Humanities & Arts
Undergraduate Courses
AB 1531. ELEMENTARY ARABIC I
Cat. I
An intensive course to introduce the Arabic language to students with no background in Arabic. Oral language acquisition will stress structures and vocabulary required for basic communicative tasks. Emphasis will be on grammar, vocabulary, and writing system. Cultural aspects of Arabic-speaking countries introduced through course material.
This course is closed to native speakers of Arabic and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.
AB 1532. ELEMENTARY ARABIC II
Cat. I
Continuation of AB 1531. Oral language acquisition will stress structures and vocabulary required for basic communicative tasks. Emphasis will be on grammar, vocabulary, and writing system. Cultural aspects of Arabic-speaking countries introduced through course material.
This course is closed to native speakers of Arabic and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.
Recommended background: AB 1531.
AB 1533. ELEMENTARY ARABIC III
Cat. I
Continuation of AB 1532. Oral language acquisition will stress structures and vocabulary required for basic communicative tasks. Emphasis will be on grammar, vocabulary, and writing system. Cultural aspects of Arabic-speaking countries introduced through course material.
This course is closed to native speakers of Arabic and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.
Recommended background: AB 1532.
AB 210X. INTERMEDIATE ARABIC I
This course will build on advanced beginning Arabic conversational patterns. Class time will focus on dialogue and mastery of grammatical constructions with increased emphasis on writing and reading. Conversational drills, audio recordings, video, and group interaction will enhance classroom learning. Not open to native or heritage speakers without written permission of instructor.
Recommended background: AB 1533 Beginning Arabic III
AB 220X. INTERMEDIATE ARABIC II
This course will build on advanced beginning and intermediate Arabic conversational patterns. Class time will focus on dialogue and mastery of grammatical constructions, with increased emphasis on reading and writing. Conversational drills, audio recordings, video, and group interaction will enhance classroom learning. Not open to native or heritage speakers without written permission of instructor.
Recommended background: AB 210X Intermediate Arabic I
AB 230X. INTERMEDIATE ARABIC III
This course continues to build on students’ advanced beginning Arabic conversational skills with a focus on dialogue and mastery of grammatical constructions. Increasing emphasis on reading and writing will supplement classroom activities. Conversational drills, audio recordings, video, and group interaction will enhance classroom learning. Not open to native or heritage speakers without written permission of instructor.
Recommended background: AB 220X Intermediate Arabic II
AR 100X. 3-DIMENSIONAL AND SPATIAL DESIGN
This course focuses on the principles of 3-dimensional visual organization through physical manipulation of materials and analyzing formal aesthetics. Coursework includes conceptual development, observation and response to environment, exploring materials and visual languages. Students will be expected to master spatial thinking, structural design, and expressing ideas through form. Students will be expected to purchase an art supply kit.
Recommended background: None.
AR 1100. ESSENTIALS OF ART
Cat. I
This course provides an introduction to the basic principles of two and three-dimensional
visual organization. The course focuses on graphic expression, idea
development, and visual literacy. Students will be expected to master basic
rendering skills, perspective drawing, concept art, and storyboarding through
traditional and/or computer-based tools.
AR 1101. DIGITAL IMAGING AND COMPUTER ART
Cat. I
This course focuses on the methods, procedures and techniques of creating and
manipulating images through electronic and digital means. Students will develop
an understanding of image alteration. Topics may include color theory, displays,
modeling, shading, and visual perception.
Recommended background: AR 1100.
AR 1111. INTRODUCTION TO ART HISTORY
Cat. I
How do we understand a work of art? Through readings and the study of objects
at the Worcester Art Museum, the student will survey the major developments in
world art and be introduced to various critical perspectives in art history. Students
will learn how art historians work with primary materials and formulate
arguments. No previous knowledge of art is required. (Formerly HU 1014.)
AR 161X. INTRODUCTION TO CERAMICS I
This course will focus on the development of the skills and an understanding the processes required to work with clay as an expressive material through the making of both handbuilt and wheel thrown pottery and sculpture. Students will learn of the origins of clay and ceramic materials, along with the range of forming and finishing techniques relative to handbuilding, sculpting, and working with the potter’s wheel, using stoneware clay. Through readings lecture, and research, students will explore historical as well as contemporary movements in the field of ceramic art, while being challenged to develop their own self-expression in the medium. Class time will be divided between demonstration, lecture, and work time, with the expectation of regular use of open studio access to support course work. Course will be offered at the Worcester Center for Crafts, 25 Sagamore Road.
AR 162X. GLASS I
This introductory course will focus on the processes of traditional glassblowing as well as grinding and polishing glass. In class, students will explore different traditions, styles, and historical periods in class after a comprehensive introduction to glass history from its beginnings in the ancient world to the Middle Ages. The fundamental skills of working with hot glass will be demonstrated in class and students will be guided through the development of these skills through one-on-one instruction. Class and studio time will be held at the Worcester Center for Crafts New Street Glass Studio, 35 B New Street. WPI van will provide transportation.
Practice time will be provided outside of class for students after the first week of class on Saturdays between 10am and 4pm. Students will share a 3 hour practice slot with a partner. This open studio time is monitored by an experienced mentor hired by WCC.
Each student will cultivate his or her potential by making unique sculptures from molten glass. In addition to demonstrations and guided studio time, students will participate in critiques, historical slide lectures, and will be require to write a research paper on the use of glass in ancient societies.
Class time will be divided between demonstration, lecture, and work time, with the expectation of regular use of open student access in support of course work.
No experience in glass is assumed.
AR 205X. 3D ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING
The objective of this course is to teach students how to create 3D environments and props for use in digital models, games and animation. The course will examine different types of architecture used in games. The students will learn how to create interiors and exteriors for both historical and fictional environments; to design, model, texture, and render in high detail; and to import their models into game engines for testing and deployment. Topics may include the proper usage of space, scaling, set design, lighting, surface texturing, and basic camera animation.
Recommended Background: Basic 3D modeling skills such as that provided by AR 1101.
AR 2101. 3D MODELING I
Cat. I
3D modeling is concerned with how to render created forms in a virtual
environment. This course covers 3D modeling applications in video game
development, film production, product design and fine art. Topics may include
creating and armature, modeling organic and hard surfaces and sculpting using
traditional techniques applied to a 3D model. Students will create works suitable
for presentation in professional quality portfolio.
Recommended background: AR 1100 and AR 1101.
AR 2111. MODERN ART
Cat. I
The successive phases of modern art, especially painting, are examined in light
of the late-19th-century break with the 600-year old tradition of representation.
Topics covered include: non-objective art and abstraction—theory and
practice, primitivism in modern art, surrealism and the irrational, the impact of
photography on modern painting, cubism and collage, regionalism and abstract
expressionism as American art forms, Pop art and popular culture, and the
problem of concept versus representation in art. (Formerly AR 2300.)
AR 2114. MODERN ARCHITECTURE IN THE AMERICAN ERA, 1750-2001 AND BEYOND
Cat. I
This course studies, in a non-technical way, America’s buildings and places, in
the context of world architecture in modern times. The history of American
architecture was shaped by the forces that shaped America, from its political
emergence in the eighteenth century to the post-9/11 era. These forces include
dreams of social and spiritual perfection; a tight and conflicted relation with
nature; and the rise and spread of industrial capitalism. The same forces created
the Modern Movement in architecture. How are modernism and American
architecture interrelated? Illustrated lectures, films, and tours of Worcester
architecture explore the question, while training students in the methods of
architectural history and criticism.
Students who have taken AR 2113, Topics in 19th- and 20th-Century
Architecture, since the 2000-2001 academic year MAY NOT take AR 2114 for
credit.
AR 216X. ECONOMIC LESSONS FROM THE DUTCH GOLDEN AGE
During the 17th century, the Dutch became a world power, laying the foundation for much of our modern world. Despite the region’s scarce natural resources, the people of the Dutch Republic turned their country into the premier manufacturing, trading and financial center. The rich and the rising middle class became the main clients of Dutch artists and influenced a wide array of subjects that provide insight into everyday life in 17th-century Holland. We will use the visual arts to study the economic behavior of individuals, businesses, government, and other institutions and draw parallels to modern economies. We will learn, for example, about the tulip mania, the first documented speculative asset bubble, and discover that the Dutch were not that different from the exuberant traders of the modern stock market. The course will cover relevant topics in economic theory and will provide opportunities for students to conduct basic economic analysis. A major resource for the course will be the Worcester Art Museum’s rich holdings of Netherlandish art. On-campus PowerPoint presentations will be complemented by regular visits to the galleries as well as a visit to the Print Room.
Recommended background: None.
AR 2202. FIGURE DRAWING
The focus of this course is in study of representational figure drawing. This course will cover drawing techniques, applied to study from a live model. Topics covered will be sight size measurement, study of form and light, copying from master drawings and applying these lessons to weekly sessions with a live model. Each class will feature a demonstration on the topic followed by individual critique and study.
Recommended Background: AR1100
AR 220X. HUMAN FIGURE IN MOTION
This course offers in-depth analysis of the human figure in action. Motion will be observed through drawing and sketching of live models, video clips, performance and pantomime, studying not only the physical exterior but also how thoughts and emotion are expressed through gesture. Students will develop skill in figure posing and staging for applications in animation, storyboards, comics and illustration.
Recommended background: Figure Drawing (AR 2202).
AR 2222. 2D ANIMATION I
2D Animation I teaches students how to draw, pose, breakdown and in-between characters for 2D animation, focusing on weight, balance, timing, and movement to achieve well-structured and fluid animation. Lectures and projects are conducted to train students in the twelve classical animation principles using digital 2D media. Projects and lectures are designed to practice the fundamentals of traditional frame-by-frame and hand-drawn character animation.
Recommended background: Basic knowledge of figure drawing (AR 2202) and digital art software (AR 1101) is recommended.
AR 2301. GRAPHIC DESIGN
This course introduces design principles and their application to create effective forms of graphic communication. The students will learn the fundamentals of visual communication and will work on projects to analyze, organize, and solve design problems. Topics may include: the design process; figure/ground; shape; dynamic balance; Gestalt principles; typography; layout and composition; color; production and presentation in digital formats.
AR 2333. 3D ANIMATION I
3D Animation I teaches students how to use 3D animation software to apply classical animation principles into 3D work. Lectures focus on creating organic and compelling character animation through body mechanics, weight, and dynamic posing in addition to exposing students to learning how to think about character acting and staging within a 3D environment.
Recommended background: Basic knowledge digital art software (AR 1101) is recommended.
Suggested background: Basic knowledge of animation (IMGD/AR 2222).
AR 2401. VIDEO PRODUCTION
This course will introduce students to concepts and techniques for live action digital filmmaking. Topics will include constructing a visual narrative, principles of cinematography, visual and audio editing, working with actors, and the stylistic elements of various genres of filmmaking.
Recommended background: Basic knowledge of the history and theory of film (HU 2251 or equivalent).
AR 2700. DIGITAL PAINTING
This course covers painting techniques as applied to texturing a 3D asset or illustration/conceptual art. Topics include are color theory, study of form,
lighting, applying traditional painting ideas to the digital format, character
design, generation of ideas and a history of digital painting. Each class features a
demonstration on the topic followed by individual critique and study. Students
work towards a final project that may be suitable for an Art portfolio.
Recommended Background: AR 1101 (Digital imaging and Computer Art);
AR 2202 (Figure Drawing)
AR 2740. 3D ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING
Cat. II The objective of this course is to teach students how to create 3D environments and props for use in digital models, simulations, games, or animation. The course will examine different types of architecture used in 3D spaces. The students will learn how to create historical and fictional interior and exterior environments; to design, model, texture, and render in high details; and to import their creation into an engine for testing. Topics may include space, human scale, set design, surface texturing, and basic camera animation. Students may not receive credit for IMGD/AR 2740 and IMGD/AR 205X.
Recommended Background: Basic 3D modeling skills (AR 1101)
AR 2750. TOPICS IN STUDIO ART
Cat. III Specialty subjects are offered using the research and creative expertise of the department faculty. Content and format varies to suit the interest and needs of the faculty and students. Courses are defined through the registrar and may be repeated for different topics covered. Students may not receive additional credit for taking this course more than once with the same title.
Recommended background: AR 1100
AR 3101. 3D MODELING II
This course will build upon the skills learned in 3D MODELING with studies in life drawing/anatomy study and application towards completed character models. Students will create high resolution sculpts for real time game environments and animation. Topics covered will be character design as it applies to 3D MODELING, creating realistic design sculpts and incorporating them into a game environment as well as the study of anatomy as it applies to organic modeling.
Recommended Background: AR 1101, IMGD/AR 2101, AR 2202.
AR 3112. MODERNISM, MASS CULTURE, AND THE AVANT-GARDE
Cat. I
What is the role of art to be in the modern world? Can art be a vehicle for social
change, or should art be a self-critical discipline that pursues primarily aesthetic
ends? What is the relationship between art and mass culture? Using primary
sources, this course focuses on some of the theorists and artistic trends since the
mid-nineteenth century that have sought to resolve this dilemma. These include:
Ruskin, Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement; Art for Art’s Sake; the
German Werkbund and the Bauhaus; American industrial design.
AR 3150. LIGHT, VISION AND UNDERSTANDING
Cat. II
By using material from the sciences and the humanities, this course examines the
ways in which ideas of knowledge and of human nature have been fashioned.
The specific topics include physical theories about light, biological and
psychological theories of visual perception, and artistic theories and practices
concerned with representation. The mixing of material from different academic
disciplines is deliberate, and meant to counter the notion that human pursuits
are “naturally” arranged in the neat packages found in the modern university. The
course draws upon the physical and social sciences, and the humanities, to
examine how those fields relate to one another, and how they produce knowledge
and self-knowledge. Cultural as well as disciplinary factors are assessed in this
process.
Light, Vision and Understanding is conducted as a seminar. The diverse
collection of reading materials includes a number of primary texts in different
fields. In addition, the students keep a journal in which they record the results of
numerous individual observations and experiments concerning light and visual
perception. The course can fit into several Humanities and Arts topic areas as
well as serve as a starting point for an IQP. There are no specific requirements
for this course, although some knowledge of college-level physics, as well an
acquaintance with the visual arts, is helpful.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
AR 3200. INTERACTIVE ELECTRONIC ARTS
Cat. I
This course introduces students to techniques and processes for the creation of real-time, interactive works of art. Students learn to use electronic sensors and other tools for audio, graphics, and video processing, as well as design customized software interfaces to create interactive artworks that respond to users and their environment. The course also introduces students to the work of significant contemporary arts practitioners as well as their historical precedents, with a special emphasis on inter-media works that bridge visual art, music composition, and the performing arts. Topics may include electronic musical instruments and performance interfaces, computer vision, VJing, electronically-augmented dance, controller hacking, wired clothing, networked collaboration and mobile media, and algorithmic and generative art.
Recommended Background: Animation (AR/IMGD 2101 or equivalent), and exposure to digital audio or music and introductory programming.
AR 3222. 2D ANIMATION II
This course will build upon the techniques learned in IMGD/AR 2222. Students will learn to apply the animation principles to character animation. Students are taught how to tell a compelling, character-driven story through a focus on character acting techniques such as body language, lip syncing, facial animation, and micro expressions. Additional topics covered may include sprites for games, biped and quadruped animation, and 2D animation pipelines. Students will create animated sequences that are intended to serve a narrative structure for games and other media.
Recommended background: Knowledge of digital 2D animation techniques and classical animation principles (IMGD/AR 2222).
AR 3333. 3D ANIMATION II
This course will build upon the techniques learned in IMGD/AR 2333. Students will learn to apply the animation principles with a focus on character acting and cinematic animation. Students are taught how to tell a compelling, character-driven story through a focus on acting techniques such as body language, lip syncing, facial animation, and micro expressions whilst incorporating digital cinematography techniques. Additional topics covered may include creating 3D simulations for hair and cloth, biped and quadruped animation, and 3D animation pipelines. Students will create animated sequences that are intended to serve a narrative structure for games and other media.
Recommended background: Knowledge of digital 3D animation techniques and classical animation principles (IMGD/AR 2333).
AR 3700. CONCEPT ART AND CREATIVE ILLUSTRATION
This course covers drawing as it applies to concept art and illustration. The
course begins with study of a human model and representational drawing.
Following this, students work on drawing from the mind and applying the
lessons learned from the figure drawing to creating concept art and illustration.
Topics covered are shape recognition and recalling, inventing from the mind,
creative starters, study of form and light, visual composition and developing a
personal approach, working with individual strengths to create a compelling
visual design. Students create a series of concept art exercises and apply these
skills towards a personal project of their own.
