Amherst College

2014-15 Catalog

Current as of July 31, 2014

View the catalog online for the most up-to-date course listings at:
https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/registrar/ac_catalog

or

https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments

DIRECTIONS FOR CORRESPONDENCE

The post office address of the College is Amherst, Massachusetts, 01002-5000. The telephone number for all departments is (413) 542-2000.

General information about Amherst College is available upon request from the Public Affairs Office, Amherst College, AC #2202, P.O. Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002-5000.

Specific inquiries on the following subjects should be addressed to the officers named below:

Admission of students Office of Admission
and catalog requests

Business matters Kevin Weinman, Chief Financial Officer

Communications Pete Mackey, Chief Communications Officer

Development Megan E. Morey, Chief Advancement Officer

Financial Aid Gail W. Holt, Dean of Financial Aid

Student Affairs Alex Vasquez, Dean of Students

Title IX Coordinator Laurie A, Frankl, Office of General Counsel

Transcripts and records Kathleen D. Kilventon, Registrar

Amherst College does not discriminate in its admission or employment policies and practices on the basis of such factors as race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, or status as a veteran of the Vietnam War or as a disabled veteran. The College complies with federal and state legislation and regulations regarding nondiscrimination. Inquiries should be directed to the Director of Human Resources, Amherst College, P.O. Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002-5000.

Contents

I MISSION STATEMENT 4

CALENDAR 5

THE CORPORATION 7

FACULTY 9

ADMINISTRATIVE AND
PROFESSIONAL OFFICERS 31

II AMHERST COLLEGE 42

III ADMISSION 52

TUITION AND FEES 54

FINANCIAL AID 56

IV GENERAL REGULATIONS 62

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS 71

V COURSES OF INSTRUCTION 82

VI PROFESSORSHIPS AND READERSHIPS 544

LECTURESHIPS 549

HONORS 552

FELLOWSHIPS 554

FELLOWS 558

PRIZES AND AWARDS 565

ENROLLMENT 577

I

MISSION STATEMENT
CALENDAR
THE CORPORATION
FACULTY
ADMINISTRATIVE AND PROFESSIONAL OFFICERS

The Mission of Amherst College

Terras irradient
“Let them give light to the world.”
1821

Amherst College educates men and women of exceptional potential from all backgrounds so that they may seek, value, and advance knowledge, engage the world around them, and lead principled lives of consequence.

Amherst brings together the most promising students, whatever their financial need, in order to promote diversity of experience and ideas within a purposefully small residential community. Working with faculty, staff, and administrators dedicated to intellectual freedom and the highest standards of instruction in the liberal arts, Amherst undergraduates assume substantial responsibility for undertaking inquiry and for shaping their education within and beyond the curriculum.

Amherst College is committed to learning through close colloquy and to expanding the realm of knowledge through scholarly research and artistic creation at the highest level. Its graduates link learning with leadership—in service to the College, to their communities, and to the world beyond.

College Calendar

2014

August 24, Sunday. New student orientation begins; first-year residences open at 9 a.m.

August 28, Thursday. Residences open for upper-class students at 9 a.m. (Keys at Campus Police.)

September 1, Monday. Opening Convocation.

September 2, Tuesday. Fall semester classes begin.

September 3, Wednesday. Monday classes will be held.

September 10, Wednesday. Last day to add/drop courses for fall semester.

October 11-14, Saturday-Tuesday. Midsemester break. Residence halls and dining hall remain open.

October 22, Wednesday. Midsemester warning submissions due in Registrar’s Office.

October 24, Friday. Last day for Class of 2015E to take comprehensive exams.

October 24-26, Friday-Sunday. Family Weekend.

October 28, Tuesday. Last day for first-year students and first-semester transfer students to obtain permission to withdraw from a course without penalty.

November 1, Saturday. Deadline for students to apply for spring 2016 withdrawal, readmission, and off-campus housing.

November 3-7, Monday-Friday. Advising Week.

November 7-9, Friday-Sunday. Homecoming.

November 10-14, Monday-Friday. Preregistration for spring semester.

November 22-30, Saturday-Sunday. Thanksgiving vacation. Dining Hall opens for breakfast on Nov. 30.

December 9, Tuesday. Senior honors theses due in Registrar’s Office.

December 10, Wednesday. Last day of fall semester classes. Deadline for Class of 2017E to declare major at Registrar’s Office.

December 11-14, Thursday-Sunday. Reading/Study period.

December 15-19, Monday-Friday. Fall semester examination period.

December 19, Friday. Dining hall closes after dinner.

December 20, Saturday. Residence halls close at 5 p.m.

2015

January 4, Sunday. Residences reopen at 9 a.m.

January 5, Monday. Fall semester grades due on ACData.

January 5-21, Monday-Wednesday. Interterm. Dining hall reopens with breakfast on Jan. 5.

January 9, Friday. Students leaving campus for spring semester must vacate residences by 5 p.m.

January 16, Friday. Students returning to campus after absence may access housing at 9 a.m.

January 20, Tuesday. Spring semester classes begin at the University of Massachusetts and Mount Holyoke College.

January 21, Wednesday. Spring semester classes begin at Hampshire College.

January 22, Thursday. Spring semester classes begin at Amherst College.

January 26, Monday. Spring semester classes begin at Smith College.

January 30, Friday. Last day to add/drop courses for spring semester.

March 13, Friday. Last day for graduating seniors to take comprehensive exams. Last day for first-year and first-semester transfer students to obtain permission to withdraw from a course without penalty. Mid-term grades due. Dining hall closes after dinner.

March 14-22, Saturday-Sunday. Spring recess.

March 15, Sunday. Deadline for students to submit applications for room draw and 2015-16 off-campus housing; deadline to submit fall 2015 study abroad, educational leave, withdrawal and readmission, and special program proposals.

March 30-April 3, Monday-Friday. Advising Week.

April 6-10, Monday-Friday. Preregistration for fall semester.

April 14-16, Tuesday-Thursday. Room Draw.

April 15, Wednesday. Deadline for students to submit spring 2016 study abroad and other educational leave requests.

April 25, Saturday. Deadline for upperclass students to apply to renew financial aid.

April 30, Thursday. Deadline for students to submit Commencement/Reunion housing applications.

May 5, Tuesday. Senior honors theses due in Registrar’s Office at 4 p.m. Honors recommendations and grades due in Registrar’s Office. College meeting.

May 6, Wednesday. Last day of spring semester classes. Deadline for Class of 2016 to declare major. Senior Assembly. Deadline for RCs to post summer storage hours.

May 7-10, Thursday-Sunday. Reading/Study Period.

May 11-15, Monday-Friday. Spring semester examination period. Last meal for undergraduates will be dinner on May 15.

May 16, Saturday. Residences close for non-graduating students at 5 p.m.

May 18, Monday. Senior grades due at 9 a.m.

May 20, Wednesday. Grades due for non-seniors at 4 p.m.

May 24, Sunday. Commencement. Residences close for graduates at 5 p.m.

May 27-31, Wednesday-Sunday. Alumni Holiday and Reunion.

This calendar is available online at https://www.amherst.edu/calendar.

The Corporation

Chairman of the Corporation

Cullen Murphy ’74, A.B. Medfield, Massachusetts

President of the College

Carolyn A. “Biddy” Martin, Ph.D., Amherst, Massachusetts

Trustees

Danielle S. Allen, Ph.D., Princeton, New Jersey

Theodore W. Beneski ’78, M.B.A., Colleyville, Texas

Rafael Campo ’87, M.D., Brookline, Massachusetts

Wei Sun Christianson ’85, J.D., Beijing, China

Walter C. Donovan ’85, A.B., Boston, Massachusetts

Patrick Fitzgerald ’82, J.D., Chicago, Illinois

Howard E. Gardner, Ph.D., Cambridge, Massachusetts

Arthur W. Koenig ’66, M.I.A., London, England

Christopher S. Lehane ’90, J.D., San Francisco, California

John S. Middleton ’77, M.B.A., Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

Andrew J. Nussbaum ’85, J.D., New York, New York

Hope E. Pascucci ’90, A.B., Needham, Massachusetts

Paula K. Rauch ’77, M.D., Boston, Massachusetts

Julie A. Segre ’87, Ph.D., Bethesda, Maryland

Shirley Tilgham, Ph.D., Princeton, New Jersey

James C. Tsai ’85, M.D., Scarsdale, New York

Laura J. Yerkovich ’80, M.B.A., Riverside, Connecticut

Chair Emeriti

George B. Beitzel ’50, M.B.A., Ridgefield, Connecticut

Amos B. Hostetter, Jr. ’58, M.B.A., Boston, Massachusetts

Charles R. Longsworth ’51, M.B.A., Royalston, Massachusetts

Jide J. Zeitlin ’85, M.B.A., New York, New York

Life Trustees

K. Frank Austen ’50, M.D., Boston, Massachusetts

Martha L. Byorum, M.B.A., New York, New York

Rosanne M. Haggerty ’82, A.B., New York, New York

Charles A. Lewis ’64, M.B.A., Evanston, Illinois

Robert J. McKean, Jr. ’50, LL.B., Lantana, Florida

Mary Patterson McPherson, Ph.D., Rosemont, Pennsylvania

Peter A. Nadosy, M.B.A., New York, New York

Edward E. Phillips ’52, LL.B., Weston, Massachusetts

H. Axel Schupf ’57, M.B.A., New York, New York

John I. Williams, Jr. ’75, J.D., Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

Philip S. Winterer ’53, LL.B., New York, New York

Trustees Emeriti

John E. Abele ’59, A.B., Natick, Massachusetts

Margaret A. Bangser ’81, M.P.P.M., Tanzania

Alan S. Bernstein ’63, M.B.A., Coral Gables, Florida

Paul E. Bragdon ’50, LL.B., Portland, Oregon

Robert W. Carington ’53, M.Arch., Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Katherine K. Chia ’88, M.Arch., New York, New York

Brian J. Conway ’80, M.B.A., Boston, Massachusetts

William A. Davis, Jr. ’63, J.D., Washington, D.C.

Michele Y. Deitch ’82, J.D., Austin, Texas

Colin S. Diver ’65, LL.B., Boston, Massachusetts

Anne Melissa Dowling ’80, M.B.A., West Hartford, Connecticut

Charles C. Eldredge ’66, Ph.D., Lawrence, Kansas

Willie J. Epps, Jr. ’92, J.D., Clayton, Missouri

John C. Esty, Jr. ’50, M.A., Concord, Massachusetts

Nicholas M. Evans ’52, M.B.A., Vero Beach, Florida

William E. Ford ’83, M.B.A., New York, New York

Steven M. Gluckstern ’72, Ed.D., San Francisco, California

Frederick E. Hoxie ’69, Ph.D., Evanston, Illinois

Richard F. Hubert ’60, A.B., Rye Brook, New York

George R. Johnson, Jr. ’73, J.D., Greensboro, North Carolina

David A. Kessler ’73, M.D., San Francisco, California

Woodward Kingman ’49, M.B.A., Belvedere, California

David L. Kirp ’65, LL.B., San Francisco, California

Jonathan I. Landman ’74, M.S., New York, New York

Thai-Hi T. Lee ’80, M.B.A., Lebanon, New Jersey

Richard S. LeFrak ’67, J.D., New York, New York

Van Doorn Ooms ’56, Ph.D., Bethesda, Maryland

Stephen B. Oresman ’54, M.B.A., Darien, Connecticut

George E. Peterson ’63, Ph.D., Washington, D.C.

Mark J. Sandler ’64, LL.B., New York, New York

W. Lloyd Snyder III ’66, M.B.A., Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

Joan E. Spero, Ph.D., New York, New York

Richard R. Spies ’67, Ph.D., Providence, Rhode Island

Joseph E. Stiglitz ’64, Ph.D., New York, New York

Bradley A. Stirn ’72, M.B.A., Woodside, California

Blair H. Taylor ’85, Seattle, Washington

Louis B. Thalheimer ’66, J.D., Towson, Maryland

Scott F. Turow ’70, J.D., Chicago, Illinois

Diana Chapman Walsh, Ph.D., Brookline, Massachusetts

Gail T. Wickes, Ph.D., Dallas, Texas

Karen Hastie Williams, J.D., Washington, D.C.

David S. Wolff ’62, M.B.A., Houston, Texas

Kimba M. Wood, J.D., New York, New York

Secretary of the Corporation

Susan Pikor, A.B., Amherst, Massachusetts

Corporate Name

The Trustees of Amherst College

Faculty and Administrators

EMERITI

Tom Gerety, President and Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus. B.A. (1969), M.Phil. (1974), J.D. (1976), Ph.D. (1976) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 1995) Amherst College; L.H.D. (hon.1996) Doshisha University; LL.D. (hon. 1995) Williams College, (hon. 2001) Wesleyan University, (hon. 2003) Amherst College.

Anthony W. Marx, President and Professor of Political Science, Emeritus. B.A. (1981) Yale College; M.P.A. (1986), M.A. (1987), Ph.D. (1990) Princeton University; L.H.D. (hon. 2004) Williams College; A.M. (hon. 2004) Amherst College; L.H.D. (2006) Doshisha University ; L.H.D. (2012) Amherst College.

Peter R. Pouncey, President and Edwin F. and Jessie Burnell Fobes Professor in Greek (Classics), Emeritus. B.A. (1964), M.A. (1967) Oxford University; Ph.D. (1969) Columbia University; A.M. (hon. 1985) Amherst College; L.H.D. (hon. 1987) Doshisha University, (hon. 1990) Trinity College; LL.D. (hon. 1985) Williams College, (hon. 1989) Wesleyan University, (hon. 1995) Amherst College.

David L. Armacost, Professor of Mathematics, Emeritus. B.A. (1965) Pomona College; M.S. (1966), Ph.D. (1969) Stanford University; A.M. (hon. 1980) Amherst College.

Lawrence Alan Babb, Willem Schupf Professor of Asian Languages and Civilizations and Professor of Anthropology, Emeritus. B.A. (1963) University of Michigan; M.A. (1965), Ph.D. (1969) University of Rochester; A.M. (hon. 1980) Amherst College.

Ralph E. Beals, Clarence Francis Professor of Economics, Emeritus. B.S. (1958) University of Kentucky; M.A. (1959) Northwestern University; Ph.D. (1970) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; A.M. (hon. 1971) Amherst College.

Edward S. Belt, Samuel A. Hitchcock Professor in Mineralogy and Geology, Emeritus. B.A. (1955) Williams College; M.A. (1957) Harvard University; Ph.D. (1963) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 1978) Amherst College.

Robert J. Bezucha, George Daniel Olds Professor of Economics and Social Institutions (History), Emeritus. B.A. (1962) Lawrence University; M.A. (1963), Ph.D. (1968) University of Michigan; A.M. (hon. 1981) Amherst College.

Michael Birtwistle, Stanley King ’03 Professor of Dramatic Arts (Theater and Dance), Emeritus. B.A. (1960) Wesleyan University; M.F.A. (1962), Ph.D. (1967) Tulane University; A.M. (hon. 1985) Amherst College.

Willis E. Bridegam, Jr., Librarian of the College, Emeritus. B. Mus. (1957) Eastman School of Music; M.S. (1964) Syracuse University; A.M. (hon. 1985) Amherst College.

John A. Cameron, Professor of English, Emeritus. B.A. (1952), M.A. (1957), Ph.D. (1963) Yale University; Diploma (1955) University of Edinburgh; A.M. (hon. 1970) Amherst College.

Mavis C. Campbell, Professor of History, Emerita. B.S. (1958), M.S. (1960), Ph.D. (1971) University of London; A.M. (hon. 1983) Amherst College.

Fredric L. Cheyette, Professor of History, Emeritus. A.B. (1953) Princeton University; M.A. (1954), Ph.D. (1959) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1974) Amherst College.

Howell D. Chickering, Jr., G. Armour Craig Professor of Language and Literature, Emeritus. B.A. (1959) Dartmouth College; Ph.D. (1965) Indiana University; A.M. (hon. 1976) Amherst College.

Richard J. Cody, Eliza J. Clark Folger Professor of English, Emeritus. B.A. (1952) University of London (University College, Southampton); M.A. (1958), Ph.D. (1961) University of Minnesota; A.M. (hon. 1968) Amherst College.

Margery C. Coombs, Adjunct Professor of Geology, Emerita. A.B. (1967) Oberlin College; M.A. (1968), Ph.D. (1973) Columbia University.

Peter Czap, Jr., Henry Winkley Professor of History, Emeritus. B.A. (1953) Rutgers University; Ph.D. (1959) Cornell University; A.M. (hon. 1973) Amherst College.

James Q. Denton, Professor of Mathematics, Emeritus. B.S. (1951) California Institute of Technology; M.S. (1958), Ph.D. (1962) University of Oregon; A.M. (hon. 1974) Amherst College.

Richard D. Fink, George H. Corey Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus. A.B. (1958) Harvard University; Ph.D. (1962) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; A.M. (hon. 1971) Amherst College; L.H.D. (1988) Doshisha University.

Stephen A. George, The Manwell Family Professor of Life Sciences (Biology and Neuroscience), Emeritus. B.S. (1964) University of British Columbia; Ph.D. (1970) The Johns Hopkins University; A.M. (hon. 1984) Amherst College.

Richard A. Goldsby, Thomas B. Walton Jr. Memorial Professor of Biology, Emeritus. B.A. (1957) University of Kansas; Ph.D. (1961) University of California at Berkeley; A.M. (hon. 1985) Amherst College.

Peter J. Gooding, Parmly Billings Professor of Hygiene and Physical Education, Emeritus. D.L.C. (1964) Loughborough College; M.S. (1967) University of Massachusetts at Amherst; A.M. (hon. 1981) Amherst College.

Joel E. Gordon, Stone Professor of Natural Science (Physics), Emeritus. A.B. (1952) Harvard University; Ph.D. (1958) University of California at Berkeley; A.M. (hon. 1969) Amherst College.

George S. Greenstein, Sidney Dillon Professor of Astronomy, Emeritus. B.S. (1962) Stanford University; Ph.D. (1968) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 1983) Amherst College.

Allen Guttmann, Emily C. Jordan Folger Professor of English and American Studies, Emeritus. B.A. (1953) University of Florida; M.A. (1956) Columbia University; Ph.D. (1961) University of Minnesota; A.M. (hon. 1971) Amherst College.

John B. Halsted, Winkley Professor of History, Emeritus. B.A. (1948), M.A. (1949) Wesleyan University; Ph.D. (1954) Columbia University; A.M. (hon. 1966) Amherst College.

Hugh D. Hawkins, Anson D. Morse Professor of History and American Studies, Emeritus. B.A. (1950) DePauw University; Ph.D. (1954) The Johns Hopkins University; A.M. (hon. 1969) Amherst College.

Kurt Maximilian Hertzfeld, Treasurer, Emeritus. B.A. (1941), M.B.A. (1942) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1969) Amherst College.

William M. Hexter, Edward S. Harkness Professor of Biology, Emeritus. B.A. (1949), M.A. (1951), Ph.D. (1953) University of California at Berkeley; A.M. (hon. 1966) Amherst College.

Robert C. Hilborn, Amanda and Lisa Cross Professor of Physics, Emeritus. B.A. (1966) Lehigh University; M.A. (1967), Ph.D. (1971) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1987) Amherst College.

Thomas R. Kearns, William H. Hastie Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought, Emeritus. A.B. (1959) University of Illinois; LL.B. (1962), M.A. (1964) University of California at Berkeley; Ph.D. (1968) University of Wisconsin; A.M. (hon. 1981) Amherst College.

Heinz Kohler, Willard Long Thorp Professor of Economics, Emeritus. B.A. (1956) Free University of Berlin; M.A. (1958), Ph.D. (1961) University of Michigan; A.M. (hon. 1969) Amherst College.

Allen Kropf, Julian H. Gibbs Professor in the Natural and Mathematical Sciences (Chemistry), Emeritus. B.S. (1951) Queens College; Ph.D. (1954) University of Utah; A.M. (hon. 1969) Amherst College.

Hua R. Lan, Senior Lecturer in Asian Languages and Civilizations, Emeritus. B.A. (1965), M.A. (1965) Shanghai Normal University; M.Ed. (1987), Ed.D. (1990) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

N. Gordon Levin, Jr., Dwight Morrow Professor of History and American Studies, Emeritus. B.A. (1956) Yale University; Ph.D. (1967) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1975) Amherst College.

J. Tracy Mehr, Professor of Physical Education, Emeritus. B.A. (1950) Holy Cross College; M.B.A. (1967) Boston College; A.M. (hon. 1979) Amherst College.

Ray A. Moore, Professor of History and Asian Languages and Civilizations, Emeritus. B.A. (1958), M.A. (1960), Ph.D. (1968) University of Michigan; A.M. (hon. 1976) Amherst College.

Aida Y. Nawar, Senior Lecturer in French, Emerita. B.A. (1969) University of Massachusetts at Amherst; M.A. (1972) Smith College; Ph.D. (1984) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Walter E. Nicholson, Ward H. Patton Professor of Economics, Emeritus. B.A. (1964) Williams College; Ph.D. (1970) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; A.M. (hon. 1978) Amherst College.

Barry F. O’Connell, James E. Ostendarp Professor of English, Emeritus. B.A. (1966) Harvard College; M.A. (1972), Ph.D. (1976) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1984) Amherst College.

Rose R. Olver, L. Stanton Williams ’41 Professor of Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies, Emerita. B.A. (1958) Swarthmore College; Ph.D. (1962) Radcliffe College; A.M. (hon. 1973) Amherst College.

Hilda Otaño-Benítez, Senior Lecturer in Spanish, Emerita. B.A. (1949), B.S. (1949) Institute of Secondary Education, of Ciego de Avila, Cuba; Doctor of Law (1954) University of Havana; M.A. (1979) Boston University.

John Pemberton III, Stanley Warfield Crosby Professor of Religion, Emeritus. B.A. (1948) Princeton University; B.D. (1952), Ph.D. (1958) Duke University; A.M. (hon. 1967) Amherst College.

Dale E. Peterson, Eliza J. Clark Folger Professor of English and Russian, Emeritus. B.A. (1963) Harvard University; M.A. (1965), Ph.D. (1971) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 1981) Amherst College.

William H. Pritchard, Henry Clay Folger Professor of English, Emeritus. A.B. (1953) Amherst College; M.A. (1956), Ph.D. (1960) Harvard University.

David B. Reck, Professor of Music and Asian Languages and Civilizations, Emeritus. B. Mus. (1956) University of Houston; M.Mus. (1959) University of Texas; Ph.D. (1983) Wesleyan University; A.M. (hon. 1986) Amherst College.

Robert H. Romer, Professor of Physics, Emeritus. A.B. (1952) Amherst College; Ph.D. (1955) Princeton University.

Andrea B. Rushing, Professor of Black Studies and English, Emerita. B.A. (1962) Queens College, City University of New York; M.A. (1970) Simmons College; Ph.D. (1983) University of Massachusetts at Amherst; A.M. (hon. 1987) Amherst College.

Sigrit Schütz, Senior Lecturer in German, Emerita. Zwischenprhfung (1968) Heidelberg Universitat; M.A. (1970) University of Massachusetts at Amherst; Ph.D. (1977) Five Colleges.

Viktoria A. Schweitzer, Senior Lecturer in Russian, Emerita. M.A. (1955) Moscow State University.

Marc S. Silver, Massachusetts Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus. B.A. (1955) Harvard University; Ph.D. (1959) California Institute of Technology; A.M. (hon. 1969) Amherst College.

Charles A. Sorenson, Professor of Psychology (Neuroscience), Emeritus. B.A. (1966) University of California at Berkeley; Ph.D. (1971) University of California at Los Angeles; A.M. (hon. 1984) Amherst College.

M. Lewis Spratlan, Peter R. Pouncey Professor of Music, Emeritus. B.A. (1962), M.Mus. (1965) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 1980) Amherst College.

Norton Starr, Brian E. Boyle ’69 Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, Emeritus. A.B. (1958) Harvard College; Ph.D. (1964) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; A.M. (hon. 1978) Amherst College.

Jane A. Taubman, Professor of Russian, Emerita. B.A. (1964) Radcliffe College; M.A. (1968), Ph.D. (1972) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 1989) Amherst College.

William C. Taubman, Bertrand Snell Professor of Political Science, Emeritus. B.A. (1962) Harvard College; M.A. (1965), Ph.D. (1969) Columbia University; A.M. (hon. 1978) Amherst College.

William E. Thurston, Professor of Physical Education, Emeritus. B.S. (1957), M.S. (1962) University of Michigan; A.M. (hon. 1979) Amherst College.

Robert C. Townsend, Class of 1959 Professor of English, Emeritus. B.A. (1957) Princeton University; M.A. (1959) Cambridge University; Ph.D. (1962) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1974) Amherst College.

Helen von Schmidt, Senior Lecturer in English, Emerita. A.B. (1978) Amherst College.

Donald O. White, Professor of German, Emeritus. B.A. (1953), M.A. (1956), Ph.D. (1963) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 1970) Amherst College.

Arthur G. Zajonc, Professor of Physics, Emeritus. B.S.E. (1971), M.S. (1973), Ph.D. (1976) University of Michigan; A.M. (hon. 1991) Amherst College.

William F. Zimmerman, Professor of Biology, Emeritus. B.A. (1960), Ph.D. (1966) Princeton University; A.M. (hon. 1980) Amherst College.

FACULTY

Symbol beside name indicates: *On leave 2014-15.
† On leave fall semester 2014-15.
‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Rowland O. Abiodun, John C. Newton Professor of the History of Art and Black Studies. B.A. (1965) Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria; M.A. (1969) University of Toronto; A.M. (hon. 1992) Amherst College.

Jennifer Acker, Visiting Lecturer in English. A.B. (2000) Amherst College; M.F.A. (2011) Bennington College.

Olla N. Al-Shalchi, Five College Lecturer in Arabic. B.A. (2002) University of Texas at Austin; M.A. (2006) American University in Cairo.

Clara Altman, Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought. B.A. (2004)Washington University at St. Louis; J.D. (2007) Brooklyn Law School; Ph.D. (2013) Brandeis University.

Gabriel Arboleda, Five College Visiting Assistant Professor of Sustainable Architecture. Arquitecto (1998) Universidad del Valle, Columbia; M.S. (2005) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ph.D. (2012) University of California at Berkeley.

Elizabeth J. Aries, Clarence Francis 1910 Professor in Social Sciences (Psychology). B.A. (1969) University of Michigan; M.A. (1971), Ph.D. (1973) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1989) Amherst College.

Hadley P. Arkes‡, Edward N. Ney Professor in American Institutions (Political Science). B.A. (1962) University of Illinois; Ph.D. (1967) University of Chicago; A.M. (hon. 1977) Amherst College.

Tatyana Babyonyshev, Senior Lecturer in Russian. M.A. (1983) Moscow State University.

Carol Yvone Bailey, Visiting Lecturer in Black Studies. B.A. (1997) University of the West Indies; M.A. (1998) Clark University; Ph.D. (2007) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

John-Paul Baird, Associate Professor of Psychology (Neuroscience). B.Sc. (1992) University of Toronto; M.A. (1993), Ph.D. (1997) University of Pennsylvania.

Brian Baisa, Assistant Professor of Economics. B.S. (2008) University of Michigan; M.A. (2010), M.Phil. (2011), Ph.D. (2013) Yale University.

Nicholas D. Ball, Assistant Professor of Chemistry. B.A. (2005) Macalester College; Ph.D. (2011) University of Michigan.

Michèle A. Barale, Thalheimer Professor of Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies and Director of the Writing Center. B.A. (1968), M.A. (1975) Loyola University; Ph.D. (1983) University of Colorado; A.M. (hon. 2002) Amherst College.

Daniel P. Barbezat, Professor of Economics. B.A. (1982) Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; M.S. (1984), Ph.D. (1988) University of Illinois at Champaign; A.M. (hon. 2001) Amherst College.

Dimaris Barrios-Beltran, Lecturer in Spanish. B.A. (2003), M.A. (2007) University of Puerto Rico.

Ronald D. Bashford, Assistant Professor of Theater and Dance. A.B. (1988) Amherst College; M.F.A. (1992) University of Delaware.

Amrita Basu‡, Domenic J. Paino 1955 Professor of Political Science and Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies. B.A. (1975) Cornell University; M.A. (1977), M.Phil. (1978), Ph.D. (1984) Columbia University; A.M. (hon. 1994) Amherst College.

Mónica Bel López, Lecturer in Spanish. B.A. (2007) Universidad de Barcelona; B.A. (2010) Universidad de Granada; M.A. (2012) Universidad de Barcelona.

Danielle L. Benedetto, Lecturer in Mathematics. B.A. (1994) Colby College; Sc.M. (1996), Ph.D. (1999) Brown University.

Robert L. Benedetto, Professor of Mathematics. A.B. (1993) Harvard University; Sc.M. (1996), Ph.D. (1998) Brown University; A.M. (hon. 2014) Amherst College.

Peter Berek, Visiting Professor of English. A.B.(1961) Amherst College; M.A. (1963) Ph.D. (1967) Harvard University.

Wendy H. Bergoffen, Lecturer in American Studies and Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies. A.B. (1992) University of Georgia; M.A. (1995) Florida State University; Ph.D. (2004) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Anthony C. Bishop‡, Associate Professor of Chemistry. B.A. (1993) University of California at San Diego; Ph.D. (2000) Princeton University.

Anston L. Bosman, Associate Professor of English. B.A. (1990) University of Cape Town, South Africa; B.A. (1992) University of Witwatersrand; Ph.D. (2000) Stanford University.

Ellen Boucher, Assistant Professor of History. B.A. (2000) University of Michigan; M.A. (2002), Ph.D. (2008) Columbia University.

Ute T. Brandes, Georges Lurcy Professor of German. B.A. (1972), M.A. (1974) University of New Hampshire; Ph.D. (1982) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1993) Amherst College.

Charlotte Brathwaite, Visiting Assistant Professor of Theater and Dance. B.A. (2005) Amsterdam School for the Arts; M.A. (2011) Yale School of Drama.

Nathaniel W. Brennan, Visiting Assistant Professor in Film and Media Studies. B.A. (2005) University of Delaware; M.A. (2007), Ph.D. (2014) New York University.

Sara J. Brenneis*, Associate Professor of Spanish. B.A. (1998) Wesleyan University; M.A. (2002), Ph.D. (2007) University of California at Berkeley.

Lisa Brooks, Associate Professor of English and American Studies. B.A. (1993) Goddard College; M.A. (1998) Boston College; Ph.D. (2004) Cornell University.

Fumiko U. Brown, Five College Senior Lecturer in Japanese. B.A. (1989) International Christian University, Tokyo; M.A. (2005) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Ashley Burns, Assistant Professor of Political Science. B.A. (2007) Williams College; M.A. (2010), Ph.D. (2012) Duke University.

Kristin Bumiller, George Daniel Olds Professor in Economic and Social Institutions (Political Science). B.A. (1979), M.A. (1979) Northwestern University; Ph.D. (1984) University of Wisconsin at Madison; A.M. (hon. 2001) Amherst College.

Sandra L. Burkett‡, Associate Professor of Chemistry. A.B. (1990) Princeton University; Ph.D. (1995) California Institute of Technology.

Gregory S. Call, Peter R. Pouncey Professor of Mathematics. A.B. (1980) Dartmouth College; A.M. (1981), Ph.D. (1986) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 2001) Amherst College.

Jay L. Caplan‡, Professor of French. A.B. (1967) Oberlin College; M.A. (1969), Ph.D. (1973) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 1991) Amherst College.

Marissa L. Carrere, Visiting Lecturer in English. B.A. (2006) Roger Williams University; M.A. (2008), Ph.D. (2014) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Ashley R. Carter*, Assistant Professor of Physics. B.S., B.S.E. (2002) University of Michigan at Ann Arbor; M.S., Ph.D. (2008) University of Colorado at Boulder.

John T. Cheney, Samuel A. Hitchcock Professor of Mineralogy and Geology. B.A. (1970), M.A. (1972) University of Montana; Ph.D. (1975) University of Wisconsin at Madison; A.M. (hon. 1987) Amherst College.

Mallorie Chernin, Senior Lecturer in Music and Director of the Choral Music Program. B.Mus. (1976) University of Wisconsin; M.Mus. (1978) Westminster Choir College.

Michael Ching†, Assistant Professor of Mathematics. B.A. (2000), M.A. (2004) University of Cambridge, Trinity College; Ph.D. (2005) Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jun Hee Cho, Visiting Assistant Professor of History. B.A. (2002), M.A. (2005) Seoul National University, Republic of Korea; M.A. ((2007), M.Phil. (2008), Ph.D. (2013) Columbia University.

Nusrat Sabina Chowdhury, Assistant Professor of Anthropology. B.A. (1998) University of Michigan at Ann Arbor; M.A. (2002) University of Texas at Austin; Ph.D. (2011) University of Chicago.

Alicia Jean Christoff, Assistant Professor of English. B.A. (2004), M.A. (2005) New York University; Ph.D. (2011) Princeton University.

Richard T. Chu, Five College Associate Professor of History. A.B. (1986) Ateneo de Manila University; M.A. (1994) Sanford University; Ph.D. (2003) University of Southern California.

Catherine A. Ciepiela‡, Howard M. and Martha P. Mitchell Professor of Russian. A.B. (1983) Amherst College; M.A. (1985), Ph.D. (1992) Yale University.

Carol C. Clark†, William McCall Vickery 1957 Professor of the History of Art and American Studies. A.B. (1969), M.A. (1971) University of Michigan; Ph.D. (1981) Case Western Reserve University; A.M. (hon. 1992) Amherst College.

Katherine H. Clemans, Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology. B.A. (2002) Duke University; M.S. (2007), Ph.D. (2010) University of Florida.

Ethan D. Clotfelter, Professor of Biology and Neuroscience. B.A. (1991) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; M.S. (1994), Ph.D. (1998) University of Wisconsin at Madison; A.M. (hon. 2014) Amherst College.

Rhonda Cobham-Sander, Emily C. Jordan Folger Professor of Black Studies and English. B.A. (1974) University of the West Indies; Ph.D. (1982) University of Saint Andrews; A.M. (hon. 1998) Amherst College.

Jonathan A. Collins, Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry. B.Sc. (2005) Allegheny College; Ph.D. (2010) Brock University, Canada.

Constance S. Congdon, Playwright-in-Residence. B.A. (1969) University of Colorado; M.F.A. (1982) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Javier Corrales, Dwight W. Morrow 1895 Professor of Political Science. B.S. (1986) Georgetown University; Ph.D. (1996) Harvard University; M.A. (hon. 2010) Amherst College.

Nicola M. Courtright, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of the History of Art. B.A. (1976) Oberlin College; M.A. (1978) Yale University; Ph.D. (1990) The Institute of Fine Arts, New York University; A.M. (hon. 2004) Amherst College.

Francis G. Couvares, E. Dwight Salmon Professor of History and American Studies. B.A. (1969) University of Pittsburgh; M.A. (1973), Ph.D. (1980) University of Michigan; A.M. (hon. 1993) Amherst College.

Nicolas B. Cowan, Assistant Professor of Astronomy. B.Sc. (2004) McGill University; Ph.D. (2009) University of Washington.

David A. Cox, William J. Walker Professor of Mathematics. B.A. (1970) Rice University; Ph.D. (1975) Princeton University; A.M. (hon. 1988) Amherst College.

Joanne V. Creighton, Five College Professor of English. B.A. University of Wisconsin; M.A. Harvard University; Ph.D. University of Michigan.

Peter D. Crowley, Professor of Geology. B.Sc. (1979) McGill University; Ph.D. (1985) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; A.M. (hon. 1998) Amherst College.

Douglas Culhane, Visiting Lecturer in Art. B.A. (1979) Colgate University; M.A. (1982) University of Iowa.

Jennie D’Ambroise, Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Statistics. B.Sc. (2003), Ph.D. (2010) University of Massachusetts.

Harris B. Daniels, Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics. B.S. (2006) Trinity College; M.S. (2009), Ph.D. (2013) University of Connecticut.

Rosalina de la Carrera†, Professor of French. B.A. (1973) Carleton College; M.A. (1977) Cornell University; Ph.D. (1985) The Johns Hopkins University; A.M. (hon. 1996) Amherst College.

Solsiree del Moral*, Associate Professor of American Studies and Black Studies. B.A. (1995) University of Wisconsin at Madison; M.A. (1997) Columbia University; M.A. (1999), Ph.D. (2006) University of Wisconsin at Madison.

David P. Delaney, Senior Lecturer in Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought. B.A. (1987) San Francisco State University; M.S. (1989), Ph.D. (1995) University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Nikki Delhomme, Visiting Lecturer in Theater and Dance. B.F.A. (2006) Carnegie Mellon University; M.F.A. (2013) Yale University.

Amy P. Demorest, Professor of Psychology. B.A. (1979) Williams College; Ph.D. (1987) Duke University; A.M. (hon. 2001) Amherst College.

Evgeny Dengub, Five College Lecturer in Russian. B.A. (2002) Khabarovsk State Pedagogical University, Russia; M.A. (2007), Ph.D. (2012) Bryn Mawr College.

Jerry P. Dennerline‡, Olin Professor in Asian Studies (History and Asian Languages and Civilizations). B.A. (1964) Wabash College; M.A. (1966), Ph.D. (1973) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 1987) Amherst College.

Bruce P. Diehl, Senior Lecturer in Music and Director of Jazz Performance. B.Mus. (1990) Eastman School of Music; M.M. (1995) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Kim Yi Dionne, Five College Assistant Professor of Political Science. B.A. (1999), M.A. (2007), Ph.D. (2010) University of California at Los Angeles.

Jan E. Dizard, Charles Hamilton Houston Professor in American Culture (Sociology). B.A. (1962) University of Minnesota at Duluth; M.A. (1964), Ph.D. (1967) University of Chicago; A.M. (hon. 1978) Amherst College.

Andrew C. Dole, Associate Professor of Religion. B.A. (1989) Yale University; M.A. (1997) Yale Divinity School; Ph.D. (2004) Yale University.

Christopher T. Dole, Associate Professor of Anthropology. B.A. (1992) Baylor University; M.A. (1996), Ph.D. (2002) Case Western Reserve University.

Andrew C. Donson, Five College Visiting Associate Professor of History. B.A. (1991) Cornell University; M.A. (1995), Ph.D. (2000) University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Robert Doran, Samuel Williston Professor of Greek and Hebrew (Religion). S.T.Lect. (1967) Blackfriars Seminary; S.T.Lic. (1970) Universita di S. Tommaso; L.S.S. (1971) Pontifical Biblical Institute; Th.D. (1977) Harvard Divinity School; A.M. (hon. 1990) Amherst College.

Suzanne P. Dougan†, Stanley King ’03 Professor of Dramatic Arts (Theater and Dance) and Director of Theatrical Productions. A.B. (1973) Vassar College; M.F.A. (1979) Yale School of Drama; A.M. (hon. 1996) Amherst College.

Lawrence R. Douglas, James J. Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought. A.B. (1982) Brown University; M.A. (1986) Columbia University; J.D. (1989) Yale Law School.

John E. Drabinski, Professor of Black Studies. B.A. (1991) Seattle University; M.A. (1993), Ph.D. (1996) University of Memphis; A.M. (hon. 2014) Amherst College.

Jacqueline M. Dresch, Assistant Professor of Mathematics. B.S. (2006) State University of New York at Geneseo; Ph.D. (2012) Michigan State University.

Robert A. Drewell, Five College Visiting Professor of Biology. B.Sc. ((1996) King’s College, University of London, UK; Ph.D. (1999) King’s College, University of Cambridge, UK.

Thomas L. Dumm*, William H. Hastie ’25 Professor of Political Science. B.A. (1976), M.A. (1978) Pennsylvania State University; Ph.D. (1984) Cornell University; A.M. (hon. 1997) Amherst College.

Jeffers L. Engelhardt, Associate Professor of Music. B.M. (1998) Oberlin College Conservatory of Music; M.A. (2000), Ph.D. (2005) University of Chicago.

Catherine Epstein, Professor of History. A.B. (1985) Brown University; M.Sc. (1987) London School of Economics; Ph.D. (1998) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 2012) Amherst College.

Wendy Taylor Ewald, Visiting Artist-in-Residence in Art and the History of Art. B.A. (1974) Antioch College.

Lorne Falk, Five College Visiting Associate Professor of Contemporary Art, Theory and Criticism. B.Sc. (1970) University of Winnipeg; M.A. (1988) Concordia University, Montreal.

Jeffrey B. Ferguson‡, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Black Studies. B.A. (1985) Harvard College; Ph.D. (1999) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 2012) Amherst College.

Amanda Folsom, Associate Professor of Mathematics. B.A. (2001) University of Chicago; M.S. (2002), Ph.D. (2006) University of California at Los Angeles.

Vanessa L. Fong, Associate Professor of Anthropology. A.B. (1996) Amherst College; M.A. (1998), Ph.D. (2002) Harvard University.

Judith E. Frank, Professor of English and Elizabeth W. Bruss Reader. B.A. (1981) The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; M.A. (1986), M.F.A. (1987), Ph.D. (1990) Cornell University; A.M. (hon. 2002) Amherst College.

Jonathan R. Friedman, Professor of Physics. B.A. (1987) Vassar College; Ph.D. (1996) City College of New York; A.M. (hon. 2014) Amherst College.

Samba Gadjigo, Visiting Professor of French. Licence Lettres Modernes, (1977), Maîtrise en Lettres Modernes (1979) Université de Dakar, Senegal; Ph.D. (1986) University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Amity Gaige, Visiting Writer, Department of English. B.A. (1995) Brown University; M.F.A. (1999) The Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Betsey Garand, Senior Resident Artist in the Department of Art and the History of Art. B.F.A. (1981) University of New Hampshire; M.F.A. (1983) Tyler School of Art, Temple University.

Bryn Geffert, Lecturer in History. B.A. (1990) St. Olaf College; M.S. (1992) University of Illinois; Ph.D. (2003) University of Minnesota.

Jyl Gentzler‡, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Philosophy and Associate Director of the Writing Center. A.B. (1985) Bryn Mawr College; M.A. (1988), Ph.D. (1991) Cornell University; A.M. (hon. 2003) Amherst College.

Alexander George, Rachel and Michael Deutch Professor of Philosophy. B.A. (1979) Columbia College; M.A. (1983), Ph.D. (1986) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 2001) Amherst College.

Deborah B. Gewertz*, G. Henry Whitcomb 1874 Professor of Anthropology. B.A. (1969) Queens College; Ph.D. (1977) City University of New York; A.M. (hon. 1988) Amherst College.

Heidi L. Gilpin, Associate Professor of German. A.B. (1984) Amherst College; A.M. (1987), Ph.D. (1993) Harvard University.

Sergey Glebov*, Five College Assistant Professor of History and Russian. M.A. (1999) Central European University, Budapest; Ph.D. (2004) Rutgers University.

James R. Glenn, Visiting Assistant Professor of Computer Science. A.B. (1992) Amherst College; Ph.D. (1998) University of Maryland at College Park.

David I. Gloman‡, Senior Resident Artist in the Department of Art and the History of Art. B.F.A. (1983) Indiana University; M.F.A. (1986) Yale University.

Miriam R. Goheen, Professor of Anthropology and Black Studies. B.A. (1976) Oregon State University; A.M. (1978), Ph.D. (1984) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1998) Amherst College.

Adi Gordon, Five College Visiting Assistant Professor of History and Judaic Studies. B.A. (1997), M.A. (2002), Ph.D. (2009) Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Caroline E. Goutte, Professor of Biology. B.A. (1985) Cornell University; Ph.D. (1992) University of California at San Francisco; A.M. (hon. 2012) Amherst College.

Ethan R. Graf, Assistant Professor of Biology (Neuroscience). B.A. (1999) Kalamazoo College; Ph.D. (2005) Washington University.

Carmen C. Granda, Lecturer in Spanish. B.A. (2005), M.A. (2008) Middlebury College; A.M. (2012), Ph.D. (2014) Brown University;

Frederick T. Griffiths, Class of 1880 Professor in Greek (Classics) and Professor of Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies. B.A. (1969) Yale College; M.A. (1972), Ph.D. (1974) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1984) Amherst College.

Christopher Grobe*, Assistant Professor of English. B.A. (2005), Ph.D. (2011) Yale University.

Gertraud Gutzmann, Visiting Professor of German. B.A. (1965), M.A. (1969) Middlebury College; Ph.D. (1979) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Daryl Haggard, Assistant Professor of Astronomy. B.A. (1995) St. John’s College; M.Sc. (2004) San Francisco State University; Ph.D. (2010) University of Washington.

Amy Cox Hall, Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology. B.A. (1995) University of California at Los Angeles; M.A. (2003) University of Florida; M.S. (2005) University of Edinburgh, Scotland; Ph.D. (2010) University of Florida.

Daniel J. Hall, Writer-in-Residence, Department of English.

David Sumner Hall, Paula R. and David J. Avenius 1941 Professor of Physics and Astronomy. A.B. (1991) Amherst College; A.M. (1994), Ph.D. (1997) Harvard University.

David Hanneke*, Assistant Professor of Physics. B.S. (2001) Case Western Reserve University; A.M. (2003), Ph.D. (2008) Harvard University.

Tekla A. Harms, Massachusetts Professor in Chemistry and Natural History (Geology). and Director of the Beneski Museum of Natural History. A.B. (1977) Bryn Mawr College; M.Sc. (1982) Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario; Ph.D. (1986) University of Arizona; A.M. (hon. 1999) Amherst College.

Allen J. Hart*, Professor of Psychology. A.B. (1982) Amherst College; A.M. (1989), Ph.D. (1991) Harvard University.

Keisuke Hasegawa, Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics. B.A. (2001) Reed College; Ph.D. (2008) University of Oregon.

Mohamed Hassan Ahmed ElSawi Hassan, Five College Senior Lecturer in Arabic and Director of the Five College Arabic Language Program. B.A. (1993) Mansoura University, Egypt; M.A. (2001) Tanta University, Egypt; Ph.D. (2008) Ain Shams University, Egypt.

Amelie Hastie‡, Professor of English in Film and Media Studies. B.A. (1988) Brown University; M.A. (1994), Ph.D. (1999) University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee; A.M. (hon. 2012) Amherst College.

Robert T. Hayashi, Associate Professor of American Studies. B.A. (1985) Denison University; M.F.A. (1989) Cornell University; M.A. (2000), Ph.D. (2002) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Maria Heim, Professor of Religion. B.A. (1991) Reed College; Ph.D. (1999) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 2014) Amherst College.

Aneeka A. Henderson, Assistant Professor of Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies. B.A. (2001) Southern Illinois University; M.A. (2004), Ph.D. (2012) University of Illinois at Chicago.

Leah D. Hewitt‡, Professor of French. B.A. (1972) Kent State University; M.A. (1974), Ph.D. (1979) University of California at Berkeley; A.M. (hon. 1995) Amherst College.

Baba Hillman, Five College Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies (English). B.A. (1972) Duke University; M.F.A. (2001) University of California at San Diego.

Jerome L. Himmelstein, Winthrop H. Smith 1916 and Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Sociology. B.A. (1970) Columbia College; M.A. (1972), Ph.D. (1979) University of California at Berkeley; A.M. (hon. 1994) Amherst College.

Hannah A. Holleman, Assistant Professor of Sociology. B.A. (2002), B.S. (2005) Oklahoma State University; Ph.D. (2012) University of Oregon.

Adam Honig, Associate Professor of Economics. B.A. (1997), M.A. (2000), M.Phil. (2001), Ph.D. (2004) Columbia University.

Michael E. Hood, Associate Professor of Biology. B.A. (1991), M.S. (1992) University of Virginia; Ph.D. (1996) North Carolina State University.

Nicholas Jon Horton‡, Professor of Statistics. A.B. (1987) Harvard University; Sc.D. (1999) Harvard School of Public Health; A.M. (hon. 2014) Amherst College.

Marie-Hélène Huet, Visiting Professor of French. Doctorat de 3e cycle, Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Bordeaux.

Larry R. Hunter, Stone Professor of Natural Sciences (Physics). B.A. (1974) Columbia University; M.A. (1978), Ph.D. (1981) University of California at Berkeley; A.M. (hon. 1992) Amherst College.

Nasser Hussain*, Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought. B.A. (1988) Yale University; M.S. (1990), Ph.D. (1995) University of California at Berkeley; A.M. (hon. 2012) Amherst College.

Catherine Victoria Infante, Assistant Professor of Spanish. B.A. (2003) Bethel University; M.S. (2006) New York University in Madrid; Ph.D. (2014) University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Jun Ishii*, Associate Professor of Economics. B.A. (1995) Rice University; Ph.D. (2001) Stanford University.

Tariq Jaffer, Assistant Professor of Religion. B.A. (1995) University of Toronto; M.A. (1998) McGill University; Ph.D. (2005) Yale University.

Kannan Jagannathan, Bruce B. Benson ’43 and Lucy Wilson Benson Professor of Physics. B.Sc. (1973) Loyola College; M.Sc. (1975) Indian Institute of Technology, Madras; M.A. (1977), Ph.D. (1980) University of Rochester; A.M. (hon. 1993) Amherst College.

Sheila S. Jaswal, Assistant Professor of Chemistry. B.A. (1992) Mills College; Ph.D. (2000) University of California at San Francisco.

David Stewart Jones*, Assistant Professor of Geology. B.A. (1998) Carleton College; Ph.D. (2009) Harvard University.

Jenny L. Kallick, Professor of Music. B. Mus. (1969) University of Southern California; M.M.A. (1973) Yale School of Music; M.Phil. (1986), Ph.D. (1987) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 1996) Amherst College.

Scott F. Kaplan, Professor of Computer Science. A.B. (1995) Amherst College; Ph.D. (1999) University of Texas at Austin.

Laure G. Katsaros*, Associate Professor of French. Maîtrise (1995) Ecole Normale Superiéure, Paris; Thèse de doctorat(2000) University Paris VII-Denis Diderot; Ph.D. (2003) Yale University.

Ikumi Kayama, Senior Lecturer in Asian Languages and Civilizations (Japanese). B.A. (1991) Aoyama Gakuin University; M.Ed. (2000) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Carol W. Keller*, Professor of Art. B.A. (1974) Manchester College; M.F.A. (1980) Boston University School for the Arts; A.M. (hon. 2005) Amherst College.

Justin F. Kimball, Professor of Art. B.F.A. (1985) Rhode Island School of Design; M.F.A. (1990) Yale University School of Art; A.M. (hon. 2014) Amherst College.

Christopher G. Kingston, Associate Professor of Economics. B.A. (1994) Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland; Ph.D. (2001) Stanford University;

Michael Klare, Five College Professor of Peace and World Security Studies (Political Science).B.A. (1963), M.A. (1968) Columbia University; Ph.D. (1976) Union Institute.

Elizabeth A. Klarich, Five College Assistant Professor of Anthropology. B.A. (1995) University of Chicago; M.A. (1998), Ph.D. (2005) University of California at Santa Barbara.

Daniel Koltonski, Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy. B.A. (2002) Swarthmore College; M.A. (2007), Ph.D. (2011) Cornell University.

Joseph N. Kushick‡, Professor of Chemistry. A.B. (1969) Columbia College; Ph.D. (1975) Columbia University; A.M. (hon. 1988) Amherst College.

Anthony Lee, Visiting Professor of Art and the History of Art. B.A. Holy Cross College; Ph.D. University of California at Berkeley.

Tanya L. Leise‡, Associate Professor of Mathematics. B.S. (1993) Stanford University; M.S. (1995), Ph.D. (1998) Texas A&M University.

Ronald A. Lembo, Professor of Sociology. B.A. (1974) University of Massachusetts at Boston; M.A. (1980) University of California at Santa Barbara; Ph.D. (1989) University of California at Berkeley; A.M. (hon. 2005) Amherst College.

Helen O. Leung, George H. Corey 1888 Professor of Chemistry. B.S. (1982), B.A. (1983) California State University at Northridge; M.A. (1985), Ph.D. (1988) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 2003) Amherst College.

Rachel A. Levin†, Lecturer in Biology and the Environmental Studies Program. B.A. (1994) Carleton College; M.S. (1997), Ph.D. (2001) University of Arizona.

Adam R. Levine, Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies and Art and the History of Art. B.A. (2000) University of East Anglia, UK; M.F.A. (2010) California Institute of the Arts.

Weijia Li, Senior Lecturer in Asian Languages and Civilizations. B.A. (1982) Hebei Teachers’ University, Shijiazhuang, China; B.A. (1985) China Broadcast and Television University, Beijing; M.A. (1987) Beijing University of Science and Technology; M.A. (1996) City University of New York; Ed.D. (2004) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Shu-Min Liao*, Assistant Professor of Statistics. B.S. (2001) National Chengchi University, Taiwan; M.S. (2005), Ph.D. (2009) Pennsylvania State University.

Nathaniel Lieb, Visiting Artist-in-Residence in the Department of Art and the History of Art. B.F.A. (1984) Syracuse University; M.F.A. (2009) Brooklyn College, CUNY.

Benson Lieber, Senior Lecturer in Intensive Writing. B.A. (1972) Columbia College; M.A. (1974), M.Phil. (1978) Columbia University.

Ralph Lieberman, Visiting Lecturer in Art and the History of Art. B.A. (1961) Brandeis University; M.A. (1964), Ph.D. (1972) New York University.

Sandy Litchfield, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art and the History of Art. B.F.A. (1994) University of Colorado at Boulder; M.F.A. (2003) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Peter Lobdell, Senior Resident Artist in the Department of Theater and Dance. A.B. (1968) Amherst College.

William A. Loinaz, Professor of Physics. B.S.E. (1989) Princeton University; M.S. (1991), Ph.D. (1995) University of Michigan; A.M. (hon. 2013) Amherst College.

Thom Long, Five College Assistant Professor of Architectural Studies (European Studies). B.Arch. (1999) Roger Williams University; M.S.-AAD (2000) Columbia University.

Rick A. López, Associate Professor of History. A.B. (1993) Amherst College; M.A. (1998), Ph.D. (2001) Yale University.

Ethan MacAdam, Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought. B.A. (1996) Yale University; M.A. (1999), Ph.D. (2001) Rutgers University.

Pavel Machala, Charles E. Merrill 1908 Professor of Political Science. B.A. (1970) St. Olaf College; M.A. (1972), Ph.D. (1976) The Johns Hopkins University; A.M. (hon. 1990) Amherst College.

Leslie Frye Maietta, Visiting Lecturer in Theater and Dance. B.F.A. (2002) University of the Arts, Philadelphia; M.F.A. (2013) Hollins University.

Victoria Maillo de Aguilera‡, Senior Lecturer and Language Coordinator of Spanish. B.A. (1989) Universidad de Salamanca, Spain; M.A. (2004) Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona.

James E. Maraniss, Professor of Spanish. B.A. (1966), M.A. (1967) Harvard University; Ph.D. (1975) Princeton University; A.M. (hon. 1985) Amherst College.

Mark D. Marshall, Class of 1959 Professor of Chemistry. B.S. (1979) University of Rochester; M.A. (1981), Ph.D. (1985) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 2000) Amherst College.

Biddy Martin, Professor of German and Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies. B.A. (1973) College of William and Mary; M.A. (1974) Middlebury College; Ph.D. (1985) University of Wisconsin at Madison; L.H.D (2012) The College of William and Mary; LL.D. (hon. 2014) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Anna Melick Martini, Professor of Geology. B.A. (1986) Colgate University; M.S. (1992) Syracuse University; Ph.D. (1997) University of Michigan; A.M. (hon. 2013) Amherst College.

Paul Matteson, Five College Assistant Professor of Dance. B.A. (2000) Middlebury College; M.F.A. (2007) Bennington College.

Eleonora Mattiacci, Karl Loewenstein Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science. B.A. (2004) University of Bologna; Ph.D. (2014) Ohio State University.

Michelle Maydanchik, Robert E. Keiter ’57 Postdoctoral Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian Art. I.B. (2001) United Nations International School; B.A. (2005) Dartmouth College; Ph.D. (2014) University of Chicago.

Trent E. Maxey, Associate Professor of Asian Languages and Civilization and History. B.A. (1998) Northwestern University; M.A. (2001), Ph.D. (2005) Cornell University.

Catherine C. McGeoch*, Beitzel Professor in Technology and Society (Computer Science). B.S. (1981) Butler University; M.S. (1983), Ph.D. (1986) Carnegie Mellon University; A.M. (hon. 2001) Amherst College.

Lyle A. McGeoch, Brian E. Boyle ’69 Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science (Computer Science). B.S.E. (1981) Princeton University; M.S. (1983), Ph.D. (1987) Carnegie Mellon University; A.M. (hon. 2000) Amherst College.

Julia D. McQuade, Assistant Professor of Psychology. B.A. (2004) Bates College; Ph.D. (2012) University of Vermont.

Molly Mead, Lecturer in American Studies. A.B. (1971) Cornell University; M.B.A. (1979) Simmons College; Ed.D. (1990) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Martin Medina-Elizalde, Visiting Assistant Professor of Geology. B.A. (1997) Universidad de Baja California Sur, Mexico; M.S. (2000) Center of Research of Advanced Studies, Yucatan; Ph.D. (2007) University of California, Santa Barbara.

Edward D. Melillo, Assistant Professor of History and Environmental Studies. B.A. (1997) Swarthmore College; Ph.D. (2006) Yale University.

Maria Emma Mendonca, Joseph E. and Grace W. Valentine Visiting Associate Professor of Music. B.A. (1987) University of York, UK; M.A. (1990), Ph.D. (2002) Wesleyan University.

Jill Suzanne Miller†, Associate Professor of Biology. B.A. (1992) Colorado College; M.S. (1997), Ph.D. (2000) University of Arizona.

Kozue Miyama, Senior Lecturer in Asian Languages and Civilizations (Japanese). B.A. (1982) University of Tsukuba, Japan; M.A. (1988) International Christian University, Japan.

Joseph G. Moore, Professor of Philosophy. B.A. (1986) University of California at Berkeley; M.A. (1989), Ph.D. (1994) Cornell University.

Stewart Moore, Visiting Lecturer in Religion. A.B. (1995) Amherst College; M.Div. (2006) Drew Theological School; S.T.M. (2007) Yale Divinity School; Ph.D. (2013) Yale University.

Michelle D. Morgan, Professor of Physical Education and Senior Women’s Administrator. B.A. (1974) Colorado Women’s College; M.S. (1976) Smith College; A.M. (hon. 1990) Amherst College.

Klára Móricz‡, Professor of Music. Diploma (1986), Diploma (1992) Franz Liszt Academy of Music; M.A. (1995), Ph.D. (1999) University of California at Berkeley; A.M. (hon. 2014) Amherst College.

Samuel C. Morse, Howard M. and Martha P. Mitchell Professor of the History of Art and Asian Languages and Civilizations. B.A. (1978) Harvard College; Ph.D. (1985) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1995) Amherst College.

Hilary J. Moss‡, Associate Professor of Black Studies and History. B.A. (1998) Northwestern University; Ph.D. (2004) Brandeis University.

Eunmi Mun, Assistant Professor of Sociology. B.A. (2002), M.A. (2004) Seoul National University, Ph.D. (2011) Harvard University.

Ingrid Nelson, Assistant Professor of English. B.S. (1997) College of William and Mary; M.A. (2005) University of Colorado; Ph.D. (2010) Harvard University.

Susan R. Niditch, Samuel Green Professor of Religion. A.B. (1972) Radcliffe College; Ph.D. (1977) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1990) Amherst College.

Jennifer Nugent, Visiting Lecturer in Theater and Dance. A.A. (1990) Miami-Dade Community College; B.F.A. (1998) New World School of the Arts, Miami.

Jonathan Obert, Assistant Professor of Political Science. B.A. (1999) Wheaton College; M.A. (2003), Ph.D. (2014) University of Chicago.

Patricia B. O’Hara*, Amanda and Lisa Cross Professor of Chemistry. B.A. (1976) Adelphi University; Ph.D. (1981) Columbia University; A.M. (hon. 1995) Amherst College.

Olabode Omojola, Five College Associate Professor of Black Studies and Music. B.A. (1980) University of Nigeria; M.A. (1983) University of Ibadan, Nigeria; Ph.D. (1988) University of Leicester, England.

Brahim Oulbeid, Visiting Five College Lecturer in Arabic. B.A. (1991) Ibn Zohr University, Morocco; M.Ed. (2007), M.A. (2010) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Carolyn Palmquist, Assistant Professor of Psychology. B.A. (2008) College of William and Mary; M.A. (2010), Ph.D. (2013) University of Virginia.

Marisa Parham, Associate Professor of English. B.A. (1996) Washington University; M.A. (1997), M.Phil. (2000), Ph.D. (2004) Columbia University.

Constantine Pleshakov, Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science. Degree (1981) University of Singapore; M.A. (1982) Moscow State University; Ph.D. (1986) Academy of Sciences of the USSR; Doctor of Science (1994) Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow.

Dominic L. Poccia, Rufus Tyler Lincoln Professor of Biology. B.S. (1967) Union College; A.M. (1968), Ph.D. (1971) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1987) Amherst College.

Andrew Poe, Assistant Professor of Political Science. B.A. (2001) St. John’s College; M.A. (2002) University of Chicago; Ph.D. (2010) University of California at San Diego.

Khary Oronde Polk, Assistant Professor of Black Studies and Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies. B.A. (2000) Oberlin College; Ph.D. (2011) New York University.

Patrick Pritchett, Visiting Assistant Professor of English. B.A. (2001), M.A. (2004) University of Colorado at Boulder; Ph.D. (2013) Harvard University.

Alexandra Elizabeth Purdy, Assistant Professor of Biology. B.S. (2000) College of William and Mary; Ph.D. (2007) Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego.

Stanislav Rabinovich, Assistant Professor of Economics. B.A., B.S. (2006) University of Chicago; Ph.D. (2012) University of Pennsylvania.

Stanley J. Rabinowitz†, Henry Steele Commager Professor and Professor of Russian. A.B. (1967) City University of New York (Brooklyn College); A.M. (1969), Ph.D. (1975) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1984) Amherst College.

John E. Rager III†, Professor of Computer Science. S.B. (1977) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; S.M. (1978) University of Chicago; Ph.D. (1987) Northwestern University; A.M. (hon. 2001) Amherst College.

Lisa A. Raskin†, John William Ward Professor of Psychology (Neuroscience). B.A. (1975) Skidmore College; M.A. (1977), Ph.D. (1979) Princeton University; A.M. (hon. 1991) Amherst College.

Kerry Ratigan, Assistant Professor of Political Science. B.A. (2002) Haverford College; M.Sc. (2005) London School of Economics and Political Science; M.A. (2008), Ph.D. (2013) University of Wisconsin at Madison.

David I. Ratner†, Alfred Sargent Lee ’41 and Mary Farley Ames Lee Professor of Biology. B.S., M.S. (1968) Yale University; Ph.D. (1975) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1994) Amherst College.

Sean Redding†, Zephaniah Swift Moore Professor of History. B.A. (1978) Swarthmore College; Ph.D. (1987) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 2000) Amherst College.

Sujani K. Reddy, Five College Assistant Professor of Asian Pacific American Studies. B.A. (1995) Yale University; Ph.D. (2008) New York University.

Jessica Reyes, Associate Professor of Economics. A.B. (1994) Amherst College; Diploma (1995) Churchill College, University of Cambridge; A.M. (1999), Ph.D. (2002) Harvard University.

Yael Rice, Robert E. Keiter ’57 Postdoctoral Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of Art and the History of Art and Asian Languages and Civilizations. B.A. (1998) University of North Carolina; M.A. (2004) University of Massachusetts at Amherst; Ph.D. (2011) University of Pennsylvania.

Monica M. Ringer, Associate Professor of History and Asian Languages and Civilizations. B.A. (1988) Oberlin College; M.A. (1992), Ph.D. (1998) University of California at Los Angeles.

Jason Robinson, Assistant Professor of Music. B.A. (1998) Sonoma State University; M.A. (2000), Ph.D. (2005) University of California at San Diego.

Stephanie L. Robinson, Visiting Lecturer in Theater and Dance. B.M. (1998) University of Southern California; M.M. (2000) University of Michigan; Ph.D. (2005) University of California at San Diego.

Paul V. Rockwell, Henry C. Folger 1879 Professor of French. B.A. (1980), M.A. (1982), Ph.D. (1988) University of Wisconsin; A.M. (hon. 2001) Amherst College.

David Rodríguez-Solás, Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish. Licenciatura (1999), Diploma de Estudios Avanzados (2001) University of Granada, Spain; Ph.D. (2009) City University of New York.

Christian Rogowski, G. Armour Craig Professor in Language and Literature (German). B.A. (1980) Mannheim University; M.A. (1981) London University; Ph.D. (1988) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 2001) Amherst College.

Ronald C. Rosbottom, Winifred L. Arms Professor in the Arts and Humanities and Professor of French and European Studies. B.A. (1964) Tulane University; M.A. (1966), Ph.D. (1969) Princeton University; A.M. (hon. 1990) Amherst College.

Joshua Mark Rosenthal, Visiting Associate Professor of History. B.A. (1988) Wesleyan University; M.A. (1992), M.Phil. (1994), Ph.D. (2001) Columbia University.

Craig M. Russell, Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics. B.A. (2003) University of Oregon; M.A. (2006), Ph.D. (2013) University of California at Los Angeles.

Sahar Sadjadi, Assistant Professor of Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies. M.D. (2004)Tehran University of Medical Sciences; Ph.D. (2012) Columbia University.

Geoffrey Sanborn, Professor of English. B.A. (1987) Stanford University; Ph.D. (1992) University of California at Los Angeles; A.M. (hon. 2014) Amherst College.

Benigno R. Sánchez-Eppler*, Lecturer in English. B.A. (1979) Williams College; B.A. (1981), M.Phil. (1983) Cambridge University; Ph.D. (1988) The Johns Hopkins University.

Karen Sánchez-Eppler*, L. Stanton Williams 1941 Professor of American Studies and English. B.A. (1981) Williams College; B.A. (1983) Cambridge University; M.A. (1986), Ph.D. (1990) The Johns Hopkins University; A.M. (hon. 2001) Amherst College.

Catherine Ashley Sanderson, James E. Ostendarp Professor of Psychology. A.B. (1990) Stanford University; M.S. (1993), Ph.D. (1997) Princeton University; M.A. (hon. 2010) Amherst College.

Austin D. Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science. B.A. (1969) Providence College; M.A. (1970), Ph.D. (1973) University of Wisconsin; A.M. (hon. 1984) Amherst College; J.D. (1988) Yale Law School, LL.D. (2008) Providence College.

Eric W. Sawyer, Professor of Music. A.B. (1985) Harvard College; M.A. (1988) Columbia University; Ph.D. (1994) University of California at Davis; A.M. (hon. 2014) Amherst College.

Martha Saxton*, Professor of History and Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies. B.A. (1967) University of Chicago; Ph.D. (1989) Columbia University.

Leah Schmalzbauer, Associate Professor of American Studies and Sociology. B.A. (1992) University of New Hampshire; Diploma (1994) La Universidad de Barcelona; M.Sc. (1996) The London School of Economics and Political Science; Ph.D. (2004) Boston College.

David E. Schneider†, Professor of Music. A.B. (1985) Harvard College; M.A. (1990), Ph.D. (1997) University of California at Berkeley.

Matthew D. Schulkind‡, Professor of Psychology. B.A. (1990) Haverford College; M.A. (1993), Ph.D. (1997) Duke University; A.M. (hon. 2013) Amherst College.

Dwaipayan Sen, Assistant Professor of Asian Languages and Civilizations and History. B.A. (2004) Oberlin College; M.A. (2005), Ph.D. (2012) University of Chicago.

John W. Servos, Anson D. Morse Professor of History. A.B. (1972) Columbia College; Ph.D. (1979) The Johns Hopkins University; A.M. (hon. 1992) Amherst College.

Nishiten Shah, Professor of Philosophy. B.S. (1991) University of Wisconsin at Madison; Ph.D. (2000) University of Michigan; A.M. (hon. 2014) Amherst College.

Krupa Shandilya, Assistant Professor of Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies. B.A. (2002) University of Mumbai (St. Xavier College); B.A. (2004) University of Rochester; M.A. (2006), Ph.D. (2009) Cornell University.

Tong Shen, Senior Lecturer in Asian Languages and Civilizations (Chinese). M.A. (1988) Long Island University; Ph.D. (1995) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Katharine R. Emans Sims, Assistant Professor of Economics. B.A. (1998) Princeton University; M.A. (2005), Ph.D. (2008) Harvard University.

Prakarsh Singh*, Assistant Professor of Economics. B.Sc. (2006), M.Res. (2008), Ph.D. (2011) London School of Economics;

Dale S. Sinos, Visiting Professor of Classics. B.A. (1968) Hunter College, City University of New York; M.A. (1973), Ph.D. (1976) The Johns Hopkins University.

Rebecca H. Sinos, Professor of Classics. A.B. (1976) The College of William and Mary; M.A. (1978), Ph.D. (1980) The Johns Hopkins University; A.M. (hon. 1992) Amherst College.

Adam Sitze, Associate Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought. B.A. (1996) Drake University; Ph.D. (2003) University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

David R. Sofield‡, Samuel Williston Professor of English. B.A. (1957) Princeton University; M.A. (1965), Ph.D. (1971) Stanford University; A.M. (hon. 1977) Amherst College.

Debra Sondak, Visiting Lecturer in Chemistry. B.A. (2006) The Johns Hopkins University; M.S. (2013) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Natasha Staller‡, Professor of the History of Art. B.A. (1973) Wellesley College; Ph.D. (1983) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 2006) Amherst College.

Ilán Stavans, Lewis-Sebring Professor in Latin American and Latino Culture (Spanish). B.A. (1984) Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana; M.A. (1987) The Jewish Theological Seminary; M.A. (1988), M.Phil. (1989), Ph.D. (1990) Columbia University; A.M. (hon. 1998) Amherst College.

Michelle O. Stewart†, Pick Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies. B.S. (2002) University of Notre Dame; M.A. (2008) University of California at Santa Cruz; Ph.D. (2013) University of Colorado at Boulder.

Lucia de las Mercedes Suárez, Associate Professor of Spanish. B.A. (1991) Hunter College, City University of New York; Ph.D. (1999) Duke University.

Mark Lane Swanson, Director of Instrumental Music and Senior Lecturer in Music. A.B. (1982) Stanford University; J.D. (1985) University of California at Los Angeles School of Law; M.Mus. (1997) Indiana University at Bloomington.

Kevin M. Sweeney‡, Professor of American Studies and History. B.A. (1972) Williams College; M.A. (1973), M.Phil. (1975), Ph.D. (1986) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 2000) Amherst College.

Robert T. Sweeney, William R. Mead Professor of Art. B.F.A. (1970), M.F.A. (1972) Boston University; A.M. (hon. 1986) Amherst College.

Marilyn Sylla, Five College Lecturer in Dance.

Rachel Tapley, Visiting Lecturer in French. B.A. (2007) Centre College; M.A. (2010), Ph.D. (2014) University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Wako Tawa, Willem Schupf Professor in Asian Languages and Civilizations. B.A. (1971) State University of New York at Buffalo; M.A. (1975) International Christian University; Ph.D. (1986) Pennsylvania State University; A.M. (hon. 2000) Amherst College.

Ethan J. Temeles, Thomas B. Walton, Jr. Professor of Biology. A.B. (1978) Cornell University; M.Sc. (1980) Louisiana State University; Ph.D. (1987) University of California at Davis.

Xiaoping Teng, Senior Lecturer in Asian Languages and Civilizations (Chinese). B.A. (1982), M.A. (1984) Tianjin University; M.A. (1994) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Caroline B. Theoharides, Assistant Professor of Economics. B.A. (2006) Colby College; M.A. (2011), Ph.D. (2014) University of Michigan.

Matt Tierney, Visiting Assistant Professor in Film and Media Studies. A.B. (1999) Cornell University; M.A. (2006) University of California at Santa Cruz; Ph.D. (2012) Brown University.

Ronald S. Tiersky‡, Joseph B. Eastman ’04 Professor of Political Science. B.A. (1966) University of Illinois; M.A. (1971), Ph.D. (1972) Columbia University; A.M. (hon. 1987) Amherst College.

Josef G. Trapani*, Assistant Professor of Biology. B.A. (1999), M.S. (2004), Ph.D. (2005) University of Connecticut.

Sarah M. Turgeon, Professor of Psychology (Neuroscience). B.A. (1989) Kenyon College; Ph.D. (1994) University of Michigan.

Raina Forbes Uhden, Senior Lecturer in French. B.A. (1996) Virginia Polytechnic and State University; M.A. (1997) Reid Hall, Columbia University in Paris; Ph.D. (2005) Columbia University.

Martha M. Umphrey, Bertrand H. Snell 1894 Professor in American Government (Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought). B.A. (1986), J.D. (1991), Ph.D. (2000) University of Michigan; A.M. (hon. 2007) Amherst College.

Joel M. Upton‡, Professor of Art and the History of Art. A.B. (1963) Rutgers University; M.A. (1968), Ph.D. (1972) Bryn Mawr College; A.M. (hon. 1984) Amherst College.

Peter Uvin, Professor of Political Science. Licence in Diplomatic Science—International Law (1984), Licence in Political Science (1985) University of Ghent, Belgium; Ph.D. (1991) University of Geneva, Switzerland; M.A. (hon. 1998) Brown University; A.M. (hon. 2014) Amherst College.

Crystal L. Valentine, Visiting Assistant Professor of Computer Science. A.B. (2004) Amherst College; M.A. (2008), Ph.D. (2011) Brown University.

Timothy Van Compernolle, Associate Professor of Asian Languages and Civilizations (Japanese). B.A. (1992), M.A. (1995) University of Kansas; M.A. (1997), Ph.D. (2001) University of Michigan.

Christopher S. van den Berg, Assistant Professor of Classics. B.A. (1996) University of California at Berkeley; Ph.D. (2006) Yale University.

Daniel J. Velleman, Julian H. Gibbs ’46 Professor of Mathematics. B.A. (1976) Dartmouth College; M.A. (1977), Ph.D. (1980) University of Wisconsin; A.M. (hon. 1992) Amherst College.

Kiara Maria Vigil, Assistant Professor of American Studies. B.A. (1997) Tufts University; M.A. (1998) Teachers College, Columbia University; M.A.L.S. (2006) Dartmouth College; Ph.D. (2011) University of Michigan.

Jonathan M. Vogel, George Lyman Crosby 1896 Professor in Philosophy. B.A. (1976), Ph.D. (1986) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 1998) Amherst College.

Amy S. Wagaman, Assistant Professor of Statistics. B.A. (2003) Kenyon College; M.S. (2005), Ph.D. (2008) University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Vanessa Walker, Assistant Professor of History. B.A. (2000) Whitman College; M.A. (2004), Ph.D. (2011) University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Xiaofei (Susan) Wang, Lecturer in Statistics. B.A. (2006) University of California at Berkeley; Ph.D. (2014) Yale University.

Jennifer Weber, Visiting Lecturer in Theater and Dance. B.F.A. University of Pennsylvania.

John Weinert, Five College Lecturer in Arabic. B.A. (2007) Bard College; M.A. (2012) University of Texas at Austin.

Frank H. Westhoff‡, Professor of Economics. S.B. (1969) Massachusetts Institute of Technology; M.Ph. (1971), M.A. (1973), Ph.D. (1974) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 1985) Amherst College.

Richard P. Wilbur, John Woodruff Simpson Lecturer. A.B. (1942) Amherst College; M.A. (1947) Harvard University; D.H.L. (hon. 1967) Amherst College.

Patrick Williamson, Edward H. Harkness Professor of Biology. B.A. (1970) Beloit College; M.A. (1971), Ph.D. (1974) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1990) Amherst College.

David W. Wills‡, John E. Kirkpatrick 1951 Professor of Religion. A.B. (1962) Yale University; B.D. (1966) Princeton Theological Seminary; Ph.D. (1975) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 1983) Amherst College.

Geoffrey R. Woglom, Richard S. Volpert ’56 Professor of Economics. B.A. (1968) Yale College; M.Ph. (1970), Ph.D. (1974) Yale University; A.M. (hon. 1984) Amherst College.

Boris Wolfson†, Associate Professor of Russian. B.A. (1997) University of Chicago; M.A. (1999), Ph.D. (2004) University of California at Berkeley.

Wendy Woodson‡, Roger C. Holden 1919 Professor of Theater and Dance. B.A. (1969), M.A. (1976) George Washington University; A.M. (hon. 2000) Amherst College.

Amelia Worsley, Assistant Professor of English. B.A. (2006) Selwyn College, University of Cambridge; M.A. (2007) Brown University; M.A. (2009), Ph.D. (2014) Princeton University.

Nicholas Xenos, Five College Visiting Professor of Political Science. B.A. (1972) New York University; M.A. (1974) University of Michigan; M.A. (1978), Ph.D. (1984) Princeton University.

Beth V. Yarbrough, Willard Long Thorp Professor of Economics. B.S. (1977) University of Texas; M.A. (1980), Ph.D. (1983) University of Washington; A.M. (hon. 1993) Amherst College.

Robert M. Yarbrough, Adjunct Professor of Economics. B.S. (1977) University of Texas at Dallas; M.A. (1980), Ph.D. (1983) University of Washington.

Elizabeth R. Young, Assistant Professor of Chemistry. B.S. (2002) Haverford College; Ph.D. (2009) Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Fellows

Mohammad Dehghani Ashkezari, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate in Physics.

Bradley M. Bailey, M.Phil., M.B.A., E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Postdoctoral Curatorial Teaching Fellow in Japanese Prints, Mead Art Museum.

Kim Bain, B.A., Five College Mellon Fellow in Digital Humanities.

Flora Chan, M.Ed., Student Life Fellow.

Catherine Chou, Ph.D., Five College Fellow in History.

Kalisha Cornett, M.A., Dean’s Faculty Fellow in English.

Alicja Anna Gescinska, M.A., Loewenstein Fellow in Political Science.

Magdelana Holdar, Ph.D., STINT Fellow in Art and the History of Art.

Rhoda Holton, Teaching Fellow in Physics.

Miriam Anna Kolar, Ph.D., Five College Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities (Music).

Mariel Nyröp, B.A., Five College Mellon Fellow in Digital Humanities.

Language Assistants

Rafael Calderón Sanchez, Language Assistant in Spanish, Olavide University, Seville.

Camille Gautier, Language Assistant in French, Levy-Despas Fellow.

Wamedh Jassem, Language Assistant in Arabic.

Nina Leonova, Language Assistant in Russian.

Maria Marchante Lucas, Language Assistant in Spanish, Cadiz University.

Kevin Nonin, Language Assistant in French, University of Dijon.

Manola Fernanda Pérez Torres, Language Assistant in Spanish, Universidad Diego Portales.

Carlos Ramírez Casas, Language Assistant in Spanish, Universitat de Barcelona.

Olivier Roger, Language Assistant in French, Ecole Normale Supérieure.

Maria Victoria Donoso Ruiz-Tagle, Language Assistant in Spanish, Universidad Diego Portales.

Roman Seebeck, Language Assistant in German, Göttingen University.

Hitomi Sovjani, Language Assistant in Japanese.

Nadine Walter, Language Assistant in German, Göttingen University.

Administrative and Professional Officers

Biddy Martin, President of the College. B.A. (1973) The College of William and Mary; M.A. (1974) Middlebury College; Ph.D. (1985) University of Wisconsin at Madison L.H.D. (2012) The College of William and Mary; LL.D. (2014) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Catherine Epstein, Dean of the Faculty/Title IX Deputy Coordinator for Faculty. A.B. (1985) Brown University; M.Sc. (1987) London School of Economics; Ph.D. (1998) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 2012) Amherst College.

Jennifer Acker, Editor-in-Chief, The Common. A.B. (2000) Amherst College; M.F.A. (2011) Bennington College.

Ira S. Addes, Psychiatrist, Counseling Center. B.A. (1969) Brooklyn College; M.D. (1973) Tufts University School of Medicine.

Brent W. Alderman Sterste, Senior Development Officer. A.B. (2000) Amherst College; M.Div. (2004) Harvard Divinity School.

Carol Allman-Morton, Associate Director of Alumni and Parent Programs. B.A. (2000) Brandeis University; M.Div. (2005) Andover Newton Theological School.

Jacqueline Alvarez, Associate Dean and Director of the Counseling Center. B.A. (1985) University of Notre Dame; M.A. (1989), Ph.D. (1992) Ohio State University.

Richard J. Ampiah-Bonney, Academic Manager, Chemistry Department. B.Sc.(1993) University of Science and Technology, Ghana; M.Sc. (1996), M.Phil. (2008) University of Hull, United Kingdom; Ph.D. (2006) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

A. Elizabeth Anema, Executive Director of Alumni and Parent Programs and Annual Giving. A.B. (1991) Mount Holyoke College; Ed.M. (2000) Harvard University.

Jack A. Arena, Senior Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. A.B. (1983) Amherst College; M.S. (1988) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Richard A. Aronson, Assistant Dean of Students/Health Professions Advisor. A.B. (1969) Amherst College; M.D. (1974) University of Rochester School of Medicine; M.P.H. (1988) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Kristen H. Atwood, Assistant Director of the Annual Fund. B.A. (2008) Ithaca College.

Eddy Augustin, Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.A. (1994) Millersville University of Pennsylvania; M.S. (1998) John F. Kennedy University.

Jacqueline K. Bagwell, Senior Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.S. (1982) Indiana University.

Ellie Swain Ballard, Director of Alumni Engagement. A.B. (1995) Amherst College.

Matthew C. Ballard, Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.A. (1990), M.A. (1993) University of Albany.

T. Adam Banks, Assistant Coach and Physical Education Instructor. B.A. (2005) Georgetown University; M.Ed. (2007) Marymount University.

Jesse D. Barba, Associate Registrar/Associate Director of Institutional Research. B.A. (1998) Ohio University, M.A. (2005) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Gayle R. Barton, Chief Information Officer, Information Technology. A.B. (1973) Bryn Mawr College; M.Ed. (1992) St. Lawrence University.

Dawn M. Bates, Manager, Investment Operations. B.B.A. (1991) University of Massachusetts at Amherst; CPA (1994).

Jane A. Beebe, Head of Cataloging/Music Librarian. B.A. (1977) College of Wooster; M.M. (1980) University of Tennessee; M.S.L.S. (1982) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Janna K. Behrens, Director of International Experience, Career Center. B.S. (1994) Syracuse University; M.P.P. (2005) Tufts University.

Carole A. Black, Director of the Annual Fund. B.A. (1981) Whitman College; M.A. (1998) Vanderbilt University.

Laurie M. Bouchard, Assistant Controller. B.S. (1991) American International College; CPA (1995).

Emily Gold Boutilier, College Editor. B.A. (1996) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Charri J. Boykin-East, Senior Associate Dean of Students/Coordinator of Academic Support. B.A. (1983) University of Massachusetts at Amherst; M.Ed. (1984) Cambridge College.

Christopher G. Boyko, Strength and Conditioning Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.S. (2000) University of Massachusetts at Lowell; M.Ed. (2002) Springfield College.

James D. Brassord, Chief of Campus Operations, Facilities Department. B.S. (1982) University of Connecticut; M.S. (1985) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; M.B.A. (1993) University of Connecticut.

Leykia D. Brill, Associate Dean of Admission/Coordinator of Diversity Outreach. B.A. (2006) Wheaton College; M.S.Ed. (2009) University of Pennsylvania.

Julia C. Broadway, Assistant Director of the Annual Fund. A.B. (2005) University of Michigan at Ann Arbor; M.A. (2011) Indiana University at Bloomington.

J. Luke Bussard, Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.A. (1999) Dickinson College; M.B.A. (2006) Norwich University.

Gregory S. Call, Senior Advisor to the President. A.B. (1980) Dartmouth College; A.M. (1981), Ph.D. (1986) Harvard University; A.M. (hon. 2001) Amherst College.

Elizabeth Cannon Smith, Alumni Secretary. A.B. (1984) Amherst College.

John B. Carter, Chief of Campus Police/Director of Public Safety. B.S. (1985) University of Lowell; M.S. (1998) Fitchburg State College.

Patrick Chehade, Director of Rental Property. A.A. (1990) Holyoke Community College; B.A. (1996) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

John T. Cheney, Associate Dean of the Faculty. B.A. (1970), M.A. (1972) University of Montana; Ph.D. (1975) University of Wisconsin at Madison; A.M. (hon. 1987) Amherst College.

Valdina Chirico, Director of Donor Relations. B.A. (1972) Temple University; M.A. (1980) Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.

Jennifer M. Christian Wright, Assistant Dean of Financial Aid. B.A. (1995) Appalachian State University; M.S. (1999) Miami University, Ohio.

Suzanne R. Coffey, Chief Student Affairs Officer. B.A. (1980) University of New Hampshire; M.A. (2001) Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Affairs, University of Southern Maine.

Sara R. Cohen, Assistant Dean of Admission. B.A. (2012) Middlebury College.

Matthew Cook, Assistant Athletic Trainer. B.S., A.S. (2003) Keene State College.

John R. Dailey, Investment Officer. B.S. (1999), M.B.A, M.S.F. (2007) Boston Col-
lege; CFA.

Thomas K. Davies, Director of Design and Construction, Facilities. B.A., B.S. (1986) University of Pennsylvania; M.S. (1994) Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Cynthia S. Dickinson, Director of Interpretation and Programming, Emily Dickinson Museum. A.B. (1991) Princeton University; M.A. (1993) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; M.A. (1995) University of Delaware.

Gregg W. DiNardo, Interim Associate Director of Athletic Facilities, Assistant Coach, A.B. (2001) Amherst College; M.B.A. (2009) Cornell University.

Kendall D. Doble IV, Senior Investment Analyst. B.A. (2007) Connecticut College.

Shannon N. Doepking, Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.A. (2008) University of Tennessee; M.S. (2012) Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Kate M. Doria, Data Research and Web Traffic Analyst. B.A. (2010) Bates College.

Gretchen Dwyer, Director of Leadership Giving. B.A. (1994) St. Lawrence University; Ed.M. (1999) Boston University.

Thomas J. Dwyer, Director of Budget and Analysis. B.A. (1995) Pomona College; M.B.A. (2001) Harvard University.

Debra Edelman, Psychologist, Counseling Center. B.S. (1978), M.Ed. (1987), Ph.D. (1994) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Mark D. W. Edington, Director, Amherst College Press. A.B. (1983) Albion College; M.Div. (2000) Harvard Divinity School; M.A.L.D. (2007) The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.

Katie O’Hara Edwards, Director of Financial Planning and Analysis. A.B. (1987) Amherst College; M.B.A. (1991) INSEAD.

Thomas A. Ehrgood, Jr., Director of 50th Reunion Giving. A.B. (1973) Amherst College; J.D. (1978) George Washington University Law School.

Michael P. Ellison, Associate Dean of Admission and Financial Aid. B.B.A. (1989) University of Massachusetts at Amherst; M.B.A. (1998) University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

Sarah Jean Erickson, Psychotherapist. B.A. (2000) College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University; M.A. (2005), Psy.D. (2008) Minnesota School of Professional Psychology.

Suzanne J. Everden, Senior Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.Sc. (1977) Slippery Rock University; M.Ed. (1980) Springfield College.

Donald R. Faulstick, Jr., Interim Director of Athletics. B.S. (1986) Mansfield University; M.S. (1988) Shippensburg University.

Kristen L. Ford, Assistant Director of Classes and On-Campus Programs. A.A.S. (1987) SUNY Broome Community College; B.A. (1989) SUNY Freedonia.

Mary Foulk, Associate Director of Donor Relations. A.B. (1991) Princeton University; M.A. (1996) Columbia University.

Laurie A. Frankl, Title IX Coordinator, Office of General Counsel. B.A. (1996) University of New Hampshire; J.D. (2000) Suffolk University Law School.

Katharine L. Fretwell, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid. A.B. (1981) Amherst College; Ed.M. (1985) Harvard University.

Anthony R. Fucillo, Assistant Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.A. (2012 ) Tufts University.

Cassie Funke-Harris, Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.A. (2005) Carleton College; M.A. (2008) University of Texas at Austin.

Laura Fusari, Psychotherapist, Counseling Center. B.A. (2002) Amherst College; MSW (2004) Smith College School of Social Work.

Gretchen Gano, Social Sciences Librarian. M.P.P. (2004), M.L.I.S. (2005) Rutgers University.

Bryn Geffert, Librarian of the College. B.A. (1990) St. Olaf College; M.S. (1992) University of Illinois; Ph.D. (2003) University of Minnesota.

Mauricia A. Geissler, Chief Investment Officer. B.B.A. (1985) University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Kathleen A. Gentile, Senior Associate Dean of Financial Aid. B.A. (1977) State University of New York at Geneseo; M.S. (1979), Ed.S. (1979) State University of New York at Albany.

Kathleen S. Gerrity, Cataloging Librarian. B.A. (1988) Bard College at Simon’s Rock; M.L.I.S. (2007) Simmons College.

Kristen Greenland, Science Librarian. B.A. (2001) Carleton College; Ph.D. (2008), M.L.I.S. (2010) University of Washington.

George P. Gromacki, Senior Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.S. (1993), M.A. (1996), M.P.A. (1996) Ohio State University.

David L. Hamilton, Director of Web Services. B.A. (1991) College of Wooster.

Brian Hamm, Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.A. (2002) Middlebury College; M.S. (2007) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Caroline J. Hanna, Associate Director of Public Affairs. B.A. (1998) St. Lawrence University; M.S. (1999) Syracuse University.

Michael T. Hawkins, Associate Dean of Admission. B.A. (1984) Williams College; M.T.S. (1990) Harvard Divinity School.

Dale R. Hendricks, Senior Associate Dean of Admission. B.A. (1999) Wesleyan University.

Rebecca Henning, Cataloger of Special Collections, Frost Library. B.A. (1991) Colby College; M.L.S. (2000) Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

Luis Hernandez, Director of IT Support Services. B.S. (2000) Florida Institute of Technology.

David D. Hixon, Senior Coach and Senior Associate Athletic Director. A.B. (1975) Amherst College; M.S. (1979) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Gail W. Holt, Dean of Financial Aid. B.A. (1994) Boston College; Ed.M. (1998) Boston University.

Tiffani Hooper Bromberg, Assistant Dean of Admission. A.B. (2006) Amherst College; M.F.A. (2010) Yale University.

Scott D. Howard, Associate Dean, Director of Case Management. B.A. (2003), M.Ed. (2012) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Jennifer Hughes, Coach, Physical Education and Athletics/Title IX Deputy Coordinator for Athletics. B.A. (1997) Colgate University; M.S. (2004), M.B.A. (2005) University of Massachusetts at Amherst; J.D. (2010) University of Connecticut.

Amanda L. Huhmann, Associate Director of Advancement Communications. B.A. (2003) Northwest Missouri State University; M.F.A. (2007) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Alexandra Hurd, Associate Dean of Admission. A.B. (2006) Amherst College; M.ED. (2014) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Jennifer B. Innes, Director of the Moss Quantitative Center. B.A. (1983) Kalamazoo College; Ph.D. (1993) Yale University.

Katherine Jekanowski, Assistant Athletic Trainer. B.S. (1996) Westfield State University; M.Ed. (2002) Springfield College.

Janet Marie Jourdain, Head of Library Information Technology. B.A. (1978) Siena College; M.L.S. (1983) University of Arizona.

Stephen A. Judycki, Director, IT Communications Infrastructure. A.S. (1984) Holyoke Community College; B.S. (1990) Westfield State University.

Bettina Jungen, Senior Curator and Thomas P. Whitney ’37 Curator of Russian Art. M.A. (1997), Ph.D. (2005) University of Zurich.

Ruth Kane-Levit, Psychologist, Counseling Center. B.S. (1976) Simmons College; M.Ed. (1983) Harvard University; Ph.D. (1989) Adelphi University.

Mike Kelly, Head of Archives and Special Collections, Frost Library. B.A. (1991) Boston College; M.A. (1992) University of Virginia; M.L.S. (1996) University of Texas at Austin.

Kathleen D. Kilventon, Registrar. B.S. (1985) North Adams State College; M.Ed. (2001) Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Susan J. Kimball, Head of Access Services, Frost Library. A.B. (1995) Bowdoin College; M.S.L.S. (1997) The Catholic University of America.

Mark T. Klingensmith, Associate Athletic Trainer. B.S. (1991) Westfield State University.

Carol Knerr, Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.A. (1998) University of Richmond.

Mitchell S. Koldy, Director of Auxiliary Services, Facilities. B.S. (1983) Keene State College.

Ethan A. Kolek, Director of Evaluation, Center for Community Engagement. A.B. (1996) Vassar College; M.Ed. (2003), Ed.D. (2012) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Debra Krumholz, Associate Director of Career Advising. B.A. (1980), M.Ed. (1983) University of Arizona; M.P.H. (2002) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Marcy J. Larmon, Director of Classes and On-Campus Programs. B.A. (1976) Middlebury College.

Ernest A. LeBlanc, Benefits and Systems Manager, Human Resources. B.S. (1973) University of Maine at Orono.

Constance B. Lentz, Physician, Student Health Services. B.A. (1971) Goddard College; M.S. (1977) University of North Carolina; M.D. (1980) State University of New York at Buffalo.

Paullette M. Leukhardt, Assistant Director, Administrative Information Services. B.S. (1976) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Rick A. López, Dean of New Students. A.B. (1993) Amherst College; M.A. (1998), Ph.D. (2001) Yale University.

Erin E. Loree, Electronic Resources Librarian. B.S. (1995) Michigan State University; M.LIS. (2002) University of Rhode Island.

Pete Mackey, Chief Communications Officer. B.A. (1986), M.A. (1986) Case Western Reserve University; Ph.D. (1995) University of South Carolina.

Vanja V. Malloy, Curator of American Art, Mead Art Museum. B.A. (2008) Duke University; M.A. (2009) Sotheby’s Institute of Art; Ph.D. (2014) Courtauld Institute of Art.

John W. Manly, Director, Systems and Networking. A.B. (1985) Amherst College.

Jeffrey M. Matthews, Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.S. (1995) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; M.A. (2002) American International College.

Billy T. McBride, Assistant Athletic Director and Senior Coach-Diversity and Inclusion/Director of Club Sports. B.S. (1979) Tennessee State University; M.A. (2006) Smith College.

Darien F. S. McFadden, Psychotherapist, Counseling Center. B.A. (1988) Colgate University; Ph.D. (1999) University of Pittsburgh.

Lyle A. McGeoch, Dean of the Class of 2017. B.S.E. (1981) Princeton University; M.S. (1983), Ph.D. (1987) Carnegie Mellon University; A.M. (hon. 2000) Amherst College.

Edward R. McGlynn, Physician Assistant-Certified. B.S. (1994) Hahnemann University.

Denise McGoldrick, Assistant Dean of Students/Director of Health Education. B.A. (1971) Lehman College; M.S. (1977) Hunter College.

Dunstan C. McNutt, Research and Instruction Librarian, B.A. (2006) East Tennessee State University; M.A., M.L.S. (2009) Indiana University.

Molly Mead, Director of the Center for Community Engagement. A.B. (1971) Cornell University; M.B.A. (1979) Simmons College; Ed.D. (1990) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Douglas R. Meneke, Senior Application Developer and Database Administrator. B.S. (1989) Sam Houston State University.

Keith R. Michel, Senior Development Officer. B.A. (2007) Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Edward J. Mills, Senior Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.A. (1988) University of Dayton.

Sandra J. Miner, Director, Administrative Information Services. B.S. (1985) Bentley College.

Torin Moore, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Residential Life. B.A. (1991), M.Ed. (1997) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Megan E. Morey, Chief Advancement Officer. B.A. (1989) Ohio Wesleyan University.

Warren H. Morgan, Director of Student Health Services. B.S. (1974) University of Massachusetts at Amherst; M.D. (1980) University of Vermont.

Lillian Mosgofian, Associate Registrar. B.S. (1980) Northeastern University; M.Ed. (1991) Rhode Island College.

Carly N. Nartowitz, Associate Director of Online Programs. B.A. (2007), M.S. (2010) Quinnipiac University.

Erik L. Nedeau, Senior Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.S. (1994) Northeastern University; M.S. (1996) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Peter A. Nelson, Archivist, Frost Library. A.B. (1982) Hamilton College; M.A. (1987) Cornell University; M.L.S. (1991) State University of New York at Albany.

Zamir Nestelbaum, Psychiatrist, Counseling Center. B.S. (1975) University of Massachusetts at Amherst; M.P.H. (1981) University of Michigan; M.D. (1981) University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Suzanne W. Newby-Estes, Director of Advancement Operations. B.A. (1998) Wesleyan University.

George D. Nichols III, Senior Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.A. (1982) St. Lawrence University.

Stephen M. Nigro, Controller. B.S. (1990) Westfield State University; CPA (1995).

Diane Norman, Family Nurse Practitioner, Student Health Services. B.A. (1978) Vassar College; M.S.N., FNP, B.C. (1985) Pace University.

Ursula H. Olender, Director of the Career Center. B.A. (1991) Greenville College; M.Ed. (1993) Springfield College.

Christine Paradis, Senior Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.B.A. (1984) The College of William and Mary; M.Ed. (1993) Springfield College.

George W. Phillips, Psychologist, Counseling Center. B.A. (1972) University of Pennsylvania; Psy.D. (1995) Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology.

Mardi Pierson-Buell, Development Officer, Emily Dickinson Museum. B.A. (2002) Hollins University.

Susan Pikor, Chief of Staff/Secretary of the Board of Trustees. A.B. (1965) Emmanuel College.

Laura Poore, Assistant Athletic Trainer, B.S. (2012) Westfield State University; M.S. (2014) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Nancy K. Ratner, Associate Dean of Admission/Researcher for Academic Projects, Office of the Dean of the Faculty. B.A. (1970) University of Rochester; M.Ed. (1975) Harvard University.

Maria Rello, Director of Sports Medicine. B.S. (1989), M.S. (1994) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Sandra M. Riley, Director of 50th Reunion Programs.

Peter H. Robson, Senior Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.A. (1981) Trent University, Ontario.

Maria-Judith Rodriguez, Director of Human Resources/Title IX Deputy Coordinator for Staff, Administration, and Visitors. M.B.A. (2006) University of Phoenix; M.A. (2006) Inter American University of Puerto Rico.

Peter Rooney, Director of Public Affairs. B.A. (1987), M.A. (1995) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Peter R. Root, Director of Operations, Facilities. B.A. (1979), M.Arch. (1983) University of California at Los Angeles.

Melissa Roser, Head of Research and Instruction, Frost Library. A.B. (1994) Amherst College; M.L.I.S. (2003) Dominican University; M.A. (2010) DePaul University.

Pamela J. Russell, Interim Director of Mead Art Museum and Head of Education and Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programs. A.B. (1976) Yale University; Ph.D. (1986) University of Pennsylvania.

Lisa Rutherford, Chief Policy Officer and General Counsel. B.A. (1989) Hamline University; J.D. (1993) University of Wisconsin Law School at Madison.

Sarah L. Sanford, Associate Director of Association and Regional Programs. A.B. (1989) Amherst College; M.P.A. (1994) LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas.

Austin D. Sarat, Associate Dean of the Faculty. B.A. (1969) Providence College; M.A. (1970), Ph.D. (1973) University of Wisconsin; A.M. (hon. 1984) Amherst College; J.D. (1988) Yale Law School, LL.D. (hon. 2008) Providence College.

Walter C. Schaeffler, Director of Treasury Operations and Analysis. A.B. (1997) Boston College.

Justin Serpone, Coach, Physical Education and Athletics, Interim Director of LEADS. B.A. (2001) Drew University; M.B.A. (2010) Bay Path College; M.A. (2011) Northwestern University.

Erika P. Shelburne, Senior Philanthropic Advisor and Director of International Giving. B.A. (1990) Hollins College.

Kelcy Shepherd, Head of Digital Programs, Frost Library. B.A. (1992) Iowa State University; M.S.L.I.S (1998) Simmons College.

Susan M. Sheridan, Head of Technical Services, Frost Library. B.A. (1973) Douglass College; M.L.S. (1974) Rutgers University; M.P.A. (1984) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Justin H. Smith, Associate General Counsel. B.A. (2004) Trinity College; J.D. (2007) Washington and Lee University School of Law.

Sara L. Smith, Arts and Humanities Librarian. B.A. (1995) Hampshire College; M.F.A. (2003) Sarah Lawrence College; M.S.L.I.S. (2010) Simmons College.

Lauren M. Stencel, Academic Manager in Organic Chemistry, Chemistry Department. B.S. (2005) University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth; Ph.D. (2010) University of Connecticut.

Lisa C. Stoffer, Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations. A.B. (1987) Haverford College; A.M. (1990) University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Mary E. Strunk, Assistant Director of Foundations and Corporate Relations. A.B. (1994) Georgetown University; Ph.D. (2003) University of Minnedota.

Charles G. Thompson, Director of Dining Services. A.O.S. (1977) Culinary Institute of America.

Jonathon P. Thompson, Coach, Physical Education and Athletics. B.A. (2003) Brown University.

Janet S. Tobin, Associate Dean of Academic Administration. B.A. (1982) Bates College; M.A. (1990) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Paul M. Trumble, Head of Serials, Frost Library. B.A. (1979) State University of New York at Potsdam; M.L.S. (1989) University of Rhode Island.

Frances E. Tuleja, Associate Dean of Admission. B.A. (1974) Douglass College, Rutgers University; M.A. (1984) University of Pennsylvania; J.D. (2006) Western New England University.

Melody Lynn Twigg, Director of Gift Planning. B.A. (1992) Mary Baldwin College; J.D. (1998) University of Virginia School of Law.

Martha M. Umphrey, Dean of the Class of 2016. B.A. (1986), J.D. (1991), Ph.D. (2000) University of Michigan; A.M. hon. 2007) Amherst College.

Peter Uvin, Provost. Licence in Diplomatic Science—International Law (1984), Licence in Political Science (1985) University of Ghent, Belgium; Ph.D. (1991) University of Geneva, Switzerland; M.A. (hon. 1998) Brown University; A.M. (hon. 2014) Amherst College.

Amanda Collings Vann, Sexual Respect Educator/Title IX Deputy Coordinator for Students. B.A. (1994) University of Massachusetts at Amherst; M.Ed. (1996) Pennsylvania State University.

Alex Vasquez, Dean of Students. B.S. (1993), M.S. (1995) University of Albany, State University of New York; Ph.D. (2014) Boston College.

Jane H. Wald, Executive Director, Emily Dickinson Museum. A.B. (1980) Bryn Mawr College; M.A. (1987) Princeton University.

Sarah Walden, Digital Projects Librarian. B.A. (2010) Mount Holyoke College; M.L.I.S. (2013) Simmons College.

Miloslava Waldman, Museum Study Room Supervisor. Ph.D. (1990) Masarka University.

Kevin C. Weinman, Chief Financial Officer. B.B.A. (1993) University of Notre Dame; M.B.A. (1999) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; M.A. (2005) University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Jeanne E. Weintraub, Associate Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations. B.S. (1980) Cook College, Rutgers University.

Megan Murphy Wolf, Associate Director of the 1821 Society. B.A. (2005) Eckerd College.

Catherine Woolner, Ombudsperson. B.A. (1973) Brandeis University; M.A. (1976) Antioch University.

Cate Granger Zolkos, Dean of Admission. B.A. (1983) Middlebury College; M.Ed. (2008) University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Religious Advisors

The Rev. Dr. Paul V. Sorrentino, D.Min., Director of Religious Life and Protestant Religious Advisor and the Multifaith Council.

Mohammed Abdelaal, B.Arch., Muslim Religious Advisor.

The Rev. Robyn Anderson, M.S., Adjunct Protestant Religious Advisor and Pastor to the Goodwin Memorial AME Zion Church.

Sister Mary Christina Clark, DHM., Th.M., Catholic Religious Advisor.

The Rev. Dr. Thomas E. Fisher, S.T.D., Adjunct Presbyterian Religious Advisor.

Hermenia T. Gardner, M.S., H.T. Gardner Bi-Semester Christian Worship Advisor, Emerita.

Mark Hart, Ph.D., Buddhist Religious Advisor.

The Reverend Timothy Jones, M.Div., H.T. Gardner Bi-Semester Christian Worship Fellow.

Rabbi Yechiael Lander, M.A., Jewish Religious Advisor, Emeritus.

Elizaveta Lozovaya, M.A., Adjunct Muslim Religious Advisor.

Angela Nzegwu, B.A. Adjunct Advisor to the Amherst Christian Fellowship.

Rabbi Bruce Bromberg Seltzer, M.A., Jewish Religious Advisor.

Manju Sharma, M.S., Hindu Religious Advisor.

Graduate Fellows

Michael R. Buckler, A.B., Susan and Kenneth Kermes Fellow in Computer Science.

Kevin J. Callahan, Jr. A.B., Edward Hitchcock Fellow in Physical Education.

Reilly A. Horan, A.B., Graduate Assistant in Theater and Dance.

Maria F. Kirigan, A.B., Mayo-Smith Admission Fellow

Benjamin Muller, A.B., Associate in Music (Orchestra Assistant).

Dexter A. Padayachee, A.B., International Student Life Fellow.

Sabelo B. Ndlovu, A.B., Eugene S. Wilson Admission Fellow

Jordan Hugh Sam, A.B., Associate in Music (Choral Assistant).

Mary E. Soyster, A.B., Quantitative Fellow.

Five Colleges Incorporated

Neal B. Abraham, Ph.D., Executive Director.

Carol Aleman, B.A., Assistant to the Executive Director.

Sue Dickman, M.F.A., Academic Programs Liaison.

Nancy Goff, M.S., Director of Development.

Kevin S. Kennedy, B.A., Director of Communications

Sarah Lince, M.Sc., Academic Programs Coordinator.

Barbara Lucey, B.S., Treasurer.

Yvette Morneau, B.S., Business Manager and Assistant Treasurer.

Nathan A. Therien, Ph.D., Director for Academic Programs.

Maria Toyofuku, M.S., Director of Information Technology.

II

Amherst College

Amherst College

AMHERST COLLEGE looks, above all, for men and women of intellectual promise who have demonstrated qualities of mind and character that will enable them to take full advantage of the College’s curriculum. The College seeks qualified applicants from different races, classes, and ethnic groups, students whose several perspectives might contribute significantly to a process of mutual education within and outside the curriculum. Admission decisions aim to select from among the many qualified applicants those possessing the intellectual talent, mental discipline, and imagination that will allow them most fully to benefit from the curriculum and to contribute to the life of the College and of society. Grades, standardized test scores, essays, recommendations, independent work, the quality of the individual’s secondary school program and achievements outside the classroom are among the factors used to evaluate this promise, but no one of these measures is considered determinative.

Founded in 1821 as a non-sectarian institution for “the education of indigent young men of piety and talents for the Christian ministry,” Amherst today is an independent liberal arts college for men and women. Its approximately 1,700 students come from most of the fifty states and many foreign countries.

The campus is near the center of the town of Amherst, adjacent to the town common. A few miles away are four other institutions of higher learning—Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts—with which Amherst engages in a number of cooperative educational programs.

The College offers the bachelor of arts degree and cooperates with the University of Massachusetts in a Five College Ph.D. program. The College curriculum involves study in the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences and combines a broad education with knowledge of some field in depth. Emphasis falls upon each student’s responsibility for the selection of an appropriate program.

Some students may engage in independent study free of formal courses in their junior and senior years; Honors work is encouraged and in recent years has been undertaken by nearly half of the graduating class.

Whatever the form of academic experience—lecture course, seminar, conference, studio, laboratory, independent study at various levels—intellectual competence and awareness of problems and methods are the goals of the Amherst program, rather than the direct preparation for a profession. The curriculum enables students to arrange programs for their own educational needs within established guidelines. Faculty advisors, representing all academic departments, assist undergraduates in their course selections; but the ultimate responsibility for a thoughtful program of study rests with the individual student.

The College’s Faculty is engaged in two primary activities: first, the education of undergraduates; and, second, research and writing. Its 167 full-time members hold degrees from colleges and universities throughout this country and abroad. Classes range in size from a few courses of two students to several lecture courses of more than 100 students; more than 80 percent of the classes and sections have 25 students or fewer.

Amherst has extensive physical resources: libraries with more than 1,000,000 volumes and over 29,000 other media materials, science laboratories, a mathematics and computer science building, theaters, gymnasium, swimming pool, skating rink, squash and tennis courts, playing fields, a museum of fine arts and another of natural history, a music center and concert hall, a dance studio, a central dining hall for all students, a campus social center that includes a snack bar and movie theater, dormitories, media center, and classroom buildings. There are a wildlife sanctuary and a forest for the study of ecology, an observatory and a planetarium, and varied equipment for specialized scientific research. At Amherst, and at its neighboring institutions, there are extensive offerings of lectures, concerts, plays, films, and many other events.

The College provides a variety of services to support the academic work of students. In addition to the advising and teaching support provided by the Faculty, the services include a tutorial program, reading and study skill classes, an Interterm pre-calculus course, a full-time writing counselor, and tutoring for students for whom English is a second language. For more details, please contact the Office of Student Affairs.

Amherst has a full schedule of intercollegiate athletics for men and women in most sports. About 85 percent of all students participate in the physical education program or in organized intramural athletics.

Undergraduates may also take part in a variety of other extracurricular activities: journalism, public service, publishing, broadcasting, music, dramatics, student government, College committees, and a wide assortment of specialized interests. Religious groups, working independently or through the religious advisors, maintain a program of worship services, Bible study, community service projects, and other activities.

Most graduates continue their formal education to enter such professions as teaching, medicine, law, and business. At Amherst, presumably they have only begun their life-long education at “commencement,” but have developed attitudes and values that will encourage them to participate thoughtfully and generously in the service of humanity.

Amherst College is pleased to provide the following information regarding our institution’s graduation rates in compliance with the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The rates reflect the graduation status of students who enrolled during the 2007-08 school year and for whom 150% of the normal time-to-completion has elapsed.

During the fall semester of 2007, 474 first-time, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students entered Amherst College. As of August 31, 2013, 96% of those students had graduated from our institution.

Questions related to this report should be directed to: Kathleen Kilventon, Registrar, Amherst College, Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002-5000.

FIVE COLLEGE COOPERATION

Amherst is joined with Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith colleges and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in a consortium that sponsors a variety of cooperative programs and enterprises. The goal of cooperation among the five colleges is to encourage the broad educational and cultural objectives of its member institutions by promoting and administering long-term forms of cooperation that benefit faculty and staff members and students.

Students are entitled to participate in a course interchange program which allows them to construct up to one half of their program from liberal arts courses at the four other institutions without additional cost. Students may pursue a variety of 13 Five College Certificates, two Five College Majors, benefit from two Five College Departments and fully utilize the libraries of each institution. The present and continuing emphasis of the Five College libraries is on the sharing and enhancement of total resources and services.

A monthly calendar of lectures, concerts and other cultural events on all five campuses is available online to the Five College community. Access to classes, libraries, and extracurricular activities is made feasible by a free transportation system connecting all five campuses.

An FM radio station (WFCR 88.5) is supported by all five colleges. It is managed by the University with the advice of a board made up of representatives of the cooperating institutions. The five colleges also cooperate in sponsoring The Massachusetts Review, a quarterly of literature, the arts, and public affairs.

Academic cooperation includes two joint departments, Astronomy and Dance, as well as two Five College majors in Architectural Studies and Film Studies. Certificates are obtainable in African Studies; Asian/Pacific/American Studies; Buddhist Studies; Culture, Health, and Science; Ethnomusicology; International Relations; Latin American Studies; Logic; Middle Eastern Studies; Native American Indian Studies; Queer and Sexuality Studies; Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REEES); and Sustainability.

There are three Five College Centers: Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS), Five College Center for the Study of World Languages and the Five College Women’s Studies Research Center; as well as collaborative efforts among Five College Department Chairs in the areas of Anthropology, Geology, Physics, Music, and Theater. Other Five College coordinated programs include: Community-based Learning, Peace and World Security Studies, Statistics Program, Five College Opera, Early Music Program, Arabic Language Initiative, East Asian Language Program (EALP), History Graduate Program, and the Center for Crossroads in the Study of the Americas (CISA).

Joint faculty appointments make possible the presence of talented professors in highly specialized areas. Five College senior appointments bring to the area distinguished international figures.

AIR FORCE RESERVE OFFICERS TRAINING CORPS

Amherst College offers interested students the opportunity to pursue a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force through an affiliation with the USAF ROTC Detachment 370 at University of Massachusetts—Amherst, located less than two miles from the Amherst College campus. The program combines traditional classroom instruction, hands-on leadership training and physical fitness training. Amherst College students do not receive degree credit for participation in the courses. For underclass students the combined mandatory requirements are five hours per week and six hours per week for upperclass students. Scholarship funding is available on a competitive basis for qualified applicants and “express” scholarship funding is available for qualified applicants in specific majors. Interested Amherst College students should explore the ROTC experience by seeking more information below:

Phone: 413-545-2437/2451

Email: afrotc@acad.umass.edu

Websites: http://www.umass.edu/afrotc

AIR FORCE ROTC SCHOLARSHIPS

Air Force ROTC one- to four-year college scholarships are available on a competitive basis to qualifying high school and college students. Scholarship recipients are selected using the whole person concept. This includes objective factors (grade point average) and subjective factors (interview evaluation). In selected academic areas, scholarships may be extended to meet a five-year degree program recognized by the college. Most scholarships cover full college tuition and most laboratory fees, and mandatory fees; plus a tax-free allowance during the school year ranging from $300 to $500 per month, and an annual $900 textbook stipend.

ARMY RESERVE OFFICERS TRAINING CORPS

Amherst College offers the opportunity to train to become an officer in the United States Army through the Department of Military Leadership at the University of Massachusetts. The Military Leadership curriculum provides leadership and management training experience and is open to any Amherst College student who wishes to participate. Amherst students do not receive degree credit for participation in the courses. While all students receive the same experience in using Army equipment, uniforms and training techniques, those students desiring a commission have scholarship opportunities available to them. Army ROTC scholarships are offered for periods of four, three and two years and are awarded on a merit basis to the most outstanding applicants. Interested students should call 413-545-2321 or 5364 for more information.

VETERANS

Eligible veterans may enroll in Air Force ROTC while in college, complete degree requirements and earn an Air Force Commission. Veterans can use their GI Bill or veterans’ benefits, receive the tax-free allowance and compete for other scholarship and financial aid programs.

Educational Leaves

The College recognizes the educational and personal rewards that many students receive from a semester or two away from the campus. Some departments, especially language departments, strongly encourage or require that students majoring in their department study in a foreign country. Students who go on educational leave from the College usually do so during their junior year, although sophomore year educational leaves are permitted. It is expected that students will spend their senior year at Amherst. To receive academic credit for study elsewhere, students must perform satisfactorily in a full schedule of courses approved in advance by the Office of Student Affairs, the Registrar, and the students’ advisors. Students on educational leave from Amherst must enroll at other institutions as visiting non-degree students. (See Transfer Policy statement.) Students on academic dismissal may not participate in Study Abroad. Students on Academic Review, Warning or Probation should discuss their plan to Study Abroad with their academic advisor, Class Dean and Dean of International Studies prior to enrollment in a study abroad program.

Educational leaves usually require a considerable amount of correspondence with other colleges and universities, especially in the case of foreign study. Therefore, students who may wish to go on educational leaves should begin discussing their plans at least a full semester before they expect to be enrolled in another institution. Students considering educational leave should visit the website for more information programs approved by the college and academic policies regarding credit transfer, https://www.amherst.edu/mm/67034.

All students considering educational leave must notify the Study Abroad Office by March 15 for the upcoming fall semester or full year away and April 15 for the upcoming spring semester. Students anticipating return from an educational leave should also read the section on Readmission, page 69.

Selected students may participate in Independent Study projects under guidance from a teacher at Amherst College without enrollment at host institutions and may pursue their studies elsewhere in the United States or abroad.

Domestic Study

Students may choose to participate in educational programs at other institutions in the United States. In addition to the special programs below, study to either a two- or four-year, accredited, degree-granting institution may also be possible after consultation with the Registrar, the class dean and the student’s academic adviser.

The Twelve College Exchange

Within the Northeast, the College has special exchange arrangements with Bowdoin, Connecticut, Dartmouth, Mount Holyoke, Smith, Trinity, Vassar, Wellesley, and Wheaton Colleges, and Wesleyan University, which together form the Twelve College Exchange Program. This arrangement gives students who wish to take advantage of special programs not available at Amherst, or who wish to experience a similar, but different, college environment, the opportunity to do so with the minimum of difficulty. Further information is available from the Twelve College Exchange coordinators of the participating colleges. The coordinator for Amherst College is the Study Abroad Office and information is available on the Domestic Study website at https://www.amherst.edu/mm/204822.

The Williams College—Mystic Seaport Program in American Maritime Studies

This program is available to undergraduate participants through the Twelve College Exchange program. Its purpose is to provide undergraduates with the opportunity to focus one semester of their studies on our complex relationship with the sea. Further information is available on the Domestic Study website, https://www.amherst.edu/mm/204822.

Dartmouth Dual Degree Engineering Program

A student may spend junior year at Dartmouth College studying engineering. After graduating from Amherst, the student would have the option to return to Dartmouth for an additional year to earn a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) degree from Dartmouth College. Interested students can contact Professor William A. Loinaz for more information and contact the Study Abroad Office for more information about domestic study. See http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/academics/undergraduate/dual/.

The National Theatre Institute

Through a Twelve College Exchange arrangement, undergraduate participation in the program of the National Theatre Institute, Waterford, Conn., is possible. Further information is available on the Domestic Study website, https://www.amherst.edu/mm/204822.

Exchange Programs

The Associated Kyoto Program

The Associated Kyoto Program, sponsored by Amherst and 15 other institutions, is hosted by Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. It emphasizes direct and intensive contact with the Japanese and aims to develop in students an understanding of Japan’s culture, history, language, and contemporary society. The program carries credit equivalent to a full academic year’s course work. About 50 students are admitted each year, with applicants from member institutions receiving priority. Information can be obtained from Professor Tim Van Compernolle and online at www.associatedkyotoprogram.org.

Göttingen Exchange

Amherst maintains a student exchange program with Göttingen University in Germany. Each year, upon application to the Department of German, two Amherst students are selected to attend Göttingen University. In return, Amherst accepts two Göttingen students to study at the College and to serve as Language Assistants in the German Department. Details about the exchange programs may be obtained from the Department of German website at https://www.amherst.edu/mm/54445.

Doshisha University Fall Exchange and Summer Session Fellowship

Each year Amherst sends four undergraduate students to Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. Two students are selected to spend the fall semester as visiting students and take language and area studies classes alongside Japanese and other international students. Two additional students are selected to attend the Doshisha University Summer Session. These undergraduate opportunities add to the many ways in which the college partners with Doshisha. Information about the college’s programs and history with Doshisha University can be obtained from Professor Samuel Morse and the study abroad website at https://www.amherst.edu
/mm/67034.

Doshisha University

THE COLLEGE’S relationship with Doshisha University offers various opportunities for students and faculty to study, to research, and to teach in Japan. Located in Japan’s ancient imperial capital of Kyoto, The Doshisha was founded by Joseph Hardy Neesima of the Class of 1870, the first Japanese to graduate from a Western institution of higher learning. Neesima stowed away aboard a clipper ship from Japan while that country was still officially “closed.” From the China Coast he eventually arrived in 1865 aboard a ship owned by Alpheus Hardy, who was a trustee of both Phillips Academy, Andover, and Amherst College.

After graduating from both Andover and Amherst, Neesima returned to Japan to found a Christian college in Kyoto. From this modest start The Doshisha has developed into a complex of educational institutions: Doshisha University, a separate Women’s College, four senior and four junior high schools, an elementary school, and a kindergarten, with a total enrollment of approximately 32,000 on six different campuses. The Doshisha is one of the oldest and best known private educational institutions in Japan.

Scores of Amherst graduates have taught at The Doshisha, and since 1922, except for the war years, Amherst has maintained a resident instructor at Doshisha University. Since 1947 until his retirement in 1992, Professor Otis Cary of the Class of 1943 represented Amherst College at Doshisha, taught American history at the University, and served in a number of other capacities. Currently, Professor Masanori Morita is acting as our Amherst representative. Professor Samuel Morse is our Doshisha representative at Amherst College.

Through the generosity of alumni and friends of the College, Amherst House was built on the Doshisha University campus in 1932 as a memorial to Neesima and to Stewart Burton Nichols of the Class of 1922, the first student representative. In 1962, the College, thanks to further generosity of friends and alumni, built a guest house of modern Japanese design, including quarters for the Representative, three guest suites, and dining facilities. In 1979 a traditional rustic teahouse, Muhinshuan, was donated by the family of a Japanese alumnus and rebuilt in a corner of the Amherst House grounds, lending cultural atmosphere appropriate to Kyoto.

In 1971 the College took the lead in organizing the Associated Kyoto Program (AKP), a junior-year program at Doshisha University for Amherst students and others who wish to pursue the study of Japanese language, culture, and history. This program offers the main avenue today for both student and faculty contact with Doshisha University. With offices on Doshisha’s main campus since 1971, the AKP, sponsored by Amherst College and 15 American liberal arts colleges, hosts American undergraduates for a year of study in Kyoto and awards fellowships to American and Japanese faculty to participate in educational exchange for periods of one or two semesters.

Amherst and Doshisha have a number of opportunities for faculty exchange. Since 1976 an arrangement with Doshisha University has permitted a member of one of the nine Doshisha Faculties (Theology, Letters, Law, Economics, Commerce, Engineering, Sociology, Policy Studies, Culture and Information Science) to spend up to a year’s leave at Amherst. Housing for that faculty member is provided by Amherst, and Doshisha also provides housing for a single Amherst faculty member on sabbatic leave. The Short-term Faculty Exchange supports a yearly lecture series by a faculty member from each institution.

Also, since 1958, a graduating Amherst College senior has been selected annually as the Amherst-Doshisha Fellow to spend a year at Doshisha University. A student exchange begun in 2009 permits up to two Amherst students to spend the fall semester at Doshisha. Two students are also eligible to attend the Japanese language summer program at Doshisha as well.

The Folger Shakespeare Library

THE FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY in Washington, D.C., was established in 1932 under the governance of The Trustees of Amherst College by the will of Henry Clay Folger, Class of 1879, and his wife, Emily Jordan Folger. The Folgers’ original collection of Shakespeareana remains the largest and most complete in existence today. Subsequent acquisitions have enabled the Library now to claim the largest accumulation of English-language publications from 1475 to 1640 outside of England, as well as other important Continental Renaissance materials. Folger holdings span a broad range of subjects and include books, manuscripts, musical instruments, musical scores, and artifacts from the Renaissance and theater history.

In keeping with its founders’ intentions, the Folger Shakespeare Library is an educational and cultural center, with a mission inspired by its world-class collection “to advance understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare’s writing and of the culture of early modern Europe.” The Folger is an internationally recognized research library offering advanced scholarly programs in the humanities; an innovator in the preservation of rare materials; a national leader in how Shakespeare is taught in grades K-12; and an award-winning producer of cultural and arts programs—theater, music, readings, exhibitions, lectures, and family programs. Its commitment to learning extends to the seminars of the Folger Institute, a consortium of more than 40 universities and colleges— including Amherst, for whom the Folger offers special undergraduate research opportunities—and a wide array of publications, including Shakespeare Quarterly, a scholarly journal produced in cooperation with The George Washington University, the award-winning Folger Magazine for general audiences, and the Folger Shakespeare Library editions, the top-selling imprint of Shakespeare’s works in the United States.

Located one block from the U.S. Capitol, next to the Library of Congress, the Folger Shakespeare Library is housed in a landmark building widely considered among the loveliest in the nation’s capital. Inside its elegant art deco marble facade is an Elizabethan interior with vaulted ornamental plaster ceilings, richly paneled walls, terracotta and tile floors, and windows of leaded and stained glass. Its reading room is modeled after a Tudor banquet hall; the Great Hall suggests a Tudor-style gallery, and its theater is designed after the Elizabethan innyard playhouses so popular in Shakespeare’s time. The Folger welcomes more than 200,000 visitors each year, and millions more visit its informative website at http://www.folger.edu.

FOLGER LIBRARY OFFICERS

Michael Witmore, Ph.D., Director

Daniel DeSimone, Eric Weinmann Librarian

Kathleen Lynch, Ph.D., Director of the Folger Institute

Janet Alexander Griffin, M.A., Director of Public Programs and Artistic Producer

Melody P. Fetske, C.P.A., Director of Finance and Administration

Eric Johnson, Director of Digital Access

Essence Newhoff, Director of Development

Peggy O’Brien, Ph.D., Director of Education

Paul T. Ruxin, Chair, Board of Governors

III

ADMISSION
TUITION AND FEES
FINANCIAL AID

Admission

Amherst College looks, above all, for men and women of intellectual promise who have demonstrated qualities of mind and character that will enable them to take full advantage of our curriculum. We seek qualified applicants from different races, classes and ethnic groups—students whose several perspectives might contribute significantly to a process of mutual education within and beyond the curriculum.

We aim to select from among the many qualified applicants those possessing the intellectual talent, mental discipline and imagination that will allow them most fully to benefit from the curriculum and contribute to the life of the college and society. Grades, standardized test scores, essays, recommendations, independent work, the quality of the secondary school program and achievements outside the classroom are among the factors used to evaluate this promise, but no one of these measures is considered determinative.

THE ADMISSION PROCESS

We take great care to give every application a thorough review. Each application is read by at least two admission deans before being presented to the Admission Committee for discussion. We pay closest attention to a student’s:

• secondary school (or college) transcript

• standardized tests: the SAT and two SAT subject exams or the ACT (writing test recommended)

• teacher and counselor recommendations

• quality of writing as demonstrated in essays, testing and recommendations

• extra- and co-curricular involvements and talents.

We give the greatest weight to the academic transcript. The rigor of the courses taken, the quality of grades and the consistency with which a student has worked over four years give us the clearest indication of how well a student will do at Amherst. Standardized tests also play an important role in helping us evaluate a student in comparison to students taught in very different secondary schools. Recommendations, the quality of a student’s writing, and extra- and co-curricular talents also help the Admission Committee draw fine distinctions among very talented applicants.

While no precise list of secondary school courses is required for admission, we strongly recommend the following as minimal preparation for a liberal arts education at Amherst, with the understanding that content and availability will vary from school to school and that most successful applicants will have taken a course of study well beyond this minimum: English—four years; Mathematics—through pre-calculus; three or four years of one Foreign Language; two years of History and Social Science; at least three years of Natural Science, including one year of Laboratory Science.

FIRST-YEAR APPLICANTS

Applying. First-year applicants must submit the Common Application and the Amherst College Common Application Supplement, along with other supporting materials. Applications must be submitted electronically through the Common Application website (http://www.commonapp.org), accompanied by on-line payment of the $60 non-refundable application fee or by a fee-waiver request. Additional information about the application process and required application materials is available at the Admission Office website (http://www.amherst.edu/admission). Applications must be received at our Admission Office by the appropriate deadline.

Regular Decision. More than 90 percent of applicants choose the Regular Decision option. Applications must be submitted by January 1. Applicants will receive notice of our decision by early April and, if admitted, must reply to our offer by May 1.

Early Decision. About 10 percent of Amherst applicants choose our binding Early Decision (ED) program. This is a good option only for those who have decided early in the college search process that Amherst is their clear and definite first choice. As an Early Decision applicant, a student agrees not to be an ED candidate at any other college. The student also agrees, if admitted, to withdraw all applications from other colleges and to enroll at Amherst in the fall. Early Decision applications must be submitted by November 15. Applicants will receive notice of our decision by December 15.

IB, AP and College Courses. If a student has taken International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement or college courses during secondary school, we view this as significant evidence of academic accomplishment and preparation. In addition, some Amherst departments will allow a student to forego introductory-level courses in areas in which rigorous work has already been completed. However, we do not accept such courses for credit toward the Amherst degree.

Deferred Admission. An admitted first-year student may, with the permission of the Dean of Admission, defer matriculation for a year without reapplying. The student should confirm his or her intent to enroll at Amherst by submitting the admission response form and required deposit along with a written request for the deferral by May 1. Deferred students wishing to receive credit for academic work completed during the year between high school and their enrollment at Amherst would be required to reapply for admission to the College as transfer student applicants.

TRANSFER APPLICANTS

A student may apply for transfer admission to Amherst after completing one year of transferable liberal arts course work as a full-time student at another college or university. With the exception of students applying through our special Japanese scholars programs, we do not accept applications from individuals who have already earned an undergraduate degree. Nor do we accept transfer applications from students who have completed college coursework as part of a program of early graduation from secondary school or other accelerated completion of secondary school.

Transfer applicants must submit the Common Application for Transfer Students and the Amherst College Supplement to the Common Application for Transfer Students, along with supporting materials. Applications must be submitted electronically through the Common Application website (http://www.commonapp.org), accompanied by on-line payment of the $60 non-refundable application fee or by a fee-waiver request. Additional information about the admission process and application materials is available at the Admission Office website (http://www.amherst.edu/admission). Applications for fall semester transfer must be received at our Admission Office by March 1. Applicants will receive notice of our decision in early May and, if admitted, must reply to our offer by late May. Applications for spring semester transfer must be received at our Admission Office by November 1. Applicants will receive notice of our decision in late December and, if admitted, must respond to our offer promptly.

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS

We welcome applications from international students. Currently, more than ten percent of our students are international—nine percent are non-U.S. citizens and another two percent are a combination of U.S. dual citizens, U.S. permanent residents, and U.S. citizens living or raised abroad. Our Admission Committee is familiar with various education systems around the world.

Regardless of citizenship or geographic location, international students should follow the same first-year or transfer application process required of any other student. Amherst College practices “need-blind” admission for all international applicants, in addition to U.S. and Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Amherst requires any applicant whose first language is not English to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or similar English-proficiency test (MELAB or IELTS) with the following exceptions: The TOEFL is not required of international applicants who have conducted their entire secondary education in a school with English as the primary language of instruction or who have scored at least 700 on the Critical Reading section of the SAT.

VISITING STUDENTS

A limited number of places are available in the spring semester for full-time visiting students. A student is eligible for visitor status if the student is currently enrolled in college and has completed at least one year of full-time college work. Individuals enrolled at Amherst as Visiting Students or Twelve College Exchange Students are not eligible for transfer to the college. Students interested in visiting student status should use the Amherst College Visiting Student Application, available at the Admission Office website (www.amherst.edu/admission). Applications must be received at the Admission Office by December 1. Applicants will receive notice of our decision in late December and, if admitted, must respond to our offer promptly.

For further information please contact:

Office of Admission
Amherst College
P.O. Box 5000
Amherst, MA 01002-5000
413-542-2328
413-542-2040 (fax)
admission@amherst.edu
www.amherst.edu/admission

Tuition and Fees

A candidate’s formal application for admission must be submitted electronically through the Common Application website, accompanied by on-line payment of the $60 non-refundable application fee or an on-line fee-waiver request. Admitted candidates who intend to enroll at Amherst are required to return the admission response form, along with a non-refundable $400 advance tuition deposit or a waiver for the advance tuition deposit issued by the Office of Financial Aid.

Comprehensive Fee (Tuition, Room, Board) $60,400
Student Activities Fee 604
Residential Life Fee (not required of off-campus residents) 118
Campus Center Program Fee 84
Student Health Insurance(optional) 1,673
$62,879

The first semester bill in the amount of $32,276 is made available to all students and their designated “Friends and Family” electronically in early July and is due and payable on or before August 8, 2014. First- year students will also receive their first semester bill by mail at their home residence at approximately the same date. The mailing to first-year students is the only bill received by mail and all future bills are made available electronically. The second semester bill totaling $30,603 is available electronically in early December and is due and payable on or before January 2, 2015. All College scholarships, Tuition Management Systems Payment Plans, and any other cash payments received prior to mailing will appear as credits on the bill.

The fee for the support of various activities of the student body for 2014-15 is determined by the Association of Amherst Students Budgetary Committee. The $604 fee is turned over to this committee for disbursement to more than 100+ student organizations, clubs, special interest groups and activities. Six dollars of the fee helps to underwrite the Five College Performing Arts Program. This cooperative program allows students at Amherst College (as well as students at Smith, Hampshire and Mount Holyoke Colleges and the University of Massachusetts) to receive a discounted ticket price for all Fine Arts Center sponsored programs. The fee also contributes to the support of a wide variety of student group programs that develops social life, educate and build community as well as, student newspapers, magazines, radio station, yearbook and student government. In addition to the Student Activities Fee, there is a $118 Residential Life Fee and a $84 Campus Center Program Fee which are used to promote all campus programs.

The charge of $1,673 appears on the comprehensive bill for twelve months of Accident and Sickness Insurance for the period August 15, 2014, through August 14, 2015. Any clinical services provided on campus at the Amherst College Student Health Service are covered by the comprehensive fee for all Amherst College students. Further details concerning the Student Health Services and the Student Health Insurance Plan appear in the Amherst College Student Handbook.

Guarantee Deposit

Each new student, or former student reentering, is charged a $175 fee unless this deposit has previously been paid. Included in the $175 guarantee deposit is a $25 transcript fee, which provides all students the opportunity to receive transcripts upon request with no additional charge. This part of the fee is a non-refundable charge. The $150 balance of this deposit is refundable after a student graduates or otherwise leaves the College, less any unpaid charges on his/her account.

Miscellaneous charges such as fees for late registration, extra courses, library fines, lost or damaged property, etc., are payable when incurred.

Payment Plans

For those who wish the convenience of monthly payments, arrangements have been made for pre-payment plans, including insurance for continued payment in case of death or disability of the parent. For further details contact Tuition Management Systems at www.amherst.afford.com.

Tuition Changes

Despite every effort to maintain College fees at the lowest possible level, it has been necessary to increase the tuition fee at Amherst in the past. Therefore, students and their parents are advised that such increases may be necessary in subsequent years. The College attempts to notify students of tuition changes as early as possible during the preceding academic year. Financial aid awards will be based on the schedule of fees in effect during the year of the award. Students who may require financial aid as the result of tuition changes are eligible to make application whenever necessary.

Refund Policy

In case of withdrawal before the opening day of a semester, all charges except the Advanced Tuition Deposit will be cancelled. (See Conduct)

Refund of payment or credit on student accounts in the event of withdrawal are as follows:

TUITION

Period of attendance calculated from day of first scheduled classes:

Fall semester

On or before 9/2/14 $23,860.00

9/03—9/12 90% 21,474.00

9/13—9/21 50% 11,930.00

9/22—10/18 25% 5,965.00

10/19 or later no refund

Spring semester

On or before 1/22/15 $23,860.00

1/23—2/01 90% 21,474.00

2/02—2/10 50% 11,930.00

2/11—3/09 25% 5,965.00

3/10 or later no refund

SCHOLARSHIP GRANTS

Scholarship grants are cancelled in full when determining cash refunds.

The officer having general supervision of the collection of tuition and fees and refund policy is the Controller.

Financial Aid

IN a sense, every student at Amherst College is on scholarship. Beginning in September 2014, the comprehensive charge for tuition, room and board will be $60,400, and yet the education of each student costs the College more than $80,000 per year. General endowment income, gifts and grants to the College supply the difference.

For those students who cannot afford the regular charge, financial aid is available from a variety of sources. Through the years, alumni and friends of the College have contributed or bequeathed capital funds with the income to be used for scholarship and loan assistance to eligible students. In addition, each year the alumni of the College through the Annual Fund contribute a substantial sum for financial aid purposes. Without this support, the College could not maintain its present financial aid program.

Additional financial aid is available to Amherst students from sources outside the College. A number of foundations and corporations grant funds which the College distributes on the basis of financial need. The College also participates in the Federal Work-Study, Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Direct Stafford Loan, Perkins Loan, and Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students programs.

Amherst College has a broad financial aid program that includes scholarship grants and student employment. Nearly sixty percent of the students receive need-based financial aid. Students and their parents may also borrow educational loans.

FINANCIAL AID POLICY AND PROCEDURE

The College grants financial aid only in cases of demonstrated financial need. Students’ financial needs are calculated by subtracting from estimated academic year expenses an amount that they and their families may reasonably be expected to supply. Academic year expenses include tuition, room, board and fees, and allowances for books, personal expenses, and transportation. The family contribution is computed in accordance with the need analysis procedures of The College Board and amended in individual cases by Amherst College policy. In awarding federal financial aid, the College determines eligibility according to the procedures specified in the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The College assumes that students will assist in financing their education through summer employment and part-time jobs during the college year.

Financial aid awards are usually a combination of scholarship grant and student employment opportunities. After allowances have been made for parental contributions and student contributions from savings and income (usually from summer employment), the first $1,800 of an applicant’s demonstrated need will typically be met with a college-year employment opportunity. A student may expect to receive scholarship and grant aid to cover remaining financial need.

Outside scholarship awards and tuition benefits from parents’ employers will be used first to reduce the college-year employment portion of a financial aid award. Any excess outside aid may reduce the Amherst scholarship amount, in accordance with the recipient’s financial need.

Students have no loan included in their financial aid awards. Students with financial need may borrow long-term, low-interest, subsidized student loans to replace a shortfall in summer savings, to substitute for student employment in a financial aid award, or to purchase a personal computer. Unsubsidized student loans are available to students without financial need or to replace a portion of the expected family contribution.

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the only form used to determine eligibility for federal dollars administered by Amherst College for the benefit of United States citizens and permanent residents.

• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)—for U.S. citizens and permanent residents only. File the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.gov (recommended) or complete and mail a paper version of the FAFSA (PDF FAFSA). The FAFSA should not be submitted until after January 1. The Amherst College code for the FAFSA is 002115.

To apply for financial aid from Amherst College, a candidate should submit the documents indicated below by the appropriate dates, as noted, in addition to the FAFSA, if eligible.

Students who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States or whose parents reside in the United States:

• CSS/Financial Aid Profile. Complete this form online at https://profileonline.collegeboard.com. The Amherst College code for the Profile is 3003.

Early Decision: November 1
Regular Decision: February 15
Fall Transfer: March 15
Spring Transfer: November 1

• Noncustodial PROFILE (NCP), as appropriate. If the student’s parents are separated, divorced or were never married, the noncustodial parent should file The College Board’s Noncustodial Profile after the student and the custodial parent have filed the CSS/Financial Aid Profile. Information about the NCP will be emailed to the student by The College Board soon after the Profile has been filed.

• Parents’ and student’s federal income tax returns and wage statements. Signed copies of tax returns and copies of W-2 forms for 2014 should be submitted through The College Board’s Institutional Documentation (IDOC) service. Students who file a CSS/Financial Aid Profile will receive information about submitting documents in early February. Students who apply for Early Decision admission and Regular Decision candidates whose family’s income tax forms are not available by March 10, should submit copies of the prior year’s tax returns and income documentation directly to the Office of Financial Aid. When the current documents are available, they should be submitted through the IDOC service.

• If the student’s parents own an interest in a business corporation, submit a copy of the corporate income tax return (IRS Form 1120, 1120A, 1120-S, and/or Schedule K-1). If your parents have income from a partnership, submit a copy of the partnership income tax return and/or a copy of the statement of partner’s share of income (IRS Form 1065 and/or Schedule K-1).

Early Decision: November 15
Regular Decision: March 10
Fall Transfer: April 10
Spring Transfer: November 1

Students who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada or whose parents reside in Canada:

• CSS/Financial Aid Profile. Complete the Profile by the dates indicated above for students in the United States.

• Noncustodial Profile (NCP). If the student’s parents are separated, divorced or were never married, the noncustodial parent should complete the NCP, as noted above for students in the United States.

• Parents’ and student’s federal and provincial income tax returns and wage statements. Submit signed copies of tax returns and copies of T-4 forms for 2014 directly to the Office of Financial Aid. Students who apply for Early Decision admission and Regular Decision candidates whose family’s income tax returns are not available by March 10, should submit copies of the prior year’s tax returns and income documentation. Current documents should be submitted when they become available.

• If the student’s parents own an interest in a business corporation, submit a copy of the corporate income tax return. If your parents have income from a partnership, submit a copy of the partnership income tax return.

Other international students (whose parents do not reside in the United States or Canada):

• CSS/Financial Aid Profile. Complete the PROFILE by the dates indicated above for students in the United States. Students from Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Myanmar (Burma), Nigeria, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and Togo should contact the Office of Financial Aid regarding procedures for applying.

• Noncustodial parent’s International Student Financial Aid Application. If the student’s parents are separated, divorced or were never married, the noncustodial parent should complete the International Student Financial Aid Application, which is available on the Office of Financial Aid website.

• Parents’ and student’s income tax returns and income documentation. Submit copies of your and your parents’ most recent income tax return(s) and/or other documentation of income directly to the Office of Financial Aid.

• If the student’s parents own an interest in a business or farm, complete the International Business/Farm Supplement, which is available on the Office of Financial Aid website.

Early Decision: November 1
Regular Education: February 15
Fall Transfer: March 15
Spring Transfer: November 1

Transfer Applicants. Transfer applicants are treated identically to first-year applicants, with admission decisions made on a need-blind basis and financial need met in full.

International Applicants. Amherst College offers financial aid to international students based on financial need. Admission of international students is made without considering whether students apply for aid or to what degree they have financial need.

Early Decision. Early Decision applicants who submit their financial aid application materials on time will receive a preliminary financial aid award soon after getting a letter of admission. This award will be confirmed later, after the cost of attendance for the coming year has been set and after income is confirmed on the basis of the student’s and student’s parents’ income tax returns. A student who wants to compare financial aid packages from several colleges should apply as a Regular Decision applicant.

Renewal of Financial Aid. Students in the upper classes who desire renewal of their financial aid awards or who wish to apply for financial aid for the first time must file applications by April 25. The Amherst Application for Renewal of Financial Aid should be completed and submitted online at Amherst.edu/go/netpartner, using the ‘Apply On-Line’ tab. Students will receive email notification of their financial aid awards in June.

College financial aid will not be considered for the current academic year after February 28.

A brochure with a more detailed description of the financial aid program is available upon request from the Admission or Financial Aid Office. Additional information is also available from the College’s website at www.amherst.edu/go
/financialaid. Questions about the financial aid policy of Amherst College should be directed to the Office of Financial Aid, Amherst College, B-5 Converse Hall, P.O. Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002-5000 or finaid@amherst.edu.

IV

GENERAL REGULATIONS
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

General Regulations

This section includes a partial collection of Amherst College regulations and policies that apply to students. A complete set of regulations can be found in the Student Handbook. The Student Handbook includes the entire honor code, important information about sexual misconduct, college offices, the student government, extracurricular organizations, and various other regulations and policies. All new students are advised to read the full version of the Handbook upon entrance to the college in order to make themselves familiar with the resources that are available to them and the policies that apply to them throughout their time at Amherst. Other students should consult the online Handbook when needed. The Student Handbook is available online at: http://www.amherst.edu/campuslife/deanstudents/handbook.

TERMS AND VACATIONS

THE COLLEGE year 2014-15 includes two regular semesters, the first with 13 weeks and the second with 14 weeks of classes. In the fall semester are an October break and a Thanksgiving recess. After the winter recess, there is a January Interterm. In the spring semester there is a vacation of one week.

All official College vacations and holidays are announced on the College Calendar appearing at the beginning of this catalog.

The January Interterm is a three-week period between semesters free from the formal structures of regular classes, grades, and academic credit. It is, in essence, a time when each student may undertake independent study in a subject or area to which he or she might not have access during the normal course of the year.

Students may center their activities on the campus or elsewhere as they choose. They may read, write, paint, compose, or inquire into some question or concern as inclination, ingenuity, and resources permit. They may wish to explore further or more deeply a subject which has aroused their curiosity or about which they wish to know more.

CONDUCT

It is the belief of Amherst College that those engaged in education should be responsible for setting, maintaining, and supporting moral and intellectual standards. Those standards are assumed to be ones which will reflect credit on the College, its students, and its guests.

The College reserves the right to exclude at any time students whose conduct or academic standing it regards as unsatisfactory; in such cases fees are not refunded or remitted in whole or in part, and neither the College nor any of its officers consider themselves to be under any liability whatsoever for such exclusion.

All are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the principles set forth in the following three statements, which together comprise the Amherst College Honor Code. Failure to do so may in serious instances jeopardize the student’s continued association with the College.

A. STATEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL RESPONSIBILITY AT AMHERST COLLEGE

Preamble

Every person’s education is the product of his or her own intellectual effort and participation in a process of critical exchange. Amherst cannot educate those who are unwilling to submit their own work and ideas to critical assessment. Nor can it tolerate those who interfere with the participation of others in the critical process. Therefore, the College considers it a violation of the requirements of intellectual responsibility to submit work that is not one’s own or otherwise to subvert the conditions under which academic work is performed by oneself or by others.

Article I: Student Responsibility

Section 1. In undertaking studies at Amherst College every student agrees to abide by the above statement.

Section 2. Students must review the Statement of Intellectual Responsibility via the Registrar’s Webpage at the beginning of each semester. It is the responsibility of each student to read and understand this Statement and to inquire as to its implications in his or her specific courses.

Section 3. Orderly and honorable conduct of examinations is the individual and collective responsibility of the students concerned in accordance with the above Statement and Article II, Section 3, below.

Article II: Faculty Responsibility

Section 1. Promotion of the aims of the Statement of Intellectual Responsibility is a general responsibility of the Faculty.

Section 2. Every member of the Faculty has a specific responsibility to explain the implications of the statement for each of his or her courses, including a specification of the conditions under which academic work in those courses is to be performed. At the beginning of each semester all members of the Faculty should review the Statement of Intellectual Responsibility via the Registrar’s Webpage; they are reminded of their duty to explain its implications in each course.

Section 3. Examinations shall not be proctored unless an instructor judges that the integrity of the assessment process is clearly threatened. An instructor may be present at examinations at appropriate times to answer questions.

B. STATEMENT ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND DISSENT

Amherst College prizes and defends freedom of speech and dissent. It affirms the right of teachers and students to teach and learn, free from coercive force and intimidation and subject only to the constraints of reasoned discourse and peaceful conduct. It also recognizes that such freedoms and rights entail responsibility for one’s actions. Thus, every student bears the responsibility to protect the rights of all to express their views so long as there is neither use nor threat of force nor interference with the rights of others. Demonstrated cases of disruption of classes (whether, for example, by the abridgement of free expression in a class or by obstructing access to the place in which the class normally meets) or similarly of other academic activities will be regarded as serious breaches of this Statement and community standards and will receive appropriate sanctions.

C. STATEMENT OF RESPECT FOR PERSONS

Respect for the rights, dignity and integrity of others is essential for the well-being of a community. Actions by any person that do not reflect such respect for others are damaging to each member of the community and hence damaging to Amherst College. Each member of the community should be free from interference, discrimination, intimidation, sexual harassment or disparagement in the classroom; the social, recreational and residential environment; or the work place. Any behavior which constitutes sexual harassment or other verbal or physical abuse of any member of the community for reasons that include but are not limited to race, color, religion, national origin, ethnic identification, age, political affiliation or belief, sexual orientation, gender, economic status or physical or mental disability will be regarded as a serious violation of the Honor Code, and anyone found guilty of such behavior will be disciplined.

Harassment

Amherst College does not condone harassment of any kind, against any group or individual, because of race, religion, ethnic identification, age, handicap, gender or sexual orientation. Such harassment is clearly in conflict with the interests of the College as an educational community and in many cases with provisions of law.

The Title IX Committee, appointed by the President, completed a comprehensive review of College sexual harassment statements and definitions. Effective May 2013, a detailed Sexual Misconduct Policy, including conduct procedures, definitions and resources, can be found at https://www.amherst.edu/campuslife/deanstudents/handbook/studentrights#AppC.

Sexual Harassment

Amherst College is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment free of all forms of harassment. Sexual harassment breaches the trust that is expected and required in order for members of an educational community to be free to learn and work. It is a form of discrimination because it unjustly deprives a person of equal treatment. Sexual harassment can injure anyone who is subjected to it, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

The College’s policy on sexual harassment is directed towards behavior and does not purport to regulate beliefs, attitudes, or feelings. It is based on federal and state law, which prohibit certain specific forms of sexual harassment; on the College’s Statement on Respect for Persons, which requires that a person’s sex and sexual orientation be treated with respect; and on the following statement on sexual harassment passed by the Faculty on May 23, 1985:

Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other unwelcome verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when: (1) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment, academic work, or participation in social or extracurricular activities; (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for decisions affecting the individual; or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or demeaning working, academic or social environment.

The College believes that sexual harassment, besides being intrinsically harmful and illegal, also corrupts the integrity of the educational process.

Because it is possible for one person to act unintentionally in a manner that sexually harasses another, it is imperative that all members of the College community understand what kinds of behavior constitute sexual harassment. Hence, we provide here a general description of sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment occurs when one person attempts to coerce another into a sexual relationship, or to punish a refusal to respond to or comply with sexual advances. Attempts to subject a person to unwanted attention of a sexual character, sexual slurs or derogatory language directed at another person’s sexuality or gender also can be forms of sexual harassment. Thus, sexual harassment can include a wide range of behavior, from the actual coercing of sexual relations to the forcing of sexual attentions, verbal or physical, on a non-consenting individual. It is also possible that sexual harassment can occur unintentionally when behavior of a sexual nature has the effect of creating a hostile environment. In some cases, sexual harassment is obvious and may involve an overt action, a threat, or reprisal. In other instances, sexual harassment is subtle and indirect, with a coercive aspect that is unstated.

Sexual harassment also occurs when a position of authority is used to threaten the imposition of penalty or the withholding of benefit unless sexual favors are granted, whether or not the threat is carried out. Sexual harassment, when it exploits the authority the institution gives its employees, or otherwise compromises the boundary between personal and professional roles, is an abuse of the power the College entrusts to them. The potential for sexual harassment exists in any sexual relationship between a student and a member of the faculty, administration or staff. Anyone in a position of authority should thoroughly understand the potential for coercion in sexual relationships between persons who are professionally affiliated. These relationships may involve persons in a position of authority over their colleagues (e.g., tenured faculty and non-tenured faculty; administrators and staff); or they may involve those who teach, advise or supervise students.

Sexual harassment also takes the form of unwanted attention among peers. Sexual harassment by peers may have the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or demeaning environment. Sexual harassment by peers can occur between strangers, casual acquaintances, hall-mates, and even friends.

Because sexual harassment is a direct violation of the College’s “Statement on Respect for Persons,” Amherst College will seriously and thoroughly investigate any complaints of sexual harassment and will discipline those found guilty. Any student who believes she or he may be the victim of sexual harassment by a member of the faculty should consult the section on “Seeking Redress in Cases of Sexual Harassment” and “The Resolution of Student Grievances with Members of the Faculty or Administration” in the Student Handbook. The Faculty Handbook gives further information about grievance procedures. Any student who believes she or he may be the victim of sexual harassment by a peer should consult the student-student grievance procedures in the Student Handbook.

Consensual Sexual Relationships Between Faculty Members and Students

Experience has shown that consensual sexual relationships between faculty members and students can lead to harassment. Faculty members should understand the potential for coercion in sexual relationships with students with whom the faculty members also have instructional, advisory or supervisory relationships.

Even when such relationships do not lead to harassment, they can compromise the integrity of the educational process. The objectivity of evaluations which occur in making recommendations or assigning grades, honors, and fellowships may be called into question when a faculty member involved in those functions has or has had a sexual relationship with a student.

For these reasons, the College does not condone and, in fact, strongly discourages consensual sexual relationships between faculty members and students. The College requires a faculty member to remove himself or herself from any supervisory, evaluative, advisory, or other pedagogical role involving a student with whom he or she has had or currently has a sexual relationship. Since the absence of this person may deprive the student of educational, advising, or career opportunities, both parties should be mindful of the potential costs to the student before entering into a sexual relationship.

In cases in which it proves necessary, the Dean of the Faculty, in consultation with the Dean of Students and the Chair (or Head) of the relevant department, will evaluate the student’s situation and take measures to prevent deprivation of educational and advising opportunities. The appropriate officers of the College will have the authority to make exceptions to normal academic rules and policies that are warranted by the circumstances.

ATTENDANCE AT COLLEGE EXERCISES

It is assumed that students will make the most of the educational opportunities available by regularly attending classes and laboratory periods. At the beginning of the semester, all instructors are free to state the policy with regard to absences from their courses. Thereafter, they may take such action as they deem appropriate, or report to the class deans the names of any students who disregard the regulations announced.

Students are asked to notify the Office of Student Affairs if they have been delayed at home by illness or family emergencies. They are also requested to report any unusual or unexplained absences from the College on the part of any fellow students.

Students who have received medical care at home should, as soon as possible, on or before the day of their return, report their absence to the Office of Student Affairs and submit a statement concerning their illness and any recommended treatment to Amherst College Health Services. Students who are ill at College will normally be attended at the College Health Service or will be referred to the University of Massachusetts University Health Services by the Staff Physician. It is assumed that all students not excused by the College physician are well enough to attend their regular classes.

The responsibility for any work missed due to an illness or other absence rests entirely upon the student.

Details about student health and medical programs are provided in the Student Handbook.

RECORDS AND REPORTS

Grades in courses are reported in three categories:

Passing Grades = A+, A, A–, B+, B, B–, C+, C, C–, D, Pass
Failing Grade = F

Term averages and cumulative averages are reported on a 14- point scale rounded to the nearer whole number. The conversion equivalents are: A+ = 14, A = 13, A– = 12; B+ = 11, B = 10, B– = 9; C+ = 8, C = 7, C– = 6; D = 4, F = 1. A Pass does not affect a student’s average.

Midterm warning letters are sent to students who receive grade of D or F after the end of the seventh week of classes each semester. Midterm warning grades are also available online. A report of all grades and averages is available online after the end of each semester.

Students may only retake courses for which they have received a failing grade or from which they have withdrawn in a prior semester.

The academic records and averages of Amherst College students completing Five College Interchange courses at Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts will include these courses and grades; no separate transcripts are maintained at the other institutions for Amherst College students.

“Rank in class” will not be used, but transcripts and grade reports will be accompanied by a profile showing the distribution of cumulative averages for students of the same class level in the current and in the previous two years.

Student academic records are maintained by the Registrar’s Office and are confidential; information is released only at the request of the student. Partial transcripts are not issued; each transcript must include the student’s complete record at Amherst College to date. An official transcript carries an authorized signature as well as the embossed seal of Amherst College.

Transcripts of credit earned at other institutions, which have been presented to Amherst College for admission or transfer of credit, become a part of the student’s permanent record but are not issued, reissued, or copied for distribution. With the exception of Five College Interchange courses, grades for courses that were transferred from other institutions including study abroad are not recorded; credit only is listed on the Amherst transcript. Transcripts for all academic work at other institutions of higher education, including summer schools, should be requested directly from those institutions.

PASS/FAIL OPTION

Amherst College students may choose, with the permission of the instructor, a pass/fail arrangement in two of the 32 courses required for the degree, but not in more than one course in any one semester. The choice of a pass/fail alternative must be made by the last day of add/drop at the beginning of the semester and must have the approval of the student’s advisor. No grade-point equivalent will be assigned to a “Pass,” but courses taken on this basis will receive either a “P” or an “F” from the instructor, although in the regular evaluation of work done during the semester the instructor may choose to assign the usual grades for work submitted by students exercising this option. First-year students, who have the privilege of withdrawing from one course without grade penalty, and transfer students, who have the privilege of withdrawing from one course during their first semester at Amherst, must take no less than three graded courses in each semester.

EXAMINATIONS AND EXTENSIONS

Examinations are held at the end of each semester and at intervals in the year in many courses. At the end of each semester, final grades are reported and the record for the semester is closed. In conformity with the practice established by the Faculty, no extension of time is allowed for intraterm papers, examinations and incomplete laboratory or other course work beyond the date of the last scheduled class period of the semester, unless an extension is granted in writing by both the instructor and the class dean. Students will not be allowed to register or participate in add/drop for the subsequent term until all grades from their last semester are recorded by the Registrar.

A student who is prevented by illness from attending a semester examination may be granted the privilege of a special examination by the instructor and the class dean, who will arrange the date of the examination with the instructor. There are no second or make-up semester examinations, unless a student is prevented by illness from taking such an examination at the scheduled time.

A semester examination may be postponed only by approval of the instructor and the class dean.

Only for medical reasons or those of grave personal emergency will extensions be granted beyond the second day after the examination period.

VOLUNTARY WITHDRAWALS AND MEDICAL LEAVES

The College has traditionally recognized the educational and personal rewards that many students receive from a semester or two away from the campus. Occasionally, faculty members, advisors, or deans may suggest that students withdraw from formal studies to gain fresh perspectives on their intellectual commitments, career plans, or educational priorities. Family circumstances, medical problems, declining motivation, and other factors commonly encountered by students may require that they remain away from the College for more than the usual College vacation periods. The College, therefore, encourages students to consider carefully their situations, to clarify their objectives, and to decide for themselves whether they should temporarily interrupt their study at the College and take voluntary withdrawals or medical leaves.

Students who wish to explore the advantages and disadvantages of voluntary withdrawals or medical leaves should confer with the Office of Student Affairs, College and departmental advisors, resident counselors and parents. Some students will also find it beneficial to discuss their situations and tentative plans with the Registrar, the Study Abroad Advisor, the foreign language departments, the Career Center and the Dean of Financial Aid.

To ensure that students have ample time for changing their status with the College and to allow the College to maintain full use of its educational facilities, all students considering voluntary withdrawals should speak with their class deans and advisors with as much advance notice as possible. Students who fail to give advance notice of their plans may not be guaranteed housing for the semester in which they prefer to return.

Prior to the seventh week of any semester, students may choose to withdraw voluntarily without their final grades being recorded. However, unless granted exemptions for disabling medical reasons or grave personal emergencies by the Committee on Academic Standing or the Office of Student Affairs, students who withdraw after the seventh week of a semester will withdraw with penalty and have final grades for that semester recorded on their permanent academic records. Refunds of tuition, deposits and fees are treated according to the College policy stated on page 56 of this Catalog. When withdrawals have been approved by the class deans and faculty advisors, the deans will specify any readmission requirements in writing and will indicate what academic work, if any, must be completed prior to readmission.

Students considering voluntary withdrawals or medical leaves should also read the section on Readmission. Information about educational leaves can be found on page 45.

INVOLUNTARY WITHDRAWALS

The College reserves the right to exclude at any time students whose conduct it regards as unsatisfactory, or students who experience medical or behavioral needs requiring a level of support that cannot reasonably be provided while living in residence or participating in an academic program. Such conduct includes, but is not limited to: A student engages in, or is at significant risk of engaging in, behavior that could result in physical harm to self or other(s); manifests an inability to attend to personal needs related to food, shelter, personal safety and general well-being, such that there is a reasonable possibility of serious physical harm; behaves in a manner that interferes substantially with the rightful daily activities of members of the College or surrounding community, with the educational and/or residential environment, or with the orderly operation of the College, including behavior that imposes a significant burden on the College’s human resources needed for continued management of such behavior; fails to pay term bill by the stated due date; fails to provide required immunization records by the stated deadline; fails to register as required at the beginning of each term or fails to have all course grades recorded for the prior term.

In addition, a student who has been granted make-up examinations or extensions of time beyond the end of the term in order to avoid failing those courses, may be required to take a withdrawal. In such cases, fees are not refunded or remitted in whole or in part and neither the College nor any of its officers will have any liability whatsoever for such exclusion. When withdrawals have been imposed by the class deans, the deans will specify any readmission requirements in writing and will indicate what academic work, if any, must be completed prior to readmission. All readmission requirements must be completed by August 15 for fall or December 15 for spring or the student will not be allowed to return and will need to begin the readmission process again for the next academic semester. Students may appeal an involuntary withdrawal to the Dean of Students or designee.

Students anticipating return from leave should also read the next section on Readmission.

READMISSION

All students requesting readmission after voluntary withdrawals, involuntary withdrawals, medical leaves, and academic dismissals and all students on educational leaves who wish to return for the fall semester should write to their class deans as early as possible, but before March 15. For students planning to return for the spring semester, the letters should be received by the College before November 1.

Provisional Administrative Readmission following leave may be offered by the Office of Student Affairs to facilitate processes such as pre-registration and housing where appropriate. However, students must complete all readmission requirements by August 15 for fall and December 15 for spring.

In some cases, additional information, such as an interview on-campus, may be requested. Readmission requests from students seeking to return from academic dismissals and, in some cases from medical leaves, voluntary and involuntary withdrawals, will be referred to the Committee on Academic Standing or the Office of Student Affairs. In these cases, detailed letters requesting readmission, accompanied by grade reports of courses taken at an approved college or university, letters from employers, and other documents supporting the readmission requests should be sent to the Office of Student Affairs. Students on educational leaves should simply confirm their intention of returning to the campus before the above stated dates. Failure to meet these deadlines will jeopardize students’ opportunities to participate in the student residence room selection.

TRANSFER POLICY

Amherst College students who are considering transferring to other institutions should understand that the College will not readmit those who choose to become degree candidates at other colleges and universities. All Amherst College students who transfer to and enroll as degree candidates at other institutions will forfeit their opportunity to re-enroll in the College. Before arranging to transfer, students should discuss their plans and options with their class dean.

Students who plan to attend other colleges and universities while on educational leave or as participants in exchange programs must have explicit written understanding with Amherst College as well as confirmation from host schools that they will be enrolled as visitors, rather than as degree candidates. (See Academic Credit from Other Institutions.)

DELINQUENCIES

At the midpoint and end of each semester, the academic records of all students are reviewed by the class deans and the Committee on Academic Standing. Those students who have demonstrated they are unfit for academic work are dismissed from the College. The academic records of others about whom the Committee has some concern are also carefully examined. Depending on the degree of difficulty a student has experienced, he/she may be regularly reviewed, issued an academic warning or placed on probation. Students who, by failing a course, incur a deficiency in the number of courses required for normal progress toward graduation are expected to make up that course deficiency before being permitted to register for the next academic year. (See Course Requirements.)

Students belonging to one or more of the following groups may not expect to continue at Amherst College:

a. Those who in any semester fail in two or more courses. Withdrawal from a course while failing it shall count as a failure.* 

b. Those who in any semester fail a course and receive an average of less than 7 in courses passed.*

c. Those who in any semester pass all courses but receive an average of less than 6.

d. Those who have accumulated delinquencies in three or more courses during their college careers.

e. Those who have been on probation and have failed to meet the conditions of their probation.

Normally, a student dismissed from the College for reasons of unsatisfactory academic performance, involuntary leave or medical withdrawal will not be eligible for readmission until he or she has been away from the College for two semesters. During the period of academic dismissal (separation from the College) the student is usually expected to demonstrate readiness to return by simultaneously completing and passing at least two liberal arts courses at another accredited college or university each with grades of C or higher (a C– is not satisfactory). The courses must be approved (in advance) by the Registrar and the class dean before the student enrolls. The student will be granted credit towards his/her Amherst degree for deficiencies only. Any remaining course deficiencies, after the two-course requirement has been met, must be completed before returning. Other conditions for readmission shall be set forth clearly in writing and must be met by the student before he or she can be considered for readmission to the College. (See section on Readmission.)

A student readmitted to the College following an academic dismissal returns on academic warning.

Students taking courses in a summer school to make up a delinquency incurred at Amherst College must have their summer school courses approved in advance by the Registrar. The College does not grant transfer credit for courses completed with a grade below “C.”

ROOM AND BOARD

Dormitory and house rooms are equipped with bed, mattress, bureau, desk, chairs, and bookcase or shelves. Occupants furnish their own blankets, linen, pillows, and towels, and may provide extra furnishings if they wish, such as rugs, curtains, lamps, etc.; they may not add beds, sofas, lounges, or other furniture of such nature except under certain circumstances. More complete regulations for occupancy are contained in the Student Handbook.

All students living in dormitories and houses, except for those students living in the Humphries House cooperative, are required to subscribe to the 21 meals per week plan of Valentine Hall. Valentine Hall is able and willing to accommodate students with special dietary needs. There are no rebates for absence from meals.

Students with unique circumstances who want to live off campus should speak with the Office of Student Affairs. First-year students, unless specifically excused by the Dean of Students, are required to live in College-owned houses or with relatives.

Degree Requirements

BACHELOR OF ARTS

THE DEGREE Bachelor of Arts is conferred upon students who have satisfactorily met the requirements described below. The plan of studies leading to this degree is arranged on the basis of the equivalent of an eight-semester course of study to be pursued by students in residence at Amherst College.

The degree Bachelor of Arts cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude (Degree with Honors) is awarded to students who have successfully completed an approved program of Honors work with a department or program.

Other students who satisfactorily meet requirements as indicated below receive the degree, Bachelor of Arts, rite.

REQUIREMENTS

Each student is responsible for meeting all degree requirements and for ensuring that the Registrar’s Office has received all credentials.

The Bachelor of Arts degree is awarded to students who:

1. Complete 32 full semester courses and four years (eight semesters) of residence,† except that a student who has dropped a course without penalty during the first year, or who has failed a course during the first or second year, shall be allowed to graduate, provided he or she has been four years in residence at the College and has satisfactorily completed 31 full courses.

Transfer students must complete 32 full semester courses or their equivalent, at least 16 of them at Amherst, and at least two years of residence at Amherst, except that a transfer student who has dropped a course without penalty during his or her first semester at Amherst shall be allowed to graduate with one less full course.

2. Complete the requirements for a major in a department or a group of departments, including a satisfactory performance in the comprehensive evaluation. Standard full courses are equal to four semester credits each. Half courses are equal to two semester credits. Our course system considers all standard full courses to have equal weight toward completing the degree requirements. Courses typically meet for at least three hours a week, with the expectation that additional time may be spent in lab, discussion, studio, film viewing, or preparatory work.

3. Attain a general average of 6 in the courses completed at Amherst and a grade of at least C in every course completed at another institution for transfer credit to Amherst.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

All students except Independent Scholars are required to elect four full courses each semester and may elect an additional half course. The election of a half course in addition to the normal program is at the discretion of the student and without special permission. A student may not elect more than one half course in any semester except by consent of his or her class dean and the departments concerned. In such cases the student’s program will be three full courses and two half courses. Half courses are not normally included in the 32-course requirement for graduation.

In exceptional cases a student may, with the permission of both his or her academic advisor and class dean, take five full courses for credit during a given semester. Such permission is normally granted only to students of demonstrated superior academic ability, responsibility, and will. Fifth courses cannot be used to accelerate graduation. On occasion, a student who has failed a course may be permitted to take a fifth course in a given semester if, in the judgment of the Committee on Academic Standing, this additional work can be undertaken without prejudice to the student’s regular program. Students may only retake a course for which they have received a failing grade or from which they have withdrawn in a prior semester.

Also in exceptional cases a student may petition their class dean at the time of admission or prior to the beginning of any semester for permission to enroll in a program of three courses per semester for any number of semesters of his or her enrollment at Amherst. Such permission may be granted only for reasons of physical disability (e.g., for students who have serious visual or hearing impairments) or compelling family responsibility (e.g., for students who are parents and have custodial responsibility for their children). In such cases, the student may be granted permission to spend as many as two additional semesters at Amherst College and to graduate with no fewer than 31 courses.

A student who by failing a course incurs a deficiency in the number of courses required for normal progress toward graduation is usually expected to make up that course deficiency by taking a three- or four-semester hour course at another approved institution during the summer prior to the first semester of the next academic year and no later than the semester prior to the student’s last semester at Amherst.

A student may not add a course to his/her program after the last day of add/drop at the beginning of each semester or drop a course after this date except as follows:

First-year students who experience severe academic difficulty may petition the Dean of New Students for permission to drop one course without penalty during their first year. The Dean of New Students, in consultation with the instructor and advisor, will decide on the basis of the student’s educational needs whether or not to grant the petition. Petitions to withdraw from a course will normally be accepted only during the sixth, seventh, and eighth weeks of either the first or the second semester. Exceptions to this rule shall be made only for disabling medical reasons or reasons of grave personal emergency, and shall be made only by the Dean of New Students.

Transfer students may petition their class dean to drop one course without penalty during the sixth, seventh, and eighth weeks of their first semester at Amherst. They must follow the petition procedure described above. The class dean, in consultation with the student’s instructor and advisor, will decide whether or not to grant this petition.

For sophomores, juniors, and seniors, exceptions to the rule prohibiting the dropping of a course after the ninth calendar day of the semester shall be made only for disabling medical reasons or reasons of grave personal emergency, and shall be made only by the Dean of Student Affairs in consultation with the student’s class dean.

Courses taken by a student after withdrawing from Amherst College, as part of a graduate or professional program in which that student is enrolled, are not applicable toward an Amherst College undergraduate degree.

THE LIBERAL STUDIES CURRICULUM

Under the Liberal Studies Curriculum, the first-year students are required to take a First-Year Seminar. These courses are planned and taught by one or more members of the Faculty as a way to introduce students to liberal studies through a range of innovative and often interdisciplinary approaches. The subject matter of the courses varies, as do the capabilities they seek to encourage. Each seminar constitutes an inquiry-based introduction to critical thinking and active learning at the college level. To achieve this goal, all courses have an enrollment limit of approximately 15 students and provide discussion-based classes, writing attentive instruction with frequent and varied assignments, close reading and critical interpretation of written texts, and careful attention to the analysis of argument in speech and writing. The courses offered for fall 2014 are described on pages 82-91.

Amherst’s liberal studies curriculum is based on a concept of education as a process or activity rather than a form of production. The curriculum provides a structure within which each student may confront the meaning of his or her education, and does it without imposing a particular course or subject on all students. Students are encouraged to continue to seek diversity and attempt integration through their course selection and to discuss this with their advisors.

Under the curriculum, most members of the Faculty serve as academic advisors to students. Every student has a College Advisor until he or she declares a major, no later than the end of the sophomore year; thereafter each student will have a Major Advisor from the student’s field of concentration. As student and advisor together plan a student’s program, they should discuss whether the student has selected courses that:

• develop fundamental capabilities such as critical reading, written and oral expression, quantitative reasoning, and proficiency in using information resources

• achieve breadth of understanding through study in a range of disciplines and modes of inquiry.

THE MAJOR REQUIREMENT

Liberal education seeks to develop the student’s awareness and understanding of the individual and of the world’s physical and social environments. If one essential object in the design of education at Amherst is breadth of understanding, another purpose, equally important, is mastery of one or more areas of knowledge in depth. Upperclassmen are required to concentrate their studies—to select and pursue a major—in order to deepen their understanding: to gain specific knowledge of a field and its special concerns, and to master and appreciate the skills needed in that disciplined effort.

A major normally consists of at least eight courses pursued under the direction of a department or special group. A major may begin in either the first or second year and must be declared by the end of the second year. Students may change their majors at any time, provided that they will be able to complete the new program before graduation.

The major program can be devised in accordance with either of two plans:

DEPARTMENTAL MAJORS

Students may complete the requirement of at least eight courses within one department. They must complete at least six courses within one department and the remaining two courses in related fields approved by the department.

Some Amherst students may wish to declare a major in more than one department or program. This curricular option is available, although it entails special responsibilities. At Amherst, departments are solely responsible for defining the content and structure of an acceptable program of study for majors. Students who elect a double major must present the signatures of both academic advisors when registering for each semester’s courses and they must, of course, fulfill the graduation requirements and comprehensive examinations established by two academic programs. In addition, double majors may not credit courses approved for either major toward the other without the explicit consent of an announced departmental policy or the signature of a departmental chairperson. In their senior year, students with a double major must verify their approved courses with both academic advisors before registering for their last semester at the College.

INTERDISCIPLINARY MAJORS

Students with special needs who desire to construct an interdisciplinary major will submit a proposed program, endorsed by one or more professors from each of the departments concerned, to the Committee on Academic Standing and Special Majors. Under ordinary circumstances, the proposal will be submitted during the first semester of the junior year and not under any circumstances later than the eighth week of the second junior semester. The program will include a minimum of six upper-level courses and a thesis plan. Upon approval of the program by the Committee on Academic Standing and Special Majors, an ad hoc advisory committee of three professors appointed by the Committee will have all further responsibility for approving any possible modifications in the program, administering an appropriate comprehensive examination, reviewing the thesis and making recommendations for the degree with or without Honors. Information on preparation, form, and submission of proposed interdisciplinary programs is available in the Office of Student Affairs.

A part of the major requirement in every department is an evaluation of the student’s comprehension in his or her major field of study. This evaluation may be based on a special written examination or upon any other performance deemed appropriate by each department. The mode of the evaluation need not be the same for all the majors within a department, and, indeed, may be designed individually to test the skills each student has developed.

The evaluation should be completed by the seventh week of the second semester of the senior year. Any student whose comprehension is judged to be inadequate will have two opportunities for reevaluation: one not later than the last day of classes of the second semester of the senior year, and the other during the next college year.

DEGREE WITH HONORS

The requirements for graduation with a degree with honors are as follows:

The degree Bachelor of Arts with Honors is awarded at graduation to students whose academic records give evidence of particular merit. Latin Honors are awarded to students completing a thesis within their major department or program. English honors are awarded to students solely on the basis of performance in course work. The awarding of both Latin and English honors will be made by the Faculty of the College, and will appear on the diploma. In making such awards, the Faculty will observe the following guidelines:

Latin Honors

1. Candidates eligible for the degree summa cum laude must have a minimum overall grade point average in the top 25% of their class and have received a recommendation of summa based on a thesis or comparable work from a department or program in which they have majored. In addition, the theses of candidates for the degree summa cum laude will be reviewed by the Committee of Six, who will transmit its recommendation to the Faculty. Candidates will also have their entire records reviewed by the Dean of the Faculty and the Committee of Six, who will transmit their recommendations to the Faculty.

2. Candidates eligible for the degree magna cum laude must have a minimum overall grade point average in the top 25% of their class and have received a recommendation of magna based on a thesis or comparable work from a department or program in which they have majored. Although each department or program may define additional criteria upon which it will base its recommendation, the candidate must submit a thesis or comparable work that is judged by the department or program to be of magna quality. Candidates will also qualify for the degree magna cum laude if they have been recommended for summa cum laude and are in the top 40% but not the top 25% of their class and have otherwise met the requirements for the degree summa cum laude.

3. Candidates eligible for the degree cum laude must have received a recommendation of cum based on a thesis or comparable work from a department or program in which they have majored. Although each department or program may define additional criteria upon which it will base its recommendation, the candidate must submit a thesis or comparable work that is judged by the department or program to be of cum quality.

Distinction

Candidates eligible for a degree with Distinction must have an overall grade point average in the top 25% of their class.

INDEPENDENT SCHOLAR PROGRAM

A limited number of students who elect to do so may participate in an Independent Scholar Program, usually in the junior or senior years in lieu of a traditional major program. Participants are chosen by the four-member Faculty Committee on Academic Standing and Special Majors, which includes the Dean of Student Affairs, after nomination for the program by a member of the Faculty. Independent Scholars are free to plan a personal program of study under the direction of a tutor, chosen by the student with the advice and consent of the Committee. The tutor provides the guidance and counsel necessary to help the student attain the educational objectives he or she has set. The tutor and one or more other members of the Faculty familiar with the student’s work will ultimately assign a comprehensive grade and provide a detailed, written evaluation of the student’s performance which will become part of the individual’s formal record at Amherst College. Grades in such regular courses as the student may elect will be taken into account in assigning the comprehensive grade, and the student is eligible for a degree with Honors, as well as all other awards and distinctions. An Independent Scholar who studies away from the College may be eligible for a tuition reduction.

FIELD STUDY

The Faculty has instituted a program of Field Study under which students may pursue a course of study away from Amherst for either one or two semesters. Students are admitted to the program by the Committee on Academic Standing and Special Majors after approval of their written proposal and are assigned a Field Study Advisor chosen from the Faculty.

Upon being admitted to Field Study, students become candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Field Study, which is normally attained in four-and-one-half or five years. During the first semester in residence at Amherst after the period of Field Study, students must take a Special Topics course, normally with their Field Study Advisor, in which they draw on both their experience of Field Study and further investigation relating to it. Students may also pursue a related Special Topics course in the semester before they enter their program of Field Study.

Students pursuing a two-semester plan of Field Study will be allowed to continue after the first semester only upon providing evidence to the Committee that they are satisfactorily carrying out their program. No student shall begin study in the field later than the first semester of the senior year.

Students pursuing Field Study shall maintain themselves financially in the field, and during the period shall pay a Field Study fee of $50 to the College in lieu of tuition.

The transcript of a student who has undertaken Field Study shall include a short description and appraisal by the Field Advisor of the student’s project and of the related Special Topics course.

FIVE COLLEGE COURSES

Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts have for some time combined their academic activities in selected areas for the purpose of extending and enriching their collective educational resources. Certain specialized courses not ordinarily available at the undergraduate level are operated jointly and open to all. In addition, students in good standing at any of the five institutions may take a course, without cost, at any of the other four if the course is significantly different from any offered on their own campus and they have the necessary qualifications.

The course must have a bearing on the educational plan arranged by the student and his or her advisor. Professional, technical and vocational courses are not generally open for Five College interchange credit. Those courses accrue credit toward degrees other than the Bachelor of Arts degree which is offered at Amherst College. Individual exceptions must be approved by both advisor and Dean of the Faculty on the basis of the student’s complete academic program at the College.

The Premedical Committee reminds health pre-professional students that required courses (biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics) should normally be taken at Amherst College and not at other Five College institutions.

To enroll in a Five College course, an Amherst student must have the approval of his or her advisor and the Dean of the Faculty. Only under special circumstances will permission be granted by the advisor and the Dean of the Faculty for an Amherst student to enroll in more than two Five College courses per semester. If permission to enroll in a course is required for students of the institution at which the course is offered, students from the other Five Colleges must also obtain the instructor’s permission to enroll.

Free bus transportation among the five institutions is available for interchange students.

Students interested in such courses will find more information on the Registrar’s website. Lists of courses being offered by the other institutions are accessible there and on the other institutions’ websites.

Other aspects of Five College cooperation are described in the Student Handbook.

ACADEMIC CREDIT FROM OTHER INSTITUTIONS

Amherst College does not grant academic credit for work completed at other institutions of higher education unless it meets one of the following criteria: (1) each course offered as part of a transfer record has been completed and accepted by the College prior to matriculation at Amherst; (2) the work is part of an exchange program of study in the United States or abroad approved in advance by a class dean and the Registrar; or (3) the work has been approved by the Registrar as appropriate to make up a deficiency deriving from work not completed or failed at Amherst College (see Delinquencies); (4) The work has been approved by the Registrar as appropriate to meet conditions of involuntary leave or medical withdrawal.

COOPERATIVE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

A cooperative Doctor of Philosophy program has been established by Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts. The degree is awarded by the University of Massachusetts, but some, perhaps much—and in a few exceptional cases even all—of the work leading to the degree might be done in one or more of the other institutions.

When a student has been awarded a degree under this program, the fact that it is a cooperative doctoral degree involving Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts will be indicated on the diploma, the permanent record, and all transcripts, as well as on the commencement program.

The requirements for the degree are identical to those for the Ph.D. degree at the University of Massachusetts except for the statement relating to “residence.” For the cooperative Ph.D. degree “residence” is defined as the institution where the dissertation is being done.

Students interested in this program should write to the Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts. However, a student who wishes to work under the direction of a member of the Amherst Faculty must have the proposal approved by the Dean of the Faculty of Amherst College and by the Amherst Faculty Committee of Six.

ENGINEERING EXCHANGE PROGRAM WITH DARTMOUTH

Introduction. The engineering exchange (or dual degree) program with Dartmouth is an arrangement, offered through the Twelve College Exchange, under which eligible Amherst College students may attend Dartmouth College for a year to take engineering science courses (chosen to be eligible for credit at Amherst College), leading ultimately to both an A.B. from Amherst and a B.E. from Dartmouth in five years. A student spends his or her first two years at Amherst, followed by a junior year at Dartmouth for engineering science coursework. The student returns to Amherst for senior year and graduates from Amherst with an A.B. in an Amherst College major. The student then has the option to return to Dartmouth for an additional year to complete a B.E. degree. Applications to the program are due each year on February 1 of sophomore year to spend junior year at Dartmouth.

Requirements: Students must have completed the prerequisite courses to apply and must follow Amherst college policies regarding withdrawals and course load. Courses at Dartmouth must be pre-approved by the Amherst College Registrar. Students must receive a minimum grade of “C” in the Dartmouth courses to receive Amherst College credit.

Prerequisite courses:

1. Calculus through vector calculus (MATH 111, 121, and 211)

2. Two semesters of introductory physics (PHYS 123 and 124 preferred, PHYS 116 and 117 accepted)

3. One semester of introductory chemistry

4. One semester of introductory computer science

Courses at Dartmouth:

Students spend three quarters at Dartmouth, taking three courses each quarter, including three common core engineering courses, 1-2 distributive core engineering courses, 1-2 gateway engineering courses, and 3 courses in the humanities or social sciences. The Amherst College Registrar may consult with the Dean of the Faculty or Amherst College departments to confirm whether a course could qualify for credit at Amherst based on a criterion that the course is consistent with the liberal arts. Final approval is at the discretion the Registrar.

Common core courses: ENGS 21 (Introduction to Engineering), ENGS 22 (Systems), ENGS 23 (Distributed Systems and Fields).

Distributive core courses: ENGS 24 (Science of materials), ENGS 25 (Introduction to Thermodynamics), ENGS 26 (Control theory), ENGS 27 (Discrete and probabilistic systems).

Gateway courses:

a. ENGS 31 (Digital Electronics)

b. ENGS 32 (Electronics: Introduction to linear and digital circuits)

c. ENGS 33 (Solid mechanics)

d. ENGS 34 (Fluid dynamics)

e. ENGS 35 (Biotechnology and biochemical engineering)

f. ENGS 36 (Chemical engineering)

g. ENGS 37 (Introduction to environmental engineering)

Senior year at Amherst: Students return to Amherst to complete an Amherst College major and graduate with an Amherst College degree. Students are encouraged to take additional advanced science and math courses during this year.

Fifth year at Dartmouth: Students returning for the fifth year take additional technical engineering courses that lead to a B.E. from Dartmouth.

Pre-approved courses. Final approval of courses for Amherst College credit is at the discretion of the Registrar. The following Dartmouth engineering courses have been pre-approved by the Registrar for Amherst College credit. Departments should be consulted for advice on whether courses could be used to satisfy departmental requirements.

ENGS 20: Introduction to Scientific Computing

ENGS 21: Introduction to Engineering

ENGS 22: Systems

ENGS 23: Distributed Systems and Fields

ENGS 24: Science of Materials

ENGS 25: Introduction to Thermodynamics

ENGS 26: Control Theory

ENGS 27: Discrete and Probabilistic Systems

ENGS 30: Biological Physics

ENGS 31: Digital Electronics

ENGS 32: Electronics: Introduction to Linear and Digital Circuits

ENGS 33: Solid Mechanics

ENGS 34: Fluid Dynamics

ENGS 35: Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering

ENGS 36: Chemical Engineering

ENGS 37: Introduction to Environmental Engineering

ENGS 41: Sustainability and Natural Resource Management

ENGS 42: Contaminant Hydrogeology

ENGS 43: Environmental Transport and Fate

ENGS 51: Principles of System Dynamics

ENGS 52: Introduction to Operations Research

ENGS 56: Introduction to Biomedical Engineering

ENGS 60: Introduction to Solid-State Electronic Devices

ENGS 61: Intermediate Electrical Circuits

ENGS 62: Microprocessors in Engineered Systems

ENGS 63: Introduction to VLSI Systems

ENGS 64: Cellular and Molecular Biomechanics

ENGS 65: Engineering Software Design

ENGS 66: Discrete Mathematics in Computer Science

ENGS 67: Programming Parallel Systems

ENGS 68: Introduction to Communication Systems

ENGS 71: Structural Analysis

ENGS 73: Materials Processing and Selection

ENGS 76: Machine Engineering

ENGS 80: Ethics and Engineering

ENGS 91: Numerical Methods in Computation

ENGS 92: Fourier Transforms and Complex Variables

ENGS 93: Statistical Methods in Engineering

Additional details, including admissions requirements and suggested courses of study, housing and financial aid during the fifth year are available at: http://thayer
.dartmouth.edu/academics/undergraduate/dual/

V

COURSES OF INSTRUCTION

The most up-to-date information about the curriculum is found in the course listings on departmental websites:

https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments

or at:

https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/registar/ac_catalog

Courses of Instruction

COURSES are open to all students, subject only to the restrictions specified in the individual descriptions. Senior Honors courses, usually open only to candidates for the degree with Honors, are numbered 498 and 499, and Special Topics courses are numbered 290, 390, or 490. All courses, unless otherwise marked, are full courses. The course numbers of double courses and half courses are followed by D or H.

SPECIAL TOPICS COURSES

Departments may offer a semester course known as Special Topics in which a student or a group of students study or read widely in a field of special interest. It is understood that this course will not duplicate any other course regularly offered in the curriculum and that the student will work in this course as independently as the director thinks possible.

Before the time of registration, the student who arranges to take a Special Topics course should consult the instructor in that particular field, who will direct the student’s work; they will decide the title to be reported, the nature of the examination or term paper, and will discuss the preparation of a bibliography and a plan of coherent study. All students must obtain final approval of the Department before registration. Two Special Topics courses may not be taken concurrently except with the prior approval of the student’s Class Dean.

First-Year Seminars

During 2014-15, Faculty members in groups of one or more will teach 29 First-Year Seminars. Every first-year student must take one of these courses during the fall semester. They are open only to Amherst College first-year students.

101. Illness and Meaning. This course examines the interplay between meaning, illness, and bodily experience. We will read a range of literary, anthropological, and philosophical texts in order to explore the following questions: How do writers try to make order and meaning out of illness, and how do they use illness to talk about other aspects of experience? How might we understand illness as not merely a disorder of the body but also a disordering of meaning? Given the seemingly subjective nature of bodily experience, how does one understand or access the pain of the other? How have writers conceptualized the ailing body as a site of both creative experience and political and economic control?

Fall semester. Professors Frank and C. Dole.

102. Archival Explorations: Becoming a Part of College History. Want to learn more about how the past has shaped Amherst College and may influence your future here? This course takes a dialogic approach to discussion where students and their teachers approach the history of higher education in America through the lens of Amherst College. Team taught by Professor Vigil in American Studies, and Mr. Kelly, Head of Archives and Special Collections at Amherst College, students will learn how to conduct original research using primary documents. In addition, students will participate in weekly writing assignments by contributing to our class blog. Students will also collaborate in planning an exhibition of college history drawn from the archives and other resources, which will culminate in a public event and online exhibition. Students will also document student life at the college in the face of digital ephemera to actively contribute to college history. Research topics and writing assignments, as well as a final term paper, will enable students to engage in a wide range of issues and topics, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: athletics, shifting demographics and “the rule of ten,” gender and sexuality, coeducation, 1960s activism and civil rights, student journalism, music and theater, scrapbooking, fraternities, war, missionaries, and international diplomacy.

Fall semester. Professor Vigil and Mr. Kelly (Head of Archives and Special Collections).

103. Death and Dying in Islam. In this course we will explore the many and diverse ways that the Islamic religious tradition has made sense of a fundamental and universal concern: death. We will attempt to understand the complexity of this theme by studying Islamic texts that provide insight into a range of issues, including the fear of death; the creation of the universe and the end times (apocalypse); the nature of God’s justice (theodicy) and retribution; the soul’s salvation (soteriology); rituals surrounding the dead—funerary rites, tomb visitation, and the veneration of the dead—all of which form part of Islamic ritual and practice. Through periodic comparative work, we will see how these topics are understood by other religious traditions.

Fall semester. Professor Jaffer.

104. Friendship. An inquiry into the nature of friendship from historical, literary, and philosophical perspectives. What are and what have been the relations between friendship and love, friendship and marriage, friendship and erotic life, friendship and age? How do men’s and women’s conceptions and experiences of friendship differ? Readings will be drawn from the following: The Epic of Gilgamesh; Plato’s Symposium and Phaedrus; selections from the Bible and Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics; essays by Montaigne, Emerson, and C.S. Lewis; Mill’s On the Subjection of Women; Whitman’s poetry; Jewett’s The Country of the Pointed Firs; Morrison’s Sula; Truffaut’s Jules and Jim, and Herzog’s My Best Fiend.

