Introductory Special Topics Courses (190’s and 290’s) – Spring 2017

Spring 2017 Offerings

Courses numbered in the 190’s and 290’s focus on a particular topic and are offered only once or twice. These courses are taught at an introductory or intermediate level; specific prerequisites (if any) are noted in the course descriptions.

Please consult WebAdvisor for the days, times, and locations of these sections.

ART 191, Black Art Expression
Professor S. Prince

An introduction to drawing, exploring materials and techniques through an investigation of works, styles, and especially the aesthetic values of African-American artists stemming from the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s and the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coursework integrates effective oral and written communication to explore contemporary and historical practices within the medium and the role of art in human experience. Students may not receive credit for both this course and ART 151.

Note: This course may be used in place of ART 151 as a prerequisite for advanced Studio Art courses. This course may be used as an elective in the Black Studies minor.

COMRT/ENGL 190 Shakespeare From Script to Performance
Professors Watkins & Bulman

A team-taught course which examines performance as a mode of interpreting Shakespeare’s plays. Students develop methods for analyzing a Shakespearean text, then realize that text in performance by experimenting with a variety of acting, movement, and verse-speaking exercises. By doing so, they discover how meaning is contingent upon performance choices, venues, casting, audience, and reception. Classroom presentation of memorized scenes is required.

ENVSC 292 Small-scale Production Agriculture
Professor K. Martin

An experiential study of managing local food production gardens using the Carr Hall Garden (the “Carrden”). Students evaluate various growing practices and philosophies to develop and implement the season’s growing plan for the Carrden. Also examined are current issues in sustainable agriculture such as land acquisition, regulations and certifications, and markets. Prerequisites: ES 110 recommended.

GEO 190 Energy and Society
Professor Carter

An interdisciplinary examination of energy in modern society. Cheap fossil fuels drove the industrial revolution and modernized the lifestyles of billions; yet, their usage has high social, environmental, and economic costs. Students examine the history of energy use, measurements and thermodynamics of energy, personal and global energy consumption, energy sources (non-renewable and renewable), consequences of burning fossil fuels, economics of energy, energy policy, and the geopolitics of energy. Projects and discussions focus on utilizing fossil fuels to assist in the transition toward sustainable energy sources, counteracting the effects of climate change, and addressing society’s ever-increasing energy demand.

INTDS 290 Animals, Culture, and Society
Professors B. Haywood & J. Miller

An introduction to animal studies, the interdisciplinary field that explores the significance of nonhuman animals to human culture and society. Students integrate scientific knowledge and humanistic values to analyze recent controversies arising from human-animal relationships, paying special attention to the cultural, ethical, and political frameworks that inform attitudes towards nonhuman animals.

New:

PHIL 290 Environmental Philosophy
Professor Steen

An introduction to philosophical ethics through an engagement with environmental issues of population growth and resource use, sustainability, non-human animal welfare, biodiversity loss, environmental justice, and global climate change. The two main goals of the course are to provide students with a more sophisticated conceptual vocabulary to make and evaluate ethical arguments across domains and to engage students’ ethical reasoning and reflection on environmental issues in particular.