This class examines the continuum between subject and object in Chinese fiction, drama, art and material culture from the 16th through the 18th centuries, discussing how individuals participate as agents and objects of circulation; how objects structure identity and articulate relationships; the body as object; and the materiality of writing, art, and the stage. We think about historical constructions of class and gender and reflect on how individuals constructed gendered social identities vis-à-vis objects and consumption. All readings in English translation.

Audition required. Prerequisite: 317. L and P.

Automata and finite state machines, regular sets and regular languages; push-down automata and context-free languages; linear-bounded automata; computability and Turing machines; nondeterminism and undecidability. Perl is used to illustrate regular language concepts. Prerequisites: 111 and MTH 153.

Some cultures give the murdering mother a central place in myth and literature while others treat the subject as taboo. How is such a woman depicted—as monster, lunatic, victim, savior? What do the motives attributed to her reveal about a society’s assumptions and values? What difference does it make if the author is a woman? We focus on literary texts but also consider representations in other media, especially cinema. Authors to be studied include Euripides, Seneca, Ovid, Anouilh, Christa Wolff, Christopher Durang, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison and others.

From the earliest Chinese poetry to the latest Arabic Internet novels, comparative literature makes available new worlds—and “newly visible” old worlds. To become “world-forming,” one must realize one’s belonging to a given world or worlds, as well as one’s finitude. To rethink the relationship between literature and world, each section of this course focuses on a given genre, movement or theme. Through topics such as “Epic Worlds,” ”The Short Story” and “Literature and Medicine,” we consider the creation of worlds through words. May be repeated once with a different topic.

A laboratory course designed to complement the lecture material in 332. Advanced techniques used to study the molecular biology of eukaryotes are learned in the context of a semester-long project. These methods include techniques for studying genomics and gene expression including: RNA interference, DNA sequence analysis, microarray analysis, RT-PCR, bioinformatics and others. Enrollment limited to 16. Prerequisite: BIO 332 (should be taken concurrently) and BIO 231.

Advanced molecular biology of eukaryotes and their viruses (including Ebola and HIV). Topics include genomics, bioinformatics, eukaryotic gene organization, regulation of gene expression, RNA processing, retroviruses, transposable elements, gene rearrangement, methods for studying human genes and genetic diseases, molecular biology of infectious diseases, genome projects and whole genome analysis. Reading assignments are from a textbook and the primary literature. Each student presents an in-class presentation and writes a paper on a topic selected in consultation with the instructor.

Advanced problems in sculpture using bronze casting, welding and various media. A required fee of $25 to cover group-supplied materials is charged at the time of registration. Prerequisites: ARS 273 and permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 12.

An introduction to visual experience through a study of the basic elements of photography as an expressive medium. Prerequisite: ARS 162, 172 or permission of the instructor. Each section involves either traditional film and darkroom photography or a combination of darkroom and digital processes. A required fee of $75 to cover group-supplied materials is charged at the time of registration. Enrollment limited to 15.

Topics course.: Border crossing, voluntary or involuntary, has become an important theme in contemporary global art, framing the conditions of the exile and the “illegal alien,” the tourist and the refugee, the service worker and the sex slave. This seminar examines the work of a range of contemporary artists examining border crossings of various kinds, focusing especially on the models and experiences of globalization that emerge through their practices.