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2016-2017 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course List by Subject
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Academic Resource Centers
MAT 100 - Mathematics Laboratory 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
A one credit course recommended for students who want to review high school math skills before taking a college class or while concurrently enrolled in an introductory calculus or statistics course.
Note: May be repeated once for credit with permission of the director. Instruction in basic math skills is available without credit for all students. S/D/F only.
Instructor: Norris
RED 100 - Reading Laboratory 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
Individual and small-group instruction in reading and study skills, emphasizing reading efficiency, vocabulary building, and methods of effective study (concentrating, time management, preparing for tests, etc.). Recommended to students who have difficulty keeping up with reading assignments or understanding and remembering what they read as well as for those international students who want to improve their English language proficiency and pronunciation. Diagnostic test administered to determine individual needs. May be repeated once for credit, with permission of the director.
Note: Students may work at the Reading Lab without registering. S/D/F only
Instructor: Mohan
SCI 100 - Science Laboratory 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
Individual or small-group instruction emphasizing problem-solving skills. This class must be taken in conjunction with first-year sequences in physics, chemistry, or biology. May be repeated once for credit with permission of the director.
Prerequisite: Consultation with the related course instructor and permission of the director of the science lab are required.
Note: Instruction is available without credit to students who cannot take the course or who need only occasional assistance. S/D/F only
Instructor: Mahlab
SCI 240 - Science Education Methods 1 credits
This discussion seminar is open to all students who have taken at least one year of science, and is encouraged for those students who are biology and chemistry student mentors, science laboratory teaching assistants, or students interested in pursuing a career in science teaching. This class will review some of the current literature in science education and focuses on examining the stages of the teaching and learning process and tools for improving teaching and learning.
Prerequisite: One year (two semesters) of biology, chemistry, mathematics/computer science, physics, or psychology; and permission of the instructor.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Mahlab
WRT 101 - Basic Principles of College Writing 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
In this course students attend a series of weekly workshops on the basics of academic composition as well as individual appointments in the Writing Lab to apply those basic principles to their assigned writing in other courses.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Half-semester deadlines apply. S/D/F only
Instructor: Staff
WRT 102 - Advanced Principles of College Writing 2 credits (Fall and Spring)
Using both small group sessions and individual Writing Lab appointments, this course focuses on writing as a tool of analysis and critical thinking. Some required writing and revision.
Prerequisite: WRT 101
Note: Half-semester deadlines apply. S/D/F only
Instructor: Staff
WRT 120 - Oral Communication Skills 2 credits (Spring)
Students will present a series of persuasive and informational speeches to a variety of audiences, receiving feedback from both instructor and classmates. Some reading and class preparation required.
Prerequisite: None.
S/D/F only
Instructor: Staff
WRT 150 - Teaching Writing 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: EDU 150 . Students in Writing 150 will gain both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience as they serve as writing mentors for college courses or teach writing as volunteers in other contexts (e.g., prison programs, schools, peer tutoring). They will read about theories of teaching writing, practice skills of tutoring, running workshops and facilitating peer review, observe the teaching of writing in several contexts, and engage in discourse (both oral and written) about the teaching and learning of writing skills.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
S/D/F only
Instructor: CarlAlternate Language Study Option (ALSO) Program
No Active Courses Available American Studies
AMS 130 - Introduction to American Studies 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
An examination of selected beliefs and values that have been central to the shaping of American life and culture. Core values such as equality, individualism, success, freedom, a sense of special mission, pastoralism, and others are treated in topical units that range over the totality of American experience.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Barlow, Hansen
AMS 211 - Invention of Race and the Africanist Presence in American Studies 4 credits (Fall)
This interdisciplinary course introduces key issues and themes related to the evolution theories of race with particular attention to the experience of people and communities of the African diaspora. The readings are particularly intended to foster critical thinking about race as an idea and practice and representations of “identities” and “communities of meaning.” Course material consists of scholarly and popular texts, including films and law reviews in order to focus on the socio-political implications and global impact of constructing narratives about the African diaspora in and outside the United States.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Instructor: Gibel Mevorach
AMS 220 - Racing Through Genetics 4 credits (Spring)
See BIO 220 or ANT 220 .
AMS 235 - The Anthropology of American Culture 4 credits (Spring)
See ANT 235 .
AMS 245 - Shaping American Identities in Moving Images 4 credits (Fall)
This course explores representations of American identities and the binaries generated by these explorations including here/there, foreign/local, abroad/ home, American/Other. Films and readings will highlight the theme of amalgamation as an alchemic process (the melting pot) shaping Americanness and its association with characteristics such as respectability, recognition and respect.
Prerequisite: one 100-level Humanities or Social Studies course.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in any language for +2 only.
Instructor: Gibel Mevorach
AMS 275 - Topics in American Culture 4 credits (Fall)
An interdisciplinary investigation of selected problems, trends, or themes in American culture, such as regionalism, popular culture, mass communication, minority cultures, women’s lives, and other engaging issues central to American experience.
Prerequisite: AMS 130 and second-year standing. American Studies Concentrators have first priority.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
AMS 275-01 - Topics in American Culture: American Black Womein in the US 4 credits (Fall)
The course is intended to document the historical, cultural and political contexts, complex identity pattern of self-sufficiency and autonomy, and the feminist activism of Black women as Americans. The course will require intensive readings about their “habits of survivals”, inter-personal spaces, and the social reality through of their lives found in literature, history, social policy, religion, and political movements. Through the use of autobiography, biography, poetry, film, music, photography, clothing, “hair politics”, magazines and other tenants of popular culture, we will examine Black Women’s American story for its challenges and resiliencies.
Prerequisite: AMS 130 and second-year standing. American Studies Concentrators have first priority.
Note: +2 option available.
Instructor: Scott
AMS 275-01 - Topics in American Culture: American Women’s Autobiography 4 credits (Spring)
Using autobiography as a window into the social fabric of U.S cultural formations, which are marked simultaneously by race, gender, sexuality and religion, class and region and excess to privilege, we will read a series of autobiographical texts and supplementary historical and theoretical materials.
Prerequisite: AMS 130 and second-year standing.
Instructor: Scott
AMS 295-01 - Special Topic: Sociology of Asian America 4 credits (Spring)
See SOC 295-03 .
AMS 305 - The Cultural Politics of Fashion 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See ANT 305 .
Anthropology
ANT 104 - Anthropological Inquiries 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Demonstrates how the four fields of anthropology - archeology, biological anthropology, sociocultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology - can be collectively applied to enhance our understanding the human condition in broad historical and cross-cultural contexts. Individual sections focus on different topics. All introduce students to the holistic approach of anthropology, the application of anthropological theories and methods and relevant ethical questions, and a multiplicity of worldviews. For current course content, please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
ANT 104-01 - Anthropological Inquiries 4 credits (Fall)
What Makes Us Human? We can all classify “human” vs. “nonhuman” when we see one. However, what are our criteria? Is it our physiology (e.g., bipedalism), our DNA (e.g., 26 chromosomes), our stuff (e.g., tools), our language (e.g., “mama”), our culture (e.g., religion)? We will examine how anthropology addresses this issue and where the different anthropological approaches over-lap. Students will conduct selected hands-on research addressing various aspects of the “what makes us human” question.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Bentley-Condit
ANT 104-01 - Anthropological Inquiries 4 credits (Spring)
Title and description not available at this time.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
ANT 104-02 - Anthropological Inquiries 4 credits (Spring)
Community. This course considers the origin, development, and transformation of human social groups over time and space. It begins with attention to early human ancestors and evolving relationships among social organization, subsistence strategies, and environmental conditions. It then considers variation in forms and functions of social communities and the multiplicity of meanings communities have for kin, local, linguistic, ethnic, religious, national, and transnational groups and institutions.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: French
ANT 104-02 & 03 - Anthropological Inquiries 4 credits (Fall)
Family. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to anthropology through a specific thematic lens: families. What is family? Who is family? How is family life similar and/or different in different societies and cultures? In this course, we will attempt to answer these questions through anthropology’s holistic, cross-cultural perspective. Among the specific topics we will look at are the social institutions of family, love, gender roles, childhood, migration, etc.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Kulstad
ANT 104-03 - Anthropological Inquiries 4 credits (Spring)
Family. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to anthropology through a specific thematic lens: families. What is family? Who is family? How is family life similar and/or different in different societies and cultures? In this course, we will attempt to answer these questions through anthropology’s holistic, cross-cultural perspective. Among the specific topics we will look at are the social institutions of family, love, gender roles, childhood, migration, etc.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Kulstad
ANT 104-04 - Anthropological Inquiries 4 credits (Spring)
Title and description not available at this time.
Instructor: Staff
ANT 104-04 - Anthropological Inquiries 4 credits (Fall)
Urbanization. In this course students will take on the complexities of the changing urban environment as analyzed through the four-fields of anthropology. We will be using a variety of anthropological texts to explore urbanization through the lens the anthropological perspective. Students can expect to learn from classic and current literature in anthropology on urbanization while exploring the distinctions between the four fields of anthropology with regards to their unique questions, histories, debates and methodologies. Students will be responsible for occasionally leading class discussion, completing two take-home examinations and a series of small assignments aimed at providing students with hands-on research experience in each of the subfields. This class will provide students with core fundamentals of anthropology from an academic purview, but will also use these theories and histories to interpret the diverse world we currently inhabit to offer students a deeper understanding and informed perspective towards the rapidly changing urban environments and their affects human social relationships and daily life across the world.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Ference
ANT 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: Anthropology of Africa: Reflections and Representations 4 credits (Fall)
This is a course exploring contemporary debates in Africanist anthropology as well as providing students with the opportunity to interrogate the representations of sub-Saharan Africans in Africa and in the United States. The course will cover the people and history of the continent, both in breadth and in-depth by examining the landscape from a varietyof angles, using multi-disciplinary perspectives and materials including ethnographies, films, novels and long-form non-fiction journalism.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Ference
ANT 200 - Cultural Politics of Hybridity 4 credits
This course examines anthropology’s contribution to the taxonomy and representations of “race” and “culture” and its role in prescribing and proscribing the idea of interracial intimacy. Over the course of the semester, we will examine how the topic of mixing and miscegenation was invented, elaborated, and obsessed over by anthropologists, philosophers, judges, policymakers, film directors, and people raced as “mixed.” Primary attention will be given to ideas about mixing in the United States as a location from which to compare perspectives of social difference, “purity,” and “hybridity” in other countries.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 , or SOC 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Gibel Mevorach
ANT 201 - Leading Innovation and Entrepreneurship 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: SST 201 . This course, sponsored by the Wilson Center for Innovation and Leadership, takes a case-study approach to understanding leadership and management of innovations, or generating solutions to social, economic, and environmental problems, using case studies by alumni innovators. We start, of course, with Grinnell’s most famous entrepeneur, Robert Noyce. This course covers a broad range of fields, bringing in new case studies each year. Many of the alumni from whom we draw case studies will visit class.
Prerequisite: One course in the social studies division (Anthropology, Education, History, Economics, Sociology, Social Studies or Political Science).
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Caulkins
ANT 202 - Sustainability and Social Responsibility in Organizations 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: SST 202 . Sponsored by the Wilson Center for Innovation and Leadership. The concepts of ecological, economic, and social sustainability in organizations will be examined in detail. Similarly, we will examine the expanding practice of corporate social responsibility, which was pioneered by Howard Bowen, President of Grinnell College from 1955 to 1963. We will find these practices of sustainability and social responsibility require leadership and innovation, practices embedded in Grinnell culture.
Prerequisite: One course in the social studies division (Anthropology, Education, History, Economics, Sociology, Social Studies or Political Science).
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Caulkins
ANT 205 - Human Evolution 4 credits
An in-depth examination of the evolution of humankind as part of an evolutionary continuum of primates stretching back approximately 65 million years, with an emphasis on the hominids of the past 4 million years. There is a heavy emphasis on comparative anatomy. Topics covered include bipedalism, molecular data, the brain and language, and various interpretations of hominid origins.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Bentley-Condit
ANT 210 - Illness, Healing, and Culture 4 credits
This course examines beliefs about illness, healing, and the body across cultures. We will examine how the body, illness, health, and medicine are shaped not only by cultural values, but also by social, political, and historical factors. The class will draw attention to how biomedicine is only one among many culturally constructed systems of medicine.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Tapias
ANT 220 - Racing Through Genetics 4 credits (Spring)
See BIO 220 or AMS 220 .
ANT 221 - Primate Behavior and Taxonomy 4 credits
A comparative survey of the taxonomy, behavior, and ecology of nonhuman primates. Topics include demography and life-history patterns, feeding behavior and competition, social organization, sexual behavior, infant development, communication, and cognition.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Bentley-Condit
ANT 225 - Human Variation 4 credits
This course explores the interaction of genetics and culture with our understanding of human evolution through: a) an examination of human differentiation and genetic variation between and within human groups; and b) an exploration of how human evolution has been shaped by this interaction. Possible topics include: simple and complex inheritance, population genetics, human migration, gene frequencies, genetics and disease, genetics and IQ, race, gene therapy, designer babies, cloning, and the Human Genome Project.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Bentley-Condit
ANT 227 - Mothers and Infants 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
In this course, we will examine mothers, mother-infant relationships and infant development across the primate order and cross-culturally from an evolutionary perspective and with focus on biology. Topics will include but are not limited to: parental investment theory, parent-offspring conflict theory, attachment theory, conception, pregnancy, gestation, lactation, human and nonhuman primate infant development and trajectories, infant sex differences, and infanticide.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Bentley-Condit
ANT 235 - The Anthropology of American Culture 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: AMS 235 . Focus on the U.S. American cultural meanings about national identity and citizenship, intersections of race and class consciousness, and the power of media to shape social attitudes, values, lifestyles, and political opinions.
Prerequisite: AMS 130 or ANT 104 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in any language for +2 only.
Instructor: Gibel Mevorach
ANT 238 - Cultural and Political Ecology 4 credits
Reviews various cultural anthropology approaches to understanding human/ environment interactions. Focus placed on case studies of small-scale societies from distinct environmental regions, the adaptations to those environments, how subsistence practices relate to other aspects of culture, and how these cultures and environments are affected by increasing integration into the world system (e.g., through globalization).
Prerequisite: ANT 104 or GDS 111 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Roper
ANT 240 - Intentional Communities 4 credits
A cross-cultural and historical survey of attempts to achieve social harmony by creating small communities. Topics include: ideological foundations, alternative economic and political arrangements, experiments with sexuality and gender roles, responses of the wider society, and reasons for success and failure. Groups include the first-century Essenes, the Shakers, Amana, the Hutterites, the Amish, the kibbutzim, Japanese communes, hip communes, monastic groups, and New Age communities.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Andelson
ANT 246 - Anthropology of the Modern Middle East and North Africa 4 credits
The modern Middle East in anthropological and historical perspective. Topics include nomadic, village, and urban lifestyles; ethnic interactions; Islam and its role in the social and political systems; the role of women; and cultural change.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Kamp
ANT 250 - Language Contact 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: LIN 250 . The course examines the linguistic varieties and practices that emerge when linguistically diverse groups come in contact with one another. We will discuss the types of situations that give rise to language contact and then turn to look at the linguistic effects that result from such contact at both the micro (e.g. borrowing, code-switching) and the macro (e.g. language shift, language death) level.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 or LIN 114 .
Instructor: Hansen
ANT 251 - Native North American Indian Cultures 4 credits
Historical and ethnological survey of aboriginal cultures of North American Indians and the impact of European civilization. Indian history, ethnography, and the contemporary situation.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Andelson
ANT 252 - Culture and Agriculture 4 credits
An overview of the relationship of agriculture to other aspects of culture, through time and cross-culturally. The origins of agriculture, the role of agriculture in subsistence and trade, and its connection to social structure, religion, and values. The rise of industrial agriculture and agriculture in Iowa.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Andelson
ANT 253 - Anthropology of Ethnicities 4 credits
Examination of shifts in theory and approach to studies of ethnicities. Topics include history of key concepts, including “ethnicity,” “ethnic identities,” and “culture,” as well as perspectives on racism as a system, education and acculturation, class and ethnicity, and nationalism.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Gibel Mevorach
ANT 257 - Latin American Cultures 4 credits
Ethnographic and historic study of Latin American cultures. Description and analysis of native cultures and colonialism’s impact on native peoples’ lives. Current trends in Latin America analyzed, including family, economy, religion, environment, urbanism, and social issues. Women and gender issues in Latin America also considered.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ANT 260 - Language, Culture, and Society 4 credits
The course provides an overview of current topics in linguistic anthropology, the study of human language in its structural and cultural contexts. Through class lectures, readings, and discussions, students will become familiar with key issues, themes, and theories about language in contemporary anthropological and sociolinguistic scholarship. Overall, the course is designed to encourage students to become critical thinkers about the ways that language and language use affect and are affected by grammatical structures, individuals, social groups, cultural practices, and politics.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 or LIN 114 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: French
ANT 261 - Agriculture, Religion, and Empire: Old World Prehistory 4 credits
An archaeological perspective on major themes and trends in the development of Old World civilizations: agricultural origins, trade and migration, metal and other technological innovations, role of ideology and symbol systems in social change, religion as a power base, rise of elite leadership, and state-level society. Covers much of Old World with emphasis on particular areas.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Whittaker
ANT 262 - Archaeology of North America 4 credits
Archaeological record from human entry into the area to European domination: hunting, gathering, and agricultural developments. Geographical and physical anthropological backgrounds presented.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Whittaker
ANT 265 - Ethnography of Communication: Method and Theory 4 credits
This course explores human communication from an ethnographic perspective. It does so from a “discourse-centered” approach that conceptualizes language as meaningful social action situated in particular contexts used strategically by social actors. Building upon this framework, we will engage the ethnography of communication as both a particular theoretical orientation and a specific methodological approach to language use. Areas of emphasis include: relationships between linguistic forms and social functions, ethnography of speaking, communicative competence, multiple layering of context, performer/audience relationships, intentionality, and ideology.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 or LIN 114 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: French
ANT 267 - Aztecs, Incas, and Mayas 4 credits
An examination of Aztec, Inca, and Maya cultures, including economics, politics, and religion. Concentrates on the dynamics of early states and explores reasons for their rise and fall.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Kamp
ANT 280 - Theories of Culture 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
A survey of the history of anthropological theory from the Enlightenment to the present.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 and at least one 200-level anthropology course.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Andelson, French
ANT 285 - Anthropology, Violence, and Human Rights 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course is designed to address anthropological engagement with enduring forms of violence and efforts to intervene in them in a variety of cross-cultural contexts. The class begins by considering relationships among scholarly knowledge, history, and inequality to establish a foundation for thinking about research in post-Enlightenment sociopolitical contexts. It moves to examine tensions between cultural relativism and universal rights advocacy within Western intellectual thought. Next, it examines the concept of “legitimate” violence relative to state formation and power.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 and one 200-level Anthropology, Political Science, or Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies course.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: French
ANT 290 - Archaeological Field Methods 4 credits (Spring)
Archaeological survey, excavation, and artifact analysis as tools for reconstructing the lifestyles of extinct societies. Lab work includes lithic, faunal, and ceramic analysis. Field labs provide practice in finding, mapping, recording, and interpreting archaeological sites.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 , or upper-level (200 or 300) archaeology course.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Whittaker
ANT 291 - Methods of Empirical Investigation 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
ANT 292 - Ethnographic Research Methods 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: SOC 292 . The processes by which ethnographers construct an understanding of human behavior; what questions they ask and how they answer them. Students engage in ethnographic field studies.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 or SOC 111 and one 200-level course in Cultural Anthropology or Linguistic Anthropology.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Tapias
ANT 293 - Practicing Anthropology 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course will train students in anthropological methods and explore the roles of anthropological research outside of academia, particularly that associated with local-level policy and community needs. Students will learn how anthropologists design, carry out, and present ethical research. Much of the learning will be done through experiential education, as students plan and undertake needs assessments, program evaluations, or some other research in coordination with and on behalf of a Grinnell community organization.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 or one 200-level anthropology course.
Note: Not offered every year
Instructor: Roper
ANT 295-01 - Special Topic: Anthropology of Borderlands 4 credits (Spring)
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the anthropological study of borders and borderlands. Drawing from interdisciplinary and cross-cultural source material, we will examine the sociocultural, political, and historical construction of borders and borderlands. Among the topics addressed in this course are: nation-building processes, border enforcement, human rights, symbolic borders, the ways in which people and ideas travel across borders, and the role borders play in identity formation processes.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Instructor: Kulstad
ANT 295-02 - Special Topic: The Anthropology of Global Migration and New Destination 4 credits (Spring)
Increased international migration is an important global phenomenon that has changed the demographic and cultural composition of many societies throughout the world. While the movement of people has always been a feature of the human condition, this course examines what is “new” about these contemporary migratory flows. The course will begin with an overview of relevant topics in the field of international migration including: the distinctions between economic migrants, political refugees as well as populations currently being displaced by environmental disasters (earthquakes, droughts, etc); explanations for why migration occurs; its social, political, economic, and cultural impacts; the second generation and their modes of incorporation; how migration is gendered and its impact on identities; diasporas, citizenship and transnational alliances.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Instructor: Escandell
ANT 295-03 - Special Topic: Economic Anthropology: The Other 99% 4 credits (Spring)
In this course we will broadly examine the field of economic anthropology, which attempts to explain and explore human economic behavior - production, consumption, circulation and exchange. Income inequality, political economy, labor precarity, global capitalism and neoliberal economic doctrine are just some of the topics we will be exploring in class using scholarly texts, popular media and film.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
Instructor: Ference
ANT 305 - The Cultural Politics of Fashion 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: AMS 305 . 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). Fashion is personal, public and profitable: considering fashion and taste as a dialectic shaped by local and global networks, our point of departure is on interaction and fusion between companies and consumers, brands and boutiques, luxury malls and museums, and fashioning identities in print and moving images.
Prerequisite: A 200-level course in Humanities or Social Studies Division.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Gibel Mevorach
ANT 310 - Postmodernism and Beyond 4 credits
This course explores the meanings of postmodernism, including the historical moment in which the concept emerged to describe a crisis in the social sciences. We will read anthropologists’ comments on the impact of postmodernist approaches on methodologies and theories in the discipline and examine texts that interrogate the relationship between power and knowledge, representations and ethnographic authority, the question of subjectivity and objectification, and the consequences of globalization on dominant concepts that ground the discipline of anthropology. This course includes ethnographic films and commercial movies that register the condition of postmodernity.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 and ANT 280 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Gibel Mevorach
ANT 321 - Human Ethology 4 credits
In this course we will explore: 1) the evolutionary bases for human behavior; 2) how to observe, record, and study human behavior; and 3) the benefits and shortcomings of an ethological approach through both readings and hands-on projects. Each student will design and conduct a short ethological study of human behavior. This course will be research-centered.
Prerequisite: ANT 280 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Bentley-Condit
ANT 325 - Biological Basis of Human Society 4 credits
An assessment of biological factors in human social behavior through an examination of the social behavior of nonhuman primates and evidence from human ethnology and sociobiology. Topics include reproductive behavior, aggression, dominance, sex roles, and altruism.
Prerequisite: ANT 280 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Bentley-Condit
ANT 326 - Anthropology of Religion 4 credits
Cross-listed as: REL 326 . The role and nature of religion. Origin of religious beliefs and customs. Structure and function of religious systems: beliefs, practitioners, supernatural power, totemism, and ritual change.
Prerequisite: ANT 280 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Andelson
ANT 365 - Fighting Words: Conflict, Discourse, and Power 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course is a seminar in linguistic anthropology. It focuses on conflict and power embedded in social uses of language and analyzes them in a variety of contexts. It highlights both interactional and institutional aspects of discourse and the ways in which they are implicated in reproduction of social relationships.
Prerequisite: ANT 260 , ANT 265 , or ANT 280 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: French
ANT 375 - Experimental Archaeology and Ethnoarchaeology 4 credits
Experiments with artifacts and observations of living peoples provide archaeologists with the basis for interpreting the remains of past cultures. This course examines the theoretical basis and practice of experimental archaeology and ethnoarchaeology. Course includes lab work and projects.
Prerequisite: ANT 280 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Kamp, Whittaker
ANT 377 - War, Religion, and Politics in the Puebloan Southwest 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Major issues in anthropological theory in the context of the American Southwest, from the viewpoints of archaeology informed by cultural anthropology and history.
Prerequisite: ANT 280 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Whittaker
ANT 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Comparative Primate Skeletal Morphology 4 credits (Spring)
In this course we will work very closely with authentic primate skeletal materials – both human and nonhuman. Students will become familiar with and, ultimately, know these bones at a glance by the end of the semester. We will think about, discuss, and write about skeletal materials from comparative and evolutionary perspectives. Students will master the techniques needed to conduct skeletal research and collect comparative data. They will use their data in a final project.
Prerequisite: ANT 104 and ANT 205 , ANT 221 , ANT 225 , ANT 227 , ANT 280 , ANT 290 ,ANT 321 , or ANT 325 , or a strong biology background.
ANT 399 - Directed Research 4 credits
See Directed Research.
Instructor: StaffArt
ARH 103 - Introduction to Art History 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
A thematic and cross-cultural study of art and architecture as expressions of diverse social, intellectual, religious, and aesthetic values, primarily in Western societies since antiquity, with reference to certain East Asian and African traditions. Emphasis on developing critical skills. Use of Grinnell College Art Collection.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
ARH 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: An Introduction to Museum Studies 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: HUM 195-01 . An introduction to the history of museums and to museum operations, funding, exhibitions, collections, and ethics. The course will also consider the philosophical and intellectual issues raised by the contemporary museum. While art museums will be the primary focus, material pertinent to history, ethnographic, science and other types of museums will also be included.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing and participation in an intensive 5 day, 1/2 credit course prior to first day of classes.
Instructor: Wright
ARH 210 - Women, Art, and History 4 credits
An introduction to the history of women’s involvement in the visual arts. Concerned with ways of analyzing changing relationships among gender, culture, and creativity. The focus is on a historical study of women as producers of art, with emphasis on the various ways women have responded to social conditions determining the production of art, and on defining the issues and methods of investigations, based on feminist critiques of conventional art historical approaches.
Prerequisite: ARH 103 or GWS 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ARH 214 - Monastery and Cathedral in Medieval Europe 4 credits
Study of major developments in architecture and art from the Carolingian through Gothic periods (9th–14th centuries). Primary focus on architectural design and structure (as at Durham, Canterbury, Lincoln, Cluny, Paris, Chartres, Amiens), including the roles of sculpture and manuscript painting within their social, political, religious, and intellectual climates. Option of executing projects in architectural design or doing reading in French, German, Italian, Latin, or Spanish.
Prerequisite: ARH 103 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ARH 221 - European Art 1789-1848: Figures & Ground 4 credits
Examination of 19th-century Romantic and Realist painting as critical responses to the period’s dramatic political, industrial, and cultural transformations and as the foundation of artistic “modernity.” Emphasis on issues of high and mass culture; art and political voice; representations of non-Europeans; relevance of the canon; tensions between the urban and natural worlds; and creation of the Avant-Garde.The French Revolution of 1789 marked the entrance on the world stage of a new concept of the modern, self-determining subject. During the first half of the nineteenth century, artists in France, England, Spain and Germany sought to discover an artistic language that would represent this new individual’s relationship to the natural and the built environment, a dialogue of figure and ground that this course studies in the mediums of painting, sculpture, printmaking, and photography.
Prerequisite: ARH 103 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ARH 222 - Impressionism and Post-Impressionism 4 credits
A study of major artists, works, and issues in European Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting (ca. 1865–1900). Specific movements include Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, and Art Nouveau.
Prerequisite: ARH 103 .
Note: Not offered every year.
+2 option available.
Foreign language option available in French or German for course and +2.
Instructor: Anger
ARH 225 - The Baroque Imaginary 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
The Baroque has fascinated - and incensed - artists, historians, cultural critics, and philosophers from Heinrich Wölfflin, Walter Benjamin, and Erwin Panofsky to Gilles Deleuze, Hubert Damisch, and Peter Greenaway. Often aligned with an artistic “Golden Age” exemplified by the works of Bernini, Rubens, Velázquez, and Vermeer, the Baroque is also associated with decadence, irrationality, and effeminacy. We will explore the stakes of these connotations for seventeenth-century Baroque icons as well as for later, (Neo)Baroque artists.
Prerequisite: ARH 103 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ARH 226 - Gender, Race and Fashion in Western Portraiture, 1500-1950 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Explores race, gender, and fashionable dress as co-constitutive forces in portraiture from 1500 to 1950. We will investigate self-portraiture, group portraiture, historiated portraiture, and allegorical personification. If idealized white, female beauty is one of portraiture’s longstanding fetishes, how do notions of sexual difference, physiognomy, and skin-color, among other variables, inflect representation? Subjects range from Tudor England, Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, and Velázquez to Qing China, Viceregal Mexico, nineteenth-century Paris, and post-war New York.
Prerequisite: ARH 103 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ARH 231 - Modern Art in Europe, 1900–1940 4 credits (Fall)
An examination of major movements in European art from 1900–1940, including Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Dada, Surrealism, Constructivism, and Socialist Realism. Focus upon the historical contexts of art production and reception. Readings range from contemporary criticism to historical analysis. Investigation of recurrent problems such as primitivism, gender, authorship, and cultural politics.
Prerequisite: ARH 103 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in French or German for course and +2.
Instructor: Anger
ARH 232 - Art Since 1945 4 credits (Spring)
An examination of developments primarily in American and European art since 1945, from Abstract Expressionism to current trends such as the globalized art market. Particular attention to art since 1960: Pop, Happenings, Black Art, Minimalism, Conceptualism, Earth Works, Feminist Art, Video, and Installation. Readings range from contemporary criticism to historical analysis from a variety of perspectives (e.g., formal, multicultural, deconstructive).
Prerequisite: ARH 103 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in French or German for course and +2.
Instructor: Anger
ARH 233 - American Art 4 credits
A survey of American art within its cultural, philosophical, and social contexts. Topics include: colonial portraiture; history painting, landscape, and vernacular expressions in the 19th century; and the sources and development of modernism and postmodernism.
Prerequisite: ARH 103 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Anger
ARH 248 - Greek Archaeology and Art 4 credits (Spring)
See CLS 248 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
ARH 250 - Roman Archaeology and Art 4 credits (Spring)
See CLS 250 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
ARH 260 - Museum Studies: The Art Museum 4 credits
An examination of the history of museums, museum operations, funding, ethics, and the philosophical and intellectual issues raised by the contemporary museum. The course will focus on art museums, but many of the topics will pertain to history, ethnographic, science, and other types of museums.
Prerequisite: ARH 103 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Wright
ARH 295-01 - Special Topic: In the Footsteps of Marco Polo: The Global Mongol Century 4 credits (Spring)
In this class, we will explore the arts and visual cultures of Mongol-controlled lands in Eurasia ca. 1250-1400. Loosely following Marco Polo’s travels, we will ”travel” from Italy to China, recreating the visual landscape of particular urban centers. Using primary documents and visual material, including illuminated manuscripts, textiles, paintings, ceramics, and metalwork, we will come to a clearer understanding of the interwoven networks in Eurasia during this period.
Prerequisite: ARH 103 .
Instructor: Shea
ARH 295-01 - Special Topic: Modern Architecture and Globalization 4 credits (Fall)
This course offers a survey of developments in modern architecture from the nineteenth century to the contemporary period, with a focus on globalization. In the course, we will discuss the aesthetic, political, and social contexts of architecture, including colonialism, urbanization, industrialization, semiotics, and consumerism. Reading texts by architects, critics, and scholars, students will examine local, regional, and national examples of modern architecture in conjunction with prominent global trends in the field.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Rivera
ARH 295-02 - Special Topic: Arts and Visual Cultures of China 4 credits (Fall)
This course explores the arts and visual cultures of China from the Neolithic period through the nineteenth century. We will consider diverse media including painting, prints, textiles, ceramics, metalwork, jade, and architecture, as well as works in the College Art Collection. A central theme will be the role that various (non-Han Chinese) ethnic groups played in shaping the arts of the Chinese court, with special emphasis on cultural exchange with Central Asia and the Steppe.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Shea
ARH 295-02 - Special Topic: Collecting the “Orient” 4 credits (Spring)
The United States and Europe are home to world-class collections of Asian art, from murals and architectural elements to sculptures, ceramics, paintings, and textiles. This class examines the origins of such Asian art collections, beginning in the nineteenth century and continuing through the present day. We will explore the changing practices of archaeological excavations, the antiquities market, and looting, as well as consider the ways, licit and illicit, that these collections were built.
Prerequisite: ARH 103 .
Instructor: Shea
ARH 295-03 - Special Topic: Caribbean Art and Visual Culture 4 credits (Spring)
This course provides a broad survey of Caribbean art and visual culture, taking the Caribbean archipelago and surrounding territories into consideration, along with the Caribbean diaspora. Course material will range from the pre-Columbian era into the contemporary, and encompass art, architecture, and popular/visual culture. We will explore topics such as slavery in the Caribbean, religious expression, carnival, nationalism in the postcolonial Caribbean, and the politics of migration.
Prerequisite: ARH 103 .
Instructor: Rivera
ARH 360 - Exhibition Seminar 4 credits (Fall)
An exploration of the materials and methods of primary art historical research and museum practice through the organization and presentation of an exhibition. Students work directly with art objects, using works in the Grinnell College Art Collection and/or borrowed from lenders. Topic and instructor vary; see current Schedule of Courses. Course may be repeated once for credit.
Prerequisite: One 200-level art history course.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ARH 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Architecture and Urbanism in the Developing World 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: GDS 395-01 . This course explores architecture and urbanism in the “developing world” from the colonial era into the contemporary. A series of comparative urban case studies will cover topics such as the colonial quarter, utopic city planning, nationalism and the postcolonial state, architecture in war and conflict, informal economies and urban slums, and the rise of the global city. Students will analyze visual sources and create a final project regarding a specific site.
Prerequisite: ARH 103 or GDS 111 and one 200-level ARH or GDS course.
Instructor: Rivera
ARH 400 - Seminar in Art History 4 credits (Spring)
An intensive study of selected problems with emphasis on research, methodology, and critical evaluation of a special area. May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits if different topics are taken each time. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing in art history major.
Instructor: Staff
ARH 400-01 - Seminar in Art History 4 credits (Spring)
The seminar emphasizes research skills and art-historical methodology. Each student, in consultation with the professor, will select a special topic for research and critical evaluation. Final projects are expected to result in scholarly contributions equivalent to those of traditional senior theses.
Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing in art history major.
Instructor: Anger
ARH 499 - Mentored Advanced Project — Art History 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
The preparation, writing, and public presentation of a piece of advanced art-historical research in any area of art history. Students must obtain approval of a department member as faculty director. The MAP application must be completed with the required project statement and with all faculty signatures before submission to the Office of the Registrar. All applications are subject to the approval of the associate dean of the College.
Prerequisite: Senior standing.
Instructor: Staff
ART 111 - Introduction to the Studio 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Introduction to the Studio is a beginning level studio course designed to introduce and ground students in core principles of art making in a rigorous, hands-on studio. These principles will be taught though a series of practical exercises using traditional and digital tools. Emphasis will be placed on developing skills, knowledge of materials, methods of observation and translation, collaboration, discussion, and creative discipline.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
ART 134 - Drawing 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An introduction to observational drawing and contemporary drawing practice. Subjects will include architecture, objects, landscape, and the figure. Traditional and non-traditional media will be explored. Emphasis on technical skill, perceptual development, and critical skills.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
ART 236 - Print Media 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course involves an exploration of print processes. Emphasis is placed on the development of individual skills and an aesthetic appreciation of prints through creation, production, and study. This investigation includes historical and contemporary roles of multiples within the context of select media and broader artistic practices.
Prerequisite: ART 111 .
Instructor: Kluber
ART 237 - Chemistry of Artists’ Materials 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: SCI 237 . This team-taught course will examine the physical properties of various artists’ materials and will use these materials to generate new creative work. Examples of materials to be investigated may include, but not be limited to: paper, plaster, paint binders, pigments and dyes. The class will be a combination of in-class discussion, laboratory, and studio practice; it will be a rare opportunity for students to learn from two inquiry-based disciplines in two different locations on campus.
Prerequisite: ART 111 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Running, Trimmer
ART 238 - Painting 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course is an introduction to the materials, techniques, and practice of painting. Such a practice is concerned with issues, both technical and intellectual, that will give students the knowledge to transpose, construct, and execute using the medium of paint.
Prerequisite: ART 111 .
Instructor: Kaufman
ART 240 - Ceramics 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An introduction to clay as a medium for visual expression with an emphasis on hand building, throwing, conceptual problem-solving, glazing, and firing. Students will construct both sculptural and functional forms, with particular attention paid to the development of technical skills, surface enrichment through texture, and creativity in the construction of three-dimensional forms.
Prerequisite: ART 111 .
Instructor: Schrift
ART 242 - Sculpture 4 credits (Spring)
This course will explore techniques and concepts employed by contemporary sculptors. Students will utilize materials from the ephemeral to the permanent to explore issues of space and construction through a series of creative projects.
Prerequisite: ART 111 .
Instructor: Running
ART 246 - Digital Media 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course explores contemporary digital media art practice. Students will work with a variety of software, hardware, and digital tools in addressing visual ideas. This course encourages students to employ the computer as a visual-thinking tool.
Prerequisite: ART 111 .
Instructor: Staff
ART 295-01 - Special Topic: Interdisciplinary Art: Video Art 1 credits (Spring)
See THD 295-01 .
ART 310 - Advanced Studio: Hybrid Media 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This advanced studio course involves investigating and expanding a visual idea across a range of media. Students have an opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary, expansive approach to art making.
Prerequisite: 12 credits of 200-level studio art.
Instructor: Kluber
ART 315 - Advanced Studio: Contemporary Practices 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An interdisciplinary studio course designed to introduce students to contemporary artistic practices and concepts. Emphasis is placed on ideation, concept, and form integration.
Prerequisite: 12 credits of 200-level studio art.
Instructor: Kaufman
ART 320 - Advanced Studio: Site Specific 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An intensive practice based course in which the problem of place and location is examined in relation to the development of a student’s individual body of work.
Prerequisite: 12 credits of 200-level studio art.
Instructor: Running
ART 499 - Mentored Advanced Project — Studio 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Senior Project: A concentrated focus within a specific medium in which the student has extensive experience. This course is aimed at establishing a personal direction in content and personal expression while developing a mature portfolio in preparation for an advanced degree. The project includes preparation, creation, and public presentation of a body of artwork. Seniors must obtain approval of a department member for the desired medium as supervisor of the project. The MAP application must be completed with the required project statement and with all faculty signatures before submission to the Office of the Registrar. All applications are subject to approval of the dean of the College.
Prerequisite: 300-level studio course, senior standing, and departmental approval of official MAP proposal before the end of the preceding semester.
See additional information on MAP’s.
Instructor: Staff Biological Chemistry
BCM 262 - Introduction to Biological Chemistry 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
An introduction to chemical properties and biological functions of proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids. Topics in lecture and lab include purifying and characterizing proteins, enzyme kinetics, and basic energy metabolism. Three lectures and one scheduled lab each week.
Prerequisite: BIO 251 , CHM 221 , and completion of or concurrent registration in CHM 222 .
Instructor: Levandoski, Trimmer
BCM 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Chemistry & Biology of Nucleic Acids 4 credits (Fall)
This course provides a background to nucleic acid structure and function from both a chemical and biological perspective, including synthesis, characterization and applications. The laboratory will consist of an introduction to techniques in nucleic acid chemistry in both chemical and biological contexts.
Prerequisite or co-requisite: BCM 262 and CHM 222 .
Instructor: BattleBiology
BIO 150 - Introduction to Biological Inquiry 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
An introduction to how biologists pose questions, design experiments, analyze data, and communicate scientific information, for prospective biology and biological chemistry majors as well as nonmajors. Although individual sections will have different topics and formats, all sections will involve intensive student-directed investigation and include a laboratory component. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
BIO 150-01 - Intro Biolgical Inquiry 4 credits
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.
Instructor: Queathem
BIO 150-01 - Intro to Biological Inquiry 4 credits (Spring)
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.
Instructor: Praitis
BIO 150-01 - Introduction to Biological Inquiry 4 credits (Fall)
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.
Instructor: Queathem
BIO 150-02 - Intro to Biological Inquiry 4 credits (Spring)
Biological Responses to Stress. In this course, we will investigate ways that biologists seek to understand how organisms can interact with their environment and change in response to varying environmental conditions. Since microbes are excellent model systems for biological inquiry, their response to stressful environments will be emphasized. Students will formulate hypotheses regarding stress responses, design and conduct experiments to test their hypotheses, and communicate the results of their experiments. The class will have three, one hour and fifty-minute meetings per week that combine lab, lecture, and discussion.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Gregg-Jolly
BIO 150-02 - Intro to Biological Inquiry 4 credits (Fall)
The Language of Neurons. In this course students will actively learn how biologists study the nervous system. Specifically, students will work as neuroscientists for a semester and will attempt to learn something novel about how nerve cells communicate with one another at chemical synapses. Students will present their findings at the end of the semester via both oral and written presentations. Papers resulting from a substantial independent project will be published in the class journal, Pioneering Neuroscience: The Grinnell Journal of Neurophysiology. Students with a strong background in high school physics will benefit most from this section of Biological Inquiry.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Rempel-Clower
BIO 150-03 - Intro to Biological Inquiry 4 credits (Fall)
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.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Jacobson
BIO 150-03 - Intro to Biological Inquiry 4 credits (Spring)
Microbial Pathogenesis. In this course we will investigate strategic pathogenetic microorganisms use to colonize our food and thrive inside the human body. Topics addressed will include: the biology of bacteria and viruses, factors important for biofilm formation, how microorganisms become resistant to antibiotics, and how we protect our food and 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.
Instructor: Hinsa-Leasure
BIO 150-04 - Intro to Biological Inquiry 4 credits
Sexy Beast. Why do animals have sex? and in such incredible variety? This course will consider the ways biologists study the causes and consequences of sex in animals at all levels – from the cellular process of meiosis, to the organismal concept of gender, to mating interactions between individuals and their evolutionary consequences. Students will learn to read and evaluate the primary literature, formulate hypotheses, and carry out independent research projects using a model organism, the bean beetle Callosobruchus maculatus. Students will communicate their results in scientific papers, posters, and oral presentations. Finally, as sexy beasts ourselves, we will consider how our human biases and social assumptions influence the questions asked and their accepted answers.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Villarreal
BIO 150-04 - Intro to Biological Inquiry 4 credits (Fall)
Sex Life of Plants. This course will explore the evolution and ecology of reproduction in flowering plants to develop your understanding of how and why plants reproduce as they do. You’ll experience biology as it is practiced, as you learn principles of adaptation, practice the scientific method, and communicate your research findings in the style of professional biologists. Activities will include reading and discussing classic and contemporary scientific literature, completing exercises on the structure and function of plant reproductive features, and conducting and reporting on research projects done in the lab, the greenhouse, and the field.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Ekhart
BIO 220 - Racing Through Genetics 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: AMS 220 and ANT 220 . An interdisciplinary study of the role that science has played in the construction of race and ways that society uses such racial classifications. Historic cases including eugenics movement in the early 1990s and application of modern genetic technology will be explored. Students will consider genetic determinism in light of what is known about biology and historicize concepts based in science including the meanings they acquired when invoked to support judicial, political and social politics.
Prerequisite: BIO 150 and one upper level AMS, ANT, SOC, or GWSS course. (In the event of over enrollment, priority will be given to students who have completed BIO 251 )
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Gibel Mevorach, Gregg-Jolly
BIO 240 - Animal Behavior 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Investigations of the causes, functions, 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 scheduled lab per week.
Prerequisite: BIO 150 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Brown
BIO 251 - Molecules, Cells, and Organisms 4 credits (Fall)
Investigations of the cellular and molecular basis of organismal structure and function, including studies of how organisms acquire and expend energy, acquire and transport materials, regulate internal conditions, transmit information, reproduce, develop, grow, and move. Three lectures and one scheduled lab each week.
Prerequisite: BIO 150 , CHM 129 , and completion of or concurrent registration in CHM 221 .
Note: Students who have completed the Biology 251/252 course sequence receive the equivalent of a standard undergraduate introductory genetics course, relevant for pre-professional programs and graduate schools.
Instructor: Staff
BIO 252 - Organisms, Evolution, and Ecology 4 credits (Spring)
Investigations of the evolutionary causes and ecological consequences of organismal structure and function, including studies of why organisms acquire and expend energy, acquire and transport materials, regulate internal conditions, transmit information, reproduce, develop, grow, and move. Three lectures and one scheduled lab each week.
Prerequisite: BIO 251 and MAT 124 or MAT 131 .
Note: Students who have completed the Biology 251/252 course sequence receive the equivalent of a standard undergraduate introductory genetics course, relevant for pre-professional programs and graduate schools.
