Courses
Spring 2013
260.022 ESL Writing Intensive
Palmer TTh 9-10:20
260.024 Critical Writing Intensive
Archibald TTh 9-10:20
Writing Intensive is a year-long course designed for students with inadequate preparation. The course will introduce students to foundational writing practices and teach formal writing skills, enabling students to achieve success in the Humanities Core Curriculum. Students will be given models of writing to follow, to become familiar with the modes of writing they will encounter in subsequent classes. Course objectives: teaching students the elements of formal writing, including spelling, grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, paragraph structure, and the elements of thesis, evidence, and conclusion.
PY 260.216 CORE II: Writing and Research Methods
Section 1: Core II: Writing and Research Methods: Moby-Dick.
Robbins, TTh 10:30-11:50
This course will involve a close reading of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick (1851) and will entail a research paper examining any aspect of the novel. Moby-Dick is celebrated today by readers and scholars but largely overlooked in its own time. During the semester we will explore the novel's reception as well as its three main literary thrustsAhab's obsession with the white whale (manifested by his desire to kill it); Ishmael's inexorable desire to know not just the whale but also to understand the human condition; and the presentation of facts (which seems, at first, not a line of action). By the end of the semester, students will not only know the text well but will also have completed a focused research paper that explores and illuminates some particular point of the novel or its reception.
Section 3: Core II Writing and Research Methods: How-To: A History of Instruction
Archibald, TTh 10:30-11:50
In this course, we will examine a group of important historical texts designed to provide instruction about particular topics. In theory, readers of Plato's Republic could learn how to create a just society, readers of Ovid's Art of Love could learn how to seduce Roman ladies, readers of Machiavelli's The Prince could learn how to manipulate political power, and readers of Benjamin Franklin's The Way to Wealth could learn thrift and frugality. In addition to the (more or less) practical tips they provide, such texts also offer modern readers a glimpse of the historical preoccupations and cultural contexts that inspired them. We will examine these and other works as instructional manuals and historical artifacts, and students will complete a research project on an instructional text of their choice.
Section 4: Core II Writing and Research Methods: Philosophical Foundations.
Thorndike, TTh 9-10:20
This course offers an introduction to central topics of philosophical inquiry. We will be reading philosophical "classics" ranging from ancient and modern theories of knowledge (Plato, Descartes), to the philosophy of mind (Searle), personal identity and freedom of the will (Hume), to moral and political philosophy (Kant). The course will require close reading of the primary texts, careful analysis and evaluation of the philosophical arguments presented in them, and active participation in class.
260.214 Art & Censorship
Levy MW 12-1:20
Addressing a range of historical episodes in which art has been perceived as offensive, dangerous, or otherwise inappropriate, this course asks questions about the meaning and purposes of art in society, government's role in supporting the arts, and public opinion as a force of censorship. The course begins with a cultural overview of censorship in America, examining recent controversy and debates on First Amendment protections. Successive units of the semester focus on censorship elsewhere, including recent controversy leading to international crises of accusation and outrage. Readings address a range of historical, recent, and current viewpoints--some overlapping, some incompatible, and most challenging common ways of thinking.
260.252 European Art: Renaissance to 1855
Trudi Johnson W 6-9
This course surveys European art from the 14th through the mid-19th centuries. It surveys Renaissance art in Italy and Northern Europe, its origins in Medieval art, and examines shifts in artistic concepts and forms from the 16th through the mid-18th centuries that led to the emergence of Mannerist, Baroque, and Rococo art. The course concludes with an examination of Neoclassicism, Romanticism, and Realism up through the mid-19th century. Artistic movements, styles and influences relevant to the development of western art will be covered, with the inclusion of some American art traditions as time permits. Additional commentary as it relates to music history will be interwoven.
260.253 Poetry in German
Vogt TTh 9:30-10:50
Beginning with Goethe's work, this course focuses on German poems representative of a poet, a period, or a genre, from the 18th century to the present. Special attention will be paid to works set to music by various composers from Mozart to Henze. Texts will be read in the original German (with English prose translations); discussion will be in English. Although some knowledge of German would be desirable, it is not a requirement.
260.314 The Bible as Literature
Robbins TTh 1-2:20
This course will focus on reading the Bible as a work of literature from the beginning through to the various "ends." We will explore questions of authorship, character, and narrative. We will discuss how characters change over the course of the text and how various contradictions affect a literary reading of the text. We will discuss how scholars have examined the authorship of the Bible over the course of centuries. We will explore the cultural afterlife of biblical stories in the larger marketplace of ideas. You will be required to read and discuss and write about the Bible as a work of literature critically and analytically. (0,3) Robbins
260.322 Hemingway and Fitzgerald
Rockefeller W 4:40-7:00
Students will analyze three novels by Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald that focus on the impact of World War I on Americans living both in America and in Europe. Students will write a short essay (4-5 pages) and a longer essay (6-8 pages).
