What does American democracy have to do with the world’s longest mural, high school poetry slams, or a bilingual theatre collaboration between Appalachia and the Santa Clara Pueblo? With Benny Goodman performing in Red Square, a Japanese-American theatre in Seattle, or a Black Arts publishing company in Detroit? This seminar looks at how American artists have imagined democracy. Varied reading/writing assignments, videos, field trips. Final project focuses on a community art work of your choice.

Mammy. Jezebel. Matriarch. Welfare Queen. This first-year seminar introduces students to the experience of African American women through the study of representation in the past and present. Beginning with the imagery of jezebel and mammy constructed during the slavery era, we will trace the changing yet interrelated representations of Black women in American society. Throughout the course, we will study processes by which stereotypes about race and gender intersect to define African American women in particular, limiting, and recurring ways. We will consider the ideologies from which these images have stemmed as well as the social and political uses to which these images have been put. We will also examine the myriad ways that African American women have challenged and transformed these images. Our materials for this course will include works of history, cultural criticism, fiction, autobiography, and film.

For the sports fanatic, this course uses sports as a vehicle for developing deeper and more complicated understandings of American Culture. Using the cultural histories of football, baseball, basketball, cheerleading, among others, and in college and professional levels, we will explore issues such as the role of sports in the formation of individual, group, and even national, identities; how race, class, gender, and religion "play" in the arena of sports; and the value of sports as a frame of cultural analysis. Work will include discussing course readings, and conducting mini archival and field research in sports-related topics and sporting communities.

ASTRO 122 deals with the origin and history of matter, as found in various astronomical bodies including planets, stars, and galaxies. Students will learn how clues to the history of matter are found in the abundance patterns of objects studies by astronomers. The text will be made available on the web for downloading. Additional details may be found at A href=http://www.astro.lsa.umich.edu/users/cowley/>http://www.astro.lsa.umich.edu/users/cowley/.

Credit Exclusions: Credit is granted for a combined total of 12 credits elected in introductory biology.

This course will start with the biological underpinnings of biotechnology and then examine its social and economic consequences. The goal is to allow the non-scientist to make informed judgments on issues such as genetic engineering, cloning, stem sell research, and genetically modified organisms.

Credit Exclusions: Credit is granted for a combined total of 12 credits elected in introductory biology.

This seminar provides a broad introduction to biological evolution, the central theory of biology. Students are expected to read the textbook and discuss aspects of their assignments during class. We consider the meaning of "species" and how new species evolve, differences between sexual and asexual species, and why natural selection is believed to be the main driving force of evolution. Classes meet in 2009 Ruthven Museum.

Textbook: What Evolution Is, Ernst Mayr. Paperback edition. 2001.

Credit Exclusions: Credit is granted for a combined total of 12 credits elected in introductory biology.

This seminar provides a broad introduction to biological evolution, the central theory of biology. Students are expected to read the textbook and discuss aspects of their assignments during class. We consider the meaning of "species" and how new species evolve, differences between sexual and asexual species, and why natural selection is believed to be the main driving force of evolution. Classes meet in 2009 Ruthven Museum.

Textbook: What Evolution Is, Ernst Mayr. Paperback edition. 2001.

Taking its title from the Langston Hughes poem, this seminar will explore psychological aspects of race, ethnicity, and other cultural differences in the United States. What are some of the opportunities and obstacles to our joining with Hughes in affirming, "They'll see how beautiful I am . . I, too, sing America?"

Topics will include stereotyping, communication, cooperation, conflict, justice, and discrimination. For example: What are psychological theories about how individuals and groups might most benefit from life in pluralistic societies? What are some psychological dynamics of stereotyping? What are possible connections between various forms of discrimination (for example, racism, sexism, homophobia, and anti-Semitism)?

Mammy. Jezebel. Matriarch. Welfare Queen. This first-year seminar introduces students to the experience of African American women through the study of representation in the past and present. Beginning with the imagery of jezebel and mammy constructed during the slavery era, we will trace the changing yet interrelated representations of Black women in American society. Throughout the course, we will study processes by which stereotypes about race and gender intersect to define African American women in particular, limiting, and recurring ways. We will consider the ideologies from which these images have stemmed as well as the social and political uses to which these images have been put. We will also examine the myriad ways that African American women have challenged and transformed these images. Our materials for this course will include works of history, cultural criticism, fiction, autobiography, and film.