Instructor: Staff
BIO 301 - History of Biological Thought 4 credits (Spring)
This seminar course will consider how biological theories emerge and change in a complex environment of empirical knowledge and social/political concerns. Areas of study may include reproductive biology, evolution, genetics, ecology and conservation, and medicine. Three lecture/discussion sections each week.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Brown
BIO 305 - Evolution of the Iowa Flora 4 credits (Fall)
Investigations of the history of Iowa’s plant diversity from three perspectives: 1) taxonomy and systematics; 2) paleoecology and community assembly; and 3) population structure, biogeography, and conservation. Three lectures and one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Eckhart
BIO 325 - Fungal Biology 4 credits (Fall)
An integrative survey of the fungal kingdom, emphasizing current topics in developmental biology, physiology, genetics, evolution, systematics, ecology, and human interactions with fungi. Emphasis is on interactive learning through field and laboratory investigations. Combined lecture/lab periods meet two times each week for three hours.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: K. Jacobson
BIO 334 - Plant Physiology 4 credits
An assessment of the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying the life processes of plants. This course will examine major plant functions with emphasis on the physiology and biochemistry of photosynthesis, respiration, nutrient metabolism, translocation, control of growth, and response of plants to environmental stress.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 or BCM 262 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: DeRidder
BIO 339 - Biogeochemistry 4 credits (Spring)
Study of the effects of life on the Earth’s chemistry. This course will examine the interactions among biological and chemical processes that determine the cycling of biologically significant elements in soils, sediments, waters, and the atmosphere. Lectures and discussions focus on current topics, with particular emphasis on the effects of human activity on biogeochemical cycles. Field and laboratory investigations emphasize quantitative analysis and experimental design. Three lecture/discussions and one laboratory per week.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 , or BCM 262 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: P. Jacobson
BIO 340 - Aquatic Biology 4 credits (Spring)
An examination of the biology of freshwater systems, including lakes, rivers, and streams, and the linkages between aquatic and terrestrial environments. Lectures and discussions focus on current topics in freshwater biology. Laboratory and field investigations emphasize quantitative analysis and experimental design and include an independent project. One laboratory meeting and two lecture/discussion sessions each week.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: P. Jacobson
BIO 343 - Comparative Vertebrate Morphology 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This class will analyze the structure and evolution of the vertebrates, emphasizing functional morphology. We will consider vertebrate evolution and diversity, integument, biomaterials, and skulls; vertebral columns, lateral flexion, and the transition to terrestrial locomotion; circulatory systems; osmoregulatory structures; gas exchange; and sensory structures. In the lab, we will dissect animals such as sharks and cats and analyze other materials. We will close by focusing on morphological design and locomotion, and students will write a research proposal.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 , or BCM 262 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Queathem
BIO 345 - Advanced Genetics 4 credits (Fall or spring)
Genetics is an experimental approach that has been applied to questions in all areas of biology, answering fundamental questions about inheritance, cell mechanics, human disease, and evolutionary change. This course will introduce students to advanced genetic principles and techniques. We will then explore how these techniques have been applied to answer fundamental questions in biology by reading both classic and recent papers from the primary literature that utilize genetic approaches. We will also discuss some of the limitations of genetics as a scientific approach. The laboratory will emphasize multiweek projects using genetic techniques to study biological problems. Two three-hour meetings per week.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 , or BCM 262 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Praitis
BIO 346 - Environmental Microbiology 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
In this course we will examine the species concept and the dynamic nature of microbial populations in the environment, including how to define and measure relevant microbial populations. We will investigate the roles of microorganisms in key environmental processes including biogeochemical cycling and bioremediation of pollutants. Further topics include environmental pathogens, symbioses, and niche specialization. In the lab, students conduct seven-week independent projects. Two three-hour meetings per week.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 , or BCM 262 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Hinsa-Leasure
BIO 355 - Developmental Genetics 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
We explore how scientists identify and characterize the genes required for animal and plant development, by reading and discussing papers from the primary literature that utilize molecular and classic genetic techniques. Topics include axis determination, cell fate decisions, tissue formation, sex determination, environmental influences on development, and evolutionary conservation of developmental mechanisms. In the laboratory, students do independent research projects on the model system C. elegans. Two three-hour meetings per week.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 , or BCM 262 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Praitis
BIO 363 - Neurobiology 4 credits (Spring)
This course examines the structure, function, and development of the nervous system. Cellular and molecular mechanisms are emphasized and examples are drawn from throughout the animal kingdom. Three lectures and one scheduled laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: BIO 251 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lindgren
BIO 364 - Animal Physiology 4 credits (Spring)
This course examines the integrated function of tissues, organs, and organ systems from a molecular, cellular, and organismal perspective. Emphasis is placed on mechanisms underlying physiological processes found throughout the animal kingdom. Three lectures and one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lindgren
BIO 365 - Microbiology 4 credits (Fall)
The structure, physiology, and genetics of the prokaryotes. Lectures include discussion of papers from the current literature. Laboratory features multi-week investigations. Two lectures and one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: BIO 251 . BIO 252 or BCM 262 is recommended.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Hinsa-Leasure
BIO 368 - Ecology 4 credits (Fall)
Study of the distribution and abundance of organisms and of relationships between organisms and environments. Laboratories emphasize quantitative analysis and experimental design in ecology and include several field projects. Lectures focus on the development of ecological concepts and theory. Three lectures and one laboratory per week.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Eckhart
BIO 370 - Advanced Cell Biology 4 credits (Fall)
In its infancy, cell biology primarily concerned the description of major cellular structures and functions that were visible by the light microscope. However, modern cell biology, and consequently this course, has shifted focus to the examination of biological processes at the molecular level. Focusing on eukaryotic systems, we will begin with a brief overview of cells, the history of cell biology, and the general approaches used to study cells. The rest of the course will focus on three to four central aspects of cell biology including signal transduction, cell cycle and cytoskeleton. How these topics relate to pharmacology and cancer biology will also be discussed. Laboratories emphasize techniques used in the study of cell biology in frog oocytes, eggs and/or embryos.
Prerequisite: BIO 251 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Sandquist
BIO 373 - Mechanisms of Evolution 4 credits (Spring)
This course examines the mechanisms of evolutionary change at both the micro- and macroevolutionary scales. Topics include the maintenance of genetic variation, population structure and speciation, molecular evolution, systematic methods and applications, and macroevolution. Three lectures and one laboratory session each week.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Brown
BIO 375 - Principles of Pharmacology 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An examination of the fundamental principles by which pharmacological agents are produced, work, and used. A major part of the course will explore basic concepts of pharmacokinetics (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion) and pharmacodynamics (mechanisms of drug action, receptor theory, dose response relationships, genetic interactions with drugs). Some common drug classes will be examined to illustrate basic physiological and pharmacological principles. Aspects of drug discovery, development and policy may also be introduced. Three lectures and one scheduled laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 or BCM 262 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Sandquist
BIO 380 - Molecular Biology 4 credits (Spring)
An examination of the molecular biology of the cell and associated technology. The application of techniques such as molecular cloning, PCR amplification, DNA sequencing and hybridization to contemporary issues in biology are emphasized in lecture and laboratory. Two lectures and one laboratory per week.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 , or BCM 262 .
Instructor: DeRidder, Gregg-Jolly
BIO 390 - Readings in Biology 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
In this variable content course, students will explore a selected area of biology via a seminar format that emphasizes reading, discussion, and writing about primary literature. May be repeated for credit if content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 .
Instructor: Staff
BIO 390-01 - Readings in Biology 2 credits (Spring)
Biological Applications in Sustainability Science. The emerging field of sustainability science refers to multi-disciplinary studies of how to improve human well-being while also preserving the natural environment, on which human well-being ultimately depends. This readings course concerns how the discipline of biology can serve both goals, with applications in energy, agriculture, landscape and urban design, and the stewardship of natural resources.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 .
Instructor: Eckhart
BIO 390-02 - Readings in Biology 2 credits (Spring)
Cancer Biology. Cancer is a broad class of diseases with significant human health impacts. This course will explore a selection of the mechanisms by which genetic changes permit uncontrolled cell growth. We will examine how altered cell-cell interactions and physiology permit cancer cells to metastasize to multiple tissues. Additionally, we will discuss immunological defenses and modern treatment approaches that limit cancer cells’ growth and spread. This seminar-style course will emphasize reading and discussion of primary literature.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 .
Instructor: Gregg-Jolly
BIO 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Immunology 4 credits (Spring)
An introduction to the cellular and molecular basis of vertebrate immune systems. Topics include the components and organization of the immune system, development of the immune system, studies of how organisms mount an immune response, and how the immune response itself can cause disease. A significant component of this course will be the critical evaluation of primary literature and case studies of immune dysfunction, along with an emphasis on written and oral communication skills.
Prerequisite: BIO 252 or BCM 262 .
Instructor: Hinsa-Leasure
BIO 399 - Directed Research 2 or 4 credits
See Directed Research.
Instructor: StaffChemistry
CHM 100 - Chemistry is Everywhere 4 credits (Fall)
This course in intended for nonscience majors and introduces the basic principles of chemistry with special emphasis on everyday life and sustainability. The course illustrates these principles through extensive use of classroom demonstrations and hands on explorations.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Marzluff
CHM 129 - General Chemistry 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
An introductory course. Primary emphasis on stoichiometry, atomic and molecular structure, dynamic equilibrium, acid-base chemistry, thermodynamics, electronic structure, and intermolecular interactions. Three classes, one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
CHM 210 - Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Leads to advanced work in the department. Principles of inorganic chemistry and elementary quantitative analysis, including ionic equilibrium, electrochemistry, and acid-base chemistry. Three classes, one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: CHM 129 .
Instructor: Staff
CHM 221 - Organic Chemistry I 4 credits (Fall)
A comprehensive study of structures, reactions, syntheses, and spectroscopy of aliphatic and aromatic compounds, which emphasizes modern mechanistic models. Three classes, one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: CHM 129 . (Students with AP/IB credit or other off-campus credit to substitute for CHM 129 must take CHM 210 .)
Instructor: Staff
CHM 222 - Organic Chemistry II 4 credits (Spring)
A comprehensive study of structures, reactions, syntheses, and spectroscopy of aliphatic and aromatic compounds, which emphasizes modern mechanistic models. Three classes, one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: CHM 221 .
Instructor: Staff
CHM 325 - Advanced Organic Chemistry 4 credits (Fall)
Selected topics in organic chemistry, including spectral methods of identifying organic compounds, reaction mechanisms, and modern methods of organic synthesis. Laboratory emphasis on spectral, chromatographic, and synthetic methods. Three classes, one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: CHM 222 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
CHM 330 - Bioorganic Chemistry 4 credits (Fall)
Exploration of the advanced biochemistry discipline of bioorganic chemistry, which applies the principles and techniques of organic chemistry to the study of biochemical reactions. Emphasis on the reactions of enzymes, particularly enzymes that require a coenzyme (flavin, pyridoxal phosphate, etc.) to carry out their chemistry. Topics include enzyme structure, catalytic strategies, kinetics, and methodologies to determine enzyme mechanisms. Investigates laboratories stress spectroscopic and kinetic techniques. Three classes, one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: BCM 262 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Trimmer
CHM 332 - Biophysical Chemistry 4 credits (Fall)
Exploration of advanced topics in biochemistry with an emphasis on physical methodologies (thermodynamics and kinetics) and techniques. Topics include ligand binding theory, protein folding, and structure determination, etc. Secondary emphasis involves topics in molecular neuroscience, such as second messenger systems and ion channels. Laboratory employs some of the techniques discussed and includes an independent project. Three classes, one laboratory each week. Completion of the introductory physics sequence and CHM 363 is recommended.
Prerequisite: BCM 262 and completion of or concurrent registration in PHY 131 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Levandoski
CHM 358 - Instrumental Analysis 4 credits (Fall)
Analytical chemistry, including both theory and applications of spectral, electrochemical, chromatographic, and other commonly employed methods of analysis and separation. Two classes, two laboratories each week.
Prerequisite: CHM 221 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Lyons, Sharpe
CHM 363 - Physical Chemistry I 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
An introduction to physical chemistry that emphasizes experimental and theoretical aspects of chemical thermodynamics, chemical and physical equilibrium, and kinetics. Three classes, one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: CHM 222 , and MAT 133 or equivalent, and PHY 131 or equivalent, and completion of or concurrent registration in PHY 132 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Hernandez-Soto, Marzluff
CHM 364 - Physical Chemistry II 4 credits (Spring)
Selected topics in physical chemistry with emphasis on molecular structure and chemical bonding and the application of thermodynamic and quantum theory to a variety of physical chemical phenomena. Three classes, one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: CHM 363 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Marzluff, Hernandez-Soto
CHM 399 - Directed Research 4 credits
See Directed Research.
Instructor: Staff
CHM 423 - Advanced Inorganic Chemistry 4 credits (Spring)
Selected topics, including atomic structure, bonding, acid-base theories, coordination chemistry, crystal structure, and inorganic reactions. Three classes, one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: CHM 363 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Minelli
CHM 499 - Mentored Advanced Project 2 or 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See additional information on Mentored Advanced Projects.
Chinese and Japanese
CHI 101 - Beginning Chinese I 5 credits (Fall)
An introductory course to modern (Mandarin) Chinese that teaches the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Instructional emphasis is laid on both linguistic aspects (pronunciation, vocabulary, and structures) and on sociocultural strategies in communication. Students learn approximately 550 frequently used core graphs and their use in context.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Ridgway
CHI 102 - Beginning Chinese II 5 credits (Spring)
An introductory course to modern (Mandarin) Chinese that teaches the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Instructional emphasis is laid on both linguistic aspects (pronunciation, vocabulary, and structures) and on sociocultural strategies in communication. Students learn approximately 550 frequently used core graphs and their use in context.
Prerequisite: CHI 101 .
Instructor: Ridgway
CHI 221 - Intermediate Chinese I 4 credits (Fall)
Reinforcement and expansion of the grammatical basis and communicative competence gained in CHI 101 and CHI 102 . Continued practice of oral and listening skills, but with increased emphasis on reading and writing skills. Stress is on the acquisition of core graphs (to approximately 1,500), vocabulary, and complex sentence patterns. Simplified characters are also introduced.
Prerequisite: CHI 102 .
Instructor: Feng
CHI 222 - Intermediate Chinese II 4 credits (Spring)
Reinforcement and expansion of the grammatical basis and communicative competence gained in CHI 101 and CHI 102 . Continued practice of oral and listening skills, but with increased emphasis on reading and writing skills. Stress is on the acquisition of core graphs (to approximately 1,500), vocabulary, and complex sentence patterns. Simplified characters are also introduced.
Prerequisite: CHI 221 .
Instructor: Feng
CHI 230 - Chinese Women: Past and Present 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course will examine literary and cinematic representations of Chinese women, past and present by using gender as a category of analysis. Literary and cinematic focus is on the complex and changing relationship of Chinese women to normative gender codes and conventions over the course of some 2,000 years.
Prerequisite: None
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Feng
CHI 277 - Modern China through Literature and Film (in Translation) 4 credits
Cross-listed as: GLS 277 . This course examines literature and society in China starting from the turn of the 20th century through the critical study of selected samples of the literary and cinematic products of this tumultuous historical period. Attention is particularly focused on the political, cultural, and aesthetic messages that the literary and cinematic forms convey and disseminate. All readings and discussion are in English.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Feng
CHI 288 - Chinese Food for Thought 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: EAS 288 . Food is a prism that absorbs and reflects a host of cultural phenomena. An examination of Chinese and Chinese American foodways–behaviors and beliefs surrounding the production, distribution, processing, preparation, and consumption of food–reveals power relations and ways of constructing class, gender, and racial identities. This course analyzes foodways in various historical and contemporary contexts. It brings different types of materials and approaches to bear on the study of our most basic, visceral experience.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing and successful completion of tutorial.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Feng
CHI 295-01 - Special Topic: Text and Image: Classical Chinese Painting and Poetry From Early Times to Middle Period 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: EAS 295-01 . Combining some of the greatest works of Chinese poetry with approaches and visual materials from the history of Chinese landscape painting, in this course we will examine the changing use of landscape as a medium to express different philosophical and social meaning by competing social groups across historical periods from early times to the 13th century.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Ridgway
CHI 331 - Advanced Chinese I 4 credits (Fall)
Further reinforcement, expansion, and refinement of grammatical proficiency and communicative skills through intensive reading of authentic Chinese materials, such as short stories, newspapers, and journals, and viewing of films and television broadcasts. Particular emphasis also given to increasing level of literary appreciation and critical awareness of the sociocultural contexts that shape readings.
Prerequisite: CHI 222 .
Instructor: Feng
CHI 332 - Advanced Chinese II 4 credits (Spring)
Further reinforcement, expansion, and refinement of grammatical proficiency and communicative skills through intensive reading of authentic Chinese materials, such as short stories, newspapers, and journals, and viewing of films and television broadcasts. Particular emphasis also given to increasing level of literary appreciation and critical awareness of the sociocultural contexts that shape readings.
Prerequisite: CHI 331 .
Instructor: Ridgway
CHI 387 - Individual Reading 2 or 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Designed to satisfy needs and interests of majors who have otherwise exhausted departmental language offerings.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and department chair.
Instructor: Staff
CHI 461 - Classical Chinese 4 credits (Fall)
Intensive treatment of the basic particles and grammatical structure of the literary Chinese language (wenyan). Development of skills in understanding and recognizing syntactic parallelism, contextual clues, and rhetorical structures through the reading of selected works of classical prose and poetry.
Prerequisite: CHI 332 .
Instructor: Ridgway
CHI 498 - Readings in Chinese Literature 4 credits (Spring)
This course is designed to increase students’ proficiency in reading, interpreting, and discussing Chinese literature in its original language, and thereby build upon the linguistic foundation acquired in both Classical Chinese (CHI 461 ) and the three-year language sequence. Literature for the course will consist of a thematically focused set of textual materials taken from both pre-modern and modern sources, including literary, philosophical, and religious texts. Conducted in Chinese.
Prerequisite: CHI 332 and CHI 461 .
Instructor: Feng
JPN 101 - Beginning Japanese I 5 credits (Fall)
An introductory course that teaches the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Instructional emphasis is laid on both linguistic aspects (pronunciation, vocabulary, and structures) and on sociocultural strategies in communication. Students learn both Japanese syllabaries and are introduced to kanji.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Schimmel
JPN 102 - Beginning Japanese II 5 credits (Spring)
A continuation of Beginning Japanese I, emphasizing the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Instructional emphasis is laid on both linguistic aspects (pronunciation, vocabulary, and structures) and on sociocultural strategies in communication. Students will have learned at least 100 kanji by the end of the course.
Prerequisite: JPN 101 .
Instructor: Schimmel
JPN 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: Japanese Society and Popular Culture 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: EAS 195-01 . This course provides an introduction to postwar Japan through major ideas and social changes that impacted Japanese popular culture. Using cross-disciplinary methodologies drawn from sociology, history, literature and film studies, we will explore critical questions such as center/margin, past/future, and self/other. Readings and screenings will examine the impact of postwar social, economic, and political changes on various groups of people, including corporate workers, youth, women, and ethnic minorities.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Saito
JPN 221 - Intermediate Japanese I 4 credits (Fall)
Reinforcement and expansion of Japanese grammar and communicative competence for students who have previously studied Japanese. Students will gain advancement in the four skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
Prerequisite: JPN 102 .
Instructor: Staff
JPN 222 - Intermediate Japanese II 4 credits (Spring)
Further reinforcement and expansion of Japanese grammar and communicative competence, and advancement in the four skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students will have learned at least 300 kanji by the end of the course.
Prerequisite: JPN 221 .
Instructor: Staff
JPN 279 - Modern Japanese Fiction and Film 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 279 . This course considers Japanese fiction and films that depict Japan from the mid-19th century through the present day. The work of some major authors and film directors will be introduced to examine Japanese culture and society, as well as the characteristics that are unique to Japanese fiction and film. Readings and discussions in English.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Not offered every year. Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Schimmel
JPN 295-01 - Special Topic: Japanese Linguistics 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: EAS 295-01 or LIN 295-01 . You will explore scientific approaches to languages with particular focus on intriguing language phenomenon in Japanese: you will compare Japanese with your first language through the methods you learn in this course. Therefore, it will give you an opportunity to deepen the understanding of your native language as well as linguistic theory. Prior foreign language experience preferred but not required. This course will be taught in English.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Kojima
JPN 331 - Advanced Japanese I 4 credits (Fall)
This course is for those students who have finished Intermediate Japanese II or an equivalent course. An integrated approach will be taken by the instructor so students will be able to develop both their speaking and writing skills in Japanese.
Prerequisite: JPN 222 .
Instructor: Schimmel
JPN 332 - Advanced Japanese II 4 credits (Spring)
This course is for those students who have finished Advanced Japanese I or an equivalent course. An integrated approach will be taken by the instructor so students will be able to develop both their speaking and writing skills in Japanese.
Prerequisite: JPN 331 .
Instructor: Staff
JPN 387 - Individual Reading 2 or 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Designed to satisfy needs and interests of majors who have otherwise exhausted departmental language offerings.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and department chair.
Instructor: StaffClassics
CLS 231 - History of Ancient Philosophy 4 credits (Fall)
See PHI 231 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
CLS 242 - Classical Mythology 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 242 . A systematic study of the most important stories and figures of classical mythology, with emphasis on the reading and interpretation of primary Greek and Roman literary sources and on the contribution of feminist criticism, anthropology, religion, and psychology to this study.
Prerequisite: HUM 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Mercado
CLS 248 - Greek Archaeology and Art 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: ARH 248 . A study of major archaeological excavations and artistic genres of ancient Greece, and their relationship to political and cultural history; the exchange of artistic and archaeological influences with contemporary cultures of Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: M. Cummins
CLS 250 - Roman Archaeology and Art 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: ARH 250 . A study of the major monuments and artifacts of ancient Etruria and Rome; their relationship to the political and cultural history; the Roman borrowing and adoption of Greek forms, as well as original expression in art and architecture. Roman artistic exchange with other cultures of Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: M. Cummins
CLS 255 - History of Ancient Greece 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: HIS 255 . The political, military, social, economic, and intellectual history of the Greeks in the Archaic and Classical periods and their relationship with other peoples of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Focus on the evolution of the Athenian and Spartan constitutions, the Persian War, Athenian imperialism and the Peloponnesian War, the rise of Macedon, and Alexander’s conquest of Egypt and the Near East.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
CLS 257 - The Roman Republic 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: HIS 257 . This course examines the rise of Rome from a village on the banks of the Tiber River to an imperial Mediterranean power governed by a republic (753 BCE to 14 CE). It focuses on Rome’s expansion in Italy, its struggle with Carthage, the tumultuous “fall” of the republic, the Augustan settlement and the transition to empire. Attention is also given to Roman social and religious life. Students analyze both literary texts and archaeological evidence.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Cummins
CLS 258 - The Roman Empire 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: HIS 258 . This course examines the Roman Empire from the accession of Augustus through the reign of the last western emperor, Romulus Augustulus (27 BCE-476 CE). It focuses on political, military, social and religious developments, with special attention given to specific subject populations such as the Jews and Christians, and to life in the provinces and on the frontiers of the empire. Students analyze both literary texts and archaeological evidence.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Cummins
CLS 263 - Political Theory I 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See PHI 263 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
CLS 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Troy Story: The Trojan Legend in Classical and Medieval Literature 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: ENG 395-01 or HUM 395-01 . We will examine the development of the Trojan legend in the classical and medieval traditions. First we will study Homer’s Illiad, Virgil’s Aeneid, and Ovid’s Heroides, a collection of letters between famous literary characters, such as Helen and Paris. Then we will focus on the love story of Troilus and Cressida as it is re-imagined throughout the Middle Ages by Boccaccio and Chaucer. We will conclude with Shakespeare’s play Troilus and Cressida, a bizarre and chaotic synthesis of the classical and medieval traditions.
Prerequisite: One of the following: HUM 101 , HUM 102 , ENG 223 , ENG-295-The Arthurian Legend (Grinnell-in-London), LAT 323 , LAT 395-01 , GRE 301 , or CLS 242 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Arner, M. Cummins
CLS 495 - Senior Seminar 4 credits (Spring)
Devoted to major themes in Greek and Roman culture, the seminar allows seniors to integrate their study of classics and related fields. Participants will plan topics and present papers that serve as a basis for analysis and discussion.
Prerequisite: Senior standing and permission of department.
Instructor: Staff
GRE 101 - Elementary Greek 5 credits (Fall)
The fundamentals of ancient Greek inflection, grammar, syntax, and literary style, based on simplified readings from Attic prose and poetry.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Hughes
GRE 222 - Intermediate Greek 5 credits (Spring)
Continuation of GRE 101 . Review of forms and grammar. Introduction to a range of Greek poetic and prose literature, with selected short readings from Homer, lyric poetry, Herodotus, Sophocles, Euripides, Plato, and the Christian Scriptures.
Prerequisite: GRE 101 .
Instructor: Hughes
GRE 301 - Homer 4 credits (Spring)
Reading of selected passages from the Iliad, the Odyssey, or both epics; special readings in archaeological and critical background.
Prerequisite: GRE 222 and HUM 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
GRE 302 - Plato 4 credits (Fall)
Readings from one or more of Plato’s dialogues with attention to language, literary features, and philosophy.
Prerequisite: GRE 222 and HUM 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: J. Cummins
GRE 303 - Greek Drama 4 credits (Spring)
Reading of two plays with study of literary form, the myths, and relevant social, religious, and philosophical issues.
Prerequisite: GRE 222 and HUM 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
GRE 304 - Greek Prose Writers 4 credits (Fall)
Reading and study of related works of one or more Greek prose writers, excluding Plato. Possibly to include history (Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon), philosophy (Aristotle), oratory (Andocides, Lysias, Demosthenes), or epigraphy.
Prerequisite: GRE 222 and HUM 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: M. Cummins, Hughes
GRE 305 - Greek Poetry 4 credits (Fall)
Readings in Greek poetry, excluding Homer and drama. Possibly to include Archaic lyric and elegiac poets (e.g., Sappho, Archilochus, Solon), Pindar and Bacchylides, or the Hellenistic poets (Apollonius, Theocritus, Callimachus). Introduction to Greek metrics and literary dialects. Emphasis on close reading and critical analysis of the texts.
Prerequisite: GRE 222 and HUM 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Hughes
GRE 387 - Individual Reading 2 or 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Supervised readings designed to fit special needs of students — for example, those who wish to develop facility in reading New Testament Greek.
Prerequisite: At least one reading course in Greek and permission of instructor.
Instructor: Staff
GRE 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Xenophon 4 credits (Spring)
Reading and discussion of selections from the wide range of Xenophon’s works: historical narrative, household management, political dialogue, Socratic discourse and dialogue, encomium, historical fiction, sympotic frivolity. Attention to grammar, style, cultural context, and intellectual importance. Readings from modern scholarship in the service of understanding and perspective.
Prerequisite: GRE 222 or equivalent and HUM 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: J. Cummins
LAT 103 - Elementary Latin 5 credits (Fall)
The fundamentals of Latin forms and sentence structure, based on sentences and connected reading from classical Latin literature.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: M. Cummins, Mercado
LAT 222 - Intermediate Latin 5 credits (Spring)
Continuation of LAT 103 . Readings in classical Latin prose and poetry, with review and composition as needed in order to attain a reading knowledge of Latin.
Prerequisite: LAT 103 .
Instructor: M. Cummins, Mercado
LAT 225 - Reading Latin 4 credits (Fall)
An intermediate course that can function as a continuation of LAT 222 or as a review class for students with substantial prior work in Latin at the secondary or collegiate level. Review of fundamentals with an emphasis on reading and interpreting a variety of texts.
Prerequisite: LAT 222 , or at least two years of secondary-school Latin.
Instructor: Staff
LAT 318 - Roman Satire 4 credits (Fall)
Readings in Lucretius, Horace, and Juvenal: the poetry of criticism and wit. Roman originality, Epicurean and Stoic stances in this complex and chameleonic genre, the interplay of moral voice and sense of humor, relations between philosophy and satire, rhetoric, and poetry.
Prerequisite: LAT 222 , or LAT 225 and HUM 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
LAT 320 - Cicero 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Readings from Cicero’s speeches, essays, or letters, with special attention to language, subject matter, rhetoric, literary artistry in general, and historical setting.
Prerequisite: LAT 222 or LAT 225 , and HUM 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: J. Cummins
LAT 323 - Vergil 4 credits (Spring)
Readings in the Eclogues, the Georgics, and the Aeneid; the development of Vergilian poetic technique; the civilized and national epic as a new form and its influence on Roman and later cultures; the pastoral tradition, Greek literary precedents.
Prerequisite: LAT 222 or LAT 225 , and HUM 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Mercado
LAT 333 - Roman Historians 4 credits (Fall)
Selected readings from Sallust, Bellum Catilinae, Bellum Iugurthinum, and Livy, Ab Urbe Condita; the interpretation of Rome’s past by historians of the era of transition from republic to empire.
Prerequisite: LAT 222 or LAT 225 , and HUM 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: M. Cummins
LAT 334 - Roman Lyric Poetry 4 credits (Spring)
The poetry of Catullus and the Odes of Horace. Critical analysis, the Greek background and models, the art and philosophy of Horace as the culmination of classical humanism.
Prerequisite: LAT 222 or LAT 225 , and HUM 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Hughes
LAT 344 - Roman Thought 4 credits (Fall)
The poetry of Lucretius and some of the essays of Cicero will be studied for the ways in which they present Greek ideas to a Roman audience, on the subjects of nature, religion, politics, and the goals of life.
Prerequisite: LAT 222 or LAT 225 , and HUM 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: J. Cummins
LAT 387 - Individual Reading 2 or 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Supervised reading designed to fit special needs of students.
Prerequisite: At least one reading course in Latin and permission of instructor.
Instructor: Staff
LAT 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Ovid on Troy 4 credits (Fall)
We will study Heroides, a set of letters composed by the poet Ovid (43 BCE-17/18 CE) in the voice of literary characters who populate the legend of Troy. In these letters women complain to their husbands or lovers who either are separated from them or have abandoned them: Penelope to Ulysses or Dido to Aeneas, for example. One pair of letters is an exchange between Paris and Helen. We will study how Ovid straddles the established genres of Greek and Roman epic and elegy in order to fashion original characterizations of already complex literary figures.
Prerequisite: LAT 222 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: M. Cummins
LAT 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Roman Comedy 4 credits (Spring)
Reading of two comedies in Latin from Plautus and Terence, with attention to literary form, precedents and parallels, and social, historical, and political contexts.
Prerequisite: LAT 222 or equivalent.
Instructor: MercadoComputer Science
CSC 105 - The Digital Age 4 credits (Spring)
A study of core topics and great ideas in the field of computer science, focusing on underlying algorithmic principles and social implications. Topics may include multimedia and hypermedia, networks, architecture, programming languages, software design, artificial intelligence, databases, cryptography, and the theory of computing. Includes formal laboratory work.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Osera, Weinman
CSC 151 - Functional Problem Solving 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
A lab-based introduction to basic ideas of computer science, including recursion, abstraction, scope and binding, modularity, the design and analysis of algorithms, and the fundamentals of programming in a high-level, functional language. Includes formal laboratory work. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
CSC 151-01 & 02 - Functional Problem Solving (Media Scripting) 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
In this section of CSC 151, we will ground our study of functional problem solving in media computation. In particular, we will explore mechanisms for representing, making, and manipulating images. We will consider a variety of models of images based on pixels, basic shapes, and objects that draw. The course will be taught using a workshop style: In most class sessions, students will work collaboratively on a series of problems. Includes formal laboratory work.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
CSC 161 - Imperative Problem Solving and Data Structures 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
CSC161 emphasizes concepts closely tied to the architecture of computers, compilers, and operating systems, such as macro processing, compilation and linking, pointers and memory management, data representation, and software development tools. Additional topics include assertions and invariants, data abstraction, linked data structures, an introduction to the use of the GNU/Linux operating system, and programming in a low-level, imperative language. Includes formal laboratory work. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: CSC 151 .
Instructor: Staff
CSC 161-01 - Imperative Problem Solving & Data Structures (Robots) 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
This section of CSC 161 will utilize robotics as an application domain in studying imperative problem solving, data representation, and memory management. Additional topics will include assertions and invariants, data abstraction, linked data structures, an introduction to the GNU/Linux operating system, and programming the low-level, imperative language C. The course will utilize a workshop style, in which students will frequently work collaboratively on a series of problems. Includes formal laboratory work.
Prerequisite: CSC 151 .
Instructor: Staff
CSC 161-01 & 02 - Imperative Problem Solving & Data Structures (Robots) 4 credits (Spring)
This section of CSC 161 will utilize robotics as an application domain in studying imperative problem solving, data representation, and memory management. Additional topics will include assertions and invariants, data abstraction, linked data structures, an introduction to the GNU/Linux operating system, and programming the low-level, imperative language C. The course will utilize a workshop style, in which students will frequently work collaboratively on a series of problems. Includes formal laboratory work.
Prerequisite: CSC 151 .
Instructor: Klinge
CSC 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: The Art of Code, The Code of Art 4 credits (Fall)
In the 21st century, artists regularly use computer technology as part of their practice. Arts practice may involve writing programs that generate artworks, that control devices, or that help artists explore design spaces. In this course we will consider models of arts computing using the Processing programming language. Along the way, we will also develop skills in computational thinking and consider relationships between the arts and technology. This course is offered online in conjunction with Global Online Academy.
Prerequisite: Students should have taken a course in mathematics that includes the study of trigonometry.
Instructor: Rebelsky
CSC 205 - Computational Linguistics 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: LIN 205 An examination of computational techniques for producing and processing text in natural languages and an introduction to the theoretical basis for those techniques, both in linguistics and in computer science. Topics include generative grammars, parsing, algorithms for automatic indexing, information retrieval, and natural-language interfaces.
Prerequisite: LIN 114 and CSC 151 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: J. Stone
CSC 207 - Algorithms and Object-Oriented Design 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
An introduction to the ideas and practices of object-oriented computation: message passing, information hiding, classes and interfaces, inheritance, polymorphism, and reflection. The course also includes data structures and the associated algorithms, packages and libraries, exceptions, and the use of an integrated software-development environment. Includes formal laboratory work.
Prerequisite: CSC 161 .
Instructor: Osera, Rebelsky
CSC 208 - Discrete Structures 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: MAT 208 . How do we “know” that a mathematical or logical statement is correct? What common properties appear among different collections? How might we represent functions, and how can we tell if two functions with different representations are the same? Can we formally describe and understand common diagrams? We consider such questions as we develop both intuition and formal mechanisms for addressing them. Along the way, we explore Boolean logic, proof techniques, sets, structures that include trees and graphs, and more. Students who have previously taken MAT 218 may not subsequently take CSC/MAT 208.
Prerequisite: and either or .
Instructor: Mileti, J. Stone
CSC 211 - Computer Organization and Architecture 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Study of both traditional and alternative computer architectures. Introduction to digital logic, microcode, Von Neumann architectures, data representations, fetch/execute model, RISC/CISC, instruction formats and addressing, machine and assembly language, memory architecture and algorithms, I/O architecture, and elements of distributed systems. Includes formal laboratory work.
Prerequisite: CSC 161 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Curtsinger
CSC 213 - Operating Systems and Parallel Algorithms 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Study of the principal components of typical operating systems and an introduction to parallel algorithms. Topics from operating systems: storage management, scheduling, concurrent processing, synchronization, data protection, and security. Discussion of models of parallelism and algorithms for problems in such areas as lists, trees, searching, sorting, graphs, geometry, and strings. Includes formal laboratory work.
Prerequisite: CSC 161 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Curtsinger, Weinman
CSC 214 - Computer and Network Security 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course deals with the security of computing systems and the networks over which they communicate, including tools and techniques for undermining or for reinforcing the reliability and usability of computer systems, the theoretical concepts that underlie those techniques, and the ways in which governments, corporations, interest groups, and individuals currently use them.
Prerequisite: CSC 161 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Curtsinger, J. Stone
CSC 216 - Computer Networks 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
Introduction to the communication protocols that make up the modern Internet - their functionality, specification, implementation, and performance. Includes hands-on laboratory work.
Prerequisite: CSC 161 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Curtsinger
CSC 232 - Human-Computer Interaction 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: PSY 232 and TEC 232 . Introduction to fundamental principles and methods of human-centered interaction design: Human capabilities and limitations, usability and accessibility guidelines, iterative design, contextual inquiry, task analysis, prototyping, evaluation. Includes hands-on laboratory work.
Prerequisite: CSC 105 , CSC 151 , PSY 113 or TEC 154 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
CSC 261 - Artificial Intelligence 4 credits (Fall)
An introduction to current principles, approaches, and applications of artificial intelligence, with an emphasis on problem-solving methods, knowledge representation, reasoning with uncertainty, and heuristic search. Study of a range of AI approaches, such as rule-based systems, neural networks, and systems for machine learning. Review of several applications areas such as game playing, natural language processing, robotics, theorem proving, and perception.
Prerequisite: CSC 161 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Weinman
CSC 262 - Computer Vision 4 credits (Spring)
How can computers understand images? This course covers principles in computational vision and their relationship to human visual perception. Topics may include geometry of image formation, image filtering and representation, texture analysis, 3-D reconstruction from stereo and motion, image segmentation, object detection, and recognition. Students implement and evaluate methods on real images in laboratory exercises and an independent project.
Prerequisite: CSC 161 , or both CSC 151 and MAT 215 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Weinman
CSC 281 - Life Beyond Grinnell - Learning from Computer Science Alumni 1 credits (Fall)
This course challenges you to think beyond your time at Grinnell. Alumni with careers related to computer science will tell their own stories so that we can learn how they constructed their lives and careers. They will also provide advice as you think about your own career and life. Readings and assignments will encourage further reflection. Variable topic course. Repeatable for credit when content changes.
Prerequisite: CSC 151 .
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Rebelsky
CSC 282 - Thinking in C and Unix 1 credits (Spring)
The most successful software designers master a variety of languages, algorithms, and software design methodologies. In this course, you will examine the Unix approach to software design. You will ground that examination, in part, by developing programs that deepen your understanding of advanced techniques of the C programming language. Includes laboratory work.
Prerequisite: CSC 161 .
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Rebelsky
CSC 301 - Analysis of Algorithms 4 credits (Fall)
Study of structures used to organize data and of the algorithms used to manipulate these structures. Assignments to implement data structures and to use them in computer science and other applications programs. Emphasis on mathematical principles behind the data structures.
Prerequisite: CSC 207 and either MAT 218 , CSC 208 or MAT 208
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Rebelsky, J. Stone
CSC 312 - Programming Language Implementation 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
A hands-on approach to understanding the essential concepts of programming languages (such as evaluation, binding, procedural abstraction, state, control flow, data abstraction, types, and inheritance) by writing interpreters that implement those concepts.
Prerequisite: CSC 207 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: J. Stone, Osera
CSC 321 - Software Development Principles and Practices 2 credits (Fall and Spring)
Provides a foundation for “programming in the large” and developing high-quality software that meets human needs. Introduces the software lifecycle, agile development methods, professional tools, and software design principles. Includes laboratory work.
Prerequisite: CSC 207 .
Instructor: Rebelsky
CSC 322 - Team Software Development for Community Organizations 2 credits (Fall and Spring)
Application of software development principles and practices to a large-scale project. Teams will develop software for a community organization, supported by a faculty adviser and an alumni technical mentor. Students will gain experience working with a client, as well as a substantial code base suitable for inclusion in a professional portfolio. Students are encouraged to repeat the course for credit to experience multiple roles within a team and multiple phases of the software lifecycle.
Prerequisite: CSC 207 . Prerequisite or co-requisite: CSC 321 .
Instructor: Rebelsky
CSC 341 - Automata, Formal Languages, and Computational Complexity 4 credits (Spring)
A formal study of computational devices, their related languages, and the possibility and difficulty of computations. Examples are pushdown automata and Turing machines, context-free languages and recursively enumerable sets, and the halting problem and NP-completeness.
Prerequisite: CSC 161 and either MAT 218 , or MAT 208
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Osera, J. Stone
CSC 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Data Visualization 4 credits (Spring)
In this special topics course on data visualization, we will cover the basics of transforming, presenting, and interpreting data graphically. In particular, we will build dynamic and interactive data visualizations with JavaScript and the D3 toolkit, learn techniques for processing large datasets, and examine practices in data visualization. Students will apply these techniques in a final project using a dataset of their own choosing.
Prerequisite: CSC 161 . Prerequisite or co-requisite: CSC 207 .
Instructor: Curtsinger
CSC 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Modern Programming Principles 4 credits (Fall)
The state-of-the-art in programming is consistently informed by ideas developed by the programming languages research community. In this course, we explore a wide range of these modern programming techniques and their underlying principles as embodied in the functional programming language, Haskell, and its siblings. By doing so, students will become outstanding programmers, capable of keeping up with the rapid evolution of the software industry and steering their teams towards development excellence.
Prerequisite: CSC 207 . Prerequisite or co-requisite: CSC 208 , MAT 208 , MAT 218 , or equivalent.
Instructor: OseraEast Asian Studies
EAS 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: Japanese Society and Popular Culture 4 credits (Fall)
See JPN 195-01 .
EAS 288 - Chinese Food for Thought 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See CHI 288 .
Note: Not offered every year.
EAS 295-01 - Special Topic: Japanese Linguistics
See JPN 295-01
EAS 295-01 - Special Topic: Text and Image: Classical Chinese Painting and Poetry From Early Times to Middle Period 4 credits (Fal)
See CHI 295-01 .
Economics
ECN 111 - Introduction to Economics 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
A survey of the basic concepts and methods of analysis used in economics. Application to such policy problems as economic recession, inflation, regulation of industry, poverty and income distribution, financial crises, pollution, and trade restrictions.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
ECN 205 - Current State of the U.S. Economy 4 credits
A study of current business conditions and key public policy problems in the United States. Analysis of the data reporting system and judgmental forecasting. Recent problems have included: inflation, the federal deficit, government regulation, energy, unemployment, and tax reform. Not intended for students who have taken ECN 282 .
Prerequisite: ECN 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
ECN 215 - Labor Economics 4 credits
An investigation into the political economy of labor markets. Consideration given to traditional supply and demand interactions, relations of authority between employers and employees and their influence on productivity, internal labor markets, labor market segmentation, the role of unions, racial differences, gender differences, and the effects of international competition on U.S. labor markets. Not intended for students who have taken both ECN 280 and ECN 282 .
Prerequisite: ECN 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ferguson, Lee
ECN 218 - Gender and the Economy 4 credits
An examination and economic analysis of women’s changing economic status, primarily in the United States. Topics include wage differentials, occupational segregation, labor force participation, and family and work issues. This course also examines the interaction of race, gender, and class in determining economic status and policies for improving women’s economic options.
Prerequisite: ECN 111 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ECN 220 - Foundations of Policy Analysis 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: PST 220 . This course explores principles of policy making, with applications. It opens by examining theoretical rationales for policy, including those premised on ideology or market failure. It proceeds to investigate institutional context and processes relevant to policy making, using case studies. With this foundation, the course explores 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 investigate policy areas of interest for case studies and papers.
Prerequisite: ECN 111 and second-year standing.
Instructor: Ferguson
ECN 226 - Economics of Innovation 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An examination of the role of innovation in the economy. Topics include the process of innovation, drivers of innovation, intellectual property, the impact of innovation on firms, labor, economic growth, and inequality, and innovation policy. Not intended for students who have taken ECN 280 .
Prerequisite: ECN 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: B. Graham
ECN 228 - Introduction to Managerial Economics 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Managerial Economics presents a microeconomic approach to business decisions. The concepts and problems are analyzed from the perspective of the firm and the managers’ decisions. Emphasis is thus placed on the study of the production process and the analysis of interactions in markets, both with the customers and the rival firms. Topics include: managing in competitive, monopolistic, and oligopolistic markets; strategic interactions and game theory; pricing; information and market structure; and regulation and public policy.
Prerequisite: ECN 111 .
Instructor: Montgomery
ECN 229 - American Economic History 4 credits
Cross-listed as: HIS 229 . Development of the U.S. economy since colonial times. Contributions and limitations of economic analysis and quantitative methods in understanding the economy’s growth, industrialization, markets, railroads, the Revolution, slavery, greenback and silver controversies, the multinational monopoly, the New Deal, the Depression, and the impact of reforms on future international economic relations.
Prerequisite: ECN 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ECN 230 - Economic Development 4 credits
A survey of analytic approaches to the process of economic development in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and an examination of their significant policy problems.
Prerequisite: ECN 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
ECN 233 - International Economics 4 credits
An introduction to international trade theory, balance of payments concepts, and exchange rate determination. Topics include events, international institutions, and policies that affect trade, foreign investment, economic stability, and growth. Not intended for students who have taken ECN 280 and ECN 282 .
Prerequisite: ECN 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Chan
ECN 240 - Resource and Environmental Economics 4 credits
Investigation of the economics of renewable and nonrenewable natural resources. Particular emphasis on the relationship between the biological and physical characteristics of particular resources and our economic choices. Consideration of selected current problems. Not intended for students who have taken ECN 280 .
Prerequisite: ECN 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Montgomery
ECN 245 - Financial Economics 4 credits
This course examines the financial system’s role in the domestic and global economy. It surveys financial markets (e.g. common stock markets), players (e.g. investment companies), and instruments (e.g. options and futures contracts) with a focus on the underlying economic and regulatory forces that shape the financial system and its impact on the broader economy. Not intended for students who have previously taken ECN 280 or ECN 282 .
Prerequisite: ECN 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ECN 250 - Public Finance 4 credits
The economic role of government in an economy. Topics include the determination of the size and economic function of government, expenditure decisions and budgeting, the incidence and distributional effects of various taxes, and issues in state and local finance. Not intended for students who have taken ECN 280 .
Prerequisite: ECN 111 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Brouhle, Ohrn
ECN 280 - Microeconomic Analysis 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
An examination of the theoretical underpinnings of the economic system. The objective is to develop a theoretical framework with which to investigate the economic behavior of individual consumers, firms, and resource owners.
Prerequisite: Mathematics MAT 124 or MAT 131 , and ECN 111 , and second-year standing, and one additional economics course numbered between 205 and 250.
Instructor: Brouhle, Montgomery, Staff
ECN 282 - Macroeconomic Analysis 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Analysis of economic aggregates, primarily national income and employment, through a theoretical framework. While current and historical real world examples will be used to illustrate concepts, the primary goal is the development of general tools that enable students to understand the behavior of a macroeconomy.
Prerequisite: Mathematics MAT 124 or MAT 131 , and ECN 111 , and second-year standing, and one additional economics course numbered between 205 and 250.
Instructor: Chan, Staff
ECN 286 - Econometrics 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
The use of statistical techniques to estimate and test economic models. Topics include multiple regression, multicollinearity, serial correlation, heteroskedasticity, simultaneous equations, limited dependent variables, and time series/forecasting.
Prerequisite: MAT 209 or MAT 335 .
Instructor: Montgomery, Lee
ECN 295-01 - Special Topic: History of Economic Thought 4 credits (Fall)
This course will examine the evolution of economic thought. Topics include the emergence of the market system, mercantilist and preclassical economic thought, the economic ideas of 18th century classical political economists like Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and Karl Marx, and the economic ideas of 20th century economic thinkers lke John Maynard Keynes. The relevance of these early economic ideas to present-day economic theory and issues will also be examined.
Prerequisite: ECN 111 .
Instructor: Nabar-Bhaduri
ECN 326 - Financial and Managerial Accounting 4 credits (Fall)
A case-based introduction to the principles of financial and managerial accounting. Although this is a first course in accounting, the level of coverage is advanced. Students work in teams and are responsible for their own learning and the learning of their colleagues. Open only to third-year students and seniors.
Prerequisite: ECN 280 .
Instructor: Ohrn
ECN 327 - Corporate Finance 4 credits (Spring)
An intense examination of the basics of theory and practice in corporate financial management. An understanding of intermediate microeconomics and financial accounting and comfort with applied mathematics are essential for success in this course.
Prerequisite: ECN 280 and ECN 326 .
Instructor: Ohrn
ECN 338 - Applied Game Theory 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Game theory facilitates modeling strategic interaction among interdependent agents who share awareness of their interdependence. As such, it can generate analytical foundations for many relationships found in social and natural sciences. This course develops game theoretic modeling using visual representation and equations, with an emphasis on intuitive technique and direct application to examples primarily from economics and politics.
Prerequisite: ECN 111 and ECN 280 , and MAT 124 or MAT 131 .
Instructor: Ferguson, Staff
ECN 339 - Introduction to Mathematical Economics 4 credits
An introduction to mathematical models of economic behavior. Basic techniques in differential and integral calculus and linear algebra will be applied to a wide range of micro- and macroeconomic issues. Topics include comparative statics, optimization, and linear programming.
Prerequisite: MAT 133 , and ECN 280 and ECN 282 . MAT 215 is useful but not required.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Montgomery
ECN 369 - Seminar in Environmental Economics 4 credits
This course will familiarize students with the theory and application of economics to environmental problems and prepare them to analyze issues in environmental economics and policy. It will focus on the design of cost-effective environmental policies and on methods for determining the value of environmental amenities.
Prerequisite: ECN 280 ; and concurrent registration in or completion of ECN 262 (offered Fall 2011, 2012 and Spring 2012, 2013), or ECN 286 , or MAT 336 .