Recommended Background: AR 2202 (Figure Drawing); IMGD/AR 2700
(Digital Painting)
AR 405X. ANIMATION STUDIO
Animation Studio is intended to teach students the creative processes involved in
creating an animated production (2D, 3D or stop-motion) in the context of a collaborative studio environment. Students will have the opportunity to work on a single animated project for the entire term, gaining practical experience in all stages of the production pipeline (scripting, storyboarding, animatics, production and post-production).
Recommended background: Students should possess significant prior experience in the basic techniques of animation and 3D modeling, such as that provided by IMGD/AR 2101 and IMGD/AR 3201.
CN 1541. ELEMENTARY CHINESE I
Cat. I
An intensive course to introduce the Chinese language (Mandarin) to students with no background in Chinese. Emphasis will be on learning the foundations of the sound system through pinyin and acquiring familiarity with tones. Oral language acquisition will stress structures and vocabulary required for basic communicative tasks. Cultural aspects of China introduced through course material.
This class is not open to native or heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.
CN 1542. ELEMENTARY CHINESE II
Cat. I
Continuation of CN 1541 for non-native, non-heritage speakers. Emphasis on oral communication and vocabulary acquisition continues. Basics of writing system introduced.
Recommended background: CN 1541.
This course is closed to native speakers of Chinese and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.
CN 1543. ELEMENTARY CHINESE III
Cat. I
Continuation of CN 1542 Mandarin Chinese. Primary emphasis is on conversational skills, with increased character introduction. Recognition of the most-commonly-used Chinese characters will be required by term end.
Recommended background: CN 1542.
This course is closed to native speakers of Chinese and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.
CN 2541. INTERMEDIATE CHINESE I
Cat. I
Continuation of CN 1542. Course will focus on practical conversations and recognition of Chinese characters, with greater emphasis placed on reading and writing.
Recommended background: CN 1543.
This course is closed to native speakers of Chinese and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.
CN 2542. INTERMEDIATE CHINESE II
Cat. I
This course will build on intermediate Chinese conversational patterns. Class time will focus on dialogue and mastery of grammatical constructions, as well as character recognition and reading ability. Conversational drills, audio recordings, video, and group interaction will enhance classroom learning.
Recommended background: CN 2541 Intermediate Chinese I or the equivalent
This course is closed to native speakers of Chinese and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.
CN 2543. INTERMEDIATE CHINESE III
Cat. I
Continuation of CN 2542. This course continues to build on students’ Chinese conversational skills with a focus on dialogue and mastery of grammatical constructions, as well as character recognition and reading ability. Conversational drills, audio recordings, video, and group interaction will enhance classroom learning.
Recommended background: CN 2542 or the equivalent
This course is closed to native speakers of Chinese and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.
CN 2544. INTERMEDIATE CHINESE IV
Cat. I
Continuation of CN 2543. Students continue to build their conversational skills through more complex dialogue and more complicated grammatical constructions. Character recognition and reading ability become more central to class assignments. Conversational drills, audio recordings, video, and group interaction will enhance classroom learning.
Recommended background: CN 2543 or equivalent.
This course is closed to native speakers of Chinese and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.
CN 3541. ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE CHINESE I
Cat. I
This course focuses on increasingly sophisticated conversational patterns as well as acquiring the vocabulary necessary for reading texts. Emphasis is on developing active skills to move students to a high-intermediate level of proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, with continued attention on grammar, phrases, sentence patterns, and character recognition.
Recommended background: CN 2544 or the equivalent.
This course is closed to native speakers of Chinese and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.
CN 3542. ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE CHINESE II
This course builds on advanced intermediate Chinese skills, focusing on both conversational patterns and reading/writing. Class time will focus on dialogue and mastery of increasingly complex grammatical constructions, with emphasis on character recognition and production for reading and writing. Emphasis will be placed on integrating materials in real-world applications. Not open to native or heritage speakers without written permission of instructor. Recommended background: CN 3541 Advanced Intermediate Chinese I or equivalent.
Students may not receive credit for both CN 3542 and CN 354X.
CN 3543. ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE CHINESE III
This course continues to build on students’ advanced intermediate Chinese skills with increasing emphasis on reading and writing. Writing assignments will be geared towards expressing more complex topics in Chinese that are related to cultural phenomena in contemporary Chinese societies. Not open to native or heritage speakers without written permission of instructor. Recommended background: CN 3542 Advanced Intermediate Chinese II or equivalent.
Students may not receive credit for both CN 3543 and CN 355X.
CN 356X. BUSINESS CHINESE
This course builds on advanced intermediate Chinese skills, focusing on Chinese as used in a professional business setting. Business communication and practices will be covered. Not open to native or heritage speakers without written permission of instructor. Recommended background: CN 355X Advanced Intermediate Chinese III or equivalent.
EN 1221. INTRODUCTION TO DRAMA: THEATRE ON THE PAGE AND ON THE STAGE
Cat. I
This introductory course will give the student an understanding of the forms of
drama, the styles of theatre performance and production, and the emergence of
new forms and styles. Research and writing projects, and performance activities
will offer the student experience in the theory and practice studied in the course.
EN 1222. SHAKESPEARE IN THE AGE OF ELIZABETH
Cat. I
This course is an introduction to Shakespeare, his theatre, and some important
concepts of his world. Students will have the opportunity to sample representative
Shakespearean tragedies, comedies, and histories. In addition to class
discussions and scene work, students will be able to enhance their readings by
analyzing video recordings of the plays.
EN 1242. INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH POETRY
Cat. I
This course surveys the poems of our language. From the Anglo-Saxon poems to
the popular verse of Tennyson, the songs and the poets are legion: Chaucer,
Raleigh, Spenser, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Jonson, Donne, Herrick, Milton,
Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Keats, Tennyson, Browning, and
Hopkins. The England that nourished these writers will be viewed through their
ballads, lyrics, sonnets, epigrams, and epics. "Not marble nor the gilded
monuments of princes shall outlive this powerful rhyme."
EN 1251. INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
Cat. I
This course introduces the student to a variety of critical perspectives necessary
to an understanding and appreciation of the major forms, or genres, of literary
expression (e.g., novel, short story, poetry, drama, and essay). Writing and class
discussion will be integral parts of this course.
EN 1257. INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE
Cat. II
This course examines the formation and history of the African American literary
tradition from slave narratives to contemporary forms in black popular culture.
The course will explore some genres of African American writing and their
relation to American literature and to black cultural expression.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
EN 125X. INTRO TO CONTEMPORARY CHICANA/O LITERATURE
This course examines literary works of multiple genres produced by Chicana/o writers from WWII to today, with particular emphasis on the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the contemporary relevance of issues such as land and education rights for immigrants. Writers studied may include the novelist Sandra Cisneros, the cultural critic Gloria Anzaldúa, the musician Lalo Guerrero, the memoirist Reyna Grande, and the short-story writer Kali Fajardo-Anstine. This course will emphasize civic involvement and will offer students the opportunity to engage with political activists and other public groups involved with immigration in America.
Recommended Background: None, though introductory coursework in English (e.g. EN1251 Introduction to Literature), History (e.g. HI1312 Introduction to American Social History), or SP courses that stress literature and culture could be useful preparation.
EN 201X. LITERARY PANDEMICS
This course explores the cultural and historical underpinnings of contemporary pandemics by attending to representative literary works from a wide range of pandemics and plagues past and present. Attention will be given to distinct genres from drama and poetry to fiction and film, to geographical contexts from the British and the Mediterranean to the North American and South African, and to distinct periods from classical antiquity through the medieval and early modern eras to the modern and contemporary moments.
Recommended background: None, though coursework in related offerings in EN or HU 222X: Topics in Medical Humanities will serve as useful preparation.
EN 2219. CREATIVE WRITING
Cat. I
This foundational course in creative writing aims to help students develop or improve the skills of written expression, emphasizing presentation and discussion of original work. Offerings may include generally themed courses covering multiple genres of interest or more specialized workshops in single genres of focus such as fiction, poetry, playwriting, or short prose forms.
EN 2221. AMERICAN DRAMA
Cat. I
An investigation into the development of American drama from its beginnings
to the present. The history of the emergence of the legitimate theatre in this
country will be followed by reading important plays, including the works of
O'Neill, Williams, Mamet, Norman, Henley, and others. Discussion of the
growth of regional theatres and their importance to the continuation of theatre
as a serious and non-profit art form will be included in the course. The student
will investigate the importance of theatre practice in the evolution of the
dramatic literature of the country.
EN 2222. INTRODUCTION TO TECHNICAL THEATRE
Cat. I This course introduces students to a variety of technical theatre disciplines, including scenic, lights, sound, props, costumes and more. Each week, students will focus on different technical elements through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, and hands on workshops. Students will demonstrate their learning through various projects and involvement in the current term production.
EN 2226. INFECTED SHAKESPEARE: VENEREAL DISEASE, MADNESS, PLAGUE
With his many references to syphilis, Bubonic Plague, mental illness, and other serious afflictions, Shakespeare illuminates the harsh reality of living in 16th and 17th-century England. This course explores Shakespeare through the historical lens of early modern medical practice. Students will study plays such as Hamlet, Richard III, and The Winter's Tale alongside accounts by surgeons, doctors, midwives, and others who diagnosed, dissected, and (sometimes) cured. We will also pay close attention to the superstitions, misinformation, and downright strange treatments included in some of these accounts. Through creative and expository writing, students will analyze the impact of disease on Shakespeare's writing. This course is intended for students interested in any one of the following: drama, English literature, the history of medicine, biology, other fields of life sciences.
EN 2234. MODERN AMERICAN NOVEL
Cat. II
Selected works of fiction which appeared after World War I will be the focus of
this course. Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, or other authors of the early
modern period will be studied, but significant attention will also be given to
contemporary novelists, such as Thomas Pynchon, Philip K. Dick, and Toni
Morrison. The cultural context and philosophical assumptions of the novels will
be studied as well as their form and technique.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
EN 2237. LITERATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Cat. II
This course will examine the many ways in which dramatists, essayists,
filmmakers, novelists, and poets have articulated ecological and environmental
concerns. Topics to be discussed may include changing attitudes towards terms
like 'nature' and 'wilderness', the effects of technology on the environment,
issues of conservation and sustainability, the dynamics of population growth, the
treatment of animals, the production of food, and the presence of the spiritual
in nature. Materials will include works by writers such as Wendell Berry, Rachel
Carson, Winona LaDuke, Wangari Maathai, Thomas Malthus, Arne Naess,
Nicolas Roeg, and Gary Snyder.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
EN 2242. POPULAR FICTION: READING IN INSTALLMENTS
Cat. I
Students in this course will have the opportunity to read two major masterpieces
of English fiction the way they should be read: slowly, carefully, and with relish.
Victorian novels are long and the term is short, but by reading novels in the way
in which they were read by their original readers-serially-we can experience
masterworks by Charles Dickens and George Eliot at comparative leisure,
examining one serial installment per class session.
EN 2243. MODERN BRITISH LITERATURE
Cat. II
A survey of major modern British authors. The works of many of these writers
reflect the political, religious, and social issues of the twentieth century. New
psychological insights run parallel with experiments in the use of myth, stream
of consciousness, and symbolism. Authors studied may include Hardy, Conrad,
Owen, Joyce, Lawrence, Woolf, Eliot, Yeats, and Orwell.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
EN 2244. 19TH-CENTURY ENGLISH LITERATURE
Cat. II Participants in this course will examine outstanding works of 19th-century English poetry and fiction, and consider questions of identity, beauty, judgment, and social responsibility . Writers covered may include such figures as Jane Austen, John Keats, Charles Dickens, and Robert Browning.
EN 2251. MORAL ISSUES IN THE MODERN NOVEL
Cat. I
This course focuses on the problem of how to live in the modern world.
Emphasis will be placed on the way moral issues evolve within the complications
of individual lives, as depicted in fiction. Such authors as Conrad, Kesey, Camus
and Ellison show characters struggling with the questions of moral responsibility
raised by love, religion, death, money, conformity.
EN 2252. SCIENCE AND SCIENTISTS IN MODERN LITERATURE
Cat. I
This course surveys the ways in which modern literature has represented science
and scientists. Beginning with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the origin of what
Isaac Asimov calls the "damned Frankenstein complex" is examined. More
complex presentations of science and scientists occur in twentieth-century works
like Brecht's Galileo, Huxley's Brave New World, and Pirsig's Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance.
The course covers major modern works of fiction and drama, including such
literary forms as the play, the novel of ideas, and the utopian novel. Attention is
focused on the themes (ideas) in, and the structure of, these works.
EN 225X. THE CONTEMPORARY SHORT STORY
Edgar Allan Poe, one of the short story genre’s first practitioners, noted two traits of the story: its ability to be read in a single sitting and its unity of effect. Nearly two centuries later, short story writers worldwide harness techniques of maximalism, minimalism, metafiction, realism, and the literary fantastic to convey unique creative visions. This course will examine ways that contemporary writers push the boundaries of the form while retaining its twin hallmarks of brevity and compression. Students will engage the stories they read through short written responses and a critical or creative final project. Writers studied might include Poe, Maupassant, Chekhov, Carver, Rushdie, Danticat, Murakami, Pelevin, Moore, Xue, and Oyeymi.
Recommended Background: Coursework in Creative Writing / English, which might include topics such as fiction writing, creative nonfiction writing, or literature, particularly contemporary literature.
EN 2271. AMERICAN LITERARY HISTORIES
Cat. I An investigation into one or more major movements or periods in American literature, focusing on aesthetic formations such as sentimentalism, realism, modernism, or postmodernism, on cultural formations from Transcendentalism and Regionalism through the Lost Generation and the Harlem Renaissance to the Beat Generation and the Native American Renaissance, or delivered through chronological engagements by century, by decade, or by other suitable framings attending to specific communities or sets of writers.
Recommended background: None, though coursework in English (e.g. EN 1251, Introduction to Literature) or any subsequent EN offering will be helpful.
EN 2281. WORLD LITERATURES
Cat. I This course will examine literary works from two or more languages, modes, and/or traditions, often connecting these works to other works of expressive culture in the visual and performing arts. Some iterations may turn on a broader survey, others on more particular engagements with wider inflections. Material introduced beyond English will rely on translations but may also include attention to work in the original language. Attention to drama, poetry, and prose from various periods and places will encourage students to connect themes across cultural, formal, and historical divides, utilizing interdisciplinary and theoretical methods in the process of their reading and writing. Students who have previously taken EN 230X cannot take this course for credit. Recommended background: None, though coursework in English (e.g. EN 1251, Introduction to Literature) or any subsequent EN offering will be helpful, as will courses emphasizing literature and culture offered in AB, CN, GN, and/or SP.
EN 320X. SCENIC DESIGN AND FABRICATION
This course will explore the concepts of scenic design and fabrication methods. During the first half of the course, the class will design the scenic elements for the following term’s production. The second half will focus the set construction, scenic painting and set dressing, culminating in a completed and installed set for the following term’s production.
Recommended Background: Basic knowledge of theatre productions and a familiarity with WPI Theatre. (Theatre Workshop EN2222 or equivalent ISUs)
EN 3219. ADVANCED CREATIVE WRITING
Cat. II
This advanced seminar in creative writing includes sustained attention to the writing of fiction, poetry, and short prose forms among other genres, culminating in final projects (essay, play, poem, story, or some combination thereof) determined by individual interest and in consultation with the instructor. Investigation will also focus on the reading and discussion of exemplary works across genres, with an emphasis on contemporary practice. In the process, regular writing exercises and class visits from established authors will help to create a community of writers grounded in diverse methods.
Suggested background: Introductory level creative writing (EN2219 (formerly EN3217) or equivalent).
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
EN 3222. FORMS IN WORLD DRAMA
Cat. II
The study of the major forms of world drama beginning with the Greeks and
ending with contemporary works for the stage. Study will focus upon building
skills to effectively analyze form and structure through dramatic content, and to
create approaches to staging the plays from an informed understanding of the
elements of theatrical style. The course will include plays by preeminent
playwrights from cultures around the world.
Texts to be studied will vary at each offering.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
EN 3223. FORMS IN MODERN DRAMA
Cat. II
The study of the forms in modern drama through application of methods of
theatre analysis for dramaturgical consideration and staging. Contemporary
playwrights studied will include those from around the world whose work has
been seen on international stages since the 1950s. Attention to theatre
movements that reflect contemporary issues will be included, and producing
groups that have operated with textual revision, minimal text, or no texts will be
considered.
