Curriculum & Courses
Learning Outcomes
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- Ways of Knowing Students: Students will demonstrate awareness and appreciation of multiple ways of knowing, as reflected in the fields of study and areas of expertise within the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
- Cultural Breadth and Global Awareness: Students will demonstrate familiarity with a range of cultural, social, and intellectual traditions in the context of a changing, globalized world.
- Critical and Analytical Thinking: Students will be able to analyze, evaluate, and construct arguments, engaging with ideas, evidence, and artifacts.
- Effective Communication Skills: Students will be able to speak and write effectively, communicating with precision, clarity, and rhetorical force.
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- Students will study and question how crucial ideas about human and non-human nature, knowledge, experience, and value have been developed, supported, and/or expressed in major areas of the humanities, such as philosophy, religion, literature (including poetry and the dramatic arts), and music in various cultures and time periods.
- Students will demonstrate understanding of the methods used in the humanities, such as argumentation and interpretation.
- Students will demonstrate understanding of the crucial ideas in the humanities as they have been explored in different cultures and times, and/or in connection to issues that currently affect individuals and societies across the globe.
- Students will evaluate claims and the evidence and/or reasons given in support of these claims, as found in primary and secondary sources.
- Students will construct their own claims and defend them in written and/or oral forms, and using proper methods of documentation (e.g. citation and bibliography).
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- Students will increase their knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the natural world, science, and mathematics.
- Students will demonstrate knowledge of the nature of science and/or mathematics as a knowledge making process.
- Students will develop and evaluate claims that involve a scientific or mathematical component.
- Students will display curiosity about nature, natural science, and/or mathematics.
- Students will confidently attempt reasoning tasks that involve a scientific or mathematical component.
- Students will demonstrate appreciation for the role of science and/or mathematics both in everyday life and in contemporary issues.
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Students will learn to embrace the writing process and establish writerly habits, while developing guided critical reading, thinking, and writing skills necessary for their success in upper-level course work. Students will learn to collaborate and to take their work, and the work of their peers seriously, thereby establishing best practices of critique.
- Students will formulate inquiries emerging from readings of texts.
- Students will establish research methods.
- Students will analyze and synthesize multiple texts and cite evidence.
- Students will construct a complex claim and an argument.
- Students will practice the writerly process (i.e. revision, reflection, and peer review).
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- Students will question and explore how human behavior, societal arrangements, and cultural practices vary across time and space.
- Students will demonstrate understanding of the investigative methods used in the social sciences.
- Students will evaluate and develop claims based on primary and secondary sources.
- Students will communicate clearly in written and oral forms.
- Students will write citations and bibliographies in accordance with one or more social science disciplines.
Courses
| Title | Catalog | Instructor | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| FYS I:Consider This | 1001 (001) | Joanna Anos | Tues
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Consider the ordinary and extraordinary, the word and world, this color, this art, this way of seeing and being. Writing topics are various in this writing course, but learning objectives are the same: for students to discover the complexity of their thinking through exploration and inquiry and to broaden their expressive and analytical skills. Readings will include writings by essayists, naturalists, and artists. Students maintain a writer¿s notebook, prepare short compositions, and write and revise several essays.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Reading Art | 1001 (001) | Alexander W Jochaniewicz | Fri
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
Reading Art is a seminar that orients students to college studies and emphasizes students' advancement of college-level critical reading and thinking skills. Students learn how to read and analyze artworks using the formal vocabulary of art and design, as well as how to read about art in art history textbooks, scholarly journals, and other sources. Students improve their ability to process, retain, and apply information by using active learning strategies and graphic organizers, including a schematic note-taking system. In addition to weekly readings and exercises, students complete an in-depth synthesis project on an artwork of their choosing. Regular museum visits complement class work.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS I: The Places You'll Go | 1001 (002) | Peter Thomas | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This writing course emphasizes close reading of texts, critical thinking, and the analysis of problems and concepts arising in works about travel experiences through the writing of essays. We will use the writing process as a means to achieving insight, and students will be asked to employ brainstorming, freewriting, drafting, outlining, re-writing, revising, and editing. Throughout the term, students will be asked to reflect on their development as they establish their own writing process that will enable them to develop new understandings and clearly communicate them in essays for this course and beyond. Writer Pico Iyer says, ¿We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves.¿ New places are alluring. New places are disruptive. In this course, we¿ll read accounts of those who ventured to distant lands and discovered new territories within themselves. We will read the likes of Langston Hughes, Bernard Cooper, Jamaica Kincaid, Flannery O¿Connor, George Orwell, Susan Sontag, and others, as we see what these writers found when they lost themselves abroad. Students will join the well-traveled, too, as they write about a not-usual place, even if it¿s right here in Chicago. In addition to short writing assignments and in-class journals, students should expect to write and revise 4 essays totaling 15-20 pages of formal prose.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS I: Copyrights and Wrongs | 1001 (003) | Jennie Berner | Thurs
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
In this writing-intensive course, we will explore the line between originality and plagiarism in a variety of fields including art, media, technology, music, business, entertainment, and medicine. In what contexts is copying an art? A science? A crime? How much should we be allowed to borrow from the work of artists and writers who have come before us? Do we owe them anything when we do? What are the economic, social, and political implications of copying? Readings will cover a range of subtopics such as genetic cloning, music sampling, artistic forgery, cultural appropriation, film adaptations, drug patents, fan fiction, body modification, and fair use. We will also analyze the work of artists and writers whose work speaks to some of these issues, including Kenneth Goldsmith, Fred Wilson, Jeff Koons, Sherrie Levine, DJ Dangermouse, and Jen Bervin. Writing assignments ? totaling 15-20 pages over the course of the semester ? will emphasize analysis, argument, research, revision, and other academic writing skills.
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Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS I: Rebel Verse | 1001 (004) | Suman Chhabra | Mon
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
In our class we will read contemporary poetry from authors responding to historic and current political injustices. We¿ll also read about the political events themselves to gain an understanding of the authors¿ creative works. The poems and poetry collections are written by individuals but they shed light on the political impacts that affect the collective of humanity. Readings often include works by Layli Long Soldier, Ilya Kaminsky, Rajiv Mohabir, and Don Mee Choi. In our FYS I class, we will develop our critical reading, writing, and thinking skills. This is a studio writing class in which we will focus on writing as a process. We will freewrite, formulate conceptual questions for the readings, write responses, and compose and revise 15-20 pages in multidraft essays. Students will direct the topic of the final essay based on their individual inquiry into a historic or current political event. FYS I develops college-level writing skills, prepares one for FYS II and upper-level Liberal Arts courses, and allows one to improve expressing their ideas in writing.
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Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS I: Writing for Space-Making | 1001 (006) | Mika Yamamoto | Wed
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
Writers can have the power to create space for communities that are marginalized in society, but this work is never easy. In this class, we will examine the works of writers who have attempted this and analyze the success and cost of such attempts. Our readings will include works by: Esme Weijun Wang, Rupi Kahur, Ryka Aoki, Patsy Mink, and others. We will also utilize SAIC¿s amazing resources like the Service Bureau, the Art Institute, the writing center, the diversity department, and Title IX office. In this class, students will exercise their voices and embrace the writing process. They will think of writing beyond what happens on the page.Towards this end, each class begins with mindfulness and connection activities. Students will be required to write weekly reflections, multiple drafts of an essay, and do a class presentation. Students in FYS I should expect to write 15 to 20 pages of formal, revisable writing. Attendance is extremely important and heavily weighted.
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Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYSe: Laughing Matter | 1002 (001) | Sophie Goalson | Mon
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
As an art form, humor is often considered menial and unrefined. In reality, the psychology of humor ¿ exactly what it is that makes something funny ¿ is complicated and requires careful mastery. This course will examine how writers and artists have historically used humor to reach audiences deeply, emotionally, and politically. Through works by Mark Twain, Franz Kafka, Calvin Trillin, Jade Chang, Percival Everett and others, we will get to the heart of what makes something funny, and how humor has changed over time. Students will build on foundational academics habits with weekly short writings. To complete the course, students must write 3 papers (one analytical, one argumentative, and one creative.
PrerequisitesMust complete AAP: Academic Foundations Seminar (AAP1001) and Foundations Writing Workshop (AAP 1011) |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYSe:Near-Death Experiences | 1002 (002) | Peter Thomas | Mon
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This writing course emphasizes close reading of texts, critical thinking, and the analysis of problems and concepts arising in works about near-death experiences through the writing of essays. We will use the writing process as a means to achieving insight, and students will be asked to employ brainstorming, freewriting, drafting, outlining, re-writing, revising, and editing. Throughout the term, students will be asked to reflect on their development as they establish their own writing process that will enable them to develop new understandings and clearly communicate them in essays for this course and beyond. Some of us have had a near-death experience in which our survival felt in doubt. Almost all of us have had nearness-to-death experiences in which we glimpse the passing of some other person or creature and must contend with death?s significance. In this course, we?ll study short works that explore what nearness to mortality reveals to us. We?ll read Virginia Woolf, Tim O?Brien, Annie Dillard, Lu Hsun, Tobias Woolf, Wole Soyinka, and Nancy Mairs, among others, as we examine how death?s presence has impacted these writers in unanticipated ways. Students should expect to write and revise 3 major essays in addition to short writing assignments, totaling 15-20 pages of formal prose.
PrerequisitesMust complete AAP: Academic Foundations Seminar (AAP1001) and Foundations Writing Workshop (AAP 1011) |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYSe: Film Noir and Genre | 1002 (003) | Jacob A Hinkson | Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
In this writing intensive course, we will develop the skills of argument-driven writing as we examine film noir and the question of genre. What does it mean to look at a series of disparate cinematic texts as examples of the same textual category? Is ¿film noir¿ best defined by a pattern of visual motifs? Can the genre be better characterized by the repetition of various story structures, themes, and character archetypes? Or is ¿film noir¿ (and perhaps ¿genre¿ itself) a categorizing term which has outlived its usefulness as a way of understanding individual film texts? Students will explore these questions through an examination of three key films: The Big Sleep (1946), The Reckless Moment (1949), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), and The Deep End (2001). Readings will include critical works by Raymond Borde, Étienne Cahumeton, Janey Place, Megan Abbott, and Joan Copjec. These materials will inform multiple argument-driven essays students will draft and revise over the course of the semester. In composing these essays, students will study thesis formation, rhetorical modes, and ways to incorporate sources into evidence-based arguments.
PrerequisitesMust complete AAP: Academic Foundations Seminar (AAP1001) and Foundations Writing Workshop (AAP 1011) |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYSe: American Poetry | 1002 (004) | Alexander W Jochaniewicz | Thurs
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This course will chronologically survey American poetry from its earliest periods to recent times. Students will be introduced to a wide spectrum of the finest poetry ever to be written, including (among others) poems from Phyllis Wheatley, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Jean Toomer, Countee Cullen, e.e. cummings, Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Amit Majmudar, Terrance Hayes, Sherman Alexie, Garrett Hongo, and Natalie Diaz. Individual interpretations will be emphasized and slow-and-close reading will be emphasized, both in class and in formal writing assignments. In addition, students will be introduced to methods of literary study, appropriate terminology, and (art) historical contexts to help orient scholarship¿including how poets across time and space operate and innovate within literary conventions. Students will also write about poetry in both personal responses and formal analyses and will practice the process of writing, including prewriting, drafting, peer reviewing, and revising. FYSe develops college-level writing skills, prepares one for FYS II and upper level Liberal Arts courses, and allows one to improve expressing their ideas in writing.
PrerequisitesMust complete AAP: Academic Foundations Seminar (AAP1001) and Foundations Writing Workshop (AAP 1011) |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYSe: Dolls, Androids, and AI | 1002 (005) | Jennie Berner | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This writing-intensive course will explore representations of dolls, robots, androids, puppets, artificial intelligence, and other humanoid forms in literature and film. What can childhood characters like Pinocchio and Barbie teach us about becoming human? Why are there so many horror stories involving evil dolls? What do science fiction stories featuring robots and androids reveal about our increasingly automated, technological society? Should we embrace (or maybe even love) AI avatars, or resist them? Via close reading and critical inquiry, we will not only unpack the range of emotions ¿ from humor to sympathy to terror ¿ that humanoids evoke, but moreover connect these fictions to real issues in our own world. Stories and films may include Frankenstein, Blade Runner, The Stepford Wives, Her, and M3GAN. Writing assignments ¿ totaling 15-20 pages over the course of the semester ¿ will emphasize description, analysis, argument, revision, and other academic writing skills.
PrerequisitesMust complete AAP: Academic Foundations Seminar (AAP1001) and Foundations Writing Workshop (AAP 1011) |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| First Year Seminar Enhanced (EIS) | 1003 (001) | Annette Elliot-Hogg | Tues
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
FYS (EIS) are theme-based writing courses designed for first-year international students who have successfully completed their English for International Students Fluency course, with an emphasis on teaching Academic English skills to English Language Learners. Students will improve their Academic English skills by learning to embrace the writing process and establish writerly habits, while developing guided critical reading, thinking, and writing skills necessary for their success in future course work at SAIC. FYS (EIS) sections offer different topics. For example, students may investigate modern and contemporary art movements or analyze popular visual culture or media. While faculty have autonomy in determining course theme, the theme is an accessory to the writing; the balance in these classes is weighed toward explicit writing instruction and workshopping of student writing, not content. This course provides guided experience in writing college-level essays of various kinds. Students investigate the class topic through close readings and class discussions. They explore and develop their ideas by writing short responses and longer multi-draft papers which may include analytical, argumentative, expository, and/or evaluative essays. A significant amount of time is devoted to the craft of writing. Grammatical and organizational strategies, argumentation, and skills in thesis/claim and idea development are explored. Students should expect to write 15-20 pages of formal, revisable writing across the course of the semester. A significant amount of time may be devoted to re-writing essays, so as to develop first drafts into final versions. In-class writing and short homework exercises may be included. Through peer review and workshops, students learn to collaborate and to take their work, and the work of their peers seriously, thereby establishing best practices of critique. Classes are capped at 12 students and individual meetings to discuss each student's papers should be expected.
PrerequisitesMust complete English Fluency I (EIS 1021) |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| First Year Seminar Enhanced (EIS) | 1003 (002) | Diane Worobec-Serratos | Thurs
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
FYS (EIS) are theme-based writing courses designed for first-year international students who have successfully completed their English for International Students Fluency course, with an emphasis on teaching Academic English skills to English Language Learners. Students will improve their Academic English skills by learning to embrace the writing process and establish writerly habits, while developing guided critical reading, thinking, and writing skills necessary for their success in future course work at SAIC. FYS (EIS) sections offer different topics. For example, students may investigate modern and contemporary art movements or analyze popular visual culture or media. While faculty have autonomy in determining course theme, the theme is an accessory to the writing; the balance in these classes is weighed toward explicit writing instruction and workshopping of student writing, not content. This course provides guided experience in writing college-level essays of various kinds. Students investigate the class topic through close readings and class discussions. They explore and develop their ideas by writing short responses and longer multi-draft papers which may include analytical, argumentative, expository, and/or evaluative essays. A significant amount of time is devoted to the craft of writing. Grammatical and organizational strategies, argumentation, and skills in thesis/claim and idea development are explored. Students should expect to write 15-20 pages of formal, revisable writing across the course of the semester. A significant amount of time may be devoted to re-writing essays, so as to develop first drafts into final versions. In-class writing and short homework exercises may be included. Through peer review and workshops, students learn to collaborate and to take their work, and the work of their peers seriously, thereby establishing best practices of critique. Classes are capped at 12 students and individual meetings to discuss each student's papers should be expected.
PrerequisitesMust complete English Fluency I (EIS 1021) |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| First Year Seminar Enhanced (EIS) | 1003 (003) | Annette Elliot-Hogg | Thurs
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
FYS (EIS) are theme-based writing courses designed for first-year international students who have successfully completed their English for International Students Fluency course, with an emphasis on teaching Academic English skills to English Language Learners. Students will improve their Academic English skills by learning to embrace the writing process and establish writerly habits, while developing guided critical reading, thinking, and writing skills necessary for their success in future course work at SAIC. FYS (EIS) sections offer different topics. For example, students may investigate modern and contemporary art movements or analyze popular visual culture or media. While faculty have autonomy in determining course theme, the theme is an accessory to the writing; the balance in these classes is weighed toward explicit writing instruction and workshopping of student writing, not content. This course provides guided experience in writing college-level essays of various kinds. Students investigate the class topic through close readings and class discussions. They explore and develop their ideas by writing short responses and longer multi-draft papers which may include analytical, argumentative, expository, and/or evaluative essays. A significant amount of time is devoted to the craft of writing. Grammatical and organizational strategies, argumentation, and skills in thesis/claim and idea development are explored. Students should expect to write 15-20 pages of formal, revisable writing across the course of the semester. A significant amount of time may be devoted to re-writing essays, so as to develop first drafts into final versions. In-class writing and short homework exercises may be included. Through peer review and workshops, students learn to collaborate and to take their work, and the work of their peers seriously, thereby establishing best practices of critique. Classes are capped at 12 students and individual meetings to discuss each student's papers should be expected.
