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 wait lists. Certain RC courses are reserved for RC students only (e.g., RC language courses). These are courses which fulfill specific Residential College graduation requirement.
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.
Following is a listing of Fall 1993 courses reserved for RC
students only:
RC Core 190, 191, 193, 194 Intensive First-Year Language Courses
RC Core 290, 291, 294 Intensive Second-Year Language Courses
RC Core 320, 321, 324 Readings in French, German, Spanish (all
sections)
RC Arts 285 Photography
Non-RC students who are on a wait list will be admitted to these
courses on a space-available basis on the first day of classes, after all RC students from the wait lists have been admitted.
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.
321. Readings in German. Proficiency test. (4). (Excl). May be repeated for credit.
In this term's Readings course we will read four novels, three written after 1960, and one written in the early years of this century. Hesse's Demian, Wolf's Der geteilte Himmel. Plenzdorff's Die Neuen Leiden des jungen W, and Becker's Bronstein's Kinder all feature protagonists at the threshold of adulthood. Some aspects of the protagonists' struggles at the crossing into maturity are familiar to any reader. In order to get themselves attuned to the central topic of this course, students may enjoy reading Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye during the term break. All course participants will write six short essays, one longer research paper, and will give one short oral report. (Zahn)
324. Readings in Spanish. Proficiency
test. (4). (Excl). May be repeated for credit.
Section 001 – The Land in Which We Live. The focus of this
class will be on the reading of a series of video programs developed
and produced in Chile, with the special purpose of bringing to the attention of the people of that country some major environmental
problems the country is confronting. Each program presents a rich
description of physical and human geography of a particular region
of the South American country; the ecological/environmental problems
presented are common to all countries negotiating the difficult
tasks of economic development and conservation of the environment.
The challenge of resource management and population and environment
interactions will constitute a major focus of the class. The class
will offer the opportunity to develop specialized lexical knowledge
and will establish connections with other areas of knowledge, such as Natural Resources, and/or Biology. The class will be team-taught;
an ecologist, native speaker of Spanish, together with an expert
on language usage, will constitute the team. (Moya-Raggio/de la
Cerda)
Section 002 – La Movida: From Dictatorship to Democracy in Spain. After an almost forty-year long military regime which ended in the seventies (1939-1975), Spain underwent dramatic changes in the political, social and cultural spheres which reshaped the country completely, including the integration of Spain into the European Common Market, the legalization of divorce, abortion and the consumption of certain drugs, the recognition of several languages as official in different parts of the country, and the freedom of speech, religion and political beliefs. The years of the so-called "destape" which were a reaction to the previous dictatorial repression were followed by increasingly autonomous self-expression in music, art, fashion, cinema and social behavior which was centered mainly in Madrid under the name of "la movida." It was characterized by effervescence, creativity and radical challenges to inherited values. As democracy settled, a progressive depolitization among young people took place which was accompanied by a complex redefinition of beliefs as well as relationships between generations and sexes. Because of their transitional nature and their unique blend of Catholic tradition and cutting-edge experimentalism, the eighties in Spain are a fascinating period that call into question categories and classifications. We will be analyzing political and historical articles that will provide the background for other cultural issues including music and (possibly) film. (Lopez-Cotin)
Section 003 – Violence and Resistance in Latin America. In this seminar we will examine forms of resistance to situations of political and structural violence in Latin America. We will explore how resistance is organized and made meaningful in relation to specific repressive contexts and ideologies. Our cases will be taken from a variety of countries and historical periods and will include a wide range of materials. These include testimonial and fiction writing, popular music, movies, and artistic expression. (Scurski)
370/French 370. Advanced Proficiency in French. RC Core 320, or French 362, or permission of instructor. (3). (Excl).
Advanced Proficiency in French is especially but not exclusively designed for students who intend to study in France (such as students who have applied to the Michigan Junior Year in Aix-en-Provence Program). This course includes development of speaking skills in informal and formal contexts, and initiation into writing formats and styles customary in French universities. A rich cultural component will prepare students socially and mentally, as well as technically and intellectually, for living and studying in France. Emphasis will be put on modern France and current events. Students will write daily exercises and weekly papers of various lengths. Among the techniques practiced will be: the French "dissertation," "contraction de texte," and "commentaire compose:" how to write an introduction, a conclusion, a paragraph, a text with logical development with the use of cohesive devices, precise and accurate wording and syntax. Directed as well as liberated practice of oral production will activate a wide range of functional expressions. Formal discourse such as "l'expose" will also be practiced. Training in reading intricate current newspaper prose and aural comprehension of lectures with note-taking will be included. Final exam; a short "expose", a brief conversation, and a written French-style essay ("dissertation"). (Carduner)
268. Introduction to Visual Thinking: Adventures in
Creativity. (4). (Excl).
Section 001 – Art in Generosity. This class will shift the
view of art from the art maker and her/his product to the recipient
of an art product or art event. We will use generosity as the
conceptual medium of the artist, which may or may not create a
bond with the recipient. The class will consist of weekly projects, readings and discussions which will focus on ideas of public art
and ideas which challenge dominant models of art in general. Students
will produce projects that will be critiqued in weekly or bi-weekly
discussions. (Alexander)
285. Photography. (4). (Excl). Materials fee.
This course introduces students 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 student works with the medium towards a goal of personal expression. There will be a studio fee. (Hannum)
287. Printmaking. (4). (Excl). Materials fee.
Developing an understanding of the art and history of printmaking through lectures, demonstrations, practical studio experience, and individual and group discussions. The course will focus on creating original prints, exploring images, visual ideas, and the possibilities of self-expression. Emphasis will be placed on linoleum cut, wood block, and screenprinting techniques. Field trips to area museums and gallery exhibitions will be part of the class experience. Approximately eight projects will be assigned. A sketchbook/ notebook is required. Class attendance is mandatory, as is lab time spent outside the scheduled class period. There will be a studio lab fee. (Cressman)
288. Introduction to Drawing. (4). (Excl).
The work of drawing is rich and varied. This course will explore the many aspects and various approaches that exist today, both contemporary and historical. Emphasis will be on the eye (seeing) and the hand (doing). Basic techniques and methods will be covered including work with the figure. Class attendance is mandatory as well as course work outside the scheduled class time. (Cressman)
289. Ceramics. (4). (Excl). Materials fee.
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. Student 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 study and are used to encourage individual sensitivity to the material. There will be a studio fee. (Crowell)
389. Ceramics Theory and Criticism. RC
Arts 289 or permission of instructor. (4). (Excl).