Texts to be studied will vary at each offering.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
EN 3224. SHAKESPEARE SEMINAR
This course will focus on one Shakespearean tragedy as well as modern versions of this play. “Picturing” Shakespeare refers to our special emphasis on visual adaptations. Students will examine the selected play in the context of films, graphic novels, comic books, and other provocative artistic forms. Through written work and oral presentations, course participants will engage creatively with a fundamental question: How do these radical re-workings of Shakespeare enrich our understanding of his original stories?
EN 3225. SHAKESPEARE IN PERFORMANCE
Cat. II This course examines a selection of Shakespeare’s plays, specifically addressing issues of performance. We will approach the plays through close reading; in relationship to the historical, cultural, and theatrical context in which they were written and originally produced; through viewing and analysis (film and live performance); and as they have been and can be interpreted for performance. We will explore the relationship between text and performance in a practical way with performance exercises and staging scenes from the plays. We will also consider how production elements (design elements including setting and costumes, casting, direction and performance choices, etc.) create and convey meaning and shape audience response. This course will be offered in 2020-21, and in alternating years thereafter.
Recommended background: Some familiarity with Shakespeare and or/theatre but the course is suitable for anyone with interest in the subject.
EN 3231. SUPERNATURAL LITERATURES
Cat. II Take a vacation from the rational, quantifiable, and verifiable, and dip your toes into the ineffable. Unbridled, boundary-bending, and binary-busting, supernatural literature makes space for lived (and undead) experiences outside the mainstream. This course will examine the following questions: How are supernatural stories culturally situated? How is language used in supernatural texts, and when and why does it break down? What can we can learn about the “real” through studying the fantastic? Course content will vary with each offering. Potential areas of focus might include magical realism, the supernatural and folklore, the gothic and gender, the gothic and race, the contemporary ghost story worldwide, and monstrosity and the grotesque.
This course will be offered in 2020-21, and in alternating years thereafter.
EN 3234. MODERN AMERICAN POETRY
Cat. II
This course examines the poetries and poetics of various modern and contemporary
American traditions, focusing on schools and styles from the Modernists
and Objectivists through the Black Arts Movement, Confessional Poetry, the
New York School, and the San Francisco Renaissance. Attention will also be
given to recent innovations in digital poetry, multiethnic poetry, and performance
poetry. The course will include poets such as Wallace Stevens, Gwendolyn
Brooks, Elizabeth Bishop, A.R. Ammons, Joy Harjo, Jimmy Santiago Baca,
Myung Mi Kim, and Saul Williams.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
EN 3238. AMERICAN AUTHORS
Cat. II EN faculty with expertise in American literature will select one or more authors to focus on in this course. Examples of such authors are James Baldwin, Octavia Butler, William Faulkner, Toni Morrison, Anne Sexton, and August Wilson. These authors often criticize the political and social status quo, addressing inequities in matters of class, gender, race, and sexuality. The intention is for students to focus on such authors in depth, in preparation for their final seminar or practicum. Faculty offering the course will indicate which authors they intend to present on the HUA website well before student signups, to permit efficient program planning.
Recommended Background: None, though coursework in English (e.g. EN 1251, Introduction to Literature) or any subsequent EN offering will be helpful. This course will be offered in 2020-21, and in alternating years thereafter.
EN 3248. THE ENGLISH NOVEL
Cat. I
Participants in this seminar will examine the English novel from its origins in
the eighteenth century to its twentieth-century forms, exploring the rich variety
of ways a writer may communicate a personal and social vision. The novels treat
love, travel, humor, work, adventure, madness, and self-discovery; the novelists
may include Fielding, Austen, Dickens, Eliot, Wodehouse, and Woolf.
EN 3271. AMERICAN LITERARY TOPICS
Cat. I This course investigates American literature as it relates to a specific theme, issue, controversy, or question. Attention might center upon topics from childhood and friendship to captivity and freedom, and from immigration and labor to law and war, drawing on or even focusing more decidedly upon aspects of identity including but not limited to class, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, and sexuality Authors might extend from nineteenth century exemplars including Emily Dickinson, Herman Melville, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman to twentieth and twenty-first century figures such as Philip K. Dick, Toni Morrison, Thomas Pynchon, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Richard Wright.
Recommended background: None, though coursework in English (e.g. EN 1251, Introduction to Literature) or any subsequent EN offering will be helpful.
EN 401X. ARTIFICIAL COMPOSITION
In her notes about Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, Ada Lovelace imagined a computer that could compose elaborate pieces of music. Almost 200 years later, technologies such as Amper Music, LANDR, Cybernetic Poet, and Taroko Gorge have entered domains that have defined human creativity and expressivity. How are we to understand such systems and their output? To what extent can a machine voice that which is elementally human? To what extent are we mechanical or algorithmic in the process of composition? How do the natural and the naturalized relate to artifice and the artificial in this context? In this multidisciplinary course we will bring together computer science, literary studies, and music analysis to explore techniques and technologies including algorithmic composition, asemic writing, automatic writing, machine learning, and human-machine interaction. Project work might include creative, critical, or hybrid interventions concerned with compositional systems, literary works, and/or musical productions.
Recommended background: understanding of basic music theory (e.g. MU 1511, Introduction to Music or MU 1611, Fundamentals of Music); and/or coursework in Creative Writing / English (e.g. EN 1251, Introduction to Literature, or EN 2219, Creative Writing, or EN 3219, Advanced Creative Writing); and/or work in Artificial Intelligence and/or Machine learning (e.g. CS 4100, 4341, 534, 539, or 540).
GN 3511. ADVANCED GERMAN I
Cat. I
Reading and in-class discussion of a wide variety of contemporary nonfictional
and fictional texts. Some video viewing. Weekly brief writing assignments and
continued expansion of vocabulary. Weekly vocabulary quiz. Review of grammar
and introduction to advanced stylistic problems.
Recommended background: Intermediate German II.
GN 3513. SURVEY OF GERMAN CIVILIZATION AND CULTURE FROM 1871 TO THE PRESENT
Cat. II
Conducted entirely in German, the course presents an overview of the
development of modern Germany and its culture since the founding of the
Second Empire. Background readings in German and English provide the basis
for in-class discussion of selected authentic German texts of various kinds:
literary works, official documents, political manifestos, letters, and diaries. At
least one film will be shown. A number of recurring themes in German culture
will inform the content of the course: authoritarianism versus liberalism,
idealism versus practicality, private versus public life.
Recommended background: GN 3511 (Advanced German I) and GN 3512
(Advanced German II) or equivalent.
This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement.
This course will be offered in 2016-17 and in alternating years thereafter.
GN 3514. SEMINAR ON SELECTED TOPICS IN GERMAN LITERATURE
Cat. II
The content of the seminar will change from time to time. The course will focus
either on an author (e.g., Goethe, Heine, Kafka, Gunter Grass, Christa Wolf ), a
genre (e.g., lyric poetry, drama, narrative prose), a literary movement (e.g.,
Romanticism, expressionism), or a particular literary problem (e.g., literature
and technology, writing and the Holocaust, writing and the city). The seminar
will be conducted entirely in German.
Recommended background: GN 3511 (Advanced German I) and GN 3512
(Advanced German II) or equivalent.
This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement.
This course will be offered in 2015-16 and in alternating years thereafter.
GN 3516. GERMAN FILM
Cat. II
Since its beginnings in the early 20th century, film has been a powerful medium
for popular entertainment as well as a potent expression of society’s dreams,
fears, and values. Films made in the German-speaking countries are no
exceptions, from early expressionist films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
through Nazi documentaries like Triumph of the Will to today’s feature films
such as Grizzly Man and Run Lola Run! Many German directors have achieved
international renown. This course, conducted in German, will examine
representative German-language films from various perspectives: historical,
socio-political, and thematic. Films will be shown in German with English
subtitles. The course will include weekly screenings, discussion sessions, and
substantial written assignments.
Recommended background: GN 3512 or higher.
This course will be offered in 2016-17 and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 1311. INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN URBAN HISTORY
Cat. I
An introduction to the history of the American city as an important phenomenon
in itself and as a reflection of national history. The course will take an
interdisciplinary approach to study the political, economic, social, and
technological patterns that have shaped the growth of urbanization. In addition
to reading historical approaches to the study of American urban history, students
may also examine appropriate works by sociologists, economists, political
scientists and city planners who provide historical perspective.
HI 1313. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF FOREIGN POLICY AND DIPLOMATIC HISTORY
This reading and discussion course will focus on one or two topics in the history of American foreign relations, usually during the twentieth century, using a variety of primary documents and secondary sources. In recent years the course has focused on U.S. relations with the developing world after World War II, with units on U.S. interventions in Vietnam and Afghanistan. The role of science and technology as part of international development programs is a common theme. This course is excellent preparation for any of WPI’s overseas project centers.
HI 1314. INTRODUCTION TO EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY
Cat. I
An introduction to historical analysis through selected periods or themes in the
history of America before the Civil War. A variety of readings will reflect the
various ways that historians have attempted to understand the development of
America.
HI 1322. INTRODUCTION TO EUROPEAN HISTORY
Cat. I This course introduces students to the major currents that have defined modern European History. Themes and topics will vary and may include the philosophical impact of science on modern thought, the development of liberalism and socialism, the crisis of culture in the twentieth century. Students read selections on major episodes in European history and develop their skills in critical thinking, analysis, oral and written argument. No prior knowledge of European history is required.
Some sections of this course may be offered as Writing Intensive (WI).
HI 1330. INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cat. I
An introduction to the questions, methods and source materials that shape historical studies of science and technology. Sections vary in content and emphases; some may explore the interplay of science and technology across time, while other sections might exclusively develop themes within either the history of science or the history of technology. Students can receive credit only once for HI 1330, 1331, or 1332.
HI 1332. INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY
Cat. I
An introduction to concepts of historical analysis - i.e., the nature and
methodology of scholarly inquiry about the past - through the concentrated
examination of selected case studies in the history of technology. Possible topics
include: the influence of slavery on the development of technology in the
ancient world and the middle ages; the power revolution of the middle ages; the
causes of the Industrial Revolution in 18th-century Britain; and the emergence
of science-based technology in 19th-century America.
HI 1341. INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL HISTORY
Cat. I
An introduction to the study of global history since 1500. Topics include global
expansion, the Columbian exchange, and the slave trade; Renaissance,
Reformation, and revolution in Europe; global industrialization, imperialism,
and nation building; the world wars and revolutionary movements; decolonization and the Cold War. The course will also discuss case studies of developing
nations of interest to students. Especially appropriate as background for students
interested in International Studies or any of WPI's global Project Centers.
HI 2311. AMERICAN COLONIAL HISTORY
Cat. I
This course surveys early American history up to the ratification of the
Constitution. It considers the tragic interactions among Europeans, Indians, and
Africans on the North American continent, the growth and development of
English colonies, and the revolt against the Empire that culminated in the
creation of the United States of America.
HI 2313. AMERICAN HISTORY, 1789-1877
Cat. I
This course surveys American history from the Presidency of George Washington
to the Civil War and its aftermath. Topics include the rise of American
democracy, the emergence of middle-class culture, and the forces that pulled
apart the Union and struggled to put it back together.
HI 2314. AMERICAN HISTORY, 1877-1920
Cat. I
This course surveys the transformation of the United States into an urban and
industrial nation. Topics will include changes in the organization of business and
labor, immigration and the development of cities, the peripheral role of the
South and West in the industrial economy, politics and government in the age of
"laissez-faire," and the diverse sources and nature of late 19th- and early 20th century
reform movements.
HI 2315. THE SHAPING OF POST-1920 AMERICA
Cat I.
This course surveys the major political, social, and economic changes of American
history from 1920 to the present. Emphasis will be placed on the Great Depression,
the New Deal, suburbanization, McCarthyism, the persistence of poverty,
the domestic effects of the Vietnam war, and recent demographic trends.
This course will be offered in 2016-17 and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 2316. TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN FOREIGN RELATIONS
Cat II.
This survey of American diplomatic history begins with World War I and World War II, continues through the early and later Cold War periods, including the Vietnam War, and concludes with an overview of 9/11 and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It includes traditional political and diplomatic history, but also broader conceptions of American foreign relations such as culture, economic development, and environment. It addresses the question of American empire, and stresses understanding U.S. policy and actions through a broad international perspective. This course is excellent preparation for any of WPI’s overseas project centers. This course will be offered in 2016-17 and in alternating years thereafter.
Some sections of this course may be offered as Writing Intensive (WI).
HI 2318. TOPICS IN LAW, JUSTICE AND AMERICAN SOCIETY
Cat. I
This course treats law as a powerful social, economic and political phenomenon that cannot be fully understood apart from its history. Through a focus upon a particular theme and chronology, each section surveys the role of law (constitutional, statutory, regulatory and common) and legal institutions in shaping American society and culture, as well as how the law and its institutions have been shaped by individuals, advocacy groups, and broader social, cultural and political forces. Different sections of this course might explore constitutional law and social change (e.g. civil rights, abortion, and same sex marriage); criminal law and mass incarceration; law and the construction of race; law and gender; or patents, copyrights and intellectual property. This course may be repeated for different topics, and students who took HI 2317 may take HI 2318.
HI 2320. MODERN EUROPEAN HISTORY
Cat I.
A survey of the major developments in European history from the nineteenth century to the present. The course will focus upon those factors and events that led to the formation of modern European society: revolutions, nationalism, industrialization, world wars, the Cold War, the creation of the European Union. No prior knowledge of European history is required. Especially appropriate for students interested in WPI's global Project Centers in Europe.
Students may not receive credit for HI 2320 and HI 2322.
HI 2324. THE BRITISH EMPIRE
Cat. I
This course provides a survey of the British Empire from the 18th century to the present. Topics include the formation of a multinational British state; slavery, sugar, and empire; rebellion in the Americas; settlement of Australia and New Zealand; imperial expansion and resistance in India, China and Southern Africa; industrialization and global trade; cultural dimensions of the colonial experience; gender and empire; world wars and decolonization; and reconfigurations of a global Britain. Especially appropriate for students interested in projects centers located in Britain or the former British Empire. No prior knowledge required.
HI 2328. HISTORY OF REVOLUTIONS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Cat. II
A survey of some of the most important revolutionary movements of the
twentieth century. We may consider topics such as racial, nationalist, feminist
and non-violent revolutionary ideologies, communist revolution, the "green" revolution and cultural revolution. No prior knowledge of the history of
revolutions is expected.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternative years thereafter.
HI 2331. SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND CULTURE IN THE EARLY AMERICAN REPUBLIC
Cat. II
This course surveys American science and technology from the first European
explorations until the founding of WPI (in 1865). Topics may include:
Enlightenment scientific theory and practice in colonial North America;
Romanticism and the landscape; the politics of knowledge gained through
contact with Native Americans; engineering and internal improvements;
geography and resources in a continental empire; the American Industrial
Revolution; the rise of science as a profession; the emergence of scientific racism;
technology and the Civil War.
This course is offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 2332. HISTORY OF MODERN AMERICAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cat. I
This course surveys American science and technology from 1859 to the present.
Topics may include: Darwinism and Social Darwinism; scientific education;
positivism and the growth of the physical sciences; the new biology and
medicine; conservation, the gospel of efficiency and progressivism; science,
World War I and the 1920s; the intellectual migration and its influence; science
technology and World War II; Big Science, the Cold War and responses to Big
Science; and cultural responses to science and controversies about science.
HI 2335. TOPICS IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cat. I
This course surveys the interplay of science, technology and culture in American national development. Emphasis is placed upon building chronological narratives while attending to the themes, approaches, and sources historians use to explore Americans' enthusiastic but sometimes controversial embrace of science and technology. Chronologies and themes will vary across sections covering topics such as Science, Technology and Culture in Early America; Science, Technology in Industrializing America; Science and Technology in Post-1945 America; and Technology and Culture in the Rise of Urban America. This course may be repeated for different topics. No prior coursework or background in the history of science and technology is required.
HI 2341. CONTEMPORARY WORLD ISSUES IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Cat. II
This course examines the historical origins of contemporary global crises and
political transformations. Students keep abreast of ongoing current events
through periodical literature and explore the underlying long-term causes of
these events as analyzed by scholarly historical texts. Topics will vary each time
the course is taught but may include such topics as the following: The
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Democratization in Africa, the Developing World
and Globalization.