Fall semester. Professor Emeritus Townsend.

105. Romanticism and the Enlightenment. The late eighteenth century is often characterized as the Age of Enlightenment, a time when educated men and women were confident that human reason was sufficient to understand the laws of nature, to improve society’s institutions, and to produce works of the imagination surpassing those of previous generations (and rivaling those of classical antiquity). The early nineteenth century brought a distrust of rationality (the Head) and an affirmation of the importance of human emotion (the Heart). “Romanticism and the Enlightenment” will test these broad generalizations by reading, looking at, and listening to some representative verbal, visual, and musical texts. Among the texts are paired and opposed works by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Benjamin Franklin, J. W. von Goethe, Voltaire, Thomas Gray, John Keats, Jane Austen, Emily Brontë, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, Jacques Louis David, and Caspar David Friedrich. In dealing with these and other diverse texts, no special skills are required.

Fall semester. Professor Brandes.

106. Things Matter. We are surrounded by things that mean something—the objects we place by our bedsides, the pictures we tack on our walls, the books and DVDs we set on our shelves, even the foods we keep in our cupboards. To the unwitting passerby, these things might mean differently or they might appear to mean nothing at all. But in fact we know that, in the space of a house or a dorm room, a subculture, or a nation, things matter. Objects tell stories; images reveal histories; favorite television shows represent tastes; movies incite emotions. Through readings in literature, poetry, autobiography, and philosophy and through screenings of films and television, this seminar will explore the meaning of things in our everyday lives. How do things matter? What do they mean? And how do we describe the ineffable quality of stuff?

Fall semester. Professor Hastie.

107. Secrets and Lies. Politics seems almost unimaginable without secrecy and lying. From the noble lie of Plato’s Republic to the controversy about former President Clinton’s “lying” in the Monica Lewinsky case, from the use of secrecy in today’s war against terrorism to the endless spinning of political campaigns, from President John Kennedy’s behavior during the Cuban missile crisis to cover-ups concerning pedophile priests in the Catholic church, from Freud’s efforts to decode the secrets beneath civilized life to contemporary exposés of the private lives of politicians, politics and deception seem to go hand-in-hand. This course investigates how the practices of politics are informed by the keeping and telling of secrets, and the telling and exposing of lies. We will address such questions as: When, if ever, is it right to lie or to breach confidences? When is it right to expose secrets and lies? Is it necessary to be prepared to lie in order to advance the cause of justice? Or, must we do justice justly? When is secrecy really necessary and when is it merely a pretext for Machiavellian manipulation? Are secrecy and deceit more prevalent in some kinds of political systems than in others? As we explore those questions we will discuss the place of candor and openness in politics and social life; the relationship between the claims of privacy (e.g., the closeting of sexual desire) and secrecy and deception in public arenas; conspiracy theories as they are applied to politics; and the importance of secrecy in the domains of national security and law enforcement. We will examine the treatment of secrecy and lying in political theory as well as their appearance in literature and popular culture, for example Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Primary Colors, Schindler’s List and The Insider.

Fall semester. Professor Sarat.

108. Evolution and Intellectual Revolution. The centerpiece of this course is Darwin and his book On the Origin of Species. Like all revolutionary ideas, Darwin’s theory did not appear out of nowhere and did not settle matters once and for all; therefore the course will explore the scientific context in which this work appeared and Darwin’s own intellectual background. We will read the great book itself to see what exactly Darwin had to say and how he went about saying it. Pigeons will come up. Then extracts from the writings of Darwin’s contemporaries will be used to look at the scientific, social, and theological responses to Darwin’s theory. Finally, we will consider a few of the major issues in evolution that still reverberate today.

Fall semester. Professor Williamson.

109. Political Leadership. Political leadership can be a good and noble profession. But leadership can also be a position from which great damage can be done. Leadership in political life attracts various kinds of people and for various reasons. Some leaders live for politics; for them politics is a cause. Others live off politics; for those leaders politics is essentially a livelihood. Most leaders seem to enjoy the pleasures of power and influence, whether openly or hidden in their inner lives. Some leaders would refuse to trade their power even for significant wealth.

Leadership is necessary to all government—democratic, authoritarian and totalitarian governments, revolutionary movements and even terrorist networks. There seem to be certain general qualities of leadership and then there are those particular to a given type of politics. Understanding democratic leadership requires comparative thinking because it’s important to consider what democracy is not, as well as what it is. The paradox of a vibrant democracy is that it necessarily involves perpetual struggle between the people and the leaders, even if both want the public good. Citizens must be supportive yet vigilant; leaders must be effective yet accountable. Democracy is by nature self-contradictory and often frustrating, like life itself.

Fall semester. Professor Tiersky.

110. Authority, Obedience and the Rule of Law. All political systems must operate according to the “rule of law” if they are to be deemed legitimate. This statement has assumed the quality of a truism: we hear it repeated by the President of the United States, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the President of the International Criminal Court. At the same time, though, that everyone seems to agree that the “rule of law” is a good thing, no one seems able to say for sure what the “rule of law” is. What, then, do we mean by the “rule of law”? What does it mean to speak of government limited by law? What are these limits, where do they come from, and how are they enforced? What role does the “rule of law” play in legitimating structures of governance? Does the “rule of law” imply any particular relationship between legality and morality? We will hazard answers to these questions through a close reading of works of theorists such as John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, H.L.A. Hart and Lon Fuller. In addition, we will examine the arguments of the theorists as they help us think through pressing legal challenges of our age, such as defining the limits of executive power in the “war against terror.”

Fall semester. Professor Douglas.

111. Thinking Through Improvisation. Much of the thinking we do in college is applied to activities that involve large amounts of reworking and editing. But in many endeavors, efforts that are apparently more spontaneous are required. Thinking in improvisational modes requires several special techniques, and yet is done by virtually all of us at times. Improvisation can be used to solve emergency problems or create art at the highest levels. The preparation for successful improvisation is often enormous, but editing must occur just before the act of execution. We will explore improvisational thinking with the aid of several skilled practitioners as guest lecturers and performers. We will ask how improvisational thinking differs from other ways of thinking and how it is similar. We will inquire into the variety of techniques used in improvisation, drawing from diverse fields. We will explore the relationship between improvisation and creativity. We will learn how to naturally incorporate improvisational strategies into our explorations of the liberal arts.

Improvisation is a process not a product. It involves creating in the moment without the opportunity to edit later, instead evaluating during its execution. Improvisation is difficult, rewarding and unavoidable. It requires mastery of many automatic subroutines as raw material and extreme attention to one’s surroundings and inner voice to integrate these subroutines successfully. Improvisation is one major way of thinking. It can be routine or creative and can be practiced and learned. It requires risk-taking and courage, openness and trust. Good improvisation is strongly connected to the creative life. Improvisational skills are intrinsically multidisciplinary and can be used to advantage in many fields where they are often unacknowledged. Improvisation is also multicultural in practice. Therefore experience with improvisational thinking is essential to a complete liberal arts education.

Fall semester. Professor Poccia.

112. Growing Up in America. How do race, ethnicity, social class and gender shape the experience of growing up in America? We will begin by examining the life of a contemporary African-American male on his journey from the inner city to an Ivy League university. We then look back historically at some nineteenth-century lives—male and female, real and fictional—to understand how the transition from an agricultural to an urban industrial society has influenced the experience of coming of age. The remainder of the course will center on coming of age in the twentieth century. Our focus will be on the formation of identity, relationship with parents, courtship, sexuality, and the importance of culture and community. In addition to historical, sociological and psychological texts, the class will include fiction by Horatio Alger, Ella Deloria, and James Baldwin.

Fall semester. Professor Aries.

113. Liberation. With a focus on close reading and persuasive argumentation, we ask two linked questions: How has Western culture defined itself through tales and declarations of liberation? How have such texts even in affirming freedom also imposed constraining norms of gender, class, ethnicity, and sexuality?

We start with the slave narratives of Frederick Douglass and Mary Prince, and then look back to ancient accounts of deliverance, including Homer’s Odyssey; the Books of Genesis, Exodus, and Isaiah; and the Gospel of Matthew. From the modern era we read Manuel Puig’s Kiss of the Spider Woman, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, and Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger. We also analyze the act of claiming freedom in the American Declaration of Independence, Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women, and documents and films from liberation movements.

Fall semester. Professor Griffiths.

114. Encounters with Nature. What is our place in nature? How do we feel about natural spaces we encountered growing up and how do we view the environment of Amherst College and its setting in New England? How did people in the past think about nature and how did they change their environments as a consequence? How have their ideas affected us today? And how do we imagine the future of the natural world?

This course will explore how our ideas of nature have changed over time. We will give particular attention to the ways we have recreated particular kinds of natural spaces and how we have depicted nature in images. We begin with walks in the nearby wildlife sanctuary, discussions of our past encounters with nature, a study of the Amherst Campus, and, while the weather is still warm, a hike or two. During these excursions we will discuss what we see, learn some basic drawing techniques that will help us take visual notes on the landscape, and discuss and write about how our experience with the land might differ from how people experienced it in the past. We then will explore New England further, discuss ideas about wilderness in the United States, and look closely at American landscape painting. Where do our deeply held assumptions come from? To find out, we will look at poetry, philosophy, Western traditions of landscape painting, and scientific illustration. We also will think about why people collect and draw natural specimens, and how they mapped their environments from the Renaissance through the Aztec empire to the current day.

Fall semester. Professors Courtright and López.

115. The Literature of Love. This course examines literary, artistic, religious, and philosophical explorations of romantic, erotic, and ethical varieties of love. It is centered on the literary, artistic, and intellectual traditions of premodern South Asia, but will offer occasional comparative forays into conceptions and schemas of love in western traditions. We will focus on India’s classical art and its literatures of epic stories, court poetry, erotics, and aesthetic theory to examine romantic love, and its religious literatures to explore ethical and religious love.

Fall semester. Professor Heim.

116. Genes, Genomes and Society. The sequencing of the human genome ranks as one of the most significant scientific achievements of the last century. How might we ensure that scientific progress is matched by society’s ability to use that knowledge for human betterment? While the scientific ramifications of the genomic revolution are just now being explored, major implications are already apparent in such diverse fields as philosophy, medicine and law. The course will begin with a primer on genetics and molecular biology but quickly move to consider some of the philosophical, ethical, and very practical societal concerns raised by recent genetic discoveries. We will consider such issues as the safety of recombinant DNA, the origin of humans and of human races (and are there such?), the use and potential misuse of DNA fingerprinting by governmental agencies, the complex interaction between one’s genes and one’s environment, the ability of parents to screen potential offspring for a range of diseases, the creation of genetically altered plants and animals, and human gene therapy.

Fall semester. Professor Ratner.

117. Big Books. This seminar explores the particular pleasures and interpretive problems of reading and writing about three very long works of fiction—novels so large that any sure grasp of the relation between individual part and mammoth whole may threaten to elude author and reader alike. How do we gauge, and thereby engage with, narratives of disproportionate scale and encyclopedic ambition? How do we lose, or find, our place in colossal fictional worlds?

In a recent version of the course, the seminar’s three novels included Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, Christina Stead’s The Man Who Loved Children, and Samuel K. Delany’s Dhalgren. Although the novels for fall 2014 have not yet been selected, they are likely to display similar historical, geographic, and stylistic diversity.

Fall semester. Professor Christoff.

118. Science Fiction or the Posthuman. What does it mean to be human, and how can we make sense of the emerging category of the posthuman? In this course we will examine some of the anxieties and aspirations clustered around the idea of the posthuman since its initial development by Norbert Wiener’s model of cybernetics following World War II. We will track the posthuman imaginary through contemporary novels, films, and significant essays by leading humanists and scientists. Central to our investigation will be looking at how the posthuman arises along the nebulous boundary between traditional notions of humanity and radical new modes that challenge those notions. If we use technology to colonize our environment, aren’t we always at risk of being colonized by our own tools? One could argue that the posthuman has always been with us in the form of traditional external information processing and data storage systems like books and libraries. But recent advances in computing capacity, digital and surveillance technology, and robotics have changed the rules of the game. The anxiety which the posthuman arouses comes from its perceived threat to an organic model of human personhood as a stable, unified self. At the same time, the posthuman offers a bold vision of secular transcendence by reducing, or elevating, the soul to data. In many ways, science fiction has become the definitive genre for mapping how we experience the modern since it continually poses compelling questions about the cultural implications of technology. We will look at four groupings of classic SF texts: The Posthuman Body, Future Shock, The Sublime, and Trouble in Utopia. In each of these sections we will investigate questions about human-machine interfaces, the sacred and the secular, and the ways in which technology effects profound changes in everyday behavior, gender dynamics, and the basic cultural codes for understanding memory and identity.

Fall semester. Visiting Professor Pritchett.

119. Justice in Question. What is justice? How might we recognize it? Is justice fairness? Is it giving to each what is owed? Maybe justice is helping our friends? Or maybe justice is merely the advantage of the stronger? Justice can be difficult to name, especially because we might confuse justice for all and justice for some. And yet, however difficult it is to point to, justice is absolutely essential to our social and political lives. This course aims to investigate justice, putting the very idea of justice in question. What is a theory of justice? What might we want justice to be? How could we achieve such justice? This course will consider these questions, reflecting on ancient and more modern answers to these fundamental puzzles. As a means to approach these questions, we will engage Plato’s Republic as the central text for our course. Plato’s theorizing of justice, and especially the problem of power and justice together in politics, offers an amazing opportunity for us to question normative structures. Additional readings will include more recent political and philosophic reflections on the meaning and significance of justice. Examining a variety of theories of justice in this way should help to problematize our thinking on justice, as well as reveal its necessity for contemporary life.

Fall semester. Professor Poe.

120. Pariscape: Imagining Paris in the Twentieth Century. Paris has been for centuries one of the exemplary sites of our urban sensibility, a city that has indelibly and controversially influenced the twentieth-century imagination. Poets, novelists and essayists, painters, photographers and film-makers: all have made use of Paris and its cityscape to examine relationships among technology, literature, city planning, art, social organizations, politics and what we might call the urban imagination. This course will study how these writers and visual artists have seen Paris, and how, through their representations, they created and challenged the “modernist” world view.

In order to discover elements of a common memory of Paris, we will study a group of writers (Baudelaire, Zola, Calvino, Stein, Hemingway and others), philosophers and social commentators (Simmel, Benjamin), filmmakers (Truffaut, Godart, Tati and others), photographers (Atget and Brassaï), and painters (Manet, Cézanne, Picasso, Delaunay, and others). Finally, we will look at how such factors as tourism, print media, public works, immigration and suburban development affect a city’s simultaneous and frequently uncomfortable identity as both a geopolitical and an imaginative site.

Fall semester. Professor Rosbottom.

121. Asia in the European Mind: Modern European Discourse on History and Identity. Intellectuals in post-Enlightenment Europe have frequently drawn on images of Asia and Asians to illustrate what it means to be modern, enlightened, historically progressive, and universal. These images of Asia in European thought have been surprisingly consistent and durable. Through close readings of key figures in the intellectual tradition of modern Europe, including Georg W. H. Hegel (1770-1831), Karl Marx (1818-1883), and Max Weber (1864-1920), this seminar asks why this might have been the case. We will explore the epistemological and ideological function of the division between universals and particulars by placing the philosophical projects of these thinkers in historical context. We will conclude the semester by examining more recent examples of intellectuals struggling against universal definitions of modernity, in particular, the project of “provincializing Europe.”

Fall semester. Professors Maxey and Sen.

122. Representing Equality. This seminar is the second in a sequence that studies Amherst campus life, its history, privileges and problems, with the aim of creating productive discussions designed to make a friendlier and more integrated community. In Representing Equality, students will engage with art work and texts that touch on a variety of aspects of inequality in our larger society, including educational disparities as well as racial, ethnic, gender, and economic inequality; for example, they will read the work of Anna Deveare Smith that examines the ethnic rifts leading to violence. They will also explore techniques of productive dialogue across differences and acquire skills in interviewing and careful listening. These discussions and skills will help students to construct a class project that will explore social life on the Amherst campus and that will pick up on and broaden conversations started in this seminar in 2013 about creating a safer and more cohesive environment—one that helps members to benefit from the extraordinary diversity among students and that links inequalities and stereotypes to sexual violence and other local and national problems.

Fall semester. Professor Saxton and Visiting Artist-in-Residence Ewald.

123. Drugs in History. This course examines the changing ways that human beings have used psychoactive drugs and societies have controlled that use. After examining drug use in historical and cross-cultural perspectives and studying the physiological and psychological effects of different drugs, we look at the ways in which contemporary societies both encourage and repress drug use. We address the drug war, the disease model of drug addiction, the proliferation of prescription drugs, the images of drug use in popular culture, America’s complicated history of alcohol control, and international drug trafficking and its implications for American foreign policy. Readings include Huxley’s Brave New World, Kramer’s Listening to Prozac and Bromell’s Tomorrow Never Knows; films include Drugstore Cowboy and Traffic.

Fall semester. Professors Couvares and Himmelstein.

124. Vienna around 1900: Cradle of Modernity. This course explores the “joyful apocalypse” of fin-de-siècle Vienna, where brilliant artistic creativity emerged in a volatile multi-ethnic Empire teetering on the verge of collapse. We shall examine how and why the city became the birthplace of many ideas on gender, sexuality, class, and ethnicity that continue to be relevant today. We shall explore artistic experimentation in literature (Schnitzler, Hofmannsthal, Musil, Kraus), music (Mahler, Schönberg), and the visual arts (Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka, O. Wagner, A. Loos). We shall trace the various forces that sought to respond to a pervasive sense of crisis: the emergence of new, often irrational, forms of mass politics; the psychoanalysis of Freud; the skeptical philosophies of Ernst Mach and Ludwig Wittgenstein; the pacifism of Bertha von Suttner; and the emergence of modern Zionism (Theodor Herzl) in a context of a growing anti-Semitism that shaped Hitler’s irrational worldview. And we shall discuss how fin-de-siècle Vienna became a breeding ground for many of the social, cultural, and political forces that characterize modernity to this day.

Fall semester. Professor Rogowski.

125. Movement: A Dance and Sociology Collaboration. The most recent World Social Science Report published by UNESCO, focused on Changing Global Environments, highlights four urgent, interrelated challenges facing our generations: unprecedented ecological degradation, global inequality, poverty, and sociopolitical discontent. The report, based on contributions from scientists around the world, suggests addressing such challenges requires making creative spaces, across disciplines and differences, to envision alternative futures, ways of living, and ways of understanding and interacting with one another as well as with the rest of nature. This course provides such a space through a unique collaboration between Dance and Sociology. We will explore how the arts and sciences together allow us to better understand the world we live in today and think through the social transformations needed to address these serious challenges.

Broader social realities affect us differently, depending on our social location, at the bodily level. Inequality, poverty, and ecological degradation are imprinted physically on all of us in ways we rarely consider—with enormous health, emotional, and psychological consequences. Scholars refer to this as the “corporeality of social life” and have sought ways to examine, as we will in this course, these realities through traditional research and creative activities. In the studio simple but innovative task-based movement activities will allow us to rethink how we move through space in relation to one another in ways that shape, and are shaped by, the society in which we live. Collaborative movement exercises will draw attention to our conscious and unconscious interactions with those around us, as well as with the rest of nature. Through such efforts we will make concrete connections between macro-level phenomena and everyday lived experience that inform and complement our scientific inquiry. In the classroom we will introduce methodological and theoretical tools sociology offers to address questions such as: What are the social drivers of the challenges highlighted in the most recent World Social Science Report? How do we understand the impact of broader social trends on our everyday lives? How do our everyday activities contribute to broader trends? How do personal and societal beliefs about environmental and social issues develop in different places and times? How do communities work across differences of age, gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, nationality, and ability, to address challenges such as inequality, poverty, and ecological degradation?

Fall semester. Professors Holleman and Matteson.

126. Relativism and Toleration. Most of us agree that we should be tolerant of the beliefs and practices of others. Often the call for tolerance is grounded in some form of relativism—that is, in the thought that there simply isn’t an absolute or objective fact of the matter. After all, on what basis could we insist that others share our beliefs if those beliefs are subjective in some way, a function of our upbringing, our religion, our social norms, our culture, or our own peculiar tastes and concerns? But what reasons do we have to accept some such form of relativism? Can relativism really ground our commitment to tolerance? If not, then how else can we justify that commitment? We will explore these questions as they arise in a number of different philosophical and religious traditions. Readings will be drawn from both classical and contemporary sources and will include the work of anthropologists, literary and political theorists, philosophers, and theologians.

Fall semester. Professor Shah.

127. Music, Faith, and the Utopian Impulse. Music figures prominently in the human experience of hope and faith. This course explores why this is so, concentrating on three iconic works—J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (1727), Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (1825), and George Gershwin’s opera, Porgy and Bess (1935). No prior musical experience is required.

Fall semester. Professor Kallick.

128. The Great Schism through Eastern Eyes. How does one account for the Great Schism, the centuries-long estrangement between the Eastern Orthodox and Western Christian churches? How does a religion such as Christianity—whose texts and traditions speak so eloquently about unity—find itself so riven by division? We’ll explore such questions in a broad array of primary documents authored between the first and twenty-first centuries by Greeks, Russians, Syrians, Egyptians, Georgians, Serbs, Palestinians, Ukrainians, and Poles.

We’ll engage in close reading, critical interpretation, and vigorous discussion of theological treatises, biographies, diplomatic communiqués, fiction, scripture, journalistic accounts, travelogues, commentaries, missives, and satire. We’ll examine portrayals of “the other” in film, painting, music, photography, and posters. We’ll consider attempts by political scientists, anthropologists, theologians, and historians to explain religious divisions. We’ll grapple repeatedly with tensions between, on the one hand, Eastern Orthodoxy’s conception of itself as an ecumenical and universal confession, and, on the other hand, its multiple manifestations in various regions and cultures. And as we critique arguments crafted by others through the centuries, we’ll critique our own in structured debates and written essays.

Fall semester. Professor Geffert.

129. Understanding Haiti: Memory, Violence, and Resilience. Through close textual readings of select texts from the literary oeuvre of Haitian-American author, Edwidge Danticat, this class aims to introduce students to the rich history of Haiti’s people, the deep violence that has afflicted the nation, the trauma that its diaspora carries, and the channels for healing made available to Haitian and Haitian-American communities through literature, theater, and traditions such as oral story-telling and religion. In particular we will examine: What is the function of literature? Can literature perform healing for its writers and the communities therein represented? Can it function as a tool of memory and human rights action? How does diaspora literature affect life on the island? How do recent catastrophic events get addressed in new writings on the subject? Supplemented by historical and theoretical essays, we will attempt to understand the Haitian condition in its complexity and astonishing beauty.

Fall semester. Professor Suárez.

American Studies

*On leave 2014-15.

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Clark†, Couvares, Dizard†, Sánchez-Eppler*, and K. Sweeney‡; Associate Professors Brooks, del Moral*, Hayashi (Chair) and Schmalzbauer; Assistant Professor Vigil; Five College Assistant Professor Reddy; Lecturers Bergoffen and Mead.

The core premise of American Studies is disarmingly simple: no discipline or perspective can satisfactorily encompass the diversity and variation that have marked American society and culture from the very beginning. This premise invites majors to craft their own distinctive way of coming to terms with America. Some will favor sociological, historical or economic interpretations; others will be drawn to literary or visual modes of interpretation. However individual majors fashion their courses of study, each major engages with one or more of the department’s faculty in an ongoing discussion of what the study of American society entails. This discussion culminates in an interdisciplinary capstone project, of one or two semesters. The topic may emerge organically from the courses a major has selected or it may arise out of a passionate engagement with a work of fiction, a curiosity about a historical event, or a desire to understand the persistence of a social problem. Whatever the substantive focus, the capstone project affords majors the opportunity to reflect on what they have learned, refine their analytic and expository skills, and put all this to the test of making sense of some aspect of American society and culture.

The diversity of course selections available to majors ensures that they gain a heightened awareness of the history and present state of the peoples and social forces which constitute American society. Race, class, ethnicity and gender figure centrally in our courses, whether they are treated historically, sociologically or aesthetically. Our introductory course, focused on the Connecticut River Valley, and our requirement that all American Studies majors take a community-based learning course combine to challenge majors not only to study American culture and society but to be actively engaged citizens.

Major Program. American Studies majors are required to take ten courses plus a senior capstone project. The American Studies major includes two specific course requirements and eight other courses on American culture and society structured by some distribution and concentration requirements. These elective courses can be chosen, in close consultation with an advisor, from courses offered in many other departments in addition to American Studies. The American Studies major offers enormous flexibility for interdisciplinary exploration coupled through its concentration requirement with an insistence on depth and focus.

Requirements. AMST 111 “Global Valley,” is required of all majors. (Students in the classes of 2013-15 may alternatively fulfill this requirement by taking one other AMST 111 or 112). AMST 468, the research methods seminar, is the other specifically required course in the major. It is offered every spring semester and ideally should be taken during the junior year. Students planning to be abroad in the spring of their junior years should take this course as sophomores. All majors are also required to take one course that not only studies but engages with American society through a significant community-based learning component. AMST 221, “Building Community” is offered every spring semester and fulfills this requirement. With the approval of the student’s American Studies advisor the requirement can also be met by other community-based learning courses taught at Amherst or across the Five College consortium.

Students also take seven elective courses about American society and culture chosen, in consultation with an advisor, from courses offered in many other departments in addition to American Studies. At least three, and no more than four, of these courses should be in a single academic discipline or concentrated on a single theme. At least three of the seven courses should be devoted largely to the study of a period before the twentieth century.

In the first semester of their senior year all American Studies majors will enroll in AMST 498, a senior tutorial supporting independent research closely supervised by a faculty advisor. Students can use this course either to begin a full year interdisciplinary independent project, resulting in a senior thesis that can be considered for honors (enrolling in AMST 499 in the following semester); or they can use it to produce a one semester project—either a shorter essay or some other form of independent interdisciplinary research and production. The capstone project secures a comprehensive evaluation of each student’s achievement in the major.

Advising: In response to the range of the majors’ individual preferences and interest, departmental advisors are available for regular consultation. The advisor’s primary function is to aid the student in the definition and achievement of his or her own educational goals.

Capstone Project. In their senior year all American Studies majors will complete an interdisciplinary independent project closely supervised by a faculty advisor. Students may choose to enroll in AMST 498 or 499 to produce a senior thesis that would be considered for honors; or they can choose to enroll in AMST 496 to produce a one-semester project—either a shorter essay or some other form of independent interdisciplinary research and production. In both cases the capstone project serves as the grounds for a comprehensive evaluation of each student’s achievement in the major.

Departmental Honors. All majors must complete the requirements outlined above. Recommendations for Latin Honors are made on the basis of the year-long senior essay produced in AMST 498 and 499.

Evaluation. There is no single moment of comprehensive evaluation in the American Studies major. The Department believes that fulfillment of the course requirements, combined with the production of a capstone project, provides adequate grounds for the fair assessment of a major’s achievement.

For related courses, see offerings in the study of America in the Departments of Art and the History of Art; Black Studies; Economics; English; Environmental Studies; History; Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought; Political Science; Religion; Sociology; Theater and Dance; and Women’s and Gender Studies.

111. Global Valley. Drawing on a wide range of primary materials, and taking advantage of the ease of visiting the sites of many of the topics we study, this course offers an introduction to American Studies through an exploration of the Connecticut River Valley that stresses both the fascination of detailed local history and the economic, political, social, and cultural networks that tie this place to the world. Topics may include conflicts and accommodations between Native peoples and English settlers; changing uses of land and resources; 17th century witchcraft trials; the American Revolution and Shays rebellion; religious revivalism of the Great Awakening; abolitionist and other 19th century reform movements; tourism and the scenic including Thomas Cole’s famous painting of the oxbow; immigration, industrialization and deindustrialization, especially in the cities of Holyoke and Springfield; educational institutions and innovations; the cold war, the reach of the “military industrial complex” into local educational institutions, and “the bunker”; the sanctuary movement; feminist and gay activism; present environmental, mass incarceration, and other social equity issues; and of course, Emily Dickinson’s poetry.

Limited to 20 students per section. Fall semester. Professors Brooks, Couvares, and Hayashi.

112. The City: New York. This course will explore the imagined and conflicted experience of urban life in the United States through study of the country’s first metropolis: New York. Drawing on primary materials—maps, memoirs, film, poetry, fiction, census data, the natural and the built environment—and a selection of secondary sources, we will encounter moments in the life of the city from the 17th into the 21th century.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Clark.

120. Writing Ourselves into Existence: Politics, Culture, and Rhetoric. Using the process of writing to uncover the relationship between literary study and history, and as a means for self-discovery, students will read a variety of texts, such as: Meridian by Alice Walker, Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami, Borderlands/La Frontera by Gloria Anzaldua, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. They will then write and revise their responses to these readings through a series of weekly writing assignments, peer-workshops, and informal presentations. Additionally, our discussions and writing assignments will be driven by three essential questions: First, how do we uncover and reveal ourselves through the act of writing? Second, how might we also conceal something about ourselves through our rhetorical choices? And third, how might research and non-fiction academic writing relate to the construction of fictional narratives? These questions, among others related to the study of genre, narrative, and language, will be generated and examined in this seminar in an attempt to bring craft (form) into conversation with research (content).

This is a Writing Intensive course and also discussion based. We will focus on the creation of complex, analytic, well-supported arguments that matter in academic contexts. Students will work closely with their peers, the instructor, and the Writing Center at Amherst, to develop their written prose. Also, because our approaches to writing will be driven by methodologies used by American Studies scholars, primary and secondary readings will be drawn from a wide-variety of genres and academic disciplines including English and History, as well as Ethnic Studies.

Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Vigil.

205. Whose Game? Sports in America. This course will examine the social and cultural history of sports in American society, focusing on the unique histories of sports such as hunting, cricket, soccer, basketball and football. Course materials will include a range of primary and secondary materials: archival photographs, academic monographs and journal articles, documentary films, and paintings. The course is discussion-based and includes a midterm, short writing assignments, independent research, and group assignments.

Limited to 25 students. Preference given to American Studies majors. Fall semester. Professor Hayashi.

215. The Embodied Self in American Culture and Society. (Offered as AMST 215 and ANTH 111) “The Embodied Self” in American Culture and Society is an interdisciplinary, historically organized study of American perceptions of and attitudes towards the human body in a variety of media, ranging from medical and legal documents to poetry and novels, the visual arts, film, and dance. Among the topics to be discussed are the physical performance of gender; the social construction of the ideal male and female body; health reform movements; athletic achievement as an instrumentalization of the body; commercialization of physical beauty in the fitness and fashion industries; eating disorders as cultural phenomena; the interminable abortion controversy; the equally interminable conflict over pornography and the limits of free speech; and adaptations to the possibility of serious illness and to the certainty of death.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Couvares.

221. Building Community. This course investigates the practice and ideal of community in America both on a national and a local level, asking students to engage in specific projects aimed at strengthening the public sphere and fostering community life. We will consider the nature and limits of democracy, the meaning of belonging, the experience of stigma and exclusion, the concepts of civic responsibility and public discourse, and the conflict and compromises inherent in political advocacy. This course will pay particular attention to the struggles of often-marginalized groups to build healthy and just communities. Coursework will include contemporary and historical case studies, literary depictions, and more theoretical readings, as well as a substantial commitment to the development and fulfillment of projects that assess or respond to contemporary concerns. Projects may range from youth work, to cultural events, to work on local policy goals, environmental, poverty and rights initiatives, or electoral politics.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Schmalzbauer and Ms. Mead, Director of the Center for Community Engagement.

224. The Neo-Western. From the advertising copy and backdrop of truck ads to the democratic rhetoric of politicians, the West as a place of national mythology still permeates American culture. In this course, we will analyze the evolution of the West as a prominent site of American myth and the contemporary representations of it in literature and film, the Neo-Westerns. Students will read works by authors such as Annie Proulx, Cormac McCarthy, Sherman Alexi and Percival Everett, as well as view recent popular films by Ang Lee, Clint Eastwood, and John Sayles. The course will also include readings in history, as well as other disciplines, to contextualize the creative works and to gauge how the myth of the West compares to its reality and how truly revisionist its most current representations are.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Hayashi.

226. Isles of Asian America. This course focuses on discrete locations, both real and imaginary, of the Asian American experience. Using an interdisciplinary praxis, we will explore the evolution of Asian American places—from Hawaii, Angel Island, Chinatowns, and Relocation Centers to suburbia, Internet sites and the cinema. This course is intended as a mid-level Asian American Studies course and course readings will focus on recent scholarship in Asian American Studies. The course is discussion-based and includes short writing assignments, independent research, and group assignments.

Limited to 20 students. Preference given to American Studies majors and Five College APA certificate students. Spring semester. Professor Hayashi.

232. Racialization in the U.S.: The Asian/Pacific/American Experience. This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to Asian/Pacific/American Studies. We will begin by looking at the founding of the field through the student-led social movements of the 1960s and ask ourselves how relevant these origins have been to the subsequent development of the field. We will then use questions that arise from this material to guide our overview of the histories, cultures, and communities that make up the multiplicity of Asian/Pacific America. Topics will include, but not be limited to, the racialization of Asian Americans through immigrant exclusion and immigration law; the role of U.S. imperialism and global geo-politics in shaping migration from Asia to the U.S., the problems and possibilities in a pan-ethnic label like A/P/A, interracial conflict and cooperation, cultural and media representations by and about Asian Americans, diaspora, and homeland politics. In addition, throughout the semester we will practice focusing on the relationships between race, gender, class, sexuality, and nation. The ultimate goal of the course is to develop a set of analytic tools that students can then use for further research and inquiry.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Five College Professor Reddy.

235. Racialization in the U.S.: Immigration Nation. This interdisciplinary course defines, analyzes and interrogates processes of U.S. racial formation with a particular focus on immigration, immigrant communities and the question of immigrant rights. We will begin by examining both race and racism as elements in the historical process of “racialization,” and proceed by positing racialization as the key to understanding the political, economic, social and cultural dynamics of the United States. Our focus on immigration will begin in the late nineteenth century and follow through to the present day. It will include an outline of the basic patterns of migration to the United States; the role that empire has played in creating these flows; the relationship between immigration, racialization and nation-state formation; questions of naturalization, citizenship and family reunification; immigrant labor; “illegal” immigrants; nativism and anti-immigration movements; the relationships between gender, sexuality, race, class and nation; and diaspora/transnationalism. Throughout we will pay specific attention to the shape of contemporary debates about immigration and their relationship to the histories we consider.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Reddy.

236. From Civil Rights to Immigrant Rights: The Politics of Race, Nation and Migration Since World War II. This course centers on ongoing struggles for social justice and liberation as a means for investigating the landscape of U.S. social formation in what many term the “post-civil rights” era. Our inquiry will begin with the youth-led movements of the late 1960s and 1970s and move through to the present day. Topics will include questions of empire, the criminalization of radical movements, the prison industrial complex, the “war on drugs,” the diversification of immigration to the United States, struggles over citizenship, migrant labor, and immigrant detention and deportation. Throughout we will pay attention to the relationships between hierarchies of gender, sexuality, race, class and nation and specific attention to the shape of contemporary debates about the issues we examine.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Five College Professor Reddy.

237. Inside-Out: A People’s History of Immigration. What does immigration to the United States look like from the perspectives of migrants themselves? How do hierarchies of race, citizenship, gender, class and sexuality shape immigrant inclusion and exclusion from the space of the nation-state? How does attention to these differences reveal the boundaries of the United States as a “nation of immigrants”? How do they open up avenues for conceptualizing the global, imperial dimensions of migration and the formation of the United States? This course explores these questions by focusing on a series of primary and secondary sources told from the “bottom up.” These will be drawn from literature, autobiography, film, music, oral history, performance art, history, and works that attempt to combine these. We will analyze these materials in relation to the broad sweep of U.S. immigration history from the late nineteenth century to the present day. Throughout we will focus on the relationship between “official” history and migrant subjectivities and the politics of cultural and historical production. This course will be conducted inside a correctional facility and enroll an equal number of Amherst students and residents of the facility. Permission to enroll will be granted on the basis of a questionnaire and personal interview with the instructor.

Franklin County Jail: www.franklincountyjail.org

Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program: www.insideoutcenter.org

Admission by consent of the instructor. Limited to 8 students. Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Reddy.

240. Rethinking Pocahontas: An Introduction to Native American Studies. From Longfellow’s Hiawatha and D.H. Lawrence’s Studies in Classic American Literature to Disney’s Pocahontas and James Cameron’s Avatar, representations of the indigenous as “Other” have greatly shaped cultural production in America as vehicles for defining the nation and the self. This interdisciplinary course introduces students to the broad field of Native American Studies, engaging a range of texts from law to policy to history and literature as well as music and aesthetics. Film and literary texts in particular will provide primary grounding for our inquiries. By keeping popular culture, representation, and the nature of historical narrative in mind, we will consider the often mutually constitutive relationship between American identity and Indian identity as we pose the following questions: How have imaginings of a national space and national culture by Americans been shaped by a history marked by conquest and reconciliation with indigenous peoples? And, how has the creation of a national American literary tradition often defined itself as both apart from and yet indebted to Native American cultural traditions? This course also considers how categories like race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and religion have contributed to discussions of citizenship and identity, and changed over time with particular attention to specific Native American individuals and tribal nations. Students will be able to design their own final research project that may focus on either a historically contingent or contemporary issue related to Native American people in the United States.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Vigil.

260. Latino Migration: Labor, Lifestyle and Legality. (Offered as AMST 260 and SOCI 260.) Whereas capital, culture, and commerce flow freely in contemporary capitalism, labor does not. Walls—physical, legal and cultural—aim to keep certain people in and “others” out. In this course we explore the sociological forces behind cross-border labor flows and the parallel reality of immigrant life. We focus specifically on the experience of Latinos in the United States. We pay special attention to the linkages between the demand and supply of Latino immigrant labor, social constructions of (il)legality, and the oft-overlooked privileged lifestyles that immigration supports. While this course has a deep theoretical rooting, we use daily immigrant life as the lens through which to explore migration.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Schmalzbauer.

274. Native American Literature: Decolonizing Intellectual Traditions. (Offered as ENGL 274 and AMST 274.) In 2013, Amherst College acquired one of the most comprehensive collections of Native American writing in the world—nearly 1,500 books ranging from contemporary fiction and poetry to sermons, political tracts, and tribal histories from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Through this course, we will actively engage the literature of this collection, researching Native American intellectual traditions, regional contexts, political debates, creative adaptation, and movements toward decolonization. Students will have the opportunity to make an original contribution to a digital archive and interact with visiting authors. We will begin with oral traditions and the 1772 sermon published by Mohegan author Samson Occom and end with a novel published in 2014.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Brooks.

280. When Corn Mother Meets King Corn: Cultural Studies of the Americas. (Offered as AMST 280 and ENGL 273.) In Penobscot author Joseph Nicolar’s 1893 narrative, the Corn Mother proclaims, “I am young in age and I am tender, yet my strength is great and I shall be felt all over the world, because I owe my existence to the beautiful plant of the earth.” In contrast, according to one Iowa farmer, from the 2007 documentary “King Corn,” “We aren’t growing quality. We’re growing crap.” This course aims to unpack depictions like these in order to probe the ways that corn has changed in its significance within the Americas. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, students will be introduced to critical theories and methodologies from American Studies as they study corn’s shifting role, across distinct times and places, as a nourishing provider, cultural transformer, commodity, icon, and symbol.

Beginning with the earliest travels of corn and her stories in the Americas, students will learn about the rich histories, traditions, narratives, and uses of “maize” from indigenous communities and nations, as well as its subsequent proliferation and adaptation throughout the world. In addition to literary and historical sources students will engage with a wide variety of texts (from material culture to popular entertainment, public policy and genetics) in order to deepen their understanding of cultural, political, environmental, and economic changes that have characterized life in the Americas.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professors Brooks and Vigil.

302. Globalization, Inequality and Social Change. (Offered as AMST 302 and SOCI 302.) This course is an in-depth exploration of the increasing global interconnectedness of economic, political, and social processes, what many have come to call “globalization.” We begin by developing a sociological critique of the relationship between inequality, post-World War II global capitalism, and the neoliberal ideology that underlies it. We do this through study of the major institutions and actors that endorse and perpetuate global capitalism. We then explore case studies which critically examine how contemporary globalization is playing out in daily life via experiences of labor, consumption, family and community. We dedicate the last part of the course to investigating diverse examples of grassroots resistance to the current capitalist order. As we strive to achieve a complex analysis of globalization, we will be challenged to grapple seriously with issues of power and social justice and to reflect on our own social positions within an increasingly intricate global web. In accordance, we will focus throughout the course on how intersections of race, class, gender and citizenship influence the human experience of globalization.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Schmalzbauer.

305. Gender, Migration and Power: Latinos in the Americas. (Offered as AMST 305 and SOCI 305.) In this course we draw from sociology, anthropology, and geography to explore the gendered dynamics and experiences of Latino migration to the United States. We begin by situating gendered patterns of migration in the context of contemporary globalization and relating them to social constructions of gender. Next we look at experiences of settlement, analyzing the role of women’s and men’s networks in the process of migration, especially in terms of employment and survival strategies. We also analyze how specific contexts of reception influence the gender experience of settlement. For example, how does migration to rural areas differ from migration to traditional urban migration hubs, and how does gender influence that difference? We then look at Latino family formation, paying special attention to the experiences of transnational mothers and fathers, those who have left children behind in their home countries in the process of migration. Finally, we explore the relationship between migration and sexuality.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Schmalzbauer.

310. Spanish Caribbean Diasporas. Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, known as the “Spanish Caribbean,” share a history of slavery, colonialism, and migration. In this course, we examine the twentieth-century history of the islands and island nations, their relationship to the United States as empire since 1898, and the founding of their respective diasporas. We begin with a brief survey of the economic and political history of the nineteenth century, comparing each place’s local, regional, and international relationships with the Caribbean and the Atlantic. The nineteenth-century history generated similar, yet divergent, paths for each Caribbean island in the twentieth century, paths deeply marked by the emergence of the United States as a modern empire. By the mid-twentieth century, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic had developed different nation-building processes that were connected with Latin American and U.S. historical cycles. We examine the trajectories of Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Dominican migrations to the United States, the founding of diaspora communities, and their relationships with each other and the home islands. Our goal is to employ a local, regional, and Atlantic lens to the study of Spanish Caribbean diasporas and Latinos in the United States.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor del Moral.

315. The War of 1898: U.S. Empire in the Caribbean and Pacific. Despite the dominant historical narrative of American “exceptionalism,” imperial practices are at the heart of United States history and the formation of an American colonial state. In this course, we survey the emergence of the United States as an empire in the Caribbean and Pacific at the turn of the century (1890s-1910s). First, we examine imperial transitions during the mid-nineteenth century, when the United States was emerging as an empire, the traditional Spanish Empire was contracting, and the British Empire was expanding. The formation of the American empire, therefore, was shaped by competing international actors and great historical change. Second, we examine the history of four United States colonies in the Caribbean and Pacific: Hawaii, the Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Class readings and lectures privilege the perspective of Caribbean and Pacific peoples. We highlight the multiple ways colonial societies responded to the United States, including radical nationalism, autonomism, and annexation. Throughout the course, we pay particular attention to how racial ideologies informed colonial practices.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor del Moral.

317. History of Puerto Rico: Colony, Nation, Diaspora. The island of Puerto Rico is only 35 miles wide by 100 miles long. Despite its small size, the island is at the center of multiple histories. A Spanish colony for 400 years, the island became an unincorporated territory of the United States at the turn of the century (1898), a military prize strategically located in the Caribbean. Once valued for its agricultural production of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, since the 1950s the island has undergone intense industrialization. This economic change was accompanied by internal rural to urban migration, as well as the emigration of laborers to the United States. The great migration of Puerto Ricans to United States led to the founding of the mainland diaspora. Puerto Ricans today, split between the island and the mainland, have adjusted to these historical circumstances. Along the way, they have redefined and negotiated the parameters of “authentic” Puerto Rican identities. Although not an independent nation, Puerto Ricans have developed a unique form of cultural nationalism.

This course will investigate the economic, political, and cultural history of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Puerto Rico. This includes the history of the island as a colony of Spain and the United States, the relationship between economic modernization and cultural nationalism, and an analysis of the cycles of Puerto Rican migration. One of the broader questions we address is: in what ways are the island and Puerto Ricans crucial to historical narratives of the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States? Puerto Rico sits at the center of multiple historical conversations. Together we will explore these connections, historical constructions, and debates.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor del Moral.

320. Red/Black Literature: At the Crossroads of Native American and African American Literary Histories. “One might choose to follow only one path, either African or Native American, turning one’s back on a tradition that lies across the way. Yet one might instead choose to linger at the crossroads, sitting down for a drink brimming with the salt water of the Middle Passage and the Trail of Tears, pouring a libation and offering tobacco, and listening carefully to the interwoven strands of storytelling from African and Native American literary traditions.”

Throughout this class we will consider the crossroads Brennan articulates. The crossroads, marked by an X, offers a visual and symbolic point of intersection with undefined meaning and the potential for fateful outcomes. Reading literary and historical texts students will consider how the crossroads carries specific meanings for an Afro-Native literary tradition. Students will bring Scott Lyons’ theorization of the X mark, as the signature Native people placed on treaties, to issues of coercion and consent in African American literature and history. By considering these traditions together this class focuses on texts that speak in a triple voice, inflected by echoes of a Native American oral tradition, flashes of African American vernacular culture, and forms and techniques adapted from various models of modern Western literature. Students will read literary works as well as primary and secondary historical sources that point us to the sometimes powerful and also fraught intersections of Black and Indian histories in the United States from the nineteenth century to the decades following the Civil Rights and Black and Red Power movements. Topics of particular attention include land and politics, history and identity, and gender and sexuality, and focus on themes of race, place, family, and belonging. Some of the authors featured in this course are Vine Deloria Jr., Michael Dorris, Leslie Marmon Silko, Kaylynn Two Trees, Alice Walker, Frances Washburn, and Craig Womack. In addition to active participation in seminar discussions students will write a series of short papers in response to the readings and conduct short research assignments.

Limited to 20 Students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Vigil.

322. A History of the Native Book. This course examines the exciting intersection of critical fields of inquiry, including Native American History, American History, Book History, and Literary Studies. Students will immerse themselves in materials written by Native American authors from the seventeenth century to the present by doing archival research in the Kim-Wait/Pablo Eisenberg Collection at the College. Working in small groups and individually, students will be able to practice and hone research and writing skills. In particular, students will be expected to complete a semester-long research project based on books from the collection to produce new understandings about the significance of Native authorship, publishing, and writing practices as framed by their specific historical circumstances. In addition to producing a final research paper, students will work in research groups to create entries to curate their own digital exhibition as a class. This exhibition will also be accessible to the public to showcase what the class learned about Native book history. Students will spend an additional half hour each week in a required weekly meeting in the archives.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Vigil.

336. South Asians in the United States. This course focuses on the political, economic, ideological, social, and cultural dimensions of migration from South Asia to the United States, to be understood within the larger context of South Asian diaspora histories. Our approach will be interdisciplinary, working with social theory and history as well as literature, film, and music. We will identify different notions of diaspora and migration and how these notions give meaning to “home” and displacement. The semester begins with Indian labor migration under the system of British colonial indenture, proceeds through the “free” labor migration of workers in the colonial and post-colonial period, and concludes with our contemporary moment.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Preference given to American Studies majors. Spring semester. Five College Professor Reddy.

358. Indigenous American Epics. (Offered as ENGL 458 and AMST 358.) [before 1800] This course will delve deeply into the literature and history of “Turtle Island,” or North America. The Quiché Maya Popol Vuh (Council Book), the Iroquois Great Law, and the Wabanaki creation cycle are rooted in longstanding, complex oral narratives of emergence and transformation, which were recorded by Native authors and scribes. We will close read these epics (in English) as works of “ancient American” literature, as narratives of tribal history, and as living constitutions of tribal governance. We will study the tribally and regionally-specific contexts of these epic narratives as well as the “intellectual trade routes” that link them together. The course will conclude with an epic narrative of more recent colonial history, composed by the nineteenth-century Pequot author William Apess, born in the Connecticut River valley. Following an interdisciplinary American studies approach, our reading will be enriched by guest speakers and artistic media.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brooks.

360. Public Art and Collective Memory in the United States. (Offered as AMST 360 and ARHA 360.) What is public art and what role does it play in public life and collective memory in the United States? In this course we will study art that is commissioned, paid for, and owned by the state as well as private works scaled to public encounter. A focus of our study will be the evolution of public art in Washington, D.C. (19th-21st centuries), but we will range from New York harbor to the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Great Salt Lake, and we will discuss the fate of works that, like Richard Serra’s Tilted Arc, exist today only in photographic record and documented debate. Asking whether and how public art mediates between private and public life will guide us to consider when and how it defines national or local values and why so many public art projects have aroused controversy. The course is organized around class discussion and student presentations, and it includes short papers and a paper/presentation of an independent research project. Two meetings per week.

Requisite: One course in American Studies, History, or the History of Art. Limited to 20 students. Permission required for first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Clark.

390. Special Topics. Fall and spring semesters.

468. Research Methods in American Culture. This course aims to provide a “how to” of American Studies from an integrative, multiracial, and socio-cultural perspective. It also takes on the (impossible) task of surveying the development of American Studies as an interdisciplinary field, while paying attention to the theoretical concerns and bodies of work that have influenced American Studies scholars over the last half century, including but not limited to Marxism, post-structuralism, feminism, cultural studies, race, class, gender, and sexuality studies, whiteness studies, regional studies, indigenous studies, ethnic studies, as well as material, visual and popular cultural studies. Taking American culture as a site for testing classic and contemporary theories about how cultures work, this advanced research and writing seminar introduces students to resources and techniques for interdisciplinary research. Students will be exposed to and experiment with a wide range of current theoretical and methodological approaches. In the process, they will gain a working competence in debates and approaches from American Studies.

The goal of the course is not only for students to develop knowledge of main currents in the field, but to become practitioners through a series of assignments that will permit them to exercise their newfound skills. Thus, students will study a range of materials—visual, literary, print, digital, audio—via a traditionally interdisciplinary American Studies praxis. In the process they will develop rhetorical analyses, gather ethnographic data, and do close readings of assorted texts, spaces, and buildings, as the class explores problems or topics such as national narratives, ethnoracial formations, the American prison system, and the circulation of commodities. Taking four “model” monographs as the main texts for the course, students will investigate central themes in studies of American culture and history and will be able to identify how these current works rely on and respond to the history of and debates within American Studies. Class sessions will entail instruction in library training, archival research, legal research, and other skills, as well as discussions of research methods and course materials. Students will choose a research topic as the basis for a final presentation as part of a mini-conference event, annotated bibliography, and a research prospectus.

Limited to 20 students. Open to juniors and seniors as a research seminar; underclassmen admitted under special circumstances. Spring semester. Professor Vigil.

490. Special Topics. Fall and spring semesters.

496. Capstone Project. A one-semester project—either a shorter essay or some other form of independent interdisciplinary research and production. The capstone project serves as the grounds for a comprehensive evaluation of each student’s achievement in the major.

Fall and spring semesters. The department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Fall semester.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Spring semester.

Anthropology and Sociology

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

*On leave 2014-15.

Professors Dizard†, Gewertz*, Goheen‡, Himmelstein (Chair), and Lembo; Associate Professors C. Dole, Fong, and Schmalzbauer; Assistant Professors Chowdhury and Holleman; Keiter Fellow and Assistant Professor Mun; Visiting Assistant Professor Hall; Five College Assistant Professor Klarich.

The Anthropology and Sociology program is committed to familiarizing students with the systematic analysis of culture and social life. While anthropology once tended to focus on pre-industrial peoples and sociology on peoples in industrial societies, both disciplines are now thoroughly involved in understanding the contemporary, globalizing world—albeit through the use of somewhat distinctive methodologies. Moreover, both disciplines share a common theoretical and epistemological history such that insights garnered from one are relevant to the other.

Major Program. Students will major in either Anthropology or Sociology (though a combined major is, under special circumstances, possible). Anthropology majors will normally take ANTH 112 and 323, ANTH 113 or 332, and at least one Sociology course. In addition, majors will take at least four additional Anthropology electives. Sociology majors will normally take SOCI 112, 315, and 316 and at least one Anthropology course. In addition, majors will take at least four additional Sociology electives. Candidates for degrees with Departmental Honors will include ANTH/SOCI 498 and 499 in addition to the other major requirements.

Majors fulfill the department’s comprehensive examination by getting a grade of B or better in the relevant theory course (ANTH 323 or SOCI 315). Those who fail to do so will write a paper on a topic in theory set by the Department.

Anthropology

111. The Embodied Self in American Culture and Society. (Offered as AMST 215 and ANTH 111) “The Embodied Self” in American Culture and Society is an interdisciplinary, historically organized study of American perceptions of and attitudes towards the human body in a variety of media, ranging from medical and legal documents to poetry and novels, the visual arts, film, and dance. Among the topics to be discussed are the physical performance of gender; the social construction of the ideal male and female body; health reform movements; athletic achievement as an instrumentalization of the body; commercialization of physical beauty in the fitness and fashion industries; eating disorders as cultural phenomena; the interminable abortion controversy; the equally interminable conflict over pornography and the limits of free speech; and adaptations to the possibility of serious illness and to the certainty of death.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Couvares.

112. Sociocultural Anthropology. An examination of theory and method in social anthropology as applied in the analysis of specific societies. The course will focus on case studies of societies from different ethnographic areas.

Spring semester. Professor Fong.

113. Evolution and Culture. This course concentrates on the role of culture in evolutionary perspective, regarding it as the distinctive adaptive mode of humanity. Drawing on the materials of primatology, paleontology, archaeology, the prehistoric record as well as cultural studies, the primary emphasis will be on the relations among biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors in human evolution and human life. The focus is primarily on the role of culture in human evolution, and aspects of culture that make humans unique.

Limited to 50 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Goheen.

200. Anthropology and China. (Offered as ANTH 200 and ASLC 200) In what ways are the experiences and perspectives of various kinds of people in various kinds of situations in contemporary China different from those of their counterparts in other places and times, and in what ways are they similar? What accounts for these similarities and differences? How can anthropology help us understand China? What can the study of China contribute to our understandings of the issues, processes, and systems that anthropologists study worldwide? This course will help students answer these questions by reading, discussing, and writing about recent books and articles about China.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Fong.

210. Anthropology of Sexuality. (Offered as SWAG 210 and ANTH 210.) This course draws on anthropological literature to study the socio-cultural making of human sexuality and its variations, including theories of sexuality as a domain of human experience. It seeks to critically examine some of the most intimate and often taken-for-granted aspects of human life and locate sexual acts, desires and relations in particular historical and cultural contexts. The course offers analytical tools to understand and evaluate different methods and approaches to the study of human sexuality. We will examine the relation of sex to kinship/family, to reproduction and to romance. As we read about the bodily experience of sexual pleasure, we will explore how sexual taboos, norms and morality develop in various cultures and why sex acquires explosive political dimensions during certain historical periods. The course will explore the gendered and racial dimensions of human sexual experience in the context of class, nation and empire. How do class divisions produce different sexual culture? What economies of sex are involved in sex work, marriage and immigration? What has been the role of sexuality in projects of nation building and in colonial encounters? When, where and how did sexuality become a matter of identity? In addition to a focus on contemporary ethnographic studies of sexuality in various parts of the world, we will read theoretical and historical texts that have been influential in shaping the anthropological approaches to sexuality. We will also briefly address scientific theories of sexuality. Two meetings per week.

Fall semester. Professor Sadjadi.

215. Anthropology of Education. This course looks at the meanings and purposes of various kinds of educational practices, policies, and discourses in schools, families, and social organizations, and how they affect and are affected by social processes and power relationships, in the U.S. and in several other countries. We will consider the effects of particular kinds of educational discourses, experiences, policies, and practices on students’ academic achievements, preparation for particular kinds of work, and understandings, practices, and experiences of citizenship, nationalism, race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic stratification.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Fong.

218. Anthropology of Transnational Migration. This course looks at how and why people move from one country to another, what they experience as they migrate, how they are changed by what they experience, how they decide when and whether to return to their countries of origin, and how their transnational journeys affect the countries they migrate between. We will also consider the kinds of policies and practices that might improve the experiences of transnational migrants and the people they interact with during and after their time in other countries. We will look not only at the experiences of immigrants in the U.S., but also at various other kinds of transnational migrants, such as immigrants in other countries besides the U.S., and U.S. citizens as well as citizens of other countries who leave their own countries to study, work, do business, engage in tourism, and/or seek dating and marriage partners in other countries.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Fong.

220. Collecting the Past: Art and Artifacts of the Ancient Americas. Early European explorers, modern travelers, collectors, curators, and archaeologists have contributed to the development of ancient Latin American collections in museums across the globe. This course traces the history of these collecting practices and uses recent case studies to demonstrate how museums negotiate—successfully and unsuccessfully—the competing interests of scholars, donors, local communities, and international law. Students will learn how archaeologists study a variety of artifact types within museum collections and will have the opportunity to conduct independent research projects using pre-Columbian pottery and textile collections from the Mead Museum at Amherst College.

Limited to 18 students. Spring semester. Five College Professor Klarich.

224. Archaeological Method, Theory and Practice. This course focuses on the theoretical foundations of archaeological research, the variety of methods available to analyze material culture, the interpretation of results, and ethical considerations of practicing archaeology in the United States and abroad. Course provides students with a solid foundation for evaluating and contextualizing current methodological and theoretical trends within archaeology. Case studies illustrate the diversity of archaeological thought, interdisciplinary approaches to studying material culture, and innovative directions in the field of anthropological archaeology. Discussions of practice will address the roles and responsibilities of archaeologists in heritage management, museum development, and community outreach.

Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Klarich.

226. African Cultures and Societies. (Offered as ANTH 226 and BLST 216 [A].) This course explores the cultural meaning of indigenous African institutions and societies. Through the use of ethnographies, novels and films, we will investigate the topics of kinship, religion, social organization, colonialism, ethnicity, nationalism and neocolonialism. The principal objective is to give students an understanding of African society that will enable them better to comprehend current issues and problems confronting African peoples and nations.

Limited to 50 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Goheen.

230. Ethnographic Methods. How does one collect, analyze, and write about ethnographic data? What kinds of claims can one make based on this kind of data, and what kinds of claims can one not make? What kinds of research questions are best answered with ethnographic research? What kinds of theoretical contributions can be made with answers to such research questions? Which specific research methods are best for answering which research questions? What are the epistemological and ethical implications of particular methods?

This course will teach students to answer these questions by providing a survey of various ethnographic research methods (focusing primarily on interviews and participant observation) and walking students through the process of formulating a research question, selecting the kinds of research participants and research methods that can answer that research question, analyzing data, finding the proper fit between epistemologies, theories, methods, and data, writing an academic paper based on findings from that data, and presenting the findings to the class.

Requisite: ANTH 112. Not open to first-year students. Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Fong.

241. Visual Anthropology. (Offered as ANTH 241 and FAMS 378.) This course will explore and evaluate various visual genres, including photography, ethnographic film and museum presentation as modes of anthropological analysis—as media of communication facilitating cross-cultural understanding. Among the topics to be examined are the ethics of observation, the politics of artifact collection and display, the dilemma of representing non-Western “others” through Western media, and the challenge of interpreting indigenously produced visual depictions of “self” and “other.”

Requisite: ANTH 110. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gewertz.

245. Medical Anthropology. The aim of this course is to introduce the ways that medical anthropologists understand illness, suffering, and healing as taking shape amidst a complex interplay of biological, psychological, social, political-economic, and environmental processes. The course is designed to engage a broad range of medical anthropology topics, theoretical approaches, and research techniques by examining case studies concerned with such issues as chronic illness and social suffering, ritual and religious forms of healing, illness and inequality, medicalization, the global AIDS crisis, the social life of new medical technologies, and the politics of global health and humanitarian intervention. A basic premise of the course is that an understanding of illness, health, and the body requires an understanding of the contexts in which they are experienced, contexts contingently shaped by interwoven processes of local, national, and global significance. Particular emphasis will thus be placed on ethnographic approaches to the lived context in which illness and other forms of suffering are experienced, narrated, and addressed. Our focus will be comparative, treating illness, suffering, and healing in a range of societies and settings—from Haiti to China, from urban Brazil to rural Nepal, from the townships of South Africa to genetic labs in the United States.

Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor C. Dole.

251. Anthropology of Natural Wealth. From diamonds and bananas to coca and coal, natural wealth as commodities have shaped the way we think of global connections from early colonial encounters to the present. They are signs of the legacies of colonial exploitation as well as the seemingly infinite reach of global capital. Yet, anthropology of the politics around these commodities—that is, a critical understanding of the places of their production, extraction and exchange, along with the people whose lives are intimately tied to these processes—has also brought to the fore the provocative and often unpredictable ways in which the politics of natural resources has generated new forms of resistances, cultural practices and social worlds. They are pivots around which nations are being imagined, states are being legitimated, and nature itself is being re-defined. This course will examine anthropological literature on the politics and practices around natural wealth. Drawing on examples from varied cultural contexts, such as the petroleum boom in Nigeria, the occult practices of tin miners in Colombia, coffee-drinking in American households, or the coal mining communities in South Africa, among others, this course aims to understand the social and political lives of natural resources and how they help us to conceptually approach colonialism, capitalism and globalization.

Limited to 30 students. Fall semester. Professor Chowdhury.

253. Muslim Lives in South Asia. (Offered as ANTH 253 and ASLC 270 [SA].) This course is a survey of foundational and contemporary writing on Muslim cultures across South Asia. The approach here is anthropological, in the sense that the course focuses on material that situates Islamic thought in the making of everyday practices, imaginations, and ideologies of a very large and varied group of people. While India hosts the second largest population of Muslims in the world, Pakistan and Bangladesh, respectively, are two of the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation-states. This course will aim to capture some of the richness of the textual and vernacular traditions that constitute what is known as South Asian Islam and the lived experiences of Muslims. Without relegating Muslims to a minority status and therefore targets of communal violence, or approaching Islam in South Asia only at the level of the syncretic, this course aims to understand the interface of traveling texts and indigenous traditions that is integral to the making of its diverse Muslim cultures. In doing so, the course will by necessity discuss topics of subjectivity, law, gender, community, secularism, and modernity that continue to raise important theoretical questions within the discipline of anthropology.

Some prior knowledge of Islam or Muslim societies may be helpful. Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Chowdhury.

255. Public Culture in South Asia. (Offered as ANTH 255 and ASLC 255) This course on South Asian public culture starts from the premise that modernity today is a global experience. Most societies today possess the means to produce local versions of the modern, as Arjun Appadurai and Carol Breckenridge have argued. In this course, we will collectively approach mass culture in South Asia—a staggeringly complex cultural entity—with an eye towards understanding emergent forms of subjectivity, agency, pleasure, and embodied experience. While rethinking the predominantly European notions of publicity, we will study how popular culture in South Asia reflects the intersecting processes of nationalism, globalization, and economic liberalization. Our focus will be on the interface of media and modernity, and in so doing, on the complex negotiations between cultural producers and consumers. We will discuss film, advertising, spatial politics, and popular art to make sense of the region’s postcolonial public life.

Limited to 25 student. Fall semester. Professor Chowdhury.

310. Culture, Affect, and Psychiatry. This seminar draws on readings from medical and psychological anthropology, cultural psychiatry, and science studies to examine mental health and illness as a set of subjective experiences, social processes, and objects of knowledge and intervention. The course invites students to think through the complex relationships between categories of psychiatric knowledge, techniques of clinical practice, and the subjectivities of persons living with mental illness. The course will take up such questions as: Does mental illness vary across social, cultural, and historical contexts? How does the language of psychopathology, and the clinical setting of its use, affect people’s experience of psychological and emotional suffering? What novel forms of care, as well as neglect, have emerged with the “pharmaceuticalization” of psychiatry? How does contemporary psychiatry articulate a distinctive relationship between affect and power? These questions, among others, will be examined through richly contextualized ethnographic and historical writings, literary accounts, clinical studies, and films. The course will emphasize a comparative approach, as it explores the ways that anthropologists have struggled to examine mental illness and mental health in a cross-cultural perspective.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor C. Dole.

315. Inequalities in Contemporary China. (Offered as ANTH 315 and ASLC 315 [C].) This course examines various factors that produce inequality in mainland China, such as age, generation, gender, ethnicity, education, income, work, differences between rural and urban areas within China, and differences between China and developed countries. We will look at how Chinese citizens, state leaders, and media producers understand, portray, and produce such inequalities, and at how Chinese individuals and families try to improve their positions in the hierarchies created by such inequalities. Students will work in teams to conduct original research about particular kinds of inequalities in China, drawing on data from the instructor’s research projects. Each team will consist of at least one student experienced in statistical analysis who will analyze English-language survey data, at least one student with Chinese language skills who will translate and analyze Chinese-language interview questions and responses, and several students without Chinese language skills or statistical analysis skills who will analyze the English-language scholarly literature on particular kinds of inequality in China. It is expected that most students in this class will not have Chinese language skills or statistical analysis skills, and these skills are not required for admission to or success in the course.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Fong.

317. Researching China. (Offered as ANTH 317 and ASLC 317 [C].) This course teaches students how to design research projects, collect data, and analyze data about people in China. Students will read about and discuss previous findings from the instructor’s longitudinal project about Chinese only-children and their families, and findings from comparable projects in China and elsewhere, as well as help to design new interview and survey questions for research participants to answer in the future. In addition, students with statistical analysis skills can analyze English-language survey data; students with Chinese language skills can translate and analyze Chinese-language interview questions and responses; students who have taken or are currently taking at least one course about anthropology, sociology, economics, psychology, or China can analyze the relevant English-language scholarly literature in the field(s) with which they are most familiar. Course assignments will be tailored to the interests, skills, and academic background of each student, so first-year students, sophomores, and students with no Chinese language skills or statistical analysis skills are welcome and just as likely to succeed as juniors, seniors, and students with Chinese language or statistical analysis skills. Each student will work only on assignments suitable for his/her current skills and interests, but also read the work of other students with different skills, interests, and disciplinary knowledge and participate in discussions of their work, so all students will learn about the many different kinds of skills, disciplines, and research methods that can help them gain a better understanding of China.

Limited to 20 students. Admission with the consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Fong.

318. Chinese Childrearing. (Offered as ANTH 318 and ASLC 318 [C].) This course examines Chinese childrearing, focusing primarily on childrearing in mainland China. We will look at differences as well as similarities between childrearing in Chinese families of different socioeconomic status within China, as well as between childrearing in mainland China and in childrearing in Chinese and non-Chinese families worldwide. We will also look at dominant discourses within and outside of China about the nature of Chinese childrearing and ask about relationships between those discourses and the experiences of Chinese families. Students will work together to conduct original research about childrearing in China, drawing on data from the instructor’s research projects. Students with statistical analysis skills will analyze English-language survey data; students with advanced Chinese language skills will translate and analyze Chinese-language interview questions and responses; and students who have taken or are currently taking at least one course about anthropology, sociology, economics, psychology, or China will analyze the English-language scholarly literature about Chinese childrearing in the field(s) with which they are most familiar. Course assignments will be tailored to the interests, skills, and academic background of each student, so first-years, sophomores, and students with no Chinese language skills or statistical analysis skills are welcome and just as likely to succeed as juniors, seniors, and students with Chinese language or statistical analysis skills.

Limited to 20 students. Admission with consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Fong.

323. History of Anthropological Theory. A general survey of writings that have played a leading role in shaping the modern fields of cultural and social anthropology. Beginning with a discussion of the impact of Darwin and the discoveries at Brixham Cave on mid-nineteenth century anthropology, the course surveys the theories of the late-nineteenth-century cultural evolutionists. It then turns to the role played by Franz Boas and his students and others in the advent and later development of cultural anthropology in the U.S. Readings of Durkheim and Mauss will provide the foundation for a discussion of the development of British social anthropology, French structuralism, and Bourdieu’s theory of social practice. The course will conclude with a discussion of recent controversies concerning the work of a key theorist in the anthropological tradition.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gewertz.

324. Money: Cultural Encounters. Anthropologists have long been active in making sense of the numerous ways in which people attach meanings, desires, and hierarchical worth to material objects and economic processes. This course will explore a core topic in this discussion: money. Focusing an ethnographic examples across scales of exchange (e.g., from colonization to household budgeting), the course will re-examine the classic social theoretical argument that money alienates and abstracts social relations. We will consider money’s link to various aspects of moral and epistemic calculation, and ultimately show that not all money is equal or interchangeable. Neither is it an acultural entity. As a corollary to our discussion of money, we will address the over-theorized though elusive analytic of value to make sense of cultural difference when seen through the prism of money.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Chowdhury.

330. Writing about China. (Offered as ANTH 330 and ASLC 330) This course teaches students how to write academic papers about China. We will pay attention both to specific elements of writing, such as how to use academic language and citations clearly and appropriately, and to broader issues such as those of how to support claims with evidence; how to use findings from data to engage with arguments presented in the previous scholarship; how to explain why writing about issues concerning a particular Chinese population can expand understandings of similar issues worldwide; how to help readers who may not know much about Chinese language or society understand the meaning and significance of Chinese terms, concepts, and assumptions that may be different from comparable terms, concepts, and assumptions in the English language and Western scholarship; and how to find gaps in the existing scholarship and fill these gaps with findings from interview and survey data from the instructor’s longitudinal study of Chinese families. Students who have taken at least one statistics course can work with English-language survey data; students with Chinese language skills can work with Chinese-language interview data; students who have taken or are currently taking at least one other course about anthropology, sociology, and/or economics can work with relevant English-language scholarly literature in the field(s) in which they have previously or are currently taking classes, and students with more than one of these qualifications can either focus on one kind of work or combine or alternate between them, in accordance with their preferences. Students will collaborate on projects, complementing and learning from each other. Assignments will be tailored to the interests, skills, and academic background of each student, so first-year students, sophomores, and students with no Chinese language skills or statistical analysis skills are welcome and just as likely to succeed as juniors, seniors, and students with Chinese language or statistical analysis skills.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Fong.

331. Anthropology and the Middle East. (Offered as ANTH 331 and ASLC 341 [WA].) In an era where “terrorism” has eclipsed the nuclear fears of the Cold War and become associated with a radicalism that is portrayed as at once militant, anti-Western, and bound to a particular region (the Middle East) and religion (Islam), the task of this seminar—to examine the everyday realities of people living throughout the Middle East—has become all the more critical. Beginning with an historical eye toward the ways that the “West” has discovered, translated, and written about the “Orient,” this seminar will use anthropological readings, documentary film, and literary accounts to consider a range of perspectives on the region commonly referred to as the Middle East. Rather than attempting a survey of the entire region, the course will take a thematic approach and explore such topics as: Islam and secularism, colonialism and postcoloniality, gender and political mobilization, media and globalization, and the politics and ethics of nation building. As an anthropology course, the class will take up these themes through richly contextualized accounts of life within the region. While it is recognized that the Middle East is incredibly heterogeneous, particular attention will be given to the influence and role of Islam. By the end of the seminar, students will have gained a broad understanding of some of the most pressing issues faced within the area, while at the same time grappling with advanced theoretical readings. No previous knowledge of the Middle East is assumed.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor C. Dole.

332. Topics in Contemporary Anthropology. This seminar will examine contemporary issues in anthropology. Topics will vary from year to year but might, for instance, include anthropological and ethnographic engagements with postcolonialism, the politics of development, neoliberalism and “anti-globalization” activism, militarism, poverty and the politics of survival, institutions of confinement and care, as well as the writing of grants as a prerequisite for the writing of culture in ethnographies.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Chowdhury.

335. Gender: An Anthropological Perspective. This seminar provides an analysis of male-female relationships from a cross-cultural perspective, focusing upon the ways in which cultural factors modify and exaggerate the biological differences between men and women. Consideration will be given to the positions of men and women in the evolution of society, and in different contemporary social, political, and economic systems, including those of the industrialized nations.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gewertz.

338. Healing: Meaning, Performance, and Power. Moving through a variety of therapeutic settings and interventions (from the doctor’s office, to the laying on of hands, to national rituals of collective mourning), this seminar will consider what it means to heal and be healed. Building on anthropological theories of healing and ritual, the course will explore a range of approaches to conceptualizing therapeutic efficacy—the persistent question of how and why different forms of healing work. These approaches will consider the therapeutic potential adhering within such themes and processes as meaning, performance, narrative, persuasion, embodiment, fantasy, mimesis, and alterity. The course will also take up idioms of healing as they are employed politically—taking healing both as a politicized process of personal transformation and a collective process working at the level of the body politic.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor C. Dole.

339. The Anthropology of Food. Because food is necessary to sustain biological life, its production and provision occupy humans everywhere. Due to this essential importance, food also operates to create and symbolize collective life. This seminar will examine the social and cultural significance of food. Topics to be discussed include: the evolution of human food systems, the social and cultural relationships between food production and human reproduction, the development of women’s association with the domestic sphere, the meaning and experience of eating disorders, and the connection among ethnic cuisines, nationalist movements and social classes.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gewertz.

343. Economic Anthropology and Social Theory. This course will look at the relationship between economy and society through a critical examination of Marx with particular emphasis on pre-capitalist economies. The more recent work of French structural Marxists and neo-Marxists, and the substantivist-formalist debate in economic anthropology will also be discussed. The course will develop an anthropological perspective by looking at such “economic facts” as production, exchange systems, land tenure, marriage transactions, big men and chiefs, state formation, peasant economy, and social change in the modern world.

Limited to 25 students. First-year and sophomore students must have consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Goheen.

347. South Asia Now. (Offered as ANTH 347 and ASLC 347 [SA].) Anthropology of South Asia, in the last decade or more, has focused primarily on such themes as bureaucracy and corruption in relation to the postcolonial state; the economy, with special attention to development, liberalization and globalization; mass media and public culture; technology and global capital; and violence, as both a strategy and outcome of governmental and non-governmental politics. As students of South Asian cultures, how do we understand this trend? Is there an influence in South Asian scholarship of the changes taking place in the broader field of anthropology, or is there something specific to the region’s postcolonial modernity that demands this intellectual move? What is new about these emergent themes and how could they be read in light of canonical interests of South Asian anthropology? We shall explore these questions by way of reading recent anthropological writing on South Asia while paying special attention to theories of governmentality, identity, violence, mediation, and the state. The course is designed to offer a critical survey of recent ethnographic writing on the politics and aesthetics of South Asian public life. The larger aim is to situate South Asian anthropology within the body of literature known as South Asian Studies as well as against the unfolding history of the discipline of anthropology.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Chowdhury.

350. Phenomenological Approaches for Anthropology. What does it mean to take a phenomenological approach in anthropology? In this class, we will examine a series of ethnographies that seek to describe and theorize lived experience in various ways, with particular attention to sensory perception, subjectivity, and inter-subjectivity. We will also look into the philosophical tracts that inspire such work, as well as the historical contexts in which they arise. Topics to be explored include: caregiving and healing; violence and humanitarian aid; aging, dying, and death; religious experience; emotion; and embodiment. Students will have a chance to conduct their own phenomenologically-oriented fieldwork, and develop a substantial bibliography of sources to inform this and future projects.

Limited to 15 student. Omitted 2014-15. Five College Visiting Professor Aulino.

375. Subaltern Studies: History from Below. (Offered as History 375 [AS], ANTH 375 and ASLC 375 [SA].) This course explores the intervention made by the Subaltern Studies Collective in the discipline of history-writing, particularly in the context of South Asia. Dissatisfied that previous histories of Indian nationalism were all in some sense “elitist,” this group of historians, anthropologists, and literary theorists sought to investigate how various marginalized communities—women, workers, peasants, adivasis—contributed in their own terms to the making of modern South Asia. Their project thus engaged broader methodological questions and problems about how to write histories of the marginal. Combining theoretical statements with selections from the 12-volume series as well as individual monographs, our readings and discussion will chart the overall trajectory of Subaltern Studies from in its initial moorings in the works of the Italian Marxian theorist Antonio Gramsci, to its later grounding in the critique of colonial discourse. The objective is to understand how this school of history-writing transformed the understanding of modern South Asian history. Our discussion will engage with the critiques and debates generated in response to the project and the life of the analytical category, “subalternity,” outside South Asia. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professors Sen and Chowdhury.

420. The Social Life of Catastrophe. “Disaster” and “catastrophe” are themes that have long hovered on the margins of anthropology, appearing frequently as oblique warnings of irreversible cultural and linguistic loss. Anthropologists have more recently embraced these terms with new urgency as disasters have come to attract unprecedented attention on a global scale and “disaster” has emerged as an essential idiom for conceptualizing life and survival in the contemporary world. This course sets out to critically engage disaster and catastrophe as conceptual challenges and, through this engagement, examine the distinctive intertwining of political, scientific, and affective processes that one finds in settings marked by large-scale destruction. While the term “natural disaster” would seem to suggest that catastrophic events pay no heed to such human concerns as race, class, and gender, how do we explain the ways that disasters tend to have the most destructive effect on those furthest from the centers of political and economic power? How is it that humanitarianism has taken hold as such a compelling mode of contemporary politics? What does it mean for “communities” to recover from catastrophe, and why do these social projects of recovery inevitably involve—if not expressly target—the “healing” of memories? These questions, among others, will be explored through the reading of richly contextualized accounts of specific events and actual lives.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15 Professor Dole.

442. Madness and Politics. This seminar will consider the anthropological, psychological, and political significance of “limit” experience(s). While such forms of experience—such as psychosis, trauma, possession, and torture—are commonly regarded as radical exceptions, existing in a place “beyond” culture and language, this course examines the ways that they can play a constitutive role in shaping everyday subjective experience and social life. Of particular interest in this seminar will be the significance of “limit” experience for understanding what it means to be a subject, the relationship between mental disorder and social-political order, the position of injury and suffering in contemporary formulations of truth and freedom, and anthropological approaches to political power conceived in psychological and social terms. Rather than making a sustained argument, the course will involve open-ended discussions regarding theories of subjectivity as they appear in ethnographic studies of psychiatry, pharmaceuticals, the biosciences, political violence, religious experience, and institutions of confinement and care.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor C. Dole.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Courses. A full course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

490H. Special Topics. Independent Reading Courses. A half course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Fall semester.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Spring semester.

Sociology

112. Self and Society: An Introduction to Sociology. Sociology is built on the premise that human beings are crucially shaped by the associations each person has with others. These associations range from small, intimate groups like the family to vast, impersonal groupings like a metropolis. In this course we will follow the major implications of this way of understanding humans and their behavior. The topics we will explore include: how group expectations shape individual behavior; how variations in the size, structure, and cohesion of groups help account for differences in individual behavior as well as differences in the patterns of interaction between groups; how groups, including societies as a whole, reproduce themselves; and why societies change. As a supplement to readings and lectures, students will be able to use original social survey data to explore first-hand some of the research techniques sociologists commonly use to explore the dynamics of social life.

Limited to 35 students. Fall semester. Professor Lembo.

225. Reproducing Social Order: Prisons, Schools, and the Military. This course examines U.S. prisons, schools and the military, as institutions of social reproduction, in historical and comparative perspective. This lens allows for exploration of broad questions regarding the role of the state in society and persistent contradictions of democracy and opportunity vs. coercion and constraint. Specific questions on which the course centers are: How do social inequalities condition the relationship between individuals, institutions, the market and the state? How does privatization affect the mission, activity and future of these institutions? What role do prisons, schools and the military play in reproducing social order on the national and international stage? Readings will consist of sociological perspectives on such questions as well as historical accounts and political texts documenting contests over these institutions and their functions.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Holleman.

226. Footprints on the Earth: The Environmental Consequences of Modernity. As a basis for understanding current global ecological crises, this course marries natural and social history as well as ecological and social science of the human society/environment nexus. We will study the anthropogenic drivers of environmental change in historical perspective. The new and greater scale of environmental degradation made possible by industrialization and the globalizing tendencies of the modern economic system will receive special attention as these continue to be central factors promoting ecological change. Course readings include classical social theory as well as current perspectives on the relationship between modern human society and the broader environment of which we are a part.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Holleman.

230. Economy, Society and Change in East Asia. (Offered as SOCI 230 and ASLC 230.) East Asia has been booming, economically—first Japan, then Korea and Taiwan, and now China. In this course, we will study both what made the economic boom in these countries possible and what social issues have arisen in each country because of the particular social system that arose through its process of economic development. In particular, we will consider patterns of social inequality. In the case of Japan and Korea, we will focus on understanding important inequality patterns that arose during the economic development in the 1970s and 1980s and their enduring effect on current society, such as youth unemployment and gender inequality. As for China, we will study how the rapid economic development generated social inequalities (such as glaring income inequality and urban-rural inequality) different from those observed in Japan and Korea. Through the readings and class discussions, students will learn about the lives of people who live in these East Asian societies: How are the societies organized? What are the critical social issues in these countries? How are these societies both similar and different?

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Mun.

234. Social Class. This course will consider various ways that class matters in the United States. Historical accounts will be used in conjunction with sociological theories to discuss the formation of classes, including the formation of discourses and myths of class, in American society. Class will then serve as a lens to examine the origins and characteristics of social stratification and inequality in the U.S. The bulk of the course will focus on more contemporary issues of class formation, class structure, class relations, and class culture, paying particular attention to how social class is actually lived out in American culture. Emphasis will be placed on the role class plays in the formation of identity and the ways class cultures give coherence to daily life. In this regard, the following will figure importantly in the course: the formation of upper class culture and the role it plays in the reproduction of power and privilege; the formation of working class culture and the role it plays in leading people to both accept and challenge class power and privilege; the formation of the professional middle class and the importance that status anxiety carries for those who compose it. Wherever possible, attention will be paid to the intersection of class relations and practices with those of other social characteristics, such as race, gender and ethnicity. The course will use sociological and anthropological studies, literature, autobiographies, and films, among other kinds of accounts, to discuss these issues.

Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor Lembo.

237. Gender and Work. (Offered as SOCI 237 and SWAG 237.) How has the rise of working women complicated modern workplaces and the idea of work? One challenge is how to value women’s work fairly. One index of this challenge is that in workplaces across the world, women earn significantly less than men and are underrepresented in high status positions. What explains such gender gaps in the workplace? Taking an empirical, social-science perspective, this course will discuss three main aspects of gender and work. First, we will cover major theories of gender inequality, such as psychological stereotyping, social exclusion, structural barriers, and gendered socialization. Second, in learning about the sociological mechanisms of inequality in the workplace, we will expand our discussion to women’s work in the family and examine how the conflicts individuals face when trying to have both career and family influence women’s lives. Finally, we will discuss the mixed results of public policies proposed to reduce gender inequality and work-family incompatibilities and the possible reasons for those mixed results.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Mun.

241. The American Right. Combining ideas from political sociology and the study of social movements, this course examines the changing role of the Right in American society and politics.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Himmelstein.

243. Drugs and Society. This course examines the use and control of mood-altering drugs in the United States today. Specifically, we look at two important sets of issues: first, the increasing use of prescription drugs to deal with a growing range of human moods and thoughts; second, the ongoing “war” against drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. By juxtaposing these two, we will reflect on the contradictions of drug use and drug control in America. On the one hand, we take a more punitive approach to the control of currently illegal drugs like marijuana than any other western society. On the other hand, we use and encourage the use of prescriptions like antidepressants more than any other western society.

Limited to 35 students. Spring semester. Professor Himmelstein.

260. Latino Migration: Labor, Lifestyle and Legality. (Offered as AMST 260 and SOCI 260.) Whereas capital, culture, and commerce flow freely in contemporary capitalism, labor does not. Walls—physical, legal and cultural—aim to keep certain people in and “others” out. In this course we explore the sociological forces behind cross-border labor flows and the parallel reality of immigrant life. We focus specifically on the experience of Latinos in the United States. We pay special attention to the linkages between the demand and supply of Latino immigrant labor, social constructions of (il)legality, and the oft-overlooked privileged lifestyles that immigration supports. While this course has a deep theoretical rooting, we use daily immigrant life as the lens through which to explore migration.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Schmalzbauer.

302. Globalization, Inequality and Social Change. (Offered as AMST 302 and SOCI 302.) This course is an in-depth exploration of the increasing global interconnectedness of economic, political, and social processes, what many have come to call “globalization.” We begin by developing a sociological critique of the relationship between inequality, post-World War II global capitalism, and the neoliberal ideology that underlies it. We do this through study of the major institutions and actors that endorse and perpetuate global capitalism. We then explore case studies which critically examine how contemporary globalization is playing out in daily life via experiences of labor, consumption, family and community. We dedicate the last part of the course to investigating diverse examples of grassroots resistance to the current capitalist order. As we strive to achieve a complex analysis of globalization, we will be challenged to grapple seriously with issues of power and social justice and to reflect on our own social positions within an increasingly intricate global web. In accordance, we will focus throughout the course on how intersections of race, class, gender and citizenship influence the human experience of globalization.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Schmalzbauer.

305. Gender, Migration and Power: Latinos in the Americas. (Offered as AMST 305 and SOCI 305.) In this course we draw from sociology, anthropology, and geography to explore the gendered dynamics and experiences of Latino migration to the United States. We begin by situating gendered patterns of migration in the context of contemporary globalization and relating them to social constructions of gender. Next we look at experiences of settlement, analyzing the role of women’s and men’s networks in the process of migration, especially in terms of employment and survival strategies. We also analyze how specific contexts of reception influence the gender experience of settlement. For example, how does migration to rural areas differ from migration to traditional urban migration hubs, and how does gender influence that difference? We then look at Latino family formation, paying special attention to the experiences of transnational mothers and fathers, those who have left children behind in their home countries in the process of migration. Finally, we explore the relationship between migration and sexuality.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Schmalzbauer.

315. Foundations of Sociological Theory. Sociology emerged as part of the intellectual response to the French and Industrial Revolutions. In various ways, the classic sociological thinkers sought to make sense of these changes and the kind of society that resulted from them. We shall begin by examining the social and intellectual context in which sociology developed and then turn to a close reading of the works of five important social thinkers: Marx, Tocqueville, Weber, Durkheim, and Freud. We shall attempt to identify the theoretical perspective of each thinker by posing several basic questions: According to each social thinker, what is the general nature of society, the individual, and the relationship between the two? What holds societies together? What pulls them apart? How does social change occur? What are the distinguishing features of modern Western society in particular? What distinctive dilemmas do individuals face in modern society? What are the prospects for human freedom and happiness? Although the five thinkers differ strikingly from each other, we shall also determine the extent to which they share a common “sociological consciousness.” Required of sociology majors.

Limited to 30 students. Fall semester. Professor Himmelstein.

316. Social Research. This course introduces students to the range of methods that sociologists use to understand humans as social beings. It explores the strengths and weaknesses of these methods. Students will design and execute an original research project. The course emphasizes the general logic of social inquiry and research design rather than narrowly defined techniques and statistical proofs. Required of sociology majors.

Requisite: ANTH/SOCI 110. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Himmelstein.

324. Financial Crises and the Future of Democracy. Austerity measures promoted as a response to the deep global economic recession beginning in 2007 have resulted in protests around the globe. However, these are only the most recent series of measures that fall under the aegis of neoliberal reform. With much of the world’s population under 30 years old, neoliberalism has been a constant fact of life for many. This course looks at the historic rise and consequences of the neoliberal economic model as well as alternatives implemented by breakaway governments in the global South. We will study how the past 40 years of financialization, related debt crises, economic shock therapy and growing inequality fit into broader economic history and help explain current developments. We also will explore the challenge to neoliberalism posed by movements for greater economic democracy and equality from Rome and Cairo to Quito and New York.

Requisite: SOCI 112. Limited to 20 students. Admission with consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professors Holleman and Mun.

332. Thinking Differently About Culture. In this course, we will focus attention first on the dynamics of cultural difference which characterize the civil rights era in the United States and use our sociological assessment of them to frame an analysis of culture leading up to and following from this tumultuous time, paying particular attention to what is now commonly referred to as a “post civil rights era.” Some of the important questions we will ask are: How adequate are conventional sociological ideas of culture—ideas that presume “cohesion” and “commonality,” among other things—when it comes to conceptualizing, documenting, and theorizing cultural difference? What are the consequences of accounting for cultural difference as something to be incorporated into what is, or could be, held in common by people? What is at stake, sociologically speaking, when aspects of cultural difference—previously ignored or marginalized in hegemonic accounts—become the focal point of intellectual inquiry or political practice? How do we distinguish among discourses of cultural difference? How are they subject to cooptation, assimilation, or exploitation?

Limited to 20 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Lembo.

334. Contours of a Colorblind Culture. (Offered as SOCI 334 and BLST 336 [US].) The passage of civil rights legislation in 1964 and 1965 was a defining moment in American race relations. By comparison to what preceded it, the post-civil rights era amounted to a great social transformation, leading many to assert ours is now a “colorblind” culture. This course will use the idea of colorblind culture to examine the changing role of race and racism in the contemporary United States. We will examine specific claims that United States culture is, or is not, colorblind, while exploring the social structural, institutional, and broader cultural factors that shape present-day race relations.

Requisite: SOCI 112 or equivalent. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Lembo.

341. Making Peace with the Planet: Environmental Movements and Ideas. In the last 20 years, climate change was acknowledged by every major scientific body in the world and, along with other environmental issues, put on the policy agenda of most national governments. Debates today are less over whether anthropogenic ecological change is happening and more over what should be done about it. In this course we explore the diversity of global movements and proposed environmental solutions that reflect the wide range of perspectives and interests behind these debates. Social inequalities both within and between countries condition what is at stake in negotiations addressing ecological problems for communities and people occupying different social locations. Therefore, issues of environmental justice are highlighted as we study the achievements of environmental movements internationally as well as enduring challenges and controversies.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Holleman.

347. Sociology from the Margins. In this course we will examine texts that challenge the conventional wisdom of sociology, thereby enabling us to see foundational concerns of the discipline in new ways. These texts—some by sociologists, some not—will be used to explore such things as changing modes of social power, the cultural unconscious, commodity culture, normality and its transgressions, media technology and the social imaginary, as well as social identity and the self in ways unanticipated by mainstream sociological thought. Historical transitions from Fordism to flexible accumulation, the modern to the postmodern, the colonial to the postcolonial, the national to the transnational, and from the real to the virtual will figure importantly in course discussion.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Lembo.

350. Asian Capitalism: Historical and Contemporary Views. (Offered as SOCI 350 and ASLC 350.) Asian economic development has challenged many Western observers; one reason has to do with the fact that Asian economies rely on institutional arrangements that do not exist in Western economies. In this course, we will look at distinctive institutional arrangements in Asia and discuss how those arrangements emerged. We will also discuss on-going debates concerning the character of Asian capitalism. Specifically we will look at the history of capitalism in Asia, what capitalism in Asia looks like today, how capitalism in Asia is perceived before and after the Asian financial crisis, and how the perception of Asian capitalism has changed since the most recent financial crisis originating in the United States. This course will require weekly class meetings (2 hours) and small-group meetings prior to weekly class meetings.

Not open to first-year students. Recommended requisite: One previous course in Sociology. Enrollment requires attendance at the first class meeting. Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Mun.

390. Special Topics. Independent Reading Courses. A full course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Courses. A full course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Fall semester.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Spring semester.

Related Courses

Myth, Ritual and Iconography in West Africa. See BLST 315.

Architectural Studies

Advisory Committee: Professors Clark†, Courtright, Rosbottom, and K. Sweeney‡; Associate Professor Gilpin (Chair); Five College Assistant Professors Arboleda and Long; Five College Mellon Fellow Kolar.

Amherst College participates in the Five College Architectural Studies (FCAS) major with the unique requirements indicated below.

The FCAS major firmly places the study of architecture in the liberal arts by encompassing the history, theory, philosophy, design, and science of the built environment. The major draws on resources and faculty from a range of disciplines across the colleges, which include art history, cultural studies, history, literature, economics, urban studies, visual and media arts, gender studies, physics, sociology, and environmental studies. With the guidance of their Amherst FCAS advisor, Amherst students create an individualized course of study that may include, among others, sustainable design, urban planning, and architectural history, theory, and criticism.

An Amherst student wishing to pursue this major will meet with one of the faculty members on the College’s Architectural Studies Advisory Committee to discuss his or her interests, intentions, and coursework options. Following this discussion, the student will submit a proposal that identifies a focus within the major, courses already taken, and those planned. This proposal must be approved by the College’s Architectural Studies Advisory Committee, which will forward it to the Five College Architectural Studies (FCAS) review committee. In this manner, a student’s major coursework decisions are discussed and vetted first by Amherst faculty and subsequently by Five College faculty in Architectural Studies to ensure that students will have appropriate preparation and a strong plan for the major.

Once the student’s proposal has been approved, he or she will meet at least twice per semester with his or her Amherst faculty advisor to discuss continued progress in the major. Amherst students, preferably before senior year, will be required to take four foundational (normally 100 level) courses focused on architectural history and design, and five intermediate (normally 200 and 300 level) courses in which they develop their particular field of concentration. A senior thesis is required. Consequently, the Amherst FCAS major requires nine (9) courses plus two (2) thesis courses, for a total of eleven (11) courses. The student may choose to take a double senior thesis course (ARCH 499D) in the second semester of senior year, in which case the total number of courses required to complete the major becomes twelve (12). Before the second semester of junior year, the student must submit to his or her College advisor a significant research project (which may constitute a final project for a course taken) that demonstrates the ability to undertake rigorous research. This will constitute the comprehensive requirement for the major. Before the end of the junior year, the student will propose a senior thesis project and three potential advisors (two of whom must be Amherst faculty members) to the College’s Architectural Studies Advisory Committee; an Amherst College thesis advisor will be designated.

102. Introduction to Architectural Studies. This course is an introduction to the many facets of architectural studies: the history, theory, and design of buildings, landscapes, and sites. We will survey the history of architecture from the earliest human dwellings to the present and expose students to diverse aspects of architectural theory, while also introducing the basic analytical skills of architectural representation. Starting with the earliest forms of human habitation and ending with issues of contemporary residences, we will study the style, purpose, and historical context of buildings, landscapes, and planning, including questions of climate change. We will conclude by considering the college campus as a place of habitation. Students will develop their skills of speaking and writing about architecture, while also learning basic design skills: the sketch, map, plan, elevation, materials study, landscape setting, and site. Design projects are based on effort and realization, not on proficiency. Two meetings a week, one in seminar format, and one in studio format.

Priority given to Architectural Studies majors and first-year students. Spring semester. Five College Professor Arboleda.

104. Housing, Urbanization, and Development. This course studies the theory, policy, and practice of low-income housing in marginalized communities. In particular, the class examines housing in the context of international development—the global project of reducing urban poverty through providing safe housing to those in need. We study central concepts in housing theory, key issues regarding low-income housing, different approaches to address these issues, and political debates around housing the poor. This is a thematic, comparative, and transnational course that uses specific case studies from all around the world. We study our subject through illustrated lectures, field trips, seminar discussions, documentary films, and studio design exercises. The latter will be interspersed throughout the semester.

Priority to sophomores. Omitted 2014-15.

106. Sonic Architecture: Sound as Anthropogenic and Experiential Medium. (Offered as ARCH 106 and MUSI 107.) Sound—heard or otherwise perceived—influences human existence, how we interpret lived experience, how we understand places and events. Yet our awareness of sound varies individually and contextually. This course posits sound as a medium that can be constructed and environmentally transformed. How do spatial acoustics inform and affect us? How is sound intrinsic to individual and social experience?

Built environments and architectural forms embody structured acoustic dynamics, whether their particular sonics are design features or ephemeral artifacts of spatial constructs. Musical and engineered sound products directly engage the human activities of sound-making and consuming, often abstracted from specific spatial environments, yet substantially linked to sense of place through cultural context. From vibratory mechanics to conceptual design, we will examine the material and immaterial ramifications of sonic structures and the structuring of sounds, their human interactive potentials and experiential implications. An interdisciplinary range of texts, works, and concepts will drive our exploration and analysis of sound as an environmental constant and fundament to human experience.

Students will develop two projects: a concise research paper that initiates a literature review and poses a perspective on a theme related to course discussion, and a design proposal for a space, object, artwork/installation, experiment or music/sound composition that will be presented to the class. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Five College Mellon Fellow Kolar.

135. Art and Architecture of Europe from 1400 to 1800. (Offered as ARHA 135, ARCH 135, and EUST 135.) This course is an introduction to painting, sculpture, and architecture of the early modern period. The goal of the course is to identify artistic innovations that characterize European art from the Renaissance to the French Revolution, and to situate the works of art historically, by examining the intellectual, political, religious, and social currents that contributed to their creation. In addition to tracing stylistic change within the oeuvre of individual artists and understanding its meaning, we will investigate the varied character of art, its interpretation, and its context in different regions, including Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands.

Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor Courtright.

203. Cityscapes: Imagining the European City. (Offered as EUST 203 and ARCH 203.) Cities, the largest human artifact, have been at the center of Europeans’ relationships with nature, gods, and their own kind since their first appearance. With the advent of capitalist energy, the European city went through radical change. The resultant invention, re-invention and growth of major metropolises will be the subject of this course.

We will discuss histories and theories of the city and of the urban imagination in Europe since the eighteenth century. We will consider Paris, London, Berlin, Rome, and St. Petersburg, among others, and the counter-example of New York City. We will study examples of city planning and mapping, urban architecture, film and photography, painting, poetry, fiction, and urban theory. And, we may study Atget, Baudelaire, Benjamin, Calvino, Dickens, Joyce, Rilke, Truffaut, Zola, and others.

Questions addressed will include: To what extent do those who would “improve” a city take into account the intangible qualities of that city? How do the economics of capital compromise with the economics of living? How does the body-healthy and unhealthy-interact with the built environment? How and why does the imagination create an “invisible city” that rivals the “real” geo-political site? Two classes per week.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Rosbottom.

206. Auralized Architectures: Re-Sounding the Ancient Past. (Offered as ARCH 206 and MUSI 114) Enlivened with sound, ancient sites, structures, and musical instruments are given voice by archaeoacoustics research techniques. How can digital technologies enable us to engage these long-silent traces of past life? How might sonic re-constructions or “auralizations” be situated to communicate multiple interpretations of the distant past? How do sonic architectures relate to other archaeological evidence? We will examine such questions through cross-disciplinary readings and discussion of theories and methods commonly and uncommonly employed in archaeology and sound studies. Via computer laboratory and field exercises, we will explore how audio digital signal processing (DSP) techniques can be applied to questions of ancient humanity and musical archaeology. Comparative examples of local, present-day sonic dynamics of the built environment will additionally inform our inquiry. Three class meetings for 50, 50, and 90 minutes.

Limited to 12 students. Fall semester. Five College Mellon Fellow Kolar.

208. Architecture of Traditional Societies. This class takes an ethno-historical approach to the architecture of societies that are under-represented in canonical architectural theory. We study the architecture of traditional societies through two supplementary lenses. On the one hand we look at the Euro-American perspective, studying how this type of architecture has been represented in classical architectural literature. The second lens is ethnographic and looks at traditional building from a locally informed perspective. Added to the seminar discussions, this class includes a visual analysis component. No previous architectural knowledge or special drafting skills required.

Limited to 22 students. Fall semester. Professor Arboleda.

216. Digital Constructions: Intermediate Architectural Design Studio. In this intermediate architectural design studio we will explore the intellectual and creative process of making and representing architectural space. The focus will be to explore the boundaries of architecture—physically and theoretically, historically and presently—through digital media. Our process will prompt us to dissect 20th-century European architectures and urban spaces and to explore their relationships to contemporary, global issues. The capstone of the course will be a significant design project (TBD) requiring rigorous studio practices, resulting in plans, sections, elevations and digital models. This course will introduce students to various digital diagramming, drawing, and modeling software, while challenging students to question the theoretical and practical implications of these interdisciplinary media processes. This course will combine lectures, reading, discussion, and extensive studio design.

Requisite: ARHA 111. Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Fall and spring semesters. Professor Long.

220. Reinventing Tokyo: The Art, Literature, and Politics of Japan’s Modern Capital. (Offered as ASLC 220 [J] and ARCH 220.) Tokyo is the political, cultural, and economic center of Japan, the largest urban conglomeration on the planet, holding 35 million people, fully one fifth of Japan’s population. Since its founding 400 years ago, when a small fishing village became Edo, the castle headquarters of the Tokugawa shoguns, the city has been reinvented multiple times—as the birthplace of Japan’s early modern urban bourgeois culture, imperial capital to a nation-state, center of modern consumer culture, postwar democratic exemplar, and postmodern metropolis. The course will focus on the portrayals of Tokyo and its reinventions in art, literature, and politics from the end of the Edo period to the present day. It will examine the changes that took place as the city modernized and Westernized in the Meiji era, became the center of modern urban life in Japan before the Second World War, and rebuilt itself as part of the country’s economic miracle in the postwar era. As the largest human cultural creation in Japan, one that endured political upheavals, fires, earthquakes, fire-bombings and unbridled development, Tokyo has always been a complex subject. The course will use that complexity to consider how to analyze an urban environment that draws upon Japan’s long history, yet which is also one of the most modern in Asia.

Preference to majors and students with an interest in urban studies. Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professors Morse and Van Compernolle.

242. Material Culture of American Homes. (Offered as HIST 242 [USP], ARCH 242, and AHRA 133) Using architecture, artifacts, visual evidence and documentary sources, the course examines social and cultural forces affecting the design and use of domestic architecture, home furnishings, and domestic technology in the eastern United States from 1600 to 1960. In addition to providing a survey of American domestic architecture, the course provides an introduction to the study of American material culture. Field trips to Historic Deerfield, Old Sturbridge Village, Hartford, Connecticut, and sites in Amherst form an integral part of the course. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor K. Sweeney.

271. Modern Architecture, Design, and the Built Environment. (Offered as ARHA 271, ARCH 271 and EUST 271.) This course considers architecture and design of the 19th and 20th centuries in light of contemporary disciplinary themes like space, globalization, and sustainability. In doing so, it strives to highlight the social, political, intellectual, and technological forces that have influenced (and continue to motivate) modern design. Key figures to be addressed include: Gottfried Semper, William Morris, Peter Behrens, Adolf Loos, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, Daniel Libeskind, Herzog and de Meuron, and Zaha Hadid. Two class meetings per week.

Requisite: EUST 216, EUST 364, a course in art history, studio art, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15.

360. Performance. (Offered as GERM 360, ARCH 360, EUST 360 and FAMS 316.) What is performance? What constitutes an event? How can we address a phenomenon that has disappeared the moment we apprehend it? How does memory operate in our critical perception of an event? How does a body make meaning? These are a few of the questions we will explore in this course, as we discuss critical, theoretical, and compositional approaches in a broad range of multidisciplinary performance phenomena emerging from European—primarily German—culture in the twentieth century. We will focus on issues of performativity, composition, conceptualization, dramaturgy, identity construction, representation, space, gender, and dynamism. Readings of performance theory, performance studies, gender studies, and critical/cultural studies, as well as literary, philosophical, and architectural texts will accompany close examination of performance material. Students will develop performative projects in various media (video, performance, text, online) and deliver a number of critical oral and written presentations on various aspects of the course material and their own projects. Performance material will be experienced live when possible, and in text, video, audio, digital media and online form, drawn from selected works of Dada and Surrealism, Bauhaus, German Expressionism, the Theater of the Absurd, Tanztheater, and Contemporary Theater, Performance, Dance, Opera, New Media, and Performance Art. A number of films, including Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, Oskar Schlemmer’s Das Triadische Ballett, Fernand Léger’s Ballet Mécanique, and Kurt Jooss’ Der Grüne Tisch, will be also screened. Conducted in English, with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gilpin.

363. Traumatic Events. (Offered as ARCH 363, GERM 363, EUST 363, and FAMS 370.) How is memory constructed and represented? How is it possible to bear witness, and what exactly is involved? Who is authorized to testify, to whom, when? Whose story is it? Is it possible to tell “the story” of a traumatic event? What are the disorders of testimony, and how and where do they emerge? This course will observe the workings of trauma (the enactment and working-through of collective and individual symptoms of trauma), memory, and witnessing in various modes of everyday life. We will examine notions of catastrophe, disaster, accident, and violence, and explore the possibilities and impossibilities of bearing witness in many forms of cultural production: in fiction, poetry, architecture, critical theory, oral and written testimonies, visual art, monuments, memorials, philosophy, science, cartoons, film, video, theater, television reportage, newspaper documentation, performance, online, and in our public and domestic spaces. We will study various representations of trauma, paying particular attention to events in Germany and Europe from the twentieth century, as well as to 9/11 and other recent international events. Material to be examined will be drawn from the work of Pina Bausch, Joseph Beuys, Christian Boltanski, Cathy Caruth, Paul Celan, Marguerite Duras, Peter Eisenman, Shoshana Felman, Florian Freund, Jochen Gerz, Geoffrey Hartman, Rebecca Horn, Marion Kant, Anselm Kiefer, Ruth Klüger, Dominick LaCapra, Claude Lanzmann, Dori Laub, Daniel Libeskind, W.G. Sebald, Art Spiegelman, Paul Virilio, Peter Weiss, Wim Wenders, Elie Wiesel, Christa Wolf, and others. Conducted in English with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Fall semester. Professor Gilpin.

364. Architectures of Disappearance. (Offered as GERM 364, ARCH 364, and EUST 364.) This course will address a number of developments and transformations in contemporary urban architecture and performance from an international perspective. We will explore issues including, but not limited to, trauma, memory, absence, perception, corporeality, representation, and the senses in our examination of recent work in Germany and elsewhere, and read a number of texts from the fields of philosophy, critical theory, performance studies, and visual and architectural studies, in an attempt to understand how architecture is beginning to develop compositional systems in which to envision dynamic and responsive spaces in specific cultural contexts. We will focus our research on the work of a number of German and international architects, performance, and new media artists, including Jochen Gerz, Renata Stih and Frieder Schnock, Horst Hoheisel, Micha Ullman, Shimon Attie, Daniel Libeskind, Peter Eisenman, Rem Koolhaas, Greg Lynn, Mark Goulthorpe, R & Sie(n), Axel Kilian, Paul Privitera, Hani Rashid and Lise-Ann Couture, Herzog and de Meuron, Archigram, William Forsythe, Jan Fabre, Rachel Whiteread, Rebecca Horn, Sasha Waltz, Richard Siegal, Michael Schumacher, Robert Wilson, the Blix Brothers of Berlin, Pina Bausch, Granular Synthesis, Sponge, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Toni Dove, and many others. Conducted in English, with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gilpin.

365. Making Memorials. (Offered as GERM 365 ARCH 365, and EUST 365.) This is a course about what happens to difficult memories: memories that are intensely personal, but made public, memories that belong to communities, but which become ideologically possessed by history, politics, or the media. How are memories processed into memorials? What constitutes a memorial? What gets included or excluded? How is memory performed in cultural objects, spaces, and institutions? What is the relationship between the politics of representation and memory? Who owns memory? Who is authorized to convey it? How does memory function? This course will explore the spaces in which memories are “preserved” and experienced. Our attention will focus on the transformation of private and public memories in works of architecture, performance, literature, and the visual arts primarily in Germany, Europe, and the United States. Preference given to German majors and European Studies majors, as well as to students interested in architecture/design, performance, the visual arts, interactive installation and/or the environment. Conducted in English, with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gilpin.

368. SPACE. (Offered as GERM 368, ARCH 368, EUST 368, and FAMS 373.) This research seminar will explore conceptions of space as they have informed and influenced thought and creativity in the fields of cultural studies, literature, architecture, urban studies, performance, and the visual, electronic, and time-based arts. Students will select and pursue a major semester-long research project early in the semester in consultation with the professor, and present their research in its various stages of development throughout the semester, in a variety of media formats (writing, performance, video, electronic art/interactive media, installation, online and networked events, architectural/design drawings/renderings), along with oral presentations of readings and other materials. Readings and visual materials will be drawn from the fields of literature and philosophy; from architectural, art, and film theory and history; from performance studies and performance theory; and from theories of technology and the natural and built environment. Emphasis on developing research, writing, and presentation skills is a core of this seminar.

Preference given to German majors and European Studies majors, as well as to students interested in architecture/design, performance, film/video, interactive installation, and/or the environment. Conducted in English. German majors will select a research project focused on a German Studies context, and will do a substantial portion of the readings in German.

Limited to 15 students. Enrollment requires attendance at the first class meeting. Spring semester. Professor Gilpin.

375. The Poetics and Politics of Sustainable Architecture. This course interrogates the prevalent discourse of sustainability in architectural design literature, under the premise that “sustainability” is a politically-framed and context-dependent notion.

The main issue we explore is the often sidelined disconnect between the green design discourse vis-à-vis issues of poverty, migration, and modernization. On one side of this disconnect there is a green design imaginary—based on the idea that everybody, everywhere agrees with the global environmental agenda of natural preservation, greenhouse gas emission reductions, and alternative technologies. On the other side there are four billion people in the world living below the poverty line, and as they face socio-economic pressures, their interests are often at odds with the global ideals of sustainable design and development. If the global green imaginary celebrates exuberant forests, in the local experience the forests are viewed as wood for cooking.

By looking at canonical texts on green design, and analyzing these in light of current events and social science theory, we critically study how the sustainable design discourse relates to that disconnect. Topics include green building activism and so-called barefoot architecture, naturalism in architecture, and an ethno-architectural analysis of Third World villager experiences. We also study the discourse of green design and culture, the poetics and politics of intermediate technology, and, lastly, issues of “green colonialism” and the commodification of the sustainability discourse.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Arboleda.

390. Special Topics. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

490. Special Topics. Fall and spring semester.

498. Senior Departmental Honors.. A full course. Fall semester.

499. Senior Departmental Honors.. A full course. Spring semester.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors.. A double course. Spring semester.

Related Courses

Drawing I. See ARHA 111.

Art and Architecture of Europe from 1400 to 1800. See ARHA 135.

American Art and Architecture, 1600 to Present. See ARHA 137.

Arts of China. See ARHA 147.

Twenty-four Buildings. See ARHA 151.

Visual Culture of the Islamic World. See ARHA 152.

Sculpture I. See ARHA 214.

Drawing II. See ARHA 222.

Sculpture from the Human Figure: Subject, Symbol, Object, Presence. See ARHA 230.

From Edo to Tokyo: Japanese Art from 1600 to the Present. See ARHA 262.

Sculpture II. See ARHA 324.

Museums and Society. See ARHA 380.

Reinventing Tokyo: The Art, Literature, and Politics of Japan’s Modern Capital. See ASLC 220.

Archaeology of Greece. See CLAS 134.

The Senses in Motion. See COLQ 237.

Cityscapes: Imagining the European City. See EUST 203.

Performance. See GERM 360.

Architectures of Disappearance. See GERM 364.

Making Memorials. See GERM 365.

SPACE. See GERM 368.

Material Culture of American Homes. See HIST 242.

Calculus with Algebra. See MATH 105.

Calculus with Elementary Functions. See MATH 106.

Introduction to the Calculus. See MATH 111.

Energy. See PHYS 109.

Introductory Physics I: Mechanics and Wave Motion. See PHYS 116.

Art and the History of Art

*On leave 2014-15.

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Abiodun, Clark†, Courtright, Keller*, Kimball (Chair), Morse, Staller‡, R. Sweeney, and Upton‡; Senior Resident Artists Garand and Gloman†; Assistant Professor Levine; Visiting Artists-in-Residence Ewald (fall) and Lieb (spring); Visiting Professor Lee (spring); Five College Visiting Associate Professor Falk (spring); Keiter Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor Rice; Visiting Lecturers Culhane, Lieberman (spring), Litchfield (fall) and Schneider (fall); STINT Fellow Holdar.

The Department of Art and the History of Art offers students a singular means within the College to develop artistic awareness, historical understanding, critical faculties and practice in the visual arts. Students across the College may accomplish these objectives by taking introductory to advanced courses in art history and studio practice. To identify and serve individual interests and goals, the department major is organized into two distinct programs: The History of Art, which offers two concentrations and The Practice of Art, which offers one concentration:

Art History: The ‘Art’ of the History of Art Concentration: Professors Abiodun, Staller‡, and Upton‡.

The Concentration called “ ‘Art’ of the History of Art” aims to integrate a rigorous grounding in both the disciplines of Art History and Studio Practice. Rigorous grounding in Studio Practice means a working knowledge of two-dimensional form, three-dimensional form and color. In Art History it means a working knowledge of pre-Modern, Modern, African and Asian Art.

The goal of this Concentration is to identify the power of ‘art’ within its historical, cultural, theoretical and material presence in the world. This shared goal may be met through courses individually selected by each participating student in consultation with their advisor in this Concentration.

Since this is an “open” Concentration, there is no upper limit on the number of courses that students might take within and outside the department. As a guide, however, the normal expectation is a minimum of one course focusing on each of the specific areas in Studio Practice and Art History that are designated above, along with two advanced courses in art history to assure explicit awareness of art historical method and purpose. This Concentration assumes the completion of a total of 10 courses or 12 if the student pursues an honors project.

Course Requirements: The ‘Art’ of the History of Art is a goal-oriented concentration with an open curriculum comprising ten courses (12 with honors project) selected in consultation with the advisors for this concentration. The concentration called “Art of the History of Art” aims to integrate a rigorous grounding in both the disciplines of Art History and Studio Practice. Rigorous grounding in Studio Practice means a working knowledge of two-dimensional form, three-dimensional form and color. In Art History it means a working knowledge of pre-Modern, Modern, African and Asian Art. The goal of this concentration is to identify the power of ‘art’ within its historical, cultural, theoretical and material presence in the world. This shared goal may be met through courses individually selected by each participating student in consultation with their advisor in this concentration. Since this is an “open” concentration, there is no upper limit on the number of courses that students might take within and outside the department. As a guide, however, the normal expectation is a minimum of one course focusing on each of the specific areas in Studio Practice and Art History that are designated above, along with two advanced courses in art history to assure explicit awareness of art historical method and purpose. This Concentration assumes the completion of a total of 10 courses or 12 if the student pursues an honors project.

Honors: Candidates for honors will, with departmental permission, take ARHA 498-499 during their senior year. Honors work in this concentration provides an opportunity for independent historical research and writing, resulting in a thesis project in art history or some combination of art history, the practice of art and/or related areas of study in which ‘art’ in some form becomes manifest, including the very writing of an art historical essay.

Comprehensive Examination: In spring of the senior year, students in this concentration will complete a comprehensive examination in consultation with their advisor. In this self-directed examination which may include any relevant material, each student will demonstrate an individually evolved sophistication in their understanding of ‘art’ within the history of art.

Advising: To allow for maximum individual flexibility and the purposeful integration of the disciplines of the practice of art and art history, each student in this concentration will select all of their concentration courses freely, but with the advice and guidance of their assigned advisor(s). We encourage student-centered initiatives (independent of honors work) including, courses in the Department of Art and Art History or related fields, lectures, site visits, language study, self directed essays or works of art that broaden the student’s particular major concentration while deepening and extending forward the pursuit of artistic awareness.

Art History: Historical and Cultural Studies Concentration: Professors Clark†, Courtright, and Morse; Visiting Professor Falk; Visiting Assistant Professor Rice; Visiting Lecturer Lieberman.

For students who want an intensive and structured engagement with the visual heritage of many cultures throughout the centuries, this concentration requires not only the study of art history as a way to acquire deep and broad visual understanding, but also a self-conscious focus on the contexts and meanings of art. By encountering the architecture, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and material culture created within a variety of historical frameworks, students will deepen their understanding of political, religious, philosophical, aesthetic, and social currents that defined those times as well. As a consequence, students will face art and issues that challenge preconceptions of our own era.

Course Requirements: The concentration consists of a minimum of 10 courses (12 with honors project). With the help of a department advisor, each student will devise a program of study and a sequence of courses that must include:

One introductory course in the history of art

One course in the arts of Asia or Africa

One course in European art before 1800

One course in European or American art after 1800

Two upper-level courses or seminars with research papers, one of which may be a course outside the department with a focus on visual arts in the student’s research paper

One studio course (before Senior Year)

Many of our courses could count for two of these requirements. For example, an upper-level course in European art before 1800 with a required research paper will fulfill two of the requirements. An introductory course in the arts of Asia will fulfill two of the requirements as well.

Honors: Candidates for honors in this concentration will, with departmental permission, take ARHA 498-499 during their senior year.

Comprehensive Examination: Students who have chosen the major concentration History of Art: Historical and Cultural Studies in the Department of Art and the History of Art fulfill the comprehensive examination during the senior year by considering the way in which a text, chosen by the faculty, shapes or challenges their understanding of works of art. Each student’s inquiry forms the basis for an essay, which all majors who chose this concentration and faculty members discuss at a colloquium early in the spring semester of the senior year.

The Practice of Art: Studio Concentration: Professors Keller and R. Sweeney‡; Associate Professor Kimball; Visiting Assistant Professor Levine; Senior Resident Artist Garand; Resident Artist Gloman; Artists-in-Residence Ewald and Wirthmann; Visiting Lecturer Culhane.

The concentration in the Practice of Art enables students to become fluent in the discipline of the practice of visual arts. Students will develop critical and analytical thinking as well as the discipline’s techniques and methods as a means to explore artistic, intellectual and human experience. Students will build towards creating a personal vision beginning with primary studies in drawing and introductory art history, proceeding on to courses using a broad range of media, and culminating in advanced studio studies of a more self directed nature. Working with their advisor, students will be encouraged to nurture the strong interdisciplinary opportunities found both at Amherst and the other institutions in the valley.

Course Requirements: The Practice of Art concentration consists of a minimum of 10 courses (12 with honors project):

Drawing I (ARHA 111 may be considered as an alternative in special cases.)

Painting I

Sculpture I

Printmaking I

Photography I

Studio Elective

Studio Elective

Studio Elective

Art History Elective

Art History or Related Elective (contemporary art history strongly encouraged)

In consultation with their advisors, students in this concentration will be encouraged to take additional courses both in art history and other disciplines. These courses should be broadly related to their artistic interests outside of the studio concentration, enriching their interdisciplinary understanding and engagement within a liberal arts curriculum. This expectation will be especially high for honors thesis candidates.

Honors: Candidates for honors will, with departmental permission, take ARHA 498-499 during the senior year. Students must apply and be accepted at the end of their third year, usually the last week in April. In designing their year-long projects, students will be encouraged to explore the interdisciplinary implications and opportunities inherent in their artistic directions. Thesis students will also be required to develop a statement that ultimately places their body of work within a historical and cultural artistic discourse. There will be an exhibition of the bodies of work representing the honors theses in the Eli Marsh Gallery, Fayerweather Hall, in May.

Comprehensive Examination: Required of all studio concentration majors, except thesis students. This work should be done in consultation with your advisor. You should meet with them before thanksgiving break.

Creation in the senior year of an independent work/s of art. This project is designed and created independently by the student, can be in any medium or combination of mediums, and may also be interdisciplinary in nature. Students will also develop a concise, written statement that addresses their conceptual concerns, process, choice of materials and media. It should cite influences as well as place the work within a historical and artistic context. The written statement and the work/s of art are due on Monday of the 6th week of the student’s final semester. On that day students are expected to hang the work for a week-long group exhibition to be reviewed by the Studio Faculty. A PDF of the written component is due as an attachment by email to the Department Coordinator—finearts@amherst.edu—on the same Monday.

history of Art

133. Material Culture of American Homes. (Offered as HIST 242 [USP], ARCH 242, and AHRA 133) Using architecture, artifacts, visual evidence and documentary sources, the course examines social and cultural forces affecting the design and use of domestic architecture, home furnishings, and domestic technology in the eastern United States from 1600 to 1960. In addition to providing a survey of American domestic architecture, the course provides an introduction to the study of American material culture. Field trips to Historic Deerfield, Old Sturbridge Village, Hartford, Connecticut, and sites in Amherst form an integral part of the course. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor K. Sweeney.

135. Art and Architecture of Europe from 1400 to 1800. (Offered as ARHA 135, ARCH 135, and EUST 135.) This course is an introduction to painting, sculpture, and architecture of the early modern period. The goal of the course is to identify artistic innovations that characterize European art from the Renaissance to the French Revolution, and to situate the works of art historically, by examining the intellectual, political, religious, and social currents that contributed to their creation. In addition to tracing stylistic change within the oeuvre of individual artists and understanding its meaning, we will investigate the varied character of art, its interpretation, and its context in different regions, including Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands.

Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor Courtright.

137. American Art and Architecture, 1600 to Present. Through the study of form, content, and context (and the relationship among these categories) of selected works of painting, architecture, and sculpture made in colonial America and the United States from the seventeenth to the twentieth century, this course will probe changing American social and cultural values embodied in art. We will study individual artists as well as thematic issues, with particular attention to the production and reception of art in a developing nation, the transformation of European architectural styles into a new environment, the construction of race in ante- and post-bellum America, and the identification of an abstract style of art with the political ascendance of the United States after World War II. Introductory level.

Limited to 35 students. Spring semester. Professor Clark.

138. Visual Arts and Orature in Africa. (Offered as BLST 313 [A] and ARHA 138.) In the traditionally non-literate societies of Africa, verbal and visual arts constitute two systems of communication. The performance of verbal art and the display of visual art are governed by social and cultural rules. We will examine the epistemological process of understanding cultural symbols, of visualizing narratives, or proverbs, and of verbalizing sculptures or designs. Focusing on the Yoruba people of West Africa, the course will attempt to interpret the language of their verbal and visual arts and their interrelations in terms of cultural cosmologies, artistic performances, and historical changes in perception and meaning. We will explore new perspectives in the critical analysis of African verbal and visual arts, and their interdependence as they support each other through mutual references and allusions.

Fall semester. Professor Abiodun.

146. Art From the Realm of Dreams. (Offered as ARHA 146, EUST 146, and SWAG 113.) We begin with a long-standing Spanish obsession with dreams, analyzing images and texts by Calderón, Quevedo and Goya. We next will consider a range of dream workers from a range of cultures, centuries, and disciplines—among them Apollinaire, Freud, Breton, Dalí, Carrington, and Kahlo—as well as others working around the globe in our own time.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15 Professor Staller.

147. Arts of China. (Offered as ARHA 147 and ASLC 143.) An introduction to the history of Chinese art from its beginnings in neolithic times until the end of the twentieth century. Topics will include the ritual bronze vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Chinese transformation of the Buddha image, imperial patronage of painting during the Song dynasty and the development of the literati tradition of painting and calligraphy. Particular weight will be given to understanding the cultural context of Chinese art.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Morse.

148. Arts of Japan. (Offered as ARHA 148 and ASLC 123.) A survey of the history of Japanese art from neolithic times to the present. Topics will include Buddhist art and its ritual context, the aristocratic arts of the Heian court, monochromatic ink painting and the arts related to the Zen sect, the prints and paintings of the Floating World and contemporary artists and designers such as Ando Tadao and Miyake Issey. The class will focus on the ways Japan adopts and adapts foreign cultural traditions. There will be field trips to look at works in museums and private collections in the region.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Morse.

149. Survey of African Art. (Offered as ARHA 149 and BLST 123 [A].) An introduction to the ancient and traditional arts of Africa. Special attention will be given to the archaeological importance of the rock art paintings found in such disparate areas as the Sahara and South Africa, achievements in the architectural and sculptural art in clay of the early people in the area now called Zimbabwe and the aesthetic qualities of the terracotta and bronze sculptures of the Nok, Igbo-Ukwe, Ife and Benin cultures in West Africa, which date from the second century B.C.E. to the sixteenth century C.E. The study will also pursue a general socio-cultural survey of traditional arts of the major ethnic groups of Africa.

Spring semester. Professor Abiodun.

151. Twenty-four Buildings. This course is a history of western architecture from Classical Greece to Post-Modern America in the form of relatively detailed considerations of two dozen buildings. After introductory discussions of the nature of architecture and various structural materials and systems, each class will be devoted to a single building. This approach offers the scope to demonstrate that works of architecture can be historically important for different reasons: some conclude a line of stylistic or technical development, others initiate them; some are structurally daring while others are quite unadventurous; some were built to solve standard problems, others to solve new and unprecedented ones.

The lectures are intended as both introductions to particular buildings and examples of the varied ways architecture can be considered. What makes specific buildings great will be emphasized rather than how they fit into an apparently inevitable development.

Among the buildings to be studied are: the Parthenon, the Pantheon, Constantine’s church of Saint Peter, Hagia Sophia, Chartres cathedral, The Ospedale degli Innocenti in Florence, Sant’Andrea in Mantua, Bramante’s Saint Peter’s, Saint Eustache in Paris, the Villa Rotunda, Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza in Rome, the Petit Trianon at Versailles, the Crystal Palace, the Paris Opera, the Guaranty Building in Buffalo, Villa Savoye near Paris, Fallingwater, the Seagram Building in New York and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Visiting Lecturer Lieberman.

152. Visual Culture of the Islamic World. (Offered as ARHA 152 and ASLC 142.) This introductory course explores the architecture, manuscripts, painting, textiles, decorative arts, material culture, and popular art of the Islamic world, from the late seventh century C.E., touching on the present. It follows a basic chronology, but is structured primarily through thematic issues central to the study of Islamic visual culture, including, but not limited to: orality and textuality, geometry and ornament, optics and perception, sacred and royal space, the image and aniconism, modernity and tradition, and artistic exchange with Europe, China, and beyond. The class will focus on the relationships between visual culture, history, and literature, analyzing specific sites or objects, for example the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, carved ivory boxes from Spain, luxury manuscripts from Cairo, gardens of Iran, and contemporary art from Pakistan, alongside primary and secondary texts. Films, audio recordings, and field-trips to local museum collections will supplement assigned readings and lectures. Participation in class discussion, a significant component of the course, is expected. No previous background is presumed, and all readings will be available in English.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Professor Rice.

153. Convergent Histories (Art Since 1950). This course is a survey of contemporary art since 1950. It examines the dissolution of high art as a concept and looks at how media, from ceramics and textiles to photography, video and media art, came to contest that notion even while aspiring to it. In light of the convergence of discipline-specific and other cultural histories with modernism, this course considers counter modernisms and the deconstruction and revision of Western art history. Students will also be introduced to the global contemporary art world and begin to explore how art operates aesthetically, politically, emotionally, and intellectually. Through the work of selected artists, critics, curators, historians, and theorists, students will investigate a range of processes, concepts and issues that are important in global culture today.

Limited to 50 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Professor Falk.

250. The Monastic Challenge. (Offered as ARHA 250 and EUST 250.) This course aims to be a visually and spatially attentive search for the “art” of the monastic and cathedral masterpieces of medieval France. First, by learning how to recognize, define, and respond to the artistic values embodied in several “romanesque” and “gothic” monuments including the Abbeys of Fontenay, Vézelay and Mont St. Michel and the Cathedrals of Laôn, Paris, Chartres, Amiens and Reims, we will try to engage directly (e.g., architecturally and spatially) the human aspiration these structures embody. Secondly, with the help of two literary masterpieces from the period, The Song of Roland and Tristan and Isolde, we will discover that the heart of the “monastic” challenge to our own era is not the common opposition of the medieval and modern worlds, but rather the recognition of the potential diminishment of “art” by an exclusively ratiocinated view of all reality. The tragic love affair of Eloise and Peter Abelard will dramatize a vital existential dilemma too easily forgotten that always (but especially in our time) threatens “art,” human compassion and spirituality. Our goal is to reclaim the poetic potential of the word “cathedral.” Two class meetings per week.

Requisite: One course in Art and the History of Art or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Upton.

253. Dutch and Flemish Painting (The Art of Beholding). (Offered as ARHA 253 and EUST 253). This course means to ask the question: What would it be like to engage with the paintings of Jan van Eyck, Roger van der Weyden, Hieronymous Bosch, Pieter Bruegel, Jan Vermeer and Rembrandt van Rijn as a consciously embodied person and to reclaim in such a direct encounter the rejuvenating powers of erôs, insight and wisdom residing within ourselves and in the art of works of art with which we would behold. In addition to reaffirming the practice of artistic contemplation for its own sake, “Dutch and Flemish Painting” will offer explicit guidance in both the means and the attitude of being that underlie and enable such beholding. In learning how to ‘behold’, our goal will be to allow a series of exemplary masterpieces including Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Double Portrait and the Ghent Alterpiece, Roger’s Portrait of a Lady, the Prado Deposition, and the Beaune Last Judgment; Bosch’s Death of a Miser; Brueghal’s Seasons; Vermeer’s Artist in his Studio and Portrait of a Girl with a Pearl Earring; Rembrandt’s Nightwatch and several intimate Self Portraits to open outward and implicate us in their human aspiration to wholeness. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Upton.

261. Buddhist Art of Asia. (Offered as ARHA 261 and as ASLC 260.) Visual imagery plays a central role in the Buddhist faith. As the religion developed and spread throughout Asia it took many forms. This class will first examine the appearance of the earliest aniconic traditions in ancient India, the development of the Buddha image, and early monastic centers. It will then trace the dissemination and transformation of Buddhist art as the religion reached South-East Asia, Central Asia, and eventually East Asia. In each region indigenous cultural practices and artistic traditions influenced Buddhist art. Among the topics the class will address are the nature of the Buddha image, the political uses of Buddhist art, the development of illustrated hagiographies, and the importance of pilgrimage, both in the past and the present.

Fall semester. Professor Morse.

262. From Edo to Tokyo: Japanese Art from 1600 to the Present. (Offered as ARHA 262 and ASLC 238 [J].) In 1590 the Tokugawa family founded its provincial headquarters in eastern Japan. By the eighteenth century, this castle town, named Edo (now known as Tokyo), had become the world’s largest city. This class will focus on the appearance of artistic traditions in the new urban center and compare them with concurrent developments in the old capital of Kyoto. Topics of discussion will include the revival of classical imagery during the seventeenth century, the rise of an urban bourgeois culture during the eighteenth century, the conflicts brought on by the opening of Japan to the West in the nineteenth century, the reconstruction of Tokyo and its artistic practices after the Second World War, and impact of Japanese architecture, design and popular culture over the past twenty years.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Morse.

266. Sacred Images and Sacred Space: The Visual Culture of Religion in Japan. (Offered as ARHA 266 and ASLC 261.) An interdisciplinary study of the visual culture of the Buddhist and Shinto religious traditions in Japan. The class will examine in depth a number of Japan’s most important sacred places, including Ise Shrine, Tôdaiji, Daitokuji and Mount Fuji, and will also look at the way contemporary architects such as Andô Tadao and Takamatsu Shin have attempted to create new sacred places in Japan today. Particular emphasis will be placed on the ways by which the Japanese have given distinctive form to their religious beliefs through architecture, painting and sculpture, and the ways these objects have been used in religious ritual.

Spring semester. Professor Morse.

267. The Arts of the Book in Iran and Islamic South Asia, 1250-1650. (Offered as ARHA 267 and ASLC 267.) This course considers the arts of the book at the royal courts of Greater Iran (including Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia) and Islamic South Asia from the thirteenth through seventeenth centuries. It will focus in particular on illustrated histories and poetic works in Persian, including Abu’l Qasim Firdausi’s Shahnama (Book of Kings), Nizami Ganjavi’s Khamsa (Quintet), and Abu’l Fazl’s Akbarnama (Book of Akbar), among others. All aspects of manuscript production will be considered, from the arts of “miniature painting,” calligraphy, and illumination, to the preparation of paper, brushes, inks, and pigments. The class will explore in depth the nature of the royal manuscript workshop, the formation of visual idioms, the roles of originality and imitation in artistic practice, the aesthetics of the illustrated page, and the theorization of painting and calligraphy in technical treatises, poetry, and other primary texts. Emphasis will be placed on the great movement of artists, materials, and ideas across the Islamic world, all of which contributed to the rise of an elite, cosmopolitan culture of manuscript connoisseurs. Examination of objects in the Mead Art Museum and other local collections will supplement classroom discussion and assigned readings. No previous knowledge of the topic is presumed, and all reading will be available in English.

Requisite: One course in Art History or Studio Art. Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Professor Rice.

270. African Art and the Diaspora. (Offered as ARHA 270 and BLST 293 [D].) The course of study will examine those African cultures and their arts that have survived and shaped the aesthetic, philosophic and religious patterns of African descendants in Brazil, Cuba, Haiti and urban centers in North America. We shall explore the modes of transmission of African artistry to the West and examine the significance of the preservation and transformation of artistic forms from the period of slavery to our own day. Through the use of films, slides and objects, we shall explore the depth and diversity of this vital artistic heritage of Afro-Americans.

Fall semester. Professor Abiodun.

271. Modern Architecture, Design, and the Built Environment. (Offered as ARHA 271, ARCH 271 and EUST 271.) This course considers architecture and design of the 19th and 20th centuries in light of contemporary disciplinary themes like space, globalization, and sustainability. In doing so, it strives to highlight the social, political, intellectual, and technological forces that have influenced (and continue to motivate) modern design. Key figures to be addressed include: Gottfried Semper, William Morris, Peter Behrens, Adolf Loos, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, Daniel Libeskind, Herzog and de Meuron, and Zaha Hadid. Two class meetings per week.

Requisite: EUST 216, EUST 364, a course in art history, studio art, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15.

272. Foundations and Integrations: Film and Media Studies. (Offered as ENGL 281, FAMS 220, and ARHA 272.) “Foundations and Integrations” will be an annual team-taught course between a Critical Studies scholar and moving-image artist. A requirement of the Film and Media Studies major, it will build on critical analysis of moving images and introductory production work to develop an integrated critical and creative practice. Focused in particular around themes and concepts, students will develop ideas in both written and visual form. The theme for spring 2013 will be “Film and Inner Life.”

Requisites: A foundations course in Critical Studies of Film and Media (such as “Coming to Terms: Cinema”) and an introductory film/video production workshop. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hastie.

273. Modernization, Modernity, and Modernism in Europe, 1848-1918. (Offered as ARHA 273 and EUST 273.) This course considers the dynamics of European Modernism between 1848 and 1918 in relation to processes of modernization, such as technological innovation, the advent of mass culture and spectacle, and socio-political change. In tracing the history of visual culture from the introduction of photography through the rise of cinema, we will address the work of Gustave Courbet, William Henry Fox Talbot, Edouard Manet, Camille Pissarro, Georges Méliès, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Vladimir Tatlin, and others.

Requisite: a course in art history, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15.

274. Contemporary Art and Curatorial Practice. Since the thorough renegotiation of the concept of art in the 1960s and 70s, contemporary art has continuously come to explore new media, sites, and expressions. Conceptual art, performance, video- and sound-based art are examples that often illustrate this development. However, they also act alongside an expanded understanding of traditional art forms such as painting and sculpture, both of which have taken radically new directions during the past decades. The vivid and changing field of artistic practices provides new challenges for museums and curators in terms of collecting, displaying, and communicating art to the public. This course offers theoretical and practical takes on curating and curatorial practices in relation to contemporary art and makes full use of the collection and facilities of the Mead Art Museum. The course investigates the relation between contemporary artistic and curatorial practices mainly from the perspective of the museum, but also with reference to curating outside the frame of an institution. It is designed to combine theory with practice in order to raise awareness of the effects curating can have on the individual artwork. The course aims to deepen the understanding of the individual artwork’s potential to communicate different narratives or expressions. Class is based on lectures regularly incorporating discussion. Recurring sessions at the Mead, which will include examinations of works from the collection, constitute a core in the course structure.

Seminars and lectures discuss central aspects in curating and museum practices, such as collecting and conservation; installation and display; education (including the use of new media); documentation. Named aspects are related to contemporary artistic practices in performance, photography, video- and sound-based art, conceptual art, street art and graffiti, contemporary painting, and sculpture. Furthermore, the course discusses the artist as researcher and curator, areas that have had impact on art education and the distinction between curating and art production in recent years. The course includes one field trip, e.g., Mass MoCA.

Limited to 15 students. Art history concentrators preferred; then upper-class students who have taken art history. STINT Fellow Holdar.

281. The Arts of Exchange: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Islamic World, 1400-1800. (Offered as ARHA 281and ASLC 281.) This course examines artistic exchanges and encounters in the Islamic world during the early modern period. We will focus on the movement of artists, objects, and systems of knowledge between and beyond the Mamluk, Ottoman, Timurid, Safavid, and Mughal courts, placing special emphasis upon encounters with the arts of Europe and East Asia. Among the topics to be considered are the design, circulation, and trade of textiles; the arts of diplomacy and gift exchange; the nature of curiosity and wonder; and artists’ responses to the “other.” This course aims to challenge conventional, essentialist binaries (e.g., East vs. West, Islamic vs. European), and to re-assess the standard art historical narratives from a more culturally, geographically, and economically interconnected perspective.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Visiting Professor Rice.

284. Women and Art in Early Modern Europe. (Offered as ARHA 284, EUST 284, and SWAG 206.) This course will examine the ways in which prevailing ideas about women and gender-shaped visual imagery, and how these images influenced ideas concerning women from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. It will adopt a comparative perspective, both by identifying regional differences among European nations and tracing changes over time. In addition to considering patronage of art by women and works by women artists, we will look at the depiction of women heroes such as Judith; the portrayal of women rulers, including Elizabeth I and Marie de’ Medici; and the imagery of rape. Topics emerging from these categories of art include biological theories about women; humanist defenses of women; the relationship between the exercise of political power and sexuality; differing attitudes toward women in Catholic and Protestant art; and feminine ideals of beauty.

Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Courtright.

301. The Art of Beholding. What would it be like to “behold”? Without diminishing the value of objective observation, analysis, cultural and historical positioning of works of art, this seminar will offer a working hypothesis concerning the act of “beholding” as a deliberate and disciplined means of entering into the thrall of the art of individual works of art. Learning to behold by beholding: Each member of the seminar will have the opportunity to experience and assess the power of “beholding” by way of a semester-long encounter with one painting of their choosing, including time spent with this painting in situ. We will follow the progress of each encounter in conversation and presentation during our class meetings through a series of particular focused steps leading to the direct experience of “beholding,” both individually and as a group. Our goal will be to re-imagine the possibility that artistic contemplation realized in multiple forms (not only pictorial, architectural and sculptural, but social, political, economic, religious and spiritual) is the highest aspiration of our human being in which love will have become the animating source of compassionate action. One class meeting per week.

Limited to 10 students. Fall semester. Professor Upton.

352. Proseminar: Images of Sickness and Healing. (Offered as ARHA 352, EUST 352 and SWAG 352.) In this research seminar, we will explore how sickness and healing were understood, taking examples over centuries. We will analyze attitudes toward bodies, sexuality, and deviance—toward physical and spiritual suffering—as we analyze dreams of cures and transcendence. We will interrogate works by artists such as Grünewald, Goya, Géricault, Munch, Ensor, Van Gogh, Schiele, Cornell and Picasso, as well as images by artists in our own time: Kiki Smith, the AIDS quilt, Nicolas Nixon, Hannah Wilke, and others. Texts by Edgar Allen Poe, Sander Gilman, Roy Porter, Susan Sontag, Thomas Laquer and Caroline Walker Bynum will inspire us as well. Significant research projects with presentations in class. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Staller.

353. Myth, Ritual and Iconography in West Africa. (Offered as BLST 315 [A] and ARHA 353.) Through a contrastive analysis of the religious and artistic modes of expression in three West African societies—the Asanti of the Guinea Coast, and the Yoruba and Igbo peoples of Nigeria—the course will explore the nature and logic of symbols in an African cultural context. We shall address the problem of cultural symbols in terms of African conceptions of performance and the creative play of the imagination in ritual acts, masked festivals, music, dance, oral histories, and the visual arts as they provide the means through which cultural heritage and identity are transmitted and preserved, while, at the same time, being the means for innovative responses to changing social circumstances.

Spring semester. Professor Abiodun.

356. Baroque Art in Italy, France, Spain, and the Spanish Netherlands. (Offered as ARHA 356 and EUST 356.) After the canonization of the notion of artistic genius in the Italian Renaissance and the subsequent imaginative license of artists known as Mannerists, phenomena sponsored throughout Europe by the largesse of merchants, courtiers, aristocrats, princes, and Churchmen alike, a crisis occurred in European society—and art—in the second half of the sixteenth century. Overturned dogmas of faith, accompanied by scientific discoveries and brutal political changes, brought about the reconsideration of fundamental values that had undergirded many facets of life and society in Europe at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the starting point of this course. Unexpectedly, these upheavals led to a renewed proliferation of innovative art. In this century of remarkably varied artistic production, paradoxes abounded. Some artists sought the illusion of reality by imitating unimproved, even base nature through close observation of the human body, of landscape, and of ordinary, humble objects of daily use, as others continued to quest for perfection in a return to the lofty principles implicit in ancient artistic canons of ideality. More than ever before, artists explored the expression of passion through dramatic narratives and sharply revealing portraiture, but, famously, artists also imbued art meant to inspire religious devotion with unbounded eroticism or with the gory details of painful suffering and hideous death. They depicted dominating political leaders as flawed mortals—even satirized them through the new art of caricature—at the same time that they developed a potent and persuasive vocabulary for the expression of the rulers’ absolutist political power. This class, based on lectures but regularly incorporating discussion, will examine in depth selected works of painting, sculpture, and architecture produced by artists in the countries which remained Catholic after the religious discords of this period—e.g., Caravaggio, Bernini, Poussin, Velázquez, and Rubens in Italy, France, Spain, and the Spanish Netherlands—as well as engaging the cultural, social, and intellectual framework for their accomplishments. Upper level.

Requisite: One other course in art history or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Courtright.

360. Public Art and Collective Memory in the United States. (Offered as AMST 360 and ARHA 360.) What is public art and what role does it play in public life and collective memory in the United States? In this course we will study art that is commissioned, paid for, and owned by the state as well as private works scaled to public encounter. A focus of our study will be the evolution of public art in Washington, D.C. (19th-21st centuries), but we will range from New York harbor to the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Great Salt Lake, and we will discuss the fate of works that, like Richard Serra’s Tilted Arc, exist today only in photographic record and documented debate. Asking whether and how public art mediates between private and public life will guide us to consider when and how it defines national or local values and why so many public art projects have aroused controversy. The course is organized around class discussion and student presentations, and it includes short papers and a paper/presentation of an independent research project. Two meetings per week.

Requisite: One course in American Studies, History, or the History of Art. Limited to 20 students. Permission required for first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Clark.

361. Arts of Korea. (Offered as ARHA 361 and ASLC 361.) A study of the major artistic traditions of the Korean peninsula and the cultural context that shaped them. Starting with the prehistoric period and continuing to the beginning of the twenty-first century, this seminar will focus in particular on the Buddhist architecture and sculpture of the Three Kingdoms and Unified Silla periods, Goguryeo celadons and Joseon Dynasty painting. It will conclude with an examination of Korean art during the Japanese colonial period and developments in contemporary art during the past three decades. Relevant artistic developments in China and Japan will also be considered to bring the distinctive traditions of the Korean peninsula into clearer focus. There will be field trips to look at collections of Korean art in the northeast.

Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Morse.

374. To Sculpt a Modern Woman’s Life. (Offered as ARHA 374, EUST 384, and SWAG 374.) We will revel in dramatically different works by women artists, from Magdalena Abakanowicz, Lynda Benglis and Louise Bourgeois, to Eva Hesse, Jeanne-Claude, Jenny Holzer, Rona Pondick, Doris Salcedo, Kiki Smith and Rachel Whiteread on down, as we explore how they created themselves through their work. As a foil, we will analyze the invented personas of Sarah Bernhardt and Madonna, as well as images of women by Renoir, Cézanne, Picasso, Magritte, de Kooning, Woody Allen, and Saura. While we will focus on original objects and primary texts (such as artists’ letters or interviews), we will also critique essays by current feminist scholars and by practitioners of “the new cultural his-tory,” in order to investigate possible models for understanding the relationship between a woman and her modern culture at large. Assignments will include a substantial research paper and at least one field trip.

Requisite: One course in modern art or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Staller.

380. Museums and Society. This course considers how art museums reveal the social and cultural ideologies of those who build, pay for, work in, and visit them. We will study the ways in which art history is (and has been) constructed by museum acquisitions, exhibitions, and installation and the ways in which museums are constructed by art history by looking at the world-wide boom in museum architecture, and by examining curatorial practice and exhibition strategies as they affect American and Asian art. We will analyze the relationship between the cultural contexts of viewer and object, the nature of the translation of languages or aesthetic discourse, and the diverse ways in which art is understood as the materialization of modes of experience and communication. The seminar will incorporate visits to art museums and opportunities for independent research. Two meetings per week.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professors Clark and Morse.

381. The Art of the Talisman. (Offered as ARHA 381 and ASLC 381.) The term “talisman,” from telesma (Greek) and tilsam (Arabic), has traditionally been defined as a magical object that is believed to repel harmful or evil forces. According to this view, a talisman is more interesting for what it does rather than what it represents or how it looks. Taking the arts of the Near East and South Asia as its primary frame, this course aims to move beyond these standard claims to examine the aesthetic dimensions of the talisman. What forms do talismans assume, and why? How—and with what materials, texts, and physical senses (smell, sight, touch)—are talismans made? And in what ways does this intersection of multiple systems of knowledge challenge basic assumptions regarding the relationship between art and reality? Among the objects we will explore are amulets, prayer scrolls, astrological materials, illustrated divination manuscripts, books of wonders, and talismanic clothing. While our case studies will be drawn mainly from the Islamic and South Asian spheres, students will have the opportunity to investigate a topic outside these realms for their final research project. Participation in class discussion, a significant component of the course, is expected. All readings will be available in English. One class meeting per week.

Requisite: One course in History of Art, History, Anthropology, or Religion. Limited to 20 students. Permission required for first-year students. Fall semester. Visiting Professor Rice.

383. The Tea Ceremony and Japanese Culture. (Offered as ARHA 383 and ASLC 319.) An examination of the history of chanoyu, the tea ceremony, from its origins in the fifteenth century to the practice of tea today. The class will explore the various elements that comprise the tea environment-the garden setting, the architecture of the tea room, the forms of tea utensils, and the elements of the kaiseki meal. Through a study of the careers of influential tea masters and texts that examine the historical, religious, and cultural background to tea culture, the class will also trace how the tea ceremony has become a metaphor for Japanese culture and Japanese aesthetics both in Japan and in the West. There will be field trips to visit tea ware collections, potters and tea masters. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Morse.

385. Witches, Vampires and Other Monsters. (Offered as ARHA 385, EUST 385, and SWAG 310.) This course will explore the construction of the monstrous, over cultures, centuries and disciplines. With the greatest possible historical and cultural specificity, we will investigate the varied forms of monstrous creatures, their putative powers, and the explanations given for their existence-as we attempt to articulate the kindred qualities they share. Among the artists to be considered are Valdés Leal, Velázquez, Goya, Munch, Ensor, Redon, Nolde, Picasso, Dalí, Kiki Smith, and Cindy Sherman. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Staller.

412. The Sixties. We will investigate a series of historical events (such as the Vietnam War, the Cuban missile crisis, Stonewall, the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King) as well as the Civil Rights Movement, the rise of identity politics (Feminism, Black Power, the Brown Berets) and the counterculture. We will study the myriad art forms and their attendant ideologies invented during the decade (such as Pop, Op, Color Field, Minimalism, Land Art, Conceptual Art, Performance Art, Fluxus), as well as some crucial critics, dealers and art journals, in an effort to understand the ways in which artists rejected or appropriated, then transformed, certain themes and conceptual models of their time.

Requisite: One course in modern art or consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Staller.

456. Matisse and Picasso. We will study two of the greatest artists of all time—their complex relationships to their current worlds, toward traditions and each other. We will interrogate their attitudes toward nature, the sacred, history and gender, as well as the ways in which they recast myths, fears and dreams from the countries and regions of their birth and later experience. We will analyze the ways in which they responded to particular geographies and qualities of light, as we interrogate ways in which their works addressed—and sometimes aggressively did not address—cataclysmic events in the social sphere: anarchist insurrections, the Guerra Civil, two world wars. We will consider their drawings, paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, and writing, from the entire trajectory of their careers, reveling in original objects whenever possible. In addition to weekly reading assignments, there will be one substantial research paper, based at least in part on primary sources, and an oral presentation. There will be at least one required field trip, on a Friday.

Requisite: One course in modern art or permission of the instructor. While not required, reading knowledge of French and/or Spanish would be helpful. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Staller.

Practice of Art

102. Practice of Art. An introduction to two-dimensional and three-dimensional studio disciplines with related lectures and readings. Historical and contemporary references will be used throughout the course to enhance and increase the student’s understanding of the visual vocabulary of art. How the comprehension of differing visual practices directly relates to personal investigations and interpretations within the covered disciplines of drawing, sculpture, painting, photography and printmaking. This includes applying elements of composition, weight, line, value, perspective, form, spatial concerns, color theory and graphics. Work will be developed from exercises based on direct observation and memory, realism and abstraction. Formal and conceptual concerns will be an integral aspect of the development of studio work. Class time will be a balance of lectures, demonstrations, exercises, discussions and critiques. Weekly homework assignments will consist of studio work and reading assignments. Two two-hour class sessions per week. No prior studio experience is required.

Not open to students who have taken ARHA 111 or 215. Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Resident Artist Gloman.

111. Drawing I. An introductory course in the fundamentals of drawing. The class will be based in experience and observation, exploring various techniques and media in order to understand the basic formal vocabularies and conceptual issues in drawing; subject matter will include still life, landscape, interior, and figure. Weekly assignments, weekly critiques, final portfolio. Two three-hour sessions per week.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester: Five College Professor Schneider. Spring semester: Resident Artist Gloman and Visiting Lecturer Culhane.

213. Printmaking I. An introduction to intaglio and relief processes including drypoint, engraving, etching, aquatint, monoprints, woodcut and linocut. The development of imagery incorporating conceptual concerns in conjunction with specific techniques will be a crucial element in the progression of prints. Historical and contemporary references will be discussed to further enhance understanding of various techniques. Critiques will be held regularly with each assignment; critical analysis of prints utilizing correct printmaking terminology is expected. A final project of portfolio making and a portfolio exchange of an editioned print are required.

Requisite: ARHA 102 or 111, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Fall and spring semesters. Senior Resident Artist Garand.

214. Sculpture I. An introduction to the practice of sculpture in a contemporary and historical context. A series of directed projects will address various material and technical processes such as construction, modeling, casting and carving. Other projects will focus primarily on conceptual and critical strategies over material concerns. By the end of the course, students will have developed a strong understanding of basic principles of contemporary sculpture and have acquired basic skills and knowledge of materials and techniques. Further, students will be expected to have formed an awareness of conceptual and critical issues in current sculptural practice, establishing a foundation for continued training and self-directed work in sculpture and other artistic disciplines. Two three-hour class meetings per week.

Requisite: ARHA 102 or 111 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 14 students. Fall and spring semesters. Visiting Lecturer Culhane.

215. Painting I. An introduction to the fundamentals of the pictorial organization of painting. Form, space, color and pattern, abstracted from nature, are explored through the discipline of drawing by means of paint manipulation. Slide lectures, demonstrations, individual and group critiques are regular components of the studio sessions. Two three-hour meetings per week.

Requisite: ARHA 102 or 111 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 18 students. Fall semester. Professor Sweeney.

218. Photography I. An introduction to black-and-white still photography. The basic elements of photographic technique will be taught as a means to explore both general pictorial structure and photography’s own unique visual language. Emphasis will be centered less on technical concerns and more on investigating how images can become vessels for both ideas and deeply human emotions. Weekly assignments, weekly critiques, readings, and slide lectures about the work of artist-photographers, one short paper, and a final portfolio involving an independent project of choice. Two three-hour meetings per week.

Limited to 12 students. Fall and spring semesters. Professor Kimball.

221. Foundations in Moving Image Production. (Offered as ARHA 221 and FAMS 221) This introductory course is designed for students with no prior experience in moving image production. The aim is both technical and creative. We will begin with the literal foundation of the moving image—the frame—before moving through shot and scene construction, lighting, sound-image concepts and final edit. In addition to instruction in production equipment and facilities, the course will also explore cinematic form and structure through weekly readings, screenings and discussion. Each student will complete a series of exercises, a collaborative project and a final video assignment. Two 2-hour classes a week (one workshop/seminar and one lecture/screening).

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Fall semester. Professor Levine.

222. Drawing II. A course appropriate for students with prior experience in basic principles of visual organization, who wish to investigate further aspects of pictorial construction using the figure as a primary measure for class work. The course will specifically involve an anatomical approach to the drawing of the human figure, involving slides, some reading, and out-of-class drawing assignments. Two two-hour meetings per week.

Requisite: ARHA 102 or 111, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 18 students. Fall semester. Professor Sweeney.

223. The Artist Is Absent. In this course we will resist the art world’s current tendency to lionize the artist as a master creator/seer, who works within a veil of rarified spirits and to whom the truth is revealed. We will view the artist-student not as a genius auteur but rather a pragmatic re-discoverer of human truths lost in plain sight. Students will become collaborators with their audience, allowing viewers to consciously discover their own paths of entry to the artworks.

Working in a wide range of media, digital (photography, video), manual (sculpture, drawing) and performance, students will explore the breadth of expressive potential that can be found in observing and using small human gestures. Students will be asked to reach beyond traditional studio practice to engage with art-making in alternative ways that reflect our common humanity rather than specific cultural vicissitudes. To this end it may be an advantage to be unfamiliar with a material or technique, unbound by canons of traditional art-making; therefore no prior studio experience is required for the course.

Coursework will be complemented by class visits from a variety of practitioners: painters, photographers, magicians, and others. Additionally, students may be asked to participate in a collaborative public project, that could take a form as varied as a parade or projected-image event.

Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Artist-in-Residence Lieb.

225. Image, Movement, Sound. (Offered as ARHA 225 and FAMS 225.) This course is a hands-on, in-depth exploration of the formal elements of moving images and sound. We will begin with a study of the camera, and, through in-class projects and individual assignments, we will explore framing and composition; light, color and texture; camera movement and rhythm; editing and relationships between image and sound. We will approach set-up and documentary situations from a variety of formal and conceptual perspectives. We will consider all equipment not simply as technology, but as creative tools to be explored and manipulated. Our goal is to make the camera an extension of our eyes and minds, to learn to see and think about the world around us through moving images and sound. An individual final video project will give students the opportunity to bring the concepts explored throughout the term into a work with an expressive, cohesive cinematic language. In Scenario du Film Passion, Jean-Luc Godard expresses his desire to turn a camera movement into a prayer. It is this profound engagement with the world and intense, thoughtful consideration of the medium that we seek to achieve.

Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15.

227. The Film Portrait. (Offered as ARHA 227 and FAMS 227.) This introductory production workshop focuses on the history and practice of film and video portraiture. The class will begin by considering the portrait’s origins in figurative art and still photography before identifying the ways in which the film portrait uses strategies unique to the moving image to convey character and meaning. We will then trace the development of the genre while also considering its intersections with narrative, documentary and experimental film.

The aim of the course is both analytic and creative. We will be looking at a variety of approaches and issues related to portraiture in an attempt to develop both common and contested definitions that can be applied to our own filmmaking practice. Each student will complete in-class exercises and individual video projects that seek to reveal the nature of people, places and objects through sound and image. The class will also cover the fundamentals of cinematography, lighting, audio recording and editing and discuss how these technological considerations influence the portrayal of a subject.

Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Levine.

230. Sculpture from the Human Figure: Subject, Symbol, Object, Presence. The human image was at the core of what are understood as the first steps into modern sculpture. We will look at the beginnings of the modernist approaches to the human image in sculpture and continue through its use by a wide variety of contemporary artists. Students will build sculptures based on the head and the figure, working from life, as well as from memory and imagination. From initial studies in clay from observation, students will move on to a variety of self-directed projects using the human image as central subject matter. Casting techniques, a range of materials, and a multiplicity of approaches to both analyzing and building form will be covered in the course. Two three-hour class meetings per week.

Requisite: At least one of the following—ARHA 111, ARHA 102, or ARHA 214. Limited to 10 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Keller.

306. Eight People, One Place and a Book. In this advanced photography course, eight students and the professor will choose a single site to travel to weekly to photograph. Participants will work individually in their chosen medium to build a body of work that represents their experience of that place. Simultaneously, the group will be collectively designing and producing a limited edition book that weaves together the varied ways these individual artists see, experience and produce work from a single place. The course will also include group and individual critiques of the students’ work, historical and topical lectures from the history of photography, and the careful examination of the book as a final vehicle for artistic work. Analog and digital technologies associated with book making will be reviewed, as well as the ideas and theory of book structure, sequence, and design.

Requisite: Introductory Photography, at least one other intermediate photography course or equivalent, and permission of the instructor. Limited to 8 students. Enrollment is determined by interview with the professor. Fall semester. Professor Kimball.

310. Collaborative Art: Practice and Theory of Working with a Community. This course will examine the approaches of various contemporary artists to creating collaborative work. Over the last two decades a growing number of artists have adopted a mode of working that is radically different from the usual modernist model. These artists are working as collaborators with people or groups outside the world of art—with children, senior citizens, sanitation workers, or residents of a particular neighborhood. The artists often create work with, not for a community, and share decision making with people not ordinarily given a place in the world of museums or other art world sites. The results are artworks that express a variety of social and aesthetic positions. In general, the work is intertwined with progressive educational philosophies and radical democratic theory.

Some of the issues examined will be: What is the special attraction for artists of working collaboratively? What are the roles of the artist, community, and audience? How does one attribute quality or success to collaborative projects? What is the relationship between process and product? This course will examine the work of artists working in various media, including Ewald’s methods for working with children in photography and with communities. Human rights photographer Fazal Sheikh will be in residence and working on a project in the Pioneer Valley for periods of time during the semester. Students will work with Fazal as well as completing companion projects with communities in the Amherst area. Weekly class discussions will provide students the opportunity to reflect upon their own experiences and observations as artists. They will also read about and discuss collaboration, social issues as it relates to the people they will be working with.

Requisite: One course in the practice of art. Limited to 10 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Artist Ewald.

315. Experiments in Narrative. (Offered as ARHA 315 and FAMS 443.) What constitutes cinematic narrative, distinct from other forms of storytelling? How do we engage film form to tell a story? Can the camera be a narrator? How can we alter a traditional narrative structure, and, what are the implications of these transformations? How can we use color to construct the subjective space of a character, or use sound to manipulate the temporal order of the story, creating flashbacks, ellipses or flash-forwards?

In this advanced production workshop we will explore cinematic narrative first by closely studying how a group of classical, experimental, and contemporary filmmakers have engaged narrative through filmic form. We will then formulate our own new cinematic narratives. Cinema is no longer restricted to the theater or the gallery. Moving images surround us—online, on our phones and screens, in the streets, and in stores, taxis, and train stations. We will consider the formal parameters of these new cinematic spaces and their possibilities. Coursework consists of film viewing, analysis and discussion, and the production of several short narrative films.

Requisite: Prior film production experience; recommended requisite: ARHA 102 or 111. Limited to 8 students. Omitted 2014-15.

323. Advanced Studio Seminar. A studio course that will emphasize compositional development by working from memory, imagination, other works of art and life. The use of a wide variety of media will be encouraged including, but not limited to, drawing, painting, printmaking and collage. Students will be required to create an independent body of work that explores an individual direction in pictorial construction. In addition to this independent project, course work will consist of slide lectures, individual and group critiques, in-class studio experiments and field trips.

Requisite: ARHA 222, 326 or 327. Limited to 8 students. Spring semester. Professor Sweeney.

324. Sculpture II. A studio course that investigates more advanced techniques and concepts in sculpture leading to individual exploration and development. Projects cover figurative and abstract problems based on both traditional themes and contemporary developments in sculpture, including: clay modeling, carving, wood and steel fabrication, casting, and mixed-media construction. Weekly in-class discussion and critiques will be held. Two two-hour class meetings per week.

Requisite: ARHA 214 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Keller.

325. Advanced Photography. This advanced course offers the opportunity for each student to design and work on an individual project for an extended period of time. The emphasis is placed on the student’s ability to express themselves clearly with the medium as it relates to their own personal vision. It is designed for those who already possess a strong conceptual and technical foundation in photography. Concepts and theories are read, discussed, demonstrated and applied through a series of visual problems, and complemented by presentations of contemporary and historical photography. Student work will be discussed and evaluated in group and individual critiques. Students may work in analog or digital photography.

Requisite: ARHA 102 or 111 and ARHA 328 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 8 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Kimball.

326. Painting II. This course offers students knowledgeable in the basic principles and skills of painting and drawing an opportunity to investigate personal directions in painting. Assignments will be collectively as well as individually directed. Discussions of the course work will assume the form of group as well as individual critiques. Two three-hour class meetings per week.

Requisite: ARHA 215 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 18 students. Spring semester. Professor Sweeney.

327. Printmaking II. This course is an extension of intaglio and relief processes introduced in ARHA 213 with an introduction to lithography. Techniques involved will be drypoint, etching, engraving, aquatint, monoprints, monotypes, woodcut, linocut and stone lithography. Printmaking processes will include color printing, combining printmaking techniques and editioning. Combining concept with technique will be an integral element to the development of imagery. A final project of portfolio-making and a portfolio exchange of prints will be required. Individualized areas of investigation are encouraged and expected. In-class work will involve demonstration, discussion and critique.

Requisite: ARHA 213 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Fall and spring semesters. Resident Artist Garand.

328. Photography II. This course is a continuing investigation of the skills and questions introduced in ARHA 218. It will include an introduction to varied camera and film formats and both analog and digital photography methods. An emphasis will be placed on defining, locating and pursuing independent work; this will be accomplished through a series of weekly demonstrations, assignments and a final independent project. Student work will be discussed and evaluated in group and individual critiques. This is complemented by slide presentations and topical readings of contemporary and historical photography.

Requisite: ARHA 218 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Professor Kimball.

329. Ideas, Influences and Vision: Building a Body of Work. An advanced level interdisciplinary studio course focused on the development of a personal and independent body of work, and the technical and conceptual problems associated with such a project. Students concentrating in any visual medium or across mediums are welcome and encouraged to enroll. Each student, in consultation with the professors, will design a semester-long project. This project will result in a final body of work or series that reflects the student’s ideas, influences and personal vision. In addition to production of this extended independent project, course work will consist of weekly group critiques, historical and topical readings, discussions, field trips and in-class studio experiments. This course is highly recommended for any ARHA major considering a senior honors project with a concentration in studio; however, it is open to any student having the necessary prerequisites.

Requisite: Two introductory level studio courses and one intermediate level studio course. Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 10 students. Omitted 2014-15. Resident Artist Gloman and Professor Kimball.

332. Substance and Space: Explorations in Sculpture. This course offers an in-depth exploration of three-dimensional practice. The focus will be on extending the range of object-based art. Projects will involve combining materials, using alternative materials and processes and employing contemporary formats including installation and site-specific work. Basic sculptural processes such as carving, casting and welding will be revaluated for new potential. Figurative, abstract, architectural and conceptual approaches will be considered. Students will be encouraged to explore new territory while refining and developing their critical and technical skills. Contemporary critical approaches will be introduced through readings and visual presentations.

Requisite: ARHA 214 or permission of the instructor. Limited to 14 students. Spring semester. Visiting Lecturer Culhane.

343. Lost and Found: Appropriated, Recycled and Reclaimed Images. (Offered as ARHA 343 and FAMS 343) From the found-footage experiments of the avant-garde to the digital remixes of the networked age, artists have used pre-existing material to question the ideologies of dominant media, explore technological possibilities and play situationist pranks. With the advent of file-sharing platforms, streaming video and cheap DVDs, we live in an era dominated by what Hito Steyerl calls “the poor image”—low resolution, second- or third-generation images whose quality has been sacrificed for accessibility. The availability of this material has allowed artists to work economically and to borrow the aesthetics of cinema and television for their own purposes, but it also foregrounds many problematic questions of authorship and ownership.

This course is a hands-on investigation into the practice of recycling, recontextualizing and remixing moving images. We will screen found-footage work, collage films and remakes in addition to discussing readings by filmmakers, artists and theorists that will provide ideas and models for our own production. The class will also review the fundamentals of editing as we create projects both entirely from found material and in combination with our own footage. Two 2-hour classes per week (one seminar/critique and one lecture/screening).

Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Professor Levine.

444. Films That Try: Essay Film Production. (Offered as ARHA 444 and FAMS 444) Essay filmmaking is a dynamic form with many commonly cited attributes—the presence of an authorial voice, an emphasis on broad themes, an eclectic approach to genre, and the tendency to digress or draw unexpected connections. Yet, true to its nature, the precise definition of the essay film is in constant flux. It can be both personal and political, individual and collective, noble and mischievous. Essay filmmakers themselves are equally diverse, ranging from established film auteurs to Third Cinema activists and contemporary video artists.

If we entertain the notion that the processes of cinema closely resemble the mechanics of human thought, then the essay film may be the medium’s purest expression. To watch or make such a film, we must give ourselves over to a compulsive, restless energy that delights in chasing a subject down any number of rabbit holes and blind alleys, often stopping to admire the scenery on the way. As with thought, there is no end product, no clear boundaries, no goal but the activity itself.

The term “essay” finds its origins in the French essayer, meaning “to attempt” or to try.” In this advanced production workshop, we will read, screen and discuss examples of the essayistic mode in literature and cinema while making several such attempts of our own. Students will complete a series of writing assignments and video projects informed by class materials and group discussion.

Requisite: One 200-level production course or relevant experience (to be discussed with the instructor in advance of the first class). Limited to 12 students. Fall semester. Professor Levine.

445. Cinema Experiments. (Offered as ARHA 445 and FAMS 445.) This advanced production course surveys the outer limits of cinematic expression and provides an overview of creative 16mm film production. We will begin by making cameraless projects through drawing, painting and scratching directly onto the film strip before further exploring the fundamentals of 16mm technology, including camera, editing and hand-processing. While remaining aware of our creative choices, we will invite chance into our process and risk failure, as every experiment inevitably must.

Through screenings of original film prints, assigned readings and discussion, the course will consider a number of experimental filmmakers and then conclude with a review of exhibition and distribution strategies for moving image art. All students will complete one short project on film and one final project on either film or video, each of which is to be presented for class critique. Two 2-hour classes per week (one workshop/seminar and one lecture/screening).

Requisite: One 200-level production course or relevant experience (to be discussed with the instructor in advance of the first class). Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Professor Levine.

special topics and Senior Honors

490. Special Topics. Full course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

490H. Special Topics. Half course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Preparation of a thesis or completion of a studio project which may be submitted to the Department for consideration for Honors.

Open to seniors with consent of the Department. Fall semester. The Department.

498D. Senior Departmental Honors. Preparation of a thesis or completion of a studio project which may be submitted to the Department for consideration for Honors.

Open to seniors with consent of the Department. Fall semester. The Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Preparation of a thesis or completion of a studio project which may be submitted to the Department for consideration for Honors.

Open to seniors with consent of the Department. Spring semester. The Department.

Asian Languages and Civilizations

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Dennerline‡, Morse, and Tawa; Associate Professors Maxey, Ringer, and Van Compernolle (Chair); Assistant Professor Sen; Keiter Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor Rice; Senior Lecturers Kayama, Li, Miyama, Shen, and Teng; Five College Senior Lecturers Brown (Japanese) and Hassan ( Arabic); Five College Lecturers Al-Shalchi (Arabic) and Weinert (Arabic); Visiting Five College Lecturer Oulbeid (Arabic).

Affiliated Faculty: Professors Basu‡ and Heim, Associate Professor C. Dole, Assistant Professors Jaffer and Shandilya.

Asian Languages and Civilizations is an interdisciplinary exploration of the histories and cultures of the peoples of Asia. Through a systematic study of the languages, societies, and cultures of the major civilizations that stretch from the Arab World to Japan, we hope to expand knowledge and challenge presuppositions about this large and vital part of the world. The purpose is to encourage in-depth study as well as to provide guidance for a general inquiry into the problem of cultural difference and its social and political implications, both within Asia and between Asia and the West.

Major program. The major in Asian Languages and Civilizations is an individualized course of study. All majors are required to take a minimum of ten courses dealing with Asia. At least six of these, including two content courses, must be taken at Amherst College. A maximum of six language courses may be counted toward the ten courses required for the major. These courses will be chosen in consultation with the advisor and should constitute a coherent program of study subject to departmental approval. The program of study may be thematic, regional, disciplinary, or interdisciplinary in focus. It should include one course with a substantial independent research component. Students counting the language courses towards their major will show a certain minimum level of competence in one language, either by achieving a grade of a B or better in the second semester of the third year of that language at Amherst or by demonstrating equivalent competence in a manner approved by the department. Students taking their required language courses elsewhere, or wishing to meet the language requirement by other means, may be required, at the discretion of the department, to pass a proficiency examination. No pass-fail option is allowed for any courses required for the departmental major.

Comprehensive Exam. Majors must satisfy a comprehensive assessment by participating in the department’s undergraduate student conference in the final semester of the senior year. Students seeking departmental honors will be expected to present on their senior thesis. Students not writing a senior honors thesis will be expected to present research undertaken in one of their courses in the department.

Departmental Honors. Students who wish to be candidates for Departmental Honors must submit a thesis to the Department, and, in addition to the ten required courses and the capstone presentation, enroll in ASLC 498 and 499, the thesis writing courses, in their final two semesters. Thesis students are required to complete a senior thesis on an independently chosen topic, and to participate in an oral defense of the thesis with three faculty members chosen jointly by the student and the department.

Study Abroad. The department encourages study abroad in the language of concentration. A student majoring in the department who studies abroad for one semester may petition to have a maximum of two courses or the equivalent count toward the major. The request is subject to departmental approval.

123. Arts of Japan. (Offered as ARHA 148 and ASLC 123.) A survey of the history of Japanese art from neolithic times to the present. Topics will include Buddhist art and its ritual context, the aristocratic arts of the Heian court, monochromatic ink painting and the arts related to the Zen sect, the prints and paintings of the Floating World and contemporary artists and designers such as Ando Tadao and Miyake Issey. The class will focus on the ways Japan adopts and adapts foreign cultural traditions. There will be field trips to look at works in museums and private collections in the region.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Morse.

124. Chinese Civilization to 1800. (Offered as HIST 171 [ASP] and ASLC 124 [C].) A survey of Chinese history from ancient times to the eighteenth century. We will focus on texts and artifacts to explore the classical roots and historical development of Chinese statecraft, philosophy, religion, art, and literature. Using these media for evidence, we will trace the histories of inter-state relations, imperial institutions, global commerce, and family-based society through the ancient Han empire, the great age of Buddhism, the medieval period of global trade, and the Confucian bureaucratic empires that followed the Mongol world conquest. We will also compare these histories to those of European and other civilizations, considering Chinese and non-Chinese views of the past. Readings include the Analects of Confucius and other Confucian and Daoist texts, Buddhist tales and early modern fiction, selections from the classic Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), and Jonathan Spence’s Emperor of China: Self-portrait of Kangxi. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Dennerline.

126. Middle Eastern History: 500-1600. (Offered as HIST 190 [MEP] and ASLC 126 [WA].) This course surveys the history of the Middle East from the outset of the Islamic period to the beginning of the modern period. It is divided into the following segments: the formative period of Islam, the classical caliphates, the classical courts, the Mongols, and the great empires of the Ottomans and the Safavids. The course is organized chronologically and follows the making and breaking of empires and political centers; however, the focus of the course is on the intellectual, social, cultural and religious developments in these periods. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Ringer.

142. Visual Culture of the Islamic World. (Offered as ARHS 152 and ASLC 142.) This introductory course explores the architecture, manuscripts, painting, textiles, decorative arts, material culture, and popular art of the Islamic world, from the late seventh century C.E., touching on the present. It follows a basic chronology, but is structured primarily through thematic issues central to the study of Islamic visual culture, including, but not limited to: orality and textuality, geometry and ornament, optics and perception, sacred and royal space, the image and aniconism, modernity and tradition, and artistic exchange with Europe, China, and beyond. The class will focus on the relationships between visual culture, history, and literature, analyzing specific sites or objects, for example the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, carved ivory boxes from Spain, luxury manuscripts from Cairo, gardens of Iran, and contemporary art from Pakistan, alongside primary and secondary texts. Films, audio recordings, and field-trips to local museum collections will supplement assigned readings and lectures. Participation in class discussion, a significant component of the course, is expected. No previous background is presumed, and all readings will be available in English.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Professor Rice.

143. Arts of China. (Offered as ARHA 147 and ASLC 143.) An introduction to the history of Chinese art from its beginnings in neolithic times until the end of the twentieth century. Topics will include the ritual bronze vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Chinese transformation of the Buddha image, imperial patronage of painting during the Song dynasty and the development of the literati tradition of painting and calligraphy. Particular weight will be given to understanding the cultural context of Chinese art.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Morse.

144. Religion in Ancient India. (Offered as RELI 143 and ASLC 144.) This course explores central ideas and practices in the religious and intellectual traditions of India up until the medieval period. We consider the range of available archeological, art historical, and textual evidence for religion in this period, though the course focuses mostly on texts. We will read the classic religious and philosophical literature of the traditions we now call Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.

Spring semester. Professor M. Heim.

146. Modern China. (Offered as HIST 172 [AS] and ASLC 146 [C].) A survey of Chinese history from the Manchu conquest of 1644 to the present. Beginning with the successes and failures of the imperial state as it faced global economic development, expanding European empires, and internal social change, we will study the Opium War, massive nineteenth-century religious rebellions, Republican revolution and state-building, the “New Culture” movement, Communist revolution, the anti-Japanese war, Mao’s Cultural Revolution, and the problems of post-Mao reform, all with comparative reference to current events. Readings, which include a wide variety of documents such as religious and revolutionary tracts, eye-witness accounts, memoirs, and letters, are supplemented by interpretive essays and videos. Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Professor Dennerline.

148. The Modern Middle East: 1800-Present. (Offered as HIST 191 [ME] and ASLC 148 [WA].) This course surveys the history of the Middle East from 1800 to the present. The focus is threefold: following political, social and intellectual trends as they evolve over time, exploring contemporary historical and methodological debates and analysis, and introducing students to important historical literature of the period. The class is divided into modules: “From Subject to Citizen,” “Engineering a Modern Middle East,” “Nationalism and the Quest for Independence,” “Islamist Opposition,” and “Taking Sovereignty: Contemporary Debates and the Post-Modern Era.” The class is discussion-oriented and writing intensive. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Ringer.

152. Introduction to Buddhist Traditions. (Offered as RELI 152 and ASLC 152 [SA].) This course is an introduction to the diverse ideals, practices, and traditions of Buddhism from its origins in South Asia to its geographical and historical diffusion throughout Asia and, more recently, into the west. We will explore the Three Jewels—the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha—and how they each provide refuge for those suffering in samsara (the endless cycle of rebirth). We will engage in close readings of the literary and philosophical texts central to Buddhism, as well as recent historical and anthropological studies of Buddhist traditions.

Fall semester. Professor M. Heim.

173. Introduction to Medieval and Early Modern South Asia: From the Delhi Sultanates to Mughal Successor States, 1200-1800 A.D. (Offered as HIST 173 [ASP] and ASLC 173 [SA].)This course presents an introduction to major themes and developments in medieval and early modern South Asian history with a focus on the emergence and flourishing of Islamicate regimes in the sub-continent. Commencing with the growth of Islamic polities in South Asia, the course explores the Delhi Sultanate, various syncretistic and devotional sects and movements, the Vijayanagara Empire, and the Mughal Empire, as well as politics, religion, literature, art, architecture, and trade under these formations. Readings are drawn from a variety of both primary and secondary sources and combine perspectives offered by political, social, and cultural history. The course aims at providing a broad overview of six centuries of the sub-continent’s past, coupled with closer attention to select themes. Challenging both colonialist and early nationalist views of this vast period as one of stagnation and tyranny, the course seeks to demonstrate the vitality and dynamism characterizing these centuries of the second millennium. We will lay particular emphasis on the processes of transculturation between the Islamic and Indic through which the South Asian medieval was lived. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sen.

174. Introduction to Modern South Asian History. (Offered as HIST 174 [AS] and ASLC 174 [SA].) This survey course introduces key themes and events in the making of modern South Asia. The objective is to provide a skeletal historical narrative of the various transformations the subcontinent and its peoples experienced through the colonial and post-colonial eras. A variety of primary sources and audio and visual materials will be utilized in conjunction with excerpts from panoramic textbooks as well as portions of monographs, combining perspectives from political, social, cultural and economic history. Commencing with the transitions occurring in the middle to late 18th century, the course explores some of the major historical developments in South Asia until the present moment including the East India Company-state, colonial and imperial rule, social reform, the revolt of 1857, Indian nationalism, caste and communal conflict, and the struggles for post-colonial democracy. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sen.

200. Anthropology and China. (Offered as ANTH 200 and ASLC 200) In what ways are the experiences and perspectives of various kinds of people in various kinds of situations in contemporary China different from those of their counterparts in other places and times, and in what ways are they similar? What accounts for these similarities and differences? How can anthropology help us understand China? What can the study of China contribute to our understandings of the issues, processes, and systems that anthropologists study worldwide? This course will help students answer these questions by reading, discussing, and writing about recent books and articles about China.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Fong.

208. Power and Politics in Contemporary China. (Offered POSC 208 [SC, IL] and ASLC 208.) This course provides an introduction to the major institutions, actors, and ideas that shape contemporary Chinese politics. Through an examination of texts from the social sciences as well as historical narratives and film, we will analyze the development of the current party-state, the relationship between the state and society, policy challenges, and prospects for further reform. First, we examine the political history of the People’s Republic, including the Maoist period and the transition to market reforms. Next, we will interrogate the relations between various social groups and the state, through an analysis of contentious politics in China including the ways in which the party-state seeks to maintain social and political stability. Finally, we will examine the major policy challenges in contemporary China including growing inequality, environmental degradation, waning economic growth, and foreign policy conflicts.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Ratigan.

209. China in the International System. (Offered as POSC 209 [G] and ASLC 209) This course will analyze China’s foreign relations, major foreign policy challenges, and China’s role in the international community. To understand the context in which foreign policy is made, we will begin the course by examining the domestic forces that shape foreign policy, including the role of elites and popular nationalism. We will then turn to China’s relations with its neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region with a particular focus on political hot-spots and areas of territorial dispute or historical conflict such as relations with Japan and Taiwan. We will also broaden our focus to examine China’s relations with other regions of the world including North America, Europe, Latin America, and Africa. Finally, we will evaluate the evolution of China’s engagement with international organizations, such as the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. We will assess the impact that China has had on international discourse related to human rights and democracy and analyze the implications of a “Beijing Consensus” as an alternative narrative for the international system.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Ratigan.

220. Reinventing Tokyo: The Art, Literature, and Politics of Japan’s Modern Capital. (Offered as ASLC 220 [J] and ARCH 220.) Tokyo is the political, cultural, and economic center of Japan, the largest urban conglomeration on the planet, holding 35 million people, fully one fifth of Japan’s population. Since its founding 400 years ago, when a small fishing village became Edo, the castle headquarters of the Tokugawa shoguns, the city has been reinvented multiple times—as the birthplace of Japan’s early modern urban bourgeois culture, imperial capital to a nation-state, center of modern consumer culture, postwar democratic exemplar, and postmodern metropolis. The course will focus on the portrayals of Tokyo and its reinventions in art, literature, and politics from the end of the Edo period to the present day. It will examine the changes that took place as the city modernized and Westernized in the Meiji era, became the center of modern urban life in Japan before the Second World War, and rebuilt itself as part of the country’s economic miracle in the postwar era. As the largest human cultural creation in Japan, one that endured political upheavals, fires, earthquakes, fire-bombings and unbridled development, Tokyo has always been a complex subject. The course will use that complexity to consider how to analyze an urban environment that draws upon Japan’s long history, yet which is also one of the most modern in Asia.

Preference to majors and students with an interest in urban studies. Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professors Morse and Van Compernolle.

221. Canons and Traditions: Japanese Literature to 1750. [J] Before the emergence of print capitalism and the proliferation of books, literature was one of the repositories of cultural memory in Japan. Pre-modern authors alluded to and appropriated the writings of their predecessors as a way to bind their own creations to the great works from the past, but they also necessarily transformed the literature of their forebears in the process. A long-term perspective, stretching from the beginning of Japan’s written language to the early commercialization of literature in the eighteenth century, can best help us understand how canons, traditions, and genres emerge, develop, and become destabilized over time as part of the construction of and contestation over cultural memory. We will also examine a variety of genres, including courtly love poetry, war tales touched by many hands, Chinese verse composed by Japanese monks, theatrical forms for audiences large and small, and travel journals that overlay a literary topography on the physical landscape, among others. This course assumes no prior knowledge of Japan or Japanese, and all texts are taught using English translations.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Van Compernolle.

225. Japanese History to 1700s. (Offered as HIST 175 [ASP] and ASLC 225 [J].) This is a writing attentive survey of Japan’s history from antiquity to the early-eighteenth century. It traces political, social, and cultural developments in order to provide basic literacy in pre-modern Japanese history and a basis both for comparative history and further course work in Japanese history. Prominent themes include the rise of early polities, contact with the Chinese continent and Korean peninsula, the aristocratic culture of the Heian court and its displacement by medieval samurai rule, the role of Buddhist thought and institutions, the “warring states” period of the sixteenth-century and cosmopolitan contact with Christian Europe, the Tokugawa peace and its urban cultural forms. Throughout, we will read a variety of sources, including eighth-century mythology, aristocratic literature, chronicles of war, religious and philosophical texts, as well as modern fiction and film. Classes will combine lectures with close readings and discussions of the assigned texts. Requirements include short response papers and topical essays. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Maxey.

230. Economy, Society and Change in East Asia. (Offered as SOCI 230 and ASLC 230.) East Asia has been booming, economically—first Japan, then Korea and Taiwan, and now China. In this course, we will study both what made the economic boom in these countries possible and what social issues have arisen in each country because of the particular social system that arose through its process of economic development. In particular, we will consider patterns of social inequality. In the case of Japan and Korea, we will focus on understanding important inequality patterns that arose during the economic development in the 1970s and 1980s and their enduring effect on current society, such as youth unemployment and gender inequality. As for China, we will study how the rapid economic development generated social inequalities (such as glaring income inequality and urban-rural inequality) different from those observed in Japan and Korea. Through the readings and class discussions, students will learn about the lives of people who live in these East Asian societies: How are the societies organized? What are the critical social issues in these countries? How are these societies both similar and different?

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Mun.

233. Words, Self, and Society: Japanese Literature Since 1750. [J] In the past two and a half centuries, Japan has experienced vertiginous transformations, including the rise of a money economy, the encounter with the West, rapid modernization, imperial expansion, war, defeat, democratization, and its postwar reemergence as a technological and economic superpower. This course will examine how literature has both reflected and responded to these disorienting changes. We will focus on how varied social, historical, and aesthetic contexts contribute to the pendulum swings among artistic positions: the belief that literature has an important role to play in the exploration of the relationship between society and the individual; the fascination with the very materials of artistic creation and the concomitant belief that literature can only ever be about itself; and the urgent yet paradoxical attempt, in the writing of traumas such as the atomic bombings, to capture experiences that may be beyond representation. This course assumes no prior knowledge of Japan or Japanese, and all texts are taught using English translations.

Spring semester. Professor Van Compernolle.

234. Japan on Screen. (Offered as ASLC 234 [J] and FAMS 320.) Is the concept of national cinema useful in the age of globalization? Given the international nature of cinema at its inception, was it ever a valid concept? In this course, we will consider how the nation is represented on screen as we survey the history of film culture in Japan, from the very first film footage shot in the country in 1897, through the golden age of studio cinema in the 1950s, to important independent filmmakers working today. While testing different theories of national, local, and world cinema, we will investigate the Japanese film as a narrative art, as a formal construct, and as a participant in larger aesthetic and social contexts. This course includes the major genres of Japanese film and influential schools and movements. Students will also learn and get extensive practice using the vocabulary of the discipline of film studies. This course assumes no prior knowledge of Japan or Japanese, and all films have English subtitles.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Van Compernolle.

238. From Edo to Tokyo: Japanese Art from 1600 to the Present. (Offered as ARHA 262 and ASLC 238 [J].) In 1590 the Tokugawa family founded its provincial headquarters in eastern Japan. By the eighteenth century, this castle town, named Edo (now known as Tokyo), had become the world’s largest city. This class will focus on the appearance of artistic traditions in the new urban center and compare them with concurrent developments in the old capital of Kyoto. Topics of discussion will include the revival of classical imagery during the seventeenth century, the rise of an urban bourgeois culture during the eighteenth century, the conflicts brought on by the opening of Japan to the West in the nineteenth century, the reconstruction of Tokyo and its artistic practices after the Second World War, and impact of Japanese architecture, design and popular culture over the past twenty years.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Morse.

247. Modern Japanese History from 1800 to the 2000s. (Offered as HIST 176 [AS] and ASLC 247 [J].) This course surveys the modern history of the Japanese archipelago, from the late-Tokugawa period through the rise of the modern Meiji nation-state, colonial expansion and total war. We will conclude with the postwar economic recovery and the socio-political challenges facing the Japanese nation-state in the early-2000s. Through primary documents, fiction, and film, we will explore themes including the disestablishment of the samurai class, industrialization, imperialism, feminism, nationalism, war, democracy, and consumerism. Classes will consist of lectures along with close readings and discussions. Requirements include short response papers and topical essays. Three class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Maxey.

249. China in the World, 1895-1919. (Offered as HIST 275 [AS] and ASLC 249 [C].) This course is designed as an introduction to local and global themes in the history of modern China. We will focus on the period between the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95 and the Treaty of Versailles and Chinese May Fourth Movement of 1919, which launched the Communist revolution. The major issues of this period have taken on new significance since the end of the Cold War. They include 1) Chinese responses to and participation in the developing global economy, 2) approaches to political, economic, and cultural reform, 3) problems of national and cultural identity in China and abroad, 4) modern experience and new issues of class, gender, and educational status. Major events include imperial reform movements, the Boxer uprising, the anti-American boycott of 1905, popular resistance movements, the Republican revolution of 1911, and the advent of the New Culture movement after 1915. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Dennerline.

252. Buddhist Life Writing. (Offered as RELI 252 and ASLC 252) From the biographies of Gotama Buddha to the autobiographies of western converts, life writing plays a central role in teaching Buddhist philosophy, practice, history, and myth. This course explores the diverse forms and purposes of Buddhist life writing in the literary and visual cultures of India, Tibet, Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam, Japan, and America. Reading the lives of eminent saints and laypersons, charismatic teachers, recluses, and political activists, the course aims to broaden understanding of how Buddhists have variously imagined the ideal life. We will pay particular attention to how literary and cultural conventions of genre guide the composition of lives.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor M. Heim

253. Theravada Buddhism. (Offered as RELI 253 and ASLC 253 [SA].) This course introduces the history and civilization of Theravada Buddhism. The Theravada (the “Doctrine of the Elders”) is the dominant form of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar (Burma); in recent decades it has also found a following in other regions in Asia and the west. We will trace the Theravada’s origins as one of the earliest sectarian movements in India to its success and prestige as a religious civilization bridging South and Southeast Asia. We will also consider this tradition’s encounter with modernity and its various adaptations and responses to challenges in the contemporary world. No previous background in Buddhism is required.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Heim.

255. Public Culture in South Asia. (Offered as ANTH 255 and ASLC 255) This course on South Asian public culture starts from the premise that modernity today is a global experience. Most societies today possess the means to produce local versions of the modern, as Arjun Appadurai and Carol Breckenridge have argued. In this course, we will collectively approach mass culture in South Asia—a staggeringly complex cultural entity—with an eye towards understanding emergent forms of subjectivity, agency, pleasure, and embodied experience. While rethinking the predominantly European notions of publicity, we will study how popular culture in South Asia reflects the intersecting processes of nationalism, globalization, and economic liberalization. Our focus will be on the interface of media and modernity, and in so doing, on the complex negotiations between cultural producers and consumers. We will discuss film, advertising, spatial politics, and popular art to make sense of the region’s postcolonial public life.

Limited to 25 student. Fall semester. Professor Chowdhury.