Section 001 – Advanced Ceramics. RC Arts 389 is an upper-level
ceramics course which addresses advanced problems in ceramics
production and studio practice. While students in lower-level
ceramics courses learn basic technical skills and aesthetic concepts, upper-level students work at more sophisticated levels of form
and content. The course approaches this development through more
advanced formal concerns, technical projects, glaze testing, studio
management, and critique. Readings from journals – "American
Ceramics," "Ceramics, Art and Perception," and others – will enable us to enter the discourse of ceramics in
twentieth century art. There will be a studio fee. (Crowell)
257. Visual Sources. (4). (HU).
The purpose of this course is to develop and sharpen the students' skills of visual analysis by examining the world of images in which we live and discussing the process of perception. In order to better understand the "language" of images, we will analyze selected examples of painting, sculpture, the graphic arts, architecture, film and dance. The works studied will not necessarily be considered in chronological order and we will not restrict ourselves to those works that are labeled "great" by art historians and critics. We will include images of popular and commercial art both from the past and the present. The unique methods and materials used in creating a work of art will be discussed. (In the case of painting, for example, we will consider the difference between oil, fresco, and water color.) Images we select to analyze, however, will be studied not only in terms of form, but the relationship between form and content. How does the visual artist (or advertiser) convey certain moods and/or messages through the arrangement and juxtaposition of forms? What is the impact and affect of our immediate visual environment on our psychological state? (Campus architecture, including student living space and classrooms will be considered in this regard.) How do visual artists convey certain cultural beliefs and attitudes in their arrangement and presentation of images? There will be several short papers and students will be asked to keep a journal of their encounters with, and ideas about, the visual arts that they encounter in their day to day experiences or in which they are especially interested. Several museum visits are also planned. Texts will include John Berger's Ways of Seeing, Joshua Taylor's Learning to Look, Rudolph Arnheim's Art and Visual Perception and The Power of the Center: A Study of Composition in the Visual Arts. (Genne)
311. Intellectual Currents
of the Renaissance. Sophomore standing or permission
of instructor. (4). (HU).
Section 001 – Rabelais. This course will be devoted to a
close reading and analysis of the five books of Rabelais, called Gargantua and Pantagruel. In our analysis, we will address
problems of narrative structure ("story" and "discourse"), narrative space (symbolic versus illusionistic), and the myths
of authorship, originality, and literary genealogy that are both
embodied in and problematized by this work. We will also explore
Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance constructions of madness (ecstasy, folly, melancholia) in order to see to what extent they have determined
Rabelais' text. The construction of madness is linked, in Rabelais'
time with the paradoxes of learning: Can the ignorant be learned?
Are the learned really fools, or worse, madmen? Finally, the questions
about madness, learning, and education are contextualized by one
of the major theological disputes of the Reformation period: the
problem of free will. If human destiny is determined, what good
is free will? Can it exist? And if there is no free will, what
good is learning? Why pursue the educational reforms so dear to the hearts of the reformers? Because this course is interdisciplinary, we will compare Rabelais' text with selected works by four Renaissance
painters: Bosch, Titian, Brueghel, and Durer. How does narrative
unfold in visual space? What sorts of narratives or visions are
made possible by the invention of one-point perspective? What
is necessarily excluded by this space? What is the connection
between vision and madness? Finally, is vision free, or simply
assailed and dominated by the object of sight? Finally, we will
probe these works for evidence of a significant contradiction:
as both exponents and critiques of humanism, as simultaneously
promulgating and undermining the Renaissance myth of rebirth.
Texts: Rabelais, Gargantua and Pantagruel (five books);
Plato The Symposium; The Little Flowers of St. Francis;
Thomas de Cantimpre, The Life of Christina Mirabilis. (Sowers)
312/Slavic 312. Central European Cinema. A knowledge of Russian is not required. (3). (HU).
See Slavic Film 312. (Eagle)
333. Art and Culture. One History of Art
or Arts and Ideas course, or permission of instructor. (4). (Excl).
Section 001 – Traditions & Invention: Aspects of the Arts
in the Eighteenth Century. The eighteenth century started
with a dilemma; and it ended with a revolution. Throughout the
period it had been revolving at a furious pace in a series of
cartwheels, of which the final, least foreseeable was Napoleon.
The dilemma was political, philosophic and artistic...and the
oppositions were increasingly violent. (Levey, Rococo to Revolution)
An era with surprising parallels to our own, the age of reason
and wit, sensibility land feeling, was also a century of escapist
fantasy, biting satire and feelings of outrage. It was a time
of prodigious literary achievement, musical genius and scientific
inquiry, inspired by social philosophers and patronized by aristocrats
and the rising middle classes. Through it all, principles of "Truth"
and "Nature" were being transformed by a new consciousness
of history that signaled dissatisfaction with the present and impelled change. In this seminar, and with frequent references
in our assigned readings to this complex background, we will approach
selected works of art and architecture to explore some of the
oppositions inherent in the visual forms of a culturally brilliant
and deeply divided century. Artworks which we will examine will
include Watteau's elegant and other-worldly fetes-galantes; the aulic mythological frescoes of Giambattista Tiepolo and the
enigmatic tragi-comic works of his son, Giandomenico; the varied
and richly allusive cityscapes of Canaletto; Hogarth's sharply
satirical "modern history paintings;" Ceruti's unflinching
portraits of the homeless; and David's morally charged lessons
from Roman antiquity. Our consideration of architecture will include
Borromini's legacy of the Catholic Baroque in German and Austria, Juvarra's Italian princely places, the inventions of French and Venetian Rococo, English Palladianism, actual and visionary urban
images, unprecedented building types, and Boullee's radical neo-classicism.
