WINTER STUDY PROGRAM
REMINDERS ABOUT WSP REGISTRATION
All students who will be on campus during the 2006-2007 academic year must register for WSP. Registration will take place in the early part of fall semester. If you are registered for a senior thesis in the fall which must be continued through Winter Study by departmental rules, you will be registered for your Winter Study Project automatically. In every other case, you must complete registration. First-year students are required to participate in a Winter Study that will take place on campus; they are not allowed to do 99's.
Even if you plan to take a 99, or the instructor of your first choice accepts you during the registration period, there are many things that can happen between registration and the beginning of Winter Study to upset your first choice, so you must list five choices. You should try to make one of your choices a project with a larger enrollment, not that it will guarantee you a project, but it will increase your chances.
If you think your time may be restricted in any way (ski meets, interviews, etc.), clear these restrictions with the instructor before signing up for his/her project.
Remember, for cross-listed projects, you should sign up for the subject you want to appear on your record.
For many beginning language courses, you are required to take the WSP Sustaining Program in addition to your regular project. You will be automatically enrolled in this Sustaining Program, so no one should list this as a choice.
The grade of honors is reserved for outstanding or exceptional work. Individual instructors may specify minimum standards for the grade, but normally, fewer than one out of ten students will qualify. A grade of pass means the student has performed satisfactorily. A grade of perfunctory pass signifies that a student's work has been significantly lacking but is just adequate to deserve a pass.
If you have any questions about a project, see the instructor before you register.
Finally, all work for WSP must be completed and submitted to the instructor no later than Friday, January 26th. Only the Dean can grant an extension beyond this date.
WINTER STUDY 99'S
Sophomores, juniors and seniors are eligible to propose "99's," independent projects arranged with faculty sponsors, conducted in lieu of regular Winter Study courses. Perhaps you have encountered an interesting idea in one of your courses which you would like to study in more depth, or you may have an interest not covered in the regular curriculum. In recent years students have undertaken in-depth studies of particular literary works, interned in government offices, assisted in foreign and domestic medical clinics, conducted field work in economics in developing countries, and given performances illustrating the history of American dance. Although some 99's involve travel away from campus, there are many opportunities to pursue intellectual or artistic goals here in Williamstown.
99 forms are available online: http://www.williams.edu/Registrar/winterstudy/99direct.html
The deadline for submitting the proposals to faculty sponsors is Thursday, 28 September.
AFR 25 Border Crossing, Capital Punishment, and Penal Politics in Texas (CANCELLED!)
AMST 15 Contemporary American Songwriting (Same as Music 17)
ANSO 11 Berkshire Farm Center Internship
ANSO 12 Children and the Courts: Internship in the Crisis in Child Abuse
ARAB S.P. Sustaining Program for Arabic 101-102
ARTH 10 Fictionalizing the Artist: Genius and Gender in Films about Artists
ARTH 12 Looking at Contemporary Documentary Photography (Same as English 12 and Special 27)
ARTH 13 Love, Longing, and Land: Nation and Identity in Hindi Cinema
ARTH 14 Archaeology and Imagination: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
ARTH 19 Theorizing the Image (Same as English 19 and Philosophy 19)
ARTH 33 Honors Independent Study
ARTS 10 Designing and Modeling Geometric Shapes (Same as Mathematics 10)
ARTS 13 Documentary Video Production (Same as English 13)
ARTS 14 Secret Diaries and Parallel Homework: Video Production
ARTS 15 Large-Format Photography
ARTS 18 A House in a Box (CANCELLED!)
ARTS 25 Art, Culture, and Spanish in Oaxaca, Mexico (Same as Spanish 25)
ARTS 33 Honors Independent Project
ASST 13 The Art of War (Same as Political Science 13)
ASST 25 Politics of the Korean Peninsula (Same as Political Science 25)
CHIN S.P. Sustaining Program for Chinese 101-102
CHIN 10 On Foreign Language Learning (same as Linguistics 10)
CHIN 11 Old Shanghai, New Shanghai (CANCELLED!)
CHIN 12 Traditional Yang-style Taiji
CHIN 13 Theory and Practice of Chinese Cooking
JAPN S.P. Sustaining Program for Japanese 101-102
JAPN 11 Introduction to Language Acquisition (Same as Linguistics 11)
ASTR 25 American Planetariums, Public Outreach, and Astronomy Education
BIOL 11 Curing Health Care (Same as Economics 28)
BIOL 12 Of Lice and Men: Insects, Disease, and History
BIOL 21 Science Beyond Williams
BIOL 22 Introduction to Biological Research
CHEM 11 Science for Kids (Same as Special 11)
CHEM 12 Epidemiology: What Is an Epidemic? How Are They Investigated and Solved?
CHEM 13 Principles and Techniques of Cooking (Same as Special 13)
CHEM 14 Alternative Photographic Processes
CHEM 17 Introduction to Research in Archaeological Science
CHEM 18 Introduction to Research in Biochemistry
CHEM 20 Introduction to Research in Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 23 Introduction to Research in Organic Chemistry
CHEM 24 Introduction to Research in Physical Chemistry
CHEM 31 Senior Research and Thesis
CLAS 11 Horace in English (Same as Comparative Literature 11 and English 27)
CLAS 25 Singing on the Tiber: Performance and History in Rome (Same as Music 25)
COGS 14 Cognition in Autism Spectrum Disorders (Same as Psychology 14)
COMP 11 Horace in English (Same as Classics 11 and English 27)
COMP 13 Modern Arab Cinema (Same as Special 23)
CSCI 14 LEGO Robot Engineering
ECON 11 The Economics of Privacy (CANCELLED!)
ECON 12 Malaria (CANCELLED!)
ECON 13 Mapping Gotham's History (Same as History 17)
ECON 16 Real Estate and the Dream of Prosperity
ECON 18 The Nation in Indian Cinema (CANCELLED!)
ECON 19 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
ECON 25 The Millenium Development Goals and Africa: A Case Study of South Africa
ECON 27 Henry George, Eliminating Poverty
ECON 28 Curing Health Care (Same as Biology 11)
ECON 51 Tax Policy in Emerging Markets
ECON 52 Computable General Equilibrium Model
ENGL 10 Beginning Proust's In Search of Lost Time
ENGL 12 Looking at Contemporary Documentary Photography (Same as ArtH 12 and Special 27)
ENGL 13 Documentary Video Production (Same as ArtS 13)
ENGL 14 Transcending Jazz (Same as Music 14)
ENGL 15 The Hours and Mrs. Dalloway
ENGL 17 The Work of Flannery O'Connor
ENGL 19 Theorizing the Image (Same as ArtH 19 and Philosophy 19)
ENGL 20 Henry James: The Golden Bowl
ENGL 22 The Comedy of Tom Stoppard (Same as Theatre 22) (CANCELLED!)
ENGL 23 "Getting Medieval" in Film and Fiction
ENGL 27 Horace in English (Same as Classics 11 and Comparative Literature 11)
ENGL 30 Honors Project: Specialization Route
ENGL 31 Honors Project: Thesis
ENVI 10 The Winter Naturalist's Journal
ENVI 11 Clean Water in the Global Context
ENVI 12 Landscape Photography (Same as Geosciences 12)
ENVI 14 Geology of the National Parks (Same as Geosciences 14)
ENVI 25 Sustainable Resource Management
ENVI 31 Senior Research and Thesis
GEOS 12 Landscape Photography (Same as Environmental Studies 12)
GEOS 14 Geology of the National Parks (Same as Environmental Studies 14)
GERM S.P. Sustaining Program for German 101-102
GERM 11 Anarchism: Old and New Beginnings (Same as Special 17)
HIST 10 African American History and American Film
HIST 11 Generations and Turnings in Film (Same as Leadership Studies 11)
HIST 13 Seeing `Red': Exploring Cao Xueqin's Dream of the Red Chamber
HIST 14 Campus Activism Then and Now
HIST 15 "1968: A Year that Mattered"
HIST 17 Mapping Gotham's History (Same as Economics 13)
HIST 18 City of Steeples: Charting the North Adams Renaissance (CANCELLED!)
LEAD 10 Corporate Leadership and Social Responsibility
LEAD 11 Generations and Turnings in Film (Same as History 11)
LGST 14 So You Want to be A Lawyer?
LGST 15 The Work of the Supreme Court: A Simulation (Same as Political Science 15)
LING 10 On Foreign Language Learning (Same as Chinese 10)
LING 11 Introduction to Language Acquisition (Same as Japanese 11)
LING 12 Preliminary Introduction to American Sign Language (Same as Women's and Gender 12 and Special 12) (CANCELLED!)
LING 13 Constructed Languages in Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Culture (Same as Psychology 13)
MATH 10 Designing and Modeling Geometric Shapes (Same as ArtS 10)
MATH 12 Contemporary Movie Criticism
MATH 13 Modern Dance-Muller Technique (Same as Special 18)
MATH 14 Points of Intersection: Where Algebra and Geometry Meet
MATH 16 Knitting: The Social History and Craft Form (Same as Special 16)
MUS 11 Cuban "Classical" Composers and Their Music
MUS 12 Ensembles in Classic American and European Musical Theatre (Same as Theatre 12)
MUS 14 Transcending Jazz (Same as Engish 14)
MUS 17 Contemporary American Songwriting (Same as American Studies 15)
MUS 18 The Life and Music of Bassist/Composer Jaco Pastorius
MUS 19 Bruce Springsteen (Same as Psychology 16)
MUS 21 Individual Vocal and Instrumental Instruction
MUS 25 Singing on the Tiber: Performance and History in Rome (Same as Classics 25)
PHIL 10 "The Origins of Totalitarianism": Hannah Arendt, Race-Thinking and Crisis (Same as Africana Studies 10 and Political Science 18)
PHIL 12 Ethics Bowl: Case-based Reasoning in Ethics
PHIL 19 Theorizing the Image (Same as ArtH 19 and English 19)
PHYS 12 Meet the Right Side of Your Brain: Drawing as a Learnable Skill
PHYS 15 Livres des Artists-The Artist Book
PHYS 22 Research Participation
PSCI 10 Political Campaign Ads-Noise, Trash, or Democracy in Action?
PSCI 11 Grassroots Activism for Social Change
PSCI 12 Democracy or Plutocracy
PSCI 13 The Art of War (Same as Asian Studies 13)
PSCI 14 Assessing the Impact of Local Policy on Underage Drinking: The Role of Server Training
PSCI 15 The Work of the Supreme Court: A Simulation (Same as Legal Studies 15)
PSCI 16 Presentation Skills for Impact
PSCI 17 Great Writing, Great Teaching
PSCI 18"The Origins of Totalitarianism": Hannah Arendt, Race-Thinking and Crisis (Same as Africana Studies 10 and Philosophy 10)
PSCI 21 Fieldwork in Public and Private Non-Profits
PSCI 25 Politics of the Korean Peninsula (Same as Asian Studies 25)
PSYC 10 Mental Illness in Film
PSYC 12 Personality Trait Theory through Biography
PSYC 13 Constructed Languages in Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Culture (Same as Linguistics 13)
PSYC 14 Cognition in Autism Spectrum Disorders (Same as Cognitive Science 14)
PSYC 15 American Incarceration
PSYC 16 Bruce Springsteen (Same as Music 19)
REL 11 Self Revelations: Religious Identity and the Reading and Writing of Memoir and Fiction
REL 12 Yoga: A Mind-Body Connection
REL 13 Augustine's Confessions: `Becoming a Question to Oneself'
REL 25 Jerusalem: A Travel-Study Course with Three Narratives
RLFR S.P. Sustaining Program for French 101-102
RLFR 10 "Astérix the Gaul: French Culture through the Prism of the Comic"
RLIT S.P. Sustaining Program for Italian 101-102
RLSP S.P. Sustaining Program for Spanish 101-102
RLSP 10 Animal Consciousness: Crossing the Species Boundary in Literature and Film
RLSP 25 Art, Culture, and Spanish in Oaxaca, Mexico (Same as ArtS 25)
RUSS S.P. Sustaining Program for Russian 101-102
RUSS 25 Williams in Georgia (Same as Special 25)
THEA 10 Reading Fernando Ortiz (CANCELLED!)
THEA 12 Ensembles in Classic American and European Musical Theatre (Same as Music 12)
THEA 22 The Comedy of Tom Stoppard (Same as English 22) (CANCELLED!)
THEA 25 Making Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa
WGST 12 Preliminary Introduction to American Sign Language (Same as Linguistics 12 and Special 12) (CANCELLED!)
WGST 19 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) (Same as Economics 19)
SPEC 10 Quest for College: Early Awareness in Berkshire County Schools
SPEC 11 Science for Kids (Same as Chemistry 11)
SPEC 12 Preliminary Introduction to American Sign Language (Same as Linguistics 12 and Women's and Gender 12) (CANCELLED!)
SPEC 13 Principles and Techniques of Cooking (Same as Chemistry 13)
SPEC 14 Emergency Medical Technician-Basic
SPEC 16 Knitting: The Social History and Craft Form (Same as Mathematics 16)
SPEC 17 Anarchism: Old and New Beginnings (Same as German 11)
SPEC 18 Modern Dance-Muller Technique (Same as Mathematics 13)
SPEC 19 Medical Apprenticeship
SPEC 21 The Psychology of the Workplace, A Field Study
SPEC 23 Modern Arab Cinema (Same as Comparative Literature 13)
SPEC 24 Eye care and Culture on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua
SPEC 25 Williams in Georgia (Same as Russian 25)
SPEC 27 Looking at Contemporary Documentary Photography) (Same as ArtH 12 and English 12)
SPEC 28 Teaching Practicums in New York City Schools
SPEC 29 Non, non, non! Nonviolence, Nonaggression and Noncoercion
SPEC 34 Winter Emergency Care, CPR, Ski Patrol Rescue Techniques
SPEC 35 Making Pottery on the Potter's Wheel
SPEC 36 Study in Irish Diaspora
SPEC 39 "Composing a Life:" Finding Success and Balance in Life After Williams
COURSES
ANSO 11 Berkshire Farm Internship
ANSO 12 Children and the Courts: Internship in the Crisis in Child Abuse
CHEM 11 Science for Kids (Same as Special 11)
LING 12 Preliminary Introduction to American Sign Language (Same as Women's and Gender Studies 12 and Special 12) (CANCELLED!)
PSCI 17 Great Writing, Great Teaching
SPEC 28 Teaching Practicums in New York City Schools
AFRICANA STUDIES
AFR 10 "The Origins of Totalitarianism": Hannah Arendt, Race-Thinking and Crisis (Same as Philosophy 10 and Political Science 18)
This tutorial examines the work and life of German Jewish political theorist Hannah Arendt, and relationships of ethnic identity,
racism, anti-semitism and fascism in political life. The centennial of her birth and growing debates about the nature of modern "fascism" and
"democracy" have led to increased attention to the writings of Hannah Arendt. This tutorial will review key works including Young-Bruehl's biography,
Hannah Arendt: For Love of the World, and Arendt's own texts: The Origins of Totalitarianism, The Human Condition, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on
the Banality of Evil, On Revolution, Crises of the Republic, Men in Dark Times, Rahel Varnhargen: The Life of a Jewish Woman.
JAMES
AFR 25 Border Crossing, Capital Punishment, and Penal Politics in Texas CANCELLED!This winter session course takes place in Austin and in "border" communities in
Texas. It examines the policing of immigration, racial containment/segregation,
domestic and political crimes, and capital punishment in one of the most influential states in national politics. After on-campus study sessions beginning in
early December, students will travel to Texas in January for 7-10 days to meet
with diverse constituencies, academics, community educators and activists focusing on Mexican/Mexican-American/Chicano and African American experiences with penal and police cultures.
Students will write brief e-papers for prep sessions, maintain journals while in
Texas, and have the option to collectively create a web installation of visual culture and oral histories. University of Texas-Austin faculty will also assist in this
winter session course.
Permission of instructor required. Enrollment limit: 8 (expected: 5.) Not open to
first-year students.
Cost to student: $1200.
JAMES
To be taken by students registered for Africana Studies 491 who are candidates for honors.
AMERICAN STUDIES
AMST 15 Contemporary American Songwriting (Same as Music 17)
This course will focus on learning how to write and perform songs in a contemporary style. Topics addressed will include song structure, how to create a lyric
that communicates, vocal and instrument presentation, performing techniques,
publicity for events, and today's music industry. This class will culminate in a
public performance of material written during the course.
To successfully pass this course, students are required to create, edit, perform
and possibly record two original songs. These songs must be conceived during
the course period (in other words, previously written material is not usable.) Students will be guided to create both music and lyrics. They may also be required
to participate in a co-write session. One of these songs will be presented during
the final performance, preferably by the student. Attendance at classes, feedback
sessions, and all officially scheduled events is mandatory and crucial. Also, a
short writing assignment will be passed in on the last day of class.
No prerequisites. Students with a musical background and the ability to play and
instrument may be given preference, but anyone interested is encouraged to register. (Bernice.Lewis@williams.edu). Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: $75 for books and xeroxing costs.
Meeting time: mornings,Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for two-hour sessions.
BERNICE LEWIS (Instructor)
WONG (Sponsor)
Bernice Lewis is an accomplished singer and songwriter who has performed her work throughout the country. She lives in Williamstown and has released five recordings of original material.
To be taken by students registered for American Studies 491 or 492.
ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY
ANSO 11 Berkshire Farm Center Internship
A field placement at Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth in Canaan,
New York. Berkshire Farm Center is a residential treatment facility for troubled,
at-risk adolescent boys who have been remanded to the Farm by the Family
Court. These youths come primarily from lower socio-economic strata, are very
ethnically diverse, and hail from both urban and rural areas throughout New
York State. The problems that they bring to Berkshire Farm are multiple. These
include: the psychological scars of dysfunctional families, including those of
physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; chemical dependency; juvenile delinquency; inability to function in school settings; and various other issues. Residential treatment is a multi-modal approach that includes anger-replacement
training, social skills training, and behavioral modification.
Williams students will commute to Berkshire Farm and work under supervision
in one of the following areas: school, cottage life, chemical dependency unit, research, recreation, performing arts, or in individual tutoring.
Requirements: students will keep a journal reflecting on their experiences, and a
weekly seminar with the instructor will draw on service learning experience.
Students will also be required to submit a final 10-page paper at the end of the
course.
Prerequisites: YOU MUST HAVE A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW WITH
THE INSTRUCTOR who can be reached at 518-781-4567 ext. 121. Enrollment limit: 15. Please note: all queries about this course should be directed to the
instructor.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting times to be arranged.
DONELLE HAUSER (Instructor)
NOLAN (Sponsor)
Donelle Hauser is Program Coordinator at the Burnham Youth Safe Center at Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth.
ANSO 12 Children and the Courts: Internship in the Crisis in Child Abuse
The incidence of reported child abuse and neglect has reached epidemic proportions and shows no signs of decreasing. Preventive and prophylactic social programs, court intervention, and legislative mandates have not successfully addressed this crisis. This course allows students to observe the Massachusetts Department of Social Services attorney in courtroom proceedings related to the
care and protection of children. Students will have access to Department records
for purposes of analysis and will also work with social workers who will provide
a clinical perspective on the legal cases under study. The class will meet regularly to discuss court proceedings, assigned readings, and the students' interactions
with local human services agencies. Access to an automobile is desirable but not
required; some transportation will be provided as part of the course.
Requirements: full participation, a journal, and a 10-page paper to be submitted
at the end of the course.
Enrollment limit: 15. Please note: all queries about this course must be directed
to the instructor, Judge Locke (phone messages may be left at 458-4833).
Cost to student: $25 for books and photocopies.
Meeting times to be arranged.
JUDITH LOCKE (Instructor)
M. F. BROWN (Sponsor)
Judith Locke is Associate Justice of the Juvenile Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
ANTHROPOLOGY
To be taken by students registered for Anthropology 493-494.
SOCIOLOGY
To be taken by students registered for Sociology 493-494.
ARABIC
ARAB S.P. Sustaining Program for Arabic 101-102
Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study Period. Three 50-minute meetings per week.
Meeting time: mornings; 9-9:50 a.m.
VARGAS
ART
ART HISTORY
ARTH 10 Fictionalizing the Artist: Genius and Gender in Films about Artists CANCELLED!
How do films based on artists' lives shape our impressions of the creative individual? This course will explore this issue, studying films about artists from the
Renaissance to the modern period including Michelangelo, Vincent Van Gogh,
Camille Claudel, Frida Kahlo, and Jackson Pollock. We will focus on the
construction, in these films, of a notion of artistic genius, paying particular attention to the role played by gender. Our discussions will be based on the films
themselves as well as comparative material-biographical and art historical readings on the various artists.
Evaluation will be based on class participation, written responses to films, and a
10-page paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 12.
Cost to student: none.
Class will meet twice a week for film screenings and discussion. Some films
will be viewed outside class hours.
SOLUM
ARTH 12 Looking at Contemporary Documentary Photography (Same as English 12 and Special 27)
(See under English for full description.)
ARTH 13 Love, Longing, and Land: Nation and Identity in Hindi Cinema
How has the medium of film allowed Indian filmmakers to explore and
construct post-independence notions of Indian identity? Through an examination of a series of films, such as Mother India; Amar, Akbar, Anthony; Bombay;
Salaam Bombay!; and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, we will consider the conventions and genres of "Bollywood" films and how filmmakers have worked
with or against these conventions. In imagining India, how do these films represent and negotiate not only issues of class, gender, and religion, but also India's
vast and diverse rural landscapes and modern cityscapes? What visual and narrative strategies have these filmmakers employed? We will also explore how
certain films might appeal both to audiences within India and to the growing
communities of South Asians around the world. Students will write four 3- to
5-page papers.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit 15.
BECKER
ARTH 14 Archaeology and Imagination: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
What were the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and why have they long fascinated archaeologists, art historians, and scholars of Western civilization? This course investigates the Seven Wonders—the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesos, the Mausoleum at Halikarnassos, the Colossos of Rhodes, and the Pharos (Lighthouse) at Alexandria—from both ancient and modern perspectives. Why and how were these monuments built? What can we learn about the cultures that created them? Given that only the Great Pyramid of Giza stands today, how has archaeological and art-historical evidence been used to reconstruct the monuments that no longer survive? In what ways have the Seven Wonders resided in the imaginations of later cultures? This course also introduces students to some of the “forgotten wonders” of ancient
Requirements: class presentation; 8-10 pp. paper.
No prerequisites. Preference given to first years and majors.
Enrollment limit: 12.
Meeting time: TBA.
JOANNE THOMPSON
ARTH 19 Theorizing the Image (Same as English 19 and Philosophy 19)
(See under English for full description.)
To be taken by students registered for ArtH 493, 494.
ARTH 33 Honors Independent Study
To be taken by candidates for honors by the independent study route.
ART STUDIO
ARTS 10 Designing and Modeling Geometric Shapes (Same as Mathematics 10)
(See under Mathematics for full description.)
In this course we will examine the work of some of the great magazine cartoonists of the last fifty years to understand the ways they employ drawing and writing together to create humor. We will discuss how the notion of what's funny has
changed over time, and how cartoons reflect and illuminate social trends and
concerns.
In addition, students will make their own cartoons. They will explore various
strategies to jumpstart the comic imagination in the search for ideas. They will
work towards developing a personal comic drawing and writing style. Various
media, from pen and ink, to drawing on the computer, will be explored. Although this course will mainly focus on the New Yorker style magazine cartoon,
it is open to students who are interested in other kinds of cartoons.
Evaluation will be based on completed class projects and homework.
Beginners as well as more experienced artists are welcome. Enrollment limit:
12.
Cost to student: $100.
Meeting time: TBA.
DAVID SIPRESS '68 (Instructor)
GLIER (Sponsor)
David Sipress graduated from Williams in 1968 and attended the master's program in Soviet Studies at Harvard University before leaving to pursue a career as a cartoonist. His cartoons appear regularly in the New Yorker, as well as many other publications. They have been a weekly feature in the Boston Phoenix for over thirty years. Sipress is the author of eight books of cartoons and the producer and host of "Conversations with Cartoonists." He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Where do we dwell? Have you ever slept in a snow cave or an indoor fort? In
this studio workshop course we will work together to build individual dwellings
large enough to accommodate sleeping and eating. Students will have the option
of building in the studio or choose sites specific to their work such as a snow-
covered grass plot or dorm room. For background we will look to ancient dwellings, portable tents, and cave structures. We will then discuss the origins of
installation in contemporary art such as Schwitter's Merzbau, Jonathan Borofsky, Judy Pfaff, Sarah Sze, Anish Kapoor, Ernesto Neto, Jessica Stockholder,
Frank Gehry, Thomas Hirshhom and Will Aslop. The course will culminate
with a dwelling festival and documentation. Come with energy to build, clothing
appropriate to your site and a sketchbook.
Requirements: reading, attendance, participation in class and final fort festival.
Prerequisites: Come ready to build! Enrollment limit: 10.
Cost to student: approximately $75 for materials kit and $10 for reading packet.
Meeting time: mornings. Expect to spend at least 20 hours a week on the course.
K. TAYLOR (Instructor)
PODMORE (Sponsor)
ARTS 13 Documentary Video Production (Same as English 13)
(See under English for full description.)
ARTS 14 Secret Diaries and Parallel Homework: Video Production
This course will combine visual analysis, personal essay, performance, and video production. What is left out on my class papers with written text? How does
my eloquence simplify what I needed to say? Why did I not get an A (and why
did I get an A)? The University is a miniature city of a certain age group where
they begin to shape their frameworks to view the world and to be involved in
one. However, the learned criticism is generally only allowed within the boundaries of the subject issued by the class, and the form of the presentation is often
limited to alphabetical and numeral text that has its inherent logical structure.
When do I begin to criticize this very structure? With what other tools can I write
a parallel storyline to our usual analysis? Out of various available tools, this
course will concentrate on video as another language tool to rewrite what we
have written, re-say what we have said, and re-view what have viewed: re-formulate scholarly lives.
Class time will be divided into film viewing, student presentations, and discussion. The students are expected to choose one paper written for other classes at
Williams and then make an alternative or parallel story using video or other media after discussing with the instructor.
Evaluation will be based on attendance, participation and on the basis of the
created work and its evolution. Everybody must attend the final presentation.
Much of the individual work will be created independently. Class time will be
divided among viewing referential works, student presentation, and discussions.
We will overview the works by Diderot's Rameau's Nephew an d Correspondence between Antonin Artaud and an literary critic Jacques Rivière; Kittler's
Gramophone, Film, and Typewriter; Marguerite Duras's War; Paul Virilio's War
and Cinema; Jean Painlevé's science documentary; Kim ki-duk's Binjip (a.k.a.
3-Iron); Joe Gibbon's Living in the World; Lars von Trier's Five Obstructions;
Roberto Bolano's By Night in Chile.
Prerequisites: Students must have enthusiasm for storytelling. Video experience
helpful. Recommended for Juniors and Seniors. Enrollment limit: 8.
Cost to student: $50.
Meeting time: afternoons.
SUNG HWAN KIM (Instructor)
E. GRUDIN (Sponsor)
ARTS 15 Large-Format Photography
The course is designed to introduce students to studio/view cameras, to processing the sheet-film negatives made in them and to making contact and projection
prints. Studio exercises will include careful analysis of camera movements to
teach their use and a consideration of lighting techniques; dark room exercises
will include the tray development of sheet film, determination of effective film
speed and control of contrast through development time.
The subject matter of the photographs produced in the course will not be prescribed; it is limited only by the participants' imagination and the weather in January. Working with subjects of their own choosing, students will be instructed in
the principles of traditional photographic image making by producing large-format negatives and translating them into effective black-and-white prints in 4x5
and 8x10 formats.
Each student will be expected to make exhibition-quality prints, which may be
enlargements or contact prints from 4x5 negatives, or contract prints from 8x10
negatives. The prints will be exhibited in a group show at the end of Winter Study.
