Most RC courses are open to LS&A students and may be used to meet distribution requirements.
Residential College students are given priority in all Residential College courses during the pre-registration and registration periods, and from waitlists. RC courses which satisfy specific Residential College graduation requirement are reserved for RC students only (e.g., RC language courses).
Waitlists 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 (647-4359) to be placed on a waitlist if one is being maintained.
Written and Verbal Expression
100. First Year Seminar. ECB Writing Assessment. (4). (Introductory Composition).
An introductory course taken by all Residential College and Inteflex first-year students. Theme, readings, and methodology
vary, but the common purpose of all Seminars is to introduce students
to the intellectual life of the University and encourage them
to become active and responsible in the learning process. Oral
and written skills are stressed; students write frequent essays
based on class readings and group discussions.
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Times, Location, and Availability
105. Logic and Language. (4). (MSA).
Argument is the focus of this course, both in symbols and in
language. We deal with the forms of arguments, the application
of them, what makes them valid or invalid, weak or strong. We
do this in two concurrent ways: (a) Microcosmically, we examine the structure of arguments, what makes them tick. In the deductive
sphere we deal with the relations of truth and validity to develop the logic of propositions, and enter the logic of quantification.
In the inductive sphere, we deal with argument by analogy, and causal analysis, and with elementary probability theory. (b) Macrocosmically, we do the analysis of real arguments in controversial contexts, as they are presented in classical and contemporary philosophical
writing: ethical arguments (in Plato); political arguments (in
J.S. Mill); and legal arguments as they appear in Supreme Court
decisions. In all cases both substance and form are grist for
our mill. (Cohen)
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Foreign Language
Intensive language courses meet in lecture and discussion twice a day four days a week. 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, 194 Intensive French, German, 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.
193/Russian 103. Intensive First-Year Russian. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in Russian 101, 102, 111, or 112. (8). (LR).
See Russian 103. (A.
Makin)
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310. Accelerated Review-French. Permission of instructor. (4). (LR).
The goal of this course is to bring students to the level of
Proficiency defined in the brochure "The French Program at the Residential College," in the four linguistic skills.
Students who take 310 typically have not reached this level in
two or more skills, but do not need the Intensive course 290 to
do so. "Accelerated Review-310" is taught on a semi-tutorial
mode with hours arranged to meet the particular needs of the students.
In this course, emphasis is placed on correctness and fluidity
of expression in speaking and in writing. Speaking skills are
developed through weekly conversation sessions on current topics;
personalized pronunciation diagnoses are administered and exercises
prescribed. Writing skills are refined through a review of deficient
grammar points and composition assignments which give students the opportunity to improve the accuracy and expressiveness of their style. In addition, exposure to primary source materials
(current magazines or newspapers) and to texts of cultural and literary value develop reading ability and vocabulary. Listening
skills are trained in informal conversational exchanges and in
lectures with note-taking in French. (Butler-Borruat)
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Times, Location, and Availability
320. Seminaire en français.
Proficiency test. (4). (Excl). May be repeated for
credit.
Section 001 – Women in French-speaking Countries. Together
we will look at the issues that women face in French-speaking
countries. What problems are shared by women in similar societies?
What aspects are specifically linked to the economic and social
structure of a given country? Is gender an overriding factor whatever the society? We will use French contemporary documents (articles;
visual documents) in order to familiarize ourselves with areas
such as: literacy, education, work, pregnancy, sexuality, social
status. The theoretical articles to be read will be in French
or in English. The areas that we will look at are sometimes considered
as controversial. Thus, students will have the opportunity to
increase their rhetorical knowledge in French and to work on how
to choose convincing examples, how to organize them in a logical
way, and how to take into account differing opinions. Towards the end of the term, part of the students' responsibility will
be to carry out their own research on a topic of interest to them
and to turn in an extended essay on that topic. All discussions, readings (with the exception of some theoretical texts), writings, and oral presentations will be in French. Attendance is compulsory.
Equal emphasis is given to oral and written work. (Belloni)
Section 002 – Existentialism: The Human Condition and the Absurd. Far from being a doctrine, Existentialism is
fundamentally a philosophical tendency. Born of a reaction against
Hegelian rationalism, the different existentialist tendencies
come together in the rehabilitation of freedom, subjectivity, and individual existence. In this course, we will attempt, through
our readings, to discern the characteristics of various existentialist
concepts. After a brief survey of the precursors and the "founders"
of existentialism, we will focus on two members of what has been
called the Philosophical School of Paris, namely Jean-Paul Sartre
and Simone de Beauvoir. The study of Albert Camus' conception
of the human condition and the absurd will lead us to the "Théâtre
de l'Absurde" which we will approach through plays by Eugène
Ionesco. Concepts such as, among others, suicide, "engagement,"
and the Other will be emphasized according to student interests.
Students will be asked to write short essays on the readings and to participate actively in class discussions. Assigned works:
Jean-Paul Sartre: L'Existentialisme est un humanisme, La Nausée
(excerpts), Les Mouches, Le Mur. Albert Camus: Le
Myth de Sisyphe (excerpts), Caligula, L'Étranger.
Simone de Beauvoir: Les Bouches inutiles, excerpts from Le Sang des autres from Tous les hommes sont mortels.
Eugène Ionesco La Cantatrice Chauve. Film: Luis
Puenzo, La Peste. Audio-visual materials: Interviews
with Sartre, Camus, and de Beauvoir. (Butler-Borruat)
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324. Readings in Spanish.
Proficiency test. (4). (Excl). May be repeated for
credit.