PrerequisitesMust complete English Fluency I (EIS 1021) |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| First Year Seminar Enhanced (EIS) | 1003 (004) | Maryjane Lao Villamor | Mon
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
FYS (EIS) are theme-based writing courses designed for first-year international students who have successfully completed their English for International Students Fluency course, with an emphasis on teaching Academic English skills to English Language Learners. Students will improve their Academic English skills by learning to embrace the writing process and establish writerly habits, while developing guided critical reading, thinking, and writing skills necessary for their success in future course work at SAIC. FYS (EIS) sections offer different topics. For example, students may investigate modern and contemporary art movements or analyze popular visual culture or media. While faculty have autonomy in determining course theme, the theme is an accessory to the writing; the balance in these classes is weighed toward explicit writing instruction and workshopping of student writing, not content. This course provides guided experience in writing college-level essays of various kinds. Students investigate the class topic through close readings and class discussions. They explore and develop their ideas by writing short responses and longer multi-draft papers which may include analytical, argumentative, expository, and/or evaluative essays. A significant amount of time is devoted to the craft of writing. Grammatical and organizational strategies, argumentation, and skills in thesis/claim and idea development are explored. Students should expect to write 15-20 pages of formal, revisable writing across the course of the semester. A significant amount of time may be devoted to re-writing essays, so as to develop first drafts into final versions. In-class writing and short homework exercises may be included. Through peer review and workshops, students learn to collaborate and to take their work, and the work of their peers seriously, thereby establishing best practices of critique. Classes are capped at 12 students and individual meetings to discuss each student's papers should be expected.
PrerequisitesMust complete English Fluency I (EIS 1021) |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Americana Music | 1005 (001) | Andrew Lindsay | Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
¿Genre¿ and tradition in music are nebulous terms, yet we can¿t escape them. Examining these genre distinctions consistently reveals two things - the history and tradition that helped birth the genre ¿category,¿ and the web of influences between genres that make such distinctions unstable. Nowhere is this ¿instability¿ more apparent than in American music, a country whose relatively young socio-political history makes the notion of ¿tradition¿ especially complicated. ¿Americana¿ is an overarching term to describe a variety of American musics, in an attempt to smooth over some of the complicated relationship between genre and tradition. One thing we will explore in this course is the effectiveness of that endeavor. Complicated spaces, of course, are fertile ground for argument, and that is the primary skill we will practice in this course. We begin with short writing assignments that force students to make arguments about our texts. Our class discussion allows us to workshop these claims, and we write larger papers that demonstrate the ability to take greater risks with our theses. In this course we will focus on the core skills of reading and writing, preparing us for all our future coursework at SAIC. Students learn to make nuanced observations about the texts we study, observations which form the basis for the argumentative papers we write. This course will focus on artists representative of the various genres said to populate Americana music. Special attention, however, will be paid to those artists who trouble the genre definitions, such as the Staple Singers, Gillian Welch, and Sturgill Simpson. Assignments consist of informal, observational journals, short papers and a larger Final Paper at the end of the course.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II:Romantic Fairy Tales | 1005 (002) | Irina Ruvinsky | Tues
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
Please confirm/update desc: Unlike traditional folk fairy tales, intended primarily for children, the German Romantic Kunstmärchen (literary fairy tales) were written for an audience of adults. German Romantic philosophers, who believed in Nature as an ideal and the primacy of the individual creative imagination, saw the fairy tale as the perfect medium for the expression of these ideas. The timeless, mythical qualities of the fairy tale were seen by these thinkers as a way to bring the realm of the supernatural to earth, making the irrational and the magical part of our everyday existence. Unlike the traditional fairy tales, in which everyone lives happily ever after, the Märchen emphasizes the struggle between negative and positive forces in which death and disaster often prevail and man is caught in the tragic dichotomy between the real and the ideal. In this course we will explore these and other themes by reading the works by such authors as Novalis, L. Tieck, E.T.A Hoffman and Kafka. Students should expect to write 20-25 pages of formal, revisable writing, in addition to homework exercises and in-class writing. FYS II will build upon the foundational writing skills students began learning in FYS I, with the introduction of more rigorous argumentation and research. Eventually, writing will be more self-directed in this FYS II class.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II:Life Account | 1005 (003) | Suman Chhabra | Tues
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
In our creative practices we take our lives into account. You determine the format to share your story. In this course we will read different forms of autobiography: graphic novels, memoirs, essays, poetry, and journals. We will look at the various creative forms writers use to convey information about their lives, discuss why we make artwork about ourselves, and study how each form connects with readers. Though we will read about individual experiences, we will consider their impact on the collective. Readings often include works by Ocean Vuong, Trevor Noah, Diana Khoi Nguyen, EJ Koh, and Kazim Ali among others. In our FYS II course, we will develop our critical reading, writing, and thinking skills. This is a studio writing class in which we will focus on writing as a process. We will freewrite, formulate conceptual questions for the readings, write responses, and compose and revise 20-25 pages in multidraft essays. FYS II develops college-level writing skills, prepares one for upper-level Liberal Arts courses, and allows one to improve expressing their ideas in writing.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Cyber Feminism | 1005 (004) | Terri Griffith | Thurs
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Cyber Feminisms explores the intersections of feminism, technology, and digital culture through a research-driven lens. Students will critically engage with a range of topics, including the influence of digital spaces on gender identities, the consequences of algorithmic bias, and the ways marginalized communities use technology for resistance and self-expression. This course will analyze the role of the internet in shaping feminist discourse while developing digital literacies essential for academic writing in the 21st century. Students should expect to write 20 to 25 pages of formal, revisable writing (i.e. a semester-long research-based essay with multiple drafts) as well as homework exercises and in-class writing. Much in-class writing will be included, as emphasis is on development of the intellectual skills of reading and responding critically, which forms the basis of each student's career at SAIC. Furthermore, peer review of student papers, and individual meetings to discuss each student¿s writing should be expected.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Race and Horror | 1005 (005) | Michael R. Paradiso-Michau | Tues
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
All FYS 2 students will learn to embrace the writing process and establish writerly habits, while developing guided critical reading, thinking, and writing skills necessary for their success in upper-level course work. Students learn to collaborate and to take their work, and the work of their peers seriously, thereby establishing best practices of critique. This FYS 2 course will explore the interconnected meanings of race, horror, and monstrosity. In particular, we will focus on the presentations and representations of racial difference in the Americas. From Birth of a Nation (1915) to Get Out (2017), and from the transatlantic slave trade to contemporary #BlackLivesMatter movements, African-American struggles for dignity and inclusion have produced ¿philosophies born of struggle,¿ i.e. avenues of critical thought and activism with an eye toward social liberation and freedom from daily fear.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Speech and Voice | 1005 (007) | Stephen Williams | Fri
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
How have artists in literature, theater, music, and other sound-based media represented or incorporated the human voice into their work? This FYS II course builds on the writing and thinking skills students began to develop in FYS I by introducing more advanced argumentation and research methods. To guide our inquiry, we might consider questions such as: How do we understand 'authentic' or 'common' speech, what accounts for its claim on our attention, and what are the politics around it? How does its apparent spontaneity relate to formal aspects of a work of art? Why do diverse folk traditions put human speech in the mouths of animals? How do we experience, on the one hand, divine or oracular voices understood to come from beyond humankind, and on the other, AI-generated simulacra? What does it mean to appropriate another's voice, and why is spoken language such a significant marker of individual and collective identity? How have new technologies of amplification, reproduction, and distribution changed how we hear ourselves? Sources we may consider include: Wordsworth, European opera, Brecht / Weill, Lotte Lenya, Cathy Berberian, Derek Walcott, Kamau Braithwaite, Linda Rosenkrantz, Meredith Monk, Bernadette Mayer, Pere Gimferrer, Nathaniel Mackey, American hip hop. Students can expect to produce 20-25 pages of formal, revisable writing, as well as regular in- and out-of-class assignments. The course builds toward a self-directed research paper on a topic of the student's choosing.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Claire Denis | 1005 (008) | Annette Elliot-Hogg | Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
¿One night many years ago, a French family was driving through the North Region of Cameroon when they ran out of gas. As they scrambled to refill the tank, the car was surrounded by a pride of lions. To protect their young daughter, the parents locked her in a metal trunk. The animals circled the vehicle continuously, and to distract herself from danger the girl repeated her own name.¿ Contemporary French director Claire Denis blurs the boundaries between dream and reality. In films such as Chocolat (1988), Beau Travail (1999) and White Material (2009), she constructs a tenuous world in the aftermath of European colonialism. In FYSII, we will expand our critical reading, writing and thinking skills. We will develop a vocabulary of forms¿camera movement, cutting and composition¿to understand the sensory experience of a work of art. We will write two critical essays (20 to 25 pages of formal writing), which will be workshopped in class and revised.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Past, Present, & Future Chicago | 1005 (009) | Joshua Rios | Mon
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
¿Past, Present, and Future Chicago¿ examines the complex and layered histories of Chicago through the cultural lenses of literature, art, music, public space, and architecture. It actively presents the city as a place where various social groups have migrated, lived in proximity, struggled for equality and resources, as well protested, celebrated, and produced art and culture. Some events this class engages include the establishment of the city through the Chicago Treaty of 1833, the Great Migration of the early 1900s, post-industrialization, the formation of historic neighborhoods (Pilsen, Lawndale, Chinatown), and the rise of House and electronic music. We will conduct periodic field trips throughout the city to enhance our readings, research, and experience-based understanding of Chicago¿s ever-present histories. Relevant artists, writers, and activists include Gwendoline Brooks (poet), Gordon Parks (photographer), Amanda Williams (architect/artist), and Frankie Knuckles (DJ), among others. FYS II builds upon the foundational writing skills students began learning in FYS I, with the introduction of more self-directed rigorous argumentation and research. Students should expect to write 20 to 25 pages of formal, revisable writing (one experiential essay and one research project, both with multiple drafts), as well as homework exercises and in-class writing. Furthermore, peer review, class workshopping of student papers, and individual meetings to discuss each student's writing should be expected.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Recreation & Play | 1005 (010) | Raghav Rao | Fri
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
Discretionary time is time that is not constrained by the necessities of life. It is the domain of recreation and play. This class invites students to critically engage with modes of recreation: hobbies, games, outdoor activities, media consumption, creative pursuits, and vice. Through texts and discussion, students will inquire into how society produces and is produced by its modes of recreation, and how social relations are impacted through its dynamics. They will also bring greater attention to themselves and the values undergirding their personal modes of recreation. The focus of this class is to help students develop the skills required to perform academic research. Students will learn how to propose lines of inquiry, shortlist and interrogate sources, reference sources, and synthesize material. Ultimately, the final project for the class will be a high-quality research paper. Over the course of the semester, in total, students will be expected to produce 20-25 pages of material. Texts for the class include Diane Ackerman, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Tricia Hersey, Priya Parker.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Art World in Crisis | 1005 (011) | Joshua Rios | Thurs
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This class examines recent social and political controversies surrounding the contemporary art world, including crises stemming from the power dynamics of gender, class, race, disability, sexual orientation, and other political commitments to international solidarity. Building on foundational writing skills learned in FYS I, students will gain historical and political context about specific moments in contemporary art when marginalized social groups and their allies have mounted protests and critiques of institutions, exhibitions, artists, and artworks. Informed by history, social theory, literature, art journalism, art history, visual studies, and other forms of study, students will become familiar with general and specific issues of institutional racism, sexism, ableism, classism, and xenophobia within the art world and how artists worked together for social change and institutional accountability. Students will engage in rigorous argumentation and the development of a self-directed research paper. Students can expect to write 20 to 25 pages of formal, revisable writing (i.e. one article and one research essay, both with multiple drafts), as well as homework exercises and in-class writing. Students can also expect in-class writing exercises with an emphasis on developing reading skills and critical analysis. Other important aspects of the course include peer review, writing workshops, draft reviews, and individual meetings to discuss writing topics and expectations.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II:Paris Noir | 1005 (012) | Anita Welbon | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
Tanner, Hughes, Baker. Prophet, Bearden, Chase-Rimboud. Wright, Baldwin, Himes. African-American visual, literary, and performing artists have journeyed to Paris for a few months, a year, or a lifetime to find what they could not in the United States, a space to fully explore, develop, and execute their artistic vision. This FYSII course examines the history of African American artists in Paris, exploring the cultural, political, and artistic forces that drew them to the city of light. Through short written responses and longer formal papers, students will continue to develop their writing skills as they consider this rich history.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Grief in Art | 1005 (013) | James Sieck | Wed
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
Nearly three years into the Covid pandemic and we are still in the midst of a prolonged state of grief. As we consider the ways in which we have found - or struggled to find - help with our grief, the questions must be asked: What mechanisms were in place for communal grief? What mechanisms were in place for individual grief? Moreover, in times of tragedy and trauma, who or what can we turn towards to help us with this incredibly complex and human process? In this second semester course, each student will build off the academic writing and critical reading skills of FYS1 and work to construct a formal research essay that examines the role of art in grief. While our individual work will be specific and focused, our combined efforts will represent a broad exploration into the psychology of grief in the context of art. As a class community, we will examine the behavioral science behind grief, the various cultural practices and traditions around grief, and the ways in which both visual and written art are often our best tools for understanding grief. Sources may vary, but expect to read and analyze a diverse collection of authors and artists, including: Jhumpa Lahiri, James Joyce, Pema Chodron, Pauline Boss, Ada Limon, Roger Robinson, Carrie Mae Weems, and Chimamanda Adichie. Students will learn how to formulate a meaningful research question, vett and synthesize a variety of sources, and produce a polished academic research paper. We will utilize writing workshops, peer review, and process-oriented feedback to help us each produce 20-25 pages of formal and revisable writing.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Come to Your Senses | 1005 (014) | Matilda Stubbs | Thurs
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
This writing intensive First Year Seminar introduces students to the anthropological study of the senses and how to communicate sensory experience through ethnographic writing. By close examination of ethnographic texts, films, podcasts, and other multimedia, students will explore how cultures 'make sense' of the everyday and increasingly globalized world. With emphasis on written assignments, we approach the notion of perception as more than a purely physical act, and through structured participation and deliberate observation, students will learn how sensory experiences are deeply related to our own histories and cultural identities. Course activities center around developing analytic skills in the genre of ethnographic writing, and critically engaging with cross-cultural examples of sensual mediations of reality. Topics range from how the senses shape the aesthetics of daily life through color, odor, and flavor, to the significance of communication and information of technologies in the era of virtual reality, slime videos, and the online autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) community.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II:Identity:Ind/Cult/Soc | 1005 (015) | Christine M Malcom | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
Identity is a contested social field where internal notions war with external labels. In this class, we examine identity from a four-field anthropological perspective We explore the social nature of the human species, examine how the performance of language unites individuals and distinguishes groups, and discuss the problematic notion of bounded cultures and their reification in classic and contemporary ethnography and in archaeological writings.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II:Evolution of Tragedy | 1005 (016) | Peter Thomas | Tues
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
This writing course emphasizes close reading of texts, critical thinking, and the analysis of problems and concepts arising in tragic drama through research and the writing of essays. We will use the research and writing process as a means to achieving insights, and students will be asked to employ brainstorming, freewriting, drafting, outlining, re-writing, revising, and editing. Throughout the term, students will also be asked to reflect on their development as they work to establish their own research acumen and writing process that will enable them not only to achieve insights, but also to clearly communicate them in assignments for this course and beyond. What is the difference between bad news and tragedy? How can watching the story of a character come to great misery make an audience feel uplifted? We will consider notions of character, fate, tragic flaw, and nobility as they relate to the tragedy. What defines a tragedy? And who is allowed to be a tragic hero? In this course, we will explore the tragic form, from ancient Greek classics to Shakespearean dramas to more modern variations. We will study works by Sophocles, Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, Sophie Treadwell, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Anne Carson. In addition to short writing assignments, in-class journals, and quizzes, students should expect to write and revise 3 essays totaling 20-25 pages of formal prose.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Queer Pop Culture | 1005 (017) | Terri Griffith | Thurs
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
The influence of the Queer voice in popular culture is undeniable, significantly shaping societal norms. Queer artists influence how gender and sexuality are perceived and represented even by those who do not identify as Queer. Using concepts from Queer Theory, this course will consider a variety of media¿including visual art, film, television, literature, and music. Student essays will investigate the role Queer voices play in contemporary culture. Assignments include critical reading of a variety of texts, essay writing with an emphasis on revision, and a concluding research paper and presentation.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Visions of Apocalypse | 1005 (018) | Jacob A Hinkson | Fri
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
Why are we fascinated with the end of the world? Throughout history, human beings have contemplated the apocalypse¿whether as a fulfillment of religious prophecy, as the result of atomic war, or as a consequence of climate change. This class will examine apocalyptic visions in art, film, literature, and music. In their research and writing, students can expect to explore the aspect of this subject that matters most to them and/or that inspires their curiosity. FYS II will build upon the foundational writing skills students began learning in FYS I, with the introduction of more rigorous argumentation and research. Eventually, writing will be more self-directed in this FYS II class. Students should expect to write 20 to 25 pages of formal, revisable writing (i.e. one conversation essay and one research project, both with multiple drafts) as well as homework exercises and in-class writing. Much in-class writing will be included, as emphasis is on development of the intellectual skills of reading and responding critically, which forms the basis of each student's career at SAIC. Furthermore, peer review, class workshopping of student papers, and individual meetings to discuss each student's writing should be expected.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Irish Rebels: 20th-21st century | 1005 (019) | Eileen Favorite | Tues
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
FYS II is the follow-up course to FYS I, where students develop their writing skills to include research and argumentation. In this class we¿ll look at how the Irish fought to overthrow colonial rule in 1916-1922 and win the Irish War for Independence. We¿ll learn about the Old I.R.A. as well as the Cumann na Ban, the women¿s paramilitary that aided the guerilla fighters. In the second part of the course, we¿ll examine the partition of Ireland into Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. With a deep dive into The Troubles, we¿ll interrogate the weapons of terrorism as well as the nonviolent resistance of hunger strikes. We¿ll examine all sides of the issues by reviewing poetry (Seamus Heaney and Eavan Boland), political commentary and research (Fintan O¿Toole and Patrick Radden Keefe), and contemporary short stories and creative nonfiction (Clare Keegan, Dioreen ni Grioffa). We¿ll also unpack how current politics, especially Brexit and demographic changes, threaten to destabilize Northern Ireland. Through in-class writing exercises, drafting of papers, and mindful writing workshops, students will develop their writing and researching skills, with the creation of 20-25 pages of academic writing.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II:Existentialism | 1005 (020) | Irina Ruvinsky | Thurs
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course focuses on the philosophical and literary movement known as existentialism. We will approach the material through the existentialist conviction that the philosophical enterprise of addressing questions of meaning in human life is inseparable from the everyday living of that life. Questions that follow quickly on this and other existentialist commitments concern the possibility and value of human freedom: are we free? And is that a blessing or a curse? Can we live authentically, or are we necessarily self-deceived? Can we attain any substantial knowledge and understanding of who we are as individuals? If we can, to what extent do we reach this self-understanding through discovery and to what extent do we reach it creatively, by active effort to make ourselves who we are? What problems arise in having to live in a world with other free agents? And how does God, if there is any such thing, enter into answering these questions? The authors whose work on these themes we will consider include Friedrich Nietzsche, Soren Kierkegaard, Albert Camus, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Jean-Paul Sartre. In the last section of the course, we will turn to a couple of these existentialist's American counterparts, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Our themes will not change, but we will find optimism where the traditional existentialists tend toward pessimism. Rather than worrying that life is despair, we find here a commitment to the idea that, in Thoreau's words, when done simply and wisely, 'to maintain one's self on this earth is not a hardship but a pastime.'
