Social networks, multimedia, the rapid transmission of information across cultural boundaries and geographic distances: the twenty-first century can seem like a brave new world for communication. Yet the peoples of the Americas have long been involved in creative ways of connecting with each other. This course surveys the history of communication in early America, from wampum beads to oral traditions, speeches to incendiary political pamphlets, comets to newspapers, inscribed rocks to Neoclassical poetry.

This course will introduce students to philosophy and its methods by looking at what philosophers, past and present, have said about three important and interrelated topics: God, morality, and freedom. We will ask questions such as: Does God exist? Is it rational to believe in God? What should I do if I want to do the right thing? When is it ok to criticize other cultures? How much do I owe to others? Do we have free will? Can we ever be held responsible for anything?

Introduces the analysis of cultural diversity, including concepts, methods, and purposes in interpreting social, economic, political, and belief systems found in human societies. Ethnographic films and videos will be emphasized throughout the term.

Food is essential for Italian family and society, and the food industry is an important part of the Italian economy. Starting with Carlo Petrini's Italian Slow Food revolution, we will explore and analyze the strong relationship between food, culture and business in modern Italian society. We will read and discuss literary and historical texts, films, and cookbooks. The course includes a field trip to an organic local 'Italian' farm and a cooking night. Taught in English.

Designed for students with or without prior musical experience, 'Adventures in Music' explores the materials of music. Through reading, hands-on interaction with instruments and their players, discussions and recordings, students will explore concepts of pitch, time, space, structure and timbre, thereby enriching their perception of the world of sound. The best way to access the indescribable in music is often to make music.

How does a study of the Chinese diasporic communities in Southeast Asia, the U.S., and other parts of the world help us rethink concepts of 'Chinese-ness'? We seek to answer the question in this introductory history seminar on the Chinese diaspora. Coverage spans from the 1500s to the present. Readings focus on the question of Chinese-ness as constructed and negotiated by different groups and individuals. Themes include imperialism, race, ethnicity, gender, nationalism, transnationalism, orientalism, hegemony, and globalization.

One of the hallmarks of a liberal arts education is to draw on a broad base of knowledge in order to interrogate common assumptions. No one exemplifies this critical approach better than French philosopher Michel Foucault. One of the most influential thinkers of recent times, Foucault revolutionized several academic disciplines and even questioned the very notion of a discipline itself. He did so by revealing the history and transformations of ideas now viewed as self-evident. This first-year seminar invites students to develop similar analytical skills.

In this seminar we will explore various parts of the United States and the Caribbean through analyses of black women's contemporary literature and visual culture. The course will be organized around four themes prevalent in contemporary portrayals of the black female experience in the diaspora. The themes, Body, Voice, Memory, and Movement will allow us to examine notions of agency, representation and counter-narrative. How are narratives of resistance and possession appropriated by black women writers and image-makers and utilized for their own empowerment?

Have you ever thought about the origins of the sugar, coffee, bananas, and chocolate that we consume at the breakfast table? Who cuts the sugar cane? Who owns the coffee plantation? What are the social and environmental costs of bananas? This interdisciplinary course examines some of the cultural, historical, social, political, and economic issues surrounding these Latin American commodities.

This course examines categories of race, gender, sex, and sexuality through the lens of the visual. Using contemporary literature, photography, performance art, film, and theories of the visual, our task is to investigate the import and utility of embodiment. How do race, gender, and sexuality function in the artistic imaginary? What can we glean from cultural productions that engage the viewer/reader in ways that challenge ideas about conformity, fluidity, belonging, and self-reflection?