Instructor: Brouhle
ECN 370 - Seminar in Political Economy 4 credits
This course begins with the premise that many economic interactions are “political” in the sense that coalitions of participants, whose interests may differ, can influence important outcomes. The course will explore tendencies toward competition, cooperation, and conflict, and their relationship to constraints imposed by the forces of supply and demand, as they operate in various institutional arenas, such as labor markets or the national economy. The course will examine relevant theories of incomplete contracting under conditions of imperfect information with some attention to game theory, and then apply these concepts to contemporary problems concerning employment, economic growth, and the distribution of income and wealth.
Prerequisite: ECN 280 and ECN 282 .
Instructor: Ferguson
ECN 372 - Seminar in Economic Development 4 credits
Processes of growth and change in developing societies. Both theoretical and empirical modes of analysis introduced in the literature covered. Topics chosen from among population growth, agricultural development, industrialization, investment in human capital vs. physical capital, the balanced-unbalanced growth controversy, noneconomic factors in development and underdevelopment.
Prerequisite: ECN 282 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ECN 374 - Seminar in International Trade 4 credits
International trade theory and policy. Explanations of the pattern of trade, possible gains from trade, effects on income distribution and trends over time. Import restrictions, export promotion, and strategic government intervention. Operations of multinational corporations, migration, trade blocs, WTO negotiations, and other current topics.
Prerequisite: ECN 280 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ECN 375 - Seminar in International Finance 4 credits
International financial relationships and macroeconomic policy. Financial markets, exchange rate determination, and the balance of payments. Trade balance adjustments, international capital flows, and domestic macroeconomic goals. Exchange rate regimes, currency blocs, debt crises, and other current topics.
Prerequisite: ECN 282 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ECN 376 - Seminar in Income Distribution 4 credits
Examination of the distribution of income and wealth in the United States, covering conflicting explanations of economic inequality and policy debates. Topics include economic trends affecting U.S. workers, racial and sexual inequality, and poverty.
Prerequisite: ECN 280 and ECN 282 .
Instructor: Seiz
ECN 378 - Seminar in Law and Economics 4 credits
This course considers the application of economic theory to the law and legal institutions, including property, contract, tort, and criminal law. We will investigate how legal rules influence economic incentives and the allocation of resources. Topics include liability and negligence assignment, uncertainty, allocation of property rights, bargaining, remedies, criminal deterrence, and the litigation process.
Prerequisite: ECN 280 .
Instructor: Graham
ECN 380 - Seminar in Monetary Economics 4 credits
Analysis of how monetary and financial institutions affect the growth and stability of economies internationally. Examination of theoretical controversies and evidence about relations between money and the real sectors of economies, interactions between central banks, international monetary authorities, and currency flows, and financial aspects of the inflation process and economic stability. Study of the effects of current changes in financial intermediaries and structures.
Prerequisite: ECN 282 .
Instructor: Chan
ECN 382 - Seminar in Industrial Organization 4 credits
An examination of the relationships between structure, conduct, and performance in the American economy. The seminar includes work with basic I/O theory, antitrust laws and litigation, industry studies, and alternative approaches to understanding corporate behavior in the American economy.
Prerequisite: ECN 280 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ECN 384 - Seminar in the Economics of Education 4 credits
Education becomes increasingly important as the “information economy” replaces the old industrial economy. This course explores some questions that are global, others that are personal: is better education the solution to poverty? Is investment in human capital the key to a nation’s development? Can vouchers improve public schools? Is a Grinnell education a better investment than putting those thousands of tuition dollars into the stock market? Should you go to law school?
Prerequisite: ECN 280 and ECN 282 and concurrent registration in or completion of ECN 286 , or MAT 336 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Montgomery
ECN 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Seminar in the Economics of Crime 4 credits (Spring)
This course is designed to increase student’s understanding of the determinants and consequences of criminality. We will explore all levels of crime and punishment from societies optimally choosing deterrence mechanisms to prisoners making behavioral decisions while incarcerated. Students should expect to learn a large portion of the literature regarding these issues as well as the econometric tools used in applied micro economics research.
Prerequisite: ECN 280 . Recommended ECN 286 .
Instructor: Lee
ECN 395-02 - Advanced Special Topic: Seminar in Causal Inference 4 credits (Spring)
In this seminar, students will learn how economists use data to answer cause-and-effect questions. Students will work to understand and implement the five most common methods in modern applied econometrics: randomized controlled trials, regression, instrumental variables, difference-in-differences, and regression discontinuity. Students will then explore how these modern empirical techniques are being used by leading-edge economists and apply the techinques as they investigate their own novel research question.
Prerequisite: ECN 280 , ECN 282 , and ECN 286 .
Instructor: Ohrn
ECN 395-03 - Advanced Special Topic: Experimental and Behavioral Economics 4 credits (Spring)
This course is an introduction to the tradition and methods of behavioral economics, including the use of experiments. Behavioral economics applies insights from psychology to improve our understanding of the decision making process and generate better predictions about the behavior of economic actors. Behavioral economists have developed a variety of theoretical tools supported by laboratory experiments as well as empirical findings from large data sets, field experiments and even “natural” experiments.
Prerequisite: ECN 280 .
Instructor: ZurowskiEducation
EDU 101 - Educational Principles in a Pluralistic Society 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course provides an overview of philosophical, historical, and sociological/anthropological perspectives on education with an emphasis on making connections between educational theories and schooling in the U.S. Special focus on practices that marginalize or disadvantage students. Ten hours of observation in schools required for all seeking licensure. Course required for Iowa teacher certification.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
EDU 150 - Teaching Writing 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
See WRT 150 .
EDU 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: How to Learn Physics 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: PHY 195-01 . An elective science course designed for students who might be interested in physics, but are a little mystified or intimiated by it. Students will use inquiry-based methods to study some basic concepts of physical science. But the course also focuses on learning science as “the refinement of everyday thinking”. (Einstein, 1936) Occasional lectures will introduce a vocabulary to help students become more aware of everyday thinking and its subsequent refinement toward scientific understanding. Intended for non-science majors.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Hutchison
EDU 210 - Historical Perspectives on U.S. Education 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: HIS 210 . Three questions guide our study of the history of U.S. education: (1) Whose interests should schools serve and whose interests have they served in the past? (2) What should be taught and why? and (3) How should schools be organized and operated? We explore current educational issues (e.g. resegregation, immigrant education, tracking, secularism, and homeschooling) through an historical lens that considers the ideologies and assumptions embedded in the institutions and policies of the U.S. school system.
Prerequisite: EDU 101 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Michaels
EDU 211 - The Politics of Educational Assessment 4 credits (Spring)
The course will begin with an examination of the purposes and limits of assessment and discussions of the ethical use of standardized tests. We will examine the concept of meritocracy as a guiding principle of the American education system and will trace the historical development of standardized measurements of intelligence and aptitude as tools used to track students and determine eligibility for further schooling. We will include an analysis of the current national debate on the K–12 education.
Prerequisite: EDU 101 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ketter
EDU 212 - Critical Pedagogy and School Reform 4 credits (Fall)
This course is a study of critical pedagogy from its roots in Marxism and the Frankfurt School through current-day theoretical connections (postmodernism, critical theory, critical feminism, and critical race theory) and their relevance to American public education. We will examine the dual character of schools that helps to explain some difficulties of school reform; that is, the democratic promise of schooling on the one hand, and its institutional service to a society based on race, class, and gender privilege on the other.
Prerequisite: EDU 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
EDU 213 - Cultural Politics of Language Teaching 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course will focus primarily on issues critical to the teaching and learning of English in the United States and abroad. Concepts of language ideology, personal identity, and international development will be used as analytical frames for examining language policy, language instruction, and language shift. Multilingualism, the needs of U.S. English language learners, and the politics of heritage language maintenance will also be examined. This course fills a 200-level course elective for the Linguistics Concentration. This course is required for a teacher licensure candidate earning the ESL endorsement.
Prerequisite: EDU 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Jakubiak
EDU 215 - Reading and Writing Youth and Youth Cultures 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: ENG 215 . The course will have a dual focus: (1) an examination and critique of the dominant narrative of adolescence enacted through educational, legal, and medical institutions with the aim of exploring how these constructions enable or constrain young people from developing as autonomous and critical adults, (2) and the use of various critical approaches to analyze texts written for young adults to uncover assumptions about what adolescence is and how young people themselves should encounter the world.
Prerequisite: EDU 101 or ENG 120 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Ketter
EDU 217 - Comparative and International Education 4 credits (Spring)
Education can be a vehicle for world peace, reducing poverty and creating greater equality in the world. Or such is the claim of a multitude of education projects funded by grassroots initiatives and transnational organizations, including UNESCO, the World Bank, and nongovernment organizations (NGOs). In this course we learn to evaluate transnational education projects against their stated and implied goals, while considering their impact on local economies, communities, and education systems. We also investigate how globalization and democratization implicate education in broadscale changes. Student interests influence the countries we use in our case studies.
Prerequisite: EDU 101 or second-year standing.
Note: Foreign language option available in any language.
Instructor: Michaels
EDU 218 - Place-Based Education 4 credits (Spring)
This course will address issues salient to place-based education, an educational philosophy that construes local communities (environmental and social), indigenous knowledge practices, and service-learning as the curricular building blocks of education defined broadly. Readings will include works addressing ecojustice, the broader social purposes of education, and the politics of place. Globalization and its intersections with notions of “the local” will also be a focus.
Prerequisite: EDU 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Jakubiak
EDU 221 - Educational Psychology 4 credits (Spring)
The application of theories of learning and principles of development in formal instructional environments. Topics include behavioral, cognitive, and sociocultural theories of learning, motivation, several developmental theories relevant to teaching and learning, and assessment theory. Course requires 26 hours (2 hours per week) observing/teaching in a K-12 classroom. Required for Iowa Teaching Licensure.
Prerequisite: EDU 101 and at least second-year standing.
Instructor: Hutchison
EDU 250 - Differentiating Instruction for All Students 4 credits (Fall)
This course aims to help future teachers develop ethical and effective approaches for meeting all students’ learning needs, using a critical model of inclusion based on a disability studies framework. The course will center on two key activities: a case study at the middle or high school, and the peer lessons developed using approaches that help all students learn more effectively. The case study will require that students spend 2 hours per week (26 hours) in the school observing, tutoring, and talking with students. In the course, students will develop research skills to improve their own teaching and will analyze how particular students learn, how teachers adapt instruction to meet a wide range of student learning needs, and how schools organize curricular paths for students. Required for Iowa Teaching Licensure.
Prerequisite: EDU 101 and EDU 221 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Ketter
EDU 295-01 - Special Topic: Education Policy and Politics 4 credits (Spring)
Over the past 60 years schools in America have shifted from highly localized control to increasing influence from state and national policy makers. This shift has politicized education policy, for example placing education policy ideas at the forefront of political campaigns and platforms. This course will explore these trends in education and policy and politics. We will look at how policy is made and how politics influences policy by analyzing both politics and policy.
Prerequisite: EDU 101 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Hastings
EDU 295-02 - Special Topic: Young Adult Literature: Risky Texts and Critical Conversations 2 credits (Spring)
Many books targeted for children and young adult readers are banned or challenged in libraries and classrooms because of sexually explicit content, offensive language, and unsuitability. This course will investigate the issue of censorship, banned books, and the controversial topics that accompany them, while clarifying our own values about the freedom to read, what limits, if any, should exist, and who is authorized to set them.
Prerequisite: EDU 101 or ENG 120 .
Instructor: Jones
EDU 340 - Research and Methods in Teaching the Young Adult 4 credits (Spring)
This course is taken with a complementary disciplinary specific methods course. Students will analyze and experiment with a variety of critical approaches to texts, will review and evaluate teaching materials, and will explore alternative means of evaluation of all the types of learning that should be happening in a classroom. Students will practice planning engaging lessons, assessing in fair and constructive ways, and developing effective classroom management approaches. Twenty (20) hours of observaton in 5-12 public school setting. Required for Iowa Teaching Licensure.
Co-requisite: EDU 341 , EDU 342 , EDU 343 , EDU 344 , EDU 345 , or EDU 346 .
Prerequisite: EDU 101 , EDU 221 , and EDU 250 .
Instructor: Staff
EDU 341 - Research and Methods in the Teaching of Language Arts and Reading 2 credits (Spring)
This course complements the general methods course. Students will develop a practical theory of teaching English/language arts, one that synthesizes what they have learned about excellent, ethical teaching. Students will choose curriculum and design specific approaches for use in the middle or high school as they investigate the purposes for teaching English and theorize about how to best engage students in critical reading, writing, viewing, and speaking.
Co-requisite: EDU 340 .
Prerequisite: EDU 101 , EDU 221 , and EDU 250 ; and EDU 210 , EDU 211 , EDU 212 , EDU 213 , or EDU 215 .
Instructor: Ketter
EDU 342 - Research and Methods in the Teaching and Learning of World Languages 2 credits (Spring)
This course complements the general methods course and provides an introduction to theories in and teaching of world languages. We will analyze theories of language acquisition and pedagogies that grow out of those theories, and evaluate theories of the “best” pedagogy for teaching a new language. We will discuss how to integrate the sometimes opposing theories of ethical and effective teaching practices. Students will have an opportunity to practice teach.
Co-requisite: EDU 340 .
Prerequisite: EDU 101 , EDU 221 , and EDU 250 ; and EDU 210 , EDU 211 , EDU 212 , EDU 213 , or EDU 215 .
Instructor: Jakubiak
EDU 343 - Research and Methods in Teaching and Learning in the Social Studies 2 credits (Spring)
This course complements the general methods course. Becoming a teacher of the social sciences requires students to think about what they are teaching, whom they are teaching, and how they will teach. The work in this course is structured to provide students with the tools to answer those questions and to teach effectively for student understanding.
Co-requisite: EDU 340 .
Prerequisite: EDU 101 , EDU 221 , and EDU 250 ; and EDU 210 , EDU 211 , EDU 212 , EDU 213 , or EDU 215 .
Instructor: Michaels
EDU 344 - Research and Methods in Teaching and Learning in the Mathematics 2 credits (Spring)
This course is a study of strategies, techniques, materials, technology, and current research used in the teaching of mathematical concepts to middle and high school students. Students will review the standards involved in teaching mathematics at the secondary school level; develop an awareness of the professional resources, materials, technology and information available for teachers; prepare unit and lesson plans with related assessment procedures on a variety of topics; and acquire teaching experience.
Co-requisite: EDU 340 .
Prerequisite: EDU 101 , EDU 221 , and EDU 250 ; and EDU 210 , EDU 211 , EDU 212 , EDU 213 , or EDU 215 .
Instructor: P. Hutchison
EDU 345 - Research and Methods in Teaching and Learning in the Sciences 2 credits (Spring)
This course is a study of strategies, techniques, materials, technology, and current research used in the teaching of science concepts to middle and high school students. Students will review the standards involved in teaching sciences at the secondary school level; develop an awareness of the professional resources, materials, technology and information available for teachers; prepare unit and lesson plans with related assessment procedures on a variety of topics; and acquire teaching experience.
Co-requisite: EDU 340 .
Prerequisite: EDU 101 , EDU 221 , and EDU 250 ; and EDU 210 , EDU 211 , EDU 212 , EDU 213 , or EDU 215 .
Instructor: P. Hutchison
EDU 346 - Research and Methods in Teaching and Learning ESL/Bilingual Education 2 credits (Spring)
This course is a complement to the general methods course, EDU 340 . It will provide prospective ESL practitioners with the methodologies necessary to develop into successful and thoughtful teachers. We will examine past and current approaches, methods, and techniques for teaching ESL. Students will explore the political and cultural implications for teaching ESL in the United States K- 12 schools.
Co-requisite: EDU 340 .
Prerequisite: EDU 101 , EDU 221 , and EDU 250 ; and EDU 210 , EDU 211 , EDU 212 , EDU 213 , or EDU 215 .
Instructor: Jakubiak
EDU 460 - Seminar in Teaching the Young Adult 4 credits (Fall)
This course is a complement to the student teaching internship and is designed to provide students with a structured way of making connections between teaching theory and practice. We will conduct weekly seminar meetings aimed at two purposes: 1) to develop a problem-posing, relective approach to teaching challenges, and 2) to support the design, implementation and presentation of an action research project.
Co-requisite: EDU 469 .
Prerequisite: EDU 101 , EDU 221 , EDU 250 and EDU 340 ; and EDU 210 , EDU 211 , EDU 212 , EDU 213 , or EDU 215 ; and EDU 341 , EDU 342 , EDU 343 , EDU 344 , EDU 345 , or EDU 346 .
Instructor: Staff
EDU 469 - Student Teaching Internship in The Disciplines 8 credits (Fall)
This internship is the culminating experience for the student teaching program and provides a vehicle for systematic practice of our program goals and the program standards they encompass. This carefully mentored 14-week internship begins as soon as the school to which you are assigned begins its school year. Equivalent to a full-time job for the 14 weeks you are working in the schools, the internship commits you to over 600 hours of work.
Co-requisite: EDU 460 .
Prerequisite: EDU 101 , EDU 221 , EDU 250 and EDU 340 ; and EDU 210 , EDU 211 , EDU 212 , EDU 213 , EDU 215 , or EDU 217 ; and EDU 341 , EDU 342 , EDU 343 , EDU 344 , EDU 345 , or EDU 346 .
S/D/F only
Instructor: StaffEnglish
ENG 120 - Literary Analysis 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
An introduction to the methods and pleasures of literary analysis focusing on skills needed to practice close reading and explication of texts and emphasizing the rich complexities of literary language. Although individual sections vary in genres considered, all prepare students for further work in poetry and prose. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
ENG 120-01 - Literary Analysis 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
This section of literary analysis will introduce students to critical reading, thinking, and writing in the context of literary works from a number of genres. We will begin by looking at critical and theoretical approaches to a single novel (E. Brontë’s Wuthering Heights) and then turn to short fiction, poetry, and drama (Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night), 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.
Instructor: C. Jacobson
ENG 120-02 - Literary Analysis 4 credits (Spring)
This course is designed to give students enhanced analytical skills for reading, writing, and discussing literature. In this section, we will examine ultra-contemporary prose, poetry, and nonfiction (including visual and digital narratives such as comics, wikis, blogs/vlogs, slam poetry, and performance art) with a focus on the concept of the “self” and its complex intersecting identities. Course authors and artists of study include Chimamanda Adichie, Ta-Nehesi Coates, Beyoncé, Ocean Vuong, Warsan Shire, J Mase III, Sarah Kay, and Nabeela Vega.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Nutting
ENG 120-02 & 03 - Literary Analysis 4 credits (Fall)
In his essay “Literature as Equipment for Living,” Kenneth Burke proposes that works of literature can help guide us through everyday life by providing readers with “strategies for dealing with situations.” Taking Burke’s pragmatic approach as the spirit and model for this course, we will explore the literary strategies and genres writers have adopted, invented, and deployed to confront perplexities and risks. A central question will be: What can literature do differently from other kinds of writing or art forms? The course will equip you to better read, write, and talk about literary works through the practice of close reading and introduction to key theoretical methods. Readings will include Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Maxine Hong Kingston’s Woman Warrior, essays by Michel de Montaigne, James Baldwin, Joan Didion, and David Foster Wallace, as well as a generous selection of modern and contemporary poetry.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Phan
ENG 120-03 - Literary Analysis 4 credits (Spring)
This course is an introduction to methods of literary analysis for poetry, short fiction, and novels. We will begin with the close reading of poetry, exploring its various elements such as tone, imagery,point of view, sound, theme, rhyme and meter, and other elements. The middle and final units of the course will be devoted to close reading of short fiction and one novel, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. We will analyze the texts of these genres through the critical lens of critical theory to develop a sophisticated vocabulary for discussing and writing about literature.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Barlow
ENG 120-04 - Literary Analysis 4 credits (Fall)
This course is an introduction to methods of literary analysis for poetry, short fiction, novels, and drama. We will begin with poetry, working on developing a vocabulary for discussion and interpretation of poetry, and focusing on imagery, sound, themes, rhyme and meter, and other elements. The middle units of the course will be devoted to close readings of short fiction and one novel, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. We will analyze the texts of these genres through the critical lens of critical theory to develop a sophisticated vocabulary for discussing and writing about literature.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Barlow
ENG 120-04 - Literary Analysis 4 credits (Spring)
In this course we’ll perform close readings of poems, stories, a novel, and a film, paying particular attention to the structural and stylistic conventions that constitute the texts we consume, the characters who inhabit them, and the pleasures that arise from them. This course will also provide a basic introduction to some of the more important concepts and methodologies of literary theory.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Andrews
ENG 120-05 - Literary Analysis 4 credits (Spring)
In his essay “Literature as Equipment for Living,” Kenneth Burke proposes that works of literature can help guide us through everyday life by providing readers with “strategies for dealing with situations.” In the spirit of Burke’s approach, we will explore the literary strategies and genres writers have adopted, invented, and deployed to confront personal, social, and political conflicts. The course readings are structured intertextually around Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home; that is, we will begin and end with Bechdel’s book, filling out the middle by reading many of the writers and works alluded to in the graphic memoir-including Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Camus’ The Stranger, Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, and Wilde’s The Important of Being Earnest-and by examining the critical issues and theories these writers invite us to engage.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Phan
ENG 121 - Introduction to Shakespeare 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
A close study of representative plays from each period of Shakespeare’s career, including comedies, histories, tragedies, and romances. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Lee, Simpson
ENG 121-01 - Introduction to Shakespeare 4 credits (Spring)
This course introduces students to Shakespeare’s drama and poetry. As students read Shakespeare’s works within a historical and critical context, they will develop critical writing, close reading, and advanced research skills. We will read archival source material and consider how Shakespeare engages with contemporaneous texts, such as ballads, conduct manuals, and medical discourses. More specifically, we will discuss how Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets reflect, complicate, and contradict popular ideas, particularly those surrounding unstable categories such as femininity, masculinity, blackness, and whiteness. In addition, as read Shakespeare’s plays, we will keep in mind that these dramatic texts were intended for the stage. As a class, we will discuss early modern theatrical conventions as well as contemporary productions, such as Julie Taymor’s Titus Andronicus and Michael Hoffman’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Biggie
ENG 121-01 & 02 - Introduction to Shakespeare 4 credits (Fall)
This course introduces students to Shakespeare’s drama and poetry. As students read Shakespeare’s works within a historical and critical context, they will develop critical writing, close reading, and advanced research skills. We will read archival source material and consider how Shakespeare engages with contemporaneous texts, such as ballads, conduct manuals, and medical discourses. More specifically, we will discuss how Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets reflect, complicate, and contradict popular ideas, particularly those surrounding unstable categories such as femininity, masculinity, blackness, and whiteness. In addition, as read Shakespeare’s plays, we will keep in mind that these dramatic texts were intended for the stage. As a class, we will discuss early modern theatrical conventions as well as contemporary productions, such as Julie Taymor’s Titus Andronicus and Michael Hoffman’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Biggie
ENG 204 - The Craft of Argument 4 credits (Spring)
Advanced course in argumentative or analytical writing with particular attention to style.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Arner
ENG 205 - The Craft of Fiction 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Instruction in the techniques and process of fiction writing, with emphasis on the short story. Readings may include published short stories and essays on the art of fiction. Students may also be asked to write in forms related to fiction (journal, autobiography, prose poem).
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 .
Instructor: Smith, Bakopoulos
ENG 206 - The Craft of Poetry 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Instruction in the techniques and process of verse writing. Readings may include published poems and essays on the art of poetry.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 .
Instructor: Barlow, Savarese
ENG 207 - Craft of Creative Nonfiction 4 credits (Spring)
In this course, we will acquaint ourselves with the genre of creative nonfiction, sampling a range of the myriad possibilities it presents: the personal essay, the political essay, nature writing, memoir, travel writing, literary journalism, biographical profile. We will read exemplary models and try our hands at each.
Prerequisite: ENG 205 or ENG 206
Instructor: Savarese
ENG 210 - Studies in Genre 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Intensive study of a particular genre. May include the study of lyric, epic, or narrative poetry; or novel, graphic novel, short story or drama. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; or for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
ENG 210-01 - Studies in Genre 4 credits (Spring)
The Essay: From Classic to Contemporary. This course considers the essay, the literary genre Montaigne made famous and modern in 1580 when he first used the term (essai: “attempt” or “trial) for his self-reflective, digressive, chatty, and informal form of writing; and which Samuel Johnson defined as “a loose sally of the mind; an irregular, undigested piece.” Ranging across historical periods, aesthetic styles, and thematic concerns, this course attempts to put forward and interpret a tradition of the essay as a genre, while also raising critical and theoretical questions about literary genre in general. Along the way, we will explore subcategories of the essay, such as the personal essay, the political essay, the travel essay, and the lyric essay; we will stop to consider how the essay both shapes and is shaped by ideas of personhood, the relation between the essayist and society, and the makings of literary style; and we will also essay our own curiosities and questions. Essayists will include Philip Lopate, James Baldwin, Joan Didion, Annie Dillard, and David Foster Wallace.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; or for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Instructor: Phan
ENG 215 - Reading and Writing Youth and Youth Cultures 4 credits (Spring)
See EDU 215 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Ketter
ENG 223 - The Tradition of English Literature I 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Study of English literature from Old English to the early 17th century; may include such works as Beowulf, Canterbury Tales, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Faerie Queene, and Paradise Lost. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Lee
ENG 223-01 - The Tradition of English Literature I 4 credits (Spring)
This course will approach the medieval and early modern periods through the conceptual lens of monstrosity. Taking a capacious understanding of the term, we will consider various literary monsters, including supernatural creatures, wounded Christs, and leaky women. Together, we will discuss how monstrosity provokes feelings of anxiety, fear, and even desire while gaining familiarity with the periods’ representative forms: the epic, the sonnet, the lyric, and drama. Through introductory readings in the Norton anthology and excerpts from archival material, students will also gain an understanding of the period’s central cultural developments: the solidification of the English nation, the rise of Humanist thought and rhetoric, the Protestant reformation, and the Scientific Revolution. Texts may include The Grinnell Beowulf, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, Julian of Norwich’s A Book of Showings, Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, and William Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Instructor: Biggie
ENG 224 - The Tradition of English Literature II 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Study of English literature from the Restoration through the Victorians; may include such authors as Behn, Defoe, Swift, Wordsworth, Shelley, Austen, George Eliot, and Dickens. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Lobban-Viravong, Simpson
ENG 224-01 - The Tradition of English Lit II 4 credits (Fall)
This course will offer a grounding in both major and representative British works of poetry,fiction, and nonfiction from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Some of the threads that we will track throughout the semester will include sexuality, national identity, and the writers’ relationship to the natural world. Texts may include poetry by Swift, Wordsworth, and Robert Browning as well works of fiction such as Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Instructor: C. Jacobson
ENG 225 - Introduction to Postcolonial Literatures 4 credits (Fall)
An introduction to postcolonial literatures and theory from the Caribbean, Africa, South Asia, and the Pacific. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Kapila
ENG 226 - The Tradition of English Literature III 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Study of English literature of the 20th century; may include such authors as Joyce, Woolf, Beckett, Orwell, Eliot, Winterson, Kureishi, and Walcott. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Instructor: Kapila, Simpson
ENG 226-01 - Tradition of English Literature III 4 credits (Spring)
This course takes its readings mainly from three areas: major authors of British and Irish Modernism (Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, and James Joyce); the tradition of Irish drama in writers such as Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, and Martin McDonagh; and contemporary British writers such as Ian McEwan and Zadie Smith. Class discussions will engage a wide range of topics, from matters of literary technique and style to issues of race, sexuality, and postcolonial studies.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Instructor: Simpson
ENG 227 - American Literary Traditions I 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Study of American literature from Columbus to 1830; may include such authors as Columbus, Ralegh, Bradstreet, Rowlandson, Franklin, Rowson, Irving, Bryant, and Cooper. Features works from a variety of genres, including Native American myths, travel and promotional narratives, journals, poetry, fiction, nonfiction prose, and maps. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Andrews
ENG 227-01 - American Literary Traditions I 4 credits (Fall)
American Gothic: The Impact of Slavery and the Frontier on American Literature “The proper subject for the American gothic,” according to Leslie Fiedler, is “slavery.” More recently, Allan Lloyd-Smith has argued on behalf of the significance of frontier expansion in the construction of American gothic, an expansion that obliterates or displaces indigenous populations. With those ideas in mind, this course will explore the personifications and demonizations-literary, legal and political-that haunt the clearings in which violence and slave labor were so often instrumental. We will start with discussion of an iconic painting by Grant Woods, “American Gothic” (1930), and end with discussion of the “problem” of American writing as presented in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining. In between we will focus on novels by Charles Brockden Brown and Catharine Maria Sedgwick; shorter works of fiction by Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, and Herman Melville; and autobiographical accounts, poems, or essays by Thomas Hariot, Anne Bradstreet, Mary Rowlandson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Henry David Thoreau, Harriet Jacobs, Frederick Douglass, and Walt Whitman. The last month of the course leading up to The Shining will be devoted to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables. Grades will be based on class discussion, collaborative presentations, several short responses and two medium-length papers.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 , or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Instructor: Andrews
ENG 228 - American Literary Traditions II 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Study of American literature from 1830 to 1893; may include such authors as Emerson, Melville, Whitman, Dickinson, Twain, James, Chopin, Chesnutt, and Zitkala-Sa. Features works from a variety of genres including fiction, poetry, nonfiction prose, and drama. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Andrews, Benjamin
ENG 228-01 - American Literary Traditions II 4 credits (Fall)
Reconstructing Nature’s Nation: The “Salve” of Race. This course will explore the interplay of literature, law, environment and identity during the period of 1865-1925, as the United States reconstructs itself out of and around the trauma of the Civil War and the massive influx of immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We will start by reading the Civil War poetry of Herman Melville, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson, and we will then proceed to explore the ways in which the Civil War Amendments, Supreme Court cases including Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), and legislative enactments such as the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) and the Johnson-Reed Immigration Act (1924), helped shape the plots and inform the characterizations in novels by Albion Tourgee (A Fool’s Errand, 1879), Henry James (The Bostonians, 1886), Mark Twain (Pudd’nhead Wilson, 1894), Pauline Hopkins (Of One Blood: Or, the Hidden Self, 1903), and Willa Cather (The Professor’s House, 1925). Early 20th century magazine pieces by writers such as John Muir, Sui Sin Far, Zitkala-Sa, Harriet Monroe, Madison Grant, and Franklin Lane will enable us to discuss the poetics of “Americanization” in relation to the discourses of environmental preservation and eugenics. Grades will be based on class discussion, collaborative presentations, several short responses and two medium-length papers.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 120 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 , or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Instructor: Andrews
ENG 229 - The Tradition of African American Literature 4 credits (Fall)
The emergence and growth of African American literature from slavery to the present. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Benjamin
ENG 229-01 - The Tradition of African American Literature 4 credits (Fall)
A survey of African American literature from its beginnings to the present, Traditions in African American Literature will trace the literary legacy contemporary black writers have inherited/write to/write against and map the Afro-futurist trajectories of black writers in the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries. In addition to reading black literature for the ways it theorizes around issues of race and racial difference, this class will pay particular attention to how culture informs the craft of black writing. An exciting and dynamic class filled with passionate debate, majors and non-majors alike will benefit from a wide range of assignments geared toward fostering clear writing, persuasive speaking, and critical thinking.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Instructor: Benjamin
ENG 230 - English Historical Linguistics 4 credits (Spring)
Study of the history of the English language through examination of phonological, grammatical, and semantic changes in the language from Old English to Middle English to Modern English with attention to “external” history.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Arner
ENG 231 - American Literary Traditions III 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Study of American literature from 1893 to today; may include such authors as Crane, Eliot, Faulkner, Hurston, Plath, DeLillo, and Morrison.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Savarese
ENG 232 - Ethnic American Literatures 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Study of the major traditions of American ethnic literatures. Features works from a variety of genres including fiction, poetry, nonfiction prose, and drama. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 orENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Instructor: Phan
ENG 232-01 - Traditions of Ethnic American Literature 4 credits (Spring)
This survey course examines how contemporary ethnic American writing negotiates the contradictions, ambiguities and anxieties embedded in questions of national identity at the intersection of race and citizenship. We will examine works by Maxine Hong Kingston, Edwidge Danticat, Louise Erdrich, Anna Deavere Smith, Claudia Rankine, and Eduardo C. Corral, amongst others. Reading a wide selection of fiction, poetry, essays, and a graphic memoir within and against their specific cultural and historical contexts, we will explore how these works use literary form and language as a way to articulate alternative histories of the nation, national identity, and belonging, and to envision new democratic futures. As a survey, the objectives of this course are to give students an introduction to an array of literature engaged with issues of race and ethnicity in the U.S. and beyond; to help students develop a deeper understanding of the evolving issues involved in defining the American canon and in the national discourses on race and ethnicity; and to encourage the reading of literature with a fine critical understanding and aesthetic appreciation.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language.
Instructor: Phan
ENG 273 - Feminism and Difference 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Study of critical debates in global, transnational and Postcolonial feminisms. This introductory course will include literary, historical, and theoretical texts which study the progress of feminism in the global south in conjunction with but also often in opposition to the Euro-American world. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 , ENG 121 , GWS 111 or a course in the study of literature in another language department.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Kapila
ENG 274 - Sex, Gender, and Critical Theory 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Study of the critical debates in the construction of gender and sexuality, and how these debates have shaped, and been shaped by contemporary feminist and queer theory. This course will familiarize students with a range of critical theories that have transformed the study of sexuality and gender in recent decades-psychoanalysis, structuralism, post-structuralism, deconstruction and postmodernism. We will read key figures in theories of sex and gender, including Judith Butler, Michel Foucault, and Gayle Rubin.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 , ENG 121 , GWS 111 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Geller
ENG 290 - Introduction to Literary Theory 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Survey of Critical debates in history of literary theory and criticism from Plato to Butler. For purposes of practical application, readings may also include selected fiction, poetry, and drama. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
ENG 290-01 - Introduction to Literary Theory 4 credits (Spring)
Something Written in the State: Hamlet and the Play of Language. The first half of this course is focused on discussion of readings clustered around important terms such as “craft,” “imitation,” “utility,” “sign,” “affect,” and “intention.” Doing so anachronistically will enable us to tease out the continuities and divergences between different critics and between different literary movements across time. The second half of the course will involve a series of practical applications focused on one canonical text, in this case Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Additional readings from contemporary theorists will enable us to reflect on the degree to which aspects of ideology-such as gender, sexuality, race, and class-impact a given reader’s interpretation of one of our culture’s most durable texts.
Prerequisite or co-requisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or any course in the study of literature in another language department.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Andrews
ENG 295-01 - Special Topic: Horror and Weird Fiction 2 credits (Spring)
This course hones our own intuitions about horror and the weird by mapping their various traditions throughout literature, from foundational figures like Henry James, Edgar Allan Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft, to contemporary practitioners such as Brian Evenson, Carmen Machado, and Karen Russell. We will read stories about ghosts, madmen, haunted houses, impossible geometrics, cursed landscapes, cosmic terrors, killer spirals, and the undead, and a major question for the course will be how these stories create a sense of dread.
Prerequisite: ENG 205 or ENG 206 .
Note: Dates: April 7 to May 12. Half-semester deadlines apply. S/D/F only.
Instructor: Staff
ENG 295-01 - Special Topic: Radio Storytelling 2 credits (Fall)
When Jay Allison launched The Moth Radio Hour in 2009, a weekly podcast featuring unscripted “true” stories told live, he was betting on an untapped appetite for narrative radio. He was right: we are in the midst of a renaissance of acoustic storytelling reminiscent of radio in the 1930s and 40s, with Moth and such shows as Sarah Koenig’s Serial (2014), a podcast throwback to be serialized broadcasts of old-time radio. Telling one true-crime story over the course of its first season, Serial (which has been downloaded 68 million times) attracted an audience that became obsessed with the Koenig’s detective skills and meandering style. Like the devoted fans of Ma Perkins seventy-five years ago, Serial’s listeners can’t wait to hear what happens next: did ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed really strangle Hae Min Lee? This short course will focus on radio storytelling. You’ll listen to a variety of radio’s classic writers from Orson Welles and Lucille Fletcher to Toni Dave and David Sedaris, as well as compose your own narratives for podcasting. Each of you will write one story, either fact-based or invented, that will be carefully workshopped in written form and then recorded, edited, and mixed in Pro Tools (audio editing software). The goal of this class is to help you discover and develop your skill as a writer of narrative prose that is as compelling to the ear as to the eye - and to become a cutting edge podcaster.
Prerequisite: ENG 205 or ENG 206 .
Note: Dates: September 9 to October 14. Short course deadlines apply. S/D/F only.
Instructor: Staff
ENG 303 - Chaucer 4 credits (Spring)
Study of Chaucer’s poetry in Middle English. Option of doing some reading in Latin, Italian, or French. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 223 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Arner
ENG 310 - Studies in Shakespeare 4 credits (Fall)
An intensive study of three or four plays from various approaches, such as sources, imagery, and critical and theatrical traditions. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 121 . ENG 223 and ENG 224 strongly recommended.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lee
ENG 314 - Milton 4 credits (Fall)
Intensive study of Milton’s poetry and selected prose with emphasis on Paradise Lost, on Milton’s place in the epic tradition, and on Milton’s reputation in English poetry. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 223 or ENG 273 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lee
ENG 316 - Studies in English Renaissance Literature 4 credits (Spring)
An intensive study of a group of related authors, a mode, or a genre from the period 1500–1600. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 223 or ENG 273 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lee
ENG 316-01 - Studies in English Renaissance Literature 4 credits (Spring)
Early Modern Transnational Encounters. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, England’s national borders rapidly expanded as England had increasing contact with the European continent, the East, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas. By drawing attention to each of these geographic areas, this course will examine England’s colonial ambitions and its fascination and degradation of racial “others.” We will also discuss the vocabularies of race used to justify colonial ideologies about blackness, barbarism, and religious difference. Students will read a variety of literary texts and archival materials—including travel narratives, scientific treatises on color, and royal proclamations—in addition to recent scholarship on early modern transnationalisms and race. We will consider how literary texts, such as Fletcher’s The Island Princess and Edward Lord Herbert’s black beauty poems, depict racialized bodies and dramatize England’s increasing obsession with defining whiteness. Throughout the semester, students will work on a substantive research project: a 15-page paper and a 10-minute talk, presented at our class conference.
Prerequisite: ENG 223 or ENG 273 .
Instructor: Biggie
ENG 323 - Studies in English Literature: 1660–1798 4 credits (Spring)
Intensive study of Restoration and 18th-century literature with a focus on specific themes and genres. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 223 , ENG 224 , or ENG 273 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lobban-Viravong, Simpson
ENG 325 - Studies in Ethnic American Literatures 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Intensive study of important authors, movements, or trends in American ethnic literatures. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 227 , ENG 228 , ENG 229 , ENG 231 , ENG 232 , or ENG 273 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Phan
ENG 325-01 - Studies in Ethnic American Literatures 4 credits (Fall)
“It is normally supposed that something always gets lost in translation; I cling, obstinately, to the notion that something can always be gained,” writes the novelist Salman Rushdie. Starting with Rushdie’s assertion, this seminar examines the focus on translation in so many English-language literary works by contemporary ethnic American writers and asks why translation between cultures, languages, and dialects matters for understanding the heritage of the United States. Engaging in contemporary debates over language diversity, immigration, and globalization, we will attempt to put critical race theory into conversation with translation theory, as both offer a rich critical vocabulary for thinking about questions of difference, origins, authenticity, betrayal, and subversion. We will read novels, autobiographies, essays, and poetry by writers such as Jhumpa Lahiri, Maxine Hong Kingston, Richard Rodriguez, Gloria Anzuldua, Aleksandr Hemon, Leslie Marmon Silko, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Eduardo C. Corral, amongst others. For the final project, students will have the option of writing a longer research paper related to the course theme or producing their own translation of a literary work, accompanied by a critical introduction.
Prerequisite: ENG 227 , ENG 228 , ENG 229 , ENG 231 , ENG 232 , or ENG 273 .
Instructor: Phan
ENG 326 - Studies in American Poetry I 4 credits (Fall)
Intensive study of important poets, movements, or trends in 19th-century American poetry. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 227 , ENG 228 , ENG 229 , ENG 231 , ENG 232 , or ENG 273 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Andrews, Savarese
ENG 327 - The Romantics 4 credits (Fall)
Study of major figures in English literature from 1798 to 1830, with attention to Romantic theories of poetry. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 224 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Simpson
ENG 328 - Studies in American Poetry II 4 credits (Fall)
Intensive study of important poets, movements, or trends in 20th-century American poetry. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 227 , ENG 228 , ENG 229 , ENG 231 , ENG 232 , or ENG 273 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Andrews, Savarese
ENG 329 - Studies in African American Literature 4 credits
Intensive study of an African American literary genre, movement, author, or a group of related authors. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 225 , ENG 227 , ENG 228 , ENG 229 , ENG 231 , ENG 232 , or ENG 273 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Benjamin
ENG 329-01 - Studies in African American Literature 4 credits (Spring)
This course will examine understandings of black multiraciality that have emerged in literary and critical work from the mid-20th century into the early 21st century. We will read plays, novels, short stories, and poetry that feature mixed race subjectivities of African descent. This class takes a diasporic approach by offering a number of texts that pertain to Afro-Latinidad in North America and the Caribbean. We will explore topics such as biological essentialism vs. the social construction of identity; authenticity and performance; social and legal forms of identity categorization and boundary maintenance; possibilities and limitations of literature to enact social reform; and many others.
Prerequisite: ENG 225 , ENG 227 , ENG 228 , ENG 229 , ENG 231 , ENG 232 , or ENG 273 .
Instructor: Staff
ENG 330 - Studies in American Prose I 4 credits (Fall)
Intensive study of important writers, movements, or trends in 19th-century American prose. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 227 , ENG 228 , ENG 229 , ENG 231 , ENG 232 , or ENG 273 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Andrews, Savarese
ENG 330-01 - Studies in American Prose 4 credits (Spring)
“Then everything was dark”: The Impact of Eugenics in American Literature, 1867-1937. What do murder, suicide, impotence, and same-sex affiliation in novels such as Nella Larsen’s Passing, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, or John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men have in common with the preservation of redwoods, “the yellow peril,” or the advent of cultural pluralism? Or why would Woodrow Wilson take such pains to figure the “hyphen” as a “dagger” poised to strike at “the vitals of this Republic?” Written during a time when American social space and idealizations of national identity were regulated by terms often dictated by devotees of eugenics, such figurative enactments have recently been read as attempts to reinforce reproductive and social engineering by extra-legal means. This seminar focuses on the way racial, ethnic, and reproductive control is first reinforced by legalized segregation and then complemented and enhanced by techniques advanced by eugenics. In addition to the aforementioned authors, we will read novels or prose by Lydia Maria Child, Mark Twain, Charles Chesnutt, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Zora Neale Hurston, as well as view three films–Birth of a Nation, The Jazz Singer, and The Mask of Fu Manchu. Grades to be determined by participation in class discussion and collaborative presentations, two mid-size papers, and a 15 page research paper.
Prerequisite: ENG 227 , ENG 228 , ENG 229 , ENG 231 , ENG 232 , or ENG 273 .
Instructor: Andrews
ENG 331 - Studies in American Prose II 4 credits (Spring)
Intensive study of important writers, movements, or trends in 20th-century American prose. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 227 , ENG 228 , ENG 229 , ENG 231 , ENG 232 , or ENG 273 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
ENG 332 - The Victorians 4 credits (Fall)
Study of major British writers from 1830 to 1900, with emphasis on distinctive approaches to common artistic, intellectual, and social problems. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.below.
Prerequisite: English ENG 224 or ENG 225 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Simpson
ENG 332-01 - The Victorians 4 credits (Spring)
Going to Town: Urbanization and Victorian Literature. Massive and rapid migration to still-developing urban centers during the Victorian period led to decaying rural areas and catastrophically congested cities. Industrialization affected all facets of nineteenth-century life, and we’ll explore a number of them, focusing on class and gender dynamics during this period. We will read a variety of works of fiction and nonfiction including Charles Dickens’s Bleak House, (1852-53) Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South (1855), Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886), and Henry Mayhew’s London Labour and the London Poor (1861-62).
Prerequisite: ENG 224 or ENG 225 .
Instructor: Jacobson
ENG 337 - The British Novel I 4 credits (Spring)
Historical development of the British novel, formal evolution, methods of publication, and the relation of novels to their cultures. Through the early Dickens (e.g., Defoe, Richardson, Fielding, Sterne, Jane Austen, Thackeray). For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 223 , ENG 224 , ENG 225 , ENG 226 , or ENG 273 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lobban-Viravong
ENG 338 - The British Novel II 4 credits (Spring)
Historical development of the British novel, formal evolution, methods of publication, and the relation of novels to their cultures. From Dickens to the present (e.g., George Eliot, Hardy, Conrad, Lawrence, Forster, Virginia Woolf). For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 223 , ENG 224 , ENG 225 , ENG 226 , or ENG 273 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lobban-Viravong
ENG 345 - Studies in Modern Poetry 4 credits (Fall)
Intensive study of important modern poets. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 224 , ENG 225 , ENG 226 , ENG 227 , ENG 228 , ENG 229 , ENG 231 , ENG 232 , or ENG 273 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Savarese
ENG 346 - Studies in Modern Prose 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: GLS 346 . Intensive study of important modern fiction. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 224 , ENG 225 , or ENG 226 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Geller, Simpson
ENG 346-01 - Studies in Modern Prose 4 credits
Cross-listed as: GLS 346-01 . James Joyce’s Ulysses. This seminar will undertake an intensive examination of James Joyce’s Ulysses. In addition to Joyce’s text, students will read some of Joyce’s sources as well as a variety of literary and critical responses to Ulysses. We will also work on creating and sharing digital resources for readers of the novel. Assignments will include blog posts, a mid-semester paper, bibliographic work, and a final project.
Prerequisite: ENG 224 , ENG 225 , or ENG 226 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Simpson
ENG 349 - Medieval Literature 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: GLS 349 . Study of medieval European literary forms (lyric, epic, romance, allegory, and dream vision) through analysis of major works such as Beowulf, Chretien de Troyes’ poems, Marie de France’s Lais, The Romance of the Rose, The Divine Comedy, The Decameron, Piers Plowman, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Book of the City of Ladies, and Malory’s prose. Option of doing some reading in Latin, Italian, or French. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 223 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Arner
ENG 360 - Seminar in Postcolonial Literature 4 credits (Spring)
An intensive study of important writers, movements, or theoretical concepts in postcolonial literature written in English. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: ENG 224 , ENG 225 , ENG 226 , or ENG 229 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Kapila
ENG 385 - Writing Seminar: Fiction 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Advanced workshop for students with a strong background in fiction writing.
Prerequisite: ENG 205 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Smith, Bakopoulos
ENG 386 - Writing Seminar: Poetry 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Advanced workshop for students with a strong background in verse writing.
Prerequisite: ENG 206 .
Instructor: Barlow, Savarese
ENG 390 - Literary Theory 4 credits (Spring)
An intensive introduction to the major schools of critical and literary theory. Readings likely to include foundational texts in formalism, Marxism, feminism, psychoanalysis, historicism, poststructuralism, and postcolonialism. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Third-year or senior standing and at least one 300-level literature seminar in the English department.