No prior knowledge of world history is required.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 2343. EAST ASIA: CHINA AT THE CENTER
Cat. II
This course will explore two thousand years of Asian participation in an
international system, in Asia and with the rest of the world. Whether ruled by
Chinese, Turks, Mongols or Manchus, China has been the political and cultural
center of East Asia. Understanding the role of this superpower is critical to Asian
and world history. The course will focus on themes such as the cosmopolitan
experience, the early development and application of 'modern' ideas such as
bureaucracy, market economy, and paper currency, and the centrality of religious
ideology as a tool in statecraft. No prior knowledge of Asian history is required.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 2350. TOPICS IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE
Cat. I
This course surveys the major developments, research enterprise, controversies and cultural contexts of particular scientific fields while also engaging students in examining the questions, methods and sources that inform the history of science. Sections will vary in topic, focusing on the history of a subset selected from among the following fields: astronomy, cosmology, mathematics, biology, medicine, ecology, evolutionary ideas, the earth sciences, chemistry, physics, or the human sciences. This course may be repeated for different topics. No prior coursework or background in the history of science is required.
HI 2352. HISTORY OF THE EXACT SCIENCES
Cat. II
This course surveys major developments in the global history of mathematics,
astronomy, and cosmology, as manifestations of the human endeavor to
understand our place in the universe. Topics may include: Ancient Greek,
Ptolemaic, and Arabic knowledge systems; the Copernican Revolution;
mathematical thinking and the Cartesian method; globalization of European
power through the navigational sciences, applied mathematics, and Enlightenment
geodesy; social consequences of probability and determinism in science;
theoretical debates over the origins of the solar system and of the universe.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 2353. HISTORY OF THE LIFE SCIENCES
Cat. II
This course surveys major developments in the global history of biology, ecology,
and medicine, as manifestations of the human endeavor to understand living
organisms. Topics may include: Aristotelian biology, Galenic, Chinese, and
Arabic medical traditions; Vesalius and the Renaissance; Linnaeus and
Enlightenment natural history; Romantic biology and the Darwinian
revolution; genetics from Mendel to the fruit fly; eugenics and racial theories as
"applied" biology; modern medicine, disease, and public health; microbiology
from the double helix to the Genome project; and the relationship of the science
of ecology to evolving schools of environmental thought.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 2354. HISTORY OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES
Cat. II
This course surveys major developments in the global history of geology,
physics, and chemistry, as manifestations of the human endeavor to understand
time, space, and the rules that govern inorganic nature. Topics may include:
ancient atomism; alchemy and magic; the mechanical philosophy of Galilean
and Newtonian physics; Hutton and the earth as eternal machine; energy, forces,
matter, and structure in 19th century physics and chemistry; radioactivity,
relativity, and quantum theory; the plate tectonics revolution.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 2400. TOPICS IN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
Cat. I
This course surveys the methods and sources that historians adopt to answer three questions central to environmental history: How have constantly changing natural environments shaped the patterns of human life in different regions? How have different human cultures perceived and attached meanings to the natural and built worlds around them, and how have those attitudes shaped their social, economic political, and cultural lives? Finally, how have people altered the world around them, and what have been the consequences of change for natural and human communities alike? Sections will vary in content and emphases alternating between North American, regional, or global approaches. This course may be repeated for different topics. No prior coursework or background in environmental history is required.
HI 2401. U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
Cat. II
This course surveys the environmental history of North America from the time
of Columbus until the present, exploring how the environment has shaped
human culture, and how human activity and human ideas have shaped nature.
We will examine changes during three periods: a "contact" period focusing on
the ecological, economic and cultural ramifications of Old World-New World
interconnection; a "development" period focusing on the rise of a market-based,
urban-industrial society during the nineteenth century; and a final period
characterized by the growth of reform movements to protect nature and the
increasing global movement of goods and ideas in the twentieth century. In each
period, we will trace changes in production, labor, and consumption patterns;
transportation and other technologies; science, knowledge, and planning;
disease, health and medicine; and cultural understandings, political debates, and
place-making strategies.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 2402. HISTORY OF EVOLUTIONARY THOUGHT
Cat. II
This course will trace the history of evolutionary thought, including the growth
of the geological sciences and expanding concepts of geological time, increased
global travel suggesting new perspectives on biogeography, discoveries of fossils
of now-extinct animals, and developments in comparative embryology and
anatomy, culminating in the synthesis effected in 1859 by Charles Darwin, and
in the Modern Synthesis of the 1940s. It will include emphases on the relationships
of evolutionary and religious thought, and on depictions of evolutionary
themes in the larger culture, including the arts, film, literature and popular
culture, and will examine controversies, including current controversies, over
evolution and the teaching of evolution in public schools in the United States.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 2403. GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
Cat. II
This course will introduce students to global environmental history, a field that examines how the environment has shaped human society, and the effects of human activity and human ideas on non-human nature. The course will trace human history from hunter-gather societies to the present, addressing changes in production, trade, and consumption patterns; transportation and other technologies; science, knowledge, and planning; disease, health and medicine; and cultural understandings, political debates, and place-making strategies. This course is appropriate for students interested in WPI's project centers in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean and Central America.
This course can be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 2913. CAPITALISM AND ITS DISCONTENTS
Cat. II This course focuses on modern capitalism as an economic, social, and cultural formation in global perspective. As capitalism has radically changed the way humans live and work, critics have articulated their various discontents. Topics to be discussed include colonialism, enslavement, industrialization, social movements, automation, climate change, and global inequality. In addition to our readings, students will directly engage with the rich materials on global labor history available at WPI and in Worcester. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 2921. TOPICS IN MODERN EUROPEAN HISTORY
Cat. II
This seminar course examines topics in the cultural, socio-economic and political
history of modern Europe. Topics may vary each year among the following: sport
and society, film and history, nationalism, gender and class, political economy,
environmental history. Readings will include primary and secondary sources. No
prior background is required.
Students may not receive credit for both HI 3321 and HI 2921.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 2930. TOPICS IN LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY
Cat. II This seminar course examines topics in the history of Latin America. It bases those topics on issues in the region that are of critical importance in the present, and it outlines the historical origins and interrogates the historical contexts of those issues. Topics and course materials may vary each year depending on the issues addressed. The broad themes with which these topics may engage include: science, technology, and development; energy, sustainability, and the environment; inequality and social justice; migration and mobility; U.S.-Latin American relations; democracy, populism and nationalism; the Cold War and the post-Cold War global order. Readings will include primary and secondary sources. No prior background is required.
Recommended background: None. This course will be offered in 2021-22 and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 3312. TOPICS IN AMERICAN SOCIAL HISTORY
Cat. I
A seminar course on analysis of selected aspects of social organization in
American history, with emphasis on the composition and changing societal
character of various groups over time, and their relationship to larger social,
economic, and political developments. Typical topics include: communities,
families, minorities, and women.
Suggested background: Some college-level American history.
HI 3314. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Cat. I
This seminar course considers the social, political, and intellectual history of the
years surrounding American independence, paying particular attention to the
changes in society and ideas that shaped the revolt against Great Britain, the
winning of independence, and the creation of new political structures that led to
the Constitution.
HI 3316. TOPICS IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY U.S. HISTORY
Cat. II
In this advanced seminar course, students will explore one aspect of twentieth-century
U.S. history in more depth. Topics vary each year but may include
political movements such as the New Deal or the Civil Rights Movement, an
aspect of American foreign policy such as the Cold War, a short time period
such as the 1960s, a cultural phenomenon such as consumption, or a geographical
focus such as cities or New England. The course will require substantial
reading and writing.
Suggested background: HI 2314 (American History, 1877-
1920), HI 2315 (The Shaping of Post-1920 America), or other American
history courses.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and alternating years thereafter.
HI 3317. TOPICS IN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
Cat. II
In this seminar course, students will explore one aspect of U.S. or global
environmental history in more depth. Topics vary each year but may include
environmental thought, environmental reform movements, comparative
environmental movements, natural disasters, the history of ecology, built
environments, environmental justice, New England environmental history, or
the environmental history of South Asia or another region of the world. The
course will require substantial reading and writing.
Suggested background:
HI 2401 U.S. Environmental History.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 3331. TOPICS IN THE HISTORY OF EUROPEAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cat. II
A seminar course on the relationships among science, technology, and society in
European culture, examined through a series of case studies. Topics from which
the case studies might be drawn include: global scientific expeditions,
mapmaking, and European imperialism; the harnessing of science for industrial
purposes; the role of the physical sciences in war and international relations; the
function of the science advisor in government; the political views and activities of major scientists such as Einstein. Students will use primary sources and
recently published historical scholarship to analyze the case studies.
Suggested background: Courses in European history and the history of science
and technology.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 3334. TOPICS IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cat I
This seminar will examine a particular issue or theme in the history of American
science and technology. Topics will vary from year to year, but may include:
technology and the built environment; science, technology and the arts;
communications of science and scientific issues with the larger public;
technology and scientific illustration; science in popular culture; science and the
law; or close examination of episodes in the history of American science and
technology such as the American Industrial Revolution; science and technology
in the years between the world wars; the Manhattan Project; science and the
culture of the Cold War; or science, technology and war in American history.
This course will require significant reading and writing.
Suggested background: Some familiarity with history of science or history of
technology, and with United States history.
HI 3335. TOPICS IN THE HISTORY OF NON-WESTERN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cat. II
A seminar course on the relationships among science, technology, and society
from cultures outside Europe and North America, examined through a series of
case studies. Topics from which the case studies might be drawn include:
Chinese medicine and technology; Arabic mathematics, medicine, and
astronomy; Indian science and technology (including, for example, metalworking
and textile production); Mayan mathematics and astronomy; Polynesian
navigation; various indigenous peoples' sustainable subsistence technologies (e.g.
African agriculture, Native American land management, aboriginal Australian
dreamtime).
Suggested background: Courses in global history and the history of science
and technology.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 3341. TOPICS IN IMPERIAL AND POSTCOLONIAL HISTORY
Cat. II
This seminar course examines topics in the history of European imperialism,
colonialism, and the postcolonial aftermath. Topics vary each year among the
following: culture and imperialism, the expansion of Europe, the economics of
empire, travel and exploration narratives, imperialism in literature and
anthropology, decolonization in Asia and Africa, postcolonial studies. Readings
will include primary and secondary sources.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
HI 3343. TOPICS IN ASIAN HISTORY
Cat. I
This seminar course examines topics in the cultural, socio-economic, religious
and political history of East Asia. Topics vary each year and may include the
following: nationalism and the writing of history, travel and exploration
narratives, cross-cultural contact, the role of religion and ideology in political
history, development and the environment in Asia, film and history, and the
place of minorities and women in Asian societies.
Suggested background:
previous courses on Asia such as HU 1412, HI 2328, HI 2343, or RE 2724.
HI 3344. PACIFIC WORLDS
Cat. II The Pacific Ocean covers a third of our earth’s surface. Home to over a thousand languages and thousands of years of rich histories, the Pacific has been and continues to be one of the most diverse regions of cultural, social, economic, and environmental interaction. The course focuses on both local connections to the Pacific, such as the New England whaling industry, and global issues, such as the impact of climate change on Pacific islanders. Other topics to be discussed include the environment, oceanic navigation, arts, colonialism, race, and migration.
This course will be offered in 2020-21, and in alternating years thereafter.
HU 1222. INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL HUMANITIES
Cat. II How do medicine, disease, health, and healing shape our experience of what it is to be human? What do literature, poetry, popular culture, or religious and spiritual traditions have to do with modern medical practices and institutions? This course provides an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of medical humanities, and its core set of concepts, questions, methodologies, and theoretical frameworks. The course will bring together and familiarize students with work from diverse fields of study, including comparative literature, the visual and performing arts, history of medicine, cultural studies, science and technology studies, anthropology, ethics, and philosophy. Potential course topics include the production and circulation of medical knowledge, embodied experiences of illness and affliction, cross-cultural perspectives on sickness and healing, the social and interpersonal dimensions of illness, illness and medicine in popular culture, and the ways in which humanistic inquiry can enhance and improve contemporary medical practices.
HU 1411. INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN STUDIES
Cat. II
This interdisciplinary course introduces students to a number of basic American
Studies methodologies. Emphasis will vary according to the instructor, but
usually the course will cover the following: the textual and contextual analysis (at
the community, national, and transnational levels) of literary works; the
relationships between the literary, performing, and visual arts in a specific time
period; the analysis of radio, film, television, and digital media forms at the level
of production and reception; the mediation and remediation of cultural, social,
and political history.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
HU 1412. INTRODUCTION TO ASIA
Cat. I
This course will explore Asia through an interdisciplinary approach. We will
examine tradition and modernity in some or all of four cultural regions-South
Asia (India), East Asia (China), Southeast Asia (Vietnam or Thailand), Inner
Asia (Tibet)-and globalization in Japan and/or Hong Kong. We will explore
the cultural traditions of these various regions, paying special attention to
history, religion, society. We will also consider modern developments in these
same regions. The impact of colonialism, nationalism, revolution, industrialization
and urbanization on the lives of Asian peoples will be illustrated through
films and readings. No prior knowledge of Asian history or culture is expected.
HU 211X. AMERICANA
What are the paradigmatic artifacts of American culture, and what can their study reveal about key concepts in American Studies from capitalism, democracy, and modernity to class, gender, and race? In this course we will examine examples of material culture at the local, regional, national, and imperial scales, engaging popular and subcultural forms of advertising, architecture, cuisine, fashion, music, sport, and television, attending in particular to geographically specific formations including Western Americana and Hawaiiana. Students will consider and examine specific objects from local institutions and networked archives, drawing heavily on the collections of the American Antiquarian Society and the Worcester Art Museum. No prior work in American Studies is required for this class.
Suggested background: None, though coursework in American Studies (HU 1411: Introduction to American Studies) or related offerings in AR, EN, and HI connected to American culture, history, and literature will serve as useful preparation.
HU 2222. TOPICS IN MEDICAL HUMANITIES
Cat. II Topics in Medical Humanities provides students with opportunities to investigate the human (cultural, religious, historical, philosophical) dimensions of medicine, illness, and healing, from various perspectives in the humanities. Specific themes and topics will vary by section and instructor, and may include both historical and contemporary concerns, consideration of local, national, and/or global scales, and interdisciplinary methods and pedagogies drawn from a range of fields, such as comparative literature, the visual and performing arts, history of medicine, cultural studies, science and technology studies, anthropology, ethics, and philosophy. Students will analyze interactions between human beings and their environments, the production and circulation of medical and psychiatric knowledge, and historical, sociological, artistic, and literary considerations of medicine, health, and healing.
HU 222X. TOPICS IN MEDICAL HUMANITIES
Topics in Medical Humanities will provide students with opportunities to study the field of medicine from various perspectives in the humanities, using disciplinary and interdisciplinary methods and pedagogies to investigate the human (cultural, religious, historical) dimensions of medicine, including interactions between human beings and their environments, and historical, philosophical, artistic, and literary considerations of medicine and public health. This course will take a thematic approach using varying topics in each course offering. Examples might include Moral Medicine: Health as a Social Obligation in Modern American Society; Topics in Biomedical Ethics; Public Health Activism; Narrative Medicine; Graphic Medicine; and so on. Our first offering will be Invisible Wounds of War: Cultural and Clinical Histories of ‘Combat-Trauma,’ exploring tracing the evolution of clinical understandings as well as ‘extra-clinical’ entanglements of combat-related trauma across American cultural, social, and political landscapes and using perspectives from clinical psychology, history, anthropology, and comparative literature.
Recommended background: None.
HU 2251. INTRODUCTION TO FILM STUDIES
Cat. II
This course provides an introductory window into the history and theory of film, and may cover genres from short films, silent films, animated films, documentary films, and experimental films to historical and literary adaptations, science fiction films, screwball comedies, thrillers, and westerns. In addition, attention may be given to representative directors, significant theories of film, national traditions of filmmaking, and recent convergences between film forms and digital media.
Directors covered may include Charlie Chaplin, John Ford, and Alfred Hitchcock. Film theorists covered may include Stanley Cavell, Sergei Eisenstein, and Trinh T. Minh-ha.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
Recommended background: None.
HU 2258: WORLD CINEMAS
Cat. II This course will examine works of film from multiple continents, drawing on film criticism and theory and attending to the development of film industries in several different cultural contexts and national traditions. Some iterations may turn on a broader survey, others on more particular engagements with wider inflections. For example, an offering emphasizing African film might attend not only to films made on the African continent but also to films emerging from the African diaspora in the Americas, and an offering emphasizing Italian film would also attend not only to the films made on the Italian peninsula but also to films emerging from the Italian diaspora in Australia and the United States.
Recommended background: None, though HU 2251: Introduction to Film Studies will serve as useful preparation.This course will be offered in 2021-2022, and in alternating years thereafter.
