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A total of 36 courses have been found.
The United States in historical, contemporary, and transnational perspective; social and cultural diversity and conflict in American life; debates on concepts of America, the American Dream, national culture, citizenship.

Across the world, globalization, ethno-nationalism, and multiculturalism, among other social forces, have broken down national identities that dominated the post-World War II order. In the United States, these trends often manifest in “culture wars” over history and public memorials provoke just as much heated debate as scientific studies of COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, and LGBTQI rights. In AMST:1010 we will study the hidden histories behind these contemporary problems. We will uncover the many meanings of words such as “culture” and the values that derive from them. After learning various theories of culture, we will examine several distinct component parts of that American culture. We will ask you to develop your analytical skills in a variety of contexts, from small group discussions to video logs and short, reflective essays.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Exploration of past, present, and future of American Indians in the United States and beyond through film, art, music, and comedy.

In this course students will learn more about how American Indian filmmakers, artists, comedians and musicians have challenged distorted and harmful stereotypes about American Indians in mainstream society. Students will also learn more about the field of American Indian-Native Studies and how it has addressed the needs of Native peoples since it first emerged in the 1970s. By examining the history and culture of Native peoples in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, students will gain an understanding of the past, present, and future of Native peoples in the United States and beyond.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Cultural significance of production, distribution, and consumption of food in the United States.

What do we eat? Why do we eat it? Where do we eat? What can our dinner plates tell us about race, class, gender, and our sense of self? What can food tell us about the United States as a nation in the present and past? Our goal will be to examine the cultural significance of American production, distribution, and consumption of food. Topics include: working-class foodways at the turn-of-the-twentieth century; Betty Crocker, gender politics, and second-wave feminism; race and the rise of fast food in the US; immigration, agriculture, and Iowa. Requirements: weekly discussion board posts; weekly in-person discussion sections; two exams; two short essays.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Comparative study of culture, social organization.

How and why do human communities develop their ways of living, change these over time, and differ from one another? How is this cultural diversity impacted by globalization, and why does such diversity continue to matter in the 21st century?  Cultural anthropology asks and answers these questions through a comparative lens that includes widely diverse peoples, places and times. The field is known for “making the strange familiar, and the familiar strange,” meaning that it sparks reflection not only about cultural differences but also about what we all often take for granted in our own daily experiences. Through readings, lectures, films and other media, we will explore anthropology’s findings about key lifeways, cultural similarities and differences among peoples across the globe, and consider key questions about how anthropologists produce this knowledge.   

This course combines lectures, discussions, and in-class activities with assignments that are designed to promote critical thinking and analytical writing skills. Graded work includes three exams, class participation/discussion activities, and two short writing assignments—including one in which students get to try out their own ethnographic research skills, by examining key social and cultural features of life on campus.

Social Sciences Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Exploration of how different cultures throughout history and across the globe have expressed their social, political, and religious values in visual form; key themes include social functions of art, the ideal body, art of the divine, funerary art, propaganda and power.

Themes in Global Art is designed for students with no art history background. It is a cross-cultural course that explores key themes in art from a global perspective. We will be comparing and contrasting the many ways that different nations and ethnic populations throughout history have expressed their social, political, and religious values in visual form. Some of the international themes in art that we will study include: propaganda and power, social functions of art, ritual and self-expression (such as tattoos and body mutilation), and religion and the divine realm. The course requirements include unit assessments that are partly multiple-choice and true/false questions and partly short-answer essays.

This course has online proctored exams, all of which will be administered via Proctorio, an online proctoring service. Generally, students will need: a computer with 2 GB of free RAM a reliable internet connection a webcam capable of scanning the testing environment a working microphone a quiet, private location the Google Chrome browser with the Proctorio extension installed. More information will be available on the syllabus.

Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Development of Buddhism in India, its spread across Asia, and arrival in the West; exploration of diverse Buddhist philosophies, practices, and cultures; readings from India, Tibet, China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.

