2011-12 Hamilton College Catalogue
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2011-12 Hamilton College Catalogue Courses of Instruction Departments and Programs Page 1 of 193 Updated Jul. 31, 2011 Departments and Programs Africana Studies American Studies Anthropology Art Art History Asian Studies Biochemistry/Molecular Biology Biology Chemical Physics Chemistry Cinema and New Media Studies Classics College Courses and Seminars Communication Comparative Literature Computer Science Critical Languages Dance and Movement Studies Digital Arts East Asian Languages and Literatures Economics Education Studies English and Creative Writing English for Speakers of Other Languages Environmental Studies Foreign Languages French Geoarchaeology Geosciences German Studies Government Hispanic Studies History Jurisprudence, Law, and Justice Studies Latin American Studies Mathematics Medieval and Renaissance Studies Music Neuroscience Oral Communication Philosophy Physical Education Physics Psychology Public Policy Religious Studies Russian Studies Sociology Theatre Women's Studies Writing Courses of Instruction Page 2 of 193 Updated Jul. 31, 2011 Courses of Instruction For each course, the numbering indicates its general level and the term in which it is offered. Courses numbered in the 100s, and some in the 200s, are introductory in material and/or approach. Generally courses numbered in the 200s and 300s are intermediate and advanced in approach. Courses numbered in the 400s and 500s are most advanced. Although courses are normally limited to 40 students, some courses have lower enrollment limits due to space constraints (e.g., in laboratories or studios) or to specific pedagogical needs (e.g., special projects, small-group discussions, additional writing assignments). For example, writing-intensive courses are normally limited to 20 students, and seminars are normally limited to 12. Enrollment limits mean that a student might not always be able to take a course that he or she wishes to take. To satisfy pedagogical needs, departments may set priorities to govern entrance into courses limited in enrollment." The term in which the course will be offered is indicated by the letter immediately following the course number: F for fall semester, and S for spring semester. F,S designates a course offered in both fall and spring semesters. Su designates a course comprising a summer field trip. Courses with bracketed numbers will not be offered during 2011-12. In most cases, the description indicates the next date the course will be offered. A single three-digit number preceding a course description indicates that the course may be elected for a single term. Most offerings are of this type. Two three-digit numbers separated by a hyphen indicate that normally the course will be elected for two terms. For such courses, a student may not enter the second term without having taken the first, unless otherwise indicated. A course designated as open to a certain class (e.g., "Open to sophomores") is also open to all higher classes. A course with no statement concerning class eligibility is open to all students. Unless otherwise stated, all courses meet for three 50-minute or two 75-minute class periods each week. In the list of faculty members for each department, the letters (F,S) following a name indicate terms of leave or off-campus teaching. The following letters denote faculty members who are teaching in the following programs: ACC (Associated Colleges in China); AYS (Academic Year in Spain); DC (Term in Washington); JYF (Junior Year in France); MFE (Mellon Faculty Exchange); NYC (New York City Program). Page 3 of 193 Updated Jul. 31, 2011 Africana Studies Faculty Shelley P. Haley (Classics), Chair (S) Donald M. Carter Angel David Nieves, Acting Chair Spring Nigel Westmaas The Africana Studies Department focuses on the historical transformation of African peoples as they spread throughout the Atlantic World and beyond. Central to the department is the exploration of the experiences of African peoples with subjugation and liberation as well as their struggle for self-determination and self-expression. A concentration in Africana Studies consists of 11 courses: 220, 221 (or History 141 for the Classes of 2010, 2011 and 2012), 301, 381 or 382, one course focusing on gender and sexuality at the 200 or 300-level, one 400-level seminar, 549 (beginning with the Class of 2013), 550 and three approved electives. Only one 100-level course will be accepted and the other two electives must be at or above the 200 level. Concentrators are encouraged to have a basic working knowledge of an appropriate language other than English. The program will accept study abroad and/or coursework in overseas programs toward the concentration with the approval of the program chair. Before electing a concentration in Africana studies, students must meet with the chair to design a program of study, planning in advance so that they will be able to complete prerequisites for courses counting toward the concentration. The Senior Program in Africana Studies is an interdisciplinary, year-long project culminating in a thesis, performance or exhibition. The Department must approve the project in the fall of the student's senior year. Any member of the Department may supervise the Senior Project. Students who have an average of 3.3 (88) or higher in the concentration may receive honors through distinguished work in 550. A complete description of the Senior Program is available from the chair. A minor in Africana Studies must include 220, 221, 381 or 382, one 400-level seminar and one elective. The following courses may be used by concentrators and minors to fulfill their core and elective requirements. Certain variable topics elective courses from other disciplines not listed may be substituted with permission of the chair. Please consult the appropriate departments and programs for full descriptions of courses, requirements and prerequisites. 101F Introduction to Africana Studies. Examines the nature, methods and development of black/Africana studies. A comparative and interdisciplinary introduction to the study of African and diaspora cultures and history. Emphasis will be on an exploration of some of the key texts and issues. Endsley, Westmaas. Fall 2007 01 (Westmaas N) 103F Principles of Geoscience: Geology and Human Events in North Africa and the Middle East. An interdisciplinary study exploring the influence of environment, water resources, climate change and bedrock geology of North Africa and the Middle East on prehistory, history, international relations and prospects for the future. Special emphasis on developing GIS skills. (Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning.) (Proseminar.) Three two-hour class sessions per week. Required field trip to the Adirondack region. Not open to students who have taken any other course in Principles of Geoscience. (Same as Geosciences 103.) Maximum enrollment, 16. Tewksbury. Fall 2009 01 (Tewksbury B) 108F Performing Blackness. This class will focus on the revolutionary work of performance artists in the Diaspora and the ways in which they use the arts as a form of political dissent, dissidence, celebration, and social change. As such, we will look at the historic interrelationship between identity, social change, and the performance arts. We will consider performance artists’ creative powers as consumers, producers, critics, supporters, objects, and subjects of “art” as expressed in selected examples of contemporary visual art, theatre, music, film, spoken word poetry, and other texts. (Writing-intensive.) Maximum enrollment, 20. Endsley, CL. [120] Introduction to Afro-Latina/o History and Cultures. Examines Afro-Latino culture and history, developing a broad historical overview while focusing on the continuing demographic changes of the present generation in and across the Americas. A focus on important historical and cultural links between African Americans and Latinos of African descent. Exposure to a variety of historical, literary and artistic sources, and the perspectives of important scholars and theorists, will permit students a critical introduction to the works and ideas that have formed the core of the growing field in Afro-Latino/a studies. (Writing-intensive.) Maximum enrollment, 20. 135S Diaspora Revisited: Tracing the African Diaspora in Germany. Though people of African descent have lived in Germany for more than a century, their existence has largely been overlooked. Yet their history has much to tell us about the construction of race and racial politics in German identity as well as the vagaries of the Page 4 of 193 Africana Studies Updated Jul. 31, 2011 African Diaspora in Europe. Goals are to assess various meanings and narrations of blackness and black Diaspora, particularly as they interact with other aspects of identity such as class, gender and sexuality. Taught in English. (Same as German Studies 135.) Piesche. 140F Understanding Caribbean Carnival. Introduces the Carnival tradition in the Caribbean, examining the rise of Carnival from its slavery and post-emancipation roots; the political and historical dynamic associated with Carnival customs; the complex cultural expressions forged by Carnival’s unique mix of folklore and religion including vodun, dance and dress styles, satire and musical forms like reggae and calypso; the interrelations between the economic and cultural products created by Caribbean peoples, and the spread, content and impact of modern Carnival to large North American cities. Westmaas. 160F History of Jazz. A study of jazz from its origins (its African heritage, blues and ragtime)