Section 001 – El cuento latinoamericano. El cuento, como
género literario, ha gozado de enorme popularidad en América
Latina; incluídos en periódicos y revistas, en diferentes
antologías y collecciones, los cuentos son leídos
profusamente por el público en general y por los especialistas
en particular. Esta clase presenta una selección de algunos
de los cuentos más conocidos de famosos escritores latinoamericanos.
La clase también presenta una breve historia del desarrollo
del cuento, así como ideas sobre el cuento de diferentes
escritores. La idea de Julio Cortázar de que el cuento
es el resultado de la lucha entre la vida y la expresión
escrita de esa vida, una síntesis viviente así como
una vida sintetizada, sirve de centro en la exploración
de los textos. Los cuentos leídos en esta clase llevan
a los lectores, más allá de la mera anécdota, hacia el descubrimiento de un mundo nuevo y diferente. Entre los
autores leídos están: Gabriel García Márquez, Juan Rulfo, José Donoso, Julio Cortázar, Elena Poniatowski, y Marta Lynch, entre otros. (Moya-Raggio)
Section 002 – Writing from the Border: The Politization of the Home and the Homeland.
This course addresses the evolving representation of women in
Latin American women's fiction throughout the twentieth century.
We will explore the conventional definitions of "home"
and "family" as spaces to which women are culturally
relegated under essentialist environments of exploration and self-recognition.
This process, which triggers a need to cross the border of the
private sphere, portrays women as part of a social realm with
its confined own limits in terms of labor and education: the "new"
professional woman becomes confined again in a set of socially
approved expectations while she is demonized as endangering traditional
family values. Under the political turmoil generated by the dictatorial
regimes of the seventies and eighties, which produce a generation
of broken families with disappeared members, fiction depicts the
redefinition of women as political bodies in the public sphere, who expand the traditional concept of motherhood through solidarity, and thus create an imaginary homeland of inclusion and acceptance that challenges the repressive discourse of the official systems.
(Lopez-Cotin)
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305. Independent Study. Junior standing and permission of instructor. (Arr). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. Laboratory fee ($50) required.
Students must submit a written proposal approved by a faculty sponsor outlining the proposed topic, the readings, and the final product of the project.
307. RC Practicum in College Team Teaching. Upperclass standing. (1). (Excl).
For the student who wishes experience in college teaching. The student-teacher functions as a teaching intern in a course. Regular staff meetings and individual conferences with the person in charge ensures that the intern shares in the overall planning and management of the course. The student may receive credit only once for student-teaching in the same course.
309. Study Off-Campus. Junior standing and permission of instructor. (Arr). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. (EXPERIENTIAL).
Students must submit a written proposal approved by at least two faculty sponsors outlining the proposed project, the readings, and the final product.
405. Independent Study. Senior standing and permission of instructor. (Arr). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. Laboratory fee ($90) required.
Students must submit a written proposal approved by a faculty sponsor outlining the proposed topic, the readings, and the final product of the project.
409. Study Off-Campus. Senior standing and permission of instructor. (Arr). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. (EXPERIENTIAL).
Students must submit a written proposal approved by at least two faculty sponsors outlining the proposed project, the readings, and the final product.
410. Senior Project. Permission of concentration advisor. (1-4). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for a total of 8 credits.
An individual project in the field of concentration.
490. Honors Thesis. Permission of concentration advisor. (1-4). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for a total of 8 credits.
An individual Honors project.
267. Introduction to Holography. (4). (CE). Laboratory fee ($120) required.
An introductory art studio class in basic holography which
stresses the visual characteristics of the medium through hands-on
production of holograms. The class will cover the technical skills
involved in making simple reflection and transmission holograms
and the inherent visual problems presented by this new imaging
medium. It is essentially a lab oriented class with image production
being the students' major responsibility. (Hannum)
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Times, Location, and Availability
269. Elements of Design. (4). (CE). Materials fee ($30).
This course provides non-art majors with the opportunity to
practice, as well as study, visual skills. It attempts to give
students a broad experience through (1) exposure to art history, anthropology and art, and the psychology of visual perception
presented in slide lectures; (2) technical mastery of a range
of media; (3) development of creative and technical skills; and (4) critical assessment of works of art during class discussions
and critiques. During the first part of the course students acquire
a visual vocabulary by working with the basic elements of design, including line, shape, tone, texture, perspective, balance, and color. Students complete projects dealing with these visual elements.
During the final part of the course students apply their new visual
skills to longer, more complex projects. Students are evaluated
individually on their progress and the quality of their projects.
Class critiques are frequent, and attendance is mandatory. (Savageau)
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285. Photography. (4). (CE). Materials fee ($100).
An introduction to the medium of photography from the perspective
of the artist. It includes an overview of photography's role in the arts, the development of an understanding of visual literacy
and self-expression as they relate to the photographic medium
and the development of basic technical skills in black and white
and color photography. A visual emphasis is maintained in both
presentation and course work, and the students work with the medium
towards a goal of personal expression. There will be a studio
fee. (Hannum)
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288. Introduction to Drawing. (4). (CE). Laboratory fee ($35) required.
This course will explore traditional and contemporary approaches
to drawing. Emphasis will be on the eye (seeing) and the hand (doing). Basic techniques and methods will be covered including
work with still-life, the figure and the imagination. There will
be a studio lab fee. (Cressman)
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Times, Location, and Availability
289. Ceramics. (4). (CE). Materials fee ($85).
This course presents basic problems in forming clay, throwing
and handbuilding techniques, testing, preparing and applying glazes, stacking and firing kilns, and operating a ceramics studio. Students
are required to learn the complete ceramic process, and the assumption
of studio responsibilities and regular class attendance are mandatory.
The theory, practice, and history of ceramics are integral parts
of this. (Crowell)
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Arts and Ideas
236/Film Video 236. The Art of the Film. (4). (HU). Lab fee ($45).
