100. Introduction to Afro-American Studies. (4). (SS).
Literature and the Arts
See History of Art 108. (Quarcoopome)
274/English 274. Introduction to Afro-American Literature. (3).
(HU).
See English 274. (Gunning)
Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization
See Women's Studies 231.
102. First Year Seminar in American Studies. Limited to Freshpersons
and Sophomores. (3). (SS).
Section 001 - What Is An American? The Making of National Identities, Past
and Present. The question What is an American? has been a central
preoccupation and a source of conflict among Americans throughout our history.
This seminar will explore how different groups have answered it both in
the past and present. Our working assumption will be that, given the complex,
multicultural fabric of the U.S. society, there is no single, right
answer to this question. Rather, definitions of national identity are always
changing, reflecting conflicting ideas about the qualities needed to transform
individuals into Americans or make American society unified and good. We
will pay particular attention to the ways competing visions of "the
American" have worked to include, exclude, or privilege different social
(racial, ethnic, religious, regional, sexual, and other) groups. The seminar
will draw on a broad range of interdisciplinary materials, including fiction,
drama, movies, advertising, and popular music. We will focus especially
on the ways that national identity and social diversity have been handled
in four arenas of American life: the law, religion, sexual mores, and popular
culture. Thus we will explore such issues as racial assumptions in immigration
or citizenship policy; the image of normal American sexuality in
popular culture; changing notions of whether the U.S. is a Christian nation.
The seminar will move back and forth between present-day politics and culture
and historical periods such as Reconstruction or the 1920s. It is not meant
as a comprehensive history course, but as an exploratory dialogue between
our contemporary "culture wars" over American values and diversity
and parallel conflicts in the past. WL:2 (Scobey)
Section 002 - Race, Class and Gender in American History. In this seminar students will be introduced to the techniques of historical analysis as we try to unravel how gender, race and class have functioned in American history. We will also explore how historians have identified, analyzed, and written about these subjects and how those approaches have changed over time. Students will be introduced to the concept of cultural construction - the idea that categories of race, gender and even class status are not fixed, universal, biological entities, but are shaped and determined by cultural values, time, and place. Students will also be urged to think about how these categories intersect, for example, the ways in which race structures class or class influences concepts of masculinity and femininity. Throughout the term students will be required to maintain a journal and record questions, thoughts and comments about their reading. Two thought papers will also be assigned, intended to stimulate students to grapple with the issues discussed in class. Cost:3 WL:2 (Morantz-Sanchez)
201. American Values. (4). (HU).
This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the formation
of twentieth-century American culture. Focusing on the period from the end
of the Civil War to the present, it examines the evolution of American values,
attitudes, and community life, focusing on such changes as the growth of
mass production, the emergence of modern gender ideals and sexualities,
the growth of and challenges to institutionalized racism, and the rise of
the consumer culture. The course does not focus on some assumed 'core' of
American ideals or experiences; rather it traces the open-ended process
by which diverse groups of Americans have shaped, resisted, and tried to
change the meaning of "America." It links that cultural dialogue
to the history of social diversity, material inequality, and political struggle
in the late 19th- and 20th-century U.S. We will explore these issues using
a multidisciplinary range of methods and source materials, including novels,
photographs, popular music, journalism, architecture, memoirs, and movies.
240/WS 240. Introduction to Women's Studies. Open to all undergraduates.
(4). (HU). (This course fulfills the Race or Ethnicity Requirement).
See Women's Studies 240.
272. Environment and Society. (3). (Excl).
Section 001 - Ecological Constraints on Development. This course will
explore the ecological forces involved in the development process. Factors
such as the maintenance of the natural resource base and internalization
of externalities such as pollution, will be discussed in the context of
contemporary political realities. An appropriate background in natural science
will be presented in a series of lectures (including climate and ecosystem
formation, structure and function of soils, agroecosystem classification
and function, sustained yield management of natural populations, etc.).
The history and current function of economic, social and political structures
(including dependency theory, international diplomacy, imperialism and neocolonialism,
the Bretton Woods system, structural adjustment, etc.) will be presented
through a series of course pack readings. Student participation will be
ensured through class discussion which will occupy at least 50% of the classroom
time. Evaluation of students will be through (1) two standard examinations,
(2) weekly essays, (3) a term project, and (4) class participation. WL:2
(Vandermeer)
Courses in Spanish
This course addresses the particular linguistic needs and interests
of students of Hispanic descent and heritage born and/or educated in the
United States interested in acquiring a formal and structural knowledge
of Spanish, in further expanding vocabulary at the abstract and professional
levels, and in developing their skills in formal and professional writing.
Sociolinguistic aspects of Spanish in the United States - code-switching,
linguistic attitudes, bilingualism - also will be explored in relation to
the politics of cultural identity. Short weekly assignments and exercises
emphasizing the differences between oral and written modes of communication
and between formal and informal Spanish will be required, along with a midterm
and a final exam. Readings will include cultural essays, literature, and
scholarly articles. (Aparicio)
168. First Year Seminar in Primate Field Studies. (3). (NS). (BS).
A seminar designed for incoming freshmen. Students will be introduced
to science as a mode of inquiry by applying Darwin's theory of natural selection
to the behavior of nonhuman primates. Emphasis will be given to long-term
field studies of primates in the wild. One three-hour discussion/lecture.
Class participation, weekly writing assignments, and a term paper required.
(Mitani)
101. Introduction to Anthropology. Primarily for freshmen and sophomores. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 222 or 426. (4). (SS). (This course fulfills the Race or Ethnicity Requirement).
Section 150. This introductory course exposes and explores the structures of inquiry characteristic of anthropology and surveys the field's four subdisciplines (biological, archaeological, cultural, and linguistic anthropology), providing a first glimpse of the field's overall context, history, present status, and importance. The principal aim of the course is to help students develop a coherent view of the essential concepts, structures, and intellectual methods that typify the discipline. It stresses unifying principles that link the subdisciplines and thereby create anthropology's comprehensive, holistic world view. It teaches students various ways of learning and thinking about the world's many designs for living in time and space. It prepares them to integrate and interpret information, to evaluate conflicting claims about human nature and diversity, and to think critically. Topics covered include: the nature of culture, human genetics, evolution, and the fossil record, the concept of race, primate (monkey and ape) behavior, language and culture, systems of marriage, kinship and family organization, sex and gender roles, economics, politics, and religion in global perspective, the cultural dimension of economic development and contemporary social change, and the emergence of a world system. Required readings may include an introductory text and various paperbacks. Lectures and discussion. Two objective exams (multiple choice and true or false questions) cover the two halves of the course. The second exam is given on the last day of class. There is no final exam and no term paper. Section leaders require quizzes and, perhaps a short paper. Cost:2 WL:1,3,4 (Peters-Golden)
Section 200 - Honors Introduction to Anthropology. This seminar introduces anthropology's modes of inquiry and its four subfields (biological, archaeological, cultural and linguistic anthropology), through the examination of subjects which have been central to the discipline's development, such as race, gender, sexuality, and conflict. The course seeks to develop the capacity for informed and critical thinking about evolution and adaptation, human nature and cultural diversity, and to suggest how anthropology can help us understand contemporary issues. It presents students with unifying principles of analysis which link the subfields, as well as with debates through which Anthropology continues to change. The course allows students to explore certain subjects in greater depth. We will use a variety of materials and activities, and students are expected to participate actively in class. There will be an exam and two papers, supplemented by short writing exercises. (Skurski)
222. The Comparative Study of Cultures. No credit granted to those
who have completed or are enrolled in 101 or 426. Students with credit for
Anthro. 101 should elect Anthro. 327. (4). (SS).
The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with the great variety
existing in human culture and society so that they can place their own particular
way of life in proper perspective. Its subject matter is world ethnology
with special emphasis on social organization and economy. Lectures and readings
are organized according to complexity of society; the course begins with
hunters and gatherers, progresses through various tribal and peasant societies,
and concludes with contemporary industrial nations. The approach is comparative.
Lectures are supplemented by weekly discussion sections augmented by a variety
of readings, primarily ethnographic in nature, and by frequent showings
of ethnographic films. Course requirements include a midterm examination,
a final examination, and a paper applying principles learned in the course
to some aspect of the student's own life. Both examinations consist primarily
of essay questions. This course is intended for non-concentrators. Cost:3
WL:4 (Frye)
282. Introduction to Prehistoric Archaeology. (4). (SS).
This course will combine a presentation of the techniques, methods,
and theories of anthropological archaeology with a general survey of world
prehistory. Discussion of method and theory will cover field and laboratory
techniques for acquiring information about past cultures, methods for using
that information to test ideas about past cultural organization and evolution,
and current theoretical developments in anthropological archaeology. The
survey of world prehistory will focus on four major topics: (1) the emergence
in Africa of the first proto-humans, between two and six million years ago;
(2) the appearance of the first anatomically and behaviorally "modern"
humans; (3) the origins of domesticated plants and animals and the development
of the first village farming communities; and (4) the rise of more complex
stratified "state-level" societies. The course will be oriented
as much toward students with a general curiosity and interest in the human
past as toward students who will become eventual concentrators. There will
be three one-hour lectures plus one discussion section per week. Requirements:
three in-class hourly exams and a final examination, plus 3-4 take-home
exercises that give students firsthand experience with the analysis and
interpretation of archaeological data. Required readings: ARCHAEOLOGY, by
David Hurst Thomas, and Images of the Past, by G. Feinman and D.
Price. Cost:3 WL:2 (Sinopoli)
101. Beginning Chinese. (5). (LR). Laboratory fee ($10) required.
301. Reading and Writing Chinese. Permission of instructor. No
credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in Chinese 101,
102, or 361. (4). (LR).
This course is designed for students with native or near-native speaking
ability in Chinese, but little or no reading and writing ability. Chinese
301 meets four hours per week; it focuses on reading and writing Chinese
and will cover the regular 101-102 reading materials. Students will be graded
on the basis of daily classroom performance, daily quizzes, periodic tests,
and homework assignments. The basic text is Beginning Chinese Reader
by John DeFrancis. Cost:1 WL:1
Literature Courses/Culture Courses
Section 001 - Gender, Sexuality, and Identity: Women in Chinese Literature.
The representation and construction of women in China's long history has
undergone many dynamic changes. Through examples of literature past to present
we will examine women's place in the male-dominated Confucian system, the
femme fatale in the master historical narrative, conventions of female
impersonation, women as projections of male desire: erotic objects or the
cause of transgression against the moral order. We will consider how women
have sought to express themselves within the system's constraints, the creation
of women's communities, and even in one area using a "women's script"
unknown to men. In the 20th century women are first "discovered"
to have been prime victims of oppression as writers advocate social reform,
then appropriated as "liberated" subjects by the Communist revolution.
Meanwhile women writers have been searching for their own voice; their struggle
for subjectivity and identity posing powerful challenges to the Maoist hegemonic
discourse. We will also explore how issues of gender and sexuality intersect
with cultural identity in works by Chinese-American woman writers. Readings
will include traditional and modern poetry and fiction, selections from
the great 18th century novel Dream of the Red Chamber, stories by
Ding Ling, Xiao Hong, Maxine Hong Kingston (The Woman Warrior), Amy
Tan (The Joy Luck Club), and others. Towards the end of the course
we will look at representations of women in Chinese films: Raise the
Red Lantern, Farewell My Concubine, Ju Dou, The Girl
from Hunan. Requirements: 3 or 4 several short papers and a final exam.
No prerequisites. Cost:2 WL:1 (Y. Feuerwerker)
Section 002 - Love and Desire in Traditional Chinese Drama. This first-year seminar course will introduce traditional Chinese stagecraft - through videotapes and in-class demonstrations - and the development of Chinese drama from its beginnings to its fate in modern China. Through the careful reading and discussion of a few major plays in a variety of dramatic genres we will investigate how traditional Chinese drama, as a largely public art, tried to satisfy both the demands of love and those of society. Requirements will include several brief papers, a final exam, and active class participation. Texts will include Master Tung's Western Chamber Romance, The Story of the Western Wing, The Peony Pavilion, and the Peach Blossom Fan. Romeo and Juliet will be read for comparative purposes. Cost:3 WL:1 (Rolston)
101. Beginning Japanese. (5). (LR). Laboratory fee ($7) required.
201. Second-Year Japanese. Japanese 102 or equivalent. (5). (LR).
Laboratory fee ($9) required.
Further training is given in all the language skills (listening, speaking,
reading, and writing) for students who have acquired a basic language proficiency.
The aim of the oral component is to provide the student with the speaking
and comprehension skills necessary to function effectively in more advanced
practical situations in a Japanese-speaking environment. In the reading
and writing component, the emphasis is on reading elementary texts, developing
an expository style, and writing short answers/essays in response to questions
about these texts. Discussions on the social and cultural use of language
are provided. Students are required to practice a minimum of two hours for
each class hour (12 hours per week). Recitation sessions are conducted entirely
in Japanese; no English is permitted. Recitation sessions emphasize speaking/reading
in Japanese contexts at normal speed with near-native pronunciation, accent,
intonation, rhythm, and appropriate body language. Analyses, explanations,
and discussions involving the use of English are specifically reserved for
lectures. Texts: Eleanor Harz Jorden and Mari Noda, Japanese: The Spoken
Language, Part II; Eleanor Harz Jorden and Hamako Ito Chaplin, Reading
Japanese. Cost:2 WL:1
225. Calligraphy. Japanese 101 or equivalent, or permission of
instructor. (1). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of three credits.
In this course students will start to learn the basic skills of Japanese
Calligraphy. Students who have taken the course previously will be permitted
to enroll in the course and will learn intermediate or advanced calligraphy.
Tools will be available for renting; however, students are encouraged to
purchase their own calligraphy sets (approximately $20.00). Students are
also required to pay a paper fee of approximately $10.00. Contact the department
at 764-8286 regarding the first meeting date. Cost:1 WL:1
201. Second Year Korean. Korean 102 or equivalent. (5). (LR).
The recitation section 005 is open to students who do not have enough
knowledge of beginning Korean, or are of non-Korean origin. This is the
first half of the intermediate-level Korean, emphasizing the aural/oral
skill, and minimizing grammatical chores. Class meets 5 times a week - 2
hours of lecture, 2 hours of aural/oral practice, and 1 hour of Chinese
characters and free conversation. Students are also required to do additional
hours of work for listening practice on their own in the language lab, and
watching 4 video tapes. Daily attendance is expected. Through lectures,
students will learn relatively complex structural patterns of Korean, and
get acquainted with various aspects of Korean culture and society. Based
on the knowledge obtained through lectures, recitation classes will help
the students develop an ability to carry on survival level of conversation.
In evaluation, weight will be placed on oral participation, seven homework
assignments (or in-class quizzes), Chinese character assignments, a short
essay, three midterms, and a final written and oral exam. The textbooks
for the course are (1) Myongdo's Korean 2 by A.V. Vandesande, and
seven lessons (from Lesson 16 to Lesson 22) will be covered, and (2) Chinese
Characters in Manuscript by Korean Program at the UM. Those interested
in taking this course are recommended to see the instructor before registration.
Cost:2 WL:1 (Cho)
101. Beginning Thai. (5). (LR).
103. Beginning Indonesian. (5). (LR).
Indonesian is the national language of Indonesia, a country noted for
its rich and deep cultural heritage as well as for its remarkable cultural
diversity. With its 180,000,000 speakers, Indonesian is the sixth most prevalently
spoken of world languages. The relatively simple syntactic and grammatical
structures which characterize Indonesian make it an accessible language
for native speakers of English. The elementary course comprises a two-term
sequence designed to provide the student with a basic working knowledge
of the Indonesian language. The course aims at the acquisition of the four
basic language skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing - in modern
Indonesian. The class emphasizes aural-oral exercises and practice and the
learning of culture throughout the course. The text used is keyed to a set
of tapes for use in the language lab and concentrates on practical knowledge
of the language. Evaluation is based on classroom performance, homework
assignments, tests, and a final exam. Cost:2 WL:4 (Sudarsih)
105. Elementary Hindi-Urdu. No credit granted to those who have
completed or are enrolled in S&SEA 315 or 365. (4). (LR).
South and Southeast Asia 105 is the first term in the sequence of Hindi-Urdu
courses offered by the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures. The course
meets four hours per week in four sessions. If enrollments warrant, there
will be a separate course (SSEA 315) intended for students who have some
knowledge of the spoken language but do not know the writing system. In
the first year only the Devanagari writing system (for Hindi) is introduced.
Nastaliq (for Urdu) comes in the second year. The course concentrates on
developing skills in reading, writing, speaking, and aural comprehension.
Evaluation is based on attendance, written homework assignments, quizzes,
dictations, and examinations. There are no prerequisites (no previous knowledge
of Hindi is required). Cost:2 WL:1 (Siddiqi)
107. Beginning Tagalog. (4). (LR).
Tagalog is the national language of the Philippines. Elementary Tagalog
is a two-term sequence designed to give the student who has little or no
knowledge of Tagalog the necessary basis for learning to speak it and to
have an acquaintance with the cultural context in which it functions. Tagalog
is particularly interesting in the way it has integrated the broad influences
of both Spanish and English into its own syntactic and semantic systems.
The oral approach is greatly emphasized in the classroom, using questions
and answers and short dialogues to develop active use of the language in
the most natural way possible. This is complemented by the use of taped
lessons in the Language Laboratory and short films in Tagalog. There are
frequent short quizzes, homework, and a final examination. At the end of
the first year, the student should be able to handle brief exchanges in
common social situations and to read and write simple Tagalog. For the student
specializing in Philippine studies, learning Tagalog is a must. For the
student specializing in language studies, a number of linguists of note
have found Tagalog structure highly instructive in understanding certain
aspects of language. For the student with Philippine affinities, learning
Tagalog provides a bond of understanding and for some, a link to one's roots.
For the student who has neither a Philippine connection nor a specialist
interest in language, learning Tagalog can be rewarding as it provides an
experience of new modes of expression and new ways of looking at the world
around us and within ourselves. Cost:1 WL:1 (Weller)
109. Beginning Sanskrit. No credit granted to those who have completed
or are enrolled in S&SEA 369. (3). (LR).
This course will work toward developing a proficiency with the basic
tools necessary to read and write Sanskrit, the classical language of India.
Lessons will include study of the script (Devanagari), elementary grammar
and vocabulary. The grade will be based on completion of regular homework
assignmentst, weekly quizzes, a midterm and a final examination. (Deshpande)
111. Beginning Punjabi. No credit granted to those who have completed
or are enrolled in S&SEA 371. (4). (LR).
This course offers an introduction to spoken and written Punjabi, a
major language of northern India and of Pakistan, with some 80 million speakers.
The course will include reading and writing (Gurmukhi script) as well as
the spoken language. Students will be encouraged to begin basic conversation
in class. The written aspects of language will be introduced through graded
readings and written exercises. The emphasis will be on basic constructions,
composition, vocabulary development, and conversational skills. Particular
attention will be paid toward developing a basic practical proficiency in
the language. Students will be introduced to the rich cultural heritage
of the Punjab. A video film will be shown to examine the spoken language
of the Punjab. Throughout the course the students will be encouraged to
communicate in Punjabi language. There will be two tests: a midterm worth
20% and a final worth 30%. In addition there will be homework assignments
worth 30%. The remaining 20% of marks will be allotted to oral communication,
dictation and instructor's own evaluation. Midterm test: October 21, 1995.
There will be a final exam in December. Texts: Ujjal Singh Bahri, Introductory
Course in Spoken Punjabi, Bahri Publications, New Delhi, 1993. Harjit
Singh Gill and Henry A. Gleason, Jr., A Reference Grammar of Punjabi,
Patiala, 1969. Hardev Bahri, Teach Yourself Punjabi, Punjabi University,
Patiala, 1973. A course pack will be available from Dollar Bill Copying,
611 Church Street. (Singh)
115. Beginning Vietnamese. (5). (LR).
This course is designed for the students with no knowledge of the Vietnamese
language as well as those with some knowledge but desire to develop the
four basic language skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
The format will be as follows: four class hours a week will be focused on
the aural-oral approach, in reading, dialogue form, translation, question-and-answer
on the content of the texts. One class hour will be devoted to quizzes or
tests. In addition, there will be home assignments and works in the lab.
Classes will be largely conducted in Vietnamese to help the students acquire
sufficient automaticity and fluency in spoken Vietnamese. Course evaluation
will be graded on classroom performance, class attendance, home assignments,
and a final examination. WL:3 (Nguyen)
301. Reading and Writing for Native Speakers. Native speaking
ability in a South/Southeast Asian language and permission of instructor.
(4). (Excl).
Section 009 - Vietnamese. This is the first half of a two-term sequence
designed for Vietnamese students who have some knowledge of the spoken language,
but no or little reading and writing ability. This course covers S&SEA
# 115-116 in one term. The sequential course (S&SEA # 302) will cover
S&SEA #215-216 in the winter term. The course meets four hours a week,
with primary emphasis on reading and writing. Course evaluation will be
graded on classroom attendance and performance, homework assignments and
a final examination. Native Vietnamese speakers are encouraged to take this
course rather than S&SEA # 115-116. See the instructor for placement
test before registration. Cost:2 WL:3 (Nguyen)
Culture Courses
Section 001 - Modern Thai Cultures: History and Nationalism in Mainland
Southeast Asia. Thailand: the only country in Southeast Asia to avoid
direct colonization in the 19th century and escape hostile occupation in
WWII. Pro-US during the Vietnam War, a Khmer Rouge ally in the period thereafter,
the kingdom has now emerged as one of the region's principal economic powers.
A study of cultural identities in modern Thailand, this course will consider
Thailand's modern history and cultures in an effort better to understand
the cope of change in Southeast Asia over the past century. (Copeland)
121/Hist. 121. Great Traditions of East Asia. (4). (HU).
See History 121. (Forage)
230/Buddhist Studies 230/Phil. 230/Rel. 230. Introduction to Buddhism.
(4). (HU).
See Buddhist Studies 230. (Gómez)
101. Introductory Astronomy: The Solar System. No credit granted
to those who have completed or are enrolled in 111, 130, 160, or 221. (4).
(NS). (BS). (QR/2).
Astronomy 101 students attend the same lectures as Astronomy
111 students (see course description below). (Section 001:Bernstein;
Section 006:Sears)
102. Introductory Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe. No
credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 112, 130,
160, or 222. (4). (NS). (BS). (QR/2).
Astronomy 102 students attend the same lectures as Astronomy
112 students (see course description below). Instead of laboratory sections,
Astronomy 102 incorporates weekly one-hour discussions and associated exercises,
which is considered along with examinations and quizzes for course grades.
Cost:2 WL:4 (Section 001:MacAlpine; Section 006:Seitzer)
111. Introductory Astronomy: The Solar System.
No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in
101, 130, 160, or 221. (4). (NS). (BS). (QR/2).
This course presents an introduction to the field of astronomy and astrophysics
with an emphasis on the discoveries from space exploration. The first third
of the course deals with understanding the history of astronomy, orbits,
gravitation, optics and the properties of light and matter. The rest of
the course explores the properties, origin and evolution of the major planets,
asteroids, comets, the Sun and other components of the Solar System with
particular emphasis on comparative aspects with respect to the Earth. The
origin and formation of the Solar System and the origin of life will also
be discussed. This course is intended for non-science concentrators with
a basic high school math and science background. Astronomy 111 has a two-hour
laboratory section every week. Astronomy 101 has a one-hour discussion section.
Course requirements include assigned reading, section meetings, homework,
observations, quizzes, midterm and a final examination. Laboratory sections
include observations with telescopes. Cost:2 WL:4 (Section 001:Berstein;
Section 005:Sears)
112. Introductory Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies,
and the Universe. No credit granted to those who have completed or
are enrolled in 102, 130, 160, or 222. (4). (NS). (BS). (QR/2).
This course is intended primarily for non-science concentrators, who
wish to understand the phenomena and properties of the universe beyond our
solar system. There are no astronomy prerequisites, and a basic high school
math background (e.g., not calculus) will suffice. Students examine the
widest possible range of interrelated natural phenomena, from sub-atomic
particles to the Universe as a whole. Lectures inventory the different types
of stars and examine how red giants, white dwarfs, black holes, supernovae,
and people all fit together in one grand, remarkable scheme. The larger
picture includes our Milky Way galaxy, less hospitable exploding galaxies,
and enigmatic quasars. The present state of knowledge or speculation regarding
the origin and ultimate fate of our universe will also receive special attention.
It all came from somewhere, but where...and why? Course grades will be derived
from scheduled quizzes or exams, and laboratory exercises. Laboratory sections,
which meet for two evening hours each week, will include planetarium demonstrations
and observations with telescopes (weather permitting). Cost:2 WL:4 (Section
001:MacAlpine; Section 006:Seitzer)
120. Frontiers of Astronomy. No credit granted to those who have
completed or are enrolled in Astro. 125. (3). (NS).
Astronomy is one of the most visible sciences, with exciting discoveries
reported regularly in the media. In this class, students will study the
forefront astronomy and astrophysics behind the stories, which will feature
the topics of black holes, the nature of dark matter, the Big Bang model
of the universe, and the formation of structures in the universe. We will
highlight observations from NASA's Great Observatory program, which features
the Hubble Space Telescope, and from the new generation of large telescopes
on Earth. Students will learn how discoveries are made, with a discussion
of the climate surrounding the work, the scientists involved in the discoveries,
and the twisting path of scientific discovery, which is rarely visible to
the public. There will be in-depth discussions of how such scientific research
can be interpreted to reveal fundamental information about the universe
in which we live. Also, we will examine the process by which discoveries
are reported in the media, and in some cases, how the import of the work
becomes badly distorted in this process. Cost:2 WL:3 (Bregman)
130. Explorations in Astronomy. No credit granted to those who
have completed or are enrolled in 101, 102, 111, 112, 160, 221, or 222.
(4). (NS). (BS). (QR/2).
This course is a one-term exploration of a few selected topics representing
all of astronomy. Here are a few examples of possible topics. (1) The stars:
how we are able to learn about them, how they evolve and die, how they produce
chemical elements and generate energy. (2) The formation of stars and solar
systems. What we are learning about star formation. How our solar system
tells us about star formation. Recent developments in our understanding
of the planets during our age of planetary exploration. (3) Cosmology: the
expansion of the universe, and its eventual fate. The formation of structure
and of galaxies, the cosmic radiation fields. This course will include assigned
reading, some homework, quizzes, a midterm and a final. Cost:2 WL:4 (Richstone)
160. Introduction to Astrophysics. Math. 115, and prior or concurrent
enrollment in Phys. 140; or permission of instructor. No credit granted
to those who have completed or are enrolled in 102, 112, 130, 221, or 222.
(4). (NS). (BS). (QR/2).
Some of the most exciting phenomena and concepts in astronomy and astrophysics
are explored in this survey course. One major theme is the structure and
evolution of stars from their birth in giant molecular clouds through their
death as white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. Another important
theme is galaxies, with discussions about the missing or dark matter in
galaxies, galaxy-galaxy interactions, and the large-scale distribution of
galaxies in the Universe. We conclude with an examination of the Big Bang,
the Inflationary Universe, and the Cosmic Background radiation. This course
is directed toward students with an interest in science and mathematics.
There are problem sets and a weekly two-hour laboratory using telescopes.
Cost:2 WL:3 (Mateo)
204/AOSS 204/Geology 204. The Planets: Their Geology and Climates. High
school mathematics through plane geometry and trigonometry. Those with credit
for GS 113 may only elect Astro. 204 for 2 credits. (3). (NS). (BS).
See Geology 204. (Atreya and Pollack)
261/NOEP 301. Navigation. (2). (Excl). (BS).
The purpose of this course is to educate students in all aspects of
marine navigation, from getting a vessel underway from port through open
ocean navigation using both celestial and electronic means. The content
of the course is divided into three major areas. The first section focuses
on piloting, emphasizing the safe navigation of vessels in coastal waters.
This section provides an introduction to navigational instruments and aids
to navigation. The second section concerns celestial navigation, the ability
to determine position through observation of celestial bodies. Students
learn how to determine position based on the use of the sextant and various
almanacs and mathematical tables. The third section of the course considers
electronic navigation. The course consists of two ninety minute lectures
a week. Grading is done on the basis of homework, quizzes, a project, and
examinations. The primary textbooks for the course are Marine Navigation
I and Marine Navigation II by Richard R. Hobbs.
202. The Atmosphere. (3). (NS). (BS).
The focus of the course is on understanding the basic nature and behavior
of the Earth's atmosphere. Students learn to relate features revealed on
the daily weather maps to atmospheric processes and characteristics. They
learn to appreciate the forces which shape and change the climate and to
understand the processes which produce atmospheric phenomenon, such as thunderstorms,
tornadoes, winter snowstorms, and hurricanes. The course also considers
the atmosphere as a natural resource covering aspects such as the greenhouse
effect, weather and man, air pollution, acid rain, etc. (Baker)
This course is designed for students with a minimal background in the biological sciences but we do assume some exposure to biology at the high school level. Discussion sections enroll 20 students and are taught by graduate student teaching assistants. In the discussion section, students have the opportunity to review material presented in lecture and participate in discussions of issues raised in the lecture segment. Cost:3 WL:1; you MUST attend the first discussion section to claim your place in the course. (Goldberg)
110/AOSS 171/UC 110/NR&E 110. Introduction
to Global Change I. Credit is granted for a combined total of 10
credits elected in introductory biology. (4). (NS). (BS).
An interdisciplinary (team-taught) introduction to the evolution of
life and the human species on Earth, with a focus on problems of global
change produced by recent human advances in technology and institutions.
The discussion includes reference to: evolution of the universe, the Earth
and its environments; evolution of living organisms; growth and reproduction;
interaction of organisms with their environments; ecological roles of organisms.
Extensive use of multi-media presentation tools: videos, slides, etc. Course
grade will be based on a midterm and final exam, plus successful completion
of the required weekly laboratory exercises. There are no prerequisites
for this course and no science background is assumed. The course is appropriate
for all first year students, irrespective of intended concentration. (Killeen/Allan/Teeri)
140. Genetics and Society. Credit is granted for a combined total
of 10 credits elected in introductory biology. (4). (NS). (BS).
This course is designed for students not concentrating in the sciences.
The course will provide students with a background in genetics, (1) to allow
them to understand and appreciate some of the latest developments in genetics
reported in the local and national press, (2) to discuss the social history
of the field of genetics, (3) to introduce students to "the scientific
method" as applied to genetics, and finally (4) to discuss aspects
of genetics which have a bearing on our everyday lives. Topics to be discussed
will include, but not be limited to (in no particular order): genetics,
race and IQ; forensic applications of genetic fingerprinting; gene therapy;
recombinant DNA technology and possible environmental concerns, T.D. Lysenko
and the communist ideal, the human genome project, genetic diseases and
therapeutic abortion. The course will meet three times a week, and two hours
will be devoted to discussion. Course evaluation will be based on exams
(consisting mainly of questions requiring short essay answers) and one or
more term papers. Cost:1 WL:1 (Adams)
150. Introductory Biology Workshop. Freshman or sophomore standing.
Recommended for students considering a concentration in Biology. (1). (Excl).
Offered mandatory credit/no credit.
Small groups of students meet weekly with a faculty member for group
discussions on topics selected by the faculty member. Topics may include
biological issues in the news, history of biological ideas, and ethical
issues in biological sciences. Students will be introduced to biological
research through discussion of faculty research projects and tours of active
research laboratories and museum collections. Such tours will be coupled
with discussion of scientific questions being pursued in the laboratories
visited. Introductory students will have the opportunity to interact directly
with a faculty member who will introduce them not only to the basic areas
of scientific research but also to the structure and opportunities available
in Biology concentration programs. Evaluation of students will be through
class participation and short written assignments.
152. Introduction to Biology: Term A. Chem. 130 or the equivalent,
or Chem. 210 placement. No credit granted to those who have completed or
are enrolled in Biol. 195. Credit is granted for a combined total of 10
credits elected in introductory biology. Those with credit for Biol. 100
are advised to elect Biol. 195. (4). (NS). (BS). Laboratory fee ($32) required.
First term of a two-term introductory sequence (152/154) intended for
concentrators in biology, other science programs or preprof studies. Other
suitably prepared students wishing detailed coverage of biology are also
welcome. The aims of Biology 152/154 are: (1) to provide factual and conceptual
knowledge, (2) to afford experience in obtaining and interpreting biological
hypotheses, (3) to give an integrated overview of modern biology and (4)
to develop thinking and writing skills. Topics in Biology 152 are divided
among four areas: (a) cellular and molecular biology, (b) genetics, (c)
evolution, and (d) ecology. Students MUST: (1) attend 3 lectures and one
3-hour lab/discussion section each week; (2) ATTEND THEIR ASSIGNED LAB/DISC
MEETINGS EACH WEEK STARTING WITH THE FIRST WEEK OR THEIR SPACE MAY BE GIVEN
TO SOMEONE ON THE WAITING LIST; and (3) RESERVE the times and dates for
the midterm and final exams (as specified in the Time Schedule) before
enrolling. There are usually two midterm exams and a final exam. Students
usually purchase a textbook, lab manual and course pack consisting of a
syllabus and lecture notes. No other study guides or supplementary materials
need be bought. For honors credit, register in lecture 002 of Biology 152
and ANY lab/disc, plus Biology 153. For further information contact the
Biology 152/154 office, 1039 Chem Bldg (764-1430). Cost:3 WL:2, but go to
1039 Chem.
For students interested in the sciences, engineering or medicine, either Chem 130 or Chem 210/211 can be their starting point. Students who have had a strong course in high school (which may include AP credit in chemistry) are advised to start in Chem 210 and 211, the laboratory course that accompanies it. Chem 130 is recommended for all other students. Section 400 of Chem 130 is reserved for students who would benefit from a smaller lecture section and more frequent contact with both senior faculty and teaching assistants.
