Second Semester 2009-2010 Page 24
American Studies 295.01 (Also Anthropology) “Special Topic: Fashion; Coulture, Consumption and Cultural Representations.”
See Anthropology 295.02.
American Studies 495.01 “Senior Seminar.”
This seminar considers representations of diasporic identities and immigrant experiences in the U.S. in films which will be screened each week outside of the regular class time slot (and also available, when necessary, on reserve). The focus of reflection will be on the ways in which Americanness is scripted within and between the lines; the idea of nostalgia and memory as well as social interactions within and across culturally distinct boundaries, socio-political questions of race, class and gender. Among the questions to be discussed are the following: who are the models and what are the multiple meanings of "American and American-ness?" What is the relationship of "being AN American" with being IN America and how is this distinction imagined differently in different circles and at different moments? Prerequisite: AMS-225.
Anthropology 295.01 “Special Topic: Indigenous Health and Biology.”
This class explores issues related to health, morbidity, and biology in traditional human communities. The class will focus predominately on cultures with pre-industrial economic strategies. We will examine the impact on human health and biology of a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, the impact of animal and plant domestication, and how anthropologists use biological evidence of poor health to assess the success of cultural adaptations. Students will gain the basic fundamentals of epidemiology, demography, and paleodemography in order to addess issues realted to maternal and infant health, longevity, and the impact of cultural violoence. Prerequisite: ANT-104.
Anthropology 295.02 (Also American Studies) “Special Topic: Fashion; Couture, Consumption and Cultural Representations.”
Everyone gets dressed: the creation of desire and cultivation of a consumer culture transcends geographic boundaries (from Dubai to Delhi, Paris to Tehran and NY to Tokyo).Taking fashion and taste as a dialectic shaped by local and global networks, we consider links between companies and consumers, brannds and boutiques, department stores and luxury malls and examine fashioning identities (age, gender, class, ethnicities) in print and moving images (from GQ to Vogue; Bollywood to Hollywood). Among the topics to be taken up for examination in this course, but not limited to them, are the following: Where (boutiques, department stores, shopping malls), what items are purchased (clothing, accessories) and what they are called (apparel, clothing, ready to wear, haute couture); the meanings invested in the objects which are selected, purchased and used; the dialectic of brands as institutions in which there is an ongoing interaction and negotiation between consumers and fashion companies; the commodification of social movements as fashion trends (designer jeans in the 60s and ecofashion in the 00s); the relationship between brands and behavior. Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Anthropology 395.01 “Advanced Special Topic: War, Religion, and Ecology in the American Southwest.”
The last eight centuries were times of dramatic change in the American Southwest with the rise of powerful political centers, the establishment of new religions, increases in warfare, and migrations, and the turmoil of colonization. We will examine current scholarship that looks at the the roles of ecological degradation, ideology and politics. Other topics considered will be refugees, canabalism, social organization and ethnic identity. Prerequisite: ANT-280.
Anthropology 395.02 “Advanced Special Topic: Anthropology of Organizations: Learning Theoretical Practice.”
A critical preview of cutting-edge anthropological research on organizational culture and social ecology of organizations, including NGOs, social enterprise organizations, corporations, and multinational organizations. Student apprentice-scholars will review the draft of Companion to Organizational Anthropology, a new book-in-progress containing approximately 25 chapters by an international array of distinguished anthropologists. Students will experience the production of anthropological knowledge for the scholarly community. The class will draft a conference paper on the theories of organizational sustainability, drawing on readings and ideas from alumni visitors. Sponsored by Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership. Prerequisite: ANT-280.
Arabic 295.01 “Special Topic: Arabic II.”
Emhasizes improving students' reading skills and grammar.This course is a continuation of 221, providing more rigorous grammar pedagogy and stressing the ability to understand cultural nuances that bear on the language. Students will be introduced to contemporary Arabic literary texts. Prerequisite: ARB-221.
Art 400.01 “Seminar in Art History: The Grotesque and the Demonic in Medieval Art.”
A vast amount of sometimes astonishing, often misunderstood imagery appears in medieval European art: hybrid and deformed humans, monsters, wild men and women, wild animals, entertainers, wrestlers, animal musicians, severed heads and masks, genitalia and other body parts. All may be found as display motifs or in conjunction with violent, sexual, and scatological acts, or mundane activities, or together with Christian symbols. They may occur in religious, literary, and legal manuscripts, in church paintings and sculptures, on guild halls, houses, boats, coffins, shields, and pilgrim badges. Long ignored, avoided, or trivialized by earlier scholars, these subjects have been increasingly studied in recent years, but often with contradictory results. To forge our own conclusions, we will read extensively from this literature, and from primary sources, to better understand medieval perspectives on monstrous creatures and humanoid races, demons, witchcraft and magic, uses of amulets and talismans, folk rituals and customs, moralizing allegory, and satire. Prerequisite: senior standing in art history concentration.
Biology 150.01 “Introduction to Biological Inquiry: The Effects of Climate Change on Organisms.”
We will examine the effects of predicted changes in temperature, moisture and carbon dioxide levels on organismal and ecosystem function through experimental investigation. We will focus on the effects of such changes on the physiology and metabolic functioning of organisms, as well as on biogeochemical processes of ecosystems. This course will be taught in a workshop format, meeting twice a week for three hours. Class time will be devoted primarily to discussions and lab work, examining theoretical aspects of organismal and ecosystem functioning, design and implementation of lab-based experiments, and the interpretation of our results in the context of extensive ongoing climate change research. Prerequisites: none.
Biology 150. 02 “Introduction to Biological Inquiry: Survivor.”
In this course we will investigate strategies organisms use for survival in different environments. We will focus on microorganisms and humans as model systems. Topics addressed will include; the biology of bacteria, factors important for biofilm formation, how microorganisms become resistant to antibiotics, and how we protect ourselves from microorganisms. Students will isolate and characterize microorganisms attached to vegetables by using standard microbial and basic molecular biology techniques. Based on critical reading of the literature, students will design and carry out independent research projects, analyze and report the results in scientific papers, posters and oral presentation. The class will have two, three hour meetings per week, which combine lecture, lab, and discussion. Prerequisite: none.
Biology 150.03 “Introduction to Biological Inquiry: Cell Fate: Calvin or Hobbes?”
