Why is it that
America continues its tradition of executing when the rest of the
western world has condemned the custom as evil? The primary purpose of
the seminar is to explore the many contradictions that inform
America's system of capital punishment. As part of the seminar,
students will work on an actual death penalty defense. Students will
be responsible for conducting primary research with the aim of
providing the most effective defense possible for a specific death row
inmate. B. Breslin, Government
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Capitalism: Free Market Societies in Practice and Imagination
What is capitalism and where is it headed? Not only do we live in a
society that is held up as a model of capitalism and free market
society, but the entire world seems to be increasingly enchanted with
the capitalist way of life. In the midst of capitalism's apparent
unrivalled triumph, however, a chorus of critical voices also
prophesies its destructive capacities and its uncertain future. Who
are we to believe? Capitalism's advocates or its detractors? What are
the more lasting effects of capitalism on crucial dimensions of
society including personhood, family and identity; the nature of work;
the democratic process; race, gender and ethnicity; the biospheric
environment and so on? What are some of the different ways capitalism
gets enacted across the globe? The seminar addresses some of this
questions by drawing on a wide range of texts and case studies from
multiple academic fields and sources of popular culture. P. Prasad, Management and Business
Living in a Green World: Plants and Humans in the 21st Century
The 21st century offers many opportunities and challenges for humans
and their interactions with plants, fungi and protists. Do genetically
modified crops provide the answer for world agriculture? Are the
ever-increasing harmful algal blooms creating an environmental menace
to our oceans, fisheries and drinking water? Can "pharming" the
rainforests provide new and improved medicines? Do the extirpation of
living resources and the prolific bioinvasion of exotic species
present untenable ramifications for our ecosystems? The origin and
development of civilization ultimately has relied on humankind's
interactions with, and harnessing of, plants, fungi and protists.
Students in this seminar will explore present and future applications
of these organisms in human affairs. Topics include modern
agricultural, medicinal, and ecological aspects of applied plant
science and mycology. D. Domozych, Biology
Living our Choices: Queenship and Change: Wisdom for Today from Early China
How can we make good decisions and cope with the results of poor ones?
What skills help us live and work effectively with others? How can we
get the most out of our lives in college and after? We will use the I
ching (Yijing, Book of Changes), recent information on queens in early
China, and the works of Lao-tzu (Laozi), Confucius and others to reach
deeper understandings about the dilemmas we face and the wide array of
choices students have at Skidmore and in Saratoga. M. Pearson, History
Location, Location, Location: Mapping and GIS
Do you think that the people of New Orleans think that location
matters? Location does matter, and throughout history people have
devised ever more complex and innovative ways of mapping their
location. In this seminar, we examine the various historical modes
that people have used to map the world around them, including the most
important contemporary mapping technology, GIS (Geographic Information
Systems). All forms of mapping, including GIS, draw from sociology,
economics, business, political science, history, biology,
environmental science and geosciences. Students will explore the
theory behind and the applied applications of GIS and other mapping
systems within and across these different fields of study. We will end
the course with an examination of the role GIS and other mapping
technologies played in predicting and tracing the path of Hurricane
Katrina, and how it may help in the reconstruction of the Gulf Coast. R. Jones, Economics
Media and British National Identity
What does it mean to be British today? In the United Kingdom, ongoing
challenges to a unified identity have come from a range of sources,
including Scottish and Welsh nationalism, the cultural diversity of
immigrant populations from former colonies, pressures to conform to
the European Union, and globalization/Americanization. What role do
the media play in creating, reinforcing and celebrating the idea of a
unified British national identity? Students in this seminar will
explore connections between media—television, film, newspapers,
magazines, tabloids and radio—and British national identity,
especially as this identity emerges in media treatment of
parliamentary politics, national elections, the monarchy, gender,
class, race, sports, and popular music. J. Devine, English
The Molecular Frontier
"One of the things that separates us from all earlier generations is
this, we have seen our atoms" (Karl K. Darrow in The Renaissance of
Physics). Not only have we seen atoms, we have learned to manipulate
them individually. This remarkable achievement has changed the way
that scientists think about matter and opened the door to the
possibility of constructing materials and machines on the smallest
scale possible. What will these molecular constructs do for us? Will
they revolutionize the fields of medicine, computing, and
manufacturing? Students in this seminar will consider these questions
and others, through readings, laboratory exercises, and field trips,
as we explore the development of nanotechnology and dream about its
impact on our future. Students will also confront and debate ethical,
political, and economic issues that will ultimately drive and
influence the direction of this revolution in science. S. Frey, Chemistry
Mother Russia's Daughters: Gender and Power in Russia's Past and Present
What explains the fact that in a country famously and widely known as
"Mother Russia," one of the most enduring proverbs is "Just as a crab
is not a fish, a woman is not a human being"? In this seminar,
students will apply the powerful tool of gender analysis to Russia's
past and present, exploring such topics as Catherine the Great's
exalted and controversial reign, and the demonization of Tsarina
Alexandra, last empress of Russia. We will also look at changing
notions of womanhood during the Bolshevik and Stalinist revolutions,
gender politics during WWII, and the crises of femininity and
masculinity that emerged in the mature Soviet and post-Soviet era.
