Gateway Descriptions 14/15
01 – Particular Playgrounds: Memory and Children Narratives
Starvation, suicide, poverty, political repression, abandonment, violence, sexual assault, dark
magic war, totalitarian governments, genocide, death, prejudice and corruption seem unlikely
themes for children’s literature, yet these are the most common topics in popular books for
readers aged twelve to eighteen years old. Books such as The Hunger Games, The Giver, The
Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Yummy: The Last Days of A Southside Shorty,
Divergent and many others expose young readers to topics that seem at times too mature for
children to handle. But is this true? Who decides? Parents, teachers, authors, children?
In this course we will explore the darker side of contemporary narratives aimed at young readers;
read a few of these best-seller and award-winning books and analyze their short and long term
cultural implications. In particular we will consider how these books follow or redefine the
purpose and function of children’s literature and how they speak about our past, present and
future. Would your favorite books withstand college-level literary criticism? Are you finally old
enough to examine what exactly do you like to read and why? If you are, this course is for
you…
02 – Utopianism and Its Critics
Utopian thinkers like Thomas More and Charlotte Perkins Gilman imagine the good life and
build a world to foster it. For utopians, the best of all possible worlds sets the limits for the
right—what the state will designate legal and illegal. Liberal thinkers like Thomas Hobbes and
John Rawls take the opposite approach. They imagine the worst of all possible worlds and build
a state to control it. In this class we discuss, debate and judge the merits of political,
philosophical and literary works written by utopians and their liberal critics.
03 – 19th Century Gothic Fiction
Gothic fiction, with its dark, grotesque, and horrific components, has shocked and disquieted, but
also fascinated readers for 250 years. This course examines the beginnings of modern Gothic
fiction. Readings include works by, among others, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan
Poe, Jeremias Gotthelf, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Bram Stoker.
04 – Legal Decision Making
"The life of the law has not been logic: it has been experience." Though Oliver Wendell Holmes
recognized the incompatibility between logic and law over 100 years ago in The Common Law,
most Americans still react derisively when law or litigation leads to seemingly illogical and
unjust results. At the same time, Americans are uniquely enamored with the jury system.
Ironically, a substantial source of the perceived lack of logic may be a direct result of the nearly
unrestrained confidence Americans place in juries. This colloquium uses as its source of
reading, writing and critical thinking demonstrations of the tension between the judicial system's
objective of procedural fairness, primarily through the use of citizen juries, and the desire that
trials reach substantive conclusions fair to the parties and the community. Specific topics may
include the jury selection process, the influence of politics and money on judicial selection, the
use of expert witnesses, the legal conflict between religious convictions and medical science,
product liability and class action lawsuits, and the testimonial use of hypnotically refreshed or
recovered memory.
05 – (Mis)Representing Reality
Long before the advent of reality television, authors, artists, advertisers, and others have been
manipulating the “real.” This course will explore questions about representations of reality,
including the artist's obligation to truth, the relationship between truth and accuracy, and the gray
area of perception. Specifically, we will look at photographs and documentaries to examine the
way framing and focus can create meaning. We will consider both the facts and public
perception of a variety of sources, which may include news stories, reality television, fine print,
and urban legends. We will question what is presented as reality as a way of sorting through and
analyzing the images and experiences that are a part of our increasingly altered world.
06 – Happiness
What is happiness? Is happiness the same thing as pleasure, or must there be other, perhaps more
serious, elements within it? How do we attain happiness? Is it even possible--or desirable--to be
happy for more than brief moments in time? This course will develop your writing and critical
thinking skills by having you consider and write about different conceptions of happiness, both
fictional and non-fictional, and encourage you to decide for yourself what will make your own
life most fulfilling.
07 – Sitcoms & Society
The half-hour situation comedy has been a part of television since the early days, with "The
Honeymooners" and "I Love Lucy" paving the way for later lightweight fare which both
reflected the current tastes and mores of the American viewing public, and also rebutted or
rebuked them.