The Spartans dominated the ancient Greek world, both by their physical presence and by the awe in which other states held them, an awe that is their legacy today. Who were these men? How did they become so highly regarded? What were their lives like? How did their society and government function? We shall read Herodotus, Thucydides, Plutarch, Aristophanes, inscriptions, and several modern works of fiction on the Spartans, and examine archaeological evidence. Modern scholarship on the Spartans will also be a part of this course. No background in ancient history or classical studies required. Course requirements: approximately 100 pages of reading per week, two short papers (4-6 pages) during the term, and a final examination. Estimated cost of books (if bought new): $103, and a course reader.

Murderers, thieves, prostitutes, and drug addicts. Crimes of corruption, homosexuality, political persuasion, and creative expression. How are these depicted in literature, and why are they of interest to us as readers? Works of literature in which the protagonists are criminals and social deviants, or those who act outside of social norms, are of interest not because they represent these characters as likeable or unlikable, good or bad. These works are of interest for what they tell us about the society and times in which the criminal-heroes (or anti-heroes) exist. How do, for example, the conditions of modern life push individuals to live within the fringes of society? And how do criminals and deviants, in turn, support mainstream culture by operating within the social margins? What are the psychological limits and societal restraints that these characters transgress? And how, through acts of transgression, are the very notions of criminality and deviance transformed?

Primary course readings will include The Last Days of Socrates by Plato, The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, De Profundis by Oscar Wilde, Germinal by Emile Zola, Querelle by Jean Genet, Junky by William Burroughs, and Gould’s Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan.

Students will be evaluated on attendance, class participation, the presentation of group work, and brief writing assignments.

Ricky Martin’s 1999 musical hit “Livin’ La Vida Loca” brought the term “loca” into households across the United States. Ricky Martin gained his fame by gyrating his body while singing lyrics depicting a Latina woman driving a man insane with her sexual games, thereby popularizing an association of “locura” with Latina/o sexuality.

In this course, we will explore the multiple meanings “loca” has acquired in Latina/o literary and cultural production. We will examine how the term literally means “crazy” or “insane,” and analyze novels and poems that focus on the construction of Latinas/os as mentally unstable such as “Night Madness Poem,” “Small Madness,” and So Far From God. We will also read texts that focus on the relation drawn between “locura” and Latina/o sexuality, exploring short stories and personal narratives by queer Chicana writers such as Gloria Anzaldúa and Cherríe Moraga. Moreover, we will look at how the term “loca” is additionally affiliated with gang banging, as writers Yxta Maya Murray (Locas) and Luis Rodriguez (Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.) and filmmaker Allison Anders (Mi Vida Loca) demonstrate. Throughout, we will question how each of the connotations of “locura” feeds into and/or challenges stereotypical ideas about Latinas/os in the U.S. popular imagination.

Students will be expected to complete a number of writing assignments, including at least one essay for each of the three sections of the class. Students will also be expected to give in-class presentations on one set of the readings. Active student engagement, open-mindedness, and sensitivity towards varying opinions are critical ingredients towards making this a successful course.

This first-year seminar focuses on specific topics of current interest in economics. Instructors and topics vary from term to term. The course emphasizes reading, writing, and discussion of economic issues and points of view.

A study of rhetoric, both as a body of principles, and as a practical art, emphasizing the writing of expository and argumentative essays.

A study of rhetoric, both as a body of principles, and as a practical art, emphasizing the writing of expository and argumentative essays.

A study of rhetoric, both as a body of principles, and as a practical art, emphasizing the writing of expository and argumentative essays.

A study of rhetoric, both as a body of principles, and as a practical art, emphasizing the writing of expository and argumentative essays.

Freedom in literature and in life

While almost everyone claims to speak in the name of freedom, "freedom" has had many different meanings, both now and in the past. Literature provides us with at least partial insight into how people in different times and places have tried to define freedom and to live a free life. Our readings will range from ancient Greece to present-day USA; art, film and live theater will provide an additional dimension. Writing assignments will challenge us to think analytically and personally about freedom.

A study of rhetoric, both as a body of principles, and as a practical art, emphasizing the writing of expository and argumentative essays.

How did we learn to read? What enhanced or inhibited that learning? How is our interpretation now shaped by our identity and background? We will address these questions self-reflectively by tutoring area school children, and writing about our own reading and community experiences. Assignments will incorporate related research (i.e., on bilingual education) and "literacy narratives" (in which writers such as Frederick Douglass, Mary Antin, Zitkala Sa, and Richard Rodriguez describe their early reading/writing experiences). Students will write a number of short analytical essays, their own "literacy narrative," and a longer essay incorporating research. Rough drafting and peer review are integral to this course.