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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| FYS II: Curatorial Complexities | 1005 (021) | Diane Worobec-Serratos | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
FYS II builds upon the foundational writing skills developed in FYS I, with the introduction of more rigorous argumentation and research. Students will hone their skills and work toward greater independence in writing tasks while critically examining the act of curation. From personal wardrobes and social media accounts to the sometimes-violent legacy of museum collections, curation is all around us. If curation means to care for items in a collection, what does that care entail? As a form of cultural production, whose needs are being cared for? Whose are being neglected? Which voices are amplified, and which are silenced? In a broader context, can curation be an emancipatory practice in the struggle for social justice? As artists, what is our responsibility in selecting, grouping, and caring for our work? To investigate these questions, in the first part of the course, students will explore a variety of curatorial geographies, looking critically at how commodification, patriarchal racism, and colonial capitalism have informed and disrupted curatorial practices over time. Later, students will apply the reflections and insights from course readings and activities to research a curatorial endeavor of their choosing.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Nuclear Problems & Society | 1005 (022) | Aiko Kojima Hibino | Mon
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
When the first artificial self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was created in 1942 in Chicago, human society was destined to tackle with an unsolvable conundrum. How could our society possibly justify the augmentation of this enormous power that could destroy our own existence? This course investigates discourses around two major uses of nuclear power in society ¿ nuclear weapons and nuclear energy ¿ and examines them through social justice lenses. Key points of inquiry include: what risks are associated with nuclear weapons and energy and how they have been evaluated in contrast to their benefits, how the damages that were caused by nuclear weapons and energy have been addressed and mended, and whether the harms that were made by nuclear weapons and energy equally impact all groups of people. Building on the basic reading and writing skills introduced in FYS I, FYS II will further students¿ academic skills in writing an independent research paper. Therefore, in this course, students are expected to read primary and secondary sources to collect evidence to develop their critical arguments on nuclear problems.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: The Interpretation of Dreams | 1005 (023) | David B. Johnson | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
First-Year Seminars can be thought of as writing studios: their purpose is to help you develop your academic writing skills by practicing writing, revision, and critique. Each FYS course is organized around a topic that orients students¿ writing practice; the topic of this course is the interpretation of dreams. Dreams have fascinated human beings for a long time. Whether understood as a source of inspiration, a cause for amusement, a glimpse into the soul, a pool of diagnostic information, or an everyday process of cognitive housekeeping, dreams have been regarded by some of history¿s most penetrating thinkers as essential to the project of making sense of ourselves and our place in the world. In this course we will investigate the writings of some eminent interpreters of dreams, and through the writing process we will develop our own interpretations in response to their ideas. Our readings will draw upon ancient and medieval philosophy (Aristotle, Zhuangzi, Augustine), early psychoanalysis (Freud, Jung), and contemporary dream science. In addition to short homework assignments, students will complete two major papers¿a Texts-in-Conversation Essay and a Research Paper¿which will go through multiple rounds of review and revision. Throughout the course, we will focus on strategies and techniques for effective writing, including idea-generation, composition, revision, and argument-construction.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Food and Culture | 1005 (024) | Kate Lechler | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
Food is one of life¿s great pleasures and the pursuit of flavor and nutrition has shaped the global map as we know it today. Every culture has food rituals around both its preparation and consumption, while the academic study of food intersects with almost every other topic of study, from economics and biology, to history and art. This course will focus on texts that span a variety of nations, languages, genres, and mediums, all of which explore the collective human experience of food. What do we eat¿and when and why? How did our most beloved foods come to be and how do they reach us today? In response to these questions, we¿ll read texts by famous food-writers such as Michael Pollan and Samir Nosrat, alongside horror and fantasy stories by Cassandra Khaw and Seanan McGuire. We¿ll examine medieval recipes alongside viral TikTok recipes; view Dutch and Flemish still lifes and Warhol paintings; and watch the Hulu show The Bear and Stanley Tucci¿s movie Big Night. In their research and writing students can expect to explore the topic of food that most inspires their curiosity, FYS II builds upon the foundational writing skills students began learning in FYS I, with the introduction of more rigorous argumentation and research. Eventually, writing and revision will be more self-directed in this FYS II class, which provides guided experience in writing college-level essays of various kinds. Students should expect to write 20-25 pages of formal, revisable writing as well as homework exercises and in-class writing. This writing will take the form of two essays and a final project, an in-depth revision based on instructor and peer workshop feedback.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II:The Critical and the Fine | 1005 (026) | Herman Stark | Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
This intense writing course fosters college-level writing skills at a level suitable for upper level Liberal Arts courses. Various types of essays will be executed (e.g., analysis, comparison and contrast) over a number of drafts. As for content, the course targets two aesthetic and philosophical phenomena: the critical and the fine. These phenomena can appear apart (e.g., critical thinking apart from the fine can lead to cynicism and even misology), but they can, in synthesis, produce both philosophy and art of the highest order. M. Gelven's text, The Quest for the Fine, and J. Lynch's The English Language, provide examples from philosophy, art, and language that illustrate paradigmatic syntheses of the critical and the fine. We'll consider, for example, the following distinction: The active voice lends crispness to your writing...but the passive voice works well when the action is more relevant than the person or thing doing the action. By reviewing such instances of grammatical and syntactical precision, across different topics, we will develop our internal sense of the fine. As for the critical, consider the following line by Emily Dickinson: 'Because I could not stop for death...he kindly stopped for me....' It takes the critical touch of a master poet to insert kindly; why, after all, kindly? Do not humans tend to flee death? Is not death a topic to be avoided? Do not many of us rather wish, sometimes idly and sometimes fervently, that we could live forever, or at least longer than we do? Or, has the poet revealed an ambiguity in how one might really feel, and think, about one's mortality? In this seminar, we will learn to make and appreciate such examples in writing, and indeed in writing that displays a heightened criticality and a heightened sense of the fine. Fine and critical writing is expected each week in weekly seminar reports, and over the entire semester in four essays, resulting in 20-25 pages of formal, revised writing.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: (Still) Life-Writing | 1005 (027) | Aaron Greenberg | Fri
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
What is the meaning of life? How does life translate to the page and canvas? In this course, we will practice the art of writing by representing its relations to life. FYS II develops college-level writing skills, preparing students for upper-level Liberal Arts courses. We¿ll focus on still lifes¿among the most enduring, versatile, and overlooked art forms¿which illuminate new perspectives on the lives of artists and the lives of objects we represent. Authors including Lisa Knopp and Norman Bryson will provide critical context for the course, while artists including Alice Neel, Georges Braque, Fernand Léger, Juan Sánchez Cotán, Jonas Wood, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso will set the table with examples of the genre. However, students will develop writing projects around still life artists of their choice. We will experiment with ekphrasis, the detailed written description of visual art. We¿ll write about art that portrays the interplay of life, death, and (in)animacy, as we consider the history of ideas represented through still lifes including: the limits and possibilities of genre, vanitas, memento mori, and subject/object relations. Students will create 20-25 pages of formal, revisable, and (if they choose) publishable writing across three short essays and two in-depth revisions. Students will also learn to write a research paper, using scholarly constraints to enhance creativity.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: How to Read a Poem | 1005 (029) | Zachary Tavlin | Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
FYS II builds upon the foundational writing skills students began learning in FYS I, with the introduction of more rigorous argumentation and research. This first-year seminar focuses our attention on poetry. While it's common for students to find poems baffling or even alienating, we will practice the kinds of reading skills and receptive states of mind that open poetry up to understanding and enjoyment. By reading, discussing, and writing about a small number of short poems every week-drawn from a variety of poets, periods, and places-we will see how reading poetry well does not require elite or occult knowledge but patience, interest, attention, and curiosity. Students will practice reading slowly and closely and writing about poetry in a way that reproduces that slowness and closeness in their own prose. Students should expect to write 20 to 25 pages of formal, revisable writing-including a research essay-in addition to homework exercises and in-class writing.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: What is X? | 1005 (030) | Kerry Balden | Thurs
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
In this course, we learn to inquire according to the most basic question available to us: to ask what something is. For this purpose, we'll read a handful of Platonic Dialogues, which are as comprehensive as they are artistic. Each dialogue asks a question about something fundamental to human life: What is love? What is art? What is friendship? What is power? What is god? What is courage? What is justice? Throughout the course, we'll write a couple of shorter assignments in preparation for a final paper. Building on FYS I, we now further learn how to write for specific readers. Far from merely demonstrating that you the author understand something, your writing will have to explain something to someone who doesn't understand, someone who may be resistant to understanding. In order to do so, we rely on regular, structured sessions of peer feedback, which involve specific, suggested revisions, rather than mere indications of like and dislike. And though we'll learn select principles of writing, such as those of argument, or of introductions, or of conclusions, the course utterly depends on your involvement: If we cannot be readers for one another, in all our idiosyncrasies and specific feedback, then we can't learn how to write for this or that discourse community. Students can expect to write at least two pages per week, culminating in a final research paper or project. Over the semester, students produce 20-25 pages of formal, revisable writing.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Philosophy and/of Love | 1005 (031) | Guy Elgat | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This class explores some of the basic questions and issues in the philosophy of love, from ancient Greece to the contemporary world. What is the nature of love? WHat is Platonic love? What does love demand of us? How is romantic love sensitive to the social context in which we find ourselves in contemporary, capitalist, society? Texts include Plato's Symposium, Badiou's In Praise of Love, and Illouz's Consuming the Romantic Utopia (excerpts). FYS II will build upon the foundational writing skills students began learning in FYS I, with the introduction of more rigorous argumentation and research. Eventually, writing will be more self-directed in this FYS II class. Students should expect to write 20 to 25 pages of formal, revisable writing (i.e. one conversation essay and one research project, both with multiple drafts) as well as homework exercises and in-class writing. Much in-class writing will be included, as emphasis is on development of the intellectual skills of reading and responding critically, which forms the basis of each student's career at SAIC. Furthermore, peer review, class workshopping of student papers, and individual meetings to discuss each student's writing should be expected.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Human Subjects | 1005 (06S) | Jennie Berner | Mon
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
When scientists conduct research involving human subjects, they are required to seek permission from Institutional Review Boards to ensure that their research is safe and ethical. Artists, however, have no such obligation. When working with human subjects ¿ whether they be muses, models, collaborators, participants, or viewers ¿ artists often must decide for themselves what is right or wrong. For example, should street photographers get consent from the people they photograph? Is it okay for performance artists to make their audiences physically or psychologically uncomfortable? Should some art come with a trigger warning? Is it appropriate for a painter or fashion designer to ask a model to endure pain or danger for the sake of art? What do artists owe their subjects (financially, emotionally, morally, etc.)? In this research and writing-intensive course, we¿ll explore these types of questions through artworks, installations, and performance pieces by artists including Sophie Calle, Clifford Owens, Paul McCarthy, Arne Svenson, Vanessa Beecroft, Santiago Sierra, Marina Abramovic, Song Ta, and others. Writing assignments ¿ totaling 20-25 pages over the course of the semester ¿ will emphasize summary, analysis, argument, research, revision, and other academic writing skills.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Writing and Walking | 1005 (25S) | Suzanne Scanlon | Mon
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course invites students to explore the relationship between walking and writing-two practices that open space for reflection, discovery, and transformation. Writers and artists have long turned to walking as a way of seeing differently, of mapping inner and outer landscapes, of lingering, wandering, or breaking free. In this first-year writing seminar, we will read and write with walking in mind, considering how movement through city streets, rural paths, and unfamiliar places shapes identity, knowledge, escape, and transcendence. Our texts will treat walking as both subject and structure. Authors and artists may include Virginia Woolf, Frank O¿Hara, Agnès Varda, Rebecca Solnit, Harryette Mullen, Garnette Cadogan, Sheila Heti, T Clutch Fleischmann, and Carmen Maria Machado. Together, we will ask how movement shapes thought, memory, perception, and creativity, and what it means for writing to carry the rhythm of a walk. Students will develop their own writing practices in dialogue with these works, producing essays that experiment with form as well as argument. Over the semester, they will complete 20¿25 pages of formal, revisable writing, culminating in a final research project that considers walking as a method for making meaning.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| FYS II: Honoring the 'I' in Exploration | 1005 (28S) | James Sieck | Mon
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
Being a young adult is a continual act of becoming; an ongoing act of discovery. An essential part of this process is attempting to figure out your relationship with the world around you. Amidst a sea of internalized forces, you are fighting to develop your own voice; you are exploring your relationship with the people, places, and ideas you encounter everyday; and, you are searching for an understanding of yourself. What an amazing and complicated and difficult and impossible and beautiful time of life! So, it is necessary that you have the time, space, and tools to help develop this relationship with yourself and the world around you. In this second semester course, we will read and analyze some of the best creative nonfiction and long-form journalism writers in the world today. We will use these authors as models for our own exploratory writing about our own lives and interests. What are you curious about? What are you passionate about? What are you learning about yourself and your relationship with the world around you? In order to examine these essential questions, we will use both the Dear Universe¿ letter writing project and a series of inquiry-based essays to help explore our interests and practice the essential writerly moves that the best writers utilize. Sources may vary, but expect to read and analyze a diverse collection of authors, including: Jhumpa Lahiri, Jia Tolentino, David Foster Wallace, Amy Tan, Wesley Morris, Daniel Suarez, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Megan Garber, Chimamanda Adichie, John Green, Karen Russel, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Tanner Laguatan.. Students will learn how to formulate meaningful research questions, vet and synthesize a variety of sources, and produce a polished academic research paper. We will utilize writing workshops, peer review, and process-oriented feedback to help us each produce 20-25 pages of formal and revisable writing.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: ENGLISH 1001. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Foundations Writing Workshop | 1011 (001) | Fri
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
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Description
The Foundations Writing Workshop is a process-based writing course that serves as students' initiation to the foundations of academic writing in a school of art and design. Students engage in the writing process, learn strategies for exploring topics, and develop their knowledge of the concepts and terminology of art and design through the practice of various kinds of written compositions. Analysis of essays and active participation in writing-critiques are integral components of the Workshop.