Evaluation will be based on commitment to the course, participation in discussion sessions and the quality of the prints. Class will meet as a group for a minimum of six hours a week for lectures, demonstrations in the dark room and studio and crits. In addition to this time, students will be expected to spend at least
20 hours a week in the darkroom working individually, under the supervision of
the course instructor and the photography technician. There are no prerequisites
for the course, although some experience with a camera and dark room work
would be an advantage. Enrollment limit: 10.
Cost to student: $150 lab fee to cover the cost of film, paper and chemicals.
Meeting time: TBA.
RALPH LIEBERMAN (Instructor)
LALEIAN (Sponsor)
Ralph Lieberman is an art historian and photographer who lives in Williamstown. He has a Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts. His photographs have appeared in many publications and are to be found in major American and European art historical study collections.
ARTS 18 A House in a Box (CANCELLED!)
This is a home design course. Each student will design a house to be built within
a 6-meter cube (20 feet). There will be several exercises in which the students
will present solutions restricted to the 6 meter limits as well as solutions which
could use limited outward expansions for balconies, bay windows or actual second floor room enlargements.
The students will design the entire living space, including all furniture (volume,
size, functionality). The main design purpose is to get away from the limitations
of floor plan/two-dimensional-projection approach to design. The conception of
the living spaces will focus on multi-level occupancy, highly ergonomic built-in
furniture and differences of ceiling heights. Special emphasis will be given to tri-
dimensional layer-occupancy design, as it is done in airplane restrooms (and
customarily in product design, as can be seen inside the CPU cabinet of a personal computer).
Due to the familiarity of the themes involved (living in enclosed spaces, personal spatial needs, human behavior) and to specific exercises, the students will develop their own data sheets with information on human dimensions, furniture
sizes, hand reaching curves, shelving heights.
Final presentation will be a 1:20 scale model of the house, assembled in such a
way as to permit internal viewing. Drawings, sketches and partial (cut) models
can also be included.
No prerequisites, although previous studio training and personal drawing talent
will help students in the class. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: lab fee to cover the cost of materials.
Meeting time: TBA, six hours per week.
RAUL NOBRE MARTINS (Instructor)
GLIER (Sponsor)
Raul Martins is a Brazilian architect. His graduate studies in Computer Science are in an effort to bring computer technology into architecture. As an architect he has worked on high-density low-rise, low-income complexes and is presently working in new housing development-both as an architect and a developer. His other interests include urban policy and architecture history and preservation.
ARTS 25 Art, Culture, and Spanish in Oaxaca, Mexico (Same as Spanish 25)
The city of Oaxaca is a unique place where age-old dialects, traditional art practices and religious customs coexist side by side with contemporary life. Living
and studying in Oaxaca, Mexico will provide students with the opportunity to
experience the richness of culture that Oaxaca has to offer. This course is designed as an exploration of Mexican culture and is centered on the teaching and
enhancement of Spanish, as well as, daily practical studio components in the
making of art. Specifically, it will be organized with morning Spanish classes,
afternoon art studio classes, (focusing on drawing, sculpture and collage), as
well as frequent excursions to view museums, artist's studios, archaeological
sites, galleries and cinema. The hope is, that immersion into a culture so vastly
different from our own can have a profound and lasting effect on one's perspective with regards to life, culture and art. Students will live with a Mexican family
in Oaxaca, providing a greater opportunity to practice Spanish and gain a deeper
understanding of Mexican life.
Prerequisites : at least one introductory course in Spanish and ArtS 100 or permission of instructor. Enrollment limit : 12. Not open to first-year students.
Cost to student: approximately $2,056.
Itinerary: Meet in Williamstown prior to Winter Study to provide information
and prepare students about what to expect and what to bring. Spend Winter
study period in Oaxaca, creating art, enhancing Spanish abilities and exploring
and discussing Mexican culture.
PODMORE and PAULINA SALAS-SCHOOFIELD
Paulina Salas-Schoofield is resident of Oaxaca, Mexico. During the past 8 years she has taught courses on Mexican Culture and Spanish Language at the Language Centre of the Benito Juarez University and Instituto Cultural Oaxaca. Paulina Salas-Schoofield studied art history in Mexico City and film studies at Edinburgh University.
ARTS 33 Honors Independent Project
Independent study to be taken by candidates for honors in Art Studio.
ASIAN STUDIES
ASST 13 The Art of War (Same as Political Science 13)
(See under Political Science for full description.)
ASST 25 Politics of the Korean Peninsula (Same as Political Science 25)
(See under Political Science for full description.)
To be taken by all students who are candidates for honors in Asian Studies.
CHINESE
CHIN S.P. Sustaining Program for Chinese 101-102
Students registered for Chinese 101-102 are required to attend and pass the Chinese Sustaining Program. Classes meet Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays
from 9:00-9:50.
Prerequisite: Chinese 101.
Evaluation will be based on regular attendance and active participation.
Cost to student: one Xerox packet.
LANGUAGE FELLOWS
CHIN 10 On Foreign Language Learning (same as Linguistics 10)
This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of second language development by exploring some key concepts in theories of second language acquisition, including competence vs. performance, intake vs. output, interlanguage, and learner variables. Such understanding will enable students to reflect
upon their own learning strategies in order to effectively attain proficiency in a
second language. Although issues to be covered in this course are selected with
second language learning in mind, all of the issues are equally relevant to second
language teaching. Accordingly, this course should be of interest to those who
wish to gain knowledge in second language acquisition in general, those who
wish to improve their learning skills in a particular language, and those who are
considering a career in teaching foreign languages.
Evaluation will be based on active class participation, successful completion of
mini-presentations, and an individual project.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 12.
Cost to student: one Xerox packet.
Meeting time: afternoons, three two-hour sessions per week.
C. CHANG
CHIN 11 Old Shanghai, New Shanghai (CANCELLED!)
Once referred to as "Paris of the East," Shanghai has been considered as the industrial, commercial, and financial center of contemporary China. For historians, Shanghai marked the beginning of Chinese modernity and urban culture.
More recently, Dana Janklowics-Mann and Amir Mann's award-winning documentary revealed Shanghai to be a "ghetto"/ "paradise" for Jews fleeing Nazi
persecutions in the 1930s. But for the local people, there have always been two
Shanghai: the old and the new. In this class we will study the city and people of
Shanghai from various angles. We will look at the city's history, local culture,
local dialect, and the everyday life of ordinary people living in it, including their
aspirations and discontent, as well as foreigners' life experiences in the city. We
will compare a "real" Shanghai and an "imagined" one, and examine the ideas
of "modernity" and "local identity" through explorations in historical studies,
essays, novels, and films about the city. This class requires no knowledge of
Chinese; the language of instruction will be English.
Evaluation will be based on class preparation and participation, a presentation,
and a final project based on the topics covered in class. We will meet as a group
an average of six hours per week, with allowances made for one-on-one sessions
to develop final projects. Students will be expected to do readings before class
and to come to a few film showings outside the regular class hours.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 12.
Cost to student: approximately $75 for books.
Meeting time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 10-noon.
YU
CHIN 12 Traditional Yang-style Taiji
This course provides an introduction to the history, theory, practice, and application of traditional Yang-style Taiji (Tai Chi). Students will undergo intensive
training in this beautiful form as well as learn its place in Chinese history, culture, and medicine. Daily practice outside of class using step-by-step video instruction will be required in order to complete the learning process within the
month. We will discuss the origins of Taiji more than 2000 years ago during the
Chun Qiu Period and make some contrasts and comparisons between that time
in China and America today. The principles of Yin and Yang and how they apply to the practice of Taiji will also be addressed. Students will learn the twelve
major energy channels and how energy moves through them. Charts will be provided with the English and Chinese names of each of the 108 forms in traditional
Yang-style Taiji. Required readings will include The Father's Suggestions For
The Child (Yen Shi Jia Shun).
Evaluation will be based on attendance and active participation, a practical test
on the Taiji form, and two short papers.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit:12.
Cost to student: $50 for videotapes and Xerox packet.
Meeting time: three two-hour sessions per week afternoons from 2-4.
ZHONG-HUA LU (Instructor)
C. KUBLER (Sponsor)
Zhong-hua Lu is a Taiji and Qigong master and watercolor artist who lives on a wilderness farm in Cropseyville, New York. He has taught Taiji, Qigong, and Kung Fu at various institutions in New York and Massachusetts.
CHIN 13 Theory and Practice of Chinese Cooking
Much more than in the U.S., in China people are always talking about food; as
the Chinese saying has it, min yi shi wei tian `the people consider eating as heaven'. This hands-on course will foster an appreciation of the historical and cultural background of Chinese cooking, as well as the development of practical skills
in preparing a variety of dishes. Chinese cuisine is inherently healthful because
of its reliance on vegetables, vegetable oils, steaming, stir-frying, and fat-free
condiments. To the extent possible, we will use locally available ingredients (organic if possible) to cook authentic Chinese food, primarily Chinese home cooking. Since climate has had a huge impact on availability of ingredients, the
course includes an introduction to the four primary regions, or schools, of Chinese cooking-Northern, Eastern, Western, and Southern. While we will cook
most dishes together, every student will have the opportunity to make at least
one dish independently.
Evaluation will be based on class participation, a final project involving the creation and cooking of original recipes, and a 10-page paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 8. In case of overenrollment, Chinese and
Asian Studies majors will receive preference, then seniors and juniors, then others.
Cost to student: approximately $75 for Xerox packet and materials.
Meeting time: two three-hour sessions per week afternoons from 1-3:50.
JERLING KUBLER (Instructor)
C. KUBLER (Sponsor)
Jerling Kubler has taught Chinese language and culture at various schools in the U.S. and overseas including Williams College, where she has served for three semesters as Visiting Lecturer in Chinese.
Interested in learning first-hand about Chinese and Taiwanese culture and becoming acquainted with the so-called Taiwan (economic and political) "miracle"? Want to improve your knowledge of Mandarin, the world's most widely
spoken language? Then join us on this 24-day study tour to Taiwan, Republic of
China. We'll spend the first two and a half weeks in Taipei, the capital city,
where three hours of Mandarin language classes will be scheduled each morning
at the Mandarin Center of National Taiwan Normal University. After class each
day, we'll meet as a group for lunch and discussion. Activities with Taiwanese
university students and visits to cultural and economic sites of interest will be
scheduled for some afternoons and Saturdays, with other afternoons, evenings,
and Sundays free for self-study and individual exploration of the city. During the
last week, we'll conduct a seven-day tour of central and southern Taiwan. Two
orientation sessions will be conducted on campus in the fall to help participants
prepare for their experience.
Evaluation will be based on satisfactory completion of the language course and
active participation in the other scheduled activities.
Prerequisite: one year of Chinese or permission of the instructor. Enrollment
limit: 15. Not open to first-year students.
Cost to student: $2000. (Includes round-trip air fare from New York City, tuition, textbooks, accommodations, weekday lunches, local excursions, and tour
of central and southern Taiwan; does not include breakfasts, dinners, and weekend lunches while in Taipei, estimated at $300, or incidental expenses. Participants should note that, to enhance learning and to stay within budget, accommodations and most meals will be local student-not foreign tourist-standard.)
C. KUBLER
To be taken by all students who are candidates for honors in Chinese.
JAPANESE
JAPN S.P. Sustaining Program for Japanese 101-102
Students registered for Japanese 101-102 are required to attend and pass the Japanese Sustaining Program. Classes meet Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays
from 9:00-9:50.
Prerequisite: Japanese 101.
Evaluation will be based on regular attendance and active participation.
Cost to student: one Xerox packet.
LANGUAGE FELLOWS
JAPN 11 Introduction to Language Acquisition (Same as Linguistics 11)
This course examines how children learn their first language. We will focus on
the stages children go through, and how they use language as they learn. The
basic issues, methods, and research in the study of first-language acquisition are
discussed.
Evaluation will be based on attendance, class participation, one class presentation, and a 10-page research paper on selected issues in language acquisition. We
will meet three times a week for two-hour sessions with extra screenings of
films on language development.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit:15.
Cost to student: about $40 for books and printed materials.
Meeting time: three two-hour sessions per week mornings from 10-noon.
YAMAMOTO
To be taken by all students who are candidates for honors in Japanese.
ASTRONOMY
ASTR 25 American Planetariums, Public Outreach, and Astronomy Education
The installation of the new Zeiss optomechanical planetarium projector in our
Old Hopkins Observatory in 2005, and the installation of a smaller digital planetarium system, is leading to greatly enhanced capability for instruction and public outreach. During January 2007, we will visit several of the major planetariums in the United States and consider the equipment capabilities of optomechanical and digital projectors as well as the educational level of the content as
presented for students and for the general public. We will meet with the directors
of all facilities. In Massachusetts, we will visit the planetariums at home and in
Boston. In Seattle, we will benefit from the joint American Astronomical Society/American Association of Physics Teachers meeting of January 7-11 while
also visiting the Pacific Science Center. In Los Angeles, we will be among the
first to visit the newly re-opened Griffith Observatory and Planetarium after its
5-year rebuild and the installation of its new Zeiss projector. In New York, we
will visit the Rose Center for Earth and Space in its architectural wonder of a
glass enclosure surrounding its Hayden Sphere that contains its Zeiss IX. We
will compare with our own Zeiss Skymaster ZKP3/B projector on the Williams
campus.
Students will be expected to participate in all activities, to write 5-page papers
about each site, and to write a concluding 10-page paper comparing the facilities
and capabilities.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 10. Not open to first-year students.
Cost to student: $2730.
PASACHOFF
To be taken by students registered for Astronomy 493, 494.
ASTROPHYSICS
To be taken by students registered for Astrophysics 493, 494.
BIOLOGY
Students will undertake an independent project to investigate a topic of their
choice using the transmission and scanning electron microscopes. They will do
their own sample preparation, operate the two electron microscopes, and take
micrographs of relevant structures. Class time will give a brief overview of the
theory and operation of the microscopes and microtomes. In addition, students
will learn how to develop and print their film from the TEM, and learn how to
manipulate the digital images from the SEM in Adobe Photoshop. (Do you want
your erythrocytes red or blue?)
There will be brief reading assignments, a guest speaker and a 10-page paper
with 8 well-focused micrographs required.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 8. No preference given.
Cost to student: $40 for text and readings.
Meeting time: afternoons. Class will meet for two hours, three times a week,
plus scope time.
NANCY PIATCZYC (Instructor)
ALTSCHULER (Sponsor)
Nancy Piatcyc received her B.S. in Biology from Tufts University. She attended the school of Electron Microscopy in Albany, NY. She is a trained electron microscopist who operates and maintains the electron microscope facility at Williams.
BIOL 11 Curing Health Care (Same as Economics 28)
For the past several years increases in U.S. health care costs have significantly
outpaced both inflation and personal income growth. In 2006, the U.S. government will spend nearly a trillion dollars on health care-one-seventh of the
overall budget. Experts predict that federal health care expenditures will need to
double over the next decade to cope with the unprecedented demand on health
care created by the graying "baby boomer" generation. Major American employers such as GM are cutting their employee's health care benefits in order to
become profitable. On a per capita basis, a major reduction in funds available for
health care seems inevitable. The reduction of health care costs will create difficult questions. For example, Are all Americans entitled to the same expenditures?; Should drug company profits be regulated?
This course will give students the opportunity to look at health care from various
points of view, including economic, medical, social, ethical, and legal perspectives. We will consider recent legislation that brings the state of Massachusetts to
the forefront of the debate on universal health care coverage. Students will be
asked to propose the best strategies for financing health care and to predict the
positive and negative impacts of those strategies. Students will have several opportunities to interview experts and to express their own views.
Evaluation will be based on classroom participation, performance in semi-formal team debates, and a 10-page position paper due at the end of the term.
No prerequisites. Enrollment open to all but limited to 24.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: 10-noon, Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
JEFFREY THOMAS (Instructor)
ALTSCHULER (Sponsor)
Jeffrey Thomas received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Indiana University. He has nearly fifteen years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry where his research has focused on genetics, genomics, computational biology, and drug discovery. Several guests will also lend their expertise to the discussion, including a family coping with a chronic disease, Berkshire are physicians, a hospital administrator, an attorney, and an advocate for universal health care.
BIOL 12 Of Lice and Men: Insects, Disease, and History
Insect-borne diseases have been extremely important throughout human history.
In this class we will explore the biology of a number of important pathogens and
their arthropod vectors, and discuss their effects on humanity from prehistory to
the present. We will study the biological factors that make these diseases so
problematic, discuss historical and current approaches for controlling them, and
explore the potential of the new field of genomics for understanding and combating them. Additional topics for discussion will include: the importance of
economics, land use, and climate change to insect-born diseases. Some disease
systems that will be studied are: Malaria-the mosquito-vectored disease that
kills over a million children and infants per year in African alone; Plague-vectored from rats by fleas, responsible for the Black Death of the 14th Century that
killed up to a third of the human population worldwide; Typhus Fever-louse-
borne disease that in many wars caused more death than the battles did; Leishmaniasis-the cutaneous form, vectored by sand fleas, is currently a problem for
soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Students will gain experience with several techniques used in the diagnosis and
study of insect-borne diseases, as well as observe specimens of disease vectors
and pathogens.
The final meeting of the class will be a symposium in which students will present on a topic of their choice related to insect-borne disease.
Evaluation will be based on attendance, participation, a 10-page paper, and the
final presentation.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: approximately $25 for books.
Meeting time: mornings, six hours per week.
ARAM STUMP (Instructor)
ALTSCHULER (Sponsor)
Aram Stump will be the post-doctoral teaching/research fellow in the BiGP Program in 2006-2007 and is doing collaborative research with Biology faculty.
BIOL 21 Science Beyond Williams
Are you interested in hands-on experience in a science-related field beyond the
Purple Valley? Are you curious to explore science in a university or medical
school research lab, a government agency, or a not-for-profit organization? This
course is designed to help students take part in scientific work or research going
on outside of Williams in order to provide them with a broader sense of what it is
like to work in a professional scientific setting.
Students will work with a Williams professor to locate a mentor at a work site in
the United States in the student's area of interest. Once a student has arranged for
a mentored hands-on experience for three weeks of Winter Study, he or she will
prepare for the internship by reading literature related to the project, and discuss
the readings with a professor here at Williams in November/December. Once on
site, students must remain in contact with their Williams faculty sponsor by having a weekly phone conference.
Transportation to and from work site will be covered as well as housing. Temporary, three-week housing may be difficult to arrange at various locations, so
choosing a work site close to home may be necessary to minimize housing costs.
Evaluation will be based on a 10-page paper and a presentation to a relevant department or program on the goals and accomplishments of the three-week project.
Strong interest, enthusiasm and willingness to plan and prepare for the internship are required for this course. Interested students are encouraged to email
Professor Raymond (wraymond@williams.edu) well in advance of WSP registration.
Prerequisite: two semesters of relevant course work in science and/or mathematics. Enrollment limit: 10.
Cost to student: varies, depending upon costs of travel to work site and housing.
RAYMOND
BIOL 22 Introduction to Biological Research
An experimental research project will be carried out under the supervision of
Biology Department faculty. It is expected that the student will spend 20 hours
per week in the lab at a minimum, and a 10-page written report is required. This
experience is intended for, but not limited to, first-year students and sophomores.
Interested students must submit an application form available on the Biology
Department webpage: http://www.williams.edu/Biology/Research/Winter/022Application/022application.shtml.
Prerequisites: Biology 101. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: mornings.
STAFF
To be taken by students registered for Biology 493, 494.
CHEMISTRY
CHEM 11 Science for Kids (Same as Special 11)
Are you interested in teaching? Do you enjoy working with kids? Do you like to
experiment with new things? Here is a chance for you to do all three! The aim of
this Winter Study Project is to design a series of hands-on science workshops for
elementary school children and their parents. Working in teams of 2-4, students
spend the first two and a half weeks of Winter Study planning the workshops.
This involves deciding on a focus for each workshop (based on the interests of
the students involved) followed by choosing and designing experiments and
presentations that will be suitable for fourth-grade children. On the third weekend of Winter Study (January 20, 21) we bring elementary school kids with their
parents to Williams to participate in the workshops.
You get a chance to see what goes into planning classroom demonstrations as
well as a sense of what it's like to actually give a presentation. You find that kids
at this age are great fun to work with because they are interested in just about everything and their enthusiasm is infectious. You also give the kids and their parents a chance to actually do some fun hands-on science experiments that they
may not have seen before, and you are able to explain simple scientific concepts
to them in a manner that won't be intimidating. It is a rewarding experience for
all involved.
Evaluation is based on participation in planning and running the workshops.
Each group is expected to prepare a handout with descriptions of the experiments for the kids, parents, and teachers.
No prerequisites: You need not be a science major; all that is needed is enthusiasm. Enrollment limit: 25.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: mornings. Classes meet three times a week for approximately
three hours each session. The workshop is run on the third weekend of Winter
Study (January 20, 21) and attendance from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. is mandatory that
weekend. There are also one or two brief meetings held in the fall term for preliminary planning.
BINGEMANN and RICHARDSON
CHEM 12 Epidemiology: What Is an Epidemic? How Are They Investigated and Solved?
The biological world is ever changing, and human populations are subject to the
variability of biological, chemical, and physical agents. It has been said that the
job description of a virus/bacterium is to "infect, multiply, and move on to
another host." The word epidemiology comes from the Greek, essentially meaning "the logic of that which is upon the people." Although physicians at the
time of Hippocrates were pre-occupied by outbreaks of infectious diseases, in
the 20th Century, epidemiology has moved on to embrace the study of epidemics of chronic disease, nutritional conditions, occupational exposures and their
outcomes, etc. The object of this study is prevention of conditions that potentially can affect large numbers and classes of people. With the addition of modern
statistical concepts, epidemiology has made important contributions as to how
hypotheses about health and disease are evaluated. In a highly interactive environment, and relaying on small group analysis and class presentation, students
review the history of epidemiology through actual epidemic investigations in the
field, as well as classic papers in the health literature. Students learn how epidemics are investigated and how to begin to evaluate the quality and reliability
of studies in the health literature. Throughout, we concentrate on the logic of the
epidemic investigation and the preventive policies/actions that flow from that
analysis, and not on obscure facts or highly specialized knowledge.
Evaluation is based on the written epidemic analyses and class presentations,
and a short written critique of an article in the health literature on a subject of
personal interest.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 12.
Cost to student: $150 for books and materials for analysis.
Meeting time: afternoons, three days per week, for approximately six hours per
week. There may be some evening meetings, depending on the schedules of visiting instructors.
NICHOLAS H. WRIGHT '57 (Instructor)
L. PARK (Sponsor)
Dr. Nicholas H. Wright (Williams Class of 1957) is a medical epidemiologist with a longstanding interest in international health issues. He lives in Williamstown.
CHEM 13 Principles and Techniques of Cooking (Same as Special 13)
In this course we consider the practice and pursuit of food and its preparation.
Students study the hands-on aspects of specific techniques, as well as explore a
variety of more specialized ingredients central to various world cuisines. Classes
involve discussion of specific techniques and ingredients, followed by the preparation of full menus designed to illustrate variations on those themes. We consider the specific elements of a recipe, from ingredients to techniques, why each
is included and how each works. For instance, a menu might focus on different
types of pastas, and would include a discussion on why different pastas are
paired with specific sauces based on shapes and textures, how specific dishes
have evolved, and how similar culinary concepts are represented in the cuisines
of other cultures. The course may include visits to/by local purveyors and producers such as grocers, butchers, affineurs, and bakers. In addition, the course
culminates in a day-long trip to New York's Chinatown and other neighborhoods to explore Asian markets and specialized food purveyors. Finally, we
introduce you to the world of food writing, with a number of short works that
consider very different aspects of food and cooking: the emotive power of familiar foods, the chemical transformations that occur within a cooking process, the
symbolism associated with certain foods, and the cultural history of specific
dishes. Readings may include authors such as Brillat-Savarin, Colwin, Fisher,
Kennedy, McGee, and Simeti. Students are expected to be generally comfortable working in a kitchen, though prior extensive experience is not expected.
The only requirements are an open mind, an adventurous palate, and a true interest in learning something about food, its preparation, and the different ways in
which it is viewed. Students are expected to provide their own chef's knife,
apron, cutting board, and dishtowel; they should be willing to get messy, work
hard, and eat well!
Attendance at all classes for the entire class period is absolutely mandatory, and
evaluation is based on performance in the kitchen, as well as on a final written
assignment; this may be a 10-page research paper on the history of a particular
ingredient, on the role of food in a specific culture, or a thoughtful analysis of a
memorable meal or other food-related experience.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit 22. Preference is given to sophomores, juniors and those students who clearly indicate their interest in hardcopy form to
Professor Park.
Cost to student: $275-$300, which will cover all supplies (you will get to eat all
the meals you prepare) as well help defer the cost of the field trip(s).
Meeting time: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., in the Fort
Hoosac kitchen (on campus).
L. PARK and ANGELA CARDINALI (Instructors)
Park is a professor in the chemistry department as well as a graduate of the Professional Technical Program at the Peter Kump's Cooking School in NYC (now the Institute for Culinary Education); her training and expertise are in the areas of classical French technique and various Asian cuisines. Cardinali is the editor of several cookbooks, and her expertise is in the area of Italian cuisine.
CHEM 14 Alternative Photographic Processes
The most widely known process in photography is the one based on silver halide
chemistry. However, alternative processes such as the Cyano, Ambro and Platino types which use iron, chromium or platinum compounds as sensitizing
agents, are known, but these have not been commercialized. In addition to producing images with unique artistic appeal, each of these processes provides ample opportunities to learn about interesting chemical reactions and physical phenomena. This course introduces some of the alternative photographic processes
and shows students how to apply them to make their own prints using chemicals
that they prepare themselves. Some aspects of the silver halide process will also
be covered. To satisfy the curious, the course attempts to explain the underlying
mechanisms of each process covered at the molecular level using a largely qualitative approach, supported with demonstrations and experiments. The first 45
minutes or so of a typical meeting in this course is used to introduce and discuss
a topic pertaining to the historic background or the chemical principles of a given process. The remaining time of the meeting is used for hands on experience
in preparing solutions and making prints. Evaluation is based on attendance,
class participation, and the artistic and technical quality of the prints made by
students. The prints will be exhibited on the last day of the course.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 10. Preference is given to sophomores and
juniors.
Cost to student: $90 for supplies and printed material.
Meeting time: mornings, three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday
from 10-noon). One or two meetings will be held at a museum.
HASANAYN
CHEM 15 "You Are Not Listening!"-Exploring Interpersonal Conflict (Same as Leadership Studies 15 and Special 15)
The aim of this course is to equip you with communication and leadership skills
to navigate interpersonal conflicts in a productive manner, whether you find
yourself in an uncomfortable situation in professional settings or in relationships
with family members or friends. We discuss models of conflict resolution and
examine the structures of these commonly difficult conversations using examples from our own experiences. Through role-plays, we practice communication
skills important to productive dialogue, learn how to listen for and interpret the
significance of what is said and not said. We also explore how our own immediate reactions may get in the way of achieving what we really want. By analyzing
the underlying reasons for disputes from different perspectives, we look to create
outcomes that serve our interests and address the needs of our adversaries. We
experiment with stepping into active leadership in conflicts for the sake of creating the types of relationships we want to have. Though the focus is on interpersonal conflict, the mediation skills taught in this class are an asset in many negotiation settings, including the future workplace. The class format is largely
group discussions and activities such as role-plays in which you will practice
conflict resolution and mediation techniques.
Evaluation is based on preparation and participation in class discussions and activities, homework exercises, including the keeping of a conflict journal, and a
final 10-page paper. Attendance of all classes is expected.