230.112 French I
Rothbaum MWF 1:30-2:20
240.112 German I (2 sections)
Vogt TWTh 11:30-12:20
TWTh 1:30-2:20
240.212 German II
Vogt TWTh 12:30-1:20
250.112 Italian I
Oorts MWF 10:30-11:20
220.514 Writing Workshop
Snyder TTh 10:30-11:50
Writing Workshop offers students the opportunity to create their own writing projects within a clear and supportive structure. Student writing is assessed regularly; for each paper that is submitted, a student receives a letter that identifies strengths and weaknesses of the paper and suggests strategies to improve it. Students publish their work by reading aloud in class and by submitting a piece for publication in an anthology. At the end of the semester, students must reflect on their work and submit a portfolio containing original and revised drafts.
Fall 2012
260.021 ESL Writing Intensive
Palmer TTh 9-10:20
260.023 Critical Writing Intensive
Archibald TTh 9-10:20
Writing Intensive is a year-long course designed for students with inadequate preparation. The course will introduce students to foundational writing practices and teach formal writing skills, enabling students to achieve success in the Humanities Core Curriculum. Students will be given models of writing to follow, to become familiar with the modes of writing they will encounter in subsequent classes. Course objectives: teaching students the elements of formal writing, including spelling, grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, paragraph structure, and the elements of thesis, evidence, and conclusion.
260.115 Humanities Core I (4 sections)
Introduction to the practice of analytical thinking and writing in the context of reading foundational historical, philosophical, and/or literary texts. Course objectives: Ensuring competence in writing and critical analysis. Students will write four analytical papers (3-4 pages each) with an average of C+ or better.
Archibald TTh 10:30-11:50
Levy TTh 9-10:20
Robbins TTh 10:30-11:50
Thorndike TTh 9-10:20
260.216 Humanities Core II: Dramatic Choices
Patton MW 11:30-12:50
Full title: Dramatic Choices: Marriage vs. Career in Shakespeare's London. 260.216 is open to all students, though it is designed as a Core II course. The texts will include Shakespeare's plays about marriage (comedies) but will also include other Renaissance works (including plays) by women.
Core II: Introduction to the basics of writing a research paper. Pre-requisite: Core I or approved placement. Course objectives: Ensuring competence in academic research and writing. Students will select a research topic, find source materials, and complete a formal academic research paper (10-15 pages), with appropriate references properly documented for a C+ or better.
260.243 Classics in Political Thought (2 sections)
Levy TTh 10:30-11:50
TTh 1-1:20
This course addresses what is often called political theory or political philosophy and will involve exploring the working handful of authors whose work is fundamental to political science. This semester, we work selectively with authors such as Plato, Hobbes, Karl Marx, and Martin Luther King, Jr. 260.243 will count as a Core III Course: Introduction to methods and practices in the humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences. Course objectives: ensuring competence in understanding critical methodologies and academic debate. Students will write two critical assessments involving evidence, evaluation, synthesis, and conclusion (4-6 pages each) and pass a final exam or final project with minimum C+ grade.
260.249 Film History: Sound and Scores
Robbins TTh 1-2:20
Film History: Sound and Scores will explore the history of film sound from the silent film era to the present day, examining the narrative and aesthetic purpose as well as the functionality of film music. The course will trace the history and development of film music and the process of film scoring through reading, lecture and film viewing to explore how music and its relationship to film has changed over the last century. Class includes discussion and evaluation of different compositional styles
260.253 Poetry in German
Vogt TTh 9:30-10:50
Beginning with Goethe's work, this course focuses on German poems representative of a poet, a period, or a genre, from the 18th century to the present. Special attention will be paid to works set to music by various composers from Mozart to Henze. Texts will be read in the original German (with English prose translations); discussion will be in English. Although some knowledge of German would be desirable, it is not a requirement.
260.261 Intro to Psychology
Popoli MW 11:30-12:50
A broad spectrum of research and theoretical concepts are presented to provide a balanced understanding of human behavior. Topics include the biological basis of behavior, human development, personality, health and wellness, learning and memory, social diversity, abnormal behavior and therapy.
260.327 Literary Trials
Robbins MW 12:30-1:50
This course will explore historical and fictional works depicting legal trials. We will begin with two foundational literary trials: the trial of Socrates and Sophocles’ Antigone, then focus for the balance of the semester on American literary trials in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Texts will include Herman Melville Billy Budd and “Benito Cereno”; Marl Twain, Puddn’head Wilson; William Faulkner, Intruder in the Dust; Herman Wouk, The Caine Mutiny Court Martial. Films may include "Twelve Angry Men" and "A Few Good Men."
230.111 French I
Rothbaum MWF 1:30-2:20
240.111 German I (2 sections)
Vogt TWTh 11:30-12:20
TWTh 1:30-2:20
240.211 German II
Vogt TWTh 12:30-1:20
250.111 Italian I
Oorts MWF 10:30-11:20
