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Academic Catalog 2018-2019 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Courses
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Liberal Arts: Literature, Writing, and Film |
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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 Literature from Immigrants in America 3 cr.
This course focuses on literary texts and films that examine the experience of immigrants in the USA from the 1950s to today. Through the reading of excerpts of novels, short stories and critical essays, and the viewing of feature films and documentaries, the course treats issues that have affected successive generations of Irish, Jewish, Italian, Japanese, Indian and more recently Hispanic/Caribbean immigrants in the USA. The course devotes special attention to the experience of marginalization of the immigrants, changes in their family structure, the process of ‘becoming American,’ and the social and cultural impact these communities have had on US national identity. The course also considers ways in which immigrant writers both adopt and adapt the English language, while changing and often enriching it, and how they work against conventional cultural and visual representations of immigrants in US media. [Formerly Immigrants in America]
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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LALW332 The End is Near! Envisioning the Apocalypse 3cr.
The course introduces apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic literary texts. Readings include eighteen and nineteen century end-of-days texts by Daniel Defoe, Anita Letita Barbauld, Edgar Allen Poe, and present-day manifestations of this idea (among others, Cormac McCarthy, The Road, Robert Kirkman & Tony Moore, The Walking Dead). The course treats the concept of “dystopia” as an expression of recurring and contemporary anxieties.
Prerequisites: LALW200
Lecture
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 3cr.
This course will introduce students to the many facets of writing screenplays for short films.
Designed as a writing workshop, students will develop scripts, from idea to end product,
through individual and collaborative exercises, rewriting, and hearing your scripts read aloud
and discussed. Readings and screenings will supplement our course.
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Fall Only
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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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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
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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
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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
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LALW406 Friday Night Lights:An American Mirror 3cr.
This interdisciplinary course addresses the American television drama series, Friday
Night Lights (2006-2011), a show that treats beliefs,behaviors, and values common to many 21st
century Americans. In consultation with the professor, each student proposes, develops,and
completes a semester-long research or creative project that considers an aspect of this
award-winning television series (for instance, theshow’s worldview, or its writing, acting,
editing, directing). Approved student projects manifest the perspective of two or more
Liberal Arts disciplines.
In class meetings, students view or review Season One of Friday Nights Lights (all
episodes) and related material. They exchange responses to the screened material. They
present original scholarlyor creative projects in preliminary, intermediate, and final stages. Presenters furnish ancillary readings that contextualize their presentations. Class
members peer review all projects. Class members publish their completed scholarly project,
creative project, or scholarly/creative project on a dedicated class website
class.”
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Spring Only
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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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LALW409 20th & 21st Cent. Irish Literature 3cr
Engaging the literatures of Ireland means
confronting questions of Irish identity and
political autonomy. At the same time, the
novels and poems and plays by her citizen-writers
take up questions of love, war, religious belief,
and family that transcend historical and
geographical boundaries. Surveying the
landscape of Irish literature from the Celtic
Twilight of Yeats’ time to the current day, this
course will examine works by James Joyce, Seamus
Heaney, Colum McCann, Emma Donoghue and others as
responses to Ireland’s oft-changing political
climate. But even as these works pose the
question “What is it to be Irish?” they also
experiment with form and language, inviting the
reader into the beauties of Ireland’s literary
legacy. Students will complete frequent short
writings, a formal presentation, and a
significant final writing project.
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Seminar
Spring
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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
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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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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
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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
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LALW423 Shakespeare and the Other: Race, Religion, Gender, and Sexuality On the Elizabethan Stage 3cr
The Other refers to people that are marginalized
and persecuted owing to race, religion,
sexuality, or gender identity. This course
studies theatrical portrayals and philosophical
discussions of the Other during Age of
Shakespeare. In the assigned plays (mostly though
not exclusively by Shakespeare), students
encounter complicated dramatic 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
are drawn from poems, essays, and treatises from
classical antiquity and the late 16th/early 17th
century. Written assignments include one critical
paper and a final project combining writing and
artwork.
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
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Liberal Arts: Mathematics and Science |
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LAMS200 The Universe 3 cr.
