Spring 2018 Class Schedule

Popular culture is often perceived as only a means of entertainment. In this course, however, we treat popular culture as central to the production and reproduction of identity categories to examine how images, ideologies and behaviors are created and represented in American popular culture. Most importantly, the course will explore the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and class in popular culture representations of identity to broadly discuss how identity markers are produced, how they change over time, and how they interlock to form larger structural inequalities and systems of oppression. We will focus on representations of Latinx bodies in the media, blackness and criminality, feminist politics and post-feminist culture, and representations of race and gender in animated films. In addition, students will question their own taken-for-granted notions about what popular culture is and what it does to gendered and raced relations to situate popular culture as a contested space of subjugation and disempowerment as well as one of resistance and possibility.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The course examines the post-World War II Civil Rights Movement led by African Americans in the United States.  In the class, students will analyze key people, issues, events, and debates within movement history, including, but not limited to, gender and leadership; struggles for civil rights in the south, west, and urban north; the impact of the Cold War on race relations; student activism; movement strategies; and the emergence of Black Power.  Throughout the semester, students will read a wide variety of primary and secondary texts to illuminate the activities and life stories of individual participants as well as the broad historical forces that characterized this long era of insurgency.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The American West is central to the construction of America's identity and popular culture.  The mythology of the American West, built on a narrow foundation of Euro-American settlement and conquest, is critical to understanding the role of the West in the national narrative of American history. Using a variety of materials, including films, art and photography, literature, and historical sources, this course will examine how writers, artists, actors, settlers, and government officials, among others, shaped the creation of the mythic West.  This course will investigate what - and who - is and is not considered part of this mythology, as well as the ways in which these constructs attempted to make sense of the diverse populations converging in the West.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course examines Native American history since 1871. We begin with an introduction to indigenous history before 1871, characterized by centuries of Euro-American attempts to colonize and Christianize, to assimilate Native bodies and allot Native lands. We will then analyze the ways in which Native Americans have continualy fought to sustain their cultures, languages, and religions, as well as their political and socio-economic structures, throughout the 20th and into the 21st centuries. Focusing on themes such as Native resistance to the development of U.S. federal policies and the proliferation of Native culture, we will also consider the shifting nature of Native American sovereignty and the importance of indigenous identity in regards to the experiences of Native Americans.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Poor and minority populations have historically borne the brunt of environmental inequalities in the United States, suffering disproportionately from the effects of pollution, resource depletion, dangerous jobs, limited access to common resources, and exposure to environmental hazards. Paying particular attention to the ways that race, ethnicity, class, and gender have shaped the political and economic dimensions of environmental injustices, this course draws on the work of scholars and activists to examine the long history of environmental inequities in the United States, along with more recent political movements-national and local-that seek to rectify environmental injustices.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course will address the tradition of public intellectuals in numerous Black communities. We will expand the definition of "politics" to include theater, literature, and film. We will interrogate the concept of who chooses the scholarly leaders for Black communities. We will examine numerous topics such as Communism, The American Dream, Incarceration, Feminism, and Ebony Voices in the Ivory Tower.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This 4 credit discussion-based course is entirely focused on Bruce Lee, the actor and leading martial arts icon of the 20th century. Using American Studies and Critical Race Studies frames to examine the construction of racialized and gendered bodies, we will discuss Bruce Lee in terms of his biography, identities, politics, philosophy, and filmography. We will take time to appreciate the entertainment value and athleticism that Bruce Lee brought to his work, but we will also learn to distinguish the commercialized, commodified Bruce Lee (from t-shirts to posters to action figures) from the serious historical figure who symbolized the spirit of cultural independence and political sovereignty around the world. Among the required books and movies: The Tao of Jeet Kune Do, and “Way of the Dragon” (1972).

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

"Chicana/o History" is designed to introduce students to the histories of the Chicana/o people prior to the Spanish colonization of the Americas to the present century. Specifically, this course will provide an overview of culture, religion, education, economics, immigration and civil rights through a Chicana feminist framework. We will begin with a general presentation of terminology and identification categories. Then move towards a general reading on the precolonial histories of the Olmecas, Aztecas, and Tolteca cultures and politics. We will follow with a study of Chicana women’s labor struggles in the U.S. along with the emergence of labor movements. In addition, the class will explore how and why the field of Chicana/o Studies emerges at the height of the Civil Rights and the Chicana/o movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Students will delve into U.S. constructions of immigration, citizenship and nationhood to understand contemporary debates and scholarship on issues affecting the Chicana/o-Mexicana/o-Latina/o communities. By the end of the semester students will be able to critically engage, analyze, and contest not only contemporary constructions of Chicana/o identity and representation, but also grasp a clear understanding of Chicana feminism as an intellectual and theoretical discourse and a strategy for survival for the Chicana/o community.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course provides an interdisciplinary discussion of the Latino experience in the United States with a focus on Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Cuban- Americans. Using fiction, poetry, films and critical essays, we will examine issues of race and ethnicity, language, identity, gender and sexuality, politics, and immigration. This course satisfies the Area 4 requirement for the Hispanic and Latin American Studies major. Prerequisite(s): HISP 305 or consent of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

In this discussion-based seminar, we will examine U.S. Global presence through the lenses of empire, diaspora, and transnationalism. We will look specifically at U.S. involvement in the Philippines and Viet Nam from 1898 to 1975 as moments of military occupation and cultural domination, as well as turning points for U.S. nation-building. What is "imperialism" and how is it different from "hegemony"? How did U.S. imperial adventures in Asia help to recreate a Western geographic imaginary of the "East"? How did they reshape or reconfigure "American" positions and identities? Under what circumstances were former imperial subjects allowed to generate racialized communities? To what extent are memories of U.S. conflicts in Asia cultivated, proliferated, twisted, or suppressed? What lessons can be garnered for the contemporary historical moment? Other topics for exploration include: internment, transracial adoption, commemorations of war, and anti-imperialist/anti-war movements.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The Mellon Seminar is for students who are the recipients of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. The course is interdisciplinary, in order to meet the needs of students across the Mellon-designated fields. They will develop their academic interests to the fullest, with the intent to enter Ph.D. programs, and careers in higher education. We will cover topics such as "contemporary issues in higher education," "the politics of knowledge production," and "preparing to apply to graduate school." This course is designed to train students who will pursue PhDs and subsequent careers in academia in selected core fields in the Arts and Sciences. Our objective is to prepare for the Professoriate. May be repeated for credit when the topic differs. Offered on S/N grading only.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Urban social geography is the study of social and spatial dimensions of city life. In this course, we will explore some of the ways in which urban society is organized geographically. We will also consider how the spatial patterns of urban life influence public policy issues in the American context. Topics covered in this course include causes of racial segregation, debates about gentrification, sustainable suburban development, the transition from government to governance in cities, and the delivery of urban services that affect the education, health and economic welfare of urban populations. Students will learn current research, engage debates about critical urban issues, and learn techniques useful for analyzing spatial patterns in the urban landscape. Prerequisite(s): GEOG 241 or GEOG 261 or GEOG 262

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course examines mainstream and alternative systems of African American representation in the media from the 1820s to the 1960s, including race records, race movies, the Black press, Black video, and Black appeal radio. It also examines the way Blackness is constructed in the media today, including the role of new media (such as cable and the Internet); new corporate formations (such as FOX, UPN, and BET), and new forms of representation (such as representations that reject the Black-White binary). Prerequisite(s): One of the following: an introduction to African American Studies course, or MCST 110 - Texts and Power: Foundations of Media and Cultural Studies or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The Senior Capstone is required of all majors. Majors who meet college criteria are encouraged to conduct an honors project in conjunction with their Senior Capstone.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to the discipline of anthropology as a whole. It presents students with a theoretical grounding in the four major subfields: archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistics. In this class the emphasis is on the holistic nature of the discipline. Students will be challenged with some of the countless links between the systems of biology and culture. They will explore key questions about human diversity in the past, present, and future.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The cultural perspective on human behavior including case studies, often illustrated by ethnographic films and slides, of non-Western and American cultures. May include some field interviewing. Includes the cross cultural treatment of economic, legal, political, social and religious institutions and a survey of major approaches to the explanation of cultural variety and human social organization.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This class is a broad survey covering topics such as genetics, evolutionary mechanisms, adaptation, primate studies, the human fossil record, and human variation. All of these areas will be placed within the framework of the interaction of humans within their environment. The course is divided into three sections: human genetics, human ecology and primatology, human evolution and adaptation.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces students to archaeology, the study of the material remains of human culture. Students will explore the history of the discipline and profession, its basic methods and theories, and the political and ethical dimensions of modern archaeological practice. Students learn to examine and interpret evidence using specific examples, from artifacts to sites to regions.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course examines issues of health, illness, and healing from a variety of anthropological perspectives. From a cross-cultural perspective, we will examine the diversity of beliefs about human health and sickness, and a variety of healing practices by which people treat them. From the perspective of critical epidemiology, we will wrestle with recurrent problems of socioeconomic inequalities, ecological disruptions, and their impact upon the differential distribution, prevention, and treatment of human diseases. Previous courses in anthropology are recommended but not required.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course examines the dying process and the ways that humans beings come to terms with their mortality in different societies. We will learn how people die in major illnesses and critically analyze controversial issues regarding brain death, suicide, and euthanasia. We will survey funerary traditions from a variety of cultures and compare the social, spiritual, and psychological roles that these rituals play for both the living and the dying. We will examine cultural attitudes towards death; and how the denial and awareness of human mortality can shape social practices and institutions. Finally, we will consider issues regarding the quality of life, the opportunities and challenges of caregiving, and hospice traditions around the world. Prerequisite(s): ANTH 101 or ANTH 111

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course examines histories, theories and practices of photography, a medium that has transformed significantly since the daguerrotypes of the mid 19th century.  In 1839, Daguerre's invention was presented as "a free gift to the world."  This course will look at how that gift has been put to use in photographic cultures around the world in contexts as diverse as portrait studios in Yogyakarta, a history museum in Vietnam, French advertising, Soviet family albums and news imagery circulating worldwide. While we will pay careful attention to visual aesthetics, we will focus on photography as a documentary genre that has long been central to how individuals imagine the world beyond their experience. We will also be considering personal photographic archives such as family albums and scrapbooks and asking when private photographs become public representations.  One central feature of the course will be learning about how scholars have thought about and through photography and discussing the complications of applying these theories transhistorically and cross-culturally.  (Berger, Barthes, Benjamin, Sontag, Sekula, Strassler, Pinney, Tagg, Azoulay) Topics for discussion include debates around truth in photography and the politics of representation, photography's relationship to history and changing institutional uses of photography, as well as different photographic cultures and their anthropological and sociological significance.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course examines histories, theories and practices of photography, a medium that has transformed significantly since the daguerrotypes of the mid 19th century.  In 1839, Daguerre's invention was presented as "a free gift to the world."  This course will look at how that gift has been put to use in photographic cultures around the world in contexts as diverse as portrait studios in Yogyakarta, a history museum in Vietnam, French advertising, Soviet family albums and news imagery circulating worldwide. While we will pay careful attention to visual aesthetics, we will focus on photography as a documentary genre that has long been central to how individuals imagine the world beyond their experience. We will also be considering personal photographic archives such as family albums and scrapbooks and asking when private photographs become public representations.  One central feature of the course will be learning about how scholars have thought about and through photography and discussing the complications of applying these theories transhistorically and cross-culturally.  (Berger, Barthes, Benjamin, Sontag, Sekula, Strassler, Pinney, Tagg, Azoulay) Topics for discussion include debates around truth in photography and the politics of representation, photography's relationship to history and changing institutional uses of photography, as well as different photographic cultures and their anthropological and sociological significance.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Archaeology in the United States is no longer practiced exclusively by universities and museums. In fact, since the 1970s, the vast majority of archaeological projects undertaken involve individuals employed in either private industry or with the federal or state government. This shift toward cultural resource management (CRM) archaeology transformed the traditional role of archaeology practiced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. So, what changed? This course explores the role of public archaeology in the United States through an examination of the laws and practices dictating the protection of historic properties, consultation with descendant communities, and the design of archaeological management plans.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Africa is arguably the most rural of our six populated continents, but also the most rapidly urbanizing, with a rate roughly twice the global average. While just over a third of people lived in cities as of 2010, by 2030, over half the population—by that time nearly a billion people—is expected to be urban. The rapidity of this change makes its wider social impacts difficult to predict, and African experiences with urbanization are already challenging many ideas not only about economic growth and urban planning, but even more basic presumptions about what a city is, who its spaces belong to, and what new possibilities (and foreclosures) densely populated areas enable. Rather than simply tracing or predicting the effects of African urbanization, this course takes an anthropological approach by attending to the everyday, intersectional experiences of urban dwellers and using these to help us critically question our assumptions about Africa, its cities, and our world’s future urban dis/connections. We will also focus on topics that allow us to see cities from both elite and less privileged vantage points, exploring the development of new cosmpolitanisms and infrastructural innovations as well as informal settlements, refugee camps, and lives lived across the imagined divide between urban and rural. To these ends, we will draw on a combination of ethnographic sources, literature, film, and popular reporting. An introductory anthropology course (like Anth 101 or 111) is recommended, but not required. Urbanizing Africa counts as a Tier 1 African Studies course.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Taught by a former registered nurse, this course examines multiple non-western healing traditions as they are currently being practiced around the world. These include textually based medical systems such as Ayurveda in Hindu societies, Unanni Tib in Islamic societies, traditional Chinese medicine, and homeopathic medicine. It also examines ritual and shamanic healing traditions in Latin America, Subsaharan Africa, and Southeast Asia. Finally, this course will compare all these systems to so-called "biomedical" systems with respect to major themes such as therapeutic efficacy, cultural pluralism, social identity, Westernization, and commercialization. Students will build on these lessons to conduct their own independent research on a non-biomedical healing practice.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This seminar focuses on the relationship between individuals and their culture. Students will record, edit, and analyze personal documents such as diaries, letters, interview transcriptions, and autobiographies. Analysis of life events such as childhood play activities, family meals, kinship relations, and modes of communication, will lead to the identification of cultural themes. Prerequisite(s): ANTH 101 or ANTH 111