HU 2340. POPULAR CULTURE AND SOCIAL CHANGE IN ASIA
Cat. II
Godzilla, kung-fu, anime, sushi, Hello Kitty, yin and yang, Pokémon, manga. All of these have become part of our American lives, but where did they come from and what meaning do they hold as cultural phenomena? In this class we will explore the popular cultures of East Asia to better understand the influences that have shaped the region’s contemporary societies. Focus country will be either Japan or China, depending on term offered. Students will study various media of popular culture, such as films, songs, advertisements, video games, manga, anime, to explore the changing society of these countries. We will link the individual cultural phenomena studied to both internal and external influences, situating popular culture within transnational currents and exchanges when appropriate. No prior knowledge of Asian history is required for this class.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
HU 2501. STEM-INISM
Cat. II The study and practice of STEM-inism centers the equal participation and representation of all social groups in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In particular, this course highlights the concepts, theories, and practices of feminism into its understanding of STEM-inism as a field of inquiry. This course provides an overview of the history of female and non-binary contributors and contributions to this field of study and practice, ranging from Hypatia to Ada Lovelace to NASA visionary Katherine Johnson to queer and trans STEM visionaries Martine Rothblatt, Joan Roughgarden, and Lynn Conway. This course may also consider the following topics: the gender gap in STEM fields, biases in medical research, sexual harassment, eugenics, reproductive justice, transgender rights, and contemporary social movements. The course will also incorporate a deliberate analysis of intersecting identity categories, including race, class, sexuality, religion, and ability.
HU 2502. GLOBAL FEMINISMS
Cat. II Bringing together transnational, postcolonial, and indigenous feminist and queer lines of thought, this course provides a global perspective on the interdisciplinary field of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies. Motivated by the idea that marginalized peoples - including women, those who identify as non-binary, and ethnic, religious, and economic minorities - share common experiences of exclusion and common stories of resistance, this course fosters critical examination of the relationship between gender, sexuality, feminism, colonialism, and racism. It may consider this intersection through case studies from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East with particular attention to places that host WPI project centers.
HU 2900. HUMANITIES AND ARTS PROJECT PREPARATION
Cat. I (1/6 Unit)
This course is required of students accepted to off-campus Humanities and Arts centers and programs. The course introduces students to methods for site-specific research, project-design, and analysis related to humanities and arts study. It also develops HUA disciplinary skills appropriate both to the projects students have selected and to the culture of the project center where they will be working. Students learn to develop project objectives, milestones, and deliverables in their topic areas related to their forthcoming onsite work and expectations. Students make presentations, write an organized project proposal, and develop a deliverable design for reporting their project findings. This course is a pre-requisite for off-campus Humanities and Arts project center study only. This credit will not count toward the Humanities and Arts requirement. Recommended background: none.
HU 2910. PROJECT CENTER EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Cat. III This course will provide students participating in a HUA Project Center with a framework for investigating a particular cultural site, and to define a unique set of humanities and arts learning goals through experiential learning. Experiential learning means learning from experience or learning by doing. Experiential education immerses learners in an experience and then encourages reflection about the experience to develop new skills, new attitudes, or new ways of thinking. This course is structured in a self-directed manner in which students select a humanities/arts topic or theme, explore and experience arts and cultural sites related to that theme, then engage in self-reflection and self-evaluation of their learning.
HU 3900. INQUIRY SEMINAR IN HUMANITIES AND ARTS
Cat. I
This seminar serves as the culmination for a student's Humanities and Arts
Requirement. The seminar provides opportunities for sustained critical inquiry
into a focused thematic area. The seminar seeks to help students learn to
communicate effectively, to think critically, and to appreciate diverse perspectives
in a spirit of openness and cooperation through research, creativity, and
investigation. The specific theme of each seminar will vary and will be defined
by the instructor. Prior to enrolling in the seminar, a student must have
completed five courses in Humanities and Arts, at least two of which must be
thematically related and at least one of which must be at the 2000-level or
above.
HU 3910. PRACTICUM IN HUMANITIES AND ARTS
Cat. I
The practicum serves as the culmination for a student's Humanities and Arts
Requirement. The practicum provides opportunities for sustained critical
inquiry into a focused thematic area. The practicum seeks to help students learn
to communicate effectively, to think critically, and to appreciate diverse
perspectives in a spirit of openness and cooperation through research, creativity,
and investigation. The specific theme of each practicum will vary and will be
defined by the instructor. Prior to enrolling in the practicum, a student must
have completed five courses in Humanities and Arts, at least two of which must
be thematically related and at least one of which must be at the 2000-level or
above. Consent of the instructor is required for enrollment.
ID 3200. SHELTERED ENGLISH IMMERSION ENDORSEMENT COURSE FOR TEACHERS
This course is to prepare undergraduates looking to become future Commonwealth teachers with the knowledge and skills to effectively shelter their content instruction, so that the growing population of English language learners (ELLs) can access curriculum, achieve academic success, and contribute their multilingual and multicultural resources as participants and future leaders in the 21st century global economy.
Recommended background: Teaching Methods or equivalent.
ID 3525. SPANISH AMERICAN FILM/MEDIA: CULTURAL ISSUES
Cat. II
Through Latin American and Caribbean films, and other media sources, this
course studies images, topics, and cultural and historical issues related to modern
Latin American and the Caribbean. Within the context and influence of the
New Latin American Cinema and/or within the context of the World Wide
Web, radio, newspapers, and television the course teaches students to recognize
cinematographic or media strategies of persuasion, and to understand the images
and symbols utilized in the development of a national/regional identity. Among
the topics to be studied are: immigration, gender issues, national identity,
political issues, and cultural hegemonies.
Taught in advanced level Spanish. May be used toward foreign language
Minor, or Major.
Recommended Background: SP 2521 and SP 2522, and SP 3523.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
INTL 1100. INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL AND GLOBAL STUDIES
Cat. I
An introduction to the main concepts, tools, fields of study, global problems, and cross-cultural perspectives that comprise international and global studies. No prior background is required. Especially appropriate for students interested in any of WPI's global Project Centers.
INTL 1300. INTRODUCTION TO LATIN AMERICA
Cat. I This course reviews the past and present of South America, Central America and the Caribbean through an interdisciplinary approach. It examines historical and contemporary issues related to social mobilization, cultural innovation, political activism, economic development, and environmental sustainability through the critical analysis of books, films, and creative arts from and about the region. It also presents an overview of Latin American relations with other parts of the world through the region’s experiences with global culture, migration, imperialism, dependency, and entanglements with the United States. This course is especially appropriate for students who expect to complete their HUA, IQP, and/or MQP at WPI project centers in Latin America. No prior knowledge is expected.
Recommended background: None.
INTL 2100. APPROACHES TO GLOBAL STUDIES
Cat. I
This course examines the major theoretical and methodological approaches that characterize global studies. Since the end of the Cold War, new forms of transnational integration, interdependence and conflict have been considered examples of globalization. Yet this period is not the first to undergo such transformation, and the “global” is often experienced in disparate ways around the world. This course examines the diverse ways of understanding globalization in the past and present. No prior background is required. Especially appropriate for students interested in any of WPI's global Project Centers.
INTL 2110. GLOBAL JUSTICE
Cat. II What is justice during an era of globalization? What are the rights and responsibilities of individuals, groups, nations, or supranational organizations in a world of profound inequalities of wealth or disparities of power? This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to historical, literary, religious, and ethical debates about global justice as well as the political and practical responses by various actors in the global South and North. Themes will vary each time the course is taught and may include globalization and distributive justice, climate justice, migration, citizenship, cosmopolitanism, human rights, ideology, reparations, racial or gender equity, nationalism and internationalism, and global democracy. No prior background required.
Recommended background: None. This course will be offered in 2020-21, and in alternating years thereafter.
INTL 2310. MODERN LATIN AMERICA
Cat. II What is justice during an era of globalization? What are the rights and responsibilities of individuals, groups, nations, or supranational organizations in a world of profound inequalities of wealth or disparities of power? This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to historical, literary, religious, and ethical debates about global justice as well as the political and practical responses by various actors in the global South and North. Themes will vary each time the course is taught and may include globalization and distributive justice, climate justice, migration, citizenship, cosmopolitanism, human rights, ideology, reparations, racial or gender equity, nationalism and internationalism, and global democracy. No prior background required.
Recommended background: None. This course will be offered in 2020-21, and in alternating years thereafter.
INTL 2410. MODERN AFRICA
Cat. II This interdisciplinary course takes a thematic approach to modern Africa. Topics and themes will vary each time the course is taught, and may include African kingdoms, the influence of Islam, the legacy of the Atlantic slave trade, imperialism and decolonization, democratization, the politics of language, or African literature and art. Examples and case studies will include locations where WPI has programs in this diverse and dynamic region. No prior background required.
Students may not receive credit for both INTL 2410 and HU 2441.
Recommended background: None. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.
INTL 2420. MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA AND MEDITERRANEAN
Cat. I This interdisciplinary course takes a thematic approach to the Middle East, North Africa and Mediterranean region. Themes and topics will vary each time the course is taught, and may include religion and culture, national, ethnic and linguistic identities, the Mediterranean as a contact zone, U.S. political and economic involvement in the region, postcolonialism, war and conflict, migration, forced displacement and refugees, human rights, religious freedom, popular culture, the politics of Islam and secularism, the regional intersections of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, representations of Islam and other religions in visual culture, gender and media, and the circulation of U.S. culture. Examples and case studies will include locations where WPI has programs in this diverse and dynamic region. No prior background required.
Recommended background: None.
INTL 2510. CONTEMPORARY EUROPE: UNION AND DISUNION
Cat. II This interdisciplinary course takes a thematic approach to contemporary Europe, especially since the establishment of European Union’s single market and common currency. Topics and themes will vary each time the course is taught and may include expansion of the EU and Euro, the impact of the free movement of goods, capital, services and people, migration and refugees, populist and nationalist movements, uneven development between regions within Europe, postcolonial relations with other parts of the world, and debates over national heritage and cultural change. Examples and case studies will include locations where WPI has programs in Europe. No prior background is required.
Recommended background: None. This course will be offered in 2020-21, and in alternating years thereafter.
INTL 2520. RUSSIA READY: LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL CONTEXT
Cat. II (1/6 unit) This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of Russian language, current events and culture. Students will be expected to steadily build essential vocabulary, learn basic grammar and forms of address; they will also review major events of Russian history from the rule of Peter the Great to the Russian Revolution and the Soviet era developments - all of which are key to understanding of Russia today. All through the course, students will have assigned media topics ranging from the student life in Russia, to aerospace exploration to agricultural breakthroughs and political turmoil. Materials under study will include Russian language textbooks and grammar guides, current media, and film. This course is appropriate for students interested in all WPI’s project centers in Eastern and Central Europe.
This course will be offered in on-line format. Students may not receive credit for HU 2230 or HU 223X and INTL 2520.
INTL 2910. TOPICS IN GLOBAL STUDIES
Cat. I
This seminar course takes an interdisciplinary approach to historical and contemporary topics in global studies. Topics vary each year and may include international development, global inequality and justice, global public health, war and terrorism, international organizations and governance, humanitarianism and human rights, travel and tourism, the Anthropocene, climate change.
No prior background is required. Especially appropriate for students interested in any of WPI's global Project Centers.
INTL 3050. GLOBAL RE-ENTRY SEMINAR
Cat. I (1/6 unit)
Global projects are often life-changing and many students want to make sense of their experience and deepen global learning after returning to campus. This course provides opportunities for self-reflection about global experiences, for connecting with peers to share stories, and for translating these experiences into skills and future professional opportunities, which may include internships, scholarships, post-graduate study or employment. Students completing this seminar will have reflected on their global experiences, articulated and identified transferable skills garnered while away, and integrated these reflections into future academic plans, personal aspirations, or career goals.
Recommended background: This course is intended for students who have participated in WPI’s global programs, including global IQPs, MQPs, Humanities projects, or exchange programs, either in the US or abroad.
INTL 4100. SENIOR SEMINAR IN INTERNATIONAL AND GLOBAL STUDIES
Cat. I In this capstone seminar in International and Global Studies, students will reflect on what they learned in previous global experiences and critically analyze contemporary global issues. The seminar aims to develop habits of lifelong learning as students articulate strategies for translating global experiences and expertise into personal values and professional opportunities in their future careers.
ISE 1800. INTRODUCTION TO ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING FOR NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH
The goal of this course is to provide international students for whom English is not their native language the necessary skills for academic success through reading and writing assignments. Students will focus on developing vocabulary, critical reading, paragraph, and essay writing skills. Emphasis is also given to a review of English grammar through intensive written and oral practice to promote accurate and appropriate language use.
Strongly recommended for first-year international non-native English speakers. Admission determined by Writing Placement or consent of the instructor.
ISE 1801. COMPOSITION FOR NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH
This course is for international students who want to develop their academic writing skills through a sequence of essay assignments, with emphasis on rhetorical and grammatical issues particular to second language learners (ESL). Students will concentrate on producing coherent paragraphs, developing short essays in a variety of rhetorical modes, and improving mechanics (grammar, punctuation) and vocabulary usage. Both personal and academic writing assignments provide practice in the process of writing and revising work for content and form.
Recommended Background: ISE 180X or equivalent skills (determined by Writing Placement or consent of the instructor).
Strongly recommended for first-year international non-native English speakers or ESL students. Admission determined by Writing Placement or consent of the instructor.
ISE 1803. ORAL COMMUNICATION FOR NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH
This course focuses on the speaking and listening skills that are necessary in an academic setting. Students practice formal and informal communication skills, including listening comprehension, pronunciation, and conversational and presentation skills. Students are encouraged to practice oral/aural exercises with the class as a whole and in small groups. Class work will build language skills and personal confidence levels.
Admission determined by consent of the instructor.
ISE 2800. COLLEGE WRITING FOR NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH
In this course students will practice analytical reading, writing, and thinking intensively, through a variety of exercises and assignments. Emphasis is placed on using various methods of organization appropriate to the writer’s purpose and audience. Students will read and discuss a selection of non-fiction texts; these readings will form the basis for writing assignments in summary, critique, synthesis, and persuasion. The course also stresses the ability to understand, use, and document college-level non-fiction readings as evidence for effectively formulating and accurately supporting a thesis. This course is for international students who have already studied grammar extensively and need to refine the ability to produce acceptable academic English.
Recommended Background: ISE 1801 or equivalent skills (determined by Writing Placement or consent of the instructor).
ISE 2810. LISTENING AND SPEAKING FOR NON_NATIVE SPEAKERS
Cat. II This course addresses the academic needs of high-intermediate/advanced non-native English language learners by developing their listening and speaking skills. Students will engage in activities to practice and improve listening skills, and participate in speaking activities to improve comprehensibility through pronunciation improvement.
Recommended background: Oral communication skills (ISE 1803) or equivalent skills. Note: Students who have taken ISE 281X may not receive credit for this course. This course will be offered in 2019-2020, and in alternate years thereafter.
ISE 281X. LISTENING AND SPEAKING FOR NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH
This course addresses the academic needs of high-intermediate/advanced non-native English language learners by developing their listening and speaking skills. Students will engage in activities to practice and improve listening skills, and participate in speaking activities to improve comprehensibility through pronunciation improvement.
Recommended background: Oral communication skills (ISE 1803) or equivalent skills.
ISE 282X. INTENSIVE READING FOR NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS
The goal of this course is to provide non-native English language students the skills to work with the highest levels of academic and professional reading. Students will develop active and critical reading skills by annotating self-selected textbook readings, academic journal articles, research reports, current news reports and essays. Students will create summaries, critiques, and reactions, and learn to analyze, synthesize and cite multiple sources when doing academic work. Students will also increase their vocabulary of high-level academic and professional terms.
Recommended background: Composition for Non-native Speakers of English (ISE 1801) or equivalent skills.
ISE 3800. LOADED LANGUAGE: DISCOURSE AND POWER IN INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH
Cat. II This course, for international non-native English speakers, examines how the varieties of this global language can define identity, reflect social structures, and create and maintain power differentials. The course examines discourse, coded language and labels, accents, and strategies for communicating across cultures. We will explore the effects of World Englishes on our own minds, our classroom, our campus, our local community, and the global stage.
Recommended background: Composition for non-native speakers of English (ISE 1801) or equivalent skills. This course satisfies the Inquiry Seminar requirement. Note: Students who have taken ISE 380X may not receive credit for this course. This course will be offered in 2019-2020, and in alternate years thereafter.
ISE 380X. LOADED LANGUAGE: DISCOURSE AND POWER IN INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH
This course, for international non-native English speakers, examines how the varieties of this global language can define identity, reflect social structures, and create and maintain power differentials. The course examines discourse, coded language and labels, accents, and strategies for communicating across cultures. We will explore the effects of World Englishes on our own minds, our classroom, our campus, our local community, and the global stage. Our aim is to understand not just how we use English, but also how English uses us. Our goal is to use that knowledge to act as ethical speakers of International English.
