World Archaeology 3 s.h.
What do archaeologists know about the past? And how do they know about the past? This course covers the evolution of human cultures from the Ice Ages to the first cities and describes archaeological methods used to understand the past. Discussion sections supplement topics covered in lecture and include graded assignments.
Historical PerspectivesArt and Visual Culture 3 s.h.
Visual analysis, media and techniques, artistic subject matter and aesthetic issues; historical periods and movements from ancient times to present; provides strong orientation to visual aspects of humanities, background for other art history courses, and introduction to visual arts for personal enrichment; for students new to art history.
Art and Visual Culture is an introductory course designed for students who have had no previous art history courses. Throughout the course students learn to analyze visual objects, become familiar with media and techniques that artists have used over time, explore different approaches to artistic subject matter and aesthetic issues, and develop an acquaintance with the dominant historical periods and movements from ancient times to the present. Writing about art and its history will also be emphasized. Focusing especially on art of the western world, this course provides a strong orientation to the visual aspects of the humanities, good background for additional art history courses, and an understanding of the visual arts for personal enrichment.
Historical Perspectives Literary, Visual, and Performing ArtsThis is the foundational course for the study of Art History, the discipline devoted to the skillful wrapping of words around images. The class surveys the history of western art, from pre-historic cave paintings through the age of Gothic cathedrals, touching along the way on the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the early medieval world. In richly illustrated lectures and weekly discussion sections, students will be invited to consider big questions such as: What do we really mean by “art”? What roles has art played in pre-modern societies? How can study of ancient and medieval art contribute valuable perspectives on modern art and culture? Or, more specifically, why was the Old Capitol in Iowa City designed to look somewhat like a Greek temple? By the end of the course, students will have gained familiarity with the broad outlines of western artistic tradition through the late Middle Ages, and they will also have developed valuable skills in decoding and writing about visual imagery, which can be useful in analyzing everything from political advertisements to website design.
Historical Perspectives Literary, Visual, and Performing ArtsAsian Art and Culture 3 s.h.
Organized around a series of case studies of exemplary objects, the course explores the wide range of Asian art across different times, regions, cultures, materials, and themes. Special attention will be placed on interactions and influences between different regions through religion, war, travel, and trade. Each class will start with a formal analysis exercise on the key object, followed by a lecture that contextualizes the object, and then online discussion based on required readings
Historical Perspectives Literary, Visual, and Performing ArtsThis course is an introductory survey of Chinese history and civilization from its origins to 1800, which covers four thousand years. Chinese, who form the most populous country and now the second largest economy in the world, also have the longest continuous civilization. It is a rich and complex civilization, much changed over the centuries. We will explore traditions in politics, social organization, thought, religion, and culture, and the implications of these traditions for our world today. We read history and primary sources translated from Chinese; we also watch movies. No previous knowledge of China or of Chinese is expected.
Historical Perspectives International and Global IssuesAncient Medicine 3 s.h.
This class thematically examines the intellectual, practical, and social dimensions of medicine in the ancient Mediterranean world, from ancient Egypt through ancient Greece and Rome to the early Islamic and Christian middle ages: the nature, theories, and intellectual development of medical thought; its dietetic, pharmacological, and surgical practices; and the institutional, class, and geographic setting of its practitioners and patients. The theories and practices of ancient Greco-Roman physicians, the focus of this class, became the prevailing medical tradition of the Islamic world and European medicine until the mid-19th century. This class also introduces the major historiographical perspectives involved in studying and understanding historical medicine.
Historical PerspectivesGreek Civilization 3 s.h.
This course critically explores the full range of ancient Greece’s cultural exploits within the broad scope of historical change, based on a variety of evidence and perspectives. Topics include the rise and fall of political regimes; the diversity of social experiences of women, men, slaves, and foreigners; works of literature and art; advances in science and technology; methods of war and diplomacy; and debates over how to live a good life in a chaotic world.
Historical PerspectivesRoman Civilization 3 s.h.
This is an introduction to the history and the culture of the Roman people, from the late bronze age (ca. 1000 B.C.E) to the time of Constantine (4th century C.E.). The lectures, discussions, and assignments will be focused on several recurring themes: the ideas of citizenship and political authority; the nature and function of religion; art as the expression of identity; and the changing significance of civilization and barbarism. The goal of the course is to develop an understanding of the Romans; to identify some central characteristics of Roman society; and to examine the evidence on which the Romans' long-lasting cultural influence is based.