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to the anthropology of food, focusing on how food creates community and shapes identity, class and gender. The course also covers the transition from foraging to agriculture, the role of particular foods in the making of the modern world, and the nature of the modern industrial food system. Prerequisite(s): ANTH 101 or ANTH 111

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Those engaged in global public health ­–whether as professionals or persons and communities affected by public health problems‑will encounter challenging ethical issues. Beginning with that premise, this course will address ethical issues in global public health practice, research, and policy, providing conceptual frameworks and practical tools. The course will provide an overview of public health ethics and ethical dimensions of orientations to global health, including humanitarianism, social justice, human rights, and health security. It will address prominent contemporary ethical issues in global health including those relating to research, emergency response, and community engagement. It will grapple with challenging questions about the use of limited resources, the use of restrictive public health measures like quarantine, the implications of “big data,” and relationships between donors and recipients of aid. The course will focus on a range of public health problems, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, Ebola virus disease, neglected tropical diseases, genetics, and mental health.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The senior seminar is for anthropology majors who are working on their senior capstone project and is designed to help students develop that project for presentation. The seminar will also include reading of anthropological works, guest speakers and discussion of current controversies in the discipline. Prerequisite(s): ANTH 111 or ANTH 101, and either ANTH 387 or ANTH 487

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This studio course is an introduction to fundamental drawing materials and techniques. Students explore a variety of themes and subjects, including still life, architecture, figure drawing, portraiture, and imagination. Formal elements covered include: line, value, volume, space, proportion, perspective, mark-making, and composition. Context for assignments is given through frequent slide lectures, which cover both historical and contemporary use of drawing. In group critiques and discussions, we consider composition, representational accuracy, creative expression, content, and intention. Two three-hour periods per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This studio course is an introduction to fundamental drawing materials and techniques. Students explore a variety of themes and subjects, including still life, architecture, figure drawing, portraiture, and imagination. Formal elements covered include: line, value, volume, space, proportion, perspective, mark-making, and composition. Context for assignments is given through frequent slide lectures, which cover both historical and contemporary use of drawing. In group critiques and discussions, we consider composition, representational accuracy, creative expression, content, and intention. Two three-hour periods per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This introductory course will provide a supportive studio environment for the exploration of diverse approaches to the ceramic field, ranging from investigation of utilitarian object making to sculptural practice. Techniques and applications for both handbuilding and wheel throwing will be presented. Emphasis is placed on development and understanding of strong three-dimensional forms as well as the relationship with surface decoration. Content-based assignments allow for individual expression through creative problem solving. The course goal is to present students with a historical perspective and the understanding of contemporary ceramics, building an appreciation for the spirit of the hand-made object as well as preparing students for upper level self-directed work. Lectures, demonstrations, critiques and gallery/museum visits will supplement studio work. Learning will be assessed primarily through portfolio production and review, along with class participation. Three two-hour periods per week. $100 materials fee is required.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course surveys artists and art movements that are generally perceived to be crucial in the development of Western art from the 14th through the 20th century. The course introduces students to art periods such as  Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and a wide spectrum of modernist art movements, including Fauvism, Cubism, Dada, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism. The course examines visual culture of this broad period of Western art within political, socio-historical and philosophical context in which it was produced. (4 credits).

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course examines the art, architecture, and visual culture of Japan, spanning a broad temporal frame from the ancient Neolithic era to our own contemporary moment.  We will discuss a diverse array of art and objects from ancient Jomon pottery, Shinto shrines, and print media to Buddhist sculpture, painting practices during World War II, anime (cartoons) and manga (comics). In addition to learning methods of formal visual analysis, students will gain insight into how these artworks, spaces, and objects articulated complex artistic, social, economic, political, and religious trends. Through this course, students will develop skills to reflect critically on the production of narratives of Japanese culture, interrogating concepts such as tradition, hybridity, authenticity, commodity, sexuality, nationalism, and militarism.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces, through studio projects, the basic principles regarding the use of color in the visual arts. Students explore a range of topics, including the historical uses of color, the interactions between colors, and the psychology of color. The class will be comprised of a series of small color studies with more involved studies to follow. Some projects will be completed using paint while others will use media chosen by the student. The class will include painting/color demonstrations, color assignments, image presentations, readings, museum visits, individual and group critiques.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces the conceptual, technical, and historical aspects of photography within a fine-arts context. The emphasis throughout is on photography as a creative and narrative medium and will introduce strategies and methods related to this goal through assignments and class activities. Students will learn the foundational aspects of digital photography from manual camera operation to the editing of images through Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Along the way, students will be introduced to digital workflow, color managment, and how to take their images from screen to print. Historical presentations and assigned readings will help students develop the critical skills needed to understand how photographs function in society and culture. $75 materials fee charged for course. Note: A digital SLR camera is required for this course.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

An introduction to the studio practice of painting, using oil paint on a variety of supports ranging from paper, board and canvas to non-traditional painting surfaces. Exploration of the practical techniques and mechanics of painting as well as a consideration of content and meaning. Readings and class discussions of historical and contemporary painting practices and issues will develop a visual vocabulary as well as critical/theoretical knowledge to complement technical skills. Slide lectures, critiques and a gallery/museum visit will supplement studio work. Three two-hour periods per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

We begin with an exploration of the nature of vision, creating life-size clay portrait heads of a partner. We move on to the exploration of the tools and processes available in the new sculpture studio, including woodworking tools for both carving and fabrication. Sculpture I introduces students to case metal work in our new foundry, where we will learn a lost wax ceramic shell casting system. The range of form which can be explored is infinite and starts with a wax form which is eventually replaced with 2100-degree bronze. Like my other course offerings, Sculpture I will include off-site projects that includes a class trip to my farm/studio in Western Wisconsin. $150 materials fee charged. Prerequisite(s): ART 130 is recommended as an introduction to the studio courses in the department

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

A hands-on introduction to original printmaking in the media of relief, etching, lithography and handset type. Included are discussions of aesthetics, the impact of printed imagery on our society, printmaking practices from around the world and field trips to local exhibits and museum collections. Emphasis is on individual expression and appropriate techniques for the content. Two three-hour periods per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

What defines Sacred Art or makes a Sacred Space? What roles do material practices play in fostering a religious experience? This course contemplates answers to these questions by focusing on religious visual culture in Asia and examining how intangible concepts of the divine have become tangible in art and architecture. To better understand the multilayered functioning of devotional objects and spaces associated with religious doctrines such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shintoism, the class will explore foundations in iconography and then compare different religious objects and spaces through concepts such as gender, state power, the body, nature, the grotesque, and death. The meaning of such imagery is not static, however. Therefore, we will also reflect on how the significance of religious objects change in the space of a museum. Ultimately, this course allows us to contemplate the multifaceted ways religious beliefs have been visualized and how these manifestations exemplify systems of cultural exchange in Asia.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course will survey the art and architecture of ancient Greek and Roman worlds from the Bronze Age (ca. 3000-1200 BCE) to Late Antiquity (ca. 5th century CE). We will examine concepts of design and representation in Greco-Roman art and architecture and explore the uses of art objects and monuments in daily life, politics, religion, state cults, and private rituals. We will examine the developments and changes in artistic forms and practices in their social, economic and historical contexts, taking into consideration the interaction between Greece and Rome as well as the influences from contemporaneous cultures in the Near East and Egypt. Lectures and class discussions will explore topics such as portraiture, art and mortuary practices, art and imperialism, narrative representation, monumental public art and architecture, domestic objects and decorative arts.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

From ancient Mesopotamia to Early Modern Europe, people attacked and destroyed images with motivations influenced by religion, politics and other ideological conditions. Most recently, international community witnessed ISIL’s destruction of archeological sites, and historic and religious monuments in Iraq and Syria, but such attacks took place throughout history in numerous cultures with different ethnic, political and religious backgrounds such as ancient Assyria, Rome, Byzantine Empire or the 16th century Europe. This course will explore the dynamics of such iconoclastic attacks on images by examining case studies from ancient, medieval and early modern contexts. How and why have images been perceived as a threat by monarchs, invading armies or religious zealots? What were the reasons for image destruction? By focusing on these main questions, we will explore the function and power of images in pre-modern and early modern societies.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Building on the tools and techniques learned in the Photography I course, Photography II highlights how photographs are constructed in contemporary art & media and is designed for self-driven students wanting to pursue advanced fine-art photography projects. This semester we will focus on lighting & the constructed image. Students will learn both continuous and strobe photography. We will study both historical and contemporary examples of photomontage and composite photography to create scenes that blend documentary fact & cinematic fiction. Students will produce digital portfolios and create work for a group exhibition. Class time consists of demonstrations, lab time, field trips and critiques.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this course, students build upon and expand the basic technical skills acquired in Sculpture I, and work to develop more sophisticated, individually-designed projects in a variety of media. Basic welding is taught, allowing students to develop strength and scale in their projects. the new foundry provides the means for an individual or a small group to cast bronze components which can become part of larger sculptural pieces. The foundry process includes working with dangerous materials, requires wearing of funny outfits, and offers the potential for dramatic moments. Students in Sculpture II will create a piece for transport and installation at the farm/studio. A typical project which could be shown at the farm might be a wind-powered kinetic sculpture. Prerequisite(s): ART 235 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is a continuation of ART 236, focusing on individually generated projects. There is an introduction of new techniques appropriate for content such as monoprint, collograph, screenprint, photo-printmaking and computer-based processes. Field trips, and arranged meetings.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is for students with a passion for clay! Designed to engage and build on students' previous ceramic experiences, advancing their knowledge, techniques and concepts of contemporary ceramic art. Course content will be both assignment based and self-directed whether created on the wheel or through handbuilding. Through thoughtful discussion, critical examination and evaluation of concepts and ideas the class encourages students to develop a better understanding of their relationship to the rich tradition of ceramics and ceramic sculpture. Students will develop an understanding of glaze and clay materials while also taking on responsibilities for electric, gas and raku kiln firings. Lectures, demonstrations, critiques and gallery/museum visits will supplement studio work. Learning will be assessed primarily through portfolio production and review, along with class participation. May be taken without an introductory class with instructor's review and approval. Can be taken for credit multiple times. Three two-hour periods per week. $100 materials fee is required. Prerequisite(s): ART 131, ART 133, or approval of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

We begin with a trip to the farm where we will fell an Ash tree with an axe. In the studio, we will saw and split the wood into billits with wedges and gluts. In this class, we will learn a bit about various species of trees and how their unique characteristics suggest different uses. We will explore tools, materials and processes which have applications well beyond traditional woodworking. Much of what we do in the class will take advantage of our woodshop, in an investigation of the intersection between hand and power processes. Finally, one of the goals of the class is to illuminate a fundamental toolkit that a beginning maker would be able to acquire cost effectively, and use and maintain with basic competence. Most importantly, you will learn how to sharpen knives and chisels and other cutting tools.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is designed for graduating art history majors and it exposes them to methods and theories of art history, with a particular focus on the transformation of the discipline that began in the 1970s and continues to the present. The course will expose the students to both conventional methods of art historical analysis (style, form, iconography) and to the so called "revisionist" perspectives of "new" art history. The course surveys a wide range of approaches used in the discipline, beginning with writers such as Vasari, Riegl, Panofsky, Gombrich, and ending with the more recent art historical studies informed by Marxism, feminism, and postmodern and postcolonial theories. Students must enroll in a 2-credit independent study course in the spring semester of their senior year to do additional preparation for the successful completion of their capstone requirement, which culminates in a public oral presentation. Prerequisite(s): Art History seniors only.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course provides a setting in which art studio majors complete their capstone projects, including mounting a professional exhibition of recent work. It provides a look ahead to post-Macalester opportunities and the challenges of graduate school, jobs, and career opportunities in art. Arts professionals make presentations to the class and readings provide theoretical grounding for putting contemporary art in context. Students prepare artist statements, professional resumes and learn grant and application writing techniques. Two three-hour sessions per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces students to foundational legends, epics, novels, and poetry from across Asia. Studying core texts from the Arab World, India, China, Korea, and Japan will provide windows into the ancient cultures that produced these works. We will also examine these tales' enduring power today. We will analyze the many changes these tales underwent as they spread across Asia and appeared in diverse media including theater, visual arts, and television. Texts include: The Journey to the West, The Arabian Nights, The Tale of Genji, The Ramayana, and The Story of Hong Gildong.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course examines the art, architecture, and broader visual culture of Japan.   We will discuss a diverse array of art and objects from Neolithic Jomon pottery, Shinto shrines, and print media to Buddhist sculpture, postwar art trends, anime (cartoons) and manga (comics); in the process, students will learn methods of formal visual analysis and gain insight into the artistic, social, economic, political, and religious function of each work.  Through this course, students will learn to view various artworks, spaces, and objects in their historical contexts and how they influence contemporary practices. Class discussions and projects provide the opportunity to   critically reflect on narratives about Japanese culture.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

