Seminars Archive
Fall 2019
First-Year Courses
Lee Ann Westman, Where’s Mom? The Erasure and Vilification of Mothers in Art, Literature, and Popular Culture
50:525:152:01 (AAI, DIV)
MW 3:45-5:05
Art, literature, and popular culture have a long history of erasing mothers as subject matter or characters. For example, while women are represented frequently as a subject of art in western cultural history, mothers are rarely represented (not including, of course, the Virgin Mary, who was a special type of mother). In western literature, women are primarily daughters, sisters, girlfriends, and wives, but their roles as mother are not examined as closely. In popular culture, mothers are erased from TV shows, Disney films, and Hollywood films. When a mother does manage to stay in the frame of art, myth, literature, or popular culture, she’s often vilified as a villain: the evil stepmother, or as an overbearing, jealous, smothering, and/or destructive biological mother. This course will examine the historical representations of mothers in western culture, as well as more contemporary representations by women artists and writers, and study art, literary, and feminist theory about motherhood and its absence and/or vilification in the
Students will write short analysis papers, take two exams (a midterm and final), and prepare a presentation as a final project. Ideally, the presentation will be revised and submitted as a proposal for presentation at a national conference.
Richard Demirjian, Exploring Identity in Early America
50:525:154:01 (USW)
TTh 2:00-3:20
Scholars of the early American republic are currently debating the question of whether such a thing as a national identity existed in early America. This course explores the idea of American national identity and the manner in which it might have formed in the years between the settlement of North America and the American Civil War. The course will take an interdisciplinary approach in focusing on the roles played by ethnicity, race, gender, class, culture, religion, politics, and regionalism in the possible formation of a national identity in Early America.
Cyril Reade, Introduction to Museum Studies: Philadelphia Museums
50:698:205:H1 (AAI)
Thursday 2:00-4:50
[Course note: Museum visit every other week.]
The City of Philadelphia has a wealth of art museums with outstanding collections that provide residents, visitors and students with moving aesthetic experiences. The more an individual opens themselves to what these institutions collect and exhibit, the more their quality of life deepens and becomes richer. The quality of life of the city is enriched as well by the vibrancy of its cultural institutions. Our visits to Philadelphia museums during class time will take us to a wide variety of museum types—and we will discover what role the individual institution plays in offering art to the public. The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum, the Barnes, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Eastern State Penitentiary, and the Philadelphia Rail Park individually reflect a part of the city’s cultural and social history, a topic students will undertake.
In addition to acquiring this appreciation of museums, which we will address globally in class time, we will select examples of museum architecture and examine the role of the curator, the art press, and the private collector. Students will address some of these topics in short essays and presentations. Because images capture what often challenges the human ability to describe, there will be class tutorials in how to take pictures of artworks and museums. With these, students will compile an album about art and museums with a mix of images and text.
Alexandra O’Donnell, Introduction to Psychology
50:830:101:H1 (PLS)
TTh 9:35-10:55
Introduces students to some of the many methods, theories, facts, and concepts in the major fields of psychology. Topics covered include: the history of psychology, biological basis of behavior, learning, health, personality, psychological disorders, and psychological treatment. Students will also be required to either participate in psychological research or complete an approved alternative activity to receive credit upon completion of this course. Assignments include 10 short answer, in-class writing prompts based on the topic covered in class that day, five quizzes, two exams, and one short APA-style paper on how psychological research is represented by major media sources.
Nicole Karapanagiotis, Cults and New Religious Movements (FULL)
50:840:366:H1 (USW)
MW 9:35-10:55
This course examines religious groups in the United States that have been labeled in the public as “cults” (new religious movements, or NRM’s). This course will examine an array of such groups, concentrating on the following in particular: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (i.e., the Hare Krishnas), The Church of Scientology, Heaven’s Gate, The Peoples Temple, the Nation of Islam, and The Church of Satan.
In studying these groups, we will investigate their beliefs about the world, the self, the divine, and the “good life,” as well as their histories, recruitment strategies, social dynamics, commitment to social and political causes, and relationships with the public. Focus will be on building a scholarly toolkit by which to understand these religious groups in an objective and critical manner. Towards this end, we will examine critical debates on the growth of new religious movements, charges that converts to these groups are “brainwashed,” the ways in which these groups are portrayed in the media, and how we might best understand these groups as scholars of religion. Last but not least, as a class we will examine debates (and debate ourselves) about whether these groups deserve the label of “cult” at all.