 

Buddhism is a living religion that for several thousand years has shaped the societies and lives of people in most Asian countries. Today, it continues as a major influence on how people in Asia understand human existence, and it has also become an influence on the lives of a significant number of people in the Western world -through mindfulness practices and in many other ways. This course gives an introduction to the main ideas, practices and institutions of Buddhism with special attention to those that are meaningful to most people, and specifically to women and minority groups in society. We will trace the historical development of Buddhism in India and its further spread throughout Asia, and examine important aspects of how Buddhism is understood and practiced in different Asian societies, as well as discuss its recent transmission to the West. The course will seek to highlight the colonialist, racist, and gendered history of the study of Buddhism, and examine how this still affects the field today. We will work with images, videos, historical documents, interviews, religious/philosophical texts, and scholarly articles. No prior study of Buddhism is required or expected. Grades are based on course participation, a midterm exam, a writing assignment, peer review of other students’ writing assignments, and a final exam.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity

Ways in which music forms a crucial part of Indian public sphere, reflecting and shaping culture, society, and economy; wide range of genres commonly performed and heard across India and South Asia today (i.e., film music, several folk forms, classical, semi-classical, Indipop, rock) and locating each of them in their respective historical, cultural, and socioeconomic contexts; exploration of themes and questions (i.e., emergence and impact of technologies of mass production, distribution of music in colonial and post-independence India).

The course examines ways in which music forms a crucial part of Indian public sphere, reflecting and shaping culture, society, and economy. We will listen to a wide range of genres commonly performed across India and South Asia today (e.g. Hindi film music, ‘folk’ forms, classical, semi-classical, Indipop, rock) and locate them in their historical, cultural, and socio-economic contexts. We will explore themes and questions such as the emergence and impact of technologies of mass production of music in post-independence India. Requirements include participation, listening exercises, a midterm paper and a final exam. No formal training in music is required to take the course.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Literary and philosophical texts of China in English translation.

Asian Humanities: China is a general introduction to the various aspects of Chinese humanities from antiquity to the present, including philosophy, religion, literature, art, music, and history. This course will examine a selection of historical documents in different genres, such as stories, poems, novels, and plays, as well as the foundational documents of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Students will examine key facets of Chinese civilization, ranging from identity, family, self and society through these literary and philosophical documents. Primary sources will be analyzed to understand the similarities and differences between the East and the West, the changing interpretations of the religious and philosophical documents over Chinese history, and the evidence of the impact of historical values on current Chinese society.


This course will promote critical thinking and advances rhetorical and writing skills by prioritizing active learning via classroom discussion, supplemented with lectures. Students will be assessed on active class participation and preparation, their knowledge of the course materials, and their critical engagement with the sources and themes through interpretation and analysis. Class format will be at-home reading, in class lecture and discussion, and short answer assessments.


Readings are in English, and no prior knowledge of Chinese language or culture is expected.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Introduction to historical development of Chinese script, Chinese calligraphy theories, representative calligraphers, and writing Chinese script using a Chinese writing brush.

Introduction to historical development of Chinese script; Chinese character formation; fundamentals of Chinese character writing (stroke sequence, character structure); Chinese calligraphy theories and representative calligraphers; appreciation of Chinese calligraphy as an art form; hands-on practice on writing Chinese script styles including seal style, clerical style, regular style, running style, and cursive style by using a Chinese writing brush. The course is taught in English. No prerequisites are required.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Ancient Greek and Roman writings on magic, including ancient spells and charms.

