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COURSE
LISTING
SPRING 2016
Aesthetics in Context
FIRST-UG 701.001
Tue & Thu, 6:20-7:35
1 Washington Place, Room: 501
Instructor: Christopher Trogan
Philosophical aesthetics is naturally concerned with problems pertaining to the arts in general,
but there are issues that must also be examined within the context of the particular arts. This
course will begin with an examination of broad issues in aesthetics: What is art? What is
beauty? What is expression and emotion in the arts? Is there such a thing as “good taste?” We
will then consider particular issues within the context of painting, photography, film, music, and
the popular arts (specifically popular music and television). Some questions posed will be the
following: What does it mean for a painting to be “about” or to “express” something? How should
we think of photography—as a means by which we can actually see things and people in
situations that no longer exist or as simply a means of registering the world? What is it about
film that gives the medium its peculiar illusion-making power? What exactly is music? Does it
represent and express in the same way as other art forms? What value is there in popular music
and television? Readings will be drawn from Benjamin, Danto, Eco, Gombrich, Greenberg,
Heidegger, Kant, Kivy, Plato, Scruton, and others. In addition to contributing regularly and
actively to class discussions and activities, students will be required to compose frequent
responses and reflections, write two formal essays (4-5 pages each), present a research
proposal, and complete a final research paper (8-10 pages).
American Cinema: 1960 to the Present
CINE-UT 51.0001
Tuesdays, 6:20-9:50pm
Cantor Cantor Film Center 36 E 8th St., Room: 102
Instructor: Jacobus Verheul
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American cinema has consistently positioned itself at the intersection of technology,
entertainment, and art. In its first sixty years, it gradually developed into a mode of audiovisual
storytelling, aesthetic experimentation, and industrial craftsmanship. By the 1960s, however,
American cinema found itself at a crossroads. Much like US society, filmmakers of the time
sought to formulate a variety of responses to the nation’s radical shifts in cultural identities,
political values, and aesthetic conventions. Focusing on the cultural politics of race, gender,
class, and political ideology, this course chronicles the sixty-year evolution of mainstream,
independent, and experimental American cinema since the 1960s. We will discuss the steady
decline of Hollywood and address the subsequent emergence of a cinema of experimentation,
which New Hollywood had re-appropriated into the “new normal” by the late 1970s. The tension
between normativity and subversion also structures our discussion of the 1980s, when
independent productions challenged Hollywood’s white, middle-class, and domestic mores and,
in doing so, contributed to an ideological and creative overhaul of mainstream filmmaking. We
will then concentrate on the steady dissolution of this vibrant independent sector into a
conglomerate studio system in the 1990s, which, in an era of reactionary politics, facilitated the
conservatism of American filmmaking in the 2000s. Last but not least, we will consider the
impact of the current digital turn in American cinema, in which filmmakers rely on digital effects
to enhance their vision and ultimately decide to abandon celluloid altogether.
RECITATIONS (Choose one)
Wednesdays, Room 646
Section 006 / 3:30-4:45pm / Class # 15683
Section 007 / 4:55-6:10pm / Class # 15684
American Constitution
POL-UA 330.001
Mondays 5.00 PM - 7.30 PM
19 West 4th Street, Room 101
Instructor: Peter Rajsingh; Alan Porter; Mateo Vasquez
Interpretation of the U.S. Constitution through the reading of Supreme Court opinions.
Distribution of constitutional power among Congress, the president, and the federal courts;
between the national government and the states; and among the states. Constitutional law and
American political and economic development. Cases are read and discussed closely for their
legal and philosophical content.
Ancient Egyptian Art
ARTH-UA 110.001
Mon & Wed 3.30 PM - 4.45 PM
Silver Center 100 Washington Square E. Room 301
Instructor: Ann Roth
Traces developments in the sculpture, painting, and architecture of ancient Egypt from
predynastic beginnings through the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms until the conquest of
Augustus (3100–40 B.C.E.). Special emphasis on Egyptian art in the context of history, religion,
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and cultural patterns. Includes study of Egyptian collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
and the Brooklyn Museum.