During the development of an embryo, how is the fate of a cell determined? How does a cell "know" it is supposed to become a nerve cell? Or part of the gut? How does it know its location within the embryo? To address these questions, we will examine the fate of cells during embryonic development, focusing primarily on the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. We will critically evaluate the primary literature, formulate hypotheses, carry out independent research projects using a variety of analytical tools, and report experimental results in scientific papers, posters, and oral presentations. The class is taught in a workshop format, with laboratories, discussions, and lectures integrated in each class period. Prerequisite: none.
Biology 150.04 “Introduction to Biological Inquiry: Genes, Drugs and Toxins.”
The ways in which an organism responds to different drugs or toxins can be heavily influenced by its genetics. In this course, we will conduct research exploring the interplay between genetics, drugs, and toxins using the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker’s yeast). We will investigate how well yeast is able to survive exposure to a variety of chemicals when it is carrying mutations in different genes. In the course of designing our experiments and analyzing our results, we will discuss the molecular biology behind the relationship between genes and drugs. We will also explore the implications of the interplay between genes, drugs and toxins to human biology, and discuss the medical, social and ethical implications of research in this field. Prerequisite: none.
Biology 150.05 “Introduction to Biological Inquiry: Animal Locomotion.”
As a way to explore how biologists ask questions and develop answers to them, this class will focus on the biomechanics and physiology of animal locomotion. We will begin at the level of the muscle, and go on to consider how the heart and lungs function during exercise in vertebrates. We will also consider the effects of exercise on mood, stress, and anxiety, and analyze the kinematics of locomotion using digital video. Students will begin learning how to use the scientific literature to study the physical, physiological, and biomechanical principles that cause or result from the ways animals move. The emphasis of the course will be on asking questions, designing experiments to answer those questions, and communicating results of the experiments in a variety of formats. Each class period will combine lab, lecture, and discussion. Prerequisite: none.
Biology 295.01 “Special Topic: Animal Behavior with Lab.”
Investigations of the causes, function, and origins of animal behavior. We will use an evolutionary perspective to understand and integrate common behavioral adaptations, e.g., obtaining food, avoiding predators, living in groups, communicating, mating, and caring for offspring. Laboratory projects emphasize design, analysis, and communication of quantitative tests of hypotheses carried out in the lab and field. Three lectures and one lab per week. Prerequisite: BIO-150.
Biology 395.01 “Advanced Special Topic: Biology of Infectious Diseases.”
An examination of the interactions between hosts and pathogens. This course will cover the evolution of virulence, defense mechanisms of hosts (including vertebrate immunology), epidemiology, conservation biology, and public health. We will read from the primary and secondary literature. The laboratory will be a combination of studies of live and prepared organisms, epidemiological modeling, and discussions of concepts. The course will culminate in each student making an infectious disease poster. Prerequisite: BIO-252.
Biology 395.02 “Advanced Special Topic: Spatial Ecology, w/lab.”
Although ecology has emphasized spatial relationships since its beginnings, recent conceptual and technical advances have turned spatial ecology into a field of its own. This course will concern a series of those applications (e.g., species ranges, conservation, epidemiology, landscape ecology) and tools (e.g., geostatistics, GIS, remote sensing) in spatial ecology. Three one-hour meetings and one three-hour lab per week. Prerequisite: BIO-252.
Computer Science 295.01 “Special Topic: Computer Vision.”
How can we make computers understand images? This course covers principles in computational vision and their relationship to human visual perception. Topics include geometry of image formation, image filtering, motion, texture analysis, shape fitting, 3-D reconstruction, segmentation, image descriptors, and object and scene recognition. Students implement and test algorithms on real images in programming exercises and a student-proposed final project. Prerequisite: CSC-161.
Education 295.01 “Special Topic: Introduction to Comparative and International Education.”
This course introduces students to the history and development of the field of comparative and international education. The prominence of two trends in the field frame the course. First, we will study large processes that implicate schooling and education in broad-scale political, economic, and social changes, such as globalization and democratization. Second, we will explore instrumental dimensions of the field, for example how international achievement exams (e.g. PISA and TIMMS data) and cross-national studies of school effectiveness inform educational reform at the national and local level. Student interests will influence which countries and school systems we will investigate in the course. Prerequisite: EDU-101.
Education 295.02 “Special Topic: Methods and Practica in Teaching World Languages.”
Students in this course will study theories of language acquisition and assess curricular materials aimed at adolescents. They also will also explore pedagogical approaches to teaching a world language to young teens. Study will include age appropriate content and assessment for teaching a world language and will explore commonalties and contrasts in methods for teaching particular languages. The seminar will also be a forum for discussing classroom management challenges that will arise out of the practicum experience. College students will plan and implement lessons through a practicum experience with Grinnell Newburg Middle School students. Prerequisite: EDU-101.
Education 395.01 “Advanced Special Topic: Theory and Method in English as a Second Language/Bilingual Education.”
This course builds on theories of second language acquisition to develop effective practices for teaching English as a Second Language and bilingual education. Students will evaluate current curricula and pedagogies in ESL and bilingual instruction in the U.S. for their impact on student achievement and access to high quality education. Students will also explore the political and cultural implications for teaching English in another country. Students will be expected to develop units that align with professional standards for ESL/bilingual education and teach short lessons to their peers. They will engage in a 14-hour practica in a public school setting. Prerequisite: EDU-101, 213, 221 or 250.
English 120.01 “Literary Analysis.”
This course will introduce you to literary works in a number of genres while reinforcing your skills in critical analysis and close reading. We will examine important elements of fiction and poetry in order to better understand how these elements create meaning in the work, and we will explore a range of contemporary approaches to literary texts and familiarize ourselves with various schools of literary criticism, interpretative strategies, and ways of reading. During the second part of the course, we will read two pairs of novels focused around similar themes: Nella Larson’s Passing (1929) and Danzy Senna’s Caucasia (1997), both of which explore race and racial “passing,” and Virginia Woolf’s Orlando (1928) and Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues (1993), both of which explore gender identity and gender-crossing. Prerequisite: none.
English 120.02 “Literary Analysis.”
This course will introduce you to literary works in a number of genres while reinforcing your skills in critical analysis and close reading. We will examine important elements of fiction and poetry in order to better understand how these elements create meaning in the work, and we will explore a range of contemporary approaches to literary texts and familiarize ourselves with various schools of literary criticism, interpretative strategies, and ways of reading. During the second part of the course, we will read two pairs of novels focused around similar themes: Nella Larson’s Passing (1929) and Danzy Senna’s Caucasia (1997), both of which explore race and racial “passing,” and Virginia Woolf’s Orlando (1928) and Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues (1993), both of which explore gender identity and gender-crossing. Prerequisite: none.
