In this class we will watch a variety of popular, panned, and influential films, and explore their cultural and historical significance to American Culture. We will examine both contextual and technical approaches by famous filmmakers and learn what it means to be a "non-passive" audience member. If you love watching movies, this is the class for you!
Sometimes awful stuff is funny, and funny stuff is awful. We will view and analyze films that use comedy to deal with events such as economic collapse, nuclear war, and terminal illness. From Chaplin's Modern Times to Mean Girls, from Dr. Strangelove to The Big Lebowski, our journey through cinema will address the question of how to stop worrying and laugh through the pain.
Pandemics and super flus, alien invasions, volcanic eruptions, giant asteroids, and nuclear war all could bring about the end of our current era. This course will explore a myriad of ways that the world as we know it could come to an end. Throughout the course students will become more self-aware of the consequences of their own actions. In addition to our consideration of both fiction and nonfiction literature, course activities and analytical essays and presentations will improve students' critical thinking, information literacy, academic writing and oral communication skills.
Students will study primary source materials in the humanities to discover the development of our Western civilization heritage, with a focus on the arts and the history of ideas. Readings will be chosen from works of lasting value from the Renaissance through modern times. Students will develop skills in reading with deep understanding, discussing their reactions with classmates, researching topics about which they are intellectually curious, and demonstrating their critical thinking skills through writing assignments and oral presentations. This course is inquiry-driven, a pedagogy that facilitates active engagement in an academic community and empowers students to take a leadership role in their own learning.
Students will explore culture, politics, and media through the lens of Victoria sponge cake and sticky toffee pudding. We will peek under the baking tent to see what makes this show so popular and analyze whether its success could be replicated in America.
Never before has there been so much scientific information on the practices most likely to lead to life satisfaction. Unfortunately, much of what the research shows runs counter to the default norms of modern American life. In fact, many of the things we pursue and intuitively think will make us happy, don't significantly enhance our well-being, and may even diminish it! In this course, we will learn about simple yet powerful practices that can increase quality of life. We will also broaden our perspective on well-being by learning concepts of happiness from around the world.
This course is designed to critically examine sport as a microcosm of society. Students will look beyond issues of physical performance and scores to see sports as social constructions that influence how people feel, think, and live their lives. The role that sport plays in American values, education, politics, economy, race, gender and religion will be discussed.
This course will provide a unique opportunity for an intimate look at the science behind one of humanity's most ancient and multicultural manufactured food products by introducing students to the biology, ecology, chemistry, and physics of the art and science of beer. We will discuss the diversity of botanical origins of typical beer ingredients, explain the ecological and physical principles at work in the brewing environment, and present the production of beer from a biochemical perspective. Beer styles will be explored from the perspective of the biological and chemical processes that produce differences in stylistic characteristics as a consequence of the cultures that developed and refined them.
The September 11 attacks were some of the most significant events in our country's recent history. However, since you were not yet born when they occurred, and since our country's relationship with the Middle East is so complex, you probably do not fully understand what happened that day or how exactly it led to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In this class, we will explore 9/11 and its aftermath from many angles. For example, we will read a graphic adaptation of the report that the 9/11 Commission issued, as well as a novel narrating the unique perspective of a Pakistani man who experienced that day. There also will be freedom for students to pursue their own interests, which may include topics as wide-ranging as media coverage of the event, new approaches to warfare, racial profiling, the role of government intelligence, the ethics of U.S. intervention, and more!
In this course, we will grapple with the issues that divide 21st century America and consider our personal responses as "confident, competent, and responsible contributors to society" (excerpted from Baker University's Mission Statement).
Urban legends are modern tales of ghosts and monsters. These rumors, stories, legends and folklores are transmitted so much in communities and cultures that they are believed to be true. Examples include UFOs, Bigfoot, Slenderman, Mothman, Chupacabra, Bloody Mary, Ghosts of Baker, etc. This course allows students to explore and study these legends as well as the various contexts in which these myths are placed.
Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopic sci-fi novel, The Handmaid's Tale, is a horrifying look into a future (formerly American) totalitarian regime that uses decreased birth rates, supposed "family values", and religious fanaticism as excuses for 21st century female sexual slavery. It is also a scathing indictment of late twentieth-century anti-feminist backlash. Atwood's now-canonical novel has enjoyed new life and additional critical success since its adaptation into the Emmy award-winning Hulu drama series, just renewed for its sixth and final (2023) season. This course will take as its texts both Atwood's novel and selected episodes of the Hulu series in order to analyze how The Handmaid's Tale functions as both literary and cultural production, and how it has become increasingly more, not less, relevant over the past four decades.
In this course, we will survey American politics and institutions. We will consider some of most pressing issues of our time, and why individuals disagree about those issues. Brilliant and well-meaning people can disagree about what is best for their communities. Understanding the source of that disagreement helps us to understand our own ideas as well as those people who do not think like us. This class builds on your existing knowledge of American politics and asks you to think critically about contemporary events.
Students will explore techniques for habit formation and deliberate practice used by professional musicians, artists, and athletes to be more effective in college and their careers. Students will apply these techniques to design personal experiments to establish individual habits and practice techniques using Cal Newport's, How to Win at College as well as peer-reviewed research.
Don Quixote is considered the first modern novel, and still regarded as one of the greatest ever written, with global sales second only to the Bible and translations in over 140 languages (including Klingon!). In a recent survey of 100 leading writers from around the world, 50 chose it as the best novel of all time. Figures from George Washington and Ben Franklin to Mark Twain, Kafka, and Dostoevsky considered it a favorite, and it has inspired adaptations ranging from opera to video games. What makes this comic story of an aging, delusional "knight" so enduring and beloved? While originally written to make fun of the popular novels of chivalry of its time, the Quixote manages to combine its humor with a deep exploration of our dreams, hopes, and failures. As Quixote travels, he encounters a wide variety of people who all share their own stories and perspectives. It is the novel that contains all novels, touching on history, religion, psychology, the arts, politics, gender, race, and many more fields. And it's also just funny! Over the course of this semester, we will read our way through this masterpiece, exploring the intersections of personal and social identities, how these relate to our own lives, and whether deviating from the rules makes you a hero or a madman.
Biographies allow us to take inspiration from lives of individuals past and present, individuals who inform our understanding of how we, too, might overcome obstacles and our own limitations to make the world in which we live just a little better. During the first half of the semester (and throughout Black History Month), we will read and discuss Pulitzer prize-winning author Jon Meacham’s biography of American civil rights activist, John Lewis (His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope), along with Dr. Tabitha Kanogo’s biography on Kenyan activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Wangari Maathai (Wangari Maathai). A discussion of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s recent book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times will preface our study of the biographies, and lessons from John Maxwell’s Change Your World: How Anyone, Anywhere Can Make a Difference will lead us into the second half of the semester. Readings and discussions, complemented by the incorporation of knowledge and experiences gleaned from the four approaches of the Core Concentration (creative arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences) will catalyze students’ individual research during the second half of the semester. Each student will have the opportunity to research, write, and present on issues of global significance that have been/are being addressed by other changemakers to insure justice, progress, and/or sustainability.
Germany is often considered an international leader in environmental policy. Is it deserving of this reputation? In our research, we will see how Germany stacks up against the United States and other countries when it comes to addressing the climate crisis, developing renewable energy sources, recycling, and more. Our investigations will incorporate the history of ecological thought and the environmental movement in Germany, and will delve into the realms of technology, politics, economics, ethics, the culture of daily life, the media and the arts. These investigations will lead to informed policy recommendations for Germany, the U.S. and beyond.
In this section, we'll explore topical issues through the iconic television shows of Star Trek, one of the most enduring franchises in entertainment history. The original series, its spin-offs, and many Star Trek feature films often confronted global social issues. When viewed through the lens of science fiction, these topics become more understandable, relatable, and easier for audiences to discuss. Students will explore the ways in which Star Trek has addressed tough issues. Then, they will build on their understanding through class discussions and research culminating in a capstone paper.