College Courses, introduced in 1968-1969, are interdisciplinary in nature and are intended to appeal to students of widely differing backgrounds and interests. Courses scheduled to be offered from 2007 Fall through 2008 Summer are listed below; courses for later terms will be announced during 2008 winter term.
3. Democracy and Authoritarianism in the Former Soviet Union (Identical to Government 84.21)
07F: 2A
This course will address a key unresolved puzzle in post-Soviet studies: why have some of the fifteen Soviet successor states became democratic, while others remain authoritarian? Several ex-Soviet states have evolved into full-fledged democracies (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia), but others are best described as hard-core authoritarian regimes (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Belarus). Countries in a third group fall in between—they have moved closer to democracy, yet it is by no means certain that they will not revert back to some form of authoritarianism in the coming years (Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan). Russia’s example is instructive regarding the difficulties of casting away the legacies of authoritarianism: while during Yeltsin’s tenure most analysts believed that the country was bound to become a democracy, Russia reverted to authoritarianism under Putin. This course will explore why those fifteen countries with shared history and institutions display such divergence in their current political systems. Dist: INT or SOC; WCult: W. Dimitrov, Yalowitz.
4. Dramatic Story Telling: A Playwriting/Screenwriting Workshop
07F: Arrange
Harold Pinter, Horton Foote, David Mamet, Neil Labute, Susan-Lori Parks, Arthur Miller, Tom Stoppard—these are just a few of the significant playwrights of the latter half of the twentieth century (and the early part of the 21st) who have done significant work, in some cases their best, in film. This course is a workshop where the student will have the opportunity to tell the same story in both forms, as a play and a film script, and determine in which way the story is most effectively told. After starting the course with an exploration of the screenplay’s origins as the filmed version of the “well-made play,” and then traveling through to the modern day when the screenplay has developed its own form and structure, we will use what we’ve learned about the history and its master practitioners to develop and present story ideas, to make a choice of a specific story, and to write and present both first and final drafts of that same story as both a play and a screenplay. We will then have a public reading of one form or the other—the student will be given the opportunity to choose—in a final presentation at the end of the term. Dist: ART. Phillips, Sutton.
5. Evidence and the Law
08X: 10A
In everyday life, many of us wonder whether we have adequate evidence for our beliefs. Scientists also worry about evidence for their theories. Courts consider evidence on both sides of each case. However, it is not clear whether these very different contexts use the same notions of evidence or of its adequacy. To address these questions, this course will discuss some general views of evidence both inside and outside the law. General theories of evidence will be applied to procedural issues (such as burden of proof and the exclusionary rule) as well as to particular kinds of evidence (such as statistics, eyewitness and expert testimony, recovered memories, DNA, and neuroscientific evidence, including brain scans). The students will attend a conference on legal evidence and read articles and books by speakers at that conference. Sinnott-Armstrong, Roisman.
6. Fascinating Fascisms of Germany and Japan
08S: 2A
The violence and horrors of World War II were fueled in part by the way certain cultures blended sublime beauty with apocalyptic violence. Though geographically, historically, and culturally very different, Germany and Japan were two nations in which just such a fascist aesthetic thrived. In this course we will explore certain commonalities in the wartime cultures of these two nations: the resuscitate of ancient mythologies, the discourse of ethnic purity and racial superiority, and the conflations of medieval narratives and modernist sensibilities. Course materials will include fiction, autobiographical writing, film, cultural criticism, anthropological studies, and musical compositions. The class will include Blackboard on-line discussions, collaborative learning activities, and a final research paper. Dorsey, Fuechtner.
8. Inside Out: Prison, Women and Performance (Identical to Women’s and Gender Studies 59)
07F: 2A
Hidden in our midst is an ever-growing incarceration system, which has become increasingly privatized and retributive, especially with regard to ethnic minorities. Some critics are calling for the “abolition” of prisons. Yet, most of us know little about prisons, the prisoners in our communities, or the issues they face inside and outside prison. This course offers students the unique opportunity to study the prison system from two distinct perspectives: theoretical and practical. For one class each week, students will study the history of prisons, women’s incarceration, and the use of performance in prison in the traditional classroom. For the other half, students will join inmates in a performance program offered in the Windsor Women’s prison whose goal is the creation and performance of an original production. The final project for the course will combine critical analysis and self-reflection on the effectiveness of service learning and performance in rehabilitation. Schweitzer, Hernandez.
