MSc Humanities Options, Spring 2016
MSc candidates will have the choice of five courses taught by foreign instructors in
the first eight weeks of the spring term. These are the courses and the timetable that
we have agreed on.
The Western Musical Tradition (Ryan Weller)
Monday & Wednesday, 10:00-11:45
British Film (Nathan Ford)
Wednesday & Friday, 10:00-11:45
Introduction to World Art (Nicholas Kingston-Smith)
Monday & Wednesday, 10:00-11:45
Philosophy East and West (Colin Spinney)
Monday & Friday, 10:00-11:45
Contemporary World Dance (Catherine Sutherland)
Wednesday & Friday, 10:00-11:45
(1)
The Western Musical Tradition
Instructor: Ryan Weller (US)
Music is everywhere in modern society: at the cinema, at social events, on little
devices we carry around with us. What is that causes music to hold our attention?
Why does it sound the way it does?
This course will survey the development of the Western musical tradition, from
ancient Greece to modern offshoots around the world. We will encounter a diverse
group of musicians, including Palestrina (1525-94 帕莱斯特里纳), Beethoven
(1770-1827 贝托芬), Cage (1912-92 約翰·凱吉), and Madonna (1958- 麦当娜).
We will consider how artists influence each other, how the effect of music changes
over time and between cultures, and how it reflects the lives of artists and audiences
-- their passions, their beliefs and their circumstances.
As students listen to recordings and sometimes watch them, and read short
assignments, they will gain an understanding of what music is and of what has driven
the evolution of music and musical taste over the centuries.
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The objective of this course is to open up the world of music for students and to give
them a critical understanding of how music reflects the history, ideas and daily lives
of the people who make it and listen to it. Students will encounter a variety of
composers and performers, enabling them to begin building a more sophisticated
view of musical creativity and today’s music industry.
Students in this course can expect to do about two hours of listening per week, some
of it during lectures. A few short articles will also be assigned for reading. Grades will
be based on regular attendance, class participation and an exam at the end of the
course.
(2) British Film
Instructor: Nathan Ford (UK)
“Bond… James Bond.”
This famous line from a film brings to mind an unmistakeably British character, a
legend of British cinema. Many famous actors have come from Britain, including
Benedict Cumberbatch (本尼迪克特·康伯巴奇), Michael Caine (迈克尔·凯恩) and
Colin Firth (科林·费尔斯); and directors such as Alfred Hitchcock(阿尔弗雷德·希
区柯克), Ridley Scott (雷德利·斯科特)and Christopher Nolan (克里斯托弗·诺兰).
Popular movies, like the Harry Potter films, have been produced in British film
studios since the beginning of the country’s film industry.
Studying British films gives insight into British culture and mindsets. It can also
provide a refreshing contrast to the Hollywood cinema students may be more
familiar with. British cinema can be grittier and more controversial (be warned!)
than the products of Hollywood, exploring themes in a more realistic and honest
way. Budgets for British films are generally smaller, leading to a greater focus on
story over effects.
In any society, humour is a part of the local culture. Many observers regard British
humour as highly distinctive, and it stands out in British cinema. American film
comedy translates well in Britain, but British humour often doesn’t make sense to
viewers in other societies.
For this course we will watch sections of films and discuss articles that are relevant
to the movies themselves or the themes they address. Homework will involve
watching whole films and doing occasional reading. It is very important to do this
homework conscientiously, as we will not have time to watch entire movies in class.
Through the work we do, students will come to enjoy British cinema more fully and
gain a deeper understanding of British society. They will recognise typically
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“British” themes – the most culturally significant ones -- and become more sensitive
to the differences between British films and those from other countries. They will
also develop skill in using film as a tool for examining other world cultures.
The final grade will be based on class attendance, participation and a final essay.
(3) An Introduction to World Art
Instructor: Nicholas Kingston-Smith (UK)
What is art for? Why does it matter to us? This course will evaluate art as an
essential human activity through which we communicate ideas, express emotions
and search for arrangements of shapes and colours that we find pleasing. Our broad
survey of the visual arts will take us through history and around the world, from
Stone Age European cave paintings to great modern works, via prehistoric South
American pottery and textiles, wood carvings from Africa and Papua New Guinea,
and many other things besides. We will often work from the perspective of social
anthropology, examining how art functions in its social context. Insights from other
disciplines will help us to consider how art appeals to our senses and how we form
judgements about what is and should be considered “beautiful”.