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DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: English Language Fluency | 1021 (001) | Jacqueline M Rasmussen | Mon
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This is the first of two English language fluency courses for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students improve their academic English skills by reading and responding to art appreciation and art history texts. Texts are analyzed for formal as well as contextual information. Students learn how to integrate their own observations and knowledge with information gained from reading and lecture. Students also build competence and confidence in college-level writing. Topics include formal analyses and/or critical responses to works of art. Presentations and class discussions also give students practice communicating their knowledge through speaking.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: English Language Fluency | 1021 (002) | Maryjane Lao Villamor | Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This is the first of two English language fluency courses for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students improve their academic English skills by reading and responding to art appreciation and art history texts. Texts are analyzed for formal as well as contextual information. Students learn how to integrate their own observations and knowledge with information gained from reading and lecture. Students also build competence and confidence in college-level writing. Topics include formal analyses and/or critical responses to works of art. Presentations and class discussions also give students practice communicating their knowledge through speaking.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Critique | 1031 (001) | C. C. Ann Chen | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This critique course is offered for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students build competence in giving critiques, participating in class discussions, and giving presentations. Students make artwork to present to the class. They learn and practice the vocabulary of visual and design elements and use these to analyze and critique their own and their classmates' works. Students practice a variety of critique formats by using formal, social-cultural, and expressive theories of art criticism. They discuss and critique works both verbally and in writing.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Critique | 1031 (002) | Nat Holtzmann | Mon
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This critique course is offered for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students build competence in giving critiques, participating in class discussions, and giving presentations. Students make artwork to present to the class. They learn and practice the vocabulary of visual and design elements and use these to analyze and critique their own and their classmates' works. Students practice a variety of critique formats by using formal, social-cultural, and expressive theories of art criticism. They discuss and critique works both verbally and in writing.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (001) | C. C. Ann Chen | Wed
12:15 PM - 1:45 PM In Person |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (002) | Aram Han Sifuentes | Fri
12:15 PM - 1:45 PM All Online |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (003) | Fri
12:15 PM - 1:45 PM In Person |
|
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (004) | Alicia Castañeda-Lopez | Wed
6:45 PM - 8:15 PM All Online |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (005) | Ned Marto | Thurs
4:45 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (006) | Ned Marto | Tues
4:45 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (007) | Jacqueline M Rasmussen | Thurs
12:15 PM - 1:45 PM In Person |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (008) | Jacqueline M Rasmussen | Thurs
9:45 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (009) | Sonia Da Silva | Tues
12:15 PM - 1:45 PM In Person |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (010) | Sonia Da Silva | Tues
9:45 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (012) | David P Norris | Mon
6:45 PM - 8:15 PM All Online |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (013) | Alicia Castañeda-Lopez | Tues
6:45 PM - 8:15 PM All Online |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (014) | Alicia Castañeda-Lopez | Mon
6:45 PM - 8:15 PM All Online |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (015) | Suman Chhabra | Wed
12:15 PM - 1:45 PM All Online |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (016) | Suman Chhabra | Wed
9:45 AM - 11:15 AM All Online |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (017) | David P Norris | Thurs
6:45 PM - 8:15 PM All Online |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (018) | Alicia Castañeda-Lopez | Fri
9:45 AM - 11:15 AM All Online |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| English for International Students: Tutorial | 1035 (019) | Aram Han Sifuentes | Mon
12:15 PM - 1:45 PM In Person |
Description
This class offers small group tutoring for students who do not speak English as their first language. Students meet with an EIS instructor in groups of three for 1 1/2 hours each week. Students receive assistance with their class assignments for Art History, Liberal Arts and Studio classes. Activities may include discussing class concepts, checking comprehension, exploring ideas for papers or projects, revising papers, or practicing pronunciation and presentations.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Arabic I | 2003 (001) | Wael Fawzy | Tues
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
Arabic I ???? is a fully integrated introductory course for students with no background in the language. The course is designed for beginning students whose learning objectives and needs are in any of the following categories: continued language study, business purposes, or travel. Students will learn to speak and understand Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and read and write Arabic script. Students will develop speaking and listening skills through audiovisual media, interactive fun activities, and paired dialogue practices. There will be a strong emphasis on oral proficiency needed to provide the necessary framework to communicate clearly and effectively. These objectives will be achieved through the following approaches: speaking, listening, reading, writing, and cultural studies.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| French I | 2005 (001) | Elizabeth Chalier-Visuvalingam | Tues
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
An introductory course in reading, writing and conversational French.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Chinese I | 2008 (001) | Marie Meiying Jiang | Tues
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM All Online |
Description
Chinese I is designed for beginners who take Chinese as a foreign language. Students who speak Chinese as their native language are not allowed to attend this course. Students who have taken Chinese study in the past are required to take the evaluation test and gain approval of the instructor to enroll.
Students will study the Chinese Mandarin sound system PIN YIN, the basic strokes from the Chinese Calligraphy, Chinese numbers, common Chinese Radicals and Lessons 1-5 of <> (Level 1 Part 1). Students can speak and write systematically more than 150 essential vocabulary words, master the key grammatical structures, build the real-life communicative skills. They will also write and tell a story about themselves and their interests on Chinese paper utilizing 150 characters. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| German I | 2009 (001) | Kimberly Kenny | Thurs
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
An introductory course in reading, writing, and conversational German.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Spanish II | 2010 (001) | Sabra Duarte | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
This is a continuing course in reading, writing, and speaking Spanish. Prerequisite: LANGUAGE 2001 Spanish I.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: LANGUAGE 2001. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| French II | 2050 (001) | Elizabeth Chalier-Visuvalingam | Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
This course is part two of a two-semester sequence. Its goal is to provide students without any knowledge of the French language a solid foundation in the basic patterns of written and spoken French and an understanding of the particular sociocultural norms necessary for everyday communication in France. These are achieved in several ways: (1) a careful study of French grammar, with a communicative approach, (2) a study of the basics of French phonetics, and (3) a variety of materials such as readings, movies, commercials, etc.
French II is the sequel of French I. Prerequisite: French I or agreement of instructor. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: LANGUAGE 2005. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Chinese II | 2080 (001) | Marie Meiying Jiang | Thurs
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM All Online |
Description
Chinese II is designed for students who take Chinese as a foreign language and have passed the Chinese I course. For the students who have not taken the Chinese I course at SAIC, an evaluation test is required and students must gain the instructor's approval in writing to enroll in this course. Students who speak Chinese as their native language are not allowed to attend this course.
Students will continue to learn the Lessons 6-10 of <> (Level 1 Part 1) to expand vocabulary words and key grammatical structures. The course will aim to expose students to more Chinese culture, help them with Chinese oral presentations and writing about school life, study, shopping, and transportation. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: LANGUAGE 2008. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Survey of Literature II: Unsettling American Lit | 3002 (001) | Jane Robbins Mize | Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
This course will introduce students to modern and contemporary literature by thinking through and against the canon. We will read across genres and traditions while discussing how culture, identity, and power relations impact the production and reception of literature in twentieth- and twenty-first-century America. Through readings such as Nella Larsen¿s Passing (1929) and N. Scott Momaday¿s House Made of Dawn (1968), we will analyze texts that unsettle hegemonic aesthetics and amplify marginalized voices. As such, students can expect to develop as critical thinkers, close readers, writers, and researchers.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Top: Gender: Theory & Action | 3007 (002) | Whitney D. Johnson | Tues
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
Gender theory is mobilized in feminist activism toward a variety of goals. This course will offer a survey of social theories of gender and will proceed to identify them as the foundations and justifications of social movements in each wave of feminism. Theories include de Beauvoir, Crenshaw, Rubin, Schilt, and Butler. Social movements will include suffragettes, NOW, the Combahee River Collective, riot grrrl, Sisters in Islam, and transgender social movements.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Topics in Gender and Sexuality | 3007 (003) | Ivan Bujan | Mon
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
Topics courses in gender and sexuality studies are used to provide a broad interdisciplinary introduction to and more thematically-specific knowledge of historical and contemporary topics in gender and sexuality studies.
While course texts will vary depending on the instructor and topic, texts may include books, articles, book chapters, films, audio recordings and other materials used to provide insight into gender and sexuality studies. Assignments will vary depending on the instructor and topic, assignments may include quizzes, exams, standard academic papers, research papers, group projects, and other activities enhancing knowledge and understanding of gender and sexuality studies. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| The Mathematical Secrets of Music | 3015 (001) | Eugenia Cheng | Mon
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
We will study aspects of abstract mathematics as exemplified by Western Classical Music. We will look at classical music notation, notes and tonality, as well as the sounds that instruments and voices make, and at a broader scale the overall structure of pieces of music. Mathematics will be used to analyse, explain and clarify all these aspects of music. There will be a broad range of math topics from all the major branches of pure mathematics including algebra and group theory, number theory, calculus, fourier analysis and topology. These will be built up from the basics and unlike in a standard math class, the examples will all be aspects of music. The music will be western classical music including works by Bach, Schubert, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Wagner, Janacek, Shostakovich, Britten, Messiaen. Assignments will take the form of math problems, open book quizzes, application of math to analyse existing music, application of math to generate and transform original music, and reflective writing assignments. No memorisation will ever be required.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| The Mathematical Secrets of Music | 3015 (002) | Eugenia Cheng | Mon
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
We will study aspects of abstract mathematics as exemplified by Western Classical Music. We will look at classical music notation, notes and tonality, as well as the sounds that instruments and voices make, and at a broader scale the overall structure of pieces of music. Mathematics will be used to analyse, explain and clarify all these aspects of music. There will be a broad range of math topics from all the major branches of pure mathematics including algebra and group theory, number theory, calculus, fourier analysis and topology. These will be built up from the basics and unlike in a standard math class, the examples will all be aspects of music. The music will be western classical music including works by Bach, Schubert, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Wagner, Janacek, Shostakovich, Britten, Messiaen. Assignments will take the form of math problems, open book quizzes, application of math to analyse existing music, application of math to generate and transform original music, and reflective writing assignments. No memorisation will ever be required.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Cell Biology | 3086 (001) | Anna Edlund | Mon
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
This course in an introduction to the structures and functions of eukaryotic cells. Cells are the un-splittable, elemental ¿atoms¿ of life, and all of them share DNA, RNA, proteins and membranes in common. In this class, lecture and laboratory exercises will be mixed to explore molecular compositions, energy transformations, cell division, and replication and expression of genetic material within cells.
Readings will be from the text Campbell Biology: Concepts and Connections, 9th ed. Reece, Taylor et al. (students will not need to buy this textbook). To explore the interplay between personal, societal, historical and scientific perspectives on Cell Biology, several movies will also be viewed and discussed, including 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' and 'Three Identical Strangers.' Students will submit journal entries, laboratory notes, as well as answers to frequent review questions. There will be two mid-terms. Students will select a subject of personal meaning related to Cell Biology and will design a public-facing artwork, photomicrograph, infographic, zine, or public service announcent that shares the structures, functions and/or stories of their subject. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Cell Biology | 3086 (002) | Anna Edlund | Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
This course in an introduction to the structures and functions of eukaryotic cells. Cells are the un-splittable, elemental ¿atoms¿ of life, and all of them share DNA, RNA, proteins and membranes in common. In this class, lecture and laboratory exercises will be mixed to explore molecular compositions, energy transformations, cell division, and replication and expression of genetic material within cells.
Readings will be from the text Campbell Biology: Concepts and Connections, 9th ed. Reece, Taylor et al. (students will not need to buy this textbook). To explore the interplay between personal, societal, historical and scientific perspectives on Cell Biology, several movies will also be viewed and discussed, including 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' and 'Three Identical Strangers.' Students will submit journal entries, laboratory notes, as well as answers to frequent review questions. There will be two mid-terms. Students will select a subject of personal meaning related to Cell Biology and will design a public-facing artwork, photomicrograph, infographic, zine, or public service announcent that shares the structures, functions and/or stories of their subject. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Ghost in the Chamber: Surrealism and Photography | 3098 (001) | Kate O'Neill, Jeremy Biles | Fri
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This interdisciplinary studio symposium course introduces students to key principles and practices of surrealism with particular focus on theories of photography and strategies of photographic image-making. Treating surrealism not only as an art-historical moment but a living body of attitudes, theories, and possibilities for thinking, art-making, and action, students will develop their own ideas and a body of work in formulating a surrealist praxis. Students will read texts by and about surrealists/surrealism, querying into the poetics, politics, and possibilities of photographic surrealism. The class will treat ideas including: erotic desire, pleasure, gender, chance, dreams/unconscious, walking, play/games, politics, race, anticolonial thought, freedom.
Students will study work by surrealist thinkers including Andre Breton, Louis Aragon, Aime Cesaire, Georges Bataille, Maya Deren, and Claude Cahun; modern surrealist potes including Juliana Huxtable and Billy-Ray Belcourt; and contemporary theorists such as Rosalind Kruass, Susan Laxton, Angela Carter, and Tina Campt. Artists of special focus will include: Hans Bellmer, Claude Cahun, Lee Miller, Dora Maar, Man Ray, Jacques-Andre Boiffard, Pierre Molinier, Maya Deren, John Akomfrah, and Aruther Jafa. Students will also engage contemporary Afrosurrealism based in photography and film, e.g. Beyonce's ?Lemonade,' Donald Glover's ?Atlanta,' Boots Riley's 'Sorry to Bother You,' and Jordan Peele's ?Get Out.? Students write two short analytic essays and a cumlinating research essay synthesizing ideas from across the semester. Students will also engage in generative photographic exercises designed to break habitual attitudes toward seeing and staging, as they build a focused body of personal work. Research, writing, and studio practice unfold in conjunction with one another, providing students with a working model for synthesizing art history and theory, political engagement, and making. PrerequisitesStudio Symposia - Students must enroll in both PHOTO 3098 and HUMANITY 3098 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Ghost in the Chamber: Surrealism and Photography | 3098 (001) | Kate O'Neill, Jeremy Biles | Fri
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This interdisciplinary studio symposium course introduces students to key principles and practices of surrealism with particular focus on theories of photography and strategies of photographic image-making. Treating surrealism not only as an art-historical moment but a living body of attitudes, theories, and possibilities for thinking, art-making, and action, students will develop their own ideas and a body of work in formulating a surrealist praxis. Students will read texts by and about surrealists/surrealism, querying into the poetics, politics, and possibilities of photographic surrealism. The class will treat ideas including: erotic desire, pleasure, gender, chance, dreams/unconscious, walking, play/games, politics, race, anticolonial thought, freedom.
Students will study work by surrealist thinkers including Andre Breton, Louis Aragon, Aime Cesaire, Georges Bataille, Maya Deren, and Claude Cahun; modern surrealist potes including Juliana Huxtable and Billy-Ray Belcourt; and contemporary theorists such as Rosalind Kruass, Susan Laxton, Angela Carter, and Tina Campt. Artists of special focus will include: Hans Bellmer, Claude Cahun, Lee Miller, Dora Maar, Man Ray, Jacques-Andre Boiffard, Pierre Molinier, Maya Deren, John Akomfrah, and Aruther Jafa. Students will also engage contemporary Afrosurrealism based in photography and film, e.g. Beyonce's ?Lemonade,' Donald Glover's ?Atlanta,' Boots Riley's 'Sorry to Bother You,' and Jordan Peele's ?Get Out.? Students write two short analytic essays and a cumlinating research essay synthesizing ideas from across the semester. Students will also engage in generative photographic exercises designed to break habitual attitudes toward seeing and staging, as they build a focused body of personal work. Research, writing, and studio practice unfold in conjunction with one another, providing students with a working model for synthesizing art history and theory, political engagement, and making. PrerequisitesStudio Symposia - Students must enroll in both PHOTO 3098 and HUMANITY 3098 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Cont Narr:Love Art/Hate Artist | 3105 (001) | Eileen Favorite | Thurs
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
How do the biographical details of an artist's life influence our attitude toward their work? Should an artist's politics?both personal and public?influence our aesthetic response to the artwork itself? Or does a work of art become its own entity, detached from its creator? Perhaps, as the deconstructionists advocate, a text or image only bears an accidental relationship to the author's conscious intentions, and thus the creator is superfluous to the work itself. In this class, we study the lives and works of such artists as Chester Himes, J.D. Salinger, Patricia Highsmith, and Sylvia Plath, to examine why we tolerate some behaviors and abhor others. By reviewing biographies, journals, films, and the primary text or artwork itself, we wrestle with the question, is it possible to love the art when you hate/disapprove of/dislike the life the artist led? Students will write shared discussion pieces, a 8-10-page research paper on an artist of their choice, and participate in team debates.
