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Academic Catalog 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Courses
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Industrial Design |
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EDID215 Industrial Design Principles 3 cr.
An introduction to processes used in all areas of design and illustration, this course provides a foundation in the methods of concept, image, and form development. Using initial techniques such as brainstorming, mind-mapping, and researching, ideas are developed for a variety of 2D and 3D solutions to applied projects. Tackling common issues of personal engagement, collaboration, and client interaction, students express a personal voice within the specific parameters of each assigned problem.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall
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EDID216 Introduction to CAD/Solid Modeling for ID 3 cr.
This course focuses on introducing (industrial) designers to the basics of solid modeling. Aside from basic software familiarization, concepts for 2D and 3D visualization will be introduced. CAD modeling techniques, including surface modeling and plastic design best practices are highlighted with emphasis on the role CAD plays within the design process. Various examples of how CAD can be used; from creating underlays and final mechanical drawings, to exporting files for photorealistic renderings and 3D printing, are explored. Basic familiarity with computers is a must.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Elective
Fall & Spring
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EDID218 Product Rendering 3 cr.
An in-depth study of several product illustration and presentation styles. Many different drawing and rendering media are used to develop skills in product design presentation.
Critique
Departmental Elective
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EDID220 Joinery 3 cr.
Students will develop and refine craftsmanship and design process in the context of furniture design and the construction of two or more furniture pieces. There will be lectures and student research on the history of furniture design, modern movements and techniques.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Elective
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EDID224 Conceptual Drawing 3 cr.
The course stresses the process of working with dry media techniques (graphite, charcoal, pastel, colored pencil, scratchboard), basic drawing skills, and 2D principles to render concepts. Visual metaphors are explored by manipulating the contexts and relationships of objects and figures.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Elective
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EDID225 Industrial Design Form 3 cr.
The purpose of this course is to endow students with a vocabulary of form with which to express the function and meaning of their ideas. This will be achieved through the exploration of the objects and object vocabulary, which surround us, and the development of the students’ skills to express ideas visually. The students will be required to develop their communication skills as well as refine their two and three dimensional conceptualization and actualization of projects.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall
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EDID235 Manufacturing Process I 3 cr.
A materials and manufacturing awareness production course in two parts. Part one includes casting, fabrication, and molding techniques for metals and plastics. Students discuss production techniques, selection and use of modern machine tools, dies, jigs, and fixtures. Part two includes product development documentation (three-view preliminary design layout drawings) for manufacturing processes such as sheet metal, casting, extrusion plastics, injection molding, vacuum form, blow molding, and fiberglass.
Prerequisites: EDID215, EDID225
Lecture/Seminar
Departmental Requirement
Spring
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EDID245 Human Factors Seminar I - Ergonomics 3 cr.
Review of current theory and practice in issues related to human/machine interface, ergonomics, universal design, etc. Methods and practice of human factors research applied to the re-definition of a product idea.
Prerequisites: EDID215
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Spring
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EDID302 Packaging and the P.O.P. 3 cr.
This course is an examination of 3D packaging design covering branding, graphics and the development of a P.O.P. “point of purchase” display. This studio course focuses on design phases from concept, design development to the three-dimensional actualization of a point of purchase display. The goal of this class is to develop a user-centered consumer experience with product/packaging that creates a memorable experience that resonates with the consumer. Open to Industrial Design, Graphic Design and Architectural Design juniors and seniors.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
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EDID303 Integrated Product Design 3cr
IPD is structured around the process of creating a successful new product. Our class sessions will explore the knowledge, methodologies and tools
associated with this process. In turn, we will put this process to work in our classroom and in product design and development facilities at Babson College, at Olin College of Engineering, and at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
The results will be a well-researched market and product opportunity, a product design and an alpha-prototype - all presented at an end-of-semester presentation session.
Critique
undergraduate Elective
Fall
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EDID306 Storytelling for Design Leaders 3cr
Storytelling predates writing, and was critical to
early human survival. Today, people and cultures
tap into human emotions, motivations, and
psychology to move others to understand and
interpret their experiences. In Design, success is
directly related to your ability to tell an
engaging story -it is impossible to be understood,
find support for your idea, or have influence as a
Leader without delivering compelling reasons to
listen and take action. This course will help you
be aware of who you are, in order to effectively
express your purpose as a designer in many
formats; visual, written, told and expressed. We
will deploy best practices for telling other
people’s stories-stories of your end users, to
build empathy and support for innovative ideas.
Finally, we will examine and compose the
ingredients to an excellent pitch-how to establish
value, simplify message, construct anticipation,
and persuade your audience to believe and follow
your lead.
Prerequisites: EDID-245
Critique
Fall and Spring
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EDID314 Rapid Visualization and Perspective 3 cr.
Course focuses on sketching as the fundamental tool for communication for designers. Students will be required to maintain a sketchbook as well as complete various weekly sketching assignments. Fundamentals of perspective will be introduced and practiced throughout the class. Examples of how rapid viz techniques fit into the design process as a whole will be illustrated.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Elective
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EDID315 Industrial Design I 3 cr.
An introduction to the design process and problem solving techniques used in industrial design. The course presents the tasks required for research, preliminary concept sketching, design refinement, presentation, and fabrication possibilities. It also introduces the use of media and drawing techniques and basic scale model-making.
Prerequisites: EDID235, EDID245
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall
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EDID318 Branding - Product 3 cr.
This course examines issues around industrial design in brand development, through applied problems. There is a focus on the relationship of telling compelling stories to connecting a brand with people.
Prerequisites: EDID245, EDID315
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Elective
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EDID325 Manufacturing Process II 3 cr.
An investigation of specific problems in the manufacturing development of a product. The course uses a detailed case study of a new product from its inception to its completion. Topics include cost analysis and research into the technical problems of competitive manufacturing and marketing.
Prerequisites: EDID235
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall
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EDID345 Industrial Design II 3 cr.
Integration of creative concepts with the development of visual communication skills, such as rendering and model-making.
Prerequisites: EDID315
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Spring
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EDID355 Professional Practice:Discovering Your Professional Self 3 cr.
Directing of students through the process of developing a professional portfolio. Basic elements of Illustrator, Photoshop, PowerPoint, Acrobat, web-based. Students required to present complete portfolio piece at reviews. [Fomerly titled Portfolio and Presentation]
Prerequisites: EDID315
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Spring
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EDID365 Product Development Laboratory 3 cr.
Explores the process of bringing a product to fruition with special emphasis on the role of the industrial designer in new product development. The course will deal with the design and development of real products. Students work with local manufacturers and their product development groups.
Prerequisites: EDID215, EDID225, EDID235, EDID315
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall/Spring
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EDID392 ID Course Assistantship
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EDID399 ID Independent Study
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EDID402 Design for Social Impact 3cr.
The first project is constructed to give students the broad understanding of SDI and includes
precedent studies, product/service development, research, synthesis and a final presentation.
