Academic Advising Center :: General Education Curriculum: Perspectives

General Education Curriculum:

PERSPECTIVES

All Emerson students complete substantive studies in one field of communication or the performing arts. This in-depth work is balanced by a General Education Curriculum, which demands that students pursue breath and variety in their studies, particularly in the Liberal Arts.

Students are given a great deal of flexibility to choose individual courses which particularly interest or challenge them to learn, and even to build clusters of courses which promise the greatest degree of integration with their professional studies. The structure of the distribution requirements guarantees that students will discover a variety of liberal arts disciplines beyond their major. Students will work closely with an advisor to maximize the educational benefits of the unique combination of courses which they choose to fulfill the requirements. Students are required to complete one course in each Perspective, but no more than one course in their major field of study may be used to satisfy these requirements.

Aesthetic Perspective (4 credits)

Courses in this perspective foster thinking, feeling, and knowing through artistic expression and analysis of the evolution of artistic forms. Choose form the following courses:

Course Code	Course Information
DA203	PERSPECTIVES IN WORLD DANCE 4.00 Credits The course will focus on learning to "see" and "hear" the form and music of the art of dance across world cultures. We will focus on specific dance ethnographies (such as Native American dance, Inuit/Eskimo dance, Sufi Dervishes, Bharata Natyam [India], WEst African, Cambodian, Spanish Flamenco, Argentine Tango, Polynesian and American Tap dance) to understand cultural difference through a study of dance and human movement and to explore contemporary anthropological concerns about representation, globalization, history, and identity. Throughout our study we will focus on various theoretical models in anthropology for studying dance/performance. This will entail analyzing dance in terms of semiotic or symbolic approaches (i.e. tradition, spirituality, and ritual), political-economic approaches (i.e. national/gender identity, and commodities and sites of resistance) and aesthetic/critical approaches (i.e. an examination of the dance elements of space, time, energy/force, body, mvoement and form).
MU137	Listening to Music 4.00 Credits This course is intended for students with little or no experience in music who want to develop their listening skills and musical understanding. Emphasis will be on a non-theoretical study of the elements and compositional principles of music, and careful listening to selected works of master composers in the context of a brief survey of Western music. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective of the General Education requirements.
MU139	History of Jazz 4.00 Credits A study of the evolution of jazz, a continuously evolving form synthesizing many different music styles. Attention is given to its African-American origins, historical identifications, anti-social tendencies, political aspects, and subjective effects which have affected cultural change. Emphasis is placed on listening to the works of Armstrong, Ellington, Davis, Gillespie, Parker, Monk, Coltrane, and Mingus. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective and the General Education U.S. Diversity requirements.
MU201	History of Music: European 4.00 Credits A survey of European music from Greek beginnings through the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Classical, Baroque, and Romantic periods up to and including contemporary musical forms. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective of the General Education requirements. Attendance at a minimum of three concerts is required.
MU202	History of Music: American 4.00 Credits A survey of American music from the first American settlers to the present including the development of such forms as folk, regional, religious, ethnic, jazz, musical theatre, and various popular styles. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective of the General Education requirements.
MU203	Perspectives in World Music 4.00 Credits This course investigates music-making within a variety of cultures, including societies from Africa, the Caribbean, India, the Far East, and Native Americans. Musical experience is examined from both the sonic and social perspectives, including: musical form, instruments, and style, as well as music's role as a vehicle for defining and representing social values. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective and the Global Diversity General Education requirements.
MU233	History of Opera 4.00 Credits An introduction to the musical and aesthetic conventions of opera. Emphasis is placed on listening to representative works and on an historical survey of opera from its birth to the present. Recommended for students in the department of Performing Arts. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective of the General Education requirements.
MU256	Deconstructing Twentieth Century Art Music 4.00 Credits This course will introduce western art music of the twentieth century to non-music majors. We will chronologically explore diverse styles and genres of music as composed by a panorama of vibrant musical personalities in the twentieth century. Our goal will be to demystify some of the construction techniques and resulting sounds which have currently expanded our definition of "e-music." Included in our discovery will be discussions on the interplay of music, literature and the visual arts as reactive and motivating forces on current, twenty-first century aesthetics. We will close the course by investigating current trends in art music. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective of the General Education requirements.
MU257	The Musical Premiere 4.00 Credits This course will explore several noteworthy musical premieres in modern European history beginning with the shocking debut of opera in seventeenth-century Italy to the shocking popular music premieres of the twenty-first century United States. We will examine the preparation, actual performance of the work, and the often-revolutionary impact on the broader cultural milieu, as these new works help us to broaden and redefine our concept of beauty. Frequently composed by controversial figures in their day, our methodology will include a recurrent assessment quantifying the effect of the 'persona' on the outcome of the premiere. Additionally, we will determine the effect of the 'marketplace,' (or the prevailing socioeconomic forces), on the initial and eventual successes of these musical works. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective of the General Education requirements.