How are masculinity and femininity defined and transformed in modern and contemporary Chinese culture? How is the culturally constructed gender related to a larger social context? Through a rigorous analysis of the content and structure of modern and contemporary novels and films, this course examines the literary representation of gender and sexuality and its relation to the tumultuous social transformations, and engages with a variety of themes including: May Fourth enlightenment, anti-Japanese war, Socialist construction, the Cultural Revolution, and the liberalization of the post-Mao era. This course seeks to help students develop critical views of Chinese society and culture from gendered perspective, and gain familiarity with major authors, genres, and literary movements. This course assumes no prior knowledge of China or Chinese, and all reading materials are in English.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The sense of being out of place in one's society or one's nation, estranged from one's self or the world - this is the feeling that has motivated many of the narratives of modern Japanese fiction. Through stories of precocious adolescents, outcast minorities, vagabond women, disillusioned soldiers, and rebellious youth, this course examines the social implications of narrative fiction (including film, anime, and manga) within the context of modern Japanese history. While introducing methods of literary analysis and developing a familiarity with major works of Japanese fiction, the course aims to cultivate an understanding of how stories can be used to engage and think abou the quandaries of modern society. We will explore the way these narratives express marginal experiences, rethink the foundations of human and societal bonds, and articulate new ways of being in the world. Works covered include stories by Tanizaki Jun'ichiro, Kawabata Yasunari, Oe Kenzaburo, Mishima Yukio, and Murakami Haruki, as well as films by Akira Kurosawa, Koreeda Hirokazu, and Otomo Katsuhiro. No knowledge of Japanese required.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A study of the traditional culture and society of China from earliest times to the eighteenth century, when the impact of the West was strongly felt. The course will be based on detailed study of selected significant themes in Chinese history. Lecture/discussion format.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

A study of leading institutions and movements of nineteenth- and twentieth-century China. Major emphases include the impact of Western imperialism, the transformation of peasant society through revolution, the rise of Mao Tse-Tung, and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Special attention will be given to U.S.-China relations.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Japan's rapid industrialization in the latter part of the nineteenth century, and its phenomenal rise as the number two economic power in the world after the devastation wrought by World War II, have led many scholars to declare Japan a model worthy of emulation by all "developing" nations. After an examination of feudal Japan, this course probes the nature and course of Japan's "amazing transformation" and analyzes the consequences of its strengths as a nation-state. Considerable study of Japanese art, literature, and religion will be undertaken and American attitudes toward the Japanese and their history will also be examined.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

What defines Sacred Art or makes a Sacred Space? What roles do material practices play in fostering a religious experience? This course contemplates answers to these questions by focusing on religious visual culture in Asia and examining how intangible concepts of the divine have become tangible in art and architecture. To better understand the multilayered functioning of devotional objects and spaces associated with religious doctrines such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shintoism, the class will explore foundations in iconography and then compare different religious objects and spaces through concepts such as gender, state power, the body, nature, the grotesque, and death. The meaning of such imagery is not static, however. Therefore, we will also reflect on how the significance of religious objects change in the space of a museum. Ultimately, this course allows us to contemplate the multifaceted ways religious beliefs have been visualized and how these manifestations exemplify systems of cultural exchange in Asia.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this discussion-based seminar, we will examine U.S. Global presence through the lenses of empire, diaspora, and transnationalism. We will look specifically at U.S. involvement in the Philippines and Viet Nam from 1898 to 1975 as moments of military occupation and cultural domination, as well as turning points for U.S. nation-building. What is "imperialism" and how is it different from "hegemony"? How did U.S. imperial adventures in Asia help to recreate a Western geographic imaginary of the "East"? How did they reshape or reconfigure "American" positions and identities? Under what circumstances were former imperial subjects allowed to generate racialized communities? To what extent are memories of U.S. conflicts in Asia cultivated, proliferated, twisted, or suppressed? What lessons can be garnered for the contemporary historical moment? Other topics for exploration include: internment, transracial adoption, commemorations of war, and anti-imperialist/anti-war movements.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Since the last century, Asia has experienced rapid urbanization. It is now home to over half of the world's most populated cities. By 2010, the urban population in the Asia-Pacific region has surpassed the population of the United States and the European Union combined. In this course, we will focus on cities in East, Southeast and South Asia. We will first contextualize the rapid urbanization in the region's changing political economy, and identify urban issues that are unique to this region. We will further explore different theoretical approaches to understand Asian cities; several of them challenge mainstream urban theories rooted in the experiences of West European and North American cities. Upon the completion of this course, students will acquire substantive knowledge on contemporary trends of urban development in Asia, and develop familiarity with related ongoing theoretical debates. In addition, students will conduct individual research projects to develop deeper and more concrete understanding of the contemporary urbanization processes in Asia.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course will deal with those aspects of human anatomy and physiology which are of special interest to women, especially those relating to sexuality and reproduction. Biological topics covered will include menstruation and menopause, female sexuality, conception, contraception, infertility, abortion, pregnancy, cancer, and AIDS. Advances in assisted reproductive technologies, hormone therapies, and genetic engineering technologies will be discussed. Not open to biology majors. This course fulfills 4 credits in the science distribution requirement and counts toward the biology minor, but not toward the major. Three lecture hours per week.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An intensive exploration of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell structure, chemistry, and function with an emphasis on laboratory methods, data analysis, and experimental design. Using the same tools used to advance our understanding of modern cell biology and genetics, this lab requires students to become familiar with a mixture of biochemical, cytological, and genetic techniques as they develop testable hypothesis related to topics such as enzyme function, inheritance patterns, genome structure and gene expression, and cell-to-cell signaling. Corequisite(s): BIOL 260 - Genetics or BIOL 265 - Cell Biology.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An intensive exploration of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell structure, chemistry, and function with an emphasis on laboratory methods, data analysis, and experimental design. Using the same tools used to advance our understanding of modern cell biology and genetics, this lab requires students to become familiar with a mixture of biochemical, cytological, and genetic techniques as they develop testable hypothesis related to topics such as enzyme function, inheritance patterns, genome structure and gene expression, and cell-to-cell signaling. Corequisite(s): BIOL 260 - Genetics or BIOL 265 - Cell Biology.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An intensive exploration of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell structure, chemistry, and function with an emphasis on laboratory methods, data analysis, and experimental design. Using the same tools used to advance our understanding of modern cell biology and genetics, this lab requires students to become familiar with a mixture of biochemical, cytological, and genetic techniques as they develop testable hypothesis related to topics such as enzyme function, inheritance patterns, genome structure and gene expression, and cell-to-cell signaling. Corequisite(s): BIOL 260 - Genetics or BIOL 265 - Cell Biology.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the principles of genetics, including topics from classical Mendalian concepts to the contemporary molecular biology of the gene. Three lecture hours per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 111 or concurrent enrollment in CHEM 111, CHEM 112,or CHEM 115.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the principles of genetics, including topics from classical Mendalian concepts to the contemporary molecular biology of the gene. Three lecture hours per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 111 or concurrent enrollment in CHEM 111, CHEM 112,or CHEM 115.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the molecular and cellular processes of living organisms. Special attention is paid to problems faced by living cells in the acquisition of energy, growth and repair, reproduction and communication with other cells. Recent advances in biotechnology are also discussed.Three lecture hours. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 112 or CHEM 115.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the diversity and history of life. This course surveys the major groups of organisms (their morphology, physiology, reproductive cycles) and their evolutionary origins and relationships. Using recent findings from such diverse fields as molecular phylogenetics, developmental biology, and paleontology, this course introduces students to the major branches on the tree of life. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the diversity and history of life. This course surveys the major groups of organisms (their morphology, physiology, reproductive cycles) and their evolutionary origins and relationships. Using recent findings from such diverse fields as molecular phylogenetics, developmental biology, and paleontology, this course introduces students to the major branches on the tree of life. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the diversity and history of life. This course surveys the major groups of organisms (their morphology, physiology, reproductive cycles) and their evolutionary origins and relationships. Using recent findings from such diverse fields as molecular phylogenetics, developmental biology, and paleontology, this course introduces students to the major branches on the tree of life. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the study of ecological theory and processes. The subject of this course is the natural world and the current and past processes that have shaped it.  Taking a systems approach, major ecological patterns and processes are described and proposed underlying mechanisms are investigated through readings, field and laboratory studies. The impact of humans on natural systems is also examined. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the study of ecological theory and processes. The subject of this course is the natural world and the current and past processes that have shaped it.  Taking a systems approach, major ecological patterns and processes are described and proposed underlying mechanisms are investigated through readings, field and laboratory studies. The impact of humans on natural systems is also examined. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the study of ecological theory and processes. The subject of this course is the natural world and the current and past processes that have shaped it.  Taking a systems approach, major ecological patterns and processes are described and proposed underlying mechanisms are investigated through readings, field and laboratory studies. The impact of humans on natural systems is also examined. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This is an advanced course for students interested in the biology of birds, Topics covered will include: functional morphology, physiology, distribution and systematics with an emphasis on avian ecology, behavior and evolution. The course format will include integrated lectures, laboratories, field trips, and discussion of the primary literature. Students will learn the major avian taxa with special emphasis on the common birds of Minnesota in general and the Twin Cities in particular. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 285

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This is an advanced course for students interested in the biology of birds, Topics covered will include: functional morphology, physiology, distribution and systematics with an emphasis on avian ecology, behavior and evolution. The course format will include integrated lectures, laboratories, field trips, and discussion of the primary literature. Students will learn the major avian taxa with special emphasis on the common birds of Minnesota in general and the Twin Cities in particular. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 285

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A study of biological processes at the molecular level with an emphasis on the chemistry of biological molecules, elements of physical biochemistry, the structure of proteins, the mechanisms and kinetics of enzyme catalyzed reactions, and selected topics in intermediary metabolism, including the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 212 and BIOL 265, or permission of the instructor. Student must earn a grade of C- or higher in prerequisite course(s).

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A study of biological processes at the molecular level with an emphasis on the chemistry of biological molecules, elements of physical biochemistry, the structure of proteins, the mechanisms and kinetics of enzyme catalyzed reactions, and selected topics in intermediary metabolism, including the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 212 and BIOL 265, or permission of the instructor. Student must earn a grade of C- or higher in prerequisite course(s).

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A study of biological processes at the molecular level with an emphasis on the chemistry of biological molecules, elements of physical biochemistry, the structure of proteins, the mechanisms and kinetics of enzyme catalyzed reactions, and selected topics in intermediary metabolism, including the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 212 and BIOL 265, or permission of the instructor. Student must earn a grade of C- or higher in prerequisite course(s).