No prerequisites. Students should be genuinely interested in learning how to
create personal growth from conflicts. The topics of the class and the nature of
experiential exercises and follow-up discussions call for some level of self-disclosure and sharing of personal experiences of conflict. Every participant will be
asked to keep the content and details of shared personal experiences confidential. Enrollment limit: 18.
Cost to student: approximately $40 for books and photocopying.
Meeting time: Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
CHRISTOPHER GOH (Instructor)
L. PARK (Sponsor)
Dr. Christopher Goh is a life and leadership coach, and currently also has a part- time position at the Williams Outing Club, facilitating ropes course programs and contributing to the organization of WOOLF. He was trained as a volunteer community mediator at Foothill College, Mountain View, CA, and through Community Boards in San Francisco, CA. He has completed the life coaching core curriculum and the year-long leadership program at the Coaches Training Institute, San Rafael, CA. Before pursuing his current career, Dr. Goh worked as a senior researcher for a materials research company in Silicon Valley. He has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University, and has co-authored multiple journal articles and patents.
CHEM 17 Introduction to Research in Archaeological Science
An independent experimental project in archaeological science is carried out in
collaboration with Dr. Skinner whose research involves two types of studies:
dating fossil material and establishing the sources of ancient artifacts.
A 10-page written report is required.
Prerequisite: variable, depending on the project (at least CHEM 151) and permission of the Department. Since projects involve work in a faculty research lab,
interested students must consult Dr. Skinner and with the Department Chair before electing this course. Non-science majors are invited to participate. Enrollment limited to space in faculty research lab.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: mornings.
ANNE SKINNER (Instructor)
L. PARK (Sponsor)
Anne Skinner is a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Williams.
CHEM 18 Introduction to Research in Biochemistry
An independent experimental project in biochemistry is carried out in collaboration with a member of the Department with expertise in biochemistry. Biochemistry is a branch of chemistry that deals with the molecular details of living systems including the interaction of biologically important molecules. In the Chemistry Department, studies are underway to investigate the structure/function relationship of proteins, the interaction between proteins and RNA and DNA, DNA
structure and repair, and the molecular basis of gene regulation.
A 10-page written report is required.
Prerequisite: variable, depending on the project (at least CHEM 151) and permission of the Department. Since projects involve work in faculty research labs,
interested students must consult with one or more of the faculty instructors listed
below and with the Department Chair before electing this course. Non-science
majors are invited to participate. Enrollment limited to space in faculty research
lab.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: mornings.
GEHRING, LOVETT
CHEM 20 Introduction to Research in Inorganic Chemistry
An independent experimental project in inorganic chemistry is carried out in
collaboration with a member of the Department with expertise in inorganic chemistry. Opportunities for research in inorganic chemistry at Williams include the
study of transition metals in biological systems (enzymes, proteins), and as
building blocks for new materials with interesting electronic (magnetic, conducting) and optical properties. Students working in this area will gain expertise
in the synthesis of new compounds and their characterization by modern spectroscopic techniques.
A 10-page written report is required.
Prerequisite: variable, depending on the project (at least CHEM 151) and permission of the Department. Since projects involve work in faculty research labs,
interested students must consult with one or more of the faculty instructors listed
below and with the Department Chair before electing this course. Non-science
majors are invited to participate. Enrollment limited to space in faculty research
labs.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: mornings.
HASANAYN, L. PARK
CHEM 23 Introduction to Research in Organic Chemistry
An independent experimental project in organic chemistry is carried out in collaboration with a member of the Department with expertise in organic chemistry. One representative project involves isolation of the bioactive constituents of
Southeast Asian dart poisons from their natural sources and the elucidation of
their three-dimensional structures. Another line of investigation probes new and
efficient methods for the creation of molecules of medicinal interest. Some targets include the kavalactones-the active principles of the herbal extract KAVA
KAVA which is promoted as an alternative anti-anxiety remedy, and octalactin
A-an interesting 8-membered ring compound isolated from marine microorganisms that has shown significant toxicity toward human cancer cells.
A 10-page written report is required.
Prerequisite: variable, depending on the project (at least CHEM 151) and permission of the Department. Since projects involve work in faculty research labs,
interested students must consult with one or more of the faculty instructors listed
below and with the Department Chair before electing this course. Non-science
majors are invited to participate. Enrollment limited to space in faculty research
labs.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: mornings.
GOH, MARKGRAF
J. Hodge Markgraf, Professor of Chemistry emeritus, taught organic chemistry at Williams for four decades. He has previously taught a WSP course on the science of chocolate and combinatorial chemistry.
CHEM 24 Introduction to Research in Physical Chemistry
An independent experimental project in physical chemistry is carried out in collaboration with a member of the Department with expertise in physical chemistry. Current research projects in the Department include computer modeling of
non-linear, chaotic chemical and biochemical systems, molecular modeling of
water clusters, laser spectroscopy of chlorofluorocarbon substitutes, and experimental studies of the oxidation of sulfur dioxide on atmospheric aerosols.
A 10-page written report is required.
Prerequisite: variable, depending on the project (at least CHEM 151) and permission of the Department. Since projects involve work in faculty research labs,
interested students must consult with one or more of the faculty instructors listed
below and with the Department Chair before electing this course. Non-science
majors are invited to participate. Enrollment limited to space in faculty research
labs.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: mornings.
PEACOCK-LOPEZ
CHEM 31 Senior Research and Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Chemistry 493, 494.
CLASSICS
CLAS 11 Horace in English (Same as Comparative Literature 11 and English 27)
Although the totality of his life's work amounts to one short volume of verse, the
Latin poet Horace (65-8 B. C. E.) is regularly counted among the world's greatest poets. And yet Horace, though repeatedly translated into English, is far less
familiar to most readers than is his close friend, the poet Vergil-and far less
accessible. For while the plot and structure of an epic like the Aeneid remain
largely unscathed when the poem is translated, so much of Horace's uniqueness
lies in the inventive ways in which he uses language that much-even most-of
his wit, power, and complexity often disappears in translation.
In this class, which is designed for students with little or no background in Latin,
we'll try to scale this barrier by complementing our reading of Horace's poems
in translation (indeed, in numerous translations) with frequent reference to the
Latin originals. Even readers who do not know Latin can learn a great deal about
Horace by looking at his choice and placement of words, by understanding
something of the resonance of key words and phrases, by reading his verse in its
original meters, and-not least-by trying to compose one's own translations
and imitations. Although our focus will be on Horace's great lyric collection,
Odes 1-3, his counterpart to Vergil's Aeneid, we'll also read widely in his early
and late lyric collections, Epodes and Odes 4, and in his Satires and Epistles (including the famous Ars Poetica). As part of our effort to meet Horace on his own
terms (and turf!), we'll spend some time locating him against both his Greek
poetic forbears and the historical backdrop of Augustan Rome. Among versions
of Horace we'll read will be translations and imitations by Sidney, Jonson, Milton, Dryden, Swift, Pope, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Pound, Pinsky, Heamus, and
David Ferry.
Evaluation will be based on participation and attendance, preparation of several
short response papers and a longer oral report, and a final paper of at least ten
pages. Although this final project may be a critical or analytical study, it may
also consist of a series of the student's own annotated translations, versions, or
imitations.
The course will be open to students from all classes, without prerequisite. Enrollment limit: 12.
Cost to student: approximately $80 (for books and course packet).
Meeting time: three 2 1/2 hour meetings per week, probably 1-3:30 p.m, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
PORTER
This course will explore the fascinating history of words from a variety of linguistic and cultural perspectives. We will examine the methods and tools of etymological research and apply them to several fields of study, including historical
phonology and morphology, alphabets and other writing systems, dictionaries,
dialectal studies, slang and jargon, personal names, geographic names, word
puzzles, and more. We will also consider the role of literary, social, and political
forces in shaping the development of languages and even individual lexical
items. Our goal throughout will be to gain familiarity with a broad range of issues concerning the internal and external history of words.
Evaluation will be based on class participation, several short writing assignments, and one longer research project.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: approximately $30.
Meeting time: mornings.
DEKEL
CLAS 25 Singing on the Tiber: Performance and History in Rome (Same as Music 25)
(See under Music for full description.) HOPPIN
May be taken by students registered for Classics 493, 494.
COGNITIVE SCIENCE
COGS 14 Cognition in Autism Spectrum Disorders (Same as Psychology 14)
(See under Psychology for full description.)
May be taken by students registered for Cognitive Science 494.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
COMP 11 Horace in English (Same as Classics 11 and English 27)
(See under Classics for full description.)
COMP 12 Living by Words: Surviving and Thriving in the Art and Sport of Rhetoric (Same as English 29, INTR 12 and Special 22)
Whether dealing in the realms of public life, commerce, or academe, the speaker
who can clearly and cogently define or defend a policy, product, or theoretical
position is usually the most successful.
Depending on the venue and the aim of the speaker, the words might be artful
and poetic, cajoling and competitive, formally read from the page or seemingly
delivered impromptu. This course will briefly examine some of the classic styles
of discourse ranging from Ancient Greece to Madison Avenue. Students will
make visits to a variety of venues that employ a special style of professional discourse( TV and radio stations, Albany and Boston State Houses) and learn a
range of methods and techniques for practicing the basics of effective spoken
communication. The practical intent of the course is for participants to develop
confident, cogent, and dynamic presentation styles, to reinforce tight organizational focus and relaxed, natural delivery, and to develop creative approaches to
speaking in front of a group. The course will guide participants through the presentation process from conception, outlining, and devising the message, to development of visual aids, message delivery, and handling question and answer
sessions. Methods employed will include vigorous pursuit of improvisational
theater techniques and vocal training. Participants will deliver brief presentations at each session, and receive intensive personal coaching and a videotaped
record of their personal progress.
The final project will be a presentation delivered at a public forum.
Evaluation will be based on active participation in the class, a written evaluation
of a public presentation the student has attended, and successful completion of
mini-presentations during Winter Study and the final presentation at the end of
term.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 12.
Cost to student: $25-$45 for course materials.
Meeting time: three meetings of two hours each in the mornings per week and
2-3 field trips outside of Williamstown.
PETER BUBRISKI (Instructor)
NEWMAN (Sponsor)
Peter Bubriski has been coaching leaders in communication skills for twelve
years. A founding partner of the Cambridge-based communications consulting
firm of B&B Associates, where he has been designing and leading workshops in
presentation skills since 1991, he also leads courses in Coaching,Mentoring and
Collaborative Communication at Pfizer, Inc., Morgan Stanley and MIT. He has
taught at The Boston Conservatory, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Executive
MBA Program, and he lectures regularly at Boston University's School of Management.
He is also a professional actor with twenty years of credits in theater, film, and
television ranging from ABC's All My Children and The King and I with Yul
Brynner to independent films with Katharine Ross and Tyne Daly and documentary narration with PBS.
COMP 13 Modern Arab Cinema (Same as Special 23)
When was the last time you saw a film from Syria, Morocco or Yemen? This
course will explore multiple cinematic treatments of culture and history in the
Arab world from the second half of the twentieth century to the present. The
films for our course will include different genres (e.g. comedy, drama, documentary) and will reflect different time periods and geographic regions. Among
other topics, we will discuss issues related to sexuality, war, gender, class, modernity and Islam in the Arab world. This course will approach the study of Arabic-speaking countries from a cultural and humanistic perspective.
Requirements: one multimedia project.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 25.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 1-3 p.m.
VARGAS
To be taken by students registered for Comparative Literature 493, 494.
To be taken by students registered for Literary Studies 493, 494.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
What makes a game fun? How are new games designed? How do games affect
society?
Games are cultural artifacts like films, paintings, and songs. They are also mathematical machines with implications in areas as diverse as biology, economics,
warfare, dating, and traffic planning. In this course we will explore the art and
formal theory of professional game development through readings, in-class discussions, regular game analysis assignments, and a major project.
For the project, you will work in a self-selected group to create and polish a new
game (using both craft materials and computers) following the principles discussed in class. Additional course work will include playing a large number of
board, computer, card, and role-playing games for appreciation and analysis.
These will include titles like Scrabble, Tetris, Settlers of Catan, Mario Kart,
DDR, Go, The Sims, and Guitar Hero.
Game development is cross-disciplinary and non-computer science majors are
encouraged to enroll. No previous computer or gaming experience is required.
Requirements: regular short analysis of assigned games. Work on game studio
project both in and outside of class.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: $100 for art materials and supplementing the games library.
Meeting time: mornings, three 2 1/2 hour sessions per week.
MCGUIRE
CSCI 14 LEGO Robot Engineering
In this course, students will explore the theory and practice behind the construction of autonomous mechanical robots. Working in small teams, students will
construct and program robots built from LEGO construction kits, a battery powered microprocessor control board, assorted sensors and motors. Control programs will be written in a subset of the C programming language. The majority
of class time will be spent in the laboratory. Students will be expected to complete appropriate structured exercises to develop basic skills in robot construction and programming. By the conclusion of the course, each team will be required to construct a robot designed to perform a pre-determined task such as
obstacle avoidance, maze navigation, etc. Each team's project goals will be selected with both the interests and prior backgrounds of the team members in
mind.
Each team will be required to give a brief presentation describing their final
project (including a demonstration of their robot's performance) and to submit a
written report summarizing the design process.
Previous experience with programming is helpful but not required. Enrollment
limit 15. Preference will be based on class year (favoring upperclass students)
and the desire to form working groups with similar levels of background knowledge.
Cost to student: textbook ($70).
Meeting time: three mornings per week for two hours, with some additional laboratory work expected outside of class hours.
TERESECO
To be taken by students registered for Computer Science 493-494.
CONTRACT MAJOR
To be taken by students registered for Contract Major 493, 494.
ECONOMICS
ECON 11 The Economics of Privacy (CANCELLED!)
Are we being watched? Americans are famously protective of their right to privacy, yet it is estimated that 85% of us can be uniquely identified using only our
date of birth, zip code and gender-information that we routinely make available to the public. The degree to which information technology has lowered the
cost of data mining would appear to have substantial benefits, such as improved
disease diagnosis and the prevention of terrorism, as well as the potential to do
great harm (think Big Brother). In this course, we will explore these trade-offs,
the design of public policies to protect privacy and the basic statistical techniques used in data mining. Students will be evaluated based on participation in
class discussion and a research project in which students will use data-mining
techniques to analyze a problem of their choice, write up the results and present
their findings to the class at the end of the term.
Requirements: class participation, 10-page paper, and class presentation.
No prerequisites. Familiarity with basic data manipulation (such as entering data
and working with formulas) in Microsoft Excel is an advantage. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: three afternoons per week.
CARBONE
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that malaria, a parasitic disease
transmitted by mosquitoes, causes over 300 million episodes of "acute illness" and more than one million deaths annually. Most of the deaths occur in poor
countries of the tropics, and about 90 percent occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Infants and children account for most of the mortality from malaria; the disease is
thought to account for one of every five child deaths in the world.
This course will look at malaria as a disease and analyze its biological origins, its
short-run health and economic impacts, and its long run consequences for economic growth. We will look at the economics of prevention, control, and treatment measures-including pesticide spraying, bednets, vaccine and drug development, etc. We will talk about the interplay between intellectual property rights
systems (e.g., patents) and the development of drugs and vaccines.
Most class meetings will consist of lectures and discussion. A number of guest
speakers will also be invited, including public health and medical experts, as
well as economists.
Evaluation will be based on a 10- to 15-page paper addressing some issue related to malaria, along with class attendance, participation, and overall effort. A
brief presentation of the paper near the end of Winter Study will be required.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15. Preference will be given to those students
with some prior interest or experience in this topic.
Cost to student: approximately $100 (books and reading packets).
Meeting time: mornings.
GOLLIN
ECON 13 Mapping Gotham's History (Same as History 17)
Mapmaking allows a vivid rendering of economic history, if one has a worthy
subject, the right technology, ample data, and a good guide. Students in this
course will explore the history of New York City by learning to generate maps
illustrating the development of its population, neighborhoods, industries, political constituencies, and commercial and infrastructure links to its hinterlands.
The technology and data to be used are those of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). The guide, in addition to the
instructor, will be Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace's Gotham: A History of
New York City to 1898 (Oxford, 1999).
Classes in the first two weeks will combine interactive lab training in GIS and
GPS, featuring examples from eighteenth and nineteenth-century New York,
with discussion of Gotham. Lab work and reading will continue in groups and
individually outside of class. The class sessions of the final week and a half will
consist of a field trip, project composition, and student presentations. Students
will make their way either individually or in small groups to New York City and
convene at an evening reception at the Williams Club. The next day they will
traverse at least five miles of the City on foot, record observations on the vestiges
of its economic history, and track all of their travels with GPS receivers.
Requirements: Upon their return to Williams students will make use of historical
GIS, their GPS readings, and personal observations to write and present a
10-page paper on their travels though the City's history.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 10. If overenrolled, there will be an attempt
to balance majors.
Meeting times: January 3-17, January 22-25: M, W, Th 10-noon. January 18
(Williams Club, NYC): 6-8 p.m.
Cost to student: transportation to New York City, accommodations in New York
City ($40 shared room at Williams Club optional), $25 Williams Club reception
fee, and approximately $20 for text.
MEARDON
The project will examine the theoretical and practical aspects of financial accounting. Although the beginning of the course will explore the mechanics of
the information gathering and dissemination process, the course will be oriented
mainly towards users, rather than preparers, of accounting information. The
project will include discussion of the principles involved in accounting for current assets, plant assets, leases, intangible assets, current liabilities, stockholders'
equity, the income statement and the statement of cash flows. Students will be
expected to interpret and analyze actual financial statements. The nature of, and
career opportunities in, the field of accounting will also be discussed. The project is a "mini course." It will present a substantial body of material and will require a considerable commitment of time by the student, including regular attendance and participation in discussion and homework cases and problems.
The course grade will be determined on the basis of several quizzes and a written
group report presenting an analysis of a company's annual report.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 30.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: mornings.
LEO MCMENIMEN (Instructor)
BRADBURD (Sponsor)
Leo McMenimen has taught in the Winter Study Program at Williams College since 1980. He recently retired as a professor from the School of Business, Montclair State University.
Elementary description and analysis of the stock market. Emphasis will be on
the roles of the market in our economy, including evaluation of business firms
and the success of particular capital investments, allocating savings to different
types of investment, and providing liquid and marketable financial investments
for individual savers.
The course will focus on the description of mechanics of trading on various exchanges and other markets, stock market indexes or "averages" (Dow-Jones,
S&P, 500, etc.), how to read the financial news, historical rates of return on
stocks and portfolios, role of mutual funds, beta coefficients, and "random walk" theory. The course will also involve a brief introduction to financial reports of
firms and analysis of financial ratios.
Each student will participate in discussions, do some homework assignments
and, as part of a team, give two presentations and write a 10-page report analyzing the wisdom or folly of having chosen a particular investment portfolio. The
project grade will be determined on the basis of performance on several quizzes
and the written investment portfolio report.
Not intended for students who already know much about the stock market.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 30.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: afternoons.
LEO MCMENIMEN (Instructor)
BRADBURD (Sponsor)
Leo McMenimen has taught in the Winter Study Program at Williams College since 1980. He recently retired as a professor from the School of Business, Montclair State University.
ECON 16 Real Estate and the Dream of Prosperity
In the United States, the dream of achieving prosperity generally contains home
ownership as a central feature. In advertising, the popular press and in film,
home ownership is presented as the defining characteristic of the American
Dream. In this course we will explore--through film and economics- the role
that home ownership and real estate markets play in defining the economic aspirations and identities of individuals in the United States and elsewhere. We
will view and discuss six films that present the pathetic, comic and tragic aspects
of pursuing this dream. Each film will be discussed, and students will consider
and write about the symbolic and economic significance of home ownership.
Evaluation will be based on participation in class discussions and on 2-page critical essays submitted after viewing each film, (a total of 12 pages of writing).
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit:19, with preference (in the event of over-enrollment) given to Freshmen and Sophomores.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: four times per week in the afternoon.
S. SHEPPARD
The goal of this course is to explain how the economy works and how it interacts
with financial markets. To accomplish this, the class will carry out a real-time
forecast of the U.S. economy and explore its implications for the bond and stock
markets. The course will build upon principles of both macro and microeconomics. It will provide an introduction to the work done by business economists
and the techniques they use. An economic database, chart-generating software
and a statistical analysis program will be available to each student on the Jessup
computers.
The first week will focus on becoming familiar with the database, looking for
relationships between key economic variables, and studying movements in interest rates over the period 1960-2005. Early in the first week, the class will be
divided into teams of 2 or 3 students with each team choosing a particular aspect
of the economy to forecast.
During the second and third weeks, the class will prepare forecasts of the key
components of gross domestic product and will study other key issues. In the
past students have chosen to focus on such areas as: Globalization, the Outlook
for Oil Prices, the impact of China, and the consumer savings rate. We will also
have several invited guests from the Wall Street investment world speaking on
various aspects of the stock market. The fourth week will feature a formal presentation of the economic forecast with invited guests from the Williams College faculty among others.
The class will meet 3-4 times per week in the morning. During the first week
there will be two afternoons of workshops lasting approximately 30 minutes
with hands on instruction for each team.
Each student should expect to spend a reasonable amount of time on homework,
to participate in short presentations of their analyses as the work progresses as
well as in the formal presentation during the last week. There will also be a
3-page paper summarizing the result of the forecast project or the special topic
chosen by each team.
To put the forecasting exercise in context, there will be class discussions of business cycles, credit cycles, long waves in inflation and interest rates and past
stock-market bubbles.
Prerequisites: Economics 110 or another semester course in Economics is
strongly recommended. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: about $25 for text and other materials.
Meeting time: mornings with afternoon labs. Because essential concepts and
tools are covered during the first week, all students are expected to attend the
first class.
THOMAS SYNNOTT `58 (Instructor)
BRADBURD (Sponsor)
Thomas Synnott `58 is Chief Economist, Emeritus, U.S. Trust Company of New York
ECON 18 The Nation in Indian Cinema (CANCELLED!)
Though the Indian film industry is the world's most prolific, American audiences have little exposure to it. This course provides an introduction, focusing on
Hindi cinema, and showing how its themes have evolved in response to broader
changes in Indian society. In particular, we will examine ways in which Hindi
films reflect the threats perceived by the nation, and the resolutions attempted.
We will also compare Hindi cinema's norms and conventions to those used in
Hollywood cinema.
Students will write a 2-page response to each film. Reading will consist of film
analysis and also background reading on Indian social history.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 10. Students who have taken a course on
South Asia will be given preference.
Cost to student: $25 for readings.
Meeting time: afternoons, twice a week to watch the films (a total of seven) and
twice a week for discussion.
A. SWAMY
ECON 19 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
This course examines tax policy towards low-income families in the United
States, and has the following three objectives: 1) For students to understand the
shift of redistributive policy in the United States from income support through
the transfer system (Aid to Families with Dependent Children/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) towards support of working individuals through the
tax system (primarily the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)); 2) For students to
understand the challenges that low income individuals have "making ends
meet" and to understand the role that the EITC has played in increasing the standard of living of the working poor; and 3) To enable students to understand the
tax code well enough to prepare simple income tax returns, including those for
filers claiming the EITC. Students will be trained by the IRS to prepare income
tax returns for low-income individuals and families. At the end of the term, students will use their newly acquired expertise to help individuals and families in
Berkshire County prepare and file their returns.
Students must complete IRS VITA training; staff one session of tax preparation
assistance during the final week of winter term; and write a 10-page analytical
and reflective essay.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 14.
Cost to student: $100 for texts and coursepack.
Meeting time: mornings, with the possibility of occasional afternoon meetings
to accommodate guest speakers.
SHORE-SHEPPARD and GENTRY
ECON 25 The Millenium Development Goals and Africa: A Case Study of South Africa
In 2000 all United Nation member states committed to the Millennium Development Goals-a set of well-defined objectives aimed at reducing poverty, improving health and education, achieving gender equality and promoting environmental sustainability-particularly for the poorest in developing countries.
Progress in Africa, however, has lagged-in the face of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, policy failures and faltering support from industrialized countries. South
Africa's Finance Minister Trevor Manuel has warned that at the current pace, it
may take another century to meet the goals-well past the targeted date less than a
decade away.
South Africa's progress is mixed-with remarkable achievements in certain
areas, and poor progress in others. Nevertheless, policy-makers in South Africa
have laid out an aggressive strategy aiming to meet the objectives. Following the
country's first democratic elections in 1994, the government's economic policies
have turned around an economy that was in crisis. Development strategy has
reduced poverty, but slowly, and enormous backlogs in social delivery of housing, health care and education still exist. South Africa remains one of the most
unequal countries in the world, grappling with the costs and benefits of globalization as the government embraces free trade and financial liberalization, yet
attempts to implement policies aimed at reducing poverty and improving social
equity.
This course will investigate South Africa's progress towards the Millennium
Development Goals, examining successes and failures in the areas of health,
education, housing, social protection, gender equality and the environment.
Through meetings with Parliamentarians and bureaucrats, businesspeople and
social activists, teachers and students, labor leaders and health care workers, the
participants in this course will learn about the challenges, successes and failures
of South Africa's social development strategy. The unifying theme of this course
explores the constraints and opportunities policy-makers face as they aim to
achieve the most fundamental development goals. The course will analyze how
apartheid's legacy has framed the problem-and how national and global strategies interact to support and sometimes stymie the achievement of these goals.
Using social and economic data, first-hand observation and meetings with key
stakeholders, students will acquire skills in evaluating the effectiveness of the
government's approach to socio-economic development.
The course will be co-taught by Professor Michael Samson and Mr. Kenneth
Mac Quene, Executive Director of the Economic Policy Research Institute.
Evaluation will be based on class participation and a 10-page paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 20. Not open to first-year students.
Cost to student: approximately $3,485-includes airfare, accommodation,
meals, and other expenses.
SAMSON and KENNETH MAC QUENE
ECON 27 Henry George, Eliminating Poverty
Henry George, an American economist (1839-1897) published Progress and
Poverty in 1879. In this he observes that with increasing wealth there is increasing poverty and he offers a solution to this problem. We will study Progress and
Poverty to understand his theory and his remedy and to understand the possibility of its application today.
George's remedy is to tax land to the exclusion of all other taxes. Today the
Georgist movement uses this idea to encourage cities to modify the property tax,
which, in most places, taxes land and buildings at the same rate, to reduce the tax
on buildings and to increase the tax on land to produce the same yield. We will
study the effect of shifting the property tax from buildings to land in the twenty
Pennsylvania cities that have adopted this idea.
One of the great problems of the world today is that in many countries, a small
minority of the people, own most of the land. We will study the possible use of
George's ideas to ameliorate this problem.
Evaluation will be based on attendance and the completion of a 10-page paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 20.
Cost to student: $5 for a copy of Progress and Property.
Meeting time: mornings, two hours three times a week.
ALBERT HARTHEIMER (Instructor)
BRADBURD (Sponsor)
Albert Hartheimer has been an advocate for the philosophy of Henry George since 1967. He has worked to convince cities to adopt the two-rate tax by making studies of the effect of shifting taxes from buildings to land with constant yield. He served on the board of the Schalkenbach Foundation of America and The Center for the Study of Economics. He is an architect.
ECON 28 Curing Health Care (Same as Biology 11)
(See under Biology 11 for full description.)
The "Specialization Route" to the degree with Honors in Economics requires
that each candidate take an Honors Winter Study Project in January of their senior year. Students who wish to begin their honors work in January should submit a detailed proposal. Decisions on admission to the Honors WSP will be
made in the fall. Information on the procedures will be mailed to senior majors
in economics early in the fall semester.
Seniors who wish to apply for admission to the Honors WSP and thereby to the
Honors Program should register for this WSP as their first choice.
Some seniors will have begun honors work in the fall and wish to complete it in
the WSP. They will be admitted to the WSP if they have made satisfactory progress. They should register for this WSP as their first choice.
To be taken by students participating in year-long thesis research (ECON 493-W31-494).