This Gateway will use television sitcoms as primary texts for a course in which students will
learn and apply the basics of film criticism, while also exploring the relationship between
television sitcoms and society and drawing conclusions from its evolution. Viewings will span
those early shows through the more recent past. Readings will include critical articles on humor
and situation comedies in American culture, while writing assignments for the course will
incorporate different audiences and genres, including a review for the general public, a semiautobiographical essay which incorporates television in some way, and a critical paper which
depends upon research and secondary sources.
08 – Gender and Authority
In this course, we will be reading, thinking, speaking, and writing about questions of gender.
What does it mean to write as a gendered person? How do others perceive our genders? What
social messages do get circulated about gender? Where did those messages originate? How are
they sustained? Can we imagine a post-gendered society? Through analyzing representations of
genders in texts, visual images, and pop as well as high culture, this course explores how gender
is composed and how it connects with power.
09 – Rethinking Cultural Stereotypes: Understanding Self and Others
Exploration of our understanding of other cultures by examining cultural stereotypes, how we
and society view people from different cultures and how they view us. We will examine our
multicultural selves to understand others, rethink our preconceived stereotypes, promote cultural
understanding, and engage in critical thinking, reading, writing, research, and discourse.
10 – Social Innovation: Assumptions, Unintended Consequences, and Pathways Forward
Do you have plans to change the world and make a positive difference in the lives of others?
Through this Gateway course, we will explore the messiness of innovation and more specifically,
social innovation. This includes taking a look at underlying assumptions that fuel the desire for
social change, the unintended consequences of well-meaning social change agents, and the
opportunities that exist to bring about mindful social innovation. Through studying innovation
and social change efforts in a variety of settings, you will write your way to a deeper
understanding of the complexities of societal and cultural issues that both foster and hinder
change. We will explore questions such as: Why are some innovations or inventions that address
fundamental needs never adopted? Why aren't well-meaning individuals who have life-saving
ideas able to convince others to adopt their ideas? How can one small, virtually unfunded change
effort turn into a large-scale change when another well-funded, large-scale change effort fails
miserably? You will have the opportunity to research a change effort that you are passionate
about, explore the benefits and drawbacks of this change effort, identify opportunities for leading
a small-scale change effort in your own context, and gain a deeper awareness of the difficulties
of social change. The course has been created to inspire you as you embark on your new
educational journey.
11 – Ethical Dilemma of the Pharmaceutical Industry
Throughout history, our society has made significant strides towards the treatment and
elimination of numerous diseases. This has largely been accomplished through the hard work and
dedication of thousands of scientists working in the pharmaceutical industry. However, this
work has also generated numerous ethical questions that must be addressed. Should the
government fund stem cell research? Should price restrictions be implemented to make high
tech medications more accessible to the poor? Are clinical trials being conducted in the
most ethical and effective manner? In this course, we will be addressing these questions and
many others through critical reading and class discussion.
12 – Sex, Disease, and Medicine in Medieval/Renaissance Europe
We will use primary sources and the works of modern historians to examine European
understandings of sexuality, disease and medicine from approximately 1200 to 1600. Topics of
emphasis will include The Black Death (bubonic plague), sexually transmitted diseases, the rise
of university-based medical education, and perceptions of homosexuality. Where connections
exist, we will relate these historical topics to issues of contemporary social concern. Student
writing and discussion will facilitate synthesis of information from multiple sources, formulation
of arguments, reaction to controversial texts, and exploration of unanswered questions.
13 – Popular Culture and Social Change, 1945-1965
The twenty years after World War II was a time of great tension and concern about both gender
and family relationships as well as class and racial politics. It was also a period of
unprecedented economic growth and expansion of the middle class. This course will explore the
ways in which popular culture from 1945 to 1965 represented and mediated these conflicts and
tensions. We will examine the role of television in the new suburban family, the Hollywood
films that millions left their televisions to see, and the politics and appeal of the new rock and
roll music. We will also consider how that period is remembered in 21st-century popular culture
texts such as the television series Mad Men and the 2002 film Far from Heaven.
14 – Dead or Alive
We think about life and death often, but seldom do we do so carefully. We will try to remedy
that this semester as we address the following questions: What distinguishes a being that is living
from one that is not? Is the difference between dead and alive fuzzy and gradual—a matter of
degree—or is it a sharp, "all-or-nothing" boundary? How should the fact that we will one day die
affect the way that we should live our own lives, and the way that we should value our lives and
the lives of others? In what sense, if any, could a person reasonably hope to survive his or her
own death? What are our obligations to those persons who are not alive—to those who are not
yet living, or to those who have already lived and died?
