Whether you know what you want to major in or you’re still trying to figure it out, your first semester at HWS is the perfect time to explore your interests and discover new academic disciplines. From political science to computer science, you’ll find courses designed to help you explore and discover while adjusting to college-level work.
Below, you'll find a list of the courses being offered during the fall 2011 semester. This year's courses cover a wide-range of topics and disciplines, and we're sure you'll find several that interest you. After you've looked over the list and identified the courses that you find appealing, log in to the Orientation website and complete the Academic Direction Task no later than May 23.
AMST 100 History and Form of American Culture
This course discusses the origins and development of the dominant cultural institutions of the United States, particularly the evolution and impact of the mass media and advertising and the way in which mass culture perpetuates systems of domination based on class, race, and gender.
ANTH 102 World Prehistory
This course seeks to replace myths of "killer apes" and "ancient astronauts" with archaeological reality. A broad survey of archaeological knowledge of both New and Old World prehistory provides a framework for analysis of major transitions in cultural evolution and of selected archaeological puzzles, such as the enigmatic markings of the Peruvian desert near Nazca. This course is designed for non majors who want a general understanding of what "happened" in prehistory. The course is also suitable for prospective majors who need an overview of the archaeological record against which to set more specialized courses in archaeology.
ANTH 110 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
This course explores the anthropological understanding of human society through ethnographic case studies of particular societies. In the holistic approach of anthropology, the interrelations of kinship, economics, politics, and religion are stressed. Special emphasis is also placed on anthropological theories of human behavior and the wide range of creative solutions to the problem of social living devised by various cultures of the world.
ANTH 209 Women and Men in Prehistory
Until recently, much of world prehistory has been written as if only men were participants in the evolution of culture. Women for the most part have been invisible to archaeology. In the last decade, however, archaeologists have begun to focus explicitly on the issue of gender in prehistory. This course examines some of the older male-centric models, as well as some of the innovative (and controversial) new work, endeavoring to build a picture of the past in which both men and women are seen to be actors. Cases are chosen from a mix of archaeological periods and settings but currently include the controversy over the gender of the occupant of Tomb 7 at Monte Alban, Oaxaca, Mexico.
ANTH 280 Environment and Culture: Cultural Ecology
The subject of ecological studies in cultural anthropology is the study of the interaction between human populations and their environments. These populations—hunters, gatherers, farmers, herders, and city dwellers—are examined in diverse habitats or settings: tropical forests, flooded rice plains, highland pastures, deserts, and cities. Attention is focused on ecological concepts and human adaptations and implications of these for present dilemmas in our own troubled environments. What lessons are there to be learned about resource management from "primitive" people?
ANTH 297 Peoples and Cultures of Latin America
This course examines the development of diverse populations of Latin America from colonial times to the present, dealing especially with the effects of population growth, urbanization, industrialization, international politics, and rapid social change. Students will analyze approaches to ethnicity, diaspora, migrations, genocide, sexuality, neo-liberalism, human rights, and the commodification of life and labor. The course is structured to illuminate key ethnographic pieces through selected theoretical works and to situate them within a historical/conceptual development of the discipline in the region. Students will read selected anthropological material and view films produced on different geo-political regions of Latin America.
ARCH 110 Introduction to Architecture
An introduction to architecture and design culture, this course introduces students to the aims, methods, and issues of the design and planning disciplines with architecture at the core of our studies. This course also encourages students to think, look, and read critically about designed objects, places, and spaces through drawing, although no prior experience with sketching is expected. With these tools, the student will have a basic understanding of design, and will be prepared to undertake more specialized study. The course will vary between giving students a survey of world architectural history and/or providing them with an awareness of issues facing designers at the dawn of the twenty-first century including sustainability, social responsibility, and the democratization of design.
ARTH 101 Introduction to Art: Ancient and Medieval
This course offers a chronological study of principal monuments and developments in paintings, sculpture, and architectures from prehistoric to medieval times in Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Islamic world.
ARTH 102 Introduction to Western Art: Renaissance through Modern
This course is a chronological study of principal monuments and developments in painting, sculpture, and architecture from Renaissance Italy to contemporary America.
ARTS 105 Color and Composition
A perceptual approach to problems of color interaction and compositional dynamics, students work through a carefully structured series of problems designed to reveal empirically the nature of color interaction and relatedness and the fundamentals of good visual composition. Projects range from narrowly focused color problems to ambitious, expressive compositional inventions.
ARTS 115 Three-Dimensional Design
An introduction to three-dimensional concepts, methods, and materials with an emphasis on design. Project assignments involve investigations of organization, structure, and creative problem solving. Materials generally used in the course include cardboard, wood, metals, fabric, and plexiglas.
ARTS 125 Introduction to Drawing
A basic course in visual organization and visual expression, students focus on the relational use of the visual elements to create compositional coherence, clear spatial dynamics, and visually articulate expression. Students experiment with a range of drawing materials and subject matter.
ARTS 165 Introduction to Imaging
An introduction to the methods, materials, and history of camera based image making. Lectures involve camera usage, lighting, darkroom technique, imaging software, digital printing, and pictorial composition. Weekly lectures on the history of photographically based imaging from 1839 to the present will illuminate the profound influence such methods have on the way we perceive reality.
ASN 225 Tibetan Buddhism
This course is an introduction to Tibetan belief and practice. What is life from a Buddhist perspective? What did the Buddha teach? What is the law of karma? These and many other questions are addressed. The course looks at Tibetan Buddhist practice from the Four Noble Truths to the highest Yoga tantra with special emphasis on the practice of love, kindness, and compassion. A monk's life in the monastery is also studied.
BIDIS 200 Introductory Dialogues in Critical Social Studies
We use social and cultural theory in our everyday lives but rarely very consciously. This course investigates ways in which hegemonic "common sense(s)" are constructed and changed, both in society and the academy, and the purposes they serve. The aim is to heighten awareness of personal, practical, and policy implications of social theory, and develop critical responses to it.
BIOL 167 Topics in Introductory Biology: Animal Minds
The "mind" of an animal is known to humans only by the behaviors we are able observe, and questions about animal behavior can be asked only by methods of scientific inquiry. Behavior is not simply a matter of the "brain" that produces it, rather an animal's behavior, and the brain itself, is the result of evolutionary forces and complex interactions among ecological, genetic, developmental, and physiological processes. This course explores various biological perspectives that attempt to understand the forces that shape individual and group behavior in animals. Topics may include communication, sexual behavior and mating, predator-prey interactions, migration and navigation, biological clocks, and animal intelligence.
BIOL 167 Topics in Introductory Biology: HIV and Related Topics
According to the World Health Organization, there are over 33 million people currently living with HIV. We will examine HIV form various angles including how it enters cells, how it integrates into the human genome, how it changes, and methods to detect it and prevent its infection. Through these topics we will explore concepts such as molecular and cellular components of cells, genetics and evolution, and immunology and viruses.