ECON 51 Tax Policy in Emerging Markets
Governments in developing and transition economies need to raise tax revenue
to finance critical public goods, address other market failures and equity issues,
and to avoid problems with debt and inflation. Even under ideal conditions, figuring out how to raise taxes in a way that balances efficiency, equity, and administrative feasibility is a hard problem. But taxation is especially challenging in
emerging markets, because of the great difficulty involved in taxing much of the
economic activity there, serious problems with tax evasion and administration,
and the various imperfections in the economic environment in which taxes are
collected. Taxes typically consume between a fifth and a third of the proceeds of
economic activity in these nations, and they profoundly affect the incentives to
undertake all varieties of economic activity. So in terms of economic growth and
welfare, the stakes involved in improving tax policy are potentially quite large.
This class will build on knowledge developed in basic public economics (Economics 503 or 205) or tax policy (Economics 351) courses to provide a more
in-depth investigation of the special problems involved in tax policy in developing and transition economies, and possible approaches to addressing these problems. Examples of specific topics that might receive particular emphasis include tax evasion, tax administration, corruption, consideration of how the particular conditions in developing and transition economies may affect the optimal
structure of the tax system, options for fundamental tax reform, case studies of
the experience with tax reforms in various developing and transition economies,
international aspects of taxation, and tax competition among regions and nations.
Students will be evaluated based on a 10-page research paper, some shorter written assignments, and an oral presentation.
Prerequisites: one public economics or tax policy course (Economics 503, 205
or 351), and one empirical methods course (Economics 253, 255, 510, 511, or
Statistics 346). Enrollment limit: 19. This course is intended for CDE students
and is open to undergraduates only with permission of instructor.
Cost to student: approximately $25 for reading packets.
Meeting time: afternoons.
BAKIJA
ECON 52 Computable General Equilibrium Model
A common tool for applied policy work is the Computable General Equilibrium
(CGE) model. These models are used extensively by various NGO's when deciding aid and policy recommendations. Advanced undergraduates or masters
students can attain a basic understanding of these models in a relatively short
time frame. The great advantage of these models is that they capture the general
equilibrium feedback effects of policy proposals on various sectors of the economy. This is of great importance to applied work, as this allows the identification
of the winners and losers from potential policies. The class will begin with a
general overview of CGE models, followed by a detailed construction of a simple model for the US. During the latter part of the course, students will create a
CGE model for a country of their choice (preferably their home country). This
exercise will provide them with a basic model to use to examine the possible
effects of various changes in national policy. Interested students could continue
this project as a potential thesis topic.
Evaluation: Students will be evaluated using problem sets and their country-specific model.
Prerequisites: Economics 251 or instructor consent. Enrollment limit: 20.
Course intended for CDE fellows, undergraduate enrollment limited and only
with instructor permission.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: daily, afternoons.
ROLLEIGH
ENGLISH
ENGL 10 Beginning Proust's In Search of Lost Time
Have you been intending someday to read Proust's fictional masterpiece, In
Search of Lost Time, but putting it off for lack of time? Well, here's your chance
to get started on it. In this course, we will carefully read and discuss the first two
volumes of Proust's great novel: Swann's Way and Within a Budding Grove.
Readings in English.
Requirements: perfect attendance, class participation, and daily, brief response
papers (totalling 10 pages of writing).
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: $30 for books.
Meeting time: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 10-noon.
RHIE
Regarded by the Frankfurt School philosopher Walter Benjamin as his masterpiece, The Arcades Project is one of the most elusive, allusive, challenging, and
endlessly productive philosophical/historical works of the twentieth century.
Taking as its aim (even as one of our questions will be whether this work could
ever be reduced to "aims" or "ends") nothing less than an historical materialist
account of the nineteenth century, Benjamin's book attempts to bring to philosophical writing the methodologies of collage and montage. Among his objects
of interest: the arcades of Paris, panoramas, world exhibitions, the flâneur, photography, phantasmagoria, collecting, boredom, and on and on and on. Out of
this cultural detritus, the book performs something like a dream analysis of the
nineteenth century, regarding capitalism, for example, with all its rationalization
of human wants as "a reactivation of mythical forces." Benjamin worked on The
Arcades Project over a period of thirteen years, and it remained unfinished and
unpublished at the time of his death in 1940. Clocking in at just over a thousand
pages and comprised by fragments, aphorisms, and quotations, the book calls
out for new modes of thinking and reading, modes we'll attempt to evolve together during the class as we investigate Benjamin's own investigations of modernity.
Format: seminar. Requirements: short writing assignments as well as a longer
final essay of c. 10 pages; lead one discussion or do an in-class presentation.
Prerequisites include a willingness to read carefully and non-linearly, both inside
and outside of class. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: about $25.00 for the book.
Meeting time: mornings.
MCWEENY
ENGL 12 Looking at Contemporary Documentary Photography (Same as ArtH 12 and Special 27)
This course explores the evolution of modern documentary photography. We
will start with Robert Frank's The Americans, and examine how Frank's singular vision deeply shaped the next generation of photographers working the
American streets and landscape. Diane Arbus, Bruce Davidson, Lee Freidlander, William Klein, Danny Lyon, Gary Winogrand are some of the photographers
whose work we will get to know well. Discussions will include the new wave of
independent and Magnum photojournalists (Phillip Jones Griffiths, Josef Koudleka, Susan Meiselas, Gilles Peress, James Nachtwey, Alex Webb, and Tyler
Hicks) and the wars from Vietnam to Bosnia to Iraq they cover as well as the
personal visions they explore. Insight into the diverse currents of documentary
photography will be covered through the work of Bill Burke, Larry Clark, Larry
Fink, Nan Goldin, Emmet Gowin, Sally Mann, Mary Ellen Mark, Nicholas
Nixon , Richard Misrach, Joel Sternfeld, Birney Imes, Regan Louie, Edward
Burtynsky, Laura Letinsky and Simon Norfolk.
Slide presentations will occupy half of the first meetings and give way to discussion of issues in documentary photography. Students will be encouraged to work
on individual projects of their own choice. Each student will be required to make
a brief presentation to the class on a documentary topic of their choice. A final
paper expanding on this documentary topic will be due at the end of the course.
Students will be evaluated on their classroom presentation, general participation
and their written work. A field trip to New York will let us see first hand works
from the collections at the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art and the International Center of Photography.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 12.
Meeting time: three mornings a week for two hours.
KEVIN BUBRISKI (Instructor)
SWANN (Sponsor)
Kevin Bubriski has received photography fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. His books include Portrait of Nepal (Chronicle Books 1993) and Pilgrimage: Looking at Ground Zero (powerHouse 2002).
ENGL 13 Documentary Video Production (Same as ArtS 13)
This course teaches the basics of documentary filmmaking through an experiential approach. Each student will learn the fundamentals of video production and
editing by making a 3- to 6-minute documentary about some aspect of the local
or college community. The short documentaries will be compiled into a magazine format show that will be broadcast on Willinet, the Williamstown Community Access Television Station.
The class will meet at the Willinet studio on Spring Street. The first week of
Winter Study will be class heavy (approximately 4 hours daily) and will cover
the basic technology and examples of short and long form documentary. Students will also use class time to create a 30-second Public Service Announcement to practice filming and editing. The rest of the course will consist primarily
of independent work on the documentaries and then pulling the final Access
program together, with only occasional meetings of the full class as needed.
Projects will be evaluated on successful communication of your idea.
Strong interest in making a documentary is the only student selection criterion
and prerequisite. Enrollment limit: 9.
Cost to student: $50.
Meeting time: afternoons. Meeting times will change each week with the majority of class time scheduled during the first week with meetings everyday, and
then mostly individual project work time thereafter.
DAVID LACHMAN (Instructor)
SWANN (Sponsor)
David Lachman is a local artist, documentary filmmaker, and media teacher. He has a B.A. from Oberlin College and an M.F.A. from Northwestern University.
ENGL 14 Transcending Jazz (Same as Music 14)
With bebop, jazz attained a startling level of accomplishment in harmonic and
rhythmic sophistication and in technical virtuosity. Yet even as bebop emerged
as the epitome of jazz modernity, many musicians-including central bebop
icons-were already developing hybrid forms. Some began to move jazz toward popular dance music, from rumba and bossa nova to rhythm and blues.
Others introduced stronger elements of blues and gospel into jazz. Another
group, drawing upon classical music, wrote complex scores for larger ensembles, often including instruments not traditionally used in jazz. The most adventurous of these innovators were those who attempted to reach beyond music
altogether, using jazz as a medium for exploring and expressing spiritual truths.
This course will consider the latter group, concentrating on Sun Ra, Charles
Mingus, Albert Ayler, John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and the Art Ensemble of
Chicago. Texts for the course will include interviews, liner notes, reviews, writings by the musicians (including liner notes and poems), performance videos,
and of course, recordings.
Each student will write a 15-page paper on one of these artists.
The course is designed for students with a serious interest in Jazz Studies, Africana Studies, American Studies, or Religious Studies. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: about $100.
Meeting time: afternoons.
D. L. SMITH
ENGL 15 The Hours and Mrs. Dalloway
The Hours, a 1998 novel by Michael Cunningham and a 2003 film directed by
Stephen Daldry (starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and Julianne Moore),
weaves together scenes of Virginia Woolf writing her ground-breaking modern
novel, Mrs. Dalloway, a fifties housewife who is reading the novel, seeing herself in Mrs. Dalloway, and a woman who relives the novel in a highly contemporary way while planning a party for a friend dying of AIDS in 2001. After
discussing the film of The Hours, we will spend a week exploring Virginia
Woolf's life, reading selections from her letters, diaries, memoirs, and biographies, discussing her artistic innovation, the radical social experiments of the
Bloomsbury group, Woolf's mental illness, and suicide. In the second week we
will examine Mrs. Dalloway along with the 1999 film adaptation (directed by
Marleen Gorris, starring Vanessa Redgrave), discussing social and artistic experimentation and convention, and the ways in which Woolf's high modernist
form is adapted to the cinema. In the final week, we will return to The Hours,
analyzing Cunningham's novel (along with the film) as an innovative work of
art which is at once an insightful tribute to and a thoughtful interpretation of
Woolf's life and work.
Students are expected to attend all the classes and the scheduled screenings of
the films, to complete the reading, to take an active and informed role in class
discussion, and to write a series of short essays.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost: $60 for books.
Meeting time: mornings, two-hour sessions, 3-4 times a week.
I. BELL
An introduction to newspaper and magazine journalism. By reporting, writing
and editing, students will learn how to gather information and present it for publication. Assignments will include a news story, a feature article, a review and an
editorial; class exercises will focus on skills such as copy editing and rewriting.
The class will study how different styles of writing serve different needs, and the
practical, ethical and legal limits within which journalists work.
Requirements: Each student will submit articles on deadline; read current newspapers and magazines and be prepared to analyze them; and attend all classes.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15. Preference will be given to first-year students.
Cost to student: less than $40.
Meeting time: mornings.
SALLY WHITE and DUSTY BAHLMAN (Instructors)
SWANN (Sponsor)
ENGL 17 A Longer Account of The Surprising Way Home: The Work of Flannery O’Connor
The goal of this course is a greater appreciation of the work of Flannery O’Connor: its context, its artistry, its inner vision. In pursuit of the first aim, we will read some material pertinent to her life, chiefly via her letters and perhaps some “occasional pieces” of prose, but this material will not be extensive. (When students write their final paper, they will have the opportunity to pay more attention to her life, if they wish.) The main goals of the course are the appreciation of her art and its inner vision, or the chief concerns of her imaginative world. We will read both Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away, as well as a great many of her short stories. The order of reading will follow their creation. One of the questions this will naturally raise is that of development: did her art and its vision deepen? Although we will certainly be interested in her craft and aesthetic, we will be principally interested in her portrait of “the human comedy.” Obviously central to this is the “drama of salvation,” the way we are “surprised by grace,” or (to build on one of her favorite sayings) the way we must “find our way past the dragon.” One might say that her prose “maps the crazy yet recognizable twists of the human heart” or seeks “to penetrate the surface calm” of our life to discover “deeper springs of meaning” running underneath. In any event, we will be seeking to understand better her vision of human motivation and of what is at stake in the lives we choose to lead. I expect her art to make us all laugh, and to provoke us to discuss the deeper questions her prose lays bare.
What I would want before everything else for this course is that students come to enjoy the material they are reading and that they look forward to our classes, where they can discuss and debate the merits of Flannery’s stories and vision. Leading good seminar discussions is my most important goal. To this end, I will ask that two students take a greater responsibility in each class, so that they (as much as I) will be responsible to help guide the discussion. Their effort will form part of their grade on participation. In making that count for 1/3 of the grade, I intend to indicate the importance attached to discussion. Typically, we will be reading more stories than we discuss in class: thus, students might be assigned two long stories, but told to concentrate on one, for discussion; or they might be asked to read 4 short stories, but concentrate on two for discussion. They will also be assigned to read, directly beforehand, the stories that will be shown as movies; there will be briefer, informal, discussions after their showing. (The same goes for the showing of Wise Blood, except that we will also discuss it formally in class.) Ideally, those who are truly motivated will be able to use the Winter Study to read all of her collected work.
Students may write up to 20 pages for their final paper, but the expected range is 10-15 pages. Students will be free to choose their own paper topic. It will center on primary source material, but will include some research and thus some secondary sources, as well. Students will need to clear their topic with me at least 10 days before the paper is due.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15, with priority normally being based on
seniority.
Cost to student: under $50 (for the one book required, on her complete work).
Meeting time: mornings (e.g. 10-noon) on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, as
well as Wednesday evenings to view a movie or movies based on her work.
MICHAEL TORRE '72 (Instructor)
SWANN (Sponsor)
A note from the instructor:
"I loved my Winter Studies at Williams, and still remember them well: Dante’s Divine Comedy, Mann’s Magic Mountain, Keat’s complete poetry, Joyce’s Ulysses. I have a sense of what a fine WSP can be. I think of this as my way of returning back to the College something of the good I received. I look forward to it. It should be great fun!"
Michael Torre, class of '72, is currently a professor of Philosophy at the University of San Francisco. He has taught numerous seminars (including on literature) in Great Books and Honors seminars, both at USF and at other colleges.
Oscar Wilde is one of the most celebrated and important writers of the Aestheticist movement of the late 19th century, and without question the funniest. Because of the notorious calamity of his trial and imprisonment for sodomy, he is
also a pivotal figure in the modern social history of sexuality. In this course we
will survey the principal literary works of Wilde, including several plays (e.g.,
The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Windermere's Fan), his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and some of his aphorisms and dialogues on aesthetics. We
will study at some length the Wilde trials themselves, as well as their bitter fruit,
the autobiographical dramatic monologue De Profundis and "The Ballad of
Reading Gaol." Additional readings will be drawn from critical and biographical accounts of Wilde.
Requirements: regular attendance, active participation in class discussions, and a
10-page paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment: limit: 15.
Cost to student: less than $50.
Meeting time: mornings.
TIFFT
ENGL 19 Theorizing the Image (Same as ArtH 19 and Philosophy 19)
This class will explore the image at three moments-the painting of Leonardo,
the painting of Vermeer, and the contemporary photography of Thomas Struth
and Andreas Gursky-in order to explore what such works can tell us about
their historical contexts and what larger questions they open about the meaning
and status of the visual image as such. We will read these images in relation to
the aesthetic/philosophical writing of Hegel, Lacan, Derrida and Louis Marin, as
well as the contextualizing work of writers such as Vasari, Burckhardt, Martin
Kemp, Svetlana Alpers, Norman Bryson and Stephen Melville.
Requirements: 10-page final paper.
Prerequisite: upper level course in English, Art History, or Philosophy, or permission of instructor. Enrollment limit: 18. Selection criteria: equal distribution
between years.
Cost to student: $6o (books, photocopied packet).
Meeting time: mornings, two hours three times a week.
PYE
ENGL 20 Henry James: The Golden Bowl
In this course we will closely analyze Henry James' The Golden Bowl, which all
consider to be his last, and many his greatest, novel. This long, demanding and
capacious book dramatizes many of James' most powerful preoccupations.
Centered on a wealthy American collector living in England at the turn of the
twentieth century, the novel examines the personal and cultural costs of an
American obsession with amassing relics of a collapsing European empire, as
well as the effects of wealth and refined sensibility on tangled love relations. The
novel's ethical and perceptual subtlety is conveyed in an ingeniously complex
style that requires close concentration.
Requirements: faithful attendance, active participation and 10 pages of writing.
Prerequisites: a 100-or 200-level English course other than English 150. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: $8.
Meeting time: afternoons; three times each week.
SOKOLSKY
ENGL 22 The Comedy of Tom Stoppard (Same as Theatre 22) (CANCELLED!)
Tom Stoppard is frequently described as the most inventive and original writer
of comedy for the theater since Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. But his
work (as theirs) is as serious as it is funny. We will explore the coming together
of the comic and serious strands in such plays as Rosencrantz and Gildenstern
are Dead, Jumpers, Travesties, On the Razzle, The Real Thing, and Arcadia. If
time permits we will also read and talk about some of the short plays such as The
Real Inspector Hound and Artist Descending a Staircase.
Students will write one 10-page paper and be expected to contribute regularly to
class discussion.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15; preference to juniors and seniors.
Meeting time: mornings, Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
L. GRAVER (Instructor)
SWANN (Sponsor)
ENGL 23 "Getting Medieval" in Film and Fiction
This course is intended as an "addendum" to English 307 (Arthurian Literature),
in which we will discuss contemporary versions of Arthurian works-films like Monty Python and the Holy Grail and First Knight, and novels like Mists of
Avalon and The Crystal Cave. But the content of the course will be student-driven. Students will work in pairs to lead discussion of the film or novel of their
choice, and each student will write a paper of 10-12 pages discussing the relationship of their work to the medieval sources it draws on or alludes to.
Requirements: attendance at all classes, leading (with a partner) one class discussion, a final paper of 10-12 pages
Prerequisites: English 307 or any course in medieval literature or history, or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limit: 12. Priority will be given to students
who take English 307 in the fall, and then to students who have taken any course
in medieval literature or history, or who obtain the permission of the instructor.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: afternoons, two or three times a week for a total of six hours.
KNOPP
ENGL 27 Horace in English (Same as Classics 11 and Comparative Literature 11)
(See under Classics for full description.)
This is a course for either the potential journalist or those merely intrigued by the
media circus. It will cover the rudiments of journalism-its formats, customs
and economics-but it will also look at how those practices developed and
where they appear headed. We'll cover the basics of writing and editing for the
press, but we'll also look at how technology and culture are changing those old
rules. Some of it will be nuts and bolts, but all of it will be set in the wider context
of the special influence of the media. By the end, you should be able both to "do
journalism" and critique others who do. Appropriate to the topic, writing will be
in short, frequent exercises rather than one long paper.
Enrollment limit: 20. Preference by seniority and to Record staff.
Cost to student: $60 for basic texts.
Meeting time: Monday-Thursday, 1-2:30 p.m.
PAUL NEELY (Instructor)
SWANN (Sponsor)
Paul Neely '68, a Williams trustee, is the former editor and publisher of The Chattanooga Times. He has an MS in Journalism and an MBA, both from Columbia University, and held editing positions at various newspapers for 30 years.
ENGL 29 Living by Words: Surviving and Thriving in the Art and Sport of Rhetoric (Same as Comparative Literature 12, INTR 12, and Special 22)
(See under Comparative Literature for full description.)
ENGL 30 Honors Project: Specialization Route
Required during Winter Study of all seniors admitted to candidacy for honors via the specialization route.
ENGL 31 Honors Project: Thesis
Required during Winter Study of all seniors admitted to candidacy for honors via the thesis route.
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
ENVI 10 The Winter Naturalist's Journal
This course will explore the tools for studying the natural world through various
uses of writing, literature, and drawing. Students will spend time outdoors learning the ecosystem of the Williamstown area and time indoors doing observational drawing, reflective writing, and reading and discussions of nature literature. The writing component of the journal will be the equivalent of a 10-page
paper. The month's work will be contained in a nature journal, to be displayed
and discussed as part of a final project.
Designed for students with interests in environmental studies, natural history
writing, and drawing.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 12.
Cost to student: $50 for books and art supplies.
Meeting time: mornings.
CHRISTIAN MCEWEN and BARBARA BASH (Instructors)
MERRILL (Sponsor)
Christian McEwen is the editor of Jo's Girls: Tomboy Tales of High Adventure, True Grit & Real Life, and co-editor of The Alphabet of the Trees: A Guide to Nature Writing. She divides her time between teaching in the USA and Scotland. Barbara Bash is an illustrated journal keeper and calligrapher. Her most recent book is True Nature: An Illustrated Journal of Four Seasons in Solitude. She lives in the Hudson Valley of New York.
ENVI 11 Clean Water in the Global Context
In coming decades, dwindling supplies of clean freshwater will become an increasingly critical issue in both developed and developing nations worldwide.
This course is an introduction to this multifaceted topic. Emphasis will be on the
widespread economic and ecological effects of mismanaging surface water supplies; on the way U.S. clean water legislation has addressed pollution issues, including a remarkable reliance on engaged, active citizens; how changing conditions may require new solutions; and how other countries are addressing (or failing to address) this vital issue. Primary text: The Clean Water Act Owner's
Manual, with supplementary material from other sources, plus related online
course materials.
Students will be evaluated on the basis of class participation, one class presentation, and a final paper.
Required activities: attendance; participation in discussion; online work; independent study; and student presentations.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15. Preference given to students who have
been fall work-study students in water quality monitoring or who will be spring
work-study students in clean water leadership. This course can be taken alone,
but is also part of a comprehensive full-year experience in clean water issues.
Cost to student: textbook and photocopy costs $50.00.
Meeting time: afternoons, Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
Instructor: DR. EILEEN FIELDING (Instructor)
MERRILL (Sponsor)
Dr. Eileen Fielding is Executive Director of the Hoosic River Watershed Association.
ENVI 12 Landscape Photography (Same as Geosciences 12)
(See under Geosciences for full description.)
ENVI 13 The Law and the Literature of the Environment: The Environment on Trial (Same as Legal Studies 13)
(See under Legal Studies for full description.)
ENVI 14 Geology of the National Parks (Same as Geosciences 14)
(See under Geosciences for full description.)
ENVI 25 Sustainable Resource Management
In this age of rampant consumption and global warming, the challenges of developing sustainable living practices are becoming ever more acute. Many
countries throughout the globe seek to redress their inability to provide adequate
food, clean water, and energy by experimenting with new models of self-sufficiency. Some of the most exciting work in this field is in the Caribbean, where
island nations have long been dependent on other economies for basic survival.
Based at the Cape Eleuthera Institute, a leading ecological design facility in the
Bahamas, this class introduces students to the cutting edge of sustainable practices and public policy.
The Bahamas is an ideal place to study the problems of resource management-the country imports all of its fuel oil, over 95% percent of its food, and 2
million gallons of fresh water daily. Like many Caribbean islands, the Bahamas
faces challenges in growing food that range from nutrient supply (deficient calcium carbonate soils), seasonal disturbance (hurricanes, droughts), and a declining interest in agriculture among youth. To be successful in shifting some food
supply to within the national borders, the Bahamas must look at nutrient harvesting and sharing, technology integration and education to marry food production
with other areas of technological interest and income potential. Farming is one
of the most powerful ways to create responsible stewardship of the land.
The Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) serves as a demonstration project for sustainable agriculture, aquaculture, waste-water treatment, renewable energy, ecological architecture, alternative fuels with a goal of technology transfer and community development. The facilities at CEI are constructed from local materials and
powered by solar energy, the water is collected rainfall, the wastewater is treated
on-site through a series of filtering gardens, and the vehicles (including boats)
use waste vegetable oil.
Students will participate in an intensive 17-day sustainable agriculture and design course team-taught by CEI staff and visiting faculty who are experts in particular areas (including Sarah Gardner). Learning will include classroom time as
well as hands-on work in the field (CEI has a large experimental farm), and
group problem-based design projects. By combining knowledge of local ecosystems, soils, hydrology, new technology and techniques, and public policy initiatives, students will work toward the goal of creating new models for resource
management that are linked to local culture and conditions.
Course requirements include participating in the program at CEI, working on a
design team group project in Eleuthera, writing a 10-page paper that applies the
concepts learned in the program to the team project, and participating in preparing and delivering a public presentation about the winter study experience at
Williams. During a follow-up session at Williams, students will discuss means
of applying the knowledge and experience they have gained in the Bahamas to
the challenges of developing sustainable systems in other local contexts. The
students will share their experiences by giving an Environmental Studies Log
Lunch talk and slide show on February 9, 2007.
Enrollment limit: 10. Preference to Environmental Studies concentrators. Not
open to first-year students.
Dates: Jan. 3-Jan. 26. (Bahamas: Jan. 4-Jan. 22). Class meetings at Williams on
Jan. 3 and Jan. 24.
Cost to student: approximately $2475.
SARAH GARDNER (Instructor)
MERRILL (Sponsor)
Sarah Gardner is Associate Director of the Center for Environmental Studies and Lecturer in Environmental Studies.
ENVI 31 Senior Research and Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Environmental Studies 493-494.
GEOSCIENCES
GEOS 12 Landscape Photography (Same as Environmental Studies 12)
This class will broaden students' appreciation for the appearance and history of
the landscape and teach the skills of making a successful photograph.
Williamstown, situated in a valley between the Green and Taconic Mountains
and bisected by the Green and Hoosic Rivers, is a place of great natural beauty.
The local landscape is a subject that inspires both professional and amateur photographers alike. While Williamstown will be the subject of most of our work,
we will use it to learn principles of universal application. Students will discover
the importance of light in making a photograph. They will also learn camera
skills and the mechanics of photography to make slides, which will be reviewed
at biweekly class meetings.
In addition to photographing and critiquing slides, the class will visit collections
at the Clark Art Institute and WCMA to see original work and examine and discuss books on reserve at Sawyer Library. An overview of the history of landscape photography will be provided with an emphasis on American workers
such as Carlton Watkins, William Henry Jackson, Edward Weston, Ansel
Adams, and Alvin Langdon Cobern. We will also demonstrate examples of different cameras such as medium format, view cameras, and panorama cameras.
Students will produce a body of successful photographs/slides, which will be
presented in a class web page.
Evaluation will be based on attendance, the student's photography and their presentation.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15. Priority given to first and second-year
students.
Students will need a 35mm camera.
Cost to student: approximately $60 for film and materials.
Meeting time: three mornings a week for the first two weeks and twice a week
after that; short field trips will supplement the morning meetings.
NICHOLAS WHITMAN (Instructor)
DETHIER (Sponsor)
Nicholas Whitman is a professional photographer and the former Curator of Photography at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. A 1977 graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, he has honed his craft to make landscape and photographs of power and depth.
GEOS 14 Geology of the National Parks (Same as Environmental Studies 14)
A vicarious trip through selected national parks of the U.S. and Canada with emphasis on the geological basis for their unique scenery. Areas to be studied will
be chosen in order to portray a wide variety of landscapes and geologic processes (volcanism, glaciations, etc.). Readings will include a paperback text
(Plates and Parks) as well as short publications of the U.S. Geological Survey
and of various natural history associations. The second part of the month will
involve independent study of topics chosen by the students in preparation for
half-hour oral presentations during the last week. The oral reports will be comprehensive, well illustrated explanations of the geology of a particular national
park or monument of the student's choice, using maps, slides, and reference materials available within the department and on the internet. A detailed outline and
an accompanying bibliography will be submitted at the time of the oral presentation.
Evaluation based on attendance and participation and on the quality of the final
report.
No prerequisites. Open only to students with no previous college-level study of
geology. Enrollment limit: 15. Preference will be given to first-year students.
Cost to student: approx. $60 for the text.