Recommended background: Composition for Non-native English Speakers (ISE 1801) or equivalent skills. This course satisfies the Seminar Inquiry requirement.
MU 1511. INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC
Cat. I This course, designed for students who have little or no previous experience in
music, will present an approach to the study of music that includes studying
some concepts of music theory (rhythms, scales, keys, intervals, harmony). The
course will also include a study of some of the great masterpieces though
listening, reading, and discussion.
Recommended background: No previous experience is necessary
MU 203X. MUSIC IN TIME OF CONFLICT
This course will focus on music that has been composed during, or in response to, war and societal conflicts. Music will be used as a tool and device to examine issues such as wars, genocide, assassinations, religious persecution, refugee/homelessness, and personal suffering. Works to be examined may include: Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem and Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time – a critique and reaction of World War II; David Lang’s Little Match Girl Passion – an expression of abuse and homelessness; and James MacMillan’s Cantos Sagrodos – a work highlighting the tragedies of political repression in Latin America. Along with the music, there may also be discussion of individual artists who have been outspoken about social issues, such as Leonard Bernstein in the 1960s, Dimitri Shostakovich under Stalin’s rule, and contemporary pop and jazz artists.
Recommended background: Basic knowledge of reading music, such as personal experience, participating in ensembles, or music courses (MU 1611: Fundamentals of Music I, or MU 1511: Introduction to Music).
MU 2300. FOUNDATIONS OF MUSIC TECHNOLOGY
This course will present ways to facilitate musicianship through the use of technology. Course topics include an introduction to music notation software, MIDI and audio recording, signal processing, and interactive music system programming. The course will address past, current, and emerging trends in music technology as they relate to facilitating an understanding of musical concepts.
Suggested background: a basic understanding of music notation and the fundamentals of music.
Students may not receive credit for both MU2300 and MU230X.
MU 2501. MUSIC AND MIND
How are we able to distinguish instruments, timbres and rhythms from the intertwined sonic stream presented by the world? How do we organize these elements in time to create rhythms, melodies, phrases and pieces? How do perception and memory interact to allow us navigate a musical work? We will explore these questions by considering the cognitive and perceptual processes that shape our musical experience. Topics will include event distinction, temporal perception, hierarchical organization, perceptual grouping, expertise, memory and categorization. We will illustrate these ideas in musical contexts by listening to a variety of musical works. We will consider how psychological principles are applied to music technologies, such as compression algorithms, mixing methodologies and the field of music information retrieval. We will consider experiments that focus on some of these topics to further our understanding about how we experience music.
Recommeded background: Fundamentals of Music I and/or Fundamentals of Music II.
Note: Students that received credit for MU202x cannot receive credit for MU2501. Students cannot receive credit for both MU2501 and PSY 2501. This course can count for either the HUA or the SSPS requirement, but it cannot double count for both the HUA and SSPS graduation requirements.
MU 2631. GLEE CLUB
Cat. I The Glee Club is one of WPI’s choral ensembles and the oldest student organization on campus. Glee Club performs many styles and periods of the vast repertoire of music featuring tenor and bass voices. Several times each year the Glee Club and Alden Voices (soprano and alto voices) join forces as the WPI Festival Chorus to perform major works of the repertoire. The Glee Club regularly performs on campus, throughout the Worcester area, and takes international and domestic tours. Rehearsals are held weekly. No audition is required. The course is open to all who are interested and sing in the tenor and bass range.
MU 2632. ALDEN VOICES
Cat. I Alden Voices is one of WPI’s choral ensembles and also functions as a student organization on campus. Alden Voices performs many styles and periods of the vast repertoire of music featuring soprano and alto voices. Several times each year the Alden Voices and the Glee Club (tenor and bass voices) join forces as the WPI Festival Chorus to perform major works of the repertoire. Alden Voices regularly performs on campus, throughout the Worcester area, and takes international and domestic tours. Rehearsals are held weekly. No audition is required. The course is open to all who are interested and sing in the soprano and alto range.
MU 2633. BRASS ENSEMBLE
Cat. I
The Brass Ensemble performs frequently on campus and on tour and is open to
students who perform on trumpet, trombone, euphonium, French horn, tuba,
or tympani. Renaissance antiphonal music is included in the repertoire.
Rehearsals are held weekly. Students are expected to perform with the ensemble
and to know how to read music. Permission of the instructor is necessary to
register.
MU 2634. JAZZ ENSEMBLE
Cat. I
The Jazz Ensemble performs frequently on campus and on tour and plays jazz
arrangements written for a small ensemble with major emphasis on improvisation.
Rehearsals are held weekly. Students are expected to perform with the
ensemble and to know how to read music. Permission of the instructor is
necessary to register.
MU 2635. STAGE BAND
Cat. I
The Stage Band performs traditional and contemporary big band literature with
an emphasis on stylistically appropriate interpretation and performance practice.
The ensemble performs frequently on campus and on tour. Rehearsals are held
weekly. Students are expected to perform with the ensemble and to know how to
read music. Permission of the instructor is necessary to register.
MU 2636. CONCERT BAND
Cat. I
The Concert Band is a large ensemble that performs several concerts a year as
well as on tour. Membership is open to those who play traditional wind, brass or
percussion instruments. Rehearsals are held weekly. Students are expected to
perform with the ensemble and to know how to read music.
MU 2637. STRING ENSEMBLE
Cat. I
The String Ensemble performs music for string orchestra both on campus and
on tour. Members of the string ensemble also comprise the string section for the
full orchestra. Rehearsals are held weekly. Students are expected to perform with
the ensemble and to know how to read music.
MU 2638. CHAMBER CHOIR
Cat. I The Chamber Choir is WPI’s smaller, audition-based, choral ensemble. This ensemble explores specific stylistic techniques as pertains to the music of the Renaissance, Baroque, twentieth century, jazz, and extended vocal techniques (electronic, digital and experimental). The ensemble meets weekly. Students are expected to be of the highest vocal caliber and should possess advanced sight-reading techniques. Open to all who are interested. Permission of the instructor is necessary to register.
MU 2719. JAZZ HISTORY
Cat. II
Through an introduction to the musical contributions of Louis Armstrong,
Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and others, students are exposed to
the chronological development of the language of jazz. Each jazz era is examined
in detail including the musical and social contexts which helped define it.
Participants are expected to build aural skills with the goal of identifying specific
historical periods through the recognition of particular musical characteristics.
Students examine in depth one artist of their choice.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
[This replaces MU 4623. Credit is not allowed for both MU 4623 and
MU 2719.]
MU 2720. MUSIC HISTORY I: MEDIEVAL THROUGH THE BAROQUE
Cat. II
This course provides a historical survey of Western music from Medieval
through Baroque periods with an emphasis on understanding stylistic traits and
theoretical concepts of the eras. Topics include Gregorian chant and secular
monophony; evolution of musical notation; development of polyphonic music;
and vocal and instrumental genres such as mass, motet, madrigal, opera, cantata,
sonata, and concerto, among others.
No prior background in music is necessary.
This course will be offered in 2016-17
, and in alternating years thereafter.
MU 2721. MUSIC HISTORY II: CLASSICAL TO THE PRESENT
Cat. I
This course provides a historical survey of Western music from the Classical
period to the present with an emphasis on understanding stylistic traits and
theoretical concepts of the eras. Topics include the development of genres such
as sonata, string quartet, concerto, symphony, symphonic poem, character piece,
Lied, and opera; and 20th century trends of impressionism, primitivism,
atonality, serialism, minimalism, aleatory music, and electronic music.
No prior background in music is necessary.
MU 2722. HISTORY OF AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC
Cat. I
This course will explore the uniqueness of America's popular music and its
origins in the music of Africa and the folk music of Europe. Particular emphasis
will be given to the origins and history of rock 'n' roll examining its roots in
blues and early American popular music.
[This replaces MU 4625. Credit is not
allowed for both MU 4625 and MU 2722.]
MU 2723. MUSIC COMPOSITION
Cat. I
This course will investigate the sonic organization of musical works and
performances, focusing on fundamental questions of unity and variety. Using a
progressive series of composition projects, the class will examine aesthetic issues
that are considered in the pragmatic context of the instructions that composers
provide to achieve a desired musical result. The class will examine the medium
of presentation - whether these instructions are notated in prose, as graphic
images, or in symbolic notation. Weekly listening, reading, and composition assignments draw on a broad range of musical styles and intellectual traditions,
from various cultures and historical periods.
The class will meet for two weekly sessions of one hour and fifty minutes.
Each student will be assigned a performance ensemble. Each performance
ensemble will have a weekly two-hour lab. In addition, each student will keep a weekly log (online) of his and her experiences as a composer.
MU 2730. JAZZ THEORY
Cat. I
This course examines harmonic and melodic relationships as applied to jazz and
popular music composition. Students are introduced to a wide range of jazz
improvisational performance practices. Topics include compositional forms,
harmonic structures, major and minor keys, blues, modal jazz, and reharmonization
techniques. Students are expected to have a basic knowledge of
reading music.
[This replaces MU 4624. Credit is not allowed for both
MU 4624 and MU 2730.]
MU 2801. MAKING MUSIC WITH MACHINES
Cat. I
This course will explore aesthetic and technical considerations of physical automatic mechanical (electro)acoustic instruments and the music that they make.
The history of automatic mechanical instruments reaches back centuries: we will explore some of this history by looking at past designs and listening to the sounds such designs produce. We will consider some of the music that has been composed using such instruments, including Nancarrow's Player Piano Studies, Ligeti's Barrel Organ music, and Gann's pieces for Disklavier. We will also look at modern efforts, which have increasingly moved towards robotics with the integration of computer-
based processing and sensing capabilities. We will ask how the music that these
machines make is a product of their design. The technical and project-based
components of this course will introduce students to principles involved in instrument design, actuators, electronic circuits, microcontrollers, and musical programming environments. We will do all of this with the goal of designing and building new machines to make new kinds of music.
Students who already received credit for MU201x cannot receive credit for MU 2801.
Recommended Background: Fundamentals of Music I and / or Fundamentals of Music II.
MU 3001. WORLD MUSIC
Cat. II
This course introduces students to selected musical cultures of the world, e.g.,
Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, from the ethnomusicological
perspective by examining their musical styles as well as cultural and social
contexts. Students will be expected to read materials in interdisciplinary areas,
including musical ethnographies.
No prior background in music is necessary.
This course will be offeredin 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
MU 3002. ARRANGING AND ORCHESTRATION
Cat. I
Students will study specific characteristics of instruments and the voice to enable
them to successfully arrange vocal and instrumental music. Students will need to
possess a basic knowledge of music theory. Suggested background for this course
is MU 1611 (Fundamentals of Music I) or its equivalent.
MU 3614. TOPICS IN MIDI
Cat. I
This course examines topics in Music Technology in which the application of MIDI and MIDI systems play a significant role. Topics may vary each year among the following areas: sequencing, live performance, composition, and film scoring. Students can take MU 3614 only one time for credit, but a student interested in taking another version can take a second one as an ISP.
Recommended background: MU 1611 (Fundamentals of Music)
MU 3615. TOPICS IN DIGITAL SOUND
Cat. I
This course examines topics in Music Technology in which Digital Sound plays a significant role. Topics may vary each year among the following areas: digital editing, audio recording, film scoring, game audio, sound effects, audio production, theatrical sound, and surround sound. Students can take MU 3615 only one time for credit, but a student interested in taking another version can take a second one as an ISP.
Recommended background: MU 1611 (Fundamentals of Music).
MU 3616. TOPICS IN INTERACTIVE PROGRAMMING
Cat. I
This course examines topics in Music Technology in which Interactive Programming plays a significant role. Topics may vary each year among the following areas: real time performance controllers, algorithmic composition, interface design, sensor technology, and gesture detection.
Students can take MU 3616 only one time for credit, but a student interested in taking another version can take a second one as an ISP.
Recommended background: MU 1611 (Fundamentals of Music).
MU 3620. ELECTRONIC MUSIC COMPOSITION
This course will address concepts of composition through the use of technology. Students will examine existing compositions in electronic music, art music, popular music, film, multimedia, games, and more, and compose new works within these genres. Students will present newly composed works each class and discuss their aesthetic values, musical functions, and technical underpinnings.
Suggested background: knowledge of basic musicianship skills such as melody, harmony, and rhythm, as well as familiarity with at least one digital audio workstation or notation software.
Students may not receive credit for both MU3620 and MU362X.
MU 401X. ARTIFICIAL COMPOSITION
In her notes about Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, Ada Lovelace imagined a computer that could compose elaborate pieces of music. Almost 200 years later, technologies such as Amper Music, LANDR, Cybernetic Poet, and Taroko Gorge have entered domains that have defined human creativity and expressivity. How are we to understand such systems and their output? To what extent can a machine voice that which is elementally human? To what extent are we mechanical or algorithmic in the process of composition? How do the natural and the naturalized relate to artifice and the artificial in this context? In this multidisciplinary course we will bring together computer science, literary studies, and music analysis to explore techniques and technologies including algorithmic composition, asemic writing, automatic writing, machine learning, and human-machine interaction. Project work might include creative, critical, or hybrid interventions concerned with compositional systems, literary works, and/or musical productions.
Recommended background: understanding of basic music theory (e.g. MU 1511, Introduction to Music or MU 1611, Fundamentals of Music); and/or coursework in Creative Writing / English (e.g. EN 1251, Introduction to Literature, or EN 2219, Creative Writing, or EN 3219, Advanced Creative Writing); and/or work in Artificial Intelligence and/or Machine learning (e.g. CS 4100, 4341, 534, 539, or 540).
MU 403X. INTERACTIVE MUSIC TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION STUDIO
This course addresses topics related to innovation and entrepreneurship in interactive music technology. Students enrolled in this course will learn to develop project objectives, milestones, and deliverables in their topic areas related to projects associated with music composition, performance, and education. Students will also learn strategies for innovation and entrepreneurship, including social entrepreneurship, and best practices for bringing project ideas to completion and dissemination. Students will work in teams to develop prototypes of software and hardware that facilitate music composition, performance, and education through innovating technology, which may include multimedia and game environment, mobile applications, musical instrument adaptations, effects and audio processors, and immersive installation experiences.
Recommended background: courses related to music technology and some programming, and/or mechanical engineering, and/or electric engineering experience.
MU 4621. INDEPENDENT INSTRUCTION (LESSONS) IN MUSIC
IS/P
Students electing to complete their Humanities and Arts Requirement in music
may, for one of their five courses, undertake 1/3 unit (normally at 1/12 unit per
term) of private vocal or instrumental instruction. (Supplemental ensemble work is
also strongly recommended.) The student must receive prior approval by a member
of the WPI music faculty, and the instruction must be beyond the elementary level.
Lessons involve a separate fee. Note that the maximum of 1/3 unit credit for
lessons may be earned in addition to 1/3 unit credit for performance (see condition
A or B below). Additional work, either in performance or lessons, may be
acknowledged on the WPI transcript but will carry no WPI credit. Private lessons:
voice, piano, organ, winds, brass, strings, and percussion.
PY 1731. INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION
Cat. I
This course provides an overview of key concepts, methods and authors in both
fields. These introduce the student to the types of reasoning required for the
pursuit of in-depth analysis in each discipline.
Emphasis on topics and authors varies with the particular instructor.
PY 2711. EPISTEMOLOGY
Cat. II
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy inquiring into the nature and conditions of knowledge and truth. Epistemologists ask such questions as: How should we define knowledge? Is knowledge generated by reason or experience? How has knowledge of nature been represented in Western philosophy and science? Is knowledge objective? What constitutes adequate justification for holding a belief? Do attributions of epistemic credibility vary among knowers from different social, cultural, and economic locations? How do power and ideology shape our experiences of the world? Students explore questions such as these and others as they submit their own beliefs about the nature of knowledge to philosophical examination. The course readings and situating context for inquiry will vary each time the course is taught, with each iteration focusing on a particular period or school of philosophical thought. Possible contexts include seventeenth century philosophy or other periods in the history of philosophy, critical theory, pragmatism, analytic philosophy, phenomenology, and feminist philosophy.
Recommended Background: none
PY 2712. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Cat. II
This course examines metaphysical and moral questions that philosophers have
raised about social and political life. Among questions treated might be: What
are the grounds, if any, of the obligation of a citizen to obey a sovereign? Are
there basic principles of justice by which societies, institutions and practices are
rightly evaluated? What is democracy, and how can we tell if an institution or
practice is democratic? To what degree do economic institutions put limits on
the realization of freedom, democracy and self-determination? Readings might
include excerpts from the works of Plato, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Marx,
as well as numerous contemporary philosophers.