A study of how the basic laws of physics and astronomical observations lead to an understanding of the universe as a whole.
Prerequisites: FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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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
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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
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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
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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
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LAMS211 Energy in the 21st Century 3cr
Oil, gas, and coal are polluting, non-renewable
resources and society must reduce their
dependence on these fossil fuels. Alternative
energies are non-polluting, renewable and are
therefore highly desirable. This course takes a
non-traditional approach in that it includes the
benefits of fossil fuels, and delves into the
stumbling blocks to implementing the following
alternative energy technologies: hydropower,
wave power, biomass, solar, geothermal, wind,
hydrogen and nuclear energies. Science,
technology, policy, and societal concerns will be
discussed in a seminar style where students are
responsible for researching and presenting each
type of energy. We will also discuss the “smart”
use of energy, as well as the storage,
transportation, housing, and consumption of
energy. We will conclude by discussing and
creating potential policies for the expedited
phasing in of alternative technologies, including
regional, strategic, health, safety, and
environmental concerns. Students will leave the
course with a depth of understanding of the
technological and policy-based obstacles to
alternative energy but also having a clear
understanding of the pressing nature of this
transition.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100
Lecture
Spring
|
| |
-
LAMS240 Biological Form and Function 3 cr.
An examination of the importance of shape, or form, to biological function. Students explore selected examples at several levels of organization (molecule, cell, individual, community) in a variety of organisms (viruses, bacteria, plants, fungi, invertebrate and vertebrate animals, embryos and mature forms). The course teaches fundamental concepts of biology and prepares students to compare biological and artistic form and function.
Prerequisites: FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
|
| |
-
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
|
| |
-
LAMS300 Physics for Artists 3 cr.
This course deals with three major areas of
physics that are mostly relevant to artists.
Namely, we will discuss classical mechanics with
topics such a Newton’s Laws, Inertia and
equilibrium. We will also talk about physics of
sound and music and study the properties of sound
and especially of musical sounds. Finally, we
will study physics of light and optical elements
that most artists frequently deal with.
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
|
| |
-
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
|
| |
-
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
|
| |
-
LAMS325 Desert Science Travel Course 3cr
This domestic travel course will provide an introduction to the biodiversity of flora and
fauna of the deserts of the Southwest U.S. through on-site immersion, camping and field
explorations. This course is a hands-on, novel exploration of the integration of science,
nature, and art. Through scientific methodology, close observation, and art-making in the field,
we will conduct 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 starkly varied environments of the Chihuahuan and Sonoran
Deserts (in NM and AZ) offer a unique opportunity for artists to get hands-on biological research
experience in some of the world’s most unique ecosystems. The Chihuahuan and Sonoran Desert
regions have the highest levels of species endemism in North America (over 2000 species of
plants and animals found only in these eco regions). This course takes an interdisciplinary
approach by creatively combining various methods of field biology data collection and art-making
to conduct novel, collaborative Field BioArt research. The Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts’
pristine, unique, and abundant wildlife is made accessible by the well managed and protected
National and State Parks in New Mexico and Arizona. The natural habitat will be our
studio+lab to develop and explore innovative, creative methods of biological inquiry and
hybrid, experimental art.
Prerequisites: LALW-100 & FRSM-100
TRAVEL COURSE
Fall Only
|
| |
-
LAMS326 Experimental Biology and Hybrid Research 3cr.
This course will provide an introduction to experimental biology and biological research in a
laboratory setting. This course is a hands-on, novel exploration of organismal and experimental
biology through scientific methodology, close observation, experimental design, and data
collection. We will conduct morphological, physiological and behavioral research on various
flora and fauna in a lab work space. This course takes an interdisciplinary approach by creatively
combining various methods of experimental biology data collection and art-making to conduct novel,
collaborative BioArt and hybrid research. The lab+studio will facilitate the development and
exploration of innovative approaches to biological inquiry using various observational,
descriptive, experimental methods, including data dissemination/science communication.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100
Fall Only
|
| |
-
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
|
| |
-
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
|
| |
-
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
|
| |
-
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
|
Liberal Arts: Social Sciences |
| |
-
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
|
| |
-
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
|
| |
-
LASS211 The American Century 3 cr.