Meeting time: The class will meet most mornings during the first two weeks for
highly illustrated lectures and discussions, supplemented with lab work devoted
to the interpretation of topographic and geologic maps and to the study of rock
samples.
WOBUS
To be taken by students registered for Geology 493-494.
GERMAN
GERM S.P. Sustaining Program for German 101-102
Something new and different for students enrolled in German 101-102. Practice
in the use of German for everyday purposes; creation and performance of short
dramatic sketches through group collaboration; games; songs; storytelling; reading. No homework.
Requirements: active participation and regular attendance earn a "Pass" grade.
Prerequisites: German 101 or equivalent. Limited to German 101-102 students.
Cost to student: approximately $5 for photocopied materials.
Meeting time: mornings, three times a week 9-9:50 a.m.
LANG, GLASHAUSER
GERM 11 Anarchism: Old and New Beginnings (Same as Special 17)
The tendencies now known collectively as "globalism" first emerged in Europe
and the United States early in the 19th century. And the first opposition to them
was not slow in coming: beginning in 1840 with Proudhon's "What is Property,"
a body of theoretical and programmatic texts arose to popularize anarchism as a
radical alternative to both established governments and new political movements like communism and social democracy. In the last quarter of the century,
anarchist ideas took practical form in sabotage, insurrection and assassination.
Among several prominent victims of the last was an American president, William McKinley, in 1901. This unorganized strategy of spectacular individual
acts, called "propaganda of the deed," failed completely; and anarchism generally went dormant during the twentieth century, which was dominated by conflicts
among dictatorial communism, fascism, corporate capitalism, and bourgeois democracy. But anarchist ideas have regained widespread interest in the last fifteen
years, as globalist, statist and social authoritarian trends become more and more
pressing in economic, intellectual, cultural and personal life as well as in government.
The course will have a non-but-not-necessarily-anti-anarchist format: In the
first two weeks we'll read some of the founding documents of theoretical anarchism by Proudhon, Bakunin and Kropotkin and study late 19th-century anarchist activism in Europe and the United States. In the third week we'll look at the
revival of anarchism in the present, focusing on efforts to develop more effective
modes of action than "propaganda of the deed." Students will pursue individual
projects on various theoretical and practical aspects of old and new anarchism,
on which they will report to the class in the fourth week and in a final 10-page
paper or the equivalent.
Evaluation will be based on class participation and final projects.
Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: $30 for books.
Meeting time: mornings, three times a week, with individual conferences in the
third and fourth weeks to discuss individual projects.
B. KIEFFER
New York has Broadway, Paris has the Champs-Elysées, and Vienna has the
Ringstrasse-streets that somehow define the very city by virtue of their history
and their power. The Ringstrasse and the major buildings that face it were all
built together in the late 19th century during the short-lived political prominence
of bourgeois liberalism. As Carl Schorske details in his seminal Fin de Siecle
Vienna, each of the buildings celebrates a different aspect of the values for which
the bourgeoisie wanted to congratulate itself: The neo-Classic Parliament alludes to Greek democracy, the neo-Renaissance University harks back to the
heyday of secular learning, the neo-Gothic City Hall evokes the day of a municipal independence that Vienna, as the capital of a multi-ethnic empire, never actually experienced. It is perhaps the neo-Baroque Burgtheater that is most true to
the city's traditional identity: steeped in drama and illusion, inextricably tied to
its Catholic and imperial past. But Vienna has always had a self-critical, self-
ironic edge as well, which surfaces in its rich literary and psychoanalytic tradition. This course will explore both sides of this apparent contradiction.
The course will start in Williamstown; we'll spend the first week of Winter
Study learning the history of the Ringstrasse and studying the Arthur Schnitzler's play Reigen (and the scandal surrounding it), and excerpts from Freud's
Traumdeutung and his Studien in Hysterie. All of these texts are scathing exposés of the usually repressed core of the rigid Viennese social structure around
1900. We will spend the middle two weeks of Winter Study in Vienna (January
7-21), where we will use the Ringstrasse as our anchor point in an exploration of
the city's identity. Beginning with a tour of the Museum of the City of Vienna,
the class will hit the high points of the Ringstrasse, from the imperial Hofburg to
the Secession building, the temple of turn-of-the-century art nouveau. We will
then dig more deeply into the Viennese mentality, through encounters with literary and psychological sites and materials. We will attend a performance at the
Burgtheater, visit Freud's house in the 9th district, and hear readings by contemporary authors in the Alte Schmiede, a site for cutting edge literary activity. Finally, we'll delve into the multicultural corners of Austria's identity that are initially obscured by the monumentalism of the Ringstrasse, from the traditional
Naschmarkt, extending from the Ring toward the outer districts, with its food
and clothing booths full to the brim with Eastern European, Middle-Eastern, and
Asian specialties, to the literary work of recent migrants from areas that were
formerly subordinate parts of the Habsburg Empire, but are now nations in their
own right: Poland, Rumania, and Bulgaria. Upon our return from Vienna, we'll
spend the last week of Winter Study digesting what we've experienced. In this
week, pairs of students will make presentations on one aspect of the trip, using
materials they've gathered and compiled in Vienna.
Requirements: one 3- to 5-page preparatory paper before the trip, a journal during the trip, and a 3- to 5-page collaborative paper/presentation following the
trip.
Prerequisites: German 104 or equivalent proficiency. Enrollment limit: 8. Not
open to first-year students.
Cost to student: $1730.
NEWMAN
Begin or continue study of German at the Goethe Institute in Germany. The
Goethe Institute program attracts students from all over the world. A typical
course meets for four weeks, 18 hours/week, generally providing the equivalent
of one semester course at Williams. To earn a pass, the student must receive the
Goethe Institute's Teilnahme-Bestätigung which denotes regular attendance at
classes, completion of homework, and successful completion of a final test. Students wishing to apply must fill out an application, obtainable in the office of the
Center for Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Cultures in Weston,or online at
www.goethe.de, and return it to the Goethe Institute as soon as possible (admission is on a first-come, first-served basis).
No prerequisites, but any student interested in beginning German with this
course and then entering German 102 at Williams should contact Professor
Druxes by December 1, at the latest. Enrollment limit: 15. Not open to first-year
students.
Cost to student: $1600 to $2100 for tuition and room and board, plus round trip
travel costs. The Goethe Institute arranges for room and board at various levels
upon students' request, but students must make their own travel arrangements.
This course is not defined as a "trip" for financial aid purposes. The maximum
reimbursement to financial aid students is $500.
DRUXES
To be taken by honors candidates following other than the normal thesis route.
To be taken by students registered for German 493-494.
HISTORY
HIST 10 African American History and American Film
This course will address some of the major themes in African American History
through film. We will focus on how certain films addressed such issues as African American enslavement, labor, urbanization, political activism, and everyday
social life. Viewing the work of filmmakers from Oscar Micheaux to Spike Lee,
the course will pay particular attention to how the political and social context of
certain decades influenced films made by, for, and about African Americans.
Requirements: class participation, several short response papers, two class presentations, and a final essay.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 30.
Cost to student: $40 for books and Xeroxes.
Meeting time: mornings, twice a week.
HICKS
HIST 11 Generations and Turnings in Film (Same as Leadership Studies 11)
This course uses a series of films, combined with basic and supplementary readings, to help understand five generations of Americans and the relatively recent
history they have gone through. The generations are the GIs, or "Greatest" generation (born 1905-24), the Silent generation (1925-42), the Boom generation
(1943-61), Generation X (or the "Thirteenth" generation) (1962-81), and the
Millennial Generation (1981-?), to which today's college students belong. The
films show how different generations coped with similar situations, including
young adulthood, college, the military, as returning veterans, and as parents.
Meanwhile, the course examines the key features of the four kinds of eras, or "turnings," which William Strauss and Neil Howe argue make up basic 80-year
eras in American history. These include the Crisis of the depression and Second
World War (1929-45); the "American High," or consensus era, of 1946-64; the
Awakening of 1965-84; and the Unraveling, roughly 1985 to the present. We
seem now to be moving into a new Crisis, or Fourth Turning, which will redefine American institutions and the United States' place in the world.
The basic text for the course will be William Strauss and Neil Howe, The Fourth
Turning (New York, 1996), 336 pages, which must be read before the first
course meeting. While very readable, it will introduce you to the terminology
and basic approach that we will be investigating. In addition, we will read several short articles.
Films will be the heart of the course material. We will meet in class twice a week
(once the first week) for three hours in the morning, some of which will be taken
up by watching films. You are also responsible, however, for watching two additional films per week, shown on the afternoons before class meetings. One or
two of these films may last as long as 3 hours. We shall schedule showings of
these films, although it you want to obtain tapes or DVDs you may watch them
at your convenience.
The final paper, approximately 15 pages, will track some political or personal
issue across several generations with the help of appropriate readings of films.
Students should begin thinking about their paper topic while reading The Fourth
Turning.
This class raises a wide range of political, social, and philosophical issues. Different viewpoints make the class a success. Students should come prepared to
express themselves.
Requirements: class participation, and a 15-page paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 25.
Cost to student: $30-50 for books and Xeroxes.
Meeting time: mornings, twice a week for three hours.
KAISER
HIST 13 Seeing `Red': Exploring Cao Xueqin's Dream of the Red Chamber
Cao Xueqin's novel Dream of the Red Chamber (Honglou meng) is widely acknowledged as one of China's greatest works of fiction. Set in an aristocratic
household of the mid-Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it is the story of the unconventional Jia Baoyu, a boy born with a magical jade in his mouth who shuns the
masculine world of public life and study for the company of his female relatives.
As such, the novel provides an inversion of late imperial moral orthodoxies and
gender roles.
Dream of the Red Chamber is an extraordinarily rich text that has been valued
for its wordplay, poetic expression, depictions of Chinese medicine, and insights
into garden design as well as for its plot and characters. This course will serve as
an introduction to the novel. We will focus on its observations of daily life in an
extended upper-class family, its depictions of sentiment, gender, and sexuality,
and its Buddhist themes of karma and transcendence. All readings will be in English translation.
Requirements: class participation, short response papers, and a final paper or
project.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 20.
Cost to student: approximately $60 for books
Meeting time: afternoons, Tuesday and Thursday for three hours.
A. REINHARDT
HIST 14 Campus Activism Then and Now
Focusing on student and faculty protest activities, this course will examine the
anti-war, civil rights, and feminist movements of the 1960's and the way they
have influenced contemporary political life. Steal This Book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Silent Spring, The Second Sex, Apocalypse Now, Jane Fonda,
Martin Luther King, Jr., SDS (Students for a Democratic Society), the Berkeley
Teach-In, Vietnam Veterans Against the War-all these will help us understand
the relevance of the campus protests of yesteryear to those of today. Attention
will also be paid to the relationship between campus activism and electorial
politics. Final project may include organizing a teach-in, holding a town meeting, inviting speakers to campus, working on local election campaigns, or traveling to protest activities elsewhere.
Requirements: class participation and a 10-page final paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 20.
Cost to student: approximately $50 for reading materials.
Meeting time: two-three mornings a week and some field trips.
SINGHAM
HIST 15 "1968: A Year that Mattered"
This course will explore the political, social, and cultural climate of the United
States in 1968. We will use Mark Kurlansky's 1968: The Year That Rocked the
World as our main text in order to gain a global perspective of this pivotal year,
but the primary focus of the course will be on the U.S. We will examine the impact of the Tet Offensive, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, and the unrest at the National Democratic Convention in Chicago.
In addition to these political events, we will also look at the year through explorations of television, movies, print media, and popular music.
Evaluation will be based on a research project to be conducted in conjunction
with the instructor and a librarian.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 30.
Cost to student: $30-50 for book and course packet.
Meeting time: morning, twice a week for three hours.
WONG
In this course, students will become familiar with the basic methodology of genealogical research and use this information to create a family history. Students
will conduct research using primary and secondary sources, including vital records (birth, marriage and death certificates), federal and state census records,
immigration records, military service and pension records, naturalization records, probate and court records, newspapers, city directories, published genealogies, and internet sources. Students will index vital records in Pownal, Bennington County, Vermont, to learn what information is included in the records
and become familiar with computerized databases. This is a community service
for all future genealogists and is required. The course will be held at the National
Archives and Records Administration Center on Conte Drive in Pittsfield to
gather Federal Records and then include field trips to local libraries and town
clerks's offices. Students will complete a family history using both secondary
and primary sources. They will become familiar with the process of historical
research, including formulating theories, finding evidence through various media (including oral interviews, records, ephemera, and published sources), and
drawing conclusions based on that research.
Requirements: Students will complete a family history from 2007 to 1850 minimum (equivalent to a 10-page paper).
No prerequisites. Students should have some basic family knowledge, such as
names and locations, including counties of ancestors on April 1st in 1930. Enrollment limit: 15.
Meeting time: mornings, three times a week.
ALAN DOYLE HORBAL (Instructor)
KUNZEL (Sponsor)
Alan Horbal has worked as a volunteer at the National Archive and Record Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts since 2001.
HIST 17 Mapping Gotham's History (Same as Economics 13)
(See under Economics for full description.)
HIST 18 City of Steeples: Charting the North Adams Renaissance (CANCELLED!)
North Adams was once a thriving, multiethnic center of textile and electronics
production. Since Sprague Electric moved away in the 1980s, the city has been
striving to reinvent itself as a center of arts, culture, and small-scale technology.
Although North Adams has undergone a renaissance in recent years, anchored
at Mass MoCA, it remains one of the most impoverished communities in Massachusetts. Has the economic recovery benefited only a portion of the city?
What would it take to forge a community renaissance that would uplift all of
North Adams-in particular, generating new work that provides livable income
and health care?
This Winter Study course combines historical research on the North Adams
economy (first 2 weeks) with field work on the process of reshaping its economy (second 2 weeks). The instructor, a North Adams resident, was formerly the
city's public historian. Each student will keep an email journal and produce a
10-page report on an aspect of North Adams economic and cultural regeneration. Full participation mandatory.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: approximately $50 for reading materials.
Meeting time and field work: five afternoons per week.
BURNS
To be taken by students registered for History 493-494. WATERS
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAM FOR EXPERIMENTAL AND CROSS-DISCIPLINARY STUDIES
INTR 12 Living by Words: Surviving and Thriving in the Art and Sport of Rhetoric (Same as Comparative Literature 12, English 29, and Special 22)
(See under Comparative Literature for full description.)
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
Students will travel to Cairo and enroll in a January term intensive Arabic course
at the American University of Cairo. The course meets four hours a day with
additional practice sessions. Students will live in the dormitories of the university and make occasional day trips around Cairo to practice Arabic and see the
Pharonic and Islamic sights.
Requirements: successful completion of the course. Students enrolled in the
course will also need to attend three preparatory meeting during the fall.
Enrollment limit: 8.
Cost to student: approximately $3600. This course is not defined as a "trip" for
financial aid purposes. The maximum reimbursement to financial aid students is
$500.
DARROW
To be taken by candidates for honors in International Studies.
LATINO STUDIES
LATS 11 What Does It Really Mean to "Want Your MTV"?: Reading Gender, Sexuality and Race in U.S. Popular Music Video (Same as Women's and Gender Studies 11)
Since MTV's inaugural broadcast in 1982, the music video format has irrevocably altered the ways in which audiences experience, interpret, and consume
popular music in the United States. Despite its continued success, the music video genre has long been the subject of critiques from across the political spectrum
due to its frequently problematic representations of women, people of color, and/or queer individuals. Departing from a brief historical overview of the birth of
US music video and its aesthetic/thematic conventions, this interdisciplinary
course will focus on the multiple, and often conflicting, readings that emerge
regarding issues of race, gender, and sexuality across a broad range of visual and
sonic texts.
Requirements: regular attendance and two 5-page essays.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: approximately $50 for books and photocopies.
Meeting time: late morning, twice weekly.
CEPEDA
LEADERSHIP STUDIES
LEAD 10 Corporate Leadership and Social Responsibility
This course considers the responsibilities of leadership in corporate life through the perspectives of visiting alumni who hold leadership positions in American corporations. It examines the social obligations created by success in business, with special emphasis on the social and environmental duties of contemporary business. We will also explore the organizational, professional, social, and personal dilemmas faced by leading figures in modern corporations and institutions. Readings will include material from organizational sociology and economics, as well as relevant biography and autobiography.
Evaluation will be based on attendance and participation in class discussions, and a final 10-page paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit:22.
Meeting time: mornings.
Cost to student: approximately $30 for reading materials.
CARL W. VOGT ‘58 and JOHN W. CHANDLER ‘45, President emeritus (Instructors)
MCALLISTER (Sponsor)
LEAD 11 Generations and Turnings in Film (Same as History 11)
(See under History for full description.)
LEAD 15 "You are not listening!"-Exploring Interpersonal Conflict (Same as Chemistry 15 and Special 15)
(See under Chemistry for full description.)
This Winter Study project is for students who would like to participate in an off-
campus experiential education opportunity. Students will be required to research
an appropriate accredited program i.e. National Outdoor Leadership School,
Outward Bound etc., that will provide a suitable learning environment and be at
least 22 days in length. The Director of the Williams Outing Club will assist students in their search if necessary. Upon choosing a program and being accepted,
students will meet with the Director in a pre-program meeting in December to
create a framework for observing group dynamics and studying a variety of
leadership styles. A required 10-page paper based on their journals will be required immediately after their return to campus for the start of third quarter.
There will also be a follow up class to debrief the experience in the first week of
February. All programs must meet with the approval of the Outing Club Director.
In addition to off-campus opportunities, there will be a Wilderness First Responder Emergency Care course that will take place on campus. Contact Scott
Lewis for details.
Requirements: course approval by WOC Director, daily journal writing with focus on leadership and group dynamics, 10-page paper and 2 class meetings pre
and post trip. Student assessment will be based on ten page paper and class discussions.
No prerequisites. The off-campus options are NOT open to first-year students. Interested sophomores, juniors
and seniors interested in doing an off-campus program must consult with WOC Director before registration. Enrollment
limit: 20.
Cost to student will vary depending on the program selected-range is generally
from $1,500-3,000.
SCOTT LEWIS, Director of the Outing Club
LEGAL STUDIES
LGST 13 The Law and the Literature of the Environment: The Environment on Trial (Same as Environmental Studies 13)
Taught from the perspective of an experienced trial attorney, this course will examine the role environmental law plays in the United States today in light of
how that role has developed during the nearly forty years since the modern era
of environmental law began. As a preface, we will consider the significantly
more limited influence of environmental law in our national affairs before 1970
and some of the historical and political reasons for that situation, in particular
how the law's early application in the first half of the 20th century almost exclusively to conservation and the preservation of natural resources somehow took
on in the second half a markedly different approach, one emphasizing pollution
control and all but ignoring resource conservation.
This course will begin by tracing the development of an American consciousness towards the environment through an examination of our law and our literature. The term "law" includes state and federal judicial decisions and legislation,
particularly during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt and during the decades which followed the year 1970 when much of the legal basis for the American environmental protection movement was established. The term "literature" includes not just the written word but also painting, sculpture, and music. We
will examine the historical and legal choices we as Americans have made which
have put our environment on trial. What has occurred in our development as a
people that explains this quintessentially American phenomenon? Our journey
begins with the Puritans of New England and the planters of Virginia and their
predecessors in the New World and then moves swiftly to the beginning of the
modern era in environmental law.
In light of this historical situation students will examine state and federal legislative and judicial attempts to address environmental problems and then try to
reach informed, rational conclusions as to whether those attempts were successful. What were the political, social and economic issues involved and, ultimately, how did their context affect the legal solution imposed. Cases decided at the
appellate level will be introduced and examined through their trial court memoranda opinions in order to observe how the legal system actually works and how
frequently the reasoning behind the trial judge's decision changes as the case
works its way through the appellate process.
This course will be presented from a litigator's point of view, that is to say, both
the practical and the theoretical, emphasizing what is possible to achieve in the
litigator's real world as informed by what the academician would present from
the security of the classroom.
Evaluation will be based on attendance and classroom participation. Students
will prepare three short papers, 3 to 4 pages each, which will present one or more
sides of an issue and form the basis for classroom discussion. They will be asked
to defend or reject the conclusions reached or approaches taken by our courts
and legislatures and by our literature, as broadly defined, on environmental issues.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 16. This course is appropriate for students
eager to explore the material presented and prepared to argue assigned positions
on important legal, literary and historical issues.
Cost to student: approximately $60 for books and materials.
Meeting time: mornings., three two-hour sessions a week.
PHILIP R. MCKNIGHT '65 (Instructor)
L. KAPLAN (Sponsor)
Philip R. McKnight '65 is a trial and appellate attorney. At Williams he completed the honors program for both American History and Literature and European History. He earned his law degree from The University of Chicago Law School and then practiced in the state and federal courts of New York and Connecticut, as well as in Europe.
LGST 14 So You Want to be A Lawyer?
With respect to the first component, the course will more or less replicate the
pattern of first year law school class work. Students will be expected to closely
read, summarize, analyze and present their analysis of various classic legal opinions in areas such as torts, property law, contracts, criminal law, and constitutional law. We will consider and discuss the role of judicial precedents, including
instances in which precedents are binding, when they are not binding, and how
courts are able to distinguish precedents rather than simply disregarding them.
The structure of the state and federal courts, the differences between trial level
courts and appellate courts, and the ways in which cases that are initiated in state
courts can wind up before a federal court will be discussed. We will discuss the
issues of how in certain cases federal courts are required to apply state law rather
than federal common law, and also how in multi-state matters courts chose the
law that they will apply to the facts before them. We also will consider how
courts deal with statutory law, including the relationship between statutory law
and the common law, and the difficult issues of statutory interpretation with
which courts are faced every day. We will discuss the concept of so-called "judicial activism" in constitutional law decisions, and determine whether there is
really a distinction between an "activist judge" and any other judge that is called
upon to apply to the words of the U.S Constitution to a particular case. Students
will learn how to "brief" a case for class presentation, and will be expected to
participate fully in class discussion and analysis of these matters.
With respect to the second component, the course will introduce the nature of
different law practices, including the sole or small firm practitioner, the public
prosecutor and defender, the "in-house" or corporate counsel, and the large firm
practitioner. Special emphasis will be accorded to practitioners who rarely or
never appear in court. Preparation by students will consist of written materials
focusing on different kinds of law practices. If feasible, we will take tours of various types and sizes of law firms, and will receive a talk by an attorney in the
firm describing the day-to-day life of a working attorney in that firm. Guest lecturers and at least one field trip to the courthouse will provide further insights
into what it means to practice law.
Evaluation of the student will be based on both class participation and the submission of at least one 10-page analytical paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 20. Preference given to students completing
the Legal studies Program, then, in order, juniors, seniors, sophomores, freshman.
Cost to student: photocopying 100-300 pages.
Meeting time: 1-3 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
JOSEPH A. WHEELOCK, JR. '60 and LAURENCE D. CHERKIS
(Instructors)
KAPLAN (Sponsor)
Mr. Wheelock practiced law for over 30 years in business, both commercial and corporate, litigation. He specialized in complex financial issues, particularly securities litigation representing auditors, issuers, underwriters, and corporate directors and officers. Mr. Cherkis practiced law for over 30 years specializing in the areas of real estate and real estate finance law, creditors' rights law, and corporate transactions. He taught at St. John's University School of Law in the Bankruptcy Law Program.
LGST 15 The Work of the Supreme Court: A Simulation (Same as Political Science 15)
The aim of this course is to provide a sense of the personal, theoretical, and institutional characteristics of judicial decision making at the highest level. At the
beginning of the course, all students will be furnished with a set of the briefs for
an actual pending Supreme Court case. Four students (two per side) will be assigned to make oral arguments to the "Court," which will be composed of eight
students, each playing the role of a sitting justice, and the instructor, who will act
as chief justice for purposes of coordination. After hearing arguments, the
"Court" will confer and prepare majority and other opinions and announce them
in "open court" at the conclusion of the term.
Evaluation will be based on the overall credibility in assigned role; effective argument, questions, performance in conference, drafting, etc. and a 3- to 5-page "reflective" essay in which students will be expected to identify and comment
on some aspect of the work of the Court.
Prerequisites: permission of instructor. Enrollment limit: 12. Preference to students who have completed one or more courses in related areas or have background in speech, debate or drama.
Cost to student: materials fee, approximately $33.
Meeting time: mornings.
TOM SWEENEY '70 and JAY NELSON '70 (Instructor)
KAPLAN (Sponsor)
Jay Nelson '70 is a member of the Texas and District of Columbia bars and has taught at the University of Texas School of Law. Tom Sweeney '70 is a partner in a New York City law firm and practices in both state and federal court.
LINGUISTICS
LING 10 On Foreign Language Learning (Same as Chinese 10)
(See under Chinese for full description.)
LING 11 Introduction to Language Acquisition (Same as Japanese 11)
(See under Japanese for full description.)
LING 12 Preliminary Introduction to American Sign Language (Same as Women's and Gender 12 and Special 12) (CANCELLED!)
This course introduces students to basic knowledge about American Sign Language and deaf people. Emphasis in this preliminary introduction to ASL is on
developing rudimentary receptive, expressive, and interactive skills through an
intensive immersion in ASL. Students will also be introduced to deaf history,
culture, and politics. This course is designed to help nonsigners develop rudimentary skills, to introduce them to the complexity of ASL, and to cultivate interest in further study of the language.
Evaluation will be based on attendance, participation, quizzes, and student produced videotapes of their own expressive skills. Students will also be expected
to spend an hour outside of class each week viewing native ASL signers.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15 (expected: 15).
Cost to student: $40.
Meeting time: aftenoons, three two-hour meetings per week.
LAURIE BENJAMIN (instructor)
SANDERS (sponsor)
Laurie Benjamin is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts in multicultural and international education. Ms. Benjamin has taught deaf students at the secondary level. She is a nationally certified ASL interpreter with extensive experience in a wide range of interpreter settings including mental health, legal, and performance interpreting. In addition to working as a free-lance interpreter for the deaf, she is currently teaching ASL to students at Williamstown Elementary School.
LING 13 Constructed Languages in Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Culture (Same as Psychology 13)
(See under Psychology for full description.)
MATHEMATICS and STATISTICS
MATH 10 Designing and Modeling Geometric Shapes (Same as ArtS 10)
The Renaissance was a time which saw no polarity between the sciences and the
arts. This is most notably seen in the works of Leonardo da Vinci, ranging from
paintings, sculptures, inventions and scientific study. Leonardo was an unparalleled genius at bringing together artistic vision and scientific design. This course
will attempt, in a small way, to restore the world view of those days.
Both artists and mathematicians must see things in a deeper way and with more
clarity. In bringing these two worlds together, this course will study beautiful and
complicated shapes which appear in current mathematical research. The ideas
revolve around topology (4-dimensional polyhedra), geometry (flexibility and
rigidity) and string theory (spaces of particle collisions). We try to envision and
model these shapes using any visual medium available, such as metalwork,
sculptures, paintings, illustrations and even computer graphics. Our goal is to
represent the complex information about these shapes in a visual, tangible model
which is accessible to a large audience. In other words, we play the role of da
Vinci, yearning to bring these shapes to life.
Experience in any kind of mathematics is neither expected nor desired. However, a strong visual imagination is needed. The overall evaluation is based primarily on attendance, exhibition of art projects and an exam.
Prerequisites: experience in art studio is preferred. Enrollment limit: 10.
Cost to student: $50 for a lab fee
Meeting time: mornings.
DEVADOSS and GARY LOHNES (Instructors)
GARRITY (Sponsor)
Gary Lohnes is the sculpture studio assistant at Williams. He has many years of fabrication and machine shop experience, and will be a co-instructor of this course.
This course centers around the book Proofs from THE BOOK by Aigner and
Ziegler, which collects together 30 elegant mathematical proofs. The title is
from an idea of the late mathematician Paul Erdos, that God has in his hands a
book which contains the most beautiful proofs of all mathematical truths, and it
is the job of mathematicians to find these proofs.