To further immerse ourselves in the lively intricacies of the
century of Enlightenment, we might retrace the Grand Tour, review the Academy of Painting's hierarchical categories (history subjects, portraiture, landscape, still life and genre), contemplate the
Salon, pour over published personal correspondence, review essays
on the rights of men and of women, listen to music, visit a museum, read a novel. The seminar format will include slide lectures and group discussions of required readings; brief, informal presentations, and a final paper or formal presentation. This course open to
all students. Sampling of the bibliography: T. Crow, Painters
& Public Life in 18th Century Paris, 1986; M. Levey, Rococo to Revolution, 1977; Painting in Eighteenth
Century Venice (1980); J. Spike, Giuseppe Maria Crespi
& the Emergence of Genre Painting in Italy (1986); J.
Summerson, Architecture of the Eighteenth Century (1986);
S. Shesgreen, The Criers and Hawkers of London: Engravings
& Drawings by Marcellus Laroon, (1990). (Hennessey)
Section 002 – The Art of Dance: An Introduction to European and American Dance History of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. This introductory course aimed primarily at non-dance majors, is a basic survey of American and European theatrical 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, the advent of modern and post-modern dance in Europe and America, and American film dance in the first half of the century. Choreographers and dancers considered will include Coralli and Perrot, Bournonville, Petipa, Mikhail Fokine, Vaslav Nijinsky, George Balanchine, Frederick Ashton, Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Katherine Dunham, Pearl Primus, Merce Cunningham, Fred Astaire, Bill Robinson, John Bubbles, Gene Kelly, Bob Fosse, Twyla Tharp and Mark Morris. Basic texts will include Selma Jeanne Cohen's Dance as a Theatre Art and we will also read some dance critics including Gautier, Levinson, Martin, and Croce. There will be viewing assignments of videotapes of the dance works studied, and students will be able to take advantage of activities in connection with the historic production of Nijinsky's ballet Afternoon of a Faun being offered at the Power Center in February, and the exhibition of Nijinsky dance photographs at the University Art Museum. (Genne)
Section 003 – European Painting and Sculpture of the 17th Century. For Winter Term, 1994, this section is jointly offered with History of Art 260. (Willette)
Section 004 – Worlds on Film: Ingmar Bergman and Woody Allen. Ingmar Bergman is Woody Allen's favorite film director in large part because Bergman's films deal with the same themes that preoccupy Allen – death and the meaning of life, narcissism and love relationships, moral responsibility, and the role of the artist. Allen often – though not always - brings his unique sense of humor to bear on these subjects that Bergman usually – though not always – probes with intense and unrelenting seriousness. As we shall see, many of Woody's films parallel Bergman's. To mention a few: Allen's A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy and Bergman's Smiles of a Summer Night; Allen's Interiors and Bergman's Cries and Whispers; Allen's Husbands and Wives and Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage; Allen's Love and Death and Shadows and Fog, and Bergman's The Seventh Seal. (In one case it is Federico Fellini who is the influence: Allen's Stardust Memories derives importantly from Felini's 8 1/2. ) We will examine the different attitudes these two filmmakers from different countries and generations have toward the themes mentioned above and how Bergman's and Allen's different ways – styles – of treating them affect these themes and the films' audiences. There will be a midterm and final exam and two papers required. (H. Cohen)
472. Arts and Ideas Senior Seminar. (4).
(Excl).
Section 001 – Television Text Analysis and Viewer Response Studies:
Research, Interpretation, Criticism. The starting point of
academic analysis of television content must be with close examination
of what is actually there on the screen. In contrast, many critics
of television and mass media simply adopt negative, impressionistic
stances toward television text and its impacts. This course seeks
to reverse practices of totalizing or generalizing about television
content, by requiring evidence and by re-examining assumptions
about viewer responses and relations to programming. Everyone
in the seminar becomes a basic content researcher, collecting
exact data, coding text, categorizing elements of the complex
whole in order to look at parts in relation to total broadcasts, considering visual, aural, and contextual factors. A set of challenges
faces the television analyst: deciphering direct and symbolic
references, relating television to its cultural frames of reference, and becoming alert to the variety and vitality of engagements
with television that individual watchers may or may not share
with others. During the term four short research papers and a
long final paper are required. The first four papers address genres
of sports, news, commercials, and dramas. The final paper is open
to choice and may focus on any genre: talk shows, game shows, MTV, etc. This seminar welcomes all interested RC students, LS&A
students, as well as Residential College Arts and Ideas majors.
Everyone in the seminar is expected to research, report and discuss
findings with the class, and contribute to discussions of the
readings and the in-class screenings. Attendance in seminars is
vital to the success of analysis and evaluation throughout the
term. (Morris)
475/Chinese 475/Hist. of Art 487/Asian Studies 475/Philosophy 475. The Arts and Letters of China. (4). (HU).
See Chinese 475. (Y. Feuerwerker)
275. The Western Mind in Revolution: Six Interpretations
of the Human Condition. (4). (Excl).
Section 001 – Copernicus, Luther, Darwin, Marx, Freud, Einstein.
This course will treat six major reinterpretations of the human
condition from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries generated
by intellectual revolutions in astronomy (Copernicus: the heliocentric theory); theology (Luther: the Reformation); biology (Darwin:
evolution of the species); sociology (Marx: Communism); psychology
(Freud: psychoanalysis), and physics (Einstein: the theory of
relativity). All six reinterpretations initiated a profound revaluation
of Western man's concept of himself as well as a reassessment
of the nature and function of his political and special institutions.