In this course, we will study ancient Greek and Roman magical beliefs and practices from Homer to the rise of Christianity. Topics covered in this course will include: Greek and Roman Mystery Religions (e.g., Orphism, the Eleusinian Mysteries, and the Cult of Isis); Greek and Roman witches and sorcerers (e.g., Circe, Medea, and Canidia); Greek and Roman sages and miracle-workers (e.g., Pythagoras and Apollonius of Tyre); Greek and Roman views on ghosts and the afterlife; and Greek and Roman texts that purport to describe how to perform spells and curses. Ultimately, the aim of this course is to give students a basic understanding of the complex ways in which magic worked in Greek and Roman society.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Sports, games, and hobbies in the ancient world, primarily Greece and Rome, 1500 B.C.E. to 500 C.E.; ancient Olympic games, Roman festival games; anthropology of sport.

This course addresses how the Greeks and Romans, as well as other peoples of the ancient Mediterranean, made use of leisure. Games, hobbies, spectacles, and sport will be discussed, including topics such as the ancient Olympics and other competitive events, games connected with Roman festivals such as chariot racing, gladiatorial combat, and animal hunts, as well as the role of sport and leisure within these societies, from the lowest to the highest social classes.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Introduction to ancient Greek and Roman myths with focus on using these sources as interpretations of culture and human psyche; emphasis on flexibility of myth and its importance for understanding ancient history, art, literature, religion, and philosophy.

Hercules, Odysseus, Achilles and Oedipus all share one major characteristic: they are all heroes whose adventures and stories are chronicled in timeless Greek and Roman sacred stories, or myths. This course looks at these heroes (and more!), in addition to the gods and goddesses whom these peoples believed ruled their world. The study of Greco-Roman mythology offers an excellent window into the past by providing us with a unique opportunity to examine how the Greeks and Romans attempted to answer questions about the nature of the universe and mankind’s place in it.  The myths of any people betray attitudes concerning life, death, life after death, love, hate, morality, the role of women in society, etc.; we will pay particular attention to how Greco-Roman mythology addresses these important issues.
This course is designed to offer a general introduction to the myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Because ancient myths have come down to us in various works of literary and physical art, this course will also introduce you to some of the most influential works produced in ancient Greece and Rome. Moreover, because the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome have exercised such an influence in the shaping of the modern western world, we will equip ourselves with the background necessary to make modern literature, philosophy, religion, and art intelligible and meaningful. By examining and scrutinizing the myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans, we will learn not only a great deal about their cultures, but we will also put ourselves in a position from which to question, criticize, and (hopefully) better understand the foundations of the world in which we find ourselves.
This course meets the Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts general education requirement, as well as the Values and Culture requirement, through its use of ancient works of art (literary and visual) and focus on the ways in which ancient Greek and Romans managed the human experience.

Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Processes and effects of mass communication; how mass media operate in the United States; how mass communication scholars develop knowledge. Social Sciences Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Dance, music, historical, and social contents of Brazilian Carnival production, critical theories of performance, religious backgrounds, and theatre making in carnival parades.

The course is designed to provide students an opportunity to explore interdisciplinary and foundational learning in the area of the world dance through interactions with explorations of two of the main aspects of the Brazilian popular culture (Samba and Carnival).  Through extensive literature, video presentations and practice of popular dances of Brazil, students will be exposed to one of the most important and influential expression of popular culture in the world, according to place, time and event.  This includes all aspects present in the Brazilian Carnival: dance, music, historical and social contents; production; critical theories of performance; religious backgrounds; and theatre making in the Carnival Parades – from current to centuries-old tradition. 

Engineering Be Creative Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity

This course explores the role of the performing arts in the human experience, and examines the nature of the creative impulse in different performance media, cultures, societies and historical contexts.  Much of the class work is based on attendance at live performances of theatre, music, and dance on campus and in the community.  Readings, films and videos will augment live performances. Emphasis is on analyzing performance and the experience of the audience through writing and in-depth class discussions. 

Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Influence of social factors such as discrimination, diversity, equity, racism, sexism, and ethnic and socioeconomic pluralism on American schools and classrooms; for teacher education candidates.