Animal Studies: Keeping Animals
ANST-UA 600.001
Wednesdays 5.00 PM - 7.30 PM
19 University Place, Room: 229
Instructor: Nicolas Delon
We interact with nonhuman animals in a great variety of ways, including many captive settings.
We live with animals, share space with them, exert control upon them, and keep them in many
different sorts of places and contexts, from our houses to circuses, from zoos to wildlife
reserves, from farms to labs, from streets to parks. These relationships range from
domestication, use, control or defense to peaceful coexistence, protection, companionship or
friendship. The course aims to investigate the intricacies of these many ways of keeping
animals both from empirical and ethical standpoints, and the underlying ethics of captivity (of
both humans and nonhumans). The materials draw from social and natural sciences, arts and
humanities, and philosophy.
Anti-Semitism: Then and Now
HBRJD-UA 137.001
Tue & Thu 2.00 PM - 3.15 PM
King Juan Carlos Center – Basement
Instructor: Robert Chazan
Over the lengthy span of more than three thousand years, Jews have suffered recurrent
violence and despoliation and have been often projected in pejorative and dangerously
provocative imagery. This course will examine the history of the negative imagery, with a special
focus on its evolution in Europe over the past one thousand years.
Arab Theatre & Film: 1960s to Present
MEIS-UA 747.001
Mon & Wed 3.30 PM - 4.45 PM
Kevorkian Center, 50 Washington Square S, Room LL2
Instructor: Naila Atrach
Examines recent trends in contemporary Arab theatre and film, contextualizing these within a
broader history of Arab performance. Particular attention is given to how experimental
practitioners have explored issues of human rights and the control of territories under the
modern state. Strategies addressed include the conflation of the past and present as a means
of exploring the persistence of the colonial power structure in the modern Arab world; the use of
the parable to speak truth to power; the incorporation of the populist entertainment forms that
directly engage the audience; and the use of familiar tales to explore new political realities.
Cinema & Literature
DRLIT-UA 504.001
Wed. 2:00-4:45
Cantor Film Center 36 E 8th St, Room: 101
Instructor: William Wolf
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Exposes the student to various modes, such as expressionism, social realism, and the
projection of the hero. One film is viewed per week and analyzed with reading assignments that
include novels, plays, and poems. The objective is to exploit the potentiality of different media
and to make vivid and intellectual the climate of Europe on which these media so often focus.
Education as a Social Institution
EDST-UE 1606.001
Tue & Thu 3.30 PM - 4.45 PM
Bobst Library Lower Level, Room 150
Instructor: Laura Davis
Part of the common pedagogical core, this course provides an introduction to the social
foundations of education. The structure of education in terms of the rights & responsibilities of
teachings, administrators, community members & policy makers in relation to the rest of the
society are explored from both legal & sociological credits of view. Comparisons with education
& schooling in other countries are made. The study of particular school & professional issues
includes diversity, student variability, bilingualism, & special education in terms of their effects
on policy, practice, & student & teacher rights.
Recitation: Mon 6.20 PM - 7.35 PM at 25W4 C-18 with Lauren Lefty
Environmental Studies
ENSTU-UF 101.001
Tue & Th 4:55PM- 6:10PM
Academic Resource Center / 18 Washington Place, Room: Lower Level 02
Instructor: Astrid Cerny
Through the application of fundamental physical and chemical processes, humans attempt to
harness the environment for their particular needs. In examining this most significant dimension
of modern life, this course emphasizes both its harmful and beneficial aspects and deals with
such topics as air and water pollution, transportation, energy resources, and waste control. The
political context in which these problems occur is also examined.