MU312	FILM MUSIC IN CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE 4.00 Credits This course explores the musical construction of film music and its non-Western or indigenous identity in film through an ethnomusicological and cultural studies perspective. We will study music and cognitive semiotics and look at referentialism, associationaism, iconism, embodied meaning (expressionism) and syntax in film music. In examining associative meaning in film music we will explore signature musical intervals, major versus minor and musical Orientalism and the generation of generic ethnic associations via instrumentation. After an examination of the Hollywood approach to film scoring (from the early sound period on) and studying the musical construction of non-Western or indigenous identity in American film, we will focus on film music globally, including the former Soviet Union, India, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Northern Africa and China among other areas. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective and the General Education Global Diversity requirements.
MU339	Music and Media 4.00 Credits Music and Media is a review and survey of musical practice in four key media areas: radio, film, television, and popular music. In each area, music will be treated not as a supplement to other media, but as a form complete unto itself. The interrelatedness of all media will be explored, with music providing the essential framework for this investigation. We will examine the function of music in silent film, the connections between music, radio and popular taste, the ongoing evolution of the music video as a formal structure and contemporary electronic music as multimedia/digital culture. We will also examine how changes in musical style and developments in musical technologies influence other media. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective of the General Education requirements.
TH100	Appreciation of Theatre Arts 4.00 Credits This course introduces students to the nature of theatrical performances, which may include drama, comedy, musical theatre, opera, dance, solo performance, or performance art. Students will see theatrical performances both on and off the Emerson campus and will be exposed to a wide range of performance styles. Readings will include plays and some historical material as well as readings in performance theory and critical analysis. Special attention will be given to the student's written response to theatrical art. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective of the General Education requirements.
TH204	Theatre Into Film 4.00 Credits This course will explore the artistic languages of theatre and film. Dramatic material written for the stage will be read and analyzed and the process of adaptation of that material will be explored. Texts include the works of such playwrights as Shakespeare, Strindberg, Williams, and Albee. Film texts include the work of directors such as Lumet, Cukor, Solberg, and Nichols. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective of the General Education requirements.
TH205	Dress Codes: American Clothes in the Twentieth Century 4.00 Credits Students will examine American clothes and fashion in the twentieth century, with a primary focus on the visual elements of everyday dress. Six distinct periods will be studied according to the silhouette and decorative details of each. Further, each fashion period will be studied within the context of its indirect influences (social, cultural, historical, technological, economical). Particular focus will be given to concepts of masculinity and feminity, and gender ambiguity; challenges to gendered clothes (such as trousers on women, long hair on men); and anti-fashion (zoot suits, beatniks, hippies, punk, goth). Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective of the General Education requirements.
TH315	Topics in Contemporary Theatre 4.00 Credits Various topics in the aesthetics of contemporary theatre with particular focus on the history, theory and criticism of selected contemporary performers and directors. This course will also focus on current productions and presentations in and around Boston. Attendance at selected events is mandatory. Prerequisite: TH 222 or permission of instructor. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective of the General Education requirements.
TH548	History of Fashion 4.00 Credits In this course students learn period research methods, efficient archiving techniques, period manners, styles and silhouettes, period palettes, period costume inventories, and period fabric choices and manufacturing techniques. Students will also explore the relationship between fashion and various historical, social and cultural changes. Students are expected to provide appropriate materials as needed. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective of the General Education requirements.
TH549	History of Decorative Arts and Architecture 4.00 Credits This course surveys the development of styles of architecture, furniture, ornamentation, and clothing from the Egyptians through the early 20th-century. Each major period will be examined through lecture and visual presentations, along with field study to the Museum of Fine Arts and other related areas of interest, with a focus on the major influencing factors, such as geography/geology, climate, religious/social structures, history, science and technology. Each student will be required to research and prepare a class presentation on one of the areas covered, as well as to research and maintain a tracing notebook of all periods. Fulfills the Aesthetic Perspective of the General Education requirements.
VM105	Introduction to Visual Arts 4.00 Credits This course is an approach to the visual language of communication shared among all of the visual arts. The course emphasizes visual analysis, understanding of materials, the history of style and techniques, and the functions and meanings of art in its varied manifestations. Slide lectures, museum visits, readings, discussions, papers, and critiques constitute a basis upon which to develop further studies in the visual and media arts. Fulfills the Aesthetics perspective of the General Education requirements.
