fall07descrips

INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES PROGRAM
Spring 2008 Course Descriptions

Theme A Theme B

Theme A: The Individual and Society

Course Information	Course Description
A1 Individuals in conflict Monday 9:40 AM - 12:10 PM Room 203T Profs. Aman, Balis, Reitz, Thomas Dra/Eng/Eth/Mus/His/Lit/Mus/Spe	The spring semester Theme Lecture will provide an opportunity to consider how people in our society experience, and attempt to deal with, conflicts involving gender, race, ethnicity, ideology, and age. We will explore relevant literature, music, plays, films, legal cases, and more. Topics may include: war, domestic violence, 'ordinary' disputes, and revenge as well as conflict-resolution and peace-making.
A2 Making the Headlines: Current Events as Dramatic Conflicts Tuesday 9:40 AM - 12:10 PM Room 208T Profs. Aman & Goodman Dra/Soc/Spe	This course will 'pull' subjects from the headlines as material to dramatize in class. Through such dramatizations, performances, and analyses, students will learn to recognize the ways in which newspaper portrayals of current events and individuals serve to clarify--or confuse--our understanding of the world.
A3 O Mother I am Lost: Lost Culture, Lost Lifeway Tuesday 12:30 - 3:00 PM Room209T Profs. Brugnola, Merandy Eng/Lit/Phi	This course explores experiences of diaspora--the scattering of people from their original country and cultural environment. It also explores the effects of colonialism, the rule of one population by another from far away. Themes to be explored include identity, place, fragmentation, as well as strategies for integration into new cultural settings. Literature from Asia, the Caribbean, and from Native American authors will be supplemented by a variety of short films.
A4 Protection or Violation: Examining the Patriot Act Tuesday 12:30 - 3:00 PM Room 205T Profs. Balis, Blitz Eng/His/Lit	Six weeks after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Congress passed the Patriot Act. This 342-page set of security enforcement "tools" was passed with virtually no legislative deliberation or debate. Some argued that the Patriot Act was absolutely necessary for the protection of the U.S. while others argued that the hasty legislation was excessive in its scope and deeply flawed in its relation to the U.S. Constitution. Does the Patriot Act provide vital security "tools"? Does it infringe upon fundamental liberties? How does the Patriot Act impact upon our daily lives? This course will examine relevant portions of the Patriot Act and consider its place in historical, political, and social contexts.
A5 Voices of War: Veterans & Their Testimonies Wednesday 9:40 AM - 12:10 PM Room 208T Profs. Paulino & Vasquez Ant/Eth/His	The stories of soldiers and veterans hold an important place in American culture and historical consciousness. Recent documentary and popular films like Ken Burns' The War or Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers highlight the experiences of rank and file WWII veterans. The "Global war on terror" and the prolonged U.S.Military occupation of Iraq have sparked a renewed interest in preserving the often forgotten experiences of the men and women who sacrifice their lives for the nation. This course examines how U.S. Military veterans have been portrayed in the politcal and popular imagination; it also examines the differences between mainstream media's portrayals of veterans and the veterans' own experiences.
A6 Revenge Thursday 9:40 AM - 12:!0 PM Room 205T Profs. Struhl, Green Dra/Phi/Spe	Some say revenge is sweet, but is this true? What exactly is revenge? Where does the impulse for revenge come from, and what does it accomplish? What are the historical and cultural roots of revenge? Is there a role for revenge in the criminal justice system? What about in personal, social, or political relationships? Is revenge ever morally justified? This course will explore these and many other questions regarding revenge through an examination of literature, drama, film, and philosophical analysis.
A7 Drums! Beat of the Middle East Thursday 12:30 - 3:00 PM Room 209T Prof. Thomas Eth/Mus	Mediterranean culture, a modern term used today to include the Middle East and North Africa, is an important area of consideration in today's world. In this course we will explore different aspect of Mediterranean culture through performing, listening to, and analyzing music and certain ethnomusicological texts. An exciting feature of this course is that all students will learn to play fundamental beats and accompanying rhythms on the frame drum with the goal of organizing a performance at the end of the semester..
A8 Internships By arrangement Profs. Goodman & McClure Soc	Eight to ten hours per week (96 hours per semester) on site, plus regularly scheduled seminar meetins with academic advisor (at least 15 hours per term), written assignments, oral reports.