Greek Tragedy & Modern Greece: Re-imagining Greek Tragedy
DRLIT-UA 971
Tuesdays 3.30 PM - 6.00 PM
285M 8FL
Instructor: Taxidou, Olga
The encounters with Greek Tragedy throughout the ages have not only shaped our
understanding of theatre in the Western canon, but have also informed basic concepts and
theories of classicism, neo-classicism and humanism more broadly. A privileged genre in
aesthetic theory, its powerful roles (like Clytemnestra, Oedipus, Antigone) have had a huge
impact on modern thinking, from psychoanalysis and philosophy to legal and political theory.
This course will take an interdisciplinary approach to Greek Tragedy, bringing together critical
languages from Classics, Theatre Studies, Performance Theory, but also philosophy and critical
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theory. Through a series of close readings of key play-texts by the three tragedians –
Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides – this course will analyze the development of Greek
tragedy as a dramatic genre and vehicle for performance within the context of the democratic
city-state. It will also look at the ways these texts have been re-written and re-imagined for
performance within the broader context of modernity. The course will also have a workshop
element.
Health Policy in a Global World
UGPH-GU 40.002
Tue & Thu 2.00 PM - 3.00 PM
19 West 4th Street, Room 102
Instructor: Jennifer Pomeranz
This course introduces students to key concepts in health policy formation, implementation and
evaluation in a global context. Using a comparative lens, students explore organization,
financing and delivery of health care services and health systems around the world and
examine the role of governmental, private, and non-profit agencies in delivering health care and
other services. The course is multidisciplinary, employing public policy, sociological, political
science, economic, and ethical perspectives. The overall goal is to build an understanding of the
fundamental ideas, issues, and problems currently debated in global health policy and
management and to provide a foundation for future studies and careers in the global health
field. Epidemiology in a Global World and Health and Society in a Global Context are
recommended but not required pre-requisites for the course.
History of Modern Ireland (1845-1922)
HIST-UA 183.001
Mon & Wed 4.55 PM - 6.10 PM
Ireland House, 1 Washington Mews, Room 102
Instructor: Miriam Nyhan
Examines the period from the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland to the
achievement of partial independence in 1922. Topics covered include the Union and its
aftermath; the growth of nationalism in 19th-century Ireland; the Great Famine of 1845-1851
and its long-term economic, social, and political consequences; the shaping of modern Ireland;
Fenianism and the Land War; the Irish cultural revival; the policy of Home Rule and Unionist
reaction; the 1916 Rising; and the War of Independence.
History of Russian/ Soviet Cinema
DRLIT-UA 522.001
Mondays 5.00 PM - 7.30 PM
Silver Center 100 Washington Square E. Room 518
Instructor: Mikhail Iampolski
An examination of the history of Russian cinema from its beginnings. The main focus is on
landmarks of cinematic art and on the cultural specificity of Russian cinema. The survey also
includes questions of cinema and politics (cinema as a propaganda tool), and cinema and the
market. Artists discussed include Eisenstein, Vertov, Pudovkin, Kuleshov, Barnet, Shub,
Kozintsev, Trauberg, and Tarkovsky. Topics include cinema and revolution, the cinema of the
Russian avant-garde and constructivism, cinema and totalitarianism, and socialist realism in film.
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Introduction to Science and Society
HIST-UA 94.001
Mon & Wed 3.30 PM - 4.45 PM
238 Thomson Street, Global Center for Academic & Spiritual Life, Room 369
Instruction: Myles Jackson
The goal of this course is to provide a background to the plethora of techniques proffered by the
humanities and social sciences in studying the history of science, technology, and medicine.
This course will include lectures, student presentations, and lively discussions. Although this
course covers a plethora of disciplines and their methodologies, students are encouraged to see
how various tools from one field can be fruitfully applied to another. Topics include: Christian
Aristotelianism, the rise of experimentation and the Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment
Science, Darwin’s theory of evolution and the church, eugenics in 20th-century America,
machines and humans during the 19th and 20th centuries, historical explanations of disease,
gene patenting, race and genes, and the history of HIV/AIDS. In short this course, which should
be taken early on in the Science-and-Society minor, will not only offer an intellectual map for
students to plan and craft their own individual program, it also invites students to think
synthetically, organically, and creatively on how various disciplines can be brought together with
a view to elucidate the scientific, technological, and medical enterprises.
