LSFY 102 Course Descriptions
Winter 2015-16
From Leonardo da Vinci to Andy Warhol: The Art of Modernism
Section 01
MWF 8:30-9:45
Bergendoff 12
Instructor: C. Goebel (Art History)
What is modern art and what does it mean? This class focuses on primary written texts as well as original works of art—
also primary texts—which offer an ideal historical and multidisciplinary lens through which we can examine the past as it
relates to the various eras and themes under investigation. By studying artwork from a given epoch, we learn more about
that time. Furthermore, as we trace the development of art along a timeline, we can note places where traditions and past
styles impact the present as well as innovations that are particular to a specific period or artist. Today we may quickly
assess a variety of images as we input and access data, yet do we risk settling for the quick read? This course critically
and creatively explores the origin and meaning of modern art, traced from such Renaissance/Baroque masters as Leonardo
da Vinci, Michelangelo and Rembrandt through Impressionists/Post-Impressionists Monet, Cassatt, Seurat and Van Gogh
toward more contemporary challenges and controversies apparent in the art of Picasso, Matisse, Dali, Pollock and Warhol.
Such analysis deepens our understanding of the human condition as we consider the meaning of modern art.
From Samurai to Anime: Japanese Film History
Section 02
MWF 11:30-12:45
Instructor: D. Tucker (History)
Old Main 21
Anime has had great appeal in the United States, and some Japanese movies have strongly influenced popular American
movies, e.g. Star Wars. Is this the result of anime technique, of methods and plots that allow stories to be told in a deeply
appealing way? Is there something about Japanese society and history that makes some stories or film techniques seem
urgent to people outside of Japan? This class looks at three types of film that have flourished in Japan- the samurai movie,
the family film, and anime, and asks how they work, what they reflect, and how they relate to us.
From Eden to Instagram: Was the Past Better than the Present? (pending)
Section 03
MWF 1:00-2:15
Hanson 103
Instructor: C. Rice-Davis (French)
Why does the past fascinate us? Why do ancient works of art and literature offer such powerful inspiration? Why do
ancient, antique and vintage objects hold special emotional and monetary value? Why does contemporary culture
nostalgically revive bygone styles? In considering these questions, we will focus on how individual artists (and the
historical values they reflect) judged the past as heroic and noble, naïve and sweet, or barbarous and natural. These
impressions will inform our study of how our attachments to the past color and shape our experience of the present.
Readings include the book of Genesis, Roman history, Renaissance and modern poetry, Enlightenment and contemporary
philosophy, Romantic literature and painting, Freud, and Hunter S. Thompson.
From Pickpockets to Merchants: A Socio-Economic History of Victorian England as Seen Through the Eyes of
Charles Dickens and his Critics
Instructor: I. Farooqi (Business)
Section 04
MWF 2:30-3:45
Old Main 132
Charles Dickens was a great storyteller, popular in his own time as well as with students today. His memorable writings,
many of which are set in an England in the throes of the Industrial Revolution, not only tell a good tale, but also offer
excellent social commentary on the times. To understand, appreciate, and relate to this era in our socio-economic history,
we will see what Dickens saw through the eyes of such unforgettable characters as Oliver Twist and David Copperfield as
they traversed the new industrial landscape. In addition, and with the help of some basic tools of economics and business
and an understanding of the social history of the time, we will examine many of the perennial issues that have occupied
the imaginations of societies since that time. What causes economic growth? Who are the winners and losers? What are
the environmental and social consequences of industrialization? What do we do about the issue of poverty? But most of
all, we will enjoy reading some good stories and watching some others on film. So if you enjoy a good tale on a cold
winter’s day and have a curiosity about the socio-economic world around you, come join us as we read Charles Dickens
together.
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From Asimov to Zeno: Paradoxes and Science Fiction
Section 05
MWF 2:30-3:45
Old Main 22
Instructor: D. Gould (Philosophy)
Paradoxes are often considered the centerpieces of philosophical inquiry, and thought-experiments are useful vehicles for
exploring these puzzles. Since science fiction has fewer constraints than some other kinds of story-telling, many classic
science-fiction scenarios act as thought-experiments that explore puzzling philosophical paradoxes. In this class, we will
study some enduring paradoxes through science fiction writing, film, and television. We will begin by addressing the
general question, “What are paradoxes?”, and we will survey some well-known paradoxes through the history of
philosophy while reading science fiction excerpts and short stories. Throughout the term, students will research paradoxes
and science fiction, with the aim of clarifying their thinking about these ideas and related topics.
From Bach To Rock
Section 06
Instructor: R. Elfline (Music)
MWF 1:00-2:15
Olin 302
How do we determine if a piece of music is great? Why are some pieces performed and studied for centuries on end, while
similar works are relegated to the footnotes of music history? How could a composer’s work be celebrated in his or her
lifetime, and then be completely unheard today? “From Bach to Rock” considers the formation of the canon of Western
music and calls into question why some works are “members of the club” and others are not. After an investigation of the
unfolding of this process over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, students will speculate as to the formation of a
canon of Rock and Roll music from the past sixty years. No prior musical training is required for this course.