The Art of the Film examines the dramatic and psychological
effects of the elements and techniques used in film making and television, and some of the salient developments in film's artistic
and technological history. This course provides students with the basic tools and methods for film appreciation and study. Students
write five two-page exercises, a seven-page analysis of a current
movie, and a final exam. A lab fee of $50.00 is assessed to pay
for the film rentals. (Cohen)
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Times, Location, and Availability
291. The Experience of Arts and Ideas in the Nineteenth Century. (4). (HU).
The nineteenth century was marked not only by revolutionary
changes in society but by artistic revolution. By the beginning
of the twentieth century the conventions of style and subject
matter of virtually every major art form – painting, music, dance, and literature – had been radically altered and the role of the
artist in society had been radically redefined. This interdisciplinary
course will examine some of these changes and offer an introduction
to major movements in European art and cultural history of the
nineteenth century – Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, and Symbolism. We will analyze and compare representative works of
literature, dance, music, and the visual arts. Among works studied
will be paintings by Romantic, Realist, Impressionist, and Post
Impressionist painters (Delacroix, Courbet, Manet, Monet, Morisot, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Gauguin); novels by Zola, Emily Brontë, Flaubert, and Edith Wharton; music of Berlioz, Bizet, and Debussy;
and ballets of Petipa, Perrot, and Bournonville. We'll be asking
some of the following kinds of questions: What is the revolution
in style and subject matter brought about by Romantic and Realist
art? How does nineteenth-century painting, music, and dance reflect the new attitude of artists towards themselves, their art, and their place in society? Can we find similar aims in Romantic and Realist novels and Romantic and Realist painting? Can we compare the revolution in the structure and subject matter of impressionist
and Post Impressionist painting to the revolution in form brought
to music by Impressionist composers? What can we learn about the
evolving view of women's place in society by comparing the portrayal
of women in painting and the portrayal of women in literature?
These and other questions will be considered by Beth Genné
and class. No prerequisites except an interest in the subject.
(Genné)
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Times, Location, and Availability
309(210). Classical Sources of Modern Culture. (4). (HU).
This course is designed to introduce students to a selection
of works, both literary and visual, from the Greek and Roman periods.
We will examine these works in a variety of ways: first, through
close reading and visual analysis we will try to understand the
individuality of each work, its unique form, its voice, the questions
it answers and those it asks, the conflicts in which it is caught.
Second, we will examine the themes of sacrifice and prophesy as they unfold within these works. When Odysseus descended into the
Underworld, he had to perform a ritual in which sheep were sacrificed.
Only when the "dark-clouding blood" of the sheep ran
into the pit were the wispy shades of the dead enabled to speak
and to prophesy. What is the relation between sacrifice and speech?
What is the relation between the body and the story? How was this
relation enacted in myth and ritual of the ancient world? Can
we trace an organic development of this relation through time, or do we see a structural constellation that persists intact throughout this period? Our exploration of this problem will guide us through the texts and the works of art selected for study; it will also
lead us into the complex and broken labyrinth of ancient religion.
TEXTS: Homer, The Odyssey; Aeschylus, The Oresteia,
Sophocles, Antigone, Euripides, The Bacchae;
Plutarch, On Isis and Osiris, The Decline of the Oracles;
Tacitus, Agricola, Germania; Petronius, The Satyricon;
Vibia Perpetua, et al. The Passion of St. Perpetua and St.
Felicitas; VISUAL ARTS: Woodford, The Art of Greece and Rome. (Sowers)
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313/Slavic Film 313. Russian Cinema. (3). (HU). Laboratory fee ($50) required.
See Slavic Film 313.
(Eagle)
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333. Art and Culture. (4).
(Excl).
Section 001 – Frames of Identity: Self-Portraiture and Autobiography
Since the Renaissance. Leonardo Da Vinci's Aphorism "every
painter paints himself" indicates a common assumption we
have about visual and literary art – that the self of the artist
is somehow embodied in the work. Romanticism, Idealist philosophy, and Freudian psychology have provided modern artists, viewers, and readers with modern justifications for locating the artists
within the artwork or text. This course will investigate self-representation
and self-performance in Western art since the fifteenth century, in the genres of portraiture and life-writing, as well as in other
forms that are not supposed to offer explicit likenesses of the
artist. We will attempt to understand the "self" as
a changing historical concept, and in most instances we will treat
self-portraiture as a deliberate statement about artistry. At the same time, we will consider how different cultural ideas of the artists – such as craftsman, gentleman, visionary, bohemian, or genius – figure in the creation of particular artists' personas, as embodied and performed in particular works of visual or verbal
art. Artists to be considered include Michelangelo, Albrecht Dürer, Titian, Bernini, Rubens, Poussin, Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Caspar David Friedrich, Edgar Degas, Edvard
Munch, Anselm Kiefer, Cindy Sherman, Lorna Simpson, Yasumasa Morimura.
Four short papers will be required, as well as a term paper. Readings
will include social and psychological theories of the self, art
history, literary criticism, autobiography, and poetry. (Willette)
Section 002 – From Picasso
to Cunningham: Collaboration in Art, Dance, and Film in the Twentieth
Century. In the twentieth century multi-media works have
been arguably the most significant and highly influential forms.
These include works produced not by one individual artist, but
by artists working in collaboration. This course examines works
in which painters, sculptors, choreographers, and film makers
have collaborated to create some of the most intriguing works
of the century. We will begin with the collaborations of early
modern artists Picasso, Matisse, Leger, Goncharova, Bakst, Benois, de Chirico, and Rouault with innovative young dance makers like
Balanchine, Nijinsky, Massine, and Najinska in Europe and continue
with artist-choreographer collaborations in America including
Martha Graham and Isamu Noguchi, Jerome Robbins and Oliver Smith, Robert Rauschenberg, Trisha Brown, and David Hockney. We will
also look at artist, choreographer and film maker collaborations.