The focus of this course, which is required for teacher certification, is on social factors such as discrimination, diversity, equity, racism, sexism, and ethnic and socioeconomic pluralism and their influence on American schools and classrooms. The class is limited to persons who plan to obtain a teaching certificate or who are required to have the course because they will be working in schools. The class is organized with a lecture/discussion section format. The lectures are given by faculty and guest speakers; the discussion sections are taught by TAs and faculty members. Papers, individual and group projects and presentations, reports, and tests are among the class activities and assignments. There is a final exam on the lectures in addition to the exams for each discussion section. Several texts and a book of readings are required.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Role and status of women in society; sex differences, sex role socialization, theories about origin and maintenance of sexual inequalities, changes in social life cycle of women, implications for social institutions and processes; focus on contemporary United States.

This course is designed to give you an introduction to the sociological analysis of gender in American society. As part of its focus, sociology investigates and exposes aspects of social life that are usually taken for granted. In this course, we will critically examine the multiple ways that gender organizes and structures the social world in which we live. To this end, we will be investigating such topics as the predominant theoretical stances related to the study of gender, femininities and masculinities, how gender structures everyday social interaction, and how social institutions (e.g., education, work, family, the media) create gendered meanings and structures. Finally, we will conclude by considering ways to intervene in many of the processes that perpetuate gender-based inequality.

 

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Women in the Islamic community and in non-Muslim Middle Eastern cultures; early rise of Islam to modern times; references to women in the Qur'an and Sunnah, stories from Islamic history; women and gender issues.

More information on Prof. Souaiaia's website.

Women in Islam and the Middle East is a course about women within and without the Muslim community. It focuses on women from the early time periods of the rise of Islam until modern times. We will consider the textual references to women in the primary religious texts (Qur’ân and the Sunnah) and references and stories of prominent women as told in the Islamic history books. In order to provide a comprehensive exploration of the status of women and gender issues, the course will also rely on interviews, guest lectures, images, documentaries, and films produced from a variety of perspectives and through the lenses of a number of disciplines.In this course, we aim to explore the role and status of women in the modern and pre-modern Middle East with respect to institutions such as the law, religious practices, work, politics, family, and education. Additionally, we will examine themes of social protocols, sexuality, gender roles, and authenticity as contested norms.The course will also discuss contemporary Muslim women, the factors informing constructions of gender in Islam and the Middle East. We will focus on contemporary Muslim women in a number of different cultural contexts in order to highlight a variety of significant issues including, veiling and seclusion, kinship structures, violence, health, feminist activism, literary expression, body and mind, and other themes.

International and Global Issues Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Physical activity determinants in society; school, workplace, community-based health promotion interventions to improve activity levels.

The course will introduce students to physical activity as a health determinant. Students will gain an understanding of the individual, social, and environmental factors that influence physical activity participation and ultimately physical fitness and health throughout the life cycle. Requirements of the course include: weekly assignments & quizzes, papers, a physical activity log, and examinations.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Introduction to Italian food culture; students explore how Italian culinary tradition was born and evolved over time, often reflecting historical and economic developments in the country; the different geographical regions of Italy and how each region established its own food culture, while at the same time being part of a national food culture; how Italian food has become a defining element of Italianness in the world, with focus on the birth of Italian-American foodways. Taught in English.

The course will introduce students to Italian food culture and will be comprised of two parts. The first part of the course will explore how the Italian culinary tradition was born and evolved over time, often reflecting historical and economic developments in the country. Students will explore the different geographical regions of Italy and examine how each region established its own food culture, while at the same time being part of a national one. The first part of the course will also examine current culinary trends in Italian foodways, and how they are influenced by current social changes in Italy. The second part of the course will look at how Italian food has become a defining element of Italiannes in the world. This part will focus on the birth of Italian-American foodways and Italian American food culture through the analysis of images of food in literature and films. 