CONTENT WARNING: The content and discussion in this course will necessarily sometimes engage with issues of human suffering. Much of it will be emotionally and intellectually challenging to engage with, including graphic or intense content that discusses or represents racism, mental illness, and sexual or physical violence. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Cont Narr: Asian American Lit | 3105 (002) | Suman Chhabra | Thurs
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
There are fantastic books by Asian American writers but often they are not taught in school, or part of pop culture, or included in the literary canon. Who decides which writers and books are worthy of reading? In this discussion based course, we will critically read, think, and write about texts by contemporary Asian American authors. We will analyze multiple factors that have influenced the creation of the texts and that are explored within them, such as race, diaspora, memory, family, politics, community, and identifying oneself and one¿s artwork. The readings will be across genre: novels, poetry, non-fiction, and graphic novels. Readings often include works by Victoria Chang, Mira Jacob, Alexander Chee, Jenny Xie, Ocean Vuong, Ted Chiang, and Cathy Park Hong among others. We will freewrite, formulate conceptual questions for the readings, write responses, and compose 2 essays based on individual inquiry and analysis.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Cont Narr: Speaking in Fragments: Literature, Empi | 3105 (003) | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
|
Description
This course explores the enduring legacies of colonialism and imperialism and how writers from formerly colonized and diasporic communities use narrative to contest silence, reimagine identity, and reclaim cultural authority. Through fiction, theory, and cross-disciplinary response, we will engage postcolonial and global anglophone texts that fragment linear time, rework canonical forms, and experiment with voice. Blending close reading with artistic inquiry and critical reflection, texts may include works by J.M. Coetzee, Chang-Rae Lee, Cathy Park Hong, Ocean Vuong, and Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, alongside foundational theorists such as Frantz Fanon, Gayatri Spivak, and Edward Said.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Masterworks:I Ching: The Classics of Change | 3110 (001) | Christian M Sheppard | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
A detailed, intensive study of a small number of recognized masterworks that have demonstrated their power outside of their own national and historical context. Recent examples: Dante's Divine Comedy, Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| The Case for the Modern Novel | 3112 (001) | Todd S. Hasak-Lowy | Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
In our increasingly visual culture, why bother with the novel at all? How can the novel possibly make sense of our fragmented reality, the incredible complexities of our recent history, and the increasingly dynamic nature of identity itself? This course offers students a chance to read a handful of recent ?major? novels by writers like Zadie Smith, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Philip Roth that demonstrate the genre?s impressive range and ability to represent the modern world in all its dizzying richness.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Science Fiction & Fantasy | 3116 (001) | Pamela Barrie | Tues
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
More than one science fiction reader has wondered what unicorns have to do with electric sheep, and why they are penned together in the same section of most bookstores. That chimerical label, Science Fiction/Fantasy, tends to break down along the lines of futuristic speculation versus nostalgic escapism, with such writers as Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, and William Gibson on the one side, and E. R. Eddison, Mervyn Peake, and J. R. R. Tolkien on the other. Yet even the darkest dystopia projected by science fiction often has mythic elements, and fantasy's supposed escapism has potent critiques of modernity. A few writers, like Ray Bradbury, Ursula LeGuin, and Russell Hoban, have written unclassifiable works, in which myth, technology, religion, and psychology play shifting roles. This course examines the origins, development, and achievements of each genre, and more importantly, the themes and aims that s/f and fantasy may share: the creation of alternate worlds and realities; the exploration of the limits of the human; and the search for meaning in an era of vanished certainties.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Mod: Arthur Rimbaud | 3132 (001) | Patrick Durgin | Fri
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
Poet of 'logical revolts,' of sexual freedom, inveterate modernist, Symbolist, and inspiration to beatniks, conceptual artists and punks, Arthur Rimbaud wrote some of the most enduring poems of world literature. His career lasted all of five years, between 1870-1875. This course immerses you in his poetry in verse and in prose, exposes you to some of the criticism surrounding his work, and examines how the figure of Rimbaud has been appropriated by late twentieth century visual and musical artists, particularly Patti Smith and David Wojnarowicz. Texts will include A Season in Hell, 'Letters from a Seer,' 'Drunken Boat,' and Kristin Ross's classic literary-critical study The Emergence of Social Space. Students will read daily, respond with short written responses and a final essay, as well as contribute to daily, vigorous, analytical class discussions.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Mysticism in/around/under Mathematics | 3152 (001) | Luna Jaskowiak | Wed
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
Issac Newton is credited with creating mathematical models of the laws of classical physics as well as being an inventor of infinitesimal calculus, but is less well-know as an alchemist despite almost a tenth of his writing being dedicated to the subject. Far from being an isolated example, this is a surprisingly normal occurrence when considered against what we know of the history of mathematics. In this course we will examine the shared history and similar ontological and epistemological structure of mystical and mathematical practice Babylon in the early second millennium until now.
Some relevant topics that this class will investigate include: epistemology, ontology, access to knowledge, collective acceptance of new knowledge, what constitutes forbidden or obscene knowledge, the irrationality of the square root of 2, Cantor's project, occult mathematical practice in the second world war, basic algebraic geometry, the psychology of new religious movements and secret societies, recent history of mathematics and natural science, mathematical logic, what ¿is¿ truth, systems of inference, symbolic representation, combinatorics, chaos magic, aesthetics of mathematics, meditation and more. Course work may vary, but will primarily consist of weekly reading and short quizzes in addition to less frequent writing assignments. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Mysticism in/around/under Mathematics | 3152 (002) | Luna Jaskowiak | Thurs
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
Issac Newton is credited with creating mathematical models of the laws of classical physics as well as being an inventor of infinitesimal calculus, but is less well-know as an alchemist despite almost a tenth of his writing being dedicated to the subject. Far from being an isolated example, this is a surprisingly normal occurrence when considered against what we know of the history of mathematics. In this course we will examine the shared history and similar ontological and epistemological structure of mystical and mathematical practice Babylon in the early second millennium until now.
Some relevant topics that this class will investigate include: epistemology, ontology, access to knowledge, collective acceptance of new knowledge, what constitutes forbidden or obscene knowledge, the irrationality of the square root of 2, Cantor's project, occult mathematical practice in the second world war, basic algebraic geometry, the psychology of new religious movements and secret societies, recent history of mathematics and natural science, mathematical logic, what ¿is¿ truth, systems of inference, symbolic representation, combinatorics, chaos magic, aesthetics of mathematics, meditation and more. Course work may vary, but will primarily consist of weekly reading and short quizzes in addition to less frequent writing assignments. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Top: Three Apocalypses | 3159 (001) | Peter O'Leary | Fri
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
Seven thunders! Seven seals! Blaring trumpets and clashing cymbals. A seven-headed hydra. A lamb on a throne of blood. Stars falling to earth. The beginning and the end. And an angel saying, ¿What thou seest write in a book.¿ The metaphors and the agitation of the Book of Revelation are intense. They draw from the deepest sources of the imagination: Awe at life, magical beasts and powerful forms, proclamations of power, and fears about life¿s end. Written 1900 years ago, the Book of Revelation continues to feed the imagination. In this course, first we will read Revelation closely, looking at it in the context of the genre and meaning of apocalypse in the tradition of the Abrahamic religions. Second, we will read Annihilation, by Jeff VanderMeer, an uncanny novel about an ecological catastrophe that may be an alien invasion. Alongside, we will read Pope Francis¿s encyclical Laudato Si¿, his discussion of the moral and religious flaws that have caused climate change. Third, we will consider ¿The Leftovers,¿ a television series that concerns the aftermath of a global, apocalyptic event that happens in the near future in which 2% of the world suddenly vanishes in a Rapture-like event. And throughout this course, we will consider the question: What will a modern apocalypse look like?
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Eur Lit:Race and Gender in British Literature | 3160 (001) | Eileen Favorite | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
In this course, we'll look at classic bildungsroman through the lens of class, gender, and race. Beginning with Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Bronte, we'll examine how nascent ideas about feminism are expressed in the highly patriarchal, aristocratic England of the 1830s. Next, we'll read The Wide Sargasso Sea (1966) by Jean Rhys, a 'prequel' to Jane Eyre, which depicts the impact of Emancipation on Jamaica's formerly enslaved population and their former enslavers, with an emphasis on mental health, cultural oppression, and power. Finally, we'll read Annie John (1985) by Jamaica Kincaid, which depicts a young girl coming of age in colonial Antigua as well as the clash of British education and values with Caribbean island beliefs. All three books engage with issues of mental well-being, women's rights, and hierarchies that dispossess girls and women of their power, whether through medicine, religion, or educational institutions. Some of these heroines triumph, others fail, but all the works illuminate how cultural climate and history impact the everyday lives of young women coming of age.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| LH: Global Modernism | 3190 (001) | Zachary Tavlin | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
Mastering a body of literature in the context of its specific historical, sociological, and ideological period is emphasized. The period and works vary.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| LH:Nonviolence: Theory and Practice | 3190 (002) | Todd S. Hasak-Lowy | Tues
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course offers an introduction to the theory and practice of nonviolence. Students will study nonviolence as a philosophy of social and political change, in large part by reading the writings of important nonviolent theorists and activists, including Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Vaclav Havel. We will also explore the history of specific nonviolent movements, in which this theory has been applied and tested, with special focus on the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. In their own project, students will investigate the potential and limits of nonviolent change by researching other nonviolent movements in order to answer questions that arise during our study of this rich, complex topic.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| LH: Literature of Estrangement | 3190 (003) | Irina Ruvinsky | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This course explores the theme of estrangement in literature, examining how characters, narrators, and societies experience alienation, dislocation, and otherness. We will analyze texts that depict estrangement through social, racial and philosophical lenses, considering how literary form and narrative structure contribute to feelings of displacement. Through close reading, discussion, and critical writing, students will engage with questions such as: How do literary techniques heighten feelings of estrangement? In what ways does estrangement function as a political or existential condition? And how does literature both reflect and resist social alienation? Readings will include theoretical works such as Mikhail Bakhtin¿s The Dialogic Imagination, which introduces concepts of heteroglossia and the carnival as spaces of subversion, and Ralph Ellison¿s Invisible Man, a novel that powerfully illustrates racial and existential alienation in 20th-century America. Additional readings may include works by Franz Kafka, Samuel Beckett, and Toni Morrison, among others.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| LH:Marxism, Art, and Culture | 3190 (004) | Zachary Tavlin | Fri
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Marxism isn't just about the 'real world' critique of capitalism and the potential rise of communism. Many thinkers and critics who have written in the wake of Karl Marx have tried to articulate what it means (and why it's important) to read like a Marxist, to understand literature, art, and all the rest of human culture as a historical expression of the human condition under capital. This course serves as an introduction to Marxism and Marxist aesthetics, literary criticism, and cultural critique. We will begin by reading Marx and Engels, and then spend most of the semester considering core concepts as they develop over the subsequent century and a half of Marxist art, literary, and cultural criticism. We will ask questions like: what is the relationship between narrative representation, socio-political life, and its underlying economic forces? Do artworks produce autonomous worlds and meanings or are they entirely shaped by capitalism and class society? How do artifacts like novels, poems, theatrical texts, films, or visual artworks theorize history and society? What do the rise of specific forms, genres, and popular cultural practices tell us about social history? To what extent is it useful to read like/as a Marxist (and are there limitations in doing so)?
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| LH: Interpreting Kitsch, Camp, and `Bling¿ Aesthet | 3190 (005) | Romi N Crawford | Thurs
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course explores notions of kitsch, camp, and `bling¿ and considers the aesthetic as well as the ideological significance of these concepts. Students will be introduced to a variety of texts, including literature by Christopher Isherwood and Oscar Wilde; films, by Douglas Sirk and John Waters; art; and theory, including texts by Susan Sontag and Walter Benjamin, all of which will help to construct a coherent set of meanings around these concepts. Central to this inquiry is the relation of these concepts to matters of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, and new medias.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Top: Environmental Justice in Literature & Film | 3192 (001) | Jane Robbins Mize | Mon
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
In this course, we will examine how a variety of media¿from bestselling books to experimental films¿have represented and contributed to environmental justice movements. From Silent Spring to Standing Rock, we will engage with texts and films that use subversive storytelling to resist environmental degradation and confront the climate crisis. Our syllabus will focus on Black- and Brown-led movements in North America while also interrogating the meaning and scope of environmental justice worldwide. Throughout the semester, students will also have the opportunity to create small- and large-scale publications that communicate with and about environmental justice movements¿from zines to Tik Toks to protest banners. Ultimately, through our readings, screenings, discussions, and assignments, we will think through the social, ethical, and political implications of making media about the environmental crisis.
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DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Discoveries in Physics | 3204 (001) | Elizabeth Freeland | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
This course investigates the process of discovery in science, and in particular in physics. The historical and contemporary physics experiments we will study have led to some of the most profound insights we have about the natural world, be it on the largest scales or the smallest.
The discoveries typically studied include: the search for aether, the discovery of pulsars, the discovery of the Higgs particle, and parity violation. Contemporary topics vary but may include tests of the speed of light, the measurement of gravity waves, or the imaging of black holes. Students will learn the background physics and context necessary to understand the experiments and their results. Additionally, we investigate the process of scientific discovery, the mindset of scientists, and the difficulties and the payoffs of research. We evaluate the culture of science, how that creates and is created by scientists. Finally, we consider the influence of awards, the general public, and the media on scientists, their discoveries, and our perception of them. Assignments include weekly homework reviewing factual material, several guided-journal writings, several in-class labs, two exams, and a short final presentation on a student chosen topic.' PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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DepartmentLocation |
| Green Physics | 3206 (001) | Elizabeth Freeland | Thurs
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
The mitigation of and adaptation to the challenges of today's world relies heavily on our scientific understanding of nature and the universe we live in. In this course, we will look at specific areas of physics - energy, radiation, fluid, thermodynamics - and investigate how they relate to our changing planet. We will look at energy production such as solar, geothermal, wind, nuclear; the physics of extreme weather, for example hurricanes and fires; and tipping points or positive-feedback loops. We will also investigate how understanding the natural world can gives us ways to work with it, e.g. passive solar systems, broad levees, mitigation of urban heat islands. Not all topics will be covered in each class, as flexibility will be allowed for student interest and current events. The course includes regular homework covering factual information, readings for discussion, some hands-on work, and a short research project.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Western Music: 19th Century | 3211 (001) | Katarzyna Grochowska | Thurs
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
This course is a survey of Western music from Beethoven to Mahler with emphasis on musical style, form, and nationalistic tendencies in historical, cultural, and social contexts. Each lecture focuses on a particular composition, composer, or genre. The intrinsic form of the Romantic era sonata--allegro is examined through the lens of a symphony, sonata, concerto, and string quartet. This course addresses issues such as the role of the opera; connections/influences between composers, writers, poets, painters and their impact on music history; small-scale home music making; and the developments of the 19th-century symphony. Students learn how to listen analytically to 19th-century music and are encouraged to use a macro-level music vocabulary in their discourse. Composers include Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Paganini, Mussorgsky, Bizet, Berlioz, Smetana, Rimsky-Korsakov, Verdi, Wagner, Brahms, and Mahler. Prior to lectures, students will watch documentaries and read short articles. This course also places a strong emphasis on listening to music and describing it. Two exams, a midterm and a final, focus on listening skills. Two short essays (6 page each) allow students to talk about music experiences and to use their acquired music vocabulary.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Search for Life in Universe | 3211 (001) | Lucianne Walkowicz | Wed
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
Finding alien life across cosmic distance has challenged the limits of human imagination and technology for millenia. In this course, we will look at the fundamental questions that animate the search for life beyond Earth, delve into the scientific methodologies that we use to detect and recognize life, and unpack the sticky social questions of what it means to search for life (and what happens if we succeed!). Students will emerge understanding the many technical approaches to finding alien life, the ways human social values and pressures affect the pursuit of these methods, and an appreciation for the ways in which the search for alien life is intertwined with the study of life on our own planet. Last but not least, this course aims to help students contextualize reports and announcements about discoveries related to the search for life, and ask questions that will enable them to understand the significance of those reports.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Western Experimental Music: Disrupting the Canon | 3213 (001) | Allie n Steve Mullen | Wed
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
A critical survey of Western music from 1950 to the present, this course investigates the western experimental music tradition with a focus on issues of representation. Where are the women and BIPOC composers in studies on western experimental music? What are the implications of classifying certain forms of experimental music over others as `classical¿ music and `fine art¿ music? What do these classifications tell us about cultural values, power, and the privileging of certain musics and voices over others? As we identify the supposed `canonic¿ figures of the period, the techniques they used, the processes they employed, and the creative motivations that drove them, we will note the collapse of tonality, and the influence of popular and `world¿ music styles on Western `art music.¿ We will look at the role of `silence¿ in music, aleatoric or `chance¿ music, total serialism, musique concrète, minimalism, jazz, emerging popular styles, and the appropriations of Black American, Pacific Islander, and Hindustani music traditions. We will study the music and thinking of composers like John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Steve Reich, while asking ourselves why so much more has been written about their work than the work of composers like Daphne Oram. We will also discuss why the works of saxophonist John Coltrane and rapper Kendrick Lamar are not typically classified as 'art' music in Western music studies. The course includes weekly reading and listening, 3 short writing assignments as well as experimental creative analysis, a term paper, and an in-class presentation.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Cont Music: Modern Composers | 3215 (001) | Emily C. Hoyler | Thurs
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM All Online |
Description
This is a course on contemporary art music: its history, philosophy, performance techniques, and interdisciplinary worlds. Its aim is to enjoy, explore, analyze, critique, expose, and learn about Western art music and modern composers from the turn of the twentieth century to the present day. The focus is on experimental music, composers, musicians, and conceptualists. Gender, race, class, and privilege are explored as they pertain to the career of the professional artist. Course objectives include building strong listening skills and acquiring the vocabulary to speak and write about music and its cultural contexts effectively. Screenings and viewings will vary but will typically include examples of works by musical artists such as Laurie Anderson, Cathy Berberian, John Cage, Wendy Carlos, Philip Glass, Pauline Oliveros, Terry Riley, and Arnold Schoenberg. Readings will also vary but will typically include works by musicologists such as Daniel Albright, Joseph Auner, Mark Katz, and Carol Oja, as well as writings by composers about their own music. Topics will include modernism, expressionism, atonality, technology, indeterminacy, minimalism, performance art, and experimental opera and theatre. Students should expect to write 15-20 double-spaced pages over the course of the term, including revisions based on instructor and peer feedback. Assignments may include a close listening essay and an original research paper. Students will present a 10-minute oral presentation on their research paper.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Cont Mus:Experimentalism Unbnd | 3215 (002) | William T. Faber | Fri
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
Experimentalism Unbound: Hearing the Noises beyond Sun Ra and John Cage
Following the recent centennial celebrations of Sun Ra and John Cage, this course takes up the music and thought of both figures as pathways to three interlocking issues central to contemporary musical practice: the roles of improvisation and performance; the affordances of technology and circuits of mediation; and the articulation of musical meaning with matters of race and gender. Moving across the borders of discipline and genre, course materials will serve to anchor and amplify our inquiry, being drawn from the fields of musicology, philosophy, film studies, and social history, among others, as well as the practices of jazz, experimental music, electronic dance music, and Jamaican popular musics. Our weekly lectures, readings, listening exercises, and writing assignments will ultimately equip students to undertake final research projects which critically extend and apply the questions and themes raised in the course. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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DepartmentLocation |
| Roots and Routes of Hip Hop | 3216 (001) | Oliver Shao | Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course examines the roots and routes of hip hop from its emergence in New York City to its circulation across select areas of the globe. Why do people living in different parts of the world engage in hip hop? What kinds of aesthetics, ideologies, and behaviors are manifested through hip hop music? How do hip hop scenes differ, and how are they connected? We will discuss these, and other questions, through studying the lived experiences of participants involved in various hip hop music scenes throughout the globe.