Introduction to US Education Historical and Contemporary
HIST-UA 60.001
Mon & Wed 3.30 PM - 4.45 PM
19 University Place, Room 102
Instructor: Carol Anne Spreen
Recitations:
Section: 004 Mon 4.55 PM - 6.10 PM at 12 Waverly Place, Room: L114
This course will introduce you to the central themes, issues, and controversies in American
education. What is the purpose of “school”? How did schools begin, in the United States, and
how have they evolved across time? How do children learn? How are they different from each
other, and why and when should that matter? How should we teach them? And how should we
structure schools and classrooms to promote learning?
Introduction to Russian Literature I
RUSSN-UA 811.001
Tue & Thu 3.30 PM - 4.45 PM
Paulette Goddard Hall, 79 Washington Square E. Room B06
Instructor: N/A
A survey of the Russian literature of the first half of the 19th century, from romanticism to the
beginning of realism. The reading list includes major works by Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, and
Dostoevsky. All works are read in translation.
Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)
BRJD-UA 126.001
Mon & Wed 2.00 PM - 3.15 PM
Meyer Hall 4 WASHINGTON PLACE, Room 122
Instructor: Daniel Fleming
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Introduces studnets to the modern study of the Bible from historical, literary, and archaeologival
points of view. Reading and analysis of texts in translation.
Introduction to Web Design and Computer Principles
CSCI-UA 4.008
Mon & Wed 3.30 PM - 4.45 PM
Courant Institute / Warren Weaver Hall 251 Mercer Street, Room 202
INST: Lee-Suan Huang
Prerequisite: Three years of high school mathematics or equivalent. No prior computing
experience is assumed. Students with computing experience should consult with the computer
science department before registering. Offered every semester. 4 points. This course introduces
students to both the practice of web design and the basic principles of computer science. The
practice component of the course covers not only web design but also current graphics and
software tools. The principles section includes an overview of hardware and software, the
history of computers, and a discussion of the impact of computers and the internet.
Investigating Journalism
JOUR-UA 501.001
Mondays 6.20 PM - 8.50 PM
5 Washington Place, Room 101
Instructor: Adam Penenberg
This lecture course will introduce you to issues in journalistic writing and reporting, such as the
choices journalists face in method, style, and form; the political impact of the news media;
questions of sensationalism, bias, and diversity, and the current digital upheaval. To better
understand what journalism has been and might be, students are also introduced to a selection
of the best journalism, from Edward R. Murrow on migrant farm workers to Adrian Nicole
LeBlanc on family life around the drug trade in the Bronx. Your work will be reading the
assigned pieces, coming to class ready to comment on and question them, preparing for some
tests and producing a paper of two during the semester. (Unlike most of the courses in the
Carter Institute and the Journalism major, this is not a reporting and writing course, though
reporting and writing will often be discussed.
Israeli Politics and Society
HBRJD-UA 710.001
Mon & Wed 2.00 PM - 3.15 PM
King Juan Carlos Center 53 Washington Square South – Basement
Instructor: Avraham Shilon
Examines the power structure and mechanisms of contemporary Israeli politics beginning with
the emergence of the provisional government in 1948. Traces how Israel's national institutions,
key basic bills and the legislation mechanism, and electoral system developed. The course also
examines key fault lines in Israeli social, political, and economic life, including Jewish-Arab
relations; the balance between the welfare state and economic liberalism; Union workers and
gender relations.