Students who have had little or no laboratory work in high school should
plan to elect Chem 125 with Chem 130. Other students electing Chem 130 may
postpone laboratory to a subsequent term. Chem. 125 may not be elected
for credit after completion of Chem. 211.
This course considers the science needed to understand human-induced
threats to the atmospheric environment, with special emphasis on the global
changes that are taking place, or are anticipated. We will discuss the greenhouse
effect (and its impact on climate), ozone depletion, the polar ozone holes,
and urban air pollution. Some basic meteorology will be presented, including
how climate changes might affect the frequency and severity of hurricanes
and tornadoes. Students will have access to real-time weather information
via computer. This lecture course is intended for non-science concentrators
and there are no prerequisites. Grades will be based on three one-hour exams
(no final exam) and homework. Cost:1 WL:1 (Barker)
125. General and Inorganic Chemistry: Laboratory. To be elected
by students who are eligible for (or enrolled in) Chem. 130. Chem. 125 may
not be elected for credit after completion of Chem. 211. (2). (NS). (BS).
Laboratory fee ($60) required.
This laboratory course can be elected with, or following, Chem 130 or
230. It is intended that students planning to enroll in Chem 130 that have
had little or no previous chemistry laboratory enroll concurrently in Chem
125. The focus of this guided inquiry laboratory is to foster critical thinking
that allows students to design, perform, and interpret experiments. An emphasis
is placed on what constitutes valid data and provides the burden of proof
for testing hypotheses and theories. In addition, the student acquires technical
skills that are required for further advancement in experimental sciences.
Although an ability to collect and analyze data in a quantitative manner
is developed, the emphasis of the course is to provide a qualitative understanding
of the basic concepts of chemistry. This is accomplished by demonstrating
that chemical principles are derived from experimental data. The format
of the course is organized into three sections. Pre-laboratory reading and
questions are completed prior to the four-hour laboratory. The second component
is performance in the laboratory. The third begins in the last hour of the
laboratory where individual data are shared, evaluated, and discussed. Students
then provide a laboratory report based on the combined data of the section.
A one-hour lecture provides support for the topics that are investigated
in the laboratory. Microcomputer simulations also supplement the student's
laboratory experience. There are two one-hour written examinations, scheduled
for Tuesday evenings, that constitute 30% of the grade. The remaining 70%
of the grade is based on the acquired in the laboratory points. Refer to
the Time Schedule for examination dates and times. Cost:2 WL:2
130. General Chemistry: Macroscopic Investigations and Reaction Principles.
Three years of high school math or Math. 105; one year of high school
chemistry recommended. Placement by testing, or permission of Chemistry
department. Intended for students without AP credit in chemistry. (3). (NS).
(BS). (QR/2).
This General Chemistry course is intended to fulfill the one term chemistry
requirement for students interested in science, or as a natural science
elective for non-science concentrators. This course may also be used as
the first term in a four or more term chemistry sequence (probably 130,
210/211, 215/216, 340 etc.) for science concentrators and pre-professional
students.
Chemistry 130 provides an introduction to the major concepts of chemistry, including the microscopic picture of atomic and molecular structure, periodic trends in the chemical reactivity, the energetics of chemical reactions and the nature of chemical equilibria. Students will be introduced both to the fundamental principles of modern chemistry, the descriptive chemistry of the elements, and to the underlying theories that account for observed macroscopic behavior. In Chem 130, students will learn to think critically, examine experimental data, and form generalizations about data as chemists do. Chem 130 will meet three times each week in lecture sections with senior faculty (the intensive section will have four lectures a week), and once a week in small group discussion classes led by graduate teaching assistants (the Comprehensive Study Program discussion class will meet three times a week). Lecturers and teaching assistants will have scheduled office hours for after class help, and computerized study aids will be available to all students. Course grades will be determined from discussion class evaluation, 3 one-hour examinations (Tuesday nights) and a final examination. See Time Schedule for examination times and dates.
The intensive lecture section (section 400) is intended for those students who would benefit from a smaller lecture section (maximum 100 students) and more lectures so that the pace is slower and there is more feedback. Placement by LSA testing or permission of the Chemistry Department (Room 1500 Chemistry) is needed for enrollment in this section. The CSP discussion section is intended for those students who would benefit from more group study meetings with a graduate teaching assistant. Permission of the Comprehensive Studies Program is needed for enrollment in this section. Cost:4 WL:2
210. Structure and Reactivity I. High school chemistry. Placement
by examination during Orientation. To be taken with Chem. 211. (4). (NS).
(BS).
Chemistry 210 is the first course in a two-term sequence in which the
major concepts of chemistry are introduced in the context of organic chemistry.
Emphasis is on the development of the capacity of students to think about
the relationship between structure and reactivity and to solve problems
in a qualitatively analytical way. This course is a particularly good first
course for students with AP credit in chemistry, Honors students and other
students with a strong interest in chemistry and biology. The course has
three lectures with the professor and one hour of discussion with a teaching
assistant per week. There are three hour examinations (Tuesday nights) and
a final examination. See Time Schedule for examination times and
dates.
NOTE: This course is linked to Chemistry 211. The recitation sections for Chemistry 210 and the corresponding laboratory sections for Chemistry 211 are listed together in the Time Schedule under Chemistry 210. Students must elect both Chemistry 210 (for 4 credits) and Chemistry 211 (for 1 credit). Cost:3 WL:2
211. Investigations in Chemistry. To be taken with Chem. 210.
(1). (NS). (BS). Laboratory fee ($67.50) required.
Chemistry 211 is a laboratory introduction to methods of investigation
in inorganic and organic chemistry. Students solve individual problems using
microscale equipment and a variety of techniques such as thin layer chromatography,
titrations, and spectroscopy. The course consists of a four-hour laboratory
period with a teaching assistant under the supervision of the professor.
Students keep laboratory notebooks, which also serve as laboratory reports.
Grades are based on performance in the laboratory and the laboratory notebooks.
NOTE: This course is linked to Chemistry 210. The recitation sections for Chemistry 210 and the corresponding laboratory sections for Chemistry 211 are listed together in the Time Schedule under Chemistry 210. Students must elect both Chemistry 210 (for 4 credits) and Chemistry 211 (for 1 credit). Cost:1 WL:2
Classical Studies
The Department of Classical Studies believes that the literature, monuments, and social institutions of the ancient world, together with the reflections of the Greek and Roman thinkers about their own cultures, are of unique value in themselves, well worth our contemplation and understanding; and that as we attempt to learn about and appreciate classical civilization, we necessarily learn as well a variety of contemporary methodologies and disciplines.
The department offers three groups of courses for distribution, those in Classical Civilization (introductory courses that require no knowledge of Greek or Latin), courses in Classical Archaeology, and upper level language courses in Greek and Latin authors or genres. While only a few courses are repeated in yearly or biennial rotation, most courses are offered less regularly. This system guarantees that the instructor approaches the subject each time with fresh impetus. We believe in a healthy change and variation in our course offerings. The undergraduate advisor of the Department of Classical Studies will consider and, if appropriate, authorize other classical civilization, literature, and archaeology courses for distribution credit upon request by students during the first drop/add period each term.
Classical Civilization offerings include the general surveys of Greek and Roman civilizations (CC 101 and 102), which provide (through readings, lectures, and discussions) a broad understanding of the literatures, thought, and social development of ancient Greece and Rome, and thus provide the student with knowledge of and appreciation for our cultural origins, as well as an acquaintance with modern methods for understanding an ancient culture. These courses are taught each year. CC 101 is offered in the Fall and CC 102 is offered in the Winter. Other courses provide understanding of particular aspects of the ancient world, approached from a variety of disciplines and studies - literary, philosophical, historical, sociological, and so on. Some students (particularly those who have already developed special interests in such disciplines) may wish to explore one of these topics without having had a broader introduction.
Classical Archaeology offerings include the broad surveys of the archaeology and monuments of Greece (Cl.Arch 221 - offered in the Fall) and Rome (Cl.Arch 222 - offered in the Winter) and a general introduction to archaeological field methods (Cl.Arch 323). Other courses use the material remains of specific cultures both to introduce students to the diversity of the ancient world and to demonstrate how, through a variety of multi-disciplinary approaches, the archaeological record can be used to reconstruct the life-ways of past societies.
101. Classical Civilization I: The Ancient Greek World (in English).
No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in
Great Books 191 or 201. (4). (HU).
This course serves as an introduction to the civilization of ancient
Greece from its beginnings to the fourth century BCE. All reading is in
English translation. Lectures will trace the development of Greek literature
and thought within the context of Greek society, with emphasis on gender
relations and the crisis in traditional values during the late fifth century.
Literature read includes Homer's Iliad and Odyssey; selected
lyric poetry; selected tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides;
selected comedies of Aristophanes; selections from the historians Herodotus
and Thucydides; and philosophical writings of Plato. The readings average
about 90 pages per week. There will be a midterm, two brief papers, and
a final examination. Freshmen Honors students in Honors sections will write
enough to meet the Introductory Composition requirement. Cost:3 WL:1 (Scodel)
120. First-year Seminar in Classical Civilization (Humanities). (3).
(HU).
Section 001 - The Hero and Heroism in Greece and Rome. Who is
a hero? What do heroes do? If Superman (or Rambo) is all-powerful, can he
be of any interest to us, the merely human? Can he make a mistake? But if
heroes can have human failings, can they still be heroic? What sorts of
times produce what sorts of heroic literature? Could you write a
heroic epic today? If you did, could it have any more reality than
a sci fi novel? These are the sort of questions we might ask as we look
at the beginnings of heroic literature in the Western literary tradition.
What makes Achilles more than Rambo, and Ajax more than a figure from science
fiction? What was the nature of the ancient hero, and how did the
concept of heroism change and develop in Greece and Rome? We will think
about the Homeric hero, the tragic hero of Sophocles, the more "modern"
hero of the Alexandrian poets, the hero of Virgil's Aeneid, the anti-hero
of Petronius' novel, and others. We will also consider some contemporary
heroes. At the end, I hope we will have arrived at a better understanding
not only of our literature, and why we read it, but of ourselves. Course
requirements: to read selected works of heroic literature with interest
and an inquiring attitude, and to write two papers (6-8 pp. each) on the
concept of heroism in what we have read and discussed. (D.O. Ross)
121. First-year Seminar in Classical Civilization (Composition). (4).
(Introductory Composition).
Section 001 - Socrates and Democracy. Who was that "strange"
man in late fifth-century BCE Athens who claimed "the unexamined life
is not worth living by a human being"? How, according to this teacher
and moral philosopher, should one lead one's life? And why was this philosopher
put to death by the Athenian democracy? Was his death political? Can democracy
and philosophy not co-exist? What was the relationship between Socrates
and the democracy of Athens? What was this democracy like? What exactly
were the charges brought against Socrates and how did he defend himself
against them? Why, after he was found guilty and imprisoned, did he refuse
to attempt an escape? These and related questions will form the focus of
our seminar as we search for the historical Socrates and the nature of the
Athenian democracy in his day. We will read, discuss, and write about both
ancient primary sources in translation (Aristophanes' comedy The Clouds
and Xenophon's Memorabilia (Conversations with Socrates) as well
as several of Plato's earlier Socratic Dialogues) and at least one contemporary
secondary source (the 1988 bestseller The Trial of Socrates by the
American political journalist I.F. Stone who taught himself ancient Greek
in retirement and produced this book). Since this seminar meets the Introductory
Composition requirement, you can expect to write occasional impromptu essays
as well as five or six formal papers (beginning with one or two pages and
moving up to six or eight pages). We will give attention to drafts and to
revision of the formal essays. Cost:2 WL:1 (Wallin)
372. Sports and Daily Life in Ancient Rome. (4). (HU).
Readings include selections from ancient writers in translation and
from recent scholarship on topics in Roman history and society available
in a course pack obtainable from AccuCopy at the corner of Maynard and East
William. In the lectures we begin with some background on Roman religion
and history and then consider the different social classes and their lifestyles;
the second half of the course deals with the major sports of chariot racing,
gladiator fights, and wild beast hunts, and also includes activities at
the baths. Grades will be based upon midterm and final examinations and
upon participation in class. (Porter)
101. Elementary Greek. Graduate students should elect the course as Greek 502. (4). (LR).
Two convictions are basic to the Elementary Latin Program of the Department of Classical Studies: (1) it is possible for every able-minded person to master the basic facts of a foreign language and (2) the learning experience leading to such a mastery is a privilege that is very specifically human and ought to be most satisfying. Essential facts of morphology, syntax, semantics, vocabulary, history and culture are taught, and a knowledge of these facts enables students to understand Latin written by the famous authors of the Golden Age. Since at least 50% of the vocabulary of an educated speaker of English is Latin in origin, English vocabulary improves as Latin stems and derivatives are learned. The program normally takes four terms to complete. A placement test may be taken at the beginning or end of a term, and a student may succeed in placing out of one or more courses in the introductory sequence.
In the Elementary Latin Program, the department is offering Latin 101, 102, 193, 231, and 232. Latin 101 (see below) is for students with little or no previous Latin. A placement examination will determine the appropriate course for other students who enter the elementary sequence. Students with questions about which course to elect are encouraged to visit Professor Knudsvig in Angell Hall, 764-8297.
101. Elementary Latin. No credit granted to those who have completed
or are enrolled in 103, 193, or 502. (4). (LR).
All of the assigned tasks/exercises in Latin 101 are directed toward
the reading and translation of Classical Latin and not toward writing or
conversation. The course has as its primary objective the acquisition of
a fundamental understanding of basic Latin grammar. The text for the course
is Knudsvig, Seligson, and Craig, Latin for Reading. Latin 101 covers
approximately the first half of the text. Grading is based on quizzes, class
participation, hours examinations, and a final. Cost:1 WL:3
102. Elementary Latin. Latin 101. No credit granted to those who
have completed or are enrolled in 193 or 502. (4). (LR).
All of the assigned tasks/exercises in Latin 102 are directed toward
the reading and translation of Classical Latin and not toward writing or
conversation. The course continues the presentation of the essentials of
the Latin language as it covers the last half of Knudsvig, Seligson, and
Craig, Latin for Reading. Extended reading selections from Plautus
(comedy) and Eutropius (history) are introduced. Grading is based on class
participation, quizzes, hour examinations, and a final. Cost:1 WL:3
193. Intensive Elementary Latin I. No credit granted to those
who have completed or are enrolled in 101, 102, 103 or 502. (4). (Excl).
This course is a rapid introduction to Latin and is intended for students
with little or no prior Latin. Upperclass undergraduates in such fields
as history, medieval or renaissance literature, or linguistics and who need
to acquire a reading competence in Latin as quickly and as efficiently as
possible should elect this course. So should other undergraduates who intend
to continue the study of Latin and want a rapid introduction that enables
them to take upper-level Latin courses as soon as possible. (Note: completion
of 193-194 alone does not fulfill the undergraduate language requirement).
This first term course covers elementary grammar and syntax. Cost:1 WL:1
(D.O. Ross)
231. Introduction to Latin Prose. Latin 102 or 103. No credit
granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 194, 222, or 503.
(4). (LR).
This course reviews grammar as it introduces students to extended passages
of classical Latin prose through selections from such authors of the first
centuries B.C. and A.D. as Caesar and Livy and Pliny the Younger. Class
discussions center upon the readings. Grading is based on class participation,
quizzes, hour examinations, and a final. Cost:1 WL:3
232. Vergil, Aeneid. Latin 231 or 221. No credit granted to those
who have completed or are enrolled in 194, 222, or 503. (4). (LR).
The goal of this course is simple: to learn to read extensive passages
of the greatest work of Latin literature, Vergil's Aeneid, with comprehension
and enjoyment. This course will ask you to bring together and apply the
knowledge and skills you have acquired up to this point and to build on
these as you learn to read poetry. There will be some grammar review as
necessary. You will also study Vergil's epic poem in English translation.
By term's end you should have both a good understanding and appreciation
of what the Aeneid is all about and an ability to handle a Latin
passage of the poem with control and comprehension. Grading is based on
class participation, quizzes, hour exams, and a final. Cost:2 WL:1,3
Intermediate Courses
The primary goal of this course is to serve as an introduction to the
study of Latin literature, and, through the literature, of Roman culture.
Texts by a major poet and a major prose author will be read with a view
to their literary, historical, and political contexts. Reading strategies,
and review of morphology and syntax as needed, will be stressed. There will
be quizzes, a midterm, and final exam. Cost:2 WL:3,4 (Knudsvig)
103. Introduction to Mass Communication. Not open to seniors.
(4). (SS).
This course is designed to provide an introductory overview of the historical,
social, political, economic, and cultural contexts, structures and the processes
of the mass media. We will concentrate primarily on communication technologies,
practices and perspectives in an American context. The course objective
is to analyze the historical and current factors influencing the development
of mass media and our relationships to them. The class consists of two lectures
per week and one discussion section. Grading is based on two essays, two
exams and critical/analytical questions handed in during discussion sections.
WL:1 (McLaughlin)
206. Evaluating and Communicating Information. (4). (SS). (QR/1).
This course teaches the fundamental thinking skills necessary for critical
evaluation and presentation of arguments, especially those based on quantitative
information. Such skills are required for one to be a competent mass communicator
of information, a critical consumer of information relayed by the mass media,
or an intelligent scholar of media processes and effects. The course introduces
generic logical and statistical concepts through analysis and discussion
of specific cases drawn from research reported in the mass media (e.g.,
health and business news, public opinion polls), research on the media (e.g.,
the impact of media violence), and research for the media (e.g., audience
research). Students' logical and quantitative reasoning skills are improved
through a variety of "hands-on" exercises and projects (many involving
computerized spreadsheet programs). The course is introductory in nature,
and no prior statistical or computing expertise is required. Cost:2 WL:1
(Price)
250. Information Gathering for Mass Media. (3). (Excl).
This course teaches the strategies used in finding information, evaluating
its validity and reporting the results in a number of mass media applications,
including journalism, public relations, marketing, and advertising. The
approach combines research methods used by media professionals and by librarians.
Problem-solving assignments are applied to the information industry. Cost:2
WL:1 (Hall)
101. Principles of Economics I. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 400. (4). (SS). (QR/2).
Section 200. Economics 101 examines the microeconomics of capitalism - the behavior of households and businesses and the generation of prices and outputs in markets. Specific topics in Economics 101 include: supply and demand; the differences between competition and monopoly; labor markets and discrimination; the distribution of incomes; environmental issues; and government taxation and expenditure. Economics 101 is the first part of the two-term introduction to economics - the second part (Economics 102, for which Economics 101 is a prerequisite) examines macroeconomics. Prerequisites for 101: high school algebra and geometry and a willingness to use it. The course format consists of three large one-hour lectures per week taught by the professor and one small one-and-a-half-hour section meeting per week taught by a teaching assistant. The textbook (and study guide) in this lecture section is Lipsey, Steiner, Purvis, and Courant, Microeconomics, TENTH Edition (which is being used in two sections of this term's Econ 101). Final grades will be based on: two hour tests (total of 40%); four UNANNOUNCED quizzes given during section meetings (10%); weekly homework assignments that will be collected, graded, and discussed in the section meetings (10%); and the final exam (40%). NOTE the DATES and TIMES of the two hour tests and the final exam in the TIME SCHEDULE, and BE SURE that you can attend all three. Cost:2 WL:None (Porter)
108. Introductory Microeconomics Workshop. First-year standing
and concurrent enrollment in Economics 101. (1). (SS). Offered mandatory
credit/no credit.
Students will meet weekly for one hour with a faculty member for discussions
of the previous week's Wall Street Journal (WSJ) articles, stressing
the use and application of the microeconomic tools being learned in Economics
101. In the first few weeks, the workshop will study how to read the WSJ
, its ideological positions and its technical material (such as foreign
exchange, commodity, and forward market quotations). Once supply and demand
has been studied in Economics 101, much of the WSJ becomes discussible.
Workshop attendance is mandatory, and each student will be required to subscribe
to the WSJ for the term. During the first few minutes of the seminar, the
articles for the subsequent week's seminar will be selected and one or two
students appointed to open the discussion of each article on the week's
agenda (and turn in to the professor a neat copy of their briefing notes).
The remainder of each seminar will be spent talking about the articles that
were selected the previous week. Evaluation of students will be entirely
on the basis of their attendance and preparation, as evidenced by their
briefing notes and classroom participation. (Porter)
Those students placed in ECB practica must enroll in an ECB course as the first part of their writing requirement. No substitute will satisfy the College writing requirement.
ECB Practicum courses meet for 2 hours a week. In addition each student has a required bi-weekly half hour conference with the instructor. To enroll in the ECB course, students should select a section compatible with their schedule from the Time Schedule, from updated course lists at department counseling offices.
Any student who fails to attend the first class meeting and has not notified the instructor or department in writing may be dropped from the class by action of the instructor or department. At the same time, students are responsible for their own schedules and must process all drops through CRISP.
Students who receive the placement of Exemption with Writing Workshop come to the ECB Writing Workshop, 2012 Angell Hall, during their first term of enrollment to receive writing instruction before being certified for Exemption. No student with a Mandatory Writing Workshop placement may graduate without certification.
Students are welcome to visit the ECB office at 2012 Angell Hall to discuss their writing assessment or to ask for course information.
100. Writing Practicum. ECB Assessment. (2). (Excl). Offered mandatory
credit/no credit. (TUTORIAL). May be elected for a total of four credits
for any combination of ECB 100-105.
ECB Writing Practicum 100 is a two credit course offered September 5
to December 8. Students place into Practicum on the basis of their portfolio.
Each section of ECB 100 has a maximum enrollment of 16. Students meet with
their instructor two hours each week in class and bi-weekly in half-hour
individual sessions. The writing instruction is designed to meet individual
needs. At the end of the Practicum, each student prepares a portfolio of
his/her writing which is read and evaluated by two ECB lecturers. On the
basis of writing skills demonstrated in the portfolio, practicum students
are assigned to the appropriate level of the College writing program. NOTE:
A few sections of ECB 100 are linked to specific content-area courses.
Section 002. The ECB Practicum-Psychology 111 Program enable students to fulfill both their practicum requirement at the same time that they complete the introductory course work required for most advanced psychology courses. The program links section 002 to Psychology 111, a general introduction to psychology both as a social science and a natural science. The class of sixteen students meets two hours per week for the full term. Each student receives half hour writing conference bi-weekly. Students put together a portfolio which is read and evaluated by two ECB lecturers. On the basis of writing skills demonstrated in the portfolio, practicum students are assigned to the appropriate level of College writing program. Registration by override only.
Section 005. Suitable for students planning a concentration in the lab sciences. Especially useful for students currently enrolled in a Natural Science lab course such as Biology 100, Chemistry 123, etc. The class of sixteen students meets two hours per week for the full term. Each student receives half hour writing conference bi-weekly. Students put together a portfolio which is read and evaluated by two ECB lecturers. On the basis of writing skills demonstrated in the portfolio, practicum students are assigned to the appropriate level of College writing program. Registration by override only.
Section 006. Suitable for students planning a concentration in the social sciences. Especially useful for students currently enrolled in Psychology 171, Political Science 140, Sociology 100, or Cultural Anthropology. The class of sixteen students meets two hours per week. Students put together a portfolio which is read and evaluated by two ECB lecturers. On the basis of writing skills demonstrated in the portfolio, practicum students are assigned to the appropriate level of College level writing program. Registration is by override only.
Section 007. A 14-week Practicum that focuses on issues of Race and Ethnicity. The course is not linked to any other course or discipline, but students may be interested in the subject matter for this thematic Practicum. The class of sixteen students meets two hours per week for the full term. Each student receives half hour writing conference bi-weekly. Students put together a portfolio which is read and evaluated by two ECB lecturers. On the basis of writing skills demonstrated in the portfolio, practicum students are assigned to the appropriate level of College writing program.
Section 027. Suitable for students enrolled in a Studio Art of History of Art course, or who have a special interest in art, art history, or architecture. The class of sixteen students meets two hours per week for the full semester. Each student receives half hour writing conference bi-weekly Students put together a portfolio which is read and evaluated by two ECB lecturers. On the basis of writing skills demonstrated in the portfolio, practicum students are assigned to the appropriate level of College writing program. Registration by override only.
WRITING COURSES:
After taking or placing out of Introductory Composition, students may elect either English 224 or 225 for further practice in the fundamentals of expository and argumentative prose. English 325 offers the opportunity for work in argumentative and expository prose at a more advanced level.
Several sections of English 223, the beginning course in creative writing, are available each term. The work is multi-generic, and two of the following will be covered in each section: fiction, poetry, and drama. A more advanced course for creative writers is English 323 (Fiction or Poetry), which is available by permission of instructor and completion of the prerequisite, English 223. More experienced writers may apply for admission to specialized sections of English 227 (Playwriting), English 423 (Fiction), English 427 (Playwriting), and English 429 (Poetry). Admission to these advanced courses is by permission of the instructor, who will require writing samples.
124. College Writing: Writing and Literature. ECB writing assessment.
(4). (Introductory Composition).
By connecting the two terms of its title, Writing and Literature aims
to help prepare the student to produce the range and quality of expository
prose expected in college courses. Works of literature will be considered
for their effective use of language and argument. They will serve as reference
points for thinking and writing strategies. Characteristically, sections
of English 124 will involve the writing of a minimum of five essays, with
considerable attention given to the preparation of drafts and to revision.
The literary works which will serve as points of reference will vary from
section to section and from term to term. Some section descriptions follow.
Descriptions for individual sections not listed below are available in 5207
Angell Hall.
Section 021. This section of Writing and Literature will be a First-Year Seminar. In this course we will get serious about comedy. Much of the reading will be literary comedies (such as stories from the Decameron, Shakespearean plays, Catch-22), but it will also include selections from anthropological and psychological approaches to comedy, laughter, and humor. The writing assignments (about 25-30 pages, including revisions) will be similarly varied. Class time will be divided between discussion of the reading and work on writing. Cost:1 (Taylor)
Section 022 - Daydreams and Nightmares. In this First Year Seminar we will explore writing as a means of discovering ourselves and others. We will explore our fanciful visions, daydreams, fantasies, aspirations - as well as our horrified nightmares. What hopeful visions guide our decision-making processes? What do we imagine as our worst fears? A selection of literary works will stimulate our thinking about these questions. Students electing this section will be free to write on personal topics. They will also be encouraged to reach out and explore how individual dreams relate to social worlds. Myths, such as those found in the legends of history and in fairy tales, give us insight into our collective consciousness and into the dreams of society. Horror stories, such as those about Frankenstein and Dracula, give us insight into our collective terrors. The section is designed to appeal to those who enjoy creative thinking as much as they enjoy analytical thinking. Together, we will solve problems by addressing fears and by imagining the best of all possible worlds. Students will write five papers and may choose to revise several of them. Required texts for this section include Dreams and Inward Journeys: A Reader for Writers, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Shelley's Frankenstein. (Carlton)
Section 023 - Writing Our Own Lives. This section is a First Year Seminar. In effect, in this seminar, we will be asking questions that reveal how we go about "writing our own futures." How did we write the narrative of our pasts, for example? We will grapple with problems of human conflict and value systems which affect our judgments in the decisions we make at both personal and public levels. Although the reading list is still to be determined, we will select from texts that reveal a lawyer struggling to convince a jury to convict a sixteen year old to first degree murder, an analyst trying to come to grips with the "Challenger Disaster," a minority writer trying to understand how his ethnic background can survive in his mind as he attempts to integrate himself into a "majority" profession, a novelist exploring how personal relationships develop and are sustained, a holocaust survivor wondering about the process of decision making for survival, and a civil rights leader asking the essential question of how we can enact our lives to produce the best of all societies. Although much of the reading list is still to be determined, we will analyze John Irving's The Cider House Rules, and selections from Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, William Carlos Williams, Isabelle Allende, and Timothy Mo. Our work will encompass examining what is identified as "five arenas of the mind' - those basic areas that expose diverse conflicts - using texts of both professional and non-professional writers that illuminate those struggles. Some of what we read will be critical analysis and some will be fiction, but we will always be concerned with how we think and how we write. The class format will be discussion and more discussion, and we will be working through our own essay writing consistently in class. The conception of the class is one that celebrates the process of challenging and revising former ideas, one that works towards recognizing a synthesis of more complex possibilities. Each student will write a minimum of four essays, with an option for one major revision. (Back)
Section 024 - The Nature of Evidence and the Construction of Meaning. Meaning. Whenever we persuade others, or find ourselves persuaded by them, the effective agent or factor is usually something we call "evidence," a mutually-agreed-upon body of information with which people "back up" the claims they make. But by what criteria do certain pieces of data qualify (or fail to qualify) for use in our arguments in this fashion? The physical sciences and especially the law are filled with disputes about what does or does not constitute evidence; in many areas of the humanities, however - such as the field of literary studies - the subject has been much less carefully considered. In this course we will think about the role of evidence in our daily non-technical intellectual exchanges. We'll also think about how we determine what a given piece of evidence "means," and about the whole question of how meaning comes to be assigned to utterances or notions. We'll talk a lot in class, both informally (sustained conversation) and formally (frequent oral reports); don't enroll if you're not prepared to talk regularly and intelligently. We'll read a few literary works that invite argument but that complicate the question of evidence - perhaps works such as Margaret Atwood's novel Surfacing, or Shakespeare's play Troilus and Cressida, or Julian Barnes' fictional History of the World in 10-1/2 Chapters, or Lorene Cary's memoir Black Ice, or Joan Didion's novel A Book of Common Prayer, or If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino - all texts in which we can watch competing versions of evidence and argument at work; and we'll do some writing of our own, in the form of concise exploratory or analytical essays, in which we press harder on the questions raised by our readings and discussions. Students should emerge from this course with an enriched understanding of the problematic nature of evidence and of meaning itself. (Ingram)
Section 025 - Shakespeare and Identities in Conflict. The primary purposes of this section are (1) to strengthen students' ability to think deeply, originally, and perceptively; and (2) to strengthen their ability to write confidently, articulately, and appropriately, to meet their various writing needs throughout college and beyond. In these units of this section, we'll have the sheer delight of using Shakespeare as our guide and stimulus for exploring the section theme, Identities in Conflict. His plays offer unforgettable expressions of the same kind of crises in identity that we ourselves struggle with all our lives. What gives us a sense of identity? How much of our identity comes from within and how much from outside ourselves? What happens when our inner and outer sources of identity seem to contradict one another? Who and what can rob us of our identity? How, if at all, can we cope with such a loss? Can we forge new identities when familiar ones are shattered? Shakespeare shows us all these questions in action and suggests ways in which we can apply them to current issues and our own concerns. This section will not be aimed at scholarly literary criticism. It will ask you to read carefully, think thoroughly, make connections between Shakespeare's worlds and your own, and write in a variety of ways, both formally and informally. Don't worry if you haven't read Shakespeare before or if you find his language difficult; it will soon become familiar to you. We'll probably have some informal video evenings also to see how these plays look in performance. Since we learn best the things we discover for ourselves, this section will concentrate on collaborative learning. We will share ideas in large-group and small-group discussions, and you will critique one another's papers in small peer groups and in full-class workshops. All students are responsible for reading, for writing a great deal, for helping to create their own learning, for participating in class discussions, and for promoting an atmosphere in which everyone can create, share, and argue ideas freely and joyfully. Here the emphasis will be on discovering what complex and fascinating questions we can learn to ask, not on resting comfortably with answers we've already found. (Livesay)
Section 026 - Daydreams and Nightmares. See English 124.022. (Carlton)
Section 027 - Nation of Immigrants. See English 140.005. (Wolk)
Section 028 - Shakespeare and Identities in Conflict. See English 124.025. (Livesay)
Section 030 - Literary Responses to Bigotry. The subject of this course is the relationship between bigotry and the art of literature. Its material is imaginative literature written by and about bigotry's victims, divided into the following four groups: I. Native Americans: The Education of Little Tree (Carter), Love Medicine (Erdrich); II. Japanese North Americans: Nisei Daughter (Sone), Obasan (Kogawa); III. Gay Americans: The Zoo Story (Albee), Giovanni's Room (Baldwin); IV. African Americans: The Color Purple (Walker), Beloved (Morrison). Each work will be the subject of a two-page individual paper, and each cultural era that produced the four pairs of texts will be the subject of three-page research papers and presentations by groups of three members of the class. One of the two weekly class meetings will be devoted to discussion of texts; the other will concentrate on the technology of writing. No midterm and no final. WL:1 (Fader)
125. College Writing. ECB writing assessment. (4). (Introductory
Composition).