Through analyzing films, texts, and audio/visual recordings, we will develop our vocabulary for critically discussing the manifestation of hip hop cultural practices across temporal, spatial, and social boundaries. We will pay particular attention to the ways cross-cultural engagements with hip hop shapes intersecting identities of race, gender, sexuality, class, religion, and nation. We will also consider what hip hop artists can teach us about pressing global issues ranging from racism and sexism to economic marginalization and religious discrimination. Coursework will include reading responses, short writing assignments, and a final research paper/presentation that focuses on the social life of a hip hop performing artist(s). PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Everyday Electronics | 3231 (001) | Brett Ian Balogh | Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Much of our everyday experience is mediated by electronics. From toasters to smart phones, the devices we interact with vary widely in their function and complexity, but all are composed of a set of common electronic components and function in ways determined by the connection of these components. This course provides an introduction to electronic theory as it relates to the connection of these components.
Topics to be covered will include but are not limited to reading schematics, DC and AC circuits, passive and active devices, filters, amplifiers and oscillators. Students will not only learn theory, but will also learn by constructing their own circuits by hand and by using circuit simulation and analysis tools in this laboratory course. Student learning will be assessed through weekly homework and laboratory assignments as well as several exams. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Top:The Physics of Shapes: From Nature to the Hand | 3250 (001) | Baudouin Saintyves | Wed
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
Curious about the links between sand riddles in the desert, shape-shifting robots, and the cracks on an old painting? This class examines the physics behind shape formation, both in nature and in the work of humans. Concrete interdisciplinary examples spanning engineering, biology, architecture and beyond, will reveal underlying concepts of physics that are omnipresent around us, while questioning the common distinction our society tends to make between those who observe natural systems and those who create as engineers, designers and artists. Formal lectures will provide students with a conceptual and methodological background for scientific implementation, while hands-on labs will confront them to the medium. They will put this into practice in producing their own scientific project within their artistic medium. Seminars featuring renown international speakers will expose the students to current experts and cutting-edge interdisciplinary research. The combination of these activities, from lectures to labs and hands-on projects, will introduce science as a practice and a method students can themselves implement, while exposing them to the surprising forms that discovery & invention can take.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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DepartmentLocation |
| Top: Sights and Sounds of Eastern Europe | 3252 (001) | Katarzyna Grochowska | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
Standard textbooks of European music have long emphasized their commitment towards studying the Western part of the continent. When it comes to the eastern region of the mainland, no such textbook exists. The scholarly marginalization of Eastern Europe¿s cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity contributes to negligence and underappreciation of the region. The purpose of this course is to examine the history and arts at several sites in this region and to listen to its music. Through this approach, we will examine cultural identities such as Greek, Byzantine, Slavic, Eastern Orthodox, Russian, Jewish, Ottoman, and Romani. We will visit historical and contemporary sites such as Kaliningrad, Kiev, Cracow, Prague, Budapest, Istanbul, Zagreb, and Ljubljana. We will also listen to ¿classical¿ music of Romanians, Poles, Russians, and Hungarians as well as to ¿folk¿ music from Transylvania, the Balkans, and the Baltic states. The music repertoire of this course spans from medieval Polish and Hungarian manuscripts to the late 20th-century Estonian (Arvo Part) and Russian (Sofia Gubaidulina) composers.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Top: Resounding Asian America | 3252 (002) | Oliver Shao | Tues
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Selected issues in music and related areas are studied. Topics vary each semester and may include (but are not limited to): musical structure and form, aural literacy, opera studies, music and words, music and the visual arts, history of recorded music, history of the oral tradition, semiotics, communications theory, and others.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Music, War, and Peace | 3253 (001) | Oliver Shao | Thurs
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course examines the multifaceted ways music is interwoven with social processes of war and peace. In what ways do people use musical sounds to control, torture, and kill individuals and populations? What types of concepts elucidate the ways music reproduces oft-hidden forms of violence? How can music heal trauma and resolve conflict? Throughout this course, we will work towards developing a deeper understanding about the ways music is used to support, oppose, and heal from actions and consequences made in the name of war and peace.
Through studying films, texts, and audio recordings, students are expected to think critically and write persuasively about the diverse ways musicians, politicians, military personnel, and civilians use music in wartime contexts. While case studies will vary, we will pay particular attention to the role of Western popular music in the United States-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A broader goal of this course is to analyze music in ways that generate critical responses to the permeation of violence throughout society and everyday life. Coursework will include reading responses, short writing assignments, a mid-term, and a final project. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Music and Sexuality | 3255 (001) | Emily C. Hoyler | Fri
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM All Online |
Description
From fin-de-siecle decadence to pop feminism, this course explores issues and representations of sexuality in twentieth-century western music, including opera, musical theater, instrumental music, art song, and popular music. Themes include modernist thought, sonic constructions of sexuality, and gendered roles in music. Drawing from musicology and gender studies, this course will address diverse aspects of the identities of composers and artists through examining authorship, expression, and performance. Course objectives include building strong listening skills and acquiring the vocabulary to speak and write about music and its cultural contexts effectively. Screenings will vary but will typically include examples of works by musical artists such as David Bowie, Benjamin Britten, Ornette Coleman, Madonna, Cole Porter, Prince, Ma Rainey, and Rodgers & Hammerstein. Readings will include works by authors such as Jane Bernstein, Philip Brett, William Cheng, Tammy L. Kernodle, Susan McClary, Sheila Whiteley, and Stacy Wolf. Students should expect to write 15-20 double-spaced pages over the course of the term, including revisions based on instructor and peer feedback. Assignments may include a close listening essay and an original research paper. Students will present a 10-minute oral presentation on their research paper.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Introduction To Philosophy | 3300 (001) | Herman Stark | Tues
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
This course familiarizes students with basic philosophical skills: clear reasoning, examination of the soundness and validity of arguments, and development of consistent positions on certain philosophical issues. The course may be organized historically by studying the thought of major philosophers, beginning with Plato, and ending with the modern era (examples of figures studied: Plato, Aquinas, Descartes, Locke, and Nietzsche); thematically (studying major themes in philosophy such as free will and determinism, the existence of God, and the mind-body problem); or by school of thought (studying major trends in philosophy such as pragmatism, analytical philosophy, Marxism, existentialism, and phenomenology). Readings range from historical to contemporary sources, including the pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Heidegger, Quine, and Rorty. Assignments vary, but they might include some or many of the following: weekly reading responses, quizzes, papers, and exams.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Top:Sounding Bodies | 3300 (001) | Whitney D. Johnson | Tues
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course will situate the sociological knowledge of the aesthetic ?good? in the corporeal techniques of hearing and listening, particularly when the artistic medium of sound crosses the boundaries of the brain, body, architectural space, and material objects. As auditory culture has moved from the concert hall and music venue into galleries, museums, and outdoor public spaces, cultural practitioners have been prompted to ask how bodies perceive, understand, and evaluate the sounds they encounter. With a rich literature on sound, space, and embodiment, this course will not only survey sonic works in art music and the gallery arts but also the ways that technological advancements have changed exhibition practices and the perceptual capabilities of bodies. In combination with sound studies, a nexus of social theory and phenomenology will draw out the connection between bodies and technologies.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Top:Critical Game Studies: Gaming the Systems | 3300 (002) | Omie Hsu | Mon
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This is a class where we will think about games with respect to social and political life; it is not a game design course. It puts Game Studies and Critical Theory in conversation with each other in order to invite questions and thought about what the formal, aesthetic, historical, sociopolitical, and affective dimensions of games could teach us about the formal, aesthetic, historical, social, and affective dimensions of politics. We will read games across genre and type - from First-Person Shooter video games to collaborative board games to Role-Playing mobile games to drinking card games (without the drinking). We will also read theory across disciplines and fields - from theories of embodiment (like queer theory or race and ethnicity studies) to debates in game studies (like ludology v. narratology) to concepts behind design elements (like game mechanics or player interaction) to questions of contemporary sociopolitical life (like critiques of capitalism or Science and Technology Studies). Also expect to play some games and to write short, though regular, critical analyses.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top:Environmental Justice | 3300 (003) | Alex Williams | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
In this course, students will engage with theoretical and historical perspectives of environmental inequalities on a global and regional scale. The course examines community responses and policy solutions to environmental problems, particularly at the intersection of environmental quality and public health and race, gender, and class inequities. We also discuss environmentalism amid colonial and capitalist power structures. Southeast Chicago and Little Village, two Chicago communities with rich histories of environmental activism, serve as local case studies. The readings for this course include works from Rachel Stein, who writes on environmental activism and gender; Anna Tsing, an anthropologist concerned with human/nature interactions at the edges of global capitalism; Robert Brulle, a scholar/activist writing on current environmental movements; Kyle Whyte, who writes from an indigenous perspective on the relationships of indigenous peoples and climate activism. We will also review policy papers from the National Resource Defense Council and other advocacy groups. Course work includes weekly reading responses and a final project that brings together knowledge and action on environmental justice, either through a strategy paper or an artistic project.
This course generally meets at Homan Square 5-6 times a term. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top: Afro-Asian Century | 3300 (005) | Patrick Lynn Rivers | Wed
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
Topics in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences are topical courses that involve dialog between various social science disciplines including anthropology, geography, economics, history, political science, psychology, sociology, and beyond. Emphasis is placed on ruptures and cross-fertilizations among the various academic disciplines.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Top: Global Social Movements | 3300 (006) | Asha Sawhney | Fri
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Since the 2010s, social and political upheavals ranging from anti-globalization campaigns, Occupy Movements, Black Lives Matter, Arab uprisings, feminist movements, and anti-corruption movements have become a daily part of social media engagement and viewing. This course will ask why people rebel when they do. What are the institutions that social movements rise up against? Why do non-elites choose uprising in place of ¿ordinary¿ political engagement? Why do some succeed and others fail?
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Latinxs Studies | 3301 (001) | Deanna Ledezma | Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
The Latinx population currently consists of approximately 61 million people or about 18.5% of the U.S. population; by 2050, the U.S. Census estimates that the Latinx population will make up 30 percent of the total U.S. population. This course examines the diverse social, economic, political, and cultural histories of those commonly identified as Latinas/os/xs in the United States. Course work will vary but typically includes reading responses, short papers, and a final project and presentation..
This course combines the close reading of required texts with detailed classroom discussions, providing students with the tools needed to question, discuss, and examine topics, such as, the social construction of race and ethnicity, immigration, colonialism, forms of resistance and social movement activity, colorism, poverty and education. Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of three essays during the semester, and a final presentation of a project that is shared with the class. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Environmental Disasters | 3302 (001) | Jackson Watkins | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
Scientists now know that global warming is causing more hurricanes? or is it? This course will explore how environmental disasters ? both man-made and natural ? impact human society and the biosphere, and how they have changed in both frequency and intensity in response to climate change. Some relevant topics that this class will investigate include: heat waves and cold snaps, links between climate change and vectorborne diseases, tropical cyclones, tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, environmental impacts of natural gas fracking and oil spills, El Ni?o, long and short-term species extinction, ecosystem responses to climate change, and more. We will consider current news articles and relevant policy solutions/responses, and class work will involve group work, critical thinking, quantitative practice and analysis of scientific literature.
Course work will include quantitative in-class assignments, relevant scientific readings, qualitative homework, quizzes, an exam and a final project. |
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| Water:The Science of a Human Right | 3312 (001) | Michele Hoffman | Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Welcome to Water! This is a 3-credit introductory course on the science of water, it's associated resources, the sustainable use and management of the global water supply, and a conversation and dialogue about global water conflict. Through this course you will learn about the chemistry of water, its form and function, impacts of the quality and quantity of water on human lives and the environment, aspects of human survival that depend on water and the proper disposal of wastewater, the importance of conserving water, and the impact that future policies and economic changes might have on the availability of water in the US and around the world.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
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| Existentialism | 3320 (001) | David B. Johnson | Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
Existentialism has left a profound influence on contemporary Western thought, including philosophy, literature, film, theater, and graphic arts. It is a philosophical movement oriented toward two major themes - the analysis of human existence and the centrality of human choice. Existentialist conceptions of freedom and value arise from their view of the individual. According to Existentialist thinkers we are all ultimately alone, isolated islands of subjectivity in an objective world ,who have absolute freedom over our internal nature. Existentialism traces its roots to the writings of Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. As a philosophy of human existence, existentialism found its best 20th-century exponent in its foremost representative Albert Camus. Camus believed that the essence of human existence in freedom. He criticized the human tendency toward 'bad faith,' reflected in humanity's perverse attempts to deny its own responsibility and flee from the truth of its inescapable freedom. In this course, we will examine themes of subjectivity, individuality, freedom and meaning that are central to Existentialist philosophy. To arrive at these goals, we will turn to works of philosophy, literature and film. As part of the course we will practice the principles of persuasive writing by learning how to make claims, analyze and make arguments about the works we will be discussing.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top: Animal Ethics | 3330 (002) | Fri
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
|
Description
Non-human animals are, whether directly or indirectly, an important part of human lives, and human beings are an important part of animals¿ lives. Human beings are always preoccupied with moral questions, and such questions have been recently finally brought to bear, with intense focus, on the lives of non-human animals and how human beings ought to relate to them. This course addresses some of these questions: (1) Do animals have moral standing? If yes, what does this mean and what is this moral standing? (For example, do they have rights or is it their sentience that matters?) (2) May we consume animals or their products? If no, why not? If yes, under what conditions? (3) Under what conditions may we experiment on animals? (4) What is it about animals¿ nature, as opposed to plants¿, that leads some to claim that it is wrong to kill or use them but not wrong to kill or use plants? (5) May we hunt animals in the wild? May we interfere in their lives to help lessen their difficult lives? (6) What are some debates surrounding the ethics of zoos and aquariums? Finally, (7) what are morally acceptable and unacceptable political activism on behalf of animals? Students will gain an understanding of important issues and theories in animal ethics; critically evaluate their own moral convictions; and learn to construct arguments and explain philosophical ideas. Among others, authors we read are Carol Adams, Carl Cohen, David DeGrazia, Rosalind Hursthouse, Alastair Norcross, Mark Rowlands, Tom Regan, Peter Singer, Roger Scruton, and Nick Zangwill. Assignments vary, but they might include some or many of the following: weekly reading responses, quizzes, papers, and exams.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top:Philosophy of Love | 3330 (003) | Irina Ruvinsky | Mon
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This course examines the role of love and relationality in human life. A basic, innate longing for association drives us in our various endeavors, and relationships permeate every aspect of human becoming. When we examine our love relationships we find trust, mutual reliance, reciprocity, and care, but also a tangle of strife, misunderstanding, angst, and longing for connection. We explore the nature of love through works of philosophy, literature and film. We investigate the distinction between eros, philia, and agape, and discuss ideas of love as a feeling, an action, or a species of ?knowing someone.? We evaluate several philosophical theories of romantic love, and question the tension between the individual?s desire for self-discovery and her responsibility towards others. We address the concept of love from the Platonic, Kantian, and existentialist perspectives. We also read work by Kierkegaard, Dostoyevsky, Nietzsche and De Beuvoir. Assignments vary, but they might include some or many of the following: weekly reading responses, quizzes, papers, and exams.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics: Issues in | 3330 (004) | Burkay Ozturk | Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Today western societies put science on a pedestal. As a result, science informs anything and everything from city planning to whether you should put soy or oat milk in your latte. Does science deserve this reputation? If it does, what is the thing that makes science so special and authoritative? Or should we be worried about the domination of culture by science? In this course, we will study those questions with an eye on high-profile cases of scientific fraud and types of statistical manipulation known as 'p-hacking.' The reading list includes articles and book chapters by Paul Feyerabend, Alan Chalmers, Karl Popper, Imre Lakatos, Thomas Kuhn, Larry Laudan, David Goodstein, Jerry Fodor, Aubrey Clayton, Jacob Cohen, David Lykken, John Ioannidis and Richard Smith. Assignments vary, but they might include some or many of the following: weekly reading responses, quizzes, papers, and exams.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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DepartmentLocation |
| Top: Philosophical Ideas of Fr | 3330 (005) | Eskil J Elling | Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
A detailed philosophical investigation of a few topics of special contemporary interest. See topic description for more information.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Top:Feminist Political Philosophy | 3330 (007) | Emily Dupree | Mon
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Feminist political philosophy has a two-fold history:both as a persistent critique of canonical political philosophy, and as generative of new models of justice. This course explores the two sides of this twofold history. We begin with a survey of feminist criticisms of the canon, including from liberal, Black, and Marxist feminist philosophies. We then turn to the positive accounts from these philosophies, asking whether new models of the state, of the person, and of gender are required to construct theories that adequately represent what justice requires in a world with gender-based oppression. Philosophers we will read include Mary Wollstonecraft, John Rawls, Martha Nussbaum, Susan Okin, Alison Jaggar, Christine Delphy, Audre Lorde, Nancy Fraser, and María Lugones.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top: Environmental Philosophy: The Human Place in | 3330 (008) | Eskil J Elling | Tues
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course explores how we should understand the relationship between human beings and their natural environment. Our focus will be on conceptions of nature originating in Europe, but along the way we will challenge those conceptions in light of others, especially from Indigenous thought. Our survey will be rooted in philosophical understandings of nature but draw on resources in biology, sociology, political science, and history. We start by considering two opposed models of nature as it has been understood in Western philosophy: rationalism and romanticism. We contrast them with emphasis on care for nature in Indigenous thought. Then, we explore various themes that latch onto these three models: the impact of humanity on nature and the idea of the Anthropocene; visions of nature beyond human control, such as deep ecology; and a variety of ideas for how to remedy our relationship with nature. Thinkers we will read include Karoline von Günderrode, Jason W. Moore, Arne Næss, Donna Haraway, Jane Bennett, Andreas Malm, Hartmut Rosa, and Robin Wall Kimmerer.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Earth's Changing Climate | 3340 (001) | Andrew H. Scarpelli | Tues
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This course introduces you to the wonder that is the Earth system! Understanding the earth system involves viewing the atmosphere, hydrosphere (water), biosphere (plants), and geosphere (rocks) as interacting reservoirs of a complex system. In this class we will study the origin and history of the Earth and examine how the concepts of systems, cycles, and feedbacks apply to processes that involve water and ice, the dynamics of life, weather and global climate change. This class will give you a solid scientific basis for understanding the Earth as a system, appreciating the fragility of the environment, and confronting the complexity of climate change and global warming. We will consider current news articles, and policy solutions. Class work will involve group work, quantitative practice and critical reflection on Earth processes.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Top: Origin and Evolution of the Solar System | 3350 (001) | Maria Valdes | Fri
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
About 9 billion years after the Big Bang, our Solar System's sun ignited from the gravitational collapse of a molecular cloud. This course explores the 4.6 billion years of subsequent chemical evolution of the Solar System. Our tool of study, cosmochemistry, lies at the crossroads of chemistry, physics, geology, astronomy, and biology. As such, we can use it to help us answer some fundamental questions, including: What are the elemental and molecular building blocks of our Solar System? Under what conditions, and by which processes, did these building blocks assemble into planets, asteroids, moons, comets, meteorites, and interstellar dust? What is the Earth made of, how did it evolve over time, and why do we need to study extraterrestrial materials to understand our home planet? Where did water come from and what led to the rise of life on Earth? How can we use this knowledge to guide future space exploration?