From the Spanish-Cuban-Filipino-American War to the present.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
|
| |
-
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
|
| |
-
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
|
| |
-
LASS230 Financial Literacy & Careers 3cr.
Practical knowledge about personal finance including taxes, credit, how to budget, save, and
invest. Learn how to define your career goals to explore opportunities and successfully present
yourself to the working world. [Formerly titles Financial Literacy]
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Fall and Spring
|
| |
-
LASS232 Free Speech, Democracy and Artists 3cr
This course examines freedom of speech, a fundamental right indispensable to democracy and indispensable for artists. The tension between liberty and control of speech is central to many forms of media and artistic expression. The course examines speech broadly by examining topics such as: speech during wartime or in time of fear; hate speech; speech by students; and libel and slander. In addition, the course examines free speech controversies involving obscenity and pornography, or merely nudity, including controversies concerning artistic expression in film and literature. Students consider speech on television, the Internet, and social media. The course also treats symbolic expressions of speech, such as flag burning and painting; as well as campaign financing as speech. The course focuses primarily on U.S. law–most of the readings will be excerpts of U.S. Supreme Court cases–but the course includes a comparative component, incorporating laws regulating speech and expression in other nations.
Prerequisites: FRSM100, LALW100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall & Spring
|
| |
-
LASS233 Music Cultures of the World 3cr
The course explores selected music and rhythms from throughout the world. Students explore various folk, popular, indigenous, and hybrid music from every continent and surveys the development of musical traditions through the development of contemporary world music. The course also treats several American musical traditions, including country, folk, and musical transmissions from Europe, expressive cultural traditions from indigenous peoples of America, and black musical traditions in the New World. This is a Liberal Arts course with required readings, written assignments, and listening work. Under a different course number and requiring different assignments, this course may also provide studio credit in selected studio departments. [Formerly titled: The World of Music]
Prerequisites: FRSM100. LALW100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall & Spring
|
| |
-
LASS236 Music and Society 3cr
The course considers how music expresses and inspires social change. By examining the origin and inspiration of major works of classical music, such as Haydn’s Farewell Symphony, Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro, Mendelssohn’s Reformation Symphony, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, and Shostakovich’s Babi Yar Symphony, the course considers what music reveals about history.
Prerequisites: FRSM100; LALW100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall & Spring
|
| |
-
LASS241 Twentieth Century World History 3cr.
World history from 1900 to 2001. The course
introduces students to major events and major
themes in twentieth century history, including
world wars, the rise and fall of totalitarian
philosophies and empires, economic contractions
and expansions, colonial empires and liberation
movement, antithetical internationalist,
nationalist, regionalist, and faith-based
movements, and the gradual process by which the
machine age became the information world.
Prerequisites: LALW-100 & FRSM-100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall & Spring
|
| |
-
LASS242 Film Music 3cr.
This course treats the evolution of film music
from silent movies until the present. It
introduces students to musical syntax, the
aesthetics of film music, and the means by which
composers synchronize music and script to convey
mood and render action vivid. Working
chronologically, the course explores the
increasing importance of music in cinema and how
music functions as an expressive element in a
film. The course treats composers who wrote
almost exclusively for the cinema (i.e., Charlie
Chaplin and the contemporary John Williams),
treats classical central European composers who
migrated to the screen composition from wartime
Europe (i.e., Korngold, Waxman, Alexandre
Tansman, Bronislaw Kaper), and treats
composer-director/producer collaborations such as
Eisenstein-Prokofiev, Rota-Fellini/Visconti, and
others. The course additionally treats the role
of ethnic music (Morocco, India, China, Japan) in
world cinema. Two term papers are assigned, one
dealing with a composer-director partnership, the
second treating the function of score in a major,
iconic film such as Gone with the Wind. The
textbook is Mervyn Cooke’s A History of Film
Music.
Prerequisites: LALW-100 & FRSM-100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Spring
|
| |
-
LASS245 Cities and Society 3cr.