Instructor: Andrews, Kapila
ENG 390-01 - Literary Theory 4 credits (Fall)
Identity/Politics/Poetics: The Culture Wars and the Ends of Theory, 1966-1996 What does a lecture delivered at Johns Hopkins in 1966 have in common with Native Americans’ attempts to regain tribal status in the 1970s and 80s, a Nazi-tinged scandal in 1988, the obscenity trial of 2 Live Crew in 1990, or a hoax perpetrated by a scientist in 1996? Each implicates in significant ways aspects of literary or cultural theory in the hotly contested contact zone of politics, identity, and poetics that came to be known as “the culture wars.” In this seminar, we will take a historicist approach to exploring the impact of post-structural theories on American culture and the academy in the 1980s and 90s. By way of discussing the particulars of these and other cases, and in order to better tease out the cultural issues that animate them, we will explore essays or excerpts by various critics and theorists including Houston Baker, Allan Bloom, Judith Butler, James Clifford, Kimberle Crenshaw, Paul de Man, Jacques Derrida, Stanley Fish, Henry Louis Gates Jr., David Hirsch, bell hooks, Steven Knapp and Walter Michaels, Catharine MacKinnon, and Alan Sokol. Grades will be based on class discussion, at least one collaborative presentation, a critical reading journal, and a final research paper of approximately 15 pages.
Prerequisite: Third-year or senior standing and at least one 300-level literature seminar in the English department.
Instructor: Andrews
ENG 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Television Writing 4 credits (Fall)
In this course, students will learn how to apply the concepts of a traditional creative writing course to the world of television writing. Students will “staff” a mock television writers’s room, producing a collaborative creative project, while also writing a solo television pilot suitable for use as a work sample in the television industry.
Prerequisite: ENG 205 , ENG 206 , or ENG 207 .
Instructor: Bakopoulos, Nutting
ENG 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Troy Story: The Trojan Legend in Classical and Medieval Literature 4 credits (Spring)
See CLS 395-01 .
Environmental Studies
ENV 120 - Environmental Challenges and Responses 1 credits (Fall)
This course provides a substantive forum for discussions of current environmental issues among small groups of students and faculty. Content varies. All students meet biweekly to hear an invited speaker present on a relevant topic. During intervening weeks students meet in small groups with two faculty members to discuss the previous week’s seminar and related readings. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: Second-semester standing.
S/D/F only
ENV 125 - Introduction to Earth Systems Science with Lab 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: SCI 125 . An introductory geology course that demonstrates that Earth systems (the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere) are dynamically linked by internal and external physical, chemical, and biological processes. Using process-response models, we examine the structure and evolution of the Earth, how the rock record is used to decipher Earth’s past and predict its future, and societal issues centered on the environment, land use, resources (water, mineral, and energy), and natural hazards. Three lectures and one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Graham
ENV 145 - Nations and the Global Environment 4 credits (Fall)
Global environmental issues discussed from the perspective of how these problems relate to each student. Emphasis on the geological, biological, and human history of Earth: trends in global climate (including the greenhouse effect and ozone depletion), species diversity (including episodes of mass extinction), human demography, international energy policies, global distribution of resources (including famine, lifeboat “ethics,” and politics of “north vs. south”). Discussion of sustainable development of tropical forest, savanna, and marine ecosystems. Readings from texts and current literature.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Campbell
ENV 154 - Natural Hazards and Disasters 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: GDS 154 . Natural hazards arise from normal Earth processes. But natural disasters result from the inability of humans to anticipate, and plan for, inevitable hazardous events. Through lectures, seminars, and lab exercises, we will: examine the Earth processes that generate hazardous events; analyze the historical and geological record of past disasters; consider the political, economic, and social factors contributing to the severity of natural disasters; explore how natural catastrophes have influenced human history, art, and religion; and examine international disparities in vulnerability.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
ENV 251 - Water, Development and the Environment 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See GDS 251 .
Note: Not offered every year.
ENV 261 - Climate Change, Development and the Environment 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See GDS 261 .
Note: Not offered every year.
ENV 295-01 - Special Topic: 9 Billion People: Inquiry into Impacts and Opportunities 4 credits (Spring)
See GDS 295-01 .
ENV 295-01 - Special Topic: The Anthropocene 4 credits (Fall)
In the three and-a-half billion year history of life on Earth, there has been no species quite like Homo sapiens. Through our intelligence, ingenuity and sense of dominion, humans have forged a new geological Epoch in Earth’s history: the Anthropocene, an inflection point in the trajectory of life on Earth. We have warmed the atmosphere to the extent that humans have prevented (or at least delayed) the next Ice Age. We are causing Earth’s sixth great extinction event, creating a future that may be attenuated of biodiversity and bereft of wilderness. The domestication and exchange of species between continents has created strange new ecosystems. By manipulation of their genetic code, we have created new species. We have created the first known extraterrestrials, from Apollo moon-walkers to microbes hitchhiking on Mars landers. Every student at Grinnell College will be coming of age during the Anthropocene. This course will explore what’s in store for them.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Instructor: Campbell
ENV 495 - Senior Seminar 4 credits (Spring)
An interdisciplinary senior seminar for students completing the concentration in Environmental Studies. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Open to Junior and Senior Environmental Studies Concentrators.
Instructor: Staff
ENV 495-01 - Senior Seminar:Africa 4 credits (Spring)
All humans are Africans. More than any other continent, our natal continent faces a troubling and uncertain future in the 21st Century. For example, it is the only continent where per capita food production has dropped in recent decades; it is ravaged by parasitic disease (500,000 children die every year from malaria alone in subSaharan Africa); by viral disease (the populations of some districts in southern Africa are declining because of HIV); by the lingering ravages of colonialism and slavery; by debilitating wars over scarce resources; by international debt; and by droughts, famines and floods that are more extreme than in any other place on Earth. On the other hand, Africa is place of resplendent cultural diversity, a proud (and underappreciated) pre-colonial history, and transcendent natural beauty. The seminar will discuss the geography, natural history and historical ecology of Africa and Madagascar. Topics include the biogeography of Guineo-Congolean tropical forest and East African montane forest islands; fish speciation in the Rift Valley Lakes; desertification and famine; the challenges of survival and development in forest, savanna and desert; savanna ecology, including the inverse relationship between fire and tsetse flies: cattle vs. game ranching; demographics, including the effects of slavery and disease on current population sizes; women’s rights and reproductive self-determination; patterns and evolution of epidemic and chronic disease (including zoönoses such as nagama, sleeping sickness, and rinderpest), among many others.
Prerequisite: Open to Junior and Senior Environmental Studies Concentrators.
Instructor: CampbellEuropean Studies
ESC 297 - Guided Reading Project 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
To be taken in the semester preceding that in which the student will take the 397 course, this project is designed as preparation for Senior Independent Study. The student may request to work with any instructor currently teaching in the program who will also be teaching on the Grinnell campus during the following semester.
Prerequisite: Second semester of first-year standing.
Instructor: Staff
ESC 397 - Senior Independent Study 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
The subject must be arranged with a faculty adviser (preferably the instructor of the Guided Reading Project 297, above) before the end of the semester preceding the independent study. The study should result in either a substantial essay (about 25–30 pages) or a creative accomplishment such as a photographic essay, film, dramatic production, paintings, etc. of similar magnitude. The latter will require some written explication as well. Occasional colloquia consisting of all students and faculty engaged in these projects will be held to exchange ideas and methods.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Instructor: StaffFilm and Media Courses
HUM 185 - Film Analysis, Theory & Criticism 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
This writing-intensive course examines foundational concepts and methodologies in Cinema Studies, introducing students to a number of theoretical approaches central to the study of film, including semiotics, psychoanalysis, and Cultural Studies. Our focus is not film appreciation but rather the analysis of film as a language and “reading” film texts for their meanings. Since film is a system of representation, the study of gender, sexuality, race and class will be crucial to our interpretive practice throughout.
Prerequisite: One course in English, Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies, American Studies, Philosophy, or Art History.
Instructor: Geller
HUM 213 - Media and the Middle East 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: SST 213 . 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.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Instructor: Youssef
HUM 290 - Film Genres 4 credits (Spring)
This course will examine the theory, criticism, and history of film genre. We will take a comparative approach, analyzing the stylistic and narrative conventions of specific genres, and their relationship to culture, race, sexuality, gender and national identity. We will discuss various film genres, including the musical, screwball comedy, melodrama, and film noir. The objective of this course is to explore the question of genre through a range of theoretical rubrics (structuralism, psychoanalysis, feminism and ideological criticism) to address both the social implications and aesthetic properties of cinema. This course requires weekly screenings (usually two films per week) along with the assigned class reading.
Prerequisite: HUM 185 (previously offered as HUM 211).
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Geller
HUM 365 - Studies in Film Theory 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An intensive examination of important film scholars, movements, and/or theoretical concepts in Film Studies. An advanced-level, variable-topic course that explores film theory and the wide range of critical theories informing film criticism. Possible topics include queer theory, feminist film criticism, aesthetics, theories of space and place, film historiography, postmodernism, psychoanalysis, deconstruction, performance, affect, political economy, genre, poststructuralism, globalization, critical race theory, etc. May be repeated when content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: HUM 185 and third-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: GellerFrench and Arabic
ARB 101 - Beginning Arabic I 5 credits (Fall)
Study of the fundamentals of spoken and written Modern Standard Arabic with emphasis on communication through oral-aural practice and awareness of cultural context. Acquisition of basic grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Youssef
ARB 102 - Beginning Arabic II 5 credits (Spring)
This course is designed primarily as a continuation of ARB 101 . Emphasizes the development of oral-aural skills and of reading comprehension by providing communicative practice and attention to cultural context.
Prerequisite: ARB 101 or by placement.
Instructor: Youssef
ARB 221 - Intermediate Arabic I 4 credits (Fall)
Conducted in Arabic. Emphasizes grammar and written and oral skills. Provides an introduction to the analysis of literary and cultural texts.
Prerequisite: ARB 102 .
Instructor: Youssef
ARB 222 - Intermediate Arabic II 4 credits (Spring)
Conducted in Arabic. Focuses on the development of written and oral skills. Emphasizes vocabulary acquisition, discussion, and composition through the exploration of literary texts and contemporary media materials.
Prerequisite: ARB 221 .
Instructor: Youssef
FRN 101 - Introduction to French 5 credits (Fall)
Study of the fundamentals of spoken and written French with emphasis on communication through oral-aural practice and awareness of cultural context. Acquisition of basic grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
FRN 102 - Introduction to French II 5 credits (Spring)
Offered only in the spring, this course is designed primarily as a continuation of FRN 101 . Emphasizes the development of oral-aural skills and of reading comprehension by providing communicative practice and attention to cultural context.
Prerequisite: FRN 101 or by placement.
Instructor: Staff
FRN 103 - Accelerated Introduction to French 5 credits (Fall)
Offered only in the fall, this course is for students with some previous study of French. Covers the equivalent of FRN 101 and FRN 102 in a single semester. Emphasizes the development of oral-aural skills and of reading comprehension by providing communicative practice and attention to cultural context. Not open to students who have taken FRN 102 .
Prerequisite: Grinnell Placement Test or consultation with department.
Instructor: Staff
FRN 201 - French Speaking 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
Conversational unit designed for both free and structured oral exchange in French. May be taken only once for credit.
Co-requisite: Concurrent registration in any 200- or 300-level French course.
Instructor: Staff
FRN 221 - Intermediate French I 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Conducted in French. Review of grammar with emphasis on written and oral skills. Introduction to analysis of literary and cultural texts.
Prerequisite: FRN 102 or FRN 103 .
Instructor: Staff
FRN 222 - Intermediate French II 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Conducted in French. Review of grammar with a focus on the development of written and oral skills. Emphasis on analysis, discussion, and composition through the exploration of literature, documents, and films related to the Occupation of France during World War II.
Prerequisite: FRN 221 .
Instructor: Staff
FRN 301 - Advanced Reading & Written Expression 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
Conducted in French. This course is designed to prepare students for written work at the advanced level in French. It includes an intensive review of grammar and emphasizes the writing process through composition exercises and multiple revisions.
Prerequisite: FRN 222 .
Note: Half semester deadlines apply.
Instructor: P. Moisan
FRN 302 - Phonetics and Advanced Oral Expression 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
Conducted in French. This intensive course is designed to enhance students’ aural and oral skills in order to prepare them for discussion and presentations at the 300 level. Class activities include phonetic exercises, oral exposés, debates, and dictations.
Prerequisite: FRN 222 .
Note: Half semester deadlines apply.
Instructor: P. Moisan
FRN 303 - French Civilization I: Sites of Myth and Memory 4 credits (Fall)
Conducted in French. An introduction to French civilization from its origins to the French Revolution through the study of historical and literary texts, paintings, and films.
Prerequisite: FRN 222 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Harrison
FRN 304 - French Civilization II: Revolutions and Identities 4 credits (Fall)
Conducted in French. An introduction to French civilization from the French Revolution to the present through the study of historical and literary texts, paintings, and films.
Prerequisite: FRN 222 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Moisan
FRN 305 - Contemporary Francophone Cultures 4 credits (Spring)
Conducted in French. Overview of contemporary France and the French-speaking world. Examines the relationship between national identity and the forces of geography, history, language, race, religion, and ethnicity. Topics include: colonization, decolonization, immigration, French-American relations, and societal values related to the family, gender, education, political organization, the state, and secularism. Uses historical, cultural, and literary texts and films.
Prerequisite: FRN 222 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Caradec
FRN 312 - Introduction to French Literature from the Middle Ages to the Revolution: From Knights to Libertines 4 credits (Spring)
Conducted in French. Readings in poetry, prose, and theatre. Topics may include: the medieval chanson de geste, Renaissance love poetry, tragedy and comedy in the age of Louis XIV, and the Enlightenment. Presents the critical terminology and analytical techniques necessary for in-depth study of the respective genres.
Prerequisite: FRN 222 .
Instructor: Harrison
FRN 313 - Introduction to French Literature of the 19th and 20th Centuries: Literary Revolutions 4 credits (Fall)
Conducted in French. Readings in poetry, theatre, and prose. Examines literary movements such as Romanticism, Realism, the Theatre of the Absurd, Surrealism, and the Nouveau Roman. Presents the critical terminology and analytical techniques necessary for in-depth study of the respective genres.
Prerequisite: FRN 222 .
Instructor: Ireland
FRN 327 - Power and Resistance in 17th- and 18th-Century French Literature 4 credits (Fall)
Conducted in French. Explores the relationship between writers and questions of authority from 1600–1789. Examines the representation of royal power, challenges to state authority and social conventions (such as the role of the church and the position of women in society), and the role of humor as a subversive technique. Authors studied may include La Fontaine, Pascal, Corneille, Moliere, Madame de Lafayette, Mme de Sévigné, Saint-Simon, Diderot, Voltaire, Laclos, and Sade.
Prerequisite: FRN 312 or FRN 313 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Harrison
FRN 328 - Comedy in French Literature Prior to the Revolution 4 credits (Fall)
Conducted in French. Analyzes the notion of the comic in French literary texts written before 1789. Examines the relationship between comedy and society, using the theories of Bakhtin, Bergson, Boileau, and Freud. Focuses on the particular techniques used in different literary genres, such as the novel, theatre, and satiric verse. Works studied may include the farces of the Middle Ages, Rabelais, Marguerite de Navarre, Moliere, Boileau, Voltaire, and Diderot.
Prerequisite: FRN 312 or FRN 313 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Harrison
FRN 329 - Literature and Society in 19th-Century and Belle Epoque France 4 credits (Fall)
Conducted in French. Examines texts representative of Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, and post-Romantic poetry. Topics may include: realism and nature; the role of description; the expression of desire; and the relationship between the individual and society.
Prerequisite: FRN 312 or FRN 313 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Moisan
FRN 330 - Innovation and Transgression in French from 1870 to 1945 4 credits (Fall)
Conducted in French. Explores the evolution of literature and the rise of cinema between 1870 and 1945; examines notions such as moral and aesthetic transgression and innovation. Topics to be studied may include: collage, montage, memory, war, autobiography, and sexuality in authors and filmmakers such as Rimbaud, Rachilde, Colette, Melies, Jarry, Proust, Gide, Celine, and Cocteau.
Prerequisite: FRN 312 or FRN 313 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Moisan
FRN 331 - Modern Francophone Theatre 4 credits (Spring)
Conducted in French. Study of dramatic texts and their contexts since the Second World War, with reference to existentialism, the theatre of the absurd, and the performance of identity shaped by gender, religion, and postcolonial and immigrant experience. Examines how theatre of the French-speaking world reflects, challenges, and redefines societal, philosophical, and aesthetic values, with a focus on the relationship between text and performance.
Prerequisite: FRN 312 or FRN 313 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
FRN 341 - Contemporary French Writing 4 credits (Spring)
Conducted in French. Traces the evolution of prose fiction from the 1950s to the present and examines its relationship to biography, autobiography, feminist writing, film, and the popular novel. Explores literary representations of topics such as mother-daughter relations, social class, sexuality, illness, interracial relationships, immigration, and exile.
Prerequisite: FRN 312 or FRN 313 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ireland
FRN 342 - Orientalism Revisited 4 credits (Spring)
Conducted in French. Examines the relations between France and the Orient as portrayed in paintings, photos, films, and prose fiction from the mid-19th century to the present. Focuses in particular on images of Oriental women, beginning with France’s representation of its colonies as female. The main topics to be considered are: the depiction of interracial relationships; the effect of gender on the experience of immigration; women and war (Algeria and Lebanon); women’s voices in contemporary North Africa; and the notions of tradition and modernity in relation to issues such as arranged marriages, polygamy, and excision. The Orient studied includes Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, and Lebanon.
Prerequisite: FRN 312 or FRN 313 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ireland
FRN 346 - The Francophone Caribbean World: From Plantation to Emancipation 4 credits (Spring)
Conducted in French. This course explores relations between the francophone Caribbean islands (Haiti, Guadeloupe and Martinique) and the métropole from the colonial period to the present. It addresses topics such as slavery, négritude, identity, multilingualism, diaspora, globalization and the environmental challenges facing the region. Students will examine poetry, theater, fiction and film. Authors to be studied include Césaire, Fanon, Roumain, Chamoiseau, Glissant, Condé, Laferrière and Frankétienne.
Prerequisite: FRN 312 or FRN 313 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Caradec
FRN 350 - Advanced Topics in Literature and Civilization 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Intensive study of a particular period, author, theme, movement, and/or genre. Topic will be announced each time the course is offered. Conducted in French. Course may be repeated for credit if content is different. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: FRN 312 or FRN 313 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
FRN 350-01 - Advanced Topics in Literature and Civilization 4 credits (Spring)
Masculine/Feminine in French Literature and Film. 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 writing of the self. Authors and directors to be studied include Chateaubriand, Stendhal, Sand, Rachilde, Colette, Godard, Truffaut, Duras, Jaoui, Denis, Toussaint, and Houellebecq.
Prerequisite: FRN 312 or FRN 313 .
Instructor: P. Moisan
FRN 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Text, Images, Voice, and Books 1 credits (Fall)
This short course seminar is being taught by Professor Montier from the University of Rennes. Professor Montier’s research examines the relationship between literature and photography. This seminar will explore the mutliple interactions between voice, text, and image from the Middle Ages to today. Topics may include: the notion of oral literature, the invention of art criticism, the rise of photography, and the contemporary photo-novel. One evening discussion session will accompany the course in order to view the images presented by the Professor.
Prerequisite: FRN 312 or FRN 313 .
Note: Dates: September 1 to September 15. Short course deadlines apply.
Instructor: MontierGender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies
GWS 111 - Introduction to Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course introduces students to key topics, concepts, approaches, and problems in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies as the field has developed over the past 45 years. We investigate the significance and meaning of gender at different periods in United States history and explore the development of United States feminism and feminist theory, adopting comparative and transnational perspectives throughout the semester. The ways in which race, ethnicity, sexuality, class, nationality, and age shape experience, culture, ideology, and politics are central areas of inquiry. We also address the means through which women have resisted inequality and affected social and political change. This course takes an interdisciplinary approach, and students are introduced to scholarship from a wide range of disciplines, including cultural studies, economics, history, philosophy, political theory, psychology, and sociology.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
GWS 211 - Foundations of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course provides students with an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) studies. We study the emergence and transformation of LGBTQ identities, cultural practices, and political movements within the broader context of changes in social constructions of sexuality, as well as cultural, social, political, and economic transformations. We pay particular attention to the ways in which gender, race, ethnicity, class, and generation have shaped same-sex sexuality in different historical periods.
Prerequisite: GWS 111 and second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Henry
GWS 235 - Feminism and Popular Culture 4 credits (Fall)
This course examines various popular cultural forms using feminist criticism/theory as a critical lens. Through an intersectional and intertextual investigation of television, film, advertising, and popular music, students will explore how representation both reflects and produces sociocultural phenomena and ideas about race, gender, class, and sexuality in society.
Prerequisite: GWS 111
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Johnson
GWS 249 - Theory and Methodology in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies 4 credits (Fall)
This course provides students with a comprehensive and in-depth exploration of the interdisciplinary field of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies, including its theories, methods, debates, and relationships to other academic disciplines. We examine the history and development of feminist and queer theory, paying particular attention to the relationship between theory and activism. We explore the forms of privilege and power operating within feminist and queer theory and the intersections of race, sexuality, class, and gender.
Prerequisite: GWS 111
Instructor: Henry, Johnson
GWS 295-01 - Special Topic: Disability & Race 4 credits (Spring)
In this course, we will study the intersections of race and disability in their historical production, systemic overlap as ableism and racism, cultural representation, and political experiential dimensions. Through interdisciplinary examples, we will discuss the production of whiteness through definitions of health and disease, the role of race in the medicalization of physical, mental, and intellectual difference, and the ”fantasies of identification” that attempt to fix embodied social identities.
Prerequisite: GWS 111 .
Instructor: Koch-Rein
GWS 324 - Critical Race Feminisms 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course provides an introduction to critical theoretical debates about gender, race, and class in the United States legal system. Students examine legal concepts, structures, and narratives that produce and/or reinforce patterns of discrimination and inequality, as well as examine alternative models proposed within critical legal scholarship.
Prerequisite: GWS 111 and one GWS course at the 200 level.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Johnson
GWS 331 - Studies in American Prose II 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: ENG 331 when taught as Feminist Memoirs. A study of contemporary memoirs by feminist writers. In addition to critically analyzing the memoir as a literary form, students will examine how feminist writers have used memoir to describe both personal and political experiences, to theorize from these experiences, and to develop concepts of feminist subjectivity. Readings will include a diverse range of memoirs, as well as critical essays on memoir, autobiography, and feminist/queer theory.
Prerequisite: GWS 249
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Henry
GWS 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Transnational Transgender Studies 4 credits (Fall)
In this course we will consider the movement of transgender phenomena, knowledges, and practices across regions, nations, and rural-urban spaces. We will draw on a range of disciplines and cultural imaginaries - sexology, anthropology, history, and film - to study examples of localizing trans* in specific inter/national, cultural contexts, including India, Iran, China, Brazil, the Philippines, Namibia/South Africa, Mexico, Japan, and North America. How do these approaches view transgender phenomena, what are their agendas and perspectives, how do they situate the people and communities they study? What do they teach us about gender, sexuality, and how to understand them in context? Looking at examples of transnational analyses, we will formulate and discuss our own expectations for Transnational Transgender Studies.
Prerequisite: GWS 111 and GWS 249 .
Instructor: Koch-Rein
GWS 395-02 - Advanced Special Topic: Queer & Trans Literatures 4 credits (Spring)
This course surveys 20th and 21st-century queer and trans literatures through contemporary queer and feminist theory. In addition to reading the works of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer authors, we will inquire into the implications of studying and categorizing literature in relation to gender and sexuality. We will examine represenations of queer and trans identities and themes through a variety of literary forms including novels, short stories, plays, poems, graphic novels, and semi-autobiographical fiction.
Prerequisite: GWS 111 and GWS 249 .
Instructor: Allen
GWS 495 - Senior Seminar 4 credits (Spring)
An advanced interdisciplinary senior seminar for students who are completing the major in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies. The course will provide an in-depth exploration of a topic with both historical and contemporary significance within the field of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: senior status; Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies Major; GWS 111 ; GWS 249 .
Instructor: Henry, Johnson
GWS 495-01 & 02 - Senior Seminar: Bad Feminists, Bad Critics 4 credits (Spring)
This course examines the work of second wave feminist critics in the 1960s and 1970s whose work was either dismissed when it was first published or is out of critical favor in the present. By looking at why some feminists’ work has been left out of the field’s accepted history, we will learn as much (if not more) than we would by repeating the narratives of political progress that are often told about the development of feminism. Throughout the course, we will read texts that have always been “difficult” for feminism such as Mary Daly’s Gyn/Ecology: The Metaethics of Radical Feminism, which sparked a public debate about the role of race and racism in radical feminism. We will also examine authors who were labelled “bad” critics by the broader public, such as Kate Millett whose Sexual Politics was the subject of much derision in literary circles. As well, we will look at figures who have been bad for feminism, including Valerie Solanas and her little-known play Up Your Ass. Finally, we will close the semester with a unit on recent feminist interest in the 1960s and 1970s, and look at contemporary works that offer new ways of thinking about old histories.
Prerequisite: GWS 111 , GWS 249 , senior status, and Senior Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies major.
Instructor: AllenGeneral Literary Studies
GLS 135 - Philosophy and Literature 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See PHI 135 .
Note: Not offered every year.
GLS 201 - Dramatic Literature 1 4 credits (Fall)
See THD 201 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
GLS 202 - Dramatic Literature 2 4 credits (Spring)
See THD 202 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
GLS 203 - American Theatre 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See THD 203 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
GLS 227 - Topics in German Literature in Translation 4 credits (Spring)
See GRM 227 .
GLS 233 - Frames of Reference: Topics in German Cinema from 1920 to the Present 4 credits (Fall)
See GRM 233 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
GLS 242 - Classical Mythology 4 credits (Spring)
See CLS 242 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
GLS 247 - The Russian Short Story 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See RUS 247 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
GLS 248 - The Russian Novel 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See RUS 248 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
GLS 251 - Theoretical Approaches to Children’s and Young Adult Literature 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See HUM 251 .
GLS 251-01 - Theoretical Approaches to Children’s and Young Adult Literature 4 credits (Fall)
See HUM 251-01 .
GLS 251-01 - Theoretical Approaches to Children’s and Young Adult Literature 4 credits (Spring)
See HUM 251-01 .
GLS 261 - History of Russian Film 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See RUS 261 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
GLS 277 - Modern China through Literature and Film (in Translation) 4 credits
See CHI 277 .
Note: Not offered every year.
GLS 279 - Modern Japanese Fiction and Film 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See JPN 279 .
GLS 281 - Major Russian Writers 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See RUS 281 .
Note: Plus-2 option available in Russian.
GLS 291 - Perspectives in 20th-Century Central and Eastern European Literature 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See RES 291 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
GLS 295-01 - Special Topic: Comrades in the Kitchen: Russian Food and Culture in the Soviet Century 4 credits (Spring)
See RUS 295-01 .
GLS 295-01 - Special Topic: Modern Russia and the Culture of Revolution and Change 4 credits (Fall)
See RUS 295-01 .
GLS 303 - Studies in Drama I 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See THD 303 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
GLS 304 - Studies in Drama II 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See THD 304 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
GLS 304-01 - Studies in Drama II 4 credits (Fall)
See THD 304-01 .
GLS 346 - Studies in Modern Prose 4 credits (Fall)
See ENG 346 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
GLS 346-01 - Studies in Modern Prose 4 credits (Spring)
See ENG 346-01 .
GLS 349 - Medieval Literature 4 credits (Fall)
See ENG 349 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
General Science
SCI 125 - Introduction to Earth System Science w/lab 4 credits (Fall)
See ENV 125 .
SCI 350 - Freedom and Authority: The Control of Reproduction 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: HUM 350 and SST 350 How do social, biological, and cultural constraints affect decisions about reproduction? How do social institutions set and enforce the boundaries of what is possible and permissible? How do practices of reproduction generate meaning for human existence? This seminar examines conflicts between the freedom of the individual to make decisions about reproduction and the internal and external authorities of biology, evolution, the family, the state, health care systems, criminal justice systems, and religious hierarchies.
Prerequisite: Third-year or senior standing and completion of a four-credit course at the 200-level or above creditable to a major in the division of registration.
Note: Not offered every year
Instructor: StaffGerman
GLS 227-01 - Topics in German Literature in Translation: The Holocaust Remembered 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: GRM 227-01 .
GRM 101 - Introductory German 5 credits (Fall)
Acquisition of German language skills through listening, speaking, reading, and study of grammar. Students will develop communication skills such as the ability to talk about themselves and their interests. Practice of oral skills with a native German-speaking assistant.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
GRM 102 - Continuing German 5 credits (Spring)
Continuation and completion of oral-aural study of grammatical structures. Increased emphasis on developing oral fluency. Introduction to the literature and culture of Germany through reading and analysis of modern short stories and expository prose. Practice of oral skills with a native German-speaking assistant.
Prerequisite: GRM 101 .
Instructor: Staff
GRM 212 - German Conversation 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
Focus on development of conversation skills. Discussion based on a variety of cultural topics. May be repeated once for credit.
Prerequisite: GRM 102 .
Note: Does not count toward major. S/D/F only.
Instructor: Staff
GRM 221 - Intermediate German I 4 credits (Fall)
Review of selected topics in German grammar, accompanied and followed by continued practice in speaking, reading, and writing.
Prerequisite: GRM 102 .
Instructor: Staff
GRM 222 - Intermediate German II 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Reading and discussion of literary works of intermediate difficulty. Reading content designed to acquaint students with important aspects of recent German culture and to develop skill in the analysis and comprehension of modern German prose.
Prerequisite: GRM 221 .
Instructor: Staff
GRM 227 - Topics in German Literature in Translation 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 227 . Texts selected from a wide variety of literary (and some nonliterary) texts by German-speaking authors. Readings and discussion in English. May be repeated once for credit when content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
GRM 227-01 - Topics in German Literature in Translation: The Holocaust Remembered 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 227-01 . In this course, we will examine works of literature, testimony, film, and memorials to explore the ways in which the Holocaust is remembered, both individually and collectively. The course will ask both what has been remembered over time, and how different modes of remembrance may also enable certain kinds of forgetting. We will delve into some of controversies that have emerged concerning the proper ways to remember an event that same have deemed “beyond representation.” Taught in English.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Reynolds
GRM 233 - Frames of Reference: Topics in German Cinema from 1920 to the Present 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: GLS 233 . Readings and discussions in English. Seminal readings from film theory combined with a survey of German cinema from its inception to the present. Variable thematic concerns include the aesthetics of power, the real and the imaginary, representations of subjectivity, and the construction of national identity. German majors write in German.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Gueneli
GRM 295-01 - Special Topic: Coca-Colonization? Americanization and anti-Americanism in West Germany after 1945 1 or 2 credits (Fall)
Americanization and Anti-Americanism in West Germany after 1945. This course will survey the reception of US culture in West Germany after WWII, throughout the Cold War, and in today’s unified Germany, although the emphasis of the class lies on the Cold War period. We will begin by considering the basic nature of cultural exchanges, with a brief review of US-German relations after WWII and by considering what terms such as “culture”, “consumer society” and “popular” mean, and how they shape our everyday lives. Moving from 1945 onward, we will then scrutinize diverse cultural domains such as film, journalism, newsreels, literature, critical essays, and politics in order to gain an overview of how profoundly West German popular, consumer, and political culture was and continues to be influenced by the powerful transatlantic former Cold War ally. A survey of US-critical and anti-American movements will map out German efforts to emancipate itself from ostensible “Coca-Colonization,” and will cast into relief points of cultural conflict and political disagreement, as for example during the student movement of the late 1960s, and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s merging out of President George W. Bush’s “coalition of the willing” during the Iraq invasion of 2004. Taught in English or German.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Dates: October 24 to December 5. Half-semester deadlines apply.
Instructor: Uelzmann
GRM 302 - Core Seminar I: From Culture to Nation 4 credits (Fall)
Conducted in German. Study of German literature, history, and culture from 1750 to 1871 through literary and historical texts, documentaries, and films.
Prerequisite: GRM 222 .
Instructor: Staff
GRM 303 - Core Seminar II: German Identity Through Wars and Reconciliations 4 credits (Spring)
Conducted in German. Study of German literature, history, and culture from 1871 to the present through literary and historical texts, documentaries, and films.
Prerequisite: GRM 222 .
Instructor: Staff
GRM 310 - Topics in German Language and Culture 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Advanced language course with special emphasis on oral and written proficiency in German. Pertinent cultural and sociopolitical issues of German-speaking countries are used as a basis for short essays and discussions. Predominantly non-literary texts are chosen.
Prerequisite: GRM 222 .
Instructor: Staff
GRM 331 - The German Cultural Heritage: From Tacitus to Goethe 4 credits
Conducted in German. An introduction to German culture from the Germanic tribes to the Enlightenment. Topics to be examined include political organizations, gender issues, and religion, with readings from the pre-middle ages, the medieval period, the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the Storm and Stress movement. All readings in modern German.
Prerequisite: GRM 302 and GRM 303 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Byrd
GRM 343 - Cultural and Intellectual Revolution from Classicism Through Realism 4 credits
Conducted in German. A study of literature and thought from the late 18th century through 1880. Literary texts will be placed within the philosophical, historical, and socio-linguistic context. Variable topics.
Prerequisite: GRM 302 and GRM 303 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Byrd
GRM 350 - Contested Subjects: German Culture from the Avant-Garde to Postmodernism 4 credits
Conducted in German. An exploration of German-speaking identities through their formulations and contestations in literature, architecture, cinema, music, cabaret, and political culture. Tracing the artistic epochs from Naturalism to Postmodernism, the course will examine ideologies of self and Other as they relate to ethnicity, race, class, gender, and geography.
Prerequisite: GRM 302 and GRM 303 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Reynolds, Samper Vendrell
GRM 354 - The Turbulent Century: Literature and Culture in 20th-Century Germany 4 credits
Conducted in German. A study of responses in literary and other texts to historical, political, and social events such as World War I, the Weimar Republic, World War II, postwar reconstruction, the German Democratic Republic, and unification. Variable topics.
Prerequisite: GRM 302 and GRM 303 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Gueneli, Samper Vendrell
GRM 372 - Recent Trends in German Literature 1 or 2 credits (Spring)
Close reading and analysis of recent German works from a contemporary cultural perspective. Conducted by the German writer in residence. All readings and discussion in German. May be repeated once for credit.
Prerequisite: GRM 302 .
Instructor: Staff
GRM 495 - Advanced Seminar in German Studies 4 credits (Spring)
Critical reading and close analysis of selected texts in German literature and culture for students with a solid background in the study of German. Topics vary, and texts include both primary and secondary sources. Course may be repeated once for credit when content changes.
Prerequisite: Senior standing or special permission for third-year students.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: StaffGlobal Development Studies
GDS 111 - Introduction to Global Development Studies 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
This course adopts an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of contemporary issues in the economic development of less-developed countries. Course reviews the leading theories of economic, political, and social change that have been adopted by anthropologists, economists, and political scientists, and considers how these theories have shaped past and current debate on the definition and goals of the development process. Course compares and contrasts the approaches adopted by international institutions and alternative development organizations to the “practice” of development.
Prerequisite: One course in Anthropology, or Economics, or Political Science, or Sociology. ECN 111 is strongly recommended.
Instructor: Brottem, Roper
GDS 154 - Natural Hazards and Disasters 4 credits (Spring)
See ENV 154 .
GDS 251 - Water, Development, and the Environment 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: ENV 251 . This course explores international water issues, focusing on the environmental, social, economic, and political implications of water scarcity. Emphasis will be on three interrelated topics: water scarcity as a constraint on development; water scarcity as a source of domestic and international conflict; and, in particular, the environmental implications of water supply projects and their social and economic consequences. Water management policy and the implications of changing climate on regional water availability will also be considered.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: P. Jacobson
GDS 261 - Climate Change, Development and the Environment 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: ENV 261 . This course introduces the basic science of climate change, focusing on the environmental, social, economic, and political implications of such change, as well as the institutions and associated policies engaged in negotiating a response, both locally and globally. Students will conduct in-depth examinations of key regions and ecosystems exemplifying how climate change is closely intertwined with development and natural resource management. The difficulties of predicting regional shifts in climate will be considered, along with the challenges associated with defining policy in the face of uncertainty.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: P. Jacobson, Brottem
GDS 295-01 - Special Topic: 9 Billion People: Inquiry into Impacts and Opportunities 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: ENV 295-01 . This course combines discussion and data analysis activities on a set of global challenges that impact developing countries. The course will include modules on climate change, population growth, food security, and human migration. Data analysis exercises will use Geographic Information Systems (GIS), text-mining, visualization, and network analysis tools as means to investigate how rapid change in these four areas affect development prospects around the world by creating turbulence and instability. The course will be comprised of discussions, in-class exercises, and an independent project that utilizes one or more of the tools covered in the class.
Prerequisite: GDS 111 .
Instructor: Brottem
GDS 346 - Sustainable Development in the Modern World System 4 credits (Spring)
Interdisciplinary social science examination of theories and issues concerning “sustainable development.” Historical consideration of the goals of development along with how and why the concept of sustainability became prevalent in the dominant discourse, and the contested meanings applied to this concept. Focus then given to several key issues (varying by year) at the boundary of economic/social development, natural resource management, and environmental degradation (such as population growth, agrarian reform, international environmental treaties, climate change, deforestation, agribusiness, tourism, etc.). Can count as anthropology seminar when taught by Roper.
Prerequisite: GDS 111 and ANT 238 , ECN 230 , ECN 233 , ECN 240 , EDU 217 , POL 251 , POL 257 , POL 259 , SOC 220 , SOC 240 , or SST 230 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Roper
GDS 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Architecture and Urbanism in the Developing World 4 credits (Spring)
See ARH 395-01
GDS 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Development Dilemmas in sub-Saharan Africa: Policies, Institutions, and Actors 4 credits (Fall)
This course will investigate development in sub-Saharan Africa as a process of social and political change. It will include an overview of development policy in Africa in historic perspective (colonial, state-led, post-structural adjustment) and engagement with contemporary challenges facing the continent such as food security, civil conflict, and urbanization. It will examine these challenges, past development failures, and perceived ways forward through several different theoretical frameworks with particular attention to issues of governance.
Prerequisite: GDS 111 and ECN 230 , GDS 261 , HIS 262 , POL 250 , POL 251 , POL 257 , POL 258 , or POL 262 , OR another 200-level course approved by the instructor.
Instructor: BrottemHistory
AMS 295-01 - Special Topic: Asian American Activism, 1875 - 2010
See HIS 295-01 .
HIS 30x - Advanced Studies in Latin America History 4 credits
In any academic year, students may choose from among six to eight 300-level seminar courses. For current course descriptions, prerequisites, and instructors, please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
HIS 31x - Advanced Studies in United States History 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
In any academic year, students may choose from among six to eight 300-level seminar courses. For current course descriptions, prerequisites, and instructors, please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
HIS 32x - Advanced Studies in United States History 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
In any academic year, students may choose from among six to eight 300-level seminar courses. For current course descriptions, prerequisites, and instructors, please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
HIS 33x - Advanced Studies in Western European and British History 4 credits
In any academic year, students may choose from among six to eight 300-level seminar courses. For current course descriptions, prerequisites, and instructors, please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
HIS 34x - Advanced Studies in Russian History 4 credits
In any academic year, students may choose from among six to eight 300-level seminar courses. For current course descriptions, prerequisites, and instructors, please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
HIS 35x - Advanced Studies in Historiography and Ancient History 4 credits
In any academic year, students may choose from among six to eight 300-level seminar courses. For current course descriptions, prerequisites, and instructors, please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
HIS 36x - Advanced Studies in African & Middle-Eastern History 4 credits
In any academic year, students may choose from among six to eight 300-level seminar courses. For current course descriptions, prerequisites, and instructors, please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
HIS 37x - Advanced Studies in Asian History 4 credits
In any academic year, students may choose from among six to eight 300-level seminar courses. For current course descriptions, prerequisites, and instructors, please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
HIS 38X - Advanced Studies in Comparative and Transregional History 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
In any academic year, students may choose from among six to eight 300-level seminar courses. For current course descriptions, prerequisites, and instructors, please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
HIS 100 - Introduction to Historical Inquiry 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Introduces students to historical analysis and argumentation. Individual sections focus on different topics and time periods. In all sections, students will investigate a range of sources, methods, and approaches that historians use to interpret the past. Required of all majors and appropriate for all students. For current course content, please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
HIS 100-01 - Introduction to Historical Inquiry: The Conservation Movement 4 credits (Spring)
This course provides an introduction to issues of historical causation, argumentation, and evidence through the lens of the Conservation movement (1870-1940) which aimed to transform societies’ use of natural resources. After an introductory unit on historical methods, we will examine how various efforts to conserve nature unfolded in American cities, rural landscapes, and national parks. We will also explore the international dimensions of this story, tracing the growing role of conservation in European imperialism around the globe.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Guenther
HIS 100-01 - Introduction to Historical Inquiry: The Spanish Conquest of America 4 credits (Fall)
This course provides an introduction to issues of historical causation, argumentation, and evidence through the lens of the first major episode of European colonization. In tandem with discussions of historical methods we will examine accounts of Spanish experiences in the Caribbean, in Mexico, and in the Andes. Using primary and secondary sources, students will learn the skills necessary to analyze historical scholarship and be introduced to the various means by which historians conduct research and write about the past.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Silva
HIS 100-02 - Introduction to Historical Inquiry: European Revolutions 4 credits (Spring)
This course provides an introduction to issues of historical causation, argumentation, and evidence through the lens of European revolutions between the late eighteenth century and the early twentieth. After introductory units on historical methods and the phenomenon of revolution itself, we examine the French Revolution, the Revolutions of 1848-49, and the Russian Revolution as both profoundly local and decidedly transnational events. We work closely with primary sources and consider the political, social, cultural, intellectual, and psychological ramifications of these dramatic ruptures for their participants and subsequent generations.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Maynard
HIS 100-02 - Introduction to Historical Inquiry: The Rise and Fall of New World Slavery 4 credits (Fall)
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.
Instructor: Lacson
HIS 100-03 - Introduction to Historical Inquiry: After the Great War 4 credits (Fall)
This course provides an introduction to issues of historical causation, argumentation, and evidence, by exploring the impact of the First World War (1914-18) on the political, social, and cultural institutions of Europe and the wider world, and using the current centenary of the war to consider its legacy. After introductory units on historical methods and the experience of the war, we will investigate how European citizens and subjects attempted to reconstruct, reinvent, and make sense of “a world undone.” Topics will include cultural memory and modernism; gender and the “New Woman”; the rise of Nazism; internationalism and the League of Nations; colonialism and nationalism.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Prevost
HIS 201 - Colonial Latin America 4 credits (Spring)
A general survey of Latin American history from the Columbian encounter through independence. The course will focus on the patterns of European conquest and colonization, the complexity of race relations in the region, and the problems of colonial administration.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in Spanish or Portuguese for course and +2.
Instructor: Silva
HIS 202 - Modern Latin America 4 credits (Fall)
A general survey of Latin American history from independence to the present day. The course will focus on problems of political instability, economic development, and the role of the United States in the region.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in Spanish or Portuguese for course and +2.
Instructor: Silva
HIS 204 - Radical Movements in 20th-Century Latin America 4 credits
During the 20th century, Latin America has witnessed both peaceful leftist mobilizations and violent revolutions. All of these movements aimed at redressing inequalities and creating more just societies. This course will consider several of these movements in comparative perspective.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Silva
HIS 210 - Historical Perspectives on US Education 4 credits (Fall)
See EDU 210 .
HIS 212 - Democracy in America, 1789–1848 4 credits (Fall)
Examines the tensions caused by the simultaneous development of political democracy in the United States and the demands for rights by those who continued to be excluded from various forms of power. Topics include: the creation of party politics, reform movements, economic growth, class conflict, expansionism, race, slavery, gender, and material culture.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Purcell
HIS 214 - The American Civil War and Reconstruction 4 credits (Spring)
Surveys the causes, progress, and consequences of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Examines American history from the mid-1840s through the late 1870s with a focus on race, politics, economics, gender, and military conflict to uncover how and why the United States tore itself apart, whether the fundamental conflicts of the war were solved by Reconstruction, and why the Civil War has occupied such an important place in American history and imagination.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Purcell
HIS 220 - U.S. Environmental History 4 credits (Spring)
This course examines some of the central issues and debates in American environmental history, ranging from the era of pre-contact to the present day. Key topics will include: the shifting patterns of land use and resource management among Native American and settler communities; the ecological transformations wrought by commercial agriculture and industrial capitalism; the evolution of environmental policy; and the changing ways in which people have conceptualized and interacted with the natural world around them.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Guenther
HIS 222 - The History of Women in the United States 4 credits (Spring)
Examines basic themes and issues that have dominated the lives of women in the United States since the colonial period. Focuses on the interaction of economics and ideology; relationships between production, reproduction, and sexuality in defining women’s status; development of female culture and feminism; and the role of race, class, and ethnicity in shaping women’s experiences.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Lewis
HIS 223 - American Medical History 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course examines the history of medical care in America from the colonial period through the 20th century. Students consider how social factors, as well as personal, political, and professional agendas, influenced medical knowledge and practice. Students explore the constructed meanings of disease and health, and the individuals, technologies, and scientific discoveries that shaped them. Special attention is given to themes of public health, personal agency, and professional authority.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Lewis
HIS 225 - Native American History, 1491–1865 4 credits (Fall)
This course offers a social, environmental, political, and cultural history of early America from the perspectives of Native Americans. From the point of view of Native Americans, we will examine many familiar topics, such as European exploration of North America, the founding of European colonies, warfare among European powers, slavery, and the American Revolution.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Lacson
HIS 226 - Native American History, 1871 to Present 4 credits (Spring)
From the end of treaty-making with the United States in the late-nineteenth century through to the present, this course examines the struggles of Native people in asserting tribal sovereignty while simultaneously acknowledging connections to the United States. Focusing on some well-known events and people, like Little Big Horn and Geronimo, and many lesser-known people and events, this course examines persistence and change as American Indians in the United States grappled with issues of sovereignty and citizenship.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Lacson
HIS 227 - African American History 4 credits (Spring)
A survey of the African American experience in slavery and freedom, with a primary emphasis on the struggle for racial justice and equality since the Civil War. Assignments stress primary sources as well as scholarly studies, films, and recordings.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Lacson
HIS 229 - American Economic History 4 credits
See ECN 229 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
HIS 232 - Sex, Gender, and Family in Europe, 1300-1700 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
What did it mean to be a child, woman, or man in Europe between 1300 and 1700? This course explores the experiences of exemplary and deviant sorts including nuns, courtesans, sodomites, peasants, witches, slaves, and conquistadors. It examines the construction of identity and sexual familial relationships in a period of social change and increasing entanglement with non-Christian cultures. Students will examine primary sources, historical debates, and film and develop a virtual museum exhibition.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Pollnitz
HIS 233 - Renaissance, Reformations, Explorations 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Examines the crucible of forces that turned Europe from a geographical location into a powerful cultural idea. We will explore the cultural movement of the Renaissance and the subsequent transformation of natural philosophy, the religious reformations that divided Christendom and catalyzed years of sectarian warfare, and Europeans’ increasing engagement with the wider world. Students will study primary sources and historical debates, and practice communicating history to a public audience.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Pollnitz
HIS 234 - Tudors and Stuarts, 1485-1707 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Tudor and Stuart monarchs were some of the most intriguing characters to walk on the world’s stage. Their reigns were characterized by major changes in British and Irish political, religious, economic, and cultural life; these transformations shaped the politics and denominational diversity of the modern, Anglophone world. Students will examine manuscripts, rare books, portraits, and architecture, intervene in major historical debates about the period, and recreate an evening in Elizabeth I’s court.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Pollnitz
HIS 235 - Britain in the Age of Enlightenment 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course examines the dramatic transformations that took place in the British world during the “long eighteenth century” (1688-1832), ushering in new forms of industry and imperialism, family life and socialbility, work and leisure, literature and science, politics and civil society. Students will explore how these transformations helped create many of the patterns of our modern world while also examining the new spaces and settings–such as the coffeehouse or the laboratory–in which they unfolded.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Guenther
HIS 236 - Modern Britain and the Empire 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course examines the expansion and contraction of the British world order in the 19th and 20th centuries, and considers how modern British political institutions, social and economic structures, and cultural identities developed in a global context. Special attention will be given to the evolving relationships between power and protest, and between metropole and colony.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Prevost
HIS 237 - The Spectacle of Modern France 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Beginning with a detailed analysis of the French Revolution as the foundation for the making of modern France, this course concentrates thereafter on pivotal issues including transnational relationships with countries like Germany, Algeria, and the United States; consumerism and urban spectacle; the lure of bohemia and the fin-de-siècle crisis of bourgeois values; the interplay of so-called elite and mass cultures; and the collapse and recovery of democratic institutions in the twentieth century. We highlight perspectives of class, race, and gender and focus upon the power of culture and ideas in shaping the French nation.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available in English or French.