Since each of these revolutions arose in direct opposition to
some of the most central and firmly accepted doctrines of their
respective ages, we will study: (1) how each thinker perceived the particular "truth", he sought to communicate; (2) the problems entailed in expressing and communicating these truths;
and (3) the traumatic nature of the psychological upheaval caused
by these cataclysmic transitions from the past to the future -
both on the personal and cultural level. If the function of humanistic
education is to enable the individual to see where he/she stands
in today's maelstrom of conflicting intellectual and cultural
currents, it is first necessary to see where others have stood
and what positions were abandoned. The emphasis of this course
will not be upon truths finally revealed or upon problems forever
abandoned, but rather upon certain quite definite perspectives that, arising out of specific historical contexts, at once solved
a few often technical problems within a specialized discipline
while unexpectedly creating many new ones for Western culture
as a whole. Texts: Copernicus, On the Revolution of the Heavenly
Bodies (1543); Luther, Appeal to the Christian Nobility
of the German Nation (1520); Of the Liberty of a Christian
Man (1520); Darwin, The Origin of Species by Means of
Natural Selection (1859); Marx, Economic and Philosophical
Manuscripts (1844); Das Kapital (1867, 1885, 1894);
Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams (1900), Three
Essays on the Theory of Sexuality (1905); and Einstein, Relativity, the Special and the General Theory: A Popular Exposition
(1912). Three examinations and one term paper required. (Peters)
318. Critical Approaches to Literature. (4).
(HU).
Psychoanalytic Interpretation of Literature and the Visual Arts:
Freud and Lacan. This course will address the problem of the psychoanalytic interpretation of literature and the visual
arts. We will base our study on selected works by Sigmund Freud
and his most creative recent interpreter, Jacques Lacan. Beginning
with two important case histories, The Wolf Man and Dora,
we will derive a method of interpreting literary texts and visual
images from Freud's method of dream analysis. We will go on to
explore the opening out of the psychic landscape onto the historical
implied in Freud's theory of the death instinct and its relation
to sexuality. Finally, we will address the contribution of Freudian
psychoanalysis to contemporary critical theory, especially the
work of Jacques Lacan. In what way is the human being constituted
by language? What is the relation between language and the unconscious?
Does a text or an image have an unconscious? How do we know? If
it does, how can we disclose its presence, discover the direction
of its warp? Can Psychoanalytic theory enable us to find a common
ground between literature and the visual arts? Can we discover
in the halting voice and in the marked hand a deep link between the vision and the word? Syllabus will include: D.H. Lawrence, The Prussian Officer; Sigmund Freud, The Wolf Man, Leonardo
da Vinci and a Memory of His Childhood, Dora: An Analysis of a
Case of Hysteria, Beyond the Pleasure Principle; Ivan Turgenev, First Love; Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights;
Jacques Lacan, Speech and Language in Psychoanalysis;
Mary Kelly, The Post-partum Document; Edward Munch, paintings;
Giorgio de Chirico, paintings.
360. The Existential Quest in the Modern Novel. Junior/senior standing, or permission of instructor. (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 examination and one term paper required.
(Peters)
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, tramp, pervert or monster. Some
of the works we will read and see are Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivner"; St. Exupery's Night Flight; Bertolt
Brecht's Galileo; Kosinski's The Painted Bird;
Albert Camus' The Stranger; D.H. Lawrence's The Man
Who Died; O'Connor's Wise Blood; Michael Mann's Thief; Martin Scorsese's King of Comedy; Woody
Allen's Zelig. The student will be evaluated on the bases
of class discussion, papers, a midterm and final exam. (H. Cohen)
452/Russian 452. Survey of Russian Literature. A knowledge of Russian is not required. (3). (HU).
See Russian 452. (Bartlett)
220. Narration. Permission of instructor. (4). (Excl).
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)
221. The Writing of Poetry. Permission of instructor. (4). (Excl).
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)
242. Creative Adaptation: Fact Into Fantasy. Completion
of the Introductory Composition requirement. (4). (Excl).
Section 001 – Creative Adaptations: Creative Non-Fiction.
This course invites students to adapt research from various sources
into creative forms: short stories, poetry, drama, film. Undergraduates
with interests in a variety of fields (e.g., science, math, foreign language, social science) will expand their knowledge
in their own fields within the context of creative expression.
Creative Writing concentrators will have an opportunity to enhance their research skills. The interaction of diverse interests and representation of different approaches within the class will be
part of the experience of the course. Students will produce a
statement of purpose for their chosen project, a bibliography
and a journal, as well as several drafts of the creative form
of their work. Students will be asked to submit a one-page proposal
prior to registration. Writing to include 25-50 pages of a finished
project; statement of purpose; bibliography; journal. (Balducci)
320. Advanced Narration. Hums. 220 and permission of instructor. (4). (Excl).
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. This course satisfies the Junior-Senior writing requirement for Creative Writing majors only. Enrollment is limited to a maximum of six students, usually students who have completed Narration and/or Tutorials. Permission of instructor is required. (Hecht)
322. Advanced Creative Writing for Children and Young
Adults. Hums. 222 and permission of instructor. (4).
(Excl).
Section 001 – Evil in Children's Literature. This course
will deal with the abnormal subject of the personification of
evil in children's literature. Specific topics will include The
Faces of Evil, Murder and Mayhem, Evil Sublime, Terror and Terrorism, and the creation of Evil Characters. Illustrations as well as
texts will be considered. The course will be conducted in the
main as a seminar, but will include up to five lectures by visitors, which will be open to the public. (Balducci)
Hums 325, 326, 425, 426 Creative Writing Tutorials. 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. This course satisfies the Junior-Senior Writing Requirement for Creative Writing majors only. (Hecht/Mikolowski/Balducci)
281. Introduction to Comedy and Tragedy. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in Hums. 280. (4). (Excl).
This course will functions as a practical addendum to the subject matter of Introduction the Drama; RC Hums 280/English 245/Theatre 211. As background, students will attend the Tuesday and Thursday lectures of the Intro to Drama course (presented by RC Drama faculty member, Martin Walsh), but specific focus and individual assignments will generate from the Wednesday sessions. Those latter sessions will consist primarily of a "hands-on" analysis of not only the "what" but the "how" of dramatic communication and meaning. Through a series of in-class staging experiments and "nuts and bolts" understanding of how a drama works on a stage to stimulate perceptual response in a living, breathing audience. (Note: evaluation of performance will not be based on acting ability or expertise.) Special attention will be paid to traditional stylistic and technical distinctions between the separate genres of Comedy and Tragedy. Regular in-class participation, minimum two papers, one written performance critique, and participation in an informal "End-of Term Show" required. Note: Those wishing to participate in the 281 section should register only under that course number. (Brown)