260. Buddhist Art of Asia. (Offered as ARHA 261 and ASLC 260.) Visual imagery plays a central role in the Buddhist faith. As the religion developed and spread throughout Asia it took many forms. This class will first examine the appearance of the earliest aniconic traditions in ancient India, the development of the Buddha image, and early monastic centers. It will then trace the dissemination and transformation of Buddhist art as the religion reached South-East Asia, Central Asia, and eventually East Asia. In each region indigenous cultural practices and artistic traditions influenced Buddhist art. Among the topics the class will address are the nature of the Buddha image, the political uses of Buddhist art, the development of illustrated hagiographies, and the importance of pilgrimage, both in the past and the present.

Fall semester. Professor Morse.

261. Sacred Images and Sacred Space: The Visual Culture of Religion in Japan. (Offered as ARHA 266 and ASLC 261.) An interdisciplinary study of the visual culture of the Buddhist and Shinto religious traditions in Japan. The class will examine in depth a number of Japan’s most important sacred places, including Ise Shrine, Tôdaiji, Daitokuji and Mount Fuji, and will also look at the way contemporary architects such as Andô Tadao and Takamatsu Shin have attempted to create new sacred places in Japan today. Particular emphasis will be placed on the ways by which the Japanese have given distinctive form to their religious beliefs through architecture, painting and sculpture, and the ways these objects have been used in religious ritual.

Spring semester. Professor Morse.

265. The Social Life of the Japanese Print. Japanese woodblock prints, or ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”), are perhaps the best known form of Japanese art. From the late seventeenth century until the present day, ukiyo-e have played greatly varied and significant roles in Japanese society, including illustrations for folktales, portraits of famed courtesans and kabuki actors, souvenirs of historical sites, explicit erotica, secret calendars, board games and fan designs, reportage of contemporary events, and even as precious art objects to be collected and cherished. This course will examine the medium of the Japanese woodblock print both as a representation of a flourishing urban society and also as the means by which that flourishing was made possible; the prolific artists, publishers, carvers, colorists, government censors, and the citizenry of the capital all contributed to a massive and thriving industry and trade in ukiyo-e. It will conclude with an examination of the influence of ukiyo-e on European and American artists. In addition, the course will focus on firsthand examination of the objects themselves, drawing from the Mead’s collection of over 4,000 Japanese prints, allowing students to develop skills of connoisseurship and a deep understanding of the technological evolution of print-making over the course of nearly four hundred years. In addition to more traditional assignments, students will learn to craft practical texts germane to working in a museum, including condition reports, accession proposals, label texts, and catalogue entries.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15.

267. The Arts of the Book in Iran and Islamic South Asia, 1250-1650. (Offered as ARHA 267 and ASLC 267.) This course considers the arts of the book at the royal courts of Greater Iran (including Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia) and Islamic South Asia from the thirteenth through seventeenth centuries. It will focus in particular on illustrated histories and poetic works in Persian, including Abu’l Qasim Firdausi’s Shahnama (Book of Kings), Nizami Ganjavi’s Khamsa (Quintet), and Abu’l Fazl’s Akbarnama (Book of Akbar), among others. All aspects of manuscript production will be considered, from the arts of “miniature painting,” calligraphy, and illumination, to the preparation of paper, brushes, inks, and pigments. The class will explore in depth the nature of the royal manuscript workshop, the formation of visual idioms, the roles of originality and imitation in artistic practice, the aesthetics of the illustrated page, and the theorization of painting and calligraphy in technical treatises, poetry, and other primary texts. Emphasis will be placed on the great movement of artists, materials, and ideas across the Islamic world, all of which contributed to the rise of an elite, cosmopolitan culture of manuscript connoisseurs. Examination of objects in the Mead Art Museum and other local collections will supplement classroom discussion and assigned readings. No previous knowledge of the topic is presumed, and all reading will be available in English.

Requisite: One course in Art History or Studio Art. Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Professor Rice.

270. Muslim Lives in South Asia. (Offered as ANTH 253 and ASLC 270 [SA].) This course is a survey of foundational and contemporary writing on Muslim cultures across South Asia. The approach here is anthropological, in the sense that the course focuses on material that situates Islamic thought in the making of everyday practices, imaginations, and ideologies of a very large and varied group of people. While India hosts the second largest population of Muslims in the world, Pakistan and Bangladesh, respectively, are two of the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation-states. This course will aim to capture some of the richness of the textual and vernacular traditions that constitute what is known as South Asian Islam and the lived experiences of Muslims. Without relegating Muslims to a minority status and therefore targets of communal violence, or approaching Islam in South Asia only at the level of the syncretic, this course aims to understand the interface of traveling texts and indigenous traditions that is integral to the making of its diverse Muslim cultures. In doing so, the course will by necessity discuss topics of subjectivity, law, gender, community, secularism, and modernity that continue to raise important theoretical questions within the discipline of anthropology.

Some prior knowledge of Islam or Muslim societies may be helpful. Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Chowdhury.

271. Caste and Politics of Inequality in India. (Offered as HIST 271 [AS] and ASLC 271 [SA].) This course explores how caste was politicized over the course of colonial and post-colonial periods in India. It focuses on the emergence and development of various movements opposed to caste-based inequality and discrimination, as well as the ongoing search for social justice. The course reviews scholarly debates about understanding this form of identification and hierarchy, as well as the complex ways in which caste articulates with other social phenomena, like gender, class, religion, and nationality. It then moves to investigate the writings and work of key anti-caste thinkers, in particular, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the preeminent leader of the Dalits (communities caste-elites considered “untouchable”), and a key figure in drafting the Constitution of India. Based on close readings of various kinds of primary sources, as well as an engagement with secondary literature in history, political science, sociology, anthropology and literary studies, the course tells the story of the struggle to “annihilate” caste. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Sen.

272. Gandhi: A Global History of Non-Violence. (Offered as HIST 272 [AS] and ASLC 272 [SA].) Political and social movements in South Africa, the United States of America, Germany, Myanmar, India, and elsewhere, drew inspiration from the political techniques advocated by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi during his leadership of the anti-colonial struggle for freedom from British rule. The course follows this transnational history through a focus on Gandhi’s thought about satyagraha (often rendered soul, or truth-force) and its expression in practices of civil disobedience and non-violent resistance both in India and abroad. Organized in three modules, the first situates Gandhi through a consideration of the varied sources of his own intellectual formation; the second examines the historical contexts and practices through which satyagraha acquired meaning for him; the third considers the several afterlives of Gandhian politics in struggles throughout the world. We will examine autobiography and biography, Gandhi’s various collected works, political, social, and intellectual history, and audio-visual materials. In contrast to the widely disseminated story of Gandhi as a saintly apostle of peace and justice, however, the course will attend to the deep contradictions that characterized his thought and action and, indeed, the various appropriations of him. The course does not require prior familiarity with the subject matter. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Sen.

281. The Arts of Exchange: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Islamic World, 1400-1800. (Offered as ARHA 281 and ASLC 281.) This course examines artistic exchanges and encounters in the Islamic world during the early modern period. We will focus on the movement of artists, objects, and systems of knowledge between and beyond the Mamluk, Ottoman, Timurid, Safavid, and Mughal courts, placing special emphasis upon encounters with the arts of Europe and East Asia. Among the topics to be considered are the design, circulation, and trade of textiles; the arts of diplomacy and gift exchange; the nature of curiosity and wonder; and artists’ responses to the “other.” This course aims to challenge conventional, essentialist binaries (e.g., East vs. West, Islamic vs. European), and to re-assess the standard art historical narratives from a more culturally, geographically, and economically interconnected perspective.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Visiting Professor Rice.

282. Muhammad and the Qur’an. (Offered as RELI 282 and ASLC 282 [WA].)This course deals with the life of Muhammad (the founder and prophet of Islam) and the Qur’an (the Muslim Scripture). The first part deals with the life of Muhammad as reflected in the writings of the early Muslim biographers. It examines the crucial events of Muhammad’s life (the first revelation, the night journey, the emigration to Medina, the military campaigns) and focuses on Muhammad’s image in the eyes of the early Muslim community. The second deals with the Qur’an. It focuses on the history of the Qur’an, its canonization, major themes, various methods of Qur’anic interpretation, the role of the Qur’an in Islamic law, ritual, and modernity.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Jaffer.

315. Inequalities in Contemporary China. (Offered as ANTH 315 and ASLC 315 [C].) This course examines various factors that produce inequality in mainland China, such as age, generation, gender, ethnicity, education, income, work, differences between rural and urban areas within China, and differences between China and developed countries. We will look at how Chinese citizens, state leaders, and media producers understand, portray, and produce such inequalities, and at how Chinese individuals and families try to improve their positions in the hierarchies created by such inequalities. Students will work in teams to conduct original research about particular kinds of inequalities in China, drawing on data from the instructor’s research projects. Each team will consist of at least one student experienced in statistical analysis who will analyze English-language survey data, at least one student with Chinese language skills who will translate and analyze Chinese-language interview questions and responses, and several students without Chinese language skills or statistical analysis skills who will analyze the English-language scholarly literature on particular kinds of inequality in China. It is expected that most students in this class will not have Chinese language skills or statistical analysis skills, and these skills are not required for admission to or success in the course.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Fong.

317. Researching China. (Offered as ANTH 317 and ASLC 317 [C].) This course teaches students how to design research projects, collect data, and analyze data about people in China. Students will read about and discuss previous findings from the instructor’s longitudinal project about Chinese only-children and their families, and findings from comparable projects in China and elsewhere, as well as help to design new interview and survey questions for research participants to answer in the future. In addition, students with statistical analysis skills can analyze English-language survey data; students with Chinese language skills can translate and analyze Chinese-language interview questions and responses; students who have taken or are currently taking at least one course about anthropology, sociology, economics, psychology, or China can analyze the relevant English-language scholarly literature in the field(s) with which they are most familiar. Course assignments will be tailored to the interests, skills, and academic background of each student, so first-year students, sophomores, and students with no Chinese language skills or statistical analysis skills are welcome and just as likely to succeed as juniors, seniors, and students with Chinese language or statistical analysis skills. Each student will work only on assignments suitable for his/her current skills and interests, but also read the work of other students with different skills, interests, and disciplinary knowledge and participate in discussions of their work, so all students will learn about the many different kinds of skills, disciplines, and research methods that can help them gain a better understanding of China.

Limited to 20 students. Admission with the consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Fong.

318. Chinese Childrearing. (Offered as ANTH 318 and ASLC 318 [C].) This course examines Chinese childrearing, focusing primarily on childrearing in mainland China. We will look at differences as well as similarities between childrearing in Chinese families of different socioeconomic status within China, as well as between childrearing in mainland China and in childrearing in Chinese and non-Chinese families worldwide. We will also look at dominant discourses within and outside of China about the nature of Chinese childrearing and ask about relationships between those discourses and the experiences of Chinese families. Students will work together to conduct original research about childrearing in China, drawing on data from the instructor’s research projects. Students with statistical analysis skills will analyze English-language survey data; students with advanced Chinese language skills will translate and analyze Chinese-language interview questions and responses; and students who have taken or are currently taking at least one course about anthropology, sociology, economics, psychology, or China will analyze the English-language scholarly literature about Chinese childrearing in the field(s) with which they are most familiar. Course assignments will be tailored to the interests, skills, and academic background of each student, so first-years, sophomores, and students with no Chinese language skills or statistical analysis skills are welcome and just as likely to succeed as juniors, seniors, and students with Chinese language or statistical analysis skills.

Limited to 20 students. Admission with consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Fong.

319. The Tea Ceremony and Japanese Culture. (Offered as ARHA 383 and ASLC 319.) An examination of the history of chanoyu, the tea ceremony, from its origins in the fifteenth century to the practice of tea today. The class will explore the various elements that comprise the tea environment-the garden setting, the architecture of the tea room, the forms of tea utensils, and the elements of the kaiseki meal. Through a study of the careers of influential tea masters and texts that examine the historical, religious, and cultural background to tea culture, the class will also trace how the tea ceremony has become a metaphor for Japanese culture and Japanese aesthetics both in Japan and in the West. There will be field trips to visit tea ware collections, potters and tea masters. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Morse.

320. Religion, Empires, and Secular States in the Nineteenth Century. (Offered as HIST 319 [c] and ASLC 320 [WA].) Conceptions of the religious and the secular that continue to resonate today assumed global significance in the course of the nineteenth century as colonial empires and nascent nation-states negotiated how they would govern heterogeneous populations and interact with each other. Drawing on scholarship from a number of disciplines that historicize the categories of religion and secularity, this course will examine the political function of the religious and the secular as conceptual and regulatory categories in the 19th century. Colonial administrations, for example, employed the conceit of secularism to neutralize religious difference while individuals and communities attempted to reform and modernize local traditions as “religion” in order to navigate global hierarchies. We will begin with a historiographic and theoretical survey, covering topics that include the academic creation of “World Religions,” the politics of conversion within the British Empire, and the discourse of Orientalist spiritualism. The second half of the course will apply these historiographic and theoretical concerns to East Asia and Japan in particular. Requirements will include two topical essays and one longer paper entailing modest research. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 15 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professors Maxey and Ringer.

330. Writing about China. (Offered as ANTH 330 and ASLC 330) This course teaches students how to write academic papers about China. We will pay attention both to specific elements of writing, such as how to use academic language and citations clearly and appropriately, and to broader issues such as those of how to support claims with evidence; how to use findings from data to engage with arguments presented in the previous scholarship; how to explain why writing about issues concerning a particular Chinese population can expand understandings of similar issues worldwide; how to help readers who may not know much about Chinese language or society understand the meaning and significance of Chinese terms, concepts, and assumptions that may be different from comparable terms, concepts, and assumptions in the English language and Western scholarship; and how to find gaps in the existing scholarship and fill these gaps with findings from interview and survey data from the instructor’s longitudinal study of Chinese families. Students who have taken at least one statistics course can work with English-language survey data; students with Chinese language skills can work with Chinese-language interview data; students who have taken or are currently taking at least one other course about anthropology, sociology, and/or economics can work with relevant English-language scholarly literature in the field(s) in which they have previously or are currently taking classes, and students with more than one of these qualifications can either focus on one kind of work or combine or alternate between them, in accordance with their preferences. Students will collaborate on projects, complementing and learning from each other. Assignments will be tailored to the interests, skills, and academic background of each student, so first-year students, sophomores, and students with no Chinese language skills or statistical analysis skills are welcome and just as likely to succeed as juniors, seniors, and students with Chinese language or statistical analysis skills.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Fong.

336. Apocalypse Japan. This course is an introduction to contemporary Japanese popular culture through focused study of a particular theme. This semester we will concentrate on the apocalypse, among the most prominent themes in postwar Japan. Many would trace its origins to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for Japan is the only country in history to have been attacked with nuclear weapons, but we will examine a broader cultural matrix in this course, which will allow us to address questions of technology, human agency, utopia, dystopia, and spectacle, among other topics. Through reading and discussion of theories of mediation, we will also seek connections between works of popular culture and larger issues, such as globalization, politics, and discourses on cultural uniqueness. Finally, because many contemporary works utilize the apocalyptic theme as a way to explore the replacement of older media by newer technologies—such as the replacement of VHS by DVD or the displacement of traditional film by digital technology—we will also pursue issues of media specificity. This will entail learning the disciplinary terminology of film, anime, and manga studies.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Van Compernolle.

341. Anthropology and the Middle East. (Offered as ANTH 331 and ASLC 341 [WA].) In an era where “terrorism” has eclipsed the nuclear fears of the Cold War and become associated with a radicalism that is portrayed as at once militant, anti-Western, and bound to a particular region (the Middle East) and religion (Islam), the task of this seminar—to examine the everyday realities of people living throughout the Middle East—has become all the more critical. Beginning with an historical eye toward the ways that the “West” has discovered, translated, and written about the “Orient,” this seminar will use anthropological readings, documentary film, and literary accounts to consider a range of perspectives on the region commonly referred to as the Middle East. Rather than attempting a survey of the entire region, the course will take a thematic approach and explore such topics as: Islam and secularism, colonialism and postcoloniality, gender and political mobilization, media and globalization, and the politics and ethics of nation building. As an anthropology course, the class will take up these themes through richly contextualized accounts of life within the region. While it is recognized that the Middle East is incredibly heterogeneous, particular attention will be given to the influence and role of Islam. By the end of the seminar, students will have gained a broad understanding of some of the most pressing issues faced within the area, while at the same time grappling with advanced theoretical readings. No previous knowledge of the Middle East is assumed.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor C. Dole.

347. South Asia Now. (Offered as ANTH 347 and ASLC 347 [SA].) Anthropology of South Asia, in the last decade or more, has focused primarily on such themes as bureaucracy and corruption in relation to the postcolonial state; the economy, with special attention to development, liberalization and globalization; mass media and public culture; technology and global capital; and violence, as both a strategy and outcome of governmental and non-governmental politics. As students of South Asian cultures, how do we understand this trend? Is there an influence in South Asian scholarship of the changes taking place in the broader field of anthropology, or is there something specific to the region’s postcolonial modernity that demands this intellectual move? What is new about these emergent themes and how could they be read in light of canonical interests of South Asian anthropology? We shall explore these questions by way of reading recent anthropological writing on South Asia while paying special attention to theories of governmentality, identity, violence, mediation, and the state. The course is designed to offer a critical survey of recent ethnographic writing on the politics and aesthetics of South Asian public life. The larger aim is to situate South Asian anthropology within the body of literature known as South Asian Studies as well as against the unfolding history of the discipline of anthropology.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Chowdhury.

350. Asian Capitalism: Historical and Contemporary Views. (Offered as SOCI 350 and ASLC 350.) Asian economic development has challenged many Western observers; one reason has to do with the fact that Asian economies rely on institutional arrangements that do not exist in Western economies. In this course, we will look at distinctive institutional arrangements in Asia and discuss how those arrangements emerged. We will also discuss on-going debates concerning the character of Asian capitalism. Specifically we will look at the history of capitalism in Asia, what capitalism in Asia looks like today, how capitalism in Asia is perceived before and after the Asian financial crisis, and how the perception of Asian capitalism has changed since the most recent financial crisis originating in the United States. This course will require weekly class meetings (2 hours) and small-group meetings prior to weekly class meetings.

Not open to first-year students. Recommended requisite: One previous course in Sociology. Enrollment requires attendance at the first class meeting. Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Mun.

352. Buddhist Ethics. (Offered as RELI 352 and ASLC 352.) A systematic exploration of the place of ethics and moral reasoning in Buddhist thought and practice. The scope of the course is wide, with examples drawn from the whole Buddhist world, but emphasis is on the particularity of different Buddhist visions of the ideal human life. Attention is given to the problems of the proper description of Buddhist ethics in a comparative perspective.

Spring semester. Professor M. Heim.

355. Early Islam: Construction of an Historical Tradition. (Offered as HIST 393 [MEP] and ASLC 355 [WA].) This course examines in depth the formative period of Islam between c. 500-680. Using predominantly primary material, we will chart the emergence, success, and evolution of Islam, the Islamic community, and the Islamic polity. The focus of this course is on understanding the changing nature over time of peoples’ understanding of and conception of what Islam was and what Islam implied socially, religiously, culturally and politically. We concentrate on exploring the growth of the historical tradition of Islam and its continued contestations amongst scholars today. This course will familiarize students with the events, persons, ideas, texts and historical debates concerning this period. It is not a course on the religion or beliefs of Islam, but a historical deconstruction and analysis of the period. This class is writing intensive. Two class meetings per week.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Ringer.

356. The Islamic Mystical Tradition. (Offered as RELI 285 and ASLC 356 [WA]) This course is a survey of the large complex of Islamic intellectual and social perspectives subsumed under the term Sufism. Sufi mystical philosophies, liturgical practices, and social organizations have been a major part of the Islamic tradition in all historical periods, and Sufism has also served as a primary creative force behind Islamic aesthetic expression in poetry, music, and the visual arts. In this course, we will attempt to understand the various significations of Sufism by addressing both the world of ideas and socio-cultural practices. The course is divided into four modules: central themes and concepts going back to the earliest individuals who identified themselves as Sufis; the lives and works of two medieval Sufis; Sufi cosmology and metaphysics; Sufism as a global and multifarious trend in the modern world.

Spring semester. Professor Jaffer.

361. Arts of Korea. (Offered as ARHA 361 and ASLC 361.) A study of the major artistic traditions of the Korean peninsula and the cultural context that shaped them. Starting with the prehistoric period and continuing to the beginning of the twenty-first century, this seminar will focus in particular on the Buddhist architecture and sculpture of the Three Kingdoms and Unified Silla periods, Goguryeo celadons and Joseon Dynasty painting. It will conclude with an examination of Korean art during the Japanese colonial period and developments in contemporary art during the past three decades. Relevant artistic developments in China and Japan will also be considered to bring the distinctive traditions of the Korean peninsula into clearer focus. There will be field trips to look at collections of Korean art in the northeast.

Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Morse.

363. Women in the Middle East. (Offered as HIST 397 [ME], ASLC 363 [WA], and SWAG 362.) The course examines the major developments, themes and issues in woman’s history in the Middle East. The first segment of the course concerns the early Islamic period and discusses the impact of the Quran on the status of women, the development of Islamic religious traditions and Islamic law. Questions concerning the historiography of this “formative” period of Islamic history, as well as hermeneutics of the Quran will be the focus of this segment. The second segment of the course concerns the 19th- and 20th-century Middle East. We will investigate the emergence and development of the “woman question,” the role of gender in the construction of Middle Eastern nationalisms, women’s political participation, and the debates concerning the connections between women, gender, and religious and cultural traditions. The third segment of the course concerns the contemporary Middle East, and investigates new developments and emerging trends of women’s political, social and religious activism in different countries. The course will provide a familiarity with the major primary texts concerning women and the study of women in the Middle East, as well as with the debates concerning the interpretation of texts, law, religion, and history in the shaping of women’s status and concerns in the Middle East today. This class is conducted as a seminar. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Ringer.

375. Subaltern Studies: History from Below. (Offered as History 375 [AS], ANTH 375 and ASLC 375 [SA].) This course explores the intervention made by the Subaltern Studies Collective in the discipline of history-writing, particularly in the context of South Asia. Dissatisfied that previous histories of Indian nationalism were all in some sense “elitist,” this group of historians, anthropologists, and literary theorists sought to investigate how various marginalized communities—women, workers, peasants, adivasis—contributed in their own terms to the making of modern South Asia. Their project thus engaged broader methodological questions and problems about how to write histories of the marginal. Combining theoretical statements with selections from the 12-volume series as well as individual monographs, our readings and discussion will chart the overall trajectory of Subaltern Studies from in its initial moorings in the works of the Italian Marxian theorist Antonio Gramsci, to its later grounding in the critique of colonial discourse. The objective is to understand how this school of history-writing transformed the understanding of modern South Asian history. Our discussion will engage with the critiques and debates generated in response to the project and the life of the analytical category, “subalternity,” outside South Asia. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professors Sen and Chowdhury.

381. The Art of the Talisman. (Offered as ARHA 381 and ASLC 381.) The term “talisman,” from telesma (Greek) and tilsam (Arabic), has traditionally been defined as a magical object that is believed to repel harmful or evil forces. According to this view, a talisman is more interesting for what it does rather than what it represents or how it looks. Taking the arts of the Near East and South Asia as its primary frame, this course aims to move beyond these standard claims to examine the aesthetic dimensions of the talisman. What forms do talismans assume, and why? How—and with what materials, texts, and physical senses (smell, sight, touch)—are talismans made? And in what ways does this intersection of multiple systems of knowledge challenge basic assumptions regarding the relationship between art and reality? Among the objects we will explore are amulets, prayer scrolls, astrological materials, illustrated divination manuscripts, books of wonders, and talismanic clothing. While our case studies will be drawn mainly from the Islamic and South Asian spheres, students will have the opportunity to investigate a topic outside these realms for their final research project. Participation in class discussion, a significant component of the course, is expected. All readings will be available in English. One class meeting per week.

Requisite: One course in History of Art, History, Anthropology, or Religion. Limited to 20 students. Permission required for first-year students. Fall semester. Visiting Professor Rice.

382. Debating Muslims. (Offered as RELI 382 and ASLC 382 [WA].) This course introduces students to the intellectual tradition of Islam. It focuses on the pre-modern period. We will explore works of theology, philosophy, and political theory that were composed by Muslim intellectuals of various stripes. We will use primary sources in English translation to examine the ideas that Muslim intellectuals formulated and the movements that they engendered. In our discussions we will investigate questions concerning the rise of sectarianism, language and revelation, prophecy, heresy and apostasy, God and creation, causality and miracles, the role of logic and human reasoning with respect to the canonical sources (Quran and Hadith), and conceptions of the Islamic state.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Jaffer.

403. Social Policy Change in China. (Offered as POSC 403 [CP, IL, SC] and ASLC 403 [C].) After three decades of unprecedented economic growth, China is facing a new phase of development in which social policy issues such as healthcare, social security, and environmental degradation are taking center stage in the national dialogue. This course will provide students with the substantive knowledge and analytical tools to critically examine these issues, evaluate current policies, and propose feasible alternatives within the Chinese context. The semester begins with an overview of state-society relations in contemporary China, including the processes of policy design and implementation. The Chinese government emphasizes an experimentalist approach to policymaking, resulting in an important role for research, think tanks, and policy evaluation tools in the development of policy. Then, the course will examine the major social policy areas in China: health, education, poverty alleviation, social security, and environmental policy. Throughout the semester, students will also learn the tools of policy analysis, which they will employ in an independent research project on a policy problem in China. This course will enable students to think about social policy design and implementation in the context of the challenges inherent to a non-democratic, developing country with pervasive corruption and weak legal institutions. Thus, this course would be of interest to students seeking to study Chinese politics at an advanced level or those who plan to pursue a career in social policy and development more broadly.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Ratigan.

452. South Asian Feminist Cinema. (Offered as SWAG 469, ASLC 452 [SA], and FAMS 322.) How do we define the word “feminism”? Can the term be used to define cinematic texts outside the Euro-American world? In this course we will study a range of issues that have been integral to feminist theory—the body, domesticity, same sex desire, gendered constructions of the nation, feminist utopias and dystopias—through a range of South Asian cinematic texts. Through our viewings and readings we will consider whether the term “feminist” can be applied to these texts, and we will experiment with new theoretical lenses for exploring these films. Films will range from Satyajit Ray’s classic masterpiece Charulata to Gurinder Chadha’s trendy diasporic film, Bend It Like Beckham. Attendance for screenings on Monday is compulsory.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Shandilya.

459. Inside Iran. (Offered as HIST 492 [ME] and ALSC 459 [WA].) This seminar explores contemporary Iran from a historical and interdisciplinary perspective. The aim of the course is both to provide an overall understanding of the history of Iran, as well as those key elements of religion, literature, legend, and politics that together shape Iran’s understanding of itself. We will utilize a wide variety of sources, including Islamic and local histories, Persian literature, architecture, painting and ceramics, film, political treatises, Shiite theological writing, foreign travel accounts, and U.S. state department documents, in addition to secondary sources. Two class meetings per week.

Recommended requisite: a survey course on the modern Middle East. Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Ringer.

462. The History and Memory of the Asia-Pacific War. (Offered as HIST 477 [AS] and ASLC 462 [J].) The varied names given to the fifteen years of war conducted by Japan-the Pacific War, the Great East Asian War, the Fifteen-Year War, World War II, and the Asian-Pacific War-reflect the conflicting perspectives from which that war is studied and remembered. How has the experience of a fifteen-year war during the 1930s and 1940s shaped memory and history in Japan, East Asia, and the United States? This seminar begins with this broad question and pursues related questions: How are the memory and history of war intertwined in both national and international politics? What forms of memory have been included and excluded from dominant historical narratives and commemorative devices? How does critical historiography intersect with the politics and passions of memory? We will use oral histories, primary documents, film, and scholarship to guide our thoughts and discussions. We will begin with a brief history of Japan’s Fifteen-Year War and move on to prominent debates concerning the history and memory of that war. Short response papers and a research paper will be required. One class meeting per week.

Limited to 15 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall semester. Professor Maxey.

467. The Study and Exhibition of Japanese Prints: A Mead Art Museum Curatorial Seminar. Though the foundation of this seminar will be object-based research and writing, this course differs from a typical art history seminar in that the final product is not a traditional research paper but rather a collaboratively produced, student-curated exhibition, which will open at the Mead Art Museum in spring 2015. While the ultimate theme of this exhibition will be determined by the seminar’s participants, it will focus primarily on the Mead’s superior holdings of Japanese woodblock prints, which number nearly 5,000, with examples from nearly every period and movement of Japanese woodblock printing from the early 17th century until the 1980s.

Through course readings, consultations with museum professionals, visits to other museums, and hands-on experience at the Mead, students will participate in each stage of exhibition planning, from inception to installation, as well as planning of programming and public outreach. Assignments will range from the crafting of museum-style texts (i.e., interpretive labels and reports) to object-based research and exhibition and graphic design. There will also be ample opportunity to explore executive and administrative museum work, including drafting press releases, creating marketing strategies, and exhibition budgeting. Throughout all of this, students will also gain deep familiarity with the history, traditions, and techniques of Japanese woodblock printing.

While all participants will learn a great deal about the Mead’s collections, and especially about Japanese prints, this seminar will also provide vital experience for those students who wish to pursue a career in the arts, museum, and/or not-for-profit sectors.

Enrollment is limited to 10 students, with priority given to students who have familiarity with Japanese woodblock prints, especially through the spring 2014 course “The Social Life of the Japanese Print.” Please contact the seminar’s organizer, Bradley Bailey, if you are interested in participating. Fall semester. Post-doctoral Fellow Bailey.

470. Seminar on Modern China: The People and the State. (Offered as HIST 478 [AS] and ASLC 470 [C].) Political thinkers and activists inside China and throughout the world today puzzle over the relationship between the people and the state. Where do state functions and state control begin and end? How do the global economy, China’s increasing regional hegemony, internal migration, NGOs, rural protest, and the internet influence the relationship between the people and the state? Fundamental questions about the relationship between the people and the state have occupied thinkers and activists since the beginning of the twentieth century. Reformers in China tried to transform the imperial state into a constitutional monarchy, revolutionaries tried to create a Republic, Nationalists tried to build a “corporatist state,” and Communists tried to create a Socialist one. At each stage, the state-makers “imagined” the people, mobilized them, categorized them, and tried to control them. The people became subjects, citizens, nationals, and “the masses.” They divided themselves by native place, region, language, ethnicity, political party, class, and educational status. Chinese people in Southeast Asia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, have imagined themselves in relation to both “the ancestral land” and the colonial or national states under which they live. The process is by no means over. This seminar will focus on the problem of “imagining” and mobilizing people in China and these other states over the past century. General topics will include the ideas, the intellectual and educational context, and the mobilizations of urban and rural communities, commercial and religious groups, and NGOs. Research topics will depend on the interests of students. Two class meetings per week.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 20 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Dennerline.

473. The Partition of British India: Event and Experience. (Offered as HIST 473 [AS] and ASLC 473 [SA].) This reading and writing intensive seminar explores the Partition of British India—the division of the South Asian subcontinent into the independent nation-states of India and Pakistan in 1947—as event and experience. It attends to both the high-political negotiations and disagreements that culminated in the decision to divide British India, as well as the profound and multi-faceted human consequences of the event. Themes include the transfer of power, the demand for Pakistan, communalism, riots, violence, gender, caste, migration, rehabilitation, and memory. The course will examine the different ways in which Partition affected the lives of variously defined communities of South Asian society, in the process encouraging sensitivity to how histories of Partition are written. Readings include both primary and secondary sources, and assignments include presentations, response papers, and a final research paper. One class meeting per week.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sen.

474. Indian Nationalism. (Offered as History 474 [AS] and ASLC 474 [SA]). Anti-colonial nationalism in India was one of the first major movements towards the decolonization of the global south. This reading- and writing-intensive seminar examines the story of the Indian nationalist movement and the effort to liberate the subcontinent from British colonial rule. Drawing on both primary and secondary sources, the course attempts to chronologically explore the rise and development of nationalist ideology and practice, as well as introduce students to four broadly conceived historiographical schools and their interpretations of this movement—nationalist, Marxist, Cambridge, and Subaltern Studies. Students will thereby engage with a number of prominent historiographical debates about Indian nationalism and gain an in-depth appreciation of the triumphs, contradictions, and failures that marked the struggle for freedom in India, as well its troubled legacies. Writing assignments are designed to culminate in a substantial research paper. One class meeting per week.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sen.

476. China Research Seminar: From Revolution to Reform. (Offered as HIST 476 [AS] and ASLC 476 [C].) Political thinkers and activists inside China and throughout the world continue to puzzle over the relationship between the people and the state. Where do state functions and state control begin and end? How do the global economy, internal migration, NGOs, and the internet influence the relationship between the people and the state? What changes and continuities do we observe in state-society relations over time? Who are the winners and losers of China’s recent economic growth? How is China’s national identity similar to or different from those of developed or post-colonial nations? When and how do the national interest, individual interests, and the interests of the Party-state converge or diverge? And how do the spokesmen for these interests appeal to and reconstruct their visions of China’s past? This interdisciplinary research seminar will focus on issues of legitimacy, authority, resistance, and “rights consciousness” in the one-party system that has emerged from post-revolutionary reform in China. We will explore these issues with reference to state institutions, local political processes, education, social services, religion, and public expression of opinions and ideas. Research topics will depend on the interests of the students. One class meeting per week plus individual student conferences.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Previous coursework or relevant experience related to China preferred. Limited to 20 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall semester. Professor Dennerline.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course.

Fall and spring semesters. Members of the Department.

493. Turkey: From Empire to Republic. (Offered as HIST 493 [ME] and ASLC 493 [WA].) Turkey has a particularly complex relationship with the Ottoman Empire. On the one hand, the establishment of Turkey as a secular republic following the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire after World War I marked a watershed between empire and republic, sultan and president, subject and citizen. On the other hand, significant areas of continuity persisted. This seminar focuses on areas of rupture and continuity in order to shed light on the way that these tensions continue to impact contemporary debates surrounding secularism and the place of religion, nationalism and minority rights, and the tensions between authoritarianism and democracy. We will pay particular attention to the intellectual, social and cultural construction of modernity and to the ongoing contestations over historical memory and the Ottoman past. Students will work in consultation with the instructor on developing, articulating and researching a seminar-length (20 pp) research paper. Two class meetings per week.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Ringer.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Fall semester.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Spring semester.

Arabic

101. First-Year Arabic I. This year-long course introduces the basics of Modern Standard Arabic, also known as Classical Arabic. It begins with a coverage of the alphabet, vocabulary for everyday use, and essential communicative skills relating to real-life and task-oriented situations (queries about personal well-being, family, work, and telling the time). Students will concentrate on speaking and listening skills, as well as on learning the various forms of regular verbs, and on how to use an Arabic dictionary.

Limited to 18 students. Fall semester. Five College Senior Lecturer Hassan.

102. First-Year Arabic II. This is a continuation of First-Year Arabic I. We will complete the study of the Elementary Arabic AlKitaab book sequence along with additional instructional materials. Emphasis will be on the integrated development of all language skills—reading, writing, listening and speaking—using a communicative-oriented, proficiency-based approach. By the end of this semester, you will acquire vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, and language skills necessary for everyday interactions as well as skills that will allow you to communicate with a limited working proficiency in a variety of situations, read and write about a variety of factual material and familiar topics in non-technical prose. In addition to the textbook exercises, you will write short essays, do oral and video presentations and participate in role plays, discussions, and conversations throughout the semester in addition to extra-curricular activities and a final project.

Requisite: ARAB 101 or equivalent. Limited to 18 students. Spring semester. Five College Senior Lecturer Hassan.

201. Second-Year Arabic I. This course expands the scope of the communicative approach, as new grammatical points are introduced (irregular verbs), and develops a greater vocabulary for lengthier conversations. Emphasis is placed on reading and writing short passages and personal notes. This second-year of Arabic completes the introductory grammatical foundation necessary for understanding standard forms of Arabic prose (classical and modern literature, newspapers, film, etc.) and making substantial use of the language.

Requisite: ARAB 102 or equivalent. Limited to 18 students. Fall semester. Five College Lecturer Weinert.

202. Second-Year Arabic II. This is a continuation of Second-Year Arabic I. We will complete the study of the AlKitaab II book sequence along with additional instructional materials. In this course, we will continue perfecting knowledge of Arabic integrating the four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing using a communicative-oriented, proficiency-based approach. By the end of this semester, you should have sufficient comprehension in Arabic to understand most routine social demands and most non-technical real-life conversations as well as some discussions on concrete topics related to particular interests and special fields of competence in a general professional proficiency level. You will have broad enough vocabulary that will enable you to read within a normal range of speed with almost complete comprehension a variety of authentic prose material and be able to write about similar topics. Also by the end of this semester, you should have a wide range of communicative language ability including grammatical knowledge, discourse knowledge and sociolinguistic knowledge of the Arabic language. You should expect text assignments as well as work with DVDs, audio and video materials and websites. Exercises and activities include essay writing, social interactions, role plays and in-class conversations, oral and video presentations that cover the interplay of language and culture, extra-curricular activities and a final project.

Requisite: ARAB 201 or equivalent or consent of the instructor. Limited to 18 students. Spring semester. Five College Lecturer Oulbeid.

301. Third-Year Arabic I. This year-long course continues the study of Modern Standard Arabic. The course concentrates on all four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students will read and discuss authentic texts by writers throughout the Arab world. Topics address a variety of political, social, religious, and literary themes and represent a range of genres, styles, and periods.

Requisite: ARAB 202 or equivalent. Limited to 18 students. Omitted at Amherst College 2014-15.

302. Third-Year Arabic II. A continuation of ARAB 301, this year-long course continues the study of Modern Standard Arabic. The course concentrates on all four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students will read and discuss authentic texts by writers throughout the Arab world. Topics address a variety of political, social, religious, and literary themes and represent a range of genres, styles, and periods.

Requisite: ARAB 301 or equivalent. Limited to 18 students. Omitted at Amherst College 2014-15.

401. Fourth-Year Arabic: Media Arabic. Media Arabic is an advanced language course at the 400 level. Students are required to complete a set amount of material during the semester. Media Arabic introduces the language of print and the Internet news media to students of Arabic seeking to reach the advanced level. It makes it possible for those students to master core vocabulary and structures typical of front-page news stories, recognize various modes of coverage, distinguish fact from opinion, detect bias and critically read news in Arabic. The course enables students to read extended texts with greater accuracy at the advanced level by focusing on meaning, information structure, language form, and markers of cohesive discourse. The prerequisite for Media Arabic is the equivalent of three years of college-level Arabic study in a classroom course that includes both reading/writing skills and speaking/listening skills. The final grade is determined by participation and assignments, two term-papers and a final paper, a final written exam, an oral presentation and a comprehensive oral exam. Participation in the program requires significant independent work and initiative.

Requisite: ARAB 302 or equivalent. Limited to 18 students. Fall semester. Five College Senior Lecturer Hassan.

402. Topics in Arabic Language and Culture. This Arabic Language course is designed to further promote the development of advanced level proficiency in all four-language skills according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines. It aims to achieve that objective by training students to use more precise vocabulary, to be able to make more complicated arguments, and to begin to engage in abstract topics in a context of a rich cultural component. The course introduces students to authentic Arabic materials, strengthens and enhances their grammar, and reinforces linguistic accuracy. A significant amount of authentic supplementary texts, video and audio materials will be used from a variety of genres to cover the thematic modules of the course that will include, but are not limited to, Arabic social tradition, religion and politics, literature, women and gender issues in the Middle East, culture and history, arts and cinema. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to communicate and understand narrative and description in all time frames as well as begin to support opinions, hypothesize, and speak and write accurately in extended discourses. Students will be able to listen to and understand the main points and details of a speech, academic lecture or news broadcast. The course builds advanced Arabic competence, using communicative approaches to the learning of linguistic skills, function, and accuracy in both formal and informal registers.

Requisite: ARAB 302 or equivalent. Limited to 18 students. Spring semester. Five College Senior Lecturer Hassan.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course.

Fall and spring semester. Five College Teachers of Arabic.

Chinese

101. First-Year Chinese I. This course, along with CHIN 102 in the spring semester, is an elementary introduction to Mandarin Chinese offered for students who have no Chinese-speaking backgrounds. The class takes an integrated approach to basic language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and it emphasizes pronunciation and the tones, Chinese character handwriting, and the most basic structure and patterns of Chinese grammar. The class meets five times per week (lectures on MWF and drill sessions on TTh).

Limited to 30 students. Fall semester. Senior Lecturer Li.

102. First-Year Chinese II. A continuation of CHIN 101. By the end of the course, students are expected to have a good command of Mandarin pronunciation, the basic grammar structures, an active vocabulary of 700 Chinese characters, and basic reading and writing skills in the Chinese language. The class meets five times per week (lectures on MWF and drill sessions on TTh). This course prepares students for CHIN 201 (Second-year Chinese I).

Requisite: CHIN 101 or equivalent. Limited to 30 students. Discussion sections limited to 8 students. Spring semester. Senior Lecturer Li.

201. Second-Year Chinese I. This course is designed for students who have completed first-year Chinese classes. The emphasis will be on the basic grammatical structures. The course reinforces the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) through vigorous drills and practices. There will be three class meetings and two drill sessions each week.

Requisite: CHIN 102 or equivalent. Limited to 30 students, maximum enrollment of 8 students per section. Fall semester. Senior Lecturer Teng.

202. Second-Year Chinese II. This course is a continuation of CHIN 201. By the end of the semester, most of the basic grammatical structures will be addressed. This course continues to help students develop higher proficiency level on the four skills. Class will be conducted mostly in Chinese. There will be three meetings and two drill sessions each week. This course prepares students for CHIN 301.

Requisite: CHIN 201 or equivalent. Limited to 30 students, maximum enrollment of 8 students per discussion section. Spring semester. Senior Lecturer Teng.

301. Third-Year Chinese I. This course is designed to expose students to more advanced and comprehensive knowledge of Mandarin Chinese, with an emphasis on both linguistic competence and communicative competence. Expanding of vocabulary and development of reading comprehension will be through different genres of authentic texts. Students will be trained to write short essays on a variety of topics. Three class hours are supplemented by two drill sessions.

Requisite: CHIN 104, 202 or equivalent. Fall semester. Senior Lecturer Shen.

302. Third-Year Chinese II. A continuation of CHIN 301, a modern Chinese reading and writing course at the advanced level. Development of the basic four skills will continue to be stressed. It will emphasize both linguistic competence and communicative competence. Acquisition of additional characters will be through authentic readings of different genres. More training will be given on writing with more precision and details. Three class hours are supplemented by two drill sessions. This course prepares students for CHIN 401.

Requisite: CHIN 301 or equivalent. Spring semester. Senior Lecturers Shen and Teng.

401. Fourth-Year Chinese I. This course is designed for students who have completed three years of Chinese at the college level. The emphasis is on building substantial sophisticated vocabulary and reading various genres of writings and literary works like newspaper articles, essays, and short novels, etc. Development of a higher level of proficiency of the four skills will be stressed through class discussions, writing compositions, listening to TV news clips and watching movies that are supplemental to the themes of the reading materials. Class will be conducted entirely in Chinese. There will be three class meetings each week.

Requisite: CHIN 302 or equivalent. Admission with the consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Senior Lecturer Shen.

402. Fourth-Year Chinese II. This course is a continuation of CHIN 401. More advanced authentic texts of different genres of writings and literary works will be introduced to students. Development of a higher level of proficiency of the four skills will be stressed through class discussions, writing compositions, listening to TV news clips and watching movies that are supplemental to the themes of the reading materials. Class will be conducted entirely in Chinese. There will be three class meetings each week.

Requisite: CHIN 401 or equivalent. Admission with consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Senior Lecturer Shen.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course.

Fall and spring semester. Members of the Department.

Japanese

101. Introduction to the Japanese Language. This course is designed for students who have never previously studied Japanese. The course will introduce the overall structure of Japanese, basic vocabulary, the two syllabaries of the phonetic system, and some characters (Kanji). The course will also introduce the notion of “cultural appropriateness for expressions,” and will provide practice and evaluations for all four necessary skills—speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students will be required to practice with the materials that are on the course website at the college. Two group meetings and two individualized or small group evaluations per week are normally required throughout the semester.

Fall semester. Senior Lecturer Miyama and Professor Tawa.

102. Building Survival Skills in Japanese. This course is a continuation of JAPA 101. The course will emphasize active learning by each student in the class by means of the materials in the course website and individualized or small group discussions with the instructor. Small groups based on the students’ proficiency levels will be formed, so that instruction accords with the needs of each group. By the end of this course, students are expected to be familiar with most basic Japanese structures, to have acquired a substantial vocabulary, and to have gained sufficient speaking, listening, reading, and writing proficiency levels, which will enable the students to survive using Japanese in Japan. As for literacy, a few hundred new characters (Kanji) will be added by reading and writing longer passages. Two group meetings and two individualized or small group evaluations per week are normally required throughout the semester.

Requisite: JAPA 101 or equivalent. Spring semester. Professor Tawa.

103. Review and Progress in Japanese. This course is designed for students who have already begun studying Japanese in high school, other schools, or at home before coming to Amherst, but have not finished learning basic Japanese structures or acquired a substantial number of characters (Kanji). This course is also for individuals whose proficiency levels of the four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) are uneven to a noticeable degree. Small groups based on the students’ proficiency levels will be formed, so that instruction accords with the needs of each group. Students will be required to practice with the materials that are on the course website at the college. Two group meetings and two individualized or small group evaluations per week are normally required throughout the semester.

Requisite: Some Japanese instruction in high school, home, or college. Fall semester. Professor Tawa.

104. Beyond Basic Japanese. This course is a continuation of JAPA 101. The course will emphasize active learning from each student in the class by the use of the materials on the course website and individual or small group discussions with the instructor. By the end of this course, students are expected to be able to use basic Japanese structures with a substantial vocabulary and to have attained post-elementary speaking, listening, reading, and writing proficiency levels. As for literacy, a few hundred new characters (Kanji) will be added by reading and writing longer passages. Small groups based on the students’ proficiency levels will be formed, so that instruction accords with the needs of each group. Students will be required to practice with the materials that are on the course website at the college. Two group meetings and two individualized or small group evaluations per week are normally required throughout the semester.

Requisite: JAPA 101 or equivalent. Spring semester. Senior Lecturer Miyama and Professor Tawa.

201. Communicating in Sophisticated Japanese. This course is designed for students who have completed the acquisition of basic structures of Japanese and have learned a substantial number of characters (Kanji) and are comfortable using them spontaneously. The course will emphasize the development of all four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) at a more complex, multi-paragraph level. For example, students will be trained to speak more spontaneously and with cultural appropriateness in given situations using concrete as well as abstract expressions on a sustained level of conversation. As for literacy, students will be given practice reading and writing using several hundred characters (Kanji). Small groups based on the students’ proficiency levels will be formed, so that instruction accords with the needs of each group. Students will be required to practice with the materials that are on the course website at the college. Two group meetings and two individualized or small group evaluations per week are normally required throughout the semester.

Requisite: JAPA 102 or 104, or equivalent. Fall semester. Senior Lecturer Kayama and Professor Tawa.

202. Experience with Authentic Japanese Materials. This course is a continuation of JAPA 201. The course will provide sufficient practice of reading authentic texts and viewing films to prepare for the next level, JAPA 301, in which various genres of reading and films will be introduced. Throughout the course, the development of more fluent speech and stronger literacy will be emphasized by studying more complex and idiomatic expressions. Acquisition of an additional few hundred characters (Kanji) will be part of the course. The class will be conducted mostly in Japanese. Small groups based on the students’ proficiency levels will be formed, so that instruction accords with the needs of each group. Students will be required to practice with the materials that are on the course website at the college. Two group meetings and two individualized or small group evaluations per week are normally required throughout the semester.

Requisite: JAPA 201 or equivalent. Spring semester. Professor Tawa and Senior Lecturer Kayama.

209H. Conquering Kanji I. Japanese uses three different writing systems, one of which is called Kanji, with characters that were borrowed from China. A linguist, R.A. Miller (1986) in his book Nihongo (Japanese), writes: “The Japanese writing system is, without question, the most complicated and involved system of script employed today by any nation on earth; it is also one of the most complex orthographies ever employed by any culture anywhere at any time in human history.” The difficulty lies not merely in the number of characters that students must learn (roughly a couple of thousand), but also in the unpredictable nature of the ways these characters are used in Japanese. It is not possible in regular Japanese language classes to spend very much time on the writing system because the students must learn other aspects of the language in a limited number of class hours. This writing system is, however, not impossible to learn. In this half course, the students will learn the Japanese writing system historically and metacognitively, in group as well as individual sessions, and aim to overcome preconceived notions of difficulty related to the learning of Kanji. Each student in this class is expected to master roughly 500 Kanji that are used in different contexts.

Requisite: JAPA 104 or its equivalent. Fall semester. Professor Tawa.

210H. Conquering Kanji II. This half course serves either as continuation of JAPA 209H or the equivalent of 209H. See JAPA 209H for the course content.

Requisite: JAPA 104 or its equivalent. Spring semester. Professor Tawa.

301. Introduction to Different Genres of Japanese Writing and Film. This course will introduce different genres of writing: short novels, essays, newspaper and magazine articles, poems, expository prose, scientific writings, and others. Various genres of films will also be introduced. Development of higher speaking and writing proficiency levels will be focused upon as well. The class will be conducted entirely in Japanese. Small groups based on the students’ proficiency levels will be formed, so that instruction accords with the needs of each group. Students will be required to practice with the materials that are on the course website at the college. Two group meetings and two individualized or small group evaluations per week are normally required throughout the semester.

Requisite: JAPA 202 or equivalent. Fall semester. Five College Lecturer Brown and Professor Tawa.

302. Moving From “Learning to Read” to “Reading to Learn” in Japanese. This course will be a continuation of JAPA 301. Various genres of writing and film, of longer and increased difficulty levels, will be used to develop a high proficiency level of reading, writing, speaking, and listening throughout the semester. At this level, the students should gradually be moving from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” This important progression will be guided carefully by the instructor. Small groups based on the students’ proficiency levels will be formed, so that instruction accords with the needs of each group. Students will be required to practice with the materials that are on the course website at the college. Two group meetings and two individualized or small group evaluations per week are normally required throughout the semester.

Requisite: JAPA 301 or equivalent. Spring semester. Five College Lecturer Brown and Professor Tawa.

401. Introduction to Thematic Reading and Writing. This course is designed for the advanced students of Japanese who are interested in readings and writings on topics that are relevant to their interests. Each student will learn how to search for the relevant material, read it, and summarize it in writing in a technical manner. The course will also focus on the development of a high level of speaking proficiency. Small groups based on the students’ proficiency levels will be formed, so that instruction accords with the needs of each group. Two group meetings and two individualized or small group evaluations per week are normally required throughout the semester.

Requisite: JAPA 302 or equivalent. Fall semester. Professor Tawa.

402. Thematic Reading and Writing. This course is a continuation of JAPA 401. In addition to learning how to search for the relevant material, read it with comprehension, and produce a high level of writing, the students will learn to conduct a small research project in this semester. The course will also focus on the development of a high level of speaking proficiency through discussions with classmates and the instructor. Small groups based on the students’ proficiency levels will be formed, so that instruction accords with the needs of each group. Two group meetings and two individualized or small group evaluations per week are normally required throughout the semester.

Requisite: JAPA 401 or equivalent. Spring semester. Professor Tawa.

411. Introduction to Great Books and Films in the Original. This course is designed for students who possess a high proficiency level of speaking but need training in cover-to-cover book reading or film comprehension. Class materials will be selected from well-known books and films. Writing assignments will be given to develop critical and creative writing skills in Japanese. Small groups based on the students’ proficiency levels will be formed, so that instruction accords with the needs of each group. Two group meetings and two individualized or small group evaluations per week are normally required throughout the semester.

Requisite: JAPA 402 or equivalent. Fall semester. Professor Tawa.

412. Great Books and Films in the Original. This course is a continuation of JAPA 411. The course is designed for students who possess a high proficiency level of speaking but need training in cover-to-cover reading or film comprehension. Class materials will be selected from well-known books and films. Writing assignments will be given to develop critical and creative writing skills in Japanese. Small groups based on the students’ proficiency levels will be formed, so that instruction accords with the needs of each group. Two group meetings and two individualized or small group evaluations per week are normally required throughout the semester.

Requisite: JAPA 411 or equivalent. Spring semester. Professor Tawa.

490. Special Topics. Full course. Fall and spring semesters.

490H. Special Topics. Half course. Fall and spring semesters.

Astronomy

See PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY.

Biochemistry and Biophysics

*On leave 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Advisory Committee: Professors Goutte, O’Hara*, Poccia, Ratner‡, and Williamson (Chair); Associate Professors Bishop and Loinaz; Assistant Professors Carter* and Jaswal; Visiting Assistant Professor Hasegawa.

Biochemistry and Biophysics is an interdisciplinary major that integrates the three disciplines of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, using the principles of chemistry and physics to explain and explore biological phenomena.

Major Program: A student in the major takes six foundational courses in the three disciplines as well as three additional courses to develop a more advanced understanding along either a more biophysical or biochemical track. Students develop their expertise by the election of two courses from a list of electives, at least one of which is a biology course with a lab. Two advanced courses complete coursework for the major.

The six foundational courses are CHEM 151/155, CHEM 161, BIOL 191, BIOL 251/291, PHYS 116/123, and PHYS 117/124.

The three additional courses depend on which track a student elects. Students who are on the Biophysics Track will take MATH 140/272/335/PHYS 227; PHYS 225/CHEM 351; and PHYS 230/CHEM 361. Students who are on the Biochemistry Track will take CHEM 221, BIOL 331, and PHYS 230/CHEM 361.

Two electives are then chosen, at least one of which must be a laboratory course in biology. In the Biophysics Track, the electives include BIOL 251, BIOL 271, BIOL 291, BIOL 301, BIOL 310, BIOL 321, BIOL 331, BIOL 351, BIOL 381, CHEM 221, CHEM 330, COSC 111, COSC 112, MATH 211, MATH 260, MATH 335, or PHYS 343. In the Biochemistry Track, the electives include BIOL 220, BIOL 241, BIOL 251, BIOL 271, BIOL 291, BIOL 301, BIOL 310, BIOL 321, BIOL 351, BIOL 370, BIOL 381, CHEM 231, COSC 111, MATH 140, MATH 272, or MATH 335. Other courses not listed here may satisfy this elective upon approval by the Advisory Committee.

The two required advanced courses are BCBP 400/CHEM 400/PHYS 400/BIOL 400 and an advanced seminar such as BIOL 404/BCBP 405 or CHEM 408/BCBP 408. Thesis work (BCBP 498/498D) or Five College Courses (with approval) may also serve as upper level seminars to complete the major.

Special Topics Course BCPB 490 may be elected for students who wish an intensive laboratory or research tutorial in Biochemistry and Biophysics with individual members of the faculty.

For completion of the major, a comprehensive requirement consists of attendance at and presentation to a Biochemistry and Biophysics seminar series.

Departmental Honors Program: Some majors may elect to pursue an independent research project that enables them the opportunity to graduate with honors. Candidates for the degree with honors should elect Biochemistry and Biophysics (BCBP) 498 and 499D.

281. Molecular Genetics. (Offered as BIOL 251 and BCBP 281) A study of the molecular mechanisms underlying the transmission and expression of genes. DNA replication and recombination, RNA synthesis and processing, and protein synthesis and modification will be examined. Both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems will be analyzed, with an emphasis upon the regulation of gene expression. Application of modern molecular methods to biomedical and agricultural problems will also be considered. The laboratory component will focus upon recombinant DNA methodology. Four classroom hours and four hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: BIOL 191 or equivalent. Limited to 30 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall semester. Professor TBA.

291. Cell Structure and Function. (Offered as BIOL 291 and BCBP 291) An analysis of the structure and function of cells in plants, animals, and bacteria. Topics to be discussed include the cell surface and membranes, cytoskeletal elements and motility, cytoplasmic organelles and bioenergetics, the interphase nucleus and chromosomes, mitosis, meiosis, and cell cycle regulation. Four classroom hours and three hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: BIOL 191 and completion of, or concurrent registration in, CHEM 161. Limited to 24 students. Spring semester. Professor Poccia.

310. Structural Biochemistry. (Offered as BIOL 310 and BCBP 310.) This course will concentrate on the structure of proteins at the atomic level. It will include an introduction to methods of structure determination, to databases of structural information, and to publicly available visualization software. These tools will be used to study some class of specific structures, (such as membrane, nucleic acid binding, regulatory, structural, or metabolic proteins). These proteins will provide the framework for discussion of such concepts as domains, motifs, molecular motion, structural homology, etc., as well as addressing how specific biological problems are solved at the atomic level. Four classroom hours per week plus one hour discussion.

Requisite: BIOL 191 and CHEM 161; CHEM 221 would be helpful but is not required. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Williamson.

331. Biochemistry. (Offered as BIOL 331, BCBP 331, and CHEM 331.) Structure and function of biologically important molecules and their role(s) in life processes. Protein conformation, enzymatic mechanisms and selected metabolic pathways will be analyzed. Additional topics may include: nucleic acid conformation, DNA/protein interactions, signal transduction and transport phenomena. Four classroom hours and four hours of laboratory work per week. Offered jointly by the Departments of Biology and Chemistry. A student may not receive credit for both BCBP/BIOL/CHEM 331 and CHEM 330.

Requisite: CHEM 221 and BIOL 191; or consent of the instructor. CHEM 231 is a co-requisite. Spring semester. Limited to 45 students. Professor Bishop (Chemistry) and Professor TBA (Biology).

400. Molecular and Cellular Biophysics. (Offered as PHYS 400, BIOL 400, BCBP 400, and CHEM 400.) How do the physical laws that dominate our lives change at the small length and energy scales of individual molecules? What design principles break down at the sub-cellular level and what new chemistry and physics becomes important? We will answer these questions by looking at bio-molecules, cellular substructures, and control mechanisms that work effectively in the microscopic world. How can we understand both the static and dynamic shape of proteins using the laws of thermodynamics and kinetics? How has the basic understanding of the smallest molecular motor in the world, ATP synthase, changed our understanding of friction and torque? We will explore new technologies, such as atomic force and single molecule microscopy that have allowed research into these areas. This course will address topics in each of the three major divisions of Biophysics: bio-molecular structure, biophysical techniques, and biological mechanisms.

Requisite: CHEM 161, PHYS 116/123, PHYS 117/124, BIOL 191 or evidence of equivalent coverage in pre-collegiate courses. Spring semester. Professors Loinaz and Williamson.

408. Seminar in Chemical Biology: The Chemistry/Biology Interface. (Offered as CHEM 408 and BCBP 408.) This advanced seminar will focus on the ways in which chemical approaches have been used to study and engineer biological systems. We will explore a series of case studies in which the tools of chemistry have been brought to bear on biological questions and seek to answer the following: Did the application of small molecules that were designed and synthesized by chemists allow the researchers to elucidate biological phenomena that would have remained opaque using genetic and biochemical approaches? Do the findings suggest further experiments? If so, could follow-up experiments be carried out with known techniques, or would development of further chemical tools be required? Topics will include: the design and synthesis of chemical modulators of gene expression, signal transduction, and protein-protein interactions; chemical approaches to protein engineering and drug-target validation; activity-based proteomics; and chemical tagging of biomolecular targets. Readings will draw heavily from the primary scientific literature. Students will be expected to participate actively in class discussions, to write, and to present their work to the class. This course can be used to fulfill either the elective requirement for the CHEM major or the seminar requirement for the BCBP major. Two eighty-minute classes per week.

Requisite: CHEM 231. Recommended requisite: CHEM 330 or 331. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Bishop.

490. Special Topics. Fall and spring semesters.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Fall semester.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors. A double course. Spring semester.

Biology

*On leave 2014-15.

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

Professors Clotfelter, Goutte, Poccia, Ratner, Temeles, and Williamson; Associate Professors Hood (Chair) and Miller†; Assistant Professors Graf, Purdy and Trapani*; Five College Visiting Professor Drewell; Lecturer R. Levin†; Lab Coordinator Emerson.

The Biology curriculum is designed to meet the needs of students preparing for postgraduate work in biology or medicine, as well as to provide the insights of biology to other students whose area of specialization lies outside biology.

Courses for Non-Major Students. BIOL 104, 106, 108, 110 and 114 each focus on a particular topic within biology and are specifically intended for students who do not major in biology. These courses will not count toward the Biology major and do not meet the admission requirements for medical school. The two semesters of introductory biology (BIOL 181 and 191) may also be taken by non-majors who wish a broad introduction to the life sciences.

Major Program. The Biology major consists of three categories:

1. Two introductory biology courses (BIOL 181 and 191);

2. Two courses in chemistry (CHEM 151 or 155 and CHEM 161 or above) and two courses in mathematics and/or physics at the level of MATH 111 and PHYS 116 or above. Students with Advanced Placement scores may satisfy the requirement by taking upper-level courses;

3. Five additional courses in biology, not including Special Topics and courses numbered below BIOL 181, chosen according to each student’s needs and interests, subject to three constraints: First, at least three of the five must be laboratory courses. These laboratory courses are BIOL 211, 221, 241, 251, 271, 281, 291, 301, 321, 331, 351 and 381. Second, Biology majors who do not complete an Honors thesis must take a seminar course as one of these five courses. These seminar courses are BIOL 404, 410, 414, 420, 424, 430, 434, 440, 444, 450, 454, 460 and 464. Third, the five courses must include at least one course in each of the following three areas:

a) Molecular and cellular mechanisms of life processes: Molecular Genetics (BIOL 251), Cell Structure and Function (BIOL 291), Molecular Neurobiology (BIOL 301), Structural Biochemistry (BIOL 310), Biochemical Principles (BIOL 330), Biochemistry (BIOL 331) and Biophysics (BIOL 400);

b) Integrative processes that show the relationship between molecular mechanisms and macroscopic phenomena: Developmental Biology (BIOL 221), Genetic Analysis of Biological Processes (BIOL 241), Animal Physiology (BIOL 260), Microbiology (BIOL 271), Neurophysiology (BIOL 351), Immunology (BIOL 370), Genome Biology (BIOL 380) and Genome Biology With Lab (BIOL 381);

c) Evolutionary explanations of biological phenomena: Plants as Models in Organismal Biology (BIOL 211), Ecology (BIOL 230), Animal Behavior (BIOL 280), Animal Behavior with Lab (BIOL 281), Evolutionary Biology (BIOL 320) and Evolutionary Biology With Lab (BIOL 321).

All Biology majors will take a Senior Comprehensive Examination administered by the Department. All majors are strongly encouraged to attend Departmental seminars (Mondays 3:30-4:30 p.m.); attendance is required for senior majors.

Most students should begin with BIOL 181 in the spring semester of their first year and BIOL 191 in the fall semester of their sophomore year. This will require completing MATH 111 and CHEM 151—or their equivalents—in the student’s first year. Students with a Biology AP score of 5 who wish to place out of either course must first seek permission from the Biology Department. Students placing out of BIOL 181 must substitute a course from category 3c (evolutionary explanations); students placing out of BIOL 191 must substitute a course from category 3a (molecular and cellular mechanisms). Students placing out of BIOL 181 or BIOL 191, or in exceptional cases both, must take a minimum of four semesters of laboratory work (one intro and three upper-level labs or four upper-level labs).

CHEM 151 and/or CHEM 161 are requisites for several Biology courses. Students are therefore encouraged to take CHEM 151 or 155 in the fall of their first year, particularly students whose planned courses emphasize integrative processes or cellular and molecular mechanisms. Students preparing for graduate study in life sciences should consider taking CHEM 221 and 231, PHYS 117, and a course in statistics in addition to the minimum requirements for the Biology major. Note that CHEM 221 and 231 are requisites for BIOL 331, and that prior completion of PHYS 117 or 124 is recommended for BIOL 351.

Please note that courses taken as pass/fail cannot be counted toward the major. This includes biology courses as well as ancillary courses (i.e., chemistry, physics, and math). Also, a Biology course cannot be counted towards the Biology major if it is also being used to meet the requirements of another major, unless the course in question is required by both majors.

Departmental Honors Program. Honors work in Biology is an opportunity to do original laboratory or field research and to write a thesis based on this research. The topic of thesis research is chosen in consultation with a member of the Biology Department who agrees to supervise the Honors work. Honors candidates take BIOL 498 and 499D in addition to the other requirements for the major, except that Honors candidates may take four rather than five courses in addition to BIOL 181 and 191, subject to the laboratory and subject area constraints.

Courses for Premedical Students. Students not majoring in Biology may fulfill the two-course minimum premedical requirement in Biology by taking two laboratory courses numbered 181 or above in Biology. Students interested in health professions other than allopathic medicine should consult a member of the Health Professions Committee regarding specific requirements and visit the Amherst Health Professions webpage.

104. Food, Fiber, and Pharmaceuticals. It is perhaps impossible to experience a day without plants. From the air we breathe, the bed we sleep in, the soap we wash with and clothes we put on, to the foods we consume and the medicines we take, we are very much dependent upon plants and their products. Through a combination of lecture, discussion, and observation, we will explore how, why, and when plants became vital to people and their societies. Several economically important plant groups will be studied, including those that provide food and beverages, medicines and narcotics, spices, perfumes, fuels, and fiber. What are the characteristics of these groups enabling their exploitation, and what is the history of these associations? How and when were plants domesticated and what are the consequences of large-scale agriculture? What impacts do human population growth and habitat destruction have on the ways that people interact with plants now and in the future? Finally, we will explore the role of technology in efforts to both improve and synthesize plant products. Three classroom hours per week. Two local field trips.

Limited to 26 students. This course is for non-majors. Students majoring in Biology will be admitted only with permission from the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Lecturer Levin.

106. Why Sex? Perhaps no subject in biology is as troublesome (or as fraught with contradictions) as sex. Why should organisms devote so much of their time and energy to attracting mates, when they can reproduce much more efficiently by cloning themselves? Similarly, why not pass on all your genes, rather than just half? Darwin was among the first to realize that competition for mates is sometimes as important as competition for survival. Sex is an exceedingly powerful ecological and evolutionary force, responsible for generating a tremendous diversity of morphologies and behaviors. In this course, we will draw upon examples from microbes to mosses to mammals in order to address these most basic biological questions: Why did sex evolve and what are its consequences? Three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week.

Limited to 30 students. This course is for non-majors. Students majoring in Biology, Chemistry, or Psychology will be admitted only with permission from the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Miller.

110. Contagion. Infection by contagious microorganisms remains a leading cause of death in many parts of the world. This course will explore the biological mechanisms of infectious diseases, as well as the challenges associated with fighting their emergence and spread. We will focus on diseases of global health importance, such as HIV/AIDS, cholera, and tuberculosis, to discuss the strategies pathogens have evolved that ensure their successful transmission. In light of their ability to effectively outwit our own immune systems, we must devise new means to overcome these disease-causing microbes. Here, the challenges are legion. We will see that the answer lies not only with an understanding of biology to formulate treatments and prevention measures, but this knowledge must be integrated with awareness of complex societal issues to inform and implement solutions. Discussions will focus upon the many perspectives from which infectious diseases are encountered, drawing on resources from the literature on microbiology, ethics, and policy, as well as personal accounts and current news stories. Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. This course is for non-science majors and will not count toward the Biology major.

Limited to 40 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Purdy.

131. Chemical Basis of Biological Processes. (Offered as CHEM 131 and BIOL 131.) What are the natural laws that describe how biological processes actually work? This course will use examples from biology such as human physiology or cellular signaling to illustrate the interplay between fundamental chemical principles and biological function. We will explore how bonding plays a central role in assembling simple biological building blocks such as sugars, amino acids, and fatty acids to form complex carbohydrates, proteins, and membranes. What underlying thermodynamic and kinetic principles guide systems to biological homeostasis or reactivity? What is pH, and how are proton gradients used to generate or change an organism’s response? Emphasis is on using mathematics and physical sciences to understand biological functions. Three classroom hours and three hours of laboratory per week.

Enrollment is limited to 15 first-year students who are interested in science or premedical study, who are recommended to begin with either MATH 105 or MATH 111 (Intensive), and who are enrolled in a Mathematics course but not in CHEM 151. Admission with consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15.

181. Adaptation and the Organism. An introduction to the evolution, ecology, and behavior of organisms and how these relate to the diversity of life. Following a discussion of the core components of evolutionary theory, we’ll examine how evolutionary processes have shaped morphological, anatomical, physiological, and behavioral adaptations in organisms that solve many of life’s problems, ranging from how to find or acquire food and avoid being eaten, to how to attract and locate mates, and how to optimize reproduction throughout a lifetime. We’ll relate and compare characteristics of animals, plants, fungi, protists, and bacteria, examining how and why these organisms have arrived at various solutions to life’s problems. Laboratory exercises will complement lectures and will involve field experiments on natural selection and laboratory studies of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. Four classroom hours and three laboratory hours per week.

Spring semester. Professors Hood, Temeles, and Levin, and Lab Coordinator Emerson.

191. Molecules, Genes and Cells. An introduction to the molecular and cellular processes common to life with an emphasis on control of energy and information flow. Central themes include metabolism, macromolecular function, and the genetic basis of cellular function. We examine how membranes work to establish the internal composition of cells, how the structure of proteins including enzymes affects protein function, how energy is captured, stored and utilized by cells, and how cells communicate, move and divide. We explore inheritance patterns and underlying molecular mechanisms of genetics, the central dogma of information transfer from DNA replication to protein synthesis, and recombinant DNA methods and medical applications. Laboratories include genetic analyses, enzyme reaction kinetics, membrane transport, and genomic analysis. Four classroom hours and three laboratory hours per week.

Requisite: Prior completion of, or concurrent registration in, CHEM 161. Fall semester. Professors Goutte, Purdy, and Williamson and Lab Coordinator Emerson.

211. Plants as Models in Organismal Biology. In their diverse forms, plants play the role of sustaining life on Earth. Plants are also tractable research models, which have facilitated many scientific discoveries and illustrate different approaches to studying organismal biology. This course will strongly integrate lecture, laboratory and field-based material to address plant biology as a foundational discipline in the life sciences. We will include studies on the structures and adaptations that reflect diverse life histories and ecologies, with experimental exercises and work in natural populations. The course will have two three-hour meetings per week with lectures followed by laboratory or field work.

Requisite: BIOL 181. Limited to 16 students. Fall semester. Professor Hood.

221. Developmental Biology. How can a single cell, the fertilized egg, give rise to all the specialized cells of an adult? What gives rise to biological form? What is the molecular logic of the pathways that progressively refine cellular identities? How do cells “talk” to one another so as to coordinate their behaviors as embryos develop form and function? How can parts of an organism be regenerated with only the appropriate regions remade, structured identically to the missing ones? How does a stem cell differ from a non-stem cell? How can genetically identical organisms be cloned? This course will offer an integrative study of the development of animals, leading to the formulation of the principles of development, including an introduction to experimental embryology and developmental physiology, anatomy, genetics and “evo-devo.” Laboratory work explores embryonic development and regeneration in amphibians, sea urchins, nematodes, flatworms, fruit flies, fish, and chickens. Four classroom hours and three hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: BIOL 191. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 16 students. Fall semester. Professor Poccia.

230. Ecology. (Offered as BIOL 230 and ENST 210.) A study of the relationships of plants and animals (including humans) to each other and to their environment. We’ll start by considering the decisions an individual makes in its daily life concerning its use of resources, such as what to eat and where to live, and whether to defend such resources. We’ll then move on to populations of individuals, and investigate species population growth, limits to population growth, and why some species are so successful as to become pests whereas others are on the road to extinction. The next level will address communities, and how interactions among populations, such as competition, predation, parasitism, and mutualism, affect the organization and diversity of species within communities. The final stage of the course will focus on ecosystems, and the effects of humans and other organisms on population, community, and global stability. Three hours of lecture per week.

Requisite: BIOL 181 or ENST 120 or equivalent. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 65 students. Fall semester. Professor Temeles.

240. Mathematical Modeling of Biological Systems. (Offered as MATH 240 and BIOL 240.) With new high throughput experimental techniques leading to large data sets of increased quality, the ability to process and analyze these data sets using mathematical and computational modeling approaches has become an integral part of modern biology. This course aims to provide students interested in the interface between biology and mathematics with an integrated multidisciplinary foundation to this field. Topics will include areas of biology such as genomics, molecular biology, ecology, development, evolutionary biology, and epidemiology. The mathematical approaches we will use to study these areas will include discrete and continuous dynamical models as well as tree construction, probability models, and parameter estimation algorithms.

Requisite: MATH 121 and BIOL 181 and 191. Limited to 24 students. Spring semester. Professors Dresch and Drewell.

241. Genetic Analysis of Biological Processes. This course will explore the application of genetic analysis toward understanding complex biological systems. Scientists often turn to the study of genes and mutations when trying to decipher the mechanisms underlying such diverse processes as the making of an embryo, the response of cells to their environment, or the defect in a heritable disease. By reading papers from the research literature, we will study in detail some of the genetic approaches that have been taken to analyze certain molecular systems. We will learn from these examples how to use genetic analysis to formulate models that explain the molecular function of a gene product. The laboratory portion of this course will include discussions of the experimental approaches presented in the literature. Students will apply these approaches to their own laboratory projects. Three hours of lecture and four hours of laboratory per week; the laboratory projects will require additional time outside of class hours.

Requisite: BIOL 191. Limited to 24 students. Not open to first-year students. Spring semester. Professor Goutte.

251. Molecular Genetics. (Offered as BIOL 251 and BCBP 281) A study of the molecular mechanisms underlying the transmission and expression of genes. DNA replication and recombination, RNA synthesis and processing, and protein synthesis and modification will be examined. Both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems will be analyzed, with an emphasis upon the regulation of gene expression. Application of modern molecular methods to biomedical and agricultural problems will also be considered. The laboratory component will focus upon recombinant DNA methodology. Four classroom hours and four hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: BIOL 191 or equivalent. Limited to 30 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15.

260. Animal Physiology. This course will examine the function of tissues, organs, and organ systems, with an emphasis on the relationship between structure and function. Building outward from the level of the cell, we will study bodily processes including respiration, circulation, digestion and excretion. In addition, the course will address how different organisms regulate these complex processes and how ion and fluid balance is maintained. We will also study the nervous system in the context of sensory systems, focusing on how external stimuli are transformed into meaningful neuronal signals and processed by the brain. Weekly discussions will include readings from primary literature. Four classroom hours per week.

Requisite: BIOL 191 and either BIOL 181 or NEUR 226. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Trapani.

271. Microbiology. Microbes inhabit the world’s oceans, deserts, lakes, soils, and atmosphere, and play a vital role in the Earth’s biogeochemical cycles. As humans, we harbor a diverse microbial flora estimated to outnumber our own human cells. During this course, we will explore this microbial world by investigating the structure, physiology, genetics, and evolution of microorganisms with a focus on bacteria, but including discussions of archaea, viruses, and microbial eukaryotes. The goal of the course is to gain an understanding of the unique properties of microbes that enable their persistence and diversification. We will also pay special attention to microbial interactions with eukaryotic organisms, by studying both host and microbe contributions to virulence, mutualism, and symbiotic relationships. Laboratory exercises will include explorations of microbial functions and diversity in a variety of contexts using both classical and molecular approaches. Three hours of lecture, three hours of laboratory and one hour of discussion per week.

Requisite: BIOL 181 and 191. Limited to 28 students. Not open to first-year students. Spring semester. Professor Purdy.

280. Animal Behavior. Shaped by millions of years of natural and sexual selection, animals have evolved myriad abilities to respond to their biotic and abiotic environment. This course examines animal behavior from both a mechanistic and a functional perspective. Drawing upon examples from a diverse range of taxa, we will discuss topics such as sensory ecology, behavioral genetics, behavioral endocrinology, behavioral ecology and sociobiology. Three classroom hours per week.

Requisite: BIOL 181. Limited to 14 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Clotfelter.

281. Animal Behavior with Lab. Shaped by millions of years of natural and sexual selection, animals have evolved myriad abilities to respond to their biotic and abiotic environment. This course examines animal behavior from both a mechanistic and a functional perspective. Drawing upon examples from a diverse range of taxa, we will discuss topics such as sensory ecology, behavioral genetics, behavioral endocrinology, behavioral ecology and sociobiology. Three classroom hours and four laboratory hours per week; the laboratory projects will require additional time outside of class hours.

Requisite: BIOL 181. Limited to 16 students. Not open to first-year students. Spring semester. Professor Clotfelter.

290. Special Topics. Independent reading or research courses. Full course as arranged. Does not normally count toward the major.

Fall and spring semesters.

290H. Special Topics. Independent reading or research courses. Half course as arranged. Does not normally count toward the major.

Fall and spring semesters.

291. Cell Structure and Function. (Offered as BIOL 291 and BCBP 291) An analysis of the structure and function of cells in plants, animals, and bacteria. Topics to be discussed include the cell surface and membranes, cytoskeletal elements and motility, cytoplasmic organelles and bioenergetics, the interphase nucleus and chromosomes, mitosis, meiosis, and cell cycle regulation. Four classroom hours and three hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: BIOL 191 and completion of, or concurrent registration in, CHEM 161. Limited to 24 students. Spring semester. Professor Poccia.

301. Molecular Neurobiology. (Offered as BIOL 301 and NEUR 301.) An analysis of the molecules and molecular mechanisms underlying nervous system function, development, and disease. We will explore the proteins that contribute to the unique structure and function of neurons, including an in-depth analysis of synaptic communication and the molecular processes that modify synapses. We will also study the molecular mechanisms that control brain development, from neurogenesis, neurite growth and synaptogenesis to cell death and degeneration. In addition to analyzing neural function, throughout the course we will also study nervous system dysfunction resulting when such molecular mechanisms fail, leading to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disease. Readings from primary literature will emphasize current molecular techniques utilized in the study of the nervous system. Four classroom hours and three hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: BIOL 191 and CHEM 161. Not open to first year students. Limited to 24 students. Fall semester. Professor Graf.

310. Structural Biochemistry. (Offered as BIOL 310 and BCBP 310.) This course will concentrate on the structure of proteins at the atomic level. It will include an introduction to methods of structure determination, to databases of structural information, and to publicly available visualization software. These tools will be used to study some class of specific structures, (such as membrane, nucleic acid binding, regulatory, structural, or metabolic proteins). These proteins will provide the framework for discussion of such concepts as domains, motifs, molecular motion, structural homology, etc., as well as addressing how specific biological problems are solved at the atomic level. Four classroom hours per week plus one hour discussion.

Requisite: BIOL 191 and CHEM 161; CHEM 221 would be helpful but is not required. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Williamson.

320. Evolutionary Biology. Evolution is a powerful and central theme that unifies the life sciences. In this course, emphasis is placed on microevolutionary mechanisms of change, and their connection to large-scale macroevolutionary patterns and diversity. Through lectures and readings from the primary literature, we will study genetic drift and gene flow, natural selection and adaptation, molecular evolution, speciation, the evolution of sex and sexual selection, life history evolution, and inference and interpretation of evolutionary relationships. Three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion each week.

Requisite: BIOL 181; BIOL 191 recommended. Limited to 30 students. Not open to first-year students. Spring semester. Professor Miller.

321. Evolutionary Biology With Lab. Evolution is a powerful and central theme that unifies the life sciences. In this course, emphasis is placed on microevolutionary mechanisms of change, and their connection to large-scale macroevolutionary patterns and diversity. Through lectures and readings from the primary literature, we will study genetic drift and gene flow, natural selection and adaptation, molecular evolution, speciation, the evolution of sex and sexual selection, life history evolution, and inference and interpretation of evolutionary relationships. The laboratory investigates evolutionary processes using computer simulations, artificial selection experiments, and a semester-long project that characterizes phenotypic breeding relationships among individuals and integrates these results with analyses of molecular sequence variation for genes contributing to mating recognition. Three hours of lecture, one hour of discussion and four hours of laboratory work each week.

Requisite: BIOL 181; BIOL 191 recommended. Limited to 16 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Miller.

330. Biochemical Principles of Life at the Molecular Level. (Offered as BIOL 330 and CHEM 330) What are the molecular underpinnings of processes central to life? We will explore the chemical and structural properties of biological molecules and learn the logic used by the cell to build complex structures from a few basic raw materials. Some of these complex structures have evolved to catalyze chemical reactions with enormous degree of selectivity and specificity, and we seek to discover these enzymatic strategies. We will consider the detailed balance sheet that shows how living things harvest energy from their environment to fuel metabolic processes and to reproduce and grow. Examples of the exquisite control that permits a cell to be responsive and adapt its responses based on input from the environment will be considered. We will also consider some of the means by which cells respond to change and to stress. A student may not receive credit for both CHEM 330 and BCBP/BIOL/CHEM 331.

Requisite: BIOL 191 and CHEM 221. Limited to 30 students. Fall semester. Professor Jaswal.

331. Biochemistry. (Offered as BIOL 331, BCBP 331, and CHEM 331.) Structure and function of biologically important molecules and their role(s) in life processes. Protein conformation, enzymatic mechanisms and selected metabolic pathways will be analyzed. Additional topics may include: nucleic acid conformation, DNA/protein interactions, signal transduction and transport phenomena. Four classroom hours and four hours of laboratory work per week. Offered jointly by the Departments of Biology and Chemistry. A student may not receive credit for both BCBP/BIOL/CHEM 331 and CHEM 330.

Requisite: CHEM 221 and BIOL 191; or consent of the instructor. CHEM 231 is a co-requisite. Spring semester. Limited to 45 students. Professor Bishop (Chemistry) and Professor TBA (Biology).

351. Neurophysiology. (Offered as BIOL 351 and NEUR 351.) This course will provide a deeper understanding of the physiological properties of the nervous system. We will address the mechanisms underlying electrical activity in neurons, as well as examine the physiology of synapses; the transduction and integration of sensory information; the function of nerve circuits; the trophic and plastic properties of neurons; and the relationship between neuronal activity and behavior. Laboratories will apply electrophysiological methods to examine neuronal activity and will include experimental design as well as analysis and presentation of collected data. Throughout the course, we will focus on past and current neurophysiology research and how it contributes to the field of neuroscience. Three classroom hours and three hours of laboratory work per week.

Requisites: BIOL 191 and CHEM 151; PHYS 117 or 124 is recommended. Limited to 24 students. Open to juniors and seniors. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Trapani.

370. Immunology. The immune response is a consequence of the developmentally programmed or antigen-triggered interaction of a complex network of interacting cell types. These interactions are controlled by regulatory molecules and often result in the production of highly specific cellular or molecular effectors. This course will present the principles underlying the immune response and describe the methods employed in immunology research. In addition to lectures, a program of seminars will provide an introduction to the research literature of immunology. Three classroom hours per week.

Requisite: BIOL 191, 251, 291, 331 or permission from the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Emeritus Goldsby.

380. Genome Biology. A study of the architecture and interactions of genetic systems. Advances in genomics are providing insights into a variety of important issues, from the structural limits of DNA-based inheritance to the discovery of novel infectious and genetic diseases. We will address how heritable information is organized in different groups of organisms. We will also cover a major challenge of this emerging field—the application of vast amounts of genetic data to understanding genomic integrity and regulation. We will critically assess the genome as a “cooperative assemblage of genetic elements” and conclude by discussing the consequences of genomic structure for shaping species traits and long-term evolutionary potential. Three hours of lecture per week.

Requisite: BIOL 181 and 191. This course is designed as an overflow class for those who cannot take BIOL 381 and the combined enrollment for these courses will be 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hood.

381. Genome Biology with Lab. A study of the architecture and interactions of genetic systems. Advances in genomics are providing insights into a variety of important issues, from the structural limits of DNA-based inheritance to the discovery of novel infectious and genetic diseases. We will address how heritable information is organized in different groups of organisms. We will also cover a major challenge of this emerging field—the application of vast amounts of genetic data to understanding genomic integrity and regulation. We will critically assess the genome as a “cooperative assemblage of genetic elements” and conclude by discussing the consequences of genomic structure for shaping species traits and long-term evolutionary potential. Three hours of lecture, and three hours of laboratory per week. Lab activities will require work outside of the scheduled meeting times.

Requisite: BIOL 181 and 191. Limited to 18 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hood.

400. Molecular and Cellular Biophysics. (Offered as PHYS 400, BIOL 400, BCBP 400, and CHEM 400.) How do the physical laws that dominate our lives change at the small length and energy scales of individual molecules? What design principles break down at the sub-cellular level and what new chemistry and physics becomes important? We will answer these questions by looking at bio-molecules, cellular substructures, and control mechanisms that work effectively in the microscopic world. How can we understand both the static and dynamic shape of proteins using the laws of thermodynamics and kinetics? How has the basic understanding of the smallest molecular motor in the world, ATP synthase, changed our understanding of friction and torque? We will explore new technologies, such as atomic force and single molecule microscopy that have allowed research into these areas. This course will address topics in each of the three major divisions of Biophysics: bio-molecular structure, biophysical techniques, and biological mechanisms.

Requisite: CHEM 161, PHYS 116/123, PHYS 117/124, BIOL 191 or evidence of equivalent coverage in pre-collegiate courses. Spring semester. Professors Loinaz and Williamson.

404. Seminar in Biochemistry. (Offered as BIOL 404 and BCBP 405) The topic of this advanced seminar will be cholesterol. It has been said that more Nobel prizes have been awarded for the study of cholesterol than any other biological topic, yet it is astonishing how much we have learned only in the last few years, and how much we still don’t understand. The topics in this course will include biosynthesis, transport, regulation, physiology, and biophysics of cholesterol. In many cases, these subjects illuminate or are illuminated by cholesterol-related diseases, so the biochemical bases for high cholesterol medications and for a genetic propensity for getting heart disease from eating broccoli are likely to come up. The course will be based on the scientific literature, and will include writing and presentation assignments.

Requisite: BIOL 191 and 291 or 331 or equivalent. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Williamson.

410. Seminar in Disease Biology. The majority of organisms on earth cause disease or are parasitic, and it could be said that a thorough understanding of biology should necessarily involve the study of infectious disease. Yet only within the past two decades has there been a realization that diseases may regulate populations, stabilize ecosystems, and be responsible for major biological features such as reproductive systems or genomic structures. Disease is of course responsible for large amounts of human misery and death, and it is all the more remarkable that our understanding of disease as an ecological and evolutionary force is in its infancy. In this course we will discuss our historical and current understandings of infectious disease biology. We will include studies of human, animal, and plant diseases, as well as their impacts on wild and domestic populations. Three classroom hours per week.

Requisite: BIOL 230 or 321 or permission from the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hood.

414. Seminar in Microbiology: Host-Microbe Interactions. In this seminar, we will examine the molecular mechanisms that underlie a broad range of interactions between diverse bacterial species and their multicellular hosts. We will begin the course by exploring the complex molecular “conversations” that help establish mutually beneficial symbiotic relationships. These often involve exchange of metabolites, small molecules, and other cellular components that lead to drastic changes in the physiology, development, and gene expression of both the host and microbial partners. While many examples of such positive interactions exist in nature, as humans, we are perhaps most aware of the bacterial world as a source of disease-causing pathogens. In this context, we will then explore mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis and draw parallels with mutualistic interactions discussed earlier. We will focus on bacterial pathogens of humans, particularly as they must survive in the presence of sophisticated innate and adaptive immune responses. This course will rely extensively on readings from the primary literature and will involve a research project and oral presentations. Three hours per week.

Requisite: BIOL191 and either BIOL 271 or permission of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Purdy.

420. Seminar in Molecular Genetics: DNA Makes RNA. If the basic tenants of eukaryotic molecular biology have followed the prokaryotic paradigm— DNA makes RNA makes protein—established decades ago, the importance of eukaryotic RNA that is not translated into protein is only now becoming appreciated. While barely more than 1% of the human genome encodes protein, recent evidence suggests that as much as 98% of our genome is transcribed! What function, if any, do all those RNA species serve? Incorporating articles from the recent scientific literature, this course will focus on topics such as: the diverse roles of micro RNAs in regulating gene expression; the use of piwi RNAs in genome defense; the origin and possible function of long “antisense” transcripts; modification of RNA transcripts (coding and noncoding) by alternative splicing and editing; and the role of long non-coding RNAs in X chromosome inactivation and other epigenetic phenomena. Three classroom hours per week.

Requisite: BIOL 251; alternatively, any two of the following courses: BIOL 220, 241, 291, 331, and 380/1. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Ratner.

430. Seminar in Behavioral Ecology. This course will explore the relationship between an animal’s behavior and its social and ecological context. The topic for this semester will be the evolution of sexual dimorphism in animals. Sexual dimorphism is widespread in animals, yet its causes remain controversial and have generated much debate. In this seminar, we will examine a variety of sexual dimorphisms in different groups of animals and consider hypotheses for how these sexual dimorphisms may have evolved. We will then consider how such hypotheses are tested in an attempt to identify the best approaches to studying the evolution of sexual dimorphisms. Then we will look at evidence that either supports or refutes various hypothesized mechanisms for the evolution of sexual dimorphisms in different animal groups. Finally, we will consider whether some mechanisms for the evolution of sexual dimorphism are more common among certain kinds of organisms (predators) than others (herbivores). Three hours per week.

Requisite: One or more of BIOL 181, 230, 281, 321 or consent of the instructor. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 14 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Temeles.

434. Seminar in Ecology. The topic is the ecology and evolution of plant-animal interactions. Most animals on Earth obtain their energy from green plants, and thus it is not surprising that interactions between plants and animals have played a prominent role in our current understanding of how ecological processes such as predation, parasitism, and mutualism shape evolutionary patterns in plants and animals. In this course we will start our analysis with a consideration of how plant-animal relationships evolve by studying examples from both extant systems and the fossil record. Next we will examine the different kinds of plant-animal interactions (pollination, seed dispersal, seed predation, and herbivory, to mention a few) that have evolved on our planet, and the ecological processes promoting reciprocal evolution of defenses and counter-defenses, attraction, and deceit. Finally, we will turn our attention to global change and the implications of human alteration of the environment for the future of plant-animal relationships, such as pollination, which are of vital importance to life on Earth. Three classroom hours per week.

Requisite: BIOL 230 or 321 or permission from the instructor. Limited to 14 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall semester. Professor Temeles.

440. Seminar in Conservation Biology.. Conservation biology is a highly interdisciplinary field, requiring careful consideration of biological, economic, and sociological issues. Solutions to biodiversity conservation and environmental challenges are even more complex. Yet, conservation is a topic of timely importance in order to safeguard biological diversity. Utilizing articles from the primary literature, course topics will include invasive species, restoration, climate change, and biodiversity banking, as well as how to determine appropriate conservation priorities. Three classroom hours per week.

Requisite: BIOL 230 or permission of the instructor. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 14 students. Omitted 2014-15. Lecturer Levin.

444. Seminar in Developmental Genetics. Much of our molecular understanding of developmental biology stems from genetic analysis of mutants in model systems. In this seminar we will consider a range of developmental events, such as cell specialization and cell communication, in the well-studied Drosophila and C. elegans model systems. Reading from scientific journals, we will follow a variety of genetic approaches that have uncovered the molecular mechanisms responsible for these developmental events. Class discussions will focus on experimental design, data interpretation, and model building. Assignments will include scientific writing and oral presentations.

Requisite: BIOL 220, 241, 251, or 291. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Goutte.

450. Seminar in Physiology: Classic Papers in Neurophysiology. (Offered as BIOL 450 and NEUR 450.) Concentrating on reading and interpreting primary research, this course will focus on classic and soon-to-be classic neurophysiology papers. We will discuss the seminal experiments performed in the 1950s that led to our understanding of action potentials; experiments in the 1960s and 1970s that unlocked how synapses function; and more recent research that combines electrophysiology with optical methods and genetic techniques to investigate the role of many of the molecular components predicted by the work from the earlier decades. Assignments will include written reviews of literature as well as oral presentations.

Requisite: PHYS 117 or PHYS 124 and one of NEUR 226, BIOL 260, BIOL 351, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Trapani.

454. Seminar in Tropical Biology. Most biodiversity on our planet can be found in tropical latitudes. Tropical rainforests, for example, which account for less than 10% of the Earth’s surface, may contain 50-75% of all plant and animal species. This course will examine some of the myriad biotic interactions that occur in the tropics using an ecological, evolutionary, and behavioral approach. The course will also touch on important applied issues such as reforestation, sustainable agriculture, and ecotourism. In order to provide students with greater first-hand knowledge, the course will begin with a 2-3 week field trip to Costa Rica (at an additional cost to students; financial aid available; all interested students should contact Professor Clotfelter regardless of financial circumstances) during the January Interterm. The field component will focus on three habitat types: lowland tropical forests, montane cloud forests, and tropical dry forests. While in Costa Rica, we will utilize the expertise of local specialists to learn more about taxonomic groups that are particularly significant in the tropics, such as bats, ants, and epiphytic plants. Students will conduct independent research projects during the field component of the course, as well as a written and oral project during the seminar component of the course. Three hours per week.

Requisite: Two or more of the following courses: Biology 181, 230, 281 or 320/321. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Professor Clotfelter and Lecturer Levin.

460. Genetics Seminar: Epigenetics. With the completion of the sequencing of the human genome, where does science go now? Many scientists have chosen to investigate our genome at the level “above genetics,” or Epigenetics. Epigenetic changes are not coded in the DNA sequence, yet they are heritable through mitotic or meiotic cell divisions. Epigenetics is an exciting field of science that is beginning to explain the unexpected. Why are identical twins not perfect “clones” of each other? Why are even cloned animals not perfect “clones”? Why does a deletion on chromosome 15 cause Prader-Willi syndrome when the deletion occurs on the paternally inherited chromosome, but the entirely different Angelman syndrome when the deletion occurs on the maternally inherited chromosome? Epigenetic phenomena have been noted for decades, and seemingly disparate observations are only now coalescing into a field of Biology. Your textbook “Epigenetics” is the first of its kind, and is written by over 40 leaders in the fields of gene expression, chromosome structure, and chromatin dynamics. This seminar style junior/senior level course will allow students to present research articles, discuss the literature, write a grant application, and review their peers’ grant applications in a mock study section. Three hours per week.

Requisite: BIOL 241, BIOL 251, BIOL 380, BIOL 381 or permission of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Drewell.

464. Seminar in Morphology: Animal Form and Function. How does a bird fly? How does a fish breathe under water? How does a cat jump? These are everyday phenomena, yet we rarely think about their underlying mechanics. The more we look at the dizzying array of body shapes and physiological systems in the animal kingdom, the more questions come to mind. How does a butterfly stay dry in the rain? How does a gecko walk up walls? Why don’t snakes die from their own venom? This seminar course takes an integrative approach, drawing from the primary literature in comparative physiology, biomechanics, and functional morphology. We begin by reviewing concepts in evolutionary biology and physics before moving on to consider the means by which animals move, maintain homeostasis, capture prey, avoid predators, and reproduce. We will also discuss biomimetics, a field that draws inspiration from biological systems to improve the design of materials from computer displays to ship hulls. Three hours per week.

Requisites: BIOL 181 (or equivalent) and at least one of the following: BIOL 211, BIOL 220, BIOL 230, BIOL 260, BIOL 280/281, or BIOL 320/321. PHYS 116 is recommended but not required. Limited to 18 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall semester. Professor Clotfelter.

490. Special Topics. Independent reading or research courses. Full course as arranged. Does not normally count toward the major.

Fall and spring semesters.

490H. Special Topics. Independent reading or research courses. Half course as arranged. Does not normally count toward the major.

Fall and spring semesters.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Honors students take three courses of thesis research, usually, but not always, with the double course load in the spring. The work consists of seminar programs, individual research projects, and preparation of a thesis on the research project.

Open to seniors. Fall semester. The Department.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors. Honors students take three courses of thesis research, usually, but not always, with the double course load in the spring. The work consists of seminar programs, individual research projects, and preparation of a thesis on the research project.

Open to seniors. Spring semester. The Department.

Black Studies

*On leave 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Abiodun, Cobham-Sander, Drabinski (Chair, spring semester), Ferguson‡, and Goheen‡; Associate Professors del Moral* and Moss‡ (Chair, fall semester); Assistant Professor Polk, Five College Associate Professor Omojola; Visiting Lecturer Bailey.

Affiliated Faculty: Professors Basu‡, Hart*, Hewitt‡, Lembo, Redding, and Saxton*; Associate Professors Hussain, Parham, and Sitze; Assistant Professors Henderson and Robinson; Senior Lecturer Delaney.

Black Studies is an interdisciplinary exploration of the histories and cultures of black peoples in Africa and the diaspora. It is also an inquiry into the social construction of racial differences and its relation to the perpetuation of racism and racial domination.

Major Program. The major in Black Studies consists of eight courses: three core courses, three distribution courses, and two electives. The three core courses are BLST 111 (normally taken by the end of the sophomore year), BLST 200 (normally taken in the sophomore year), and BLST 300 (normally taken in the sophomore year), but before the final semester of the senior year. The three course distribution consists of one course in three of four geographic areas: Africa; the United States; Latin America and the Caribbean; and Africa and its Diaspora. The student may choose the two electives from the Department’s offerings, from cross-listed courses, or from other courses at the Five Colleges. Majors fulfill the department’s comprehensive requirement by successfully completing BLST 300.

Departmental Honors Program. Normally students planning to write a thesis should have completed BLST 300 before the last semester of their senior year. All candidates for Honors must write a senior thesis. Candidates for Honors will, with departmental permission, take BLST 498-499 during their senior year. The departmental recommendation for Latin honors will be determined by the student’s level of performance on her/his thesis.

Key for required core and distribution requirements for the major: R (Required); A (Africa); US (United States); CLA (Caribbean/Latin America); D (Africa and its Diaspora).

Information concerning the Five College African Studies Certificate Program is available at https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/course_cat_editing/1314/non
course/zz_after_courses/african_cert.

111. Introduction to Black Studies. [R] This interdisciplinary introduction to Black Studies combines the teaching of foundational texts in the field with instruction in reading and writing. The first half of the course employs How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren as a guide to the careful reading of books focusing on the slave trade and its effects in Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States. Important readings in this part of the course include Black Odyssey by Nathan Huggins, Racism: A Short History by George Frederickson, and The Black Jacobins by C. L. R. James. The second half of the course addresses important themes from the turn of the twentieth century to the present. Beginning with The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois, it proceeds through a range of seminal texts, including The Wretched of the Earth by Franz Fanon and The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. This part of the course utilizes Revising Prose by Richard Lanham to extend the lesson in reading from the first half of the semester into an exploration of precision and style in writing. Computer exercises based on Revising Prose and three short essays—one on a single book, another comparing two books, and the last on a major theme in the course—provide the main opportunity to apply and reinforce skills in reading and writing learned throughout the semester. After taking this course, students at all levels of preparation should emerge not only with a good foundation for advancement in Black Studies but also with a useful set of guidelines for further achievement in the humanities and the social sciences.

Each section limited to 20 students. Fall semester: Professor Moss. Spring semester: Professor Polk.

121. Introduction to South African History. (Offered as HIST 283 [AFP] and BLST 121 [A].) South African history is undergoing radical shifts in the way it is being written, read and interpreted, and this course will explore established and emerging themes in the history of this intriguing country. The time period covered will span the precolonial indigenous cultures and move on to study the initiation and expansion of white settlement and its early dependence on slave labor. The course will also investigate African resistance, both in its political and cultural forms, as well as the social effects of gold-mining and migrant labor. African nationalism, including the ANC, the Black Consciousness Movement, and the United Democratic Front, will be the focus of our study of the responses to apartheid and the ultimate collapse of the apartheid state. The course will end with discussions of recent events in South Africa, particularly the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its aftermath as well as the developing AIDS epidemic and the growing problem of crime. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Redding.

123. Survey of African Art. (Offered as ARHA 149 and BLST 123 [A].) An introduction to the ancient and traditional arts of Africa. Special attention will be given to the archaeological importance of the rock art paintings found in such disparate areas as the Sahara and South Africa, achievements in the architectural and sculptural art in clay of the early people in the area now called Zimbabwe and the aesthetic qualities of the terracotta and bronze sculptures of the Nok, Igbo-Ukwe, Ife and Benin cultures in West Africa, which date from the second century B.C.E. to the sixteenth century C.E. The study will also pursue a general socio-cultural survey of traditional arts of the major ethnic groups of Africa.

Spring semester. Professor Abiodun.

147. Race, Place, and the Law. (Offered as LJST 105 and BLST 147 [US].) Understandings of and conflicts about place are of central significance to the experience and history of race and race relations in America. The shaping and reshaping of places is an important ingredient in the constitution and revision of racial identities: think of “the ghetto,” Chinatown, or “Indian Country.” Law, in its various manifestations, has been intimately involved in the processes which have shaped geographies of race from the colonial period to the present day: legally mandated racial segregation was intended to impose and maintain both spatial and social distance between members of different races.

The objective of this course is to explore the complex intersections of race, place, and law. Our aim is to gain some understanding of geographies of race “on-the-ground” in real places, and of the role of legal practices—especially legal argument—in efforts to challenge and reinforce these racial geographies. We will ask, for example, how claims about responsibility, community, rationality, equality, justice, and democracy have been used to justify or resist both racial segregation and integration, access and expulsion. In short, we will ask how moral argument and legal discourse have contributed to the formation of the geographies of race that we all inhabit. Much of our attention will be given to a legal-geographic exploration of African-American experiences. But we will also look at how race, place and the law have shaped the distinctive experiences of Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans.

Limited to 40 students. Fall semester. Senior Lecturer Delaney.

200. Critical Debates in Black Studies. [R] In this course students will focus closely on major debates that have animated the field of Black Studies, addressing a wide range of issues from the slave trade to the present. Each week will focus on specific questions such as: What came first, racism or slavery? Is African art primitive? Did Europe underdevelop Africa? Is there Caribbean History or just history in the Caribbean? Should Black Studies exist? Is there a black American culture? Is Affirmative Action necessary? Was the Civil Rights Movement a product of government action or grass-roots pressure? Is the underclass problem a matter of structure or agency? The opposing viewpoints around such questions will provide the main focus of the reading assignments, which will average two or three articles per week. In the first four weeks, students will learn a methodology for analyzing, contextualizing, and making arguments that they will apply in developing their own positions in the specific controversies that will make up the rest of the course.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester: Professor Ferguson. Spring semester: Professor Drabinski.

203. Women Writers of Africa and the African Diaspora. (Offered as Black Studies 203 [D] and SWAG 203.) The term “Women Writers” suggests, and perhaps assumes, a particular category. How useful is this term in describing the writers we tend to include under the frame? And further, how useful are the designations African and African Diaspora? We will begin by critically examining these central questions, and revisit them frequently as we read specific texts and the body of works included in this course. Our readings comprise a range of literary and scholarly works by canonical and more recent female writers from Africa, the Caribbean, and continental America. Framed primarily by Postcolonial Criticism, our explorations will center on how writers treat historical and contemporary issues specifically connected to women’s experiences, as well as other issues, such as globalization, modernity, and sexuality. We will consider the continuities and points of departure between writers, periods, and regions, and explore the significance of the writers’ stylistic choices. Here our emphasis will be on how writers appropriate vernacular and conventional modes of writing.

Spring semester. Visiting Lecturer Bailey.

204. African Popular Music. (Offered as BLST 204 [A] and MUSI 105.) This course focuses on twentieth-century African popular music; it examines musical genres from different parts of the continent, investigating their relationships to the historical, political and social dynamics of their respective national and regional origins. Regional examples like highlife, soukous, chimurenga, and afro-beate will be studied to assess the significance of popular music as a creative response to social and political developments in colonial and postcolonial Africa. The course also discusses the growth of hip-hop music in selected countries by exploring how indigenous cultural tropes have provided the basis for its local appropriation. Themes explored in this course include the use of music in the construction of identity; popular music, politics and resistance; the interaction of local and global elements; and the political significance of musical nostalgia.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Omojola.

211. Africa Before the European Conquest. (Offered as HIST 284 [AFP] and BLST 211 [A].) The African continent has been called by one historian the social laboratory of humanity. Art, trade, small-scale manufacturing, medical knowledge, religion, state systems, history and legend all flourished before the formal political take-over of the continent by European powers in the late nineteenth century and continue to have a decisive impact on African societies today. It is this varied and sometimes difficult to access history of states and cultures in the period before 1885 that this course will examine. Initially, we will investigate the notion of “tribe” and its relationship to language, political affiliation and identity. The largest segment of the course will examine historical myths and their impact on the research and construction of historical narratives on precolonial Africa while discussing four topics in depth: domestic, local slave-ownership and the impact of the slave trade; the interaction of religion and power on the rise and fall of the kingdom of Kongo and of the states along the southern border of the Sahara (the Sahel); the genesis of the Zulu state in southern Africa and the creation of the legend of Tshaka; and the changing roles of women as economic, political and social actors in the period before 1885. We will also discuss some of the differences between oral historical narratives and written ones while we analyze primary documents and histories written by scholars over the past half-century to understand both the history of the people living on the continent as well as the active process of constructing that history. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Redding.

214. Master Musicians of Africa I: West Africa. (Offered as BLST 214 [A] and MUSI 106.) This course concentrates on the lives and music of selected West African musicians. Departing from ethnographic approaches that mask the identity of individual musicians and treat African societies as collectives, this course emphasizes the contributions of individual West African musicians whose stature as master musicians is undisputed within their respective communities. It examines the contributions of individual musicians to the ever continuous process of negotiating the boundaries of African musical practice. Individuals covered this semester include Babatunde Olatunji (Nigerian drummer), Youssou N’Dour (Senegalese singer), Kandia Kouyate (Malian jelimuso) and Ephraim Amu (Ghanaian composer). The variety of artistic expressions of selected musicians also provides a basis for examining the interrelatedness of different African musical idioms, and the receptivity of African music to non-African styles.

Limited to 30 students. Fall semester. Five College Professor Omojola.

216. African Cultures and Societies. (Offered as ANTH 226 and BLST 216 [A].) This course explores the cultural meaning of indigenous African institutions and societies. Through the use of ethnographies, novels and films, we will investigate the topics of kinship, religion, social organization, colonialism, ethnicity, nationalism and neocolonialism. The principal objective is to give students an understanding of African society that will enable them better to comprehend current issues and problems confronting African peoples and nations.

Limited to 50 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Goheen.

217. Apartheid. (Offered as LJST 206 and BLST 217) The goal of this course will be to understand some of the problems posed for legal studies in the humanities by the emergence of the system of administrative and constitutional law known as apartheid. This system, which was designed to institute “separate development for separate peoples” in South Africa, is widely and rightly regarded to be among the most inhuman régimes of the 20th century. Yet even and especially today, more than a decade after its formal end in South Africa, apartheid’s social, economic, and epistemic conditions of possibility, as well as the place and function of lawyers, legal discourse, and legal scholars in the resistance to it, remains at best vaguely understood.

This course is designed to remedy this gap. Our inquiry will be at once specific and general. Under what economic and political conditions did apartheid come into being? What legal traditions and practices authorized its codification? What academic disciplines and intellectual formations rendered it intelligible and enabled its theorization? What specific arrangement of juridical institutions, practices, and theories together comprised the apartheid state? What was the place and function of law in the critique of and resistance to apartheid? What new and specific problems did apartheid pose for legal theory?

Limited to 40 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sitze.

221. Colonial and Post-Colonial Africa. (Offered as HIST 181 [AF] and BLST 221 [A].) This is a history of Africa from the late nineteenth century to the present day. In the first half of the course, we will study the imperial scramble to colonize Africa; the broader integration of African societies into the world economy; the social, political and medical impact of imperial policies; Western popular images of Africa in the colonial period; the nationalist struggles that resulted in the independent African states; and the persistent problems faced by those post-colonial states. In the final half of the course, we will investigate three cases: Congo-Zaire and the state as a source of chaos through the Second Congo War; violence, liberation and memories of childhood in late colonial Rhodesia and postcolonial Zimbabwe; the political history of economic development programs and the advent of “resource conflicts,” particularly those involving diamonds. Three class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Redding.

231. African American History from the Slave Trade to Reconstruction. (Offered as BLST 231 [US] and HIST 247 [US]; or may be included in AF concentration, but not AF for distribution in the History major.]) This course is a survey of the history of African American men and women from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries through the Civil War and Reconstruction. The content is a mixture of the social, cultural, and political history of blacks during two and a half centuries of slavery with the story of the black freedom struggle and its role in America’s national development. Among the major topics addressed: the slave trade in its moral and economic dimensions; African retentions in African American culture; origins of racism in colonial America; how blacks used the rhetoric and reality of the American and Haitian Revolutions to their advancement; antebellum slavery; black religion and family under slavery and freedom; the free black experience in the North and South; the crises of the 1850s; the role of race and slavery in the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War; and the meaning of emancipation and Reconstruction for blacks. Readings include historical monographs, slave narratives by men and women, and one work of fiction.

Combined enrollment limited to 50 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Moss.

232. Foundations of African American Literature. (Offered as ENGL 275 and BLST 232 [US].) The focus of this introduction to the study of African American literature and culture will be the complex intertextuality at the heart of the African American expressive tradition. Tracing some of the tradition’s major formal and thematic concerns means looking for the rhythms and riffs that link different kinds of texts: literature, film, music, and the spoken word. While engaging a range of textual experiences, from learning to read silences in narratives of American slavery through coming to understand Afrofuturism and other developments in black speculative fiction, this course will also expose students to a range of analytic and critical production modes that are important to literary and cultural study in general.

Fall semester. Professor Parham.

234. Jazz History to 1945: Emergence, Early Development, and Innovation. (Offered as MUSI 224 and BLST 234 [US].) One of two courses that trace the development of jazz from its emergence in early 20th-century New Orleans to its profound impact on American culture. Jazz History to 1945 examines its early roots in late 19th-century American popular culture and its role as American popular music in the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s. Using themes that connect the evolution of jazz practices to social and racial politics in American popular culture, we will look closely at the work of well-known historical figures (Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and several others) as well as the vibrant communities that nurtured and prompted their innovative musical practices. Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Professor Robinson.

236. Black Sexualities. (Offered as BLST 236 [US] and SWAG 330) From the modern era to the contemporary moment, the intersection of race, gender, and class has been especially salient for people of African descent—for men as well as for women. How might the category of sexuality act as an additional optic through which to view and reframe contemporary and historical debates concerning the construction of black identity? In what ways have traditional understandings of masculinity and femininity contributed to an understanding of African American life and culture as invariably heterosexual? How have black lesbian, gay, and transgendered persons effected political change through their theoretical articulations of identity, difference, and power? In this interdisciplinary course, we will address these questions through an examination of the complex roles gender and sexuality play in the lives of people of African descent. Remaining attentive to the ways black people have claimed social and sexual agency in spite of systemic modes of inequality, we will engage with critical race theory, black feminist thought, queer-of-color critique, literature, art, film, “new media” and erotica, as well as scholarship from anthropology, sociology, and history.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Polk.

238. African-American Religious History. (Offered as RELI 238 and BLST 238 [US]. A study of African-American religion, from the time of slavery to the present, in the context of American social, political, and religious history. Consideration will be given to debates concerning the “Africanity” of black religion in the United States, to the role of Islam in African-American religious history, and to the religious impact of recent Caribbean immigration. The major emphasis throughout the course, however, will be on the history of African-American Christianity in the United States. Topics covered will include the emergence of African-American Christianity in the slavery era, the founding of the independent black churches (especially the AME church) and their institutional development in the nineteenth century, the predominant role of the black Baptist denominations in the twentieth century, the origins and growth of black Pentecostalism, the increasing importance of African-American Catholicism, the role of the churches in social protest movements (especially the civil rights movement) and electoral politics, the changing forms of black theology, and the distinctive worship traditions of the black churches.

Fall semester. Professor Wills.

241. African American History from Reconstruction to the Present. (Offered as BLST 241 [US] and HIST 248 [US; or may be included in AF concentration, but not AF for distribution in the History major].) This course is a survey of the social, cultural, and political history of African American men and women since the 1870s. Among the major topics addressed: the legacies of Reconstruction; the political and economic origins of Jim Crow; the new racism of the 1890s; black leadership and organizational strategies; the Great Migration of the World War I era; the Harlem Renaissance; the urbanization of black life and culture; the impact of the Great Depression and the New Deal; the social and military experience of World War II; the causes, course and consequences of the modern civil rights movement; the experience of blacks in the Vietnam War; and issues of race and class in the 1970s and 1980s. Readings and materials include historical monographs, fiction, and documentary films.

Limited to 50 students. Omitted 2014-15.

242. Black Women’s Narratives and Counternarratives: Love and the Family. (Offered as SWAG 202 and BLST 242 [US].) Why do love and courtship continue to be central concerns in black women’s literature and contemporary black popular fiction? Are these thematic issues representative of apolitical yearnings or an allegory for political subjectivity? Drawing on a wide range of texts, we will examine the chasm between the “popular” and the literary, as we uncover how representations of love and courtship vary in both genres. Surveying the growing discourse in media outlets such as CNN and the Washington Post regarding the “crisis” of the single black woman, students will analyze the contentious public debates regarding black women and love and connect them to black women’s literature and black feminist literary theory. Authors covered will range from Nella Larsen to Terry McMillan and topics will include gender, race, class, and sexuality.

Limited to 20 students. Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Henderson.

244. Jazz History After 1945: Experimentalism, Pluralism, and Traditionalism. (Offered as MUSI 227 and BLST 244 [US].) One of two courses that trace the development of jazz from its emergence in early 20th-century New Orleans to its profound impact on American culture. Jazz History after 1945 explores the emergence of bebop in the 1940s, the shift of jazz’s relationship with American popular culture after World War II, and the dramatic pluralization of jazz practice after the 1950s. We will also look at the emergence of fusion and the jazz avant-garde of the 1960s and 1970s, and theorize the reformulation of “tradition” during the 1980s. Central to our examination will be the phenomenon of “neoclassicism” common in jazz discourse today, measuring that against the radical diversity of jazz practice around the world. Many figures central to the development of the varied post-bebop directions in jazz will be discussed: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Ornette Coleman, the New York Downtown scene, and many others. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Robinson.

245. Introduction to African-American Philosophy. (Offered as BLST 245 and PHIL 245.) What is distinctive about African-American experience? How does that distinctiveness bear on the theory and practice of philosophy and philosophical thinking? And how does the African-American philosophical tradition alter conventional philosophical accounts of subjectivity, knowledge, time, language, history, embodiment, memory, and justice? In this course, we will read a range of African-American thinkers from the twentieth century in order to develop an appreciation of the unique, critical philosophical voice in the black intellectual tradition. Our readings of works by W.E.B. Du Bois, Anna Julia Cooper, Alain Locke, Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King, Jr., Angela Davis, Anthony Appiah and Cornel West will open up crucial issues that transform philosophy’s most central problems: knowing, being, and acting. As well, we will consider the cluster of thinkers with whom those works are critically concerned, including key texts from nineteenth century German philosophy, American pragmatism, and contemporary existentialism and postmodernism. What emerges from these texts and critical encounters is a sense of philosophy and philosophical practice as embedded in the historical experience—in all of its complexity—of African-Americans in the twentieth century.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Drabinski.

247. Panther Theory: Reading Black Power. [US] What is the memory and legacy of the Black Panther Party? The Party is probably best known for its militant politics and iconic imagery: guns, leather jackets, confrontations with the police, and often audacious forms of public protest. We remember those politics and that imagery for good reason: the Party’s organization and struggle galvanized communities beleaguered by poverty, police violence, and mass incarceration. But it is important to also recall that the Black Panthers were an intellectual movement that theorized mobilization, forms of strategy, ideas of solidarity and collaboration, and armed self-defense out of close study of a wide range of both conventional and revolutionary thinkers. This course focuses on that element of the Party’s life, exploring the Black Panthers as an intellectual movement. We will read key figures Huey P. Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, Elaine Brown, and Angela Davis with close attention to how they engage and transform canonical figures of Western philosophy like Socrates, Descartes, and G.W.F. Hegel, as well as revolutionary writers Karl Marx, V.I. Lenin, Che Guevara, Mao Tse-Tung, and Frantz Fanon. We will also discuss how the Party related to the wider Black Power movement (especially Stokely Carmichael and Maulana Karenga) through public debates on political and cultural nationalism and internationalism. Across our reading and discussion, we will have to think carefully about how Party social programs in nutrition, education, and healthcare emerged out of—and not just alongside or in addition to—militant political theory and action. The class will work closely with the Amherst College Library, which houses an extensive collection of Black Power newspapers, original writings, and other materials in the College’s archive.

Fall semester. Professor Drabinski.

252. Caribbean Poetry: The Anglophone Tradition. (Offered as ENGL 317 and BLST 252 [CLA].) A survey of the work of Anglophone Caribbean poets, alongside readings about the political, cultural and aesthetic traditions that have influenced their work. Readings will include longer cycles of poems by Derek Walcott and Edward Kamau Brathwaite; dialect and neoclassical poetry from the colonial period, as well as more recent poetry by women writers and performance (“dub”) poets.

Spring semester. Professor Cobham-Sander.

293. African Art and the Diaspora. (Offered as ARHA 270 and BLST 293 [D].) The course of study will examine those African cultures and their arts that have survived and shaped the aesthetic, philosophic and religious patterns of African descendants in Brazil, Cuba, Haiti and urban centers in North America. We shall explore the modes of transmission of African artistry to the West and examine the significance of the preservation and transformation of artistic forms from the period of slavery to our own day. Through the use of films, slides and objects, we shall explore the depth and diversity of this vital artistic heritage of Afro-Americans.

Fall semester. Professor Abiodun.

294. Black Europe. (Offered as BLST 294 [D] and EUST 294.) This research-based seminar considers the enduring presence of people of African descent in Europe from the nineteenth century to the contemporary moment, a fact that both confounds and extends canonical theories of African diaspora and black internationalism. Focusing particularly on the histories of black people in Britain, Germany, and France, this course will take an interdisciplinary approach in its study of the African diaspora in Europe. We will examine literature, history, film, art and ephemera, as well as newly available pre-1927 audio recordings from Bear Family Records (http://www.black-europe.com/) in effort to better comprehend the materiality of the black European experience. These inquiries will enable us to comment upon the influence black people continue to have upon Europe today. Reading the central texts in the emerging field of Black European Studies—including African American expatriate memoirs, Afro-German feminist poetry, and black British cultural theory—student work will culminate in an annotated bibliography and a multimedia research project.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Polk.

295. Black Existentialism. [D] During the middle decades of the twentieth century, existentialism dominated the European philosophical and literary scene. Prominent theorists such as J-P Sartre, Albert Camus, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty put the experience of history, alienation, and the body at the center of philosophical and literary life. It should be no surprise, then, that existentialism appealed to so many Afro-Caribbean and African-American thinkers of the same period and after. This course examines the critical transformation of European existentialist ideas through close readings of black existentialists Aime Césaire, Frantz Fanon, George Lamming, and Wilson Harris, paired with key essays from Sartre, Camus, and Merleau-Ponty. As well, we will engage black existentialism not just as a series of claims, but also a method, which allows us to read works by African-American writers such as W.E.B. Du Bois, James Baldwin, and Ralph Ellison in an existentialist frame. Lastly, we will consider the matter of how and why existentialism continues to function so centrally in contemporary Africana philosophy.

Fall semester. Professor Drabinski.

300. Research in Black Studies. [R] This seminar prepares students to conduct independent research. Although it concentrates on the field of Black Studies, it serves as a good introductory research course for all students in the humanities and social sciences regardless of major. The first part of the course will intensively introduce students to the library through a series of readings, exercises, and discussions aimed at sharpening the ability to locate information precisely and efficiently. The second part of the course will introduce research methods in three important areas of Black Studies: the arts, history, and the social sciences. Faculty members of the Black Studies Department, departmental affiliates, and visitors will join the class to present their own ongoing research, placing particular emphasis on the disciplinary methods and traditions of inquiry that guide their efforts. Also in the second part, through individual meetings with professors, students will begin developing their own research projects. The third part of the course will concentrate more fully on development of these projects through a classroom workshop. Here students will learn how to shape a topic into a research question, build a bibliography, annotate a bibliography, shape a thesis, develop an outline, and write a research proposal, or prospectus.

This class is required of Black Studies majors. It is open to non-majors with the consent of the instructor. Although BLST 111 and 200 are not required for admission, preference will go to those who have taken one or both of these courses.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor TBA.

305. The Afro-Postmodern. [D] This course examines the meaning of “the postmodern” in contemporary Caribbean and African-American philosophy, cultural theory, and the arts. What is the postmodern? And how does the experience of the Americas transform the meaning of postmodernity? Four basic concepts guide our inquiry: fragmentation, nomad, rhizome, and creoleness. Short readings from European theorists will provide the backdrop for our treatment of how the experiences of the Middle Passage, colonialism, and post-colony life fundamentally transform postmodern ideas. In tracking this transformation, readings and reflections will explore the possible meanings of the Afro-postmodern in the works of Édouard Glissant, Antonio Benítez-Rojo, Wilson Harris, and Patrick Chamoiseau. In addition, with such theoretical considerations in place, the class will examine the specifically Afro-postmodern significance of aesthetic practices in dub, sampling, graffiti, and anti-racist irony. Lastly, the class will consider how Afro-postmodern conceptions of mixture, counter-narrative, and syncretism offer an alternative to dominant accounts of modernity and globalization.

Limited to 20 students. Preference to students who have taken BLST 111 or 200. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Drabinski.

313. Visual Arts and Orature in Africa. (Offered as BLST 313 [A] and ARHA 138.) In the traditionally non-literate societies of Africa, verbal and visual arts constitute two systems of communication. The performance of verbal art and the display of visual art are governed by social and cultural rules. We will examine the epistemological process of understanding cultural symbols, of visualizing narratives, or proverbs, and of verbalizing sculptures or designs. Focusing on the Yoruba people of West Africa, the course will attempt to interpret the language of their verbal and visual arts and their interrelations in terms of cultural cosmologies, artistic performances, and historical changes in perception and meaning. We will explore new perspectives in the critical analysis of African verbal and visual arts, and their interdependence as they support each other through mutual references and allusions.

Fall semester. Professor Abiodun.

315. Myth, Ritual and Iconography in West Africa. (Offered as BLST 315 [A] and ARHA 353.) Through a contrastive analysis of the religious and artistic modes of expression in three West African societies—the Asanti of the Guinea Coast, and the Yoruba and Igbo peoples of Nigeria—the course will explore the nature and logic of symbols in an African cultural context. We shall address the problem of cultural symbols in terms of African conceptions of performance and the creative play of the imagination in ritual acts, masked festivals, music, dance, oral histories, and the visual arts as they provide the means through which cultural heritage and identity are transmitted and preserved, while, at the same time, being the means for innovative responses to changing social circumstances.

Spring semester. Professor Abiodun.

321. Riot and Rebellion in Colonial and Post-Colonial Africa. (Offered as HIST 488 [AF] and BLST 321 [A].) There were numerous rebellions against the state during the period of European colonial rule, and violent resistance to state authority has continued to characterize political life in many post-colonial African countries. This seminar will examine the development of several outbreaks of violence in Africa in the colonial and post-colonial periods to explore important questions in a comparative context. We will look at the economic, social, religious, and political roots of these disturbances; at the challenges faced both by rebel groups attempting to gain a foothold and by states with a fragile hold on ruling authority; and at the social disruptions caused by the participation of child and youth soldiers in various conflicts. We will also discuss the problems historians face in trying to narrate and analyze revolts whose strength often emerged from their protean character, and the legends and rumors that frequently swirled around violent revolts and their role in the construction of historical narratives. The events studied will include the Maji-maji rebellion in German-controlled Tanganyika in 1906-1907; the first (1896-1897) and second (1960-1980) Chimurengas (revolts) in southern Rhodesia/Zimbabwe; the widespread revolt in the 1980s and ’90s in South Africa against the apartheid regime; and the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda in the late 1990s. Students will each write a 20- to 25-page research paper on an individually chosen topic as a final project; in addition there will be frequent, shorter writing assignments throughout the semester. There will be one class meeting per week.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 20 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Redding.

330. Spike Lee’s Joints. (Offered as ENGL 374, BLST 330 [US], and FAMS 358.) In offering extended formal considerations of Spike Lee’s cinematic oeuvre—in particular his uses of light, sound, and color—this course is interested in how shifting through various modes of critical inquiry can enable or broaden different kinds of cultural, political, or historical engagement with a film. This semester we will also pay special attention to the question of what it means to encapsulate a particular cultural moment, particularly vis-à-vis the often differing demands of fictional and non-fictional representation.

Omitted 2014-15. Professors Parham and Drabinski.

331. The Black Arts Movement. (Offered as BLST 331 [US] and HIST 353 [AF].) Students will encounter the Black Freedom struggle through the literature, music, art, and political activism of the Black Arts Movement. The artistic corollary to Black Power, the Black Arts Movement flourished in the 1960s and 1970s as artists/activists sought to put a revolutionary cultural politics into practice around the country. The Black Arts Movement had far-reaching consequences for the way artists and writers think about race, gender, history, identity, and the relationship between artist production and political liberation. We’ll read work by Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, and Larry Neal, among others. We’ll also trace the movement’s extension through local political battles and the emergence of new institutions, including theaters, journals, and Black Studies programs. We’ll consider the overlap of the Black Arts Movement with other political currents of the late 1960s and early 1970s, explore its relationship to Black feminism, and trace the influence of the Black Arts Movement in hip-hop and film.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15.

332. Reading Popular Culture: Girl Power. (Offered as ENGL 271, BLST 332 [US], FAMS 374, and SWAG 271.) Girl Power is the pop-culture term for what some commentators have also dubbed “postfeminism.” The 1990s saw a dramatic transformation in cultural representations of women’s relationships to their own sense of power. But did this still rising phenomenon of “women who kick ass” come at a cost? Might such representations signify genuine reassessments of some of the intersections between gender, power, and the individual? Or are they, at best, superficial appropriations of what had otherwise been historically construed as male power? With such questions in mind, this class will teach students to use theoretical and primary texts to research, assess, and critique contemporary popular culture. Each student will also be trained to produce a critical multimedia project. One class meeting per week, which includes a 135-minute seminar and a 60-minute workshop and lab.

Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Parham.

334. The Postwar African American Novel. (Offered as ENGL 363 and BLST 334 [US].) In this course, we will trace the history of the African American novel from 1945 to the present. After a brief introduction to the slave narrative, “uplift” fiction, and the literature of the Harlem Renaissance, we will settle into an immersive experience of eight major works: Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, Gwendolyn Brooks’s Maud Martha, James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, Toni Morrison’s Sula, Octavia Butler’s Kindred, Toni Cade Bambara’s The Salt Eaters, Colson Whitehead’s The Intuitionist, and Edward P. Jones’s The Known World. Our highly particularized responses to these works will extend, via discussions, supplementary readings, and written assignments, into explorations of the pasts from which they emerge and the futures toward which they point.

Limited to 35 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sanborn.

335. Du Bois and After. [US] This course offers a systematic study of the work of W.E.B. Du Bois, drawing on the whole range of his life and writing in order to assess his importance for theorizing race, racism, and the human condition. What do we mean by “race”? How is our understanding of history, consciousness, and hope transformed by the experience of anti-black racism? What is the role of gender, class, and nation in theorizing race and racism? In Du Bois’ early work on these questions, especially his masterpiece Souls of Black Folk, we encounter some of the most significant foundational work in the black intellectual tradition. Themes of double-consciousness, the color line, and the veil set many of the terms of discussion for the twentieth century and after. In this course, we will read this early work closely, but also consider the development of his later thought in historical and intellectual context, putting Du Bois in dialogue with his contemporaries William James, Booker T. Washington, Josiah Royce, and others, as well as considering contemporary appropriations of his work. Lastly, we will read Du Bois critically by considering recent scholarship on his often fraught relationship to questions of gender, class, and transnational identity. Across these readings, we will develop a deep, engaged appreciation of the scope and power of Du Bois’ thinking and the fecundity of his intellectual legacy.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Drabinski.

336. Contours of a Colorblind Culture. (Offered as SOCI 334 and BLST 336 [US].) The passage of civil rights legislation in 1964 and 1965 was a defining moment in American race relations. By comparison to what preceded it, the post-civil rights era amounted to a great social transformation, leading many to assert ours is now a “colorblind” culture. This course will use the idea of colorblind culture to examine the changing role of race and racism in the contemporary United States. We will examine specific claims that United States culture is, or is not, colorblind, while exploring the social structural, institutional, and broader cultural factors that shape present-day race relations.

Requisite: SOCI 112 or equivalent. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Lembo.

341. Topics in African American History: Race and Educational Opportunity in America. (Offered as HIST 355 [US; or may be included in AF concentration, but not AF for distribution in the major] and BLST 341 [US].) This seminar is an interdisciplinary exploration of the relationship between race and educational opportunity in American history. Students will gain a historical understanding of the divergent educational experiences of various groups within American society. The course is divided into four units: ethnicity and educational access in early America, education and segregation in Jim Crow America, desegregation (implementation and opposition) after Brown v. Board of Education, and contemporary discussions over race and access to education. In the first section of the course, students will pay special attention to trends including northern and southern resistance to African American education, education as assimilation, and vocational vs. classical education. Next, they will delve into twentieth- and twenty-first-century issues involving race and education. For example, they will examine how specific communities—northern, southern, and western—grappled with the desegregation process. Finally, students will assess the extent to which desegregation has been achieved and the transformative effects of this policy on public schools. One class meeting per week.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Moss.

342. The Local and Global 1970s. (Offered as BLST 342 [US] and HIST 358 [US].) Often overshadowed by the long 1960s and the conservative ascendancy in the 1980s, the 1970s provides an important transitional moment for the United States, one that arguably linked local experiences to global dynamics and social movements in unprecedented ways. It was also a decade fraught with contradictions. On the one hand, Americans experienced widespread disillusionment with the power of the federal government to promote and protect the minority from the majority. Historians seeking to understand the collapse of the welfare state or the origins of white resistance to civil rights’ initiatives most often point to the 1970s as the time when the Supreme Court abandoned school desegregation and the federal government shifted the burden of the social welfare system onto the market, state and local governments, and onto poor people themselves. And yet, the 1970s also saw an explosion of progressive social activism, as the women’s movement, the gay rights movement, and the environmental movement, among others, all came into their own. Likewise, this was also a time of U.S. retreat and military overextension, and a time of new hegemonies of human rights regimes and multinational corporations. This course asks students to consider how connecting the local with the global can help us better understand and resolve these apparent contradictions. How does our understanding of American politics, society, and culture change depending upon our point of view? What are the possibilities and limitations of global and local methods of inquiry? How might historians more fruitfully combine sub-disciplines to understand the ways in which Americans experienced and engaged with their historical realities as members of local, national, and global communities? One class meeting per week.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professors Moss and Walker.

345. Black Feminist Literary Traditions. (Offered as SWAG 208, BLST 345 [US], and ENGL 276.) Reading the work of black feminist literary theorists and black women writers, we will examine the construction of black female identity in American literature, with a specific focus on how black women writers negotiate race, gender, sexuality, and class in their work. In addition to reading novels, literary criticism, book reviews, and watching documentaries, we will examine the stakes of adaptation and mediation for black female-authored texts. Students will watch and analyze the film and television adaptations of The Color Purple (1985), The Women of Brewster Place (1989), and Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005) as well as examine how Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye (1970) was mediated and interpreted by Oprah Winfrey’s book club and daytime talk show. Authors will include Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Gloria Naylor. Writing Attentive. Expectations include diligent reading, active participation, two writing projects, weekly response papers, a group presentation, and various in-class assignments.

Limited to 20 students. Priority given to those students who attend the first day of the class. Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Henderson.

347. Race, Sex, and Gender in the U.S. Military. (Offered as BLST 347 [US] and SWAG 347.) From the aftermath of the Civil War to today’s “global war on terror,” the U.S. military has functioned as a vital arbiter of the overlapping taxonomies of race, gender, and sexuality in America and around the world. This course examines the global trek of American militarism through times of war and peace in the twentieth century. In a variety of texts and contexts, we will investigate how the U.S. military’s production of new ideas about race and racialization, masculinity and femininity, and sexuality and citizenship impacted the lives of soldiers and civilians, men and women, at “home” and abroad. Our interdisciplinary focus will allow us to study the multiple intersections of difference within the military, enabling us to address a number of topics, including: How have African American soldiers functioned as both subjects and agents of American militarism? What role has the U.S. military played in the creation of contemporary gay and lesbian subjectivity? Is military sexual assault a contemporary phenomenon or can it be traced to longer practices of sexual exploitation occurring on or around U.S. bases globally?

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Polk.

362. Childhood in African and Caribbean Literature. (Offered as ENGL 318 and BLST 362 [A/CLA].) The course will concentrate on Caribbean authors. It explores the process of self-definition in literary works from Africa and the Caribbean that are built around child protagonists. We will examine the authors’ various methods of ordering experience through the choice of literary form and narrative technique, as well as the child/author’s perception of his or her society. French texts will be read in translation.

Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Cobham-Sander.

377. Bad Black Women. (Offered as SWAG 329 and BLST 377 [US].) History has long valorized passive, obedient, and long-suffering black women alongside aggressive and outspoken black male leaders and activists. This course provides an alternative narrative to this misrepresentation, as we will explore how “bad” is defined by one’s race, gender, class, and sexuality as well as how black women have transgressed the boundaries of what it means to be “good” in U.S. society. We will use an interdisciplinary perspective to examine why black women have used covert and explicit maneuvers to challenge the stereotypical “respectable” or “good” black woman and the various risks and rewards they incur for their “deviance.” In addition to analyzing black women’s literature, we will study black women’s political activism, prostitution, and rising incarceration as well as black women’s nonconformity in art, poetry, music, dance, and film. Students should be aware that part of this course is “immersive” and consequently, students will be asked to participate in a master class that will provide a space for students to learn and explore how dance has been historically used to defy race, class, and gender norms. Authors, scholars, political activists, and artists include Ida B. Wells, Toni Morrison, Anita Hill, Sapphire, Beth Ritchie, Dorothy West, Lorna Simpson, Donna Kate Rushin, Billie Holiday, and Beyoncé among many others. Writing Attentive. Expectations include diligent reading, active participation, master dance class, writing projects, weekly critical response papers, a group presentation, and various in-class assignments.

Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor. Priority given to students who attend the first day of class. Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Henderson.

390. Special Topics. Fall and spring semesters. Members of the Department.

412. Corporeal States: Body, Nation, Text in Modern African Literature. (Offered as ENGL 471, BLST 412 [A], and SWAG 471.) How do literary texts transmute human bodies into subjects—gendered subjects, colonial subjects, disabled subjects, terrorists, cultural icons, cyborgs? And what happens when we use ideas about the body to represent the body politic? In this course we will examine how modern African writers utilize a variety of genres, including ethnographic writing, Kung Fu movies, pornography, traditional epic, and graffiti, to challenge our notions of what counts as a body, as a nation, or as a text. Alongside novels by established writers, we will consider recent books and digital creations by Chimamanda Adichie, Chris Abani, Teju Cole, Zakes Mda, Werewere Liking, and Taiye Selasi.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Cobham-Sander.

432. Exploring Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. (Offered as BLST 432 [US] and ENGL 457.) Ralph Waldo Ellison wrote Invisible Man to confirm the existence of the universal in the particulars of the black American experience. The same can be said of the larger aim of this course. It will provide students with the opportunity to explore the broadest themes of Black Studies through the careful reading of a particular text. Due to its broad range of influence and reference, Invisible Man is one of the most appropriate books in the black tradition for this kind of attention. The course will proceed through a series of comparisons with works that influenced the literary style and the philosophical content of the novel. The first part of the course will focus on comparisons to world literature. Readings will include James Joyce, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; Sigmund Freud, Totem and Taboo; and H.G. Wells, The Invisible Man. The second part of the course will focus on comparisons to American literature. The readings in this part of the course will include Herman Melville, The Confidence Man; William Faulkner, “The Bear”; and some of Emerson’s essays. The last part of the course will focus on comparisons with books in the black tradition. Some of the readings in this part of the course will include W.E.B. Du Bois, Souls of Black Folk and Booker T. Washington, Up From Slavery. Requires 20-25 page research paper.

Limited to 15 students. Open to juniors and seniors. Preference given to Black Studies majors. Fall semester. Professor Ferguson.

441. Ghosts in Shells? Virtuality and Embodiment from Passing to the Posthuman. (Offered as ENGL 456, BLST 441 [US], and FAMS 451.) This class begins with narratives about individuals who pass—that is, who come to be recognized as someone different from whom they were sexually or racially “born as.” Such stories suggest that one’s identity depends minimally on the body into which one is born, and is more attached to the supplementation and presentation of that body in support of whichever cultural story the body is desired to tell. Drawing on familiar liberal humanist claims, which centralize human identity in the mind, these narratives also respond to the growing sophistication of human experience with virtual worlds—from acts of reading to immersions in computer simulation. But what kinds of tensions emerge when bodies nonetheless signify beyond an individual’s self-imagination? As technology expands the possibilities of the virtual, for instance surrogacy, cloning, and cybernetics, what pressures are brought to bear on the physical human body and its processes to signify authentic humanness? Rather than ask whether identity is natural or cultural, our discussions will project these questions into a not-so-distant future: What would it mean to take “human” as only one identity, as a category amongst many others, each also acknowledged as equally subject to the same social and biological matrices of desire, creation, and recognition? We will approach these questions through works of literature, philosophy, media history, and contemporary science writing.

Junior/Senior seminar. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Parham.

442. Toomer, Faulkner, and Morrison. (Offered as ENGL 454 and BLST 442.) William Faulkner and Toni Morrison are generally understood as two of the most important writers of the twentieth century. In a country that works hard to live without a racial past, both authors have brought deep articulation to what it means to experience that which is often otherwise ignored and regardless unspoken. This semester we will explore several key novels from each author’s oeuvre, looking for where their texts converge and diverge. We will also spend time with Jean Toomer—a modernist writer critical to understanding what might be at stake in Faulkner and Morrison’s writerly manipulations of time, space, place, and memory—and with several philosophical texts that will help us to conceptualize what it means to “know” something like race or to “understand” history.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Parham.

452. Panama Silver, Asian Gold: Migration and the Birth of Modern Caribbean Literature. (Offered as ENGL 474 and BLST 452 [CLA].) Concurrent migrations of Chinese and Indian indentured laborers to the Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean workers to and from the Panama Canal, at the turn of the twentieth century, profoundly influenced the style and scope of modern Caribbean literature. Both migrant groups worked under difficult conditions for exploitative wages, yet members of each managed to save enough to enter the educated middle class. Their cultural forms and political aspirations shaped Caribbean literary production as well as anti-colonial political movements. In this course, students will learn how to use digital, print, and audio-visual archival material related to these migrations to enrich their reading of Caribbean literature. Librarians at Frost as well as scholars, librarians, and students at two other universities will join us. We will hold some class discussions online and students at all three campuses will learn how to create finding aids for the archives we use. We will read works by Claude McKay, H.G. de Lisser, Marcus Garvey, George Lamming, V.S. Naipaul, Ismith Khan, Ramabai Espinet, Meiling Jin, and Patricia Powell.

A previous course in English, History, or Black Studies is recommended. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Cobham-Sander.

461. The Creole Imagination. (Offered as ENGL 491 and BLST 461 [CLA].) What would it mean to write in the language in which we dream? A language that we can hear, but cannot (yet) see? Is it possible to conceive a language outside the socio-symbolic order? And can one language subvert the codes and values of another? Questions like these have animated the creolité/nation language debate among Caribbean intellectuals since the mid-1970s, producing some of the most significant francophone and anglophone writing of the twentieth century. This course reads across philosophy, cultural theory, politics, and literature in order to consider the claims such works make for the Creole imagination. We will engage the theoretical and creative work of Édouard Glissant, Maryse Condé, Wilson Harris, Derek Walcott, Kamau Brathwaite, Patrick Chamoiseau, Jamaica Kincaid, and Edwidge Danticat. We also will consider how these writers transform some of the fundamental ideas of psychoanalysis, poststructuralism, and critical historiography. At stake in our readings will be the various aesthetic and political aspects of postcolonial struggle—how to think outside the colonial architecture of language; how to contest and subvert what remains from history’s violence; and how to evaluate the claims to authenticity of creolized New World cultural forms.

Junior/Senior seminar. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professors Cobham-Sander and Drabinski.

490. Special Topics. Fall and spring semesters. Members of the Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Fall semester. Members of the Department.

498D. Senior Departmental Honors. A double course.

Fall semester. Members of the Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Spring semester. Members of the Department.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors. A double course.

Spring semester. Members of the Department.

BRUSS SEMINAR

The Bruss Seminar is part of the Bruss Memorial Program, established in memory of Professor Elizabeth Bruss, who taught at Amherst from 1972 to 1981. Under the Program, a member of the faculty is appointed Bruss Reader for a term of two or three years, with the responsibility of addressing questions with regard to women as they emerge from existing disciplines and departments, and to promote curricular change and expansion to incorporate the study of women. The Bruss Reader does this by serving as a resource person, through revision of department offerings, and by teaching the Bruss Seminar. The subject of the seminar, therefore, changes over time reflecting the disciplines of successive Bruss Readers.

310. Female Gothic. Conceiving of the gothic as a kind of counter-narrative to Enlightenment and humanistic values, this course will explore the portrayal of women as embodied, liminal, irrational, and supernatural forces in nineteenth- and twentieth-century novels and legal materials in England and the U.S. What kind of social forces helped bring about the emergence of narratives of excess and transgression? How do these works conceive of female sexuality and sexual violence? How do they think through and accommodate the relation between reason and unreason, agency and irresponsibility? We will also explore the rebirth of the gothic in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries in the U.S., and ask what cultural forces brought it about. Possible texts:  Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish; Charlotte Brontë, Villette; Bram Stoker, Dracula; Henry James, The Turn of the Screw; legal cases and treatise literature on infanticide, mania, delusion, insanity, and culpability; Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Twilight.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professors Frank and Umphrey.

Chemistry

*On leave 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Kushick‡, Leung (Co-Chair), Marshall (Co-Chair), and O’Hara*; Associate Professors Bishop and Burkett; Assistant Professors Ball, Jaswal, and Young; Visiting Assistant Professor Collins; Visiting Lecturer Sondak; Academic Managers Ampiah-Bonney and Stencel.

Major Program. Students considering a major in Chemistry should consult a member of the Department as early as possible, preferably during their first year. This will help in the election of a program which best fits their interests and abilities and which makes full use of previous preparation. Programs can be arranged for students considering careers in chemistry, chemical physics, biochemistry, biophysical chemistry, biomedical research, medicine, and secondary school science teaching.

The minimum requirements for a major in Chemistry are CHEM 151 or 155, 161, 221, 231, 351, 361, and 371, and one elective. The elective can be an additional Chemistry course numbered in the 300s or 400s (excluding 498/499) or, after discussion with the student’s major advisor and upon approval by the Chemistry Department, a suitable advanced course in another science department. Please note that some Chemistry courses require successful completion of work in other departments: for the required courses, the non-Chemistry pre-requisites are MATH 111 for CHEM 161, MATH 121 and PHYS 116 or 123 for CHEM 351 and 361. Students are encouraged to discuss their proposed course of study for the major with a member of the Department, as there may be years when staffing considerations preclude offering one of the required courses.

Departmental Honors Program. A candidate for the degree with Honors will also elect CHEM 498 and 499D in the senior year. Honors programs for exceptional interests, including interdisciplinary study, can be arranged on an individual basis by the departmental advisor.

Honors candidates attend the Chemistry seminar during their junior and senior years, participating in it actively in the senior year. All Chemistry majors are required to attend the seminar in their senior year. During this seminar, discussions of topics of current interest are conducted by faculty, visitors and students.

In the senior year an individual thesis problem is selected by the Honors candidate in conference with a member of the Department. Current areas of research in the Department are: inorganic and hybrid materials synthesis; protein-nucleic acid interactions; immunochemistry; fluorescence and single-molecule spectroscopy; high resolution molecular spectroscopy of jet-cooled species; ab initio, quantum chemical calculation of molecular properties and intermolecular interactions; chemical-genetic characterization of cell signaling enzymes; protein phosphatase inhibitor design; biochemistry of tRNA modification enzymes; investigation of the protein folding landscape of kinetically stabilized proteins; development of hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry methodology to monitor protein folding and dynamics; development of organic methods and the synthesis of biologically active natural products; development of transition metal-catalyzed methodologies for the incorporation of greenhouse gases into organic molecules; and mechanistic studies of spectroscopy and kinetics in proton-coupled electron transfer model systems and photovoltaic materials.

Note on Placement: CHEM 151 followed by CHEM 161 are the appropriate first courses in Chemistry for most students. Those students with minimal preparation in quantitative areas will be invited to enroll in CHEM 131 (cross-listed with BIOL 131) as an entry level point. For those students with extensive high school preparation in the subject and strong quantitative skills as measured by SAT I and II (or ACT), CHEM 155 followed by CHEM 161 is recommended by the Department. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis to determine whether placement out of either CHEM 151/155 or CHEM 161 or, less frequently, both, is appropriate. Students considering advanced placement are advised to contact the Department soon after arriving on campus.

Certification by the American Chemical Society: The Chemistry Department at Amherst College is among the programs approved by the American Chemical Society (ACS). The chemistry curriculum is reviewed by the ACS Committee on Professional Training on a five-year cycle and reports are made to the ACS annually. To earn an ACS-certified degree, Amherst College chemistry majors, in addition to the minimum requirements, must elect CHEM 330 or 331, take a second semester of Physics (PHYS 117 or 124, or receive equivalent placement from the Physics Department), and successfully complete a senior thesis in Chemistry (CHEM 498/499D).

100. Molecular Gastronomy and Food Science: from Test Tubes to Taste Buds. Living organisms require resources to fuel the processes necessary for staying alive. We require a certain number of calories to fuel metabolic processes and to provide building blocks to replace old cells and build new ones. Our food should provide a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals that we need to consume regularly for a healthy existence. Yet humans have developed another relationship with food that can be either enriching or pathological. Sharing meals with others, developing the skills to enjoy the sensory pleasures of food, learning about other cultures through their gastronomic habits, and eating moderately while consciously are all examples of a deeper productive relationship with food. On the darker side, food can be a palliative to relieve our stress or satiate our addictions to sugar, fats, or salt. Modern humans can be so far removed from our food sources that we lose the connection between animal and meat and do not know if the food on our plates contains added hormones, pesticides, or genetically modified products. This course will examine our core requirements for food as we eat to live, and some of the cultural, social, historical, and culinary dimensions as we live to eat. Readings will include Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and selections from Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking by Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young and Maxime Billet.

The two sections will meet together for 80-minute lecture/demos twice a week and each section will meet separately for a culinary lab every other week for two hours.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor O’Hara.

131. Chemical Basis of Biological Processes. (Offered as CHEM 131 and BIOL 131.) What are the natural laws that describe how biological processes actually work? This course will use examples from biology such as human physiology or cellular signaling to illustrate the interplay between fundamental chemical principles and biological function. We will explore how bonding plays a central role in assembling simple biological building blocks such as sugars, amino acids, and fatty acids to form complex carbohydrates, proteins, and membranes. What underlying thermodynamic and kinetic principles guide systems to biological homeostasis or reactivity? What is pH, and how are proton gradients used to generate or change an organism’s response? Emphasis is on using mathematics and physical sciences to understand biological functions. Three classroom hours and three hours of laboratory per week.

Enrollment is limited to 15 first-year students who are interested in science or premedical study, who are recommended to begin with either MATH 105 or MATH 111 (Intensive), and who are enrolled in a Mathematics course but not in CHEM 151. Admission with consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15.

151. Introductory Chemistry. This course examines the structure of matter from both a microscopic and macroscopic viewpoint. We begin with a detailed discussion of the physical structure of atoms, followed by an analysis of how the interactions between atoms lead to the formation of molecules. The relationship between the structures of molecular compounds and their properties is then described. Experiments in the laboratory provide experience in conducting quantitative chemical measurements and illustrate principles discussed in the lectures.

Although this course has no prerequisites, students with a limited background in secondary school science should confer with one of the CHEM 151 instructors before registration. Each laboratory section is limited to 24 students. In the fall, sufficient sections will be added to meet total enrollment. The spring semester is limited to two laboratory sections. Four class hours and three hours of laboratory per week.

FALL SEMESTER: Please note that enrollment in section 02 will automatically enroll students in the required lecture, discussion, and laboratory.

Fall semester: The Department. Spring semester: Professor Jaswal.

155. Fundamental Principles of Chemistry. A study of the basic concepts of chemistry for students particularly interested in natural science. Topics to be covered include atomic and molecular structure, spectroscopy, states of matter, and stoichiometry. These physical principles are applied to a variety of inorganic, organic, and biochemical systems. Both individual and bulk properties of atoms and molecules are considered with an emphasis on the conceptual foundations and the quantitative chemical relationships which form the basis of chemical science. This course is designed to utilize the background of those students with strong preparation in secondary school chemistry and to provide both breadth in subject matter and depth in coverage. Four hours of lecture and discussion and three hours of laboratory per week.

Limited to 40 students. Fall semester. Professor Marshall.

161. Chemical Principles. The concepts of thermodynamic equilibrium and kinetic stability are studied. Beginning with the laws of thermodynamics, we will develop a quantitative understanding of the factors which determine the extent to which chemical reactions can occur before reaching equilibrium. Chemical kinetics is the study of the factors, such as temperature, concentrations, and catalysts, which determine the speeds at which chemical reactions occur. Appropriate laboratory experiments supplement the lecture material. Each laboratory section is limited to 24 students. In the spring, sufficient sections will be added to meet total enrollment. The fall semester is limited to two laboratory sections. Four class hours and three hours of laboratory work per week.

Requisite: CHEM 151 or 155 (this requirement may be waived for exceptionally well-prepared students; consent of the instructor is required); and MATH 111 or placement by the Mathematics department into MATH 121 or higher. Fall semester: Professor Young. Spring semester: Professors Leung and Marshall.

191. Bridging Macroscopic and Molecular: Experimental Design for Teaching and Learning in Chemistry. There is a tremendous gap between the length scale of the molecular world and the macroscopic dimensions of our experience, but macroscopic observation and physical manipulations nonetheless lie at the heart of the experiments that gave rise to atomic theory and modern chemistry. Although sophisticated instrumentation has been developed to “image” atoms and molecules, macroscopic observation through laboratory experimentation remains an essential component of teaching and learning chemistry at the elementary school, secondary school, and undergraduate level. This course focuses on the question of what makes an experiment effective as a tool for understanding chemistry. Types of laboratory experiments to be discussed include expository, discovery, guided inquiry, and problem-based (open inquiry). Students will evaluate existing experiments and design original experiments and demonstrations for a variety of audiences, from elementary school students through undergraduates, with emphases on conceptual content, pedagogical style, and safety and environmental considerations. Two 80-minute discussion-based classes and one 3-hour lab per week.

Requisite: CHEM 151 or CHEM 155. Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Professor Burkett.

221. Organic Chemistry I. A study of the structure of organic compounds and of the influence of structure upon the chemical and physical properties of these substances. The following topics are emphasized: hybridization, resonance theory, spectroscopy, stereochemistry, acid-base properties and nucleophilic substitution reactions. Periodically, examples will be chosen from recent articles in the chemical, biochemical, and biomedical literature. Laboratory work introduces the student to basic laboratory techniques and methods of instrumental analysis. Four hours of class and four hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: CHEM 161 or equivalent. Fall semester. Professor Bishop.

231. Organic Chemistry II. A continuation of CHEM 221. The second semester of the organic chemistry course first examines in considerable detail the chemistry of the carbonyl group and some classic methods of organic synthesis. The latter section of the course is devoted to a deeper exploration of a few topics, among which are the following: sugars, amino acids and proteins, advanced synthesis, and acid-base catalysis in nonenzymatic and enzymatic systems. The laboratory experiments illustrate both fundamental synthetic procedures and some elementary mechanistic investigations. Four hours of class and four hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: CHEM 221. Spring semester. Professors Ball and Visiting Professor Collins.

290. Special Topics. A full course.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

290H. Special Topics. A half course.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

330. Biochemical Principles of Life at the Molecular Level. (Offered as BIOL 330 and CHEM 330) What are the molecular underpinnings of processes central to life? We will explore the chemical and structural properties of biological molecules and learn the logic used by the cell to build complex structures from a few basic raw materials. Some of these complex structures have evolved to catalyze chemical reactions with enormous degree of selectivity and specificity, and we seek to discover these enzymatic strategies. We will consider the detailed balance sheet that shows how living things harvest energy from their environment to fuel metabolic processes and to reproduce and grow. Examples of the exquisite control that permits a cell to be responsive and adapt its responses based on input from the environment will be considered. We will also consider some of the means by which cells respond to change and to stress. A student may not receive credit for both CHEM 330 and BCBP/BIOL/CHEM 331.

Requisite: BIOL 191 and CHEM 221. Limited to 30 students. Fall semester. Professor Jaswal.

331. Biochemistry. (Offered as BIOL 331, BCBP 331, and CHEM 331.) Structure and function of biologically important molecules and their role(s) in life processes. Protein conformation, enzymatic mechanisms and selected metabolic pathways will be analyzed. Additional topics may include: nucleic acid conformation, DNA/protein interactions, signal transduction and transport phenomena. Four classroom hours and four hours of laboratory work per week. Offered jointly by the Departments of Biology and Chemistry. A student may not receive credit for both BCBP/BIOL/CHEM 331 and CHEM 330.

Requisite: CHEM 221 and BIOL 191; or consent of the instructor. CHEM 231 is a co-requisite. Spring semester. Limited to 45 students. Professor Bishop (Chemistry) and Professor TBA (Biology).

351. Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy. The theory of quantum mechanics is developed and applied to spectroscopic experiments. Topics include the basic principles of quantum mechanics; the structure of atoms, molecules, and solids; and the interpretation of infrared, visible, fluorescence, and NMR spectra. Appropriate laboratory work will be arranged. Three hours of class and four hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: CHEM 161, MATH 121, PHYS 116 or 123. Limited to 24 students. Fall semester. Professor Leung.

361. Physical Chemistry. The thermodynamic principles and the concepts of energy, entropy, and equilibrium introduced in CHEM 161 will be expanded. Statistical mechanics, which connects molecular properties to thermodynamics, will be introduced. Typical applications are non-ideal gases, phase transitions, heat engines and perpetual motion, phase equilibria in multicomponent systems, properties of solutions (including those containing electrolytes or macromolecules), and transport across biological membranes. Appropriate laboratory work is provided. Four hours of class and four hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: CHEM 161, PHYS 116 or 123, and MATH 121. MATH 211 is recommended. Limited to 24 students. Spring semester. Professor Young.

371. Inorganic Chemistry. The structure, bonding, and symmetry of transition metal-containing molecules and inorganic solids are discussed. Structure and bonding in transition metal complexes are examined through molecular orbital and ligand field theories, with an emphasis on the magnetic, spectral, and thermodynamic properties of transition metal complexes. Reactions of transition metal complexes, including the unique chemistry of organometallic compounds, will be examined. The laboratory experiments complement lecture material and include a final independent project. Four hours of class and four hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: CHEM 221 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 24 students. Fall semester. Professor Ball.

390. Special Topics. A full course.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

390H. Special Topics. A half course.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

400. Molecular and Cellular Biophysics. (Offered as PHYS 400, BIOL 400, BCBP 400, and CHEM 400.) How do the physical laws that dominate our lives change at the small length and energy scales of individual molecules? What design principles break down at the sub-cellular level and what new chemistry and physics becomes important? We will answer these questions by looking at bio-molecules, cellular substructures, and control mechanisms that work effectively in the microscopic world. How can we understand both the static and dynamic shape of proteins using the laws of thermodynamics and kinetics? How has the basic understanding of the smallest molecular motor in the world, ATP synthase, changed our understanding of friction and torque? We will explore new technologies, such as atomic force and single molecule microscopy that have allowed research into these areas. This course will address topics in each of the three major divisions of Biophysics: bio-molecular structure, biophysical techniques, and biological mechanisms.

Requisite: CHEM 161, PHYS 116/123, PHYS 117/124, BIOL 191 or evidence of equivalent coverage in pre-collegiate courses. Spring semester. Professors Loinaz and Williamson.

408. Seminar in Chemical Biology: The Chemistry/Biology Interface. (Offered as CHEM 408 and BCBP 408.) This advanced seminar will focus on the ways in which chemical approaches have been used to study and engineer biological systems. We will explore a series of case studies in which the tools of chemistry have been brought to bear on biological questions and seek to answer the following: Did the application of small molecules that were designed and synthesized by chemists allow the researchers to elucidate biological phenomena that would have remained opaque using genetic and biochemical approaches? Do the findings suggest further experiments? If so, could follow-up experiments be carried out with known techniques, or would development of further chemical tools be required? Topics will include: the design and synthesis of chemical modulators of gene expression, signal transduction, and protein-protein interactions; chemical approaches to protein engineering and drug-target validation; activity-based proteomics; and chemical tagging of biomolecular targets. Readings will draw heavily from the primary scientific literature. Students will be expected to participate actively in class discussions, to write, and to present their work to the class. This course can be used to fulfill either the elective requirement for the CHEM major or the seminar requirement for the BCBP major. Two eighty-minute classes per week.

Requisite: CHEM 231. Recommended requisite: CHEM 330 or 331. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Bishop.

418. Advanced Organic Chemistry. This course will focus on topics in modern organic chemistry with an emphasis on structure, reactivity, and synthesis. We will expand on many of the concepts from introductory organic chemistry to develop a fundamental base of knowledge about organic reactions in the context of modern organic synthesis. Broadly, synthesis is the application of one or more reactions to the preparation of a target compound. The selection of reactions for a synthesis requires an understanding of structure, reactivity, and mechanism. We will center our attention on reactions that have found utility in organic synthesis and consider their mechanism, regio- and stereochemical characteristics, and reaction conditions. These reactions will be discussed in the context of complex molecule synthesis and issues of functional group compatibility, steric sensitivity, and stereoselectivity will be considered. Furthermore, the challenges of designing a multistep synthesis will be discussed and illustrated with classic examples from the scientific literature. Readings will be drawn from the primary scientific literature. Students will be expected to participate actively in class discussions and to present their work to the class.

Requisite: CHEM 231. Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Visiting Professor Collins.

490. Special Topics. A full course.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

490H. Special Topics. A half course.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. A full course.

Open to Senior Honors candidates, and others with consent of the Department. Fall semester. The Department.

498D. Senior Departmental Honors. A double course.

Open to Senior Honors candidates and others with consent of the Department. Fall semester. The Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Open to Senior Honors candidates, and others with consent of the Department. A full course.

Spring semester. The Department.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors. Open to Senior Honors candidates, and others with consent of the Department. A double course.

Spring semester. The Department.

Classics

Professors Griffiths and R. Sinos (Chair); Assistant Professor van den Berg; Visiting Professor D. Sinos; Visiting Assistant Professor Russell.

Major Program. The major program is designed to afford access to the achievements of Greek and Roman antiquity through mastery of the ancient languages. The Department offers majors in Greek, in Latin, and in Classics, which is a combination of the two languages in any proportion as long as no fewer than two semester courses are taken in either. All three majors consist of eight semester courses, of which seven must be in the ancient languages. The eighth may be a Classical Civilization course, EUST 121‡, PHIL 217, or a course in some related field approved in advance by the Department. Courses numbered 111 may not be counted toward the major. LATI 202-316 will normally be introductory to higher courses in Latin, and GREE 212-318 will serve the same function in Greek.

The statement of requisites given in the course descriptions below is intended only to indicate the degree of preparation necessary for each course, and exceptions will be made in special cases. For students beginning the study of Greek the following sequences of courses are normal: Either 111, 212, 215 or 217, 318; or 111, 215 or 217, 212 or 318.

Departmental Honors Program. The program of every Honors candidate in Greek, Latin, or Classics must include those courses numbered 441 and 442 in either Greek or Latin. It will also include, beyond the eight-course program described above, the courses numbered 498 and 499. The normal expectation will be that in the senior year two courses at the 441/442 level be taken along with the 498/499 sequence. Admission to the 498 course is contingent on approval by the Department of a thesis prospectus. Translations of work already translated will not normally be acceptable nor will comparative studies with chief emphasis on modern works. Admission to the 499 course is contingent on the submission of a satisfactory chapter of at least 2,000 words and a detailed prospectus for the remaining sections to be defended at a colloquium within the first week of the second semester with the Department and any outside reader chosen.

In addition, Honors candidates must in the first semester of their senior year write an examination on a Greek or Latin text of approximately 50 pages (in the Oxford Classical Text or Teubner format) read independently, i.e., not as a part of work in a course, and selected with the approval of the Department. The award of Honors will be determined by the quality of the candidate’s work in the Senior Departmental Honors courses, thesis, and performance in the comprehensive work and language examination. The Department will cooperate with other departments in giving combined majors with Honors.

Comprehensive Requirement. Majors in Greek, Latin, and Classics will fulfill the Department’s comprehensive requirement in one of two ways.

(1) Students ordinarily complete the requirement through course work that provides a chronological survey of the cultures of the major.

—For the Greek major, one course: CLAS 121 (Greek Mythology and Religion), CLAS 123 (Greek Civilization), CLAS 132 (Greek History), or CLAS 134 (Archaeology of Greece).

—For the Latin major, one course: CLAS 124 (Roman Civilization) or CLAS 133 (History of Rome: Origins and Republic), or CLAS 135 (History of the Roman Empire).

—For the Classics major, two courses: one from the courses fulfilling the Greek major’s requirement, and one from the courses fulfilling the Latin major’s requirement.

—EUST-121 may not be credited toward the satisfaction of Comprehensive Requirements in Greek, Latin or Classics.

(2) When circumstances prevent the satisfaction of this requirement through course work, students may take an examination consisting of essay questions on the literary and historical interpretation of major authors. It will be given in the fifth week of the first semester of the senior year.

Classical Civilization

121. Greek Mythology and Religion. A survey of the myths of the gods and heroes of ancient Greece, with a view to their original context in Greek art and literature as well as their place in Greek religion. We will give particular attention to myths that live on in Western art and literature, in order to become familiar with the stories which were part of the repertory of later artists and authors. Three class hours per week.

Omitted 2014-15.

123. Greek Civilization. (Offered as CLAS 123 and SWAG 123.) We read in English the major authors from Homer in the 8th century BCE to Plato in the 4th century in order to trace the emergence of epic, lyric poetry, tragedy, comedy, history, and philosophy. How did the Greek enlightenment, and through it Western culture, emerge from a few generations of people moving around a rocky archipelago? How did oral and mythological traditions develop into various forms of “rationality”: science, history, and philosophy? What are the implications of male control over public and private life and the written record? What can be inferred about ancient women if they cannot speak for themselves in the texts? Other authors include Sappho, Herodotus, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Thucydides. The course seeks to develop the skills of close reading and persuasive argumentation. Three class hours per week.

Spring semester. Professor Griffiths.

124. Roman Civilization. A study of Roman civilization from its origins to the Empire, with emphasis on major Roman writers. The material will be interpreted in the light of Roman influence upon later Western civilization. The reading will be almost entirely from Latin literature, but no knowledge of the ancient language is required. Three class hours per week.

Limited to 50 students. Fall semester. Professor van den Berg.

132. Greek History. A chronological survey of ancient Greece from the Bronze Age to the age of Alexander, with attention to the wars that punctuated and to large extent defined the different phases of Greek history. We will use primary sources, including not only the fundamental histories of Herodotus and Thucydides but also other texts and monuments, to examine a range of perspectives of war and its effects.

Omitted 2014-15.

133. History of Rome: Origins and Republic. This course examines Rome’s political and social systems and its struggles from its legendary beginnings through its growth into a world empire. We will use Roman literature in translation, inscriptions, and material evidence to explore the development of the republican form of government and its transformation into an empire in the aftermath of civil wars. In order to understand the Republic, we will also consider the perceptions of that period by writers in the early Empire. Three class hours per week.

Omitted 2014-15.

134. Archaeology of Greece. Excavations in Greece continue to uncover a rich variety of material remains that are altering and improving our understanding of ancient Greek life. By tracing the architecture, sculpture, and other finds from major sanctuaries, habitations, and burial places, this course will explore the ways in which archaeological evidence illuminates economic, political, philosophical, and religious developments in Greece from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic Period. Three class hours per week.

Fall semester. Professor R. Sinos.

135. History of the Roman Empire. This course considers the Roman Empire at its height, tracing the political, social, and religious changes that shaped Rome from the death of Julius Caesar through the fifth century CE. We will seek to understand the longevity of this extraordinary empire as well as the roots of its eventual decline. Using literary, historiographical, and archaeological sources, we will see how Rome’s once unitary society was challenged and transformed by the diverse cultures and religions of its empire.

Omitted 2014-15.

390. Special Topics. Fall and spring semester. Members of the Department.

490. Special Topics. Fall and spring semester. Members of the Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Fall semester. Members of the Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Spring semester. Members of the Department.

Greek

111. Introduction to the Greek Language. This course prepares students in one term to read Plato, Greek tragedy, Homer, and other Greek literary, historical, and philosophical texts in the original and also provides sufficient competence to read New Testament Greek. Three class hours per week. This course is normally followed by GREE 212 and then GREE 215 or 217.

Fall semester. Professor Griffiths.

111. Introduction to the Greek Language. This course prepares students in one term to read Greek tragedy, Plato, Homer, and other Greek literary, historical and philosophical texts in the original and also provides sufficient competence to read New Testament Greek. Three class hours per week. This course is normally followed by GREE 215 or 217 and then GREE 212 or 318.

Spring semester. Professor R. Sinos.

212. Greek Prose: Plato’s Apology. An introduction to Greek literature through a close reading of the Apology and selected other works of Attic prose of the fifth and fourth centuries BC. Additional readings in translation. Three class hours per week.

Requisite: GREE 111 or equivalent. Spring semester. Professor Griffiths.

215. An Introduction to Greek Tragedy. An introduction to Greek tragedy as a literary and ritual form through a close reading of one play. We will read Euripides’ Madea, with attention to poetic language, dramatic technique, and ritual context. This course aims to establish reading proficiency in Greek, with review of forms and syntax as needed. Three class hours per week.

Requisite: GREE 111 or equivalent. Fall semester. Professor R. Sinos.

217. Reading the New Testament. This course offers an introduction to New Testament Greek. We will read selections from the Gospels and Epistles and will discuss the social and philosophical context as well as the content of the texts. Three class hours per week.

Requisite: GREE 111 or equivalent. Fall semester. Professor D. Sinos.

318. An Introduction to Greek Epic. A reading of selected passages from the Iliad with attention to the poem’s structure and recurrent themes as well as to the society it reflects. Three class hours per week.

Requisite: GREE 212, 215, 217 or equivalent, or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Russell.

390. Special Topics. Fall and spring semester. Members of the Department.

441. Advanced Readings in Greek Literature I. The authors read in GREE 441 and 442 vary from year to year, but as a general practice are chosen from a list including Homer, choral and lyric poetry, historians, tragedians, and Plato, depending upon the interests and needs of the students. GREE 441 and 442 may be elected any number of times by a student, providing only that the topic is not the same. In 2014-15 GREE 441 will read Herodotus. Three class hours per week. Seminar course.

Requisite: A minimum of three courses numbered GREE 111 to 318 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Russell.

442. Advanced Readings in Greek Literature II. The authors read in GREE 441 and 442 vary from year to year, but as a general practice are chosen from a list including Homer, choral and lyric poetry, historians, tragedians, and Plato, depending upon the interests and needs of the students. GREE 441 and 442 may be elected any number of times by a student, providing only that the topic is not the same. Three class hours per week. Seminar course.

Requisite: A minimum of three courses numbered GREE 111 to 318 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor R. Sinos.

490. Special Topics. Fall and spring semester. Members of the Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Fall semester. Members of the Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Spring semester. Members of the Department.

Latin

111. An Introduction to Latin Language and Literature. This course prepares students to read classical Latin. No prior knowledge of Latin is required. Three class hours per week.

Fall semester. Professor van den Berg.

202. Intermediate Latin: Introduction to Literature. This course aims at establishing reading proficiency in Latin. Forms and syntax will be reviewed throughout the semester. We will read selections from Caesar’s De Bello Gallico and possibly other authors. Three class hours per week.

Requisite: LATI 111 or equivalent. Spring semester. Professor TBA.

215. Latin Literature: Catullus and the Lyric Spirit. This course will examine Catullus’ poetic technique, as well as his place in the literary history of Rome. Extensive reading of Catullus in Latin, together with other lyric poets of Greece and Rome in English. Three class hours per week.

Requisite: LATI 202 or equivalent. Fall semester. Professor Russell.

316. Latin Literature in the Augustan Age. An introduction to the literature and culture of Augustan Rome through a close reading of selections from Augustan authors. Three class hours per week.

Requisite: LATI 202, 215 or equivalent. Spring semester. Professor van den Berg.

441. Advanced Readings in Latin Literature I. The authors read in LATI 441 and 442 vary from year to year, the selection being made according to the interests and needs of the students. Both 441 and 442 may be repeated for credit, providing only that the topic is not the same. In 2014-15 LATI 441 will read Lucretius. Three class hours per week. Seminar course.

Requisite: LATI 215 or 316 or equivalent. Fall semester. Professor D. Sinos.

442. Advanced Readings in Latin Literature II. See course description for LATI 441. Three class hours per week. Seminar course.

Requisite: LATI 215, 316, 441 or equivalent. Spring semester. Professor van den Berg.

490. Special Topics. Fall and spring semester. Members of the Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Fall semester. Members of the Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Spring semester. Members of the Department.

Related Courses

Readings in the European Tradition I. See EUST 121.

Ancient Greek Philosophy. See PHIL 217.

Colloquia

Colloquia are interdisciplinary courses not affiliated with a department. Whether colloquia are accepted for a major credit by individual departments is determined for each colloquium separately; students should consult their major departments.

201. Africa: Power and Representation. The right to represent oneself has always been an important piece of symbolic capital and a source of power. External representations of Africa have consistently distorted and misinterpreted the peoples and cultures of the continent. Within Africa, this right—to produce and display particular images—has been inseparable from both secular and sacred power. The discrepancy in interpretation of various images, whether these are in the form of visual objects or in the form of philosophies or concepts, has produced a misunderstanding of African institutions and art. In addition, historically the right to represent and claim one’s identity has become increasingly politicized. Control over various representations and images of Africa and things African has become contested. Using an interdisciplinary focus from the fields of art history, history and anthropology, this course will examine representations and interpretations of images of Africa both from within and from outside the continent. Ultimately we will link these various forms of power and legitimacy to consider the complexity behind the development of an idea of Africa.

The assigned readings for this seminar draw on literature from a wide range of disciplines as well as on films and novels. These assignments are designed to teach students the ways in which knowledge and understanding of seemingly disparate and unrelated fields of inquiry combine and are essential to our understanding of this large and diverse continent in the 21st century. This includes both our understanding of larger philosophical questions such as the relationship between control over categories of meaning and representation of both groups and individuals in the calculus of power at various historical moments, and the realities of the historical forces, contingencies and contexts that have led to the situations of African peoples and States in today’s global political economy. Students will complete weekly reading and writing assignments ranging from learning African geography and a map quiz to filling out question sheets on assigned readings designed to teach them how to read for overall themes and questions rather than facts alone, to turning in questions on the readings and being responsible in small groups for leading class discussions. Students are expected to participate actively in class discussion, and most assignments are designed to encourage lively conversation.

Fall semester. Professor Goheen.

230. Cultural Agency: Dance, Democracy and Tourism in Bahia, Brazil. This tutorial offers an intensive introduction to writings of contemporary democracy, tourism studies, and cultural agency in Latin America. We will study the role that African dance in Bahia, Brazil plays in the dynamics of social and political inclusion of marginal lives.

Examining the works of cultural agents in Latin American contemporary history, we will interrogate the definition and function of cultural agency set within the context of contemporary discourses of democracy. Is democracy an empty buzz-word that re-defines the Brazilian nation internationally without really reshaping the everyday lives of individuals locally? What role do tourism and the arts play in creating venues for cultural inclusion? Is cultural inclusion synonymous with political insertion? How does violence preclude or propel political change?

Within that frame, the working goal of the tutorial is to help students identify a researchable topic, master the literature presented by the professor (this includes original interviews and videos), develop a viable research design, and become comfortable with the process of academic research, synthesis, and organization. During the seminar, each student will develop a detailed prospectus for a research project.

This course is part of a new model of tutorials at Amherst designed to enable students to engage in substantive research with faculty. It is open to six sophomores.

Proficiency in Spanish and/or Portuguese highly welcomed, but not necessary. Limited to six sophomores. Spring semester. Professor Suarez.

231. Shakespeare and the History of Books. How does the history of literature relate to the history of media? This course addresses the question by focusing on William Shakespeare’s plays as printed texts evolving from the sixteenth through the twenty-first century. With the Shakespeare archive as our case study, we will explore how drama as a literary form is shaped by the material format of its sources, performance documents, and print editions. Among other topics, we will consider techniques of book production; the business of publishing and circulation; the sociology of readership; the relations among script, actor’s part, and printed play; revision and multiple texts; Shakespearean authorship and canonicity; modern editing and the future of digital texts.

Using special collections at Amherst, the Five Colleges, and the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., students will learn skills of archival research and cultural critique, grappling with fundamental concepts and research procedures in book history while refining their understanding of Shakespeare’s texts, the “Gutenberg parenthesis,” and our current transition to a post-print media world. During the seminar, each student will develop a prospectus for a research project; together, the class will curate an exhibition to be displayed in Frost Library.

This course is part of a new model of tutorial at Amherst designed to enable students to engage in substantive research with faculty. Limited to six sophomores. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Bosman and Mr. Kelly.

232. Suicide Protest. This course will engage current debates on the place of suicide protest in effecting political change. Recent events—from self-immolations in the Arab Spring, to hunger strikes in Turkey and India, to public suicides in China, Tibet, and Greece—have revealed that suicide can be a significant mode of protest. Yet despite the public attention these events have claimed, there has been too little consideration of whether and how suicide constitutes a unique form of social and political protest. How does “suicide protest” work politically to mobilize support or to incite hostility? Are different forms of suicide protest useful for different sorts of political ends? What are the psychological grounds on which suicide protest affects populations? Does the speed of the method of suicide (rapid, as with self-immolation or slow, as with fasting) produce different outcomes? In what respects is suicide protest non-violent? How, if at all, is suicide protest normatively distinct from suicide terror? Using these questions as guides, this course is designed to introduce students to suicide protest as an area of important current academic research. The course will be organized to help students to theorize such political violence, fostering understandings of how research on this topic can be framed, as well as identifying new pathways for further exploration. This course is part of a new model of tutorials at Amherst designed to enable students to engage in substantive and collaborative research with faculty.

Limited to six juniors. Admission with consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Poe.

234. America’s Death Penalty. The United States, almost alone among constitutional democracies, retains death as a criminal punishment. It does so in the face of growing international pressure for abolition and of evidence that the system for deciding who lives and who dies is fraught with error. This seminar is designed to expose students to America’s death penalty as a researchable subject. It will be organized to help students understand how research is framed in this area, analyze theories and approaches of death penalty researchers, and identify open questions and most promising lines of future research. It will focus on the following dimensions of America’s death penalty: its history, current status, public support/opposition, the processing of capital cases in the criminal justice system, race and capital punishment, and its impact and efficacy. During the seminar, each student will develop a prospectus for a research project on America’s death penalty. This course is part of a new model of tutorials at Amherst designed to enable students to engage in substantive research with faculty. It is open to sophomores interested in research.

Limited to 6 sophomores. Spring semester. Professor Sarat.

236. Art, Things, Spaces, and Places from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to research on lived environments from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, the architecture that shaped them and the art and objects that they contained. We will explore research strategies that are most useful in understanding the forces that explain change in the four hundred years marking the beginning of the Renaissance to the Enlightenment in Europe and England. We will examine work on families from a variety of social classes who joined forces through marriage and other alliances and the process through which they acquired and passed on precious objects, furniture, paintings, and sculpture embedded with meanings from their origins. How can we go about understanding how the construction of homes defined their inhabitants’ status, their political allegiance, their spirituality, and their place in the world? How can we best analyze the significance of the ways they adorned their domiciles with family portraits, tapestries, wall paintings, religious prints and icons, beds, marriage chests, silverware and jewelry?

This course will give students tools to conduct their own research about why and how domiciles and their contents expressed meaning for their inhabitants and society, and how we in the 21st century might come to understand these relics of the past. As the culmination of the course each student will choose a topic—anywhere from exploring special qualities found in a single object or work of art in a domicile to identifying unusual properties in architecture of a palace with a public function—and develop a prospectus for a research project. This course is part of a new model of tutorials at Amherst designed to enable students to engage in substantive and collaborative research with faculty. It is open to sophomores interested in research.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 6 sophomores. Spring semester. Professor Courtright.

237. The Senses in Motion. This course is focused on developing research skills within a multidisciplinary and international context. We will begin with the question debated by neurologists and others: What constitutes a sense? Aristotle identified the five senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste, but research in many fields identifies a number of additional senses that include nociception (the sense of pain), the sense of time, equilibrioception (the sense of balance), proprioception (the sense of where your body is in space), kinesthesia (the sense of joint and muscle motion and acceleration), thermoception (the sense of temperature differences), and magnetoception (the sense of direction), as well as the interoceptive senses (the internal senses of respiration, heartbeat, hunger, and the need for digestive elimination), among others.

We will investigate the properties and functions of the senses and sensory systems from a variety of disciplinary perspectives including neuroscience, psychology, philosophy of perception, critical theory, literature, performance, architecture, and the visual and electronic arts. We will study moments of aberration, when the senses offer unexpected or unanticipated information, and explore how that often fluid information can contribute to knowledge. Some say the senses offer us information that is only an illusion: we will explore the ways in which illusions are generated and transformed, and the ways in which they can generate further materials to help us develop knowledge about our dynamic experience in the world.

Throughout, we will identify strategies for framing research questions, for gathering and digesting research materials from various sources, and for employing this research in projects of writing and creation according to individual student interest. We will examine how writers, artists, dancers, performers, filmmakers, and architects employ research in the development of their work, and students will articulate the ways in which they can perform their research in writing, performance, design, and the visual and electronic arts according to their own interests and experience. To end the semester, each student will propose a topic and develop a prospectus for an original research project. This course is part of a new model of tutorials at Amherst designed to enable students to engage in substantive and collaborative research with faculty.

Limited to 6 students. Spring semester. Professor Gilpin.

239. The Place of Memory: Native American Oral Traditions. Native American oral traditions have often been treated as textual artifacts, representations of a cultural past, or an Other to the corrupt written word. In this Mellon Research Seminar, we will explore the ways in which oral literatures and oral histories operate as ongoing, living traditions in Native North America, and especially in our region. We will consider the crucial relationship between oral traditions, memory, and place, as well as changes in narratives over time. We will grapple with the relationship between oral performance and the written word, considering the role of these forms in cultural revitalization today.

Pursuing original research in the new Kim-Wait/Eisenberg Collection of Native American Literature, we will consider how Native writers have used the English language and writing as tools of cross-cultural communication and community continuance. Moving our focus to the digital world, we will ask whether digital storytelling and social networking can foster spaces for the engagement, revitalization and repatriation of oral traditions within Native communities. Visiting local places connected to indigenous oral traditions, we will reflect on the vital relationship between space and memory.

Course participants will have the opportunity to read influential works of Native American literature and Indigenous Studies scholarship; hear living oral traditions from contemporary storytellers, writers, and leaders; and research the many forms, including digital archives and multimedia websites, that oral traditions take today. Most important, this seminar offers the opportunity to be part of a research team engaged in work with contemporary scholars and community knowledge keepers on oral history projects. As part of our research process, we will consider ethical questions regarding the history of collecting, relationships of responsibility and reciprocity in doing community-based research, and the role of decolonization in academic scholarship and community-based practice.

This course is part of a new model of tutorials at Amherst designed to enable students to engage in substantive research with faculty.

Priority will be given to students pursuing a Five College Native American Studies certificate and/or students who have previously taken courses in Native American Studies.

Limited to six sophomores. Spring semester. Professor Brooks.

331. The Meaning of Catastrophe. From Noah’s flood to the Haitian earthquake, from the Black Death to the Great War, catastrophes have threatened, disrupted, and overturned patterns of daily existence. As radically disordering events, catastrophes have the power to lay bare the fragility of social and institutional architectures and to make painfully clear the weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the organization of social life. At the same time, by disrupting the fundamental mechanisms and infrastructures of social order, catastrophes serve to define the conditions that inform our sense of the normal. While much attention has been devoted to the study of specific catastrophic events, surprisingly little academic attention has been directed to the concept of catastrophe itself. This course sets out to study the social, cultural, and historical meaning of catastrophe. We will examine the role and representation of catastrophe in religion, the visual arts, literature, law, and politics. At a time when societies are directing an unprecedented level of resources and ingenuity to anticipating and mitigating catastrophic events, we hope to better appreciate catastrophe as a key ordering term of civilization—as the specter of disorder that continues to haunt our social and political imagination.

Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professors Sarat and Douglas.

332. Cities, Schools, and Space. [US] In America, a child’s address, more than any other factor, often determines what kind of public education he or she will receive. A complex set of historical forces including local and federal housing policies, mortgage lending practices, highway construction, and school districting have channeled particular economic, racial, ethnic, and linguistic groups into particular neighborhoods, where many remain today. And because public schools are funded by local property taxes and influenced by neighborhood boundaries, they often become harnessed to a narrative of inequality. Yet recent Supreme Court rulings have severely circumscribed the strategies communities might employ to disrupt the linkage between residence and educational opportunity. This research seminar blends urban history with educational policy to explore how spatial relationships have shaped educational opportunity since World War II. It will investigate a range of historical, legal, and contemporary issues relevant to both the segregation and desegregation of American cities and their public schools in the twentieth century. Class meetings will alternate between seminar-style discussion and an intensive, hands-on study of one particular community—Cambridge, Massachusetts—noteworthy for the innovative strategies it has utilized to desegregate its public schools. This course involves a significant research component designed to expose students to a range of approaches including archival analysis and oral interviews. In particular, students will learn to utilize geographic information systems (GIS) to visualize the spatial evolution of inequality in urban communities like Cambridge and to analyze past, present, and future strategies to equalize educational opportunity in American cities.

This course is part of a new model of tutorials at Amherst designed to enable students to engage in substantive research with faculty. It is open to juniors interested in developing a senior thesis project.

Limited to six juniors. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Moss and Dr. Anderson.

333. Advanced Topics in Latin America’s Political Economy. This course is part of a new model of tutorials at Amherst designed to enable students to engage in substantive research with faculty. The objective of the tutorial is to expose students to various aspects of academic research: identify a researchable topic, master the relevant literature, develop a viable research design, learn to formulate causal arguments and address rival hypotheses, become comfortable with the academic practice of revising and resubmitting, etc. Each student is free to choose his or her topic of inquiry, after close consultation with me and other participants. Students are expected to work independently and meet jointly once a week to discuss progress. Some assignments will be common to the group as a whole, other assignments will be individualized, based on each student’s interests and skills. At various points during the semester, students should also be prepared to share their work, orally or in writing, with everyone else in the course. I too will share drafts of some of my work for discussion. Final requirements will vary depending on the selected project and may include: developing a thesis prospectus; writing a literature review; researching a topic in close collaboration with me; collecting, analyzing and presenting data. This course is part of a new model of tutorials at Amherst designed to enable students to engage in substantive research with faculty.

Open to juniors interested in developing a senior thesis project who have taken at least one course with me. Sophomores will be considered space permitting. Limited to 6 students. Spring semester. Professor Corrales.

334. Archives of Childhood. Childhood is elusive and so is the past. This Mellon Research Seminar explores the particular problems of researching the lives of children, and recognizes those challenges as exemplary of the difficulties of historical inquiry in general. We know that evidence from the past tends to come to us in bits and pieces, and that the motivations and perspectives of people in the past inevitably prove difficult to discern. Across class, gender, racial, religious, and geographic categories the historical records that children leave are often quite literally scribbles and scraps. Moreover, evidence of childhood almost always comes heavily mediated by adult hands and adult memories. This Mellon Research Seminar is devoted to developing research methods and locating research materials that can help us to access the experiences and perspectives of children in the nineteenth-century United States. We will focus on developing strategies for locating primary materials in archives that rarely use age as a category of analysis and on developing methods of interpretation for making sense of materials that may initially seem too scanty, too formulaic, too obedient, or even too cute to be historically meaningful. Research sites may include letters and diaries, school work and copy-texts, marginalia in children’s books, institutional records, photographs, and the adult recollection offered by memoirs. This course is part of a new model of tutorials at Amherst designed to enable students to engage in substantive and collaborative research with faculty.

Open to 6 juniors interested in developing a senior thesis project. Enrollment with consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sánchez-Eppler.

Computer Science

*On leave 2014-15.

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

Professors Kaplan (Chair), C. McGeoch*, L. McGeoch, and Rager†; Visiting Assistant Professors Glenn and Valentine.

Major Program. The course requirements for the Computer Science major are COSC 111, 112, 161, 201, 261, and 301, and three additional Computer Science courses numbered above 201. Students with a strong background may be excused from taking COSC 111 and/or 112. It is recommended that such students consult with a member of the Department in the first year. Majors must pass at least nine Computer Science courses, so one or two additional electives are required for those who are excused from COSC 111 and/or 112.

Participation in the Departmental Honors program is strongly recommended for students considering graduate study in computer science. Such students should consult with a member of the Department as soon as possible to plan advanced coursework and to discuss fellowship opportunities. Most graduate programs in computer science require that the applicant take the Graduate Record Examination early in the senior year.

Comprehensive Examination. Each major must take an oral comprehensive examination during the senior year. A document describing the comprehensive examination, which covers COSC 112, 161, 201, and 301, is available on the department website. Majors are encouraged to take the exam early in the year if they have completed the covered courses.

Departmental Honors Program. The Honors Program in Computer Science is open to senior majors who wish to pursue independent research and to write a thesis. A student may apply to the program by submitting a proposal during the spring semester of the junior year. If the proposal is accepted, the student is admitted to the program, enrolls in COSC 498 for the fall semester, and begins research under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Students in COSC 498 meet together weekly to discuss their independent work. At the end of the fall semester, each student writes an extended abstract describing his or her work. Students whose abstracts show significant progress are admitted to COSC 499 and complete a thesis during the spring semester. A document describing the details of the Honors Program is available on the department website. COSC 498 and 499 do not count as elective courses in completing the major in Computer Science.

105. Demystifying the Internet. This course provides an introductory survey of topics in computer science that are related to the Internet. Students will become familiar with the history and underlying structure of the Internet and with technologies such as email, web browsers, search engines, and web page design tools. We will learn about the science behind the technology: topics to be addressed include network design and network protocols, modern encryption methods, and applications of algorithmics and artificial intelligence to the design of search engines. Some time will also be spent considering social issues such as privacy, worms and viruses, spam, cookies, and encryption policy. Three class meetings per week, with occasional in-class lab sessions. This course does not provide prerequisite credit for any computer science course, nor does it count towards the computer science major. No previous experience with computers is required.

Limited to 40 students. Omitted 2014-15.

111. Introduction to Computer Science I. This course introduces ideas and techniques that are fundamental to computer science. The course emphasizes procedural abstraction, algorithmic methods, and structured design techniques. Students will gain a working knowledge of a block-structured programming language and will use the language to solve a variety of problems illustrating ideas in computer science. A selection of other elementary topics will be presented, for example: the historical development of computers, comparison and evaluation of programming languages, and artificial intelligence. A laboratory section will meet once a week to give students practice with programming constructs. Two class hours and one one-hour laboratory per week.

Fall semester: Professors Kaplan and Valentine. Spring semester: Professors Glenn and Valentine.

112. Introduction to Computer Science II. A continuation of COSC 111. This course will emphasize more complicated problems and their algorithmic solutions. The object-oriented programming paradigm will be discussed in detail, including data abstraction, inheritance and polymorphism. Other topics will include linked lists and trees and the use of finite-state machines in algorithm design. A laboratory section will meet once a week to give students practice with programming constructs. Two class hours and one one-hour laboratory per week.