VM203	History of Photography 4.00 Credits This course is survey of the aesthetic and technical development of photography from its invention to the present day. The emphasis will be on the twentieth century, and the course will include critical analysis of the medium, which is central to understanding the influence and appropriation of photography today. The course will include visiting permanent collections in the Boston area as well as recent exhibitions. Fulfills the Aesthetics perspective of the General Education requirements.
VM210	History of Western Art I: Renaissance and Baroque 4.00 Credits This course is an investigation of Renaissance and Baroque art, beginning with Proto-Renaissance works in the 14th century, and concluding with the Late Baroque in the latter 17th/early 18th century. Students study major works and artists that characterize these movements, and the critical treatment they received over the centuries. In addition to the Early and High Renaissance in Italy, we shall also consider the Renaissance as manifested in Northern Europe. In contrast to these geographical and regional divisions, the Baroque emerges as the first international style of art in the western world. Fulfills the Aesthetics perspective of the General Education requirements.
VM211	History of Western Art II: 18th- and 19th-Century Art 4.00 Credits This course considers the evolution of the arts in the western tradition through the 18th and 19th centuries. The major works, styles and artists are examined within the context of contemporaneous socio-cultural movements, such as the Enlightenment. Critical and public responses to the art shall enhance our understanding of its historical perspective. Among the movements studied are: Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Art Nouveau, Impressionism, and Post-Impressionism. Fulfills the Aesthetics perspective of the General Education requirements.
VM212	History of Western Art III: Modern 4.00 Credits This course is a chronological survey of western modern art, focused on 1900 to 1945. The course examines the major styles, works and artists of the first half of the twentieth-century, prior to the advent of Abstract Expressionism. Students shall examine a wide variety of European and American modern art, and investigate the critical and public reactions to these. Among the movements studied are: Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Dada, Futurism, Surrealism, the Bauhaus, Constructivism, and De Stijl. Fulfills the Aesthetics perspective of the General Education requirements.
VM213	History of Western Art IV: Post World War II 4.00 Credits This course is a chronological study of western contemporary art, commencing with work from after World War II, which considers the major styles, works and artists from the second half of the twentieth-century through the present day, beginning with Abstract Expressionism. Students will investigate numerous forms of European and American contemporary art, and their attendant criticism, in a broad contextual framework. Among the movements studied are: Pop Art, Minimalism, New Realism, Postmodernism, Conceptualism, Neo-Expressionism, Graffiti, Photorealism, Earth Works, and Performance Art. Fulfills the Aesthetics perspective of the General Education requirements.
VM214	History of Non-Western Art I: Asia and the Mideast 4.00 Credits This course examines the varying styles of and critical approaches to East, South, and Southeast Asian art, including China, Japan, India, and the arts of the Mideast, especially those of Islam. Major artworks and artists are presented with concern for respective cultural traditions and diverse perspectives. We shall consider how indigenous philosophical and spiritual beliefs, as well as socio-cultural and political structures, inform the artworks, and how our understanding shifts when this art is experienced within its original context as opposed to western frameworks. Fulfills the Aesthetics perspective and Global Diversity requirements.
VM215	History of Non-Western Art II: Africa, the Pacific, and the Americas 4.00 Credits This course examines the various artistic styles of Africa (including the Diaspora), Islam, Pacific Cultures, and America (Mesoamerica, South, Central, and indigenous North America). Major artworks are contextualized through their indigenous traditions, as well as a diversity of critical perspectives. We shall consider how respective philosophical and spiritual beliefs, as well as socio-cultural and political structures, inform the artwork, and how our understanding of art made by each of these cultures shifts when encountered in its original context as opposed through the framings of the west. Fulfills the Aesthetics perspective and Global Diversity requirements.
VM218	The Artist and the Making of Meaning 4.00 Credits An introduction to the concerns of semiotics and structuralism as they apply to the relation between art and language. The course offers the student a clear and systematic approach to thinking critically about art (and by extension, about anything else), particularly in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. The course includes lectures, discussion, and field trips. Fulfills the Aesthetics perspective of the General Education requirements.
VM409	Topic: The 70s and 80s 4.00 Credits The course begins in the 70s with the rise of pluralism (spanning from circa 1968 to 1981), a coexistence of multiple styles in which no single approach dominates, rather than a clearly defined mainstream or trend. This pluralism was nurtured by the earlier cultural and socio-political turmoil of the 1960s. In comparison, the 1980s emerges as a financially prosperous decade for the art world, both here and abroad. The 80s bore witness to much debate regarding the differences between American and European art in particular, a notable departure from the more international current of pluralism. After the defiant anti-commercialism of the pluralist era, 80s artists asserted the prominence of the object and many openly embraced commodification. But the political and social issues raised in the 1970s did not go away; rather they were transformed in the hands of a new generation. This course involves in-depth investigations of topics germane to art created during the 1970s and 80s within three thematic areas of concentration; Concepts and Theories, Painting, and Politics and Social Issues. The Concepts and Theories section considers both Conceptual Art and Postmodernism. In the Painting section we examine New Image and Bad Painting, Neo-Expressionism, and Graffiti. The section on Politics and Social Issues covers a wide variety of topics: The Art Market and Collecting; Race and Ethnicity; Gender and Feminism; Case Studies in Public Art/Public Memory; and Censorship.

