Apr 28, 2024  
2013-2014 Academic Catalog 
    
2013-2014 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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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, Leung
  
  • 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 235 - The Anthropology of American Culture

    4 credits (Spring)
    See ANT 235 .


Anthropology: General Introductory Course

  
  • ANT 104 - Introduction to Anthropology

    4 credits (Fall and Spring)
    Anthropology as a holistic discipline embracing human biological and cultural evolution and the differences and similarities among human cultures. The subfields of anthropology are surveyed.

    Prerequisite: None.
    Instructor: Staff

Anthropology: Archaeology and Biological Anthropology

  
  • 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 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 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 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 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 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

Anthropology: Cultural and Linguistic Anthropology

  
  • 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 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 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 .
    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 242 - African Cultures

    4 credits
    Peoples and cultures of sub-Saharan Africa. Emphasis on the thought systems that underlie specific economic, political, and religious expressions in agricultural, pastoral, and gathering and hunting cultures. An overview of the continent and its peoples along with close study of a few peoples.

    Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
    Note: Not offered every year.
    Instructor: Roper
  
  • 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 247 - Contemporary Europe

    4 credits
    A survey of community and regional studies on such topics as gender relations, rural depopulation, ethnic relations, regionalism, urbanization, and urban planning. Appropriate for student preparing for off-campus program in Britain or Europe.

    Prerequisite: ANT 104 .
    Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
    Instructor: French
  
  • 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
    Language in its sociocultural context. Cultural behavior as communication. Language in relation to cultural systems of cognition, values, and symbols.

    Prerequisite: ANT 104  or LIN 114 .
    Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
    Instructor: French
  
  • ANT 265 - Ethnography of Communication

    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 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 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 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

Anthropology: Methods

  
  • 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 in Complex Societies

    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 evaluationsm, 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

Anthropology: Theory

  
  • 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: Staff

Anthropology: Other Courses

  

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

Art: History and Theory

  
  • ART 103 - Introduction to Art and 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
  
  • ART 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: ART 103  or GWS 111 .
    Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
    Instructor: Staff
  
  • ART 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: ART 103 .
    Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
    Instructor: Staff
  
  • ART 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: ART 103 .
    Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
    Instructor: Knowles
  
  • ART 222 - Impressionism and Post-Impressionism

    4 credits
    A study of major artists, works, and issues in European Impressionist and PostImpressionist painting (c. 1865–1900). Specific movements include Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, and Art Nouveau.

    Prerequisite: ART 103 .
    Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
    Instructor: Staff
  
  • ART 227 - Italian Renaissance Art

    4 credits
    A study of Italian culture from the late 13th through the late 16th centuries as expressed in painting, sculpture, architecture, and urban design. Emphasis on political, social, religious, and intellectual factors shaping artistic theory and expression in Florence, Siena, Rome, Venice, and the courts at Mantua and Urbino. Option of doing some reading in French, German, Italian, or Latin.

    Prerequisite: ART 103 .
    Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
    Instructor: Staff
  
  • ART 230 - Northern Renaissance Art

    4 credits
    Primarily a study of Netherlandish and German painting and printmaking of the 15th and 16th centuries (Van Eyck, Bosch, Gruenewald, Duerer, Baldung Grien, Holbein, Bruegel). Emphasis on the functions and audiences for religious and secular work in light of original sources and recent criticism. Use of late medieval and Renaissance images and prints in the College Art Collection. Option of doing some reading in French, German, or Latin.

    Prerequisite: ART 103 .
    Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
    Instructor: Lyon
  
  • ART 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: ART 103 .
    Note: Plus-2 option available.
    Instructor: Anger
  
  • ART 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: ART 103 .
    Note: Plus-2 option available.
    Instructor: Anger
  
  • ART 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: ART 103 .
    Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
    Instructor: Anger
  
  • ART 248 - Greek Archaeology and Art

    4 credits (Spring)
    See CLS 248 .

    Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
  
  • ART 250 - Roman Archaeology and Art

    4 credits (Spring)
    See CLS 250 .

    Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
  
  • ART 251 - Architecture and Urban Planning in Papal and Fascist Rome

    4 credits
    Study of major buildings and concepts of urban development from the late Imperial age of early Christianity (4th century) through the height of papal power in the Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo periods (18th century). We conclude with the vast urban reconstructions under Mussolini and their legacy in the contemporary city. Use of historical maps in the College Art Collection. Option of executing design projects or doing some reading in French, German, Italian, or Latin.

    Prerequisite: None, although ART 250  or HIS 256  is helpful.
    Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
    Instructor: Staff
  
  • ART 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: ART 103 .
    Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
    Instructor: Wright
  
  • ART 316 - Architecture and Urbanism in Paris

    4 credits (Fall)
    See FRN 316 .

    Note: Not offered every year.
  
  • ART 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
  
  • ART 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 as announced in the current Schedule of Courses. May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits if different topics are taken each time.

    Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing in art history concentration.
    Instructor: Staff
  
  • ART 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: Studio

  
  • 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 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 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

Biology

  
  • 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.

    Prerequisite: None.
    Instructor: Staff
  
  • 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)
    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 350 - Animal Development

    4 credits (Spring)
    An examination of the cellular and molecular aspects of development in a variety of organisms, with a focus on animals. The experimental basis for our current knowledge of developmental processes is presented. The laboratory includes work with vertebrate and invertebrate embryos. Three lectures, one laboratory each week.

    Prerequisite: BIO 252 .
    Note: Not offered every year.
    Instructor: Sullivan
  
  • BIO 355 - Developmental Genetics

    4 credits (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 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
  

Chemistry

  
  • 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
 

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