Spotify. TikTok. Memes. Interacting with music has changed dramatically within the past generation - and is now changing even faster. What tools and skill sets do we need to build for identifying and analyzing the way we consume and produce music in the 21st century?

This course examines the portrayal of existential threats in film. From ancient religious prophecies to modern anxieties such as nuclear war and climate change, apocalyptic narratives have long captivated our collective consciousness. Students will examine how these films reflect societal concerns, past and present, by analyzing common themes, historical influences, and shifting representations in cinema.

This course examines the portrayal of existential threats in film. From ancient religious prophecies to modern anxieties such as nuclear war and climate change, apocalyptic narratives have long captivated our collective consciousness. Students will examine how these films reflect societal concerns, past and present, by analyzing common themes, historical influences, and shifting representations in cinema.

How can we make meaning through creatively designing information? In this class, we will learn about best practices for design (including document design, information design, graphic design, accessible design, universal design, and participatory design) based on the messages we want to convey. We'll take a broad view of design that you can apply to your own interests. No previous design experience required.

This seminar will explore questions of queerness within the Shakespearean comedy, Twelfth Night. As a class, we will consider how queerness was constructed in the Renaissance to better inform discussions on how "queer" comes to be defined in the present moment. We will also consider the ethics of ascribing queerness to Twelfth Night - is it appropriate for readers to map out modern conceptions of queerness onto characters in the play, when that might not be what Shakespeare intended? Is it problematic to speculate on Shakespeare's own identity?

This seminar will explore questions of queerness within the Shakespearean comedy, Twelfth Night. As a class, we will consider how queerness was constructed in the Renaissance to better inform discussions on how "queer" comes to be defined in the present moment. We will also consider the ethics of ascribing queerness to Twelfth Night - is it appropriate for readers to map out modern conceptions of queerness onto characters in the play, when that might not be what Shakespeare intended? Is it problematic to speculate on Shakespeare's own identity?

Do you think UMass buildings like the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, the Campus Center, and Southwest are ugly? In this class, we will explore the history of Brutalism and how you can learn to love (or at least not hate?) these not-so-gentle giants. You will also learn where the word "Brutalism" came from, how the term is a poor translation (or happy accident, depending on the way you look at it) of the original French beton brut (literally "raw concrete"), and the legacy Modernism left behind, aesthetically and politically.