English 120.03 “Literary Analysis.”
This is a critical reading, writing, and thinking course designed to introduce students to literary works in a number of genres while developing their skills of critical analysis. We will start by looking at critical and theoretical approaches to a single novel and then turn to short fiction, poetry, and drama, building on what we have learned while focusing on genre-specific vocabulary and strategies of interpretation. Graded assignments will include short writing assignments and three papers. Prerequisite: none.
English 120.04 “Literary Analysis.”
This course examines important elements of fiction and poetry in order to hone students’ analytical reading and writing skills. We will study a range of contemporary approaches to literary texts by familiarizing ourselves with various schools of literary criticism and ways of reading. Our texts will take us on a journey through the issues of race, identity, class, and gender. We will consider these categories on their own, while also contemplating the ways in which they intersect. In addition to reading the poetic works of Audre Lorde, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Yusef Komunyakaa, we will read fictional works such as James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal,” Jhumpha Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies, and Doris Lessing’s The Grass is Singing. Prerequisite: none.
English 120.05 “Literary Analysis.”
In this course students will explore the ways in which form and figure interact with cultural assumptions. Course readings will include a variety of poems, stories and a novel, as well as introductory essays on different methodologies of literary analysis. Assignments are geared toward learning how to turn raw encounters with literature and criticism into persuasive critical evaluations. Prerequisite: none.
English 120.06 “Literary Analysis.”
This is a critical reading, writing, and thinking course designed to introduce students to literary works in a number of genres while developing their skills of critical analysis. We will start by looking at critical and theoretical approaches to a single novel and then turn to short fiction, poetry, and drama, building on what we have learned while focusing on genre-specific vocabulary and strategies of interpretation. Graded assignments will include short writing assignments and three papers. Prerequisite: none.
English 273.01 “Feminism, Gender, & Literary Theory.”
This course introduces students to a range of feminisms--including Liberal, Radical, French, and Postmodern. We will trace the debates among feminist positions by examining their varied, and often contradictory, definition of gender and its constitutive role in the sex/gender system. While we will address the impact of feminist and gender studies on literary criticism, the course's central focus will be on critical methodologies in contemporary literary theory, such as poststructuralism, deconstruction and psychoanalysis, which have provided the foundations for current feminist and queer scholarship. Students will read works by (and about) Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, Elizabeth Grosz, Monique Wittig, Jacques Lacan, Chela Sandoval, Elaine Showalter and Gayle Rubin. Prerequisite: ENG-120 or 121.
English 295.01 “Special Topic: Advanced Fiction Seminar with Paul Harding.”
Visiting professor from the Iowa Writers' Workshop offers a six-week short course in fiction writing. Students who have taken at least one creative writing course at Grinnell (English 205, 206, 385, and/or 386) are eligible to register for this advanced creative-writing workshop. Class meetings will take place on April 9, April 16, April 23, April 30, May 7, and May 14. ½ semester course deadlines apply. S/D/F only. Prerequisite: ENG-205 or 206.
English 314.01 “Milton.”
This course will focus primarily on John Milton's great epic, Paradise Lost, in order to understand the poem's synthesis of heroic religious and religious traditions and its remarkable innovations in the English language. But we will also explore the broad range of genres in which Milton wrote throughout his career, including lyric, court masque, drama, "brief epic," and polemic. In each case we will seek to understand his works in their seventeenth-century contexts, but we will also ask how and why they have outlived the historical conditions from which they emerged. Readings include recent critical and theoretical essays on Milton's art, life, and times. Prerequisite: English 223 or 273.
English 329.01 “Studies in African American Literature Neo-Slave Narratives: Slavery in the Literary Imagination.”
It is the unspeakable thing unspoken. It is the story not to pass on. Filled with tales of gothic horror grounded in the material realities of nineteenth-century slavery, the African American slave narrative tradition documents and fictionalizes the experiences of African Americans living within and writing against the peculiar institution’s systems of physical and psychological bondage. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl detail authentic, and in one case debated, autobiographies that not only trace their gendered paths from slavery to freedom, but also assert a collective voice of defiance and survival. As a genre that looms large within the African American literary tradition, the slave narrative has been adapted in form and content by a wide range of authors and artists who use poetry, novels, speculative fiction, satire, and film to re-imagine the tropes and themes of the slave narrative within a twentieth-century context. In addition to reading narratives by both Douglass and Jacobs, and viewing the films Sankofa and Daughters of the Dust, we will read, among others, Octavia Butler’s Kindred, Ishmael Reed’s Flight to Canada, Gayl Jones’ Song for Anninho, Charles Johnson’s Oxherding Tale, and Toni Morrison’s Beloved to determine what the similarities and differences between traditional and neo-slave narratives reveal about the nature of memory, history, and storytelling and reflect about our nation’s racial consciousness. Prerequisite: ENG-225, 227, 228, 229, or 231.
English 332.01 “The Victorians: Haunted Victorians.”
This seminar will address issues of death, haunting, and mourning in Victorian literature. Texts may include Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, Darwin’s Origin of Species, Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott” and In Memoriam, Collins’s The Moonstone, Stoker’s Dracula, and Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. Assignments will include responses, a midterm paper, an annotated bibliography, and a research paper. Prerequisite: ENG-224 or 225.
English 390.01 “Literary Theory.”
In Plato’s Republic, poetry is exiled unless and until it can “prove her title to exist in a well-ordered state.” Using the Republic as our point of departure, this course will explore the “ancient quarrel between philosophy and poetry” in readings that run the gamut from Classical, Renaissance, and Romantic philosophers and poets, to more recent ground-breaking essays by Modernist and Post-Modernist thinkers. A selection of literary works will be used to explore the assumptions imbedded in the critical essays. Prerequisite: Third-year or fourth-year standing and at least one 300-level literature seminar in the English department.
Environmental Studies 295.01 “Special Topic: International Perspectives on Sustainability.”
To live sustainably means to follow a way of life that meets present needs without compromising the natural, social, or economic systems on which future generations will depend to meet their needs. It is perhaps the greatest challenge of our times. Sustainability must be sought at both the global level and the local level and requires the coordinated efforts of nations, communities, and individuals. In this class, students who have been exposed – on off-campus study programs, summer internships, or otherwise -- to projects that advance sustainability in different countries will have the opportunity to deepen and share their knowledge of these projects. The principle learning objective will be to survey and evaluate such projects and to assess their potential applicability in other locations. To a considerable extent, class readings will be selected by students and discussions led by students. Prerequisite: A course in Environmental Studies.