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An in-depth study of the principle of modern genetics, this course will examine topics which range from Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance patterns to the concepts and practices of molecular biology. Among other topics, there will be discussions on human genetics, the human genome project, and the application of genetic principles in genetic counseling. Three lecture hours. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 255, BIOL 260  and BIOL 265

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Chemical biology is a field of study that applies chemistry to advanced problems in biology and medicine. This course will cover the fundamentals of the field, starting with a review of relevant biology, as well as advanced topics and state-of-the-art research. Through lectures, critical reading of recent literature, student presentations, and proposals, students will learn about the development of chemical tools to study and manipulate biological systems in novel ways. Topics may include: protein engineering and unnatural amino acid incorporation, targeted drug delivery, small molecule and protein-based imaging tools, bio-orthogonal reactions, synthetic biology, and combinatorial chemistry. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 212

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This seminar course will focus on the molecular biology of viruses, including prions and retroviral vectors. Topics will include bacterial, plant and animal viral infection and replication cycles, morphology, oncogenesis, and virus-host interactions. Viruses of epidemiologic and biotechnological importance, including new and emergent viruses, will be emphasized. Students will read current literature, lead class discussions and prepare a research proposal. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 255, BIOL 260, BIOL 265 and junior or senior standing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the biological basis of behavior. While particular emphasis is placed on the molecular and cellular components of the nervous system, these components are the foundation for the analysis of various systems. Discussion topics may include the role of neurotransmitters, neuromodulators and receptors in learning and memory, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and drug addiction. The laboratory will be used to introduce major research techniques in neurobiology. These techniques will be used in independently designed research projects. Three lecture hours and one four-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 255, BIOL 260, and BIOL 265

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the biological basis of behavior. While particular emphasis is placed on the molecular and cellular components of the nervous system, these components are the foundation for the analysis of various systems. Discussion topics may include the role of neurotransmitters, neuromodulators and receptors in learning and memory, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and drug addiction. The laboratory will be used to introduce major research techniques in neurobiology. These techniques will be used in independently designed research projects. Three lecture hours and one four-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 255, BIOL 260, and BIOL 265

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Verebrates are among the first animals that come to mind when we consider the diversity of life on Earth. These backboned organism include more than 50.000 living species that range in size from a fish weighing less than an aspirin to a whale that is the largest animal ever to evolve. Vertebrates live in virtually every habitat on Earth and fly higher, swim deeper, and move faster than any other group of organisms. In this course, we will investigate the variety of vertebrate form and function through the lens of evolutionary history and dissection of representative vertebrates. Emphasis is placed on the origin and diversification of the basic vertebrate body plan and the morphological, functional, and evolutionary patterns that result. Three hours of lecture/discussion and three hours of laboratory dissection each week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 270 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Verebrates are among the first animals that come to mind when we consider the diversity of life on Earth. These backboned organism include more than 50.000 living species that range in size from a fish weighing less than an aspirin to a whale that is the largest animal ever to evolve. Vertebrates live in virtually every habitat on Earth and fly higher, swim deeper, and move faster than any other group of organisms. In this course, we will investigate the variety of vertebrate form and function through the lens of evolutionary history and dissection of representative vertebrates. Emphasis is placed on the origin and diversification of the basic vertebrate body plan and the morphological, functional, and evolutionary patterns that result. Three hours of lecture/discussion and three hours of laboratory dissection each week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 270 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course will explore the ways in which health is built and shaped by interactions between (human and non-human) bodies and the natural and built environment (air, water, food and shelter) through the lenses of biological responses, vulnerability of populations, social movements and the communication of science to the public. Students with backgrounds in the life sciences and environmental politics will work together to understand these challenging problems through an interdisciplinary lens.

Registration in this course is by application. Students will need to have taken either 2 of 3 introductory biology courses (Cell Biology, Genetics, Ecology) OR Environmental Politics and Policy. To apply, please send an email to Professors Chatterjea and Phadke (chatterjead@macalester.edu, phadke@macalester.edu) with a list of pre-requisite courses taken and 2-3 sentences describing your interest and motivation for this course.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course will introduce students to the science of restoration ecology and the practice of ecological restoration. Using both local (Minnesota) and global examples, students will learn about diagnosing problems; planning restorations and setting goals; developing social and institutional support; restoring physical landscape features (e.g. hydrology, soils) and plant communities; reintroducing invertebrates and vertebrate species; and monitoring and evaluating restorations. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite: BIOL/ENVI 285, or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course will cover research design and data analysis across biological sub-disciplines, with an emphasis on practical application. Research design topics will include basic and specialized experimental designs and avoiding pseudoreplication. Data analysis topics will focus primarily on statistical models: linear and non-linear, variable selection, and handling broken assumptions. Special topics may include multivariate methods, machine learning, and information theoretic approaches. The major aim of the course to have students gain competence and confidence in the analysis of biological data - selecting appropriate statistical methods for particular questions and datasets, avoiding pitfalls, and contributing usefully and transparently to scientific knowledge.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This seminar will discuss current and past issues concerning vaccines, including: a) the history of vaccines, focusing on different strategies used during the past two centuries to make them; b) the science of vaccines, including methods of attenuation of various pathogens; c) the impact of vaccines on health, both in the United States and abroad; d) the risks, both real and perceived, of vaccines; and e) the controversies surrounding vaccines, specifically that vaccines cause autism, multiple sclerosis, neurodevelopmental delays, diabetes or other chronic problems. Prerequisites: BIOL 260, BIOL 265 and junior or senior standing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course involves collaborative research with a faculty member on a current problem in immunology. Students participate in intensive reading of primary literature, journal-club style presentations, detailed experimental design and written and oral presentation of proposed research projects. The laboratory component focuses on acquiring independent research skills, gaining technical expertise and carrying out novel research. Three hours of lectures and four to six hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 112 or CHEM 115, BIOL 255, BIOL 260, BIOL 265, and permission of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course involves collaborative research with a faculty member on a current problem in immunology. Students participate in intensive reading of primary literature, journal-club style presentations, detailed experimental design and written and oral presentation of proposed research projects. The laboratory component focuses on acquiring independent research skills, gaining technical expertise and carrying out novel research. Three hours of lectures and four to six hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 112 or CHEM 115, BIOL 255, BIOL 260, BIOL 265, and permission of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An exploration of one of the central organizing ideas of modern biology, the theory of evolution. Topics that will be covered include natural and sexual selection, adaptation, comparative methods, phylogeny, speciation, population genetics, molecular evolution, the origin of life, and others. The course will consist of lectures and discussions based on readings drawn from a variety of sources with an emphasis on primary literature. Three lecture/discussion hours per week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 270, BIOL 285, and Junior or Senior standing or permission of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This is an advanced course that will focus on the study of drugs used to alter the central nervous system. The course will begin with basic pharmacological principles and then concentrate on the various uses of drugs to alter brain neurochemistry. Topics for discussion will include the pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia, depression, pain, anxiety and generally, the neurochemical basis of behavior. In addition to discussion of the use of drugs for clinical purposes, a significant amount of time will be spent on the use of "drugs of abuse" (e.g. cocaine, marijuana, LSD). While the focus of the course will be on the biochemical mechanisms of these drugs, an effort will be made to investigate and discuss the sociological ramifications of drug use. Three discussion/lecture hours per week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 356 and Junior or Senior standing or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A weekly class consisting of a variety of activities, including career guidance and invited presentations by professionals who speak on a wide range of biologically related topics.  As part of the seminar, students complete their Senior Presentation, a multiple-draft paper written over the course of the semester accompanied by a 15 minute seminar on the paper's topic.  Satisfactory completion of the Senior Presentation is a required to receive credit for the Senior Seminar, which all majors must complete to graduate with a Biology major. Offered on S/NC grading only. Prerequisite(s): Senior standing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an intuitive, yet rigorous, understanding of how energy is stored and transferred in chemical systems. We start with the behavior of individual atoms and molecules (using the foundation of atomic and molecular structure laid in CHEM 111 , and then build up to the macroscopic concepts of thermodynamics. We focus on free energy as a powerful tool for predicting physical and chemical behavior. We then apply our understanding of energetics to electrochemical systems and the rates of chemical reactions. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $7 required. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 111 with a grade of C- or better, or satisfactory performance on a placement examination.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an intuitive, yet rigorous, understanding of how energy is stored and transferred in chemical systems. We start with the behavior of individual atoms and molecules (using the foundation of atomic and molecular structure laid in CHEM 111 , and then build up to the macroscopic concepts of thermodynamics. We focus on free energy as a powerful tool for predicting physical and chemical behavior. We then apply our understanding of energetics to electrochemical systems and the rates of chemical reactions. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $7 required. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 111 with a grade of C- or better, or satisfactory performance on a placement examination.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an intuitive, yet rigorous, understanding of how energy is stored and transferred in chemical systems. We start with the behavior of individual atoms and molecules (using the foundation of atomic and molecular structure laid in CHEM 111 , and then build up to the macroscopic concepts of thermodynamics. We focus on free energy as a powerful tool for predicting physical and chemical behavior. We then apply our understanding of energetics to electrochemical systems and the rates of chemical reactions. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $7 required. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 111 with a grade of C- or better, or satisfactory performance on a placement examination.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an intuitive, yet rigorous, understanding of how energy is stored and transferred in chemical systems. We start with the behavior of individual atoms and molecules (using the foundation of atomic and molecular structure laid in CHEM 111 , and then build up to the macroscopic concepts of thermodynamics. We focus on free energy as a powerful tool for predicting physical and chemical behavior. We then apply our understanding of energetics to electrochemical systems and the rates of chemical reactions. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $7 required. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 111 with a grade of C- or better, or satisfactory performance on a placement examination.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an intuitive, yet rigorous, understanding of how energy is stored and transferred in chemical systems. We start with the behavior of individual atoms and molecules (using the foundation of atomic and molecular structure laid in CHEM 111 , and then build up to the macroscopic concepts of thermodynamics. We focus on free energy as a powerful tool for predicting physical and chemical behavior. We then apply our understanding of energetics to electrochemical systems and the rates of chemical reactions. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $7 required. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 111 with a grade of C- or better, or satisfactory performance on a placement examination.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an intuitive, yet rigorous, understanding of how energy is stored and transferred in chemical systems. We start with the behavior of individual atoms and molecules (using the foundation of atomic and molecular structure laid in CHEM 111 , and then build up to the macroscopic concepts of thermodynamics. We focus on free energy as a powerful tool for predicting physical and chemical behavior. We then apply our understanding of energetics to electrochemical systems and the rates of chemical reactions. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $7 required. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 111 with a grade of C- or better, or satisfactory performance on a placement examination.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an intuitive, yet rigorous, understanding of how energy is stored and transferred in chemical systems. We start with the behavior of individual atoms and molecules (using the foundation of atomic and molecular structure laid in CHEM 111 , and then build up to the macroscopic concepts of thermodynamics. We focus on free energy as a powerful tool for predicting physical and chemical behavior. We then apply our understanding of energetics to electrochemical systems and the rates of chemical reactions. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $7 required. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 111 with a grade of C- or better, or satisfactory performance on a placement examination.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an intuitive, yet rigorous, understanding of how energy is stored and transferred in chemical systems. We start with the behavior of individual atoms and molecules (using the foundation of atomic and molecular structure laid in CHEM 111 , and then build up to the macroscopic concepts of thermodynamics. We focus on free energy as a powerful tool for predicting physical and chemical behavior. We then apply our understanding of energetics to electrochemical systems and the rates of chemical reactions. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $7 required. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 111 with a grade of C- or better, or satisfactory performance on a placement examination.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an intuitive, yet rigorous, understanding of how energy is stored and transferred in chemical systems. We start with the behavior of individual atoms and molecules (using the foundation of atomic and molecular structure laid in CHEM 111 , and then build up to the macroscopic concepts of thermodynamics. We focus on free energy as a powerful tool for predicting physical and chemical behavior. We then apply our understanding of energetics to electrochemical systems and the rates of chemical reactions. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $7 required. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 111 with a grade of C- or better, or satisfactory performance on a placement examination.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an intuitive, yet rigorous, understanding of how energy is stored and transferred in chemical systems. We start with the behavior of individual atoms and molecules (using the foundation of atomic and molecular structure laid in CHEM 111 , and then build up to the macroscopic concepts of thermodynamics. We focus on free energy as a powerful tool for predicting physical and chemical behavior. We then apply our understanding of energetics to electrochemical systems and the rates of chemical reactions. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $7 required. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 111 with a grade of C- or better, or satisfactory performance on a placement examination.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an intuitive, yet rigorous, understanding of how energy is stored and transferred in chemical systems. We start with the behavior of individual atoms and molecules (using the foundation of atomic and molecular structure laid in CHEM 111 , and then build up to the macroscopic concepts of thermodynamics. We focus on free energy as a powerful tool for predicting physical and chemical behavior. We then apply our understanding of energetics to electrochemical systems and the rates of chemical reactions. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $7 required. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 111 with a grade of C- or better, or satisfactory performance on a placement examination.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course further develops the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry, and helps students to develop an ability to propose plausible synthetic pathways to organic molecules. Particular focus is on nucleophilic addition, electrophilic substitution, free radical, and pericyclic reactions. Three lectures, four hours laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 211 with a grade of C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course further develops the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry, and helps students to develop an ability to propose plausible synthetic pathways to organic molecules. Particular focus is on nucleophilic addition, electrophilic substitution, free radical, and pericyclic reactions. Three lectures, four hours laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 211 with a grade of C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course further develops the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry, and helps students to develop an ability to propose plausible synthetic pathways to organic molecules. Particular focus is on nucleophilic addition, electrophilic substitution, free radical, and pericyclic reactions. Three lectures, four hours laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 211 with a grade of C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course further develops the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry, and helps students to develop an ability to propose plausible synthetic pathways to organic molecules. Particular focus is on nucleophilic addition, electrophilic substitution, free radical, and pericyclic reactions. Three lectures, four hours laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 211 with a grade of C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course further develops the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry, and helps students to develop an ability to propose plausible synthetic pathways to organic molecules. Particular focus is on nucleophilic addition, electrophilic substitution, free radical, and pericyclic reactions. Three lectures, four hours laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 211 with a grade of C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course further develops the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry, and helps students to develop an ability to propose plausible synthetic pathways to organic molecules. Particular focus is on nucleophilic addition, electrophilic substitution, free radical, and pericyclic reactions. Three lectures, four hours laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 211 with a grade of C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course further develops the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry, and helps students to develop an ability to propose plausible synthetic pathways to organic molecules. Particular focus is on nucleophilic addition, electrophilic substitution, free radical, and pericyclic reactions. Three lectures, four hours laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 211 with a grade of C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course uses key concepts of chemical equilibrium and structure to solve problems in chemical analysis. Lecture and laboratory work provide both the theoretical foundations and practical training in classical methods (gravimetric and volumetric analysis), atomic and molecular spectroscopy, and chromatography. Statistics and error analysis are also emphasized throughout the course. Three lectures and three hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 112 with a grade of C- or better or CHEM 115 with a grade of C- or better.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course uses key concepts of chemical equilibrium and structure to solve problems in chemical analysis. Lecture and laboratory work provide both the theoretical foundations and practical training in classical methods (gravimetric and volumetric analysis), atomic and molecular spectroscopy, and chromatography. Statistics and error analysis are also emphasized throughout the course. Three lectures and three hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 112 with a grade of C- or better or CHEM 115 with a grade of C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course uses key concepts of chemical equilibrium and structure to solve problems in chemical analysis. Lecture and laboratory work provide both the theoretical foundations and practical training in classical methods (gravimetric and volumetric analysis), atomic and molecular spectroscopy, and chromatography. Statistics and error analysis are also emphasized throughout the course. Three lectures and three hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 112 with a grade of C- or better or CHEM 115 with a grade of C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Presentations on current topics in the molecular sciences by campus visitors, as well as by Macalester students and faculty. Students may be expected to prepare for the presentations by reading, and in some cases, discussing the work of a speaker in advance of his/her seminar presentation. Chemistry majors will make two oral presentations over four semesters. All students will submit a written synopsis for three seminar presentations each semester. One hour per week. Prerequisite(s): Junior or Senior standing