15 – Visual Literacy
Images are central to our life, but do we know how to critically read them? This colloquium
explores the cognitive, affective, and perceptual modes of visual literacy. Students will gain
skills in ascertaining how the visual serves aesthetic and ideological purposes, through writing
about images and discussion on visual culture.
16 – Banned & Burned: Censorship & Silencing
Censorship of all forms of expression has occurred across history. Each generation is faced with
questions about which ideas, information, images, or language is too objectionable to be
permitted. What are the motivations for censorship? What are the consequences on the society
when the silencing of expression occurs?
In this class, we will explore both the large movements of censorship in different cultures and
times, as well as the subtle acts of silencing that occur. The course will take a wide-ranging view
of the ways in which the printed word, music, art, theatre, film, and media are affected by
censorship. The class provides the opportunity to analyze and evaluate competing experiences
and ideas. Students will engage in and develop the ability to think critically about information
sources, and as a result, formulate both oral and written arguments about censorship and
silencing issues across time, society, and cultures.
17 – Mightier than the Sword
Human history has been shaped by the power of the written and spoken word. What lessons can
be learned from the art of verbal persuasion? In this class, we will examine selected great
speeches and essays in an attempt to understand better how these works have affected the course
of history. We will discuss why changing institutional cultures and behaviors can be so
challenging, and we will seek to identify strategies that have been successful in effecting
profound change, good and bad, through artful argumentation.
18 – News you see… News you don’t
News you see… News you don’t aims at developing the skills above in a context that is
particularly important for the building of citizenship and personal responsibility, and one in
which the element of critical thinking is vital: the daily news. In a world of increasingly fast and
frequent communications, students seem as disconnected from domestic and international news
as ever. News you see… News you don’t seeks to establish in students a significant degree of
engagement with news from a number of mainstream and alternative TV broadcasts. They will
follow the news in various sources and compare coverage in them. They will also discuss a few
supplementary readings and related documentaries in order to gain better understanding of the
kinds of biases and interests that shape the news in covert ways. Finally, they will select a topic
of their interest from the news, conduct academic research on it and write a paper analyzing
coverage of the topic in the media they followed during the semester.
19 - Get a Life: Life Narrative in Practice and Theory
This Gateway Symposium will explore the field of life narrative, an interdisciplinary field which
has burgeoned in the last two decades. Life narrative studies includes autobiography, memoir,
diaries, blogs, letters, web pages, graphic novels, and other genres. We’ll read a young woman’s
blog from Iraq, the testimonio of a Guatemalan reformer, the biography behind the movie The
King’s Speech, essays from a brilliant writer with MS, and a graphic memoir from the Holocaust,
plus other readings. You’ll be asked to write five papers and keep a journal.
20 & 21 – Did You Freely Choose This Class?
Are your choices determined before you make them, maybe by some combination of your genes
and your social environment or maybe by neural activity you can’t consciously control? If your
choices are pre-determined, does that mean you aren’t responsible for what you do? Does it
mean your future choices have, in a sense, already been made? Does it mean they aren’t really
yours? Or aren’t really choices? The problem of free will is one of the most vexing, enduring,
and fascinating puzzles about the human condition. We will study a variety of experiments from
neuroscience and social psychology that supposedly pose serious challenges to the claim that we
have free will. We will critically examine various interpretations of these experiments, and we
will ask: What exactly do these experiments show about the precursors to our choices? Do they
show that we don’t have free will, or have their results been misinterpreted?
22 – American Inequality
Capitalism produces a lot of wealth, and a lot of poverty. Depending on how it’s practiced, it also
tends to produce high concentrations of wealth held in relatively few hands. In the U.S., this
means that just over one-third of net wealth is held by the top 1% of the population, and that the
top 20% of the population owns 89% of all net wealth. Curiously, most Americans have, for a
very long time, tolerated (or ignored, or even embraced) high levels of economic and social
inequality, often attributing these differences either to a lack of personal effort or to market
failure, depending on one’s point of view. To the great extent conservatives and liberals disagree
on these explanations, the two sides talk past each other. In this Gateway colloquium we will
explore these debates, both historically and in contemporary times. Why Americans tolerate so
much inequality offers a window on our nation’s soul, and potentially on yours.
