HONORS CLASSES SPRING 2016
Seminars
50:525:103:H1
Elizabeth Pilliod, “Magnificent Patrons and Projects: The Medici and Florence 1350-1750”
M 1:20-4:10, CS 202
Course note: Credit in Fine Arts
In the nineteenth century the French historian Jules Michelet coined the term “Renaissance” to describe the flowering of the arts in Florence in the fifteenth century. Michelet was only echoing the sentiments of Florentines themselves who found that “the most excellent” practitioners of every discipline from statecraft to painting were Florentine (as claimed by Leonardo Bruni in 1403), and who marked the “rebirth of art” after the long decline of Medieval art in the artists of Florence around 1400 (Giorgio Vasari in 1550). The remarkable self-consciousness of Florentine writers, and their confidence in their superiority, marked a watershed in cultural history.
Intertwined with the story of Florence and its arts is the Medici family. They rose from a fledgling banking company in the fourteenth century to a dynastic power in the sixteenth. Subsequently, they became Dukes and Grand Dukes, putting them on a par with the great houses of Europe. Throughout the family’s history they commissioned or influenced some of the most canonical works of art of the Renaissance. This course traces the Medici and their patronage over four hundred years and will include reading about and examining critically paintings, sculptures and architecture. Artists including Brunelleschi, Donatello, Botticelli, Raphael and Michelangelo will be discussed. We will examine obvious projects, such as Michelangelo’s New Sacristy, but also how Medici-sponsored projects had a fundamental influence on artistic landscape gardens; reshaped the urban fabric of the city; made an astounding set of contributions to the history of collecting (and therefore to the formation of modern museums); and led to the foundation of the first modern academy for art instruction (and hence provided the basis for present-day art schools).
No previous art history experience is required. In addition to weekly readings students will be responsible for between eight and ten mini-assignments. These could involve writing a summary of a reading, coming prepared to argue a specific side in an art-historical debate, making in-class presentations, or writing one- to two page essays. Readings will be either available on Sakai or through JSTOR. PowerPoints used in class will be made available for reference on Sakai. One larger project, determined in consultation with the instructor, will be presented to the class and formalized in a short (five pages approximately) paper at the end of the term. It is possible that one meeting will be substituted for a field trip TBD.
50:525:104:H1
William Saidel, “Brain, Mind, and Me”
TTh 3:00-4:20, CS 202
Course note: General Education credit in Biology
Descartes said it and Western society heard, “I think, therefore I am.” He may have erred. Who is the “I” he was describing? Is it the sum of his historical events? Is it the integrated concept of a head, a torso, two arms and two legs? Each of us think we are an I. We are going to examine whether we are a singular I, a multiple I, what makes up the contents of a multitude of I’s and then we will dissect, using concepts from neurology, neuroscience, and philosophy, the I of you, the I seen by others and the I of Descartes.
50:525:107:H1
Diane Marano, “Perspectives on Youth Violence”
TTh 1:30-2:50 , CS 203
Course note: Credit in Criminal Justice
Why does a young man get a gun? What does it feel like to be the victim of an armed robbery? How do those who work in the juvenile justice system view the young people with whom they interact? Youth violence is a broad term that can mean many things. In this seminar we will explore several perspectives on violence by and against young people in the context of delinquent or criminal behavior. We will examine offenders’ perspectives on their own and others’ violence, violence as a public health issue, perspectives of juvenile justice system workers, and recent research on the impact of trauma, environmental toxins, and other influences on youth violence. Seminar requirements will include a number of short papers (2-3 pages) on assigned readings, as well as one presentation.
50:525:109:H1
Matt Sorrento, “Crime and the Law Onscreen”
F 1:30-4:10, CS 202
Course note: Credit in Literature
In this course we will analyze the theme of crime in a variety of American film genres, including the classic gangster film, film noir, the victim film, and the heist picture. Students will learn how law and justice are portrayed onscreen, under the influence of the Production Code and, later, the MPAA rating system. Through close viewings of representative films and companion readings, we will analyze how cinematic crime and justice have served the public imagination in response to cultural and historical changes, including Prohibition, the Second World War, the Counterculture of the 1960s, Watergate, and the 1980s. The course may include a free preview screening of a new release film at a local theater.
50:525:109:H2
Aaron Hostetter, “Medieval Travel Literature”
MWF 11:15-12:10, Classroom To Be Assigned
Course note: Credit in Literature
“Medieval European Itineraries” explores travel as a foundational activity for the early European imagination. How are fictional and literary accounts of the world enabled by the activity of travel? Why are quests, which often take a protagonist to dangerous and distant realms, often synonymous with character development? What is the social usefulness of travel as an educational process? Is travel any different an experience for medieval women rather than men? We will start off with two ancient accounts of travel (one Biblical, the other Classical), and then plunge headlong into our own exploration of the Middle Ages and its conceptions not just of the physical world but also of the universe enabled by moving, at least intellectually, through geographical space. Along the way we will read Arthurian quest romances, tours of Hell and Heaven, as well as the accounts of actual world travelers (such as Marco Polo and Margery Kempe), before finishing with a contemporary novel about medieval travel.