A section of the course will be devoted to Twyla Tharp's innovative
work with director Milos Forman (Hair, Amadeus) and her
multi-media collaboration for television with David Byrne on the
Catherine Wheel, We'll examine some of the films of Vincente Minnelli, Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen who worked closely with artists at
MGM in their "ballets" and dance sequences for films
like An American in Paris and Singin' in the Rain
as well as the collaboration of British film directors Powell
and Pressburger and their work with choreographer Leonide Massine
and artist Hein Heckroth on The Red Shoes.
Of Special Note: Merce Cunningham Co. U of M Residencyclass will
coincide, in part, with the residency of Merce Cunningham and Company on campus. Cunningham's collaborations with a host of the most important visual artists and musicians of our time (including
John Cage, jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol)
as well as his innovative work in film and video will be the subject
of a special section of the course. Students will be able to take
advantage of the performance, museum exhibition, special rehearsals, and symposia associated with this event. You need not be an art, dance, film or music major to take this course. There are no prerequisites.
(Genné)
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Comparative Literature
317. The Writings of Latinas.
A course in women's studies or Latina/o studies.
(4). (HU).
Section 001 – Texts of the Borderlands. This course brings
to the forefront the abundant literary production of Latinas in the United States. The core of the work will comprise reading
and discussion of works (essays, poems, narrative fiction) of the Chicana writers, as well as women writers from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. Among the authors to be studied are Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Cristina Garcia, Judith Ortiz Coffer, Gloria Anzaldúa, Helena Maria Viramontes, Elena Castedo, and Alicia Partnoy. Films
and visual art by Latinas will supplement the literature in the
course. The works selected are richly textured, filled with cultural
content, and embued with nostalgic evocation of what has been
lost. Representing a broad range of Latina experience, they confront
such issues as colonial domination and political and/or economic
exile. All of the texts relate to the history of the Americas, and address the position of women within their own cultural/ethnic/racial
group as well as within a dominant culture. Students will be expected
to keep a journal of their reactions to the works read or viewed
and to write three substantial papers which reflect their ability
in critical reading of the texts. They will also prepare and deliver
seminar presentations on selected poetry in the course. Tentative
readings: Alvarez, Julia. In the Time of the Butterflies
(Chapel Hill: Algonguin Books of Chapel Hill, 1994).; Anzaldúa, Gloria. Borderlands/LaFrontera (San Francisco: Aunt Lute
Book Company, 1987).; Castedo, Elena, Paradise*; Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street (New York: Vintage
Books, 1989).; Coffer, Judith Ortiz, Silent Dancing (Houston:
Arte Publico Press, 1990).; Garcia, Cristina, Dreaming in
Cuban* (New York: Ballantine Books, 1992).; Partnoy, Alicia, The Little School (Pittsburgh: Cleis Press, 1986). (Moya-Raggio)
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360. The Existential Quest in the Modern Novel. Junior/senior standing. (4). (Excl).
"God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him." (Nietzsche)
"If there is not God, then everything is permitted." (Dostoevsky)
"Everything that exists is born without reason,
Continues to live out of weakness,
and dies by chance." (Sartre)
Existentialism combines the investigation of major issues in the history of Western philosophy with daily problems of intense
personal concern. In this course, existentialism will be viewed
as a literary as well as a philosophical movement united by a
number of recurrent and loosely related themes: (1) Theological: the disappearance of God; the condition of being "thrown"
into an indifferent and ultimately absurd universe; man's encounter
with nothingness beneath the floor of everyday reality revealed
when familiar objects and language drop away. (2) Psychological:
man's imperfection fragility, and loneliness; the feeling of anxiety
and despair over the emptiness of life and the terror of death;
arguments for and against suicide; human nature as fundamentally
ambiguous and hence not explicable in scientific thought or in
any metaphysical system; the absence of a universally valid morality;
and human nature as undetermined and free. (3) Social: man's rebellion
against the inhumanity of social institutions that suffocate the
"authentic self"; the escape from individual responsibility
into the "untruth of the crowd." (4) Finally, man's
various attempts to transform nihilistic despair into a creative
affirmation of life. Philosophic texts by Pascal, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Buber, Jaspers, and Heidegger; fiction by Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Camus, Sartre, Rilke, and Kafka. Two examinations and one term paper required. (Peters)
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410. Upperclass Literature
Seminar. (4). (HU). May be repeated for credit.
Section 001 – The Hero as Outsider, Outcast, or Outlaw.
In this course we try to define the human need for heroes and the (changing) character of heroism by examining the eccentric
hero that mainstream society attempts to suppress, dismiss, ignore, or condemn because it regards him or her as perverse, subversive, vicious, or beyond the pale of tolerance: the saint, criminal, psychotic, visionary, egoist, pervert, or monster. Some of the
works we may read or see are Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty
Horses; St. Exupery's Night Flight; R. Kluger's The Sheriff of Nottingham; Bertolt Brecht's Galileo;
Puig's The Kiss of the Spider Woman; Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood; Martin Ritt's The Front (with Woody
Allen) or Woody Allen's Zelig; Martin Scorsese's The
King of Comedy; Keri Hulme's The Bone People. (Cohen)
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451/Russian 451. Survey of Russian Literature. A knowledge of Russian is not required. (3). (HU).
See Russian 451. (Schönle)
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476/Chinese 476/Asian Studies 476. Writer and Society in Modern China. No knowledge of Chinese is required. (4). (HU).