Like English 124 (Writing and Literature), English 125 (College Writing)
prepares students for the various kinds of academic writing required of
them as undergraduates at the University of Michigan. In addition to informal
exercises or impromptu essays, students can expect to write about five papers
exemplifying the various modes of discourse which comprise our academic
community.
Course descriptions for individual sections are available in 5207 Angell Hall.
140. First-Year Literary Seminar. (3). (HU).
Section 002 - Native American Literature. In this seminar our main focus
will be on a selection of eight or nine novels written by major, mostly
contemporary, Native American writers: James Welch, Leslie Marmon Silko,
and Louise Erdrich among them. We will begin with Black Elk Speaks,
to "warm up" our critical skills and to gain some sense of the
background against which Native American novelists have had to work. In
their efforts to present accurate, appropriate and forceful accounts of
Native American life, Native American writers have had to contend with stereotypes
promoted by "Indian-lovers" as well as "Indian-haters."
Our study of their writing should complicate if not explode these stereotypes;
in some ways students electing this course will emerge from it "knowing"
a lot less about Native Americans than they did before, the first step,
of course, to acquiring some real knowledge about the highly various cultures,
histories and current experience of the first inhabitants of this land.
Students choosing to enroll should be ready to participate vigorously in
class discussion, to make oral reports, and to write reaction papers each
week plus one or more short papers and a long research paper. As all texts
will have been written in English, knowledge of Pikuni, Keres, Ojibwa, Lakota
or other indigenous languages will not be required. Nor will any dancing
with wolves. Cost:2 (Faller)
Section 003 - The Literature of Travel. The connection between literature and travel is an old one: to become a writer, one must go somewhere else, another place, another culture, another space of the imagination; by the same token, the experience of travel only seems to make sense when it is written down as a narrative. This course will be about the transformation of the experience of travel into a literary text. By reading a selection of travel writers in the modern period, we will see how traveling and writing mediate the relationship between cultures, peoples, and places; we will see how, in travel, our identities are formed or changed by how we perceive ourselves in relation to others; we will also examine how travel writing has become one of the most important instruments of making sense of a global community in crisis and chaos. We will start with a detailed reading of one of the classics of modern travel writing - Tristes Tropiques (in English) - the work of the French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss, a narrative which was written by the author while he was on the run from the Nazis but ended up being an important meditation on the crisis of the modern self. We will then read several texts which seek to understand the modern or postmodern crisis of culture by going elsewhere: We will travel to Patagonia with Paul Theroux (The Old Patagonian Express) and Bruce Chatwin (In Patagonia); we will be reading contrasting images of Japan in Roland Barthes' The Empire of Signs and Cathy Davidson's 36 Views of Mt. Fuji, and we will going in search of the new Asia as it emerges in Pico Iyer's Video Nights In Katmandu. We will try to make sense of the new Europe through the eyes of a Black British novelist (Caryl Phillips, The European Tribe) and a New Zealander (Lloyd Jones, Biografi). We will end the term by revising the gaze as it were, reading selections from travel writing by foreign writers trying to make sense of the United States. The course requires regular writing assignments, a midterm, and a final examination. Cost:2 (Gikandi)
Section 004 - Child Worlds: The Literature of Invented Realities. This course will study the escapist base of literature about and/or for children. It will consider how the alternative worlds that provide the settings of this literature are structured and will compare the rules by which those worlds operate with reality which is judged unsuitable for children although children undeniably are part of it. Further, the course will ask you to consider how effective these worlds are in providing something (to be determined by the class) useful to the experience of childhood. We will also compare the truths of these worlds with the truths, as we are able to identify them, of our own childhoods and the childhoods depicted in literature intended for mature readers. Frequent short papers, one project, and a midterm - no final. WL:1 (Moss)
Section 005 - A Nation of Immigrants. Central to the myth of the American Dream is the construct of the immigrant, those "tired" and "poor" welcomed to our shores, expecting to find "streets paved with gold," "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," limited only by their own desire and energy and capacity to dream. Not surprisingly, some of our most compelling and beautiful literature is written by new Americans as they contemplate both the promise and the disappointment of that dream. Such literature is the subject of this seminar. Our texts will be primarily novels, and our focus will be on the way that the myths of our culture are reproduced and rebutted in these novels. How, we will ask, do the authors imagine the immigrant's relationship to the mainstream culture? How do they express in their writing the experience of marginalization and where do they see in their circumstances access to personal power? We will consider the essential conflicts of these novels - conflicts between old world ethics and new, between parents and children, between so-called "yankees" and "greenhorns" - and the ways these conflicts, despite the diversity of ethnic backgrounds, take on a particular American flavor. The texts will be by some of the following American writers: Richard Rodriguez, Sandra Cisneros, Toni Morrison, Fae Myenne Ng, Anzia Yezierski, Henry Roth and others. We will begin our reading, however, in what may seem a surprising place - the fiction of Nathaniel Hawthorne, who depicts one of the first groups of immigrants - the Puritans - those whose descendants often are considered the Americans. Hawthorne's fiction will give us our first sense of how insider and outsider are defined and of who defines them. This seminar will highlight discussion and analysis. Course requirements will include two 5-7 page essays and an 8-10 page seminar paper, short weekly writings on the readings, active participation in discussion, and regular attendance. Cost:4 (Wolk)
217. Literature Seminar. Completion of the Introductory Composition
requirement. (3). (HU).
Section 001 - Poetry and Emotion. We will move from nineteenth-century
bestsellers, long narrative poems of exile or quest, to gothic poems of
horror and haunting; from love poems to the in-your-face style of the Nuyorican
Cafe; from novels with poetry at the core, like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
and Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony, to essays by anthropologists;
and from films like "The Dead Poets' Society" and Janet Jackson's
Poetic Justice to emotion-evading verse that wants to be tough or
cool. Required texts will include a poetry anthology, paperbacks of the
novels, a handbook of literary terms, and a course pack. Requirements: careful
close reading in preparation, including reading poetry aloud; showing up
for several poetry readings and one or two film showings outside of class.
Discussion format with frequent brief lectures. Prior experience of poetry
welcome but not necessary. Cost:2 (Ellison)
Section 002 - Ghost Stories: The Presence of the Past in American Literature. Through literature, voices from the past have the power to come back to life. Stories help us to know about the past and to transform it into something relevant to our present lives. In this way, stories "haunt" us - returning, often repeatedly, to remind us of what was or what might have been. In this course we will think about why stories come back, and read literature about places that are literally or figuratively haunted. How do these stories and novels tell of the past and how do they encourage us to think of our relation to it? How does the mysteriousness of the "haunted house" plot position us as readers? Requirements include: careful reading of difficult texts, class participation, response papers, and several longer critical essays. Reading list may include: Poe and Melville short stories; Fisher, The Conjure Man; Olsen, Tell Me a Riddle; Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom!; Morrison, Beloved; Chin, Donald Duk; Garcia, Dreaming in Cuban. (Madsen)
Section 003 - Reading Drama. We will explore the origins of drama and trace critical stages in its evolution. Focusing on interpretation, our purpose will be twofold: (1) to examine a variety of plays as a way of familiarizing ourselves with the techniques of analyzing drama, (2) to ask ourselves how representations of particular characters in local situations are related to cultural constructions of identity (our private and collective ideas on what constitutes Selfhood). By "reading for character" we will investigate the relationship between reading (and recognizing) fictional situations, and the possibility of better understanding the social context of self and Other (the world we live in). We will read Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Shakespeare's Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and King Lear, Ibsen's A Doll House, Chekhov's The Three Sisters, Williams' The Glass Menagerie, Miller's Death of a Salesman, Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, and Fornes' Dr. Kheal. Along the way we will investigate the following concepts: story and plot, dramatic structure, the language of drama, character, traditional types of drama, and stage conventions. You should be prepared to take on a considerable amount of reading. Course requirements include three critical essays and a midterm and final exam. (Tessier)
Section 004 - Literature and Loss. This course will examine the ways in which twentieth-century writers have responded to the idea of loss, and to the responsibilities and challenges of living in a world bounded by the fact of mortality. Examining the ideological, political, and aesthetic functions of loss, we will explore - and write frequently about - such issues as mourning; aloneness; the particular difficulty of representing death; generational, familial and cultural connectedness; and the responsibility of the living to the dead. We will focus on novels (William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping, Toni Morrison's Beloved), but will also study a nonfictional account (Elie Wiesel's Night) and a small selection of poetry and essays. We will devote a siginificant part of class time to writing instruction, and students should leave the class with a better understanding of how to undertake literary analysis and how to write an argumentative college essay. (Egger)
223. Creative Writing. Completion of the Introductory Composition
requirement. (3). (HU). May not be repeated for credit.
All sections of 223 teach the writing of two of the following three
genres: fiction (including personal narrative), drama, and poetry. Different
sections will emphasize the individual genres to varying degrees. Class
work involves the discussion of the process of writing and the work of a
few published authors. Students will do exercises meant to develop a sensitivity
to language and a facility with evocative detail, voice, form, and so forth.
Most classroom time, however, is devoted to reading and discussion of student
writing. A final portfolio of revised finished work of 35-50 manuscript
pages may be required. Course descriptions for individual sections are available
in 5207 Angell Hall.
225. Argumentative Writing. Completion of the Introductory Composition
requirement. (4). (HU).
This course furthers the aims of English 124 and 125 in helping to analyze
the various claims of a given issue and to develop ways of exploring and
defending positions, ideas and beliefs in writing. Careful attention will
be paid to the process of reasoning, the testing of assumptions and claims,
the questioning of beliefs, and the discovery of ideas and evidence through
analysis and rigorous articulation in written discourse. The course will
also focus on considerations of style, formal strategy techniques, and revision
as integral to precision in making points and developing argumentative ideas
both for purposes of individual reflection as well as for the purpose of
persuading an audience. Course descriptions for individual sections can
be found in the Composition Program, 5207 Angell Hall.
230. Introduction to Short Story and Novel. (3). (HU).
Section 002. This course provides an opportunity for practice in reading
fiction. We will start with two well-known novels, Huckleberry Finn
and Pride and Prejudice, which contrast to raise significant questions.
Then we will read a number of short stories to develop ways of answering
such questions. The last section of the course will be devoted to testing
these approaches on longer works, Silko's Ceremony and at least one
other. There will be a final examination at the scheduled time, short written
exercises, and some combination of hour exams and papers (probably two of
one and one of the other). (Lenaghan)
Section 003 - Way Beyond Fiction. Do you know what the limits of fiction are? This course will investigate the short story and novel by reading fictions which play with the definitions of these genres. Often called experimental fictions, these stories will allow us to ask about the nature of a narrative, the function of a voice, the role of form, and the concept of character by pushing all of these terms to the limits of absurdity. We will read a variety of fictions from various historical periods and cultural traditions in an effort to rethink what makes a fiction a fiction. This class will also survey various critical methods for examining these uneasy tales. Novels we will likely consider: Barthelme's Snow White, Woolf's To the Lighthouse, Winterson's Written on the Body, Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveler, Perec's A Void, Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49. Short stories may include selections from Kincaid's At the Bottom of the River and Borge's Ficciones. This course requires three short papers (3-5 pages), a final paper (8-10 pages), and a classroom presentation. (Aversano)
Section 006 - Rebels With Cause: The Literature of Resistance. Rebelling against authority can take many forms: writing is a peculiar form of rebellion. Does writing a short story or a novel constitute an effective resistance? Can literature be a source of social/ideological change? How does a work of fiction tangle with the social/political realities of, for example, a nation? These are the larger questions at issue in this class as we immerse ourselves in novels and short stories that are produced from spheres of challenge; for our purposes, we will take examples from a postcolonial/national context. We will be asking throughout the course how these forms of fiction have impact, if any, on the "real world." As importantly, we will be considering how the traditional forms of the novel and the short story are resisted and adapted in these instances. In particular, our class will explore various modes of literary experimentation employed by authors as a means of confronting authority. We will thus be examining the traditional forms of the novel and the short story in order to understand how our modern and postmodern texts both oppose and adopt tradition and why. This will ultimately allow us to consider more generally our reading practices and what we think about our contemporary relationship to literature. We will choose from the following novels: Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman, Michelle Cliff's Abeng, Okada's No-No Boy, Ellison's Invisible Man, N. Scott Momaday's House Made of Dawn, Silko's Ceremony, Ngugi's Petals of Blood, Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians, Lamming's In the Castle of My Skin, Gordimer's Burger's Daughter. We will also choose short stories by Joyce, Baldwin, Stein, Djuna Barnes and others. Two short papers and one longer one due at the end of the term. (Desmond)
245/RC Hums. 280/Theatre 211. Introduction to Drama and Theatre. No
credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in RC Hums. 281.
(4). (HU).
See Theatre and Drama 211. (Brown and Jones)
270. Introduction to American Literature. (3). (HU).
Section 001. This course will use two regional literatures in the US
to explore when and how "American" literature came to be American
literature - as against, say, British literature. The first region will
be the Northeast, specifically New England and its Puritan beginnings and
subsequent evolution from that point on. And the names will be reasonably
familiar ones, I think; so, too, some of the themes. (As much Emerson as
Dickinson; sermons and "Indian" captivity tales). The second region
will be the Southwest, an area subject to particular cultural pressures
from the South (i.e. Mexico) and from the enormous turmoil that was involved
in trauma of (re)making and (re)settling "Indian" cultures as
well as in the making (up) of the "frontier." Here, we will read
texts in which Mexico/USA/Asia/Native America add to and subtract from processes
in the making of American culture. Candelaria (Memories of the Alhambra);
border ballads; Maxine Hong Kingston (China Men); and Leslie Silko
(Ceremony) will be among our texts. At the end, we'll try to see
how/where/if a common literary "American-ness" can be fashioned
out of our readings. The major project for the class will involve a comparative
essay making use of any two "regional" areas, one which may be,
incidentally, different from the term's focus. (Johnson)
274/CAAS 274. Introduction to Afro-American
Literature. (3). (HU).
Section 001. The aim of this course is to familiarize students with
some of the basic scholarly questions which arise in the study of African-American
literature: Exactly what makes a text "Black"? The race of the
author? Her or his discussion of certain subjects? The expectation of a
reading audience with preconceived notions of what Black people ought to
write about? Also, why study African-American literature at all? Should
Black authors be read as an act of charity to Other voices, or can these
voices in fact have a profound influence on our critical understanding of
American literature and culture as a whole? Readings will be drawn from
eighteenth-, nineteenth- and twentieth-century Black American prose and
poetry, as well as from contemporary scholarship on African-American culture
and literary history. Requirements: a midterm, a final, and 15-20 pages
of writing. (Gunning)
285. Introduction to Twentieth-Century Literature. (3). (HU).
Section 001. We will consider how a variety of writers reflect and respond
to the major historical, social, political, philosophical, and moral issues
and preoccupations of this century. The works we will study are eclectic
and arbitrarily chosen; there is no attempt to be all-inclusive, nor will
we limit ourselves to English and American authors. Our subject will be
some representative works of modern thought and literature. We will place
equal emphasis on what these works say and how they say it. Our purpose
is to sharpen the insight and intelligence with which we read and analyze
some of the probing "documents" of our time. Reading: some standard
authors and works; some idiosyncratic selections. Availability of texts
and reasonableness of prices will be factors. I will also try not to duplicate
too many selections from the last time I taught this course. If I can keep
the topic fresh for myself, maybe I can do the same for you. Candidates
for the reading list include works by Camus, Kafka, P. Roth, Mann, D.M.
Thomas, Kosinski, P. Levi, Morrison, Bellow, Durrenmatt, Beckett, Atwood,
Silone or several others. Obviously, we will not be studying all of these.
I will post the reading list outside my office (2627 Haven Hall) before
the end of April. Informal lecture and discussion, the amount of which will
be influenced by the size of the class. Two papers (5-7 pages each) and
a final exam. Cost:2 (Bauland)
Environmental Studies 123 and 320 both offer broad overviews of the field and serve as introductions to more advanced work. Environmental Studies 420 and 421 offer opportunities for independent study. In these courses the student is responsible for defining a plan of study, enlisting others with similar interests if appropriate, and locating a faculty member willing to supervise the work. Environmental Studies 450 is a Capstone Seminar providing the opportunity for seniors, particularly those pursuing ICPs, to work together to compare diverse perspectives on human values and the environment.
Courses on environmental issues are offered by many different departments and programs in LSA as well as in other colleges of the university. Students interested in the environment should explore each issue of the Time Schedule thoroughly, because many appropriate courses are offered at irregular intervals under unpredictable headings. Of particular interest are some of the University Courses.
320. Introduction to Environmental Studies. (4). (Excl).
This overview of environmental issues emphasizes their human dimension.
Its primary objective is to help students become more ecologically literate,
able to think critically about environmental issues, to know how to find
and evaluate information on them, and to understand their historical, social,
and political dimensions. While the class addresses some scientific aspects
of the environment, it focuses on how history, literature, and the social
sciences contribute to our understanding of environmental concerns. Different
speakers in the class discuss environmental topics from different perspectives,
so students see how assumptions shape interpretation of the "facts."
Students are encouraged to challenge and question the lecturers. Weekly
discussion sections permit exploration of environmental issues, attitudes,
and possible solutions. Students complete several assignments and a group
project. The written work includes critical analyses of lectures and related
articles. The course requires a high level of student participation and
initiative. Cost:2 WL:4 (Bardwell)
Courses in Geological Sciences (Division 377)
A. Introductory Courses and Courses for Non-concentrators
G.S. 100-115 are short (half-term) courses. They consist of detailed examinations of restricted geologic topics. The department lists the specific courses from this series in the Time Schedule for the terms they are offered (fall and winter terms only). Each course, when offered, meets twice weekly for half of the term (first half or second half), and the specific dates for each course are printed in the Time Schedule. These courses are designed primarily for students with no prior geologic training and they are open to all interested persons. G.S. 100-115 are offered on the graded pattern (optional pass/fail).
100. Coral Reefs. (1). (NS). (BS).
Coral Reefs will be an in-depth tour of the biological and physical
processes active in modern reef systems to provide a detailed understanding
of the ecology of the individual organisms and the complex nature of their
interactions within the reef community. Evolution of the reef community
will be examined, ranging from the crude framework structures formed over
one billion years ago by primitive algae to the luxuriant and diversified
reefs of the modern-day oceans, to define the evolutionary strategies of
reef building organisms. By tracking these evolutionary strategies through
geologic time, the implications of man's intervention with the Earth's hydrosphere
and atmosphere on the character of future reef communities will be considered.
Cost:1 WL:4 (Lohmann)
105. Continents Adrift. No credit granted to those who have completed
or are enrolled in GS 205 or 270. (1). (NS). (BS).
In this one-credit course we will explore the mobility of the continents
and oceans in present and past times. The goals of this course are to present
the most exciting recent developments in the earth sciences, a unifying
concept that explains ocean evolution, mountain building, earthquakes and
volcanoes. Conceptual and factual material will be used to explain the principles
of plate tectonics and the dynamics of the solid earth. No special background
is needed. Evaluation is based on final exams. Cost:2 WL:1 (Ruff)
107. Volcanoes and Earthquakes. No credit granted to those who
have completed or are enrolled in GS 205, 270, or 271. (1). (NS). (BS).
The course is a study of the earth in action and includes the following
topics: geography of earthquakes and volcanoes; catastrophic events in historic
times; size and frequency of occurrence of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions;
the products of volcanism; volcanic rocks; volcanic activity through geologic
time; volcanic exhalations and the evolution of the earth's atmosphere and
oceans; relationship of earthquakes and volcanoes to plate tectonics and
the internal dynamics of the earth; volcanism and geothermal energy; manmade
earthquakes; and earthquake prediction and control. Instruction by lecture,
evaluation on basis of final exam. Cost:1 WL:3 (Section 001:Lange; Section
002:Satake)
110. The History of the Oceans. No credit granted to those who
have completed or are enrolled in GS 222. (1). (NS). (BS).
The history of past oceanic inhabitants, events, and environments is
recorded in the sediments which have accumulated on the ocean bottom throughout
geological time. Fossils of marine plants and animals are a major part of
the historical record; they give evidence of past oceanic living conditions
and the evolution of life forms in the sea. Sediment particles eroded from
land and carried to the oceans by rivers and winds provide insights into
past climates on continents. Changes in ocean currents and in seawater chemistry
have left their mark on the sediment record; the possible causes of these
changes are explored. Plate tectonics and seafloor spreading have rearranged
the shapes of ocean basins and repositioned continents over time. These
processes are reflected in the record in marine sediments still present
on the ocean floor and also in those now uplifted to form part of the continents.
Selected topics include: the origin and destruction of oceans and mountains,
El Niño events, the Eocene greenhouse, and the origin of life. These
topics are presented in lectures held twice weekly for a half term. A single
exam at the end of the course will determine the course grade. Cost:1 WL:4
(Owen)
111. Climate and Mankind. No credit granted to those who have
completed or are enrolled in GS 201 or 275. (1). (NS). (BS).
The intent of GS 111 is to give a heightened awareness to students of
the nature and fragility of the Earth's climate, and how changes in climate
have affected past civilizations and may affect our future. Course topics
will include: a description of the climate systems of the Earth, the atmosphere,
oceans and polar ice caps; the information we gather to understand the history
of those systems; how changes in climate have affected past civilizations,
and what may happen to the planet if the predicted "Greenhouse Effect
- Global Warming" finally arrives. Cost:1 WL:4 (O'Neil)
113. Planets and Moons. No credit granted to those who have completed
or are enrolled in GS 204 or 278. (1). (NS). (BS).
This lecture course provides a current survey of the geology and climates
of the various bodies of the solar system in light of the extraordinary
advances in planetary exploration during the past two decades. Topics treated
include historical development of geological ideas about the solar system,
planetary evolution, variability of geological processes throughout the
solar system, and individual portraits of the principal members of the solar
system family. No previous geological background is required. Course grade
will be determined from a single objective-type final examination. Cost:2
WL:3 (Van Keken)
117. Introduction to Geology. No credit granted to those who have
completed or are enrolled in GS 116, 119 or 120. Those with credit for GS
205 may only elect GS 117 for 4 credits. (5). (NS). (BS).
A basic single-term course in introductory geology concentrating on
the evolution of the Earth in physical and chemical terms with particular
reference to modern plate tectonic theory, and to the interaction of the
external biosphere-atmosphere-hydrosphere with the Earth's interior. The
laboratory provides a practical study of minerals, rocks and geologic maps.
One hour each week is scheduled for review and discussion of topics covered
in class. Lectures, laboratory and discussion. Cost:2 WL:4 (Lohmann)
118. Introductory Geology Laboratory. Prior or concurrent enrollment
in GS 119, or 205 and 206, or 135. Credit is not granted for GS 118 to those
with credit for an introductory course in geology (GS 116, 117, 121, 122,
or 218). (1). (NS). (BS).
The laboratory provides hands-on experience with minerals, rocks and
maps. Participants will learn to identify common minerals and rocks, use
topographic and geologic maps, and draw and interpret geologic cross sections.
Examples will be drawn from areas of recent glaciation, volcanism and earthquakes
to show how these features are depicted in maps. Cost:2 WL:4 (Lohmann)
119. Introductory Geology Lectures. No credit granted to those
who have completed or are enrolled in GS 116, 117, 120. No credit granted
to those who have completed both 205 and 206. Those with credit for GS 205
may only elect GS 119 for 3 credits. (4). (NS). (BS).
This course consists of lectures shared with Geology 117 but does not
include the laboratory section. A separate discussion section is also scheduled
to ensure continuity with class material and student-teacher contact. Students
interested in ONE-TERM laboratory introductory science course should elect
Geology 117. Lectures and discussion. Cost:2 WL:4 (Lohmann)
201/Geography 201. Introductory Geography:
Water, Climate, and Mankind. No credit granted to those who have
completed or are enrolled in GS 268. Those with credit for GS 111 may only
elect GS 201 for 3 credits. (4). (NS). (BS).
This course is a basic introduction to physical geography which emphasizes
many topics including maps, seasons, the atmosphere, greenhouse gasses,
radiation and heat balance, the dangers of global warming, circulation,
moisture and precipitation, air masses, and water supply. Students also
study climate classification, and geologic and historical climate changes,
and landforms and their formation. Students in this lecture-lab course are
evaluated by hourly and final examinations with satisfactory completion
of the lab work a prerequisite to the final course evaluation. Cost:2 WL:3
(Stearns)
204/AOSS 204/Astronomy 204. The Planets:
Their Geology and Climates. High school mathematics through plane
geometry and trigonometry. Those with credit for GS 113 may only elect GS
204 for 2 credits. (3). (NS). (BS).
This course will present current perspectives on the evolution of the
solar system in both an historical context and in light of the extraordinary
scientific advances resulting from recent space exploration. The principal
focus will be on the structure, composition and evolutionary history of
the surfaces and atmospheres of the planets and their satellites. Special
emphasis will be given to comparative aspects of geology, meteorology and
climatology as developed on the various bodies of the solar system. Concepts
of space exploration techniques will also be presented. The course is intended
for non-science concentrators and other students with typical high school
science and math backgrounds. Cost:1-2 WL:4 (Atreya and Pollack)
205. How the Earth Works: the Dynamic Planet. No credit granted
to those who have completed or are enrolled in GS 117, 119, or 270. No credit
granted to those who have completed both GS 105 and 107. Those with credit
for one of GS 105 and 107 may only elect GS 205 for 1 credit. (2). (NS).
(BS).
The dynamic Earth has given us oceans, continents and an atmosphere.
Its continuing activity is manifested today by the destructive powers of
such natural phenomena as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and mountain building.
The unifying concept of plate tectonics contains the clue to the shape and
changes in the physical environment of the Earth from its initial formation
to today. The goal is to present a fully integrated approach to the evolving
Earth's unique features in our solar system and explain its physical principles
using conceptual and factual material. Extensive use is made of videos,
animations, slides and classroom demonstrations. Two lectures/week; evaluation
based on midterm and final exam. No special background required. Course
reading: Earth Science and the Environment by Thompson and Turk.
This course can be taken singly or concurrently with its companion course
(GS 206); together they constitute a balanced introduction to modern earth
sciences. Cost:2 WL:1 (van der Pluijm)
206. How the Earth Works: the Water Cycle and Environment. Those
with credit for GS 109 may only elect GS 206 for 1 credit. (2). (NS). (BS).
This course describes behavior of earth materials in the surficial environment.
Water is the main transport agent in the geological cycle; it's unique properties
and exchange rates among oceans, lakes, rivers, and groundwater are one
focus. Interaction between water reservoirs and physical and chemical weathering
of soils, sediments and rocks also are discussed. Impact of humans on the
surficial environment is a unifying theme because we can affect hydrologic
and geochemical cycles. No special background required. Two lectures per
week. Several field sessions are planned to collect water and sediment samples
for follow-up lab analyses. Evaluation based on exams and participation.
This course, and its companion course (GS 205), may be taken singly or concurrently
and together constitute a balanced introduction to modern earth science.
Cost:1 WL:4 (Walter)
222. Introductory Oceanography. No credit granted to those who
have completed or are enrolled in AOSS 203. (3). (NS). (BS). (QR/2).
This course is designed to teach introductory-level science students
about the dominant environmental feature of our planet, its oceans. Topics
covered include the nature of the ocean basins and their formation by sea-floor
spreading; the currents of the surface and deep ocean and why they flow
the way they do; tides, tsunamis and wind waves; ocean nutrients and life
in the sea; the sediments and their record of ocean and climate history;
and mankind's use (and abuse) of the sea and its resources. The format of
the course will be lectures and readings in the textbook. Grades are based
on three hourly examinations and a final exam. Cost:2 WL:3 or 4 (Rea)
223. Introductory Oceanography, Laboratory. Concurrent enrollment
in G.S. 222. (1). (NS). (BS). (QR/2).
This class is an optional laboratory class designed to provided students
with the opportunity to explore the topics presented in GS 222 in greater
depth. Laboratory topics include methods of ocean exploration, sampling
of seawater and the sea floor, volcanos and earthquakes, waves and beaches,
and marine biology. Lecture topics are reviewed in the laboratory sessions
as needed. GS 223 fall term students usually have the opportunity to participate
in a one-day oceanographic research demonstration cruise to Lake Michigan
on board the University's research ship the Laurentian. Cost: 1 WL:4
231. Elements of Mineralogy. Prior or concurrent enrollment in
Chem. 125/130 or 210/211. (4). (Excl). (BS).
This course is a comprehensive introduction to the nature, properties,
structures, and modes of occurrence of minerals. The first three-fourths
of the course (three lectures per week) considers the general features of
minerals and includes topics such as introductory crystallography, crystal
chemistry, and introductory phase equilibria. During the last portion of
the course, the principal rock-forming minerals such as feldspars, pyroxenes,
and olivines are individually reviewed with respect to properties, structures,
genesis, and other characteristics. The laboratory (one three-hour laboratory
each week) is divided into three sections: (1) three weeks of morphological
crystallography, (2) six weeks of systematic mineralogy during which students
become familiar with the properties and associations of approximately seventy-five
significant minerals, and (3) four weeks of introduction to the use of the
polarizing microscope as applied to both crushed mineral fragments and rock
thin sections. There is one required field trip. Introductory optical mineralogy
is covered in five of the recitation classes. Geology 231 is a prerequisite
to the professional concentration program in the Dept of Geological
Sciences. Cost:3 WL:3 (Peacor)
268. Climate Change: Peril or Pork. No credit granted to those
who have completed or are enrolled in GS 201. Those with credit for GS 111
may only elect GS 268 for 2 credits. (3). (NS). (BS).
Students will be led in a discussion of climate change as a political
and scientific topic. Topics will include (1) Observational Data, (2) Timescale
of the human response to the many aspects of atmospheric and water pollution,
(3) Signal and Noise, the Scale of Natural Fluctuations, (4) Land Use Effects,
(5) The political implications of the Club of Rome Report, (6) Global Development.
(Outcalt)
269. Evolution of the Earth. No credit granted to those who have
completed or are enrolled in GS 135. Those with credit for GS 115 may only
elect GS 269 for 2 credits. (3). (NS). (BS).
This seminar course is intended for first and second year students with
no previous knowledge of, or experience in, the earth sciences. The material
will introduce students to the history of the earth from its formation in
the solar nebula, through the development of the continents, oceans, atmosphere
and life to its present state as an active planet. The course will explain
how various features of the earth "work," including continental
drift, volcanoes and the formation of most rocks, how theories are developed
in geology and how the magnitude of time has been determined. The course
will be divided into two halves. In the first half the basic concepts will
be explained. In the second half students will each make a presentation
covering a relevant subject which will be followed by discussion. Assessment
will be by two one-hour examinations and an oral presentation that will
form the basis for a term paper. Course pack and textbook, Earth, Then
and Now by Montgomery and Dathe. (Halliday)
270. Plate Tectonics. No credit granted to those who have completed
three of GS 105, 107 and 205. Those with credit for one of GS 105 and 107
may only elect GS 270 for two credits. Those with credit for GS 205, or
both GS 105 and 107, may only elect GS 270 for one credit. (3). (NS). (BS).
The theory of plate tectonics, called dogma by some and paradigm by
others, describes the mobility of continental and oceanic domains of the
Earth's crust, as they are in constant motion along plate boundaries with
respect to each other. The theory explains earthquakes and volcanoes, the
topography of the Earth and the faunal and floral diversity of its living
and fossil inhabitants. Lectures about the evidence also explore alternative
explanations. The course involves three hours of weekly meeting time, a
textbook and selected reading material. No background in Earth science is
necessary. Evaluation is based on two exams, a series of student presentations
on selected topics and written essays on the same subject. Cost:1 WL:4 (Van
der Voo)
272. Seminar: Environmental Geology. High school math and science.
No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in GS 284.
Those with credit for GS 109 may only elect GS 272 for 2 credits. (3). (NS).
(BS).
This seminar will focus on a wide spectrum of possible interactions
between people and their physical environment and could be described as
a course in applied geology. Fundamental principles important to the study
of environmental geology will be presented followed by readings of case
histories and discussions of selected environmental problems including natural
hazards (flooding, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions), water resources, global
warming, nuclear waste disposal, and geological aspects of environmental
health. Students can study this subject without any previous exposure to
the geological sciences. The goal of the seminar is to provide a scientific
basis for making informed decisions on the myriad of environmental problems
that challenge a modern technocratic society. Student will be evaluated
on the basis of midterm and final examinations as well as a short term paper
and oral presentation. Cost:2 WL:1 (O'Neil)
273. Contemporary Dinosaurs. Those with credit for GS 103 may
only elect GS 273 for 2 credits. (3). (NS). (BS).
This course will examine a current understanding of dinosaurs and other
fossil reptiles, and the history and philosophy of their study. (Cox)
276. Coastal Systems and Human Settlements. Those with credit
for GS 101 may only elect GS 276 for 2 credits. (3). (NS). (BS).