Ethics and Values Perspectives (4 credits)

Courses in this perspective challenge students to articulate the foundations for their beliefs and judgments and subject these value commitments to critical analysis. Choose form the following courses:

Course Code	Course Information
HS202	Sophomore Honors Seminar 4.00 Credits The Sophomore Honors Seminar engages students in critical thinking and research about philosophical, cultural, and scientific methods of generating knowledge and their ethical implications. Different areas of inquiry are examined each year. Recent topics have included environmental ethics, evolution, astronomy, and epistemology. Fulfills General Education requirements.
PH105	Introduction to Ethics 4.00 Credits This course provides an introduction to several of the most important theories on the nature of the good in human conduct. These theories belong to the western philosophical tradition, and include (at least) the work of Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Mill, and others. Fulfills the Ethics and Values Perspective of the General Education requirement.
PH110	Ethics and Justice 4.00 Credits This course will consider ethical theories and theories of justice, expecially those related to questions of economic, criminal, political, and social justice. Fulfills the Ethics and Values Perspective of the General Education requirement.
PH200	Contemporary Ethics 4.00 Credits Contemporary ethical issues such as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, and affirmative action are examined in light of major theories of ethics and morals from the history of western philosophy. Fulfills the Ethics and Values Perspective of the General Education requirements.
PH203	Topic: Introduction to Christianity 4.00 Credits To understand the modern world it is important to have a basic knowledge of the values and beliefs of Christianity, its history, the ways in which it has related to and has influenced human culture, and some of the implications of Christianity flourishing worldwide today. In this course students will have the opportunity to engage in analysis and appraisal of Christianity as a system of moral reasoning.
PH204	Environmental Ethics 4.00 Credits This course considers philosophical ethics in relation to environmental issues. Topics include: religious beliefs as a foundation for environmental commitments, our duties and obligations toward other species, deep ecology, ecofeminism, economic imperatives versus environmental concerns, and the disproportionate burden of environmental problems borne by certain groups. Fulfills the Ethics and Values Perspective of the General Education requirements.
PH210	Narrative Ethics 4.00 Credits This course will present an overview of classical and modern approaches to ethical theory and uses examples from the worlds of fiction and film to show how ethical theories can be applied. It will connect abstract theory with real life through storytelling and story analysis in order to understand and evaluation moral issues. Fulfills the Ethics and Values Perspective of the General Education requirements.
PL328	Political Thought 4.00 Credits An analysis of the evolution of political theory from early Greece to the present. Emphasis is placed on the formation of the Western political tradition and the relationship of political theory to the development of absolutism, constitutional monarchy, liberal democracy and socialism. The course will also address the issues of idealism and realism in political thought, individual rights versus the needs of the collective, and the relation of these considerations to the emergence of totalitarian political ideologies. Fulfills the Ethics and Values Perspective of the General Education requirements.

Historical Perspective (4 credits)

Courses in this perspective foster an understanding of the context and content of societal actions and events and provide students with insight into the evolution of cultures, people, and countries over time. Choose from the following courses:

Course Code	Course Information
HI102	An Introduction to Western Civilization and Culture 4.00 Credits Study of the rise of civilization from its beginnings in the Neolithic Revolution through the classical empires, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the hegemony of European and American civilization throughout the world. Emphasis on the influence of Judaism and Christianity in this process. Fulfills the Historical Perspective of the General Education requirements.
HI200	An Introduction to the Contemporary World 4.00 Credits An imaginative attempt to treat the problems of contemporary civilization on a global scale. The course will integrate the political, social, intellectual, literary, and artistic aspects of the 20th-century landscape. It will also cover such major themes as nationalism and the disintegration of empires, war and revolution, anti-colonial movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and the efforts to construct a new world order. Fulfills the Historical Perspective of the General Education requirements.
HI203	Social Movements in the Age of Liberalism 4.00 Credits An examination of the political movements of industrial and agricultural workers, the unemployed, and the poor to gain power and economic rights since the Great Depression. The course chronicles movements that shaped the policies of the New Deal and the Great Society, and analyzes the ways in which these movements fostered a conservative response late in the century. The history is presented in the context of the ideals of democratic liberalism, the emerging power of corporate capitalism, and the modern conservative political coalition. Historical texts and a variety of cultural sources (literature, films, photographs, songs and museum exhibitions) are examined. Fulfills the Historical Perspective of and the General Education U.S. Diversity requirements.
HI204	Islam in the World 4.00 Credits An interdisciplinary study of the origins of Islam and the role of Mohammed, the global expansion of the faith, the theology and thought of the Koran and Moslem traditions, and forms of art and architecture generated by the teachings of the prophet. The course also explores the impact of the renewal of Islam and its increasing role in the modern world. Fulfills the Historical Perspective and the General Education Global Diversity requirements.
HI205	History of England 4.00 Credits A study of the history of England from the Norman Conquest through the twentieth Century. Emphasizes the personalities of the rulers, the rise of parliamentary government, the interaction of England and other European nations, and the rise and decline of the British Empire. Included are discussions of how Shakespeare and Hollywood have depicted and often distorted English history. Fulfills the Historical Perspective of the General Education requirements.
HI208	The World Since 1914 4.00 Credits The emphasis is on Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, the origins and events of World War II, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. Fulfills the History option of the General Education requirements.
HI211	African-American History 4.00 Credits A survey of sub-Saharan history of the pre-colonial era, and the history of African-Americans from the slave trade through the Civil War to the present. Fulfills the Historical Perspective of the General Education requirements.
HI220	History of Russia and the Former Soviet Union 4.00 Credits Survey of Russian history from the ninth century to the present. Emphasis is placed on the growth and development of Muscovite and Imperial Russia; the revolution of revolutionary thought and action; the nature of Russian communism; the significance of the Bolsheviks revolution; and the growth, collapse and aftermath of the Soviet state. Fulfills the Historical Perspective of the General education requirements.
HI223	Renaissance and Reformation Thought, 1300-1600 4.00 Credits The creativity of the Renaissance and Reformation is presented through the new ideas of the great thinkers of the period. Included are the Italian Humanists, Petrarch and Machiavelli, and the Protestant Reformers, Luther and Calvin. Fulfills the Historical Perspective of the General Education requirements.
HI235	History of the United States 4.00 Credits A study of the history of the United States from it colonial beginnings to the present. Special attention will be given to the Civil War and its consequences. Lectures will be illustrated by contemporary political cartoons. Fulfills the Historical Perspective of the General Education requirements.
PL225	American Government and Politics 4.00 Credits The American political system including national, state and local government, Constitutional foundation, citizenship, civil liberties, public opinion, political parties, the electoral system and the legislative process. The course will examine in detail the judicial history of these issues. In particular, the role of the Supreme Court will be studied in-depth. Fulfills the Historical Perspective of the General Education requirements.
PL240	Introduction to Communication, Politics and Law 4.00 Credits This interdisciplinary course is designed to introduce students to the political-legal communication field. Emphasis is placed on our legal system and constructing and communicating arguments. Fulfills the Historical Perspective of the General Education requirements.
PL332	Civil Rights 4.00 Credits The course is a review of the United States Constitution, congressional legislation and Supreme Court cases affecting and controlling minority rights from 1776 to the present. Fulfills the Historical Perspective and the General Education U.S. Diversity requirements.
PL333	The First Amendment 4.00 Credits A study of law relating to communication in the United States. Includes the First Amendment, the Federal Communication Commission and political speech. Fulfills the Historical Perspective of the General Education requirements.