In this class, students will explore the ways in which children and childhood have been imagined by British writers from the early nineteenth century to the present. Looking closely at works by writers such as William Blake, Christina Rossetti, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, James Joyce, Katherine Mansfield, Roald Dahl, and J.K. Rowling, we will consider ways in which shifts in the representation of childhood are influenced by the broader historical context.

Work for this course includes response papers, two longer essays and a final exam.

Read Shakespeare's account of a New World hurricane, search for the lost city of gold with Walter Ralegh, and look through Darwin’s eyes as he encounters the mysterious Feugians at the southern tip of South America. Examining works from the fifteenth century to the present, this course introduces students to a range of works that confront the vastness and wonder of the New World. Readings in select early modern works will preface subsequent explorations in authors such as Daniel Defoe, Aphra Behn, Charles Darwin, H. Rider Haggard, and D.H. Lawrence. The course meets in the Clements Rare Book library on campus, home to rare editions of many works relevant to our subject. Students will recieve hands-on instruction in the use of such materials and a comprehensive introduction to the possibilities and pleasures of working directly with primary materials. Course enrollment limited to 11 students; two essays, oral report, and brief quizzes.

The purpose of this seminar is to begin to understand at both the global and local levels, the emerging responses to major problems resulting from unprecedented environmental changes. Initiatives to achieve future sustainability will be the focus of the seminar.

We will begin with a multidisciplinary examination of global environmental and related social changes. Focus will be on the needs of humans and other life forms, including the biophysical conditions on which life depends. Interconnections between the natural environment and social and cultural systems will be emphasized. To help develop a "global" perspective, we will identify implications of these changes for local communities, particularly in the U.S.A.

By critically examining the multiple meanings of "sustainable development" and "sustainability" and related practices, the seminar will address the emerging choices and actions for change. Emphasis will be on changes being pursued by communities, organizations, and individuals in response to growing perceptions of the unsustainability of established values and behaviors. Also, we will examine our own lifestyles in relation to achieving greater sustainability.

To understand initiatives to achieve greater sustainability in local geographical communities, we will study the topics of sustainable consumption, land use, food security and agriculture, materials use, and business and economy. Discussions of these topics will draw upon print and electronic resources, presentations by guest practitioners, and community based experiences of the seminar's members. Readings will come from a wide range of publications including core books of readings by different authors (e.g., People, Land and Community, Vital Signs 1999, and Eco-Pioneers) and articles from a variety of journals (e.g., The Futurist, Science, Resurgence, Harvard Business Review, and Co-op Quarterly).

Seminar members over the course of the academic term will select and complete a project of their choice. Each seminar member will be expected to involve herself/himself in relevant learning activities of their choice beyond the seminar and within the University as well as the surrounding community. If they choose to, students will have the opportunity to pursue and integrate into their seminar work service learning experiences related to the pursuit of sustainability. Information and other learning from these involvements will be incorporated in the seminar.

Writing assignments will include options for individual choice and utilize the forms of a journal and integrative essays expressed as op-ed articles, short research papers directed to different audiences, news articles, and book reviews. Essential parts of the seminar learning process will include thorough preparation for discussions and active participation in presenting and discussing ideas as well as in actively listening and responding to other seminar members. Assignments will be mostly individual but some will involve groups

The French Romantics were fascinated by the image of Spain — as a setting for their works, a destination for their travels, a subject for creative invention. The “founding moment” of the Romantic movement was inextricably linked with a “Spanish” story,: the riotous performance of Victor Hugo’s Hernani at the Comédie française on 25 February 1830. In this first-year seminar, we will examine the manifestations and implications of this theme in selected works by Chateaubriand, Nodier, Hugo and Mérimée,. We will aim to determine what the idea of Spain may have meant not only for individual writers and for the development of French Romanticism, but also for French society of the nineteenth century more generally: for this theme had a spectacular after-life in one of the most popular and oft-performed French operas ever written, which we will also study — Bizet’s Carmen. Finally, we will examine the extension of this theme into early cinema, in Marcel L’Herbier’s 1921 film, El Dorado.

Course given in French.

Readings:

Chateaubriand, Les Aventures du dernier Abencerrage
Nodier, Inès de las Sierras
Hugo, Hernani
Mérimée, Carmen
Showings of Carmen and El Dorado to be arranged.

Credit Exclusions: Those with credit for GEOSCI 114 may only elect GEOSCI 142 for 2 credits.