50:525:112:H1
Wayne Glasker, “History and Biography”
MW 4:20-5:40, CS 202
Course note: Credit in History
Course note: Satisfies the Diversity (D) requirement in Arts and Sciences
This course explores how biographies can illustrate or illuminate larger themes in American life and history. For example, a biography of Lincoln could illuminate the Civil War and the emancipation of the slaves. A biography of Franklin Roosevelt could illustrate the challenges of the Great Depression and World War II. A biography of Rosa Parks could illuminate segregation and the Civil Rights Movement. This semester we will explore diversity in American society. We will utilize the biographies of Jonathan Daniels (a white man involved in the Civil Rights Movement), Gloria Steinem (a founder of the National Organization for Women, or NOW), Brett Jones (a gay Navy SEAL whose story gives insight into the issue of gays in the military), and Ta-Nehisi Coates (a young black man writing about racism in our supposedly post-racial age). There will be papers that ask you to respond to directed questions. The course will be supplemented extensively by video material.
50:525:112:H2
Andrew Lees, “The Making of Modern Europe”
MW 1:20-2:40, CS 203
Course note: Credit in History
Course note: Satisfies the Global (G) requirement in Arts and Sciences
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.
50:525:120: H1
Bill Whitlow, “Rational/Irrational Minds”
MW 2:50-4:10, CS 203
Course note: Credit in Psychology
This course examines ideas about human rationality and irrationality, especially as they have been expressed in the literature and science of Western thinkers from the time of Descartes. Western culture has often exalted rationality as the essential mark of superior mental, moral and social development. But what does it mean to be rational? And, conversely, what does it mean to be irrational? To explore answers to these questions, the course will use modern cognitive psychology as an organizing framework for discussion. However, it will draw on a wide variety of perspectives, incorporating literary, philosophical, historical, and clinical sources to amplify the breadth of the discussion. The course requirements will consist of short reaction papers to various readings, completion of some simple out-of-class projects, completion of a 10-12 page paper on a topic relevant to the theme of the course, and a short presentation to the class based on the material in the paper.
50:525:123:H1
Ken Banner, “Dead Sea Scrolls, Messiahs and the End of the World”
TTh 1:30-2:50, CS 202
Course note: Credit in Religion
In the 2nd century B.C. a group of Jews went out into the desert near the Dead Sea to build a holy community. Convinced the messiah was coming soon, they would be his army in the final battle between good and evil. Two centuries later, their community was annihilated by the Romans, but before the members were killed they left behind their sacred texts, hidden in caves, high up on local cliffs. These “Dead Sea Scrolls” remained there until they were accidentally discovered in 1947.
This was the greatest archaeological find in history for the study of the Bible. The scrolls are also extremely important for understanding early Judaism, John the Baptist, Jesus and the beginnings of Christianity. Our course will introduce students to the community, the scrolls they preserved, their practices and their beliefs about religion, the messiah and the end of the world. In the process we will learn something about how scholars do archaeology, reconstruct history, interpret ancient texts and study apocalyptic groups who believe the “end is near.”
There will be an emphasis upon primary texts, i.e. students reading English translations of the scrolls themselves. Course requirements will include weekly reading assignments, participation in online class discussions, a term paper of 10-12 pages and an in-class presentation on one of the scrolls.
50:525:129:H1
Cynthia Saltzman, “Childhood and Culture”
T 3:00-5:40, CS 203
Course note: Credit in Sociology
In this course we look at the lives of children in the United States and also throughout the world. Of particular concern are the everyday lives of children, their lived experiences in various social and cultural contexts. We examine changing patterns in family life, education and child labor. Attention will be given to the challenges children face as a result of poverty, violence, and poor healthcare. We consider not only what adults are doing in the face of these challenges, but also what children themselves are doing. In this course, “the experts” include researchers, professionals, policy makers and the children themselves. The class includes a civic engagement component where Rutgers Honors students work with elementary students in Camden to help prepare them for middle school.
Heritages and Civilizations
50:350:225:H1
Aaron Hostetter, “Medieval Travel Literature”
MWF 11:15-12:10, Classroom to be assigned
“Medieval European Itineraries” explores travel as a foundational activity for the early European imagination. How are fictional and literary accounts of the world enabled by the activity of travel? Why are quests, which often take a protagonist to dangerous and distant realms, often synonymous with character development? What is the social usefulness of travel as an educational process? Is travel any different an experience for medieval women rather than men? We will start off with two ancient accounts of travel (one Biblical, the other Classical), and then plunge headlong into our own exploration of the Middle Ages and its conceptions not just of the physical world but also of the universe enabled by moving, at least intellectually, through geographical space. Along the way we will read Arthurian quest romances, tours of Hell and Heaven, as well as the accounts of actual world travelers (such as Marco Polo and Margery Kempe), before finishing with a contemporary novel about medieval travel.