Students work closely with a chosen non-profit or social enterprise as a means for deconstructing
and understanding as well as first hand insights into the complicated system. For the second
project, students follow the design process from inception to finalization with the end
deliverable as a presentation to pitch to venture capitalist, non-profits, endowments or community
leaders to incite traction, funding or future collaboration.
Prerequisites: Open to Seniors only
Undergraduate Elective
Fall Only
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EDID415 Industrial Design III 3 cr.
Design projects developed in full four-phase programs: Analysis and Conceptual Refinement;Final Design and Documentations; Model and Presentation.
Prerequisites: EDID345
Studio
Departmental Requirement
Fall
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EDID425 Degree Project I - Research 3 cr.
A student selected and faculty approved project of significance.
Prerequisites: EDID345
Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall
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EDID435 Degree Project II- Development 3 cr.
A student selected and faculty approved project of significance.
Prerequisites: EDID425
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Spring
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Liberal Arts: Freshman Seminar |
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FRSM100 First-Year Seminar 3 cr.
A freshman seminar is a course for first year students that seeks to develop reading & thinking skills. It is a skills-development course designed to complement LALW100 Written Communication. It seeks to teach students to read written texts with college-level comprehension skills and to think analytically. Freshman seminar topics vary by section. Educating students in a particular subject or discipline is a by-product, not an objective, of a freshman seminar. [Formerly titled Freshman Seminar]
Lecture/Seminar
All College Required
Fall/Spring
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Liberal Arts: Literature, Writing, and Film |
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LALW100 Thinking, Making, Writing: Using Words with Clarity and Flair 3 cr.
An introduction to writing for today’s global communication. Six to eight writing assignments
designed to develop deep thinking skills. Course includes expository and critical essays, with
some requiring research. Students also practice close reading skills with outstanding pieces of
prose, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction selected for the artist. [Formerly known as Written
Communication]
Lecture/Seminar
All College Required
Fall/Spring
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LALW200 Literary Traditions 3 cr.
An exploration of the sources of culture through a survey of literary masterpieces from the ancient world to the seventeenth century.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100 (Freshman Seminar
Lecture/Seminar
All College Required
Fall/Spring
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LALW201 Men, Women, and the Myth of Masculinity 3 cr.
The course examines the idea of masculinity and how it is portrayed in literature from ancient times to the twenty-first century. In addition to studying traditional views of manhood, we will also look at men’s attitudes towards women, since “masculinity” is usually defined in opposition to “femininity.” There will be many opportunities to discuss perceptions of what it means to be a man or a woman, and to explore the elusive concept of gender identity. The syllabus will include works by Shakespeare, Ovid, Ibsen, and Hemingway, among others. We will also watch and listen to selected films and operas.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LALW203 Film Viewing and Criticism 3 cr.
A critical study of the expressive elements of film. Class meetings consist of film viewing, evaluations, and discussions. Students frequently write critical papers.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LALW205 Children’s Literature 3 cr.
What makes a children’s book a classic? We’ll find out as we read, analyze, and enjoy the best of the field–fantasies from Peter Pan to Harry Potter, realistic novels from Anne of Green Gables to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, and stories falling somewhere in between, like The Secret Garden. Though our emphasis will be on longer books for older children, we’ll also consider fairy tales and picture books. Final project: writing a “classic” children’s book, illustrating one, or both.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LALW206 Graphic Novels 3 cr.
The course explores the art and composition of the graphic novel and examines its many sub-genres, from superhero tales to memoirs to manga. The textbook is Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics. Other texts include Watchmen, Contract With God, Sandman, Maus, and Persepolis. For the final project, students create and make preliminary sketches for an original graphic novel.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LALW210 Famous Writers & their Celebrated Illustrators 3 cr.
Famous Writers and their Celebrated Illustrators combines literature and art. Discussed are great works of literature and the visual images they inspired. Writers include Dante and Cervantes. Pushkin, Gogol, Corneille, Swift, Defoe and Wilde, among others, are discussed. Illustrators include Botticelli, Dore, Delacroix, Beardsley, Picasso, Pasternak (the father), Favorsky, Baskin, and numerous contemporary illustrators.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LALW214 History and Issues of Documentary Films 3cr
Documentary, as defined by John Grierson, is the
creative treatment of actuality. Grierson coined
the term in his review of Robert Flahertys Moana
(1926). Contemporary culture expands on classical
rhetorical and observational forms to include
docusoaps, agitprop, advocacy, animation, sensory
ethnography, mockumentary, first-person, and more.
In this course we will explore the origins of
documentary, discuss the central issues of the
field, examine historical and contemporary trends,
and identify the aesthetic strategies and
techniques used by documentary makers along with
their rhetorical effects.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Spring
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LALW215 Memoir & the Artist 3cr
Learn how to tell your story so the world listens. Study contemporary memoirists to understand the principles of effective storytelling in this popular genre. Memoir writing is one part experience and one part reflection. How much of each varies from one artist to the next. Using artists’ journals and structured writing exercises, you will have the opportunity to explore various ways to approach your experience and learn to build your skills for reflection. This course culminates in your memoir project that showcases your unique and original voice using word and image combined. (Formerly titled: Memoir Writing)
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Seminar
Spring
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LALW220 Why I Write, Why I Create 3cr
This course introduces students to the history and practices of creative nonfiction writing. Here our connections to people, places, and things are expressed through nature and environmental writing, travel and adventure too. In creative nonfiction, both memoir and narrative nonfiction include the “I,” because direct experience is an important part of this genre. Creative nonfiction writing gives us the space we need to reflect and give meaning to moments in
our lives. Creative nonfiction writing is an experimental art because meaning is discovered in the act of creating; playing with form is part of the process. Students develop six essays of their own that concentrate on one form: flash nonfiction. No prior writing experience required. [Formerly Titled: Creative Nonfiction]
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall
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LALW222 Fantasy Worlds 3cr
Modern fantasy literature consists of fantastic
stories set in imagined worlds. It features
characterscreated by the author rather than drawn
directly from traditional myths and legends. The
course examines the origins of the genre, which
emerged during the nineteenth century, and which
has taken both epic and satiric forms. Although
some attention is given to the legends,
folktales, and romances that provided models and
inspiration to fantasy authors, the main focus is
on the classic works of the genre.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Spring
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LALW227 The Female Gaze in Film 3cr
This course is an introduction to feminist film
and theory with a particular focus on the concept
of the Female Gaze. Students will explore issues
of representation, visual pleasure,spectatorship,
scopophilia and subjectivity. We explore how
women are represented in mainstream film, and the
function and consequence of these representations
in a social, historical and cultural context. The
course will examine the works of filmmakers such
as Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, Sally Potter,
Jane Campion and Andrea Arnold, with a specific
focus on feminist filmmakers who subvert
conventional cinematic trends.
