Modernity. Quest for the Divine. Scandal. Madness. Erotic Obsession. State Surveillance. These are a sampling of the topics found in two major Russian novels: "The Idiot" (1868) by Fedor Dostoevskii and "Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov (1929-1940). Close reading of these texts within their historical, social, and cultural contexts will allow us to pose the following questions: What are the defining features of the novel genre in its Russian manifestation?

The traditional Japanese tea house, renown for its simplicity of program and space, has often been used by (Japanese) architects as a typology with which to test ideas and experiment with materials, technology and construction techniques. This studio will first learn about the basics of Japanese tea culture and the traditional tea house including a visit to Washi-an on the Mt. Holyoke College campus where students will participate in a tea ceremony. Next, the studio will analyze traditional and contemporary tea houses producing a set of analytical drawings.

In her seminal essay "Film Bodies: Gender, Genre, and Excess," Linda Williams observed, "The repetitive formulas and spectacles of film genres are often defined by their differences from the classical realist style of narrative cinema." In this course, we will use the relationship between gender and genre as a lens through which to view these differences in American and international cinema of the 1950s and 1960s as we trace the evolution of film theory since the 1970s.

Learn to make books that pop up, transform, unfold, expand, books that become theaters, movable structures or interactive experiences: movable books. Treat form and content as an interdependent whole as you create your own movable artists books. With the emergence of e-books we can't help but ask ourselves whether there will remain a place for physical books in our future or if they will eventually disappear altogether. In this studio-seminar we'll explore various 3D book forms and structures, which can't readily be translated into digital format.

How do we study a reality as complex and contested as that of Cuba? This course proposes an interdisciplinary approach that critically interrogates the available frameworks (geopolitical, historical, and cultural) for undertaking such a study. First, what images of Cuba-circulating in US popular and official culture-must we recognize and displace even to begin our study? What constructions of race, gender, and sexuality have defined the Cuban nation and Cuban transnationalism?

"I think that to find what is real one must look very closely at one's world, to search for those things which contribute to this reality which one feels under the surface. These are few and one uses them to create. These are the core around which the world moves, the axis around which it turns...To be an artist means to search for, find, and look at these things; to be an artist means never to avert one's eyes." Akira Kurosawa "I want to portray a man's character by eliminating all the dramatic devices.

Tonal Theory II: This class will continue the work done in Tonal Theory I. We will be studying part writing and voice leading, as well as continuing the process of understanding and using basic chromatic harmony. Within this study, we will begin to look at large scale forms and structures. Some composition assignments will be included along the way as we assimilate new theoretical knowledge. Topics and repertoire for study are drawn from European classical traditions as well as jazz, popular, and non-western musics. Prerequisite: Tonal Theory I or 5 College equivalent.

The events of September 11, 2001 galvanized a public discussion about the utility of language to counteract the effects of trauma. Writers as diverse as astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson and poet Adrienne Rich have spoken and written about the salutary effects of writing on recovery from difficult experiences. Recent research has demonstrated that writing does more than provide access to the emotional realm; it can actually change the way we feel about painful experiences. Writing can have a beneficial effect on the emotional and cognitive lives of trauma survivors.

El Anatsui, Hannah Hch, Gabriel Orozco, William Pope L., Yinka Shonibare, Ghada Amer, Wangechi Mutu, Louise Bourgeois, Anish Kapoor, David Hammons. Since the 1960s, the variety of an increasing choice of media has created more diverse working fields for artists. While this may make it easier for more artists to find areas of expression, it may also be more difficult for students to map their own artistic language. This course is designed for students who are starting to develop their own personality as artists.

The Open University' is an intermediate media production workshop. We will research community and distance learning projects and employing critical media studies frameworks, participants will conceive of the format, content, production, and transmission methods for a contemporary public education project. Our production toolkit will include: media analysis, content research, program development, pre-production planning, studio and field production, live television/streaming production, and post-production editing and distribution.