Requirements include class attendance and participation, 4 short writing exercises, a group project, a midterm and a final project.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Prehistory of social media and identification of ideas, events, and elements in ancient and historical times; earliest days of online posting and interacting; first instances of social engagement on the Web; how social media (journalism, politics, health care, romance and lifestyle, entertainment, war and terrorism, professions and jobs) affects individual areas of life, culture, and society; what's next and how social media changes lives in the future and affects the fate of humanity.

Social Media Today is a survey course with no prerequisites, intended for students of any major and interest. This course offers an overview of our current understanding of a wide range of social media phenomena from the point of view of researchers, professionals, and critics. We will begin with a brief history of communication technologies, including the first instances of social engagement on the Web. Next, we will discuss key conceptual and theoretical developments that ground informed discussions of social media. We then will examine what the rise of social media means for contemporary culture and society, focusing on a range of topics including: journalism, politics, justice, romance, and marketing. Finally, we will consider future possibilities for digital and social media.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Introduction to premodern, modern, and contemporary Japanese culture; special attention given to the relationship of classical texts to contemporary novels, short stories, manga, anime, music, and film; students consider relationships of textual and visual cultures, high art and low art, moments of crisis and the everyday, the sacred and the profane, men and women. Taught in English.

This course is an introduction to 1300 years of Japanese literature and culture with special attention paid to the relationship of classical texts to contemporary novels, short stories, manga, anime, music, and film.  Throughout this course we will consider the relationships of textual and visual cultures, of high art and low art, of moments of crisis and the everyday, of the sacred and the profane, and of men and women.  All readings for this class will be in English translation; no knowledge of Japanese is necessary.  This course includes screenings of film and anime with English subtitles.   

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
How to listen to jazz and recognize a variety of processes that are taking place in performances and recordings; historical, social, and political issues, including race and gender; the unique blend of jazz of a particular region; attendance at live performances, meet and interview musicians, critics, and educators.

Since World War II, jazz has spread to every corner of the globe producing unique interpretations and practices as it interacts with local traditions. Similarly, jazz musicians in America have found musical sources for their compositions outside of the traditional jazz mainstream. This course will investigate a number of ways that jazz music is interpreted with particular attention to the contexts in which music is created, transmitted and received. Each year the class compares the American jazz tradition to a unique international region that has a strong jazz scene. 

 

 

Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Major 20th-century styles, artists, seminal works, and recordings; developments between 1917 and 1972.

This course is a survey of Major 20th-century styles, artists, seminal works, and recordings; developments between 1900 and today. Course materials include a written text, ICON listening list, films and live performances. Requirements include online quizzes, two exams and writing assignments.

Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity

Contemporary ethical controversies with life and death implications; topics may include famine, brain death, animal ethics, abortion, torture, terrorism, capital punishment.

In this course we begin by examining some theoretical questions about morality: What constitutes a good or valuable life for a human being?  What is it for an action to be right or wrong? Is morality relative to culture? Is the rightness/wrongness of actions determined solely by the consequences of actions?  What role, if any, do agents’ motives or intentions play in determining the rightness or wrongness of actions?  We then turn to applied ethics, examining the following controversial topics with help from ethical theory: 