Cities are fascinatingly complex places, and for millennia people have flocked to them for a host
of reasons. Some people have looked to cities as a way to escape the ennui of rural existence,
some have gathered in cities for economic opportunity, and many others have arrived simply
to be in close contact with different groups of people. Taking “the city” as our primary unit of
analysis in this course, we will attempt to explore some of the major themes and processes
that affect most urban areas, along with offering some historical perspective on the trends that
have created “the city” as we find it today.
Prerequisites: LALW-100 & LALW-200
Fall and Spring
|
| |
-
LASS247 China in the Modern World 3cr
This course examines major political, social and
cultural changes in modern China. We will cover
the major political events and revolutions in
China after the Opium War. At the same time, we
will study the social and cultural lives of
various human actors and social institutions such
as peasants, workers, women, ethnic minorities,
migrants within and beyond China, educational
system, nationality laws, and so on. We will also
place China in the global context to examine its
interaction with the outside world.
Prerequisites: LALW-100 and FRSM-100
Lecture
Spring
|
| |
-
LASS248 White Privilege: How Official Policies & Private Prejudice Shaped Your Neighborhood 3cr
At the time of Black Lives Matter – a movement that has been called our Third Reconstruction –
the course examines three sets of interrelated themes: 1) The American inner city: its
multiple and entangled historical, socio-political and economic origins. 2) The
role of segregation in housing, education, employment, policing and criminal justice in the
life of the people in the inner city. 3) The forces maintaining the inner-city status quo, and
the promise of Black Lives Matter. [Formerly titled The Hood: Life and History]
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Lecture
Spring
|
| |
-
LASS249 Queer Studies:Beyond Traditional Ideas of Gender and Sexuality 3cr
This class offers students a chance to ground
their own artistic and academic projects in a
working theoretical and practical knowledge of
the discipline of Queer Studies; both the
historiography and current work being done in the
field. Our goal is to establish a classroom
environment of mutual respect where queer ideas
about artistic challenges and choices can be
developed and shared in a supportive and safe
academic and working environment grounded in
solid social science methodology. We will examine
the development and current state of the academic
discipline of Queer Studies as it has emerged
from both Women’s Studies and Gender Studies. Our
method will be to research both archival and
current academic and multi-media sources to see
where the field stands as an academic discipline
but also as an applied paradigm for social
justice and artistic action. Special attention
will be paid to the development of connections
between applied Queer Theory and artistic and
life choices for today’s working artist. The list
of class materials will be fluid and
inter-disciplinary and rely on input and research
from all class members, reflecting the core
nature of the discipline itself.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Lecture
Spring
|
| |
-
LASS250 Philosophy of Religion 3cr
The course explores the concept of God and the sacred, the grounds forand challenges to religious belief, the credentials of mystical experience, the implications of religious pluralism, and the idea of a religiously ambiguous world. Readings will be drawn from classical and contemporary thinkers.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Seminar
Spring
|
| |
-
LASS251 Chinatown and Beyond:A World Historical Perspective 3cr
This course examines historical and contemporary Chinese diasporas in the global context. The
Chinese diaspora has been a significant part of Chinese history, and Chinese migrants have
assumed important roles such as the “Mother of the Republican Revolution” or have been
portrayed in controversial images such as “neocolonialists” as large numbers of Chinese
migrants made their presence in Africa along with the rising China in recent decades. The Chinese
diaspora is also one of the major world diasporas and helps us understand important
global issues such as race, empire, colonialism, imperialism, nationalism, and globalization. This
course focuses on the following topics: connections Chinese diasporas created between
China and other societies and cultures; migrants’ cultural and ethnic identities and the
transformation of the meanings of “Chineseness,” different types of Chinese diasporas and the
evolvement of Chinatowns worldwide; migrants’ transnational networks past and present; and
commonalities and differences between the Chinese diaspora and other diasporas such as Jewish,
Italian and Indian diasporas. We will use a wide variety of primary sources such as laws, poems,
epigraphic materials, novels, and films, and we encourage interdisciplinary approaches to explore
global political and economic structures as well as migrants’ daily lives and identities.[Formerly titled: Chinese Diasporas: Past and Present]
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Fall
|
| |
-
LASS252 Media, Race & Law 3cr
This course examines the intersection