381. Shakespeare on the Stage. Hums. 280 or permission of instructor. (4). (HU).
This course involves intensive study of Shakespeare's plays as performed events. Students will read, discuss, analyze, and explore through performance outstanding scenes from nine major plays, representing all genres Shakespeare practiced, in order to discover how Shakespeare's drama communicates it meaning to an audience in a theatre. Attention to the conventions and conditions of the Elizabethan stage, the shape of Shakespeare's career as a whole, and modern interpretations of the Bard will supplement this activity. Two prepared scenes, one monologue, short "precept papers," and an End-of-Term presentation cum Final. The principal plays will be: Comedies – Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night; Histories; Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2; Tragedies – Hamlet, Antony & Cleopatra, King Lear; Problem Plays (Tragicomedy) – Measure for Measure; Romances – The Tempest. No prerequisites. Freshpersons may consider this an entry level course for the RC Drama Concentration and the equivalent of Intro. to Theatre and Drama. For more advanced Theater students there will be ample opportunities for directing scenes and developing Shakesperean/Elizabethan audition pieces as part of one's requirements. (Walsh)
482. Drama Interpretation II: Performance Workshop. Hums. 280 and either Hums. 282 or playwriting, or permission of instructor. (4-6). (Excl).
This course is a hands-on approach to stage directing. The first half of the term is devoted to exercises in staging such as creating tableaux, and setting choreography. Students will also evolve design concepts, analyze scripts and develop rehearsal techniques. There will be a midterm project, possible in collaboration with the R.C. "Shakespeare on Stage" class and a final project of the director's choosing. Written work includes an on-going journal and several critiques. (Mendeloff)
485. Special Drama Topics. Sophomore standing.
(1-2). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. May be repeated
for a total of 4 credits.
Section 001 – Performance Workshop in Roman Comedy. From the people who brought you the Bacchae; an opportunity to combine theater history, dramaturgy, and the slapstick and improv techniques
of Roman acting. Instructor/director Kate Mendeloff and translator/scholar
Sallie Goetsch will join students in reconstructing Plautus' fragmentary
Cistellaria into an RC production called Easy Virtue. Requirements:
journal-keeping, some research, acting and movement exercises, participation (as cast, staff, or crew) in the production. No
experience necessary. Admission by interview/audition. This two
credit hour mini-course will meet on Wednesday evenings from 8:00
pm to 10:00 pm from January 16 through March 20, 1994, in the
RC Auditorium.
250. Chamber Music. (1). (Excl). Offered
mandatory credit/no credit.
Section 001 – Instrumental: Small Chamber Orchestra and Small
Ensembles. No audition is required. Course may be used to
fulfill the Residential College's Arts Practicum Requirement.
All students who are interested in participating in instrumental
ensembles can enroll for one or two hours of credit. 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. Responsibilities
for one hour of credit include three to four hours of rehearsal
time per week (some individual and some group rehearsal), and participation in one or more chamber music concerts per term, if appropriate. Responsibilities for two hours of credit include
at least six hour of rehearsal time, participation in the small
chamber group and mixed ensembles, as well as participation in
one or two concerts per term, if appropriate. Students wanting
to elect this course for two hours of credit must register for
both section 001 and 003. An override from the instructor is required
for section 003. (Kardas-Barna)
Section 002 – Handbells. This one-credit hour course focuses on performance on a four-octave set of handbells. Playing handbells is an excellent way for students to learn or to improve music reading skills and to experience the joy of playing with a group – a special kind of chamber music. Students must read music. (Halsted)
252. Topics in Music. (4). (HU).
Section 001. "Sounding Together" – Culture, Community, & Heterogeneous Sounds in Black Popular Music. This seminar-style
course will examine a select history of African-American music
production focusing primarily on the development of urban styles
in recorded music. Readings, listening, and discussions will survey
and raise questions about historical and cultural issues, such
as African musical retentions, the historical legacy of appropriation
and consumption of Black styles since Minstrelsy, gender and subcultural
expressions in Black styles, and music as cultural politics. These
historical examinations will always be framed by discussions of the role and critical effect of the recording industry on black
music production and consumptions since the marketing of "race
records" beginning in the 1920s. There will be a strong emphasis
on listening and understanding the construction of the musics
examined. This will all set the stage for understanding the significance
of currently popular musical genres that are influenced by Black
styles here and abroad. For example, projects and "collaborations"
by Paul Simon, David Byrne, and Peter Gabriel in the World Beat
market, and the cataclysmic embrace and rejection of Hip-Hop music
in popular culture. (Gaunt)
Section 002 – Women Making Music. This course will explore the experiences of women in music – both past and present, encourage an appreciation of music created by women, and develop an understanding of the effect of social and historical context on the creative process. The first half of the course will focus on a number of historical figures and the second half will be devoted to women in music in the twentieth century. Besides the readings and lectures, the class will listen to recorded music, attend concerts, and have guest speakers who are currently creating and performing music. While the historic information will be about "classical" music, the study will also include composers and performers of popular music. No music reading skills are required. History and text books have tended to ignore the contributions of women's music and performance. The course is for all who want to have a more complete picture of those who helped develop Western music. Besides studying interesting historical and present-day figures, students will also learn about and be able to recognize many different forms and kinds of music. (Halsted)
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 necessary. (Blanchard)
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 necessary. (Blanchard)