Formerly called: The Universe (SCIENCE 3212) - students cannot receive credit for this course if they have already received credit for The Universe (SCIENCE 3212) PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top: Apollo to Artemis, The Science and Exploratio | 3350 (002) | Maria Valdes | Tues
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This course on the Geochemistry and Exploration of the Moon focuses on the geological and geochemical evolution of the Moon, with particular attention to the samples returned by the Apollo missions and their role in shaping our understanding of lunar history. Students will explore the composition of lunar rocks, soils, and regolith, examining key features such as isotopic compositions, mineralogy, and the processes that formed the Moon¿s surface. The course will delve into the methods used to analyze these samples, including spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and electron microscopy, while also considering the implications of recent findings from the Artemis missions. We will discuss how lunar geochemistry informs our understanding of planetary formation and the broader processes of the solar system. In addition to the scientific content, the course will explore how lunar materials have inspired artistic interpretations of space. By the end of the course, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of lunar geology and geochemistry, and the ongoing exploration of the Moon. This course will incorporate a variety of texts and media, including scanned readings from textbooks, scientific journal publications, documentaries, interviews, mission transcripts, meteorite samples, and NASA data archives. The coursework will consist of weekly homework assignments, two lab exercises, a midterm exam, and a final art project that encourages students to synthesize scientific concepts with creative expression.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top: Mineralogy and Gemology | 3350 (003) | Maria Valdes | Mon
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This course on Mineralogy and Gemology provides a detailed scientific exploration of minerals, their structures, properties, and classification, with a particular emphasis on their geological processes. Students will study the chemical composition, crystallography, and physical characteristics of minerals, learning how to identify and classify them in the lab. The course will cover the processes of mineral formation, the environments in which they occur, and the tools and techniques used for their analysis. A portion of the course will also focus on the properties of gemstones, such as color, clarity, and hardness, and the geological conditions that create these precious materials. Throughout, students will learn to apply scientific principles to the study of minerals, while also considering the cultural significance and aesthetic appeal of gemstones. By the end of the course, students will have a comprehensive understanding of mineralogy and the role of gemstones in both science and art, gaining hands-on experience with mineral identification and analysis. This course will incorporate a variety of texts and media, including scanned readings from textbooks, scientific journal publications, museum collection catalogs, high-resolution mineral imaging, and documentary films on mineral formation and gemstone trade. The coursework will consist of weekly microscopy-based lab exercises, 3-5 homework assignments, a midterm exam, and a final art project that encourages students to creatively engage with the scientific and cultural aspects of minerals and gemstones.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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DepartmentLocation |
| Molecular Media: Structure, Biochemistry, and Material Science | 3414 (001) | Andrew H. Scarpelli | Tues
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
As artists, the use of novel media often allow artists to find new means by which to express themselves and explore their message and meanings. Understanding the chemical structures and properties of the materials and components of media often allows for more sophisticated implementation and ease of use. In this course, we will focus on understanding the chemical and biological features of a number of different materials and developing a familiarity with materials as a means of further understanding common materials, identifying sustainable practices, and incorporating chemistry and biochemistry into meaningful creation.
Readings and screenings will vary but typically include peer reviewed articles from science journals, writings on material science and biochemistry, and alternative such as podcasts and online video series. Special focus will be on bio-materials. Course work will vary but typically includes weekly reading responses, a mid-term, and a partnered final project focusing on the properties and production of different materials. |
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| Chaos, Catalysis and Kinetics | 3450 (001) | Gary McDowell | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
The world today may seem like it spirals further and further into chaos. But increasing disorder has always been a fundamental requirement of natural processes like chemical reactions. Balance, stability, order and chaos are as fundamental to how the world works on the microscopic level as they are in our daily lives. This class will explore our events, institutions, and art through the lens of chemical concepts such as entropy, equilibrium, catalysis, and kinetics. Class work will involve collaborative group work, critical analysis, and engagement with current concepts in the scientific literature across a range of disciplines. We will use quantitative in-class assignments, qualitative homework, quizzes, an exam, and a final project.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top:Globalizing Japanese Pop Culture | 3500 (001) | Aiko Kojima Hibino | Mon
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
In this course, we will take various Japanese pop culture genres including comics, anime, food, fashion, music, etc. and examine the interplay between local and global culturescapes. Students are expected to critically inquire into the reality and complexity of people's lives in Japan as reflected in cultural products and to explore cultural transformation in Japan as a part of the dynamics of globalization. Locally 'common' value and knowledge is challenged as culture traverses borders. From the expansion of Japanese fan communities to the Asia-Pacific region and Brazil, to feminist criticism of gender representation, we will employ case studies to overcome our conscious or unconscious exoticism and to deepen our understanding toward Japanese culture in global context. Key points of inquiry will include: what racial and ethnic relations/tensions underlying global popular culture; economic and political factors driving trends in Japanese popular culture; gender, sexuality, and the politics of representation.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Top:Sociology of Consumption | 3500 (002) | Aiko Kojima Hibino | Tues
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
Consumption is central to our lifestyles and identities in contemporary societies. What you wear, what you eat, what you watch ¿ in short, what you buy¿ seems to confirm who you are or how you want to display yourself to society. What does it mean to be a consumer, and how does that specific identity intersect with other identities, such as a citizen, a producer, and an artist? In this course, we will explore various arguments about consumption in modern society to understand the development and significance of this specific economic and cultural behavior.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Anatomy & Physiology | 3513 (001) | Dianne Jedlicka | Sat
1:00 PM - 3:45 PM In Person |
Description
This course serves as a basic introduction to human anatomy. The skeletal, muscular, digestive, circulatory, nervous, and reproductive systems are covered, with special emphasis on the skeletal system in reference to other mammals (a little bit of comparative anatomy!). The physiological processes of the aforementioned systems are examined allowing students to understand the processes. Laboratories include the use of plastic human and mammal models and dissections of preserved ?recycled? sheep organs (kidney, brain, heart, and eye). Labs designed by students while observing concerts at Chicago Symphony Center will focus on the Nervous system (especially special senses) and the Endocrine system (hormones). Other labs will be conducted at our Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum of Natural History.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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DepartmentLocation |
| Neuroscience and the Mind | 3519 (001) | Niki P Sabetfakhri | Tues
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
Neuroscience is a fascinating field of study in which the mechanisms of brain function are being unraveled at an incredibly fast pace. This course will focus on the foundations of neuroscience, moving from the cellular level to understanding entire systems. We will extend our knowledge of how the brain works to further understand thoughts, beliefs, emotions, personalities, and how memories and experiences are formed. This course will also explore current methods in neuroscience research and experimental design.
Readings will be pulled from neuroscience textbooks, current research articles/reviews, and other texts from well-known neuroscientists. Building from a systematic approach to understanding the brain, we will also discuss how the experience and production of art impacts and shapes our minds. Course work includes weekly reading and written homework assignments. The final consists of a written paper which will focus on a topic of neuroscience that the student is particularly interested in, as well as a short oral presentation of their topic to their peers. Active participation, willingness to creatively hypothesize about brain function, and an interest in the mind are required in order for us all to learn and enjoy! PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| HS:History of Radio | 3520 (001) | Emily C. Hoyler | Thurs
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM All Online |
Description
Since the early twentieth century, radio technology has shaped innovations in communication, news, and entertainment. This powerful medium has driven political influences, established cultural trends, generated communal listenership, and diminished spatial boundaries for the dissemination of information. Radio served as a precursor for later forms of mass media such as television, the Internet, and podcasts. This course will address the history, theory, and aesthetics of radio transmission in Europe and North America. Through lectures, discussion, listening, reading, and writing, students will explore radio?s influence on social habits, political dynamics, and artistic expression.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
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| NATURAL HISTORY | 3520 (001) | Dianne Jedlicka | Thurs
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM All Online |
Description
This course is an introduction to the principles of ecology, emphasizing detailed field investigations of natural communities. Natural History studies allow for many aspects of knowledge to be applied to the understanding of a Biological concept. Among the topics explored are the dynamics of lake ecosystems, forest succession, trophic structure in streams, dune ecology, and territorial behavior in breeding birds and mammals. Lecture/Discussions examine major themes in modern ecology, including energy flow, nutrient cycling, and species diversity. Selections from nineteenth- and twentieth-century American naturalists (Thoreau, Muir, Burroughs, and Leopold) provide perspective on the relationship of humanity to nature. Global warming and pollution dynamics are explored. Lab activities at the Field Museum of Natural History, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Shedd Aquarium strengthen the understanding of these concepts.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| HS:The Cuban Revolution | 3520 (002) | W Douglas | Tues
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
A variety of specific historical studies are offered on a rotating basis. Recent offerings have included The Limits of Reason, a study of European Enlightenment; Sex, Booze, and Baseball, the nature of leisure activities in American cultural life; Space, Heaven, and God, a study of the relationships of religion, astronomy, and cosmology; and War in American History.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| HS: American Origins | 3520 (004) | Deirdre Lyons | Mon
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
This course will introduce students to the ways in which colonialism in the Atlantic World(s) made the modern Americas. Emphasizing the long-term cross-cultural interactions and exchanges between Africa, the Americas, and Europe, we will explore the dynamics of conquest, enslavement, and colonialism and their reciprocal relationships to consumption, resistance/revolt, and freedom. We will use a combination of primary documents, images, relevant news articles, documentaries, music, podcasts, and academic readings to explore the comparative historical experiences of Indigenous peoples, Africans, Creoles, and Europeans from the 1440s-1800s. Evaluation will be based on in-class participation, writing assignments, and short reflection papers.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| HS: The Medieval Islamic World, 600--1400 | 3520 (006) | Aisha Valiulla | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
For many people, the premodern Islamic world is a fabled Arabian Nights-type place, with princesses, domes, genies, and adventure. Popular depictions such as Aladdin (1992) emphasize deserts and palaces, sword and horse. But what was it really like? This course analyzes medieval Islamic history from the advent of Islam (7th CE) up to the aftermath of the Mongol conquests (13th CE) to understand the political, cultural, and socio-religious contours of the medieval Islamic world. Through the eyes of scholars, travelers, slaves, and merchants, we will explore pluralism, mobility, and cosmopolitanism within the Dar al Islam, which stretched from Spain in the west to China in the east.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| HS:Palestinian/Israeli Conflct | 3520 (007) | Iymen Chehade | Tues
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course offers a critical overview of the origins and politics of the Arab-Israeli conflict through the use of dual narratives. It examines the roots of Zionism and Palestinian nationalism, the deterioration of Jewish-Arab relations during the late Ottoman and Mandate periods, the role of Arab states, the establishment of the state of Israel and subsequent dispersion of Palestinians, the Arab-Israeli wars, the Intifadas, and the possibility of a negotiated peace agreement.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| HS: United States - Latin American Relations | 3520 (008) | W Douglas | Wed
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
A variety of specific historical studies are offered on a rotating basis. Recent offerings have included The Limits of Reason, a study of European Enlightenment; Sex, Booze, and Baseball, the nature of leisure activities in American cultural life; Space, Heaven, and God, a study of the relationships of religion, astronomy, and cosmology; and War in American History.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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DepartmentLocation |
| Animal Behavior | 3521 (001) | Dianne Jedlicka | Sat
9:30 AM - 12:15 PM In Person |
Description
Why do birds migrate? When do whales sing? What does a bee's dance mean? Animals have fascinating behaviors that have both puzzled and amazed observers. This class will explore current theories behind these actions. The lecture/discussion aspects of this course will focus on theories and concepts while the lab component will focus on collecting (Virtual zoo camera) observational data on local fauna and coming up with hypothesis to explain the observed behaviors. Student-collected original data will then be discussed and new or additional theories proposed. This course includes VIRTUAL Zoo camera data observations from any zoo around the world that has zoo cameras!
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top:Theorizing Disability | 3522 (001) | Joseph Grigely | Tues
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is an experimental seminar devoted to recent discussions about disability in the US and in Europe: how is disability represented, and how are these representations constructed? Readings include the following, among many other texts: Georgina Kleege's Sight Unseen, Julia Kristeva's recent essays on disability, and several Supreme Court Opinions regarding ADA, including Alabama v. Garrett, Toyota v. Williams, and Tennessee v. Lane. In the second half of the semester, seminar participants present papers and related research on disability as a social and theoretical construction.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Botany: The Plant Biology | 3533 (001) | Patrick R. Leacock | Fri
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This course is designed to inspire the understanding of the significance of plants to human life. The beauty and diversity of nature is expressed most vividly in the flora of the Earth. Plants are essential for the survival of all living animals, and form a dynamic relationship with them in the environment. As well as a source of wonder, plants provide food, energy, medicine, and innumerable commercial products. The course will explore plant biology, the form and function of plant types, modes of growth and reproduction, and genetics and genetic engineering.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Botany: The Plant Biology | 3533 (002) | Patrick R. Leacock | Fri
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is designed to inspire the understanding of the significance of plants to human life. The beauty and diversity of nature is expressed most vividly in the flora of the Earth. Plants are essential for the survival of all living animals, and form a dynamic relationship with them in the environment. As well as a source of wonder, plants provide food, energy, medicine, and innumerable commercial products. The course will explore plant biology, the form and function of plant types, modes of growth and reproduction, and genetics and genetic engineering.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Sustainability | 3539 (001) | Michele Hoffman | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
In this course students learn about the scientific roots and complexities of diagnosing the most pressing environmental crises of the twenty-first century, their ethical and legal impacts on society, and the potential to achieve sustainability for the future. We raise stimulating ethical and legal debates about topics such as depletion of oceanic resources, loss of biodiversity, habitat destruction, depletion of topsoil, degradation of groundwater and more. This class is about critical thinking and incorporates team projects, debate, class discussion, and independent research to investigate the current state of the global condition and potential for a sustainable future.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top:Drugs We Use and Abuse | 3550 (001) | Sarah Burris, PhD | Mon
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM All Online |
Description
Drugs are substances that can alter processes in our minds and bodies. Humans have explored the use of such substances throughout recorded history. In this course we will establish the foundations of systems biology necessary to understand how drugs act on receptors and alter neurotransmitters in the human body, and how they are metabolized and excreted. We will survey a range of drugs (legal and illegal) and discuss how they work, enabling a critical consideration of how they are used and abused in contemporary society. Students will confront real-world media and current debates about medical and recreational drugs with a focus on the role of the underlying science.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top: Mimicry, Masks, Doubles: Surrealist Mimesis | 3550 (002) | Jeremy Biles | Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Focusing on the discourse of surrealism from its inception to the current moment, this class investigates the peculiar powers of surrealist modes of mimesis in the interrelated forms of mimicry, masks, and doubles. Taking a philosophical approach to the material, we ask questions including: How does surrealism theorize, analyze, and use mimesis to achieve its particular uncanny effects? What is the value of these effects? What implications does this vein of surrealist inquiry have for thinking and making today? The class engages a wide array of concepts, including: sex, sexuality, and gender; love and eroticism; the uncanny; death; chance; desire; madness; haunting; mannequins and dolls; representation; camouflage and counterfeiting; simulation; Afrosurrealism; humor; identity/otherness; revolutionary politics; freedom; unconscious; image; imagination; dreams; games; myth; magic. We engage surrealist expressions in both written (literary and philosophical) and visual forms. Required course readings prioritize ¿primary¿ texts from surrealist thinkers (e.g. Breton, Caillois, Bataille, Dali, Césaire, Carrington), but also include critical literature (e.g. Taussig, Caws). Students write two short reflection papers and a longer final paper (graded). Students also take part in both individual and group making exercises (particularly writing and drawing) as an experimental basis for critical analysis (ungraded).
