This course examines the creation of dramatic action and character from the points of view of  both the playwright and the actor.  Students learn how to analyze and bring dramatic texts to life through a creative process, using the body, voice and imagination.

An introduction to design, directing, and performance conducted in a combined discussion/workshop format. Students will be exposed to visual methods of interpreting a text. Early class discussions focus on a theoretical exploration of theater as an art form and seek to establish a vocabulary for and understanding of basic theatrical conventions, with readings from Aristotle through Robert Wilson. Students will spend the bulk of the semester testing these theories for themselves, ultimately designing their own performances for two plays.

Independent Reading Courses.

Fall and spring semester.

(Offered as POSC 467 [SC] and SWAG 467) The goal of this seminar is illuminate the complex character of social movements and civil society organizations and their vital influence on Indian democracy. Social movements have strengthened democratic processes by forming or allying with political parties and thereby contributed to the growth of a multi-party system. They have increased the political power of previously marginalized and underprivileged groups and pressured the state to address social inequalities.

Shortly after the Franco-Prussian War - when there were more bloody corpses in the streets of Paris than at the height of the French Revolution - Monet and some others invented Impressionism.  Rather than grab horror by the throat, as Goya and Picasso did in Spain, they created an earthly paradise.  To this end, some ecstatically immersed themselves in nature; others tapped the gas-lit pleasures of the demi-monde. 

(Offered as ENGL 451 and SWAG 368) In this course we will read Willa Cather's short fiction, essays, and novels with an eye to the role sexuality plays in her literary production. This course, aimed at juniors and seniors, is attentive to writing and speaking: there will be short papers, as well as a longer project that will be the subject of a class presentation.

Requisite:  At least one course in gender and/or sexuality.  Limited to 15 juniors and seniors.  Spring semester.  Professor Barale.

What is the status of women in the Islamic Middle East? What factors determine the changing roles of women in the Islamic Middle East? This course offers an introduction to the status and roles of Muslim women of the Middle East, including the Arab World, North Africa, Turkey, and Iran, from pre-Islamic times to the modern period. Given the complexities of the relationship between men and women, the readings explore key ideas about women that were developed by major male scholars, including Ulama (clergymen) and intellectuals.

(Offered as ANTH 225 and SWAG 335.)  This seminar provides an analysis of male-female relationships from a cross-cultural perspective, focusing upon the ways in which cultural factors modify and exaggerate the biological differences between men and women. Consideration will be given to the positions of men and women in the evolution of society, and in different contemporary social, political, and economic systems, including those of the industrialized nations.

Limited to 20 students.  Spring semester.  Professor Gewertz. 

(Offered as SWAG 329, BLST 377 [US], and ENGL 368.) History has long valorized passive, obedient, and long-suffering black women alongside aggressive and outspoken black male leaders and activists.  This course provides an alternative narrative to this misrepresentation, as we will explore how “bad” is defined by one’s race, gender, class, and sexuality as well as how black women have transgressed the boundaries of what it means to be “good” in U.S. society.

(Offered POSC 261 [SC] [IL] and SWAG 261.) The right to "privacy" is often invoked in media and political discourse; yet there has been little interrogation of its meaning, history and significance. This course delves into the nature and origins of this assumed right and explores the gendered nature and political dynamics of claims to privacy.