From Stars to Stones starts from stellar evolution and the formation of the elements in stars, and ends at the formation of terrestrial planets (especially our Earth) from these elements and the early evolution of these planets. Students will learn cosmochemical and geochemical concepts and methods, and apply them to study several theme topics. The theme topics may include: origin of the elements, lifetime of the sun, abundance of the elements, age of the Earth and solar system, origin of the Earth, internal structure of the Earth, planetary atmospheres, and meteorites. Though factual knowledge is an important part of the course, emphasis is on how scientists study and solve problems and how science progresses using historical examples.

Credit Exclusions: No credit granted to those who have completed three of GEOSCI 105, 107, and 205. Those with credit for one of GEOSCI 105 and 107 may only elect GEOSCI 146 for two credits. Those with credit for GEOSCI 205, or both GEOSCI 105 and 107, may only elect GEOSCI 146 for one credit.

The theory of plate tectonics—a description of the surprising mobility of the Earth's crust—is a modern-day scientific revolution. Plate tectonics offers a unifying explanation for geological and planetary phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges, climate changes, and the diversity of life today and in the fossilized past. In this course, we will learn about Earth's internal structure, and explore how plate tectonics became a theory central to understanding how the geological landscape has evolved during Earth's history.

Credit Exclusions: No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in GEOSCI 284. Those with credit for GEOSCI 109 may only elect GEOSCI 148 for 2 credits.

This seminar examines the interactions between people and their physical environment through case histories and discussions of selected environmental problems including natural hazards, water resources, nuclear waste disposal and geologic aspects of environmental health. Examples of specific case studies discussed include: observed Antarctic ice shelf changes due to occurrence of potential global warming; nuclear energy as an alternative response to the global oil crisis; subsurface nuclear waste disposal and its potential impact on groundwater — the Yucca Mountain (USA) versus the Tournemire (France) research sites; environmental impact created by construction of dams, e.g., the Three Gorges Dam in China.

Geological observations have had a profound impact on our understanding of the origin and evolution of life on earth. This course seeks to provide the broad historical and conceptual background required to critique geological and evolutionary theory. We will begin by considering the nature of scientific inquiry and the substantial pre-Darwinian history of geological thought. We will then explore early concepts and controversies concerning the geologic history of life and their importance for Darwin's theory of natural selection. Many other keystone geological controversies, including the age of the earth, plate tectonics, and asteroid impacts will be addressed in the context of our understanding of the history of life on earth. Finally, we will discuss modern questions in evolutionary biology and geology, particularly with respect to their potential social significance.

Credit Exclusions: Those with credit for GEOSCI 104 may only elect GEOSCI 151 for 2 credits.

This course explores the characteristic of the Earth's climate system and how the various components of that system operate to produce times when extensive ice sheets cover large parts of the Earth's surface. The role of each of the major components of the climate system will be discussed in detail. These include the ice sheets themselves, the astronomical inputs, the oceans, the atmosphere, and the movement of the continental and ocean boundaries. Reconstructions of past climatic conditions are presented and discussed in terms of how they are developed, what they can tell us about climatic extremes, and how they can be used to test the models that simulate modern climate patterns. The long-term climate change associated with the most recent ice age is then contrasted with more rapid climate oscillations, particularly the climatic warming which has been associated with the recent large increase in atmospheric "greenhouse gases."

The oceans provide many resources, including food, recreation, energy, and minerals. This course examines scientific principles behind these resources, as well as the conflicts that arise because of their utilization (the ocean as food resources vs. overfishing; development of beaches and marinas vs. preservation of wetlands; etc.). Students will lead discussions on weekly topics, with one written paper and one written exam required.

Myths are one way of structuring and explaining the world. This course explores the 'after life' of classical mythologies by focusing on the classical revival of the Renaissance, but we also study the intersection of these traditions with contemporary representations, chiefly in film. The course aims to familiarize students with a core set of myths, ones narrated in Ovid's Metamorphoses, and which provided a framework for picturing themes like transformation, desire and creativity. We will combine analysis of literary poetics with close attention to visual literacy. Through gender analysis, we focus on the construction of masculinity (e.g., Hercules) and femininity (e.g., Venus). The very fictionality of myth made it an apt vehicle for the figuring of creativity, here investigated through the stories of Narcissus, Prometheus and Pygmalion.

This class is being taught by SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda.

This course examines the development of art and architecture in Sri Lanka from 500 BC to 1815 AD. The class begins with an account of a group of exiles from Northern India, the Sinhalese, who arrived in Sri Lanka around 500 BC and whose exposure to Buddhism two centuries later would generate the building of great stupas and vast monasteries, the decorative programs of which included paintings and sculptures of considerable beauty and sophistication. Through close analyses of art, architecture, and craft, this course aims to assess the cultural practices of the only Buddhist society in South Asia, and to chart its interaction with the Hindu world of Southern India. By combining the examination of art with the study of history, archaeology, philosophy, and the environment, it is the central objective of this class to provide understanding of how Sri Lanka’s art has evolved through the ages.