Course participants will each present one of the book proofs, and write a
10-page paper which gives a historical picture of the math scene surrounding
that particular proof.
Prerequisites: a strong interest in (and some experience with) mathematical
proofs. Enrollment limit: 18.
Cost to student: $35.00 for text.
Meeting time: three classes per week, two hours each class.
CRAFT (Instructor)
GARRITY (Sponsor)
David Craft was a visiting professor of math and stats at Williams last year. He is currently a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital in the radiation oncology laboratory. He applies mathematical optimization methods to cancer radiation treatment planning.
MATH 12 Contemporary Movie Criticism
Are there some movies that you love? Are there any movies that you despise? If
so, can you make it clear why you feel so strongly about a film? In this course,
students will watch the films of contemporary directors that have a very distinctive style-styles which they will either love or hate. The students will then
study how various critics have reacted to these directors, and then write their
own responses. Directors that will be focused on include David Gordon Green,
Larry Clark, Terry Zwigoff, Kore-eda Hirokazu, and P.T. Anderson. Students
will be required to turn in and present several critical essays throughout the term.
Requirements: a 2-page critical essay due every other class meeting.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: mornings, Monday-Friday, with two meetings at least two hours
to show movies.
BOTTS
MATH 13 Modern Dance-Muller Technique (Same as Special 18)
This dance class will be based on the modern dance technique developed by
Jennifer Muller, with whom I danced professionally for 5 years in New York
City and in Europe. Jennifer Muller was a soloist in the dance company of José
Limón before she started her own company in 1974. She has added her own
style of movement to the Limón technique, creating an expansive, free-flowing
dance that is wonderful to do and to watch. The class will be multi-leveled and
open to both men and women alike. Previous dance experience preferred. Students will have the opportunity to choreograph a short piece either as a soloist or
in small groups. We will finish the course with a short lecture-demonstration illustrating what we have learned.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 24.
Cost to student: Under $20.
Meeting time: 10-noon, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
LOGAN (Instructor)
GARRITY (Sponsor)
Sylvia Logan received her B.A. in Slavic Literature from Stanford University. She danced professionally with the Jennifer Muller Dance Company, a modern company based in New York City for five years.
MATH 14 Points of Intersection: Where Algebra and Geometry Meet
An algebraic curve is the set of points satisfying the equation f(x,y) = 0 where
f(x,y) is a given polynomial in two variables. One can ask questions about the
relationship between the algebraic properties of the polynomial f(x,y) and the
geometric properties of the algebraic curve defined by f(x,y). For example, suppose we have two algebraic curves, one defined by the polynomial f(x,y) and the
other by g(x,y). If we know the degree of both f and g, what can we say about the
points of intersection of the two algebraic curves defined by f and g? In this
course, we will study algebraic curves of degree at most three. These topics are a
critical part of Algebraic Geometry, a central part of mathematics for at least the
last 200 years. In particular, many of the best mathematicians in the last few centuries have studied curves of degree three. We will cover the basic machinery for
studying algebraic curves, including points of intersection and homogeneous
coordinates.
Evaluation will be based on daily homework, participation in class, and a final
project. Students should expect to spend about 20 hours per week (not including
class time) on the course.
Prerequisites: Mathematics 105 or Mathematics 106 or permission of the
instructor. Enrollment limit: 20.
Cost to student: approximately $75 for books
Meeting time: mornings, six hours per week
LOEPP
The main purpose of this course is to read and discuss Godel, Escher, Bach: An
Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter, a groundbreaking book linking
mathematical logic, art and music. We will discover and explore the connections
between the mathematics of K. Godel, the drawings of M.C. Escher and the music of J.S. Bach. We will investigate notions such as meaning and form, pattern,
recurrence and self-reference. Special attention will be devoted to Godel's Incompleteness Principle (which highlights the difference between truth and
proof) and to some of its philosophical implications.
Evaluation will be based on class participation and a 10-page final project.
Prerequisite: Mathematics 104/equivalent or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: approximately $20 for text.
Meeting time: mornings.
STOICIU
MATH 16 Knitting: The Social History and Craft Form (Same as Special 16)
Creating fabric out of interlocking loops can be traced back to the Neolithic period, and knitted artifacts 1600 to over 2000 years old have been found in Egypt,
Peru, and Sweden. Knitting requires little machinery and can be done almost
anywhere yet requires a significant amount of learned skill. Knitting techniques
have been handed down through generations, shared in small groups, and transferred between cultures as trade routes emerged. The social history of knitting in
America is a rich reflection of our history of culture. We will examine the social
history of knitting through a sequence of readings, lectures, and discussions, and
explore knitting technique through a series of projects. Reading list includes: No
Idle Hands: The History of American Knitting, by Anne L. MacDonald, related
articles provided by the instructor, and Reader's Digest Knitter's Handbook, by
Montse Stanley. We will engage a series of project samples designed to
introduce and improve skills of beginning knitters, starting with simple washcloths, a knitted cap, and culminating in a final project of a felted mittens. Students will also be required to select and research some aspect of knitting and
write a 10-page research paper. Topics will need pre-approval of the instructor.
Evaluation will be based on participation, projects and a final 10-page research
paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15. Enrollment is restricted to beginning
knitters and preference will be given to first-year students.
Cost to student: approximately $70 for materials kit and $45 for textbooks.
Meeting time: three days per week from 4-6 p.m.
M. JOHNSON (Instructor)
GARRITY (Sponsor)
Mary Johnson, M. Ed., is highly experienced and has worked as a professional knitter for NYC designers KnitWits, Lane Borgesia, and Storey Publishing. Mrs. Johnson is a third grade teacher at Williamstown Elementary School.
To be taken by candidates for honors in Mathematics other than by thesis route.
To be taken by students registered for Mathematics 493-494.
MUSIC
Students enrolled in Symphonic Winds will rehearse and prepare music in preparation for a February 2007 concert performance. Students will participate in a
variety of performance settings from full ensemble to various chamber ensemble settings (both conducted and unconducted). Students will be responsible
for preparing their individual parts (including both instrumental practice and required listening/reading), attending all rehearsals and composer lectures to
which they are assigned by the instructor, and leading occasional sectionals.
Repertoire will be selected based on enrollment. Repertoire to be studied during
Winter Study will include music of Louis Andriessen (De Materie, On Jimmy
Yancey, Worker's Union, and others), and possibly music by composers including John Adams, Cornelis de Bondt, Susan Botti, Chen Yi, Lukas Foss, Jean
Francaix, Don Freund, Adam Gorb, Michael Gordon, Judd Greenstein, Daron
Hagen, David Lang, Ileana Perez-Velazquez, Steve Reich, Michael Torke, and
Dana Wilson. In addition and in conjunction with Keith Kibler's winter study
musical theater course, the Symphonic Winds will serve as the pit orchestra for
the selected show (tentatively Kurt Weill: The Threepenny Opera), to be performed during the final week of winter study (date TBA). All students will be
required to perform in at least one performance, either the show and/or the February concert.
Evaluation will be based on individual performance and preparation, and, as
necessary, written assignments.
Symphonic Winds is open to students of all musical abilities, including wind,
brass, and percussion players, as well as vocalists, string players, and pianists.
Instructor permission is necessary to enroll in this winter study course. Preference is given to students who have performed in Symphonic Winds previously.
Enrollment limit: 30.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: afternoons. A specific, detailed schedule will be constructed once
the repertoire is determined; however, rehearsals/lectures will most likely be
scheduled on Monday-Thursday afternoons and Sunday evenings. Students
should be expected to be in rehearsal for approximately 5-10 hours a week; for
every hour of rehearsal time, students will be expected to have prepared for
approximately 1-4 hours per rehearsal, as necessary.
STEVEN BODNER (Instructor)
KECHLEY (Sponsor)
Since 2000, Steven Bodner has been the music director of the Symphonic Winds at Williams College, where he also teaches classical saxophone and music theory, and performs regularly with the Williams Chamber Players. He earned a B.A. in philosophy and B. Mus. in saxophone performance and Miami (OH) University in 1997, an M.M. in wind ensemble conducting with academic honors and distinction in performance from New England Conservatory in 1999, and he is pursuing his Ph.D. in Music Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
MUS 11 Cuban "Classical" Composers and Their Music
This course covers some of the relevant "classical" composers of Cuban Music
history. We will study the composer's life and work through the analysis of some
of their relevant compositions. Class discussion will include the relationship of
these works with elements borrowed from Cuban popular music and how the
composer incorporates these elements into his/her own artistic expression. We
will also discuss the influence of the European and Afro-Cuban traditions on this
repertoire.
Evaluation will be based on class attendance and participation; and a 10-page
paper and presentation of this paper during the final week of Winter Study. The
performance of one of the works studied in class is not required but it is encouraged and can be taken into consideration as part of the final presentation. Possibilities for performance include short piano pieces by Manuel Saumel, Ignacio
Cervantes, or Lecuona, guitar pieces by Leo Brouwer, and a percussion ensemble piece by Amadeo Toldan.
Prerequisites: the ability to read music and to follow music scores. Enrollment
limit: 15.
Cost to student: $30.00 reading packet.
Meeting time: afternoons, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (6 hours per
week). Students are also required to listen to additional pieces not discussed in
class during the mornings and to watch a film focused on Cuban Culture.
PEREZ VELAZQUEZ
MUS 12 Ensembles in Classic American and European Musical Theatre (Same as Theatre 12)
This Winter Study will give participants an opportunity to study and perform
numbers for one or more singers in great American musicals and European light
operas. You have sung a solo, you have sung in chorus- now practice the exacting art of singing an ensemble on stage. Music from Kurt Weill's Threepenny
Opera will be the central focus. The course will culminate with a performance
of ensembles, solos, and duets from a variety of musical theater shows. Other
ensembles from European models such as Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow may
also be included.
Evaluation: A student may fulfill the requirements of the course by performing,
directing, accompanying, or writing a short paper, or some combination of the
above, approved by the teacher.
Cost to student: none.
Singers, actors, and pianists are all welcome to participate. Enrollment limit: 15.
Meeting time: Monday and Wednesday afternoons.
KEITH KIBLER (Instructor)
KECHLEY (Sponsor)
Keith Kibler has performed under some of the finest directors currently working including David Alden, Peter Sellars, Galina Vishnevskaya. He sang a major role in Kurt Weill's "Die Kleine Mahagonny" under Alvin Epstein with the American Repertory Theatre. He has been a featured soloist with the Boston Pops in American theater music. Keith Kibler is an adjunct teacher of singing at Williams College. He can be reached at kibler@verizon.net.
MUS 14 Transcending Jazz (Same as Engish 14)
(See under English for full description.)
This course will explore through direct contact the history and range of styles of
organs in New England. Trips to historic and to outstanding recent instruments
will form the core of the course. Students will meet for one private or small
group lesson each week to prepare appropriate repertoire to play on each instrument. Daily organ practice and related readings and listening are expected.
Evaluation will be based on a performance on campus at the end of Winter
Study or a 10-page paper about an aspect of New England organ building.
Students with keyboard background will be preferred. Enrollment limit: 15.
Meeting time: One day in each week will be devoted to a field trip to visit one or
more instruments. The private/small group lesson will be scheduled on another
day of the week.
ED LAWRENCE (Instructor)
KECHLEY (Sponsor)
MUS 17 Contemporary American Songwriting (Same as American Studies 15)
(See under American Studies for full description.)
MUS 18 The Life and Music of Bassist/Composer Jaco Pastorius
Jaco was to electric bass what Mohammed Ali was to boxing. He was a larger-
than-life figure in the music world. The course will focus on the music he composed for large ensembles (big band) and will discuss the profound influence he
had as an electric bassist. The course will also look into his historic musicianship
as a member of the world-famous Weather Report, whose members included
saxophonist Wayne Shorter and pianist Joe Zawinul. Overall the students will
experience the diverse and exhilarating aspects of playing in a large ensemble
steeped in the music of jazz, funk and blues.
The students will be evaluated by their overall attentiveness and comprehension
of the material presented in the course. There will be a live performance of the
music prepared in the class during the final week of winter study.
The course is open to all instrumentalists and vocalists who have the ability to
read music. Enrollment limit: 16.
Cost to students will include $20 to purchase the biography of Jaco Pastorius
entitled JACO (anniversary edition) by Bill Milkowski.
Meeting time: three times a week for two hours a day (Tuesay, Wednesday and
Thursday, 1-3 pm).
JOHN MENEGON (Instructor)
KECHLEY (Sponsor)
John Menegon is a bassist/composer/arranger who has traveled extensively throughout the world performing as an integral member of both the Dewey Redman Quartet and the David "Fathead" Newman Quintet for the past eight years. He is also a bandleader and has recorded two CDs of his own, available on Maki Records. www.johnmenegon.com
MUS 19 Bruce Springsteen (Same as Psychology 16)
(See under Psychology for full description.)
MUS 21 Individual Vocal and Instrumental Instruction
Can only be taken IN ADDITION to a regular WSP course. CONTACT THE
MUSIC DEPARTMENT ABOUT SIGNING UP FOR THIS COURSE!!!
Intended for students who are continuing Music 251-258 lessons taken during
fall semester. Must be taken in addition to a regular WSP course. Individual lessons in voice, keyboard, and most orchestral and jazz instruments, offered during Winter Study. Four lessons, given at approximately one week intervals
(TBA). Student is expected to practice at least two hours per day. All individual
instruction involves an extra fee which is partially subsidized by the department.
Contact the Music Office for contract/permission forms which must be submitted in order to take this course.
Prerequisites: permission of Department Chair and Instructor, completion of
Music 251 or higher during the previous semester.
STAFF
MUS 25 Singing on the Tiber: Performance and History in Rome (Same as Classics 25)
This course has a unique structure. The Williams Concert and Chamber Choirs
(comprising approximately 55 students) will develop a concert program through
the fall semester of music of Roman provenance, with particular attention to the
rich and significant repertoire of late medieval and Renaissance vocal music. At
the beginning of Winter Study the students will return to campus for two weeks
during which time the musical program will be rehearsed before departure to
Rome. All students will have the OPTION of traveling to Rome.
MUS 25 (section 01-for students traveling to Rome)
On January 20, the choirs will travel to Rome where, over the course of ten days,
they will give performances (both formal concerts and liturgical contributions)
in sites of relevance to the music (e.g., music by Palestrina will be sung in concerts and/or religious services in the churches of St. John Lateran and St. Maria
Maggiore as well as the at the Vatican-all sites where he composed and directed). They will also attend concert and opera performances in the city.
Each student will write a 5-page paper focused on a particular site and either its
archeological history or its musical history.
MUS 25 (section 02-for students opting not to travel to Rome)
Each student will write a 10-page paper focused on a particular site and either its
archeological history or its musical history.
(both sections)
The pre-departure preparation will encompass, in addition to daily choir rehearsals, a series of introductory lectures and conferences focused on the history and
culture of Rome from ancient times to the early Baroque era. Lectures will be
team-taught by Professors Bloxam and Hoppin, and will provide a brief
introduction to the development of the city, its principal historical monuments,
and the changing role of music in Rome's culture from ancient times to c.1600.
Students will also elect a concentration in conjunction with the lectures, either
pursuing the study of Rome's archaeology and literature with Professor Hoppin,
or focusing on a more in-depth investigation of the city's musical history oriented around the repertoire to be performed on tour.
Music Component (Bloxam)
We will briefly consider the nature and function of music in ancient Rome, including its notation, instruments, and ritual and social purposes, and then examine the development of Gregorian chant in connection with the rise and
spread of Christianity. Most attention will be given to the most illustrious phase
of Rome's musical history, from the late 15th century through the early 17th
century. We will trace the development of sacred and secular music in the context of the Papal Chapel and other churches in the city through music by such
composers as Josquin, Palestrina, and Monteverdi. Special attention will be paid
to the composers whose music will be presented during the tour, including close
analysis of selected works from the choir's tour repertoire.
History/Archeology Component (Hoppin)
We will briefly survey the growth of Rome from a small city-state, founded by
Romulus in 753 BCE on the bank of the Tiber, to a dense metropolis which ran
an empire both in the late Republic and especially under emperors like Augustus
and Hadrian, whose building programs transformed the city. We will also consider the role of spectacle in the life of the ancient city, from census-taking and
gladiatorial games to some of the ritual practices which influenced early Christian practices (e.g. celebrations of a temple's "birthday" and ritual processions to
musical accompaniment). In addition to modern readings on the history and archaeology of Rome, we will consider selected passages from ancient literature
which bring to life the sights, sounds and smells of the city in several different
periods.
Prerequisites: audition and/or membership in Williams Concert or Chamber
Choir, Fall 2006. Enrollment limit: 65 (total for both sections).
Schedule (pre-departure): M-Th 10:00 a.m.-noon (Bloxam, Hoppin), some evening rehearsals (Wells).
BLOXAM, HOPPIN, and WELLS
To be taken by students registered for Music 493, 494.
NEUROSCIENCE
To be taken by students registered for Neuroscience 493-494.
PHILOSOPHY
PHIL 10 "The Origins of Totalitarianism": Hannah Arendt, Race-Thinking and Crisis (Same as Africana Studies 10 and Political Science 18)
(See under Africana Studies for full description.)
Aikido is a Japanese martial tradition that combines the samurai arts of sword
and grappling with the philosophical desire to manifest harmony in the face of
conflict. As such, it addresses situations of conflict that manifest themselves
physically, but also offers insight into how to prevent or redirect the energies-social, political, or psychological-that might otherwise become conflict
in one or another aspect of our lives. By integrating physical and intellectual
components, the course seeks to forge in each student a more coherent perspective on the difficult questions, broadly formulated as "How should I live?", that
the study of Ethics puts before us.
The physical training will improve each student's strength, balance, posture, and
flexibility. Everyone will also learn how to throw their friends across the room.
About 25% of training time will be devoted to sword and staff techniques. Intellectually, students will take turns leading class discussions on issues grouped
into 4 major topics-Life, Power, War, and Money. While this is not intended to
be an "Ethics of Aikido" course, the ethics discussions will be consistently and
constructively flavored by our Aikido training.
Students need to understand that this course entails almost 15 hours of "class" time each week (2 hours of training each morning and 3 Ethics classes). Assuming the course is fully subscribed, the Ethics classes will divide into 2 sections of
10 students. Two of the three Ethics classes each week will be held in the early
evenings, and one session each week will be over lunch. Additional relevant experiences, such as meditation practice, misogi, and Samurai films, will be made
available as scheduling permits.
Students will be evaluated on the quality of their participation in both physical
and intellectual course components, a class presentation, and a final 10-page paper or project which entails a significant investigation of a topic emerging from
the course experience.
Students interested in the course should visit http://www.aikidokids.com/philosophy11.htm before registration begins.
Prerequisites: same physician's approval on file as the school requires to participate on sports teams. Students do not have to be especially athletic, and in Aikido women train as equals with men. Enrollment limit : 20.
Cost to student : $100 for uniform and wooden training weapons.
Meeting time: mornings and evenings.
ROBERT KENT '84 (Instructor)
GERRARD (Sponsor)
Robert Kent '84 spent 3 years in Kyoto, Japan earning his Sho Dan (first degree black belt), directly after majoring in both Philosophy and Religion at Williams. He currently holds a San Dan rank (third degree black belt) and runs the youth program at Aikido West in Redwood City, CA. He also runs the website AikidoKids.com. He earned a Masters degree in Philosophy at Claremont Graduate School in 1993, writing his thesis on the Ethics of Authenticity. This will be the second time he has offered this course.
PHIL 12 Ethics Bowl: Case-based Reasoning in Ethics
Ethics Bowl is a nationwide intercollegiate competition in which teams comprising three to five undergraduate students cooperatively develop, present, and
respond to analyses of a set of fifteen morally complex case scenarios. In the
national program, all teams receive the cases in advance of the competition, but
they are not provided with the question about each case which they'll be asked to
address during the tournament. Thus, teams must work through all facets of the
scenarios in order to be prepared for whatever the moderator and judges may
ask. The competition proceeds, tournament style, as a series of matches in which
two teams square off in debating a question concerning the moral features of a
given case. However, it is a debate with a difference: because teams do not know
in advance what will be asked, they are not obliged to take a position opposing
that of their competitors. They may disagree or concur, but must provide an assessment of their opponents' arguments and justification for their own conclusions. The emphasis in presentations is on substantive argumentation, not on
rhetoric or presentation style, and the positions presented typically represent a
consensus among all the team members who have contributed to the preparations and analysis.
This winter study course will be modeled on the Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl format. It will begin with a brief introduction to reasoning in practical (as opposed
to theoretical) ethics and case analysis. Thereafter, students will begin working
through this year's Ethics Bowl cases, some taken from the regional Ethics
Bowl competition held in the Fall and some from the upcoming national competition. The scenarios present ethical problems in one of a number of personal,
professional, or public policy domains (e.g., medical, legal, journalistic, and environmental ethics; issues of academic integrity, personal relationships, etc.)
Students in the course will collaborate in analyzing all of the cases in-depth, but
will take primary responsibility for at least one and up to five cases. The discussion sessions will be intensive, but very much student-driven, with the instructor
acting as a coach rather than as a teacher.
The course will include at least one or two public "scrimmages" which may include teams from area schools (e.g., Dartmouth, Union). The course is open
both to members and to nonmembers of the Williams College Ethics Bowl
team. Please email the instructor (jpedroni@williams.edu) for sample cases
from previous competitions.
Requirements: final paper (7-10 pp) based on an Ethics Bowl case of the student's choice.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15 (expected 5-10), priority to current Ethics
Bowl team members and to juniors and seniors (any major).
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: afternoons.
J. PEDRONI
PHIL 19 Theorizing the Image (Same as ArtH 19 and English 19)
(See under English for full description.)
To be taken by students registered for Philosophy 493-494.
PHYSICS
This course will examine the art and science of holography. It will introduce
modern optics at a level appropriate for a non-science major, giving the necessary theoretical background in lectures and discussion. Demonstrations will be
presented and students will make several kinds of holograms in the lab. Thanks
to a grant from the National Science Foundation, we have 7 well-equipped holography darkrooms available for student use. At the beginning of WSP, the
class will meet for lecture and discussion three mornings a week and for lab 2
afternoons a week. Later classes will be mainly laboratory.
Students will be evaluated on the basis of regular attendance, completion of 4
laboratory exercises, and a holography laboratory project or a 10-page paper.
Attendance at all classes and labs is required for a passing grade.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 30. Preference will be given to students with
no previous college course in physics more advanced than Physics 100.
Cost to student: About $50 for holographic film, chemicals, and photocopies.
JONES and FORKEY
PHYS 12 Meet the Right Side of Your Brain: Drawing as a Learnable Skill
Representational drawing is not merely a gift of birth or a magical ability, but a
learnable skill. If you ever wanted to draw, but doubted you had the ability or believed you could not learn, then this course is for you. This intensive course utilizes discoveries in brain research to teach representational drawing. By using
simple techniques and extensive exercises you will discover and develop the
perceptual shift from your symbol based left hemisphere to your visually based
right hemisphere. This cognitive shift enables you to accurately see and realistically represent the physical world. You will learn to draw a convincing portrait,
self-portrait, and still life. This course is designed to develop your powers of observation and enhance your innate creative problem solving abilities, which are
applicable in any field. Students need no previous artistic experience, just the
willingness and desire to learn a new skill. Students will be expected to attend
and participate in all sessions. They will also be required to keep a sketchbook
recording their progress and complete a final project.
Evaluation will be based on participation, effort, and development. The class
will meet two times per week with substantial additional independent student
work. There will be an exhibition of coursework on the final day of Winter
Study.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15, with preference given to juniors and seniors.
Cost to student: cost of text and (approximately) $15 for drawing materials.
Meeting time: mornings.
STELLA EHRICH (Instructor)
JONES (Sponsor)
Stella Ehrich holds an M.F.A. in painting from Bennington College. She has taught drawing at Bennington College, the Lyme Academy School of Fine Arts and other local colleges. She has exhibited in the United States and Europe and executes portraits for clients around the world.
PHYS 15 Livres des Artists-The Artist Book
In this multidisciplinary class, students will explore and explode the boundaries
that traditionally define the ancient art of bookmaking. They will step outside of
traditional assumptions and preconceived ideas as the class explores a mode of
expression that is creative, graphic, sculptural and very personal. The first half of
the course will explore bookmaking and binding techniques including: paper
decoration, printmaking (including monoprint, stamping, photocopy transfers
and transfer drawings), book structures (such as the many variations on the accordion, tunnel, carousel and inventive), collage and creative writing in order to
develop a plan for the creation of an individual artist's book, a multi-media expression of self that will be designed and executed in the last half of the class.
Students will be evaluated on class participation and a final project which will be
displayed at the end of Winter Study. Attendance is mandatory.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 12.
Cost to student: $100 plus another $50/75 dependent on the types of supplies/paper/books that students end up making.
Meeting time: During the first two weeks, students will meet three or four days
in a studio/workshop like setting. The second two weeks will be more open, allowing the student to develop and create their own artist book, with two required
studio days each week and optional extra technique days. Field trips to Chapin
Library, the Clark Art Institute, and the Smith College Museum of Art will be
required and scheduled according to class needs, potentially outside of the official meeting times.
MELANIE MOWINSKI (Instructor)
JONES (Sponsor)
Melanie Mowinski holds an MFA in Book Arts and Printmaking from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a MA in Religion and the Visual Arts from Yale University. Her work has been exhibited from St. Kitts to North Adams to Australia.
PHYS 22 Research Participation
Several members of the department will have student projects available dealing
with their own research or that of current senior thesis students. Approximately
35 hours per week of study and actual research participation will be expected
from each student.
Students will be required to keep a notebook and write a five-page paper summarizing their work. Those interested should consult with members of the department as early as possible in the registration period or before to determine details of projects then expected to be available.
Prerequisites: permission of instructor. Enrollment limit: 1 or 2 per project.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: to be arranged with instructor.
K. JONES and members of the department
To be taken by students registered for Physics 493, 494.
POLITICAL ECONOMY
To be taken by students registered for Political Economy 493.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
PSCI 10 Political Campaign Ads-Noise, Trash, or Democracy in Action?
American political campaigns have many elements, fund-raising, rallies, lawn
signs, and much more. The focus of this winter study course is on campaign
television ads. Some have, it is often claimed, determined the outcome of elections. Lyndon Johnson's famous 1964 campaign ad of young child plucking
flower petals, shown only once, or the Bush campaign's Willie Horton ad in
1988, are two such examples. The course will examine campaign ads, and the
research on how, why, and when they work. One of the charges often leveled
against democracy is that the people are easily seduced by clever and devious
leaders, the power of rhetoric and images to mislead (among those who have
made this argument are Plato and Hobbes). What does it mean to delude or mislead? What does a "good" campaign ad accomplish? Do campaign ads delude
or do they educate, or both? Each student will write a paper analyzing a campaign ad (or the ads used in a campaign) of their choosing.
Evaluation will be based on a 10- to 15-page paper, class attendance and participation.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 20.
Selection Criteria: Political Science Majors and then thereafter first come first
served.
Costs to students: texts for course (under $100).
Meeting time: four times a week, 10-noon,, Monday-Thursday).
MARCUS
PSCI 11 Grassroots Activism for Social Change
This course will examine the design and implementation of multi-faceted public
policy campaigns that employ strategies ranging from informal advocacy and
public education to direct action and litigation, using two successful New York
City housing campaigns as the starting point for discussion. Housing Works is a
NYC community-based organization formed in 1990 as an advocacy response
to the lack of housing and services for homeless New Yorkers living with HIV
and AIDS. Formed as a membership organization of homeless persons, persons
with HIV/AIDS, advocates and social service professionals, the group has
grown to become the largest provider of housing and related services for homeless persons with HIV/AIDS in the United States, employing class action litigation, legislative work, innovative service provision, demonstrations and civil
disobedience to achieve rapid expansion of targeted local, state and national resources. The Housing First! Affordable Housing Campaign is a unique, broad-
based coalition that includes virtually all the major organizations involved in
housing development, finance and advocacy in New York City, as well as businesses, labor unions, community groups, and religious leaders and institutions.