Journalism Ethics & First Amendment Law
JOUR-UA 502.001
Mondays 6.20 PM - 8.50 PM
Silver Center 100 Washington Square E. Room 411
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Instructor: David Kaplan
This 14-week class is divided equally between ethics and the law. Through the weekly lecture
and assigned readings, students are exposed to the various ethical and legal issues
surrounding the field of journalism and come away with a clear sense of the role of the journalist
in society and the issues that affect that mission today. This course is designed to acquaint
students with the basic protections and restrictions of the law as they apply to the media, as well
as the ethical problems and dilemmas journalists face. First Amendment rights and legal and
ethical responsibilities and limitations will be examined and discussed. The course will look at
these questions from five viewpoints: from (i) the practical view of a journalist doing his job with
(ii) heavy consideration of ethical imperatives, and (iii) from a legal prospective, all the while (iv)
considering the rules in a public policy context- are they fair and appropriate in our society? -while (v) noting the historical context in which they arise. Significant court cases and
fundamental legal rules as well as past ethical scandals and issues will be explored in the
context of political and historical realities, and in terms of journalistic standards and practices;
contemporary media law issues and ethical problems and guidelines will also be focused on.
Among the basic First Amendment issues which will be examined are libel, invasion of privacy,
prior restraints, newsgathering and newsgathering torts, and the reporter's privilege; some of
the ethical issues to be explored include objectivity in reporting, bias and transparency, conflicts
of interest, and fair dealings with subjects, sources and advertisers.
Latino Politics
SCA-UA 542.001
Thursdays 4.55 PM - 7.35 PM
12 Waverly Place, Room L114
Instructor: Elizabeth Mesok
Examines the history, status, and political behavior of Latinos as a minority group in the U.S.
political system. Begins with a historical analysis of Latino political incorporation, followed by an
analysis of the various activities and efforts in which Latinos have engaged to gain political
power and influence. Also examines identity-based social movements of the 1960s and ’70s,
depictions of Latinos as a pan-ethnic voting bloc during the 1980s and into today, the politics of
transnationalism and globalization, and the recent political activism surrounding immigration.
Looks at sub-group populations hailing from Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and
Central and South America, utilizes case studies, historical and theoretical monographs, primary
documents, and recent poll data surveying Latino political behavior and opinions.
Life Science
LISCI-UF 101.004
TUE & THR 3:30pm - 4:45pm
Waverly Building 28 Waverly Place. Room:566A
Instructor: Janet Harouse
The course examines some of the fundamental principles and processes of biological science.
The primary focus is on evolution, genetics, and the physiology and molecular function of the
cell, with special emphasis on the human species. Also included is a series of readings and
discussions on how our knowledge of the life sciences has been put to practical use, the
function and treatment of HIV infection, and other current frontiers and ethical issues in the
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discipline. The course takes a historical approach to the material: readings include some of the
fundamental texts upon which our understanding of life is based, such as works by and about
Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, Oswald Avery, James Watson, Rosalind Franklin, and Francis
Crick.
Media, Technology and Society
MCC-UE 1034.002
Tues & Thurs 4:30PM-5:45PM
2 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201.,Room: 813
Instructor: Charles Stark
Note: this class meets on NYU’s Brooklyn campus
An inquiry into the nature of the technology and human complex in contemporary society. A
quest for appropriate actions for the future through understanding.
Muslim Spain: Literature & Society
MEIS-UA 706.001
Mon & Wed 3.30 PM - 4.45 PM
Tisch Hall, 40 West 4th Street, Room LC5
Instructor: Sarah Pearce
This course will offer intermediate- and upper-level students an introduction to the literatures
and cultures of medieval Spain, with particular focus on the those that flourished in areas under
Muslim rule. In addition to reading literature, we will consider the ways in which literary texts
functioned in society as well as the ways in which in they can be read as a reflection of social
and historical concerns. Students will read canonical works of literature alongside other types of
writing, such as economic and historical documents and will have consider material and artistic
evidence alongside the textual record. Because of the focus on literature in its historical and
material context, students will have the opportunity to make use of many cultural and historical
resources in New York City and the greater metropolitan area in the form of visits to museums,
libraries and other relevant sites. Topics covered may include: interactions between Jews,
Christians, and Muslims; the roles of women and the family in the Middle Ages; multilingualism;
concepts of kingship and just rule; depictions of heroism and vanity; religious observance and
practice; and the rise of early forms of national identity
Persuasion
MCC-UE 1808.001
Tue & Thurs 3:30pm-4:45pm
Academic Resource Center / 18 Washington Place, Room: Lower Level 02
Instructor: Beth Strugatz-Seplow
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Analysis of factors inherent in the persuasive process, examination and application of these
factors in presentations. Hours are arranged for student evaluation and practice.
