COURSE DESCRIPTIONS  FALL 2009

course_descriptions_fall_2009.pdf

LBST 1102 H96 Arts and Society: (Re-)Presenting Place, Identity, and Memory on Film

Debarati Dutta

LBST 1102 explores issues of place, identity, and memory in contemporary world cinema. We will use our insights and explorations in the reel world to discuss and theorize about possible connections between human memory, national and cultural identities, and place in the real world. To help us frame our class discussions and written projects, we will borrow several theoretical concepts from literary and cultural studies. Therefore, even though ours is primarily a course on film analysis and interpretation, we will rely quite heavily on outside readings.  This course will consist of several response journals, a film interpretation essay, an oral presentation, and a term portfolio.

LBST 1105 H91 Arts and Society: Visual Art

Julie Doppel Hicks

What is art?  Are there limits to the form, intent or function of art?  Is a crucifix submerged in a beaker of urine art?  Who makes these decisions?  What is enrichment?  Who or what should provide enrichment?  How do we know when we’ve been “enriched?”  Is it important to become enriched through art?  These are some of the questions we will ponder in Arts in Society.  Certainly, events such as the theater, concerts, film, and art exhibits are rich in the textures of our own and other cultures, and would undoubtedly lead to a certain degree of cultural enrichment.  On a quest to answer these questions, this course will provide ample opportunities for you to explore art and cultural and personal enrichment through diverse experiences in and out of the classroom.  You will be required to attend events outside of class and to write about your art experiences.

LBST 2101 H92  Western Civilization

Cross listed with Honr 1701

Bill Gay

All sections of this course explore a major aspect of western culture.  Particular attention is given to an examination of the constructed nature of the present through a close examination of the past and the ways that selected institutions, ideas, or practices change over time and spread in human society, producing both continuity and novelty.  The honors section of this course will focus on the conceptual and historical aspects of violence, terrorism, war, non violence, justice and the economic motivations and results, both intended and unintended, associated with these phenomena.

This course is interdisciplinary, exploratory, and participatory.  As an instructor I believe that as individuals, especially as citizens in the reigning superpower, each of us should examine and confront the related issues of war, peace, and justice.  Too often the individual approaches these issues quite superficially or avoids their examination as too abstract or futile.  As your instructor, I will attempt to steer you away from these pitfalls by confronting some of the main questions, reflecting on data that documents changing realities and possible consequences of the global war system, and exploring ideas on alternative approaches to peace and justice.  By drawing on the fields of philosophy, sociology, history, and political science the course is interdisciplinary.  By focusing more on the process by which we understand than on the search for a "correct answer," the course is exploratory.  Finally, by emphasizing individual involvement in the examination of these issues, the course is participatory.

LBST 2102 H93 Global Connections (w)

Robert Arnold

In this course, we will examine the cultures of both Blacks and Whites in Sub-Saharan Africa, with an eye towards how they have been affected by the forces of globalization. We  will accomplish this mainly through the study of several novels, memoirs and films produced by  these cultures. In particular, we will focus on how the authors and directors of these works try  to make sense of their relationships and positions relative to each other. The issues of identity,  race, gender, equality, freedom, and education are a few that are sure to arise. By the end of  this course, you will have developed an understanding of the various aspects of globalization  and how they manifest themselves in the works—and, by extension, the cultures—we have  studied.

LBST 2102 H94 Global Connections (w)

Cross listed with Honr 1702

Jonathan Perry

This course is designed to explore the political and economic linkages between the wealthy developed nations and the poorer two thirds of the world defined as developing nations.  As an interdisciplinary course, we will study current thought in the areas of economics, political science, philosophy, and sociology.  Students in the course will be asked to consider issues such as economic justice, economic development theory, the political use of food and resources, and alternative economic futures that may enhance economic justice for all world citizens.  Prerequisite: English 1102 or English 1103.