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Lecture
Spring
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LALW229 Social Justice Documentaries 3cr
This course will introduce social justice issues
as they are represented and explored through
documentary film and video. The course provides a
conceptual overview of the forms, strategies,
structures and conventions of documentary film
and video. The class will examine documentaries
that construct arguments about the power
relations in society, while attempting to raise
awareness and motivate action for social justice.
Students will consider dominant, experimental and
emergent modes of representation; including
important documentary texts, movements,
filmmakers and selected documentary genres.
Specific topics for the course include: Mental &
Physical Disabilities, Notions of “Race”, Crime &
Punishment, Immigration, War, Gender & Sexual
Identity, Environmental Concerns, Social Class &
Workers’ Rights, Personal Narratives, Politics,
Education, and Counter Cultures.
Through this course, students should gain
knowledge of the current theoretical dilemmas and
debates in documentary filmmaking, including
questions of how to define documentaries, what
constitutes the ethical treatment of subjects and
subject matter, documentary’s construction and
positioning of audiences, as well as political
and economic constraints on documentary
filmmaking. Ultimately, the course will emphasize
critical thinking and viewing skills related to
representations of the social world through
documentaries.
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Lecture
Spring
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LALW233 Creative Writing Workshop: A Multigenre Workshop 3cr
This course introduces students to creative
writing-through poetry and fiction-and explores
hybrid genres and connections between word and
image. Students learn the elements of craft that
are particular to each genre and universal for
both. They write their own pieces that are
critiqued by peers and instructor. Students also
read literature as models for their own writing
and become familiar with contemporary literary
journals.
Seminar
Spring
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LALW300 Playwriting 3 cr.
A course that teaches the fundamentals of writing drama for the stage. Students study the craft of successful plays by Edward Albee, August Wilson, Paula Vogel and others, applying what they learn to writing their own scenes and plays. The course culminates in a public developmental reading of some of the best one-act plays written by the students.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LALW301 Monster Madness 3 cr.
We round up the usual suspects: the appalling and tragic monster and his equally tragic and appalling creator; the charismatic vampire and his bevy of vamps; the traveling salesman who finds himself transformed into a giant dung-beetle. More broadly, the course studies the idea of monstrosity and the ways in which monsters represent the shadowy side of human nature: what people fear and what they desire. The syllabus includes Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Kafka’s Metamorphosis, and Nabokov’s Lolita.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
Summer (PCE)
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LALW305 Russian Short Story 3 cr.
Russian literature burst on to world stage suddenly and unexpectedly in the early nineteenth century and almost immediately gained tremendous worldwide influence. Everyone knows the names of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, Chekhov and Pasternak, Nabokov and Solzhenitsyn. Great Russian literature is also uniquely connected to Russian philosophy and politics. Reading and studying these works helps students to better understand the trials and tribulations of modern times.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
Fall and Spring
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LALW306 Modernist Word and Image 3 cr.
Nearly 100 years on, the visual and verbal experiments of high Modernism still have the
power to arrest our gaze and our attention. In this course, we explore the unique conversation between word and image that occurred between approximately 1910 and 1945. How did visual artists respond to innovations in poetic form? What does literature look like when it aspires to be pictorial or visual? Do artists and writers actually practice the principles laid out in their manifestos? Questions like these-and many others- guide our investigation and analysis. Texts include seminal writings from Futurism, Dadaism, and Surrealism; avant-garde poetry by Apollinaire, Pound, Stein, Williams, and others; Wyndham Lewis’ periodical Blast; Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse and other readings that complicate the boundaries between mediums, genres, and forms of
expression.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
Fall/Spring
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LALW308 Lyric Poetry 3 cr.
Literary analysis and oral readings of lyric poems from several eras and cultures. Particular attention is given to subtle interactions between linguistic and structural elements such as rhythm, meter, stanza form, syntax, diction, and imagery.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LALW309 Twentieth Century American Literature 3 cr.
A focus on major writers who emerged in the twentieth century. The course concentrates on late twentieth century figures and earlier modernist writers.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LALW312 Creative Writing: The Essay 3 cr.
This course, conducted as a workshop with essays read aloud and critiqued in class, provides students with an opportunity to explore through their own writing the power and variety of the essay form. From memoir to observation, personal profile to political observation, this course encourages students to transmit interior reflection and external observation into essay form. Assigned reading of essays. Grade based on 25-page portfolio (usually five essays).
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LALW313 Caribbean Diaspora Literature: Beyond the ‘Tropical Paradise’ 3 cr.
This course explores the concept of ‘border’ as a geographic and symbolic space by focusing on the work of contemporary writers from the Caribbean region, many of whom reside in the USA and Europe. The course provides students with an overview of the histories, cultural identities, literary and creative expressions of the Caribbean archipelago. Students consider the role that Caribbean diaspora fiction, poetry, and critical theory play in contemporary North American and European societies. Readings are in English or translated into English.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LALW317 (Im)migrant Voices: the Future of the American Dream 3 cr.
This class focuses on a variety of literary texts
that examine the experience of immigrants in the
USA from the 1950s to the present. The primary
and secondary readings, supplemented by in class
viewing of films and documentaries, offer a range
of immigrants’ narratives both in their specific
socio-cultural contexts, and in relation to this
country.
The class will shed light on American culture and
society in its unifying values and
contradictions, through the angle of vision given
by outsiders looking in, and often challenging
ideas of race, gender, identity, ‘home’, and the
American Dream.[Formerly Immigrants
in America]
Due to the intensive nature of this class, Prof.
Preziuso does not accept any student who wishes
to enroll in her class after week 1 of the
semester, hence having missed the first week of
class.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
Fall/Spring
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LALW318 Word and Image in the 19th Century: The Romantic Tradition 3cr
This course investigates the connections between poetry, painting, and the graphic arts in the nineteenth century. The course treats how writers and artists shared a series of similar concerns over revolution, nature, and the individual and how these concerns combined to shape the development of a specifically romantic tradition within the literary and visual arts. Writers and artists include Blake, Wordsworth, Byron, Rossetti, Goya, Constable, Turner, Delacroix and the Pre-Raphaelites.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
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LALW320 Poetry Workshop 3 cr.
In this course, students write, revise, and share poems as a community, experimenting with new subjects and new forms and responding attentively to poems written by other class members. Additionally, they consider published poetry to learn key elements of poetic craft. Students assemble their original poems into portfolios to demonstrate their command of imagery, diction, stanza, line, voice, form, prosody (sound and rhythm), and other aspects of richly dynamic poetry.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LALW322 Shakespeare: On Film and In Print, Part 1 3 cr.
