358. Topics in Black World
Studies. (3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total
of six credits.
Section 003 – Community Research Practicum. For Winter Term, 1998, this section is offered jointly with Psychology
305.003. (Barbarin)
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458. Issues in Black World
Studies. (3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total
of six credits.
Section 001 – Empowering African American Families and Communities.
For Winter Term, 1998, this section is offered jointly with Psychology 470.002. (Mattis)
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490. Special Topics in Black
World Studies. Junior standing. (1-2). (Excl). May
be repeated for a total of six credits.
Section 002 – Suzan-Lori Parks. (1 credit). Meets Jan 23-Feb.20.
Suzan-Lori Parks is a playwright and screenwriter. She is author
of "Girl 6," "Venus," "The Death of the
Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World," "Imperceptible
Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom," and other works. At the
1996 Black Theater Network Awards Luncheon at which Parks received
an award for innovation in theatre, the following exchange took
place: "Moderator: 'George [C. Wolfe], tell Suzan-Lori how
much we love her work and how much we want her to keep on writing.
We don't necessarily understand what she's writing, but we want
her to continue to do so anyhow.' Audience: (great laughter from the audience)." In this 5 week mini-course we will attempt
to gain a better "understand[ing]" of the work of Suzan-Lori
Parks. Be prepared to prepare oral in-class readings of selected
plays studied in the course. Cost: 1; WL:4 (Splawn)
Section 003 – Black Counterpublics: Theory, History, &
Practice. (1 credit). Meets March 13-April 10. This seminar
introduces the concepts of "counterpublics," "subaltern
publics," and "multiple publics" and applies them
to analyzing examples of Black publics (mainly in the United States)
from the era of slavery up to the present. We will examine how the "official" public sphere excludes people on the
basis of race, class, and gender (as expressed through language, repertoires of communication, and styles of collective action), as well as how specific Black communities have created their own
spaces of association and political communication. Examples will
be drawn from three historical moments: Black women's participation
in religious publics in the post-emancipation period; the relationship
between 'hidden transcripts' and public resistance during the
civil rights movement; and the questions raised by contemporary
Black intellectuals in analyzing popular music and expressive
cultures. We will also consider questions of boundaries, diasporas, and the construction of national vs. transnational identities.
Cost:2 WL:4 (Sheller)
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462. Readings in Modern
Chinese. Chinese 461. (5). (Excl).
Chinese 461-462 is a two-term Chinese language course sequence
with graded readings at an advanced level. Texts chosen from a
variety of sources in both Mainland China and Taiwan include 20th-century
fiction and essays on various topics. While students are helped
to further improve command of structure and vocabulary in a range
of language styles, the primary emphasis of the sequence is on
reading comprehension with the aim of enabling students to read
original materials with less reliance on a dictionary. Development
of speaking and writing skills will also be stressed through discussions
on the readings. In this term, longer texts will be used and efforts
will be made to improve reading skills and speed. Weekly assignments
such as, but not limited to, composition in Chinese and translation
into English are required. Classes are conducted largely in Chinese.
(Chen)
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110. Beginning Sanskrit.
S&SEA 109. No credit granted to those who have
completed or are enrolled in S&SEA 369. (3). (LR).
This course will work toward developing a proficiency with the basic tools necessary to read and write Sanskrit, the classical
language of India. Lessons will include study of the script (Devanagari), elementary grammar and vocabulary. The grade will be based on
completion of regular homework assignments, weekly quizzes, a
midterm and a final exam. (Deshpande)
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250. Undergraduate Seminar
in South and Southeast Asian Culture. No knowledge
of any Asian language required. (3). (HU). May be repeated with
department permission.
Section 003 – Bhagavad-Gita: The Activist View of Hinduism.
This class introduces Hinduism to students through an intensive
study of this single most important scriptural text, the Bhagavad-Gita.
We spend half the time going over the text-in-translation, chapter
by chapter. The other half of the class time is devoted to critical
issues relating to the text, i.e., history of the text, its transmission, its location within the history of Hinduism, its connections with political/cultural history, its ancient and modern interpretations. The grade is based on class participation, two papers, and two in-class examinations. (Deshpande)
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239. What is Literature?
Prerequisite for concentrators in the Regular Program
and in Honors. (3). (HU).