See Chinese 476. (Feuerwerker)
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Creative Writing
220. Narration. Permission of instructor. (4). (CE).
Suggested assignment: 1250 words of prose fiction every two
weeks. Rewriting is emphasized. The class meets as a group up
to two hours per week. Collections of short fiction by established
writers are read. Every student meets privately with the instructor
each week. (Hecht)
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221. The Writing of Poetry. Permission of instructor. (4). (CE).
The amount of poetry each student is required to submit is
determined by the instructor. The class meets three hours per
week as a group. In addition, each student receives private criticism
from the instructor every week. Contemporary poetry is read and discussed in class for style. Students are organized into small
groups that meet weekly. (Mikolowski)
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222. Writing for Children and Young Adults. (4). (CE).
Individualized instruction, group discussion and readings aim
at the development of original story ideas and the perfection
of narrative techniques relevant to the authorship of children's
books. Preliminary assignments – picture book, folklore-narrative, and media – prepare each student for a self-directed final project.
No prerequisites; however, a thorough reading background in children's
books – or the willingness to compensate for its lack – is presumed.
Please do not take this course expecting "lectures"
about children's books or child development. This is a writing
course emphasizing story-writing skills and aesthetics. (Balducci)
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320. Advanced Narration. Hums. 220 and permission of instructor. (4). (CE).
This course is designed for writers of longer fiction who can
benefit from instruction and peer feedback. Three 15-20 page short
stories or three 20-25 page segments of longer works are due at
evenly spaced intervals during the term. Everyone in the class
reads everything submitted. The class meets three times a term, as a workshop, to discuss everyone's work. Each student meets
with the instructor each week for private discussion of work both
completed and in progress. Enrollment is limited to a maximum
of six students, usually students who have completed Narration
and/or Tutorials. Permission of instructor is required. (Hecht)
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321. Advanced Poetry Writing. Hums. 221 and permission of instructor. (4). (CE).
This is an advanced poetry writing workshop. Students must
be willing to read their poems in class and actively participate
in the critical evaluation of other students' work. A finished
manuscript of 25-30 poems is a course requirement. Permission
of instructor is required. (Mikolowski)
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Hums 325, 326, 425, 426 Creative Writing Tutorials. (4). (Excl). Tutorials provide an opportunity for students who want to write, no matter how sophisticated their work, to have their efforts recognized with constructive criticism and academic credit. Reading may or may not be assigned, depending upon the background needs of the individual student. Tutorial students meet privately with the instructor each week. Permission of instructor is required.
Drama
280/English 245/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)
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282. Drama Interpretation
I: Actor and Text. (4). (CE).
Section 001 – Ibsen and Chekhov. During this term we will
be studying two dramatists of early modern drama: Henrik Ibsen
and Anton Chekhov. By working of their plays as actors we will
be learning much about the development of naturalism as a literary
style and an acting theory. Ibsen had a profound influence on
Victorian society and was a proponent of "realistic acting"
and Chekhov's contemporary, Constantine Stanislavsky, a co-founder
of the Moscow Art Theatre was the pioneer of "method acting."
Our approach will be to take one major play by each playwright
and explore it through scenework, then to look at two or three
other plays by the same writer, as well as doing dramaturgical
reports on the period and place of the drama. We will start with
Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, then move on to scenes from A
Doll House and The Master Builder. Our work on Chekhov
will focus first on Uncle Vonya, then move to larger
sections from The Seagull and Three Sisters
which will constitute our end of term production. (Mendeloff)
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Times, Location, and Availability
387. Renaissance Drama.
(4). (Excl).
Section 001 – Performance Workshop in Commedia dell'arte and Farce. This course will cover the basic forms of classical
comedy, from commedia dell'arte to farce. The centerpiece of the
term will be the rehearsal and performance of Carolyn Balducci's
adaptation of a classic Italian folktale in commedia form – "Giovanni the Fearless." This piece, complete with music, puppetry
and slapstick farce, will be the centerpiece of the RC anniversary
weekend in late October. Other small projects, such as Molière's
one act farces, will conclude the course. Admission by audition/interview
only. (Walsh/Mendeloff)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
485. Special Drama Topics.
Sophomore standing. (1-2). (Excl). Offered mandatory
credit/no credit. May be repeated for a total of 4 credits.
Section 003 – Living History Workshop: The Zipporah Project.
(2 credits). Students in this mini-course will have the opportunity
to take part in a unique performance project, to recreate the
daily life in an ancient town in the Middle East. Artifacts from the ancient community of Zipporah will be on display at the University
Art Museum all term. Students will learn about that culture and will take part in creating a living history script and performing
it for visitors to the exhibit. Their research will be guided
by Martin Walsh of the Residential College Drama Concentration
and the performance workshop will be led by guest artist Joyce
Klein, who was responsible for creating the Zipporah living history
exhibit in Israel. (Walsh)
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Times, Location, and Availability
Music
250. Chamber Music. (1).
(CE). Offered mandatory credit/no credit.
Section 001 – one hour of credit.
Section 002 – one hour of credit (with permission of instructor.)
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 per credit
hour (i.e., 6-8 hours of practice and rehearsal for 2
credits) and participation in one or more concerts per term, if
appropriate. Course may be used to meet the Residential College's
Arts Practicum Requirement. Ensembles have included: mixed ensembles
of strings and winds; brass quintet; intermediate recorders; string
quartet; woodwind quintet; and some other duos and trios, including
piano and harpsichord. (Kardas-Barna)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
251. Topics in Music. (4).
(HU).
