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Course Descriptions
All humanities students take one of the following classes which meet weekday mornings.
| ID # | Course Title | Instructor(s) |
| H-01 | Foreign Policy: What If…? In this course we will consider the paradoxical and evolving nature of U.S. Foreign Policy. Our goals will be to trace the development of American and global diplomatic history, develop foreign policy as diplomats, and as a culminating activity hold a global summit considering some of the pressing issues of our time. Our course will consider a variety of topics including national security, humanitarian aid, environmental concerns, trade policy, and the geopolitical balance of power. Throughout the course we will participate in simulations, field trips, be visited by guest speakers, hold debates, watch films, and stimulate curiosity of the foreign policy process. |
Ed Motley & Jeff MacGuinness |
| H-02 | American Idyll: Pastoralism in the 21st Century The American dream has always held a fascination with the lazy river of opportunity, the amber waves of grains, and hiking through the redwood forests. As a nation, our manifest destiny has been bound with images of nature. Both our national and personal identities are formed by relationships to the outdoors. We go into the wild and draw inspiration from the natural world in our work, life, play, philosophy, and creative expression. Thoreau wandered into the wilderness to “suck the marrow out of life,” Teddy Roosevelt rode roughly into the American imagination by creating the National Park Service, Richard Hatch learned how to survive stripped bare of civilization, and Chris McCandless sought to test himself in the final frontier. As Americans we have all heard the siren call of the wild; how will you answer? |
Craig Klugman & Jenn Collison |
| H-03 | Crusades and Jihads: Religion and Politics in a Shrinking World To what degree is today’s world condemned to repeated strife that claims a religious basis? Religions are among the noblest elements of human tradition, and they are at the same time among our most tenacious areas of conflict. This course will explore the roots of religions in their multiple dimensions. We will examine case studies of religion and public life in and between differing societies, including the US experience, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Myanmar, China, Afghanistan, and France. We will look at the impact of individual religious and political leaders, and at major historical and contemporary theories on the interaction of religion and politics. We will engage in extensive discussion, debate, and role playing in order to develop a deeper insight into the variety of human religious experience and the situations where religion has been used as a focus of conflict or, conversely, has proven a force for understanding. |
David Howell & John Hawes |
| H-04 | If I Were a Pirate… Ahoy mates! Come on board for escapades, crime, and swashbuckling. We’ll be exploring the seven seas, Davy Jones’s locker, and the pirate’s code. Through the use of movies, history, material culture, and our sense of adventure, we will dive into the world of piracy, both historical and present day. We will study the differences between the pirates of literature and movie culture and those of real history, the challenge of piracy to maritime and property law, and modern-day piracy on the high seas and the internet. So come with us on our ship Discovery as we navigate the waters of thievery and deception. Laggards and traitors will walk the plank. |
Bill Mandel & Michele Riley |
| H-05 | If I Were You... How do you understand someone who is not you? Do you find yourself looking at people in an airport and wondering where they are going and why? Ever glance in a trash can and wonder how that got there and who left it? In this class, we will examine the stories we make up about people, both ourselves and others. Combining the observatory elements required in both ethnography and fiction, we will explore how we understand character, story and the worlds in which they exist. |
Brian Riedel & Elizabeth Gooch |
| H-06 | Live Free or Die White man got you down? Does everyone you know have black lung? Are you overworked? Was your kid ground up in the machine? Were you forced to lick the fat of swine? How long did you live in your own filth? There is a breaking point. If you care, then join us. Learn about making a change by studying the great revolutions, from bombing the suburbs to fighting for food to eat. Learn the tools of revolution: Reaction. Change. Expression. Communication. Hostility. Congregation. Assembly. Action. A revolution is coming soon—join us if... |
Adam Booth & Christopher Dague |
| H-07 | Persistence of Vision Film is the most pervasive art form of the modern age, yet one of the least critically examined by its audience. We’re all experts. After all, we’ve been watching movies all our lives. Yet we are amazingly inarticulate on leaving the theatre. “It was great!”… but we can’t talk about why or how. This course will examine film structure, major movements, basic theory, and master directors; we’ll learn about lighting, lenses, color, editing, composition, and sound just as a start. Students will be responsible for discussion, storyboarding, screenwriting, and simple shooting exercises. The films will be challenging - a love of analysis is a must! |
Elizabeth Otani & Rick Seyford |