350. Creative Musicianship. (4). (HU).
This music theory-composition course is designed to give students the skills necessary to understand and to create music AS A FORM OF PERSONAL/EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION. Nothing is assumed in the way of musical background; many students will have had instrumental, vocal and/or performance experience; others may have taken music theory or history classes; but those who are apprehensive about composition will be welcomed and guided through a process that enables them to create music of their own. Fifteen students will be accepted. Each student works at his/her own level on the musical element under consideration (rhythm, melody, harmony). This course meets for 4 class hours, and you should plan to spend a minimum of 10-12 hours per week preparing materials for class. There will be a programmed theory text required, to be selected according to your own level of experience, and other readings as well. The accompanying lab, (RC Humanities 351) is required unless excused by the instructor. (Moore)
351. Creative Musicianship Lab. Hums. 350. (1-2). (Excl).
This is a required lab course to be taken with Humanities 350; however, it can be taken by itself. It will deal with the three basic elements of music (melody, harmony, rhythm) through music reading, writing, singing, the use of ear-training tapes, and computer lab programs. The class will be divided into three sections according to ability and experience levels. Each section meets together as a group; and students will also work individually and with a lab partner. It may be elected for either one or two credits, depending on the amount of work one chooses to do. Attendance at both Tuesday and Thursday class sessions are necessary whether you are taking the lab for one or two credits. Particularly advanced students may be exempted from taking this lab on permission of the instructor. (Moore/Staff)
216. Understanding Mathematics. High school algebra. (3). (Excl).
This is a course in "Mathematics Appreciation": by analogy with Music appreciation, it does not attempt to train students in mathematical technique, nor in applying math to practical problems, but rather focuses on the nature of mathematical concepts and the scope and diversity of modern mathematical results. The framework of the course is historical, with excursions into the modern developments of the gradually-accreting body of concepts and procedures. Emphasis is placed on making the abstract aspects of mathematics accessible and understandable, particularly the more counter-intuitive results and the more elegant proofs. A special concern throughout the course is the question of the existence of mathematical concepts: Are they Platonic ideal, meaningless formal symbols, or creations of the human imagination? And how do they relate to the physical and social universe? The course is intended for any undergraduate student who has an interest in mathematics – my experience has been that these are numerous, though many of them are not prepared to run the Calculus gauntlet to satisfy their curiosity. The thesis of the course is that anyone claiming to have a liberal education should have some understanding of just what mathematics is, and how it has developed. Indeed, we typically discuss many topics that even many mathematics concentrators do not encounter in the course of their ordinary studies, such as the Foundations controversy at the beginning of this century. Intuitionist/ Constructionist mathematics, the Continuum Hypothesis, the proof of the Four-Color Theorem, and Klein's Erlanger Programm, to mention a few. Ideally, the interested student will gain a refreshed appreciation for the beauty and fascination of mathematics, and some idea of what mathematicians do. This is, basically, a Humanities Seminar, and therefore there will be considerable writing and student participation expected. During the course of the term, each student will do two minor projects and one major one (the latter can be done in groups). These may be papers, presentations to the class, or software demonstrations. The minor ones (at monthly intervals) are to be 5-7 pages if papers, or 15 minutes (with handouts) if presentations; the final, major project is to be 10-20 pages if a paper, or 30 minutes with handouts if a presentation. In addition, daily participation in a computer conference is required. We begin with Greek Mathematics and proceed through such topics as the axiomatic method, the different modes of mathematical perception (e.g., algebraic methods vs. geometric), the various methods of proof and the nature of mathematical existence and certainty, the nature of number and of number systems, the social utility of mathematics, etc. Proceeding to the Renaissance, we consider the Indian and Arabic legacy, the invention of calculus and its subsequent effect on science, the problems of continuity, infinity, convergence, series and sequences, and the resurgence of number theory in the 17th and 18th centuries. Approaching modern times, we take up the philosophical controversies arising from the attempts to axiomatize analysis, the discovery of non-Euclidean geometries, and the development of set theory, culminating in Cantor's treatment of infinities and Hilbert's formalization program, and the competing schools in the foundations disputes that led to Godel's proofs and Cohen's independence results, and their impact on modern logic and mathematics. Finally, we survey some important accessible results in the last quarter-century, including the Four-Color theorem, the classification of finite simple groups, advances in prime factorization and its application to open-key cryptography, fractals and chaos theory, and non-Aristotelian logic systems. (Lawler)
262/University Courses 262. AIDS: The Challenge to Society. (4). (NS).
This course will explore the biomedical and psychosocial aspects of the worldwide AIDS epidemic. Basics of the immune system will be covered, as well as virology and epidemiology. The course will emphasize the cultural, political and ethical issues that surround societal responses to the epidemic. Topics include: immunology of AIDS viruses and retroviruses, the natural history of HIV infection, drug and vaccine developments, AIDS in minority communities, AIDS in women and children, cultural issues in AIDS research and treatment, AIDS prevention and education, and local and international impact. Throughout, students can expect to gain insight into how the scientific enterprise interfaces with the larger society and its prevailing values. The course will meet for two 1-1/2 hour lecture periods per week; in addition, students will have available a two hour discussion period per week. Several short (3-4 pp.) papers, a group research project/paper, and midterm and final exams will be assigned. This course is open to student who have taken at least one college-level natural science course, and is especially intended for those considering careers in the biomedical, public health, or psychosocial fields. (Sloat)
450. Science and Social Responsibility. (4).
(Excl).
Section 001 – Topics in Ecology, Environment and Development.
Prerequisites: Ability to read and understand spoken Spanish, or permission of the instructor. A seminar aimed at addressing
environmental and socio-political interactions, mostly regarding the Third World and especially Latin American countries. A broad
range of subjects will be discussed including biogeography, community
ecology and plant evolution, environmental justice, conservation
and human survival, sustainable development and the differential
views on environmental issues by the underdeveloped and developed
world. The seminar will have a strong Spanish component to expose
native Spanish speakers, as well as students with a working knowledge
of Spanish, to a scientific discipline in a language other than
English. It intends to allow the student to develop a frame of thought in Spanish, engage in bilingual scientific discussion, become familiar with the terminology, and write scientific papers
in their native or second language. Students should be prepared
to hold discussions, read materials and attend lectures in Spanish.
Skills in bilingual interaction will be developed. This course
is not designed to satisfy foreign language requirement. Students
less than fluent in Spanish are not discouraged from registering.
