May Session: Maymester courses are posted below. Please check back for updates.
Economics 224: Russia in Transition: Economic, social, and political implications
Prof. Victor Supyan
Transition from a centrally planned economy to markets. Trade, investments, labor markets, income, and growth. Taxation, fiscal, and monetary policy.
Credits: 3 credit hours – ECON 224 is listed as Social & Behavioral Sciences (SBS) credit in
AXLE.
For more information: victor.b.supyan@vanderbilt.edu
Religious Studies 202: Natural Science and the Religious Life
Prof. Victor Anderson
Maimonides held that both the natural sciences and religious thinking have the same goal. The goal is to understand the nature of the universe we inhabit so that we can learn how to best live our lives as human beings. The natural sciences and religious thinking believe that if we have accurate knowledge of reality, we will be able to lead happier, healthier and more fulfilled lives. This course is an examination of the ways that religion and science interact. Each offers various descriptions of the world and the ways that all things are related. The course focuses on particular areas where scientific and religious descriptions often clash. Some of the areas include: origins of the universe, humanity and its relation to other animals, genetics and human engineering, theories of the after life, and the environmental crises. The course will make use of a wide range of materials from philosophical, ethical and religious literatures and representations of religion and science in science fiction.
Credits: 3 credit hours – RLST 202 is listed as Perspectives (P) credit in AXLE.
For more information: victor.anderson@vanderbilt.edu
Sociology 234: Prison Life
Prof. Mary Altani Karpos
Prison Life from the perspectives of prisoners, officials, and the society in which they operarte.
Credits: 3 credit hours- SOC 234 is listed as Social & Behavioral Sciences (SBS) credit in AXLE.
For more information: m.karpos@Vanderbilt.Edu
Religious Studies 294 01: Culture, Religion and Politics of Contemporary Arab World
Prof. Bushra Hamad
The interface between religion and politics in the contemporary Arab world. Through close reading of primary and secondary sources, lectures, and discussions, we will explore the impact of colonialism and neo-colonialism on modern Arabic societies and the place of religion in them. Videos and slides will be used where appropriate. No knowledge of Arabic is required. Course will be taught in English.
Credits: 3 credit hours
For more information: bushra.hamad@vanderbilt.edu
American Studies 240 01: Topics in American Studies: Baseball in American Life
Prof. B. Oppenheimer
Baseball has often been viewed as a metaphor for American life. Why has baseball captured the imagination of so many diverse Americans? In particular, many of our finest twentieth- century writers have employed baseball as the vehicle for storytelling. This class explores the role of baseball in American life through the study of baseball fiction as presented in short stories, novels, and film. Students will read and discuss selected works from authors such as Ring Lardner, Bernard Malamud, Mark Harris, Phillip Roth, Robert Coover, and W.P. Kinsella. A class project will also focus on how to gather the essential ingredients for writing baseball fiction.
Credits: 3 credit hours- AMST 240 01 is listed as Social & Behavioral Sciences (SBS) credit in AXLE
For more information: bruce.oppenheimer@vanderbilt.edu
English 268B:
America on Film: Performance and Culture: Film performance in the construction of identity and gender, social meaning and narrative, public image and influence in America
Prof. Sam Girgus
Acting provides a key to the meaning and significance of film. At the same time, the photographic image, editing, and cinematography transform the nature of acting in film. By achieving a special "aura" in film, actors embody and project cultural values, conflicts, and contradictions. The course contrasts actors in terms of cultural values, acting styles, gender roles, personality types such as John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart; Brando and Eva Marie Saint; Bogart and Lauren Bacall; Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift; Paul Newman, George C. Scott, Tom Cruise; Saint and Cary Grant; Brad Pitt and Robert Redford; Denzel Washington and Will Smith; Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz; George Clooney and Matt Damon; Julia Roberts and Sharon Stone. It also discusses the special relationship between actors and directors such as Brando and Kazan, DeNiro and Scorsese, Diane Keaton, Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, Washington and Lee. The course compares classic Hollywood acting with the "Method" of the Actors Studio. While studying actors and performance, students write short papers, reviews, and longer, creative "Docuscripts."
Credits: 3 credit hours- ENGL 268B is listed as History and Cultures of the US (US) credit in AXLE
For more information:sam.b.girgus@vanderbilt.edu
Psychology 288:
Special Topics in Clinical Psychology: Commons Research Scholars
Prof. Jo Anne Bachorowski
Students will gain intensive exposure to an area of scholarly research of their choosing. Each student will be partnered with an individual faculty mentor who will shape students research techniques and support students in their development of a line of research inquiry. “Hands on” engagement will be central to this seminar. Students will also meet several times each week with the faculty coordinator (Bachorowski) to discuss scholarly processes, students' work, and the preparation of research presentations.
Students enrolled in this course will be encouraged to secure housing for May in West House in the Commons. The goal is to have students, faculty mentors and faculty coordinator engage regularly in the scholarly exchange of ideas and projects that will enhance the living/learning experience.
Course is limited to 15 students.
Credits: 3 credit hours
For more information:jo-anne.bachorowski@Vanderbilt.Edu
Theater 219:
Acting I
Prof. Jon W. Hallquist
The actor’s role in the theatre with emphasis on acting as artistic self-expression through improvisation and development of performance skills. Elements of Stanislavky’s System will be introduced through periodic readings and daily class exercises that include relaxation, trust, concentration, imagination, and sense memory techniques. Students will culminate their investigation into the acting process by preparing an audition monologue and a scene for performance.
This course will enhance self-expression, performance, and leadership. For students entering a variety of careers, this course will help build confidence, presence, and creativity: key elements of leadership on the job.
Credits: 3 credit hours- THTR 219 is listed as Humanities & Creative Arts (HCA) credit in AXLE
Time: Monday-Friday, 9:10am-12 noon NE 106
For more information: jon.w.hallquist@vanderbilt.edu
Film Studies 288 01:
Arbuckle, Chaplin, and Keaton and the Beginnings of Film Comedy
Prof. Katherine Fusco
This class will explore the beginnings of the comedy film from its very earliest instances at the end of the nineteenth century through the sophisticated and elaborate Chaplin films that remain so popular today. The class will examine influences on early comedies--including vaudeville, comic strips, and burlesque--stars of silent comedy and star scandals, and the lasting influence of early film. We will also look at the work of the first African American directors and female directors, and discuss the ways comedy commented on issues of race, class, and gender. Historical and theoretical readings will inform our class inquiry into how and why these films made people laugh at the beginning of the last century, and why so many of them still make us laugh today.
Credits: 3 credit hours
For more information: katherine.fusco@vanderbilt.edu
Philosophy 294:
Interpretation in law and the arts
Prof. Jonathan neufeld
With the recent and impending appointment of new justices to the Supreme Court, questions about the nature of legal interpretation are once again in the public spotlight. A wide variety of positions are advocated on the left and the right: judges should only use the “literal meaning” of the Constitution or statute; interpretations should be constrained by the “original intent” of the Framers; the Constitution as a “living document” and should be interpreted as such; the law embodies certain principles that interpreters are obligated to follow, whether or not they are explicitly written; democracy demands that interpretations reflect the values of people today, rather than those from 200 years ago; and so on. It is illuminating that these positions on the obligations of interpreters of law also arise in the domain of art. Authenticity of interpretation, letting the work speak for itself, following the artists’ intentions, and updating old works for new audiences, are of central concern to musicians, actors, directors, curators, and critics. With an eye toward gaining a better understanding legal interpretation, this course will explore these parallel debates, taking particular note of what changes and what stays the same when the object of interpretation is a law or a work of art. The course will involve three kinds of reading. First, we will study theories of interpretation in law and the arts. Second, we will explore applications of these theories—performances of law and the arts. This exploration will include reading judicial decisions, attending an art exhibit at the Frist, attending a musical performance, and watching a film. Finally, we will read and produce criticism of these performances.
Credits: 3 credit hours
For more information: jonathan.a.neufeld@vanderbilt.edu
Spanish 203:
Introduction to Spanish and Spanish-American Literatures
Prof. cynthia wasick
Critical reading and methods of literary analysis. Selections cover all genres in several periods. The course is conducted entirely in Spanish. Prerequisite: SPAN 201W and SPAN 202.
Educational Goals
- Develop reading skills necessary to appreciate works of literature in Spanish in the major literary genres: narrative, drama, and poetry
- Further improve oral communication skills through a discussion of literary Spanish using appropriate critical concepts and terminology
- Produce well argued essays of literary analysis of works in various literary genres that reflect a full understanding of the text or texts in question and communicate sophisticated concepts in a formal and grammatically correct Spanish
- Develop a deeper understanding of the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries by examining the socio-historical context of a variety of works of literature from various literary periods
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
- use a high degree of linguistic accuracy in both oral and written communication
- understand and apply a variety of key concepts of literary analysis in Spanish
- discuss at a sophisticated level a variety of works of literature in Spanish
- produce well conceived, well organized, and well written essays of literary analysis on a variety of works of literature in Spanish
- identify a variety of Spanish and Spanish American authors in their socio-historical context
Modes of Teaching and Learning
- Reading
- Writing
- Lecture/discussion
- Videos, audio recordings
Grade Determinants
- 3 written examinations
- 3 critical essays (3 three-page)
- daily written assignments
- assessment of participation/discussion
Credits: 3 credit hours- SPAN 203 is listed as Humanities & Creative Arts (HCA) credit in AXLE
For more information: cynthia.wasick@vanderbilt.edu
Philosophy 294:
Earth Art: Reworking the Past Today
Prof. david wood
This course will begin by introducing classic works of Earth Art from the 60s and 70s against the background of prehistoric monuments, and contemporary art history. Then, we will attempt to physically (and/or conceptually) recreate some of iconic pieces of Earth Art in a local contemporary setting. Finally, we will reflect on the very idea of recreating (reinterpreting?) works of art in the light of questions of meaning, originality, and tradition.
Students will meet two days a week on campus, and three days a week at Yellow Bird, a 180 acre sculpture park in Woodbury, TN, 60 min drive from Nashville. Students would work in groups of 3-4, and each create 3 works by the end of the course. Some pieces would be more conceptual, and take little time or resources; others might require hiring a digger/tractor etc. All would be photographed for a collective website.
The thinking behind the course
In October 1968 a group exhibition Earthworks was held at the Dwan Gallery in New York which effectively launched the movement known as Earth Art or Land Art. In the late 60s and early 70s many artists were rebelling against the confines of the gallery system, and earth artists took the lead. On the one hand, galleries were filled with manure, or had shafts sliced through them. On the other, art migrated to the desert without walls. Earth art reflected a rise in environmental consciousness for which it was precisely the separation of man from nature that was the problem, the belief that nature could be kept outside the frame, that earth could be reduced to being the material for a world of meaning,. Working directly with the earth’s surface seemed to redress the situation. And working under the sky, mirroring the stars, seemed to be a comment on the all-too-human presumption of modernism.
Earth art flourished for a time – into the 80s – but it seemed to fade. It was plagued by contradictions – the gallery system reasserted itself in the exhibition and sale of photographs, documentation and books. And whatever deeper statement might have been made, the massive earth-moving heroics of Americans such as Heizer, Turrell and Smithson seemed far too close to the industrial scale attitudes to the earth being apparently critiqued. Indeed if history seems to have selected these three for monumental support and preservation (Heizer’s City, Turrell’s Crater, and Smithson’s Spiral Jetty), this chapter of Earth Art seems otherwise to have closed. It is as if there was a brief period in which art believed itself to be insulated as art from being judged on the same scale as the more mundane willfulness that it simulated.
And yet Earth Art continues to flourish. In Fall 2009, New Mexico hosted a major exhibition of new work continuing art’s conversation with nature.[See www.landartnm.org] If global warming heralds a breakdown of the earth’s capacity for self-maintenance does this simply make what Heidegger called the struggle between earth and world constitutive of art more urgent and compelling, or does it threaten this very understanding of art? Does an earth art that addresses these concerns meet ‘humanity’s highest needs’ [Hegel], or is it best thought of as valiantly fighting a hopeless rearguard action?
If the first round of earth art left as a legacy a small number of monumental even aggressive works there are other traditions that continue to pursue the strife between world and earth more quietly as an ongoing questioning of the very possibility of dwelling.
We can distinguish three distinct paths of exploration:
- Classical pieces of monumental Land Art /Earth Art: Walter de Maria’s Lightning Field, James Turrell’s Roden Crater, Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty.
- Reawakening the surprising beauty and creativity of nature and natural processes, gently marking the human imprint: Andy Goldsworthy, Chris Drury, Richard Long.
- Environmental 'restoration' - empowering local communities to engage in shared re-mediations of nature: Hans Haake, Mel Chin, Alan Sonfist.
These three paths flow together to weave new modalities of experience, new shapes of dwelling on earth, different ways of transforming dwelling - a world/earth relationality neither entirely separable from conceptualization nor reducible to it.
In this course we will explore all three of these paths, reworking and reconstructing some of the more prominent works of the tradition on a 180 acre estate, reflecting on just what such repetition might involve, and what shape it might take.
Course requirements:
Participation in planning and construction of art works.
Daily online diary entries, totaling 20+ pages.
One 10-12 page paper
Course fees: Tuition plus an extra charge of approx. $650 will be added to cover transportation, some luncheons, and course material.
Credits: 3 credit hours
For more information: david.c.wood@vanderbilt.edu
Film Studies 288 02:
The Vampire Film
Prof. irina makoveeva
This course examines the phenomenon of vampirism in visual culture from different periods in various cinemas. Why do vampires continue to capture the imagination of readers and viewers? What qualities does the cinematic vampire incarnate? How has the depiction of the vampire evolved? Which historical events have triggered particular enthusiasm for depicting the undead?
Credits: 3 credit hours
For more information: irina.makoveeva@vanderbilt.edu
AMST 240:
The US Presidency on Screen
Prof. Vanessa Beasley
The U.S. presidency is arguably the most influential office within the executive branch. For many observers, this influence extends far beyond official duties and into the realm of the office's symbolic functions in which the president is assumed to embody "the American people" or the nation-state itself. Such symbolism is not limited to state business; it also takes place within popular culture, especially within texts made for U.S. cinema and television which depict individual presidents and/or the presidency rhetorically for a variety of purposes.
This course examines a variety of these texts, moving chronologically from the 1915 silent film Birth of a Nation up until the 2008 HBO mini-series John Adams. While some viewings will be held during class hours, others will be assigned for students to complete outside of class. Our secondary texts will include individual essays as well as two scholarly books. Grades will be determined by a quiz average, two short papers, and a research paper.
Credits: 3 credit hours- AMST is listed as Social & Behavioral Sciences (SBS) credit in AXLE
For more information: vanessa.b.beasley@Vanderbilt.Edu
Anth 208:
Food Politics in America
Prof. Beth Conklin
Course decription to come.
Credits: 3 credit hours- ANTH 208 is listed as History & Culture of the US (US) credit in AXLE
For more information: beth.a.conklin@Vanderbilt.Edu