English 280 - British Survey I
4.00 credits
Dixon, Mimi
Prerequisite: ENGL 170, 180, or 190
In this course, we will look at the development of English literature from its beginnings in the Middle Ages to the rise of the novel in the eighteenth century. We will read and discuss representative literary texts and ask a series of important questions: how do these texts grow out of their historical and cultural contexts? How do they build upon, speak to one another? How do they define and redefine the roles of writer and reader? What does a growing literary canon have in constructing what it means to be a British subject, a self, a man, a woman? We will explore as well the way genres-epic and romance, tragedy and comedy, prose fiction-emerge, change, disappear, in response to a changing culture and readership. You should come out of this course with a foundational knowledge of important writers, dates, literary styles, genres, and critical terms that you can build on in more advanced courses. The course will include some periods and a comprehensive final; two or three formal papers and several informal responses to the reading. Writing Intensive.
English 318 Bad Girls: From Eve to Mary (Wollstonecraft)
4.00 credits
Richards, Cynthia
Prerequsite: ENGL200 and ENGL280A/Non-majors must have junior standing.
This course will examine the work of women writers from the medieval period to the early nineteenth century and will be organized around the most common tropes by which a woman becomes a “bad girl.” I am sure you know those “tropes” already, but to remind you (and to use their less vulgar incarnations) they are: the fallen woman, the shrew, the prostitute, the coquette, and the promiscuous woman. The course will begin by looking at the original “bad girl,” Eve and will examine in detail a period of particularly virulent misogynist attacks during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, all played out through an examination of Eve’s original transgression. We will look at the feminist responses to these debates, including—I would argue—Milton’s representation of Eve in Paradise Lost. We will then go back to discuss the shrew or masculinized woman, starting with Chaucer’s Wife of Bath and Margery Kempe’s account of her spiritual life and concluding in Margaret Cavendish’s early foray into science fiction The Blazing World (1665). We will then move on to the figure of the prostitute, focusing primarily on the Restoration stage and the work of Aphra Behn. From there, we will examine the coquette or the tease, a figure of womanhood intrinsically connected—interestingly enough—with the birth and development of the novel in the eighteenth century. We will conclude with the figure of the promiscuous woman, focusing on the overtly feminist work of Mary Wollstonecraft and how that intersected with the complexities of her own romantic history. As a coda to the class, we will look at two early nineteenth-century novels, Emma and Frankenstein, one written by a “good girl”—Jane Austen—and another written by a “bad girl”—Mary Shelley—and examine how the “bad girl” goes underground in both these novels, with one experiencing a happy ending and the other a tragic one.
The course will include a midterm and final, one shorter paper (@five pages) and one researched paper (12-15 pages.) There will also be response papers along the way and the research paper will include a personal component. Writing Intensive.
French 450 1W. Senior Seminar
4.00 credits
Wierenga, Leanne and Wilkerson, Timothy
Prerequisites: One 300 level French.
Review of major literary movements and genres. Required of majors. Departmental comprehensive examination serves in lieu of final examination. Writing Intensive.
HIST 105 C/H 1W. Pre-Modern World History
4.00 credits
Raffensperger, Christian
Prerequisite: none. Freshman only. Supplemental Instruction available.
Pre-Modern world history is fundamentally about the interconnectivity of the global system. In this class we will discuss kings, emperors, and philosophers from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas in addition to how the kingdoms and empires of the world interacted during this period. Key topics include the development of empire from Persia to China to Rome, the migrations of steppe peoples from Mongolia into Europe over the course of a thousand years, and the religious interactions (and their sometimes violent conflicts) in Eurasia and Africa that resulted in the spread of Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. In addition to discussing happenings within various kingdoms and fledgling states of the world, this class, specifically in lecture and discussion, is designed to look at how those kingdoms interacted with one another and what the consequences were—culturally, religiously, and economically. What was gained, and what lost? Writing Intensive.
HIST 105 C/H 2W. Pre-Modern World History
4.00 credits
Raffensperger, Christian
Prerequisite: none.
Please see HIST 105 C/H 1W. Pre-Modern World History description above.