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top:Tropical Ecosystems and Biodiversity | 3550 (002) | Camila Pizano | Mon
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This course will explore tropical ecosystems, where biological diversity peaks. The beauty and extreme variety of tropical life forms have not only provided scientists with a frontier for the discovery of new species, new drugs, etc., but have also inspired people from across disciplines. This course will provide an introduction to studies of living organisms and ecosystems in the tropics, ecological relationships among species, the influence of tropical biodiversity on different disciplines, and issues surrounding the conservation of tropical species and ecosystems. Course work includes discussions, worksheets, quizzes, and online videos and readings (textbook excerpts, magazine and journal articles, book chapters, and interviews), as well as talks by invited speakers. Course work and assignments include presentations on specific tropical organisms, types of ecosystems, and the multiple dimensions of people and forests¿ interactions in the tropics, as well as short writings and artistic interpretations. The course includes one or two required field trips.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top: Divination: Theory and Practice | 3550 (003) | Peter O'Leary | Fri
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
A detailed investigation of one or a few topics in religious studies with an eye to addressing contemporary interests.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top:Conservation Biology | 3550 (003) | Camila Pizano | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
Earth is full of a spectacular diversity of life forms as a result of more than 4 million years of evolution. However, human modification of ecosystems has significantly altered natural habitats and landscapes, impacting organisms inhabiting them. This course explores the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss, and how the field of conservation biology, an inter-disciplinary field, brings together different areas such as ecology, social science, genetics, anthropology, communication, sociology and restoration to identify problems and solutions to the loss of ecosystems and species. This class begins by exploring why biodiversity is important and valuable from different angles, disciplines, and instrumental arguments, while exploring the main consequences of biodiversity loss. In collaboration with Chicago¿s multiple conservation agencies, the class then turns attention to local efforts of conservation of land and aquatic species and ecosystems. Course work includes discussions, worksheets, quizzes, online videos and readings (textbook excerpts, magazine, journal and newspaper articles, book chapters, interviews), as well as talks by invited speakers. There will be required field trips to the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum, and the Chicago Botanic Garden.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Sociology of Latinas | 3555 (001) | Christina Gomez | Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course examines the diversity of Latina experiences in the United States and the construction of Latina identities, social movements, artistic expressions, and political participation. The course centers around testimonios -- or life stories -- specifically focusing on understanding the struggles of Latinas in everyday life. Topics include Latina feminism, colorism/race, sexualities, educational attainment, violence against women, and labor participation.
Readings and screenings will vary but generally include 'testimonios,' essays, studies, and documentaries focusing on the experiences of Latinas in the United States. Including demographics of the Latinx Population,Fact Sheet on Latinas ¿ Health, Education, and readings from Economics, Political Science, Sociology, Anthropology, and Literature that focus on Latinas experiences, studies, and policies. Books include:The Latina Feminist Group, Telling to Live: Latina Feminist Testimonios and This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color, Editors: Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua. We examine issues, such as forced sterilization of Latina women in the U.S., skin color discrimination, sexual abuse, and the ongoing pay disparity that Latinas face that has barely budged within the last 30 years. Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of three essays during the semester, and a final presentation of a project that is shared with the class. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Ecology, evolution, and our role in a changing world | 3557 (001) | Matthew Nelsen | Thurs
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
Earth is home to diverse life. These organisms interact with and influence both one another and the environment. We will begin the semester by exploring the nature of these interactions, their structure and importance, and the diversity of life on Earth, while also gaining insight into the scientific method and the data and approaches utilized to generate an understanding of the world around us. We will then shift to discussing the origins of diversity and how both the Earth and life on it have changed through time. Armed with a richer perspective of this diversity and its origins, we will then move towards the present to discuss current threats endangering this diversity (such as climate change), and actions we can take to mitigate this loss. Together, students will ultimately acquire a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the world around us, while also considering our place in and impact on it. It is hoped that this greater cognizance will serve as inspiration for students and their artistic work, while also leading them to more deeply consider the fascinating evolutionary history underlying many of the materials used in their work.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Food Futures: Searching for Sustainability | 3559 (001) | Andrew S. Yang | Fri
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM All Online |
Description
What are the crucial connections between the food we grow and eat to the ongoing challenges of global warming and biodiversity loss? What could it mean to eat ¿sustainably¿? Starting from key ecological principles of food, we will examine the promises and pitfalls of modern-day industrial agriculture, genetically-modified foods, supermarkets, as well as complexities of food waste and emerging food technologies. This exploration of agriculture¿s historical development will also have us confront issues of environmental justice, food independence, and labor that are central to food sustainability today. Contemporary food systems are inherently global and our examination will connect through of U.S. practice and policies. Individual research presentations, short debates, and weekly written assignments will be core components of this course.
Materials, videos, and documentaries will include topics like global warming, nutrient cycling, entomophagy, he American Dust Bowl, the 'Green Revolution,' GM Foods, and etc. (Food Inc. The Man Who Tried to Feed the World, Just Eat It, King Corn, Big River, and more). Writers and researchers may include: Michael Pollan, Jared Diamond, George Monbiot, Vandana Shiva, NOAA/NASA, New York Times. Students will be expected to keep up with weekly readings and viewings, out-of-class short answer quizzes, in-class exercises, as well as small research projects + in-class presentations on food sustainability topics of their choice. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Biotechnology and Society | 3565 (001) | Tues
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
|
Description
This course surveys the science behind emerging biotechnologies in neuroscience, genomics, genetic engineering, transhumanism and artificial intelligence. For each technology we discuss, we will focus on the biology on which that tool has been developed from/for. Once we obtain an understanding of the scientific background of these topics, we will also discuss potential bioethical situations the use of these biotechnologies brings. Finally, we will learn to think critically about these topics and how they are presented to us in the media. The objective of this course is to gain a thorough understanding of the scientific method, as well as the key functional components of the brain and body on a molecular level. These foundations are critical for the translation of scientific knowledge into critical thinking about the presentation of science in the media, as well as the creation of a strong justification for one?s own ethical positions.
Throughout the semester students will complete readings and written homework assignments. The final will consist of a written paper on a specific technology that the student would like to further analyze, as well as a short oral presentation to their peers. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Creating Life: Nature, Nurture and Embryology | 3566 (001) | Anna Edlund | Fri
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
A newly fertilized egg has none of its later adult features; these emerge through interplay between external and internal forces. We will explore how embryos take shape, generate patterns, and also evolve novelty. Our discussions of creation in the context of evolution and embryology, will be enriched by laboratory exercises and several projects on fate, chance, and necessity during deep time and in a single lifetime.
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| International Politics | 3567 (001) | Patrick Lynn Rivers | Thurs
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This is an introductory course surveying themes in international politics. Possible themes include: theories of international relations, human rights, globalization, environmental concerns, defense and national security, international organizations and trade. Possible readings include: Kegley, World Politics: Trend and Transformation (2010); Hernandez-Truyol and Powell, Just Trade: A New Covenant Linking Trade and Human Rights (2009); Giddens, The Politics of Climate Change (2009); Sylvester, War, Feminism & International Relations (2010); Lisk, Global Institutions and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Responding to an International Crisis (2009).
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Disease Dynamics | 3700 (001) | Tues
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
|
Description
From viruses to vaccines, zombie-making fungi to tick bites that make you allergic to meat, fascinating, terrifying, mundane, and sometimes just outright bizarre diseases surround us every day. In Disease Dynamics, we will explore the basic science behind what causes different types of diseases, how our bodies naturally defend against them, and how medical innovations like antibiotics, vaccines, and insulin work to combat these diseases and disorders. Students will walk away from this class with an understanding of how their bodies together with science attempt to fight the ever-shifting, ever-present threats of disease they face each day. The course will survey topics including the immune system, autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, vaccines and antibiotics, cancer, genetic disorders, and gene therapy. Coursework will include readings, quizzes, discussions, and an art-infused final project.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| History of Philosophy: Medieval to Renaissance Philosophy | 3702 (001) | Robert Kiely | Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
The story of European philosophy in the Middle Ages is one of loss and recovery. A great deal of classical thought was lost when the Roman Empire crumbled, and those ideas were reintroduced and reconciled to European culture in a series of intellectual events spanning a thousand years. In this course, we trace the course of this process, from the monastic culture of the Early Middle Ages, to the Aristotelian world of the High Medieval universities, to the classical resurgence of the Italian renaissance. We explore a wide variety of written material. Augustine of Hippo and Boethius illustrate the period immediately after the fall of Rome, while Ibn Sina and Ibn Rushd demonstrate the crucial role played by Arab philosophy after the 9th century. Hildegard of Bingen and Peter Abelard embody the energy of European thought in the 12th century, and the scholastic synthesis of Thomas Aquinas represents the culmination of that intellectual energy. Finally, the work of Christine de Pisan and Pico della Mirandola manifest the Humanist character of the Otalian Renaissance. Assignments vary, but they might include some or many of the following: weekly reading responses, quizzes, papers, and exams.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| History of Philosophy: Hegel to the 20th Century | 3704 (001) | Guy Elgat | Fri
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
What is it to be an autonomous agent? To what extent is our agency free? In this course, we examine the manner in which the notion of individual, autonomous freedom is criticized and undermined in various ways in 19th and 20th century philosophy. After introducing the German philosopher Immanuel Kant¿s thought, with its strong conception of individual autonomy, we look at Hegel¿s critique of Kant and discuss his philosophy of history as a rational force that shapes and enables freedom. We then look at Marx and the materialist twist he gives to Hegel¿s idea: it is not reason but economic conditions that determine a person¿s degree of freedom. We then discuss Nietzsche¿s ideas to the effect that it is certain socio-psychological forces that shape what we value. We end by looking at structuralist (Michel Foucault) and feminist (Marilyn Friedman) approaches to the question of autonomy. Assignments vary, but they might include some or many of the following: weekly reading responses, quizzes, papers, and exams.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Developmental Psychology | 3705 (001) | Gioia Pirrello | Fri
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
It is the purpose of this course to examine theories of psychological development across the lifespan, from birth to death. Students will learn theories of development as they apply to each stage of life and will apply their learning in case analyses, interviews, observations and presentations. There will be an emphasis in the course on the application and integration of a fairly wide array of theories to real life persons and situations. Students will learn to apply an array of developmental theories to explain developmental phenomena as they occur in case material, will be able to compare, contrast and integrate ideas from different theories and paradigms of developmental psychology. Readings will vary but may include C. G. Jung, J. Bowlby, E. Erikson, J. Piaget, M. Ainsworth, H.S. Sullivan, D. Levinson, G. Vaillant, K. Dabrowski and others. Students can expect a required final paper, and additional quizzes and shorter writing assignments.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Psychology Of Art And The Artist | 3715 (001) | James Driscoll | Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
An exploration of historical and contemporary psychological approaches to understanding art, artists, and the art world.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Psychology of Sensation, Perception and Attention | 3722 (001) | James Driscoll | Fri
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
An introduction to the psychology of sensation, perception, and attention. Perceptual processes of behavior, including attention, are studied in addition to the basic neurobiology of sensation. Traditional and current topics including color, space, and motion perception, attentional selection, sensory memory, perceptual organization (Gestalt groupings), pattern recognition, and the cognitive and social aspects of perception may be reviewed.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Psychodynamic Psychology | 3738 (001) | Gioia Pirrello | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
It is the purpose of this course to examine the many theories that fall into the psychodynamic paradigm. This will include examining the work of Freud and those who have branched off from his basic ideas? such as Adler, Jung, Reich, Klein, Fairbairn, Kohut, Guntrip, Winnicott, Erikson, Mahler, Stern, Sullivan, Jacobson, Bion and Lacan, to name but a few. Students can expect a required final paper, and additional quizzes and shorter writing assignments.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| The Psychology Of Death | 3745 (001) | Alberto E. Varona | Mon
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This course examines the psychological impact of mortality. Questions include: How does the knowledge of our eventual death affect our everyday lives? What are the psychological effects of living under the ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation? Other topics are: the dynamics of human violence; survivor experience and traumatic syndrome; and healthy versus pathological grieving.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top:Intro Linguistic Anthrop | 3800 (001) | Matilda Stubbs | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
Next to breathing and eating, communication is arguably the most important activity of daily life. This course explores the world of communication and the study of culture through language. The material centers around the major theoretical and epistemological developments throughout the history of linguistic inquiry (Wittgenstein, Sapir, Pierce), specifically focusing on the contributions of linguistic anthropology (Boas and Hymes) and ethnographies of language (Basso, Carr, Fox, Mendoza-Denton). We will also explore semiotics (Agha)? the study of signs and the micro-level methods of basic social interaction and conduct independent language fieldwork projects to learn the basics of transcription and discourse analysis.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top: Anthro of China Today | 3800 (002) | Saul T Thomas | Mon
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course aims to approach China today through its various 'cultures' and 'subcultures'--the worlds of meaning constructed along with the establishment (and imposition) of identities of the 'self' and understandings and representations of all manner of internal and external 'others.' Our primary avenues of inquiry will be the broad categories of ethnicity, class, gender, and religion in the broadest senses. We will also discuss the methods and means of acquiring anthropological knowledge of China, and attempt to devise and conduct our own independent inquiries.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top: Art, Property and Museum | 3800 (003) | Jake Nussbaum | Thurs
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Historically, the discipline of Art History has been the study of white men, whereas Anthropology has been the study of the creative practices of ¿others,¿ i.e., those subject to European imperialism and colonization. This has created a hidden dynamic in the ways we think about human creativity: ¿art¿ is understood to be the product of individual genius (i.e., whiteness and masculinity), whereas ¿culture¿ is the anonymous and traditional production of ¿a people.¿ And yet, all creative practice emerges within specific social and historical contexts and at the nexus of tradition and innovation, the individual and the collective. In this class we will salvage the tools of anthropological analysis from their colonial origins to radically transform our understanding of art and its place in the world. Drawing on theoretical and anthropological readings in three thematic areas¿Art, Property, and Museums¿we will critically examine the ways human creativity is valued and appreciated while also learning to refuse the racialized and gendered hierarchies that structure the category of ¿art.¿ At the same time, we will engage with artworks, films, and exhibitions that appropriate the ¿anthropological gaze¿ to further unsettle these hierarchies. Coursework will consist of weekly readings, critical responses to local exhibitions and performances, and independent research projects. In-class activities will draw us further into the contradictions and questions raised.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Medical Anthropology | 3808 (001) | Christine M Malcom | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
In this course, we examine health and disease in cultural context. This requires challenging narrow Western views of health and the claim that biomedicine is objective and culture free. Topics include the overlapping, but non-identical, concepts of disease, illness, and sickness; the mind-body divide (or lack thereof); a historical overview of human health and cultural change; culture-specific medical practices, practitioners, and syncretism; population-specific health issues and health disparities; medicine under global, late-stage capitalism; and using anthropological knowledge to solve contemporary/emerging health problems. Readings vary but typically include historical works in the discipline by James Roney, George Foster, and Arthur Kleinman, as well as contemporary critical medical anthropology scholars, such as Paul Farmer, Marion Nestle, Marcia Inhorn, and Richard Sapolsky. We will approach these texts as a community, and each class meeting will foreground both small group and class-wide discussion grounded in readings. Students will complete weekly open-note quizzes and two open-note exams. In addition, students will give one presentation and complete three writing assignments.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top: Wandering Uterus: Gender, Race, and Medicine | 4010 (001) | Terri Kapsalis | Thurs
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This interdisciplinary course approaches the topic of gender, race, and medicine from cultural, historical, and scientific perspectives. We consider hysteria (purported to be caused by a 'wandering uterus') and other mental afflictions associated with sex and gender, the foundation of U.S. gynecology and its dependence on enslaved bodies, the Women's Health Movement and its legacy, queer and trans health issues, and sex health education. Readings include works by Audre Lourde, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Elaine Showalter, Leslie Feinberg and Andrea Smith. We will also consider the ways in which artists have addressed issues of gender, race and medicine in their work. Assignments include an interview project, written reflections, and a final research-based project.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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| Top:Conspiracy Theory | 4010 (002) | Kristi Ann McGuire | Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
Conspiracy Theory and Other Metanarratives
The term 'conspiracy theory' has long been used to indicate a narrative genre that includes a broad selection of arguments for the existence of systemic furtive acts. Cautiously construing a space between the unwarranted and the unidentifiable, conspiracy works to situate grand narratives at the core of distinctions between the individual and the institution, public and private life, and visible and invisible architectures. At the same time, the events that sustain conspiratorial knowing are often articulated as the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public, actively questioning how concerns with collective memory, loss, and paranoia fuel both the desire for transparency and our projective urge to insert ourselves into our uncomfortable past and unknown future. From Wikileaks, the Cold War, and the Kennedy Assassination, nostalgia-driven television programs (Quantum Leap, You Are There), astrology, and the history of editorial redactions to the work of writers and artists such as Mark Lombardi, Pierre Huyghe, Dziga Vertov, Spaulding Gray, and Don Delillo, we'll examine how the sense of a 'master plot' shapes the way we narrate social and cultural experiences. What role do these narratives play in our struggle to assign meaning to events and artworks that are otherwise inexplicable? And how does our fascination with conspiracy--and its often melancholic and performative relationship to loss--address the potential of 'putting right what once went wrong'? PrerequisitesPrerequisite: First Year English requirement. |
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