Coastal Systems and Human Settlements is a freshman-level, seminar-format
course directed toward an introduction to the importance of natural processes
in and consequences of human development along various coastal settings.
Study of the ramifications of short-term settlement in areas of long-term
subsidence and/or coastal erosion will be used as a means to better comprehend
the various repercussions of human interaction with natural systems. In
a small class setting the course will introduce students to those geologic
processes which have given rise to coastlines of the world, will establish
a basis for understanding why these regions have been in a state of rapid
change for thousands of years, will examine the reasons why human modification
of coasts and adjacent rivers has commonly exacerbated this situation, and
will explore the ramifications of anticipated global warming and attendant
global sea level rise in the coming decades. Cost:1 WL:4 (Wilkinson)
278. Earthlike Planets. High school science and math recommended.
Those with credit for GS 113 may only elect GS 278 for 2 credits. (3). (NS).
(BS).
In a small class room setting, Earthlike Planets introduces the undergraduate
to the terrestrial planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, moon, and Mars. Studies
of solid planets will be used as a vehicle to better understand our own
world and the methodology and limitations of science in the presence of
conflicting hypotheses and ambiguous data. Since western society has made
a significant commitment of resources toward the exploration of the planets,
we must consider not only the scientific merits of the endeavor but also
its historical origins. Grades will be based upon class participation, a
midterm exam, and a final project. The final project will provide the basis
for a written report and an in-class oral presentation. Cost:2 WL:3 (Van
Keken)
284. Environmental Geology. No credit granted to those who have
completed or are enrolled in GS 272. Those with credit for GS 271 may only
elect GS 284 for 3 credits. (4). (NS). (BS).
Environmental Geology deals with interactions between people and Earth.
It begins with an introduction to geologic materials and processes and goes
on to specific topics such as soil, surface and ground water, natural hazards
(volcanism, landslides, earthquakes, floods, coastal processes), geomedicine,
and waste disposal. Previous experience in geology is not required. The
course includes three lectures and one discussion period (in which homework
exercises are explained and discussed) per week. Evaluation is by means
of quizzes, exercises and a final exam. A book and exercise pack are required.
Cost:2 WL:4 (Kesler & Ruff)
103. Review of Elementary German. Assignment by placement test
or permission of department. No credit granted to those who have completed
or are enrolled in 100 or 102. (4). (LR).
This course is an intensive (five hours per week) course which reviews
the material normally covered in German 101 and teaches the materials normally
covered in 102 as well. It is designed for students with prior knowledge
of German but who are not yet advanced enough to move on to the second year
courses. Building a solid grammar basis is a priority in the course, but
all four skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking will be developed.
In addition you will develop further understanding of life in the German-speaking
world. Course requirements include daily homework assignments, regular attendance,
language laboratory assignments, four in-class tests, and a final examination.
Instruction is in English and German. Cost:2 WL:2
231. Second-Year Course. German 102 or 103, or the equivalent
(placement test). No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled
in 230 or 221. (4). (LR).
The first of a two-course sequence designed to increase the student's
understanding of and ability to use the German language. Grammar from the
first-year sequence will be reviewed and extended, and greater emphasis
will be placed on reading German texts and talking and writing about them
in German. Reading texts include both short literary works and non-fictional
texts from a variety of fields ranging from history to science and the arts.
Course requirements include daily homework assignments (reading and writing),
regular attendance, some language laboratory assignments, three in-class
tests, and a final examination. Instruction is in German and English.
232. Second-Year Course. German 231 or the equivalent (placement
test). No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in
230 or 236. (4). (LR). Some sections of German 232 address special topics,
e.g., music, philosophy, science, current political issues, etc.
Please note that some sections of this course address special topics
and focus on material dealing specifically with these topics. See individual
descriptions of the sections for topics and course requirements.
Section 001 - Mathematical and Scientific German. In this course we will spend several weeks each reading, discussing, and actually doing some basic Math, Computer, Physics, Chemistry, and (time permitting) Biology work in German (just as Einstein learned to do these things in English...). The necessary vocabulary and grammar will be provided along the way. This should be easier than it perhaps sounds, because the technical terms are usually very similar in German and English, and there is a clear context for guessing the meaning of unknown words. No background in Math or science is assumed. Grades will be based on participation, homework, quizzes, and two exams. Cost:1 WL:2 (Rastalsky)
Section 002 - The Search for the Self: From Nietzsche's Existential Revolt to the Mythical Worlds of Carl Jung and Hermann Hesse. In section 002 of German 232 we will devote the major part of the term to a reading of Hermann Hesse's Demian, a work that appeared right after World War I and probes the still vital questions about the meaning of evil and the nature of truth in the search for one's own genuine self. As background we will read a few simpler selections from the works of Carl Gustav Jung and Friedrich Nietzsche, who were major influences on Hesse's life and work. This will give us some insight into such important topics as the Kabbalah (Jewish mystical tradition), the Gnostic religious heritage, Jung's notion of the Collective Unconscious and the role of the dream in the human being's journey to vital maturity, and last but not least, Nietzsche's teachings on the "superman" and the will to power. We will have three short essays, periodic quizzes, midterm and final. Cost:1 WL:4 (Paslick)
Section 003. This is the second half of the two-term sequence of intermediate German, and continues the work of the first course, increasing both depth and accuracy of ability to use German in reading, as well as listening, speaking, and writing. The chief - but not sole - emphasis of this section is the reading of modern literary works, culminating in the reading and discussion of a full-length drama (Der Besuch der alten Dame by Swiss playwright Friedrich Dürrenmatt). Course requirements include daily homework assignments - including essays based on course materials, three in-class tests, and a final examination. Regular attendance and participation in class discussions is expected. Instruction and discussion is in German with some English.
Section 004 - German Constitution. The political and cultural dimension of every state is closely connected to its legal foundations. The legal and moral foundations, in turn, often occasion and are discussed in literary and public discourse. In this course, we will concentrate on the German Constitution, the Grundgesetz, and pursue an understanding of this document with a particular emphasis on the legal aspects and consequences of the German reunification. In addition, we will compare this document with its American counterpart (studying both excerpts in the original and translations). Other sources will be literary texts and articles in which the ideological implications of legal foundations are exemplified and/or debated. Course requirements: 3 exams, 4 short papers, 2 oral presentations. The language of instruction is German. Cost:1 WL:2 (Rundholz-Weihe)
Section 005 - Ausländer in Deutschland. This section will explore the "Ausländer-experience" in Germany starting with the influx into the then Bundesrepublik of foreign workers (Gastarbeiter) shortly after the end of WW II. We will examine the economic, geographic, social, political and cultural ramifications of this influx, with special emphasis on the resulting clash of cultures in Germany. These will be examined as they are presented by the Gastarbeiter and his family writing in German about their everyday life and experiences in Germany. We will be examining various genres and media presentations of the problem, such as prose, drama, film, poetry, music, newspaper and magazine articles, radio plays, and television. A look at post-Reunification developments in the "new" Bundesrepublik will round out the course. In addition to the readings and media activities, the students will write a number of essays and three short exams during the term. The language of instruction is German. (Van Valkenberg)
Section 006 - Music and Culture. This course is the second half of the intermediate German sequence, and as such will continue to develop reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in German, but this will be done on the basis of readings taken from the field of music and - where appropriate - related fields such as art history, cultural history, etc. Grammar will be reviewed or expanded as needed for working with the texts, but the main emphasis is on developing the reading skills and vocabulary necessary for reading and discussing, both verbally and in writing, the material in German. Course requirements will include regular reading and writing assignments, regular participation in class discussions, in-class tests, and a short final paper. The course will be taught to the greatest extent practical in German. Cost:1 WL:4 (Weirick)
325. Practice in Writing and Speaking German.
German 232 or the equivalent. (3). (Excl).
The sequence of German 325 and 326 is required for concentration in
German. It is primarily intended to improve fluency and accuracy in written
and spoken German. One hour each week is devoted to a systematic grammar
review including translation from English to German. The remaining class
time is devoted to German conversation based on readings and topics chosen
at the discretion of the individual instructor. A German essay of one or
two pages is assigned approximately every week. One or more five-minute
oral presentations may be required. There are midterm and final examinations.
Cost:2 WL:2
Section 001 - Modern Representations of the Totalitarian in History and Literature. German histories in the 20th century have often been interpreted under the aspect of totalitarianism. In this class, we will examine the topic of totalitarianism in historical and literary representations. Hannah Arendt's classic text on the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem will introduce the context and the banal incarnation of the totalitarian. Through the reading of Hein's and Koeppen's texts we will approach the topic from a literary vantage point, while the analysis of the Historians' Debate (Historikerstreit) will allow us to explore the place of the Holocaust in the historiographical and philosophical discussions about the totalitarian. The review of German grammar will be integrated in our readings. There will be occasional quizzes, a final exam covering grammar and one or two oral presentations. In addition, there will be a 2-4 page essay every other week, including rewrites. Texts: Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem. Ein Bericht von der Banalität der Bösen; "Historikerstreit." Die Dokumentation der Kontroverse um die Einzigartigkeit der nationalsozialistischen Judenvernichtung; Christoph Hein, Der Tangospieler; Wolfgang Koeppen, Der Tod in Rom; Dreyer/Schmitt, Lehr - und Übungsbuch der dt. Grammatik. Cost:2 WL:4 (Rast)
326. Practice in Writing and Speaking German. German 232 or the
equivalent. (3). (Excl).
See German 325.
350. Business German. German 232 or the equivalent. (3). (Excl).
This course introduces students to the language of business German and
gives them insight into Germany's place in the global economy. The course
is organized around major business and economic topics, such as: the geography
of business in Germany; the European Union and Germany's roll therein; trade;
traffic and transportation; marketing; industry; money and banking; and
ecology. In addition to the basic text, students will read actual business,
merchandising and advertising material, newspapers and magazines. There
will also be short videos on business and related topics. There will be
3 major exams, a number of short reports and papers, and a final exam. The
language of instruction is German. Cost:1 WL:4 (VanValkenburg)
German Literature and Culture in English
Courses in this section do not require knowledge of German.
171/Hist. 171/UC 171. Coming to Terms with
Germany. (4). (HU).
An interdisciplinary course on German history and culture, beginning
with the present and working backwards to unification under Bismark. This
attempt to "come to terms with the [German] past" will consider
not only social and political history, but also the philosophy, literature,
art, music, and culture of "everyday life" generally. Cost:2 (Amrine
& Eley)
Scandinavian Courses in English
Courses in this section do not require knowledge of a Scandinavian language.
331. Introduction to Scandinavian Civilization. (3). (HU).
The course provides the opportunity to become acquainted with the society
and culture of modern Scandinavia: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and
Iceland. No knowledge of a Scandinavian language is required. Readings and
lectures are in English. Several lectures are by guest specialists in history,
social issues, the arts and literature. Students will research current topics
on Scandinavia for class discussion, write two papers and final examination.
Grades are based on class participation, papers and final. Cost:3 WL:1 (Marzolf)
201. Great Books of the Ancient World. No credit granted to those
who have completed or are enrolled in Gt. Bks. 191 or Classical Civ. 101.
(4). (HU).
We are, perhaps more than we suspect, shaped in our habits of thought
and action, by our Western heritage. Our roots lie in Greece, Rome, and
Israel, and our knowledge of who we are depends in large part on our knowledge
of those forces which have helped form us. What meaning does it have for
my life, for example, that I know I have to die? With this question we approach
Homer's Iliad and the Exodus of the Hebrew Bible. Whether in Thucydides'
portrayal of the struggle between Athens and Sparta or in the tragic drama
of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, or in Plato's investigation of the
meaning of life in the Socratic dialogues, or in Rome's struggle for eternal
peace, it is always the dark mystery of human existence which fuels man's
desire to know who he is. Students will be evaluated on the basis of class
participation, two or three short papers, midterm, and final exam. (Paslick)
221. Great Books of the Far East. (4). (HU).
Section 001 - Great Books of Japan. An introduction to the great works
of literature that have exerted a major influence on the lives and culture
of the Japanese from ancient times to the present. Readings will include
selections from women's writing, from Lady Murasaki's great classic of male-female
relations, The Tale of Genji, to various stories about the female
condition in the modern world; philosophical and religious essays from the
medieval period; a fascinating tract on the way of the samurai; unique poetic
forms like renga (linked sequences composed by a group) and popular
forms like Basho's haiku; and modern fiction from Soseki, Ibuse,
and Nobel-prize winners Kawabata and Oe. Discussions will focus on the human
and cultural values inscribed in the works, particularly as seen from a
comparative East/West perspective. Required work consists of brief written
assignments and two longer papers. Cost:3 WL:1 (E. Ramirez-Christensen)
121/Asian Studies 121. Great Traditions of
East Asia. (4). (HU).
This is an introduction to the civilizations of China, Korea and Japan.
It aims to provide an overview of changing traditions from ancient to early
modern times (ca. 1650 AD) by outlining broad trends which not only transformed
the society, politics, economy and culture of each country but also laid
the ground for future shaping of this region into three distinctly different
modern nations. Development of state Confucianism, the spread of Buddhism,
growing gender disparities, functions of scholars and samurai, the superiority
of premodern Asian science and technology, and meanings of peasant rebellions
are some of the topics we will cover. In addition to the textbook, we will
read contemporary accounts and view films and slides to acquire intimate
appreciation of these cultures. There are no prerequisites for enrollment.
Course requirements include attendance at lectures, participation in discussion
sections, and successful completion of quizzes given in sections, two examinations,
and one report/project. Cost:2 WL:3 (Forage)
151/UC 172/Asian Studies 111. South Asian
Civilization. (4). (HU).
This course is an introduction to South Asian Civilization, which means
that it will provide glimpses of the depth and complexity of the history
and culture of "India" (which today consists of India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka). The course will cover the Indus Valley Civilization,
the Vedic Age, early Indian empires, medieval social transformations and
the Mughal empire, British colonial conquest and rule and Indian nationalist
social and political protest, as well as aspects of contemporary society,
culture, and politics in postcolonial South Asia. The course will review
this historical canvas in terms of the ways history and culture have become,
indeed have always been, mixed up with politics in South Asian Civilization;
thus we will use the contemporary politics and predicaments of South Asia
as the basis for considering the meanings and politics of history itself.
Course requirements include three short papers, a map quiz, and a final
exam. (Trautmann)
160. United States to 1865. (4). (SS).
This course will focus on changing notions of what America, both as
a society and as a polity, stands for. It will turn first to the sources
of the growing American self-consciousness in the 18th century; will describe
the vision embraced by the founding fathers; will explain the forces which
produced a mutation in that vision, creating Jacksonianism; will develop
the seeds of self-destruction in the Jacksonian creed; will explain the
sources of the suicide of Jacksonian America and the birth of the industrial
faith; and will seek to define the residuum which each of these historical
movements contributed to modern America. There will be a midterm and final
examination. Weekly assignments will amount to perhaps 150 to 200 pages,
and will be drawn both from primary sources and from secondary comments.
Though designed as a survey, the course presupposes some vague familiarity
with the structure of American history; and will therefore desert the strictly
narrative, for emphasis on certain episodes and movements which possess
symbolic value. Cost:5 WL:4 (Thornton)
161. United States, 1865 to the Present. (4). (SS).
History 161 has three basic objectives. First, we expect you to gain
a better understanding of some of the social, cultural, political, economic,
and demographic forces that have shaped the American experience since the
Civil War. Lectures, discussion sections, and readings will focus on transformations
in the labor force and workplace; the significance of race, ethnicity, gender
and class in defining American identities; changes in family life and community
networks; and the shifting scope of the public and private sectors. Second,
the staff wants you to refine basic reading and writing skills that can
be applied throughout your undergraduate education. There will be a midterm
and final examination and several short papers. Finally, the course is designed
to give you some historical direction as you think about where you are heading
and why. Cost:4 WL:2 (Achenbaum)
171/German 171/UC 171. Coming to Terms with Germany. (4). (HU).
See German 171. (Eley, Amrine)
197. Freshman Seminar. (4). (HU).
Section 001 - The Salem Witchcraft Outbreak of 1692. For Fall Term,
1995, this section is offered jointly with Women' Studies 150.001. (Karlsen)
Section 002 - 20th Century European Intellectual History. The topics to be discussed, among others, will include: The Rise of the Avant-Garde and Modernism in Art and Literature; Science/ Technology and the Challenge to Religious Faith; Growth of Irrationalism and the Rise of Authoritarian Ideology; the Impact of Revolutionary Ideas on Intellectual Life; the Challenge to Liberalism; the Intellectual Aftermath of the Second World War and the Origins of Post-Modernism. It is recommended that the students have a background in modern European history. The seminar will be conducted through lecture and discussion with a midterm and final exam. Texts will include source material and contemporary responses to historical events. The purpose of the course will be to familiarize students with major cultural and intellectual movements in modern Europe. Cost:3 WL:2 (Becker)
200-Level Courses are for Sophomores and Upper Class Students
This course presents a survey of history from human beginnings through
Alexander the Great. Primary emphasis is on the development of civilization
in its Near Eastern and Greek phases. Students need no special background
except an ability to think in broad terms and concepts. In view of the extent
of historical time covered in the course, a general textbook is used to
provide factual material. There are two hour examinations (an optional paper
may be written for extra credit) plus a final examination. Discussion sections
are integrated with lectures and reading. Cost:2 WL:1 (Humphreys)
210/MARC 210. Early Middle Ages, 300-1100.
(4). (SS).
This course will survey the formation of Western European culture from
late antiquity to the tenth century. It is intended as a broad introduction
to the period and will trace demographic and economic decline and growth,
changing social forms, and the development of European political, legal,
and religious institutions. We will also examine early medieval culture,
including popular religious life - saints, relics and pilgrimages - as well
as early science and philosophy and the fine arts. The central theme running
through the lectures and readings is the way in which two cultures - the
pagan culture of the Germanic north and the Christian culture of the Roman
south - slowly merged into one, creating a new social memory and cultural
identity. There will be a midterm and a final examination as well as a short
paper. In addition to the lectures, discussion sections will address a series
of early medieval sources, read in translation. (Hughes)
218. The Vietnam War, 1945-1975. (4). (SS).
This course examines the wars that were fought in and around Vietnam
from 1945 to 1975, with primary emphasis on the period of heavy American
involvement from the mid-1950's. The course seeks to explain the origins,
strategy, and impact of U.S. intervention. At the same time the course will
explain the motivation of the Vietnam Communists and of their domestic opponents.
Thus the Vietnam war will be analyzed both as the longest and most controversial
foreign war in American history, and as the climax to an Asian social revolution.
Meets three times a week for 50 minutes, plus one 50-minute discussion section.
Midterm and final exam. Cost:3 WL:4 (Lieberman)
250. China from the Oracle Bones to the Opium War. (3). (HU).
This course consists of a survey of early Chinese history, with special
emphasis on the origins and development of the political, social, and economic
institutions and their intellectual foundations. Special features include
class participation in performing a series of short dramas recreating critical
issues and moments in Chinese history, slides especially prepared for the
lectures, new views on race and gender in the making of China, intellectual
and scientific revolutions in the seventeenth century, and literature and
society in premodern China. WL:1 (Chang)
251. Modern China. (3). (SS).
History 251 examines the transformation of modern China from 1800 to
the present; i.e., from the late Qing empire to the post-Mao era in contemporary
China, by means of lectures, reading, and discussion. The main events of
19th and 20th century China and their various interpretations are explored:
Chinese state and society at the end of the 18th century; the Opium wars
and the establishment of a foreign presence; 19th century rebellions and
their consequences; imperialism and reform; the republican revolution; nationalism
and social revolution in the 1920's; the development of the Communist movement;
war and civil war in the 1930's and 1940's; the People's Republic of China
since 1949. About 150 pages of reading a week from text, monographs and
translations of contemporary materials. A course paper is required. Midterm
and final examinations. Cost:2,3 WL:3 (A.Feuerwerker)
285. Science, Technology, and Society After The Bomb. (3). (HU).
The enterprise of science changed dramatically after WWII, both intellectually
and socially. The consequences of being able to split the atom and, more
recently, to engineer biological blueprints have made science literally
a life and death activity that touches every human. This course will explore
the growth and implications of scientific and technological development
from the end of WWII to the present. There will be two lectures and one
discussion per week. Students will work in small groups on one problem during
the term, e.g. energy, pollution, global warming, health care issues. Each
group will hand in a jointly written report at the end of term and present
a class report. Three or four books will be assigned reading. Students will
be expected to make use of e-mail and conferencing. Cost: Under $50 WL:1
(Steneck)
History of Art 101, 102, 103 and 108, while covering different areas, are all considered equivalent introductions to the History of Art. These three introductory survey courses consider not only art objects as aesthetic experiences but also the interaction which exists between the artist and society. The lecture and discussion sections explore various historical, social, religious, and intellectual phenomena which are reflected in the style and content of works of art. Attention is also given to the creative act and to the problems of vision and perception which both the artist and his public must face. The three courses are numbered sequentially but they do not form a sequence.
Although it would be logical to move from History of Art 101 to History of Art 102, either History of Art 101 or 102 along with History of Art 103 and 108 serve as a satisfactory introduction to the history of art.
Course requirements and texts vary with individual instructors, but an effort is always made to introduce students to works of art in the collections of the university as well as in the museums of Detroit and Toledo. Most of the upper division courses in history of art require one of these three introductory courses as a prerequisite. The introductory courses are directed toward students interested in the general history of culture and are especially valuable cognates for students in the fields of history, philosophy, literature, and musicology as well as the creative arts. Photographic material is available for study in the Fine Arts Study Room in the Modern Languages Building. Examinations usually include short essays and slides which are to be identified, compared, and discussed.
101. Near Eastern and European Art from the Stone Age to the End of the
Middle Ages. (4). (HU).
This course offers an introduction to major monuments and periods of
art from antiquity through the Middle Ages. Its purpose is not only to acquaint
students with key works of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Romanesque
and Gothic architecture, sculpture and painting, but also to help them develop
a vocabulary for the description and analysis of works of art, and to provide
them with a basic understanding of the methods and aims of art historical
study. Lectures will be supplemented by weekly discussion sections, several
of them to be held in the Kelsey Museum and in the Museum of Art. Readings
will be drawn from a general art historical survey and other texts; written
work will consist of two short papers, a midterm and a final examination.
This course, with H.A. 102, is meant to provide a foundation in the history
of art; it is a prerequisite for many higher-level courses in the department.
Cost:3 WL:4 (Tabbaa)
102. Western Art from the End of the Middle Ages to the Present. No
credit granted to those who have completed 104 and 105, or 150. Two credits
granted to those who have completed one of 104 or 105. (4). (HU).
This course is a survey of topics in European and American Art from
the late 14th century to the present, as well as an introduction to the
techniques of art history. It will examine institutions such as patronage
and the art market, the changing roles of artists in society, art and its
public, and the changing functions of art. Weekly discussion sections will
be devoted to building skills in visual analysis and critical reading of
art-historical literature. There will be at least one optional film presentation
and one optional field trip to the Detroit Institute of Arts. Requirements:
attendance at lectures, informed participation in section meetings, regular
reading assignments, several short papers and examinations. Texts will include
a comprehensive survey book (title to be announced), Barnet's Short Guide
to Writing About Art, and an anthology of articles. There are no prerequisites
for this course. Cost:3 WL:4 (Zurier)
103. Arts of Asia. (4). (HU).
This course will take a topical approach to the arts of Asia rather
than attempt a broad survey. One segment will trace the transmission of
Buddhist arts (particularly architecture, painting, and sculpture) across
northern Asia from the tradition's origins in India across China and into
Japan. The Ming/Qing capital of Beijing and the Tokugawa capital of Edo
(modern Tokyo) will be analyzed as symbols of political power. The course
will also examine the social values inscribed in secular painting and graphic
arts such as Chinese landscape painting, Indian miniatures, and Japanese
wood block prints. Course work will include two short essays, a midterm
and a final exam. No prerequisites. Freshmen and sophomores especially welcome.
Cost:2 WL:4 (Reynolds)
108/CAAS 108. Introduction to African Art.
(3). (HU).
This course offers a general introduction to the arts of African cultures
south of the Sahara desert. It reviews the history of African art from about
10000 B.C. through the twentieth century. The survey is based on a carefully
selected corpus comprising prehistoric rock paintings and engravings, old
and recent sculptures in terracotta, metal, wood, and ivory; and textile
and bodily arts. While it adopts an historical approach, it will also explore
some prevailing themes in African art, such as African approaches to representation
and the social function and meaning of art. Last, it will highlight a number
of significant cultural transformations that resulted from contact between
African peoples and western societies. Scheduled lectures will be supplemented
with written and reading assignments, videofilms, tours of African art exhibitions
in museums and private collections in the Detroit area. Cost:2 WL:4 (Quarcoopome)
112/Art 112. History of Photography. (3). (HU).
This lecture course will explore the history of photography of the 19th
and 20th centuries through a comparative study of photographs, photographers,
and theories about the nature of photography. The goal is to create an understanding
of the themes and issues, concepts and context associated with the image
making - from American and international perspectives. One intent is that
at the end of the study the student should be aware of some of the diverse
concerns in present day photography and be able to identify its origins
and influences. The class should interest students from a wide range of
disciplines. Students will supplement lecture and readings with multi-media
computer-based "learning modules," and by participation in small
discussions focused on special theoretical topics. Grades will be based
on a term project, discussion participation, and two essay slide exams.
(Kirkpatrick)
113/Art 113. Introduction to the Visual Arts. This course is for
non art majors only. (3). (Excl).
Visual arts are a part of the human experience in all cultures and all
time periods. The ability to appreciate, to understand, and to assess the
quality of visual art can enrich a person's life and broaden one's thinking.
This course will introduce students having no formal art or art historical
background to the major forms of visual expression through human history
from the Stone Age to the present. We will examine works of art in various
media such as painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, architecture,
graphics, and industrial design. Students will learn how artists use the
language of form to communicate information, to express emotion, to explore
the world of nature and the world of the mind. Students will learn the basic
techniques of the various media. Students will learn how the art of a time
and place defines and expands the boundaries of that culture. Assigned readings
and visits to museums and galleries will help students become critical consumers
of the visual culture as they learn to see, appreciate, and assess art forms.
Requirements include periodic quizzes, a final exam, and a term paper. Students
will also make some ungraded drawings and paintings as analytical tools.
Cost:3 WL:4 (Kapetan)
194. First Year Seminar. (3). (HU).
Section 001 - Metropolitan Lives; the Ashcan School and their New York.
This seminar investigates what works of art can tell us about the society
and culture in which they were made, through hands-on work with original
art and historical material. We will focus on a particular time and place
- New York City in the first years of the twentieth century - and a particular
group of artists who were dedicated to exploring the highlife and lowlife
they observed on the streets of the city. The "Ashcan School"
were among the first Americans to bring themes from popular culture into
the world of "high art." Our seminar will examine the making of
the New York art world, and the artists' work and philosophy. We will develop
skills in visual analysis and interpreting works of art. But we will also
reconstruct the social world of a particular tumultuous era in urban history,
when immigration, the entertainment business, labor strife and new forms
of Commercial activity helped transform New York and eventually shaped modern
American culture. Students will work directly with original works of art
in museums and private collections, and do first-hand reading and research
in turn-of-the-century documents: literature, photographs, newspapers, popular
music, movies, and art criticism produced in New York City during the Ashcan
artists' years. WL:2 (Zurier)
221/Class. Arch. 221. Introduction to Greek Archaeology. (4).
(HU).
See Classical Archaeology 221. (Herbert)
285. Introduction to the Art and Architecture of the Islamic World. (3).
(HU).
This course introduces the arts of the Middle East and North Africa
from the seventh to the seventeenth century, including architecture, painting,
and the decorative arts. The course is divided into large epoches within
which various typological, stylistic, and thematic issues are treated as
unified entities. Throughout an attempt has been made to limit the number
of monuments and objects by selecting the best and most representative examples
for the questions under discussion. It is hoped that this course will provide
a general understanding of the historical evolution and regional variation
of Islamic art and perhaps a deeper appreciation of its major themes. Requirements:
2 short papers (3-4 pp.), midterm, and final. Cost:3 WL:4 (Tabbaa)
Courses in Linguistics (Division 423)
114. A World of Words. (3). (HU).
The English language is said to have almost a quarter-million words;
words for everything from aardvarks to zygotes. There are a lot of questions
to ask about words: Do we really have all the words we need? How do we know
what they mean? Why is English spelling so weird (or is it wierd)? Why are
some words considered "bad" and others "good"? Where
do words come from, anyway? In this course we will study and attempt to
answer these ad other questions about the English language and its vocabulary.
Topics covered include: morphology and phonetics (the internal structure
of words); etymology (word history); Indo-European linguistics (how English
is related to other languages); lexical semantics (how words mean); and
social and cultural implications of our vocabulary and its use. In the process
we can expect: (1) some vocabulary development, with particular attention
to Greek and Latin roots in common use in English; (2) an increased sensitivity
to words of all sorts and to their uses and probable meanings; (3) an improved
understanding of how words are used to name and describe various concepts
and things - and how they can be misused as well; (4) a novel and interesting
viewpoint on the position of our language and culture in world history and
geography, as a result not of official political or institutional events,
but of its continuing evolution. Assignments include readings, homework
problems, three papers at monthly intervals, participation both in class
and in a computer conference, and a (take-home) final exam. (Lawler)
210. Introduction to Linguistics. (3). (SS).
Nothing is more distinctly human than our ability to use language. Because
of that, we expect that the study of language can provide insight into "human
nature." This course is an analytic introduction to the methods linguists
use for describing languages (although general training in analytic thought
is our ultimate goal). Drawing on examples from a large number of the world's
languages, we will look at the sounds of language, how they are produced,
and how they pattern into words; we will study the diverse ways in which
individual languages approach processes of word and sentence formation,
while we ask whether there are processes universal to all languages. By
focusing simultaneously on language data and on the techniques used by linguists
to make sense of these data, we will see that our understanding of the object
of inquiry (language) is influenced by our methods of inquiry. Requirements
include problem-solving assignments, quiz(zes), midterm and final exams;
no prerequisite except an interest in language and thinking. (Beddor)
211. Introduction to Language. (3). (SS).
From time immemorial human beings have been curious about language -
about its structure, its diversity, its use, and its effects on others.
In this course, we will explore the human capacity for language, beginning
with the ways language differs from animal communication and with how children
acquire language. We will then review major aspects of language structure
(sounds, words, sentences) and apply them to discussions of current dialects
of English such as Black English. After a brief investigation of the relationship
between language and thought, we will consider social attitudes toward language.
He we will debate questions such as: Is sign language a real language or
just pantomime? What is "Standard English" and is it better than
"dialects" of English? Is there any linguistic evidence supporting
the notion of English as a racist and sexist language or is this notion
purely an imaginary construct devised to create controversy? The course
concludes with an examination of American Sign Language and its role in
Deaf culture. Course work includes eight short homework assignments, one
midterm, and a final exam. (Milroy & Cooper)
Students who need additional preparation for calculus are tentatively identified by a combination of the math placement test (given during orientation), college admissions test scores (SAT or ACT), and high school grade point average. Academic advisors will discuss this placement information with each student and refer students to a special mathematics advisor when necessary.
Two courses preparatory to the calculus, Math 105 and Math 110, are offered. Math 105 is a course on data analysis, functions, and graphs with an emphasis on problem solving. Math 110 is a condensed half-term version of the same material offered as a self-study course through the Math Lab and directed towards students who are unable to complete a first calculus course successfully. A maximum total of 4 credits may be earned in courses numbered 110 and below. Math 103 is offered exclusively in the Summer half-term for students in the Summer Bridge Program.
Math 127 and 128 are courses containing selected topics from geometry and number theory, respectively. They are intended for students who want exposure to mathematical culture and thinking through a single course. They are neither prerequisite nor preparation for any further course.
Each of Math 112, 115, 185, and 295 is a first course in calculus and generally credit can be received for only one course from this list. Math 112 is designed for students of business and the social sciences who require only one term of calculus. It neither presupposes nor covers any trigonometry. The sequence 115-116-215 is appropriate for most students who want a complete introduction to calculus. Math 118 is an alternative to Math 116 intended for students of the social sciences who do not intend to continue to Math 215. One of Math 215, 285, or 395 is prerequisite to most more advanced courses in Mathematics. Math 112 does not provide preparation for any subsequent course.
Students planning a career in medicine should note that some medical schools require a course in calculus. Generally either Math 112 or 115 will satisfy this requirement, although most science concentrations require at least a year of calculus. Math 112 is accepted by the School of Business Administration, but Math 115 is prerequisite to concentration in Economics and further math courses are strongly recommended.
The sequences 175-176-285-286, 185-186-285-286, and 295-296-395-396 are honors sequences. All students must have the permission of an Honors advisor to enroll in any of these courses, but they need not be enrolled in the LSA Honors Program. All students with strong preparation and interest in mathematics are encouraged to consider these courses; they are both more interesting and more challenging than the standard sequences.