between moving images, racial stereotypes
and the law. Most media representations of
target groups are misleading - often offering
distorted social and political constructs in
their place. This course challenges those
assumptions through thoughtful inquiries
into the intricate modes of law and the racial
coding of moving images. This course draws
on an array of social, legal and cinematic
sources. From D.W. Griffith’s 1915 proslavery
caricature of African-Americans in
the film, “The Birth of a Nation,” to current
YouTube and mainstream discussions that
dangerously blur the boundaries between
“terrorists,” Muslims and President, Barrack
Hussein Obama. In addition to screening
films that reveal the harmful and derogatory
portrayals of target groups (Native and
African Americans, Jews, Asians, Latinos,
people of Arab descent - the list goes on.),
we will analyze case law and articles that
reflect the impact these biases have on shaping
public policies designed to advantage some at
the disadvantage of others. Ultimately, this
course aims to challenge clichés and configure
a more complicated way to view stereotyped
groups, which are truer to what people know
and what our imaginations are able to consider.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Lecture
Fall
|
| |
-
LASS253 East Asia: Modernity Redefined 3cr
With astonishing rapidity, the nations of East
Asia have emerged as an imposing presence on the
world stage. Their rich and varied cultures have
influenced other regions of the world in ways
that have helped to redefine modernity. Along
with the recent US strategic shift to the
Asia-Pacific, it has become imperative in our
time to study modern East Asia and to understand
its impact on global politics and culture and its
relevance to our daily lives. This course follows
the main themes in East Asian history since 1600,
focusing primarily on China, Japan, Korea, and
Vietnam. We will study long-term changes and
continuities in East Asian society, politics,
culture, art, and economy. We will also study the
dramatic changes that have taken place in East
Asia’s relationship with the rest of the world.
Classes will combine lectures with class
discussions, presentations, and films.
Lecture
Fall
|
| |
-
LASS280 Introduction to Psychology 3 cr.
An examination of the dynamics of the self from the interpretative, clinical perspective. The course discusses the growth and the making of the “solid self” and explores the influences that can further or hinder the constitution of a coherent, stable personality. Narcissistic disorders, the most common psychic disorders of our time, are also addressed.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
Fall/Spring
|
| |
-
LASS281 Psychology of Flourishing 3 cr.
This course examines the human potential for growth and flourishing as well as for resiliency. Traditionally, psychologists have aimed at helping individuals notice and fix unwanted or dysfunctional habits, uncover and repair unfortunate or traumatic childhood experiences, or calibrate damaged brain chemistry. Rather than focusing on human weakness and dysfunction, this class explores the human condition from a positive psychology perspective. Students study concepts such as hope, happiness, optimism, and resiliency, and surveys human core character strengths and virtues.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
|
| |
-
LASS300 Race in America 3 cr.
How did various peoples from America, Africa, and Europe, speaking different languages and possessing different cultures, come to be defined as “red”, “black”, and “white,” and how did later immigrants or conquered peoples from Asia and the western hemisphere get fitted into this scheme? This class examines how race categories were formed in the colonial period and have been repeatedly remade up to the present.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
|
| |
-
LASS301 Social Philosophy of Art 3 cr.
This course is for enthusiasts, juniors and seniors, who like ideas and think that valid reasons exist to examine art in the social, intellectual, and cultural context. Our framework is that of social philosophy. Three central themes organize the course: the pre- modern and the rise of modernity, the transition of modernity into postmodernity, and the character of art at our current moment. The course examines the roots of the modern and the current in the pre-modern. Why did the Romanesque give way to the Gothic? Was it just that people became bored with the same old style? If not that, then what? How far do you need to go to understand the phenomenon? The art-historical background is paramount. Students lacking this art history and history background should take the course at a later date. Students unprepared to understand historical references this material takes for granted must make up for it by reading historical texts in the reader. Our intention is not descriptive but analytic and critical. Many preconceived notions are challenged. Participants use examples from art history as needed to enlighten a larger point: the intersection between ideas, culture, society, and the art world as it evolves from the premodern into the modern and into our current moment.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
Junior, Senior Elective
|
| |
-
LASS302 Gender, Class and Race in American Film 3 cr.