23 – Artistic Nuts and Bolts: A Practical Guide to Finding Order and Meaning in Works of
Art
Do you wish you could understand novels, plays, movies and music on a deeper level? This
course will teach you to identify techniques and patterns that are common to all works of art. By
taking these compositions apart and analyzing their construction, we will attempt to build an
understanding of how artists and authors create order and meaning. A possible tagline for the
course would be “look closely; make connections.” Together, we will analyze and discuss a
novel, some short stories, a musical and a film. For your individual project, you may choose any
work of art—such as a poem, a painting, a piece of music, or a dance composition.
One of the objectives of the course is to increase your ability to analyze text and visual media
critically. Make no mistake, however, about the main focus of this course. Its primary objectives
are to increase your ability to think critically and to prepare you to write the types of papers that
will be expected of you during your academic career.
24 – Facing the Extreme
Why are some people drawn to dangerous pursuits like climbing Mount Everest or exploring
subzero Antarctica? Why does one person emerge from a concentration camp and go on to live a
happy, meaningful life, while others struggle with a lifetime of mental illness? How much does
our spirit influence the way we recover from debilitating setbacks like cancer, paralysis, or
blindness? These are some of the questions we will explore in this course, using both firsthand
accounts from climbers and survivors as well as scholarly articles from psychology journals.
Students will formulate their own written positions on what motivates people to take risks and to
surmount obstacles.
25 – The Good Doctor
This is a writing class that explores many questions about contemporary physicians: Should
doctors view their work as a vocation or a business? Why do some physicians mistrust
technology when making a diagnosis? Why do some specialists have better cure rates than
others? How important is the doctor-patient relationship in eradicating disease? These and other
questions will be discussed in class and explored in writing, using both firsthand accounts from
eminent physicians as well as statistical research to back up assertions. Students will be exposed
to competing ideas about controversial issues, and they will be expected to make judgments and
provide their own opinions on the best medical practices.
26 – Exorcising with Vampires, Zombies, and Werewolves: Horror Cinema and Why it
Scares Us to Death
This course presents notable examples of horror cinema and current scholarly thought on the
genre. Students examine the history, philosophy, and evolving nature of scary movies during the
last half century, focusing on what these films reveal about the times and places in which they
were made. As a Gateway course, instruction is provided on the research process and using
various library and database resources. Considerable class time is spent developing and refining
college-level writing skills. Students produce at least 30 pages of written work (including drafts)
during the semester.
27 – The Cold War: A Global Phenomenon
This Gateway colloquium will explore the Cold War as a global confrontation between
communism and capitalism, but also as an unusual struggle for world power, privileging
intelligence, persuasion, and appearance over reality.
Drawing on first-hand accounts, secondary interpretations, as well as representations in literary
works and film, we will look into the origins of the conflict and its progression from 1945 to
1991, the formation of opposing blocs, the interplay between periods of tension and détente, the
impact on culture and society, the sudden, unexpected way the Cold War ended, as well as its
legacies that shape our current political, economic, social, and cultural realities.
Readings, in-class discussions, and a variety of writing assignments will provide the platform
and impetus for refining students’ critical reading, thinking, and writing skills.
28 – Cultural Conflicts in International Film
In this course we will examine film in its cultural context–as a product of culture, a reflection of
culture, and a shaper of culture. This course explores the complexities of clashes between
cultures based on issues of race, religion, nationality, gender, class, and environment throughout
the world through analyses of films from several countries and cultures including Ireland,
France, Iran, Rwanda, South Africa, China, Japan, Mexico, and Australia. Additionally, the
course will introduce students to the language of cinema, critical thinking, analysis, and writing
through the examination of films, screenplays, film theory, directorial style, and genre studies.
The last part of the course will involve participants creating short scenarios and screenplays from
their own experiences for video production.