HIST 111H 01. Medieval Europe
4.00 credits
Livingstone, Amy
Prerequisite: none. Students who have earned credit for HIST 101H Life, Love and War in the Middle Ages may not earn credit for this class. Supplemental Instruction available. Knights in shining armor, peasants toiling in the fields, damsels in distress, castles, cathedrals, crusades….these are some of the enduring images of the medieval world. This course will explore the social, cultural, and economic changes that made up the dynamic period we call the middle ages. Through lectures, discussion, films, debates and readings, the important developments, accomplishments and failings of the medieval centuries will be brought to life. Students will write thematic and analytical essays examining a particular topic or source of medieval history.
HIST 201C 01. Topics: Japan’s Medieval Past
4.00 credits
Maus, Tanya
Prerequisite: none. Supplemental Instruction available.
Japan’s Medieval Past is most often viewed through the rise of a ruling warrior (samurai) class. However, long before the age of the samurai, civil officials, aristocratic women, monks, and wandering performers created an unprecedented age of political, social, artistic and literary achievement that drew on rich and diverse traditions from within and without Japan. Through the use of primary historical sources, literature, and classic film by directors such as Akira Kurosawa and Mizoguchi Kenji, this course will examine Japan’s complex medieval heritage beginning with the rise of a stable imperial rule in the sixth century and ending with the anarchy of the warring states period of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Students will be evaluated according to quizzes, weekly journal responses, a variety of written assignments, and two substantial class presentation.
HIST 203H 1W. Historian’s Craft: Fact and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code
4.00 credits
Livingstone, Amy
Prerequisite: none. Sophomore standing.
Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, has stirred up a lot of controversy. What was so controversial? This course will examine the fact and fiction of The Da Vinci Code. Students will read primary sources and historical monographs relevant to the topics covered in the novel to determine what is “fact” and what is “fiction” in the novel. Specifically the course will examine the historical figure of Mary Magadalene, analyze the Gnostic Gospels, and understand the historical Knights Templar. The aim of the course is to help students determine what is the “real” history behind The Da Vinci Code. This course is designed to teach students the basic skills in researching and writing a history paper. As a result, class time will be devoted to discussion of writing skills and research techniques. Production of a piece of historical research relevant to The Da Vinci Code will be the main criteria for assessment. Part of this assessment, however, will be assignments key to the production of a research paper, including a paper proposal, outline, bibliography, revised proposal, etc. In addition, students will be required to write analyses of primary and secondary sources and two written exams. Writing Intensive.
HIST 240H 1W. Topic: The Crusades
4.00 credits
Livingstone, Amy
Prerequisite: none.
The Crusades continue to cast a long shadow over the history of the world. Recent political events have highlighted the importance of this conflict between Muslims and Christians has had on world events. This course will contextualize the Crusades in the medieval world by examining the following questions: Why did medieval people go on Crusade? What were the motives and experiences of the Crusaders? How did the Muslims view the Crusaders? How have scholars interpreted the Crusades? Students will read primary sources from the Crusades, as well as different interpretations of the Crusades, their history and their impact. Students will write a several short essays, two essay exams, as well as other shorter assignments, and make presentations. Writing Intensive.
HIST 301 3W. Byzantium: Mediterranean World
4.00 credits
Brooks Hedstrom, Darlene and Raffensperger, Christian
Prerequisite: One course in History or Permission.
Welcome to the survey of the history of Byzantium. As an archaeologist and a historian, we have designed this course with an eye to establishing a visual and textual history of the the Byzantine empire through the analysis of documentary, historical (Procopius, Anna Comnena, John of Nikiou) and artifactual (visual culture found in archaeological records and museum collections) evidence. We will establish a chronology for the major events and visual markers with which we might reconstruct. Particular attention is given to non-traditional divisions of looking at this 1000 year old empire. We will assess how regional differences created a variety of approaches to Byzantine life and culture. Readings from the ancient world will frame how we consider the concerns of ancient authors and how they recorded the history of their own times in art and writing. Discussions will require some knowledge of Biblical themes, and a willingness to discuss faith, lived religion and devotion. Writing Intensive.