This class analyzes film as an important part of mass culture. The course is a social science course, not a “film viewing” one. It treats sociological themes such as gender, class, and race as these themes are reflected in the actions of the film’s characters; in their relations with other characters; in their expectations, hopes, and dreams; and, implicitly, in the film’s cinematic, visual aspects.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
|
| |
-
LASS307 Medieval and Renaissance History 3cr
This course encompasses no less than twelve centuries of European history extending from the last decades of the Roman Empire in the West to what is often referred to as the Early Modern period (I.e., the 16th century), the era characterized by the rise of powerful centralized monarchical states and empires. Throughout, a determined effort is made to precisely define broad historical concepts such as “civilizations” and “intellectual revolutions.” For example, we will ask what particular historical and cultural elements made the Medieval West a distinct civilization? In the same manner, what presumably different and distinct elements formed and shaped the civilization of Byzantium? What was the Renaissance, both in Italy, and north and west of the Alps? Where and how does the Renaissance intersect with the Reformation and the Reconnaissance, enormously significant historical phenomena in themselves?
Prerequisites: LALW100, FRSM100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall & Spring
|
| |
-
LASS308 Narcissism, Aggression and Creativity 3cr
Are we really capable of falling in love with an image of ourselves, as in the story of Echo and Narcissus? If so, what are the consequences? Do contemporary cultural themes cast a light on the story? What impulses motivate these thoughts and processes? This course utilizes a psychoanalytic approach to discover and analyze themes that emerge from an awareness of creative impulses. What blocks them? What role does aggression play in the responsiveness to the creative impulse? Psychoanalytic literature, in combination with contemporary themes, questions and illuminates the art making process.
Prerequisites: LALW100, FRSM100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall
|
| |
-
LASS309 History of Modern Europe 3 cr.
A comprehensive overview of the last four centuries of European history. The course surveys political and international history, social history, and intellectual history. Students gain a deep appreciation for the rich complexity of European civilization and an understanding of the continuity of events from the seventeenth century onward.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
|
| |
-
LASS312 Technology and Language 3cr
The course investigates the relationship of languages of expression to tools and communication technologies. Through interdisciplinary exploration of various modes and practices, from the language of typography, audio/visual expression, to dynamic languages of interaction, social media and crowd sourcing, students gain knowledge and understanding of current issues of social communication in the context of dynamic media technology. The course introduces students to recent developments, theory and criticism of communication design and technology through selected case studies involving the work of historical and contemporary inventors, designers, artists and new media innovators.
Prerequisites: LALW100,FRSM100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall
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LASS314 Race Uncut:America in Black and White 3cr
How do race and class operate not just in categorizing people, but in maintaining and reproducing the socio- economic life and in
shaping common experience of history and present. We will focus on African Americans and white Americans and discuss what race means, and what class means – historically, culturally, and economically – in the context of the American dream. 6 cinematic representations will serve
us as prompts to examine in depth selected historical themes, from the Civil War to the
present. [Formerly Titled Race,Class and the American Dream]
Prerequisites: LALW-100 and FRSM-100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall and Spring
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LASS315 Cultural Cold War 3cr.
From an ideological weapon to an instrument of peaceful understanding, the role of culture in
the Cold War has recently become a topic of much study and debate. This course will go beyond the
traditional parameters of the Cold War as a Soviet-American conflict fought through high
politics, the space race, and limited hot wars, by examining the political,diplomatic, social,
and imperial utilization of and impact on culture in Britain, the US, the Soviet Union, China, and
their respective empires. The course will consider official policies like the Soviet VOKS
(Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries) and exchange programs in arts and
education as well as processes like tourism, literature, film,consumerism, and sport.
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Spring Only
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LASS318 Seminar: Reading Marx 3 cr.