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course covers topics in microscopic physical chemistry dealing with the structural and energetic properties of individual molecules. These topics include the foundations and applications of quantum mechanics, electronic structure and bonding, computational chemistry, molecular symmetry, group theory, rotational, vibrational and electronic spectroscopy, and statistical mechanics. Three lectures and three hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 112 or CHEM 115, PHYS 227, and MATH 237. Student must earn a grade of C- or higher in prerequisite courses.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course covers topics in microscopic physical chemistry dealing with the structural and energetic properties of individual molecules. These topics include the foundations and applications of quantum mechanics, electronic structure and bonding, computational chemistry, molecular symmetry, group theory, rotational, vibrational and electronic spectroscopy, and statistical mechanics. Three lectures and three hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 112 or CHEM 115, PHYS 227, and MATH 237. Student must earn a grade of C- or higher in prerequisite courses.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A study of biological processes at the molecular level with an emphasis on the chemistry of biological molecules, physical biochemistry, structure of proteins, mechanisms and kinetics of enzyme catalyzed reactions, and introduction to intermediary metabolism, including the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 212 and BIOL 265 or permission of instructor. Student must earn a grade of C- or higher in prerequisite courses.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A study of biological processes at the molecular level with an emphasis on the chemistry of biological molecules, physical biochemistry, structure of proteins, mechanisms and kinetics of enzyme catalyzed reactions, and introduction to intermediary metabolism, including the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 212 and BIOL 265 or permission of instructor. Student must earn a grade of C- or higher in prerequisite courses.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A study of biological processes at the molecular level with an emphasis on the chemistry of biological molecules, physical biochemistry, structure of proteins, mechanisms and kinetics of enzyme catalyzed reactions, and introduction to intermediary metabolism, including the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 212 and BIOL 265 or permission of instructor. Student must earn a grade of C- or higher in prerequisite courses.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Chemical biology is a field of study that applies chemistry to advanced problems in biology and medicine. This course will cover the fundamentals of the field, starting with a review of relevant biology, as well as advanced topics and state-of-the-art research. Through lectures, critical reading of recent literature, student presentations, and proposals, students will learn about the development of chemical tools to study and manipulate biological systems in novel ways. Topics may include: protein engineering and unnatural amino acid incorporation, targeted drug delivery, small molecule and protein-based imaging tools, bio-orthogonal reactions, synthetic biology, and combinatorial chemistry. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 212

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

In this course students will pursue an independent research project in the field of bioinorganic chemistry. Broadly speaking, bioinorganic chemistry comprises the study of metal ions in biological processes and medicine. There are three main objectives for this course: 1.) become proficient in several biochemical preparation and analytical techniques 2.) learn about the bioinorganic chemistry field via the primary literature. 3.) develop an appreciation for the nature of scientific research.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

The primary purpose of this course is to expose students to life as an organic chemist. Students will (1) practice advanced organic chemistry techniques, (2) analyze data obtained by operating state-of-the-art instrumentation, and (3) develop scientific writing and oral presentation skills. These learning goals will be achieved by student involvement in an active research project being pursued by faculty in the Chemistry Department. The course consists of one class meeting and two laboratory sessions each week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of First Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 101

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of First Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 101

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of First Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 101

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of First Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 101

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of First Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 101

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of Second Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 203

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of Second Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 203

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of Second Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 203

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of Second Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 203

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A continuation of Second Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 203

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

How are masculinity and femininity defined and transformed in modern and contemporary Chinese culture? How is the culturally constructed gender related to a larger social context? Through a rigorous analysis of the content and structure of modern and contemporary novels and films, this course examines the literary representation of gender and sexuality and its relation to the tumultuous social transformations, and engages with a variety of themes including: May Fourth enlightenment, anti-Japanese war, Socialist construction, the Cultural Revolution, and the liberalization of the post-Mao era. This course seeks to help students develop critical views of Chinese society and culture from gendered perspective, and gain familiarity with major authors, genres, and literary movements. This course assumes no prior knowledge of China or Chinese, and all reading materials are in English.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

A continuation of Third Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 305

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

A continuation of Third Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 305

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

A continuation of Third Year Chinese I. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 305

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course is designed for students who have achieved general proficiency in all aspects of Chinese language learning, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening. They are considered beyond the levels of proficiency of their 3rd year counterparts and are ready to delve deeper into more sophisticated textual readings, including short works of fiction, periodical readings and more frequent use of primary reference materials. Students will work to improve their listening skills while working with TV, movie, and news scripts and give greater attention to developing a more sophisticated writing style in Chinese. This course is conducted completely in Chinese. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): CHIN 407

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

In this seminar each student will independently develop and refine a research question relating to Chinese literature, philosophy, arts, music, education, religion, film, or cultural history. Students will conduct original research using Chinese primary sources. All participants will draft substantial argumentative papers that will undergo multiple revisions. They will also engage in frequent peer critiques. Group readings and discussions will provide guidance throughout the research process. Prerequisite: reading proficiency in Chinese. This course satisfies the capstone requirement for the Chinese major.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Why are Arabic, Greek, Hebrew and Latin all taught in the same department at Macalester? Today Islam and the Arab world are often presented in contrast with the West in a sort of timeless and unending 'clash of civilizations.' Classics 101 aims to counter this narrative by exploring the multiple deep, long-term connections among the languages, religions and peoples around the Mediterranean Sea. What were the relationships among speakers of these languages in the past? How did Judaism, Christianity and Islam develop among them? Why are Greek and Roman traditions sometimes seen as in tension with Christian or Arab traditions -- and has that always been the case? Readings include selections from Genesis, Exodus, Homer, Herodotus, Euripides, Plato, Vergil, the Gospels, Josephus, Imru Al-Qays, the Qur'an and 1,001 Nights. Legendary and historical figures include Moses, Helen of Troy, Cyrus, Darius, Pericles, Alexander, Cleopatra, Jesus, Augustus, Perpetua, Constantine, Muhammad, Fatima, Aisha and Omar. Suggested subtitles for the course include Before East and West, We Hear Dead People, Great Books Reimagined, and Hey, You Should Know This Stuff.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course investigates contemporary approaches to studying women, gender and sexuality in history, and the particular challenges of studying these issues in antiquity. By reading ancient writings in translation and analyzing art and other material culture, we will address the following questions: How did ancient Greek and Roman societies understand and use the categories of male and female? Into what sexual categories did different cultures group people? How did these gender and sexual categories intersect with notions of slave and free status, citizenship and ethnicity? How should we interpret the actions and representations of women in surviving literature, myth, art, law, philosophy, politics and medicine in this light? Finally, how and why have gendered classical images been re-deployed in the modern U.S.- from scholarship to art and poetry?

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course studies some of the world's great storytellers-the ancient Greeks. First, we read from translations of Greek poetry to become familiar with the key figures and events in mythology, including the Olympian gods and their origins, the major heroes, and the Trojan War. Then we explore more broadly the adaptable nature of these myths and the variety of forms in which the Greeks told stories, from epic and personal poetry to philosophy, drama, sculpture and vase painting. At the same time, we investigate the ways in which moderns have interpreted these stories. We analyze myths using Freud's psychoanalytical techniques, as folklore and ritual, and through theoretical perspectives including structuralism, new historicism and feminism. Finally, we investigate the later life of Greek myths, focusing on how and why these stories have been retold by the Romans, later European authors and artists, American film makers and playwrights, and science fiction writers.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This two-term sequence introduces the grammar and vocabulary of Latin, the language of the ancient Romans. Students learn through reading adapted passages, by breaking down grammatical structures into recognizable patterns, and through tutorials and drills. We aim to cover all basic grammar by the end of the year. In the second semester, students begin to read easy Latin such as the Bible, Pliny, Cornelius Nepos and/or Caesar. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 111

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This two-term sequence introduces the grammar and vocabulary of Latin, the language of the ancient Romans. Students learn through reading adapted passages, by breaking down grammatical structures into recognizable patterns, and through tutorials and drills. We aim to cover all basic grammar by the end of the year. In the second semester, students begin to read easy Latin such as the Bible, Pliny, Cornelius Nepos and/or Caesar. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 111

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In this two semester program, students learn to read, write and converse in Modern Standard Arabic, the form of Classical Arabic used in contemporary news media, documents, literature, education and religious practice in the many countries of the Arab world. The purpose of this course is to develop beginning students' proficiency and communication in the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 113

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In this two semester program, students learn to read, write and converse in Modern Standard Arabic, the form of Classical Arabic used in contemporary news media, documents, literature, education and religious practice in the many countries of the Arab world. The purpose of this course is to develop beginning students' proficiency and communication in the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 113

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In this two semester program, students learn to read, write and converse in Modern Standard Arabic, the form of Classical Arabic used in contemporary news media, documents, literature, education and religious practice in the many countries of the Arab world. The purpose of this course is to develop beginning students' proficiency and communication in the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 113

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course introduces students to archaeology, the study of the material remains of human culture. Students will explore the history of the discipline and profession, its basic methods and theories, and the political and ethical dimensions of modern archaeological practice. Students learn to examine and interpret evidence using specific examples, from artifacts to sites to regions.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This two-semester program introduces students to ancient Greek, the language of Greece, Asia Minor, and the Hellenistic world, including several Jewish and early Christian writers. Students will learn the grammar and vocabulary necessary for reading Greek literature and documents of many periods. During the second term, students begin to read extended prose, such as passages from Plato, Xenophon, the New Testament or documentary sources. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 115

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This two-semester program introduces students to ancient Greek, the language of Greece, Asia Minor, and the Hellenistic world, including several Jewish and early Christian writers. Students will learn the grammar and vocabulary necessary for reading Greek literature and documents of many periods. During the second term, students begin to read extended prose, such as passages from Plato, Xenophon, the New Testament or documentary sources. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 115

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Archaeology in the United States is no longer practiced exclusively by universities and museums. In fact, since the 1970s, the vast majority of archaeological projects undertaken involve individuals employed in either private industry or with the federal or state government. This shift toward cultural resource management (CRM) archaeology transformed the traditional role of archaeology practiced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. So, what changed? This course explores the role of public archaeology in the United States through an examination of the laws and practices dictating the protection of historic properties, consultation with descendant communities, and the design of archaeological management plans.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The Mediterranean, from 500 to 1500 CE, will be our focus. While the Romans called it mare nostrum (our sea), the Mediterranean became a shared space after the Roman Empire split into East (Byzantium) and West (Rome) and the Islamic Empire of the Umayyads enveloped all of the Levant, North Africa, and Iberia by the 8th century. Despite the divided polities, goods, and people--armies, mercenaries, courtiers, merchants, pilgrims, scholars, artisans--along with their ideas, moved easily across the water creating a mixed Mediterranean culture. All of the medieval cultures surrounding the Mediterranean were built on the cultures that preceded them, especially their Roman heritage. They were also springboards for the period of European expansion that followed. In this course we'll look at the geography, agriculture, literature, art, and religious beliefs found in the Mediterranean basin and engage the fundamental question, what is Mediterranean culture? Did it mean the same thing in Iberia, in Egypt, in Western Europe, in Byzantium, and in the Levant?