BIOL 167 Topics in Introductory Biology: Biology of Sex
This course examines the important themes in biology through the lens of reproduction; a defining characteristic of all life. This course uses an evolutionary-based approach to understand the cost and benefits of asexual versus sexual reproduction. We will study why sex evolved, discover some of the fantastic strategies plants and animals use to mix their genes, explore the evolution of sex, learn how genetic information is passed from generation to generation, and visit such topics as mating strategies, sperm competition, female mate choice.
BIOL 167 Topics in Introductory Biology: Biology of Exotic Species
The introduction of exotic or non-native species into environments poses a major risk to native species, especially in the United States. For example, Wilcove et al. (1998) report that of the almost 2,000 species threatened with extinction in the U.S., 49 percent are in this predicament as a result of the introduction of exotic species. This course explores the biology and ecology of invasive, exotic species in order to better understand how they are able to successfully invade, what affects they have on native species, and what might be done to control these species which pose such a significant threat to other species around the globe. As these are complex questions, students touch on a range of major concepts important in the study of biology and biological systems, including evolution, taxonomy, physiology, structural-functional relationships, and ecology.
CHEM 110 Introductory General Chemistry
This course presents a survey of chemical concepts in the context of understanding technology that impacts our lives. Fundamental chemistry is illustrated by applications to air pollution (including global warming and ozone depletion), water pollution, energy production, nutrition, and drug design. Laboratory exercises study water chemistry of Seneca Lake, local acid rain, analysis of food, and computer visualization of drug interactions in the body. Field trips include cruises on The William Scandling research vessel.
CHIN 101 Beginning Chinese I
An introduction to modern Mandarin Chinese, the course teaches four skills, i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students acquire solid training and knowledge in pronunciation, writing, grammar, usage of words, and other fundamentals of general communication skills. The principal text is Integrated Chinese, Part 1-1, Traditional Character Edition, which introduces Pinyin Romanization System. Online learning programs, a CD, and a DVD accompanying the text are used to help students learn to read, write, and use approximately 250 traditional characters, their simplified variants, as well as common polysyllabic compounds. They also acquire skills in Chinese word-processing and are able to use Chinese character input system to type characters and sentences. Instruction consists of three class contact hours and two lab sessions per week.
CHIN 201 Intermediate Chinese I
This course continues CHIN 102, but approximately 60 percent of instruction is conducted in Chinese. Students learn an additional 400 characters on top of the 550 characters they learned at the beginning level. They speak and write frequently in class and after class, acquiring a higher level of language proficiency in all four skills. They are expected to do Chinese word-processing and electronic communication with ease. The principal text is Integrated Chinese, Level 1-2, Traditional Character Edition, which is used along with online learning programs as well as a CD and DVD accompanying the text. Instruction consists of three class contact hours and two lab sessions per week.
CLAS 108 Greek Tragedy
This course is a reading in English translation of selected plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides—the earliest examples of one of the most pervasive genres of Western literature. Each play is considered both in its own right and in relation to larger issues, such as the tragic treatment of myth, relevance to contemporary Athenian problems, and the understanding of the world that these plays might be said to imply. Through attention to matters of production, an attempt is made to imagine the effect of the plays in performance in the Athenian theatre. The course considers, in addition, possible definitions of tragedy, with the aid both of other writers' views and of experiences of the texts themselves.
CLAS 125 Greek and Roman Religion
This course is an introduction to Greek and Roman religious thought and practice: the pre-Greek "goddess worship" of Minoan Crete, the Greek Olympians and the "mystery religions," the impersonal agricultural deities of the early Romans, the Greek and Roman philosophical schools, Christianity's conquest of the Empire and the Empire's regimentation of Christianity. Attention is paid to the practice of animal sacrifice, the Greek and Roman religious festivals, the contrast between public and private cult, the tolerance of religious diversity under paganism vs. the intolerance of monotheism, and pagan ideas of personal salvation. The course's approach is historical.
CLAS 202 Athens in the Age of Pericles
The great age of Athenian democracy, so fertile in its influence on our own culture, is the focus of this course, with particular attention paid to the social and political history, the intellectual life, the art, and the literature of the period. Issues such as imperialism and the exclusion of certain categories of people from full participation in the democracy are emphasized. The course traces Periclean Athens' antecedents in the archaic period and its end under the effects of the Peloponnesian War.
CPSC 120 Principles of Computer Science
Designed to appeal to a diverse audience, this course examines some of the fundamental ideas of the science of computing. Lectures and hands-on assignments cover a wide variety of topics such as hardware organization, the Internet, computer programming, limits of computing, and graphics.
CPSC 124 Introduction to Programming
An introduction to the theory and practice of computer programming, the emphasis of this course is on techniques of program development within the object-oriented paradigm. Topics include control structures, objects, classes, inheritance, simple data structures, and basic concepts of software development. Currently, Java is the programming language used in the course. This course has a required lab component, and is required for the major and minor in computer science.
DAN/T 105 Introduction to Dance: Theory and Practice
This course introduces students to the technique and theory of dance as an art form. Novice and experienced movers alike are introduced to dance theory in a lecture setting, then explore those movement theories in the dance studio. Students gain both theoretical and practical knowledge of dance and self through readings, research assignments, journal writing, film observation, live concert dance, movement experiences, discussion, and faculty lecture. Study topics include an overview of dance styles, multicultural definitions of dance, and an introduction to dance criticism, dance history, aesthetics, dance sciences, and movement analysis.
DAN/T 900 Beginning Dance—Jazz/Ballet/Modern
This course is an introduction to jazz, ballet, and modern dance technique for the beginning dance student. Students explore the basic principles of dance technique: strength, alignment, coordination, spatial and rhythmic awareness, and performance skills within the context of the unique vocabulary and aesthetic of each dance technique.
DAN/T 925 Intermediate Modern Dance II
The focus of this course is on stationary and dynamic placement in complex movement phrases. Additional areas of emphasis include rhythmic accuracy, development of individual movement style, and increased work on dynamic phrasing.
DAN/T 930 Advanced Ballet I
This course covers advanced technique with emphasis on integrating dynamic placement, musical phrasing, and complex turns, jumps, and balances. Emphasis is on continued technical execution while exploring stylistic nuances of dance expression.
ECON 122 Economics of Caring
There is more to economics than the wealth of nations. A good society is more than its wealth; it has the capacity and is willing to care for those who cannot completely provide for themselves. In this course students explore, analyze, and assess how our society cares for those who cannot provide all of the necessities of life for themselves; including children, the infirm, and the elderly. They examine public policies and debates concerning poverty, health care, education, child protection, and adoption.
ECON 135 Latin American Economies
This course looks at the Latin American economies, their troubled history, their boom-and-bust tendencies, the economic policies that have been tried, and the painful consequences in terms of poverty, inflation, and debt.
ECON 160 Principles of Economics
This course is a general introduction to economics. Microeconomic topics include supply and demand, comparative advantage, consumer choice, the theory of the firm under competition and monopolies, and market failure. Macroeconomic topics include national income accounting, the determinants of national income, employment and inflation, the monetary system and the Fed, and fiscal policy.