Interdisciplinary Perspective (4 credits)

Courses in this perspective integrate two or more disciplines, emphasizing connections between theory and practice, and providing a basis for understanding and appraising the role of interdisciplinary knowledge in human affairs. Students choose from any of the IN, Interdisciplinary, courses offered by the Institute of Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies. All freshman and all first-year transfer students shall complete one 100-level course in the fist year of study at Emerson. Upper-level transfer students shall complete one course at the 200-level or above.

Literary Perspective (4 credits)

Courses in this perspective foster a critical, intellectual, and emotional engagement with literature that stimulates reflection on how literary tests use language to communicate about fundamental human concerns. Choose from the following courses:

Course Code	Course Information
HS102	First-Year Honors Seminar 4.00 Credits The First-Year Honors Seminar introduces students to the interdisciplinary study of literature and cultural theory while addressing issues of power and ideology in various multicultural contexts. Fulfills General Education requirements.
OP264	Oral Presentation of Literature 4.00 Credits The oral performance of literature (poetry, prose and drama) as the art of understanding and communicating a text's meaning to an audience is the focus of this course. Objectives include exploring the aesthetic dimensions of literature and its performance, and developing critical skills in interpreting texts and evaluating performed literature. Fulfills the Literary Perspective of the General Education requirements.
LI201	Literary Foundations 4.00 Credits A survey of some foundational works of Western literature in poetry, nonfiction, fiction and drama, designed to familiarize students with literary history as well as the history of our notions of the afterlife, love, duty, virtue and vice. Authors studied may include Homer, Sophocles, Plato, Virgil, Ovid, Dante, Boccaccio, the Beowulf poet, and Chaucer. Prerequisite: WP 121 or HS 101. Fullfills the Literary Perspective of the General Education requirements.
LI202	American Literature 4.00 Credits An introduction to representative works of American literature in several genres from the colonial period to the modern by writers such as Bradstreet, Franklin, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Douglass, Melville, Dickinson, Whitman, Chopin, Twain, Crane, Hurston, Faulkner, Williams, and Moore. Prerequisite: WP 121 or HS 101. Fullfills the Literary Perspective of the General Education requirements.
LI203	British Literature 4.00 Credits An historical overview and introduction to several genres of British Literature from the Renaissance to the 20th Century, focusing on writers such as More, Spenser, Milton, Defoe, Bronte, Eliot, Joyce, and Beckett. Prerequisite: WP 121 or HS 101. Fullfills the Literary Perspective of the General Education requirements.
LI204	Topic: Literature of the South 4.00 Credits Literature of the South: A survey class that explores the fiction, poetry, drama and nonfiction that has come out of the American South, spanning from the Civil War era to present day. The critical approach to the texts will focus on aspects of storytelling (for example, how oral storytelling translates into narrative works), the history of the region and both the physical and social landscape of the American South.
LI208	U.S. Multicultural Literatures 4.00 Credits This course is an introduction to some of the poetry, fiction and other genres produced in the multicultural U.S.A. Focusing on four major American literatures we will examine the ways that writers from disparate communities have used various literary forms to articulate resistance, community and citizenship. We will situate these literary texts in their historical contexts in order to better understand the writing strategies of each author. We will broaden our understanding of literature to include essays, journalism, and films, so that we can learn how diverse cultural texts work to represent America. Fullfills the Literary Perspective of the General Education requirements and the U.S. Diversity requirement.
LI209	Topic: Latino Literature 4.00 Credits Latino Literature explores the idea of borderlands or living on the hyphen by American writerswho identify themselves as tradling two cultures. We will read poetry, essays, fiction and theater by authors in the following traditions: Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban and DominicanAmerican literatures. Fulfills the Literary Perspective and the General Education U.S. Diversity requirement.
LI210	American Women Writers 4.00 Credits Fiction, poetry, and other genres by 19th- and 20th-century American women such as Harriet Jacobs, Emily Dickinson, Kate Chopin, Maxine Hong Kingston, Eudora Welty, Adrienne Rich, and Toni Morrison. Fulfills the Literary Perspective of the General Education requirements and the U.S. Diversity requirement.
LI211	Topic: Latin American Literature and Film 4.00 Credits This course considers how Latin American authors use poetry, drama, essay and fiction to provide alternative versions of national foundations, revolutionary movements and political repression. We will view literary writing in relationship to the languages of scientific inquiry, myth, history, sociology, psychology and journalism.