Requisite: COSC 111 or consent of the instructor. This course is the appropriate starting point for most students with some prior programming experience. Fall semester: Professor L. McGeoch. Spring semester: Professor Rager.

161. Computer Systems I. This course will provide an introduction to computer systems, stressing how computers work. Beginning with Boolean logic and the design of combinational and sequential circuits, the course will discuss the design of computer hardware components, microprocessing and the interpretation of machine instructions, assembly languages, and basic machine architecture. The course will also introduce operating systems topics, basic memory management, and topics in network communication. Projects will include the design of digital circuits and the simulation of operating system and network processes.

This course has no requisite and no programming experience is required. Fall semester. Professor Kaplan.

201. Data Structures and Algorithms I. This course is the first part of a two-semester sequence examining data structures (ways of organizing data so that it can be used effectively) and algorithms (the methods that can be used to manipulate data). The use of appropriate data structures and algorithms can often dramatically reduce the computational work needed to solve a problem. Topics examined in this course will include proof techniques, run-time analysis, heaps, hash tables, sorting, searching, and divide-and-conquer algorithms. The course will provide advanced programming experience and will emphasize the use of abstraction in program design.

Requisite: COSC 111. Spring semester. Professor L. McGeoch.

231. Programming Language Paradigms. The main purpose of a programming language is to provide a natural way to express algorithms and computational structures. The meaning of “natural” here is controversial and has produced several distinct language paradigms; furthermore the languages themselves have shaped our understanding of the nature of computation and of human thought processes. We will explore some of these paradigms and discuss the major ideas underlying language design. Several languages will be introduced to illustrate ideas developed in the course. Topics will include functional programming, declarative programming, and programming for concurrency and distributed computing. Offered in alternate years.

Requisite: COSC 112. Spring semester. Professor TBA.

241. Artificial Intelligence. An introduction to the ideas and techniques that allow computers to perform intelligently. The course will discuss methods of representing knowledge and methods of solving general problems using heuristic search. It will also discuss the design of algorithms that learn and generalize from experience. Other topics will be chosen to reflect the interests of the class and may include: communicating in English, game playing, probabilistic reasoning, planning, vision and speech recognition, computers modeled on neurons, and the possibility and implications of the existence of non-human intelligence. Three class meetings per week. Offered in alternate years.

Requisite: COSC 112. Omitted 2014-15.

261. Computer Systems II. This course will examine the principles and design choices involved in creating the software and hardware systems on which ordinary computer programs rely. It will develop advanced topics in computer processor architecture, cover the design of operating systems and runtime systems, and provide an introduction to programming language compilers. Architectural topics will include pipelines, out-of-order execution, symmetric multithreading, and multi-core cache management. Topics in operating and runtime systems will include virtual memory, file systems, linkers and loaders, virtual machines, memory allocators, and garbage collectors. Projects will involve the implementation of key concepts and structures.

Requisite: COSC 112 and 161. Spring semester. Professor Kaplan.

281. Networks and Cryptography. Computing networks have fundamentally changed the ways in which we use computers. The ubiquity of networks and their broad range of uses have created substantial challenges in the area of computer communication. Not only must data be delivered quickly and reliably from one computer to another, but in many cases that data must also be secure from eavesdroppers. Moreover, the recipient of the information often needs to be sure of the identity of the sender. Encryption can be used to achieve both security and authentication of information. This course will begin with the problem of communicating between two computers, followed by the problem of building generalized networks for an arbitrary number of computers. Networking topics will include layered network structure, signaling methods, error detection and correction, flow control, routing, and protocol design and verification. We will then examine in detail a variety of encryption schemes, how they can be used, and how secure they are. Cryptographic topics will include classical cryptosystems, the data encryption standard, public-key cryptography, key escrow systems, and public policy on encryption. Offered in alternate years.

Requisite: COSC 112 or 201. Spring semester. Professor Kaplan.

301. Data Structures and Algorithms II. This course continues the exploration of data structures and algorithms that is begun in COSC 201. Topics include balanced search trees, amortized algorithms, graph data structures and algorithms, greedy algorithms, dynamic programming algorithms, NP completeness, and case studies in algorithm design.

Requisite: COSC 112 and 201. Fall semester. Professor Glenn.

321. Computer Graphics. This course will explore the algorithms used to create “realistic” three-dimensional computer images. Major topics will include object representations (polygons, curved surfaces, functional models), rendering algorithms (perspective transformations, hidden-surface removal, reflectance and illumination, shadows, texturing), and implementation techniques (scan conversion, ray tracing, radiosity). Students will create images using Pixar’s Renderman.

Requisite: COSC 112 or 201 or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15.

338H. Mobile Computing. In the last decade, smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices have transformed our society by offering easy and continuous access to information and high-speed computation. The focus on mobile computing has raised new questions in the areas of networking, security, and hardware. Even the process of programming has shifted, with the creation of mobile “apps” requiring increased attention to design, robustness, and efficiency.

This half-credit course explores the opportunities and challenges of mobile computing, with an emphasis on programming for mobile devices. Students will complete projects in the iOS and Android environments.

Requisite: COSC 112. Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15.

341. Applied Algorithms. We will look at recent advances in the design and analysis of data structures and algorithms, with an emphasis on real-world applications. Topics to be covered include approximation algorithms and heuristics for NP-hard problems; combinatorial optimization; new analysis techniques; and methods of algorithm engineering and experimental analysis of algorithms. The specific problem domains to be studied will vary from year to year, to reflect the state of the art in algorithm research. Students will read and present research papers and carry out small research projects to evaluate algorithm performance in realistic scenarios.

Requisite: COSC 201. Omitted 2014-15.

371. Compiler Design. An introduction to the principles of the design of compilers, which are translators that convert programs from a source language to a target language. Some compilers take programs written in a general-purpose programming language, such as C, and produce equivalent assembly language programs. Other compilers handle specialized languages. For instance, text processors translate input text into low-level printing commands. This course examines techniques and principles that can be applied to the design of any compiler. Formal language theory (concerning regular sets and context-free grammars) is applied to solve the practical problem of analyzing source programs.

Topics include: lexical analysis, syntactic analysis (parsing), semantic analysis, translation, symbol tables, run-time environments, code generation, optimization, and error handling. Each student will design and implement a compiler for a small language. Offered in alternate years.

Requisite: COSC 112 and 161. Omitted 2014-15.

390. Special Topics. Independent reading.

Fall and spring semesters.

401. Theoretical Foundations of Computer Science. This course covers basic mathematical concepts that are essential in computer science, and then uses them to teach the theory of formal languages and machine models of languages. The notion of computability will be introduced in order to discuss undecidable problems. The topics covered include: regular, context-free and context-sensitive languages, finite state automata, Turing machines, decidability, and computational complexity. Offered in alternate years.

Requisite: None, although analytical aptitude is essential. Spring semester. Professor Glenn.

450. Seminar in Computer Science. The topic changes from year to year. For fall 2014, the topic is “Computational Biology.” This course examines the central computational challenges that have emerged since the publication of the human genome sequence in 2001. The enormous volume of genetic and genomic data collected by biologists has required the development of sophisticated computational techniques to analyze it. This course presents the formulation of these biological data analysis challenges as computational problems. Topics may include: de novo genome sequence assembly, sequence alignment, gene finding and motif discovery, analysis of genome rearrangements, phylogenetic tree reconstruction, and protein folding. The course emphasizes how these problems can be addressed using classical computational problem-solving paradigms, including: greedy techniques, dynamic programming, hidden Markov models, expectation-maximization, and combinatorial algorithms. Assignments will include both problem sets and programming projects.

Requisites: COSC 112 and 201. (There is no biology requisite.) Fall semester. Professor Valentine.

461. Advanced Operating Systems. Computer operating systems are responsible for allowing multiple users and their programs to share the hardware resources of a single machine. The policies implemented in an operating system determine its ability to provide good performance, fair sharing, isolation between programs, and predictable behavior. There are many policy choices that determine these properties, and measuring their effect requires empirical experimentation and analysis.

This course will examine both basic and advanced policies that can be used to control process scheduling, memory management, disk scheduling, network bandwidth allocation, and power consumption. We will design and perform experiments to evaluate these policies, comparing them and analyzing their behavior. Experiments will involve both simulation and in-kernel implementation. Offered in alternate years.

Requisite: COSC 261 and either COSC 112 or 201. Spring semester. The Department.

490. Special Topics. Independent reading.

Fall and spring semesters.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Open to seniors with consent of the Department.

Fall semester. The Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Open to seniors with consent of the Department.

Spring semester. The Department.

Creative Writing

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Advisory Committee: Writer-in-Residence Hall (Director); Professors Ciepiela‡, Douglas, Frank, Maraniss, and Sofield‡; Visiting Writer Gaige.

The Creative Writing Center offers courses in the writing of fiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction, and translation; in addition we sponsor a reading series, as well as class visits by practicing writers and editors. The work of the Center is interdisciplinary in that those who teach creative writing are drawn from various College departments.

The faculty of the Center strongly believes that creative writing should take place in the context of a liberal arts education. We also believe that students benefit from the discipline of writing from experience, real and imagined, and from submitting that writing, in small classes, to the criticism of instructors and other student writers. Because we believe that creative writing is in large part learned through creative reading, all faculty of the Center also teach courses in the reading of literature. We do not offer a major and do not invite students to formulate interdisciplinary majors in creative writing; instead we believe that the most desirable education for a writer is not a heavy concentration of writing courses, but rather a selection of such courses along with many others in literature and other subjects.

The Center does not offer courses independently: all of the courses listed below are located in various departments and count toward the major requirements of those departments. In addition to the courses listed here, students may arrange to take special topics courses with any faculty member willing to do so—including those who do not teach in the Center—and to undertake creative writing honors projects in their major departments.

Generally, pre-registration for creative writing courses is not allowed. Consult the Creative Writing web page (https://cms.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments
/cwc) for information on admission procedures.

Related Courses

Writing Poetry I. See ENGL 221.

Non-Fiction Writing. See ENGL 225.

Fiction Writing I. See ENGL 226.

Unreliabilities. See ENGL 255.

Writing Poetry II. See ENGL 324.

Imitations. See ENGL 325.

Fiction Writing II. See ENGL 326.

Crafting the Novel. See ENGL 427.

Poetic Translation. See EUST 303.

Playwriting I. See THDA 270.

Playwriting Studio. See THDA 370.

Economics

*On leave 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Barbezat, Westhoff‡, Woglom, and B. Yarbrough; Associate Professors Honig (Chair), Ishii*, Kingston, and Reyes; Assistant Professors Baisa, Rabinovich, Sims, Singh*, and Theoharides; Adjunct Professor R. Yarbrough.

Major Program. Economics majors must take a total of nine courses in economics, which include ECON 111/111E, the core theory courses, and at least two upper-level electives numbered 400 to 490. Honors students must take a total of ten courses. All students must successfully complete a comprehensive exam.

In its simplest form, the economics major consists of a total of nine full-semester courses in economics. These courses include:

An Introduction to Economics (111/111E)

Three core theory courses in Microeconomics (300 or 301), Macroeconomics (330 or 331), and Econometrics (360 or 361)

At least five other courses in economics, usually electives numbered 200-290 or 400-490, at least two of which are numbered 400-490

The following sections clarify the details of these requirements.

Declaring an Economics Major. It is recommended that students take several economics courses prior to adding the economics major. Students must attain a grade of B or better in ECON 111/111E or a grade of B– or better in an elective (numbered 200-290) before being allowed to add the economics major. Major declarations should occur by the end of sophomore year, or by the end of junior year at the latest.

Introduction to Economics. The economics major begins with ECON 111/111E, a survey of current economic issues and problems and an introduction to the basic tools essential for all areas of economics. ECON 111/111E is a requisite for all other courses in economics, and for many courses there is no other requisite. After completing ECON 111/111E a student may enroll in a variety of applied courses. Students may be excused from the requirement of taking ECON 111/111E by demonstrating an adequate understanding of basic economic principles. Four specific ways of being excused from the ECON 111/111E requirement are: (1) Attaining a grade of 4 or 5 on both the macroeconomic and microeconomic portion of the Advanced Placement Exam; (2) Passing a placement exam that is given by the department typically at the beginning of each semester; (3) Attaining a grade of 6 or 7 on the higher level International Baccalaureate in Economics; (4) Attaining a grade of A on the A levels.

Electives. We offer many electives, covering a wide variety of topics in economics. The elective courses numbered in the 200s require only Economics 111/111E as a prerequisite, and are most appropriate for students relatively early in their study of economics. The elective courses numbered in the 400s require one or more of the core theory courses as prerequisites. They are appropriate for students a bit further along in their study of economics, primarily (though not exclusively) juniors and seniors.

The Core. All majors must complete the sequence of core theory courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics: ECON 300 or 301, 330 or 331, and 360 or 361. We would like to provide some guidance regarding the core sequence. First, students must attain a grade of B or better in ECON 111/111E or a grade of B– or better in an elective (numbered 200-290) before registering for a core theory course. Entering students who pass out of ECON 111/111E may register for a core course with consent of the instructor. Second, these courses can be taken in any order, but it is recommended that a student take ECON 300/301 or 330/331 before enrolling in ECON 360/361. Third, it is not generally advisable to take more than one of the core theory courses in a given semester. Fourth, students should make every effort to complete the sequence of core theory courses by the end of the Junior year, or at the very latest by the end of the 7th semester (usually the fall semester of senior year). Failure to do so jeopardizes a student’s chances of graduating with an economics major. Only in truly exceptional circumstances will exceptions be made to this rule. Fifth, a student who receives a grade of F in a core theory course must retake that core theory course. A student who receives a grade of D in a core theory course may not count that course towards the major and must take ECON 390 (a special topics course focusing on that area of core theory) and receive a grade of C– or better in that special topics course. Sixth, the core theory courses must be completed at Amherst. In exceptional circumstances, a student may be permitted to substitute a non-Amherst course for one of the core courses. Such exceptions are considered only if a written request is submitted to the Department Chair prior to initiating the other work.

Departmental Honors Program. To be eligible to enter the honors program, a senior (or second-semester junior in an E Class) must have already completed Microeconomic Theory (ECON 300 or 301), Macroeconomic Theory (ECON 330 or 331) and Econometrics (ECON 360 or 361) with an average grade of 11.00 or higher. (For reference, conversion equivalents are A = 13, A– = 12, B+ = 11, B = 10, etc.) No exceptions to this rule will be allowed. Normally, all these core courses must be taken at Amherst (see above re exceptional circumstances). Therefore, a student considering writing a thesis and intending to study abroad should plan their course of study carefully, in consultation with economics faculty. Students who intend to enter the honors program are encouraged to take the advanced core theory courses, to gain some experience doing economic research, and to complete at least one upper-level elective prior to the senior year. Honors students take ECON 498, the Senior Departmental Honors Seminar, in the fall semester, and complete their honors essay under the guidance of an individual advisor in the spring semester, ECON 499. ECON 498 and 499 can both be counted towards the major total course requirement (ten courses for honors students). Successful completion of ECON 498 and 499 will serve to satisfy the comprehensive requirement in economics for honors students.

Comprehensive Exam. A written comprehensive exam is given during the second week of the second semester to economics majors who have completed the core theory courses.

Graduate Study. Students who intend to pursue graduate study in economics are strongly advised to take additional courses in mathematics. Such students should plan on taking Intermediate Calculus and Linear Algebra, at a minimum, and ideally Multivariable Calculus and Introduction to Analysis in addition. (The course numbers are: MATH 121, 272, 211, and 355.)

Courses from Other Institutions. Non-Amherst College courses (including courses taken abroad) may be used as elective courses (excluding the upper-level electives). Such non-Amherst courses must be taught in an economics department and must require at least ECON 111 or equivalent as a prerequisite. The student must receive one full Amherst College course credit for the work. Therefore, if a student were to take five courses abroad, which included two economics courses and for which Amherst College awarded four course credits, the work done abroad would be counted as the equivalent of one elective course in economics. If only one of the five courses were an economics course, the student would not receive any elective credits. Students who transfer to Amherst and wish to receive credit towards the major requirements for previous work must obtain written permission from the Department Chair.

Pass/Fail Courses. ECON 111/111E may be taken on a Pass/Fail basis only by seniors or second semester juniors, and only with the consent of the instructor. Other departmental courses may be taken on a Pass/Fail basis at the discretion of the instructor. Majors may not use the Pass/Fail option in a course used to satisfy a major requirement.

The Economics Student Handbook. All students considering majoring in economics should read the Economics Student Handbook, which contains important additional information about the economics major. The Handbook is available on the department webpage and in the department office.

111. An Introduction to Economics. A study of the central problem of scarcity and of the ways in which the U.S. economic system allocates scarce resources among competing ends and apportions the goods produced among people.

Requisite for all other courses in economics.

Two 80-minute and one 50-minute lecture/discussion per week. Each section is limited to 30 Amherst College students. Fall semester: Professors Baisa, Honig, Rabinovich, Theoharides and Westhoff.

Two 80-minute and one 50-minute lecture/discussion per week. Each section is limited to 30 Amherst College students. Spring semester. Professors Baisa, Barbezat, Rabinovich and Theoharides.

111E. An Introduction to Economics with Environmental Applications. (Offered as ECON 111E and ENST 230.) A study of the central problem of scarcity and of the ways in which micro and macro economic systems allocate scarce resources among competing ends and apportion goods produced among people. Covers the same material as ECON 111 but with special attention to the relationship between economic activity and environmental problems and to the application of micro and macroeconomic theory tools to analyze environmental issues. A student may not receive credit for both ECON 111 and ECON 111E.

Two 80-minute and one 50-minute lecture/discussion per week. Each section is limited to 30 Amherst College students. Fall semester. Professor Sims.

208. Economics of Education. Investments in education benefit individuals and society in a variety of ways. Education affects the productivity of the labor force, economic growth, the earnings of individuals, social mobility, the distribution of income, and many other economic and social outcomes. In 1990 educational expenditures exceeded seven percent of the Gross Domestic Product of the United States. A sector this large and important poses a number of serious policy questions—especially since it lacks much of the competitive discipline present in profit-making sectors of the economy. Should we increase expenditures? Are resources allocated efficiently? Equitably? How should the sector be organized? Who should bear the costs of education? Which policy changes will be effective? Many of these questions are part of the national policy debate. This course will use economic principles to study these and other issues which have been central to discussions of education policy.

Requisite: ECON 111/111E or consent of the instructor. Limited to 50 students. Omitted 2014-15.

210. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. Students in this course will explore society’s use of the natural environment as a component of production and consumption. The allocation of exhaustible and renewable resources and the protection of environmental quality from an economic standpoint will be examined. Public policy avenues for controlling natural resource management and the environment will also be explored. Case studies include air pollution and acid rain, depletion of the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect, the solid waste crisis, and deforestation, among others.

Requisite: ECON 111/111E. Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor Sims.

214. Health Economics and Policy. Health care poses many pressing questions: Why do we spend so much on health care? Does this spending actually produce better health? How do health care institutions function? What is the appropriate role of government? How are we to judge the efficiency and equity of health care policy? By applying economic analysis to health, health care, and health care markets, health economics provides insight into these questions. In the first section of this course, we will assess the role of health care in the economy and apply economic models to the production of health and health care. In the second section of the course, we will study the structure of health care markets and the roles of key institutions. In the third section of the course, we will investigate the role of government and use our acquired knowledge to understand and evaluate health care policy and reform. Throughout this analysis, we will pay careful attention to the nature of health care markets, the anatomy of market failures, and the implications for public policy. Empirical results, current issues, and public policies will be discussed throughout the course. In addition to technical problems and economic analyses, students will be asked to write analytical papers and participate actively in the discussion of current economic research and public policy.

Requisite: ECON 111/111E. Recommended: any one of Microeconomics (ECON 300/301), Econometrics (ECON 360/361), or Statistics (MATH 130). Limited to 35 students. Spring semester. Professor Reyes.

223. Economics of Migration. International migration is a key labor market alternative for many individuals, especially for those from developing countries. This course focuses on the economic underpinnings of the migration decision that culminates in individuals leaving their home country for work abroad. We will begin the course by examining the question of why people migrate. In the second section, we will focus on the effects of migration on migrant-sending developing countries. In the third section, we will examine the impacts of migration on migrant-receiving countries. Through lectures, discussion, debates, and written policy briefs, we will use economics as a toolbox for analyzing the complex issues of migration policy.

Limited to 35 students. Fall semester. Professor Theoharides.

225. Industrial Organization. This course examines the determinants of and linkages between market structure, firm conduct, and industrial performance. Some of the questions that will be addressed include: Why do some markets have many sellers while others have only few? How and why do different market structures give rise to different prices and outputs? In what ways can firms behave strategically so as to prevent entry or induce exit of rival firms? Under what circumstances can collusion be successful? Why do firms price discriminate? Why do firms advertise? Does a competitive firm or a monopoly have a greater incentive to innovate? In answering these and other questions, the consequent implications for efficiency and public policy will also be explored.

Requisite: ECON 111/111E. Limited to 50 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Ishii.

227. International Trade. This course uses microeconomic analysis to examine economic relationships among countries. Issues addressed include why nations trade, the distributional effects of trade, economic growth, factor mobility, and protectionism. Also included are discussions of the special trade-related problems of developing countries and of the history of the international trading system.

Requisite: ECON 111/111E. Limited to 50 students. Spring semester. Professor B. Yarbrough.

235. Open-Economy Macroeconomics. This course uses macroeconomic analysis to examine economic relationships among countries. Issues addressed include foreign exchange markets, the balance of payments, and the implications of openness for the efficacy of various macroeconomic policies. Also included are discussions of the special macroeconomic problems of developing countries and of the history of the international monetary system. Not open to students who have taken ECON 435.

Requisite: ECON 111/111E. Limited to 50 students. Fall semester. Professor B. Yarbrough.

237. Financial Globalization, Growth and Crises. This course surveys the recent wave of financial globalization and assesses both its merits and potential risks. In particular, we will examine the most important potential benefit of financial globalization, an increased rate of economic growth that can be a powerful tool in alleviating poverty. We will analyze the theoretical arguments for a growth-enhancing effect of globalization and discuss the empirical evidence. We will then turn to the most important potential drawback: the risk of a devastating financial crisis, particularly in emerging market economies that have only recently opened to international capital movements. Throughout the course we will emphasize the conditions and policies under which financial globalization is likely to be successful. The course will conclude with an analysis of the effect of financial globalization, as well as increased trade openness, on inflation and the conduct of monetary policy.

Requisite: ECON 111/111E. Limited to 50 students. Consent of the instructor required for students who have taken ECON 435. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Honig.

245. Development Economics. An introduction to the historical experience and current economic problems of developing countries, and survey of theories of economic growth and development. Topics will include economic growth, health, education, urbanization, corruption, technology, aid, gender and institutions. The course will throw light on market failures in developing countries and show how we can use the tools of economics to understand these problems and to evaluate policy options.

Requisite: ECON 111/111E. Limited to 50 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Singh.

265. Money and Economic Activity. This course studies the monetary systems that facilitate exchange. Such systems overcame the limitations of barter with commodity monies such as gold, and gradually evolved into financial intermediaries that issue paper notes and bank deposits as money. Intermediaries in markets for insurance, debt, and equity are studied too. Also, the effects of financial markets on aggregate economic activity and the level and term structure of interest rates are studied. Not open to students who have taken ECON 423.

Requisite: ECON 111/111E. Limited to 50 students. Fall semester. Professor Woglom.

271. Economic History of the United States, 1600-1860. The economic development of the United States provides an excellent starting point for an understanding of both this nation’s history and its current economic situation. We begin with the colonial period and the creation of the nation and end with the Civil War and the breakdown of the Union. Throughout we provide an economic reading of the events and try to explain the conflicts and resolutions in economic terms.

Requisite: ECON 111/111E. Limited to 35 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Barbezat.

272. Economic History of the United States, 1865-1965. The economic development of the United States provides an excellent starting point for an understanding of both this nation’s history and its current economic situation. We begin with the reconstruction period after the Civil War and end with the Civil Rights Era and the War on Poverty. Throughout we provide an economic reading of the events and try to explain the conflicts and resolutions in economic terms.

Requisite: ECON 111/111E. Limited to 35 students. Fall semester. Professor Barbezat.

275. Consumption and the Pursuit of Happiness. In the Declaration of Independence, the Founders called the “pursuit of happiness” an “inalienable right,” yet both psychologists and economists have noted that we do not well understand the determinants of the attainment of happiness or contentment. In this course, we will examine the literature on well-being in both micro- and macroeconomic contexts. We will review the neoclassical model of utility maximization and contrast it to other modes of understanding how and why people make the decisions they do, as they pursue their happiness. On the macroeconomic side, we will attempt to understand what factors (e.g. growth, unemployment, inflation) seem most important for policy-makers to focus on in order to sustain their citizens’ well-being. The course will also include opportunities for students to examine their own consumption decisions and assumptions about the attainment of happiness.

Requisite: ECON 111/111E. Limited to 50 students. Spring semester. Professor Barbezat.

290. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course. Full course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

300. Microeconomics. This course develops the tools of modern microeconomic theory and notes their applications to matters of utility and demand; production functions and cost; pricing of output under perfect competition, monopoly, oligopoly, etc.; pricing of productive services; intertemporal decision-making; the economics of uncertainty; efficiency, equity, general equilibrium; externalities and public goods. A student may not receive credit for both ECON 300 and ECON 301.

Requisite: MATH 111, or equivalent and at least a “B” grade in ECON 111/111E or a “B–” in ECON 200-290, or equivalent. Limited to 50 students. Fall semester: Professor B. Yarbrough. Spring semester: Professor Kingston.

301. Advanced Microeconomics. This course covers similar material to that covered in ECON 300 but is mathematically more rigorous and moves at a more rapid pace. A student may not receive credit for both ECON 300 and ECON 301.

Requisite: At least a “B” grade in ECON 111/111E or a “B–” grade in ECON 200-290, or equivalent, and MATH 211 or equivalent, or consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Baisa.

330. Macroeconomics. This course develops macroeconomic models of the determinants of economic activity, inflation, unemployment, and economic growth. The models are used to analyze recent monetary and fiscal policy issues in the United States, and also to analyze the controversies separating schools of macroeconomic thought such as the New Keynesians, Monetarists and New Classicals. A student may not receive credit for both ECON 330 and ECON 331.

Requisite: Math 111 or equivalent and at least a “B” grade in ECON 111/111E or a “B–” in ECON 200-290, or equivalent. Limited to 50 students. Fall semester: Professor Rabinovich. Spring semester: Professor Honig.

331. Advanced Macroeconomics. This course covers similar material to that covered in ECON 330 but is mathematically more rigorous and moves at a more rapid pace. A student may not receive credit for both ECON 330 and ECON 331.

Requisite: At least a “B” grade in ECON 111/111E or a “B–” grade in ECON 200-290, or equivalent, and MATH 121 or equivalent, or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Woglom.

360. Econometrics. A study of the analysis of quantitative data, with special emphasis on the application of statistical methods to economic problems. A student may not receive credit for both ECON 360 and ECON 361.

Requisite: MATH 111, or equivalent and at least a “B” grade in ECON 111/111E or a “B–” in ECON 200-290, or equivalent. Limited to 50 students. Fall semester: Professor Westhoff. Spring semester: Professor Sims.

361. Advanced Econometrics. This course studies the specification, estimation, and testing of econometric models based on the maximum likelihood and method of moments principles. It builds from mathematical statistics and utilizes matrix algebra, the rudiments of which will be introduced in the course. The course will also review applications of econometric models to various areas of micro and macroeconomics. A student may not receive credit for both ECON 360 and ECON 361.

Requisite: At least a “B” grade in ECON 111/111E or a “B–” grade in ECON 200-290, or equivalent, and MATH 211 or equivalent, and STAT 111 (previously MATH 130) or STAT 135 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Ishii.

390. Special Topics. A special topics course focused on core economic theory. Intended for students who have, in the past, received a D in a core theory course in economics and who therefore need to take a special topics course focused on that area of core theory to satisfy the major requirements.

Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

404. Labor Economics. An analysis of the labor market and human resource economics. Issues concerning labor supply and demand, wage differentials, the role of education, investment in human capital, unemployment, discrimination, income inequality, and worker alienation will be discussed utilizing the tools of neoclassical economics. In addition, we shall examine the major non-neoclassical explanations of the perceived phenomena in these areas.

Requisite: ECON 300 or 301. Omitted 2014-15.

410. Microeconomics of Development. The course aims to study the latest research on topics in development economics. It will focus on both randomized experiments as well as some of the classic microeconomic empirical papers on topics such as health, education, corruption, labor, microfinance and social capital. Students will be required to read and comment on published or working papers every week. Class participation and peer discussions will be incentivized. The final project will involve each student answering a question in development economics employing empirical analysis on micro-level data sets already available.

Requisite: Economics 360/361 or permission of instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Singh.

412. Applied Microeconomics Seminar. The field of applied microeconomics (“applied micro”) is a fundamentally outward-looking branch of economics. Applied microeconomists take economic theories and methodologies out into the world and apply them to interesting questions of individual behavior and societal outcomes. This upper-level seminar will start with an overview of the field and its methodologies, followed by foundational material in econometric identification and behavioral economics. We will then address substantive areas such as environmental economics, the fetal origins hypothesis, antisocial behavior, economics of crime, and the economics of gender, race, and inequality. Specific topics will vary from year to year. Most of the course will be devoted to close reading of research papers, including discussion of the relative merits of particular theoretical and empirical methodologies. Students will participate actively in class discussion, make oral presentations, evaluate empirical data, and write analytical papers.

Requisite: ECON 300/301 (Microeconomics) and ECON 360/361 (Econometrics). Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Reyes.

416. Evaluating Social Policy. This is an upper-level seminar in social policy which examines a number of social programs in the United States, including Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and Temporary Aid to Needy Families. The seminar will introduce you to the operation of these programs and will teach you how to use economic and econometric tools to evaluate them. Most of the course will be devoted to close reading and discussion of research papers, including discussion of the relative merits of various empirical and econometric techniques. Students will be asked to participate actively in class discussion, to make oral presentations, to evaluate empirical data, and to write analytical papers. Throughout the course, we will think broadly about the goals of social policy, always keeping the canonical tradeoff between efficiency and equity at the forefront. We will also consider the practical challenges faced not only by policymakers in designing effective policies but also by scholars in evaluating the effectiveness of those policies.

Requisite: Microeconomics (ECON 300/301) and Econometrics (ECON 360/361). Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Reyes.

420. Game Theory and Applications. Game theory analyzes situations in which multiple individuals (or firms, political parties, countries) interact in a strategic manner. It has proved useful for explaining cooperation and conflict in a wide variety of strategic situations in economics, political science, and elsewhere. Such situations can include, for example, firms interacting in imperfectly competitive markets, auctions, arms races, political competition for votes, and chess. This course will provide an introduction to the tools and insights of game theory. Though mathematically rigorous, emphasis will be on applications rather than on formal theory.

Requisite: ECON 300 or 301. Limited to 40 students. Fall semester. Professor Kingston.

423. The Economics of Finance. A study of the role of financial markets in the efficient allocation of resources. We look at how financial markets: (1) enable the transfer of resources across time and space; (2) facilitate the reduction and management of risk; and (3) provide information about the future, which is important to public policymakers as well as private firms and individuals. The financial theories studied include: (1) the theory of present discounted values; (2) the capital asset pricing model; (3) the efficient markets hypothesis; and (4) the Black-Scholes model for the pricing of contingent claims.

Requisite: ECON 300 or 301, MATH 211, or consent of instructor. Limited to 35 students. Fall semester. Professor Woglom.

426. Law and Economics. This course introduces students to the ways in which legal issues can be examined using the tools of economic analysis. Topics covered include: Property and contract law, accident law, family law, criminal law, financial regulation, and tax law. In all of these areas the intent is not to provide an exhaustive examination of the law, but rather to show how economic methods can contribute to an understanding of the basic issues that must be addressed by the law.

Requisite: ECON 300 or 301 or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15.

435. Topics in Open-Economy Macroeconomics. A seminar in international macroeconomics, with an emphasis on emerging market economies. We will read and discuss empirical research papers. Topics covered will include financial globalization, banking and currency crises, exchange rate regimes, dollarization, and institutions and governance.

Requisite: ECON 330/331, or ECON 235/237 with permission of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Honig.

441. Information and Incentives in Macroeconomics. Information frictions are important for a wide variety of questions in macroeconomics and public finance. This course will develop tools from information economics and apply them, primarily to macroeconomic problems. We will study situations in which adverse selection, moral hazard, limited commitment, and strategic behavior create impediments to trade and prevent private markets from achieving efficient results. Applications can include credit constraints, default and collateral, bank runs, labor market contracts, unemployment, time inconsistency, and social insurance.

The approach of the course is rigorous and analytical, focusing both on providing students with very general modeling skills and on applying these skills to specific economic questions. Requirements will include solving analytical problem sets, as well as reading and discussing theoretical research papers. The course is especially suitable for students interested in mathematical modeling in economics and students considering doing research in economics.

Requisite: ECON 300/301, ECON 330/331, and MATH 211 (or MATH 121 with consent of instructor). This course will routinely use multivariable calculus. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Rabinovich.

462. Microeconometrics. An introduction to advanced econometric tools used to conduct empirical analysis of microeconomic data. Topics include extensions of linear regression to panel data, discrete choice models, unobserved heterogeneity, and sample selection. Depending on student interest, the course may also cover even more advanced topics including structural econometrics, simulation-based methods, and Bayesian analysis. Emphasis of the course is on the application of the tools to actual empirical research. Examples will be drawn from a variety of microeconomic fields including labor, public finance, and industrial organization. The interplay between econometrics and modern microeconomics will be a key theme.

Requisite: ECON 300 or 301 and 360 or 361. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Ishii.

471. Economic History Seminar. We will begin by examining contemporary growth and development models and then apply them to the sweep of global economic history over the past 300 years. The course is a seminar, so students will be assessed on their close reading and their responses to articles and books assigned in the course. Students will engage directly with economic history issues and will produce an original piece of research by the end of the course.

Requisite: ECON 300 or 301 and 330 or 331. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Barbezat.

473. History of Economic Thought. Many challenges arise from the interaction between human desires and what is available. Economics is the study of these challenges. In this course, we will examine the many ways in which human beings have articulated this interaction and the responses that they have provided. We will examine the intellectual history of how humans have conceived and managed scarcity on personal (microeconomic) and societal (macroeconomic) levels over time all over the globe.

Requisite: ECON 300 or 301 and 330 or 331. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Barbezat.

479. New Institutional Economics. All economic activity is embedded in a framework of institutions including both formal laws and contracts, and informal norms and conventions. Institutions constrain individual behavior and thereby affect resource allocation, income distribution, learning, and economic growth. This course introduces recent approaches to the study of institutions in economics and political science. Particular emphasis will be placed on recent applications to economic history and development, and to theories of institutional stability and change.

Requisite: ECON 420 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Kingston.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course. Full course.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters.

490H. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course. Half course.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters.

498. Senior Departmental Honors Seminar. A seminar preparing senior economics majors to undertake independent research for their honors projects. Five or six topics of current interest will be studied.

Requisite: An average grade of 11.00 or higher in ECON 300/301, 330/331, and 360/361. Fall semester. Professor Reyes.

499. Senior Departmental Honors Project. Independent work under the guidance of an advisor assigned by the Department.

Requisite: ECON 498. Spring semester.

English

*On leave 2014-15.

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Emeriti O’Connell, Pritchard, and Townsend; Professors Cobham-Sander, Frank (Director of Studies), Hastie‡, Sanborn (Chair), K. Sánchez-Eppler*, and Sofield‡; Associate Professors Bosman, Brooks, and Parham; Assistant Professors Christoff, Grobe*, Nelson, and Worsley; Writer-in-Residence Hall; Visiting Writer Gaige; Senior Lecturer Lieber; Visiting Professor Berek; Visiting Assistant Professor Pritchett; Simpson Lecturer Wilbur; Five College Professor Creighton; Five College Associate Professor Hillman; Lecturer B. Sánchez-Eppler*; Visiting Lecturers Acker and Carrere; Dean’s Faculty Fellow Cornett.

Major Program. Students majoring in English are encouraged to explore the Department’s wide range of offerings in literature, film, culture, and creative writing.

Majoring in English requires the completion of ten courses offered or approved by the Department. The Department’s courses are organized into four levels. The courses numbered in the 100s cover a variety of topics, but all center on close reading and frequent writing. The courses in the 200s introduce students to literary, film, and cultural studies, and to creative writing. Each of these courses engages with a particular approach, method, genre, medium, period, or discourse. Open to all, they are intended to provide majors with a foundational understanding of fields of study in English. The courses in the 300s address specific topics in film and cultural studies, individual authors, and literary history, criticism, and theory. This level also includes advanced creative writing. Courses in the 400s emphasize independent inquiry, critical and theoretical issues, and extensive writing. These courses are seminars, limited in enrollment and normally for junior and senior majors. Also in the 400s are senior tutorial courses.

Majors are required to take at least one 100 course, at least three 200 courses, and a 400-level seminar. One of these courses must substantially address material from the period before 1800. While special topics also have 400 numbers, a special topics course cannot count as the 400-level seminar.

In designing their major, all students work closely with their advisor in defining an area of concentration within the range of offerings in English studies. Upon declaring the major, all students must submit to the Department a statement of concentration which defines a field of inquiry structured around no fewer than three interrelated English courses. This statement articulates the student’s understanding of how the named courses cohere in a field of concentration, along with courses in other disciplines or languages that may be related to the primary focus of the English major. In consultation with the advisor, the statement of concentration is regularly reviewed and it may be revised to accommodate shifts of emphasis in the student’s curricular choices. An updated concentration statement must be signed by the advisor and submitted to the Department in order to complete a major in English.

Majors may count towards the ten required courses up to three courses in creative writing. No more than two courses not offered by members of the Department may be counted towards the major, except with the recorded permission of the student’s advisor. Because 400-level seminars can lead in the senior year to a thesis project, the Department strongly urges majors to fulfill the seminar requirement during the junior year. The Department will not guarantee admission to a particular 400-level seminar in the second semester of the senior year.

In addition, in the fall of the senior year, majors must pass a comprehensive examination based upon an outside reading list. The current list, along with other information and announcements about the English major, is available on the Department’s web page.

Departmental Honors Program. The Department awards Latin honors to seniors who have achieved distinction in course work for the major and who have also demonstrated, in a submitted portfolio of critical or creative work, a capacity to excel in composition. Students qualify for Latin honors only if they have attained a B+ average in courses approved for the major; the degree summa cum laude usually presupposes an A average. Students in the English Department write their theses through the senior tutorial.

Senior Tutorial. English majors may apply for admission to the Senior Tutorial (English 498/499), normally during May of their junior year. Preregistration is not allowed. Appropriate tutors are assigned to students whose applications have been approved. The purpose of the Senior Tutorial is to provide an opportunity for independent study to any senior major who is adequately motivated and prepared to undertake such work, whether or not he or she expects to be considered for Latin honors at graduation. Admission to English 498/499 is contingent upon the Department’s judgment of the feasibility and value of the student’s proposal as well as of his or her preparation and capacity to carry it through to a fruitful conclusion.

At the end of the tutorial, to be considered for senior honors a student must submit to the Department a thesis, which contains normally 50 to 70 pages of writing. The materials included may derive from a variety of sources: from work completed in the Senior Tutorial course(s); from Special Topics (English 490), composition, and creative writing courses; from projects undertaken on the student’s own initiative; or from essays composed originally for other courses in the major and substantially revised. The thesis may also be a short film or video, a collection of essays or poems or stories, a play, a mixture of forms, an exploration in education or cultural studies.

Before a student can submit a thesis, it first must be approved by his or her designated tutor. If the portfolio is approved, a committee of faculty examiners is then appointed. Following an interview with the student, the committee conveys its evaluation to the whole Department, which then makes the final recommendation for the level of honors in English.

Graduate Study. Students interested in graduate work in English or related fields should discuss their plans with their advisor and other members of the Department to learn about particular programs, requirements for admission, the availability of fellowships, and prospects for a professional career. Many graduate programs in English or comparative literature require reading competence in several foreign languages; while to some extent these programs permit students to satisfy the requirement concurrently with graduate work, we would encourage those interested in graduate study to broaden their language skills while at Amherst. We would also encourage students to consider writing a thesis, for several reasons: to produce a polished writing sample they can submit with their application; to gain, and demonstrate, experience in sustained independent work; and to get a sense of the areas they might want to pursue in graduate school, some knowledge of which is essential for writing an effective admissions essay.

N.B. The English Department does not grant advanced placement on the basis of College Entrance Examination Board scores.

105. Engaging Literature: Close Reading. Why study literature? In many contexts, including the contexts of most other academic disciplines, one reads in order to extract the gist of a text. By studying literature, we enable ourselves to do much more than that. Studying literature makes it possible to recover a relationship to language that we all once had, in which words and their interrelationships were new, strange, and rich with possibility. It makes it possible to develop a more acute awareness of the ongoing tension between language as units of meaning (words, phrases, sentences) and language as units of sound (the beat of syllables, the harmonization of one syllable with another). It even makes it possible for us to carry this sense of everything that is uncanny about language—the medium of our relationship to others and to ourselves—into our lives more generally, to recognize that in just about everything that we say, we mean more than we mean to mean. People who study literature are people who are capable of taking away from conversations, no less than from poems, much more than the gist, the summary, the bottom line. By dwelling on texts patiently, by slowing down the process of moving from mystery to certainty, by opening ourselves to the crosscurrents of potential meanings that are present at every moment in just about every sentence, it is possible for us to become more accurate and nuanced readers of just about everything that happens in our lives.

Preference given to first-year students and sophomores. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professors Sanborn and Worsley.

106. Engaging Literature: Craft, Conversation, Community. Literature engages us. It moves us, it delights us, it makes us ask hard questions. How do we engage literature? How do we respond to it in conversation, in writing, in performance, and in our communities? How do we write about literature in a way that effectively engages others?

This class seeks to engage you in a process of seeing literature and your own writing process anew. We will engage with authors, in person, in public, and on the page. We will attend literary events and enter into conversations among writers: authors who are influenced and inspired by each other, literary critics who give us illuminating interpretations, and literary historians who open our eyes to contexts heretofore unseen. Students will practice writing about literature in a range of modes from the personal essay to the book review to the academic paper. Frequent writing workshops will be geared toward the process of revising in a collaborative environment. A first course in reading fictional, dramatic, lyric, and non-fiction texts, this course also challenges Amherst College students to think of themselves as writers.

Preference given to first-year students. Limited to 15 students per section. Spring semester. Professors Brooks and Christoff.

111. Having Arguments. Using a variety of texts—novels, essays, short stories—this course will work to develop the reading and writing of difficult prose, paying particular attention to the kinds of evidence and authority, logic and structure that produce strong arguments. The authors we study may include Peter Singer, Aravind Adiga, Willa Cather, Toni Morrison, George Orwell, Charles Johnson, James Baldwin, Alice Munro, William Carlos Williams. This is an intensive writing course. Frequent short papers will be assigned.

Preference given to first-year students. Each section limited to 12 students. Fall semester: Professor Barale and Senior Lecturer Lieber. Spring semester: Senior Lecturer Lieber.

112. Realism. (Offered as ENGL 112 and SWAG 106.) This course will examine the phenomenon of “realism” in a variety of artistic media. We will study realism in the visual arts, film, television, and literature with a view towards determining the nature of our interest in the representation of “real life” and the ways in which works of art are or are not an accurate reflection of that life. Among the works we may consider are classic English novels (Defoe, Austen, Dickens), European and North and South American short fiction (Gogol, Zola, Chekhov, Henry James, Kafka, Borges, Alice Munro), essays and memoirs (Orwell, Frederick Exley, Mary Karr) and films, both documentary and fiction (Double Indemnity, The Battle of Algiers, Saving Private Ryan). Two themes will attract special attention: the representation of women’s lives and the representation of war. We will address such questions as the following: Is a photograph always more realistic than a painting? In what way can a story about a man who turns into a bug be considered realistic? How real is virtual reality? The course will conclude with an examination of the phenomenon of reality television.

This is an intensive writing course. Frequent short papers will be assigned. Each section limited to 12 students. Preference given to first-year students and to students who have taken a previous intensive writing course and who wish to continue to work to improve their analytic writing. Fall semester: Senior Lecturer Lieber. Spring semester: Professor Barale and Senior Lecturer Lieber.

115. Novels, Plays, Poems. A first course in reading fictional, dramatic, and lyric texts: stories, a major novel, one or more plays by Shakespeare, poems by Donne, Dickinson, Frost, and others.

Why does any writer—an Amherst College student, Philip Roth, Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare—say what he or she says one way rather than another? And what in the expression itself makes a story, a play, a poem effective, something a reader might care about, be moved or delighted by? We will try to answer these questions by reading primary examples of each genre, including much recent work, with close and sustained attention to details of expressive language. There will be frequent writing exercises.

Each section limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Professor Berek, and Professors Bosman, Christoff, and Cobham-Sander, and Grobe.

117. Arthurian Literature. (Offered as ENGL 117 and EUST 117.) [before 1800] Knights, monsters, quests, and true love: these are the things we associate with King Arthur and tales of his court. Why has Arthurian literature proved so enchanting to centuries of poets, novelists, and recently, filmmakers? In this introductory English course, we will read and watch Arthurian legends from Chaucer to Monty Python, examining the ways in which they have been represented in different eras. Beginning with the historical foundations of the King Arthur legend, we will examine how it blossomed and took form in later eras. Our focus will be on close literary and visual analysis of British, American, and French (in translation) versions of these legends. We will also discuss what cultural forces lie behind the popularity of Arthurian legend in certain eras: later medieval England and France; the Victorian era; and twentieth-century England and America. There will be frequent writing assignments and presentations, as well as a final creative project.

Open to first-year students and sophomores. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Nelson.

119. Modernism 101 or, The Shock of the New. In 1852, Karl Marx observed that “The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living.” Modernism—the aesthetic response to the experience of modernity—can be understood as a way to cast off that nightmare through the revolutionary force of the new. In this course, arranged around thematic clusters such as The City, Alienation, Primitivism, The New Woman, War, Speed, and Consciousness, we will range widely through European and Anglo-American writers, painters, musicians, and filmmakers from the late nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries as we look at the explosion of styles and approaches that characterize modernism in all its dazzling vivacity and disruption.

Preference given to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Visiting Professor Pritchett.

120. Reading, Writing, and Teaching. Students, as part of the work of the course, each week will tutor or lead discussions among a small group of students at Holyoke High School. The readings for the course will be essays, poems, autobiographies, and stories in which education and teaching figure centrally. Among these will be materials that focus directly on Holyoke and on one or another of the ethnic groups which have shaped its history. Students will write weekly and variously: critical essays, journal entries, ethnographies, etc. Readings for the course will include works by Sylvia Ashton-Warner, James Baldwin, Judith Ortiz Cofer, John Dewey, Jonathan Kozol, Herbert Kohl, Sarah Lightfoot, John Stuart Mill, Abraham Rodriguez, Esmeralda Santiago, and Patricia Williams. Two class meetings per week plus an additional workshop hour and a weekly morning teaching assistantship to be scheduled in Holyoke.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester: Professor Cobham-Sander. Spring semester: Visiting Lecturer Carrere.

125. Representing Illness. With a focus on the skills of close reading and analytical writing, we will look at the ways in which writers imagine illness, how they try to make meaning out of illness, and how they use illness to explore other aspects of experience. This is not a course on the history of illness or the social construction of disease. We will discuss not only what writers say about illness but also how they say it: with what language and in what form they speak the experience of bodily and mental suffering. Readings may include drama by Sophocles, Molière and Margaret Edson; poetry by Donne and Mark Doty; fiction by José Saramago and Mark Haddon; and essays by Susan Sontag, Raphael Campo and Temple Grandin.

Preference given to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Bosman.

152. Writers in Conversation. This course offers students an opportunity to explore the relationships of literary works to one another, their readers, and the field of literary studies. We will read a series of works written by American authors between 1880 and 1930, putting canonical and lesser-known writers into conversation with one another. The conversation theme will inform not only the works we read but also shape how we read, write, and “converse” in class and through assignments. For each set of readings, we will consider multiple conversations: the processes by which readers respond to texts, thereby participating in a dialogue with writers; the “cultural debates” to which the authors, their texts, and readers contribute; and the role of critics and literary criticism in shaping and sustaining discussions about writers and their works.

Preference given to first-year and sophomore students. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Lecturer Bergoffen.

153. New Women in America. (Offered as ENGL 153 and SWAG 112.) This course will examine the emergence of the “New Woman” as a category of social theory, political action, and literary representation at the turning of the twentieth century. Early readings will trace the origins of the New Woman as a response to nineteenth-century notions of “True Womanhood.” Discussions will situate literary representations of women in larger cultural events taking place during the Progressive Era—debates over suffrage as well as their relationship to issues of citizenship, immigration, Jim Crow segregation, urbanization, and nativism. The course will focus on texts written by a diverse group of women that present multiple and, at times, conflicting images of the New Woman. Close attention will be paid to the manner in which these women writers constructed their fictions, particularly to issues of language, style, and form. Readings will include texts by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, Pauline Hopkins, Anzia Yezierska, and Sui Sin Far.

Preference given to first-year students and sophomores. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Visiting Lecturer Bergoffen.

159. Reading Regions, Reading the South. In the United States, as in many countries, we divide ourselves into regions. Differences in language and/or dialect, in history, in customs and politics, are often seen as legitimating regional divisions. The South has always held an especially powerful place in the American imagination, even before the Civil War. Through close encounters with texts and music, we will explore the differences within the South, the ways in which particular literary texts have come to be seen not just as representing the South but, in part, constituting its difference, and the complex roles played by race, ethnicity, and class. Among the writers and musicians we will study: Louis Armstrong, Ernest Gaines, Eudora Welty, Flannery O’Connor, Breece D.J. Pancake, William Faulkner, Hank Williams, and the Carter Family.

Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Emeritus O’Connell.

161. Crossings in Multiethnic American Literature. This course will use crossings as a framework for considering how ethnic and racial identities have been understood, represented, and theorized in America. One of our goals will be to use this conceptual lens to examine works of multiethnic literature, works that address the experiences of immigration, adaptation, ethnic multiplicity, passing, and ethnic tension. What does it mean to identify as ethnic in American culture? What are the challenges in self-defining identity in a culture that categorizes people and groups? Another goal will be to examine how these texts engage with others regarding multiethnic experience. Close attention will be paid to issues of language, style, and form. Readings will include texts by Abraham Cahan, Pauline Hopkins, Richard Rodriguez, Sui Sin Far, Nella Larsen, Philip Roth, and Anna Deveare Smith.

Preference to first-year students and sophomores. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Lecturer Bergoffen.

180. Film and Writing. (Offered as ENGL 180 and FAMS 110.) A first course in reading films and writing about them. A varied selection of films for study and criticism, partly to illustrate the main elements of film language and partly to pose challenging texts for reading and writing. Frequent short papers. Two 80-minute class meetings and two screenings per week.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester: Dean’s Faculty Fellow Cornett. Spring semester: Visiting Professor Pritchett.

213. The Age of Emerson and of Struggle. In the years 1830 to 1860 Emerson dominates. He is known throughout the entire United States, widely read, yet more widely heard, an inspiration to many writers, a curse to a few. Melville and Thoreau are little known for the most part. Until Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, none of the many women writers achieved comparable stature, though many were popular.

Political and social struggle marked these times: Indian Rights, abolitionism, women’s rights, utopian communities, the continuing efforts of black people to become free in the North as well as in the South, and the sectional antagonisms that led to the Civil War. These pervade every form of literature and support the emergence of Indian writers, a substantial number of black writers (most notably Frederick Douglass) and slave narratives, a whole new genre, and more writing by women. For the first time in American history something like the full range of voices in the society could be heard and read.

The readings in the course focus on Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, Douglass, Apess, and Stowe.

Limited to 40 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Emeritus O’Connell.

217. Making Literary Histories. [before 1800] What is “English Literature,” and how does one construct its history? What counts as “England” (especially in relation to Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, and to ancient Greece and Rome)? What is the relationship between histories of literature and political, social, religious and intellectual histories? What is the role of gender in the making of literature, and the making of its histories? These are the kinds of questions we will ask as we read texts from the seventh through the seventeenth centuries, including works such as Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (in translation) and writers such as Chaucer, Margery Kempe, Sir Philip Sidney, Spenser, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Donne, Jonson, Aemilia Lanyer, Mary Wroth, George Herbert, Marvell, and Milton.

Fall semester. Visiting Professor Berek.

221. Writing Poetry I. A first workshop in the writing of poetry. Class members will read and discuss each others’ work and will study the elements of prosody: the line, stanza forms, meter, free verse, and more. Open to anyone interested in writing poetry and learning about the rudiments of craft. Writing exercises weekly.

Limited enrollment. Preregistration is not allowed. Please consult the Creative Writing Center website for information on admission to this course.

Fall semester. Writer-in-Residence Hall.

225. Non-Fiction Writing. We will study writers’ renderings of their own experiences (memoirs) and their analyses of society and its institutions (cultural criticism). Workshop format, with discussion of texts and of students’ experiments in the genre. Students must submit examples of their writing to the English office. Three class hours per week.

Limited to 12 students. Preregistration is not allowed. Please consult the Creative Writing Center website for information on admission to this course. Spring semester. Professor Emeritus Townsend.

226. Fiction Writing I. A first course in writing fiction. Emphasis will be on experimentation as well as on developing skill and craft. Workshop (discussion) format.

Limited enrollment. Preregistration is not allowed. Please consult the Creative Writing Center website for information on admission to this course. Fall semester: Visiting Writer Gaige. Spring semester: Professor Frank.

231. Three, Two, One: Reading Small Drama. How small can drama get while remaining “dramatic”? During the first half of the twentieth century, it was not unusual for a stage in America (or anywhere in the English-speaking world) to be filled with dozens of actors. Over the last sixty years, though, the crowds onstage have thinned. Today, three-, two-, and even one-person plays are as common as twenty-person plays once were.

In this course, we will study plays by American, British, Irish, and South African writers—from Eugene O’Neill and Samuel Beckett to Athol Fugard and Sarah Kane—who have found new inspiration within these tight constraints. We will practice a kind of “middle-distance reading.” That is, in addition to paying close attention to the local detail of a play, we will also stand further away from it in order inquire into its broader structure and premises. How does this stage-world work? What are its rules, its tendencies, its textures? Most importantly, since this is a course on small-casted plays, how are characters created, tested, and distributed within the play? How might theatrical character differ from novelistic character or poetic voice?

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Grobe.

232. Reading Drama. This course explores the unique challenges of experiencing performance through the page. While this course is not intended as a survey of dramatic literature or theater history, students will be introduced to a variety of drama from across the English-language tradition. The organizing theme of the course may change slightly from year to year, but the goal will always be to explore a wide array of theoretical and methodological approaches to drama. Of particular interest will be the relationship of play-reading to other reading practices. What does a play demand of the reader that a novel, a poem, or an essay does not? How must the central elements of storytelling or world-making (character, plot, setting, dialogue, point of view, etc.) change when they are required to appear onstage?

Limited to 30 students. Fall semester. Professor Bosman.

240. Reading Poetry. A first course in the critical reading of selected English-language poets, which gives students exposure to significant poets, poetic styles, and literary and cultural contexts for poetry from across the tradition. Attention will be given to prosody and poetic forms, and to different ways of reading poems.

Limited to 35 students. Fall semester: Professor Sofield. Spring semester: Professors Nelson and Worsley.

250. Reading the Novel. An introduction to the study of the novel, through the exploration of a variety of critical terms (plot, character, point of view, tone, realism, identification, genre fiction, the book) and methodologies (structuralist, Marxist, feminist, psychoanalytic). We will draw on a selection of novels in English to illustrate and complicate those terms; possible authors include Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Wilkie Collins, Henry James, Kazuo Ishiguro, Thomas Pynchon, Toni Morrison, John Edgar Wideman, Emma Donoghue, David Foster Wallace, Monique Truong, Jennifer Egan.

Preference given to sophomores. Limited to 35 students. Spring semester. Professor Sanborn.

255. Unreliabilities. This course is concerned with the problem of honesty in subjective expression. We will study both fictional and non-fictional first-person narratives. Some narrators deliberately deceive, and some deceive without intending to. How does an elusive understanding of the self make even an “honest” narrator’s project of telling harder, if not impossible? Readings will include works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Vladimir Nabokov, Joseph Mitchell, Janet Malcolm, Lauren Slater, and Geoff Dyer. Students will be required to produce both critical and creative writing. Creative writing experience preferred. Writing attentive.

Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Visiting Writer Gaige.

271. Reading Popular Culture: Girl Power. (Offered as ENGL 271, BLST 332 [US], FAMS 374, and SWAG 271.) Girl Power is the pop-culture term for what some commentators have also dubbed “postfeminism.” The 1990s saw a dramatic transformation in cultural representations of women’s relationships to their own sense of power. But did this still rising phenomenon of “women who kick ass” come at a cost? Might such representations signify genuine reassessments of some of the intersections between gender, power, and the individual? Or are they, at best, superficial appropriations of what had otherwise been historically construed as male power? With such questions in mind, this class will teach students to use theoretical and primary texts to research, assess, and critique contemporary popular culture. Each student will also be trained to produce a critical multimedia project. One class meeting per week, which includes a 135-minute seminar and a 60-minute workshop and lab.

Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Parham.

272. A Primer to Children’s Literature. Children’s books are a site of first encounter, a doorway to literacy and literature. This course will offer both a history of book production for child readers in England and the United States and an exploration of what these first books can teach us about the attractions, expectations, and responsibilities of reading.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor K. Sánchez-Eppler.

273. When Corn Mother Meets King Corn: Cultural Studies of the Americas. (Offered as AMST 280 and ENGL 273.) In Penobscot author Joseph Nicolar’s 1893 narrative, the Corn Mother proclaims, “I am young in age and I am tender, yet my strength is great and I shall be felt all over the world, because I owe my existence to the beautiful plant of the earth.” In contrast, according to one Iowa farmer, from the 2007 documentary “King Corn,” “We aren’t growing quality. We’re growing crap.” This course aims to unpack depictions like these in order to probe the ways that corn has changed in its significance within the Americas. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, students will be introduced to critical theories and methodologies from American Studies as they study corn’s shifting role, across distinct times and places, as a nourishing provider, cultural transformer, commodity, icon, and symbol.

Beginning with the earliest travels of corn and her stories in the Americas, students will learn about the rich histories, traditions, narratives, and uses of “maize” from indigenous communities and nations, as well as its subsequent proliferation and adaptation throughout the world. In addition to literary and historical sources students will engage with a wide variety of texts (from material culture to popular entertainment, public policy and genetics) in order to deepen their understanding of cultural, political, environmental, and economic changes that have characterized life in the Americas.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professors Brooks and Vigil.

274. Native American Literature: Decolonizing Intellectual Traditions. (Offered as ENGL 274 and AMST 274.) In 2013, Amherst College acquired one of the most comprehensive collections of Native American writing in the world—nearly 1,500 books ranging from contemporary fiction and poetry to sermons, political tracts, and tribal histories from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Through this course, we will actively engage the literature of this collection, researching Native American intellectual traditions, regional contexts, political debates, creative adaptation, and movements toward decolonization. Students will have the opportunity to make an original contribution to a digital archive and interact with visiting authors. We will begin with oral traditions and the 1772 sermon published by Mohegan author Samson Occom and end with a novel published in 2014.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Brooks.

275. Foundations of African American Literature. (Offered as ENGL 275 and BLST 232 [US].) The focus of this introduction to the study of African American literature and culture will be the complex intertextuality at the heart of the African American expressive tradition. Tracing some of the tradition’s major formal and thematic concerns means looking for the rhythms and riffs that link different kinds of texts: literature, film, music, and the spoken word. While engaging a range of textual experiences, from learning to read silences in narratives of American slavery through coming to understand Afrofuturism and other developments in black speculative fiction, this course will also expose students to a range of analytic and critical production modes that are important to literary and cultural study in general.

Fall semester. Professor Parham.

276. Black Feminist Literary Traditions. (Offered as SWAG 208, BLST 345 [US], and ENGL 276.) Reading the work of black feminist literary theorists and black women writers, we will examine the construction of black female identity in American literature, with a specific focus on how black women writers negotiate race, gender, sexuality, and class in their work. In addition to reading novels, literary criticism, book reviews, and watching documentaries, we will examine the stakes of adaptation and mediation for black female-authored texts. Students will watch and analyze the film and television adaptations of The Color Purple (1985), The Women of Brewster Place (1989), and Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005) as well as examine how Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye (1970) was mediated and interpreted by Oprah Winfrey’s book club and daytime talk show. Authors will include Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Gloria Naylor. Writing Attentive. Expectations include diligent reading, active participation, two writing projects, weekly response papers, a group presentation, and various in-class assignments.

Limited to 20 students. Priority given to those students who attend the first day of the class. Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Henderson.

280. Coming to Terms: Cinema. (Offered as ENGL 280 and FAMS 210.) An introduction to cinema studies through consideration of a few critical and descriptive terms, together with a selection of various films (classic and contemporary, foreign and American) for illustration and discussion. The terms for discussion will include, among others: the cinematic image, mise en scène, montage and editing, narration in cinema, genre, authorship. Frequent critical writing required.

Limited to 35 students. Omitted 2014-15.

281. Foundations and Integrations: Film and Media Studies. (Offered as ENGL 281, FAMS 220, and ARHA 272.) “Foundations and Integrations” will be an annual team-taught course between a Critical Studies scholar and moving-image artist. A requirement of the Film and Media Studies major, it will build on critical analysis of moving images and introductory production work to develop an integrated critical and creative practice. Focused in particular around themes and concepts, students will develop ideas in both written and visual form. The theme for spring 2013 will be “Film and Inner Life.”

Requisites: A foundations course in Critical Studies of Film and Media (such as “Coming to Terms: Cinema”) and an introductory film/video production workshop. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hastie.

282. Knowing Television. (Offered as ENGL 282 and FAMS 215.) For better or worse, U.S. broadcast television is a cultural form that is not commonly associated with knowledge. This course will take what might seem a radical counter-position to such assumptions—looking at the ways television teaches us what it is and even trains us in potential critical practices for investigating it. By considering its formal structure, its textual definitions, and the means through which we see it, we will map out how it is that we come to know television.

Prior coursework in Film and Media Studies is recommended, but not required. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hastie.

287. Introduction to Super 8 Film and Digital Video. (Offered as ENGL 287 and FAMS 228.) This course will introduce students to basic Super 8 film and digital video techniques. The course will include workshops in shooting for film and video, Super 8 film editing, Final Cut Pro video editing, lighting, stop motion animation, sound recording and mixing. Students will learn to think about and look critically at the moving and still image. Students will complete three moving image projects, including one Super 8 film, one video project, and one mixed media project. Weekly screenings will introduce students to a wide range of approaches to editing, writing, and directing in experimental, documentary, narrative, and hybrid cinematic forms. Screenings include works by Martha Rosler, Bill Viola, the Yes Men, Jennifer Reeves, Mona Hatoum, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Dziga Vertov, D.A. Pennebaker, Jean-Pierre Gorin, Cécile Fontaine, and Johanna Vaude.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Please complete the questionnaire at https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/film/forms_question. Limited to 13 students. Spring semester. Five College Professor Hillman.

289. Production Workshop in the Moving Image. (Offered as ENGL 289 and FAMS 222.) The topic changes each time the course is taught. In spring 2013 the topic was “Production Foundations: Image and Sound.” What is the relationship between image and sound in video? How does listening affect what we see and imagine? This class will cover the technical and aesthetic fundamentals of video production including composition, framing, camera movement, lighting, audio recording, and digital editing using Final Cut Pro. Sonic expression will play a leading role in our exploration of video production and interpretation. The art of audio and the function of sound for the screen will be considered through hands-on exercises, screenings, readings, and discussion. Students will create non-fiction and narrative videos with dynamic employments of sound as we develop a critical vocabulary of the audiovisual medium. One three-hour class meeting and one film screening per week.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Please complete the questionnaire at https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments
/english/major/course_applications. Omitted 2014-15.

292. Reading and Experience. By working through a combination of creative non-fiction, film, and prose texts, this course in literary theory and textual analysis explores some of the assumed tensions between experiences generally described as real and those described as imaginary. Over the course of the semester we will consider how literature enlarges personal experience, even as we also attend to what happens when art approaches the limits of representation. Some of our particular concerns will include: learning how to draw relationships between texts and their social and historical moments; how to question our own acts of learning about others through our consumption of culture; and examining how personal identity itself might also be understood as a question of narrative. This semester will likely include texts by Kazuo Ishiguro, Daniel Defoe, J.M. Coetzee, Marlene Nourbese Philip, Stephen King, Herman Melville, and the Wachowskis.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Parham.

295. Literature and Psychoanalysis. Why does it seem natural to read ourselves and other people in the same way that we read books? This course will introduce students to both psychoanalytic theory and literary interpretation, asking about their similarities as well as their dissonance. Why do novels of development and case-studies resemble one another? What can the Freudian understanding of the structure of the psyche teach us about the structure of narrative? And what do “illnesses” like hysteria and paranoia have in common with everyday acts of meaning-making and with the way we read literature? Each week pairing a psychoanalytic paper with a short story or novel, we will ask how psychoanalysis alters not only what we see in literary works, but also the way we understand our own acts of interpretation. Topics include the unconscious, dreams, childhood, the uncanny, desire, subjects and objects, and mourning.

Reading will include essays by Freud, Lacan, Winnicott, Melanie Klein, and others; and fiction by Jensen, Melville, Poe, Brontë, James, Flaubert, and Ishiguro.

Preference given to sophomores considering an English major. Limited to 35 students. Spring semester. Professor Christoff.

303. The Literature of Repression and of Resistance. Much of the course focuses on writings by and about those who have resisted some of the many forms of repression. Among them will be American slave narratives, memoirs of the Civil Rights movement, accounts by those imprisoned, and stories of working peoples’ struggles to limit their exploitation. There will be weekly writing.

This is an INSIDE/OUT course. There will be 15 Amherst and Five College students and 15 inside students from the Hampshire County Jail. The course meets at the Jail. To be admitted, outside students must be interviewed the week before fall preregistration (contact boconnell@amherst.edu to schedule).

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Emeritus O’Connell.

304. Narratives of Suffering. “The word ‘suffer,’ ” Nietzsche writes, is something that we “set up . . . at the point at which our ignorance begins, at which we can see no further.” What makes suffering especially mysterious—and especially attractive as an element of story-telling—is that it both escapes secure designation and refuses to be ineffable; it is a Thing, neither fully beyond nor fully within our ken. It provokes a desire to give it shape and a desire to do no more than approach its shapelessness; it occasions humanitarian crises and stands beyond them as an unbudgeable element of existence; it rings like a pure gold coin and like an alarm bell that cannot be shut off. In this course, we will be studying a series of thematically connected but wildly different works that model especially suggestive ways of approaching this phenomenon. Readings will include the Book of Job, King Lear, Emily Dickinson’s poetry, Owen Chase’s shipwreck narrative, John Hersey’s Hiroshima, Samuel Beckett’s Endgame, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Art Spiegelman’s Maus, and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.

Fall semester. Professor Sanborn.

306. Modern British and American Poetry, 1900-1950. Readings and discussions centering on the work of Thomas Hardy, W.B. Yeats, T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, and Wallace Stevens. Some attention also to A.E. Housman, Edward Thomas, Ezra Pound, and William Carlos Williams.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Emeritus Pritchard.

308. Expatriate Poets. Readings of poets who have chosen to live in a culture other than their own, with an emphasis on T.S. Eliot in London, Elizabeth Bishop in Brazil, Thom Gunn in California, and Agha Shahid Ali in New England. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Writer-in-Residence Hall.

314. Sexuality and History in the Contemporary Novel. A study of American and British gay and lesbian novelists, from 1990 to the present, who have written historical novels. We will examine such topics as the kinds of expressive and ideological possibilities the historical novel offers gay and lesbian novelists, the representation of sexuality in narratives that take place before Stonewall, and the way these authors position queer lives in history. Novelists include Sarah Waters, Emma Donoghue, Jeanette Winterson, Leslie Feinberg, Alan Hollinghurst, Colm Tóibín, and Michael Cunningham.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Frank.

317. Caribbean Poetry: The Anglophone Tradition. (Offered as ENGL 317 and BLST 252 [CLA].) A survey of the work of Anglophone Caribbean poets, alongside readings about the political, cultural and aesthetic traditions that have influenced their work. Readings will include longer cycles of poems by Derek Walcott and Edward Kamau Brathwaite; dialect and neoclassical poetry from the colonial period, as well as more recent poetry by women writers and performance (“dub”) poets.

Spring semester. Professor Cobham-Sander.

318. Childhood in African and Caribbean Literature. (Offered as ENGL 318 and BLST 362 [A/CLA].) The course will concentrate on Caribbean authors. It explores the process of self-definition in literary works from Africa and the Caribbean that are built around child protagonists. We will examine the authors’ various methods of ordering experience through the choice of literary form and narrative technique, as well as the child/author’s perception of his or her society. French texts will be read in translation.

Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Cobham-Sander.

324. Writing Poetry II. A second, advanced workshop for practicing poets. Students will undertake a longer project as well as doing exercises every week exploring technical problems.

Requisite: ENGL 221 or the equivalent. Limited enrollment. Preregistration is not allowed. Please consult the Creative Writing Center website for information on admission to this course. Fall semester. Writer-in-Residence Hall.

325. Imitations. A poetry writing course, but with a strong emphasis on reading. Students will closely examine the work of various poets and periods, then attempt to write plausible imitations of their own, all by way of learning about poetry from the inside, as it were.

Limited to 15 students. Preregistration is not allowed. Please consult the Creative Writing Center website for information on admission to this course. Spring semester. Writer-in-Residence Hall.

326. Fiction Writing II. An advanced level fiction class. Students will undertake a longer project as well as doing exercises every week exploring technical problems.

Requisite: Completion of a previous course in creative writing. Limited enrollment. Preregistration is not allowed. Please consult the Creative Writing Center website for information on admission to this course. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Writer Gaige.

329. The Poetics of Performance. Poetry is not merely a written form; it is an oral art and a prompt to performance. Students in this course will learn to use “close listening,” as well as the embodied experience of performing poetry themselves, in order to access poetic meanings that are unavailable through silent reading alone. This course will require both written analyses and performed repertoires of poetry. No prior performance experience is required.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Grobe.

332. Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales. [before 1800] The course aims to give the student rapid mastery of Chaucer’s English and an active appreciation of his poetry. No prior knowledge of Middle English is expected. A knowledge of Modern English grammar and its nomenclature, or a similar knowledge of another language, will be helpful. Short critical papers and frequent declamation in class. The emphasis will be on Chaucer’s humor, irony, and his narrative and dramatic gifts. We will read most of the poetic Tales and excerpts from the two prose Tales. Three class hours per week.

Spring semester. Professor Nelson.

336. Renaissance Drama: The Places of Performance. [before 1800] The course surveys multiple forms of drama and spectacle in Renaissance England with special attention to the cultural articulation of space. We will consider the relation of a range of texts to their real and imagined performance sites-public theatres like the Globe as well as private playhouses, castles, fairgrounds, taverns, and the streets of London-asking what impact these places had on the dramas themselves, on their representation of public and private worlds, and on the social and political role of theatre in society at large. Reading will include works by Marlowe, Shakespeare, Jonson, Heywood, Middleton and Rowley, and Milton.

Recommended requisite: A previous course in Shakespeare or Renaissance literature. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Bosman.

338. Shakespeare. [before 1800] Readings in the comedies, histories, and tragedies, with attention to their poetic language, dramatic structure, and power in performance. Texts and topics will vary by instructor.

Limited to 50 students. Fall semester: Professor Emeritus Pritchard. Spring semester: Professor Bosman.

340. Major English Writers I. [Before 1800] Readings in the literature of the British Isles from the medieval and early modern periods. We will read masterpieces of English literature by Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton alongside lesser-known works by anonymous authors, chroniclers, and women. Our focus will be on the emergence of a distinctly “English” literature, defined by shifting ideas of language, nation, and world from the seventh through seventeenth centuries.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Nelson.

341. Great English Writers. A study of six classic writers from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: Ben Jonson, Milton, Dryden, Pope, Swift, and Samuel Johnson. Among the readings are: Jonson, poems and Volpone; Milton, Comus, “Lycidas” and Paradise Lost; Dryden, poems and critical prose; Pope, “The Rape of the Lock,” Essay on Man, The Dunciad; Swift, Tale of a Tub, Gulliver’s Travels, poems; Johnson, poems, Rasselas, Prefaces to Shakespeare and to the Dictionary, passages from Boswell’s Life of Johnson.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Emeritus Pritchard.

342. The Rise of the English Novel. [before 1800] Exploring the relations between literary form and socioeconomic change, this course examines the rise of the novel in England in the context of the rise of capitalism. Topics of discussion will include the novels’ portrayals of subjectivity, the representation of female experience, the role of servants in the imaginary worlds of novels by ruling-class authors, and the early novel’s affinity for and relation to criminality. Novels by Defoe, Richardson, Fielding, Sterne, Burney and Edgeworth.

Fall semester. Professor Frank.

343. Nature and the Imagination in the Romantic Age. Can reading poetry change our understanding of our environment? How might the way we perceive nature be conditioned by the ways in which writers have imagined it? In turn, how might the way we perceive our own imaginations be conditioned by ideas about the natural world?

This course questions how literature, especially the poetry of early nineteenth-century Britain, understands the relationship between nature, culture and the imagination. We will read the writings of William Blake, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Charlotte Smith, Dorothy Wordsworth, William Wordsworth, John Keats, and Percy Bysshe Shelley, alongside seventeenth- and eighteenth-century writings about nature and Enlightenment theories of the imagination by Edmund Burke and Immanuel Kant. Finally, we will consider what impact these different ideas have had on contemporary environmental discourse and debate some recent ecocritical theories. Would it be more environmentally responsible, for instance, to get rid of the Romantic concept of “nature” altogether, and use a term like ecology instead? Is the Romantics’ reverence for nature more destructive than it might at first seem?

Fall semester. Professor Worsley.

348. Modern British Literature, 1900-1950. Readings in twentieth-century writers such as Henry James, Bernard Shaw, Joseph Conrad, D.H. Lawrence, Wyndham Lewis, Ford Madox Ford, Virginia Woolf, Evelyn Waugh, W.H. Auden, Robert Graves, George Orwell, Ivy Compton-Burnett.

Not open to first-year students. Spring semester. Professor Emeritus Pritchard.

352. Following Faulkner: Nathanael West, Flannery O’Connor, Joyce Carol Oates, and Toni Morrison. Studying selected works of five major twentieth-century fiction writers, this course looks at American themes and modernist techniques that infuse the work of William Faulkner and those who came after him. Black humor, grotesqueries, religious symbolism, apocalyptic transformations, shifting points of view, unreliable narration, and other distinctive elements complicate and enrich our reading of these texts. We will puzzle through them together in a course that is primarily discussion and which includes two short papers, a midterm, and a final exam.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Five College Professor Creighton.

353. Readings in English and American Fiction, 1900-1950. Some classic novels from the first half of the twentieth century will be considered with an eye to juxtaposing English and American writers. Henry James, Joseph Conrad, Theodore Dreiser, D.H. Lawrence, Edith Wharton, Ernest Hemingway, Willa Cather, Evelyn Waugh.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Emeritus Pritchard.

354. Poe, Faulkner, and the Gothic. In this course, we will be reading the works of two American writers who are associated not only with the South, but with haunted fictional worlds, worlds whose tense inwardness is uncannily bound to historical traumas. The aim of the course is to become more sensitive to the implications of each of these writers’ works, more broadly conversant with the history of the South and of the nation more generally, and more aware of how questions about form and style can help us formulate more sharply focused questions about culture and subjectivity. Readings will include Poe’s only book-length fiction, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym; a healthy (or unhealthy) sampling of his tales and poems; three Faulkner novels—Sanctuary, Light in August, and Absalom, Absalom!—and several of his stories.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sanborn.

355. Studies in Nineteenth-Century American Literature. This course will regularly examine, from different historical and theoretical stances, the literary and cultural scene in nineteenth-century America. The goal of the course is to formulate new questions and possibilities for investigating the history and literature of the United States. The topic changes each time the course is taught.

The topic for fall 2012 was EMILY DICKINSON. “Experience is the Angled Road / Preferred against the Mind / By—Paradox—the Mind itself—” she explained in one poem and in this course we will make use of the resources of the town of Amherst to play experience and mind off each other in our efforts to come to terms with her elusive poetry. The course will meet in the Dickinson Homestead, visit the Evergreens (her brother Austen’s house, and a veritable time capsule), make use of Dickinson manuscripts in the College archives, and set her work in the context of other nineteenth-century writers including Helen Hunt Jackson, Walt Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe, and Harriet Jacobs. But as we explore how Dickinson’s poetry responds to her world we will also ask how it can speak to our present. One major project of the course will be to develop exhibits and activities for the Homestead that will help visitors engage with her poems. One class meeting per week.

Recommended requisite: ENGL 265. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor K. Sánchez-Eppler.

356. Democracy and Education. The focus of the course will be on education within the United States. Many Americans believe that a free public educational system is crucial in a democratic society. What concretely does this mean? The question has shaped a persistent and unresolved debate throughout American history to the present, as it will our work together. Two fundamental and contradictory questions have centered nearly every controversy: 1. Should education be a competitive system to establish and legitimate a hierarchy of merit? 2. Should schools focus on the fullest development of each student so as to enable her or him to participate equally in a democratic society by contributing from her or his individual gifts and differences? Another assumption also moves through these debates: that schools are the primary generators of equality or inequality.

The course will not seek to resolve these questions and issues, but to explore how the different assumptions structure what can be taught and learned and by whom. The texts for the course will range across a number of disciplines: philosophy, cognitive psychology, literature, sociology, and political science and theory. John Dewey’s Democracy and Education will be the framing text. Considerable attention will go to the educational reforms of the last thirty years including the role of institutions such as Teach for America.

Requisite: ENGL 120 or an equivalent course or experience in public education. Limited to 35 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor O’Connell.

358. Readings in English and American Fiction, 1950-2010. Novels and short fiction, mainly comic, by such writers as Evelyn Waugh, Saul Bellow, Flannery O’Connor, Elizabeth Taylor, Kingsley Amis, John Updike, Philip Roth, Nicholson Baker, Ian McEwan, Jonathan Franzen, Barbara Pym. The effort will be to refine and complicate one’s performance as a critic of these writers and their books.

Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Pritchard.

363. The Postwar African American Novel. (Offered as ENGL 363 and BLST 334 [US].) In this course, we will trace the history of the African American novel from 1945 to the present. After a brief introduction to the slave narrative, “uplift” fiction, and the literature of the Harlem Renaissance, we will settle into an immersive experience of eight major works: Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, Gwendolyn Brooks’s Maud Martha, James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, Toni Morrison’s Sula, Octavia Butler’s Kindred, Toni Cade Bambara’s The Salt Eaters, Colson Whitehead’s The Intuitionist, and Edward P. Jones’s The Known World. Our highly particularized responses to these works will extend, via discussions, supplementary readings, and written assignments, into explorations of the pasts from which they emerge and the futures toward which they point.

Limited to 35 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sanborn.

369. American Extravaganzas. “I fear chiefly lest my expression may not be extra-vagant enough, may not wander far enough beyond the narrow limit of my daily experience, so as to be adequate to the truth of which I have been convinced,” Thoreau writes in Walden. “Extra vagance! it depends on how you are yarded.” The aim of this course is to seek in a series of fictional extravaganzas by American authors a better understanding of how we are generally yarded, as readers of stories and novels, and what opens up for us when that yard expands. What does a wildness of invention, an insistent pressure on the confines of literary forms, make it possible for us to feel and know? What aspects of American cultural history are exposed to our view when writers freewheelingly generate, in Melville’s words, “more reality than real life itself can show”? Readings include Poe’s The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Nabokov’s Pale Fire, the stories of Donald Barthelme and Lydia Davis, Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping, David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest, Edward P. Jones’s The Known World, and Mat Johnson’s Pym.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sanborn.

370. Queer Geographies. (Offered as SWAG 312 and ENGL 370.) This course will critically examine multiple works by three writers: Sarah Orne Jewett, Willa Cather, and Carson McCullers. As American regional writers—Jewett, Maine; Cather, the West; McCullers, the South—all three concern themselves with insiders and outsiders, with foreigners, neighbors, strangers, and natives. When these deeply national, and often highly racial or ethnic, distinctions begin to also make sense as sexual and gender categories, the textual layering of the narratives becomes perplexing. This course will require three short papers and one lengthy one.

Requisite: One SWAG and/or English course. Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Barale.

373. A Decade Under the Influence: U.S. Film of the 1970s. (Offered as ENGL 373 and FAMS 353.) U.S. film in the 1970s was evident of tremendous aesthetic and economic innovation. Rife with but not limited to conspiracy, disaster, love and war, 1970s popular films range from the counter-cultural to the commercial, the independent to the industrial. Thus, while American cinema of the first half of the decade is known as the work of groundbreaking independent “auteurs,” the second half of the decade witnessed an industrial transformation through the emergence of the giant blockbuster hit. With a focus on cultural and historical factors shaping filmmaking and film-going practices and with close attention to film form, this course will explore thematic threads, directors, stars, and genres that emerged and developed during the decade. While the course will largely focus on mainstream film, we will set this work in some relation to other movements of the era: blaxploitation, comic parodies, documentary, and New American Cinema. Two class meetings and one screening per week.

Prior coursework in Film and Media Studies is recommended but not required. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hastie.

374. Spike Lee’s Joints. (Offered as ENGL 374, BLST 330 [US], and FAMS 358.) In offering extended formal considerations of Spike Lee’s cinematic oeuvre—in particular his uses of light, sound, and color—this course is interested in how shifting through various modes of critical inquiry can enable or broaden different kinds of cultural, political, or historical engagement with a film. This semester we will also pay special attention to the question of what it means to encapsulate a particular cultural moment, particularly vis-à-vis the often differing demands of fictional and non-fictional representation.

Omitted 2014-15. Professors Parham and Drabinski.

381. Cinema and Everyday Life. (Offered as ENGL 381 and FAMS 351.) Film theorist Siegfried Kracauer declared that some of the first films showed “life at its least controllable and most unconscious moments, a jumble of transient, forever dissolving patterns accessible only to the camera.” This course will explore the ways contemporary narrative films aesthetically represent everyday life—capturing both its transience and our everyday ruminations. We will further consider the ways we incorporate film into our everyday lives through various modes of viewings (the arthouse, the multiplex, the DVD, the mp3), our means of perception, and in the kinds of souvenirs we keep. We will look at films by Chantal Akerman, Robert Altman, Marleen Gorris, Hirokazu Koreeda, Marzieh Makhmalbaf, Terrence Malick, Lynne Ramsay, Tsai Ming-liang, Agnès Varda, Wong Kar-wai, and Andy Warhol. Readings will include work by Roland Barthes, Walter Benjamin, Marlene Dietrich, Sigmund Freud, and various works in film and media studies. Two class meetings and one screening per week.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hastie.

388. Screenwriting. (Offered as ENGL 388 and FAMS 240.) A first workshop in narrative screenwriting. Through frequent exercises, readings, and screenings we will explore the fundamentals of scene and story shape as they’re practiced in mainstream commercial filmmaking, while taking a broader look at what a screenplay might be outside of that world. In the process, we’ll juxtapose two modes of writing that are not mutually exclusive but are often at odds with each other, both historically (within the industry) and aesthetically: the well-established craft of three-act screenwriting, on the one hand, and the more elastic possibilities of the audio-visual medium as exemplified by the art film, on the other. One class meeting per week.

Requisites: Two classes from any of the following categories in any combination: critical studies of film and media; film/video production; creative writing workshops (fiction or non-fiction); playwriting; photography or drawing courses. Preference will be given to English, Film and Media Studies, and Art majors. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15.

395. Literature and the Nonhuman World. Like every other aspect of human culture, literature interacts with biology—with, in Elizabeth Grosz’s words, “a system of (physical, chemical, organic) differences that engenders historical, social, cultural, and sexual differences.” The aim of this course is to make that fact as intellectually fruitful as possible. What happens to our understanding of literature if we think of it as an expression of life? What happens, that is, if we think of literature as one of the countless things that emerges from a non-personal, non-teleological process of evolution? And what happens if we think of individual works of literature as potential ways of getting closer, conceptually and sensually, to life, to the difference-making process within which we all find ourselves? Critical readings will include selections from Grosz’s Becoming Undone and Timothy Morton’s The Ecological Thought; literary readings will include Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Thoreau’s Walden, James Welch’s Winter in the Blood, Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping, and Edward P. Jones’s The Known World. A background in the natural sciences is welcome but not necessary.

Spring semester. Professor Sanborn.

427. Crafting the Novel. This is an advanced writing course for students seeking to move their fiction writing into longer forms. Students will be expected to complete at least 60 pages of new writing, comprised of three different “approaches” to novel writing. Readings will be extensive, including published novels, the work of peers, and essays on theory and craft. One class meeting per week.

Requisite: ENGL 226. Recommended requisite: ENGL 326. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited enrollment. Preregistration is not allowed. Please consult the Creative Writing Center website for information on admission to this course. Spring semester. Visiting Writer Gaige.

431. Transnational Shakespeares. [before 1800] By studying selected Shakespeare plays and their afterlives in literature and performance, we will explore the fate of culture over centuries of global mobility. What qualities of Shakespeare’s works render them peculiarly adaptable to a world of intercultural conflict, borrowing and fusion? And what light does the translation and adaptation of Shakespeare shed on the dialectic of cultural persistence and change? Our examples may include European literature and theater; American silent film and musicals; post-colonial appropriations in India, Africa and Latin America; and versions in the drama, opera and cinema of China and Japan. The course includes an independent research project on a chosen case study.

Requisite: ENGL 338 (Shakespeare). Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Bosman.

435. The Play of Ideas. Plot is never the only motor driving drama forward, though it is the most conspicuous. This class focuses on a long tradition of playwrights using argument—instead of, or alongside plot—to structure their plays. Readings in drama (mainly from the eighteenth century to the present) will be supplemented by consideration of the “dramatic” traditions in philosophy and in philosophical poetry. We will also pay particular attention to those playwrights who have written simultaneously in dramatic and essayistic forms. Why (and when) is thought theatrical? Featured playwrights include Addison and Steele, Ibsen, Shaw, Brecht, Churchill, and Kushner.

Junior/Senior seminar. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Grobe.

438. Solitude and the Self in British Romanticism. Are we most ourselves when we are alone? Is creativity made more possible by solitude? Why do artists and writers tend to be seen as more solitary than other kinds of people?

In this course, we will study shifting ideas about the relationship between the self, solitude, and creativity in the works of William Wordsworth, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Charlotte Smith, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Felicia Hemans, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, and Mary Wollstonecraft. Our main focus will be on Romantic poetry, but we will also pay close attention to texts about solitude that the Romantics themselves read, such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet and The Tempest, Milton’s Paradise Lost, Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, and eighteenth-century “graveyard poetry,” in order to question more rigorously how ideas about solitude changed across time. How do factors such as gender, race, national origin, and class have a bearing upon the way that solitude is represented? The course includes an independent research project, in which students are asked to find a memoir, philosophical work, novel, periodical, or piece of travel writing from 1700-1830, in which solitude is a central concept, in order to ask how the development of different genres and modes of autobiographical writing affected ideas about solitude.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Worsley.

439. Poetry 1914-2014: The American Century. A seminar—intensive reading, in-class presentations, a long paper at the end—in which the work of six major poets will be studied: Robert Frost, Wallace Stevens, T.S. Eliot, Elizabeth Bishop, Richard Wilbur, and Anthony Hecht. Attention will be given to the poets’ own critical writing, in letters, interviews, reviews, and essays, as well as to the critical literature devoted to them.

Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors, with preference given to junior English majors who have not taken a 400-level English course. Although this is an English Department seminar, students not majoring in English will be welcomed. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Sofield and Simpson Lecturer Wilbur.

441. Medieval and Renaissance Lyric. (Offered as ENGL 441 and EUST 374.) [before 1800] In this course, we read a selection of English and other European lyrics (in translation) from the twelfth through the seventeenth centuries. An exciting, fertile era in poetic innovation, these centuries see the dawn of the first romantic love poetry in these languages, the invention of new forms like the sonnet, and the invention of the lyric “anthology.” Reading the lyrics of the French troubadour poets, Chaucer, Petrarch, Wyatt, Donne, Shakespeare, and the many brilliant anonymous poets of medieval England, we will examine both the text and contexts of these short poems. Close readings will be put in dialogue with cultural contexts (such as the volatile court of Henry VIII, in which Thomas Wyatt wrote), and the material contexts of the lyrics (the medieval and early modern manuscripts and books in which they first appeared). We will further think about how the term “lyric” emerges as a privileged poetic category, by reading contemporary “defenses” of poetry and thinking about why the word “lyric” only appears in the sixteenth century. Does the “lyric” poem change once it is defined? How do later works speak to the earlier tradition?

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Nelson.

442. Poets: Emily Dickinson to Seamus Heaney. A seminar devoted to the work of an eclectic list of poets active from the 1850s to the 2010s: Emily Dickinson, Thomas Hardy, A.E. Housman, T.S. Eliot, Robert Francis, Langston Hughes, W.H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Randall Jarrell, James Merrill, and Seamus Heaney.

Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors, with preference to junior English majors. Although an English Department seminar, students not majoring in English are welcome. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sofield and Simpson Lecturer Wilbur.

445. Spenser and Milton: Poetry Inventing a Nation. Adapting legends of King Arthur, and with inventiveness that in our own time might have turned to science fiction, Edmund Spenser creates the first English epic poem. The Fairy Queen (1590) engages romantic love, gender roles, religious controversy, and Elizabethan politics. Modeling himself on classical predecessors, Spenser through his career shapes the idea of a national poet. John Milton, possessed by Jerusalem, Greece, and Rome and committed to the English revolution, follows Spenser in creating himself as bard of a redeemed nation in the greatest of English long poems, Paradise Lost (1667). Canonized yet occasionally reviled, both poets are the subject of critical controversies raising questions about the nature of poetry and its relationship to its own time and ours.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Professor Berek.

447. Wordsworth and Keats. Readings of the poetry and prose (in Keats’ case, letters) of these two major Romantic figures. Attention will be paid to the biographical, political, and social implications of their writings.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Emeritus Townsend.

448. Poetry 1945-2014. A seminar—intensive reading, in-class presentations, a long paper at the end—in which the work of six or seven British and American post-World War II poets will be studied. The poets will be drawn from this group: W.H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, Amy Clampitt, Richard Wilbur, Philip Larkin, Anthony Hecht, David Ferry, Donald Justice, John Ashbery, Geoffrey Hill, Louise Glück, and Don Paterson. Attention will be given to the poets’ own critical writing as well as to the critical literature devoted to them.

Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors, with preference to junior English majors who have not taken a 400-level English course. Although an English Department seminar, students not majoring in English are welcome. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sofield.

449. Poetry and Research. In this course, students will become proficient in research methods related to the study of poetry. Focusing on select periods from the English language poetic tradition, we will read poems alongside historical contexts, critical essays, and contemporary treatises on poetics. The central question we will explore is, how can close reading benefit from secondary research? Students will be expected to present course material, and to choose a specific poet or group of poems as the basis of the final project, a long literary critical research paper.

This advanced seminar is designed for students who have previous training in close reading and analysis of poetry. In spring 2013 we will focus our readings on the Metaphysical poets, the Romantic poets, and their contemporaries.

A previous course in poetry is recommended. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Nelson.

452. Hawthorne, Melville, and Literary Friendship. During a mountain picnic in the summer of 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville struck up a private conversation. That champagne-fueled talk led to an intense, maddening, and relatively brief friendship, a friendship that grew out of writing, that was mediated by writing, and that can only be approached by way of writing. What was it like? How did it affect each of them? What might it suggest about the nature of the intimacies that are made possible by words on a page? In pursuit of the answers to these and other questions, we will read everything that Hawthorne and Melville wrote between July 1849 and December 1852. That will mean reading, in addition to White-Jacket, The Scarlet Letter, Moby-Dick, The House of the Seven Gables, A Wonder Book, Pierre, and The Blithedale Romance, all of their letters, journals, and marginalia. We will also take trips to Melville’s house in Pittsfield and the House of the Seven Gables in Salem.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sanborn.

454. Toomer, Faulkner, and Morrison. (Offered as ENGL 454 and BLST 442.) William Faulkner and Toni Morrison are generally understood as two of the most important writers of the twentieth century. In a country that works hard to live without a racial past, both authors have brought deep articulation to what it means to experience that which is often otherwise ignored and regardless unspoken. This semester we will explore several key novels from each author’s oeuvre, looking for where their texts converge and diverge. We will also spend time with Jean Toomer—a modernist writer critical to understanding what might be at stake in Faulkner and Morrison’s writerly manipulations of time, space, place, and memory—and with several philosophical texts that will help us to conceptualize what it means to “know” something like race or to “understand” history.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Parham.

456. Ghosts in Shells? Virtuality and Embodiment from Passing to the Posthuman. (Offered as ENGL 456, BLST 441 [US], and FAMS 451.) This class begins with narratives about individuals who pass—that is, who come to be recognized as someone different from whom they were sexually or racially “born as.” Such stories suggest that one’s identity depends minimally on the body into which one is born, and is more attached to the supplementation and presentation of that body in support of whichever cultural story the body is desired to tell. Drawing on familiar liberal humanist claims, which centralize human identity in the mind, these narratives also respond to the growing sophistication of human experience with virtual worlds—from acts of reading to immersions in computer simulation. But what kinds of tensions emerge when bodies nonetheless signify beyond an individual’s self-imagination? As technology expands the possibilities of the virtual, for instance surrogacy, cloning, and cybernetics, what pressures are brought to bear on the physical human body and its processes to signify authentic humanness? Rather than ask whether identity is natural or cultural, our discussions will project these questions into a not-so-distant future: What would it mean to take “human” as only one identity, as a category amongst many others, each also acknowledged as equally subject to the same social and biological matrices of desire, creation, and recognition? We will approach these questions through works of literature, philosophy, media history, and contemporary science writing.

Junior/Senior seminar. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Parham.

457. Exploring Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. (Offered as BLST 432 [US] and ENGL 457.) Ralph Waldo Ellison wrote Invisible Man to confirm the existence of the universal in the particulars of the black American experience. The same can be said of the larger aim of this course. It will provide students with the opportunity to explore the broadest themes of Black Studies through the careful reading of a particular text. Due to its broad range of influence and reference, Invisible Man is one of the most appropriate books in the black tradition for this kind of attention. The course will proceed through a series of comparisons with works that influenced the literary style and the philosophical content of the novel. The first part of the course will focus on comparisons to world literature. Readings will include James Joyce, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; Sigmund Freud, Totem and Taboo; and H.G. Wells, The Invisible Man. The second part of the course will focus on comparisons to American literature. The readings in this part of the course will include Herman Melville, The Confidence Man; William Faulkner, “The Bear”; and some of Emerson’s essays. The last part of the course will focus on comparisons with books in the black tradition. Some of the readings in this part of the course will include W.E.B. Du Bois, Souls of Black Folk and Booker T. Washington, Up From Slavery. Requires 20-25 page research paper.

Limited to 15 students. Open to juniors and seniors. Preference given to Black Studies majors. Fall semester. Professor Ferguson.

458. Indigenous American Epics. (Offered as ENGL 458 and AMST 358.) [before 1800] This course will delve deeply into the literature and history of “Turtle Island,” or North America. The Quiché Maya Popol Vuh (Council Book), the Iroquois Great Law, and the Wabanaki creation cycle are rooted in longstanding, complex oral narratives of emergence and transformation, which were recorded by Native authors and scribes. We will close read these epics (in English) as works of “ancient American” literature, as narratives of tribal history, and as living constitutions of tribal governance. We will study the tribally and regionally-specific contexts of these epic narratives as well as the “intellectual trade routes” that link them together. The course will conclude with an epic narrative of more recent colonial history, composed by the nineteenth-century Pequot author William Apess, born in the Connecticut River valley. Following an interdisciplinary American studies approach, our reading will be enriched by guest speakers and artistic media.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brooks.

459. The Spiral of Time in Native American Novels. What if the past is not behind us, but spiraling within our present? How are indigenous conceptions of time expressed in Native American writing? How do Native novelists enable us to imagine a past, present, and future that are intertwined, embedded in place, and spiraling in constant motion? How does the creation of a fictional world, so similar to ours, allow us to envision alternative models of gender, sexuality, race, and nationhood? This seminar will invite in-depth exploration of contemporary Native American fiction, through frameworks drawn from oral traditions, indigenous languages, literary media, and scientific theory. Authors will include Sherman Alexie, LeAnne Howe, Thomas King, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Craig Womack, among others.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brooks.

471. Corporeal States: Body, Nation, Text in Modern African Literature. (Offered as ENGL 471, BLST 412 [A], and SWAG 471.) How do literary texts transmute human bodies into subjects—gendered subjects, colonial subjects, disabled subjects, terrorists, cultural icons, cyborgs? And what happens when we use ideas about the body to represent the body politic? In this course we will examine how modern African writers utilize a variety of genres, including ethnographic writing, Kung Fu movies, pornography, traditional epic, and graffiti, to challenge our notions of what counts as a body, as a nation, or as a text. Alongside novels by established writers, we will consider recent books and digital creations by Chimamanda Adichie, Chris Abani, Teju Cole, Zakes Mda, Werewere Liking, and Taiye Selasi.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Cobham-Sander.

474. Panama Silver, Asian Gold: Migration and the Birth of Modern Caribbean Literature. (Offered as ENGL 474 and BLST 452 [CLA].) Concurrent migrations of Chinese and Indian indentured laborers to the Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean workers to and from the Panama Canal, at the turn of the twentieth century, profoundly influenced the style and scope of modern Caribbean literature. Both migrant groups worked under difficult conditions for exploitative wages, yet members of each managed to save enough to enter the educated middle class. Their cultural forms and political aspirations shaped Caribbean literary production as well as anti-colonial political movements. In this course, students will learn how to use digital, print, and audio-visual archival material related to these migrations to enrich their reading of Caribbean literature. Librarians at Frost as well as scholars, librarians, and students at two other universities will join us. We will hold some class discussions online and students at all three campuses will learn how to create finding aids for the archives we use. We will read works by Claude McKay, H.G. de Lisser, Marcus Garvey, George Lamming, V.S. Naipaul, Ismith Khan, Ramabai Espinet, Meiling Jin, and Patricia Powell.

A previous course in English, History, or Black Studies is recommended. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Cobham-Sander.

475. Serial Fictions: The Victorian Novel and Contemporary Television. (Offered as ENGL 475 and FAMS 475.) This course examines the similarities in form and content between the Victorian novel and the modern television series. While contemporary TV and fiction from over a century ago might seem like a surprising pairing, the two forms have a great deal in common. Indeed, serial television finds its foundation in nineteenth-century publication practices: the Victorian novels we now read as massive single-volume books were originally published in small weekly or monthly parts. Focusing on case studies in which we place a Victorian novel and a television series side by side, this course interrogates questions of genre, form, medium, and the dubious division of popular entertainment and high art. Through experiments with our own reading, writing, and viewing habits, we will ask how the serial forms of the Victorian novel and TV illuminate each other, what habits of consumption they promote, and what they have to teach us about seriality itself.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 16 students. Fall semester. Professors Christoff and Hastie.

476. Reading Post-Freudian Psychoanalysis. This course explores psychoanalytic theory beyond Freud. Reading the work of modern and contemporary psychoanalytic thinkers in depth, we will ask as well what their theories teach us about reading itself. We will cover a range of modern psychoanalytic approaches, from ego psychology to the British object relations school to “contemporary Freudian revisionists.” Writers may include Anna Freud, Heinz Hartmann, Harry Stack Sullivan, Melanie Klein, Wilfred Bion, W.R.D. Fairbairn, D.W. Winnicott, Heinz Kohut, Jacques Lacan, Otto Kernberg, Roy Schafer, and Christopher Bollas, among others. The course is organized around ideas and close reading: we will trace the evolution of a number of psychoanalytic concepts (such as hysteria, paranoia, aggression, aesthetic experience, dissociation, projection, and transference) from their foundations to the present day. In addition to learning about the history of psychoanalysis, its modern incarnations, and the development of psychoanalytic theory and clinical practice, we will consider how contemporary psychoanalysis offers us new approaches to reading, thinking, and cultural analysis.

Previous experience with courses in English and/or psychoanalysis recommended. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Christoff.

483. Feminism and Film: A Study of Practice and Theory. (Offered as ENGL 483, FAMS 426, and SWAG 483.) This seminar will be devoted to the study of feminism and film, considering the ways feminism has shaped both film theory and film practice. Though focusing in large part on post-1968 writings, which largely ushered in semiotic, psychoanalytic, and feminist theory to film studies, we will also consider early writings by women from the 1910s-1950s in a range of venues—from fan magazines to film journals—that developed points of view regarding women’s practices as both artists and audience members. We will also consider a range of films, from Hollywood melodrama (also known as “the women’s picture”) of the 1940s to contemporary action films, and from avant-garde feminist works to current independent and international films directed by women. Informed by feminist film theorist Claire Johnston, we will explore how and when “women’s cinema”—whether theory or practice—constitutes or shapes “counter-cinema.” One three-hour class meeting per week.

Requisite: As an advanced seminar in film theory, some previous work with film and media studies is required. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hastie.

489. Paris and the Banlieues: The City and Cinematography in French and Francophone Cinema. (Offered as ENGL 489 and FAMS 489.) This course in film production and film history will address changing cinematic representations of the architecture and urban space of Paris and the surrounding suburbs. The course will include workshops in cinematography, lighting, editing, and sound recording. We will consider shifting representations of the city and the body of the performer in the films of Feuillade, Vigo, Rivette, Prévert, Cantet, Denis, Kechiche, and Volta. We will analyze performances of identities, emphasizing the body as the primary site of a daily negotiation of language and culture. Students will be encouraged to question how performative languages of movement, architecture, and speech function as aesthetic systems that reflect the ways in which the body is coded. The course will include a study of articles from Présence Africaine, Trafic, Cahiers du Cinéma, and Bref, as well as works by Petrine Archer-Straw, Carrie Tarr, Raphaël Bassan, and Nicole Brenez. Students will complete two film or video projects. One three-hour class meeting and one film screening per week.

Recommended prior coursework: ENGL 287/FAMS 228, Introduction to Super 8 Film and Digital Video, or other introductory course in film and video, photography, or painting. Preference given to FAMS majors. Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Please complete the questionnaire at https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/english/major/course_applications. Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Hillman.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Courses.

Fall and spring semester. The Department.

491. The Creole Imagination. (Offered as ENGL 491 and BLST 461 [CLA].) What would it mean to write in the language in which we dream? A language that we can hear, but cannot (yet) see? Is it possible to conceive a language outside the socio-symbolic order? And can one language subvert the codes and values of another? Questions like these have animated the creolité/nation language debate among Caribbean intellectuals since the mid-1970s, producing some of the most significant francophone and anglophone writing of the twentieth century. This course reads across philosophy, cultural theory, politics, and literature in order to consider the claims such works make for the Creole imagination. We will engage the theoretical and creative work of Édouard Glissant, Maryse Condé, Wilson Harris, Derek Walcott, Kamau Brathwaite, Patrick Chamoiseau, Jamaica Kincaid, and Edwidge Danticat. We also will consider how these writers transform some of the fundamental ideas of psychoanalysis, poststructuralism, and critical historiography. At stake in our readings will be the various aesthetic and political aspects of postcolonial struggle—how to think outside the colonial architecture of language; how to contest and subvert what remains from history’s violence; and how to evaluate the claims to authenticity of creolized New World cultural forms.

Junior/Senior seminar. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professors Cobham-Sander and Drabinski.

498. Senior Tutorial. Open to senior English majors who wish to pursue a self-defined project in reading and writing. Students intending to elect this course must submit to the Department a five-page description and rationale for the proposed independent study by the end of the first week of classes in the fall semester of their senior year. Those who propose projects in fiction, verse, playwriting, or autobiography must submit a substantial sample of work in the appropriate mode; students wishing to undertake critical projects must include a tentative bibliography with their proposal.

Preregistration is not allowed. Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall semester.

498D. Senior Tutorial. A double course. This form of the regular course in independent work for seniors will be approved only in exceptional circumstances.

Fall semester.

499. Senior Tutorial. Students intending to continue independent work begun in ENGL 498 are required to submit, by the end of the first week of classes, a five-page prospectus describing in detail the shape of the intended project along with a substantial writing sample from the work completed in English 498. Students beginning a new project who wish to apply for English 499 must submit, by the end of the first week of classes, a five-page description and rationale for the proposed independent study. Those who propose projects in fiction, verse, playwriting, or autobiography must submit a substantial sample of work in the appropriate mode; students wishing to undertake critical projects must include a tentative bibliography with their proposal.

Preregistration is not allowed. Admission with consent of the instructor. Spring semester.

Related Courses

Female Gothic. See BRUS 310.

The Place of Memory: Native American Oral Traditions. See COLQ 239.

Illness and Meaning. See FYSE 101.

Friendship. See FYSE 104.

Things Matter. See FYSE 106.

Big Books. See FYSE 117.

Science Fiction or the Posthuman. See FYSE 118.

Environmental Studies

*On leave 2014-15.

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15

Professors Dizard†, Martini, Moore, and Temeles (Chair); Associate Professors Clotfelter, López, Miller†; Assistant Professors Melillo, Sims; Pick Visiting Assistant Professor Stewart†; Lecturer R. Levin†.

For many thousands of years, our ancestors were more shaped by than they were shapers of the environment. This began to change, first with hunting and then, roughly ten thousand years ago, with the beginnings of agriculture. Since then, humans have had a steadily increasing impact on the natural world. Environmental Studies explores the complex interactions between humans and nature. This exploration requires grounding in the natural sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences. Hence, majors in Environmental Studies must take six core courses, which collectively reflect the subject’s interdisciplinary nature. The required introductory course (ENST 120) and senior seminar (ENST 498) are taught by faculty from the natural sciences, the social sciences, and humanities. The remaining core courses include Ecology (ENST 210), Environmental History (either ENST 220 or HIST 105), Economics (ENST 230), and Statistics (ENST 240). Majors are strongly encouraged to complete the core requirements prior to their senior year. The senior seminar, offered in the fall semester, fulfills the comprehensive requirement.

Beyond the required core courses, majors will take at least four courses from the list of electives. Elective courses must include at least one course from each of the two categories, which span different fields of environmental inquiry. The honors program in Environmental Studies is a two semester sequence. Majors electing to do honors are required to submit a thesis proposal to the Advisory Committee prior to enrolling in ENST 498. Following successful completion of ENST 498, students complete their thesis by enrolling in ENST 499. Students who wish to satisfy a core or elective requirement with a Five College course or a course taken abroad must petition the Advisory Committee in writing and submit a syllabus or description of the course for approval. Students for whom Environmental Studies is a second major can count no more than two courses toward both majors.

120. The Resilient (?) Earth: An Introduction to Environmental Studies. Life has existed on Earth for nearly four billion years, shaped by massive extinction events. In the short span of the last 10,000 years, humans have become important agents in shaping global environmental change. The question this course considers is straightforward: Have humans been modifying the environment in ways that will, in the not distant future, cause another worldwide extinction event? There are no simple, much less uncontested, answers to this question. We will have to consider the ways we have altered habitats and ecosystem processes. We will also consider the economic consequences of disturbed ecosystems and assess contemporary policy responses and solutions. One lecture and one discussion section per week.

Limited to 50 students. Spring semester. Professors Dizard and R. Levin.

210. Ecology. (Offered as BIOL 230 and ENST 210.) A study of the relationships of plants and animals (including humans) to each other and to their environment. We’ll start by considering the decisions an individual makes in its daily life concerning its use of resources, such as what to eat and where to live, and whether to defend such resources. We’ll then move on to populations of individuals, and investigate species population growth, limits to population growth, and why some species are so successful as to become pests whereas others are on the road to extinction. The next level will address communities, and how interactions among populations, such as competition, predation, parasitism, and mutualism, affect the organization and diversity of species within communities. The final stage of the course will focus on ecosystems, and the effects of humans and other organisms on population, community, and global stability. Three hours of lecture per week.

Requisite: BIOL 181 or ENST 120 or equivalent. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 65 students. Fall semester. Professor Temeles.

220. Environmental Issues of the Nineteenth Century. (Offered as HIST 104 [C] and ENST 220.) This course considers the ways that people in various parts of the world thought about and acted upon nature during the nineteenth century. We look historically at issues that continue to have relevance today, including: invasive species, deforestation, soil-nitrogen availability, water use, desertification, and air pollution. Themes include: the relationship of nineteenth-century colonialism and environmental degradation, gender and environmental change, the racial dimensions of ecological issues, and the spatial aspects of human interactions with nature. We will take at least one field trip. In addition, we will watch three films that approach nineteenth-century environmental issues from different vantage points. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Melillo.

228. Ethics and the Environment. (Offered as PHIL 225 and ENST 228) As our impact on the environment shows itself in increasingly dramatic ways, our interaction with the environment has become an important topic of cultural and political debate. In this course we will discuss various philosophical issues that arise in such debates, including: What obligations, if any, do we have to future generations, to non-human animals, and to entire ecosystems? How should we act when we are uncertain exactly how our actions will affect the environment? How should we go about determining environmental policy? And how should we implement the environmental policies we decide upon? What is the most appropriate image of nature?

Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor Emeritus Kearns.

230. An Introduction to Economics with Environmental Applications. (Offered as ECON 111E and ENST 230.) A study of the central problem of scarcity and of the ways in which micro and macro economic systems allocate scarce resources among competing ends and apportion goods produced among people. Covers the same material as ECON 111 but with special attention to the relationship between economic activity and environmental problems and to the application of micro and macroeconomic theory tools to analyze environmental issues. A student may not receive credit for both ECON 111 and ECON 111E.

Two 80-minute and one 50-minute lecture/discussion per week. Each section is limited to 30 Amherst College students. Fall semester. Professor Sims.

240. Introduction to Statistics. (Offered as STAT 111E and ENST 240.) This course is an introduction to applied statistical methods useful for the analysis of data from all fields. Brief coverage of data summary and graphical techniques will be followed by elementary probability, sampling distributions, the central limit theorem and statistical inference. Inference procedures include confidence intervals and hypothesis testing for both means and proportions, the chi-square test, simple linear regression, and a brief introduction to analysis of variance (ANOVA). This course covers the same statistical concepts as Math 130, but has an environmental focus through examples. ENST majors are strongly encouraged to take this version of the course, but it is open to all students. Four class hours per week (two will be held in the computer lab). Labs are not interchangeable between sections due to course content.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor TBA.

250. Environmental Politics and Policies. Contesting values of and struggles over the control of “nature” are at the heart of environmental politics, and differently positioned political, economic, and social interest groups contend for and exert power through the U.S. environmental policy-making process. In this course we will examine the politics of U.S. environmental policies, focusing on how local, regional, and national governmental institutions, non-governmental organizations and interest groups, and some publics (but not all) define environmental problems and actionable solutions. We will examine the relationship between science, policy and politics, and critically evaluate when and how “objective” scientific truths are mobilized for particular agendas—while not for others—and what “citizen science” means with respect to the U.S. environmental policy process. The class will be divided into two parts: Part I will begin with key environmental writings, and move into an overview of the institutions, actors, and concepts that shape our policy process. Part II will use a case study approach to ground our understanding of how multi-scalar interactions, plurality and uneven power relations influence how and why some issues and interests are validated in the policy process, while others are not. Case studies may include: fracking, Keystone XL pipeline, Endangered Species listings and New England cod fishery regulations.

Recommended requisite: ENST 120. Limited to 35 students. Omitted 2014-15. Pick Visiting Professor Stewart.

260. Global Environmental Politics. Our global environment as a subject of concern has emerged in recent decades with the rise of scientific and media attention to the ways ecological issues like climate change and biodiversity loss matter in the daily lives of global citizens. But are all “global environmental citizens” equally responsible for and influenced by what are currently considered global environmental challenges? Why is it that some forms of nature are considered global while others are resolutely local? Are international agreements and development and conservation organizations effective at addressing the problems they intend to solve, or do they create new problems that should be accounted for in our understanding of global environmental politics? In this course, we will explore these questions and others by examining various ecological crises—climate change, deforestation, fisheries management, air and water pollution, hazardous waste disposal, among others—from critical perspectives that raise questions about key political issues, including markets, states, science, power, knowledge and social movements. This course is organized into thematic case studies, through which we will examine the production and negotiation of environmental problems by diverse social actors and institutions, including: producers and consumers, members of different socio-economic groups, actors of institutions and social movements, and citizens of diverse polities.

Limited to 35 students. Spring semester. Pick Visiting Professor Stewart.

310. Conservation Social Science. The nascent field known as “conservation social science” is emerging among the major conservation organizations, like the World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy, as they realize the need to move beyond their traditional biological foundations towards the social sciences. Conservation landscapes and species of interest are embedded in complex, and often long-standing, human-environmental relationships that require the retooling of conservation science to better understand and address integrated challenges. This shift towards a “people are the solution” conservation framework requires knowledge about the ecological and social concerns and implications of conservation, which is a well-suited pursuit for interdisciplinary Environmental Studies scholars. This course prepares students to engage with this emerging field by understanding what conservation social science means in the history and trajectory of conservation, and what its foci and approaches should be in the coming years. We begin the class with a historical review of the “greening” of the World Bank and the scaling up of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) during the 1980s, which brought “the environment” and the “community” together in development and conservation agendas. Moving forward, we review critical social science literatures that examine the social impact of conservation to refine meaningful ways forward for community-centered conservation endeavors. Key themes will include: participation, traditional ecological knowledge, ecological baselines, sustainable yields and sustainability.

Requisite: ENST 120. Limited to 35 students. Omitted 2014-15. Pick Visiting Professor Stewart.

320. Knowing Nature: Examining the Politics of Environmental Knowledge. What we know and how we know about “the environment” is influenced by cultural, political, historical and social contexts. Why are some knowledges about the environment perceived to be more accurate, objective and true than others? How might our collective understandings of environmental change shift if multiple forms of knowledge—”western” scientific, indigenous, etc.—were mobilized in the production, dissemination and application of environmental knowledge? These questions are both academic and policy-oriented and sit at the interface of political ecology and science studies scholarship on nature/society and conservation and development practice: environmental management contestations and outcomes are shaped by what counts as valid knowledge. In this seminar we will examine how attention to the politics of knowledge potentially shifts the current formations of environmental studies and policy—in theory and practice—towards more integrated and democratized engagements with social and environmental change. This course is anchored in the field of political ecology, which is a sub-field of geography that is concerned with the complex power dynamics of knowing and making claims on “the environment.” Our readings and discussions will examine critical perspectives on nature/society boundaries; the role of “western” scientific knowledge in the politics of conservation and development; and meaningful ways to integrate “western” scientific and indigenous environmental knowledges in environmental studies.

Requisite: ENST 120; recommended requisite: ENST 250. Limited to 35 students. Omitted 2014-15. Pick Visiting Professor Stewart.

401. Wine, History and the Environment. (Offered as HIST 402 [c] and ENST 401.) Wine is as old as Western civilization. Its consumption is deeply wedded to leading religious and secular traditions around the world. Its production has transformed landscapes, ecosystems, and economies. In this course we examine how wine has shaped the history of Europe, North Africa, and the Americas. Through readings, scientific study, historical research, and class discussion, students will learn about such issues as: the environmental impact of wine; the politics of taste and class; the organization of labor; the impact of imperialism and global trade; the late nineteenth-century phylloxera outbreak that almost destroyed the European wine industry; and the emergence of claims about terroir (the notion that each wine, like each culture, is uniquely tied to a place) and how such claims are tied to regional and national identity. Through class discussion, focused research and writing workshops, and close mentoring, each student will learn about wine while designing and executing an independent research project. We will also get our hands dirty with soil sampling, learn the basics of sediment analysis in the laboratory, and have a go at fermentation. Two meetings per week.

This is a research seminar open to juniors and seniors. Priority given to history and environmental studies majors. History majors may take this course either as a research seminar or in place of HIST 301 “Writing the Past.”

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professors López and Martini.

425. Conservation Social Science in Practice: Methods and Realities. Building on the theoretical grounding of the Conservation Social Science course, this class will equip students with social science methods training and practice-based experience in the field of conservation social science. This practice-driven course will facilitate student interactions and engagement with a conservation organization, preferably within the Pioneer Valley area, to hone their grounded understanding of the barriers, challenges and rewards of conservation practice. A key goal for this course is to put into practice everything that was learned during the theory-focused fall course. Our readings and weekly discussions will focus on social science methods training—particularly ethnographic, participatory research methods and related ethical considerations—and select conservation social science articles. Students will be responsible for a semester-long project designed to critically define, research, and analyze an important facet of the organization’s efforts to engage with the growing conservation social science agenda.

Requisites: ENST 120 and 310. Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Pick Visiting Professor Stewart.

430. Seminar on Fisheries. The dependence of many countries on marine organisms for food has resulted in severe population declines in cod, bluefin tuna, swordfish, and abalone, as well as numerous other marine organisms. In this seminar we will examine the biological, sociological, political, and economic impacts of the global depletion of fisheries. Questions addressed will include: What is the scope of extinctions or potential extinctions due to over-harvesting? How have overfished species responded to harvest pressures? How are fisheries managed, and are some approaches to harvesting better than others? How do fisheries extinctions affect the societies and economies of various countries and marine ecosystems? How do cultural traditions of fishermen influence attempts to manage fisheries? Does aquaculture offer a sustainable alternative to overfishing? What is aquaculture’s impact on marine ecology? Three class hours per week.

Requisites: ENST 120 or BIOL 230/ENST 210 or consent of instructors. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professors Temeles and Dizard.

440. The Social Construction of Wildlife. In the past half century, Americans have witnessed a remarkable resurgence of many wildlife species. This has occasioned a mixed, even contentious response. Wolves have gone from reviled to the leading attraction for visitors to Yellowstone. At the same time, beyond the Park boundaries, there are people eager to shoot wolves. Neighbors in suburbs across the country fall out over deer: some feed them and others erect high fences to keep the deer out of their yards and gardens. Geese befoul parks and golf courses and coyotes kill pet cats and dogs.

In this seminar we will examine the changing and conflicting reputations of wildlife, attending to the ecology of recovery, shifting attitudes toward hunting, the rise of the Animal Rights Movement, and the many challenges of living with wildlife in an increasingly human dominated landscape.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Dizard.

490. Special Topics. Independent reading course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

495. Senior Seminar. The Senior Seminar is intended to bring together majors with different course backgrounds and to facilitate original independent student research on an environmental topic. In the early weeks of the seminar, discussion will be focused on several compelling texts (e.g., Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring or Alan Weisman’s The World Without Us) which will be considered from a variety of disciplinary perspectives by members of the Environmental Studies faculty. These discussions are intended to help students initiate an independent research project which may be expanded into an honors project in the second semester. For students not electing an honors project, the seminar will offer an opportunity to integrate what they have learned in their environmental studies courses. The substance of the seminar will vary from year to year, reflecting the interests of the faculty who will be convening and participating in the seminar.

Open to seniors. Fall semester. Professors Clotfelter and Sims.

498. Senior Honors. Fall semester. The Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Spring semester. The Department.

RELATED COURSES

CATEGORY I: SCIENCE ELECTIVES

Food, Fiber, and Pharmaceuticals. See BIOL 104.

Adaptation and the Organism. See BIOL 181.

Animal Behavior with Lab. See BIOL 281.

Evolutionary Biology. See BIOL 320.

Evolutionary Biology With Lab. See BIOL 321.

Seminar in Disease Biology. See BIOL 410.

Seminar in Conservation Biology. See BIOL 440.

Seminar in Tropical Biology. See BIOL 454.

Climate Change, Global Warming and Energy Resources. See GEOL 109.

Surface Earth Dynamics. See GEOL 121.

Hydrogeology. See GEOL 301.

Seminar in Biogeochemistry. See GEOL 450.

Mathematical Modeling. See MATH 140.

Energy. See PHYS 109.

CATEGORY II: SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES ELECTIVES

Anthropology of Natural Wealth. See ANTH 251.

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. See ECON 210.

Encounters with Nature. See FYSE 114.

Global Environmental History of the Twentieth Century. See HIST 105.

Environmental History of Latin America. See HIST 265.

Wine, History and the Environment. See HIST 402.

Commodities, Nature and Society. See HIST 411.

Law’s Nature: Humans, the Environment and the Predicament of Law. See LJST 235.

The Political Economy of Petro States: Venezuela Compared. See POSC 231.

Footprints on the Earth: The Environmental Consequences of Modernity. See SOCI 226.

The Social Construction of Nature. See SOCI 340.

Making Peace with the Planet: Environmental Movements and Ideas. See SOCI 341.

European Studies

*On leave 2014-15.

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Advisory Committee: Professors Barbezat, Brandes, Caplan, Ciepiela‡, Courtright (Chair), de la Carrera, Doran, Epstein‡, Griffiths, Hewitt, Machala, Maraniss, Rabinowitz†, Rockwell, Rogowski, Rosbottom, Schneider†, R. Sinos, Staller, Stavans, and Tiersky; Associate Professors Engelhardt*, Gilpin, Katsaros*, Suarez, and Wolfson†; Assistant Professors Brenneis* and Christoff.

European Studies is a major program that provides opportunity for independent and interdisciplinary study of European culture. Through integrated work in the humanities and social sciences, the student major examines a significant portion of the European experience and seeks to define those elements that have given European culture its unity and distinctiveness.

Major Program. The core of the major consists of eight courses that will examine a significant portion of European civilization through a variety of disciplines. Two of these courses will be EUST 121 and 122 (or the equivalent; see below), and two will be independent work during the senior year. In the second semester of the senior year, the student major writing a thesis may designate the research course as a double course (EUST 499D), in which case the total number of courses required to complete the major becomes nine. Comparative literary studies, interdisciplinary work in history, sociology, philosophy, political science, economics, performance studies, visual arts, architecture or music involving one or more European countries are possible approaches for the student’s required senior project.

Application to the major will be considered only after a student has taken at least one of EUST 121, 122, or an approved, similarly broad course in European history or culture. A second such required course will be taken during the sophomore year or as soon as the student elects a European Studies major. The student major will select four core courses in consultation with the Chair or major advisor. All majors shall complete a substantial course-based research project on some aspect of European culture by the end of their junior year. Prior arrangement for supervision must be made if a student intends to do this project while abroad.

Honors Program. All European Studies honors majors must complete a thesis. Should, during the senior year, the Program faculty decide that a declared major is not qualified to proceed to work on a thesis, the student may elect to do a substantial research project instead. Students may be recommended for Program honors only if they complete a thesis. Save in exceptional circumstances, a major will spend at least one semester of the junior year pursuing an approved course of study in Europe. All majors must give evidence of proficiency in one European language besides English, ideally one that is appropriate to their senior project. Upon return from study abroad, the student will ordinarily elect, in consultation with the Program Chair or major advisor, at least one course that helps integrate the European experience into the European Studies major.

117. Arthurian Literature. (Offered as ENGL 117 and EUST 117.) [before 1800] Knights, monsters, quests, and true love: these are the things we associate with King Arthur and tales of his court. Why has Arthurian literature proved so enchanting to centuries of poets, novelists, and recently, filmmakers? In this introductory English course, we will read and watch Arthurian legends from Chaucer to Monty Python, examining the ways in which they have been represented in different eras. Beginning with the historical foundations of the King Arthur legend, we will examine how it blossomed and took form in later eras. Our focus will be on close literary and visual analysis of British, American, and French (in translation) versions of these legends. We will also discuss what cultural forces lie behind the popularity of Arthurian legend in certain eras: later medieval England and France; the Victorian era; and twentieth-century England and America.

There will be frequent writing assignments and presentations, as well as a final creative project.

Open to first-year students and sophomores. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Nelson.

121. Readings in the European Tradition I. Topics in the past have included readings and discussion of a series of related texts from Homer and Genesis to Dante: Homer’s Iliad, selected Greek tragedies, Virgil’s Aeneid, selections from the Bible, and from medieval texts. Three class hours per week.

Required of European Studies majors. Open to European Studies majors and to any student interested in the intellectual and literary development of the West, from antiquity through the Middle Ages. Fall semester. Professor Doran.

122. Readings in the European Tradition II. In this course, we will discuss writings and art that have contributed in important ways to the sense of what “European” means. The course covers the intellectual and artistic development of Europe from the Renaissance to the 21st century. The course will use a chronological and/or thematic template that focuses on dominant and persistent preoccupations of the European imagination. We will study poetry, drama, the novel, the essay, painting, photography, and film. In the past, we have studied works by Cervantes, Shakespeare, Montaigne, Molière, Mann, Swift, Voltaire, Wordsworth, Austen, Marx, Flaubert and Tolstoy. We have looked at art ranging from Velásquez to Picasso, filmmakers from Chaplin to Godard. This course welcomes all students who enjoy studying literature and essays in depth, as well as those interested in the visual arts. Required of European Studies majors.

Spring semester. Professor Rosbottom.

130. World War I. (Offered as HIST 130 [EU] and EUST 130.) The image of the First World War is so iconic that it can be evoked through a handful of tropes: trenches, machine guns, mud, “going over the top,” crossing “no man’s land.” Yet in many ways this is a partial vision, one that focuses myopically on the experiences of European soldiers who occupied a few hundred miles of trenches in northern France. Why is it that a conflict as unprecedented in its size and complexity as “the Great War” has been reduced in our minds to this very limited scale? In conjunction with the war’s 100th anniversary, this course both explores the role of World War I in our cultural imagination and aims to create a broader, messier, and more complicated portrait of the history. It will examine the conflict on multiple fronts, study the perspectives of both Western and non-Western soldiers and civilians, and analyze the war’s role in shaping the twentieth century. Three class meetings per week.

Limited to 60 students. Spring semester. Professor Boucher.

133. Europe in the Twentieth Century. (Offered as HIST 132 [EU] and EUST 133.) This course offers a broad survey of European history in the twentieth century. It will cover events such as World War I; the Bolshevik Revolution and the ensuing Soviet experiment; the Spanish Civil War; Nazism, World War II, and the Holocaust; the Cold War in Europe; the collapse of communism; and the Balkan Wars in the 1990s. In addition, the course will focus on the broad themes of twentieth-century European history: the confrontation between liberalism, fascism, and communism; the role of nationalism; the development of the welfare state; the decline of Europe’s role in the world; the movement for European unity; and changing notions of race, class, and gender during the course of the century. Course materials will focus on primary documents, including films, memoirs, novels, political manifestos, and government and other official documents. Three class meetings per week.

Limited to 60 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Epstein.

135. Art and Architecture of Europe from 1400 to 1800. (Offered as ARHA 135, ARCH 135, and EUST 135.) This course is an introduction to painting, sculpture, and architecture of the early modern period. The goal of the course is to identify artistic innovations that characterize European art from the Renaissance to the French Revolution, and to situate the works of art historically, by examining the intellectual, political, religious, and social currents that contributed to their creation. In addition to tracing stylistic change within the oeuvre of individual artists and understanding its meaning, we will investigate the varied character of art, its interpretation, and its context in different regions, including Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands.

Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor Courtright.

146. Art From the Realm of Dreams. (Offered as ARHA 146, EUST 146, and SWAG 113.) We begin with a long-standing Spanish obsession with dreams, analyzing images and texts by Calderón, Quevedo and Goya. We next will consider a range of dream workers from a range of cultures, centuries, and disciplines—among them Apollinaire, Freud, Breton, Dalí, Carrington, and Kahlo—as well as others working around the globe in our own time.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15 Professor Staller.

201. Napoleon’s Legends. Napoleon Bonaparte’s legacy in French domestic and international politics and military strategy profoundly influenced nineteenth-century Europe. But so did the legends surrounding him, created before his great defeat and exile, and nurtured after his death in 1821. In painting, caricature, and sculpture, literature, music, and film, the legends—positive and negative—of Napoleon have served many ends. The cultural complexity of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Europe becomes clearer when one understands the motives behind and results of these representations of Napoleon.

In this course, we will study painting (e.g., David and Goya), narrative fiction (e.g., Balzac, Stendhal, and Tolstoy), poetry (e.g., Wordsworth and Hugo), music (e.g., Beethoven), urban history and architecture (e.g., of Paris), and the silent and sound films of our century (e.g., Gance). We will examine how different generations and a variety of cultures appropriated the real and imagined images of Napoleon for social, political, and artistic ends, and thereby influenced the creation of modern Europe. Three class hours per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Rosbottom.

202. World War II in European Literature and Film. This course is designed to introduce students to the impact that World War II (1939-1945) had and continues to have on the society and culture of several European nations. As the last of the generation that lived during the war passes on, their grandchildren persist in raising questions about the reasons and effects of this political cataclysm. During the war, and afterwards with more or less intensity, writers and filmmakers made and have made attempts to analyze and represent the memories, the guilt, and the false histories that the war left behind in every involved nation.

The course will examine the ethics of historical memory, the sincerity of representation, the clever use of history for political purposes. It will also probe and analyze persistent myths of the war as well as discover stories and facts that have been ignored or forgotten. Finally, the course will look at alternative scenarios, that is, “what if” narratives.

Readings might include works by Erich Remarque, Albert Camus, Irène Némirovsky, W. G. Sebald, Primo Levi, and Tony Judt. Films might include selections from Rossellini’s Roma città aperta, Holland’s Europa, Europa, Reed’s The Third Man, and Malle’s Au revoir les enfants.

The class will study how nations too have attempted to make sense of this hecatomb, seeking explanation, expiation, and often excuses. We will also study how the Second World War’s legacy still affects contemporary European culture and politics.

Students will be expected to participate in discussion, give oral reports, and write a research paper.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Rosbottom

203. Cityscapes: Imagining the European City. (Offered as EUST 203 and ARCH 203.) Cities, the largest human artifact, have been at the center of Europeans’ relationships with nature, gods, and their own kind since their first appearance. With the advent of capitalist energy, the European city went through radical change. The resultant invention, re-invention and growth of major metropolises will be the subject of this course.

We will discuss histories and theories of the city and of the urban imagination in Europe since the eighteenth century. We will consider Paris, London, Berlin, Rome, and St. Petersburg, among others, and the counter-example of New York City. We will study examples of city planning and mapping, urban architecture, film and photography, painting, poetry, fiction, and urban theory. And, we may study Atget, Baudelaire, Benjamin, Calvino, Dickens, Joyce, Rilke, Truffaut, Zola, and others.

Questions addressed will include: To what extent do those who would “improve” a city take into account the intangible qualities of that city? How do the economics of capital compromise with the economics of living? How does the body—healthy and unhealthy—interact with the built environment? How and why does the imagination create an “invisible city” that rivals the “real” geo-political site? Two classes per week.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Rosbottom.

209. Fascism. (Offered as HIST 209 [c] and EUST 209.) This course addresses the vexing questions of what fascism is, whether it was a global phenomenon, and whether it has been historically banished. The first part of the semester will consider the conceptual issues related to nationalism, modernity, and fascism. Next we will address case studies, noting comparative continuities and regional peculiarities. The countries that will receive the most attention are Italy, France, Argentina, Britain, Brazil, Germany, Spain, and Mexico, with additional attention to Portugal, Japan, China, New Guinea, Chile, Turkey, Palestine and Australia. This will be followed by an examination of gender and fascism, including the role of women as agents of this radical ideology. The course will close with two recent works of scholarship, one on transnational fascism in early twentieth-century Argentina and the other on the applicability of the term “fascism” to contemporary movements in the Middle East. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor López.

215. Modernism and Revolution. (Offered as RUSS 215 and EUST 215.) We will examine the revolutionary upheavals of early twentieth-century Russia through the lens of three modernist texts: Andrei Bely’s experimental novel Petersburg (the failed revolution of 1905), Isaac Babel’s story cycle Red Cavalry (the civil war that followed the Bolshevik takeover in 1917) and Mikhail Bulgakov’s phantasmagorical masterpiece The Master and Margarita (the “cultural revolution” of 1929-32 and the rise of Stalinist society). Reshaped by the crises that they confronted in their works, these Russian writers reached beyond literature—to the images, sounds and ideas of their Russian and European contemporaries—to reimagine the place of artistic innovation and esthetic tradition in times of trouble, and so revolutionized the very idea of what literature can do in negotiating the relationship between text and experience. All readings and discussion in English. No familiarity with Russian history or culture is assumed.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Wolfson.

221. Music and Culture I. (Offered as MUSI 221 and EUST 221.) One of three courses in which music is studied in relation to issues of history, theory, culture, and performance, with the focus of the course changing from year to year. This course is an introduction to European music in the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque eras. We will begin by singing Gregorian chant and will go on to cover such topics as the music of the Troubadours, the polyphonic style associated with Notre Dame, the development of musical notation, Renaissance sacred polyphony, madrigals, court dances, and the birth of opera. Throughout the course we will seek to bring the music we study alive by singing and/or playing. We will also host several professional performers of “early music” who will help us understand how this music is likely to have sounded at the time of its creation.

Requisite: MUSI 112 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Móricz.

222. Music and Culture II. (Offered as MUSI 222 and EUST 222.) One of three courses in which the development of Western music is studied in its cultural-historical context. As practical, in-class performance and attendance at public concerts in Amherst and elsewhere will be crucial to our work. Composers to be studied include Beethoven, Rossini, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Berlioz, Wagner, Verdi, Musorgsky, and Brahms. Regular listening assignments will broaden the repertoire we encounter and include a wide sampling of Classical and Romantic music. Periodic writing assignments will provide opportunities to connect detailed musical analysis with historical-cultural interpretation. A variety of readings will include music-historical-aesthetic documents as well as selected critical and analytical studies. Class presentations will contribute to a seminar-style class environment. This course may be elected individually or in conjunction with other Music and Culture courses (MUSI 221 and 223). Two class meetings per week.

Requisite: MUSI 111, 112, or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Kallick.

223. Music and Culture III. (Offered as MUSI 223 and EUST 223.) Does music effect social change, and who decides? This third semester of the Music and Culture series will consider these questions through attentive listening to music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and related readings. Our investigation will be organized around three primary areas: Crime and Punishment, Violence and Pacifism, and Race and Gender. Among the works to be studied are Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Britten’s War Requiem, Bernstein’s West Side Story, Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars, Shostakovich’s Symphony Babi Yar, Bob Dylan’s album The Times They Are a-Changin’, the compilation album Red, Hot, & Blue, and John Adam’s The Death of Klinghoffer. Assignments will include regular listening, periodic short papers, and a culminating project. This course may be elected individually or in conjunction with other Music and Culture courses (MUSI 221 and 222). Two class meetings per week.

Requisite: Music 111 or 112, or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Kallick.

227. Early Modern England, 1558-1702: Renaissance, Reformation, and Revolution. (Offered as HIST 227 [EUp] and EUST 227.) This course offers a thematic and methodological survey of English history from the beginning of Elizabeth I’s reign in 1558 to the death of William III in 1702, with particular attention to the wider British, European, and Atlantic contexts. What drove England’s transformation from a European backwater to an emerging global and imperial power? How did it transition from a mode of governance centered on the personal authority of the monarch, to one that incorporated party politics and the ideal of “parliamentary sovereignty”? How can we account for the emergence of a complex commercial society, dependent on foreign trade, overseas expansion, and financial markets, from early modern economic values and practices that had obliged the Crown to “live of its own” and avoid excessive debt or taxation? What policies, events, and contingencies contributed to the increasing identification of England and “Englishness” with the Protestant religion? This course will incorporate digital humanities tools, archival research, classroom discussions, and immersive and collaborative activities to train students to evaluate critically primary and secondary sources and to construct their own historical arguments. Three class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Five College Fellow Chou.

228. Seventeenth-Century European Theater. (Offered as SPAN 228 and EUST 228.) Readings of plays by Spanish, English and French playwrights of what has been, in the modern world, the great century of the stage. Works of Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca, Shakespeare, Molière, Racine, Webster and Wycherly. Conducted in English. Students will read plays in the original languages whenever possible.

Limited to 40 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Maraniss.

230. The French Revolution. (Offered as HIST 230 [EU] and EUST 230.) Often viewed as one of the defining events in modern history, the French Revolution has been debated and discussed, derided and celebrated by generations of politicians, cultural commentators, and historians. This course enters into this on-going conversation by examining the nature of the revolutionary process as it unfolded in late eighteenth-century France and its empire. Beginning in the “old regime” of kings and commoners, it untangles the social, political, and intellectual roots of the Revolution and investigates the extent to which these factors contributed to the radical overthrow of the French establishment in 1789. It then follows the extension of the Revolution throughout French society and across the seas to the Caribbean, analyzing how popular and colonial upheavals influenced the revolutionary new order of “liberty, equality, and brotherhood” that was taking shape in France. Finally, the course explores the aftermath of the Revolution by tracing the various ways that its history has been interpreted and reinterpreted from the nineteenth century to the present day. Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Professor Boucher.

231. Race and Empire: The British Experience from 1760. (Offered as HIST 231 [EU] and EUST 231.) From the mid-eighteenth century through the 1960s, Britain presided over the most powerful empire in the world. At its height, this small island nation ruled one-quarter of the earth’s surface and more than 450 million of its inhabitants. Not only did British imperialism play a decisive role in shaping world politics, economics, and cultures in its day, it also left a number of profound legacies that continue to affect our lives in the present. This course traces the rise, fall, and lasting influence of the British empire, and pays particular attention to questions of race and ethnicity. Through a series of colonial encounters —such as the first contacts made between explorers and Pacific Islanders in the 18th century, the interactions between missionaries and Africans in the 19th century, or the migration of South Asians to Britain in the 20th century—it examines what “race” meant in different historical contexts. The course thus explores the institutionalization of racism in government, law, and society, and analyzes moments in which racism has been combated and overturned. Readings and course materials will be drawn from secondary and primary sources, including newspapers, novels, photographs, artwork, oral histories, and films. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Boucher.

232. Representation and Reality in Spanish Cinema. (Offered as SPAN 236, EUST 232 and FAMS 328.) Once severely constrained by dictator Francisco Franco’s censorship laws and rarely exported beyond the country’s borders, Spanish film has been transformed into an internationally-known cinema in the last decades. This course offers a critical overview of Spanish film from 1950 to the present, examining how Spain’s culture and society are imagined onscreen by directors such as Berlanga, Erice, Bollaín, and Almodóvar. Students will analyze works of Spanish cinema alongside theoretical and critical texts, exploring such topics as gendered roles in contemporary society, immigration, globalization, censorship, and experiences of war and violence. We will also track the sociological, cultural, and political forces inside Spain that have inspired such cinematic representations. This course provides an introduction to visual analysis and critical writing about film and will be conducted in English. Students are expected to attend weekly screenings where films will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles. Spanish majors who wish to count this course toward fulfillment of requirements will be asked to write papers in Spanish.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brenneis.

233. Love. (Offered as SPAN 384 and EUST 233.) This panoramic, interdisciplinary course will explore the concept of love as it changes epoch to epoch and culture to culture. Poetry, novels, paintings, sculptures, movies, TV, and music will be featured. Starting with the Song of Songs, it will include discussions of Plato, Aristotle, Catullus, and other Greek classics, move on to Dante and Petrarch, contemplate Chinese, Arabic, African, and Mesoamerican literatures, devote a central unit to Shakespeare, continue with the Metaphysical poets, and move on to American literature. Special attention will be paid to the difference between love, eroticism, and pornography. Multilingual students will be encouraged to delve into various linguistic traditions, in tongues like French, Russian, German, Yiddish, and Spanish. Conducted in English.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Stavans.

234. Nazi Germany. (Offered as HIST 234 [EU] and EUST 234.) This course will explore the history of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. It will examine the emergence of Hitler and Nazism in Germany, Nazi ideology and aesthetics, Nazi racial policies, daily life in the Third Reich, women under Nazism, resistance to the Nazis, Nazi foreign policy and World War II, the Holocaust, and the Nuremberg War Crimes Trial. Class participants will also discuss themes that range beyond the Nazi case: How do dictatorships function? What constitutes resistance? How and why do regimes engage in mass murder? Texts will include films, diaries, memoirs, government and other official documents, and classic and recent scholarly accounts of the era. Three class meetings per week.

Limited to 60 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Epstein.

235. Impostors. (Offered as EUST 235 and SPAN 380.) An interdisciplinary exploration of the causes behind the social, racial, artistic, and political act—and art—of posing, passing, or pretending to be someone else. Blacks passing for whites, Jews passing for gentiles, and women passing for men, and vice versa, are a central motif. Attention is given to biological and scientific patterns such as memory loss, mental illness, and plastic surgery, and to literary strategies like irony. As a supernatural occurrence, the discussion includes mystical experiences, ghost stories, and séance sessions. The course also covers instances pertaining to institutional religion, from prophesy from the Hebrew and Christian Bibles to the Koran and Mormonism. In technology and communications, analysis concentrates on the invention of the telegraph, the telephone, and the Internet. Entertainment, ventriloquism, puppet shows, voice-overs, children’s cartoon shows, subtitles, and dubbing in movies and TV are topics of analysis. Posers in Greek mythology, the Arabian Nights, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, Sigmund Freud, Jorge Luis Borges, Philip Roth, Oliver Sacks, and Nella Larsen are examined. Conducted in English.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Stavans.

237. God. This course rotates around the shifting notion of the divine in Western Civilization, focusing on theology, philosophy, literature, and music. Students explore the development of the three major prophetic religions as well as some of the mystical movements they fostered. Discussions rotate around the King James Bible, Augustine’s Confessions, the Koran, Maimonides’ The Guide for the Perplexed, the Zohar, and Spinoza’s work as a cornerstone to the Enlightenment. Secularism in modern culture is contemplated and the contemporary atheist movement of Dawkins and Hitchens is analyzed. Music explorations range from Johann Sebastian Bach to John Cage; in science, from Isaac Newton to Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking; and in film, from Ingmar Bergman to Woody Allen. Readings include parts of Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, Freud’s Moses and Monotheism, Kafka’s The Castle, Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author, Borges’ “The Secret Miracle” and Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Stavans.

238. Soviet Union During the Cold War. (Offered as HIST 236 [EU] and EUST 238.) The Cold War indelibly shaped the second half of the twentieth century. Spies seemed ubiquitous; nuclear annihilation imminent. Films such as Red October and the James Bond series forged a Western image of the Soviet Union. But how were these decades experienced behind the Iron Curtain? This class explores Soviet history between the end of World War II and the collapse of the USSR. We will study the roots of the Cold War; the politics of de-Stalinization in the USSR; the unfolding of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe; and Soviet relations with the West, China, and the developing world. We will also explore the internal dynamics of Soviet society: the rise of the Soviet middle class, consumerism, tourism, the entertainment industry, demographic trends, education, and public health. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Glebov.

242. European Intellectual History in the Twentieth Century. (Offered as HIST 232 [EU] and EUST 242). This class explores the intellectual history of Europe’s “Age of Extremes” by focusing on its feuding political ideas and their chief advocates: the public intellectuals. Liberalism, Conservatism, Communism, and Fascism—all were created by intellectuals, and all relied on intellectuals for their ideological struggle over Europe. The course will investigate the many—glorious and inglorious—careers of European intellectuals of very different agendas, polities, legacies and fates (Arendt, Gramsci, De Beauvoir, Sartre, Orwell, Schmitt to name a few). The course thus has two goals: first, it is an introduction to 20th-century political ideas in their European historical contexts; second, it is an examination of public intellectuals, their history, role, responsibility and even accountability. Course materials will include historical analysis and works of fiction; works of propaganda and works of art; manifestos and political trial confessions. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Five College Professor Gordon.

243. Childhood and Child Welfare in Modern Europe. (Offered as HIST 233 [EU] and EUST 243.) The recent trend of big-name celebrities adopting children from the developing world has made international child welfare the subject of rich public debate. Is it right for citizens of wealthier countries to remove children from poorer nations to give them a better life, or does this act constitute a blatant case of cultural imperialism and “child stealing”? The issue hinges on the question of whether it is possible to define a single, universal standard of child welfare. If the answer is yes, then intervening into other families and societies is justified to give all children a “proper childhood.” If the answer is no, then all manner of child-centered humanitarianism becomes subject to critique. This course explores the historical roots of these current social issues. It begins by analyzing the creation of a “modern” definition of childhood in the era of the Enlightenment, then follows the attempts of nineteenth and twentieth century reformers to extend this model of childhood throughout Europe and the European empires. Topics include debates over the limits of parental rights, the role of ethnicity and culture in childrearing, definitions of child abuse, international charities and NGOs, adoption, and child psychology. Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Professor Boucher.

245. Stalin and Stalinism. (Offered as HIST 235 [EU] and EUST 245). Joseph Stalin, the infamous Soviet dictator, created a particular type of society in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. Stalinism became a phenomenon that influenced the development of the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, China, and North Korea. The course will begin with the exploration of Stalin’s own life, and then focus on what historical forces enabled the emergence of Stalinism. The course will cover the period on the eve of and during the Russian Revolution, Stalinist transformation of the USSR in the 1930s, WWII, and the onset of the Cold War. Among issues to be explored are the extent of popular support for Stalinist-type regimes, the mechanisms of large-scale political terror, the longevity of Stalinist regimes, and historical memory about Stalinism. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Glebov.

250. The Monastic Challenge. (Offered as ARHA 250 and EUST 250.) This course aims to be a visually and spatially attentive search for the “art” of the monastic and cathedral masterpieces of medieval France. First, by learning how to recognize, define, and respond to the artistic values embodied in several “romanesque” and “gothic” monuments including the Abbeys of Fontenay, Vézelay and Mont St. Michel and the Cathedrals of Laôn, Paris, Chartres, Amiens and Reims, we will try to engage directly (e.g., architecturally and spatially) the human aspiration these structures embody. Secondly, with the help of two literary masterpieces from the period, The Song of Roland and Tristan and Isolde, we will discover that the heart of the “monastic” challenge to our own era is not the common opposition of the medieval and modern worlds, but rather the recognition of the potential diminishment of “art” by an exclusively ratiocinated view of all reality. The tragic love affair of Eloise and Peter Abelard will dramatize a vital existential dilemma too easily forgotten that always (but especially in our time) threatens “art,” human compassion and spirituality. Our goal is to reclaim the poetic potential of the word “cathedral.” Two class meetings per week.

Requisite: One course in Art and the History of Art or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Upton.

253. Dutch and Flemish Painting (The Art of Beholding). (Offered as ARHA 253 and EUST 253). This course means to ask the question: What would it be like to engage with the paintings of Jan van Eyck, Roger van der Weyden, Hieronymous Bosch, Pieter Bruegel, Jan Vermeer and Rembrandt van Rijn as a consciously embodied person and to reclaim in such a direct encounter the rejuvenating powers of erôs, insight and wisdom residing within ourselves and in the art of works of art with which we would behold. In addition to reaffirming the practice of artistic contemplation for its own sake, “Dutch and Flemish Painting” will offer explicit guidance in both the means and the attitude of being that underlie and enable such beholding. In learning how to ‘behold’, our goal will be to allow a series of exemplary masterpieces including Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Double Portrait and the Ghent Alterpiece, Roger’s Portrait of a Lady, the Prado Deposition, and the Beaune Last Judgment; Bosch’s Death of a Miser; Brueghal’s Seasons; Vermeer’s Artist in his Studio and Portrait of a Girl with a Pearl Earring; Rembrandt’s Nightwatch and several intimate Self Portraits to open outward and implicate us in their human aspiration to wholeness. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Upton.

264. Don Quixote [RC]. (Offered as SPAN 364 and EUST 264.) A patient, careful reading of Cervantes’ masterpiece (published in 1605 and 1615), taking into consideration the biographical, historical, social, religious, and literary context from which it emerged during the Renaissance. The discussion will center on the novel’s structure, style, and durability as a classic and its impact on our understanding of ideas and emotions connected with the Enlightenment and its aftermath. Authors discussed in connection to the material include Erasmus of Rotterdam, Montaigne, Emerson, Tobias Smollett, Flaubert, Dostoyevsky, Unamuno, Nabokov, Borges, García Márquez, and Rushdie. Conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Stavans.

265. Forbidden. (Offered as EUST 265 and SPAN 382.) An exploration of forbidden behavior in diverse cultures from ancient times to the present. The course delves into the moral dilemma of the accepted and the rejected by analyzing concentric circles of power. Interdisciplinary in nature, the material will come from theology to government, from jurisprudence to medicine, from pedagogy to finances, from pornography to literature, from activism to computer hacking. It includes the Inquisitorial trails in fourteenth-century Spain, the orchestration of anti-Semitic propaganda under Nazism, the gulag in the Soviet Union, the public crimes during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, McCarthyism and the N.S.A. Contemporary books and movies discussed include Lawrence’s Women in Love, Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and the Harry Potter saga, as well as Last Tango in Paris and Deep Throat. Conducted in English.

Spring semester. Professor Stavans.

270. Hispanic Humor [RC]. (Offered as SPAN 375 and EUST 270) An exploration on humor from a theoretical and multidisciplinary perspective, taking into consideration psychological, biological, political, social, racial, religious, national, and economic factors. The central questions leading the analysis are: What is humor? How does one understand its various types? What is culturally restrictive about humor? What makes Hispanic humor unique? Distinctions between satire, parody, and hyperbole will be explored in the context of Spain, Latin America, and the United States, from the Middle Ages to contemporary popular culture. Samples analyzed come from myth (from Don Juan to Pedro de Urdemalas), literature (from Quevedo to Cabrera Infante), comics (from Mafalda to La Cucaracha), TV (from Chespirito to El Hormiguero), movies (from Cantinflas to Tin Tan), standup comedy (from George Lopez to Carlos Mencia), and language (from double entendres to Freudian slips.) This course will be conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212 or with consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Stavans.

271. Modern Architecture, Design, and the Built Environment. (Offered as ARHA 271, ARCH 271 and EUST 271.) This course considers architecture and design of the 19th and 20th centuries in light of contemporary disciplinary themes like space, globalization, and sustainability. In doing so, it strives to highlight the social, political, intellectual, and technological forces that have influenced (and continue to motivate) modern design. Key figures to be addressed include: Gottfried Semper, William Morris, Peter Behrens, Adolf Loos, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, Daniel Libeskind, Herzog and de Meuron, and Zaha Hadid. Two class meetings per week.

Requisite: EUST 216, EUST 364, a course in art history, studio art, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15.

273. Modernization, Modernity, and Modernism in Europe, 1848-1918. (Offered as ARHA 273 and EUST 273.) This course considers the dynamics of European Modernism between 1848 and 1918 in relation to processes of modernization, such as technological innovation, the advent of mass culture and spectacle, and socio-political change. In tracing the history of visual culture from the introduction of photography through the rise of cinema, we will address the work of Gustave Courbet, William Henry Fox Talbot, Edouard Manet, Camille Pissarro, Georges Méliès, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Vladimir Tatlin, and others.

Requisite: a course in art history, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15.

284. Women and Art in Early Modern Europe. (Offered as ARHA 284, EUST 284, and SWAG 206.) This course will examine the ways in which prevailing ideas about women and gender-shaped visual imagery, and how these images influenced ideas concerning women from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. It will adopt a comparative perspective, both by identifying regional differences among European nations and tracing changes over time. In addition to considering patronage of art by women and works by women artists, we will look at the depiction of women heroes such as Judith; the portrayal of women rulers, including Elizabeth I and Marie de’ Medici; and the imagery of rape. Topics emerging from these categories of art include biological theories about women; humanist defenses of women; the relationship between the exercise of political power and sexuality; differing attitudes toward women in Catholic and Protestant art; and feminine ideals of beauty.

Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Courtright.

294. Black Europe. (Offered as BLST 294 [D] and EUST 294.) This research-based seminar considers the enduring presence of people of African descent in Europe from the nineteenth century to the contemporary moment, a fact that both confounds and extends canonical theories of African diaspora and black internationalism. Focusing particularly on the histories of black people in Britain, Germany, and France, this course will take an interdisciplinary approach in its study of the African diaspora in Europe. We will examine literature, history, film, art and ephemera, as well as newly available pre-1927 audio recordings from Bear Family Records (http://www.black-europe.com/) in effort to better comprehend the materiality of the black European experience. These inquiries will enable us to comment upon the influence black people continue to have upon Europe today. Reading the central texts in the emerging field of Black European Studies—including African American expatriate memoirs, Afro-German feminist poetry, and black British cultural theory—student work will culminate in an annotated bibliography and a multimedia research project.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Polk.

303. Poetic Translation. This is a workshop in translating poetry into English, preferably from a Germanic, Slavic, or Romance language (including Latin, of course), whose aim is to produce good poems in English. Students will present first and subsequent drafts to the entire class for regular analysis, which will be fed by reference to readings in translation theory and contemporary translations from European languages. Advanced knowledge of the source language is required and experience with creative writing is welcome.

Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Professor Maraniss.

311. Birth of the Avant-Garde: Modern Poetry and Culture in France and Russia, 1870-1930. (Offered as EUST 311, FREN 364, and RUSS 311.) Between the mid-nineteenth century and the mid-twentieth century, poetry was revolutionized both in France and in Russia; nowhere else did the avant-garde proliferate more extravagantly. This class will focus on the key period in the emergence of literary modernity that began with Symbolism and culminated with Surrealism and Constructivism.

With the advent of modernism, the poem became a “global phenomenon” that circulated among different languages and different cultures, part of a process of cross-fertilization. An increasingly hybrid genre, avant-garde poetry went beyond its own boundaries by drawing into itself prose writing, philosophy, music, and the visual and performing arts. The relation between the artistic and the literary avant-garde will be an essential concern.

We will be reading Baudelaire, Rimbaud and the French Symbolists; the Russian Symbolists (Blok, Bely); Nietzsche; Apollinaire, Dada, and the Surrealists (Breton, Eluard, Desnos); and the Russian avant-garde poets (Mayakovsky, Khlebnikov, Tsvetaeva).

Our study of the arts will include Symbolism (Moreau, Redon); Fauvism (Matisse, Derain, Vlaminck); Cubism, Dada, and early Surrealism (Duchamp, Ernst, Dali, Artaud); the “World of Art” movement (Bakst, the Ballets Russes); Primitivism (Goncharova, Larionov); Suprematism (Malevich); and Constructivism (Tatlin, Rodchenko, El Lissitzky). The course will be taught in English. Students who read fluently in French and/or Russian will be encouraged to read the material in the original language.

Omitted 2014-15. Professors Ciepiela and L. Katsaros.

312. Spanish Detectives and the género negro. (Offered as SPAN 392 and EUST 312) The Spanish detective narrative has developed as a manifestation of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Spain’s confrontations with social and political chaos. Offering a critical examination of a genre that has both resided on and represented the margins of Spanish society, this course traces the rise of the Spanish género negro during and after the Franco dictatorship, through its arrival in recent years as a mainstream, exportable cultural phenomenon. Readings will consist of contemporary Spanish novels by authors such as Javier Marías and Antonio Muñoz Molina, critical approaches to the genre, and short narrative works from Latin America and the United States for a comparative perspective. Additional films and other media consisting of detective parodies, popular suspense tales, and new trends in historical investigation from Spain will also come under examination. Conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211, 212 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brenneis.

313. Serving the Tsars and the Party. (Offered as MUSI 442 and EUST 313.) Russian music has long been a staple of the repertory of “classical music” in the concert halls of the world, but the relationship of the seductive sounds of this music to the complex culture that produced it is rarely understood outside of Russia. This course examines connections between Russian culture and Russian music through in-depth analysis of individual works of music and reading of related canonic texts. Starting with the emergence of Russian nationalism and the nationally motivated myths of Pushkin and Glinka in the 1830s, we will critically assess the achievements of the Russian national school in music in the nineteenth century; explore the Western face of Russian art through the showcases of Diaghilev’s Russian Ballet in Paris in the first decades of the twentieth century; follow the cataclysmic changes in cultural politics after the October Revolution and their effect on music; and take a close look at musical politics during the years of Stalinist terror. Composers to be discussed include Glinka, Mussorgsky, Borodin, Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich. Fulfills either the departmental seminar requirement or the comprehensive exam requirement for the major.

Requisite: MUSI 242 or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Móricz.

332. Gender, Class, and Crime: the Victorian Underworld. (Offered as HIST 432 [EU] and EUST 332.) Victorian Britain was a nation of contrasts. It was at once the world’s foremost economic and imperial power, the richest nation in Europe, and the country where the consequences of industrialization—slums, poverty, disease, alcoholism, sexual violence—took some of their bleakest forms. In an era of revolution, Britain enjoyed one of the most stable political systems in Europe; yet it was also a society plagued by crime and by fears of popular unrest, the place where Marx predicted the worker’s revolt would begin. This seminar explores the complex world of the Victorians through a focus on what contemporaries termed the “social problem”: the underclass of criminals, paupers, and prostitutes who seemed immune to reform. Themes will include political liberalism and the Poor Law, imperialism at home and abroad, industrialization and urbanization, sanitation, hygiene, and disease control initiatives, shifting cultural understandings of gender and class, and Jack the Ripper. Students will be expected to write a research paper on a topic of their choice. One class meeting per week..

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Boucher.

335. European Migrations. (Offered as HIST 335 [EU] and EUST 335). By tracing the journeys of people into, across, and out of Europe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this course explores the role of migration in forging modern national, regional, and global identities. On one level, it analyzes the factors that have impelled groups of people to cross borders. On another, it examines how these migrations have changed the social landscape of Europe, serving both to forge and to challenge the divides of culture, religion, and nationhood. Topics will include: mass emigration and the rise of European imperialism; debates over “belonging” in the era of nation-building; the development of passports, visa restrictions, and quotas; the emergence of the categories of “refugee” and “asylum seeker”; forced migration and human trafficking; colonial and postcolonial immigration into Europe; and contestations over multiculturalism. Readings will relate to a variety of geographical locations, but with special emphasis on migration into and out of Britain, France, Germany, and their empires. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 35 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Boucher.

339. Defining the Modern: Russia Between Tsars and Communists. (Offered as HIST 439 [EU] and EUST 339) The course will explore a most intense and fascinating period in Russian history: the years 1890-1910. This period witnessed rapid urbanization and industrialization; the rise of professional and mass politics; first instances of modern terrorism and an intensification of nationalist struggles; imperialist ventures in Central Asia, Manchuria, and Korea; several revolutions and wars; and, above all, an unprecedented efflorescence of modernist culture in the late Russian Empire which was readily exported to and consumed in Europe. We will analyze these developments through a range of sources, including resources found at the Mead Art Museum. In addition to acquainting students with major developments in turn-of-the-century Russian Empire, the class will address contemporary scholarly debates that focus on concepts such as “modernity,” “self,” “discipline,” “knowledge,” “civil society,” and “nationalism.” Students will be required to complete an independent research paper. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Glebov.

340. Violence, Art, and Memory of the Spanish Civil War. (Offered as SPAN 340 and EUST 340.) The Spanish Civil War lasted only three years, from 1936 to 1939, yet the conflict cast a long shadow over Spain’s twentieth-century history, culture and identity. Indeed, the war’s effects were felt worldwide, and it became the inspiration for works of art and literature as varied as Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, Pablo Neruda’s España en el corazón, Guillermo del Toro’s El laberinto del fauno and Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls. This course will provide an introduction to the discord and violence of the war as well as to the anguish and catharsis of the stories, poems and films it inspired. Through primary sources and historical accounts, we will understand the causes of this fraternal war. By studying texts and films that track the reverberations of the Spanish Civil War in the United States, Latin America and Continental Europe, we will seek to understand how and why this historical moment has captivated artists and writers. In addition, we will grapple with the diverse ways that lingering memories of the war have affected modern-day Spanish politics and culture. Although readings will be in English and Spanish, this course will be conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211, 212 or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brenneis.

352. Proseminar: Images of Sickness and Healing. (Offered as ARHA 352, EUST 352 and SWAG 352.) In this research seminar, we will explore how sickness and healing were understood, taking examples over centuries. We will analyze attitudes toward bodies, sexuality, and deviance—toward physical and spiritual suffering—as we analyze dreams of cures and transcendence. We will interrogate works by artists such as Grünewald, Goya, Géricault, Munch, Ensor, Van Gogh, Schiele, Cornell and Picasso, as well as images by artists in our own time: Kiki Smith, the AIDS quilt, Nicolas Nixon, Hannah Wilke, and others. Texts by Edgar Allen Poe, Sander Gilman, Roy Porter, Susan Sontag, Thomas Laquer and Caroline Walker Bynum will inspire us as well. Significant research projects with presentations in class. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Staller.

354. War and Memory. (Offered as FREN 354 and EUST 354.) Through readings of short fiction, historical essays, drama and films, we study how the French have tried to come to terms with their role in World War II, both as individuals and as a nation. We will explore the various myths concerning French heroism and guilt, as well as the challenges to those myths, with particular attention paid to the way wartime memories have become a lightning rod for debate and discord in contemporary French culture and politics. No prior knowledge of the historical period of the war is necessary, but students of French history are welcome. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311, or equivalent. Fall semester. Professor Hewitt.

356. Baroque Art in Italy, France, Spain, and the Spanish Netherlands. (Offered as ARHA 356 and EUST 356.) After the canonization of the notion of artistic genius in the Italian Renaissance and the subsequent imaginative license of artists known as Mannerists, phenomena sponsored throughout Europe by the largesse of merchants, courtiers, aristocrats, princes, and Churchmen alike, a crisis occurred in European society—and art—in the second half of the sixteenth century. Overturned dogmas of faith, accompanied by scientific discoveries and brutal political changes, brought about the reconsideration of fundamental values that had undergirded many facets of life and society in Europe at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the starting point of this course. Unexpectedly, these upheavals led to a renewed proliferation of innovative art. In this century of remarkably varied artistic production, paradoxes abounded. Some artists sought the illusion of reality by imitating unimproved, even base nature through close observation of the human body, of landscape, and of ordinary, humble objects of daily use, as others continued to quest for perfection in a return to the lofty principles implicit in ancient artistic canons of ideality. More than ever before, artists explored the expression of passion through dramatic narratives and sharply revealing portraiture, but, famously, artists also imbued art meant to inspire religious devotion with unbounded eroticism or with the gory details of painful suffering and hideous death. They depicted dominating political leaders as flawed mortals—even satirized them through the new art of caricature—at the same time that they developed a potent and persuasive vocabulary for the expression of the rulers’ absolutist political power. This class, based on lectures but regularly incorporating discussion, will examine in depth selected works of painting, sculpture, and architecture produced by artists in the countries which remained Catholic after the religious discords of this period—e.g., Caravaggio, Bernini, Poussin, Velázquez, and Rubens in Italy, France, Spain, and the Spanish Netherlands—as well as engaging the cultural, social, and intellectual framework for their accomplishments. Upper level.

Requisite: One other course in art history or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Courtright.

360. Performance. (Offered as GERM 360, ARCH 360, EUST 360 and FAMS 316.) What is performance? What constitutes an event? How can we address a phenomenon that has disappeared the moment we apprehend it? How does memory operate in our critical perception of an event? How does a body make meaning? These are a few of the questions we will explore in this course, as we discuss critical, theoretical, and compositional approaches in a broad range of multidisciplinary performance phenomena emerging from European—primarily German—culture in the twentieth century. We will focus on issues of performativity, composition, conceptualization, dramaturgy, identity construction, representation, space, gender, and dynamism. Readings of performance theory, performance studies, gender studies, and critical/cultural studies, as well as literary, philosophical, and architectural texts will accompany close examination of performance material. Students will develop performative projects in various media (video, performance, text, online) and deliver a number of critical oral and written presentations on various aspects of the course material and their own projects. Performance material will be experienced live when possible, and in text, video, audio, digital media and online form, drawn from selected works of Dada and Surrealism, Bauhaus, German Expressionism, the Theater of the Absurd, Tanztheater, and Contemporary Theater, Performance, Dance, Opera, New Media, and Performance Art. A number of films, including Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, Oskar Schlemmer’s Das Triadische Ballett, Fernand Léger’s Ballet Mécanique, and Kurt Jooss’ Der Grüne Tisch, will be also screened. Conducted in English, with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gilpin.

363. Traumatic Events. (Offered as ARCH 363, GERM 363, EUST 363, and FAMS 370.) How is memory constructed and represented? How is it possible to bear witness, and what exactly is involved? Who is authorized to testify, to whom, when? Whose story is it? Is it possible to tell “the story” of a traumatic event? What are the disorders of testimony, and how and where do they emerge? This course will observe the workings of trauma (the enactment and working-through of collective and individual symptoms of trauma), memory, and witnessing in various modes of everyday life. We will examine notions of catastrophe, disaster, accident, and violence, and explore the possibilities and impossibilities of bearing witness in many forms of cultural production: in fiction, poetry, architecture, critical theory, oral and written testimonies, visual art, monuments, memorials, philosophy, science, cartoons, film, video, theater, television reportage, newspaper documentation, performance, online, and in our public and domestic spaces. We will study various representations of trauma, paying particular attention to events in Germany and Europe from the twentieth century, as well as to 9/11 and other recent international events. Material to be examined will be drawn from the work of Pina Bausch, Joseph Beuys, Christian Boltanski, Cathy Caruth, Paul Celan, Marguerite Duras, Peter Eisenman, Shoshana Felman, Florian Freund, Jochen Gerz, Geoffrey Hartman, Rebecca Horn, Marion Kant, Anselm Kiefer, Ruth Klüger, Dominick LaCapra, Claude Lanzmann, Dori Laub, Daniel Libeskind, W.G. Sebald, Art Spiegelman, Paul Virilio, Peter Weiss, Wim Wenders, Elie Wiesel, Christa Wolf, and others. Conducted in English with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Fall semester. Professor Gilpin.

364. Architectures of Disappearance. (Offered as GERM 364, ARCH 364, and EUST 364.) This course will address a number of developments and transformations in contemporary urban architecture and performance from an international perspective. We will explore issues including, but not limited to, trauma, memory, absence, perception, corporeality, representation, and the senses in our examination of recent work in Germany and elsewhere, and read a number of texts from the fields of philosophy, critical theory, performance studies, and visual and architectural studies, in an attempt to understand how architecture is beginning to develop compositional systems in which to envision dynamic and responsive spaces in specific cultural contexts. We will focus our research on the work of a number of German and international architects, performance, and new media artists, including Jochen Gerz, Renata Stih and Frieder Schnock, Horst Hoheisel, Micha Ullman, Shimon Attie, Daniel Libeskind, Peter Eisenman, Rem Koolhaas, Greg Lynn, Mark Goulthorpe, R & Sie(n), Axel Kilian, Paul Privitera, Hani Rashid and Lise-Ann Couture, Herzog and de Meuron, Archigram, William Forsythe, Jan Fabre, Rachel Whiteread, Rebecca Horn, Sasha Waltz, Richard Siegal, Michael Schumacher, Robert Wilson, the Blix Brothers of Berlin, Pina Bausch, Granular Synthesis, Sponge, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Toni Dove, and many others. Conducted in English, with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gilpin.

365. Making Memorials. (Offered as GERM 365 ARCH 365, and EUST 365.) This is a course about what happens to difficult memories: memories that are intensely personal, but made public, memories that belong to communities, but which become ideologically possessed by history, politics, or the media. How are memories processed into memorials? What constitutes a memorial? What gets included or excluded? How is memory performed in cultural objects, spaces, and institutions? What is the relationship between the politics of representation and memory? Who owns memory? Who is authorized to convey it? How does memory function? This course will explore the spaces in which memories are “preserved” and experienced. Our attention will focus on the transformation of private and public memories in works of architecture, performance, literature, and the visual arts primarily in Germany, Europe, and the United States. Preference given to German majors and European Studies majors, as well as to students interested in architecture/design, performance, the visual arts, interactive installation and/or the environment. Conducted in English, with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gilpin.

368. SPACE. (Offered as GERM 368, ARCH 368, EUST 368, and FAMS 373.) This research seminar will explore conceptions of space as they have informed and influenced thought and creativity in the fields of cultural studies, literature, architecture, urban studies, performance, and the visual, electronic, and time-based arts. Students will select and pursue a major semester-long research project early in the semester in consultation with the professor, and present their research in its various stages of development throughout the semester, in a variety of media formats (writing, performance, video, electronic art/interactive media, installation, online and networked events, architectural/design drawings/renderings), along with oral presentations of readings and other materials. Readings and visual materials will be drawn from the fields of literature and philosophy; from architectural, art, and film theory and history; from performance studies and performance theory; and from theories of technology and the natural and built environment. Emphasis on developing research, writing, and presentation skills is a core of this seminar.

Preference given to German majors and European Studies majors, as well as to students interested in architecture/design, performance, film/video, interactive installation, and/or the environment. Conducted in English. German majors will select a research project focused on a German Studies context, and will do a substantial portion of the readings in German.

Limited to 15 students. Enrollment requires attendance at the first class meeting. Spring semester. Professor Gilpin.

371. Music and Revolution: The Symphonies of Mahler and Shostakovich. (Offered as MUSI 422 and EUST 371.) Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) and Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) are arguably the two greatest symphonic composers after Beethoven. In this course we will compare and contrast their highly charged music and explore the eras in which they worked—for Mahler, imperial Vienna on the eve of World War I, and for Shostakovich, revolutionary Russia under the tyrannical reign of Joseph Stalin. The class will attend Mahler and Shostakovich performances in New York and Boston. Fulfills either the departmental seminar requirement or the comprehensive exam requirement for the major.

Requisite: MUSI 241 or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Kallick.

372. Culture and Politics in 20th-Century Europe. (Offered as POSC 372 [SC] and EUST 372.) This seminar discusses political and economic ideas and ideologies in 20th-century Europe. Some of the recurring themes are: nationalism; Marxism/socialism/communism; fascism; anti-Semitism; Catholicism and the role of the church in politics; existentialism; the expansion of liberalism and the collapse of Communism; the role of the U.S. and American culture in European societies; the “idea of Europe” and the reality of European integration; European identity and national identities. Seminar discussion is a free-wheeling mix of politics, economics and culture.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Tiersky.

373. Topics in European History: The Politics of Memory in Twentieth-Century Europe. (Offered as HIST 438 [EU] and EUST 373.) This course will explore the role of historical memory in the politics of twentieth-century Europe. It will examine how evolving memories of major historical events have been articulated and exploited in the political cultures of England, France, Germany, Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Union/Russia. Topics will include the politics of memory surrounding World Wars I and II, Vichy France, the Holocaust, Soviet Stalinism, and Eastern European communism. Seminar participants will also discuss general issues concerning collective memory: why societies remember and forget historical events, how collective memories resurface, the relationship between memory and authenticity, and the pitfalls of politicizing historical memory. Finally, seminar participants will analyze different sites of memory including film, ritual, monuments, legal proceedings, and state-sponsored cults. One class meeting per week.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 18 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Epstein.

374. Medieval and Renaissance Lyric. (Offered as ENGL 441 and EUST 374.) [before 1800] In this course, we read a selection of English and other European lyrics (in translation) from the twelfth through the seventeenth centuries. An exciting, fertile era in poetic innovation, these centuries see the dawn of the first romantic love poetry in these languages, the invention of new forms like the sonnet, and the invention of the lyric “anthology.” Reading the lyrics of the French troubadour poets, Chaucer, Petrarch, Wyatt, Donne, Shakespeare, and the many brilliant anonymous poets of medieval England, we will examine both the text and contexts of these short poems. Close readings will be put in dialogue with cultural contexts (such as the volatile court of Henry VIII, in which Thomas Wyatt wrote), and the material contexts of the lyrics (the medieval and early modern manuscripts and books in which they first appeared). We will further think about how the term “lyric” emerges as a privileged poetic category, by reading contemporary “defenses” of poetry and thinking about why the word “lyric” only appears in the sixteenth century. Does the “lyric” poem change once it is defined? How do later works speak to the earlier tradition?

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Nelson.

384. To Sculpt a Modern Woman’s Life. (Offered as ARHA 374, EUST 384, and SWAG 374.) We will revel in dramatically different works by women artists, from Magdalena Abakanowicz, Lynda Benglis and Louise Bourgeois, to Eva Hesse, Jeanne-Claude, Jenny Holzer, Rona Pondick, Doris Salcedo, Kiki Smith and Rachel Whiteread on down, as we explore how they created themselves through their work. As a foil, we will analyze the invented personas of Sarah Bernhardt and Madonna, as well as images of women by Renoir, Cézanne, Picasso, Magritte, de Kooning, Woody Allen, and Saura. While we will focus on original objects and primary texts (such as artists’ letters or interviews), we will also critique essays by current feminist scholars and by practitioners of “the new cultural his-tory,” in order to investigate possible models for understanding the relationship between a woman and her modern culture at large. Assignments will include a substantial research paper and at least one field trip.

Requisite: One course in modern art or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Staller.

385. Witches, Vampires and Other Monsters. (Offered as ARHA 385, EUST 385, and SWAG 310.) This course will explore the construction of the monstrous, over cultures, centuries and disciplines. With the greatest possible historical and cultural specificity, we will investigate the varied forms of monstrous creatures, their putative powers, and the explanations given for their existence-as we attempt to articulate the kindred qualities they share. Among the artists to be considered are Valdés Leal, Velázquez, Goya, Munch, Ensor, Redon, Nolde, Picasso, Dalí, Kiki Smith, and Cindy Sherman. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Staller.

390. Special Topics. Fall and spring semesters.

490. Special Topics. Fall and spring semesters.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. A full course.

Fall semester.

498D. Senior Departmental Honors. A double course.

Fall semester.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. A full course.

Spring semester.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors. A double course.

Spring semester.

Related Courses

Greek Mythology and Religion. See CLAS 121.

Greek Civilization. See CLAS 123.

Roman Civilization. See CLAS 124.

History of Rome: Origins and Republic. See CLAS 133.

Archaeology of Greece. See CLAS 134.

Sexuality and History in the Contemporary Novel. See ENGL 314.

Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales. See ENGL 332.

Renaissance Drama: The Places of Performance. See ENGL 336.

Shakespeare. See ENGL 338.

Major English Writers I. See ENGL 340.

Modern British Literature, 1900-1950. See ENGL 348.

Cultural History of France: From the Middle Ages to the Revolution. See FREN 311.

Literary Masks of the Late French Middle Ages. See FREN 320.

Amor and Metaphor in the Early French Middle Ages. See FREN 321.

Studies in Medieval Romance Literature and Culture. See FREN 324.

Humanism and the Renaissance. See FREN 327.

The Doing and Undoing of Genres in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. See FREN 330.

Lovers and Libertines. See FREN 335.

Worldliness and Otherworldliness. See FREN 339.

Women of Ill Repute: Prostitutes in Nineteenth-Century French Literature. See FREN 342.

Enfants Terribles: Childhood in Nineteenth-Century French Literature and Culture. See FREN 346.

France’s Identity Wars. See FREN 351.

Literature in French Outside Europe: Introduction to Francophone Studies. See FREN 353.

European Film. See FREN 361.

Toward the New Wave. See FREN 365.

German Cultural History to 1800. See GERM 315.

German Cultural History from 1800 to the Present. See GERM 316.

Berlin, Metropolis. See GERM 331.

Comedy and Humor. See GERM 333.

Weimar Cinema: The “Golden Age” of German Film. See GERM 347.

Rilke. See GERM 350.

Kafka, Brecht, and Thomas Mann. See GERM 352.

Greek Prose: Plato’s Apology. See GREE 212.

An Introduction to Greek Tragedy. See GREE 215.

Reading the New Testament. See GREE 217.

An Introduction to Greek Epic. See GREE 318.

Advanced Readings in Greek Literature I. See GREE 441.

Advanced Readings in Greek Literature II. See GREE 442.

World War II in Global Perspective. See HIST 101.

Spain and the Pacific World, 1571-1898. See HIST 208.

Disease and Doctors: An Introduction to the History of Western Medicine. See HIST 212.

Turning Points in the History of Science. See HIST 213.

Latin Literature: Catullus and the Lyric Spirit. See LATI 215.

Latin Literature in the Augustan Age. See LATI 316.

Advanced Readings in Latin Literature I. See LATI 441.

Law Between Plato and the Poets. See LJST 136.

Psychoanalysis and Law. See LJST 212.

Interpretation in Law and Literature. See LJST 341.

Law And War. See LJST 348.

Representing and Judging the Holocaust. See LJST 356.

Global Sound. See MUSI 124.

Creating Musical Drama. See MUSI 188.

Twentieth-Century Analysis. See MUSI 444.

Philosophical Questions. See PHIL 111.

Ancient Greek Philosophy. See PHIL 217.

Early Modern Philosophy. See PHIL 218.

Aesthetics. See PHIL 227.

Ethics. See PHIL 310.

Origins of Analytic Philosophy: Frege, Russell, and the Early Wittgenstein. See PHIL 360.

Kant. See PHIL 364.

Hume’s Masterpiece. See PHIL 367.

The Later Wittgenstein. See PHIL 463.

World Politics. See POSC 213.

The Political Theory of Globalization. See POSC 413.

Taking Marx Seriously. See POSC 415.

Personality and International Politics: Gorbachev, the End of the Cold War and the Collapse of the Soviet Union. See POSC 475.

Contemporary Political Theory. See POSC 480.

Memory. See PSYC 234.

Personality and Political Leadership. See PSYC 338.

Autobiographical Memory. See PSYC 368.

Introduction to Religion. See RELI 111.

The End of the World: Utopias and Dystopias. See RELI 122.

Prophecy, Wisdom, and Apocalyptic. See RELI 265.

History of Christianity—The Early Years. See RELI 275.

Christianity, Philosophy, and History in the Nineteenth Century. See RELI 278.

Liberation and Twentieth-Century Christian Thought. See RELI 279.

Folklore and the Bible. See RELI 362.

Close Readings: The Classics of Judaism and Christianity. See RELI 370.

The Secret Jesus. See RELI 372.

The Rise of the Russian Novel. See RUSS 211.

Survey of Russian Literature From Dostoevsky to Nabokov. See RUSS 212.

Century of Catastrophe: Soviet and Contemporary Russia in Literature and Film. See RUSS 213.

Strange Russian Writers: Gogol, Dostoevsky, Bulgakov, Nabokov, et al. See RUSS 217.

Seminar on One Writer: Vladimir Nabokov. See RUSS 225.

Fyodor Dostoevsky. See RUSS 227.

Tolstoy. See RUSS 228.

Russian Lives. See RUSS 232.

The Soviet Experience. See RUSS 234.

Russian and Soviet Film. See RUSS 241.

Advanced Studies in Russian Literature and Culture I. See RUSS 401.

Foundations of Sociological Theory. See SOCI 315.

Strange Girls: Spanish Women’s Voices. See SPAN 232.

Golden Age Literature. See SPAN 316.

Generations of 1898 and 1927. See SPAN 320.

Postwar Spain and the Novel. See SPAN 389.

Materials of Theater. See THDA 112.

Film and Media Studies

*On leave 2014-15.

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Affiliated Faculty: Professors Couvares, Drabinski, Hastie‡ (Chair, fall semester), Kimball, Maraniss, Rogowski (Chair, spring semester), Sarat, Umphrey, and Woodson‡; Associate Professors Brenneis*, Engelhardt*, Gilpin, Parham, Van Compernolle, and Wolfson‡; Assistant Professors Levine, Robinson, and Shandilya; Five College Associate Professor Hillman; Visiting Assistant Professors Brennan, Pritchett, and Tierney; Professor Emeritus Cameron.

Contributing Faculty: Professors Caplan‡, Gewertz*, Hewitt‡, Keller*, and Rosbottom; Professor Emeritus Reck.

The Film and Media Studies Program situates the study and practice of the moving image in its aesthetic, technical, and socio-cultural dimensions within a wider history of media. The program integrates formal, historical and theoretical analysis with various forms of creative and production experience in its required core courses. In courses in Critical Studies and Production, we explore the practice of constructing moving images through considerations of narrative, non-narrative and experimental structures, camera motion, editing techniques, music and sound design, mise-en-scène, and digital technologies. The dual emphasis on study and practice allows the historical, theoretical, compositional, and aesthetic issues to illuminate each other and thus to allow students to engage with both the depth and breadth of media production and analysis. The program interfaces with a variety of disciplines across the Liberal Arts spectrum, such as philosophy, social and literary theory, area studies, language study, visual culture, theater and dance, anthropology, computer science, and gender studies.

Major Program. The Film and Media Studies (FAMS) major requires four core courses, a minimum of five additional courses (electives) from a variety of related disciplines that reflect each student’s individual academic and creative interests, and a two-semester thesis project. The FAMS major is framed by three foundations courses: Foundations in Critical Media Studies (e.g. “Coming to Terms: Cinema” and “Knowing Television”), Foundations in Production (an introductory production workshop), and a Foundations in Integrated Media Practices. Foundations courses in Critical Media Studies and Production will serve as the prerequisites for the Foundations in Integrated Media Practices, which will be a team-taught course, and which FAMS majors should ideally complete by the end of their junior year. Majors will also be required to take at least one FAMS seminar in their junior or senior year. In addition, students will take at least five other courses as electives, including at least one course at one of the other Five Colleges. The FAMS program grants wide scope to students for creating an individualized program of study. When declaring the major, each student is required to make a contract for his or her program with the Faculty Committee on Film and Media Studies (which will function as a review board), as represented and coordinated by the Chair. Each student’s progress towards the completion of the contract will then be assessed, over the following semesters, by two faculty advisors from different departments appointed by the Committee.

110. Film and Writing. (Offered as ENGL 180 and FAMS 110.) A first course in reading films and writing about them. A varied selection of films for study and criticism, partly to illustrate the main elements of film language and partly to pose challenging texts for reading and writing. Frequent short papers. Two 80-minute class meetings and two screenings per week.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester: Dean’s Faculty Fellow Cornett. Spring semester: Visiting Professor Pritchett.

210. Coming to Terms: Cinema. (Offered as ENGL 280 and FAMS 210.) An introduction to cinema studies through consideration of a few critical and descriptive terms, together with a selection of various films (classic and contemporary, foreign and American) for illustration and discussion. The terms for discussion will include, among others: the cinematic image, mise en scène, montage and editing, narration in cinema, genre, authorship. Frequent critical writing required.

Limited to 35 students. Omitted 2014-15.

213. Knowing Cinema. Soviet filmmaker Dziga Vertov claimed that the movie camera is different from, even superior to, human vision and thus allows us to see in new ways. Many others have echoed this idea about cinema’s powerful impact on our ways of seeing and knowing the world. As an introduction to the study of cinema, this course cultivates in students what Vertov called “the Kino-eye.” Our emphasis will be on narrative film, but with some attention paid to experimental, documentary, and animated works as well. This course treats cinema as an international art form: we will examine a wide range of films from many countries over the past century and more. Through exposure to the great variety of filmmaking and writing about film around the world, from the silent era to the digital revolution, students will receive a comprehensive introduction to the key formal features of film and to the major debates that inform film studies.

Limited to 35 students. Fall semester. Professor Van Compernolle.

215. Knowing Television. (Offered as ENGL 282 and FAMS 215.) For better or worse, U.S. broadcast television is a cultural form that is not commonly associated with knowledge. This course will take what might seem a radical counter-position to such assumptions—looking at the ways television teaches us what it is and even trains us in potential critical practices for investigating it. By considering its formal structure, its textual definitions, and the means through which we see it, we will map out how it is that we come to know television.

Prior coursework in Film and Media Studies is recommended, but not required. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hastie.

220. Foundations and Integrations: Film and Media Studies. (Offered as ENGL 281, FAMS 220, and ARHA 272.) “Foundations and Integrations” will be an annual team-taught course between a Critical Studies scholar and moving-image artist. A requirement of the Film and Media Studies major, it will build on critical analysis of moving images and introductory production work to develop an integrated critical and creative practice. Focused in particular around themes and concepts, students will develop ideas in both written and visual form. The theme for spring 2013 will be “Film and Inner Life.”

Requisites: A foundations course in Critical Studies of Film and Media (such as “Coming to Terms: Cinema”) and an introductory film/video production workshop. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hastie.

221. Foundations in Moving Image Production. (Offered as ARHA 221 and FAMS 221) This introductory course is designed for students with no prior experience in moving image production. The aim is both technical and creative. We will begin with the literal foundation of the moving image—the frame—before moving through shot and scene construction, lighting, sound-image concepts and final edit. In addition to instruction in production equipment and facilities, the course will also explore cinematic form and structure through weekly readings, screenings and discussion. Each student will complete a series of exercises, a collaborative project and a final video assignment. Two 2-hour classes a week (one workshop/seminar and one lecture/screening).

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Fall semester. Professor Levine.

222. Production Workshop in the Moving Image. (Offered as ENGL 289 and FAMS 222.) The topic changes each time the course is taught. In spring 2013 the topic was “Production Foundations: Image and Sound.” What is the relationship between image and sound in video? How does listening affect what we see and imagine? This class will cover the technical and aesthetic fundamentals of video production including composition, framing, camera movement, lighting, audio recording, and digital editing using Final Cut Pro. Sonic expression will play a leading role in our exploration of video production and interpretation. The art of audio and the function of sound for the screen will be considered through hands-on exercises, screenings, readings, and discussion. Students will create non-fiction and narrative videos with dynamic employments of sound as we develop a critical vocabulary of the audiovisual medium. One three-hour class meeting and one film screening per week.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Please complete the questionnaire at https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments
/english/major/course_applications. Omitted 2014-15.

225. Image, Movement, Sound. (Offered as ARHA 225 and FAMS 225.) This course is a hands-on, in-depth exploration of the formal elements of moving images and sound. We will begin with a study of the camera, and, through in-class projects and individual assignments, we will explore framing and composition; light, color and texture; camera movement and rhythm; editing and relationships between image and sound. We will approach set-up and documentary situations from a variety of formal and conceptual perspectives. We will consider all equipment not simply as technology, but as creative tools to be explored and manipulated. Our goal is to make the camera an extension of our eyes and minds, to learn to see and think about the world around us through moving images and sound. An individual final video project will give students the opportunity to bring the concepts explored throughout the term into a work with an expressive, cohesive cinematic language. In Scenario du Film Passion, Jean-Luc Godard expresses his desire to turn a camera movement into a prayer. It is this profound engagement with the world and intense, thoughtful consideration of the medium that we seek to achieve.

Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15.

227. The Film Portrait. (Offered as ARHA 227 and FAMS 227) This introductory production workshop focuses on the history and practice of film and video portraiture. The class will begin by considering the portrait’s origins in figurative art and still photography before identifying the ways in which the film portrait uses strategies unique to the moving image to convey character and meaning. We will then trace the development of the genre while also considering its intersections with narrative, documentary and experimental film.

The aim of the course is both analytic and creative. We will be looking at a variety of approaches and issues related to portraiture in an attempt to develop both common and contested definitions that can be applied to our own filmmaking practice. Each student will complete in-class exercises and individual video projects that seek to reveal the nature of people, places and objects through sound and image. The class will also cover the fundamentals of cinematography, lighting, audio recording and editing and discuss how these technological considerations influence the portrayal of a subject.

Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Levine.

228. Introduction to Super 8 Film and Digital Video. (Offered as ENGL 287 and FAMS 228.) This course will introduce students to basic Super 8 film and digital video techniques. The course will include workshops in shooting for film and video, Super 8 film editing, Final Cut Pro video editing, lighting, stop motion animation, sound recording and mixing. Students will learn to think about and look critically at the moving and still image. Students will complete three moving image projects, including one Super 8 film, one video project, and one mixed media project. Weekly screenings will introduce students to a wide range of approaches to editing, writing, and directing in experimental, documentary, narrative, and hybrid cinematic forms. Screenings include works by Martha Rosler, Bill Viola, the Yes Men, Jennifer Reeves, Mona Hatoum, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Dziga Vertov, D.A. Pennebaker, Jean-Pierre Gorin, Cécile Fontaine, and Johanna Vaude.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Please complete the questionnaire at https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/film/forms_question. Limited to 13 students. Spring semester. Five College Professor Hillman.