EDUC 203 Children With Disabilities
The intent of this course is for students to develop a thorough understanding of and sensitivity to children and youth who experience disabilities. The course examines the following questions: How does society determine who has disability? What impact does labeling have on children's lives? How special is special education? What are the various disabilities children experience? How do children with disabilities fit in the mainstream of American life? Disabilities will be explored from a variety of perspectives (family, social, legal, education, etc.) There is a service learning component to this course.
EDUC 221 Understanding Autism
This course provides an introduction to the complexities and controversies surrounding Autism Spectrum Disorders. The course begins with an examination of behavioral, social, language, and cognitive characteristics of Autism, Aspergers, and other conditions referred to under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disorders. The controversy surrounding possible causes of autism is discussed. The course also involves an in-depth study of research regarding current educational and behavioral intervention strategies for Autism, including the controversies surrounding various treatment approaches.
ENG 101 Introduction to Literary Studies
An introduction to the study of literature and narrative form, this course is devoted to detailed readings of a variety of literary works from diverse cultures, periods, and genres. The course investigates questions of framing, point of view and narrative form, and the relationship of rhetorical forms, prosody, tropes, and figures of speech to their historical and cultural contexts.
ENG 169 Literary Science Fiction and Fantasy
This course will begin with a survey of origins of science fiction and fantasy, the development of the genres in the post-Enlightenment era, the 20th Century trends, but its main focus will be the relationship between mainstream literary fiction and science fiction/fantasy, and the ultra-contemporary trend of crossover between the two. We will consider the relationship between science and the genres, the exile of science fiction from canonical literature, and what the increasing openness of literary writers and academic circles might mean. This course is designed with first-years and sophomores, as well as upper-class non-majors in mind. It will center on writing for the discipline of English and class-reading. Students should be prepared for a class which focuses intensively on skill-building.
ENG 176 Film Analysis I
This course focuses on specific aspects of the filmic system and how they work. Attention is paid to detailed analyses of images and sounds and their dynamic relation to the film’s narrative. The goal of the course is a keener understanding not only of the world of film, but of the increasingly visual world in which we live. The primary emphasis is on what is called the Classical Hollywood Model, the dominant (culturally, economically, ideologically) mode of filmmaking in the world today (although not the only mode). As such it is crucial for students of film and, arguably, for us all to be actively aware of its structures and assumptions. Open to first-year students only.
ENG 217 Chaucer: Topics
Chaucer composed his poetry in the historical context of peasant risings, religious heresy, English imperialism, and the aftermath of the Black Death and in the literary context of both the Alliterative Renaissance and the influence of the French and Italian traditions. A first topic focuses on a careful reading of The Canterbury Tales and the second concentrates on a comparative study of Troilus and Criseyde and its main source, Boccaccio's II Filostrato. Both courses investigate issues surrounding the authorship, language, audience, and ideologies of Chaucer's work within the larger cultural, social, and political context of late medieval England.
ENG 225 Shakespearian Comedy
An introduction to Shakespeare, focusing in particular on seven of his best-known comedies. We will adopt a myriad-minded approach to our readings: in some classes we will read the plays historically, paying particular attention to the ways in which these works offer us insight into the early modern English culture that produced them (and vice versa); at other times we will focus on them theatrically, exploring their dramaturgical choices, or else poetically, examining their literary aesthetics; and in other classes still we will attend to their politics, especially with respect to their handling of questions of gender, class, race, and sexuality.
ENG 226 Shakespearian Tragedy
An introduction to Shakespeare through his five best-known tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. As with ENG 225, we will approach these plays from a wide variety of critical angles, in the hope that the course will provide not only a survey of Shakespeare's plays but also a practical survey of contemporary critical methodologies.
ENG 248 American Women Writers of the 19th Century
America's first bestselling novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), was penned by a woman named Harriet Beecher Stowe. The highest paid newspaper journalist in the 1805's and 60's was Sarah Parton, or Fanny Fern, who earned $1900 per column. The editor for fifty years of one of the most popular magazines of the nineteenth century, Sarah Josepha Hale, was a household name by 1860. Yet for most of the century these remarkable women did not have the right to own or inherit property, to vote, or to have collegiate education. This course focuses on U. S women's contributions to literature, culture, and social reform during the nineteenth century, through such readings as short and long fiction, journalism, literary sketches, oratory, slave narrative, poetry, and traditional Native American tales and legends.
ENV 110 Topics in Environmental Studies
This course emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of selected pressing environmental issues. The current topics include: Biodiversity, Energy, Water, and Global Climate Change.
ENV 120 Human Geography and Global Economies
This course introduces students to the systematic examination of patterns and processes that shape the spatial organization of activities on a global scale, including agriculture, industries, international trade, population growth and migration, resource and environmental degradation, and development and underdevelopment. Students learn where and why various human activities are located on the Earth, why those activities are moving from one place to another, and the theories developed to explain changes in the landscape. The course addresses current issues of national and international importance such as globalization of culture and the economy, underdevelopment, pollution and environmental degradation, population growth and conflicts.
EUST 101 Foundations of European Studies I: Antiquity to Renaissance
Arising from the conjunction, over time, of ancient Mediterranean peoples with other indigenous groups, the set of cultures known as "European" continues to influence us. Drawing on art, history, literature, music, and philosophy from Greco Roman antiquity to the Renaissance, this course explores, both historically and critically, some of the core ideas which characterize these European cultures.
FRE 101 Beginning French I
This is an immersion course that teaches speaking, listening, reading, writing, and French body language through a creative combination of interactive materials that introduce students to French culture as well as language. This course, which uses French as the principal language of instruction in the classroom, includes two mandatory laboratories per week.
FRE 105 Beginning French II
This course offers qualified students the opportunity to review and complete the elementary sequence of language acquisition. Students learn the fundamentals of the French language (speaking, listening, writing, and reading). Instruction and practice rely heavily on technological tools such as CDs, computerized drilling exercises, and interactive Web activities. Weekly laboratory is mandatory. First-year students are placed in the class after examination of their high school records; other students may enroll with permission of the instructor. This course, which uses French as the principal language of instruction in the classroom, includes two mandatory laboratories per week.
FRE 120 Intermediate French I
This course offers qualified students the opportunity to review all the fundamentals of the French language (speaking, listening, writing, and reading). The course will also explore French and Francophone culture, art and literature through short readings. First-year students are placed in the class after examination of their high-school records; other students can enroll if they meet the requirements, or with permission of the instructor. This course, which uses French as the principal language of instruction in the classroom, includes two mandatory laboratories per week.
FRE 130 Intermediate French II
This course offers qualified students the opportunity to reinforce all the fundamentals of the French language. Students work with the interactive DVD Jules et Jim to practice oral/aural skills as well as review fundamentals of French grammar. Jules et Jim also gives students a unique window on French culture including art, history, literature, and cinema. This course, which uses French as the principal language of instruction in the classroom, includes two mandatory laboratories per week.