  • Virtual Reality and the Sources of Value: What are the values and dangers of virtual reality, simulations, and gaming?  Is it morally problematic to spend increasing amounts of time in a “fake” reality with created online identities?  Can you lead a good life in a virtual world?  What can we learn by reflecting on virtual reality about the sources of value or goodness in the world?
  • Poverty:  There are people who are starving, or who lack basic necessities (heat, water, food, clothes, safety, health, etc.), and whose life I could save or improve by giving up some of my income or wealth.  It would be good to do so.  But is it my duty to do so, or am I morally entitled to keep my money, perhaps because I earned it? If there is some other justification for keeping what I don’t need to survive while other die, what is it?    
  • Abortion: Is it permissible to have an abortion?  If it is permissible because the fetus is not a developed person, then why is it wrong to kill a newborn infant?  If it is impermissible to kill a fetus because doing so keeps a future possible person from existing, then why is contraception and abstaining from sex, which keeps some possible future persons from existing, permissible?  
  • Animal Ethics: Is it ever permissible to kill animals for food when we don’t need to do so to survive?  If it is permissible, would it be permissible to kill humans for food too?  If it is not, what’s the difference?  Because we are more rational than animals? More powerful than animals?  Of a different species than animals? Because we are the top of the food chain?  Are any of these reasons good reasons to kill animals for food but not kill humans for food?
  • Autonomous Weapons: We are increasingly relying on complex computer systems (AI) to make decisions previously only reserved for humans. Perhaps in many of these areas, the development is by and large a good thing.  But what about the use of autonomous weapons in war?  Should such a use be banned? Should an AI system ever be allowed to make “kill” decisions without human input? Without human supervision?  Who should be held responsible when it makes a fatal error? 

A central objective of the course is to help you understand and be able to explain different positions on some of these controversial problems, and more importantly, to help you develop the skills and abilities needed to compare and critically evaluate competing solutions to moral problems.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity

Varied topics; may include personal identity, existence of God, philosophical skepticism, nature of mind and reality, time travel, and the good life; readings, films.

Have you ever wondered who you are? Whether you are a physical body or an immaterial mind? Have you ever asked yourself what makes you the same person you were ten years ago? Have you sometimes worried that you cannot know anything with certainty? Have you ever wished that someone would provide a decisive argument for the existence of god? Have you ever been concerned with how you ought to act towards others? In this course, we will explore these and other important philosophical questions through a selection of classical and contemporary readings. We will engage in lively class discussions and writing; we will learn to analyze others’ philosophical arguments and build our own; and we will gain a better understanding of our own philosophical outlook and the philosophical questions that matter most to us. 

 

 

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity

Analytical and historical introduction to ethical theories; issues such as the nature of the goodness, distinction between right and wrong.

View introduction video

Consider the following scenario:  You are walking alongside some train tracks when you discover that a runaway trolley is headed right for five people tied to the tracks.  As it happens, you can pull a lever to divert the trolley in a different direction, thereby saving the five – but also killing one person who happens to be tied to the side-track.  What ought you to do in this situation?  Most people would say they would pull the lever.  But now consider a variation on this scenario: Suppose instead that you are on the trolley that is headed toward the five people, and the only way you can save them is by pushing a very large person standing beside you over the front of the trolley so that his bulk stops it, killing him but saving the other five.  (Of course, you considered sacrificing yourself, but realized that your slender body would not stop the trolley.)  Now what should you do? Notice that if you push the person, you get the same consequence:  five persons live and one dies.  Or consider a parallel medical case: If a medical team has enough time and resources to save either one person or a group of five others, but not both, it seems they should save the five; but what if they could only save the five by killing the one and using the organs to save the others?  Once again, if they do so then the consequences would be the same: five live and one dies.  But then, why hesitate to kill the one to save the five?

The trolley case and other cases like it highlight a central problem in ethical theory.  In evaluating whether an action is right or wrong, should we look only to the consequences of these actions, or is something else relevant?  If only the consequences matter, why do we feel, at least initially, that killing the one to save the five is wrong?  If something else is relevant, what is it, and why does it matter?

We make moral judgments on a regular basis in our lives, judgments to the effect that some goal or purpose is good, that some decision or action is right or wrong, or that some person is a good or bad person.  Despite the fact that such judgment are commonly made and acted upon, and have deep and significant consequences, people rarely subject them to much critical reflection.  We rarely ask what exactly we mean by such judgments, or on what basis they ought to be made. What is it for something to be good or bad?  What constitutes a good or valuable life for a human being?  What is it for an action to be right or wrong? Is the rightness of actions determined solely by the value of the consequences of actions?  What role, if any, do agents’ motives or intentions play in determining the rightness or wrongness of actions?  In this course we examine classical and contemporary works that articulate and defend particular answers to such important questions.

Course objectives:  To help you 

  • identify central questions in ethics;
  • understand and be able to explain the leading answers to such questions;
  • develop the skills needed to compare and critically evaluate competing answers to these questions;
  • develop the skills needed to examine the implications such answers have for some controversial moral problems;
  • improve your ability to write clear argumentative essays.

 Readings:  ICON site.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
History, religion, and thought of early Christians as recorded in the New Testament.

Few (if any) contenders challenge the Christian Bible as the most significant book in Western civilization. For many contemporary Christians, the New Testament is the inspired Word of God and a central component of their faith. But even non-Christians cannot escape its influence and impact on literature, art, law, language, and popular culture.


Throughout this course, we will explore the content of the New Testament through reading and applying a variety of scholarly methods to the text itself. We will explore the context from which the writings emerged, both religious and cultural. We will situate the text in our contemporary context by asking questions about the place of the New Testament in America today.

Grades for the course will be determined by 2 exams (one midterm & one final), 4 short response papers, and classroom participation.

At the end of this course, students will be able to...

  • understand the different religious and non-religious viewpoints regarding the New Testament.
  • demonstrate knowledge of some the principle beliefs, goals, and practices of the New Testament authors.
  • view the New Testament as not only a religious text, but as literature and artistry, too.
  • understand the scholarly methods and approaches to the study of the books of the New Testament.
  • analyze the ways in which culture influenced the composition of the text, continues to influence its interpretation, and has been, in turn, influenced by the writings of the New Testament,
  • engage in meaningful and respectful dialogues with individuals who hold competing, or even contradictory, views about the New Testament and Christianity.
Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity

Religious backgrounds and unique spiritualities of Maya Angelou (an African-American Christian), Black Elk (a Lakota Sioux medicine man), and the Dalai Lama (a Tibetan Buddhist monk); forms of oppression that humans can experience as obstacles to happiness, and forms of liberation that are possible (social, political, economic, mental, emotional, spiritual).

 

Everyone wants to be happy. For many people, being happy involves gaining freedom from factors in their lives that keep them from realizing their full potential and feeling connected to others. Is religion a help or a hindrance in the search for freedom?  This introductory course seeks wisdom from three iconic figures. It focuses on the religious backgrounds and unique spiritualities of Maya Angelou (an African-American Christian), Black Elk (a Lakota Sioux medicine man), and the Dalai Lama (a Tibetan Buddhist monk). The course encourages students to ponder the many forms of oppression that humans can experience as obstacles to happiness, and the forms of liberation that are possible:  social, political, economic, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Main course requirements include joining in discussion, two short papers (5 pages each), two unit exams (multiple choice), and a final exam (essay and multiple choice).  

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Quests for destiny in terms of perceived options/goals and ability to recognize, pursue, achieve them.

The framework for this course is made up of three ancient works: The Epic of Gilgamesh and, from the Bible, the first nine chapters of the Book of Genesis and the Book of Jonah. The differing ways in which these three texts deal with the issue of the inevitability of death is the focal point of the course. How this point is exploited is examined in Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilych," Clarke's Childhood's End, the Book of Ecclesiastes, the E'numa E'lish, and Stanley Kubrick's film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Upon completing this course, students should be able to (a) reflect on how various quests for meaning in life as expressed in literature relate to the human condition, with particular attention to matters relating to the table, the bedroom, and the grave; (b) specify the dangers in making generalizations about biblical texts and the individuals and groups that hold them to be sacred; (c) indicate how fundamental human questions such as "Where do we come from?", "Where are we going?", and "How long do we have?" are expressed from the contrasting viewpoints of the pagan and biblical visions.