LBST 2213 H95 Science, Technology, and Human Values

Mike Corwin

The generic content of LBST 2213 is the history and philosophy of science and the distinctions between science and pseudoscience. In addition, the specific content objective of this section is to explore in some detail the current scientific story of our origins. Starting with the Big Bang, we will discuss the formation of galaxies, the births and deaths of stars, and the formation of our Solar System. We will describe how an early inhospitable earth was transformed into an environment in which life could arise and flourish, and how, over the eons, life increased in diversity and complexity. We will discuss human evolution and speculate on the phenomenon of consciousness.

Honors 2701 H01  Enrichment Seminar

CG Rothwell

Students attend a variety of events from the visual arts and performing arts as well as special lectures. Through direct contact, this course is intended to introduce students to events, both contemporary and traditional, to which they would not otherwise be exposed. May be repeated for credit as topics and course work may vary. Offered on a Pass/No Credit basis.  Must have permission of instructor.

HONR 1100 Freshman Seminar

Julie Doppel Hicks and Robert Arnold

Prerequisite: Freshman standing in the University Honors Program. A course designed to introduce university honors students to scholarship, service, and leadership opportunities in the honors program, the university, and larger community. Class activities will include guest speakers, projects, and workshops. Students will create a final portfolio. (Fall)

Honors 2750 H01  Community Service Practicum

L. Abraham

In this course, students will work through concepts of volunteerism and citizenship.  Each student will plan a 40 hour service project.

Honr 37000 H01 New Medium for Communications

S. Phillipson

This course will develop a foundation of knowledge for creating and publishing digital media.  The class will  analyze changing communication through  new media.  Students will create, design & publish online content in the form of digital images (photography), audio podcasts,  digital video & web.  The final project will include producing a short digital film.

Honr 3700 H02 Philosophy, Justice, and Social Change

B. Arrigo

This course introduces students to an understanding of justice and social change informed by various Critical Criminological perspectives. These perspectives are based on various approaches to radical philosophy and social theorizing. These philosophical perspectives include: (1) Marxism; (2) Socialist Feminism; (3) Peacemaking; (4) Prophetic Criticism; (5) Anarchism; (6) Postmodernism; (7) Semiotics; (8) Constitutive Theory; (9) Critical Race Theory; and (10) Queer Theory. The purpose of the course is to reflect critically on how we (and society) philosophically (and then pragmatically) embrace prospects for genuine crime and justice reform through various institutional practices. Thus, students will not only be exposed to theoretical formulations on social change but will assess how these approaches can (perhaps should) function in specific police, court, corrections, and juvenile contexts. Some examples of this include: critical race theory and ethnic/racial profiling; queer politics and gender identity in prisons; peacemaking and capital punishment; semiotics and the language of civil commitment for the mentally ill, socialist feminism, patriarchy, and adolescent girl delinquency. Given the approach outlined above, this course grapples with fundamental themes of fairness, dignity, empowerment, autonomy, multi-culturalism, legitimacy, ethics, proprietorship, community, and self-hood. These concepts are steeped in philosophy and actualized through institutional decision making, promoting or failing to promote justice for society, for others, and, ultimately, for ourselves.

Honr 3700 H03  Federalism and Free Trade

J. Perry

HONR 3700: Antitrust & Trade Regulation ()

This class will look at how capitalism and the free market interact through the relationship between business and government.  Specifically, this course will look at why some people argue there is a need for regulation of business, and why some people argue that the free market is best left unfettered.  We will look at the legal and economic arguments for and against the regulation of monopolies and concentrated industries, as well as the most recent evaluations of antitrust regulation.  We will look at some of the most famous recent antitrust cases, including the Microsoft and Napster cases.  We will also talk about the current financial crisis and the government and market’s responses.  Students will have the chance to develop projects on their own and in groups as part of the course grading.

Honr 3700 H04  Radical American Women

C. Gay

This course will explore, in as much depth as possible, the lives and works of specific American women who dedicated their lives to creating positive social change to help build a more democratic America.  Students will study the historical origin and meaning of women’s often unrecognized contributions to America’s pluralistic society.