Here we will pay special attention to the problems of contraception,
prostitution and trafficking of women, as well as the gendered nature
of Russia's transition to capitalism and "democracy." Letters,
diaries, works of fiction, works of art, literary criticism,
anthropological works, and films produced by and about Russian women
will provide an interdisciplinary perspective on Mother Russia. K. Graney, Government
My So-Called Life: The Transition to Adulthood
Will you be able to find a job after you graduate? What do the
economic, social, and policy landscapes look like for today’s young
adults who are seeking to craft independent lives? In this seminar we
will examine the economics of the transition to adulthood. While there
are many ways to define adulthood, social science researchers
typically focus on a number of economic and socio-demographic markers,
such as the completion of schooling, having a job, marriage,
purchasing one’s own home, and starting a family. Moreover,
researchers and U.S. society more generally have expected these events
to unfold in a particular sequence. We will study ways that recent
changes in the economy, in society, and in the political-institutional
environment in the U.S. have altered the traditional path to adulthood
and modified ways of thinking about the term. We also will examine
social science research methodology in order to understand the role
that statistics and qualitative data can play in constructing an
argument. N. Chiteji, Economics
The Painters' Canon: Landscape, Still Life, Figure
What, if anything, do contemporary artists owe to the past? For more
than a thousand years artists in different cultures created images
falling into three broad categories: landscape, still life, and figure.
The majority of these paintings followed long-held cultural traditions
and artisan/artist criteria. Today there is little or no consensus on
painting norms; therefore, contemporary painters and students of art
must make individual and informed choices. Students in this seminar will
create art as well as study art and examine paintings in the three
categories from various times and cultures, including contemporary
trends. Students will write essays about the various criteria identified
and apply the findings from their research to the creation of small
paintings. D. Miller, Art and Art History
Projecting History: Redefining National Identity in Post-Wall German Cinema
With the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, the Cold War officially
ended on German soil. The demise of the German Democratic Republic has
paved the way for a redefinition of Germany as a modern state. But how
can a divided country whose common jingoist, genocidal past has
rendered nationalism deeply suspect begin to conceive of itself as a
viable and future-oriented unified nation? This seminar looks at
recent German cinema to explore how idealism and political dissent
have shaped post-World War II German history and the construction of
national identity after reunification in 1990. Students examine films
that present the GDR as a fortified prison state and others that
promote a stubborn nostalgia for the East and the missed opportunities
of communism. We will also analyze films about the Red Army Fraction
and terrorism, which illustrate the crushing effect of National
Socialism on the '68 generation as well as their rebellion against the
excesses of the capitalist consumer paradise. Finally, we will study
films about the emergence of "creative chaos" as a strategy to protest
against the loss of utopian dreams. At the root of our endeavor is to
investigate how post-wall German cinema assembles history into a
coherent story and to challenge the master narrative that sees the
period 1989-1990 as the inevitable triumph of capitalism over
communism. M. O'Brien, Foreign Languages and Literatures
Psyching Out the Stock Market
The financial markets are a "mind game." Want to psych out other
players? Human psychology plays a large role in determining prices in
the markets. Traders and investors are influenced by government
policies, business and economic conditions, politics and the human
drama that unfolds each day in the business world. But what are the
telltale signs that show how traders are reacting to these news
events? Can these signs predict future price swings? Students will
explore the use of technical analysis to study financial markets by
examining patterns of daily, weekly, and monthly price ranges and
volume when charted. They will see how other indicators based on price
and volume are often used to confirm trends or to indicate
divergences. To explore the effects of trading psychology and other
forces on the markets, technical analysts rely on a collection of
tools such as mathematical formulas to calculate indicators, software
tools to perform calculations and display charts, intermarket
relationships to predict how markets impact one another, and numerous
