Not available at this time

A seminar on literary criticism east and west, from the classical period to the Renaissance in Europe, as well as in ancient China and the medieval Islamic world. Commonalities in all our texts: what constitutes art and beauty in verbal expression? What is the purpose of literature? Who may have access to literature? What are sacred and canonical texts, and how shall they be approached? What is the connection between literature and truth, literature and morality? What are the proper techniques for composing good literature? What is the function of the study of rhetoric?

In this course, we will read a range of literary representations of what, in the US-Anglophone context, may be called queer or LGBTQIA+ identities. We will pay particular attention to non-Western literatures and cultures and to texts not originally in English. We will study how queer identities have developed separately and in relation to globally dominant US-Anglophone frameworks of queerness, and?with a focus on questions of power?

Explores modern origin of film experimentation in avant-garde modes such as Expressionism, Surrealism and contemporary results of this heritage. Trying to determine if film is the most resolutely modern of the media, we'll look at cinema as the result of two obsessive concerns: 1) the poetic, dreamlike and fantastic, 2) the factual, realistic and socially critical or anarchistic.

Explores modern origin of film experimentation in avant-garde modes such as Expressionism, Surrealism and contemporary results of this heritage. Trying to determine if film is the most resolutely modern of the media, we'll look at cinema as the result of two obsessive concerns: 1) the poetic, dreamlike and fantastic, 2) the factual, realistic and socially critical or anarchistic.

This course traces the history of animation from the late 19th century to today, including short and feature-length films from the United States, Europe and Japan. Topics will include the Fleischer, Disney and UPA studios, directors from Emil Cole to Hayao Miyazaki, and experimental animators including Oskar Fischinger and John Canemaker. Animation for television, including Jay Ward's Rocky and Bullwinkle and Matt Groening's The Simpsons will also be considered. (Gen. Ed. AT, DG)

Not available at this time

This course explores the history and social implications of our digitized culture(s). Considering information technology in terms of its relationship to the self and society, we will discuss a wide-ranging set of issues related to digital cultures, such as online communities and social networking, internet addiction, and machine learning. We will also investigate the implications of digital cultures in terms of social categories including class, race, and gender.

Fantasies provide escape into strange realms where time and space are not our own. Class reading focuses on fantastic voyages to explore human desires, dreams, and fears, as well as the realities they grow out of. Texts range from early tales from Arthurian literature and A Thousand and One Nights to contemporary stories and films. International and interdisciplinary perspectives on fantasy and the forms it takes. Honors credit available. (Gen.Ed. AL)