FRE 226 French in Review I: Parler et Comprendre
This course offers a complete grammar review while emphasizing aural and speaking skills to prepare students for advanced courses. All grammatical concepts are reviewed to form a firm foundation for all advanced French classes. The course, which uses French as the principal language of instruction in the classroom, includes two mandatory laboratories per week.
FRE 227 French in Review II: Lireet écrire
This is an advanced language course in which students learn nuances of French grammar and stylistics through reading, and various writing exercises. This course continues to review the fundamentals of grammar while emphasizing the skills of reading and writing. The course will guide the students through cultural and literary texts of increasing difficulty and help them develop strategies for reading texts in French. These strategies will lead to understanding of vocabulary through the use of lexical resources (dictionaries and web materials), understanding of grammatical syntax, and ability to identify writing strategies in written texts using stylistic analysis. Class includes two mandatory labs per week.
GEO 140 Introduction to Environmental Geology
Understanding the risks associated with natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, droughts and floods, and conversely sustainably managing important resources such as energy, minerals, wetlands, coastal areas and fresh water supplies demands an understanding of fundamental geologic principles, materials and processes.
GEO 182 Introduction to Meteorology
The influence of weather and climate affect our daily activities, our leisure hours, transportation, commerce, agriculture, and nearly every aspect of our lives. In this course many of the fundamental physical processes important to the climate system and responsible for the characteristics and development of weather systems will be introduced. We will examine the structure of the atmosphere, parameters that control climate, the jet stream, large-scale pressure systems, as well as an array of severe weather phenomena including hurricanes, tornados, thunderstorms and blizzards. Upon completion of this course, we will have developed: (a) a foundation of basic scientific inquiry (b) a basic comprehension of the physical processes that govern weather and climate, and (c) an understanding of the elements of weather and climate that are most important to society.
GEO 184 Introduction to Geology
We will explore the form and function of the solid Earth, using plate tectonics as a central paradigm. From this framework, we investigate minerals and rocks, volcanoes, earthquakes, the rise and fall of mountains, the origin and fate of sediments, the structure of our landscape and geologic time. We analyze geological resources such as minerals and fossil fuels, and the many other ways human society interacts with our restless planet. We work extensively in the field and typically take one mandatory weekend field trip. Students in this course must take the math placement test and score a 20 or better.
GEO 186 Introduction to Hydrogeology
Water and water resources are critical issues for the sustenance of every society. This course is an introduction to hydrogeology and explores water in the atmosphere, lakes, oceans, and other reservoirs found on land and the movement among reservoirs. Discussion of the role of water in natural systems results in an exploration of (1) atmospheric moisture; (2) floods and stream processes; (3) the physical , chemical, and ecological characteristics of lakes and oceans; (4) aquifers and groundwater processes; and (5) wetlands. We will use quantitative reasoning to examine the characteristics and importance of water across environmental and geophysical sciences. Students in this course must take the math placement test and score a 20 or better.
GERM 101 Beginning German I
German instruction endeavors to foster cross-cultural competence by infusing historical knowledge, cultural artifacts, and social structures into the very first lesson. Auf geht's!, the instructional materials for both German 101 and 102, sets as its goals intercultural understanding and intercultural communicative competence. While the former goal refers to the ability to analyze and think critically about the effects that culture, language and worldview have on each other, the latter describes the ability to interact with people from another country and culture in a foreign language in a way that is satisfactory to themselves and the other and that shows an awareness of the specific meanings, connotation, and the historical and social context of the target language.
GERM 201 Intermediate German I
Instruction at the 200-level continues along the same lines as that on the 100-level in that tranlinguistic and transcultural competency is the overriding goal. The materials of instruction is Weiter geht's!, the second year companion to Auf geht's! and instruction focuses on training learners translinguistic and transcultural awareness.
GRE 101 Elementary Ancient Greek
"There is one criterion, and one only, by which a course for the learners of a language no longer spoken should be judged: the efficiency and speed with which it brings them to the stage of reading texts in the original language with precision, understanding, and enjoyment." This statement by Sir Kenneth Dover characterizes the approach to learning Greek pursued in the beginning sequence (GRE 101, GRE 102). The aim of this sequence is to provide students with the vocabulary and grammatical skills necessary to read ancient Greek authors as quickly as possible. This language study also offers an interesting and effective approach to the culture and thought of the Greeks.
HIST 101 Foundations of European Society
With the decline of the Roman Empire, Europe's cultural heritage faced unprecedented challenges and opportunities. The "Dark Ages" were a time of recovery and synthesis, with Germanic and Pagan customs mixing with Roman and Christian culture to form a unique blend of religion, family life, politics, and economy. Through literature, this course discusses the origins of the Western ascetic spirit and the beginning of romantic love and the cult of chivalry. Through visual sources, it explores the construction and defense of castles and manors and traces the embryonic development of agriculture and technology.
HIST 102 The Making of the Modern World
This course examines a global system linked by commodities, ideas, and microbes and sustained by relations of military and political power between the 15th and 18th centuries. The mining and plantation economies of the Americas and the development of direct trading relations between Europe and Asia are treated as interactive processes involving European explorers and merchants, the labor and crafts of African slaves, the fur trapping of Amerindian tribes, and the policy making of the Chinese Empire. Religious confrontation, the improvement of cartography, and nautical instruments are examined.
Introduction to the American Experience
HIST 205 Modern Mexican History
This course examines the construction of Mexican national culture through the formation of the modern Mexican state, from 1810 to the present. Mexico emerged as a nation-state as part of a larger, transnational process of democratic-nationalist revolutions, steeped in the languages and ideologies of nationalism, liberalism, and democracy. In applying these new models of society, however, elite state-builders continued to bar large sectors of the population from access to social citizenship based on ethnic, class, and gender exclusionary criteria. This contradiction has continued to haunt Mexico throughout history. This course is a historical examination of how social citizenship and "Mexicanness" have been understood and disputed across racial, class, gender, and regional lines, beginning with the nation's foundational contradiction.
HIST 226 Colonial Latin America
This course is a survey of the forces and events that shaped Spanish America, from pre-contact societies in the Americas and Europe, to the American independence movements of the nineteenth-century. Chronologically, this course will focus on five periods: pre-Columbian societies in the Americas and Europe; the violent conquest of the "New World" by Spanish conquistadores; the immediate aftermath of conquest and the consolidation of Spanish authority (c. 1530-1600); the establishment of stability and Spanish colonial rule (c. 1600-1800); and the fall of the Spanish Empire (c. 1730s-1810). The two key geographical areas of examination will be Central Mexico, and the Central Andes. Conceptually, this course will focus on the interrelated concepts of conquest and colonialism, paying close attention to the delicate balance of coercion and persuasion in the construction of the Spanish colonial regime.
HIST 227 African-American History I: The Early Era
This course traces the history of Africans and their descendants in America from the 17th century through the Civil War. Topics include the slave trade from Africa to the English colonies in North America; establishment of the slave system and slave laws in the 17th century; the evolution of slavery and slave culture in the 18th century; transformations in African American life during the Revolutionary age and the experience of free blacks in the North and South.