other methodologies to predict future price trends. Students will
explore these tools and determine how effective they are at predicting
price trends. P. von Kaenel, Mathematics and Computer Science
Psychological Theories of Social Justice
In this seminar, students will learn to think critically about a variety
of social justice issues and policies in the areas of redistributive
justice, procedural justice, distributive justice, and expressive
justice. These theories have relevance to issues related to criminal
justice, justice in the course and in legal proceedings, justice in the
workplace, justice in war, and politics and justice in international
affairs. Using different social and psychological frameworks, students
will analyze theories of punishment and the use of the death penalty,
ideas of what it means to be responsible for a crime and competent to
testify in court, analyses of affirmative action policies,
considerations of justice warfare and problems of global poverty, and
definitions of human rights. In our analyses, we will consider multiple
questions such as: What is a just way to punish people who commit
crimes? Do tough prison policies help deter crime and make society
safer? Is the "not guilty by reason of insanity" verdict just? Can young
children serve as credible witnesses in court? How fair is affirmative
action? Are human rights culturally universal? Is justice gender biased?
Why do we go to war, and is there such a thing as a "just war"? V. Murphy-Berman, Psychology
Reading British Identity in London's Museums
Museums are powerful sites of learning, but do they teach more than
just "facts" about histories? Students in this seminar will engage
this question through visits to a number of London's most remarkable
museums, learning in this process how to pose and answer questions
that might yield the more subtle but potent messages that underlie
these institutions' exhibitions. Students will learn to read the ways
in which museums combine visual images with text to create stories
that both reflect and create a community's sense of its identity. Here
they will uncover some of the most powerful stories that the citizens
of London and Great Britain tell about who they are. S. Bender, Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work
Serious Games: The Mathematics of Conflict, Voting and Political Power
Why didn't the United States and the Soviet Union enter the 1973 Yom
Kippur War? Is plurality voting the fairest way to choose the
President of the United States or other elected officials? In the
United Nations Security Council, exactly how much more power do the
permanent members have than the other nations? In this seminar,
students explore how mathematicians have contributed to the analysis
of political questions like these. Game theory is a field of
mathematics that was developed to study conflict and competition. The
players (which can be individuals, teams, corporations, or entire
nations) have conflicting interests and attempt to determine the best
course of action without knowing what their opponent(s) will do. Game
theory can be applied in a wide variety of situations, such a choosing
a location to open a business, understanding tactical choices made in
World War II battles, analyzing the nuclear arms race, deciding how to
vote in an election, or arbitrating a labor dispute. In this seminar,
students will apply game theory and related aspects of voting theory
to address the questions raised above and others like them in a
variety of fields from anthropology to politics and international
relations. D. Vella, Mathematics
Sport, Self and Society
How many hours do we devote to sport in a week, as participants or
fans? How many of us follow with fanatical devotion a favorite team or
athlete? Whether on the school, club, neighborhood, city, or national
level, many of us identify passionately with athletes, teams, and our
chosen sports. In this seminar, we will examine our personal
relationship to sports as recreation and institution. We will broaden
our focus to study the structure and culture of athletics over the
past three-hundred years, examining the relationship of sport to such
social, cultural and political institutions as clubs, schools,
neighborhoods, church, state and nation. We will also consider sport’s
past and present role in international affairs and its enormous
economic presence in our lives. The seminar will feature several field
trips as well as featured speakers. P. Boshoff, English, and J. Segrave, Exercise Science
Truth and Value in Cinema
Is it possible to represent reality objectively through film? What is
the difference between art and propaganda in film? Do films more often
reflect societal values and norms actively shape them? In this
seminar, we explore these questions and others using the tools of
aesthetics, political philosophy, and film criticism. Through these
examinations, students will learn to critically evaluate their
own assumptions and understandings about film and the role film plays