From the Enlightenment to the French Revolution
Section 07
TTh 8:30-10:20
Section 09
TTh 12:30-2:20
Section 26
TTh 2:30-4:20
Instructor: D. Ellis (History)
Old Main 329
Hanson 109
Hanson 109
Do you truly know what you think you know? What is the basis of that knowledge? If you are certain about your
knowledge, what are the consequences for how you act? In this course we will examine – and critique – the works of
some who were confident enough in their knowledge to endure religious ostracism and to risk public exile, or to decry
monarchy and to behead the king of France, or, regarding reason and knowledge in a different light, to condemn
Enlightened thinkers and to oppose political revolutionaries. We will begin by reading a range of thinkers from the
Enlightenment, along with their critics, who disagreed about the very nature and basis of knowledge. We will then
analyze the extent to which figures in the French Revolution continued or broke with the promise of Enlightened reason.
Representative authors include Locke, Voltaire, Rousseau, Kant, Burke, and Robespierre.
From Eros to Logos
Section 08
Instructor: E. Kramer (Classics)
MWF 2:30-3:45
Old Main 223
What would a good life be like if one lived only in accordance with desire (eros)? What would a good life be like if one
lived only in accordance with reason (logos) and what makes sense? These are the questions Plato explores in his
masterworks, the Symposium and Republic. We will begin the course by getting to know Socrates and Plato through
reading Aristophanes' Clouds (a comedy aimed at Socrates and the "new education", i.e., philosophy) and Plato's Apology
(the account of the trial and condemnation of Socrates). As we move on to read the Symposium and Republic, we will
find that Plato's primary concerns were what sort of education would lead to the best life, and what in fact constituted the
best life. Those concerns are as crucial today as they were 2500 years ago.
From Once to Ever After: What Fairy Tales Reveal
Section 10
MWF 11:30-12:45
Old Main 28
Instructor: F. Marklevits (English)
Cannibalism, rape, dismemberment, serial killings, incest—fairy tales in their first written versions are not the tales you
think you know courtesy of a certain extremely large corporate entity with its theme parks, cable channel, and licensed
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merchandise. In fact, in their very beginnings, in various oral traditions, fairy tales weren't meant for children, and, when
early fairy tales were directed to children, they often taught lessons using methods we don't consider best parental practice
now. For example, consider telling a three-year old: "Listen to your mother or you'll end up in the wolf's belly with
Grandma." We'll read several versions of a handful of fairy tales, as well as criticism and commentary on those tales and
on the history and importance of fairy tales. We’ll use what we know and what we learn to explore and debate what these
stories reveal about the fears, beliefs, and values of the past and to think about what they might (or might not) suggest
about our present.
From Maqamas to Movies: An Introduction to the Literature of the Medieval and Modern Middle East
Section 11
TTh 8:30-10:20
Old Main 22
Instructor: C. Zargar (Religion)
A survey of the major literary forms and authors of the Muslim world, this class explores religious themes in particular.
Beginning with narrative genres that appeared in the 10th century, especially the maqama (a sort of rhymed short story)
and the frame-tale, we will consider ways in which religious theories and controversies shape secular literature. Ranging
from the satirical to the sacred, texts discussed will illustrate functions and shifts in genre and will include authors from
Iran, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and (Islamic) Spain. The last three weeks of the term will focus on contemporary
Arab and Iranian short stories and films.
From Homer to Hollywood
Section 12
MWF 2:30-3:45
Instructor: K. Day (Classics)
Old Main 21
From Homer’s 8th century BC epic poem The Iliad to Wolfgang Peterson’s 2004 film Troy and beyond, storytellers have
delighted audiences with tales of the Trojan War and its surrounding legends for over 3,000 years. But these narratives do
more than just entertain: they also tell us much about the values and expectations of the society in which they are
produced. This course focuses on ancient and modern accounts of the mythic-historical Trojan War with an eye to
discerning what sorts of ideologies they work to question or promote. By examining modern representations of these
stories in popular culture and analyzing where they correspond with and where they deviate from ancient accounts,
students will learn about the foundations of our own Western civilization, while at the same time viewing their own
society through a fresh lens.