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course will survey the art and architecture of ancient Greek and Roman worlds from the Bronze Age (ca. 3000-1200 BCE) to Late Antiquity (ca. 5th century CE). We will examine concepts of design and representation in Greco-Roman art and architecture and explore the uses of art objects and monuments in daily life, politics, religion, state cults, and private rituals. We will examine the developments and changes in artistic forms and practices in their social, economic and historical contexts, taking into consideration the interaction between Greece and Rome as well as the influences from contemporaneous cultures in the Near East and Egypt. Lectures and class discussions will explore topics such as portraiture, art and mortuary practices, art and imperialism, narrative representation, monumental public art and architecture, domestic objects and decorative arts.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

A course in the poetic literature of the Republican and/or Augustan Ages with concentrated study on one or two authors. Students work toward grammatical and lexical mastery while learning about the forms, styles and cultural aspects of Latin poetry. Authors to be studied may include Plautus, Catullus, Horace, Vergil, or Ovid. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 231or equivalent

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The final semester in the two-year survey of the Hebrew language from ancient to modern. Students will read selections from the Biblical books of poetry such as Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Psalms. The second half of the semester is devoted to modern conversational Hebrew. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 237 or equivalent

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course introduces students to more authentic texts and samples a variety of authors and genres from around the Arab world. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 241 or equivalent

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course introduces students to more authentic texts and samples a variety of authors and genres from around the Arab world. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 241 or equivalent

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Students who pursue ancient Greek at the advanced level will study closely one or more works and explore relevant problems in literary or textual criticism, linguistic, social or cultural history, and/or reception. Offered upon consultation with department. Prerequisite(s): CLAS 362 or equivalent

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course provides an introduction to the handling, analysis, and interpretation of the big datasets now routinely being collected in science, commerce, and government. Students achieve facility with a sophisticated, technical computing environment. The course aligns with techniques being used in several courses in the natural and social sciences, statistics, and mathematics. The course is intended to be accessible to all students, regardless of background.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the field of computer science, including central concepts such as the design and implementation of algorithms and programs, testing and analyzing programs, the representation of information within the computer, and the role of abstraction and metaphor in computer science. The exploration of these central ideas will draw examples from a range of application areas including multimedia processing, turtle graphics, and text processing. Course work will use the Python programming language.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the field of computer science, including central concepts such as the design and implementation of algorithms and programs, testing and analyzing programs, the representation of information within the computer, and the role of abstraction and metaphor in computer science. The exploration of these central ideas will draw examples from a range of application areas including multimedia processing, turtle graphics, and text processing. Course work will use the Python programming language.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the field of computer science, including central concepts such as the design and implementation of algorithms and programs, testing and analyzing programs, the representation of information within the computer, and the role of abstraction and metaphor in computer science. The exploration of these central ideas will draw examples from a range of application areas including multimedia processing, turtle graphics, and text processing. Course work will use the Python programming language.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the field of computer science, including central concepts such as the design and implementation of algorithms and programs, testing and analyzing programs, the representation of information within the computer, and the role of abstraction and metaphor in computer science. The exploration of these central ideas will draw examples from a range of application areas including multimedia processing, turtle graphics, and text processing. Course work will use the Python programming language.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. Prerequisite(s): COMP 120 or  COMP 123 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. Prerequisite(s): COMP 120 or  COMP 123 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. Prerequisite(s): COMP 120 or  COMP 123 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. Prerequisite(s): COMP 120 or  COMP 123 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. Prerequisite(s): COMP 120 or  COMP 123 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. Prerequisite(s): COMP 120 or  COMP 123 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. Prerequisite(s): COMP 120 or  COMP 123 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. Prerequisite(s): COMP 120 or  COMP 123 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An in-depth introduction to the design and analysis of algorithms. Topics may include algorithmic paradigms and structures, including recursion, divide and conquer, dynamic programming, greedy methods, branch and bound, randomized, probabilistic, and parallel algorithms, non-determinism and NP completeness. Applications to searching and sorting, graphs and optimization, geometric algorithms, and transforms. Prerequisite(s): COMP 124 and MATH 279, or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An in-depth introduction to the design and analysis of algorithms. Topics may include algorithmic paradigms and structures, including recursion, divide and conquer, dynamic programming, greedy methods, branch and bound, randomized, probabilistic, and parallel algorithms, non-determinism and NP completeness. Applications to searching and sorting, graphs and optimization, geometric algorithms, and transforms. Prerequisite(s): COMP 124 and MATH 279, or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course builds upon the software design foundation started in COMP 124. Students will design and implement medium-sized software projects using modern software design principles such as design patterns, refactoring, fault tolerance, stream-based programming, and exception handling. The concept of a distributed computing system will be introduced, and students will develop multithreaded and networked applications using currently available software libraries. Advanced graphical user interface methods will be studied with an emphasis on appropriate human-computer interaction techniques. Students will use operating systems services and be introduced to methods of evaluating the performance of their software. Prerequisite(s): COMP 124 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course builds upon the software design foundation started in COMP 124. Students will design and implement medium-sized software projects using modern software design principles such as design patterns, refactoring, fault tolerance, stream-based programming, and exception handling. The concept of a distributed computing system will be introduced, and students will develop multithreaded and networked applications using currently available software libraries. Advanced graphical user interface methods will be studied with an emphasis on appropriate human-computer interaction techniques. Students will use operating systems services and be introduced to methods of evaluating the performance of their software. Prerequisite(s): COMP 124 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course familiarizes the student with the internal design and organization of computers. Topics include number systems, internal data representations, microarchitectures, the functional units of a computer system, memory, processor, and input/output structures, instruction sets and assembly language, addressing techniques, system software, and concurrency and parallelism. Prerequisite(s): COMP 124 , or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course familiarizes the student with the internal design and organization of computers. Topics include number systems, internal data representations, microarchitectures, the functional units of a computer system, memory, processor, and input/output structures, instruction sets and assembly language, addressing techniques, system software, and concurrency and parallelism. Prerequisite(s): COMP 124 , or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course familiarizes the student with the internal design and organization of computers. Topics include number systems, internal data representations, microarchitectures, the functional units of a computer system, memory, processor, and input/output structures, instruction sets and assembly language, addressing techniques, system software, and concurrency and parallelism. Prerequisite(s): COMP 124 , or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course examines the theoretical foundations of computation. It explores different mathematical models that try to formalize our informal notion of an algorithm. Models include finite automata, regular expressions, grammars, and Turing machines. The course also discusses ideas about what can and cannot be computed. In addition, the course explores the basics of complexity theory, examining broad categories of problems and their algorithms, and their efficiency. The focus is on the question of P versus NP, and the NP-complete set. Prerequisite(s): COMP 124 and MATH 279, or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course will introduce students to the design, implementation, and analysis of databases stored in database management systems (DBMS). Topics include implementation-neutral data modeling, database design, database implementation, and data analysis using relational algebra and SQL. Students will generate data models based on real-world problems, and implement a database in a state-of-the-art DBMS. Students will master complex data analysis by learning to first design database queries and then implement them in a database query language such as SQL. Advanced topics include objects in databases, indexing for improved performance, distributed databases, and data warehouses.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course covers a central point of contact between mathematics and computer science. Many of the computational techniques important in science, commerce, and statistics are based on concepts from linear algebra: subspaces, projection, matrix decompositions, etc. The course reviews these concepts, adopts them to large scales, and applies them in the core techniques of scientific computing; solving systems of linear and nonlinear equations, approximation and statistical function estimation, optimization, interpolation, Monte Carlo techniques. Applications throughout the sciences and statistics. Prerequisite(s): COMP 120 or COMP 123, and MATH 236

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course covers a central point of contact between mathematics and computer science. Many of the computational techniques important in science, commerce, and statistics are based on concepts from linear algebra: subspaces, projection, matrix decompositions, etc. The course reviews these concepts, adopts them to large scales, and applies them in the core techniques of scientific computing; solving systems of linear and nonlinear equations, approximation and statistical function estimation, optimization, interpolation, Monte Carlo techniques. Applications throughout the sciences and statistics. Prerequisite(s): COMP 120 or COMP 123, and MATH 236

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course examines two distinct aspects of work in robotics: the physical construction of the robot's "body" and the creation of robot control programs that form the robot's "mind." It will study the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of robot sensors, including sonar, infrared, touch, GPS, and computer vision. It will also examine both reactive and deliberative approaches to robot control programs. The course will include hands-on work with multiple robots, and a semester-long course project in robotics. Prerequisite(s): COMP 221 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Where do programming languages come from? What characteristics do different languages have in common? What design decisions differentiate them? What problems and constraints drive those decisions, and what tradeoffs do those decisions incur? How do languages affect the style of code we write, our development processes, and the way we think about software? In this course, we will examine a wide variety of programming languages — many briefly, a few in depth — comparing their approaches to topics such as types, memory management, abstraction, access control, closures and higher-order functions, function/method dispatch, metaprogramming, concurrency, compilation, and the runtime environment. Coursework includes programming exercises, reading and modifying code from the wild, and student-led presentations. Prerequisites: COMP 240 and COMP 261.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the theory and practice of data science applied to online communities such as Wikipedia, Facebook, and Twitter. Students will read and discuss recent academic research papers that analyze behavior on these websites and use computational simulation, machine learning, and data-mining techniques to analyze massive behavioral datasets in areas such as recommender systems, natural language processing, and tagging systems. Prerequisite(s): COMP 124 and COMP 221, or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

The modern Information Age has produced a wealth of data about the complex networks that tie us together. In response, the field of Network Science has arisen, bringing together mathematics, computer science, sociology, biology, economics and other fields. This course will explore the fundamental questions and the mathematical tools of Network Science. This includes: the structure of complex networks, including connectedness, centrality and "long tails"; community detection; random/strategic models for network formation; diffusion/contagion and "tipping points" on networks; and algorithms for analyzing complex networks. Prerequisite(s): MATH 236 and MATH 379 and COMP 123.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Accounting is the language of business. One of the objectives of this course is to learn that "language." The emphasis will be on understanding financial statements both for profit and non-profit organizations. International accounting, ethics and investment decisions are also covered. This course is designed for students who desire an understanding of the elements of accounting as a component of a liberal arts education as well as for those who would like to study further in accounting or business.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course will combine a theoretical background with hands-on experience that will permit a student to begin their career-long development of their leadership talent. The traditional model of a great leader was one that was tough, visionary and determined. Today scholars of leadership have argued that a great leader is self-aware, motivated, empathetic and skilled socially. Which model is right? Are there factors common to all great leaders? We will learn from Aristotle, Winston Churchill, Steve Jobs, Ernest Shackelton's ill-fated trip to the South Pole, and the latest scholarly research. Extensive use will be made of case studies from the Harvard MBA program and guest speakers.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A one-semester introduction to the basic tools of micro- and macroeconomic analysis. Microeconomics deals with consumers, firms, markets and income distribution. Macroeconomics deals with national income, employment, inflation and money.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

A one-semester introduction to the basic tools of micro- and macroeconomic analysis. Microeconomics deals with consumers, firms, markets and income distribution. Macroeconomics deals with national income, employment, inflation and money.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

A one-semester introduction to the basic tools of micro- and macroeconomic analysis. Microeconomics deals with consumers, firms, markets and income distribution. Macroeconomics deals with national income, employment, inflation and money.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course explores the theoretical foundations and empirical realities of international trade flows, commercial policies (tariffs, quotas, etc.) and international finance. The course emphasizes the welfare implications of international trade and commercial policies and links these to discussion of disputes over international trade agreements. The international finance portion of the course covers the foreign exchange market, balance of payments analysis and an introduction to open economy macroeconomics. Recommended for students majoring in international studies. This course counts as a Group E elective. Prerequisite(s): ECON 119 (with minimum grade of C-)

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course explores the theoretical foundations and empirical realities of international trade flows, commercial policies (tariffs, quotas, etc.) and international finance. The course emphasizes the welfare implications of international trade and commercial policies and links these to discussion of disputes over international trade agreements. The international finance portion of the course covers the foreign exchange market, balance of payments analysis and an introduction to open economy macroeconomics. Recommended for students majoring in international studies. This course counts as a Group E elective. Prerequisite(s): ECON 119 (with minimum grade of C-)

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The field of health economics applies microeconomic theory to the study of health care, drawing on concepts from public, labor, and development economics and industrial orgainzation. The healthcare industry is one of the largest in the US, representing nearly 18% of the GDP and comprising a large share of the typical household budget. The role of government regulation in healthcare is significant and unique to the industry. This class will review topics relevant to the healthcare and health insurance industries in the US, other developed countries, and developing nations including determinants of demand, pricing of healthcare services, the role of insurance and its reforms, incentives and hurdles for health technology innovations, and the role of health in economic development. We will also examine the traditional methods for evaluating healthcare services including cost benefit and cost effectiveness analysis. Group E Elective. Prerequisite(s): ECON 119 with grade of C- or higher

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course focuses on theories and applications of Entrepreneurship to identify opportunities and solve problems around the world. Students will learn contemporary methodologies used in startup companies and early stage organizations including: Lean Startup and Human Centered Design methodologies and the Business Model Canvas framework. Students spend the semester working in teams to apply the methodologies to identify a problem and develop a solution. For their final project students will prepare a plan for their solution and present it to an external audience. This course is open to those who are interested in social entrepreneurship as well. Group B elective. Note: Not available to students who took Social Entrepreneurship during the fall 2016 semester. Prerequisite(s): ECON 119 with C- or higher