Suggested background: familiarity with basic concepts in philosophy (as in
PY/RE 1731).
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
PY 2713. BIOETHICS
Cat. II
The purpose of this course is to evaluate the social impact of technology in the
areas of biology/biotechnology, biomedical engineering and chemistry. The focus
of the course will be on the human values in these areas and how they are
affected by new technological developments. The course will deal with problems
such as human experimentation, behavior control, death, genetic engineering
and counseling, abortion, and the allocation of scarce medical resources. These
problems will be examined through lectures, discussions and papers.
Suggested background: knowledge of key terms and concepts as given in
PY/RE 1731 and PY/RE 2731.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
PY/RE 2716. GENDER, RACE, AND CLASS
Cat. II
This course examines the meanings of social categories such as gender, race, class, sexuality, ability, nationality, and species. What are the philosophical and religious foundations of the categorizations of beings operative in our contemporary cultures? How do attributions of same and different, normal and abnormal, rational and irrational, human and nonhuman shape social and political processes of inclusion and exclusion? Are social categories real, constructed, or both? This course focuses primarily on intersectional approaches to oppression and identity that see social categories such as gender, race, and class as mutually constitutive rather than separable. Course readings span a range of philosophical and religious traditions including Continental philosophy, analytic philosophy, Latina/o studies, feminist theory, queer theory, critical race theory, disability studies, and environmental studies. Students may not earn credit for both PY 2716 and RE 2716.
PY 2717. PHILOSOPHY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Cat. I
This course will focus on the following questions:
What is the scope of the current environmental crisis? What does this crisis
reveal about the philosophical presuppositions and dominant values of our
intellectual worldviews and social institutions? How can existing social theories
help explain the environmental crisis? What implications does the crisis have for
our sense of personal identity? What moral and spiritual resources can help us
respond to it?
Readings will be taken from contemporary and historical philosophers and
naturalists.
Suggested background: familiarity with basic concepts in philosophy (as in
PY/RE 1731).
PY 2718. EXISTENTIALISM AND PHENOMENOLOGY
Cat. I
This course focuses on two important movements in nineteenth and twentieth century philosophy, existentialism and phenomenology. Readings might include works by Kierkegaard, Dostoyevsky, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Beauvoir, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Levinas, and Fanon, as well as contemporary readings by feminist, critical race, and queer theorists working within these traditions. Students will also encounter some of the great works of existentialist fiction and cinema. Themes that may be explored include the relationship between self and other, the tension between freedom and responsibility, the possibility of ethics after World War II, and the problem of ethical and political commitment in an alienating world.
Recommended Background: none
PY 2719. PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Cat. I
This course is an in-depth consideration of the meaning, value, and consequences of scientific inquiry. Questions explored may include: Does science yield truth? Are the results of scientific inquiry more a reflection of the workings of the human mind than of those of the external world? Do pivotal scientificconcepts like gene, electron, photon, species, and ecosystem point to entities that actually exist? Does the history of science, which includes many refutations of theories once believed to be true, raise questions about whether currently accepted theories should be trusted? By what methods does a scientific community validate knowledge claims and how are these processes affected by social, political, and economic contexts? Does a scientist have a responsibility to conduct morally conscientious research?
How does the development of technology affect our spiritual and moral characters? In what ways is science similar to religion and in what ways is it different? The focus of this course may vary each time it is offered from an examination of science in general to an investigation of the foundations of specific branches of science such as physics, biology, environmental science, or social science.
Recommended Background: PY/RE 1731, Introduction to Philosophy and Religion or PY/RE 2731, Introduction to Ethics.
PY 2731. ETHICS
Cat. I This course offers a general introduction to modern moral theory. What makes one action wrong, and another right? What are our moral duties towards others? Do moral values change over time, making beliefs about right and wrong simply "relative," or are moral values objective, holding true for all people, everywhere, at all times? Should emotions play a role in ethical deliberation, or should we aspire to be purely rational when engaged in moral thought and action? Is it okay to cheat on an exam, so long as everybody else does it? Do we have a right to use animals in laboratory experiments? Is eating meat ethical? Is it wrong to share a racist or sexist joke? Should abortion be legal? Students will learn how to apply key moral concepts to real-world problems and situations after closely studying several moral theories, including utilitarianism, Kantianism, and feminist care ethics. Other topics covered include moral relativism, psychological hedonism, and ethical egoism.
PY 2732. SUFFERING, HEALING & VALUES
Cat. II
This course examines medicine, not from a scientific or professional view, but from a specificallyhumanistic approach. Using essays, films, fiction, poetry and plays, we will aim to make explicit the moral values most deeply held by practitioners in the healing professions. What other kinds of values can get in the way of those most deeply held aims? What are the responsibilities of a medical professional in
today's society? What are the sources of those responsibilities? The course will focus both on professional and personal dilemmas and will help students think through some moral problems that are likely to confront them in their professional and personal lives. The class should also help prepare students to navigate through the tough moral issues they are likely to face, either as a medical
professional, a citizen, a parent, a child of parents, or as potentially a sick person themselves. This class proposes to grant students the reflective time to read some of the most eloquent authors on suffering, caretaking, and sickness (for example, Oliver Sacks, Jerome Groopman, Susan Sontag, Leo Tolstoy, Virginia Woolf, Tony Kushner, Tracy Kidder, Perri Klass, etc.) and to express their reflections on these
resources in effective communication.
Recommended Background: PY/RE 1731 or an introductory level literature course.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
PY 2734. PHILOSOPHY AND SPIRITUALITY
Cat. II
Spirituality is a philosophical perspective which stresses the role of virtue in happiness and morality; a psychological perspective on emotions and desire; and an essential dimension of religious life. Found in all religions, it is also personally important for the tens of millions who describe themselves as "spiritual but not religious." This course will investigate the many dimensions of spiritual thought and practice, focusing on questions such as: What similarities/differences exist among the spiritual teachings of traditional religions? What is a spiritual experience, a spiritual lesson, a spiritual life? What is the role of spiritual practices such as yoga, meditation, and prayer? What is the place of spirituality in medicine (e.g.,
meditation as treatment for stress), our relation to nature (e.g., the experience of a sunset), and political life (e.g., Gandhi, King, spiritual environmentalism)? Beyond scientific knowledge, technological expertise, and common sense, is there such a thing as wisdom?
Recommended background: PY/RE 1731, Introduction to Philosophy and Religion.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
PY 3711. TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY
Cat. I This course is organized around an advanced or specialized topic in philosophy and provides preparation for HU 3900 Inquiry Seminars in philosophy and religion. Emphasis on topics and authors will vary with instructor, but will typically involve the study of: a particular philosopher (e.g., Plato, Marx, Dewey, Arendt); a particular philosophical tradition (e.g., Pragmatism, Analytic Philosophy, Buddhism, Feminism); a particular philosophical problem or topic (free will, globalization, consciousness, social movement, justice); or a particular philosophical classic (Aristotle’s Ethics, Hobbes’s The Leviathan, Beauvoir’s The Second Sex). The topical theme of the course will be provided as a modified course title in the course description posted online.
Recommended Background: None.
PY 3712. PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
Cat. II
This course will focus on philosophical questions concerning the following
topics: the existence and nature of God; the compatibility of God and evil; the
nature of religious faith and the relationship between religion, science and
ethics; interpretations of the nature of religious language; the philosophically
interesting differences between Western and Eastern religions; philosophical
critiques of the role of religion in social life. Authors may include: Hume, Kant,
Kierkegaard, Buber, Tillich, Daly, Nietzsche and Buddha.
Suggested background: familiarity with basic religious concepts and terms (as
in PY/RE 1731).
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
RE 1731. INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION
Cat. I
This course provides an overview of key concepts, methods and authors in both
fields. These introduce the student to the types of reasoning required for the
pursuit of in-depth analysis in each discipline.
Emphasis on topics and authors varies with the particular instructor.
RE 2721. RELIGION AND CULTURE
Cat. I
The purpose of this course is to examine how the two institutions of religion
and culture interact and mutually influence one another. To do this a variety of
definitions of religion and culture will be presented as well as an analysis of how
religion interacts with such cultural phenomena as economics, politics, the state,
war and the basic problem of social change. The purpose of this is to obtain a
variety of perspectives on both religion and culture so that one can begin to
articulate more clearly the different influences that occur in the development of
one's own personal history and the culture in which one lives.
Suggested background: knowledge of key terms and concepts as given in
PY/RE 1731.
RE 2722. QUESTIONS OF EVIL AND GOOD
Cat. I
Notions of good and evil shape many of our day to day religious and philosophical
claims and arguments. This course concerns questions and approaches to
what is often called "evil," through a study of classical and contemporary texts
and problems. The focus of the course will vary, but will include metaphysical,
moral, and political ideas about kinds and relations of goods and evils from
different religious and philosophical perspectives. This study takes into account
notions of error, ignorance, wrong-doing, freedom and responsibility evident in
contemporary religious and philosophical debate.
RE 2723. RELIGIONS OF THE WEST
Cat. II
The purpose of this course is to examine, from an historical, doctrinal, scriptural
and philosophical perspective, major Western religions. The course will focus
primarily on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Other religions will be examined.
The course will attend to the social context in which these religions developed
and will examine their continuing influence on Western society.
Suggested background: RE/PY 1731 and RE 2721.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
RE 2724. RELIGIONS OF THE EAST
Cat. II
The purpose of this course is to examine, from the perspectives of history text,
practice, and philosophy, some or all of the following religions: Hinduism,
Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto. The course will attend to the
social context in which these religions began, their relations with their culture,
their rituals and their continuing influences in the East and West.
Suggested background: PY/RE 1731 and RE 2721.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, amd in alternating years thereafter.
RE 2731. ETHICS
Cat. I This course offers a general introduction to modern moral theory. What makes one action wrong, and another right? What are our moral duties towards others? Do moral values change over time, making beliefs about right and wrong simply "relative," or are moral values objective, holding true for all people, everywhere, at all times? Should emotions play a role in ethical deliberation, or should we aspire to be purely rational when engaged in moral thought and action? Is it okay to cheat on an exam, so long as everybody else does it? Do we have a right to use animals in laboratory experiments? Is eating meat ethical? Is it wrong to share a racist or sexist joke? Should abortion be legal? Students will learn how to apply key moral concepts to real-world problems and situations after closely studying several moral theories, including utilitarianism, Kantianism, and feminist care ethics. Other topics covered include moral relativism, psychological hedonism, and ethical egoism.
RE 2732. SUFFERING, HEALING & VALUES
Cat. II
This course examines medicine, not from a scientific or professional view, but from a specifically humanistic approach. Using essays, films, fiction, poetry and plays, we will aim to make explicit the moral values most deeply held by practitioners in the healing professions. What other kinds of values can get in the way of those most deeply held aims? What are the responsibilities of a medical professional in
today's society? What are the sources of those responsibilities? The course will focus both on professional and personal dilemmas and will help students think through some moral problems that are likely to confront them in their professional and personal lives. The class should also help prepare students to navigate through the tough moral issues they are likely to face, either as a medical
professional, a citizen, a parent, a child of parents, or as potentially a sick person themselves. This class proposes to grant students the reflective time to read some of the most eloquent authors on suffering, caretaking, and sickness (for example, Oliver Sacks, Jerome Groopman, Susan Sontag, Leo Tolstoy, Virginia Woolf, Tony Kushner, Tracy Kidder, Perri Klass, etc.) and to express their reflections on these
resources in effective communication.
Recommended Background: PY/RE 1731 or an introductory level literature course.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
RE 3721. TOPICS IN RELIGION
Cat. I This course is organized around an advanced or specialized topic in religion and provides preparation for HU 3900 Inquiry Seminars in philosophy and religion. The focus will vary, but the material will be drawn from a particular religious thinker, a particular religious tradition or a particular historical or contemporary problem. The topical theme of the class will be provided as a modified course title in the course description posted online.
Recommended background: none
SP 1523. ELEMENTARY SPANISH I
Cat. I
A very intensive course that will introduce the student to the basic grammar of
Spanish, emphasizing the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and
writing. It will also introduce the student to different aspects of Hispanic
cultures in the U.S. and in Spanish-speaking countries. Students who have taken
Spanish in high school are urged to take a placement exam before enrolling in
either level of Elementary Spanish.
To enroll in this course, you must obtain written permission from one of the
Spanish professors. This course is reserved for those students with only one year of high
school Spanish or with no previous experience. This course is closed to native speakers
of Spanish and heritage speakers except with written permission from the instructor.
SP 2521. INTERMEDIATE SPANISH I
Cat. I
A course designed to allow students to improve their written and oral skills,
expand their vocabulary and review some important grammatical structures.
Students will also read short stories and poems by some of the most representative
Spanish American and Spanish authors, such as Horacio Quiroga, Jorge Luis
Borges, Gabriela Mistral and Ana María Matute.
Recommended background: Elementary Spanish II.
This course is closed to native speakers of Spanish and heritage speakers except with
written permission from the instructor.
SP 3521. ADVANCED SPANISH I
Cat. I
A course that continues to improve students' language skills while deepening
their understanding of Hispanic cultures. Some of the topics studied are: the
origins of Hispanic cultures in Spain and Spanish America; family; men and
women in Hispanic societies; education; religion.
Recommended background: Intermediate Spanish II.
This course is closed to native speakers of Spanish except with written permission
from the instructor.
SP 3523. TOPICS IN LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE
Cat. II
An introduction to various aspects of life in Latin American countries from early
times to the present. Focusing on the social and political development of Latin
America, the course will reveal the unity and diversity that characterize
contemporary Latin American culture. Typical topics for study include: the
precolumbian
civilizations and their cultural legacy; the conquistadores and the
colonial period; the independence movements; the search for and the definition of
an American identity; the twentieth-century dictatorships; and the move toward
democracy.
Recommended background: SP 3521 (Advanced Spanish I) and SP 3522
(Advanced Spanish II) or equivalent.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement.
SP 3524. SPANISH-AMERICAN LITERATURE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Cat. II
This course, taught in the Spanish language, focuses on the major literary
movements in Spanish America, from the "Modernista" movement at the turn
of the century to the Latin American "Boom" of the 1960s to the political
literature of the '70s and '80s. The work of representative authors, such as
Rubén Dario, Julio Cortázar, Rosario Castellanos, Elena Poniatowska, will be
discussed.
Recommended background: SP 3521 (Advanced Spanish I) and SP 3522
(Advanced Spanish II) or equivalent.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement.
SP 3525. SPANISH AMERICAN FILM/MEDIA: CULTURAL ISSUES
Cat. II
Through Latin American and Caribbean films, and other media sources, this
course studies images, topics, and cultural and historical issues related to modern
Latin American and the Caribbean. Within the context and influence of the
New Latin American Cinema and/or within the context of the World Wide
Web, radio, newspapers, and television the course teaches students to recognize
cinematographic or media strategies of persuasion, and to understand the images
and symbols utilized in the development of a national/regional identity. Among
the topics to be studied are: immigration, gender issues, national identity,
political issues, and cultural hegemonies.
Taught in advanced level Spanish. May be used toward foreign language
Minor, or Major.
Recommended Background: SP 2521 and SP 2522, and SP 3523.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement.
SP 3526. COMPARATIVE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS
Cat. II
The basis of this course is a comparative study and analysis of specific Latin
American and Caribbean business practices and environments, and the customs
informing those practices. SP/ID 3526 focuses on countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica. The course’s main objective is to
study communication strategies, business protocol, and negotiation practices in
the countries mentioned above. Through oral presentations and written essays,
students will have the opportunity to explore other countries in Latin America
and the Caribbean.
Taught in advanced level Spanish. May be used toward foreign language
Minor, or Major.
Recommended Background: SP 2521 and SP 2522.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement.
SP 3527. TECHNICAL AND BUSINESS SPANISH
Cat. II
The course focuses on the linguistic concepts, terminology, and grammar
involved in business and technical Spanish. Students will be required to produce
and edit business documents such as letters, job applications, formal oral and
written reports, etc. The objective of this course is to help students develop the
basic written and oral communication skills to function in a business environment
in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Recommended background: SP 2521 and SP 2522.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement.
SP 3528. SPANISH CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION
Cat. II
This course is an introduction to various aspects of life in Spain, from early
times to the present. The main focus is on Spain's social, political, and cultural
development and its experience of diversity within its European context. Typical
topics for study include: The Reconquista and the Arab influence in Spanish
culture, the Spanish monarchy, its evolution into a democracy, the development
of modern politics, the importance of the Spanish Civil war, and the influence
of writers (such as Federico García Lorca), painters (such as Pablo Picasso), and
art in general in modern Spanish culture. This course is taught in Spanish.