in mediating truth and value in their own lives and in society writ
large. W. Lewis, Philosophy and Religion
War and Peace and Eugene Onegin in Literature and the Performing Arts
Through a mix of reading, watching, listening, writing, and discussion,
students will examine two great works of Russian literature and their
transformation into performance. We will study Tolstoy's epic novel, War
and Peace, and Pushkin's epic poem, Eugene Onegin. These will be
supplemented by operatic, balletic, and dramatic performances inspired
by the texts. I. Brown, Dance
Warfare Today
What can thinking people in the United States learn about the latest
war from studying past wars? Today's war seems to go well or badly,
mostly depending upon the political slant of the news media we prefer
to use. In this seminar, we study American military methods employed
during the present war in Iraq, an how many of them first appeared
during World War II. We see how they proved themselves, or failed to
do so, in wars fought in Vietnam, Somalia, and Iraq, and became linked
to further military innovation. Application of thinking drawn from
political science enables us to draw powerful lessons from military
history. Those lessons do not ignore the drama, triumph, tragedy,
horror, humanity, and even humor, found in good writing by military
historians. Students discuss and learn to write insightfully on such
military matters as: should the war in Iraq be fought by small numbers
of American soliders or by the much larger numbers of the World War II
days? Can innovative American high technology overcome the low-tech
innovation achieved by the opposing side? How do our own political
wishes shape our own understanding of a particular war, and what
happens to it? S. Hoffman, Government
Water: Society, Science and the Arts
Water is essential for life. It connects us to one another, to other
forms of life, and to our entire planet. We drink it, grow food with
it, swim in it, worship it, use it for commercial purposes, generate
energy with it, waste it, pollute it, compete for it and go to war
over it. In this course, we will take an introductory look at the role
of water in human society and some of the ways our relationship with
water is reflected in media and art, though such works as Ibsen’s play
An Enemy of the People and the films Chinatown, A Civil Action, and
Erin Brockovich. J. Halstead, Chemistry
Prior Seminars
Africa Through Its Changing Cinema H. Jaouad, Foreign Languages and Literatures
African Arts from the Old World to the New L. Aronson, Art and Art History
American Taste M. Lynn, American Studies
China and the West: The Myth of the Other M. Chen, Foreign Languages and Literatures
Cities of Dreadful Delight: The Latin American Urban Experience J. Dym, History, and P. Rubio,
Foreign Languages and Literatures
Coming of Age: Food, Drugs and Sex After the Biotech Revolution M. Frey, Chemistry
Cycles of Marriage and Divorce S. Walzer, Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
Dangerous Earth: Climatologic and Geologic Disasters K. Marsella, Geosciences
The Debate About Women in the Middle Ages K. Greenspan, English
Detective Fictions, Dark Designs (London) J. Anzalone, Foreign Languages and Literatures, and R. Copans, College Librarian
Educating Citizens for the American Republic N. Taylor, Government
Emerging Diseases: Global Challenges to Human Health M. Ennis-McMillan, Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
Environmental Problems. Economic Solutions? L. Vargha, Economics
The Ethics of Tobacco and Alcohol Advertising C. Page, Management and Business
Genes and Generation B. Possidente, Biology
The Good Life in Ancient Greek Philosophy and Literature F. Gonzalez, Philosophy and Religion
The Hudson River in American Life T. Lewis, English
The Human Body—From Science to Society P. Fehling, Exercise Science
The Idea of Freedom M. Rohlf, Philosophy and Religion
Ireland: Myth, Reality, Conflict, Identity J. Kennelly, Management and Business
Italy, Fascism, and Jews S. Smith, Foreign Languages and Literatures
Mathematics and the Art of M.C. Escher M. Hofmann, Mathematics & Computer Science
Minority Rights in a Majority-Driven Democracy C. Kopec, Management and Business
The Mind's I L. Simon, English
The Music Between Us: The Culture of Musical Creation and Consumption G. Thompson, Music
On the Stage and in Your Face: American Political and Activist Theater C. Anderson, Theater
The Philosophic Basis of the American Founding T.Burns, Government
Robot Design A. Dean, Mathematics and Computer Science
Saratoga: People & Place Past & Present W. Fox, Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
The Search for Pattern and Symmetry D. Hurwitz, Mathematics and Computer Science
Sexualities/Textualities M. Stokes, English
The Verbal/Visual Encounter in the Western Tradition M. Wiesmann, Foreign Languages and Literatures
The Virtual Republic: American Politics in the Media Age R. Seyb, Government