Section 001 – The Music of Ireland. This course provides
a general history of Irish music as well as a more in-depth exploration
of specific genres that have emerged in Ireland and among the
Irish Diaspora. Much of the course is devoted to Irish traditional
vocal and instrumental styles and to the ways in which traditional
music has contributed to an Irish musical identity and influenced
other genres, such as popular and classical music. The course
will include lecture/demonstrations by local musicians as well
as some hands-on experience with Irish traditional instruments
such as the whistle and bodhran. (Camino)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
253. Choral Ensemble. (1).
(CE). 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.
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
254. The Human Voice as
An Acoustical Instrument. (4). (CE).
Section 001 – Basic Technique for Singers and Actors, Including the Alexander Technique. This course is open to students
who want to develop their voices for speaking and singing, to
sing more comfortably, and to maintain vocal health. The course
is directed towards singers (with or without previous vocal training), speech and acting students, and those who want to find out if they can sing. Most voices are undeveloped (or under-developed), and we can learn how to develop our vocal equipment for whatever
our own purpose. Because our voices are housed within us, we must
consider the whole voice-body-mind as the subject of our study.
Ms. Heirich is a STAT and NASTAT certified teacher of the Alexander
Technique, and this body of work will inform all that we do in the course. The class meets together on Mondays and Fridays from
1-3 P.M. Your schedules should TEMPORARILY remain flexible between
12-5 on Wednesdays for scheduling of small group sessions. This
scheduling will be completed by the end of the first class meeting
– Friday, September 5. There will be one required text, some
optional readings, daily preparation, and an individual or team
project required. LS&A guidelines for 4-credit courses expect
3 hours of work per credit hour, hence, you should be prepared
accordingly. With more than 4 hours in "class" (a weekly
average of 6.25 hours, which includes the small group and individual
lessons), there will be proportionally less expected of you outside
of class. The required reading will be Miracles Usually Can't
Be Learned, a basic vocal text by Jane Heirich, available
as a course pack from Kelly's Kopies. (Heirich)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
350. Special Topics. (1).
(Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. May be repeated for
a total of 6 credits.
Section 001 – The Philosophy of Democracy. Using classical
and modern texts, and some landmark Supreme Court cases, we will
examine in this course the fundamental principles of democratic
process. Our aim will be a moral critique of democracy – not
its mechanics, but the arguments and counter arguments concerning
its justifiability. This one credit hour mini-course will meet
on Tuesday and Thursday for five weeks beginning Tuesday, September
19 and ending Thursday, October 19. (Cohen)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
351. Special Topics. (2).
(Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. May be repeated for
a total of 8 credits.
Section 001 – Psychological Development During College and Young
Adulthood. Drawing on psychological theory, case studies, and the arts (primarily theatre and film), this course will explore
major themes of psychological development during young adulthood.
Topics will include: changing relationships with family and the
process of "leaving home"; conscious and unconscious
(including social) foundations of identity; the development of
intimacy in friendships and romantic relationships; the functions
of student peer culture; transitions between school and work;
psychological crises and the uses/misuses of psychotherapy during
young adulthood; the roles of experiences like community service, years abroad, and "time off"; spirituality, integrity, and life-purpose in the context of the wider life-cycle; the meaning
of "adulthood." While discussion will often be more
general, it will be tested against – and informed by – the experiences
and circumstances of the young adults who are students in this
course. Class formats will vary and include brief lectures; seminar
discussion; presentation and analysis of case studies; and exploration through film, dramatic reading, and informal interactive theatre (e.g., the "Talk to Us" format). Each student
will be responsible for three or four brief case studies based
on interviewing, and learning how to do and interpret qualitative
interviews and life-histories will be an important part of the
course. There will be one or more group projects that may be essentially
artistic (e.g., the creation of a theatre piece); activist (e.g., analysis of an existing program); or involve all
of these dimensions. This is a mini-course which will meet on
Monday and Wednesday evenings, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, from October
2 through November 6, 1997. (Greenspan)
Section 002 – Poverty and the Organization of Health Care.
This will be a working seminar, helping gather information and providing assistance, as requested, to help a low-income neighborhood
coalition in Detroit find ways to get health services to neighborhood
residents who now lack health insurance. To provide needed background
for this research project, the seminar will examine the American
health care system, its relation to the larger economy, and the
nature of the problems that have to be solved if the working poor
and the unemployed are to get the health services they need. Our
work will be part of a larger effort to create a demonstration
model for breaking through the present impasse in health policy, so that the poor get services they need. (Heirich)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
430. Perspectives on High
Technology Society. Upperclass standing. (4). (Excl).
Section 001 – History of Computers. Explore the story of
computers from the ancient world to the present! Why were computers
invented? Who wanted them, and why? How have computers changed the shape of society and culture – and how did society and culture
shape them? This course is relevant to anyone interested
in the history, politics, and culture of technology. We'll explore
how early computers cracked the Nazi Enigma cipher during World
War II; how the Cold War changed computer research (and how computers
changed the Cold War); why digital computing replaced well-developed
analog methods in the 1940s and 1950s; computing in Europe, Japan, and the Soviet Union; how hackers helped shape minicomputers and the Internet; how amateur hobbyists invented the personal computer;
and the story behind the World Wide Web. The course is open to
students at all levels. No technical background required. (Edwards)
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Times, Location, and Availability
232. History of Life. (4). (NS). (BS).
This course surveys the history of life through geologic time
and introduces biological diversity from the perspectives of evolutionary
biology and ecology. Factual content focuses on the historical
development of life on earth as known from the fossil record and the diversity, ecology, and adaptations of living organisms. Principles
and concepts of historical geology, evolutionary biology, and ecology form the conceptual core of the course. Subjects include
earth history, origin of life, origins of species and major groups, constraints on the design of organisms, controls on biological
diversity, extinction and the current loss of biodiversity, climate
and evolution, and human evolution. We will regularly discuss the relevance of earth history and evolution for various social
and political issues, such as conservation of biodiversity, nature
vs. nurture in human behavior, and the ethical treatment of other
species. Several field trips will demonstrate the biodiversity
of organisms, habitats, and ecosystems. There will be regular
written exercises, frequent writings in class, a midterm and final.