The campaign was launched in 2001, in the context of a mayoral election, to call
for increased public investment in affordable housing. Housing First! and its allies kept affordable housing at the top of the public agenda during one of the
most challenging periods in the City's history, with remarkable success, including a recently released 10-year, $7.5 commitment to create and preserve 165,000
units of housing.
These examples offer an opportunity to study the bases of legitimate action for
social change, including partnership with affected persons, coalition building
and management, direct experience with social service systems, and honest
evaluations of the individual and systemic causes of social problems. Students
will be asked to work together in teams to develop detailed written advocacy
strategies to address identified social issues.
Evaluation: Students will be divided into teams, and will be evaluated on class
participation, and on final in-class presentation on advocacy campaign developed by each team.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit 15.
Meeting time: mornings.
VIRGINA SHUBERT (Instructor)
C. JOHNSON (Sponsor)
Virginia Shubert has twenty-five years' experience as an advocate, service provider and consultant working on poverty and health issues including homelessness and access to housing, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and drug and alcohol dependence. Ms. Shubert, a graduate of the Harvard Law School, has been counsel in landmark lawsuits involving access to care and services for disabled persons, including Mixon v. Grinker, brought to establish the right of persons with HIV illness to safe, medically appropriate housing, and Henrietta D. v. Giuliani, a federal class action that has established the right of disabled persons to reasonable accommodations necessary to ensure access to public entitlements. In 1988, Ms. Shubert founded the AIDS Project of the Coalition for the Homeless, and in the early 1990s she was a founder and Co-Executive Director of Housing Works, where she established and headed its Advocacy and Public Policy Department. For the last twelve years Ms. Shubert has worked as a consultant on housing, health, and economic justice issues. She has written on a range of health and housing issues.
PSCI 12 Democracy or Plutocracy
Just before the final vote at the constitutional convention, Ben Franklin, shed a
tear, as he said that although the Constitution had faults, it should be approved
because there is a need for a government that hopefully will be a blessing "if it is
well administered." This course will explore the history of the administration of
the three main branches of government and how they related to this hope of
Franklin and the other Founding Fathers as they expressed it in the Constitution.
Topics will include current events that include such questions as: Whether it was
expected that a president could ignore parts of federal laws (e.g., the ban on torturing prisoners, reporting FBI activities to Congress and requiring court approval for telephone surveillance) in the name of national security? Whether it
was envisioned that Congress would fail to act as a check and balance on the
president when a party was in control of both branches? Whether the Founders
thought the Supreme Court would interpret the Constitution as a living legal
document to find unwritten rights?
Evaluation will be based on class participation in discussions and a 10-page paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit 15. Preference given to Political Science and
History majors interested in Constitutional government and law.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: afternoons.
ROBERT F. JAKUBOWICZ (Instructor)
C. JOHNSON (Sponsor)
Robert F. Jakubowicz served in the Massachusetts legislature. His political experience also includes being a local city counsel person and county commissioner and participation in national political campaigns. He is a lawyer and a former FBI agent and assistant DA. His political commentaries appear bi-monthly in the Berkshire Eagle. His columns have also appeared in the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, The Bedford Standard Times, and the Cape Cod Times.
PSCI 13 The Art of War (Same as Asian Studies 13)
This course will examine the meaning and uses of the classical Chinese text, The
Art of War, by Sun Tzu. Students will consider Sun Tzu's insights both in the
context of ancient Chinese philosophy and in terms of their contemporary relevance. The first half of the course will concentrate on placing Sun Tzu in historical and philosophical context; the second half will examine how The Art of War
has been used in a variety of modern fields.
Evaluation will include mandatory class attendance and participation, and a
10-page paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15. Seniors and juniors will have priority.
Cost to student: price of books.
Meeting time: mornings.
CRANE
PSCI 14 Assessing the Impact of Local Policy on Underage Drinking: The Role of Server Training
This course is designed to research and assess selected local-level public policies
implemented to reduce underage drinking, with a particular emphasis on server
training. The class will conduct a survey to identify local jurisdictions that have
mandated or encouraged server training and/or other innovative strategies. Students will determine whether the policies are mandated or voluntary, how the
authority conducts evaluation, and what those evaluations have shown; and they
will explore other possible evaluation methods. They will also research whether
there are alternative practices that might mitigate the role of alcohol among
youth (e.g. to keep open the option that best practices may be outside the legal
realm). The class will then develop a strategy to select policies to focus on, assess the policies' effectiveness, and research how the local jurisdictions decided
whether to mandate those strategies. Where jurisdictions have mandated strategies, students will research how those mandates were enacted, including obstacles to passage and how those obstacles were dealt with. This will involve
interviewing public officials who established the mandates, those responsible for
executing the policy, and perhaps servers involved in the practical work of selling and monitoring the exchange of alcohol.
Students will write a final report. It might be a result of the series of individual
reports students will have prepared or a common report prepared by the whole
class working as a group. Depending on what the research has unearthed, the
report might include recommendations to local towns (specifically Williamstown and Adams, the two towns that are the focus of the CMCA project and that
set policy through Boards of Selectmen) on steps they might take to establish
such public policies.
Required activities: Attend class sessions to be scheduled, develop jointly a plan
for establishing and completing assigned tasks associated with identifying and
collecting information on server training and/or other strategies, and completing
the written report.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: $25 for reading packet.
Meeting time: 10-12:30 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and as can be arranged
for specific research travel.
A. WILLINGHAM and ED SEDARBAUM (Instructors)
Ed Sedarbaum is a long-time community and political organizer. He currently coordinates Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA), an environmental prevention program seeking to reduce underage drinking, in the communities of Williamstown and Adams. CMCA is a program of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, a 20-year-old community coalition that creates community dialogues and does neighborhood organizing, prevention programming, youth leadership development, and more.
PSCI 15 The Work of the Supreme Court: A Simulation (Same as Legal Studies 15)
(See under Legal Studies for full description.)
PSCI 16 Presentation Skills for Impact
The goal of this course is to enable students to develop and deliver effective presentations with skill and confidence. Topics include planning the essential parts
of a speech, how to deliver a presentation, using effective non-verbal behaviors
and visual aids, controlling stage fright, and basic facilitation skills (managing Q &A and your audience) for success. Throughout the course, skill exercises may
be videotaped and reviewed by the individual and/or class for assessment purposes. Students will have their own personal videotape for in-class use to record
their pre and post skill progress.
A final 7- to 10-minute oral presentation will be required by the student. The
student will be videotaped and presented with a written feedback evaluation during his or her individual feedback session with the instructor. Throughout the
course, skills exercises may be videotaped and reviewed by the individual students and/or class for assessment purposes. Students will have their own personal videotape (for in-class use) to record pre and post skills and capture their progress.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 10.
Cost to student: $15.
Meeting time: mornings. Individual videotaping sessions may be scheduled if
needed.
KRISTEN MCCORMACK (Instructor)
C. JOHNSON (Sponsor)
Kristen McCormack is an independent consultant with a M.S. in Training and Development from Lesley College in Cambridge, MA. She has significant expertise in organizational development, training design, advanced presentation, communication, and facilitation skills. Her experience includes eight years in the financial industry.
PSCI 17 Great Writing, Great Teaching
Teachers and columnists have the same goal: we want to elicit deep thinking, tell
you something you didn't know, and communicate complex ideas. Thomas L.
Friedman, the Foreign Affairs Columnist for the New York Times, will focus on
what sort of background and preparation is needed to become a columnist and
what makes a good column-or blog! Susan Engel will focus on finding out
what it takes for a teacher to get students (whatever their age) to think in new
ways, learn (and retain) valuable information, and stretch their minds.
Students will be expected to do lots of writing of different types of columns each
week, develop lessons, try out a range of teaching techniques, and be ready for
lots of hands on critiques.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15.
Meeting time: TBA.
THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN and SUSAN L. ENGEL (Instructors)
C. JOHNSON (Sponsor)
PSCI 18"The Origins of Totalitarianism": Hannah Arendt, Race-Thinking and Crisis (Same as Africana Studies 10 and Philosophy 10)
(See under Africana Studies for full description.)
PSCI 21 Fieldwork in Public and Private Non-Profits
This course is an internship experience in which students work full-time in a
governmental or nongovernmental (including voluntary, activist, and grassroots) organization. Students may find internships in government and nonprofit
organizations in which their work involves significant involvement with public
issues. Examples include: town government offices; state or federal administrative offices such as environmental agencies or housing authorities; interest
groups that lobby government such as the ACLU or Natural Resources Defense
Council; nonprofit organizations such as think tanks or service providers such as
Habitat for Humanity; and grassroots, activist or community development organizations such as Greenpeace or neighborhood associations. The instructor will
work with each student to arrange an internship; such arrangements must be
made in advance of the Winter Term. Students should first make their own contacts with an institution or agency. The instructor and and members of the Political Science department and Environmental Studies program are available to
help students find placements, if necessary. Each student's internship mentor
shall send a confirmation letter to the instructor verifying the internship and describing the nature of the work to be performed by the intern. Students will read
a few short articles distributed at the beginning of Winter Term and must agree
to keep a journal, maintain weekly contact with the instructor, and write a final
paper summarizing and reflecting upon the experience. A group meeting of all
students will occur after winter study to discuss the experiences.
Requirements: internship work; satisfactory evaluation from the institutional
sponsor; 10-page final paper; participation in final meeting.
At the time of registration, interested students should send a resume and letter of
interest to Paula Consolini.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit:15.
Cost to student: approximately $15 for readings, student covers transportation
costs to and from internship site.
PAULA CONSOLINI (Instructor)
C. JOHNSON (Sponsor)
Paula Consolini is the Coordinator of Experiential Education at Williams.
PSCI 25 Politics of the Korean Peninsula (Same as Asian Studies 25)
Interested in learning first-hand about South Korea, an economic powerhouse
and a young, vibrant democracy in Asia? Want to know whether Koreans are
anti-American or pro-American? Wish to travel both North and South Korea
and feel the tension across the Demilitarized Zone? Then join us on this course
that will introduce you to the political dynamics surrounding the Korean peninsula, both in theory and practice.
We will first spend the first week to survey the political history of Korea and the
complexities of U.S. relations with both North and South Korea for the last 50
years. Then we will spend the second week in Seoul, Korea, where we will be
engaged in a number of activities to help us acquire insights on Korean politics
and inter-Korean relations.
Tentatively scheduled agendas include: Meetings with US military officials in
the Combined Forces Command (CFC) and officials at the US Embassy; lectures and a round-table with Korean college students at the International Studies
Division, Yonsei University; 4-day group tour to the Kumkang Mountain in
North Korea; visits to the National Assembly and other historical sites; interviews with North Korea human rights activists, including defectors from North
Korea. While staying in Seoul, students will also use some afternoons and evenings for self-study and individual exploration of the city.
Upon return to Williams, we will have post-travel reflective follow-ups to complete the WSP. Two orientation sessions will be conducted on campus in the fall
to help prepare participants for their experience.
Requirements: one short paper (10-12 pp.), two (in-class) oral presentations on
either the readings or issues.
Prerequisite: one course in Political Science or Asian Studies or instructor's permission. Enrollment limit: 8. Not open to first-year students. Interested students
should consult the instructor before registration.
Cost to student: approximately $2500.
BONG
To be taken by students registered for Political Science 493-494.
To be taken by students registered for Political Science 495 or 496.
PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 10 Mental Illness in Film
This course examines the depiction of mental illness and the therapeutic process
on the silver screen. How do films influence our perceptions of normality and
abnormality? How do they shape our beliefs about the causes of mental illness,
as well as our expectations about the content and process of treatment? Films
have the potential to serve a variety of functions, ranging from a form of advocacy for the mentally ill to a mechanism for furthering stigma and intolerance. In
this course, we will sample a variety of powerful films (both contemporary and
classic) representing multiple perspectives on mental illness. During the first half
of the course we will view films as a group, explore their explicit and implicit
messages about mental illness, and contrast their media portrayal with official
diagnostic criteria, empirical studies, and first person accounts. In the second
half of the course, students will focus their attention on a clinical disorder of personal interest. As a final project, students will identify a film that pertains to their
disorder of interest and compare the cinematic depiction with more "real-world" clinical manifestations as described in the current research literature.
Final project will include a 10-page paper and a presentation of film clip(s) from
the chosen movie along with a critique to the larger group during the final week
of winter study.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
M. SANDSTROM
Behaviorism is a school of psychological thought founded on the idea that the
expression of a particular behavior is the consequence of stimulus-response experiences. For example, the behaviorist might argue that people engage in particular behaviors because doing so has been associated with reinforcement in the
past. Over the course of Winter Study, we will read classic writings from the
founders of Behaviorism (e.g., John Watson, B.F. Skinner) and we will consider
ways in which these principles apply to our everyday lives. Students will use
behaviorist principles to modify human behavior. We will also use these principles to train rats to perform amazing feats. The course will culminate in a "Rat
Olympics" in which the success of the conditioning efforts will be assessed in
head-to-head competition of conditioned animals.
Students will be evaluated on a written report of their experiences conditioning a
change in human behavior as well as a written report of the conditioning methods used in training their rat Olympians. The Olympics will be held on the final
day of Winter Study.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15. Preference given to sophomores and juniors.
Cost to student: none.
Meeting time: 10-noon Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Extensive time will be
spent outside of class working on the assigned projects (conditioning changes in
human behavior and conditioning rats).
N. SANDSTROM
PSYC 12 Personality Trait Theory through Biography
This course provides a brief introduction to the five factor theory of personality.
The five factor theory proposes that five broad traits (the so-called "Big Five" personality traits) can explain much of the observed differences in personality. In
the first week we will scrutinize the theory and explore the Big Five traits as they
are defined by personality questionnaires. For the remainder of the course we
will consider how well the Big Five traits describe a range of personality depictions in biographies and autobiographies, including depictions nominated by
class members. The course is particularly appropriate for nonmajors.
Requirements/evaluation: weekly excerpts from biographies and the personality
literature; a final 10-page written report on one or more of the five major traits as
depicted in a biography of the student's choice; and active class participation.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to students: approximately $20 for reading packet.
Meetings: 1-4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.
A. SOLOMON
PSYC 13 Constructed Languages in Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Culture (Same as Linguistics 13)
In their desire to communicate, experiment, entertain, and imagine, people
throughout history have created their own languages. From Tolkien's "secret
vice" and his made-up languages of Arda, to Atlantean, Esperanto, or Loxian in
Enya's most recent album, chances are that you have already experienced the
wonder of constructed languages. Have you ever wanted to create your own language? Or wondered what was behind the design of Elvish or Klingon? In this
course, we will look at examples of constructed languages from many sources
including international communication efforts, literature, philosophy, science
fiction, fantasy, and music. We will also discuss the purposes for which these
languages were designed and their psychological implications. Much of the
course, however, will be a hands-on attempt at creating your own language from
the ground up using a wide variety of natural and constructed languages for inspiration.
Requirements/evaluation: class participation, a short presentation on an existing
constructed language of your choice, and a written description and oral presentation of your own created language.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 20.
Cost to student: approximately $50 for course materials.
Meeting time: afternoons, two-hour class sessions three times a week.
SUNDERMEIER
PSYC 14 Cognition in Autism Spectrum Disorders (Same as Cognitive Science 14)
A widely publicized 1999 study by public health authorities indicated that California was experiencing drastic increases in the number of autism cases, with the
number of cases rising 273% percent in a little over a decade. Other reports of an
autism epidemic have since flooded the popular media. Currently, there is a
heated controversy in the field about whether these reported increases are a result of a true autism epidemic or whether they reflect changes in diagnosis. In
either case, these numbers have turned the research spotlight onto this developmental disorder. With the surge in scientists turning their attention toward autism, a number of interesting differences in cognition have been reported. In this
class, we will discuss recent findings in autism spectrum disorders with special
emphasis on cognition in autism. Topics include: face-blindness in autism, sensory processing, and social cognition.
Requirements: 10-page paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15. Preference given to seniors and juniors.
Cost to student: $50 for readings.
Meeting time: mornings.
ZAKI
PSYC 15 American Incarceration
This course provides an overview of the field of corrections and incarceration in
jails and prisons. Topics include crisis intervention, suicide/self-mutilation, mental illness, forensic evaluations, individual/group therapy, sex offenses, women's
issues, substance abuse, and probation/parole. A tour of the Berkshire County
Jail and House of Correction in Pittsfield will be included. Handouts will be utilized, as will sections of the Massachusetts General Laws, and films covering
such topics as gangs and show-of-force.
Evaluation will be based on class participation and a 10-page research paper. Attendance in class will be taken into account.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 25.
Cost to student: $10 for readings
Meeting time: mornings, Monday, Wednesday, Friday for two-hour sessions.
DANA B. VAN SLYCKE (Instructor)
LAURIE HEATHERINGTON (Sponsor)
Mr. Van Slycke has worked in the corrections field for the past thirteen years (currently for the Berkshire County Sheriff's Office). He holds a MSW degree from Norfolk State University.
PSYC 16 Bruce Springsteen (Same as Music 19)
`The Boss.' `The New Dylan.' `Steinbeck in Leather.' `American Troubadour.'
`Working-class hero.' These are some of the labels that have been attached to
Bruce Springsteen over the course of his career. These labels, and the iconic images and symbols that accompany them, barely hint at the depth and diversity of
the music, and the significance, of Springsteen. This course will explore that
depth and diversity, with a particular focus on examining the social psychological significance of this work. Among the issues we will examine are class, race,
sexuality, marriage and family, violence, religion, politics, prejudice, and the
great state of New Jersey.
Evaluation will be based on class participation and presentations, and a 10-page
final paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 20.
Cost to student: $75-$100 (for books, CD's, and DVD's).
Meeting time: mornings. We will have a mix of two-hour classes two to three
times a week, complemented by individual or small-group meetings to discuss
paper topics and methodologies.
FEIN
To be taken by students registered for Psychology 493-494.
RELIGION
REL 11 Self Revelations: Religious Identity and the Reading and Writing of Memoir and Fiction
This course will consider the way in which the narrative form shapes the interaction between self-formation and religious identity. We will read first-person accounts that deal with the struggle and reconciliation between individual autonomy and the demands of various structures of religious life both in their individual
and social dimensions. More specifically we will consider the way in which the
themes of faith and doubt, submission and rebellion, and order and chaos are
negotiated in these narratives. We will engage these issues ourselves not by writing academic responses to the readings but by writing narrative responses. In
regard to both the writings we read and those we produce, we will be concerned
for the way in which confession can function both to reveal and conceal, thus
taking into account the possibility that the appearance of truth-telling may in fact
enable mechanisms of deception. Authors read will include St. Augustine, JM
Coetzee, Annie Dillard, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Philip Roth, Salman Rushdie,
Maxine Hong Kingston and others.
Evaluation will be based on short writing exercises and a final 10-page creative
essay.
No prerequisites. Enrollment will be limited to 12 students. Preference given to
Religion majors.
Cost to student: no more than $120.
Meeting time: mornings, three two-hour sessions per week.
HAMMERSCHLAG
REL 12 Yoga: A Mind-Body Connection
This class provides an orientation to yoga and meditation. Yoga practice builds
strength, flexibility, and the awareness complementary to other physical activities. Meditation helps to gain balance, strengthen attention and ability to concentrate. It aids in pursuing academic studies and creative endeavors, gives tools for
handling stress, and cultivates a sense of well-being and balance. The course
builds a foundation for an effective and rewarding personal practice by integrating textual studies and personal practice. Analysis and comparison of classic
yoga texts from India, as well as selected films, provide a historical, cultural, and
philosophical background for yoga. As well as discussion of key yogic concepts,
class meetings explore philosophical themes from the Indian tradition. Required
Texts: Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, The Bhagavad Gita, Yoga the Iyengar Way, and
related articles. Evaluation is based importantly on attendance and participation
in all classes and sessions, a personal practice journal demonstrating particular
intentions for practice and appropriate poses and sequencing to support those
intentions, and fifteen pages of writing including textual analysis as well as personal reflections on the nature of yoga.
No prerequisites. Apply by email with a brief explanation of your interest in the
class (selection based on this application). Enrollment limit: 16.
Cost to student: approximately $50 for three books and yoga mat.
Meeting time: late mornings, three two-hour sessions/week.
NATASHA JUDSON and DREYFUS (Instructor)
BUELL (Sponsor)
Natasha Judson, M.Ed. RYT, has taught yoga for the Williams College Physical Education Program since 2003. She has practiced yoga for over twenty years and meditation for fifteen. She trained in Iyengar and Anusara yoga and is an Affiliated Anusara yoga teacher. She began teaching yoga in 1999 and offers classes through her business Sunflower Yoga in Williamstown, and in Bennington at the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union school district and Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.
Georges Dreyfus is Professor of Religion at Williams College where he teaches Buddhism.
Augustine of Hippo (354-430CE) has been called "the founder of subjectivity,"
as well as the "evil genius of Europe." His spiritual autobiography, the Confessions, is both an intensely personal account of his search for meaning, and one of
the most widely influential texts in the history of Western thought. In this course,
we will develop a close reading of the Confessions from start to finish. Our approach to the work as a whole will be guided by Augustine's own account of the
self as standing before God. What does Augustine mean, for example, when he
refers to the self, in a formulation invoked by Martin Heidegger in Being and
Time (1927), as a "laborious soil" (Conf. X.16), or when in searching for God,
Augustine writes, "I have become a question to myself" (Conf X.33)? How does
'becoming a question to oneself' relate to Augustine's various descriptions of
truth-i.e. truth as that which I must make or do, truth as that in which I must stand
firm, and truth as that which I may access only through love? Drawing upon
contemporary historical and theoretical research on Augustine, and upon Augustine's various other writings and sermons, we will aim to show why it is that
the Confessions remain even today a fertile ground for those interested in thinking through issues of subjectivity and hermeneutic theory.
Format: seminar. Requirements: class participation and a final 10-page essay.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to student: approximately $50 for books.
Meeting time: mornings.
RYAN COYNE (Instructor)
BUELL (Sponsor)
Ryan Coyne earned his B.A. from Dartmouth College, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago Divinity School. He is interested in the history of metaphysics and Christian theology, and his dissertation examines the influence of Augustine on the development of Martin Heidegger's phenomenological philosophy.
REL 25 Jerusalem: A Travel-Study Course with Three Narratives
Jerusalem will present the ancient and modern city from three points of view
simultaneously. Jewish, Muslim, and Christian religious and cultural traditions
have been attached to this city for more than two millennia. Three cultures are
attached to the same geography, but their points of view are very different. Intellectually and emotionally, the narratives of the three cultures are very different
stories. It will be our project to encounter these three perspectives to see how
they form vectors of emotions and praxis that sometimes coincide and sometimes collide in a small geopolitical space.
Our reading will include an introduction to the three faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as religious traditions which, though world-wide, are centered
in historic and faith experience in Jerusalem. We will look at art, architecture,
music, and commerce as ways of understanding the region's history and meaning. Texts, to be introduced and studied in the Williamstown portion of the
course, will include: Karen Armstrong, Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths;
Pamphili, Eusebius, The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine; F.E.
Peters, Mecca and Jerusalem.
We'll also read selections from The Bible, the Koran, Hilda Prescott, Friar Felix
at Large: A Fifteenth Century Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and Mark Twain,
Innocents Abroad,and Melville's. Journal in the Straights.
The course will be in the Religion Department, by agreement with Prof. Bill
Darrow. Our study will begin in Williamstown, with class sessions tentatively
scheduled for January 3, 5, 8, 10, 12. We will fly to Israel on Sunday, January 14
and return on the 25th. This will give us an opportunity for a final meeting prior
to Dead Week.
In Jerusalem, we will see the city from three perspectives. We expect to stay at
Christ Church Guest House, near the Jaffa Gate in the Old City, on a half-board
plan. We will have guides from the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian perspectives,
and will work through
Rabbi Reuven Hammer and Herb Alexander (Jewish perspective), Zougbi
Zougbi (Muslim/Palestinian perspective), Yisga Harani (Palestinan/Christian
perspective) and the Franciscan Center (for the multi-cultural Christian perspective, e.g. Armenian, Roman, Lutheran, etc.) Our activities will offer guided
walks in various neighborhoods, home visits, and some bus touring. We will
have visiting speakers offering presentations and leading discussions from varying religious, cultural, and political points of view. Our timing will enable us to
experience religious dimensions of Friday prayers for Muslims, Sabbath experience for Jews Friday night and Saturday, and Sunday Sabbath observance for
Christians.
Students will be encouraged to journal throughout the course, including describing certain expectations and predispositions that may change as the course proceeds. The ten page reflective paper that will be completed upon return will be
presented to the instructor at the end of Winter Study Term, and will be discussed a week later at the beginning of the Spring Semester (to give additional
reflective time) at a dinner Thursday, February 1.
What if there should be outbreaks of violence, making our travel in January of
2007 unwise? Should this be the case, we would cancel our trip to Israel (by
prior arrangement with our travel agent, Ayelet Travel of Albany) and travel
instead to Los Angeles, where I have contacts with the Jewish/Israeli, Palestinian/Muslim, and Christian communities. Why Los Angeles? Because these
communities have large immigrant populations, there are museum facilities, and
it is a pleasant place to travel; I am confident we could still do a meaningful job
on the course.
Enrollment limit: 10, preferably from various religious/cultural backgrounds, to
encourage wide ranging discussion on the varying viewpoints presented in the
course. Not open to first-year students. The projected price of the travel is $2400,
including half board, guiding, fees for speakers, and the instructor's trip. Travel
will originate in Albany.
ROBERT SCHERR (Instructor)
BUELL (Sponsor)
The instructor is Cantor Robert Scherr, Jewish Associate Chaplain for the College. I have traveled to Israel many times, led group tours there, and lived in Jerusalem for most of a year (1988-89). In 1998, traveling on the West Bank with the Compassionate Listening Project, I developed contacts with many people in East Jerusalem and the Palestinian neighborhoods nearby, with whom I have been in touch to develop the program for this trip. During my years as an instructor at Framingham State College, I frequently taught overviews of historical and contemporary Israel as a part of my own course on Judaism/Christianity/Islam, and in consultation with other instructors who sought my participation in teaching about the historical and political nuances of Israel and Palestine.
To be taken by students registered for Religion 493 or 494.
ROMANCE LANGUAGES
FRENCH
RLFR S.P. Sustaining Program for French 101-102
Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining
program during the Winter Study period. There are three 50-minute meetings
per week.
Meeting time: mornings; 9-9:50 a.m.
LIBERT and RENOUARD (Teaching Associates)
RLFR 10 "Astérix the Gaul: French Culture through the Prism of the Comic"
The longevity and popularity of the Astérix comic strip series over successive
generations of an international readership can be explained, in part, by its subtle
and penetrating rendering of Europeanism through caricature. This course will
examine some of the most enduring texts in the Astérix saga as interpretations,
first, of French culture and the way the French view themselves with respect to
the rest of Europe and, second, of the way they view Europe in dialogue with
French cultural norms. Such issues as "la Patrie" (homeland), linguistic characteristics, the idea of France, French provincial distinctiveness, France's view of a
homogeneous national character seen through its own cultural diversity, and the
relationship of France to other specific regional cultures will be studied as a way
not only of defining the nation's historic legacy, but of coming to terms with the
way it sees its place within the vision of the European Union. Among the texts to
be studied will be Astérix the Gaul, Astérix and the Normans, Astérix and the
Mansions of the Gods, Astérix in Corsica, Astérix in Britain, Astérix in Switzerland, Astérix and the Goths, and Astérix in Belgium. Analysis of the primary
texts will be complemented by secondary cultural readings, especially those of
Fernand Braudel and other prominent interpreters of French culture. Readings
will be in English, but those students who wish to read the texts in the original
French should make arrangements in advance with the instructor. Conducted in
English.
Requirements: class participation and a 10-page paper
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 10.
Cost to student: books and reading packet only.
Meeting time: mornings, three two-hour sessions per week.
NORTON
To be taken by candidates for honors other than by thesis route.
To be taken by students registered for French 493-494.
ITALIAN
RLIT S.P. Sustaining Program for Italian 101-102
Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining
program during the Winter Study Period. Three 50-minute meetings per week.
Meeting time: mornings; 9-9:50 a.m.
NICASTRO
SPANISH
RLSP S.P. Sustaining Program for Spanish 101-102
Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining
program during the Winter Study Period. Three 50-minute meetings per week.
Meeting time: mornings; 9-9:50 a.m.
TEACHING ASSOCIATES
RLSP 10 Animal Consciousness: Crossing the Species Boundary in Literature and Film
If you've ever owned a cat or dog, you've probably found yourself looking into
those well-loved eyes and asking, "What are you thinking?" This course explores literature and films that take that question as their point of departure. We
will examine works by a very distinguished group of artists-Virginia Woolf,
Leo Tolstoy, Soseki Natsume, Horacio Quiroga, Franz Kafka, Robert Bresson,
Verlyn Klinkenborg, and others-all of whom endeavor to imagine and represent the consciousness of an animal. Some focus on companion animals, while
others explore the experience of an insect, a reptile, a beast of burden, or a so-
called "predator." These works are often humorous, but they are also surprisingly serious: they raise issues ranging from the mixed blessings of domestication
to the role of instinct, the hierarchy of species, and the rights of non-human animals. Through them, we will ultimately explore the limits of human nature and
our ethical relationships with the non-human others who inhabit our lives and
our planet.
Requirements include regular response papers, one oral presentation, and a final
paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 12.
Cost to student: approximately $50.
Meeting time: mornings.
FRENCH
RLSP 25 Art, Culture, and Spanish in Oaxaca, Mexico (Same as ArtS 25)
(See under Art-ArtS for full description.)
To be taken by candidates for honors other than by thesis route.
To be taken by students registered for Spanish 493-494.
RUSSIAN
RUSS S.P. Sustaining Program for Russian 101-102
Required of all students enrolled in Russian 101-102. Three meetings per week,
50 minutes per session. Practice in speaking and comprehension based on material already covered as well as some new vocabulary and constructions. Designed to maintain and enhance what was acquired during fall semester, using
new approaches in a relaxed atmosphere. No homework.
Regular attendance and active participation required to earn a "Pass." Open to
all.
Meeting time: mornings; 9-9:50 a.m.
KUSTOVA
The Gaudino Fund offers a small number of students the opportunity to carry
out independent projects that involve critical, reflective, experiential learning
during Winter Study. Each student selected for this course will register for Russian 23, but will work independently of other students in the course. Each student will have his or her own faculty sponsor who will help shape and monitor
the project. Professor Cassiday and the Gaudino Board of Trustees will select
the students on the basis of their proposals. The Board places a premium on proposals that foster the development of habits of mind that illuminate direct experience, undertaken preferably in social milieux previously unfamiliar to applicants. Students' projects must be academically rigorous and focused on intellectual problems worked out carefully with faculty sponsors. Projects must also entail systematic self-reflection of how students' experiences affect them personally.
Preference will be given to projects not connected with regular course work.
Professor Cassiday will meet with the students as a group before and after Winter Study. The Gaudino Fund will defray expenses for all students in the course
up to $1000 per student.
CASSIDAY
RUSS 25 Williams in Georgia (Same as Special 25)
Williams has a unique program in the Republic of Georgia, which offers students the opportunity to engage in three-week-long internships in any field. Our
students have worked in the Georgian Parliament, helped in humanitarian relief
organizations like Save the Children, interned in journalism at The Georgian
Times, taught unemployed women computer skills at The Rustavi Project, documented wildlife, studied with a Georgian sculptor, did rounds at the Institute of
Cardiology, and learned about transitional economies at the Georgian National
Bank. In addition to working in their chosen fields, students experience Georgian culture through museum visits, concerts, lectures, meetings with Georgian
students, and excursions. Visit the sacred eleventh-century Cathedral of Svetitskhoveli and the twentieth-century Stalin Museum, take the ancient Georgian
Military Highway to ski in the Caucasus Range, see the birthplace of the wine
grape in Kakheti and the region where Jason sought the Golden Fleece. Participants are housed in pairs with English-speaking families in Tbilisi, Georgia's
capital city. At the end of the course students will write a 10-page paper assessing their internship experience.
Knowledge of Russian or Georgian is not required.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 8. Not open to first-year students.
Cost to student: approximately $2000.
JOHN HOPE (Instructor)
DRUXES (Sponsor)
May be taken by candidates for honors other than by thesis route.
To be taken by students registered for Russian 493-494.
SOCIOLOGY-See under ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY
THEATRE
THEA 10 Reading Fernando Ortiz (CANCELLED!)
Fernando Ortiz is considered the father of Cuban ethnology in the study of Afrocuban folklore. We will read two distinct but foundational projects about theater
and dance: Los Bailes y el Teatro de los Negros en el Folklore de Cuba; and his
controversial book about race: El Engano de las Razas.
Requirements: weekly 3-page written reports.
Enrollment limited to Spanish speakers.
Meeting time: Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
JOTTAR
THEA 12 Ensembles in Classic American and European Musical Theatre (Same as Music 12)
(See under Music for full description.)
THEA 22 The Comedy of Tom Stoppard (Same as English 22) (CANCELLED!)
(See under English for full description.)
THEA 25 Making Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa
A Winter Study Away Program in collaboration with the Multicultural Center
Williams in Africa Program: An Exchange with students from the Market
Theatre Laboratory School of Performance in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Market Theatre of Johannesburg, founded in the early 1970's in apartheid
South Africa, stands as a testament to the power of theatre to transform. In its
early days, The Market challenged the miscegenation laws by performing and
creating plays that opened, sometimes covertly, questioning the status quo. It
was to the theatre that people could go to sit and watch and listen to their lives
being reflected on the stage. The tradition of this theatre has been carried in to
the next, post-apartheid generation of South Africans. The Market Theatre Laboratory School trains actors and directors and creators of theatre. There is a new
intake every 2nd year of between 18 and 20 students for the two-year course.
Aspiring theatre-makers come from all over the country to audition for the program and competition is fierce. There is a graduation ceremony every two years
in December.
Students in this course (and several Williams instructors) will fly to Johannesburg and spend two and half weeks working with the recently graduated Market
Theatre Lab Class of 2006. Each morning, both Williams and Lab students will
take classes from the Lab instructors. Instructors from the '62 Centre for Theater
and Dance will observe the work. The students will begin to create a theatre
piece of their own, under supervision from all of the instructors.
Students will live with the Market Lab Students in a conference centre that has
been rented. There are lounges, classrooms, dorm rooms, and kitchen facilities.
The Johannesburg students will host social events and accompany Williams students on expeditions to explore Johannesburg and the surrounding townships.
There will be trips to see theatre in and around Johannesburg.
If money and time permit, there will be a safari trip to the famous Kruger National Park in the north of the country, or possibly a trip to Cape Town.
At the conclusion of Winter Study, we will fly home and await the arrival in late
February of the Lab students and their instructors in Williamstown. The work
we started in Johannesburg will continue. This time students will take classes
from Williams instructors, and continue work on their theatre piece.
In March, the finished piece will be performed for the Williams community on
one of the stages of the '62 Centre.
Enrollment limit: 18. Not open to first-year students.
Cost to student: approximately $3500.
EPPEL
May be taken to augment Theatre 401/402, depending on the scope of the project. Permission of the Department Chair required.
BUCKY
(See description of Degree with Honors in Theatre on page #.)
WOMEN'S AND GENDER STUDIES
WGST 11 What Does It Really Mean to "Want Your MTV"?: Reading Gender, Sexuality and Race in U.S. Popular Music Video (Same as Latina/o Studies 11)
(See under Latina/o Studies for full description.)
WGST 12 Preliminary Introduction to American Sign Language (Same as Linguistics 12 and Special 12) (CANCELLED!)
(See under Linguistics for full description.)
WGST 19 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) (Same as Economics 19)
(See under Economics for full description.)
To be taken by candidates for honors other than by thesis route.
SPECIALS
SPEC 10 Quest for College: Early Awareness in Berkshire County Schools
Today's extremely competitive higher education market places significant pressure on students nationwide to start planning for college at an increasingly early
age while simultaneously demanding ever-higher standards of excellence for
admission to top schools. "Early Awareness" initiatives aim to educate middle
school students as to what lies ahead on the college horizon, empowering them
to make sound academic and extracurricular choices that will keep open a maximum of options. The first week of this course will be spent in the classroom, exploring and discussing problems and issues germane to the national trends towards greater (and earlier) college-related pressures. Students will respond to a
series of readings dealing with such issues as tracking, paid test preparation and
untimed testing, early decision, parental and peer pressures, special interests,
misrepresentation of information, independent counseling, and others. Class
time will also be devoted to familiarizing students with both the nuances of the
college admission process and the administration of the early awareness game,
Quest for College. Students will spend the next two weeks visiting 10-12 Berkshire County middle schools, administering the game and inviting students to
the culminating College Day. All 8 students will then work together to plan and
run College Day activities for students and their parents. This day will include a)
campus tours, b) general higher education info sessions, and c) financial aid/scholarship info for the parents. If student and community interest is sufficient,
the course may culminate in a public presentation and open forum early second
semester.
Evaluation will be based on completion of field work (school visits), organization and execution of project to bring local middle school students to the Williams Campus for a day of early-awareness related activities and a final paper
(approximately 10 pages) reflecting on a course-related issue of the student's
choosing.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 8. Preference given to a) students with prior
education/admission experience, b) students with access to transportation c)
juniors and seniors. Interested students must consult with instructors prior to
registration.
Cost to student: transportation to field work sites and purchase of text.
Meeting time: afternoons.
GINA COLEMAN `90 (Instructor)
WSP COMMITTEE (Sponsor)
Gina Coleman `90, is Associate Director of Admission, Director of Multicultural Recruitment, and in her fifth year as women's rugby coach. Coleman, who holds an M.A. in education from MCLA, designed the game, Quest for College.
SPEC 11 Science for Kids (Same as Chemistry 11)
(See under Chemistry for full description.)
SPEC 12 Preliminary Introduction to American Sign Language (Same as Linguistics 12 and Women's and Gender 12) (CANCELLED!)
(See under Linguistics for full description.)
SPEC 13 Principles and Techniques of Cooking (Same as Chemistry 13)
(See under Chemistry for full description.)
SPEC 14 Emergency Medical Technician-Basic
A course designed to prepare students for the Massachusetts EMT exam and to
provide training to become certified as an Emergency Medical Technician. The
course teaches the new national standard curriculum which makes reciprocity
with many other states possible. This is a time-intensive course involving
approximately 130 hours of class time plus optional emergency room observation and ambulance work. Students learn, among other skills, basic life support
techniques, patient assessment techniques, defibrillation, how to use an epi-pen,
safe transportation and immobilization skills, as well as the treatment of various
medical emergencies including shock, bleeding, soft-tissue injuries, and child
birth. In order to reduce the number of class meetings required during Winter
Study Period, the course holds a few meetings beginning in the fall semester.
These class meetings, which are mandatory, with the following schedule: 14 October (orientation), 28 October, 29 October, 11 November, and 12 November.
Any questions regarding this course should be directed to the instructor, Kevin
Garvey, via email (pece@netscape.com).
Evaluation is based on class participation and performance on class exams,
quizzes and practical exercises.
Prerequisite: It is recommended that students have American Heart Association
Level C BLS Provider CPR Cards or American Red Cross BLS provider CPR
cards before entering the EMT Class. A CPR class will be offered in October for
those students wishing to take the EMT class who don't already have CPR
cards. Enrollment limit: 24.
Cost to student: $350/student plus approximately $75 for textbook.
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons; schedule TBA in October.
KEVIN GARVEY (Instructor)
L. PARK (Sponsor)
Kevin Garvey is a Massachusetts state and nationally approved EMT-I (Intermediate) and an EMT-IC (Instructor/Coordinator). He had been involved with Emergency Medical Services for 15-20 years. Mr. Garvey currently works for Baystate Health Systems as an RN (registered nurse) and EMT-I and also works as an EMT-I for Village Ambulance in Williamstown. Mr. Garvey is also an EMT training instructor at Greenfield Community College.
SPEC 15 "You are not listening!"-Exploring Interpersonal Conflict (Same as Chemistry 15 and Leadership Studies 15)
(See under Chemistry for full description.)
SPEC 16 Knitting: The Social History and Craft Form (Same as Mathematics 16)
(See under Mathematics for full description.)
SPEC 17 Anarchism: Old and New Beginnings (Same as German 11)
(See under German for full description.)
SPEC 18 Modern Dance-Muller Technique (Same as Mathematics 13)
(See under Mathematics for full description.)
SPEC 19 Medical Apprenticeship
Firsthand experience is a critical component of the decision to enter the health
professions. Through this apprenticeship, students can clarify their understanding of the rewards and challenges that accompany the practice of all types of medicine. Apprenticeships are arranged in two distinct ways: some students live on
campus and are matched with a local practitioner, while others make independent arrangements to shadow a distant professional. The expectation is that each
student will observe some aspect of medicine for the better part of the day, five
days per week. In recent years, students have shadowed physicians, veterinarians, dentists, nurses, and public health experts.
In addition to observation in clinical settings, there will be discussion sessions
and optional evening events on campus which give participants further opportunity to reflect upon their experiences.
A 10-page reflective paper is required.
Prerequisites: Interested students must attend an information meeting in early
October.
Local enrollment is limited by the number of available practitioners. Preference
for placements will be given on the basis of seniority and demonstrated interest
in the health professions.
Cost to student: Local apprenticeships-vaccinations and local transportation.
Distant apprenticeships-costs will vary based upon location.
CHARLEY STEVENSON
Health Professions Advisor
SPEC 21 The Psychology of the Workplace, A Field Study
Field experience is a critical component of the decision to enter a profession.
Through this field study, students can clarify their understanding of the rewards
and challenges that accompany the practice of many different aspects within a
profession, and understand the psychology of the workplace. Field placements
are arranged in two distinct ways: some students live on campus and are
matched with a local professional, while others make independent arrangements
to work with a distant professional. The expectation is that each student will observe some aspect of the profession for the better part of the day, five days per
week. It is also expected that the instructor will assign a specific project to be
completed within the 3-week duration of the course depending upon appropriateness.
Participation in this winter study will require the student to quickly assess the
work environment, make inferences about corporate culture, performance
norms and expectations, and to take initiative not only to learn from this experience, but also to contribute where and when appropriate. Understanding the dynamics within a work environment is critical to success in any organization and
this hands-on experience will illuminate lessons learned in the classroom. Upon
completion of the winter study, it is expected that the student write a thorough
report evaluating and interpreting the experience.
Requirements: students will complete assigned readings, keep a daily journal,
and write a 5-page expository review and evaluation that will become public record as a resource for other students. Finally, the student will be expected to
create a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation on his/her experience due at the end
of Winter Study. If possible the student will make a presentation to fellow students at some time during the spring semester.
Prerequisites: interested students must attend an information meeting in early
October. Preference for placements will be given on the basis of seniority and
demonstrated interest in the profession of interest. Enrollment limit: 10.
Cost to student: if the field placement is off campus, the student will be responsible for living expenses at the field site.
Meeting time: The expectation is that each student will be in the field to observe
some aspect of the profession for the better part of the day, five days per week. In
addition to observation there may be an opportunity to work on distinct projects
generated by the instructor depending upon appropriateness.
Instructors: a list of instructors and available field placements will be published
early in the Fall Semester and discussed in detail at the October information
meeting.
JOHN NOBLE, Director of Career Counseling
Dean's Office (Sponsor)
SPEC 22 Living by Words: Surviving and Thriving in the Art and Sport of Rhetoric (Same as Comparative Literature 12, English 29, and INTR 12)
(See under Comparative Literature for full description.)
SPEC 23 Modern Arab Cinema (Same as Comparative Literature 13)
(See under Comparative Literature for full description.)
SPEC 24 Eye care and Culture on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua
Continuing the model of recent eye care winter studies in Nicaragua, the trip will
follow a similar protocol, however, we will add a dimension of "sustainability"
to our efforts by training local people in Pearl Lagoon in the basic techniques of
prescribing reading and distance glasses. Our class will leave a set or two of
"flippers" (lenses for prescribing), some eye charts and a quantity of glasses of
differential diopters. Glasses for the future of this effort can be procured at little
or no cost and shipped to Nicaragua or brought by future visitors.
After a partial week of classes on campus on the culture and politics of Nicaragua and a weekend of training in the prescription of glasses we will travel to Managua for a day of cultural visits (national museum, Masaya volcano, local market) before flying to Bluefields on the Atlantic Coast for a day or two of clinics
for local groups e.g. teachers, police, health care workers, deaf school, etc.
We will then travel to Pearl Lagoon, about an hours ponga ride upriver. We will
set up our training protocol and practicing our method and training our local
workers for two days while we examine the local groups. Then we will send
teams of an optometrist and 3 or 4 students to small remote isolated communities of Mayanga Suma, Miskitu and Creole peoples.
After about a week on the Atlantic Coast we will return to Managua and the US.
We will wind up our course by turning in our journals, a requirement that has
proved very insightful and we believe meaningful to our students.
The course would conclude with the sharing of specific incidents and insights
that were important learning about ourselves and the developing world.
Enrollment limit: 12. Not open to first-year students.
Cost to student: $2500.
ROBERT PECK (Instructor)
WSP COMMITTEE (Sponsor)
Dr. Robert Peck, retired Director of Athletics at Williams (1971-2001), is a 24-year visitor and observer of Nicaraguan politics.
SPEC 25 Williams in Georgia (Same as Russian 25)
(See under Russian for full description.)
SPEC 27 Looking at Contemporary Documentary Photography) (Same as ArtH 12 and English 12)
(See under English for full description.)
SPEC 28 Teaching Practicums in New York City Schools
Open to sophomores, juniors and seniors who are interested in working in public
schools or charter schools in New York City. Participants will be expected to
pursue a full day's program of observing, teaching, tutoring and mentoring in
their choice of more than 20 different school situations in NYC from elementary
through high school. Each of the participating schools will have a resident supervisor who will meet with the January interns to arrange individual schedules and
to provide mentoring during the month.
There will be weekly meetings of all the interns, who are expected to keep a
journal and to write a 5 page paper reflecting on their month's experience.
Orientation meetings prior to January will enable students to select which subject areas and which participating school might be best for him or her.
Housing will be provided for those needing it and some assistance with transportation and food costs-estimated at about $400. for the month. Further assistance available for financial aid students.
P. SMITH
Coordinator of High School/College Partnerships
SPEC 29 Non, non, non! Nonviolence, Nonaggression and Noncoercion
When is violence or the threat of violence morally acceptable? Can violent
means ever lead to peaceful ends? In this course we will examine the relationship between nonviolence and noncoercion in moral and political contexts. Principled nonviolence, or ahimsa in Gandhi's writings, implies among other things
that one must not harm others, even one's violent oppressors, as a means of affecting social or political change. By comparison, the noncoercion (or nonaggression) principle is a moral position that one must not initiate the use of force
against another person. Although nonviolence and noncoercion are clearly related, for historical reasons their philosophical literatures have remained almost
entirely separate. We will survey both literatures, including selections from
Gandhi, King, Nozick, Rothbard, Ruwart, and Tolstoy, and use class discussion
to bring out their similarities and differences.
Evaluation will be based on class attendance and participation, and a 10-page
paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 20. Preference to seniority.
Cost to student: less than $50 for books.
Meeting time: afternoons, two hours three times per week.
KIRBY
SPEC 34 Winter Emergency Care, CPR, Ski Patrol Rescue Techniques
The course is in three parts. When successfully completed, it can lead to certification as a National Ski Patrol member and certification in Professional Rescue
CPR. It will also be designed to teach wilderness and outdoor emergency techniques.
The Winter Emergency Care Course designed by the National Ski Patrol is the
main ingredient. It will be supplemented by the Red Cross CPR/AED for the
Professional Rescuer. An additional 18-hour outdoor course in Ski Patrol rescue
techniques will be taught. Passing all three courses will certify the student as a
National Ski Patrol member if he/she is a competent skier.
The course will deal with and teach how to treat wounds of all types, shock, respiratory emergencies, poisoning, drug and alcohol emergencies, burns, frostbite
and other exposures to cold, also bone, joint and back injuries, and sudden illnesses such as heart attacks, strokes, convulsions, etc. It will also teach the use of
all splints, backboards, bandages, and other rescue equipment. It will teach extrication and unusual emergency situations and the use of oxygen.
The outdoor course will include rescue toboggan handling, organization of rescues, and outdoor practical emergency care.
Classroom work will include lectures, seminars, and practical work. There will
be a mid-term and a final exam which will be both written and practical. Each
week, there will be 17 hours of classroom work plus 8 hours of practical outdoor
work at Jiminy Peak ski area. Attendance at all classes is mandatory.
Enrollment limit: 18 students chosen on the basis of skiing interest and ability
and prior first aid experience.
Cost to student: approximately $100 for all the materials, books, and registration
fees.
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons.
JIM BIRGGS and SUE BRIGGS(Instructor)
H. SHEEHY (Sponsor)
Jim Briggs is a certified OEC instructor, CPR instructor and former Director of the Williams Outing Club. Sue Briggs is a certified OEC instructor who will assist in all aspects of the course.
SPEC 35 Making Pottery on the Potter's Wheel
Each class will begin with a lecture-demonstration, followed by practice on the
potter's wheel. Each student will have the use of a potter's wheel for each class.
We will work on mugs, bowls, pitchers, plates, jars, lids, vases, and bottles, and
will finish these shapes as required by trimming and adding handles, lugs, lids,
spouts, and knobs. We will also work on several different handbuilding projects.
After the tenth class session, all class work will be biscuit-fired. The eleventh
class will be devoted to glazing the biscuited pieces. Glazing techniques will include pouring, dipping, layering, brushing, and stamping, and using wax resist
and other masking techniques to develop pattern and design. The completed
work will then be glaze-fired. The last meeting will be devoted to a "final project" gallery show of your best work. Woven into lecture-demonstrations will be
presentations on various topics relating to the science and history of pottery
making.
Requirements: attendance at all class sessions and enthusiasm for learning the
craft of pottery making.
No prerequisites or potterymaking experience necessary. Enrollment limit: 9.
Cost to student: $175 lab fee, plus makeup class fees ($35 per class) if applicable.
Meeting time: mornings.
RAY BUB (Instructor)
Winter Study Committee (Sponsor)
Ray Bub is a ceramic artist and teacher at Oak Bluffs Cottage Pottery in Pownal, Vermont, 10 minutes north of the Williams College campus. All classes except the final project exhibition take place at Oak Bluffs Cottage Pottery.
SPEC 36 Study in Irish Diaspora
This course provides an exploration of the Irish Diaspora through various levels of the art forms; dance, music(instrumental) and song, and their perspective historical significance. Students must select two areas of concentration and may participate in all three, but are expected to attend all lectures concerning the entire course of study. Separate Dance, Music and Singing classes will be held after each days lecture. The lectures will cover culture and history Ireland.
Lectures will be one hour long every morning, followed by technique classes offered for 2 hours in the various forms of study ie: dance technique, music as in flutes/whistles, bodhran, etc. and song.
Students will be expected to independently practice an additional 2 hours/day by scheduling times and rehearsal spaces. A guest artist, Sean Curran will present a lecture on 1/20/07 which students are required to attend in substitution for the lecture on 1/19. A Field Trip and/or viewing designated films will be required, outside of the course schedule. l.
Evaluation will be based on: 1) attendance, participation and progress throughout the course. 2) presentation of a journal of their own development mid-way and at the finish of the course and 3) participate in a final performance in the Center Stage of The '62 Center of Theatre and Dance on 1/25/07 at 8pm open to the college and local communities. There will also be technical rehearsals 1/22,23 &24/07 from 7-10pm.
Prerequisites: a basic understanding of music and/or dance is preferred but not required. Enrollment limit: 20. Priority given to first-junior years).
Cost to students: Field Trip and book, $75.00
Meeting time: mornings.
ORFHLAITH NIBHRIAN and
BRIAN MORRISSEY (Instructors)
S. BURTON (Sponsor)
SPEC 39 "Composing a Life:" Finding Success and Balance in Life After Williams
To be at Williams you have learned to be a successful student, but how do you
learn to be successful in life? How will you define success in both your career
and in your personal life? How will you achieve balance between the two? In
short, what will constitute the "good life" for you? We borrow the concept of
"composing a life" from Mary Catherine Bateson, as an apt metaphor for the ongoing process of defining success and balance in life. This course is designed:
(1) To offer college students an opportunity to examine and define their beliefs,
values, and assumptions about their future personal and professional lives before
entering the "real" world; (2) To encourage students to gain a better understanding of how culture, ideology, and opportunity affect their life choices; (3) To provide an opportunity for students to consider different models of success and balance through "living cases" (in the form of guests from various professions and
lifestyles); and (4) To aid students in contemplating their career options through
individual advising and introducing various career and life planning resources.
Using selected readings, cases, and guest speakers, we will explore both the
public context of the workplace as well as the private context of individuals and
their personal relationships in determining life choices.
Requirements: regular attendance, class participation, field interview, and a
10-page final paper
No prerequisites. Questions about the course: please contact Michele Moeller
Chandler at 458-8106 or michele.chandler2@verizon.net Enrollment limit: 15.
Cost to Student: approximately $30 for case/reading materials
Meeting time: mornings
MICHELE MOELLER CHANDLER and CHIP CHANDLER (Instructors)
TOOMAJIAN (Sponsor)
Michele Moeller Chandler ('73) and Chip Chandler ('72) have taught this Winter Study course for the past ten years. They have been both personally and professionally engaged in the course topic. Michele's career has been in college administration, and she has an M.A. from Columbia, and a Ph.D. from Northwestern. Her Ph.D. dissertation focused upon professional women who altered their careers because of family obligations. Chip spent 25 years at McKinsey & Company, where he was a senior partner, and he has an MBA from Harvard. He currently teaches in the Leadership Studies Program.
WILLIAMS PROGRAM IN TEACHING
Students interested in exploring one or more of the following courses related to teaching and/or working with children and adolescents should contact Susan Engel, Director of Education Programs, who will be able to help you choose one that best suits your educational goals.
ANSO 11 Berkshire Farm Internship
(See under Anthropology/Sociology for full description.)
ANSO 12 Children and the Courts: Internship in the Crisis in Child Abuse
(See under Anthropology/Sociology for full description.)
CHEM 11 Science for Kids (Same as Special 11)
(See under Chemistry for full description.)
LING 12 Preliminary Introduction to American Sign Language (Same as Women's and Gender Studies 12 and Special 12) (CANCELLED!)
(See under Linguistics for full description.)
PSCI 17 Great Writing, Great Teaching
(See under Political Science for full description.)
SPEC 28 Teaching Practicums in New York City Schools
(See under Special for full description.)
WILLIAMS-MYSTIC PROGRAM IN AMERICAN MARITIME STUDIES
An interdisciplinary one-semester program co-sponsored by Williams College and Mystic Seaport which includes credit for one winter study. Classes in maritime history, literature of the sea, marine ecology, oceanography, and marine policy are supplemented by field seminars: offshore sailing, Pacific Coast and Nantucket Island. For details, see "Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program" or our website: www.williamsmystic.org.