HONORS SEMINARS SPRING 2008
Passing in American Literature and Film
Professor Hoffman
50 525 109 01
M 1:20-4:10PM ROOM
In this course we will study, in an American context, the phenomenon of “passing,” i.e., passing oneself off as a member of another group as defined on the basis of ethnicity, race, class, gender, or sexual orientation. We will begin with a narrative about a female slave passing as a white man to escape the South and end with accounts of contemporary scenes of passing on the Internet (including your own). In between, we will encounter non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and film featuring: gay men passing as straight men (and vice versa), women passing as men (and vice versa), wealthy Americans passing as poor Americans (and vice versa), black women passing as white women, black men passing as white women, black men passing as white men (and vice versa), and Jews passing as Gentiles. We will seek to understand the reasons behind passing in the light of the American experience, and will explore issues of power, anxiety, resistance, and desire surrounding the construction of identity in these forms of artistic expression. Course satisfies English Literature (4B) or Diversity requirement. Also can be used for Film Studies and American Studies minor.
The Making of Modern Europe , 1750-2000
Professor Lees
50 525 112 01
MW 1: 20-2:40pm ROB 205
Since the middle of the eighteenth century, Europeans have experienced a great variety of profound transformations. Monarchies and aristocracies have largely disappeared, and so too has monopoly of power by males. Industry and high-tech have displaced agricultural production and handicrafts. Great cities have replaced villages and small towns. Bloody wars have been fought on European soil, and great Empires have been won and lost overseas. This course explores all of these changes and many more. It counts as the equivalent of the second half of a Western Civilization survey (History 510:102), but major emphasis will be placed on discussion of primary sources, with textbook reading and lecturing kept to a minimum. Course satisfies History or Global Studies requirement. Writing Intensive.
Race and Ethnicity in the Americas : A Comparative History
Professor Thomas
50 525 112 02
TH 1:30-4:00pm ROB 205
This course takes a comparative approach to examining the complex history of ethnic identities and racism in North America and Latin America , from the sixteenth through the twentieth century. Focusing on primary-source texts – so that we really experience the language, imagery, and ideas about race and social difference – we will explore the following: how race has been defined throughout the history of different regions of the Americas; how constructions of physiological and cultural difference have changed over time; how hierarchies of racial and cultural difference have been used, in various periods, by various groups, to further various political agendas; and how the everyday experience of racial and ethnic identity has differed across time, place, and group in the history of the Americas. Course satisfies History, Diversity, or Global Studies requirement.
Heroes and Heartbreak: Sports in American Popular Culture
Professor Rosoff
50 525 112 40
W 4:30–7:10pm ARM 337 (3rd Floor Large Conference Room)
This course will examine the many roles played by sports in American popular culture. We will examine the impact of sports from multiple perspectives, with particular emphasis on the role played by various media in shaping our perceptions of athletes and the activities in which they engage. Sports have played a vital role in American culture, especially in the last one hundred years. In many ways, a close examination of sports provides a useful window into the experience of many groups of people. Events in the wide world of sports can have a meaning far beyond the score of a particular game. This course will examine the nature of various sports and their role in American society from historical and contemporary perspectives. We will consider the relationship between sports and such issues as gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, nationalism, and the role of the media as we consider the relationship between sport and popular culture in the United States . Course satisfies History or Sociology requirement. Writing Intensive.
Information, Mathematics and the Real World
Professor Karel
50 525 114 01
TTH 11:00-12:20PM ATG 219
What is information? What is randomness? What do they have to do with mathematics and the real world?
Today, digital electronics is everywhere, but few people are aware of how much digital electronics owes to the mathematical analysis of communications and to the use of mathematical (including probabilistic) ideas in developing reliable and efficient communications.
For example, you may have had the experience of scratching a CD or DVD, or just leaving a finger-print on it. The information on the disk is in the form of tiny pits that are burned in by a laser (and are read by a laser). These pits are spaced very close together, so the damage is sure to make many of the pits unreadable. However, most of the time the disk will play perfectly!! How can that be? Here is the gist of the story. When the disk was manufactured, some extra redundant information was cleverly added so that the disk player can reconstruct the information that became unreadable. The process of adding redundancy is called encoding, and the process of reconstructing the original information from a damaged copy is called decoding. Both encoding and decoding involve some sophisticated mathematics involving probabilities. In particular, the disk player has to do a lot of computation.
We will explore randomness and the meaning of the term "information". In particular, we will see how information can be measured, how it can be transmitted or stored efficiently and reliably, and how it can be protected against random errors. Aside from applications to communications, it turns out that information theory has some surprising applications, for example, to betting on horse races and to constructing investment portfolios. Course satisfies Additional Mathematics (2B) requirement.
Minds and Bodies
Professor Jarrett
50 525 117 01
MWF 11: 15-12:10pm ROB 205
This course is concerned with the mind-body problem and with a variety of issues connected with our attempt to understand our own experiences. The mind-body problem is expressible as: “What is your mind and how is it related to your body?” or “How is consciousness related to the physical world?”
In addressing these questions, we will consider classical and contemporary writings in philosophy as well as some recent work in psychology.
Additional topics include: lucid dreams, the unconscious, altered states of consciousness, out-of-body as well as near-death and mystical experiences, animal consciousness, minds and machines, mental illness and irrationality, the self, Buddhism and therapy, and free will. Course satisfies Philosophy requirement.
Approaches to Leadership
Professor Lawrence
50 525 119 01
T 1:30 – 4:10pm ROOM
This interdisciplinary course looks at the ways that leadership has been conceptualized in theory and exercised in practice. Although leadership has often been viewed narrowly, as a characteristic of corporate CEOs and heads of government, it is actually a skill crucial for active citizens in a democratic society and a qualification highly valued by employers in all types of public and private sector organizations. We will discuss the dilemmas faced by leaders as they deal with issues of change and innovation, communication, and conflict. We will also examine the ethical context of leadership: the moral values and integrity that form a principled basis for action. Students will have the opportunity to identify their own leadership values, capacities, and potentials. Course satisfies Political Science requirement.
Ancient Egypt
Professor Toth
50 525 122 40 ROB 205
MW 6:00-7:20pm
The course introduces the students to the Ancient Egyptian civilization from the early Stone Age to their conquest by the Persians and Greeks. It gives a comprehensive historical account on the rise and fall of the Egyptian dynasties, analyzes archeological and anthropological evidence, discusses religious, cultural and social patterns, and examines the earliest masterpieces of art and architecture in the Egyptian world. Course satisfies Global Studies requirement.
Trip is not required, but if students attend the trip they may receive History credit for the course.