Course materials will include primary and secondary textual readings, audio and video clips, and in-class films. As a class, we will also visit the religious center of one group that has been labeled a cult: the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Evaluations will be based on two essay exams, active and engaged class participation, and a series of weekly reading reflections.
Sophomore-Level Courses
Timothy Martin, Irish Literature
50:525:153:01 (GCM)
TTh 11:10am-12:30pm
Why might students be interested in Irish literature? Perhaps they are among 40 million Americans of Irish heritage who want to know more about their roots. Maybe they are interested in histories of politically-repressed minorities struggling for independence and recognition. Or maybe they would like to get to know one of the world’s most compelling literary traditions: Ireland has produced four Nobel Prize winners, and its population has never exceeded 8 million people.
This course will study stories, poems, and plays written in Ireland since the beginning of the twentieth century. We will consider the difficult relationship between Ireland and its English conquerers, the complicated role of the Roman Catholic Church in Irish life, and the harshness of Irish family life in the context of poverty and chronic economic underdevelopment. Famous writers like James Joyce and W. B. Yeats will be supplemented by lesser known figures like Liam O’Flaherty, Edna O’Brien, and Eavan Boland.
Assignments will be geared toward non-majors: several short, informal “response” papers and a couple of tests, with opportunities for extra credit.
Instructor TBA, Seminar in Professional Nursing
57:705:105:H1 (Nursing Students only)
Tuesday 8:00am-10:50am
This introductory nonclinical course in nursing is designed to provide the student with a foundation in nursing knowledge that will provide the basis for ensuing theory and clinical nursing courses. Major foci will be the discipline and profession of nursing, its history, its conceptual and theoretical structures, and the patterns of knowledge needed for developing the science and practice of nursing. It requires the integration of previously acquired knowledge in the sciences, arts, and humanities and introduces basic concepts in epidemiology, demographics, and cultural competencies, as well as the knowledge necessary for a beginning understanding of the research process, and for development of interpersonal and interdisciplinary communication skills. The ethics and values of the profession as well as the scope of practice and other legal and regulatory aspects will be introduced. Current issues in nursing and the many roles of the baccalaureate-prepared professional nurse will be examined and discussed as the student is socialized to become a self-reflective, accountable, lifelong learner given to self-appraisal as she or he navigates the route to achieving the terminal objectives of the curriculum.
Instructor TBD, Seminar in Professional Nursing
57:705:105:H2 (Nursing Students only)
Thursday 8:00am-10:50am
(See above)
Instructor TBA, Aging and Health in Global Communities (FULL)
57:705:313:03 (GCM)
Wednesday 8:00am-10:50am
The population of the world is aging. In some societies aging is associated with a good quality of life and in others with the loss of health and well-being. This course will explore issues and challenges related to the aging population. Maintaining health and preparing for a peaceful death will be addressed from a global perspective appropriate to the impact that aging will have on the global community.
The course content will examine how a variety of disciplines have viewed the culture of aging over time and the historical evolution of health care services for older adults. Although the primary focus will be aging in America, lessons learned from other global societies will be incorporated to ensure that students are able to understand the meaning and significance of healthy aging. Students will examine the aging population in the context of enhancing contemporary understanding of the impact of individuals over 65 who will outnumber the population of young people for the first time in history by mid-century.
Eric Chwang, Biomedical Ethics (FULL)
50:730:249:H1 (EAV)
MW 12:30pm-1:50pm
In this class we’ll discuss a variety of issues in biomedical ethics, for example abortion and euthanasia. In all cases, our goal will be to get clear on the arguments involved and to assess those arguments critically, using reason rather than emotion. A large part of our goal will be to help you become better at critical thinking, honest assessment, and elimination of bias about controversial issues. Upon completing this course, students should be able to do the following:
1. Interpret, explain, and compare significant systems and theories of human ethics and/or values.
2. Analyze ethical debates in terms of their underlying assumptions and implications.
3. Recognize the ethical values at stake in practical, concrete, and/or everyday situations.
4. Apply ethical reasoning toward solving practical problems.
5. Formulate, communicate, and evaluate effective ethical arguments.
Sara Beth Plummer, Groups at Risk in Contemporary Society
50:910:352:H1 (EAV, DIV)
F 12:30pm-3:20pm
This course addresses social work’s mission to engage in sensitive practice and its ethical mandate to serve and advocate for the welfare of vulnerable and oppressed, and for at-risk groups. It brings to the student’s awareness critical concepts regarding diversity in families, in age, gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity in a pluralistic society. The significance of respect for diversity and cultural competence in the formation of collaborative relationships with clients and formulation of appropriate interventions is stressed. Service providers must have some understanding of the value systems, family interactions, role assignments, including parent-child relationships, religious practices, the impact of immigration and cultural adjustments, the extended family network, and the help-seeking patterns and behaviors of ethnic groups. Factors such as societal structures, various practice models agency systems, and barriers within the social worker (that may be expressed through implicit bias, micro-aggressions, etc.) that may negatively affect access to resources and optimal development on the part of client populations will be discussed. Special attention will be directed to racism, sexism, classism, ageism, privilege and sexual orientation.
Aaron Oster, American Musical Theatre (FULL)
50:965:308:H1 (USW)
MW 9:35am-10:55am
This course explores the evolution of the American Broadway musical from its origins in operetta, vaudeville, minstrelsy and melodrama, to its contemporary incarnations such as Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen. The course focuses on key artists of the mid-twentieth century who transformed the light, pop-focused musical comedy of the 20s and 30s into a substantial and (sometimes) serious form of theatrical expression, as well on the impact of musical theatre on American popular culture. Special attention will be paid to the contributions of diverse American ethnic groups to the creation and development of the American Broadway musical from its beginnings through the present day. Class activities will include lecture-presentations, student-lead seminars, and reading and writing assignments, as well as viewing and response to examples of significant musical theatre performances, both live and on video.
Spring 2019
Chinghsin Wu, Global Modern Art
50:082:214:H1 (GCM)
Th 2:00-4:50 pm
This course considers art in the modern era in global context. It investigates arts beyond Europe and America, including Asia and other cultural centers around the world. It introduces several crucial transformations and developments in art and visual cultures that emerged globally, including Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism, Abstract Art, Dada, and Surrealism. We will analyze the arts within the context of several social and political trends from the 19th century through the 20th century, including world’s fairs and global trade, the rise and fall of the imperialism and colonization, images of race, and wartime propaganda. We will also investigate the impact of westernization and globalization on the arts, regional innovation of traditional arts, and related curatorial, economic, and gender issues. This course satisfies the requirements of the general education theme Global Communities (GCM).
Course expectations include class discussion, a film review (2-3 pages), a presentation, an exhibition review (2-3 pages), and a final paper (5-7 pages).
Georgia Arbuckle-Keil, Art & Chemistry: Beautiful Together
50:160:120:H1
TTh 2:00-3:20 pm
Course Note: General Education: Physical and Life Sciences
In this introductory course for non-science majors, the relationship between chemistry and art will be discussed from historical and scientific perspectives. The nature of color, creating color, and the art and science of fastening/fixing color will be explained. The chemical techniques used to follow these processes will be discussed. Basic chemistry concepts will be presented in the context of organic and inorganic pigments. Topics covered will include the properties of light, metals and their compounds, ceramics, polymers, photography, and art conservation science.
A trip to the analytical chemistry laboratory at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is planned. The intent is to utilize both the free period immediately before class along with the class time.
The course grade will be based primarily on two midterm exams; a final paper or oral presentation of a topic of interest to the student; and the final exam. Attendance is required.
Greg Pardlo, “Is It OK to Laugh?”: Black Writers, Satire, and Race
50:352:251:H1
TTh 3:35-4:55 pm
Course note: General Education: Art and Aesthetic Interpretation
From Phillis Wheatley’s cheeky rebukes to Colonial American racism to Paul Beatty’s outrageously irreverent 2015 Man-Booker Prize-winning novel The Sellout, satire has played a central role in African American writers’ efforts to illustrate the absurdities of race. Yet how is it that black writers have been able to lampoon a culture based on (however diminishing) beliefs about white superiority while writing their way into the very heart of American literature? What makes satire more than merely funny or discomforting, but an effective tool for social change? In-class writing assignments throughout the semester will support weekly homework assignments. Homework assignments will serve as drafts contributing to a midterm essay and a final essay of 4-5 pages each.