The objective of the course is to place the life and work of each woman studied in a social-historical context. American life has progressed, in a chronological sense, from a  white, male-dominated society (given early restrictions on land ownership, the right to vote, etc.) to a society that proposes to include everyone -- with talent, character and motivation as relevant criteria for leadership and prominence. This progression, however, (which is still incomplete) has required significant sacrifice by women from all walks of American life. Women have often been at the forefront of positive change in the society. This course will analyze that contribution and place it in an historical context.

Honr 3700 H05  Jewish Identity and the Graphic Novel

Alan  Rauch

In the 1930s two down-on-their-luck cartoonist, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, perhaps recalling the legendary Jewish story of the Golem of Prague, created a character called “Superman.”  The two cartoonists, both Jewish, but one from United States, the other from Canada, had pioneered a new genre in the comics industry, the super-hero narrative.  Shortly thereafter, Will Eisner, who had a long an enduring career as a cartoonist, created “The Spirit.”  Other cartoonists followed, including the renowned Jacob Kurtzberg who transformed his named into the ore Clark Kentish “Jack Kirby.”

The comic book introduced a narrative form that would, in one evolutionary branch, eventually evolve into the graphic novel.  That is, a sustained narrative with identifiable characters, a well-developed protagonist, and a sustained plot.  The protagonist, though in comic book form, was certainly not “comic” in the conventional sense, although he (and sometimes she) was almost always troubled by both social crises and a crisis of self-identity.

To be sure, this was a crisis particularly felt by Jewish citizens in both United States and Canada, who were either born elsewhere (another “planet”) or newly adjusting to the North American way of life.  All this was taking place at the peak of the great depression and in the midst of the rise of Nazi Germany which would, in fact, destroy the lives, homes, parents, and families of so many recent immigrants.

To be sure Graphic Novels are not, particularly now, a uniquely Jewish phenomenon. But they do rehearse the patterns traced out in the mid-twentieth century that addressed the plight of the downtrodden, the masking of identity, and the representation of the “other” in a form that is both familiar and disruptive.  Using “Jewish Identity” as an historical starting point and a conceptual fulcrum for discussions.

The course will be based on the readings below, while the discussion will focus simply on the graphic novels themselves. (Marked )

Readings:

Chabon, Michael.  The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.

Eisner, Will, A Contract with God.

Fingeroth, Danny. Disguised As Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, & the Creation of the Superhero.

Katchor, Ben. Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer: Stories.

Pekar, Harvey. The Quitter.

Roth, Henry.  Call it Sleep.

Sfar, Joann. The Rabbi's Cat.

Spiegelman, Art. Maus I/II.

Wex, Michael. Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All Its Moods.

Honr 3700 H06  Coming of Age in Today’s Diverse World

Mark West

Students in this Honors Seminar will read and discuss a series of contemporary novels in which adolescent characters wrestle with issues related to cultural diversity.   Students will explore how the identity formation process is affected when adolescents interact with people from different cultural, religious, ethnic, racial, or economic backgrounds.  The readings will include An Na’s A Step from Heaven, Walter Dean Myers’s Monster, Witi Ihimaera’s Whale Rider, Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, and Victor Martinez’s Parrot in the Oven.

Honr 3790 H01 Senior Seminar

CG Rothwell

In this course, we will explore the options for the Senior Project for graduation with Honors Distinction.  We will also explore life after college, and what one needs to do to prepare for the transition to graduate school or to employment.  Our main objective is to complete the application for candidacy to graduate with honors and the project proposal.  We will meet once a week.  The course is graded on a Pass/NoCredit basis

Honr 3790 H02  Senior Project

CG Rothwell

To graduate with University Honors Program Distinction, this course must be completed with the grade of A.  You will continue and complete the work you proposed in your application for candidacy under the auspices of your thesis director and readers.