HIST 237 Europe Since the War
This course examines the remarkable revival and reconstruction of Europe in the post World War II era, exploring the division of Europe into two blocs, economic recovery, the formation of welfare states, decolonization, and supra national associations—the Common Market (EEC), NATO, and the Warsaw Pact. Special emphasis is placed on European relations with the U.S. and the former U.S.S.R. Students explore consequences of the end of the Cold War, including attempts to construct democracies and market economies in Eastern Europe, political turmoil, and the resurgence of nationalism in Western Europe.
HIST 256 Technology and Society in Europe
The coming of modern machinery has fundamentally altered the nature of work, and has thoroughly transformed communications, warfare, international relations, leisure time, and the arts. This course examines the impact of machinery on social relations and human relations to nature. It explores the promotion and institutionalization of technical innovation in the last two centuries in Europe. Finally, it views the conflicting intellectual and social responses to technological change, ranging from fantasies of technocratic utopias to machine smashing and dark visions of humanity displaced and dominated by mechanized systems.
HIST 263 Russian Land: Environmental, National & Global
If required to select one country through which to understand the human experience or today's most pressing problems, Russia would be an excellent choice. Appearing first at the interface between agrarian and tribal worlds, Russia has a thousand years of experience dealing with Islam, for example, and offers clear instruction about what does and does not work. And countries all over the world are struggling along economic and political paths and models first articulated and explored by Russians centuries ago. Long before Latin American or African or Asian countries began their responses to western power, Russia was grappling with the challenge of modernity, trying to compete economically, trying to adjust without losing her identity. Finally, whatever contemporary issue draws our attention -- the environment, women's condition, civil liberties, terrorism, ethnic violence, the arts, drugs, development -- Russia has much to teach us about nearly every one.
JPN 102 Beginning Japanese II
This course provides an introduction to modern spoken Japanese. First-Year students interested in taking Japanese courses other than JPN 101 (offered only in spring) must take an oral and written examination for placement
LAT 101 Beginning Latin I
This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of Latin grammar, accompanied by some practice in reading the language. The aim is to equip students to read the major Roman authors.
LAT 238 Latin Epic (Vergil Or Ovid)
This course is a careful reading in Latin of some of the Aeneid or the Metamorphoses, with the entire poem read in English, to enable students to appreciate the poetry and Vergil's or Ovid's presentation of Augustan Rome against the background of its historical and literary heritage.
LTAM 210 Latin American Perspectives
An introduction to Latin America through histories and novels, commentaries, analyses and movies, from the perspective of those within Latin America and those outside of it. The organization of the course is chronological, starting with accomplishments of the indigenous Americans before major European settlement and ending with the crises and issues of the early 21st Century.
MATH 100 Pre-Calculus: Elementary Functions
Intended for students who plan to continue in the calculus sequence, this course involves the study of basic functions: polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric. Topics include a review of the real number system, equations and inequalities, graphing techniques, and applications of functions. Includes problem-solving laboratory sessions.
MATH 110 Discovering in Mathematics
A study of selected topics dealing with the nature of mathematics, this course has an emphasis on the origins of mathematics, and a focus on mathematics as a creative endeavor. This course does not count toward the major or minor in mathematics.
MATH 130 Calculus I
This course offers a standard introduction to the concepts and techniques of the differential calculus of functions of one variable. A problem-solving lab is included as an integral part of the course.
MATH 131 Calculus II
This course is a continuation of the topics covered in Calculus I with an emphasis on integral calculus, sequences, and series. A problem-solving lab is an integral part of the course.
MATH 135 First Steps Into Advanced Mathematics
This course emphasizes the process of mathematical reasoning, discovery, and argument. It aims to acquaint students with the nature of mathematics as a creative endeavor, demonstrates the methods and structure of mathematical proof, and focuses on the development of problem-solving skills. Specific topics covered vary from year to year.
MDSC 100 Introduction to Media and Society
The course considers the cultural meanings conveyed in popular entertainment, children's television, and advertising; the political economy of mass media ownership; and how the press mediates the public's sense of political and social realities. Students examine serious issues raised by the pervasive influence of mass media, including the concentration of ownership over public communications, the commodification of culture, and how the media affects the process of political persuasion. This course is intended for students interested in gaining a better understanding of how we are influenced by public communications.
MUS 100 Introduction to Music Literature
This course is intended to deepen the meaning of experiencing music as a living language from listening to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony performed in the concert hall to hearing the soulful strains of blues in a Chicago club, or the "exotic" timbres and tunings of a Balinese gamelan. Each repertory is unique in its materials and methods of organization; each elicits a unique set of values and feelings in response. Each is described and assigned meaning through the cultural filters of our own individual backgrounds. Music utilized in the American tradition based on European models is surveyed, as are representative models from contrasting cultures.
MUS 110 Introduction to Music Theory
Fundamentals and basic principles of Western music theory and their application are presented in this course. Specific areas include the study of clefs, major minor scales, key signatures, intervals, and triads. Music notation and terminology are discussed. The final half of the course covers an introduction to four-part harmonic writing, use of chords in root position, and inversions. Basic ear training techniques are employed.
MUS 121 Tonal Theory and Aural Skills I
This course strives to produce a listener/performer who can perceive sound in meaningful patterns—developing a hearing mind from the Western classical tradition, including diatonic scales; intervals; keys and triads; introduction to principles of voice leading; Roman numeral analysis; functional harmony; and non-chordal melodic elements. The approach is an integrated one, providing both the theoretical knowledge necessary for analysis and composition and the aural skills necessary for perception and performance.
MUS 130 Beethoven: The Man and His Music
This course deals specifically with the music of Beethoven. Among the compositions carefully examined and listened to are his nine symphonies; his opera Fidelio; concertos such as The Emperor; piano sonatas such as The Pathetique, Appassionata, and Moonlight; selected string quartets; and his Missa Solemnis. Beethoven's place in history, his personality, his leading the way to individualism and subjective feeling in music, and his vision of human freedom and dignity are also explored.
MUS 204 History of Western Art Music: Romantic and Modern (1800-1950)
Most 19th century composers pushed the expressive power of chromatic harmony and thematic unity to the musical extreme. By 1910, most of the musical avant garde no longer found it possible to work within the constraints of the three century old tonal system. New systems and searches for novel sonorities led to the use of natural and electronically generated sounds. Chance happenings were advocated by composers who objected to older music's predictability. The course surveys tradition and change in romantic and modern music and is based on selected readings, recordings, and scores.
MUS 208 Survey of Guitar History and Literature
Survey of Guitar History and Literature is a branch of music scholarship that is devoted primarily to guitar composers/performers and their musical works examined in historical, aesthetic, and social contexts. These include, but are not limited to musical form and genre, compositional practices and procedures, aspects of the composer's biography and/or historical events that shaped his or her attitudes, general intellectual trends that helped to shape musical practices, and the original venues and circumstances in which the musical works were created and heard.