Environmental Studies 295.02 “Special Topic: An Environmental History of Food.”
The abandonment of hunting-and-gathering and the domestication and exchange of plants and animals is a series of events that has immensely amplified the carrying capacity of Earth for humans, but at the same time has altered the face of the planet more than any event since the KT boundary. The course will begin with an examination of hunter-gather economies, examine the question of whether agriculture is facultative and therefore its absence in some societies (such as the Australian Aborigines) is adaptive and not a symptom of their being "primitive," followed by a disquieting consideration of cannibalism (both virtual and ritual) and whether it is, as well, adaptive under special circumstances. The crux of the course, however, will examine how our species" quest for food has transformed entire landscapes into gardens; simplified ecosystems; diminished biological diversity; laid the foundations of urbanization, economics and politics; facilitated the evolution of diseases; despoiled the seas; and provided the trophic foundation of the industrial revolution. Finally, the course will enter the new millennium and explore the ethical dimensions of how Americans, Brazilians, Chinese, Indians and Pakistanis grow and use food; the geography of famine; food as fuel; the shifting agricultural panorama in a time of climate change; and the role of genetically-modified organisms in the breadbasket of the future. Prerequisite: second-year standing.
Environmental Studies 295.03 “Special Topic: Glaciers, Landscapes, and Human Interactions.”
During the last 2.5 million years, repeated glaciations have profoundly influenced North American landscapes, peoples, and ecosystems. In this seminar we examine: glacier dynamics; processes of glacial erosion and deposition; landscapes in transects from ice centers in northern Canada to ice-marginal environments in the Prairies, to ice-distal regions in the American south; pre-Pleistocene glaciations and methods of reconstructing ancient ice sheets; and the dispersal of humans across North America. We also consider the implications of glacial deposits for soils, natural hazards, groundwater, engineering, archeology; and mineral exploration, and the use of modern glaciers to document past and ongoing climate changes. Prerequisite: ENV-125.
Environmental Studies 395.01 (Also History) “Advanced Special Topic: Environmental History of the Midwest.”
See History 395.01.
Environmental Studies 495.01 “Senior Seminar: Arctic Thaw.”
Arctic environments and peoples are living the consequences of global warming now, not in some distant future. In this seminar, we adopt an interdisciplinary approach to focus on global warming and Arctic Earth systems. Specific topics include: periglacial geomorphology and melting of the cryosphere; the Arctic Ocean; Arctic life; southern-derived industrial pollutants; the Inuit peoples; circumpolar internationalism; competing national claims for Arctic lands, waters, and resources; and the global effects of Arctic warming. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
French 350.01 “Advanced Topics in Literature and Civilization: Masculine/Feminine in French Literature and Film.”
Conducted in French. Explores concepts of the masculine and the feminine from the Romantic era to the present in literature, art and film. Examines topics such as desire, ambition, sexuality, paternity, maternity, and the problem of writing the self. Authors and directors to be studied include Chateaubriand, Stendhal, Sand, Rachilde, Colette, Godard, Truffaut, Ernaux, Breillat, Denis, Toussaint, and Houellebecq. Prerequisites: French 312 or 313; one seminar-level course in the French department and permission of department for Mentored Advanced Project (499).
Gender, Women’s and Sexual Studies 395.01(Also Humanities) “Advanced Special Topic: Queer Cinema/Queer Theory.”
This seminar will provide an intensive exploration of contemporary queer theory, with particular attention given to key terms and on-going critical debates in the field. The theoretical concepts of queer theory will be examined in relation to queer cinema, grounding theoretical insights in the textual analysis of dominant and avant-garde cinema. Films screened for this course include: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Suddenly Last Summer, Looking for Langston, Edward II and Sister My Sister. Prerequisite: GWS-111, ENG-273 or HUM-211 (previously HUM-195, Film Analysis).
Gender and Women’s Studies 495.01 “Senior Seminar: Chicana Feminist Thought.”
This course explores Chicana Feminist writers and activists who emerged during the Feminist and Chicano Movements of the late 60s and 70s in the United States. Using an intersectional approach, course participants will critically engage this foundational work and its connection to more recent works by Chicana Feminists. Prerequisite: GWS-111, one core course from category 2, and four additional credits from core or elective courses.
General Literary Studies 295.01 (Also Humanities) “Special Topic: Theoretical Approaches to Children’s and Young Adult Literature.”
See Humanities 295.01.
General Literary Studies 353.01 (Also Russian) “Major Russian Writers: Nabokov.”
See Russian 353.01.
German 372.01 “Recent Trends in German Literature.”
The use of autobiography in contemporary German fiction. Meets April 6 to May 13. !/2 semester deadlines apply. Prerequisite: GRM-302.
Global Development Studies 395.01 & 02 “Advanced Special Topic: Sustainable Development in Costa Rica.”
The goal of this course is to gain a better understanding of sustainable development by focusing on Costa Rica as a case study. Particular emphasis will be placed on tourism and agricultural development. These topics will be reviewed both from theoretical/comparative perspectives (understanding the issues more broadly), as well as from historical and descriptive perspectives (understanding the situation in Costa Rica). Each student will develop a major research project related to one of these themes. Students registering for section 01 will travel to Costa Rica for spring break to conduct research. Each student registering for section 01 will be charged a $150 non-refundable fee. All additional necessary expenses will be covered. In the event of over-enrollment, preference will be given to those with Spanish speaking abilities. Prerequisite: GDS-111 and a 200-level Social Studies course that would count toward the concentration.
History 100.01 “Making History: The Rise of the Railroad.”
This course provides an introduction to issues of historical causation, argumentation, and evidence through the lens of one of the most significant developments in modern history: the rise of the railroad. After introductory units on historical methods and the technological history of the railroad, we will spend the bulk of the semester examining the political, social, economic, environmental, and aesthetic repercussions of the railroad at particular junctures including Grinnell itself, British India, 1890s Chicago, the Paris Metro, and train transport during the Holocaust. Prerequisite: none.
History 100.02 “Making History: The Rise of the Railroad.”
This course provides an introduction to issues of historical causation, argumentation, and evidence through the lens of one of the most significant developments in modern history: the rise of the railroad. After introductory units on historical methods and the technological history of the railroad, we will spend the bulk of the semester examining the political, social, economic, environmental, and aesthetic repercussions of the railroad at particular junctures including Grinnell itself, British India, 1890s Chicago, the Paris Metro, and train transport during the Holocaust. Prerequisite: none.