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course will primarily focus on equity securities analysis (stocks) from the perspective of institutional (Wall Street) investors. Topics will include industry analysis and forecasting, financial statement analysis, fundamental company analysis and valuation methods. Students will form industry groups and will each research a company in that industry. Students will build complete historical and projected financial statement models in Excel. The end product of the course will be a company report written by each student. Group B elective. Prerequisite(s): ECON 113

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to the field of monetary economics. After a primer on the foundations of the financial and monetary systems, we’ll tackle three distinct (but interconnected) topics. First, we’ll do an in-depth study of banks and the role they play in a modern economy. We’ll explain why banks are fragile by nature and why government authorities will do anything in their power to avoid a banking collapse. Second, we’ll discuss what money is, both as a financial asset and as a main determinant of short-run economic fluctuations. We’ll look at the link between money and changes in the price level and economic activity. Finally, we’ll what central banks do to promote growth and economic stability. We’ll wrap the course by talking about the financial crisis that started the Great Recession and the steps that monetary authorities worldwide took to combat the effects of the downturn. Counts as Group E elective. Prerequisites: ECON 119 (Principles of Economics) and MATH 135 (Applied Multivariable Calculus); or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

In this course, we will use the tools of microeconomics to study the labor market. We'll develop theories of labor market supply and demand; we will study the market behavior predicted by these models, and compare those predictions with observed labor market outcomes; we will apply the theory to analyzing the effects of public policy on the labor market; and we will see how the theory can explain many features of the labor market, as well as certain activities outside of (but related to) the labor market. Counts as Group E elective. Prerequisite: ECON 119.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The structure, operation, regulation and economic role of financial markets and institutions; fundamental security analysis and present-value techniques; forecasts of earnings and analysis of yields on stocks and bonds; the portfolio theory and characteristic lines, betas and mutual-fund ratings; futures and options markets. This course counts as a Group E elective. Prerequisite(s): ECON 113 and ECON 119. C- or higher required for all prerequisites.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Methodology of economic science; theory of consumer behavior; theory of the firm; market structure and price determination; factor markets and income distribution; general equilibrium analysis; market failure. This course counts as a Group E elective. Prerequisite(s): MATH 135 or MATH 137, and one 200-level Economics course from Group E electives. Not open to first-year students except by permission of the instructor. C- or higher required for all prerequisites.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Methodology of economic science; theory of consumer behavior; theory of the firm; market structure and price determination; factor markets and income distribution; general equilibrium analysis; market failure. This course counts as a Group E elective. Prerequisite(s): MATH 135 or MATH 137, and one 200-level Economics course from Group E electives. Not open to first-year students except by permission of the instructor. C- or higher required for all prerequisites.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course develops in detail theories of the determination of national income, employment and the price level. The foundations and mechanics of neo-classical and Keynesian models of the aggregate economy are studied and modern syntheses of these approaches are explored. Considerable attention will be paid to current behavior of the national economy. This course counts as a Group E elective. Prerequisite(s): ECON 361 or permission of instructor. C- or higher required for all prerequisites.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course develops in detail theories of the determination of national income, employment and the price level. The foundations and mechanics of neo-classical and Keynesian models of the aggregate economy are studied and modern syntheses of these approaches are explored. Considerable attention will be paid to current behavior of the national economy. This course counts as a Group E elective. Prerequisite(s): ECON 361 or permission of instructor. C- or higher required for all prerequisites.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course investigates the methods economists use to test theories and conduct economic forecasts. This course will provide the student with the ability to design, conduct, and evaluate empirical work in economics and other social sciences. The primary focus of the course is on the final project that consists of a research paper that will integrate library research, economic theory, and econometric analysis. The course will take a "hands on" approach as much as possible with weekly use of the microcomputer in class. This course counts as a Group E elective. Prerequisite(s): ECON 361 and MATH 155.  C- or higher required for all prerequisites.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course investigates the methods economists use to test theories and conduct economic forecasts. This course will provide the student with the ability to design, conduct, and evaluate empirical work in economics and other social sciences. The primary focus of the course is on the final project that consists of a research paper that will integrate library research, economic theory, and econometric analysis. The course will take a "hands on" approach as much as possible with weekly use of the microcomputer in class. This course counts as a Group E elective. Prerequisite(s): ECON 361 and MATH 155.  C- or higher required for all prerequisites.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course investigates the methods economists use to test theories and conduct economic forecasts. This course will provide the student with the ability to design, conduct, and evaluate empirical work in economics and other social sciences. The primary focus of the course is on the final project that consists of a research paper that will integrate library research, economic theory, and econometric analysis. The course will take a "hands on" approach as much as possible with weekly use of the microcomputer in class. This course counts as a Group E elective. Prerequisite(s): ECON 361 and MATH 155.  C- or higher required for all prerequisites.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course investigates the methods economists use to test theories and conduct economic forecasts. This course will provide the student with the ability to design, conduct, and evaluate empirical work in economics and other social sciences. The primary focus of the course is on the final project that consists of a research paper that will integrate library research, economic theory, and econometric analysis. The course will take a "hands on" approach as much as possible with weekly use of the microcomputer in class. This course counts as a Group E elective. Prerequisite(s): ECON 361 and MATH 155.  C- or higher required for all prerequisites.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

‘Game Theory’ is the study of situations in which agents’ outcomes depend not only on their own actions, but also on the actions taken by others; including situations in which all participants understand this fact and take account of it in their decision making. This course will introduce students to the basic ideas and applications of game theory. We will study models of games in extensive (tree) and normal (strategic) form, equilibrium concepts that include optimally randomized strategies, signaling and beliefs, bargaining games, investment hold-up problems, mediation, and incentive constraints. The course will highlight applications of game theory to economic analysis, but will also include examples taken from other disciplines such as biology and political science. Additional topics may be included as time and student interest dictate. Counts as Group E elective. Prerequisite (or corequisite) of ECON 361 required for Economics majors; all others need instructor approval.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

By taking this course, students will learn to interpret and conduct technical economic analysis of public policies. Students will apply their knowledge of micro- and macroeconomic theory and econometrics to study the economics of controversial and important policies. Sample policy areas might include climate change, illegal drugs, health care, anti-poverty programs, affirmative action, income inequality, income redistribution via the tax system, public transit, immigration, education, gun control, and minimum or living-wage laws. While the course usually focuses on examples from the United States, it presents tools and frameworks that are applicable in any context. The course grade will be based on group and individual presentations and policy briefs relating to specific policies, at least one exam, homework sets, and a capstone-level research project. The project consists of a policy, econometric, or theoretical analysis of a public policy chosen by the student. This course will count towards the Group E 400s level elective for the economics major. It is a capstone course. Prerequisite(s): ECON 361, ECON 371, and ECON 381. C- or higher required for all prerequisites.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course concentrates on developing and applying economic principles to the decision making process of the firm. Typically the course is taught from the viewpoint of the financial manager of a firm (profit or non-profit). Traditional corporate finance topics will be covered, including: cash flow management, sources of capital, capital budgeting, cost of capital, and financial structure. Recent theoretical developments in the capital asset pricing model and portfolio theory also will be examined. Actual case studies of financial decision making often are included in the course.  This course counts as a Group E elective. Prerequisite(s): ECON 113, ECON 361 and ECON 381. C- or higher required for all prerequisites.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course surveys recent developments in behavioral economics and considers applications in labor economics, macroeconomics, finance, public finance, consumer choice, and other areas. Our goal is to draw on recent work in cognitive and evolutionary psychology to better understand human behavior and incorporate these insights into neoclassical reasoning and modeling. This course counts towards the capstone.  This course counts as a Group E elective. Prerequisite(s): ECON 361 and ECON 371. C- or higher required for all prerequisites.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

An introduction to theory and research in educational psychology. Topics include learning theory, learner characteristics, intelligence, creativity, motivation, measurement and evaluation, and models of teaching appropriate for diverse learners from early childhood through young adulthood. Students are required to complete observations in classroom settings.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Brofenbrenner's bioecological model of human development suggests the critical importance of social contexts besides the classroom in supporting the healthy development of children and youth from diverse social and economic backgrounds. This course examines the multiple systems affecting the developmental process through course readings, meetings, and assignments, grounded in a field placement of the student's choosing. Appropriate field placements will engage students in a variety of youth development capacities, including centers for research and program development, social service organizations, and agencies aimed at improving youth-oriented social policy. This course provides an opportunity to examine education more broadly defined, and to explore fields of youth development such as social work, counseling, athletics, youth leadership, and youth-centered research.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course examines the role of Education as global phenomena. The course encompasses a comparative view of education around the world, as well as its role in International Development. We take it further, by analysis and critique, to understand education as a force for change in an inter-dependent, globalized world. Specifically, we will examine ways in which policies and practice either enhance or diminish efforts towards change that is inclusive, just, sustainable and effective in relieveing suffering, while expanding potential and capacity in those affected by social change. We take the position that, in order to be effective, building trust becomes a key to connectivity between people, groups, organizations and ideas where education, development and change are theorized and practiced. We will construct possible education frameworks around the idea of building trust, by analyzing socio-cultural issues of power, voice, silence, and discourse. Fall semester. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course explores the peril and promise of urban public education in challenging times. Critical issues to be explored range from poverty and growing economic inequality, to challenges faced by recent immigrants and historically oppressed populations, to religious and political intolerance, to bullying and school violence, to school bureaucracy, administration and governance, to teacher unions and professional ethics, to urban education reform initiatives promoted by corporations, think tanks and foundations in contrast to those emerging in response to teacher/parent/student/community activism.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

What is the nature and purpose of education? In what ways should educational institutions support, challenge, or transform predominant social values? What is ethical educational policy and practice? Such questions are considered in light of a variety of philosophic perspectives. Students will define a personal philosophy of education and assess its implications for current educational theory and practice, in addition to their own educational development.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course explores the question: How can we educate to promote change toward more just, compassionate, and sustainable approaches to living and learning in a rapidly changing and increasingly complex world? We will consider contemporary barriers to and opportunities for systemic, progressive education reform and civic renewal on local, national and international levels. We will then work both individually and collectively, on campus and in the community, to analyze specific social issues and reform strategies in addition to conceptualizing plans for principled social action. Prerequisite(s): Permission of department chair.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Shakespeare has been called the “star of poets” and “wonder of the stage.” How do his plays delight, puzzle, and instil “wonder”? How did he transform Renaissance poetry? In this course, we will focus on some of Shakespeare’s most enduring works, including the Sonnets, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, and The Tempest. Our study comprises class discussion, essays, presentations, and performances (watching professional productions and performing scenes from the plays). We will analyze Shakespeare’s formal and stylistic technique. We will examine issues of character, action, and plot. For centuries, Shakespeare has inspired writers to perfect their craft and pursue their creative ambitions. You are invited to participate in this exciting and evolving literary tradition.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

It’s entirely possible for one to analyze the meanings of most texts—their themes, morals, historical significances, and so on—without paying much attention to the formal and linguistic elements that produce such meanings. Fortunately, poems make this difficult and ask us to attend more closely to how language does the things that it does. How, for example, can a single word generate multiple, even conflicting, interpretations concerning its significance? How do the rhetorical devices foregrounded in poetry—such as metaphor, metonymy, apostrophe, and personification—structure the modes of relation through which we organize our lives? How do various arrangements of words move us to tears, open new worlds, instigate actions, and even make nothing happen (as W. H. Auden famously figures the power of poetry)? This introductory course will take up such questions as we develop our abilities to read, write, and think as students of literature. While our primary focus will be on learning how to engage with the subtleties of poetic language, this engagement will lead us to consider the broader philosophical, political, and cultural issues that our readings raise, concerning, for example, the place of poetry in modern life, the use and uselessness of poetry, and the very question of what poetry is. This course counts as a foundation course toward the English major, but all students are welcome and no prior knowledge or experience is expected.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

What relationships exist between theater, current events, and the public? People throughout the history of theater will say theater has always been political. It has been a means of offering public commentary, challenging or upholding norms, voicing a protest, or offering an alternative view that presents a world the writers would prefer to live in. In ENGL 136, we will read plays--both classic and modern--as literary texts and talk about the craft that went into their writing. But we will also take field trips to see several plays at different theaters in Minneapolis and St. Paul; we will study theater reviews and write some of our own; we will meet people who work on technical aspects of productions (like lighting and costumes) and learn about the craft of building productions; and we will think, talk, and write about the relationship between the dramatic arts and current events. As part of our larger goal of putting theater in context, the "current" events we study will cover topics as diverse as science vs religion, processes of nation building, personal identities put on trial, class politics and accents, and historical notions of property, and the work we read will range from Shakespeare to the present.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course explores the concept of beauty in its many forms, from feelings associated with beautiful places and people to the history of visual attraction and attention. Reading novels from the nineteenth century to the present, we will learn to see beauty from different perspectives and to ask how the visible world intersects with larger social issues. For example, can the beautiful be political? What happens to nature's beauty in an era of environmental crisis? And how are shifting gender norms redefining beauty in today's world? The novels we will study critique and analyze these issues even as they revel in the complexity of beauty across time, space, artistic forms, media, and cultures. Students will read works by Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, Elaine Scarry, Amitav Ghosh, and Zadie Smith, among others.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The focus of this course is on the development of skills for writing poetry and short fiction through a close study of the techniques involved in these forms, analysis of model literary works, and frequent writing exercises. This course must be completed at Macalester as a PREREQUISITE for the further study of creative writing at Macalester.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course will focus on basic elements of creative writing. Students will be asked to read and discuss work by major writers, to critique each other’s work, and to write multiple drafts of original works of short fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