240. Screenwriting. (Offered as ENGL 388 and FAMS 240.) A first workshop in narrative screenwriting. Through frequent exercises, readings, and screenings we will explore the fundamentals of scene and story shape as they’re practiced in mainstream commercial filmmaking, while taking a broader look at what a screenplay might be outside of that world. In the process, we’ll juxtapose two modes of writing that are not mutually exclusive but are often at odds with each other, both historically (within the industry) and aesthetically: the well-established craft of three-act screenwriting, on the one hand, and the more elastic possibilities of the audio-visual medium as exemplified by the art film, on the other. One class meeting per week.

Requisites: Two classes from any of the following categories in any combination: critical studies of film and media; film/video production; creative writing workshops (fiction or non-fiction); playwriting; photography or drawing courses. Preference will be given to English, Film and Media Studies, and Art majors. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15.

310. Global Sound. (Offered as MUSI 124 and FAMS 310.) This course explores the global scale of much music-making and musical consumption today. Migration, diaspora, war, tourism, postsocialist and postcolonial change, commerce, and digital technology have all profoundly reshaped the way musics are created, circulated, and consumed. These forces have also illuminated important ethical, legal, and aesthetic issues concerning intellectual property rights and the nature of musical authorship, the appropriation of “traditional” musics by elites in the global North, and local musical responses to transnational music industries, for instance. Through a series of case studies that will include performances and workshops by visiting musicians, Global Sound will examine how musics animate processes of globalization and how globalization affects musics by establishing new social, cultural, and economic formations. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Engelhardt.

312. Pioneer Valley Soundscapes. (Offered as MUSI 238 and FAMS 312.) This course is about exploring, participating in, and documenting the musical communities and acoustic terrain of the Pioneer Valley. The first part of the course will focus on local histories and music scenes, ethnographic methods and technologies, and different techniques of representation. The second part of the course will involve intensive, sustained engagement with musicians and sounds in the Pioneer Valley. Course participants will give weekly updates about their fieldwork projects and are expected to become well-versed in the musics they are studying. There will be a significant amount of work and travel outside of class meetings. The course will culminate in contributions to a web-based documentary archive of Pioneer Valley soundscapes. We will also benefit from visits and interaction with local musicians. Two class meetings per week.

Requisite: MUSI 111, 112, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Fall semester. Visiting Professor Mendonca.

313. The Soviet Experience. (Offered as RUSS 234 and FAMS 313.) With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the great utopian experiment of the 20th century—a radical attempt to reorganize society in accordance with rational principles—came to an end. This course explores the dramatic history of that experiment from the perspective of those whose lives were deeply affected by the social upheavals it brought about. We begin by examining the early visions of the new social order and attempts to restructure the living practices of the Soviet citizens by reshaping the concepts of time, space, family, and, ultimately, redefining the meaning of being human. We then look at how “the new human being” of the 1920s is transformed into the “new Soviet person” of the Stalinist society, focusing on the central cultural and ideological myths of Stalinism and their place in everyday life, especially as they relate to the experience of state terror and war. Finally, we investigate the notion of “life after Stalin,” and consider the role of already familiar utopian motifs in the development of post-Stalinist and post-Soviet ways of imagining self, culture, and society. The course uses a variety of materials—from primary documents, public or official (architectural and theatrical designs, political propaganda, transcripts of trials, government meetings, and interrogations) and intimate (diaries and letters), to works of art (novels, films, stage productions, paintings), documentary accounts (on film and in print), and contemporary scholarship (from the fields of literary and cultural studies, history and anthropology). No previous knowledge of Soviet or Russian history or culture is required; course conducted in English, and all readings are in translation. Students who read Russian will be given special assignments.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15.

316. Performance. (Offered as GERM 360, ARCH 360, EUST 360 and FAMS 316.) What is performance? What constitutes an event? How can we address a phenomenon that has disappeared the moment we apprehend it? How does memory operate in our critical perception of an event? How does a body make meaning? These are a few of the questions we will explore in this course, as we discuss critical, theoretical, and compositional approaches in a broad range of multidisciplinary performance phenomena emerging from European—primarily German—culture in the twentieth century. We will focus on issues of performativity, composition, conceptualization, dramaturgy, identity construction, representation, space, gender, and dynamism. Readings of performance theory, performance studies, gender studies, and critical/cultural studies, as well as literary, philosophical, and architectural texts will accompany close examination of performance material. Students will develop performative projects in various media (video, performance, text, online) and deliver a number of critical oral and written presentations on various aspects of the course material and their own projects. Performance material will be experienced live when possible, and in text, video, audio, digital media and online form, drawn from selected works of Dada and Surrealism, Bauhaus, German Expressionism, the Theater of the Absurd, Tanztheater, and Contemporary Theater, Performance, Dance, Opera, New Media, and Performance Art. A number of films, including Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, Oskar Schlemmer’s Das Triadische Ballett, Fernand Léger’s Ballet Mécanique, and Kurt Jooss’ Der Grüne Tisch, will be also screened. Conducted in English, with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gilpin.

320. Japan on Screen. (Offered as ASLC 234 [J] and FAMS 320.) Is the concept of national cinema useful in the age of globalization? Given the international nature of cinema at its inception, was it ever a valid concept? In this course, we will consider how the nation is represented on screen as we survey the history of film culture in Japan, from the very first film footage shot in the country in 1897, through the golden age of studio cinema in the 1950s, to important independent filmmakers working today. While testing different theories of national, local, and world cinema, we will investigate the Japanese film as a narrative art, as a formal construct, and as a participant in larger aesthetic and social contexts. This course includes the major genres of Japanese film and influential schools and movements. Students will also learn and get extensive practice using the vocabulary of the discipline of film studies. This course assumes no prior knowledge of Japan or Japanese, and all films have English subtitles.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Van Compernolle.

321. Russian and Soviet Film. (Offered as RUSS 241 and FAMS 321.) Lenin declared “For us, cinema is the most important art,” and the young Bolshevik regime threw its support behind a brilliant group of film pioneers (Eisenstein, Vertov, Kuleshov, Pudovkin, Dovzhenko) who worked out the fundamentals of film language. Under Stalin, historical epics and musical comedies, not unlike those produced in 1930s Hollywood, became the favored genres. The innovative Soviet directors of the 1960s and 1970s (Tarkovsky, Parajanov, Abuladze, Muratova) moved away from politics and even narrative toward “film poetry.” Post-Soviet Russian cinema has struggled to define a new identity, and may finally be succeeding. This course will introduce the student to the great Russian and Soviet film tradition. Conducted in English. Two class meetings and one or two required screenings a week.

Spring semester. Professor Wolfson.

322. South Asian Feminist Cinema. (Offered as SWAG 469, ASLC 452 [SA], and FAMS 322.) How do we define the word “feminism”? Can the term be used to define cinematic texts outside the Euro-American world? In this course we will study a range of issues that have been integral to feminist theory—the body, domesticity, same sex desire, gendered constructions of the nation, feminist utopias and dystopias—through a range of South Asian cinematic texts. Through our viewings and readings we will consider whether the term “feminist” can be applied to these texts, and we will experiment with new theoretical lenses for exploring these films. Films will range from Satyajit Ray’s classic masterpiece Charulata to Gurinder Chadha’s trendy diasporic film, Bend It Like Beckham. Attendance for screenings on Monday is compulsory.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Shandilya.

323. Weimar Cinema: The “Golden Age” of German Film. (Offered as GERM 347 and FAMS 323.) This course examines the German contribution to the emergence of film as both a distinctly modern art form and as a product of mass culture. The international success of Robert Wiene’s Expressionist phantasmagoria, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), heralded the beginning of a period of unparalleled artistic exploration, prior to the advent of Hitler, during which the ground was laid for many of the filmic genres familiar today: horror film (F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu), detective thriller (Fritz Lang’s M), satirical comedy (Ernst Lubitsch’s The Oyster Princess), psychological drama (G.W. Pabst’s Pandora’s Box), science fiction (Lang’s Metropolis), social melodrama (Pabst’s The Joyless Street), historical costume film (Lubitsch’s Passion), political propaganda (Slatan Dudow’s Kuhle Wampe), anti-war epic (Pabst’s Westfront 1918), a documentary montage (Walther Ruttmann’s Berlin—Symphony of a Big City), and the distinctly German genre of the “mountain film” (Leni Riefenstahl’s The Blue Light). Readings, including Siegried Kracauer, Walter Benjamin, Lotte H. Eisner, Béla Balázs, and Rudolf Arnheim, will address questions of technology and modernity, gender relations after World War I, the intersection of politics and film, and the impact of German and Austrian exiles on Hollywood. Conducted in English, with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Spring semester. Professor Rogowski.

327. Toward the New Wave. (Offered as FREN 365 and FAMS 327.) The class will study films from the French New Wave (1959-63), as well as earlier French films that influenced many New Wave directors. These films will include: Jean-Luc Godard’s A bout de souffle, Vivre sa vie, and Le Mépris; Alain Resnais’ Hiroshima Mon Amour and L’annee dernière à Marienbad; Les 400 Coups by François Truffaut and Agnès Varda’s Cléo de 5 à 7, as well as Zero de conduite and L’Atalante by Jean Vigo; Boudu sauvé des eaux, La Grande Illusion and La Règle du jeu by Jean Renoir; Jean-Pierre Melville’s Bob le flambeur; and Robert Bresson’s Un Condamné à mort s’est echappé. This course will also provide basic training in the analysis of films. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311, or equivalent. Fall semester. Professor Caplan.

328. Representation and Reality in Spanish Cinema. (Offered as SPAN 236, EUST 232 and FAMS 328.) Once severely constrained by dictator Francisco Franco’s censorship laws and rarely exported beyond the country’s borders, Spanish film has been transformed into an internationally-known cinema in the last decades. This course offers a critical overview of Spanish film from 1950 to the present, examining how Spain’s culture and society are imagined onscreen by directors such as Berlanga, Erice, Bollaín, and Almodóvar. Students will analyze works of Spanish cinema alongside theoretical and critical texts, exploring such topics as gendered roles in contemporary society, immigration, globalization, censorship, and experiences of war and violence. We will also track the sociological, cultural, and political forces inside Spain that have inspired such cinematic representations. This course provides an introduction to visual analysis and critical writing about film and will be conducted in English. Students are expected to attend weekly screenings where films will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles. Spanish majors who wish to count this course toward fulfillment of requirements will be asked to write papers in Spanish.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brenneis.

341. Video Production: Bodies in Motion. (Offered as THDA 250 and FAMS 341.) This studio production class will focus on multiple ways of tracking, viewing, and capturing bodies in motion. The course will emphasize working with the camera as an extension of the body to explore radically different points of view and senses of focus. We will experiment with different techniques and different kinds of bodies (human, animal, and object) to bring a heightened awareness of kinesthetic involvement, animation and emotional immediacy to the bodies on screen and behind the camera. In addition, we will interject and follow bodies into different perceptions of time, progression, place and relationship. In the process, we will express various experiences and theories of embodiment and question what constitutes a body. Depending on student interests, final projects can range from choreographies for the camera to fictional narratives to documentary studies. The class will alternate between camera sessions, both in the studio and on location, and sessions in the editing suite working with Final Cut Pro.

Requisite: Previous experience in composition. Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Woodson.

343. Lost and Found: Appropriated, Recycled and Reclaimed Images. (Offered as ARHA 343 and FAMS 343) From the found-footage experiments of the avant-garde to the digital remixes of the networked age, artists have used pre-existing material to question the ideologies of dominant media, explore technological possibilities and play situationist pranks. With the advent of file-sharing platforms, streaming video and cheap DVDs, we live in an era dominated by what Hito Steyerl calls “the poor image”—low resolution, second- or third-generation images whose quality has been sacrificed for accessibility. The availability of this material has allowed artists to work economically and to borrow the aesthetics of cinema and television for their own purposes, but it also foregrounds many problematic questions of authorship and ownership.

This course is a hands-on investigation into the practice of recycling, recontextualizing and remixing moving images. We will screen found-footage work, collage films and remakes in addition to discussing readings by filmmakers, artists and theorists that will provide ideas and models for our own production. The class will also review the fundamentals of editing as we create projects both entirely from found material and in combination with our own footage. Two 2-hour classes per week (one seminar/critique and one lecture/screening).

Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Professor Levine.

345. Performance Studio. (Offered as THDA 353 and FAMS 345.) An advanced course in the techniques of creating performance. Each student will create and rehearse a performance piece that develops and incorporates original choreography, text, music, sound and/or video. Experimental and collaborative structures and approaches among and within different media will be stressed. The final performance pieces and events will be presented in the Holden Theater. Can be taken more than once for credit.

Requisite: THDA 252 or the equivalent and consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Woodson.

351. Cinema and Everyday Life. (Offered as ENGL 381 and FAMS 351.) Film theorist Siegfried Kracauer declared that some of the first films showed “life at its least controllable and most unconscious moments, a jumble of transient, forever dissolving patterns accessible only to the camera.” This course will explore the ways contemporary narrative films aesthetically represent everyday life—capturing both its transience and our everyday ruminations. We will further consider the ways we incorporate film into our everyday lives through various modes of viewings (the arthouse, the multiplex, the DVD, the mp3), our means of perception, and in the kinds of souvenirs we keep. We will look at films by Chantal Akerman, Robert Altman, Marleen Gorris, Hirokazu Koreeda, Marzieh Makhmalbaf, Terrence Malick, Lynne Ramsay, Tsai Ming-liang, Agnès Varda, Wong Kar-wai, and Andy Warhol. Readings will include work by Roland Barthes, Walter Benjamin, Marlene Dietrich, Sigmund Freud, and various works in film and media studies. Two class meetings and one screening per week.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hastie.

353. A Decade Under the Influence: U.S. Film of the 1970s. (Offered as ENGL 373 and FAMS 353.) U.S. film in the 1970s was evident of tremendous aesthetic and economic innovation. Rife with but not limited to conspiracy, disaster, love and war, 1970s popular films range from the counter-cultural to the commercial, the independent to the industrial. Thus, while American cinema of the first half of the decade is known as the work of groundbreaking independent “auteurs,” the second half of the decade witnessed an industrial transformation through the emergence of the giant blockbuster hit. With a focus on cultural and historical factors shaping filmmaking and film-going practices and with close attention to film form, this course will explore thematic threads, directors, stars, and genres that emerged and developed during the decade. While the course will largely focus on mainstream film, we will set this work in some relation to other movements of the era: blaxploitation, comic parodies, documentary, and New American Cinema. Two class meetings and one screening per week.

Prior coursework in Film and Media Studies is recommended but not required. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hastie.

358. Spike Lee’s Joints. (Offered as ENGL 374, BLST 330 [US], and FAMS 358.) In offering extended formal considerations of Spike Lee’s cinematic oeuvre—in particular his uses of light, sound, and color—this course is interested in how shifting through various modes of critical inquiry can enable or broaden different kinds of cultural, political, or historical engagement with a film. This semester we will also pay special attention to the question of what it means to encapsulate a particular cultural moment, particularly vis-à-vis the often differing demands of fictional and non-fictional representation.

Omitted 2014-15. Professors Parham and Drabinski.

368. SPACE. (Offered as GERM 368, ARCH 368, EUST 368, and FAMS 373.) This research seminar will explore conceptions of space as they have informed and influenced thought and creativity in the fields of cultural studies, literature, architecture, urban studies, performance, and the visual, electronic, and time-based arts. Students will select and pursue a major semester-long research project early in the semester in consultation with the professor, and present their research in its various stages of development throughout the semester, in a variety of media formats (writing, performance, video, electronic art/interactive media, installation, online and networked events, architectural/design drawings/renderings), along with oral presentations of readings and other materials. Readings and visual materials will be drawn from the fields of literature and philosophy; from architectural, art, and film theory and history; from performance studies and performance theory; and from theories of technology and the natural and built environment. Emphasis on developing research, writing, and presentation skills is a core of this seminar.

Preference given to German majors and European Studies majors, as well as to students interested in architecture/design, performance, film/video, interactive installation, and/or the environment. Conducted in English. German majors will select a research project focused on a German Studies context, and will do a substantial portion of the readings in German.

Limited to 15 students. Enrollment requires attendance at the first class meeting. Spring semester. Professor Gilpin.

370. Traumatic Events. (Offered as ARCH 363, GERM 363, EUST 363, and FAMS 370.) How is memory constructed and represented? How is it possible to bear witness, and what exactly is involved? Who is authorized to testify, to whom, when? Whose story is it? Is it possible to tell “the story” of a traumatic event? What are the disorders of testimony, and how and where do they emerge? This course will observe the workings of trauma (the enactment and working-through of collective and individual symptoms of trauma), memory, and witnessing in various modes of everyday life. We will examine notions of catastrophe, disaster, accident, and violence, and explore the possibilities and impossibilities of bearing witness in many forms of cultural production: in fiction, poetry, architecture, critical theory, oral and written testimonies, visual art, monuments, memorials, philosophy, science, cartoons, film, video, theater, television reportage, newspaper documentation, performance, online, and in our public and domestic spaces. We will study various representations of trauma, paying particular attention to events in Germany and Europe from the twentieth century, as well as to 9/11 and other recent international events. Material to be examined will be drawn from the work of Pina Bausch, Joseph Beuys, Christian Boltanski, Cathy Caruth, Paul Celan, Marguerite Duras, Peter Eisenman, Shoshana Felman, Florian Freund, Jochen Gerz, Geoffrey Hartman, Rebecca Horn, Marion Kant, Anselm Kiefer, Ruth Klüger, Dominick LaCapra, Claude Lanzmann, Dori Laub, Daniel Libeskind, W.G. Sebald, Art Spiegelman, Paul Virilio, Peter Weiss, Wim Wenders, Elie Wiesel, Christa Wolf, and others. Conducted in English with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Fall semester. Professor Gilpin.

371. Film, Myth, and the Law. (Offered as LJST 225 and FAMS 371.) The proliferation of law in film and on television has expanded the sphere of legal life itself. Law lives in images that today saturate our culture and have a power all their own, and the moving image provides a domain in which legal power operates independently of law’s formal institutions. This course will consider what happens when legal events are re-narrated in film and examine film’s treatment of legal officials, events, and institutions (e.g., police, lawyers, judges, trials, executions, prisons). Does film open up new possibilities of judgment, model new modes of interpretation, and provide new insights into law’s violence? We will discuss ways in which myths about law are reproduced and contested in film. Moreover, attending to the visual dimensions of law’s imagined lives, we ask whether law provides a template for film spectatorship, positioning viewers as detectives and as jurors, and whether film, in turn, sponsors a distinctive visual aesthetics of law. Among the films we may consider are Inherit the Wind, Call Northside 777, Judgment at Nuremberg, Rear Window, Silence of the Lambs, A Question of Silence, The Sweet Hereafter, Dead Man Walking, Basic Instinct, and Unforgiven. Throughout we will draw upon film theory and criticism as well as the scholarly literature on law, myth, and film.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15.

374. Reading Popular Culture: Girl Power. (Offered as ENGL 271, BLST 332 [US], FAMS 374, and SWAG 271.) Girl Power is the pop-culture term for what some commentators have also dubbed “postfeminism.” The 1990s saw a dramatic transformation in cultural representations of women’s relationships to their own sense of power. But did this still rising phenomenon of “women who kick ass” come at a cost? Might such representations signify genuine reassessments of some of the intersections between gender, power, and the individual? Or are they, at best, superficial appropriations of what had otherwise been historically construed as male power? With such questions in mind, this class will teach students to use theoretical and primary texts to research, assess, and critique contemporary popular culture. Each student will also be trained to produce a critical multimedia project. One class meeting per week, which includes a 135-minute seminar and a 60-minute workshop and lab.

Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Parham.

375. Jazz Film: Improvisation, Narrativity, and Representation. (Offered as MUSI 225 and FAMS 375.) Jazz occupies a special role in the development of American film. From The Jazz Singer (1927), the first American film that included synchronized sound, to the sprawling Jazz: A Documentary by Ken Burns (2001), filmic representations of jazz speak to fundamental ways that Americans negotiate difference and imagine national identity. This course examines the relationship between jazz and American culture through three modalities: improvisation, narrativity, and representation. How might jazz improvisation influence the construction of film? Is there an “improvised film”? Moreover, jazz musicians often speak about “telling stories” through their music. How might this influence narrative structure in film and inform the ways that stories about jazz musicians are constructed in film? And how might these stories about jazz musicians reflect larger debates about race, gender, sexuality and nationality? Assignments will include guided viewing of several important jazz films, required reading, and a series of essays.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Robinson.

376. Introduction to Music and Film. (Offered as MUSI 122 and FAMS 376) Introduction to Music and Film acquaints students with the primary concepts and methods used in contemporary scholarship on film music. Through a combination of readings, in-class discussion, and outside film screenings, students will gain skill in the analysis and interpretation of films with special focus on the contributions of sound to the cinematic experience. In addition, the selection of films for study will familiarize students with a broad range of film genres and styles. The course is designed to be welcoming to non-majors, and knowledge of musical notation and technical vocabulary in music or film is not required to enroll.

Limited to 40 students. Omitted 2014-15.

378. Visual Anthropology. (Offered as ANTH 241 and FAMS 378.) This course will explore and evaluate various visual genres, including photography, ethnographic film and museum presentation as modes of anthropological analysis—as media of communication facilitating cross-cultural understanding. Among the topics to be examined are the ethics of observation, the politics of artifact collection and display, the dilemma of representing non-Western “others” through Western media, and the challenge of interpreting indigenously produced visual depictions of “self” and “other.”

Requisite: ANTH 110. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gewertz.

426. Feminism and Film: A Study of Practice and Theory. (Offered as ENGL 483, FAMS 426, and SWAG 483.) This seminar will be devoted to the study of feminism and film, considering the ways feminism has shaped both film theory and film practice. Though focusing in large part on post-1968 writings, which largely ushered in semiotic, psychoanalytic, and feminist theory to film studies, we will also consider early writings by women from the 1910s-1950s in a range of venues—from fan magazines to film journals—that developed points of view regarding women’s practices as both artists and audience members. We will also consider a range of films, from Hollywood melodrama (also known as “the women’s picture”) of the 1940s to contemporary action films, and from avant-garde feminist works to current independent and international films directed by women. Informed by feminist film theorist Claire Johnston, we will explore how and when “women’s cinema”—whether theory or practice—constitutes or shapes “counter-cinema.” One three-hour class meeting per week.

Requisite: As an advanced seminar in film theory, some previous work with film and media studies is required. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hastie.

443. Experiments in Narrative. (Offered as ARHA 315 and FAMS 443.) What constitutes cinematic narrative, distinct from other forms of storytelling? How do we engage film form to tell a story? Can the camera be a narrator? How can we alter a traditional narrative structure, and, what are the implications of these transformations? How can we use color to construct the subjective space of a character, or use sound to manipulate the temporal order of the story, creating flashbacks, ellipses or flash-forwards?

In this advanced production workshop we will explore cinematic narrative first by closely studying how a group of classical, experimental, and contemporary filmmakers have engaged narrative through filmic form. We will then formulate our own new cinematic narratives. Cinema is no longer restricted to the theater or the gallery. Moving images surround us—online, on our phones and screens, in the streets, and in stores, taxis, and train stations. We will consider the formal parameters of these new cinematic spaces and their possibilities. Coursework consists of film viewing, analysis and discussion, and the production of several short narrative films.

Requisite: Prior film production experience; recommended requisite: ARHA 102 or 111. Limited to 8 students. Omitted 2014-15.

444. Films That Try: Essay Film Production. (Offered as ARHA 444 and FAMS 444) Essay filmmaking is a dynamic form with many commonly cited attributes—the presence of an authorial voice, an emphasis on broad themes, an eclectic approach to genre, and the tendency to digress or draw unexpected connections. Yet, true to its nature, the precise definition of the essay film is in constant flux. It can be both personal and political, individual and collective, noble and mischievous. Essay filmmakers themselves are equally diverse, ranging from established film auteurs to Third Cinema activists and contemporary video artists.

If we entertain the notion that the processes of cinema closely resemble the mechanics of human thought, then the essay film may be the medium’s purest expression. To watch or make such a film, we must give ourselves over to a compulsive, restless energy that delights in chasing a subject down any number of rabbit holes and blind alleys, often stopping to admire the scenery on the way. As with thought, there is no end product, no clear boundaries, no goal but the activity itself.

The term “essay” finds its origins in the French essayer, meaning “to attempt” or to try.” In this advanced production workshop, we will read, screen and discuss examples of the essayistic mode in literature and cinema while making several such attempts of our own. Students will complete a series of writing assignments and video projects informed by class materials and group discussion.

Requisite: One 200-level production course or relevant experience (to be discussed with the instructor in advance of the first class). Limited to 12 students. Fall semester. Professor Levine.

445. Cinema Experiments. (Offered as ARHA 445 and FAMS 445.) This advanced production course surveys the outer limits of cinematic expression and provides an overview of creative 16mm film production. We will begin by making cameraless projects through drawing, painting and scratching directly onto the film strip before further exploring the fundamentals of 16mm technology, including camera, editing and hand-processing. While remaining aware of our creative choices, we will invite chance into our process and risk failure, as every experiment inevitably must.

Through screenings of original film prints, assigned readings and discussion, the course will consider a number of experimental filmmakers and then conclude with a review of exhibition and distribution strategies for moving image art. All students will complete one short project on film and one final project on either film or video, each of which is to be presented for class critique. Two 2-hour classes per week (one workshop/seminar and one lecture/screening).

Requisite: One 200-level production course or relevant experience (to be discussed with the instructor in advance of the first class). Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Professor Levine.

451. Ghosts in Shells? Virtuality and Embodiment from Passing to the Posthuman. (Offered as ENGL 456, BLST 441 [US], and FAMS 451.) This class begins with narratives about individuals who pass—that is, who come to be recognized as someone different from whom they were sexually or racially “born as.” Such stories suggest that one’s identity depends minimally on the body into which one is born, and is more attached to the supplementation and presentation of that body in support of whichever cultural story the body is desired to tell. Drawing on familiar liberal humanist claims, which centralize human identity in the mind, these narratives also respond to the growing sophistication of human experience with virtual worlds—from acts of reading to immersions in computer simulation. But what kinds of tensions emerge when bodies nonetheless signify beyond an individual’s self-imagination? As technology expands the possibilities of the virtual, for instance surrogacy, cloning, and cybernetics, what pressures are brought to bear on the physical human body and its processes to signify authentic humanness? Rather than ask whether identity is natural or cultural, our discussions will project these questions into a not-so-distant future: What would it mean to take “human” as only one identity, as a category amongst many others, each also acknowledged as equally subject to the same social and biological matrices of desire, creation, and recognition? We will approach these questions through works of literature, philosophy, media history, and contemporary science writing.

Junior/Senior seminar. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Parham.

475. Serial Fictions: The Victorian Novel and Contemporary Television. (Offered as ENGL 475 and FAMS 475.) This course examines the similarities in form and content between the Victorian novel and the modern television series. While contemporary TV and fiction from over a century ago might seem like a surprising pairing, the two forms have a great deal in common. Indeed, serial television finds its foundation in nineteenth-century publication practices: the Victorian novels we now read as massive single-volume books were originally published in small weekly or monthly parts. Focusing on case studies in which we place a Victorian novel and a television series side by side, this course interrogates questions of genre, form, medium, and the dubious division of popular entertainment and high art. Through experiments with our own reading, writing, and viewing habits, we will ask how the serial forms of the Victorian novel and TV illuminate each other, what habits of consumption they promote, and what they have to teach us about seriality itself.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 16 students. Fall semester. Professors Christoff and Hastie.

489. Paris and the Banlieues: The City and Cinematography in French and Francophone Cinema. (Offered as ENGL 489 and FAMS 489.) This course in film production and film history will address changing cinematic representations of the architecture and urban space of Paris and the surrounding suburbs. The course will include workshops in cinematography, lighting, editing, and sound recording. We will consider shifting representations of the city and the body of the performer in the films of Feuillade, Vigo, Rivette, Prévert, Cantet, Denis, Kechiche, and Volta. We will analyze performances of identities, emphasizing the body as the primary site of a daily negotiation of language and culture. Students will be encouraged to question how performative languages of movement, architecture, and speech function as aesthetic systems that reflect the ways in which the body is coded. The course will include a study of articles from Présence Africaine, Trafic, Cahiers du Cinéma, and Bref, as well as works by Petrine Archer-Straw, Carrie Tarr, Raphaël Bassan, and Nicole Brenez. Students will complete two film or video projects. One three-hour class meeting and one film screening per week.

Recommended prior coursework: ENGL 287/FAMS 228, Introduction to Super 8 Film and Digital Video, or other introductory course in film and video, photography, or painting. Preference given to FAMS majors. Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Please complete the questionnaire at https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/english/major/course_applications. Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Hillman.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Courses.

Fall and spring semester. The Department.

498. Senior Honors. Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall semester.

499. Senior Honors. Admission with consent of the instructor. Spring semester.

French

*On leave 2014-15.

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Caplan‡, de la Carrera†, Hewitt‡, Rockwell (Chair), and Rosbottom; Associate Professor Katsaros*; Visiting Professors Gadjigo and Huet; Senior Lecturer Uhden; Visiting Lecturer Tapley.

The objective of the French major is to learn about French culture directly through its language and principally by way of its literature. Emphasis in courses is upon examination of significant authors or problems rather than on chronological survey. We read texts closely from a modern critical perspective, but without isolating them from their cultural context. To give students a better idea of the development of French culture throughout the centuries, we encourage majors to select courses from a wide range of historical periods, from the Middle Ages to the present.

Fluent and correct use of the language is essential to successful completion of the major. Most courses are taught in French. The Department also urges majors to spend a semester or a year studying in a French-speaking country. The major in French provides effective preparation for graduate work, but it is not conceived as strictly pre-professional training.

Major Program. The Department of French aims at flexibility and responds to the plans and interests of the major within a structure that affords diversity of experience in French literature and continuous training in the use of the language.

A major (both rite and with Departmental Honors) will normally consist of a minimum of eight courses. Students may choose to take (a) eight courses in French literature and civilization; or (b) six courses in French literature and civilization and two related courses with departmental approval. In either case, a minimum of four courses must be taken from the French offerings at Amherst College. One of these four must be taken during the senior year. All courses offered by the Department above FREN 103 may count for the major. Among these eight courses, one must be chosen from the Middle Ages or Renaissance, and one from the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries. (FREN 311 satisfies either of these distribution requirements.) Up to four courses taken in a study abroad program may count toward the eight required courses for the major. Comprehensive examinations must be completed no later than the seventh week of the spring semester of the senior year.

Departmental Honors Program. Candidates for Departmental Honors must write a thesis in addition to fulfilling the course requirements for the major described above. Students who wish to write a thesis should begin to develop a topic during their junior year and must submit a detailed thesis proposal to the Department at the beginning of the second week of fall semester classes. Subject to departmental approval of the thesis proposal, candidates for Departmental Honors will enroll in FREN 498 and 499 during their senior year. (FREN 498 and 499 will not be counted towards the eight-course requirement for the major.) Oral examinations on the thesis will be scheduled in late spring.

Foreign Study. A program of study approved by the Department for a junior year in France has the support of the Department as a significant means of enlarging the major’s comprehension of French civilization and as the most effective method of developing mastery of the language.

Exchange Fellowships. Graduating seniors are eligible for two Exchange Fellowships for study in France: one fellowship as Teaching Assistant in American Civilization and Language at the University of Dijon; the other as Exchange Fellow, Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris.

Course numbering system. FREN 101-208 are French Language and Composition courses. FREN 101-207 are numbered by degree of difficulty. FREN 207, 208 and 311 have identical prerequisites and may be taken in any order. All courses numbered 320 and above, with the exception of those courses conducted in English, list FREN 207, 208, and 311 as prerequisites. Courses numbered 320 and above are advanced courses but are not ranked by order of difficulty. They are organized, instead, by period in the following manner:

311-319: French Literature and Civilization

320-329: Medieval and Renaissance Literature and Culture

330-339: Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Literature and Culture

340-349: Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture

350-359: Twentieth- and Twenty-First Century Literature and Culture

360-369: Special Courses

470 +: Advanced Courses

498-499: Senior Departmental Honors

490: Special Topics

101. Elementary French. This course features intensive work on French grammar, with emphasis on the acquisition of basic active skills (speaking, reading, writing and vocabulary building). We will be using the multimedia program French in Action which employs only authentic French, allowing students to use the language colloquially and creatively in a short amount of time. Three hours a week for explanation and demonstration, plus small sections with French assistants. This course prepares students for FREN 103. For students without previous training in French.

Fall semester: Senior Lecturer Uhden and Assistants. Spring semester: Visiting Lecturer Tapley and Assistants.

103. Intermediate French. Intensive review and coverage of all basic French grammar points with emphasis on the understanding of structural and functional aspects of the language and acquisition of the basic active skills (speaking, reading, writing and systematic vocabulary building). We will be using French in Action, the multimedia program. Three hours a week for explanation and demonstration, plus small sections with French assistants. This course prepares students for FREN 205.

Requisite: FREN 101 or two years of secondary school French. Fall semester: Visiting Lecturer Tapley and Assistants. Spring semester: Senior Lecturer Uhden and Assistants.

205. Language and Literature. An introduction to the critical reading of French literary and non-literary texts; a review of French grammar; training in composition, conversation and listening comprehension. Texts will be drawn from significant short stories, poetry and films. The survey of different literary genres serves also to contrast several views of French culture. Successful completion of FREN 205 prepares students for FREN 207, 208, 311 or 312. Conducted in French. Three hours a week.

Requisite: FREN 103 or three to four years of secondary school French. Fall semester: Professor Rockwell. Spring semester: Professor de la Carrera.

207. Introduction to French Literature and Culture. Through class discussion, debates, and frequent short papers, students develop effective skills in self-expression, analysis, and interpretation. Literary texts, articles on current events, and films are studied within the context of the changing structures of French society and France’s complex relationship to its recent past. Assignments include both creative and analytic approaches to writing. Some grammar review as necessary, as well as work on understanding spoken French using video materials. Highly recommended for students planning to study abroad.

Requisite: FREN 205, or completion of AP French, or four years of secondary school French in a strong program. Fall semester: Professor Caplan and Senior Lecturer Uhden. Spring semester: Professor Rockwell and Senior Lecturer Uhden.

208. French Conversation. To gain as much confidence as possible in idiomatic French, we discuss French social institutions and culture, trying to appreciate differences between French and American viewpoints. Our conversational exchanges will touch upon such topics as French education, art and architecture, the status of women, the spectrum of political parties, minority groups, religion, and the position of France and French-speaking countries in the world. Supplementary work with audio and video materials.

Requisite: FREN 205, or completion of AP French, or four years of secondary school French in a strong program. Limited to 16 students. Fall semester. Professor Hewitt.

311. Cultural History of France: From the Middle Ages to the Revolution. Between the year 1000 and the Revolution of 1789 France made some of the greatest and most enduring contributions to European literature, music, visual art, politics, and intellectual life. We shall examine some of the most significant aspects of French civilization during this period: from the spiritual power of Romanesque and Gothic art to the vibrancy of Renaissance humanism (Rabelais and Montaigne), and from the grandeur of classicism and the baroque (Descartes, Pascal, Molière) to the elegance and refinement of the rococo, as well as the Enlightenment (Voltaire, Diderot) and sentimental reactions to it. We shall discuss “courtly love,” the châteaux of the Loire, court society, the emergence of absolute monarchy (Versailles), theater, opera, and the status of women. Conducted in French.

Requisite: FREN 207 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Caplan.

314. From Astérix to Houellebecq: Translating Contemporary French. This course aims at improving the students’ knowledge of the contemporary French language and of contemporary French society through translation. We will draw from a wide variety of sources, such as fiction, poetry, film, songs, press articles, graphic novels and advertising, to gain a better understanding of idiomatic French and of the translation process. Conducted in French.

Requisite: FREN 207 or 208 or the equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Katsaros.

320. Literary Masks of the Late French Middle Ages. The rise in the rate of literacy which characterized the early French Middle Ages coincided with radical reappraisals of the nature and function of reading and poetic production. This course will investigate the ramifications of these reappraisals for the literature of the late French Middle Ages. Readings may include such major works as Guillaume de Dole by Jean Renart, the anonymous Roman de Renart, the Roman de la Rose by Guillaume de Lorris, selections from the continuation of the Roman de la Rose by Jean de Meun, anonymous Fabliaux, and poetic works by Christine de Pisan, Guillaume de Machaut, Jean Froissart, and Charles d’Orléans. Particular attention will be paid to the philosophical presuppositions surrounding the production of erotic allegorical discourse. We shall also address such topics as the relationships between lyric and narrative and among disguise, death and aging in the context of medieval discourses on love. All texts will be read in modern French. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Rockwell.

321. Amor and Metaphor in the Early French Middle Ages. The eleventh and twelfth centuries witnessed social, political, and poetic innovations that rival in impact the information revolution of recent decades. Essential to these innovations was the transformation from an oral to a book-oriented culture. This course will investigate the problems of that transition, as reflected in such major works of the early French Middle Ages as: The Song of Roland, the Tristan legend, the Roman d’Eneas, the Arthurian romances of Chrétien de Troyes, anonymous texts concerning the Holy Grail and the death of King Arthur. We shall also address questions relevant to this transition, such as the emergence of medieval allegory, the rise of literacy, and the relationship among love, sex, and hierarchy. All texts will be read in modern French. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311, or equivalent. Spring semester. Professor Rockwell.

324. Studies in Medieval Romance Literature and Culture. The study of a major author, literary problem, or question from the medieval period with a particular focus announced each time the course is offered. The topic for spring 2014 is: “The Allegorical Impulse.” We will study the social, philosophical, poetic and institutional currents that contribute to the emergence of allegorical texts in the period between the twelfth and the late-fourteenth centuries. Readings include the Quest for the Holy Grail and works by Chrétien de Troyes, Guillaume de Lorris, Jean de Meung, Dante Alighieri, and Marie de France. All readings will be done in English translation. Conducted in English.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Rockwell.

327. Humanism and the Renaissance. Humanists came to distrust medieval institutions and models. Through an analysis of the most influential works of the French Renaissance, we shall study the variety of literary innovations which grew out of that distrust with an eye to their social and philosophical underpinnings. We shall address topics relevant to these innovations such as Neoplatonism, the grotesque, notions of the body, love, beauty, order and disorder. Readings will be drawn from the works of such major writers as: Erasmus, Rabelais, Marguerite de Navarre, Montaigne, Ronsard, Du Bellay, Maurice Scève and Louise Labé. The most difficult texts will be read in modern French. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Rockwell.

330. The Doing and Undoing of Genres in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. This course explores the formation and transformation of various genres in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century literature, with a particular focus announced each time the course is offered. The topic for 2012-13 is: “The Eighteenth-Century Novel and Theater in France.” Readings will include texts by Diderot, Voltaire, Marivaux, Prévost, Laclos, and Beaumarchais. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor de la Carrera.

335. Lovers and Libertines. Passion and the art of seduction, from Mme. de Lafayette’s La Princesse de Clèves to Stendhal’s Le Rouge et le noir. We will focus on the oppositions between romantic love and social norms, passion and seduction. Both original masterpieces and their filmic adaptations will be considered. Sample reading list: Mme. de Lafayette, La Princesse de Clèves; Prévost, Manon Lescaut; Casanova, Histoire de ma vie; Laclos, Les Liaisons dangereuses; Mozart/da Ponte, Don Giovanni; Stendhal, Le Rouge et le noir. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Caplan.

337. The French Enlightenment. An analysis of the major philosophical, literary, and artistic movements in France between the years 1715 and 1789 within the context of their uneasy relationship to the social, political, and religious institutions of the ancien régime. Readings will include texts by Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, and others. To gain a better sense of what it might have been like to live in eighteenth-century France, we will also read essays in French cultural history. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor de la Carrera.

339. Worldliness and Otherworldliness. Many eighteenth-century writers imagined and invented other, better societies. To attenuate their criticisms of the social, political, and religious structures of the ancien régime, they had recourse to the viewpoint of fictional “outsiders” who arrive in France as if for the first time and describe what they see in minute and telling detail. We will analyze the role that these “other” worlds and the “otherworldly” point of view played in the development of eighteenth-century thought and literature, as well as some of the repercussions that these questions have had in twentieth-century thought. Readings will include Montesquieu’s Lettres persanes, Rousseau’s Discours sur l’origine de l’inégalité, Diderot’s Supplément au Voyage de Bougainville, and Madame de Graffigny’s Lettres d’une Péruvienne, as well as Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents and a selection of essays by Claude Lévi-Strauss. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311, or equivalent. Spring semester. Professor de la Carrera.

342. Women of Ill Repute: Prostitutes in Nineteenth-Century French Literature. Prostitutes play a central role in nineteenth-century French fiction, especially of the realistic and naturalistic kind. Both widely available and largely visible in nineteenth-century France, prostitutes inspired many negative stereotypes. But, as the very product of the culture that marginalized her, the prostitute offered an ideal vehicle for writers to criticize the hypocrisy of bourgeois mores. The socially stratified world of prostitutes, ranging from low-ranking sex workers to high-class courtesans, presents a fascinating microcosm of French society as a whole. We will read selections from Honoré de Balzac, Splendeur et misère des courtisanes; Victor Hugo, Les Misérables; and Gustave Flaubert, L’éducation sentimentale; as well as Boule-de-Suif and other stories by Guy de Maupassant; La fille Elisa by Edmond de Goncourt; Nana by Emile Zola; Marthe by Joris-Karl Huysmans; La dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils; and extracts from Du côté de chez Swann by Marcel Proust. Additional readings will be drawn from the fields of history (Alain Corbin, Michelle Perrot) and critical theory (Walter Benjamin, Michel Foucault, Julia Kristeva). We will also discuss visual representations of prostitutes in nineteenth-century French art (Gavarni, Daumier, C. Guys, Degas, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec). Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Katsaros.

346. Enfants Terribles: Childhood in Nineteenth-Century French Literature and Culture. Images of childhood have become omnipresent in our culture. We fetishize childhood as an idyllic time, preserved from the difficulties and compromises of adult life; but the notion that children’s individual lives are worth recording is a relatively modern one. Drawing from literature, children’s literature, anthropology, philosophy, art, and film, we will try to map out the journey from the idea of childhood as a phase to be outgrown to the modern conception of childhood as a crucial moment of self-definition. We will pay particular attention to the issues of nature vs. nurture through the example of the “wild child” Victor, to nineteenth-century theories of child-rearing, and to the symbolic importance of children in avant-garde art.

Readings will include selections from J.J. Rousseau; Victor de l’Aveyron by J. Itard; selected poems and prose by Baudelaire; Les Malheurs de Sophie by the Comtesse de Ségur; selected stories by Guy de Maupassant; selected poems by Arthur Rimbaud; Jules Vallès, L’Enfant; and the Surrealist play Victor ou les enfants au pouvoir by Roger Vitrac. We will look at nineteenth-century artists’ visions of childhood, with a particular emphasis on female artists such as Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun and Berthe Morisot. We will also discuss films by Clement, Truffaut, Bresson, and Jeunet, among others. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Katsaros.

348. Power, Passion, and Ideology in Nineteenth-Century France. In this course, we will examine the representation of the changing relationship between power and passion during the nineteenth-century. We will pay particular attention to the ways in which the emblematic image of Napoleon dominated literature and the arts in early nineteenth-century France: how the conflicts between money and artistic ideals were represented in literary works, historical documents, urban development, and painting. Texts by Chateaubriand, Stendhal, Balzac, Hugo, Baudelaire, Flaubert, and Zola. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311 or equivalent. Fall semester. Visiting Professor Huet.

351. France’s Identity Wars. This course studies the shifting notions about what constitutes “Frenchness” and reviews the heated debates about the split between French citizenship and French identity. Issues of decolonization, immigration, foreign influence, and ethnic background will be addressed as we explore France’s struggles to understand the changing nature of its social, cultural, and political identities. We will study theoretical and historical works, as well as novels, plays and films. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following- FREN 207, 208, 311 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hewitt.

353. Literature in French Outside Europe: Introduction to Francophone Studies. This course will explore cross-cultural intersections and issues of identity and alienation in the works of leading writers from the French-speaking Caribbean and West Africa. Our discussions will focus on the sociopolitical positions and narrative strategies entertained in key texts of postcolonial literature (both fiction and critical essays). Issues involving nationalism, race, gender, assimilation and multilingualism will help to shape our discussion of how postcolonial subjects share in or distinguish themselves from certain tenets of Western thought. At issue, then, is the way French Caribbean and West African literatures and cultures trace their own distinctiveness and value. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hewitt.

354. War and Memory. (Offered as FREN 354 and EUST 354.) Through readings of short fiction, historical essays, drama and films, we study how the French have tried to come to terms with their role in World War II, both as individuals and as a nation. We will explore the various myths concerning French heroism and guilt, as well as the challenges to those myths, with particular attention paid to the way wartime memories have become a lightning rod for debate and discord in contemporary French culture and politics. No prior knowledge of the historical period of the war is necessary, but students of French history are welcome. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311, or equivalent. Fall semester. Professor Hewitt.

361. European Film. A study of some of the greatest French New Wave (1959-1963) films, as well as earlier French films that influenced the New Wave. From the New Wave we shall view Truffaut’s The 400 Blows; Godard’s Breathless, My Life to Live, and Contempt; Hiroshima mon amour and Last Year at Marienbad by Resnais. We shall also study Zero for Conduct (1933) and L’Atalante (1934) by Jean Vigo; Boudu Saved From the Waters (1932) Grand Illusion (1937), and The Rules of the Game (1939) by Jean Renoir; Jean-Pierre Melville’s Bob le Flambeur (1956) and A Man Escaped (1956) by Robert Bresson. No previous training in film analysis is required. Conducted in English.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Caplan.

364. Birth of the Avant-Garde: Modern Poetry and Culture in France and Russia, 1870-1930. (Offered as EUST 311, FREN 364, and RUSS 311.) Between the mid-nineteenth century and the mid-twentieth century, poetry was revolutionized both in France and in Russia; nowhere else did the avant-garde proliferate more extravagantly. This class will focus on the key period in the emergence of literary modernity that began with Symbolism and culminated with Surrealism and Constructivism.

With the advent of modernism, the poem became a “global phenomenon” that circulated among different languages and different cultures, part of a process of cross-fertilization. An increasingly hybrid genre, avant-garde poetry went beyond its own boundaries by drawing into itself prose writing, philosophy, music, and the visual and performing arts. The relation between the artistic and the literary avant-garde will be an essential concern.

We will be reading Baudelaire, Rimbaud and the French Symbolists; the Russian Symbolists (Blok, Bely); Nietzsche; Apollinaire, Dada, and the Surrealists (Breton, Eluard, Desnos); and the Russian avant-garde poets (Mayakovsky, Khlebnikov, Tsvetaeva).

Our study of the arts will include Symbolism (Moreau, Redon); Fauvism (Matisse, Derain, Vlaminck); Cubism, Dada, and early Surrealism (Duchamp, Ernst, Dali, Artaud); the “World of Art” movement (Bakst, the Ballets Russes); Primitivism (Goncharova, Larionov); Suprematism (Malevich); and Constructivism (Tatlin, Rodchenko, El Lissitzky). The course will be taught in English. Students who read fluently in French and/or Russian will be encouraged to read the material in the original language.

Omitted 2014-15. Professors Ciepiela and L. Katsaros.

365. Toward the New Wave. (Offered as FREN 365 and FAMS 327.) The class will study films from the French New Wave (1959-63), as well as earlier French films that influenced many New Wave directors. These films will include: Jean-Luc Godard’s A bout de souffle, Vivre sa vie, and Le Mépris; Alain Resnais’ Hiroshima Mon Amour and L’annee dernière à Marienbad; Les 400 Coups by François Truffaut and Agnès Varda’s Cléo de 5 à 7, as well as Zero de conduite and L’Atalante by Jean Vigo; Boudu sauvé des eaux, la Grande Illusion and La Règle du jeu by Jean Renoir; Jean-Pierre Melville’s Bob le flambeur; and Robert Bresson’s Un Condamné à mort s’est echappé. This course will also provide basic training in the analysis of films. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—FREN 207, 208, 311, or equivalent. Fall semester. Professor Caplan.

471. Advanced Seminar: Ousmane Sembene, The Works of a Militant-Artist. Entirely devoted to the works of Senegalese writer and filmmaker Ousmane Sembene, this course will explore the defining moments of his life, his participation in European leftist organizations, and the dominant features of his works and their significance within African cultural discourse. Our discussions will focus on four main themes: (1) the experience of exile in Le docker noir, La noire de . . . , and Lettres de France; (2) the question of history in Les bouts de bois de dieu, Emitaï, L’Harmattan, and Camp de Thiaroye; (3) political and social issues found in Le mandat, Xala, Guelwaar and Le dernier de l’empire, Moolaade, and Faat Kine; and 4) the quest for a genuine African aesthetics in both literature and film. Conducted in French.

Requisite: One of the following—French 207, 311 or the equivalent. Limited to 18 students. Spring semester. Visiting Professor Gadjigo (Mount Holyoke College).

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Courses. Full course.

Admission with consent of the instructor required. Fall and spring semesters.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. A single course.

Fall semester. The Department.

498D. Senior Honors. Double course. Fall semester.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. A single course.

Spring semester. The Department.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors. A double course.

Spring semester. The Department.

Geology

Professors Cheney, Crowley (Chair), Harms, and Martini†; Assistant Professor Jones*; Visiting Assistant Professor Medina.

Major Program. The Geology major starts with an introduction to the fundamental principles and processes that govern the character of the earth from its surface environment to its core. GEOL 111 surveys these principles and is required of all Geology majors. Geology encompasses many sub-disciplines that approach study of the earth in a variety of ways, but all share a core of knowledge about the composition and constitution of earth materials. Accordingly, all Geology majors must also take GEOL 121 (Surface Earth Dynamics), GEOL 291 (Structural Geology), and GEOL 271 (Mineralogy). Finally, in consultation with their departmental advisor, Geology majors must take five additional courses from the Department’s offerings, constructing an integrated program that may be tailored to the major’s fields of interest or future plans. Senior Departmental Honors, generally consisting of GEOL 498 and 499D, will count as one such course for the major. Only one of these five courses may be from a Geology course numbered less than 111 and only if that course was taken prior to the junior year. Students may substitute one course from ASTR 114 or 223, BIOL 181 or 191, CHEM 151 or 155, COSC 111, MATH 111, or PHYS 115 or 116 for one of the five elective geology courses required for the major. Most, but not all, higher numbered courses in these departments may also be the single substituted ancillary science course, with permission from the Geology Department. The department, in coordination with the student’s academic goals, will consider departures from this major format. In the fall semester of the senior year, each major shall take a comprehensive examination.

Departmental Honors Program. For a degree with Honors, a student must have demonstrated ability to pursue independent work fruitfully and exhibit a strong motivation to engage in research. A thesis subject commonly is chosen at the close of the junior year but must be chosen no later than the first two weeks of the senior year. GEOL 498, 499D involves independent research in the field or the laboratory that must be reported in a thesis of high quality.

All courses are open to any student having requisite experience or consent of the instructor.

103. The Geology of the Great American West. From the high plains west of the Mississippi River, across the Rockies, Canyonlands, and Great Basin, to the Sierra Nevada, the striking natural landscapes of western North America result from the interactions of varied geologic processes through geologic time. This course will first survey the fundamental geologic dynamics that shape the earth’s surface and review major stages in the evolution of the earth’s crust and oceans. We will then turn to the particular expression of those processes in the American west, with special attention given to our national parks. Readings from the reports of the first geologists to survey the western lands will be included, as will the art and literature of explorers and early travelers who interpreted the western landscape for easterners of the day. Four class hours per week.

No previous knowledge of geology is assumed. Not open to those who have taken GEOL 111. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Harms.

105. Introduction to Oceanography. The global ocean is one of the defining features of our planet’s surface. It regulates weather patterns, sculpts the coasts of the continents, and contains records of the past 200 million years of earth’s climate in sediment on the seafloor. In this course we will develop an understanding of the global marine system through study of its interconnected geological, chemical, physical, and biological processes. These fundamental principles include seafloor spreading, the transport of heat from the equator to the poles, and cycling of nutrients and organic matter by plankton. We will address how the ocean has evolved over the planet’s history, from changes in its circulation brought on by shifting continental configurations and climate fluctuations to its chemical responses to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The course will conclude with scientifically informed considerations of some of the challenges humanity faces in deciding how to use the ocean and its resources. Three class hours per week.

Not open to students who have taken GEOL 121. Limited to 60 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Jones.

109. Climate Change, Global Warming and Energy Resources. From the earliest civilizations man has been a major agent of environmental change. However, from the dawn of the industrial age, when fossil fuels were first tapped for energy, the rate of this change has increased exponentially. In this course, we will dissect environmental issues by first examining the recent geologic record of climate change and how processes that affect climate change operate in modern natural systems. We will then assess how societies have modified such systems and what factors control the trajectory and rate of change. Several environmental case studies will be used to provide insight into the scientific issues associated with specific environmental problems. Case studies will focus on nonrenewable and renewable energy resources and their relationship to climate change. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 48 students. Fall semester. Professor Medina.

111. Principles of Geology. As the science that considers the origin and evolution of the earth, Geology provides students with an understanding of what is known about the earth and how we know it, how the earth “works” and why we think it behaves as it does. In particular this course focuses upon the earth as an evolving and dynamic system where change is driven by energy generated within the earth. Concepts to be covered are: the structure of the earth’s interior, isostasy, deep time, the origin and nature of the magnetic field, plate tectonics, the origin and evolution of mountain belts, and ocean basins and the growth of the continents over time. In this context, Geology 111 considers a diverse range of topics such as the Appalachian mountain belt, the Hawaiian Islands, Yellowstone Park, the consequences of seismicity, faulting, meteorite impact, and volcanism on the earth’s inhabitants, and the sources and limitations of mineral and energy resources. This is a science course designed for all students of the College. Three hours of class and two hours of lab in which the student gains direct experience in the science through field trips, demonstrations, and projects.

Limited to 60 students with 20 students per lab. Fall and spring semesters. Professors Crowley and Harms.

121. Surface Earth Dynamics. For at least 3.5 billion years, the Earth’s surface environment has supported some form of life. What geologic processes first created and now maintain this environment? To what extent has life modified this environment over geologic time? What conditions are necessary for a planet to be conducive to life? What are the natural processes that operate at the Earth’s surface? This course looks at the environment from a geologist’s perspective. The course will start with dynamic systems that can be observed in operation today, as in river and coastal settings, where erosion and deposition occur, and by the interaction of the oceans, atmosphere, and climate. Techniques for interpreting the rock record will be developed so that past environments can be examined and potential future conditions on Earth better appreciated. Differences between earliest Earth environments and those of the more recent few billion years will be studied and integrated with the history of the origin and evolution of life. Three hours of lecture and two hours of lab, including field trips, each week.

Requisite: GEOL 111 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professors Martini and Medina.

251. Paleontology and Geobiology. This course focuses on the history of life as preserved in the sedimentary rock record. Students will learn how paleontologists and geobiologists use skeletal fossils, molecular fossils, and geochemical signatures to ask and answer questions about the evolution of ancient life and Earth history. Students will study the origination, radiation, and extinction of major groups of organisms in the context of global environmental change, with an emphasis on invertebrate and microbial life. Laboratories include the systematic description, identification, and interpretation of fossils in the field, in hand specimen, and in thin section. Three hours of lectures and three hours of laboratory. One weekend field trip required.

Requisite: GEOL 111. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Jones.

271. Mineralogy. The crystallography and crystal chemistry of naturally occurring inorganic compounds (minerals). The identification, origin, distribution and use of minerals. Laboratory work includes the principles and methods of optical mineralogy, X-ray diffraction, back-scattered electron microscopy, and electron beam microanalysis. Three hours of lecture and three hours of lecture/discussion and directed laboratory.

Recommended requisite: GEOL 111, CHEM 151 or 155 or their equivalent. Fall semester. Professor Cheney.

291. Structural Geology. A study of the geometry and origin of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rock structures that are the products of earth deformation. Emphasis will be placed on recognition and interpretation of structures through development of field and laboratory methodology. Three hours of lecture and five hours of laboratory each week.

Requisite: GEOL 111. Fall semester. Professor Harms.

301. Hydrogeology. As the global human population expands, the search for and preservation of our most important resource, water, will demand societal vigilance and greater scientific understanding. This course is an introduction to surface and groundwater hydrology and geochemistry in natural systems, providing fundamental concepts aimed at the understanding and management of the hydrosphere. The course is divided into two roughly equal parts: surface and groundwater hydrology, and aqueous geochemistry. In the first section, we will cover the principal concepts of physical hydrogeology including watershed analysis and groundwater modeling. In the second half, we will integrate the geochemistry of these systems addressing both natural variations and the human impact on our environment. Three hours of lecture and three hours of lab or field trip each week.

Requisite: GEOL 111 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Martini.

311. Sedimentology and Stratigraphy. An overview of the dominant sedimentologic processes operating in both modern and ancient depositional environments. Students will learn how to examine and interpret features of sedimentary rocks and how to assess temporal or spatial patterns in sequences of sedimentary rocks. Students will then use these observations to expand their understanding of Earth history. Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory each week.

Requisite: GEOL 111. Recommended requisite: GEOL 121. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Jones.

321. Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. A study of igneous and metamorphic processes and environments. Application of chemical principles and experimental data to igneous and metamorphic rocks is stressed. Identification, analysis, and mapping of rocks in laboratory and field. Four hours of class and three hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: GEOL 271. Spring semester. Professor Cheney.

331. Paleoclimatology. Earth’s climate has varied greatly over geological time but always remained within boundaries that allowed life to exist. Past climate can be reconstructed from physical and chemical proxies preserved in geological materials: sediment, rocks and fossils. We will examine common climate proxies and the paleoclimate records that can be derived from them. In this course, we will explore the causal factors of climate evolution including plate tectonics, solar radiation, planetary orbital movements, atmospheric chemistry and physics, ocean dynamics and biological productivity. We will focus our study on the last 200 million years, starting at the time when all landmasses formed the supercontinent Pangaea. Paleoclimatology: (1) offers a critical evaluation of the fidelity of geochemical proxies and climate archives; (2) examines mechanisms internal and external to the climate system that drive climate variability on time scales from decades to millions of years; (3) provides the climate context for biological evolution, including that of humans and human civilization, and finally; (4) uses past climate change to investigate present and future climate change. Three hours of class each week.

Requisite: GEOL 121 or permission of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Medina.

341. Environmental and Solid Earth Geophysics. Only the surface of the earth is accessible for direct study but, as a two-dimensional surface, it represents a very incomplete picture of the geologic character of the earth. The most fundamental realms of the earth—the core and mantle—cannot themselves be observed. Even the uppermost part of the crust, where the lithosphere and hydrosphere interact to determine the quality of the environment in which we live, is hidden. Indirect signals, observed at the surface, can give us a more comprehensive understanding of earth structure—from environmental problems that lie just below the surface to the dynamics of the core/mantle boundary. We can “see” these subsurface realms using seismology, gravity, magnetism and heat flow observations. This course will bring findings from geophysics to bear on developing a picture of the earth in three dimensions. Three hours of class and three hours of laboratory each week.

Requisite: GEOL 111. Spring semester. Professor Crowley.

401. Plate Tectonics and Continental Dynamics. An analysis of the dynamic processes that drive the physical evolution of the earth’s crust and mantle. Plate tectonics, the changing configuration of the continents and oceans, and the origin and evolution of mountain belts will be studied using evidence from diverse branches of geology. Present dynamics are examined as a means to interpret the record of the past, and the rock record is examined as a key to understanding the potential range of present and future earth dynamics. Three hours of class and three hours of laboratory each week.

Requisite: GEOL 111 and two additional upper-level Geology courses. Fall semester. Professor Harms.

431. Geochemistry. This course examines the principles of thermodynamics, via the methodology of J. Willard Gibbs, with an emphasis upon multicomponent heterogeneous systems. These principles are used to study equilibria germane to the genesis and evolution of igneous and metamorphic rocks. Specific applications include: the properties of ideal and real crystalline solutions, geothermometry, geobarometry, and the Gibbs method—the analytic formulation of phase equilibria. This course also introduces the student to the algebraic and geometric representations of chemical compositions of both homogeneous and heterogeneous systems. Four class hours each week.

Requisite: GEOL 271 or CHEM 161, or PHYS 116 or 123. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Cheney.

450. Seminar in Biogeochemistry. Through biogeochemical cycles microbes influence the chemical composition of all of our habitable environments. They are found in the most extreme environments on Earth, from the upper atmosphere to the depths of our oceans as well as in the deep subsurface of Earth’s crust. In this seminar, we will examine tracers and proxies for microbial activity present in rock, sediment, soil and porewater. Environments to be studied include hydrothermal vents, deep sedimentary basins, early Earth and possible extraterrestrial habitats. We will survey the major biologically relevant elements of the periodic table (C, O, S, N, Fe, P) and examine how these elements cycle through the environment, focusing on stable isotopic tracers of biological processes. Students will gain experience with field and laboratory techniques and we will emphasize the current scientific literature in discussions. Three hours of class per week.

Requisite: CHEM 151 or GEOL 301 or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15.

490. Special Topics. Independent reading or research. A written report will be required. A full course.

Approval of the Departmental Chair is required. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Independent research on a geologic problem within any area of staff competence. A dissertation of high quality will be required.

Open to seniors who meet the requirements of the Departmental Honors program. Fall semester. The Department.

498D. Senior Departmental Honors. Independent research on a geologic problem within any area of staff competence. A dissertation of high quality will be required. A double course.

Open to seniors who meet the requirements of the Departmental Honors program. Fall semester. The Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Independent research on a geologic problem within any area of staff competence. A dissertation of high quality will be required.

Open to seniors who meet the requirements of the Departmental Honors program. Spring semester. The Department.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors. Independent research on a geologic problem within any area of staff competence. A dissertation of high quality will be required. A double course.

Open to seniors who meet the requirements of the Departmental Honors program. Spring semester. The Department.

German

Professors Brandes, Martin, and Rogowski; Associate Professor Gilpin (Chair); Visiting Professor Gutzmann; Senior Lecturer Emerita Schütz.

Major Program. Majoring in German can lead to a variety of careers in education, government, business, international affairs, and the arts.

The German Studies Major is broadly humanistic and cross-cultural. It develops language and cultural literacy skills and provides a critical understanding of the cultural and literary traditions of the German-speaking countries: The Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The Department offers effective preparation for graduate study in German literature and language while also opening up a broad range of interdisciplinary perspectives.

The major requires GERM 210 (or its equivalent), GERM 315 and 316 (German Cultural History), and a minimum of five further German courses. Three of these must be courses in German culture and literature, conducted in German. Majors are advised to broaden their knowledge of other European languages and cultures and to supplement their German program with courses in European history, politics, economics, and the arts.

Students who major in German Studies are expected to enroll in at least one German course per semester. The Department faculty will help majors develop individual reading lists as they prepare for a Comprehensive Examination administered during each student’s final semester.

Study Abroad. German majors are strongly encouraged to spend a summer, semester, or year of study abroad as a vital part of their undergraduate experience. The Department maintains a regular student exchange program with Göttingen University in Germany. Each year we send students to that university in exchange for two German students who serve as Language Assistants at Amherst College. Faculty can also advise students on a variety of other options for study in a German-speaking country.

Departmental Honors Program. In addition to the courses required for a rite degree in the major, candidates for Honors must complete GERM 498 and 499 and present a thesis on a topic chosen in consultation with an advisor in the Department. The aim of Honors work in German is (1) to consolidate general knowledge of the history and development of German language, culture, and history; (2) to explore a chosen subject through a more intensive program of readings and research than is possible in course work; (3) to present material along historical or analytical lines, in the form of a scholarly thesis.

Honors students who major with a concentration in German Studies are encouraged to consult early with their faculty advisor about a possible thesis topic. Depending on the topic chosen, their thesis committee will be comprised of Amherst College German Studies faculty who may or may not invite faculty from other departments, or from the Five Colleges to participate as readers. The thesis committee will be chaired by the student’s Department of German thesis advisor.

The quality of the Honors thesis, the result of the Comprehensive Examination, together with the overall college grade average, will determine the level of Honors recommended by the Department.

101. Elementary German I. Our multimedia course is based on authentic documents and interviews with native speakers from all walks of life in order to introduce students to German language and culture alike. An interactive learning software, as well as related Internet webpages, will serve as a first-hand introduction to the German-speaking countries and will encourage students to use everyday language in a creative way. Text and audio-visual materials emphasize the mastery of speaking, writing, reading, and listening skills that are the foundation for further study. Three hours a week for explanation and demonstration, one hour a week in small sections.

Fall and spring semesters. Senior Lecturer Emerita Schütz.

102. Elementary German II. A continuation of GERM 101, with increased emphasis on reading of selected texts. Three class meetings per week plus one additional conversation hour in small sections, with individual work on Moodle.

Requisite: GERM 101 or equivalent. Fall and spring semesters. Senior Lecturer Emerita Schütz.

205. Intermediate German. Systematic review of grammar, aural and speaking practice, discussion of video and television programs, and reading of selected texts in contemporary German. Stress will be on the acquisition and polishing of verbal, reading, writing, and comprehension skills in German. Three hours per week for explanation and structured discussion, plus one hour per week in small sections for additional practice with German language assistants.

Requisite: GERM 102 or two years of secondary-school German or equivalent. Fall semester. Professor Gilpin.

210. Advanced Composition and Conversation. Practice in free composition and analytical writing in German. Exercises in pronunciation and idiomatic conversation. Supplementary work with audio and video materials. Oral reports on selected topics and reading of literary and topical texts. Conducted in German. Three hours per week, plus one hour per week in small sections for additional practice with German language assistants.

Requisite: GERM 205 or equivalent, based on departmental placement decision. Spring semester. Professor Gilpin.

312. Advanced Reading, Conversation, and Style I. Reading, discussion, and close analysis of a wide range of cultural materials, including selections from Die Zeit and Der Spiegel, essays, and short works by modern authors and song writers (Böll, Brecht, Biermann, Udo Lindenberg, etc.). Materials will be analyzed both for their linguistic features and as cultural documents. Textual analysis includes study of vocabulary, style, syntax, and selected points of grammar. Round-table discussions, oral reports and structured composition exercises. Students will also view unedited television programs, work with the Internet, and listen to recordings of political and scholarly speeches, cabaret, protest songs, and to authors reading from their own works. Conducted in German. Three class hours per week, plus an additional hour in small sections.

Requisite: GERM 210 or equivalent. Fall semester. Senior Lecturer Emerita Schütz.

314. Advanced Reading, Conversation, and Style II. Focusing on one contemporary novel, we will develop strategies for analyzing texts for their literary expression, their linguistic and stylistic features, and their cultural content. Additional materials (Internet, video, CD-ROMs, etc.) on literary and cultural topics as well as articles drawn from history, sociology, psychology, and philosophy. Three class hours per week, plus one hour with German Language Assistants.

Requisite: GERM 210 or equivalent. Instructor will contact enrolled students to arrange meeting times and location. Omitted 2014-15.

315. German Cultural History to 1800. An examination of cultural developments in the German tradition, from the Early Middle Ages to the rise of Prussia and the Napoleonic Period. We shall explore the interaction between socio-political factors in German-speaking Europe and works of “high art” produced in the successive eras, as well as Germany’s centuries-long search for a cultural identity. Literature to be considered will include selections from Tacitus’ Germania, the Hildebrandslied, a courtly epic and some medieval lyric poetry; the sixteenth-century Faust chapbook and other writings of the Reformation Period; Baroque prose, poetry, and music; works by Lessing and other figures of the German Enlightenment; Sturm und Drang, including early works by Goethe, Schiller, and their younger contemporaries. Selected audio-visual materials will provide examples of artistic, architectural, and musical works representative of each of the main periods. Conducted in German.

Requisite: GERM 210 or equivalent. Fall semester. Professor Rogowski.

316. German Cultural History from 1800 to the Present. A survey of literary and cultural developments in the German tradition from the Romantic Period to contemporary trends. Major themes will include the Romantic imagination and the rise of nationalism in the nineteenth century, the literary rebellion of the period prior to 1848, Poetic Realism and the Industrial Revolution, and various forms of aestheticism, activism, and myth. In the twentieth century we shall consider the culture of Vienna, the “Golden Twenties,” the suppression of freedom in the Nazi state, issues of exile and inner emigration, and the diverse models of cultural reconstruction after 1945. Authors represented will include Friedrich Schlegel, Brentano, Heine, Büchner, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Heinrich and Thomas Mann, Kafka, Brecht, Grass, Wolf, and Handke. Music by Schubert, Wagner, Mahler, and Henze; samples of art and architecture. Conducted in German.

Requisite: GERM 210 or equivalent. Spring semester. Professor Brandes.

331. Berlin, Metropolis. “Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome!” to Berlin, Europe’s youngest metropolis. Virtually exploding in the early 1900s into a creative and influential urban center, the new Berlin reacted to the political challenges of imperialism, war, revolution, and inflation with wit, sarcasm, and radical politics—the perfect proving ground for those seeking personal freedom and political change, including artists, amateurs, reformers, and revolutionaries. We will trace the beginnings and flowering of urban modernism in Berlin public life, architecture, the fine arts and theater, up to the Nazi virulent attacks on modern art and urban lifestyles as “degenerate.” Course materials focus on the changes from pre-modern to urban metropolis, including such topics as alternative ways of life in the social and cultural spaces of the city; the celebration of the exotic; new concepts of sexuality and the body; ethnicity and difference; and the ill-fated German-Jewish symbiosis. Readings and viewings include novels, films, essays, design, architecture, theater, cabaret, jazz, and montage in the arts. Conducted in German.

Requisite: GERM 210 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brandes.

332. Exile and Migration. Migration is integral to the human experience, having become more common as our global economy encourages the free movement of people and ideas. About twenty percent of all people living in Germany today have a migration background, making life between cultures central to the ongoing discussion “What is German?” Over the centuries, many foreign-born persons immigrated into the German lands, and Germans fled from their home country, either to escape political repression or to look for better opportunities. We will explore issues of exile, alienation, gender, race, migration, and post-migration since the late eighteenth century, focusing on the German experience. Readings will include literature and essays by Herder, Chamisso, Heine, Kafka, Brecht, Anna Seghers, Thomas Mann, Paul Celan, Jurek Becker, and Thilo Sarrazin as well as texts in German by various foreign-born writers currently living in Germany, among them Herta Müller, Emine Sevgi Özdamar, Yadé Kara, Wladimir Kaminer, Feridun Zaimog˘lu, and Rafik Schami. Films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Fatih Akin, Angelina Maccarone, Jörg Grünler, Tamara Staudt, Lars Becker, Züli Aladag˘, Yasemin S¸amdereli. Conducted in German.

Requisite: GERM 210 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brandes.

333. Comedy and Humor. The course with the shortest reading list ever-not! Contrary to popular opinion, Germans (and their Austrian and Swiss neighbors) do have a sense of humor that has produced a wide variety of both high-brow and popular forms, ranging from the absurdist skits of Karl Valentin and Liesl Karlstadt, to raunchy “Ostfriesenwitze,” and to the current boom in sex and “relationship” comedies in film. We will explore broadsheets and cartoons (Wilhelm Busch, Loriot, E. O. Plauen, Uli Stein), populist theater forms such as the operetta (Strauss, Lehar) and farcical “Volkstheater,” sophisticated literary comedies (Tieck, Büchner, Sternheim, Dürrenmatt), social satire in print and other media (Heine, Kraus, Tucholsky, Staudte, Irmtraud Morgner, Robert Gernhardt, Eckhard Henscheid, Luise Pusch, Elfriede Jelinek), parody pastiche in song and movies (Comedian Harmonists, Max Raabe, Bully Herbig), and political humor in cabaret from the Wilhelmine period, the Weimar Republic, inside and outside the Third Reich, communist East Germany, and the multi-ethnic Germany of today (Wedekind, Werner Finck, Erika Mann, Gerhart Polt, Sinasi Dikmen). Primary materials will be supplemented by theoretical readings, including Arthur Koestler, Volker Klotz, Susanne Schäfer, and-of course-Sigmund Freud. Conducted in German.

Requisite: GERM 210 or equivalent. Spring semester. Professor Rogowski.

335. Modernism and Its Discontents. This course will trace the impact of early twentieth-century modernization on the cultural consciousness of artists and politicians. We will first study classical modernism in the context of European and Western avant-garde movements, with emphasis on art and society in Germany. Topics include the effect of rapid urbanization and the rise of modern mass culture; modern constructions of gender and nature; the emergence of visual culture and mass media; the aesthetic revolt and literary visions of Futurism, Dada, and Expressionism; and the radical activism of proletarian didactic art. We will then trace the anti-modernist responses, such as Kaiser Wilhelm’s retrogressive push for national art; the socialist realist doctrine of Stalin’s cultural policies; Hitler’s prohibition of modernist art as “degenerate”; and finally the censorship and self-censorship of certain modernist artists, in the name of political progress. Texts by Hofmannsthal, Hauptmann, Schnitzler, Wedekind, Heinrich Mann, Kafka, Hesse, Rilke, Benjamin, Brecht, and Anna Seghers; selected art by Modersohn-Becker, Kirchner, and Kollwitz; samples of architecture, early radio, films, and music. Conducted in German.

Requisite: GERM 210 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brandes.

336. Wanderlust: Exploration, Escape and the Technologies of Travel. This course examines the theme of travel and exploration in German literature and culture from the late eighteenth century to the present. We will look at both historical and fictional accounts of journeys, from travel diaries and contemporary travel blogs to novellas, novels, poetry, and film. What factors have pushed Germans to leave their homes, and what has pulled them to particular destinations? What modes of travel do they choose, and how does the development of modern means of transportation change the nature of travel? In asking such questions, we will examine texts in their historical and cultural contexts, while exploring what they reveal about perceptions of time and space, conceptions of the foreign and the familiar, and the pivotal role played by place in notions of national, cultural, and individual identity. Along with Alexander von Humboldt’s overseas explorations and Goethe’s inaugural “Bildungsreisen” to Italy, with journeys real and imagined of the Romantic period, we will consider current trends, such as Germans exploring Germany on foot and bicycle. Further texts, song cycles, and films by Eichendorff, Heine, Franz Schubert, Fontane, Anna Seghers, Daniel Kehlmann, Hans-Josef Ortheil, W. G. Sebald, Yoko Tawada, Holger Teschke, Christoph Hein, Felicitas Hoppe. Conducted in German.

Requisite: GERM 210 or equivalent. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Visiting Professor Gutzmann.

347. Weimar Cinema: The “Golden Age” of German Film. (Offered as GERM 347 and FAMS 323.) This course examines the German contribution to the emergence of film as both a distinctly modern art form and as a product of mass culture. The international success of Robert Wiene’s Expressionist phantasmagoria, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), heralded the beginning of a period of unparalleled artistic exploration, prior to the advent of Hitler, during which the ground was laid for many of the filmic genres familiar today: horror film (F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu), detective thriller (Fritz Lang’s M), satirical comedy (Ernst Lubitsch’s The Oyster Princess), psychological drama (G.W. Pabst’s Pandora’s Box), science fiction (Lang’s Metropolis), social melodrama (Pabst’s The Joyless Street), historical costume film (Lubitsch’s Passion), political propaganda (Slatan Dudow’s Kuhle Wampe), anti-war epic (Pabst’s Westfront 1918), a documentary montage (Walther Ruttmann’s Berlin—Symphony of a Big City), and the distinctly German genre of the “mountain film” (Leni Riefenstahl’s The Blue Light). Readings, including Siegried Kracauer, Walter Benjamin, Lotte H. Eisner, Béla Balázs, and Rudolf Arnheim, will address questions of technology and modernity, gender relations after World War I, the intersection of politics and film, and the impact of German and Austrian exiles on Hollywood. Conducted in English, with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Spring semester. Professor Rogowski.

350. Rilke. The course will explore the rich legacy of one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. We will examine Rilke’s peculiar background in the German-speaking minority in Hapsburg Prague; his situation in the literary world of fin-de-siècle Munich; the significance of his encounter with Lou Andreas-Salomé; the intellectual experiences that shaped his outlook on life and on poetry (Nietzsche; Russia and Tolstoy; Paris and Rodin); his artistic breakthrough in the two-volume New Poems (1907) and the concept of the “Ding-Gedicht”; the existential crisis reflected in the modernist novel The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (1910); his reflections on the role of poetry in a modern world of uncertainty in texts such as A Letter to a Young Poet (1903); his artistic crisis of the 1910s; and the extraordinary double achievement of 1922, The Duino Elegies and The Sonnets to Orpheus. Conducted in English (no knowledge of German required), with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Rogowski.

352. Kafka, Brecht, and Thomas Mann. Representative works by each of the three contemporary authors will be read both for their intrinsic artistic merit and as expressions of the cultural, social, and political concerns of their time. Among these are such topics as the dehumanization of the individual by the state, people caught between conflicting ideologies, and literature as admonition, political statement, or escape. Readings of short stories and a novel by Kafka, including “The Judgment,” “The Metamorphosis,” and The Castle; poems, short prose, and plays by Brecht, e.g., The Three-Penny Opera, Mother Courage, and The Good Woman of Setzuan; fiction and essays by Mann, including “Death in Venice” and Buddenbrooks. Conducted in English, with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Spring semester. Professor Brandes.

356. The Artist as Hero and Victim. Beginning in late eighteenth-century Germany and continuing to the present day, the course traces the development of an ideology: the belief that the artist is a “special case” in society, an individual with extraordinary gifts and extraordinary burdens, whose mission entails both privilege and suffering. Examples will range from the young Goethe’s propagation of the idea of artist-as-unique-genius in the 1770s, through the nineteenth century’s various images of the artist as saint/madman/seer/invalid/hero/charlatan, to the debates in Weimar- and Nazi-Germany over artistic “engagement” with radical politics, and on to contemporary debates over the role of the artist in a globalized world. We shall draw mainly on works—prose fiction, verse, philosophical essays, music, paintings, film—in the modern German tradition, but with important glimpses at trends in other European countries and the U.S.A. Artists and writers to be examined will include Goethe, E.T.A. Hoffman, Caspar David Friedrich, Robert Schumann, Richard Wagner, Nietzsche, Thomas Mann, Franz Kafka, Bertolt Brecht, Käthe Kollwitz, Anna Seghers, Leni Riefenstahl, and Christa Wolf. Conducted in German.

Requisite: GERM 310 or equivalent. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Professor Gutzmann.

360. Performance. (Offered as GERM 360, ARCH 360, EUST 360 and FAMS 316.) What is performance? What constitutes an event? How can we address a phenomenon that has disappeared the moment we apprehend it? How does memory operate in our critical perception of an event? How does a body make meaning? These are a few of the questions we will explore in this course, as we discuss critical, theoretical, and compositional approaches in a broad range of multidisciplinary performance phenomena emerging from European—primarily German—culture in the twentieth century. We will focus on issues of performativity, composition, conceptualization, dramaturgy, identity construction, representation, space, gender, and dynamism. Readings of performance theory, performance studies, gender studies, and critical/cultural studies, as well as literary, philosophical, and architectural texts will accompany close examination of performance material. Students will develop performative projects in various media (video, performance, text, online) and deliver a number of critical oral and written presentations on various aspects of the course material and their own projects. Performance material will be experienced live when possible, and in text, video, audio, digital media and online form, drawn from selected works of Dada and Surrealism, Bauhaus, German Expressionism, the Theater of the Absurd, Tanztheater, and Contemporary Theater, Performance, Dance, Opera, New Media, and Performance Art. A number of films, including Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, Oskar Schlemmer’s Das Triadische Ballett, Fernand Léger’s Ballet Mécanique, and Kurt Jooss’ Der Grüne Tisch, will be also screened. Conducted in English, with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gilpin.

363. Traumatic Events. (Offered as ARCH 363, GERM 363, EUST 363, and FAMS 370.) How is memory constructed and represented? How is it possible to bear witness, and what exactly is involved? Who is authorized to testify, to whom, when? Whose story is it? Is it possible to tell “the story” of a traumatic event? What are the disorders of testimony, and how and where do they emerge? This course will observe the workings of trauma (the enactment and working-through of collective and individual symptoms of trauma), memory, and witnessing in various modes of everyday life. We will examine notions of catastrophe, disaster, accident, and violence, and explore the possibilities and impossibilities of bearing witness in many forms of cultural production: in fiction, poetry, architecture, critical theory, oral and written testimonies, visual art, monuments, memorials, philosophy, science, cartoons, film, video, theater, television reportage, newspaper documentation, performance, online, and in our public and domestic spaces. We will study various representations of trauma, paying particular attention to events in Germany and Europe from the twentieth century, as well as to 9/11 and other recent international events. Material to be examined will be drawn from the work of Pina Bausch, Joseph Beuys, Christian Boltanski, Cathy Caruth, Paul Celan, Marguerite Duras, Peter Eisenman, Shoshana Felman, Florian Freund, Jochen Gerz, Geoffrey Hartman, Rebecca Horn, Marion Kant, Anselm Kiefer, Ruth Klüger, Dominick LaCapra, Claude Lanzmann, Dori Laub, Daniel Libeskind, W.G. Sebald, Art Spiegelman, Paul Virilio, Peter Weiss, Wim Wenders, Elie Wiesel, Christa Wolf, and others. Conducted in English with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Fall semester. Professor Gilpin.

364. Architectures of Disappearance. (Offered as GERM 364, ARCH 364, and EUST 364.) This course will address a number of developments and transformations in contemporary urban architecture and performance from an international perspective. We will explore issues including, but not limited to, trauma, memory, absence, perception, corporeality, representation, and the senses in our examination of recent work in Germany and elsewhere, and read a number of texts from the fields of philosophy, critical theory, performance studies, and visual and architectural studies, in an attempt to understand how architecture is beginning to develop compositional systems in which to envision dynamic and responsive spaces in specific cultural contexts. We will focus our research on the work of a number of German and international architects, performance, and new media artists, including Jochen Gerz, Renata Stih and Frieder Schnock, Horst Hoheisel, Micha Ullman, Shimon Attie, Daniel Libeskind, Peter Eisenman, Rem Koolhaas, Greg Lynn, Mark Goulthorpe, R & Sie(n), Axel Kilian, Paul Privitera, Hani Rashid and Lise-Ann Couture, Herzog and de Meuron, Archigram, William Forsythe, Jan Fabre, Rachel Whiteread, Rebecca Horn, Sasha Waltz, Richard Siegal, Michael Schumacher, Robert Wilson, the Blix Brothers of Berlin, Pina Bausch, Granular Synthesis, Sponge, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Toni Dove, and many others. Conducted in English, with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gilpin.

365. Making Memorials. (Offered as GERM 365 ARCH 365, and EUST 365.) This is a course about what happens to difficult memories: memories that are intensely personal, but made public, memories that belong to communities, but which become ideologically possessed by history, politics, or the media. How are memories processed into memorials? What constitutes a memorial? What gets included or excluded? How is memory performed in cultural objects, spaces, and institutions? What is the relationship between the politics of representation and memory? Who owns memory? Who is authorized to convey it? How does memory function? This course will explore the spaces in which memories are “preserved” and experienced. Our attention will focus on the transformation of private and public memories in works of architecture, performance, literature, and the visual arts primarily in Germany, Europe, and the United States. Preference given to German majors and European Studies majors, as well as to students interested in architecture/design, performance, the visual arts, interactive installation and/or the environment. Conducted in English, with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gilpin.

368. SPACE. (Offered as GERM 368, ARCH 368, EUST 368, and FAMS 373.) This research seminar will explore conceptions of space as they have informed and influenced thought and creativity in the fields of cultural studies, literature, architecture, urban studies, performance, and the visual, electronic, and time-based arts. Students will select and pursue a major semester-long research project early in the semester in consultation with the professor, and present their research in its various stages of development throughout the semester, in a variety of media formats (writing, performance, video, electronic art/interactive media, installation, online and networked events, architectural/design drawings/renderings), along with oral presentations of readings and other materials. Readings and visual materials will be drawn from the fields of literature and philosophy; from architectural, art, and film theory and history; from performance studies and performance theory; and from theories of technology and the natural and built environment. Emphasis on developing research, writing, and presentation skills is a core of this seminar.

Preference given to German majors and European Studies majors, as well as to students interested in architecture/design, performance, film/video, interactive installation, and/or the environment. Conducted in English. German majors will select a research project focused on a German Studies context, and will do a substantial portion of the readings in German.

Limited to 15 students. Enrollment requires attendance at the first class meeting. Spring semester. Professor Gilpin.

490. Special Topics. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Fall semester. The Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Spring semester. The Department.

History

*On leave 2014-15.

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Couvares, Dennerline‡, Epstein*, Redding†, Saxton‡, Servos†, and K. Sweeney‡; Associate Professors López, Maxey (Chair), Moss, and Ringer; Assistant Professors Boucher, Cho, Melillo, Sen, and Walker; Visiting Associate Professor Rosenthal; Five College Associate Professor Chu; Five College Visiting Associate Professor Donson; Five College Assistant Professor Glebov*; Five College Visiting Assistant Professor Gordon; Lecturer Geffert; Five College Fellow Chou.

Goals for the History Major

Students who complete the major in History will be able to

• Think critically about the relationship between historical evidence and arguments.

• Challenge and revise existing narratives of the past, both to comprehend the events they describe and to shed light on society’s evolving needs and concerns.

• Question their own ideas and assumptions, and reflect on the often hidden relationships between ideas and social institutions, and between individuals and their cultures.

• Analyze texts, documents, and oral historical materials, and assess the uses made of these materials by other historians.

• Frame research questions, conduct independent research, and write persuasively.

The requirements for the history major encourage students to develop these capacities by studying the history of a particular region or historical topic in depth and by ranging more widely so as to fulfill geographical and chronological breadth requirements.

Majors will demonstrate their mastery of History by successfully completing nine history courses that include

• Four courses in an individually chosen area of concentration

• One course each in at least three different geographic areas

• Either two courses that cover the pre-1800 period [P], or one pre-1800 course and one comparative history [C] course

• A research seminar (numbered 400 and up) resulting in the completion of a 20- to 25-page research paper that conforms to the department’s “Guidelines for Research Papers”

• HIST 301, Writing the Past or HIST 402, Proseminar: Research and Writing

Some individual courses may fulfill more than one of the above requirements. Students who have taken history courses outside of the Five College Consortium (including history courses taken in study abroad programs) must petition the department to receive its approval to count those courses toward the major requirements. Majors should consult their departmental advisers as they select their courses or if they have questions about the requirements.

In addition, all majors must satisfy a comprehensive assessment by either

• Completing a senior thesis on an independently chosen topic, and participating in an oral defense of the thesis with three faculty members chosen jointly by the student and the department. The thesis adds two to three additional courses (normally HIST 498 and 499) to the major program for a total of eleven or twelve history courses. The thesis is a requirement for the student to be a candidate for a degree with Latin honors.

• Completing a capstone project. A major who elects not to write a thesis will prepare a brief (10-minute) oral presentation based on his or her 20 to 25 page research paper, and will also prepare a brief (5 page) written commentary on the paper. The presentation should highlight the research question, the sources and methods of investigation, and the overall conclusion. Students will give their presentations in their senior years, on a day designated by the department, and with faculty and junior and senior majors in attendance. The written commentary should highlight the research question, discuss how the student would revise the paper if he or she had more time, had access to distant archives, etc., and elaborate on how the paper draws upon the student’s background in the major.

Concentration within the major. In completing their major, history students must take four courses either in the history of one geographical region (chosen from the six possibilities listed below), or in the history of a particular historical topic (for example, colonialism or nationalism), or in a comparative history of two or more regions, chosen by the student. The geographical regions are as follows:

1) United States [US]; 2) Europe [EU]; 3) Asia [AS]; 4) Africa and the diaspora ([AF]; 5) Latin America and the Caribbean [LA]; 6) Middle East [ME].

Each student shall designate a concentration in consultation with his or her advisor.

Departmental Honors Program. The Department recommends Latin Honors for seniors who have achieved distinction in their course work and who have completed a thesis of Honors quality. Students who are candidates for Latin Honors will normally take two courses, HIST 498 and HIST 499, in addition to the courses required of all majors. With the approval of the thesis advisor, a student may take either HIST 498 or HIST 499 as a double course. In special cases, and with the approval of the entire Department, a student may be permitted to devote more than three courses to his or her thesis.

Course Levels in the Department of History. Introductory level courses assume little or no previous college or university level experience in studying history either in general or in the specific regions covered by the courses. They are appropriate both for students new to the Department’s offerings and for those who wish to broaden their historical knowledge by studying a region, topic, or period that they have not previously explored. Intermediate level courses usually focus on a narrower region, topic, or historical period. Although most intermediate level courses have no prerequisites (see the individual course listings), they assume a more defined interest on the part of the student, and are appropriate for those who wish to enhance their understanding of the specific topic as well as their analytical and writing skills. Seminars (upper-level courses) usually require the student to complete an independent research paper that satisfies the “Guidelines for Research Papers.” They are appropriate both for history majors as a way of fully comprehending and practicing the craft of the historian, as well as for non-history majors who wish to pursue a topic in depth.

Key for concentration and breadth requirements for the major: US [United States]; EU [Europe]; AS [Asia]; AF [Africa and the diaspora]; LA [Latin America and the Caribbean]; ME [Middle East]; P [Pre-1800]; C [Comparative].

101. World War II in Global Perspective. [C] This course will explore World War II in global perspective. Historians of Europe, Japan, and the United States will join together to teach the history of the world’s most destructive war. Topics include the rise of militant regimes in Germany and Japan; German and Japanese aggression in the 1930s; the attack on Pearl Harbor; famous battles of the war; the Holocaust; German and Japanese occupation practices; civilian life in the Allied and Axis countries; and the later memory of the war. The course will also address moral controversies raised by the war, including the Anglo-American firebombing of Germany and the decision to drop the atomic bomb. Texts for the course will include film, memoirs, government documents, graphic and other novels, and secondary accounts of the war. Class will consist of two lectures and one discussion section per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professors Epstein, Maxey, and K. Sweeney.

104. Environmental Issues of the Nineteenth Century. (Offered as HIST 104 [C] and ENST 220.) This course considers the ways that people in various parts of the world thought about and acted upon nature during the nineteenth century. We look historically at issues that continue to have relevance today, including: invasive species, deforestation, soil-nitrogen availability, water use, desertification, and air pollution. Themes include: the relationship of nineteenth-century colonialism and environmental degradation, gender and environmental change, the racial dimensions of ecological issues, and the spatial aspects of human interactions with nature. We will take at least one field trip. In addition, we will watch three films that approach nineteenth-century environmental issues from different vantage points. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Melillo.

105. Global Environmental History of the Twentieth Century. [C] This course examines the environmental history of the world since 1900 with a particular focus on Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and China. We will use books, articles, four films, and a range of online media to illuminate the comparative and interdisciplinary possibilities of global environmental history. In addition to studying the past, we will explore how to use historical knowledge in the formulation of policy recommendations and grassroots initiatives for addressing contemporary environmental issues. Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Professor Melillo.

130. World War I. (Offered as HIST 130 [EU] and EUST 130.) The image of the First World War is so iconic that it can be evoked through a handful of tropes: trenches, machine guns, mud, “going over the top,” crossing “no man’s land.” Yet in many ways this is a partial vision, one that focuses myopically on the experiences of European soldiers who occupied a few hundred miles of trenches in northern France. Why is it that a conflict as unprecedented in its size and complexity as “the Great War” has been reduced in our minds to this very limited scale? In conjunction with the war’s 100th anniversary, this course both explores the role of World War I in our cultural imagination and aims to create a broader, messier, and more complicated portrait of the history. It will examine the conflict on multiple fronts, study the perspectives of both Western and non-Western soldiers and civilians, and analyze the war’s role in shaping the twentieth century. Three class meetings per week.

Limited to 60 students. Spring semester. Professor Boucher.

132. Europe in the Twentieth Century. (Offered as HIST 132 [EU] and EUST 133.) This course offers a broad survey of European history in the twentieth century. It will cover events such as World War I; the Bolshevik Revolution and the ensuing Soviet experiment; the Spanish Civil War; Nazism, World War II, and the Holocaust; the Cold War in Europe; the collapse of communism; and the Balkan Wars in the 1990s. In addition, the course will focus on the broad themes of twentieth-century European history: the confrontation between liberalism, fascism, and communism; the role of nationalism; the development of the welfare state; the decline of Europe’s role in the world; the movement for European unity; and changing notions of race, class, and gender during the course of the century. Course materials will focus on primary documents, including films, memoirs, novels, political manifestos, and government and other official documents. Three class meetings per week.

Limited to 60 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Epstein.

141. Colonial North America. [USP] A survey of early American history from the late 1500s to the mid-1700s. The course begins by looking at Native American peoples and their initial contacts with European explorers and settlers. It examines comparatively the establishment of selected colonies and their settlement by diverse European peoples and enslaved Africans. The last half of the course focuses on the social, economic, political, and cultural conditions influencing the rise of the British colonies. Three class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor K. Sweeney.

155. Twentieth-Century America. [US] The course traces United States political, social, and cultural history from 1900 to the present. Among the topics covered are the rise of the modern corporation, class conflict and the Progressive movement; immigration, ethnic pluralism, and the rise of mass culture; the Great Depression and the New Deal; World War II, the Cold War, and McCarthyism; the civil rights, women’s and environmental movements, the New Left, the New Right, and the continuing inequalities of race and class. Films and videos will regularly supplement class readings. Three class meetings per week.

Limited to 40 students. Spring semester. Professor Couvares.

156. The U.S. in the World: 1756-1898. [US] This course is an introduction to the major trends and developments in U.S. foreign relations from the nation’s rise from a loose coalition of colonies on the Atlantic seaboard to a continental and world power by the beginning of the twentieth century. This course will seek to understand the effect of expansion on the nation’s values, institutions, and history, and examine the methods used to extend the nation’s borders, trade, and influence. It engages “foreign relations” in broad terms to incorporate ideology, race, gender, technology, economics, geopolitics, and culture as important forces in shaping the United States’ understanding of and behavior toward the world. The country’s domestic character critically determined the ways in which the nation’s power took shape on the world stage, even as global interactions shaped nascent U.S. institutions and identities. This course will examine how economic and security needs shaped foreign policy goals, while social norms and domestic values informed the ways Americans interacted with other societies. Three class meetings per week.

Limited to 60 students. Fall semester. Professor Walker.

157. The U.S. in the World: 1898 to the Present. [US] This course investigates the United States’ foreign relations in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries and seeks to understand why and how it has become increasingly involved in world affairs. Starting with the War of 1898 and closing with the contemporary global war on terrorism, it examines the interplay of domestic and foreign considerations that have defined the “American Century.” This period raises important questions about the nature of American power in relation to traditional empires. The course asks students to think critically about the United States in the context of imperialism and explore how Americans, both in and out of government, sought to reconcile domestic values and identities with the country’s growing global presence. It investigates the ideological, economic, political, social, racial, and security considerations that shaped America’s emergence as a world power and formed the basis of modern American foreign policy and domestic society. Three class meetings per week.

Limited to 60 students. Spring semester. Professor Walker.

171. Chinese Civilization to 1800. (Offered as HIST 171 [ASP] and ASLC 124 [C].) A survey of Chinese history from ancient times to the eighteenth century. We will focus on texts and artifacts to explore the classical roots and historical development of Chinese statecraft, philosophy, religion, art, and literature. Using these media for evidence, we will trace the histories of inter-state relations, imperial institutions, global commerce, and family-based society through the ancient Han empire, the great age of Buddhism, the medieval period of global trade, and the Confucian bureaucratic empires that followed the Mongol world conquest. We will also compare these histories to those of European and other civilizations, considering Chinese and non-Chinese views of the past. Readings include the Analects of Confucius and other Confucian and Daoist texts, Buddhist tales and early modern fiction, selections from the classic Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), and Jonathan Spence’s Emperor of China: Self-portrait of Kangxi. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Dennerline.

172. Modern China. (Offered as HIST 172 [AS] and ASLC 146 [C].) A survey of Chinese history from the Manchu conquest of 1644 to the present. Beginning with the successes and failures of the imperial state as it faced global economic development, expanding European empires, and internal social change, we will study the Opium War, massive nineteenth-century religious rebellions, Republican revolution and state-building, the “New Culture” movement, Communist revolution, the anti-Japanese war, Mao’s Cultural Revolution, and the problems of post-Mao reform, all with comparative reference to current events. Readings, which include a wide variety of documents such as religious and revolutionary tracts, eye-witness accounts, memoirs, and letters, are supplemented by interpretive essays and videos. Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Professor Dennerline.

173. Introduction to Medieval and Early Modern South Asia: From the Delhi Sultanates to Mughal Successor States, 1200-1800 A.D.. (Offered as HIST 173 [ASP] and ASLC 173 [SA].)This course presents an introduction to major themes and developments in medieval and early modern South Asian history with a focus on the emergence and flourishing of Islamicate regimes in the sub-continent. Commencing with the growth of Islamic polities in South Asia, the course explores the Delhi Sultanate, various syncretistic and devotional sects and movements, the Vijayanagara Empire, and the Mughal Empire, as well as politics, religion, literature, art, architecture, and trade under these formations. Readings are drawn from a variety of both primary and secondary sources and combine perspectives offered by political, social, and cultural history. The course aims at providing a broad overview of six centuries of the sub-continent’s past, coupled with closer attention to select themes. Challenging both colonialist and early nationalist views of this vast period as one of stagnation and tyranny, the course seeks to demonstrate the vitality and dynamism characterizing these centuries of the second millennium. We will lay particular emphasis on the processes of transculturation between the Islamic and Indic through which the South Asian medieval was lived. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sen.

174. Introduction to Modern South Asian History. (Offered as HIST 174 [AS] and ASLC 174 [SA].) This survey course introduces key themes and events in the making of modern South Asia. The objective is to provide a skeletal historical narrative of the various transformations the subcontinent and its peoples experienced through the colonial and post-colonial eras. A variety of primary sources and audio and visual materials will be utilized in conjunction with excerpts from panoramic textbooks as well as portions of monographs, combining perspectives from political, social, cultural and economic history. Commencing with the transitions occurring in the middle to late 18th century, the course explores some of the major historical developments in South Asia until the present moment including the East India Company-state, colonial and imperial rule, social reform, the revolt of 1857, Indian nationalism, caste and communal conflict, and the struggles for post-colonial democracy. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sen.

175. Japanese History to 1700s. (Offered as HIST 175 [ASP] and ASLC 225 [J].) This is a writing attentive survey of Japan’s history from antiquity to the early-eighteenth century. It traces political, social, and cultural developments in order to provide basic literacy in pre-modern Japanese history and a basis both for comparative history and further course work in Japanese history. Prominent themes include the rise of early polities, contact with the Chinese continent and Korean peninsula, the aristocratic culture of the Heian court and its displacement by medieval samurai rule, the role of Buddhist thought and institutions, the “warring states” period of the sixteenth-century and cosmopolitan contact with Christian Europe, the Tokugawa peace and its urban cultural forms. Throughout, we will read a variety of sources, including eighth-century mythology, aristocratic literature, chronicles of war, religious and philosophical texts, as well as modern fiction and film. Classes will combine lectures with close readings and discussions of the assigned texts. Requirements include short response papers and topical essays. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Maxey.

176. Modern Japanese History from 1800 to the 2000s. (Offered as HIST 176 [AS] and ASLC 247 [J].) This course surveys the modern history of the Japanese archipelago, from the late-Tokugawa period through the rise of the modern Meiji nation-state, colonial expansion and total war. We will conclude with the postwar economic recovery and the socio-political challenges facing the Japanese nation-state in the early-2000s. Through primary documents, fiction, and film, we will explore themes including the disestablishment of the samurai class, industrialization, imperialism, feminism, nationalism, war, democracy, and consumerism. Classes will consist of lectures along with close readings and discussions. Requirements include short response papers and topical essays. Three class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Maxey.

181. Colonial and Post-Colonial Africa. (Offered as HIST 181 [AF] and BLST 221 [A].) This is a history of Africa from the late nineteenth century to the present day. In the first half of the course, we will study the imperial scramble to colonize Africa; the broader integration of African societies into the world economy; the social, political and medical impact of imperial policies; Western popular images of Africa in the colonial period; the nationalist struggles that resulted in the independent African states; and the persistent problems faced by those post-colonial states. In the final half of the course, we will investigate three cases: Congo-Zaire and the state as a source of chaos through the Second Congo War; violence, liberation and memories of childhood in late colonial Rhodesia and postcolonial Zimbabwe; the political history of economic development programs and the advent of “resource conflicts,” particularly those involving diamonds. Three class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Redding.

190. Middle Eastern History: 500-1600. (Offered as HIST 190 [MEP] and ASLC 126 [WA].) This course surveys the history of the Middle East from the outset of the Islamic period to the beginning of the modern period. It is divided into the following segments: the formative period of Islam, the classical caliphates, the classical courts, the Mongols, and the great empires of the Ottomans and the Safavids. The course is organized chronologically and follows the making and breaking of empires and political centers; however, the focus of the course is on the intellectual, social, cultural and religious developments in these periods. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Ringer.

191. The Modern Middle East: 1800-Present. (Offered as HIST 191 [ME] and ASLC 148 [WA].) This course surveys the history of the Middle East from 1800 to the present. The focus is threefold: following political, social and intellectual trends as they evolve over time, exploring contemporary historical and methodological debates and analysis, and introducing students to important historical literature of the period. The class is divided into modules: “From Subject to Citizen,” “Engineering a Modern Middle East,” “Nationalism and the Quest for Independence,” “Islamist Opposition,” and “Taking Sovereignty: Contemporary Debates and the Post-Modern Era.” The class is discussion-oriented and writing intensive. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Ringer.

204. Jewish History in the Modern Age. [C] This course introduces students to the history of the Jews from the 16th century to the present. Jews—a small group, lacking a stable geographical or political center for most of modern history—have played a remarkably central role in world events. Jewish history exemplifies questions of tolerance, intolerance, and diversity in the Modern Age. From Europe to the Americas to the Middle East, Jewish history has witnessed constant interchange between the non-Jewish world and its Jewish subcultures. This course investigates Jewish history’s multiple dimensions: developments in Jews’ political status and economic opportunity; dramatic demographic shifts and global migrations; transformations in Jewish cultures, ideologies and identities; and religious adjustments to modernity. We examine a variety of Jewish encounters with the modern world: integration, acculturation, assimilation, anti-Semitism, Jewish dissimilation and nationalism. Finally, the course will use this broad historical lens to explore and contextualize the double watershed of the 1940s—the Holocaust and the establishment of the State of Israel—as well as contemporary Jewish life. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Gordon.

208. Spain and the Pacific World, 1571-1898. [CP/AS] This course explores the historical relationship between the Spanish Empire and the peoples and environments of the Pacific Ocean region. We will begin in 1571 with the opening of Manila as a Spanish trading port and end in 1898 with the Spanish-American War. Over the course of the semester, we will discuss the trans-Pacific silver and silk trades, the function of Catholic missionaries in shaping the Pacific World, environmental exchanges between the Americas and Asia, indigenous resistance to imperialism, and the role of Pacific peoples in the development of the world economy. Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Professor Melillo.

209. Fascism. (Offered as HIST 209 [C] and EUST 209.) This course addresses the vexing questions of what fascism is, whether it was a global phenomenon, and whether it has been historically banished. The first part of the semester will consider the conceptual issues related to nationalism, modernity, and fascism. Next we will address case studies, noting comparative continuities and regional peculiarities. The countries that will receive the most attention are Italy, France, Argentina, Britain, Brazil, Germany, Spain, and Mexico, with additional attention to Portugal, Japan, China, New Guinea, Chile, Turkey, Palestine and Australia. This will be followed by an examination of gender and fascism, including the role of women as agents of this radical ideology. The course will close with two recent works of scholarship, one on transnational fascism in early twentieth-century Argentina and the other on the applicability of the term “fascism” to contemporary movements in the Middle East. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor López.

212. Disease and Doctors: An Introduction to the History of Western Medicine. [C] Disease has always been a part of human experience; doctoring is among our oldest professions. This course surveys the history of Western medicine from antiquity to the modern era. It does so by focusing on the relationship between medical theory and medical practice, giving special attention to Hippocratic medical learning and the methods by which Hippocratic practitioners built a clientele, medieval uses of ancient medical theories in the definition and treatment of disease, the genesis of novel chemical, anatomical, and physiological conceptions of disease in the early modern era, and the transformations of medical practice associated with the influence of clinical and experimental medicine in the nineteenth century. The course concludes by examining some contemporary medical dilemmas in the light of their historical antecedents. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Servos.

213. Turning Points in the History of Science. [EUP] An introduction to some major issues in the history of science from antiquity to the twentieth century. Topics will include the genesis and decay of a scientific tradition in Greco-Roman antiquity, the reconstitution of that tradition in medieval Europe, the revolution in scientific methods of the seventeenth century, and the emergence of science as a source of power, profit, and cultural authority during the past century. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Servos.

214. Science and Society in Modern America. [US] A survey of the social, political, and institutional development of science in America from the Civil War to the present. Emphasis will be on explaining how the United States moved from the periphery to the center of international scientific life. Topics will include the professionalization of science; roles of scientists in industry, education, and government; ideologies of basic research; and the response of American scientists to the two world wars, the Depression, and the Cold War. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Servos.

227. Early Modern England, 1558-1702: Renaissance, Reformation, and Revolution. (Offered as HIST 227 [EUp] and EUST 227.) This course offers a thematic and methodological survey of English history from the beginning of Elizabeth I’s reign in 1558 to the death of William III in 1702, with particular attention to the wider British, European, and Atlantic contexts. What drove England’s transformation from a European backwater to an emerging global and imperial power? How did it transition from a mode of governance centered on the personal authority of the monarch, to one that incorporated party politics and the ideal of “parliamentary sovereignty”? How can we account for the emergence of a complex commercial society, dependent on foreign trade, overseas expansion, and financial markets, from early modern economic values and practices that had obliged the Crown to “live of its own” and avoid excessive debt or taxation? What policies, events, and contingencies contributed to the increasing identification of England and “Englishness” with the Protestant religion? This course will incorporate digital humanities tools, archival research, classroom discussions, and immersive and collaborative activities to train students to evaluate critically primary and secondary sources and to construct their own historical arguments. Three class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Five College Fellow Chou.

228. Modern Germany, 1750 to the Present. (Offered as HIST 228 [EU] and EUST 218). This course surveys the troubled history of the modern German nation-state, with a focus on culture, society, and politics. Particular attention is paid to how, in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, liberal ways of thinking that emerged from the Enlightenment clashed and sometimes merged with traditions of Prussian militarism and absolutism. The course also emphasizes how German Social Democracy, the world’s largest and best organized workers’ movement, destabilized the nation-state while laying the foundation for progressive democracy. Topics include absolutism, the old regime, the Enlightenment, the Napoleonic occupation, the 1848 revolution, unification and rule under Bismarck, German Jews before 1914, mass politics under Wilhelm II, the First World War, the Weimar Republic, the Nazi dictatorship, the Second World War and the Holocaust, the divided Germanys, and the Federal Republic since 1989. The readings include one monograph but mostly primary source texts, such as diaries, speeches, political pamphlets, and magazine articles from the distant German past. Students have to submit weekly written answers to questions on these texts and write five short essays. In each, students must take a position in a debate or interpretation and support conclusions from the primary source texts. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Five College Visiting Professor Donson.

230. The French Revolution. (Offered as HIST 230 [EU] and EUST 230.) Often viewed as one of the defining events in modern history, the French Revolution has been debated and discussed, derided and celebrated by generations of politicians, cultural commentators, and historians. This course enters into this on-going conversation by examining the nature of the revolutionary process as it unfolded in late eighteenth-century France and its empire. Beginning in the “old regime” of kings and commoners, it untangles the social, political, and intellectual roots of the Revolution and investigates the extent to which these factors contributed to the radical overthrow of the French establishment in 1789. It then follows the extension of the Revolution throughout French society and across the seas to the Caribbean, analyzing how popular and colonial upheavals influenced the revolutionary new order of “liberty, equality, and brotherhood” that was taking shape in France. Finally, the course explores the aftermath of the Revolution by tracing the various ways that its history has been interpreted and reinterpreted from the nineteenth century to the present day. Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Professor Boucher.

231. Race and Empire: The British Experience from 1760. (Offered as HIST 231 [EU] and EUST 231.) From the mid-eighteenth century through the 1960s, Britain presided over the most powerful empire in the world. At its height, this small island nation ruled one-quarter of the earth’s surface and more than 450 million of its inhabitants. Not only did British imperialism play a decisive role in shaping world politics, economics, and cultures in its day, it also left a number of profound legacies that continue to affect our lives in the present. This course traces the rise, fall, and lasting influence of the British empire, and pays particular attention to questions of race and ethnicity. Through a series of colonial encounters —such as the first contacts made between explorers and Pacific Islanders in the 18th century, the interactions between missionaries and Africans in the 19th century, or the migration of South Asians to Britain in the 20th century—it examines what “race” meant in different historical contexts. The course thus explores the institutionalization of racism in government, law, and society, and analyzes moments in which racism has been combated and overturned. Readings and course materials will be drawn from secondary and primary sources, including newspapers, novels, photographs, artwork, oral histories, and films. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Boucher.

232. European Intellectual History in the Twentieth Century. (Offered as HIST 232 [EU] and EUST 242). This class explores the intellectual history of Europe’s “Age of Extremes” by focusing on its feuding political ideas and their chief advocates: the public intellectuals. Liberalism, Conservatism, Communism, and Fascism—all were created by intellectuals, and all relied on intellectuals for their ideological struggle over Europe. The course will investigate the many—glorious and inglorious—careers of European intellectuals of very different agendas, polities, legacies and fates (Arendt, Gramsci, De Beauvoir, Sartre, Orwell, Schmitt to name a few). The course thus has two goals: first, it is an introduction to 20th-century political ideas in their European historical contexts; second, it is an examination of public intellectuals, their history, role, responsibility and even accountability. Course materials will include historical analysis and works of fiction; works of propaganda and works of art; manifestos and political trial confessions. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Five College Professor Gordon.

233. Childhood and Child Welfare in Modern Europe. (Offered as HIST 233 [EU] and EUST 243.) The recent trend of big-name celebrities adopting children from the developing world has made international child welfare the subject of rich public debate. Is it right for citizens of wealthier countries to remove children from poorer nations to give them a better life, or does this act constitute a blatant case of cultural imperialism and “child stealing”? The issue hinges on the question of whether it is possible to define a single, universal standard of child welfare. If the answer is yes, then intervening into other families and societies is justified to give all children a “proper childhood.” If the answer is no, then all manner of child-centered humanitarianism becomes subject to critique. This course explores the historical roots of these current social issues. It begins by analyzing the creation of a “modern” definition of childhood in the era of the Enlightenment, then follows the attempts of nineteenth and twentieth century reformers to extend this model of childhood throughout Europe and the European empires. Topics include debates over the limits of parental rights, the role of ethnicity and culture in childrearing, definitions of child abuse, international charities and NGOs, adoption, and child psychology. Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Professor Boucher.

234. Nazi Germany. (Offered as HIST 234 [EU] and EUST 234.) This course will explore the history of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. It will examine the emergence of Hitler and Nazism in Germany, Nazi ideology and aesthetics, Nazi racial policies, daily life in the Third Reich, women under Nazism, resistance to the Nazis, Nazi foreign policy and World War II, the Holocaust, and the Nuremberg War Crimes Trial. Class participants will also discuss themes that range beyond the Nazi case: How do dictatorships function? What constitutes resistance? How and why do regimes engage in mass murder? Texts will include films, diaries, memoirs, government and other official documents, and classic and recent scholarly accounts of the era. Three class meetings per week.

Limited to 60 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Epstein.

235. Stalin and Stalinism. (Offered as HIST 235 [EU] and EUST 245). Joseph Stalin, the infamous Soviet dictator, created a particular type of society in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. Stalinism became a phenomenon that influenced the development of the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, China, and North Korea. The course will begin with the exploration of Stalin’s own life, and then focus on what historical forces enabled the emergence of Stalinism. The course will cover the period on the eve of and during the Russian Revolution, Stalinist transformation of the USSR in the 1930s, WWII, and the onset of the Cold War. Among issues to be explored are the extent of popular support for Stalinist-type regimes, the mechanisms of large-scale political terror, the longevity of Stalinist regimes, and historical memory about Stalinism. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Glebov.

236. Soviet Union During the Cold War. (Offered as HIST 236 [EU] and EUST 238.) The Cold War indelibly shaped the second half of the twentieth century. Spies seemed ubiquitous; nuclear annihilation imminent. Films such as Red October and the James Bond series forged a Western image of the Soviet Union. But how were these decades experienced behind the Iron Curtain? This class explores Soviet history between the end of World War II and the collapse of the USSR. We will study the roots of the Cold War; the politics of de-Stalinization in the USSR; the unfolding of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe; and Soviet relations with the West, China, and the developing world. We will also explore the internal dynamics of Soviet society: the rise of the Soviet middle class, consumerism, tourism, the entertainment industry, demographic trends, education, and public health. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Glebov.

242. Material Culture of American Homes. (Offered as HIST 242 [USP], ARCH 242, and AHRA 133) Using architecture, artifacts, visual evidence and documentary sources, the course examines social and cultural forces affecting the design and use of domestic architecture, home furnishings, and domestic technology in the eastern United States from 1600 to 1960. In addition to providing a survey of American domestic architecture, the course provides an introduction to the study of American material culture. Field trips to Historic Deerfield, Old Sturbridge Village, Hartford, Connecticut, and sites in Amherst form an integral part of the course. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor K. Sweeney.

247. African American History from the Slave Trade to Reconstruction. (Offered as BLST 231 [US] and HIST 247 [US]; or may be included in AF concentration, but not AF for distribution in the History major.]) This course is a survey of the history of African American men and women from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries through the Civil War and Reconstruction. The content is a mixture of the social, cultural, and political history of blacks during two and a half centuries of slavery with the story of the black freedom struggle and its role in America’s national development. Among the major topics addressed: the slave trade in its moral and economic dimensions; African retentions in African American culture; origins of racism in colonial America; how blacks used the rhetoric and reality of the American and Haitian Revolutions to their advancement; antebellum slavery; black religion and family under slavery and freedom; the free black experience in the North and South; the crises of the 1850s; the role of race and slavery in the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War; and the meaning of emancipation and Reconstruction for blacks. Readings include historical monographs, slave narratives by men and women, and one work of fiction.

Combined enrollment limited to 50 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Moss.

248. African American History from Reconstruction to the Present. (Offered as BLST 241 [US] and HIST 248 [US; or may be included in AF concentration, but not AF for distribution in the History major].) This course is a survey of the social, cultural, and political history of African American men and women since the 1870s. Among the major topics addressed: the legacies of Reconstruction; the political and economic origins of Jim Crow; the new racism of the 1890s; black leadership and organizational strategies; the Great Migration of the World War I era; the Harlem Renaissance; the urbanization of black life and culture; the impact of the Great Depression and the New Deal; the social and military experience of World War II; the causes, course and consequences of the modern civil rights movement; the experience of blacks in the Vietnam War; and issues of race and class in the 1970s and 1980s. Readings and materials include historical monographs, fiction, and documentary films.

Limited to 50 students. Omitted 2014-15.

251. The Immigrant City. [US] A history of American cities in the industrial era, this course will focus especially on the city of Holyoke as a site of industrialization, immigration, urban development, and deindustrialization. We will begin with a walking tour of Holyoke and an exploration of the making of a planned industrial city. We will then investigate the experience of several key immigrant groups— principally Irish, French Canadian, Polish, and Puerto Rican—using both primary and secondary historical sources, as well as fiction. Students will write several papers on one or another immigrant group, and a final paper that explores in greater depth one of the topics touched upon in the course. In the middle of the course, the class will explore the ARIS historical simulation project, which has been used to construct a “game” based on historical data and set in the city of Holyoke. Students may choose to fulfill the final project requirement by making a contribution to this ARIS historical simulation. The course will include students from Amherst College and Holyoke Community College. The course is open to all students, majors and non-majors, but history majors who wish to satisfy their major research requirement in the context of this course may do so by arrangement with Prof. Couvares. One class meeting per week.

Enrollment is limited to ten students per institution. Omitted 2014-15. Professors Couvares and Clinton (HCC).

252. Women’s History, America: 1607-1865. (Offered as HIST 252 [USP] and SWAG 252.) This course looks at the experiences of Native American, European and African women from the colonial period through the Civil War. The course will explore economic change over time and its impact on women, family structure, and work. It will also consider varieties of Christianity, the First and Second Awakenings and their consequences for various groups of women. Through secondary and primary sources and discussions students will look at changing educational and cultural opportunities for some women, the forces creating antebellum reform movements, especially abolition and feminism, and women’s participation in the Civil War. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Saxton.

253. Women’s History, America: 1865 to Present. (Offered as HIST 253 [US] and SWAG 253.) This course begins with an examination of the experience of women from different racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds during Reconstruction. It will look at changes in family life as a result of increasing industrialization and the westward movement of settler families, and will also look at the settlers’ impact on Native American women and families. Topics will include the work and familial experiences of immigrant women (including Irish, Polish, and Italian), women’s reform movements (particularly suffrage, temperance, and anti-lynching), the expansion of educational opportunities, and the origins and programs of the Progressives. The course will examine the agitation for suffrage and the subsequent splits among feminists, women’s experiences in the labor force, and participation in the world wars. Finally, we will look at the origins of the Second Wave and its struggles to transcend its white middle-class origins, the challenges working mothers face in contemporary society, and women’s experience with the criminal justice system. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Saxton.

256. Case Studies in American Diplomacy. (Offered as HIST 256 [US] and POSC 311 [G].) This course will combine the methods of diplomatic history and political science in examining critical moments and themes in American diplomacy. Our overall aim is to better understand the evolving position of the United States in world politics as well as domestic controversies over the character of America’s global role. Specifically, we will assess the combined influence of racism and ethnicity as well as of religious and secular values and class interest on American diplomacy. We shall also investigate the major domestic political, social, economic and intellectual trends and impulses, (e.g., manifest destiny, isolationism and counter-isolationism, and containment) that have shaped American diplomacy; analyze competing visions for territorial conquests and interventions as advocated by various American elites; examine the methods used to extend the nation’s borders, foreign trade and international influence and leadership; and seek to understand the impact of key foreign policy involvements and controversies on the character of the Presidency, Congress and party politics. Among the topics to be considered are the Federalist/Anti-Federalist debates over the scope of constitutional constraints on foreign policy, the Monroe Doctrine, the Mexican War, the imperialist/anti-imperialist debate, the great power diplomacies of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and FDR, as well as key moments of American diplomacy during the Cold War (e.g., the origins of the Cold War, the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and the end of the Cold War. To see examples of past syllabi please go to http://www3.amherst.edu/~pmachala/Syllabi/ for more information. One class meeting per week.

Limited to 35 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professors G. Levin and Machala.

257. Post-Cold War American Diplomacy. (Offered as POSC 312 [G] and HIST 257 [US].) A 1992 still-classified Pentagon Defense Policy Guidance draft asserts that America’s political and military mission in the post-cold war era will be to ensure that no rival superpower be allowed to emerge in world politics. This course will examine American foreign relations from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the present. We will study the similarities and differences in the styles of statecraft of all post-cold war U.S. administrations in producing, managing and sustaining America’s unrivaled international position, which emerged in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union. While examining the debates between liberals and neoconservatives about America’s role in the world both preceding and following the 9-11 attack, we will also discuss the extent to which these debates not only have shaped American foreign policy but also how they have influenced our domestic politics and vice versa. Among the other main themes to be examined: the strategic, tactical and humanitarian uses of military and other forms of power by each administration (e.g., towards Somalia, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan); U.S. policy towards NATO and towards the world economy; U.S. policy towards Russia, China, the Middle East and Latin America; human, economic and political costs and benefits of American leadership in this period.

Preference given to students who have taken one of the following courses: POSC 213, 310, 311, 410; HIST 256. Limited to 30 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall semester. Professor Machala and Professor Emeritus G. Levin.

261. Latin America’s Agrarian Past. [LA] The successes and failures of past civilizations have always depended upon the qualities of human interactions with the soil. This course considers how the peoples of Latin America have related to each other and their ecosystems through agriculture. Course readings and discussions will focus upon the historical production and consumption of twelve crops: sugarcane, maize, bananas, henequen, grapes, wheat, coffee, coca, cacao, potatoes, soybeans, and cotton. Topics will include: pre-Columbian farming, shifting land-use patterns, agrarian labor regimes, soil nutrient availability, water issues, food cultures, and human-animal relations. We will also look at the ways agricultural practices have been shaped by indigeneity, gender, and class. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Melillo.

263. Struggles for Democracy in Modern Latin America, 1820 to the Present. [LA] Latin Americans began their struggle for democracy during the Independence wars at the start of the 19th century. Their struggle continues today. This course considers the historical meanings of democracy in various Latin American countries, with particular attention to the relationship between liberalism and democracy in the 19th century; the broadening of democracy at the start of the 20th century; the rise and fall of military dictatorships in the 1960s-80s and their impact upon civil society; and the current clashes between neo-Liberal economic programs and the neo-populist resurgence of the left. Readings and discussions will focus on the ways broad economic and political shifts impacted individuals’ lives; how each economic class experienced these shifts differently; the way race and gender have shaped peoples’ experience with democratization and repression; and the personal processes of radicalization by which individuals became inspired to take risks in their struggle for inclusion and against repression. Because the approach is thematic and chronological, some countries and regions will receive more attention than others. Meetings and readings will draw on secondary studies, historical documents, testimonials, music, images, and film. Two meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor López.

265. Environmental History of Latin America. [LA] In this course we will focus on the links between environmental impacts (such as environmental degradation, desertification, soil “exhaustion,” species extinction, genetic simplification, oil extraction, biotic invasions, deforestation, pesticide contamination, and animal grazing) and human problems (such as colonial and imperial domination, declining subsistence, defense and violation of civil rights, income inequality, scientific racism, regional underdevelopment, incomplete capitalist transformation, social marginalization, and political violence). Questions we will engage include: How have environmental changes contributed to, or otherwise conditioned, processes of conquest and domination? How have these processes of conquest, domination, and resistance, in turn, altered the environmental? In what ways has environmental devastation been a rational response to the challenges people face, and in what ways has it been irrational? Can history guide us in our current efforts to develop a sustainable approach to the environment that helps the land and its fauna, but does so in a way that brings greater justice and self-determination to the people who live there, while at the same time balancing the interests of the state and of investors? The class will introduce students to classic texts in Latin American environmental history (including the foundational studies by Warren Dean and Elinore Melville), as well as some of the newest scholarship. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor López.

271. Caste and Politics of Inequality in India. (Offered as HIST 271 [AS] and ASLC 271 [SA].) This course explores how caste was politicized over the course of colonial and post-colonial periods in India. It focuses on the emergence and development of various movements opposed to caste-based inequality and discrimination, as well as the ongoing search for social justice. The course reviews scholarly debates about understanding this form of identification and hierarchy, as well as the complex ways in which caste articulates with other social phenomena, like gender, class, religion, and nationality. It then moves to investigate the writings and work of key anti-caste thinkers, in particular, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the preeminent leader of the Dalits (communities caste-elites considered “untouchable”), and a key figure in drafting the Constitution of India. Based on close readings of various kinds of primary sources, as well as an engagement with secondary literature in history, political science, sociology, anthropology and literary studies, the course tells the story of the struggle to “annihilate” caste. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Sen.

272. Gandhi: A Global History of Non-Violence. (Offered as HIST 272 [AS] and ASLC 272 [SA].) Political and social movements in South Africa, the United States of America, Germany, Myanmar, India, and elsewhere, drew inspiration from the political techniques advocated by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi during his leadership of the anti-colonial struggle for freedom from British rule. The course follows this transnational history through a focus on Gandhi’s thought about satyagraha (often rendered soul, or truth-force) and its expression in practices of civil disobedience and non-violent resistance both in India and abroad. Organized in three modules, the first situates Gandhi through a consideration of the varied sources of his own intellectual formation; the second examines the historical contexts and practices through which satyagraha acquired meaning for him; the third considers the several afterlives of Gandhian politics in struggles throughout the world. We will examine autobiography and biography, Gandhi’s various collected works, political, social, and intellectual history, and audio-visual materials. In contrast to the widely disseminated story of Gandhi as a saintly apostle of peace and justice, however, the course will attend to the deep contradictions that characterized his thought and action and, indeed, the various appropriations of him. The course does not require prior familiarity with the subject matter. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Sen.

275. China in the World, 1895-1919. (Offered as HIST 275 [AS] and ASLC 249 [C].) This course is designed as an introduction to local and global themes in the history of modern China. We will focus on the period between the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95 and the Treaty of Versailles and Chinese May Fourth Movement of 1919, which launched the Communist revolution. The major issues of this period have taken on new significance since the end of the Cold War. They include 1) Chinese responses to and participation in the developing global economy, 2) approaches to political, economic, and cultural reform, 3) problems of national and cultural identity in China and abroad, 4) modern experience and new issues of class, gender, and educational status. Major events include imperial reform movements, the Boxer uprising, the anti-American boycott of 1905, popular resistance movements, the Republican revolution of 1911, and the advent of the New Culture movement after 1915. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Dennerline.

283. Introduction to South African History. (Offered as HIST 283 [AFP] and BLST 121 [A].) South African history is undergoing radical shifts in the way it is being written, read and interpreted, and this course will explore established and emerging themes in the history of this intriguing country. The time period covered will span the precolonial indigenous cultures and move on to study the initiation and expansion of white settlement and its early dependence on slave labor. The course will also investigate African resistance, both in its political and cultural forms, as well as the social effects of gold-mining and migrant labor. African nationalism, including the ANC, the Black Consciousness Movement, and the United Democratic Front, will be the focus of our study of the responses to apartheid and the ultimate collapse of the apartheid state. The course will end with discussions of recent events in South Africa, particularly the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its aftermath as well as the developing AIDS epidemic and the growing problem of crime. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Redding.

284. Africa Before the European Conquest. (Offered as HIST 284 [AFP] and BLST 211 [A].) The African continent has been called by one historian the social laboratory of humanity. Art, trade, small-scale manufacturing, medical knowledge, religion, state systems, history and legend all flourished before the formal political take-over of the continent by European powers in the late nineteenth century and continue to have a decisive impact on African societies today. It is this varied and sometimes difficult to access history of states and cultures in the period before 1885 that this course will examine. Initially, we will investigate the notion of “tribe” and its relationship to language, political affiliation and identity. The largest segment of the course will examine historical myths and their impact on the research and construction of historical narratives on precolonial Africa while discussing four topics in depth: domestic, local slave-ownership and the impact of the slave trade; the interaction of religion and power on the rise and fall of the kingdom of Kongo and of the states along the southern border of the Sahara (the Sahel); the genesis of the Zulu state in southern Africa and the creation of the legend of Tshaka; and the changing roles of women as economic, political and social actors in the period before 1885. We will also discuss some of the differences between oral historical narratives and written ones while we analyze primary documents and histories written by scholars over the past half-century to understand both the history of the people living on the continent as well as the active process of constructing that history. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Redding.

294. The History of Israel. [ME] This course will survey the history of Israel from the pre-state origins of Zionism in the late nineteenth century to the present. It will explore political, military, social and cultural history. We will seek a better historical understanding of many of Israel’s ongoing challenges, such as the place of religion in civil life, the state’s relation to world Jewry, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. We will pay special attention to contested identities and inner debates within Zionism and Israel, highlighting different and occasionally opposing visions of a Jewish homeland. In addition to historical documents and books (non-fiction and fiction), we will rely on the growing wealth of Israeli documentary films. Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Five College Professor Gordon.

301. Proseminar in History: Writing the Past. This course offers an opportunity for history majors to reflect upon the practice of history. How do we claim to know anything about the past at all? How do historians construct the stories they tell about the past from the fragmentary remnants of former times? What is the connection of historians’ work to public memory? How do we judge the truth and value of these stories and memories? The course explores questions such as these through readings and case studies drawn from a variety of places and times. Two class meetings per week.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 25 students per semester; history majors will be given preference. Fall semester: Professor Sen. Spring semester: Professor Maxey.

303. Oral History: Theory and Method. [C] Oral history first emerged as a tool for historians to record the perspectives of marginalized or “voiceless” groups. More recently, the field had expanded to encompass a range of theoretical issues, including the relationship between objective and subjective experience, the construction of memory, the “hidden orality” of written sources, and the capacity of personal narratives to produce social change. As students explore these scholarly debates, they will also learn the craft of oral history. During the course of the semester, each student will research, conduct, and interpret an oral history interview related to a shared theme, which in 2013 will be the role of women as students and teachers at Amherst College. As the practice of oral history has applications across multiple disciplines and fields, from sociology, psychology, and anthropology to journalism, social activism, and the health sciences, this course welcomes the participation of history majors and non-majors alike. One class meeting per week.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Boucher.

312. History and Politics of Human Rights. [C] This course will introduce students to major philosophical roots, historical developments, and contemporary debates in human rights politics. The course will begin by examining the global historical evolution of the notion of human rights, stressing the pivotal role of the American and French Revolutions in framing modern conceptions of rights in the late eighteenth century. It will then examine the growth of international laws, institutions, and norms in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Finally, the course will explore the human rights dimensions of three major issues in contemporary politics: humanitarian intervention; the war on terror and national security; and global capitalism and working conditions. Considerable weight and attention will be given to human rights issues in the context of the United States and its domestic and international politics. At the same time, the universalizing nature of human rights and their global import compels us to think beyond cultural, political, and historical boundaries to challenge our assumptions about the meaning and form of universal rights. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Walker.

319. Religion, Empires, and Secular States in the Nineteenth Century. (Offered as HIST 319 [c] and ASLC 320 [WA].) Conceptions of the religious and the secular that continue to resonate today assumed global significance in the course of the nineteenth century as colonial empires and nascent nation-states negotiated how they would govern heterogeneous populations and interact with each other. Drawing on scholarship from a number of disciplines that historicize the categories of religion and secularity, this course will examine the political function of the religious and the secular as conceptual and regulatory categories in the 19th century. Colonial administrations, for example, employed the conceit of secularism to neutralize religious difference while individuals and communities attempted to reform and modernize local traditions as “religion” in order to navigate global hierarchies. We will begin with a historiographic and theoretical survey, covering topics that include the academic creation of “World Religions,” the politics of conversion within the British Empire, and the discourse of Orientalist spiritualism. The second half of the course will apply these historiographic and theoretical concerns to East Asia and Japan in particular. Requirements will include two topical essays and one longer paper entailing modest research. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 15 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professors Maxey and Ringer.

335. European Migrations. (Offered as HIST 335 [EU] and EUST 335). By tracing the journeys of people into, across, and out of Europe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this course explores the role of migration in forging modern national, regional, and global identities. On one level, it analyzes the factors that have impelled groups of people to cross borders. On another, it examines how these migrations have changed the social landscape of Europe, serving both to forge and to challenge the divides of culture, religion, and nationhood. Topics will include: mass emigration and the rise of European imperialism; debates over “belonging” in the era of nation-building; the development of passports, visa restrictions, and quotas; the emergence of the categories of “refugee” and “asylum seeker”; forced migration and human trafficking; colonial and postcolonial immigration into Europe; and contestations over multiculturalism. Readings will relate to a variety of geographical locations, but with special emphasis on migration into and out of Britain, France, Germany, and their empires. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 35 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Boucher.

355. Topics in African American History: Race and Educational Opportunity in America. (Offered as HIST 355 [US; or may be included in AF concentration, but not AF for distribution in the major] and BLST 341 [US].) This seminar is an interdisciplinary exploration of the relationship between race and educational opportunity in American history. Students will gain a historical understanding of the divergent educational experiences of various groups within American society. The course is divided into four units: ethnicity and educational access in early America, education and segregation in Jim Crow America, desegregation (implementation and opposition) after Brown v. Board of Education, and contemporary discussions over race and access to education. In the first section of the course, students will pay special attention to trends including northern and southern resistance to African American education, education as assimilation, and vocational vs. classical education. Next, they will delve into twentieth- and twenty-first-century issues involving race and education. For example, they will examine how specific communities—northern, southern, and western—grappled with the desegregation process. Finally, students will assess the extent to which desegregation has been achieved and the transformative effects of this policy on public schools. One class meeting per week.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Moss.

356. U. S. Wars: Korea to Afghanistan, Politics and Writing, 1950-2012. [US] This seminar will look at the wars the U.S. has engaged in since the end of World War II, military conflicts as well as the war on poverty and the war on drugs along with the politics creating those wars. We will also read samples of the fiction and nonfiction that have emerged from these events. The course will be taught at the Hampshire County Jail, where twelve incarcerated students will meet weekly with twelve Amherst College students to discuss the week’s readings and to reflect on this recent history that has shaped all of our lives. The course will have a weekly paper as well as a final project on which inside and outside students will collaborate in groups of four. One class meeting per week.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Saxton.

358. The Local and Global 1970s. (Offered as BLST 342 [US] and HIST 358 [US].) Often overshadowed by the long 1960s and the conservative ascendancy in the 1980s, the 1970s provides an important transitional moment for the United States, one that arguably linked local experiences to global dynamics and social movements in unprecedented ways. It was also a decade fraught with contradictions. On the one hand, Americans experienced widespread disillusionment with the power of the federal government to promote and protect the minority from the majority. Historians seeking to understand the collapse of the welfare state or the origins of white resistance to civil rights’ initiatives most often point to the 1970s as the time when the Supreme Court abandoned school desegregation and the federal government shifted the burden of the social welfare system onto the market, state and local governments, and onto poor people themselves. And yet, the 1970s also saw an explosion of progressive social activism, as the women’s movement, the gay rights movement, and the environmental movement, among others, all came into their own. Likewise, this was also a time of U.S. retreat and military overextension, and a time of new hegemonies of human rights regimes and multinational corporations. This course asks students to consider how connecting the local with the global can help us better understand and resolve these apparent contradictions. How does our understanding of American politics, society, and culture change depending upon our point of view? What are the possibilities and limitations of global and local methods of inquiry? How might historians more fruitfully combine sub-disciplines to understand the ways in which Americans experienced and engaged with their historical realities as members of local, national, and global communities? One class meeting per week.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professors Moss and Walker.

364. Popular Revolution in Modern Mexico. [LA] A century ago Mexicans were embroiled in a popular revolution that demolished the state and transformed the political landscape all across Latin America. The recent centennial of Mexico’s revolution offers an opportunity to reflect upon the outcomes of that bloody conflict. This course provides a general overview of the dominant narratives of the Mexican revolution and its aftermath, while challenging those narratives through an examination of the experience of subaltern groups (including women, indigenous peoples, peasants, and those from the periphery). We also will grapple with the question of what genuine social revolution looks like, how it unfolds, and to what degree it has been attained in Mexico. Original documents, testimonials, movies, images, music, and art will supplement discussions and secondary readings. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor López.

375. Subaltern Studies: History from Below. (Offered as History 375 [AS], ANTH 375 and ASLC 375 [SA].) This course explores the intervention made by the Subaltern Studies Collective in the discipline of history-writing, particularly in the context of South Asia. Dissatisfied that previous histories of Indian nationalism were all in some sense “elitist,” this group of historians, anthropologists, and literary theorists sought to investigate how various marginalized communities—women, workers, peasants, adivasis—contributed in their own terms to the making of modern South Asia. Their project thus engaged broader methodological questions and problems about how to write histories of the marginal. Combining theoretical statements with selections from the 12-volume series as well as individual monographs, our readings and discussion will chart the overall trajectory of Subaltern Studies from in its initial moorings in the works of the Italian Marxian theorist Antonio Gramsci, to its later grounding in the critique of colonial discourse. The objective is to understand how this school of history-writing transformed the understanding of modern South Asian history. Our discussion will engage with the critiques and debates generated in response to the project and the life of the analytical category, “subalternity,” outside South Asia. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professors Sen and Chowdhury.

390. Special Topics. Independent reading.

Fall and spring semesters.

393. Early Islam: Construction of an Historical Tradition. (Offered as HIST 393 [MEP] and ASLC 355 [WA].) This course examines in depth the formative period of Islam between c. 500-680. Using predominantly primary material, we will chart the emergence, success, and evolution of Islam, the Islamic community, and the Islamic polity. The focus of this course is on understanding the changing nature over time of peoples’ understanding of and conception of what Islam was and what Islam implied socially, religiously, culturally and politically. We concentrate on exploring the growth of the historical tradition of Islam and its continued contestations amongst scholars today. This course will familiarize students with the events, persons, ideas, texts and historical debates concerning this period. It is not a course on the religion or beliefs of Islam, but a historical deconstruction and analysis of the period. This class is writing intensive. Two class meetings per week.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Ringer.

397. Women in the Middle East. (Offered as HIST 397 [ME], ASLC 363 [WA], and SWAG 362.) The course examines the major developments, themes and issues in woman’s history in the Middle East. The first segment of the course concerns the early Islamic period and discusses the impact of the Quran on the status of women, the development of Islamic religious traditions and Islamic law. Questions concerning the historiography of this “formative” period of Islamic history, as well as hermeneutics of the Quran will be the focus of this segment. The second segment of the course concerns the 19th- and 20th-century Middle East. We will investigate the emergence and development of the “woman question,” the role of gender in the construction of Middle Eastern nationalisms, women’s political participation, and the debates concerning the connections between women, gender, and religious and cultural traditions. The third segment of the course concerns the contemporary Middle East, and investigates new developments and emerging trends of women’s political, social and religious activism in different countries. The course will provide a familiarity with the major primary texts concerning women and the study of women in the Middle East, as well as with the debates concerning the interpretation of texts, law, religion, and history in the shaping of women’s status and concerns in the Middle East today. This class is conducted as a seminar. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Ringer.

402. Wine, History and the Environment. (Offered as HIST 402 [c] and ENST 401.) Wine is as old as Western civilization. Its consumption is deeply wedded to leading religious and secular traditions around the world. Its production has transformed landscapes, ecosystems, and economies. In this course we examine how wine has shaped the history of Europe, North Africa, and the Americas. Through readings, scientific study, historical research, and class discussion, students will learn about such issues as: the environmental impact of wine; the politics of taste and class; the organization of labor; the impact of imperialism and global trade; the late nineteenth-century phylloxera outbreak that almost destroyed the European wine industry; and the emergence of claims about terroir (the notion that each wine, like each culture, is uniquely tied to a place) and how such claims are tied to regional and national identity. Through class discussion, focused research and writing workshops, and close mentoring, each student will learn about wine while designing and executing an independent research project. We will also get our hands dirty with soil sampling, learn the basics of sediment analysis in the laboratory, and have a go at fermentation. Two meetings per week.

This is a research seminar open to juniors and seniors. Priority given to history and environmental studies majors. History majors may take this course either as a research seminar or in place of HIST 301 “Writing the Past.”

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professors López and Martini.

410. History of the Pacific World, 1898-Present. [C/AS] In recent decades, historians have begun to study the cultures and environments of the Pacific Ocean Region from a transnational perspective. Participants in this seminar will build upon such approaches when examining the Pacific World from the Spanish American War (1898) to the present. Themes and topics will include: immigration, anti-colonial movements, the emergence of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and the recurring idea of a “Pacific Century.” We will also focus on the history of four regional environmental issues: nuclear waste disposal, fisheries regulation, deforestation, and the effects of rising sea levels on coastal communities. Although there is no prerequisite for this seminar, it is the companion course to HIST 208: “Spain in the Pacific World, 1571-1898.” One class meeting per week.

Admission with consent of instructor. Limited to 15 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Melillo.

411. Commodities, Nature and Society. [C] Participants in this seminar will explore the environmental and social histories of nine commodities: sugar, silver, silk, coffee, tobacco, sneakers, microchips, units of bandwidth, and the human body. Each of these commodities represents a complex array of linkages among producers, consumers, and intermediaries over time and space. Readings draw upon the disciplines of history, ecology, anthropology, and geography to place these commodities in their social, environmental, and spatial contexts. One of our aims is to understand the changing roles of natural systems and the divisions of labor that underlie the long-term processes of globalization. One class meeting per week.

Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Melillo.

414. The Therapeutic Revolution and Modern Medicine. [C] Physicians often say that medicine became truly effective only in the mid-twentieth century when an avalanche of new remedies became available, first in Europe and North America but soon thereafter around the world. Collectively dubbed “the wonder drugs,” these products included sulfa drugs and antibiotics for bacterial infections, cortico-steroids for arthritis and other inflammatory diseases, tranquilizers for mental illness, and diuretics for hypertension. The new medicines offered millions of patients relief from dread diseases and physicians long-awaited validation of the effectiveness of scientific medicine. For a generation that came of age in the 1940s and 1950s, they supplied powerful testimony to the creative and beneficent powers of science. The “wonder drugs” also gave pharmaceutical firms lucrative new products and governments complex new regulatory challenges. Many of our current debates over drug development, testing, marketing, and pricing commenced in the 1950s, as newly-introduced drugs helped reshape health care.

This seminar will treat the history of these “wonder drugs”—their origins in biomedical research, their production and distribution, and some of the medical and political issues that are associated with their cost and safety. All participants in the seminar will be required to write a research paper of at least 20 pages involving the use of primary sources. One class meeting per week.

Admission with consent of instructor. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Servos.

432. Gender, Class, and Crime: the Victorian Underworld. (Offered as HIST 432 [EU] and EUST 332.) Victorian Britain was a nation of contrasts. It was at once the world’s foremost economic and imperial power, the richest nation in Europe, and the country where the consequences of industrialization—slums, poverty, disease, alcoholism, sexual violence—took some of their bleakest forms. In an era of revolution, Britain enjoyed one of the most stable political systems in Europe; yet it was also a society plagued by crime and by fears of popular unrest, the place where Marx predicted the worker’s revolt would begin. This seminar explores the complex world of the Victorians through a focus on what contemporaries termed the “social problem”: the underclass of criminals, paupers, and prostitutes who seemed immune to reform. Themes will include political liberalism and the Poor Law, imperialism at home and abroad, industrialization and urbanization, sanitation, hygiene, and disease control initiatives, shifting cultural understandings of gender and class, and Jack the Ripper. Students will be expected to write a research paper on a topic of their choice. One class meeting per week..

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Boucher.

438. Topics in European History: The Politics of Memory in Twentieth-Century Europe. (Offered as HIST 438 [EU] and EUST 373.) This course will explore the role of historical memory in the politics of twentieth-century Europe. It will examine how evolving memories of major historical events have been articulated and exploited in the political cultures of England, France, Germany, Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Union/Russia. Topics will include the politics of memory surrounding World Wars I and II, Vichy France, the Holocaust, Soviet Stalinism, and Eastern European communism. Seminar participants will also discuss general issues concerning collective memory: why societies remember and forget historical events, how collective memories resurface, the relationship between memory and authenticity, and the pitfalls of politicizing historical memory. Finally, seminar participants will analyze different sites of memory including film, ritual, monuments, legal proceedings, and state-sponsored cults. One class meeting per week.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 18 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Epstein.

439. Defining the Modern: Russia Between Tsars and Communists. (Offered as HIST 439 [EU] and EUST 339) The course will explore a most intense and fascinating period in Russian history: the years 1890-1910. This period witnessed rapid urbanization and industrialization; the rise of professional and mass politics; first instances of modern terrorism and an intensification of nationalist struggles; imperialist ventures in Central Asia, Manchuria, and Korea; several revolutions and wars; and, above all, an unprecedented efflorescence of modernist culture in the late Russian Empire which was readily exported to and consumed in Europe. We will analyze these developments through a range of sources, including resources found at the Mead Art Museum. In addition to acquainting students with major developments in turn-of-the-century Russian Empire, the class will address contemporary scholarly debates that focus on concepts such as “modernity,” “self,” “discipline,” “knowledge,” “civil society,” and “nationalism.” Students will be required to complete an independent research paper. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Glebov.

453. The Era of the American Revolution. [USP] This seminar, focused on the period from 1760 to 1815, examines the origins, development and more immediate consequences of the American Revolution. The course looks at the founding of the American republic as an intellectual debate, a social movement, a military conflict and a political revolution. By offering an overview of these developments and introducing the historiographic debates surrounding them, the seminar provides students with the necessary background to examine in depth a topic of interest by writing a research paper. The course will also provide instruction in writing such a research paper using the rich and readily accessible primary sources from the period. Two class meetings per week.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor K. Sweeney.

454. Antebellum Culture: North and South. (Offered as HIST 454 [US] and SWAG 354.) This research seminar will be focused on the development of family life and law, religion, and literature in the pre-Civil War North and South. Students will read material on childrearing practices and the production of gender; conventions of romantic love; the customs and legalities of marriage, parenthood, and divorce; social and geographic mobility; the emergence of the novel, magazines and newspapers; and the role and shape of violence in the North and South. We will discuss contrasts in these developments, many resulting from the strengthening southern commitment to race-based slavery. We will look at these trends through the growth of a national, white Protestant middle class and at the ways in which members of other groups adopted, rejected, or created alternatives to them. Readings will include secondary and primary sources including memoirs, novels, short stories, essays and diary entries. Students will write one twenty-page essay based on original research.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Saxton.

458. 1960’s America: Left, Right, and Center. [US] The 1960s was arguably the most turbulent decade the United States experienced in the twentieth century. It evokes strong images of youthful protests and “sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll,” which defined the era in the popular mind. These exuberant stereotypes, however, also concealed the complexities and fissures at the core of Cold War American society. This research seminar will examine the dominant values and policies of the Cold War United States at the beginning of the decade, and the subsequent challenges posed to the existing order in the areas of race, foreign affairs, domestic economic policy, political leadership, gender relations, and popular culture. It will emphasize a wide array of protest movements and activism—both left and right—and the interplay among formal politics, grassroots movements, and popular culture. Finally, it will question whether the decade provides a valid and coherent framework for historical analysis, looking for continuities and unique aspects of this era in the broader context of modern American history. The course will explore these questions in historical documents, as well as music, visual arts, literature, and film. Students will conduct in-depth research on a topic of their choice, culminating in a 20-25 page seminar paper. One class meeting per week.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Walker.

459. America and Vietnam. [US] This seminar will trace the path and nature of the United States’ involvement in Vietnam from World War II to the fall of Saigon in 1975 and its aftermath. It will examine U.S. policy in the context of Cold War foreign relations and how U.S. policy responded to the decolonizing Third World and the perceived danger of communist expansion and control in Southeast Asia. The seminar will explore the various pressures and influences on American policymakers, the nature of the war, and its effects on Vietnam and the United States. It will also stress Vietnamese perspectives on the conflict and analyze how Vietnamese history and culture shaped interactions with the United States, the Soviet Union and the global community. Finally, the course will spend significant time on the conflict’s broad impact on U.S. society and popular culture, as manifested through music, film, and literature. One class meeting per week.

Limited to 15 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Walker.

466. Mexican Material and Visual Culture. (Offered as HIST 466 [LA] and ARHA 466].) We surround ourselves with stuff. These items that we create, use, display, and dwell in contain evidence about our lives. This course examines the historical role of material, architectural and visual objects in the creation of Mexico’s political and social order from the ancient Aztecs and Maya through today. Students will analyze material and visual evidence to learn about ethnic and gender relations, economic transformations, structures of rule, the experience of inequality, and the continual reconstruction of historical memory. Materials we will study include preconquest illuminated manuscripts, sculptures and temples; Spanish colonial paintings, architecture, ritual items, arts and crafts, maps, books, and botanical drawings; and modern sculpture, architecture, urban planning, maps, photographs, handicrafts, clothing, magazines, and even beauty contests. We will draw upon the rich collection of Mexican art in the Mead Art Museum, as well as items available in area museums and in digital archives. We will supplement our study of material culture with secondary texts and primary sources. Knowledge of Spanish and previous experience with Latin American history would be helpful, but are neither required nor expected. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 15 students. Not open to first-year students; preference given to juniors and seniors majoring in history or in art history. Spring semester. Professor López.

473. The Partition of British India: Event and Experience. (Offered as HIST 473 [AS] and ASLC 473 [SA].) This reading and writing intensive seminar explores the Partition of British India—the division of the South Asian subcontinent into the independent nation-states of India and Pakistan in 1947—as event and experience. It attends to both the high-political negotiations and disagreements that culminated in the decision to divide British India, as well as the profound and multi-faceted human consequences of the event. Themes include the transfer of power, the demand for Pakistan, communalism, riots, violence, gender, caste, migration, rehabilitation, and memory. The course will examine the different ways in which Partition affected the lives of variously defined communities of South Asian society, in the process encouraging sensitivity to how histories of Partition are written. Readings include both primary and secondary sources, and assignments include presentations, response papers, and a final research paper. One class meeting per week.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sen.

474. Indian Nationalism. (Offered as History 474 [AS] and ASLC 474 [SA]). Anti-colonial nationalism in India was one of the first major movements towards the decolonization of the global south. This reading- and writing-intensive seminar examines the story of the Indian nationalist movement and the effort to liberate the subcontinent from British colonial rule. Drawing on both primary and secondary sources, the course attempts to chronologically explore the rise and development of nationalist ideology and practice, as well as introduce students to four broadly conceived historiographical schools and their interpretations of this movement—nationalist, Marxist, Cambridge, and Subaltern Studies. Students will thereby engage with a number of prominent historiographical debates about Indian nationalism and gain an in-depth appreciation of the triumphs, contradictions, and failures that marked the struggle for freedom in India, as well its troubled legacies. Writing assignments are designed to culminate in a substantial research paper. One class meeting per week.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sen.

476. China Research Seminar: From Revolution to Reform. (Offered as HIST476 [AS] and ASLC 476 [C].) Political thinkers and activists inside China and throughout the world continue to puzzle over the relationship between the people and the state. Where do state functions and state control begin and end? How do the global economy, internal migration, NGOs, and the internet influence the relationship between the people and the state? What changes and continuities do we observe in state-society relations over time? Who are the winners and losers of China’s recent economic growth? How is China’s national identity similar to or different from those of developed or post-colonial nations? When and how do the national interest, individual interests, and the interests of the Party-state converge or diverge? And how do the spokesmen for these interests appeal to and reconstruct their visions of China’s past? This interdisciplinary research seminar will focus on issues of legitimacy, authority, resistance, and “rights consciousness” in the one-party system that has emerged from post-revolutionary reform in China. We will explore these issues with reference to state institutions, local political processes, education, social services, religion, and public expression of opinions and ideas. Research topics will depend on the interests of the students. One class meeting per week plus individual student conferences.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Previous coursework or relevant experience related to China preferred. Limited to 20 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall semester. Professor Dennerline.

477. The History and Memory of the Asia-Pacific War. (Offered as HIST 477 [AS] and ASLC 462 [J].) The varied names given to the fifteen years of war conducted by Japan-the Pacific War, the Great East Asian War, the Fifteen-Year War, World War II, and the Asian-Pacific War-reflect the conflicting perspectives from which that war is studied and remembered. How has the experience of a fifteen-year war during the 1930s and 1940s shaped memory and history in Japan, East Asia, and the United States? This seminar begins with this broad question and pursues related questions: How are the memory and history of war intertwined in both national and international politics? What forms of memory have been included and excluded from dominant historical narratives and commemorative devices? How does critical historiography intersect with the politics and passions of memory? We will use oral histories, primary documents, film, and scholarship to guide our thoughts and discussions. We will begin with a brief history of Japan’s Fifteen-Year War and move on to prominent debates concerning the history and memory of that war. Short response papers and a research paper will be required. One class meeting per week.

Limited to 15 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall semester. Professor Maxey.

478. Seminar on Modern China: The People and the State. (Offered as HIST 478 [AS] and ASLC 470 [C].) Political thinkers and activists inside China and throughout the world today puzzle over the relationship between the people and the state. Where do state functions and state control begin and end? How do the global economy, China’s increasing regional hegemony, internal migration, NGOs, rural protest, and the internet influence the relationship between the people and the state? Fundamental questions about the relationship between the people and the state have occupied thinkers and activists since the beginning of the twentieth century. Reformers in China tried to transform the imperial state into a constitutional monarchy, revolutionaries tried to create a Republic, Nationalists tried to build a “corporatist state,” and Communists tried to create a Socialist one. At each stage, the state-makers “imagined” the people, mobilized them, categorized them, and tried to control them. The people became subjects, citizens, nationals, and “the masses.” They divided themselves by native place, region, language, ethnicity, political party, class, and educational status. Chinese people in Southeast Asia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, have imagined themselves in relation to both “the ancestral land” and the colonial or national states under which they live. The process is by no means over. This seminar will focus on the problem of “imagining” and mobilizing people in China and these other states over the past century. General topics will include the ideas, the intellectual and educational context, and the mobilizations of urban and rural communities, commercial and religious groups, and NGOs. Research topics will depend on the interests of students. Two class meetings per week.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 20 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Dennerline.

488. Riot and Rebellion in Colonial and Post-Colonial Africa. (Offered as HIST 488 [AF] and BLST 321 [A].) There were numerous rebellions against the state during the period of European colonial rule, and violent resistance to state authority has continued to characterize political life in many post-colonial African countries. This seminar will examine the development of several outbreaks of violence in Africa in the colonial and post-colonial periods to explore important questions in a comparative context. We will look at the economic, social, religious, and political roots of these disturbances; at the challenges faced both by rebel groups attempting to gain a foothold and by states with a fragile hold on ruling authority; and at the social disruptions caused by the participation of child and youth soldiers in various conflicts. We will also discuss the problems historians face in trying to narrate and analyze revolts whose strength often emerged from their protean character, and the legends and rumors that frequently swirled around violent revolts and their role in the construction of historical narratives. The events studied will include the Maji-maji rebellion in German-controlled Tanganyika in 1906-1907; the first (1896-1897) and second (1960-1980) Chimurengas (revolts) in southern Rhodesia/Zimbabwe; the widespread revolt in the 1980s and ’90s in South Africa against the apartheid regime; and the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda in the late 1990s. Students will each write a 20- to 25-page research paper on an individually chosen topic as a final project; in addition there will be frequent, shorter writing assignments throughout the semester. There will be one class meeting per week.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 20 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Redding.

490. Special Topics. Independent reading.

Fall and spring semesters.

492. Inside Iran. (Offered as HIST 492 [ME] and ALSC 459 [WA].) This seminar explores contemporary Iran from a historical and interdisciplinary perspective. The aim of the course is both to provide an overall understanding of the history of Iran, as well as those key elements of religion, literature, legend, and politics that together shape Iran’s understanding of itself. We will utilize a wide variety of sources, including Islamic and local histories, Persian literature, architecture, painting and ceramics, film, political treatises, Shiite theological writing, foreign travel accounts, and U.S. state department documents, in addition to secondary sources. Two class meetings per week.

Recommended requisite: a survey course on the modern Middle East. Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Ringer.

493. Turkey: From Empire to Republic. (Offered as HIST 493 [ME] and ASLC 493 [WA].) Turkey has a particularly complex relationship with the Ottoman Empire. On the one hand, the establishment of Turkey as a secular republic following the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire after World War I marked a watershed between empire and republic, sultan and president, subject and citizen. On the other hand, significant areas of continuity persisted. This seminar focuses on areas of rupture and continuity in order to shed light on the way that these tensions continue to impact contemporary debates surrounding secularism and the place of religion, nationalism and minority rights, and the tensions between authoritarianism and democracy. We will pay particular attention to the intellectual, social and cultural construction of modernity and to the ongoing contestations over historical memory and the Ottoman past. Students will work in consultation with the instructor on developing, articulating and researching a seminar-length (20 pp) research paper. Two class meetings per week.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Ringer.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Culminating in one or more pieces of historical writing which may be submitted to the Department for a degree with Honors. Normally to be taken as a single course but, with permission of the Department, as a double course as well.

Open to juniors and seniors. Fall semester. The Department.

498D. Senior Departmental Honors. Culminating in one or more pieces of historical writing which may be submitted to the Department for a degree with Honors. Normally to be taken as a single course but, with permission of the Department, as a double course as well.

Open to juniors and seniors. Fall semester. The Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Culminating in one or more pieces of historical writing which may be submitted to the Department for a degree with Honors. Normally to be taken as a single course but, with permission of the Department, as a double course as well.

Open to juniors and seniors. Spring semester. The Department.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors. Culminating in one or more pieces of historical writing which may be submitted to the Department for a degree with Honors. Normally to be taken as a single course but, with permission of the Department, as a double course as well.

Open to juniors and seniors. Spring semester. The Department.

Related Courses

Spanish Caribbean Diasporas. See AMST 310.

The War of 1898: U.S. Empire in the Caribbean and Pacific. See AMST 315.

History of Puerto Rico: Colony, Nation, Diaspora. See AMST 317.

Research Methods in American Culture. See AMST 468.

Roman Civilization. See CLAS 124.

Greek History. See CLAS 132.

History of Rome: Origins and Republic. See CLAS 133.

History of the Roman Empire. See CLAS 135.

Economic History of the United States, 1600-1860. See ECON 271.

Economic History of the United States, 1865-1965. See ECON 272.

The Legal History of the U.S. in the World. See LJST 222.

Boundaries of Belonging: Law and Citizenship. See LJST 223.

Law and Historical Trauma. See LJST 238.

Cuba: The Politics of Extremism. See POSC 248.

Religion in the United States. See RELI 235.

History of Christianity—The Early Years. See RELI 275.

Kenan Colloquium

Every three years the President selects as William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor a faculty member distinguished for scholarship and teaching. The Kenan Professor devises a colloquium or seminar, usually interdisciplinary in nature, to be taught in conjunction with one or more junior faculty members.

LATIN AMERICAN, CARIBBEAN, AND U.S. LATINO STUDIES

Amherst students interested in Latin American Studies have the following two options: (1) they can, in conjunction with an advisor and with the approval of the Committee on Academic Standing and Special Majors, design their own Latin American Studies major, taking advantage of the varied Five College offerings in the field; (2) they can participate in the Five College Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Studies Certificate Program. This Five College certificate is not a major program and is viewed as supplementary to work done by the major.

Information about the Certificate can be found on page 000. Students interested in a Latin American Studies major are advised of the following faculty at the College who are available for counseling in Latin American Studies: Professor Cobham-Sander of the English and Black Studies Departments, Professor López of the History Department, and Professors Stavans and Suárez of the Spanish Department.

Individual courses related to the Latin American area which are offered at the College include: AMST 310, 315, and 317; AMST/SOCI 260, AMST/SOCI 302, and AMST/SOCI 305; HIST 261, 263, and 265; POSC 206 and 486; SPAN 211, 212, 220, 240, 245, 246, and 375.

Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought

*On leave fall semester 2014-15.

Professors Douglas, Hussain*, Sarat, and Umphrey (Chair); Associate Professor Sitze; Senior Lecturer Delaney; Visiting Assistant Professors Altman and MacAdam.

The Department of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought (LJST) places the study of law within the context of a liberal arts education. The Department offers courses that treat law as an historically evolving and culturally specific enterprise in which moral argument, distinctive interpretive practices, and force are brought to bear on the organization of social life. These courses use legal materials to explore conventions of reading, argument and proof, problems of justice and injustice, tensions between authority and community, and contests over social meanings and practices. In addition, the curriculum of LJST is designed to foster the development of a substantive focus for student interests in the study of law and skills in analysis, research, and writing as well as capacity for independent work.

Major Program. A major in Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought consists of a minimum of eleven courses.

Offerings in the Department include courses in Legal Theory (these courses emphasize the moral and philosophical dimensions that inform legal life and link the study of law with the history of social and political thought), Interpretive Practices (these courses emphasize the ways law attempts to resolve normative problems through rituals of textual interpretation), Legal Institutions (these courses focus on the particular ways different legal institutions translate moral judgments and interpretive practices into regulation and socially sanctioned force), and Historical and Cross-Cultural Perspectives (these courses explore the ways in which law and societies change over time, as well as the interdependence of law and culture).

Students wishing to major in LJST must complete LJST 110 (Legal Theory) by the end of their sophomore year and before declaring their major. In addition, prior to graduation, LJST majors are required to take LJST 103 (Legal Institutions) and LJST 143 (Law’s History). LJST majors also must take two seminars during their junior year, one of which will be an Analytic Seminar and one of which will be a Research Seminar. Analytic Seminars emphasize close analysis of text, practice, or image, and frequent writing; Research Seminars require students to complete substantial, independent projects. Study abroad or other contingencies may require alterations of the timing of these requirements in individual cases.

Departmental Honors Program. The Department awards Honors to seniors who have achieved distinction in their course work, whose independent projects are judged to be of honors quality, and who have a college-wide grade average of A– or above. Students with a college-wide grade point below an A– may petition to write an Honors Thesis. Students should begin to identify a suitable project during the second semester of their junior year and must submit a proposal by the end of that semester for Departmental evaluation. The proposal consists of a description of an area of inquiry or topic to be covered, a list of courses that provide necessary background for the work to be undertaken, and a bibliography. A first draft of the honor thesis will be submitted before the start of the second semester. The final draft will be submitted in April and read and evaluated by a committee of readers.

Post-Graduate Study. LJST is not a pre-law program designed to serve the needs of those contemplating careers in law. While medical schools have prescribed requirements for admission, there is no parallel in the world of legal education. Law schools generally advise students to obtain a broad liberal arts education; they are as receptive to students who major in physics, mathematics, history or philosophy as they would be to students who major in LJST.

LJST majors will be qualified for a wide variety of careers. Some might do graduate work in legal studies, others might pursue graduate studies in political science, history, philosophy, sociology, or comparative literature. For those not inclined toward careers in teaching and scholarship, LJST would prepare students for work in the private or public sector or for careers in social service.

RELATED COURSES. Students may receive credit toward a major in LJST for up to two “related” courses from outside the Department (see list below) or for approved study abroad courses. In no case may those courses be used to satisfy the Analytic or Research Seminar requirements.

101. The Social Organization of Law. (Offered as LJST 101 and POSC 218 [IL]) Law in the United State is everywhere, ordering the most minute details of daily life while at the same time making life and death judgments. Our law is many things at once—majestic and ordinary, monstrous and merciful, concerned with morality yet often righteously indifferent to moral argument. Powerful and important in social life, the law remains elusive and mysterious. This power and mystery is reflected in, and made possible by, a complex bureaucratic apparatus which translates words into deeds and rhetorical gestures into social practices.

This course will examine that apparatus. It will describe how the problems and possibilities of social organization shape law as well as how the social organization of law responds to persons of different classes, races and genders. We will attend to the peculiar way the American legal system deals with human suffering—with examples ranging from the legal treatment of persons living in poverty to the treatments of victims of sexual assault. How is law organized to cope with their pain? How are the actions of persons who inflict inquiries on others defined in legal terms? Here we will examine cases on self defense and capital punishment. Throughout, attention will be given to the practices of police, prosecutors, judges, and those who administer law’s complex bureaucratic apparatus.

Limited to 100 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sarat.

103. Legal Institutions and Democratic Practice. This course will examine the relationship between legal institutions and democratic practice. How do judicial decisions balance the preferences of the majority and the rights of minorities? Is it possible to reconcile the role that partisan dialogue and commitment play in a democracy with an interest in the neutral administration of law? How does the provisional nature of legislative choice square with the finality of judicial mandate? By focusing on the United States Supreme Court, we will consider various attempts to justify that institution’s power to offer final decisions and binding interpretations of the Constitution that upset majoritarian preferences. We will examine the origins and historical development of the practice of judicial review and consider judicial responses to such critical issues as slavery, the New Deal, and abortion. The evolving contours of Supreme Court doctrine will be analyzed in the light of a continuing effort to articulate a compelling justification for the practice of judicial intervention in the normal operation of a constitutional democracy.

Limited to 50 students. Spring semester. Professor Douglas.

105. Race, Place, and the Law. (Offered as LJST 105 and BLST 147 [US].) Understandings of and conflicts about place are of central significance to the experience and history of race and race relations in America. The shaping and reshaping of places is an important ingredient in the constitution and revision of racial identities: think of “the ghetto,” Chinatown, or “Indian Country.” Law, in its various manifestations, has been intimately involved in the processes which have shaped geographies of race from the colonial period to the present day: legally mandated racial segregation was intended to impose and maintain both spatial and social distance between members of different races.

The objective of this course is to explore the complex intersections of race, place, and law. Our aim is to gain some understanding of geographies of race “on-the-ground” in real places, and of the role of legal practices—especially legal argument—in efforts to challenge and reinforce these racial geographies. We will ask, for example, how claims about responsibility, community, rationality, equality, justice, and democracy have been used to justify or resist both racial segregation and integration, access and expulsion. In short, we will ask how moral argument and legal discourse have contributed to the formation of the geographies of race that we all inhabit. Much of our attention will be given to a legal-geographic exploration of African-American experiences. But we will also look at how race, place and the law have shaped the distinctive experiences of Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans.

Limited to 40 students. Fall semester. Senior Lecturer Delaney.

107. The Trial. If media coverage is any evidence, it is clear that legal trials capture, and have always captured, the imagination of America. Trials engage us affectively and politically by dramatizing difficult moral and social predicaments and by offering a public forum for debate and judgment. They also “perform” law in highly stylized ways that affect our sense of what law is and does. This course will explore the trial from a number of different angles: as an idea, as a legal practice, and as a modern cultural phenomenon. What does it mean to undergo a “trial”? How do various historical trial forms—trial by ordeal or by oath, for example—compare with our contemporary adversarial form? What cultural and legal trajectories have trials followed in U.S. history? What narrative and structuring roles do trials play in literature and film? How do popular renderings of trials in imaginative texts and the media compare with actual trial practice, and perhaps encourage us to sit in judgment on law itself? In what ways do well-known trials help us to tell a story about what America is, and what kind of story is it?

Limited to 40 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Umphrey.

110. Introduction to Legal Theory. This course provides an introduction to the primary texts and central problems of modern legal theory. Through close study of the field’s founding and pivotal works, we will weigh and consider various ways to think about questions that every study, practice, and institution of law eventually encounters. These questions concern law’s very nature or essence; its relations to knowledge, morality, religion, and the passions; the status of its language and interpretations; its relation to force and the threat of force; and its place and function in the preservation and transformation of political, social and economic order.

Limited to 40 students. Spring semester. Professor Hussain.

120. Murder. Murder is the most serious offense against the legal order and is subject to its most punitive responses. It establishes the limits of law’s authority and its capacity to tame violence. Murder is, in addition, a persistent motif in literature and popular culture used to organize narratives of heroism and corruption, good and evil, fate and irrational misfortune. This course considers murder in law, literature and popular culture. It begins by exploring various types of murders (from “ordinary murder” to serial killing and genocide) and compares murder with other killings that law condemns (e.g., euthanasia and assisted suicide) as well as those it tolerates or itself carries out. It asks how, if at all, those who kill are different from those who do not and whether murder should be understood as an act of defiant freedom or simply of moral depravity. In addition, we will analyze the prevalence of murder in American life as well as its various cultural representations. Can such representations ever adequately capture murder, the murderer, and the fear that both arouse? The course will draw on legal cases and jurisprudential writings, murder mysteries, texts such as Macbeth, Poe’s “The Murders on the Rue Morgue,” Capote’s In Cold Blood, and Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem, and such films as Hitchcock’s The Rope, Thelma and Louise, Silence of the Lambs, and Menace to Society. Throughout, we will ask what we can learn about law and culture from the way both imagine, represent and respond to murder.

Limited to 100 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sarat.

136. Law Between Plato and the Poets. Ancient tragedy, ancient comedy, and Platonic political philosophy pose very different questions about the essence and basis of law, and about law’s relation to such matters as conflict, politics, guilt, love, suffering, action, justice, and wisdom. This course is a preliminary study of the relationships between these differing modes of inquiry. We will spend the first half of the course outlining the theories of law that govern select dramatic works by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Aristophanes. In the second half of the course, we will trace the intricate way these theories are at once incorporated into and rejected by Platonic political philosophy, as exemplified by Plato’s Republic. Along the way, we shall weigh and consider competing versions of the “return to Plato” in contemporary philosophy. In addition to reading key works by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Aristophanes, and Plato, we will read contemporary texts by Giorgio Agamben, Danielle Allen, Alain Badiou, Hans-Georg Gadamer, René Girard, Martin Heidegger, Bonnie Honig, Bernard Knox, Nicole Loraux, Ramona Naddaff, Martha Nussbaum, Jacques Rancière, Leo Strauss, Jean-Pierre Vernant, and Simone Weil.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sitze.

143. Law’s History. This course examines the ways in which historical thinking and imagining operate in the domain of law. History and law are homologous and tightly linked. Law in various guises uses history as its backbone, as a lens through which to view and adjudicate tangled moral problems, and as a means of proof in rendering judgment. Questions of history and precedent are integral to an understanding of the way language and rhetoric operate in the very creation of legal doctrine. Moreover, law’s use of history also has a history of its own, and our present understanding of the relationship between the two is a product of Enlightenment thinking. Conceiving of history as one kind of “narrative of the real,” in this course we will explore the premises that underlie history’s centrality to law as we inquire after the histories that law demands, creates, and excludes, as well as the ways in which law understands and uses history to seek finality, and to legitimize its authority.

Limited to 40 students. Fall semester. Professor Umphrey.

206. Apartheid. (Offered as LJST 206 and BLST 217) The goal of this course will be to understand some of the problems posed for legal studies in the humanities by the emergence of the system of administrative and constitutional law known as apartheid. This system, which was designed to institute “separate development for separate peoples” in South Africa, is widely and rightly regarded to be among the most inhuman régimes of the 20th century. Yet even and especially today, more than a decade after its formal end in South Africa, apartheid’s social, economic, and epistemic conditions of possibility, as well as the place and function of lawyers, legal discourse, and legal scholars in the resistance to it, remains at best vaguely understood.

This course is designed to remedy this gap. Our inquiry will be at once specific and general. Under what economic and political conditions did apartheid come into being? What legal traditions and practices authorized its codification? What academic disciplines and intellectual formations rendered it intelligible and enabled its theorization? What specific arrangement of juridical institutions, practices, and theories together comprised the apartheid state? What was the place and function of law in the critique of and resistance to apartheid? What new and specific problems did apartheid pose for legal theory?

Limited to 40 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sitze.

208. Global Law. Does law create global order? Can international law prevent abuses of power? Are national sovereignty and international law compatible? These questions have been at the center of the quest for international order through law in the modern world. This course examines the ideas, values, and concepts that have structured international legal thought from the seventeenth century law of nations tradition to the modern liberal international order. Core topics include liberal democratic revolutions, capitalism and trade, imperialism, human rights, and international institutions with a focus on the historical evolution of Western and non-Western ideas and practices of international law. Readings include primary historical documents and secondary works in law and history.

Limited to 40 students Spring semester. Visiting Professor Altman.

212. Psychoanalysis and Law. Although psychoanalysis is not usually considered a part of the discipline of jurisprudence, its theories allow for comprehensive answers to the fundamental questions of jurisprudence, and its lexicon permits us to refer with clarity and precision to realities of juridical experience about which disciplinary jurisprudence remains silent. Psychoanalysis interprets law within a field defined by the vicissitudes and impasses of unconscious desire, giving us a way to speak about the pathologies that are constitutive of law’s normal operation, and this amounts, in effect if not in name, to a jurisprudence as compelling as it is unorthodox. At the same time, however, psychoanalysis also has been constrained, at key points in its history, by some of the very juridical forms and forces it seeks to analyze and to question, sometimes even to the point where those forms and forces have reappeared, internalized, within its own most basic theories and practices. If psychoanalysis allows for a comprehensive theory of law, so too then can law serve as an exemplary point of departure for the rethinking of psychoanalysis itself. The purpose of this course will be to pursue this twofold inquiry. After tracing the way that law emerges as a question within the thinking of Sigmund Freud, and considering the ways in which certain juridical problems and events are prior to and generative of Freud’s thought, we then will explore the various ways in which post-Freudian thinkers have not only applied but also rethought Freudian psychoanalysis in their own studies of law.

Limited to 40 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sitze.

214. What’s So Great About (In)Equality?. In our world, commitment to “equality” in one sense/form or another is nearly uncontested. At the same time, the form that it should take, its normative ground, scope, limits and conditions, the ways in which it may be realized, and much else are deeply contested. It is also the case that the world in which we live is characterized by profound, enduring and intensifying inequalities and numerous exceptions to the principle. These may be justified with reference to various countervailing commitments that are accorded ethical or practical priority (desert, liberty, efficiency, political stability, ecological integrity, pluralism, etc.). This suggests that while for many “equality” may be normatively compelling, its realization may be subordinated to any number of interests and desires; or, to put it bluntly, there may be such a condition as too much equality or not enough inequality, privilege and “disadvantage.” This course treats these themes as they have arisen in distinctively legal contexts, projects and arguments. It will engage a range of debates within political philosophy and legal theory as to the appropriate limits of equality. While many forms and expressions of inequality have fallen into relative disfavor, some seem virtually immune to significant amelioration. Among these are those associated with social-economic class. Following general investigations of egalitarianism and anti-egalitarianism in social thought and legal history, we will devote closer attention to the legal dimensions of class inequality in contexts such as labor law, welfare and poverty law, education and criminal justice. We will conclude with an examination of the limits of legal egalitarianism vis-à-vis international class-based inequalities under conditions of globalization and cosmopolitan humanitarianism.

Limited to 40 students. Omitted 2014-15. Senior Lecturer Delaney.

215. Jurisprudence of Occupation. This class is organized as an inquiry into the questions that are raised for jurisprudence by the specific cultural, spatial, and political experience of occupation. In particular, we will examine the experiences of colonial occupation in twentieth-century India, South Africa, Malaya and Algeria, as well as contemporary occupations in the West Bank, Gaza, Iraq, and Afghanistan, focusing throughout on the continuities and discontinuities between the two. Throughout the course, we will concentrate on the way in which the jurisprudence of occupation blurs many of the distinctions that modern, liberal jurisprudence seeks to maintain and justify—fusing, for example, everyday practices of governing (e.g., policing, census-taking, and policies of segregation) with distinctively military actions (e.g., air power, destruction of lives and infrastructure, and counterinsurgency campaigns). The questions we ask in this course will be both theoretical and historical. What might the genealogy of colonial occupation have to teach us about aspirations and limits of the jurisprudence of contemporary occupation? How, if at all, have paradigms of occupation changed with the advent of the era of decolonization, the introduction of tactics of sophisticated air power, the emergence of advanced communications technology, and the unprecedented temporalities and spatialities of economic globalization? Additionally, we will examine how international law defines and regulates occupation. What is occupation? On what grounds does modern jurisprudence authorize and constrain occupation? What is the difference between a legal occupation and an illegal occupation? Last but not least, we will ask what precedents, insights and lessons occupation provides for a more general understanding of law, governance, and conflict.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hussain.

221. The State and the Accused. This course will examine the unusual and often perplexing means by which the law makes judgments about guilt and innocence. Our inquiry will be framed by the following questions: What gives a court the authority to pass judgment on a person accused of criminal wrongdoing, and what defines the limits of this authority? What ends does the law seek to pursue in bringing an accused to justice? What “process” is due the accused such that the procedures designed to adjudicate guilt are deemed fair? How do these standards differ as we travel from adversarial systems of justice (such as the Anglo-American) to inquisitional systems (e.g., France or Germany)? Finally, how has the process of rapid globalization changed the relationship between the state and the accused and, with it, the idea of criminal justice itself? In answering these questions, our investigations will be broadly comparative, as we consider adversarial, inquisitional, and transnational institutions of criminal justice. We will also closely attend to the differences between law’s response to “common” criminals and extraordinary criminals, such as heads of state, armed combatants, and terrorists.

Requisite LJST 110. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Douglas.

222. The Legal History of the U.S. in the World. Is U.S. law fundamentally inward-looking or is it “cosmopolitan”? Do jurisdictional boundaries and geographic borders constrain law or does law glide easily across them? Does law restrain or facilitate government power in international affairs? In this class we will consider the history of U.S. law and international affairs from the Declaration of Independence and the drafting of the U.S. Constitution to the Global War on Terror. Core topics include war, diplomacy, colonialism, and foreign occupations with an eye to how international affairs have shaped U.S. law and how law has shaped U.S. engagement in the world. Readings include U.S. Supreme Court cases and other primary historical documents as well as works of law and history including David Armitage’s The Declaration of Independence: A Global History, Sally Merry’s Colonizing Hawaii: The Cultural Power of Law, and Mary Dudziak’s Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy. The class is reading-intensive and largely discussion-based. In addition to readings and class participation, students will complete a series of short analytical essays, a historically informed law and policy memorandum, and a major final essay.

Limited to 30 students. Fall semester. Visiting Professor Altman.

223. Boundaries of Belonging: Law and Citizenship. How has law structured who belongs and who is foreign to the United States? In this class, we will take a broad historical look at the law of citizenship to answer this question. Beginning with the founding of the nation, we will consider the various ways that law has defined the fundamental privileges and obligations of national belonging, and then policed the boundaries between those entitled to the privileges of citizenship and those denied them. We will discuss how legal concepts of social and political belonging rooted in ideas about self-ownership changed over time to the twentieth century civil rights paradigm; how certain groups have been excluded from the full benefits of citizenship on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and political and territorial status; how individuals have used the courts to challenge those exclusions and claim citizenship rights; and how the legal rules and procedures that determine who can be admitted to the country and who cannot reflect evolving state preferences and fears of foreignness. Students will read U.S. Supreme Court cases including Dred Scott v. Sandford, Brown v. Board of Education, Lawrence v. Texas, and Hamdi v. Rumsfeld with works of history, law, and political science. Readings include Barbara Welke’s Law and the Borders of Belonging in the Long Nineteenth Century, Mae Ngai’s Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America, Risa Goluboff’s The Lost Promise of Civil Rights, and David Cole’s Enemy Aliens: Double Standards and Constitutional Freedoms in the War on Terrorism. In addition to regular class attendance, reading, and discussion, students will complete several written assignments including short analytical essays, and an assignment in which they will rewrite a portion of a Supreme Court opinion.

Limited to 30 students. Fall semester. Visiting Professor Altman.

224. Law and Social Relations: Persons, Identities and Groups. One of the foundational analytics governing law’s relationship to identity and personhood is the grand trope of public and private. As an historical matter, the public/private divide has demarcated the boundary of law’s authority: under a liberal theory of government, law may regulate relations in the public sphere but must leave the private realm in the control of individuals. The stakes associated with this line of demarcation are extremely high: those problems of identity and relation that are considered “public” are problems visible to law and subject to law’s authority; those that are considered private remain below the horizon of law’s gaze. Yet definitions of the public and the private are notoriously slippery and inexact, and their contours are inexorably on a train as an African-American, or a license to practice law as a white woman, was to experience a kind of discrimination that the law would refuse to see. In the twentieth century we no longer experience such officially-sanctioned harms but remain conflicted about the extent to which law should address other, more “private” interactions: verbal bigotry, family relations, sex.

This course will trace and explore the modes by which the public/private divide constitutes identities in law by examining the ways law defines the public, and does or does not regulate ostensibly “private” harms. Using both legal and non-legal texts we will map a history of social relations, particularly as they implicated deeply held assumptions about racialized, gendered, and sexualized bodies, and explore the shifting boundary between public and private as it has emerged in public debates over the meaning of equality, privacy, and free speech. To what extent does law’s authority remain constituted upon the public/private divide? To what extent are we now witnessing the redefinition, even the virtual elimination, of the private? And with what consequences for our social relations?

Requisite: LJST 101 110 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor Umphrey.

225. Film, Myth, and the Law. (Offered as LJST 225 and FAMS 371.) The proliferation of law in film and on television has expanded the sphere of legal life itself. Law lives in images that today saturate our culture and have a power all their own, and the moving image provides a domain in which legal power operates independently of law’s formal institutions. This course will consider what happens when legal events are re-narrated in film and examine film’s treatment of legal officials, events, and institutions (e.g., police, lawyers, judges, trials, executions, prisons). Does film open up new possibilities of judgment, model new modes of interpretation, and provide new insights into law’s violence? We will discuss ways in which myths about law are reproduced and contested in film. Moreover, attending to the visual dimensions of law’s imagined lives, we ask whether law provides a template for film spectatorship, positioning viewers as detectives and as jurors, and whether film, in turn, sponsors a distinctive visual aesthetics of law. Among the films we may consider are Inherit the Wind, Call Northside 777, Judgment at Nuremberg, Rear Window, Silence of the Lambs, A Question of Silence, The Sweet Hereafter, Dead Man Walking, Basic Instinct, and Unforgiven. Throughout we will draw upon film theory and criticism as well as the scholarly literature on law, myth, and film.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Umphrey.

226. Critical Legal Geographies. The spatiality of social life is a fundamental element of human existence, not least through its involvement with power of various sorts. Spatiality is also a significant—and problematic—dimension of law (think of sovereignty, jurisdiction, citizenship). At the same time, law is a significant force through which spatiality is produced, reinforced, contested and transformed. Law literally constitutes social spaces through constitutions, treaties, statutes, contracts, modes of surveillance and policing, and so on. As it does so, it constitutes itself as a force in the world. Law may also be an arena in which other social-spatial conflicts are played out and, provisionally, resolved. The course will consider both the changing spatiality of law (its scope, scale, limits; its vectors and circuits) and the changing legal constitution of other social spaces. This will be done through an engagement with contemporary socio-spatial and legal theories and through a survey of exemplary events and situations. Among the more specific topics we will consider are privacy and property; public space of speech and dissent; migration, displacement and sanctuary; colonialism and occupation. The contexts of our study will not be limited to/by American law but will include examples involving international law, forms of legal pluralism, and other legal-cultural contexts. The course will conclude with an investigation of globalization and the emergence of cyberspace and their posited effects on the very possibility of law as we have come to understand and experience it.

Requisite: LJST 110 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Senior Lecturer Delaney.

230. Law, Speech, and the Politics of Freedom. In the United States, the idea of free speech is held to be both a political and moral ideal. The First Amendment makes freedom of speech a centerpiece of liberal democratic values and processes, and thus of American identity itself. But what, precisely, do we mean when we link the ideas of freedom and speech? What kinds of speech, and what kinds of freedom, are implicated in that linkage? Correlatively, what does it mean to “censor”? Drawing upon political philosophy, literary theory, court cases, imaginative writing, and examples from contemporary culture, this course will explore the multiple meanings of “free speech,” their legal regulation, and their deployment in American public culture. Why should we value “free” speech? Who do we imagine to be the speaker whose speech is or ought to be free: the man on the soapbox? The political protester? The media conglomerate? The anonymous chat-room inhabitant? What does it mean to say that various kinds of speech may be dangerous, and under what conditions it might be conceivable to shut down or regulate dangerous speech, or conversely to promote “politically correct” speech in either formal or informal ways? How do speech forms (for example, parody, poetry, or reportage) differ, and should some garner more legal protection than others? Can silence be considered a kind of speech?

Requisite: LJST 110 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Umphrey.

231. Social Movements and Social Change. This course examines social movements (and related phenomena) as integral elements of legal orders and as significant sources of legal transformations. Through interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and historical analyses, the course will explore the ways in which non-state actors engage formal legal institutions to shape or reform law, in order to affect the conditions of social life. Of particular interest are not merely desired changes in laws but resultant changes in the culture of law more broadly. The course will draw on a wide range of movements (historical and contemporary; “progressive” and conservative; broad-based and narrowly focused; American and non-American; local, national and global; North and South, activist and bureaucratic from “below” and from “within”; etc.) and study two or three in closer detail. The over-arching objective is to achieve a richer understanding of both the inner workings of “the law” and the dynamic life of law outside of formal institutions.

Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Senior Lecturer Delaney.

234. Law, Crime and Culture. Crime and criminality are the sites where law most directly and forcefully intervenes in everyday life through ritual and spectacle, through the construction of boundaries that include or exclude certain kinds of behavior or types of individuals from the social polity, and through direct physical violence and the containment of bodies. Focusing mainly but not exclusively on the United States, this course will explore, both historically and theoretically, the ways in which crime and criminality have been imagined, enacted, and punished. Drawing heavily on the work of Michel Foucault, we will explore the historical changes, continuities and contradictions visible in various imaginings of the relationship between the state, the criminal, and the public. We will consider the significance of shifting modes of punishment, from a spectacle of pain to incarceration behind the high walls of the penitentiary. We will also examine various theories of criminality and inquire into their cultural assumptions and consequences as they have gained and lost legitimacy over time. Whom do we hold legally or morally responsible for criminal acts? Can criminal activity be explained as product of vice, or an imperfect body, or the social environment? How does popular culture encode various representations of criminality?

Requisite: LJST 110 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Umphrey.

235. Law’s Nature: Humans, the Environment and the Predicament of Law. “Nature” is at once among the most basic of concepts and among the most ambiguous. Law is often called upon to clarify the meaning of nature. In doing so it raises questions about what it means to be human.

This course is organized around three questions. First, what does law as a humanistic discipline say about nature? Second, what can law’s conception of nature tell us about shifting conceptions of humanness? Third, what can we learn by attending to these questions about law’s own situation in the world and its ability to tell us who we are? We will address these questions by starting with the environment (specifically wilderness). We will then expand our view of nature by examining legal engagements with animals (endangered species, animals in scientific experiments, and pets), human bodies (reproductive technologies, involuntary biological alterations, the right to die) and brains (genetic or hormonal bases for criminal defenses). Throughout, we will focus our attention on the themes of knowledge, control and change. We will look, for example, at relationships between legal and scientific forms of knowledge and the problematic role of expert knowledge in adjudicating normative disputes. We will also look at law’s response to radical, technologically induced changes in relations between humans and nature, and to arguments in favor of limiting such transformations.

Requisite: LJST110 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Senior Lecturer Delaney.

237. Law and the American War in Vietnam. The American war in Vietnam was, among other things, a watershed event in American legal history. Throughout the duration of the war there was vigorous debate about its legality in terms of international law, natural law and constitutional law. The conduct of the war and its relation to the draft and to dissent generated unprecedented public disagreement about such fundamental legal issues as authority, obligation, due process, civil liberties, crime and punishment, and the relationship between law and morality. The war was also the topic or context for a number of trials during which official legal actors endeavored to make formal legal sense of the war and of law’s relationship to it. As a historical event, the war may also be examined in light of more contemporary themes such as legal consciousness, law as violence, and governmentality. The course will explore legal aspects of the war both as a historical study and as a case study of law in extreme situations.

Requisite: LJST 110 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Senior Lecturer Delaney.

238. Law and Historical Trauma. Certain events in political history—revolutions, civil wars, transitions from authoritarian or totalitarian regimes to political democracy, or particular moments in the ongoing constitutional life of a nation—seem unusual in the breadth and depth of the break or rupture that they make from tradition, the past, and the ongoing self-understandings of a people. Those events pose a special opportunity and challenge for law. Can law repair the traumatic ruptures associated with revolution, civil war, and recent democratic transitions? In such moments does law provide a reassuring sense of stability that serves to maintain the underlying continuity of history? Or, does it compound the crisis of dramatic historical transformation by insisting on judging the past, bringing the losers to justice, and publicly proclaiming the “crimes” of the old order? What can we learn about law by examining its responses to historical trauma? To address these questions we will first examine the idea of trauma and ask what makes particular events traumatic and others not. Is trauma constitutive of law itself? Is law always born in traumatic moments and, at the same time, continuously preoccupied with responding to its own traumatic origins? We will then proceed comparatively and historically by focusing on a series of case studies including colonial revolution in Algeria, Aboriginal rights cases in Australia, slavery and civil war in the United States, and regime changes in South Africa, Germany, and Argentina. In each we will identify the part played by law and ask what we can learn about the capacities and limits of law both to preserve national memory and, at the same time, to build new social and political practices.

Requisite: LJST 110 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hussain.

240. Law, God and Modernity. It is the hallmark of modernity that law is secular and rational, made by humans for their purposes. Modern law relegates the divine to the realm of private belief, while the modern state guarantees the uninterrupted observance of a multiplicity of beliefs. Yet secularism has never been an uncontested position and many philosophers have suggested that the sovereignty of the modern state is itself a worldly duplicate of religious understandings of god’s omnipotence. Today the connection of law and the sacred has taken on new urgency with the so-called “return of the religious,” most famously with the rise of political Islam but also with Christian movements in the west, and with the transformations of sovereignty through globalization. This course is a historical and cross-cultural examination of the relationship of law, sovereignty, and the sacred. It focuses on a range of topics: the understanding of secularism in general and the American doctrine of the separation of church and state in particular; the legal theory of Islamization; the meaning of orthodoxy, both legal and religious. It examines both the secular uses of the concept of the sacred, and the religious deployment of modern legal concepts. It asks how the proper names of law and god are used to anchor various normative visions.