History 100.03 “Making History: Europe under the Great Dictators.”
This course provides an introduction to issues of historical causation, argumentation and evidence, through the lens of two of the most repressive dictators in all of world history––Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin -- who dominated world politics between 1914 and 1945. After an introductory unit on historical methods, we will use a variety of primary and secondary texts to investigate the workings of the Nazi and Stalinist dictatorships, examining subjects like the personal role of Hitler and Stalin in determining state policy, the use of state terror and the secret police, the rise of the leader cult, the origins of the Holocaust, and the nature of Stalin’s Great Purges. Prerequisite: none.
History 100.04 “Making History: The Rise and Fall of New World Slavery.”
This course provides an introduction to issues of historical causation, argumentation, and evidence, through the lens of the foundings and practices of New World slavery, as well as the social movements that abolished the institution. After an introductory unit on historical methods, we will use our exploration of slavery as it developed in Brazil, the Caribbean, and mainland North America as a window on issues of power and exploitation, outsiders and insiders, the construction of race, the connections between freedom and slavery, the early stages of consumer-driven economics, and the promise and limitations of social reform. A central theme in the course will be the way in which “progress” and freedom depended on the enslavement of Africans. Prerequisite: none.
History 295.01 “Special Topic: Medieval Intellectual History.”
This course will provide an introduction to the western intellectual tradition, from roughly the end of the fourth century to the late fourteenth century. It will cover developments in educational institutions, philosophy, theology, mysticism, spirituality, science, magic, law, and political theory. We will focus on Christian Europe. Nevertheless, since Christians in the Middle Ages did not exist in a vacuum, but also interacted with Jews and Muslims and drew inspiration from their writings, we will also spend time examining the Jewish and Muslim intellectual traditions. Prerequisite: HIS-100 or second-year standing.
History 295.02 (also Social Studies) “Special Topic: 'Tribes' and History: Categories, Communities, and Practices in Modern India."
This course offers a broad overview of themes and debates central to the study of tribes in India. It will introduce students to the emergence of the category of 'tribe' in official and missionary writings in colonial India; the location of the term within and across the disciplines of anthropology, sociology and history; the working of tribal economies and their relationship to the wider world of commerce and industry; the nature of tribal movements in the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries; and the ways in which tribal groups in recent decades have related to the contending categories of 'scheduled tribe', 'adivasi' and 'indigenous peoples'. Meets April 12 to April 30. Short course deadlines apply. Prerequisite: One Grinnell course in History, Anthropology, or Sociology.
History 313.01 “Race in Early America.”
This course examines the social construction and significance of race during the colonial and early national periods in North America. In what ways did the concept of race in early America differ from our twenty-first century assumptions about race? How did Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans understand race? How did their experiences with one another shape their ideas about race? The readings are meant to introduce students to the various ways in which historians have examined race. Each student will be challenged to develop a historical question related to race. Students will then write a research paper to answer that question. Prerequisite: HIS-111 and any 200-level American History course.
History 327.01 “Labor in 20th Century Latin America.”
During the twentieth century, Labor Movements helped transform many Latin American countries socially, politically, and economically. Organized workers have played key roles in the Mexican Revolution, the rise of Peronism, and the recent political triumphs of Brazil's Worker's Party. The common readings for the seminar will include some of the classic works and then move to more recent studies. These readings raise questions about the effect of employer paternalism on workers; the impact of special privileges on workers; and the role of women in the home, in the shop and in the union. In the second half of the course students will then write a major research paper on labor in twentieth-century Latin America. A reading knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is helpful but not required. Prerequisite: HIS-201,202 or 204.
History 336.01 “Representing the Metropolis.”
This seminar investigates cities such as Paris, Vienna, London, and Berlin by exploring political developments, social theory, the visual arts, film, literature, architecture, consumer culture, and music during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Our study of inherent qualities and tensions in the modern urban experience will include community and alienation, the fluidity of the self, spectacle and entertainment, disease and criminality, gender and class. Final papers will apply course themes to primary source research topics. Prerequisite: one 200-level European history course, including Russian or British history.
History 395.01 (Also Environmental Studies) “Advanced Special Topic: Environmental History of the Midwest.”
This interdisciplinary seminar explores the environmental history of the upper Midwest and Great Plains, focusing on the transformative century that began with the early stages of settlement in the 1830s and ended with the upheavals of the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and New Deal. The first half of the course will introduce students to the wide range of questions, methodologies, and sources that environmental historians use to construct their accounts of the past. Students will learn to incorporate the perspectives of geography, ecology, and spatial analysis into their study of American history, offering new ways of thinking about how the environment has shaped the contours of society and historical change in America’s “heartland.” Particular emphasis will be paid to the environmental dimensions of Midwestern agriculture, forestry, urban ecology, disease and public health, natural resources and hazards, as well as the wide-ranging effects of market capitalism on the region. In the second half of the course, students will pursue a topic of their own choosing which will culminate in a substantial research paper. Prerequisite: One of the following: one 200-level American History course or an environmental studies course.
Humanities 295.01 (Also General Literary Studies) “Special Topic: Theoretical Approaches to Children’s and Young Adult Literature.”
This course will take a theoretical approach to canonical and contemporary children’s literature. In 2010, "Theoretical Approaches to Children’s and Young Adult Literature" will focus on constructions of race, slavery, class and gender in 19th and 20th-century Anglo-American Children’s Literature. The historical and cultural role of institutionalized slavery will be a central topic of study in its presentation to young readers. Prerequisite: A course in English or another course in literature.
Humanities 295.02 “Special Topic: Confluence and Conflict: Turkey as the Cultural Crossroads of Europe and Asia.”
Straddling the natural border between Europe and Asia has made (what we now call) Turkey a crucible of social contrast -- not to say contradiction. It is a constitutionally secular republic ruled by an Islamic political party. Its most famous mosque (now a museum) is named for a Christian saint. Its predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, famous for centuries of ethnic tolerance, launched what some consider to be a genocide against a minority population. (Or not – officially that never happened.) Though partly in Europe, it is not quite “European” enough to be welcomed into the EU. This course explores more than two millennia of Turkey’s unique role as the fracture zone between the cultural traditions of Eastern and Western civilizations. Prerequisite: One course in Humanities or Social Studies.