This seminar will be interacting with RC Spanish 324, which focuses
on environmental problems in Chile through video material. (de
la Cerda)
391. The Politics of Quantification. (4).
(Excl).
Social Science Statistics. Math 391 provides an introduction
to the use of statistics by social scientists who want to explore
or confirm their theories and hypotheses. It differs from traditional
statistics courses in its emphasis on experiential learning: each
student designs an independent research project, gathers the data
(either by survey or from printed numerical sources), enters the
data into the computer, performs appropriate statistical analyses, and reports the results as a research poster. Students work on this project throughout the term, immediately translating techniques
learned in class into practice for their projects. The first part
of the course focuses on the development of research questions
from theory and general observation, and on the development of
appropriate ways to measure the relevant concepts. In the second
(and largest) part of the course, students learn basic descriptive
and inferential statistical techniques, with an emphasis on interpreting the results and selecting appropriate techniques to answer particular
questions. In the third part of the course, students learn to
communicate the results of their statistical work using graphs
and clear narrative prose. The course culminates with an open
research poster session where students present their findings
to each other and the RC faculty. Computers: Students will make
extensive use of computers and statistical software for required
homework and in completing their projects. No prior knowledge
of computers is required. Written work: Students will complete
weekly homework assignments. The instructor and students work
collaboratively on the research project, with several small assignments
required throughout the term. This project culminates in the presentation
of a research poster. There will be an in-class final exam. (Bogue)
214/Physics 214. The Physicists and the Bomb. High school mathematics. (4). (Excl).
In this course we will consider the role played by physicists and others in the development of the Atomic Bomb, its precursors, and its aftermath. It deals with technical, political, and ethical aspects of this episode, and also its impact on literature, language, film, and popular culture. Some of the principal players, including J. Robert Oppenheimer and Edward Teller, continue to interest authors in audiences. Individuals who were themselves involved in some of the events will appear. The story will include: The First World War (introduction of aerial warfare and poison gas); European inter-war developments (rise of fascism); "Modern" physics (from the discoveries of x-rays and radioactivity to nuclear fission and fusion); the refugees; preliminaries to the Manhattan project; building the Bomb, the decision to drop the Bomb; Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the Cold War and McCarthy; Big Science; the decision to build the H-Bomb; "In the matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer"; and the nuclear arms race. Readings are drawn from The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes, Hiroshima by John Hersey, Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse, and original documents, memoirs and biographies of the participants. Film and video presentations. Students will write research papers on aspects of this story. (Sanders)
232. History of Life. (4). (NS).
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, paleoecology of species and communities, continental drift and biogeography, climate and evolution, and human evolution. Also, we will discuss the implications of earth history and evolution for biodiversity and conservation, nature vs. nurture in human behavior, and evolution and ethics. Readings are drawn from current literature in paleontology, evolution, and ecology. (Badgley)
Note to Seniors concentrators in the Social Science Program: Under the requirements for the Social Science concentration, all seniors must write a graduating essay for which they will receive two credits. They MUST, therefore, register for two credit under RC Core 410 Senior Project during Winter Term. Students will then receive regular guidance and feedback from the faculty. To register, you will need an override from Charlie Bright and a letter of permission from the RC Counseling Office.
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)
290. Social Science Basic Seminar. (4). (Excl).
This seminar is designed for students at the sophomore level or above who are seriously considering a Social Science concentration in the Residential College. The seminar is a requirement in the Social Science program; its purpose is to prepare students to pursue a concentration program in Social Science in the RC. Seminar sessions will introduce students to the RC Social Science faculty and upper-level Social Science majors, and discussion will center on how to turn general interests into problems that can be investigated systematically. Early on, students will begin working on their own with guidance from faculty and upper-level students whose interests complement theirs in order to complete the principal goal of the seminar: designing a coherent, individualized program of study for the Social Science concentration. (Greenspan)
360. Social Science Junior Seminar. Upperclass
standing. (4). (Excl). May be repeated for credit.
Section 001 – Alternative Perspectives on Economic Policy Issues.
This course has several major objectives: to introduce students
to the kind of reasoning that underlies contemporary mainstream
economics, as well as the way in which it is applied to contemporary
policy issues; and to enable students to undertake a critical
analysis of mainstream economic reasoning in the context of alternative
perspectives on policy issues. During the term we will consider
four major issues of economic policy that are currently under
heated discussion in this country: (1) how to protect the environment;
(2) whether to ratify the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA); (3) how to develop a national health care system; and (4) how to improve the educational system. After a brief introduction
to mainstream economic theory, we will proceed to examine each
of the above policy issues in turn. We will first examine the
way in which mainstream economic theory approaches the issue and the kind of policy conclusions it points to. Then we will explore
critiques of mainstream theory and policy, as well as alternative
approaches suggested by different perspectives. We will seek to
determine just how and why the alternative approaches differ from the mainstream arguments. There are no formal prerequisites for this course. Students who have already taken an economics course
may find some of the course material a little easier, but this
won't make a big difference; I will not presume any background
in economics, but only an interest in economic policy issues.