No prerequisites. Texts: The Book of Life, edited by
S. J. Gould; The Diversity of Life, by E.O. Wilson, and a small course pack. (Badgley)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
250. Ecology, Development, and Conservation in Latin America. Reading and listening
proficiency in Spanish; high school biology or environmental science.
(4). (NS).
Section 001 – Ecology, Development, and Conservation in Latin
America. This course will address problems of environmental
conservation and social development for Third World nations, especially
in the tropics of Latin America. The focus will be on the ecological
and socio-political dimensions of conservation, with special attention
to the effects of South-North interactions. The course introduces
students to the concepts and principles of biogeography and of
natural and agricultural ecology. There will be special emphasis
on ideas and methods for ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems
in the tropics. The course lectures will be given primarily in
Spanish, with bi-lingual discussions when necessary. Guest lectures
will be given in English and Spanish. The Spanish-language component
of the course will be designed to fit the average proficiency
of the students enrolled. Students will be required to write 2-3
short essays during the course, in the format of a text review, in addition to a final paper, which will involve some research, whether a literature review, a survey, an experiment or a project/simulation
design. Prerequisite: Reading proficiency in Spanish; high-school
biology or environmental science, or permission of instructor.
(de la Cerda)
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Times, Location, and Availability
263/Urban Planning 263. Energy and the Environment. (4). (NS). (BS).
This course introduces the concepts of energy and the environment, which then serve as a basis for discussion of pollution, scarcity
of resources, technological impacts and the future of humankind.
Topics include a survey of non-renewable and renewable resources
and current energy use patterns, nuclear power issues, and the
prospects for, and problems with, alternative energy scenarios.
Possible energy futures for both the developed and developing
worlds will be discussed. In particular, we will consider the
implications of energy choices in terms of life styles, policies, and ethical considerations. There are no college prerequisites, but students should have quite a bit of experience beyond ninth
grade math. (Rycus)
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Times, Location, and Availability
343. Scientific Change. Any introductory science course. (4). (NS). (BS).
This course examines the development of a major debate about the nature of science that began in the 1960s and continues today.
It begins by examining the empiricist view of science that dominated
both philosophy and science before 1960 and remains today deeply
embedded in the general culture. According to this traditional
conception of science, the purpose of scientific inquiry is to
produce an objective account of the natural world that existed
independently of the inquiry. The application of scientific method
ensures the progressive elimination of error and bias in a movement
towards an ever more complete picture of the natural world. (In
other words, universal truth will eventually out.) This traditional
view of science was strongly challenged in the 1960s most prominently
by historian of science Thomas Kuhn who argued, in The Structure
of Scientific Revolutions (1962), that observation is irremediably
"theory-laden," and that science, far from following
a logic of development, progresses through irrational changes
in what Kuhn called "paradigms" (thereby launching a
new usage in the English language). The course will explore the
ways in which the work of Kuhn and others stimulated research
in the history and sociology of science purporting to show that
science is as much a product of its social and cultural environment
as an account of natural phenomena. In the final part of the course, we examine some post-structuralist positions on the nature of
knowledge, claims that have been stimulated in part by Kuhn's
ideas and that have recently claimed some adherents in the history
and sociology of science. These positions are far more radical
– some would say nihilistic – than the position Kuhn developed.
But can they be sustained? And, if not, are there ways to conceptualize
scientific knowledge that escape the forms of reductionism that
characterize traditional empiricism on the one hand and post-structuralism
on the other? The central issues addressed in the course are examined
with reference to case studies drawn from the history of physics
and biology. There will be guest lectures given by scientists
and social scientists. Readings will include selections from the
following books: Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific
Revolutions (2nd ed., 1970)*; Michael Mulkay, Science
and the Sociology of Knowledge (1979)*; Norwood Russell Hanson, Patterns of Discovery (1958); Sandra Harding, The
Science Questions in Feminism (1986); Nancy Tuana (ed.) Feminism
and Science (1989); Peter Novick, The Noble Dream: The
"Objectivity Question" and the American Historical Profession
(1989); Michael Foucault, Power/Knowledge (1980); Terry
Eagleton, Literary Theory: An Introduction (1983); Bruno
Latour and Steve Woolgar, Laboratory Life: The Construction
of Scientific Facts (1986); Steve Woolgar, Science, the
Very Idea (1989). *In the bookstores. Other readings will
be available in a course pack. (Wright)
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Times, Location, and Availability
419/Public Policy 519/NR&E 574/Physics 419. Energy Demand. Basic college economics and senior standing. (3). (SS).
The natural resource impact of any particular human activity
can usually be drastically reduced – given technological development
and institutional change. (This is true for a variety of resources:
fuels, forests, clean water, clean air...). This course is about the end use of energy and its efficiency – in contrast with a
focus on the supply of energy. Thus we will not find out how to
provide more electricity or how to clean up power plants, but
how we could provide the needed lighting and other services with
much less electricity. The course will examine the use of energy
in the U.S. for transportation, for processing of materials by
industry and for comfortable buildings. There will be a focus
on transportation and the potential for reducing its environmental
impacts, including controlling global warming by reducing the
emission of greenhouse gases associated with energy use. The study
will be done from the perspectives of physics, economics, behavior, social organization and politics. The course will require a paper
on an issue involving a particular end use of energy and a project
on some aspect of energy use in the locality. Prerequisites are
a college-level course in mathematics or economics or physical
science, and SENIOR standing. The course will require establishment
of minimum proficiency in analytical techniques concerning energy.