Humanities 295.03 “Special Topic: Media and the Middle East.”
This course will explore representations of the Middle East in the Western and Middle-Eastern media. It will adopt a comparative approach and will use theoretical readings and case studies to examine the diverse ways in which news can be viewed as a cultural product. The case studies may include: the war on Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iranian nuclear debate/question. Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Humanities 395.01(Also Gender, Women’s and Sexual Studies) “Advanced Special Topic: Queer Cinema/Queer Theory.”
See Gender, Women’s and Sexual Studies 395.01.
Added 12/7/09
Humanities 395.02 "Advanced Special Topic: Grieving in Public: Roadside Shrines and Urban Memorials."
This course begins and ends with the growing phenomenon of roadside shrines and urban memorials, exploring first what they are, why they are so prevalent, what they mean to the people who construct them, who vist them, and who see them from afar. The class will look at actual shrines and the study of this phenomenon to understand how they are both part of an organic development or memorialization as well as an expression of changed civic values or spirituality with regard to the dead. The scholarly approaches to these shrines will include the insights of social geographers, scholars of violence and culture, ritual studies and popular religiosity. The growing animonsity between the builders of roadside shrines and state/civil authorities will also be engaged as a point of study in the growing tension about the public nature of grief and belief. Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Math 444.01 “Senior Seminar.”
The senior seminar will cover Lie algebras and their representations. A Lie algebra is a particular type of algebraic structure that arises in a natural way from the study of continuous transformation groups, or Lie groups. Since their discovery, Lie algebras have come to play an important role in numerous areas in mathematics and theoretical physics. In this course, we will begin our study by first looking at small examples, and then building up towards the general structure theorems which give a classification of certain types of Lie algebras. We will then study the representation theory of Lie algebras. While the beauty of the results alone justifies this study, it turns out that these structures become essential in understanding certain parts of quantum theory, and we will conclude the course with an examination of these connections. Prerequisite: MAT-316 and 321.
Music 203.01 "Regional Studies in World Music: African Music."
An exploration of the traditional and contemporary musical practices of Sub-Saharan Africa. Music making will be looked at both generally through topics (e.g., musical instruments, music and language, music in social institutions, etc.) and in detail through case studies (e.g., musical ethnographies). The final part of the semester will be dedicated to individual research and writing projects focusing on multiple manifestations of a single topic (e.g., urban popular music in Africa) that will be joined together as an edited volume of essays. This course welcomes, but is not restricted to, African students and students who have participated, or who plan on participating, in off-campus study programs in Africa. Prerequisite: none.
Music 321.01 "Advanced Musical Studies: Counterpoint."
This course is designed to provide an introduction to 18th-century contrapuntal techniques, with an emphasis on the fundamental skills for writing and analyzing two- and three-voice counterpoints, two- and three-part inventions, and three- and four-part fugal expositions. There will be frequent written assignments as well as longer midterm and final projects. Prerequisites: MUS-112.
Philosophy 295.01 “Special Topic: Neurophilosophy.”
The past two decades have seen rapid advances in neuroscience that promise to alter our understanding of ourselves as biological creatures. We will examine this emerging neuroscientific image of the mind and person, and consider some of the conceptual and ethical issues that accompany it. We will also approach neuroscience through philosophy of science and history of science, placing some of the recent developments within a wider perspective. Questions to be addressed include: What is the neural basis of consciousness? What ethical issues are raised by new techniques of neural monitoring and intervention? Is the science of psychology being reduced to neurobiology? Prerequisite: PHI-111.
Added 12/7/09
Philosophy 393.01 “Advanced Studies in History of Philosophy: Greek Ethics and Moral Psychology.”
The development of ancient Greek thinking about morality and about the psychology of moral action. Extensive study of Plato and Aristotle, with comparative material from Greek literature and from other Greek philosophers. Prerequisite: PHI/CLS-231. HUM-101 recommended.
Physical Education 195.01 “Introductory Special Topic: The Role of Sport in Society.”
The course will give students a theoretical base of the study of sport sociology. Specific sections will be taught on sport and the media in America, the business of sport, sport and education (gender), the changing face of sport in the 1960s as seen in the Olympic movement and sport access for the black athlete. Prerequisite: none.
Physical Education 295.01 “Special Topic: Lifeguard Instructor Training.”
This is a course designed by the American Red Cross to teach and certify current Lifeguards to become Lifeguard Instructors. After completion of this course, the student will be able to train and teach people over the age of 15 ARC Lifeguard Training. S/D/F only. Dates: April 6 to May 13. 1/2 semester deadlines apply. Prerequisites: PHE-100-16, Lifeguard Training, or equivalent.
Policy Studies 295.01 (Also Political Science) “Special Topic: Foundations of Policy Analysis.”
This course explores principles of policy making, with applications. It develops a theoretical rationale for policy, based on theory of market failure and motivational/agency dimensions. It proceeds to investigate institutional context and processes relevant to policy making, using case studies. With this foundation, the course will examine specific policy problems and solutions related to important problem areas such as economic growth, health care, monetary policy, education, and environment. Students will be encouraged to explore policy areas of interest for case studies and papers. Prerequisites: second-year standing and either ECN-111 or POL-101.
Policy Studies 395.01 “Advanced Special Topic: Advanced Policy Research.”
In this course students will use the techniques of policy analysis they began in PST-395 to conduct an independent research project. Normally these projects will be related to the student’s major or other curricular interest. During the first several course meetings students will identify and refine their policy area for in-depth study. This course will meet once per week during the spring semester, and will culminate with individual presentations of the policy research. Prerequisite: PST/POL-395 Applied Policy Analysis.
Political Science 295.01 (Also Policy Studies) “Special Topic: Foundations of Policy Analysis.”
See Policy Studies 295.01.
Political Science 295.02 “Special Topic: The Politics of American Immigration.”
In his foundational 1951 book about American migration, Oscar Handlin famously wrote: “Once I thought to write a history of the immigrants in America. Then I discovered that the immigrants were American history.” In this course, we will examine the ways in which American immigration politics are American politics. Debates over the perceived costs and benefits of immigration have long been a familiar part of American political rhetoric, but immigration also raises questions about what it means to be an American, and what one should have to do to become one. Immigration debates are linked to disputes over the strength and location of the border, the equality of opportunity for native-born minorities, the consistency of our national logics of race and ethnicity, and the status of the United States as a world power. We will explore several of these contemporary controversies in American immigration politics, and in the process, we will learn lessons about how American politics works more generally. Prerequisite: POL-101.