Course requirements will include active participation in classroom
discussion – including taking part in at least one of the debates
to be organized on each policy issue – and a series of writing
assignments, some of which will be collective in nature. Readings
for the course will be drawn from a great variety of sources and compiled in several course packs. Apart from numerous journal
and periodical articles, we will make use of extensive selections
from the following books: Carson and Thomas, The American
Economy: Contemporary Problems and Analysis (1993); Herman
Daly and John Cobb, For the Common Good (1989); Alan
Blinder, Hard Hearts, Soft Heads (1987); Eban Goodstein, Economics and the Environment (1994). (Weisskopf)
Section 002 – Race and Ethnicity in Latin American History. In this seminar we will explore some of the ways that Latin Americans have identified themselves in relation to others, focusing on the impact of competing cultural identities on the consolidation of state power from the late-eighteenth century to the present. We will compare different theoretical frameworks scholars have employed to explain (1) how identities based on conceptions of ethnicity or race have been constructed in particular historical moments; (2) the ways cultural identities have been deployed to support or contest relations of power; and (3) the changes in cultural identities and national societies over time and the relationship between these changes and poltitical and economic processes. We will discuss a variety of case studied in an attempt to contextualize theoretical discussions of race, ethnicity, and projects to construct hegemonic states. These case studies will include the indigenous rebellions of the 1780s in the Andes; conceptions of color distinctions in post-Independence Haiti and in nineteenth-century Cuba; struggles to redefine race, ethnicity and national identity in revolutionary Mexico and Cuba; the rise of racial ideologies in twentieth-century Brazil; and the relationship between ethnicity and poltitcal struggles in recent Central American history. (Caulfield)
Section 003 – Exploring the Boundary Between Politics and Science. That science is a major resource whose disposition is often intensely contested may seem obvious from current event. Struggles over the promotion and control of scientific knowledge arise in virtually every aspect of social life, yet academic disciplines only partially treat these contests. Political theorists have addressed the exercise of power and how this should be observed, but have rarely addressed the expression of power in the development of science. Historians and sociologists of science have developed many techniques for examining the ways in which science is shaped by society and culture, but have rarely linked such social and cultural processes to the operation of power. Disciplinary training in the natural sciences that encourages scientists not to address either questions of social shaping or questions regarding the operation of power with regard to science is still endemic in a culture that typically endorses the traditional empiricist claim that the sole purpose of natural science is to achieve truth and eliminate error. The purpose of this seminar is to explore how disciplinary approaches drawn from political science and from the history of science may be synthesized to examine struggles over the promotion and control of science at any level – local, national, international, transnational. The seminar proceeds first, by examining theoretical approaches to power in political theory and to science in current studies in the history and sociology of science; second, by exploring the use of new techniques that arise from a synthesis of these disciplinary approaches; third, by applying these techniques to case studies addressed by the seminar as a group and by member of the seminar. Case studies for the seminar as a whole will probably include: (1) the evolution of American and British policies for regulating genetic engineering; and (2) current negotiations on verification of compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention. The course will provide a fairly intensive introduction to current issues associated with political theories of power on the one hand and with the historical and sociological analysis of science on the other. Readings will be drawn from the following sources and others to be decided: Robert Dahl, Who Governs? (1961); Peter Bachrach and Morton Baratz, "Two Faces of Power" (1962); Steven Lukes, Power: A Radical View (1974); Michel Foucault, Power/Knowledge (1980); Nancy Hartsock, Money, Sex, Power (1983); Nancy Hartsock, "Foucault on Power: A Theory for Women?" (1990); Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962); Andrew Webster, Science, Technology and Society (1991); Susan Wright, Molecular Politics: Developing American and British Regulatory Policy for Genetic Engineering (1994). (Wright)
Section 004 – International Grassroots Development: Perspectives from the Field. What does "development really mean in the Third World? Do people need Western education? Business know-how? A national consciousness? Something to believe in? Liberation? In this course we will look at how different definitions of "the problem" in the Third World drive the different kinds of solutions proposed by grassroots organizations around the world. Besides posing some heavy questions, this course will give you an idea of what it's really like to work in international grassroots development. You will get an idea of the kinds of development projects that currently being planned, carried out and evaluated by local people in the "developing" world: participatory theater, AIDS education, "training for transformation," small enterprise development, literacy and health projects, Freirian consciousness raising. You will learn and teach others some empowerment education techniques successfully used by field workers in developing countries and see how they might be applied in grassroots projects in the U.S. Be prepared for lively discussion, a practical focus, lots of writing – and lots of help with your writing. The instructor is a writer for Peace Corps and has been involved in international development in Asia, Africa, and the South Pacific and in training programs for foreign nationals in the U.S. (Fox)
Section 005 – Doing and Resisting Evil Collectively: The Psychology of Social Movements. For Winter Term, 1994, this section is jointly offered with Psychology 401.001. (Landman)
460. Social Science Senior Seminar. Senior
standing. (4). (Excl). May be repeated for credit.
Section 001 – Contemporary Social Theories: Recent Paradigm Contenders.
In The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Thomas Kuhn argues that fields of inquiry in science go through periods of "revolution"
in which the conventional wisdom from the past comes under basic
questioning. New "paradigms" or "exemplary models"
of how to ask questions and answer them redefine what is at issue
and how it can be understood. The vast majority of social science
work today depends on "paradigmatic" statements of what
is at issue that stems from the work of Karl Marx and then reactions
from the next generation of European minds like Freud, Durkheim, Max Weber, and their cohort. Many observers of the contemporary
scene believe that the past twenty years has been (and continues
to be) a comparable time of intellectual ferment, with some fundamentally
new questions and modes of answering them being asked about the
character of social life and the individual's place within it.
This course will explore some of these more recent paradigm contenders.
The reading list is still being chosen. "Musts" include
Herbert Marcuse, One Dimensional Man; Peter Berger's The Homeless Mind (re: modern consciousness); Gregory
Bateson's Step Toward an Ecology of Mind; and Fritchof
Capra's Turning Point. A wide range of other authors
currently are being explored, as well, including radical feminist theorists, ecologists, political figures like Gandhi and Mao who
have rethought bases of power and integration in modern life, decentralists like Hazel Henderson, E.F. Schumacher, Mark Saten, a variety of Third World social analysts and critics, and physical
scientists like Ilya Prigogine who are rethinking the nature of
"structure" and qualitative change. The course will
be run as a seminar, with close mutual reading of several key
works, some small group responsibility for works that others have
not read, and a series of short papers. (M. Heirich)
Section 002 – Research Seminar on the Cultural Politics of Class in Southeast Michigan. In this course we shall carry out research projects on the changing class structure of Southeast Michigan, giving particular attention to the emerging "economic corridor" between Detroit and Ann Arbor and to the experiences of those who live at the bottom of this economy. We shall consider, among other things, how the local class structure has changed over the last two decades, what forms of cultural discipline have accompanied this change, which groups now occupy the lower rungs of the system, and how they make sense of their conditions. This course fulfills the Residential College Social Science research requirement. (Rouse)
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