A study of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Henry V, Hamlet, and King Lear, using a genre approach. Emphasis is on reading and understanding Shakespeare. The films are studied as contemporary realizations and interpretations of the plays.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LALW323 Nationalism in Music & Literature 3cr
This course focuses on the interplay of folk and sacred music and idioms, language and dialect, and regionalist and nationalist literature in the evolution of 19th-century musical regionalist and nationalist expression. It treats the confluence of history and geography, the significance of minority-language rights and expression, and the development of human rights and religious freedoms as central to understanding artists’, composers’ and authors’ motivations.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Spring
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LALW326 Asian Cinema: Postwar India, Japan & China 3cr
This course looks at the development of Asian cinema through the lens of three of the most important national film industries: India, Japan, and China. How do the films from these countries reflect diverse but interrelated cultural traditions? How is the cinematic representation of these traditions shaped by a dialogue with Hollywood and European film? How does the development of post-war Asian cinema reflect the shift from a national to a more global film market? This course explores these and other related questions though a combination of weekly film screenings, lecture, and class discussion. Directors include Satyajit Ray, Kenji Mizoguchi, Akira Kurosawa, John Woo, and Wong Kar-Wai.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall & Spring
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LALW329 Literature & Culture of the Great War 3 cr
The Great War (1914-1918) altered global politics, national cultures, language, consciousness, and aesthetics in ways that the world is still processing. This course explores the culture into which the war exploded; the lived and written experience of soldiers and civilians alike; and hallmarks of the diverse body of literary and artistic output that responded to the horrors of mechanized trench warfare, shellshock, and massive loss. The reading list includes works by Robert Graves, David Jones, Guillaume Apollinaire, Virginia Woolf, Erich Maria Remarque, Wilfred Owen, and others.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture
Elective
Fall/Spring
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LALW333 Silent Film Miracles 3cr.
This course introduces students to masterpieces
of silent cinema, the now lost art form that
predates the widespread adoption of sound-on-disc
and sound-on-film recording technology in the
late 1920s. Students undertake research on
aspects of silent cinema. Readings include Silent
Stars (Jeanine Basinger), Silent Players (Anthony
Slide), Hollywood: The Pioneers (Kevin Brownlow &
John Kobal), and others. The viewing list
includes Battleship Potemkin, Beau Geste, Ben
Hur, Broken Blossoms, Cabinet of Dr. Cagliari,
City Lights, He Who Gets Slapped, Hell’s Angels,
Hunchback of Notre Dame, It, Man With Movie
Camera, Metropolis, My Best Girl, Passion of Joan
of Arc, Peter Pan, Prix de Beauté, Rain, Seventh
Heaven, Show People, Son of the Sheik, Speedy,
Stella Dallas, The Big Parade, The Crowd, The
Great White Silence, Thief of Bagdad, Trip to the
Moon.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture
Spring
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LALW338 Film Script Writing; Adaptation 3cr.
Students learn film scriptwritng, film aesthetics, and fundamental features of literature and film viewing, discussing and evaluating films derived from selected fiction. Students compare remakes of fiction filmed multiple times. Students learn and employ industry-standard script writing software to create, discuss and evaluate original screenplays they themselves create from works of fiction. [Fromerly Film Script Writing]
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Fall and Spring
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LALW340 Black Cinema:American Myth, Racial Ideology and Hollywood 3cr.
“What is “”Black Cinema”“? How did “”Black Cinema”” originate? What gives “”Black Cinema”” a
distinct voice of its own? Must “”Black Cinema”” only be directed by African Americans, feature an
all Black cast, or only address a Black audience and “”Black issues”” in order to qualify as
“”Black Cinema”“? Should we differentiate between “”Black Cinema”” and “”Cinema”“? What are the
ethical, social and political implications central to making these distinctions? This course
examines those questions while chronicling the history and present state of “”Black
Cinema”“(from the early 20th century filmmaking of Oscar Micheaux; Blaxploitation films of Gordon
Parks and Melvin Van Peebles; fiction films by Charles Burnett, Spike Lee, Lee Daniels, Steve
McQueen and Dee Rees; documentaries by Marlon Riggs, Stanley Nelson and June Cross; as well as
animation films made for TV and media streamed online). Despite the contributions to cinema by
these distinguished people of African descent, there remains a significant need for Black cinema
studies within the broader areas of Africana Studies in the US and abroad. For these reasons,
this course explores how Black authorship, content and reception have been defined and
reconsidered in relation to dominant American myths, racial ideology and film industry
practices, that have long presented limited and distorted social and political constructs of
African Americans and the African Diaspora in cinema. This course challenges those portrayals
and assumptions through thoughtful inquiries into the intricate modes of racial coding of moving
images.
Prerequisites: LALW-100 & FRSM-100
Fall Only
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| |
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LALW341 Writers of the Black Atlantic 3cr
This class offers a cross-cultural survey of
black literature in the 20th-Century. It
explores the ways black writers from Africa,
Europe, and the Americas share a globalized
perspective that is not distinctly African,
European, or American but rather a multicultural
perspective that historian Paul Gilroy has called
the culture of the Black Atlantic. Based on the
history of transatlantic crossings of the slave
trade and its aftermath, this Black Atlantic is a
confluence of diverse cultural traditions.
Covering topics such as slavery, racism, and
colonialism, this class focuses on the ways
writers of the Black Atlantic have used this
multicultural perspective to establish a critical
voice for expressing the black experience in the
20th-Century.
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Lecture
Spring
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LALW342 Fiction Workshop 3cr
This course supports students to write original
fiction prompted by assignments on the
fundamental elements of the craft and the study
of published fiction. Students share and provide
feedback to other students in critique workshops.
Discussions focus on what comprises a good story,
with an emphasis on characterization, narration,
plot, scene, setting, dialogue, and style, and
ways of generating one’s own stories. Comparisons
between written and graphic narratives are also
explored.
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Seminar
Fall
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LALW346 Camelot: Tales of King Arthur 3 cr.
A study of the literary epics of the legends surrounding Camelot and King Arthur, their origins in the middle ages and subsequent variations.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LALW348 Storyforth: Expressing Human Experience In Art and Design 3cr
Part of the magic of design work is to understand
and express human needs based on interviews,
observations, and research. In this course, our
conventional ideas on writing a story about a
person’s experience may be challenged when we
read about the White House butler for eight
presidents or a story of a gypsy for our times.
Profiles from current literature show new ways to
describe experience. Come explore how you might
give voice to your clients’ needs. Three main
essays and presentations are required: a
description of a client or group of clients, a
study of the challenges in expressing specific
experiences, and a story crafted to show the
relationship between one art design and a human
need.
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Seminar
Fall
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LALW349 History of Film 3 cr.
This course surveys film history from the 1890s to the present. Students use a history of film textbook and general history readings to study films demonstrating the evolving development of motion picture art and the motion picture industry. Students undertake film making exercises and produce written research treating trends and questions in motion picture history.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
|
| |
-
LALW362 The 21st Century Novel 3 cr.