Historical PerspectivesThe History of Oil 3 s.h.
This course provides broad historical perspective on the business, science, geology, technology, politics, environment, and culture of the global oil industry.
This course asks students to contemplate the big questions surrounding the origins, development, and meaning of the “Age of Petroleum,” an age in which we continue to live.
How and why did oil become the most powerful international business of the last 150 years? What were the factors behind oil’s emergence as the world’s main transportation fuel, a chief source of heat and electricity, and the building block for a proliferating array of consumer goods? How and why did struggles over oil become central to world politics and shape the rise and fall of nations? How do we wrestle with the trade-offs between the unprecedented wealth and prosperity generated by oil development and the social, economic, and environmental costs that have come with it? How has the search for oil fostered human awareness of both Earth’s deep history and the fragility of ecosystems on which we depend?
Students completing this class will gain a solid foundation in the history and science of oil. Both fields emphasize the importance of thinking historically, developing explanations for why the past unfolded as it did, rather than along an alternative path. In this class, which fulfills a general education requirement for “Historical Perspectives,” students study both primary and secondary sources to learn to do the work of professional historians. As oil development increasingly impacts our lives, this course is also designed to expand your understanding of the costs and benefits of oil to modern society and prepare you to confront the challenges of ensuring energy sustainability over the long run. This course will also serve as a gateway for further study in History or Earth and Environmental sciences, as well as in other energy and sustainability-related courses at the University of Iowa.
Instruction combines a mixture of lectures, discussions, and inquiry-based activities in order to sharpen analytical abilities, promote teamwork, and improve oral and written expression of ideas. The major graded assignments consist of three exams, class participation and discussion, and a research paper.
Historical Perspectives SustainabilityHistory Matters 3 s.h.
How do we understand the past on its own terms and what is its relevance to the present? Introduction to historical thinking through a variety of topics.
Historical PerspectivesHow does history help to explain our interconnected world? Introduction to international and global thinking through a variety of topics.
Historical Perspectives International and Global IssuesThis course explores European religion, principally Western Christianity, and its broader cultural setting from the end of antiquity to the eve of the Reformation (ca. 1500). It examines beliefs and practices among the intellectual and social elite as well as the meaning of religion for the largely illiterate and unlearned majority of the population. Topics also include the role of women, religious opposition, the place of the liturgy, religious art and architecture, politics and religion, and the syncretic blend of “official” and folk religion. Three examinations and three short papers.
Historical PerspectivesAmerican History to 1877 3 s.h.
The early American survey provides students with an overview of central features of American societies and cultures from the period before the arrival of Europeans through the Civil War era. The course aims especially to complicate the trajectory of the continent’s early history by examining a multiplicity of perspective and angles—indigenous, European, and African. In an effort to overcome the entrenched narrative traditions that portray early American history as the steady march of the particular brand of Anglo-American settler colonialism that ultimately gave rise to the American republic, this course highlights the wide variety, unevenness, and contingent nature of American historical developments. The goal of the course is to give students a greater appreciation of how early America was shaped by the experiences of a rich variety of peoples, and how older approaches that focus almost exclusively on the actions of Europeans are fundamentally flawed.
The course is organized into weekly lecture and discussion sections. Assignments include written assignments focused on the analysis of evidence from historical text and two take-home exams.
Historical PerspectivesThis course is a survey covering the Neolithic period through the fall of the Roman Empire. The areas studied will primarily be the ancient Mediterranean world, focusing on Egypt, the ancient Near East, the Greek world, and the Roman Empire.
Historical PerspectivesWhy are debates about Western Civilization so heated? And what's the relationship between the West and other world regions? In this course, we’ll explore the idea of "The West" as it evolved from interactions between modern Europe, its colonies, and other regions. Along the way, we'll gain an overview of topics like politics, slavery, the global economy, colonialism, migration, and cultural norms over the last 300 years.
Historical Perspectives International and Global IssuesThis course surveys the historical and cultural development of media in the United States and globally, from the printing press to the digital age. It delves into what media are, how they've evolved, the various factors driving these changes, and their significant cultural and political consequences on the world and how we understand it. We pay special attention to how media intersect with race, ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality over time.
Historical PerspectivesHistory of Western Music I 3 s.h.
The Meaning of Life 3 s.h.
