Course Search Results

This course offers students an introduction to current scholarship and debates surrounding issues of inequality in sport. Students will learn how to use a critical cultural studies perspective to examine the meaning of sport within the U.S. In particular, the course focuses on the relationships and dynamics of inequities in sport structured along such lines as class, gender, sexuality, ability, race, ethnicity, and religion. The class is offered in a lecture/discussion section format. Requirements include: multiple short reflection writing assignments; reading assignments; lecture attendance and engagement; discussion section attendance and participation; and course roundtable attendance and participation.

Required course text & technology

McGraw Hill Connect

The required textbook for this course is the Connect (digital) format of Coakley's "Sports in Society" (2020). The Connect platform provides an interactive eBook and integrates with ICON for online assignments. 

The University of Iowa’s Inclusive Access program will be used to provide required course materials. Your IOWA student account (UBILL) will then be charged $50 by the HawkShop, unless you opt out prior to the last add date of the semester. Specific opt out information will be provided in the syllabus.

This course is designed to introduce students (first year students are encouraged to enroll) from a variety of majors to central themes of African-American culture and history. We will discuss American slavery, racial segregation, the Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. The course will also provide a general overview of African American literature and music. Brief readings (including essays, poetry, and autobiography) will be required. We will discuss the following African American leaders, writers, musicians and athletes: Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, Richard Wright, Jackie Robinson, James Baldwin, Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, Ralph Ellison, and Gwendolyn Brooks. We will also screen several documentaries.

Employing a cultural historical approach, this course examines the sites of production, reception, representation and industry as it relates to the African American images that are granted tenure on television screens. Beginning with an overview of radio representation and the ways that they morphed into television representations, this course traces the early scripts available for televisual blackness. The course will progress more or less chronologically in order to investigate the ways black cast television and black representation has shifted and changed throughout the medium’s history.

What is the relationship between Simone Biles, Lil Nas X, Britney Spears and  Thich Quang Duc?.....Protest! Each of these cultural figures put their bodies on the line, using protest as performance to challenge power structures, address social equity, and influence social change. This class will examine historical and contemporary issues of power, identity, and inclusion, situating protest and dissent as key parts of civic engagement through the study of embodied acts, performance videos, readings, blogs, and other media. Throughout the class, you will be asked to place yourself in a historical continuum where intersections of class, race, gender, and sexuality are considered. No Formal Dance training is required for this course.

Contexts and functions of translation in the age of globalization; how translations are produced, received, and utilized in various contexts; effects of globalization on ethics, aesthetics, and politics of translation; how we understand cultures when they are received or transmitted through translation; effects of these exchanges on the English language.

In this course Diversity and Inclusion GE course, students will explore consequential ideas and historical events; examine texts, documents, and videos dealing with religious diversity and conflict; and engage with narratives and theories on the place and function of religion in society.

Online asynchronous course. All activities, including exams, will be managed online. Assessment consists of quizzes, research and writing assignments, group activities, and weekly discussions

Mother, daughter, sister, wife, lover, whore: How were women represented in the literature of traditional China, Japan, and Korea? This course will explore literary works portraying women in conventional roles such as wife, mother, daughter, or sister, as well as princesses, prostitutes, nuns, and goddesses. Students will read, compare, and discuss portrayals of “good” and “bad” women, including devoted mothers, shrewish wives, controlling mothers-in-law, passionate lovers, wealthy prostitutes, and self-sacrificing daughters. Some depictions are obviously misogynistic and others are positive but highly idealized; in still other cases, there is room for disagreement. We will discuss these works with attention to the original cultural and historical context and also in light of our own cultural backgrounds and contemporary values and thinking.

The major assignments for this course will be creative and critical writing assignments concerning our reading. Other assignments include frequent in-class writing, brief reading response essays, quizzes/reading checks, regular attendance and enthusiastic class participation. No final exam.

All readings and discussions will be in English; no previous knowledge of East Asian languages or cultures is required.

Racial inequality and experiences of African American families in the United States during the 20th and 21st centuries; historical context for contemporary research on African American family; relative impact of structural and cultural factors on various aspects of African American family life, declining marriage rates, family formation patterns; intersections of race and class in family life; research methods used to examine dynamics of African American family life, including quantitative analysis, structured qualitative interviews, and ethnography.

This course explores racial inequality and the experiences of African American families in the United States over the course of the twentieth and twenty first centuries. The course has four primary goals. First, it will provide a historical context for contemporary research on the African American family. Second, the course will assess the relative impact of structural and cultural factors on various aspects of African American family life, including declining marriage rates and family formation patterns. Third, this course examines the intersections of race and class in family life. Finally, this course seeks to orient students in social science research methods used to examine the dynamics of African American family life including quantitative analysis, structured qualitative interviews and ethnography. Students will be expected to actively engage course readings through writing assignments, class discussions, and presentations.

This course (General Education – Diversity and Inclusion) provides students with an introduction to representations of racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual diversity across American film and television of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. We’ll consider questions of identity as they have and continue to intersect with representations of, and issues related to, race, ethnicity, femininity, masculinity, heteronormativity, and LGBTQ+ identities throughout American screen history. We’ll also examine the roles of intersecting systems of oppression (e.g., racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, etc.), feminist activism, and contemporary LGBTQ+ cultures on screen.

More information on Prof. Souaiaia's website 
In this course, using Islam and Islamic institutions as case studies, students will explore how people, individually and collectively, domestically and globally, organize different aspects of production and distribution of goods and services for current and future use--given the resources at hand and the determinant value systems to which societies adhere.

Learning Objectives:
As a course that is approved for CLAS GE--Diversity and Inclusion, it emphasizes the conceptual and practical interventions of religious, societal, and state institutions in expanding and/or limiting opportunity, access, and the sharing of resources among members of individual communities and across the world. The course will help students develop understanding and appreciation of religious and cultural diversity that shape economic behavior, social hierarchies, and the forces that produce inequity, poverty, and extreme wealth. The course will provide students with vocabulary, knowledge, and sensitivity to help them navigate a connected world; become more competent in performing their job in a diverse workforce and in complex marketplace; and develop communication strategies that avoid blind spots, negative biases, and discrimination. 

https://ahmed.souaiaia.com/teaching/economics-islam/

Online course; all activities, including exams, will be managed online.

This course covers personal health from an individual responsibility and cultural change perspective. Examples of topics include family health pedigree, stress, sleep, nutrition, physical activity, weight management, substance abuse, violence, chronic disease, and infectious disease.

This class challenges a common assumption that the U.S. has largely moved past racism, sexism, classism and homophobia. Through readings, films, lectures and interactive assignments, we open a dynamic space to explore differences in power and privilege – and to develop an eye-opening understanding of how race, class, gender and nation shape our lives and world. Students will increase knowledge of inequality and its consequences for different communities and individuals. We ask: How are individual lives shaped by larger societal forces? How do our particular identities and social positions shape how we experience and see the world? How are people actively resisting inequality and oppression on a daily basis? How does social inequality shift and change over time?

Course assignments: Attendance; Course participation; Mid-term exam; Final essay; Autoethnographic essay; Quizzes; Class presentation 

For most people, their intimate relationships to other adults play a very significant role in their life plans and in their conceptions of what constitutes a good life.  In our society most people continue to structure those life plans and conceptions around a central two-person romantic relationship involving monogamous sex that leads to marriage.  The law grants such dyadic marriages a special status with many benefits and privileges.  But why do we grant a central place, both morally and legally, to such relationships?  How important is sex to a good life, and are some forms of sexual activity morally preferable to others?  Ought the law to intervene in any consensual forms of sexual intercourse?  Why is marriage privileged both in the law and in many people’s life plans?  Are marital relations somehow better than ‘mere’ friendships?  Ought the law to grant benefits and privileges to marital relations that it does not grant to friendships?  Should marriage be limited to two people, or should polygamous unions be legal?

We will address this array of questions this semester as we engage in a philosophical exploration of the diverse forms in which people have arranged their intimate lives and the ways in which the law and public policy have responded.  While recent years have seen a revolution in attitudes toward same-sex romantic and sexual relationships, many cultural and legal assumptions remain in place about adult intimate relationships and it is important to examine these assumptions and to ask whether they can withstand rational and critical scrutiny.  We also need to uncover our own unexamined assumptions in order to engage in rational political activity and also rational life planning.

Popular images and ideas about North American “Indians” circulate widely, but are frequently incomplete and distorting.  This course helps students to critically reflect upon the origins and workings of these long-standing stereotypes in public understandings of the diverse peoples indigenous to North America, emphasizing the U.S. and Canada.  We focus on anthropological and indigenous evidence to illustrate pre-colonial ways of life, the process of European incursions into indigenous lands and lifeways, diverse and creative indigenous responses to colonization, and selected contemporary issues.  Many contemporary issues highlight how Native peoples’ assertions of cultural distinctiveness and political autonomy in contemporary North America generate complex mixtures of support and debate in public discussions.  We use current issues receiving news coverage during the semester as a key resource for this information. Course grades are based on two exams (composed of multiple choice & short answer questions), periodic quizzes and online discussion forums, three short writing assignments (which connect and develop upon one another), and participation in discussion sections.

Too often the role of religion in politics is ignored and yet religion plays an important role in the lives of the majority of Americans. Not only is religion important to the majority of Americans, but in many cases it can influence and shape the political behavior of individuals and have a substantial impact on the policies of America. This course will introduce students to this complex relationship between religion and politics by examining the historical and contemporary effect of religion on a wide range of areas, such as: political culture, political parties, political behavior, and public policy. The course will also consider important policy debates, such as the role of religion in public life, religious discrimination, and various social issues.

This course examines people’s tendencies to view and/or respond in favorable or unfavorable ways to individuals based solely on social group membership.  Although commonly believed to be unfair, all humans are biased in consistent and pervasive ways.  This course introduces social psychological concepts, underlying principles, and theories to better understand how stereotypic beliefs, prejudicial attitudes, and discriminatory actions impact individuals and reinforce social inequality.  Students will read about key scientific findings in the field and engage in hands-on replications of these empirical studies to better recognize and understand bias in themselves and others.  Students will actively participate to discuss and apply course material, complete activities in and out of class, reflect on textbook and other assigned readings, examine cultural artifacts, and demonstrate learning on quizzes and exams.

Science Fiction is a genre produced in diverse guises from diverse viewpoints. Not only does it have origins and precedents in multiple places and several languages, it also deals with questions relevant to the entirety of humankind: the role of technology in our lives and on our physical or mental capacities; the geographically uneven impact of human beings on the earth and environment; the desire for, limits to, and human consequences of exploration and conquest; the ideal society; the boundaries between the human and non-human; and the shape of the future (including the recycled past). While Science Fiction is characterized by these overarching themes that transcend the particularity of individual cultures and nations, it is equally characterized by the plurality of approaches to these questions, inflected by the distinct artistic traditions where Science Fiction emerges, and by the distinct media in which it has found expression. In this course, we will study works of Science Fiction in media and genres spanning poetry, fiction, drama, film, television, comics, mobile phone games, and music, produced on six continents.

The key questions we will explore include:

• How does SF represent diversity? How do we account for the diversity of SF traditions?
• How does SF represent inequality? On what in our current world or its history are these representations based?
• How is the concept of the “alien” linked to the concept of the “foreigner,” the “queer,” the “racially other,” etc.? How does it help us understand and challenge assumptions around these categories?
• How does SF represent and respond to colonialization and conquest?
• How does SF portray class and caste? How do these portrayals map onto or critique real-world class and caste systems in our present?
• How does SF challenge the boundaries of the human? What lessons does this hold for how we conceive of dis/ability, neurodiversity, and accessibility?

Exploration of human experiences of dis/ability and exclusion/inclusion as represented in recent international film and popular writing from Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East; how these experiences contribute to and reflect awareness of the challenges of disabilities as well as public policy; strategies that filmmakers and authors deploy to contain, complicate, and challenge cultural preconceptions of the disabled body; how disability intersects with other major identity categories (i.e., sexuality, nationality, race); tools for researching history, policy, and activism. Taught in English.

This Diversity and Inclusion general education course examines the classical and ancient origins of the world’s modern religions and religious traditions, their diversity, and religious conflict worldwide, focusing specifically on flashpoints where different religious traditions intersect in conflict around the world. By understanding the origins and basic tenets of the world’s religions, we can better understand the fundamentals underlying each religious conflict. Each course module examines an area of religious interaction, reviews the backgrounds of present conflicts, and explores ways in which an understanding of the religious aspects of each conflict can potentially lead to conflict resolution. All the while, students learn the basic tenets of the various religious traditions. Special attention is paid to ancient Mesopotamian and Mediterranean religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, international events, fundamentalism, and protest movements.

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

• Intelligently discuss the ancient origins of modern religious conflicts that define our world.
• Examine the spread of religious traditions geographically.
• Compare and contrast ideological similarities between ancient Mesopotamian, Mediterranean, and modern religions
• Identify the basic tenets of the world’s major religions and how they are practiced today.
• Witness the religious, racial, ethnic, linguistic, economic, and political diversity of the peoples engaged in various conflicts.
• Evaluate whether religion is the actual cause of many of the world’s conflicts.

This course, which fulfills the General Education requirement for “Diversity and Inclusion,” introduces you to the various dimensions of migration in our contemporary world with a focus on the United States as a destination country. It examines the movement of people, practices and ideas with attention to broader historical, cultural, economic and political structures that shape these flows. How do macro-level processes such as free trade agreements shape intimate dynamics of personal identity, family and community? What are the relationships between sending and receiving countries? And, at a personal level, how are migrants linked to those in the receiving country as well as those they left behind in their home country? Although our primary focus is migration to the United States, a few comparative case studies will offer insight into broader questions of who moves, why they leave their place of origin, how they are received by host societies, why they select one destination over another, and how transnational migration shapes peoples’ emotional, imaginative and social lives.

This course should enable you to: (1) Define and explain key concepts social scientists use to study nationhood, migration, diaspora and racial/ethnic identity; (2) Explain and apply comparative, transnational and historical frameworks for understanding contemporary migration to the United States; (3) Explain how gender, race, ethnicity, religion and class shape both macro-level policies and individual experiences of migration; (4) Demonstrate how anthropological field research informs the study of nationhood, migration, diaspora and racial/ethnic identity. Though all articles and video content will be linked on our course website, students will be expected to purchase two relatively inexpensive books, including International Migration: A Very Short Introduction by Khalid Koser (Oxford University Press, 2nd ed. 2016) and Becoming Legal by Ruth Gomberg-Munoz (Oxford University Press, 2017). This course will incorporate a variety of evaluation methods (including but not limited to papers), early evaluation, class discussion, and opportunities to practice academic skills of reading, writing and speaking.

Recommendation: It is helpful to have already taken an introductory course in cultural anthropology or international studies, but this is neither required nor expected.  This is an introductory course, and no prior knowledge about anthropology or migration studies is assumed.

This fully online course examines historical and sociolinguistic aspects of Spanish in the U.S. Students learn through readings, essays, videos, discussions and an independent research project about the demographic and linguistic varieties of Spanish spoken in this country. 

The course focuses on the dynamics of immigration, language choice, language policies, bilingualism and bilingual education, the myths about Spanglish and the social and identity aspects of speaking Spanish in the United States. 

Students will identify language internal traits in various Spanish dialects, and address extra-linguistic factors (race, gender, economic level, education, nationality and age,) and how language use is affected by these demographic characteristics. Taught in English. 

The required textbook is available through online access with the University of Iowa Library. Varieties of Spanish in the United States (1st Edition) Author: Lipski, John M. ISBN-13: 9781589012134 Pub Date: 2008. Publisher: Georgetown University Press 

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 

This section is offered through Distance and Online Education . Visit our Courses page to learn more about Distance and Online Education courses at the UI. Contact 319-335-2575 or doe-reg@uiowa.edu for assistance.

This course is divided into online modules; you will complete the assignments for each module on your own by the due date.

This course blends philosophy, history, political science, and legal studies into a semester-long meditation on the meaning of the freedom of expression, especially in the United States, but also globally. It pays special attention to the forms of reasoning about free expression developed by the U.S. Supreme Court during the 20^th and 21^st centuries. However, the primary theme of the course is the transition from a traditional, conservative society in the 19^th century to a modern liberal one in the twentieth, and the consequences of this transition for how Americans understand the freedom of expression. Part and parcel of this transition has been a greater interest in the protection of individual rights, but also more consideration for social and cultural difference, especially racial and ethnic difference, but economic, religious, and other forms of difference as well. Thus, while the course covers basic areas of free expression law, including prior restraint, libel, obscenity and time-place-manner restrictions, commercial speech and hate speech, it does so in an expansive way.

Taught in English. First-year friendly!

This course does not presume previous coursework in Latina/o/x Studies on the part of students enrolled, and it is appropriate for all UI undergraduate students who are interested in learning about Latina/o/x Studies.

This introductory course will take an interdisciplinary approach to a broad array of fields of inquiry related to Latina/o/x people including history, race/ethnic/gender studies, literature, film, music, politics, economics, education, health policy, etc. Our course will also study and reflect on the multiplicity of national, cultural, and ethnic groups encompassed under the larger pan-ethnic rubric of “Latino/a/x” or Latinidad such as Mexican Americans, Chican/o/x, Puerto Ricans, Dominican Americans, Afro-Latina/o/x, Cuban Americans, and other groups from Central and South America. The latter part of the course will focus on the experiences of Latina/o/x people in the Midwest in both urban and rural areas. This course seeks to incite students’ curiosity and creativity not only in relation to Latina/o/x studies but also in relation to their own ethnic, cultural, or individual identities.

 Class will consist of topic- and sources-centered discussions led by students, short writing assignments, an identity formation paper, and a final project, consisting of creative and analytical pieces related to one academic or non-academic field within Latina/o/x students selected by each student.

This course is the foundational course for the Latina/o/x Studies minor.  See the Latina/o/x Studies website for more information about the minor.

This class will serve as a survey course, which is designed to introduce you to the various styles of music created by Americans of African descent since arriving in this country. In a quasi-chronological fashion, we will explore the development of Black music since the 1800’s and sample the major musical styles that have emerged since that time. These objectives will be completed through the completion of assigned readings, in-class lecture/discussion sessions, guided listening to historical recordings, viewing video footage and in-depth exploration of the musical/cultural commonalities between all of the music styles introduced in the class.

While in school, many of us read Anne Frank’s diary, see her story staged or watch one of its many movie renditions. Anne and her family’s secret hiding space during the Occupation in the center of Amsterdam—now the well-known Anne Frank House—draws over a million tourists each year. Widely read and translated, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl has come to serve as an educational and formative experience for young readers, particularly when explaining the history of the Holocaust and the Second World War. In her biography of Anne Frank, Melissa Müller suggests that Anne’s name is synonymous with "humanity, tolerance, human rights, and democracy; her image is the epitome of optimism and the will to live." She has come to serve as the icon for victims of the Holocaust, but why and how is this the case? After all, there exist a number of other diaries composed by young individuals in hiding, and yet their stories are barely known. Our course centers on the act of storytelling and how individuals represent their personal histories and narratives and celebrate a shared humanity. Today new forms of media allow for innovative ways to express, record, share and consume a story. As we study the various journals, we will discover and exercise our own forms of storytelling and the ways we relate to one another.

This course counts toward the Latina/o/x Studies minor. See the Latina/o/x Studies website for more information about the minor.

Explore meanings of peacebuilding for themselves and community through reading, reflecting, writing, inner peacebuilding, and communal peacebuilding projects; use of choral singing inside prisons to build peace, create positive social connections, transform attitudes toward healing approaches to justice, inspire a sense of deep care within oneself and among others.

This course explores black culture and experience within a contemporary perspective. Readings, interactive experiences, course assignments (interview, essays and final paper) and unit quizzes will offer students the opportunity to better understand black culture in the 21st century. The course will explore a variety of important societal topics such as: education, religion, literature, theater, media, politics, sports, criminal justice, health and economics.

Introduction to issues of class and economic inequality in the U.S. and other countries; what class and economic inequality are, debates surrounding these definitions, and attempts to measure both of these concepts; research and arguments on economic and political explanations of economic inequality; different policies aimed at reducing economic inequality and debates over them.

Introduction to politics of race in the U.S.; history of racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., their relationship with each other, and their interactions with different levels of government.

This course examines the politics of racial and ethnic diversity in the United States. Americans publicly celebrate diversity and its benefits to society. At the same time, we acknowledge that differences based on race, ethnicity, and nativity have divided our nation and undermined key democratic ideals. We explore is tension and study how politics and policy outcomes are shaped by race, ethnicity, and immigration. Students are evaluated based on two non-cumulative exams, a short paper, and participation in class. This course is appropriate for any student. No prior knowledge or skills are required.

This course counts toward the Latina/o Studies minor. See the Latina/o Studies website for more information about the minor.

Even in a country in which the Separation of Church and State is a stated goal, it is impossible to completely separate the two. People frequently base their decisions and opinions upon their religious beliefs. However, the debate over exactly how the Bible should influence our culture and laws is not just one between Christian Believers and Atheists. On the contrary, many Christians disagree over exactly how the Bible should be interpreted and applied in any given case. This course will introduce students to the variety of biblical stances presented on major issues influencing our country and help them better understand how so many different positions can be based upon the Bible.

How did diversity affect past societies? How does history help us to understand diversity today? Introduction to thinking about diversity and inclusion; topics vary.

T​his is an introductory course to African Caribbean dance with emphasis on ritual , performance and music. In this course , students will explore the basic fundamentals of African Caribbean dances from Trinidad and Tobago , Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba and the musical instruments used to accompany these dances. In addition to practical dance training, this course will provide a theoretical basis for understanding the geographical , historical, and sociology political contexts in which the dances originated. 

Course Assignments: Participation - 80%, Projects  - 20% 

One or more sections may be assigned to a TILE classroom.

Between 1870 and 1920 more than four million Italians immigrated to the United States and became the largest non-native group in the country. In a multicultural society, the turn-of-the-century immigrants and their descendants pursued assimilation while maintaining customs and traditions that contributed to construct a new identity. This course will explore the Italian American presence in the United States by investigating its historical background, its multifaceted reality, its heritage, and its contribution to national culture. Through an interdisciplinary approach, students will examine Italian American ethnicity as portrayed in American literature, film, and television. In particular, they will analyze how Italian American writers and filmmakers have represented their community and have contributed to shape their own cultural identity. Moving from commonplace images to a more complex picture, this course will focus on the Italian American example to discuss the issues of immigration, ethnic exclusion/inclusion, assimilation, acculturation, and cultural complexity. Requirements include class attendance and participation, writing exercises, a creative project, a midterm and a final exam.

What does it mean to play? How would you define a game? Does what it means to play a game change depending on the people playing (e.g., children vs adults)? How do cultural assumptions about play influence how we think about digital games, including their place in the home, family life, and in relation to other entertainment media such as cinema or television? This lecture- and discussion-based Diversity and Inclusion General Education course introduces students to conversations about what a video game is (aka, video game medium specificity). However, it presents these conversations as unavoidably tied to questions of identity. Digital games are not just the most significant cultural form to emerge in recent history, but they are also at the very center of ongoing debates about diversity, equity, and inclusion within academia, on internet forums, and even in our politics.

This course aims to equip the next generation of media consumers and producers with the critical tools necessary to actively participate in this social discourse. It will introduce students to structural and historical problems of representation and inclusion, both as they relate to commercial videogames and wider entertainment industries and consumer cultures. It will also train students in the skills of formal analysis and college-level essay writing. In course materials, students will encounter the topics of race, gender, sexuality, age, class, and ability. Our classroom will be a space where difficult and sensitive issues can be safely engaged, and we will treat one another with respect and the shared goal of learning.

Students should expect to reserve time each week to complete assigned readings, to watch and participate in lectures, to attend weekly game ‘screenings’, and to actively and enthusiastically engage in discussion sections. The readings will be manageable in length and difficulty and are intended to offer students a foundation for critically engaging games as a medium. Aside from attendance and active participation, students will be evaluated on their written work and other short assignments throughout the semester.

This introductory course will use a sociological perspective to examine a few contemporary social problems in the United States. We will begin by investigating how sociologists define social problems. We will then learn about the methods sociologists use to study social problems with a particular focus on how to evaluate statistics about social problems presented by the media, politicians, and activists. In the remainder of the semester we will cover specific social problems, including poverty, racism, gender inequality, family problems, education, and crime, in detail. The lectures, discussions, assignments, and group exercises are designed so that you will understand what a sociological perspective is and be able to apply that perspective to the social problems we cover; gain a greater understanding of each of the social problems we cover and be able to explain causes and consequences of those problems; understand the methods social scientists use to further knowledge about social problems; improve skills that are fundamental to college education including: “numerical literacy” and the ability to think critically about statistics, reading tables, evaluating arguments, pulling together evidence to support a position, and writing with clarity. 

How do different cultures think about race? Was Julius Caesar White? Was Cleopatra Black? The answers might not be as obvious as you think. In our modern society, skin color is considered important for sorting people into different races, but the ancient Greeks and Romans saw the world in another way. In this course, we will learn how racial and ethnic categories were constructed in ancient Mediterranean cultures, and how these categories were sometimes very different from the ones we recognize. We will also explore the ways in which groups in the present day continue to care deeply about the racial identities of ancient people and why questions like “Was Cleopatra Black?”, although difficult to answer, remain important.

How contested legacies of genocide, global violent conflict, and 9/11 continue to pose an urgent and generationally mediated challenge for critical politics of memory; various approaches to effective or failed coming-to-terms with injurious and difficult past (e.g., Holocaust, Armenian genocide); analysis of museums, sites of memory, and artwork. Taught in English.

How is viral media changing politics and news? With digital media, the public’s demand for around the clock real-time news has skyrocketed. Over the past twenty years newsroom staff has declined by nearly 40% according to Pew, but there has been a dramatic increase in how much is written about leading candidates and political celebrities. In 2016, Donald Trump received about $2 billion of free media coverage, almost three times as much as received by Hillary Clinton. President Trump’s Twitter campaigning generates coverage from traditional journalists and digital-only media outlets and then is consumed by readers online, who want streaming news around-the clock, and television viewers. There is blurring of digital and traditional media and a feedback loop between the two.

This course is about the media and politics. Scholars and the public agree that a free and healthy press is an essential condition of democratic politics, yet both now express doubt as to whether the press is satisfying this requirement. This course surveys the media, including norms and trends of media coverage, with an eye toward asking whether the media is able to fulfill this function.

This course also extends this discussion of media and politics to understand how political information flows online, investigating how members of the mass public talk about politics online as well as efforts by politicians and parties to organize and campaign online. We will investigate whether social media bridges the gaps in traditional media coverage, whether online platforms promote extremism, whether being a celebrity on the internet translates into political relevance, and more.

Native American foods transformed the world. Corn, cassava, potatoes, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes are among the world’s top twenty crops. Even so, most of these crops are now associated with non-indigenous cultures, from Italian cuisine’s reliance on the tomato to Iowa’s dependence on corn. In AINS 1290, students will learn more about indigenous foods, as well as the beliefs and practices associated with them. They will learn more about how Native peoples, the original “locavores,” are leading the way back from the devastating agricultural practices associated with industrial agriculture. Leaders of “food sovereignty” movements see food and foodways as vital elements of culture and identity. They argue that the physical and spiritual health of both indigenous peoples and the public at large will improve when they stop eating processed foods, and drinking sugary drinks. They argue for an adapted return to the agricultural, hunting, and fishing practices of their ancestors.  If you are interested in the relationship between food, health, and the natural world, than AINS 1290 is the class for you.

This is a discussion-based course.  Students should expect to engage with guest speakers from indigenous people across the United States and Canada.  There are four short (2-3 double-spaced page) writing assignments and a final group project (a vlog, blog, imovie, or radio program) that students will work on inside and outside of class.  Students can expect to read short essays, largely from newspapers and magazines as well as one short book, Gary Paul Nabhan’s The Desert Smells like Rain. 

This course meets a requirement for the sustainability Certificate.

All of the required readings will be available to students on ICON. No textbooks are required.

Current events that introduce students to political and cultural developments throughout the world.

This introductory level course will use current events to introduce students to political and cultural developments throughout the world. We will read international newspapers and magazines, watch television programs, and listen to podcasts, and will then employ an interdisciplinary approach to help us understand the historical background of current events and their contemporary meaning(s) in global context. In addition to political events, we will highlight sociocultural and artistic themes that connect different parts of the world, for example the politics of popular music, film, or foodways.

This course provides an introductory exploration of the sociology of race and ethnicity. The course is designed to give an overview of number of topics that are central to understanding how sociologists approach the study of race and ethnicity in the U.S. The course is divide into five sections. We will begin by exploring theoretical and historical approaches to race and ethnicity which include discussions of racial classification and racial and ethnic boundaries. The second section of the course will explore racism and antiracism. The third section of the course will explore empirical research on aspects of racial and ethnic inequality in the U.S. including economic inequality, incarceration, employment outcomes and educational attainment. The fourth section of the class will explore recent research on immigration and how immigration changes the landscape of American race relations. The course concludes with a section that considers whether or not the U.S. has entered into a post-racial era. 

Strategies for effective treatment for students with disabilities, collaboration among general education and special education teachers; remediation of academic, behavioral, social issues.

Ever wanted to create an theater performance piece with the local community? This course will introduce students to applied theatre and prepare them to facilitate workshops with community partners. Students will explore the historical context for applied theatre, learn to play various warm-up and content-generating games, and learn to facilitate these games and exercises themselves. The coursework will culminate in a collective performance piece that the class will work to create as a team.

Pretend that you are making a phone call to ask about ordering a textbook and the person who answers is a stranger to you, yet you immediately start to form opinions about any other speaker based upon the way they speak— where they are from, whether they are a native speaker of English, and even how well-educated they are. Whether you are aware or not, these opinions and impressions you have will influence your interaction with that person and are based in language attitudes that all people have regarding how others sound. In this course we will explore how these attitudes arise and how to question our own attitudes. 

Disability activist, Emily Ladua, asks in her 2021 book Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, And How to be an Ally (our course textbook): “How do we appropriately think, talk, and ask about disability?” This course takes up that question through reading and discussing the research of disability scholars; narratives in disability life writing; representations of disability in popular media, and more. For example, why did so many disability advocates protest the film Tropic Thunder (2008) or the film Me Before You (2016)? Why was the series The Big Bang Theory criticized for its portrayal of Sheldon Cooper? Answering these questions means developing an awareness of how common narratives draw upon ableist assumptions and perpetuate structures of oppression. Historically, the rhetoric of disability has examined how certain language practices generate harm. Certainly, we will examine how cultural, social, and political influences shape understandings of bodies and difference, leading to rhetorical hierarchies which underpin ideologies which police, control, dehumanize, or otherize. Within this scope, we will examine:

• The rhetoric of two pandemics: HIV/AIDS and COVID-19
• The rhetoric of disability within the school-to-prison pipeline
• How conservatorship is depicted in popular media, especially with regard to Britney Spears and Kanye West (more recently known as Ye)
• How disability is use rhetorically in various debates on abortion

More recently, as Abby Wilkerson notes in Keywords for Disability Studies, disability scholarship and culture has shifted toward a focus on embodiment as “a way of thinking about bodily experience that is not engaged solely with recovering the historical mistreatment of disabled people (67). This course examines how this shift has played out in popular culture, from discussing the documentary My Beautiful Stutter (2021) to exploring how social media influencers use their platforms to challenge and change representation of disability, such as:

• Imani Barbarin, creator of Crutches and Spice, who provides media analysis “from the perspective of a black woman with cerebral palsy.”
• Haben Girma, the first deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, who focuses on disability rights and inclusion
• YouTube’s Roll with Cole and Charisma, who seek to reshape perceptions about spinal cord injury and spotlight the joys (and normalcy) of an inter-abled relationship

Through studying existing arguments about disability, we will learn how to use rhetoric to disrupt narratives which perpetuate damaging stereotypes; communicate effectively about accommodations at work or school; create a positive disability etiquette, and foster change at the local, regional, and national levels.

Major Assignments: a social justice project (podcast or video essay) and a reading portfolio.

This course counts as credit toward the Disability Studies Certificate Program, as well as the minor in Rhetoric and Persuasion and the Social Justice major. It also fulfills the General Education “Diversity & Inclusion” Core requirement.

This course presents an overview of issues pertaining to children and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD).  Students will interact with individuals with IDD, family members of individuals with IDD, and professionals who work with individuals with IDD.  The content of this course addresses communication needs, relationship with the broader community, lifespan and health issues, genetics, assessment and intervention, literacy, historical and legal perspectives, adaptive arts and theater, disabilities in the media, social life and sexuality, issues specifically relevant to aging, and controversial topics.  Assignments include writing exercises, speaking exercises, and problem-based learning.  This course is offered in the spring.

Service-learning course offered in coordination with local community organizations and nonprofits; students consider critically ways in which written content (creative, promotional, and logistical) can help ensure outreach initiatives prioritize inclusivity. Assignments include readings and discussions surrounding community outreach and social justice, written reflections about the relationships between self and community to enhance interdisciplinary perspectives, and volunteering time and energy with a local organization or nonprofit group in meaningful ways.

Introduction to principles and theories of social justice; students examine the history of influential social movements in the United States and the world in the last century; how intersectionality can create tensions between and among members of social movements; how race, class, gender, age, geography, and our bodies play a role in the application of theories of social justice.

Introduction to Social Justice will focus on the contested notions of justice, human rights, and equality. We will look specifically at particular issues related to race, class, health, policing, immigration, prison, poverty, and the environment, using a social justice lens to explore and critique structural and systemic institutions that disadvantage marginalized and or silenced populations. Our focus will be primarily domestic, but we will look at some issues such as health and poverty transnationally. We will read, watch, and explore the works of theorists, writers, activists, and artists who have spent time working against inequality, disparity, and discrimination.

What is gender?  What is sexuality?  Why does studying them matter?  This course helps you answer these questions by focusing on the specific ways our daily lives are shaped by gender and sexuality. We will discuss gender and sexuality at the intersections of race and class as well.  These socially and historically constructed categories of analysis exist together and affect each other.  Our lectures and discussion sections will ask you to think critically about gender and sexuality and about the consequences that our assumptions about them have on our daily lives.  We will discuss personal issues—such as body image and sexuality—as well as public and political issues – such as the wage gap, reproductive justice, sexual assault and harassment.  Additionally, we will evaluate and rigorously analyze writing, research, and popular representations of gender and sexuality.  You need no prior familiarity with conversations about gender or sexuality or feminism—just an interest in exploring some of the most powerful issues that shape and affect our daily lives.    

Course assignments will include a midterm and take-home essay final exam, a short paper that allows students to reflect on how course themes and identities are experienced in daily lives, as well as in-class activities in discussion sections.

As a historically populist medium, printmaking has a long tradition of social critique, Printmaking and The Politics of Protest and Representation is an extremely student-centered and interactive course. The course combines scholarship, research, experiential and active learning components. Most classes are devoted partially to print demonstrations, small workshop group discussions that follow-up on short readings and writing assignments outside of class, or provide ideation meetings and in-progress feedback for print projects. Students actively participate in their own learning through prompts given for short writings and then the opportunity to first discuss in small groups prior to discussing with the entire class. Students will create zines, stencils and linoleum cut prints. A sense of community is at the heart of every printmaking class. Students must work in the studios during and outside of class, which not only fosters community within the course but throughout the entire Print Area.

This course is intended for students who may be interested in business careers, especially in entrepreneurship and leadership. Its aim is to facilitate business success by helping students to acquire practical skills in engaging religious diversity in the workplace.  Through the analysis of real-life case studies, focused inquiry into influential religions, and guided ethical discussion, the course helps students to understand the impact that religions have on the perceptions and choices of business leaders, investors, co-workers, and customers, as well as the principles and operations of successful organizations. 

We hear and use the word "Gypsy" very often, but what do we actually know about the Gypsies or, more correctly, the Roma?  As much as the history of this fascinating nation cannot be found written in a definitive way, our course will start with the earliest European references to these people and will continue throughout history until the present moment.  We will learn the most basic aspects of Roma culture that are shared by most Roma around the world, and compare samples of Romani folklore from different parts of Europe. Attention will be given to the current situation with the Romani communities in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and the Czech Republic, where the Roma face growing discrimination. The second part of class will embrace the topics that deal with the impact of the Roma culture on European literature, music, and culture with a particular emphasis on Russian literature. 

All reading will be in English, no previous knowledge of Russian or Romani is required. This course counts towards the Russian and Eastern European Studies Minor. This course will be taught by Dr. Timofeyev.