Recommended background: SP 3521 (Advanced Spanish I) and SP 3522
(Advanced Spanish II) or equivalent.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement.
SP 3529. CARIBBEANNESS: VOICES OF THE SPANISH CARIBBEAN
Cat. II
A survey of Caribbean literature and arts that takes a multimedia approach to
examining the different voices that resonate from the Spanish Caribbean and
what appears to be a constant search for identity. By studying the works of major
authors, films, music and the plastic arts, we will examine the socio-cultural
context and traditions of this region in constant search for self-definition.
Special attention will be given to the influential role ethnicity, colonialism,
gender and socio-economic development play in the interpretation of works
from Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Venezuela as
well as those of the Caribbean diaspora. This course is taught in Spanish.
Recommended background: SP 3521 (Advanced Spanish I) and SP 3522
(Advanced Spanish II) or equivalent.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement.
SP 3530. SPANISH FILM/MEDIA: CULTURAL ISSUES
Cat. II
Through Spanish films, and other media sources, this course studies images,
topics, and cultural and historical issues that have had an impact in the creation
of a modern Spanish nation. This course focuses on current political and ideological
issues (after 1936), the importance of Spanish Civil war, gender identity,
and class, cultural and power relationships. This course is taught in Spanish.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternative years thereafter.
This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement.
SP 3531. CONTEMPORARY US LATINO LITERATURE & CULTURE
Cat. II
This course introduces students to the field of Latino studies, paying particular
attention to the cultural productions of U.S. Latinos in film, theater, music,
fiction writing and cultural criticism. At the same time that this course reflects
upon a transnational framework for understanding the continuum between U.S.
Latinos and Latin American/Caribbean communities, we closely examine more
U.S. based arguments supporting and contesting the use of Latino as an ethnic racial
term uniting all U.S. Latino communities. We examine the ways in which
U.S. Latinos have manufactured identities within dominant as well as counter
cultural registers. In this course, special attention is given to the aesthetics of autobiography and to how Latino writers experiment with this genre in order to
address changing constructions of immigration, language, exile, and identity.
This course is taught in English.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement.
SP 3532. STUDIES IN SPANISH LITERATURE: ARTISTIC EXPRESSION AND NATION BUILDING
Cat. II
This course introduces students to the study of Spanish literature through
analytical readings of essays, poetry, drama, and fiction of representative Spanish
writers from medieval to contemporary times. The selected authors to be studied
reflect Spanish society’s cultural and political efforts conducive to a nation
building process. Among the topics to be covered are: Literary and artistic
movements, nationalist and religious discourses, cultural miscegenation, gender
issues, regional, political and class conflicts, the role of the intellectual, and
strategies for the construction of identities.
This course is taught in Spanish.
Recommended Background: SP 3522 and SP 3528.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement.
TH 110X. ACTING: CONTEMPORARY STYLES
How does one explore a theatrical world physically and emotionally with language and find emotional truth? This class will explore foundational acting techniques drawn from the teachings and legacy of Konstantin Stanislavski (1863 – 1938), a Russian actor, director, producer and founder of the Moscow Art Theatre. His “Stanislavski Method” is one of the most influential acting approaches in the 20th
and 21st centuries. This approach will include analysis and exploration “on our feet” of such terms as unit, objective, subtext, action, among others, as well as focus on incorporating characterization and given circumstances. We will do this through in-class exercises, as well as monologue and scenework
onstage and on video from a variety of texts that employ naturalistic language (for example, Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie, Lynn Nottage’s Sweat, and Theresa Rebeck’s Mauritius, among others.) Further, we will explore the historical and social background of these playwrights in order to contextualize the ideas and mores behind the drama. Additionally, each actor will be expected to do research in order to better prepare themselves to dive into these theatrical worlds. Beyond acting skills, the student will learn valuable skills in public speaking and in conveying clear, complex ideas.
Recommended background: Some theatre or acting experience is desirable but the course is suitable for anyone with interest in the subject.
TH 222X. THEATRE FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING
This course will explore how theatre is beginning to adapt to Social Distancing. Students will explore previous digital theatre trends while considering future implementation given world events. Groups in the class will develop and produce a digital theatrical performance or event while documenting the process. They will research methods for implementation, required technology, adaptation of theatrical elements, audience engagement and subject matter. The class will decide on whether to produce an original work or adapt existing works for the new medium. This work will culminate with each group performing a digital theatre experience
accessible to the public.
Recommended Background: None; though students will benefit from a basic knowledge of theatre productions.
WR 1010. ELEMENTS OF WRITING
Cat. I
This course is designed for students who wish to work intensively on their writing. The course will emphasize the processes of composing and revising, the rhetorical strategies of written exposition and argumentation, and the reading and citation practices central to academic inquiry. In a workshop setting, students will write a sequence of short papers and complete one longer writing project based on multiple source texts; learn to read critically and respond helpfully to each other's writing; and make oral presentations from written texts. Where applicable, the topical theme of the class will be provided via the Registrar's office.
Note: Students who have taken EN/WR 2211 cannot receive credit for this course.
WR 1011. WRITING ABOUT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cat. I
This course will examine the appropriate dissemination of scientific information in common science writing genres such as science journalism, consulting reports and white papers, and policy and procedure documents. In a workshop setting, students will write and revise documents that promote broad understanding of scientific research and analysis of specialized knowledge. Course lectures and discussions investigate ethics of scientific reporting and teach students how to recognize deceptive texts and arguments (both quantitative and qualitative). The course is reading and writing intensive and is intended for students with backgrounds in a scientific discipline who are interested in applying their disciplinary knowledge.
Note: Students who have taken EN/WR 2211 cannot receive credit for this course.
WR 1020. INTRODUCTION TO RHETORIC
This course will apply classical and modern rhetorical concepts to analyze various texts and speeches in order to identify the means of persuasion to a particular end. Students will write short analytical papers that critically assess various rhetorical and communicative approaches. The goal of this course is to enable students to see rhetoric in action in order to both engage with the material critically as well as produce effective discourse to meet various situations.
WR 2010. ELEMENTS OF STYLE
This course will cover basic principles of prose style for expository and argumentative writing. Students will learn to evaluate writing for stylistic problems and will learn revision strategies for addressing those problems. The ultimate goal of the course is to help students write sentences and paragraphs that are clear, concise, and graceful. In the first part of the course, students will review parts of speech, basic sentence types, and sentence and paragraph structure in order to understand how sentences are put together and the impact their construction has on readers. Then, through hands-on writing exercises and extensive revision of their own and others’ writing, students will learn strategies for tightening their prose (concision), achieving “flow” (cohesion and coherence) and improving usage (language specificity and precision).
Recommended background: WR 1010 (Elements of Writing), WR 1011 (Writing About Science & Technology), or WR 1020 (Introduction to Rhetoric).
WR 2210. BUSINESS WRITING AND COMMUNICATION
Cat. I.
This course emphasizes the standard written genres of professional, workplace
communication. Students will analyze the history, purposes, conventions, and social consequences of a variety of business communications, focusing on digital and print correspondence, reports, and proposals directed to internal and external audiences. Students will learn about the culture of a professional environment and the role of writing in structuring identity and relationships within that context. Classes will be conducted as interactive writing workshops in which students assess and respond to rhetorical scenarios and sample texts from a variety of professional worksites. Students will create portfolios, producing professional writing samples they may use on the job market.
Suggested background: WR 1010 or WR 1011.
Note: Students who have taken EN/WR 2210 cannot receive credit for this course.
WR 2213. INTRODUCTION TO JOURNALISM
Cat. I.
The course is for students who may wish to make careers in journalism or
communications and for those who wish to understand the history, function, production and contemporary challenges of print journalism. Students will analyze articles from newspapers, magazines and Web sites. They will learn and practice the skills of the journalist: finding the story, researching, interviewing, writing on deadline, copy-editing and proof-reading. Classes will also cover matters such as objectivity, fairness, ethics and libel, as well as wider issues of mass communication such as agenda setting, citizen journalism and the implications of converging media. To give students a more keen sense of audience, work will be read and discussed in class. Students will be urged to write for the college newspaper. Publication beyond the campus will be strongly encouraged.
WR 2310. VISUAL RHETORIC
Cat. I
This course explores how visual design is used for purposes of identification,
information, and persuasion. It looks at many modes of visual communication, such as icons, logos, trademarks, signs, product packaging, infographics, posters, billboards, ads, exhibits, graffiti, page layout, films, television, videogames, and web sites. The course provides an overview of the history of graphic design movements, as well as analytical tools to understand how visual design encodes messages and the role visual communication plays in contemporary culture. Students will write about and create a number of visual media in this projectcentered class.
Suggested background: WR 1010
Note: Students who have taken EN/WR 3211 cannot receive credit for this course.
WR 2400. WRITING CHARACTERS FOR INTERACTIVE MEDIA & GAMES
Cat. II
This course will present concepts and skills necessary to create compelling characters in interactive media and games. Topics covered may include the 3 dimensions of character, growth and development of the player-character and non-player characters, dialogue, character relationships and evoking emotions through rhetorical tropes.
Recommended background: Previous experience in the fundamentals of writing for interactive media and games, such as that provided by IMGD 1002: Storytelling for Interactive Media and Games.
Students may not receive credit for both IMGD/WR 2400 and IMGD 240X.
WR 250X. WRITING IN THE LIFE SCIENCES
Writing in the Life Sciences will provide students with an introduction to academic writing within the disciplines that comprise the Life Sciences. Topics will include:
• Ethics and research integrity as it pertains to research design, documentation, reporting, and communicating results to specialist and non-specialist audiences,
• Fundamentals of writing in the Life Sciences including definitions and technical vocabulary, technical style, documentation, revising and editing,
• Human factors that influence health including social determinants of health and health disparities,
• Important documents in the Life Sciences including literature reviews and synopses, laboratory reports, proposals, and research presentations.
The course will also include writing for non-specialist audiences and newer methods of science communication including social media.
Recommended background: One introductory course (1000 level) in professional writing in which students have translated scientific writing for diverse audiences (e.g.: WR 1011, Writing about Science & Technology). Foundational life sciences courses with emphasis in anatomy and physiology are also recommended.
WR 251X. ETHICS OF SCIENCE WRITING
In this course, students will grapple with the question of what it means to approach science writing from an ethical perspective. Taking a processual approach to the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge, we will examine the ethics of science writing in relation to research, publishing, distribution, and reception. Some of the ethical questions we will address include: authorship and intellectual property, racial and gender bias in data collection and interpretation, reproducibility and transparency, plagiarism, peer review, citation metrics, data management, and research funding aligned with corporate or government interests. At the end of the class, students will be able to identify and analyze political, institutional, and cultural factors underlying the ethics of science writing.
Recommended Background: None
WR 3011. TEACHING WRITING
Cat. II
Teaching Writing introduces students to the theory and practice of written
composition. Students research and read about the writing process and how best to support it through the practice of explicit teaching and tutoring. They learn specific strategies that can support writers as they plan, draft, and revise written work in a number of genres, and they study effective ways to provide helpful feedback on drafts. They also learn about and practice navigating the social, political and interpersonal dynamics of the teacher/tutor-student relationship through a tutoring internship at the Writing Center and through assignments prompting them to develop lesson plans and instructional handouts. This course will help students improve their own writing and read their own and others’ writing more critically. It will be especially useful for those who plan to teach or tutor writing in the future.
Recommended background: WR 1010 Elements of Writing
Note: Students who have taken WR/EN 3011 Peer Tutoring in Writing cannot receive credit for this course.
This course will be offered in 2015-16, and in alternating years thereafter.
WR 3112. RHETORICAL THEORY
Cat. I.
Rhetoric concerns both the art of mastering the available means of persuasion
and the study of how oral, written, and visual communication projects the intentions of individuals and groups, makes meanings, and affects audiences. The purpose of this course therefore is two-fold. It is intended to help students become more effective communicators by learning about the rhetorical situation and various rhetorical techniques, and it is designed to help them understand how various forms of communication work by learning some of the philosophies and strategies of rhetorical analysis.
Recommended background: Introduction to Rhetoric.
Note: Students who have taken RH 3112 cannot receive credit for this course.
WR 3210. TECHNICAL WRITING
Cat. I.
Technical writing combines technical knowledge with writing skills to communicate technology to the world. This course introduces the fundamental principles of technical communication, and the tools commonly used in the technical writing profession. Topics include user and task analysis, information design, instructional writing, and usability testing. Students learn to use the technical writing process to create user-centered documents that combine text, graphics, and visual formatting to meet specific information needs. Students create a portfolio of both hardcopy and online documentation, using professional tools such as FrameMaker, Acrobat, and RoboHelp.
Recommended background: WR 1010, or equivalent writing course.
WR 3214. WRITING ABOUT DISEASE AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Cat. I.
This writing workshop focuses on the purposed and genres of writing about
disease and public health. We will consider how biomedical writers communicate
technical information about disease and public health to general audiences; how writers capture the human experience of disease and health care; how writers treat the public policy implications of disease; and how writers design publicity to promote public health. We will examine such genres as the experimental article, news reports, medical advice, profiles, commentary, and public health messages.
Recommended background: WR 1010 Elements of Writing or equivalent writing courses.
WR 3300. CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Cat II.
This course will examine how people from differing cultural backgrounds communicate, in similar and different ways among themselves, and how they endeavor to communicate across cultures. Students will develop a personal and theoretical understanding of the cultural origin of people’s values, ideologies, habits, idiosyncrasies, and how they affect communication across cultural, racial, ethnic and gender lines. Through observing, studying and experiencing incidents of cross-cultural communication, they will begin to examine and develop skills that are necessary for effective understanding and for successful communication among majority and minority groups.
Note: Students who have taken WR330X may not receive credit for this course.
WR 3310. DIGITAL RHETORIC
Cat. II
This course will explore the changing nature of rhetoric and communication in a digital environment by articulating a theory of rhetoric that accounts for digital communication. In a seminar format, students will read and respond to a number of readings that consider the roles of databases, algorithms, social networks, and the like on contemporary communication practices. Students will put into practice their theories on digital rhetoric through a series of class projects: website design, podcasting, interactive storytelling, database design, virtual representations, and the like. Throughout the course, students will recursively understand their practices through theoretical works and gain new insight into theory through the practice of writing in digital spaces.
Recommended background: WR 2211 Rhetoric of Visual Design.
This course will be offered in 2016-17, and in alternating years thereafter.
WR 3400. WRITING NARRATIVE FOR INTERACTIVE MEDIA & GAMES
Cat. II
This writing-intensive course covers concepts and skills necessary to write and implement narrative in interactive media and games. Topics include themes and style, different types of games and platforms, systemic storytelling, linear vs. non-linear narratives, editing, writing with purpose and audience in mind, and collaboration with other members of a development team.
Recommended background: Previous experience in writing for interactive media and games, such as that provided by IMGD/WR 2400: Writing Characters for Interactive Media & Games.
Students may not receive credit for both IMGD/WR 3400 and IMGD 340X.
WR 4111. RESEARCH METHODS IN WRITING
Cat. I
This methodology course introduces students to issues in the study of writing
such as the history and uses of literacy, the relationship of thought to language, the role of writing in producing knowledge, and research on composing. The focus of the course will be on professional and academic writing. In this project-based class, students will develop research questions, construct a relevant method study, and carry out that study. The purpose of this course is to add to students analytical approaches to writing and communicative situations.
Recommended background: WR 1010 Elements of Writing, WR 2310 Rhetoric of Visual Design, WR 3112 Rhetorical Theory.
Note: Students who have taken RH 3111 cannot receive credit for this course.
WR 421X. MEDICAL WRITING
Medical Writing will provide students with advanced opportunities to create scientific documents characterizing disease, treatment, and medical research. Students will learn how to develop, structure, and present medical reports that integrate anatomy and pathophysiology, disease history including associated human and environmental factors, epidemiology, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, relevant diagnostic tests, treatments, and long and short term prognosis. The course will operate as a series of student projects in which students create scientific documents from major disease categories.
Recommended background: Two courses in professional writing in which students have translated scientific writing for diverse audiences and have practiced designing and writing technical, scientific, or policy documents (e.g.: WR 1011, Writing about Science & Technology; WR 3210, Technical Writing; WR 3214, Writing about Disease & Public Health; WR 2310, Visual Rhetoric). Foundational life sciences courses with emphasis in anatomy and physiology are also recommended.