This course will be a survey and careful examination of answers to the question: what is the meaning of life? This seems to be an important question; indeed it seems to be the question, but philosophers have taken a number of different positions in attempting to answer it. In the first segment of the course, we will consider the issue of whether or not there is a connection between the value of human pursuits and the existence of God and the afterlife. In the second segment we will address the related issue of whether or not the best life is a life of hedonistic self-interest or a life that is guided by a concern for those around us. In the next segment of the course we will consider the Stoic and Buddhist view that happiness is not a matter of making things go as we please but instead is a matter of adjusting to the way that things happen inevitably and on their own. Then we will discuss what some critics have taken to be obstacles in the way of a meaningful life--for example the internet, technology, modernity, and the I-pod. The semester will conclude with a discussion of the prospect that life is just absurd. Philosophers have offered compelling insights on the different sides of these issues, and we will have a lot of discussion to try to sort it all out. Assignments will include study-question assignments, two exams, and active participation in discussion section.
Historical PerspectivesExamination of conflict between state power and individual liberty; philosophical and historical examination of theories from Plato through today.
View introduction video
Should we spend more/less money on social programs or the military? Should there be more/less censorship of movies, television or the internet? Is torture morally permissible under certain circumstances? Should we legalize many of the drugs that are now illegal? While these and other similar issues will be explicitly discussed in the course, we will also address even more fundamental and general questions, the answers to which might influence our views on these and other matters. These questions include: How should an ideal state be governed and how should its leaders be chosen? When should a government have the authority to use force to prevent a person from acting as he or she chooses? What reason or obligation do people have (if any) to act in accord with the laws of their government even when they disagree with those laws? In deciding what to do, should we make the decision based solely on what is in our self-interest or should we take into account the interests of others? We examine these questions by looking at works of some of the most influential philosophers in history, and, when possible, we try to understand their views within the larger context of the historical and intellectual climate in which they were expressed. Readings include The Republic by Plato, Leviathan by Hobbes, and On Liberty and Utilitarianism by Mill. We also look at some recent Supreme Court cases that deal with controversies concerning freedom. All assigned readings will be posted on ICON.
Historical PerspectivesSlavic Folklore 3 s.h.
Russian Folklore is an introduction to the culture, history, and art of Russian people.
It is amazing oral art full of the myths about powerful gods, brave warriors, clever and beautiful maidens, vampires, witches, fire birds, black magic, evil eye, and superstitions based on ancient pagan beliefs. During this course, the students will learn different genres of Russian Folklore: fairy tales, myths, legends, songs, cries, sayings, and riddles. Students will regularly get the short questionnaires to check attendance and readiness to pass 4 quizzes and 3 tests with a good grade. No background knowledge required. All readings and discussions are in English.
Historical Perspectives Values and Culture Values, Society, and DiversityRepresentative plays as performed in social contexts of revolutionary and modern Europe and postwar United States. Duplicates THTR:2411.
Focusing on the romantic and rebellious impulses of theatre artists and audiences, this course explores how plays in performance have both revolutionized and reinforced social structures, perceptions, and values from the early modern era to the present. Course units cover plays dealing with rebellions of and within the middle and lower classes from the French to the Russian Revolutions; modernist revolts against artistic and social conventions in the decades around the world wars; and diverse challenges to the American dream in the postwar period. Course material is covered through lectures, audio/video presentations, group discussions, and attendance at University Theatre productions. Grading is based chiefly on the quality of essay assignments and exams, and participation in class discussion.
Historical Perspectives Literary, Visual, and Performing ArtsContinuation of THTR:2410; 1700 to 1960; revolutionary and modern European theatre and culturally diverse postwar U.S. theatre. Offered fall semesters.
Focusing on the romantic and rebellious impulses of theatre artists and audiences, this course explores how plays in performance have both revolutionized and reinforced social structures, perceptions, and values from the early modern era to the present. Course units cover plays dealing with rebellions of and within the middle and lower classes from the French to the Russian Revolutions; modernist revolts against artistic and social conventions in the decades around the world wars; and diverse challenges to the American dream in the postwar period. Course material is covered through lectures, audio/video presentations, attendance at University Theatre productions, and group discussions. Assignments involve weekly play and text readings, a research paper, and periodic essay exams, including a final exam. Grading is based chiefly on participation in discussion and quality of written work. Historical Perspectives Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts