Course Description Book
Spring 2017 ✿
Table of Contents Spring 2017 Table of Contents 1
Special Opportunities for Honors Credit 2
Priority Registration for Honors Students 3
Class Schedule 4-5
Honors 200 Shaping of the Modern Mind (HU, OWCB) 6-13
Math 222 14 Honors Calculus II
Honors 350 Honors Seminar in the Humanities (HU) 15 The Symbolic Animal
Honors 351 Honors Seminar in the Social Sciences (SS) 16-17 Transatlantic Revolutions Resistance, Rebellion, and Social Conflict, 1700-1850 Citizen, Stranger, Statesman, Tyrant
Honors 380 Honors Seminar in the Arts (A) 18 A Poetry Workshop
Art History 381 (HU) 19 Images of Japan’s Floating World
Biological Science 380 (NS) 20 Invasions and Extinctions
Chemistry 381 (NS) 21 Development of Modern Chemistry: From Thales to Mendeleev
Comparative Literature 381 (HU) 22 Cosmic Horror and the Contemporary Imagination
English 685 (HU) 23 Law and Literature
French 383 (HU) 24 Fighting for Truth, Justice, and Freedom: The Birth of the Public Intellectual in France
Nursing 380 (SS) †A Failed System? An Exploration of America’s Health and Healthcare System 25
Political Science 380 (SS) 26 National Security Policy
Women’s and Gender Studies 380 (SS) 27 Gender and Anger
Honors College Staff and Office Hours 28
1 Special Opportunities for Honors Credit
Independent Study ~ Honors Tutorial ~ Research in Honors Before you register for an Independent Study, Honors Tutorial, or Research in Honors, you must have an approved proposal. Please allow plenty of time for proposal writing and signature routing. The proposal and accompanying signature form must be complete by May 15 for fall semester and December 15 for spring semester. Detailed proposal guidelines are available outside Honors House 154.
Advanced Departmental Independent Study Courses: Independent study courses, numbered 699 in most departments, are variable credit (1-3H cr) courses in which a student designs and carries out an independent plan of study, reading, research, and writing, with the approval and guidance of a faculty member. It is up to the student to find a faculty member willing to serve as an independent study supervisor. Honors credit for independent study is limited to six credits. Prerequisite: Jr. status. To schedule an appointment to begin the process, e-mail Robin Ruback at [email protected].
Honors 685: Honors Tutorial: Honors 685 (3H cr) is an independent study course offered directly through the Honors College; it is the Honors College equivalent of departmental 699 independent study courses with the same prerequisites. To schedule an appointment to begin the process, e-mail Robin Ruback at [email protected].
Honors 686: Research in Honors: Honors 686 is a variable credit (3 or 6H cr) research project in which a student assists a faculty member on current research, usually in the student's major field of study. This course introduces students to research techniques, and may serve as preparation for a Senior Honors Thesis or Project. Honors credit for Research in Honors is limited to three credits. Prereq: Jr. status, completion of 9H credits. To schedule an appointment to begin the process, e-mail Peter Sands at [email protected].
Senior Honors Project ~ Senior Honors Thesis ~ Graduate Level Courses The Honors College will register you for these courses. Before this can happen, you must have an approved proposal. Approved proposals must be submitted by May 15 for fall semester and December 15 for spring semester. Students considering the Project or Thesis option should consult with David Southward, Senior Honors Thesis Liaison or Peter Sands, Senior Honors Project Liaison, during their junior year to discuss requirements and procedures. Detailed proposal guidelines are located in Honors House 154.
Honors 687: Senior Honors Project: Honors 687 (3H cr; retakable to a max of 6H cr), is intended for Honors students in majors in which a Senior Thesis would not be appropriate. It may constitute a performance, exhibit, musical composition, or a technical project done under faculty supervision and representing a superior level of accomplishment. Students may not do both a Senior Thesis and a Senior Project. Prereq: Sr. status. To schedule an appointment to begin the process, e-mail Peter Sands at [email protected].
Honors 689: Senior Honors Thesis: Honors 689 (6H cr; 3H cr each semester), allows students the opportunity to write an extended paper (usually 50-75 pages) reflecting independent research conducted in some aspect of their major field of study under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Students may not do both a Senior Thesis and a Senior Project. Prereq: Sr. status. To schedule an appointment to begin the process, e-mail David Southward at [email protected].
Graduate Courses for Honors Credit (700 level): Seniors may take up to 3 credits in courses at the 700-level or above to fulfill Honors College graduation requirements. Permission must be obtained from the instructor, the department chair, and the Honors College director. Prereq: Sr. status.
Study Abroad Students in the Honors College may be eligible for Honors credits for study abroad course work. Prior to studying abroad, please see an Honors College advisor to complete the Honors College Study Abroad Guidelines form. This form must be submitted to the Honors College office in advance of your departure. Only courses that are 300-level or above will be considered, and no more than three Honors credits can be earned for each study abroad experience, to a maximum of six Honors credits. Honors 200 may not be repeated after earning Honors credit at the 300 level or higher, including study abroad. Upon your return, make an appointment to meet with an Honors advisor to discuss which course or experience for which you wish to receive Honors credit, as well as submit a travel journal, final paper, or piece of writing that speaks to your experience. Please note that you must apply for your study abroad program through the Center for International Education's Study Abroad office (Garland Hall 138); otherwise the Financial Aid department is unable to process any scholarship money you may receive. 2
If you have questions about registration procedures, please contact the Honors College office at 414-229-4658 or e-mail us at [email protected]
PRIORITY REGISTRATION AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS IN THE HONORS COLLEGE
Don’t forget that priority registration is available to Honors students. As an Honors student, you are granted priority to help ensure that you obtain the schedule necessary to complete your Honors requirements along with those in your major.
Here’s the procedure for PAWS registration:
1. Spring 2017 registration appointment times will be available approximately November 7, 2016 and are in PAWS on the right side of the Student Center page.
2. Honors students receive priority registration privileges by being assigned an early registration time. Registration for spring 2017 will begin on Monday, November 14 at 8:00 a.m. Please take advantage of your early appointment time by completing your registration first thing Monday morning (8:00 a.m.).
IMPORTANT NOTE: Nursing 380 satisfies part of the UWM GER Social Science requirement only for non-L&S students. It does not satisfy any part of the L&S 12 credit Social Science distribution/breadth requirement and does not count toward the 90 L&S credits needed for graduation with an L&S degree. (It does, however, count as 3 credits of electives toward the 120 credits needed to graduate with an L&S degree.)
3. Note—There are no wait lists for Honors 200 courses or Non-Seminar Options. If you are attempting to enroll in an Honors 200 course and it is full, select another section.
4. Clarification—English 685 is not a “600-level” course in terms of difficulty—685 is simply the English department’s designated number for Honors courses.
5. Reminder—When searching for departmental upper-level Honors courses (Bio Sci, English, History, etc.) be sure to search by department.
6. In fairness to others, we ask that you do not enroll yourself in more than two Honors courses and/or on more than two Honors course wait lists. Any student enrolled in more than two Honors courses and/or Honors course wait lists will be administratively dropped from the additional course(s)/wait list(s) at the discretion of the Associate Director.
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Honors College Courses Semester ll 2016-2017
Honors 200
HONORS U 3H Honors Seminar: The Shaping of the Modern Mind 200 Cons Honors College Director. Not open to students with credit in Honors (HU)(OWCB) courses 300-level & above. Retakable once with change in topic.
SEM 001 57953 MW 9:30am-10:45am HON 195 Singer Bandits! SEM 002 57954 MW 9:30am-10:45am HON 180 Snow What is Art? SEM 003 57955 MW 11:00am-12:15pm HON 155 Equitz Freudian Slips: The Freudian Psyche in Modern Art and Thought SEM 004 57956 MW 11:00am-12:15pm HON 195 Singer Bandits! SEM 005 57957 MW 12:30pm-1:45pm HON 155 Haumschild Writing Milwaukee SEM 006 57958 MW 12:30pm-1:45pm HON 180 Snow What is Art? SEM 007 57959 MW 3:30pm-4:45pm HON 180 Southward Devious Cinema SEM 008 58789 MW 4:00pm-5:15pm HON 195 Haumschild Writing Milwaukee SEM 009 58812 TR 9:30am-10:45am HON 195 Stuhmiller Encounters with the Wilderness SEM 010 59159 TR 11:00am-12:15pm HON 155 Equitz The Last “Good” War?: Ideology and Brutality on the Eastern Front of WWII SEM 011 60213 TR 11:00am-12:15pm HON 190 Daigle The Third "W": Ideas of Place and Space SEM 012 60214 TR 12:30pm-1:45pm HON 195 Stuhmiller Encounters with the Wilderness SEM 013 60215 TR 2:00pm-3:15pm HON 190 Daigle The Third "W": Ideas of Place and Space SEM 014 60216 TR 3:30pm-4:45pm HON 195 Southward Devious Cinema
Honors Non-Seminar Options - Special Opportunities for Honors Credit For important information about these options, please see page 2
HONORS U 1-9H Study Abroad 297 Acceptance for Study Abroad Prog: cons Honors College Director. Retakable w/chg in topic. LEC 101 Contact the L&S Center for International Education, PER 166, 229-5182.
HONORS U 1-9H Study Abroad 497 Acceptance for Study Abroad prog & cons Honors College Director. Retakable w/chg in topic. LEC 101 Contact the L&S Center for International Education, PER 166, 229-5182.
HONORS U 1-3H Honors Tutorial 685 Jr. st in Honors College. Cons instr & Honors College Director. Retakable to a max 6H cr. Written consent required by the Honors College BEFORE registering for this course. Email Robin Ruback: [email protected].
HONORS U 2-3H Research in Honors 686 Jr. st in Honors College, 9 cr in Honors, cons instr & Honors College Director. Written consent required by the Honors College BEFORE registering for this course. Email Peter Sands: [email protected].
HONORS U 1-6H Senior Honors Project 687 Sr. st in Honors College, cons instr & Honors College Director. Not open to students in Honors 689. Retakable once to max 6H cr. Written consent required by the Honors College BEFORE registering for this course. Email Peter Sands: [email protected].
HONORS U 3H Senior Honors Thesis 689 Sr. st in Honors College, cons instr & Honors College Director. Retakable once to max 6H cr. Written consent required by the Honors College BEFORE registering for this course. Email David Southward: [email protected].
Honors Calculus MATH U 5 cr Honors Calculus II 222 Maximum of 6 cr in combination of Math 221 & 222 may count toward Honors College requirements. Prereq: C or better in Math 221 or B or better in Math 232 SEM 001 58820 MTWR 11:00am-12:15pm NWQ 1921 Boyd Honors Calculus II
4 HONORS U 3H Honors Seminar in the Humanities 350 Soph st & cons Honors College Director. Retakable w/change in topic to 9H cr max. Not open to students who have taken HON 200, What is an Animal? (HU) SEM 001 59126 MW 11:00am-12:15pm HON 180 Stuhmiller The Symbolic Animal
HONORS U 3H Honors Seminar in the Social Sciences 351 Soph st & cons Honors College Director. Retakable w/change in topic to 9H cr max. (SS) SEM 001 60664 TR 11:00am-12:15pm HON 195 Singer Transatlantic Revolutions: Resistance, Rebellion, and Social Conflict, 1700-1850 SEM 002 63918 MW 4:00pm-5:15pm HON 155 Budny Citizen, Stranger, Statesman, Tyrant
HONORS U 3H Honors Seminar in the Arts: 380 Soph st & cons Honors College Director. RETAKABLE ONCE w/chg in topic. Not open to students who have taken ENG 685, The Art of Poetry (A) SEM 001 57960 TR 12:30pm-1:45pm HON 155 Southward A Poetry Workshop
Departmental Upper-level Honors Seminars ART HIST U 3H Honors Seminar 381 Soph st & cons Honors College Director. RETAKABLE ONCE w/chg in topic. (HU) SEM 001 64119 TR 9:30am-10:45am HON 180 Snow *Images of Japan’s Floating World
BIO SCI U 3H Honors Seminar 380 Soph st & cons Honors College Director. RETAKABLE ONCE w/chg in topic. (NS) SEM 001 64064 TR 12:30pm-1:45pm HON 180 Wimpee Invasions and Extinctions
CHEM U 3H Honors Seminar 381 Soph st & cons Honors College Director. Retakable w/change in topic to 9H cr max. (NS) SEM 001 61352 MW 3:30pm-4:45pm HON 190 Aldstadt Development of Modern Chemistry: From Thales to Mendeleev
COMP LIT U 3H Honors Seminar 381 Soph st & cons Honors College Director. Retakable w/change in topic to 9H cr max. (HU) SEM 001 64051 MW 12:30pm-1:45pm HON 195 Paik Cosmic Horror and the Contemporary Imagination
ENGLISH U 3H Honors Seminar 685 Soph st & cons Honors College Director. Retakable w/change in topic to 9H cr max. (HU) SEM 001 63936 TR 11:00am-12:15pm HON 180 Sands Law and Literature
FRENCH U 3H Honors Seminar 383 Soph st & cons Honors College Director. Retakable w/change in topic to 9H cr max. (HU) SEM 001 63456 MW 11:00am-12:15pm HON 190 Russell Fighting for Truth, Justice, and Freedom: The Birth of the Public Intellectual in France
NURS U 3H Honors Seminar 380 Soph st & cons Honors College Director. Retakable w/change in topic to 9H cr. Max. (SS) SEM 001 59293 TR 8:00am-9:15am HON 195 Dressel †A Failed System? An Exploration of America’s Health and Healthcare System
POL SCI U 3H Honors Seminar 380 Soph st & cons Honors College Director. Retakable w/change in topic to 9H cr. Max. (SS) SEM 001 64049 TR 2:00pm-3:15pm HON 155 Redd National Security Policy
WGS U 3H Honors Seminar 380 Soph st & cons Honors College Director. Retakable w/change in topic to 9H cr. Max. (SS) SEM 001 64138 MW 2:00pm-3:15pm HON 155 Kennedy Gender and Anger
To satisfy graduation requirements in the Honors College, you must complete 21 credits in courses approved for Honors credit, including:
Honors 200 3 to 6 credits Upper-level seminars at least 9 credits Other (i.e., non-seminar options, study abroad) up to 9 credits
Honors courses cannot be audited or taken with the credit/no credit option. Students must earn at least a B- in an Honors course to earn Honors credit.
†Nursing 380 satisfies part of the UWM GER Social Science requirement only for non-L&S students. It does not satisfy any part of the L&S 12 credit Social Science distribution/breadth requirement and does not count toward the 90 L&S credits needed for graduation with an L&S degree. (It does, however, count as 3 credits of electives toward the 120 credits needed to graduate with an L&S degree.)
*Credits for this course topic count toward the College of Letters and Science International Requirement.