Math 185-285 covers much of the material of Math 115-215 with more attention to the theory in addition to applications. Most students who take Math 185 have taken a high school calculus course, but it is not required. Math 175-176 assumes a knowledge of calculus roughly equivalent to Math 115 and covers a substantial amount of so-called combinatorial mathematics (see course description) as well as calculus-related topics not usually part of the calculus sequence. Math 175 and 176 are taught by the discovery method: students are presented with a great variety of problems and encouraged to experiment in groups using computers. The sequence Math 295-396 provides a rigorous introduction to theoretical mathematics. Proofs are stressed over applications and these courses require a high level of interest and commitment. The student who completes Math 396 is prepared to explore the world of mathematics at the advanced undergraduate and graduate level.
Students with strong scores on either the AB or BC version of the College Board Advanced Placement exam may be granted credit and advanced placement in one of the sequences described above; a table explaining the possibilities is available from advisors and the Department. In addition, there are two courses expressly designed and recommended for students with one semester of AP credit, Math 119 and Math 186 (Fall). Both will review the basic concepts of calculus, cover integration and an introduction to differential equations, and introduce the student to the use of the computer algebra system MAPLE. Math 119 will stress experimentation and computation, while Math 186 is intended primarily for engineering and science majors, and will emphasize both applications and theory. Interested students are advised to consult a mathematics advisor for more details.
In rare circumstances and with permission of a Mathematics advisor reduced credit may be granted for Math 185 or 295 after one of Math 112 or 115. A list of these and other cases of reduced credit for courses with overlapping material is available from the Department. To avoid unexpected reduction in credit, students should always consult a advisor before switching from one sequence to another.
Students completing Math 215 may continue either to Math 216 (Introduction to Differential Equations) or to the sequence Math 217-316 (Linear Algebra-Differential Equations). Math 217-316 is required for all students who intend to take more advanced courses in mathematics, particularly for those who may concentrate in mathematics. Math 217 both serves as a transition to the more theoretical material of advanced courses and provides the background required for optimal treatment of differential equations.
NOTE: WL:3 for all courses.
A maximum total of 4 credits may be earned in Mathematics courses numbered 110 and below. A maximum total of 16 credits may be earned for calculus courses Math 112 through Math 396, and no credit can be earned for a prerequisite to a course taken after the course itself.
105. Data, Functions, and Graphs. Students with credit for Math.
103 can elect Math. 105 for only 2 credits. (4). (Excl). (QR/1).
Math 105 is a preparatory class to the calculus sequences. Students
who complete 105 are fully prepared for Math 115. This is a course on analyzing
data by means of functions and graphs. The emphasis is on mathematical modeling
of real-world applications. The functions used are linear, quadratic, polynomial,
logarithmic, exponential, and trigonometric. Algebra skills are assessed
during the term by periodic testing. Math 110 is a condensed half-term version
of the same material offered as a self-study course through the Math Lab.
The course prepares students for Math 115
110. Pre-Calculus (Self-Study). See Elementary Courses
above. No credit granted to those who already have 4 credits for pre-calculus
mathematics courses. (2). (Excl).
Math 110 is a preparatory course for the calculus sequence. Students
who complete Math 110 are fully prepared for Math 115. The course is a condensed,
half-term version of Math 105 designed for students who appear to be prepared
to handle calculus but are not able to successfully complete Math 115. Students
enrolling in Math 110 must visit the Math Lab to complete paperwork and
receive course materials. The course covers data analysis by means of functions
and graphs. The course prepares students for Math 115.
112. Brief Calculus. See Elementary Courses above. Credit
is granted for only one course from among Math. 112, 113, 115, 185 and 295.
(4). (N.Excl). (BS).
This is a one-term survey course that provides the basics of elementary
calculus. Emphasis is placed on intuitive understanding of concepts and
not on rigor. Topics include differentiation with application to curve sketching
and maximum-minimum problems, antiderivatives and definite integrals. Trigonometry
is not used. This course does not mesh with any of the courses in the other
calculus sequences.
115. Calculus I. Four years of high school mathematics. See Elementary
Courses above. Credit usually is granted for only one course from among
Math. 112, 115, 185, and 295. (4). (N.Excl). (BS). (QR/1).
The sequence Math 115-116-215 is the standard complete introduction
to the concepts and methods of calculus. It is taken by the majority of
students intending to major in mathematics, science, or engineering as well
as students heading for many other fields. The emphasis is on concepts and
solving problems rather than theory and proof. All sections are given a
uniform midterm and final exam. The course presents the concepts of calculus
from three points of view: geometric (graphs); numerical (tables); and algebraic
(formulas). Students will develop their reading, writing and questioning
skills. Topics include functions and graphs, derivatives and their applications
to real-life problems in various fields, and definite integrals. Math 185
is a somewhat more theoretical course which covers some of the same material.
Math 175 includes some of the material of Math 115 together with some combinatorial
mathematics. A student whose preparation is insufficient for Math 115 should
take Math 105 (Algebra and Trigonometry). Math 116 is the natural sequel.
A student who has done very well in this course could enter the honors sequence
at this point by taking Math 186.
116. Calculus II. Math. 115. Credit is granted for only one course
from among Math. 116, 119, 186, and 296. (4). (N.Excl). (BS). (QR/2).
The sequence Math 115-116-215 is the standard complete introduction
to the concepts and methods of calculus. It is taken by the majority of
students intending to major in mathematics, science, or engineering as well
as students heading for many other fields. The emphasis is on concepts and
solving problems rather than theory and proof. All sections are given a
uniform midterm and final exam. The course presents the concepts of calculus
from three points of view: geometric (graphs); numerical (tables); and algebraic
(formulas). Students will develop their reading, writing and questioning
skills. Topics include the indefinite integral, techniques of integration,
introduction to differential equations, infinite series. Math 186 is a somewhat
more theoretical course which covers much of the same material. Math 215
is the natural sequel. A student who has done very well in this course could
enter the honors sequence at this point by taking Math 285.
119. Calculus II Using MAPLE. Math. 115 or equivalent. Credit
is granted for only one course from among Math. 114, 116, 119, 186, and
296. (4). (Excl).
The sequence Math 119-219 is intended for students who have earned a
score of 4 or better on either the AB or BC version of the Advanced Placement
Exam in Mathematics. No familiarity with computers is necessary. The material
covered will be approximately that of Math 116 and 215. In addition, students
are taught to use the computer algebra system MAPLE (on the Macintosh) -
a symbolic algebra program which aids the student in visualization, computation
and organization - as a tool to do routine calculations, to visualize and
to explore. MAPLE is thoroughly integrated into the course and the use of
MAPLE is permitted (encouraged) on homework and tests. Students are presented
with challenging unstructured problems done in groups. Learning to work
well with others is an important (and satisfying) part of the course. The
emphasis is on concepts and problem-solving rather than theory and proof.
Topics include applications of the definite integral, separable differential
equations, inverse functions, infinite sequences and series, conics and
parametric curves. Math 186 (Fall) is a quite similar course in the honors
sequence with greater emphasis on applications to the physical sciences
and engineering. Math 219 is the natural sequel. Students who complete Math
119 and continue to Calculus III should elect Math 219 which is a special
MAPLE-oriented version of Math 215. A student who has done very well in
this course could enter the honors sequence at this point by taking 285.
127. Geometry and the Imagination. Three years of high school
mathematics including a geometry course. (4). (NS). (BS). (QR/1).
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 next topic is non-Euclidean
geometry. This 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:
coordinatization - the mathematician's tool for studying higher dimensions;
construction of higher-dimensional analogues of some familiar objects like
spheres and cubes; discussion of the proper higher-dimensional analogues
of some geometric notions (length, angle, orthogonality, etc.) This course
is intended for students who want an introduction to mathematical ideas
and culture. Emphasis on conceptual thinking - students will do hands-on
experimentation with geometric shapes, patterns and ideas. Grades based
on homework and a final project. No exams. Text: Beyond the Third Dimension
(Thomas Banchoff, 1990).
128. Explorations in Number Theory. High school mathematics through
at least Analytic Geometry. (4). (NS). (BS). (QR/1).
This course is intended for non-science concentrators and students in
the pre-concentration years with no intended concentration, who want to
engage in mathematical reasoning without having to take calculus first.
Students will be introduced to elementary ideas of number theory, an area
of mathematics that deals with properties of the integers. Students will
make use of software provided for IBM PCs to conduct numerical experiments
and to make empirical discoveries. Students will formulate precise conjectures,
and in many cases prove them. Thus the students will, as a group, generate
a logical development of the subject. After studying factorizations and
greatest common divisors, emphasis will shift to the patterns that emerge
when the integers are classified according to the remainder produced upon
division by some fixed number ('congruences'). Once some basic tools have
been established, applications will be made in several directions. For example,
students may derive a precise parameterization of Pythagorean triples a2
+ b2 = c2.
147. Introduction to Interest Theory. Math. 112 or 115. (3). (Excl).
(BS).
This course is designed for students who seek an introduction to the
mathematical concepts and techniques employed by financial institutions
such as banks, insurance companies, and pension funds. Actuarial students,
and other mathematics concentrators, should elect Math 424 which covers
the same topics but on a more rigorous basis requiring considerable use
of the calculus. Topics covered include: various rates of simple and compound
interest, present and accumulated values based on these; annuity functions
and their application to amortization, sinking funds and bond values; depreciation
methods; introduction to life tables, life annuity, and life insurance values.
The course is not part of a sequence. Students should possess financial
calculators.
175. Combinatorics and Calculus. Permission of Honors advisor.
(4). (N.Excl). (BS). (QR/1).
This course is an alternative to Math 185 as an entry to the honors
sequence. The sequence Math 175-176 is a two-term introduction to Combinatorics,
Dynamical Systems, and Calculus. The topics are integrated over the two
terms although the first term will stress combinatorics and the second term
will stress the development of calculus in the context of dynamical systems.
Students are expected to have some previous experience with the basic concepts
and techniques of calculus. The course stresses discovery as a vehicle for
learning. Students will be required to experiment throughout the course
on a range of problems and will participate each semester in a group project.
Grades will be based on homework and projects with a strong emphasis on
homework. Personal computers will be a valuable experimental tool in this
course and students will be asked to learn to program in either BASIC, PASCAL
or FORTRAN. There are two major topic areas: enumeration theory and graph
theory. The section on enumeration theory will emphasize classical methods
for counting including (1) binomial theorem and its generalizations; (2)
solving recursions; (3) generating functions; and (4) the inclusion- exclusion
principle. In the process, we will discuss infinite series. The section
on graph theory will include basic definitions and some of the more interesting
and useful theorems of graph theory. The emphasis will be on topological
results and applications to computer science and will include (1) connectivity;
(2) trees, Prufer codes, and data structures; (3) planar graphs, Euler's
formula and Kuratowski's Theorem; and (4) coloring graphs, chromatic polynomials,
and orientation. This material has many applications in the field of Computer
Science. Math 176 is the standard sequel.
185. Honors Analytic Geometry and Calculus I. Permission of the
Honors advisor. Credit is granted for only one course from among Math. 112,
113, 115, 185, and 295. (4). (N.Excl). (BS). (QR/1).
The sequence Math 185-186-285-286 is the honors introduction to the
calculus. It is taken by students intending to major in mathematics, science,
or engineering as well as students heading for many other fields who want
a somewhat more theoretical approach. Although much attention is paid to
concepts and solving problems, the underlying theory and proofs of important
results are also included. This sequence is not restricted to students
enrolled in the LSA Honors Program. Topics covered include functions and
graphs, limits, derivatives, differentiation of algebraic and trigonometric
functions and applications, definite and indefinite integrals and applications.
Other topics will be included at the discretion of the instructor. Math
115 is a somewhat less theoretical course which covers much of the same
material. Math 186 is the natural sequel.
186. Honors Analytic Geometry and Calculus II. Permission of the
Honors advisor. Credit is granted for only one course from among Math. 114,
116, 119, 186, and 296. (4). (N.Excl). (BS). (QR/1).
The sequence Math 185-186-285-286 is the honors introduction to the
calculus. It is taken by students intending to major in mathematics, science,
or engineering as well as students heading for many other fields who want
a somewhat more theoretical approach. Although much attention is paid to
concepts and solving problems, the underlying theory and proofs of important
results are also included. This sequence is not restricted to students
enrolled in the LSA Honors Program. The version of Math 186 given in the
Fall semester is intended for students students who have earned a score
of 4 or better on either the AB or BC version of the Advanced Placement
Exam in Mathematics, will include applications from the physical sciences
and engineering, and will make use of the computer algebra system MAPLE.
Topics covered include transcendental functions; techniques of integration;
applications of calculus such as elementary differential equations, simple
harmonic motion, and center of mass; conic sections; polar coordinates;
infinite sequences and series including power series and Taylor series.
Other topics, often an introduction to matrices and vector spaces, will
be included at the discretion of the instructor.
203. Introduction to MAPLE and MATHEMATICA. Prior or concurrent
enrollment in one term of calculus. No programming experience is assumed.
(1). (Excl).
Recent years have seen the development of several powerful software
packages, known as Computer Algebra Systems, for doing mathematics on the
computer. These programs have the capacity to solve problems numerically,
graphically, and symbolically in calculus, linear algebra, differential
equations, statistics, and many areas of science and engineering. This one-credit
mini-course is a brief introduction to the two most popular of these systems,
Maple and Mathematica. It will be of interest to all students
whose career interests require mathematical skills. No programming experience
is assumed. Students should have taken or be concurrently enrolled in a
first course in calculus. The elementary features of Maple and Mathematica
will be introduced and applied to various types of problems in algebra and
calculus. 403 is a more thorough introduction to either Maple and
Mathematica. This course introduces the student to a tool which can
be useful in almost any course which uses mathematics.
215. Calculus III. Math. 116 or 186. (4). (Excl). (BS). (QR/1).
The sequence Math 115-116-215 is the standard complete introduction
to the concepts and methods of calculus. It is taken by the majority of
students intending to major in mathematics, science, or engineering as well
as students heading for many other fields. The emphasis is on concepts and
solving problems rather than theory and proof. All sections are given a
midterm and final exam. Topics include vector algebra and vector functions;
analytic geometry of planes, surfaces, and solids; functions of several
variables and partial differentiation; line, surface, and volume integrals
and applications; vector fields and integration; Green's Theorem and Stokes'
Theorem. There is a weekly computer lab using MAPLE software. Math 285 is
a somewhat more theoretical course which covers the same material. For students
intending to major in mathematics or who have some interest in the theory
of mathematics as well as its applications, the appropriate sequel is Math
217. Students who intend to take only one further mathematics course and
need differential equations should take Math 216.
216. Introduction to Differential Equations. Math. 215. (4). (Excl).
(BS).
For a student who has completed the calculus sequence, there are two
sequences which deal with linear algebra and differential equations, Math
216-417 (or 419) and Math 217-316. The sequence Math 216-417 emphasizes
problem-solving and applications and is intended for students of Engineering
and the sciences. Math concentrators and other students who have some interest
in the theory of mathematics should elect the sequence Math 217-316. After
an introduction to ordinary differential equations, the first half of the
course is devoted to topics in linear algebra, including systems of linear
algebraic equations, vector spaces, linear dependence, bases, dimension,
matrix algebra, determinants, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors. In the second
half these tools are applied to the solution of linear systems of ordinary
differential equations. Topics include: oscillating systems, the Laplace
transform, initial value problems, resonance, phase portraits, and an introduction
to numerical methods. This course is not intended for mathematics concentrators,
who should elect the sequence 217-316. Math 286 covers much of the same
material in the honors sequence. The sequence Math 217-316 covers all of
this material and substantially more at greater depth and with greater emphasis
on the theory. Math 404 covers further material on differential equations.
Math 217 and 417 cover further material on linear algebra. Math 371 and
471 cover additional material on numerical methods.
217. Linear Algebra. Math. 215. No credit granted to those who
have completed or are enrolled in Math. 417, 419, or 513. (4). (Excl). (BS).
(QR/1).
For a student who has completed the calculus sequence, there are two
sequences which deal with linear algebra and differential equations, Math
216-417 (or 419) and Math 217-316. The sequence Math 216-417 emphasizes
problem-solving and applications and is intended for students of Engineering
and the sciences. Math concentrators and other students who have some interest
in the theory of mathematics should elect the sequence Math 217-316. These
courses are explicitly designed to introduce the student to both the concepts
and applications of their subjects and to the methods by which the results
are proved. Therefore the student entering Math 217 should come with a sincere
interest in learning about proofs. The topics covered include: systems of
linear equations; matrix algebra; vectors, vector spaces, and subspaces;
geometry of Rn; linear dependence, bases, and dimension; linear
transformations; Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors; diagonalization; inner products.
Throughout there will be emphasis on the concepts, logic, and methods of
theoretical mathematics. Math 417 and 419 cover similar material with more
emphasis on computation and applications and less emphasis on proofs. Math
513 covers more in a much more sophisticated way. The intended course to
follow Math 217 is 316. Math 217 is also prerequisite for Math 412 and all
more advanced courses in mathematics.
219. Calculus III Using MAPLE. Math. 119. (4). (Excl).
Math 219 is calculus of several variables limited to students who have
taken Math 119. Students are presented with challenging unstructured problems
done in groups. Topics include vector algebra and vector functions, introduction
to Fourier series, analytic geometry of planes, surfaces, and solids; functions
of several variables and partial differentiation; line, surface, and volume
integrals and applications; vector fields and integration; Green's Theorem
and Stokes' Theorem. Math 215 covers much of the same material with less
use of MAPLE. For students intending to concentrate in mathematics or who
have some interest in the theory of mathematics as well as its applications,
the appropriate sequel is 217. Students who intend to take only one further
mathematics course and need differential equations should take 216.
295. Honors Mathematics I. Prior knowledge of first year calculus
and permission of the Honors advisor. (4). (N.Excl). (BS). (QR/1).
The sequence Math 295-296-395-396 is a more intensive honors sequence
than 185-186-285-286. The material includes all of that of the lower sequence
and substantially more. The approach is theoretical, abstract, and rigorous.
Students are expected to learn to understand and construct proofs as well
as do calculations and solve problems. The expected background is a thorough
understanding of high school algebra and trigonometry. No previous calculus
is required, although many students in this course have had some calculus.
Students completing this sequence will be ready to take advanced undergraduate
and beginning graduate courses. This is not restricted to students
enrolled in the LSA Honors Program. This course presents an introduction
to mathematical analysis with emphasis on proofs and theory. The precise
content may vary with the instructor, but generally will cover such topics
as Functions of one variable and their representation by graphs, set theory,
construction of the real number field, limits of sequences and functions,
continuity, elementary functions, derivatives and integrals with applications,
parametric representation, polar coordinates, applications of mathematical
induction. Additional topics may include countability, topology of the real
numbers, infinite series, and uniform continuity.
Near Eastern Studies
101. Elementary Biblical Hebrew I.(3). (LR).
The purpose of this and the complementary course, 102: Elementary
Biblical Hebrew II (Winter Term), is to equip the beginning student
with the tools necessary for reading the Hebrew Bible. The course will introduce
the student to the grammar of biblical Hebrew; its phonology (the study
of speech sounds), morphology (the study of word formation), and syntax
(the study of phrase and sentence formation). In addition to mastering the
grammar, the student will need to acquire a sizeable working vocabulary
of the language, for competency in grammar and lexicon best facilitates
the goal of reading the biblical text. The grading will be based on corrected
daily assignments (i.e., the exercises), 13-14 announced quizzes (one class
day advance notice), a final comprehensive exam, as well as attendance and
participation. The daily assignments will comprise 25% of the grade, the
best 10 quizzes 25% the final exam 25% and attendance and participation
25%.
200/Rel. 201/APTIS 200/HJCS 200. Introduction to World Religions: Near
Eastern. (4). (HU).
See Religion 201. (Williams, Knysh, Schmidt,
Schramm)
322/Hist. 307/Rel. 359. History and Religion
of Ancient Judaism. May be elected independently of ACABS 321. (3).
(HU).
The course covers the history and religion of ancient Judaism from the
Babylonian exile (6th century BCE) to the emergence of Rabbinic Judaism
(3rd century CE). The liveliness of the period is testified by its many
names. For the Jew, it was the "Second Temple Period" - the cradle
of Jewish civilization. For the Christian, it was the "intertestamental
period" between the Old and New Testament - the age in which Jesus
was born and the Church arose. For the historian, it was all that and much
more. It was an age of great conflicts, in which the Jewish people had to
face powerful neighbors and rulers: the Egyptians and the Babylonians, the
Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. But it was also an age of great creativeness,
in which different varieties of Judaism (including early Christian movement)
developed sophisticated and lasting theologies and restlessly struggled
for supremacy or simply survival. During these centuries, the Jewish people
found the resources to define their identity and traditions, and two of
the most important world religions of our times, Judaism and Christianity,
experienced their formative age. During these centuries, the philosophical
West met the religious East, laying the foundations of our civilization.
Studying this period is a fascinating voyage of self-understanding into
the roots of our different pasts as Jews, Christians, and even Americans
- all modern children of a history that started many centuries ago in the
Middle East. (Boccaccini)
101. Elementary Modern Standard Arabic, I. (4). (LR).
This is the first course of a two-term sequence in elementary Arabic.
It is designed for non-concentrators and those who need Arabic to fulfill
the language requirement. It provides an introduction to the phonology and
script of Modem Standard Arabic and its basic vocabulary and fundamental
structures. It offers combined training in listening, speaking, reading
and writing. There will be focus on simple interactive communicative tasks
involving teacher-student, student-student and group interactions. Reading
and cultural skills are developed through simple short texts and situational
dialogues. There will be daily written assignments involving supplying answers
to certain drills and questions on reading comprehension passages, filling
out forms and writing short messages and paragraphs. Evaluation will be
based on class participation, weekly achievement tests, monthly comprehensive
tests, and a final exam. Regular use of the language laboratory or recorded
tapes for home use is required to reinforce class work and also to do the
recorded assignments. Textbooks: (1) A Programmed Course in Modern Standard
Arabic Phonology and Script by McCarus-Rammuny, (2) Elementary Modem
Standard Arabic Part one by Abboud et al. (Lessons 1-10), Supplementary
Enrichment Vocabulary to accompany EMSA by R. Rammuny and (4) Standard Achievement
Tests to accompany EMSA by R. Rammuny. Cost:2 WL:3 (Rammuny)
103. Intensive Elementary Modern Standard Arabic, I. (6). (LR).
Laboratory fee ($16) required.
The sequence of Arabic 103 and 104 is designed for students concentrating
in Arabic or those who expect to use Arabic at an accelerated rate. It is
primarily intended for highly-motivated students who want to study Arabic
for academic purposes. Arabic 103 starts with an intensive introduction
to Arabic phonology and script combined with oral basic communication practice.
This is followed by short reading selections and situational dialogues including
basic vocabulary and fundamental grammatical structures. The course offers
combined training in the four language skills, plus practice in using the
Arabic dictionary. Course requirements include daily preparation of the
basic texts and grammatical explanations, extensive oral and written practice
utilizing newly learned vocabulary and structures, and written assignments.
These assignments involve answers to certain drills and reading comprehension
questions, filling out short forms and supplying short messages and biographical
information. Course evaluation is based on class participation, daily written
assignments, weekly achievement tests, monthly comprehensive tests and a
final prochievement examination. Textbooks: (1) Programmed Course in
Modern Standard Arabic Phonology and Script by McCarus-Rammuny, (2)
Elementary Modern Standard Arabic. Part One by Abboud et al. (Lessons
1-15), (3) Supplementary Enrichment Vocabulary to Accompany EMSA, and (4)
Standard Achievement Tests to Accompany EMSA. Cost:2 WL:3 (Khaldieh)
141. Elementary Persian, I. (4). (LR).
Persian has been called the French of the Near/Middle East. Certainly,
Persia/Iran has been in the news. Persian is an Indo-European language,
related to English, etc. Its literature, as in other arts, is a major part
of Near/Middle Eastern and Muslim tradition. Persian 141 is the first term
of a four term sequence. It takes the student through to the basic mastery
of the skills of reading and writing, and of comprehension and speaking.
Cultural as well as communicative skills are emphasized. By the end of the
term the student should be well versed in these skills. Individual student
by the instructor to polish and improve the student's Persian language skills.
The objective is language use. Students who have special needs, such as
those acquiring the knowledge of Persian for reading purposes, only, or
for communicative skills, only, will be given special attention, and special
sessions. Similarly, students of Iranian heritage, who may know some Persian
in its colloquial form, will find the linguistic and cultural content of
this course stimulating.
151. Elementary Turkish, I. (4). (LR).
Part of the departmental sequence in modern Turkish language, this course
aims at introducing and providing the opportunity to practice the basic
structures of Turkish. Although it specifically focuses on enhancing spoken
proficiency, reading and writing skill will be emphasized through written
assignments. Students are evaluated on the basis of class participation,
achievement on the weekly quizzes, a midterm, and a final examination. The
required text is H.Sebuktekin Turkish for Foreigners (available in
departmental office).
153. Elementary Uzbek. (4). (Excl).
This course will introduce students to spoken and literary Uzbek, a
Turkish language which is primarily spoken in the newly independent Republic
of Uzbekistan. Instruction will be proficiency-based, and will include components
of conversation, grammar and syntax practice, composition and translation.
There are no prerequisites. Cost:2
200/Rel. 201/ACABS 200/HJCS 200. Introduction to World Religions: Near
Eastern. (4). (HU).
See Religion 201. (Williams, Knysh, Schmidt,
Schramm)
101(Hebrew 201). Elementary Modern Hebrew, I. (5). (LR).
Development of basic communication skills in Hebrew. Reading, writing
and grammar. Class discussion and readings in Hebrew. Class and language
laboratory drills. WL:1
200/Rel. 201/ACABS 200/APTIS 200. Introduction to World Religions: Near
Eastern. (4). (HU).
See Religion 201. (Williams, Knysh, Schmidt,
Schramm)
201(Hebrew 301). Intermediate Modern Hebrew, I. HJCS 102. No credit
granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in Hebrew 311. (5).
(LR).
The focus of instruction will be on the four language skills, with a
continued emphasis on oral work and writing. Review of morphology and syntax.
Continued emphasis on oral work and writing skills. Cost:1
It also falls within philosophy to examine the methods and practices of virtually all academic disciplines. Because of this breadth, a person can study philosophy in ways involving the styles and techniques of thought of most other fields of inquiry. For example, the work of a philosopher concentrating in logic is much like that of the student of mathematics. A philosopher primarily interested in the philosophy of religion will often be doing much the same things as a theologian or a student of the history of religion. Political philosophy is regarded by some as including political activity itself. Many other such examples exist. In addition, Philosophy examines the practices of other activities, such as the fine arts, that are sometimes thought of as different from typical academic disciplines. However, for the most part the activities characteristic of philosophy are peculiar to the discipline. The only way to know what it's really like is to give it a try.
The Department teaches a number of courses that do not carry prerequisites: (A) general introductions designed to acquaint students with a representative sample of philosophical problems (181, 202, 231, 232, and 297); (B) introductions that focus on a particular branch of philosophy or area of human concern - e.g., personal decision-making, the arts, science, moral problems, the law, and religion - designed for students who, having no previous background in philosophy, want to study these areas in a philosophical way (151, 322, 359, 365); (C) first-year seminars (196); and (D) introductions to logic and reasoning (180, 201, 203, 296).
(A) The general introductions deal, for example, with questions concerning the nature of reality, knowledge, the self and the mind, freedom, morality, society, and religion, but they differ in their instructional FORMAT and staffing. Philosophy 202 is taught by advanced graduate students in sections of approximately 25 students. Philosophy 181 is taught by more experienced Lecturers or other faculty, in a combination lecture/discussion format, limited to 50 students. In Philosophy 231 and 232, a faculty member delivers a lecture two hours per week, and students divide into groups of approximately 25 for discussion sections, led by graduate students, that meet one (231) or two (232) hours per week. Finally, Philosophy 297, "Honors Introduction," is taught by a faculty member to groups of 25-30 students.
(B) Fall courses not carrying prerequisites that focus on a specific area of human concern or philosophical thought include "Philosophical Dimensions of Personal Decisions" (151), "Science, Culture, and Social Values" (322), "Ethics and Health Care" (344), "Law and Philosophy" (359), and "Philosophy of Religion" (365). Philosophy 151 and 322 are taught by a member of the faculty, in a combination lecture/discussion format, limited to 50 students. Philosophy 344, 359, and 365, are taught as lectures, with students dividing into groups of approximately 25 for discussion.
(C) Among the introductions to logic, Philosophy 180 is designed both to improve critical reasoning skills, and to provide an introduction to formal logic; Philosophy 201 is principally an introduction to reasoning and informal logic; 203 is an introduction to formal or symbolic logic. Both 201 and 203 are taught by advanced graduate student teaching assistants in sections of approximately 25 students. Philosophy 180 is taught by more experienced Lecturers or other faculty, in a combination lecture/discussion format, limited to 50 students.
A number of Fall 300-level courses (345, 361, and 388) require only a single philosophy introduction as a prerequisite.
There is additional information about the Department's curriculum in "The Undergraduate Program in Philosophy." This brochure contains information intended for students interested in taking philosophy courses, whether or not they are considering a Philosophy concentration. To request a copy, call 764-6285.
151. Philosophical Dimensions of Personal Decisions. Students
are strongly advised not to take more than two Philosophy Introductions.
(3). (HU).
An introduction to some central areas of philosophy through an investigation
of a range of philosophical questions that arise in connection with the
making of personal decisions. Among the issues we will discuss are: What
is it to choose freely? In what sense are we responsible for our decisions?
What is it to choose rationally? What is the place of moral considerations
in personal decision-making? How are one's choices related to the choices
of others? What role does the making of choices play in developing one's
identity? Readings will be drawn from current work in philosophy (including
analytic and existentialist writings) and decision theory, and psychology.
Three short papers, a midterm, and a final examination. WL:1 (Railton)
180. Introductory Logic. Credit is granted for only one of Phil.
180 or 201. (3). (N.Excl). (BS).
Section 001. This course is an introduction to informal logic, and to
some of the main elements of formal logic. The course examines some of the
problems and fallacies which arise in informal reasoning, logical concepts
used in the analysis and criticism of arguments, and provides an introduction
to elementary formal (symbolic) logic. The course gives some attention to
issues in branches of philosophy germane to logic, for example, the theory
of knowledge, philosophy of language, and metaphysics. There will be lectures,
demonstrations of problem-solving techniques, and a variety of exercises.
The course is limited to approximately 50 students, which should permit
opportunity for discussion. Texts and methods of evaluation to be determined.
WL:4
181. Philosophical Issues: An Introduction. No credit granted
to those who have completed or are enrolled in 182, 202, 231, 232, 234,
or 297. (3). (HU).
This course examines some of the main problems of philosophy, such as:
How do we know that anything exists, other than ourselves? Are minds immaterial
spirits, or are minds brains and hence nothing but complex physical objects?
If human actions are causally determined by heredity and environment, is
there any free will or moral responsibility? Is abortion, or euthanasia,
or suicide, morally permissible? Is the nature and extent of our moral obligations
determined by our feelings, self-interest, social convention, Divine commands,
or something else? What are the different kinds of social, political, and
economic organization, and what reasons are there for preferring one to
another? How should one live one's life? What is the meaning of life, and
what does this question mean? Are there good reasons for believing that
God exists? Students will write papers discussing these topics. WL:4
196. First Year Seminar. First year standing; second year with
permission of instructor. (3). (HU).
Section 001. The Theme for this seminar is emotion. What are emotions?
What do they tell us about the relations between mind and body? Does everyone
have the same emotional capacities, or do people in different cultures have
different emotions? Can emotions be rational or irrational? Can reason control
the emotions, or does reasoning itself merely serve our emotional impulses?
What kind of emotions to animals have? Readings will include works by Plato,
Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Scheler, and contemporary writers in philosophy,
history, and the social sciences. Students will write three short papers
(6-8) pages and a final examination. C:2 WL:4 (Anderson)
Section 003. We commonly believe that human beings have free will and that, as a consequence, they are responsible for their behavior in a way that non-human animals are not. Thus, while we may reward or punish our dogs or "put them to sleep" when they display bad dispositions, we do not try them, imprison them, or execute them, as we do human criminals. Whether human behavior is deemed praiseworthy or blameworthy, we tend to regard it as springing form the person, who is free author of his or her choices and actions. In this seminar, we will examine some of the complex issues surrounding our common view: What is free will? Do human beings possess it? Are we ever morally responsible for what we do, and if so, under what conditions? What is the special nature of persons, and how might it account for our having free will? We will examine traditional and contemporary theories of free will,moral responsibility and personhood, with an emphasis on contemporary views. Section 003 is restricted to Honors students; or entry by permission of the instructor or the Honors program. WL:4 (Rosati)
201. Introduction to Logic. Credit is granted for only one of
Phil. 180 or 201. (3). (N.Excl). (BS).