Scientific Perspective (4 credits)

Courses in the perspective encourage students to appreciate science as both content and process, to explore existing knowledge in particular natural or physical domains, and to identify how science pertains to their own lives. Choose from the following courses:

Course Code	Course Information
HS201	Sophomore Honors Seminar 4.00 Credits The Sophomore Honors Seminar engages students in critical thinking and research about philosophical, cultural, and scientific methods of generating knowledge and their ethical implications. Different areas of inquiry are examined each year. Recent topics have included environmental ethics, evolution, astronomy, and epistemology. Fulfills General Education requirements.
SC202	The Human Body 4.00 Credits This course provides an introduction to the morphology and physiology of human body systems, including musculoskeletal, digestive, cardiovascular, immune, respiratory, endocrine, and reproductive systems. Students work through concept development strategies and in-class laboratories to understand interrelationships within and among body systems and to learn the methodologies used to investigate disease and other conditions.
SC203	Nutrition and Human Health 4.00 Credits This course is an introduction to nutrition and diet, and provides an understanding of the processes of life through an understanding of how nutrition, health, and life science are interrelated. Basic nutrition principles include the structure and function of nutrients, the digestive system, food composition and diet analysis, and nutritional roots of disease. Further, nutrition is related to overall fitness and changes over the life cycle. Emphasis is placed on an understanding of nutrition for optimal health and on the study of nutrition as a means for understanding the scientific process.
SC204	Origin and Evolution of Life 4.00 Credits This course is a survey of the origin of life as it exists on earth and its potential existence elsewhere. Material will be drawn from cosmology, biology, genetics, and paleontology in an effort to address questions pertaining to the birth and evolution of the universe and the diversity of organisms. Advances in biotechnology that have allowed for mapping, sequencing, and cloning the genomes of animals and plants will be considered in view of their ethical and social implications.
SC205	Environment and Humankind 4.00 Credits This course is an introductory and topical course in environmental science designed to equip you with basic concepts to explore relationships and interactions between humans and the environment. The course covers issues pertaining to human population growth, the preservation of biodiversity of both terrestrial and aquatic species and ecosystems, and topics such as global climate change, pollution of water, air and soil, and chemical impacts on human health Emphasis is placed on collecting and analyzing evidence regarding environmental issues and the impact of scientific and technological developments on society.
SC206	Weather and Global Climate Change 4.00 Credits This course introduces the atmospheric processes that determine weather and global climate. Knowledge of the interactions of atmosphere, ocean and human activities allow for an understanding of present weather prediction as well as understanding potential climatic changes projected for the future. Discussions of models and modeling and the use of technology to understand weather and climate are complemented by the use of the Internet to access and interpret real time meteorlogical data.
SC207	Sensation and Perception 4.00 Credits This course examines human sensory and perceptual processes relating mainly to visual and auditory perception. The course will first describe basic processes of nerve function and the neural pathways that make up perceptual systems. It will then cover topics such as Object-, Form-, Depth-, Size- and Motion-Perception, and Sound-, Pitch-, and Tonal-Perception. Some attention will be given to gustatory, olfactory, and cutaneous senses. Following this, high-level neurocognitive processes such as mental imagery, speech perception and multisensory integration will be discussed. The course may be of special interest to students of psychology and visual media. Students will be encouraged to discuss practical applications of the course in graphic design, advertising and other forms of media production.
SC208	Natural Disasters and Earth Science 4.00 Credits This course introduces the science of natural disasters, including the study of earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, landslides, wildfires, climate change, and other environmental crises, each having components or origins in the areas of geology, meteorology, ecology, and hydrology. Each natural disaster has impacts on human populations and the human-built society, as well as effects on natural resources. The course draws upon the body of knowledge in the various earth and envoronmental sciences as we explore various natural cataclysmic change. Recent research and examples will be reviewed, including the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.
SC209	Ecology and Global Environmental Change 4.00 Credits This course engages students in an in-depth study of ecological principles and environmental issues that have scientific, economic, and social dimensions of global significance. Subject areas discussed include ecosystems of New England and beyond, aquatic plants and animals climate change, human population growth, land-use and land-cover changes, and habitat modification. Recent research into biogeography, species extinctions, natural resource management, invasive species, and ecosystem dynamics is highlighted. This course includes a field research component focused on urban ecosystems.
SC231	Physics for the Media 4.00 Credits This course is an introduction to the physical properties of sound, light electricity, and basic mechanics. Students apply their study of basic physics concepts to related fields in communication and develop an understanding of the transfer of scientific experimentation and theory into technological practice. The course requires some basic mathematics skills.
SC270	The Brain and Human Behavior 4.00 Credits This course discusses the general structure of the human brain, and perceptual, cognitive and neurologic functions and disorders that are tied to various brain systems. The course covers neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, basic sensory functions, brain development, mechanisms of drugs and hormones, sleep, consciousness, and investigative methods used to study the brain. Higher neurocognitive functions such as language and memory, and a range of neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders are also explored. The course contents can be flexibly applied to any area of communication studies.
SC280	Science and Society 4.00 Credits This course helps students develop knowledge and understanding of the major role that science plays in their lives and the role they can play in interpreting and applying scientific information. Science is viewed as both a process and as content, involving issues such as proof, fact, effects of observation, theories, laws, and similar concepts. Connections among science, technology, and the arts and the humanities will be viewed as an integrated means for society to function. The course includes analysis of case studies, readings, problem solving exercises, and exercises in developing critical thinking skills.
SC290	Top: Plants and People 4.00 Credits This course introduces students to plant science and biology, with a particular focus on the importance of plants to humans. We will explore the basics of plant structure and function, plant diversity and evolution, the use of plants for food, medicine, and other products, and the interactions of plants and the environment.

Social and Psychological Perspective (4 credits)

Courses in this perspective examine how human behavior is shaped by psychological and social processes and how people’ actions and thoughts reflect personal motivations as well as broader influences of groups, institutions, communities, and societies. Choose from the following courses:

Course Code	Course Information
CD153	Images of the Disabled 4.00 Credits A study of how the disabled are portrayed in film, theatre, and literature in contrast with the realities of society. This course examines the issue of disability as a culture and, as such, fulfills the General Education U.S. Diversity requirement.
OP343	Rhetorical Theory: Audience Analysis 4.00 Credits Study of classical theorists of rhetoric on speaking and writing well. Emphasis on the practical application of classical theory to contemporary rhetorical situations. In-class oral performances and several written assignments required. Fulfills the Social Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirements. Prerequisites: OP200 and OP263 or OP266.
EC203	Principles of Economics 4.00 Credits An introduction to the basic concepts, theories and principles of micro- and macroeconomics. Includes analysis of prices, output, and income distribution through the interaction of households and business firms in a free enterprise economy as well as the study of national economic performance factors such as national income and employment, monetary and fiscal policy, recession, government spending and taxation, and international trade and payments. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirement.
PL231	Personality, Power and Politics 4.00 Credits A study of eight historical personalities (Napoleon, Bismarck, Lenin, Hitler, Gandhi, Mao Zedong, Mandela, and Gorbachev) whose political ideas have contributed to the contemporary debate concerning the origins of the modern world. Special emphasis will be placed on leadership concepts, models and techniques, as they apply to the formation of mass political movements. The course will make use of films, journalistic accounts and historical commentary to foster an interdisciplinary approach to the study of political issues and events. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirements.
PS101	Introductory Psychology 4.00 Credits This comprehensive introductory course presents topics across the range of subdisciplines that make up the filed including the history of psychology, research methods, attention and consciousness, learning, memory, language, motivation, emotion, social perception and interaction, child and adult development and mental illness. Students are engaged in discussions, presentation, and demonstrations centered on key ideas in the filed. This course is useful to students who may pursue further studies in psychology and those who wish to apply psychology to other subject areas.
PS230	Psychology of Gender, Race and Ethnicity 4.00 Credits We live in a country of diverse social groups. This course explores attitudes towards men and women from different racial and ethnic groups from a social-psychological perspective. To this end, it will explore three components of attitudes (stereotypes -- social perceptions, prejudice -- affective reactions, discrimination -- behavioral actions) and how social, cognitive, and emotional factors contribute to these components. Fulfills the General Education U.S. Diversity requirement.
PS301	Psychology of Personal Growth and Adjustment 4.00 Credits The course examines means and methods of adaptation to life, with a focus on psychological development across the life cycle. This is an applied psychology course with a heavy emphasis on self-reflection and the means of effective functioning. Topics may include stress, adaptive and maladaptive coping, identity and the self, as well as specific lifestyle issues such as relationships, health, values, working, aging, gender, and sexuality.
PS302	Person Perception and Nonverbal Communication 4.00 Credits This course examines the role of physical and expressive qualities of people's faces, voices, and bodies in the processing of emotion, impression formation, self-presentation, and intergroup interaction. Emphasis is placed on the application of social-psychological research methods to explore underlying mechanisms and individual differences.
PS303	Organizational Behavior 4.00 Credits This course engages students in the methods of psychology as it has been applied to understanding human behavior in organizations. Students explore issues related to working behavior in traditional businesses and are encouraged to apply information to a variety of organizational settings. Topics may include employee selection and training, performance appraisal, leadership, group behavior, organizational culture, motivation, job satisfaction, working conditions, stress, organizational structure, and communication.
PS305	Cognitive Psychology 4.00 Credits Cognitive Psychology is the study of mental mechanisms and processes involved with perception, learning, memory, and thinking. It may also be thought of as the study of how the mind and brain process various kinds of information. This course will explore cognitive psychology via many of its central subtopics. These include perception, attention, memory, language, problem solving, decision-making, mental representation and knowledge, reasoning, creativity and intelligence. The course will also highlight the close relationship between modern cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience which ties cognitive processes to brain systems. Interactive participation will be encouraged throughout the course as students engage in simple presentations, demonstrations and experiments. A special practical module will require students to discuss applications of course to their major areas of study, such as media production, visual media arts, advertising, and communication disorders.
PS313	Abnormal Psychology 4.00 Credits This course provides an introduction to the nature, etiology, and classification of abnormal behaviors and therapeutic methods used to treat them. An explanation of the relation between mental disorder and the social and cultural setting is also provided.
PS321	Social Psychology 4.00 Credits The course examines the relation of the individual to the social environment. A variety of social-psychological topics are covered, such as impression formation, attribution, emotion perception, attitude development, interpersonal attraction, group behavior, helping behavior, and aggression.
PS333	Developmental Psychology 4.00 Credits The class explores the stage/age-related physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development of individuals. Topics include physical maturation and sensory-motor development; thinking, reasoning and language processes; personality growth, social cognition and interpersonal interaction. Attention is also given to the discussion of contemporary controversial topics.