A critical reading and discussion of some of Karl Marx’s writings on history, philosophy and society, plus commentary.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100; LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LASS320 Fashion and Culture 3cr.
Fashion is both a reflection of and influence on culture. This course can examine clothing in
context, exploring the phenomenon of fashion in terms of technological developments, aesthetics,
and body politics (gender, race, sexuality, and class) as well as its connection to cultural
identity and the global economy. Focusing the examination on specific key moments in fashion
history from the French Revolution to today, the course will foster critical thinking and writing
about fashion from a multidisciplinary perspective. The meaning of fashion at these
select and pivotal historical periods will be gleaned through diverse sources - fiction,
diaries, paintings, histories, and design theory- and be complemented by direct examination of
objects.
Prerequisites: LALW-100 & FRSM-100
Fall Only
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LASS321 Bonds of Love: Attachment and the Brain 3 cr.
This course examines intimate human relationships ranging from infancy through adulthood by exploring new findings in neuroscience as well as in developmental/relational/depth psychologies. The course treats questions about selfhood and emotion; the capacities for empathy, attachment and solitude, and received ideas of love in the relationships we form. The course includes readings in psychology, neuropsychology, fiction, documentary and feature film clips.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100; LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LASS323 Minds,Brains&Consciousness 3cr
What is the mind? Some of history’s most profound
thinkers have attempted to answer this question,
yet the nature of the mind remains elusive and
hotly debated in contemporary philosophy. Can the
mysteries of conscious experience be reconciled
with a naturalistic, scientific world view? Is
the mind really just a kind of computer, a
machine made of meat? What is thinking, and can
computers do it? In this course, we will
investigate what Francis Crick has called the
Astonishing Hypothesis-“that “You,” your joys and
your sorrows, your memories and your ambitions,
your sense of personal identity and free will,
are in fact no more than the behavior of a vast
assembly of nerve cells and their associated
molecules.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Lecture
Fall and Spring
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LASS324 Nationalism in Music and Literature 3cr
This course will focus 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.
The confluence of history and geography, the
significance of minority-language rights and
expression, with the development of human rights
and religious freedoms are central to
understanding artists’, composers’ and authors’
motivations.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Lecture
Fall
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LASS325 Gender Identity and the F-Word(feminism) 3cr
What does it mean to call oneself (or someone
else) a ‘feminist’? How does gender intersect
with other social hierarchies to shape both how
we see, and how we are seen by, others? In this
advanced undergraduate elective, we will consider
efforts to reveal, unravel, and remedy the
conceptual, psychological, and economic
dimensions of gender oppression. We will examine
the intersection of sexism with racism,
heterosexism, and class exploitation, and
investigate the role of the concept of difference
in creating and maintaining structural
inequalities.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Lecture
Spring
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LASS360 Memory and Dreams 3 cr.
This course explores the intersecting realms of memory and dream. Dreaming is an entirely subjective experience, but how objective is remembering? How do we understand phenomena like post-traumatic or implanted or false memories? How can culture construct our memories–and our forgettings–for us? How can we separate identity from memory and either from forms of fiction? The world of dream: is it meaningful, nonsense, prophetic, usable? This course treats current neuroscience and neuropsychology, film clips, case histories, fiction, and analytic theory. In preparation for the final project, students keep a nightly dream journal. The course treats the nature of consciousness and subjectivity, the existence of a coherent self over time, and the creative uses to which memory and dream may be put.
Prerequisites: LALW100, FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LASS401 On Truth and Value 3 cr.
The course is organized around the following core questions: What is truth and is it attainable? Why is truth important? How do we get to know objective reality? What is a “good life” in the ethical sense, and why should one desire to live a “good life?”
Prerequisites: LALW100, FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LASS402 Minds,Brains&Consciousness 3 cr.
