Belief As Basis

Humans have a constant quest to question who they are in relation to natural phenomena and disaster. Artists are a special breed on the cusp of answering these questions in dynamic ways. In this course, we will explore art movements that have coped with the aftermath of war, and others that have developed belief systems to understand how they fit in the world at large. The Dada Movement, Arte Povera, Abstract Expressionism, Bauhaus, and the Gutai art movements will be our focus.

The Colonial City

(Offered as ARHA 257, ARCH 257, and BLST 253.) Creole dwellings were first erected by enslaved builders working under Diego Colón (the son of Christopher Columbus) on the island of Hispaniola. By the end of the first wave of European expansion in the early nineteenth century, the creole style existed across imperial domains in the Caribbean, North and South America, Africa, the Indian Ocean, and even Asia.

The Colonial City

(Offered as ARHA 257, ARCH 257, and BLST 253.) Creole dwellings were first erected by enslaved builders working under Diego Colón (the son of Christopher Columbus) on the island of Hispaniola. By the end of the first wave of European expansion in the early nineteenth century, the creole style existed across imperial domains in the Caribbean, North and South America, Africa, the Indian Ocean, and even Asia.

European Film/Global Context

This class addresses films which deal with European identity and experience in a global perspective. The concepts of "inside" and "outside" guide the discussion in a broad national, racial, ethnic, gender and generational context. The class tackles various genres and exhibition platforms, deepens the students' command of film analysis, and revisits key aspects of film style and form.

European Film/Global Context

This class addresses films which deal with European identity and experience in a global perspective. The concepts of "inside" and "outside" guide the discussion in a broad national, racial, ethnic, gender and generational context. The class tackles various genres and exhibition platforms, deepens the students' command of film analysis, and revisits key aspects of film style and form.

Feeding Nine Billion People

Human population is expected to surpass nine billion in the next century. As our population grows, so will our need for food. Land available to grow food will not increase and degrading environmental conditions will make adequate food production on this land increasingly difficult. We will focus on the challenges to meet the nutritional needs of a growing population as well as look at some of the possible solutions for the future from a scientific standpoint. These challenges/solutions will be investigated at both the world and local (northeast United States) scales.

Political Ecology

This course will explore the historical, political, economic, social, and cultural contexts in which human-environment interactions occur. We will cover critical topics and trends in the field of political ecology, from its early manifestations to more recent expansions. Using case studies from the global south and north, we will discuss factors that shape social and environmental change across scales from the personal to the global, and we will examine the role of gender, race, class, and power in struggles over resources.

Production Studio

An advanced course in the production of Theater and Dance works. Primary focus will be on the integration of the individual student into a leadership role within the Department’s producing structure. Each student will accept a specific responsibility with a departmental production team testing his or her artistic, managerial, critical, and problem-solving skills.  A half course.


Admission with consent of the instructor. Not open to first-year students. Fall and spring semesters. Professor Woodson.

Performance Studio

(Offered as THDA 353 and FAMS 345.)  In this advanced course in the techniques of creating performance, each student will create and rehearse a performance piece that develops and incorporates original choreography, text, music, sounds and / or video. Improvisational and collaborative structures and approaches among and within different media will be investigated.  The final performance pieces will be presented in the Holden Theater. 

Subscribe to