On 29 December 1170, Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in his own cathedral. Fifty years later, Canterbury Cathedral had become one of the major centers of pilgrimage in western Christendom, drawing pilgrims – like those described in Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’ – from all over Europe. The goal of the pilgrimage were Thomas Becket’s mortal remains, staged within the rich and luminous architecture of Canterbury’s new choir, one of the first, and most important, Gothic structures in England. Our seminar will explore the extraordinary story of Becket’s martyrdom, the posthumous veneration of his relics, but above all, the magnificent architecture and stained glass of Canterbury Cathedral. The discussions will introduce you to the spatial lay-out, structure, function and imagery of a great Gothic church, and sharpen your skills of visual and architectural analysis. You will also learn how to read primary textual sources (such as contemporary accounts of Becket’s murder), and secondary literature (for instance a scholarly article analyzing medieval imagery depicting Becket’s murder).

What is the relationship between fiction and history? This course will consider how novelists, painters, comic artists, filmmakers, and historians have imagined the Congo and such iconic historical figures as King Leopold, Simon Kimbangu, Patrice Lumumba, and Mobutu. From Conrad's Heart of Darkness through Naipaul's Bend in the River, we will examine outsiders' narratives about this central African (post-)colony, and also analyze various historical sources, including Congolese epics, paintings, memoirs, and novels, to question Euroamerican representations, interrogate cliches, and see how Congolese themselves imagine, write, and remember history. A basic introduction to historical thinking and method through small-course seminar experience.

From smallpox to AIDS, dramatic disease outbreaks both shaped and were shaped by American culture. This course explores how medicine and culture intersected to influence the causes, experiences of, and responses to epidemics in America; and it uses epidemics to illuminate the history of American society from colonization to the present. Lectures introduce new topics and summarize discussions. Discussions will explore past perceptions and compare past and present; we will not discuss the present apart from the past. Readings (four to five hours weekly) include modern histories, plus old newspapers, films, and medical journals. Written assignments are two five-page book review papers, a short weekly journal, and an individual research project with parts due throughout the term. They will introduce you to the medical, graduate, and undergraduate libraries. Readings available only for purchase cost about $30; other required readings available on reserve or for purchase cost about $130 more. Course Pack available at Dollar Bill.

Assigned Books:

• Crosby, Columbian Exchange (Greenwood)
• Rosenberg, Cholera Years (Chicago)
• De Kruif, Microbe Hunters
• Gould, A Summer Plague (Yale)
• Garrett, The Coming Plague (Penguin)<

The "best kept secret" in the history of U.S. covert operations and a debacle that rivalled and preceded the Bay of Pigs- What exactly did the U.S. attempt in Indonesia during the late 1950's? How was it a failure? And how did Indonesian actions, motivations and desired outcomes diverge or differ from those envisaged in the documents of Cold War U.S. officials?

Among "the longest wars," what were the origins, strategy and impact of U.S. involvement in Vietnam starting in the mid-1950's? What were the motivations and domestic appeal of the Vietnamese Communists and their indigenous opponents? The Vietnam War was both the climax to an Asian social revolution that began in the colonial period and the longest and most controversial war in American history. How, after so long, did the U.S. manage to disengage? What role did U.S. domestic knowledge of the war and public opinion play in the decisions of policy makers?

In addition to assigned readings in secondary sources, students in this course will draw on primary source materials in library and archival collections at the University of Michigan to examine the debacle in Indonesia and to explore the latter parts of the Vietnam War. This course is writing intensive.

This course examines U.S. military and colonial involvement in the Philippines. Students will engage primary sources and read secondary literature on the Phillipine-American War and institutions of colonial relations, including the constabulary and prisons. They will study the post-World War Two Huk Rebellion, the politics of post-colonial military bases and their closure, and will consider, finally, more recent roles played by the U.S. military in the Philippines.

Primary sources will all be from the University of Michigan collections. About one-third of class meetings will take place at the archival collections located primarily on North Campus. Students will be introduced to archival research, a time-consuming but highly rewarding approach to learning about history by doing what historians do. This course is writing intensive.

Events in Vienna, Paris, and Berlin a century ago deeply affected not only the generation of World War I but also the rest of the century; in some ways the effects still resonate for us. In this seminar we will examine some of those events and their effects. Each student will have the opportunity to prepare a report on a topic of her or his choice at the end, and I shall tailor some of the assignments to student interests. Among the matters we will work on in class are the origins of modernity (Freud, Picasso, Stravinsky), the impact of cinema (Chaplin, Caligari, HIstler), the effects of world war, the modern novel, the Bomb, and the Europanization of Jazz and the Roaring Twenties.