From Brit Po to Am. Po: Reading and Writing about Poetry
Section 13
TTh 2:30-4:20
Sorenson 256
Instructor: J. Crimmins (English)
Marianne Moore writes, “if you demand on the one hand, / the raw material of poetry in / all its rawness / and / that which
is on the other hand / genuine, then you are interested in poetry.” In “From BritPo to AmPo,” we will read poems that
don’t polish away life’s raw delights. The poems span hundreds of years; the cultures that gave birth to them no longer
exist. In writing about the poems, however, we will attempt to discover the fertile minds that conceived them and the
living hands that scratched them out in ink. Doing so, we will come to better understand the poetic conversation that took
place across the Atlantic during those years. Our poets will include many of the majors: John Donne, Robert Herrick,
Andrew Marvell, Aphra Behn, John Milton, William Blake, Lord Byron, John Keats, William Wordsworth, Walt
Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Herman Melville.
From Myth to Music
Section 14
MWF 11:30-12:45
Instructor: R. Hall (Music)
Bergendoff 113
This course explores core concepts that underlie all myth, such as the ideas of time and eternity, unity and duality, and the
hero’s journey, in order to see how these principles help individuals find meaning in life. It also looks at how
mythological themes are conveyed through music, and how this understanding can explain and enrich our experience of
music.
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From Ashes to Immortality: Music and the Holocaust
Section 15
MWF 1:00-2:15
Bergendoff 113
Instructor: J. Ehrlich (Music)
During the Holocaust, European fascists attempted to exterminate the Jewish people and their culture. Even before WWII,
the Nazis banned Jewish music and used other music as a propaganda tool against them. But for the Jews, music was a
connection to their past, sustenance to feed creative hunger, and a salve to soothe spiritual wounds. We will explore the
historical origins of this music, how music helped save a culture, and why the arts are so dangerous, even in our own time.
Ultimately, we’ll seek to discover the centrality of the arts in our time and culture. As the last Holocaust survivors die, it
may become more and more difficult for us to “Never Forget” that tragedy. This course will focus on one specific instance
of artistic genocide, but will ultimately address contemporary issues—freedom of [artistic] expression, cultural
understanding, the basic need for us to create, and the commonality of a musical life in all cultures. Listening to various
styles of music will be required, but students will not need to be able to read music in order to be successful in this class.
From Satyrs to Spamalot: The Evolution of Comedy through the Ages
Section 16
MWF 11:30-12:45
Bergendoff, Black Box
Instructor: J. Coussens (Theatre)
This course will examine the evolution of comedy as a performing art from the satyr plays of ancient Greece to the
musical comedies of the contemporary Broadway stage. Through the study of comic plays from various historical
periods, the class will explore the things that make us laugh and how the changing nature of comedy reflects the age in
which it is produced. Special emphasis will be given to the differences and similarities between classical and modern
models of the comic art form.
From India to China
Section 19
MWF 10:00-11:15
Instructor: N. Salgado (Religion)
Old Main 22
This course is an introduction to the religious beliefs and practices of India and China. By reading stories, watching films,
visiting local religious centers, and meditating, this course helps us understand how Asian religions such as Hinduism,
Buddhism, and Taoism raise questions about morality, “nature,” divinity, and the meaning of life and death. As a
comparative overview of select Asian religions, we will consider how the fundamental religious questions found in Indian
cultures are transformed through time and how Chinese religion has developed a different focus as it also raises important
questions about the meaning of life.
From Cyclops to Sci Fi: Classical Myth and Science Fiction
Section 20
MWF 1:00-2:15
Sorensen 326
Section 21
MWF 11:30-12:45
Denkmann B5
Instructor: N. Dobson (Classics)
People have been interested in the human and the superhuman for millennia, endlessly exploring our limitations and
imagining ways to go beyond them. In this class we’ll read various Greek and Roman fantastical texts and compare them
to more modern works of imagination, both in print and on the screen. We’ll consider ideas of literary genre with these
broad themes as our guides: 1) The origins of Life, the Universe, and all that; B) Bizarre Journeys; Γ) Fantabulous
technology; and IV) Social Conflicts.
From Massachusetts Bay to Sesame Street: A Survey of American Public Education History
Section 23
MWF 1:00-2:15
Denkmann B4
Instructor: V. Johnson (Reading/Writing Center)
The American public school experience and arguments about it began in the early years of the European settlement of
North America. As early as 1647, citizens of the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed laws requiring all adults in the colony
to pay a penalty if any failed to contribute to the education of their children. Public responsibility for the education of
American children continues today in public supported schools and on public television although arguments about the
wisdom of such public commitment also persist. This course will survey American public school history and examine
how this history reflects and shapes our understanding of American social values.
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From Shakespeare to Virginia Woolf: Hunting the Elusive Self
Section 24
MWF 1:00-2:15
Old Main 22
Instructor: K. Youngberg (English)
In this course, we will investigate several historical answers to a complex and persistent question that has troubled
Western culture since the beginning of the modern world: “What is a Self?” The major texts (Shakespeare’s Taming of the
Shrew, Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse) will be
examined from the perspective of writers about selfhood from the Christian theologian St. Augustine to the American
philosopher/psychologist George Herbert Mead. We will also be looking for answers to our question in a wide variety of
self- portraits painted by artists like Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali, and Pablo Picasso.