Instructor: Maynard
HIS 238 - The Making of Modern Germany 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course traces the rise of the modern German nation from the accession of Frederick the Great through the Cold War. We examine the gradual decline of Habsburg dominance; the ascent of a powerful economic, military, and intellectual “Germany” dominated by Prussia by 1870; the rupture of World War I and the ensuing radicalism of the Weimar Republic; the rise and fall of the Third Reich; and Germany’s recovery from the catastrophes of the early twentieth century. We address the role of geography, culture, and ethnicity in the construction of national identity and the ongoing interplay between politics and culture.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in German for course and +2.
Instructor: Maynard
HIS 239 - Tyrants and Tunesmiths: Opera, Politics, and Society in Modern Europe 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course examines the complex relationship between operatic production and political power in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in several national contexts including France, Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union. We consider specific interactions among composers, politicians, and institutions and seek to understand how such engagements shaped both the works themselves and the political and social realities around them in the processes of inception, performance, and reception.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in English, French, or German for course and +2.
Instructor: Maynard
HIS 241 - Origins of Modern Russia 4 credits (Fall)
Focusing upon the medieval origins of early East Slavic societies and the formation of the Muscovite state and Russian Empire, this course examines the political, economic, and social components of pre-revolutionary Russia from the 10th through the 19th centuries. The dynamics of ethnicity, the multiple forms of state-building, and the role of gender, class, and ideology receive special attention.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing. Option of doing some work in Russian.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Cohn
HIS 242 - The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union 4 credits (Spring)
Examines the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, from the appearance of the revolutionary movement in the 19th century to the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1991. Key topics will include the origins of the revolution, the workings of the Stalinist dictatorship, the push to create a “New Soviet Man,” the reforms of Nikita Khrushchev, and the causes of the 1991 collapse. Option of doing some work in Russian.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Cohn
HIS 244 - Ivan and Fritz Go to War: World War II on the Eastern Front 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course examines the war between Nazi Germany and the Stalinist U.S.S.R. along World War II’s Eastern Front. Although it will include an overview of the war’s main military events, it will focus on the conflict’s social and political significance. Major themes will include the experiences of the troops, the political working of each wartime regime, the reasons for the unusually high level of brutality, the war’s relationship to the Holocaust, and the Soviet myth of the war.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Cohn
HIS 255 - History of Ancient Greece 4 credits (Fall)
See CLS 255 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: M. Cummins (Classics)
HIS 257 - The Roman Republic 4 credits (Fall)
See CLS 257 .
Note: Not offered every year.
HIS 258 - The Roman Empire 4 credits (Fall)
See CLS 258 .
HIS 261 - Southern Africa 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An introduction to the 10-country region, with an emphasis on the Republic of South Africa. Regional geography along with culture and politics are principal themes, including the rise and fall of the South African apartheid state.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Prevost, Drake
HIS 262 - Modern Africa from the Sahara to the Zambezi 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An introduction to West, Central, and East Africa during the colonial and post-colonial periods, focusing on the local, regional, and international dynamics of state-building, social and economic change, religious transformation, cultural identity, nationalism, and globalization.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option Available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Prevost
HIS 266 - History of the Modern Middle East 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course charts the development of the modern Middle East, exploring the contestations, negotiations, and exclusions that characterize the transformation of life in the region from 1798 through today. We will guide our exploration with pointed questions: How did the nation become an organizing principle for collective life? How did capitalism take root? How did secularism become a question of concern? How, for whom, and to what effect did modernity become a specific concern in the region?
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Elfenbein
HIS 267 - Islam in the Modern Era 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: REL 267 . This course explores Islamic traditions during the modern period (post-1800), focusing especially on the way that modern colonialism and imperialism transformed life in Muslim communities in South Asia and the Middle East. We will explore this general issue through more specific topics such as historical change in Islamic legal traditions and in the place of religion in economic and political life in Muslim communities.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 , REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Elfenbein
HIS 268 - Islam and Gender 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: REL 268 . This course explores Islamic discourses about wo/men and gender in Islam, focusing attention on the processes by which the Muslim community has articulated and policed gender-specific ideals over time, particularly as they relate to: community identity, conceptions of cultural authenticity, the interpretation of the foundational sources of Islam and legal traditions. We will give significant attention to these issues as they pertain to 19th and 20th century debates about “re-forming” Muslim women.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 , REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Elfenbein
HIS 271 - Imperial Collisions in the Asia-Pacific 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course is intended to introduce students to the modern history of East Asia. We will focus primarily on empire, or the construction of large-scale political, economic, and military structures through which human populations and other resources of statecraft were mobilized in the service of expansionist agendas throughout the modern age. Case studies will focus on the Qing empire, the British and French empires, the Empire of Great Japan, and Cold War-era Pacific alliances. In the latter case, we will also debate whether empire or imperial systems have survived into the present day - a question with important consequences for how we think about our own relationship to earlier historical moments. Finally, this course will address the relationship between national revolutions and anti-imperial agendas, as well as recent (and some not-so-recent) events which have shaped East Asia’s contemporary economic resurgence.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Johnson
HIS 275 - China’s Revolutions 4 credits (Fall)
Revolutions taking place in 1911, 1927, 1949 have massively impacted the evolution of state-society relationships in China today. Each week, we will examine the forces which pushed forward China’s revolutionary process, the obstacles which revolution encountered, and the inequalities it created and re-created. Through close reading of primary documents we will answer questions such as - What does revolution mean? How can this concept be meaningfully applied to China? What are its contemporary legacies?
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Johnson
HIS 277 - China’s Rise 4 credits (Spring)
In 1949, Mao Zedong declared that “the Chinese people have stood up.” Twenty years later, Mao’s Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution brought China’s people to the precipice of disaster. Fast forward another twenty years, and China has once again “stood up” in the international community. How can we account for these changes? By focusing on foreign policy, political economy, and lived experience, this course addresses and evaluates China’s rise to great power status.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Johnson
HIS 281 - Science and Society 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course focuses on the rise of modern science in Europe and the Americas from roughly 1650 to 1900, exploring how revolutionary developments in the physical, biological and human sciences were connected to profound changes in the social and political world, such as the Enlightenment, the industrial revolution, new forms of imperialism and statecraft, work and leisure, democratic politics, and the growing emphasis on racial and sexual difference.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 , or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Guenther
HIS 295-01 - Special Topic: Asian American Activism, 1875 - 2010 1 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: AMS 295-01 . This course is sponsored by The Wilson Center for Innovation and Leadership. The goal of this course is to introduce students to the history of Asian American organizing, leadership, and activism. We will use activism as a lens to examine three important themes in Asian American history: 1)Asian American’s critiques of U.S. empire, 2)How Asian Americans have built panethnic and multiracial coalitions, and 3)How activism has shaped different Asian American identities.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 , AMS 130 , or second-year standing.
Note: Dates: August 26 to September 23. Short course deadlines apply.
Instructor: Sales
HIS 295-01 - Special Topic: Sex in American History 4 credits (Spring)
This course moves thematically through the American past, from the colonial era through the 20th century, to explore the history of the American sexual experience. Students will consider changes, contradictions, and continuities in sexual ideals as well as the complicated realities of sexual experiences. Topics include the invention of sexualities, courtship and marriage customs, sexual citizenship, sex work, deviant desires, visions of alternate sexual systems, sexual violence, and more.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 , GWS 111 , or second-year standing.
Instructor: Lewis
HIS 295-02 - Special Topic: Being Muslim in American 4 credits (Spring)
See REL 295-06 .
HIS 295-02 - Special Topic: History of Modern India 4 credits (Fall)
India is currently a rising international economic and political power, but it is also a nation that is home to an ancient and fascinating culture. This course will trace the trajectory of Indian history in an exploration of what has shaped the emergence of modern India. In it, we will follow historical events from the beginning of India’s interaction with the west in the late 17th century, through the British colonial period from the 18th century, up until Indian independence in 1947, and then through to 2016, which finds Indian culture spread around the world and a powerful, modern India emerging on the world stage. We will engage with a wide variety of sources, including government documents, literature, films and music in order to understand Indian representations of the past, as well as competing discourses about the nature of those representations. We will dissect colonial influences and depictions of Indian culture in order to develop a fuller understanding of the different paths taken that have led to postcolonial India as it is now.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Bhutia
HIS 309-01 - Latin America and the U.S. 4 credits (Spring)
As the saying goes, Latin America lies too far from God and too close to the United States. This proximity has affected Latin American economics, demographics, culture, and politics. The seminar will begin with common readings. This year those common readings will focus on US attempts–both official and unofficial–to democratize and modernize the region. Students will then write a research paper using primary documents. These papers could focus on any one of a number of issues that were central to US-Latin American relations such as hemispheric security, economic affairs, democracy, and socialism. A reading knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is helpful but not required.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 and HIS 201 or HIS 202 .
Instructor: Silva
HIS 314-01 - US Civil War: History and Memory 4 credits (Fall)
Students in this seminar will complete major research projects about the U.S. Civil War and/or its presence in public memory. The Civil War was a major watershed event, and students will study a number of important recent trends and debates in its historiography before defining their own topics of research. We will consider new approaches to analyzing the military, economic, social, gender, and racial dimensions of the war as well as topics such as popular culture, geography, immigration, and transnational history. In addition to studying the war itself, students will also consider how Civil War commemorations continued to shape U.S. history and culture during Reconstruction and beyond.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 and HIS 214 .
Instructor: Purcell
HIS 323-01 - American Women Since WWII 4 credits (Spring)
Students in this seminar will explore the history of American women since the Second World War. The postwar decades and late twentieth century witnessed enormous changes in the lives of American women, including both expanding opportunities as well as rising expectations. We will consider how American women fomented and navigated these changes, paying careful attention to the significance of race, class, sexuality, and citizenship status in shaping their experiences. Students will begin the semester by engaging in a close reading of historical texts, both primary and secondary, to establish a shared foundation in the historiography of this period, in the theoretical basis of women’s history as a field, and in the special considerations of doing contemporary history. Students will conclude the semester by producing an article-length research paper and a 15-minute presentation of their historical research into this era. Students will be expected to mine digital archives as well as traditional collections in order to locate sufficient primary sources for their project.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 and HIS 222 or HIS 295-01 .
Instructor: Lewis
HIS 325-01 - American Indian Reservations 4 credits (Spring)
This course examines the history of American Indian reservations from the late-nineteenth century to the present. The common readings will introduce students to the origins and major historical problems of reservation history, especially the tricky task of defining the relationship between American Indian reservations and the United States. Specifically, we will examine the end of treaty-making between the United States and Indian tribes, allotment of Indian land, federal assimilation programs, boarding schools, the meaning of U.S. citizenship for Native peoples, and the opportunities and challenges of casinos.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 and any 200-level history course.
Instructor: Lacson
HIS 337-01 - Wagnerism 4 credits (Fall)
The composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883) wore many hats. He was a musical and theatrical innovator, a prolific writer, an anti-semite, a cosmopolitan, a staunch German nationalist, a radical leftist revolutionary, a vegetarian, a dabbler in buddhism, an anti-vivisectionist, a utopian, and a forefather of modern cinema. Scholarly analysis of his legacy falls roughly into three periods: the hyperbolic construction of “genius” which seemed to follow in the composer’s wake during his lifetime, a generation of scathing indictment beginning in the 1930s in response to his posthumous embrace by the Nazis, and a more recent tempering of opinions in which scholars reconsider Wagner’s lasting contributions to literature, painting, theater, modernism, medicine, and the politics of the left. In this seminar we examine some of Wagner’s extensive writings and creative works, familiarize ourselves with his most influential critics and their contexts, and develop individual research projects that illuminate some aspect of the Wagnerian legacy across the globe over the last century and a half. Wagnerism, then, serves as a lens through which to explore fundamental issues including the intersection of art and politics; cultural transfer; reception histories and aesthetic experience; the tensions inherent in nationalism, transnationalism, and cosmopolitanism; and the politics of commemoration and revision.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 and HIS 236 , HIS 237 , HIS 238 , HIS 239 , or HIS 241 .
Note: Foreign language option available in German or French.
Instructor: Maynard
HIS 373-01 - Chimerica: History of Special Relationship 4 credits (Fall)
This seminar will address the history behind China and America’s tumultuous - and increasingly symbiotic - bilateral relationship by examining American/Chinese interactions over the course of the 20th century. After reviewing the rich historiography on international, economic, and intercultural contact between these two Pacific states, we will turn to mapping out a collaborative research agenda based on available resources at Grinnell and surrounding libraries and archives. Students will then write individual research papers focused on some aspect of China-U.S. relations, with an eye toward explaining how contemporary patterns have been anticipated by historical interaction. Our penultimate goals will thus include: 1) extensive drafting and re-writing of a substantive, paper-length work of original research, and 2) developing an understanding of U.S.-China relations which accounts for the multiple levels of exchange, meaning, and past precedent at work in shaping our global present.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 and any 200-level course on East Asian history or United States History.
Instructor: Johnson
HIS 382 - Advanced Tutorial: Modern Classics of Historical Writing 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course surveys of some great works of historical scholarship. It will be useful to students who are considering graduate studies, but it is intended for all students who would like to improve their ability to write analytically and argue persuasively. The course will be taught in Oxford tutorial style, in small group meetings with the instructor, and will involve frequent short writing assignments. It will also serve as useful preparation to all advanced seminars in history.
Prerequisite: Two 200-level History courses.
Instructor: Staff
HIS 499 - Mentored Advanced Project 2 or 4 credits
A history MAP allows students to undertake advanced research and produce original knowledge on a topic of historical significance, and often follows work begun in a 300-level history seminar. To have their projects approved, students must demonstrate that they are already familiar with the most important scholarly works published in their proposed field of inquiry and identify the primary source base that will comprise the core of their research. MAP proposals, which must be submitted to the history department chair at least one week before they are due at the Office of the Registrar, should include an essay of 1,200–1,500 words to explain the historical problem to be investigated and the questions left open by existing research in the field, a bibliography detailed enough to demonstrate that the project is feasible, and the final form the project will take. With permission, the 499 may be used to fulfill the second 300-level requirement for the major, provided supervision takes place under a different professor than the student worked with in the other 300-level seminar, and the results are presented satisfactorily to a colloquium of students and faculty.
Prerequisite: See additional information on Mentored Advanced Projects.
Instructor: StaffHumanities
HUM 101 - Humanities I: The Ancient Greek World 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
A foundation for further study in the liberal arts, developing skills of critical reading, writing, and imaginative thinking through the study of selected works from ancient Greece. Readings include Homeric epic, tragic drama, Platonic dialogues, Thucydides’ History and Aristotle’s Poetics.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
HUM 102 - Humanities II: Roman and Early Christian Culture 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Major works of Roman and early Christian culture, exploring private and public paths to happiness from Cicero’s ideal commonwealth to the City of God. Readings include Virgil’s Aeneid, Stoic and Epicurean philosophy, satire and drama, Christian scripture, St. Augustine, and Boethius. Emphasis on close reading, discussion, and short essay assignments.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
HUM 140 - Medieval and Renaissance Culture: 1100–1650 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: SST 140 . This interdisciplinary course explores European culture and the social and political forces that shaped it between 1100 and 1650, paying special attention to feudalism and the Crusades, the intellectual efflorescence of the 12th and 13th centuries, the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the advent of the Scientific Revolution. In our exploration of medieval and Renaissance culture we will draw on art, science, literature, political theory, philosophy and theology, music, the writings of mystics, and advice manuals for heads of households and would-be courtiers.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
HUM 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: An Introduction to Museum Studies 4 credits (Fall)
See ARH 195-01 .
HUM 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: Food, Culture, and Identity in China and Russia 4 credits (Spring)
This course examines and compares how Chinese and Russian people conceive of, represent, and reimagine their individual and collective identities through a specific lens: how they (re)make and consume food traditions. We will explore how socialist and post-socialist cultural forces, including globalization, shape and are influenced by foodways in China and Russia, especially as their cultures and societies have undergone and continue to experience vast transformations. Drawing from Chinese and Russian literature, cookbooks, cultural histories, art, film, folklore, and memoirs, we will use methodologies of textual analysis and food history as we explore our topic. As part of our course, we will travel to several cities in China over spring break, and in Russia over the summer.
First-year students interested in this course will need to complete an application in addition to doing the normal registration process. The application materials are available on GrinnellShare (Academics>Centers>Center for International Studies>Global Learning Program). Students selected to participate in the Global Learning Program will be required to pay a $400 participation fee (most other required travel expenses will be covered). This fee will be payable at the Cashier’s Office, by cash or check, and will be due 1 week after classes begin. If payment of this fee causes you financial concern, please contact Gretchen Zimmermann in the Financial Aid Office to discuss loan options to cover this additional cost of attendance.
Prerequisite: TUT-100.
Instructor: Armstrong, Feng
HUM 195-02 - Introductory Special Topic: Adaptation and Multimedia Storytelling 4 credits (Spring)
As Angels in America declares about them party costumes, “it’s all been done before.” Yet when a story or idea moves from genre to genre, form to form, language to language, audience to audience, place to place, time to time, it transforms into something new. This course will examine adaptation processes and examples, including theatre, literature, dance, music, film, puppetry, opera, visual art, and digital storytelling. Students will create their own adaptation inspired by materials from the College Archives and drawing upon digital and non-digital methods.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Shook
HUM 195-02 - Introductory Special Topic: Performing Commemoration: Ephemeral and Digital Memorials 2 credits (Fall)
Two decades have passed since the play Ubu and the Truth Commission examined the new raw process of Reconciliation in South Africa. Still North America struggles with the legacies of slavery and Native genocide, and though memorialization increases, traditional monolithic monument-making yields to performance and digital revisions in the commemoration of traumatic history. This course will apply an interdisciplinary performance studies lens to the storytelling and place-making of performative and digital commemorations. What links such experiences, and what distinguishes the forms? What can they teach us about audience, narrative, community?
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Dates: October 25 to November 22. Short course deadlines apply.
Instructor: Shook
HUM 195-03 - Introductory Special Topic: Social Justice and Digital Humantieis 2 credits (Spring)
#BlackLivesMatter, #Occupy, #WeWillRise: our digital environment is a living archive for social justice movements. How can we engage these digital archives as scholars? How can we use digital tools to see archives of past social justice movements in new ways? Intended as an introduction to “digital humanities” (the intersection of humanities inquiry with digital technologies), this course surveys tools, techniques, and critical approaches. Students will interrogate Grinnell’s past and present as a site of social justice movements to craft an original digital narrative.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Dates April 7 to May 12. Short course deadlines apply.
Instructor: Rodrigues, Schnepper
HUM 200 - Creative Careers: Learning from Alumni
See SST 200 .
HUM 251 - Theoretical Approaches to Children’s and Young Adult Literature 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 251 . This course takes a theoretical approach to canonical and contemporary children’s literature. Content is variable, but may include The Young Adult Problem Novel, Dystopian Fiction for the Young Adult Reader, and Constructions of Race, Slavery, Class and Gender in Children’s and Young Adult Literature. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: A course in English or another course in literature.
Note: Foreign language available in Russian or French.
Instructor: Staff
HUM 251-01 - Theoretical Approaches to Children’s and Young Adult Literature 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: GLS 251-01 . This course will take a theoretical approach to canonical and contemporary children’s literature. In 2016, “Theoretical Approaches to Children’s and Young Adult Literature” will focus on the “problem novel” for teens (ages 13-18), its evolution in the United States, and its manifestations in other cultures and nations. This year we will consider translated teen fiction from Scandinavia after reading and discussing the American problem novel and its development in the twentieth century. Are the concerns of teenagers presented universally to readers of different cultures? Or do national or cultural mores take precedence when writing for teens?
Prerequisite: A course in English or another course in literature.
Instructor: Herold
HUM 251-01 - Theoretical Approaches to Children’s and Young Adult Literature 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 251-01 . This course takes a theoretical approach to canonical and contemporary children’s literature. This section will focus primarily on the history of constructions of race and gender in American children’s literature, primarily picture books.
Prerequisite: A course in English or another course in literature.
Instructor: Greene
HUM 295-01 - Special Topic: Comrades in the Kitchen: Russian Food and Culture in the Soviet Century 4 credits (Spring)
See RUS 295-01 .
HUM 295-01 - Special Topic: Modern Russia and the Culture of Revolution and Change 4 credits (Fall)
See RUS 295-01 .
HUM 295-02 - Special Topic: Contemporary Irish Writing 4 credits (Fall)
The course will focus on contemporary Irish fiction and playwriting in the context of a changing Ireland. By looking closely at the work of key Irish writers, the course will offer students an opportunity to engage with the enormous social and economic changes which are taking place in Ireland through a vibrant and unique range of contemporary voices which have become part of the Irish storytelling tradition.
Prerequisite: TUT-100 and second-year standing.
Instructor: Hamilton
HUM 295-03 - Special Topic: Islamic Law in Theory and Practice 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: SST 295-03 . This course will use the work of 12th century scholar Ibn Rushd (Averroës) as a window into the theory and historical practice of Islamic law, often called shari’a. We will cover a range of related topics, including criminal law, dietary law, the law of war, the place of public and private institutions in Muslim societies historically, how Muslim communities have debated questions of gender, and the contested place of religion in modern societies.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
HUM 295-03 - Special Topic: Rethinking Global Cultures 1 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: SST 295-04 . This course will take advantage of the 2016-17 Humanities Center theme of the same name, giving participating students and faculty a chance to engage with internationally-renouned scholars who have reconceptualized cultures on a global dimension, and given us a new perspective on intellectual-borrowings, geographic roamings, transfers and exchange of knowledge, relationships of power, and the less-known lives of communities, societies, and marginal groups. Students will meet with and attend the talks of visiting speakers (approximately 4 per semester), and read and contextualize these scholars’ work in a bi-weekly seminar.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Prevost
HUM 295-04 - Special Topic: Journal Publishing: Building a Community 4 credits (Spring)
See SST 295-04 .
HUM 350 - Freedom and Authority: The Control of Reproduction 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: SCI 350 and SST 350 . How do social, biological, and cultural constraints affect decisions about reproduction? How do social institutions set and enforce the boundaries of what is possible and permissible? How do practices of reproduction generate meaning for human existence? This seminar examines conflicts between the freedom of the individual to make decisions about reproduction and the internal and external authorities of biology, evolution, the family, the state, health care systems, criminal justice systems, and religious hierarchies.
Prerequisite: Third-year or senior standing and completion of a four-credit course at the 200 level or above creditable to a major in the division of registration.
Note: Not offered every year
Instructor: Staff
HUM 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Creative Fictional and Life-Writing 4 credits (Fall)
This writing course is intended to offer students an opportunity to experience the art of writing, both creative fiction and creative non-fiction. Students will be expected to contribute texts and to examine these in an open forum in which the practicalities and key elements of narrative and style as well as truth and credibility of the writing will become part of the discussion with the overall aim of inspiring developing literary talent.
Prerequisite: One 200-level course in the Humanities division and second-year standing.
Instructor: Hamilton
HUM 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Troy Story: The Trojan Legend in Classical and Medieval Literature 4 credits (Spring)
See CLS 395-01 .
Latin American Studies
LAS 111 - Introduction to Latin American Studies 4 credits (Spring)
This discussion-based, interdisciplinary Latin American studies course approaches “culture” broadly to include a wide spectrum of everyday experiences, and provides students with a solid foundation for subsequent academic work in the region. The course begins with an overview of definitions of “Latin America” and of its current state as an object of interdisciplinary study, and then explores contemporary issues (i.e. state repression, human rights, immigration) via various disciplines (humanities and social sciences) and genres (i.e., academic essays, narrative journalism, testimonio).
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Aparicio, Benoist
LAS 221 - Introduction to U.S. Latin@ Studies 4 credits (Fall)
This interdisciplinary course explores the varied historical, cultural, and political experiences of Latin@ 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 Latin@ 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: Second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Petrus
LAS 499 - Senior Research 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An interdisciplinary senior research project for students completing the concentration in Latin American Studies. Credits earned each semester must fulfill program requirements as specified in program description. May be repeated in consecutive semesters by a student pursuing a single research project.
Prerequisite: Permission of the concentration committee required.
See additional information on Mentored Advanced Projects.
Instructor: Staff Linguistics
LIN 114 - Introduction to General Linguistics 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
What is language and how is it studied scientifically? This survey course provides an introduction to the core subfields of linguistics - phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics - and how these areas integrate with one another in the study of language and society, language acquisition, language technologies, and language change. Our goal is to determine what it means to ‘know’ a language and to examine how language is acquired, produced, and processed.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
LIN 205 - Computational Linguistics 4 credits (Fall)
See CSC 205 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
LIN 216 - Syntax 4 credits (Spring)
This course investigates the syntax of human language, or the portion of language knowledge that deals with the structure and word order of sentences. We will examine the ways in which we can create scientific models to explain these structures, and we will attempt to use these models to make predictions about the representation of language in the mind.
Prerequisite: LIN 114 .
Instructor: Hansen
LIN 250 - Language Contact 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See ANT 250 .
LIN 295-01 - Special Topic: Japanese Linguistics 4 credits (Spring)
See JPN 295-01 .
LIN 295-02 - Special Topic: Linguistic Typology 4 credits (Spring)
How are languages the same and how are they different? Which characteristics are universal to all languages and which ones are rare? In this course, students will learn to evaluate what is unusual and what is expected in a language. We will determine the range of possible sound inventories, word order patterns, grammatical categories, and lexical categories found within the world’s languages.
Prerequisite: LIN 114 .
Instructor: Hansen
LIN 317 - Language Change 4 credits (Spring)
This course investigates the nature of language change and the principles developed by linguistics to account for these changes. We will examine the various domains in which change occurs (phonological, morphological, syntactic, and lexical/semantic), and the social and linguistic motivations for change. The course will address the methods used to determine the earlier profile of a language or its parent language; students will use these methods in their own research projects.
Prerequisite: LIN 216 , LIN 295-Lingustic Typology (offered Fall 2014), or LIN 295-01 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Hansen
LIN 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Advanced Linguistic Analysis 4 credits (Fall)
This course will expand on the linguistic analysis skills developed in previous coursework, looking specifically at the sub-disciplines of phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics and the ways they interact. Each unit will focus on a specific sub-discipline and how it interfaces with another, e.g. morpho-phonology, morpho-syntax, and the syntax-semantics interface. Students will work with data from a variety of languages in order to examine the structural components of language and the various cross-linguistic realizations of these components.
Prerequisite: LIN 216 , or LIN 295 when offered as Phonetics and Phonology, or Typology or Indo-European.
Instructor: Hansen
LIN 397 - Independent Study 2 credits
(see Courses of Study: Individual Study )
LIN 499 - Senior Research Project: Mentored Advanced Project 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An interdisciplinary senior research project for students completing the concentration in linguistics. Besides the principal mentor, there will be one or, upon recommendation of the concentration committee, two additional readers. A public presentation is required for it to be counted as an advanced core requirement.
Prerequisite: See additional information on Mentored Advanced Projects.
Instructor: StaffMathematics and Statistics
MAT 115 - Introduction to Statistics 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Cross-listed as: SST 115 . Introduces the notions of variability and uncertainty and such common statistical concepts as point and interval estimation and hypothesis testing. Data-oriented, with real-world examples chosen from the social and biological sciences. The computer is used for data analysis and to illustrate probabilistic and statistical concepts. A student who takes MAT-115 cannot receive credit for MAT 209 .
Prerequisite: Two years of high school algebra and second semester of first-year standing.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 123 - Functions and Differential Calculus 4 credits (Fall)
An introductory course in mathematics and the first in a two-course sequence. This first semester is an introduction to the differential calculus of functions of one variable with an extensive review of precalculus topics such as algebra and functions. This review, together with an emphasis on developing problem-solving skills, is designed to help students learn to do mathematics at the college level. MAT 123-MAT 124 has the same calculus content as MAT 131 .
Prerequisite: Two years of high school algebra.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 124 - Functions and Integral Calculus 4 credits (Spring)
A continuation of MAT 123 . An introduction to the integral calculus of functions of one variable. Topics include the definite integral, techniques of integration, and applications of the integral. Successful completion of this course prepares students for MAT 133 .
Prerequisite: MAT 123 .
Instructor: Staff
MAT 131 - Calculus I 4 credits (Fall)
The first in a two-course sequence. An introduction to the differential and integral calculus of functions of one variable. Also introduces a few concepts and methods of differential equations.
Prerequisite: Good preparation, including trigonometry, or departmental placement.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 133 - Calculus II 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
A continuation of MAT 131 . Topics include functions of more than one variable: partial and total derivatives, multiple integrals, vector-valued functions, and parametrized curves. Additional topics may include applications to differential equations, line integrals, and Green’s Theorem.
Prerequisite: Mathematics MAT 124 or MAT 131 .
Instructor: Staff
MAT 208 - Discrete Structures 4 credits (Spring)
See CSC 208 .
MAT 209 - Applied Statistics 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
The course covers the application of basic statistical methods such as univariate graphics and summary statistics, basic statistical inference for one and two samples, linear regression (simple and multiple), one- and two-way ANOVA, and categorical data analysis. Students use statistical software to analyze data and conduct simulations. A student who takes Mathematics 209 cannot receive credit for MAT 115 .
Prerequisite: MAT 124 or MAT 131 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 215 - Linear Algebra 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
A unified study of the concepts underlying linear systems and linear transformations and of the techniques for using them. Topics: matrix algebra, rank, orthogonality, vector spaces and dimension, eigenvectors and eigenvalues. Typical applications: fitting lines and curves to data, Markov processes, linear differential equations.
Prerequisite: MAT 133 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 218 - Discrete Bridges to Advanced Mathematics 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Discrete Bridges to Advanced Mathematics courses prepare students for the 300-level foundations courses through careful attention to mathematical proof writing and creative problem solving. Skill building is a fundamental component: skills include working with fundamental tools of logic to write convincing arguments, grappling deeply with difficult mathematical problems, and reading upper-level undergraduate mathematical texts. Math 218 addresses counting techniques and other discrete topics needed for computer science. May be repeated once for credit when content changes with permission of instructor. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: MAT 215 .
Instructor: Staff
MAT 218-01 - Discrete Bridges to Advanced Mathematics: Combinatorics & Number Theory 4 credits (Fall
In how many ways can we place 18 people into 6 groups, each of size 3? How many divisors does a number have? How can we determine whether a number is prime? Although these problems are all “finite”, solutions by brute force are inelegant and incredibly slow. We will develop theoretical techniques and insights to help answer these types of questions. Proof writing and creative problem solving will be heavily emphasized.
Prerequisite: MAT 215
Instructor: Mileti
MAT 218-01 - Discrete Bridges to Advanced Mathematics: Elementary Number Theory 4 credits (Spring)
This course covers fundamental concept in number theory, including: divisibility and congruence, Diophantine equations, elementary properties of prime numbers, the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic, the Chinese remainder theorem, Fermat’s Little Theorem and Euler’s Theorem, public key cryptography, primitive roots, and quadratic reciprocity. Proof writing and creative problem solving will be heavily emphasized.
Prerequisite: MAT 215 .
Instructor: Ortiz
MAT 218-02 - Discrete Bridges to Advanced Mathematics: Elementary Number Theory 4 credits (Spring)
Number theory is one of the oldest branches of mathematics, far older than Calculus. The subject, at its most basic, asks questions about the integers. For instance, how are the prime numbers distributed among the integers? What are integer solutions to a particular polynomial equation? Which integers can be expressed as the sum of two squares? We will learn about topics such as divisibility, congruences, and quadratic reciprocity, which will help us answer questions like these. Along the way, we will discuss counting techniques and related discrete topics. Proof writing and creative problem solving will be heavily emphasized.
Prerequisite: MAT 215 .
Instructor: Paulhus
MAT 220 - Differential Equations 4 credits (Spring)
First and second order differential equations; series solutions and Fourier series; linear and nonlinear systems of differential equations; applications.
Prerequisite: MAT 215 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 222 - Bridges to Advanced Mathematics 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Bridges to Advanced Mathematics courses prepare students for 300-level foundations courses through careful attention to mathematical proof writing and creative problem solving. Skill building is a fundamental component: skills include working with fundamental tools of logic to write convincing arguments, grappling deeply with difficult mathematical problems, and reading upper-level undergraduate mathematics texts. May be repeated once for credit when content changes with permission of instructor. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: MAT 215 .
Instructor: Staff
MAT 222-01 - Bridges to Advanced Mathematics: Geometries 4 credits (Fall)
A study of Euclidean geometry and various non-Euclidean geometries. All topics will be motivated from an axiomatic standpoint, then specific models satisfying certain sets of axioms will be studied. Proof writing and creative problem solving will be heavily emphasized.
Prerequisite: MAT 215 .
Instructor: Wolf
MAT 271 - Problem-Solving Seminar 1 credits (Fall)
Students solve challenging mathematics problems and present solutions. Prepares students to take the Putnam Examination, if they wish. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite or co-requisite: Completion of, or concurrent registration in
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 306 - Mathematical Modeling 4 credits (Spring)
An introduction to the process and techniques of modeling “real-world” situations, using topics from linear algebra and differential equations. Appropriate mathematics, including numerical methods, developed when needed. Models drawn from both the social and natural sciences.
Prerequisite: MAT 220 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year. Offered in alternate years.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 309 - Design and Analysis of Experiments 4 credits (Spring)
In addition to a short review of hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and 1-way ANOVA, this course incorporates experiments from several disciplines to explore design and analysis techniques. Topics include factorial designs, block designs (including latin square and split plot designs), random, fixed, and mixed effects models, crossed and nested factors, contrasts, checking assumptions, and proper analysis when assumptions are not met.
Prerequisite: MAT 209 or MAT 336 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year. Offered in alternate years.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 310 - Statistical Modeling 4 credits (Fall)
This course will focus on investigative statistics labs emphasizing the process of data collection and data analysis relevant for science, social science, and mathematics students. This course incorporates case studies from current events and interdisciplinary research, taking a problem-based approach to learn how to determine which statistical techniques are appropriate. Topics will typically include nonparametric tests, designing an experiment, and generalized linear models.
Prerequisite: MAT 209 or MAT 336 .
Instructor: Staff
MAT 314 - Topics in Applied Mathematics 4 credits (Spring)
Topics include, but are not limited to, one of the following: Chaos and Fractals (one- and two-dimensional discrete dynamics, iterated function systems, fractal dimension), Fourier Analysis (fast Fourier transform, Fourier series, wavelets), or Partial Differential Equations (heat and wave equation, eigenfunction expansions). May be repeated for credit when content changes. For current course content see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Varies depending on topic.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Offered in alternate years.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 314-01 - Topics in Applied Mathematics 4 credits (Spring)
Wavelets: Theory and Applications. Wavelets are used heavily in signal processing algorithms. This class will focus on image storage, compression, and reconstruction using wavelets. Students will code algorithms to implement various types of wavelet transforms. A solid understanding of linear algebra is highly recommended for this course.
Prerequisite: MAT 215 .
Instructor: Shuman
MAT 316 - Foundations of Analysis 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
A thorough study of the topology of the real line and of limits of functions of one real variable. This theory is then used to develop the theory of the derivative and integral of functions of one real variable and also sequences and series of real numbers and functions.
Prerequisite: MAT 218 or MAT 222 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 321 - Foundations of Abstract Algebra 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
The study of algebraic structures, with emphasis on formal systems such as groups, rings, and fields.
Prerequisite: MAT 218 or MAT 222 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 324 - Algebraic Number Theory 4 credits (Spring)
An exploration of the use of algebraic techniques to answer questions in number theory. The course studies ideals, quotients, and factorization properties of the integers and their generalizations. The Gaussian integers and the rings of integers in quadratic and cyclotomic number fields, along with the unique factorization of ideals into prime ideals, will be emphasized.
Prerequisite: MAT 321 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Offered in alternate years.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 326 - Field Theory 4 credits (Spring)
The study of fields, algebraic extensions, finite and cyclotomic fields, geometric constructions and Galois theory.
Prerequisite: MAT 321 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Offered in alternate years.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 331 - Topology 4 credits (Fall)
General and/or metric topology. Fundamental theorems on continuous mappings and on compact and connected sets. Particular emphasis on the real line and Euclidean n-space.
Prerequisite: MAT 316 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Offered in alternate years.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 335 - Probability and Statistics I 4 credits (Fall)
An introduction to the mathematical theory of probability and statistical inference. Discrete and continuous distributions, as well as sampling distributions and the limit theorems of probability, will be introduced. The importance of randomization and simulation for computing statistical probabilities will be explored.
Prerequisite: MAT 215 ; and MAT 209 , or MAT 218 , or MAT 220 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 336 - Probability and Statistics II 4 credits (Spring)
A systematic treatment of mathematical statistics based on probability theory. Topics will include: principles of estimation and hypothesis testing, chi-square tests, linear models including regression and analysis of variance, and nonparametric inference. A variety of applications will be considered.
Prerequisite: MAT 335 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 338 - Complex Analysis 4 credits (Fall)
Theory of analytic functions of a complex variable, based on a preliminary study of the complex number system.
Prerequisite: MAT 316 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Offered in alternate years.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Numerical Analysis (Fall)
This course is an introduction to both the analysis and implementation of numerical algorithms. Topics include nonlinear equations, numerical linear algebra, interpolation, numerical differentiation and integration, approximation, and optimization. This course satisfies the mathematics major requirement for completing a 300-level sequence (316/395).
Prerequisite: MAT 316 .
Instructor: Blanchard
MAT 444 - Senior Seminar 4 credits (Spring)
Advanced course with varying content. Strongly recommended for students considering further work in mathematics and statistics. May be repeated for credit when content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Will vary depending on topic.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
MAT 444-01 - Senior Seminar: Ergodic Theory 4 credits (Spring)
Ergodic theory is the study of the transformations of a set that both preserve the “size” of subsets and suitably “mix” the elements. In particular, what can we say about the long-term behavior that appears after repeatedly applying such a mixing function? The techniques in the field are heavily analytic, but results from ergodic theory have recently been applied in striking ways to solve problems in combinatorics and number theory. To help understand these transformations, we will develop the fundamental properties of Lebesgue measure, which is a powerful and elegant way to assign a size to almost every subset of the real numbers.
Prerequisite: MAT 316 . MAT 321 is strongly recommended.
Instructor: MiletiMusic
MUS 101 - Practicum: Performance Ensembles 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
The study of musical repertory, technique, and expression through regular ensemble rehearsals and public performances. One credit is awarded for each participation in a musical organization directed by the department. Does not count toward music major. Practicum may be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Note: Students may participate in MUS 101 without registering, with permission of instructor. A maximum of eight practicum credits may count toward graduation. Credits in Music 101, 120, 122, 220, 221, and 420 may not exceed a total of six in any one semester. Students should note that Music 101, 120, 122, 220, 221, and 420 are included in the 48-credit maximum in the department. S/D/F only.
Instructor: Staff
MUS 101-02 - Oratorio Society 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
Singing in the Oratorio Society is an excellent way to develop your musical skills, and once you have refined those skills in singing, in listening to others, in reading pitches and rhythms, choral singing can be a rewarding activity for your entire lifetime. The Oratorio Society draws together students, faculty, and staff of the college, people from the town of Grinnell, and nearby cities such as Newton and Malcolm. In recent years, the Oratorio Society has performed many of the masterpieces from the choral literature, such as the Brahms Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem and Grand Mass in C Minor, Beethoven’s Mass in C Major, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Bach’s Magnificat, Verdi’s Requiem, and Britten’s monumental War Requiem. In addition to performing these major works, the choir also has expanded its activity beyond the confines of classical music. In the spring of 2012, for example, the Oratorio Society participated in thrilling performances of Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts, in collaboration with the Grinnell Jazz Ensemble. In the 2012-13 season, we presented The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass, by Carol Barnett, in collaboration with an outstanding bluegrass string band from Minneapolis, Monroe Crossing, and Orff’s Carmina Burana, in collaboration with the Grinnell Singers, Grinnell Symphony, and Ottumwa Symphony. Originally founded in 1901, the Grinnell Oratorio Society was, in the early decades of the 20th Century, one of Iowa’s most auspicious musical institutions. Edward Scheve (1865-1924), a composer of symphonies, concertos, oratorios, and chamber music, established the choir as an outgrowth of the music conservatory that was then part of Grinnell College.
Prerequisite: None.
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Rommereim
MUS 101-03 - Collegium Musicum 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
The Collegium Musicum is dedicated to the performance of Early Music (the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, & Classical periods of Western European music history) using historically appropriate techniques and instruments. It provides a hands-on way of learning about music history, exploring the beautiful but less often heard music of earlier periods while developing aural skills such as sight-reading. The ensemble includes both singers and instrumentalists, divided into several groups according to repertoire and experience level. Each group meets for approximately one hour per week. Instrumentalists perform on the College’s outstanding collection of replica period instruments. Since many of these are ancestors of modern instruments, students can often transfer their knowledge of modern technique fairly easily. Both group and individual instruction is provided.
Prerequisite: Ability to read music notation; no prior knowledge of Early Music required. Audition required.
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Brown
MUS 101-04 - Grinnell Singers 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
The Grinnell Singers is a select ensemble that performs distinguished choral music from a wide variety of traditions, with repertoire that spans five centuries – from Brahms to Bluegrass, from Renaissance England to twenty-first century New York. Each year brings new, adventurous projects. Highlights for 2012-13 included: hosting one of Cuba’s foremost professional choirs, performing Carol Barnett’s celebrated Bluegrass Mass, traveling on a Spring-Break tour to Chicago, Ann Arbor, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, and New York, and participating in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. This year’s season will include a collaboration The Lyra Consort, a professional period-instrument orchestra from Minneapolis, in a performance of Handel’s oratorio, Esther. The ensemble has also commissioned major composers, including Pulitzer Prize winner Steven Stucky and, in 2012, the rising star Mohammed Fairouz. For more enterprising musicians, the ensemble affords excellent opportunities for leadership. The assistant conductor and section leaders play important roles, and thereby the students gain valuable experience in conducting and rehearsal management. An elected choir council actively shapes the choir’s work. In addition to their ambitious musical activities, the Grinnell Singers pursue service projects, and they aspire to create a supportive, cohesive organization that serves as a positive force both for its members and for the community at large.
Prerequisite: Ability to read music notation. Audition required.
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Rommereim
MUS 101-06 - Grinnell Symphony Orchestra (Fall and Spring)
The Grinnell Symphony Orchestra is a full symphonic ensemble comprised of student musicians representing all disciplines within the college who are unified by a love of music and a dedication to the art of orchestral performance. The GSO typically gives from five to seven performances each season, including a wide range of music from the Baroque era to the 21st Century. Full orchestra rehearsals are held on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and one-hour sectional rehearsals for strings, woodwinds, and brass are held on Wednesday evenings. Woodwind, brass, and percussion players are often only needed in rehearsal for a portion of the rehearsal time each week. Specific schedules are distributed at the beginning of each week
Prerequisite: Ability to read music notation. Audition required.
S/D/F only.
Instructor: McIntyre
MUS 101-07 - Latin American Ensemble 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
The Latin American Ensemble of Grinnell College was founded in the fall of 2001. Primarily comprised of college students, the Ensemble has performed a variety of styles of latin music including bolero, bossa nova, cha cha cha, tango, and Brazilian folk song. In addition to the end-of-semester concerts, the ensemble has performed for a variety of local organizations: as part of “cruise night” at the retirement and nursing home community; as a complement to a Brazilian art exhibit at the Faulconer Gallery; for the Cinco de Mayo celebration at a local restaurant; and as part of the annual talent show organized by the College’s International Student Organization.
Prerequisite: Ability to read music notation (except for singers/percussionists). Audition required.
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Espinosa
MUS 101-08 - Percussion, Marimba, and Steel Pan Ensemble 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
The Grinnell Percussion, Marimba, and Steel Pan Ensemble is dedicated to exploring the world of music through the eyes of percussion. Grinnell is home to one of the largest and most diverse collections of percussion instruments in the country. Beyond standard concert percussion instruments like marimba and xylophone, instruments from Brazil, to Ghana, to Trinidad can be found at Grinnell. It is because of this extensive collection of instruments that the ensemble has the ability to perform a wide variety of music. Whether performing a Bach Chorale transcribed for Marimba, an avant-garde work written for percussion by John Cage, a Bob Marley classic on the sweet sound of Steel Pans, or a Radiohead tune completely played on percussion instruments, there is something for everyone in this ensemble. The ensemble meets every Tuesday from 7-9 p.m. in BCA 103 and culminates in a concert at the end of the semester. Under new direction as of the fall 2012 semester, the ensemble expects to grow, developing a presence on campus and in the community. No previous experience in percussion or reading musical notation is required, although it is strongly encouraged that those with no experience consider pairing this ensemble with a weekly private lesson (MUS 120-08) to help further enrich your experience.
Prerequisite: No previous musical experience required. No audition required.