NOTE: This course has an optional field trip to Washington, DC to study the Byzantine Art collection at Dumbarton Oaks, the only institution which is actively supporting Byzantine studies, including archaeology and history. Please make arrangements according. Your account will be charged upon registration for this course. Please note we have done all we can to reduce the direct cost to students. This will happen in the 6th week of the course.
LATN 112F 01. Intermediate Latin
4.00 credits
Roark, Margaret
Prerequisite: Latin 111 or equivalent.
Continuation of grammar, exercises, selected readings in adapted and authentic classical Latin, and discussion of Roman culture.
Religion 100R/C 01. Topic: Hinduism
4.00 credit hours
Glowski, Janice
Prerequisite: none.
This course explores Hinduism as a socio-religious tradition in South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan) by examining the relationship between Hindu thought, artistic traditions, ritual and social structures from about 2,5000 BCE to the present. The course also analyzes historical and modern interpretations of Hinduism, from the “Orientalists,” to Mark Twain, to post-colonial scholars, as a way of reflecting on contextual perspective and how “knowing” changes over time. Student assessment is based on group work and presentations, quizzes, mid-semester and final exams, and short writing assignments.
RELI 134R/C 01. Japanese and Chinese Religious Traditions
4 .00 credits
Oldstone-Moore, Jennifer
Prerequisite: None
This course examines several formal religious traditions which have shaped East Asian cultures and civilizations: Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shinto. These traditions are rich not only in religious thought and practice, but have shaped family, society, literature, art and even cooking. The course we will also consider the popular religious traditions of China and Japan that are vibrant and lively, but have no formal name. Our sources will include a wide range of texts, videos, images, and religious objects. Classes include both lecture and discussion; students will be evaluated through essay exams, short papers, a project, and analysis of scripture and other texts.
RELI 200R/C 1W. Pilgrimage
4.00 credits
Oldstone-Moore, Jennifer
Prerequisite: none.
Pilgrimage is an ancient practice in which a person separates him or herself from familiar places, faces and routines to go on a quest to become closer to the divine physically, spiritually, and emotionally. The experience of pilgrimage is described as “liminal” (an in-between state); this state allows for great personal transformation. The range of experiences and stories of pilgrimage ranges from reverently spiritual to the bawdy and wild. In this class we will study major historically important pilgrimages that are still practiced today in China, Japan, Spain, Saudi Arabia, England and Korea. Materials will include accounts by pilgrims, videos, and the examination of the costumes and materials pilgrims take with them (and take home), and the historical and religious significance of these journeys. Writing Intensive.
Religion 200R 2W. Luther and Lutheranism
4.00 credits
Tune, Anders
Prerequisite: None
This course first examines the life and thought of Martin Luther, in his historical context. It then considers the development of Lutheran ideas and history down to our time, in the context of the broader Christian tradition and some of the challenges of modern culture. Both Lutheran and non-Lutheran contemporary views will be considered. Requirements include two exams, two short papers, and one longer paper. Writing Intensive.
Religion 241R 01. Christian Tradition
4.00 credits
Nelson, Paul
Prerequisite: none.
Historical survey of the development of Christian thought and doctrine in the West. Students will be introduced to the work of major theologians (classical and modern) and to issues of perennial debate such as the tensions between reason and revelation, the humanity and divinity of Christ, nature and grace, justification and sanctification, spirit and structure, church and state, and differences between Roman Catholic and Protestant doctrine. Lecture/discussion format. Midterm and final examinations. No prerequisite though students should be aware that the course requires careful reading of primary texts, many of which are quite challenging.
Spanish 264 1.1W. Voces del pasado
2.00 credits
Blanco, Fernando
Prerequisites: Four semester hours of 200-level courses in Spanish. Course meets first half of the semester.
This course gives students the opportunity to gain an understanding of the Spanish-speaking world by examining its rich cultural heritage. Through reading and writing activities, student learners will explore the complexity of the Hispanic world and how historical events have influenced human contact. The course will help students develop language skills for description and narration in the past. Writing Intensive.