Public Speaking
MCC-UE 1805.004
Tu & Th 3:30pm -- 4:45pm
East Building - 239 Green St., Room: 714
Instructor: Emanuel Pantelidis
Analysis of the problems of speaking to groups and practice in preparing and presenting
speeches for various purposes and occasions. Hours are arranged for student evaluation and
practice.
Readings in Chinese Philosophy and Culture
EAST-UA 722.001
Tue & Thu 3.30 PM - 4.45 PM
194 Mercer Street, Room 203
Instructor: Moss Roberts
Basic introduction to the writings of Confucius, his adversaries, and his successors, followed by
a reading of several novels regarded as national classics.
South Asian Art II: 1200 to The Present
ARTH-UA 531.001
Mon & Wed 4.55 PM - 6.10 PM
Silver Center 100 Washington Square E. Room 307
Instructor: Brinda Kumar
An introductory survey of the history of South Asian art from ca. 1200 C.E. to the present. It
begins with the introduction of Islamic artist traditions into the Indian subcontinent through the
establishment of the Delhi Sultanate, which effectively integrated itself into a widely diverse and
multicultural range of preexisting artistic practices. It follows the cultivation of new tastes in the
Mughal and Rajput courts through the vigorous interaction among Persian, Indic, and European
artists and elites. Finally, it turns to the colonial and postcolonial artistic responses to South
Asia's complex past(s). By looking at art in a range of media—including, but not limited to,
painting, sculpture, architecture, and photography—this course considers the ways in which art
actively served as expressions of political authority and cultural identity.As in ARTH-UA 91,
students examine artistic centers from two vast adjoining regions, in this case South and
Southeast Asia, both of which include a wide variety of cultures. Includes monuments of
Pakistan, India, Cambodia, and Indonesia. Although the two courses use the same approach
and are designed to be complementary, either one may be taken without the other.
South Asian Literature
MEIS-UA 717.001
Tuesdays 4.55 PM - 7.35 PM
Kevorkian Center, 50 Washington Square S, Room LIBR
Instructor: Gabriela Ilieva
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This course will introduce you to a selection of writings in various Indian languages available in
translation in English. The focus of this course is on the representation of gender and sexuality,
as well as its relation to other factors such as class, caste, religion or ethnicity and how the
depictions are mediated particularly through emerging fictional conventions in prose writing. We
begin with pre-independence texts and then move on to the narratives of Partition. As we
examine the cultural and historical contexts within which literature has evolved in South Asia,
we also look at the voices of women and the role they play in the development of literary
movements. Finally, we examine contemporary texts to gain a broader understanding of how
tradition and modernity are embedded in South Asian literature with emphasis of gender
representations.
Addresses the rich literary product of modern and contemporary South Asia. Offers more
advanced undergraduates a window on a rich and culturally varied area of the world, as well as
an understanding of aspects of South Asian history and society as represented in translations of
modern prose writing (short stories and novels) originally written in South Asian languages.
The Art of Listening
MUSIC-UA 3.002
Tues & Thurs 3:30-4:45PM
Silver Center for Arts 100 Washington Square E. Room: 320
Instructor: You Nakai
The art of listening to music. Students acquire a basic vocabulary of musical terms, concepts,
and listening skills in order to describe their responses to musical experiences. Considers the
structure and style of influential works in the Western art music repertoire, popular music, or
musical cultures, within the wider social and political context in which it emerges.
The Reading of Poetry
ENGED-UE 193
Tue & Thu 2:00PM – 3:40PM
Silver Center 100 Washington Square E., Room: 621
Instructor: Rebecca Packer
An introductory course in the reading of poetry, designed to help students improve their abilities
to understand , analyze, enjoy, and exercise critical judgment.