The focus of this course is on the development of skills for writing poetry and short fiction through a close study of the techniques involved in these forms, analysis of model literary works, and frequent writing exercises. This course must be completed at Macalester as a PREREQUISITE for the further study of creative writing at Macalester.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

The focus of this course is on the development of skills for writing poetry and short fiction through a close study of the techniques involved in these forms, analysis of model literary works, and frequent writing exercises. This course must be completed at Macalester as a PREREQUISITE for the further study of creative writing at Macalester.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this course we will dive right into the study of creative writing by reading and writing poetry, flash fiction, short stories, and personal essays. We will study how published authors craft their pieces, how they convey sensation and emotion, and how they artfully tell a story. Along the way, you’ll try your hand at each literary form we study. This is the basic template you can expect on a day-to-day basis. But, beyond this relatively simple pattern, what I hope will happen this semester is that you’ll lose yourself entirely to the daring act of creating literature. I hope you’ll disappear into what John Gardener calls the “vivid and continuous dream.” I hope you’ll use your growing knowledge of writing technique and literary history to say something fearless and artful about the world around you.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

The focus of this course is on the development of skills for writing poetry and short fiction through a close study of the techniques involved in these forms, analysis of model literary works, and frequent writing exercises. This course must be completed at Macalester as a PREREQUISITE for the further study of creative writing at Macalester.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course will familiarize students with traditional writing practices in U.S. academic contexts and advance students’ college level writing. We will specifically explore common writing challenges experienced by multilingual writers. Additionally, we will discuss cultural differences at the intersections of language, authority, knowledge, race, gender, and class. Students will read samples of academic writing from various disciplines in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. The course will include expert guest speakers to share their own professional and personal writing strategies. Students will frequently revise and edit their own academic written work and the work of their peers. Although this course is open to all students, first or second year students who identify as multilingual and/or international are especially encouraged to enroll.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

If you’ve taken courses in the humanities, then you’re probably aware of a field that goes by the nickname of “theory.” You may have heard of thinkers such as Judith Butler, Jacques Derrida, and Michel Foucault, though chances are you haven’t yet studied how their writings grew out of a common engagement with questions of language and textuality. This course offers you the opportunity to do so. Beginning with Ferdinand de Saussure’s influential Course in General Linguistics, we’ll trace the development of literary theory through structuralism, deconstruction, psychoanalysis, feminism, gender studies, queer theory, Black studies, postcolonial theory, trauma theory, affect theory, and ecocriticism. Since our approach will be to treat literary theory as a field of study in itself, we’ll be reading almost exclusively primary texts from this field—though, if you engage these texts seriously, they will most likely change the way you read just about everything, from poems and novels to television shows and text messages. This course will be of interest to students of all levels who are interested in learning about literary theory and are willing to be intellectually challenged. It counts as a core course in the Critical Theory Concentration. Authors include J. L. Austin, Roland Barthes, Lauren Berlant, Judith Butler, Cathy Caruth, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Hélène Cixous, Jacques Derrida, Lee Edelman, Michel Foucault, Sigmund Freud, bell hooks, Luce Irigaray, Roman Jakobson, Barbara Johnson, Julia Kristeva, Jacques Lacan, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Paul de Man, Timothy Morton, Ferdinand de Saussure, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and Calvin Warren.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The scandal surrounding Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel about the nymphet Lolita finally made him a hugely successful celebrity, allowing him to retire from teaching at Cornell University and move to Switzerland to devote himself to fiction, translation, criticism and lepidoptery. This was only one of the many metamorphoses Nabokov underwent while in exile, moving from Russia to the Crimea, Cambridge UK, Berlin, Paris, Cambridge MA, Ithaca, Hollywood, and finally Montreux. Members of the Russian nobility, the Nabokovs lost everything with the 1917 Revolution except for their immense cultural capital, which Nabokov transformed into a tremendously productive career as a writer, critic, translator and scholar in Russian, French, and English. This course examines both the Russian (in translation) and English novels. A merciful defier of national, linguistic, cultural and theoretical categories, Nabokov remains paradoxically elusive and monumental, a thrilling and exasperating genius.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

In the past fifty years, science fiction has emerged as the primary cultural form for thinking about human extinction: climate catastrophe and natural disasters, plagues that empty continents, and species suicide through war. But science fiction has also emerged as the primary cultural form for imagining a near boundless future through technological progress: artificial superintelligence, cybernetic enhancement of the human, and the possibility of utopian political order. Facing such disorienting and unfathomable changes, science fiction seeks with frantic energy to understand what it means to be a human and to live a meaningful life. Why are we here? What are we to become? How will the promises of technology, or the lethal threats of scarcity, change what it means to be a thinking, feeling human? In this course we will examine works of science fiction as complex aesthetic achievements, as philosophical inquiries into the nature of being and time, and as theoretical examinations of the nature of human cognition. We will engage in intensive readings of contemporary texts, including works by Ted Chiang, Lidia Yuknavitch, Philip K. Dick, Margaret Atwood, Octavia Bulter, Stanislaw Lem, Kazuo Ishiguro, and others. A companion film series will include the Matrix and other films in the genre

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

In this survey course, we will trace an African American literary tradition from 1900 to the present. We will read a wide range of genres, including drama, jazz poetry, prose poems, short stories, and novels. Our journey across this rich tradition will be shaped by concepts of place, performance, and protest. Our exploration of literary, along with some musical and photographic, texts will thus extend to their geographic, temporal, and political contexts. Our study will also be informed by activisms both past and present; we will at the same time carefully attend to our texts’ status as art. Among the authors we will study are: W. E. B. Du Bois, Nella Larsen, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Claudia Rankine, Octavia Butler, and Reginald Dwayne Betts. Requirements include: two 7-10 page essays, an in-class presentation, brief written responses to the readings, engagement with relevant social media, and a final exam. This course fulfills the college’s U.S. Identities and Differences and Writing general education requirements. It also fulfills the English major requirement of a course focused on literature by U.S. writers of color.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

As the United states lurched toward murderous civil war, a group of passionate, visionary, and bizarre artists set out to discover the soul of America. From 1850 to 1855, in one of the most astonishing creative convergences in literary history, the artists of what would come to be known as the American Renaissance wrote stories and poems that would enlighten, thrill, and terrify generations of readers. With aesthetic wonder and philosophical insight, they revealed both the angels and demons of human nature, inventing a uniquely American spiritual movement of unprecedented optimism at the same time that they damned it all to hell. Their works were spiritual and blasphemous, elegant and profance, beatific and pornographic, irreverently comic and heart-wrenchingly sentimental. Everything that was written in America after this period would, in one way or another, have to come to terms with the brilliant and disturbing achievements of this small cluster of artists. In this course we will read texts by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Frederick Douglass, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Poetry likely predates written language, and yet each poem reinvents this long tradition, discovering new things that language can be or do. In this course, we will approach verse writing as both craftspeople and mad scientists, shamans and technicians. We’ll study process and product, expanding our writerly toolkits through imitation and practice with fundamentals like line, stanza, genre and inherited form. But we’ll also search for our own wild poetic genius, wading deep into the forests of language. We’ll write odes and elegies, walking poems and list poems, sonnets and collages, erasures and manifestos. Coursework will include reading and discussion, in-class writing exercises, workshops, and a final portfolio. Verse-o-phobes and verse-o-philes both enthusiastically welcomed.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this course we will study fiction writing through the process of reading and writing flash fiction, fairy tales, a diverse array of short stories, and novel openings. We will study a range of published work, discussing elements of craft like: voice, point of view, narrative time, plot, description as emotion, and the unreliable narrator. Everyone will write a series of stories and exercises to put up for workshop. I will lecture each week on an element of craft, but there are no hard and fast rules here. The principles of writing are, at best, valuable hints accrued from centuries of literature, and, at worst, limits to a writer’s developing sensibility. Ideally, by the end of the semester, you will have a firm understanding of the basic tenets of fiction writing and an equally strong understanding of how you might completely dismantle them to seek new ground.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Taught by writer and journalist Stephen Smith (Executive Editor and Host of American RadioWorks, the national documentary series from American Public Media). This course will focus on creating vivid, economical prose as a foundation for many types of expository writing. The fundamental elements of narrative journalism will be explored. Students will do research and interviews for print journalism pieces. Students will write frequently, will edit each other, and will receive detailed suggestions on their writing from the instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

A historically small area of Ireland—called the Pale—was held under British rule in the late-medieval period. To be “beyond the pale” is to cross over some invisible, often arbitrary, boundary, to be inconveniently and antisocially out of line. Many postcolonial Irish and Caribbean writers have been forced to exist beyond the pale politically and in terms of their access (or lack of it) to the literary establishment. This idiomatic connection to Ireland has a more concrete resonance in Jamaica, where the Irish are the second largest ethnic group after people of African descent, and many of Jamaica’s placenames derive from Irish locations. Taking up these fascinating links, this course will explore the significance of Irish-Caribbean literary and cultural connections in art, dance (live Irish musicians and a céilí dance instructor will visit our class!), poetry, theatre, and fiction. We will ask what it means to be from a small island in a globalizing world by reading authors such as Claude McKay, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, Marlon James, Derek Walcott, Seamus Heaney, Lorna Goodison, Frank McCourt, Eavan Boland, Grace Nichols, Nicole Dennis-Benn, and Sara Baume.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

In her recent article “If Fiction Changes the World, It’s Going to Be YA,” journalist Emily Temple states that young adult books are primed to do work for the social good because of their timeliness, their willingness to take on big political issues, and their wide readership. In the last few decades, the young adult genre has been growing in scope and in ambition, and much of it is being written by exciting new authors, closer to the age of their protagonists. In this class we will study some new and foundational texts of the genre, discussing subjects like depiction of mental illness, the political implications of fantasy novels, and the “We Need Diverse Books” campaign. Meanwhile, you will be working on your own YA projects, learning for yourself what makes these books tick. This course serves as a creative writing elective on the English major.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Tiring of heroism, modern prose fiction invented a new kind of figure beginning in the late 18th century: the mediocre protagonist whose distinguishing characteristic was not prowess or virtue but eccentricity, both real and imagined. What in Germany is called "the middle hero," in France "le bovarysme," and in Russia "poshlost'" (trivial bourgeois ordinariness) all designate aspects of this new literary space of the mediocre in which individuality depends increasingly on forms of deviance. The course traces this development from the dawn of romanticism to high modernism in German, French, and Russian fiction with the goal of understanding the way literature negotiates the tension between the need to be "different" and the injunction to be "normal." Readings from Goethe ("The Sorrows of Young Werther"), Flaubert ("Madame Bovary"), Gogol ("The Nose," "The Overcoat"), Goncharov (“Oblomov’s Dream”), Huysmans (“Against the Grain”), Musil (excerpts from "The Man without Qualities"), Nietzsche (excerpts from “The Gay Science”), Kafka ("Letter to his Father," "The Cares of a Family Man," "The Metamorphosis"); theory and criticism by Erich Auerbach and Foucault. Requirements: regular reading reactions, three mid-length essays.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Against the swirling backdrop of political discourses about women in the Islamic world, this course will engage with feminist and postcolonial debates through literary works by Muslim women writers. The course will begin with an exploration of key debates about women’s agency and freedom, the Islamic headscarf, and Qur’anic hermeneutics. With this in mind, we will turn to the fine details of literature and poetry by Muslim women. How do these authors constitute their worlds? How are gendered subjectivities constructed? And how do the gender politics of literary texts relate to the broader political and historical contexts from which they emerge? Themes will include an introduction to Muslim poetesses and Arabic poetic genres, the rise of the novel in the Arabic speaking world, and Muslim women’s literary production outside of the Middle East: from Senegal to South Asia, and beyond.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

In Shakespeare’s England, whipping, branding, mutilation (of the hand, nose, ears, or face), pillorying, hanging, burning, and beheading were common forms of legal punishment. The rigors of early modern law may seem strange or “barbaric” to us, yet we may recognize the intentions behind the laws: to restore order, to keep the peace, and to stabilize social relations. To grasp what justice meant to the early moderns and, in turn, what it means to us today, we will examine some of Shakespeare’s most challenging plays through the lens of legal and political philosophy. Plays such as Titus Andronicus, The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure, King Lear, and Othello stage a spectrum of responses to insult, injury, and violence. At the same time, the texts trouble the division between good and evil, justice and revenge. Our agenda is two-fold: to deepen our reading of Shakespearean drama and to use our knowledge to investigate difficult and still unresolved questions about the problem of evil, the dialectic between law and justice, and the meaning of the “good life.”

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA