Course Listings - Spring 2003

HONR 300A - HITCHCOCK'S CINEMA; 4 SEM HRS; INBODEN
Don't get in the shower! Actually, you probably won't be afraid of taking a shower after dissecting the editing of the famous scene in Psycho and you'll also have a much better sense of the real cinema of Alfred Hitchcock. Many viewers, familiar only with Psycho and The Birds, don't realize that they are late and somewhat anomalous entries in the great director's oeuvre. The real Hitchcock is about suspense, yes, but even more about questions of romance, trust, morality, insecurity, and self-definition. And all these issues are explored in visual images, words, music, and symbolism that make Hitchcock truly worthy of his label as auteau (we'll learn about that, too).

The class will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, but there will also be showings of each week's movies on Monday evenings, so figure that into your schedule. We will spend some time on basic film terminology and theory at first, then work through some of Hitchcock's greatest films chronologically. Along the way, class members will also give presentations on films we are not able to see and discuss as a class. The written work will include several short papers and a longer paper on a topic of the student's devising. We will end by discussing some contemporary films that bear the stamp of Hitchcock's influence.

This course may be counted in place of ENGL 180A by English majors and minors. WRITING INTENSIVE.

HONR 300B - PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY; 4 SEM HRS; WILSON
In this course, we will look at the ways in which physiological measurements (such as heart rate, blood pressure, electrical activity of the brain, muscle tension, and skin resistance) can be used to assess underlying psychological variables (e.g., learning, attention, arousal). This course will meet for two hours per week in lecture and four hours in lab. Readings in the course will include a textbook in psychophysiology and numerous journal articles. Students will be expected to collect physiological data during the laboratory sessions, analyze this data, and write up the results in lab reports. WRITING INTENSIVE.

HONR 300C/R - DEVIANCE, DISSIDENCE, AND REPRESSION IN CHINA; 4 SEM HRS; J. OLDSTONE-MOORE
Chinese religion is notable in the easy toleration and borrowing between different religious traditions such as Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism; Chinese history has not experienced the equivalent of the European wars of religion. However, the Chinese government harshly suppressed religious groups which they deemed subversive and dangerous to the state. We will examine the definitions and limits of religious toleration in Chinese history, considering examples of persecuted groups such as the White Lotus, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the contemporary Falun Gong. WRITING INTENSIVE.

HONR 300N - BEAUTIFUL SWIMMERS: BIOLOGY & MANAGEMENT OF THE BLUE CRAB & OTHER HARVESTED SPECIES; 4 SEM HRS; REINSEL
In this course we will explore the biology of some commercially important marine organisms, focusing at the beginning of the course on the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, whose name means delicious beautiful swimmer. We will explore the biology of the crabs, looking at some of the current research being done on blue crab biology. We will examine the ways in which people catch crabs and look at how at least two states have chosen to manage the blue crab fishery. In small groups, students will then examine the biology, fishing methods, and potential management strategies for additional commercially important marine species. My goal is that students will leave this course with a better understanding of the complex issues surrounding the harvesting of marine organisms for food. WRITING INTENSIVE.

HONR 300S - DOING JUSTICE IN CITIES; 4 SEM HRS; COPELAND
Once upon a time cities were the centers of civilization; even the word is rooted in civitas (the city). The areas outside the cities were where the barbarians lived. Now, at least in the United States, cities are seen as the homes of the barbarians, and civilized people are running to the hinterlands to escape the chaos they associate with city life. And yet cities retain some magnetic pull. They generally remain the centers of entertainment and culture and offer a diversity many find interesting if a little scary. If cities are understood as metropolitan areas, not just center cities, they remain the primary place where money is made and people live. They also show a growing division between haves and haves nots most dramatically illustrated by the geographic and social distance between gated suburban communities and deteriorated inner city neighborhoods. Where is there a better place in contemporary America to consider the doing of justice than in our cities?

Believe it or not, Springfield is an extremely typical American city. Its demographics, social organization and geography are a much smaller version of what exists in most larger metropolitan areas. So, this course will treat Springfield as a good laboratory for examining the problems and possibilities of doing justice in cities. The course assumes that justice is as much a problem of action as it is of knowledge and that both action and knowledge are shaped significantly by the angle from which one sees the city.

This course will be the intersection of two experiences. One is the consideration of some fundamental issues facing American cities in the terms they have come up in Springfield. These will include issues such as jobs, crime, taxes, schools, race, poverty, or the environment. The second experience will be a placement with an organization with a particular angle on the city-neighborhood association, business group, city government, or social service agency. For those who have not met their community service requirement, this can do that. For those ready to do an internship, that can be worked out. For the rest of the students, this will just be a course requirement. In every case, the goal for this course will be for the student to learn how the people in that group view the issues we are considering in class.

Course requirements will include a journal and a final paper about the placement, short papers about the issues and examinations over the course readings. WRITING INTENSIVE.