Latino Migration

(Offered as AMST 260 and SOCI 260)  Whereas capital, culture, and commerce flow freely in contemporary capitalism, labor does not.  Walls--physical, legal and cultural--aim to keep certain people in and “others” out.  In this course we explore the sociological forces behind cross-border labor flows and the parallel reality of immigrant life.  We focus specifically on the experience of Latinos in the United States.

Rethinking Pocahontas

From Longfellow's Hiawatha and D.H. Lawrence's Studies in Classic American Literature to Disney's Pocahontas and James Cameron's Avatar, representations of the indigenous as "Other" have greatly shaped cultural production in America as vehicles for defining the nation and the self. This interdisciplinary course introduces students to the broad field of Native American Studies, engaging a range of texts from law to policy to history and literature as well as music and aesthetics.

Afro-Latinos

(Offered as AMST 216 and BLST 240 [CLA/US])  Who is an “Afro-Latino”? Are they Latinos or are they Black? Afro-Latinos are African-descended peoples from Latin America and the Caribbean who reside in the United States. In this course, a focus on Afro-Latinos allows us to study the history of racial ideologies and racial formation in the Americas.

Global Valley

Drawing on a wide range of primary materials, and taking advantage of the ease of visiting the sites of many of the topics we study, this course offers an introduction to American Studies through an exploration of the Connecticut River Valley that stresses both the fascination of detailed local history and the economic, political, social, and cultural networks that tie this place to the world.

Global Valley

Drawing on a wide range of primary materials, and taking advantage of the ease of visiting the sites of many of the topics we study, this course offers an introduction to American Studies through an exploration of the Connecticut River Valley that stresses both the fascination of detailed local history and the economic, political, social, and cultural networks that tie this place to the world.

Pattern and Color in Life

Biological organisms provide an unparalleled palette for almost every color and pattern imaginable. Why do organisms have stripes and spots? Why blue or red? When is a spiral just a spiral? This course will explore how and why various colors and patterns are produced in the biological and natural world. We will investigate underlying mechanisms (biochemical, genetic and epigenetic, developmental) and external influences (environmental mechanisms, natural selection), as well as simple mathematical models, to explain their production.

Carlos A Arroyo

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
Primary Title:  
Maintainer
Institution:  
UMASS Amherst
Department:  
Facilities & Campus Services
Email Address:  
arroyo@umass.edu

Honors Seminar 2: Topics

This seminar is a required course for Commonwealth Honors College students where students participate in a topical seminar-style course designed by its instructor. While the subject matter of each section is different, advanced knowledge of the topic is not required. While the subject matter of each section is different, the requirements for each section are the same.

Roots and Routes

In this course, we will examine the particularities of refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs), stateless people and the changing nature of forced migration since the WWII. This course will investigate the nature, causes, and consequences of contemporary forced migration waves with specific attention to the cases from the Middle East. The Middle East remains to be a major source of refugees while hosting a vast majority of them. According to the UNHCR, Syria together with Afghanistan and South Sudan is the largest source of refugees.

Science in a Cultural Context

In this course we will develop an understanding of scientific inquiry and its methods as a human activity, inextricably linked to the cultural context in which it unfolds. By examining some of the major scientific revolutions in physics, we will ask: What kinds of truths do the sciences produce and how? What is the role of data and technology in the making of scientific progress? What is the interaction between the sciences and other aspects of culture, such as politics, religion, and the arts? What kind of a person is a scientist and how does that depend on the time and place?
Subscribe to