This course examines developing trends and standards for English-language novels in the
twenty first century. It treats nine geographically and stylistically varied
permutations of this long-fiction art form (including literary prize-winners and
bestsellers) while attempting to place them in the web of literary tradition. Touchstone text
and beginning book is the acclaimed 20th century novel Howard’s End, in which author E.M Forster
famously exhorts his readers to “only connect.” In this spirit, the course seeks to connect the
best of what authors are writing now with traditions of literary practice, always looking
ahead to probable evolutions in the twenty first century. [Formerly Titled 21st Century Novels]
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
|
| |
-
LALW365 Women’s Literature in Comparative Perspective 3cr.
In this course we read and discuss twentieth century and contemporary women writers and
critical thinkers who traverse more than one culture, nationality, and geography. Their
writings focus on women’s identity, experiences and creative practice in response to colonial and
post-colonial histories, sexism, racism, and various forms of inequity and oppression. The
course invites students to reflect on equity, cultural competence, inclusion and empathy in the
readings and class discussion. In line with its comparative perspective, the course places in
dialogue writers from the Americas and the Caribbean, the Middle-East and West Africa, in a
dynamic play of resonance and dissonance, similarities and differences. The weekly classes
allow for the integration of in-depth discussions, close reading of the texts,
presentations, and critiques of visual arts. You are invited to think transversally across these
texts, and to forge connections between the themes of the class, the reality you know, and
your creative process. [Formerly Women’s Literature in International Perspective,
Women’s Literature in Global Perspective]
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture
Fall & Spring
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LALW400 Directed Study 3 cr.
A Liberal Arts directed study is a research project selected by a student in a Liberal Arts discipline. Typically, the study results in a research paper of thirty plus pages or the equivalent, as agreed upon by the faculty member supervising the project. Because of its advanced nature, a Liberal Arts LALW directed study is open only to seniors and is limited to one per semester. No more than two Liberal Arts directed studies may be counted toward Liberal Arts degree requirements. Students seeking to register for a LALW directed study must execute a directed study proposal form that describes the proposed project, includes a bibliography, and describes the final project. Liberal Arts directed studies proposals require the approval of the Liberal Arts Department chair.
Prerequisites: LALW200 enrollment senior elective, and consent of the instructor.
Lecture/Seminar
|
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LALW402 Advanced Poetry Workshop 3cr.
In this workshop, students write, revise, and discuss their own poetry in peer critique
workshops as they sharpen their poetry writing skills beyond an introductory level and examine
how their own poetry is situated in the context of contemporary poetry. Guided by peer critique
and the instructor’s feedback, they assemble a final collection of poetry, possibly
demonstrating how their poems intersect with their own major. Students also delve into a wide
array of published poetry to deepen their understanding of poetry, compose a statement of
their aesthetics, gain experience as editors, and write a critical study of some poets in relation
to their own aesthetics. Finally, as a collective, students read their poems in public
and/or publish a compilation of selected poems and artwork.
Prerequisites: LALW-320 or LALW-308 or LALW-233 or by permission of
instructor.
For permission, please email Cheryl Clark
(cclark@massart.edu) a sample of 5 poems in one document
with a brief explanation of why you would like to take this
workshop. Include a list of relevant courses you have
taken. If I find that this sample is not sufficiently
strong, indicating that your command of poetry writing is
insufficient for success in the class, I will let you know
by e-mail as soon as I can. Send the sample as soon as
possible.
Spring Only
|
| |
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LALW403 Writing an Artist’s Statement 3 cr.
A workshop in which initial drafts and subsequent revisions of students’ writings are photocopied, distributed to all members of the class, and critiqued. The objective is to help students develop artist’s statements that: (a) are appropriate to the purposes for which they are written; (b) articulate what the student wants to say about their art; and (c) communicate clearly to the intended audiences.
Prerequisites: Seniors Only
Lecture/Seminar
Senior Elective
|
| |
-
LALW407 Literature & Culture of the Great War 3cr.
The Great War (1914-1918) altered global politics, national cultures, language,
consciousness, and aesthetics in ways that the world is still processing. Planned for the
centenary of the beginning of Great War hostilities, this course will explore the culture
into which the war exploded; the lived and written experience of soldiers and civilians
alike; and hallmarks of the diverse body of literary and artistic output that responded to
the horrors of mechanized trench warfare, shellshock, and massive loss. The reading list
includes works by Robert Graves, David Jones, Guillaume Apollinaire, Virginia Woolf, Erich
Maria Remarque, Wilfred Owen, and others.
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Spring Only
|
| |
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LALW408 Imagining Others: From Strangers to Cyborgs 3cr.
“Imagining Others” is an intentionally ambiguous
title. This class is as much about how
“otherness” is being imagined in our culture as
it is about the imaginative power of the voices
that have been historically silenced,
marginalized, made into “others.” In this class,
we will read about and critique a wide array of
narratives of “otherness”: from strangers to
androids, from artificial intelligences to
aliens, from avatars to cyborgs. We will delve
into colonialization and de-colonization, cyborg
feminism, Afrofuturism, and move across science
fiction stories, art, and popular culture. We
will also interrogate the value and limits of our
communication technologies, and the use that
artists and activists are making of the
cyber-world. The common thread of the works we
study is that they all hack into systems of
meaning based on the dualism “us vs. them”.
Due to its integration of reading, art-critiquing
and art-making, Imagining Others is an ideal
class for artists approaching their final
projects in their major departments.
Due to the intensive nature of this class, Prof.
Preziuso does not accept any student who wishes
to enroll in her class after week 1 of the
semester, hence having missed the first week of
class.
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Fall Only
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| |
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LALW410 Opera and the fusion of the Arts 3 cr.
What is opera? German composer Richard Wagner described it as a “total art work,” combining music, drama, singing, and scenic design. This course encourages new ways of thinking about the relationships between different artistic disciplines and forms. Students view and discuss a selection of operas from the seventeenth through twentieth centuries. No classical music background is required, and no one is expected to sing. In a final project combining artwork and critical writing, students imagine and design a production for an opera of their choice.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
|
| |
-
LALW411 Man Vs. Wild and Other Stories We Tell 3cr
Droughts scorch the Middle East and the American
southwest. Wildfires rip across Indonesia. Rising
sea levels are already beginning to swallow up
island nations, and warming waters are decimating
ocean life. As the effects of climate change
wreak havoc on human societies and ecosystems
across the globe, they also shine an increasingly
bright spotlight on how human beings think about
and interact with the natural world. This class
will explore changing attitudes toward nature
over several centuries, including, and
especially, the present day. We will discuss the
role that writing and art have played in shaping
our understanding of the natural world over time
(with possible selections from Genesis, Edmund
Burke, William Wordsworth, Charles Darwin, and
Henry David Thoreau). We will also explore how
writers, artists, and filmmakers are confronting
the representational challenges posed by climate
change today (possible readings include Margaret
Atwood, Oryx and Crake; Paolo Bacigalupi, The
Water Thief; Indra Sinha, Animal’s People; Kim
Stanley Robinson, Green Earth; selections from
Bill McKibben, Stacy Alaimo, William Cronon, bell
hooks, E.O. Wilson, and Eduardo Kohn; films such
as Racing Extinction, This Changes Everything).
Over the course of the semester, you will
undertake research on an interdisciplinary
project that investigates a site of human-nature
interaction of your choosing, traces its impact
on the world, and explores creative ways to
express this impact. You will receive feedback on
this project in beginning, intermediary, and
final stages, and it will include both written
and creative components. We will have several
exciting opportunities to broaden our
perspectives on this topic. First, this course
will be participating in the interdisciplinary
Sustainability Studio in the DMC, through which
we will be opening several of our classes to the
public. Second, we will meet multiple times over
the semester with Professor Nava’s summative
elective course, which approaches many of the
issues we will be addressing from a scientific
perspective that will deepen our humanistic one.
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Seminar
Spring
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| |
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LALW412 Your Ted Talk 3cr
Students conceive, propose, revise, and deliver an original ten-minute TED-style talk that presents a participant’s senior
(studio-department) thesis, or a participant’s artist’s statement, or a participant’s statement of core beliefs. Participants review
widely-shared TED Talks and the research, literature, and other sources informing them. Students critique each other’s TED Talks. Talks
are digitally recorded and edited by Mass Art technicians. Talks may be internet-posted.
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Seminar
Fall and Spring
|
| |
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LALW413 Film Curating 3cr
In this digital age of access to videos on
demand, there remains a steady increase of film
festivals, cinémathéques, art houses and the
prominence of curating - both as a concept and
career path. This seminar course mostly consists
of screenings and lectures that will provide
students with a historical, theoretical and
practical overview of film curating. Bringing
together the art form and strategies behind
showcasing films, this course offers an academic
and hands-on exploration into the role of film
programming and presentation in an age when
analog has fallen from grace and digital
distribution technologies are transforming both
the traditional notion of film exhibition and
commercial side of distribution. One of the key
attractions of the course is the behind the
scenes access students have to innovative and
thought provoking filmmakers, producers, film
festival programmers, critics and other industry
insiders. Student participation at leading film
festivals and independent film gatherings is tied
into the course. Using the MassArt Film Series
(TBD), Independent Film Festival Boston, Boston
Asian American Film Festival, DocYard, MFA
Boston, ICA, Emerson Bright Lights Film Series,
Boston Latino International Film Festival,
Brattle
Theater, Harvard Film Archives, Coolidge Corner
Theater, Boston Palestine Film Festival, and
other local film outlets as our laboratory,
students will assume hands-on integral roles in
managing all means of operation entailed in film
curation. At the end of the semester, students
will curate a film-related event of their own
choosing, drawing on the combined knowledge,
resources and expertise gathered from this course.
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Seminar
Instructor’s Discretion
|
| |
-
LALW414 Why Novels Now? Create Your Own Long-Form Fiction 3cr
Why Novels Now? Create Your Own Long-Form Fiction, a LALW Summative Elective, is designed for upper-level students with an active interest in the longer forms of fiction, especially those who are completing the Creative Writing Minor.
Why Novels Now? is a defense of the need for leisurely literature in our electronically-rushed world; it is both an inspection of the history and future of novels and a craft class in which each student plans and writes their own novel or graphic novel.
To unlock valuable storytelling secrets, we’ll compare two well-made novels: E. M. Forster’s 1910 English classic Howards End and Zadie Smith’s On Beauty, her 2005 parallel to Forster’s book that’s set in the Boston area. Other course texts: Jane Smiley’s 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel and Scott McCloud’s Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels.
Each class session will include an in-class writing workshop aimed at practicing a different technique of the writing craft.
Prerequisites: Take 15 cr from Lib. Arts
Seminar
Spring
|
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LALW415 Creating a Comic Book 3cr
In this course, you will be both students and
creators of the graphic novel form. We will begin
by familiarizing ourselves with the history of
“sequential art,” from comic strips to superhero
comics, from comics to graphic novels. After
establishing this larger historical context,
though, most of our time will be spent on
exploring the possibilities of the form. To do
this, we will seek out and study cartoonists who
have experimented with comics and graphic novels.
Through a series of weekly in-class and
extracurricular sketching and writing
assignments, you will also experiment with the
form. Ultimately, you will draft, revise, and
complete a polished, substantial graphic
narrative that tells a story of your choosing;
and a preface that contextualizes your narrative
within the class’s readings and your personalized
research.
This is a Summative Elective Liberal Arts class,
meant to represent the culmination of three to
four years of integrating liberal arts and studio
classes at MassArt. The assignments in this class
embody this synthesis. As you write and re-write
your comic, you will draw on analyses of other
graphic novels, research tailored to your story,
and feedback from your peers and me. This course
is especially suitable for students who have
studied graphic novels in other settings but is
open to all who are intrigued by the endless ways
to tell stories through comics.
Prerequisites: Take 15 credits from Lib. Arts
Seminar
Spring
|
| |
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LALW416 I Hear America Singing 3cr
Specifically engaging works about America by
Americans, this course emphasizes the
sociocultural work of the musical as conveyed
through its elements of music and dance. With
scripts and soundtracks as the primary texts,
students will experience and analyze a selection
of works, critically engaging issues such as
adaptation, musical genre, performance history,
and representations of gender and race.
Prerequisites: LALW-100, LALW-200 and 9 credits from Liberal Arts
Seminar
Fall
|
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LALW423 Shakespeare and Identity:Race, Religion, Gender, and Sexuality On the Elizabethan Stage 3cr
It seems today as if conversations about
identity, social prejudice, and social justice
are at the center of our public discourse.
Perhaps they always were. This course considers
identity in the Age of Shakespeare. In eight
English plays (mostly though not exclusively by
Shakespeare), students encounter provocative
treatments of race (Titus Andronicus, Othello,
The Tempest), religion (The Jew of Malta, The
Merchant of Venice) and gender/sexuality (Edward
II, Twelfth Night, The Roaring Girl).
Supplementary readings include poems, essays, and
treatises from the classical era and the late
Renaissance. Written assignments include one
critical paper and a final project combining
writing and artwork, in which students design and
describe their own production of one of the plays
studied. [Formerly titled Shakespeare and the
Other]
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Seminar
Fall and Spring
|
| |
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LALW452 Advanced Playwriting 3
This course offers principles and techniques necessary to write a stage-worthy play that
presents the conflict of ideas as well as emotional and interpersonal conflict.
Prerequisites: LALW-300 or Permission of Instructor
Seminar
Spring
|
Liberal Arts: Mathematics and Science |
| |
-
LAMS200 The Universe 3 cr.
This course is designed to focus on the most fundamental questions of science in its largest and smallest scales. To understand the large scale of the universe, we will learn about Einstein’s theories of Special and General Relativity. More specifically, Special Relativity will transform our understanding of space and time and General Relativity will provide us with a deep understanding of gravity. We will then employ these theories as a tool to study fascinating cosmological phenomena such as Neutron Stars, Black Holes, Quasars, etc. We will also talk about time travel, intergalactic explorations, artificial gravity and other topics that are relevant to intergalactic travel.