Requisite: LJST 110 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor Hussain.

341. Interpretation in Law and Literature. (Analytic Seminar) Interpretation lies at the center of much legal and literary activity. Both law and literature are in the business of making sense of texts—statutes, constitutions, poems or stories. Both disciplines confront similar questions regarding the nature of interpretive practice: Should interpretation always be directed to recovering the intent of the author? If we abandon intentionalism as a theory of textual meaning, how do we judge the “excellence” of our interpretations? How can the critic or judge continue to claim to read in an authoritative manner in the face of interpretive plurality? In the last few years, a remarkable dialogue has burgeoned between law and literature as both disciplines have grappled with life in a world in which “there are no facts, only interpretations.” This seminar will examine contemporary theories of interpretation as they inform legal and literary understandings. Readings will include works of literature (Hemingway, Kafka, Woolf) and court cases, as well as contributions by theorists of interpretation such as Spinoza, Dilthey, Freud, Geertz, Kermode, Dworkin, and Sontag.

Requisite: LJST 110 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Douglas.

345. Law and Political Emergency. (Analytic Seminar) This course introduces students to one of the more sustained problems in jurisprudence and legal theory: what happens to a constitutional order when it is faced with extraordinary conditions such as rebellion, war and terrorism. While it is generally agreed that rules, rights and procedures may be temporarily suspended, it is less clear which rights, and who decides on the suspension (the executive alone or in some combination with the legislature, with or without oversight by the courts). While these questions have now become familiar to us—and this course will guide students through the policy shifts and court battles in the United States since 9/11, from the issue of enemy combatants to the use of Guantanamo Bay as a detention center—we will take a more theoretical and historical approach to these questions. Thus we will look at the earliest use of some emergency techniques by the British in the colonies, Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War and the notorious Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution, which has often been blamed for facilitating the rise of the Nazis. We will end by examining alternative methods for contending with emergency. One class meeting per week.

Requisite: LJST110 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hussain.

348. Law And War. The traditional understanding of war involved the armies of two nation-states confronting each other on a battlefield. And other than general customs of a just war, the law was thought to have little to say about war. But in the last half century even as the traditional form of war has changed rapidly, as conflicts involving non-state actors (such as insurgency and terrorism) have increased, international law has developed an intricate set of rules regarding who can fight and what methods of fighting are legal.

This course explores the connection between different types of conflict and the norms and rules of international law that are used to regulate that conflict. In this course, we will take a historical approach. We will read classic theorists of war such as Clausewitz, Schmitt and Michael Walzer. We will examine the history of The Hague and Geneva Conventions. And we will focus on specific instances of war from nineteenth-century colonial conflicts and guerilla warfare, to the 1999 “humanitarian” intervention in Kosovo, to the various fronts in the contemporary “war on terror.” Throughout we will ask how changes in technology and law change the definition of war. How do legal definitions of war attempt to demarcate it from other forms of violent conflict such as insurgency or terrorism?

Requisite: LJST 110. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Douglas.

349. Law and Love (Analytical Seminar). (Analytic Seminar) At first glance, law and love seem to tend in opposing directions: where law is constituted in rules and regularity, love emerges in contingent, surprising, and ungovernable ways; where law speaks in the language of reason, love’s language is of sentiment and affect; where law regulates society through threats of violence, love binds with a magical magnetism. In this seminar, placing materials in law and legal theory alongside theoretical and imaginative work on the subject of love, we invert that premise of opposition in order to look for love’s place in law and law’s in love. First we will inquire into the ways in which laws regulate love, asking how is love constituted and arranged by those regulations, and on what grounds it escapes them. In that regard we will explore, among other areas, the problematics of passion in criminal law and laws regulating sexuality, marriage, and family. Second we will ask, how does love in its various guises (as, philia, eros, or agape) manifest itself in law and legal theory, and indeed partly constitute law itself? Here we will explore, for example, sovereign exercises of mercy, the role of equity in legal adjudication, and the means that bind legal subjects together in social contract theory. Finally, we will explore an analogy drawn by W. H. Auden, asking how law is like love, and by extension love like law. How does attending to love’s role in law, and law’s in love, shift our imaginings of both?

Requisite: LJST 110 or consent of the instructor. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Umphrey.

350. Twentieth-Century American Legal Theory. (Analytic Seminar) The discipline of legal theory has the task of making law meaningful to itself. But there is a variety of competing legal theories that can make law meaningful in divergent ways. By what measure are we to assess their adequacy? Is internal coherence the best standard or should legal theory strive to accord with the extra-legal world? Then too, the institutions and practices of law are components of social reality and, therefore, as amenable to sociological or cultural analysis as any other component. Here again, many different kinds of sense can be made of law depending upon how “the social” is itself theorized. This course engages the theme of law and the problems of social reality by way of a three-step approach. The first part of the course presents an overview of the main lines of twentieth-century American legal thought. We begin with a study of legal formalism and the challenges posed to it by legal realism and its various successor theories. One focus of debate between formalism and its rivals is how much social realism should be brought to bear on legal analysis. Another question is: what kind of social realism should be brought to bear on the analysis of law. The second segment of the course provides a survey of some of the candidates. These include the Law and Society Movement, neo-Marxism and Critical Legal Studies. In the final segment we look at how these theoretical issues are given expression in connection with more practical contexts such as poverty law, labor law or criminal law.

Requisite: LJST 110 or consent of the instructor. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Senior Lecturer Delaney.

353. Guantanamo: Law, History, and U.S. Empire (Research Seminar). (Research Seminar) The detention of “enemy combatants” at Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility has become a primary symbol of American hypocrisy after 9/11. Critics have described Guantanamo as a legal “black hole,” and it is often depicted as a reflection of the rupture in American legal traditions initiated by the unprecedented scope of the Global War on Terror. In this course we will consider this rupture narrative about American law in historical context. Using Guantanamo Bay as a case study in the history of law and U.S. imperialism, we will evaluate historical continuity and change across the range of legal issues raised by the detention of enemy combatants at Guantanamo. Topics include territoriality and legal borders, rights to legal process, the treatment of prisoners of war, and the power of military tribunals. Students will undertake independent research projects to gain the tools of legal historical research. They will learn to place doctrinal questions in broader social and cultural contexts, and they will explore the possibilities for using historical research to make informed and transformative contributions to discussions in law, history, and policy. Students will synthesize their findings in three forms: in a written final essay, in an oral presentation to the class, and in a series of contributions to a group blog.

Limited to 15 students; preference to LJST majors. Spring semester. Visiting Professor Altman.

354. The Crisis of Neoliberal Legal Theory. (Research Seminar) The theory of governance known today as “neoliberalism” is most often understood as a mainly economic policy. Both its opponents and its proponents seem to agree that neoliberalism is best debated as an ensemble of practices (such as free trade, privatization, deregulation, competitiveness, social-spending cutbacks and deficit reduction) that emphasize the primacy of the free market in and for the arrangement of social and political orders. But, particularly in its initial theorizations, neoliberalism was also, perhaps even primarily, a philosophic doctrine concerning the place and function of law in and for human civilization in general. At the 1938 Walter Lippman Colloquium in Paris and then again at the inaugural 1947 meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society in Switzerland, the leading figures of what would later become known as neoliberalism criticized existing economic theories for neglecting basic questions of legal theory and argued that capitalism could not be saved from the perils of socialism and communism without a renewed understanding of, and insistence on, the rule of law. In this course, we shall take this, the “legal theoretical” origin of neoliberalism, as a point of departure for understanding neoliberalism as a whole. In the first half of the course, we shall seek to understand neoliberalism on the basis of the way it posed law as a problem for thought. In relation to what alternate theories of law did neoliberalism emerge? On what terms did neoliberals reinterpret the “classical” liberalism of Hobbes and Locke? How did certain concepts of law figure into the way that neoliberal thinkers arrived at their understandings of the basic meanings of life and labor? In the second half of the course, we shall explore the ways in which various critics of neoliberalism have sought to expose and to question the legal theories at its origin. How might renewed attention to legal theoretical problems help us today in our attempt to think and act beyond neoliberalism’s constitutive limits? Our goal in all phases of the course will be to reconstruct neoliberal thought on its own terms in order to grasp better its contemporary incoherence, crisis, and dissolution. Readings will include Samir Amin, Zygmunt Bauman, Michel Foucault, Milton Friedman, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, David Harvey, Friedrich Hayek, Maynard Keynes, Naomi Klein, Karl Marx, Ludwig von Mises, Alexander Rustow, and Saskia Sassen.

Requisite: LJST 110 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Sitze.

355. Animals: Law, Ethics, Biopolitics. (Research Seminar) The treatment and legal status of animals has often provided a rich resource for legal theory. Jeremy Bentham famously yoked the denial of rights to animals with pro-slavery arguments in order to argue that the basis of rights was not the shape of the body or the level of intelligence but the capacity to feel pain. Since then a considerable literature on animal rights and the nascent field of animal studies has emerged. This course covers many of these debates but goes further, asking what are the historically contingent grounds on which humans relate to animals? Such a perspective draws us to consider the contingency of moral arguments and the changing structures of sovereignty and legal personality. Finally, in a world where at least a billion people have been reduced to what Giorgio Agamben calls “bare life,” how do global capitalism and biopolitics shape our contemporary conceptions of human and animal? Readings include Sunstein and Nussbaum, Animal Rights, Jonathon Safran Foer, Eating Animals, Giorgio Agamben, The Open: man and animal, J.M Coetzee, Elizabeth Costello.

This writing-attentive seminar operates on twin tracks. Over the course of the semester, students will identify, research, write and revise a topic resulting in a 30-page paper. At the same time, weekly assignments will not only probe content but also focus on style. What constitutes a piece of evidence in a research project? How do writers make choices in the construction of sentences and paragraphs?

Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hussain.

356. Representing and Judging the Holocaust. (Research Seminar) This seminar will address some of the foundational questions posed by radical evil to the legal imagination. How have jurists attempted to understand the causes and logic of genocide, and the motives of its perpetrators? Is it possible to “do justice” to such extreme crimes? Is it possible to grasp the complexities of history in the context of criminal trial? What are the special challenges and responsibilities facing those who struggle to submit traumatic history to legal judgment? We will consider these questions by focusing specifically on a range of legal responses to the crimes of the Holocaust. Our examination will be broadly interdisciplinary, as we compare the efforts of jurists to master the problems of representation and judgment posed by extreme crimes with those of historians, social theorists, and artists. Readings will include original material from the Nuremberg, Eichmann, and Irving trials, and works by, among others, Hannah Arendt, Zygmunt Bauman, Christopher Browning, Primo Levi, and Art Spiegelman.

Requisite: LJST 110 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Douglas.

357. Property, Liberty and Law. (Research Seminar) What we call property is enormously important in establishing the nature of a legal regime. Moreover, an exploration of property offers a window on how a culture sees itself. Examining how property notions are used and modified in practice can also provide critical insights into many aspects of social history and contemporary social reality.

We will begin our discussion of property by treating it as an open-ended cluster of commonplace and more specialized notions (e.g., owner, gift, lease, estate) used to understand and shape the world. We will look at how the relation of property to such values as privacy, security, citizenship and justice has been understood in political and legal theory and how different conceptions of these relations have entered into constitutional debates. We will also study the relationship of property and the self (How might one’s relation to property enter into conceptions of self? Do we “own” ourselves? Our bodies or likenesses? Our thoughts?), property and everyday life (How are conceptions of property used to understand home, work and community?) and property and culture, (Do our conceptions of property influence understandings of cultural differences between ourselves and others? Does it make sense to claim ownership over one’s ancestors?). In sum, this course will raise questions about how property shapes our understandings of liberty, personhood, agency and power.

Requisite: LJST 110 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Senior Lecturer Delaney.

374. Norms, Rights, and Social Justice: Feminists, Disability Rights Activists and the Poor at the Boundaries of the Law. (Offered as POSC 474 [SC] and LJST 374.) This seminar explores how the civil rights movement began a process of social change and identity-based activism. We evaluate the successes and failures of “excluded” groups’ efforts to use the law. We primarily focus on the recent scholarship of theorists, legal professionals, and activists to define “post-identity politics” strategies and to counteract the social processes that “normalize” persons on the basis of gender, sexuality, disability, and class. This course fulfills the requirement for an advanced seminar in Political Science.

Requisite: One introductory Political Science course or its equivalent. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Bumiller.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Courses. Reading in an area selected by the student and approved in advance by a member of the Department.

Fall and spring semesters.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Independent work under the guidance of a tutor assigned by the Department. Open to senior LJST majors who wish to pursue a self-defined project in reading and writing and to work under the close supervision of a faculty member.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall semester.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Independent work under the guidance of a tutor assigned by the Department. Open to senior LJST majors who wish to pursue a self-defined project in reading and writing and to work under the close supervision of a faculty member.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Spring semester.

Related Courses

History of Anthropological Theory. See ANTH 323.

Economic Anthropology and Social Theory. See ANTH 343.

America’s Death Penalty. See COLQ 234.

The Meaning of Catastrophe. See COLQ 331.

Law and Economics. See ECON 426.

Riot and Rebellion in Colonial and Post-Colonial Africa. See HIST 488.

Ethics. See PHIL 310.

Moral Blindnesses. See PHIL 339.

The American Constitution I: The Structure of Rights. See POSC 241.

The American Constitution II: Federalism, Privacy, and the “Equal Protection of the Laws.” See POSC 242.

Ancient Political Thought. See POSC 243.

Modern Political Thought. See POSC 245.

Punishment, Politics, and Culture. See POSC 360.

Ancient Israel. See RELI 263.

Reading the Rabbis. See RELI 267.

Foundations of Sociological Theory. See SOCI 315.

Women and the Law in Cross-Cultural Perspective. See SWAG 226.

LINGUISTICS

Courses in linguistics and related fields are offered occasionally through the Departments of Asian Languages and Civilizations, Computer Science, English, Mathematics, and Philosophy. The College does not offer a major in this subject. Students interested in linguistics are advised to consult Professor Wako Tawa, Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations, Amherst College.

Mathematics and Statistics

*On leave 2014-15.

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors R. Benedetto, Call, Cox (Chair, spring semester), Horton‡, and Velleman (Chair, fall semester); Associate Professors Folsom and Leise‡; Assistant Professors Ching†, Dresch, Liao*, and Wagaman; Visiting Assistant Professors D’Ambroise and Daniels; Lecturers D. Benedetto and S. Wang.

The Department offers the major in Mathematics and the major in Statistics, as well as courses meeting a wide variety of interests these fields. Non-majors who seek introductory courses are advised to consider MATH 105, 111, 140, and 220 and STAT 111, none of which require a background beyond high school mathematics.

Mathematics

Major Program. The minimum requirements for the Mathematics major include MATH 111, 121, 211, 271 or 272, 350, 355, and three other elective courses in Mathematics numbered 135 or higher. In addition, a major must complete two other courses, each of which is either an elective course in Mathematics numbered 135 or higher or a course from outside Mathematics chosen from among: COSC 201, 301, 401; ECON 300, 301, 361, 420; PHIL 350; any Physics course numbered 116 or higher (excluding PHYS 227); and STAT 230, 330, 335, 495. (Note: this requirement can be satisfied by taking two math electives, one math elective and one outside course, or two outside courses.) Requests for alternative courses must be approved in writing by the chair of the Department in consultation with the Mathematics faculty within the Department.

Students who have taken MATH 130 may count it as an elective for the major, and students who declared their Mathematics major before May 17, 2014 may count toward the major an approved outside course together with a requisite for that course chosen from the same discipline.

Students who have placed out of certain courses, such as calculus, as indicated by a strong performance on an Advanced Placement Exam or other evidence approved by the department, are excused from taking those courses. Students who place out of MATH 111, 121 or 211 do not need to replace these courses. Beginning with the class of 2016, students who place out of MATH 271, 272, 350, or 355 by taking a competency exam must replace each such course with an additional Mathematics course numbered 135 or higher.

A student considering a major in Mathematics should consult with a member of the Department as soon as possible, preferably during the first year. This will facilitate the arrangement of a program best suited to the student’s ability and interests. Students should also be aware that there is no single path through the major; courses do not have to be taken in numerical order (except where required by prerequisites).

Students majoring in Mathematics are expected to attend all Mathematics colloquia during their junior and senior years.

For a student considering graduate study, the Departmental Honors program is strongly recommended. Such a student is advised to take the Graduate Record Examination early in the senior year. It is also desirable to have a reading knowledge of a foreign language, usually French, German, or Russian.

Double Majors in Mathematics and Statistics. Students electing a double major in Mathematics and Statistics may count MATH 111, 121, 211, and MATH 271 or 272 towards both majors. A maximum of one additional course taken to complete the Statistics major may be counted towards the Mathematics major.

Comprehensive Examination. A comprehensive examination for majors who are not participating in the Honors Program will be given near the beginning of the spring semester of the senior year. (Those who will complete their studies in the fall semester may elect instead to take the comprehensive examination at the beginning of that semester.) The examination covers MATH 211, MATH 271 or 272, and a choice of MATH 350 or 355. A document describing the comprehensive examination can be obtained from the Department website.

Honors Program in Mathematics. Students are admitted to the Honors Program on the basis of a qualifying examination given at the beginning of the spring semester of their junior year. (Those for whom the second semester of the junior year occurs in the fall may elect instead to take the qualifying examination at the beginning of that semester.) The examination is described in a document available from the Department website. Before the end of the junior year, an individual thesis topic will be selected by the Honors candidate in conference with a member of the Department. After intensive study of this topic, the candidate will write a report in the form of a thesis which should be original in its presentation of material, if not in content. In addition, the candidate will report to the departmental colloquium on her or his thesis work during the senior year. Honors candidates are also required to complete MATH 345 and either MATH 450 or 455.

105. Calculus with Algebra. MATH 105 and 106 are designed for students whose background and algebraic skills are inadequate for the fast pace of MATH 111. In addition to covering the usual material of beginning calculus, these courses will have an extensive review of algebra and trigonometry. There will be a special emphasis on solving word problems.

MATH 105 starts with a quick review of algebraic manipulations, inequalities, absolute values and straight lines. Then the basic ideas of calculus—limits, derivatives, and integrals—are introduced, but only in the context of polynomial and rational functions. As various applications are studied, the algebraic techniques involved will be reviewed in more detail. When covering related rates and maximum-minimum problems, time will be spent learning how to approach, analyze and solve word problems. Four class meetings per week, one of which is a two-hour group-work day.

Note: While MATH 105 and 106 are sufficient for any course with a MATH 111 requisite, MATH 105 alone is not. However, students who plan to take MATH 121 should consider taking MATH 105 and then MATH 111, rather than MATH 106. Students cannot register for both MATH 105 and CHEM 151 in the same semester.

Fall semester. Professor Cox.

106. Calculus with Elementary Functions. MATH 106 is a continuation of MATH 105. Trigonometric, logarithmic and exponential functions will be studied from the point of view of both algebra and calculus. The applications encountered in MATH 105 will reappear in problems involving these new functions. The basic ideas and theorems of calculus will be reviewed in detail, with more attention being paid to rigor. Four class meetings per week, one of which is a two-hour group-work day.

Requisite: MATH 105. Spring semester. Professor Cox.

111. Introduction to the Calculus. Basic concepts of limits, derivatives, anti-derivatives; applications, including max/min problems and related rates; the definite integral, simple applications; trigonometric functions; logarithms and exponential functions. Four class hours per week.

Limited to 35 students per section. Fall and spring semesters. In the fall semester, the intensive section (Section 01) is open only to students listed as eligible on the Mathematics placement list. The intensive section replaces one weekly class hour with a 90-to-120-minute group work day. Professors TBA.

121. Intermediate Calculus. A continuation of MATH 111. Inverse trigonometric and hyperbolic functions; methods of integration, both exact and approximate; applications of integration to volume and arc length; improper integrals; l’Hôpital’s rule; infinite series, power series and the Taylor development; and polar coordinates. Four class hours per week.

Requisite: A grade of C or better in MATH 111 or consent of the Department. Limited to 35 students per section. Fall and spring semesters. Professor TBA.

135. Introduction to Statistics via Modeling. (Offered as STAT 135 and MATH 135.) Introduction to Statistics via Modeling is an introductory statistics course that uses modeling as a unifying framework for much of statistics. The course provides a basic foundation in statistics with a major emphasis on constructing models from data. Students learn important concepts of statistics by mastering powerful and relatively advanced statistical techniques using computational tools. Topics include descriptive and inferential statistics, probability (including conditional probabilities and Bayes’ rule), multiple regression and an introduction to causal inference. This is a more mathematically rigorous version of STAT 130 (students may not receive credit for both STAT 111 and MATH 135). Four class hours per week (two will be held in the computer lab).

Requisite: MATH 111. Limited to 24 students. Fall semester. Professor Horton.

140. Mathematical Modeling. Mathematical modeling is the process of translating a real world problem into a mathematical expression, analyzing it using mathematical tools and numerical simulations, and then interpreting the results in the context of the original problem. Discussion of basic modeling principles and case studies will be followed by several projects from areas such as environmental studies and biology (e.g., air pollution, ground water flow, populations of interacting species, social networks). This course has no requisites; projects will be tailored to each student’s level of mathematical preparation. Four class hours per week, with occasional in-class computer labs.

Limited to 24 students. Fall semester. Professor Leise.

211. Multivariable Calculus. Elementary vector calculus; introduction to partial derivatives; multiple integrals in two and three dimensions; line integrals in the plane; Green’s theorem; the Taylor development and extrema of functions of several variables; implicit function theorems; Jacobians. Four class hours per week.

Requisite: A grade of C or better in MATH 121 or the consent of the instructor. Limited to 35 students per section. Fall and spring semesters. Professors TBA.

220. Discrete Mathematics. This course is an introduction to some topics in mathematics that do not require the calculus. The topics covered include logic, elementary set theory, functions, relations and equivalence relations, mathematical induction, counting principles, and graph theory. Additional topics may vary from year to year. This course serves as an introduction to mathematical thought and pays particular attention to helping students learn how to write proofs. Four class hours per week.

Spring semester. Professor R. Benedetto.

225. Chaos and Fractals. MATH 225 is a mathematical treatment of fractal geometry, a field of mathematics partly developed by Benoit Mandelbrot (1924-2010) that continues to be actively researched in the present day. Fractal geometry is a mathematical examination of the concepts of self-similarity, fractals, and chaos, and their applications to the modeling of natural phenomena. In particular, we will develop the iterated function system (IFS) method for describing fractals, examine Julia sets, Mandelbrot sets, and study the concept of fractal dimension, among other things. Through the teaching of these concepts, MATH 225 will also lend itself to familiarizing students with some of the formalisms and rigor of mathematical proofs.

Requisite: MATH 211 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 35 students. Fall semester. Professor Folsom.

240. Mathematical Modeling of Biological Systems. (Offered as MATH 240 and BIOL 240.) With new high throughput experimental techniques leading to large data sets of increased quality, the ability to process and analyze these data sets using mathematical and computational modeling approaches has become an integral part of modern biology. This course aims to provide students interested in the interface between biology and mathematics with an integrated multidisciplinary foundation to this field. Topics will include areas of biology such as genomics, molecular biology, ecology, development, evolutionary biology, and epidemiology. The mathematical approaches we will use to study these areas will include discrete and continuous dynamical models as well as tree construction, probability models, and parameter estimation algorithms.

Requisite: MATH 121 and BIOL 181 and 191. Limited to 24 students. Spring semester. Professors Dresch and Drewell.

250. Theory of Numbers. An introduction to the theory of rational integers; divisibility, the unique factorization theorem; congruences, quadratic residues. Selections from the following topics: cryptology; Diophantine equations; asymptotic prime number estimates; continued fractions; algebraic integers. Four class hours per week. Offered in alternate years.

Requisite: MATH 121 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Call.

260. Differential Equations. The study of differential equations is an important part of mathematics that involves many topics, both theoretical and practical. The course will cover first- and second-order ordinary differential equations, basic theorems concerning existence and uniqueness of solutions and continuous dependence on parameters, long-term behavior of solutions and approximate solutions. The focus of the course will be on connecting the theoretical aspects of differential equations with real-world applications from physics, biology, chemistry, and engineering. Four class hours per week.

Requisite: MATH 211 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor D’Ambroise.

271. Linear Algebra. The study of vector spaces over the real and complex numbers, introducing the concepts of subspace, linear independence, basis, and dimension; systems of linear equations and their solution by Gaussian elimination; matrix operations; linear transformations and their representations by matrices; eigenvalues and eigenvectors; and inner product spaces. Special attention will be paid to the theoretical development of the subject. Four class meetings per week.

Requisite: MATH 121 or consent of the instructor. This course and MATH 272 may not both be taken for credit. Fall semester. Professors R. Benedetto and Dresch.

272. Linear Algebra with Applications. The study of vector spaces over the real and complex numbers, introducing the concepts of subspace, linear independence, basis, and dimension; systems of linear equations and their solution by Gaussian elimination; matrix operations; linear transformations and their representations by matrices; eigenvalues and eigenvectors; and inner product spaces. Additional topics include ill-conditioned systems of equations, the LU decomposition, covariance matrices, least squares, and the singular value decomposition. Recommended for Economics majors who wish to learn linear algebra. Four class hours per week, with occasional in-class computer labs.

Requisite: MATH 121 or consent of the instructor. This course and MATH 271 may not both be taken for credit. Spring semester. Professors D’Ambroise and Dresch.

320. Wavelet and Fourier Analysis. The first half of the course covers continuous and discrete Fourier transforms (including convolution and Plancherel’s formula), Fourier series (including convergence and the fast Fourier transform algorithm), and applications like heat conduction along a rod and signal processing. The second half of the course is devoted to wavelets: Haar bases, the discrete Haar transform in 1 and 2 dimensions with application to image analysis, multiresolution analysis, filters, and wavelet-based image compression like JPEG2000. Three class hours per week plus a weekly one-hour computer laboratory.

Requisite: MATH 211 and 271 or 272. Omitted 2014-15.

345. Functions of a Complex Variable. An introduction to analytic functions; complex numbers, derivatives, conformal mappings, integrals. Cauchy’s theorem; power series, singularities, Laurent series, analytic continuation; Riemann surfaces; special functions. Four class hours per week.

Requisite: MATH 211. Fall semester. Professor D’Ambroise.

350. Groups, Rings and Fields. A brief consideration of properties of sets, mappings, and the system of integers, followed by an introduction to the theory of groups and rings including the principal theorems on homomorphisms and the related quotient structures; integral domains, fields, polynomial rings. Four class hours per week.

Requisite: MATH 271 or 272 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Daniels. Spring semester. Professor Folsom.

355. Introduction to Analysis. Completeness of the real numbers; topology of n-space including the Bolzano-Weierstrass and Heine-Borel theorems; sequences, properties of functions continuous on sets; infinite series, uniform convergence. The course may also study the Gamma function, Stirling’s formula, or Fourier series. Four class hours per week.

Requisite: MATH 211. Fall semester: Professor Velleman. Spring semester: Professor Ching.

360. Probability. (Offered as STAT 360 and MATH 360.) This course explores the nature of probability and its use in modeling real world phenomena. The course begins with the development of an intuitive feel for probabilistic thinking, based on the simple yet subtle idea of counting. It then evolves toward the rigorous study of discrete and continuous probability spaces, independence, conditional probability, expectation, and variance. Distributions covered include the Bernoulli and Binomial, Hypergeometric, Poisson, Normal, Gamma, Beta, Multinomial, and bivariate Normal. Four class hours per week.

Requisite: MATH 121 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Wagaman.

365. Stochastic Processes. A stochastic process is a collection of random variables used to model the evolution of a system over time. Unlike deterministic systems, stochastic processes involve an element of randomness or uncertainty. Examples include stock market fluctuations, audio signals, EEG recordings, and random movement such as Brownian motion and random walks. Topics will include Markov chains, martingales, Brownian motion, and stochastic integration, including Ito’s formula. Four class hours per week, with weekly in-class computer labs.

Requisite: MATH 360 or consent of instructor. Limited to 24 students. Omitted 2014-15.

380. Set Theory. Most mathematicians consider set theory to be the foundation of mathematics, because everything that is studied in mathematics can be defined in terms of the concepts of set theory, and all the theorems of mathematics can be proven from the axioms of set theory. This course will begin with the axiomatization of set theory that was developed by Ernst Zermelo and Abraham Fraenkel in the early part of the twentieth century. We will then see how all of the number systems used in mathematics are defined in set theory, and how the fundamental properties of these number systems can be proven from the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms. Other topics will include the axiom of choice, infinite cardinal and ordinal numbers, and models of set theory. Four class hours per week.

Requisite: MATH 220, 271, 272, or 355, or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15.

385. Mathematical Logic. Mathematicians confirm their answers to mathematical questions by writing proofs. But what, exactly, is a proof? This course begins with a precise definition specifying what counts as a mathematical proof. This definition makes it possible to carry out a mathematical study of what can be accomplished by means of deductive reasoning and, perhaps more interestingly, what cannot be accomplished. Topics will include the propositional and predicate calculi, completeness, compactness, and decidability. At the end of the course we will study Gödel’s famous Incompleteness Theorem, which shows that there are statements about the positive integers that are true but impossible to prove. Four class hours per week. Offered in alternate years.

Requisite: MATH 220, 271, 272, or 355, or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Velleman.

390. Special Topics. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

410. Galois Theory. The quadratic formula shows us that the roots of a quadratic polynomial possess a certain symmetry. Galois Theory is the study of the corresponding symmetry for higher degree polynomials. We will develop this theory starting from a basic knowledge of groups, rings and fields. One of our main goals will be to prove that there is no general version of the quadratic formula for a polynomial of degree five or more. Along the way, we will also show that a circular cake can be divided into 17 (but not 7) equal slices using only a straight-edged knife.

Requisite: MATH 350 or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15.

415. Topics in Mathematics. The topic will vary from year to year. The topic for fall 2014 is computational algebraic geometry.

The study of geometric objects by means of their defining equations dates back to the introduction of coordinates by Descartes in 1637.

This course will introduce algorithmic methods for manipulating and understanding algebraic equations and will develop a dictionary between algebra and geometry. We will also explore the structure of ideals in polynomial rings and the resulting quotient rings. The course will end with student presentations on applications of algebraic geometry to robotics, geometric theorem proving, invariant theory, graph theory, and sudoku. Three class hours per week plus a weekly one-hour computer lab.

Requisite: MATH 350. Limited to 16 students. Fall semester. Professor Cox.

430. Mathematical Statistics. (Offered as STAT 430 and MATH 430.) This course examines the theory behind common statistical inference procedures including estimation and hypothesis testing. Beginning with exposure to Bayesian inference, the course will cover Maximum Likelihood Estimators, sufficient statistics, sampling distributions, joint distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing and test selection, non-parametric procedures, and linear models. Four class hours per week.

Requisite: STAT 360 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor TBA.

455. Topology. An introduction to general topology; the topology of Euclidean, metric and abstract spaces, with emphasis on such notions as continuous mappings, compactness, connectedness, completeness, separable spaces, separation axioms, and metrizable spaces. Additional topics may be selected to illustrate applications of topology in analysis or to introduce the student briefly to algebraic topology. Four class hours per week. Offered in alternate years.

Requisite: MATH 355. Spring semester. Professor TBA.

490. Special Topics. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Open to seniors with the consent of the Department. Fall semester. The Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Open to seniors with consent of the Department. Spring semester. The Department.

Statistics

Major Program. The minimum requirements for the Statistics major include MATH 111, 121, 211; MATH 271 or 272; STAT 111 or STAT 135; MATH 140 or COSC 111; STAT 230, 360, 430, 495; and one additional elective course in Statistics. The additional elective may be STAT 330, STAT 335, or another approved elective. Requests for alternative courses must be approved in writing by the chair of the Department in consultation with the Statistics faculty within the Department.

Students who have placed out of certain courses, such as calculus, introductory statistics, or introductory computer science, as indicated by strong performance on an Advanced Placement Exam or other evidence approved by the Department, are excused from taking those courses. Statistics majors may place out of up to three courses without having to replace those courses. Students placing out of more than three courses must replace all but three of those courses with additional Statistics courses numbered 200 or higher, approved Mathematics courses numbered 200 or higher, Computer Science courses numbered 112 or higher, or other courses approved by the Department to complete the major.

A student considering a major in Statistics should consult with a member of the Department as soon as possible, preferably during the first year. This will facilitate the arrangement of a program best suited to the student’s ability and interests. Students should also be aware that there is no single path through the major; courses do not have to be taken in numerical order (except where required by prerequisites).

Students majoring in Statistics are expected to attend all Statistics colloquia during their junior and senior years.

Students planning to attend graduate school in statistics are strongly advised to take MATH 355 (Introduction to Analysis) as well as its continuation course, MATH 450 (Functions of a Real Variable).

Double Majors in Statistics and Mathematics. Students electing a double major in Statistics and Mathematics may count MATH 111, 121, 211, and MATH 271 or 272 towards both majors. A maximum of one additional course taken to complete the Mathematics major may be counted towards the Statistics major.

Comprehensive Evaluation. In the fall of their senior year, all Statistics majors will enroll in the capstone course STAT 495, and complete an independent capstone project under faculty supervision. An extension of the capstone project (completed in the spring semester of senior year) will serve as the basis for a comprehensive evaluation of each student’s achievement in the major. Each student’s project will be assessed by the Statistics faculty in the Department to determine if the student has successfully completed the comprehensive evaluation. (Those for whom the second semester of the junior year occurs in the fall should enroll in STAT 495 in that semester in order to complete the extension of the capstone project and satisfy the comprehensive evaluation).

Honors Program in Statistics. Students are admitted to the Honors Program on the basis of a qualifying examination given at the beginning of the spring semester of their junior year. (Those for whom the second semester of the junior year occurs in the fall may elect instead to take the qualifying examination at the beginning of that semester). The qualifying examination covers MATH 211 and 271 or 272, as well as STAT 360. The portion covering MATH 211 and 271 or 272 is equivalent to that portion on the Mathematics honors qualifying examination. The examination is described in a document which can be obtained from the Department website. Before the end of the junior year, an individual thesis topic will be selected by the Honors candidate in conference with a member of the Department. After intensive study of this topic, the candidate will write a report in the form of a thesis which should be original in its presentation of material, if not in content. In addition, the candidate will report to the departmental colloquium on her or his thesis work during the senior year. Honors candidates are not required to complete additional coursework in statistics apart from a thesis course in the semester after completion of STAT 495.

111. Introduction to Statistics. This course is an introduction to applied statistical methods useful for the analysis of data from all fields. Brief coverage of data summary and graphical techniques will be followed by elementary probability, sampling distributions, the central limit theorem and statistical inference. Inference procedures include confidence intervals and hypothesis testing for both means and proportions, the chi-square test, simple linear regression, and a brief introduction to analysis of variance (ANOVA). Four class hours per week (two will be held in the computer lab). Labs are not interchangeable between sections due to course content.

Limited to 20 students per section. Fall semester: Professors TBA. Spring semester: Professors TBA.

111E. Introduction to Statistics. (Offered as STAT 111E and ENST 240.) This course is an introduction to applied statistical methods useful for the analysis of data from all fields. Brief coverage of data summary and graphical techniques will be followed by elementary probability, sampling distributions, the central limit theorem and statistical inference. Inference procedures include confidence intervals and hypothesis testing for both means and proportions, the chi-square test, simple linear regression, and a brief introduction to analysis of variance (ANOVA). This course covers the same statistical concepts as Math 130, but has an environmental focus through examples. ENST majors are strongly encouraged to take this version of the course, but it is open to all students. Four class hours per week (two will be held in the computer lab). Labs are not interchangeable between sections due to course content.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor TBA.

135. Introduction to Statistics via Modeling. (Offered as STAT 135 and MATH 135.) Introduction to Statistics via Modeling is an introductory statistics course that uses modeling as a unifying framework for much of statistics. The course provides a basic foundation in statistics with a major emphasis on constructing models from data. Students learn important concepts of statistics by mastering powerful and relatively advanced statistical techniques using computational tools. Topics include descriptive and inferential statistics, probability (including conditional probabilities and Bayes’ rule), multiple regression and an introduction to causal inference. This is a more mathematically rigorous version of STAT 130 (students may not receive credit for both STAT 111 and MATH 135). Four class hours per week (two will be held in the computer lab).

Requisite: MATH 111. Limited to 24 students. Fall semester. Professor Horton.

230. Intermediate Statistics. This course is an intermediate applied statistics course that continues the theme of hands-on data analysis begun in STAT 111. Students will learn how to evaluate an experimental study, perform appropriate statistical analysis of the data, and properly communicate their analyses. Emphasis will be placed on the use of statistical software and the interpretation of the results of data analysis. Topics covered will include basic experimental design, parametric and nonparametric methods for comparing two or more population means, analysis of variance models for multi-factor designs, multiple regression, analysis of covariance, model selection, logistic regression, and methods for analyzing various types of count data. Four class hours per week (two will be held in the computer lab).

Requisite: STAT 111 or 135 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Liao.

330. Multivariate Data Analysis. Real world experiments often provide data that consist of many variables. When confronted with a large number of variables, there may be many different directions to proceed, but the direction chosen is ultimately based on the question(s) being asked. In biology, one could ask which observed characteristics distinguish females from males in a given species. In archeology, one could examine how the observed characteristics of pottery relate to their location on the site, look for clusters of similar pottery types, and gain valuable information about the location of markets or religious centers in relation to residential housing. This course will explore how to visualize large data sets and study a variety of methods to analyze them. Methods covered include principal components analysis, factor analysis, classification techniques (discriminant analysis and classification trees) and clustering techniques. This course will feature hands-on data analysis in weekly computer labs, emphasizing application over theory. Four class hours per week.

Requisite: STAT 111 or 135. Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Wagaman.

335. Time Series. Many real world applications deal with a series of observations collected over time. Some familiar examples are daily stock market quotations in finance, monthly unemployment rates in economics, yearly birth rates in social science, global warming trends in environmental studies, seismic recordings in geophysics, and magnetic resonance imaging of brain waves in medicine. In this applied course, students will learn how to model the patterns in historical values of the variable(s), as well as how to use statistical methods to forecast future observations. Topics covered will include time series regression, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models, transfer function models, state-space models and spectral analysis. If time permits, additional topics will include autoregressive conditionally heteroscedastic (ARCH) models, Kalman filtering and smoothing, and signal extraction and forecasting. Students will get practice with various applications using statistical software. Four class hours per week.

Requisite: STAT 111 or 135 or 360 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Liao.

360. Probability. (Offered as STAT 360 and MATH 360.) This course explores the nature of probability and its use in modeling real world phenomena. The course begins with the development of an intuitive feel for probabilistic thinking, based on the simple yet subtle idea of counting. It then evolves toward the rigorous study of discrete and continuous probability spaces, independence, conditional probability, expectation, and variance. Distributions covered include the Bernoulli and Binomial, Hypergeometric, Poisson, Normal, Gamma, Beta, Multinomial, and bivariate Normal. Four class hours per week.

Requisite: MATH 121 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Wagaman.

430. Mathematical Statistics. (Offered as STAT 430 and MATH 430.) This course examines the theory behind common statistical inference procedures including estimation and hypothesis testing. Beginning with exposure to Bayesian inference, the course will cover Maximum Likelihood Estimators, sufficient statistics, sampling distributions, joint distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing and test selection, non-parametric procedures, and linear models. Four class hours per week.

Requisite: STAT 360 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Wagaman.

495. Advanced Data Analysis. Our world is awash in data. To allow decisions to be made based on evidence, there is a need for statisticians to be able to make sense of the data around us and communicate their findings. In this course, students will be exposed to advanced statistical methods and will undertake the analysis and interpretation of complex and real-world datasets that go beyond textbook problems. Course topics will vary from year to year depending on the instructor and selected case studies. Topics may include visualization techniques to summarize and display high dimensional data, advanced topics in design and linear regression, selected topics in data mining, nonparametric analysis, and analysis of network data. Through a series of case studies, students develop the capacity to think and compute with data, undertake and assess analyses, and effectively communicate their results using written and oral presentation.

Requisite: MATH 230 or 430. Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Horton.

Mellon Seminar

The Andrew W. Mellon Professorship is awarded for a three-year period to members of the faculty whose scholarship and teaching transcend normal disciplinary lines. The Mellon Professors contribute to the continuing process of curriculum revision and revitalization by developing courses or colloquia exploring new ways to teach and learn in their areas of interest and inquiry.

116. Numbers Rule the World.. “Numbers rule the world,” many scholars agree. That is, they have become “the dominant form of acceptable evidence in most areas of public life.” We will examine these claims and their implications by asking several questions: How did numbers come to rule? What kinds of numbers? Where do numbers rule and where don’t they? What differences do they make? How are the numbers and scientific claims we encounter created? How do they change as they travel from their original scientific context into everyday life? Ultimately, we seek to improve our ability to understand and evaluate the numbers and related scientific claims we encounter by seeing them as human creations, not just as “nuggets of objective fact.”

Limited to 15 students. Preference to juniors and seniors. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Himmelstein.

Music

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Kallick (Chair), Móricz‡, Sawyer, and Schneider†; Associate Professor Engelhardt; Assistant Professor Robinson; Valentine Visiting Associate Professor Mendonca; Five College Associate Professor Omojola; Senior Lecturer Chernin, Diehl and Swanson; Five College Mellon Fellow Kolar.

The Music Department offers a full range of courses both for students with previous musical experience and for those coming to the study of music for the first time. We strive as a department to support a wide range of musical styles in our course offerings and performance activities. We encourage all students interested in making music a part of their lives and their liberal arts education to acquire a strong mastery of the fundamentals of musicianship and an appreciation for the historical and cultural study of music.

Introductory Courses. There are a number of entry points for students wishing to take courses in music. Depending on individual interest, 100-level courses in the fundamentals of musicianship, history and culture, opera, and musical theatre are well suited to students with little prior coursework in music. Several 200-level courses in history and culture are also available without requisites.

Fundamentals of Musicianship. Students interested in learning to read music and those needing to review the fundamentals of music (notation, key signatures, scales, intervals, sight-singing) should enroll in MUSI 111. Those with fluency in music fundamentals but without extensive background in music theory should consider MUSI 112, 113, and 269. Students who have not previously taken a course in music fundamentals at Amherst College should take the self-administered placement exam available on the Music Department homepage (http://www.amherst.edu/~music/TheoryPlacement.pdf). Students are also strongly encouraged to discuss placement in appropriate courses with a member of the department.

Individual Performance Instruction. Instrumental and vocal performance instruction (Performance 141H-178H) is available on a credit or non-credit basis. A fee is charged in either case. For 2014-15 the fee for each semester course will be $700, for which the student is fully committed following the last day of the add/drop period. Students who wish to elect individual performance instruction for credit must meet the criteria outlined under the heading PERFORMANCE. Students who elect individual performance instruction for credit and are receiving need-based scholarship assistance from Amherst College will be given additional scholarship grants in the full amount of these fees. Normally no more than one half-credit of performance instruction is allowed per semester. See the Music Department Coordinator for information regarding instructors for this program.

Major Program. The department offers the major in music with concentrations in performance, composition, music scholarship (music history, theory, ethnomusicology, and jazz and popular music studies), and music drama and opera studies. Students majoring in music must take the necessary background courses so as to elect MUSI 241 no later than the fall of their junior year. Those interested in declaring the music major should submit an application to the Department Chair, normally no later than the first week of their junior year. The application is found on the Music Department Website (www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/music/major).
Note that students will not be admitted to the major before the completion of MUSI 241 nor will they normally be admitted to the major in their senior year. In consultation with a member of the department, students determine the most appropriate manner of fulfilling the departmental requirement of eight semester courses. Note that because the music faculty are eager to help students create individualized paths in the major, we strongly encourage potential majors to speak with members of the department as early as possible in their academic careers.

We urge, as well, that students acquaint themselves with the wide variety of music courses available through Five College Interchange. For example, courses in African-American music are also offered at the University of Massachusetts and Hampshire College; courses in rock and popular music at Smith College, and courses on African music are offered at Mount Holyoke College, and there is a Five College Ethnomusicology Certificate Program (https://www.fivecolleges.edu/ethnomusicology
/certificate). Above all, the department is committed to helping students put together the program best suited to their interests, abilities, and aspirations.

Beginning with the class of 2016 (or on a case-by-case basis for those graduating before 2016), the minimum of eight courses required for the major must include the six courses specified below (requirements vary slightly for majors electing honors work):

1. One of the following History and Culture courses: MUSI 123, 124, 128, 226, 227, or 238.

2. One of the following courses from the Western Music and Culture sequence: MUSI 221, 222, or 223.

3. Two courses in Theory and Analysis: MUSI 241, 242 or 243.

4. Two courses designated as “major seminars” taken after the completion of MUSI 241. (Note that majors electing to do honors work may satisfy the seminar requirement with only one major seminar.) In 2014-15, the major seminars are: MUSI 423, 429, and 444.

NB: Majors electing honors work must elect at least one of the following seminars in advance analysis: MUSI 443, 444, or 448. Additionally, majors contemplating honors in composition must complete MUSI 371 or 372 no later than the spring of their junior year, and normally MUSI 269 in preparation.

Departmental Honors Program. In the senior year students may elect to do honors work—a critical thesis (historical, theoretical, cultural, or ethnomusicological), a major composition project, a major music drama or opera project, or a major performance project. In preparation for this work, a student will ordinarily elect a number of courses in a field of concentration beyond those required. Students contemplating honors work must complete MUSI 242 no later than the spring of their junior year. Those doing honors work in performance are required to take at least two semesters of private instruction prior to the senior year and be affiliated with a private instructor while enrolled in MUSI 498 and 499. The thesis course, MUSI 498-499, should be elected in the senior year. Students interested in the Honors Program should submit a formal thesis proposal to the department for approval during the spring semester of their junior year. The Music Department Coordinator will notify all junior majors of the guidelines and deadline (usually the Monday following Spring Recess) for the thesis proposal.

101. Discovering Music: Listening Through History. This course teaches the close reading of music through guided listening in a variety of traditions and historical periods. The topic may change from year to year. In 2014-15, we focus on aural analysis of musical texture and form through an historical survey of works stretching from medieval Europe (twelfth-century Gregorian chant) to twentieth- and twenty-first-century America (blues, swing, Broadway, bebop, and minimalism). Composers whose works we will study include: Hildegard von Bingen, G. Palestrina, C. Monteverdi, J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart, L. van Beethoven, P. Tchaikovsky, C. Debussy, G. Puccini, A. Copland, G. Gershwin, Duke Ellington, T. Monk, P. Glass, and composers of classical Broadway musicals. Lectures will be supplemented by in-class performances. In addition to weekly listening and reading assignments, coursework includes attending concerts. Two 80-minute lectures and one 50-minute section per week.

Spring semester. Professor Schneider.

104. Writing Through Popular Music. This course will introduce students to important concepts in effective academic writing by thinking about and thinking through popular music. Our complex relationships to popular music confront us with a host of challenging social, cultural, political, and ethical issues. How do we use music to construct, maintain, or challenge private and public identities? How are race, gender, class, sexuality, and the nation constructed through popular music? What is the role of music in our everyday lives? How do concepts of intellectual property, new technologies and forms of musical creativity, and commercial interests influence the music that we listen to? Thinking critically about these issues will refine students’ writing, and writing well about these issues will refine students’ thinking. These questions, among others, will generate a series of assignments designed to encourage students to develop clear and persuasive writing styles. As a writing-intensive course, we will focus on fundamentals of writing style, grammatical accuracy, thesis development, and research methodologies crucial to successful written communication. We will use weekly reading assignments drawn from the field of popular music studies to frame and debate important issues emanating from global popular music cultures and to provide models of successful written scholarship. Peer review and a strong focus on editing and revising will be central to the course. Students will also take advantage of the resources of the Writing Center.

Students admitted in consultation with the Dean of Students’ Office and/or their academic adviser. Preference given to first-year students. Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Professor Engelhardt.

105. African Popular Music. (Offered as BLST 204 [A] and MUSI 105.) This course focuses on twentieth-century African popular music; it examines musical genres from different parts of the continent, investigating their relationships to the historical, political and social dynamics of their respective national and regional origins. Regional examples like highlife, soukous, chimurenga, and afro-beate will be studied to assess the significance of popular music as a creative response to social and political developments in colonial and postcolonial Africa. The course also discusses the growth of hip-hop music in selected countries by exploring how indigenous cultural tropes have provided the basis for its local appropriation. Themes explored in this course include the use of music in the construction of identity; popular music, politics and resistance; the interaction of local and global elements; and the political significance of musical nostalgia.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Omojola.

106. Master Musicians of Africa I: West Africa. (Offered as BLST 214 [A] and MUSI 106.) This course concentrates on the lives and music of selected West African musicians. Departing from ethnographic approaches that mask the identity of individual musicians and treat African societies as collectives, this course emphasizes the contributions of individual West African musicians whose stature as master musicians is undisputed within their respective communities. It examines the contributions of individual musicians to the ever continuous process of negotiating the boundaries of African musical practice. Individuals covered this semester include Babatunde Olatunji (Nigerian drummer), Youssou N’Dour (Senegalese singer), Kandia Kouyate (Malian jelimuso) and Ephraim Amu (Ghanaian composer). The variety of artistic expressions of selected musicians also provides a basis for examining the interrelatedness of different African musical idioms, and the receptivity of African music to non-African styles.

Limited to 30 students. Fall semester. Five College Professor Omojola.

107. Sonic Architecture: Sound as Anthropogenic and Experiential Medium. (Offered as ARCH 106 and MUSI 107.) Sound—heard or otherwise perceived—influences human existence, how we interpret lived experience, how we understand places and events. Yet our awareness of sound varies individually and contextually. This course posits sound as a medium that can be constructed and environmentally transformed. How do spatial acoustics inform and affect us? How is sound intrinsic to individual and social experience?

Built environments and architectural forms embody structured acoustic dynamics, whether their particular sonics are design features or ephemeral artifacts of spatial constructs. Musical and engineered sound products directly engage the human activities of sound-making and consuming, often abstracted from specific spatial environments, yet substantially linked to sense of place through cultural context. From vibratory mechanics to conceptual design, we will examine the material and immaterial ramifications of sonic structures and the structuring of sounds, their human interactive potentials and experiential implications. An interdisciplinary range of texts, works, and concepts will drive our exploration and analysis of sound as an environmental constant and fundament to human experience.

Students will develop two projects: a concise research paper that initiates a literature review and poses a perspective on a theme related to course discussion, and a design proposal for a space, object, artwork/installation, experiment or music/sound composition that will be presented to the class. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Five College Mellon Fellow Kolar.

108. Music and Social Change. Does music effect social change? Who decides? Our consideration of these questions will be organized around three primary topics: Crime and Punishment; Violence and Pacifism; and Race and Gender. Among the musical works to be studied are George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures, and Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars. As a writing-intensive course, we will focus on how to write persuasively about music and culture, and how to employ research in support of this goal. As well as addressing the mechanics of effective writing, the course will emphasize experience with editing and revising, including peer review.

Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Kallick. (Students admitted in consultation with the Dean of Students’ Office and/or their academic advisor.)

111. Introduction to Music. This course is intended for students with little or no background in music who would like to develop a theoretical and practical understanding of how music works. Students will be introduced to different kinds of musical notation, melodic systems, harmonies, meters, and rhythmic techniques with the goal of attaining basic competence in the performance and creation of music. The music we analyze and perform will be drawn from the Western tonal tradition as well as a variety of other musical traditions. Assignments will include notational exercises, short papers, and the preparation of music for classroom performance. This course serves as a prerequisite for many other Music Department offerings. Three class meetings and one lab section per week.

Students with some musical experience contemplating MUSI 111 are encouraged to take a self-administered placement exam available on reserve in the Music Library and on the Music Department Website (www.amherst.edu/~music
/TheoryPlacement.pdf). Students are also encouraged to discuss placement in music theory with a member of the Music Department.

Limited to 30 students. Fall semester: Professor Engelhardt. Spring semester: Valentine Visiting Professor Mendonca.

112. Exploring Music. Through analysis, performance, and composition, we will build a solid working understanding of basic principles of melody and harmony common in Western musical traditions. Assignments will include writing short melodies and accompaniments as well as more detailed compositional and improvisational projects. We will use our instruments and voices to bring musical examples to life in the classroom. Two class meetings and one lab session per week. Students who have not previously taken a course in music theory at Amherst College are encouraged to take a self-administered placement exam available on reserve in the Music Library and on the Music Department Website (www.amherst.edu/~music
/TheoryPlacement.pdf). Students are also encouraged to discuss placement in music theory with a member of the Music Department. This course is considered a point of entry to MUSI 241.

Requisite: MUSI 111, or equivalent ability gained by playing an instrument or singing. Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor Robinson.

113. Jazz Theory and Improvisation I. A course designed to explore jazz harmonic and improvisational practice from both the theoretical and applied standpoint. Students will study common harmonic practices of the jazz idiom, modes and scales, rhythmic practices, the blues, and understand the styles of jazz in relation to the history of the music. An end-of-semester performance of material(s) studied during the semester will be required of the class. A jazz-based ear-training section will be scheduled outside of the regular class times. Two class meetings per week. This course is considered a point of entry to MUSI 241.

Students who have not previously taken a course in music theory at Amherst College are encouraged to take a self-administered placement exam available on reserve in the Music Library and on the Music Department Website (www.amherst.edu/~music/TheoryPlacement.pdf). Students are also encouraged to discuss placement in music theory with a member of the Music Department.

Requisite: MUSI 111 or 112 or equivalent, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 30 students. Fall semester. Senior Lecturer Diehl.

114. Auralized Architectures: Re-Sounding the Ancient Past. (Offered as ARCH 206 and MUSI 114) Enlivened with sound, ancient sites, structures, and musical instruments are given voice by archaeoacoustics research techniques. How can digital technologies enable us to engage these long-silent traces of past life? How might sonic reconstructions or “auralizations” be situated to communicate multiple interpretations of the distant past? How do sonic architectures relate to other archaeological evidence? We will examine such questions through cross-disciplinary readings and discussion of theories and methods commonly and uncommonly employed in archaeology and sound studies. Via computer laboratory and field exercises, we will explore how audio digital signal processing (DSP) techniques can be applied to questions of ancient humanity and musical archaeology. Comparative examples of local, present-day sonic dynamics of the built environment will additionally inform our inquiry. Three class meetings for 50, 50, and 90 minutes.

Limited to 12 students. Fall semester. Five College Mellon Fellow Kolar.

121. LGBT Perspectives in Popular Music. (Offered as MUSI 121 and SWAG 121.) LGBT Perspectives in Popular Music is an introduction to the ways that LGBT people and members of other sexual minorities have participated in popular music as composers, performers, and crucial audiences. In this historical survey of the recorded repertory of (mostly) American popular song, students will acquaint themselves with music in a wide range of vernacular styles and explore the social, political, and aesthetic contexts within which they have appeared. Representative figures in this respect include blues singers like Bessie Smith or Billie Holiday; composers of standards and musicals, such as Cole Porter or Stephen Sondheim; and Post-Stonewall musicians from Alix Dobkin to Rufus Wainwright. The course is designed to be welcoming to non-majors, and knowledge of musical notation and technical vocabulary is not required to enroll.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15.

122. Introduction to Music and Film. (Offered as MUSI 122 and FAMS 376) Introduction to Music and Film acquaints students with the primary concepts and methods used in contemporary scholarship on film music. Through a combination of readings, in-class discussion, and outside film screenings, students will gain skill in the analysis and interpretation of films with special focus on the contributions of sound to the cinematic experience. In addition, the selection of films for study will familiarize students with a broad range of film genres and styles. The course is designed to be welcoming to non-majors, and knowledge of musical notation and technical vocabulary in music or film is not required to enroll.

Limited to 40 students. Omitted 2014-15.

123. Sacred Sound. Sacred Sound examines the relationship between music and religion in broad comparative perspective. In the context of major world religions, new religious movements, and traditional spiritual practices, we will address fundamental issues concerning sacred sound: How does music enable and enhance the ritual process? How is sound sacred and what are its affects? What happens as sacred sound circulates globally among diverse communities of listeners and in secular spaces? Listening, reading, and discussion will include Sufi music from Pakistan, Haitian Vodou, the songs of Ugandan Jews, Orthodox Christian hymns from Estonia, Islamic popular music from Malaysia, Chinese Buddhist chant, spirit possession music from Bali, and the music of Korean Shamans. We will also benefit from visiting performers and the sacred sounds of religious communities in and around Amherst. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Engelhardt.

124. Global Sound. (Offered as MUSI 124 and FAMS 310.) This course explores the global scale of much music-making and musical consumption today. Migration, diaspora, war, tourism, postsocialist and postcolonial change, commerce, and digital technology have all profoundly reshaped the way musics are created, circulated, and consumed. These forces have also illuminated important ethical, legal, and aesthetic issues concerning intellectual property rights and the nature of musical authorship, the appropriation of “traditional” musics by elites in the global North, and local musical responses to transnational music industries, for instance. Through a series of case studies that will include performances and workshops by visiting musicians, Global Sound will examine how musics animate processes of globalization and how globalization affects musics by establishing new social, cultural, and economic formations. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Engelhardt.

127. Music, Human Rights, and Cultural Rights. While music is commonly thought of as a human universal, questions concerning the universality of human rights and the relativity of cultural forms are becoming more urgent because of global interaction and conflict. Music gives voice to human dignity and makes claims about social justice. Music is a register of power and domination, as is its silencing. The specific cultural contexts that give music its meaning may not translate into global arenas, thus highlighting the dilemmas of universality. In this course, we will examine musical censorship in Senegal, Afghanistan, and Mexico, music and the indigenous rights of the Naxi in China and the Suyá in Brazil, the use of music as an instrument of torture by the United States military, music and HIV/AIDS activism in Uganda, popular music and minority language protection in the Russian Federation, and the place of music in the study of trauma, disabilities, and human ecology. The course will feature visiting performers and will pay particular attention to the discretely musical aspects of human and cultural rights. Our work will be oriented towards activism beyond the classroom. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Valentine Visiting Professor Mendonca.

Ensemble and Performance Instruction

136H-140H entail the study of musical performance through ensemble or combo participation. Repertoire will include compositions programmed by directors each semester. Work for the course will include thorough preparation of one’s individual part, intensive listening preparation, and short analytical and historical projects. These courses will culminate with a public performance. 141H-177H entail individual performance instruction and have a fee associated with the course. For 2014-15 the fee is $700, for which the student is fully committed following the end of the add/drop period. Those students who are receiving need-based scholarship assistance from Amherst College will be given additional scholarship grants in the full amount of these fees. 136H-178H may be repeated. Students who wish to elect performance for credit must meet the following criteria:

1. Instrumental or vocal proficiency of at least intermediate level as determined by the Music Department.

2. Enrollment in one full-credit Music Department course concurrently with the first semester’s enrollment in performance.

136H-140H may be elected only with the written consent of the ensemble director AND the Department Coordinator. 141H-178H may be elected only with the consent of the Department Coordinator. The following arrangements pertain to the study of performance at Amherst College:

a. All performance courses will be elected as a half course. Senior Music Majors preparing a recital may take 141H-178H as a full course.

b. For 141H-178H, fifty minutes of private instruction (12 lessons per semester) will be given and regular practice is expected.

c. Two half courses in performance may be counted as the equivalent of one full course for fulfilling degree requirements. These two half courses must be in the same instrument, voice, or ensemble. Though not strictly required, the Music Department urges that the two semester be consecutive.

d. A student electing a performance course may carry 4.5 courses each semester, or 4.5 the first semester and 3.5 courses the second semester.

e. Only with special permission of the Music Department may students elect more than one performance course in a semester. This request must be in writing to the Music Department Chair with detailed explanation on why this request is being made. This also requires a special request form obtained from the Registrar with signatures needed from your advisor, your class Dean, the Chair of the Music Department, and the Music Department Coordinator.

Students should consult with the Music Department Coordinator to arrange for teachers and auditions. Instruction in performance is also available through the Five Colleges with all of the above conditions pertaining. A student wishing to study under this arrangement must enroll through Five College Interchange.

Half credit. Fall and spring semester.

136H. Choral Ensemble (Women’s Chorus, Glee Club, Concert Choir).

137H. Jazz Ensemble.

138H. Jazz Combo Ensemble.

139H. Orchestra Performance.

140H. Chamber Music Performance.

141H. Piano Performance Instruction.

142H. Voice Performance Instruction.

143H. Violin Performance Instruction.

144H. Viola Performance Instruction.

145H. Trumpet Performance Instruction.

146H. Percussion Performance Instruction.

147H. Saxophone Performance Instruction.

148H. French Horn Performance Instruction.

149H. Clarinet Performance Instruction.

150H. Cello Performance Instruction.

151H. Classical Guitar Performance Instruction.

152H. String Bass Performance Instruction.

153H. Flute Performance Instruction.

154H. Choral Conducting Performance Instruction.

155H. Orchestra Conducting Performance Instruction.

156H. Fiddle Performance Instruction.

157H. Banjo Performance Instruction.

158H. Jazz Piano Performance Instruction.

159H. Jazz Voice Performance Instruction.

160H. Jazz Guitar Performance Instruction.

161H. Jazz Bass Performance Instruction.

162H. Bassoon Performance Instruction.

163H. Organ Performance Instruction.

164H. Tuba Performance Instruction.

165H. Trombone Performance Instruction.

166H. Harp Performance Instruction.

167H. Oboe Performance Instruction.

168H. Lute Performance Instruction.

169H. Mallets Performance Instruction.

170H. Veena Performance Instruction.

171H. Tabla Performance Instruction.

172H. Mridangam Performance Instruction.

173H. Balafon Performance Instruction.

174H. Recorder Performance Instruction.

175H. Mandolin Performance Instruction.

176H. Shakuhachi Performance Instruction.

177H. Harpsichord Performance Instruction.

Studies in Opera and Musical Theater

188. Creating Musical Drama. Students enrolled in this course will join together as the creative team for a fully staged production of George Bizet’s Carmen, the quintessential music drama of love and jealousy that unfolds in the colorful Andalusian landscape of bull fights, matadors, soldiers, gypsies, and thieves. A cast of professional singers will perform for this fully staged production with members of the Amherst Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Mark Lane Swanson. Professional directors, designers, and performers will be class guests on a regular basis. Each member of the class will have the opportunity to make creative decisions in a class bounded together by collaboration. Singers will become part of the collaboration later in the semester and will share their perspective with class members.

Offered only occasionally when resources are available, this course is open to students with no prerequisite. The collaborative creative experience shapes the course requirement: all class members must commit themselves to the experience, including the preparatory phase of background reading, relevant research, and guided close listening. Celebrated in the professional opera world as an ideal way for newcomers and those experienced with music and theatre, this course is a special opportunity to learn by doing.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Kallick.

190. Words—Music—Drama. How and why do words combine with music? How and why do text and music become musical theater? These questions will guide us in exploring the alchemy that fuses words, music, and drama. The course is open to anyone curious about this process and open to experimenting in a workshop setting. We will both explore the creative work of others as well as design new works of our own making. Throughout the course, students will act as creators alongside a range of visitors from the professional worlds of music and theater.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 16 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Kallick.

Studies in Music History, Culture, and Jazz

221. Music and Culture I. (Offered as MUSI 221 and EUST 221.) One of three courses in which music is studied in relation to issues of history, theory, culture, and performance, with the focus of the course changing from year to year. This course is an introduction to European music in the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque eras. We will begin by singing Gregorian chant and will go on to cover such topics as the music of the Troubadours, the polyphonic style associated with Notre Dame, the development of musical notation, Renaissance sacred polyphony, madrigals, court dances, and the birth of opera. Throughout the course we will seek to bring the music we study alive by singing and/or playing. We will also host several professional performers of “early music” who will help us understand how this music is likely to have sounded at the time of its creation.

Requisite: MUSI 112 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Móricz.

222. Music and Culture II. (Offered as MUSI 222 and EUST 222.) One of three courses in which the development of Western music is studied in its cultural-historical context. As practical, in-class performance and attendance at public concerts in Amherst and elsewhere will be crucial to our work. Composers to be studied include Beethoven, Rossini, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Berlioz, Wagner, Verdi, Musorgsky, and Brahms. Regular listening assignments will broaden the repertoire we encounter and include a wide sampling of Classical and Romantic music. Periodic writing assignments will provide opportunities to connect detailed musical analysis with historical-cultural interpretation. A variety of readings will include music-historical-aesthetic documents as well as selected critical and analytical studies. Class presentations will contribute to a seminar-style class environment. This course may be elected individually or in conjunction with other Music and Culture courses (MUSI 221 and 223). Two class meetings per week.

Requisite: MUSI 111, 112, or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Kallick.

223. Music and Culture III. (Offered as MUSI 223 and EUST 223.) Does music effect social change, and who decides? This third semester of the Music and Culture series will consider these questions through attentive listening to music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and related readings. Our investigation will be organized around three primary areas: Crime and Punishment, Violence and Pacifism, and Race and Gender. Among the works to be studied are Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Britten’s War Requiem, Bernstein’s West Side Story, Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars, Shostakovich’s Symphony Babi Yar, Bob Dylan’s album The Times They Are a-Changin’, the compilation album Red, Hot, & Blue, and John Adam’s The Death of Klinghoffer. Assignments will include regular listening, periodic short papers, and a culminating project. This course may be elected individually or in conjunction with other Music and Culture courses (MUSI 221 and 222). Two class meetings per week.

Requisite: MUSI 111 or 112, or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Kallick.

225. Jazz Film: Improvisation, Narrativity, and Representation. (Offered as MUSI 225 and FAMS 375.) Jazz occupies a special role in the development of American film. From The Jazz Singer (1927), the first American film that included synchronized sound, to the sprawling Jazz: A Documentary by Ken Burns (2001), filmic representations of jazz speak to fundamental ways that Americans negotiate difference and imagine national identity. This course examines the relationship between jazz and American culture through three modalities: improvisation, narrativity, and representation. How might jazz improvisation influence the construction of film? Is there an “improvised film”? Moreover, jazz musicians often speak about “telling stories” through their music. How might this influence narrative structure in film and inform the ways that stories about jazz musicians are constructed in film? And how might these stories about jazz musicians reflect larger debates about race, gender, sexuality and nationality? Assignments will include guided viewing of several important jazz films, required reading, and a series of essays.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Robinson.

226. Jazz History to 1945: Emergence, Early Development, and Innovation. (Offered as MUSI 224 and BLST 234 [US].) One of two courses that trace the development of jazz from its emergence in early 20th-century New Orleans to its profound impact on American culture. Jazz History to 1945 examines its early roots in late 19th-century American popular culture and its role as American popular music in the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s. Using themes that connect the evolution of jazz practices to social and racial politics in American popular culture, we will look closely at the work of well-known historical figures (Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and several others) as well as the vibrant communities that nurtured and prompted their innovative musical practices. Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Professor Robinson.

227. Jazz History After 1945: Experimentalism, Pluralism, and Traditionalism. (Offered as MUSI 227 and BLST 244 [US].) One of two courses that trace the development of jazz from its emergence in early 20th-century New Orleans to its profound impact on American culture. Jazz History after 1945 explores the emergence of bebop in the 1940s, the shift of jazz’s relationship with American popular culture after World War II, and the dramatic pluralization of jazz practice after the 1950s. We will also look at the emergence of fusion and the jazz avant-garde of the 1960s and 1970s, and theorize the reformulation of “tradition” during the 1980s. Central to our examination will be the phenomenon of “neoclassicism” common in jazz discourse today, measuring that against the radical diversity of jazz practice around the world. Many figures central to the development of the varied post-bebop directions in jazz will be discussed: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Ornette Coleman, the New York Downtown scene, and many others. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Robinson.

238. Pioneer Valley Soundscapes. (Offered as MUSI 238 and FAMS 312.) This course is about exploring, participating in, and documenting the musical communities and acoustic terrain of the Pioneer Valley. The first part of the course will focus on local histories and music scenes, ethnographic methods and technologies, and different techniques of representation. The second part of the course will involve intensive, sustained engagement with musicians and sounds in the Pioneer Valley. Course participants will give weekly updates about their fieldwork projects and are expected to become well-versed in the musics they are studying. There will be a significant amount of work and travel outside of class meetings. The course will culminate in contributions to a web-based documentary archive of Pioneer Valley soundscapes. We will also benefit from visits and interaction with local musicians. Two class meetings per week.

Requisite: MUSI 111, 112, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Fall semester. Valentine Visiting Professor Mendonca.

241. Tonal Harmony and Counterpoint. Basic principles of harmonic and contrapuntal technique. Emphasis will be on the acquisition of writing skills. This course is the first of the required music theory sequence for majors. Three hours of lecture and two ear-training sections per week.

Students who have not previously taken a course in music theory at Amherst College are encouraged to take a self-administered placement exam available on reserve in the Music Library and on the Music Department Website (www.amherst.edu/~music/TheoryPlacement.pdf). Students are also encouraged to discuss placement in music theory with a member of the Music Department.

Requisite: MUSI 112 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester: Professor Engelhardt. Spring semester: Professor Schneider.

242. Form in Tonal Music. A continuation of MUSI 241 and the second of the required music theory sequence for majors. In this course we will study different manifestations of formal principles, along with the relationship of form to harmony and tonality. We will start with pre-tonal music (Lassus) focus on the understanding of musical form in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Topics to be covered will include minuet, variation, sonata form, the romantic character piece and eighteenth-century counterpoint. There will be analyses and writing exercises, as well as model compositions and analytic papers. Two class meetings and two ear-training sections per week.

Requisite: MUSI 241 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Sawyer.

243. Jazz Form and Analysis. An upper level theory course designed for majors or students with prior jazz performance or theory experience. Students do not need a background in jazz to enroll in this course, and this course may be used to satisfy the second required course of the music theory sequence for majors (in place of MUSI 242).

Among the topics to be explored in the course will be melodic, harmonic and formal concepts from: hot jazz of the 1920s, big bands of the 1930s and 1940s, bebop of the 1940s, the post-bop legacies of hard bop, cool jazz and their manifestations today, as well as the jazz avant-garde and fusion of the 1960s and 1970s. Students will gain an understanding of the formal principles of various types of small and large ensemble jazz composition and improvisation.

Required coursework will include melodic, harmonic and formal/structural analysis of compositions, arrangements, and improvisations from various historical and stylistic periods within the development of jazz. We will carry out these investigations through listening, transcription, and composition/writing projects. This is not a performance course; however, certain assignments will require basic performance exercises on piano and/or another instrument with which the student is familiar (including voice).

Requisite: MUSI 241 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Robinson.

246. Jazz Theory and Improvisation II. A continuation of MUSI 113, this course is designed to acquaint students with the theory and application of advanced techniques used in jazz improvisation. Work on a solo transcription will be a main focus throughout the semester. An end-of-semester performance of material(s) studied during the semester will be required of the class. A jazz-based ear-training section will be scheduled outside of the regular class times. Two class meetings per semester.

Requisite: MUSI 113 and/or performance experience in the jazz idiom strongly suggested. Musical literacy sufficient to follow a score. Limited to 16 students. Omitted 2014-15. Senior Lecturer Diehl.

247. Advanced Topics in Jazz. In this class we will explore jazz through transcription, composition, arranging and improvisation. Materials for transcription will range from the classic renditions of jazz standards by Gershwin and Kern to highly complex works by such greats as Wayne Shorter and Charles Mingus. Advanced approaches to improvisation will include the exploration of new source materials including the Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns by Nicolas Slonimsky as used by John Coltrane. Using members of the class as a laboratory band we will seek to develop our own unique compositional voices that draw on jazz traditions.

Requisite: MUSI 113, 246 and/or performance experience in the jazz idiom strongly suggested. Musical literacy sufficient to follow a score. Admission with consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Senior Lecturer Diehl.

265. Electroacoustic Composition. This course provides instruction in the use of electronic equipment for composition of music. Topics to be considered include approaches to sound synthesis, signal editing and processing, hard disk recording techniques, sequencing audio and MIDI material, and the use of software for interaction between electronics and live performers. The course will also survey the aesthetics and repertory of electroacoustic music. Assignments in the use of equipment and software as well as required listening will prepare students for a final composition project to be performed in a class concert.

Requisite: MUSI 241 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 10 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Lecturer S. Robinson.

266. Electroacoustic Performance and Improvisation. This course introduces students to current trends in improvisation-oriented electroacoustic performance. Using laptop computers in dynamic performance situations, we will develop techniques to generate sound and modify and enhance the sound of acoustic instruments. Hardware topics will include audio interfaces, cabling, mixing boards, MIDI controllers, microphone techniques, and networking. A wide variety of specialized software will be explored, including Max/MSP, Ableton Live, Reason, and others. Assignments will focus on preparing students to perform and improvise using new “instruments” built through customized hardware and software configurations. Directed listening and reading will introduce students to the development of electroacoustic music since the 1960s. The course culminates with a class performance.

Requisite: MUSI 112 or 113, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 10 students. Spring semester. Professor Robinson.

269. Composition I. This course will explore compositional techniques that grow out of the various traditions of Western art music. Innovations of twentieth-century composers in generating new approaches to melody and scale, rhythm and meter, harmony, instrumentation, and musical structure will be examined. The course will include improvisation as a source of ideas for written compositions and as a primary compositional mode. Instrumental or vocal competence and good music reading ability are desirable. Assignments will include compositions of various lengths and related analytical projects. Two class meetings per week.

Requisite: MUSI 111 or 112, and consent of the instructor. Limited to 10 students. Fall semester. Professor Sawyer.

309. Performance and Analysis I. Members of the class will be assigned to chamber ensembles, representing a range of repertoire from the past and present. Ensembles will include both student and artist musicians, who will prepare works for performance in class sessions and private coachings. Intensive class analysis will serve as the basis of musical expression and interpretation. This course is open to singers and instrumentalists. MUSI 309 may be elected either as a full credit or half credit and may be repeated.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Kallick.

309H. Performance and Analysis I. Members of the class will be assigned to chamber ensembles, representing a range of repertoire from the past and present. Ensembles will include both student and artist musicians, who will prepare works for performance in class sessions and private coachings. Intensive class analysis will serve as the basis of musical expression and interpretation. This course is open to singers and instrumentalists. MUSI 309 may be elected either as a full credit or half credit and may be repeated.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Kallick.

310. Performance and Analysis II. Members of the class will be assigned to chamber ensembles, representing a range of repertoire from the past and present. Ensembles will include both student and artist musicians, who will prepare works for performance in class sessions and private coachings. Intensive class analysis will serve as the basis of musical expression and interpretation. This course is open to singers and instrumentalists. MUSI 310 may be elected either as a full credit or half credit and may be repeated.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Kallick.

310H. Performance and Analysis II. Members of the class will be assigned to chamber ensembles, representing a range of repertoire from the past and present. Ensembles will include both student and artist musicians, who will prepare works for performance in class sessions and private coachings. Intensive class analysis will serve as the basis of musical expression and interpretation. This course is open to singers and instrumentalists. MUSI 310 may be elected either as a full credit or half credit and may be repeated.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Kallick.

371. Composition Seminar I. Composition according to the needs and experience of the individual student. One class meeting per week and private conferences. This course may be repeated.

Requisite: MUSI 269 or the equivalent, and consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Sawyer.

372. Composition Seminar II. A continuation of MUSI 371. One class meeting per week and private conferences. This course may be repeated.

Requisite: MUSI 371 or the equivalent and consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Sawyer.

390. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course. A full course.

Fall and spring semesters.

390H. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course. A half course.

Fall and spring semesters.

421. Songwriting in Tin Pan Alley. Songwriting in Tin Pan Alley is a seminar focusing on the song repertoires associated with the commercial songwriting industry in New York City during the first half of the twentieth century. The course will introduce students to the formal characteristics of music and lyrics as well as some of the most widely admired composers of these songs, and consider the broader social/musical worlds encompassing the repertory. In addition to analysis and interpretation in writing, students will also attempt to craft their own songs in these styles. Fulfills either the departmental seminar requirement or the comprehensive exam requirement for the major.

Requisite: MUSI 241 or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15.

422. Music and Revolution: The Symphonies of Mahler and Shostakovich. (Offered as MUSI 422 and EUST 371.) Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) and Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) are arguably the two greatest symphonic composers after Beethoven. In this course we will compare and contrast their highly charged music and explore the eras in which they worked—for Mahler, imperial Vienna on the eve of World War I, and for Shostakovich, revolutionary Russia under the tyrannical reign of Joseph Stalin. The class will attend Mahler and Shostakovich performances in New York and Boston. Fulfills either the departmental seminar requirement or the comprehensive exam requirement for the major.

Requisite: MUSI 241 or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Kallick.

423. Wagner’s Operas: A Dark Day Dawning. Exploring the operas of Richard Wagner (1813-83) requires that we enter a world of impending doom. The course will investigate this music of catastrophe in the context of culture and politics, both of his age and our own. Our primary focus will be on The Ring of the Nibelung (the Ring Cycle) as well as on opera production and performance. Fulfills either the departmental seminar requirement or the comprehensive exam requirement for the major.

Requisite: MUSI 112 or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Kallick.

428. Seminar in Popular Music: Popular Music and Cultural Identity. Music often serves as one of the primary ways that we create and maintain identities. Our social groups—peers, colleagues, acquaintances—are often determined by shared affinities for specific musical styles, artists, and the world views they come to represent. Yet music is also frequently used to catalyze various forms of social and political activism, challenge our relationship to society and structures of power, and initiate change. This seminar explores the nature of popular music and its relationship to culture, politics, and identity. The first part of the course surveys the discourse of popular music studies and the various trends in cultural studies that have prompted new ways of examining the relationship between popular music and social and cultural identities. We will use this theoretical landscape to analyze an array of popular music cultures in and beyond the United States. The second part of the course focuses on developing multifaceted research projects that put these theories to use. Students will be encouraged to combine ethnographic research (interviews, location-based research) with historical and critical analysis to generate a unique, personal project exploring the relationship between music and identity. Two class meetings per week. Fulfills either the departmental seminar requirement or the comprehensive exam requirement for the major.

Requisite: MUSI 111 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Robinson.

429. Music, Film and Culture: Ethnographic Perspectives. This seminar will explore the relationship of music and film, with a focus on ethnographic film and ethnographic film-making. How does our understanding of music inform our experience of film? How, in turn, does our immersion in film and its conventions inform our understanding of different musics? How are such conventions localized and expanded in different cultural settings? How does ethnographic film both react against, and make use of, other stylistic conventions of film-making in achieving its ends? Practical exercises in ethnographic film-making (and their analysis) during the semester will lead towards ethnographic, historical, creative, or performance-based projects. Fulfills either the departmental seminar requirement or the comprehensive exam requirement for the major in music.

Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Valentine Visiting Professor Mendonca.

439. Improvised Music: Spectrum, Theory, and Practice. Functioning as a combined seminar and performance workshop, this course explores the theory and practice of musical improvisation. Rather than focus on one specific musical style, we will define “improvised music” in an inclusive way that draws equally from American and European experimental musics, various approaches to post-1965 jazz improvisation, and several musical traditions from around the world that prominently use improvisation. Students will be encouraged to develop new performance practices drawn from and in dialogue with these diverse musical traditions. Reading, listening, and video assignments will help familiarize students with the burgeoning field of improvised music studies and will serve to guide class discussions. Students with any musical/stylistic background are encouraged to enroll. Two class meetings per week. Fulfills either the departmental seminar requirement or the comprehensive exam requirement for the major.

Requisite: Basic instrumental or vocal proficiency and consent of the instructor. Senior seminar. Limited to 10 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Robinson.

442. Serving the Tsars and the Party. (Offered as MUSI 442 and EUST 313.) Russian music has long been a staple of the repertory of “classical music” in the concert halls of the world, but the relationship of the seductive sounds of this music to the complex culture that produced it is rarely understood outside of Russia. This course examines connections between Russian culture and Russian music through in-depth analysis of individual works of music and reading of related canonic texts. Starting with the emergence of Russian nationalism and the nationally motivated myths of Pushkin and Glinka in the 1830s, we will critically assess the achievements of the Russian national school in music in the nineteenth century; explore the Western face of Russian art through the showcases of Diaghilev’s Russian Ballet in Paris in the first decades of the twentieth century; follow the cataclysmic changes in cultural politics after the October Revolution and their effect on music; and take a close look at musical politics during the years of Stalinist terror. Composers to be discussed include Glinka, Mussorgsky, Borodin, Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich. Fulfills either the departmental seminar requirement or the comprehensive exam requirement for the major.

Requisite: MUSI 242 or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Móricz.

443. Repertoire and Analysis. A continuation of MUSI 242. In this course we will study music by a wide variety of nineteenth-century composers, including Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Musorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. Works will be considered from a number of different analytical perspectives including methods current in the nineteenth century and those developed more recently. Comparing analytical methods of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries will enable students to gain a critical perspective on each and to learn about the limits of analysis and interpretation in general. Work will consist of short weekly assignments, papers, and class presentations. Two class meetings and two ear-training sections per week. Fulfills either the departmental seminar requirement or the comprehensive exam requirement for the major.

Requisite: MUSI 241 and 242, or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Móricz.

444. Twentieth-Century Analysis. In this seminar we explore stylistic characteristics of compositions that demonstrate the most important tendencies in twentieth-century music. Instead of applying one analytical method, we try out various approaches to twentieth-century music, taking into consideration the composers’ different educational and cultural backgrounds. The repertory of focus will consist of compositions written in the first half of the twentieth century in Europe, Russia and America (including words by Debussy, Scriabin, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, Bartok, Copland), but will also sample music by late twentieth-century composers. Two class meetings and two ear-training sections per week. Fulfills either the departmental seminar requirement or the comprehensive exam requirement for the major.

Requisite: MUSI 241 or 242, or consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Móricz.

448. Patterns, Principles and Processes in Sound. How do people organize sound into music? How do they organize themselves to make music? What do musicians hear in and think about the music they are making? How can one describe and compare patterns, principles, and processes in different musics? This course addresses these questions through the close study of rhythm, groove, and meter, harmonic practices, mode and tuning, pedagogy, composition, and improvisation, and musical form in a variety of musical traditions from around the world. Our explorations will cover popular, classical, and improvised musics from the Balkans, the Indian subcontinent, North and South America, West and East Africa, the Caribbean, and East and Central Asia, as well as globalized forms of hip hop and electronic dance music, for instance. The goal of this course is to develop translatable ways of thinking analytically about and listening closely to musical patterns, principles, and processes. This course includes lecture-demonstrations by visiting artists, weekly listening and analytical work, and hands-on engagement with music. Two class meetings per week. Fulfills either the departmental seminar requirement or the comprehensive exam requirement for the major.

Requisite: MUSI 111, 112, or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Engelhardt.

449. Seminar in the Anthropology of Music: Arvo Pärt and the Present Age. This course examines the music and cultural impact of the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. We will explore the aesthetic, cultural, religious, and media-related aspects of his music within a set of global cultural formations and social transformations. Our focus on Pärt’s music and persona will include representations of Pärt in media and scholarship, the use of his music in the films of Tom Tykwer, Werner Herzog, Jean-Luc Godard, Michael Moore, and others, and the impact of record labels like ECM, for instance. This will enable us to engage a number of issues critical to the present age, including the ways in which popular, jazz, classical, and non-Western musics interact, the appeal of spirituality and religious orthodoxy in a secular world, and the ways in which cosmopolitan identity and post-Soviet nationalism are expressed musically. This course will culminate in written, composition, or performance projects. Fulfills either the departmental seminar requirement or the comprehensive exam requirement for the major.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Engelhardt.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course. A full course.

Fall and spring semester.

490H. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course. A half course.

Fall and spring semester.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Advanced work for Honors candidates in music history and criticism, music theory, ethnomusicology, composition, or performance. A thesis, a major composition project or a full-length recital will be required. No student shall elect more than one semester as a double course. A full course.

Fall semester.

498D. Senior Departmental Honors. Advanced work for Honors candidates in music history and criticism, music theory, ethnomusicology, composition, or performance. A thesis, a major composition project or a full-length recital will be required. No student shall elect more than one semester as a double course. A double course.

Fall semester.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Advanced work for Honors candidates in music history and criticism, music theory, ethnomusicology, composition, or performance. A thesis, a major composition project or a full-length recital will be required. No student shall elect more than one semester as a double course. A full course.

Spring semester.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors. Advanced work for Honors candidates in music history and criticism, music theory, ethnomusicology, composition, or performance. A thesis, a major composition project or a full-length recital will be required. No student shall elect more than one semester as a double course. A double course.

Spring semester.

Neuroscience

*On leave, 2014-15.

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Advisory Committee: Professors Raskin‡ and Turgeon (Chair); Associate Professor Baird; Assistant Professors Graf and Trapani*.

Affiliated Faculty: Professors Clotfelter, Goutte, Poccia, and Williamson.

Neuroscience seeks to understand behavior and mental events by studying the brain. The interdisciplinary Neuroscience major at Amherst is designed for those students who wish to have the breadth of experience this program provides and/or to prepare for graduate study in a neuroscience-related field.

Major Program.

(1) General science requirements: Chemistry: All of the following: CHEM 151 (or 155), CHEM 161, and CHEM 221. (Most majors also take CHEM 231). Biology: BIOL 191. (BIOL 181 is optional for Neuroscience, but should be considered by students in the second semester of the first year who are considering majoring in Biology or Neuroscience and are undecided.) Biochemistry: one of the following: BIOL 331 or BIOL 251 or BIOL 330. Students electing BIOL 330 must also take one additional Biology laboratory course numbered 200 or above. Statistics: one of the following: STAT 111 (formerly MATH 130), or STAT 135 (formerly MATH 135), or STAT 230 (formerly MATH 230), or BIOL 210, or PSYC 122. Physics/Mathematics: At least two of the following courses: PHYS 116, PHYS 117, PHYS 123, PHYS 124, MATH 111, MATH 121, MATH 211. (Note: This requirement applies to the classes of 2016 and subsequently.) If you have advanced placement in any of these subjects, take more advanced courses.

MATH 111 or Advanced Placement (at least 4 on AB or 3 on BC) is a prerequisite for CHEM 161 and PHYS 117. The Statistics requirement above is a separate requirement and those courses do not count towards this Physics/Math requirement. For more information about advanced placement see the Neuroscience Program website.

(2) The Introduction to Neuroscience course: NEUR 226, must be taken in spring semester of sophomore year.

(3) Upper-level Behavioral Neuroscience: One of the following: PSYC 325, or PSYC 356, or PSYC 359.

(4) Upper-level Cellular/Molecular Neuroscience: Either BIOL 301 or BIOL 351.

(5) Electives: Two additional upper-level science courses, chosen as follows:

GROUP A: At least one elective must be chosen from any of the following courses: An additional behavioral neuroscience course from item (3) above, an additional molecular/cellular neuroscience course from item (4) above; NEUR 425 or NEUR 450, BIOL 450: Seminar in Physiology, NEUR 425: Proseminar: Research and Writing, or a Five College neuroscience course approved by the Neuroscience faculty.

GROUP B: The second elective may also be from the above list, or it may be chosen from the following courses:

BIOL 251 (if BIOL 331 was taken as the biochemistry requirement), BIOL 331 (if BIOL 251 was taken for the General science requirement above), BIOL 220, BIOL 241, BIOL 260, BIOL 271, BIOL, 281, BIOL 291, BIOL 310, BIOL 370 BIOL 380, BIOL 381; CHEM 351, CHEM 361; PHYS 225, PHYS 400 (Also called BIOL 400 and CHEM 400); PSYC 233, PSYC 234, PSYC 236, PSYC 357 or a Five College neuroscience course or neuroscience course taken abroad that is approved (prior to enrollment) by the Neuroscience faculty.

The large number of courses required for the major makes it important for a prospective Neuroscience major to begin the program early, usually with CHEM 151 and MATH 111 in the first semester of the first year. A student considering a Neuroscience major should also consult with a member of the Advisory Committee early in his or her academic career. All senior majors must participate in the Neuroscience Seminar, which includes guest speakers and student presentations; attendance and participation constitute the senior comprehensive exercise in Neuroscience.

Departmental Honors Program. Subject to availability, an Honors candidate may conduct Senior Departmental Honors work with any faculty member from the various science departments who is willing to direct thesis work relevant to neuroscience. Candidates for the degree with Honors should elect NEUR 498 and 499D in addition to the above program (“E” students completing studies in December should choose NEUR 499 and NEUR 498D).

226. Introduction to Neuroscience. (Offered as NEUR 226 and PSYC 226.) An introduction to the structure and function of the nervous system, this course will explore the neural bases of behavior at the cellular and systems levels. Basic topics in neurobiology, neuroanatomy and physiological psychology will be covered with an emphasis on understanding how neuroscientists approach the study of the nervous system. Three class hours and four hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: PSYC 212 or BIOL 181 or 191. Limited to 36 students. Spring semester. Professors Baird and Graf.

301. Molecular Neurobiology. (Offered as BIOL 301 and NEUR 301.) An analysis of the molecules and molecular mechanisms underlying nervous system function, development, and disease. We will explore the proteins that contribute to the unique structure and function of neurons, including an in-depth analysis of synaptic communication and the molecular processes that modify synapses. We will also study the molecular mechanisms that control brain development, from neurogenesis, neurite growth and synaptogenesis to cell death and degeneration. In addition to analyzing neural function, throughout the course we will also study nervous system dysfunction resulting when such molecular mechanisms fail, leading to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disease. Readings from primary literature will emphasize current molecular techniques utilized in the study of the nervous system. Four classroom hours and three hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: BIOL 191 and CHEM 161. Not open to first year students. Limited to 24 students. Fall semester. Professor Graf.

325. Psychopharmacology. (Offered as PSYC 325 and NEUR 325.) In this course we will examine the ways in which drugs act on the brain to alter behavior. We will review basic principles of brain function and mechanisms of drug action in the brain. We will discuss a variety of legal and illegal recreational drugs as well as the use of psychotherapeutic drugs to treat mental illness. Examples from the primary scientific literature will demonstrate the various methods used to investigate mechanisms of drug action, the biological and behavioral consequences of drug use, and the nature of efforts to prevent or treat drug abuse.

Requisite: PSYC 212 or PSYC/NEUR 226, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 22 students. Fall semester. Professor Turgeon.

351. Neurophysiology. (Offered as BIOL 351 and NEUR 351.) This course will provide a deeper understanding of the physiological properties of the nervous system. We will address the mechanisms underlying electrical activity in neurons, as well as examine the physiology of synapses; the transduction and integration of sensory information; the function of nerve circuits; the trophic and plastic properties of neurons; and the relationship between neuronal activity and behavior. Laboratories will apply electrophysiological methods to examine neuronal activity and will include experimental design as well as analysis and presentation of collected data. Throughout the course, we will focus on past and current neurophysiology research and how it contributes to the field of neuroscience. Three classroom hours and three hours of laboratory work per week.

Requisites: BIOL 191 and CHEM 151; PHYS 117 or 124 is recommended. Limited to 24 students. Open to juniors and seniors. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Trapani.

356. Neurophysiology of Motivation. (Offered as PSYC 356 and NEUR 356.) This course will explore in detail the neurophysiological underpinnings of basic motivational systems such as feeding, fear, and sex. Students will read original articles in the neuroanatomical, neurophysiological, and behavioral scientific literature. Key goals of this course will be to make students conversant with the most recent scientific findings and adept at research design and hypothesis testing.

Requisite: PSYC 212 or 226 and consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Baird.

359. Hormones and Behavior. (Offered as PSYC 359 and NEUR 359.) This course will examine the influence of hormones on brain and behavior. We will introduce basic endocrine (hormone) system physiology and discuss the different approaches that researchers take to address questions of hormone-behavior relationships. We will consider evidence from both the human and the animal literature for the role of hormones in sexual differentiation (the process by which we become male or female), sexual behavior, parental behavior, stress, aggression, cognitive function, and affective disorders.

Requisite: PSYC 212 or NEUR 226. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Turgeon.

390. Special Topics. Research in an area relevant to neuroscience, under the direction of a faculty member, and preparation of a thesis based upon the research. Full course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Committee.

425. Proseminar: Research and Writing. The general topic for this proseminar may change from year to year. In 2014-15 the course will emphasize research and writing skills on topics related to behavioral neurobiological systems. Students will explore recent research findings in areas pertaining to the role of hormones and/or neural circuits in several behavioral processes including but not limited to echolocation, mating, prey location, flight control, spatial navigation, song development in birds, mineral appetites, social functions, aggression, and learning in memory mechanisms in several species. Through instructor supervision, discussion, group presentations, and peer review, each student develops a specific research project that results in a 20-30 page review paper and a subsequent research proposal. Key goals of the course are to prepare juniors for a thesis research project and to provide a research-intensive experience for seniors who do not elect to conduct an honors thesis. This course will count as a Group A/List A elective course for the neuroscience major.

Limited to junior and senior Neuroscience majors or by permission of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Baird.

450. Seminar in Physiology: Classic Papers in Neurophysiology. (Offered as BIOL 450 and NEUR 450.) Concentrating on reading and interpreting primary research, this course will focus on classic and soon-to-be classic neurophysiology papers. We will discuss the seminal experiments performed in the 1950s that led to our understanding of action potentials; experiments in the 1960s and 1970s that unlocked how synapses function; and more recent research that combines electrophysiology with optical methods and genetic techniques to investigate the role of many of the molecular components predicted by the work from the earlier decades. Assignments will include written reviews of literature as well as oral presentations.

Requisite: PHYS 117 or PHYS 124 and one of NEUR 226, BIOL 260, BIOL 351, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Trapani.

490. Special Topics. Research in an area relevant to neuroscience, under the direction of a faculty member, and preparation of a thesis based upon the research. Full course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Committee.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Research in an area relevant to neuroscience, under the direction of a faculty member, and preparation of a thesis based upon the research. Full course fall semester. Double course spring semester.

Fall semester. The Committee.

498D. Departmental Honors Courses. Research in an area relevant to neuroscience, under the direction of a faculty member, and preparation of a thesis based upon the research. Full course fall semester. Double credit for fall semester (used by “E” seniors graduating after Fall semester).

Fall semester. The Committee.

499. Departmental Honors Course.. Research in an area relevant to neuroscience, under the direction of a faculty member, and preparation of a thesis based upon the research. Full course spring semester. Used by “E” seniors graduating in the next Fall semester.

Spring semester. The Committee.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors. Research in an area relevant to neuroscience, under the direction of a faculty member, and preparation of a thesis based upon the research. Double course spring semester.

Spring semester. The Committee.

Philosophy

†On leave fall semester 2014-15

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Gentzler‡, A. George, Moore (Chair), Shah, and Vogel†, Professor Emeritus Kearns; Visiting Assistant Professor Koltonski.

An education in philosophy conveys a sense of wonder about ourselves and our world. It achieves this partly through exploration of philosophical texts, which comprise some of the most stimulating creations of the human intellect, and partly through direct and personal engagement with philosophical issues. At the same time, an education in philosophy cultivates a critical stance to this elicited puzzlement, which would otherwise merely bewilder us.

The central topics of philosophy include the nature of reality (metaphysics); the ways we represent reality to ourselves and to others (philosophy of mind and philosophy of language); the nature and analysis of inference and reasoning (logic); knowledge and the ways we acquire it (epistemology and philosophy of science); and value and morality (aesthetics, ethics, and political philosophy). Students who major in philosophy at Amherst are encouraged to study broadly in all of these areas of philosophy.

Students new to philosophy should feel comfortable enrolling in any of the entry-level courses numbered 100 through 228. Courses numbered 310 through 337 are somewhat more advanced, typically assuming a previous course in philosophy. Courses numbered 360 through 369 concentrate on philosophical movements or figures. Courses numbered 460 through 470 are seminars and have restricted enrollments, a two-course prerequisite, and are more narrowly focused. No course may be used to satisfy more than one requirement.

All students are welcome to organize and to participate in the activities of the Philosophy Club.

Major Program. To satisfy the comprehensive requirement for the major, students must pass nine courses, exclusive of PHIL 498 and 499. Among these nine courses, majors are required to take:

(1) Three courses in the History of Philosophy: PHIL 217 and 218, and a course on a Major Figure or Movement (i.e., PHIL 360 to 369);

(2) One course in Logic (PHIL 213, or MATH 385, or the equivalent);

(3) One course in Moral Philosophy (PHIL 310 or 312);

(4) One course in Theoretical Philosophy (i.e., PHIL 332, 333, 335, 336, 337, 350 or 341); and

(5) One seminar (i.e., PHIL 460 to 470).

Departmental Honors Program. Candidates for Honors in Philosophy must complete the Major Program and the Senior Honors sequence, PHIL 498 and 499. Admission to PHIL 499 will be contingent on the ability to write an acceptable honors thesis as demonstrated, in part, by performances in PHIL 498 and by a research paper on the thesis topic (due in mid-January). The due date for the thesis falls in the third week of April.

Five College Certificate in Logic. The Logic Certificate Program brings together aspects of logic from different regions of the curriculum: Philosophy, Mathematics, Computer Science, and Linguistics. The program is designed to acquaint students with the uses of logic and initiate them into the profound mysteries and discoveries of modern logic. For further information about the relevant courses, faculty, requirements, and special events, see http://www.fivecolleges.edu/sites/logic/index.php.

111. Philosophical Questions. This is an introduction to philosophy that explores a range of issues pertaining to religious conviction, knowledge, mind, freedom, ethics, and value. This exploration will take place through critical engagement, via reflection, writing, and conversation, with written work—some classical, some contemporary—in the philosophical tradition.

Each section limited to 25 students. Fall semester: Professor Shah and Visiting Professor Koltonski. Spring semester: Professor George and Professor Emeritus Kearns.

213. Logic. “All philosophers are wise and Socrates is a philosopher; therefore, Socrates is wise.” Our topic is this mysterious “therefore.” We shall expose the hidden structure of everyday statements on which the correctness of our reasoning turns. To aid us, we shall develop a logical language that makes this underlying structure more perspicuous. We shall also examine fundamental concepts of logic and use them to explore the logical properties of statements and the logical relations between them. This is a first course in formal logic, the study of correct reasoning; no previous philosophical, mathematical, or logical training needed.

Three sections each limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor A. George.

217. Ancient Greek Philosophy. An examination of the origins of Western philosophical thought in Ancient Greece. We will consider the views of the Milesians, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Protagoras, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Epicureans, and the Stoics. Particular attention will be paid to questions about the nature, sources, and limits of human knowledge; about the merits of relativism, subjectivism, and objectivism in science and ethics; about the nature of, and relationship between, obligations to others and self-interest; and about the connection between the body and the mind.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Gentzler.

218. Early Modern Philosophy. A survey of European philosophy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries with emphasis on Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. Reading and discussion of selected works of the period.

Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor Vogel.

219. Philosophy of Religion. (Offered as RELI 316 and PHIL 219.) An examination of several major discussion topics in the analytic philosophy of religion: the ethics of religious belief, the “problem of religious language,” the nature of God and the problem of evil. It would seem that it is always irrational to believe that statements about matters which transcend the realm of the empirical are true, since none of these statements can be directly supported by evidence. Thus it would seem that a great deal of religious belief is irrational. Is this the case, or can religious beliefs be supported by other means? Can philosophical reflection bring clarity to such puzzling matters as God’s relationship to time, or the question of how a good and all-powerful God could permit the existence of evil? Alternatively, is the entire project of evaluating religious discourse as a set of claims about transcendent realities misguided—i.e., does religious language work differently than the language we use to speak about ordinary objects?

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor A. Dole.

223. Health Care Ethics. This course is intended to introduce students to moral philosophy by exploring some of the central issues in medical ethics. The first third of the course is designed to familiarize students with philosophical methodology and the three central traditions in normative ethics (Utilitarianism, Kantianism, and Virtue Ethics). In the remainder of the course, students will apply what they have learned to controversial issues such as abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research, and human cloning. Matters to be considered include what makes right acts right; whether killing is intrinsically worse than letting die; what renders a being person; whether personhood entails a right to life; when a being’s future meaningfully qualifies as its future; and whether there is anything morally objectionable about cloning a human being, and, if so, what it is.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15.

225. Ethics and the Environment. (Offered as PHIL 225 and ENST 228) As our impact on the environment shows itself in increasingly dramatic ways, our interaction with the environment has become an important topic of cultural and political debate. In this course we will discuss various philosophical issues that arise in such debates, including: What obligations, if any, do we have to future generations, to non-human animals, and to entire ecosystems? How should we act when we are uncertain exactly how our actions will affect the environment? How should we go about determining environmental policy? And how should we implement the environmental policies we decide upon? What is the most appropriate image of nature?

Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor Emeritus Kearns.

226. Introduction to Political Philosophy. This course provides an introduction to Western political philosophy via an examination of three core values that have governed political debate since the Reformation: freedom, equality and community. We will consider them individually: What is it to be a free individual? Why is equality important? We will consider political debates that rely on them: Is capitalism justified because it allows people to exercise their freedom in the marketplace? Or is it unjustified because it deprives some of their freedom? Does the demand for equality require some sort of economic egalitarianism? Does respect for freedom require that individuals have a robust right to free expression? And, finally, we will consider whether realizing one of them either requires or precludes realizing another: Does allowing persons economic freedom prevent us from realizing the right sort of egalitarian society? Or can we only be truly free when we live among equals? Can we realize the demands of equality without living in a genuine community? Can we live in a genuine community that is not a community of equals? Readings will be drawn from both contemporary and historical (post-Reformation) sources.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Professor Koltonski.

227. Aesthetics. The course investigates the central issues of aesthetics. These include: the nature and value of art, works of art, expression, creativity, artistic meaning, aesthetic experience, interpretation and aesthetic judgment. In the first half of the course, we will examine certain historical texts—from Plato to Tolstoy—that have been influential in both the study and practice of art. In the second half, we will discuss contemporary treatments of selected topics in aesthetics.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Moore.

229. The Problem of Evil. (Offered as RELI 318 and PHIL 229.) If God is omnibenevolent, then God would not want any creature to suffer evil; if God is omniscient, then God would know how to prevent any evil from occurring; and if God is omnipotent, then God would be able to prevent any evil from occurring. Does the obvious fact that there is evil in the world, then, give us reason to think that there is no such God? Alternatively: if an omnibenevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent God does exist, then what could possibly motivate such a God to permit the existence of evil? This course will survey recent philosophical discussions of these questions. We will read works by J. L. Mackie, Nelson Pike, John Hick, Alvin Plantinga, Robert and Marilyn Adams, and others.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor A. Dole.

230. Markets, Ethics, and Law. In this course, we will examine the extent to which markets and market forces, in a broadly capitalist economy, shape not only our economic relations but also our social and political relations and even our self-conceptions. The course will be divided into three sections:

(1) As a decentralized system of voluntary exchange, usually among strangers, a market is constituted by certain rules, ones that must be generally enforced among market participants. One set of rules governs the making of contracts between economic actors, and these rules are defined by law and interpreted and enforced by the legal system. In this section, we will examine contract law—both the legal theory and relevant case law—in order to get a sense of the role laws (and the courts) play in shaping and enabling markets.

(2) Classical political economy was very concerned not only with the economic benefits of markets and the market economy but also with their social and political effects, both good and bad. In this section, we will read two of the more important classical political economists—Adam Smith and Karl Marx—as well as two social theorists—Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thorsten Veblen—whose texts also address these issues.

(3) Are there moral limits to markets? Are there things that should not be for sale? Several philosophers have recently taken up these questions. They argue against allowing for markets in women’s sexual and reproductive labor, in children’s labor, and in human organs, and they argue against market-oriented solutions to other public and political problems. These arguments are not only worth exploring in themselves but also because they take up many of the themes and concerns of classical political economy. At the end, we will consider the worries that Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno have raised about the Western market in mass cultural products (what they call “the culture industry”).

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Visiting Professor Koltonski.

231. Philosophy of Sport. Most people participate in some form of sporting activity, and many of us also pay close attention to the sporting accomplishments of others. Sport plays a significant role in education, in culture, and even in politics. It’s also a multi-billion dollar international business. Yet sport has received scant attention within philosophy. And this is odd, since it raises many interesting philosophical questions.

What makes something a “sport”? Does cheer-leading or beer-pong count? Competition is central to sport, but is competition clearly a good thing? And what about the connection between sport and violence? Why do so many of us value watching other people engage in sporting activity? Is sport a form of art or does it have its own aesthetics? Why do we care if the Red Sox win? Does sport have any intrinsic connections with issues of race, class, nationality or gender? What’s wrong with doping and the use of other enhancements in sport? Is it right to regard star athletes as role models? What is the proper role of athletics in society and in education—particularly higher-education? Should major college athletes be paid? And do we strike the right balance at Amherst College? Finally, what is the proper place of sport in one’s own life?

Over the course of the semester, we will explore these and other questions about the nature of sport.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Moore

245. Introduction to African-American Philosophy. (Offered as BLST 245 and PHIL 245.) What is distinctive about African-American experience? How does that distinctiveness bear on the theory and practice of philosophy and philosophical thinking? And how does the African-American philosophical tradition alter conventional philosophical accounts of subjectivity, knowledge, time, language, history, embodiment, memory, and justice? In this course, we will read a range of African-American thinkers from the twentieth century in order to develop an appreciation of the unique, critical philosophical voice in the black intellectual tradition. Our readings of works by W.E.B. Du Bois, Anna Julia Cooper, Alain Locke, Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King, Jr., Angela Davis, Anthony Appiah and Cornel West will open up crucial issues that transform philosophy’s most central problems: knowing, being, and acting. As well, we will consider the cluster of thinkers with whom those works are critically concerned, including key texts from nineteenth century German philosophy, American pragmatism, and contemporary existentialism and postmodernism. What emerges from these texts and critical encounters is a sense of philosophy and philosophical practice as embedded in the historical experience—in all of its complexity—of African-Americans in the twentieth century.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Drabinski.

310. Ethics. We will be concerned to see whether there is anything to be said in a principled way about right and wrong. The core of the course will be an examination of three central traditions in ethical philosophy in the West, typified by Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill. We will also look at contemporary discussions of the relation between the demands of morality and those personal obligations that spring from friendships, as well as recent views about the nature of personal welfare.

Requisite: One course in Philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Shah.

311. Philosophy of Law. What is law? Is law a branch of morality discoverable by ethical reflection? Is it nothing more than the commands issued by whoever happens to have the most power? Or, is neither of these positions quite right? When judges interpret laws in order to decide cases, is this a process of discovery or of invention? Are there any objective standards for determining whether a law has been correctly interpreted?

This course provides an in-depth introduction to several central issues in the philosophy of law. In the first half of the course, we will address the fundamental questions about law listed above. Those topics will be: (1) the nature of, and difficulties in, legal reasoning; (2) several competing conceptions of the nature of law and its connection, if any, to morality; and (3) the ideal of the rule of law and its value. In the second half of the course, we will consider one important problem area in each of criminal law, civil law, and constitutional law: (4) the rights of defendants in criminal law; (5) the law of contract in civil law; and (6) the right to privacy in constitutional law. And, if time permits, we will end the course by considering (7) the debate about whether judicial review—i.e., judges’ power to strike down laws as unconstitutional—is compatible with democratic governance.

Requisite: One course in Philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Visiting Professor Koltonski.

332. Metaphysics. Metaphysics is the investigation, at the most fundamental level, of the nature of reality. It has been an especially vibrant area of philosophy in recent years, and we will read some of the freshest and most important work in the field. Among the questions to be considered are: What is existence? Is there more than one kind of existence? Are there merely possible things? Could you have been a poached egg (Tichy)? What is possibility anyway? Can things really change, or do they last for no more than a moment, or both? When are several things parts of some greater whole, and why? Is a statue identical to the lump of clay from which it is fashioned? How can you destroy the statue, yet not destroy the clay? Thinking through such basic questions leads to surprising perplexities and surprising insights. Readings by Quine, Kripke, Lewis, Van Inwagen, and others.

Requisite: One course in philosophy. Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Vogel.

333. Philosophy of Mind. An introduction to philosophical problems concerning the nature of the mind. Central to the course is the mind-body problem—the question of whether there is a mind (or soul or self) that is distinct from the body, and the question of how thought, feelings, sensations, and so on, are related to states of the brain and body. In connection with this, we will consider, among other things, the nature of consciousness, mental representation, the emotions, self-knowledge, and persons.

Requisite: One course in Philosophy. Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Moore

335. Theory of Knowledge. A consideration of some basic questions about the nature and scope of our knowledge. What is knowledge? Does knowledge have a structure? What is perception? Can we really know anything at all about the world?

Requisite: One course in Philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Vogel.

337. Philosophy of Science. The practice of science and its fruits have dominated the lives of human beings for centuries. But what is science? How does it differ, if at all, from common sense, or religion, or philosophy? One hears that scientists follow the “scientific method,” but what is that? It is said to be based on observation, but what is it to observe something? And how can our observations justify claims about what we do not, or even cannot, observe? The claims of science are often said to describe “laws of nature,” but what are such laws? These claims are said to form “theories,” but what is a theory? And if science issues in theories, what is their point, that is, what is the goal of science? To predict? To explain? What is it to explain something, anyway? And do all sciences explain in the same way; for instance, does physics explain in the way that psychology does? Science is often treated as the paragon of rationality and objectivity. But what is it to be rational or objective? To what degree does, or can, science really approach such ideals? Are there any values explicit or implicit in the practice of science? If so, do they threaten science’s alleged objectivity, and do they conflict with other values one might hold?

Requisite: One course in Philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor A. George.

339. Moral Blindnesses. Since the sixteenth century, justice has often been represented in art as a woman wearing a blindfold. Since the latter half of the twentieth century, various social institutions in the United States have attempted to make moral progress by adopting policies that are race-, gender-, age-, sexuality-, religion-, disability-, etc. “blind.” Twentieth-century American philosopher John Rawls has famously suggested that we would best understand what justice demands if we imagine ourselves deciding on the basic structure of society “behind a veil of ignorance.” And eighteenth-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant argued that genuine friendship demands that we not pursue certain types of knowledge of one another. But blindness is not always a moral advantage. Certain types of ignorance lead to damaging stereotyping and biases against various groups of individuals. Ignorance of the lives that others must live and of the effects of past biases leads not inevitably to moral respect, but just as often to moral indifference.

When does morality require ignorance and when does it require knowledge? In a world in which blind and blinding biases against certain groups of individuals lead to great moral wrongs, is justice really best served by remaining blind? Or should justice full-sightedly compensate for past and present wrongs to members of groups who were wronged by past or present blindnesses? Do different forms of social and economic relations foster different sorts of moral blindness and insight? Does occupying different social standpoints within social organizations foster different sorts of moral blindness or insight? To what extent are we responsible for the quality of our own moral vision and that of others?

Requisite: One course in Philosophy or permission of the instructors. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gentzler and Visiting Professor Koltonski.

341. Freedom and Responsibility. Are we free? Do we possess the freedom necessary for moral responsibility? What form of freedom is necessary for moral responsibility? Is this freedom compatible with causal determinism? To be morally responsible for an action, must its agent have been able to act otherwise? Must she have chosen her own character? What is it to be morally responsible for an action? These are the main questions we shall address in this course. To address them, we shall read works by Hume, Reid, Chisholm, Ayer, Strawson, Frankfurt, Nagel, and others.

Requisite: One course in Philosophy. Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Shah.

350. Philosophy of Mathematics. Mathematics is often thought to be the paragon of clarity and certainty. However, vexing problems arise almost immediately upon asking such seemingly straightforward questions as: “What is the number 1?” “Why can proofs be trusted?” “What is infinity?” “What is mathematics about?” During the first decades of the twentieth century, philosophers and mathematicians mounted a sustained effort to clarify the nature of mathematics. The result was three original and finely articulated programs that seek to view mathematics in the proper light: logicism, intuitionism, and finitism. The mathematical and philosophical work in these areas complement one another and indeed are, to an important extent, intertwined. For this reason, our exploration of these philosophies of mathematics will examine both the philosophical vision that animated them and the mathematical work that gave them content. In discussing logicism, we will focus primarily on the writings of Gottlob Frege. Some indication of how the goal of logicism—the reduction of mathematics to logic—was imagined to be achievable will also be given: introduction to the concepts and axioms of set theory, the set-theoretic definition of “natural number,” the Peano axioms and their derivation in set theory, reduction of the concepts of analysis to those in set theory, etc. Some of the set-theoretic paradoxes will be discussed as well as philosophical and mathematical responses to them. In the section on intuitionism, we will read papers by L.E.J. Brouwer and Michael Dummett, who argue that doing mathematics is more an act of creation than of discovery. This will proceed in tandem with an introduction to intuitionistic logic, which stands in contrast to the more commonly used classical logic. Finally, we will discuss finitism, as articulated in the writings of David Hilbert, who sought to reconcile logicism and intuitionism. Students will then be taken carefully through Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorems and their proofs. The course will conclude with an examination of the impact of Gödel’s work on Hilbert’s attempted reconciliation, as well as on more general philosophical questions about mathematics and mind.

Requisite: PHIL 213 or MATH 385 or consent of the instructors. Omitted 2014-15. Professors A. George and Velleman.

360. Origins of Analytic Philosophy: Frege, Russell, and the Early Wittgenstein. Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell, and Ludwig Wittgenstein are towering figures in the history of analytic philosophy. We shall examine their work, paying special attention to the following themes and their interconnections: language and the nature of meaning, the limits of sense and rationality, and the search for a philosophical method.

Requisite: One course in Philosophy. Omitted 2014 -15. Professor George.

363. Nineteenth-Century European Philosophy. This course will guide the student through a selection of philosophical writings from the nineteenth century: Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals; Fichte’s Introductions to the Wissenschaftslehre; Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit and Philosophy of Right; Kierkegaard’s Concluding Unscientific Postscript; and Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morality. The focus of this course is on philosophical views concerning the nature of things like morality, subjectivity, and self-knowledge.

Requisite: One course in Philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15.

364. Kant. An examination of the central metaphysical and epistemological doctrines of the Critique of Pure Reason, including both the historical significance of Kant’s work and its implications for contemporary philosophy.

Requisite: PHIL 218 or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Vogel.

366. Marx and Critical Theory. A “critical theory” has a distinctive aim: to unmask the ideology falsely justifying some form of social or economic oppression—to reveal it as ideology—and, in so doing, to contribute to the task of ending that oppression. And so, a critical theory aims to provide a kind of enlightenment about social and economic life that is itself emancipatory: persons come to recognize the oppression they are suffering as oppression and are thereby partly freed from it.

Marx’s critique of capitalist economic relations is arguably just this kind of critical theory. As participants in a capitalist market economy, we fall into thinking of the economy in terms of private property rights, free exchange, the laws of supply and demand, etc., and, in so doing, we fall into thinking of capitalist economic relations as justified, as how things should be. Marx argues that this way of thinking is nothing but ideology: it obscures, even from those persons who suffer them, the pervasive and destructive forms of alienation, powerlessness, and exploitation that, in Marx’s view, define capitalist economic relations. Any prospects for change, reform, or for Marx, revolution requires first that people come to see capitalism for what it is, for they must first see the ways in which they themselves are alienated, powerless and exploited before they can try to free themselves from it. Later social theorists in what came to be called the Frankfurt School—Horkheimer, Adorno, Marcuse, and Habermas—develop and refine this Marxian project of providing a critical theory of capitalist economic and social relations. In particular, they argue that the forms of oppression distinctive of “late” capitalism are importantly different than the forms Marx found in the early capitalism of the Industrial Revolution, and so a critical theory about them must also be different.

Readings will be made up mostly of (somewhat difficult but very rich) primary sources, with some secondary readings to aid in the tasks of understanding and interpretation.

Requisite: One course in philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Professor Koltonski.

368. Philosophy at the Extremes. A traditional view distinguishes two overarching approaches to philosophy, rationalism and empiricism. Rationalists hold that reality is known primarily through reason; empiricists hold that reality is known primarily through sense perception. Perhaps the most rigorous, unflinching, radical and profound exponents of these opposed positions were Baruch Spinoza and David Hume. Both Spinoza and Hume are led by powerful arguments to staggering conclusions (e.g., there is only one thing, God, and you and I are ideas in the divine mind—Spinoza; there is no causality in the usual sense, there are no ordinary material objects, and in the end there is no self—Hume). In this course, we will read carefully Spinoza’s Ethics and Hume’s Treatise of Human Nature (Book One), two of the greatest philosophical works ever written. Satisfies the “major figure or movement” requirement of the Philosophy Major.

Requisite: PHIL 218 or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Vogel.

460. Seminar: Reason, Experience and Reflection. We have various ways of knowing: reason, perception, and introspection. When we perceive, things around us seem to be directly present to our minds. Is this picture compatible with the fact that perception involves a complicated causal process? And if perception is the immediate grasp of objects in the world, how can we be subject to illusion and hallucination? We say that seeing is believing. Is it really? Or, if not, what is the relation between perception and belief? Can the contents of perceptual experience be captured completely by conceptual thought?

Reason is the source of our knowledge of logic and mathematics. But what is reason, and how does it work? Is it something like perception? Do we somehow “see” that there is no greatest number, or that the conclusion of a proof follows from its premises? Is reason subject to illusion and error? How could we ever tell? What do reason and understanding language have to do with each other?

Finally, we have some way of knowing what we’re thinking and feeling, which can be called introspection or reflection. Should we think of introspection as some sort of inward perception? What else could it be? What is the relation between having an experience and knowing that you have that experience? To what extent do we know our own minds better than anyone else can?

These questions are the subject of great interest and intense controversy in contemporary philosophy. We will try to get clear about them by reading some of the best work in field, from authors such as Grice, McDowell, Quine, BonJour, Peacocke, Burge, and Shoemaker.

Requisite: Two courses in Philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Vogel.

461. Seminar: Skepticism. The topics change from year to year. Some of the most interesting and most characteristic work in recent philosophy has been concerned with the problem of skepticism about the external world, i.e., roughly, the problem of how you know that your whole life isn’t merely a dream. We will critically examine various responses to this problem and, possibly, consider some related issues such as relativism and moral skepticism. There will be readings from authors such as Wittgenstein, Moore, and Austin, and philosophers working today such as Dretske and Putnam.

Requisite: Two courses in Philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Vogel.

463. The Later Wittgenstein. In 1933, shortly after he returned to philosophy, Ludwig Wittgenstein began to dictate to his students at Cambridge a series of notes on his revolutionary new ideas “so that they might have something to carry home with them, in their hands if not in their brains.” They were never published during his lifetime but were circulated privately, eventually becoming known as The Blue Book. This course will primarily be a slow reading and discussion of this seminal and suggestive work.

Requisite: Two courses in philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor A. George.

467. Seminar: Philosophy of Music. Music is sometimes described as a language, but what, if anything, does Charlie Parker’s “Ah-Leu-Cha” say to us? If music isn’t representational, then how should we understand its connection to the various emotions that it can express and invoke? (Or maybe these aren’t genuine emotions: Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings is widely described as sad, but what exactly are we—or is it—sad about? And why would we choose to listen to Mozart’s Requiem if it genuinely terrified us?) Perhaps our musical descriptions and experiences are metaphorical in some way—but how, and why?

What exactly is a musical work anyway? Where, when and how do “Summertime,” or “Stairway to Heaven,” or “Shake Ya Tailfeather” exist? And what makes for a performance of one or the other (or of no work at all)?

What, if anything, guides a proper “listening” or understanding of a musical work? Does it require knowledge of relevant musical and cultural conventions, or of the composition’s historical context, or even of the composer’s intentions and guiding aesthetic philosophy? (Think of gamelan music; think of the Sgt. Pepper’s album; think of John Cage.)

What determines whether a work, or a performance of it, is good? What role is played by beauty, grace, intensity and so on? And how objective are these aesthetic properties? Finally, why do we sometimes find music to be not just enjoyable, but intensely moving and even profound?

Requisite: Two courses in Philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Moore.

471. Metaphilosophy. The topic for this proseminar (which is one of four similar proseminars offered across the College) changes from year to year. In 2012-13, the proseminar in Philosophy will be on Metaphilosophy.

Proseminars are designed to give students the knowledge and the intellectual and technical skills necessary to do advanced research and writing in their major. They are most suitable for junior majors who are considering writing a senior honors thesis, and for senior majors, who are not writing a thesis, but would like to have the experience of writing a significant paper in the discipline.

“Metaphilosophy,” as philosopher Nicholas Rescher put it, “is a philosophical investigation of the practice of philosophizing itself. Its definitive aim is to study the methods of the field in an endeavor to illuminate its promise and prospects.” What is philosophy? What are its methods? What are its objects of inquiry? Is there progress in philosophy? If so, then why do philosophers study the history of philosophy in order to gain philosophical insight? What constitutes progress in philosophy? Are the discoveries of the natural and social sciences relevant to philosophical investigation? What are philosophical intuitions, and should we trust them to give us insight into anything interesting? Why is there so much disagreement in philosophy, and is such disagreement rationally resolvable?

In this seminar, we will carefully examine the practice of philosophy as it is done by some of its best practitioners, and we will critically examine philosophical work on the very nature and methods of philosophy. As a result, we will identify those methods required to do philosophy at the highest level and attempt to determine why these methods are effective. In addition, through significant practice and feedback over the course of the semester, students will develop and improve their ability to apply these methods to the philosophical problems that most engage them. This course will satisfy the seminar requirement for the Philosophy Major.

Open to juniors and seniors, but priority will be given to junior majors who are considering writing a senior thesis and to senior majors who have opted not to write a thesis. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Gentzler.

473. Seminar: Economic Justice. Whether social justice requires some form of economic equality and, if so, to what extent it does are deeply controversial questions. Many contemporary political philosophers have argued that citizens have a demanding duty to support efforts to achieve some form of economic equality in their own political community (Thomas Nagel offers a powerful version of this sort of argument.) These arguments have seemed to some, however, to neglect other crucial considerations: the person’s natural rights against interference; what people deserve (and why); the value of community; and, perhaps, the relevance of considerations of need. And, they argue that, once we take these considerations into account, we see that realizing economic equality among one’s fellow citizens is not a demanding duty of justice. Others have responded on behalf of the case for economic equality, arguing that each of these considerations, properly understood, actually supports the case for a demanding duty to achieve some form of equality. This course will examine the contemporary debates about whether these several considerations argue against or provide support for the claim that social justice requires economic equality. But there will also be one major theme running throughout the course, to which we will keep returning: What is the nature of the ideal of equality, and what does it require of society?

Requisite: Two courses in Philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Professor Koltonski.

474. What Happens When Someone Acts?. In a seminal article with the same title, David Velleman poses the question “What Happens When Someone Acts?” The goal of this seminar will be to answer to this question. It is only once we have answered it that we can tackle some of the most fundamental issues in moral philosophy—including issues concerning moral motivation, the possibility of unconditional moral requirements, the extent of moral responsibility, and the nature of virtue. We shall begin the seminar by examining Velleman’s claim that the standard causal theory of action omits agents from the picture. A central issue to be explored is whether the “problem of the disappearing agent” represents a genuine problem or whether it is an artifact of certain assumptions Velleman makes concerning the nature of beliefs, desires, and mental states, more generally. As we shall see, Velleman, like many other contemporary philosophers of action, thinks of beliefs and desires as internal, causally interacting, entities or token states that rationalize the actions they cause. Our task will be to examine this and other assumptions underlying Velleman’s account of what happens when someone acts and to fill in the details of an alternative account based on a different way of understanding beliefs and desires. Anscombe was right: moral philosophy must await an adequate philosophy of psychology (philosophy of action). And, as the seminar will emphasize, an adequate philosophy of action depends on an adequate philosophy of mind.

Other issues we shall discuss include the role of desire versus belief in motivating human action — whether every action must be motivated by a desire, as Hume insists, or whether beliefs (e.g., about what is morally required) are capable of motivating on their own, as Kant maintains; whether it is possible for an agent freely and knowingly to act contrary to what, even at the time, she judges it would be best for her to do; how to understand psychologically compelled action.

Required reading will include works by Velleman, Davidson, Nagel, Hornsby, Wallace, Watson, and others.

Requisite: Two courses in Philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15.

475. The Moral Significance of National Borders. Despite some movement towards increasing political integration (particularly in Europe) in recent years, the world is still generally organized into separate political territories with precise borders between them. These political territories—“states”—organize in important ways the lives of those who reside within those borders, including their interactions both with one another and with those outside the borders. And they usually claim that the vast majority of these people—“citizens”—owe them allegiance.

In this seminar, we will consider several moral questions that arise in this sort of global situation: Do people in developed countries owe the poor in developing countries a demanding duty of aid, a duty that holds regardless of state borders? Or do they owe it to them because of the harms to citizens of developing countries that the system of separate states does or allows? Or do features of the political community protected by national borders justify compatriot priority with regard to distributive justice? Does the domineering power of the contemporary American state over other developing countries give America particular (and particularly demanding) duties towards citizens of developing countries? What might be the value of nationality—to individuals and/or to the community—and what steps, if any, may states take to protect that value? Is military invasion across borders objectionable because it violates communal autonomy, and, if so, how might that affect the permissibility of humanitarian intervention? We will read a variety of contemporary answers to these and other questions, and, though the course is organized into sections, many of the issues are interrelated and so themes from one section regarding the moral significance of borders will reappear in later ones.

Requisite: Two courses in Philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Visiting Professor Koltonski.

476. Seminar: Ordinary Language Philosophy. What kinds of problems are philosophical problems and how should we solve them? Most philosophers assume that philosophy has a subject matter (the nature of mind, morality, and freedom, for instance) that presents us with substantive questions which we can only answer by articulating general principles that explain the puzzling phenomena. In the mid-twentieth century, however, some philosophers, working primarily in Britain, argued that philosophical problems are by and large the products of confusion that could be dissolved by attending to the ways in which we ordinarily talk. The approach promised an exhilarating release from millennia of miasma, but it was roundly condemned by many and now taken seriously by few. We shall examine some of the seminal writings in this tradition.

Requisite: Two courses in Philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor George.

477. Seminar: The Problem of Political Authority and Obligation. The problem of political authority and obligation is arguably the central problem in political philosophy, at least in the Western liberal tradition. Arthur Ripstein captures this problem well in his Force and Freedom (2009): “States claim powers that no private person could have. Not only can they collect taxes and imprison wrongdoers; they can impose binding resolutions on private disputes, restrict agents on grounds of public health, and regulate other aspects of social life. Defenders of limited government insist that the state’s power to do these things must be subject to fundamental restrictions. Prior to any question of what factors properly limit the exercise of those powers, however, is the more basic question of the justification of those powers themselves: how can an institution, whose offices are filled with ordinary fallible human beings, be entitled to do things to people, or demand things of them, that none of those same human beings are entitled to do or demand on their own [as private persons]?”

This seminar will consider the main contemporary accounts of the state’s authority over its citizens and the citizen’s political obligations to her state or fellow citizens, as well as the important criticisms of these accounts.

Requisite: Two courses in Philosophy or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Visiting Professor Koltonski.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course. Reading in an area selected by the student and approved in advance by a member of the Department.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Required of candidates for Honors in Philosophy. Directed research culminating in a substantial essay on a topic chosen by the student and approved by the Department.

Open to seniors with consent of the Department. Fall semester. The Department.

499. Departmental Honors Course. Required of candidates for Honors in Philosophy. The continuation of PHIL 498. In special cases, subject to approval of the Department, a double course.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Spring semester. The Department.

Related Courses

Artificial Intelligence. See COSC 241.

Mathematical Logic. See MATH 385.

Christianity, Philosophy, and History in the Nineteenth Century. See RELI 278.

Philosophy of Religion. See RELI 316.

The Problem of Evil. See RELI 318.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Interim Athletic Director Faulstick; Professor Morgan; Coaches Arena, Augustin, Bagwell, Ballard, Banks, Boyko, Bussard, Doepking; Everden, Fucillo, Funke-Harris, Garner, Gromacki, Hamm, Hixon, Hughes, Knerr, Matthews, McBride, Mills, Nedeau, Nichols, Paradis, Robson, Serpone, and Thompson; Athletic Trainers Cook, Jekanowski, Poore, and Klingensmith; Director of Sports Medicine Rello.

The courses in Physical Education are available to all Amherst College students and members of the College community. All courses are elective, and although there is no academic credit offered, transcript notation is given for successful completion of all courses.

Courses are offered on a quarter basis, two units per semester, and one unit during the January interterm. Classes are offered on the same time schedule as all academic courses. Students are encouraged to enroll in courses that interest them and may obtain more information about the Physical Education Program from the Department of Physical Education and Athletics.

In an attempt to meet the needs and interests of the individual student, the Department offers the following:

1. Physical Education Courses. In these courses, the basic skills, rules and strategy of the activity are taught and practiced. This program emphasizes individual activities which have value as lifelong recreational pursuits.

2. Recreational Program.

(a) Organized Recreational Classes, in which team sports are organized, played, and supervised by Physical Education Department personnel, and

(b) Free Recreational Scheduling, where the Department schedules, maintains and supervises facilities and activities for members of the College community, i.e., recreational golf, skating, squash, swimming and tennis.

A detailed brochure concerning all programs is available upon request from the Department of Physical Education. Details concerning the College’s physical education and athletic programs are available on the Department’s website and in the Student Handbook.

Physics and Astronomy

*On leave 2014-15.

Professors Friedman, Hunter (Chair), Hall, Jagannathan, and Loinaz; Assistant Professors Carter*, Cowan, Haggard, and Hanneke*; Visiting Assistant Professor Hasegawa.

The Departments of Physics and Astronomy is being combined into a new Department of Physics and Astronomy beginning in the 2014-15 academic year.

Physics

Physics is the study of the natural world emphasizing an understanding of phenomena in terms of fundamental interactions and basic laws. As such, physics underlies all of the natural sciences and pervades contemporary approaches to the study of the universe (astronomy and astrophysics), living systems (biophysics and neuroscience), chemistry (chemical physics), and earth systems (geophysics and environmental science). In addition, the relationship of physics to mathematics is deep, complex and rich. To reflect the broad range of activities pursued by people with training in physics, the department has developed a curriculum that provides a solid background in the fundamentals of physics while allowing some flexibility, particularly at the upper level, for students’ interests in astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, geology, mathematics and neuroscience.

The core physics program provides a course of study for those who are interested in physics as a liberal arts major, with career plans in diverse fields such as law, medicine, business and education. The department also provides a number of upper-level electives to deepen the background of those students intending to pursue careers in physics and closely related technical fields.

The sequence PHYS 116, 117 may be taken by students who require two semesters of physics with laboratory. MATH 111 is a requisite for PHYS 116. There is no additional mathematics requirement for PHYS 117. Students interested in majoring in physics should take PHYS 123 and 124 early in their college career. Those who have taken PHYS 116 and 117 are also able to join the majors’ stream, but they should discuss the transition with a faculty member as early as they can. The general content of the two sequences is similar, but the mathematical levels are different. MATH 121 is a requisite for PHYS 124, but not for PHYS 117. Hence, students who wish to major after completing PHYS 117 should complete MATH 121.

Major Program. Students who wish to major in physics are required to take MATH 111 and 121, and PHYS 123, 124 (or PHYS 116, 117, but see above), 225, 226, 227, 230 (or CHEM 361), 343, 347 and 348. Students may petition the Department to substitute an upper-level course in a related discipline for a required upper level departmental course. Students planning a career in physics should seriously consider taking one or more electives in physics and mathematics. PHYS 452 is an advanced course in electromagnetic theory and will follow the required intermediate course on the subject, PHYS 347; similarly, PHYS 453, an advanced course in quantum mechanics, will follow PHYS 348. PHYS 460 is a course on General Relativity. Not all these electives may be offered every year, and from time to time, the department may offer other upper-level electives.

All Physics majors must demonstrate satisfactory performance on an approved standardized test in general physics prior to the beginning of the second semester of the senior year. Students failing to do so must instead pass an alternate comprehensive examination in the second semester of the senior year. All Physics majors must also attend at least nine public physics lectures during the senior year.

General Education Physics Courses. The Physics Department offers a variety of courses for students not majoring in the sciences. Typically these courses do not assume any background beyond high-school mathematics. In most years, the department teaches several of these courses.

Departmental Honors Program. Students who wish to receive departmental Honors should enroll in PHYS 498 and 499D in addition to completing the other requirements for the major. To enter the Honors program, a student must attain an average grade of at least B– in all Physics courses taken through the end of the junior year or receive department approval. At the end of the first semester of the senior year the student’s progress on the Honors problem will determine the advisability of continuation in the Honors program.

The aim of Departmental Honors work in Physics is to provide the student an opportunity to pursue, under faculty direction, in-depth research into a project in experimental and/or theoretical physics. Current experimental areas of research in the department include atomic and molecular physics, precision measurements and fundamental symmetries, Bose-Einstein condensation, ultracold collisions, the quantum-classical frontier, nonlinear dynamics, optical trapping, cellular and molecular mechanics, and phase transitions. Theoretical work is primarily in the area of High Energy and Elementary Particle physics, but faculty members pursue studies in quantum computers, foundations of quantum mechanics, and classical gravitation theory. In addition to apparatus for projects closely related to the continuing experimental research activity of faculty members, facilities are available for experimental projects in many other areas. Subject to availability of equipment and faculty interest, Honors projects arising out of students’ particular interests are encouraged. Students must submit a written thesis on the Honors work a few weeks before the end of their final semester (in late April for spring graduation). Students give a preliminary presentation of their work during the first semester, and a final presentation at the end of the second semester. In addition, they take oral examinations devoted primarily to the thesis work. The departmental recommendation for the various levels of Honors will be based on the student’s record, Departmental Honors work, Comprehensive Examination and oral examination on the thesis.

109. Energy. We will develop the concept of energy from a Physics perspective. We will introduce the various forms that energy can take and discuss the mechanisms by which it can be generated, transmitted, and transformed. The law of conservation of energy will be introduced both as a useful tool, and as an example of a fundamental physical law. The environmental and financial costs and benefits of various methods of energy generation and consumption will be discussed. Demonstrations and hands-on laboratory experiences will be an integral part of the course. The course is intended for non-science majors and not for students who have either completed or intend to complete the equivalent of PHYS 117 or CHEM 110.

Requisite: A working knowledge of high-school algebra, geometry and trigonometry. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Hunter.

110. Electronics. This is a hands-on course to help build a basic understanding and feel for the modern day electronic devices and circuits that are integral to many aspects of our research, work, and play. We will investigate the electrical characteristics of electronic components, including discrete semiconductor devices and integrated circuits (ICs) and then build and analyze both analog and digital circuits, gaining insight into electronic control devices, data acquisition systems, and computers. Lecture and discussion periods will be followed by appropriate experiments to help solidify the new concepts. While the course is introductory, experienced students will be given room to explore more complex circuitry and will be encouraged to apply some of their newly-developed electronics knowledge and creativity to ongoing individual research projects in other fields. Two three-hour laboratory sessions per week.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15.

114. Relativity, Cosmology, and Quantum Physics. This course will discuss Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity in quantitative detail, beginning with the roots of the principle of relativity in the writings of Galileo and Newton. We will then examine a qualitative outline of general relativity. We will next study the structure of matter and forces on the small scale and the challenges posed by the quantum theory, which provides the best description of the microworld. The last topic of the semester will be the application of relativity and quantum physics to the early universe. The course is designed for the non-specialist audience and will take an elementary but rigorous approach. No advanced mathematics or prior physics will be required; high school algebra and geometry will, however, be used extensively in class and in the problem sets. The work will require readings and regular problem sets, and students will also write a few essays.

Fall semester. Professor Jagannathan.

116. Introductory Physics I: Mechanics and Wave Motion. The course will begin with a description of the motion of particles and introduce Newton’s dynamical laws and a number of important force laws. We will apply these laws to a wide range of problems to gain a better understanding of the laws and to demonstrate the generality of the framework. The important concepts of work, mechanical energy, and linear and angular momentum will be introduced and the unifying idea of conservation laws will be discussed. The study of mechanical waves permits a natural transition from the dynamics of particles to the dynamics of waves, including the interference of waves. Additional topics may include fluid mechanics and rotational dynamics. Four hours of lecture in the fall and three hours of lecture in the spring. Also one three-hour laboratory per week.

Requisite: MATH 111. Limited to 48 students. Fall and spring semesters. Fall semester: Professors Hall and Hasegawa. Spring semester: TBA.

117. Introductory Physics II: Electromagnetism and Optics. Most of the physical phenomena we encounter in everyday life are due to the electromagnetic force. This course will begin with Coulomb’s law for the force between two charges at rest and introduce the electric field in this context. We will then discuss moving charges and the magnetic interaction between electric currents. The mathematical formulation of the basic laws in terms of the electric and magnetic fields will allow us to work towards the unified formulation originally given by Maxwell. His achievement has, as a gratifying outcome, the description of light as an electromagnetic wave. The course will consider both ray-optics and wave-optics descriptions of light. Laboratory exercises will emphasize electrical circuits, electronic measuring instruments, optics and optical experiments. Three hours of lecture and discussion and one three-hour laboratory per week.

Requisite: PHYS 116 or 123. Limited to 48 students. Fall semester: Professor Loinaz. Spring semester: TBA.

123. The Newtonian Synthesis: Dynamics of Particles and Systems, Waves. The idea that the same simple physical laws apply equally well in the terrestrial and celestial realms, called the Newtonian Synthesis, is a major intellectual development of the seventeenth century. It continues to be of vital importance in contemporary physics. In this course, we will explore the implications of this synthesis by combining Newton’s dynamical laws with his Law of Universal Gravitation. We will solve a wide range of problems of motion by introducing a small number of additional forces. The concepts of work, kinetic energy, and potential energy will then be introduced. Conservation laws of momentum, energy, and angular momentum will be discussed, both as results following from the dynamical laws under restricted conditions and as general principles that go well beyond the original context of their deduction. Newton’s laws will be applied to a simple continuous medium to obtain a wave equation as an approximation. Properties of mechanical waves will be discussed. Four hours of lecture and discussion and one three-hour laboratory per week.

Requisite: MATH 111. Fall semester. Professor Friedman.

124. The Maxwellian Synthesis: Dynamics of Charges and Fields, Optics. In the mid-nineteenth century, completing nearly a century of work by others, Maxwell developed an elegant set of equations describing the dynamical behavior of electromagnetic fields. A remarkable consequence of Maxwell’s equations is that the wave theory of light is subsumed under electrodynamics. Moreover, we know from subsequent developments that the electromagnetic interaction largely determines the structure and properties of ordinary matter. The course will begin with Coulomb’s Law but will quickly introduce the concept of the electric field. Moving charges and their connection with the magnetic field will be explored. Currents and electrical circuits will be studied. Faraday’s introduction of the dynamics of the magnetic field and Maxwell’s generalization of it will be discussed. Laboratory exercises will concentrate on circuits, electronic measuring instruments, and optics. Four hours of lecture and discussion and one three-hour laboratory per week.

Requisite: MATH 121 and PHYS 116 or 123. Spring semester. Professor TBA.

225. Modern Physics. The theories of relativity (special and general) and the quantum theory constituted the revolutionary transformation of physics in the early twentieth century. Certain crucial experiments precipitated crises in our classical understanding to which these theories offered responses; in other instances, the theories implied strange and/or counterintuitive phenomena that were then investigated by crucial experiments. After an examination of the basics of Special Relativity, the quantum theory, and the important early experiments, we will consider their implications for model systems such as a particle in a box, the harmonic oscillator, and a simple version of the hydrogen atom. We will also explore the properties of nuclei and elementary particles, study lasers and photonics, and discuss some very recent experiments of interest in contemporary physics. Three class hours per week.

Requisite: MATH 121 and PHYS 117 or 124. Fall semester. Professor Hunter.

226. Intermediate Laboratory. A variety of classic and topical experiments will be performed. In the area of fundamental constants, we will undertake a measurement of the speed of light, a determination of the ratio of Planck’s constant to the charge of the electron through the study of the photoelectric effect, and an experiment to obtain the charge-to-mass ratio of the electron. We will study the wave nature of the electron through a diffraction experiment. An experiment to measure optical spectra and another on gamma ray spectra will reveal the power of spectroscopy for exploring the structure of matter. Other experiments such as nuclear magnetic resonance, quantized conductance in nanocontacts, and properties of superconductors will give students an opportunity to experience laboratory practice in its contemporary form. Emphasis will be placed on careful experimental work and data-analysis techniques. One meeting a week of discussion plus additional, weekly self-scheduled laboratory work.

Requisite: PHYS 225 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor TBA.

227. Methods of Theoretical Physics. The course will present the mathematical methods frequently used in theoretical physics. The physical context and interpretation will be emphasized. Topics covered will include vector calculus, complex numbers, ordinary differential equations (including series solutions), partial differential equations, functions of a complex variable, and linear algebra. Four class hours per week.

Requisite: MATH 121 and PHYS 117/124 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Jagannathan.

230. Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics. The basic laws of physics governing the behavior of microscopic particles are in certain respects simple. They give rise both to complex behavior of macroscopic aggregates of these particles, and more remarkably, to a new kind of simplicity. Thermodynamics focuses on the simplicity at the macroscopic level directly, and formulates its laws in terms of a few observable parameters like temperature and pressure. Statistical Mechanics, on the other hand, seeks to build a bridge between mechanics and thermodynamics, providing in the process, a basis for the latter, and pointing out the limits to its range of applicability. Statistical Mechanics also allows one to investigate, in principle, physical systems outside the range of validity of Thermodynamics. After an introduction to thermodynamic laws, we will consider a microscopic view of entropy, formulate the kinetic theory, and study several pertinent probability distributions including the classical Boltzmann distribution. Relying on a quantum picture of microscopic laws, we will study photon and phonon gases, chemical potential, classical and degenerate quantum ideal gases, and chemical and phase equilibria. Three class hours per week.

Requisite: PHYS 225 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor TBA.

343. Dynamics. This course begins with the foundation of classical mechanics as formulated in Newton’s Laws of Motion. We then use Hamilton’s Principle of Least Action to arrive at an alternative formulation of mechanics in which the equations of motion are derived from energies rather than forces. This Lagrangian formulation has many virtues, among them a deeper insight into the connection between symmetries and conservation laws. From the Lagrangian formulation we will move to the Hamiltonian formulation and the discussion of dynamics in phase space, exploring various avenues for the transition from the classical to the quantum theory. We will study motion in a central force field, the derivation of Kepler’s laws of planetary motion from Newton’s law of gravity, two-body collisions, and physics in non-inertial reference frames. Other topics may include the dynamics of driven, damped oscillators, and non-linear dynamics of chaotic systems. Three class hours per week.

Requisite: PHYS 227 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Hasegawa.

347. Electromagnetic Theory I. A development of Maxwell’s electromagnetic field equations and some of their consequences using vector calculus. Topics covered include: electrostatics, steady currents and static magnetic fields, time-dependent electric and magnetic fields, and the complete Maxwell theory, energy in the electromagnetic field, Poynting’s theorem, electromagnetic waves, and radiation from time-dependent charge and current distributions. Three class hours per week.

Requisite: PHYS 117 or 124 and PHYS 227 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Hunter.

348. Quantum Mechanics I. Wave-particle duality and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Basic postulates of Quantum Mechanics, wave functions, solutions of the Schroedinger equation for one-dimensional systems and for the hydrogen atom. Three class hours per week.

Requisite: PHYS 225 and 343 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor TBA.

400. Molecular and Cellular Biophysics. (Offered as PHYS 400, BIOL 400, BCBP 400, and CHEM 400.) How do the physical laws that dominate our lives change at the small length and energy scales of individual molecules? What design principles break down at the sub-cellular level and what new chemistry and physics becomes important? We will answer these questions by looking at bio-molecules, cellular substructures, and control mechanisms that work effectively in the microscopic world. How can we understand both the static and dynamic shape of proteins using the laws of thermodynamics and kinetics? How has the basic understanding of the smallest molecular motor in the world, ATP synthase, changed our understanding of friction and torque? We will explore new technologies, such as atomic force and single molecule microscopy that have allowed research into these areas. This course will address topics in each of the three major divisions of Biophysics: bio-molecular structure, biophysical techniques, and biological mechanisms.

Requisite: CHEM 161, PHYS 116/123, PHYS 117/124, BIOL 191 or evidence of equivalent coverage in pre-collegiate courses. Spring semester. Professors Loinaz and Williamson.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course. A full course.

Fall and spring semester.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Individual, independent work on some problem, usually in experimental physics. Reading, consultation and seminars, and laboratory work. Designed for honors candidates, but open to other advanced students with the consent of the department.

Fall semester. The Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Same description as PHYS 498. A single course.

Requisite: PHYS 498. Spring semester. The Department.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors. Same description as PHYS 498. A double course.

Requisite: PHYS 498. Spring semester. The Department.

Astronomy

Astronomy was the first science, and it remains one of the most exciting and active fields of scientific research. Opportunities exist to pursue studies both at the non-technical and advanced levels. Non-technical courses are designed to be accessible to every Amherst student: their goal is to introduce students to the roles of quantitative reasoning and observational evidence, and to give some idea of the nature of the astronomical universe. These courses are often interdisciplinary in nature, including discussion of issues pertaining to Earth Sciences and Physics. Advanced students pursue a study of Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, as well as Astronomy.

A joint Five College Astronomy Department provides instruction at Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts (http://www.astro.umass.edu/about/fcad/). All introductory courses and some advanced courses are taught at Amherst, but students are also encouraged to take advanced courses at the four other institutions. As a result of this partnership, students can enjoy the benefits of a first-rate liberal arts education while maintaining association with a research department of international stature. Students may pursue independent theoretical and observational work in association with Amherst Professors Haggard and Cowan, or with any member of the Five College Astronomy Department, either during the academic year or the summer term. The notation “FC” indicates courses offered by the Five College Astronomy Department. The facilities of all five institutions are available to departmental majors.

Major Program. The Astronomy major consists of nine required courses (MATH 111, MATH 121, STAT 135, PHYS 123 (or 116), PHYS 124 (or 117), COSC 111, ASTR 228, ASTR 335, and ASTR 352, and three electives from the list below. Those who have taken PHYS 116 and 117 are also able to join the majors’ stream, but they should discuss the transition with a faculty member as early as they can. In addition, all Astronomy majors must pass a written comprehensive examination in the second semester of their senior year. Astronomy majors must also attend at least nine public astronomy lectures during the senior year.

Of the three elective courses, at least one elective must be in Astronomy, at least two must be 300-level or higher. Elective courses not on this list may count toward the major with departmental approval. These electives include: ASTR 220, 223, 224, 225, 226, 330, 337, and 341; CHEM 351 and 361; GEOL 341 and 431; MATH 230, 335, and 360; PHYS 230, 343, and 347; COSC 201, 301, and 341.

Departmental Honors Program. Students who wish to receive departmental Honors should enroll in ASTR 498 and 499 in addition to completing the other requirements for the major. To enter the Honors program, a student must attain an average grade of at least B– in all required courses taken through the end of the junior year or receive department approval. At the end of the first semester of the senior year the student’s progress on the Honors problem will determine the advisability of continuation in the Honors program.

The aim of Departmental Honors work in Astronomy is to provide the student an opportunity to pursue, under faculty direction, in-depth research into a project in observational and/or theoretical astronomy. Current areas of research at Amherst include active galactic nuclei (accreting supermassive black holes) and their host galaxies, the Galactic Center and Sgr A*, accretion-driven outflows, multi-wavelength and time domain surveys, high-precision infrared photometry, atmospheric characterization of extrasolar planets, and the modeling of planetary climate. Additional opportunities within the Five College Astronomy Department include cosmology, cosmogony, radio astronomy, relativistic astrophysics, laboratory astrophysics, gravitational theory, infrared balloon astronomy, stellar astrophysics, spectroscopy, and exobiology. Facilities include the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory, the Laboratory for Infrared Astrophysics, the Large Millimeter Telescope, balloon astronomy equipment (16-inch telescope, cryogenic detectors), and modern 24- and 16-inch Cassegrain reflectors. Subject to availability of resources and faculty interest, Honors projects arising out of students’ particular interests are encouraged.

Students must submit a written thesis on the Honors work a few weeks before the end of their final semester (in late April for spring graduation). Students give a preliminary presentation of their work during the first semester, and a final presentation at the end of the second semester. In addition, they take oral examinations devoted primarily to the thesis work. The departmental recommendation for the various levels of Honors will be based on the student’s record, Departmental Honors work, Comprehensive Examination, and Oral Examination on the thesis.

General Education Astronomy Courses. The Astronomy Department offers a variety of courses for students not majoring in Astronomy. These include ASTR 111 and 112.

Students may search for Astronomy courses through the Five College online catalog. The Website is http://www.astro.umass.edu/academics/courses/

111. Exploring the Cosmos. An introduction to the cosmos, with an emphasis on modern theories and observations. We’ll discuss the nature and evolution of stars, our Milky Way Galaxy, external galaxies, black holes, and the origin and fate of the universe itself. The emphasis will be on conceptual, as contrasted with mathematical, comprehension, making this an excellent opportunity for non-science majors. Two 80-minute sessions per week.

Not open to upper-division students majoring in the physical sciences. Fall semester. Professor Haggard.

112. Alien Worlds. Thousands of planets have been discovered since the 1990s, all of them orbiting other stars. The existence of extrasolar planets confirms that planets are commonplace, but closer inspection of these planetary systems reveals that they are completely different from our Solar System. We will discuss how planets form, how they change with time, and how we can observe them with current and planned telescopes. Along the way, students will explore what makes Earth habitable and will estimate the likelihood that such conditions exist on nearby exoplanets. Two 80-minute sessions per week.

Not open to upper-division students majoring in the physical sciences. Spring semester. Professor Cowan.

228. Astrophysics I: Stars and Galaxies. A calculus-based introduction to the properties, structure, formation and evolution of stars and galaxies. The laws of gravity, thermal physics, and atomic physics provide a basis for understanding observed properties of stars, interstellar gas and dust. We apply these concepts to develop an understanding of stellar atmospheres, interiors, and evolution, the interstellar medium, and the Milky Way and other galaxies.

Requisite: MATH 121 and PHYS 124 (or 117), concurrent enrollment acceptable. Spring semester. Professor Haggard.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Opportunities for theoretical and observational work on the frontiers of science are available in cosmology, cosmogony, radio astronomy, planetary atmospheres, relativistic astrophysics, laboratory astrophysics, gravitational theory, infrared balloon astronomy, stellar astrophysics, spectroscopy, and exobiology. Facilities include the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory, the Laboratory for Infrared Astrophysics, balloon astronomy equipment (16-inch telescope, cryogenic detectors), and modern 24- and 16-inch Cassegrain reflectors. An Honors candidate must submit an acceptable thesis and pass an oral examination. The oral examination will consider the subject matter of the thesis and other areas of astronomy specifically discussed in Astronomy courses.

Open to seniors. Required of Honors students. Fall semester. The Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Same description as 498.

Open to seniors. Required of Honors students. Spring semester. The Department.

Political Science

*On leave 2014-15.

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Arkes‡, Basu‡, Bumiller, Corrales (Chair), Dumm*, Machala, Sarat, Tiersky‡, and Uvin; Professors Emeriti G. Levin and W. Taubman; Assistant Professors Burns, Obert, Poe and Ratigan†. Five College Professor Klare; Five College Visiting Professor Xenos; Five College Assistant Professor Dionne; Visiting Assistant Professor Pleshakov; Visiting Assistant Professor and Loewenstein Fellow Mattiacci; Loewenstein Fellow Gescinska.

Major Program. Majors in Political Science must complete 10 courses for rite or 12 for honors in courses offered or approved by the Department, including at least one introductory course and at least one advanced seminar. In addition they must fulfill a distribution requirement and complete a core concentration within Political Science.

Introductory courses. These courses are generally numbered in the 100s. Because these courses are designed to introduce students to the study of politics, the department recommends that they be taken in the first and second years. Students may count a maximum of two introductory courses toward their major. FYSE courses taught by members of our department count toward the introductory course requirement.

Advanced Seminars. These courses are numbered in the 400s. They have prerequisites, limited enrollment, and a substantial writing requirement.

Distribution Requirement. To fulfill the distribution requirement, majors must take one course in each of the following areas: Institutions and Law: States, institutions, parties, political economy, the law and public policy [IL]; Society and Culture: Civil society, social movements, rights and identities, cultural politics [SC]; Global: War, peace, diplomacy, foreign policy and globalization studies [G]; Political Theory: Power, norms, and justice [PT].

Core Concentration. Political Science majors shall also designate a core concentration within the major. The core concentration will consist of a minimum of four courses organized around a theme chosen by the student in consultation with the advisor. Students may count up to two courses from outside the Political Science Department to fulfill the core requirement. These courses will count for the completion of the major. Ordinarily students shall designate a core concentration by the end of the sophomore year or at the time they declare the major. Advisors will certify that graduating students have completed their core concentration requirement.

Credits for study abroad and transfer students. Two courses for those going abroad for 1 semester; 3 courses for students going abroad for 1 year. Courses must 1) be taught by someone with a degree in political science or have substantial political content; and 2) not be redundant with other courses already taken in the Five Colleges. The chair of the department will decide whether courses will be given credit toward the major.

For students transferring to Amherst, the Department will accept three courses for the major. We may waive the introductory course requirement if the transfer student has had an equivalent course.

For students coming to the College with a B.A. in hand (e.g. from Japanese universities), we will accept 4 courses and waive the introductory course requirement.

Decisions regarding credit or requests to vary the requirements for completion of the major. Decisions regarding credit or requests to vary the requirements for completion of the major shall be made by the Department Chair.

Honors in Political Science. Students who wish to be considered for graduation with Departmental Honors in Political Science must have an A- cumulative average or higher after six semesters.

Prospective applicants should consult with members of the Department during their junior year to define a suitable Honors project and determine whether a member of the Department is competent to act as an advisor and will be available to do so.

Information about topics that faculty members would like to supervise is posted on our website. We will give preference to working with students whose research interests coincide with our own. The department may deny students permission to pursue projects for which suitable advisors are not available. In assigning advisors for honors work, in addition to the expertise/interests of the faculty, we will also consider faculty workload. The Department Chair will organize three meetings for juniors who hope to do honors work. These meetings are designed to introduce students to the thesis program and to facilitate the development of a thesis proposal. Students who hope to do honors work should attend all of these meetings. Those who are studying abroad should communicate with prospective thesis advisors before leaving and while abroad.

A thesis proposal, posted on the web site, should be submitted online by March 1. The proposal consists of a description of the thesis topic—what it is, why it is important, how it is to be illuminated— and information about relevant experience and interests. The department chair will inform students whether they have been admitted into the thesis program by the end of the spring semester of their junior year. Prior department approval is necessary to register for thesis courses in the senior year.

In assigning second and third readers, the principal advisor shall play a primary role. Colleagues from other departments at Amherst or in the Five Colleges may serve as second and third readers. Only one member of a thesis committee may be from another department at Amherst or from the Five Colleges.

Candidates for Honors should enroll in a senior honors course in the fall and spring semesters. Students may request a third thesis course in either the fall or the spring, with the approval from their advisor. A first draft of the thesis will be submitted by the middle of January. At that time, the candidate’s advisor, in consultation with a second reader, will evaluate the draft and determine whether it merits the candidate’s continuing in the Honor’s program in the second semester. Students who are informed that they cannot continue in the thesis program submit their work for a “special topics course” to be graded by the thesis advisor. Students continuing in the Honors program participate in a thesis defense with the first and third reader in April.

111. Leviathan. [PT] This seminar course is designed to introduce students to the study of politics through the close textual analysis and shared discussion of Thomas Hobbes’ famous 1651 treatise Leviathan, or the Matter, Forme and Power of a Common Wealth, Ecclesiasticall and Civil. For Hobbes, human life was fundamentally unstable and dangerous. Without a common political power, he believed that cooperation was impossible and that human sociability would inevitably result in the most savage of wars. In response, Hobbes set out to develop a science by which a potent political authority could be established, and from which a lasting peace might endure. Hobbes named this authority the “Leviathan,” and his account has become one of the most important for Western conceptions of sovereignty. What is political authority? What should government be for? What is a commonwealth? Can there really be a science of politics? How do reason and emotions and our imagination condition our experience of politics? What is sovereignty? What is power? What is justice? Hobbes struggled with these questions, and they will form the basis of our investigations in this course. In addition to Hobbes’ Leviathan, readings will include analysis of the political, social, and literary contexts that inform Hobbes’ thinking, as well as some contemporary theory literature on the significance of the Leviathan for modern political life.

Limited to 15 students. Limited to first- and second-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Poe.

117. Transformative Ideas. [PT] This course explores a series of ideas from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that have substantially changed the way people think about humanity in the Western world. Each idea is closely associated with an author. While from year to year the ideas change, for 2013 we read and wrote about, Karl Marx and Frederic Engels’ The Communist Manifesto, Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, Friedrich Nietzsche’s On the Genealogy of Morals, Sigmund Freud’s The Ego and the Id, selections from Franz Kafka’s The Complete Stories, Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem and Michel Foucault’s Discipline and Punish. Students are required to purchase a copy of Strunk and White, The Elements of Style.

This course emphasizes the development of several skills, including close reading, interpretation, and expository writing. Students are required to pose critical questions concerning the readings posted to the course blog on the night prior to each meeting. Each week students are required to write a brief essay in response to a prompt provided by me commenting on a passage in the week’s reading. These essays are evaluated for grammar, style, logical coherence, and clarity.

This is a discussion-based course with the expectation of active participation by students who must complete the reading for each class meeting prior to class. Students are evaluated for their ability to engage thoughtfully with the texts and with each other. Evaluation of participation constitutes the remaining 10% of the final grade for the course.

Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Dumm.

119. Violence and Politics. [LP, IL, SC] Violence lies at the very heart of both political institutions such as the state, as well as the expression of political beliefs. Focusing on domestic rather than international forms of conflict, this course will address questions of what violence is, how it is organized in society, and what it means to those who use it. We will first identify ways to think about violence as a political activity—why do actors choose violent over non-violent means of resisting governments or expressing dissent? Is violence ever rational? What purposes does it serve? How is violence different from other kinds of political interaction like arguing or debating? Next we will think about how violence is organized—that is, how do political leaders, parties, police forces, and paramilitaries, for example, try to control and manage the use of force? When do private individuals and groups choose to protect themselves and when do they turn to the state? Building on the theoretical interventions of scholars such as Arendt, Weber, Sartre and others, we will use empirical studies of the political use of force from around the world to ask how violence shapes political phenomena such as elections, protest movements, taxation, and nationalism.

Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Obert.

130. Climate Change and Civil Unrest. [G, SC] This class will address the relationship between two of the most compelling phenomena in world politics in the aftermath of the Cold War: civil war and climate change. Civil wars have far surpassed international conflict as the primary sources of battle-related deaths in the past decade, while anthropogenic climate change has long been debated as one of the major contemporary challenges. The class will be divided in two main parts. First, we will investigate the question of how climate change affects (or does not affect) the likelihood for civil insecurity, including riots, protests, and even civil conflict. Second, we will ask what has been done on the part of the international community to mitigate the effects of climate change on the likelihood of domestic conflict. The aim of the class is to shed a light on one of the key contradictions at the heart of the connection between climate change and civil unrest: while the challenges posed by climate change need to be addressed in a concerted manner by the most powerful actors in the international system, the immediate consequences tend to be felt more strongly by a handful of very poor countries.

Readings from the class will draw on contemporary research on the correlation between climate change and civil unrest; primary sources on statistical evidence of the impact of climate change on agricultural production (from organizations such as FAO, World Bank, and IMF); and classic work on collective action, public goods, and international cooperation.

Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Visiting Professor Mattiacci.

151. Political Identities. [SC] The assertion of group identities, based on language, region, religion, race, gender, sexuality, and class, among other variables, has increasingly animated politics cross-nationally. However, the extent to which identities become politicized varies enormously across time and place. We will explore what it means to describe an identity as political. This exercise entails assessing the conditions under which states, civil societies, and political societies recognize certain identities while ignoring or repressing others. In other words, it entails analyzing the ways in which political processes make and remake identities. What do groups gain and lose from identity-based movements? And what are the broader implications of identity-based movements for democratic politics?

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Basu.

154. The State. [G] Most humans live in territories that are controlled by a state. Why do different nations have different types of states? Why are some states more repressive than others, more war-prone than others, better promoters of development than others, more inclusive than others? How can we make sense of the varied reactions to state domination, ranging from active support to negotiated limits to apathy to vigorous contestation? Does globalization make states more or less democratic, more or less efficient, more or less able to promote development?

This course goes to the heart of current debates on the “state of the state.” How significant is the state in an era in which its sovereignty is increasingly challenged both by global and domestic forces? What ought to be the proper role of the state in the twenty-first century? These questions are central to the current debates taking place—in the U.S. and abroad—on the extent to which countries should open up their economies, privatize social services, incorporate minorities and immigrants, recognize gay marriages, counterbalance U.S. pop culture, accommodate religious fundamentalism, etc. We will explore these questions by studying political theorists and empirical cases from around the world.

Limited to 30 students. Fall semester. Professor Corrales.

155. Politics, Statecraft, and the Art of Ruling. [IL] In the teaching of the classic philosophers, the central questions of politics are questions of justice: What are the grounds of our judgment on the things that are just or unjust, right or wrong? What is the nature of the just, or the best, political order? What measures would we be “justified” in imposing with the force of “law”? What is the nature of that regime we would seek to preserve in this country—or, on the other hand, what are the regimes that we would be justified in resisting in other places, even with the force of arms? The problem of judgment must point to the principles, or the standards, of judgment and to an understanding that is distinctly philosophic. But political men and women also need a certain sense of the ways of the world: the things that hold people in alliance or impart a movement to events; the ways in which the character of politics is affected by the presence of bureaucracies or elections; the arts of persuasion; the strains of rendering judgments. And the knowledge of these things must depend on experience. In this style of introduction to political science, a central place will be given over to the study of statesmen and politicians: Lincoln, Churchill, Eisenhower, but also Kennedy, Johnson, Reagan. The course will draw us back to Aristotle and Plato, to Machiavelli and the American Founders, but then it will also encompass the study of voting and campaigns, and the more recent politics of race and gender.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Arkes.

156. Policy Choice as Value Conflict. [IL] This course will examine the ethical and moral complexities of public policy formation and implementation and investigate the varied moral foundations of public policy. We will locate contemporary debates within the historical-political contexts that define ethical dilemmas faced by policy makers and social actors. This course also will introduce students to a number of theorists, such as Marx, Plato, Rawls, Locke, and J.S. Mill. We will investigate a selection of case studies that shed light on value conflicts in political decision-making including war, using examples from WWII, Vietnam, and the War on Terror; distributive justice in wages, business and consumption; race, diversity, and citizenship; humanitarianism; gender, sex, and reproduction; and environmental pollution, global warming, and animal rights. Students will be encouraged to reflect upon the important but often neglected connections between ethics, politics, and public policy formation and implementation.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Burns.

158. The Social Organization of Law. (Offered as LJST 101 and POSC 218 [IL]) Law in the United State is everywhere, ordering the most minute details of daily life while at the same time making life and death judgments. Our law is many things at once—majestic and ordinary, monstrous and merciful, concerned with morality yet often righteously indifferent to moral argument. Powerful and important in social life, the law remains elusive and mysterious. This power and mystery is reflected in, and made possible by, a complex bureaucratic apparatus which translates words into deeds and rhetorical gestures into social practices.

This course will examine that apparatus. It will describe how the problems and possibilities of social organization shape law as well as how the social organization of law responds to persons of different classes, races and genders. We will attend to the peculiar way the American legal system deals with human suffering—with examples ranging from the legal treatment of persons living in poverty to the treatments of victims of sexual assault. How is law organized to cope with their pain? How are the actions of persons who inflict inquiries on others defined in legal terms? Here we will examine cases on self defense and capital punishment. Throughout, attention will be given to the practices of police, prosecutors, judges, and those who administer law’s complex bureaucratic apparatus.

Limited to 100 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sarat.

206. Race and American Politics. [SC] This course will examine the salience of race in American politics and public policy. Race—its construction and meaning—shapes and has been shaped by the politics and institutions of the United States. The course will help students to develop an understanding of the historical, ideological and cultural foundations and contexts of racial politics. While attention will be directed to the emblematic black-white racial paradigm, we will also examine minority politics of Latinos, American Indians, Asian Americans and other groups. We will evaluate the ways in which race remains central in a number of political and policy contexts including representation, political partisanship, public opinion, legal institutions, and the mass media. How can we make sense of the conflicting descriptions of contemporary America as a racist, colorblind, multicultural, or post-racial Society?

Limited to 25 students. Fall and spring semester. Professor Burns.

207. The Home and the World: Women and Gender in South Asia. (Offered as SWAG 207 and POSC 207.) This course will study South Asian women and gender through key texts in film, literature, history and politics. How did colonialism and nationalism challenge the distinctions between the “home” and the “world” and bring about partitions which splintered once shared cultural practices? What consequences did this have for postcolonial politics? How do ethnic conflicts, religious nationalisms and state repression challenge conceptions of “home”? How have migrations, globalization and diasporas complicated relations between the home and the world? Texts will include Salman Rushdie’s Shalimar the Clown, Ram Gopal Varma’s epic film Sarkar and Partha Chatterjee’s The Nation and Its Fragments.

Omitted 2014-15. Professors Basu and Shandilya.

208. Power and Politics in Contemporary China. (Offered POSC 208 [SC, IL] and ASLC 208.) This course provides an introduction to the major institutions, actors, and ideas that shape contemporary Chinese politics. Through an examination of texts from the social sciences as well as historical narratives and film, we will analyze the development of the current party-state, the relationship between the state and society, policy challenges, and prospects for further reform. First, we examine the political history of the People’s Republic, including the Maoist period and the transition to market reforms. Next, we will interrogate the relations between various social groups and the state, through an analysis of contentious politics in China including the ways in which the party-state seeks to maintain social and political stability. Finally, we will examine the major policy challenges in contemporary China including growing inequality, environmental degradation, waning economic growth, and foreign policy conflicts.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Ratigan.

209. China in the International System. (Offered as POSC 209 [G] and ASLC 209) This course will analyze China’s foreign relations, major foreign policy challenges, and China’s role in the international community. To understand the context in which foreign policy is made, we will begin the course by examining the domestic forces that shape foreign policy, including the role of elites and popular nationalism. We will then turn to China’s relations with its neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region with a particular focus on political hot-spots and areas of territorial dispute or historical conflict such as relations with Japan and Taiwan. We will also broaden our focus to examine China’s relations with other regions of the world including North America, Europe, Latin America, and Africa. Finally, we will evaluate the evolution of China’s engagement with international organizations, such as the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. We will assess the impact that China has had on international discourse related to human rights and democracy and analyze the implications of a “Beijing Consensus” as an alternative narrative for the international system.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Ratigan.

210. Local Politics in a Globalized World. [G, SC] In recent decades, two competing trends have emerged: the deepening of globalization and increasing decentralization. While globalization has inspired significant debate, decentralization has been accepted with relatively little discussion. Decentralization can take many forms: from federalism to devolution of power in select regions to tasking local government or non-state actors with certain policy responsibilities. This course examines the politics of decentralization and its implications for the state, society, and good governance. We begin by critically examining theoretical approaches to state-society relations and assessing the need to disaggregate the state. Using examples from around the world, we will conduct empirical analyses of local power and politics by analyzing cases ranging from community organizing and local development projects to clientelism and machine politics. Finally, we assess the implications for democracy, good governance, and state–society relations.

Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Ratigan.

211. The Political Theory of Liberalism. [PT] This course is a survey of Western liberal political theory from its 17th-century origins through some of its contemporary expressions. Among the thinkers whose works we may read are Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Mary Wollstonecraft, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Stuart Mill, Isaiah Berlin, John Rawls, Stanley Cavell, and Judith Sklar.

Limited to 40 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Dumm.

212. Political Obligations. [PT] The mark of the polity, or the political order, has always been the presence of “law”—the capacity to make decisions that are binding, or obligatory, for everyone within the territory. The roots of obligation and law are the same: “ligare,” to bind. When the law imposes a decision, it restricts personal freedom and displaces “private choice” in favor of a public obligation, an obligation applied uniformly or universally. The law may commit us then on matters that run counter even to our own convictions, strongly held, about the things that are right or wrong, and even on matters of our private lives. The law may forbid people to discriminate on grounds of race even in their private businesses; the law may forbid abortions or, on the other hand, the law may compel the funding of abortions even by people who find them abhorrent. This state of affairs, this logic of the law, has always called out for justification, and in facing that question, we are led back to the original understanding of the connection between morality and law. The law can justify itself only if it can establish, as its ground, propositions about the things that are in principle right or wrong, just or unjust-which is to say, right or wrong, just or unjust, for others as well as ourselves. The questions of law and obligation then must point to the questions at the root of moral philosophy: What is the nature of the good or the just, and the grounds on which we may claim to “know” moral truths?

The course will proceed through a series of cases after it returns to the beginning of political philosophy and lays the groundwork for the argument. We will begin with Aristotle on the polis, and the debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas on “natural rights.” We will draw on Kant and Hume, on Thomas Reid and Bertrand Russell, as we seek to set the groundwork in place. The argument of the course will then be unfolded further, and tested, through a train of cases and problems: conscientious objection, the war in Vietnam, the obligation to rescue, the claims of privacy. And the culmination will come on the issues of abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide.

Fall semester. Professor Arkes.

213. World Politics. [G] This is an introductory course which examines the interaction of military, political, economic, social and cultural forces in present-day world politics. Close attention is paid to the complex relationship between two central components of this system: great power relations and global capitalist dynamics. Among the topics covered are hegemonic stability and the rise and fall of the great powers, the changing role of state sovereignty, the strengths and weaknesses of international civil society, as well as the role of justice and international/transnational legal institutions in world politics. Other issues to be discussed include the relations of the world’s sole superpower (the United States) vis-à-vis the newly emerging geopolitical centers of power, namely the European Union, China, India and Russia, as well as such regions as the Middle East and Latin America. The course does not rely on a single theoretical framework; instead, we will follow in the path of such world classics as Kautylia, Sun Tzu, Thucydides, Clausewitz, Locke, Kant, and Karl Marx. To see examples of past syllabi please go to http://www3.amherst.edu/~pmachala
/Syllabi/ for more information.

Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor Machala.

219. Introduction to American Politics. [AL, IL] U.S. politics have been an object of fascination not only for American citizens but also for scholars, students, and observers from around the world. This course provides both an introduction to key scholarly arguments about American political institutions, development and participation as well as a chance to engage with the important question of how distinctive the politics of the U.S. actually are. Focusing our attention initially on the role Congress, the Presidency, the Supreme Court, and the Constitution play in the shaping of policy, we will then examine how Americans actually participate in the political process. This means looking at how parties, the media, perceptions of class, race, and gender, interactions with bureaucracy, and even arguing and fighting shape the way Americans view their place in the political world. Finally, we will focus on the question of American “exceptionalism”—how different, really, are American political institutions and experience, and what lessons can we draw from the American experiment that might (or might not) help us understand the political process elsewhere?

Limited to 30 students. Fall semester. Professor Obert.

231. The Political Economy of Petro States: Venezuela Compared. [IL] This is a modified version of POSC 232, The Political Economy of Development. The first half of the course is identical to 232, but the second half will have a different focus: the political economy of oil. This section will explore the extent to which oil is a “resource curse,” the neo-structuralist notion that an abundance of a natural resource, in this case oil, is detrimental for development because it distorts economic incentives (away from diversification) and distorts politics (by facilitating corruption, raising the stakes of power-holding, increasing the chance for abuse of state power, and weakening society’s capacity to hold the state accountable). We will examine these hypotheses by focusing on Venezuela, one of the world’s leading oil producers. Until the 1980s, Venezuela was considered an example of democratization. In the 1990s, Venezuela became instead a paradigmatic case of policy incoherence. In the early 2000s, under the Hugo Chávez administration, Venezuela became a case of political polarization, and some argue, rising authoritarianism. The second half of this course will assess whether the resource-curse theory provides the best account of Venezuela’s politics since the 1980s. To address this question, we will: (1) compare the resource-curse argument with other competing theories of development that might account for Venezuelan politics; and (2) compare the Venezuelan case with other cases in Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. This course fulfills requirements for the Five College Certificates in Latin American Studies and International Relations.

Not open to students who have taken POSC 232. Limited to 35 students. Fall semester. Professor Corrales.

232. Political Economy of Development. [IL] This course surveys some of the principal themes in the political economy of lower-income countries. Questions will cover a broad terrain. What are the key characteristics of poor economies? Why did these countries fail to catch up economically with the West in the 20th century? Who are the key political actors? What are their beliefs, ideologies and motivations? What are their political constraints, locally, nationally and globally? We will review definitions of development, explanations for the wealth and poverty of nations, the role of ideas, positive and dysfunctional links between the state and business groups, the role of non-state actors, the causes and consequences of poverty, inequality, disease and corruption, the impact of financial globalization and trade opening, the role of the IMF and the World Bank, and the arguments of anti-developmentalists. We will look at the connection between regime type and development. (Are democracies at a disadvantage in promoting development?) We will also devote a couple of weeks to education in developing countries. We know education is a human good, but is it also an economic good? Does education stimulate economic growth? What are the obstacles to education expansion? We will not focus on a given region, but rather on themes. Familiarity with the politics or economics of some developing country is helpful but not necessary.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Corrales.

237. The American Founding. [IL] Lincoln famously said at Gettysburg that the nation had been brought forth “four score and seven years” earlier. Counting back 87 years from Gettysburg brought the beginning of the republic to 1776, not 1789. The American Founding included the ingenious crafting of the Constitution, but the Founding, and the Union, did not begin with the Constitution. It began with the Declaration of Independence and the articulation of that “proposition” as Lincoln called it, which marked the character of the regime: “all men are created equal.” From that proposition sprang the principle for government by consent, and as Lincoln and the Founders understood, the case in principle against slavery. Lincoln thought it a stroke of genius on the part of Jefferson that, on the occasion of a revolution, he inserted in the Declaration an “abstract truth applicable to all men and all times.” And yet, now, that truth of the Declaration has become controversial; it is often denied on both sides of the political divide, by conservatives as well as liberals. But the claim for the Founders remains: if that central moral “truth” of the Declaration is not true, it may not be possible to give a coherent account of the American regime and the rights it was meant to secure.

The course will explore the writings and work of that uncommon generation that made the case for the American revolution and framed a “new order for the ages.” The topics will include the political philosophy of “natural rights”; the debates during the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and during the contest over ratification; the Federalist and Anti-federalist papers; the political economy of the new Constitution; the jurisprudence of Alexander Hamilton, James Wilson, and John Marshall; and some of the leading cases in the founding period of the Supreme Court.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Arkes.

241. The American Constitution I: The Structure of Rights. [IL] This course will focus on the questions arising from the relations of the three main institutions that define the structure of the national government under the Constitution. We will begin, at all times, with cases, but the cases will draw us back to the “first principles” of constitutional government, and to the logic that was built into the American Constitution. The topics will include: the standing of the President and Congress as interpreters of the Constitution; the authority of the Congress to counter the judgments—and alter the jurisdiction—of the federal courts on matters such as abortion and busing; the logic of “rights” and the regulation of “speech” (including such “symbolic expression” as the burning of crosses); and the original warning of the Federalists about the effect of the Bill of Rights in narrowing the range of our rights.

Fall semester. Professor Arkes.

242. The American Constitution II: Federalism, Privacy, and the “Equal Protection of the Laws.” [IL] In applying the Constitution to particular cases, it becomes necessary to appeal to certain “principles of law” that were antecedent to the Constitution—principles that existed before the Constitution, and which did not depend, for their authority, on the text of the Constitution. But in some cases it is necessary to appeal to principles that were peculiar to the government that was established in the “decision of 1787”; the decisions that framed a new government under a new Constitution. This course will try to illuminate that problem by considering the grounds on which the national government claims to vindicate certain rights by overriding the authority of the States and private institutions. Is the federal government obliged to act as a government of “second resort” after it becomes clear that the State and local governments will not act? Or may the federal government act in the first instance, for example, to bar discriminations based on race, and may it reach, with its authority, to private businesses, private clubs, even private households? The course will pursue these questions as it deals with a number of issues arising from the “equal protection of the laws”—most notably, with the problem of discriminations based on race and sex, with racial quotas and “reverse discrimination.” In addition, the course will deal with such topics as: self-incrimination, the exclusionary rule, the regulation of “vices,” and censorship over literature and the arts. (This course may be taken independently of POSC 241, The American Constitution I.)

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Arkes.

243. Ancient Political Thought. [PT] This course surveys ancient Greek and Roman political thought. The course aims to illustrate that, although the ancient Western world was remarkably different from our own, many of the concepts and ideas that dominate our thinking about politics today have been influenced by our inheritance of these classic traditions. Such ideals as democratic citizenship, the rule of law, public and private spaces, and civil liberties, find their first articulation in these ancient polities. Indeed, many of the questions and problems that plagued politics in those ancient worlds—What is justice? What are the obligations of rulers and the ruled? What is the best form of government?—are still vibrant today. The course is divided into two parts: The first, set within the context of ancient Athenian thought, examines the invention of democracy, as well as purported critiques of its functioning (Sophocles, Plato, and Aristotle); The second section examines the concept of “the universal” and its genealogy as a political concept in Roman thought (Cicero, Paul, and Augustine). Through close textual readings and contextual analysis we will engage in a systematic comparison of our assumptions about politics with those expressed in these ancient worlds. And, in so doing, we will attempt to further our understanding of contemporary politics and the problems requisite to our own political practices.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Poe.

245. Modern Political Thought. [PT] Modernity—the age of individualism, increasing social autonomy, and political self-determination—was an era of enormous progression and novelty in political thinking. In it we find new conceptions of political rationality and affect (how to think and feel about politics), as well as reconceptualizations of such key concepts as equality and liberty, the state and civil society. These changes held much promise, shaping institutions that seemed destined to improve economic and social conditions for rapidly increasing populations. Yet the politics that ensued from this “modern” thinking sometimes proved disastrous: The 20th century—once thought to fulfill the promise of modernity—has been the most violent in history. This course surveys the development of political concepts in modern Western thought. We will trace paradigmatic shifts in political ideas as they begin to surface in 17th- and 18th-century European thought, evidenced in the writings of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Kant, amongst others. And we will compare these ideas with the thinking of some prominent 19th- and 20th-century critics, including Marx, Nietzsche, Weber, and Schmitt. Through close textual readings and contextual analysis we will engage in a systematic comparison of our assumptions about politics with those expressed in these philosophical debates. And, in so doing, we will attempt to further our understanding of contemporary politics and the problems requisite to our own political practices.

Requisite: One course in POSC or LJST. Spring semester. Professor Poe.

248. Cuba: The Politics of Extremism. [IL] The study of Cuba’s politics presents opportunities to address issues of universal concern to social scientists and humanists in general, not just Latin Americanists. When is it rational to be radical? Why has Cuban politics forced so many individuals to adopt extreme positions? What are the causes of radical revolutions? Is pre-revolutionary Cuba a case of too little development, uneven development or too rapid development? What is the role of leaders: Do they make history, are they the product of history, or are they the makers of unintended histories? Was the revolution inevitable? Was it necessary? How are new (radical) states constructed? What is the role of foreign actors, existing political institutions, ethnicity, nationalism, religion and sexuality in this process? How does a small nation manage to become influential in world affairs, even altering the behavior of superpowers? What are the conditions that account for the survival of authoritarianism? To what extent is the revolution capable of self-reform? Is the current intention of state leaders of pursuing closed politics with open economics viable? What are the most effective mechanisms to change the regime? Why does the embargo survive? Why did Cubans (at home and abroad) care about Elián González? Although the readings will be mostly from social scientists, the course also includes selections from primary sources, literary works and films (of Cuban and non-Cuban origin). As with almost everything in politics, there are more than just two sides to the issue of Cuba. One aim of the course is to expose the students to as many different sides as possible.

Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor Corrales.

302. Disabling Institutions. [IL] This course will consider how institutions, often contrary to their intended purposes, serve to disable individuals and limit their life potential. We will examine a variety of institutions, including state bureaucracies, facilities designed to house people with mental and physical conditions, schools, and prisons. We will also consider a range of disablements, resulting from visible and invisible disabilities as well as gender, sexuality, race and class-based discrimination. We will explore how institutions might be redesigned to less rigidly enforce normalcy and to enable the political participation of individuals who currently experience social exclusion.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Bumiller.

308. Democratic Theory. [PT] What do we mean by “democracy”? Is democracy the rule of the people? Or is it free and fair elections? Is democracy merely a set of political institutions and practices, such as party systems and electoral structures? Or is democracy something more radical, such as the opposition to any form of domination? How these different meanings operate—how they do and don’t work together—is not always clear. In this course we will examine current debates in democratic theory. Our aim will be to parse different theories of what democracy is and could be. The course will be divided into three parts: Part One will serve as an introduction, questioning the possibility and impossibility of democracy, and paying particular attention to paradoxes of democratic rule. Part Two will focus on agreement, examining logics of consensus and the forms of democracy that might result. In Part Three, we will turn our investigation to disagreement, and the promise of democracy as seen through the lens of more radical and agonistic democrats. Readings will consist of selections from various theorists, including Hannah Arendt, Walter Benjamin, Jürgen Habermas, Jacques Rancière, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Carl Schmitt, Jacques Derrida, and Sheldon Wolin, amongst others.

Limited to 25 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall semester. Professor Poe.

310. American Politics/Foreign Policy. [IL] The attacks of September 11, the continuing war in Iraq and America’s growing relative industrial decline, have cast a long shadow over current U.S. foreign policy. But while these events dominate much of the news, the purpose of this course will not be to analyze any specific foreign policies, but, instead, to examine how foreign policy is made in the United States. We will explore the domestic political, socio-economic and cultural forces which have historically shaped major foreign policy debates as well as the grand strategies which have sustained America’s role in world affairs. After familiarizing ourselves with the four main foreign policy ideological traditions (Jeffersonian, Hamiltonian, Jacksonian and Wilsonian), which typically compete for political dominance, we will scrutinize how the rules set in the Constitution structure the foreign policy making process. Special attention will be paid to the shifting and evolving power of the Presidency, Congress, the mass media, public opinion, elections, think-tanks, ethnic, religious and class-based lobbies and grass roots social movements. The course will also examine the rise of the power elite and the national security state, the role of the military and intelligence agencies, the power of secrecy and deception, and the significance of the political psychology of presidents and their key advisors, as well as the function of gender in the making of foreign policy.

Limited to 70 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Machala.

311. Case Studies in American Diplomacy. (Offered as POSC 311 [G] and HIST 256 [US].) This course will combine the methods of diplomatic history and political science in examining critical moments and themes in American diplomacy. Our overall aim is to better understand the evolving position of the United States in world politics as well as domestic controversies over the character of America’s global role. Specifically, we will assess the combined influence of racism and ethnicity as well as of religious and secular values and class interest on American diplomacy. We shall also investigate the major domestic political, social, economic and intellectual trends and impulses, (e.g., manifest destiny, isolationism and counter-isolationism, and containment) that have shaped American diplomacy; analyze competing visions for territorial conquests and interventions as advocated by various American elites; examine the methods used to extend the nation’s borders, foreign trade and international influence and leadership; and seek to understand the impact of key foreign policy involvements and controversies on the character of the Presidency, Congress and party politics. Among the topics to be considered are the Federalist/Anti-Federalist debates over the scope of constitutional constraints on foreign policy, the Monroe Doctrine, the Mexican War, the imperialist/anti-imperialist debate, the great power diplomacies of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and FDR, as well as key moments of American diplomacy during the Cold War (e.g., the origins of the Cold War, the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and the end of the Cold War. To see examples of past syllabi please go to http://www3.amherst.edu/~pmachala/Syllabi/ for more information. One class meeting per week.

Limited to 35 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Machala.

312. Post-Cold War American Diplomacy. (Offered as POSC 312 [G] and HIST 257 [US].) A 1992 still-classified Pentagon Defense Policy Guidance draft asserts that America’s political and military mission in the post-cold war era will be to ensure that no rival superpower be allowed to emerge in world politics. This course will examine American foreign relations from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the present. We will study the similarities and differences in the styles of statecraft of all post-cold war U.S. administrations in producing, managing and sustaining America’s unrivaled international position, which emerged in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union. While examining the debates between liberals and neoconservatives about America’s role in the world both preceding and following the 9-11 attack, we will also discuss the extent to which these debates not only have shaped American foreign policy but also how they have influenced our domestic politics and vice versa. Among the other main themes to be examined: the strategic, tactical and humanitarian uses of military and other forms of power by each administration (e.g., towards Somalia, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan); U.S. policy towards NATO and towards the world economy; U.S. policy towards Russia, China, the Middle East and Latin America; human, economic and political costs and benefits of American leadership in this period.

Preference given to students who have taken one of the following courses: POSC 213, 310, 311, 410; HIST 256. Limited to 30 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall semester. Professor Machala and Professor Emeritus G. Levin.

313. Reading Politics. [G] Hegel once remarked that “To read the newspaper is the modern man’s morning-prayer.” What may be captured in this seemingly obvious observation is a proposition that political understanding of current events is difficult to sustain without daily reading of a newspaper; that reading itself is a dynamic activity, involving interpretation; that all interpretation is, in effect, translation because in any act of reading, the reader inevitably forms a judgment as to what the text is saying. A century and half later, Paul Sweezy wrote [E]veryone knows that the present will someday be history . . . [and believes] that the most important task of the social scientist is to try to comprehend it as history now, while it is still the present and while we still have the power to influence its shape and outcome.”

In the spirit of these observations, this seminar has a three-fold aim: (1) to introduce the habit of reading a newspaper daily; (2) to encourage an in-depth reading of current political events in the U.S. and around the world from an interdisciplinary perspective by drawing upon the theoretical and methodological tools which students have encountered in their college courses across many social science disciplines; and (3) to help students recognize the multitude of fascinating researchable social science topics imbedded in an active reading of the daily press. This groundwork will enable class participants to develop and formulate viable research designs, make normative and causal arguments as well as address rival hypotheses in a research paper which will be due at the end of the semester.

Although the specific newspapers may vary from year to year, this semester, students will be reading the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and a newspaper of their choice, selected from a list of newspapers in English from around the world;

Requisite: the seminar is open to qualified second-semester sophomores and juniors who have taken at least six social science courses in college, including two in political science, and at least four additional courses from at minimum two other social science departments. Participants should seriously anticipate writing a thesis during their senior year.

Admissions with consent of the instructor. Limited to 14 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall semester. Professor Machala.

316. Politics of Place: Poverty, Policy and Housing. [IL] In the U.S., issues of stratification along the lines of income/wealth, spatial designation, and housing persist. These dimensions of place and space are basic components of the lived experience of many citizens. This course will explore the oftentimes disjointed perceptions and realities of poverty, neighborhoods, and housing policy in America. We will examine some key theoretical and critical issues regarding both the existence and persistence of poverty in the U.S. We will also assess the role and significance of the physical, economic, social, political and demographic attributes of neighborhoods as key aspects of place and space in society. Finally, we will explore contemporary housing policy and the ways in which such public interventions impact and shape the relationships between poverty and place. In addition to texts such as Patillo’s Black Pickett Fences, Jargowsky’s Poverty and Place, Jackson’s Crabgrass Frontier, Sen’s Development as Freedom, and Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed, we will also assess the geography of opportunity as portrayed in such films as Winter’s Bone, Slumdog Millionaire, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Precious, and Trouble the Water.

Requisite: prior coursework in Political Science. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Burns.

319. History, Time, and American Political Development. [AP, LP, IL] Politics are not frozen in time, but are rather the product of developmental processes. Building on a survey of crucial works in the American Political Development (APD) literature and on general approaches (rational choice, sociological, etc.) to understanding institutional change, this course will introduce ways of thinking historically about political institutions in the U.S. Why did the party system evolve the way it did? Where did the rules and procedures of Congress come from? Where and when did important public services (transportation and communication infrastructure, protection for property, social insurance, etc.) become the provenance of state bureaucracies? How has the function and power of the Presidency changed over time? How did western expansion, imperialism, and military experience shape the federal government? These are a few of the substantive questions we will address in this course.

