Spring 2012 Courses to Deliver Content-Rich Experiences

Spring 2012 Courses to Deliver Content-Rich Experiences

With the spring 2012 semester now here, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences offers practical courses covering current issues such as reform in the Middle East and the Iraq War and classes rich in historical material, sure to give students an appreciation for intellectual and social pioneers of the past.

Here are a few samples.

AFAM 200-002: Introduction to African American Studies (Wendi Manuel-Scott)

Tuesday/Thursday 1:30-2:45 p.m.

This course is designed to expose students to the contributions of African Americans to the history and culture of the United States. This course will examine a broad spectrum of subjects, including Africa and African enslavement, resistance to oppression, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, Black Power and other topics. Professor Manuel-Scott will focus attention to literature, history, popular culture and politics.

GOVT 319-001: American Political Development (David Ericson)

Tuesday/Thursday 9:00-10:15 a.m.

This course will help students learn how the American political system has evolved over the years. Instructor David Ericson will explore the roots of our current governmental problems and successes. Register for this class to gain insights into our political system.

NCLC 375-005: Introduction to Legal Studies (Weixia Chen)

Thursday 1:30-4:15 p.m.

This course provides an overview of the legal system - how the judicial system developed, the interaction between different institutions, some of the controversies that arise in legal contexts and the extraordinary power of law in American life and in the world. This course is relevant  to understanding some of today’s most newsworthy stories.

PHIL 391-001: Philosophy of Film (Andrew Light)

Tuesday 1:30-4:10 p.m.

The Department of Philosophy introduces the “Philosophy of Film” course, taught by Andrew Light. This course will explore philosophical topics such as the ideas of society, knowledge, religion and God, and apply them to film.

HIST 387-007: Modern Iraq (Shaul Bakhash)

Tuesday/Thursday 12:00-1:15 p.m.

Shaul Bakhash, Robinson Professor of History and an expert in Middle East history, will lead this course, which covers one of the most important regions in the world. This class covers the history of Iraq in the 20th century, which includes the reign of Saddam Hussein and the recent American invasion.

ENGH 351-001: Contemporary African-American Literature (Keith Clark)

Monday/Wednesday 12:00-1:15 p.m.

Encompassing an array of genres and forms, this class examines black writing from mid-20th century to present. Keith Clark engages textual, critical, political, and theoretical issues related to literary movements, such as the Black Arts Movement of 1960s and the Third Renaissance of 1980s-90s. Featured authors include Ralph Ellison, Gwendolyn Brooks, James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry, Amiri Baraka, Alice Walker, Ernest Gaines, Gloria Naylor, August Wilson and Toni Morrison.

SOCI 395-003: Blues, Rock and Race (Lester Kurtz)

Wednesday 7:20-10:00 p.m.

With its roots in Africa and sired by the poverty experienced by the African-American community, the Blues have been around for over a century. This course explores the social history of the genre and how it brought African-American culture into mainstream American culture, paving the way both for the civil rights movement and the emergence of rock music as a bedrock of global culture. The course considers the aesthetics of change, the role of music and the arts in facilitating social movements and changes in political culture.

SOCI 395-004: Global Networked Youth Culture (Amy Best)

Thursday 4:30-7:10 p.m.

Today's college students are the first to be "born digital," living their lives in a physical, geographically centered world and simultaneously in a computer-mediated virtual space. Young people across the globe increasingly share similar cultural artifacts, listen to the same music, watch the same videos, share the same online social networks, and read the same media commentary. This course provides an introduction to the study of digital youth culture, with attention to the globalizing forces at work as young people engage and consume new media and new technology.

HNRS 122-008: Reading the Arts (Marion Deshmukh)

Monday/Wednesday 1:30-2:45 p.m.

Marion Deshmukh, Robert T. Hawkes Professor of History and an expert in German and European history, leads one of the standard courses for honors students in the college. The course aims to help students appreciate art forms such as painting, sculpture, literature, music and film. In addition to standard classwork, students must complete an ongoing art project and review performances at the Center for the Arts.