PS339	Psychology of Personality 4.00 Credits This course covers the study of major theories of personality with an emphasis on personality structure, motivation, emotion, and contrasts between immature and mature personality. Includes the dynamics of behavior in case study settings.
PS380	Topics in Psychology 4.00 Credits Special offerings in psychology will focus on important questions in contemporary psychology. Each course will use theory and methods within major psychological perspectives such as cognitive, biological, evolutionary, developmental, social, and clinical psychology to demonstrate how psychology addresses and responds to concerns of individuals and groups in real-world contexts.
SO150	Principles of Sociology 4.00 Credits This course introduces key sociological concepts and methodologies that provide pivotal tools for critical analysis of the world in which we live. Students practice critical analyses of structures and agents of power focusing on the roles we play in shaping relationships and institutions in our local and global communities. This course explores our historical biographies that shape our own world views. By bringing history to bear on the present locating ourselves within historical processes we identify what shapes our sociological imagination. Hands-on approaches extend learning beyond the classroom walls to ensure that theory is linked to practice. Students learn to do and to live sociology as an integral aspect of their individual and community identities.. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirements.
SO200	Communities and Race Relations 4.00 Credits A study of the history and sociology of racial and ethnic groups in the United States, including a consideration of group tensions and aggressions. The course will provide an overview of the social experiences of major ethnic groups who entered the U.S. as well as of selected Native American societies. Modern issues of inter-group relations will also be examined. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective and the General Education U.S. Diversity requirement.
SO206	Gender in a Global Perspective 4.00 Credits An exploration of gender in a comparative and global context. Framed by interdisciplinary perspectives from sociology, anthropology, psychology, and cultural studies, this course examines the social construction of gender across cultures. Globalization is explored as a web of complex forces shaping our gender-construction activities and institutions. Students learn to analyze course readings and other media, apply these to their own gendered experiences, and compare their experiences with those in other cultures. Sites for analysis range from ordinary daily activities involving work, play and intimacy, to institutional structures such as religion, politics, military, media, and the economy. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective and the General Education Global Diversity requirement.
SO207	Dance, Ritual and Society 4.00 Credits A sociological examination of the role played by dance and ritual in creating and challenging societal order in diverse cultures throughout the United Sates and around the globe. Using interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives primarily from sociology, anthropology, and psychology, this course provides an introduction to dance and ritual studies. Emphasis in placed on the impact of dance and ritual practices on both social structure and individual identity. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirements.
SO208	Visual Society 4.00 Credits This course looks at the visual culture of contemporary societies from a variety of sociological standpoints. Social theories of economic and cultural change describe the increasing significance of visual images and the decline of texts, oral communication and face-to-face interactions as media of communication. As a macro-level process, the visualization of culture is considered in connection to economic globalization and a shift from production to consumption economies a process that is examined in a variety of cases from television and web sites to billboards, clothing and window displays. In addition to sociological readings and discussions, students will undertake a series of visual-ethnographic studies, exploring the effects of visual culture (electronic and digital images, video, film, photography and magazine images) on such social processes as identity, race, sexuality, politics, opportunity, community and tradition. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirements.
SO303	Culture and Power 4.00 Credits An exploration of the production of culture and meaning in everyday life employing perspectives from sociology of culture and cultural studies. Emphasis in given to subjectivity and agency and their relation to social structure. The course focuses on the formation and expression of individual and collective identities and the contestation of ideology in every life activities such as eating, dressing, dancing, watching television, and shopping. Students use ethnography to explore the everyday activities that define their sense of selves and power and give meaning to their world while organizing social institutions and processes. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirements.
SO320	Sociology of Everyday Life 4.00 Credits This course is designed as an advanced introduction to the Sociology of Everyday Life. The aim is to familiarize students with sociological approaches to the study of language and social behavior in everyday settings, and to equip them with tools for looking at the world of everyday life in new and rather novel ways. In addition to completing assigned readings and attending lectures, every seminar participant will conduct a study of some specific social setting or familiar features of modern urban life. Here, a premium will be placed on gaining direct experience with the setting or phenomenon in question. Additionally, students will be encouraged to use audio, visual, and/or photographic recordings in their studies, and to present their work at various stages in its preparation. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirements.
SO360	Deviance and Social Control 4.00 Credits A critical examination of various forms of social control and the use of power in constructing normative boundaries, which differentiate normal and deviant perspectives. Special focus on media roles within popular culture. Major areas covered: overviews of differing academic perspectives; specific grand theories evidenced through the sociological imagination; varieties of violent forms; sexual configurations; mental disorders; substance usages; white collar dysfunctions; and governmental-economic forms. Attention to ethical dimensions of choice and change will be accented in each featured subject area through personal self-critique or examination of career roles in chosen media specialties. Fulfills the Social and Psychological Perspective of the General Education requirements.