The Lives of Animals

Are crows self-aware? How do bees vote during collective decision-making? Do dolphins know each other's names? We will engage our collective curiosity as we explore animal cognition and social behaviors. Using peer-reviewed scientific literature as the foundation for our investigations, we will draw inspiration from videos, blogs, and observations of local wild and domestic animals to develop individual and collective projects based on our interests.

Nature Is Queer

Queerness is all over the natural world. This class will highlight the diversity of sexual strategies in nature, and help dispel the notion that biology describes sex as binary or only heterosexual. In reality, biologists are well aware of the queerness of nature, but have struggled with how to study this sexual diversity and have often settled for convenient categories.

Global Film/Media After 1960

This course examines films and topics central to the study of global cinema since 1960. We will begin with the New Waves of France, Italy, England, and Japan, and Direct Cinema of the '60s and '70s in the U.S. We will explore films of Third Cinema in Latin America, Asia and Africa in the late '60s and '70s, and examine films of New Zealand and Australia from the '70s to the current moment, with an emphasis on stories that center indigenous peoples. We also will focus on significant film movements of the last three decades, such as New Queer Cinema in the U.S.

Envisioning Apocalypse

With ever more dire news about our planetary future hitting the headlines regularly, what better time to look at how human beings past and present have envisioned the demise of the earth or our species? In this course we will study representations of apocalyptic futures from illuminated manuscripts, from illustrated poetry, and from science fiction films that waver between hope for escape and doomsday scenarios.

Latinx Media

This course explores the recent history of Latinx media production and representation in the United States, linking the varying meanings of Latinidad to critical shifts in US and Latin American media landscapes. The course highlights vital exchanges across national and linguistic markets which inform the production of media by and about Latinxs.

Intro to Art Practices

This course explores the various ways that visual storytelling and creative research can be used to develop strategies for problem solving in all our academic pursuits. Art-making will be explored through a range of approaches from traditional drawing and painting, to site-specificity, lens and time-based media, as well as collaborative, community engaged actions. Assignments will focus on visual journaling, autobiographical prompts, and integrating diverse influences into expansive visual languages.
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