This course aims to give students a thorough understanding of the fundamental
forms of reasoning and rational argument, and to improve critical reasoning
skills that could be of use in a wide range of disciplines and careers.
The course examines some of the problems and fallacies which arise in informal
reasoning and logical concepts used in the analysis and criticism of arguments.
Some elements of formal (symbolic) logic might be introduced. Though students
will be expected to master some technical detail, the course emphasizes
informal logical techniques applicable to problem solving and argument in
any area of inquiry. Both deductive and inductive patterns of argument will
be examined. The small section's size (usually about 25 students) is conducive
to informality and considerable student participation. There will also be
lectures, demonstrations of problem-solving techniques, and a variety of
exercises. Normally, there are weekly assignments, and short, periodic quizzes.
WL:4
202. Introduction to Philosophy. No credit granted to those who
have completed or are enrolled in 181, 182, 231, 232, 234, or 297. (3).
(HU).
The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with philosophical
thinking on the great questions that have moved people throughout history,
and to discuss possible solutions to them. The course is taught in independent
sections (of approximately 25 students) by advanced graduate students, who
select topics and readings for their sections. Some sections examine the
systems of such major historical figures as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes,
Hume, Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche; others focus on writings of twentieth
century philosophers, such as Bertrand Russell, A.J. Ayer, and Ludwig Wittgenstein.
For a list of questions from which topics are typically chosen, see the
description for Philosophy 181. The text is either a book of readings or
a set of larger selections from separate editions of well-known philosophical
works. Requirements usually include a number of short, critical papers on
topics treated in the course. WL:4
203. Introduction to Symbolic Logic. Credit is granted for only
one of Phil. 203 or 296. (3). (N.Excl). (BS).
Common sense classifies arguments as good or bad according to a variety
of formal and informal criteria. Roughly speaking, we count an argument
good if it makes plausible assumptions which exhibit its conclusion as likely
to be true. Though the common sense classification is familiar and useful,
sometimes we want something more precise and more amenable to systematic
investigation. Thus we idealize from the intuitive notion of a "good"
argument and call an argument valid if it is impossible for its assumptions
to be true without its conclusion being true as well. Logic can now be defined
as the study of validity. As it turns out, this study is best pursued by
constructing artificial languages designed to replicate in purer form the
logically relevant features of natural languages like English. Symbolic
logic, the subject of this course, is the study of validity by reference
to these formal languages. Students meet in sections of about 25 students
each. Each section meets three hours per week and has a lecture/discussion
format, with considerable student participation. Course requirements and
grading vary from instructor to instructor, but normally there are weekly
homework assignments and periodic quizzes. WL:4
230/Buddhist Studies 230/Asian Studies 230/Rel. 230. Introduction to
Buddhism. May not be included in a concentration plan in philosophy.
(4). (HU).
See Buddhist Studies 230. (Gómez)
231. Introduction to Philosophy: Problems
and Principles. No credit granted to those who have completed or
are enrolled in 181, 182, 202, 232, 234, or 297. (3). (HU).
This course is open to students from all areas of the University. No
previous work in philosophy is required or assumed. First term undergraduates
are welcome. The course has two principal goals. The first is to provide
an introduction to a number of fundamental philosophical problems drawn
from a variety of branches of philosophy. Three or four of the following
topics will be discussed: (1) determinism, free will, and moral responsibility;
(2) arguments for and against the existence of God; (3) skepticism about
the existence of the material world; (4) the nature of personal identity;
(5) the relationship between mind and body; and (6) famine, affluence, and
the nature of moral obligation. The second goal is to develop the philosophical
skills, and more generally the critical and argumentative skills, of those
enrolled. Philosophy 231 and 232 share a common lecture for two meetings
per week. Philosophy 231 carries three hours of credit, has one discussion
meeting per week, and requires two papers; Philosophy 232 carries four hours
of credit, has two discussion meetings per week, and requires three papers.
Students who feel they would benefit from the additional hour of discussion
or from the additional required writing are advised to consider enrolling
in 232 rather than 231. Course readings will be drawn from an anthology,
Joel Feinberg, editor, Reason and Responsibility, and possibly a
course pack. WL:1 (Loeb)
232. Problems of Philosophy. No credit granted to those who have
completed or are enrolled in 181, 182, 202, 231, 234, or 297. (4). (HU).
See Philosophy 231. (Loeb)
297. Honors Introduction to Philosophy. Honors students or permission
of instructor. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled
in 181, 182, 202, 231, 232, or 234. (3). (HU).
Section 004. This course will introduce students to philosophy through
an examination of some major philosophical issues and problems. These will
be discussed with reference either to the systems of such major historical
figures as Plato, Aristotle, Decartes, Hume, and Kant, or to the work of
such twentieth century philosophers as Bertrand Russell, A.J. Ayer, Ludwig
Wittgenstein, or some combination of these approaches. For a list of questions
from which topics are typically chosen, see the description for Philosophy
181. Requirements will include a number of short, critical papers. There
will be significant opportunity for discussion. WL:4 (Everson)
Note: If the Waitlist code on a Physics course is WL:5, then both sign on the waitlist at CRISP and contact the department office.
103. The Physical Universe: Relativity and Quanta. High School
geometry, trigonometry, and algebra. (1). (NS). (BS).
The goal of physicists is to understand everything that goes on in the
universe in terms of a small number of fundamental laws of nature. The various
laws we presently know may even derive from some single unifying principle.
The laws of gravity, relativity, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics
will be discussed and applied to simple problems. Grades will be based on
homework and a research paper of approximately 3000 words. Cost:1 WL:3
104. The Physical Universe: What Einstein Never Knew. High School
geometry, trigonometry, and algebra. (1). (NS). (BS).
The goals of physicists is to understand everything that goes on in
the universe in terms of a small number of fundamental laws of nature. Recent
developments involving quarks, leptons, black holes, big-bang cosmology,
dark matter, etc. will be described on an elementary level. In the end,
all questions of "how" and "why" must be answered or
else pushed to the limit of present knowledge. Grades will be based on homework
and a research paper of approximately 3000 words. The are no college physics
or advanced mathematics prerequisites. Cost:1 WL:3
107. 20th Century Concepts of Space, Time, and Matter. High school
algebra and geometry. (3). (NS). (BS). (QR/1).
The twentieth century has been witness to two major revolutions in man's
concepts of space, time and matter. The first of these was provided by Einstein's
Special and General Theories of Relativity. The implications of the Special
Theory to our understanding of the unity of space and time and of the General
Theory to our understanding of gravity and the evolution of the universe
are explored. The second revolution was provided by quantum mechanics, leading
to a new picture of the basic structure of matter. Topics to be discussed
in this area include the Uncertainty Principle, wave-particle duality, the
forces of nature, and the continuing search for the fundamental constituents
of matter. No mathematical background beyond the high school level is assumed.
112. Cosmology: The Science of the Universe. (3). (NS). (BS).
The majority of even college educated adults have only a modest understanding
of our place in the universe at large. Most would be hard pressed to answer
correctly such questions as: What else is there in the universe besides
stars? Why do we think there was a big bang? How big is a galaxy and how
might they have formed? This course will provide answers to such questions,
stressing conceptual understanding over calculational problem solving.
The format will be varied and informal. In addition to regular seminar attendance,
students will likely be asked to perform small experiments and present at
least one oral presentation. Essays and other written work will play a large
role in the grade. Although no science prerequisites are required, exposure
to physics at high school level would be helpful.
140. General Physics I. Prior or concurrent election of calculus.
Phys. 140 and 141 are normally elected concurrently. No credit granted to
those who have completed or are enrolled in 125 or 160. (4). (NS). (BS).
(QR/1).
Physics 140, 240, and 242 constitute a three-term sequence which examines
concepts in physics fundamental to the physical sciences and engineering.
This introductory sequence uses calculus, and, while it is possible to elect
Physics 140 and Mathematics 115 concurrently, some students will find it
more helpful to have started one of the regular mathematics sequences before
electing Physics 140. The introductory sequence is primarily designed to
develop a skill: the skill to solve simple problems by means of mathematics.
Developing this skill requires daily practice and a sense for the meaning
of statements and formulas, as well as awareness of when one understands
a statement, proof, or problem solution and when one does not. Thus one
learns to know what one knows in a disciplined way.
The topics in Physics 140 include: vectors, motion in one dimension, circular motion, projectile motion, relative velocity and acceleration, Newton's laws, particle dynamics, work and energy, linear momentum, torque, angular momentum of a particle, simple harmonic motion, gravitation, planetary motion, pressure and density of fluids, and Archimedes' principle. Evaluation is based on performance on 3 hourly examinations (see Time Schedule for dates and times) and a final examination.
Certain sections of Physics 140 are offered by the Keller Plan, a self-paced program without formal lectures. These sections are marked PSI in the Time Schedule. An information sheet describing the format of Keller Plan offerings is available in the Physics Student Services Office (2061 Randall Lab). Students who want to elect Physics 140 by the Keller Plan should read this information before registering. Cost:3 WL:5
141. Elementary Laboratory I. To be elected concurrently with
Phys. 140. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled
in 127. (1). (NS). (BS). Laboratory fee ($25) required.
Physics 141 is a laboratory course intended to accompany Physics 140
and provide a perspective on physics as an experimental science. Evaluation
is based on participation and performance in the laboratory classes, and
on written laboratory reports and quizzes. Macintosh computers are used
for data acquisition and analysis. Cost:2 WL:5
160. Honors Physics I. Math. 115 or equivalent, or permission
of instructor. Students should elect Physics 141 concurrently. No credit
granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in Phys. 140. (4). (NS).
(BS). (QR/1).
Physics 160 is a more rigorous alternative to Physics 140. It covers
the same general body of material, but at a more sophisticated level and
with a greater breadth of topics. The class is open to students in the Underclass
Honors Program and to other students by permission of the instructor. Prospective
physics concentrators, whether or not in the Honors Program, are particularly
encouraged to enroll. Particular topics include vectors, one- and two-dimensional
motion, the mechanical conservation laws, linear and rotational dynamics,
gravitation, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics.
101. Introduction to Political Theory. (4). (SS).
111. Introduction to American Politics. (4). (SS).
This is a broad survey of government and politics in the United States
which explores a wide range of topics including elections, interest groups,
the presidency, Congress and the courts. The kinds of questions considered
might include the following: What impact do interest groups have on governmental
policy? Are there real differences between the two major political parties?
What accounts for swings in voting behavior and election outcome from one
time to another? How do members of Congress decide how to vote? In what
ways do presidents and bureaucrats affect public policies? This is not a
comprehensive list but suggests the kinds of issues that are discussed in
this course. There are two lectures and two discussion section meetings
each week. There is generally a midterm, a final examination, and some other
written work. Cost:2 WL:1 (Kingdon)
140. Introduction to Comparative Politics. (4). (SS).
This course examines how democracy evolves and functions in different
settings. We start with the emergence of democracy in Western Europe, examining
the factors that give rise to it and help it survive. We then examine the
origins of fascism in Germany and Japan; and the rise of communism in Russia
and China, attempting to understand why these alternatives to democracy
flourished in those settings - and why they later collapsed. This leads
to an analysis of the current struggle between reformers and hardliners
over the move to market economies and liberal democracy in Russia, China
and Eastern Europe. Finally, we examine the probable evolution of democracy
in advanced industrial societies. In addition to two lectures, there are
two meetings a week in relatively small discussion sections, designed to
encourage active discussion of these topics. (Inglehart)
160. Introduction to World Politics. (4). (SS).
The primary purpose of this beginning course is to expose the student
to the core questions that should be asked at any beginning of the study
of international politics. Who are the major actors in international affairs?
What kind of order exists in relations among nations? What mechanisms exist
for change? What regularities exist in the behavior of actors toward one
another that give shape and direction to the system? We shall try to get
at some of the questions raised by using three of the major approaches students
in the field utilize to select the behaviors they wish to study. One approach
is to study the process of decision-making in foreign policy. Another approach
is to study the effects that differences in national growth have on the
politics among nations. A third way is to study the way the international
system constrains the actions of individuals and groups. The major elements
of the course are contained in four sets of lectures. (1) The decision-making
approach; (2) effects of national growth on international politics; (3)
problems and consequences of different types of international systems; (4)
global trends in contemporary world politics including such topics as imperialism,
neocolonialism, international economics and interdependence, developed-developing
world relations, international organizations, and the limits to growth.
There will be one, possibly two, exams during the term, plus a final. Other
requirements may include a 12-15 page essay and such additional assignments
as may be made by individual section leaders. Cost:3 WL:1 and 4 (Organski)
190. Freshman Seminar in Political Science. (3). (SS).
Section 001 - Poverty and Public Policy. This course will examine the
nature and extent of poverty in the U.S., its causes and consequences and
the antipoverty effects of existing and proposed government programs and
policies. We will address the following questions: What is poverty? Who
is the underclass? Why is poverty so persistent? How does growing up poor
shape children's economic life chances? To what extent does labor market
discrimination inhibit minorities' and women's chances of getting ahead?
Is there a "culture of poverty" or "welfare culture"?
Does welfare encourage family break-up and teen-births? Does teenage parenthood
irreparably damage teenage girls' adult economic fortunes? Students will
be required to write a short paper, one longer paper and to give one in-class
presentation. The class will be combined lecture and discussion. Cost:3
WL:3 (Corcoran)
Department of Psychology disenrollment policy for Psychology 111, 112, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370, 380, and 390. Students must attend discussion section by September 12 or contact the psychology undergraduate office, or they will be disenrolled from the course.
111(172). Introduction to Psychology. Psych. 111 serves, as do
Psych. 112 or 113, as a prerequisite for advanced courses in the department
and as a prerequisite to concentration. No credit granted to those who have
completed or are enrolled in 112, 113, 114, or 115. Psych. 111 may not be
included in a concentration plan in psychology. (4). (SS). Students in Psychology
111 are required to spend five hours outside of class participating as subjects
in research projects.
This course provides a broad introduction to the field of psychology.
During the term we will cover such topics as perception, development, physiology
and behavior, personality, and social psychology. In addition, we will look
at some of the metaphors and principles that have guided research and theory
within psychology (e.g., the mind as computer; the role of the unconscious;
the person as pleasure seeking; the role of nature and nurture). Grades
are based on three exams and assignments in discussion sections. Cost:2
(Hilton)
112(170). Introduction to Psychology as a Natural Science. Credit
is granted for both Psych. 112 and 113; no credit granted to those who have
completed or are enrolled in 111, 114, or 115. Psych. 112 may not be included
in a concentration plan in psychology. (4). (NS). (BS). Students in Psychology
112 are required to spend five hours outside of class participating as subjects
in research projects.
This course provides a broad introduction to the study of modern Psychology
through lecture and discussions, with an emphasis on the natural science
approach to the study of behavior. This approach emphasizes the biological
(genetics, evolution, nervous system organization) underpinnings of behaviors
ranging from learning and memory to the motivation to care for oneself (eating,
medicating, etc., and how that can go wrong) and engage in social behaviors
(finding mates, parenting, fighting, etc.). Grade is based on 2 hourly exams,
a final exam, 2 written assignments based on class research projects, 2
critiques of reading assignments and class participation. Cost:3 WL:5, Go
to Psych Undergrad office in East Engineering. (T.Lee)
114(192). Honors Introduction to Psychology. Open to Honors students;
others by permission of instructor. No credit granted to those who have
completed or are enrolled in 111, 112, 113, or 115. May not be included
in a concentration plan in psychology. (4). (SS). Students in Psychology
114 are required to spend five hours outside of class participating as subjects
in research projects.
Section 001. This course provides a broad introduction to the field
of psychology. We will cover such topics as physiology and behavior, sensory
and perceptual processes, states of consciousness, learning and memory,
thinking, intelligence, development across the life-span, motivation and
emotion, personality, stress and adjustment, abnormal behavior and psychotherapy,
and social psychology. Each student will be expected to participate actively
in a computer conference set up for the course and also to select and read
a number of books from a master list of outstanding books in psychology.
Grades are based primarily on three exams, attendance at and participation
in class, reports on the outside reading, and participation in the computer
conference. Cost:3 WL:1 (Morris)
115. Honors Introduction to Psychology as a Natural Science. Open
to Honors students; others by permission of instructor. No credit granted
to those who have completed or are enrolled in 111, 112, 113 or 114. Psych.
115 may not be included in a concentration plan in psychology. (4). (NS).
(BS). Students in Psychology 115 are required to spend five hours outside
of class participating as subjects in research projects.
The course will provide an overview of the field of psychology from
a natural science perspective. Topics to be covered include nervous system,
sensation and perception, learning and memory, language, cognition, motivation
and emotion, sex, human development, biological rhythm and dream, drug action,
and mental disorder, with an emphasis on underlying brain mechanisms. Although
there is no prerequisite, students are expected to have basic knowledge
and good background in chemistry and biology. It is hoped that, through
the course, a student will become more understanding of the mind and behaviors
of himself/herself as an individual and the society as a whole. Attendance
to lecture/discussion is mandatory. Students are evaluated based on exams,
quizzes, reaction papers, and session participation. Cost:3 WL:1 (Zhang)
120. Seminar in Psychology as a Social Science. May not be included
in a concentration plan in psychology. (3). (SS). May be repeated for a
total of six credits.
Section 001 - Leadership: Theory and Practice. This is a multidisciplinary
seminar that explores the questions: What is leadership? What are some styles
of leadership and traits of effective leaders? How does one lead? We will
examine both classical and contemporary views of leadership. We will spend
some time exploring styles of leadership and traits of effective leaders.
And we will explore what contemporary theory and research in the behavioral
sciences tells us about leadership. Core readings will include such paperbacks
as Clemens & Mayer The Classical Touch, Gardner On Leadership,
Burns Leadership, Kellerman Leadership: Multidisciplinary
Perspectives, McFarland et al. 21st Century Leadership, and Rosenbach
& Taylor Contemporary Issues In Leadership. Students will also
read and report on selected chapters from Bass' Handbook Of Leadership.
Each student will also prepare an oral and written report on one outstanding
leader. Course grades will be based on attendance at and participation in
class discussions, on several brief (maximum 500-word) position papers,
and on oral and written reports. Cost:3 WL:1 (Morris)
Section 002 - Language and Thought. This freshman seminar will examine the question of how language influences thought and how thought influences language. Through case studies, films, readings, and demonstrations, we will explore current psychological evidence on the issue. Topics include: language universals, variation across languages, bilingualism, communication in apes and other species, atypical language development in children, language disorders, and exceptional language. The goal is for students to obtain a deeper understanding of human language, and to discover how an age-old philosophical issue can be studied scientifically. (Gelman)
Section 003 - The Psychological Person and the Law. This seminar will examine a number of case studies involving psychology and the law that have been covered by the popular press (e.g., the Bobbit and Menendez trials). (Pachella)
Section 004 - The Troubled and Troubling Adolescent. This course will discuss the extraordinary increase in adolescent pathology during the last generation, specifically in the eating disorders, depression and suicide, illegitimacy, crime and substance abuse. (Adelson)
Section 005 - The Psychology of War and Peace. Why do wars happen? We will examine a variety of theories from psychology (e.g., Freud, Jervis, and others) and research studies from political psychology and related fields that try to explain, from a psychological perspective, why wars happen in general, and why particular wars happen when they do. We will study original documents and other materials from particular crises that escalated to war (e.g., the outbreak of World War I in 1914) and crises that were peacefully resolved (e.g., the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962). No background in psychology is presumed, but an interest in history would be useful. Grades based on participation and a final paper or project. Enrollment limit: 20. Cost:2-3 (Winter)
Section 006 - Hidden Meanings of Myth. We will examine the folklore of different ethnic and national groups, to draw from these writings core themes which may have figured significantly in the historical development of these peoples. The folklore will range from Oesop's and Grimms fables to more complex legends and myths, some current in Chaucer's time, some from King Arthur's time, up to myths being born in our time. Themes studied will deal with the relationship between the sexes; the attitude toward life and death; the concepts of moral and immoral behavior. As a special chapter in the history of myths, the humor of different ethnic groups will be compared (e.g., Black humor, compared with Jewish humor). We will see also whether we can't speak of familial myths and even personal myths, and how these play a part in the way one lives his or her life. (Mayman)
Section 008 - Psychology of Religious Cults. This seminar will examine the individual and group dynamics of religious cults and other contemporary spiritual groupings. We will explore why individuals stay, and why some eventually leave. Particular attention will be paid to the creation of a coherent, self-reinforcing structure of beliefs and behaviors and to the process of the group as it separates itself from the consensus of the larger society. We will read fictional accounts, historical studies (Kanter, Festinger), observational studies of cults in action (Deikman, Hassan), and interview individuals living in Washtenaw County about their group experience. (Mann)
121. Seminar in Psychology as a Natural Science. May not be included
in a concentration plan in psychology. (3). (NS). May be repeated for a
total of six credits.
Section 001 - Aging and Memory. This seminar will focus on the effects
of aging on human memory. We shall examine the empirical and theoretical
literature to identify the major phenomena of memory that accompany aging,
and we shall try to synthesize these findings in an overall framework. The
phenomena will encompass what is traditionally called long-term memory and
short-term memory. In addition, we shall focus, where possible, on the biological
basis of aging effects as they've been identified. The course will probably
not delve deeply into pathologies that accompany aging as those pathologies
affect memory (e.g., dementias). (Jonides)
Section 002 - Cognition and Consciousness. According to common usage, "consciousness" refers to inner awareness and explicit knowledge that people have about their own existence, perceptual experiences, thoughts, feelings, and current state of mind. This interdisciplinary seminar will explore the nature and role of conscious and unconscious mental processes in various types of human cognition and action, including perception, memory, thinking, and behavior broadly construed. We will take an eclectic approach to our exploration, encompassing points of view found in disciplines such as scientific psychology, neurophysiology, artificial intelligence, philosophy, and clinical practice. Both "normal" and "altered" states of consciousness, including meditation, hypnosis, sleep, dreaming, and hallucination will be considered from these perspectives. Reading assignments will come from a variety of sources, for example, books like Matter and Consciousness, The Mind's I, Brainstorms, The Society of Minds, The Psychology of Consciousness, and The Theory of Dreams. Class meetings will be devoted to group discussions of these readings, with emphasis on active student participation and interaction. In addition, students will prepare regular written assignments and other homework items that encourage independent thought and creative synthesis regarding the course topics. (Meyer)
211. Outreach. Prior or concurrent enrollment in introductory
psychology. May not be included in a concentration plan in psychology. (1-3).
(Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. Laboratory fee ($15) required.
(EXPERIENTIAL). May be repeated for a total of 6 credits.
Project Outreach enables students to do field work in local community
settings. The purpose is to gain an understanding of yourself, the agency
in which you will work, the people whom you will serve, and to provide a
genuine community service. Outreach includes approximately 45 agencies in
which you can provide direct service to children in day care settings, adolescents
in after-school programs, handicapped children and adults, retarded and
emotionally impaired persons, women, physically ill adults and children,
persons legally confined to mental health and criminal institutions, social
advocacy organizations concerned with combating racism, helping battered
women, and others. All sections are two (2) credits requiring six hours
of work per week including four (4) of fieldwork, log writing, readings,
papers, one hour lecture and one hour discussion. Students need to check
the Final Edition of the Time Schedule lecture/ discussion
times and meeting places per section. Information regarding registration,
field work and course information for the Fall Term, 1995, will be available
at an Information Meeting on Thursday, March 30, 1995, at 6:00 pm in 1400
Chemistry. For information, call the Outreach Office at 764-9179 or 764-2580.
Psychology concentrators electing two separate sections in Psychology 211
(4 credits) will have the option to waive their second advanced lab requirement.
Cost:1, not including $15 lab fee. WL:1 (Miller)
Section 001 - Preschool Children at Risk. Provide experience for a variety of children in preschool who are at-risk for developing intellectual, emotional, and behavior problems, or work with agencies trying to reduce the number of children facing these situations. Risk factors include poverty, teenage parents, single parenthood and developmental difficulties.
Section 002 - Big Sibs: Community & Opportunity. Be a Big Sib; develop a meaningful individual relationship with a child in need of the companionship of a consistent caring adult; share in activities and enjoy being with a young person in the community. Some students might also have the opportunity to be a Big Sib to a physically or mentally handicapped child.
Section 003 - Juvenile Justice and Education. Establish a meaningful friendship with a child in an after-school program; help tutor, plan activities and serve as a positive role model for a local student; interact with and assist teenagers and preteens whose behavior is in conflict with the laws and rules of our society, or join with community groups working to increase educational opportunity and juvenile justice. Learn about juvenile criminal behavior, the criminal justice system and the law, institutionalization and rehabilitation.
Section 004 - Social Justice. Learn about racism, homophobia, sexism, rape, incest, domestic violence, eating disorders, substance abuse, the AIDS crisis, and teen pregnancy. Develop supportive and helping relationships with people as they encounter special challenges throughout the lifespan from teens through elderly, or join with local agencies working to bring about change in the lives of people of color, women, gay men, and lesbians.
Section 005 - Interventions for Mental Health. Work with children and adults with mental illness or developmental disabilities living in institutional settings or in the community; assist these people in practicing social skills and increasing their integration into society, or work with groups advocating for better conditions, services, and community awareness for persons with mental health problem & examine issues such as attitudes and prejudices about mental health, mental illness and mental retardation.
Section 006 - Health, Illness, & Society. Serve as a non-medical liaison between staff, family, and patients, offering empathy and emotional support in waiting rooms, at bedside, in community health clinics and in other settings; learn how people cope with stress; provide supervised occupational, physical, rehabilitative, educational, and recreational therapy, and support for people with special physical or health needs: senior citizens, children who are physically impaired, or people who are HIV positive, or work with groups trying to prevent particular health problems, promote health education or those that are advocating for improved health services.
230/Asian Studies 230/Buddhist Studies 230/Phil. 230. Introduction to
Buddhism. (4). (HU).
See Buddhist Studies 230. (Gómez)
RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE WAIT LIST PROCEDURES
Residential College students are given priority in all Residential College courses during the pre-registration and registration periods, and from wait lists. RC courses which fulfill specific Residential College graduation requirement are reserved for RC students only (e.g., RC language courses).
Wait lists of Residential College courses are maintained in the Residential College Counseling Office, 134 Tyler, East Quad. When a course fills, students should contact the RC Counseling Office (747-4359) to be placed on a wait list if one is being maintained.
105. Logic and Language. (4). (N.Excl).
Foreign Language
Intensive language courses meet in lecture and discussion twice a day four days a week (five days per week for Russian). The language programs have language lunch tables, coffee hours, and other social events. There is a language laboratory in the College, and the language teachers are available for counseling and additional help. If a student begins a new language, proficiency is usually attained in one year through the Residential College program.
Core 190, 191, 193, 194 Intensive French, German, Russian, Spanish I. The goal of this course is to provide the student with a basic but solid knowledge of grammatical structures and syntax, a functional vocabulary, familiarity with intonation patterns and native pronunciation, and practice in speaking and writing. Upon completion of this course, the student can understand simple written texts or short spoken passages without the aid of a dictionary, and can carry on a short, elementary conversation.
Core 290, 291, 294 Intensive French, German, Spanish II. The goal of this course is to expand vocabulary and to master grammatical structures and syntax to the level of competency required to pass a proficiency exam. This entails developing the ability to communicate with some ease with a native speaker, in spoken and written language. Students must be able to understand the content of texts and lectures of a non-technical nature, and of general (non-literary) interest.
236/Film Video 236. The Art of the Film. (4). (HU).
260/Dance. The Art of Dance: An Introduction to American and European
Dance History, Aesthetics, and Criticism. (3). (HU).
This course is an introduction to the study of dance history, aesthetics
and criticism. What is dance? How can we analyze it in terms of form and
content? What is the role of the dancer and choreographer? How can we distinguish
different styles of dance? What role does it play in the society which produces
it? These questions will be addressed in relation to a basic survey of American
and European dance concentrating primarily on nineteenth and twentieth century
dance forms. Among the topics considered: French Romantic ballet, Russian
classical ballet at the turn of the century, Diaghilev's Ballets Russes
and the development of classical dance in Europe and America, modern and
postmodern dance in Europe and America, and dance in film. Choreographers
and dancers considered will include Coralli and Perrot, Marius Petipa, Mikhail
Fokine, Vaslav Nijinsky, Bronislava Nijinska, George Balanchine, Frederick
Ashton, Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Katherine Dunham,
Merce Cunningham, Fred Astaire, Bill Robinson, John Bubbles, Gene Kelly,
Bob Fosse, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris, and Michael Jackson. There
will be viewing assignments of videotapes of the dances studied and written
texts will include Selma Jeanne Cohen's Dance as a Theatre Art, Deborah
Jowitt's Time and the Dancing Image and Susan Au's Dance and Ballet.
We will also read some dance critics and theorists including Gautier, Levinson,
Martin, and Croce. (Genné )
Drama
See Theatre and Drama 211. (Brown and Jones)
282. Drama Interpretation I: Actor and Text. (4). (Excl).
This course will explore texts from the actor's perspective. The first
part of the term will be spent in dramaturgical research in period and place
and intensive script analysis of our chosen play(s). The majority of the
course will involve the rehearsal for a workshop production of the text(s)
under study. Students will be required to do outside reading and at least
one major research project. They will also be required to devote the required
extra rehearsal hours to the project. (Mendeloff)
Music
Instrumental: Chamber Orchestra and Small Ensembles. No audition required.
All students who are interested in participating in instrumental ensembles
may enroll for one or two hours of credit. The second hour of credit is
at the discretion of the instructor. Every student must elect section 001
for one hour; those students who will fulfill the requirements for two hours
of credit MUST also elect Section 002 (with an override from the instructor)
for the additional hour of credit. For one hour of credit students must
participate in two ensembles; for two credit hours, students must participate
in the large ensemble and two smaller ones. Responsibilities include three
to four hours of rehearsal time per week and participation in one or more
concerts per term, if appropriate. Course may be used to fulfill the Residential
College's Arts Practicum Requirement. Ensembles have included: mixed ensembles
of strings and winds; brass quintet and intermediate recorder; string quartet;
woodwind quintet, and some other duos and trios, including piano and harpsichord.
(Barna)
251. Topics in Music. (4). (HU).
Section 001 - Music of the Caribbean and Mexico: Salsa, Merengue, Zouk,
and Border conjuntos. The course will begin with a brief survey of Latin
American and Caribbean popular music; the survey's purpose is to introduce
this musically rich area that is a site, both currently and historically,
for a great amount of musical interchange. Following this overview, the
course will focus on four genres that are important not only to their original
cultures, but to international popular music as well. Through readings on
Salsa, merengue, Zouk, and corridos, students not only will
examine the history and musical characteristics of each genre, but will
explore the ways in which scholars talk about these musics. Specifically,
attention will be given to topics such as how working-class attitudes are
articulated through music (Border conjuntos, bachata); how gender
relationships can be analyzed through music (bachata, salsa); how
music functions as a medium for national or cultural identity (merengue,
zouk), etc. One thread will connect all four genres: a consideration
of how music travels across national borders to create a cross-cultural
dialectic. The course will be divided into six units beginning with an overview
of prominent genres and ending with student presentations. (Laird)
253. Choral Ensemble. (1). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no
credit.
Section 001 - Women's Choral Ensemble. Group rehearses twice weekly
and prepares a thematic concert of music from the vast Women's Chorus Repertoire.
Vocal skills, sight singing, and basic musicianship are stressed. No prerequisites,
but a commitment to the group and a dedication to musical growth within
the term are required. No audition.
Section 002 - Mixed Choral Ensemble. Four-part works from a variety of musical styles are rehearsed and prepared for performance in concert. Meets twice weekly. Vocal skills, sight singing, musicianship and ensemble singing are stressed. No prerequisites, but a commitment to the group and musical growth within the term are required. No audition.
If you are planning to take an elementary French, Italian, or Spanish class and you are a new student, freshman or transfer student, or you have not yet begun the elementary language sequence on the Ann Arbor campus, you must take the placement test in order to register for the correct course. You must register for the class into which you have been placed.
If you have registered for a class prior to taking the test, you will still be required to take the test in order to verify that you are in the appropriate level class.
If you have already taken French, Italian, or Spanish 101-232 on the Ann Arbor campus, or if you have already taken the placement test once, you are not eligible to take the test again. For questions regarding the LS&A language requirement, please see a general academic advisor or call POINT-10 (764-6810).
Please Note: With the reduction in the number of classrooms throughout LS&A, departments must limit the number of classes offered between 10 am and 4 pm. There will be more classes open before 10 am and after 4 pm. Please take advantage of the opportunity to register for these classes and avoid the "Lottery" (see 2b below).
Instructions for students requesting overrides for French or Spanish 101, 103, 231, or 232.
1. Try to find a section that will fit into your schedule, since the Department cannot guarantee every student a space in a section of his/her own choice.
However, do not register for a class that you cannot attend. You will not be eligible to override into the section of your choice if you are registered for any section of 101-232, even if you cannot attend that section.
2. As it states in the Time Schedule any registered student who misses one of the first four class meetings will be dropped from the course, thereby leaving some open spaces for those students who have been closed out.