Theme B: Perspectives on the Extraordinary
B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 B9 B10 B11 B12 B13 B14 B15

B1 Hip-Hop Culture & the First Amendment Mon 9:40 AM-12:10 PM & 5:30 -8:00 PM (rotates) Room 208T Profs. Paulino & Scott (Law/Psy)	This course will examine how the cultural phenomena of Hip-Hop and Rap cultures have influenced American social values, attitudes, and laws. Students will critically analyze the debate between free speech and censorship, and the role that negative images and lyrics play in the construction of an ethnic group's social identity.
B2 Private Ownership of the Public World Mon 12:30-3:00 PM Room 205T Profs. Lee & Haviland (Ant/Art)	Who owns public space? How do we define it? What would make a work of art 'public'? For what purpose and for whose benefit? Public space is, surprisingly, often owned by private interests. But democracy depends upon a shared public realm. Public art--from sculpture to murals to graffiti--has diverse agendas. This course provides an intriguing view into the worlds of "public" and "private," and individual and community rights as they intersect visually all around us.
B3 Existentialism Mon 12:30 -3:00 PM Room 208T Profs. Duffy & McClure (Dra/Phi/Sep)	Existentialism is a philosophical movement that rebels against traditional philosophy because it is too academic and removed from everyday concerns. The existentialist sees the universe as fundamentally irrational--beyond our total comprehension) and absurd. The existentialist question becomes: in a godless irrational universe, is it possible for human beings to find meaning and purpose in their lives? This course explores existentialist answers to that question through a variety of readings, including essays, novels, plays and films.
B4 A Book the Size of the World: The Magic of the Dictionary Mon 8:00 - 10:30 PM Room 205T Prof. Rothschild (Eng/Lit)	Stranded on a desert island, which one book would you want to have? Hawkeye Pierce (MAS*H) suggests the Dictionary, "because it has every other book in it." The tricky part is getting all those other books out again! We take it for granted--and accept its authority without question--whenever we say, "I'll look it up in the Dictionary"--as if there were only one authoritative source of definitions. In this class, we will examine what sort of system "the" Dictionary is, where it came from, and especially those curious occupants of the book: the words themselves!
B5 Cruelty and Compassion Tues 9:40 AM-12:10 PM & 5:30 -8:00 PM (rotates) Room 205T Profs. Green & Sherman (DraHis/Spe)	Over time, humans have endured and perpetuated a series of unprecedented human-made disasters characterized by great cruelty. Examples of these include the two World Wars, Stalin's Soviet Union, Hitler's Nazism, and genocidal actions in places such as Rwanda, Cambodia, and Yugoslavia. At the same time, humans have managed to display surprising compassion in the most difficult circumstances. We will examine these human qualities and historical developments from multiple perspectives, including drama, history, film, music, and art.
B6 Masculinity: Psychology & History Tues 12:30 3:00 PM Room 208T Profs. Crowder & Marrocco (His/Psy)	What does it mean to be a man? How do we define 'masculinity'? Is there a universal model? This course will examine the changing ideas--and ideals--about male identity over time, using literature, historical texts, historical cases, and film. We will consider how the concept of masculinity varies across cultures, and special attention will be focused on contemporary modesl of masculinity in the United States.
B7 The Extraordinary in the Ordinary Tues 8:00 - 10:30 PM Room 205T Profs. Goodman & Rothschild (Eng/Lit/Soc)	People speak about something called "everday life" as though life breaks down into two kinds--ordinary and extraordinary. What if we were to use different kinds of critical lenses through which to examine ordinary life? We might discover extraordinary things about our lives and the lives of others. In this course, we will go hunting for the extraordinary in the ordinary lives portrayed in literature and cultural studies. Our aim will be to develop a greater understanding of what "ordinary" and "extraordinary" mean as applied to our lives and the lives of others.