More broadly, however, this course helps us think about politics in a temporal way. History and political science are intrinsically related, but to understand the current debates and questions we need to be explicit about the types of processes (long-term, short-term, episodic, cyclic, etc.) that shape the institutions and events we see. Hence a key component of this course will be interrogating how scholars address the historiographic problem of studying politics, with the aim of cultivating the analytic tools necessary to situate contemporary political debates in the stream of time.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Obert.

320. Rethinking Post-Colonial Nationalism. [IL] Nationalist fervor seemed likely to diminish once so-called Third World nations achieved independence. However, the past few years have witnessed the resurgence and transformation of nationalism in the post-colonial world. Where anti-colonial nationalist movements appeared to be progressive forces of social change, many contemporary forms of nationalism appear to be reactionary. Did nationalist leaders and theoreticians fail to identify the exclusionary qualities of earlier incarnations of nationalism? Were they blind to its chauvinism? Or has nationalism become increasingly intolerant? Was the first wave of nationalist movements excessively marked by European liberal influences? Or was it insufficiently committed to universal principles? We will explore expressions of nationalism in democratic, revolutionary, religious nationalist, and ethnic separatist movements in the post-colonial world.

Fall semester. Professor Basu.

334. American Political Thought. [PT] This course is a study of aspects of the canon of American political thought. While examining the roots of American thought in Puritanism and Quakerism, the primary focus will be on American transcendentalism and its impact on subsequent thought. Among those whose works we are likely to consider are Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Walt Whitman, W.E.B. DuBois, William James, Jane Addams, John Dewey, Martin Luther King, Hannah Arendt, Richard Rorty, and Stanley Cavell.

Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Dumm.

342. Development Aid in Practice. [SC] The rich countries of the world annually give more than $100 billion in aid to promote social and economic change in the developing world—a type of planned social change that has come to be known as “development.” But this is not only the preserve of big bilateral and UN agencies. Every year, millions of citizens in both rich countries and poor countries give money to NGOs that aid the poor and “do development”—they seek to empower women, protect the environment, provide microcredit, educate children, promote democracy, increase farmers’ incomes, etc. Development is one of the great projects of our modern world, and millions of people are active in it, whether as volunteers or professionals. This course analyzes the operational and professional world of development. It aims to analyze the policy and operational debates ongoing in the development world as a profession, an institution, a community of like-minded people. We will study what it is development professionals do when they provide development aid. We will look at the concrete aims, tools, practices, and institutions of development and subject all this to serious social science analysis. The course uses readings from political science, anthropology, history, and institutional economics to analyze these practices and aims. In so doing, the course will end up questioning many of the received wisdoms about the development world, and hopefully prepare those of you who are concerned by the continued existence of mass deprivation in a world of plenty with appropriate tools to carve out your own path.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Uvin.

346. Philosophy of Freedom. [PT] This course introduces the students to the philosophy of freedom and the conceptual complexity and diversity that can be observed in the history of philosophy and political thought when it comes to defining freedom. The most significant part of the course focuses on explaining three concepts of freedom: negative freedom, positive freedom, and republicanism (freedom as non-domination). The students will be introduced to the main proponents of each concept of freedom and the main critiques of each of these different ways of conceiving freedom. The other part of the course involves applying the theoretical knowledge of these different concepts of freedom to specific contemporary social and political issues which revolve around freedom, its meaning, how to safeguard and expand it, and which are often the cause of heated debates: what are the limits of religious freedom in our secularized societies, what are the limits of the freedom of speech and expression, when does the right of the government and external authorities to intervene in our personal lives conflict with our right to personal freedom/autonomy? Throughout the course it will become clear that the position one adopts on these and similar issues fundamentally relates to the way in which one conceives of freedom, and that the conceptualization of freedom is of great importance and not, as some philosophers and political scientists have argued, the matter of a debate that has caused much heat but little light. One or two courses in political theory/ philosophy useful but not required.

Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Loewenstein Fellow Gescinska

347. Nuclear America. [G] Nuclear activity is ridden with contradictions: nuclear power is one of the most environmental-friendly sources of energy, yet nuclear waste presents considerable health dangers. Moreover, while nuclear energy is badly needed by many states for economic development, it can lay the foundations for the acquisition of the most powerful weapons in the world. Few countries embody the contradictions of nuclear power to the degree to which the United States does. The first country to detonate a nuclear device (and the only one to have used it in conflict), the U.S. quickly became the champion of anti-proliferation efforts; at the same time, while heavily relying on nuclear power, the U.S. also has displayed throughout its history a burgeoning “Nuclear Fear,” permeating, as Spencer Weart explains, various aspects of public life. This class explores the evolution through history of the U.S. foreign policy strategy on issues of nuclear proliferation (both horizontal and vertical), connecting it to the domestic debate on uses of nuclear power and nuclear research. The aim of the class is to explore the links between the domestic and the international dimension of the U.S. position on nuclear weapons: how did the Three Mile Island incident affect the U.S. posture on nuclear weapons reduction, if at all? How did the culture of containment during the Cold War affect the domestic debate on nuclear weapons? Under what conditions had the boundaries between domestic and international stances on nuclear power become porous, and when did they become fixed instead? The structure of the class will be diachronic: we will be following and reading about the posture of the U.S. on nuclear weapons issues in the international arena through the decades, as well as on domestic developments concerning nuclear weapons. The class will therefore use the relation between America and nuclear weapons to understand a variety of theories of International Relations, including Liberalist, Social Constructivist, and Critical Security Studies approaches.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Visiting Professor Mattiacci.

356. Regulating Citizenship. [IL] This course considers a fundamental issue that faces all democratic societies: How do we decide when and whether to include or exclude individuals from the rights and privileges of citizenship? In the context of immigration policy, this is an issue of state power to control boundaries and preserve national identity. The state also exercises penal power that justifies segregating and/or denying privileges to individuals faced with criminal sanctions. Citizenship is regulated not only through the direct exercise of force by the state, but also by educational systems, social norms, and private organizations. Exclusion is also the result of poverty, disability, and discrimination based on gender, race, age, and ethnic identity. This course will describe and examine the many forms of exclusion and inclusion that occur in contemporary democracies and raise questions about the purpose and justice of these processes. We will also explore models of social change that would promote more inclusive societies. This course will be conducted inside a correctional facility and enroll an equal number of Amherst students and residents of the facility. Permission to enroll will be granted on the basis of a questionnaire and personal interview with the instructor.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Fall semester. Professor Bumiller.

359. The Politics of Moral Reasoning. [PT] This course is an exploration of the connections between the experience of ordinary life and the judgments humans and citizens make concerning good and bad, and competing goods. We will use as the core text Stanley Cavell’s Cities of Words, which organizes themes concerning moral reasoning around a series of thinkers—Emerson, Aristotle, Plato, Rawls, Nietzsche, Locke, Mill and others—and couples each thinker with a movie from the classic age of American cinema. While we will be relying on Cavell’s study as a primary source, students will also be reading essays by the thinkers Cavell identifies. Each week we will discuss the reading in the first class exclusively, and then screen the film prior to the second class meeting, when we will broaden the discussion.

Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Dumm.

360. Punishment, Politics, and Culture. [IL] Other than war, punishment is the most dramatic manifestation of state power. Whom a society punishes and how it punishes are key political questions as well as indicators of its character and the character of the people in whose name it acts. This course will explore the connections between punishment and politics with particular reference to the contemporary American situation. We will consider the ways crime and punishment have been politicized in recent national elections as well as the racialization of punishment in the United States. We will ask whether we punish too much and too severely, or too little and too leniently. We will examine particular modalities of punishment, e.g., maximum security prisons, torture, the death penalty, and inquire about the character of those charged with imposing those punishments, e.g., prison guards, executioners, etc. Among the questions we will discuss are: Does punishment express our noblest aspirations for justice or our basest desires for vengeance? Can it ever be an adequate expression of, or response to, the pain of victims of crime? When is it appropriate to forgive rather than punish? We will consider these questions in the context of arguments about the right way to deal with juvenile offenders, drug offenders, sexual predators (“Megan’s Law”), rapists, and murderers. We will, in addition, discuss the meaning of punishment by examining its treatment in literature and popular culture. Readings may include selections from The Book of Job, Greek tragedy, Kafka, Nietzsche, Freud, George Herbert Mead, and contemporary treatments of punishment such as Foucault’s Discipline and Punish, Butterfield’s All God’s Children, Scarry’s Body in Pain, Garland’s Punishment in Modern Society, Hart’s Punishment and Reasonability, and Mailer’s Executioner’s Song. Films may include The Shawshank Redemption, Dead Man Walking, Mrs. Soffel, Minority Report, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Sarat.

372. Culture and Politics in 20th-Century Europe. (Offered as POSC 372 [SC] and EUST 372.) This seminar discusses political and economic ideas and ideologies in 20th-century Europe. Some of the recurring themes are: nationalism; Marxism/socialism/communism; fascism; anti-Semitism; Catholicism and the role of the church in politics; existentialism; the expansion of liberalism and the collapse of Communism; the role of the U.S. and American culture in European societies; the “idea of Europe” and the reality of European integration; European identity and national identities. Seminar discussion is a free-wheeling mix of politics, economics and culture.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Tiersky.

380. Kremlin Rising: Russia’s Foreign Policy in the 21st Century. [IR] This course will examine the foreign policy of the Russian Federation of the past twenty years. As a successor state Russia has inherited both the Soviet Union’s clout (nuclear arms, permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council) and Soviet debts—monetary, psychological, and historical. What are the conceptual foundations of Russian diplomacy? Can we deconstruct Russian nationalism so as to examine its different trends and their impact on foreign policy? Do Russian exports of oil and gas define Russian diplomacy, as it is often claimed? Is there any pattern in the struggle over resources and their export routes in continental Eurasia?

Requisite: A previous POSC course. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Visiting Professor Pleshakov.

400. Domestic Politics. [SC] This course will explore the domestic sphere as a site of politics. We will define the domestic sphere broadly, including politics in the home, private life, and state and local governments. The principle questions to be addressed will include: How does the conception of public and private shift over time and what are the forces driving these changes? How is the private sphere seen as a site of safety versus danger? What are the consequences of the intervention of state power and policing into the private sphere? A wide range of issues will be covered including the role of bureaucracies, the social organization of families, regulation of health and safety, domestic violence, urban revitalization, the deinstitutionalization of people with disabilities, homelessness, economic and racial inequality, policing, and incarceration. The course will examine these issues primarily in the context of American politics and society. There is a required 20-page research paper. This course satisfies the seminar requirement for the Department of Political Science.

Requisite: An Introductory course in political science or its equivalent. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Bumiller.

401. Fanaticism. [SC] Many perceive a dangerous rise in radically utopian politics, often described as “fanaticism.” Against the backdrop of increased ethnic and nationalist violence, authoritarianism, and declining safeguards for human rights, fanaticism is considered a fundamental impediment to well-functioning democratic politics. Yet, if such a concept is to have the theoretical force policy makers and theorists would like, more clarity is needed regarding what “fanaticism” is and how it operates.

This course examines the genealogy of fanaticism as a political concept. Who are political fanatics? What are the political (and psychological) consequences to “us” in labeling others as “fanatics”? How might we distinguish between fundamentalism and fanaticism? Is fanaticism necessary to define the limits of toleration or representation or an open civil society? Is fanaticism always dangerous to democratic politics, or can it be usefully employed to reshape that politics? This course will use these questions to explore fanaticism and its critiques, especially as the concept developed in relation to the history of liberal democracy. The first section of the course examines the problem of identity and fanaticism, exploring the practical and conceptual costs of asking, “Who is a fanatic?” The second section of the course traces the political anxiety raised by fanaticism, engaging European Enlightenment debates on representation, rationality, and public passions. The third section of the course questions the traditionally perceived dangers of fanaticism to democratic politics, and whether fanaticism can be better conceived as a mode of political practice—a way of doing politics. Ultimately these inquiries are designed to test our assumptions about what fanaticism is as a political idea and how it operates in contemporary political thought. This course fulfills the requirement of an advanced seminar in Political Science.

Requisite: One course in political or social theory. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Poe.

403. Social Policy Change in China. (Offered as POSC 403 [CP, IL, SC] and ASLC 403 [C].) After three decades of unprecedented economic growth, China is facing a new phase of development in which social policy issues such as healthcare, social security, and environmental degradation are taking center stage in the national dialogue. This course will provide students with the substantive knowledge and analytical tools to critically examine these issues, evaluate current policies, and propose feasible alternatives within the Chinese context. The semester begins with an overview of state-society relations in contemporary China, including the processes of policy design and implementation. The Chinese government emphasizes an experimentalist approach to policymaking, resulting in an important role for research, think tanks, and policy evaluation tools in the development of policy. Then, the course will examine the major social policy areas in China: health, education, poverty alleviation, social security, and environmental policy. Throughout the semester, students will also learn the tools of policy analysis, which they will employ in an independent research project on a policy problem in China. This course will enable students to think about social policy design and implementation in the context of the challenges inherent to a non-democratic, developing country with pervasive corruption and weak legal institutions. Thus, this course would be of interest to students seeking to study Chinese politics at an advanced level or those who plan to pursue a career in social policy and development more broadly.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Ratigan.

409. Collective Action and the Politics of Resistance. [SC] What is power? How and why do people resist power? This course begins by analyzing theories of power and resistance and then proceeds to examine case studies of social movements and other forms of resistance. We will critically evaluate examples of resistance politics, asking questions such as: How do people bring about social change? Which strategies of resistance are justifiable? Under what conditions are social movements successful? What are the implications of contentious politics for democracy and good governance?

We will study a range of social movements and acts of resistance across time and space, including peasant protest, workers’ rights, anti-globalization protests, women’s movements, democracy movements, ethnic and racial movements, and violent forms of resistance such as terrorism, while acknowledging that these categories are not mutually exclusive. We will analyze how the dynamics of contentious politics differ across various political, economic, and social contexts. We will also examine the interaction between global forces, transnational organizations, and social movements.

Requisite: One course in Political Science or its equivalent. Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Ratigan.

413. The Political Theory of Globalization. [SC] “Globalization” can mean many things. To some, it means equal integration of individual societies into worldwide political, economic and cultural processes. To others it means accentuated uneven economic development, accompanied by cultural imperialism, which merely exaggerates the political dependence of “peripheral” on “core” societies. For still others, globalization is shorthand for the social and cultural changes that follow when societies become linked with and, in an escalating way, dependent upon the world capitalist market. The idea that underlies these multiple meanings of globalization is the radical intensification of worldwide social relations and the lifting of social activities out of local and national conditions. The course will examine the major theoretical discourses raised by this idea, such as (1) the effect of globalizing material production on the formation of post-liberal democracy, (2) the nexus between globalizing cultural production and the politics of cosmopolitanism and “otherness,” (3) the impact of globalizing communication technologies and mass consumerism on the formation of transnational “gated class communities,” and (4) the relationship between the globalization of transnational class conflicts/interests/identities and transnational governance. We will also explore the connection between “late global capitalism” and liberal arts education in legitimizing the current global class dynamics. This course fulfills the requirement of an advanced seminar in Political Science.

Requisite: Two of POSC 213, 232, 244, 312, 320, 332, 345, 468, and 489 or their equivalent. Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Machala.

415. Taking Marx Seriously. [PT] Should Marx be given yet another chance? Is there anything left to gain by returning to texts whose earnest exegesis has occupied countless interpreters, both friendly and hostile, for generations? Has Marx’s credibility survived the global debacle of those regimes and movements which drew inspiration from his work, however poorly they understood it? Or, conversely, have we entered a new era in which post-Marxism has joined a host of other “post”-phenomena? This seminar will deal with these and related questions in the context of a close and critical reading of Marx’s texts. The main themes we will discuss include Marx’s conception of capitalist modernity, material and intellectual production, power, class conflicts and social consciousness, and his critique of alienation, bourgeois freedom and representative democracy. We will also examine Marx’s theories of historical progress, capitalist exploitation, globalization and human emancipation. This course fulfills the requirement for an advanced seminar in Political Science.

Requisite: Two of POSC 213, 413, 480. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Machala.

416. The Moral Turn in Political Theory. [ PT ] Over the past decade there has been a noticeable and often remarked upon “moral turn” in political theory as writers have sought to ground political action in conceptualizations of the self, of the relationship between self and Other, of obligation, or more generally of the central moral question, “What ought I to do?” In truth, there has long been a tendency toward the conflation of moral and political theory, and this seminar will be devoted to coming to terms with that conflation. The texts will be drawn from Kant, Max Weber, T. W. Adorno, Judith Butler, Michel Foucault, Alain Badiou, Wendy Brown, John Rawls, Raymond Geuss, and others. Students will be required to complete several response essays during the course of the semester and a seminar paper upon its conclusion.

Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Five College Visiting Professor Xenos.

419. Fences, Frontiers, and Federalism in North America. [CP, AP, IL] States, municipalities, and colonies are just some of the ways governance has been organized in North America since the sixteenth century. But the forms through which public services, claims to citizenship, and political authority were actually distributed among these different jurisdictions varied tremendously. This seminar will explore the logic by which political institutions became territorially divided in North America and the effects of that division. How has the construction of an interstate border between the U.S. and Mexico, for instance, changed the way that political membership for local residents and Native Americans has been understood? Did frontier areas in Canada and the U.S. offer an opportunity for local civic participation to flourish, as Frederick Jackson Turner famously claimed, or should they primarily be seen as zones of contestation? How did the colonial organization of North America affect the way leaders negotiated the territorial demands of the nation-state system? Can we identify continuity between the nineteenth-century struggle over continental territory and the global turn taken by North American states in the twentieth century? Moreover, how do these historical processes inform the contemporary debate between those in favor of local government and those preferring centralized provision of services? To address these questions, we will draw on theoretical and empirical approaches which address the spatial organization of authority in the U.S. and beyond.

Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Obert.

467. Social Movements, Civil Society and Democracy in India. (Offered as POSC 467 [SC] and SWAG 467) The goal of this seminar is illuminate the complex character of social movements and civil society organizations and their vital influence on Indian democracy. Social movements have strengthened democratic processes by forming or allying with political parties and thereby contributed to the growth of a multi-party system. They have increased the political power of previously marginalized and underprivileged groups and pressured the state to address social inequalities. However conservative religious movements and civil society organizations have threatened minority rights and undermined secular, democratic principles. During the semester, we will interact through internet technology with students, scholars and community organizers in India. This seminar counts as an advanced seminar in Political Science.

Requisite: Prior course work in Political Science. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Basu.

468. Globalization, Social Movements and Human Rights. (Offered as POSC 468 [SC] and SWAG 468.) This seminar will explore the changing trajectories of social movements amidst economic, political and cultural globalization. Social movements have organized in opposition to the environmental destruction, increased class inequalities and diminished accountability of nation states that have often accompanied the global spread of capitalism. Globalization from above has given rise to globalization from below as activists have organized transnationally, employing new technologies of communication and appealing to universal human rights. However, in organizing transnationally and appealing to universal principles, activists may find their energies displaced from local to transnational arenas, from substantive to procedural inequalities, and from grass roots activism to routinized activity within the judicial process. We will consider the extent to which globalization heightens divisions between universalistic and particularistic movements or contributes to the creation of a global civil society which can protect and extend human rights. We will examine women’s movements, environmental movements, and democracy movements in several regions of the world. This course fulfills the requirement of an advanced seminar in Political Science.

Requisite: One of POSC 213, 248, 311, 320, 413, or 474. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Basu.

474. Norms, Rights, and Social Justice: Feminists, Disability Rights Activists and the Poor at the Boundaries of the Law. (Offered as POSC 474 [SC] and LJST 374.) This seminar explores how the civil rights movement began a process of social change and identity-based activism. We evaluate the successes and failures of “excluded” groups’ efforts to use the law. We primarily focus on the recent scholarship of theorists, legal professionals, and activists to define “post-identity politics” strategies and to counteract the social processes that “normalize” persons on the basis of gender, sexuality, disability, and class. This course fulfills the requirement for an advanced seminar in Political Science.

Requisite: One introductory Political Science course or its equivalent. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Bumiller.

475. Personality and International Politics: Gorbachev, the End of the Cold War and the Collapse of the Soviet Union. [G] When Mikhail Gorbachev became its leader in 1985, the Soviet Union, while plagued by internal and external troubles, was still one of the world’s two superpowers. By 1991, the cold war was over, and on the day he left the Kremlin for the last time, December 25, 1991, the USSR ceased to exist. Of course, Gorbachev was not solely responsible for this upheaval. Developments in the USSR and the world prepared the way. But he set decisive change in motion, and no one else in the Soviet leadership would have done so. This course is therefore a case study of the impact of personality on politics, but also of the limits of that impact, and of the importance of other causes (economic, political, social, ideological, international) of events that changed the world. This course fulfills the requirement for an advanced seminar in Political Science.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Not open to first year students. Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Professor Emeritus Taubman.

480. Contemporary Political Theory. [PT] A consideration of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Western political theory. Topics to be considered include the fate of modernity, identity and difference, power, representation, freedom, and the state. This year’s readings may include works by the following authors: Freud, Weber, Benjamin, Heidegger, Arendt, Derrida, Foucault, Berlin, Butler, Connolly, and Agamben. This course fulfills the requirement for an advanced seminar in Political Science.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Dumm.

482. United States Foreign Policy: Democracy and Human Rights. [G] Is the United States committed to promoting democracy and human rights abroad or just advancing its own strategic and domestic corporate interests? What influence does the United States have on the development of democracy around the world and the emergence of—and compliance with—international human rights conventions, protocols and laws? This seminar begins with an historical overview of American democracy and human rights rhetoric and policies and seeks to uncover the range of political, economic, cultural and geostrategic motivations underlying U.S. behavior. We will then examine American foreign policy responses to a broad range of contemporary human rights and democracy issues with special attention given to analyzing and comparing the post-Cold War state-building efforts in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Previous course work relating to international relations, American politics or foreign policy, or political theory required. This course fulfills the requirement for advanced seminar in Political Science.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15.

484. Seminar on International Politics: Global Resource Politics. [G] An intensive investigation of new and emerging problems in international peace and security affairs. We will examine such issues as: international terrorism; global resource competition; the security implications of globalization; international migrations; transboundary environmental problems; illegal trafficking in guns, drugs, and people. Participants in the seminar will be required to choose a particular problem for in-depth investigation, entailing a study of the nature and evolution of the problem, the existing international response to it, and proposals for its solution. Students will prepare a major paper on the topic and give an oral presentation to the class on their findings. This course fulfills the requirement for an advanced seminar in Political Science.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Five College Professor Klare.

486. U.S.-Latin American Relations. [G] Can small and non-powerful nations ever profit from a relationship with a more powerful hegemon? Who gains and who loses in this type of asymmetrical relationship? This seminar attempts to answer these questions by looking at the relations between the U.S. and Latin American nations. The seminar begins by presenting different ways in which intellectuals have tried to conceptualize and analyze the relations between the U.S. and Latin America. These approaches are then applied to different dimensions of the relationship: (1) intra-hemispheric relations prior to World War II (the sources of U.S. interventionism and the response of Latin America); (2) political and security issues after World War II (the role of the Cold War in the hemisphere and U.S. reaction to instability in the region, with special emphasis on Cuba in the early 1960s, Peru in the late 1960s, Chile in the early 1970s, The Falklands War and Nicaragua in the 1980s); and (3) economic and business issues (the politics of foreign direct investment and trade, and the debt crisis in the 1980s). Finally, we examine contemporary trends: the emerging hemispheric convergence, economic integration, drug trade, immigration, the defense of democracy regime, and the re-emergence of multilateral interventionism. This course fulfills the requirement for an advanced seminar in political science.

Requisite: POSC 213 or its equivalent. Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Corrales.

489. Markets and Democracy in Latin America. [IL] In the 1980s an unprecedented process of change began in Latin America: nations turned toward democracy and the market. This seminar explores the literature on regime and economic change and, at the same time, encourages students to think about ways to study the post-reform period. The seminar begins by looking at the situation prior to the transition: the sources of Latin America’s over-expanded state, economic decay, political instability, and democratic deficit. The seminar then focuses directly on the processes of transition, paying particular attention to the challenges encountered. It explores, theoretically and empirically, the extent to which democracy and markets are compatible. The seminar then places Latin America’s process of change in a global context: comparisons will be drawn with Asian and post-Socialist European cases. The seminar concludes with an overview of current shortcomings of the transition: Latin America’s remaining international vulnerability (the Tequila Crisis of 1995 and the Asian Flu of 1997), lingering social issues, the rise of crime, drug trade, and neopopulism, the cleavage between nationalists and internationalists, the prospects for further deepening of reforms and the political backlash against reforms in the 2000s. For their final projects, students will have two options: 1) participate in a community-service internship in Argentina, Chile or Uruguay during the summer through a college-approved program, followed by completion of a policy-oriented paper based on the internship experience; or 2) write a 20-page research project on a relevant topic. Option 1 will require approval from the instructor and is contingent on funding availability. This course fulfills the requirements of an advanced seminar in Political Science.

Requisite: Some background in the economics and politics of developing areas. Limited to 20 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Corrales.

490. Special Topics. Fall and spring semesters.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Normally offered in the fall semester. One full course.

This course is only open to seniors majors who have been accepted in the Political Science Honors program and have departmental approval. The Department.

498D. Senior Departmental Honors. Normally offered in the fall semester: A double credit course with department approval.

This course is only open to seniors majors who have been accepted in the Political Science Honors program and have departmental approval. The Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Normally offered in the spring semester: One full course.

This course is only open to seniors majors who have been accepted in the Political Science Honors program and have departmental approval. The Department.

Related Courses

Murder. See LJST 120.

PREMEDICAL STUDIES

Amherst College has no premedical major. Students interested in careers in medicine may major in any subject, while also completing medical school admission requirements. Entrance requirements for most medical schools will be satisfied by taking the following courses: MATH 111, or MATH 105 and 106; CHEM 151 or 155, and CHEM 161, 221, 231; PHYS 116 and 117, or PHYS 123 and 124; BIOL 181 and 191, or any two Biology courses with laboratory; and two English courses. Students interested in medicine or other health professions are supported by Dean Richard Aronson, the Health Professions Advisor in the Career Center, and by a faculty Health Professions Committee chaired by Professor William Loinaz. All students considering careers in medicine should read the Amherst College Guide for Premedical Students which has extensive information about preparation for health careers and suggestions about scheduling course requirements. The Guide may be found on the College’s Website under Career Center.

Psychology

*On leave fall and spring semesters, 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester, 2014-15.

Professors Aries, Demorest, Hart*, Raskin, Sanderson, Schulkind‡, and Turgeon; Professor Emerita Olver; Associate Professor Baird (Chair); Assistant Professors McQuade and Palmquist; Visiting Assistant Professor Clemans.

Major Program. The Psychology major is designed to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the content of the discipline and the skills required to work within it. Psychology majors are required to elect nine full courses, including PSYC 100, 122 and 123. Psychology majors must complete both PSYC 100 and PSYC 122 by the end of the sophomore year and must earn a grade of B- or better in both courses to continue with the major. Majors are also required to complete PSYC 123 by the end of the junior year. Students may not enroll in PSYC 100 if they scored a 4 or 5 on the Psychology Advanced Placement exam, 5 or better on the Psychology International Baccalaureate exam, or completed an introductory psychology course at another college or university. Students may choose to place out of PSYC 122 either by scoring a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Exam or by completing STAT 111 (or MATH 130), ECON 360, or a statistics course at another college or university. Students who place out of PSYC 100 and/or 122 must take an additional course (or two) to reach the number required for the major.

Additionally, to provide a thorough understanding of fundamental areas within psychology, students must choose at least one intermediate course from each of the three areas below:

Area 1: Behavioral Neuroscience (PSYC 212), Introduction to Neuroscience (PSYC 226) Area 2: Developmental Psychology (PSYC 227), Cognitive Psychology (PSYC 233), Psychology of Aging (PSYC 236) Area 3: Social Psychology (PSYC 220), Personality (PSYC 221), Abnormal Psychology (PSYC 228)

To provide vertical depth in the major, students must also choose a seminar course from at least two of the following six areas:

Area 1: Biological: Psychopharmacology (PSYC 325), Neurophysiology of Motivation (PSYC 356), Hormones and Behavior (PSYC 359), Area 2: Clinical: History of Psychiatry (PSYC 357), Psychopathology (PSYC 371), Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (PSYC 364); Area 3: Cognitive: Music Cognition (PSYC 366), Autobiographical Memory (PSYC 368); Area 4: Developmental: Adolescence (PSYC 332), Social Development and Peer Relations (PSYC 355), Development of Nonverbal Communication (PSYC 362); Area 5: Personality and Political Leadership (PSYC 338), Psychological Assessment (PSYC 353); Area 6: Social: Close Relationships (PSYC 354), Psychology and Law (PSYC 363).

Students may complete the required number of courses by taking additional distribution or seminar courses and/or by taking any of the following electives: Psychology of Food and Eating Disorders (PSYC 217), Memory (PSYC 234), Sports Psychology (PSYC 235), The Social Psychology of Race (PSYC 244), Health Psychology (PSYC 247), Psychology of Good and Evil (PSYC 248). Special Topics classes (PSYC 490) and thesis work (PSYC 498/499D) also count as elective courses towards the major.

Departmental Honors Research. A limited number of majors will engage in honors research under the direction of a faculty member during their senior year. Honors research involves credit for three courses (usually one course credit during the fall and two credits during the spring semester) and culminates in a thesis. These three courses count towards the nine classes required for the major. The thesis usually involves both a review of the previous literature pertinent to the selected area of inquiry and a report of the methods and results of a study designed and conducted by the student. Theses that are an in-depth investigation into a field of psychology, yet do not include the collection of data, may also be available. Any student interested in pursuing honors research in psychology should discuss possible topics with appropriate faculty before preregistration in the second semester of the junior year. Students seeking to do Departmental Honors work must have a College-wide grade average of B+ or above.

100. Introduction to Psychology. An introduction to the nature of psychological inquiry regarding the origins, variability, and change of human behavior. As such, the course focuses on the nature-nurture controversy, the processes associated with cognitive and emotional development, the role of personal characteristics and situational conditions in shaping behavior, and various approaches to psychotherapy.

Limited to 40 students per section. Fall semester: Professors McQuade and Palmquist. Spring semester: Professor Raskin and Visiting Professor Clemans. Spring semester priority given to first-year students.

122. Statistics and Experimental Design. An introduction to and critical consideration of experimental methodology in psychology. Topics will include the formation of testable hypotheses, the selection and implementation of appropriate procedures, the statistical description and analysis of experimental data, and the interpretation of results. Articles from the experimental journals and popular literature will illustrate and interrelate these topics and provide a survey of experimental techniques and content areas.

Requisite: PSYC 100 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 30 students. Fall semester: Visiting Professor Clemans. Spring semester: Professor McQuade.

123. Research Methods. This course is designed to explore the principles of behavioral science research and the rationale underlying various research methodologies. The course will take a hands-on approach to research design, data collection, and data analysis. Students will learn how to understand and critically evaluate original research reports, independently design and execute psychological investigations, and write scientific reports in APA format. Topics include the reliability and validity of measures, content analysis, correlational designs, randomized experiments and causal inference, experimental control, and ethical considerations. Time in class will be split between lectures, small group exercises and design of research projects, and data analysis using SPSS.

Requisite: PSYC 122. Limited to 20 students. Fall semester: Professor Turgeon. Spring semester: Professors Demorest and Palmquist.

212. Behavioral Neuroscience. This course will examine how brain function regulates a broad range of mental processes and behaviors. We will discuss how neurons work and how the brain obtains information about the environment (sensory systems), regulates an organism’s response to the environment (motor systems), controls basic functions necessary for survival such as eating, drinking, sex, and sleep, and mediates higher cognitive function such as memory and language. We will also consider the consequences of brain malfunction as manifested in various forms of disease and mental illness.

Requisite: PSYC 100 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 40 students. Spring semester. Professor Turgeon.

217. Psychology of Food and Eating Disorders. Food shapes our lives in many ways that extend far beyond mere ingestive acts. Through a broad survey of basic and clinical research literature, we will explore how foods and food issues imbue our bodies, minds, and relationships. We will consider biological and psychological perspectives on various aspects of eating such as metabolism, neural mechanisms of hunger and satiety, metabolic disorders, dieting, pica, failure to thrive, starvation, taste preference and aversion, obesity, anxiety and depression relief, food taboos, bulimia, and the anorexias. Strong emphasis will be placed on biological mechanisms and controlled laboratory research with both human and animal subjects.

Requisite: PSYC 100 or 212, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Baird.

220. Social Psychology. The individual’s behavior as it is influenced by other people and by the social environment. The major aim of the course is to provide an overview of the wide-ranging concerns characterizing social psychology from both a substantive and a methodological perspective. Topics include person perception, attitude change, interpersonal attraction, conformity, altruism, group dynamics, and prejudice. In addition to substantive issues, the course is designed to introduce students to the appropriate research data analysis procedures.

Requisite: PSYC 100 or consent of the instructor. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 40 students. Fall and spring semesters. Professor Sanderson.

221. Personality Psychology. This course examines how psychologists understand the patterns of experiencing and behaving that constitute an individual’s personality. Personality psychologists are concerned with the ways in which a person is like all other people in these patterns (common psychological processes), like some others (individual differences), and like no one else (uniqueness). In examining these questions, we study the “grand theories” of Freud, Skinner, and Rogers, as well as the contemporary models of traits and scripts. We explore what professional observations led to the major theoretical ideas in personality psychology, and we critically examine how these ideas have been tested in empirical research. Furthermore, we study the lives of the theorists to examine how their professional ideas were informed by their personal lives. Students will also take personality assessment devices throughout the semester as a way to better understand the models, and perhaps themselves as well.

Requisite: PSYC 100 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 40 students. Fall semester. Professor Demorest.

226. Introduction to Neuroscience. (Offered as NEUR 226 and PSYC 226.) An introduction to the structure and function of the nervous system, this course will explore the neural bases of behavior at the cellular and systems levels. Basic topics in neurobiology, neuroanatomy and physiological psychology will be covered with an emphasis on understanding how neuroscientists approach the study of the nervous system. Three class hours and four hours of laboratory per week.

Requisite: PSYC 212 or BIOL 181 or 191. Limited to 36 students. Spring semester. Professors Baird and Graf.

227. Developmental Psychology. A study of human development across the life span with emphasis upon the general characteristics of various stages of development from birth to adolescence and upon determinants of the developmental process.

Requisite: PSYC 100 or 212 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 40 students. Spring semester. Professor Palmquist.

228. Abnormal Psychology. A review of various forms of psychopathology including addictive, adjustment, anxiety, childhood, dissociative, impulse control, mood, organic, personality, psychophysiological, schizophrenic, and sexual disorders. Based on a review of contemporary research findings, lectures and discussion will focus on the most relevant approaches for understanding, diagnosing, and treating psychological disorders. The biopsychosocial model will serve as a basis for explaining the etiology of psychological disorders, and discussion will focus on empirically supported interventions for treating these conditions.

Requisite: PSYC 100 or 212, or consent of the instructor. Not open to first year students. Limited to 40 students. Spring semester. Professor McQuade.

233. Cognitive Psychology. This course will examine how the mind extracts information from the environment, stores it for later use, and then retrieves it when it becomes useful. Initially, we will discuss how our eyes, ears, and brain turn light and sound into colors, objects, speech, and music. Next, we will look at how memory is organized and how it is used to accomplish a variety of tasks. Several memory models will be proposed and evaluated: Is our brain a large filing cabinet? a sophisticated computer? We will then apply these principles to understand issues like intelligence, thinking, and problem-solving. Throughout the course, we will discuss how damage to various parts of the brain affects our ability to learn and remember.

Requisite: PSYC 100 or 212 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 40 students. Fall semester. Professor Schulkind.

234. Memory. This course will provide a comprehensive overview of the study of memory. We will begin by examining empirical research on memory for different kinds of content: factual information vs. personal events vs. cognitive skills. This research will be used to evaluate several contemporary models of memory. From there, we will examine how memory theories have been applied to understanding “real world” issues such as eyewitness testimony, and the false/recovered memory debate. We will also discuss developmental changes in memory-from infancy to old age. We will supplement our analysis of memory with evidence from the rapidly growing field of cognitive neuroscience.

Requisite: PSYC 100 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Schulkind.

235. Sports Psychology. The field of sports psychology examines psychological variables that impact athletic participation and behavior. This course introduces students to theories and research across diverse areas of psychology, including social, cognitive, developmental, and clinical. Topics will include the role of goals and equity in providing motivation, strategies for successful performance, the use of imagery, attributions for successful versus unsuccessful performance, the predictors of aggression, the causes of the “homefield choke,” effective approaches to coaching, the “hot-hand effect,” the role of personality, the predictors of injury, and the impact of gender on athletics. This course will involve intensive participation in class discussion and many written assignments.

Requisite: PSYC 100 or consent of the instructor. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Sanderson.

236. Psychology of Aging. An introduction to the psychology of aging. Course material will focus on the behavioral changes which occur during the normal aging process. Age differences in learning, memory, perceptual and intellectual abilities will be investigated. In addition, emphasis will be placed on the neural correlates and cognitive consequences of disorders of aging such as Alzheimer’s disease. Course work will include systematic and structured observation within a local facility for the elderly.

Requisite: PSYC 100 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Raskin.

247. Health Psychology. An introduction to the theories and methods of psychology as applied to health-related issues. We will consider theories of reasoned action/planned behavior, social cognition, and the health belief model. Topics will include personality and illness, addictive behaviors, psychoneuroimmunology, psychosocial factors predicting health service utilization and adherence to medical regimens, and framing of health-behavior messages and interventions.

Requisite: PSYC 100 or 212 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Sanderson.

248. Psychology of Good and Evil. The topic for this proseminar (which is one of four similar proseminars offered across the College) changes year to year. In 2012-13, the proseminar in Psychology was on Good and Evil.

Proseminars are designed to give students the knowledge and the intellectual and technical skills necessary to do advanced research and writing in their major. They are most suitable for junior majors who are considering writing a senior honors thesis, and for senior majors, who are not writing a thesis, but who would like to have the experience of writing a significant paper in the discipline.

Across all subfields of psychology, researchers have examined the fundamental question of what drives behavior. Two particular types of fundamental behavior of great interest to psychologists and lay people alike are prosocial behaviors (those that help others) and evil behavior (those that harm others). Why do even infants show a preference for people who engage in cooperative behavior? What leads people to fail to give help in emergencies, even in cases in which are life-threatening? What drives some people to help others—even at great personal cost—and others to ignore those in need—or, worse yet, deliberately harm others? Why does harming one person to help many others feel different—and even appear different in the brain—than standing by and watching harm occur to others?

In this seminar, we will examine both historical and current research across all of the fundamental areas in psychology—biological, developmental, social—on the role of multiple factors (e.g., genetics, environment, social, cultural) in driving both good and evil behavior. Students will gain skills in understanding the various methods used to test empirical questions in psychology, reviewing and interpreting research studies, and creating and testing their own research question that builds on prior research in a novel way.

Open to juniors and seniors, but priority in admission will be given to junior majors who are considering writing a senior thesis and to senior majors who have opted not to write a thesis. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Sanderson.

325. Psychopharmacology. (Offered as PSYC 325 and NEUR 325.) In this course we will examine the ways in which drugs act on the brain to alter behavior. We will review basic principles of brain function and mechanisms of drug action in the brain. We will discuss a variety of legal and illegal recreational drugs as well as the use of psychotherapeutic drugs to treat mental illness. Examples from the primary scientific literature will demonstrate the various methods used to investigate mechanisms of drug action, the biological and behavioral consequences of drug use, and the nature of efforts to prevent or treat drug abuse.

Requisite: PSYC 212 or PSYC/NEUR 226, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 22 students. Fall semester. Professor Turgeon.

332. Psychology of Adolescence. In this course we will examine adolescent behavior from the perspective of psychologists, sociologists, historians, and anthropologists. We will look at theories of adolescent development, empirical research studies, first person accounts written by adolescents, and narratives about adolescents written by journalists and novelists. We will cover the psychological and social changes that accompany and follow the physiological changes of puberty and the acquisition of new cognitive capacities. Topics include the role of race, ethnicity, social class, gender, and sexuality in the formation of identity; changing relationships with family and peers; the development of intimate relationships; and the opportunities and constraints posed by neighborhoods and schools. The course aims to help students become more critical readers of and writers about the empirical and theoretical literature on adolescence.

Requisite: PSYC 227. Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Aries.

338. Personality and Political Leadership. In this course we will examine how to apply psychological theories and methods to understand the lives of political leaders. We begin this course with a consideration the role of personality in political leadership. We then examine psychological theories that can be fruitfully applied to the study of individual lives (e.g., Freud) and psychological methods that are useful in analyzing case material (e.g., scripting). Over the course of the semester, we will evaluate existing psychobiographies of important figures and students will conduct their own psychobiographical analyses of figures of their choice.

Requisite: PSYC 220, 221, or permission of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Demorest.

353. Psychological Assessment. This course examines methods used by psychologists to understand the psychology of individual personalities. The primary focus is on three psychological assessment tools: the Early Memories Procedure, the Thematic Apperception Test, and the traditional interview. Students will take these devices themselves, read the theory behind them, examine case studies by prominent psychologists using these devices, and conduct their own interpretations of responses given by college students and by psychotherapy patients. In the process, students should develop a good understanding of the complexity of the clinical thought process.

Requisite: PSYC 221 or 228. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Demorest.

354. Close Relationships. An introduction to the study of close relationships using social-psychological theory and research. Topics will include interpersonal attraction, love and romance, sexuality, relationship development, communication, jealousy, conflict and dissolution, selfishness and altruism, loneliness, and therapeutic interventions. This is an upper-level seminar for the major requirement that requires intensive participation in class discussion and many written assignments.

Requisite: PSYC 220. Open to seniors. Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Sanderson.

355. Social Development and Peer Relations. This seminar covers theory and research on lifespan social development, with a particular emphasis on childhood and adolescence. Topics include socialization processes, attachment, the development of friendship and peer networks over time, and the interplay of biological, psychological, and contextual factors which shape social interactions. A particular emphasis will be placed on the context of childhood and adolescent peer relationships.

Some questions we will address are: How do we form friendships? What qualities make us liked by our peers? Is there a difference between being ignored by peers and being rejected by them? Can friends be a “bad influence” on our behavior? How do we address bullying in schools and online?

Students are expected to participate in course discussion and conduct their own research study on some aspect of social development in the context of the peer group.

Requisite: PSYC 227 and 122 or consent of instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Visiting Professor Clemans.

356. Neurophysiology of Motivation. (Offered as PSYC 356 and NEUR 356.) This course will explore in detail the neurophysiological underpinnings of basic motivational systems such as feeding, fear, and sex. Students will read original articles in the neuroanatomical, neurophysiological, and behavioral scientific literature. Key goals of this course will be to make students conversant with the most recent scientific findings and adept at research design and hypothesis testing.

Requisite: PSYC 212 or 226 and consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Baird.

357. History of Psychiatry. Though the history of madness is as old as humanity, the field of psychiatry has come of age over the past 300 years. The understanding and treatment of mental illness within the psychiatric profession has drawn upon neurological and medical, as well as psychological and psychodynamic points of view. An emerging field, Neuropsychoanalysis, attempts to integrate the two. This course will survey psychiatry’s evolution, with special emphasis on the major contributions that have changed perspectives and directions in psychiatric medicine. We will also review the history of how mentally-ill patients have been housed, from custodial asylums to de-institutionalization and community-based programs, as a reflection of changing attitudes towards mental disease. Seminar. One class meeting per week.

Requisite: PSYC 212 and 228, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Raskin.

359. Hormones and Behavior. (Offered as PSYC 359 and NEUR 359.) This course will examine the influence of hormones on brain and behavior. We will introduce basic endocrine (hormone) system physiology and discuss the different approaches that researchers take to address questions of hormone-behavior relationships. We will consider evidence from both the human and the animal literature for the role of hormones in sexual differentiation (the process by which we become male or female), sexual behavior, parental behavior, stress, aggression, cognitive function, and affective disorders.

Requisite: PSYC 212 or NEUR 226. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Turgeon.

362. Development of Non-Verbal Communication. This course will examine how infants learn to communicate through gestures, body language, and preverbal vocalizations, and how nonverbal communication develops through childhood and adulthood. The course will also examine how nonverbal communication in humans compares to communication in nonhuman species such as dogs, chimpanzees, and dolphins. As a precursor to these discussions, we will explore the theoretical controversies surrounding the definition of “communication.” Students will read empirical work, engage in collaborative research design, conduct naturalistic observations, and will develop a final paper that explores the communicative content of nonverbal interactions.

Requisite: PSYC 227. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Palmquist.

363. Psychology and the Law. Psychology strives to understand (and predict) human behavior. The law aims to control behavior and punish those who violate laws. At the intersection of these two disciplines are questions such as: Why do people obey the law? What are the most effective means for punishing transgressions so as to encourage compliance with the law? The idea that our legal system is the product of societal values forms the heart of this course. We will repeatedly return to that sentiment as we review social psychological principles, theories, and findings addressing how the principal actors in legal proceedings affect each other. We will survey research on such topics as: criminal versus civil procedure, juror selection criteria, juror decision-making, jury size and decision rule, the death penalty, insanity defense, and eyewitness reliability. To a lesser degree the course will also consider (1) issues that arise from the impact of ideas from clinical psychology and other mental health-related fields upon the legal system, and (2) the impact that the legal system has had upon the field of psychology.

Requisite: PSYC 220. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hart.

364. Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology. This course examines the development, maintenance, and treatment of psychopathology in children and adolescents. Disorders discussed will include behavioral (e.g., Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Conduct Disorder), anxiety (e.g., the phobias and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), mood (e.g. Depression), and developmental (e.g. Autism). Using a developmental perspective, topics will focus on risk factors, theory and etiology, family and social influences, and evidence-based psycho-social treatments. Course readings will come predominantly from empirical research articles and will be discussed in-depth in class. Students will be expected to participate actively in class discussions, to provide written reaction papers, and to develop a final research proposal.

Requisite: PSYC 228. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor McQuade.

366. Music Cognition. Current theories of cognitive psychology will be evaluated in light of what is known about the effects of musical stimuli on learning, memory, and emotion. The course will begin by examining how musical information is stored and, subsequently, retrieved from memory. Particular attention will be paid to comparing learning and memory of musical and non-musical stimuli. The course will also compare the behavior of trained and untrained musicians to determine how expertise influences cognitive performance. Finally, the course will consider the ability of music to elicit emotional responses and the psychological basis for its use in applied settings.

Requisite: PSYC 233 or 234. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Schulkind.

368. Autobiographical Memory. Autobiographical memory encompasses everything we know about our personal past, from information as mundane as our Social Security number to the most inspirational moments of our lives. The course will begin by evaluating several theoretical frameworks that structure the field. We will consider how personal knowledge influences our sense of self and will examine both the contents of autobiographical memory and the contexts in which it functions, including eyewitness testimony, flashbulb memories, and the false/recovered memory controversy. We will discuss individual differences (gender and age) in autobiographical memory and will also examine the neurobiology of long-term memory and the consequences of damage to the system (i.e., dementia and amnesia). Finally, we will explore how social groups retain memories for important cultural events.

Requisite: PSYC 233 or 234. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Schulkind.

371. Psychopathology. This term, used for mental illness and mental distress, is defined by differing perspectives, i.e., medical model, family systems and psychodynamics. How the psychological and psychiatric communities define, and measure dysfunctional behavior depends upon these differing perspectives. We will review the ideas and concepts behind the definitions and descriptions of psychological and psychobiological disorders i.e., Schizophrenia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Attention Deficit Disorder. Students will write final papers on topics such as, whether specific diagnoses are scientifically or socially constructed, whether psychopathology is distress, disability or social deviance, and how a specific disorder can be understood from the point of view of depth psychology as well as underlying brain mechanisms.

Requisite: PSYC 100 or 212, PSYC 122 or MATH 130, and some knowledge of Abnormal, Personality or Clinical Psychology. Open to Juniors and Seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Raskin.

490. Special Topics. This course is open to qualified students who desire to engage in independent reading on selected topics or conduct research projects. Preference will be given to those students who have done good work in one or more departmental courses beyond the introductory level. A full course.

Open to juniors and seniors with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Open to senior majors in Psychology who have received departmental approval. Fall semester.

498D. Senior Honors. A double course.

Open to senior majors in Psychology who have received departmental approval. Fall semester.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Open to senior majors in Psychology who have received departmental approval. A full course. Spring semester.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors. Open to senior majors in Psychology who have received departmental approval. A double course. Spring semester.

Religion

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Doran, M. Heim, Niditch, and Wills‡; Associate Professor A. Dole (Chair); Assistant Professor Jaffer.

The study of Religion is a diversified and multi-faceted discipline which involves the study of both specific religious traditions and the general nature of religion as a phenomenon of human life. It includes cultures of both the East and West, ancient as well as modern, in an inquiry that involves a variety of textual, historical, phenomenological, social scientific, theological and philosophical methodologies.

Major Program. Majors in Religion will be expected to achieve a degree of mastery in three areas of the field as a whole. First, they will be expected to gain a close knowledge of a particular religious tradition, including both its ancient and modern forms, in its Scriptural, ritual, reflective and institutional dimensions. Ordinarily this will be achieved through a concentration of courses within the major. A student might also choose to develop a program of language study in relation to this part of the program, though this would not ordinarily be required for or count toward the major. Second, all majors will be expected to gain a more general knowledge of some other religious tradition quite different from that on which they are concentrating. Ordinarily, this requirement will be met by one or two courses. Third, all majors will be expected to gain a general knowledge of the theoretical and methodological resources pertinent to the study of religion in all its forms. It is further expected of Honors majors that their theses will demonstrate an awareness of the theoretical and methodological issues ingredient in the topic being studied.

Majors in Religion are required to take RELI 111, “Introduction to Religion,” RELI 210, “Theories of Religion,” and six additional courses in Religion or related studies approved by the Department. In meeting this requirement, majors and prospective majors should note that no course in Religion (including Five College courses) or in a related field will be counted toward the major in Religion if it is not approved by the student’s departmental advisor as part of a general course of study designed to cover the three areas described above. In other words, a random selection of eight courses in Religion will not necessarily satisfy the course requirement for the major in Religion.

All majors, including “double majors,” are required early in the second semester of the senior year to take a comprehensive examination in Religion. This examination will be designed to allow the student to deal with each of the three aspects of his or her program as described above, though not in the form of a summary report of what has been learned in each area. Rather, the emphasis will be on students’ abilities to use what they have learned in order to think critically about general issues in the field.

Departmental Honors Program. Honors in Religion shall consist of RELI 111, RELI 210, and the thesis courses, RELI 498 and 499, plus five additional semester courses in Religion or related studies approved by the Department; satisfactory fulfillment of the general Honors requirements of the College; satisfactory performance in the comprehensive examination; and the satisfactory preparation and oral defense of a scholarly essay on a topic approved by the Department. Honors students must submit a senior thesis prospectus for the approval of the Department by the end of the second semester of their junior year (mid-April). This prospectus should be developed together with the student’s prospective thesis advisor.

111. Introduction to Religion. This course introduces students to the comparative study of religion by focusing on a major theme within two or more religious traditions. Traditions and topics will vary from year to year. In 2014-15 the major traditions will be Christianity and Judaism and the theme will be war. Through a range of classical and modern sources, we will explore the complex ways in which issues in religion relate to the causes and conduct of war. In addition to working with cases presented in class, each student will prepare an independent study project dealing with religious issues at play in a contemporary conflict.

Fall semester. Professors Doran and Niditch.

122. The End of the World: Utopias and Dystopias. War, pestilence, famine, flood, and other calamities have been taken in a diverse range of traditions as signs of “the end of days,” as signals that the world as we know it is on the verge of collapse. Some traditions suggest that a troubled and chaotic reality will be replaced by a new and perfect world whereas some predict a much diminished and barren new creation. Others indeed see the destruction as utter and final. While many traditions allow for survivors, some are quite explicit about the identity of this remnant and about the reasons for their salvation. In this course, we will examine a variety of sources and media, ancient and modern, discuss the cultural, sociological, and psychological roots of apocalyptic worldviews, and explore the ways in which ancient texts have been appropriated in subsequent imaginings of the end of the world.

Omitted 2014-15. Professors Doran and Niditch.

123. Popular Religion. Religions, ancient or modern, are sometimes described as having two modalities or manifestations: the one institutional, of the establishment, the other, popular. The latter is sometimes branded as superstitious, idolatrous, syncretistic, heretical, or cultish. Yet we have come to realize that “popular” religion is frequently the religion of the majority, and that popular and classical threads tend to intertwine in religions as lived by actual adherents. People often express and experience their religiosity in ways related to but not strictly determined by their traditions’ sacred officials, texts, and scholars. In the modern era, mass media have provided additional means of religious expression, communication, and community, raising new questions about popular religion. In this course we will explore examples from ancient and modern times, seeking to redefine our understanding of popular religion by looking at some of the most interesting ways human beings pursue and share religious experience within popular cultural contexts.

Topics for study include: beliefs, traditions, and customs concerning the dead; ancient and contemporary apocalyptic groups; ritual healing; Wicca; and recent films, television programs, and on-line and interactive media rich in the occult or the overtly religious.

Spring semester. Professor Niditch.

143. Religion in Ancient India. (Offered as RELI 143 and ASLC 144.) This course explores central ideas and practices in the religious and intellectual traditions of India up until the medieval period. We consider the range of available archeological, art historical, and textual evidence for religion in this period, though the course focuses mostly on texts. We will read the classic religious and philosophical literature of the traditions we now call Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.

Spring semester. Professor M. Heim.

152. Introduction to Buddhist Traditions. (Offered as RELI 152 and ASLC 152 [SA].) This course is an introduction to the diverse ideals, practices, and traditions of Buddhism from its origins in South Asia to its geographical and historical diffusion throughout Asia and, more recently, into the west. We will explore the Three Jewels—the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha—and how they each provide refuge for those suffering in samsara (the endless cycle of rebirth). We will engage in close readings of the literary and philosophical texts central to Buddhism, as well as recent historical and anthropological studies of Buddhist traditions.

Fall semester. Professor M. Heim.

171. Images of Jesus. One of the most dominant symbols in Western culture, the figure of Jesus, has been variously represented and interpreted—even the canonical Christian Scriptures contains four different biographies. This course will explore shifts in the contours of that symbol and the socio-cultural forces at play in such changes, as well as debates about the understanding of the figure of Jesus. Beginning with recent films about Jesus, the course will turn to examine the biographies in the Christian Scriptures and the heated debate in the fourth century over the identity of Jesus as Son of God. We will then trace trajectories through the medieval period in the visual and audial image of Jesus. To conclude, we will focus on the “social” Jesus, that is, Jesus the capitalist and the Jesus of liberation theology, as well as on the feminine Jesus, for example, portrayals of Jesus as mother and bride.

Spring semester. Professor Doran.

210. The Nature of Religion: Theories and Methods in Religious Studies. What does religious studies study? How do its investigations proceed? Can a religion only be truly understood from within, by those who share its beliefs and values? Or, on the contrary, is only the person who stands “outside” religion equipped to study and truly understand it? Is there a generic “something” that we can properly call “religion” at all or is the concept of religion, which emerged from European Enlightenment, inapplicable to other cultural contexts? This course will explore several of the most influential efforts to develop theories of religion and methods for its study. We will consider psychological, sociological, anthropological, and phenomenological theories of religion, along with recent challenges to such theories from thinkers associated with feminist, post-modern and post-colonial perspectives.

Spring semester. Professor A. Dole.

215. Religion in Scientific Perspective. The idea of “scientific explanations of religion” has a long history in the academy, and the fortunes of scientific explorations of religion have been mixed. But the past decade has seen the emergence of new approaches to this project, as a growing body of literature has applied the tools of the cognitive sciences and evolutionary theory to the study of religion. This course will survey the recent literature on the subject, and will bring this material into conversation with “classical” naturalistic theorizing concerning religion. We will read works by David Hume, Stewart Guthrie, Pascal Boyer, Scott Atran, Justin Barrett, Richard Dawkins, Robert Hinde, David Sloan Wilson, and others.

Fall semester. Professor A. Dole.

235. Religion in the United States. An introduction to the historical development and contemporary reality of religion in the United States. The course will survey three phases of historical development: the Atlantic world phase (origins through the American Revolution); the continental phase (from the Constitution to World War I); and the global phase (from World War I to the present). Attention will be given throughout to the changing shape of religious diversity, various (and often mutually opposed) efforts to reform society or forge consensus around religious ideals, and the intersection of religion and the realities of race. Emphasis will also be placed, especially with regard to the “global phase,” on the complex relation of religious movements, ideals, and leaders to the United States’ ever-increasing role as a world power.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Wills.

237. Catholicism in the United States. This course will survey the historical development and contemporary state of Roman Catholic Christianity in the United States. It will cover such topics as: the early development of Catholicism in the North American colonies of Spain, France, and Britain; the waves of immigration—e.g., Irish and German, eastern European, and Latino—that have successively transformed American Catholicism; changing patterns of Catholic thought and practice, both elite and popular; Catholic social and political movements, e.g. the Catholic Worker Movement; controversies over Catholicism’s place in American politics, from ante-bellum anti-Catholic movements to the present time; and contemporary American Catholic debates over issues of gender and sexuality.

Fall semester. Professor Wills.

238. African-American Religious History. (Offered as RELI 238 and BLST 238 [US]. A study of African-American religion, from the time of slavery to the present, in the context of American social, political, and religious history. Consideration will be given to debates concerning the “Africanity” of black religion in the United States, to the role of Islam in African-American religious history, and to the religious impact of recent Caribbean immigration. The major emphasis throughout the course, however, will be on the history of African-American Christianity in the United States. Topics covered will include the emergence of African-American Christianity in the slavery era, the founding of the independent black churches (especially the AME church) and their institutional development in the nineteenth century, the predominant role of the black Baptist denominations in the twentieth century, the origins and growth of black Pentecostalism, the increasing importance of African-American Catholicism, the role of the churches in social protest movements (especially the civil rights movement) and electoral politics, the changing forms of black theology, and the distinctive worship traditions of the black churches.

Fall semester. Professor Wills.

239. Evangelical Christianity. Evangelical Christianity, or evangelicalism, eludes precise definition. As most commonly used, the term refers to a sector of Protestant Christianity whose historical provenance runs from the eighteenth century to the present day. Originating in Europe and North America but now a global phenomenon, evangelicalism in the United States has enjoyed periods of pervasive influence and times of cultural marginality—recovering in the late twentieth century a mainstream status it had seemingly lost. This course is concerned with the history and shifting nature of evangelicalism. Sometimes regarded as a monolithic movement adhering to a fixed set of traditional Christian doctrines and practices, evangelicalism has been throughout its history innovative, changing, and internally diverse. Sometimes seen as politically reactionary, evangelicalism has at times promoted recognizably progressive reforms. Sometimes seen as serving an ethnically and racially narrow constituency, evangelicalism has also shown a marked capacity to cross ethnic and racial boundaries. How are these seemingly contradictory patterns (or perceptions) to be understood? Over the course of the semester we will explore questions such as: How have evangelicals themselves attempted to define the”main stream” culture in the various environments they have entered? How has evangelicalism handled racial and ethnic difference? How have evangelicals understood their place in the history of the world and of the Christian tradition?

Omitted 2014-15. Professors A. Dole and Wills.

252. Buddhist Life Writing. (Offered as RELI 252 and ASLC 252) From the biographies of Gotama Buddha to the autobiographies of western converts, life writing plays a central role in teaching Buddhist philosophy, practice, history, and myth. This course explores the diverse forms and purposes of Buddhist life writing in the literary and visual cultures of India, Tibet, Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam, Japan, and America. Reading the lives of eminent saints and laypersons, charismatic teachers, recluses, and political activists, the course aims to broaden understanding of how Buddhists have variously imagined the ideal life. We will pay particular attention to how literary and cultural conventions of genre guide the composition of lives.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor M. Heim

253. Theravada Buddhism. (Offered as RELI 253 and ASLC 253 [SA].) This course introduces the history and civilization of Theravada Buddhism. The Theravada (the “Doctrine of the Elders”) is the dominant form of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar (Burma); in recent decades it has also found a following in other regions in Asia and the west. We will trace the Theravada’s origins as one of the earliest sectarian movements in India to its success and prestige as a religious civilization bridging South and Southeast Asia. We will also consider this tradition’s encounter with modernity and its various adaptations and responses to challenges in the contemporary world. No previous background in Buddhism is required.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Heim.

261. Women in Judaism. (Offered as RELI 261 and SWAG 239.) A study of the portrayal of women in Jewish tradition. Readings will include biblical and apocryphal texts; Rabbinic legal (halakic) and non-legal (aggadic) material; selections from medieval commentaries; letters, diaries, and autobiographies written by Jewish women of various periods and settings; and works of fiction and non-fiction concerning the woman in modern Judaism. Employing an inter-disciplinary and cross-cultural approach, we will examine not only the actual roles played by women in particular historical periods and cultural contexts, but also the roles they assume in traditional literary patterns and religious symbol systems. This discussion course requires participants to prepare a series of closely argued essays related to assigned readings and films.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Niditch.

263. Ancient Israel. This course explores the culture and history of the ancient Israelites through a close examination of the Hebrew Bible in its wider ancient Near Eastern context. A master-work of great complexity revealing many voices and many periods, the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament is a collection of traditional literature of various genres including prose and poetry, law, narrative, ritual texts, sayings, and other forms. We seek to understand the varying ways Israelites understood and defined themselves in relation to their ancestors, their ancient Near Eastern neighbors, and their God. Course assignments are a series of interpretive essays in which students become accustomed to close work with biblical texts, employing methodological approaches introduced throughout the semester.

Fall semester. Professor Niditch.

265. Prophecy, Wisdom, and Apocalyptic. We will read from the work of the great exilic prophets, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah, examine the so-called “wisdom” traditions in the Old Testament and the Apocrypha exemplified by Ruth, Esther, Job, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Susanna, Tobit, and Judith, and, finally, explore the phenomenon of Jewish apocalyptic in works such as Daniel, the Dead Sea Scrolls, 4 Ezra, and 2 Baruch. Through these writings we will trace the development of Judaism from the sixth century B.C. to the first century of the Common Era. In this critical watershed period, following Babylonian conquest, the biblical writers try to make sense of and cope with the trauma of war, dislocation, forced migration, and colonialism. Their problems and their responses strike the reader as incredibly contemporary and lay the foundation for critical themes in modern Judaism.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Niditch.

267. Reading the Rabbis. We will explore Rabbinic world-views through the close reading of halakic (i.e., legal) and aggadic (i.e., non-legal) texts from the Midrashim (the Rabbis’ explanations, reformulations, and elaborations of Scripture) the Mishnah, and the Talmud. Employing an interdisciplinary methodology, which draws upon the tools of folklorists, anthropologists, students of comparative literature, and students of religion, we will examine diverse subjects of concern to the Rabbis ranging from human sexuality to the nature of creation, from ritual purity to the problem of unjust suffering. Topics covered will vary from year to year depending upon the texts chosen for reading.

Spring semester. Professor Niditch.

271. Christianity as a Global Religion. Christianity is often thought of as a European or “Western” religion. This overlooks, however, much of the early history of Eastern Christianity and, more importantly, the present reality that Christianity is increasingly a religion of “non-Western” peoples, both in their ancestral homelands and abroad. This course will trace the global spread of Christianity from the first century forward, with emphasis on modern and contemporary developments. Attention will be given both to the thought and practice of Christian missionary movements and to the diverse forms of Christianity that have emerged in response to them. To what extent can European and American missionaries be seen simply as agents of colonialism—or of a neo-colonial globalization of consumer capitalism? In what ways and with what success has an imported Christianity been adapted to cultural settings beyond the sphere of Western “Christendom”? How have Christians outside “the West” understood themselves in relation to it? Particular attention will be given to the spread of Christianity in Africa and in Asia and to the presence in the United States of Christians of African and Asian descent.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Wills.

273. Christian Scriptures. An analysis of New Testament literature as shaped by the currents and parties of first-century Judaism. Emphasis will be placed on the major letters of Paul and the four Gospels.

Spring semester. Professor Doran.

274. The Parables of Jesus. The parables of Jesus are often seen as the most distinctive feature of Jesus’ teaching. Through close reading, we will try to grasp what kind of a story is being told in each parable. We will then explore to whom each particular story is told in its present literary context in the gospels. Can one read these parables outside this literary context and recover an “original” formulation more suited to the socio-economic world of first-century CE Galilee? Are these parables less about describing the heavenly kingdom than about challenging real groups to change their positions?

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Doran.

275. History of Christianity—The Early Years. This course investigates the fascinating story of how a movement which started in a small unimportant province of the Roman Empire rose to a privileged status within that Empire. We will explore the many ways in which followers of Jesus attempted to articulate who Jesus was and the many “Christianities” that arose from these attempts. Was he divine or human or something in between? If divine, what was the relationship between God and Jesus? All of these debates and conflicts were played out against the background of a Greek understanding of the divine, the universe, and what it was to be human, and the backdrop of the Roman Empire where the emperor was held to be divine. We will examine the Christian separation from Judaism and the growing intolerance towards Judaism. Finally, we will inquire how Christianity consolidated its creedal formulation once it enjoyed a privileged position under the first Christian emperor, Constantine. This creedal articulation was to dominate the Western Roman Empire throughout the medieval period but was to cause disunity and fraction within the Eastern Roman Empire.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Doran.

278. Christianity, Philosophy, and History in the Nineteenth Century. The nineteenth century saw developments within Western scholarship that profoundly challenged traditional understandings of Christianity. Immanuel Kant’s critical philosophy had thrown the enterprise of theology into doubt by arguing that knowledge of anything outside space and time is impossible. During the same period, the growing awareness of Christianity’s history and the emerging historical-critical study of the Bible brought into prominence the variability and contingency of the Christian tradition. Particularly in Germany, Christian intellectuals were to wrestle intensely with the problem of knowledge of God and the authority of tradition during this period. Should Christians adapt their understandings of fundamental points of Christian doctrine to advances in historical scholarship? Did developments within philosophy require the abandonment of reliance on claims about the nature of reality, and of human existence, which had been seen as essential to Christianity? This course will be devoted to tracking these discussions. Some of the authors to be treated are Kant, Schleiermacher, Hegel, Strauss, Kierkegaard, Newman, von Harnack, and Schweitzer.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor A. Dole.

279. Liberation and Twentieth-Century Christian Thought. In the middle of the nineteenth century Karl Marx characterized religion as “the opium of the people,” a tool of the ruling classes to keep the poor in subjection. By the end of the century, in the face of rising unrest related to political and economic developments, Christian thinkers in Europe and the United States found themselves facing the question of the church’s role in relation to questions of social and economic justice. Should Christianity be a force for radical social change in a progressive direction, or should Christians instead work for peace and “brotherly love” within existing social structures? This course will track the development of debates on these subjects, discussing the “Social Gospel,” Christian pacifism and realism, German Christianity during the Nazi period, liberation theology and its descendants. Some of the authors to be treated are Adolf von Harnack, Kirby Page, Reinhold Niebuhr, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Gustavo Gutiérrez, James Cone, and Elizabeth Schüssler-Fiorenza.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor A. Dole.

282. Muhammad and the Qur’an. (Offered as RELI 282 and ASLC 282 [WA].)This course deals with the life of Muhammad (the founder and prophet of Islam) and the Qur’an (the Muslim Scripture). The first part deals with the life of Muhammad as reflected in the writings of the early Muslim biographers. It examines the crucial events of Muhammad’s life (the first revelation, the night journey, the emigration to Medina, the military campaigns) and focuses on Muhammad’s image in the eyes of the early Muslim community. The second deals with the Qur’an. It focuses on the history of the Qur’an, its canonization, major themes, various methods of Qur’anic interpretation, the role of the Qur’an in Islamic law, ritual, and modernity.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Jaffer.

284. Knowledge Triumphant in Classical Islam. Knowledge was one of the primary concerns in classical Islamic civilization. The search for knowledge dominated all branches of religious and intellectual life, and it pervaded the daily lives of Muslims. In this class we will read the classics from law, theology, philosophy and mysticism that were written in the ninth through twelfth centuries. We will focus our attention on texts in which questions surrounding the theme of knowledge are discussed at length and in detail. Questions we will explore include: What is knowledge and how is it attained? What is its relation to faith and doubt? How does knowledge inform religious practice and ritual? What theories of knowledge were developed in law, theology, philosophy, and mysticism? How does knowledge serve as a tool in these disciplines? Our broader objective is to understand how religious and intellectual life was shaped by discussions about knowledge within these disciplines.

Fall semester. Professor Jaffer.

316. Philosophy of Religion. (Offered as RELI 316 and PHIL 219.) An examination of several major discussion topics in the analytic philosophy of religion: the ethics of religious belief, the “problem of religious language,” the nature of God and the problem of evil. It would seem that it is always irrational to believe that statements about matters which transcend the realm of the empirical are true, since none of these statements can be directly supported by evidence. Thus it would seem that a great deal of religious belief is irrational. Is this the case, or can religious beliefs be supported by other means? Can philosophical reflection bring clarity to such puzzling matters as God’s relationship to time, or the question of how a good and all-powerful God could permit the existence of evil? Alternatively, is the entire project of evaluating religious discourse as a set of claims about transcendent realities misguided—i.e., does religious language work differently than the language we use to speak about ordinary objects?

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor A. Dole.

318. The Problem of Evil. (Offered as RELI 318 and PHIL 229.) If God is omnibenevolent, then God would not want any creature to suffer evil; if God is omniscient, then God would know how to prevent any evil from occurring; and if God is omnipotent, then God would be able to prevent any evil from occurring. Does the obvious fact that there is evil in the world, then, give us reason to think that there is no such God? Alternatively: if an omnibenevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent God does exist, then what could possibly motivate such a God to permit the existence of evil? This course will survey recent philosophical discussions of these questions. We will read works by J. L. Mackie, Nelson Pike, John Hick, Alvin Plantinga, Robert and Marilyn Adams, and others.

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor A. Dole.

323. Religion and Conspiratorial Thinking. Conspiracy theories are not inherently religious, but they are frequently informed by religious conceptions and valuations, and often circulate within particular religious communities. If religious and conspiratorial thinking can get along fine without each other, why do they intersect as often as they do within history? Addressing this question will require locating religion and conspiracy theorizing in relationship to each other within a broader field of thinking about the dynamics of human social interaction. Readings for this course will include prominent examples of religiously-informed conspiracy theories from the modern period and works that explore the characteristic features of religious and conspiratorial thinking. Of particular interest will be works that stand on the margin between conspiratorial thinking and social critique. Authors will include John Robison, Jedediah Morse, Friedrich Nietzsche, Paul Blanshard, E. E. Evans-Pritchard, David Noebel, Pat Robertson, and Michel Foucault.

The course will require the close reading and understanding of challenging texts, engagement with the ideas these present in class discussion, and the written exposition of positions and arguments.

Fall semester. Professor A. Dole

335. American Religious Thought: From Edwards to Emerson—and Beyond. The eighteenth-century Calvinist Jonathan Edwards and the nineteenth-century Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson are among the most complex and influential figures in the history of American religious thought—an influence that has grown, not receded, in recent decades. Both were innovative and very distinctive thinkers, yet each also serves as a major reference point for ongoing and centrally important tendencies in American religious life. American Evangelical Protestantism has for the most part long since departed from the Calvinism that Edwards espoused, yet many of its core convictions (e.g., the necessity for conversion and the prospects for a wider spread of Christianity in the world) nowhere receive a more powerful analysis and defense than in the works of Edwards. Emerson stands in similar relation to very different currents of thought and practice, both within and beyond American Protestantism, that emphasize self-realization and an inclusive, pluralistic attitude that draws insights from a diverse range of religious traditions. This course will closely examine selected texts by both figures, but will also place them in the context of New England religious thought from Puritanism to Transcendentalism and consider their engagement with some of the major issues of the period (e.g., issues of race and slavery). Attention will be given to the similarities that exist alongside their differences. The course will conclude by examining their relation to subsequent (and contemporary) trends in American religious thought and practice.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Wills.

352. Buddhist Ethics. (Offered as RELI 352 and ASLC 352.) A systematic exploration of the place of ethics and moral reasoning in Buddhist thought and practice. The scope of the course is wide, with examples drawn from the whole Buddhist world, but emphasis is on the particularity of different Buddhist visions of the ideal human life. Attention is given to the problems of the proper description of Buddhist ethics in a comparative perspective.

Spring semester. Professor M. Heim.

362. Folklore and the Bible. This course is an introduction to the cross-discipline of folklore and an application of that field to the study of Israelite literature. We will explore the ways in which professional students of traditional literatures describe and classify folk material, approach questions of composition and transmission, and deal with complex issues of context, meaning, and message. We will then apply the cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural methodologies of folklore to readings in the Hebrew Scriptures. Selections will include narratives, proverbs, riddles, and ritual and legal texts. Topics of special interest include the relationships between oral and written literatures, the defining of “myth,” feminism and folklore, and the ways in which the biblical writers, nineteenth-century collectors such as the Brothers Grimm, and modern popularizers such as Walt Disney recast pieces of lore, in the process helping to shape or misshape us and our culture.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Niditch.

363. The Body in Ancient Judaism. The body is a template; the body encodes; the body is a statement of rebellion or convention, of individual attitude or of identity shared by a group. Dressed in one way or another or undressed, pierced or tattooed, shaggy or smooth, fed one way or another, sexually active or celibate, the body, viewed in parts or as a whole, may serve human beings as consummate and convenient expression of world-view. In this course we will explore ancient Israelite and early Jewish representations of the body juxtaposing ancient materials and modern theoretical and descriptive works. Specific topics include treatment of and attitudes towards the dead, hair customs, views of bodily purity, biblical euphemisms for sex, food prohibitions, circumcision, and God’s body. There are no prerequisites to this course. The presentation of relevant theoretical material and instruction in the reading of classical and modern Jewish sources is integral to the course itself.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Niditch.

365. Personal Religion in the Bible. In contemporary discussions about the role of religion in the lives of individuals we often hear questions such as the following: Does God hear me when I call out in trouble? Why do bad things happen to good people? How do I define myself as a believer? What is the role of prayer? Do I have a personal relationship with a divine being, apart from the institutional religion? What roles do material objects, personal images, and private practices play within my religious life? This course will suggest that questions such as these are entirely relevant to the study of early Judaism in the late biblical period, a time when the preserved literature and the evidence of material culture place great emphasis on the individual’s spiritual journey. This course introduces students to ways of thinking about personal religion and applies that theoretical framework to the study of a variety of sources in the Bible and beyond. Topics include the Book of Job, the confessional literature of the prophets, psalms of personal lament, visionary experiences, vow-making, incantations, ancient graffiti, and memoirs written in the first person. This course has no prerequisites and provides students with the methodological and historical background to appreciate this interesting corpus, its social context, and its composers.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Niditch.

370. Close Readings: The Classics of Judaism and Christianity. This seminar offers an opportunity for students to engage in the close reading of one or two classic works in the history of Judaism or Christianity. The texts chosen will vary from year to year. In fall 2013 the course will focus on the biblical book of Judges. We will read the vivid and violent stories of Judges as a reflection of the actual emergence of the Israelites as an ethnic group in the central highlands, and ask how well the text reflects the historical reality, as best we can reconstruct it archaeologically. We will also read Judges as a collection of tales gathered together later in Israelite history, near the end of the independent life of Israelites under a native monarchy: what social work did these stories of ancient days do for their readers? We will introduce ourselves to the work of anthropologists and sociologists on how ethnic identity is constructed in the modern world, and ask how this research can be applied to ancient Israel. Finally, subsequent communities of interpreters have used the stories of Judges to build their own identities, and we will study and compare the readings of the early church fathers, rabbinic writings, and later thinkers, including the ongoing influence of Judges in literature and art.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Doran

372. The Secret Jesus. Alongside the images of Jesus found in the canonical Gospels arose others that are less well known today but that were widespread in antiquity: stories about Jesus’ parents, about his life as a young boy, stories of his non-death, enigmatic sayings and parables. In this course we will explore these images as found in the apocryphal Gospels and in the Gnostic writings, and read closely the cryptic sayings of Jesus. We will also examine the images of Jesus in early Christian art.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Doran.

382. Debating Muslims. (Offered as RELI 382 and ASLC 382 [WA].) This course introduces students to the intellectual tradition of Islam. It focuses on the pre-modern period. We will explore works of theology, philosophy, and political theory that were composed by Muslim intellectuals of various stripes. We will use primary sources in English translation to examine the ideas that Muslim intellectuals formulated and the movements that they engendered. In our discussions we will investigate questions concerning the rise of sectarianism, language and revelation, prophecy, heresy and apostasy, God and creation, causality and miracles, the role of logic and human reasoning with respect to the canonical sources (Quran and Hadith), and conceptions of the Islamic state.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Jaffer.

385. The Islamic Mystical Tradition. (Offered as RELI 285 and ASLC 356 [WA]) This course is a survey of the large complex of Islamic intellectual and social perspectives subsumed under the term Sufism. Sufi mystical philosophies, liturgical practices, and social organizations have been a major part of the Islamic tradition in all historical periods, and Sufism has also served as a primary creative force behind Islamic aesthetic expression in poetry, music, and the visual arts. In this course, we will attempt to understand the various significations of Sufism by addressing both the world of ideas and socio-cultural practices. The course is divided into four modules: central themes and concepts going back to the earliest individuals who identified themselves as Sufis; the lives and works of two medieval Sufis; Sufi cosmology and metaphysics; Sufism as a global and multifarious trend in the modern world.

Spring semester. Professor Jaffer.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course. Reading in an area selected by the student and approved in advance by a member of the Department.

Fall and spring semester. The Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Required of candidates for Honors in Religion. Preparation and oral defense of a scholarly essay on a topic approved by the Department. Detailed outline of thesis and adequate bibliography for project required before Thanksgiving; preliminary version of substantial portion of thesis by end of semester.

Open to seniors with consent of the instructors. Fall semester. The Department.

499. Senior Honors. Spring semester.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors. Required of candidates for Honors in Religion. A continuation of RELI 498. A double course.

Open to seniors with consent of the instructor. Spring semester. The Department.

Related Courses

Myth, Ritual and Iconography in West Africa. See BLST 315.

Religion, Empires, and Secular States in the Nineteenth Century. See HIST 319.

Russian

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Ciepiela‡ (Chair, fall semester) and Rabinowitz† (Chair, spring semester); Associate Professor Wolfson; Senior Lecturer Babyonyshev; Five College Lecturer Dengub; Keiter Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor Maydanchik.

Major Program. The major program in Russian is an individualized interdisciplinary course of study. It includes general requirements for all majors and a concentration of courses in one discipline: literature, film, cultural studies, history, or politics. Eight courses are required for the major, including RUSS 301 and one course beyond RUSS 301 taught in Russian. Language courses numbered 202 and above will count for the major. Normally, two courses taken during a semester abroad in Russia may be counted; 303H and 304H together will count as one course. Additionally, all majors must elect at least one course that addresses history or literature pre-1850. Other courses will be chosen in consultation with the advisor from courses in Russian literature, film, culture, history and politics. Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in non-departmental courses in their chosen discipline.

Comprehensives. Students majoring in Russian must formally define a concentration within the major no later than the pre-registration period in the spring of the junior year. By the end of the add/drop period in the fall of the senior year, they will provide a four- or five-page draft essay which describes the primary focus of their studies as a Russian major. Throughout this process, majors will have the help of their advisors. A final draft of the essay, due at the end of the add/drop period of second semester of the senior year, will be evaluated by a committee of departmental readers in a conference with the student. This, in addition to a translation exam taken in the fall of the senior year, will satisfy the comprehensive examination in Russian.

Departmental Honors Program. In addition to the above requirements for the major program, the Honors candidate will take RUSS 498-499 during the senior year and prepare a thesis on a topic approved by the Department. Students who anticipate writing an Honors essay in Russian history or politics should request permission to work under the direction of Five College Professor Glebov or Professor William Taubman (Political Science). All Honors candidates should ensure that their College program provides a sufficiently strong background in their chosen discipline.

Study Abroad. Majors are strongly encouraged to spend a semester or summer studying in Russia. Students potentially interested in study abroad should begin planning as early as possible in their Amherst career. They should consult members of the Department faculty and Janna Behrens, Director of International Experience, for information on approved programs and scholarship support. Other programs can be approved on a trial basis by petition to the Director of International Experience. Study in Russia is most rewarding after students have completed the equivalent of four or five semesters of college-level Russian, but some programs will accept students with less. One semester of study in Russia will ordinarily give Amherst College credit for four courses, two of which may be counted towards the major in Russian.

Summer language programs, internships, ecological and volunteer programs may be good alternatives for students whose other Amherst commitments make a semester away difficult or impossible. (Please note that Amherst College does not give credit for summer programs.) U.S.-based summer intensive programs can be used to accelerate acquisition of the language, and some of these programs provide scholarship support. Consult the department bulletin board in Webster and the department website for information on a wide variety of programs.

101. First-Year Russian I. Introduction to the contemporary Russian language, presenting the fundamentals of Russian grammar and syntax. The course helps the student make balanced progress in listening comprehension, speaking, reading, writing, and cultural competence. Five meetings per week.

Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Five College Lecturer Dengub.

102. First-Year Russian II. Continuation of RUSS 101.

Requisite: RUSS 101 or equivalent. Limited to 15 students per section. Spring semester. Five College Lecturer Dengub.

201. Second-Year Russian I. This course stresses vocabulary building and continued development of speaking and listening skills. Active command of Russian grammar is steadily increased. Readings from authentic materials in fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Brief composition assignments. Five meetings per week, including a conversation hour and a drill session.

Requisite: RUSS 102 or the equivalent. This will ordinarily be the appropriate course placement for students with 2 to 3 years of high school Russian. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Ciepiela.

202. Second-Year Russian II. Continuation of RUSS 201.

Requisite: RUSS 201 or equivalent. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Rabinowitz.

211. The Rise of the Russian Novel. How and why did Russian culture produce world-famous fiction in the first half of the nineteenth century? This course traces the evolution of innovative narrative forms in Russian story-telling from Pushkin’s novel-in-verse, Eugene Onegin, to the early works of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. We shall pay particular attention to the characteristic Russian mimicry and parody of Western literary conventions in the short stories of Pushkin and Gogol before examining the experimental novel-length fiction of Lermontov (A Hero of Our Time) and Turgenev (Fathers and Sons). The course also introduces important lesser-known writers like Pavlova, Aksakov, and Leskov who contributed greatly to the rise of a distinctive Russian prose tradition. Readings in translation, with special assignments for those able to do reading in Russian.

Omitted 2014-15.

212. Survey of Russian Literature From Dostoevsky to Nabokov. An examination of major Russian writers and literary trends from about 1860 to the Bolshevik Revolution as well as a sampling of Russian émigré literature through a reading of representative novels, stories, and plays in translation. Readings include important works by Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Gorky, Sologub, Bely, and Nabokov. The evaluation of recurring themes such as the breakdown of the family, the “woman question,” madness, attitudes toward the city, childhood and perception of youth. Conducted in English.

Spring semester. Professor Rabinowitz.

213. Century of Catastrophe: Soviet and Contemporary Russia in Literature and Film. Russia was launched on a unique path by the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917: it was intended to become the first Communist society in history. The Cultural Revolution that followed sought to remake institutions and even persons in the name of realizing a classless society. This utopian project came up against the actual history of the twentieth century not just in Russia but internationally: world wars, the collapse of empires, and the victory of “capitalism” over “communism.” Much of the best Russian literature and film of the twentieth century addresses the tensions of this historical period. We will trace these tensions in landmark texts, grouping them around particular moments of catastrophic change—the Revolution, the Civil War, the “internationalizing” of non-Russian peoples, collectivization and famine, Stalin’s purges, World War II and the siege of Leningrad, urbanization, and the collapse of the Soviet empire. We will consider, among other texts, Esther Shub’s “The Fall of the Romanovs,” Isaak Babel’s Red Cavalry, Nadezhda Mandelstam’s Hope Against Hope, the poetry of Anna Akhmatova, Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate, Lydia Ginzburg’s Blockade Diary, Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Stalker,” Alexander Sokurov’s “Russian Ark,” and the installation art of Ilya Kabakov. All readings and discussion in English. No familiarity with Russian history and culture is assumed. Three meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15.

215. Modernism and Revolution. (Offered as RUSS 215 and EUST 215.) We will examine the revolutionary upheavals of early twentieth-century Russia through the lens of three modernist texts: Andrei Bely’s experimental novel Petersburg (the failed revolution of 1905), Isaac Babel’s story cycle Red Cavalry (the civil war that followed the Bolshevik takeover in 1917) and Mikhail Bulgakov’s phantasmagorical masterpiece The Master and Margarita (the “cultural revolution” of 1929-32 and the rise of Stalinist society). Reshaped by the crises that they confronted in their works, these Russian writers reached beyond literature—to the images, sounds and ideas of their Russian and European contemporaries—to reimagine the place of artistic innovation and esthetic tradition in times of trouble, and so revolutionized the very idea of what literature can do in negotiating the relationship between text and experience. All readings and discussion in English. No familiarity with Russian history or culture is assumed.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Wolfson.

217. Strange Russian Writers: Gogol, Dostoevsky, Bulgakov, Nabokov, et al. A course that examines the stories and novels of rebels, deviants, dissidents, loners, and losers in some of the weirdest fictions in Russian literature. The writers, most of whom imagine themselves to be every bit as bizarre as their heroes, include from the nineteenth century: Gogol (“Viy,” “Diary of a Madman,” “Ivan Shponka and His Aunt,” “The Nose,” “The Overcoat”); Dostoevsky (“The Double,” “A Gentle Creature,” “Bobok,” “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man”); Tolstoy (“The Kreutzer Sonata,” “Father Sergius”), and from the twentieth century: Olesha (Envy); Platonov (The Foundation Pit); Kharms’ (Stories); Bulgakov (The Master and Margarita); Nabokov (The Eye, Despair); Erofeev (Moscow Circles); Pelevin (“The Yellow Arrow”). Our goal will be less to construct a canon of strangeness than to consider closely how estranged women, men, animals, and objects become the center of narrative attention and, in doing so, reflect the writer Tatyana Tolstaya’s claim that “Russia is broader and more diverse, stranger and more contradictory than any idea of it. It resists all theories about what makes it tick, confounds all the paths to its possible transformation.” All readings in English translation.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Rabinowitz.

225. Seminar on One Writer: Vladimir Nabokov. An attentive reading of works spanning Nabokov’s entire career, both as a Russian and English (or “Amero-Russian”) author, including autobiographical and critical writings, as well as his fiction and poetry. Special attention will be given to Nabokov’s lifelong meditation on the elusiveness of experienced time and on writing’s role as a supplement to loss and absence. Students will be encouraged to compare Nabokov’s many dramatizations of “invented worlds” and to consider them along with other Russian and Western texts, fictional and philosophical, that explore the mind’s defenses against exile and separation. All readings in English translation, with special assignments for those able to read Russian. Two meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15.

227. Fyodor Dostoevsky. Among the many paradoxes Dostoevsky presents is the paradox of his own achievement. Perceived as the most “Russian” of Russian writers, he finds many enthusiastic readers in the West. A nineteenth-century author, urgently engaged in the debates of his time, his work remains relevant today. The most influential theorists of the novel feel called upon to account for the Dostoevsky phenomenon. How can we understand Dostoevsky’s appeal to so many audiences? This broad question will inform our reading of Dostoevsky’s fiction, as we consider its social-critical, metaphysical, psychological, and formal significance. We will begin with several early works (“Notes from Underground,” “The Double”) whose concerns persist and develop in the great novels that are the focus of the course: Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. All readings and discussion in English. Conducted as a seminar. Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Professor Ciepiela.

228. Tolstoy. Count Leo Tolstoy’s life and writings encompass self-contradictions equaled in scale only by the immensity of his talent: the aristocrat who renounced his wealth, the former army officer who preached nonresistance to evil, the father of thirteen children who advocated total chastity within marriage and, of course, the writer of titanic stature who repudiated all he had previously written, including War and Peace and Anna Karenina. We will read these two masterworks in depth, along with other fictional and non-fictional writings (“The History of Yesterday,” Childhood, Strider, Confession, Sebastopol Stories, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, “What Is Art?”), as we explore his abiding search for the meaning of ever-inaccessible “self,” his far-reaching artistic innovations, and his evolving views on history, the family, war, death, religion, art, and education. Conducted in English, all readings in translation, with special assignments for students who read Russian. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. The Department.

229. Chekhov and His Theater. (Offered as RUSS 229 and THDA 229). Anton Chekhov’s reputation rests as much on his dramaturgy as on his fiction. His plays, whose staging by the Moscow Art Theater helped revolutionize Russian and world theater, endure in the modern repertoire. In this course, we will study his dramatic oeuvre in its cultural and historical context, drawing on the biographical and critical literature on Chekhov, printed and visual materials concerning the late nineteenth-century European theater, and the writings of figures like Constantin Stanislavsky, who developed a new acting method in response to Chekhov’s art. We also will examine key moments in the production history of Chekhov’s plays in Russian, English, and American theater and film.

Omitted 2014-15.

232. Russian Lives. This course approaches pre-revolutionary Russian cultural history by attending to how key social actors have been represented. We will study the lives of tsar, saint, aristocrat, peasant, poet, intellectual, revolutionary, merchant and exile as represented in letters, memoirs, fiction, verse, painting and performance. Examples of life-writing will include seventeenth-century archpriest Avvakum’s “autobiography” (the first example of the genre in Russia), revolutionary Alexander Herzen’s My Life and Thoughts (alongside Tom Stoppard’s renovation of his story as a recently staged trilogy of plays, Coast of Utopia), the memoirs of women terrorists, and the testimonial of a nineteenth-century serf. Alongside these we will consider fictional and operatic representations such as Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin, Lermontov’s A Hero of Our Time, Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons, Goncharov’s Oblomov and Glinka’s A Life for the Czar. No acquaintance with Russian language or culture is assumed.

Omitted 2014-15.

234. The Soviet Experience. (Offered as RUSS 234 and FAMS 313.) With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the great utopian experiment of the 20th century—a radical attempt to reorganize society in accordance with rational principles—came to an end. This course explores the dramatic history of that experiment from the perspective of those whose lives were deeply affected by the social upheavals it brought about. We begin by examining the early visions of the new social order and attempts to restructure the living practices of the Soviet citizens by reshaping the concepts of time, space, family, and, ultimately, redefining the meaning of being human. We then look at how “the new human being” of the 1920s is transformed into the “new Soviet person” of the Stalinist society, focusing on the central cultural and ideological myths of Stalinism and their place in everyday life, especially as they relate to the experience of state terror and war. Finally, we investigate the notion of “life after Stalin,” and consider the role of already familiar utopian motifs in the development of post-Stalinist and post-Soviet ways of imagining self, culture, and society. The course uses a variety of materials—from primary documents, public or official (architectural and theatrical designs, political propaganda, transcripts of trials, government meetings, and interrogations) and intimate (diaries and letters), to works of art (novels, films, stage productions, paintings), documentary accounts (on film and in print), and contemporary scholarship (from the fields of literary and cultural studies, history and anthropology). No previous knowledge of Soviet or Russian history or culture is required; course conducted in English, and all readings are in translation. Students who read Russian will be given special assignments.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15.

241. Russian and Soviet Film. (Offered as RUSS 241 and FAMS 321.) Lenin declared “For us, cinema is the most important art,” and the young Bolshevik regime threw its support behind a brilliant group of film pioneers (Eisenstein, Vertov, Kuleshov, Pudovkin, Dovzhenko) who worked out the fundamentals of film language. Under Stalin, historical epics and musical comedies, not unlike those produced in 1930s Hollywood, became the favored genres. The innovative Soviet directors of the 1960s and 1970s (Tarkovsky, Parajanov, Abuladze, Muratova) moved away from politics and even narrative toward “film poetry.” Post-Soviet Russian cinema has struggled to define a new identity, and may finally be succeeding. This course will introduce the student to the great Russian and Soviet film tradition. Conducted in English. Two class meetings and one or two required screenings a week.

Spring semester. Professor Wolfson.

301. Third-Year Russian: Studies in Russian Language and Culture I. This course advances skills in reading, understanding, writing, and speaking Russian, with materials from twentieth-century culture. Readings include fiction by Chekhov, Babel, Olesha, Nabokov, and others. Conducted in Russian, with frequent writing and grammar assignments, in-class presentations, and occasional translation exercises. Two seminar-style meetings and one hour-long discussion section per week.

Requisite: RUSS 202 or consent of instructor. First-year students with strong high school preparation (usually 4 or more years) may be ready for this course. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Wolfson and Senior Lecturer Babyonyshev.

302. Third-Year Russian: Studies in Russian Language and Culture II. We will be reading, in the original Russian, works of fiction, poetry and criticism by nineteenth-century authors such as Pushkin, Tolstoy, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Turgenev and Chekhov. Conducted in Russian, with frequent writing and translation assignments.

Requisite: RUSS 301 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Wolfson, with Senior Lecturer Babyonyshev.

303H. Advanced Conversation and Composition. A half course designed for advanced students of Russian who wish to develop their fluency, pronunciation, oral comprehension, and writing skills. Major attention will be given to reading, discussion and interpretation of current Russian journalistic literature. This course will cover several basic subjects, including the situation of the Russian media, domestic and international politics, culture, and everyday life in Russia. Two hours per week.

Requisite: RUSS 302 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Senior Lecturer Babyonyshev.

304H. Advanced Intermediate Conversation and Composition. A half course designed for intermediate-level students who wish to develop their fluency, pronunciation, oral comprehension, and writing skills. We will study and discuss Russian films of various genres. Two hours per week.

Requisite: RUSS 301 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Senior Lecturer Babyonyshev.

311. Birth of the Avant-Garde: Modern Poetry and Culture in France and Russia, 1870-1930. (Offered as EUST 311, FREN 364, and RUSS 311.) Between the mid-nineteenth century and the mid-twentieth century, poetry was revolutionized both in France and in Russia; nowhere else did the avant-garde proliferate more extravagantly. This class will focus on the key period in the emergence of literary modernity that began with Symbolism and culminated with Surrealism and Constructivism.

With the advent of modernism, the poem became a “global phenomenon” that circulated among different languages and different cultures, part of a process of cross-fertilization. An increasingly hybrid genre, avant-garde poetry went beyond its own boundaries by drawing into itself prose writing, philosophy, music, and the visual and performing arts. The relation between the artistic and the literary avant-garde will be an essential concern.

We will be reading Baudelaire, Rimbaud and the French Symbolists; the Russian Symbolists (Blok, Bely); Nietzsche; Apollinaire, Dada, and the Surrealists (Breton, Eluard, Desnos); and the Russian avant-garde poets (Mayakovsky, Khlebnikov, Tsvetaeva).

Our study of the arts will include Symbolism (Moreau, Redon); Fauvism (Matisse, Derain, Vlaminck); Cubism, Dada, and early Surrealism (Duchamp, Ernst, Dali, Artaud); the “World of Art” movement (Bakst, the Ballets Russes); Primitivism (Goncharova, Larionov); Suprematism (Malevich); and Constructivism (Tatlin, Rodchenko, El Lissitzky). The course will be taught in English. Students who read fluently in French and/or Russian will be encouraged to read the material in the original language.

Omitted 2014-15. Professors Ciepiela and L. Katsaros.

314. Modern Russian Poetry in Translation: Text, Image, Sound. Poetry remains a vital area of creativity in contemporary Russia, extending the achievements of twentieth-century greats like Marina Tsvetaeva, Osip Mandelshtam, Anna Akhmatova, Boris Pasternak and Joseph Brodsky. We will study the efforts of Russian poets over the past one hundred years to invigorate and enrich their poetic languages as they have engaged with other modes of creativity—film, visual art, performance, photography—and changing historical circumstances. A central question we will ask: To what extent are these shifts of form prompted by the search for a social self? By new exposure to international poetry? Alongside the poets’ verse, we will read their critical and autobiographical prose, view their work in other media (Tarkovsky’s film “The Mirror,” performances of Pasternak’s translation of “Hamlet”), and consider their portraiture and mythologies. All readings will be in English translation, and the dynamics of translation will be an ongoing topic of discussion. Assignments will include creative projects and in-class student presentations. Special assignments will be given to students able to read Russian.

Omitted 2014-15.

401. Advanced Studies in Russian Literature and Culture I. The topic changes every year. Taught entirely in Russian. Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Senior Lecturer Babyonyshev.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Meetings to be arranged.

Open to, and required of, seniors writing a thesis. Fall semester. The Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Meetings to be arranged.

Open to, and required of, seniors writing a thesis. Spring semester. The Department.

Related Courses

Personality and International Politics: Gorbachev, the End of the Cold War and the Collapse of the Soviet Union. See POSC 475.

Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies

*On leave 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Barale, Basu‡, Griffiths (Chair), Martin, and Saxton‡; Professor Emerita Olver; Assistant Professors Henderson, Polk, Sadjadi and Shandilya; Lecturer Bergoffen; Visiting Lecturer Bailey.

Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural exploration of sexuality, gender, and their relationship. How are these categories constructed, understood, and reproduced in contemporary and past societies? SWAGS is also an inquiry specifically into women’s material, cultural, and economic productions, their self-descriptions and collective undertakings.

Major Program. Students majoring in Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies are required to take a minimum of nine courses including Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies 100, 200 and 300, and one course in cross-cultural and/or diasporic studies. Students should consult with their advisors to determine which courses fulfill this requirement. The remaining electives may be chosen from Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies offerings or may be selected, in consultation with a student’s advisor, from courses given in other departments (see list of related courses). Other Amherst or Five College courses that address issues of women and/or gender as part of their concern may be counted toward the major only if approved by the Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies department. Senior majors not writing theses will satisfy the requirement for comprehensive assessment of the major by 1) assembling a portfolio consisting of three papers written in courses for the SWAGS major; 2) writing a five-page reflective essay on sexuality, women and gender. The portfolio and its accompanying essay are to be submitted during the first week of April. Instructions will be distributed approximately two weeks before the due date.

Department Honors Program. In addition to the courses required for the major, students accepted as honors candidates will elect either Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies 498D and 499 or 498 and 499D, depending on which option better accommodates the disciplines in the thesis project. The D designation indicates that a course offers double credit.

100. The Cross-Cultural Construction of Gender. This course introduces students to the issues involved in the social and historical construction of gender and gender roles from a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary perspective. Topics change from year-to-year and have included women and social change; male and female sexualities including homosexualities; the uses and limits of biology in explaining human gender differences; women’s participation in production and reproduction; the relationship among gender, race and class as intertwining oppressions; women, men and globalization; and gender and warfare.

Fall semester. Professors Shandilya and Polk.

105. Women, Gender and Popular Culture. We will examine some of the most challenging issues about women and gender in our contemporary postmodern world, through the lens of popular culture. We will investigate representations of women in popular and material culture in the U.S. through music, television, blogs, fiction, and advertisements. As we interrogate some of the major theories in cultural criticism, we will use our own expertise as consumers of popular culture as an entryway for exploring the diverse roles mass-mediated popular culture plays in our lives. Several questions shape the syllabus and provide a framework for approaching the course materials: How do familiar aspects of popular culture reveal broader cultural concerns about women and gender? In what ways does popular culture blur the boundaries between the highbrow and the lowbrow? What kinds of fears or anxieties about women and gender does popular culture elicit and how do we negotiate those anxieties? Expectations include diligent reading, active participation, one presentation, two exams, and two writing projects.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Henderson.

106. Realism. (Offered as ENGL 112 and SWAG 106.) This course will examine the phenomenon of “realism” in a variety of artistic media. We will study realism in the visual arts, film, television, and literature with a view towards determining the nature of our interest in the representation of “real life” and the ways in which works of art are or are not an accurate reflection of that life. Among the works we may consider are classic English novels (Defoe, Austen, Dickens), European and North and South American short fiction (Gogol, Zola, Chekhov, Henry James, Kafka, Borges, Alice Munro), essays and memoirs (Orwell, Frederick Exley, Mary Karr) and films, both documentary and fiction (Double Indemnity, The Battle of Algiers, Saving Private Ryan). Two themes will attract special attention: the representation of women’s lives and the representation of war. We will address such questions as the following: Is a photograph always more realistic than a painting? In what way can a story about a man who turns into a bug be considered realistic? How real is virtual reality? The course will conclude with an examination of the phenomenon of reality television.

This is an intensive writing course. Frequent short papers will be assigned. Each section limited to 12 students. Preference given to first-year students and to students who have taken a previous intensive writing course and who wish to continue to work to improve their analytic writing. Fall semester: Senior Lecturer Lieber. Spring semester: Professor Barale and Senior Lecturer Lieber.

112. New Women in America. (Offered as ENGL 153 and SWAG 112.) This course will examine the emergence of the “New Woman” as a category of social theory, political action, and literary representation at the turning of the twentieth century. Early readings will trace the origins of the New Woman as a response to nineteenth-century notions of “True Womanhood.” Discussions will situate literary representations of women in larger cultural events taking place during the Progressive Era—debates over suffrage as well as their relationship to issues of citizenship, immigration, Jim Crow segregation, urbanization, and nativism. The course will focus on texts written by a diverse group of women that present multiple and, at times, conflicting images of the New Woman. Close attention will be paid to the manner in which these women writers constructed their fictions, particularly to issues of language, style, and form. Readings will include texts by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, Pauline Hopkins, Anzia Yezierska, and Sui Sin Far.

Preference given to first-year students and sophomores. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Lecturer Bergoffen.

113. Art From the Realm of Dreams. (Offered as ARHA 146, EUST 146, and SWAG 113.) We begin with a long-standing Spanish obsession with dreams, analyzing images and texts by Calderón, Quevedo and Goya. We next will consider a range of dream workers from a range of cultures, centuries, and disciplines—among them Apollinaire, Freud, Breton, Dalí, Carrington, and Kahlo—as well as others working around the globe in our own time.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Staller.

121. LGBT Perspectives in Popular Music. (Offered as MUSI 121 and SWAG 121.) LGBT Perspectives in Popular Music is an introduction to the ways that LGBT people and members of other sexual minorities have participated in popular music as composers, performers, and crucial audiences. In this historical survey of the recorded repertory of (mostly) American popular song, students will acquaint themselves with music in a wide range of vernacular styles and explore the social, political, and aesthetic contexts within which they have appeared. Representative figures in this respect include blues singers like Bessie Smith or Billie Holiday; composers of standards and musicals, such as Cole Porter or Stephen Sondheim; and Post-Stonewall musicians from Alix Dobkin to Rufus Wainwright. The course is designed to be welcoming to non-majors, and knowledge of musical notation and technical vocabulary is not required to enroll.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15.

123. Greek Civilization. (Offered as CLAS 123 and SWAG 123.) We read in English the major authors from Homer in the 8th century BCE to Plato in the 4th century in order to trace the emergence of epic, lyric poetry, tragedy, comedy, history, and philosophy. How did the Greek enlightenment, and through it Western culture, emerge from a few generations of people moving around a rocky archipelago? How did oral and mythological traditions develop into various forms of “rationality”: science, history, and philosophy? What are the implications of male control over public and private life and the written record? What can be inferred about ancient women if they cannot speak for themselves in the texts? Other authors include Sappho, Herodotus, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Thucydides. The course seeks to develop the skills of close reading and persuasive argumentation. Three class hours per week.

Spring semester. Professor Griffiths.

200. Feminist Theory. In this course we will investigate contemporary feminist thought from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. We will focus on key issues in feminist theory, such as the sex/gender debate, sexual desire and the body, the political economy of gender, the creation of the “queer” as subject, and the construction of masculinity, among others. This course aims also to think through the ways in which these concerns intersect with issues of race, class, the environment and the nation. Texts include feminist philosopher Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble, anthropologist Kamala Visweswaran’s Fictions of Feminist Ethnography, and feminist economist Bina Agarwal’s The Structure of Patriarchy.

Spring semester. Professors Sadjadi and Shandilya.

202. Black Women’s Narratives and Counternarratives: Love and the Family. (Offered as SWAG 202 and BLST 242 [US].) Why do love and courtship continue to be central concerns in black women’s literature and contemporary black popular fiction? Are these thematic issues representative of apolitical yearnings or an allegory for political subjectivity? Drawing on a wide range of texts, we will examine the chasm between the “popular” and the literary, as we uncover how representations of love and courtship vary in both genres. Surveying the growing discourse in media outlets such as CNN and the Washington Post regarding the “crisis” of the single black woman, students will analyze the contentious public debates regarding black women and love and connect them to black women’s literature and black feminist literary theory. Authors covered will range from Nella Larsen to Terry McMillan and topics will include gender, race, class, and sexuality.

Limited to 20 students. Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Henderson.

203. Women Writers of Africa and the African Diaspora. (Offered as BLST 203 [D] and SWAG 203.) The term “Women Writers” suggests, and perhaps assumes, a particular category. How useful is this term in describing the writers we tend to include under the frame? And further, how useful are the designations African and African Diaspora? We will begin by critically examining these central questions, and revisit them frequently as we read specific texts and the body of works included in this course. Our readings comprise a range of literary and scholarly works by canonical and more recent female writers from Africa, the Caribbean, and continental America. Framed primarily by Postcolonial Criticism, our explorations will center on how writers treat historical and contemporary issues specifically connected to women’s experiences, as well as other issues, such as globalization, modernity, and sexuality. We will consider the continuities and points of departure between writers, periods, and regions, and explore the significance of the writers’ stylistic choices. Here our emphasis will be on how writers appropriate vernacular and conventional modes of writing.

Spring semester. Visiting Lecturer Bailey.

206. Women and Art in Early Modern Europe. (Offered as ARHA 284, EUST 284, and SWAG 206.) This course will examine the ways in which prevailing ideas about women and gender-shaped visual imagery, and how these images influenced ideas concerning women from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. It will adopt a comparative perspective, both by identifying regional differences among European nations and tracing changes over time. In addition to considering patronage of art by women and works by women artists, we will look at the depiction of women heroes such as Judith; the portrayal of women rulers, including Elizabeth I and Marie de’ Medici; and the imagery of rape. Topics emerging from these categories of art include biological theories about women; humanist defenses of women; the relationship between the exercise of political power and sexuality; differing attitudes toward women in Catholic and Protestant art; and feminine ideals of beauty.

Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Courtright.

207. The Home and the World: Women and Gender in South Asia. (Offered as SWAG 207 and POSC 207.) This course will study South Asian women and gender through key texts in film, literature, history and politics. How did colonialism and nationalism challenge the distinctions between the “home” and the “world” and bring about partitions which splintered once shared cultural practices? What consequences did this have for postcolonial politics? How do ethnic conflicts, religious nationalisms and state repression challenge conceptions of “home”? How have migrations, globalization and diasporas complicated relations between the home and the world? Texts will include Salman Rushdie’s Shalimar the Clown, Ram Gopal Varma’s epic film Sarkar and Partha Chatterjee’s The Nation and Its Fragments.

Omitted 2014-15. Professors Basu and Shandilya.

208. Black Feminist Literary Traditions. (Offered as SWAG 208, BLST 345 [US], and ENGL 276.) Reading the work of black feminist literary theorists and black women writers, we will examine the construction of black female identity in American literature, with a specific focus on how black women writers negotiate race, gender, sexuality, and class in their work. In addition to reading novels, literary criticism, book reviews, and watching documentaries, we will examine the stakes of adaptation and mediation for black female-authored texts. Students will watch and analyze the film and television adaptations of The Color Purple (1985), The Women of Brewster Place (1989), and Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005) as well as examine how Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye (1970) was mediated and interpreted by Oprah Winfrey’s book club and daytime talk show. Authors will include Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Gloria Naylor. Writing Attentive. Expectations include diligent reading, active participation, two writing projects, weekly response papers, a group presentation, and various in-class assignments.

Limited to 20 students. Priority given to those students who attend the first day of the class. Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Henderson.

210. Anthropology of Sexuality. (Offered as SWAG 210 and ANTH 210.) This course draws on anthropological literature to study the socio-cultural making of human sexuality and its variations, including theories of sexuality as a domain of human experience. It seeks to critically examine some of the most intimate and often taken-for-granted aspects of human life and locate sexual acts, desires and relations in particular historical and cultural contexts. The course offers analytical tools to understand and evaluate different methods and approaches to the study of human sexuality. We will examine the relation of sex to kinship/family, to reproduction and to romance. As we read about the bodily experience of sexual pleasure, we will explore how sexual taboos, norms and morality develop in various cultures and why sex acquires explosive political dimensions during certain historical periods. The course will explore the gendered and racial dimensions of human sexual experience in the context of class, nation and empire. How do class divisions produce different sexual culture? What economies of sex are involved in sex work, marriage and immigration? What has been the role of sexuality in projects of nation building and in colonial encounters? When, where and how did sexuality become a matter of identity? In addition to a focus on contemporary ethnographic studies of sexuality in various parts of the world, we will read theoretical and historical texts that have been influential in shaping the anthropological approaches to sexuality. We will also briefly address scientific theories of sexuality. Two meetings per week.

Fall semester. Professor Sadjadi.

212H. Equality and Violence. This Inside/Out course will meet every other week at the Hampshire County Jail, and students will read scholars, legal experts, feminists, and political and religious leaders on how the genders are and are not equal and how these findings relate to issues of sexual assault, domestic violence, and similar topics. Inside and outside students will pursue and refine themes from their research through interviews with one another and in individual essays. They will produce a presentation, probably in the form of debates and/or discussions for an audience of incarcerated prisoners and interested Amherst students. Students will also produce a program containing essays that enlarge on their debates/discussions. The course will be conducted on the Inside/Out model, and, given the sensitive nature of some of the topics, authorities from the Jail will collaborate with us about the nature of the research and format and timing of the panels, and we will consult with the College’s experts on these matters. The course meets every other week for 150 minutes at the Hampshire County Jail.

Limited to 13 students. Interview with the instructor prior to admission is required. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Saxton and Visiting Artist-In-Residence Ewald.

228. Feminist Performance. (Offered as THDA 228 and SWAG 228.) The Women’s Liberation Movement dramatically affected the American social and intellectual climate of the 1970s. In art, as in education, medicine, and politics, women sought equality and economic parity as they actively fought against the mainstream values that had been used to exclude them. Performance art proved to be an ideal match for the feminist agenda—it was personal, immediate, and highly effective in communicating an alternate view of power in the world. Artists explored autobiography, the female body, myth, and politics, and played a crucial role in developing and expanding the very nature of performance, consciously uniting the agendas of social politics with art. This class will take us from Yoko Ono’s performances of “Cut Piece” and the Judson Dance Theater’s proto-feminist experiments of the 1960s to the radical guerilla-style performances of the 1970s and beyond, where the body was the contested site for debates about the nature of gender, ethnicity and sexuality. We will be looking at works that were not polite demands for legislative change, but raw and sloppy theatrical displays and ecstatic bonding experiences that managed to be at once satirical and celebratory, alienating and illuminating.

Omitted 2014-15.

232. Strange Girls: Spanish Women’s Voices. (Offered as SPAN 232 and SWAG 232) Although at times derided as abnormal “chicas raras,” Spanish women have carved out a particular niche in the history of Spanish literature. These novelists, poets, essayists and short story authors have distinguished themselves by tackling issues of sexuality, subjectivity, isolation, sexism and feminism head-on. But how do we define an escritura femenina in Spain and what, if anything, differentiates it as a gendered space from canonical “masculine” writing? This course examines the social, historical and cultural transformations women have undergone in Spain from the end of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century. We will explore a variety of texts and literary genres by authors such as Rosalia de Castro, Carmen Laforet, Carmen Martín Gaite, Ana Rosetti and Dulce Chacón. In addition, students will create their own canon by becoming the editors of an Anthology of Spanish Women’s Writing. This course is conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brenneis.

237. Gender and Work. (Offered as SOCI 237 and SWAG 237.) How has the rise of working women complicated modern workplaces and the idea of work? One challenge is how to value women’s work fairly. One index of this challenge is that in workplaces across the world, women earn significantly less than men and are underrepresented in high status positions. What explains such gender gaps in the workplace? Taking an empirical, social-science perspective, this course will discuss three main aspects of gender and work. First, we will cover major theories of gender inequality, such as psychological stereotyping, social exclusion, structural barriers, and gendered socialization. Second, in learning about the sociological mechanisms of inequality in the workplace, we will expand our discussion to women’s work in the family and examine how the conflicts individuals face when trying to have both career and family influence women’s lives. Finally, we will discuss the mixed results of public policies proposed to reduce gender inequality and work-family incompatibilities and the possible reasons for those mixed results.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Mun.

239. Women in Judaism. (Offered as RELI 261 and SWAG 239.) A study of the portrayal of women in Jewish tradition. Readings will include biblical and apocryphal texts; Rabbinic legal (halakic) and non-legal (aggadic) material; selections from medieval commentaries; letters, diaries, and autobiographies written by Jewish women of various periods and settings; and works of fiction and non-fiction concerning the woman in modern Judaism. Employing an inter-disciplinary and cross-cultural approach, we will examine not only the actual roles played by women in particular historical periods and cultural contexts, but also the roles they assume in traditional literary patterns and religious symbol systems. This discussion course requires participants to prepare a series of closely argued essays related to assigned readings and films.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Niditch.

241. Fact or Fiction: Representations of Latina and Latin American Women in Film. (Offered as SPAN 240 and SWAG 241) From La Malinche (sixteenth century) to J. Lo, Latin American and Latina women have been sexualized, demonized, objectified, and even erased by narrative and visual representations. Lately, feminist texts have interrogated and challenged sexist and stereotypical master narratives; yet, a tension remains that repeatedly places women of color on a complex stage. Throughout this course, we will think critically about representations of women in Latin America and the U.S. Through select examples of major screen stars from Hollywood and Latin America, we will engage a politically informed historical analysis of the way Latino/a images have been constructed. Our study will begin with black and white films from the 1930s, depicting the role of the United States government and the needs of Latin American politics in the construction of Latina identity. We will then examine the intersections between literature, film, and history, studying, for example, the role of the Good Neighbor Policy in effecting the construction of Latin American images via a Hollywood lens. This is a bilingual class. Much of Latino/a literature is available in English only. However, our discussions and written assignments will be in Spanish. We will produce advanced-level writing assignments.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Suárez.

245. Latina Stories: Making Waves in the USA. (Offered as SPAN 345 [RC] and SWAG 245.) When political movements advocating for civil and human rights took full force in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, women from different Latin American and Caribbean origins discovered they could enter the national imagination through their writing and thereby defy historical erasure. In the last 50 years, the political literary production of Latina women has been vertiginous, important, and consistently understudied within the academy. Within a socio-historical context, we will study the making of Latina identities, the myths of unity in this label, and the distinctive nature of Latina stories from different countries and from different economic backgrounds. What is the role of Latina voices in the arduous and slow processes of nation building, democracy, and diversity formation? How have Latina lives and stories re-shaped concepts of community, introduced activism for LGBT rights, changed the parameters by which motherhood, race, and ethnicity are understood? How have Latinas tackled issues of domestic violence and rape? How has their work transformed national and transnational meta-narratives of citizenship? We will read manifestos, poetry, and fiction to understand this complex and critical condition. Conducted in Spanish. Readings will be in both Spanish and English, and all writing is due in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212 or with permission of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Suárez.

252. Women’s History, America: 1607-1865. (Offered as HIST 252 [USP] and SWAG 252.) This course looks at the experiences of Native American, European and African women from the colonial period through the Civil War. The course will explore economic change over time and its impact on women, family structure, and work. It will also consider varieties of Christianity, the First and Second Awakenings and their consequences for various groups of women. Through secondary and primary sources and discussions students will look at changing educational and cultural opportunities for some women, the forces creating antebellum reform movements, especially abolition and feminism, and women’s participation in the Civil War. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Saxton.

253. Women’s History, America: 1865 to Present. (Offered as HIST 253 [US] and SWAG 253.) This course begins with an examination of the experience of women from different racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds during Reconstruction. It will look at changes in family life as a result of increasing industrialization and the westward movement of settler families, and will also look at the settlers’ impact on Native American women and families. Topics will include the work and familial experiences of immigrant women (including Irish, Polish, and Italian), women’s reform movements (particularly suffrage, temperance, and anti-lynching), the expansion of educational opportunities, and the origins and programs of the Progressives. The course will examine the agitation for suffrage and the subsequent splits among feminists, women’s experiences in the labor force, and participation in the world wars. Finally, we will look at the origins of the Second Wave and its struggles to transcend its white middle-class origins, the challenges working mothers face in contemporary society, and women’s experience with the criminal justice system. Two class meetings per week.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Saxton.

271. Reading Popular Culture: Girl Power. (Offered as ENGL 271, BLST 332 [US], FAMS 374, and SWAG 271.) Girl Power is the pop-culture term for what some commentators have also dubbed “postfeminism.” The 1990s saw a dramatic transformation in cultural representations of women’s relationships to their own sense of power. But did this still rising phenomenon of “women who kick ass” come at a cost? Might such representations signify genuine reassessments of some of the intersections between gender, power, and the individual? Or are they, at best, superficial appropriations of what had otherwise been historically construed as male power? With such questions in mind, this class will teach students to use theoretical and primary texts to research, assess, and critique contemporary popular culture. Each student will also be trained to produce a critical multimedia project. One class meeting per week, which includes a 135-minute seminar and a 60-minute workshop and lab.

Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor. Limited to 30 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Parham.

300. Ideas and Methods in the Study of Gender. This seminar will explore the influence of gender studies and of feminism on our research questions, methods and the way we situate ourselves in relationship to our scholarship. For example, how can we employ ethnography, textual analysis, empirical data and archival sources in studying the complex ties between the local and the global, and the national and the transnational? Which ideas and methods are best suited to analyzing the varied forms of women’s resistance across ideological, class, racial and national differences? Our major goal will be to foster students’ critical skills as inter-disciplinary, cross cultural writers and researchers. This course counts as a proseminar designed for juniors and seniors in SWAG.

Requisite: SWAG 100 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 20 students. Not open to first-year students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Basu.

310. Witches, Vampires and Other Monsters. (Offered as ARHA 385, EUST 385, and SWAG 310.) This course will explore the construction of the monstrous, over cultures, centuries and disciplines. With the greatest possible historical and cultural specificity, we will investigate the varied forms of monstrous creatures, their putative powers, and the explanations given for their existence-as we attempt to articulate the kindred qualities they share. Among the artists to be considered are Valdés Leal, Velázquez, Goya, Munch, Ensor, Redon, Nolde, Picasso, Dalí, Kiki Smith, and Cindy Sherman. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Staller.

312. Queer Geographies. (Offered as SWAG 312 and ENGL 370.) This course will critically examine multiple works by three writers: Sarah Orne Jewett, Willa Cather, and Carson McCullers. As American regional writers—Jewett, Maine; Cather, the West; McCullers, the South—all three concern themselves with insiders and outsiders, with foreigners, neighbors, strangers, and natives. When these deeply national, and often highly racial or ethnic, distinctions begin to also make sense as sexual and gender categories, the textual layering of the narratives becomes perplexing. This course will require three short papers and one lengthy one.

Requisite: One SWAG and/or English course. Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Barale.

328. Science and Sexuality. This seminar explores the role of science in the understanding and making of human sexuality. The notion of “sexuality”—its emergence and its recent history—has an intimate relation to biology, medicine and psychology. In this course we explore the historical emergence of the scientific model of sexuality and the challenges to this model posed from other worldviews and social forces, mainly religion, social sciences, and political movements. We examine how sex has intersected with race and nationality in the medical model (for instance, in the notion of degeneration), and we look closely at the conceptualization of feminine and masculine sexual difference. We briefly address studies of animal models for human sexuality, and we examine in more depth case histories of “perversion,” venereal disease, orgasm and sex hormones. We also compare contemporary biological explanations of sexuality with the nineteenth-century ones, for instance, the notion of the “gay gene” as compared to the hereditary model of “sexual inversion.” Course readings include historical and contemporary sexological and biological texts (Darwin, Freud, Kinsey, etc.), their critiques, and contemporary literature in science studies, including feminist and queer studies of science. This seminar requires active participation, reading an array of diverse and interdisciplinary texts and preparing research-based papers and presentations.

Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Sadjadi.

329. Bad Black Women. (Offered as SWAG 329 and BLST 377 [US].) History has long valorized passive, obedient, and long-suffering black women alongside aggressive and outspoken black male leaders and activists. This course provides an alternative narrative to this misrepresentation, as we will explore how “bad” is defined by one’s race, gender, class, and sexuality as well as how black women have transgressed the boundaries of what it means to be “good” in U.S. society. We will use an interdisciplinary perspective to examine why black women have used covert and explicit maneuvers to challenge the stereotypical “respectable” or “good” black woman and the various risks and rewards they incur for their “deviance.” In addition to analyzing black women’s literature, we will study black women’s political activism, prostitution, and rising incarceration as well as black women’s nonconformity in art, poetry, music, dance, and film. Students should be aware that part of this course is “immersive” and consequently, students will be asked to participate in a master class that will provide a space for students to learn and explore how dance has been historically used to defy race, class, and gender norms. Authors, scholars, political activists, and artists include Ida B. Wells, Toni Morrison, Anita Hill, Sapphire, Beth Ritchie, Dorothy West, Lorna Simpson, Donna Kate Rushin, Billie Holiday, and Beyoncé among many others. Writing Attentive. Expectations include diligent reading, active participation, master dance class, writing projects, weekly critical response papers, a group presentation, and various in-class assignments.

Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor. Priority given to students who attend the first day of class. Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Henderson.

330. Black Sexualities. (Offered as BLST 236 [US] and SWAG 330) From the modern era to the contemporary moment, the intersection of race, gender, and class has been especially salient for people of African descent—for men as well as for women. How might the category of sexuality act as an additional optic through which to view and reframe contemporary and historical debates concerning the construction of black identity? In what ways have traditional understandings of masculinity and femininity contributed to an understanding of African American life and culture as invariably heterosexual? How have black lesbian, gay, and transgendered persons effected political change through their theoretical articulations of identity, difference, and power? In this interdisciplinary course, we will address these questions through an examination of the complex roles gender and sexuality play in the lives of people of African descent. Remaining attentive to the ways black people have claimed social and sexual agency in spite of systemic modes of inequality, we will engage with critical race theory, black feminist thought, queer-of-color critique, literature, art, film, “new media” and erotica, as well as scholarship from anthropology, sociology, and history.

Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Polk.

347. Race, Sex, and Gender in the U.S. Military. (Offered as BLST 347 [US] and SWAG 347.) From the aftermath of the Civil War to today’s “global war on terror,” the U.S. military has functioned as a vital arbiter of the overlapping taxonomies of race, gender, and sexuality in America and around the world. This course examines the global trek of American militarism through times of war and peace in the twentieth century. In a variety of texts and contexts, we will investigate how the U.S. military’s production of new ideas about race and racialization, masculinity and femininity, and sexuality and citizenship impacted the lives of soldiers and civilians, men and women, at “home” and abroad. Our interdisciplinary focus will allow us to study the multiple intersections of difference within the military, enabling us to address a number of topics, including: How have African American soldiers functioned as both subjects and agents of American militarism? What role has the U.S. military played in the creation of contemporary gay and lesbian subjectivity? Is military sexual assault a contemporary phenomenon or can it be traced to longer practices of sexual exploitation occurring on or around U.S. bases globally?

Limited to 25 students. Spring semester. Professor Polk.

352. Proseminar: Images of Sickness and Healing. (Offered as ARHA 352, EUST 352 and SWAG 352.) In this research seminar, we will explore how sickness and healing were understood, taking examples over centuries. We will analyze attitudes toward bodies, sexuality, and deviance—toward physical and spiritual suffering—as we analyze dreams of cures and transcendence. We will interrogate works by artists such as Grünewald, Goya, Géricault, Munch, Ensor, Van Gogh, Schiele, Cornell and Picasso, as well as images by artists in our own time: Kiki Smith, the AIDS quilt, Nicolas Nixon, Hannah Wilke, and others. Texts by Edgar Allen Poe, Sander Gilman, Roy Porter, Susan Sontag, Thomas Laquer and Caroline Walker Bynum will inspire us as well. Significant research projects with presentations in class. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Staller.

354. Antebellum Culture: North and South. (Offered as HIST 454 [US] and SWAG 354.) This research seminar will be focused on the development of family life and law, religion, and literature in the pre-Civil War North and South. Students will read material on childrearing practices and the production of gender; conventions of romantic love; the customs and legalities of marriage, parenthood, and divorce; social and geographic mobility; the emergence of the novel, magazines and newspapers; and the role and shape of violence in the North and South. We will discuss contrasts in these developments, many resulting from the strengthening southern commitment to race-based slavery. We will look at these trends through the growth of a national, white Protestant middle class and at the ways in which members of other groups adopted, rejected, or created alternatives to them. Readings will include secondary and primary sources including memoirs, novels, short stories, essays and diary entries. Students will write one twenty-page essay based on original research.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Saxton.

362. Women in the Middle East. (Offered as HIST 397 [ME], ASLC 363 [WA], and SWAG 362.) The course examines the major developments, themes and issues in woman’s history in the Middle East. The first segment of the course concerns the early Islamic period and discusses the impact of the Quran on the status of women, the development of Islamic religious traditions and Islamic law. Questions concerning the historiography of this “formative” period of Islamic history, as well as hermeneutics of the Quran will be the focus of this segment. The second segment of the course concerns the 19th- and 20th-century Middle East. We will investigate the emergence and development of the “woman question,” the role of gender in the construction of Middle Eastern nationalisms, women’s political participation, and the debates concerning the connections between women, gender, and religious and cultural traditions. The third segment of the course concerns the contemporary Middle East, and investigates new developments and emerging trends of women’s political, social and religious activism in different countries. The course will provide a familiarity with the major primary texts concerning women and the study of women in the Middle East, as well as with the debates concerning the interpretation of texts, law, religion, and history in the shaping of women’s status and concerns in the Middle East today. This class is conducted as a seminar. Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Ringer.

367. After Midnight’s Children: Gender, Genre and the Contemporary South Asian Novel. The publication of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children in 1981 produced a radical change in the way that gender and genre were tackled in the South Asian novel. Writers in the post-Rushdie era experimented with genres such as magical realism, the postcolonial science fiction thriller and the postmodern spy novel to re-imagine the nation’s construction of gendered subjects. This course looks at the intersection of gender and genre in the work of Rushdie himself, namely his Midnight’s Children and The Moor’s Last Sigh among others, as well as Amitav Ghosh’s The Shadow Lines and Calcutta Chromosome, and Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games, Red Earth and Pouring Rain. Through a close reading of the fiction of these writers, literary theory on genre and gender, as well as feminist theory we will examine a range of topics such as the mapping of woman onto nation, the transgendered cyborg body as citizen of the nation and the production of masculinity through state-sponsored violence among others.

Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Shandilya.

374. To Sculpt a Modern Woman’s Life. (Offered as ARHA 374, EUST 384, and SWAG 374.) We will revel in dramatically different works by women artists, from Magdalena Abakanowicz, Lynda Benglis and Louise Bourgeois, to Eva Hesse, Jeanne-Claude, Jenny Holzer, Rona Pondick, Doris Salcedo, Kiki Smith and Rachel Whiteread on down, as we explore how they created themselves through their work. As a foil, we will analyze the invented personas of Sarah Bernhardt and Madonna, as well as images of women by Renoir, Cézanne, Picasso, Magritte, de Kooning, Woody Allen, and Saura. While we will focus on original objects and primary texts (such as artists’ letters or interviews), we will also critique essays by current feminist scholars and by practitioners of “the new cultural his-tory,” in order to investigate possible models for understanding the relationship between a woman and her modern culture at large. Assignments will include a substantial research paper and at least one field trip.

Requisite: One course in modern art or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Staller.

410. Gender and HIV/AIDS. This seminar explores the gender dimension of the HIV epidemic in the U.S. and globally, and the role of socio-economic, political and biological factors in the shaping of the epidemic. This course encourages students to think about AIDS and other diseases politically, while remaining attentive to their bodily and social effects. We will engage with AIDS on various scales, from the virus and T cells to the transnational pharmaceutical industry, and from intimate sexual relations to the political economies of health care. We will consider the processes by which some groups of people become more vulnerable to the epidemic than others and we will read about the power dynamics involved in negotiations over condom use. Global processes that guide our investigation include the feminization of poverty, the neoliberal economic restructuring of health systems and the politics of scientific and medical research on AIDS. In addition, the course examines the role of social movements in responding to the epidemic.

Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Sadjadi.

467. Social Movements, Civil Society and Democracy in India. (Offered as POSC 467 [SC] and SWAG 467) The goal of this seminar is illuminate the complex character of social movements and civil society organizations and their vital influence on Indian democracy. Social movements have strengthened democratic processes by forming or allying with political parties and thereby contributed to the growth of a multi-party system. They have increased the political power of previously marginalized and underprivileged groups and pressured the state to address social inequalities. However conservative religious movements and civil society organizations have threatened minority rights and undermined secular, democratic principles. During the semester, we will interact through internet technology with students, scholars and community organizers in India. This seminar counts as an advanced seminar in Political Science.

Requisite: Prior course work in Political Science. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Basu.

469. South Asian Feminist Cinema. (Offered as SWAG 469, ASLC 452 [SA], and FAMS 322.) How do we define the word “feminism”? Can the term be used to define cinematic texts outside the Euro-American world? In this course we will study a range of issues that have been integral to feminist theory—the body, domesticity, same sex desire, gendered constructions of the nation, feminist utopias and dystopias—through a range of South Asian cinematic texts. Through our viewings and readings we will consider whether the term “feminist” can be applied to these texts, and we will experiment with new theoretical lenses for exploring these films. Films will range from Satyajit Ray’s classic masterpiece Charulata to Gurinder Chadha’s trendy diasporic film, Bend It Like Beckham. Attendance for screenings on Monday is compulsory.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Shandilya.

471. Corporeal States: Body, Nation, Text in Modern African Literature. (Offered as ENGL 471, BLST 412 [A], and SWAG 471.) How do literary texts transmute human bodies into subjects—gendered subjects, colonial subjects, disabled subjects, terrorists, cultural icons, cyborgs? And what happens when we use ideas about the body to represent the body politic? In this course we will examine how modern African writers utilize a variety of genres, including ethnographic writing, Kung Fu movies, pornography, traditional epic, and graffiti, to challenge our notions of what counts as a body, as a nation, or as a text. Alongside novels by established writers, we will consider recent books and digital creations by Chimamanda Adichie, Chris Abani, Teju Cole, Zakes Mda, Werewere Liking, and Taiye Selasi.

Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Cobham-Sander.

483. Feminism and Film: A Study of Practice and Theory. (Offered as ENGL 483, FAMS 426, and SWAG 483.) This seminar will be devoted to the study of feminism and film, considering the ways feminism has shaped both film theory and film practice. Though focusing in large part on post-1968 writings, which largely ushered in semiotic, psychoanalytic, and feminist theory to film studies, we will also consider early writings by women from the 1910s-1950s in a range of venues—from fan magazines to film journals—that developed points of view regarding women’s practices as both artists and audience members. We will also consider a range of films, from Hollywood melodrama (also known as “the women’s picture”) of the 1940s to contemporary action films, and from avant-garde feminist works to current independent and international films directed by women. Informed by feminist film theorist Claire Johnston, we will explore how and when “women’s cinema”—whether theory or practice—constitutes or shapes “counter-cinema.” One three-hour class meeting per week.

Requisite: As an advanced seminar in film theory, some previous work with film and media studies is required. Open to juniors and seniors. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Hastie.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Courses.

Fall and spring semester.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. Open to senior majors in Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies who have received departmental approval.

Fall semester.

498D. Senior Departmental Honors. Double course. Open to senior majors in Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies who have received departmental approval.

Fall semester.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. Open to senior majors in Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies who have received departmental approval.

Spring semester.

499D. Senior Departmental Honors. Double course. Open to senior majors in Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies who have received departmental approval.

Spring semester.

Related Courses

Gender: An Anthropological Perspective. See ANTH 335.

Evaluating Social Policy. See ECON 416.

Sexuality and History in the Contemporary Novel. See ENGL 314.

Women of Ill Repute: Prostitutes in Nineteenth-Century French Literature. See FREN 342.

Strange Girls: Spanish Women’s Voices. See SPAN 232.

Spanish

*On leave 2014-15. ‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Maraniss and Stavans; Associate Professor Suárez; Associate Professor Brenneis*; Assistant Professor Infante; Visiting Assistant Professor Rodriguez-Solas; Senior Lecturer Maillo‡; Lecturers Barrios-Beltran, Bel López and Granda.

The objective of the major is to learn about Hispanic cultures directly through the Spanish language and principally by way of their literature and other artistic expressions. We study literature and a variety of cultural manifestations from a modern critical perspective, without isolating them from their context. Courses are categorized according to level of difficulty and focus:

A. Language Courses

B. Panoramic Introductions

C. Nation-Specific Studies

D. Courses Specialized by Author and Text

E. Thematic Analyses

To give students a better idea of the development of the Hispanic world throughout the centuries, we expect majors to select courses on the literature and cultures of Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Latinos in the United States. Fluent and correct use of the language is essential to the successful completion of the major. Most courses are taught in Spanish. The Department urges majors to spend a semester or a year studying in a Spanish-speaking country.

Major Program. The Department of Spanish expects its majors to be fluent in Spanish and to have a broad and diverse experience in the literatures and cultures of Spanish-speaking peoples. To this end, continuous training in the use of the language and travel abroad will be emphasized.

The following requirements for a major in Spanish (both rite and with Departmental Honors) will apply. The major will consist of a minimum of nine courses in the literatures and cultures of Spanish-speaking peoples. Up to three courses in the SPAN 130-212 range and all upper-division courses (above SPAN 212) may be counted toward the major. Five of the nine courses must be taken from the Spanish Department offerings at Amherst College. Please note: Once enrolled in culture courses (courses numbered 211 and above), students may not go back to take a language course and receive credit toward the Spanish major. During sophomore or junior year, majors are required to enroll in an Amherst College Spanish course that stresses the use of critical research tools. Courses designed to fulfill this requirement are marked “RC” for Research Course in the course description.

Courses enrolled abroad or outside the Department will require departmental approval. Three courses taken abroad and taught in Spanish may be counted toward the major; one of these courses must focus on literature. Please consult the Study Abroad page on the Spanish Department website for further details. The Department highly recommends that students returning from studying abroad elect from among Nation-Specific, Author and Text-Specialized and Thematic Analyses courses (SPAN 300 and above) as they complete the major requirements in their final semesters.

Only one pass/fail course will count toward the major. Note: Beginning with the class of 2015 no Pass/Fail course may be counted toward the major.

Up to two courses offered by the Spanish Department and taught in English may be counted toward the major. Note: Beginning with the class of 2014 only one course offered by the Spanish Department which is taught in English may be counted toward the major.

Only one Special Topics course will count toward the Spanish major. Special topics courses can be taken by seniors who are interested in pursuing a subject matter that is a particular faculty’s specialty, has not been offered by the Department, nor is available through the Five-Colleges. The student must have a well-defined idea of the topic and a clear and convincing reason for his/her education to take the course. Special Topic course enrollments are limited to two students.

Comprehensive Exam. Spanish Majors will be required to take a written comprehensive exam, to be offered during the month of March of the senior year. The exam is as follows: Students will find a list of foundational texts on the Department web page organized according to geographical areas: Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean, and U.S. Latinos. By October 15 seniors must notify the Department of their selection of a total of twelve works, four per geographical area. In order to understand these works in context, students are responsible for finding secondary sources as well as engaging in conversation with their advisors and other members of the faculty. In March students will receive three individualized questions about the works they have chosen, their significance and interconnections—historical, cultural, and aesthetic. The goal of the exam is to assess the student’s broad knowledge of Hispanic civilization in all its manifestations by analyzing texts in light of their content and historical moment. Students are expected to write detailed, nuanced essays in Spanish in which complex ideas are made clear. Concepts and categories should be defined and the language should be polished and sophisticated. Seniors will have one week to complete this exam, the exact time and dates of which are determined each year by the Department. Each answer must be written in Spanish, with a length of no more than three typed pages, for a total of nine pages. Tenured and tenure-track professors in the Department will evaluate the exam. Students will be notified whether they passed or failed no later than two weeks after the exam is submitted. If all or parts of the exam are deemed unacceptable, majors will be given an opportunity to rewrite the exam. If the rewrite is unacceptable, the student will not be granted the Spanish major.

Departmental Honors Program. In addition to the major program described above, a candidate for Departmental Honors must present a thesis and sustain an oral examination upon completion of the thesis. Candidates will normally elect SPAN 498 and 499 during fall and spring semesters of their senior year.

Combined Majors. Both rite and Departmental Honors majors may be taken in combination with other fields, e.g., Spanish and French, Spanish and Religion, Spanish and Art and the History of Art. Plans for such combined majors must be approved in advance by representatives of the departments concerned.

Interdisciplinary Majors. Interdisciplinary majors are established through the Committee on Academic Standing and Special Majors, with the endorsement and cooperation of the Department or with the approval of individual members of the Department.

Study Abroad. Students majoring in Spanish are encouraged and expected to spend a summer, a semester, or a year studying in Spain or Latin America. Plans for study abroad must be approved in advance by the Department. Please see the Spanish Department website for further information.

Placement in Spanish language courses. See individual course descriptions for placement indicators.

110. Spanish I. SPAN 110 is an introduction to Spanish and Spanish-American cultures. This course is recommended for students who have either no previous training in Spanish or no more than two years of high school Spanish. It gives the student a basic understanding of and ability to use the language. Grammar is used as a point of departure for development of oral and written skills.

This course strives to teach students to understand sentences and common expressions and to communicate in simple terms simple aspects of their background (e.g., very basic personal and family information), the immediate environment (shopping, local geography, employment), and matters of immediate need. Three hours per week with the lecturer, plus two hours with a language assistant. For students without previous training in Spanish. This course prepares students for SPAN 120.

Limited to 15 students per section. Fall and spring semesters. Lecturers Barrios-Beltrán and Assistants.

120. Spanish II. SPAN 120 is an intermediate-level Spanish course. It is recommended for students who have had the equivalent of three-to-four years of high school Spanish. This course seeks to expand Spanish language skills with exercises in conversation, oral comprehension and composition, based on cultural readings.

This course teaches students to understand key conversation points at work, school, and beyond; how to deal with situations that may arise while traveling in a Spanish-speaking country; and how to compose simple, connected texts regarding personal matters and typical, familiar topics. Students will learn how to describe experiences, events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and explain the rationale behind their opinions and future plans. The class will be conducted entirely in Spanish. Three hours a week with the lecturer, plus one hour with the language assistant. The Intermediate Spanish curriculum is divided into two semesters; students who take SPAN 120 in the fall are expected to continue their studies during the spring semester with SPAN 125.

Requisite: SPAN 110, Spanish Placement Test permission, or consent of the Language Coordinator. Limited to 15 students per section. Priority will be given to underclassmen. Fall semester: Lecturer Bel, Lecturer Granda and Assistants. Spring semester: Lecturer Barrios-Beltrán, Lecturer Bel and Assistants

125. Spanish III. SPAN 125 is a continuation of SPAN 120. 120 and 125 are a two-semester sequence. Students who take SPAN 120 will need to complete SPAN 125 before moving on to SPAN 130. This course will expand Spanish language skills with exercises in conversation, oral comprehension and composition, based on cultural readings.

Students will gain command of expressing plans, doubts, and probability, and feelings (wishes, happiness, anger, surprise, fear, etc.). Reciprocal verbs, various subjunctive phrases using quizás, tal vez, probablemente, ojalá, etc., as well as subjunctive formations using subordinate noun clauses will be introduced. Finally, students will begin to learn how to express and justify their opinions and to argue them appropriately. This course focuses on the development of oral fluency and vocabulary. The class will be conducted entirely in Spanish. Three hours a week with the lecturer, plus one hour with the language assistant. This course prepares students for SPAN 130.

Requisite: SPAN 120, Spanish Placement Test permission, or consent of the Language Coordinator. Limited to 15 students per section. Priority will be given to underclassmen. Fall and spring semesters. Lecturer Bel and Assistants.

130. Spanish IV. While expanding on the grammar essentials covered in SPAN 125, this course helps the student further develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in Spanish. It is directed toward students who already have a good linguistic-communicative competency, broadening their contact with different kinds of texts, deepening their grammatical understanding, and enabling them to communicate through a variety of forms and registers. Upon completing the course, students should be able to make themselves understood with accuracy and fluency and participate easily in a wide range of formal and informal communicative situations. An array of literary texts and films not ordinarily considered in language classes will be used. Three hours a week with the lecturer plus one hour with the language assistant. Conducted entirely in Spanish. Prepares students for SPAN 199. This course counts for the major.

Requisite: SPAN 120, Spanish Placement Test or with permission of Language Coordinator. Limited to 15 students per section. Fall semester: Senior Lecturer Maillo and Assistants. Spring semester: Lecturer Granda and Assistants.

135. Spanish Conversation. This course emphasizes fluency speaking and is designed to provide students the opportunity to practice the language through discussion of selected texts and topics of interest. SPAN 135 prepares students to express opinions, ideas, points of view and critiques on debates, readings and films. With this goal in mind, this course will also provide exposure to other language skills important to the development of fluency in speaking Spanish. The course will meet for three hours per week with the lecturer and one hour with the language assistant. This course counts for the major.

Requisite: SPAN 130, Spanish Placement Test or with permission of Language Coordinator. Omitted 2014-15.

140. Spanish for Heritage Speakers. This course is designed specifically for native or heritage speakers of Spanish with oral proficiency but little or no formal training in the language. Generally, these are learners who were raised in homes where Spanish was spoken. The course is designed to build on the language base students already possess. Spanish-speaking students are not viewed as using an “improper” form of Spanish that is incorrect or needs to be eliminated. Rather, their language is viewed as an extremely valid means of oral communication. The primary purpose of this course is to develop reading and writing skills, although all of four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) are emphasized via cultural and community activities.

Limited to 15 students. Fall and spring semesters. Lecturer Barrios-Beltrán.

199. Spanish Writing Workshop. In this course students will learn how to approach writing as a process. The emphasis is on writing as a communicative act rather than as a mere language exercise. As such, emphasis is given to the interaction between the author and the text, the target audience, and the purpose and message of the final product. In order to develop the necessary skills that good writers should have, the course will focus on expanding vocabulary, exploring rhetorical techniques for organizing information, developing strategies for writing, and characterizing the target audience(s). At the same time we will insist upon critical readings, and the processes of revising and editing. In addition, this course includes the study of written texts (narrative, description, poems, reports, essays, letters, etc.), and of literature’s many genres and subgenres (prose, poetry, drama, etc.). This course counts for the major. Conducted entirely in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 130, Spanish Placement Test or with permission of Language Coordinator. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester: Senior Lecturer Maillo and Lecturer Granda. Spring semester: Lecturer Granda

200. Spanish for Community Engagement. This course is intended to enhance language skills and share knowledge of local Spanish-speaking communities. Organized around field-based learning, the material, shaped into modules, will connect students with pre-existing community service organizations in Holyoke, Springfield, and other nearby urban centers. Class time will be devoted to understanding the concept of voluntarism in a pluralistic society. Sociological and historical readings on Latinos will provide context. Students will spend approximately three hours a week doing volunteer work in the field.

Requisite: SPAN 199, Spanish Placement Test or consent of Language Coordinator. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Senior Lecturer Maillo.

211. Introduction to Hispanic Literatures. This course provides an introduction to the diverse literatures of the Spanish-speaking world over the course of six centuries, from the Middle Ages to the turn of the twentieth century. Students will learn the tools and critical vocabulary for advanced work reading the canon of Hispanic literatures from Spain, Latin America, and the Caribbean Basin, identifying aesthetic trends and historical periods such as the Renaissance, the Golden Age, the Romantic era, realism and modernism. The syllabus will include a wide variety of authors of different national, political, and artistic persuasions and an array of linguistic styles. A medium- to high-level knowledge of the Spanish language and reasonable proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish are required. This course counts for the major. Conducted entirely in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester: Professor Infante. Spring semester: Professor Suárez.

212. Hispanic World: Past, Present and Future. A survey course that provides an understanding and appreciation of the Spanish-speaking world (including both North and South America and Spain) through language, geography, history, economics, sociopolitical issues, folklore, literature and art. The different units in this course are geographically oriented, and they will focus on individual countries or particular Hispanic groups. Writing skills will be refined by the completion of research papers, and communication skills will be developed further by class discussions and oral presentations. Comprehension will be enhanced by presenting students with literary texts, movies, documentaries and periodicals. The course is conducted entirely in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, Spanish Placement Test or consent of Language Coordinator. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Senior Lecturer Maillo.

220. Introduction to the Writings of the Hispanic Caribbean. This course will introduce students to some of the major intellectual texts of the Spanish Caribbean from the twentieth century to the present. Through these readings, which include essays, novels and poetry, we will examine the legacy of colonial and post-colonial prejudices and the struggles the people of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico engage as they create a unique sense of nationhood within a global context and interlace their stories into a more complicated context often called Pan-Caribbean. We will explore the ways in which the Hispanic Caribbean countries are similar, while coming to a nuanced understanding of how recent politics and migratory histories have also rendered them vastly different. Our analyses will cover issues of language, gender, violence, traumatic memory, dictatorship, and human resilience. This course will be conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Suárez.

228. Seventeenth-Century European Theater. (Offered as SPAN 228 and EUST 228.) Readings of plays by Spanish, English and French playwrights of what has been, in the modern world, the great century of the stage. Works of Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca, Shakespeare, Molière, Racine, Webster and Wycherly. Conducted in English. Students will read plays in the original languages whenever possible.

Limited to 40 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Maraniss.

229. Reading and Visualizing Spain’s Golden Age. Coinciding with Imperial Spain’s rise and decline under the Spanish Habsburg dynasty, the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries saw an extraordinary cultural production in literature and the arts known as the Golden Age. This panoramic course will introduce students to some of the most outstanding and representative works from this period of Spanish literature, including short fiction, poetry, and drama. While our primary focus will be on the literary texts themselves, we will also take into account the eminently visual nature of the Golden Age, drawing some of our examples from art and considering its relation to literature. In class discussions we will pay special attention to how these literary and artistic works represent the cultural and social concerns of their time. Conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Infante.

232. Strange Girls: Spanish Women’s Voices. (Offered as SPAN 232 and SWAG 232) Although at times derided as abnormal “chicas raras,” Spanish women have carved out a particular niche in the history of Spanish literature. These novelists, poets, essayists and short story authors have distinguished themselves by tackling issues of sexuality, subjectivity, isolation, sexism and feminism head-on. But how do we define an escritura femenina in Spain and what, if anything, differentiates it as a gendered space from canonical “masculine” writing? This course examines the social, historical and cultural transformations women have undergone in Spain from the end of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century. We will explore a variety of texts and literary genres by authors such as Rosalia de Castro, Carmen Laforet, Carmen Martín Gaite, Ana Rosetti and Dulce Chacón. In addition, students will create their own canon by becoming the editors of an Anthology of Spanish Women’s Writing. This course is conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brenneis.

236. Representation and Reality in Spanish Cinema. (Offered as SPAN 236, EUST 232 and FAMS 328.) Once severely constrained by dictator Francisco Franco’s censorship laws and rarely exported beyond the country’s borders, Spanish film has been transformed into an internationally-known cinema in the last decades. This course offers a critical overview of Spanish film from 1950 to the present, examining how Spain’s culture and society are imagined onscreen by directors such as Berlanga, Erice, Bollaín, and Almodóvar. Students will analyze works of Spanish cinema alongside theoretical and critical texts, exploring such topics as gendered roles in contemporary society, immigration, globalization, censorship, and experiences of war and violence. We will also track the sociological, cultural, and political forces inside Spain that have inspired such cinematic representations. This course provides an introduction to visual analysis and critical writing about film and will be conducted in English. Students are expected to attend weekly screenings where films will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles. Spanish majors who wish to count this course toward fulfillment of requirements will be asked to write papers in Spanish.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brenneis.

240. Fact or Fiction: Representations of Latina and Latin American Women in Film. (Offered as SPAN 240 and SWAG 241) From La Malinche (sixteenth century) to J. Lo, Latin American and Latina women have been sexualized, demonized, objectified, and even erased by narrative and visual representations. Lately, feminist texts have interrogated and challenged sexist and stereotypical master narratives; yet, a tension remains that repeatedly places women of color on a complex stage. Throughout this course, we will think critically about representations of women in Latin America and the U.S. Through select examples of major screen stars from Hollywood and Latin America, we will engage a politically informed historical analysis of the way Latino/a images have been constructed. Our study will begin with black and white films from the 1930s, depicting the role of the United States government and the needs of Latin American politics in the construction of Latina identity. We will then examine the intersections between literature, film, and history, studying, for example, the role of the Good Neighbor Policy in effecting the construction of Latin American images via a Hollywood lens. This is a bilingual class. Much of Latino/a literature is available in English only. However, our discussions and written assignments will be in Spanish. We will produce advanced-level writing assignments.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Suárez.

316. Golden Age Literature. A study of Spanish consciousness from the beginning through the Golden Age. Emphasis on the chivalric and picaresque traditions, mystical poetry, sacred and secular drama, and the invention of the novel. Conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Maraniss.

317. Women in Early Modern Spain. This course will examine the diverse and often contradictory representations of women in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Spain as seen through the eyes of both male and female writers. This approach will allow us to inquire into how women represented themselves versus how they were understood by men. In our analysis of this topic, we will also take into consideration some scientific, legal, and moral discourses that attempted to define the nature and value of women in early modern Spain. Works by authors such as Cervantes, María de Zayas, Calderón de la Barca, and Catalina de Erauso, among others, will offer us fascinating examples and different approaches to the subject. Conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Infante.

318. Cultural Encounters: Islam in Spain. In this course, we will explore the relationship of Spain, as a newly created nation, to the world of the “other,” in this case Islam, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Inside the Peninsula, the Muslim community is perceived as dangerously linked to the Mediterranean world, which both fascinates Spain and threatens it at the same time because of the growing power of the Ottoman Empire. We will examine changing representations of the Muslim “other,” from the idealized Moor in the Moorish novel to contradictory portrayals of Moriscos—those Muslims forced to convert to Christianity in sixteenth-century Spain. In addition, we will look at how questions of race, ethnicity, religion, and gender were treated by writers such as Cervantes, María de Zayas, and Calderón de la Barca. The class discussions will also include a significant visual component (e.g. paintings and engravings of the time on both sides of the Mediterranean that represent the “other,” maps, cityscapes, as well as films). Conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Infante.

320. Generations of 1898 and 1927. Readings from major writers of the Spanish generations of 1898 and 1927: Baroja, Machado, Valle-Inclán, Miró, García Lorca, Salinas, Alberti, Guillén, Cernuda. Conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Maraniss.

340. Violence, Art, and Memory of the Spanish Civil War. (Offered as SPAN 340 and EUST 340.) The Spanish Civil War lasted only three years, from 1936 to 1939, yet the conflict cast a long shadow over Spain’s twentieth-century history, culture and identity. Indeed, the war’s effects were felt worldwide, and it became the inspiration for works of art and literature as varied as Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, Pablo Neruda’s España en el corazón, Guillermo del Toro’s El laberinto del fauno and Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls. This course will provide an introduction to the discord and violence of the war as well as to the anguish and catharsis of the stories, poems and films it inspired. Through primary sources and historical accounts, we will understand the causes of this fraternal war. By studying texts and films that track the reverberations of the Spanish Civil War in the United States, Latin America and Continental Europe, we will seek to understand how and why this historical moment has captivated artists and writers. In addition, we will grapple with the diverse ways that lingering memories of the war have affected modern-day Spanish politics and culture. Although readings will be in English and Spanish, this course will be conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211, 212 or consent of the instructor. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brenneis.

345. Latina Stories: Making Waves in the USA. (Offered as SPAN 345 [RC] and SWAG 245.) [RC] When political movements advocating for civil and human rights took full force in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, women from different Latin American and Caribbean origins discovered they could enter the national imagination through their writing and thereby defy historical erasure. In the last 50 years, the political literary production of Latina women has been vertiginous, important, and consistently understudied within the academy. Within a socio-historical context, we will study the making of Latina identities, the myths of unity in this label, and the distinctive nature of Latina stories from different countries and from different economic backgrounds. What is the role of Latina voices in the arduous and slow processes of nation building, democracy, and diversity formation? How have Latina lives and stories re-shaped concepts of community, introduced activism for LGBT rights, changed the parameters by which motherhood, race, and ethnicity are understood? How have Latinas tackled issues of domestic violence and rape? How has their work transformed national and transnational meta-narratives of citizenship? We will read manifestos, poetry, and fiction to understand this complex and critical condition. Conducted in Spanish. Readings will be in both Spanish and English, and all writing is due in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212 or with permission of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Suárez.

346. Cuba after 1989: Culture, Film, and Literature. In 1989 the Berlin Wall was chiseled away, changing global culture and politics forever. In Eastern Europe, the rhetoric and divisions necessitated to fuel the cold war were transformed into new discourses of democracy and capitalist opportunities. In contrast, Cuba, remaining an iron-clad communist state, fell into a deep “periódo especial,” which ushered in a two-tiered economy greatly dependent on the European tourist industry. The revolutionary dream, many would argue, was then voided. Arguably, “fin-de-siglo” Cuba is a state in crisis. And a new, rich, often hypnotic, production of culture, film, and literature is available to give us a sensational glimpse of the latest of Cuban conditions. In this class we will be reading and screening some of the most outstanding materials from this period. Authors will include Abilio Estévez, Zoe Valdés, Pedro Juan Guttiérez, and Daína Chaviano. Conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Professor Suárez.

362. Pablo Neruda. An exploration of the life and work of the prolific Chilean poet (1904-1973) and recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature. His work will be read chronologically, starting with Twenty Love Poems and a Song Of Despair and ending with his five posthumous collections. Special attention will be paid to Residence On Earth and Canto General. The counterpoint of politics and literature will define the classroom discussion. Neruda’s role as witness of, and sometimes participant in, the Spanish Civil War, the Cuban Revolution, the workers’ and students’ upheaval in Latin America in the sixties, and the failed presidency of Salvador Allende in Chile will serve as background. Conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Stavans.

363. One Hundred Years of Solitude. (RC) A detailed study of the novel by Gabriel García Márquez, published in 1967. Although other works written by the Colombian author will also be discussed (stories, essays, reportage, and fragments of other novels), the course will concentrate on the structure, style, motifs, historical and aesthetic context of the masterwork that brought him the Nobel Prize in Literature. Conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Stavans.

364. Don Quixote [RC] (Offered as SPAN 364 and EUST 264.) A patient, careful reading of Cervantes’ masterpiece (published in 1605 and 1615), taking into consideration the biographical, historical, social, religious, and literary context from which it emerged during the Renaissance. The discussion will center on the novel’s structure, style, and durability as a classic and its impact on our understanding of ideas and emotions connected with the Enlightenment and its aftermath. Authors discussed in connection to the material include Erasmus of Rotterdam, Montaigne, Emerson, Tobias Smollett, Flaubert, Dostoyevsky, Unamuno, Nabokov, Borges, García Márquez, and Rushdie. Conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Stavans.

375. Hispanic Humor [RC]. (Offered as SPAN 375 and EUST 270.) An exploration on humor from a theoretical and multidisciplinary perspective, taking into consideration psychological, biological, political, social, racial, religious, national, and economic factors. The central questions leading the analysis are: What is humor? How does one understand its various types? What is culturally restrictive about humor? What makes Hispanic humor unique? Distinctions between satire, parody, and hyperbole will be explored in the context of Spain, Latin America, and the United States, from the Middle Ages to contemporary popular culture. Samples analyzed come from myth (from Don Juan to Pedro de Urdemalas), literature (from Quevedo to Cabrera Infante), comics (from Mafalda to La Cucaracha), TV (from Chespirito to El Hormiguero), movies (from Cantinflas to Tin Tan), standup comedy (from George Lopez to Carlos Mencia), and language (from double entendres to Freudian slips.) This course will be conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212 or with consent of the instructor. Limited to 25 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Stavans.

376. Life Is a Dream. Taught at the Hampshire County Jail, this Inside/Out course is designed as a journey across Hispanic civilization through the prism of the tension between reality and the surreal, the physical world and the world of dreams. Topics like Magical Realism will be explored in depth. Material includes portions of Don Quixote, the play Life Is a Dream by Calderón de la Barca, poems by Sor Juana Inés de La Cruz and Pablo Neruda, stories by Horacio Quiroga, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Juan Rulfo, and Gabriel García Márquez, and movies such as Amores Perros and Pan’s Labyrinth. Students will engage in creative efforts (stories, nonfiction, theater, movies) displaying some of the strategies discussed in class. Conducted in English.

Limited to 15 students from Amherst and the Five Colleges and 15 students from the Hampshire County Jail. Spring semester. Professor Stavans.

380. Impostors. (Offered as EUST 235 and SPAN 380.) An interdisciplinary exploration of the causes behind the social, racial, artistic, and political act—and art—of posing, passing, or pretending to be someone else. Blacks passing for whites, Jews passing for gentiles, and women passing for men, and vice versa, are a central motif. Attention is given to biological and scientific patterns such as memory loss, mental illness, and plastic surgery, and to literary strategies like irony. As a supernatural occurrence, the discussion includes mystical experiences, ghost stories, and séance sessions. The course also covers instances pertaining to institutional religion, from prophesy from the Hebrew and Christian Bibles to the Koran and Mormonism. In technology and communications, analysis concentrates on the invention of the telegraph, the telephone, and the Internet. Entertainment, ventriloquism, puppet shows, voice-overs, children’s cartoon shows, subtitles, and dubbing in movies and TV are topics of analysis. Posers in Greek mythology, the Arabian Nights, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, Sigmund Freud, Jorge Luis Borges, Philip Roth, Oliver Sacks, and Nella Larsen are examined. Conducted in English.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Stavans.

382. Forbidden. (Offered as EUST 265 and SPAN 382.) An exploration of forbidden behavior in diverse cultures from ancient times to the present. The course delves into the moral dilemma of the accepted and the rejected by analyzing concentric circles of power. Interdisciplinary in nature, the material will come from theology to government, from jurisprudence to medicine, from pedagogy to finances, from pornography to literature, from activism to computer hacking. It includes the Inquisitorial trails in fourteenth-century Spain, the orchestration of anti-Semitic propaganda under Nazism, the gulag in the Soviet Union, the public crimes during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, McCarthyism and the N.S.A. Contemporary books and movies discussed include Lawrence’s Women in Love, Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and the Harry Potter saga, as well as Last Tango in Paris and Deep Throat. Conducted in English.

Spring semester. Professor Stavans.

384. Love. (Offered as SPAN 384 and EUST 233.) This panoramic, interdisciplinary course will explore the concept of love as it changes epoch to epoch and culture to culture. Poetry, novels, paintings, sculptures, movies, TV, and music will be featured. Starting with the Song of Songs, it will include discussions of Plato, Aristotle, Catullus, and other Greek classics, move on to Dante and Petrarch, contemplate Chinese, Arabic, African, and Mesoamerican literatures, devote a central unit to Shakespeare, continue with the Metaphysical poets, and move on to American literature. Special attention will be paid to the difference between love, eroticism, and pornography. Multilingual students will be encouraged to delve into various linguistic traditions, in tongues like French, Russian, German, Yiddish, and Spanish. Conducted in English.

Limited to 20 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Stavans.

389. Postwar Spain and the Novel. This course offers an examination of how authors and readers grapple with questions of history and narration in postwar Spain. Spanish novelists were often subject to censorship and overt oppression by the Franco dictatorship while they struggled to understand their own history and translate it onto the page. We will study the historical and cultural background of dictatorship and democratic Spain (1940-present), reading novels by authors such as Cela, Matute, Martín Gaite and Cercas that reflect the diversity of modern Spanish literature and its authors. In addition, students will encounter historical accounts, critical/theoretical materials, and multimedia in order to gain a more complete understanding of how scholars approach the era and its reflection in literature. Conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211 or 212, or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brenneis.

392. Spanish Detectives and the género negro. (Offered as SPAN 392 and EUST 312) The Spanish detective narrative has developed as a manifestation of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Spain’s confrontations with social and political chaos. Offering a critical examination of a genre that has both resided on and represented the margins of Spanish society, this course traces the rise of the Spanish género negro during and after the Franco dictatorship, through its arrival in recent years as a mainstream, exportable cultural phenomenon. Readings will consist of contemporary Spanish novels by authors such as Javier Marías and Antonio Muñoz Molina, critical approaches to the genre, and short narrative works from Latin America and the United States for a comparative perspective. Additional films and other media consisting of detective parodies, popular suspense tales, and new trends in historical investigation from Spain will also come under examination. Conducted in Spanish.

Requisite: SPAN 199, 211, 212 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Brenneis.

394. Spanglish [RC]. [RC] A cultural study of language in the Hispanic world (Spain, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States), this course spans almost 500 years, from the arrival of Spanish to the Americas with Columbus’ first voyage, to present-day “pocho lingo“ in Los Angeles. It focuses on the verbal interactions between the missionaries to Florida and the Southwest and the indigenous populations, the linguistic repercussions of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848, the age of acculturation in the early half of the twentieth century, the political agitation of the Chicano Movement as manifested in word games, and the hip-hop age of agitprop. Students will analyze works by Junot Díaz, Ana Lydia Vega, Giannina Braschi, Susana Chávez-Silverman, Luis Humberto Crosthwaite, and others. Topics like translation, bilingual education, lexicography, advertising, sports, and the impact of mass and social media will be contemplated. Emphasis will be made on the various modalities of Spanglish, such as Dominicanish, Cubonics, and Nuyorican. Plus, the development of Spanglish as a street jargon will be compared to Yiddish, Black English, and other minority tongues. Research Course. Conducted in Spanish.

Fall semester. Professor Stavans.

490. Special Topics. The Department calls attention to the fact that Special Topics courses may be offered to students on either an individual or group basis.

Students interested in forming a group course on some aspect of Hispanic life and culture are invited to talk over possibilities with a representative of the Department. When possible, this should be done several weeks in advance of the semester in which the course is to be taken.

Fall and spring semesters.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. One single course.

Fall semester. The Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. A single course. Spring semester. The Department.

Statistics

See MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS.

TEACHING

Students interested in teaching and education can pursue, during their four years at Amherst, Massachusetts state licensure for teaching in middle and secondary schools. Reciprocity agreements between Massachusetts and many other states permit students licensed in Massachusetts to qualify for public school positions across the country. Those who wish to obtain licensure for public school teaching may draw upon our liaison with the Psychology and Education Department at Mount Holyoke College to complete the requirements for initial licensure during their undergraduate years. Acceptance into the Mount Holyoke program requires a formal application early in the spring term of the student’s junior year. This initial licensure will enable graduates to teach in public schools for up to five years before they obtain a master’s degree in education (M.Ed).

Because the requirements for Massachusetts licensure involve both course-work and a considerable number of hours engaged in classroom teaching, students interested in the possibility of a public school teaching career should consult with the education advisor in the Career Center, Sarah Frenette, and with the faculty advisors to the Program in Secondary School Teaching, Professors Barry O’Connell and Karen Sánchez-Eppler of the English Department, as early as possible in their time at Amherst. In addition to meeting “Field of Knowledge” content requirements in the subject area in which they seek licensure, students will need the following courses, or their equivalents, in order to participate in the Mount Holyoke program. Many of these can be taken at Amherst; others in any of the Five Colleges. A few must be taken at Mount Holyoke (indicated by an *).

1. Adolescent or Developmental Psychology;

2. Educational Psychology;

3. A course in multicultural education;

4. Observing and Assisting in Inclusive Classrooms (Educ. 320 a January interterm course at Mount Holyoke College);

5. Educ. 263* Teaching English Language Learners

6. Educ. 330* Process of Teaching and Learning in Middle and Secondary Schools;

7. A subject specific methods course;

8. Teaching (Math, English, etc.) In Secondary School, an Amherst College special topics course taken in conjunction with the teaching internship;

9. Educ. 331* Teaching Internship. This is a double course at Amherst College, to be taken in the spring semester of the senior year or during a ninth term at Mount Holyoke College;

10. Educ. 333* Seminar in Teaching and Learning: Middle and Secondary Schools.

These last three requirements will comprise a student’s full load during the spring “practicum” semester of their senior year.

Passage of the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) is required of all participants in the Mount Holyoke College Program. Each candidate is required to take and pass a subject matter test as well as the Communication and Literacy Skills test. Computer based tests are administered regularly throughout the year. Application forms and test preparation materials are available online at http://www.mtel.nesinc.com.

Theater and Dance

†On leave fall semester 2014-15.

‡On leave spring semester 2014-15.

Professors Dougan† and Woodson‡; Assistant Professor Bashford; Senior Resident Artist Lobdell (Chair); Playwright-in-Residence Congdon; Five College Assistant Professor Matteson; Five College Lecturer Sylla; Visiting Lecturers Delhomme, Maetta, Nugent, Robinson, and Weber.

Curriculum. The study of theater and dance is an integrated one. While recognizing historical differences between these arts, the department emphasizes their aesthetic and theoretical similarities. The basic structure of the curriculum and the organizational pattern of the department’s production activities are designed to promote the collaborative and interdependent nature of the theatrical arts. Faculty, staff and major students form the nucleus of the production team and are jointly responsible for the college’s Theater and Dance season. Advanced students carry specific production assignments. Students in Core Courses and in Courses in the Arts of Theater and Dance also participate, through laboratory experiences, in the creation and performance of departmental productions.

Major Program. In the election of departmental courses, students may choose to integrate the many aspects of theater and dance or to focus on such specific areas as choreography, playwriting, directing, design, acting, performance art and video. Because advanced courses in theater and dance are best taken in a prescribed sequence, students preparing to major in the department are advised to complete the three Core Courses and one course in the Arts of Theater and Dance by the end of the sophomore year. Two of the three core courses are offered every semester in rotation. Students interested in the possibility of majoring in the Department should consult with the Chair as soon as possible.

Minimum Requirements. The three Core Courses; two courses in the History, Literature and Theory of Theater and Dance (one of which must be THDA 114, Sources of Contemporary Performance); two courses in the Arts of Theater and Dance (For the purpose of fulfilling this requirement, two half-courses in dance technique approved by the Department may replace one course in the Arts of Theater and Dance); one advanced course in the Arts of Theater and Dance; the Major Series: 400H and 498 or 499. More specific information about courses which fulfill requirements in the above categories can be obtained from the Department office.

The Senior Project. Every Theater and Dance major will undertake a Senior Project. In fulfillment of this requirement, a student may present work as author, director, choreographer, designer, and/or performer in one or more pieces for public performance. Or a student may write a critical, historical, literary or theoretical essay on some aspect of theater and dance. As an alternative, and with the approval of the department, a student may present design portfolio work, a directorial production book or a complete original playscript. In such cases, there will be no public performance requirement. In all cases, the project will represent a synthesis or expansion of the student’s education in theater and dance.

Project proposals are developed in the junior year and must be approved by the faculty. That approval will be based on the project’s suitability as a comprehensive exercise. Because departmental resources are limited, the opportunity to undertake a production project is not automatic. Approval for production projects will be granted after an evaluation of the practicability of the project seen in the context of the department’s other production commitments. Written proposals outlining the process by which the project will be developed and the nature of the product which will result must be submitted to the Department chair by April 1 of the academic year before the project is proposed to take place. The faculty will review, and in some cases request modifications in the proposals, accepting or rejecting them by May 1. Students whose production proposals do not meet departmental criteria will undertake a written project.

Comprehensive Evaluation. Because the Theater and Dance curriculum is sequenced, successful completion of the required courses and of the major series—Production Studio and Senior Project—represents satisfaction of the departmental comprehensive requirement. In addition, majors are required to attend departmental meetings and end-of-the-semester interviews each semester.

Departmental Honors Program. Departmental recommendations for Honors will be based on faculty evaluation of three factors: (1) the quality of the Senior Project, including the documentation and written work which accompanies it; (2) the student’s academic record in the department; and (3) all production work undertaken in the department during the student’s career at Amherst.

Extra-Curriculum. In both its courses and its production activities, the Department welcomes all students who wish to explore the arts of theater and dance. This includes students who wish to perform or work backstage as an extracurricular activity, students who elect a course or two in the department with a view toward enriching their study of other areas, students who take many courses in the department and also participate regularly in the production program while majoring in another department, as well as students who ultimately decide to major in theater and dance.

111. The Language of Movement. An introduction to movement as a language and to dance and performance composition. In studio sessions students will explore and expand their individual movement vocabularies by working improvisationally with weight, posture, gesture, patterns, rhythm, space, and relationship of body parts. We will ask what these vocabularies might communicate about emotion, thought, physical structures, cultural/social traditions, and aesthetic preferences. In addition, we will observe movement practices in everyday situations and in formal performance events and use these observations as inspiration for individual and group compositions. Two two-hour class/studio meetings and a two-hour production workshop per week. Selected readings and viewing of video and live performance.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Woodson.

112. Materials of Theater. An introduction to design, directing, and performance conducted in a combined discussion/workshop format. Students will be exposed to visual methods of interpreting a text. Early class discussions focus on a theoretical exploration of theater as an art form and seek to establish a vocabulary for and understanding of basic theatrical conventions, with readings from Aristotle through Robert Wilson. Students will spend the bulk of the semester testing these theories for themselves, ultimately designing their own performances for two plays. Two two-hour classes and two-hour production workshop included in this time.

Limited to 12 students per section. Spring semester. Professor Dougan.

113. Action and Character. This course examines what happens on stage (the action) and “how” that action happens (the character) from the points of view of the playwright and the actor. The course assumes that the creative processes of both the actor and the playwright are similar. Therefore, the students will write scenes and at least one short play, which will be rehearsed as homework for presentation in class. Students will be given a series of acting and playwriting exercises to develop craft and to reinforce their understanding of creative processes. Students will be assigned plays and certain critical texts to support their work in writing and acting. Three two-hour class meetings and a two-hour production workshop per week.

Enrollment in each section is limited but early registration does not confer preferential consideration. Twenty students attending the first class will be admitted. Selection will be based upon the instructor’s attempt to achieve a suitable balance between first-year students and upperclassmen and between men and women, and to achieve a broad range of levels of acting experience. Notice of those admitted will be posted within 24 hours of the first meeting and a waiting list will be available.

Fall and spring semesters. Senior Resident Artist Lobdell.

114. Sources of Contemporary Performance. The status quo says, “We do it the way it’s always been done.” The artist replies, “I have an idea, let’s try it another way.” Thus advance theater and dance. Thus evolve opera, happenings and performance art. This course explores several seminal theatrical events and the artists who created them. These innovations changed the course of theater and dance in the 20th century, thereby preparing those who follow to make the new art of the 21st.

After reviewing basic artistic and theoretical assumptions which governed the making of theatrical entertainment at the end of the 19th century, the course will look at playwrights, performers, choreographers, designers, directors and theorists whose ideas opened up new ways of looking at the craft of making those space-time objects we struggle to categorize as plays, dances, operas, performances and events. Particular attention will fall on work that is difficult to correctly place in a single category. Research in primary material such as plays, manifestos, documentary photographs, period criticism, and video transcriptions. Critical papers comparing and contrasting works will be studied. (Required of all majors)

Spring semester. Senior Resident Artist Lobdell.

115H. Contemporary Dance: Modern 1/2. The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the beginning/intermediate level. A half course. Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit.

Omitted 2014-15.

116H. Contemporary Dance Techniques: Modern 2/3. The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the beginning/intermediate level. A half course. Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit.

Spring semester. Visiting Lecturer Nugent.

117. Contemporary Dance Modern 3: Partner Dancing Technique and Repertory. This course will include technical investigations of weight sharing, body-part manipulations, off-balance support, lifting and being lifted, negative space, resistance, and various ways of harnessing forces of momentum. How can we move with confidence, spatial awareness, and fearless agency when in close proximity and in contact with other bodies? Duets, trios, and groups will be challenged to kinetically build set partner dances with repeated opportunities in the last part of class to perform, often with the added challenge of speeding up.

The repertory portion will draw from the material generated in class to create a larger piece, with final performances near the end of the semester in Holden Theater. There will be one weekly rehearsal (Friday 4-5:30) as a full group and TBA individual rehearsals to build solo material. Several rehearsals will also be added close to the performance date.

Omitted 2014-15.

117H. Contemporary Dance Technique Modern 3: Partner Dancing. Technical investigations of weight sharing, body-part manipulations, off-balance support, lifting and being lifted, negative space, resistance, and various ways of harnessing forces of momentum. How can we move with confidence, spatial awareness, and fearless agency when in close proximity and in contact with other bodies? Duets, trios, and groups will be challenged to kinetically build set partner dances with repeated opportunities in the last part of class to perform, often with the added challenge of speeding up.

Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Matteson.

119H. Contemporary Dance Techniques: Contact Improvisation. The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the beginning/intermediate level. A half course. Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit.

Spring semester. Instructor TBA.

120H. Contemporary Dance Techniques: Ballet/Modern 1/2. The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the beginning/intermediate level. A half course. Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit.

Spring semester. Instructor TBA.

121H. Contemporary Dance Technique: Ballet 2. The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the beginning/intermediate level. A half course. Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit.

Omitted 2014-15.

122H. Contemporary Dance Technique: Hip Hop. This class is designed to focus on the movement aspect of hip hop culture. Dance in the tradition of B-Boys and B-girls while learning a wide variety of hip hop movement. From the old school “bronx” style to commercial hip hop, learn a wide range of hip-hop vocabulary in a course emphasizing group choreography, floor work, and partner work. No previous dance experience is necessary. Class will incorporate funk, street, b-boy/b-girl, and house elements to stretch and tone the body. Class will include across the floor and center combinations which will ask the dancers to find their relationship to musicality, athleticism, dynamics, and articulation of the body.

Fall semester. Visiting Lecturers Maietta and Weber.

125H. The Craft of Speaking I: Vocal Freedom. A beginning studio course in the development of voice for speaking. Students develop range and tone through regular physical exercises in relaxation, breathing technique, placement, and presence. Individual attention focuses on helping each student develop the physical, mental, and emotional self-awareness needed for expressive vocal production. Practice is oriented toward acting for the stage, but students with a primary interest in public speaking, teaching, or improved interpersonal communication will find this course valuable. A modicum of reading and written reflection is required. Three class meetings per week. Limited to 28 students from among those who attend the first class meeting, admitted based on class year and major. Early registration does not confer enrollment priority.

Fall semester. Professor Bashford.

142H. Contemporary Dance Techniques: West African. The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the beginning/intermediate level.

Fall semester. Five College Lecturer Sylla.

160. Dynamics of Play Reading: Elements, Structures, Paradigms. In this course, students explore elements of dramatic literature and their implications for audience experiences in performance. Character, language, spectacle, plot, rhythm, and theme are studied in the light of dynamic audience response in real time and space. Particular emphasis is placed on exploring the legacy of classical form and later evolutionary and innovative responses to it. In addition to exercises in analytical and descriptive writing, students undertake experiential projects that explore distinctive theatrical conventions of the plays studied. When possible, course activities may also include attending live performances. Exemplary plays are chosen for their contrasting qualities, from antiquity to the present, including plays by Euripides, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Shaw, Brecht, Churchill and Kushner, among others. Two class meetings per week.

Fall semester. Professor Bashford.

209. Contemporary Dance Technique and Repertory Modern 3/4. This course will include studio sessions in contemporary modern/jazz dance technique at the intermediate level and rehearsal sessions to create original choreography; the completed piece(s) will be presented in concert at the end of the semester. The emphasis in the course will be to increase expressive range, technical skills and performance versatility of the dancer through the practice, creation and performance of technique and choreography. In addition, the course will include required readings, the viewing of dance videos and live performances to give an increased understanding of the historical and contemporary context for the work. Audition for course enrollment will be held the first day of class.

Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Matteson.

215H. Contemporary Dance Techniques: Modern 3. Omitted 2014-15. Five College Professor Matteson.

216. Contemporary Dance: Modern 4/5 Technique and Repertory. This course will include studio sessions in contemporary modern/jazz dance technique at the intermediate/advanced level and rehearsal sessions to create original choreography; the completed piece(s) will be presented in concert at the end of the semester. The emphasis in the course will be to increase expressive range, technical skills and performance versatility of the dancer through the practice, creation and performance of technique and choreography. In addition, the course will include required readings, the viewing of dance videos and live performances to give an increased understanding of the historical and contemporary context for the work. Audition for course enrollment will be held the first day of class.

Omitted 2014-15. Professor Matteson.

216H. Contemporary Dance Techniques: Modern 4/5. The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the intermediate/advanced level. A half course. Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit.

Fall semester. Five College Professor Matteson.

217H. Contemporary Dance Techniques: Modern/Ballet 4. The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the intermediate/advanced level. A half course. Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit.

Omitted 2014-15.

225H. The Craft of Speaking II: Spoken Expression. In this second course in the craft of speaking, students learn to shape and speak text to powerful effect. Students build on prior work to extend vocal range and capacity while learning component principles of spoken expression. Articulation, inflection, methods of contrast and interpretation, tone, verbal imaging and aural structures of poetry and rhetoric are practiced in a studio setting. Emphasis is placed on personal engagement and presence to others while speaking. Assignments in text scoring and memorization support class work. The course culminates in presentations of prepared texts. Two class meetings per week.

Requisite: THDA 125H. Spring semester. Professor Bashford.

228. Feminist Performance. (Offered as THDA 228 and SWAG 228.) The Women’s Liberation Movement dramatically affected the American social and intellectual climate of the 1970s. In art, as in education, medicine, and politics, women sought equality and economic parity as they actively fought against the mainstream values that had been used to exclude them. Performance art proved to be an ideal match for the feminist agenda—it was personal, immediate, and highly effective in communicating an alternate view of power in the world. Artists explored autobiography, the female body, myth, and politics, and played a crucial role in developing and expanding the very nature of performance, consciously uniting the agendas of social politics with art. This class will take us from Yoko Ono’s performances of “Cut Piece” and the Judson Dance Theater’s proto-feminist experiments of the 1960s to the radical guerilla-style performances of the 1970s and beyond, where the body was the contested site for debates about the nature of gender, ethnicity and sexuality. We will be looking at works that were not polite demands for legislative change, but raw and sloppy theatrical displays and ecstatic bonding experiences that managed to be at once satirical and celebratory, alienating and illuminating.

Omitted 2014-15.

229. Chekhov and His Theater. (Offered as RUSS 229 and THDA 229). Anton Chekhov’s reputation rests as much on his dramaturgy as on his fiction. His plays, whose staging by the Moscow Art Theater helped revolutionize Russian and world theater, endure in the modern repertoire. In this course, we will study his dramatic oeuvre in its cultural and historical context, drawing on the biographical and critical literature on Chekhov, printed and visual materials concerning the late nineteenth-century European theater, and the writings of figures like Constantin Stanislavsky, who developed a new acting method in response to Chekhov’s art. We also will examine key moments in the production history of Chekhov’s plays in Russian, English, and American theater and film.

Omitted 2014-15.

230. The Actor’s Instrument. Technical issues of the body, voice, will, and imagination for the actor; exercises and readings in acting theory. Introduction of techniques to foster physical and emotional concentration, will and imaginative freedom. Exploration of Chekhov psycho-physical work, Hagen object exercises, Spolin and Johnstone improvisation formats, sensory and image work, mask and costume exercises, and neutral dialogues. The complex interweaving of the actor’s and the character’s intention/action in rehearsal and performance is the constant focus of the class. Three two-hour class meetings per week.

Requisite: THDA 113. Omitted 2014-15. Senior Resident Artist Lobdell.

242. Plays in Play: The Ensemble and the Playwright. In this course, students conduct rehearsal investigations into the work of a particular playwright, and explore ways in which coordinated action renders dramatic writing in theatrical form. In addition to examining selected plays and background material, students develop ensemble techniques of play, improvisation, and staging. Emphasis is placed on the communicative means required to develop a shared vision. This course is open to students interested in any aspect of play production but is required for students who want to do advanced work in directing in the department. All students should expect to act, co-direct, conduct research, and explore basic visual design implications together. The course will culminate in a workshop-style performance, and group rehearsals outside of class meeting times are required. This course may be repeated once when the selected playwright is different. The playwright for fall 2014 is William Shakespeare.

Requisite: A prior college-level course in theater or permission of the instructor. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 24 students. Fall semester. Professor Bashford.

250. Video Production: Bodies in Motion. (Offered as THDA 250 and FAMS 341.) This studio production class will focus on multiple ways of tracking, viewing, and capturing bodies in motion. The course will emphasize working with the camera as an extension of the body to explore radically different points of view and senses of focus. We will experiment with different techniques and different kinds of bodies (human, animal, and object) to bring a heightened awareness of kinesthetic involvement, animation and emotional immediacy to the bodies on screen and behind the camera. In addition, we will interject and follow bodies into different perceptions of time, progression, place and relationship. In the process, we will express various experiences and theories of embodiment and question what constitutes a body. Depending on student interests, final projects can range from choreographies for the camera to fictional narratives to documentary studies. The class will alternate between camera sessions, both in the studio and on location, and sessions in the editing suite working with Final Cut Pro.

Requisite: Previous experience in composition. Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Woodson.

252. Scripts and Scores. This course will provide structures and approaches for creating original choreography, performance pieces and events. An emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary and experimental approaches to composition, choreography, and performance making. These approaches include working with text and movement, visual systems and environments, music, sound and chance scores to inspire and include in performance. Students will create and perform dance, theater, or performance art pieces for both traditional theater spaces and for found (indoor and outdoor) spaces.

This course is open to dancers and actors as well as interested students from other media and disciplines. Two two-hour class meetings per week and weekly lab/rehearsal sessions. Consent of the instructor is required for students with no experience in improvisation or composition.

Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2014-15.

254. Sound Design for Live Performance. What is the role of sound in live performance, and how is it designed and produced? This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of sound design in live performance contexts from both technical and artistic perspectives. Students will explore the fundamentals of audio production and acoustics through a series of short projects, covering a range of topics from using various sound-editing software applications, including ProTools, Logic and other DAW platforms, to live sound reinforcement principles. Special consideration will be given to software environments (QLab) dedicated to live playback and design of acoustic spaces, and we will examine strategies for developing an efficient, real-world approach to the technical rehearsal process. Throughout the course, we will consider interpretive skills needed for imagining sound design opportunities in various script, dance, and performance-oriented collaborations. The course will culminate in a final project that integrates technical and artistic problem-solving skills related to creating sound for a live performance.

Requisite: One prior practice-of-arts course in theater and dance, music or studio art, or equivalent experience. Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Visiting Lecturer Robinson.

260. Costume Design and Fashion History. An introduction to the analytical methods and skills necessary for the creation of costumes for theater and dance with emphasis on the integration of costume with other visual elements. Western costume history. Lab work in costume construction.

Requisite: THDA 112 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 8 students. Fall semester. Visiting Lecturer Delhomme.

261. Lighting Design. An introduction to the theory and techniques of theatrical lighting, with emphasis on the aesthetic and practical aspects of the field as well as the principles of light and color.

Requisite: THDA 112 or consent of the instructor. Lab work in lighting technology. Fall semester. Resident Lighting Designer Couch.

263. Scene Design. The materials, techniques and concepts which underlie the design and creation of the theatrical environment.

Requisite: THDA 112 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 8 students. Spring semester. Professor Dougan.

270. Playwriting I. A workshop in writing for the stage. The semester will begin with exercises that lead to the making of short plays and, by the end of the term, longer plays-ten minutes and up in length. Writing will be done in and out of class; students’ work will be discussed in the workshop and in private conferences. At the end of the term, the student will submit a portfolio of revisions of all the exercises, including the revisions of all plays.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall and spring semesters. Playwright-in-Residence Congdon.

280. Words and Music for Theatrical Performance. (Offered as THDA 280 and MUSI 260.) Conducted as a collaborative workshop among student writers and composers, this course explores the close relationship between words and music. While working together on new music/text pieces for the stage, we will seek to arrive at various definitions of “music theater.” In addition to ongoing creative assignments, we will examine existing works in various genres, including songs, musical theater, opera and other experimental forms. Featured writers and composers will include Brecht and Weill, Auden/Kallman and Stravinsky, Sondheim and Bernstein, and Goodman and Adams, among others. Although students with varied experience in musical composition and/or creative writing will be admitted, all students should expect both to write text, to compose music and to work together doing so. Regular class meetings will be supplemented by individual tutorials. The course will culminate in a public performance of final projects created in collaboration with other students.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 16 students. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Bashford.

330. Rehearsal. An advanced course in acting. The class will focus upon the actor’s close analysis of the playwright’s script to define specific problems and to set out tactics for their solutions. The interaction of the actor’s creative work outside rehearsal and the work within rehearsal will be delineated by assigned exercises.

Requisite: THDA 113 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 16 students. Fall semester. Senior Resident Artist Lobdell.

340. Directing Studio. This is a studio course in leading collaborators toward completed theatrical interpretations of dramatic texts. Each student director independently produces and directs two medium-length, site-specific projects. Reading, writing, and class sessions are devoted to the practice of directing and to discussion of problems and approaches. Topics include the articulation of coherent artistic intent, the role of the audience in performance, and the use of space, sound and light. Studio exercises are employed to support directorial techniques. In addition, this course considers organizational and research methods related to successful production, and, when possible, students will collaborate with student designers and dramaturgs enrolled in related courses. Two class meetings per week. Students should expect to schedule a significant amount of rehearsal time outside of class meetings for the successful completion of projects.

Requisite: One of the following: THDA 240, 242, 252 or equivalent college-level experience with consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Bashford.

352. Performance in Place: Site Specific. (Offered as THDA 352, FAMS 342 and MUSI 352.) The focus of this studio course will be to create performances, events, happenings and installations in multiple locations both on and off campus. This course is especially designed for students in dance, theater, film/video, art, music and creative writing who want to explore the challenges and potentials in creating performances outside of traditional “frames” or venues (e.g., the theater, the gallery, the lecture hall, etc.). At the center of our inquiry will be questions of space, place and community. In the first few weeks of the semester we will tour different sites and research multiple historical and contemporary examples of site-specific performances and artists across media. We will then select different sites—based on student interest and location access—and spend the rest of the semester creating events/performances on site. Students will work in collaborative teams to create these performances for these places. Interaction with communities at these sites will also be explored, connecting the artistic work to community engagement and raising awareness of the issues and ethics involved in site-specific performance. These projects will be performed in process and at the end of the semester in a three-day festival. Different guest artists in dance, theater, art, sound and political activism will join the class and work with designated groups. (Class meeting Fridays 1-4; outside rehearsal/lab sessions TBA.)

Requisite: Previous experience in improvisation and/or composition in dance, theater, performance, film/video, music/sound, installation, creative writing, and/or design is required. Omitted 2014-15. Professor Woodson with Guest Artists.

353. Performance Studio. (Offered as THDA 353 and FAMS 345.) An advanced course in the techniques of creating performance. Each student will create and rehearse a performance piece that develops and incorporates original choreography, text, music, sound and/or video. Experimental and collaborative structures and approaches among and within different media will be stressed. The final performance pieces and events will be presented in the Holden Theater. Can be taken more than once for credit.

Requisite: THDA 252 or the equivalent and consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Woodson.

360. Design Studio. An advanced course in the arts of theatrical design. Primary focus is on the communication of design ideas and concepts with other theater artists. Also considered is the process by which developing theatrical ideas and images are realized. Students will undertake specific projects in scenic, costume and/or lighting design and execute them in the context of the Department’s production program or in other approved circumstances. Examples of possible assignments include designing workshop productions, and assisting faculty and staff designers with major responsibilities in full-scale production. In all cases, detailed analysis of the text and responsible collaboration will provide the basis of the working method. May be repeated for credit.

Requisite: THDA 260, 261, 263 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester: Visiting Lecturer Delhomme. Spring semester: Professor Dougan.