Political Science 295.03 “Special Topic: Nationalism.”
This course analyzes the origins and transformation, contradictions and problems of nations and national movements. Its main aim is to provide an understanding as to why world politics are organized around state structures and national identities. In addressing this question it analyzes the definition of state and nation, the relationship between both concepts, the forces that motivated the appearance and spread of nation-states, the process through which national identities are formed, maintained and transformed. It studies the emergence of secessionist movements and ethnic violence, as well as the ability of institutional structures to contain and channel national conflict. it illustrates these processes through the comparative study of several case studies such as France, USA, Germany, Italy, Catalonia, Basque Country, Quebec, Northern Ireland, USSR, Yugoslavia, Algiers, Rwanda and India. Prerequisite: POL-101.
Political Science 295.04 “Special Topic: Human Rights: Foundations, Challenges and Choices.”
This course will familiarize students with the international human rights regime and will analyze a series of case studies which illustrate the challenges to the realization of human rights and the choices for human rights advocates and policy-makers. Topics for discussion include universality or relativity of human rights, the interplay between civil and political rights with economic and social rights, the impact of sovereignty, monitoring and compliance. Cases will include humanitarian intervention, the U.S. domestic response to 9/11, prisoner rights, religious accommodation and equality of rights, human rights and development and climate change and human rights. Prerequisite: POL-101.
Political Science 295.05 “Special Topic: Peace and How to Achieve It.”
From Hobbs to Gandhi to the UN, peace has been seen as one of the most important political goals. Yet different thinkers pursue different ideas of what peace means and prescribe different ways of achieving it. This course surveys, critiques, and evaluates different approaches to peace and peacemaking, looking at realism, liberal internationalism, conflict resolution literature, mediation literature, Gandhi, feminism, peace research and peace psychology. The main theoretical theme of the course is how different approaches to peace emphasize power, justice, utility or empathy, while practical focuses of the course will include a critique of the UN's post-Cold War approach to peace, and analysis of more localized cases of intractable conflict such as Northern Ireland and Israel/Palestine. Prerequisite: Second-year Standing. Previous classes in International Relations recommended.
Political Science 395.01 “Advanced Special Topic: Courts and Politics in Comparative Perspective.”
Constitutions are political pacts aimed at binding the power exercised by politicians. This premise depicts the interaction between politics and constitutions: politics determine the contents and aims of constitutions and in turn constitutions shape political behavior. It also reflects one of the main paradoxes in the foundations of our political systems: politicians ultimately define the limits of their own power. If this is so, the question raises under what conditions can we expect constitutions to be properly enforced? This seminar addresses theses issues by focusing on the politics involved in constitutional choice and interpretation. It looks at the political aims of constitutions, the ways in which they are enforced, the conditions for weak and strong constitutional regimes, the political factors involved in the judicial interpretation or constitutions as well as the political strategies that derive from these interpretations, and the ways in which constitutional meaning evolves and changes. These processes are addressed in comparative perspective, by looking at constitutional structures and dynamics in Germany, France, Spain, the United States, Canada, Russia, Argentina, and Mexico. Prerequisite: POL-219.
Political Science 395.02 “Advanced Special Topic: Advanced Constitutional Law.”
This course is an in-depth exploration of the role of the Supreme Court in American democracy. In particular, we will wrestle with the question of how courts strike a balance between protecting democratic values and protecting the rights of vulnerable minorities. In addition to reading a selection of Supreme Court cases touching on topics such as religious freedom and equal protection, students will read contemporary legal theory, and ultimately write a research paper that links a particular topic of interest to them to larger questions about rights in a constitutional democracy. Prerequisite: POL-219.
Psychology 395.01 “Advanced Special Topic: Psychology of Attention.”
An examination of the theories and models of the mechanisms of attention, of the experimental paradigms used to investigate attention, of the modulation of attention in relation to other cognitive processes, and of the problems implied in the study of attention. Topics include attentional resources, attentional selection, sensory enhancement, visual search, dual-task performance, inhibition, capture, crossmodal attention, inattentional and change blindness, neglect, automaticity and executive control. Prerequisite: PSY-246 or 260 and MAT/SST-115 or MAT-209.
Religious Studies 295.01 “Special Topic: Priestesses, Shamans, Saints, and Healers: Women’s Practices of Peity and Power in Asia.”
An anthropological and ethnographic examination of female religious specialization in different parts of Asia. Through case studies, we explore the Asian female religious virtuosi and, more generally, the constructs of “Asia” and gender, theories of agency and power, and the gendering of religious experience. The objective of the course is to understand how women who serve in public positions of power and authority not only validate their unusual lives/roles in the face of normative expectations of female gender, but also support, resist, and challenge the more “official” discourses and institutions through their piety. Prerequisite: REL-111 or 117.
Religious Studies 394.01 “Advanced Topics in Religious Studies: Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice.”
As Catherine Bell has argued, while the idea of ritual may seem straightforward, recent critical reflections show it to be a complicated and contentious matter in the field of religious studies. This seminar is designed to investigate the variety of activities that “ritual” might refer to and the variety of perspectives that might be taken in interpreting those activities. We will also consider influences from other fields in conceptualizing “ritual,” and their effects in debates over the study of religion in the twenty-first century. Prerequisite: REL-311.
Russian 353.01 (Also General Literary Studies) “Major Russian Writers: Nabokov.”
This course examines the artistic oeuvre of a single major Russian writer within the context of his cultural and literary milieu. The following writers could be offered in alternating years: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Gogol, Chekhov, Nabokov. Conducted in English. May be repeated once for credit when content changes. Prerequisite: none.
Social Studies 295.01 “Special Topic: Non-Profit Management: How Can I Change the World?”
This course will explore the nexus of theory and practice of nonprofit leadership through the use of class discussion, selected readings and case studies, as selected by the students. A brief but intensive review of nonprofit administration and selected theories of nonprofit leadership will be used as a forum for students’ exploration into this possible career path. Students who ask, “how can I change the world?” or “what does it take to run an NPO?” will find an exciting and challenging space to explore these questions. Dates: April 5 to April 21. Short course deadlines apply. Prerequisite: None.
Social Studies 295.02 (also History) “Special Topic: 'Tribes' and History: Categories, Communities, and Practices in Modern India."
See History 295.01.
Social Studies 395.01 “Advanced Special Topic: Intellectual Property Law and Policy: The Intersection of Public Policy and Legal Regulation.”