B8 Extraordinary Invidividuals Wed 9:40 AM-12:10 PM & 5:30 -8:00 PM (rotates) Room 206/207T Profs. Haw, Wilson, McClure, Sarna (Eng/Eth/Gov/Law/Lit/Phi)	HIstory hands down to us two sets of people: the famous and the extraordinary--those who are of their time and those who transcend their times, those whose reputations continue to grow and to encompass new meanings and audiences. Through the lenses of history, literature, political science, philosophy, and law, this course will consider the deeds and legacies of several extraordinary people with a view to asking the most basic of questions: what in fact transforms an ordinary individual into an extraordinary one?
B9 Psychopaths & Serial Killers on the Stage of the Real World Wed 12:30 - 3:00 PM Room 208T Profs. Aman & Kimora (CRJ/Dra/Spe)	Psychopaths and serial killers continue to fascinate those who work in criminal justice. It is imperative that professionals in law enforcement understand the minds of these two kinds of transgressors. In this coursre, we will explore the world of psychopaths and that of serial killers as represented in films that set out to depict the complexities of their minds and actions. Five directors' work will be highlighted over the course of the term.
B10 Buying Lies: Statistics and the Manipulation of Consumers Wed 12:30 - 3:00 PM Room 208T Profs. Peter & Goodman (Eco/Soc)	Why are we persuaded by statements like: "Four out of five dentists recommend..." or "The President's approval rating has dropped from 70% to 30%" or "There's a one-in-seven chance you'll live to the age of eighty"? This course will examine the ways in which statistics are used by advertisers, corporations, politicians, insurance companies, and others to manipulate us--the consumers of products, services, and information. We will then consider some of the reasons why these methods are so effective.
B11 Law, Lawyers, & Legal Cases in Popular Media and Culture Wed 8:00 - 10:30 PM Room 205T Prof. Johnson (Law)	From television to the movies, from courtroom novels to headlines, ours is a culture with an appetite for seeing the law in action. How are legal cases dramatized on TV and in the theaters? How are lawyers portrayed? To what extent are the popular conceptions of what goes on in a criminal courtroom consistent with what actually does occur? How much does our understanding of hte law and the role of lawyers come from fictionalized representations? This course examines the intersections and disjunctions between the portrayals of lawyers and legal conflicts and the ways in which the law and laywers really work.
B12 The Extraordinary War: WWI Thurs 9:40 AM-12:10 PM & 5:30 -8:00 PM (rotates) Room 208T Profs. Sherman & Haw (Eng/His/Lit)	On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, a little-known member of the Austrian royal family, was assassinated in an obscure corner of Europe. Within weeks, the entire world was thrown into absolute chaos. The First World War was a global cataclysm of unprecedented scale. It reshaped the map of the world, recast the minds of a generation, and annihilated humanity's faith in its own benevolent nature. A staggering collision of military tradition and modern machinery, the Great War changed the world forever. This course will consider this 'conflict', and its aftereffects, through the lenses of history and literature.
B13 Intimate Violence: Causes and Consequences Thurs 12:30 - 3:00 Room 208T Profs. Stein & Sarna (Crj/Law/Psy)	Why do people rape, rob, assault, and murder the ones with whom they are closest? "Targets of opportunity," insist members of law enforcement; "Deep-seated fears of attachment," argue psychologists; "Socio-economic demographics," claim sociologists. Others say, simply, that people hurt their intimates "because they can." This course will follow--analytically--the perpetrators and victims of domestic violence from the kitchen table to the emergency room to the courtroom.
B14 Internships By arrangement Prof. Goodman & McClure (Soc)	Eight to ten hours per week (96 hours per semester) on site, plus regularly scheduled seminar meetings with academic advisor (15 hours per semester), written assignments.

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