Finally, we will spend some time to talk about the nature in its smallest scales. To that end, we will learn about the Standard Model of Particle Physics, which describes the sub-atomic realm with an amazing accuracy.
Prerequisites: FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
|
| |
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LAMS203 Physics of Music 3 cr.
This course uses principles of physics to understand musical instruments, scales, and chords. Required background: students must be able to find notes from written music on an instrument of their choice. The course draws upon algebra.
Prerequisites: FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
|
| |
-
LAMS206 Biomimicry 3cr
Biomimicry is the study of the structure and function of biological systems as models for the design and engineering of materials. In this course, students become acquainted with basic concepts in biology, physics and engineering. Building upon this foundation, the course treats how designers solve design problems by mimicking nature.
Prerequisites: FRSM100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall & Spring
|
| |
-
LAMS208 Bacteria Assassins 3cr.
Almost everyone has taken antibiotics at some point during their lives and we read every day about deadly “superbugs” that are resistant to antibiotics. But what does this resistance mean and how did we get here? The course examines the antibiotic resistance problem and an often-touted possible alternative, bacteriophages. Bacteriophages are viruses of bacteria and were discovered exactly 100 years ago during the First World War. Students examine and synthesize the biology, history, ecology, and applications of these two types of bacteria killers to better understand the treatment of bacterial infections today and what may come in the future. This course helps students understand current events and science relevant to their lives - such as on antibiotics and antibiotic resistance, emerging diseases (such as Ebola), and the human microbiome. No laboratory experience is required.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall & Spring
|
| |
-
LAMS209 Wetlands Science and Policy 3cr
This course is intended as a rational approach to
wetland conservation balanced with responsible
development. People need to live somewhere and to
draw water from somewhere. But wetlands serve
many vital functions and oftentimes are highly
valuable ecosystems that should be protected. In
the course, students gain an interdisciplinary
knowledge of wetland definitions, classification
systems, origins, and natural processes of
wetland environments. We discuss wetlands across
the globe, including boreal, temperate, and
tropical climates. We investigate hydrology,
soils, and vegetation and their relationship to
ecosystem processes, societal values, and
management. We examine human use, modification,
exploitation, jurisdictional delineation, and
management options, along with legal and
political aspects of wetlands. This is a broad
course, also encompassing forestry, coastal
management, energy, climate change, agriculture,
history, and ecosystem succession. We will
attempt four optional field trips, weather
permitting, in our field experience weekend.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100
Lecture
Spring
|
| |
-
LAMS267 Natural Disasters in a Global Environment 3cr
Do you have an interest in what causes natural
disasters? Come join us! Natural disasters
currently cost the world United States $175
billion USD per year. Fortunately, we have the
knowledge to significantly reduce these
costs.Unfortunately, political and cultural
trends will cause disasters to occur more
frequently and ferociously. This course provides
an overview of the causes, locations, and effects
of natural disasters. You can learn about:
earthquakes,volcanoes, tsunami, wildfire, floods,
landslides, pandemic diseases, hurricanes,
tornadoes, famines and droughts,meteorite
impacts, and climate change. We will investigate
recovery and rebuilding efforts and how loss of
life and
property damage can be minimized by implementing
scientific knowledge, through the lens of
historical case studies, as well as lively,
hands-on labs, and field trips!
Prerequisites: FRSM-100
Lecture
Fall
|
| |
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LAMS300 Physics in Art 3 cr.
This course focuses on three major areas of Physics that can tremendously benefit an artist’s appreciation of the scientific basis of their art. More specifically, we will learn about the physics of music, physics of light and color, and finally about the physics of photography.
In physics of music, we will start from oscillations and will transition to waves, sound waves and harmonics, by focusing on two major types of musical instruments, i.e. wind instruments and string instruments.
In physics of light and color, we will discuss variety of relevant topics, including the nature of light, nature of color, additive color mixing and subtractive color mixing.
Finally, we will study the principles of Ray Optics and employ them to understand mirrors, lenses and finally physics of photography.
[Formerly titled Physics for Artists]
Prerequisites: FRSM100
Seminar
All College Elective
Fall and Spring
|
| |
-
LAMS301 Desert Ecology and Field Bioar 3cr
This research-based hybrid course will provide an
introduction to the biodiversity and ecology of
the deserts of the Southwest U.S. This course is
a hands-on, novel exploration of the integration
of science, technology, nature, and art. There is
an optional camping field trip to the deserts of
the Southwest in which we will utilize the
natural habitat as our studio+lab to develop and
explore creative methods of biological inquiry
and hybrid, experimental art. Through scientific
methodology, close observation, and art-making in
the field, we will conduct novel research on
ecological, behavioral, and morphological aspects
of desert flora and fauna in their natural
habitats. The unique wildlife and distinct
habitats of the Southwest deserts have long been
a source of wonder and inspiration for
naturalists, biologists and artists. The
Chihuahuan, Sonoran, and Mojave Desert regions
have the highest levels of species endemism in
North America. The starkly varied environments of
state and national parks in the Chihuahuan,
Mojave, and Sonoran Deserts offer a unique
opportunity for artists to get hands-on
biological research experience in some of the
world’s most unique ecosystems. Participation in
the camping field trip is strongly encouraged but
is not required. Please contact instructor for
more information.
Lecture
Fall
|
| |
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LAMS320 Environmental Science 3 cr.
A study of the principles of ecology, a science intertwining many biological and physical science disciplines. The course distinguishes the scientific, technological, and social domains. It treats complex human impacts and environmental concerns (such as biodiversity, population size, food and energy resources, air and water pollution, waste management, recycling, and sustainability) and raises issues of environmental ethics, risk assessment, and policy planning.
Prerequisites: FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
|
| |
-
LAMS322 Animal Sex, Biodiversity and Gender 3cr.
This course explores the vast diversity of reproductive and mating strategies, sex roles, gender and sexuality in animals and nature. This course takes an integrative and comparative approach to survey the diverse morphological, behavioral, physiological and ecological aspects of sex and reproduction. The course treats the evolution of sexual and asexual reproduction, focusing on ecological and evolutionary factors that influence and constrain biodiversity. Students critically examine the scientific evidence that supports and questions the framework of sexual selection and alternative theories. Students consider and evaluate traditional and emerging forms of scientific communication regarding evolutionary biology and sexual diversity.
Prerequisites: FRSM100
Lecture
Fall & Spring
|
| |
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LAMS324 Sustainabilty Science 3 cr
What is the nature of sustainability? How can we learn from and with nature, its biological
diversity and ecosystems, to become more resilient? Practical examples, field visits,
readings, and discussions will give students the opportunity to learn about emerging
interdisciplinary sciences and solution-driven technologies based on green chemistry and
biomimicry. Through explorations of the water-energy-food nexus, adaptations to climate
change, and sea level rise, students can explore how we can become self-sustainable in the era of
Anthropocene. The intention of the course is to give students a greater understanding of how
science can inform public policies. In addition, attention will be paid to how science relates to
art and design making, and vice versa.