In addition to reading materials and interactive tools, online content includes audio slideshows and video (recorded class lectures of Professor Jay Holstein); evaluation consists of one 2-page writing assignment and online assessments by way of multiple-choice practice quizzes (which do not factor into the course grade), and  midterm and final exams, all of which are accessed in the ICON course management system. While this online venue is designed in such a way that it will replicate as much as possible the classroom experience, it also aims to capitalize on the element of flexibility made possible by the online experience.                                                                  

Delivery features:

  • Since course video and audio components include close captioning and transcripts, the course is accessible for hearing impaired and for students who are not native English speakers, although English competency is assumed for all students.
  • This course seeks to achieve a positive synergy between a design that is both (a) synchronous, that is, diligently working within certain necessary deadlines for a semester-based course, and (b) asynchronous, namely, creatively exploiting the freedom for students too move at their own pace. Within a framework of set deadlines, there is a considerable amount of flexibility for students to pace themselves if they so choose.

This course requires two online proctored examinations and an online proctored essay. Access to a computer with a webcam and microphone in a quiet/private location is required for using an online proctoring service to complete exams.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Examination of the persuasive dimension of stories; students master the skill of storytelling by examining stories circulating within their culture and exploring the effects these stories have on thinking about their identities and discovering their own voices; integration of speaking and writing skills with persuasive storytelling skills through short oral and written assignments that lead to a final multimodal project of two interrelated storytelling assignments—production of a website and a podcast.
Prerequisites: RHET:1030 or RHET:1040 or RHET:1060
Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity

Russia Today 3 s.h.

Contemporary Russia, with focus on prevailing social, political, economic, ethnic, environmental conditions; attention to historical evolution of problems, current factors; what these factors might portend for the future. Taught in English.

In this course, you will learn about all facets of the modern Russia: politics, business, family, traditions, everyday life, social problems and much more. We will also look into Russian culture and mindset to help you understand the life in modern Russia more deeply. The course will feature documentaries and invited guest speakers. The course materials and readings will be available on ICON. This course is taught in English.

International and Global Issues Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity

Historical development of social welfare and social justice in the United States; individual values and ethics; role and responsibilities of enhancing society; contemporary practice to address social injustices including poverty, discrimination, various forms of violence; small group discussions and debates of various issues to allow for an exchange of diverse views and perspectives; volunteer work.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Structure and process; change over the life cycle; interrelations with other institutions; historical changes; variations by social class and ethnic group.

In this course, we will study American families from a sociological perspective. First, we will look at how American families have changed over time. Second, we will develop an understanding of the theories and methods employed by sociologists to examine issues related to the family. Third, we will examine specific aspects of family life including cohabitation, marriage, divorce, parenthood, and work-family conflict. In the process, we will learn to think objectively and open-mindedly about many controversial aspects of the family and family change, an ability that will enable you to critically evaluate popular portrayals of family-related issues.

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
Major theoretical perspectives for understanding inequality in economics, power, prestige; the magnitude of social inequality in the United States; sex and race inequality; trends in and causes of social mobility; selected consequences of social inequality.

In this course we will examine the major forms of social inequalities in the contemporary United States and the global community. We will explore the characteristics, causes, and consequences of how wealth, power, and other resources are unequally distributed across social groups. We will also analyze the role of public policy and the dominant cultural ideology on maintaining and/or reducing these inequalities.

Students from different disciplines would benefit from being able to answer some questions regarding contemporary society such as: Why is economic inequality getting more evident? How much do race, ethnicity, or gender affect individuals’ chances for getting ahead in life? Is globalization generally good or bad for workers? What is the role of the state, as well as major social institutions such as the media, corporations, and education in all this?

We will achieve the course goals through our readings, writing, active participation, discussions, and using critical thinking in this class.

 

Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity
How comedy reflects, comments upon, and intersects with western culture, society, and identity; roots of western comedy, satire, censorship; stand-up comedians, improv and sketch troupes, satirists; race, gender and sexuality, class perception; how portrayals of African Americans in popular culture evolved from 19th century to present; videos, readings, live performances. Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity