Topics Course Descriptions *For Fall 2006 & later, see Class Schedule Search Spring 2006 Last updated 01/26/06 AMST 200D American Capitalism Prof. C. Barone Who rules America? Economically? Politically? Culturally? Drawing on critical perspectives from Political Economy, American Studies and Sociology, this interdisciplinary course examines how power is structured in American capitalism across institutions, including the social relations of production and distribution, corporations and markets. Special attention is given to the ways in which powerful economic groups and organizations are able to exert economic control, influence government and dominate American institutions such as the media. AMST 200F Mass Media Prof. A. Farrell This course will examine the connections between mass media and American culture, focusing in particular on ideological constructions, commercialism, and audience reception. We will examine the origins of U.S. mass media, emphasizing the utopian hopes that American citizens brought to the media and the competing demands of commercial interests. Then we will turn our attention to analysis of the media itself, in particular television situation comedies, television advertisements, and television news. We will explore how meanings are constructed within media, the ways that different audiences interpret these meanings in multiple and often conflicting ways, and the ways that commercial constraints shape what we see and hear on television. AMST 200J Gay in America Prof. L. Malmsheimer Through books, articles and film, Gay in America examines the historical and contemporary conditions of life in the United States for sexual minorities. The class will also study the evolving culture and politics of GLBT identity groups and the representation of gays in popular culture. AMST 301AA The Family in America Prof. K. Rogers This course traces the history of the American family from the colonial period through the present, using an interdisciplinary approach that combines readings in demography, social history, psychology, literature, and anthropology. Topics explored include family formation and gender creation, marriage and divorce, family violence and the social impact of changing patterns of mortality and fertility. AMST 301AD Caribbean American Identities Prof. J. Philogene This introductory course will provide an interdisciplinary perspective on the development of Caribbean American identities during the 20th century. Drawing on a wide range of materials including: art, films, videos, documentaries and novels, this course will contextualize the social, cultural and political processes that have shaped Caribbean American peoples. Geared towards students who are interested in immigration and ethnicity; race, culture and visual arts, this introductory course opens up perspectives to explore the transformative experience of immigration and the "making" of Caribbean American identities. More broadly, the course will utilize popular and visual arts, including music and carnival, as critical lenses to examine the formation of Caribbean American identities. Classes will consist of a combination of lectures and discussions. Short slide lectures and film and video excerpts will also be part of the course. Film/video screenings will be viewed outside of class time. All film/video viewings are mandatory. AMST 301AE American Lives Prof. S. O'Brien In this course, we will explore the ways in which Americans have narrated life stories (both individual and communal). We will be encountering a variety of genres (autobiography, memoir, personal essay, documentary film, poetry, performance, and radio narrative) and a diverse range of voices. Our texts will include Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, Jane Kenyon and Donald Hall's poetry, Audre Lorde's Cancer Journals, Anna Deveare Smith's Fire in the Mirror, Gloria Anzaldua and Cheri Moraga's anthology, This Bridge Called My Back, David Sedaris' Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Lucy Grealy's Autobiography of a Face, Mark Doty's Firebird and the oral narratives from National Public Radio's This American Life. Throughout the course we will be exploring the interconnection between life stories and social and historical contexts, as well as the literary and aesthetic issues raised by the genres we are considering. AMST 301AF Hollywood Renaissance Prof. N. Mellerski What is the nature of the "New Wave" in Hollywood cinema of the late 60s and early 70s? Was a new vision of American society being proposed, or are these films superficially radical, yet internally conservative? In what ways did the cinema of this period translate its audience's ambivalent relationship to social and political change? We will try to answer these questions as we study how competing voices on the Left and the Right in Hollywood cinema mediated social and political change underway in the context of the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement. Films by Coppola, Altman, Scorsese, Eastwood and others. AMST 402B-01 Writing in American Studies Prof. J. Cotten Seiler Topics chosen annually on the basis of student interest and scholarly concerns in the field. Such topics, explored through reading, discussion, field work, and research, include: American Lives; The Twenties; Social Criticism in America; Male and Female in America; Metaphors of American Experience; Myths, Fiction and American Life; America Through Foreign Eyes; The American Artist and Society; Photographs and American Culture. Students should refer to the class schedule for the topic being offered in any given semester. AMST 402B-02 Writing in American Studies Prof. S. O'Brien Topics chosen annually on the basis of student interest and scholarly concerns in the field. Such topics, explored through reading, discussion, field work and research, include: American Lives; The Twenties; Social Criticism in America; Male and Female in America; Metaphors of American Experience; Myths, Fiction and American Life; America Through Foreign Eyes; The American Artist and Society; Photographs and American Culture. Students should refer to the class schedule for the topic being offered in any given semester. ANTHR 255 Global Eastern Africa Prof. J. Ellison This course examines global connections in the intersections of culture and power that underlie contemporary issues in eastern Africa. The globally marketed indigenous cultures and exotic landscapes of eastern Africa, like current dilemmas of disease and economic development, are products of complex local and transnational processes (gendered, cultural, social, economic, and political) that developed over time. To understand ethnicity, the success or failure of development projects, the social and economic contexts of tourism, responses to the AIDS crisis, the increasing presence of multinational corporations, and other contemporary issues, we will develop an ethnographic perspective that situates cultural knowledge and practice in colonial and postcolonial contexts. While our focus is on eastern Africa, the course will offer students ways to think about research and processes in other contexts. ANTHR 345D Soc/Cult Effects of Globalization Prof. H. Merrill Course offered on an occasional basis that covers special topics such as African women in development, theories of civilization, anthropology and demography or anthropological genetics. BIOL 401C Virology Prof. D. Kushner An introduction to viruses. This course will examine the life cycle of viruses in general and their relationships with their hosts, including the processes of attachment to, entry into, genomic replication within, and exit from, cells. The specific molecular and cellular biology and biochemistry of, and pathogenesis/disease caused by, several viruses will also be studied. Related topics (such as prions, RNA interference, and public health issues) may be discussed. Weekly reading and discussion of primary literature will complement the lectures. Prerequisite: Two Biology courses numbered between 120-129 or permission of the instructor; some background in cell and/or molecular biology highly recommended. BIOL 401E Genomics/Proteomics/Bioinformatics Prof. M. Roberts Students will explore new approaches to the study of gene expression at the genome and proteome levels. Analyzing the expression of the entire genome and the resultant proteome has recently become possible due to the development of novel molecular techniques. These techniques generate large data sets that can only be adequately studied using sophisticated computer tools. The methods of genomics, proteomics and the use of bioinformatic tools to find meaning in the results will be the focus of this course. Special attention will be given to the application of these methods and computer tools to the practice of medicine. BIOL 401F The Biology of Consciousness Prof. T. Pires For nearly all of the last century, neuroscience was dominated by schools of thought that considered consciousness and self- awareness to be outside the realm of serious scientific inquiry. In the last 10-15 years that has all changed, and the biology of conscious mental experience has become a dynamic field of exploration. How could the physical processes of the brain generate our sense of experiential awareness? We will traverse this intellectual frontier with Christof Koch's highly accessible book, The Quest for Consciousness, supplemented by readings from the recent primary research literature. CHEM 490G Materials Chemistry Prof. B. Chan Topics may be drawn from areas such as heterocycles, natural products,