(Ross)
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Times, Location, and Availability
220/Soc. 220. Political Economy. (4). (SS).
This course develops an analysis of social systems from a political
economic perspective. The first part of the course will focus
on modern capitalism, especially as it has developed in the United
States. The writings of a variety of social scientists will be
explored and discussed with an emphasis on recent work by radical
political economists. The second part of the course will concentrate
on potential alternatives to capitalism for contemporary economically
developed societies. Students will be encouraged to explore their
own interests and ideals about alternative social institutions
as well as to develop their capacities for insightful political
economic analysis. (Thompson)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
301. Social Science Theory I: From Social Contract to Oedipus Complex. At least one 200-level social science course. (3). (SS).
This course will examine closely theories about society, political
economy, religion, and knowledge developed in Europe from the
late 18th to the 20th centuries. We will read texts by Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Engels, Mill, Darwin, Weber, Durkheim, and Freud, and consider their implications for the representation, analysis, and transformation of societies. Students will write
short responses each week to the texts, a detailed analysis of
a major theoretical work, and a review essay. Students are expected
to participate actively in class discussions. (Burbank)
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Times, Location, and Availability
360. Social Science Junior
Seminar. Upperclass standing. (4). (Excl). May be
repeated for credit.
Section 001 – Un-teaching Racism: Becoming Allies in the Struggle
for Inclusive Education. How do children learn to accept
a certain level of racism as "normal," even in the most
progressive communities? How can we convince skeptics that racism
continues to flourish on campus, in schools, and in the media?
How can we develop new materials, methods, and forms of education that include more cultural styles and perspectives than the dominant
Eurocentric model? How can white students and students of color
become allies by un-teaching racism in our schools and communities?
This is a community service learning course with a twist. Instead
of linking readings and discussion with work in impoverished communities
of color, students of all backgrounds and cultures will work in
predominantly white, middle class schools and communities to educate themselves and others about "normal," everyday racist
practices. Students can intern in community organizations devoted
to multiculturalism and anti-racist teaching, they can learn to
be intergroup relations facilitators, or conduct research on campus
of "normal, ordinary" racist practices in classrooms, dormitories, campus police services, and so on. They might make
a video to play on community access television, get involved in
Peacekeeper Training for future KKK rallies in Ann Arbor, or create
training materials for other community service learning courses
or Alternative Spring Break activities. Readings and discussion
will cover such topics as definitions of racism and prejudice, white privilege, cultural communication styles, teaching and learning
styles encouraged by different cultures, John Ogbu's concept of
voluntary and involuntary minorities, the psychology of stigma
and its effect on children, racial identity development theory, and how race consciousness and its associated taboos are taught, sometimes unwittingly, in U.S. schools. Students will be encouraged
to develop their own ideas and understandings about this perplexing
and sensitive topic rather than adopting a particular political
stance toward it. All that is required is a willingness to see
from the various points of view of those most affected by the
problem, and a desire for greater justice and equality. (Fox)
Section 003 – Health Advocacy Workshop. In this small
workshop students will be encouraged to identify a public health
or social issue of concern to them. Teams will determine a research-based
strategy for addressing this problem. This might include assembling
existing data or collecting modest amounts of new data. By term's
end the teams will have produced an analysis that can be used
by groups advocating this health policy. Research will be complemented
by a series of lectures addressing ethics, basic research techniques
on issues of objectivity and advocacy, creative use of the media, and a series of social actions that help focus attention on a
problem and create a context for mobilizing support for particular
ways of solving or addressing it. (Heirich, Lurie)
Check
Times, Location, and Availability
388. Transitions to Capitalism. A 200-level Social Science course. (4). (SS).
The course examines one of the most basic transformations in
economic and social history first by a close reading of a social theoretical work – Marx's Capital – and then by comparison
of two cases: England from the late seventeenth century through the early phases of the industrial revolution, and southern Africa
in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The first
is the classic case of the development of capitalism, the second
an instance of change in the context of an already developed and expansionist European economy. Yet in both instances, cultivators
who had complex rights in land and varied obligations to landlord
lost many of those rights and ties to individual landowners, and wage labor became the central feature of agricultural organization.
In both areas, changes in agriculture were closely related to
industrialization. Yet the social structure and economic context
out of which both transitions arose were vastly different, and the meaning of race and class in the economies that emerged from the transition periods were equally distinct. Those differences
will form a way of getting at the most basic questions of what the concept of capitalism signifies, and how theory can be both
used and critically examined. There will be some lecturing in the course, but the emphasis will be on reading and discussion.
Students will write a short essay on the readings plus a longer
one on a topic of their choosing. This course meets the Social
Science Theory Requirement. (Cooper)
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Times, Location, and Availability
460. Social Science Senior
Seminar. Senior standing. (4). (Excl). May be repeated
for credit.
Section 001 – Culture as Environment: Worldviews and Cultural
Agendas of Native American Nations. This course gives you the opportunity to learn intensively about a particular Native
American group in the context of the long and continuing struggles
of Native communities on Turtle Island (as the Americas were called)
to survive during the onslaught of European and Euro-American
conquest and settlement. We will investigate various groups' origin
stories, spiritual world views, resource ecology, land struggles, and cultural agendas. We will use a comparative geographical research
method, that of ethnically-sensitive human ecological analysis
framed by world view comparison. We will also employ a writing
style which includes writing about the data found, the research
process, and one's personal engagement with the research. You
will be responsible for writing two research papers about a Native
American group of your own choosing as well as for participating
effectively in class sessions. The course will be taught using
collaborative pedagogical methods. This course meets the RC Social
Science Concentration research requirement. (Larimore)
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Times, Location, and Availability
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