Fall and Spring
|
| |
-
LAMS327 The Science of Climate Change 3cr
Climate change impacts us all. The media bombards
us daily with the effects, policy, and financial
aspects of this phenomenon. Few students and lay
persons however, understand completely the basic
science of climate change. In this course, you
will learn about the difference between climate
change, the greenhouse effect, and global warming;
the basic science of how our atmosphere formed,
how it has changed through time, and how humans
are impacting both weather and climate. Through a
reading and critical-though based class, we will
learn about and discuss (orally and in writing)
the impacts of climate change on agriculture,
weather, economics, and poorer nations. We will
discuss how science needs to more clearly inform
policy at national and global levels, grapple with
the social justice element of weather-related
phenomena in poorer nations, and will dispel
common myths surrounding global warming. We will
discuss techno-fixes designed to engineer the
atmosphere to be cooler. Students will complete a
research paper based on our readings and
discussions that shows clearly what we can and
should do about climate change. The class is
solution-oriented (no doomsday thinking allowed),
and we will conclude with discussing a mix of
returning to a more harmonious way of obtaining
our food and energy as well as the role technology
plays (ex: GMO foods, green building, and
renewable energy technologies) in our future. We
will go on two field trips during class time,
complete a series of laboratory/in-class exercises
as small groups, and will attend lectures off
campus.Climate change impacts us all. The media bombards
us daily with the effects, policy, and financial
aspects of this phenomenon. Few students and lay
persons however, understand completely the basic
science of climate change. In this course, you
will learn about the difference between climate
change, the greenhouse effect, and global warming;
the basic science of how our atmosphere formed,
how it has changed through time, and how humans
are impacting both weather and climate. Through a
reading and critical-though based class, we will
learn about and discuss (orally and in writing)
the impacts of climate change on agriculture,
weather, economics, and poorer nations. We will
discuss how science needs to more clearly inform
policy at national and global levels, grapple with
the social justice element of weather-related
phenomena in poorer nations, and will dispel
common myths surrounding global warming. We will
discuss techno-fixes designed to engineer the
atmosphere to be cooler. Students will complete a
research paper based on our readings and
discussions that shows clearly what we can and
should do about climate change. The class is
solution-oriented (no doomsday thinking allowed),
and we will conclude with discussing a mix of
returning to a more harmonious way of obtaining
our food and energy as well as the role technology
plays (ex: GMO foods, green building, and
renewable energy technologies) in our future. We
will go on two field trips during class time,
complete a series of laboratory/in-class exercises
as small groups, and will attend lectures off
campus.
Lecture
Fall and Spring
|
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LAMS352 Art & Mathematics 3cr
Through a survey of the central branches of
mathematics, art and mathematics are studied as
expressions of creativity, arising from a common
source.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Lecture
Fall
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LAMS400 Directed Study Math/Science 3 cr.
A Liberal Arts directed study is a research project selected by a student in a Liberal Arts discipline. Typically, the study results in a research paper of thirty plus pages or the equivalent, as agreed upon by the faculty member supervising the project. Because of its advanced nature, a Liberal Arts LAMS directed study is open only to seniors and is limited to one per semester. No more than two Liberal Arts directed studies may be counted toward Liberal Arts degree requirements. Students seeking to register for a LAMS directed study must execute a directed study proposal form that describes the proposed project, includes a bibliography, and describes the final project. Liberal Arts directed studies proposals require the approval of the Liberal Arts Department chair.
Prerequisites: FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
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LAMS401 BioAesthetics and the Human Animal 3cr
This course explores aesthetics in nature and the
evolutionary processes of sensory drive and
natural and sexual selection. The course will
critically examine both anthropocentric and
ecological schemes on the aesthetic diversity of
nature, focusing on the creative agency of
non-human organisms and objective and subjective
models of inquiry. The course evaluates and
challenges historical,contemporary and emerging
perspectives on what is art, who/what can create
it, and on interactions between the science and
art. Through a combination of discussion, guest
lectures and collaborative projects students will
explore various topics focused around the
biological and evolutionary bases of creativity,
art and design.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100
Seminar
Spring
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LAMS402 Eating and the Environment 3cr
Eating and the Environment focuses on the impact
that our daily food purchases and consumption
make on the environment and our health. In the
class, we will examine major themes related to
both industrialized and sustainable agriculture,
including: soil resources and pollution; water
and air pollution; pesticides, herbicides and
fertilizers; the farm bill; tropical
deforestation; food additives and nutritional
supplements; food safety and emerging infectious
diseases; meat and dairy sustainability
ramifications; GMOs; and climate change. This
course gives students the tools they need to
understand what constitutes environmentally
friendly and healthy food. Choosing these leads
to a higher quality of life in many ways. There
is no bigger impact on Earth than agriculture.
And food consumption has the single largest
impact on our health.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100
Seminar
Spring
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Liberal Arts: Social Sciences |
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LASS206 Seminar in Romanticism 3 cr.
What is Romanticism? To what areas of intellectual life does the term have reference? To art? Literature? Philosophy? Religion? History? Politics? The answer is yes to all the above, and then some. The seminar explores the nature of this immense cultural movement while focusing on the work of the great Romantic poets, writers and artists of the nineteenth century in Europe and America.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
Undergraduate Elective
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LASS208 Social Psychology 3 cr.
Social Psychology explores the behavior of individuals and groups in social contexts. In this course, emphasis is placed on how social aspects may be relevant to being an artistic individual in today’s society. Topics include: How are our thoughts, feelings, and behavior influenced by the presence of other human beings? Can we manipulate someone else’s opinion? Does self-fulfilling prophesy exist? What are social norms? Questions related to how a person’s self-image develops, how individuals think about and react to the world, and how they understand themselves and others are explored. In addition, students learn about concepts such as impression and attitude formation, persuasion, pro-social behavior, prejudice and discrimination, obedience and compliance, aggression, group psychology, and personality
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LASS211 The American Century 3 cr.
From the Spanish-Cuban-Filipino-American War to the present.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LASS229 History of Jazz 3cr
The history of jazz music, people, and culture, from nineteenth century origins to today. A survey of major artists, groups, and periods, including New Orleans jazz, the Swing Era, Bebop, and other movements. Reading of historical sources and recent commentary inform the study of jazz in American society and global culture. Guided listening builds understanding of form and structure in this art form. No knowledge of music notation required.
Prerequisites: FRSM100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall & Spring
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LASS230 Financial Literacy 3cr
Practical knowledge about personal finance (budgets and credit) and money management (banking and the ABCs of investing). Readings and discussion on current financial topics.
Prerequisites: LALW100 and FRSM100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
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