Credit Exclusions: No credit granted to those who have completed a 200- (or higher) level mathematics course (except for MATH 385 and 485).

Background and Goals: This course introduces students to the ideas and some of the basic results in Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry. Beginning with geometry in ancient Greece, the course includes the construction of new geometric objects from old ones by projecting and by taking slices. The course is intended for students who want an introduction to mathematical ideas and culture. Emphasis is on conceptual thinking --- students will do hands-on experimentation with geometric shapes, patterns and ideas. Content: The section begins with the independence of Euclid's Fifth Postulate and with the construction of spherical and hyperbolic geometries in which the Fifth Postulate fails; how spherical and hyperbolic geometry differs from Euclidean geometry. The last topic is geometry of higher dimensions: coordinization --- the mathematician's tool for studying higher dimensions; construction of higher-dimension analogues of some familiar objects like spheres and cubes; discussion of the proper higher-dimensional analogues of some geometric notions (length, angle, orthogonality, etc.). Alternatives: none Subsequent Courses: This course does not provide preparation for any further study of mathematics.

What are the conditions a way of thinking or conversing must meet in order to be rational? What does it mean for a view to be objective or scientific? We consider these questions first in Plato’s attacks on dramatists, rhapsodes and orators, and then in more contemporary discussions of the media and science. Course requirements include attendance and participation, three papers.

Today we tend to tend to take it for granted that out of all forms of government, democracy is the most desirable. This course asks: what is the basis for this belief? More fundamentally, what does democracy mean? In looking at theories of democracy, we will be attuned to the historical and conceptual differences among different models of citizenship: ranging from the Greek city-state to the Enlightenment models of elite liberal democracy (in England) versus more wide-spread French republicanism to today’s different versions of democracy (such as parliamentary and electoral). We will examine both democracy’s strengths — especially in relation to other existing forms of government̬ and its flaws. We will read parts of classical works in political philosophy: by Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Mill and Marx. Aside from tracing the historical changes in models of democracy, we will also assess democracy’s value and desirability today.

Required Reading: Great Political Thinkers: From Plato to the Present, William Ebenstein and Allan Ebenstein.

In a 2001 publication, the economist Edward Castronova estimated that based on the sale of virtual goods in virtual markets like eBay, the economy of the online game Everquest rivals that of many “real world” nation states. The per capita gross domestic product of Everquest would be around the 77th largest in the world, and in real terms its economy would be the size of Namibia’s. And the economy of this game is just a fraction of the size of some other games like World of Warcraft and Lineage. How did this happen? How could a virtual economy become real? More pressing, what kinds of rights do people have when they make their entire livings in these games (and perhaps have their social lives based in these games)? Should game companies be free to ban them for “any reason or no reason” as one company claims, or should players and their avatars have basic rights in these game spaces? Finally, what kind of existence are we buying into when we spend much of our lives in these online spaces? Is the avatar like a mask that we wear? Is it a projection of an inner part of us? Is it just us? Is it socially constructed or is entirely within our own power to determine the nature of our online avatars? And is this entire class a pointless waste of time when we should be worrying about serious real world issues like war and poverty?

Taking its title from the Langston Hughes poem, this seminar will explore psychological aspects of race, ethnicity, and other cultural differences in the United States. What are some of the opportunities and obstacles to our joining with Hughes in affirming, "They'll see how beautiful I am . . I, too, sing America?"

Topics will include stereotyping, communication, cooperation, conflict, justice, and discrimination. For example: What are psychological theories about how individuals and groups might most benefit from life in pluralistic societies? What are some psychological dynamics of stereotyping? What are possible connections between various forms of discrimination (for example, racism, sexism, homophobia, and anti-Semitism)?

This seminar will focus on twinship. Throughout historical time, and across many cultures, twins have been the source of much fascination. In literature, they have served as a metaphor to explore identity, good vs. evil, multiple life options, symmetry, and soul mates, and in science, they have been used to disentangle genetic and environmental influences on health and behavior.

In order to gain an understanding of the experience, influences, and impact of twinship, we will examine literature and films that have used twins, we will interview twins, and parents, siblings, and spouses of twins, and we will consider theory and research on the biology and psychology of twins, and on the impact of recent increases in the incidence of twinning. A class web site will be integral to the course. Students will be expected to participate actively in both class and web site discussions, as well as to keep up with weekly reading and written assignments. In addition, there will be several group projects and a final exam. The number of points accumulated on these various options will determine final grades.