From Conquest to Revolution: Latin American Myths and Heroes
Section 25
TTh 8:30-10:20
Olin 208
Instructor: M. Cabrera-Geserick (History)
So close, and so far. Latin America is located just south of the United States, and it occupies the majority of the Americas.
Still, the United States, as the world in general, understands it in a monolithic way full of stereotypes. Latin America is
composed by 20 countries where more than 590 million people live. Each country has its own particular history, culture,
climate, traditions, food, etc. As a region, Latin America has been an active participant on global affairs. The concept of a
globalized world started there. The encounter between Europe and the Americas shook the traditional understanding of the
world, and the constant questioning of assumed knowledge shattered by the existence of the New World promoted the
Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment. Latin America has produced a series of ideas, images, and figures that have
marked world history: Juana Inés de la Cruz, Bolívar, San Martín, Santa Anna, Porfirio Díaz, Miguel Hidalgo, José Martí.
The Twentieth century, a period in which Latin America was shaping its place in the world, produced even more dramatic
figures: revolutionaries like Augusto Sandino, Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa; politicians like Evita Perón, artists like
Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Pablo Neruda; athletes like Pelé and Maradona. The Cold War period saw the rise of figures
like Fidel Castro and Ché Guevara, but also of Augusto Pinochet and Anastasio Somoza. This course fulfills the structure
of an LSFY 102 class, while studying the myths and realities of Latin American history.
Heroes: From Glory to Greatness
Section 27
TTh 8:30-10:20
Instructor: R. Bonzon (Philosophy)
Olin 302
What makes someone a supremely good human being – a hero? Nowadays our answer tends to be based on religion or
morality: we most admire those who serve others, regardless of personal cost. Our heroes are the kind, the giving, the
selfless – Mother Teresa and Oskar Schindler. The ancients had a very different idea. They thought a supremely good
human being was one who displayed truly superior personal excellence or virtue in some important realm of human
endeavor – war, government, physical or intellectual activity. Their heroes were warriors and Olympic athletes, statesmen
and philosophers – Achilles and Socrates. Through a careful literary and philosophical reading of the two foundational
texts of Western culture – Homer’s Iliad and Plato’s Republic – we will investigate the nature of these different
conceptions of human goodness along with their associated views of human happiness. We will end with a contemporary
text, Richard Taylor’s Restoring Pride, to see if we can recover ancient ideals in the present day.
From Virgin Land to Environmental Crisis
Section 28
MWF 10:00-11:15
Instructor: B. Leech (History)
Sorensen 114
Since contact between indigenous Americans and Europeans, people have described their relationship to nature in
complex, often contradictory ways—as an untouched virgin land, as a spiritual guide, as a material resource, or even as a
wasteland. This course will investigate Americans’ developing relationship with nature, including how they understood
nature, used nature, and, sometimes, had nature use them. In particular, we will compare major philosophical, scientific,
and popular ideas about the environment throughout American history.
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From Cervantes to Coldplay: The Many Adventures of Don Quixote
Section 29
MWF 2:30-3:45
Denkmann B4
Instructor: M. Havard (Spanish)
Description: Don Quixote de la Mancha (Spain, 1605-1615) tells the story of a small-time Spanish landholder, Don
Quixote, who reads so many fantasy novels that he becomes convinced that he is a knight and sets off with dented armor,
riding a scrawny nag alongside his pudgy squire Sancho Panza. Beyond the humor of the main character’s ridiculous
behavior (believing a bedpan to be an enchanted helmet, for example), Don Quixote is a book about books, a meditation
on the power of literature to transform how we view the world. Don Quixote insists on reimagining himself and his
surroundings, on helping others and creating a more just and honorable society. Considered by many scholars to be the
first modern novel, Don Quixote has inspired artistic adaptations for centuries, from the unauthorized fan fiction that
circulated during Cervantes’s lifetime to sketches by Pablo Picasso and the song “Don Quixote” by the British band
Coldplay. The novel also has the capacity to inspire activism as readers face a reality they would like to improve. How
will the novel inspire you?
From Writing to Cyborgs: A History of Technology and Humanity
Section 30
TTh 2:30-4:20
Evald 113
Instructor: G. Boone (LSFY)
The history of humanity is riddled with numerous gadgets and advances that have changed how our species lives upon this
planet. In numerous points in history philosophers used technological metaphors to help unravel humanity’s place in the
universe. Meanwhile, inventors have looked toward the human body for inspiration for their next advanced technology.
The relationship between humans and their tools, therefore, is both complex and important. This course examines the role
of technology in history. By examining how technologies and humanity evolve together, this course examines key
questions about what it means to be human, what society should value, and how to ensure our species survives the dangers
that technology (often) creates.
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