If there is absolutely no section open which will fit your schedule, you should follow this procedure:
(a) Start attending the section you would like to get into on the first day of class. You will receive a Proof of Attendance form which must be signed by your instructor every day. You must attend a class every day, but it does not need to be the same section. All students must take action at CRISP to make sure their official schedule of courses matches the courses they are taking.
(b) On Wednesday, September 15 at 7:00 p.m., there will be a meeting in the basement of the MLB, rooms to be announced later, for each of the above courses. At these meetings, students will be assigned to remaining vacated spaces in the most fair and equitable manner possible, using a lottery system. At no time, however, will any class be allowed to exceed 25 students. Students must bring their CRISP Official Printout of Classes and the Proof of Attendance form to the meeting!
3. Please note that you will not be allowed to change sections at the French meetings. Beginning Thursday, September 16, Elementary French Language Supervisors will hear requests for section changes and fill those requests to whatever degree is possible.
4. Please ensure when adding with the override that you also add modifiers for pass/fail, etc.
Students who intend to continue a language begun in high school must take a placement test to determine the course level at which they will start their college language instruction. Students who began French at another college or university also take the placement test.
101. Elementary French. Students with any prior study of French
must take the Placement Test. Credit is not granted for more than two courses
from French 101, 102, and 103. (4). (LR).
The sequence of French 101/102 presents the essential elements of French
grammar, vocabulary, and culture which are needed in everyday life to understand
French spoken at a moderate speed and to be understood by sympathetic native
speakers. Vocabulary and structures are practiced in class primarily through
communicative activities stressing listening and speaking. Authentic documents
are used to develop reading skills and culture. Cultural awareness and listening
skills are further developed through listening and video materials. Classes
meet four hours per week in sections of 20-25 students. Daily homework assignments
involve studying vocabulary and grammar, writing exercises or short compositions,
and practice in listening comprehension. There are several quizzes and tests,
as well as midterm and final examinations and speaking tests. Class participation
is graded. Cost:2 WL:4
103. Review of Elementary French. Assignment by placement test.
No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 102. (4).
(LR).
French 103 is a course for students with some prior language study in
French, and covers the same material presented in French 101/102. Entrance
into the course is by placement, or with the permission of the course coordinator.
Because students are expected to be already familiar with some of the material,
the course moves at a rapid pace, and students will need to plan on spending
at least 8-10 hours each week preparing daily lessons. The objectives and
methods of instruction are similar to those of French 101/102. Frequent
quizzes (with both oral and written components) are administered to check
students' assimilation of material. There are two hourly exams, a final
and speaking tests. By the end of the course, students will have a good
working vocabulary and strong listening comprehension skills; they should
be able to express themselves in French (both in writing and orally) using
most of the basic structural patterns in the language. Cost:2 WL:4
231. Second-Year French. French 102, or 103, or equivalent; or
assignment by placement test. No credit granted to those who have completed
or are enrolled in 112 or 230. (4). (LR).
Students whose last French course was NOT at U of M Ann Arbor must take
the placement test. The sequence French 231/232 are the third and fourth
terms of language study offered. It presents a comprehensive grammar review,
study of finer points of French structure, and the reading of journalistic
prose, short stories, and literary excerpts. Both courses include the use
of French movies, video, and songs. The proficiency gained by the end of
French 232 should enable students to express themselves in French on topics
of interest, to understand conversations on such topics. Classes meet four
times per week in sections of 20-25 students. Since communicative skills
are emphasized daily, regular attendance and active participation are essential.
Homework consists of grammar study, written exercises, and laboratory work
both audio and video. There are comprehensive coursewide tests as well as
the midterm and final examinations. Cost:2 WL:4
232. Second-Year French, Continued. French 231 or equivalent;
or assignment by placement test. No credit granted to those who have completed
or are enrolled in 112 or 230. (4). (LR).
In French 232, students will continue to improve speaking, writing,
reading and listening skills by reviewing vocabulary and grammar from the
second half of the book Ensuite. There will be short weekly readings
(advertisements, literary excerpts, and short stories) as well as class
discussions of French cuisine, the French socialized medical system, and
immigration. Throughout the term, students will listen to French songs,
see several videos (from French television) as well as two French movies.
Classes meet four times per week in sections of 20-25 students. Since communicative
skills are emphasized, daily, regular attendance and active participation
are essential and will be included in the final grade. There will also be
listening comprehension quizzes, 2 in class compositions, 2 course-wide
tests, a reading test, a midterm, and a final examination. Cost:2
235. Advanced Practice in French. French 232 or equivalent. May
not be included in a concentration plan in French. (3). (Excl).
French 235 uses a cultural content as a basis for oral and written communication.
It is a content course in which current problems and issues in French society
are studied through readings (textbook; newspaper and magazine articles;
a collection of political cartoons commenting on issues such as the educational
system, sexism, immigrants and racism); videos (documentaries, news programs,
exposés on current issues), and films. The course focuses on developing
students' ability to support opinions orally and in writing in a coherent
manner. Students gain experience by working through texts in class and through
class discussion, three oral presentations, and three medium-length papers.
The final examination is an individual oral presentation. Active participation
counts for 20% of the final grade. Cost:2
Courses Taught in English (without language prerequisite)
Section 001 - The Getting of Wisdom. How have education and growing
up been considered in French culture? Since the Renaissance (when the issue
was raised as a question: which is better, a well filled head or a judicious
mind?), there has been steady oscillation between an idea of education as
social reproduction (involving authority and control) and a search for wisdom
through self-discovery and self-development. With these alternatives in
mind we'll read some key texts and consider some important films. Lectures
and discussions (in proportions dependent on class size). Writing: a regular
journal and two short papers. All reading and writing in English. (Some
knowledge of French helpful but no required.) No midterms or finals. Texts
by (some of) Laclos, Rousseau, Stendhal, Flaubert, Rachilde, Colette, Gide,
Schwarz-Bart, Chraïbi, Rancière. Films by (some of) Vigo, Malle,
Kurys, Jutra, Varda. Cost:2 WL:4 (Chambers)
Cultural and Literary Studies
Section 001 - French and Francophone Literature and Film, Media, and Culture.
This course introduces students to the cultural productions of the French-speaking
world and explores questions of subjectivity and otherness in the context
of contemporary reflections on representations and discourse. The relationship
between cultural expression and interpretation is examined by both categories
(discourse and representation). The objective is twofold: (1) to determine
the social character; and (2) to propose an explanation for the relevant
denial of the social character of this relationship. Throughout the course
several different methods of interpretation of culture are examined in order
to establish a coherent critical perspective which would enable us not just
to understand what is at stake in cultural interpretation, but also to comprehend
their political and social basis. (Ekotto)
Section 002 - Invitation au Voyage. In this course we will explore the theme of travel in fictional and nonfictional works from 17th century France to the present. Questions to be answered include: Why do people travel? Have these reasons changed over time? What do people observe when they visit another place? How and why do they record their impressions and thoughts? What role does travel play in the development of France's national identity? We will examine a variety of literary genres including journals, letters, essays, and novels. Emphasis will be placed on developing tools for literary analysis and proficiency in written and spoken French. This course will be taught in French; proficiency in written and spoken French required. (Beasley)
270. French and Francophone Literature and Culture. French 232.
(4). (HU). May be repeated for a total of 8 credits.
Section 002 - Le Masculin, Le Féminin, Le Texte. This course
will explore issues relating to both male and female identity within the
context of French-speaking literature and film. Questions to be raised include:
How have masculinity and femininity been represented in fictional texts?
Can one speak of a style of writing that is particular to women or to men?
To what extent are writers aware of their gender? What influence have various
historical and literary movements had on gender? How is sexuality linked
to gender? While this course will in no way attempt to survey French literature,
it will pull texts from different historical periods and literary genres
so as to examine how definitions of gender identity have changed (or not
changed) over time. As a major goal of the course will be linguistic development,
we will work on linguistic expression in a general sense, and also on the
vocabulary needed to discuss the topics of the course. (Reeser)
101. Elementary Italian. (4). (LR).
Students who intend to continue a language begun in high school are given a placement test to determine the course level at which they will start their college language instruction. Students who began Spanish at another college or university must also take the placement test.
101. Elementary Spanish. (4). (LR).
Course objectives: the first part of an introduction to the Spanish
language and culture; task-based approach develops proficiency by integrating
grammar in a functional use through listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Language use encouraged through communicative activities rather than a sequence
of linguistic units. Video, audio cassette, and computer materials incorporated.
Goals: Students completing Spanish 101 will have heard about different sociocultural
norms, can act with awareness of such differences; speak, using memorized
phrases and some original language; read short texts of familiar or simple
structure for detailed comprehension, less familiar materials for gist and
main ideas; write familiar material with considerable accuracy. Work requirements/Evaluation
criteria: Regular attendance is essential. Participation in class includes
asking and answering questions, initiating discussion, role playing and
other situational activities. Grade based on oral participation, homework/lab
assignments, chapter tests and a final exam. Cost:3 WL:4
103. Review of Elementary Spanish. Assignment by placement test
or permission of department. No credit granted to those who have completed
or are enrolled in 102. (4). (LR).
Accelerated refresher course for students with two or three years of
high school Spanish whose previous study did not occur within the preceding
two years. Equivalent to 101 and 102 condensed into one term. Transfer students
would elect Spanish 103 if they have completed the equivalent of Spanish
101 elsewhere. Course Objectives: Introduction to the Spanish language and
culture; task-based approach develops proficiency by integrating grammar
in a functional use through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Language
use encouraged through communicative activities rather than a sequence of
linguistic units. Video, audio cassette, and computer materials incorporated.
Goals: Students completing Spanish 103 will have heard about different sociocultural
norms, can act with awareness of such differences; speak in short spontaneous
conversations involving everyday topics, observing basic courtesy requirements;
understand gist of one-way communications like radio and television; read
for practical information; write simple correspondence and short compositions
on familiar topics, with good control of basic sentence structure. Work
requirements/Evaluation criteria: Regular attendance is essential. Participation
in class includes asking and answering questions, initiating discussion,
role playing and other situational activities. Grade based on oral participation,
homework/lab assignments, chapter tests and a final exam. Cost:3 WL:4
231. Second-Year Spanish. Spanish 102, or 103, or the equivalent;
or assignment by placement test. No credit granted to those who have completed
or are enrolled in 112 or 230. (4). (LR).
Course Objectives: Introduction to Hispanic language and culture; task-based
approach develops proficiency by integrating grammar in a functional use
through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Language use encouraged
through communicative activities rather than a sequence of linguistic units.
Video, audio cassette, and computer materials incorporated. Goals: Students
completing Spanish 231 will speak in spontaneous conversations involving
everyday topics, observing basic courtesy requirements; understand gist
of one-way communications like radio and television; read for practical
information; write simple correspondence and short compositions on familiar
topics, with good control of sentence structure. Work requirements/Evaluation
criteria: Regular attendance is essential. Participation in class includes
asking and answering questions, initiating discussion, role playing and
other situational activities. Grade based on oral participation, homework
assignments, weekly oral and written quizzes, chapter tests and a final
exam. Cost:3 WL:4
232. Second-Year Spanish, Continued. Spanish 231 or the equivalent;
or assignment by placement test. No credit granted to those who have completed
or are enrolled in 230 or 112. (4). (LR).
Course Objectives: Organized around four themes: Tradition and Change,
Cultural Contrasts, Human Rights, and Women and Society to develop cultural
awareness and formulate opinions on a variety of contemporary issues through
reading, discussion and writing. Grammatical concepts considered within
a functional whole; students responsible for home study of individual points.
Classroom activities stress communication across the four skills with a
strong oral/written component. Video, audio cassette, and computer materials
incorporated. Work requirements/Evaluation criteria: Regular attendance
is essential. Participation includes asking and answering questions, initiating
discussion, role playing and other situational activities. Pre- and post-reading
activities take place in class; reading activities done at home. Writing
samples prepared in class and at home. Grade based on oral presentations,
classroom participation, homework assignments, periodic oral and written
quizzes, four chapter tests, and a final exam. Cost:3 WL:4
Other Language Courses
See American Culture 307. (Aparicio)
358. Spanish Conversation for Non-Concentrators. Spanish 232 or
equivalent. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled
in Spanish 361 or 362. A maximum of six credits of Spanish 358, 361, and
362 may be counted toward graduation. (3). (Excl).
Spanish 358 is a practical Spanish conversation course for non-concentrators
interested in the Spanish language and in contemporary Hispanic culture.
Texts include journalistic prose as well as journal formatted videos aimed
at increasing students' knowledge of current affairs in Spain and Latin
America. Audio tapes will be employed to improve pronunciation, vocabulary
and listening skills. Class format includes group discussions, debates,
oral presentations and role-playing. Attendance and participation will be
mandatory and will constitute a large part of the course grade. Grades will
also be determined by examination of students' listening and expressive
skills. Finally, students will practice writing in various practical formats
such as letters, book or movie reviews, etc. These written exercises will
form the final component of the course grade.
361. Grammar and Composition. Spanish 232 or equivalent. A maximum
of six credits of Spanish 358, 361, and 362 may be counted toward graduation.
(3). (Excl).
Spanish 361 is intended to increase the accuracy of students' Spanish
and to increase vocabulary and cultural knowledge through readings. The
course is centered on a grammar-review text. Students do readings in Spanish,
prepare translations and other exercises, and expand vocabulary. Time is
allotted to class discussion of readings and especially to the treatment
of recurrent problems of grammar. Classes are conducted exclusively in Spanish.
The final grade is based on compositions, exams and participation in class
discussions or presentations.
362. Reading and Composition. Spanish 361 or equivalent. A maximum
of six credits of Spanish 358, 361, and 362 may be counted toward graduation.
(3). (Excl).
Spanish 362 is intended to improve student's ability to read Spanish
prose, as well as their skills in conversational and written Spanish. To
this end, students will be presented with a variety of written, visual and
audio materials designed to stimulate discussion, both written and oral.
Compositions are assigned regularly and oral presentations by students required.
Classes are conducted exclusively in Spanish. The final grade is based on
compositions, exams and participation in class discussions or presentations.
101. First-Year Russian. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 103 or 111. (4). (LR).
103/RC Core 193. Intensive First-Year Russian.
No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in
101, 102, 111, or 112. (8). (LR).
This course covers in one term what is ordinarily covered in two terms
in Russian 101 and 102. The course carries eight credit hours which is over
half the average underclass academic load and is designed for highly motivated
students who wish to acquire rapid mastery of Russian. This course is especially
recommended for students intending to choose a concentration in Russian
Language and Literature or Russian and East European Studies. Students are
expected to complete approximately 16 to 20 hours of homework per week,
including three to four hours in the language laboratory. Cost:3 WL:3 (A.Makin)
Literature
Despite the raising of the Iron Curtain at the end of the 1980s, Russia
continues to remain "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."
This course provides an opportunity to explore in detail the paradoxes of
a society which has produced some of the world's most barbaric rulers and
some of its finest artists, writers and musicians. We will be examining
the evolution of Russian culture from the 10th century to the present day.
The approach will be interdisciplinary: lectures will alternate with video
presentations and classes in which we will listen to music or look at slides
of paintings. During the term we will be ranging from the art of the Russian
icon to the role of the avant-garde in the 1917 Revolution, and from the
prose of Dostoevsky to the music of Shostakovich. We will be seeking to
establish connections between the art, music and literature of each time
period in order to reveal how similar themes and ideas surfaced in different
media, and to deepen our understanding of the way in which Russian culture
has developed. This course is designed to appeal to students with no background
in Russian studies, and to those thinking about becoming Russian concentrators.
Cost:3 (Bartlett)
100. Principles of Sociology. Open to freshpersons and sophomores. Juniors are strongly encouraged to enroll in Soc. 400. Seniors must elect Soc. 400. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 195 or 400. No credit for seniors. (4). (SS).
Section 020. How do class, race, age, gender, and sexual preference shape our and other peoples' lives? Why do people who make $30,000 and people who make $140,000 all feel middle class? Why do women in dual career couples do a month of 24 hour days more housework than men? Why do we need affirmative action? Why do Women Marines have to wear makeup and take etiquette classes? Why can't gays and lesbians get married? Why do we spend almost five times as much of the federal budget on the elderly than on children? In this course we will use sociological imagination, theory, analysis, and empirical research to answer these questions. We will examine various theoretical explanations for social inequality in the United States as well as empirical research about inequality. Students will learn the basic concepts of the discipline and will learn to think and write critically about these issues. (Martin)
101. Person and Society: An Introduction to Sociology Through Social
Psychology. Open to freshpersons and sophomores. Juniors are strongly
encouraged and seniors must take Soc. 400, 401, 452, 463, 464, 465, 470,
481, 482, or 486. No credit for seniors. (4). (SS).
The course deals at an introductory level with a series of topics in
Sociology that lie at the interface with Psychology. The aim is to make
you aware of the kinds of questions and issues that social psychologists
study, and especially to expose you to important conceptual frameworks that
have been used to organize and investigate each of the topics covered. We
will be less concerned with having you learn specific information or techniques,
and more with getting you to think systematically about the determinants
of social behavior. WL:4 (Modigliani)
102. Contemporary Social Issues: An Introduction to Sociology. Open
to freshpersons and sophomores. Juniors are strongly encouraged and seniors
must take Soc. 302, 303, 400, 401, 423, 444, 447, 450, 460, or 461. No credit
for seniors. (4). (SS). Credit is granted for a combined total of 8 credits
elected through Soc. 102, 202, 203, and 401, provided that the course topics
are different.
Section 001 - Introduction to Sociology through Organizations and Institutions.
Organizations provide the social settings for the pursuit of personal and
collective goals. Whether our objectives be education, religion, profit,
entertainment, or social service, some organizational form serves as the
basis for achieving these goals, among them schools, churches, businesses,
sports team or social service organization. Organizations both empower us
with opportunities to achieve our goals and constrain and discipline us
to work within the expectations and norms of the institutional settings,
norms and values that form their context. This course examines how organizations
and institutions have emerged, how they have been transformed over time,
and how they shape our understanding of ourselves. Selecting from a variety
of institutional settings, like education, science, religion, mass media,
entertainment, government, and the economy, this course examines organizational
forms and structures that have developed in the Western world such as schools,
corporations, and a variety of private and public organizations that have
become established in modern societies and have come to shape our daily
lives. How these organizations and institutions change and affect us as
persons, and how persons, groups and ideas shape and transform them, form
the basis for the questions and debates that the course aims to address.
How the experiences differ by gender, race, ethnicity, religion and social
classes lead to the practical examination of contemporary issues in our
societies. The course will examine various theoretical perspectives that
help make sense of these institutional developments. These have important
effects on the cultural understandings, prescriptions and solutions to the
conflicts shaping and transforming contemporary society, including the structures
of work, beliefs, sexuality, ideology and knowledge. The course aims to
be intellectually challenging, while remaining introductory. (Guilarte)
Section 009 - Introduction to Sociology through Social Inequality. Who gets ahead in our society and who falls behind? Is the middle class shrinking? Why are the majority of school teachers, pharmacists, and bank teller women while most lawyers, engineers and repair personnel are men? Does it "pay" to get a college education? This class will address these and related questions by introducing students to the study of social behavior with a focus on social inequality. The course is divided into three parts: an introductory overview of sociological theories of inequality; the application of these perspectives to issues of class, race, and gender; and an investigation of three social institutions - the family, education, and work. How do family, schooling, and work experiences help or hinder your chances to "get ahead?" These topics will be examined with a set of focused readings, orienting lectures, and class discussions. Throughout the course, the objective is to understand everyday events and circumstances with social science research and theory. WL:1 (Krecker)
105. First Year Seminar in Sociology. Freshman; sophomores with
permission of instructor. (3). (SS).
Section 001 - Transforming American Then and Now. That America is a
nation of immigrants is one of the most common yet truest statements. In
this course we will survey a vast range of the American Immigrant experience;
that of the Irish, Germans, Jews, Italians, Chinese, Japanese, Blacks, Puerto
Ricans, Cubans, and Mexicans. Immigration to America can be broadly understood
as consisting of four major waves: the first one, that which consisted of
Northwest Europeans who immigrated up to the mid-19th century; the second
one, that which consisted of Southern and East Europeans at the end of the
19th century and the beginning of the 20th; the third one, the movement
from the South to the North of Black Americans and Mexicans precipitated
by two World Wars; and the fourth one, from 1965 on, is still ongoing in
the present, of immigrants mostly from Latin America and Asia. At all times,
our effort win be to understand the immigrant past of these ethnic groups,
both for what it tells us about the past as well as their present and possible
future. This course is a First-Year Seminar, limited to 25 entering students
at the University. As such, it will be run as a seminar, involving a fair
amount of discussion and writing. WL:1 (Pedraza)
195. Principles in Sociology (Honors). Open to freshpersons and
sophomores admitted to the Honors Program, or other freshpersons and sophomores
with a grade point average of at least 3.2. Juniors are strongly encouraged
and seniors must take Soc. 400. No credit for seniors. Credit is not granted
for both Sociology 195 and Sociology 100 or 400. (4). (SS).
The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the discipline of
sociology - the systematic study of human society and social behavior. You
will become familiar with many of the topics sociologists study, major theoretical
perspectives, and tools of analysis. In this course we'll place particular
emphasis on deviance, the family, and patterns of inequality by social class,
race-ethnicity, and gender. This course will be especially engaging for
those of you interested in important social issues such as poverty, discrimination,
changing gender roles, and changes in the family. Central goals of this
course include: (1) helping you to learn to see social conditions and social
change as consequences of cultural patterns rather than as accidental or
random occurrences; and, (2) helping you to gain a clear understanding of
the social forces that shape our lives, experiences, and opportunities.
The format of the class will vary: lecture, discussion, films, small group
discussions and exercises are all important parts of the course. WL:1 (Smock)
For Undergraduates Only
Section 001. The purpose of the course is to provide literacy in the
evaluation of quantitative evidence as it relates to the world of alternative,
testable ideas. Students are familiarized with a variety of descriptive
statistics (interpretation of tables, measures of association, regression,
etc.), inductive statistics (theory of sampling, significance tests) and
the empirical origin of statistical data (surveys, censensus, observational
studies). Several forms of decision-making based on quantitative and non-quantitative
evidence are compared and contrasted. No special background or preparation
is needed. Students capable of handling arithmetic have all the mathematical
skills required for the course. Problem sets are routinely assigned to illustrate
the concepts of the course. Additionally, the course will provide students
with an introduction to "statistical packages" easily used on
microcomputers. NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH THIS TECHNOLOGY IS NECESSARY.
This will provide an opportunity to analyze and discuss some real data sets.
Course grades are determined by performance on three major exams (including
the final) and some quizzes given in the discussion sections. The new format
generates four credit hours from two lectures and two hours of discussion
per week. (Goldberg)
231. Investigating Social and Demographic Change in America. (4).
(SS). (QR/2).
This computer based course is for freshpersons and sophomores ONLY.
It will allow participants to investigate how major social, economic, and
political changes have affected the demographic structure of the national
population in the past four decades. How greatly have Black-White income
differences become reduced since the 1960's? To what extent has the traditionally
family disintegrated? Do service industries continue to dominate the nation's
labor force? Through readings, lectures, and exercises on the Apple Macintosh
computer you will learn how to examine such questions using U.S. census
data and simple statistical analyses. In the process you will come to understand
how major dimensions of the nation's social and demographic structure have
changed from 1950 to the present. WL:1 (Frey)
389. Practicum in Sociology. Permission of instructor. Up to 4
credits may be included in a concentration plan in Sociology. A combined
total of 8 credits of Sociology 389 and 395 may be counted toward a concentration
in Sociology. (2-4). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. Laboratory
fee ($23) required. (EXPERIENTIAL). May be repeated for a total of 8 credits.
Sociology 389 is known as "Project Community" and "Trained
Volunteer Corps." Students combine 4 to 6 hours of weekly service in
community settings, with weekly student-led seminars. Seminars are interactive,
focus on related sociological issues, and provide a time for mutual support,
planning and problem-solving. Over 50 sections offer settings that include
working in school classrooms with "at-risk" children and youth
in a variety of tutoring, chemical dependency, mentoring situations; in
the adult and juvenile criminal justice system; with adult literacy; with
the homeless; and with elderly, the mentally ill, the disabled, and in hospitals.
For more information, come to the Office of Community Service Learning,
in the Michigan Union, Room 2205. Cost:1 WL:5; enrollment is by override
only; visit Project Community Office, 2205 Michigan Union. (Chesler, Kritt)
125. Games, Gambling and Coincidences. (3). (Excl). (QR/1).
This course will emphasize problem solving and modeling. To achieve
this end, students will work together in class attempting to solve various
problems posed by the instructor. Hopefully with a bit of gentle guidance,
the students will be able to create models and deduce the basic concepts
necessary for solution. Students will be asked to write up solutions and
work on a project. Grades will be determined from this work and class participation.
Problems from the course will be drawn primarily from Markov chains with
a finite state space, dynamic programming, again with a finite state space,
and game theory. Possible examples include: gambler's ruin; expected run
lengths in coin tossing until a specified string is obtained and chances
that one string will occur before another; optimal strategies in sports
and gambling; optimal replacement strategies; minimax solutions for finite
state two-person zero sum games. (Keener)
402. Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis. No credit granted
to those who have completed or are enrolled in Econ. 404 or Stat. 311, 405,
or 412. (4). (NS). (BS). (QR/1).
In this course students are introduced to the concepts and applications
of statistical methods and data analysis. Statistics 402 has no prerequisite
and has been elected by students whose mathematics background includes only
high school algebra. Examples of applications are drawn from virtually all
academic areas and some attention is given to statistical process control
methods. The course format includes three lectures and a laboratory (l.5
hours per week). The laboratory section deals with the computational aspects
of the course and provides a forum for review of lecture material. For this
purpose, students are introduced to the use of a micro-computer package
and the Macintosh computer. Course evaluation is based on a combination
of three examinations GIVEN WEDNESDAY EVENINGS, a final examination and
teaching fellow input. Cost:2 WL:3
192. Voice I. Permission of instructor. (2). (Excl).
This course is an introduction to the voice both technically and imaginatively.
Through extensive exercises, students increase their physical awareness
and vocal responsiveness for performance. This introduction is designed
to give students a greater appreciation of the vocal process leading to
a naturally freer and individually connected voice. (Masson)
211/RC Hums. 280/English 245. Introduction
to Drama and Theatre. No credit granted to those who have completed
or are enrolled in RC Hums. 281. (4). (HU).
The course aims to introduce students to the power and variety of theatre,
and to help them understand the processes which go toward making a production.
Five plays will be subjects for special study, chosen to cover a wide range
of style and content, but interest will not be confined to these. Each students
will attend two lectures weekly, plus a two-hour meeting in sections each
week; the latter will be used for questions and discussions, viewing video
or films of performances, and periodic exams and writing exercises. Students
will be required to attend three or more theatre performances, chosen from
those available in Ann Arbor. Cost:2 WL:2 (Brown and Jones)
All First-Year Seminars can be used to complete part of the College's general
requirements. UC 153 fulfills the Introductory Composition requirement.
Other seminars count toward satisfying the Area Distribution requirement
in one of three major divisions: Humanities (UC 150), Social Sciences (UC
151), or Natural Sciences (UC 152). We strongly recommend that each student
take at least one seminar during the four years at Michigan.
This course will provide students with an opportunity to critically
review their role in the university. It will allow students to consider
the expectations of their experience at the university within a framework
of theoretical perspectives. It is hoped that students will develop a broad
understanding of what their university experience can include and how they
can shape it to realize their academic potential and intellectual development.
The course will focus on the transition from high school to college, role
of the liberal arts, critical thinking, intergroup relations and social
change. The issues and challenges of living and working in a multicultural
society will be examined. This discussion will include a focus on student
perceptions, relevant research and university resources. The small discussion
groups will focus on the readings and areas of practical concern. This course
is open only to people in the 21st Century Program.
110/AOSS 171/Biol. 110/NR&E 110. Introduction to Global Change I.
(4). (NS). (BS).
See Biology 110.
150. First-Year Humanities Seminar. First-year standing; sophomores
with permission of instructor. (3). (HU). May be repeated for credit.
Section 001 - The Age of Moses and Ramesses. The culture of ancient
Israel formed one of the essential building blocks of Western civilization
and spawned the three great religions of the West - Judaism, Christianity,
Islam. We will explore the origins of this unique intellectual culture in
its historical setting: the age of Ramesses II, king of Egypt, and his contemporary
Moses, the formidable leader of Israel. We will also compare the history
of this period as written by the Israelites with records by their Egyptian
contemporaries, with special focus on the current debate as to whether the
biblical accounts are factually accurate or a literary fabrication. Our
principal textbook will be Exploring Exodus: the Heritage of Biblical
Israel by Nahum Sarna and the excellent collection of essays in The
Rise of Ancient Israel. For the Egyptian perspective, we will use K.A.