Topics to be discussed include:

• Russia in the 19th century: the Golden Age of Russian culture (literature, art, music, architecture, scholarship, philosophy, etc.); diplomatic relations with France and Poland.
• Russia in the 20th century: the democratic revolution of 1917; the country under dictatorship; war with Germany (1941-45); relations with Europe and USA.

We will experience the country and the time periods through poetry, novels, literature, music, art, and cinema. No knowledge of Russian is required or assumed.

Students and faculty will work together solving problems related to games, gambling and coincidences, touching on many fundamental ideas in discrete probability, finite Markov chains, dynamic programming and game theory.

This seminar will focus on how people listen to music and music's impact on communities of people who listen to it. In the first weeks of the course students will learn how to listen to music and explore the interaction of different elements of music, such as rhythm, melody, and harmony. As we begin to listen to a wider range of music, we will explore the impact of music in cases such as the Paris riot of 1913 following the performance of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" or the reaction of King George to the "Hallelujah Chorus" at the conclusion of Handel's "Messiah." We will consider the impact of popular music, religious music and the band as examples of how music has reached out into all types of communities. Students will attend three musical events and write reviews of each based on concepts explored in class. The professor will present and perform numerous examples of music on the piano, there will be invited soloists and chamber ensembles, and students who wish may share their musical talents in class.

What were the social, economic, geopolitical and personal psychological conditions in 1943 that would result in an 18-year old freshman leaving college and going off to spend the next three years fighting with the U.S. Army in Europe and liberating Dachau? What led up to 1943 and how did this series of historical events become a part of the life of American youth and continue to affect that generation's (your grandparents) behavior after World War II and through today? What do we know from 30 years of research on the nature of obedience that resulted in both self-sacrifice and the Holocaust? These questions will be explored using the resources of historical works, novels, films, and personal documents. Each student will interview a member of that generation, preferably a grandparent or surrogate, with armed services experience during the war and write a psycho-history of their subject's experiences and its consequences for their lives and times.

Issues of human sexuality and gender are explored from many perspectives including historical, cross-cultural, religious, and physiological. All people are sexual throughout their lives, although the expression of our sex and gender is one of the most diverse and controversial areas in personal and public arenas. The diversities of biological sex, gender identity, gender roles, sexual orientation, sexual identity, and sexual behavior and the interplay among them are presented and reinforced through readings, exercises, videos, guest speakers, and weekly written assignments. We will discuss sexual difficulties such as infertility, STDs, sexual dysfunction, and sexual victimization along with prevention and treatment strategies. We will examine social and political issues such as civil rights for sexual minorities, sex and the law, date rape, pornography, the impact of AIDS, public and private morality. Issues especially relevant for students are explored, including choice of sexual partners and behaviors, the influence of drugs, alcohol, and smoking on sexual function and sexual decision-making, sexual values and religious attitudes toward sex, and the wide range of possible lifestyles from celibacy to polyamory to paraphilias. The course requires access to the Internet, and uses a variety of Web-based resources and communication modes, as well as a textbook and readings from various journals. Weekly short papers and a semester project are required. Opportunities for help with developing presentation skills are available.

This course is designed to assist members toward an understanding of the personal and situational forces that help and hinder persons in their relationships with each other and in their efforts to work and live together. It will also assist members to transform this social psychological understanding into constructive actions for handling the problems and difficulties that inevitably arise when people are together. There will be opportunity to refine one’s competencies at reflective listening, giving and seeking feedback, interpersonal observation, and mindfulness in thinking about issues. The class sessions are interactive and informal with brief information-giving, focused discussions, interpersonal learning exercises, and videotapes. Reading assignments are mainly through course handouts and other suggested sources. To stimulate personal reflection on interpersonal issues, class members maintain an observation log and a reading log and do a term paper on a relevant, self-selected topic. This work is also used as the source of evaluation and grading in the course.

UC 151 is a service-learning course that integrates traditional coursework with personal reflection and community involvement. The goal of the course is to explore the dynamics of formal and informal education in urban settings. This course will help university students to understand the effects of social history and culture on the social identity of young children and how community members, especially elders, help to create and support positive roles for young children within this community. Students will work closely with members of the community and program staff to document cultural beliefs and practices that help to shape social identity and social expectations within the community. *As a requirement for the course, students will complete five hours of service each week in the Detroit public school system to develop practical service-learning models. Assisting educators in implementing these developed programs will give students the opportunity to put into practice the theory of service-learning.