This short course is sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership. The course will examine the nexus between governmental policy making and federal legislation. U.S. economic and trade policies over the last fifty years will be reviewed and contrasted with the development and change of U.S. intellectual property laws during the same period. The effect of intellectual property legislation in achieving governmental economic and trade policies will be studied together with comparable foreign trade policies and legal developments. Dates: April 5 to April 21. Short course deadlines apply. Prerequisite: SST-295, Intellectual Property and its Role in Global Socioeconomic Shifts (SP07, FA07 & FA08), or POL-101, 216, 219, ECN-111, 230 or 233.
Sociology 295.01 “Special Topic: Environmental Sociology and Globalization.”
This course examines society-environment relations and the global dimensions of environmental issues. Of central concern are the effects of economic globalization on the environment and the globalization of environmental governance. The course begins with an analysis of different trends in and theories of globalization and the environment to illuminate the relationships between First and Third World countries and how these shape environmental issues. It then focuses on key topics including the current state of the global environment; controversies over population, food production, and the commons; the role of people146s movements, non-governmental organizations, the state, transnational corporations, and financial institutions in shaping environmental problems and policy; and global conservation efforts. Prerequisite: SOC-111.
Sociology 390.01 “Advanced Studies in Sociology: Work in the New Economy.”
Who are the workers in the ‘new’ economy? How do individuals experience the consequences of globalization in their lives, both as workers and consumers? This course will examine recent transformations in the U.S. economy—including deskilling, downsizing, layoffs, and the rise of the service sector—and will consider how each of these “transformations” relate to issues of identity, community, family formation, structural inequality and national culture. Work has changed so quickly in the last three decades that we have yet to fully comprehend the micro level consequences in our daily lives and the macro level consequences for American culture and global processes. This course will use qualitative case studies and the voices of workers in the ‘new’ economy to understand how work is lived through race, social class, sexuality, gender, and nation. Prerequisite: at least two 200-level sociology courses and third-year standing.
Spanish 195.01 “Introductory Special Topic: Introduction to Latin@ Studies.”
This interdisciplinary introduction course explores the varied historical, cultural, and political experiences of Latin@s in the United States. Some of the main organizing themes include immigration and the construction of immigrant based communities and identities; gender and sexuality; racial/ethnic constructions; language; and popular culture and media representations. In an effort to place the experience of diverse Latino populations in social, political, historical, and cultural/ national perspectives, students will review a wide variety of readings and conduct their own research projects. Taught in English. Prerequisite: none.
Spanish 295.01 “Special Topic: Constructing the Spanish City: The Films of Almodóvar.”
This course will explore how the city becomes a cultural force daring the traditional values imposed by the Franco legacy. We will analyze how in the films of Almodóvar the city contributes to the construction/destruction of the individual, his/her family and the society as a whole. We will also question the role of this urban space and its formation as a gendered entity, associated at times with the feminine and the masculine. Prerequisite: SPN-285. This course would satisfy the prerequisite requirement for upper 300-level courses.
Spanish 295.02 “Special Topic: Cultures of the Spanish-Speaking World: Food, Drink & Latin American Cultural Identities.”
This interdisciplinary course focuses on the role of food and drink in Latin Americans’ conceptions of their own cultural identities. We will consider the use of “national” / “regional” foods in self-representations of Latin American cultural uniqueness in and out of Latin America, including among exiles and immigrants. Our discussions about food and identity will also incorporate topics such as nationalism, nostalgia and homesickness. Course materials will include written (narrative, poetry, journalism, etc.), filmic and musical texts. Taught in Spanish. This course will not fulfill the prerequisite requirement for upper 300-level literature courses. Prerequisite: SPN-285.
Spanish 395.01 “Advanced Special Topic: Spanish Dialectology: Latin American Spanish.”
This course will examine the history and diversity of the Spanish spoken in Latin America. We will approach Latin American Spanish from two different perspectives: diachronic (historical, cultural, social, and linguistic factors that were involved in its origin) and synchronic (phonological, morpho-syntactic, and lexical description of the Latin American Spanish dialects as spoken today.) Students will work with oral and written texts produced in any of the varieties of Latin American Spanish in order to recognize those varieties and identify the linguistic features that characterize each of them. Prerequisite: SPN-343.
Technology Studies 215.01 “Solar Energy Technologies.”
New course. An investigation of the technology related to the utilization and storage of solar energy, including consideration of scientific, technical, economic, and social concerns. Study of the broad energy resource and use picture, including calculations, followed by an in-depth study of solar thermal conversion, photovoltaic devices, photochemical conversion, biomass, and wind power. Underlying principles and quantitative reasoning stressed. Prerequisite: CHM-129 or PHY-131.
Theatre 295.01 “Special Topic: Survey of African American and African Diaspora Theatre.”
This course surveys the dramatic and performance traditions of African American and African Diaspora Theatre. Using selected plays from Africa, the Caribbean, England, Canada and the United States, we examine the ways in which these artists use theatre as a platform to stage their concerns about race, racism, gender, sexuality, class, and issues of representation across regional, historical, and at times linguistic differences. Our African American Theatre unit uses the plays of Amiri Baraka, Pearl Cleage, Zora Neale Hurston, Adrienne Kennedy, Robert O’Hara and August Wilson, among others, to explore how various customs, practices, experiences, and ideologies are interwoven within their work. Our second unit examines the ways in which similar concerns materialize in the contemporary drama and performance of the African Diaspora. Selected plays include the works of Ama Ata Aidoo (West Africa), Ina Césaire (Martinique), Djanet Sears (Canada), Sistren Theatre Collective (Jamaica), and Jackie Kay (England). Within each unit, a select range of secondary and theoretical texts help to supplement our discussions. This approach allows us to consider how these theatrical examples may reflect not only the concerns of the playwright and/or practitioner, but also their physical location and the social, cultural, and political environment of their time. Prerequisites: 100-level literature (English, Humanities, Classics, others): or 100-level History, Sociology, or GWS.
Theatre 304.01 “Studies in Drama II: Post-Colonial Theatre.”
The course will examine British plays written from the end of World War II to the present moment, as they reflect social and historical changes, innovations in theatrical styles, and contestations about what can be depicted onstage. Throughout, we will explore the social constructions presented by the playwrights, including those of recent immigrants and others wrestling with ideas of “Britishness” and belonging in this new century. Prerequisite: A 200-level literature course.