9. It Can’t Happen Here? The Specter of Fascism in American Culture
08S: 10
Could America ever turn into a fascist dictatorship? Politicians from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush have raised the specter of fascism as the very antithesis of American democratic politics and culture. Yet in the 1930s, a series of fascist organizations appeared in the United States. While the influence of these groups was never great, their existence speaks to larger fault lines and tensions in twentieth-century American society that this course will explore. We will read European and American texts in political and aesthetic philosophy with respect to fascism worldwide, and will place these texts in conjunction with literary writings of the 1930s and contemporary rewritings of 1930s American fascism. The literary, philosophical, political and cultural texts will be enhanced by topical films. WCult: W. Will, Milich.
10. Mapping Health and Disease
08W: 10A
There is an increasing interest in understanding how health and disease are impacted by geographic location. Monitoring epidemics, tracking disease outbreaks, identifying environmental factors that may promote or hinder health, and studying geographic impediments in accessing health care services are important in preventing future illness and achieving wellness in a population. This interdisciplinary course provides an introduction to the principles and methods used to understand health and disease in the geographical context, drawing actual examples from the literature. Concepts presented in lecture and discussions are explored in sessions using a geographic information system (GIS). Learning takes place through lecture and discussion, readings of selected manuscripts, hands-on experience in the GIS lab, assignments, and completion of a term project. Previous course-work in geography or a health-related discipline are recommended, but not required. Dist: TAS. Berke, Shi.
11. Music and Animation
08W: 10A
In late nineteenth century Russia, Alexandre Scriabin created symphonic tone poems scored against rapidly changing colors. In the 20s and 30s, artists like Fischinger, Richter and Ruttmann in Germany were creating abstract animated films as ‘visualized sound’. In the last thirty years, encouraged in large part by MTV, sound and image (as video and film) have become fully collaborative. Quickly evolving technologies and aesthetics in the sound and image arts have made it important for artists working in either or both fields to have an understanding of the multi-disciplinary and multi-sensorial aspects of both. By both animating to music, and by composing for animation (whether using computer music techniques, sound-art, or instrumental), students will learn a great deal about not only the practical aspects of this kind of collaboration, but about “time-based” art in general and its aesthetic and philosophical implications. Co-taught by members of the music and film departments, the course will integrate both a musical and filmic approach. No prior practical experience in either music or animation is required. Final projects will be shown at the annual Dartmouth Animation Festival. Supplemental course fee required.
Dist: ART. Dong, Ehrlich.
12. Physics, Technology, and the 21st Century
08W: 10
Why does an MRI work? What is an X-ray? Is all radiation bad? Is my coffee radioactive after it has been “nuked” in the microwave? What about my luggage after it has been through an airport? We use a lot of technology which is based on modern physics, including the silicon chip, radar, GPS, lasers, nuclear technologies and many, many other examples. This class starts with a descriptive introduction to a large range of modern physics topics including what is radiation and what is quantum mechanics. We will then describe new technologies which have evolved from these physics principles, taking some of the mystery out of these technologies. Finally, society is affected by these tools, and in some cases even actively debating the use new technologies. For example what should be the roles of MRIs, GPSs and nuclear weapons? As informed members of society, the course will give you some insight into the physics underlying these technologies. Finally we will look at what future technologies may evolve, and what is simply “quantum fiction”. Dist: TAS. Smith.
14. The Art of Science Writing (Identical to Writing 42)
07F: 2
This course is designed to introduce students to the art of effective science writing. Students will learn to interpret and analyze complex scientific research findings and translate them into engaging prose with special attention given to the intended audience. The main focus of the course will be on learning to write about science for scientists. Students will learn how to craft scientific research articles; they will learn to write effective abstracts, introductions, methods, results and discussions. Students will also learn how to create effective visual representations of their data.
In the second portion of the course, students will focus on science writing for the non-scientific audience. Students will learn how to accurately communicate their scientific findings and the findings of other scientists to the general public in the format of review articles and newspaper or magazine features. Dist: ART. Steven.
15. The Silk Road
08W: 3A
The Silk Road—the ancient trans-Eurasian network of trade routes that linked Asia with Europe—spawned the world’s first great era of globalization. In our own time, the Silk Road has become a highly visible symbol of transnationalism and cross-cultural exchange. This course examines the Silk Road and its cultural legacy from a variety of perspectives: history, art, music, religion, travel literature, politics, and current affairs. Class session will feature frequent guest lecturers and will be augmented by a cultural program of films and concerts. No prerequisite. Dist: INT; WCult: NW. Levin.