Although medications have long been the primary means to treat disease in Western society, only in recent years has their use evoked widespread interest beyond the health care professionals who work with them and the individual patients who consume them. This seminar will describe and evaluate key issues that have raised the visibility of medication use in recent years. Areas that will be addressed include drug development and regulation, the economics and financing of medication benefit programs, medication taking behaviors, and programs to achieve proper medication use. The role of the pharmacist in managing that use, including culturally competent care, will be addressed.

Examples of specific issues that may be used to illustrate the course topics include direct-to-consumer advertising of medications, the balance between patient confidentiality and health professionals' need to know, insurer payment for "life style drugs" such as Viagra^® for impotence and Rogaine^® for baldness, and clinical controversies such as the use of hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women. Course readings will be selected from the clinical, professional, and lay literature and serve as the basis for class discussion and written assignments. One of the desired outcomes of this course is to develop in students the ability to critically analyze differing perspectives that affect how medications are used.

This course will examine the broad social and economic impacts of alcohol, with an emphasis on the effects of alcohol on health. Information will be presented on the historical perspective of alcohol and its role in the United States since the twentieth century. Students will consider the many impacts of alcohol on individuals, families, organizations, and broader society. By exploring how we are socialized into drinking and what changes could be made to positively alter the way this socialization occurs, students will gain a greater understanding of the role played by family, culture, peers and the alcohol industry in the development of drinking patterns. At the same time they will learn how to foster a more mature approach to, and responsible use of, alcohol. Classes also provide opportunities to engage in stimulating discussions with faculty and other experts from within the University of Michigan.

Health Care, Privilege, and Community will consist of four sections.

The first will provide an overview of medical and health care concepts and terms as they relate to multiculturalism. The understanding of these concepts will be critical for students, as they lay the groundwork for the remainder of the course.

The class will examine issues relating to consumers of health care, which will include discussions of the major ethnic and racial groups in the United States. Many of the class discussions will focus on these new consumers, e.g., various ethnic communities, elders, and other interest groups that have been "left behind" as major players in healthcare. In addition, the class will take a look at physicians and other types of health care providers with special attention to the providers from the major demographic groups.

Thirdly, we will examine the dilemmas within our health care system. Class discussions will focus on health disparities, ethical issues related to research in different ethnic groups, and discrimination in health care.

Finally, solutions to the present health care dilemmas will be discussed. We will investigate the future challenges for equitable health care based on the demographic changes that have occurred in the United States over the last two decades.

It will be important for students to gain an understanding of how these changes have resulted in new important consumers and providers of health care services. Subsequently, a discussion of current health disparities today will be an integral part of understanding whether they will persist in the future.

This course will explore the current contradictions between the West and the Middle Eastern and Muslim countries by studying stereotypes on both sides and how media and others exploit politically popular themes. We will consider various means of enhancing collaboration and breaking down the walls of mistrust and bias. We also will probe questions such as why intellectual dialogue has more or less broken down, and why thinking people are unable to connect with their counterparts across the religious and cultural divide.

This seminar will introduce you to recent scholarship on women’s experiences in twentieth-century China, with an emphasis on a history of the Chinese feminist movement. We will focus on the emergence and development of feminist discourse in modern China, discuss its relations with the rising nationalism, dominant political parties, and China’s pursuit of modernity. We will highlight diverse Chinese women's multiple roles in the 20th century, study and compare women in and outside the Chinese revolution, and examine women’s relations with the socialist state. The course will end at the contemporary Chinese society by discussing Chinese women's activism today. This is a course on a history of modern China with gender perspective, but knowledge of Chinese language is not required. All the books and articles assigned for the course are in English. Personal voices and life stories constitute the majority of the reading. The reading materials will be supplemented by a variety of visual materials shown in class, such as excerpts from the documentary TV series “A Chinese Women’s History in the Twentieth Century”. The course is organized as a seminar, with emphasis placed on reading, writing, and lively class discussion.

This course will examine the discourses and practices of development and population control targeting non-western countries. We will situate these discourses and practices in histories of colonial encounters, international politics, and global relations of power and inequalities. We will survey a diverse range of debates among the critics of population and development policies and projects in order to see how such debates have succeeded or failed in altering hegemonic approaches to development with new approaches that attend to peoples' histories, social locations, and health and human rights. The course will analyze these discourses and practices with reference to local politics and realities of uneven development that produce gender, class, and ethnic disparities. Although the course material will focus on non-western countries, Africa in particular, we will also look at some examples to show how these discourses are projected on poor communities else where including the U. S., such as in the current case of Katrina-New Orleans.