William FitzGerald, Sound Rhetoric
50:525:152:01
MW 9:35-10:55 am
Course note: General Education: Art and Aesthetic Interpretation; Experiential Learning
We will consider the power and logic of sound in the natural and human environment, including our need and desire to make sound as an expression of our creative capacities. We will explore how sound functions in a range of sonic forms: ambient noise, speech, silence and of course music. We will read about theories of sound and sound production, but beyond that we will listen and record and experiment with sound in various “ears open”—analogous to “hands on”—activities. In addition to several re?ective, exploratory and response papers, students will undertake, individually or in pairs, a modest research project (e.g., ?eldwork, experimenting with sound technology) as an original contribution to the ?eld of sound studies.
50:525:153:01 (GCM)
Matthew Sorrento, European New Wave Cinema
F 12:30-3:20, CS 202
The 20th century witnessed significant revolution in politics and culture. This course examines how the cinema of Europe contributed to, and critiqued, these changes. By studying films from France, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Romania, from the mid-century to the present (in various styles and genres), students will understand how the cinema worked as social action to address post-fascism, totalitarianism, the War in Vietnam, and other issues. Weekly journals, two papers, and two unit tests.
Sandra Simkins, Juvenile Law and Policy
50:525:155:01
Tu 2:00-4:50 pm
Course note: General Education: Ethics and Values
How are juvenile offenders treated differently from adult offenders? To what extent should they be? These questions provide the focus for examining how the state treats the “aberrant” behavior of children. Students will be introduced to the legal, social, and historical underpinnings of the juvenile justice system in the United States beginning with founding of the juvenile court in 1899 and then-held assumptions about the nature of childhood. We will then examine how in the late twentieth century the juvenile court has undergone both ideological and institutional change from its original form. These shifts in theory and practice will be outlined with specific attention to court decisions (specifically U.S. Supreme Court decisions) that have significantly affected juvenile court, as well as psychological and social science data that have a continuing impact on juvenile court practice and jurisdiction. In addition, the course will examine juvenile law and policy through the recent story of Kalief Browder (which is now a six-part documentary series on Netflix). The Kalief Browder story will allow students to consider ethics and values regarding the transfer or youth to adult prison, solitary confinement, race and the criminal justice system and access to counsel. Students will be evaluated during the semester based on two short response papers (30%, first one due in week 3, second one due at week 10) a midterm and final exam (50%) a presentation (either in a group or alone, 10% weeks 12-13) in addition to participation in class (10%).
Nathan Walker, Religion and Law –
50:525:155:02
TTh 3:35-4:55 pm
Course note: General Education: Ethics and Values
Religion & Law examines the origins and developments of religious liberty in the United States from the colonial and founding periods to present day. Attention is given to the historical and legal foundations that currently govern the relationship of religion and the state; that define “free exercise” protections for people of all religions and none; that set limitations on the state from “establishing” or privileging a religion; and provides a civic framework for people to self-govern one of the most religiously diverse societies in the world.
Students will compose five one-page, single-spaced memos––worth ten points each; the purpose of these memos is to demonstrate mastery of the subject matter in those units. Students will also participate in five Socratic seminars––worth ten points each; in a small circle, students will engage the instructor in a 30-minute discussion based on what they wrote in their memos.
Margaret Marsh, Perspectives in the History of Medicine and Health
50:525:160:01
M 12:30-3:20 pm
Course note: General Education: Diversity
In 1900, a newborn in the United States had a life expectancy of about 49 years. Babies born a century later, in 2000, had a life expectancy of 77 years – almost three decades longer. Advances in public health and medicine, from clean water to better hygiene, from antibiotics to vaccines, and from chemotherapy to immunotherapy dramatically increased Americans’ lifespan and their quality of life over the course of the 20th century. History teaches us why continued advancement in the cure of disease and the promotion of health should matter to all Americans. It also helps us make sense of controversial or troubling issues in health and medicine today. Why, for example, is the United States virtually alone among developed nations in failing to provide health insurance as a matter of right? Why does the tobacco industry continue to flourish even though there is no question that smoking causes lung cancer and other diseases? And why is this country’s maternal mortality rate higher than that of nearly every European country?
