Dickinson is often portrayed as isolated in her New England surroundings. But she was intensely involved with the changing American society around her, as evidenced in her poems and letters. Students in this course will examine several of Dickinson's major themes and genres; her family and friendships; her place in popular culture. We will explore her single year at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, while comparing Mary Lyon's vision of women's education with the views of Margaret Fuller and others.

What do writings about animals reveal about their lives? How do human beings engage with mammals, fish, reptiles, and birds as food, competitors, and companions? We will explore these questions as we read works focusing on the real and imagined lives of animals from ancient fables through 21st-century novels, essays, and hybrid-genre works. Reading discussions will be followed by writing experiments designed to spark original thinking and develop facility with writing.

Through an exploration of texts from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe, this course examines literary representations of cities, particularly those arising from historical and contemporary globalization. We will explore such themes as power relationships between cities in the Western world and the global south, migrations, neoliberalism, environmental concerns, gender and sexuality, and the unique place of world cultures amid more vexing concerns about the mixed impact of globalization.

This course will acquaint students with English as it was written and spoken over 1,000 years ago. By introducing Old English as a language system, this course will provide insight into early medieval literacy with special attention paid to the genre of riddles. The first several weeks will be spent on learning the basics of Old English alongside the contexts in which Old English writing was produced. Toward the end of the term, we'll focus our attention on translating select riddles from the Exeter Book.

In studying dance at the advanced level, students are expected to define their own priorities, thresholds, and modes of working. This course is an opportunity for students to physically engage with dance forms rooted in modern dance and improvisational forms of the mid-twentieth century and the twenty-first century. Daily creative and physical practice and building a resilient and collective dance culture are the foundations of this course. Meeting times will be dedicated to codified modern forms, improvisational practice, and discussion.

The Five Moons are five Native American ballerinas from Oklahoma who achieved international prominence during the 20th century. The class will research and study the lives and artistic careers of these ballerinas through the embodied practice of classical ballet. Understanding their contributions to the field of ballet is an essential focus for the class. Requirements outside of the classroom include readings, viewing videos of performances, learning choreography, and group discussions.

This course introduces students to a range of somatic therapy practices and their application toward healing and justice work. This will occur within legacies of African-rooted dance and performance that we witness being expressed in a traditional community practice throughout the continent and within the Diaspora.

Designed for dance students, this course is an experiential study of the human body's musculoskeletal system. The structure of this course includes lectures, movement laboratory sessions, somatic exercises, and developing a personal warmup for full-bodied dancing. Anatomical understanding becomes a springboard for clearer movement choices and deeper engagement in dance practice.

The primary goal of this course is to provide strategies for each student to develop an individual studio art practice. Through experimentation, thematic development, strong sketchbook skills, and research, students will begin the process of developing and articulating a conceptual focus in their own art production.  Students will be asked to draw on technical skills acquired in 200-level medium-specific courses to create independently generated projects.  Simultaneously, students will be required to reflect clearly upon their work in short writing assignments towards the creation of a coheren

This course will focus on visual storytelling and will explore how artists have communicated narrative in a multitude of ways throughout history.  The creative assignments will be divided into thematic units including: Myths and Fairytales, Superheroes, Familial Relationships, and Historical Narratives.  Students will be free to tackle these assignments in any medium they feel most appropriately reflects their ideas.