29 – Top Girls: The Evolution of the Female Playwright
This course will investigate the emergence of the feminine voice in the theatre beginning with
the first known woman playwright, Hrosvitha of Gandersheim and by semester’s end arriving at
the work of 1998 Pulitzer-Prize-Winner, Paula Vogel.
30 – The Wonderful? World of Disney
Films produced by Disney are one of the most beloved sources of entertainment for young and
old alike. Most people, however, do not watch Disney films with a critical eye; they see
animated films as only entertainment, rather than a purveyor of values, ideals or standards for
normative behaviors. The intent of this course is to help you develop the skills of viewing such
films more analytically for the purpose of examining some of the social implications of the
messages conveyed through media and how those films shape the understandings, identities and
possibilities of young people in society today.
31 – Democracy of Gods in East Asian Culture
As an old Chinese saying goes, a traditional Chinese is "a Confucian in office, a Daoist in private
life, and a Buddhist in old age". In this peaceful co-existence of religions, the gods in East Asian
cultures cooperate in addressing the needs of their common believers. This course is designed to
examine the religious syncretism in East Asia by focusing on the mutual complementation of
gods, and, through that, to help students develop the ability to think critically and to formulate
their thoughts effectively in writing.
32 – Citizens of the World
What is globalization, and what does it mean to you as a college student in central Illinois? What
is the role of the United States in the world? What, as individuals, can and should we do about
events happening in other parts of the world? In this course, we will explore the topic of world
citizenship as we learn and practice essential writing skills, paying particular attention to
techniques of argumentation and research. We will analyze such issues as cultural encounter,
education, and international conflict as we hone vital critical thinking and writing skills. Ideally,
through writing, we will not only locate our place in the world, but also discover who we are.
33 – Madness: The Portrayal of Mental Illness in Literature and the Media
The course description should read: The portrayal of mental illness in both literature and media
will be examined across a historical perspective allowing study of classic pieces such as One
Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Emphasis will be placed on contemporary works such as Girl,
Interrupted, Beautiful Mind, and Requiem for a Dream. In addition to analyzing books, film
adaptations be viewed and discussed.
34 – Controversies in Women's Health
An exploration of various health issues that are either unique to women or of specific
significance to woman across their lifespan will be examined using current research findings,
literature and media. Documentaries and films will be used to examine debates related to
birthing, sexuality, and transcultural health issues. Health disparities related to gender, culture,
ethnicity, and socioeconomic status will be explored locally, nationally, and globally.
35 – Peace and War in the Modern World
Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote: "Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social
problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones.”
Despite efforts by countless individuals, institutions, and governments for peace and stability,
terrible wars have been fought and atrocities have been committed in the name of both ideologies
and religions. Within these belief systems, attempts are made to justify such violence as morally
defensible while the same acts are interpreted by those outside that belief system as evil, unjust
and unjustifiable, and therefore the legitimate reason for counter-wars in order to restore the
peace and order. Either way, the result of such wars is often a cycle of violence and instability
rather than a stable and enduring peace.
This course concentrates on peace and war and their complex interrelations. Students will spend
their time in critical thinking and argumentative writing through an exploration of peace and (just
and unjust) war. They will study the religious texts and other writings and analyze different
arguments made in support of war and peace. They will also read the works of peace activists
and Nobel Peace Laureates such as the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, Mother
Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, Elie Wiesel, Thich Nhat Hanh
and John Lennon. In studying peace and war, they will develop the required skills for critical
thinking, analytical writing, and effective presentation.
36 – The Beatles: Their Music and their Times
The Beatles have been voted the “best,” “most creative,” and “most influential” musicians and
performers of the 20th century in every poll imaginable. Their influence was (and continues to
be) felt in every form of music, from the beginnings of heavy metal genre to today’s hip-hop. It
is in their musicianship – their compositions and performances, both live and recorded – that the
Beatles’ influence is unique and unparalleled.
The Beatles' careers (as a group and as individuals) and music provide a large variety of possible
writing experiences and topics for class discussion. In reacting to the major recordings and
critical responses to them, students will be expected to participate actively in class discussions
and to write persuasively in argumentative essays.