363. Design Studio II. This course is a continuation of THDA 360, an advanced course in the arts of theatrical design. Primary focus is on the communication of design ideas and concepts with other theater artists. Also considered is the process by which developing theatrical ideas and images are realized. Students will undertake specific projects in scenic, costume and/or lighting design and execute them in the context of the department’s production program or in other approved circumstances. Students in this course will design for a full-scale production. In all cases, detailed analysis of the text and responsible collaboration will provide the basis of the working method. May be repeated for credit.

Requisite: THDA 260, 261, or 263 or consent of the instructor. Fall semester: Visiting Lecturer Delhomme. Spring semester: Professor Dougan.

370. Playwriting Studio. A workshop/seminar for writers who want to complete a full-length play or series of plays. Emphasis will be on bringing a script to a level where it is ready for the stage. Although there will be some exercises in class to continue the honing of playwriting skills and the study of plays by established writers as a means of exploring a wide range of dramatic vocabularies, most of the class time will be spent reading and commenting on the plays of the workshop members as these plays progress from the first draft to a finished draft.

Requisite: THDA 270 or the equivalent. Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 10 students. Spring semester. Playwright-in-Residence Congdon.

400H. Production Studio. An advanced course in the production of Theater and Dance works. Primary focus will be on the integration of the individual student into a leadership role within the Department’s producing structure. Each student will accept a specific responsibility with a departmental production team testing his or her artistic, managerial, critical, and problem-solving skills. A half course.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Not open to first-year students. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

490. Special Topics. Independent Reading Course. Full course.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

498. Senior Departmental Honors. For Honors candidates in Theater and Dance.

Open to seniors. Fall semester. The Department.

499. Senior Departmental Honors. For Honors candidates in Theater and Dance.

Open to seniors. Spring semester. The Department.

Five College Dance Department

In addition to dance courses at Amherst College through the Department of Theater and Dance (Contemporary Techniques, Language of Movement, Scripts and Scores, Performance Studio, Video and Performance, and Issues in Contemporary Dance), students may also elect courses through the Five College Dance Department listed below. The Five College Dance Department combines the programs of Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts. The faculty operates as a consortium, coordinating curricula, performances, and services. The Five College Dance Department supports a variety of philosophical approaches to dance and provides an opportunity for students to experience a wide spectrum of performance styles and techniques. Course offerings are coordinated among the campuses to facilitate registration, interchange and student travel; students may take a dance course in any of the five campuses and receive credit at the home institution. There are also numerous performing opportunities within the Five College Dance Department as well as frequent master classes and residencies offered by visiting artists.

Please note: Five College Dance Course lists (specifying times, locations and new course updates) are available two weeks prior to pre-registration at the Theater and Dance Office in Webster Hall, individual campus dance departments and the Five College Dance Department office located at Hampshire College. The schedule is also online at http://www.fivecolleges.edu/dance.

FIVE COLLEGE FACULTY COURSE OFFERINGS

Languages through the Five College Center for the Study of World Languages

The Five College Center for the Study of World Languages offers courses in less commonly taught languages not available through regular Five College classroom courses. The Center also offers courses in spoken Arabic dialects for students who have learned modern standard Arabic in the classroom. The Center encourages students to embark on language study during their first year of college so that they can achieve the fluency needed to use the language for work in their major field.

Each language offered by the Center is available in one of three course formats depending upon the resources available for that language. Mentored courses provide the highest level of structured support for learning and cover all four primary language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing). Independent Plus courses focus on speaking and listening skills, plus the development of basic literacy in the language. Supervised Independent courses focus only on oral skills and rely on more independently organized learning than the other course formats.

All courses emphasize development of oral proficiency through weekly conversation practice sessions. Conversation sessions focus on using the language in the types of situations one might encounter in everyday life. Students commonly engage in role plays, question and answer activities, description, narration, and problem-solving exercises. More advanced students practice expressing opinions, giving reasons in arguments, and discussing current events and cultural issues.

Students in Mentored courses also have one-on-one tutorials with a professional language mentor trained in language pedagogy. The individual sessions allow each student to get help with his/her particular questions and concerns. The language mentor goes over written homework, explains grammatical concepts, and engages the student in skill-building activities. Language mentors also work with students who are already fluent speakers of a language but who need to learn to read and write in the language.

Students in Independent Plus courses have a modified version of the weekly individual tutorial that involves a one-on-one meeting with a peer-tutor who is a well-educated native speaker of the language. Peer-tutors help students identify and self-correct errors in speech and written homework and facilitate activities that practice basic literacy and communication in the language.

Supervised Independent courses offer students with excellent language skills an opportunity to study a variety of less commonly taught languages independently. Students approved for Supervised Independent language study are highly motivated, have a record of past success in language learning, and demonstrate readiness to undertake independent work. Courses emphasize development of oral skills.

A standard course through the Center is a half course. Half courses require one hour a day (seven hours per week) of individual study plus weekly conversation and/or tutorial sessions. It takes four half courses (levels I, II, III, and IV) to complete the equivalent of one year of study in a traditional elementary-level classroom course. Some languages offered in the Mentored format are also available as full courses allowing students to progress at the same rate as in traditional classroom courses. Full courses require two hours per day (14 hours per week) of individual study plus conversation and tutorial sessions.

Students interested in studying a language through the Center should read the informational websites thoroughly and follow the application instructions. While the application process is handled by the Five College Center for the Study of World Languages, the tutorial and conversation sessions are held on all five campuses.

For program information and application forms, go to http://fivecolleges.edu
/fclang

For language resources produced by the Center, see http://langmedia.fivecolleges.edu

Language offerings change depending upon available resources. Please see the Center’s website for current information or contact the Center to find out about a language not listed here.

Currently Offered in Mentored Format: Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Hindi, Persian, Swahili, Turkish

Currently Offered in Independent Plus Format: Indonesian, Urdu

Currently Offered in Supervised Independent Format:

African Languages: Afrikaans, Amharic, Shona, Twi, Wolof, Zulu

European Languages: Albanian, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Georgian, Modern Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Modern Irish, Norwegian, Romanian, Ukrainian

Asian Languages: Bangla/Bengali, Burmese, Dari, Filipino, Malay, Mongolian, Nepali, Pashto, Thai, Tibetan, Vietnamese

Languages of the Americas: Haitian Creole

Spoken Arabic Courses in Mentored or Supervised Independent Format: Egyptian Arabic, Levantine Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, and other dialects

African Studies

KIM YI DIONNE, Assistant Professor of Government (at Smith College in the Five College Program).

Politics 387AF. Same-Sex Politics in Africa. This seminar will explore same-sex politics in Africa. Drawing on seven recently published books, we will discuss morality, politics, social justice, transnational social movements, and political homophobia. We will also explore policy documents, public opinion data, and media coverage (both international and local). Students will write original case studies about the situation for same-sex practicing people in an African country of their choice.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Government 225. Colloquium: Ethnic Politics in Comparative Perspective. What is the relationship between ethnicity and politics? When does ethnic difference lead to competition and conflict? Does coethnicity encourage greater cooperation and provision of public goods? We will explore these and related questions looking at experiences across the world. Though we will read scholarship from the American context, the focus will be on ethnicity and politics in other countries. The first section of the course discusses theories of ethnicity and ethnic politics. The second section reviews methodological approaches to the study of ethnic politics. The third section gives us an opportunity to debate the merits of different theories and approaches through careful, critical examination of applications of the study of ethnic politics. The final section of the course focuses on writing and revising original research papers.

Fall semester. Smith College.

Government 323. Political Science Research in the Field. This course will introduce students to a variety of methods used in the field to gather data to study political phenomena. The primary goal of the course is to take students from being consumers to becoming producers of political science research. An appreciation of different methods of inquiry is essential in producing quality work, but also further enables students to be more critical and analytical consumers of research. Students will develop a rich understanding of research methods and will be able to discuss the benefits and challenges of various qualitative and quantitative data collection procedures. By the end of the course, students will be able to: draw a representative sample from a population of interest; identify an appropriate method of data collection to study the problem in that representative sample; collect and analyze original data; and present findings of the research.

Spring semester. Smith College.

African Politics. This Political Science course will be offered spring semester at Amherst College.

Arabic

OLLA AL-SHALCHI, Five College Lecturer in Arabic.

Arabic 100 Y-01 and -02. Elementary Arabic I. This course introduces the basics of Modern Standard Arabic in addition to brief exposures to one of the Arabic dialects. It is aligned with the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines. Following ACTFL proficiency standards, students should be at the Novice Mid-High level by the end of this course. The course begins with a focus on reading, pronouncing and recognizing Arabic sounds and progresses quickly toward developing beginner reading, writing, speaking and listening proficiency as well as cultural competence. It covers vocabulary for everyday use, and essential communicative skills relating to real-life and task-oriented situations (queries about personal well-being, family, work, and telling the time). Students will acquire vocabulary and usage for everyday interactions as well as skills that will allow them to read and analyze a range of texts at the Novice level. In addition to the traditional textbook exercises, students will write short paragraphs and participate in role plays, presentations and conversations throughout the year.

Fall semester. Smith College.

Arabic 200. Intermediate Arabic I. According to the ACTFL standards, this course is Intermediate Low-Mid. It covers the four skills of the language. Writers at the Intermediate level are characterized by the ability to meet practical writing needs, such as simple messages and letters, requests for information, and notes. In addition, they can ask and respond to simple questions in writing. At the Intermediate level, listeners can understand information conveyed in simple, sentence-length speech on familiar or everyday topics while readers at the same level can understand information conveyed in simple, predictable, loosely connected texts. Readers rely heavily on contextual clues. They can most easily understand information if the format of the text is familiar, such as in a weather report or a social announcement. Speakers at the Intermediate level are distinguished primarily by their ability to create with the language when talking about familiar topics related to their daily life. They are able to recombine learned material in order to express personal meaning.

Students should expect text assignments as well as work with DVDs, audio and websites. Exercises include writing, social interactions, role plays, and the interplay of language and culture.

Requisite: ARA 100Y II or the equivalent. Fall semester. Smith College.

Arabic 201. Intermediate Arabic II. This is a continuation of Second-Year Arabic I. Students will complete the study of the Al-Kitaab II book sequence along with additional instructional materials. In this course, students will continue perfecting knowledge of Arabic integrating the four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing using a communicative-oriented, proficiency-based approach. By the end of this semester, students should have sufficient comprehension in Arabic to understand most routine social demands and most non-technical real-life conversations as well as some discussions on concrete topics related to particular interests and special fields of competence in a general professional proficiency level. Students will have broad enough vocabulary that will enable them to read within a normal range of speed with almost complete comprehension a variety of authentic prose material and be able to write about similar topics. Also by the end of this semester, students should have a wide range of communicative language ability including grammatical knowledge, discourse knowledge and sociolinguistic knowledge of the Arabic language. You should expect text assignments as well as work with DVDs, audio and video materials and websites. Exercises and activities include essay writing, social interactions, role plays and in-class conversations, oral and video presentations that cover the interplay of language and culture, extra-curricular activities and a final project.

Requisite: Arabic 201 or equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Spring semester. Smith College.

Asian Studies 333. Third-Year Arabic II. This course aims to help students reach advanced proficiency in Arabic through language study and content work focused on Arab history, literature, and current events. Students continue to focus on developing truly active control of a large vocabulary through communicative activities. Grammatical work focuses on complex grammatical constructions and demands increased accuracy in understanding and producing complex structures in extended discourse. Preparation for class and active, cooperative participation in group activities are essential to students’ progress in this course. Requirements also include active participation in class, weekly essays, occasional exams and presentations and a final written exam. This course covers Al-Kitaab, Book 3, in addition to extra instructional materials.

Requisite: ARA 301 or the equivalent. Students must be able to use Formal Spoken Arabic as the medium of communication in the classroom. Spring semester. Mount Holyoke College.

HEBA ARAFAH, Five College Lecturer in Arabic.

Asian 130f. First-Year Arabic I. This course introduces the basics of Modern Standard Arabic in addition to brief exposures to one of the Arabic dialects. It is aligned with the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines. Following ACTFL proficiency standards, students should be at the Novice Mid-High level by the end of this course. The course begins with a focus on reading, pronouncing and recognizing Arabic sounds and progresses quickly toward developing beginner reading, writing, speaking and listening proficiency as well as cultural competence. It covers vocabulary for everyday use, and essential communicative skills relating to real-life and task-oriented situations (queries about personal well-being, family, work, and telling the time). Students will acquire vocabulary and usage for everyday interactions as well as skills that will allow them to read and analyze a range of texts at the Novice level. In addition to the traditional textbook exercises, students will write short paragraphs and participate in role plays, presentations and conversations throughout the year.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Asian 232f. Second-Year Arabic I. According to the ACTFL standards, this course is Intermediate Low-Mid. It covers the four skills of the language. Writers at the Intermediate level are characterized by the ability to meet practical writing needs, such as simple messages and letters, requests for information, and notes. In addition, they can ask and respond to simple questions in writing. At the Intermediate level, listeners can understand information conveyed in simple, sentence-length speech on familiar or everyday topics while readers at the same level can understand information conveyed in simple, predictable, loosely connected texts. Readers rely heavily on contextual clues. They can most easily understand information if the format of the text is familiar, such as in a weather report or a social announcement. Speakers at the Intermediate level are distinguished primarily by their ability to create with the language when talking about familiar topics related to their daily life. They are able to recombine learned material in order to express personal meaning.

Students should expect text assignments as well as work with DVDs, audio and websites. Exercises include writing, social interactions, role plays, and the interplay of language and culture.

Requisite: Asian 131 or the equivalent. Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Asian 332. Third-Year Arabic I. The goal of this course is to help students achieve an advanced level of proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic with an exposure to one Arabic colloquial variety using the four-skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening) approach. Students will read within a normal range of speed, listen to, discuss and respond in writing to authentic texts by writers from across the Arab world. Text types address a range of political, social, religious, and literary themes and represent a range of genres, styles, and periods. All of these texts may include hypothesis, argumentation and supported opinions that will cover both linguistic and cultural knowledge. This course covers Al-Kitaab, Book 3, Units 1-5 in addition to extra instructional materials.

Requisite: Asian 233, or the completion of Al-Kitaab, Book 2 or its equivalent. Students must be able to use Formal Spoken Arabic as the medium of communication in the classroom. Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Asian 131s. First-Year Arabic II. This is a continuation of First-Year Arabic I. Students will complete the study of the Elementary Arabic Al-Kitaab book sequence along with additional instructional materials. Emphasis will be on the integrated development of all language skills—reading, writing, listening and speaking—using a communicative-oriented, proficiency-based approach. By the end of this semester, students will acquire vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, and language skills necessary for everyday interactions as well as skills that will allow you to communicate with a limited working proficiency in a variety of situations, read and write about a variety of factual material and familiar topics in non-technical prose. In addition to the textbook exercises, students will write short essays, do oral and video presentations and participate in role plays, discussions, and conversations throughout the semester in addition to extra-curricular activities and a final project.

Requisite: Asian 130 or equivalent. Spring semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Asian 233s. Second-Year Arabic II. This is a continuation of Second-Year Arabic I. Students will complete the study of the Al-Kitaab II book sequence along with additional instructional materials. In this course, students will continue perfecting knowledge of Arabic integrating the four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing using a communicative-oriented, proficiency-based approach. By the end of this semester, students should have sufficient comprehension in Arabic to understand most routine social demands and most non-technical real-life conversations as well as some discussions on concrete topics related to particular interests and special fields of competence in a general professional proficiency level. Students will have broad enough vocabulary that will enable them to read within a normal range of speed with almost complete comprehension a variety of authentic prose material and be able to write about similar topics. Also by the end of this semester, students should have a wide range of communicative language ability including grammatical knowledge, discourse knowledge and sociolinguistic knowledge of the Arabic language. You should expect text assignments as well as work with DVDs, audio and video materials and websites. Exercises and activities include essay writing, social interactions, role plays and in-class conversations, oral and video presentations that cover the interplay of language and culture, extra-curricular activities and a final project.

Requisite: Asian 232 or equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Spring semester. Mount Holyoke College.

MOHAMED HASSAN, Senior Lecturer in Arabic and Director of the Five College Arabic Language Program.

Arabic 101. First-Year Arabic I. See ARAB 101.

Fall semester. Amherst College.

Arabic 401. Fourth-Year Arabic: Media Arabic. See ARAB 401.

Requisite: ARAB 302 or equivalent. Limited to 18 students. Fall semester. Amherst College.

Arabic 102. First-Year Arabic II. See ARAB 102.

Requisites: ARAB 101 or equivalent. Spring semester. Amherst College.

Arabic 402. Fourth-Year Arabic II: Topics in Arabic Language and Culture. See ARAB 402.

Requisite: ARAB 302 or equivalent. Limited to 18 students. Spring semester. Amherst College.

NAHLA KHALIL, Five College Lecturer in Arabic.

Arabic 101. Elementary Four-Skilled Arabic I. This course introduces the basics of Modern Standard Arabic in addition to brief exposures to one of the Arabic dialects. It is aligned with the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines. Following ACTFL proficiency standards, students should be at the Novice Mid-High level by the end of this course. The course begins with a focus on reading, pronouncing and recognizing Arabic sounds and progresses quickly toward developing beginner reading, writing, speaking and listening proficiency as well as cultural competence. It covers vocabulary for everyday use, and essential communicative skills relating to real-life and task-oriented situations (queries about personal well-being, family, work, and telling the time). Students will acquire vocabulary and usage for everyday interactions as well as skills that will allow them to read and analyze a range of texts at the Novice level. In addition to the traditional textbook exercises, students will write short paragraphs and participate in role plays, presentations and conversations throughout the year.

Fall semester. University of Massachusetts.

Arabic 201. Intermediate Four-Skilled Arabic I. According to the ACTFL standards, this course is Intermediate Low-Mid. It covers the four skills of the language. Writers at the Intermediate level are characterized by the ability to meet practical writing needs, such as simple messages and letters, requests for information, and notes. In addition, they can ask and respond to simple questions in writing. At the Intermediate level, listeners can understand information conveyed in simple, sentence-length speech on familiar or everyday topics while readers at the same level can understand information conveyed in simple, predictable, loosely connected texts. Readers rely heavily on contextual clues. They can most easily understand information if the format of the text is familiar, such as in a weather report or a social announcement. Speakers at the Intermediate level are distinguished primarily by their ability to create with the language when talking about familiar topics related to their daily life. They are able to recombine learned material in order to express personal meaning.

Students should expect text assignments as well as work with DVDs, audio and websites. Exercises include writing, social interactions, role plays, and the interplay of language and culture.

Requisite: Arabic 102 or the equivalent. Fall semester. University of Massachusetts.

Arabic 102. Elementary Four-Skilled Arabic II. This is a continuation of Elementary Arabic I. Students will complete the study of the Elementary Arabic Al-Kitaab book sequence along with additional instructional materials. Emphasis will be on the integrated development of all language skills—reading, writing, listening and speaking—using a communicative-oriented, proficiency-based approach. By the end of this semester, students will acquire vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, and language skills necessary for everyday interactions as well as skills that will allow you to communicate with a limited working proficiency in a variety of situations, read and write about a variety of factual material and familiar topics in non-technical prose. In addition to the textbook exercises, students will write short essays, do oral and video presentations and participate in role plays, discussions, and conversations throughout the semester in addition to extra-curricular activities and a final project.

Requisite: Arabic 101 or equivalent. Spring semester. University of Massachusetts.

Arabic 202. Intermediate Four-Skilled Arabic II. This is a continuation of Intermediate Arabic I. Students will complete the study of the Al-Kitaab II book sequence along with additional instructional materials. In this course, students will continue perfecting knowledge of Arabic integrating the four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing using a communicative-oriented, proficiency-based approach. By the end of this semester, students should have sufficient comprehension in Arabic to understand most routine social demands and most non-technical real-life conversations as well as some discussions on concrete topics related to particular interests and special fields of competence in a general professional proficiency level. Students will have broad enough vocabulary that will enable them to read within a normal range of speed with almost complete comprehension a variety of authentic prose material and be able to write about similar topics. Also by the end of this semester, students should have a wide range of communicative language ability including grammatical knowledge, discourse knowledge and sociolinguistic knowledge of the Arabic language. You should expect text assignments as well as work with DVDs, audio and video materials and websites. Exercises and activities include essay writing, social interactions, role plays and in-class conversations, oral and video presentations that cover the interplay of language and culture, extra-curricular activities and a final project.

Requisite: Arabic 201 or equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Spring semester. University of Massachusetts.

BRAHIM OULBEID, Visiting Five College Lecturer in Arabic.

LS 110. Elementary Arabic I. A yearlong course that introduces the basics of Modern Standard Arabic, this course concentrates on all four skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Beginning with the study of Arabic script and sound, students will complete the Georgetown text Alif Baa and finish Chapter 13 in Al-Kitaab Book I by the end of the academic year. Students will acquire vocabulary and usage for everyday interactions as well as skills that will allow them to read and analyze a range of texts. In addition to the traditional textbook exercises, students will write short essays and participate in role plays, debates, and conversations throughout the year.

Fall semester. Hampshire College.

Arabic 202. Second-Year Arabic II. See ARAB 202.

Requisite: ARAB 201 or equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Spring semester. Amherst College.

LS 110. Elementary Arabic II. The second semester of a year-long course that introduces the basics of Modern Standard Arabic, this course concentrates on all four skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students will begin with Chapter 6 of Al-Kitaab and complete Chapter 13 in Al-Kitaab Book I by the end of the academic year. Students will acquire vocabulary and usage for everyday interactions as well as skills that will allow them to read and analyze a range of texts. In addition to the traditional textbook exercises, students will write short essays and participate in role plays, debates, and conversations throughout the year. This is an integrated language course.

Spring semester. Hampshire College.

JOHN WEINERT, Five College Lecturer in Arabic.

Arabic 201. Second-Year Arabic I. See ARAB 201.

Requisite: ARAB 102 or equivalent. Limited to 18 students. Fall semester. Amherst College.

Arabic 300. Advanced Arabic I. The goal of this course is to help students achieve an advanced level of proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic with an exposure to one Arabic colloquial variety using the four-skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening) approach. Students will read within a normal range of speed, listen to, discuss and respond in writing to authentic texts by writers from across the Arab world. Text types address a range of political, social, religious, and literary themes and represent a range of genres, styles, and periods. All of these texts may include hypothesis, argumentation and supported opinions that will cover both linguistic and cultural knowledge. This course covers Al-Kitaab, Book 3, Units 1-5 in addition to extra instructional materials.

Requisite: ARA 202, or the completion of Al-Kitaab, Book 2 or its equivalent. Students must be able to use Formal Spoken Arabic as the medium of communication in the classroom. Fall semester. Smith College.

Arabic 100Y. Elementary Arabic II. This is a continuation of Elementary Arabic I. Students will complete the study of the Elementary Arabic Al-Kitaab book sequence along with additional instructional materials. Emphasis will be on the integrated development of all language skills—reading, writing, listening and speaking—using a communicative-oriented, proficiency-based approach. By the end of this semester, students will acquire vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, and language skills necessary for everyday interactions as well as skills that will allow you to communicate with a limited working proficiency in a variety of situations, read and write about a variety of factual material and familiar topics in non-technical prose. In addition to the textbook exercises, students will write short essays, do oral and video presentations and participate in role plays, discussions, and conversations throughout the semester in addition to extra-curricular activities and a final project.

Requisite: Arabic 101 or equivalent. Spring semester. Smith College.

Arabic 301. Advanced Arabic II. This course aims to help students reach Advanced proficiency in Arabic through language study and content work focused on Arab history, literature, and current events. Students continue to focus on developing truly active control of a large vocabulary through communicative activities. Grammatical work focuses on complex grammatical constructions and demands increased accuracy in understanding and producing complex structures in extended discourse. Preparation for class and active, cooperative participation in group activities are essential to students’ progress in this course. Requirements also include active participation in class, weekly essays, occasional exams and presentations and a final written exam. This course covers Al-Kitaab, Book 3, in addition to extra instructional materials.

Requisite: ARA 301, or the equivalent. Students must be able to use Formal Spoken Arabic as the medium of communication in the classroom. Spring semester. Smith College.

Archaeology

ELIZABETH KLARICH, Assistant Professor of Anthropology (at Smith College in the Five College Program).

Anthropology 216 AF. Archaeology of Food. This course explores the study of ancient foodways with a focus on how and why humans across the globe began to domesticate plant and animal resources approximately 10,000 years ago. The first half of the course presents the types of archaeological data and analytical methods used to study the agricultural revolution in a variety of regions. The second half explores a number of themes within the archaeology of food that investigate the relationship between agriculture and sedentism, food and gender, the politics of feasting, and methods for integrating archaeological and ethnographic approaches to the study of food.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Anthropology 220. Collecting the Past: Art and Artifacts of the Ancient Americas. See ANTH 220.

Limited to 18 students. Spring semester. Amherst College.

Anthropology 237. Native South Americans. Archaeology and ethnography are combined to survey the history and cultures of indigenous South America, from the earliest settlements to contemporary communities. Topics include: early migration, cultural classifications, pre-Hispanic socio-political patterns, native cosmologies and ecological adaptations, challenges to cultural survival and indigenous mobilizations.

Spring semester. Smith College.

Architectural Studies

GABRIEL ARBOLEDA, Assistant Professor of Environmental Design (at Hampshire [home campus] and Amherst colleges in the Five College program).

ARCH 208. Architecture of Traditional Societies. See ARCH 208.

Limited to 22 students. Fall semester. Amherst College.

HACU 246. Architectural Anthropology. This class explores the emerging interdisciplinary space between the architecture and anthropology fields. We study the ethics, methods, and subject interests of architectural anthropology in both theory (as a research approach to the built environment) and practice (specific proposals of building with and/or for cultural identity). This is a theory seminar with a visual analysis component.

Spring semester. Hampshire College.

ARCH 102. Introduction to Architectural Studies. See ARCH 102.

Spring semester. Amherst College.

HACU 262. “Culturally Appropriate” Design. This studio architecture class examines the cultural dimensions that emerge in the practice of sustainable architecture. A culturally appropriate approach is progressively becoming a central component of sustainable design, and this class will explore this approach from a number of different perspectives, with a main focus on the practice of designing with indigenous and ethnic communities as well as other cultural groups. Taking on the task of designing a cultural center for a hypothetical expatriates association, and presented with several scenarios common to the practice of culturally appropriate design, students will be confronted with the main challenges, principles and ethics of this practice. Studio design work will be supplemented with discussions regarding the concept of culture in architecture and the issue of cultural identity within the frameworks of sustainable development, while also investigating perspectives on the topic from the position of canonical design literature.

Spring semester. Hampshire College.

NAOMI DARLING, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Architecture (at Hampshire College in the Five College Program).

HACU 282. Tea House Design Build Studio. The traditional Japanese tea house, renowned for its simplicity of program and space, has often been used by (Japanese) architects as a typology with which to test ideas and experiment with materials, technology and construction techniques. This studio will first learn about the basics of Japanese tea culture and the traditional tea house including a visit to Washi-an on the Mt. Holyoke College campus where students will participate in a tea ceremony. Next, the studio will analyze traditional and contemporary tea houses producing a set of analytical drawings. Finally, the studio will work in teams to design and build a full scale tea house within a limited budget. The final tea house should be large enough to accommodate two to three people engaged in a traditional tea ceremony.

Requisite: One foundation architecture design studio or permission of the instructor. Fall semester. Hampshire College.

ARCH-DES 403. Design V Studio. Projects developed to explore the principles and process of architectural design and the development of structure and enclosure. Design projects, sketch problems. Satisfies the Integrative Experience requirement for BFA-Arch majors.

Fall semester. University of Massachusetts.

HACU 301. Capstone Architectural Design Studio. This is an advanced architectural studio class for Division III and other students with a design background, both in terms of familiarity with architectural representation and principles of architectural design. Throughout this course students develop individual design projects they propose. Their work is assessed every week through desk reviews and pin-up critiques. A considerable amount of self-directed work outside of class hours is expected from students.

Enrollment limited to Division III students and senior thesis students. Spring semester. Hampshire College.

Architectural Studies 225. Introduction to Architectural Design II: Principles of Environmental Design. This hybrid studio addresses human comfort with lectures and problem work sessions integrated with design projects. We start with an in-depth study of the world’s climate regions, the sun, and the earth’s tilt and spin. Primary methods of heat transfer are investigated as students research two architectural solutions (vernacular and contemporary) within each climate. Using daylight, the sun’s movement, and sun-path diagrams students will design, draw and build a functioning solar clock. Issues in day-lighting and thermal comfort will then drive an extended design problem. Students will be asked to solve numerical problems and present design solutions using both drawings and models. (4 credits)

Requisite: A minimum of 4 credits of architecture design studio; knowledge of algebra and trigonometry. Limited to 12 students. Students will be responsible for some of the cost of materials.

Spring semester. Mount Holyoke College.

THOM LONG, Associate Professor of Architecture and Design (at Hampshire College in the Five College Program)

ARCH 216. Digital Constructions: Intermediate Architectural Design Studio. See ARCH 216.

Requisite: ARHA 111. Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students. Fall semester. Amherst College.

ARCH 205AD. Introduction to Architectural Design. This studio course will be a design investigation of a particular theme in or approach to architecture and the built environment. Students will develop and apply traditional and contemporary architectural skills (sketches, plans, elevations, models, computer diagramming, and various modes of digital representation) to interdisciplinary and socially pertinent design problems. Creative and indexical study and analysis will be used to generate and foster a broad range of concepts and language to solve architectural issues involving site, construction, inhabitation, function, form, and space. Our goal is to apply creative techniques in art and sculpture to the creation of meaningful space.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

ARCH 216. Digital Constructions: Intermediate Architectural Design Studio. See ARCH 216.

Requisite: ARHA 111. Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 12 students.

Spring semester. Amherst College.

Art and Technology

JOHN SLEPIAN, Associate Professor of Art and Technology (at Hampshire [home campus] and Smith Colleges in the Five College Program).

IA 241. Digital Art. Proceeding from the premise that the ideas behind a successful artwork should be intimately related to its materials, this course will investigate three of the most significant characteristics of digital media. We will work with a wide variety of tools that allow for the creation and manipulation of various media, including bitmap and vector images, 2D animation, and sound. Students will create a series of conceptually based digital artworks, culminating in an interactive multimedia final project. Readings will include essays by diverse authors such as Richard Wagner, Walter Benjamin, Norbert Weiner and Nam June Paik.

Fall semester. Hampshire College.

ARS 385. Seminar: Visual Studies. Topics course. An intensive examination of a theme in studio work. Students will work within the medium of their area of concentration. Each class will include students working in different media. Group discussion of readings, short papers, and oral presentations will be expected. The course will culminate in a group exhibition. A required fee of $75 to cover group supplied materials will be charged at the time of registration. Topic: Groundhog Day.

Requisites: Two or more courses in the student’s chosen sequence of concentration and permission of the instructor. Limited to 15 upper-level studio majors. Not open to first-year or sophomore students. Fall semester. Smith College.

IA 297. Twenty First-Century Time-Based Media. It could be said that time-based media is the default art medium of the 21st century. Screens and projections are everywhere from cell phones to the sides of buildings, video installation has become one of the most prominent media in museum and gallery exhibitions, performance art is now so established that performance artists like Marina Abramovic have museum filling retrospectives, and interactivity, electronic and otherwise, has become commonplace even in commercial galleries. Throughout this course, we will study not only the history of time-based media as a gallery art form, but also some of its most important themes. During the semester students will create a series of video, installation and performance works. This is a critique focused rather than technical instruction based class. Spring semester. Hampshire College.

ARS 361. Interactive Digital Multimedia. This course emphasizes individual and collaborative projects in computer-based interactive multimedia production. Participants will extend their individual experimentation with time-based processes and development of media production skills (3D animation, video, and audio production)—developed in the context of interactive multimedia production for performance, installation, CD-ROM, or Internet. Critical examination and discussion of contemporary examples of new media art will augment this studio course. A required fee of $25 to cover group supplied materials will be charged at the time of registration.

Requisite: ARS 162 and permission of the instructor. Limited to 14 students. Spring semester. Smith College.

Art History

LORNE FALK, Five College Visiting Associate Professor of Contemporary Art, Theory and Criticism.

HACU 157. Art Since 1950. This course is a survey of contemporary art since 1950 that examines the dissolution of high art as a concept, and how media, from ceramics and textiles to photography, video and media art, came to contest that notion even as they aspired to it. In light of the convergence of discipline-specific and other cultural histories with modernism, this course considers counter modernisms and the deconstruction and revision of Western art history. You will also be introduced to the global contemporary art world and begin to explore how art operates aesthetically, politically, emotionally, and intellectually. Through the work of selected artists, critics, curators, historians, and theorists, you will investigate a range of processes, concepts and issues that are important in global culture today.

Fall semester. Hampshire College.

HACU 224. Culture of Photography. This course is about the centrality of the photographic image—that is, an image produced by mechanical means—in our visual experience, in the rituals, practices and representation of everyday life. Since we no longer, if ever, experience an image in isolation from our experiences of other images and mediums, the culture and idea of photography is understood as utterly diverse in its functions. We will consider photography’s histories, theory and practice, especially its relation to “images that move” and its profound role in what we now understand as visual culture. We will examine theoretical, social and cultural issues and contexts influencing image culture through specific examples from contemporary photography, film, media art and other visual media.

Fall semester. Hampshire College.

CSI 2xx. Ethical Imagining. In his last interview Fluxus artist Dick Higgins said, “. . . one of the areas that has been understated since the immediate post-war era has been ethics. Exploring the nature of kindness or of cruelty, or of the various implications of Bosnia or of militarism or things like that. Ethical exploration is an area of subject matter that has to be dealt with.” More recently, Canadian cultural critic and psychoanalyst Jeanne Randolph has explored how we act morally and ethically while participating in a culture of abundance, opulence and consumerism. This course will explore ethics as a subject in the work of contemporary artists and thinkers in different media and disciplines, and across different cultures. It will explore ethical imagining as a cultural practice—how the imagination is elusive, contingent, yet exceedingly precious, and how it helps us understand changes in human relations and in culture that have evolved with 20C and 21C materialism.

Spring semester. Hampshire College.

Art and the History of Art 276. Border Culture: Globalization and Contemporary Art. See ARHA 276.

Spring semester. Amherst College.

Asian/Pacific/American Studies

RICHARD CHU, Associate Professor of History (at the University of Massachusetts in the Five College Program).

History 247. “Empire,” “Race,” and the Philippines: Indigenous Peoples vs. the Spanish, U.S., and Japanese Imperial Projects. Is the United States an “empire”? Today, U.S. political, military, and economic involvement in many parts of the world like the Middle East makes this an urgent and important question. This course addresses the issue of American imperial power by examining the history of U.S. colonization of the Philippines, during the first half of the twentieth-century, and by comparing it with that of two other imperial powers—Spain and Japan. Themes to be discussed include imperialism, colonialism, religion, ethnicity, gender, orientalism, nationalism, post-colonialism, neo-colonialism, crony capitalism, globalization, and militarism.

Fall semester. University of Massachusetts.

American Studies 230. Colloquium: The Asian/Pacific/American Experience. Through the course of the semester, students will consider the many histories, experiences, and cultures that shape and define the ever-changing, ever-evolving field of Asian/Pacific/American (A/P/A) Studies, an interdisciplinary space marked by multiple communities, approaches, voices, issues, and themes. The course will cover the first wave of Asian immigration in the 19th century, the rise of anti-Asian movements, the experiences of A/P/As during World War II, the emergence of the “Asian American” movement in the 1960s, and the new wave of post-1965 Asian immigration. Topics will include but are not limited to racial formation, immigration, citizenship, transnationalism, gender, and class.

Fall semester. Smith College.

History 253. Asian/Pacific/American History. This course is an introductory survey course in the history of Asian/Pacific/Americans within the broader historical context of U.S. imperialism in the Asia/Pacific region. We will compare and contrast the historical experiences of specific groups of the A/P/A community; namely, those of Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Southeast Asian (Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Hmong), Asian Indian, and Pacific Islander descent. The objective of the course is to provide the students with a fundamental understanding of A/P/A history that is inextricably linked to the goal of the United States to establish military, economic, and cultural hegemony in the world as seen through its colonial and neo-colonial policies both in the U.S. and the Asia/Pacific region. Thematically, the course will focus on imperialism, migration, race and racism, class, gender, sexuality, immigration, colonialism, post-colonialism, nationalism, ethnicity, globalization, and transnationalism. Discussions will emphasize the complexity and diversity, as well as the commonalities, of certain groups of A/P/A community affected by American imperialism

Spring semester. University of Massachusetts.

History. TBD

Spring semester. Amherst College.

SUJANI REDDY, Assistant Professor of American Studies (at Amherst College in the Five College Program).

American Studies 232. Racialization in the U.S.: The Asian/Pacific/American Experience. See AMST 232.

Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Amherst College.

History 278. Deportation Nation. This course focuses on immigration will begin with in the nineteenth century with the anti-Chinese movement and proceed through to World War II. It will include an outline of the basic patterns of migration to the United States; their relationship to settler colonialism and U.S. imperialism; U.S. racial formation; citizenship and family reunification; immigrant labor; illegal immigration; and struggles for migrant justice. Throughout, we will analyze the relationships between gender, sexuality, race, class and nation, and the ways in which these become points of struggle over identity, community, and belonging.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

American Studies 336. South Asians in the United States. See AMST 336.

Not open to first-year students. Limited to 15 students. Preference given to American Studies majors. Spring semester. Amherst College.

American Studies 236. From Civil Rights to Immigrant Rights: The Politics of Race, Nation and Migration Since WWII. This course centers ongoing struggles for social justice and liberation as a means for investigating the landscape of U.S. social formation in what many term the “post-civil rights” era. Our inquiry will begin with the youth-led movements of the late 1960s and 1970s and move through to the present day. Topics will include questions of empire, the criminalization of radical movements, the prison industrial complex, the “war on drugs,” the diversification of immigration to the United States, struggles over citizenship, migrant labor, and immigrant detention and deportation. Throughout we will pay attention to the relationships between hierarchies of gender, sexuality, race, class and nation and specific attention to the shape of contemporary debates about the issues we examine.

Spring semester. Smith College.

Biology

ROBERT DREWELL, Five College Visiting Professor of Biology.

Biology 160. Integrated Introduction to Biology and Chemistry. This 8-credit course serves as a gateway to both the biology and chemistry core curricula. The course introduces and develops fundamental concepts in chemistry while also exploring the diverse range of strategies adopted by living systems to survive in different environments. This course prepares students for further study in chemistry (Chemistry 201) and/or biology (Biology 200). Students must register for both Biology 160 and Chemistry 160 as well as a single lab section (listed under Chemistry 160L). Recommended for students interested in completing pre-health requirements or advanced study in biochemistry or neuroscience.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Biology 321ED. Evolutionary Developmental Biology. It may be surprising, but the genetic ingredients that assemble a human are strikingly similar to those that assemble a fly. So why do humans and flies look so different as adults? The answer lies in where and when those genetic ingredients are active during embryonic development. The intricacies of this early stage of life are now being revealed thanks to the new field of Evolutionary Developmental Biology (“Evo-Devo”). This course will explore how changes in molecular, genetic and developmental programs have shaped the evolution of morphological diversity. Evo-Devo is a thriving new sub-discipline of biology with its own questions, approaches and methods. The field integrates traditional research on organismal evolutionary biology with molecular embryology, genetics and genomics. Because Evo-Devo is so integrative, it will also be a great opportunity for students to expand their knowledge into less familiar areas of biology at the interface of genomic, developmental, organismal, population, paleontological and natural selection approaches to evolutionary change.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Mathematics 240/Biology 240. Mathematical Modeling of Biological Systems. See MATH 240/BIOL 240.

Spring semester. Amherst College.

Computer Science

DANIEL SHELDON, Assistant Professor of Computer Science (at the University of Massachusetts Amherst [home campus] and Mount Holyoke College in the Five College program).

Computer Science 335. Machine Learning. How does Netflix learn what movies a person likes? How do computers read handwritten addresses on packages, or detect faces in images? Machine learning is the practice of programming computers to learn and improve through experience, and it is becoming pervasive in technology and science. This course will cover the mathematical underpinnings, algorithms, and practices that enable a computer to learn. Topics will include supervised learning, unsupervised learning, evaluation methodology, and Bayesian probabilistic modeling. Students will learn to program in MATLAB or Python and apply course skills to solve real world prediction and pattern recognition problems. Programming Intensive.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Computer Science 312. Algorithms. How does Mapquest find the best route between two locations? How do computers help to decode the human genome? At the heart of these and other complex computer applications are nontrivial algorithms. While algorithms must be specialized to an application, there are some standard ways of approaching algorithmic problems that tend to be useful in many applications. Among other topics, we will explore graph algorithms, greedy algorithms, divide-and-conquer, dynamic programming, and network flow. We will learn to recognize when to apply each of these strategies as well as to evaluate the expected runtime costs of the algorithms we design.

Spring semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Computer Science 688. Graphical Models. Probabilistic graphical models are an intuitive visual language for describing the structure of joint probability distributions using graphs. They enable the compact representation and manipulation of exponentially large probability distributions, which allows them efficiently to manage the uncertainty and partial observability that commonly occur in real-world problems. As a result, graphical models have become invaluable tools in a wide range of areas from computer vision and sensor networks to natural language processing and computational biology. The aim of this course is to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to design effectively, implement and apply these models to solve real problems. The course will cover (a) Bayesian and Markov networks and their dynamic and relational extensions; (b) exact and approximate inference methods; (c) estimation of both the parameters and structure of graphical models. Although the course is listed as a seminar, it will be taught as a regular lecture course with programming assignments and exams. Students entering the class should have good programming skills and knowledge of algorithms. Undergraduate-level knowledge of probability and statistics is recommended.

Spring semester. University of Massachusetts.

Dance

CONSTANCE VALIS HILL, Professor of Dance (at Hampshire College in the Five College Program), is on leave in 2014-15.

PAUL MATTESON, Assistant Professor of Theater and Dance (at Amherst [home campus] and Mount Holyoke colleges in the Five College program).

Theater and Dance 216H. Contemporary Dance Techniques: Modern 4/5. See THDA 216H. A half course.

Fall semester. Amherst College.

Dance 151. Elementary Composition. An ensemble based approach to choreographic inquiry through improvised movement explorations, trust-based partnering, performance viewings, and inventive compositional assignments.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Dance 305 RM. Repertory: Modern. This course is designed for advanced students interested in performing. The work developed will be performed on the fall Faculty Concert.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Theater and Dance 251. Making Dances. See THDA 251.

Consent of the instructor is required for students without a previous composition class. Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Amherst College.

Dance 114s. Advanced Beginning Modern. Advanced beginning modern technique. The course will concentrate on aspects of strength, flexibility, and anatomical integration in order to improve technical skills. Improvisation as well as various body therapies will be included in the class format.

Spring semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Dance 216. Intermediate Advanced Modern. Continued training in modern dance techniques and theories. Designed for students with a strong technical foundation.

Spring semester. Mount Holyoke College.

English

SCOTT BRANSON, Five College Visiting Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature.

HACU 142. Nineteenth-Century European Fiction. This course will serve as an introduction to major works in European fiction from the 19th to the early 20th century. We will be reading novels and short fiction from France, Germany, England, and Russia. As this is a comparative literature course, we will be reading works in translation, though students are encouraged to read the texts in the original wherever possible. As we read, we will examine the changing notions of representation and reality that inform the modes of fiction in different traditions at different times. Our aesthetic focus will pay particular attention to style, language, form, and character. We will also look at the way these works of fiction figure the individual in relation to society, asking what kind of world these novels and stories create and how they create and maintain a sense of European literature. Authors may include Goethe, Balzac, Bront, Flaubert, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Zola, James, Mansfield, and Ford.

Fall semester. Hampshire College.

HACU 248. Twentieth-Century Experimental Novel. How do we make sense of a meaningless world? How do we render meaninglessness in fiction without making it meaningful? Are we satisfied with literature that doesn’t explain itself? Can we read without trying to explain? This course will examine novelists grappling with these questions as they try to find place for literature in the modern world. In a century marked by drastic technological advances in communication, transportation, and warfare—changes that also characterize our historical moment—modernist and post-modernist novelists experimented with incorporating meaninglessness into their work through innovation of the form of the novel as well as expansion of its content. We will read authors from different national traditions who try to incorporate the failure of meaning into their texts. This course will incorporate literary theories of modernism, post-modernism, and the novel to help us understand how narrative conventions promise meaning and how the 20th-century experimental novel subverts this promise. Authors may include Gide, Beckett, Duras, Burroughs, Reed, Ballard, Abe, Acker, and Delany.

Fall semester. Hampshire College.

HACU 140. Dying Young Romantic to Modern. In this course, we will read novels with protagonists who die young. How does early death shape plot? Why do abbreviated lives make the most fascinating stories? Is there a literary history of dying young? Though we often think literature contains the meaning of life, we don’t ask whether it might give us the meaning of death. But what could be more meaningless than the death of someone cut off in the prime of life? Through a survey of European and American literature, this course will explore the pathos and desire that turn so many plots into death sentences for young men and women. We will read novels in conjunction with philosophical and theoretical texts to examine how death makes meaning in literature and how literary death reframes issues of identity such as race, gender, and class.

Spring semester. Hampshire College.

HACU 267. The Aesthetics of Waste. Is beauty useless, or does art serve a (moral) purpose? The role of art in Western culture has often been under debate, especially with the rise of literacy, accessibility, and democratization that came in the period of industrialization. These questions are particularly pertinent now in the ongoing debate over liberal arts education and the future of the humanities. This course will combine readings in aesthetic philosophy with literary works to investigate the way art figures in a society of consumption. We will ask whether art can serve the role of preservation formerly afforded to religion in a secularized world, or if it disrupts economies of sufficiency. In addition, we will look at the politics of representation in the Western tradition that privileges certain bodies and ignores others. Finally, we will interrogate the process of interpretation itself as it relates to the preservation of cultural products. Our readings will begin with Symbolism and Decadence and move through Modernism and contemporary works. Authors may include Schiller, Ruskin, Baudelaire, Flaubert, Wilde, Mauss, Bataille, Eliot, Genet, Pynchon, Duras, Derrida, and Mbembe.

Spring semester. Hampshire College.

JANE DEGENHARDT, Associate Professor of English (at the University of Massachusetts in the Five College Program)

HACU 302. Advanced Shakespeare Seminar. This advanced seminar will meet for three hours weekly to read, in conjunction with selected theoretical and historical material, the texts of eleven plays by Shakespeare. The selection of plays will span Shakespeare’s career and will include all genres. Through careful reading and discussion, we will explore what makes Shakespeare’s plays so powerful, both for Renaissance audiences and for modern-day ones. In particular, we will focus on the complex language and structures of Shakespeare’s plays, the cultural and formal models that they challenge, and the historical conditions under which they were written and performed. Our theoretical readings will give a sense of new directions in the field of Shakespeare studies, including globalization, eco-criticism, affect studies, queer theory, and performance studies. Students will be expected: to participate fully, to give an opening presentation; to post frequent responses; to engage in informal performance; and to write two short papers and a longer, research-based paper.

Requisite: at least one previous literature course. Fall semester. Hampshire College.

English 791-AS. New Theoretical Dimensions in Shakespeare Studies. This course will offer focused attention to twelve of Shakespeare’s plays, read in conjunction with selected theoretical and historical materials. Emphasis will be given to less canonical plays (e.g. Timon of Athens, Henry VIII, King John, Two Noble Kinsmen) and secondary readings that offer a survey of formative and emerging theoretical frameworks in the field of Shakespeare Studies. Readings will be organized into separate units, and may include the following: (1) Formative texts from the late 20th century (Stephen Greenblatt, Jonathan Dollimore); (2) Cultural Materiality (Natasha Korda; Peter Stallybrass; Lena Orlin); (3) the New, New Formalism (Stephen Cohen, Douglas Bruster); (4) Cultural Geography (Mary Bly, Julie Sanders); (5) the Global Renaissance (Valerie Forman, Emily Bartels, Ania Loomba) (6) Ecocriticism and the Limits of the Human (Steve Mentz, Vin Nardizzi; Bruce Boehrer); (7) Performance and the Public Sphere (Paul Yachnin, Jeff Doty, Erika Lin); (8) Affect, Emotion, and Sense (Patricia Cahill, Holly Dugan, Mario DiGangi); (9) Queering the Renaissance (Will Fisher, Madhavi Menon; Stephen Guy-Bray); (10) the Religious Turn (Anthony Dawson; Susannah Monta; Julia Reinhard Lupton); (11) and Science and Medicine (Kaara Peterson, Gail Paster, Elizabeth Spiller). Students will be encouraged to engage, emulate, and critique these models. Assignments include a conference presentation, an oral presentation on a secondary source, a book review, and an annotated bibliography.

Fall semester. University of Massachusetts.

Film/Video

BABA HILLMAN, Associate Professor of Video/Film Production (at Hampshire College in the Five College Program).

HACU 334. Division III Film, Video, Media. Division III Projects Class: Film, Video, Photography and Interdisciplinary Media: This is an advanced production/theory class open to Division III concentrators who are in the process of developing their projects in film, video, photography, interdisciplinary media or installation. The course will emphasize individual working methods, beginning with the process of developing ideas, grounding themes within a conceptual framework and continuing through shifts and revisions. The course will also concentrate on cinematography, writing, performance and directing in the context of students’ projects, as well as strategies of structuring work, using a set of central questions and assignments as a guide. Students will develop, by the end of the fall semester, a rough cut or first draft of their projects. The course will include screenings and workshops by visiting artists and filmmakers as well as visits to museum and gallery exhibits.

Admission with permission of the instructor. Fall semester. Hampshire College.

Communication 497AV. Directing and Performance for Film and Video. This is a production/theory course for video and film students interested in developing and strengthening the element of performance in their work. How does performance for the camera differ from performance for the stage? How do we find a physical language and a camera language that expand upon one another in a way that liberates the imagination? This course will explore performance and directing in their most diverse possibilities, in a context specific to film and videomakers. The priority of the class will be screening works-in-progress for critique with an emphasis on development of individual approaches to relationships between performance, text, sound and image. We will discuss visual and verbal gesture, dialogue and voice-over, variations of approach with actors and non-actors, narration and voice-over, camera movement and rhythm within the shot, and the structuring of performance in short and long form works. Screenings and readings will introduce students to a wide range of approaches to directing and performance. We will study works by Anna Deavere Smith, Charles Burnett, Akira Kurosawa, Ximena Cuevas and RtMark among others.

Fall semester. University of Massachusetts.

FAMS 228/ENGL 287. Introduction to Super 8 Film and Digital Video. See FAMS 228.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Please complete the questionnaire at https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/film/forms_question. Limited to 13 students. Spring semester. Amherst College.

HACU 292. Cinematography and the City: The Politics of Landscape and the Body. This film production/theory course will address cinematic representations of the body in relation to the architecture and space of cities including Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, London, Algiers, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Paris. We will consider the determining roles of the camera and the body within films that center on the performance of shifts in cultural identities, emphasizing the body as the primary site of negotiation of identity. We will question how cinematic languages function as aesthetic systems that reflect the ways in which the body is coded in terms of gender, race and class. Screenings include works by Yamina Benguigui, John Akomfrah, Claire Denis, Wong Kar Wai, Jia Zhangke, Jean Vigo, Kevin Jerome Everson, Pedro Costa, and Abdellatif Kechiche as well as documentation of installation works by Masayuki Kawai, Isaac Julien, Francis Als and Mona Hatoum. The course will include workshops in cinematography and performance. Students may work in 16mm, Super 8, video and intermedia installation and will complete two projects.

Admission with permission of the instructor. Spring semester. Hampshire College.

BERNADINE MELLIS, Lecturer in Film Studies (at Mount Holyoke College in the Five College Program).

Film Studies 210VP. Beginning Video Production. This course provides a foundation in the principles, techniques, and equipment involved in video production. Students will make several short videos over the course of the term as well as one final piece. We will develop our own voices while learning the vocabulary of moving images and gaining production and post-production skills. In addition to technical training, classes will include critiques, screenings, readings, and discussion.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Film Studies 282. Advanced Projects in Video Production. In this class, we will take skills and insights gained in introductory production courses and develop them over the length of the semester through the creation of one short video project, 10 minutes long. Students may choose to work in documentary, fiction, or experimental modes, or some combination thereof. We will watch films each week, short and feature length, that introduce us to new ideas both in their content and in their form. Come to the first class with your idea in hand; we will hit the ground running with proposal and/or script writing the first week.

Requisite: Introduction to Film Studies. Application and permission of instructor required. Limited to 10 students. Fall semester. Smith College.

Film Studies 310. Advanced Video Production: Community Projects. In this class, we will collaborate with two local organizations, the Prison Birth Project (http://theprisonbirthproject.org/) and Free Press (http://www.freepress.net/), to develop video projects about the work they do. Each student will choose one of these organizations and work in pairs or small groups, with the goal of producing one 10-minute video the chosen organization can use to educate the public about who they are and the issues they tackle, to publicize a campaign they’re launching, and/or to advocate for social change. To create these videos, we will take skills and insights gained in introductory production courses and develop them over the length of the semester.

Requisites: Introduction to Film Studies and Beginning Video Production. Application and permission of instructor required. Limited to 10 students. Spring semester. Mount Holyoke College.

FLS 280. Introduction to Video Production: Experiments in Adaptation. This course provides a foundation in the principles, techniques, and equipment involved in making short videos. Working with already existing texts (short stories, plays, poems, films, songs, news stories, paintings, etc.), students will develop their own projects. The course will introduce the following: developing a project idea from a pre-existing text; script/treatment writing; aesthetics and mechanics of shooting; the role of sound; and the conceptual and technical underpinnings of digital editing. We will do several short exercises early in the semester, working towards a longer final piece. By translating other media into cinematic terms, we will develop our proficiency in the language of moving images.

Requisite: Introduction to Film Studies. Application and permission of instructor required. Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Smith College.

Geosciences

J. MICHAEL RHODES, Professor of Geochemistry (at the University of Massachusetts in the Five College Program).

Geo 105. Natural Disasters: Confronting and Coping. The earth is a dynamic planet, constantly creating oceans and mountain ranges, accompanied by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. This course explores the scientific ideas that led to the scientific revolution of plate tectonics; how plate tectonics provides a comprehensive theory explaining how and why volcanoes and earthquakes occur; and the hazards that they produce and their impact on humans. Emphasis is placed on current earthquake and volcanic events, as well as on momentous events from the past, such as the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, the 79 A.D. eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii, and the more recent eruptions of Mount St. Helens (Washington), Pinitubo (Philippines) and Kilauea (Hawaii).

Fall semester. Smith College.

Geosciences 515. X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis. Theoretical and practical application of x-ray fluorescence analysis in determining major and trace element abundances in geological materials.

Requisite: Analytical Geochemistry. Fall semester. University of Massachusetts.

Geo 591V. Volcanology. A systematic discussion of volcanic phenomena, including types of eruptions, generation and emplacement of magmas, products of volcanism, volcanic impact on humans, and the monitoring and forecasting of volcanic events. Case studies of individual volcanoes illustrate principles of volcanology, with particular emphasis on Hawaiian, ocean-floor and Cascade volcanism.

Each week deals with a particular topic in volcanism and includes a lecture, readings from the textbook, and class presentations. For the class presentation, each student is required to select and read a paper from an appropriate journal, and come to class prepared to discuss the paper.

Honors students will “adopt” a currently active volcano. They will report, on a regular basis, to the class what their volcano is doing during the semester, and prepare a final term report on their adopted volcano.

Spring semester. University of Massachusetts.

History

NADYA SBAITI, Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern History (at Smith [home campus] and Mount Holyoke colleges in the Five College Program).

History 296ME/Gender Studies 206 ME. Women and Gender in the Middle East. This course is designed to provide students with a nuanced historical understanding of issues related to women and gender in the region defined as the area from Morocco to Iran. After an introduction to the main themes and approaches in the study of women and gender, we will examine the development of discourses on gender and the lived experiences of women from the rise of Islam, through the Ottoman Empire, and up to the twentieth century. Topics: the politics of marriage, divorce, and reproduction; women’s political and economic participation; Islamist movements; the new field of masculinity studies; and the highly contested topics of homosexuality and transsexuality in the Middle East.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

History 111. Making of the Modern Middle East. This course is designed as an introduction to the modern history of the Middle East with a focus on the 18th century to the present. The main political, economic, social, and cultural institutions and forces that have most profoundly affected events in the region. Identifying how specific events and long-term processes have informed social and political realities in the Middle East. Focus on significant developments and movements, including Ottoman reform; the emergence of Arab nationalism and the rise and formation of modern nation states; the role of imperialist and colonial powers in the region; regional conflicts; Zionism; Islamism, and social and cultural changes.

Spring semester. Mount Holyoke College.

History 209. Aspects of Middle Eastern History. Topics course: Madrasas, Missionaries, and Modernities: Education in Middle Eastern History This course examines Islamic, missionary and colonial educational institutions and content, and the rise of nationalist systems of pedagogy in the modern history of the Middle East. How did being “educated” change over time? What impact did the shift from an oral to written tradition have on different societies? How is education related to notions of upbringing, knowledge, and culture? We will examine how competing notions of “modern” education influenced the rise of “secular,” Islamist, and western-oriented pedagogies, the role of the intellectual, social, political, and cultural capital of language, and the significance of education in the contemporary Middle East.

Spring semester. Smith College.

International Relations

MICHAEL T. KLARE, Professor of Peace and World Security Studies (at Hampshire College in the Five College Program).

International Relations 241. Global Resource Politics. An intensive examination of the international politics surrounding disputes over the ownership, extraction, and vital natural resources including fresh water, petroleum, arable land, timber, minerals, and oceanic fisheries. The course will assess the growing pressures being brought to bear on the world’s resource base, including population growth, globalization, unsustainable consumption, and climate change. It will also examine the various ways (war, adjudication, conservation, innovation) in which various actors (states, regional and international organizations, multinational corporations, warlords, civil society groups, and so on) are responding to contemporary resource disputes.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Critical Social Inquiry 256. Greed and Grievance. An examination of the causes and distinctive characteristics of armed conflict in the post-Cold War era, with an emphasis on the role of resource competition in the initiation and prolongation of warfare. The course will examine various explanations for the onset and prolongation of recent conflicts, especially civil wars and insurgencies. It will also assess various strategies for preventing and terminating such conflicts. Each student will be expected to conduct an intensive research project on a particular recent conflict or conflict issue (e.g., child soldiers) and to share their findings in class.

Spring semester. Hampshire College.

Political Science 484. Seminar on International Politics: Global Resource Politics. See POSC 484.

Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Amherst College.

JON WESTERN, Professor of International Relations (at Mount Holyoke College in the Five College Program), will be on leave in 2014-15.

Japanese

FUMIKO BROWN, Five College Lecturer in Japanese.

Japanese 301. Japanese Writing and Film.

Requisite: JAPA 202 or equivalent. Fall semester. Amherst College.

Asian Studies 324f. Third-Year Japanese I. This course helps students attain a higher level of proficiency in modern Japanese through the extended use of the language in practical contexts. The class will be conducted mostly in Japanese.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Japanese 302. Moving From “Learning to Read” to “Reading to Learn” in Japanese. See JAPA 302

Requisite: JAPA 301 or equivalent. Spring semester. Amherst College.

Asian Studies 326s. Third-Year Japanese II. This course continues Asian Studies 324, Third- Year Japanese I. Emphasizes attaining a higher level of proficiency in modern Japanese through the extended use of the language in practical contexts. The class will be conducted mostly in Japanese.

Spring semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Judaic Studies

ADI GORDON, Five College Visiting Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies.

History 294. The History of Israel. See HIST 294.

Fall semester. Amherst College.

Judaic Studies 102. The Jewish People II. The life and history of the Jews in the medieval and modern worlds. Topics include Jewish-Christian relations; development of Jewish philosophy and mysticism; Jewish life in Eastern Europe; the Holocaust; State of Israel; Jews and Judaism in North America.

Fall semester. University of Massaachusetts.

History 232/European Studies 242. European Intellectual History in the Twentieth Century. See HIST 232.

Spring semester. Amherst College.

Judaic Studies 345. The Making of Modern Jewry. The emergence of modern Jewish identity and culture, focusing on the socio-economic, political, and intellectual forces which led to improved treatment of Jews. Topics include: Hasidim, Enlightenment, and the impact of the French Revolution. Analysis of the implications of modernity for the Jewish community and family, the synagogue, secular Judaism, and Jewish-Gentile relations.

Spring semester. University of Massachusetts.

Korean

SUK MASSEY, Five College Lecturer in Korean.

Asian Studies 262 F. Second-Year Korean I. Second-Year Korean I is the first half of a two-semester intermediate course in spoken and written Korean for students who already have a basic knowledge of Korean. This course is designed to reinforce and increase students’ facility with Korean in the four language areas: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students are encouraged to expand their knowledge and take confidence-inspiring risks through activities such as the followings: expanding knowledge of vocabulary, role play in authentic contexts, in-depth study of grammar, students mini- presentations, various types of writing, Korean film reviews, skits and Korean film making.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Korean 101. Korean I. Beginning Korean I is the first half of a two-semester introductory course in spoken and written Korean for students who do not have any previous knowledge of Korean. This course is designed to improve students’ communicative competence in daily life, focusing on the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Some of the activities include oral dialogue journals (ODJ), expanding knowledge of vocabulary, conversation in authentic contexts, in-depth study of grammar, listening comprehension, pronunciation practice, mini-presentations, Korean film reviews and Korean film making.

Fall semester. Smith College.

Korean 201. Korean II. Intermediate Korean I is the first half of a two-semester intermediate course in spoken and written Korean for students who already have a basic knowledge of Korean. This course is designed to reinforce and increase students’ facility with Korean in the four language areas: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students are encouraged to expand their knowledge and take confidence-inspiring risks through activities such as the followings: expanding knowledge of vocabulary, role play in authentic contexts, in-depth study of grammar, students mini- presentations, various types of writing, Korean film reviews, skits and Korean film making.

Fall semester. Smith College.

Korean 102. Korean I. Beginning Korean II is the second half of a two-semester introductory course in spoken and written Korean for students who have some previous knowledge of Korean. This course is designed to improve students’ communicative competence in daily life, focusing on the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Some of the activities include vocabulary-building exercises, conversation in authentic contexts, in-depth study of grammar, listening comprehension and pronunciation practice, mini-presentations, Korean film reviews and Korean film making.

Spring semester. Smith College.

Korean 202. Korean II. Intermediate Korean II is the second part of a one-year intensive course for students who have already completed the intermediate-level Korean course, Intermediate Korean I, or who have the equivalent language competence in Korean. Designed for students seeking to become bilingual (or multilingual), this course provides numerous and varied opportunities to develop and practice speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. Activities include expanding vocabulary, conversing in authentic contexts (conversation cafe), studying grammar intensively, reading stories and news articles, reviewing Korean films and Korean film making.

Spring semester. Smith College.

CHAN YOUNG PARK, Five College Lecturer in Korean.

Asian Studies 160. First-Year Korean I. First-Year Korean I is the first half of a two-semester introductory course in spoken and written Korean for students who do not have any previous knowledge of Korean. This course is designed to improve students’ communicative competence in daily life, focusing on the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Some of the activities include oral dialogue journals (ODJ), expanding knowledge of vocabulary, conversation in authentic contexts, in-depth study of grammar, listening comprehension, pronunciation practice, mini-presentations, Korean film reviews and Korean film making.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Asian 197B. Beginning Korean I. This is an introductory Korean course, which is designed to help students acquire fundamental skills to read, write, listen and speak in elementary level Korean. Students will learn Korean writing system, Hangul, simple sentence patterns, and basic everyday conversations. By the end of the class, students will be able to carry a short conversation about people’s backgrounds, likes and dislikes, attributes, as well as location, numbers and counters. Students will also be able to talk about present, past and future events in straightforward social situations. In addition to the classroom instruction, students will meet with a TA to practice speaking.

Fall semester. University of Massachusetts.

Asian 297B. Intermediate Korean I. This course aims at the acquisition of language skills to read, write, listen and speak in intermediate-level Korean. It is designed for students who have taken Elementary Korean courses or proven to be at the equivalent level by the placement test.

Fall semester. University of Massachusetts.

Asian Studies 161s. First-Year Korean II. This course is the second part of the Beginning Korean, which is designed to teach the fundamental skills to read, write, listen and speak in elementary level Korean. Prior to take this course, students are expected to read Hangul and to be able to talk about simple daily activities and carry a limited conversation with memorized phrases. Compared to the first semester, more advanced vocabulary and grammar patterns will be introduced, and the students will learn how to integrate them into developed forms of application. By the end of the course, students will be able to handle a number of uncomplicated communicative tasks successfully in straightforward social situations and will be able to ask a few formulaic questions. In addition to the textbook study in classroom, audio-visual materials and activities will be used in class. In accordance with the national standards in foreign language education, all Five Cs (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities) will be emphasized in the course.

Spring semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Asian 297C. Intermediate Korean II. This course aims at the acquisition of language skills to listen, speak, read and write in intermediate-level Korean. It is designed for students who have taken Intermediate Korean I or proven to be at the equivalent level by the placement test. By the end of the course, students will be able to converse with ease and confidence when dealing with the routine tasks and social situations of the intermediate level and will handle successfully a variety of uncomplicated communicative tasks in straightforward social situations. They will also be able to narrate and describe in all major time frames using connected discourse of paragraph length occasionally. In addition to the textbook study in the classroom, the instructor will employ audio-visual materials and various class activities. In accordance with the national standards in foreign language education, all Five Cs (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities) will be emphasized in the course.

Spring semester. University of Massachusetts.

Asian 497C. ST- Korean Language and Literature. In this course, students will learn advanced level Korean through Korean literature. Students will achieve deeper understanding of Korean culture and society through the lens of literature. Students will read the various genres of literature texts, write reflection journals, and discuss them in class. Assignments will include creative writing and literary translation. Developing academic reading and writing skills will be the major learning goal, however, formal speaking and listening will be emphasized as well. By the end of the course, students will be able to describe, narrate, compare, and report a paragraph level discourse in a coherent manner. Students will also be able to talk about abstract concepts.

Spring semester. University of Massachusetts.

Music

BODE OMOJOLA, Associate Professor of Music (at Mount Holyoke College in the Five College Program).

Black Studies 214/Music 106. Master Musicians of Africa. See BLST 214.

Fall semester. Amherst College.

Music 371WM. Analytic Studies in World Music. The main focus of this course is to facilitate a culturally sensitive analytical engagement of musical traditions from different parts of the world. The course surveys some of the theoretical and methodological issues that have shaped the field of ethnomusicology and influenced the study of musical traditions, and examines musical examples from different parts of the world, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Emphasis will be on understanding musical structures as defined in specific traditions, and the ways in which musical performances/compositions relate to and are shaped by factors emanating from the cultural environment in which they are situated.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Physics

COURTNEY LANNERT, Associate Professor of Physics (at Smith College [home campus] and the University in the Five College Program).

Physics 381. Writing in Physics. This course has a proud history in this Department as well as a strong reputation in the University. The course content is in your major. All scientists need to learn how to read research articles and to write clearly, but there are styles and techniques of writing that are peculiar to Physics. Forms to be covered include the parts of a research article, especially abstract and figure captions; posters; research proposals; application for jobs, grad school, or fellowships (includes résumé and cover letter). Learning to read a scientific paper critically, which can require overcoming fear of what you don’t know, is part of the course. Yes, writing is hard work. The happy truth is that writing can be deeply satisfying hard work. Crafting a good sentence can bring pleasure. Best of all, writing is a type of late-stage process that clarifies your own thinking.

Fall semester. University of Massachusetts.

Natural Sciences 490 FH. Integrative Scientific Research (iCons4). Enhances the thesis research for students in the iCons program through peer student support teams and advanced scientific communication. The purpose of this course is to blend team-based learning and undergraduate scientific research to enhance students’ communication skills and to promote integration of mulch-disciplinary approaches to solving scientific problems.

Comments: NATSCI 289H, 389H, or BIO 383H NatSci 490 FH enhances the 499Y research/thesis experience for students in the iCons program through peer support teams and advanced scientific communication. The purpose of this course is to blend team-based learning and undergraduate scientific research to enhance students’ communication skills and to promote integration of multi-disciplinary approaches to solving science problems. Students work in teams to create video abstracts of their thesis projects, communicating to a general audience the motivation, methodology and impact of their research.

Fall semester. University of Massachusetts.

Physics 118. Introductory Physics II. Simple harmonic motion, fluids, electricity and magnetism. Lab experiments are integrated with lectures, discussions, and problem solving activities. Three extended-length classes/week plus a discussion section. This course satisfies medical school and engineering requirements for an introductory physics II course with labs.

Requisite: 117 or permission of the instructor. Spring semester. Smith College.

Russian, East European, Eurasian Studies

EVGENY DENGUB, Five College Lecturer in Russian

Russian 101. First-Year Russian I. See RUSS 101.

Fall semester. Amherst College.

Russian 110. Elementary Russian I. Beginning of four-skill language course. Russian spoken in class, grammar introduced gradually. Regular written assignments and language lab exercises to develop proficiency in all four language skills. No previous language experience required.

Fall semester. University of Massachusetts.

Russian 230. Intermediate Russian I. Emphasis on grammar, simple conversation and readings. Conducted primarily in Russian.

Requisite: Russian 120 or equivalent. Fall semester. University of Massachusetts.

Russian 102. First-Year Russian II. Continuation of RUSS 101. See RUSS 102.

Requisite: RUSS 101 or equivalent. Spring semester. Amherst College.

Russian 120. Elementary Russian II. Continuation of RUSS 110.

Requisite: RUSS 110 or equivalent. Spring semester. University of Massachusetts.

Russian 240. Intermediate Russian II. Continuation of RUSS 230.

Requisite: RUSS 230 or equivalent. Spring semester. University of Massachusetts.

SERGEY GLEBOV, Assistant Professor of History (at the Smith [Home Campus] and Amherst colleges in the Five College Program), will be on leave in 2014-15.

SUSANNA NAZAROVA, Visiting Five College Lecturer in Russian.

RES 101. Elementary Russian. The four-skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) introduction to the Russian Language with the focus on communicative skills development. Major structural topics include pronunciation and intonation, all six cases, basic conjugation patterns, and verbal aspect. By the end of the course the students will be able to initiate and sustain conversation on basic topics, write short compositions, read short authentic texts and comprehend their meaning, develop an understanding of the Russian culture through watching films and listening to songs.

Fall semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Russian 100Y. Elementary Russian. The four-skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) introduction to the Russian language with the focus on communicative skills development. Major structural topics include pronunciation and intonation, all six cases, all tenses, and verbal aspect. By the end of the course, students will be able to sustain conversation on basic topics, write short compositions, read short authentic texts, as well as develop an understanding of Russian culture through watching, discussing, and writing on movies, short stories, folk tales, and poems. This is a full-year course.

Fall semester. Smith College.

RES 102. Elementary Russian. Continuation of Russian 101. A four-skills course, with increasing emphasis on reading and writing, that completes the study of basic grammar. Major topics include: predicting conjugation patterns, unprefixed and prefixed verbs of motion, complex sentences, time expressions, and strategies of vocabulary building. Students watch Russian films, read and discuss authentic texts.

Spring semester. Mount Holyoke College.

Russian 100Y. Elementary Russian. The four-skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) introduction to the Russian language with the focus on communicative skills development. Major structural topics include pronunciation and intonation, all six cases, all tenses, and verbal aspect. By the end of the course, students will be able to sustain conversation on basic topics, write short compositions, read short authentic texts, as well as develop an understanding of Russian culture through watching, discussing, and writing on movies, short stories, folk tales, and poems. This is a full-year course.

Spring semester. Smith College.

Women’s Studies

ANGELA WILLEY, Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies (at the University of Massachusetts in the Five College program).

CSI 257. Monogamy. Grounded in queer and feminist concerns with marriage and coupled forms of social belonging, this class will consider “monogamy” from a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. From the history of marriage to the science of mating systems to the politics of polyamory, the class will explore monogamy’s meanings. Students will become familiar with these and other debates about monogamy, a variety of critical approaches to reading and engaging them, and fields of resistance to a variety of “monogamy stories” within and beyond the academy. The course will draw in particular on feminist critiques of the nuclear family, queer historicizations of sexuality, and science studies approaches to frame critical questions about what monogamy is and what discourses surrounding it can do. Through historical analysis and critical theory, the class will foreground the racial and national formations that produce “monogamy” as we know it. Students will develop skills in critical science literacy, interdisciplinary and collaborative research methodologies, and writing in a variety of modalities.

Fall semester. Hampshire College.

Women’s Studies 392F. Feminist Engagements in Biomedicine. In this class we will explore how deeply biomedicine and concerns around it are premised on assumptions about the nature of difference. Through the lenses of disability, critical race, and queer feminisms, we will explore conceptions of health and ethics in the overlapping fields of feminist body theory, science studies, bioethics and health movements. The course will revolve around a series of questions that arise when we think/talk/write across disciplines, genres, and settings about what it means to engage biomedical constructions of and engagements with difference from a feminist perspective. These questions include (but are not limited to): What is biology? What is “the body”? What is ethics? What is health? What is science? What is feminism? What are the relationships among these concepts? We will explore a range of types and expressions of ethical concern with the body and with bio-medical inquiry and practice. Through interdisciplinary inquiry we will begin to map ethical questions and frameworks being proposed, debated and institutionalized across and beyond the academy with regard to the status and practice of biomedicine. In the first two sections of the course, “Feminists Theorize the Body, Embodiment, and Bio-Ethics” and “Difference as/and Illness,” we will build a shared set of theoretical tools and language for thinking, talking, and writing about “the body,” biology, ethics, and difference. In the final section of the class we will look in depth at “gynecology” as a site of feminist engagement with biomedicine. Drawing on a wide variety of feminist engagements, we will touch on a wide range of topics from trans health issues to menopause to intersex treatment to sexual dysfunction.

Fall semester. University of Massachusetts.

WOMENSST 691B. Feminist Research Methods. This seminar will include readings on general questions of feminist methodology and ethics of research. Open to graduate Certificate in Advanced Feminist Studies students only.

Spring semester. University of Massachusetts.

Gender Studies 201. Methods and Practices in Feminist Scholarship. How do scholars produce knowledge? What can we learn from differences and similarities in the research process of a novelist, a biologist, an historian, a sociologist, and a film critic? Who decides what counts as knowledge? We will examine a range of methods from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, including visual analysis, archival exploration, interviewing, and ethnography, as we consider the specific advantages (and potential limitations) of diverse disciplinary approaches for feminist inquiry. We will take up numerous practical questions as well as larger methodological and ethical debates. This course provides a foundation for advanced work in the major.

Requisite: Gndst-101 and 4 credits from a natural or physical science course with lab. Spring semester. Mount Holyoke College.

FIVE COLLEGE AFRICAN STUDIES CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

The Five College African Studies Certificate Program is administered by the Five College African Studies Council through its Faculty Liaison Committee, which consists of the certificate program advisors from each of the five colleges. The certificate program offers an opportunity for students to pursue an interest in African Studies as a complement to their majors.

Requirements: The Five College African Studies Certificate Program requires a minimum of six courses on Africa. An African course is defined as one the content of which is at least 50% devoted to Africa per se. The program is designed to be broadly interdisciplinary in character. A coherent plan of study should be developed between the student and his or her certificate program advisor. Students are encouraged to complete their studies of Africa with an independent study course that gives this course work in African Studies a deliberate, integrative intellectual focus.

Minimum requirements of the Five College Certificate in African Studies are:

1. A minimum of one course providing an historical perspective

2. A minimum of one course on Africa in the social sciences (anthropology, economics, geography, political science, sociology)

3. A minimum of one course on Africa in the fine arts and humanities (art, folklore, history, literature, music, philosophy, religion)

4. A minimum of three more courses on Africa, each in a different department, chosen from history, the social sciences, or the fine arts and humanities

5. Proficiency in a language other than English through the level of second year in college, to be fulfilled either in a language indigenous to Africa or an official language in Africa (French, Portuguese or Arabic).

No more than three courses in any one department may be counted toward the minimum requirements of this certificate. With the approval of the student’s certificate program advisor, not more than three relevant courses taken at schools other than the five colleges may be counted toward the minimum certificate requirements. Students must receive a grade of B or better in every course that qualifies for the minimum certificate requirements. No course that counts for the minimum requirements may be taken on a pass/fail basis. Students are also encouraged to take advantage of opportunities currently available on each campus through study abroad programs to spend a semester or more in Africa.

Students who complete the certificate program requirement will be given a certificate from the Five College African Studies Council, and the following entry shall be made on the student’s permanent college record: “Completed requirements for the Five College African Studies Certificate.”

Further information about the Five College African Studies Certificate Program is available at http://www.fivecolleges.edu/african or from the certificate program advisor at Amherst College, who will have a list of courses at all five colleges which will satisfy certificate requirements, as well as certificate program application forms. (Such lists and forms are also available at the Five College Center.) During 2014-15 the Amherst certificate program advisor is Professor Rowland Abíódún of the departments of Black Studies and Art and the History of Art.

FIVE COLLEGE ASIAN/PACIFIC/AMERICAN STUDIES CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

The Five College Asian/Pacific/American Studies Certificate Program enables students to pursue concentrated study of the experiences of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the Americas. Through courses chosen in consultation with their campus program adviser, students can learn to appreciate APA cultural and artistic expressions, understand and critique the racial formation of Asian/ Pacific/Americans, and investigate how international conflicts, global economic systems, and ongoing migration affect APA communities and individuals and their intersections with others. Drawing upon diverse faculty, archival, and community-based resources, the Five College program in Asian/Pacific/ American Studies encourages students not only to develop knowledge of the past experiences of Asian/Pacific/Americans, but also to act with responsible awareness of their present material conditions.

An Amherst student qualifies for the certificate by satisfactorily completing the following requirements:

A. A minimum of seven courses, distributed among the following categories. As always, to be counted toward graduation, courses taken at another campus must be approved by campus advisors.

1. A foundation course, normally taken during the first or second year. This course offers an interdisciplinary perspective on historical and contemporary experiences of Asian/Pacific/Americans. Attention will be paid to interrogating the term Asian/Pacific/ American and to comparing different APA populations distinguished, for example, by virtue of their different geographical or cultural derivations, their distribution within the Americas, and their historical experience of migration.

2. At least five elective courses. Students must take at least one course from each of the following categories:

a) Expressions. These courses are largely devoted to the study of APA cultural expression in its many forms.

b) U.S. Intersections. These courses are dedicated substantially to the study of Asian/Pacific/Americans but are further devoted to examining intersections between APA experiences and nonAPA experiences within the United States.

c) Global Intersections. These courses have their focus outside the United States but offer special perspectives on the experiences of Asian/Pacific/Americans.

3. A special project, which is normally fulfilled in the third or fourth year. This requirement involves the completion of a special project based on intensive study of an Asian/Pacific/American community, historical or contemporary, either through research, service- learning, or creative work (e.g., community-based learning project, action-research, internship, performing or fine arts project, etc.). Normally the requirement will be fulfilled while enrolled in an upper-level, special topics, or independent study course, although other courses may be used subject to approval of the campus program advisor. Projects should include both self-reflective and analytic components. Students fulfilling this requirement will meet as a group at least once during the semester to discuss their ongoing projects, and at the end of the semester to present their completed projects at a student symposium or other public presentation.
Students’ plans for completing the requirement should be approved by a campus program advisor in the previous semester.

B. Further Stipulations:

1. Grades: Students must receive the equivalent of a “B” grade or better in all courses counted toward the Certificate. (In the case of Hampshire students taking courses at Hampshire, “B” equivalence will be determined by the Hampshire program adviser, based on the written evaluations supplied by course instructors.)

2. Courses counted toward satisfaction of campus-based major requirements may also be counted toward the Five College Certificate.

3. No course can be counted as satisfying more than one Certificate distribution requirement.

4. Courses taken abroad may be used to fulfill the distribution requirement with the approval of the campus program advisor.

C. Recommendation:

Students are encouraged to attain some proficiency in at least one language other than English, especially if such proficiency facilitates the completion of the Special Project component of the Certificate Program. While English is sufficient and appropriate for the completion of many projects involving Asian/Pacific/American communities, many sources and communities can be consulted only through other languages.

A comprehensive list of courses and certificate requirements is available at http://www.fivecolleges.edu/sites/apa/. The Amherst faculty advisor for 2014-15 will be Professor Sujani Reddy.

FIVE COLLEGE BUDDHIST STUDIES CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

The Five College Buddhist Studies Certificate Program is administered by the Five College Buddhist Studies Council through its Faculty Liaison Committee, which consists of the certificate program advisors from each of the five colleges. Because Buddhist Studies is an interdisciplinary field—straddling anthropology, art history, Asian studies, history, language study, literary and textual studies, philosophy, and religious studies—students are often unaware of the integrity of the field or of the range of resources available for its study in the valley. The Certificate Program provides a framework for students interested in Buddhism to develop a coherent, interdisciplinary approach to the study of this subject as a complement to their majors.

An Amherst student qualifies for the certificate by satisfactorily completing the following requirements:

1. The certificate must be comprised of at least seven courses, at least one of which must be at an advanced level (200 or 300 at Hampshire, 300 or above at Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, or the University of Massachusetts; comparable upper-level courses at Amherst).

2. Students must take at least one course in three different disciplines of Buddhist Studies (anthropology, art history, Asian studies, philosophy, religious studies, etc.).

3. Students must take at least one course addressing classical Buddhism and one course addressing contemporary Buddhist movements (19th-21st century), and they must study Buddhism in at least two of the following four geographical areas: South and Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Tibeto-Himalayan region, and the West.

4. Students must receive a grade of at least “B” in each course counting towards the certificate.

For students who wish to pursue a certificate in Buddhist Studies as preparation for graduate study in this field, the Program strongly recommends the study of at least one canonical language (Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese, or Tibetan) and/or the modern language of at least one Buddhist culture (especially for those who have an ethnographic interest in Buddhism). While language study is not required, up to two canonical or appropriate colloquial Asian language courses may count towards the seven required courses for the certificate. Students are also strongly encouraged to consider study abroad.

Faculty advisors will help students design their programs of study. Further information about the Five College Buddhist Studies Certificate is available at
http://www.fivecolleges.edu/sites/buddhism. For 2014-15 the Amherst faculty advisor will be Professor Maria Heim of the Religion Department.

FIVE COLLEGE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN CULTURE, HEALTH, AND SCIENCE

The Five College Certificate in Culture, Health, and Science complements a traditional disciplinary major by allowing students to deepen their knowledge of human health, disease, and healing through an interdisciplinary focus. Under the guidance of CHS faculty program advisors on each campus, students choose a sequence of courses available within the five colleges and identify an independent project that will count toward the certificate. The certificate is designed to foster holistic, biocultural, interdisciplinary understandings of health and disease.

Requirements: The certificate consists of coursework and an independent project. Four semesters of a foreign language is strongly suggested, although not required.

Coursework: Satisfactory completion of seven courses is necessary to receive the CHS Certificate. You must earn a grade “B” or better in each of the seven courses for it to count toward the certificate. You can take courses from any of the five college campuses. You must take one course from each of the five categories. No course may be used to satisfy more than one category.

If possible, it is best to begin with courses in Categories I and II. It is required that at least four of the courses used to satisfy CHS requirements fall outside of your major. In other words, no more the three of the courses used to satisfy CHS requirements should also count towards your major.

It is recommended, but not required, that at least one of your courses expose you to knowledge of health and disease processes at the level of the population. And finally, at least four courses must be above the introductory level.

The five categories are:

I. Biocultural Approaches

II. Mechanisms of Disease Transmission;

III. Population, Health, and Disease;

IV. Ethics, Policy, and Practice;

V. Research Design and Analysis.

A comprehensive list of certificate requirements is available online at
http:// www.fivecolleges.edu/chs. For 2014-15, the Amherst faculty advisor will be Professor Christopher Dole of the Anthropology Department.

FIVE COLLEGE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN ETHNOMUSICOLOGY

The Five College Certificate in Ethnomusicology allows students interested in studying music from a cross-disciplinary perspective to build bridges across departmental boundaries in a rigorous, structured manner. Students working within the program approach world musical traditions as they relate to a number of areas of inquiry, including:

• musical performance, analysis, and composition

• organology

• relationships between music and other artistic and expressive forms (i.e., dance, theater, film)

• relationships between music and systems of value and belief

• relationships between singing and other forms of vocal practice

• relationships between the study of language and music

• human cognitive capacity for musical and other sonic expression

• listening as a culturally specific practice

• the social history of music and popular culture

• understanding national, class, gender, ethnic, sexual, and other forms of identity

• the relationship between music and social and political power

• globalization and transnationalism in music

• the uses of music and sound in contemporary media production

• roles of sonic technology and surveillance in contemporary societies

• the use of music and sound in relation to social and state control, the law, and space

• intellectual property and copyright as it pertains to musical composition, performance, and ownership.

To obtain a Five College Certificate in Ethnomusicology, students must successfully complete a total of seven (7) courses distributed as indicated in the following four (4) categories:

1) Area Studies or Topics courses: at least two courses;

2) Methodology: at least two courses;

3) Performance: at least one course;

4) Electives: interdisciplinary in focus and negotiated in consultation with the student’s ethnomusicology advisor, including relevant courses in area studies, theater and dance, history, and anthropology and sociology, for instance.

Since ethnomusicological research and related musical performance may require understanding of and competence in a foreign language, students are encouraged, but not required, to achieve relevant language proficiency. Other areas that students are encouraged to explore include experiential learning, a study abroad or domestic exchange experience, in depth study of a single musical tradition, or comparative studies of several musical traditions.

For specific course offerings within these categories and more information about the Five College Certificate in Ethnomusicology, please refer to the program website: http://www.fivecolleges.edu/ethnomusicology/courses. The Amherst College faculty advisor for 2014-15 is Professor Jeffers Engelhardt of the Music Department.

FIVE COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

The Five College International Relations Certificate is issued by Mount Holyoke College on behalf of the Five Colleges. The purpose of the International Relations Certificate Program is to encourage students interested in international relations but majoring in other fields to develop a coherent approach to the study of this subject. The Program recommends a disciplined course of study designed to enhance students’ understanding of complex international processes—political, military, economic, social, cultural, and environmental—that are increasingly important to all nations. Receipt of the certificate indicates that the student has completed such a course of study as a complement to his or her major.

An Amherst student qualifies for the certificate by satisfactorily completing the following seven requirements:

1. A course in introductory world politics

2. A course concerning global institutions or problems

3. A course on the international financial and/or commercial system

4. A modern (post-1789) history course relevant to the development of the international system

5. A course on contemporary American foreign policy

6. Two years of college-level study of a foreign language or languages during which they must complete the second year in at least one language” (Please note that this is an Amherst College language requirement it differs from that noted in the Five College International Relations Certificate brochure. This requirement is waived for non-native speakers of English).

7. Two courses on the politics, economy and/or society of foreign areas, of which one must involve the study of a Third World country or region.

No more than four of these courses in any one discipline can be counted toward the certificate. No single course can satisfy more than one requirement. A grade of B or better must be achieved in a course in order for it to count toward the certificate. Amherst students should request grades for Hampshire College courses offered in fulfillment of requirements for the certificate.

The Certificate Program is administered by the Five College International Relations Committee whose members also serve as faculty advisors concerning the program on the five campuses. Amherst students’ selection of courses to satisfy the requirements for the certificate is monitored and approved by Amherst’s faculty advisor. Further information about the Five College International Relations Certificate Program is available at http://www.fivecolleges.edu/sites/international/Certificate/ or from the faculty advisors at Amherst who will have Certificate Program application forms. (Such forms are also available at the Five College Center.)

In 2014-15 the Amherst faculty advisors will be Professors Javier Corráles and Pavel Machala of the Political Science Department.

FIVE COLLEGE LATIN AMERICAN, CARIBBEAN, AND LATINO STUDIES CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

The Five College Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies Certificate is issued by the Five College Council on Latin American Studies. To earn a Certificate, students must complete successfully a minimum of eight one-semester courses selected from five different areas, fulfill a language requirement, and achieve at least a grade of B in the minimum number of courses taken towards the certificate. Students are encouraged to plan their program of study in consultation with the Amherst College Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies Certificate advisor. Completed applications for the certificate must be signed by the home campus advisor, who will bring the application to the Five College Latin American Studies Certificate Program committee.

Requirements: The eight one-semester courses must be taken within the following five areas and the student must earn a B or better in each course:

1. A broadly based, introductory course on the social and political history of Latin America

2. One course in the social sciences that focuses substantially on Latin America (including courses in anthropology, economics, geography, political science, etc.)

3. One course in the humanities that focuses substantially on Latin America (including courses in art, art history, dance, folklore, literature, music, philosophy, religion, or theater, etc.)

4. Four other courses on Latin America, the Caribbean, or U.S. Latinos (one of these courses can be replaced by a senior honors thesis on a Latin American, Caribbean, or U.S. Latino topic)

5. A seminar which gives the student’s coursework in Latin America an interdisciplinary focus.

Students are strongly encouraged to complete at least one of these certificate requirements through the Five Colleges or while studying abroad.

Language requirement: Proficiency through second-year college level in an official (other than English) or indigenous language of Latin America and the Caribbean.

During 2014-15 the Amherst faculty advisor is Professor Javier Corrales of the Political Science Department. For more information see the Latin American Studies website at http://www.fivecolleges.edu/sites/%20latinamericanstudies.

FIVE COLLEGE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN LOGIC

The Five College Certificate in Logic brings together aspects of logic from different disciplines within the curriculum: Philosophy, Mathematics, Computer Science, and Linguistics. The Certificate offers an opportunity for students to pursue an interest in logic as a complement to their majors.

To earn the Five College Certificate in Logic, a student must take six courses in logic from any of the Five Colleges. No more than four courses can be counted towards the Certificate from any single one of the above disciplines. At least two courses must be taken at an advanced level (300 or above at University of Massachusetts, 210 or above at Smith College, 300 or above at Amherst College, Hampshire College or Mount Holyoke College). And at least one course must expose students to the basic meta-theory of first-order logic and to Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorems. Students must receive grades of at least “B” in each course counting towards the Certificate.

The logic courses offered at the five institutions occasionally overlap. To insure that every Certificate student chooses wisely, each course of study must be approved by the coordinating committee for the Logic Certificate (which comprises one representative from each participating institution). Please see Professor Alexander George (Philosophy) or Professor Daniel J. Velleman (Mathematics) for further information.

For a list of courses fulfilling certificate requirements, consult the Logic Website at http://www.fivecolleges.edu/sites/logic/.

FIVE COLLEGE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES

The Five College Middle Eastern Studies Certificate provides the opportunity for serious study of the Middle East at Amherst College. The Program is administered by the Five College Committee for Middle Eastern Studies, which includes the program advisors from each of the five colleges. Students are encouraged to declare intentions and begin work with an advisor by the sophomore year. Students work closely with a Middle East Certificate Advisor to develop a particular focus of study, as well as a solid interdisciplinary foundation for a nuanced and complex understanding of the region’s history, politics, religion, and literature. Competence in a Middle Eastern language (Arabic, Turkish, Persian or Hebrew) is considered essential to this certificate. Study abroad is strongly encouraged.

The certificate requires (a) Two introductory history courses, one in the premodern (before 1800) and one in the modern period; (b) Five courses from four disciplines (Religion and Philosophy; History, Literature and Art; Social Science); Language (beyond the two years of required language). Students must take at least one course in the first three disciplines; no more than two courses in any single discipline will count towards the certificate; and (c) Two years of a Middle Eastern language (demonstrated either in coursework or competence). Courses from all Five Colleges with a minimum grade of B count towards the certificate.

Further information about this certificate is available at http://fivecolleges.edu/sites
/middleeast/certificate/. The Amherst faculty advisor for 2014-15 is Professor Monica Ringer of the History department.

FIVE COLLEGE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES

The Five College Certificate in Native American Indian Studies provides students with the opportunity to acquire a knowledge and understanding of the development, growth, and interactions of the indigenous peoples and nations of the Western Hemisphere. The program emphasizes the many long histories of Native American Indians as well as their contemporary lives and situations. A holistic and comparative interdisciplinary approach underlies the Certificate Program’s requirements, enabling students to become familiar with the diversity of indigenous lifeways, including cultural forms, institutions, political economies, and modes of self-expression. In addition to this broader perspective, the program places some emphasis on the Native peoples of the Northeast to that Five College students can become acquainted with the history, culture and presence of indigenous peoples in this region.

Requirements: At least seven courses are required for completion of the Five College Certificate in Native American Indian Studies: a foundation course plus six additional courses, with no more than three of the seven courses from a single discipline. A student’s program must be approved by the program advisor from her or his campus.

1. Foundation courses. Offered at various levels, foundation courses provide an opportunity to hear Native perspectives and are taught from a philosophical perspective that reflects Native Studies theories, pedagogies and methodologies.

2. At least six additional courses from a list of courses currently approved by the Five College NAIS Committee as counting toward the certificate. For a list of these courses consult: http://www.fivecolleges.edu/sites/natam/. (Courses not on this list may be approved for inclusion by campus program advisors in consultation with the Committee.)

3. Grades. Students must receive a grade of B or higher in all 7 courses to receive a Certificate.

For 2014-15, the Amherst faculty co- advisors will be Professor Lisa Brooks of the Amherst College Departments of American Studies and English and Kathleen Brown-Perez of the University of Massachusetts Commonwealth College.

Five College Queer and Sexuality Studies Certificate Program

The Five College Queer and Sexuality Studies certificate provides an opportunity to enroll in a course of study that examines critically the relationship between queer sexual and gender identities, experiences, cultures, and communities in a wide range of historical and political contexts. Working across disciplines, students will take courses in a variety of fields, such as Women’s and Gender Studies, Black Studies, Asian and Asian American Studies, Latin American Studies, Art and the History of Art, English, History, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Film and Media Studies, Law, and language studies. The certificate will also lead students to investigate how non-normative and normative genders and sexualities intersect with other social categories, such as race, ethnicity, gender, class, and nationality.

To obtain a Five College certificate in Queer and Sexuality Studies, students must successfully complete a total of seven courses, including one introductory course, at least one critical race and transnational studies course, and five other courses. The five courses must include at least two courses in the Humanities and two courses in the Social Sciences, and at least one of the five courses must be an upper-level (300 or above) course.

For the application form and other particulars, including the courses that will count toward the certificate, go to http://www.fivecolleges.edu/sites/queerstudies
/certificate/.

The certificate is currently approved for students at Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College and Smith College.

For 2014-15 the Amherst faculty advisor will be Professor Khary Polk of the Black Studies and Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies Departments.

FIVE COLLEGE CERTIFICATE IN RUSSIAN, EAST EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN STUDIES

This program offers students the opportunity to take advantage of the significant multidisciplinary resources in the Five Colleges on Russia, Eastern Europe and Eurasia. The certificate consists of a minimum of six courses. Courses applied to the certificate may also be used to fulfill major requirements. The list of courses fulfilling particular requirements will be maintained and regularly updated by the Five College Committee for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies.

Course Requirements:

A. The Program’s core course is normally taken in the first or second year. The core course will be offered every year on a rotating basis at one of the campuses and will introduce an interdisciplinary perspective on the historical and contemporary experiences of the peoples of Russia, Eurasia (here understood as the former republics of the Soviet Union), and East (and Central) Europe. The course will include guest lectures by noted specialists in the Five Colleges.

B. Five additional elective courses, distributed as indicated below. (Independent study courses may be included, assuming approval by the student’s campus program advisor.)

C. At least four courses, including the core course, must be taken within the Five Colleges.

Language Requirement: Students receiving the Certificate must possess proficiency in a language of one of the certificate regions equivalent to the level achieved after four semesters of post-secondary course work. This proficiency may be demonstrated by course work or examination.

Study Abroad: Students are encouraged to study abroad in one of the certificate regions.

Elective Course Distribution: In electing the five courses satisfying the certificate requirements, the following guidelines should be observed:

• Courses should be drawn from more than one of the three geographical areas: Russia, Eurasia (here understood as the former republics of the Soviet Union and Eastern and Central Europe).

• At least one of the elective courses must focus on a period before the 20th century.

• At least one course must be taken from each of the following disciplinary categories: history, social sciences, and humanities/arts. No single course can fulfill more than one distribution requirement.

• Elementary or intermediate language courses cannot be included as one of the five electives. A language course beyond the intermediate level can be counted toward one of the electives.

• Credit for one-time courses, special topics courses and transfer or study abroad courses requires approval from the home campus faculty advisor to the program.

The faculty advisor for 2014-15 will be Professor of Russian Catherine Ciepiela.

FIVE COLLEGE CERTIFICATE IN SUSTAINABILITY STUDIES

Sustainability will be essential to the formulation of sound environmental, economic, and social progress in the 21st century. It is important for academic institutions to provide students with broad opportunities to pursue their interest in this pivotal topic. The Five College Sustainability Studies Certificate program (FCSS) is designed to engage students in a structured course of study that will draw on courses from across the campuses in a range of disciplines. Students will also complete an internship, independent research project, or advanced course work in sustainability studies. On each participating campus, program advisors will work with students to design a course of study tailored to students’ interests and faculty strengths at the Five Colleges. The FCSS program has identified three core course areas and five concentration areas for elective study based on current student interest as well as Five College faculty expertise. These elective concentration areas are: (1) Agriculture and Food Systems, (2) Energy, Climate, and Water, (3) Culture, History, and Representation, (4) Politics and Policy, and (5) Green Infrastructure, Design, and Technology.

Requirements: A minimum of seven courses are required for the Five College Sustainability Studies certificate program. At least five of the courses must be above the introductory level, and two of the five courses must be at the advanced level.

Students will complete 3 core courses in the areas of “Environmental Sustainability,” “Sustainable Economy and Politics,” and “Sustainable Society and Culture” (one course from each area). Students will also complete a minimum of 3 courses in one of five concentration areas (Agriculture and Food Systems; Energy Systems, Climate, and Water; Green Infrastructure, Design, and Technology; Politics and Policy; Culture, History, and Representation); another course should be chosen from a different concentration area. (One of the required core courses may also be counted toward fulfillment of the concentration requirement.) At least one of the concentration area courses must be at the advanced level.

Core Courses (3): The core courses are intended to expose students to the interconnectedness and significance of economic, environmental, and social aspects of sustainability. All students are required to complete three core courses, one from each of the following areas: (1) Environmental Sustainability; (2) Sustainable Economics and Politics; and (3) Sustainable Society and Culture.

Concentration Area Courses (4): Students pursuing a Five College Certificate in Sustainability Studies must choose an area of concentration from the following five areas of study. Students will take at least 3 courses within their declared concentration area (at least one at the advanced level) and one other course chosen from a different concentration area. The following descriptions place the concentration areas in the broad context of sustainability and detail how inquiry in these areas is vital to understanding sustainable systems.

1. Agriculture and Food Systems: By its very nature, food is central to society, culture, and basic survival. However, our current, predominantly industrial agricultural system takes a reductionist approach to growing food, with minimal concern for the resulting environmental, economic and societal impacts. In order to maintain our agricultural and food systems into the future, an integrated approach which takes environment, economy, and equity into account is critical. In this concentration, students will integrate the science, technology, policies, and ethics of agriculture and food systems, and will examine the relationships among agriculture, food choices, nutrition, and economic and social well-being.

2. Energy, Climate, and Water: More than ever before, society is coming to appreciate the complex inter-relationships between energy use, climate change, and global water availability. The production and consumption of fossil fuels is the leading source of greenhouse gases promoting climate change, which affects not only temperature but also precipitation patterns. Any effort to slow or reverse the process of global warming requires a fundamental shift to cleaner energy technology; likewise, any effort to adjust to global warming requires improved water management in order to ensure adequate water supplies. This concentration explores the changing nature of global climate and the solutions required for sustainable energy and water management in the 21st century.

3. Culture, History, and Representation: Nature was once autonomous but at least for the past 50,000 years, humans have dramatically affected nature. We cannot understand and promote sustainability without understanding the ways humans have constructed nature, both symbolically and materially. Indeed, the social construction of both nature and sustainability has given rise to conflicts over meaning and policy in the wake of growing environmental awareness and activism. This history has often been portrayed as elegy—what we have lost. But we also have to acknowledge what we have gained. This concentration invites students to explore the tension between notions of progress and loss, a tension which itself promotes the desire for sustainability. It challenges the student to consider the constitutive role of culture in defining nature and sustainability across a range of public discourses and practices.

4. Politics and Policy: In many parts of today’s world, people and environments suffer from ecological degradation, resource scarcity, economic decline and social exploitation—none of which promotes sustainability. Transitioning to sustainability will require societal and political action at local, regional, national, international and global levels. In some cases, new norms, laws, treaties and institutions will need to be crafted and enforced in order to improve environmental and other standards. In other cases, people whose livelihood practices sustain and depend on human and ecological communities may challenge policies and political systems that favor environmental and social exploitation. The politics of sustainability will be full of contest and conflict, but it carries the transformative potential to build a far better world. This concentration will examine the role of governments, businesses, non-governmental organizations, community groups and others in devising, supporting, fighting over, negotiating and enacting sustainable policies and practices.

5. Green Infrastructure, Design, and Technology: For the first time in history, more than half the world’s population now lives in cities. A sustainable future for seven billion people therefore requires sustainable urban systems, buildings and infrastructure. The aim of this concentration is to provide a broad understanding of the challenges, strategies and opportunities that face modern society as we seek to move toward more sustainable built environments. The concentration includes the study and practice of design, as well as planning policy. The course selections and project work in this concentration will examine the interrelationships between urban design and planning, ecosystem processes, green building technologies, policy-making and social equity.

Experiential Component

Internship, Independent Research Project, or Advanced Study in Sustainability Studies. Students will work with their campus program advisor to identify and complete an internship that leads to an independent research project that addresses a contemporary, “real world” problem. Alternatively, students may work with their program advisor to identify a suitable advanced course within their concentration area. Approved internships that lead to an independent research project, or an independent research project (e.g., a special topics course or an honors thesis) or upper-level course within the area of concentration may be counted toward fulfillment of the advanced course requirement.

Internship opportunities: The FCSS program will work with campus committees and offices to compile a list of available internships on each campus as well as a list of internships (domestic and international) available to Five College students. In addition to funded internships on each campus, opportunities for a Five College Sustainability internship program will be explored.

Capstone Symposium: Advanced students will present work fulfilling this component at an annual symposium. For these presentations, students will be encouraged to consider the ways in which their projects address the core areas of sustainability and their linkages.

Certificate Logistics

Certificate Application Form/Declaration of intent: Students will submit to their campus program advisor a Declaration of Intent, outlining a potential course of study, by the second semester of their sophomore year. They will complete and submit Applications during fall of sophomore year. Completed applications will be reviewed and approved by a committee composed of program advisors from each participating campus.

Advisors: On each campus, program advisors will work with students to design courses of study fulfilling program requirements while tailored to students’ special interests. At Amherst College the following faculty members will serve as advisors: Professors Jan Dizard (Environmental Studies/Sociology), Anna Martini (Geology), Edward Melillo (Environmental Studies/History), Joseph Moore (Philosophy), Sam Morse (Asian Languages and Civilizations/History of Art), Katherine Sims (Economics), and Ethan Temeles (Biology).

VI

PROFESSORSHIPS AND READERSHIPS
LECTURESHIPS
HONORS
FELLOWSHIPS
FELLOWS
PRIZES AND AWARDS
ENROLLMENT

Professorships and Readerships

Winifred L. Arms Professorship in the Arts and Humanities. Established in 1982 by Winifred Arms in memory of her husband, Robert A. Arms ’27, the Arms Professorship is held by a distinguished member of the faculty concerned with one of the fields of artistic or literary expression.

Paula R. and David J. Avenius 1941 Professorship. This professorship recognizes a distinguished member of the faculty at Amherst College who has demonstrated excellence in teaching and research as well as dedication to the College.

Beitzel Professorship in Technology and Society. Established in 1999 by George B. Beitzel ’50, this professorship recognizes distinction in the arts and sciences, particularly in the use of technology to enhance undergraduate learning. The Beitzel Professor at Amherst College will have a vision of interfacing man and machine in a way that fuses computer, networking, fiberoptic or future electronic technologies with the values of the academy, the ideals of a liberal education and the goals of an enlightened society.

Bruce B. Benson ’43 and Lucy Wilson Benson Professorship. Established in 2005 by Lucy Wilson Benson in memory of her husband, Professor of Physics from 1947 to 1990, the Benson Professorship recognizes distinction in science and a demonstrated commitment to teaching and research. The goals of the Benson Professorship are to promote interdisciplinary research and teaching among the physical and biological sciences (preferably molecular biology, physics, and chemistry), foster exploration of the impact of these sciences on society, and emphasize the interdisciplinary connections between the sciences and other liberal arts disciplines at Amherst College.

Parmly Billings Professorship in Hygiene and Physical Education. Established in 1890 by Frederick Billings of Woodstock, Vermont, this professorship honors the memory of his son, Parmly Billings 1884.

Brian E. Boyle Professorship in Mathematics and Computer Science. Established in 1998 by Brian E. Boyle ’69, this professorship recognizes exceptional teaching and research in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department or its successor department. The Boyle Professorship is held by a senior member of the faculty who has appreciation for the role of technology in teaching and who has demonstrated a dedication to the values of a liberal arts education.

Elizabeth W. Bruss Readership. Established in 1982 in memory of Elizabeth Bruss, The Bruss Reader is a member of the faculty appointed by the President and the Dean of the Faculty to a three-year term that rotates among the various academic disciplines at Amherst integrating material about women into the curriculum. The Bruss Reader will also serve as a resource person for colleagues, bringing new information regarding women to their attention.

Class of 1880 Professorship in Greek. Given to the College by all living members of the Class at its 50th reunion in 1930.

Class of 1959 Professorship. Established by the Class of 1959 on the occasion of its 40th reunion to honor a distinguished faculty member in one of the traditional disciplines who has a deep commitment to students and to their habits of mind.

Henry Steele Commager Professorship. Established in 1991 by Wyatt R. Haskell ’61, Jonathan P. Rosen ’66, and others in recognition of Professor Commager’s 35 years of distinguished scholarship and dedication to the teaching of undergraduates at Amherst College.

George H. Corey Professorship in Chemistry. Established in 1952 by bequest of George H. Corey 1888.

G. Armour Craig Professorship in Language and Literature. Established in 1994 by an anonymous donor, this professorship honors G. Armour Craig, Professor of English 1940-1985 and Acting President 1983-1984.

William Nelson Cromwell Professorship in Jurisprudence and Political Science. Established in 1948 by bequest of William Nelson Cromwell, founder of the New York City law firm Sullivan & Cromwell.

George Lyman Crosby Professorship in Philosophy. Established in 1950 by Stanley Warfield Crosby, brother of George Lyman Crosby 1896.

Stanley Warfield Crosby, Jr., Professorship in Religion. Established in 1950 by Stanley Warfield Crosby ’13 in memory of his son, Stanley Warfield Crosby, Jr., who was killed in the Korean War.

Amanda and Lisa Cross Professorship. Established in 1980 by Theodore L. Cross ’46, Trustee 1973-85, emeritus since 1985, in honor of his daughters, Amanda and Lisa Cross.

Sidney Dillon Professorship in Astronomy. Established in 1894 by the family of Sidney Dillon, Chairman of Union Pacific Railroad.

Rachel and Michael Deutch Professorship. Established in 2007 by family members in memory of Rachel and Michael Deutch, this fund provides support for the Deutch Professor, held for a five-year renewable term by a distinguished professor in one of the following departments: chemistry, economics, French, history, mathematics, or philosophy.

Joseph B. Eastman Professorship in Political Science. Established in 1944 by friends of Joseph B. Eastman ’04, Trustee 1940-44.

Five College Fortieth Anniversary Professorships. Established in the spring of 2005, the Five College Fortieth Anniversary Professorships commemorate four decades of cooperation (1965-2005) among the members of the Five College Consortium. The professorships honor Five College faculty members for distinguished careers as scholars and teachers.

Edwin F. and Jessie Burnell Fobes Professorship in Greek. Established by Professor Francis H. Fobes, who taught Classics 1920-48, emeritus 1948-57.

Eliza J. Clark Folger Professorship. Established in 1930 by Emily Jordan Folger (Mrs. Henry Clay Folger), in memory of Mr. Folger’s mother.

Emily C. Jordan Folger Professorship. Established in 1930 by Emily Jordan Folger (Mrs. Henry Clay Folger).

Henry Clay Folger 1879 Professorship. Established in 1930 by Emily Clay Folger (Mrs. Henry Clay Folger).

Clarence Francis Professorship in the Social Sciences. Established in 1969 in honor of Clarence Francis ’10, former Chairman of General Foods and Amherst Trustee 1944-50.

Julian H. Gibbs Professorship in Natural and Mathematical Sciences. Established by the Trustees in 1983 to honor Julian H. Gibbs ’46, Professor of Chemistry and 15th President of the College.

Samuel Green Professorship. Established in 1867 by John Tappan, Trustee 1834-1854, and founding pastor of Unison Church in Boston, in honor of Samuel Green, also pastor of Union Church.

James J. Grosfeld 1959 Professorship. Established in 2002 by James J. Grosfeld of the Class of 1959, the Grosfeld Professorship is awarded to a senior member of the faculty in the Department of Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought, or an allied or successor department.

Edward S. Harkness Professorship. Established in 1930 by Edward S. Harkness, New York philanthropist.

William H. Hastie Professorship. Established in 1986 by the Trustees to honor Judge William H. Hastie ’25, the first black federal judge and Chief Justice of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Judge Hastie was Trustee 1962-75, emeritus 1975-76.

Hitchcock Professorship in Mineralogy and Geology. Established in 1847 by Boston merchant Samuel A. Hitchcock of Brimfield and Samuel Williston, Easthampton button manufacturer and Trustee 1841-74.

Roger C. Holden 1919 Professorship in Theater and Dance. Established by Roger C. Holden through a trust established in 1968, this professorship recognizes a distinguished member of the faculty at Amherst College who has demonstrated excellence in teaching and research as well as dedication to the College. During their lifetimes, Holden and his wife Sylvia were patrons of Amherst College, Pitzer College, and numerous arts and community organizations in southern California and Colorado.

Charles Hamilton Houston Professorship. Established in 1987 by Gorham L. Cross ’52 to honor the achievements of Charles Hamilton Houston ’15, principal architect of the legal strategy leading to the 1954 Supreme Court decision prohibiting race discrimination in U.S. public schools.

William R. Kenan, Jr., Professorship. Established in 1969 by the William R. Kenan, Jr., Charitable Trust.

Stanley King Professorship in Dramatic Arts. Established in 1952 by the Trustees in recognition of the generosity and service of Stanley King ’03, President 1932-46, emeritus 1946-51.

John E. Kirkpatrick 1951 Professorship Fund. Established in 2008, the Kirkpatrick Professorship will be awarded to a distinguished faculty member whose teaching and scholarship include but are not necessarily limited to the interdisciplinary investigation of law, religion, philosophy, and society.

Alfred Sargent Lee ’41 and Mary Farley Ames Lee Professorship. Established in 2000 by Alfred Sargent Lee ’41 and Mary Farley Ames Lee to recognize a senior member of the faculty who demonstrates distinction in undergraduate teaching and a commitment to the liberal arts tradition at Amherst College.

Lewis-Sebring Professorship in Latin American and Latino Culture. Established in 2001 by the Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation on behalf of Charles A. Lewis ’64 and Penny Bender Sebring, this professorship promotes the study of the culture, language, politics, history or art of Latin America or Latino America. The professorship honors a member of the faculty whose teaching and scholarship focus on Latin America or the contributions of Latino America to the intellectual and cultural life of the United States.

Rufus Tyler Lincoln Professorship in Biology. Established in 1916 by Caroline Tyler Lincoln (widow of Rufus P. Lincoln 1862) in memory of her son, Rufus Tyler Lincoln.

Georges Lurcy Professorship. Established in 2007 by the Trustees of the Georges Lurcy Charitable and Educational Trust, Alan S. Bernstein 1963, Daniel L. Bernstein 1959, George L. Bernstein and Seth E. Frank 1955. Georges Lurcy was born in France and emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1930s, where he became a U.S. citizen and continued his successful career as an investment banker until his death in 1953. International in his background, experience and outlook, Lurcy had a particular interest in fostering international educational opportunities. In his memory, the Georges Lurcy Professorship will honor a senior member of the Amherst faculty whose teaching and research reflect a substantial commitment to international study, international relations and perspectives.

Manwell Family Professorship in Life Sciences. Established in 2000 by Edward J. Manwell ’25, this professorship is held by a faculty member who has shown dedication to the life of the College and distinction in teaching and research.

Massachusetts Professorship in Chemistry and Natural History. Established in 1847 by the Trustees in recognition of a grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

John J. McCloy Professorship. Established in 1983 by the Trustees to honor John J. McCloy ’16, Trustee 1947-69, Chairman 1956-69, and Honorary Chairman 1969-1989, to support visiting scholars who teach courses in American institutions and international relations.

William R. Mead Professorship in Fine Arts. Established in 1936 by bequest of Mr. and Mrs. William R. Mead 1867. William R. Mead was a founder of McKim, Mead and White, architects.

Andrew W. Mellon Professorship. Established in 1974 by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Charles E. Merrill Professorship in Economics. Established in 1950 by Charles E. Merrill ’08.

Howard M. and Martha P. Mitchell Professorship. Established in 2012, the Mitchell Professorship will be awarded to a distinguished senior member of the faculty, of any department. This professorship shall stay with the faculty member so selected during his or her tenure, and is not meant to be rotating.

Howard M. and Martha P. Mitchell Professorship II. Established in 2012, the Mitchell Professorship will be awarded to a distinguished senior member of the faculty, of any department. This professorship shall stay with the faculty member so selected during his or her tenure, and is not meant to be rotating.

Zephaniah Swift Moore Professorship. Named for the first president of the College and held by a distinguished classicist on the Amherst College faculty.

Dwight W. Morrow Professorship. Established in 1941 by bequest of Dwight W. Morrow 1895, Trustee 1916-1931, to endow a professorship in political science or American history.

Anson D. Morse Professorship in History. Established in 1924 by Dwight W. Morrow 1895, Trustee 1916-31, in honor of Professor Anson Morse, who taught at Amherst from 1878 to 1907.

John C. Newton Professorship in Greek and Sculpture. Established in 1891 by bequest of John C. Newton, a Worcester mason and building contractor.

Edward N. Ney Professorship in American Institutions. Established in 1986 by Edward N. Ney ’46, Trustee 1979-89, emeritus since 1989.

George Daniel Olds Professorship in Economics and Social Institutions. Established in 1914 by Frank L. Babbott, Jr. ’13 to honor Dean George D. Olds, who later served as President 1924-27, emeritus 1927-31.

Olin Professorship in Asian Studies. Established in 1998 by the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Foundation to support a faculty member who advances students’ understanding and appreciation of Asian art, economics, history, languages, politics, society or cultures.

James E. Ostendarp Professorship. Established in 1990 by former students, friends, and colleagues to honor (football) Coach Ostendarp on the occasion of a dinner in his honor held in New York City to show their appreciation for his keen interest in all aspects of the Amherst experience and his commitment to the development of the Amherst student within the ideals of a liberal arts education.

Domenic J. Paino Professorship in Global Environmental Studies. Established in 1997 by Birgitta and Domenic J. Paino ’55, this professorship reflects the donors’ interest in issues affecting the entire world and their commitment to the study of the interconnectedness of nations.

Ward H. Patton Professorship in Economics. Established in 1989 by Ward H. Patton, Jr. ’42, in memory of his father, who was instrumental in building the Green Giant Company.

Thomas F. Pick Readership in Environmental Studies. Established in 1999, this readership will support individuals who are dedicated to teaching, studying or researching in an area of environmental studies. The Pick Reader is a member of the faculty appointed by the President and the Dean of the Faculty to coordinate studies and to organize events relating to environmental studies across existing disciplines and departments. The Pick Reader will serve as a campus resource person in environmental studies.

Peter R. Pouncey Professorship. Established in 1995 by an anonymous donor in honor of Peter R. Pouncey, President 1984-1994 and Professor of Classics 1984-1999.

E. Dwight Salmon Professorship in History. Established in 1989 by Thomas H. Wyman ’51, Trustee 1976-92, Chairman 1986-92, and emeritus 1992-2001, to honor Professor Emeritus E. Dwight Salmon, who taught history at Amherst from 1926 to 1963.

Willem Schupf Professorship in Asian Languages and Civilizations. Established in 1994 by H. Axel Schupf ’57, Trustee 1993-2005, emeritus since 2005, in memory of his father, to confirm the College’s commitment to studying the East.

Winthrop H. Smith 1916 Professorship. Established in 1956 by Winthrop H. Smith ’16, Trustee 1952-61, to fund a professorship in American history and American studies.

Bertrand Snell Professorship in American Government. Established in 1951 by bequest of Bertrand H. Snell 1894.

Stone Professorship in Natural Sciences. Established in 1880 by Valeria Goodenow Stone in honor of Julius H. Seelye, President 1876-90.

Thalheimer Professorship. Established in 1998 by the family of Louis B. Thalheimer ’66, who served as a Trustee of the College from 1992-1998, and his daughter, Deborah E. Thalheimer ’94, this professorship recognizes distinction in teaching and is intended to honor a scholar-teacher who has a strong interest in and commitment to undergraduates.

Willard Long Thorp Professorship in Economics. Established in 1989 by alumni and friends to honor Willard Long Thorp ’20, Professor of Economics 1926-33 and 1952-63, Trustee 1942-55, and Acting President 1957.

Joseph E. and Grace W. Valentine Professorship in Music. Established in 1982 by bequest of Joseph E. and Grace W. Valentine.

William McCall Vickery 1957 Professorship. Established in 2007 by William McCall Vickery on the occasion of his 50th Reunion. The Vickery Professorship will honor a senior faculty member who is distinguished by and dedicated to teaching and research of art history or musicology.

Richard S. Volpert Professorship in Economics. Established in 2000 by Barry S. Volpert ’81 and Teri C. Volpert in honor of Richard S. Volpert ’56, this professorship supports a faculty member in the Department of Economics who has shown distinction in teaching and research concerning free market economics and dedication to the life of the College.

William J. Walker Professorship in Mathematics and Astronomy. Established in 1861 by Boston physician William J. Walker.

Thomas B. Walton, Jr., Memorial Professorship. Established in 1984 by Thomas B. Walton in memory of his son, Thomas B. Walton, Jr. ’45.

The John William Ward Professorship. Established in 2003 by a member of the Board of Trustees, the John William Ward Professorship recognizes a senior faculty member at Amherst College who is an accomplished scholar and teacher and who has served the College community with distinction on a key committee or in an administrative post. The Ward Professor will be selected by the President and the Dean of the Faculty and appointed by the Board of Trustees.

G. Henry Whitcomb Memorial Professorship. Established in 1921 in memory of G. Henry Whitcomb 1864, Trustee 1884-1916, by his three sons, all Amherst alumni.

L. Stanton Williams Professorship. Established in 1990 by L. Stanton Williams ’41 to support teaching and scholarship that encourages students to use the skills and knowledge acquired at Amherst for the benefit of their communities and the wider society.

Samuel Williston Professorship in English. Established in 1845 by Samuel Williston, Easthampton button manufacturer and Trustee 1841-74.

Samuel Williston Professorship in Greek and Hebrew. Established in 1869. Formerly known as Graves Professorship of Greek Language and Literature.

Winkley Professorship in History and Political Economy. Established in 1885 by Henry Winkley, New York and Philadelphia retailer.

Lectureships

Henry Ward Beecher Lectureship. Established by Frank L. Babbott 1878 in honor of Henry Ward Beecher 1834. The incumbent is appointed biennially by the faculty for supplementary lectures in the departments of history and the political, social, and economic sciences.

Copeland Colloquium Fund. Established in 1971 by Morris A. Copeland ’17. The Colloquium supports visiting fellows who remain in residence at Amherst and pursue their own diverse interests while engaging themselves in various ways with faculty and students.

Croxton Lecture Fund. Established in 1988 by William M. Croxton ’36 in memory of his parents, Ruth L. and Hugh W. Croxton. Income from this endowed fund is used to bring to campus well-known guest speakers who focus on topical issues.

Samuel B. Cummings Lectureship Fund. Established in 1997 by bequest of Samuel B. Cummings, this fund is to be used for an annual or biannual lecture in one of the academic fields of anthropology, archeology, psychology, and/or sociology.

Benjamin DeMott Memorial Fund. The Benjamin DeMott Memorial Fund was established in 2005 by Alan P. Levenstein, Class of 1956, and other Amherst College alumni, friends, and family members. Income from this Fund shall be used to provide funding for the Benjamin DeMott Memorial Lecture at Amherst College, which will take place annually as part of the Orientation of all first-year students. The DeMott Lecturer shall be a person who, like Professor DeMott, represents an engagement with the world marked by originality of thought coupled with direct social action, with special emphasis on intellectual participation in issues of social and economic inequality, racial and gender bias, and political activism.

Lucius Root Eastman 1895 Fund. Established in 1947 by Eva Eastman, widow of Lucius Root Eastman, Class of 1895, in memory of her husband. The objectives of the Fund are: “To enlarge the horizons of knowledge of the students; to stimulate the growth of leadership and personality possibilities in the student body; to emphasize the ethical responsibilities of every adult to society; to increase the recognition of the interdependence of persons and peoples, and therefore of the need to foster and improve the understanding of human relationships.”

Joseph Epstein Lecture Fund in Philosophy. Established in 1987 by members of the Department of Philosophy to sponsor philosophical talks and discussions at Amherst. The fund honors Professor Joseph Epstein, who for 35 years taught Amherst students philosophy, especially logic, philosophy of science, and American pragmatism.

Vadim Filatov, M.D., 1986 Memorial Lecture Fund. The Vadim Filatov, M.D., 1986 Memorial Lecture Fund, established in 2004 by Dmitry Dinces ’86 and other Amherst classmates and friends of Vadim Filatov, is a permanently endowed fund at Amherst College providing support for the Amherst Center for Russian Culture.

Clyde Fitch Fund. Established by Captain and Mrs. W. G. Fitch of New York in memory of their son, Clyde Fitch 1886. This fund is used for the furtherance of the study of English literature and dramatic art and literature.

Forry and Micken Fund in Philosophy and Science. Established in 1983 by Carol Micken and John I. Forry ’66 to promote the study of philosophical issues arising out of new developments in the sciences, including mathematics, and issues in the philosophy and history of science.

John Whitney Hall Lecture Fund. Established in 1994 by Betty Bolce Hall to honor her husband. Income is used to initiate and maintain the John Whitney Hall ’39 Lecture Series on Japan. Professor Hall became an authority on premodern Japanese history, training graduate students who entered academic, business and governmental fields relating to Japan. For more than 30 years he worked to develop Japanese studies in American colleges and universities.

Hugh Hawkins Lecture Fund. Established in 2010 by an anonymous donor, this fund supports the annual Hugh Hawkins Lecture at Amherst.

Charles H. Houston Forum. Established in 1980 by Gorham L. Cross, Jr. ’52 to honor Charles H. Houston ’15. The income from this fund brings lecturers on law and social justice to Amherst.

Victor S. Johnson Lectureship Fund. Established in memory of Victor S. Johnson (1882-1943) by his sons for the purpose of “bringing to the campus each year a stimulating individual worthy of the lectureship’s purpose of serving the best tradition of the liberal arts and individual freedom.”

Corliss Lamont Lectureship for a Peaceful World. Established in 1982 by Corliss Lamont ’57, this fund supports lecturers who may provide insight into the analytical or operational problems of lessening friction among nations.

Max and Etta Lazerowitz Lectureship. Established in 1985 by the late Professor Morris Lazerowitz of Smith College to honor his parents, this fund provides for the annual appointment of the Lazerowitz Lecturer, who is a member of the Amherst College faculty below the rank of full professor.

Georges Lurcy Lecture Series. Established in 1982 by the Georges Lurcy Charitable and Educational Trust, this lectureship was given to the College to bring distinguished lecturers to Amherst to speak on topics relating to countries other than the United States.

Everett H. Pryde Fund. Established in 1986 by Phyllis W. Pryde in honor of her late husband Everett H. Pryde ’39 to bring to the College distinguished visiting scientists to lecture on selected topics in the field of chemical research and to fund the Everett H. Pryde Research Award, given annually to an Amherst senior.

Rapaport Lectureship in Contemporary Art Fund. The Rapaport Lectureship in Contemporary Art Fund, established in 1999, provides support for an annual lecture on some aspect of contemporary art. The goal of the Rapaport Lectureship is to increase awareness and appreciation of contemporary art among students and in the community.

Dr. Raymond A. Raskin Fund. The Dr. Raymond A. Raskin Fund, established in 2003 by Amherst Professor Lisa A. Raskin, is a permanently endowed fund at Amherst College. Professor Raskin has established this Fund in honor of her father, a clinician in and teacher of psychoanalysis for over fifty years. Income from this Fund is used to support an annual lecture in the area of psychoanalysis from an interdisciplinary point of view.

John Woodruff Simpson Lectureship. Established in memory of John Woodruff Simpson 1871 by his wife and daughter, to fund fellowships and “to secure from time to time, from England, France or elsewhere, scholars for the purpose of delivering lectures or courses of instruction at Amherst College.”

Tagliabue Fund. Established in 1991 by Paul and Chandler Tagliabue to honor their son Andrew, who graduated in 1991. The fund supports the Asian Languages and Civilizations Department at Amherst College and funds lectures by social scientists on Asian issues.

Willis D. Wood Fund. Established in memory of Willis D. Wood 1894 to fund visiting scholars and lecturers to “talk with students and faculty about different aspects of the spiritual life.”

Honors

THE PHI BETA KAPPA SOCIETY

Massachusetts Beta Chapter. The students elected to membership in this honor society are those of highest standing. A preliminary election of outstanding students occurs at the end of the junior year, and a second election takes place at Commencement time of senior year.

President: Professor Natasha Staller
Secretary-Treasurer: Janet S. Tobin

Luca Raphael Shapiro Antonucci

Sarah Elizabeth Ashman

Diana Beatrice Babineau

Jaskaran Singh Bains

Christine Bierema

Benjamin David Boatwright

Brian King Brady

Emma Spain Broches

Aubrie Kirkpatrick Campbell

Madeline Chan

Gregory Davis Cohan

Winslow Erik Dahlberg-Wright

Christopher Michael Dale

Matthew Marshall DeButts

Ruodi Duan

Christopher Sutton Finch

Christopher James Gerry

Thea Rebecca Goldring

Angelina Frances Gómez

Carlos Adolfo González Sierra

Noah Zachary Gordon

Hannah Micaela Greenwald

Cassandra Alexis Gross

Philip Alexander Hendrix

Colby Daniel Jantzen

Allison Chun Yi Koo

Junsuk Lee

Ruozi Li

Shanghui Li

Yi Lu

Maia Brigitte Mares˘

Michael Austin Milov

Olivia Ho Fang Ouyang

Michael Thomas Podgorski

Charles Pierson Reighard

Megan Leigh Rothe

Kaitlin Rose Silkowitz

Meghna Sridhar

Yun Tang

George Nicholas Tepe

Audrey Tiew

Paul Michael Tyler

Dylan Alexander Vasey

Jacob R. Walters

Jacob Julian Seid Witten

Yang Xiao

Rebecca Jill Zakarian

Bitian Zhang

THE SOCIETY OF SIGMA XI

Sigma Xi, the National Honorary Scientific Research Society, was founded in 1886, and the Amherst Chapter was installed March 23, 1950. As one of its purposes, the Society gives recognition of those students, members of the Faculty, research associates, and alumni who have demonstrated ability to carry on constructive scientific research or who show definite promise of research ability. Other functions are the maintenance of companionship among investigators in the various fields of science, the holding of meetings for the discussion of scientific subjects, and the fostering of an interest in scientific research in the College.

Undergraduates who show definite promise of research ability are typically recommended to associate membership by the departments concerned.

President: Professor Mark D. Marshall
Secretary-Treasurer: Professor Ashley R. Carter

Full Membership 2014

Professor Nicholas Dewayne Ball

Professor Jennie D’Ambroise

Professor James Alexander Hebda

Professor Yan Qi

Associate Membership 2014

Shah Saad Alam

Catherine Amaya

Holda Awah Anagho

André Lucas Antunes de Sá

Julien Takeru Aoyama

Razina Aziz-Bose

Benjamin David Boatwright

Brian King Brady

Raysa Gabriela Cabrejo La Torre

Isabel Sofia Camacho

Ruqian Chen

Karen Wen-Huey Cheng

Se Yeon Cho

Alexander William Diones

Raul Eduardo Dominguez

Christina Lee England

Krystal Nicole English

Christopher Sutton Finch

Thomas Ward Fredrick

Christopher James Gerry

Elizabeth Renée Hall

Nia Marie Harris

Claire F. Hoffmann

Varun Sridhar Iyengar

David L. Kerr

Joseph Myungkyu Kim

Allison Chun Yi Koo

Phyo Aung Kyaw

Allan Landman

Mollie Jean McDowell

Joseph Peter Messinger

Eli Mlaver

Jennifer Hannah Newman

Caitlin Marie Niesen Blank

Benjamin Kobina Asuantsi Otoo

Zoë Pangalos

Michelle M. Park

Sharleen Elizabeth Phillips

Michael T. Podgorski

Charles Pierson Reighard

David Charles Ressler

Debra Lynne Sondak

Victoria Christine Sosnowski

Defne Surujon

Shannon Elizabeth Townsend

Emma Walters Vaimberg

Lisa Susan Walker

Yilin Andre Wang

Colin Robert Willson White

Jacob Julian Seid Witten

Yang Xiao

Fellowships

COLLEGE FELLOWSHIPS

FROM the income of the College’s fellowship funds, approximately 170 awards are made annually to graduates of Amherst College for study in graduate or professional schools. Applications should be made by February 10 on forms available in December from the Office of Fellowships. This same deadline applies to seniors and to graduates. You need not have been accepted at graduate school to apply, but the awards are made contingent upon final enrollment. The awards are based on merit and need (except for the Kellogg and Rosenblum) and are determined by the Faculty Committee on Student Fellowships. An exception to this is the Amherst-Doshisha Fellowship for which the deadline is early in November and for which there is a special Selection Committee.

The Amherst-Doshisha Fellowship. Amherst-Doshisha Fellowship at Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan, is open to graduating seniors and recent alumni of the College for a term of one, or in some cases, two years. The recipient will have the opportunity to work with a professor and representative of the College at Doshisha, and to teach English to Japanese students. No knowledge of the Japanese language is required, but many recent fellows have spoken Japanese to a greater or lesser extent.

The fellowship offers a stipend and an allowance for travel and incidental expenses, shared equally between Amherst and Doshisha. The fellowship year is normally from September to August. It carries with it formal teaching responsibilities in the English language at Doshisha University, at the first-year and second-year level. The academic year at Doshisha allows fellows to travel in Asia during February and March.

Interested applicants should contact the Office of Fellowships for more information. This fellowship is awarded by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the Amherst-Doshisha Fellowship Committee.

The Amherst Memorial Fellowships. These fellowships, in memory of Amherst graduates who gave their lives for an ideal, are given primarily for the study of social, economic, and political institutions, and for preparation for teaching and the ministry. The fund was established because of the “need for better understanding and more complete adjustment” between humans and their “existing social, economic, and political institutions for the study of the principles underlying these human relationships.”

The object of the fellowships is to permit students of character, scholarly promise, and intellectual curiosity to investigate some problem in the humanistic sciences. During previous training candidates should have given evidence of marked mental ability in some branch of the social sciences—history, economics, political science—and have given promise of original contribution to a particular field of study. It is desirable that they possess qualities of leadership, a spirit of service, and an intention to devote their efforts to the betterment of social conditions through teaching in its broad sense, journalism, politics, or field work.

Preference is given to candidates planning to do advanced work in the field of the social sciences, but awards may also be made to candidates who are planning to go to theological school in preparation for a career in the ministry and to those from other fields than the social sciences who are preparing for a career in teaching in secondary schools or colleges.

The fellowships are for one year but, upon reapplication, may be approved for one or two additional years, depending upon the nature of the subjects investigated or upon other circumstances which, in the judgment of the committee, warrant a variation in the length of tenure.

The stipend will vary according to the circumstances of the appointment. Awards will depend upon those aspects of individual cases which, in the judgment of the committee, most suitably fulfill the purpose of the foundation.

These fellowships are awarded by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the Faculty Committee on Student Fellowships.

The John Mason Clarke 1877 Fellowship in Paleontology and Geology. A fund from the estate of Noah T. Clarke was established in memory of his father, John Mason Clarke 1877, to provide income for a fellowship or fellowships for the pursuit of studies in paleontology or geology, preferably in the New York State Museum in Albany, New York.

The Evan Carroll Commager Fellowship. This fund, established by Professor Henry Steele Commager in memory of his late wife and “as a testimony to her affection for this College,” enables an Amherst student to study at Cambridge University. The fellowship is for one year but, upon reapplication, may be approved for a second year. The award is open to any student, with preference to seniors and to those applying to Peterhouse, St. John’s, Trinity, or Downing College.

The Henry P. Field Fellowships. Two fellowships are available from the income of the bequest of the late Henry P. Field 1880 to promote graduate study in the fields of English and history. Appointments are made annually by the College on the recommendation of the departments of English and history.

The Warner Gardner Fletcher Fellowship. The income from a gift from the late Warner Gardner Fletcher ’41 is awarded to “pursue work for the improvement of education.” Preference is given to candidates who are engaged in the study of education and then to candidates for the Master of Arts in Teaching.

Seth E. Frank ’55 Fellowship. Established in 1997 by Seth E. Frank ’55, the income from this fund is to be used annually for post-graduate work by a graduate of Amherst College. The fellowship is to be awarded to a graduate who has demonstrated exceptional ability, interest, and achievement in the area of International Relations. The fellowship is not limited to graduate study but may be awarded for other endeavors which are international in scope.

The Roswell Dwight Hitchcock Memorial Fellowship. A fund, established by the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity, provides an annual award to a member or members of the senior class for excellence in history and the social and economic sciences. The holder of the fellowship pursues for one year a course of study in history or economics, to be completed within the period of two years next following graduation.

The Rufus B. Kellogg University Fellowship. The income from the fund, established by the late Rufus B. Kellogg 1858, provides certain prizes, and a fellowship award for three years to a graduate of Amherst College, who shall be appointed upon the following conditions: The Fellow is elected by the Faculty on the recommendation of the Faculty Committee on Student Fellowships. Consideration is given to seniors or members of the classes graduated in the preceding six years. The fellowship is awarded to that graduate who, in the judgment of the Faculty, is best equipped for study and research, without regard to any other considerations, except that the Fellow should have an especially good knowledge of at least one modern foreign language and should have had at least one year of Latin in preparatory school or college. The three years shall be spent by the Fellow at a German university or other approved institution, for the study of philosophy, philology, literature, history, political science, political economy, mathematics or natural science. At least one college term of the final year shall be spent by the Fellow at Amherst College, to give lectures on a subject selected by the Fellow and approved by the Trustees. The lectures shall be published in book form or in a learned journal. This fellowship is based solely on merit. The Kellogg Fellowship is awarded for three years and will be awarded again in 2015-16.

The Sterling P. Lamprecht Fellowship. From the income of this fund, fellowships are awarded to recent graduates of Amherst College for the pursuit of philosophy. Upon reapplication, these fellowships may be approved for a maximum of three years. They need not be awarded at all in one particular year, and it might be, if there were no suitable graduates, awarded to an undergraduate, in which case it would be known as the Sterling P. Lamprecht Scholarship. Preference, however, would be given for graduate study.

The Edward Poole Lay Fellowship. The income from a fund, established by Frank M. Lay 1893 and Mrs. Lay, in memory of their son Edward Poole Lay ’22, provides fellowships to graduates who have shown unusual proficiency and talent in music and who desire to continue studies in the field. Preference is given to candidates who are proficient in voice. In the event that there are no qualified candidates in the musical arts (especially voice and instrumental music), they may be awarded to qualified candidates in the field of the dramatic arts. These fellowships are awarded by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the Faculty Committee on Student Fellowships.

The Forris Jewett Moore Fellowships. These fellowships, in three fields of study, were established in memory of Forris Jewett Moore 1889 by his widow, Emma B. Moore.

(1) A fellowship to graduates distinguished in the study of chemistry while undergraduates, who desire to engage in further study of that subject. Preference is given to eligible candidates for the field of organic chemistry.

(2) A fellowship to graduates distinguished in the study of history while undergraduates, who desire to engage in further study of that subject.

(3) A fellowship to graduates distinguished in the study of philosophy while undergraduates, who desire to engage in further study of that subject.

The George Stebbins Moses Memorial Fellowship. This memorial fellowship is awarded to a graduate who has been accepted by a recognized divinity school, who has good reason to seek financial aid, who seems to be an all-around person qualified in all respects as a religious and moral leader and a lover of ordinary people, and who is qualified scholastically to meet the calling of a theological career creditably. The candidate need not be an outstanding student, but improvement in the upper-class years, dedication, and a sense of purpose will be given great consideration. The fellowship may be renewed for a second or third year at the discretion of the Committee. More than one fellowship may be awarded in any given year.

The George A. Plimpton Fellowships. These fellowships, established by the Board of Trustees in memory of George A. Plimpton 1876, a member of the Board from 1890 to 1895 and from 1900 to 1936, and President of the Board from 1907 to 1936, are awarded without stipend to seniors who are of outstanding scholastic ability and promise, who plan to continue their studies in graduate school, and who are not in need of financial assistance. These fellowships are awarded by the Board of Trustees on recommendation of the Faculty Committee on Student Fellowships.

The C. Scott Porter Memorial Fellowship for Graduate Study. Established in 1972 by the family of C. Scott Porter ’19, mathematics professor, 1924-31, and Dean of the College from 1931-1966, the C. Scott Porter Memorial Fellowship is awarded annually to a graduate for further study without restriction as to department or field.

The Lloyd I. Rosenblum Memorial Fellowship. Established in 1997 for his son, Peter M. Rosenblum ’70, and other family members, the fellowship is to be awarded annually to a graduate of Amherst College embarking on his or her first year of graduate studies in the fields of botany and biology. Each beneficiary should be a person who demonstrated significant promise in the relevant fields of study as an undergraduate at Amherst College. The fellowship is to be awarded solely on the basis of merit and without regard to race, sex, religion, gender, or nationality.

The Charles B. Rugg Fellowship. Established in memory of Charles Belcher Rugg 1911, this fellowship is awarded to a graduate for the study of law. The award may be renewed for a second or third year upon recommendation of the Faculty Committee on Student Fellowships.

The John Woodruff Simpson Fellowships and Lectureships. A fund was established in memory of John Woodruff Simpson 1871 by his wife and daughter. Income from the fund provides: (1) A fellowship for the study of law; (2) A fellowship for the study of medicine; (3) A fellowship for the study of theology, without regard to creed or religious belief; (4) A fellowship for study at any school, college or university in preparation for the teaching profession; (5) A fellowship for use in graduate study at the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge in England or at the Sorbonne in Paris.

The fund may also be used to secure from time to time from England, France or elsewhere, scholars for the purpose of delivering lectures or courses of instruction at Amherst College. These fellowships are awarded by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendations of the Faculty Committee on Student Fellowships.

The Benjamin Goodall Symon, Jr., Memorial Fellowship. This fellowship is awarded to a graduate who has been accepted by a recognized divinity school, who has good reason to seek financial aid, who seems to be an all-around individual qualified in all respects as a religious and moral leader, and who is qualified scholastically to meet the calling of a theological career creditably, although the student may plan to use the divinity school training for work in another field. The candidate need not be an outstanding student, but improvement in the upper-class years, dedication, and a sense of purpose will be given great consideration.

The fellowship may be renewed for a second or third year at the discretion of the Committee. More than one fellowship may be awarded in any given year.

The Roland Wood Fellowship. Awarded annually on recommendation of the Department of Theater and Dance as a fellowship to one or more promising and deserving graduates of Amherst College for continued study in or of the theater.

DEPARTMENTAL FELLOWSHIPS

French Department Fellowship. The French Department offers two exchange fellowships. The appointments will be made by the Department after an announcement at the beginning of March and interviews. Amherst seniors with a high proficiency in French may apply.

The University of Dijon Assistantship. This fellowship is an appointment as teaching assistant in American Civilization and Language for one year at the University of Dijon. The fellowship offers a stipend paid by the French government and free admission to courses at the University.

Exchange Fellowship, Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. This fellowship is without stipend but offers a room at the Ecole Normale Supérieure and admission to any university course in Paris.

The Edward Hitchcock Fellowship. This fellowship, established by the late Mrs. Frank L. Babbott of Brooklyn, N.Y., is available for study in the department of physical education. Its object is to make the student familiar with the best methods of physical training, both in the gymnasium and on the field. The appointment is made by the Faculty upon the recommendation of the Department of Physical Education and Athletics.

Fellows

Neal Allar ’08, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in French Literature, Cornell University.

Danielle Amodeo ’13, Forris Jewett Moore Fellow and Henry P. Field Fellow in Art History, Williams College.

Elizabeth Angowski ’05, George Stebbins Moses Memorial Fellow in Religion, Harvard University.

Luca Antonucci ’14, Edward Poole Lay Fellow in Music, Independent study.

Andre Lucas Antunes de Sa ’14, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Aerospace Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder.

Haneui Bae ’13, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Neurobiology, Harvard University.

Amanda Bass ’11E, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Law, New York University School of Law.

Sarah Beganskas ’12, John Mason Clarke 1877 Fellow in Hydrogeology, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Michael Bernstein ’08, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Sustainability, Arizona State University.

Griffin Biedron ’08, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, University of Vermont.

Katharine Black ’10, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Business, Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management.

Caitlin Blais Kaake ’14, George Stebbins Moses Memorial Fellow in Religion and Psychology, School not known.

Grace Booth ’12, Edward Poole Lay Fellow in Ensemble Physical Theater, Dell’ Arte School of Physical Theater.

Owanate Briggs ’12, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Public Health, Columbia University.

Eli Bromberg ’02, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in English and American Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Omar Brown ’13, Benjamin Goodall Symon, Jr. Memorial Fellow in Divinity, Boston University.

Evan Bruno ’08, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Business Administration, Cornell University.

Hilary Budwey ’13, Edward Poole Lay Fellow in Music Performance in Voice, Independent study.

Kevin Burchby ’08, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Clinical Psychology, Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology.

Raysa Cabrejo ’14, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, Yale School of Medicine.

Erin Camp ’11, John Mason Clarke 1877 Fellow in Geological Sciences, Cornell University.

Meredith Case ’10, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Daniela Chamorro ’14, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Professional Writing, School not known.

Alexander Coburn ’11, Rufus B. Kellogg University Fellow in Architecture, University of Cambridge.

Emily Cole ’07, Seth E. Frank Fellow in Human Security and International Environmental Policy, Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Benjamin Colon ’12, Edward Poole Lay Fellow in English and Theater and Dance, Peoples Improv Theater.

Ariana Cook ’12, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Public Health, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Madison Cortez ’13, Edward Poole Lay Fellow in Theater, Independent study.

Ioanida Costache ’12, Edward Poole Lay Fellow in Musicology, Stanford University.

Christian Desrosiers ’10, Amherst Memorial Fellow in City Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Wai Tan Di ’09, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, School not known.

Claire DiMario ’14, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Law, Harvard Law School.

Travis Doering ’09, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, Hofstra NS-LIJ School of Medicine.

Ekpoawan Edem ’14, Roland Wood Fellow in Physical Theater, School not known.

Katherine Eisen ’12, Lloyd I. Rosenblum Memorial Fellow in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University.

Rebecca Emiru ’11, Amherst Memorial Fellow in International Development, London School of Economics.

Diane Exavier ’09, Roland Wood Fellow in Theater and Playwriting, Brown University.

Alison Flint ’11, Roswell Dwight Hitchcock Memorial Fellow in Public Policy, Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government.

Paul Fraioli ’06, Evan Carroll Commager Fellow in Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge.

Ethan Gates ’12, Edward Poole Lay Fellow in Moving Image Archiving and Preservation, New York University.

Inessa Gelfenboym ’09, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Slavic Studies, University of Southern California.

Anya Goldberg ’13, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Mathematics, Stony Brook University.

Wangene Hall ’14, Edward Poole Lay Fellow in Music, Theater and Dance, Independent study.

Mwanasha Hamuza ’11, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, Tufts Medical School.

Taylor Haney ’12, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Journalism, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Bess Hanish ’13, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Law, University of California, Berkeley.

Mark Hellmer ’13, Evan Carroll Commager Fellow in Hydrology and Water Resources Management, Imperial College London.

Meron Hirpa ’11, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine.

Ophelia Hu ’12, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Social Enterprise in Business Administration, Yale School of Management.

Jordan Hugh Sam ’14, Edward Poole Lay Fellow in Music, Independent study.

Mark Humphrey ’13, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Secondary Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Annegret Laura Huober ’11E, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Environmental Management, Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Alexander Hurst ’12, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in International Political Economy, School not known.

Alexis Jaramillo ’12, Forris Jewett Moore Fellow in Chemical Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College.

Athmeya Jayaram ’04, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Political Theory, University of California, Berkeley.

Rachel Johnson ’10, Rufus B. Kellogg University Fellow in Global History, Freie Universität Berlin.

Max Kaisler ’11, Amherst Memorial and Henry P. Field Fellow in Creative Writing and English Literature, University of Montana.

Ambika Kamath ’11, Rufus B. Kellogg University Fellow in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University.

Jasia Kaulbach ’14, Edward Poole Lay Fellow in Film Production, Met Film School.

Katharine Kelly ’08, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, University of Wisconsin.

Lilia Kilburn ’12, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Comparative Media Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Yeji Kim ’12, George Stebbins Moses Memorial Fellow in Ethics, Politics and, Religion, Harvard Divinity School.

Kyla Kitamura ’08, Seth E. Frank Fellow in International Affairs, Georgetown University.

Amy Ko ’13, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley.

Bolatito Kolawole ’14, Charles B. Rugg Fellow in Law, Columbia Law School.

Akosua Korboe ’12, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Phyo Aung Kyaw ’14, Forris Jewett Moore Fellow in Electrical Engineering, Dartmouth College.

Chaka Laguerre ’08, Sterling P. Lamprecht Fellow in Political Philosophy, University College London.

Rebecca Lakind ’06, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Clinical Psychology, University of Illinois, Chicago.

Mable Lam ’12, Forris Jewett Moore Fellow in Biochemistry, University of California, San Francisco.

Grace Li ’01, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine.

Stephanie Li ’03, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, Temple University.

Paola Ligonde ’08, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Interior Design, Pratt Institute.

Sarah Long ’07, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine.

Winnie Ma ’12, Forris Jewett Moore Fellow in Philosophy of Religion, School not known.

Eleanor Mahoney ’02, Forris Jewett Moore Fellow in American History, University of Washington.

Jenny Mancino ’09, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Social Work, University of Chicago.

Jessica Mestre ’10, Warner Gardner Fletcher Fellow in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration, Michigan State University.

Julia Moorman ’11, Roland Wood Fellow in Voice Performance, University of Music and Theater Hamburg.

Jessica Mueller ’13, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

Nathan Nash ’12, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Law, Yale Law School.

Aaron Nathan ’10, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Law, Yale Law School.

Noelle Niu ’14, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Classics, Boston College.

Donvan Odhiambo ’14, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Business Administration, School not known.

Rachel Ojserkis ’09, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Clinical Psychology, Fordham University.

Benjamin Otoo ’14, Evan Carroll Commager Fellow in Paleontology, University of Cambridge.

Emmanuel Owusu-Amankwah ’10, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Pharmacy/Agricultural Economics, University of Cincinnati/University of Kentucky.

Elkema Percival ’14E, Roland Wood Fellow in Theater, Independent study.

Ameerah Phillips ’10, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Public Policy, University of Chicago.

Julia Powers ’06, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Comparative Literature, Yale University.

Samantha Presnal ’11, Amherst Memorial Fellow in French and French Studies, New York University.

Leslie Quiroz ’13, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Applied Behavioral Analysis, Western New England University.

Anirudh Rajashekar ’11, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Urban Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Charles Reighard ’14, Evan Carroll Commager Fellow in Neuroscience, University of Cambridge.

Jessica Rhoades ’09, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Audiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Freya Riedlin ’09, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Law, University of Michigan Law School.

Timothy Ripper ’09, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Graphic Design, Yale University School of Art.

Clara Rowe ’11, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Environmental Management, Yale University.

Sara Ruddock-Harris ’09, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, Loyola University Chicago-Stritch School of Medicine.

Holly Saltrelli ’09, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Public Policy, Georgetown University.

Danielle Santiago Ramos ’13, John Mason Clarke 1877 Fellow in Stable Isotope Geochemistry, Princeton University.

Alice Shen ’14, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Linguistics, University of California, Berkeley.

Sabrina Song ’13, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Secondary Education, Charles Sposato Graduate School of Education.

David Stein ’06, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Applied Math, University of California, Davis.

Kerri Stuart ’14, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Physical Therapy, Massachusetts General Hospital’s Institute of Health Professions.

Maxwell Suechting ’11, Forris Jewett Moore Fellow in Modern Thought and Literature, Stanford University.

Stevie Lin Thacker ’11, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in International Education Policy, Harvard University.

Molly Toomey ’10, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Clinical Social Work, Smith College School for Social Work.

Rebecca Touger ’08, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Hana Tran ’14, Forris Jewett Moore Fellow in History of Art, Courtauld Institute of Art.

Victoria Turner ’14, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Writing, California College of the Arts.

David Ullman ’10, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Law and Public Policy, Columbia Law School.

Claudia Wack ’13, George Stebbins Moses Memorial Fellow in Women’s Studies, University of Oxford.

Xuanji Wang ’12, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, Rush Medical College.

Yilin Wang ’14, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Social Psychology, University of California, Davis.

Colin White ’14, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University.

Crystal Williams ’13, Roland Wood Fellow in Comedy Writing, Independent study.

Hannah Winnick ’09, Amherst Memorial and C. Scott Porter Memorial Fellow in Public Policy, Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government.

Andrea Wise ’11, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Urban and Regional Planning, Georgetown University.

Lyn Wojcik ’06, Amherst Memorial Fellow in Science Education, University of St. Joseph.

Joshua Wren ’14, Roland Wood Fellow in Theater and Dance, Independent study.

Kevin Wu ’12, Charles B. Rugg Fellow in Law, Georgetown University Law Center.

Yang Xiao ’14, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Mathematics, Brown University.

Maureen Yu ’10, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School.

Victor Zhu ’11, John Woodruff Simpson Fellow in Medicine, Yale School of Medicine.

Andrew Zolot ’11, C. Scott Porter Memorial Fellow in Creative Writing, Louisiana State University.

AMHERST-DOSHISHA FELLOW

Catherine Morse ’14, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan

NATIONAL FELLOWS AND SCHOLARS

Luca Antonucci ’14, Fulbright Scholar, Austria.

Terrence Cullen ’13, Gates Cambridge Scholar.

Sarah Daly ’13, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Argentina.

Matthew DeButts’14, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (declined Fulbright to accept Princeton in Asia Fellowship).

Christopher Finch ’14, Churchill Scholar.

James Fromson ’13, Fulbright Scholar, Jordan.

Thea Goldring ’14, Fulbright Scholar, France.

Gus Greenstein ’14, Watson Fellow.

Cassandra Gross ’14, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Taiwan.

Manuel Guerrero ’14, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Vietnam.

Laura Huober ’11E, Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow and Luce Scholar (declined Luce to accept Soros).

Pierre Joseph ’15, Truman Scholar.

Amber Khan ’14, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Turkey.

Donna Leet ’15, Goldwater Scholar.

Shennon Lu ’14, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Taiwan.

Katrin Marquez ’14, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, South Korea.

Joshua Mayer ’13, Fulbright Scholar, Nicaragua.

Laura Poole ’14, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, India. (declined)

Sylvie Ramirez ’14, French Government English Teaching Assistant, France.

Nicholas Schcolnik ’14, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Argentina.

Jennifer Shamash ’11, French Government English Teaching Assistant, France.

Meghna Sridhar ’14, Watson Fellow.

Yun Tang ’14, Carnegie Junior Fellow.

Chelsea Tejada ’14, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Brazil.

Dylan Vasey ’14, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Morocco.

Prizes and Awards

AMERICAN STUDIES

The Doshisha American Studies Prize, a gift from Amherst House, Doshisha University, is awarded for the American Studies honors thesis judged by the Department of American Studies as most likely to stimulate interest in and understanding of America overseas, with a view toward possible publication in Japan.

Divided among Hannah Perelson Gross ’14, Amelia Sumner Moore ’14, and Lindsay Elizabeth Oxx ’14.

The George Rogers Taylor Prize is awarded to the student who, in the opinion of the American Studies Department, shows the most promise for creative and scholarly work in American Studies.

Amelia Sumner Moore ’14.

ANTHROPOLOGY/SOCIOLOGY

The Donald S. Pitkin Prize in Anthropology-Sociology, established in honor of the founder of that department on the occasion of his retirement, is given to that student whose honors thesis best exemplifies the humane values to which Professor Pitkin committed his research and teaching.

Divided between Sylvia Ngo ’14 and William Christopher Ruhm ’14.

ART AND THE HISTORY OF ART

The Hasse Prize, established in memory of Adrian H. Hasse ’43, is awarded for the best submitted work having a human figure as a theme.

Miranda Serafin Dershimer ’15.

The Anna Baker Heap Prize, established by Arnold N. Heap of the Class of l873, is awarded to that senior who submits the best essay in the field of “Art.”

Thea Rebecca Goldring ’14.

The Athanasios Demetrios Skouras Prize, given in memory of Mr. Skouras of the Class of 1936, who died in 1943 in Athens as a result of Nazi reprisal killings, is awarded to a student who, in the opinion of the Fine Arts Department, has created an outstanding work of art.

Gabriela Escovar ’14.

ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CIVILIZATIONS

The Doshisha Asian Studies Prize from the income of a gift from Amherst House, Doshisha University, is awarded for the best undergraduate honors thesis pertaining to Asia.

Divided between Yi (Louis) Lu ’14 and Catherine Mitsuko Morse ’14.

ASTRONOMY

The Porter Prize, established by the late Eleazer Porter of Hadley, is awarded for proficiency in first-year astronomy.

Divided between Hutomo Jayaadmaja Limanto ’17 and Nicolette Rene Miranda ’16.

ATHLETICS

The Manstein Family Award, given by Carl ’72, Mark ’74 and Joanne Manstein ’83, is presented to the outstanding senior varsity athlete who has been accepted to medical school and plans a career in medicine. The prize is awarded by the Department of Physical Education.

Adrienne Shanise Lightbourne ’14.

BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS

The Biochemistry and Biophysics Prize is awarded to the student who, in the opinion of the faculty, has prepared the best thesis in the Biochemistry and Biophysics program.

Jacob Julian Seid Witten ’14.

BIOLOGY

The James R. Elster Award for research in biology was created in memory of James R. Elster ’71, by his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Samuel K. Elster. This fund has been established for the purpose of providing support in the summer months for a research project to be undertaken by an undergraduate in the Department of Biology.

Divided among Fadi Joseph Hamati ’14, Mariah M. Servos ’14 and Monroe Anita Wolf ’14.

The Sawyer Prize is awarded to that second-semester sophomore who, in the opinion of the Biology Department, has shown the most promise as a student of biology.

Noah Max Warach Lerner ’16.

The Oscar E. Schotté Award is given to that member of the graduating class who, in the opinion of the department, has done the best independent work in biology.

Caitlin Marie Blank ’14 and Paul Michael Tyler ’14.

The Oscar E. Schotté Scholarship Prize is awarded to a member of the junior or senior class majoring in science to enable completion of a special project during the summer.

Nifasha Osmond Rusibamayila ’15.

The William C. Young Prize, established in memory of William C. Young ’21, is awarded to a talented student from the Biology Department to undertake a summer course, a specialized program at an advanced school or institute, a summer field program or research at a specialized laboratory.

Kelvin Jie Chen ’16.

BIOLOGY AND GEOLOGY

The Harvey Blodgett Scholarship, established by Frederick H. Blodgett in memory of his grandfather, Harvey Blodgett of the Class of l829, is awarded to aid student work in biology and geology in their educational phases as distinct from their more technical and strictly scientific phases.

combined with

The Phi Delta Theta Scholarship, established by the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, is awarded as a scholarship at the Woods Hole Marine Laboratory to a student for proficiency in biology.

Divided between Claire F. Hoffmann ’14 and Joseph Myungkyu Kim ’14.

BLACK STUDIES

The Edward Jones Prize is given in honor of the College’s first black alumnus. It is awarded by the Black Studies Department to a graduating senior for the best honors thesis which addresses a present or future issue of concern to black people in Africa and the Diaspora.

Divided between Ruodi Duan ’14 and Dylan Alexander Vasey ’14.

CHEMISTRY

The David R. Belevetz ’54 Memorial Fund Award in Chemistry was established by family and friends of David R. Belevetz and is awarded to support the work of an Amherst student engaged in preparing a senior honors thesis, as determined by the Chemistry Department Faculty.

Samuel Joseph Hendel ’15.

The Howard Waters Doughty Prize is awarded to that member of the senior class who, in the opinion of the Chemistry Department, has prepared the best honors thesis.

Divided among Christopher James Gerry ’14, Joseph Peter Messinger ’14, and Emma Walters Vaimberg ’14.

The Frank Fowler Dow Prizes, established by Fayette B. Dow in memory of his father, are awarded to a senior preparing to enter medical school and whose undergraduate work indicates a career of distinction in medicine.

Divided between Christine Bierema ’14 and Raysa Gabriela Cabrejo La Torre ’14.

The Everett H. Pryde Research Award is presented annually to a senior who has been an outstanding teaching assistant in chemistry and who shows great promise for carrying out research in science or medicine.

Divided between Christopher James Gerry ’14 and Joseph Peter Messinger ’14.

The White Prize is awarded by the Chemistry Department to that chemistry major in the junior class who seems most likely to benefit from a summer’s research experience at Amherst. It consists of a summer fellowship.

Kathryn M. Sundheim ’15.

CLASSICS

The Anthony and Anastasia Nicolaides Award, established by Cleanthes Anthony Nicolaides ’68, in honor of his parents and in testimony of their belief in the goodness of science, is awarded to the senior who presents the best thesis on the topic of Greek science and mathematics from Homeric times to 1453 A.D.

Not awarded 2013-2014.

COMPUTER CENTER

The Computer Center Prize is awarded for outstanding contributions in the application of the computer to a broad range of academic disciplines, and for generous help to many students and faculty at the Computer Center.

Andre L. Antunes de Sa ’14.

COMPUTER SCIENCE

The Computer Science Prize is awarded to a senior who has completed an honors thesis and who has achieved the best performance in the study of computer science. The award is based on the thesis and overall achievement in computer science.

Divided between Allison Chun Yi Koo ’14 and Colin Robert Willson White ’14.

ECONOMICS

The Bernstein Prize, funded by a gift from the Bernstein family in honor of the work their son, Jeffrey ’91, did at Amherst College, is awarded to the senior who has done particularly outstanding honors work in economics.

Audrey Tiew ’14.

The Economics Department Junior Class Prize, awarded to that member of the junior class who, in the opinion of the Economics Department, has achieved a record of excellence in the study of economics at Amherst College.

Divided among Diorgenes Bellini ’15, Hongye Guo ’15, and Darius Roland Onul ’15.

The Hamilton Prize, established by his former students in memory of Professor Walton Hale Hamilton, distinguished member of the Department of Economics from 1915 to 1923, is awarded to that student other than a senior who ranks highest in the introductory economics course.

The James R. Nelson Memorial Award and The James R. Nelson Prize were established from the income of a fund established by former students, colleagues and friends to encourage and recognize the scholarly and humane qualities that Professor Nelson exemplified and sought to foster in his students.

Divided among Alexander J. Titelbaum ’16, Yen Nhi Truong Vu ’17, and Jenny Jie Xu ’16.

The James R. Nelson Memorial Award is presented to that senior who, in the opinion of the Economics Department, has achieved excellence in the study of economics while pursuing a broad liberal education.

Divided between Jaskaran Singh Bains ’14 and Shanghui Li ’14.

The James R. Nelson Prize is awarded to the senior who, in the opinion of the Economics Department, has written a distinguished honors thesis that applies economic analysis to an important question of public policy.

Divided among Christopher Leighton Friend ’14, Alvaro Manuel Morales ’14, and George Nicholas Tepe ’14.

ENGLISH

The Academy of American Poets Prize is awarded annually for the best poem or group of poems, preferably on nature, submitted by an undergraduate.

Divided between Elias Baez ’15 and Madelin Parsley ’15.

The Armstrong Prize, established in part by Collin Armstrong of the Class of l877 in memory of his mother, Miriam Collin Armstrong, is awarded to members of the freshman class who excel in composition.

Divided between Sophie Jane Murguia ’17 and Van Hong Pham ’17.

The Collin Armstrong Poetry Prize, established in part by Mrs. Elizabeth H. Armstrong, is awarded to the undergraduate author of the best original poem or group of poems.

Divided between Alexis Teyie ’16 and Danielle Renae Trevino ’14.

The Elizabeth Bruss Prize is presented to that senior English major who in the judgment of the English Department best represents those qualities of breadth and imagination exemplified by Elizabeth Bruss.

Kimberly Bain ’14.

The Corbin Prize, established by the estate of William Lee Corbin of the Class of 1896, is awarded for an outstanding original composition in the form of poetry or an informal essay.

Danielle Renae Trevino ’14.

The G. Armour Craig Award for Prose Composition is awarded to that junior or senior who writes the best autobiographical essay on an experience of intellectual discovery.

Divided between Victoria Sayo Turner ’14 and Melih Levi ’15.

The Peter Burnett Howe Prize for excellence in prose fiction was established by a gift from Robert B. Howe ’30 in memory of his son Peter Burnett Howe ’60.

Divided between John (Peter Marion) Jody ’14 and Victoria Sayo Turner ’14.

The Rolfe Humphries Poetry Prize is presented to that senior who has achieved the greatest sense of poetic form in his or her undergraduate writing. The award is made on the basis of three submissions to the English Department in the applicant’s senior year and may include writing produced during the undergraduate years.

Divided between Diana Beatrice Babineau ’14 and Stella Honey Yoon ’15E.

The Harry Richmond Hunter Jr. Prize, established in memory of Harry Richmond Hunter Jr. ’29, by his parents, is awarded to that member of the sophomore class who presents the best essay on a topic approved by the English Department.

Celine Lim ’16.

The James Charlton Knox Prize was established by the friends of Jim Knox ’70, to honor his memory and recognize his abiding interest in English literature. It is given to the outstanding English student who demonstrates the greatest integration of scholarship, interest and creativity in the study of English.

Ryan McRae Arnold ’16.

The MacArthur-Leithauser Travel Award, from the income of a gift by the MacArthur Foundation to the College in 1985 at the request of Brad Leithauser, MacArthur Fellow and Visiting Writer at the College for 1984-85, is given annually by the English Department to a sophomore or junior of creative promise who might most benefit from exposure to a foreign landscape, for the purpose of enabling the student to travel outside the continental United States.

Divided between Elias Baez ’15 and Maria Elena Josefina Marione ’16.

The Ralph Waldo Rice Prize, established by Mrs. Mary Rice Jenkins in memory of her brother of the Class of 1910, is awarded for the best essay on “The Liberal College and Christian Citizenship” or any subject named by the faculty. The prize is awarded for the best portfolio submitted toward senior honors.

Divided between Elizabeth Murice Alexander ’14 and John (Peter Marion) Jody ’14.

The Laura Ayres Snyder Poetry Prize, endowed by a gift from Jeffrey F. Snyder ’60, in honor of his daughter, Laura Ayres Snyder ’89, is awarded to a member of the junior class and is intended to subsidize a student-poet during the summer between his or her junior and senior years. The judges of the prize are one faculty member each from the Departments of English, Philosophy, and Physics in even numbered years and English, History, and Biology in odd numbered years.

Joely Gabriel Desimone ’15.

The Stephen E. Whicher Prize, established in memory of Stephen E. Whicher ’36 for the best essay by a senior in the interpretation of American literature in the Department of English or American Studies.

Daniel Mayer Adler ’14.

FILM AND MEDIA STUDIES

The Film and Media Studies Award is awarded to an honors student in the Film and Media Studies Program for outstanding poetics in filmmaking.

Alexandra K. Morgan-Welch ’14.

FRENCH

The Jeffrey J. Carre Award, established in 1983 by his family, friends, professional colleagues and students, is presented to a sophomore or junior who has demonstrated excellence in the French language. The prize is to be used toward travel in France during the summer following the award.

Divided between Daria Chernysheva ’16 and Corri Elizabeth Johnson ’16.

The Frederick King Turgeon Prize in French Literature was established by former students of Professor Turgeon upon the occasion of his retirement. It is used for the award of a book to the student who has done particularly distinguished work in French during the year.

Megan Leigh Rothe ’14.

GEOLOGY

The Walter F. Pond Prize, established in honor of Walter Pond ’07, is awarded to the senior who has submitted the best honors thesis in geology.

Benjamin David Boatwright ’14.

The David F. Quinn Memorial Award is awarded in memory of David Quinn ’80 to an outstanding senior who, during his or her undergraduate career, has made a positive contribution to geology at Amherst through character, leadership, enthusiasm, and participation in departmental activities.

Mollie Jean McDowell ’14.

The Belt-Brophy Prize is awarded to that student at the end of the junior year who, in the judgment of the staff of the Department of Geology, has shown the greatest promise for success as a geologist. The prize consists of a Brunton compass with field case, the most versatile field tool of the geologist.

Divided between Matthew Scott GoodSmith ’15 and Eric James Smyth ’15.

GERMAN

The Consulate General Prize for Academic Achievement in German Literature, made available by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Boston, is awarded to that student who, in the judgment of the Department of German, has written the best paper as part of a German course.

Divided between Mark Austin Boyer ’16 and Julia Katrina Vrtilek ’15.

The Consulate General Prize for German Studies is made available by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Boston. It is awarded to that junior or senior who, in the judgment of the Department of German, has made a superior contribution to any aspect of German studies.

Luca Raphael Antonucci ’14.

GREEK

The William C. Collar Prize, established by William C. Collar of the Class of 1859, is awarded to the member of the freshman class who has made on a written examination the best version in English of a previously unseen page from some Greek author.

Cassandra Hradil ’17.

The Hutchins Prize, established by Waldo Hutchins of the Class of l842, is awarded to a senior for excellence in Greek.

Divided between Sarah Elizabeth Ashman ’14 and Andrew James Kaake ’14.

HISTORY

The Asa J. Davis Prize is awarded to a student who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in the study of the History of Africa and the Black Diaspora and whose work best reflects the comprehensive interest of Asa Davis in historical and cultural contacts between Africa, the Old World and the Americas.

Tiffany A. Arnold ’14.

The Alfred F. Havighurst Prize, intended for the purchase of books, is awarded to that major in the Department of History who has in four years at Amherst best fulfilled the standards of excellence and humane scholarship exemplified by Professor Havighurst during his teaching career at Amherst College.

Divided between Hannah Micaela Greenwald ‘14 and Yi (Louis) Lu ’14.

JOURNALISM

The Samuel Bowles Prize, established by Samuel Bowles King ’02, to stimulate interest in journalism as a career, is awarded to a student who has demonstrated proficiency in journalism.

Divided between Brendan Clark Hsu ’15 and Winthrop Emmet Knowlton ’15.

LATIN

The Bertram Prizes, established by John Bertram of Salem, are two prizes awarded to students who, together with attaining a high average in the Latin courses of the senior year, present the best essays connected with these courses.

First and second combined and divided between Noelle Jing-Wan Niu ’14 and Sasha A. Smith ’14.

The Billings Prizes were established by Frederick Billings in memory of Parmly Billings of the Class of l884. Two prizes are awarded for general excellence in the Latin courses of the sophomore year, together with the best essays on special topics connected with the authors read in that year.

First and second combined and divided between Sarah Elizabeth Carter ’16 and Alexander Corey Vega ’16.

The Crowell Prizes were established in memory of Edward Payson Crowell of the Class of l853. Two prizes are awarded—one for the highest scholarship in freshman Latin courses and the other to the students who, together with attaining a high average in the Latin courses of the junior year, present the best essays on some approved topic connected with the junior Latin course.

First-year First: Paul Edward Huston McClean ’17.

First-year Second: Alexandra Noel Grisanti ’17.

Junior first and second combined and divided between Heinrich-Karl vonMoltke Greenblatt ’15 and Sophia Rachel Padelford ’15.

The Dr. Ernest D. Daniels Latin Prize, established in honor of Dr. Daniels of the Class of l890, is awarded to the graduating senior who has submitted the best honors thesis on a Latin subject.

Sarah Elizabeth Ashman ’14.

LAW, JURISPRUDENCE AND SOCIAL THOUGHT

The Robert Cover Prize honors the memory of Robert Cover, a distinguished legal scholar whose work inspired the humanistic conception of law in the liberal arts embodied in Amherst’s Department of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought. It is given annually to a graduating senior for distinguished achievement in that major.

Divided between Maia Margo Cole ’14 and Nica Matisse Siegel ’14.

LIBRARY

The Frederick S. Lane ’36 for Student Book Collections are awarded to the entrants in the Student Book Collection Competition who demonstrate strong interests in book collecting and who present good, beginning collections.

Not awarded 2013-14.

The Frederick S. Lane ’36 Prize for Excellence in Book Collecting is awarded by the Friends of Amherst College Library to the entrant in the Student Book Collecting Competition who demonstrates considerable experience, knowledge, and ability in the field of book collecting.

Not awarded 2013-14.

MATHEMATICS

The Robert H. Breusch Prize is awarded to the senior who, in the opinion of the faculty in mathematics, has presented the best honors thesis in mathematics.

Yang (Sunny) Xiao ’14.

The Walker Prizes were established by William J. Walker of Newport, Rhode Island. Two prizes are awarded for proficiency in mathematics of the first year and two prizes for proficiency in mathematics of the second year. In each case the award is determined by an examination.

Sophomore First: Ilya Kiselev ’16.

Sophomore Second: Asa Goodwillie ’16.

First-year First: Fanhao Yang ’17.

First-year Second: Yen Nhi Truong Vu ’17.

MEAD ART MUSEUM

The Wise Award for Collection Research is presented annually to a student in any academic department whose senior theses, in the judgment of the Mead Art Museum’s curators and director, most effectively analyzes, interprets or responds to an object in the museum’s collection.

Sylvia Ngo ’14.

The Wise Award for Studio Art is presented annually in the spring to a student in the College for distinction in the completion of an original work or works of art and the purchase thereof. The prize-winning work of art will become the property of the Trustees of Amherst College.

Sylvia Jijung Li ’14.

MUSIC

The Sylvia and Irving Lerner Piano Prize is awarded to that student who has demonstrated the greatest skill and musicianship as a pianist.

Divided between Benjamin David Boatwright ’14 and William N. Savino ’14.

The Mishkin Prize, established by the Friends of Music, is awarded in memory of Professor Henry G. Mishkin to that senior selected by the Department of Music who produces the best thesis on a critical or musical topic.

Not awarded 2013-14.

The Lincoln Lowell Russell Prize, established by J. W. Russell Jr. of the Class of 1899 in memory of his son, is awarded to the seniors who have done most to foster the singing spirit at Amherst.

Angelina Frances Gomez ’14.

The Eric Edward Sundquist Prize, established in memory of Mr. Sundquist of the Class of 1936, is awarded to that senior who has demonstrated excellence in musical composition and performance.

Divided between Abigail Mansfield Beaton Gray ’14 and John (Peter Marion) Jody ’14.

NEUROSCIENCE

The James Olds Memorial Neuroscience Award, established by the Swerdlow Family Foundation in recognition of the contributions made to the neurosciences by Dr. Olds of the Class of 1947, is presented to the student whose research in the neurosciences is judged, by the faculty of the Neuroscience Program, to be of highest quality.

Divided between Razina Aziz-Bose ’14 and Charles Pierson Reighard ’14.

PHILOSOPHY

The Gail Kennedy Memorial Prize is awarded to a senior major in Philosophy in recognition of a distinguished honors essay.

Divided among Jane Elizabeth Kessner ’14, Sylvie Jude Ramirez ’14, and Carlyn Leigh Robertson ’14.

PHYSICS

The Bassett Physics Prizes were established by Preston Rogers Bassett ’13. Two prizes may be awarded each year to those students who have distinguished themselves by the excellence and maturity of their performance in the class and laboratory work of the first course in Physics.

Divided between Camille Marie Herzog ’17, Tiffany Alyssa Kha ’17, and Alexander James Ordoobadi ’15.

The William Warren Stifler Prize, established by Professor Stifler, is awarded to a senior who has majored in physics and especially excelled in the course on electricity and magnetism.

Divided between Shah Saad Alam ’14 and Phyo Aung Kyaw ’14.

POLITICAL SCIENCE

The Densmore Berry Collins Prize in Political Science is given annually in memory of Mr. Collins, of the Class of 1940, for the best honors thesis in political science.

Divided between Madeline Chan ’14 and Aaron Spencer Mathias ’14.

PSYCHOLOGY

The Haskell R. Coplin Memorial Award, established in memory of Mr. Coplin, Professor of Psychology, recognizes that member of the graduating class who, in the opinion of the Psychology Department, displays the scholarly and humane qualities that best exemplify Professor Coplin. The prize is to a senior who has shown distinguished work in psychology classes and in an honors thesis, and who has contributed to the life of the department.

Rebecca Jill Zakarian ’14.

PUBLIC SPEAKING

The Bancroft Prizes, established by Frederic Bancroft of the Class of l882, are awarded to the two seniors who produce the best orations. Both composition and delivery are considered.

Divided between Jane Elizabeth Kessner ’14 and Laurence Vivek Pevsner ’14.

The Gilbert Prize, established by William O. Gilbert of the Class of l890, is awarded to a member of the junior class who produces the best oration. Both composition and delivery are considered in making the award.

Louis Walter Hunt ’15.

The Hardy Prizes, established by Alpheus Hardy of Boston, are awarded for excellence in extemporaneous speaking.

Divided between: Joshua Micah Ferrer ’17 and Jane Elizabeth Kessner ’14.

The Kellogg Prizes, established by Rufus B. Kellogg of the Class of l858, consist of two prizes that are awarded to members of the sophomore or freshman classes for excellence in declamation.

Steven Johnston Goldberg ’16.

The Rogers Prize was given by Noah C. Rogers of the Class of l880 and is awarded for excellence in debate.

Divided between Christopher Leighton Friend ’14 and Jane Elizabeth Kessner ’14.

RELIGION

The Moseley Prizes, established by Thomas Moseley of Hyde Park, are awarded to seniors for the best essays on a subject approved by the Department of Religion.

First: Divided between Colby Daniel Jantzen ’14 and Liya Naomi Person Rechtman ’14.

Second: Divided between Bridget Ferrell Bennett ’14 and Noel Lee McCann ’14

RUSSIAN

The Carol Prize in Russian, given by David James Carol ’77 in honor of his parents, Joseph and Roberta, is awarded to the student who has demonstrated the greatest dedication and commitment to Russian.

William Clay Viguerie ’14

The Mikhail Schweitzer Memorial Book Award, established by students, parents and friends in fond memory of Mikhail Schweitzer, survivor of the Soviet Gulag, author, and custodian at Amherst College, for the award of books to the student who, in the judgment of the Russian Department, most shares Misha Schweitzer’s love of Russian literature and culture.

Shawna Marie Grajek ’14.

SPANISH

The Pedro Grases Prizes for Excellence in Spanish is given by a member of the Class of 1939 to honor a great teacher and cordial scholar. It is awarded each year to that senior who has shown the greatest progress in the ability to read Hispanic literature with insight and to write and speak Spanish with intelligence and humane sensitivity.

Nicholas Connor Schcolnik ’14.

THEATER AND DANCE

The Raymond Keith Bryant Prize, an annual gift from Robert E. and Ethel M. Bryant in memory of their son of the Class of 1936, is awarded to that student who, in the opinion of the judges, gives the best performance of the year in a Masquers’ play.

Divided between Patricia Yessenia Cardenas ’14 and Joshua Michael Wren ’14.

WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIES

The Women’s and Gender Studies Prize is awarded for excellence in scholarly or creative work in Women’s and Gender Studies.

Divided between Maia Brigitte Mares ’14 and Yun (Nancy) Tang ’14.

SCHOLARSHIP AND CITIZENSHIP

The Addison Brown Scholarship from a fund established by Addison Brown of the Class of l852, is awarded to that senior who, being already on the scholarship list, has attained the highest standing in the studies of the freshman, sophomore and junior years.

Shanghui Li ’14.

The Samuel Walley Brown Scholarship, established by Samuel Walley Brown of the Class of l866, is awarded to that member of the junior class who, in the estimation of the Trustees, ranks highest in his/her class in character, class leadership, scholarship, and athletic ability.

Divided between Kathryn M. Sundheim ’15 and Stephanie Lynn Ternullo ’15.

The Charles W. Cole Scholarship is awarded each year to the undergraduate with an established financial aid need, who, after two years at Amherst, stands highest in the academic rank of the sophomore class. The recipient will be designated “Charles W. Cole Scholar” and will carry the award for the junior and senior years at Amherst.

Darius Roland Onul ’15.

The Charles Hamilton Houston Fellowship is an annual gift awarded to a graduating senior who best personifies a commitment to realizing his or her humane ideals, much in the way Charles Houston ’15 devoted his life to the struggle for equal protection under the law for African-Americans in the United States.

Divided between Carlos Adolfo Gonzalez ’14 and Adrianna Marie Turner ’14.

The Howard Hill Mossman Trophy, awarded annually to the member of the senior class who has brought, during his/her four years at Amherst, the greatest honor in athletics to the Alma Mater—the word “honor” to be interpreted as relating both to achievement and to sportsmanship.

Aaron Patrick Toomey ’14.

The Gordon B. Perry Memorial Award is given to a freshman in good academic standing, whose participation and attitude in freshman athletics and other activities are outstanding.

Kiana Steffe Herold ’17.

The Psi Upsilon Prize was established by the Gamma Chapter of Psi Upsilon in 1941 on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Chapter. The prize is awarded to that member of the graduating class who is considered preeminent in scholarship, leadership, athletics and character.

Divided between Matthew Christian Melton ’14 and Charles Pierson Reighard ’14.

The John Sumner Runnells Memorial, established in memory of John Sumner Runnells of the Class of l865, is awarded to that member of the junior class who, in the opinion of the Trustees of the College, is preeminent in his/her zeal for knowledge and industry to attain it.

Divided between Kyra Elizabeth Ellis-Moore ’15 and Caroline Katba ’15.

The Obed Finch Slingerland Memorial Prize is awarded by the Trustees of the College to a member of the senior class, who has shown by his/her own determination and accomplishment the greatest appreciation of and desire for a college education.

Raysa Gabriela Cabrejo La Torre ’14.

The Stonewall Prize, established by David L. Kirp ’65 and other alumni, is awarded annually to that student who produces a work of exceptional intellectual or artistic merit pertaining to the gay, lesbian or bisexual experience.

Yasmina Muthoki Martin ’14.

The Woods-Travis Prize, an annual gift in memory of Josiah B. Woods of Enfield and Charles B. Travis of the Class of 1864, is awarded for outstanding excellence in culture and faithfulness to duty as a scholar.

Shanghui Li ’14.

The Thomas H. Wyman 1951 Medal, established in 2003 by his classmates, is awarded to that member of the senior class who best represents the highest standards in scholarship, athletics, and/or extracurricular activities, community service, integrity, character and humanism.

Julien Takeru Aoyama ’14.

Enrollment

Summary of Enrollment

(Fall 2013*)

UNITED STATES

New York 302

Massachusetts 219

California 215

Connecticut 116

New Jersey 104

Illinois 74

Maryland 70

Florida 60

Pennsylvania 46

Virginia 43

Texas 40

Georgia 30

Michigan 26

Washington 23

Colorado 21

North Carolina 21

Ohio 19

Arizona 17

Minnesota 17

New Hampshire 12

Missouri 11

Washington DC 11

Wisconsin 11

Iowa 9

Maine 9

Oregon 9

Indiana 7

Rhode Island 7

Vermont 7

Tennessee 6

Kentucky 5

Louisiana 5

Delaware 4

Hawaii 4

Nevada 4

South Carolina 4

Idaho 3

Mississippi 3

New Mexico 3

Alabama 2

Oklahoma 2

Utah 2

Alaska 1

Kansas 1

Montana 1

North Dakota 1

Puerto Rico 1

South Dakota 1

West Virginia 1

Wyoming 1

Total 1,611

NON-USA

China 30

South Korea 14

Singapore 12

Canada 10

Kenya 10

Nigeria 7

United Kingdom 7

Zimbabwe 7

India 5

Ethiopia 4

Jamaica 4

Vietnam 4

Brazil 3

Guatemala 3

Japan 3

South Africa 3

Costa Rica 2

Ecuador 2

El Salvador 2

France 2

Jordan 2

Mexico 2

Myanmar 2

Serbia 2

Trinidad 2

Turkey 2

Afghanistan 1

Australia 1

Bahamas 1

Bangladesh 1

Bermuda 1

Bosnia 1

Cameroon 1

Chile 1

Egypt 1

Georgia 1

Germany 1

Hong Kong 1

Iceland 1

Indonesia 1

Mongolia 1

Nepal 1

Nicaragua 1

Pakistan 1

Peru 1

Philippines 1

Romania 1

Russia 1

Switzerland 1

Tanzania 1

Thailand 1

Uganda 1

Venezuela 1

Zambia 1

Total 174

SUMMARY OF ENROLLMENT

Seniors, Class of 2014 480

Juniors, Class of 2015 367

Sophomores, Class of 2016 467

First-Year Students, Class of 2017 471

Total1,785

*Not included are the 118 students who were on leaves of absence away from Amherst as of the first semester, 2013-2014.

Index

Administrative and Professional Officers 31

Admission 52

American Studies 91

Anthropology 102

Arabic 165

Architectural Studies 117

Art and the History of Art 124

Asian Languages and Civilizations 145

Astronomy 414

Bachelor of Arts 71

Biochemistry and Biophysics 172

Biology 174

Black Studies 187

Bruss Seminar 203

Calendar, 2014-15 5

Certificate Programs

Five College Certificate in African Studies 530

Five College Certificate in
Asian/Pacific/American Studies 531

Five College Certificate in Buddhist Studies 532

Five College Certificate in Culture, Health and Science 533

Five College Certificate in Ethnomusicology 534

Five College Certificate in International Relations 535

Five College Certificate in Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies 536

Five College Certificate in Logic 536

Five College Certificate in Middle Eastern Studies 537

Five College Certificate in Native American Indian Studies 538

Five College Certificate in Queer and Sexuality Studies 539

Five College Certificate in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies 539

Five College Certificate in Sustainability Studies 540

Chemistry 203

Chinese 167

Classics 210

Colloquia 214

Computer Science 220

Cooperative Doctor of Philosophy 77

Corporation of the College 7

Course descriptions

American Studies 91

Anthropology 102

Arabic 165

Architectural Studies 117

Art and the History of Art
124

Asian Languages and Civilizations 145

Astronomy 414

Biochemistry and Biophysics
172

Biology 174

Black Studies 187

Bruss Seminar 203

Chemistry 203

Chinese 167

Classics 210

Colloquia 214

Computer Science 220

Creative Writing 225

Economics 226

English 235

Environmental Studies 260

European Studies 267

Film and Media Studies 288

First-Year Seminars 82

Five College Courses 501

Five College Dance 490

French 301

Geology 309

German 313

Greek 212

History 321

Japanese 168

Kenan Colloquium 348

Latin 213

Latin American Studies 348

Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought 349

Linguistics 364

Mathematics 364

Mellon Seminar 374

Music 375

Neuroscience 392

Philosophy 395

Physical Education 408

Physics 408

Political Science 416

Premedical Studies 439

Psychology 439

Religion 448

Russian 459

Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies 465

Sociology 112

Spanish 478

Statistics 371

Teaching 489

Theater and Dance 490

Creative Writing 225

Dance 490

Degree Requirements 71

Bachelor of Arts 71

Degree with Honors 74

Departmental Majors 73

Interdisciplinary Majors 74

Liberal Studies Curriculum
73

Major Requirement 73

Doshisha University 47

Economics 226

Educational leaves 45

Emeriti 9

Engineering Exchange Program
77

English 235

Enrollment 577

Environmental Studies 260

European Studies 267

Faculty 13

Fellows 558

Fellowships 554

Film and Media Studies 288

Financial Aid 56

First-Year Seminars 82

Five College Cooperation 43

Five College Courses 76, 501

Five College Dance 501

Folger Shakespeare Library 48

French 301

Geology 309

German 313

Graduate Fellows 40

Greek 212

Harassment 64

History 321

Honors

Degree with 74

Phi Beta Kappa 552

Sigma Xi 552

Intellectual Responsibility 62

Interdisciplinary Programs 74

Interterm 62

Japanese 168

Kenan Colloquium 348

Language Assistants 29

Latin 213

Latin American Studies 348

Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought 349

Lectureships 549

Liberal Studies Curriculum 73

Linguistics 264

Major Requirements 73

Mathematics 364

Mellon Seminar 374

Mission of Amherst College 4

Music 375

Neuroscience 392

Pass/Fail Option 67

Phi Beta Kappa 552

Philosophy 395

Physical Education 408

Physics 408

Political Science 416

Premedical Studies 439

Prizes and Awards 565

Professorships and Readerships 544

Psychology 439

Refund policy 56

Regulations, general 62

Religion 448

Religious Advisors 40

Reserve Officers Training Corps
44

Russian 459

Sexual harassment 64

Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies 465

Sigma Xi 552

Sociology 112

Spanish 478

Statistics 371

Study abroad 46

Teaching 489

Theater and Dance 490

Transfer policy 69

Trustees 7

Tuition and fees 54

Twelve College Exchange 46

Veterans 45

Withdrawals 67

AMHERST COLLEGE is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., a non-governmental, nationally recognized organization.

Accreditation of an institution by the New England Association indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied through a peer group review process. An accredited school or college is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.

Accreditation by the New England Association is not partial but applies to the institution as a whole. As such, it is not a guarantee of the quality of every course or program offered, or the competence of individual graduates. Rather, it provides reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.

Inquiries regarding the status of an institution’s accreditation by the New England Association should be directed to the administrative staff of the school or college. Individuals may also contact the Association by writing: New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., 209 Burlington Road, Bedford, MA 01730 (781) 271-0022.

Student Absence Due to Religious Beliefs: The Legislature has enacted and the Governor has signed into law Chapter 375, Acts of 1985. It adds to Chapter 151C of the General Laws the following new section:

Any student in an educational or vocational training institution, other than a religious or denominational educational or vocational training institution, who is unable, because of religious beliefs, to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study, or work requirement on a particular day shall be excused from any such examination or study or work requirement, and shall be provided with an opportunity to make up the examination, study, or work requirement missed because of such absence on any particular day; provided, however, that such makeup examination or work shall not create an unreasonable burden upon such school. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to the said student such opportunity. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to students because of availing themselves of the provisions of this section.

* See Degree Requirements.

† In exceptional cases, a student with at least six semesters of residence at Amherst and at least 24 courses, excluding summer school courses not taken as make-up work or recognized as part of a transfer record, may apply for early graduation. Students seeking to graduate before they have satisfied the normal 32-course requirement will have the quality of their achievement thoroughly evaluated. The approval of the student’s advisor, department, the Dean of Faculty, the Committee of Six, and finally the Faculty must be received to be granted the status of candidate for the degree.

‡EUST 121 may not be credited toward the satisfaction of Comprehensive Requirements in Greek, Latin or Classics.

FIVE COLLEGE CERTIFICATE IN RUSSIAN, EAST EUROPEAN, EURASIAN STUDIES