Tibetan Buddhism
RELST-UA 835.001
Tue & Thu 3.30 PM - 4.45 PM
194 Mercer Street, Room 307
Instructor: Christopher Kelley, Erik Zimmerman
Identical to EAST-UA 833. Offered periodically. 4 points. An introduction to Tibetan Buddhism
doctrine and practice. Approaches the subject from historical and thematic perspectives,
beginning with a close study of one of the classic Tibetan guides to Tibetan Buddhism for a solid
foundation in the principles of the tradition. Proceeds along a historical track, beginning with the
seventh-century arrival of Buddhism in Tibet to the present-day encounter with Western
devotees of exiled Tibetan lamas. Topics include doctrinal innovation, ritual, myth, art, sacred
geography, revelation, and the role of Buddhism in Tibet’s relationship with its neighbors.
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Readings consist of primary texts in translation and secondary literature on the study of religion
and Tibetan Buddhism.
U.S. Foreign Policy
POL-UA 710.001
Wednesdays 5.00 PM - 7.30 PM
19 West 4th Street, Room 101
Instructor: Jeffry Togman
Analysis of the sources of U.S. foreign policy and the major international problems facing the
United States today. Considers the role of national interest, ideology, and institutions in the
making and executing of U.S. foreign policy.
Vietnam: The war & its history
EAST-UA 737.001
Mondays 3.30 PM - 6.10 PM
7 East 12th Street, Fairchild Building, Room LL33
Instructor: James Peck
This course focuses on the American War in Vietnam – its origins, development and the ways it
was fought. It examines how and why American geo-political and military strategies led to, and
shaped, the course of the war. Historical accounts will be regularly supplemented with a reading
of parts of the Pentagon Papers and an oral history of those involved in the Vietnam War as told
from all sides. The course begins by examining Vietnamese cultural and national identity and
the impact of French colonialism. We will then examine in greater detail the following topics: the
war from 1946-1954 between the French and the Viet Minh; the early American OSS links with
Ho Chi Minh and the reasons for the Truman administration’s deepening commitments to the
French; the policies of the Eisenhower administration – from Dien Bien Phu and the Geneva
Conference in 1954 to the decision to back Ngo Dien Diem; the deepening commitment of the
Kennedy administration; the escalating war of the Johnson years; and the end of the war under
Nixon and Ford. We shall conclude by discussing the legacies of the war and interpretations of
them. The US government documents in the Pentagon Papers will be discussed to decipher
their meaning and language, while carefully assessing the arguments used to justify American
policy. Each class will combine discussions of the assigned readings and audio-visual materials.
Youth Media and Social Change
MCC-UE 1017.001
Tuesdays 4:55pm-7:35pm
25 West 4th Street, Room: C-3
Instructor: Steven Goodman
This course explores the theory, practice, and impact of the non-profit youth media
organizations and school-based programs working in this field locally and around the world.
Students will also use media production to conduct fieldwork in the New York City area that
further builds the subfields of youth media/youth development, teaching and learning, and
community building. Research projects will document and investigate how youth media is
supporting the development of young people's capacities for 21st century skills of digital
communication, critical literacy, and civic engagement.
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Zionism & The State of Israel
HIST-UA 516.001
Tue & Thu 3.30 PM - 4.45 PM
Cantor Film Center 36 E 8th St, Room 101
Instructor: David Engel
This course seeks answers to four questions: 1)What were the historical circumstances in
which, toward the end of the nineteenth century, an organized movement known as Zionism
coalesced around a program aimed at establishing ‘a home for the Jewish people in Palestine’?
2) What actions did the Zionist movement undertake and what ideas did it advance to promote
its aim? 3) What historical conditions aided and impeded the Zionist movement in its efforts and
helped shape its activities and ideas? 4) In what ways have ideas fostered by the Zionist
movement influenced the political, social, and cultural life of the State of Israel since its
establishment?