PHIL 100 Introduction to Philosophy
This course seeks to provide an understanding of what philosophy is by discussing some of the main problems that philosophers examine and by developing skills in the methods used in philosophy. Among the kinds of problems considered in this course are: Is it always wrong to break the law? Can we prove God's existence? What is personal identity"? What distinguishes knowledge from mere belief?
PHIL 110 Puzzles and Paradoxes
Puzzles can be both fun and frustrating. In some cases, working to solve them can also provide fascinating insights about out world. Philosophical puzzles and paradoxes are like that. This course will cover a variety of challenging puzzles about the nature of reality, morality, language and what we can know about the world. Some of these puzzles have been solved, but many are not yet solved, and we can learn much from both of these. Even if you don't solve a particular puzzle completely, working toward the answer can help you with future problems by giving you a set of tools that you can use again and again to get other answers. Puzzles and paradoxes make you a better thinker. (And, for some, they are lots of fun too.)
PHIL 154 Philosophy and Contemporary Issues: Environmental Ethics This course explores the ethical and philosophical issues that arise when we consider the relation between humans and the natural environment—issues made urgent by our current environmental crisis. Among questions examined are: Is the value of nature intrinsic or only instrumental? Do humans have obligations toward nonhuman animals? Why are animal species worth preserving? Is it individual animals or ecosystems that should be of moral concern? What can feminism tell us about our treatment of nature? Are economic efficiency and cost/benefit analysis adequate criteria for assessing our relation to the environment?
PHIL 156 Biomedical Ethics
This course examines ethical issues that arise in the practice of medicine, in the delivery of health care, and in biomedical research. Ethical issues arise in all areas of human activity, but they arise in medicine with special urgency. Some reasons for this are the special nature of the physician/patient relationship, the importance of the matters of life and death involved, the difficulty in distributing health care in a just manner, and the many recent technological advances in medical treatment that exacerbate all of these problems. Among the issues considered are informed consent, patient autonomy, confidentiality and privacy, genetic intervention, medical experimentation, reproductive control, allocation of scarce medical resources, and justice in health care delivery.
PHIL 220 Semiotics
This is an introductory course to semiotics, the doctrine of sign in all forms and shapes. Signs are processes of interpretation. Anything (object, idea, feeling, action) can become a sign by being interpreted. But interpretation is itself a sign in need of being interpreted, and so semiotics quickly becomes a labyrinth in which the concept of the sign becomes more, rather than less, problematic, as the inquiry into its nature proceeds. A wide variety of approaches to semiotics are presented, and applications to literature, art, architecture, dance, history, anthropology, film studies, women studies, photography, sociology, psychology, and biology are encouraged.
PHIL 230 Aesthetics
This course addresses a variety of philosophical issues relating to the arts, focusing on questions such as these: What is the nature of artistic creativity? What is the purpose of the arts? Is there a way for us to determine aesthetic value? Is there truth in art? How are emotions related to the arts? What role should art critics play? How are interpretations and evaluations of art influenced by factors such as culture, time period, race, gender, and class? What role do the arts have in non-Western cultures? Are there aesthetic experiences outside of the arts? The course concludes by examining specific art forms chosen according to student interests.
PHIL 240 Symbolic Logic
This course is an introduction to the techniques and theories of formal logic. Topics include translation between English and artificial languages; formal techniques and procedures (natural deduction and truth tables); the concepts of validity, soundness, completeness, and consistency. Along the way, we will discuss philosophical questions about logical truth and logical knowledge.
PHIL 342 Experiencing and Knowing
Why should we believe what others tell us? How do we know the external world exists? How reliable are the inductive methods of science? How can we tell when we have achieved knowledge? What is the scope of human knowledge? What are its limits? This course examines some 20th century discussions of these and similar questions that have long intrigued thinkers wishing to understand the capacities of the human mind.
PHYS 112 Introduction to Astronomy
This course offers a survey of the celestial universe, including planets, stars, galaxies, and assorted other celestial objects which are not yet well understood. The Big Bang cosmological model is thoroughly explored, as are the various observational techniques employed to collect astronomical data.
PHYS 150 Introduction to Physics I
This is a calculus-based first course in mechanics and waves with laboratory. Students interesting in this course must take the math placement exam.
PHYS 160 Introduction to Physics II
This course offers a calculus-based first course in electromagnetism and optics with laboratory. Students interesting in this course must take the math placement exam.
POL 110 Introduction to American Politics
This course examines the capability of the American political system to respond to the needs of all its citizens. It looks at historical origins, basic institutions, distribution of power, popular influence, political parties, social movements, the relationship of capitalism to democracy, and inequalities based on class, race, and gender.
POL 140 Introduction Comparative World Politics
An ambitious introductory course aimed at teaching students both basic political concepts—such as individualism and communitarianism, tradition and modernity, right and left, fascism and communism, democracy and capitalism—as well as the fundamentals of various political systems throughout the world. Students look at the impact of westernization, modernization, nationalism, racism, class conflicts, foreign intervention, and globalization and anti-globalization as they try to figure out just why it is that the world's political systems are organized the way they are.
POL 160 Introduction to Political Theory
This course reads classical political theory from the Ancient Greeks through the early modern period in England. The class introduces students to some of the major themes through which politics and political life have been understood. Beginning with Thucydides, it examines the virtues and values of the ancient world with attention to the dilemma between justice and expediency. Continuing with Plato and Aristotle, it considers justice, reason, and the good in the context of life in the polis. The course ends with the challenges Machiavelli's and Hobbes' notions of power present for the presumption of an original human sociality, for the emergence of liberal ideals of individual autonomy and national sovereignty.
POL 180 Introduction to International Relations
As a broad introduction to the study of international relations (IR), this course is designed to give students an understanding of the basic concepts of world politics, an appreciation of the evolution of the current state system, and a sampling of various approaches and theories of IR. Readings come from primary documents as well as a standard text. The course is grounded in an awareness of current events. Students examine how the lens used to view the world shapes understanding of the world, its problems, and possible solutions.
POL 222 Political Parties
Despite early skepticism and modern contempt, political parties have become integral components of the American political process. This course examines the historical and contemporary functions of American political parties in comparison to other democratic nations. It outlines the operational, functional, and electoral factors that shape the American party system. The course further examines the role and challenges of third parties in the U.S.
PPOL 101 Democracy and Public Policy
This course examines the American policy process by interrogating a number of domestic policy issues—affirmative action, poverty and welfare, HIV/AIDS, health care, labor/workplace, education, community development, and environmental concerns. Students examine all of these issues from various perspectives, including the modern conservative, modern liberal, and radical/democratic socialist, with particular attention to the role of the federal government in the policy process. Students have the opportunity to confront their own roles within the American policy process from a critical perspective. Students discuss too the role of the policy analyst in a democratic society and consider the interdisciplinary nature of public policy analysis.