Kitchen's Pharaoh Triumphant: the Life and Times of Ramesses II, King
of Egypt. There will be one examination (a midterm) and one seminar
paper, which will substitute for a final examination; the seminar paper
will be presented by the student for class discussion. (Krahmalkov)
Section 002 - Technology and the Good Life. Your grandparents lived quite differently from how you live now, partly because their world was technologically inferior to yours. While they wrote letters, you use e-mail, and so on. But has technology made your life better than theirs? In this seminar we will explore the profound and subtle ways technology has changed our lives as human beings. We will also wrestle with the complex and rarely asked question of what we mean by "progress." To decide whether some technologies actually improve our lives we must explore some basic questions about human welfare and progress. For example, is Thoreau's pre-industrial Walden a better world than Huxley's post-industrial Brave New World? Or should we aim for somewhere in between? Readings will include Swift's Gulliver's Travels, Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents, Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, Thoreau's Walden, Marquez' One Hundred Years of Solitude, various Native American authors, and a plethora of contemporary champions and critics of technology. Requirements will include a series of short essays, a journal, and some field requirements. (Demetriades)
Section 003- Masterpieces of English Literature. This course attempts to sample the rich quality and variety of English literature. The reading list comprises a few master works chosen from across the centuries, exemplifying plays, novels, poems, and biographies. The emphasis is placed on reading and discussing individual works in some depth. The reading list includes the following writers: Shakespeare, Herrick, Congreve, Fielding, Blake, Austen, Shelley, Thackeray, and Tennyson. Since reading and writing are so closely linked there will be ample opportunity for short papers, at least two longer papers, and a final examination. (Steinhoff)
Section 004 - Papa Hemingway. The works of Ernest Hemingway, one of the most effective storytellers of the 20th century, reveal a basic pessimism regarding the human condition. If life ends in nothingness, with no hope of an afterlife or belief in God, how should man conduct himself on that journey from birth to death in order to give it meaning? For Hemingway the answer was the Code - "what we have instead of God," as Lady Brett Ashley comments in The Sun Also Rises. This Code, however, is tied directly to life itself and not to some notion of universal morality. It rests on the courage of the individual, on the inner strength necessary to avoid being defeated by pain and suffering and loss, often unexpected, that each of us will experience. We will read about twenty short stories, a novelette, The Old Man and the Sea; and a novel, A Farewell To Arms. Students will be assigned short, critical papers and an essay final exam. (Shafter)
Section 005 - Visions of the Past. History is constructed for us in many forms, both verbal and visual, and works of the imagination, like a painting or a novel, provide most of us with most of the history we know. Many more Americans have read or seen Gone With the Wind than have perused a history of the Civil War; Emmanuel Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware has for generations fixed school-children's sense of the heroic general. This course will examine the various forms, from the traditional narrative to the TV documentary, with the aim of understanding their value and persuasiveness. Episodes in European and American history will provide the contexts. Ultimately in discussing how history is represented we will reach the question of why, and why each generation must write its own version. Some introductory commentary on texts and contexts will be provided, but discussion will be the primary way we handle the individual works. Several short papers (5pp.) and participation in class discussion will determine the final grade. (Marwil)
Section 006 - College: Intellectual Self-Realization. Each year students come to college for a variety of reasons. This course will be an examination of these reasons as they relate to one's own intellectual development. Our inquiry will be an attempt to answer the following question: Why are we here? - in college, that is. We will begin our inquiry by considering LS&A as a paradigm of liberal arts education. We will investigate the nature of education in order to determine why liberal arts is "higher education." Our quest will be founded on the Socratic dictum: "The unexamined life is not worth living." Therefore we will examine the life of a college student as an attempt to define one's goals in order to realize one's career ambition. In the process college will be explicated as an attempt to realize one's intellect to the fullest. The course format will be lecture/discussion with a heavy emphasis on discussion. Course requirements will entail three short essays and a midterm and final. (Knight)
Section 007 - Apocalypse Now. More and more Christians in the 1990's are coming to believe that the world is on the verge of ending. Belief in an imminent apocalypse is not new to the 1990's but can be traced back to Jewish literature in the second century B.C. and continues throughout the Christian era. The types of questions we will be addressing will include: What causes the rise of apocalyptic hopes within certain circles and eras? How do these expectations influence the sociology and identity of the group? What does the resurgence of such beliefs tell us about our own modern society? We will read and discuss ancient literature from the Judeo-Christian tradition - such as Daniel, Enoch, The Essene War Scroll, and Revelation - and C.Strozier's The Apocalypse, in which he discusses his research on the causes of the rise of Fundamentalism today. We will also view appropriate movies such as Apocalypse Now and The Seventh Sign. Evaluation will include several short papers, one book review, class participation, and a final project. No prior knowledge required of this topic but be prepared to think critically. (DeConick)
Section 009 - Theories of the Self. What is it to be a person? Is there an unchanging human nature? Are we products of our social circumstances? This course will examine some of the answers given to these and other questions. We will explore the evolution of the notion of the self in the Western philosophical tradition, consider some non-Western notions of the self, and look at contemporary critiques of some notions of the self. There will be lots of discussion and encouragement for students to notice how their thinking about themselves and others reflects various notions of the self. There will be several writing assignments, a class presentation, and a final exam. (Crocker)
Section 010 - Wrestling with Religion in the Nineteenth Century. The eighteenth-century Enlightenment tended to disparage belief in metaphysical ideals such as divinity. Indeed, one of those philosophers, the Baron d'Holbach, declared that if there is a God, then he must be a tyrant because even in the face of his cruel treatment, he required praise from his subjects. We will read Voltaire's witty Candide to represent a characteristic point of view from the Enlightenment. Nineteenth-century writers tried to restore a sense of divine order in the universe against this onslaught of "rationalism." Schleiermacher's advocacy of sentiments as the truest foundation of religious faith, rather than ideas or principles, proved to be a major response to the challenge of atheism. Carlyle teases the reader into perceiving an absolute spiritual unity underlying the seeming meaninglessness of the world. Nietzsche's confident assertion that God is dead provide two further readings. No more preparation is assumed than a mind eager to learn and to sharpen analytical skills. Among the requirements are several papers critically studying individual texts or problems. Some of these, after correction, will be rewritten and linked to form a discussion of term-paper length. (Hafter)
Section 011 - English Literary Treatments of Slavery and Servitude. This course will focus on the treatment of slavery and servitude as an image, idea, and social reality in English literary works ranging from Shakespeare to Toni Morrison. Despite this literary emphasis, other questions will certainly arise. What is the relationship between slavery and race? What is the relationship between slavery, servitude, and gender? Why does the idea of slavery or servitude persist even after the social institutions themselves have disappeared? Questions of this sort will not be treated as tangential to the goals of the course. Rather, students will be encouraged to discuss such issues, read more widely in primary and secondary materials in order to broaden their understanding of the problems involved, and include their thoughts in written work. There will be two written assignments and a final examination. A portion of the grade will be allotted for classroom participation. (Moffat)
Section 012 - Ethics, Citizenship, and Life in Electronic Communities. This seminar will focus on ethical and values issues that arise within the new information environment at the university and beyond. It will explore the moral dilemmas faced by individuals and the policy implications for institutions, as they become familiar with, and adjust to, the impact of the new technological capabilities. It will allow participants to identify community standards regarding various uses of information technology. It will expose participants to different points of view about appropriate and ethical uses of the technology, thus providing opportunities to examine dilemmas of life, issues of property, ownership, responsibility, personal privacy, individual rights and boundaries, interpersonal communications, and effects of various styles on relationships and groups. Each week, students will examine one specific incident related to the use of information technology at universities, write a one-page analysis submitted to written critical review by a classmate, and in small teams present their arguments to the class. Grading will emphasize class participation, written analyses, and peer critiques. (Rezmierski)
Section 013 - Idea, Form, and Medium. The goal of this course is to help students understand the challenge and value of expressive form for the artist working in theater, motion pictures, and literature. The course will have as its basis the theoretical assumption that "cinematic" structures (time and space manipulation, parallel development, montage, etc.) have served the modern storyteller well in the development of complex characters and engaging narratives. Taught as a lecture-discussion seminar, class materials will include the reading of fiction, the viewing of classic films, and the study of film theory and literary criticism. One exercise, for example, will involve the evolution of Christopher Isherwood's short story "Sally Bowles" to stage play I Am a Camera to film/musical Cabaret. Students will read Roddy Doyle's novel The Commitments and analyze the film adaptation by Alan Parker. Course grading will be based on short written assignments and a term paper/oral report project. (Beaver)
Section 014 - Punishment and Social Order. Why do we punish criminals? How have we justified punishment in the maintenance of social order? Many of us think about punishment in the context of the state: lawbreakers violate the public trust and the state sanctions them in order to reinforce its authority. Yet we are aware of the desire for revenge, and disturbed by questions of how the penalty could suitably relate to the offense. In this seminar we will explore the interplay between punishment as recompense for an individual wrong and as sanction for contravening authority. We will consider the origins and development of fundamental attitudes toward punishment from the classical age, to the tribal and decentralized kingdoms of medieval Europe, to the emergence of powerful nation states. Finally, we will examine the continuing debate about capital punishment as an effective deterrent against crime. Readings will include selections from law, philosophy, literature, and the visual arts as well as others. Students will be evaluated on the basis of short essays on the sources and active participation in each class discussion. (McCune)
Section 015 - Crime: Real and Fictional. Crime has always been a staple of journalism and fiction. In this course we will examine historical trends and parallels as well as contemporary realities of both. Texts include those by: Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, Ed McBain, Sue Grafton, and Truman Capote. The class will visit Aunt Agatha bookstore and talk with local authors. Several relevant videos are planned. Students will present a series of written and oral reports on selected readings and research. Discussion is emphasized. (Stevens)
Section 016 - Visual Culture and Art. While many label vision as the dominant sense in the Modern era, our educational process emphasizes the ways in which verbal language works. We generally become adept at reading everyday visual images without learning how they work as language. The same is true for the special class of visual culture we call art. While we may, for instance, be certain that we like a picture and find it moving, we often have difficulty explaining exactly how the picture "works" - how it conveys messages and appeals so directly to our emotions and memories. Because of their material nature, images are often very effective in creating, shaping, and enforcing all kinds of attitudes and beliefs. We will use Rhetoric (the principles of composition and persuasion) as our toolkit for analyzing the production of meaning in images and in the "denser" media of essays and poetry. Several short papers will be assigned in addition to a required term paper and a short oral presentation. (Willette)
Section 017 - Picasso and Cubism. This seminar will involve lectures, films, class discussions, and projects, all centered on the extraordinary achievements of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). During his very long and active career, this Spanish artist not only played a key role in revolutionary redefinitions of "form" and "content" in the visual arts of painting and sculpture, but also produced objects and images that continue to challenge the imagination in spheres ranging from private fantasy to public "policy." The main text will be Hilton's Picasso. Substantial additional readings will be assigned from material on reserve for class discussion, papers, and/or projects. Assignments include two short papers (5-7 pp.) and one longer paper (12-16 pp.) based upon a class presentation project. There will be no examinations. Regular class attendance and participation in discussions is mandatory. (Miesel)
Section 018 - An Investigation into Literature and Disease. The feverish pulse, exotic passion, and heightened sensibility associated with certain infectious diseases have held a widespread fascination for Western literature. In this seminar we will study and discuss the contextual role and societal implications of such diseases as TB, Cholera, and the Plague in a number of representative works of fiction, opera, and criticism. Participants will be asked to contribute to the breadth and scope of the seminar by preparing one topic-related independent research project geared to their own academic orientation. These projects may range from the artistic to the clinical. All presentations will be given in conference style during the final weeks of the term. Authors to be read are Nietzsche, Mann, Tolstoi, Chekhov, Gide, Camus, Bumas fils, Pratolini, and others. (Paslick)
Section 019 - From Artifact to History in the Ancient Near East. This First-Year Seminar uses archaeological objects as touchstone sources for learning about significant social and cultural features of societies to which they belong. The method is to examine various artifacts from any of the ancient Near Eastern civilizations (for example, Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, Phoenicia) and "squeeze" from their form and function as much insight as we can into the work and ideas of the people who made them. We may focus on artifacts such as an altar from Syria, a ship's rudder from Phoenicia, an arrowhead from Palestine, a mummy from Egypt, or a clay tablet found in a Babylonian temple. An anthology of articles in a coursepak provides additional background material. This detective work will lead to broader discussions. The seminar is not intended to be a chronological survey of any single civilization, but will allow students to sample aspects of life in the Near East as it was lived thousands of years ago. Method of the class: discussion, several papers, and an individual project for each student. (Orlin)
Section 020 - Research to Performance in the Theatre. Research to Performance is a course designed to give the student skills and practical, hands-on experience in the process of creating a written documentary work for the theatre stage starting from raw, topical research. It requires research, analysis, dramatic conceptualization, group collaboration, writing, and performance. Students will perform their collectively written text in a public reading at the end of the term. Readings could include Execution of Justice by Emily Mann, I Am a Man or Dancing on the Brink by Charles (OyamO) Gordon, Miss Evers Boys, The Crucible, Fires in the Mirror, and other texts found during student research. Grades will be based on quality of research, writing, class participation, collaborative skills, and oral presentation. (Gordon [OyamO])
Section 021 - The Human Vision of Don Quixote. Don Quixote is known as the greatest expression of idealism. The knight's absolute commitment to his vision has influenced generations of readers while Cervantes' novelistic techniques have shaped modern Western fiction. This course will discuss not only these issues but will deal also with questions that were hotly debated in the Renaissance: the nature of narrative, the importance of similitude, poetry vs. history, etc. Central to our efforts will be an exploration of the nature and the consequences of the knight's idealism. Was Cervantes writing a critique of misplaced imagination or chronicling the aspirations of the human spirit? Students are expected to be active participants in class discussion and will be asked to write two papers. (Casa)
Section 022 - Magic, Religion, and the Bible. What role does "magic" play in modern religious life? What impact has the Bible had on modern views of magic and its relationship to religion? As a means for exploring these and related questions, this seminar offers students the opportunity to engage in a series of studies on magic in ancient Israelite society and in the ancient world more generally. We will study relevant biblical passages, examine artifacts reflective of the broader ancient Near Eastern and ancient Mediterranean magical traditions (Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Anatolian, Syro-Palestinian, Jewish, Christian, and Greek), and survey various modern social scientific approaches to the study of magic. Students will investigate such issues and topics as the definition of magic, the vocabulary of magic, magic as a ritual complex, magic's relation to science and religion, the anthropology of magic, and the impact of ideology and cultural bias (or the insider-outsider perspective) on the images of magic rendered by both ancient authors and modern interpreters alike. Course requirements include three papers (10-12 pp.), one presentation, and active class participation. (Schmidt)
151. First-Year Social Science Seminar. First-year standing; sophomores
with permission of instructor. (3). (SS). May be repeated for credit.
Section 001 - Current Issues in Sports Sociology. In this seminar sport
as a social institution will be analyzed from several theoretical perspectives.
Areas to be explored include race relations, ethics, values, social roles,
as well as the bureaucratic structure of collegiate and professional sport.
The hierarchal structure of society is examined as the social changes in
sport are traced over time. Other themes include deviance, violence, sexism,
ageism, recruiting practices and reward systems, and gender equity. In addition
to midterm and final exams, students will be required to do 3 short papers,
a research paper, and a research project. (Vaughn)
Section 002 - Public Education for Blacks and Other Minorities. The purpose of the seminar will be to trace the development of elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education of Blacks and other minorities in the South from the Emancipation Proclamation to May 17, 1954. Particular emphasis will be focused on watershed judicial litigations, from the Supreme Court decision of Plessy vs. Ferguson, from which the doctrine of "separate but equal" evolved, to the historic Brown vs.Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education 1954. Of special importance will be seminar discussions revealing how Blacks and other minorities were successful in achieving an education in spite of the barriers confronting them. Students will be expected to read a number of writings by authors such as W.E.B. DuBois, E. Franklin Frazier, Booker T. Washington, and John Hope Franklin. The writings of contemporary Blacks and minorities will be explored as well as books about Blacks and minorities such as Gunnar Myrdal's An American Dilemma. Students will be expected to prepare readings, participate in seminar discussions, and develop a research topic preferably centered around one of the southern states under investigation in the seminar. (Palmer)
Section 003 - Identity, Alienation, and Freedom. The purpose of this seminar will be to explore the concepts of identity, alienation, and freedom as psychological and philosophical concepts. However, the orientation will be specific and applied to the normal situations and predicaments that college students experience. Questions to be considered: surviving as an individual in a large and often impersonal university; living up to and/or dealing with the expectations of parents and teachers; questioning authority in the context of the classroom; trading-off career pressures and personal goals in setting educational priorities. Of special importance will be the examination of the sometimes frightening loss of a sense of identity that often accompanies significant alterations in lifestyle, such as that experienced by students in the transition from high school to college, or later, in the transition from college to the "real world." In addition to regular class meetings each student will meet individually with the instructor every third week to develop and discuss individual reading and writing. Grades will be determined by the quantity and quality of this reading and writing. (Pachella)
Section 004 - Mathematical Modeling and Personal Risk Management: How to Avoid Being Poor. A main goal of this seminar is to explore how mathematics underlies many important individual and societal decisions. At the end of the semester, students should have a better appreciation of how pervasive the insurance industry is in their lives, but more importantly, how important mathematical skills are in making quantitative, informed consumer decisions. For example, students will split into groups to develop a mathematical model to optimize the purchase of an automobile insurance policy, weighing variables such as deductibles and co-insurance versus retail price. Other units will utilize mathematical models from the theory of interest, utility theory, risk theory, credibility theory, and ruin theory to look at other types of coverage such as health and life, home owners, liability, and disability insurance. Prerequisites: high school graduate who has mathematical aptitude, is comfortable with algebra and basic probability, and is interested in developing computer applications to solve problems. (Huntington)
Section 005 - Making Meanings: Why and How Humans Do It. This seminar will examine interpretation and communication from the viewpoint of semiotics. Semiotics is a field that studies why and how humans use "signs" to make sense of and share thoughts about life. Signs are things (words and pictures, for example, but also gestures, clothing, possessions, and so on) with which people create meanings - with which they define their worlds, convey their experiences, form and express their identities, preserve their past, imagine their future, and direct their behavior. The seminar will be interdisciplinary and cross-cultural in approach. Class discussions and readings will serve two purposes: (1) introduce various biological, psychological, and sociological perspectives on sign-use; and (2) illustrate sign-use with cases drawn from the domains of language, adornment, food, property, ritual, architecture, the arts, myth, politics, and advertising, to name but a few. Requirements include a class presentation and research paper. (Pollack)
Section 006 - "Entertainment Tonight" Meets Critical Thinking. This course will hone critical thinking and writing skills through analysis of the treatment of race and sex in some examples of contemporary "entertainment." Our subject matter will include selected feature-length films, best-sellers, television shows, and media events. (A possible list: The Lion King, She's Gotta Have It, Presumed Innocent, The Bell Curve, "In Living Color," "Beverly Hills 90210," the O.J. Simpson trial, and the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings.) Making liberal use of commentaries and reviews about these works and events, we will engage in "cultural criticism." This task is to engage critically both the subject matter and one's responses, rather than passively absorb or unthinkingly react. The requisite skills will be taught through in-class discussion and numerous, short written exercises. This class provides the opportunity to practice analysis and the cogent presentation and defense of one's interpretation of the works or events. Grades will be based primarily on weekly, short papers and in-class participation. (Hackett)
Section 007 - Poetry in the City. This course will study city life and explore how literature reflects the rhythm of cities. Our reading, discussions, and guest speakers will focus on historical views of cities in general and on specific writings about the troubles and promise of contemporary cities. Students will read literature that reflects attitudes and values about cities and examine how different authors have expressed conflicting views about cities. We will analyze specific poetry, novels, plays, and critiques set in or about Detroit, with the possibility of field trips into Detroit. Certainly Detroit's proximity to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan makes it doubly important from the course's perspective. Students will be expected to keep a log of their readings and to spend 15-20 minutes in individual discussion with the professor sometime during the term. Grades will be based on one shorter paper, one final paper, and an essay, take-home exam at midterm. (Jackson)
Section 008 - Presidential Character and Performance. This course will identify the behaviors and experiences, abilities and aptitudes which shape a president's approach to his job. We will now evaluate how personality influences leadership style and ability to govern, and how the White House tries to shape the publics perception of a president's personal qualities and effectiveness once in office. The course also will deal with the organization of the White House, presidential decision-making, and presidential campaigning - largely in the context of Gerald R. Ford's presidency, 1974-77. Students will conduct independent and team research projects at the Ford Library on North Campus, with the active support of the Library staff, as well as the instructor. They will use oral histories, memoirs, White House memoranda, audiovisual materials, and campaign documents to assess the relationship between Ford's character and his performance as president, and the public's perception of both. No exams. Formal writing totals about 25 pages. Occasional lectures. Vigorous, collaborative participation is essential. (Mackaman)
Section 010 - Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships. 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 these social, psychological understandings into constructive actions for handling the problems and difficulties which inevitably arise when people are together. There will be opportunities to refine one's competencies at reflective listening, giving and seeking feedback, interpersonal observation, and mindfulness in thinking about issues. The interactive and informal class sessions will utilize interpersonal learning exercises, videotapes, and brief, information-giving, focused discussions. Reading assignments are mainly through course handouts and other suggested sources. To stimulate personal reflection on interpersonal issues, class members will maintain an observation and reading portfolio and do a term paper on a relevant, self-selected topic. (Menlo)
Section 011 - Why Government Doesn't Work Anymore and What You Can Do About It. This seminar will help students understand more clearly the assumptions behind democratic government, the rudiments of power and politics, what the competition to determine what government does looks like, the faltering ability of most large organizations to solve problems effectively in the information age, and the nature of political and governance initiatives around the country that are working. In order to break down their stereotypes and interest them in the reality of a democracy struggling to make its public sector work better, this seminar will explore how politics actually works in this country To suggest possible avenues for fruitful civic involvement for the students themselves, this seminar will devote some time to exploring environmental, educational, and community initiatives that are giving their participants a chance to make a difference. (Ross)
152. First-Year Natural Science Seminar. First-year standing;
sophomores with permission of instructor. (3). (NS). (BS). May be repeated
for credit.
Section 001 - Decision and Uncertainty: Facing the Odds. The aim of
this course is to learn useful ways of analyzing and dealing with uncertainty.
We will discuss statistical regularity (the so-called law of averages),
inference, and prediction. We will develop some technique in making judgments
in the face of incomplete evidence. We will apply these ideas to gambling
(the activity that gave rise to the subject of probability), insurance and
personal risk-taking, jury trials and social risk benefit analysis. Our
approach to the subject will be historical. We will examine the contributions
of various writers from Pascal and Fermat up to those of this century: Von
Mises, Keynes, DiFinetti, Savage, Neyman, and Pearson. Some technical material
will be brought in as it was developed. We will look at probability in nature,
communication, and in human affairs. Since probability is at its core a
paradoxical and contentious subject, we will examine different points of
view, conduct experiments, and debate related issues. Final grade based
on four projects involving experiments and a 5 page write-up of the results.
(Schwartz)
Section 002 - Consumer Chemistry. What's really in that toothpaste or antiperspirant you used this morning? What's a non-alkaline shampoo? Is there such a thing as a chemical-free sunscreen? What's the hype about organically grown food? Is there really a difference between Wisk, Tide, or Cheer? What's an active ingredient? The science of chemistry has become BIG business. How can consumers make better informed choices? This course will provide a unique overview of the chemical information needed to understand the production, efficiency, and safety of everyday products. Since a background in chemistry is not required or presumed, we will begin by introducing the language of chemistry in a qualitative manner. More specific topics such as molecular geometry, hydrophilicity, and pH will be introduced as they relate to various products. Class format will consist of lectures, audiovisual materials, and small group discussions. There will be two multiple choice, short essay exams. A group project resulting in a 5-6 page paper will involve a class presentation. (Paulissen)
Section 003 - Environmental Issues: Ecology and Economics. Understanding environmental issues requires an appreciation of not only the physical and biological processes that explain the workings of the biosphere but also the economic and political processes that explain the workings of human society. In this seminar students will be introduced to those areas of ecology - especially population ecology and ecosystems ecology - that are most useful in understanding the technical dimensions of environmental problems. Technical aspects of several issues will be considered in detail. Armed with an understanding of cause, we will then turn our attention to the diverse approaches advocated for developing policies to alleviate or solve environmental problems, leading to an introduction to environmental economics. Most class periods will be student-led discussions of assigned readings. Students will be required to write several short papers and to make an oral presentation in class. No background in biology is required. (Martin)
Section 004 - Natural Resources: Rights and Responsibilities. "Natural" means occurring in the world or universe but not made by people. "Resource" means an aid in meeting some human need or desire. Virtually everything in the world is a potential resource. Especially vital for our well-being is the natural state of the world, those conditions which enable us to live. As we begin to consider resource use by people, we will first consider the human need for food and the natural resources that provide food. Second, we will consider the human need for shelter and the natural resources that provide shelter, examining the concept that need is a basis for right and applying concepts of responsibility to humanity's use of resources. Third, we will consider our emotional needs and the sources of security and satisfaction. Fourth, we will apply economic and social concepts to the regulation of natural resource use. Students will do assigned readings, interview one another outside of class, participate in class discussion, and write essays. (Estabrook)
Section 006 - Chemical Analysis of Historical and Archaeological Artifacts. Tuesday sessions of this seminar will be devoted primarily to viewing and then discussing a series of videos on "Metals and Man" and various documentaries on archaeological topics. Thursday sessions will allow discussion and reports by students on the various methods used by chemists and physicists to examine archaeological artifacts (pottery, bones, obsidian, and flint projectile points), works of art (paint pigments, metal, and ceramic objects), and historical artifacts (printed documents, ancient, and medieval coins). Reports by students will be made on a variety of topics: dating by carbon-14, thermoluminescence, and archaeomagnetism; analysis of samples by x-ray fluorescence, neutron activation, microscopy, radiography, electron-microprobe, and various spectroscopy methods; authentication of documents, artifacts, art, and coins. Each student will also have an opportunity to sample a group of ancient/medieval coins. These very small samples will be irradiated in the University nuclear reactor, which we will tour in addition to the research wings of the Natural Museum and Kelsey Museum. (Gordus)
153. First-Year Seminar. First-year standing; sophomores with
permission of instructor. (4). (Introductory Composition). May be repeated
for credit.
Section 001 - Mind, Brain, and Perception. The course introduces first-year
students to the seven major issues in Biological Psychology and serves as
the equivalent of Psychology 112. We deal with several issues in seminar
format. How has "smart" (intelligent) behavior evolved in animals
(including humans)? How does the brain work and what is its role in regulating
behavior? What part do theory and criticism play in the study of mind and
behavior? How do we perceive and process information from our environment?
Is the mind a "computer" and is the computer a form of artificial
intelligence? How does our intelligence direct our perceptions and behavior?
Can we predict and control behavior? This seminar is open only to those
who are willing to play an active part in class discussion, write and revise
three papers, and read five selected paperbacks. Final exam optional; grade
based upon class participation and papers. (Stebbins)
Section 002 - The Literate Imagination. Ever since humans began to use the written word, it has been a powerful force. This course explores the role of literacy in our lives, throughout history, and in different cultures. Our aim is to understand how reading and writing affect the mental and social life of people. Taking our own experiences with literacy as a point of departure, we will compare them to autobiographical accounts across the world. This will lead us to an examination of the importance of writing in the world's religions and to reconsider our own religious encounters with writing. Our inquiry will then shift more directly to how the written word is used to achieve political power and technological development. To help us investigate these issues, we will use campus resources at the Kelsey Museum of Archeology and the Clements Library of Early America. Finally, we will take a critical look at the use of literacy at the University. Course includes weekly reading, in-class writing, and a number of short papers. (Keller-Cohen)
Section 003 - Gibbon and the Decline of the Roman Empire. Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire remains one of the great works of history in the English language. As such, it invites study both for its own sake and as a persistently powerful interpretation of Roman history and the nature of the empire. The purpose of this class is to examine Gibbon the historian, his self-conscious creation of the image of the ideal historian in his highly literary autobiography, and then to examine the historian at work. We will look at the way that he constructed his narrative, the difficulties he had with his sources, and the problem of folding different topics into a narrative framework. We will also look at some of the controversy generated with the publication of Volume 1 in 1776. In the end, we will try to control three topics: Gibbon's construction of history, the quality of his account of the decline of the Roman empire (still regarded as one of the most penetrating ever written), and Gibbon's place in his intellectual world. There will be two short papers, a longer paper based on an oral presentation, and three short, in-class writing exercises. (Potter)
Section 004 - Writing about Cultural Communities, Ethnicity, and Imposed Categories. Students will use StorySpace, a hypertext tool, to explore and understand the role of cultural background, ethnicity, and stereotypes and other imposed categories by examining their own cultural, ethnic, and historical backgrounds, assessing their own world views, and setting their own cultural agendas. In pursuit of these topics, students will generate two kinds of constructive hypertext: (1) using structured sequences of trigger questions, students will generate collages of their own written and illustrated stories; and (2) students will have the opportunity to deposit parts or all of their collages into a "public" web-shell, thus creating a more elaborate class resource. Exercises will motivate participants to learn more about particular times and places relevant to their own life adventures. Students will write daily, on paper, in hypertext, and over computer networks, producing a variety of short and medium-length writings, in addition to the three substantial hypertext documents. (Condon)
Section 005 - Television Text Analysis and Viewer Response Studies: Research, Interpretation and Criticism. Close analysis of television content must begin with research into what appears on the screen and what is said during broadcasting. Readings offer helpful interpretations of textual devices and meanings and possible influences on viewers. Nevertheless, the actual process of research into the nature and form of the particular programming under study leads to active critical thinking and competence in rethinking the experience of watching television for oneself. This seminar seeks to reverse notions of totalization/generalization about television and its viewers, as though all text could be talked about as a single production or all viewers somehow received the text and responded to it in the same way. Students will develop research questions, formulate hypotheses, summarize and categorize findings, interpret findings, speculate about possible effects upon viewers, and suggest future research. Students will also write brief scripts, conduct viewer response research with focus groups, and undertake a lengthy final research paper. (Morris)
171/German 171/History 171. Coming to Terms with Germany. (4).
(HU).
See German 171. (Eley/Amrine)
172/Asian Studies 111/Hist. 151. South Asian Civilization. (4).
(HU).
See History 151. (Trautmann)
173/Slavic 225. Arts and Cultures of Central Europe. (3). (HU).
See Slavic Surveys 225. (Toman, Eagle,
Carpenter)
174/Russian 231. Russian Culture and Society: An Introduction. (3).
(HU).
See Russian 231. (Bartlett)
210. Perspectives on Careers in Medicine and Health Care. (4).
(Excl).
This course is for students considering a career in the health professions.
It is designed to help them acquire perspectives to facilitate their decision-making
process. Health care professionals visit the class and share their educational
and professional experiences. Students become acquainted with the prerequisites
for professional and graduate schools and spend time with dental, medical,
osteopathic, nursing, and public health students. We consider problems facing
the health professions in the 90s: problems of health care delivery, the
high cost of medicine and its effect on the uninsured and underinsured.
We discuss issues relating to malpractice and death and dying. Students
are expected to respond in writing and in class to the visitors, to the
reading materials, and to films. Two course packs serve as the required
texts. All students are responsible for taking definite steps toward the
development of their own goals through a self-inventory of their values,
skills, and interests and through a term paper exploring a possible career
direction. Evaluation is based on class attendance and participation in
and completion of all assignments. The class meets Mon. 3-5, 432 West Engineering;
Thurs. 7-9:30 p.m. at 2130 Dorset Rd., Ann Arbor. A map showing the location
of 2130 Dorset Rd. will be available at 1017 Angell Hall. Cost:2 WL:5 Enrollment
by override only: contact Fran Zorn at 1017-H Angell Hall (763-2062) or
call 662-0682 and leave a message. (Zorn)
280. Undergraduate Research-A (Grade). First or second year standing,
and permission of instructor. (1-4). (Excl). (EXPERIENTIAL). A maximum of
8 credits of 280 and 281 may be counted toward graduation.
Section 002 - Marx auf Deutsch.
Section 003 - Computer auf Deutsch
This course provides academic credit for students engaged in research
through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP). To receive
credit, the student must be working on a research project under the supervision
of a University of Michigan faculty member. Students may elect the course
for 1-4 hours of credit. For each hour of credit, it is expected that the
student will work three hours per week. The grade for the course will be
based on a final project report evaluated by the faculty sponsor and on
participation in other required UROP sponsored activities, including bi-monthly
research group meetings, and submission of a journal chronicling the research
experience. Students will receive a letter grade for this course. This
course is open only to students enrolled in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity
Program.
Section 001 - Einstein auf Deutsch. This mini-course is an introduction
to Einstein's thought in the original German. In the first half of the semester,
we will read selections from Einstein's writings on philosophy, religion,
and politics. In the second half, we will read as much as we can of his
book Relativitatstheorie. This was written as an introduction to
relativity theory for non-specialists and should be appropriate at this
level. There will be weekly reading assignments of no more than 20 pages
at a time. Roughly the first half of each class will be spent clarifying
the content of the reading for that day; the second half will be spent discussing
(and enjoying...) those ideas. No background in science is assumed. Grades
will be based on attendance, participation, a journal, and a final paper
(3-4 pages). Work should be submitted in German, but will be graded only
on the basis of content. Prerequisite German 232 or equivalent (or instructor's
permission).
150. Humanities Seminars on Women and Gender. (3). (HU).
Section 001 - The Salem Witchcraft Outbreak of 1692. In this seminar
we will examine a single event in early American history, the Salem Witchcraft
outbreak of 1692. We will focus primarily on six of the most persuasive
explanations; of this dramatic episode, asking what each contributes to
our understanding of (1) Euro-American witchcraft beliefs and practices,
(2) Puritan constructions of womanhood and the experiences of women in colonial
New England, (3) New England's social and cultural history more generally,
and (4) the process of historical interpretation in our own time. Our exploration
will also take us back to the surviving records of the witchcraft trials,
and to other primary documents that will help us assess both what happened
in Salem in 1692 and why scholars' versions of what happened differ so markedly.
Course requirements include thoughtful reading of the assigned books and
documents, regular class attendance, active participation in discussion.,
and two 8-10 page analytical essays. Cost:3 WL:1 (Karlsen)
Section 002 - Sex Discrimination and the Law. What is sex discrimination? What legal recourse exists for victims of sex discrimination in the U.S. toady? This course will begin to answer these questions by investigating theoretical writing and litigation on such issues as sexual harassment, pregnancy, domestic violence, affirmative action, hiring/firing/promotion, marriage/divorce, reproductive freedom, rape, prostitution, pornography, school admissions, and athletic funding. My hope is that students will leave this class with a basic understanding of the three pieces of legislation key to sex discrimination litigation (i.e., Title VII, Title IX, and the The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment), and improved critical thinking and writing skills. In-class time will be spent discussion pertinent topics, listening to guest speakers, and (perhaps) visiting local courts and the UofM law library. Grading will be based on class participation, weekly short (1 paragraph to 1 page) written assignments, a 5-10 page midterm research paper, and a take-home final exam. (Hackett)
230. Women's Movements. (3). (SS).
This course focuses on women's movements, as they have arisen in the
US and in other contexts, in the historical past as well as currently. Topics
cover political, social, and relationships within and between groups. Cost:3
WL:4
231/CAAS 241. Women of Color and Feminism.
(3). (Excl).
This course will provide exposure to the feminist issues confronting
women of color. The course will include comparisons of women of color communities
and their feminisms. Cost:2 WL:1
240/Amer. Cult. 240. Introduction to Women's
Studies. Open to all undergraduates. (4). (HU). (This course fulfills
the Race or Ethnicity Requirement).
Designed as an introduction to the new, feminist scholarship on women,
Women's Studies 240 is an interdisciplinary course which acquaints students
with key concepts and theoretical frameworks to analyze women's condition.
We will explore how women's status has changed over time, but we will concentrate
on the situation of contemporary American women. Topics will include: violence
against women, discrimination in the workplace, the feminization of poverty,
and sexuality. Students will also examine how capitalism, racism, imperialism,
and heterosexism affect women's lives. The course will not only provide
students with an analysis of women's oppression, but will suggest strategies
for ending sexual inequality. The course is structured around weekly lectures,
readings, films, and discussion sections. Students are encouraged to participate
fully in discussion and to assume responsibility for sharing their knowledge
and experience. The course grade is based upon written assignments, an action
project, examination and participation in discussion. Cost:3 WL:4
270. Women and the Law. (3). (SS).
"Women and the Law" covers selected topics in American constitutional
and statutory law which have a special effect on women. The class focuses
on ideals of sex equality and how they are incorporated into the American
legal system. Topics usually covered include constitutional equality, employment
discrimination, family law, rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment,
reproductive rights, pornography and women in poverty. Required: midterm
examination, 10-12 pages of writing, final examination and class participation
in discussion. Some understanding of the history of women of color in the
United States is also strongly recommended. Cost:2 WL:1,4