This seminar takes a topical approach to the history of medicine and health in the United States, exploring such issues as the nature of medical training and practice, the role of public health and health policy, and the attitudes and behavior of patients. It analyzes the historical roots of a range of important and sometime controversial issues that affect health and wellbeing today, examines the critical variables of race and gender both in the development of the profession of medicine and in the relationship between practitioners and patients, and considers issues in bioethics, medical research, and disparities in access to care. Employing historical frameworks to develop a richer understand of timely and significant contemporary questions in health, medicine, and health policy, students in this course will develop a deeper understanding of medicine and health in the United States today.
Joan Maya Mazelis, Homelessness and Deep Poverty in the United States
50:525:161:01
TTh 11:10-12:30 pm
General Education: Engaged Civic Learning
Shelter is one of the most fundamental human needs, but for those who confront severe economic deprivation in the United States, housing is often unaffordable, leaving many without predictable, consistent, and safe places to live. In this course we will use a sociological perspective to learn about poverty in the United States, particularly about the lives of people experiencing homelessness and of those living in deep poverty—defined as below half the official poverty line. We will read books and articles about poverty, eviction, and homelessness, watch relevant films, and welcome guest speakers with personal experience and professional expertise. Course requirements will include active participation in class discussion, short quizzes on the assigned books, exams, and a final paper. The course will have an Engaged Civic Learning component (ECL) and meet the general education requirements for ECL courses; the final paper will be based on the ECL course experiences. Students may engage in a variety of ways, from participating in the Point-in-Time (PIT) count of homeless persons, to preparing and sharing meals at a homeless shelter, to providing assistance at local nonprofit agencies that offer services to individuals experiencing homelessness.
Carla Giaudrone, Introduction to Latin American Studies
50:590:210:H1
MW 9:35-10:55 am
General Education: Heritages and Civilizations
This is a survey class that will introduce students to the most important aspects of Latin American culture and civilization. The class enables students to acquire an in-depth, interdisciplinary understanding of the cultural history of the region, which may include topics such as society, politics, literature, music, dance, and sports. This course will be taught in English mainly through lectures, in-class and on-line discussions, readings, and audio-visual media. Assessments for this course include assignments (25%), a midterm and final exam (35%), and a final group project (10%). This course partially fulfills the requirements for the Spanish Minor and Latin American and Latino/a Studies Minor.
Julianne Baird, Opera: The Art of Revenge, Adultery, and Murder
50:700:121:H1
W 6:00-8:40 pm
Course note: General Education: Art and Aesthetic Interpretation
In this Honors seminar we will examine such issues as gender bending, racism, betrayal, murder, and suicide. Among the fantastical opera plots we will encounter:
- A hunchback with a secret, and an assassin
- A dark-eyed Spanish flirt, a bullfight, and a murder-suicide
- Escort service by night, respectable society lady by day
- An abandoned baby adopted by an entire Army troop
- An 18-year-old forced by her father to marry a 70-year-old
- A cold-hearted princess who beheads every suitor
Students will see three broadcast performances of operas in off-campus venues (Carmen on 2/6, Daughter of the Regiment on 3/6, and The Valkyrie 4/2). Sometimes the show will end at 10:30. We will adjust class times to compensate.
Jojo Streater, Rock and Roll – THIS CLASS IS FULL
50:700:306:H1
MW 2:05-3:25 pm
Course note: General Education: United States in the World
This course will examine the history of rock and roll and the artists that greatly influenced American culture. Focus will be on the impact rock and roll has had on popular music as it shifted from R & B, folk, and blues and away from Broadway and the Tin Pan Alley spheres.
Paul Bernstein, Theater and Film in Europe
50:965:345:H1
Wed 12:30-3:20 pm
Course note: General Education: Art and Aesthetic Interpretation
This course will help students to gain an in-depth understanding of contemporary film studies. Our research will center around six well known European films, and the altered identity of humanity and self-expression in the aftermath of World War II.
Multiple European cultures are witnessed through the lens of film directors from Former Yugoslavia, Germany, Italy, and England. Each of the screenplays covered in this course were originally well-known plays before becoming part of the popular European film culture. The research will cover technical aspects of informed film viewing including narrative analysis, and the history of traditional and non-traditional story lines. From a non-production perspective, we will learn to notice film-making choices and to “read film”, including cinematography, production design, screenwriting and film editing. Through in-class viewings, lectures, and discussions supported by readings and writing assignments, students will learn to identify the complex tapestry of details that comprise a work of filmic art.