Section 011 – Telling Stories: A Need to Narrate. We will
want to, in this class, think about the power and the connectedness that the act of telling stories might provide. For example a character
in Ursula Hegi's Stones From the River thinks: Every
time I take a story and let it stream through my mind from beginning
to end, it grows fuller, richer, feeding on my visions of those
people the story belonged to until it leaves its bed like the
river I love. And then I have to tell the story to someone. Our
readings will often focus on the dynamics of the imaginative process – our
own as well as the author's. As we begin the course by reading
and discussing a masterly short piece by Borges entitled "Borges
and I" in which the author-narrator begins to question where
his identity begins and his characters' end. As the term continues
and we discuss various 20th-century literature (mostly), we will
find ourselves grappling with issues as basic as what defines the dimensions of a character and the place that character makes
in his or her world. We want to understand how an author has prepared these amazing creations to speak to us. Although the complete
syllabus decisions are yet to be made, I'm sure we will want to
read the following novels to help us unfold the ingenious visions
of those who seek to "tell us stories": French Lieutenant's
Woman; A Prayer For Owen Meany; Mama Day; and Stones
From the River. (Back)
Section 012 and 013. The purpose of this section is to
introduce you to a wide range of the critical concepts and issues
you are likely to encounter in other English courses. To that
end, we will read some very different works – a couple of "classics"
and some contemporary works – along with various critical responses.
The course will also have a practical research component, including
a field trip to the library. Texts (at Shamman Drum): Hamlet, Endgame, Cloud 9, Wuthering Heights, Beloved, and a course
pack (at Accucopy). Requirements: faithful and enthusiastic attendance, participation, three short exercises, an eight-page paper, an
oral report, a midterm, and a final. (Herold)
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325. Essay Writing: The
Art of Exposition. (4). (Excl).
Section 007 – Rhetoric and Reasoning in Written and Visual Communication.
Social critic Raymond Williams reminds us that communication is
not a static concept; discourse is a continuously evolving and transformative integration of languages and signs and symbols.
We will be examining various forms of inquiry and argumentation
and creativity, applying research and insight to the process of
discovery, analysis, and interpretation. We will be asking ourselves
questions as we work through issues of logic, perspective, and representation: How does writing reflect its author and the society
from which it is produced? How do media influence the public imagination?
How does a writer master form and retain originality? Upon what
assumptions do we base our criticism of what we write or read?
How can we account for opinions which vary from our own and upon
what evidence do we base our acceptance or rejection of the positions
of others? Can individuals collaborate successfully? In what ways
might writing inspire thoughtful reflection? Several papers require
argumentative inquiry while others are dependent upon research
and interpretation. Four papers of 5-6 pages and a final 10-15
page essay. Revision may be needed, and the class requires discussions
and some oral presentations. (Morris)
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450. Political Modernization
in the Developing World. Any 100-level course in
political science. (3). (Excl).
This course will have a double purpose. It will cover some
of the key conceptions of political development and explore how
such large scale transformations affect other sectors of national
life. Moreover, the course will review briefly how national development
and the resulting mobilization of resources will affect the structure
of international power. The method of instruction will be lecture.
Cost:4 WL:4 (Organski)
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151. First-Year Social Science
Seminar. First-year students. (3). (SS). May be repeated
for credit with permission of department.
Section 007 – Social Implications of the Biological Revolution.
We will examine the social revolution soon to follow from contemporary
biology. Our topics will include the social and ethical responses
to genetic testing, "designer babies," sequencing the
human genome, and cloning. We will also examine society's response
to AIDS. The course will consist mainly of discussions based on
readings, student presentations and papers. We will apply critical thinking to conflicting social, scientific and political claims.
(Reibstein)
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351. Special Topics. (2).
(Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. May be repeated for
a total of eight credits.
Section 003 – Video Documentary Production. This course
will focus on the essentials of documentary video production.
Primary materials will include footage shot as part of the RC30AC
celebrations, and additional footage enrolled student will shoot
as part of the course. The final goal of the course will be to
produce at least one professional-quality video documentary. We
will work through the entire video production process from pre-production
planning and scripting, through production and post-production.
Students will learn about, and use, video production equipment
including cameras, lighting, and digital editing systems. Additional
meetings and lab sessions will be arranged based on the number
of credits elected. Students should keep at least two hours per
week available for lab/studio time.
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