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Bostwick
MUS 101-09 - Fresh Flute Ensemble 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
Fresh Flutes at Grinnell is one of the Music Department’s small ensembles open to intermediate and advanced flutists. The ensemble plays music for multiple flutes (piccolo, C flute, alto, and bass) that comes from all musical styles and eras. Our musical goal is to expand your knowledge of repertoire and extend your playing skills: this includes improving traditional tone and technical playing as well as acquiring contemporary or extended techniques on the instrument. Development as chamber musicians is a high priority in the group. Skills include increased sensitivity to listening, adjusting to ongoing ideas coming from each member, flexibility in moving from one type of flute to another, and understanding how to contribute individual abilities to create a musical and social whole that transcends each person. We perform at least one concert per semester, with combinations of duo, trio, quartet, quintet, and the entire ensemble. Repertoire ranges from Boismortier to Ian Clarke, Derek Charke, Cynthia Folio and other contemporary composers; we also feature works composed for the group by Grinnell faculty and students. Fresh Flutes meets officially once a week for 1 hr 30 minutes, and outside this time for independently arranged sessions with the smaller groups. The College has a collection of instruments that ensemble members may borrow free of charge. Fresh Flutes is a wonderful place to explore challenging music but is also a special community to bond with and find your identity as a flutist at Grinnell.
Prerequisite: Fluent in reading music. Audition required.
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Anderson
MUS 101-10 - YGB Gospel Choir 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
The Young, Gifted and Black Gospel Choir, open to students of all backgrounds, has a 45-year history on the Grinnell campus. The name of the choir was taken from a work entitled “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” by the famous black writer Lorraine Hansberry. The choir has members from many different cultures, nationalities, and races, using diversity as a bond. YGB strives to create a place where “men will judge men by their souls, and not by their skins” (W.E.B. DuBois), while continuing the tradition of celebrating Black American culture through Gospel Music. Through a bond of “cultural uniformity,” the choir ministers to a variety of audiences with a wide selection of sacred music, including spirituals and traditional and contemporary gospel. The group sings for the monthly Black Church services at Herrick Chapel. It also performs concerts around campus; its 2012 tour included churches in Iowa, Illinois, Mississippi, and Texas.
Prerequisite: No previous musical experience required. No audition required.
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Jones
MUS 101-14 - Chamber Ensembles 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
Chamber Ensembles at Grinnell College explore music composed for small groups, performed without a conductor. Many composers from Mozart and Beethoven to Shostakovic and Philip Glass, have written some of their best compositions for small ensembles. String quartets and piano trios form the core of the repertoire, but there are many other possible combinations of strings, keyboards, and winds. Each player has an individual part and learns to be musically independent, while also being sensitive to the others in the group. Weekly coachings are supplemented by independent rehearsals, and culminate in two or more performances each semester. Visiting artists, such as the Pacifica, Brentano, American and St. Lawrence string quartets, give outstanding master classes.
Prerequisite: Ability to read music notation. Audition required.
S/D/F only.
Instructor: N. Gaub
MUS 101-17 - Jazz Ensemble 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
The Grinnell Jazz Ensemble is open to instrumentalists (and occasionally vocalists) who are interested in the study and performance of jazz works from the large ensemble tradition. The ensemble performs music from a wide variety of jazz-related styles, and frequently performs works by both veteran and contemporary jazz composers. Past concerts have included compositions by composers such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Sammy Nestico, Miles Davis, and Charles Mingus, Maria Schneider, Gordon Goodwin, Thad Jones and Oliver Nelson.Visiting artists, such as Matt Harris and Marcus Belgrave, give outstanding master classes and clinics.
Prerequisite: Ability to read music notation, competency on chosen instrument, and prior experience with jazz music. Audition required.
Note: The group rehearses 4 hours weekly and customarily performs twice per semester. S/D/F only.
Instructor: Espinosa
MUS 101-18 - Ugandan Music and Dance Ensemble 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
In this ensemble, students explore the instrumental music, song traditions, and dances of Uganda. The East African nation is home to many instruments, including various strings, a lamellophone with metal keys struck with the thumbs, windblown flutes and horns, drums, and gourd rattles. Aural instruction will not rely on written music, but will instead emphasize listening, energetic response, and group interdependence. The ensemble will support solo opportunities for students who wish to pursue them. Repertories range from children’s songs to the court music of Buganda kingdom in southern-central Uganda to the devotional music of kubandwa/kusamira, a widespread genre of spiritual healing in the “Great Lakes” region of East Africa. Many of these repertories include colorful dances, so we welcome dancers to experience and shape this ensemble’s highly interactive dynamic. Learning Ugandan musical traditions enriches our understanding of this region’s internal diversity through direct experience with the beauty and power of African music.
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Hoesing
MUS 101-19 - Symphonic Concert Band 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
The Grinnell Symphonic Band is open to instrumentalists who are interested in the study and performance of the wind band medium in the large ensemble tradition. The group performs music from a wide variety of styles by both national and international composers. The band strives to develop advanced techniques of musical expression and interpretation. Past concerts have included works by composers such as Percy Grainger, Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, John Philip Sousa, Eric Whitacre, Alfred Reed, Giovanni Gabrieli, Norman Dello Joio, Karl King, John Williams, and Felix Mendelssohn.
Prerequisite: Ability to read music notation, competency on chosen instrument, and prior experience with concert music. No audition required.
Note: The group rehearses Monday evenings: 7:00-9:00 pm and customarily performs twice per semester. S/D/F only.
Instructor: Lutch
MUS 101-20 - Zimbabwean Mbira Ensemble 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
The mbira is a handheld instrument with metal keys struck with the thumbs and right index finger played in the Shona community of Zimbabwe. In our ensemble, students will focus on instrumental instruction, but will also learn how to sing in the appropriate style and play the hosho, a set of gourd rattles, as their interests take them. There is no written music and everything is learned aurally. The primary goal is to learn the specifics of technique and style for this instrument and to play as a group. The mbira is a participatory instrument and is rarely performed solo, thus the rewards of collective music-making are emphasized. The mbira repertoire is a rich body of songs dedicated to the ancestral spirits for whom they are played. Learning the mbira with others can be a rewarding musical and social experience that will hopefully last longer than your College career.
Prerequisite: No previous musical experience required. No audition required.
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Perman
MUS 109 - Music Fundamentals 2 credits (Fall)
Teaches the basics of music notation (including reading and writing in treble and bass clef) and music fundamentals (including scales and intervals); also develops complementary aural skills. Includes aural and written exercises and creative projects in performance and composition. Prepares students to enroll in MUS 112 . Also recommended for those enrolling in music lessons and ensembles.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Cha
MUS 110 - Introduction to Western Music 4 credits (Fall)
A survey of Western art music from Gregorian chant to postmodernism, intended to enrich and inform listening experience. Examination of musical elements including rhythm, melody, and texture; and consideration of stylistic eras, representative composers, major genres, and forms. Emphasis on developing critical listening skills.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: E. Gaub
MUS 111 - Aural Skills I 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
Development of aural understanding through singing, dictation, conducting, and improvisation. Topics include identification and singing of diatonic intervals and triads, singing of diatonic melodies using “moveable do” solfège, notation of diatonic melodies and chord progressions by dictation, improvisation of short melodic patterns, and basic conducting patterns.
Prerequisite: None. Normally taken in conjunction with MUS 112 , this course may also be taken separately.
Instructor: Staff
MUS 112 - Music Theory I 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
The study of how individual chords are combined to create a piece of tonal music. Focuses on developing the ear and analytical/creative skills to enhance appreciation, performance, and compositional imitation of Western music of the 18th and 19th centuries. Required keyboard lab meets outside regular class time. Students enrolling in MUS 112 should be able to read and write music notation fluently in both treble and bass clefs and have a working knowledge of intervals, scales, triads, and major/minor keys. All students wishing to take MUS-112 must take the Music Theory Placement Test offered before the beginning of each semester.
Co-requisite: MUS-112 Lab
Prerequisite or co-requisite: MUS 111 .
Instructor: Cha, E. Gaub
MUS 116 - Music, Culture, Context 4 credits (Spring)
This course explores our globalized musical present and the major forces (social, political, economic, technological) that have shaped it over the last few centuries. Attention is focused on music-making as a form of human activity within and between cultures. Course content ranges over musics of diverse times and places. No prior experience in music is needed.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Perman
MUS 120 - Performance: Private Instruction 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
Private lessons in instrumental or vocal music, intended for beginning to intermediate students. Weekly 30-minute private lessons totaling seven hours of instruction per semester. Practice expectation: minimum of 30 minutes per day. One credit for each area studied, e.g., voice, piano, flute, etc. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Credits earned for music lessons are NOT counted in the number of credits that determine whether a student is liable for an “overload” fee (over 18 credits). For music lesson fees, see Expenses and Financial Aid. A maximum of 16 credits in Music 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 will count toward graduation. Credits in Music 101, 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 may not exceed a total of six in any one semester. Students should note that Music 101, 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 are included in the 48-credit maximum in the department.
Instructor: Staff
MUS 122 - Performance: Group Instruction 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
Group lessons in instrumental, vocal music, world hand drumming, flute, etc. intended for beginning to intermediate students. Weekly 60-minute small-group lessons totaling 14 hours of instruction per semester. Practice expectation: minimum of 30 minutes per day. One credit for each area studied, e.g., world hand drumming, flute, etc. Does not count toward the music major. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Credits earned for music lessons are NOT counted in the number of credits that determine whether a student is liable for an “overload” fee (over 18 credits). For music lesson fees, see Expenses and Financial Aid. A maximum of 16 credits in Music 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 will count toward graduation. Credits in Music 101, 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 may not exceed a total of six in any one semester. Students should note that Music 101, 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 are included in the 48-credit maximum in the department.
Instructor: Staff
MUS 201 - Topics in Music and Culture 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Detailed study of the relationship between music and a particular aspect of culture. Possible areas to be covered include music and ritual, music and language, music and technology, music and politics, gender and music, and mythology and music. May be repeated for credit if content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Consult registration materials for prerequisites.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
MUS 201-01 - Topics in Music & Culture: Listening to Music 4 credits (Fall)
In this course we examine the music listening experience from a broad range of perspectives, consider strategies and approaches designed to hone greater listening skills, and explore the way music listening functions as an essential part of shared human experience. Students will read articles in fields such as music theory, philosophy, neuroscience, and psychology, paired with group discussions and guided listening sessions of a broad range of musical styles. Written assignments include a listening journal, short response essays, and in-class listening exams. Our inquiry will explore the perspectives of composers, performers, audio engineers, promoters, and critics and their relationship with music listeners. The class will also consider specific topics, such as the dominance of text/lyrics in popular music, emotional expression, and the roles that individual elements such as timbre, rhythm/meter, and musical form play in conveying musical meaning.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: E. McIntyre
MUS 201-01 - Topics in Music & Culture: Music, Healing, and Culture 4 credits (Spring)
Healers in many cultures use music either to complement other therapies or as a primary method of intervention. This course surveys readings on diagnostic and therapeutic musical practices across various cultures. We use a range of analytical tools to consider what performances of musical healing reveal about culturally constructed notions of illness and health. Class discussions and writing activities familiarize students with debates about the functions and efficacy of music in medicine, and community engagement provides local context for some of those debates.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Hoesing
MUS 202 - Topics in American Music 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Detailed study of a particular musical tradition in the United States. Possible areas to be covered include rock music, Latino music, music of black Americans, and American popular music. May be repeated for credit if content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Consult registration materials for prerequisites.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
MUS 202-01 - Topics in American Music: Popular Music 4 credits (Fall)
This course examines the confluence of popular music, culture, and society in North America from 1890 to present. The class is primarily organized around genre - itself a key concept in popular music studies - moving from late 19th-Century minstrelsy through blues, country, rock and roll, punk, and contemporary hip hop. As we explore the musical development of each genre, we will use music as a means to begin to unravel the web of racialized, gendered, sexualized, and class-based relationships that have characterized North American culture through the twentieth century and into the twenty-first.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
MUS 203 - Regional Studies in World Music 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An exploration of music and its linkages to other facets of life in a particular geographic/cultural region of the world. Possible regional foci include Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, South Asia and the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. May be repeated for credit if content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Prerequisites will vary depending on topic. Consult registration materials for prerequisite.
Instructor: Perman
MUS 204 - The Jazz Tradition in America 4 credits (Spring)
The history of jazz traces the development of jazz from its African and European roots to contemporary style. Through reading and listening assignments, major styles and prominent musicians will be discussed. Primarily examines jazz from a sociocultural perspective.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Espinosa
MUS 205 - African Music 4 credits (Fall)
Music in Africa shapes political life, religious piety, social understanding, and connects communities on the continent with the rest of the world through complex histories of interaction tied to slavery, colonialism, and post-colonial engagement. This class introduces students to a diverse range of African musical practices from combined ethnomusicological and anthropological perspectives and contextualizes these practices within global political, spiritual, historical, and social contexts. We explore race, colonial history, African modernity, and expressive community through Africa’s musical diversity.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Perman
MUS 212 - Aural Skills II 1 credits (Spring)
Development of aural understanding through singing, dictation, conducting, and improvisation. Topics include identification and singing of chromatic intervals and harmonies, singing of chromatic melodies using “moveable do” solfège, notation of chromatic and modulating melodies and chord progressions by dictation, improvisation of phrase and period structures, conducting patterns, and aural analysis of binary and ternary forms.
Prerequisite: MUS 111 or placement test. Normally taken in conjunction with MUS 213 , this course may also be taken separately.
Instructor: N. Gaub
MUS 213 - Music Theory II 4 credits (Spring)
Examines the structure of 18th- and 19th-century music and completes the study of harmony begun in MUS 112 . Includes critical analysis of entire movements and composition based on tonal models.
Co-requisite: Concurrent registration in MUS 212
Prerequisite: MUS 112
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Cha, E. Gaub
MUS 214 - Advanced Aural Skills 1 credits (Fall or Spring)
Development of aural understanding through singing, dictation, conducting, and improvisation, according to the needs of students as established through a diagnostic exam. Topics may include chromaticism, modes, atonality, and score reading, as well as topics from Music 111 and 212 on which students need additional work. May be repeated once for credit.
Prerequisite: MUS 111 , or MUS 212 , or placement test.
Instructor: Staff
MUS 215 - Introduction to Composition 4 credits (Fall)
Students learn and apply recent techniques of composition. Expands on the compositional experiences of MUS 112 by opening students to the exploration of contemporary tonal, serial, and experimental musical styles and dealing with matters of orchestration and music form.
Prerequisite: MUS 112 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: E. McIntyre, Rommereim
MUS 216 - Jazz Improvisation 4 credits (Fall)
An integral part of the jazz tradition, improvisation is a necessary skill for the successful performer in the jazz idiom. This course will serve to familiarize the student with the basics of jazz harmony and improvisation, including the reading of chord symbols, basic jazz repertoire, stylizing melody, and the correlation between the ear and performance in jazz. In addition, this course will serve as an introduction to the various styles commonly employed in jazz (including swing, latin, and ballad) and as a means to explore the application of skill in jazz improvisation to the performance of current forms of popular music (rock, pop, funk, etc.). The basics of protocols for performance in a jazz setting will also be covered.
Prerequisite: MUS 112 .
Instructor: Staff
MUS 217 - Conducting 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An introduction to the art of conducting with emphasis on advanced score reading and analysis, fundamental physical technique, rehearsal techniques, and ensemble leadership. Students will have opportunities to conduct ensembles of various types and sizes, including readings with the Grinnell Symphony Orchestra.
Prerequisite: MUS 213 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: E. McIntyre, Rommereim
MUS 219 - Electronic Music 4 credits (Spring)
History and techniques of electronic and computer music. Topics include compositional aesthetics, recording technology, digital and analog synthesis, sampling, MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), and computer-assisted composition. Focuses on the creation of finished works to be presented in public concert.
Prerequisite: MUS 112 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Rommereim
MUS 220 - Performance: Advanced Private Instruction 2 credits (Fall and Spring)
Private lessons in instrumental or vocal music, intended for intermediate to advanced students. The study of performance combined with considerations of history, analysis, and style. Weekly 30-minute lessons totaling seven hours of instruction per semester. Practice expectation: minimum of one hour per day. Performance requirement: at least one performance in a department-sponsored recital or repertoire class per semester. Two credits for each area studied. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Note: Credits earned for music lessons are NOT counted in the number of credits that determine whether a student is liable for an “overload” fee (over 18 credits). For music lesson fees, see Expenses and Financial Aid. A maximum of 16 credits in Music 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 will count toward graduation. Credits in Music 101, 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 may not exceed a total of six in any one semester. Students should note that Music 101, 120, 122, 220, 221, 320 and 420 are included in the 48-credit maximum in the department.
Instructor: Staff
MUS 221 - Performance: Advanced Private Instruction 2 credits (Fall and Spring)
Private lessons in instrumental or vocal music, intended for intermediate to advanced students. The study of performance combined with considerations of history, analysis, and style. Weekly 60-minute lessons totaling 14 hours of instruction per semester. Practice expectation: minimum of one hour per day. Performance requirement: at least one performance in a department-sponsored recital or repertoire class per semester. Two credits for each area studied. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Note: Credits earned for music lessons are NOT counted in the number of credits that determine whether a student is liable for an “overload” fee (over 18 credits). For music lesson fees, see Expenses and Financial Aid. A maximum of 16 credits in Music 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 will count toward graduation. Credits in Music 101, 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 may not exceed a total of six in any one semester. Students should note that Music 101, 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 are included in the 48-credit maximum in the department.
Instructor: Staff
MUS 261 - Western Music to 1750 4 credits (Fall)
An intensive survey of Western European music from the time of the Ancient Greeks to the death of Bach, designed as a foundation for more advanced study of music. This course explores both canonical and off-the-beaten-path repertory through intensive listening and musical analysis. It also examines the historical events and intellectual/aesthetic ideas that influenced musical composition/performance and the changing roles music played in society. Students develop their ability to put into words what their ears are hearing, to analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents, and to correlate aural and written forms of data. The course introduces students to the principal research tools and methods in the field of musicology, and provides hands-on application of historical information through in-class performances and demonstrations using Grinnell’s outstanding collection of historical instruments.
Prerequisite: MUS 112 and MUS 213 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Brown
MUS 262 - Western Music From 1750 to the Present 4 credits (Spring)
An intensive survey of Western European and American music from the early 18th century to the present, designed as a foundation for more advanced study of music. This course explores both canonical and off-the-beaten-path repertory through intensive listening and musical analysis. It also examines the historical events and intellectual/aesthetic ideas that influenced musical composition/performance and the changing roles music played in society. Students develop their ability to put into words what their ears are hearing, to analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents, and to correlate aural and written forms of data. The course introduces students to the principal research tools and methods in the field of musicology, and provides hands-on application of historical information through in-class performances and demonstrations using Grinnell’s outstanding collection of historical instruments.
Prerequisite: MUS 112 and MUS 213 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Brown
MUS 320 - Performance: Shared Recital 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
An advanced and intensive study of music literature through private tutorial instruction in a single area of instrumental or vocal music. The study of performance related to advanced studies in criticism, history, analysis, and style. Weekly 60-minute lessons totaling 14 hours of instruction per semester. Practice expectation: minimum of 60 minutes per day. Performance requirement: a shared recital with one other student who is also registered for MUS-320 the same semester. May be repeated once for credit.
Prerequisite: Third-year or senior standing, MUS 220 or MUS 221 in the semester prior to registration, instructor’s consent, and signature of department chair.
Note: Credits earned for music lessons are NOT counted in the number of credits that determine whether a student is liable for an “overload” fee (over 18 credits). A maximum of 16 credits in Music 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 will count toward graduation. Credits in Music 101, 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 may not exceed a total of six in any one semester. Students should note that Music 101, 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 are included in the 48-credit maximum in the department.
Instructor: Staff
MUS 322 - Advanced Studies in Music 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
In-depth study of a particular area of music research, including musicology, ethnomusicology, music theory, and various subdisciplines such as performance practice, music cognition, semiotics, aesthetics, editing and source studies, and criticism. Possible topics include Music of the English Renaissance, Baroque Improvisation, Mozart’s Operas, Late Beethoven, Music and Nationalism, Music and Meaning, Music and the Colonial Experience, Rhythm Theories, Mathematical Theories of Music, and Feminist Musicology. May be repeated for credit if content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Will vary depending on topic.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
MUS 322-01 - Advanced Studies in Music: Cognitive Theories 4 credits (Fall)
In this course, students will read, discuss, and critique some of the most significant studies that apply psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, linguistics, and evolutionary biology to explaining various facets of music. Topics include evolutionary origins of music, music and emotion, musical learning and development, music and the brain, the perception and cognition of music structure, and the psychological and neurological processes involved in composition, improvisation, and performance. Each participant is expected to write an in-depth critical book review, to lead several discussion sessions, and to complete a piece of original research in the form of final paper and oral presentation.
Prerequisite: MUS 112 and MUS 213 .
Instructor: Cha
MUS 323 - Orchestration 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course will focus on practical exercises in arranging pre-existing music for orchestral instruments. Students will learn about the techniques and capabilities of modern orchestral instruments through the study of representative scores, demonstrations of musical instruments by Grinnell students and faculty, and orchestration exercises in a variety of compositional styles from the classical period to the present. Students will learn to use music notation software for producing professional quality scores and parts.
Prerequisite: MUS 112 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: E. McIntyre
MUS 324 - Tonal Counterpoint 4 credits (Fall)
A study of 18th-century contrapuntal techniques through writing and analyzing two- and three-voice counterpoints, two- and three-part inventions, and three- and four-part fugues. The course will focus on the keyboard works of J. S. Bach, in which tonal counterpoint reached its highest level of sophistication. Work for class includes readings in the textbook, listening and analysis, frequent written exercises, and two larger projects as well as midterm and final exams.
Prerequisite: MUS 112 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Cha, Rommereim
MUS 325 - Composition Seminar 4 credits (Spring)
A course for students who wish to develop their skills and possibly prepare for graduate study or professional work as composers. In addition to composition assignments, students will engage in thorough analysis of important works, discussions of compositional aesthetics, and explorations on a broad range of professional topics, including career options, performance opportunities, grant-writing, and commissions.
Prerequisite: MUS 215 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: E. McIntyre, Rommereim
MUS 326 - Jazz Composition and Arranging 4 credits (Spring)
This course will serve to familiarize the student with the basic concepts and techniques used in modern jazz composition and arrangement. The most prominent areas covered in this course will include jazz theory and harmony, instrumental transpositions, techniques in part harmonization (starting from two-part and ending with five-part writing), understanding the extended techniques of each instrument and the application of the skills covered in the course to music styles outside of jazz (pop, rock, funk, etc.). These objectives will be reached through detailed study of basic jazz composition and related texts, the listening and transcription of existing arrangements/compositions within the jazz idiom and the practical application of acquired skills in the creation of student compositions and arrangements.
Prerequisite: MUS 112 and MUS 213 .
Instructor: Staff
MUS 420 - Performance: Recital 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
An advanced and intensive study of music literature through private tutorial instruction in a single area of instrumental or vocal music. The study of performance related to advanced studies in criticism, history, analysis, and style. Weekly 60-minute lessons totaling 14 hours of instruction per semester. Practice expectation: minimum of 60 minutes per day. Performance requirement: a full recital. May be repeated once for credit.
Prerequisite: Third-year or senior standing, MUS 220 or MUS 221 in the semester prior to registration, instructor’s consent, and signature of department chair.
Note: Credits earned for music lessons are NOTE counted in the number of credits that determine whether a student is liable for an “overload” (over 18 credits). For music lesson fees, see Financial Regulations. A maximum of 16 credits in Music 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 will count toward graduation. Credits in Music 101, 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 may not exceed a total of six in any one semester. Students should note that Music 101, 120, 122, 220, 221, 320, and 420 are included in the 48-credit maximum in the department.
Instructor: StaffNeuroscience
NRS 250 - Neuroscience: Foundations, Future, and Fallacies 4 credits (Spring)
This course introduces the historical and theoretical foundations of neuroscience. Topics will range broadly from questions at the molecular and cellular level to those of organismal behavior; and consideration will be given to how traditional disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and psychology have helped inform the field. The course will trace the development of neuroscience, considering both its successes and failures, as a means for appreciating its future directions. Three classes, one laboratory per week.
Prerequisite: Two 100-level science courses (with laboratories); must be from two different departments.
Instructor: Staff
NRS 495 - Neuroscience Seminar 4 credits (Fall)
The seminar provides the culmination of the neuroscience concentration. As a recapitulation of the interdisciplinary nature of the field, a significant problem in the field will be chosen for study, and students will be exposed to multiple approaches to address this problem. The course will focus on analysis of relevant primary literature with an emphasis on student-led discussion. A major writing project in the course will integrate the student’s coursework in the concentration.
Prerequisite: NRS 250 , completion of or concurrent enrollment in the cross-divisional elective, and senior standing. Limited to neuroscience concentrators.
Instructor: StaffPhilosophy
PHI 101 - Logic 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An introduction to the formal rules of reasoning, with extensive practice in identification and analysis of types of argument and in evaluation of the validity of arguments. Topics include: the construction of arguments, the relation of ordinary language to standard logical form, inductive reasoning (including hypotheses, generalization, analogy, and probability), deductive reasoning, the syllogism, validity, truth, formal fallacies, nonformal fallacies, and practical applications of the rules of logic. An introduction to complex syllogisms and to symbolic notation may be included, but extensive treatment of these topics is reserved for PHI 102 .
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: J. Cummins, Neisser
PHI 102 - Symbolic Logic 4 credits (Fall)
A study of the formalization of complex arguments, in particular those involving quantification and relations, using principles of deduction in sentential and predicate logic. Course may also explore the semantics of the formal system.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Fennell
PHI 106 - Contemporary Ethical Issues 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Designed to develop the ability to think philosophically about moral issues by examining ethical problems. Topics may include gender, abortion, class, race, affirmative action, and the environment. The course also examines some leading ethical and/or social theories in conjunction with these topics.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: J. Dobe, Neisser, Nyden
PHI 111 - Introduction to Philosophy 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Designed to develop the habit of philosophical thinking by pursuing perennial problems as raised and developed throughout the history of philosophy. Readings include selections from Plato, Descartes, Hume, Kant, and other thinkers, including an introductory section on some basic principles of logical thinking.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
PHI 135 - Philosophy and Literature 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 135 . A general introduction to philosophical issues and topics through works of fiction. Readings include novels, short stories, and drama by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Voltaire, Goethe, Dostoevsky, Ibsen, Sartre, Camus, Borges, Kafka, Duras, Piercy, and others.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
PHI 215 - Existentialism 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
A study of the major existentialist thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries, including Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Camus, and others. Readings will include philosophical and literary texts that explore issues including the nature of the self and its relations with others, freedom and responsibility, anxiety, transcendence, ambiguity, and the absurd.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Neisser
PHI 231 - History of Ancient Philosophy 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: CLS 231 . A study of the philosophy of ancient Greece and Rome. Traces the growth of Western philosophy from its origins in the sixth century BCE through the third century CE. Includes examination of the Presocratics, Sophists, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicureans, Stoics, Sceptics, and Plotinus.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 or HUM 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: J. Cummins
PHI 233 - History of Early Modern Philosophy 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
A study of the intellectual world of the early modern period. Readings may include works by Descartes, Hobbes, Anne Conway, Princess Elizabeth, Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. Particular attention will be given to the complex relations between philosophy, science, religion, and politics during this period.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in French or German for course and +2.
Instructor: Nyden, J. Dobe
PHI 234 - 19th-Century Continental Philosophy 4 credits (Fall)
Survey of the major figures in 19th-century philosophy, emphasizing themes that lead to developments in 20th-century phenomenology, existentialism, and poststructuralism. Readings include selections from Hegel’s Phenomenology, Kierkegaard’s writings, Marx’s philosophical and political works, several texts of Nietzsche, and short works from the hermeneutic tradition.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in French or Russian for course and +2.
Instructor: Ramey
PHI 235 - 20th-Century Continental Philosophy 4 credits (Spring)
Examination of the major themes in phenomenology, existentialism, hermeneutics, poststructuralism, and feminism. Readings may include works by Husserl, Heidegger, Habermas, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, Beauvoir, Derrida, Foucault, Lyotard, and Cixous. Special attention will be focused on connections between philosophy and recent developments in humanities and social sciences.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in French, Dutch or Latin for course and +2.
Instructor: Ramey
PHI 242 - Ethical Theory 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Examination of several problems that arise in ethical theory. Questions included for consideration are the identity of the moral self, the issues of moral relativism and how to ground norms, the question of the nature of the virtues and their relationship to one another, and the question of whether gender might be morally significant.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: J. Dobe
PHI 245 - Philosophy of Art 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Designed as a survey of theories of art and beauty, this course acquaints students with influential aesthetic theories in the history of Western philosophy and relates them to more recent theoretical developments in the arts.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 ; courses in the arts emphasizing theoretical issues may substitute for PHI 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: J. Dobe
PHI 253 - Philosophy of Mind 4 credits (Fall)
Examination of several issues in philosophy of mind. Topics include the metaphysics of mind (the mind-body problem, dualism, functionalism, eliminativism, and the computer paradigm), intentionality (internalism and externalism), and consciousness (subjectivity, the nature of qualitative experience). Readings from Descartes, Ryle, Smart, D. Lewis, Putnam, Dennett, Quine, Davidson, Searle, Churchland, Fodor, and Nagel.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Fennell, Neisser
PHI 254 - Metaphysics 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Examination of several issues in metaphysics, with an emphasis on contemporary discussions in the Anglo-American tradition. Topics may include, among others: freedom and determinism, personal identity, causality, materialism vs. idealism, realism vs. anti-realism, mereology (part vs. whole), modality (necessity and possibility), universals and particulars, substance, time and identity. On occasion, the semester may be devoted to a more extensive examination of a single metaphysical problem. Readings will vary depending on the problems addressed. With approval from the department chair, may be taken more than once if the topic has changed sufficiently.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Fennell, Neisser, Nyden
PHI 255 - History of Scientific Thought 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course focuses on scientific change in 16th and 17th-century Europe — what is often called “the scientific revolution.” Particular attention will be paid to the relationships between science, philosophy, religion, and politics. We will focus on three incompatible alternatives to the Aristotelian science taught in the universities: that of Bacon, Galileo, and Descartes. Next we will turn our attention to Boyle, who attempted to consolidate these alternatives into one coherent program called mechanical or corpuscular philosophy. We will end our historical study with an examination of arguably the most important scientific figure of the period, Isaac Newton. The course will end with the larger philosophical question of what a scientific revolution is and whether the events of early modern Europe qualify.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Nyden
PHI 256 - Philosophy of Language and Cognition 4 credits (Spring)
A survey of the major issues in contemporary philosophy of language, as well as an examination of the major assumptions of empirical theories of language and cognition. Readings include works by Frege, Russell, Carnap, Ayer, Wittgenstein, Kripke, Putnam, Quine, Davidson, and Chomsky. Topics include theories of meaning, the nature of reference, and the cognitivist approach to mind and language.
Prerequisite: PHI 102 or PHI 111 , or LIN 114 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Fennell
PHI 257 - Philosophy of Science 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An examination of the foundations of scientific inference (induction and confirmation), the nature of scientific explanation, the structure of theories, and scientific methodology. Discussion includes the possibility of objective knowledge and the nature of scientific revolutions.
Prerequisite: PHI 102 or PHI 111 , or background in a science.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Fennell, Neisser, Nyden
PHI 258 - Classical and Contemporary American Pragmatism 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
A study of the major figures in classical and contemporary American pragmatism. Topics included for consideration are: what is the pragmatic method; how does it engage traditional philosophical questions; and what is its relation to other key philosophical approaches, such as logical positivism and realism. Readings may include selections from Peirce, James, Dewey, Mead, C.I. Lewis, Carnap, Ayer, Quine, Davidson, Rorty, Putnam, and Nagel.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Fennell
PHI 261 - Philosophy of Race and Gender 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course examines the relationship between modern conceptions of race and gender from philosophical perspectives that may include historical materialism, phenomenology, critical theory, postcolonial theory, and whiteness studies. We will study the social construction of race and gender, as well as the way these concepts inform theories of the subject. Finally, we will consider how race and gender identities have become sites for pleasure, creativity, and productivity.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
PHI 263 - Political Theory I 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: POL 263 and CLS 263 . A selective introduction to the major concepts and themes of Western political philosophy from classical Greece to the Renaissance. Topics may include: human nature, the basis of society, the purpose and justification of government, types of government and their relative merits, the function of law, political virtues, and the civic role of religion.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 , POL 101 , HIS 255 , CLS 255 , HIS 257 , CLS 257 , HIS 258 , CLS 258 , HUM 101 , HUM 102 , HUM 140 , or SST 140
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: J. Cummins
PHI 264 - Political Theory II 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: POL 264 . A study of the central themes and concepts articulated by political theorists since Machiavelli. Focus will be on theories of human nature, social relationships, conceptions of justice, and the operations of power. May be repeated once for credit when content changes.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 or POL 101 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in any language for course and +2.
Instructor: Meehan
PHI 265 - Psychoanalysis and the Intersubjective Constitution of the Self 4 credits (Fall)
This class will consider the psychic/social processes of the constitution of the self. We will read highly theoretical texts from the psychoanalytic tradition, including works by Freud, Jessica Benjamin, Judith Butler, Hortense Spillers, Steven Mitchell, and Cornelius Castoriadis. We will study the way gender, race, and class become aspects of our individual and collective psychic identities, consider the role of power in the constitution of identity, and search for possibilities of individual and social psychic resistance.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Meehan
PHI 268 - Cultural Critique: Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, and Beyond 4 credits (Fall)
Students begin by examining several key texts of the 19th century by Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud that lay the groundwork for the “Critique of Ideology” that has evolved in the 20th century into the interdisciplinary field of “Cultural Critique.” Focusing on thinkers who have fused the critical perspectives of Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud, students explore the works of the Frankfurt School (Adorno, Marcuse, Benjamin), structuralism (Althusser, Bataille), and poststructuralism (Foucault, Deleuze, Agamben, Butler).
Prerequisite: PHI 111 ; and one 200-level course in Philosophy, Political Science, or History.
Note: Not offered every year.
Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in any language for course and +2.
Instructor: Ramey
PHI 271 - Neurophilosophy 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course examines the current “neuroscientific image” of mind and person, investigating the conceptual and ethical issues it raises. Neurophilosophy involves both the application of neurobiological findings to philosophical questions and the application of philosophical critique to the findings of neuroscience. Questions include: What is the neural basis of mental representation, consciousness, and the self? Is psychology reducible to neurobiology? What legal and ethical issues attend the new techniques of neural monitoring and intervention?
Prerequisite: PHI 111 ; courses in neuroscience may substitute for PHI 111 with consent of the instructor.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Neisser
PHI 295-01 - Special Topic: Philosophies of Capitalism 4 credits (Spring)
Beginning with Marx’s critique of capitalist political economy, this course investigates capitalism not only as economic system, but as a psychic, social, aesthetic, and religious mode of existence. Topics may include capitalist conceptions of freedom, opportunity, knowledge, belief, desire, power, sex, race, agency, and authority. Special attention will be given to ideological implications of the shift from “Fordist” or industrial to “post-Fordist” or neoliberal capitalism.
Prerequisite: PHI 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Ramey
PHI 336 - Contemporary French Philosophy 4 credits (Spring)
A detailed study of French philosophy since 1960. Possible topics include structuralism, deconstruction, poststructuralism, and postmodernism. Focus on issues of interdisciplinary concern, addressing questions of textuality, psychoanalysis, and politics. Readings may include works by Foucault, Derrida, Deleuze, Lyotard, Cixous, and Irigaray, among others. May be repeated for credit if content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: PHI 234 , or PHI 235 , or PHI 268 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ramey
PHI 352 - Philosophy of Religion 4 credits (Spring)
See REL 352 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
PHI 391 - Advanced Studies in Continental Philosophy 4 credits (Spring)
An advanced investigation of a single author, text, issue, or problem in continental philosophy. Content of the course announced each year. With permission of instructor, may be repeated for credit when content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Prerequisites will vary depending on topic; at least one 200-level course.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Meehan, Ramey
PHI 392 - Advanced Studies in Anglo-American Philosophy 4 credits (Fall)
An advanced investigation of a topic, text, or author in the analytic or Anglo-American tradition. Content of the course announced each year. With permission of instructor, may be repeated for credit when content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Prerequisites will vary depending on topic; at least one 200-level course.
Instructor: Fennell, Neisser
PHI 392-01 - Advanced Studies in Anglo-American Philosophy: Wittgenstein 4 credits (Fall)
In this seminar we will engage in a careful study of the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein’s thought is typically divided into three periods–the early (Tractatus), middle (The Blue and Brown Books) and late (Philosophical Investigations and On Certainty)–and we will examine his views in the philosophy of language, the philosophy of mind, metaphysics and epistemology in each of them. Particular attention will be paid to the continuities and discontinuities in his views across these periods as well as the broader philosophical motivations for and consequences of them. Majors themes and topics that will be focused on include: From the early period: The notion of logical form and the picture theory of meaning, the nature of the proposition and the analysis of generality, the limits of sense and the saying/showing distinction; From the middle period: The color-exclusion problem and the idea of language as a calculus of rules or conventions; From the late period: the notion of language games and the use ‘theory’ of meaning, the rule-following considerations, the argument against the possibility of a private language, philosophy-as-therapy and the dissolution of skepticism.
Prerequisite: PHI 253 , PHI 254 , PHI 256 , PHI 257 , or PHI 258 .
Instructor: Fennell
PHI 393 - Advanced Studies in History of Philosophy 4 credits (Fall)
An advanced investigation of a single author, text, issue, or problem in the history of philosophy. Content of the course announced each year. With permission of instructor, may be repeated for credit when content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Prerequisites will vary depending on topic; at least one 200-level philosophy course.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: J. Cummins, J. Dobe, Nyden
PHI 393-01 - Advanced Studies: Kant’s System 4 credits (Spring)
In this seminar we will carefully piece together Immanuel Kant’s multi-dimensional philosophical system in an effort to examine his answers to three pressing questions: ”What can I know? What ought I to do? What may I hope?” We begin with the Critique of Pure Reason (1781/7), which marks his “critical turn” and aims to establish the boundaries of human knowledge. As we move on to his practical/moral philosophy, aesthetics, anthropology and political philosophy we will consider the tensions between and among the various elements of his system that eventually incite German Idealists (such as Fichte, Schelling and Hegel) to provide more “complete” systems. Of particular interest to us will be the ways his conceptions of human nature and moral and political freedom accommodate racial and gender inequality. In addition to Kant’s first Critique, primary readings will be drawn from the Critique of Practical Reason, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, Critique of the Power of Judgment, Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason, Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View, the Metaphysics of Morals, “Perpetual Peace,” and “Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Aim,” among others. Critical engagement with secondary literature will also be central to the work for this course.
Prerequisite: PHI 233 .
Instructor: Dobe
PHI 394 - Advanced Studies in Theories of Value 4 credits (Spring)
An advanced investigation of a single author, text, issue, or problem that addresses theories of value (ethics, politics, aesthetics, interdisciplinary studies). Content of the course announced each year. With permission of instructor, may be repeated for credit when content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Prerequisites will vary depending on topic; at least one 200-level philosophy course.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Meehan
PHI 394-01 - Advanced Studies in Theories of Value: Arendt 4 credits (Spring)
Hannah Arendt is arguably one of the most important political theorists of the twentieth century. Her work defies easy comprehension or categorization, and while it is unquestionably original and illuminating, at times it is confusing and, some contend, even contradictory. In this class we will consider some of the most significant of Arendt’s writings. We will consider her accounts of totalitarianism, violence, power, freedom, and action. Beginning with her doctoral essay on St. Augustine, we will work our way through some of the texts that made her famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) including “The Origins of Totalitarianism”, “The Human Condition”, and “Eichmann in Jerusalem” as well as some of her most important essays. We will then turn to critics of Arendt and conclude the semester by reading Elizabeth Young-Breuhl’s recent book, Why Arendt Matters.
Prerequisite: Third-year standing and two of the following: PHI 234 , PHI 235 , PHI 242 , PHI 263 , PHI 264 , PHI 265 , PHI 268 , PHI 336 , PHI 393 .
Instructor: Meehan
PHI 491 - Senior Essay 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
The preparation and writing of an original piece of philosophical work, not to exceed 7,500 words in length, based upon primary or secondary sources. Seniors must obtain approval of a department member as adviser for the essay and the department chair before the end of the semester preceding that during which the essay will be written.
Prerequisite: Senior standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: StaffPhysical Education
PHE 100 - Physical Education Activity Instruction (Practica) Variable credits (Fall or Spring)
1/2 or 1 credit (See schedule of courses for credit option)
| Aerobics |
Introductory Kayaking |
| Advanced Baseball |
Lifeguard Training |
| Advanced Racquetball |
Pickleball |
| Advanced Tennis |
Power Walking |
| Advanced Weightlifting |
Rock Climbing |
| Basketball Skills |
Spinning |
| Beginning Racquetball |
Standard First Aid |
| Beginning Swimming |
Swimming Technique |
| Beginning Tennis |
Training for Your First 5K |
|
|
Triathlon Training |
| Bowling |
Volleyball |
| Cardio Core |
Water Aerobics |
| Conditioning |
Wellness |
| Floor Hockey |
Women’s Health |
| Golf |
Yoga |
| Indoor Soccer |
|
Note: May be taken without credit. S/D/F only.
PHE 101 - Sport Performance: Intercollegiate Competitive (Practica) 1/2 per season credits (Fall and Spring)
| For men: |
|
For women: |
|
| Baseball |
Indoor Track |
Basketball |
Soccer |
| Basketball |
Outdoor Track |
Cross Country |
Softball |
| Cross Country |
Soccer |
Golf |
Swimming |
| Football |
Swimming |
Indoor Track |
Tennis |
| Golf |
Tennis |
Outdoor Track |
Volleyball |
Note: May be taken without credit. S/D/F only.
PHE 112 - Outdoor Leadership 2 credits (Spring)
This 1/2 semester course course focuses on the more theoretical aspects of outdoor leadership. It does not cover activity skills. Topics include trip planning, minimum impact, learning theory, group dynamics, thinking critically in the outdoors, skill matching, risk management, and navigation. There will be labs in navigation and teaching.
Prerequisite: None. Speaking with the professor prior to registration is suggested.
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Zeiss
PHE 200 - Organization and Administration of Athletics 4 credits (Fall)
Lecture and discussion concerning the function, organization, and administration of an athletic program. Includes philosophy and psychology of coaching.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Arseneault, Wallace
PHE 202 - Coaching Methods 4 credits (Spring)
A comprehensive study of the components of coaching. Areas of emphasis include: philosophy of coaching; sport psychology; exercise science; practice planning; athletic management; and sport-specific training of tactics and techniques. Geared toward coaching youth and high school athletes. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a coaching endorsement from the American Sport Education Program (ASEP).
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Hollibaugh
PHE 211 - Foundations of Athletic Training 4 credits (Spring)
Specific to rehabilitation and the care and prevention of athletic injuries. Lectures plus laboratory sections.
Prerequisite: CPR/First Aid.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
PHE 213 - Lifeguard Instructor Training 2 credits (Spring)
This course is an advanced American Red Cross course providing students American Red Cross Instructor Authorization for Lifeguarding. Upon successful completion, student will be trained to teach basic-level Lifeguarding (including First Aid), Lifeguard Management and CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer.
Prerequisite: Current American Red Cross Lifeguarding certification
S/D/F only
Instructor: Hurley
PHE 235 - Psychological Foundations of Sport 4 credits (Spring)
An overview of various psychological concepts underlying sports performance. Pertinent social and philosophical issues also addressed. Topics include personality, anxiety and arousal, motivation, self-efficacy and confidence, individual and group dynamics, cohesion, and various cognitive intervention strategies.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: W. Freeman
PHE 236 - The Role of Sport in Society 4 credits (Spring)
The study of sport can be accomplished in many ways. At Grinnell College we approach the task from a social studies method. The faculty members who teach the sport courses are members of the physical education department, a part of the College’s social sciences division. The goal of the course is to offer students a theoretical base to study sport from a sociological standpoint and then to provide opportunity for students to engage in that study through various topics and exercises. At any given iteration of this course, there may be two or three professors teaching it and taking the students down different paths, depending on the background and interest areas of the faculty members. Topics of current focus are sport sociology theory and research, sport and the media, sports and athletic experience through the lens of gender, sex, and sexuality, the changing face of sport in 1960s America (race and class), the role of international sport and the Olympics, competition vs. cooperation.
Prerequisite: PHE 100 or second-semester standing.
Instructor: Freeman, HamiltonPhysics
PHY 109 - Physics in the Arts 4 credits
An investigation of a variety of physical principles that have interesting applications to musical acoustics and the visual arts. Topics include simple vibrating systems, musical instruments, Fourier analysis, light and color, optics, and photography. Intended primarily for nonscience majors. Laboratory work allows students to investigate phenomena firsthand. Three lectures, one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Cunningham
PHY 116 - The Universe and Its Structure 4 credits (Fall)
Descriptive astronomy, covering the tools and methods of astronomy, the solar system, the stars, and the structure of the galaxy and the universe.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Kempton, Christensen
PHY 131 - General Physics I 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
This course is the first part of a yearlong, calculus-based introductory physics sequence, focusing on the application of physical principles, logical reasoning, and mathematical analysis to understand a broad range of natural phenomena related to force and motion. Topics include Newtonian mechanics, conservation principles, gravity, and oscillation. This course meets for six hours each week and involves both classroom and laboratory work.
Prerequisite or co-requisite: MAT 124 or MAT 131 .
Instructor: Staff
PHY 132 - General Physics II 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
This course is the second part of a yearlong, calculus-based introductory physics sequence, focusing on the application of physical principles, logical reasoning, and mathematical analysis to understand a broad range of electromagnetic phenomena. Topics include electricity, magnetism, light, and early atomic theory. This course meets for six hours each week and involves both classroom and laboratory work.
Prerequisite: PHY 131 and MAT 124 or MAT 131 . Prerequisite or co-requisite: MAT 133 is recommended.
Instructor: Staff
PHY 180 - Bridges, Towers, and Skyscrapers 4 credits (Spring)
An investigation of large man-made structures (e.g., Brooklyn Bridge, Eiffel Tower, and Hancock Tower/Chicago), considering structural, social, and aesthetic aspects. The relationship between a structure’s form and its function is examined. Concepts from physics necessary for the quantitative analysis are presented. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: MAT 124 or MAT 131 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Cunningham, Kempton
PHY 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: How to Learn Physics 4 credits (Spring)
See EDU 195-01 .
PHY 220 - Electronics 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
A course in modern electronics, emphasizing the use of integrated circuits. Topics include analog electronics, primarily the design of circuits based on operational amplifiers; digital electronics, including logic circuits, counters, and timers; and microcontroller interfacing using software written in low-level languages and C. Two lectures, two laboratories each week.
Prerequisite: PHY 132 , and some computer programming experience, and second-year standing.