PPOL 219 Sexual Minority Movements and Public Policy
This course explores the rise of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered movements from both contemporary and historical perspectives. The course addresses the sources of these movements, the barriers that they have faced, and how they have mobilized to overcome these barriers. Students devote considerable attention to the response of the Christian Right to the policy issues that are a focus of this course—HIV/AIDS, same-sex marriage, integration of the military, education in the schools, and workplace discrimination. Finally, students address how the media and popular culture represent the many issues growing out of this course.
PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology
This course offers a comprehensive survey of the methodology and content of present day psychology. Emphasis is placed on the development of a critical evaluative approach to theories and empirical data.
REL 109 Imagining American Religions
What does it mean to imagine an American religion? This course explores that question in two ways. One way is to work towards a definition of the terms in the title of this course: what is an "American"? What is "religion"? What does it mean to "imagine" these things? The other way we explore the question of American religion is to examine various attempts to make meaning in the United States. How do different social groups "imagine American religion"? Does that change and, if so, why and how? Why does it matter how people imagine American religion?
REL 209 Muslim Jesus
This course examines Qur'anic portrayals of Jesus, his message, and his followers. It subsequently looks at how Muslims interpret those portrayals in their exegetical, legal, and sufic writings and explores how their interpretations have implication in interfaith relations. The course discusses topics related to the perceptions of Jesus in the Qur'an and Muslims' interpretations on the nature of Jesus, on the place of Jesus in the chain of prophecy, and on the validity of Jesus' message. It also talks about the significance of Jesus in Islam's mystical tradition, the messianic message in Muslim societies, and Qur'anic perceptions of Christians and their Gospels. The course will address the following questions: Do Muslims recognize Jesus? How is the portrayal of Jesus in the Qur'an and Muslims' interpretations similar and different from Christian understandings of Jesus? What are the causes of the different images of Jesus in Qur'anic and Christian perspectives? What does it mean when the Qur'an describes itself and Jesus as the Word of God? Why does the Qur'an regard Jesus as revered personality while at the same time reject his divinity? How do Muslim Jesus and Christian Jesus become a source of harmony and contentions between Muslims and Christians?
REL 219 Introduction to Islamic Religious Traditions
This course is an historical study of the rise of Islam from seventh century Arabia to the current global context. It examines basic beliefs, major figures, sacred scriptures, and rituals of this religious tradition. The course emphasis is on modern developments in Islam, including the Muslim presence in Southeast Asia.
REL 236 Gender and Islam
Westernization has brought sweeping changes and challenges to Islamic cultures and religious practices. As a result, political developments, social patterns, and codes of dress have undergone metamorphosis as secular ideologies conflict with traditional religious beliefs. The role of women continues to undergo transformation. How will these changes effect Muslim identity in the 21st century?
REL 239 Nihilism East and West
This course examines the global manifestations of nihilism in the past two centuries, and responses to them, in philosophy, literature, religion, and art. Nihilism is the sense that there is no inherent value, purpose, or meaning in life or the world. Many intellectuals and artists during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, not only in the West but in non-Western industrial nations such as Japan, found themselves facing a looming nothingness, the nihility of nihilism, despite modern scientific and technological progress. How does one respond when faced with the utter meaninglessness of existence? Is there any answer to nihilism? How does one recover sense when nothing seems to make sense? We explore this topic while looking at the various depictions of, and responses to, nihilism through a variety of media, including philosophical essays, novels, and films.
REL 243 Suffering and Salvation
Human existence entails suffering. Why must we suffer? How can we escape suffering? And if suffering is inevitable, what is its meaning? Is it always fair or deserved? The major religions of the world were established and developed partially in response to such questions about the human predicament. Each religion provides a variety of responses to this inevitable fact of human life. What is the picture of the meaning of life implied in such a response? In this course we shall investigate the major religious traditions from across the globe, East and West - Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Chinese religions - and look at their various attempts to answer that question of suffering and respond to it, including their prescription for salvation. At the same time, the course aims to raise awareness concerning responsible ways of comparing religions, using "soteriology" (the study of salvation) as a comparative category. The course also raises the crucial question of whether it is possible to remain faithful to one's own religious path while maintaining self-critique and openness to the claims of other traditions, a question that is of crucial importance with the increasing globalization of the world.
REL 265 The West and the Qur'an
The course examines the historical and contemporary Western perception and treatment of the Qur'an and its impact on the Western portrayal of Islam. It explores the discourses about the Qur'an in the media, academic, and public settings. It also compares and contrasts the values and ideals of the Qur'an vis-a-vis those of the West. It especially addresses the question of compatibility between the Qur'an and the West. Topics include Western perception of the origin of the Qur'an, Western scholarship on the Qur'an, Western portrayal of the Qur'an in the media. Western's Qur'anic view of women, Western interpretation of the Qur'an, and Muslims in the West and their view of the Qur'an.
RUS 101 Introductory Russian I
An introduction to the Russian language designed particularly to develop listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students work with dialogues and grammatical patterns, using audio/video tapes and computers.
RUS 201 Intermediate Russian I
The aim of these courses is to develop further the basic language skills acquired in the introductory courses. An intensive study of grammatical structures with a continued emphasis on oral and written skills, they include supplementary reading with vocabulary useful for everyday situations and creative writing based on course material. Audio/video tapes and computers are used.
RUS 137 Vampires: From Vlad to Buffy
This course examines the vampire from its historical roots in the legend of Vlad Tepes to the American commercialization and popularization of the vampire in media such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Students discuss the qualities of the folkloric vampire and its role in traditional culture, how the folkloric vampire has evolved over time and across cultural borders, and why the vampire is such a pervasive cultural icon. The approach is interdisciplinary, using folktales, short stories, legends, novels, films, television shows, and analytical studies. All materials are read in English.
SILP 105 Beginning Korean I
The Self-Instructional Language Program offers courses in less commonly taught languages. Students work independently using the on-campus language lab facilities as well as with a native speaker for biweekly tutorials. The program makes extensive use of audio-visual material, and interactive multimedia computer stations.
SILP 111 Beginning Arabic I
The Self-Instructional Language Program offers courses in less commonly taught languages. Students work independently using the on-campus language lab facilities as well as with a native speaker for biweekly tutorials. The program makes extensive use of audio-visual material, and interactive multimedia computer stations.
SILP 113 Beginning Arabic III
The Self-Instructional Language Program offers courses in less commonly taught languages. Students work independently using the on-campus language lab facilities as well as with a native speaker for biweekly tutorials. The program makes extensive use of audio-visual material, and interactive multimedia computer stations.
SILP 121 Beginning Hebrew I
The Self-Instructional Language Program offers courses in less commonly taught languages. Students work independently using the on-campus language lab facilities as well as with a native speaker for biweekly tutorials. The program makes extensive use of audio-visual material, and interactive multimedia computer stations.
SILP 133 Beginning Hindi III
The Self-Instructional Language Program offers courses in less commonly taught languages. Students work independently using the on-campus language lab facilities as well as with a native speaker for biweekly tutorials. The program makes extensive use of audio-visual material, and interactive multimedia computer stations.
SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
An introduction to the fundamental concepts of sociology, this course focuses on such central issues as the social nature of personality; the effects of social class, race, and gender on social life; the interactional basis of society; and the place of beliefs and values in social structure and social action. A fundamental concern is to analyze the reciprocal nature of social existence—to understand how society influences us and how we, in turn, construct it. Typically, the course applies the sociological perspective to an analysis of American society and other social systems.
SPAN 101 Beginning Spanish I
Designed for students who have not taken Spanish before, this course develops the basic skills in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing the language, and introduces the student to a variety of cultural aspects of the Spanish-speaking world. Beginning Spanish I, as well as the other courses in the beginning and intermediate levels, use a combination of three weekly master classes with the regular instructor and an additional hour of laboratory practice with the multimedia materials accompanying the text.
SPAN 102 Beginning Spanish II
The second part of the beginning sequence, this course increases the level of proficiency in the areas of comprehension, speaking, reading and writing, and it provides students with more ample knowledge of the multiple cultural aspects of the Spanish-speaking world. Beginning Spanish II, as well as the other courses in the beginning and intermediate levels, use a combination of three weekly master classes with the regular instructor and an additional hour of laboratory practice with the multimedia materials accompanying the text. Students who complete the beginning sequence, or its equivalent, will meet the language criteria to apply for off-campus study in some of the programs offered by the institution in Latin America.
SPAN 121 Intermediate Spanish I
This course further develops the basic language skills acquired in the beginning sequence through the intensive study of grammatical structures, continued attention to oral and written communication, and an increased emphasis on reading comprehension. Cultural awareness is emphasized through an exposure to authentic materials from the diverse cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Intermediate Spanish I, as well as the other courses in the beginning and intermediate levels, use a combination of three weekly master classes with the regular instructor and an additional hour of laboratory practice with the multimedia materials accompanying the text.
SPAN 122 Intermediate Spanish II
The second part of the intermediate sequence, this course introduces the student to the more complex aspects of grammar, continues vocabulary build up, and emphasizes oral and written communication through discussion of authentic materials, situation dialogues, and the writing of short essays. Reading materials increase the students' ability to make connections between their own environment and the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Intermediate Spanish II, as well as the other courses in the beginning and intermediate levels, use a combination of three weekly master classes with the regular instructor and an additional hour of laboratory practice with the multimedia materials accompanying the text.
SPAN 225 Hispanic Media: Contemporary Issues
This course will develop students' cultural awareness through a series of written assignments organized around major journalistic and academic genres. We will investigate contemporary issues as presented in the media of Spain, Latin America and U.S. Latino communities. More specifically, the course will explore such topics as immigration and multiculturalism, gender and sexuality, linguistic variety of the Spanish language, and issues of cultural identity among others. The internet, printed, audio and visual media material will provide the foundation for class discussions, oral presentations, cultural projects and other activities. Critical readings will complement the material and provide a broader understanding of contemporary cultural realities on both sides of the Atlantic. This course requires an intermediate mastery of Spanish language.
SPAN 231 The Art of Translation
A situational approach to translation, this course focuses on Spanish in everyday situations. Class activities include role-playing, skits, writing assignments, and translations. Students explore the use of Spanish in fields such as business, health care, social services and education. Emphasis is placed on vocabulary and contrastive analysis of English and Spanish grammar. This course is recommended for bilingual students, students who intend to teach Spanish to English-speakers or English to Spanish-speakers, as well as students who intend to use Spanish in a professional field.
SPAN 260 Advanced Grammar and Composition
This course focuses on Spanish grammar and writing. Class activities will examine challenging aspects of Spanish while emphasizing the importance of context. Students will refine their language skills writing different types of compositions, including academic, administrative, journalistic and literary. Reading comprehension and use of idiomatic language are also important aspects of the course.
THRT 178 Acting I
This course is designed to introduce the beginning student to the craft of acting through the use of improvisation, theatre games, and acting exercises. Actor training focuses on and makes use of individual and group exercises that challenge both the mind and the body. Emphasis is placed on developing concentration and focus, the use of the imagination, sensory awareness, and verbal and physical improvisational skills. Exercises are designed to encourage the acting student to listen to his or her impulses and to respond to them within the context of an imaginary circumstance. Students also learn to work off of a partner in order to discover their own true and authentic responses to another person.
WMST 100 Introduction to Women's Studies
This course introduces the vast, complex, changing field of women's studies. Students will be asked to become conversant with the history of feminism and women's movements (nationally and transnationally), to understand and theorize women and gender as categories of analysis, to think through differences that divide and unite, to reflect and move beyond individual experience and to connect feminism to everyday life. Students will be encouraged to raise their own questions about women, gender, feminism (s), modes of women's organizing, and the production of knowledge. While it is impossible to cover all pertinent topics in one semester, this course introduces various specific issues and histories that, taken together, highlight the complexity of Women's Studies as both scholarly endeavor and activist field
WRRH 100 Writer's Seminar
This course is for students who wish to improve their ability to express their own ideas, positions, and interpretations. It emphasizes developing the writer's "voice" because much of what one is asked to write in college requires the writer to express his or her own ideas in a convincing, credible manner. The course considers what it means to be a writer—what habits of mind and work lead to an effective essay—and stresses focus, cohesion, and organization.
WRRH 150 American Sign Language I
Students will develop the communication skills required to participate in the deaf community. Students will also examine cultural expectations and influences for the deaf and hearing. They will also experience firsthand community events and develop skills of critical reflection and analysis of cultural differences and will develop beginning level proficiency use of ASL. A few key questions that will be addressed during the course are; "How does culture influence language?" "How can society communicate effectively both verbally and in American Sign Language?" In addition to the texts directly related to the language, students will also develop an understanding of the culture and history through various readings and videos. Lecture on Tuesdays includes learning new signs and grammar as well as discussion. Lab on Thursday includes applying concepts learned in the lecture and will be conducted strictly in ASL.
WRRH 206 Immigrant Experiences: Voices and Discourses
This intermediate writing course studies immigrant experiences in their local, national, and global contexts with a particular focus on discourses surrounding immigrant lives. The course examines the historical, political and linguistic aspects of immigration, such as ethnicity, culture, and cross-cultural divides. Students will complete rhetorical and linguistic analyses of immigration policies, immigrant discourses, and produce their own writing.
Please remember that all course preferences should be completed on the Academic Direction Task no later than May 23. If you have any problems with your password or using the website, contact the HWS Help Desk at 315-781-4357.
If you have any questions about selecting course preferences or which courses are available, feel free to contact the HWS First-Year Deans.
Associate Dean of William Smith Lisa Kaenzig works with first-year William Smith students. If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact Dean Kaenzig at (315) 781-3467 or kaenzig@hws.edu
Assistant Dean of Hobart David Mapstone '93 is responsible for first-year Hobart students. He also coordinates the Pre-Orientation Adventure Program. Dean Mapstone can be contacted at (315) 781-3300 or mapstone@hws.edu
Associate Dean of Faculty Paul Kehle directs the First-Year Seminar program and is also an Associate Professor in the Education Department.