Students may experience the ‘art world’ as something separate from their own lives.
Should we just leave art to the artists, art critics and other professionals who are
paid to create it, interpret its meaning and decide its value? Or is that not wise?
After all, every society in human history has produced objects that serve more than
just a practical function. Perhaps the need to produce art of some kind – and to
appreciate it on some level – is common to all humans, and by pushing it to the edge
of our experience we are missing out on something important.
In this course students will encounter a wealth of fascinating things and unfamiliar
topics. They can expect to finish the course with fresh ways of looking at art and the
world around them. Every lesson will be an ‘interactive lecture’ in which students
use visual sources as reference points to absorb and actively engage with material
presented by the teacher. Homework will be an important means of lesson
preparation and review, while short mid- and end-of-course assessment papers will
reward both enthusiastic learning and critical thinking.
(4) Philosophy East & West
Instructor: Colin Spinney (Canada)
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Who are philosophers, what do they talk about, and why? This course will look at
philosophers or schools of thought from both the East and the West in order to think
about and discuss this basic question. Many philosophers stress the “seeking” side
of learning rather than the “finding” side. In keeping with this, students will not
be expected to find “right answers”. Instead they will simply be invited to consider
what philosophers think, talk and write about.
As we will see, for some philosophers, knowledge is more of an attitude than it is
about memorizing facts. For example, in the Analects (论语) Confucius is reported
to have said “To know when you know something, and to know when you do not
know, that is knowledge” (知之為知之，不知為不知，是知也). Likewise, in the
Apology (申辩), Plato (柏拉图) depicts Socrates as wiser than the other Athenians
only because, as the old man states: “The things I do not know I also do not think I
know”.
Students will be asked to offer their own understanding of whatever philosophy,
Eastern or Western, they have been exposed to in the past. They will then be invited
to take a closer look at certain thinkers or schools in order to gain a deeper
understanding of them – and to improve their own ability to think about ideas and
discuss them.
Students will be evaluated based on how willing they are to participate in class
discussions, as well as on 3 or 4 short written responses done in class. Students can
also expect to receive regular (but relatively short) reading assignments in order to
prepare for class discussions. If time allows, our reading and discussion topics may
include the following: the similarities between Confucius and Socrates, Plato’s
theory of Forms, Nietzsche’s (尼采) idea of the Eternal Return (永恒轮回), the Heart
Sutra (心經), and the influence of Daoism on Martin Heidegger (海德格尔).
(5) Contemporary World Dance
Instructor: Catherine Sutherland (UK)
This course will invite students to think about the meaning of dance in many
different cultures worldwide. Students will learn about the development of dance
disciplines that are important in the world today, from folk dance and ritual dance
to contemporary dance, from flamenco to ballet. The course will examine case
studies of successful individuals, famous companies and notable works.
Questions considered in the course include: What is the role of dance/the dancer in
contemporary society? How has the social role of dance/the dancer changed? How
have disciplines formed and developed? How do dance companies differ? How does
dance training impact a dancer’s body? Does this vary according to the chosen
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discipline?
Students will watch video clips from selected dance productions and films. Reading
homework (reviews of performances, articles and academic papers discussing the
discipline) will be a maximum of 15 pages per week. Students will also be required
to watch films outside class.
The class will be taught as one lecture and one discussion group each week. The
lecture will introduce the topic for discussion. Students should be ready to take part
in classroom exercises and discussions, based upon the resources they have been
asked to watch or read.
Students can expect to leave with a deeper understanding of dance both as a
creative/expressive discipline and as an important element of contemporary culture.
They will be introduced to exciting works, individuals and companies that have
transformed dance since 1900. For example: Nijinsky’s (尼金斯基) Firebird; the
ballets of George Balanchine (巴兰奇) and John Neumeier; the dance-theatre works
of Pina Bausch; Ong Keng Sen’s (王景生) Theatreworks.
Students enrolled will be expected to attend at least one live dance performance
during the semester and write a short review of what they have seen (800 words).
Students will have the option of writing a short essay (5 pages) or taking a final
exam. Class participation will also count towards the final grade.