Instructor: Tjossem, Cunningham
PHY 232 - Modern Physics 4 credits (Fall)
For students with an introductory physics background who wish to extend their knowledge of atomic, nuclear, and solid-state physics. Emphasis on the basic phenomena and fundamental physics principles involved in special relativity and quantum mechanics and their subsequent application to atomic, nuclear, and solid state models. Three classes, one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: PHY 131 and PHY 132 Prerequisite or co-requisite: MAT 215
Instructor: Cunningham, Willig-Onwuachi
PHY 234 - Mechanics 4 credits (Spring)
A study of analytical mechanics, including Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms of particle dynamics, rigid body motion, and harmonic oscillations.
Prerequisite: PHY 131 and PHY 132 . Prerequisite or co-requisite: MAT 220 .
Instructor: Christensen
PHY 310 - Computational Physics 2 credits (Fall)
An active-learning introduction to computing in physics. Class is taught in the laboratory, with each class session dedicated to a particular topic. These topics include investigations of numerical algorithms for integration, matrix manipulations, Fourier transforms, data fitting, and Monte Carlo methods.
Prerequisite: PHY 234 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Tjossem
PHY 314 - Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
A study of thermodynamics from classical and statistical points of view. Applications of Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac, and Bose-Einstein distributions are used to provide an introduction to solid-state physics and quantum optics.
Prerequisite: PHY 232 and MAT 220 .
Instructor: Kempton
PHY 335 - Electromagnetic Theory 4 credits (Fall)
An advanced treatment of electric and magnetic fields and potentials, including the laws of Coulomb, Ampere, and Faraday, Maxwell’s equations, and electromagnetic waves.
Prerequisite: PHY 234 .
Instructor: Hasegawa
PHY 337 - Optics Wave Phenomena 4 credits (Spring)
A wide variety of physical problems — including one- and two-dimensional mechanical oscillating systems, sound, and optical phenomena — are examined using the theory of waves. The primary emphasis is on physical optics (interference and diffraction phenomena). Three lectures, one laboratory each week.
Prerequisite: PHY 335 .
Instructor: Cunningham, Willig-Onwuachi
PHY 340 - Astrophysics 2 credits (Spring)
An introduction to topics in theoretical and observational astrophysics, including stellar structure and evolution, the physics of interstellar material, galactic structure and dynamics, cosmology and observational technology and techniques. The course also includes a very brief survey of other topics, including the solar system and areas of current research interest.
Prerequisite: PHY 232 .
Instructor: Kempton, Christensen
PHY 360 - Solid State Physics 2 credits (Fall)
An introduction to the physics of crystalline solids, such as metals, semiconductors, and insulators. This course presents models of the crystal lattice, lattice vibrations, and electronic band structures, as well as a brief survey of selected topics of current research interest.
Prerequisite: PHY 232 .
Instructor: Cunningham
PHY 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Galactic Astrophysics and Cosmology 4 credits (Spring)
An introduction to the subject of galactic astrophysics and cosmology from a theoretical and observational perspective. Topics covered include the structure and dynamics of the Milky Way galaxy, galaxy evolution, and the early history and cosmological expansion of the universe. The course will also touch upon relevant areas of current research in astrophysics.
Prerequisite: PHY 232 .
Instructor: Christensen
PHY 399 - Directed Research 2 or 4 credits
See Directed Research.
Instructor: Staff
PHY 456 - Introduction to Quantum Theory 4 credits (Fall)
Introduction to the physical and mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics with application to simple physical systems.
Prerequisite: PHY 232 , MAT 220 , and PHY 335 .
Instructor: Staff
PHY 457 - Advanced Quantum Theory 2 credits (Spring)
Application and implications of the quantum theory. Perturbation theory and other approximation techniques are used to examine various quantum systems. Fundamental questions of interpretation of the quantum theory will also be considered.
Prerequisite: PHY 456 .
Instructor: Staff
PHY 462 - Advanced Laboratory 2 credits (Fall and Spring)
Experiments bear a closer resemblance to research than do the experiments in more elementary courses. There is a wide range of activities to meet individual needs and interests. Two afternoons of laboratory or reading each week.
Prerequisite: senior standing and at least three 200- or 300-level physics courses. Special permission for well-qualified third-year students.
Instructor: Tjossem, Willig-OnwuachiPolicy Studies
PST 220 - Foundations of Policy Analysis 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: ECN 220 or POL 220 . This course explores principles of policymaking, with applications. It opens by examining theoretical rationales for policy, including those premised on ideology or market failure. It proceeds to investigate institutional context and processes relevant to policymaking, using case studies. With this foundation, the course explores 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 investigate policy areas of interest for case studies and papers.
Prerequisite: ECN 111 or POL 101 , and second-year standing.
Instructor: Ferguson, Hess
PST 295-01 - Special Topic: Unlocking Policy Neglect: Comparative Agenda Setting 4 credits (Spring)
Why are global challenges like climate change, human rights abuses, and economic inequality not treated with the same urgency as other issues by policymakers? This course examines how policy agendas are set in the public, the media, and ultimately in important decision-making institutions as well as why some problems face challenges in making it onto the policy agenda. The course will be taught from Leiden University College in the form of a small, online personal course. In that setting, Grinnell students will interact with peers from LUC, a liberal arts college in The Hague with strengths in interdisciplinary policy approaches. The course will be sponsored by Grinnell College professor Bill Ferguson and will meet Fridays and one other hour weekly to be arranged.
This class includes course-embedded travel during the first week of Spring Break to Leiden University in the Netherlands, with a possibility of optional extension into the second week. Students will engage in dialogue on course materials and research projects with their Leiden University peers and with Professor Zicha. They will also conduct a few visits to local organizations that work in related policy areas. Participation is required.
Prerequisite: Third-year standing and ECN 220 , POL 220 , or PST 220 and MAT 209 . Recommended: POL 255 , POL 257 , POL 258 , POL 261 , POL 262 , POL 273 , or POL 295 (Politics of the Middle East or Intro to South Asian Politics).
Instructor: Staff
PST 320 - Applied Policy Analysis 4 credits (Fall)
Topic changes each year. This course will apply fundamental policy ideas from Policy Studies 220 to specific policy problems. Students will analyze policy problems and propose solutions. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: PST 220 , POL 220 , or ECN 220 . Other prerequisites may apply depending on staff teaching.
Instructor: Staff
PST 320-01 - Applied Policy Analysis 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: POL 320-01 . Climate Change. This course will analyze different aspects of policy to mitigate climate change, bringing to bear the perspectives of science and social science. Topics for discussion will include: 1) study of policy development up to the present, as policy has been impacted by the domestic and international politics of climate change along with scientific and economic factors; the evolving climate change agenda; decision-making at international, national, and local arenas; and the interplay between the various arenas; 2) assessment of the scientific data on climate change; 3) ethical issues raised by climate change; 4) evaluation of progress in developing strategies and technologies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change; 5) implementation of the December 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, and 6) policy recommendations building on the Paris agreement, for national and international action to help the world fully meet the future climate change challenge. This class includes course-embedded travel during Fall Break to Washington D.C. to engage in dialogue with policy makers and researchers. Participation is optional. Students planning to participate in the course-embedded travel component of this course, will be required to pay a $250 participation fee (most other required travel expenses will be covered). This fee will be payable at the Cashier’s Office, by cash or check, and will be due one week after classes begin. If payment of this fee causes you financial concern, please contact Gretchen Zimmermann in the Financial Aid Office to discuss options to cover this additional cost for attendance.
Prerequisite: PST 220 , POL 250 , POL 251 , or POL 259 .
Instructor: Moyer, Marzluff
PST 420 - Advanced Policy Research 2 credits (Spring)
In this course students will use the techniques of policy analysis they studied in PST 320 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 320 .
Instructor: StaffPolitical Science
POL 101 - Introduction to Political Science 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Designed to provide a general introduction to the major concepts and themes of the discipline of political science, using examples from contemporary American, comparative, and international politics.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
POL 216 - Politics of Congress 4 credits (Fall)
A study of the politics of Congress, including such topics as congressional elections, party leadership, floor voting, congressional committees, congressional policymaking, and reform proposals. Emphasis placed on understanding theories of legislative behavior.
Prerequisite: POL 101 .
Instructor: Hess
POL 219 - Constitutional Law and Politics 4 credits (Fall)
This course examines the critical role that the U.S. Supreme Court has played in shaping the American political landscape over time. We will learn various methods of constitutional interpretation, and use them to read and analyze many of the Court’s landmark decisions. Specifically, we will explore how the court has policed controversial power struggles in American government, and developed into a powerful political institution.
Prerequisite: POL 101 .
Instructor: Staff
POL 220 - Foundations of Policy Analysis 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: PST 220 . This course explores principles of policy making, with applications. It opens by examining theoretical rationales for policy, including those premised on ideology or market failure. It proceeds to investigate institutional context and processes relevant to policy making, using case studies. With this foundation, the course explores 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 investigate policy areas of interest for case studies and papers.
Prerequisite: POL 101 and second-year standing.
Instructor: Hess
POL 222 - American Immigration Politics 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Debates over the perceived costs and benefits of immigration have long been a familiar part of American political rhetoric, but immigration also raises bigger questions about global justice, state sovereignty, what it means to be an American, and what newcomers should have to do to become one. We will explore these contemporary controversies in American immigration politics, and ask ourselves: What is the ‘problem’ and can it be fixed? In the process, we will learn lessons about how American politics works more generally.
Prerequisite: POL 101 .
Instructor: Staff
POL 237 - Political Parties 4 credits (Fall)
An examination of the political party in U.S. politics. Considers the party at three levels: the individual, the organization, and the system. Topics include the development and evolution of parties, candidates and elections, third parties, and the role of parties in the U.S. political system.
Prerequisite: POL 101 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Trish
POL 239 - The Presidency 4 credits (Spring)
Consideration of the modern presidency as an institution and the president as a critical political actor in politics. Topics include leadership, institutional change, executive-legislative relations, decision-making, and presidential selection.
Prerequisite: POL 101 .
Instructor: Trish
POL 250 - Politics of International Relations 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
A study of the evolving relations between nations in the period since 1939, focusing on U.S. foreign policy. The crucial decisions of the Cold War and post-Cold War evaluated against standard of the rational national actor, taking into account distortions caused by bureaucratic, bargaining, personality, psychological, societal, momentum, and communications factors.
Prerequisite: POL 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Moyer
POL 251 - International Political Economy 4 credits (Fall)
Introduction to the study of political economy through the examination of the pursuit of wealth and power in the international system. Evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of different theoretical approaches as applied to the issues of trade, international finance, and foreign investment.
Prerequisite: POL 101 . ECN 111 is highly recommended.
Instructor: Driscoll
POL 255 - The Politics of New Europe 4 credits (Spring)
This course provides a survey of contemporary European politics. It examines the European geopolitical dynamics in the 20th century, the variations among European polities in political institutions, parties, electoral politics, and public policy; and the institutionalization and policy processes in the European Union. Some thematic issues are the varieties of democracies and capitalist systems, transitions to democracy, the role of the state in the economy, and enlargement and deepening of the European Union.
Prerequisite: POL 101 .
Instructor: Sala
POL 257 - Nationalism 4 credits (Fall)
This course explores the definition of states and nations and the relationship between them. It analyzes the forces that motivated the appearance and spread of nation-states, and that formed national identities. It also studies the relationship between capitalism, communism, decolonization, globalization, and nationalism. It explains the emergence of secessionist claims, ethnic violence, and the ability of institutions in channeling national conflict. Cases include France, United States, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Quebec, U.S.S.R., Yugoslavia, India, or Rwanda.
Prerequisite: POL 101 .
Instructor: Sala
POL 258 - Democratization and the Politics of Regime Change 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
What is a democracy? Which factors contribute to democratic transitions and the survival of democracy over time? What happens when democratization fails? What is the role of international factors in democratic development? We will explore these questions through an analysis of democratization in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, with a particular emphasis on developments from the past twenty years.
Prerequisite or co-requisite: POL 101 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lussier
POL 259 - Human Rights: Foundations, Challenges, and Choices 4 credits (Spring)
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 policymakers. Topics for discussion include universality or relativity of human rights, the interplay between civil and political rights and economic and social rights, the impact of sovereignty, monitoring, and compliance. Cases will include humanitarian intervention, the U.S. domestic response to 9/11, religious accommodation and equality of rights, human rights and development, and climate change and human rights.
Prerequisite: POL 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Moyer
POL 261 - State and Society in Latin America 4 credits (Fall)
Examination of the diverse and common dilemmas facing Latin America, using social scientific approaches. Topics include economic development and political uncertainty.
Prerequisite: POL 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Willis
POL 262 - African Politics 4 credits (Spring)
The major events and themes in the study of politics in sub-Saharan Africa. Part 1 is historical. We travel through pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial histories to understand Africa’s present political landscape. Part 2 is thematic. We use this historical knowledge to answer major questions in African politics concerning: political order, the strength of states, political economy of development, political culture, ethnicity, and gender.
Prerequisite: POL 101 .
Instructor: Driscoll
POL 263 - Political Theory I 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See PHI 263 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
POL 264 - Political Theory II 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See PHI 264 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
POL 273 - Politics of Russia 4 credits (Spring)
This course analyzes the politics of contemporary Russia, focusing on the country’s post-Soviet political and economic transformation, as well as its changing place on the global stage. Questions we will explore include: what was the Soviet Union and why did it collapse? What kind of political regime has since taken root in Russia? How do Russians view their political system? and What role does Russia play in a multi-polar world?
Prerequisite: POL 101 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lussier
POL 295-01 - Special Topic: Religion and Politics in the U.S. 2 credits (Fall)
The course will examine the intersection of religion and politics in this country. We will focus on religion’s impact on political attitudes, electoral behavior, civil society activity and intergroup conflict.
Prerequisite: POL 101 .
Note: Dates: September 19 to October 14. Short course deadlines apply.
Instructor: Grey
POL 295-01 - Special Topic: The Political Psychology of Gender in Politics 4 credits (Spring)
This course examines gender in politics through the lens of political psychology. The course will begin by examining theories in political psychology that broadly inform interest group based politics, including social identity and group relations. It will then apply additional political psychology theories as presented in current psychology and political psychology journals each week to specific political topics. These topics will include those traditionally thought of as women’s issues, such as reproductive health, parental leave, and dress codes; intersectional issues such as wage gaps, political representation, and LGBTQ rights; and policies addressing such topics including federal hate crime legislation and Title 9. Topics will include both US and international issues. Speakers and student presentations will relate these topics to their impact on our campus.
Prerequisite: POL 101 , PSY 113 , or GWS 111 .
Instructor: Solomon
POL 310 - Advanced Seminar in American Politics 4 credits (Fall)
A research-oriented course in American politics. Students examine research methods and their application to political questions/phenomena. Students then devise and conduct an intensive research project. Throughout the course, there is an emphasis on empirical political science.
Prerequisite: Third or fourth-year standing and MAT 115 or MAT 209 ; and POL 216 , POL 222 , POL 237 , POL 239 , POL 220 or PST 220 .
Instructor: Trish
POL 319 - Advanced Seminar in Constitutional Law 4 credits (Spring)
This course is an in-depth exploration of the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in American democracy, focusing on the question of how courts strike a balance between protecting democratic values and protecting the rights of vulnerable minorities. Students will read contemporary legal theory and write a research paper linking a particular topic of interest to them to larger questions about rights in a constitutional democracy.
Prerequisite: Third or fourth-year standing and POL 219 .
Instructor: Staff
POL 320 - Applied Policy Analysis 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: PST 320 . Topics change. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Prerequisite for POL-320: POL 216 , POL 220 , PST 220 , POL 222 , POL 239 , or POL 250 and third or fourth-year standing. Prerequisite for PST-320: PST 220 .
Note: Not offered ever year.
Instructor: Staff
POL 320-01 - Applied Policy Analysis
See PST 320-01 .
POL 350 - International Politics of Land and Sea Resources 4 credits (Spring)
Analysis of the international politics of the conflict between the developed nations of the North and the developing nations of the South for control of the world’s resources and over trade and environmental issues. The impact of national decision-making processes, international organizations, cartels, and multinational corporations. Case studies.
Prerequisite: Third or fourth-year standing and POL 250 , POL 251 , or POL 259 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Moyer
POL 352 - Advanced Seminar on the U.S. Foreign Policymaking Process 4 credits (Fall)
An in-depth study of the U.S. foreign and defense policymaking process, emphasizing international relations theory; case studies of recent important decisions; discussion of the role, structure, function, and power of the National Security Council, State Department, Defense Department, and CIA; conflict between president and Congress; impact of press, public opinion, lobbies, and elections.
Prerequisite: Third or fourth-year standing and POL 250 , POL 251 , or POL 259 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Moyer
POL 354 - Political Economy of Developing Countries 4 credits (Fall)
Following a brief examination of the main theoretical approaches taken in the study of development, students apply these approaches to a comparison of several less-developed countries. Emphasis on the interplay between domestic and international factors in the path to industrialization.
Prerequisite: Third or fourth-year standing and POL 250 , POL 251 , POL 257 , POL 258 , POL 261 , POL 262 (offered 2013 Spring), or POL 273 . ECN 111 is highly recommended.
Instructor: Driscoll
POL 355 - Courts and Politics in Comparative Perspective 4 credits (Fall)
What do constitutions say and how do they become enforceable documents? This seminar focuses on the politics of constitutional choice and interpretation. It looks at the political aims of constitution and the role of courts in enforcing these documents. It analyzes the political factors involved in judicial decisions and the political strategies that derive from them, as well as how constitutional meaning evolves and changes. Cases include Germany, France, Spain, United States, Canada, Russia, Argentina, and Mexico.
Prerequisite: Third or fourth-year standing and POL 216 , POL 219 , POL 239 , POL 255 , POL 258 , POL 261 , or POL 273 .
Instructor: Sala
POL 356 - Islam and Politics 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course investigates the relationship between Islam and a variety of political outcomes, such as regime type, political violence, inequality, social tolerance, and political organization. Questions we explore include: what is “Islamism” and how did it arise as a political force? Why are so few Muslim-majority countries democratic? Are Islamic parties and organizations a threat or a resource for open politics? We take an empirical approach, examining scholarly analyses from a variety of methodological perspectives.
Prerequisite: Third or fourth-year standing and a 200-level course in comparative politics, MAT 115 or MAT 209 .
Instructor: LussierPsychology
PSY 113 - Introduction to Psychology 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
An introduction to principles of psychological science and inquiry. Major topics of psychology are covered with consideration of different approaches psychologists take to describe, predict, and explain behavior. Emphasis is placed on theory, research, and application. Laboratory work is required.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
PSY 214 - Social Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
Survey of contemporary experimental social psychology. Topics include: attribution theory, social cognition, stereotypes, attitudes, prosocial behavior, aggression, group processes, and applied social psychology. Attention given to interaction between theoretical development and empirical measurement. Laboratory work is required.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 . Prerequisite or co-requisite: MAT 115 /SST 115 or MAT 209 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Sinnett
PSY 220 - Decision-Making 4 credits (Spring)
An examination of cognitive biases and heuristics that describe how people think about information when making decisions under uncertainty. We examine social, emotional, and behavioral influences across laboratory and real-world situations such as medical decisions and jury verdicts, and tools for helping people make better decisions (e.g., computers, formulas, and decision trees).
Prerequisite: PSY 113 and MAT 115 /SST 115 or MAT 209 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Gibson
PSY 222 - Industrial Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
An investigation of individual differences, learning, and motivation in the context of the work setting. Topics include testing theory, training techniques, and motivational theories.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 and MAT 115 /SST 115 or MAT 209 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lopatto
PSY 225 - Research Methods 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
This course describes experimental designs and attendant statistical techniques. Students learn to use quantitative methods to pose meaningful questions to data. Topics include between-group and within-group designs, analysis of variance for main effects and interactions, the adaptation of statistical inquiry to less than optimal situations, and critical thinking about research methods.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 and MAT 115 /SST 115 or MAT 209 .
Instructor: Staff
PSY 232 - Human-Computer Interaction 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
See CSC 232 .
PSY 233 - Developmental Psychology 4 credits (Spring)
This course explores psychological development from the prenatal period through adolescence. Major theoretical perspectives on the nature of developmental change are considered with a focus on empirical research and application of each perspective. Topics include physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. Laboratory work is required.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 and MAT 115 /SST 115 or MAT 209 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Ellis
PSY 243 - Behavior Analysis 4 credits (Spring)
The course studies behavior as it occurs in its environmental context. Topics in learning and motivation are analyzed through the experimental approach of behavior analytic psychology. Topics include classical and operant learning, choice, self-control, and extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Laboratory work is required.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 and MAT 115 /SST 115 or MAT 209 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Lopatto
PSY 246 - Physiological Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
An introduction to the physiological control of behavior. Course content: (a) general introduction to neuroanatomy and neurophysiology; (b) neuroregulatory systems, motivation, and emotion; (c) perceptual and motor systems; and (d) processes of learning, memory, and cognition.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 . One semester of biology is recommended.
Instructor: Rempel-Clower, Tracy
PSY 248 - Abnormal Psychology 4 credits (Spring)
The study of psychopathology. Emphasis is given to experimental models and the underlying psychological processes of abnormal behavior. Some attention is given to treatments. The course is structured around the categories of the DSM-5.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 . MAT 115 /SST 115 or MAT 209 is recommended.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Ralston
PSY 250 - Health Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
A survey of the psychological and social processes that contribute to health and illness. Topics include health-compromising and health-promoting behaviors, stress and coping, managing chronic illness, and patient-provider communication. Laboratory work is required.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 . Prerequisite or co-requisite: MAT 115 /SST 115 or MAT 209 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
PSY 260 - Cognitive Psychology 4 credits (Spring)
This course explores the experimental research on human thinking, knowing, and remembering. Topics include attention, memory, reasoning, problem-solving, language, and individual and cultural differences in cognition. Laboratory work is required.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 and MAT 115 /SST 115 or MAT 209 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Gibson
PSY 295-01 - Special Topic: Scientific Presentation Skills 2 credits (Fall)
This course will focus on presentation skills for communicating scientific information in an engaging way to diverse audiences. It will explore the constraints of attention and the resources of spatial organization, both of information on the slide/board and of bodily movements through the presentation room. Students will revise their presentations and take renewed attempts at planning and at delivering. They will also learn to become critical and appreciative audience members, with opportunities for peer feedback.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 .
Instructor: D. Kelty-Stephen
PSY 311 - History of Psychological Theories 4 credits (Fall)
Historical and philosophical origins of contemporary schools of psychology are considered. The student analyzes the nature of psychological theory and the methods used to disconfirm theories, as well as the reasons for the emergence and decline of schools of psychological thought.
Prerequisite: Two psychology courses numbered 200 or above, and MAT 115 /SST 115 or MAT 209 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lopatto
PSY 315 - Advanced Social Psychology: Cross-Cultural Differences in Self-Construal 4 credits (Spring)
This seminar focuses on the construction of independent versus interdependent selves in cultures descendent from East Asian versus Western European historical and philosophical traditions. We will consider sources of these differences, as well as a variety of social consequences. This will provide the foundation for examining lay theories about the causes of behavior and considering the extent to which behavior is differentially determined by the person or the situation in different cultural contexts.
Prerequisite: PSY 214 and PSY 225 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Sinnett
PSY 317 - Personality Psychology 4 credits (Spring)
A survey of classical and contemporary approaches to understanding healthy adult personalities. Emphasis will be placed on the trait approach, the coherence of personality across time and situations, beliefs about the self, social aspects of personality, and empirical research methods used to study personality. Laboratory work may be required.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and two additional psychology courses numbered 200 or above.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Sinnett
PSY 332 - Advanced Developmental Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
An advanced investigation of substantive topics in developmental psychology. Emphasis is placed on theory and research. Laboratory work may be required.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 , PSY 233 , and one additional psychology course numbered 200 or above.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ellis
PSY 334 - Adult Development 4 credits (Fall)
A consideration of human development during adulthood with emphasis on models and empirical work that illustrate factors that constrain and optimize development. Topics covered may include memory, dementia, personality, and social roles. Laboratory work may be required.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and two psychology courses numbered 200 or above.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ellis
PSY 335 - Psychology of Motivation 4 credits (Fall)
In-depth investigation of a selected topic in the area of motivated behavior as addressed from a variety of psychological perspectives (e.g., physiological, behavioral, social, cognitive, developmental). The focus will be on critical analysis methodologies, empirical evidence, and theoretical approaches through examination of the primary literature. Laboratory work may be required.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 , and PSY 246 or NRS 250 plus one additional psychology course numbered 200 or above.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Tracy
PSY 336 - Advanced Behavioral Neuroscience 4 credits (Spring)
A laboratory-centered introduction to advanced topics in behavioral neuroscience and basic research techniques used to investigate brain-behavior relationships. Participants will gain experience in stereotaxic neurosurgery, psychopharmacology, and various behavioral measures. A research-team approach is used for both the literature discussion and the laboratory activities each week.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and PSY 246 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Rempel-Clower
PSY 337 - Psychological Measurement 4 credits (Fall)
Students will learn about methods of test development, the statistical analysis of test data, and social implications of testing. In lab, students will develop testing instruments and learn multivariate data analysis. Topics covered include intelligence and personality testing, systems of behavioral observation, regression, factor analysis, and theories of test construction.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and two additional psychology courses numbered 200 or above.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ralston
PSY 345 - Psychopharmacology 4 credits (Spring)
An investigation of the biological mechanisms and behavioral effects of psychoactive substances. Topics covered will include principles of pharmacology, research methods in psychopharmacology, mechanisms of drug action, drug abuse and addiction, and clinical applications. Required laboratory work using animal models will focus on the use of behavioral tools to characterize drug effects and the use of pharmacological tools for understanding brain-behavior relationships.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and NRS 250 or PSY 246 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Tracy
PSY 348 - Behavioral Medicine 4 credits (Fall)
This course describes psychophysiological and behavioral principles and methods in the context of the biopsychosocial model of health and illness. Topics include behavioral pathogens, stress, pain, psychoneuroimmunology, and behavior management. Laboratory work may be required.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and PSY 243 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Lopatto
PSY 349 - Counseling Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
A survey of major counseling theories and techniques, with emphasis on the key concepts, the role of the counselor, therapeutic goals, and the main techniques derived from each theory. Issues pertaining to the ethical application of counseling approaches to diverse populations will be a major focus throughout. Class time will focus on the merits of each approach through review of research literature. Further, students will learn basic counseling skills through observation, case study, and supervised role-plays. Laboratory work may be required.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and PSY 248 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ralston
PSY 355 - Psychology of Language 4 credits (Fall)
An examination of experimental psycholinguistics. Topics include how humans perceive, comprehend, and produce language; research with brain-damaged individuals; language acquisition; and the role of memory and cognition on processing language. Laboratory work may be required.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and PSY 260 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Gibson
PSY 360 - Advanced Cognitive Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
An in-depth examination of primary research on variable topics within cognitive psychology. Past offerings of this course concerned applying the working memory model, specifically central executive functions, to issues concerning reasoning, attention, language, metacognition, aging, prospective memory, frontal lobe functioning, and mental disorders.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and PSY 260 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Gibson
PSY 370 - Multicultural Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
This course surveys the psychological research on culture, ethnicity, race, and minority status in the United States. Emphasis will be placed on developing an understanding of the experiences of non-white ethnic minorities through the study of empirical research. Topics will vary and may include: racial identity, racism, acculturation, health disparities, and mental health issues.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and two additional psychology courses numbered 200 or above.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
PSY 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Motion Capture of Human Movement 4 credits (Spring)
This course will develop students’ understanding both of measuring behavioral phenomena with motion-capture technology and of using theoretically driven models to design treatments or applications that use bodily movement to enhance everyday experiences. Students will use motion-capture system (Polhemus Liberty system with 4 sensors). They will generate inquiry-led projects in motor, social, perceptual, human-factors, and artistic domains.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 and PSY 225 .
Instructor: D. Kelty-Stephen
PSY 495 - Senior Seminar 4 credits (Spring)
A critical exploration of topics of both historical and contemporary significance in psychology with intense interrogation of the field’s diverse perspectives and methods.
Prerequisite: Senior psychology majors.
Instructor: StaffReligious Studies
REL 101 - Studying Religion: Judaism and Christianity 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course introduces Religious Studies by exploring the diverse ways that Jews and Christians have sought to shape themselves, in body and soul, as individuals and as members of communities dedicated to God. We will make use of a wide range of primary and secondary sources to explore the histories, practices, texts, and ideas that constitute these religious traditions; to consider how Christians and Jews have represented themselves and how scholars today use historical, critical methods to understand and explain these traditions.
Prerequisite: First or second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Roberts
REL 102 - Studying Religion: America 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course introduces Religious Studies by focusing on religious traditions in “America.” Students will gain knowledge about the history and development of some of the major religious traditions in the United States, such as Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism. Exploring “religion” and “America” as sites of contestation over meaning, identity, and purpose, students also gain the skills to analyze perspectives, interests, and issues of representation.
Prerequisite: First or second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Rietz
REL 103 - Studying Religion: the Middle East 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course introduces religious studies through examination of the Middle East. We will begin by exploring the intertwined development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam through topics such as myths or origin, the Crusades, and medieval interactions in the Mediterranean region. We will then turn to religion in the modern Middle East, focusing on issues like European colonialism, Christian missionary movements in the Middle East, and the development of the nation-state in the region.
Prerequisite: First or second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Elfenbein
REL 104 - Studying Religion: India 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course introduces Religious Studies through Indian traditions, especially Hinduism and Buddhism. Together we will learn each religion’s basics so that we can ask bigger questions about self, society, and religion as such. That is, we want to know: what do religions teach us about religion itself and its role in society, history and individual lives? We will find answers by examining case studies such as Tibetan monks, Gandhi’s religious politics, Muslim healers, and American yoga. The course argues that studying religion is fundamental to becoming an educated, world citizen for the twenty-first century.
Prerequisite: First or second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Dobe
REL 105 - Studying Religion: East Asia 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This course explores the dynamic cultural landscape of East Asia, providing an overview of religion as it has been constructed in the states that are today known as China, Japan and Korea. Moving beyond the paradigms of practice defined as the singular traditions of Confucianism, Daoism, Shintoism and Buddhism, the course delves into unnamed traditions, and practices that are across traditions, in order to provide students with tools to resist simplistic understandings of religious identity.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Holmes-Tagchungdarpa
REL 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: Building a Nonviolent Movement 1 credits (Spring)
Join the MLK and Gandhi course - REL-295-05 - for two weeks to learn directly from indigenous activists from Standing Rock and Serbian “revolution consultants.” We will interact with and interview activists on campus and have sessions on how to analyze and plan social movements and direct nonviolent action. Though the short course will be very practical and “real world” in orientation, our theoretical frames will focus on ethnography, the relationship of scholarship and activism, and postcolonial, African American and indigenous studies.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Dates: February 22 to March 3. Short course deadlines apply.
Instructor: Dobe, Popovic
REL 211 - The Hebrew Bible 4 credits (Fall)
The history, religion, and thought of the Hebrew-Jewish people as recorded in scripture. Special attention given to the formation of this literature and to the rise and development of major biblical motifs.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 or second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Rietz
REL 214 - The Christian Scriptures 4 credits (Spring)
The history, religion, and thought of early Christianity as recorded in the New Testament. Special attention to the formation of this biblical literature, the theology of the various writers, and the development of major New Testament motifs in relation to the Hebrew Bible.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Rietz
REL 216 - Modern Religious Thought 4 credits
A study of the way 19th- and 20th-century philosophers and theologians have criticized and reconceptualized religion in light of the intellectual currents, social changes, and historical events that continue to shape Western culture.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Roberts
REL 220 - The Traditions of Islam 4 credits
An examination of the spirit of Islam as presented in the Qur’an, the Sunna of the Prophet, Islamic law, theology, and mysticism. Special attention given to the status of women in Islam. Contemporary movements within the Islamic world discussed.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Elfenbein
REL 225 - The Buddhist Tradition 4 credits
An examination of the classical doctrines and practices of Nikaya and Mahayana Buddhism and their historical developments in various social and cultural contexts in Asia and the West.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Gilday
REL 226 - Religious Traditions of India 4 credits
Indian religion is marked by ongoing dialogues among the South Asian traditions we call Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Islam. The interaction between these traditions shows the ways each has defined itself independently and in response to challenges presented by the others. This course will introduce the historical and philosophical foundations for these traditions, as well as familiarize students with these intersecting traditions as living religions. The course will include special attention to the role of women and the links between religion and politics.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Dobe
REL 227 - Global Christianities 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Christianity has grown explosively in Africa, Latin America and Asia in recent time. This course explores these new Christian traditions and histories by focusing on one central question - Is Christianity a western religion? Answers will come harder than many assume. In today’s world, the phrase “white Christian” now is in fact as strange as “Swedish Buddhist” still sounds to many.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: T. Dobe
REL 228 - Gods of Bollywood 4 credits (Fall)
From the mystical Upanishads to the rain-drenched saris of Bollywood heroines, the sacred, the erotic and the spectacular have long been intertwined in South Asia. This course will explore themes of love, performance and identity in India both historically and by using Bollywood films as visual texts. We will examine religion’s intimate connections to culture, gender and meaning in the modern world as we ask, “What is Indian about Indian Cinema?”
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: T Dobe
REL 240 - Religion is Everywhere 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
The course will use interdisciplinary approaches to explore and engage the world around us to create new knowledge. Categories, such as religion, that scholars use to organize and study the world will be applied to other aspects of human life. This course will examine things like sports, rock and roll and Coca Cola as religion, and, in turn, consider how that study helps us to think differently about what is commonly called religion.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , AMS 130 , or second year standing.
Instructor: Rietz
REL 241 - Religion in U.S. Public Life 4 credits (Spring)
This course explores debates in the United States over the place of religious discourse in public and political life. Topics include the nature of public discourse, the role of the citizen as a religious and moral actor, ideas of fairness and justice, and interpretations of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , or second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Roberts
REL 266 - Apocalyptic “Sectuality” 4 credits
What is the meaning of this age? Are we standing at the dawn of a golden age in history? Or are we at the brink of global destruction and the end of history? In this class, we will take an interdisciplinary approach to examine selected apocalyptic movements and texts in an attempt to understand how meaning is constructed. We will discuss several early Jewish and Christian apocalyptic texts and communities as well as modern apocalyptic communities.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , or second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Rietz
REL 267 - Islam in the Modern Era 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See HIS 267 .
Note: Not offered every year.
REL 268 - Islam and Gender 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See HIS 268 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
REL 295-01 - Special Topic: Religion, Philosophy, and the Good Life 4 credits (Spring)
What is the good life and how does one go about living the good life? This course will look at the founding texts and figures from six diverse traditions of imagining the good life: the Buddha, Muhammed, Jesus of Nazareth, Socrates, John Stuart Mill, and Friedrich Nietzsche. We will explore the particularities of these visions and we will consider how they help us think about and how they are different from our own views of the good life.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Instructor: Roberts
REL 295-01 - Special Topic: Witches, Druids, and Heathens: Exploring Pagan Movements in the U.S. 4 credits (Fall)
See SOC 295-01 .
REL 295-02 - Special Topic: Islam in Asia 4 credits (Fall)
Islam has been essential in the development of Asian cultures since its early history, and Islam in South, East, and Southeast Asia today is intimately tied to Islamic world. This course will provide an overview of the cultures and politics of Islam in Asia. Beginning with a brief introduction to Islam and the Quran, the course will trace the processes through which Islam entered Asia through trade, diplomacy, war and migration.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Instructor: Bhutia
REL 295-02 - Special Topic: Religion and the Environment 4 credits (Spring)
This course explores religious underpinnings of contemporary global attitudes and practices concerning the environment and the human/nature relationship. In it, we focus on how religious beliefs concerning the environment have been articulated in both ideology and practice, and critically consider how religion may be used as a resource for environmental sustainability. Religions covered include indigenous North America, Christianity, Buddhism and Daoism.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Instructor: Bhutia
REL 295-03 - Special Topic: Borderland Buddhism: Religion in Tibet and the Himalayas 4 credits (Spring)
At present Tibetan Buddhism is one of the most recognized forms of Buddhism globally, with the Dalai Lama occupying a unique position in pop culture along with red-robed monks, prayer flags, and prayer beads. These popular images flattens the diversity and historical complexities of the Buddhist traditions of Tibet and its surrounding borderlands. This course will provide an overview of these traditions, exploring their trajectories of dissemination interaction while also considering local differences and agency.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Instructor: Holmes-Tagchungdarpa
REL 295-03 - Special Topic: Empire and Religion in Asia and the Pacific 4 credits (Fall)
This course aims to offer methodological tools that encourage the incorporation of everyday, non-elite voices into the study of imperialism in Asia and the Pacific through focusing on religious experience in several case studies from China, India, New Zealand Aotearoa, Japan, Korea, and Tibet. Studying such voices disrupts depictions of imperialism as a straightforward, mono-directional process through suggestions of the implications of hybridity for colonized societies, and represents the potential for religion to act as a subversive as well as a complicit force.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Instructor: Holmes-Tagchungdarpa
REL 295-04 - Special Topic: Buddhist Meditation Tradition 4 credits (Spring)
Meditation is now widely recognized as a beneficial practice for health and wellbeing, and is taught in secular settings around the world. This course will engage with the Buddhist traditions that inspired these contemporary forms, providing an introduction to the historical theories and practices developed by major Buddhist traditions, including those in South and Southeast Asia, China, Tibet and the Himalayas. The course will also provide a basic introduction to the practice of these forms.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Instructor: Bhutia
REL 295-04 - Special Topic: Trajectories of Buddhist Modernism 4 credits (Fall)
This course will provide a critical perspective on the process through which Buddhism has been constructed by various intellectual and political agents as it has developed in the modern era. Influences on this process have included global networks of trade and technological exchange, colonialism (and anti-colonialism), cosmopolitanism, nationalism, the rise of secularism, and globalization.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Instructor: Holmes-Tagchungdarpa
REL 295-05 - Special Topic: MLK and Gandhi: Global Critique, Global Peace 4 credits (Spring)
This course examines the deep, historical and transnational connections between MLK’s Civil Rights movement and Gandhi’s struggle for Indian Independence. We will focus on their shared spiritual commitment to nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience, giving special attention to race and postcolonialism.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Dobe
REL 295-06 - Special Topic: Being Muslim in America 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: HIS 295-02 . This research-intensive course investigates the pasts and presents of American Muslim communities. Of particular interest is how race, class, gender, and religion intersect to create arguably the most dynamic national Muslim community in the world. Significant themes may include the construction of community identities, religion in American public life, Islamophopbia, and the particular challenges facing contemporary Muslim communities in the United States. Coursework includes a significant research project over the final month of the term.
Prerequisite: HIS 100 , REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , or second-year standing.
Instructor: Elfenbein
REL 311 - Theory and Method in the Study of Religion 4 credits (Fall)
This seminar focuses on the history and assumptions of the comparative method in the study of religion and culture. This genealogical narrative involves a critical examination of a variety of sources and perspectives on religion leading up to and emerging from the European Enlightenment, including the development of various methodological and critical positions in the modern study of religion during the 19th and 20th centuries. Readings from a wide range of contemporary scholarship will illustrate the state of the field today.
Prerequisite: Third-year or fourth-year standing and declared major.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Gilday, Roberts
REL 326 - Anthropology of Religion 4 credits
See ANT 326 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
REL 352 - Philosophy of Religion 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: PHI 352 . How do we understand “religion” in the 21st century? Is the world becoming more secular? More religious? Does this distinction even work anymore? How might ideas like “saint” and “sacrifice” and “spiritual discipline” help us think and act ethically and politically in the contemporary world? This course explores the ways recent philosophers and theologians have answered such questions by turning to the resources of the Continental philosophical tradition (Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Derrida, Irigaray, etc.) in order to reconceptualize religion, philosophy, and ethics after the “death of God.”
Prerequisite: REL 216 and REL 311 , or two 200-level philosophy courses.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Roberts
REL 394 - Advanced Topics in Religious Studies 4 credits (Spring)
An advanced intensive seminar devoted to selected topics in religious studies. Topics have included mysticism, South Asian saints, and religion and democracy. This seminar may be repeated for credit if content is different. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: REL 311 ; additional prerequisites may vary depending on topic.
Instructor: Staff
REL 394-01 - Advanced Topics: Putting Religious Studies to Wrok 4 credits (Spring)
This course provides an opportunity for students to reflect on their previous theoretical and methodological work over their undergraduate career by putting it into practice. Students will be responsible to plan and carry out their own advanced research project from the start to the end of the term on a topic of their own choosing. Along the way students will need to make choices about and present their individual theoretical commitments, specific methodology, professional possibilities, and how best to present themselves and their semester-long work. Class sessions will alternate between group discussions and presentations, mentored project meetings and research time.
Prerequisite: REL 311 .
Instructor: DobeRussian
RUS 101 - Beginning Russian I 5 credits (Fall)
Intensive treatment of elementary Russian grammar, with special emphasis on pronunciation, basic conversational ability, and thorough coverage of contrastive English-Russian grammar. Conducted primarily in Russian. Meets five times a week.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
RUS 102 - Beginning Russian II 5 credits (Spring)
A follow-up course to RUS 101 , stressing the further study of grammatical usage and the development of reading and speaking ability. Conducted in Russian. Meets five times a week.
Prerequisite: RUS 101 .
Instructor: Staff
RUS 200 - Conversational Russian 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
Conversation on free and structured themes, with topics drawn from different aspects of Russian and American life. May be repeated once for credit when content changes.
Prerequisite: RUS 102 .
Instructor: Staff
RUS 221 - Intermediate Russian I 4 credits (Fall)
A reading and discussion course whose materials focus on contemporary culture with emphasis on the continuing study of grammatical concepts introduced in RUS 101 and RUS 102 .
Prerequisite: RUS 102 .
Instructor: Staff
RUS 222 - Intermediate Russian II 4 credits (Spring)
A continuation of RUS 221 . Materials focus on major aspects of Russian culture, with added emphasis on the study of more complex grammatical concepts.
Prerequisite: RUS 221 .
Instructor: Staff
RUS 247 - The Russian Short Story 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 247 . The development of the genre from its beginning in 18th-century Sentimentalism to the present. Authors could include Karamzin, Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Bulgakov, Babel, Olesha, Makanin, Tolstaya, and Sorokin. Conducted in English.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Vishevsky, Herold
RUS 248 - The Russian Novel 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 248 . Study of the Russian novel in the 19th century. Novels by Pushkin, Lermontov, Dostovesky, Turgenev, and Tolstoy considered. Conducted in English.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Not offered every year.
Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in Russian for course and +2.
Instructor: Greene, Herold
RUS 251 - The Theme of the African in Russian Literature and Culture 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
A survey of the varying cultural and racial perceptions of Africa and people of African descent as reflected in 19th- and 20th-century Russian literature. Examines tsarist and Soviet history of Russian intellectual contact with the African diaspora and the impact of this contact on the development of the “African” as a literary theme in Russian and Soviet literature. Conducted in English.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Not offered every year.
Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in Russian for course and +2.
Instructor: Greene
RUS 261 - History of Russian Film 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 261 . From Eisenstein to Tarkovsky and beyond. Through lecture, discussion, and film analysis, this course will examine the fascinating and controversial history of Russian film from Andrei Tarkovsky’s sophisticated Solaris to the daring films of the glasnost era; from chernukha (noir) films of the 1990s to contemporary cinema about the Russian mafia, New Russians and the dramatic search for a new Russian identity. Conducted in English.
Prerequisite: HUM 185 , HIS 241 or HIS 242 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Vishevsky
RUS 281 - Major Russian Writers 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 281 . 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. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Plus-2 option available in Russian.
Instructor: Staff
RUS 295-01 - Special Topic: Comrades in the Kitchen: Russian Food and Culture in the Soviet Century 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 295-01 or HUM 295-01 . This course will explore Russian food culture through the lens of literature, art, poetry, film, and popular culture. Drawing from Russian literature, cookbooks, cultural histories, art, film, folklore, and memoirs, we will use the methodologies of textural analysis and food history to research, write, and speak about how food and food culture reflects the human experience in Russia, with particular focus on the Soviet twentieth century: from the Russian Revolution of 1917 to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. We will also consider critical writing about the relationship between food and culture, and create a food blog to present our own critical views about Russian cooking and culture. A part of our course will involve hands-on practice of the preparation and consumption of Russian (and Soviet) food.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in Russian for course and +2.
Instructor: Armstrong
RUS 295-01 - Special Topic: Modern Russia and the Culture of Revolution and Change 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: GLS 295-01 and HUM 295-01 . This course offers an exploration of the intersection of culture and revolution in Russia, from its beginning in the 1900s to the present day. In the first part of the course, students will consider the vibrant literary and artistic world of the Russian Avant-Garde; the cataclysmic change ushered in by the Russian Revolution; and the establishment of the totalitarian doctrine of Socialist Realism. The second part of the course will explore the Soviet experience - Stalinism, World War II, the Thaw, ad the Cold War, as reflected in Russian aesthetic traditions. The final part of the course will consider the culture of post-Soviet Russia, which emerged in the revolution of 1991 - from the difficult 1990s to the reemergence of Russia under Putin. This course will have a significant video-conferencing component.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in Russian for course and +2.
Instructor: Armstrong
RUS 295-02 - Special Topic: Russian Conceptualism and Underground Soviet Culture 1 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: ARH 295-06 . The Communist utopia, Conceptualist art, Samizdat, ‘black humor’, religious syncretism, dissidence, neo-Marxism, apolitical bohemianism, the pathos of freedom of individuality and the mechanics of painting are closely interlinked with the cultural mythology of the late Soviet epoch. Describing representations that, when taken together, form the contemporary understanding of the underground culture, we create a historial portrait of this environment and its leading aesthetic movement - Conceptualism. The official, liberal and nonconformist spheres of late Soviet life are three dimensions of intellectual activities of the intelligentsia in which the Conceptualist group worked. This course is not limited to one specific field of art or culture. Instead, it offers a unique chance to embrace the phenomenon of “anti-Soviet” culture as a whole, analyzing activities of one of the most essential artistic communities of the Soviet underground.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Dates: April 18 to May 6. Short course deadlines apply.
Instructor: Staff, Armstrong
RUS 313 - Present through the Past: Russian Cultural Traditions 4 credits (Fall)
A focused examination of the major cultural icons and clichés that have developed in Russian culture through the centuries, with an emphasis on what an educated speaker of the language should know, including the “enigmatic Russian soul,” the Bronze Horseman, the Russian “troika,” the battleship Aurora, the communal apartment, Soviet bards, and Pussy Riot among other cultural phenomena. Advanced grammar study is combined with critical reading of a range of literary and cultural texts. Conducted in Russian
Prerequisite: RUS 222 .
Instructor: Staff
RUS 389 - Advanced Russian Seminar 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
A cultural and linguistic study of a selected Russian cultural phenomenon from the 19th, 20th, or 21st century. Variable content, with discussion centered on a single author, genre, or literary period; intellectual history; popular culture; a cultural period; or analysis of an aspect of culture (film, theatre, music, etc.). Conducted in Russian. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: RUS 313 .
Note: May be repeated 3 times with varied content.
Instructor: Staff
RUS 389-01 - Advanced Russian Seminar 4 credits (Fall)
Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita will be the focus of this seminar. Each class will be devoted to discussion of several chapters: their literary and political themes, as well as intertextual connections and cultural allusions. Towards the end of semester students will also read critical works about the novel in Russian. Conducted in Russian.