5 HONORS 200: THE SHAPING OF THE MODERN MIND (HU, OWCB) Bandits!
Alan Singer, Honors College Senior Lecturer
Sem 001, Class #57953: MW 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m., HON 195 Sem 004, Class #57956: MW 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., HON 195
Reading
Books: Marcus Rediker, Villains of all Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age [ISBN: 978-0-8070-5025-5] Chris Frazer, Bandit Nation: A History of Outlaws and Cultural Struggle in Mexico, 1810-1920 [ISBN: 978-08032-1799-7] William A. Settle, Jr., Jesse James Was His Name [ISBN: 978-0-8032-5860-0]
Excerpts/Articles: “Bandits, States and Power” and “What is Social Banditry?” from Eric Hobsbawm, Bandits R.H. Hilton, “The Origins of Robin Hood”
Viewing and Listening
Bonnie and Clyde dir. Arthur Penn (1967) The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford dir. Andrew Dominick (2007)
Course Description
Why are some thieves, murderers, extortionists, and other outlaws remembered and widely celebrated? In virtually all religious and ethical traditions, people are supposed to treat each other fairly and live peacefully, yet these transgressors are often considered heroes and have qualities that many people admire. These sections of Honors 200 examine this paradox. We will primarily focus on what historians, sociologists and folklorists call “social banditry”—a phenomenon which occurs when members of the public view certain outlaws as avengers, fighters for justice, and liberators. We will study some of the most popular examples of social banditry in the Anglo-American world from the late middle ages through the 20th century. Class discussions will consider the following questions: Are there ideal types of social and economic conditions which make banditry more favorable? If so, what are they? How does our historical memory of bandits change over time and context? What types of social banditry are notable today and what social conditions help produce them?
Course Requirements
• Three 5-7 page papers: The papers, which will be worth 20%, 20%, and 25% of the total grade, will require revision. The students will also attend individual meetings with the instructor to discuss the rough drafts • Three short essays worth 15% of the total grade • Class participation worth 20%
6 HONORS 200: THE SHAPING OF THE MODERN MIND (HU, OWCB) What is Art?
Hilary Snow, Honors College Lecturer
Sem 002, Class #57954: MW 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m., HON 180 Sem 006, Class #57958: MW 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m., HON 180
Reading
Donald Preziosi, ed. The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology, 2009 [ISBN 9780199229840] Sylvan Barnett. A Short Guide to Writing About Art. 11th edition, 2015 [ISBN 9780205886999]
Short Readings including: Linda Nochlin, “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists” T.J. Clark, “Olympia’s Choice”
Course Description
At once simple and complicated, “art” can be defined in many ways. What makes the work of one person celebrated while others are forgotten? How do artists, art historians and the public approach works of art? This course interrogates the idea of “art” across history and cultures, focusing on what Western art history has defined as masterpieces of “art” and what ideas get left out from that perspective. We will examine important movements in art and art history, including feminist approaches, the rise of abstraction, and how art can be used to understand history. We will consider art not only as an aesthetic activity, but also as a part of social movements and political ideas. We will also discuss museum displays and how public presentations can affect our understandings. Famous works studied include Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain,” and Katsukawa Hokusai’s “Great Wave.” No background in art or art history is necessary.
Course Requirements
Participation including regular attendance, evidence of careful class preparation, active and productive contributions to class discussions, preparation of discussion questions, thoughtful responses to readings and peer critiques, and respectful engagement with peers: 25%. Formal analysis of a work of art: 20% Artist biography: 20% Paper about a work of art, 5-7 pages: 20% Short assignments throughout the semester: 15%.
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HONORS 200: THE SHAPING OF THE MODERN MIND (HU, OWCB) Freudian Slips: The Freudian Psyche in Modern Art and Thought
Lydia Equitz, Honors College Senior Lecturer
Sem 003, Class #57955: MW 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., HON 155
Reading
Sigmund Freud, The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud, Trans. and Ed. A.A. Brill [ISBN 0-679-60166-X] Robertson Davies, The Deptford Trilogy [ISBN 014-01-4755-1] Alain Robbe-Grillet, The Voyeur [ISBN 0-8021-31654]
Course Reader of articles, images, and other readings, including Andre Breton, “Manifesto of Surrealism” available at Clark Graphics.
Course Description
From the unconscious to the ego, the ideas of Sigmund Freud have been essential to modernism as an intellectual movement, to modern literature, and to modernist movements in art—in particular to surrealism. And although one frequently encounters Freudian references in everyday life, few of us have actually read Freud, a failure which needs to be addressed by anyone seriously interested in modern and postmodern art and culture. In this course we will learn to read important works by Freud with ease and understanding by studying his historical, cultural and intellectual context, separating his basic insights from the more elaborate (and problematic) theories of sexuality and civilization, and identifying his personal rhetoric and writing style. Meanwhile, reading a novel with a Jungian plot will help us to distinguish between Jung and Freud. Finally, we’ll look at how psychoanalytic theory fits into modernism in philosophy and art, with a closer look at Surrealism. We’ll discover how a Freudian reading can demystify modernist literary techniques like stream-of-consciousness and decipher the “plot” (really, “psychodrama”) of an otherwise “difficult” (but short!) modern novel. We’ll end by studying Breton’s surrealist manifesto to help us appreciate an obscure painting by Salvador Dali. By the end of the course, students will be able to recognize Freudian intellectual and artistic influences on the cultural life of the last century, and to identify specific paintings, literary texts and case studies which require a detailed, accurate understanding of Freud’s ideas and terminology to fully understand.
Course Requirements
Students in the course will complete a series of short journal assignments to prepare for class and write three 4-page papers revealing the Freudian influences on, or proposing Freudian readings of, works of modern literature or visual art, two of which will be revisable. Daily classroom engagement as demonstrated in the journals and in discussion will account for 40% of the final grade, with the papers contributing 20% each.
8 HONORS 200: THE SHAPING OF THE MODERN MIND (HU, OWCB) Writing Milwaukee
Daniel Haumschild, Honors College Lecturer
Sem 005, Class #57957: MW 12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m., HON 155 Sem 008, Class #58789: MW 4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m., HON 195
Reading
Dorothy Allison, “Place” J.E. Malpas, Place and Experience (selections) Poetics of Place, poems from Narrative Magazine Patrick D. Jones, “Selma of the North” Jennifer Morales, Meet Me Halfway (ISBN: 978-0-299-30364-8) Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac (selections) John Gurda, The Making of Milwaukee (selections) Viewing
Thomas Riedelsheimer, Rivers and Tides (2002)
Course Description
This class will endeavor to explore our interaction with place. Specifically, we will look at our current environment: Milwaukee, WI. We will begin by examining texts that give us a map for how to explore. We will discuss what it means to be ‘from somewhere’ and what it means to be a part of a community by looking specifically at issues related our social institutions, our environment and our history. We will also look at exemplary models for writing about place from explorers, or ‘questers’ as Steven Glazer would say, of this and other urban landscapes. The concern of this class will be practical in nature: how can we simultaneously come into contact with, become a part of, and remain critically observant of the place in which you live. Once we’ve become accustomed to ways of analytic exploration, the class will be ready to investigate Milwaukee itself from a variety of angles. In turn, the course may include self-guided tours, field trips, special guest visits, and interactive projects that encourage students to truly engage with their city and fellow residents. Ideally, the collection of work generated by the group combined with the shared space of our classroom will help every participant learn a great deal about this robust place in which we live. In addition to addressing the thematic topic, this course is designed to help you develop skills that will help you throughout the remainder of your undergraduate career and thereafter. If this class is approached seriously, you will become a better thinker, writer, communicator, and reader. The goal is to ensure that you develop the skills necessary to make your life—both in the university and out of it—a better and more enriching one.
Course Requirements
Success in this course will be based on three basic components: one is determined by your presence in class, preparation, discussion engagement, etc. This is graded weekly and is out of 10 points each week for a total of 25% of your grade. The second, component involves more day-to-day activities including short writing assignments, and online discussion posts (or ‘questionings’). These short graded components will be based on a pass and fail standard and comprise another 25% of your total grade. To receive an A of some sort in this half of the class, therefore, you will need to pass more than 90% of the components. Finally, 50% of your grade is determined by three Critical Essays of 4-7 pages, which are more formal pieces of writing that will be graded on an A to F scale and are revisable.
9 HONORS 200: THE SHAPING OF THE MODERN MIND (HU, OWCB) Devious Cinema
David Southward, Honors College Senior Lecturer
Sem 007, Class #57959: MW 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m., HON 180 Sem 014, Class #60216: TR 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m., HON 195
Reading
Course Reader (critical reviews and articles)
Viewing
Pedro Almodóvar, Talk to Her Darren Aronofsky, The Fountain Rodrigo Garcia, Nine Lives Michel Gondry, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Jean-Pierre Jeunet, A Very Long Engagement David Lynch, Mulholland Drive Christopher Nolan, Memento Bryan Singer, The Usual Suspects Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction Tom Tykwer, Run Lola Run
Course Description
Most films obey the traditional laws of storytelling: they have a beginning, middle, and end (in that order), and the action proceeds through a straightforward, cause-and-effect logic. But some films deviate from this straight path. They bend and twist their narrative form to involve viewers more deeply in a story’s construction, prevent simple or formulaic responses, and move audiences in unforeseeable ways. By refusing our demands for instant gratification, these “devious” films force us to puzzle out their meanings on our own—and to think critically about how movies organize and make sense of human experience. This course will examine a dozen or so films of unusual complexity. Through close, attentive viewing and re-viewing, we will retrace the narrative path of each work, exploring questions raised by its indirection. We will also compare our responses to those of critical reviewers and film scholars, partly to deepen and test our interpretations of the films, but also to become better acquainted with the writing of film criticism. Students will acquire a basic vocabulary for film analysis while discovering what an intellectual and emotional adventure the devious film can be.
Course Requirements
Students will be required to view all films prior to class discussion, either at scheduled viewings (day and time to be determined), through library reserve, or on their own. They will be responsible for weekly D2L posts and “starter” questions for discussion, short peer reviews, and active participation in class (25% of final grade). Three papers of increasing length and complexity will be assigned (4-6 pages; 20-30% each), two of which will be revised in response to comments by classmates and the instructor.
10 HONORS 200: THE SHAPING OF THE MODERN MIND (HU, OWCB) Encounters with the Wilderness
Jacqueline Stuhmiller, Honors College Lecturer
Sem 009, Class #58812: TR 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m., HON 195 Sem 012, Class #60214: TR 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m., HON 195
Reading
Course Reader Sir Gawain and the Green Knight [ISBN: 978-0393334159] Henry David Thoreau, Walden; or, Life in the Woods [ISBN: 978-0486284958] James Dickey, Deliverance [ISBN: 978-0385313872]
Viewing
Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man Sean Penn, Into The Wild Werner Herzog, Encounters at the End of the World
Course Description
Many of our firmly held conceptions about the natural world – for example, that landscapes unmodified by human activity are attractive, that it is important to preserve biodiversity, or that “going back to nature” (whatever that may mean) is desirable – did not achieve common currency in Western culture until very recently. In this course, we will read a wide variety of texts written over the span of more than a thousand years. All of these texts comment, often unconsciously, on the relationship between humans and the non-human world, and particularly on the relationship between humans and wilderness: that is, spaces undisturbed by human activity and not particularly hospitable to human life. During the course of the semester, we will consider the following questions: how did earlier cultures experience and understand the natural world and its human and non-human occupants? How do culture and technology influence the ways that individuals comprehend and seek to make use of the natural world? Finally, what does the natural world mean to us (denizens of an industrialized society at the beginning of the 21st century), and how should (or shouldn’t) we interact with it? Students need have no prior experience with the texts or authors on the syllabus, with literary criticism, or with wilderness itself.
Course Requirements
15% of the final grade will be based on two short formal papers which can be revised. 40% of the final grade will be based on short, frequent informal writing assignments. 20% of the final grade will be based on a substantial final project. 25% of the final grade will be based on what I call student “presence”: attendance, preparedness, attention, and interest.
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HONORS 200: THE SHAPING OF THE MODERN MIND (HU, OWCB) The Last “Good” War?: Ideology and Brutality on the Eastern Front of WWII
Lydia Equitz, Honors College Senior Lecturer
Sem 010, Class #59159: TR 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., HON 155
Reading
Guy Sajer, The Forgotten Soldier: the Classic WWII Autobiography [ISBN: 978-1-574-88286-5] Catherine Merridale, Ivan’s War: Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945 [ISBN: 978-0-312-42652-1] Richard Overy, Why the Allies Won [ISBN: 0-393-03925-0]
Course Reader of maps, photographs, propaganda images and political cartoons, as well as selections from Albert Camus, “Letters to a German Friend,” Sidney Hook, “Bread and Freedom,” Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto, Heinrich Himmler “Poznan Speech” and “The 25 Points of Hitler’s Nazi Party.” (Available at Clark Graphics)
Course Description
In this course we will learn about the explosive combination of ideas, economics, and politics which mobilized and pitted entire populations against each other in history’s first and perhaps only “total war” by studying the ideologies of German National Socialism, Marxism, and Democratic Capitalism from primary texts. Additionally, we will study the memoir of a young French soldier in the German army, and Catherine Merridale’s accounts of life in the Soviet army—all grounded by Richard Overy’s comprehensive analytical history of the factors that determined the war’s outcome. Immersing ourselves in profound, often shocking works like Sajer’s horrific recollection of his experiences in 3½ years as an SS soldier on the Eastern Front and Merridale’s gritty accounts of the Red Army’s trial by fire at the same time that we read scholarly histories and political manifestos should help us look past post-war clichés and nostalgia to better appreciate the brutality of “radical” ideas, relentless economic production and destruction, political violence, and extremes of human endurance. We will sum up the semester by watching the film Nuremberg (w/Alex Baldwin and Brian Cox) in class.
Course Requirements
Students will work on a series of questions leading to two short (2-3 page), revisable “working papers,” and write two medium length (4-5 page) “formal” papers, the first of which will also be revisable. Engaged understanding as measured by daily assignments, the working papers and classroom involvement will account for 60% of the final grade, with the remaining 40% split evenly between the formal papers.
12 HONORS 200: SHAPING OF THE MODERN MIND (HU, OWCB) The Third “W”: Ideas of Place and Space
Lindsay Daigle, Lecturer of English
Sem 011, Class #60213: TR 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., HON 190 Sem 013, Class #60215: TR 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m., HON 190
Reading
Susan Firer, Milwaukee Does Strange Things to People Ernest Hemingway, “A Clean Well-Lighted Place” Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own
Excerpts from: Sara Ahmed, Queer Phenomenology Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space Simon Schama, Landscape and Memory Yi-Fu Tuan, Space and Place Kao Kalia Yang, The Latehomecomer (chapter)
Course Description
Where we are – our city, neighborhood, university, classroom, workplace, restaurant, grocery store, etc. – contributes to who we are. We have favorite places to study, eat, run, shop. We label ourselves with places: Wisconsinites, Milwaukeeans, Americans. We are defined and changed by the spaces we enter into and inhabit. What is a space though? Is it defined by its boundaries, or the objects within it? We are oriented toward particular places, spaces, and objects therein because of our constantly shifting selves, molded by our experiences, sensibilities, relationships, and memories. There seems to be, though, a reciprocal relationship between our spaces and ourselves. Why do we return to places? Why do we get homesick? What does “home” mean anyway? And what does it mean to lose, leave, or lack one? How might spaces be gendered, racialized, exclusive/inclusive? What is a “safe space”? By exploring the work of philosophers, poets, architects, visual artists, essayists, and others, we will investigate these questions and more. We will discuss writers’ exploration of place through the lens of what T.S. Eliot calls the “objective correlative.” We will also spend time inhabiting other spaces for class outside of the traditional classroom, in addition to individual “place discovery” assignments.
Course Requirements
Students will write and revise a longer midterm critical inquiry essay that combines personal and academic writing (20%). A final essay in this manner will be due at the end of the semester for which students will write drafts, provide/receive peer feedback, and revise prior to the final due date (25%). Reading assignments will coincide with weekly response and reflective assignments, including two 3- page analytical essays that primarily utilize close reading (30%). Class participation (25%) includes: arriving on time, completing assignments/readings before class begins, completing in-class exercises, contributing relevant questions/concerns, commenting thoughtfully, and showing overall engagement with the day’s focus.
13 MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES 222 Honors Calculus II
Suzanne Boyd, Associate Professor of Mathematics
Sem 001, Class #58820: MTWR 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., NWQ 1921
(Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in Math 221)
Reading
There is no assigned text. The instructor will prepare course notes which will be available at the UWM Bookstore. Library material related to the applications of calculus will be assigned individually.
Course Description
The world in which we live today could not exist without the explosion in mathematical knowledge which has occurred since the Renaissance. Not only does mathematics make modern technology possible, but mathematical ideas have profoundly changed our views on the structure of the world itself. The ideas which today are grouped under the heading of calculus lie at the center of this transformation; although some of them can be traced back to Archimedes, the subject is usually considered to have been developed by Newton and Leibniz in the 17th century, and its success in solving problems such as planetary motion led to the modern idea of the universe as a complex, but predictable, machine. In the two semesters of this course, we cover material equivalent to the standard 3-semester calculus sequence (Math 231, 232, 233), but we do so in a different order (more commonly used in Europe and Great Britain) and with a different teaching approach. A sound knowledge of algebra is required for the course. Trigonometry may be useful but is not essential. The syllabus for Calculus II is as follows:
1. Applications of Integration 2. Vectors. Vector functions 3. Functions of several variables. Partial derivatives 4. Multiple Integrals
We will study calculus largely by solving realistic and challenging problems, both in class and in smaller workgroups. The course will attempt to place calculus in its historical setting, as described above, and also to show its modern applications.
Course Requirements
Students will be expected to solve a small number of routine problems every week to test their knowledge of the mechanics of calculus. Knowledge of the computer program “Maple” may be helpful for completing some of the more difficult problems.
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HONORS 350: HONORS SEMINAR IN THE HUMANITIES (HU) * The Symbolic Animal
Jacqueline Stuhmiller, Honors College Lecturer
Sem 001, Class #59126: MW 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., HON 180
Reading
Course Reader Alan Dundes, The Cockfight: A Casebook Ernest Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon Peter Shaffer, Equus Marian Engel, Bear
Viewing
Nina Gilden Seavey and Stephen Higgins, The Matador
Course Description
Animals have long been an important source of symbolism. They function as blank slates upon which we project our desires, fears, and obsessions. On the one hand, we associate animals with such positive traits as purity, freedom, power, and independence. On the other hand, we also associate them with uncontrolled sexuality, irrationality, brutishness, filth, and violence – “animalistic” traits from which we attempt to distance ourselves. Consequently, we also use animals to explore the “bestial” sides of ourselves. We use them to express our own violent impulses, our most taboo sexual desires, our drives for competition and domination. We even use them to explore our ideas about the divine and to confront our own fears of inadequacy, failure, and death. In this course, we will examine animal symbolism, both historical and contemporary, primarily by way of literature and anthropology. We will examine the symbolic use of animals in both artistic representations and blood sports. The course ultimately aims to suggest that we cannot be fully realized human beings until we accept that, at base, we are animals.
Course Requirements
50% of the final grade will be based on short writing assignments and journal entries. 15% of the final grade will be based on a substantial final project. 10% of the final grade will be based on an oral presentation. 25% of the final grade will be based on what I call student “presence”: attendance, preparedness, participation, and attention.
*Not open to students who have taken HONORS 200, “What Is An Animal?”
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HONORS 351: HONORS SEMINAR IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES (SS) Transatlantic Revolutions: Resistance, Rebellion, and Social Conflict, 1700-1850
Alan Singer, Honors College Senior Lecturer
Sem 001, Class #60664: TR 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., HON 195
Readings
Laurent Dubois, Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution [ISBN: 9780674018266] Eric Hobsbawm and George Rude, Captain Swing: A social history of the English agricultural uprising of 1830 [ISBN: 9781842122358] Peter Linebaugh and Marcus Rediker, The Many-Headed Hydra: Sailors, Slaves, Commoners, and the Hidden History of the Revolutionary Atlantic [ISBN: 0807033170]
Additional readings will be made available online.
Course Description
Traditionally, history courses have been defined by national borders. This course offers an alternative to this well-worn convention. Here, we still use a geographical designation, but under a broader context. We will concentrate on a series of connected issues relating to the history of various societies which framed the Atlantic Ocean. This approach will allow us to compare and contrast different events such as revolutions, rebellions, and social movements. The focus of this course will examine the challenges faced by the popular classes during the changes brought on by globalizing capitalism and the development of mass politics. The subjects of our course will be women, workers, farmers, slaves, seamen, and others who were deemed as criminals such as pirates and poachers. The following questions will be addressed: How did these men and women see the world into which they were born? What inspired them to act individually and collectively to take risks in order to better their lives? To what degree of success did they achieve in their endeavors?
Course Requirements
Students will write short reviews based on the required readings (worth 40% of the final grade). They will also write and present a longer research essay of around ten pages (also worth 40% of the grade). Students will be expected to do the reading and come prepared to participate in discussion (worth 20% of the grade).
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HONORS 351: HONORS SEMINAR IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES (SS) Citizen, Stranger, Statesman, Tyrant
Jill M. Budny, Honors College Lecturer
Sem 002, Class #63918: MW 4:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m., HON 155
Required Reading*
Plato and Aristophanes. Four Texts on Socrates. Trans. Thomas G. West and Grace Starry West. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1998. [ISBN: 0801485746] Plato. The Republic of Plato. Trans. Allan Bloom. New York: Basic Books, 1991. [ISBN: 0465069347] Plato. The Laws of Plato. Trans. Thomas L. Pangle. Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 1988. [ISBN: 0226671100] Aristotle. The Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. Martin Ostwald. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999. [ISBN: 0023895306] Aristotle. The Politics. Trans. Carnes Lord. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984. [ISBN: 0226026698] *Additional readings will be made available through D2L.
Course Description
We are living in the midst of a turbulent and troubling political landscape. Among the many problems the American political community faces are conflicts over divisions of class, race, and gender; questions over who our leaders should be and how they should exercise power; debates over who should be recognized as legitimate citizens and how we should deal with those we deem to be outsiders; and finally, concerns about how we cope with dissenting opinions from those who raise meaningful but unsettling questions about our community’s shortcomings. At the end of the 5th century and beginning of the 4th century BCE, the ancient Athenians experienced an even more tempestuous political moment. Once a leading political, economic, and cultural power in the ancient Mediterranean world, Athens was defeated by Sparta during the Peloponnesian War, and all aspects of the city’s way of life were called into question in the aftermath. In the midst of this turmoil, thinkers like Socrates, Aristophanes, Plato, and Aristotle wrestled with questions similar to those we face today. How should one distinguish between a legitimate form of government and one that has become corrupt? Who should exercise power and why? How might one differentiate a just leader from a tyrant? What do healthy and robust governing institutions look like? What kinds of reforms are most effective in addressing problems of internal division? What role might individual citizens and strangers play in bringing about positive change? In this course, we will examine some of the most influential political and philosophical texts written by Aristophanes, Plato, and Aristotle, to gain a greater understanding of contemporary political debates by comparing and contrasting our own political commitments and practices to those of these ancient Athenians.
Course Requirements
Daily class participation (25%), which includes contributions to classroom discussions, written discussion questions and answers, as well as other short assignments, including a virtue journal; one student-led discussion (10%); two short (4-5 page) essays (15% each); and a longer research paper (35%), approximately 10-12 pages in length. This paper is developed in multiple stages, consisting of four separate, staggered assignments: 1) topic statement and exploratory literature review 2) argument statement, evidence outline, and refined literature review 3) rough draft for peer review and participation in writing circle 4) final paper draft
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HONORS 380: HONORS SEMINAR IN THE ARTS (A) * A Poetry Workshop
David Southward, Honors College Senior Lecturer
Sem 001, Class #57960: TR 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m., HON 155 (Honors 380 is retakable one time with a change in topic)
Reading
J. D. McClatchy, ed., The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Poetry [978-1400030934] Ted Kooser, The Poetry Home Repair Manual [978-0803259782]
Course Description
Have you always suspected that somewhere inside you there are poems waiting to be written? Or perhaps you’ve already composed a number of poems, and you’re interested in honing your craft. This course will provide both the absolute beginner and the more experienced poet with an opportunity to turn his or her creative impulses into effective poems, and to begin exploring—hands-on—the vast and varied landscape of contemporary poetry. In the supportive company of other poets, you’ll learn techniques for motivating, shaping, polishing, and revising your work. In the process, you’ll find that you’re becoming a more careful, sensitive and perceptive reader of poetry as well. Prior experience with creative writing will not be nearly as important here as your determination to improve your skills—no matter what their current level may be. We will experiment with voice, sound, and rhythm in poetry, as well as with image, metaphor, and message. Particular emphasis will be placed upon craft, and how the poet can exploit it to his/her own ends.
Course Requirements
Following are the “givens” that will be expected of you as a member of this class:
1. your interest in writing poetry is genuine, no matter what your level of experience. 2. you acknowledge that there is room for improvement in your work. 3. you will be prepared to share some of your work with the rest of the class in a “workshop” setting. 4. you are willing to develop your own critical skills by contributing constructively during discussions of your classmates’ writing. 5. you can appreciate the practical value, as well as the aesthetics, of reading the work of established poets.
Grades will be based on a 100-point system in the following manner: eight original poems on assigned topics (5 points each); three revised poems accompanied by 2-3 page reflective essays (10 points each); a final portfolio with a 6-8 page introduction (10 points); and participation in class discussion, including critique of classmates’ work and leading brief discussions of anthology poems of your choice (20 points).
* Not open to students who have taken English 685, “The Art of Poetry”
18 ART HISTORY 381 (HU) *Images of Japan’s Floating World
Hilary Snow, Honors College Lecturer
Sem 001, Class #64119: TR 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m., HON 180
Reading
Course reader including excerpts from:
Julie Nelson Davis. Utamaro and the Spectacle of Beauty. Christine M.E. Guth. Hokusai’s Great Wave. Julia Meech and Jane Oliver, eds. Designed for Pleasure: The World of Edo Japan in Prints and Paintings, 1680-1860. Henry Smith. One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. Elizabeth de Sabato Swinton, ed. The Woman of the Pleasure Quarters: Japanese Paintings and Prints of the Floating World
Course Description
The most famous pictures of Japan are ukiyo-e woodblock prints from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by artists such as Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige and Kitagawa Utamaro. When they were first imported to Paris in the late nineteenth century they created a sensation on the art scene. Major European artists like Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Edgar Degas were fascinated by them and incorporated elements from Japanese prints into their own paintings. This course explores the history of these intriguing images and what they reveal of Japanese culture during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. We will talk about why these prints were made and how they chronicle the rise of Edo (Tokyo) as a city full of theater, cafes and amusements. The course is arranged thematically and roughly chronologically, covering ukiyo-e throughout the Edo period (1615-1868) and printmaking into the twentieth century. Early sections of the course will discuss how woodblock prints are produced and their evolution from hand-colored prints to full color prints. We will investigate why this genre was popular and culturally significant, both in Japan and later in the West. After 1868, Japan opened to more interchange with the West and we will discuss how this changed the subject matter and production of prints. The course will end will an examination of the popularity of Japanese prints in the West and Japonisme of the late nineteenth century in Europe and America. No previous background in Japanese history or art history is required. Course Requirements
Participation including regular attendance, evidence of careful class preparation, active and productive contributions to class discussions, and respectful engagement with peers: 25%. Discussion leading and short presentations: 20% Writing assignments including identification and analysis of a print: 25% Exhibition proposal and formal essay: 30%
*Credits for this course count toward the College of Letters & Science International requirement.
19 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 380 (NS) Invasions and Extinctions
Charles Wimpee, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Sem 001, Class #64064: TR 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m., HON 180
Reading
There is no book for this class. Instead, reading will include electronic readings posted on the course website. These readings are accessible to the general reader, and will serve as an introduction to invasions and extinctions, prior to the student presentations that will begin at approximately mid-semester.
In addition, the following sources will help students get started choosing topics: https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/index.shtml;https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Invasive- Species.aspx; http://www.fs.fed.us/invasivespecies/;https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy- environment/wp/2015/02/23/like-most-invasive-species-pythons-are-in-the-u-s-to-stay/?utm_term=.39abafefc932; http://nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/invasive-species/; https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/main.shtml
Course Description
Ecosystems are extraordinarily complex, consisting of communities of organisms interacting with one another and with the physical environment. In a stable ecosystem, the biological community exists in a dynamic balance that has evolved over eons. This balance is resistant to disturbances, but only within limits. One disturbance that a biological community cannot prepare for is an invasion by a new species. Some invasions happen naturally, through geological or other environmental processes, but others (most) are brought about by the intentional or unintentional actions of the most invasive of all species, humans. Consequences of invasion can include (1) displacement of native species through competition for resources, (2) direct predation or parasitism on native species, or (3) alteration of the ecosystem such that native species are unable to thrive. Any of these can potentially lead to extinction of native species. This seminar will explore the impact of invasive species on natural (and unnatural) environments.
Student Projects/Presentations
Each student will research an invasive species and present it to the class (typically as a PowerPoint, although other formats are possible). There are many thousands of invasive species, but suggested topics might include:
Burmese python Africanized bees Purple loosestrife Cane toad Fire ants Buckthorn Asian carp Emerald Ash borer Nutria Rats Kudzu African clawed frogs Brown tree snake Cats (yes, housecats) Chytrid fungus Zebra mussels Garlic mustard Lionfish
Course Requirements
Seminar classes are intended to be highly interactive. Attendance is expected, of course, as well as active discussion. I do not grade people on their personality (e.g., extroverted or introverted), but participation in discussion is highly encouraged. A short (approximately one page) written summary will be submitted each week. The summary can take the form of a description, a synopsis, or a critique of reading, discussion, and presentations, or general thoughts about the week’s topics. Each student will also write a term paper on their presentation topic. Length should be approximately ten pages, double-spaced, with appropriate references. Grades will be based on a combination of weekly writing assignments (25%), presentation (25%), participation (25%), and term paper (25%). Students will have the opportunity to revise and resubmit written assignments.
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CHEMISTRY 381 (NS) Development of Modern Chemistry: From Thales to Mendeleev
J.H. Aldstadt, Associate Professor of Chemistry/Biochemistry
Sem 001, Class #61352: MW 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m., HON 190
Reading
H.W. Salzberg. From Caveman to Chemist: Circumstances & Achievements; American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C.; 1991. S. Greenblatt. The Swerve: How the World Became Modern; W.W. Norton & Co., Inc.; New York, NY; 2011. Selections from the following will also be studied: Plato’s Timaeus, Aristotle’s Physics and Meteorologica, Lucretius’ On the Nature of Things, Geber’s The Height of Perfection, Boyle’s The Sceptical Chymist, Black’s On Magnesia Alba, and Lavoisier’s Elements of Chemistry. Additional readings will include select writings of Priestley, Dalton, Berzelius, Cannizzaro, and Mendeleev.
Course Description
While our modern conception of chemistry began to emerge in the “Chemical Revolution” of the late 18th Century, the roots of chemistry extend far into antiquity. Two intertwined questions underlie inquiries of a chemical nature: (a) what is matter? and (b) how does it change? In this course, we will study the origins of “matter theory” in Ancient Greece, follow its meandering path through the Roman and Islamic Empires, and then investigate the practice of Alchemy in the Latin West through the Middle Ages and beyond. The evolution of theories regarding chemical change, from the “phlogiston” theory to modern mechanistic ideas, will be followed in parallel. The period from the late 17th to early 19th Century, during which a shift from alchemical ideas to more modern chemical concepts occurred, will be examined in particular. We will conclude with the introduction of modern concepts of chemical structure and reactivity that appeared in the late 19th Century. This is a chemistry course, not a history course — however, a background in chemistry is not a requirement. Our approach will be to examine how specific experiments were designed, how they were executed, and then how the data were interpreted and conclusions reached — all within the general context of the historical period, which we would be at peril to ignore. Several laboratory demonstrations, to include an alchemical procedure for creating an “elixir ‘, a method to capture the elusive substance known as “phlogiston”, and the first apparatus designed to study electro-chemical phenomena, will be studied as well. Questions that we will examine include: Why was Greek “matter theory” so enduring? Why was the concept of “atomism” so controversial? What was alchemy and to what extent were iconic figures such as Robert Boyle influenced by it? What was the “Chemical Revolution”? Why were women generally excluded from studies in chemistry until relatively recently? Less than a century transpired for the transition from the “Four Elements” theory of matter to the first Periodic Table, which had 56 elements — who were the key players in effecting this transformation and how did they make such astonishing progress? Course Requirements
The course will be structured as follows: four formal essays (~3-4 pages), the first three of which will be submitted as drafts and then revised (50%). Informal exploratory essays (~1-2 pages) will be done in class on a weekly basis (25%). Finally, engagement in class discussions will be essential (25%).
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COMPARATIVE LITERATURE 381 (HU) Cosmic Horror and the Contemporary Imagination
Peter Paik, Associate Professor in Comparative Literature
Sem 001, Class #64051: MW 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m., HON 195
Reading
Assorted Fiction by Robert Aickman, Laird Barron, Algernon Blackwood, Dino Buzzati, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Franz Kafka, Thomas Ligotti, H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe
Philosophical Essays by Albert Camus, Thomas Ligotti, Jean-Paul Sartre, Eugene Thacker
Course Description
This seminar focuses on the topic of cosmic horror, a genre formerly regarded as a marginal, fringe phenomenon that has achieved mainstream popularity during the past decade. Cosmic horror evokes a universe that is radically at odds with human needs and desires, confronting the reader with monstrous entities that are powerful and dangerous, but also are so strange and alien as to be incomprehensible to human beings. Like more traditional forms of horror, it plays on our fears of the unknown as well as our feelings of vulnerability. But unlike more familiar tales of vampires, ghosts, and ghouls, cosmic horror emphasizes the smallness and insignificance of humankind in a vast and unknowable universe. Hidden from ordinary human perception but existing alongside us are entire dimensions filled with mysterious and grotesque beings, and at the dawn of time, the world itself was ruled by horrifying gods who will one day reawaken and take control of reality once again. The horrors of the genre thus relate to phenomena that are abominable to human beings because we cannot conceive of them or imagine them. Cosmic horror, which is most strongly identified with the weird fiction of H. P. Lovecraft, has entered the mainstream of contemporary culture in the form of TV series like True Detective and Rick and Morty, films like The Cabin in the Woods and John Dies at the End, and video games like The Call of Cthulhu and Bloodborne. The fiction of Lovecraft has exerted a profound influence on contemporary writers of fantasy and science fiction such as Ramsey Campbell, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, China Miéville, and Laird Barron. In this seminar, we will study some of the central works of cosmic horror as well as those of authors who can be considered its precursors and parallels. In reading and discussing works of cosmic horror, we will examine the impact they have on the audience, as well as consider their place in literary and cultural history. Given that the fiction of Lovecraft and his successors invoke a meaningless and forbiddingly vast cosmos, how do their works relate to the philosophy of existentialism, which likewise places the individual in a bleak and meaningless universe but emphasizes instead the freedom and the responsibility of the individual to create his or her own meaning and sense of purpose? And perhaps most importantly, why has cosmic horror become so popular now? What is it about the shape of the current world -- its dominant trends and ideas, such as the global marketplace, the transformation of social and sexual roles, terrorism, the resurgence of nationalism, the fluidity of identity, the advent of artificial intelligence -- that has made cosmic horror into an object of intense fascination and an outlet for our anxieties, which might otherwise go unspoken?
Course Requirements
Students will write two 5-page papers, which they will revise, and a final 12-15 page paper. They will also keep a journal of their responses to the readings, which will be checked by the instructor on a regular basis. Active participation of the students is also crucial - each student will give a ten-minute introduction of the work to be discussed in the seminar.
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ENGLISH 685 (HU) Law and Literature
Peter Sands, Director of the Honors College and Associate Professor of English
Sem 001, Class #63936: TR 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., HON 180
Reading (Required-subject to minor changes)
Aeschylus, The Oresteia Grisham, John, A Time to Kill Lee, Harper, To Kill a Mockingbird Melville, Herman, “Benito Cereno” and “Bartleby the Scrivener” Rosenbaum, Thane, ed. Law Lit: From Atticus Finch to the Practice: A Collection of Great Writing About the Law, (Selections) Shakespeare, William, The Merchant of Venice
(Recommended) Philosophy of Law: A Very Short Introduction (ca. 100 pages)
Viewing (Subject to minor changes)
Lumet, Sidney (dir.), Twelve Angry Men. Mulligan, Robert (dir.), To Kill a Mockingbird Thornton, Billy Bob (dir.), Sling Blade
Course Description
What is justice? What is morality? What is law? What is truth? We spend our lives within a legal system, a framework of rules, regulations, and norms that shapes interactions between and among people and nations. We also organize our lives through narrative—fictive or real—using stories to shape both our actual experiences and our understanding of them. Both the legal system and literary expression are primarily experienced through language. In the case of law, language frames legal expression, but is also the primary tool through which law’s authority is enforced. Literary texts also are framed through language and can even challenge the legal system by exploring boundaries of convention—banned books are both literary and legal artifacts. This course first surveys the broad field of law and literature, then closely explores several specific texts that present problems in jurisprudence and moral philosophy at the core of our legal system. Readings will touch on the earliest intersections between the two—Aeschylus and the Old Testament—before moving on to closer looks at contemporary film and literature.
Course Requirements
This seminar requires active in-class participation and both informal and formal writing. No familiarity with legal writing or analysis is necessary. Students will write frequent informal responses to generate and sustain classroom discussion. The final research essay of 8-10 pages will go through at least one initial draft which will receive peer and instructor feedback. The weekly writings, along with in-class participation, will form 50% of the final grade. The final paper accounts for the other 50% of the final grade and will be evaluated on the basis of the quality of required drafts and the final product.
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FRENCH 383 (HU) Fighting for Truth, Justice, and Freedom: The Birth of the Public Intellectual in France
Nicholas Russell, Associate Professor of French
Sem 001, Class #63456: MW 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., HON 190
Reading
Pierre Bourdieu, On Television Edward Saïd, Representations of the Intellectual Jean-Paul Sartre, What is Literature? Voltaire, Voltaire: Treatise on Tolerance Emile Zola, The Dreyfus Affair: "J’Accuse" and Other Writings
Various online readings, including short texts by Simone de Beauvoir, Gisèle Halimi, Albert Camus, Aimé Césaire, and Franz Fanon.
Viewing
Pierre Carles, Sociology is a Martial Art (Icarus Films, 2002)
Course Description
Throughout history there have been numerous individuals who have fought in the public sphere for truth, justice, and freedom. In late nineteenth-century France, these figures came to be called intellectuels (translated as “public intellectuals” in English). Public intellectuals became important figures in twentieth- century public life, especially in France where their role in society has been continually discussed and debated. They are not exactly political activists or pundits. For Edward Saïd, the ideal public intellectual is a perpetual outsider opposed to the status quo, someone who is fiercely independent, a gadfly who makes us uneasy, yet at the same time a charismatic figure who fights for and embodies universal principles of truth and justice. In this course, we will look at the debates surrounding public intellectuals and the role they play in society. In addition, we will read texts by French public intellectuals to get a more immediate sense of who these figures were and what causes they defended (causes including religious tolerance, freedom of speech, as well as gender and racial equality). The readings also will lead us to discuss a range of questions about taking action in the public sphere: What does it take to bring about positive change in society? As individuals, what are our responsibilities with respect to how our society functions? How do different forms of media (newspapers, books, television, the Internet) shape our ability to take a stand in the public sphere? Please note: no knowledge of French is required to take this course.
Course Requirements
Preparation for class, active participation in class discussion, and regular attendance are expected from all students (25% of the final grade). Three papers will be assigned: two short analytical essays (4-5 pages, 15% of the final grade each) and one longer paper including a research component (7-10 pages, 30% of the final grade). Students will all revise the first short essay and will have the option of revising the second. Students will also participate in a D2L online discussion forum four to five times throughout the semester. Each discussion forum post will be about one page long (15% of the final grade).
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NURSING 380 (SS) †A Failed System? An Exploration of America’s Health and Healthcare System
Anne Dressel, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Sem 001, Class #59293: TR 8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m., HON 195
Reading (A partial list and subject to change)
Shi, L. & Singh, D. A. (2014). Delivering Healthcare in America (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning Print [ISBN-10 1-2840-4712-1] To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System - report on medical errors by the Institute of Medicine (2000). Additional readings from web-based documents (i.e., summary of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, kff.org) In class viewing of “Escape Fire,” “The Waiting Room,” PBS Frontline video “Sick Around the World,” and/or “Sicko” Additional health-related government reports, websites, peer-reviewed articles, and online videos
Course Description
Over the past century, great strides have been made in improving health and health care delivery. Despite these improvements, a plethora of health and healthcare delivery problems persist. Millions of individuals living in America have limited access to basic healthcare services, thousands experience financial ruin due to the inability to pay for care related to a serious illness or injury, and many receive unsafe care resulting in permanent disability and even death. This course is designed to engage students in exploring our nation’s health from a health system perspective. Building upon the readings, group work and in-class discussion, students will address questions such as the following: Is health care a right or a privilege? What is the link between socioeconomic status and health? What values underpin the health care system? Why do Americans spend more than twice as much per person for health care than people do in most other industrialized countries? Why are there 40 million Americans without health insurance? How can two hospitals in the same city have more than a $10,000 difference in the cost of the same surgery? How can an individual have the wrong leg amputated during an operation?
Course Requirements
Building upon weekly seminar readings, students will write a 1-page reaction/position paper each week. In-class discussion and activities will contribute to further exploration of the various seminar topics. Based on reflection of readings and in-class discussion and activities, students will write two research papers (5-7 pages) at mid-term and the end of the semester and give presentations on those papers. Students will also write policy-related letter or craft talking points on a relevant course topic of the student’s choosing. Students will have the opportunity for revision of writings. Evaluation of student performance will be as follows:
Weekly reaction/position papers: 20% Class participation: 15% Mid-term research paper and presentation: 25% Legislative letter: 10% Final research paper and oral presentation: 30%
†The credits for Nursing 380 are eligible for GER distribution for *non-L&S majors* but ARE NOT eligible for the GER Breadth Requirements for L&S majors.
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POLITICAL SCIENCE 380 (SS) National Security Policy
Steven B. Redd, Associate Professor of Political Science
Sem 001, Class #64049: TR 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m., HON 155
Reading
Sarkesian, Sam C., John Allen Williams, and Stephen J. Cimbala. 2002. U.S. National Security: Policymakers, Processes, and Politics. 3rd ed. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.
Reserve readings: There will be a series of electronic and traditional reserve readings to be read throughout the semester. These readings will normally take the form of journal articles and/or book chapters.
Course Description
With the end of the Cold War and the disappearance of the Soviet threat, there has been an ongoing debate concerning the future direction and priorities of U.S. national security policy. The more recent “War on Terrorism” has further complicated the debate about U.S. national security policy. This course will join and examine this debate, focusing on national interests, national power, and the global security environment from the perspective of the United States. We will also address domestic actors in the national security policymaking process. Instead of a broad survey-type course, we will concentrate on some of the more important topics of current interest in national security policy. At the end of the course, students will have an understanding of U.S. national security interests and the policy- making process, and be able to determine and analyze threats to those interests and propose policy options for handling those threats.
Course Requirements
Students are expected to attend class, participate fully in class discussions, and complete assigned readings. Students will write three response essays (approx. three pages each) based on assigned readings for particular weeks, due 2-3 days before class. Students will also participate in four group projects as part of a policy analysis and recommendation team. Students will also write an 8-10 page research project in various stages throughout the semester. Grades will be determined as follows: 15% for the three response essays; 30% for the research project; 40% for the four group projects; and 15% for class participation.
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WOMEN’S STUDIES 380 (SS) Gender and Anger
Gwynne Kennedy, Director, Center for Women’s Studies/Associate Professor of English
Sem 001, Class #64138: MW 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m., HON 155
Reading
Audre Lorde, Sister/Outsider Laura Blumenfeld, Revenge: A Story of Hope Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis Ruth Ozeki, My Year of Meats Selected chapters, articles and essays (see below)
Course Description
The course offers an introduction to the interdisciplinary study of emotions, with particular attention to women’s anger. We will read widely, from classical philosophers to contemporary self- help books. Through readings and discussion, we will consider these (among other) questions: who can become angry and how is that anger valued? How can and should women display their anger? Which women? How do race, sexuality, class, ethnicity, ability, status and other factors influence the performance and legitimacy of women’s anger? Is revenge always a part of anger? What distinguishes anger from rage, and who decides? In addition to the books listed above, we will read essays, articles and chapters from writers in a variety of disciplines, including Anthropology, Nursing, Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology, History, and Feminist Theory. We will also look at women’s anger in contemporary advice and self- help books, where attitudes about the legitimacy and expression of anger for women are strikingly different. The primary goal of the course is to provide students with an overview of the interdisciplinary discourse on emotions, specifically women’s anger, and a body of questions, theories, and issues that they can bring to their own areas of interest. For this reason, students are encouraged for the final project to work on gender and anger in texts and media of their choice. Course Requirements
Short paper (4-6 pages) with revision: 20% of grade Critical summary of an article or essay (4-6 pages) with revision: 15% of grade Brief oral report and handout on self-help or advice book: 10% Final project: conference paper (10-12 pages) and abstract, class presentation: 40% of Grade (We will discuss conference papers and abstracts in class; students will have a chance to revise their papers after presenting them to the group) Preparation, participation, and attendance: 15%
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Honors College Office: Honors House 154
Telephone: 414-229-4658 Office hours: Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Email: [email protected] Website: uwm.edu/honors
Honors College Staff Peter Sands, Director, Honors House 146 Robin Ruback, Associate Director, Honors House 120
Laura Blaska, Enrollment Coordinator, Honors House 106 Melissa Blahnik, Honors College Advisor, Honors House 185 Aaron Dierks, Honors College Advisor, Honors House 181 Emily Kort, Program Associate, Honors House 113 Anne Lamb, Program Associate, Honors House 154
Lydia Equitz, Honors College Senior Lecturer/Writing Specialist, Honors House 189B Alan Singer, Honors College Senior Lecturer, Honors House 138 Hilary Snow, Honors College Lecturer, Honors House 151 David Southward, Honors College Senior Lecturer, Honors House 166A Jacqueline Stuhmiller, Honors College Lecturer, Honors House 150
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