What is the mind? Some of history’s most
profound thinkers have attempted to answer this
question, yet the nature of the mind remains
elusive and hotly debated in contemporary
philosophy. Can the mysteries of conscious
experience be reconciled with a naturalistic,
scientific world view? Is the mind really just a
kind of computer, a machine made of meat? What
is thinking, and can computers do it? In this
course, we will investigate what Francis Crick
has called the Astonishing Hypothesis-“that
“You,” your joys and your sorrows, your memories
and your ambitions, your sense of personal
identity and free will, are in fact no more than
the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells
and their associated molecules.”
Prerequisites: LALW-100 and FRSM-100
Lecture
Fall
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LASS403 China-U.S. Relations 3cr
This course explores the relationship between
China and the United States from its beginning to
the present. Unlike conventional narratives of
Sino-U.S. relations focusing on politics and
diplomatic relations, this course will cover more
broadly social, cultural,and economic
interactions, such as mutual perceptions and
images,cultural/educational exchanges, migration
and foreign policies, and international trade.
Accordingly, we will look at a wide array of
individuals and institutions such as
missionaries, educators, merchants, migrants,
non-government organizations, corporations and
mass media rather than nation-states as the sole
actors on the stage. We will place China and the
United States in their regional and historical
contexts while focusing on the interactive
dynamic to show how their relations shaped their
own histories as well as the global history. This
course is to help students develop a solid
understanding of the evolution of Sino-U.S.
relations over time as well as a sharp and well
informed
perspective on current challenges and
opportunities, especially the new face of
Sino-U.S.relations with China’s rise as a major
economic powerhouse and the repositioning of the
United States in the world. In addition to
learning about the substance of these facets of
Sino-U.S. relations, the course is designed to
teach several important skills to students:
informed reading of various types of sources,
historical and critical thinking, policy analysis
and debates,oral presentation and writing, and
teamwork. Different assignments are designed to
develop and advance these skills.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Seminar
Fall
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LASS404 Asian Diaspora and American Experience 3cr
This course surveys Asian American history (1850-
present) from international and global
perspectives. It starts with the massive
migrations of different Asian groups to the U.S.
from the Gold Rush to WWII, focusing on themes
such as colonialism, imperialism, labor,
communities, legal exclusion, and foreign
policies. Then it moves on to the great changes
within the Asian American community since 1965
and how Asian Americans are changing American
society and the relations between the United
States and Asia.
Prerequisites: LALW-100 and FRSM-100
Seminar
Spring
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LASS406 Seminar on Romanticism 3cr
A seminar in the study of Romanticism in Europe
and America in the late 18th and early 19th
century.
Prerequisites: LALW-100, FRSM-100 and LALW-200
Seminar
Fall
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Photography |
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MPPH100 Intro Photo for Non-Majors 3 cr.
A beginning course for students with an interest in creative work and study in black and white photography. Teaches exposure controls, camera operation and rudimentary film development and printing.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
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MPPH206 Introduction to Digital Photography for Non-Majors 3 cr.
An introduction to the digital darkroom that offers a solid foundation in digital imaging skills. Technical focus is on the current array of input, editing and output options. The content of student work is addressed in periodic critiques, and class discussions emphasize the role of the computer in contemporary photography.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
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MPPH214 Drawing With Light 3cr
Drawing with Light introduces students to making cameraless photographs in combination with
collage, assemblage, and hand-applied elements including drawing. Students use photographic
techniques such as photograms and the camera obscura as departure points for investigations of
the line, value, shape, texture and space.
Hybrid studio Critique
Fall and Spring
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MPPH240 Sophomore Major Studio I 6 cr.
This required sophomore course is the first in the progression of major studio/hybrid seminars
in photography. The course addresses the aesthetic and technical dimensions of contemporary practice in black and white analog photography. Proficiency in B&W darkroom techniques is
emphasized. At the discretion of the instructor, the class will concentrate on the use of either
4X5 view cameras or small/medium format cameras for the semester. Weekly assignments and
critiques familiarize students with the importance of this equipment in contemporary
practice as well as the history of the medium. Slide presentations and field trips are combined
with the principles of optics, cameras, film, photographic chemistry and darkroom technique. Studetns are required to attend the regular lecture series that occurs within the limits of scheduled course contact hours.
Prerequisites: Majors Only
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall
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