Prerequisite: RUS 313 .
Instructor: Vishevsky
RUS 389-01 - Advanced Russian Seminar 4 credits (Spring)
The Cultural Phenomenon of the Thaw in Russian Culture. The focus of this seminar is the cultural phenomenon of the Thaw (Ottepel’) in Russian and Soviet culture—the brief period after Stalin’s death that ushered in an era of reform, with a relaxation of repression and censorship. We will examine its expression and representation in literature, film, art, music, and popular culture. Texts will include works by Ehrenburg, Solzhenitsyn, and Yevtushenko, as well as films by Kalatozov and Khutsiev, and contemporary Russian representations, such as Todorovsky’s tele-serial “The Thaw.” Special emphasis will be placed on developing writing skills in Russian. Conducted in Russian.
Prerequisite: RUS 313 .
Instructor: ArmstrongRussian, Central & East European Studies
RES 291 - Perspectives in 20th-Century Central and Eastern European Literature 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 291 . This course examines and analyzes a number of 20th-century works in translation from several countries of Central and Eastern Europe (primarily, but not limited to, the former-Yugoslavia, Poland, and the former-Czechoslovakia). Attention is devoted to how writers, artists, poets, and others attempt to understand and respond to major events and issues in specific countries, and in the region in general: war, genocide, revolution, totalitarianism, political repression, clashes of religion and culture, and quests for (self-)identity.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Not offered every year.
Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in Polish for course and +2.
Instructor: Armstrong
RES 295-01 - Special Topic: Defeat Evil with Good: Solidarity’s Non-violent Struggle, 1980-1989 2 credits (Spring)
Poland was the first country in the Soviet block to successfully emancipate itself from oppression, paving the way for others. A result of a long non-violent struggle unlike any other, it involved the world’s biggest trade union ever, the ten million-strong Solidarnosc, a tradition of intellectual dissidence, and a Catholic church embodying both nationalist ideals and an almost Socialist social teaching. They joined forces against a morally and politcally bankrupt Communist party, which still represented one third of the country’s population, and a military revered yet officially subordinated to the interests the Soviet Union, which was itself in terminal decline. The course will examine the principle actors and their interests and goals, the great strike of 1980, the military coup of 1981 and the round table compromise of 1989, as well as the practicalities of resistence and oppression, the main ideological debates, the impact of the conflict on culture, society and everyday life, and the long-term consequences of the struggle.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Dates: April 4 to May 11. Half-semester deadlines apply.
Instructor: Staff
RES 295-02 - Special Topic: Comparing Genocides 2 credits (Spring)
Genocide has been the hallmark of the 20th century. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a throwback toward mediaeval barbarism, but an unwanted byproduct of the Enlightenment. Epitomized by the Shoah, which remains unprecedented, it has also manifested itself before and after WWII, with certain core elements repeating themselves. Reaction to the Shoah has enabled branding genocide an international crime - and has thus made having one’s suffering called genocide a desirable political goal. The international community has failed to live up to the slogan of “never again”, so genocide remains. Awareness of its dynamic might help prevent it.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
RES 495 - Senior Research or Seminar 2 or 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An interdisciplinary senior seminar or senior research project for students completing the concentration in Russian, Central and Eastern European Studies. May be repeated in consecutive semesters by a student pursuing a single research project. Credits earned each semester must fulfill program requirements as specified in program description.
Instructor: StaffSocial Studies
SST 115 - Introduction to Statistics 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
See MAT 115 .
SST 140 - Medieval and Renaissance Culture: 1100–1650 4 credits (Spring)
See HUM 140 .
SST 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies 4 credits (Fall)
This course will introduce students to the interdisciplinary field of Peace and Conflict studies. We will take multiple disciplinary perspectives to understand the factors that lead to conflict or aggression, from the individual to a group and to a societal level. We will explore how identities, ideologies, and values, as well as political, social, economic or environmental structures and conditions foster conflict or peace and the mechanisms through which they are sustained. This is a blended learning course which will be team-taught by Prof. Gemma Sala and Prof. George A. Lopez.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Sala, Lopez
SST 195-01 & 02 - Introductory Special Topic: Introduction to Geographical Analysis and Cartography 2 credits (Fall)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) deals with the analysis and management of geographic information. This course offers an introduction to methods of managing and processing geographic information. Emphasis will be placed on the nature of geographic information, data models and structures for geographic information, geographic data input, data manipulation and data storage, and spatial analytic and modeling techniques. The course combines lectures on GIS principles and concepts, discussions of GIS applications, and labs. The labs are designed in such a way that students will gain first-hand experience in data input, data management, data analyses, and result presentation in a geographical information system. Although the course uses ESRI ARC GIS, students must be clear that this is not a ‘how to’ class designed to teach that particular software package.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Section 01 meets August 29 to October 12. Half-semester deadlines apply.
Section 02 meets October 24 to December 07. Half-semester deadlines apply.
Instructor: Brottem
SST 195-02 - Introductory Special Topic: The Startup Ecosystem: Entrepreneurs and Investors 1 credits (Spring)
This course will expose students to the startup ecosystem by understanding how entrepreneurs and investors behave both on an individual and collective level. Through this course, we will examine the following: growth in startups, startup ideas & team formation, financing entrepreneurial ventures, international startup markets, and more. This course will benefit students who are considering starting a business, joining a startup, and/or are aspiring investors. The course will be taught using a blend of readings/case studies, short lectures, active discussions, and a final project. This course is sponsored by the Wilson Center for Innovation and Leadership.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Dates: January 23 to February 15. Short course deadlines apply.
Instructor: Staff
SST 195-03 - Introductory Special Topic: Negotiation and Mediation: Non-Violent Dispute Resolution Foundations 4 credits (Fall)
This course teaches basic alternative dispute resolution skills and concepts, focusing on negotiation and mediation as these address inter-personal, inter-group, and international conflicts. This course will be highly interactive and experiential; students will learn, practice, and simulate personal and international dispute resolution. Case studies will include American race-relations and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Solomon
SST 195-03 - Introductory Special Topic: The Arts and…Incorporating the Arts into the Modern Creative Economy 1 credits (Spring)
This three-week class will explore the relationships between the arts and our evolving economy. As business leaders are now demanding more “creative” and “innovative” employees, how can artists and/or creative individuals effectively and confidently step into industries that had little to do with their major/training. The class will explore the role of the arts in education, health care, transportation, tourism, international diplomacy and other parts of our economy. This course is sponsored by the Wilson Center for Innovation and Leadership.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Dates: February 6 to February 20. Short course deadlines apply.
Instructor: Staff
SST 195-04 - Introductory Special Topic: Fundraising & Development for your Social Change Venture 1 credits (Spring)
It’s one thing to have a great idea. It’s another to get that idea off the ground…and still another to sustain and scale. Through this course you will gain a high-level overview of fundraising principles, strategies, and techniques to begin your funder research; to best-align your idea, program, and/or agency with funder priority interests; and how to adopt and enact a donor-centric approach in all written and verbal engagements, whether you’re seeking financial investment or simply making connections. Participants will work with an actual case study idea or organization derived from Pioneer Weekend 2016 or 2017. This course is sponsored by the Wilson Center for Innovation and Leadership.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Dates: April 3 to May 1. Short course deadlines apply.
Instructor: Staff
SST 195-05 - Introductory Special Topic: Immigration, Refugees and Membership in the XXI Century 4 credits (Spring)
This course provides a comparative multi-disciplinary perspective on international migration, forced migration and immigrant settlement strategies, with a focus on Western Europe, the Middle East, Latin American and the United States. The course will explore old and new debates on forms of membership in societies characterized by high levels of immigration and emigration. In particular, we examine the symbolic and physical importance of borders and their impacts in displaced populations and refugees. As part of this class we will travel to several border zones and refuge cities across the globe and interact with officials, aid and NGO workers, activists and refuge or migrant populations themselves to better understand how bureaucracies of immigration and forced migration operate “on the ground”.
First-year students interested in this course will need to complete an application in addition to doing the normal registration process. The application materials are available on GrinnellShare (Academics>Centers>Center for International Studies>Global Learning Program). Students selected to participate in the Global Learning Program will be required to pay a $400 participation fee (most other required travel expenses will be covered). This fee will be payable at the Cashier’s Office, by cash or check, and will be due 1 week after classes begin. If payment of this fee causes you financial concern, please contact Gretchen Zimmermann in the Financial Aid Office to discuss loan options to cover this additional cost of attendance.
Prerequisite: TUT-100.
Instructor: Escandell, Cook-Martin
SST 200 - Creative Careers: Learning from Alumni 2 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: HUM 200 and SCI 200 . This course is sponsored by the Wilson Center for Innovation and Leadership. Alumni with significant careers in the humanities, social sciences and sciences return to campus to talk about the ways that they shaped their successes and learned from their failures after graduation. Leadership and career-focused readings together with discussions with 18 or more alumni will help students think creatively about their possible futures. The second goal of this course is to help create a multi-generational network or community of Grinnell alumni, faculty, and current students in order to enhance our potential for changing the world to promoting the stewardship of Grinnell College.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Caulkins
SST 201 - Leading Innovation and Entrepreneurship 4 credits (Fall)
See ANT 201 .
SST 202 - Sustainability and Social Responsibility in Organizations 4 credits (Spring)
See ANT 202 .
SST 213 - Media and the Middle East 4 credits (Fall)
See HUM 213 .
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
SST 221 - Geographical Analysis and Cartography 4 credits (Fall)
This course offers an introduction to geographic information systems (GIS) for spatial analysis and mapmaking. Covers topics such as the nature of geographic information, georeferencing, GIS data models, cartographic design, geovisualization, the Global Positioning System, and basic and intermediate spatial analysis skills. Focus on understanding the major underlying theories and concepts of GIS, which students put into practice using GIS software applications in lab exercises and an independent research project.
Prerequisite: MAT 115 /SST 115 or equivalent.
Instructor: Staff
SST 230 - Health Geography 4 credits (Spring)
This course examines the geographical dimensions of health and disease, emphasizing global and domestic public health issues. Key approaches and themes include the human ecology approach to health; epidemiological mapping and spatial analysis; environmental health; the relationship among demographic change, economic development, and population health; the spatial diffusion of infectious diseases; the disease ecology approach to infectious and vector-borne diseases; and challenges of “global health” in the 21st century, with special emphasis on “emerging infectious diseases.”
Prerequisite: One 100-level course in social studies.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
SST 295-01 - Special Topic: Real Life Entrepreneurship 1 credits (Fall)
Students will gain insights into business realities and pitfalls. They will learn how to establish a company as an entrepreneur, and how to improve a business segment within an existing company as an intrapreneur. Through examination of real-life scenarios, students will become familiar with common sense approaches to business, with thinking-outside-the-box, and with the lowest-common-denominator method of thinking. Sponsored by the Wilson Center for Innovation and Leadership; taught by Sanjay Khanna ‘85.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Note: Dates: October 25 to November 10. Short course deadlines apply.
Instructor: Khanna
SST 295-02 - Special Topic: Ethical Leadership in the Workplace 2 credits (Fall)
This class uses the topic of ethics in the workplace to address communications and leadership skills important for success. Students will not be taught right versus wrong, but focus on the circumstances in which ethical issues may arise, methods for analyzing and advising on these, and addressing ethics as business leaders. Sponsored by the Wilson Center for Innovation and Leadership. Taught by Steve Weiss ‘77, retired general counsel and senior VP of MidAmerican Energy Company, and retired administrative law judge at the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Note: Dates: September 26 to December 5. Half-semester deadlines apply.
Instructor: Weiss
SST 295-03 - Special Topic: Islamic Law in Theory and Practice 4 credits (Spring)
See HUM 295-03 .
SST 295-04 - Special Topic: Journal Publishing: Building a Community 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: HUM 295-04 . This course will train students as editors, publishers, and entrepreneurs by involving them in creating a issue of the College’s interdisciplinary multimedia on-line journal Rootstalk (https://prairiejournal.grinnell.edu). Students will join instructors and Grinnell alumni from the publishing world to solicit content, review submissions, edit those selected for publication, and collaborate on the new issue’s layout and design. This semester, we will also be focusing on audience building. No prior experience in publishing is required. Students who have taken other publishing courses taught by Andelson and Baechtel may also take this course.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Andelson, Baechtel
SST 295-04 - Special Topic: Rethinking Global Cultures
See HUM 295-03 .
S/D/F only.
SST 295-05 - Special Topic: The Role of Market Actors in Mass Atrocity 1 credits (Spring)
To illuminate dynamics of mass atrocity and the needs atrocity creates, genocide and conflict-related studies consider the role of state, perpetrator, and victim groups. The inclusion of market actors, however, remains marginalized. This course considers dynamics perpetuating this marginalization and its costs, exploring the possibilities for greater inclusion of corporation in genocide-related discussion.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Note: Dates: April 4 to April 20. Short course deadlines apply.
Instructor: Federman
SST 350 - Freedom and Authority: The Control of Reproduction 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
See HUM 350 .
Note: Not offered every year
Sociology
SOC 111 - Introduction to Sociology 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Introduction to basic concepts, theory, and methods concerning human behavior and social structure. Special attention is paid to the scope and limitations of sociological analysis and the major empirical areas of investigation in sociology.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
SOC 220 - Sociology of Global Development 4 credits (Fall)
Provides an overview of global development with a focus on the social consequences of development practices for people living in developing countries. Also examines the ways in which consumption patterns in industrialized countries affect global development. Case study approach used to consider the effects of general practices on specific locales, such as the role of powerful forces (economic, political, ideological, religious) in shaping living conditions at the local level.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Inglis
SOC 240 - Social Movements 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
This survey of contemporary social movements focuses on the processes of social and cultural change, collective group behavior, and the process and critiques of reform revolution and social movement change. We will examine definitions and theories of reform, revolution, and social movements and make comparative analyses of goals and ideologies and their development, inside and beyond the boundaries of the United States.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Oberlin, Scott
SOC 242 - Deviance and Social Control 4 credits (Fall)
Analysis of the causes and control of deviant behavior, e.g., alcohol and drug abuse, suicide, assault, and sexual deviance. Topics include how definitions of deviance change, how people become deviant, how deviant groups are organized, and how transactions among deviants occur.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Haenfler
SOC 248 - Self and Society 4 credits (Spring)
The study of human social interaction. Focuses on how people interact in small groups, change their beliefs, interpret behavior, develop a sense of identity, and construct their social worlds. Attention to the social psychology of collective behavior and of everyday life.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 or PSY 113 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
SOC 260 - Human Sexuality in the United States 4 credits (Spring)
How do individuals develop attractions, make sexual choices, and define and enact their own sexuality? How do institutions and organizations influence, shape, and constrain sexual attitudes and behaviors? This course will examine the social construction of human sexuality in the United States with particular attention to gender, sexual orientation, commercial sex, and sexual education.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Erickson
SOC 265 - Sociology of Health and Illness 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An examination of the social contexts of health, illness, and medical care, focusing on the debates and contrasting perspectives of medical sociology. Topics include the social, environmental, and occupational factors in health and disease; the politics surrounding breast cancer and the AIDS epidemic; the patient’s perspective on illness; the development of the health professions and the health work force; ethical issues in medicine as they relate to medical technology; and alternatives to current health care organizations. Emphasis is given to how the social categories of gender, race, social class, and sexual orientation affect both illness and health care.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ferguson
SOC 270 - Gender and Society 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
A sociological analysis of how gender is constructed and transformed in American society. This course will explore how both men and women come to know themselves as gendered beings, how gender is produced through interactions, in the media, in the workplace, and in families.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Erickson
SOC 275 - Race and Ethnicity in America 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Introduces students to sociological perspectives on race, ethnicity, and racial inequality in American society. Examines the historical development of race-based barriers to achievement, the emergence and persistence of racial inequality, the character of racial beliefs, resistance to racial oppression, and current problems in American race relations. Emphasis on understanding individual attitudes and behaviors in relation to the structure of social institutions.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Scott
SOC 280 - Bound By Borders: A Sociology of Law and Migration 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Laws bind people to each other and to their territory, and this has far-reaching consequences for people’s life chances and identities. Migrants test these ties and have been the motivation for the emergence and reconfiguration of important laws governing who can come and go. How and why this happens interests not only policymakers, government officials, and judges, but also individuals included or excluded by borders and scholars trying to understand laws. This course takes a sociological view of global migration to explain the origins of law and its effects.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Cook-Martín
SOC 285 - Contemporary Sociological Theory 4 credits (Fall)
Contemporary sociological theory considered in light of classic theories. Emphasis on the conceptual adequacy and the logical consistency of major contemporary theoretical perspectives.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 and at least one 200-level sociology course.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Inglis, Haenfler
SOC 291 - Methods of Empirical Investigation 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: ANT 291 . An overview of the research process in sociology and the social sciences, with emphasis on problems of epistemology, research design, techniques of sampling, methods of data collection, principles of measurement, basic methods of data analysis, and ethical considerations. This course will explore these topics through hands-on experiences including guided work on research methods through lab exercises.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 or ANT 104 ; and at least one 200-level sociology course; and MAT 115 , SST 115 , or MAT 209 (preferred), or MAT 336 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Oberlin
SOC 292 - Ethnographic Research Methods 4 credits (Fall)
See ANT 292 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
SOC 295-01 - Special Topic: Sociology of Tourism 4 credits (Spring)
This course is an examination the relationship between tourism and social life from a sociological perspective. The root idea being that it is natural for human beings to make contact with other human beings and for societies to create leisure institutions to engage in cultural exchange and enjoyment. This course will examine tourist practices and how they are shaped and made meaningful within a social context. As we investigate why people travel, how they travel, and what they do while they are “on the road”, we will see that tourism is not on the margins of the social world, but rather deeply interconnected with everyday social life, from the personal to the global. Through readings, discussing and writing, we will explore the ways tourism is a material, symbolic, and political representation of many of the features of contemporary society’s achievements and ills: modernity and post modernity, consumption and cultural commoditization, the aestheticization of everyday life, democratization and social inequalities, questions of authenticity, embodiment and identity, gender relations, technology, social mobility and power, and globalization. We will review the tourist-related discourses and research literatures to instill the directions these conversations are taking in the 21st century. Finally, we will study the tourist practices in each country we visit as a unique case study of global leisure life.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 .
Instructor: Scott
SOC 295-01 - Special Topic: Witches, Druids, and Heathens: Exploring Pagan Movements in the U.S. 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: REL 295-01 . Using case studies of Witches, Druids, Heathens, Kemetics, goddess movements, and others, this course will focus on paganisms, primarily in the United States, in relationship with modernity, nationalism, white supremacy, globalization, feminism, rationalization and other socio-historical processes.
Prerequisite: REL 101 , REL 102 , REL 103 , REL 104 , REL 105 , SOC 111 , or second-year standing.
Instructor: Snook
SOC 295-02 - Special Topic: Inequality, Capital, and Class 4 credits (Spring)
In this class on “class,” we will engage with traditional and contemporary debates on the role access to economic resources plays in the organization of capitalist society and influencing life chances at the level of the individual. We will also interrogate the ways in which class intersects with other seemingly distinct, but related, variables and dynmaics, such as race, gender specificially. Finally, we will consider the mutability of class as a system that generates social and economic divisions.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 .
Instructor: Inglis
SOC 295-02 - Special Topic: Science and Its Social Problems: The Sociology of Science and Technology 4 credits (Fall)
It is hard to imagine our contemporary world without science. Yet, how is scientific knowledge created, where does this activity take place, and why do we believe it (or not)? Sociologists examine science both as a powerful source of institutional authority and as a set of practices for making and using knowledge. Drawing on controversies over research, policy implications, and challenges from social movements, this course is designed to provide a sociological framework for unpacking central issues around science which concerns us all.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 .
Instructor: Oberlin
SOC 295-03 - Special Topic: Sociology of Asian America 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: AMS 295-01 . This course examines the experience of Asian immigrants and their children from a sociological perspective. Emphasis will be on how changes in the strucutres and institutions in American society due to global processes have shaped their social interactions, roles, and expectations. Readings, lectures, and discussions will focus on the intersection of race/ethnicity, gender, and race; media representations and popular culture; social movements and politics; and diaspora and transnationalism.
Prerequisite: SOC 111 .
Instructor: Quinsaat
SOC 300 - Practicum in Applied Sociology 4 credits (Spring)
Students work 10 hours each week at internship sites in Grinnell or surrounding areas (personal transportation required). Class discussions and assignments focus on internship experiences from a sociological perspective. Students must request and submit an application for this course from the Sociology Department in November. Students needing assistance in securing an internship are encouraged to visit the Center for Careers, Life, and Service prior to fall break.
Prerequisite: Any two 200-level or above sociology courses and third-year or fourth-year student status with good academic standing.
Instructor: Chair of the Department
SOC 320 - The Family 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
A survey of the family from a sociological perspective, focusing on recent transformations of the family. Topics include historical origins of the family, traditional marriage and alternative processes of mate selection and family formation, parenting, divorce, family violence, racial-ethnic variations in family experience, and gay and lesbian families.
Prerequisite: Any 200-level or above sociology course.
Instructor: Ferguson
SOC 350 - NGOs: Organizing To Do Good 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
People often join together in nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations to accomplish good for themselves or others. This seminar focuses on how such organizations are structured and how they operate. We will explore how NPOs and NGOs resemble, and differ from, other organizational forms in mission, leadership, organizational change, environmental constraints, and effects on members. Attention to practical managerial challenges. Cases may include human service organizations, community action agencies, foundations and funding organizations, fraternal organizations, nonprofit colleges, and international humanitarian NGOs.
Prerequisite: At least two 200-level sociology courses and third-year or fourth-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Hunter
SOC 360 - Work in the “New” Economy 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
What is the “new” global economy and how has it transformed the landscape of the American economy in the last three decades? 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, 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.
Prerequisite: Two 200-level sociology courses.
Instructor: Erickson
SOC 370 - Members Only: A Political Sociology of Citizenship 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Citizenship is a legal tie between an individual and a particular state, but it is also a category to which rights are attached, a basis for identification, and a set of participatory practices. It is shaped and expressed in the political sphere (through schools, military service, museums, censuses, and surveillance), the economic sphere (in labor markets), and in the civil sphere (through conventional participatory practices such as voting and the emergence of new domains of political engagement such as grassroots movements). This course takes a comparative-historical approach and uses the lens of political sociology to examine cases across the globe.
Prerequisite: Two 200-level sociology courses.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Foreign language option available in Spanish or Portuguese for course and +2.
Instructor: Cook-Martín
SOC 390 - Advanced Studies in Sociology 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Seminar in current issues of sociological theory and research. Content of the course announced each year. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Varies; at least one 200-level sociology course and third-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
SOC 390-01 - Advanced Studies: Men and Masculinities 4 credits (Spring)
This course is an opportunity to critically explore the various meanings of manhood in contemporary societies. As societies have changed, men find themselves struggling with the meanings of masculinity. In this course, we will examine the history of this struggle alongside many topics relevant to changes in men’s lives: sexuality, family, sport, violence, health, work, relationships, and social change. We will critically examine patriarchy, male privilege, and, especially, men and masculinities as constructions based upon male domination.
Prerequisite: At least one 200-level sociology course and third-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Haenfler
SOC 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: Spatial Stratification: Putting Inequality in its Place 4 credits (Spring)
Everything happens somewhere-but does the ‘where’ matter? This course is designed to provide a framework for how social science research approaches the study of place. Places are locations filled up with built structures, people, interactions, and symbols rather than existing as merely a building, social stage, or backdrop where life happens. We will use historical texts, cutting edge current work, and even collect some of our own data to understand how people interact and make sense of their surroundings. We will develop our understanding of spatial data analysis tools to explore how access, availability, and proximity to objects and people reinforce patterns of inequality. In doing so, we will examine why it matters to better understand how an individual navigates their environment, how communities are socially and geographically situated, and what this may mean when we study country-level conflict over boundaries. Ultimately, we will examine the significance of place for social interaction and why it matters for us to consider where things happen across geographies and time.
Prerequisite: Two 200-level Sociology courses.
Instructor: Oberlin
SOC 399 - Directed Research 2 or 4 credits
See Directed Research.
Instructor: StaffSpanish
SPN 105 - Introduction to the Spanish Language I 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Treatment of basic language elements with special emphasis on oral communication. Short readings of a historical, cultural, and literary nature.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Not regularly offered in the spring.
Instructor: Staff
SPN 106 - Introduction to the Spanish Language II 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Completion of the presentation of basic language elements with a special emphasis on oral communication. Short readings of a historical, cultural, and literary nature.
Prerequisite: SPN 105 .
Instructor: Staff
SPN 204 - Communication in Spanish I 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
Work on improvement of speaking skills. Discussion and conversation based on various cultural materials, including current periodicals and satellite television. Conducted in Spanish.
Co-requisite: Concurrent enrollment in SPN 217 .
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Staff
SPN 205 - Communication in Spanish II 1 credits (Fall and Spring)
Work on improvement of speaking skills. Discussion and conversation based on various cultural materials, including current periodicals and satellite television. Conducted in Spanish.
Co-requisite: Concurrent enrollment in SPN 285 .
S/D/F only.
Instructor: Staff
SPN 217 - Intermediate Spanish 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Development of language skills through reading, oral practice, vocabulary building, grammar review, and short compositions. Materials include short literary, nonliterary, and visual texts. Conducted in Spanish. SPN 204 may be taken concurrently.
Prerequisite: SPN 106 or placement by department.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
SPN 285 - Introduction to Textual Analysis 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Development of students’ critical and interpretive commentary on literary and cultural texts from Latin America and Spain. Continued emphasis on language skills. Materials include fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and film. Conducted in Spanish. SPN 205 may be taken concurrently.
Prerequisite: SPN 217 or placement by department.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
SPN 295-01 - Special Topic: Reading Post-Conflict Central American Literature 4 credits (Fall)
This course will study and meditate on representations of social class, gender and national identity in post-conflict Central America. We will be looking at poets and writers writing in and from civil wars and revolutions now faced with post-conflict, globalizing societies. Class texts will include poetry and fiction, in addition to films and readings in the social sciences. Fulfills the upper-division literature prerequisite for literature seminars (SPN 377, 379, 383, 385, 386).
Prerequisite: SPN 285 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Aparicio
SPN 311 - Constructing Identities in Independent Latin America 4 credits (Spring)
A study of 19th- and early -20th-century literature in Latin America. Focus on the creation of national, racial, and gender identities in the newly independent republics through the analysis of narrative, poetry, drama, essays, and film. Conducted in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPN 285 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Benoist
SPN 312 - Women and Gender in Spanish Literature 4 credits (Fall)
This course introduces students to the works of prominent Spanish women writers from the 17th to the 21st century. While we will focus primarily on short stories, drama, and poetry, we will also consider films by women directors. Our readings will provide a representative sample of how women have developed as writers and individuals in Spain and how they have crafted gender issues into their writing. Conducted in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPN 285 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Pérez
SPN 314 - Studies in Modern Spanish Literature 4 credits (Fall)
A study of poetic, dramatic, and/or narrative texts from 18th- to 20th-century Spain. Topics of examination may include Romanticism; Realism; the poetic generations of 1898, 1927, and 1950; the novísimos; or contemporary narrative. Close readings and discussion focus on aesthetic, ideological, and historical aspects of the texts. Conducted in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPN 285 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Phillips
SPN 315 - Creativity and Dissidence in Modern Latin America 4 credits (Spring)
A study of selected, representative works from the 1920s through the 1960s. Emphasis on texts manifesting social conscience and artistic experimentation; treatment of the culture of protest and imaginative cultural expression. Consideration of poetry, narrative, and visual arts. Conducted in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPN 285 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Aparicio
SPN 317 - Readings in U.S. Latin@ Literature and Culture 4 credits (Fall)
This discussion-based course provides a broad approach to U.S. Latin@ literature. We will explore filmic and literary texts that voice the multiple and varied experiences of different generations of U.S. Latin@s from different national origins and cultures. We will pay particular attention to the construction of identity in terms of race, gender, sexuality, and class; bilingualism and code-switching; the experiences of the exile, the immigrant, and the refugee; the marketing of the U.S. Latin@ identity; and the construction of community. Texts and films may be in English (with some Spanish) while discussions and written work will be in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPN 285 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Petrus
SPN 320 - Cultures of the Spanish-Speaking World 4 credits (Fall and/or Spring)
Examines diverse cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, including Latin America, Spain and the United States. May focus on one or multiple regions. Possible topics include: food, cultures, immigration, visual cultures. May use academic articles, film, literary texts, music. Taught in Spanish. Variable content. May be repeated for credit when content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: SPN 285 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff
SPN 320-01 - Cultures of the Spanish-Speaking World 4 credits (Spring)
Latin@s in the US: Issues for Social Change. This is an interdisciplinary course that brings awareness about issues that Latin@s face in the US and creates the cultural awareness needed to work effectively with them. Class discussions focus on the fields of health, law, immigration, education, and the economy. Within a cultural context, students also learn specialized vocabulary that is useful in professional settings. Experts in different fields share with students their professional and cultural experiences working with this population. Taught in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPN 285 .
Instructor: Valentín
SPN 320-01 - Cultures of the Spanish-Speaking World 4 credits (Fall)
Historical Memory and Cultural Production in 20th Century Spain. In this class, we will examine the influence that contemporary cultural products such as television programs, film, music and other visual texts have on the historical memory of the early 20th century. Using these texts, we will critique these representations alongside historical events such as the Spanish Civil War and the Franco dictatorship. We will also examine how memories can be created, manipulated, and destroyed through the production and consumption of genres such as cinema and television.
Prerequisite: SPN 285 .
Instructor: Phillips
SPN 343 - The Art of Language 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
Study of Spanish grammar to improve ability to express oneself with ease. Students will review and strengthen their understanding and use of morphological and syntactic aspects of Spanish while developing their competence to explain how the structure of Spanish functions.
Prerequisite: SPN 285 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Valentín
SPN 377 - Modernization and Innovation in Contemporary Latin America 4 credits (Fall)
A study of selected, representative works since 1960, including internationally respected literature of the “Boom,” subsequent fiction, and recent poetic revolutions. Conducted in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPN 311 , SPN 312 , SPN 314 , SPN 315 , or SPN 317 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Aparicio
SPN 379 - U.S. Latin@ Identities and Sexualities 4 credits (Spring)
This interdisciplinary course focuses on Latin@ sexualities and identities. This course will focus on literary analysis of a variety of genres and cultural texts that have served as inspiration and influence for diverse communities of Latin@s. Students will explore artistic and theoretical contributions by Latin@ scholars and artists related to the construction, the performance, and the questioning of gender roles. We will study the relation between literary works and the formation and conceptualization of Latin@ and Chican@ identities and communities. Finally, we will focus on artistic-intellectual interventions that reflect the heterogeneity of more contemporary Latin@ and Chican@ communities, with special attention to the diversity of thought on gender and sexuality. At the end of the course, students will present their research on gender roles, power, and sexual hegemonies based on literary analysis of Latin@ cultural texts. Texts will be in English, Spanish, or Spanglish. Class discussion and all written work will be in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPN 311 , SPN 312 , SPN 314 , SPN 315 , or SPN 317
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Petrus
SPN 383 - The Latin American Colonial World 4 credits (Fall)
A study of the texts and debates surrounding initial encounters between Spaniards, indigenous and African peoples in the “New World,” and the establishment of Colonial culture and society. Spanish, indigenous, mestizo, and African perspectives are considered through the study of myth, narratives, poetry, autobiography, and film. Conducted in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPN 311 , SPN 312 , SPN 314 , SPN 315 , or SPN 317 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Benoist
SPN 384 - Spanish Dialectology 4 credits (Spring)
This course will examine the history and diversity of the Spanish-speaking world, from both historical and synchronic perspectives. The diachronic perspective will focus on the historical, cultural, social, and linguistic factors that were involved in the origin of different Spanish dialects. The synchronic perspective will provide a linguistic description (phonological, morpho-syntactic, and lexical) of various Spanish dialects as spoken today. Students will work with oral and written texts produced in different varieties of Spanish in order to recognize those varieties and identify the linguistic features that characterize each of them.
Prerequisite: SPN 343 or LIN 114 and permission of instructor.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Valentín
SPN 385 - Studies in Contemporary Spanish Literature and Film 4 credits (Spring)
This course examines Spanish narrative and film from the 20th and 21st centuries to explore the development of a modern, global Spain. Topics discussed include Franco’s dictatorship, the democratic transition, human rights, and the place of cultural production in social movements for “historical memory.” Conducted in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPN 311 , SPN 312 , SPN 314 , SPN 315 , or SPN 317 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Phillips
SPN 386 - Studies in Medieval and Early Modern Spanish Literature 4 credits (Spring)
This course examines medieval and early modern literature in its cultural and historical context. The specific topic of the course may vary to focus on a specific genre, author, or theme. Conducted in Spanish. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: SPN 311 , SPN 312 , SPN 314 , SPN 315 , or SPN 317 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: PérezStatistics Concentration
No Active Courses Available Technology Studies
TEC 154 - Evolution of Technology 4 credits (Spring)
To make wise decisions about future technologies, we must understand the past and the present: what drives and influences technological change? How do technologies affect individuals and society? How do we make decisions about technology? Who decides? Although individual section offerings will consider different technologies and issues, all offerings will explore such questions through readings and case studies from a variety of disciplines, along with writing and discussion.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff
TEC 215 - Solar Energy Technologies 4 credits (Spring)
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 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Swartz
TEC 232 - Human-Computer Interaction 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
See CSC 232 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Theatre and Dance
THD 100 - Performance Laboratory 1 or 2 credits (Fall and Spring)
Guided participation, for major theatre and dance productions, in theatrical performance, choreography, assistant directing, stage managing, dramaturgy, or design and crew work on sets, lights, props, costumes, or makeup. Qualified students examine problems of production in the theatre while solving these problems in rehearsal and performance. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Note: (A maximum of 8 practica credits may count toward graduation.) S/D/F only.
Instructor: Staff
THD 104 - Dance Technique I 2 credits (Fall and Spring)
Beginning dance technique; the principles, terminology, basic history, developing a physical and kinesthetic understanding of concert dance techniques. Areas of emphasis include but are not limited to ballet or modern dance. Consult the Schedule of Courses for the specific area of emphasis each semester. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Hurley
THD 111 - Introduction to Performance Studies 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An examination of dramatic performance in its broadest cultural contexts. This foundational course is designed to encourage critical thinking about the inclusive field of performance and how it is created, including orality, festivals, living history museums, trials, political conventions, and sporting events. Students explore both texts and performance events to analyze “What makes an event performance?” and “How is performance made and understood?” Because knowledge is embodied as well as textualized, students will both write and perform components of their final class projects.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Delmenico
THD 113 - Movement for the Performer 4 credits (Fall)
Practical exploration of movement and bodily-based trainings based on Nikolais and Laban techniques as an alternative means to theorize the integration of mind and body. Students develop greater physical awareness and articulation for stage, athletics and other applications. Studio-based exercises and activities investigate daily movement practices, improvisation and an introduction to composing in movement.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Miller
THD 115 - Theatrical Design and Technology 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
A hands-on, experiential introduction to the design elements of theatre and dance production. Topics include a history of Western theatre architecture and stage forms, scene painting, properties, lighting, sound, drafting, makeup, and costuming. Emphasis is placed upon the design and implementation of theatrical scenes from a variety of historic eras and the analysis of the ways in which the design elements influence performance style.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Thomas
THD 117 - Introduction to Acting 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
A practice-based exploration of the theories and techniques of acting. Using Stanislavksi’s seminal text An Actor Prepares as the foundation, students develop their skills at transforming dramatic texts from the page to the stage. The course culminates in publicly staged scenes.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Delmenico, Quintero
THD 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: Embodying Translation 1 credits (Spring)
This course will explore how dance/movement can translate a text from one language to another, such as Spanish to English, as well as how choreography can generate a new text. Through their own research and personal interpretations, the students will generate translations and individual phrases of movement, based on their translation of a text. The students will then develop a collective choreography, and one compiled English translation of the Spanish text.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Dates: March 3 to April 24. Half-semester deadlines apply. S/D/F only.
Instructor: Staff
THD 201 - Dramatic Literature I 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: GLS 201 . Study of major works in Western dramatic literature to 1850, with reference to cultural contexts, interpretive problems, and dramatic theory, beginning with Aristotle’s Poetics. Includes plays and performances (in translation) of Greek tragedy and Aristophanic comedy, English medieval cycle plays, Machiavelli, Marlowe, Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Tempest, Webster’s White Devil, Ben Jonson, Spanish Golden Age, Racine and Moliere, a Restoration comedy, the Brook Mahabharata, and Goethe’s Faust.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Mease, Delmenico
THD 202 - Dramatic Literature II 4 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 202 . Study of major works in Western dramatic literature from 1850 to the present, with reference to cultural contexts, interpretive problems, and dramatic theory. From the “classic moderns” of realism and naturalism through the Symbolists, Expressionists, Surrealists and Absurdists; dramatists and theorists include Ibsen, Chekhov, Strindberg, Yeats, Synge, Shaw, Buechner, Kaiser, Artaud, Pirandello, Lorca, Brecht, Sartre, Genet, Beckett, Grotowski, Weiss, Pinter, Cixous, and Stoppard.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Mease
THD 203 - American Theatre 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 203 . A study of American theatre from the early 20th century to the present. Students examine a variety of different theatrical styles, ranging from plays by canonical authors (including O’Neill, Williams, Miller, Albee, Wilson, Mamet, and Shepard) to experimental works by artists who challenged the conventions of mainstream theatre (including Cage, Kaprow, Beck, Finley, and Wilson).
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Quintero
THD 204 - Dance Technique II 2 credits (Fall and Spring)
Intermediate and advanced dance technique; physical and kinesthetic study involving more complex movement patterns and sequences, phrasing, musicality, and stylistic considerations. Areas of emphasis include but are not limited to ballet or modern dance. Consult the Schedule of Courses for the specific area of emphasis each semester. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: THD 104 or equivalent experience.
Instructor: Hurley
THD 205 - Dance Ensemble 2 credits (Fall and Spring)
Dance Ensemble is a performing ensemble engaged in the development, rehearsal and production of contemporary dance works choreographed by faculty and guest artists. Exposure to diverse choreographic approaches provides the opportunity to expand technical, stylistic and interpretive range. Students gain collaborative skills through improvisation and the contribution of movement material to certain choreographic projects. Dance ensemble is open to students with previous dance and theatre background, and students interested in applying themselves as invested movers.
Prerequisite: Entry into Dance Ensemble takes place at an Audition/Informational Workshop held at the beginning of each semester. Course registration closes at end of Add/Drop period.
Note: (A maximum of 8 practica credits may count toward graduation.) S/D/F only.
Instructor: Miller
THD 210 - Contemporary Dance in a Global Context 4 credits (Fall)
Contemporary dance practices have been challenging deeply held beliefs on art and life since the early 19th century. This hard to define genre has roots in modern and post-modern dance theory, and draws from dance disciplines as diverse as Ballet, Modern, Bharantanatyam, Butoh, Hip-Hop; as well as other disciplines. This course explores origins, styles, icons, purpose, myths and key concepts of the form from a survey of work produced by contemporary choreograhers across the globe.
Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Miller
THD 211 - Performance Studies: Traditions and Innovations 4 credits (Spring)
This course examines non-naturalistic forms of theatre and performance-making. It can explore the work of foundational avant-garde director/theorists and performance practices that have developed since the 1960s, including performance art, site-specific, and community-based theatre. It can also focus on postcolonial and non-Western performances, including textual and nontextual practices, and the ways in which Western and non-Western performance has intersected during the last century.
Prerequisite: Any 100-level Theatre and Dance course.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Delmenico
THD 217 - Intermediate Acting 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An intensive performance laboratory for students to explore different modes of performance and further develop and refine their acting skills. With an emphasis on psychological realism, students stage a series of individual and group performances designed to enhance their critical engagement of performance as both the subject and method of their study.
Prerequisite: THD 117 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Quintero
THD 225 - Choreography: Developing Physical Ideas 4 credits (Spring)
This course focuses on the fundamentals and theories of choreographic processes explored through formal and experimental models and their socio-historical contexts. Improvisation and composition are used to explore the structural elements and movement vocabularies that are used to devise physical ideas for the stage that emerge as choreography and staged direction for theatrical works. Students will present their work in an end of the semester showing.
Prerequisite: THD 104 , THD 113 , or any 200-level Theatre and Dance course.
Instructor: Miller
THD 235 - Directing 4 credits (Fall)
A theoretical and practical investigation of the responsibilities and techniques of the director in the theatre. Classroom exercises are supplemented by readings addressing different theories of directing. The final project is the directing of a one-act play.
Prerequisite: THD 117 .
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Quintero
THD 240 - Design for Performance I 4 credits (Fall)
An exploration of the design fundamentals common to each facet of theatrical design: scenery, lighting, costumes, and makeup. Such elements as design procedure from conception to realization, research techniques and materials, period style, and design history are emphasized.
Prerequisite: THD 115 or ART 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Thomas
THD 245 - Lighting for the Stage 4 credits (Fall)
Introduces the student to the art of lighting design, process, and the practice of lighting the stage for the theatre, opera, dance, industrials, television, and video. Students develop the knowledge, vocabulary, and skills necessary to become a master electrician, assistant lighting designer, and beginning lighting designer.
Prerequisite: THD 115 or THD 240 , or ART 111 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Thomas
THD 295-01 - Special Topic: Eco-Performance and Site-Specificity: Prairie Meanders at CERA 1 credits (Fall)
Prairie Meanders will create maze-like pathways modeled on major ecologicial aspects of the earth at CERA. Internationally-respected professors Baz Kershaw and Susan Haedicke of Warwick University, UK, will work with Grinnell students to create the first North American version, combining land art, nature trail, gallery display and immersive performance to produce a dynamic experience of ‘glocal’ ecosystem processes. Students will have options of taking the 295-short course or completing the Prairie Meanders as part of THD 211, this fall focused on eco-performances and urban site specificity.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Dates: August 25 to September 17. Students will be expected to participate in the project at CERA
one weekend morning or afternoon on September 3rd or 4th, and also on September 10th or 11th. Short course deadlines apply.
Instructor: Staff
THD 295-01 - Special Topic: Interdisciplinary Art: Video Art 1 credits (Spring)
Cross-listed as: ART 295-01 . This course explores both the theory and praxis of video art, introducing students to general trends in digital art while also providing more detailed insight into contemporary Asian video art and artists. The course will also address the creative links between video and live performance. Students will create and edit their own short video art pieces for their final project.
Prerequisite: None.
Note: Dates: February 27 to March 15. Short course deadlines apply. S/D/F only.
Instructor: Staff
THD 295-02 - Special Topic: Digital Media Design for Performance 4 credits (fall)
This course will provide a survey of the integration of digital technology across a variety of performance genres. We will examine the proliferation of digital technology over the past two decades, and its affects on performance. Students will explore digital performance history and theory, engage in a series of assignments to understand digital hardware and software, and apply digital technology in their own aural, visual, and interactive performance work.
Prerequisite: THD 115 or second-year standing.
Instructor: Thomas
THD 303 - Studies in Drama I 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 303 . A seminar-style course in dramaturgy, focusing on a central topic in the history and theory prior to 1850. The course will emphasize the development of methodologies and research strategies useful for the theatre practitioner and the researcher. Past topics for this variable-content course have included Greek Drama, Theory of Comedy (Aristophanes to Stoppard), English Medieval and Renaissance Drama; Hamlet and Revenge Tragedy, Shakespeare’s Comedies and Tragedies. May be repeated once for credit when content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: May vary depending on topic but can include 200-level coursework in English, foreign languages, Classics, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Anthropology, Art, Theatre or dramatic literature/criticism/theatre history.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Mease, Delmenico
THD 304 - Studies in Drama II 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Cross-listed as: GLS 304 . A seminar-style course in dramaturgy, focusing on a central topic in the history and theory of theatre and performance. Studies in Drama II covers topics after 1850. The course will emphasize the development of methodologies and research strategies useful for the theatre practitioner and the researcher. Past topics for this variable-content course have included Ibsen, Strindberg, Chekhov; Beckett’s Prose and Plays; Beckett and the Theatre of the Absurd; British Drama since World War II; and Postcolonial Theatre. May be repeated once for credit when content changes. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: May vary depending on topic but can include 200-level coursework in English, foreign languages, Classics, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Anthropology, Art, Theatre or dramatic literature/criticism/theatre history.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Mease, Delmenico
THD 304-01 - Studies in Drama II 4 credits (Fall)
Cross-listed as: GLS 304-01 . Beckett’s Prose and Plays. Study of the work of one of the most influential contemporary storytellers and dramatists, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. The course will focus on the development of Beckett’s thought and style; the artistic, philosophical, literary and Irish influences at work in his plays and prose (Unnamable, The Lost Ones, Company, Ill Seen Ill Said); problems of interpretation and the staging of the plays, especially as Beckett himself conceived and rehearsed them (Godot, Endgame,Happy Days, Krapp and minimalist late work). Through critical discussion and close attention to Beckett’s narrative and dramatic ingenuity and stagecraft, we will explore the variety of ways in which the “comedian of the impasse” goes about fulfilling the need to give shape to chaos and the obligation to express, though there is “nothing to express, nothing with which to express.” Depending on class composition, potential workshop performance of selected prose, scenes, or short plays.
Prerequisite: One 200-level course from any of the following departments: General Literary Studies, Philosophy, History, Religious Studies, Anthropology, English, Classics, Theatre and Dance, Spanish, German, Russian, French, Chinese, Art and Art History.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Mease
THD 310 - Studies in Dance 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
A combined seminar and practice course for advanced study of a selected topic in dance or contemporary performance that will be detailed each time the course is offered (topics are announced in the Schedule of Courses). The course will employ a variety of materials and methods for advanced research in dance as a cultural, social, historical, and artistic phenomenon. Topics could include: Dance and Technology, Community and Performance; Dancing Gender and Sexuality; and The Choreography of Political Protest. May be repeated once for credit. For current course content please see the variable topic course listing below or search the online live schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: Any 200-level Theatre and Dance course.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
THD 311 - Studies in Performance 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
An advanced-level, variable-topic course that combines theoretical and historical study with practical investigation. Possible topics include adaptation and performance of literature or nonfiction and devised or community-based performance. Students will work as individuals or within groups to research, create, and present a final performance project.
Prerequisite: THD 201 , THD 202 , THD 203 , THD 210 , or THD 211 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff
THD 317 - Advanced Performance 4 credits (Spring)
This variable topic course focuses on classical and contemporary modes of performance. Possible areas of emphasis include Greek, Elizabethan, French neoclassic, contemporary docudrama theatre, Asian theatre, and performance art. Course emphasis is on scene study, performance, and directing. May be repeated when content changes.
Prerequisite: THD 210 , THD 211 , THD 217 , or THD 235 .
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Quintero
THD 340 - Design for Performance II 4 credits (Fall)
An in-depth exploration of designing for the stage, with the specific area of design (scenery, lighting, costumes) announced each time the course is offered. Emphasis is on script or dance “text” analysis and the evolution of design from first reading to first performance.
Prerequisite: THD 240 .
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Thomas
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