As a critical introduction to cultural contexts and ideological tensions of the early modern world, this course examines significant focal points of the era from interdisciplinary perspectives that draw together and intersect literature, the arts, philosophy, and politics - and the discourses that have come to be associated with these areas of inquiry. Among the course's central topics are the recovery and dissemination of classical learning, the advent of printing, the roots of religious strife, encounters in and beyond the Americas, the emergence of experimental science, and the development of the secular state.
Imitation, quotation and appropriation are fundamental creative strategies—in the visual arts, writing, music, and filmmaking. Imitation is how you learn your craft, quotation how you demonstrate expertise, and appropriation a strategy, often with political and legal implications. Forms of expression generated in one context and culture are translated and appropriated for new audiences and purposes. This course examines a diverse range of key monuments, texts, and practices, including the theorization of art in the Italian Renaissance, twentieth-century feminist retellings of "classic" tales, and the international exchange of plots and the formal language of storytelling between the Hollywood Western and Japanese samurai films. The course considers the pleasures and parameters of genre, the conception of intellectual property, and the politics of appropriation.
Students use methodologies gleaned from previous humanities courses--and acquire new ones--to approach topics relevant to contemporary study of the humanities. The course focuses on a set of interrelated themes, such as justice and power, faith and reason, or journey and exploration.
International & Global Studies
Using gender as a lens for examining works of art in the Japanese tradition from the thirteenth through twentieth centuries, this course examines a wide variety of formats and mediums, including corpse paintings, cross-dressing performers, and prints of the modern girl. Participants will identify and analyze varying interpretations of gender through time and across culture and address issues associated with applying contemporary gender theory to pre-modern works. Topics to be covered include: Buddhist ideas of the feminine, voyeurism in early modern woodblock prints, and the role of gender in contemporary art.
This course examines major artistic currents in China from 1980 to the present day. Explores connections between artistic production, political movements, and political structures. Considers the position of Chinese artists in a global society, issues of diaspora, and the role of art institutions and markets in the production and reception of Chinese contemporary art.
This course explores the early modern art movement known as “Baroque.” It begins with an historiographical examination of the term “baroque” and considers how and why the baroque visual language of delectare et movere appears across the globe from Europe to Asia and Latin America. (Of note: “global” in this sense would be excluding Africa.) The course examines and compares key works of painting, sculpture, architecture, and the decorative arts in consideration of their motivations and meanings. We conclude with an examination of the extension of baroque forms and styles in contemporary art in what has been referred to as the “Neobaroque” and “Ultrabaroque.”
This course examines Chinese literary and cultural practices related to gender and sexuality from the turn of the twentieth century to the present. Using primary texts in translation, theoretical works, films, and visual materials, students explore the personal and collective politics involved in constructions of gender, sexuality, desire, and identity. Taught in English.
This course examines the nature of demand for different kinds of health services, the supply of health services, the market structure of the health care industry, market failures in the provision of health care services, alternative health care delivery systems, and related policy issues.
A study of the causes of and solutions for pollution and environmental degradation weighs the value of ecosystems and their role in sustaining economic activity. Applies cost/benefit analysis to environmental issues and provides an introduction to economics of nonrenewable and renewable resources such as mines, forests, and fish.
This course studies international trade theories and trade policy. Topics include trade models, the gains from trade, determinants of the terms of trade and income distribution, global factor movements, protectionist policy, and trade agreements.
Integrating local, regional, and global perspectives, this course outlines the history of agriculture, introduces the development of food systems and policy, and reviews the environmental impact of food production. Among topics addressed are the history of agricultural expansion in the US, the development of agriculture and food policies, interaction among agricultural markets at home as well as abroad, and sustainable agriculture. Classroom activities emphasize the involvement of multiple constituencies in identifying and articulating agricultural issues. Field opportunities include garden activities and local trips aimed at relating broader issues to how livelihoods are pursued on the Cumberland Plateau.
This seminar-style course exposes students to literature on a variety of issues related to climate change and other examples of our dynamic global environment including natural resource use and natural hazards.
This course combines the study of public policy with the study of major environmental problems. Students will explore public policy concepts and the instruments used in environmental regulation. Topics will include air and water quality issues hazardous waste and risk management, natural resources and biological diversity. The course will also discuss the impact of environmental groups and citizen activism on this highly complex area of public policy. Not open for credit to students who have completed POLS 334.
Readings in representative authors, themes and periods from France and from other Francophone countries.
An examination of the French-speaking world and its language, literature, culture, art, music, and political life. Topics vary from year to year, but the course would typically include cultural themes, novels, short stories, poetry, film, and drama from France, French-speaking Europe, North and West Africa, Quebec, and the Antilles. This course may be repeated once for credit when the topic differs.
An examination of the French-speaking world and its language, literature, culture, art, music, and political life. Topics vary from year to year, but the course would typically include cultural themes, novels, short stories, poetry, film, and drama from France, French-speaking Europe, North and West Africa, Quebec, and the Antilles. This course may be repeated once for credit when the topic differs.
This intermediate-level course continues to develop a deeper understanding of cultural production in German-speaking societies. Students interpret films, stories, and graphic novels that present life before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. As a bridge to 300-level courses taught in German, students broaden their understanding of literary forms, build their range of expression in spoken German, and expand their writing skills.
From soup chefs and grammarians to zombies and supervillains, Nazis are ubiquitous in pop culture, most frequently serving as representations of pure evil. This course introduces students to key ideas/concepts of National Socialist ideology and examines the use and misuse of National Socialism across the 20th and 21st centuries. Through an analysis of depictions of Nazis within cultural and historical contexts, the course considers the reasons for, and the impact of compartmentalizing and oversimplifying Nazis and National Socialism, and investigates what these pop culture representations obscure. This course is taught in English.
From soup chefs and grammarians to zombies and supervillains, Nazis are ubiquitous in pop culture, most frequently serving as representations of pure evil. This course introduces students to key ideas/concepts of National Socialist ideology and examines the use and misuse of National Socialism across the 20th and 21st centuries. Through an analysis of depictions of Nazis within cultural and historical contexts, the course considers the reasons for, and the impact of compartmentalizing and oversimplifying Nazis and National Socialism, and investigates what these pop culture representations obscure. This course is taught in English.
This class surveys the political, social, and cultural foundations of East Asian civilization from earliest times to around 1600. From the rise of states and empires to the Ways of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, we will explore the flowering of Chinese cultural norms across Asia as well as consider the unique expressions of these norms throughout China, Korea, and Japan.