Addendum to the
Courses of Instruction 2008-2009

Last updated: 5/6/08 4:50 PM

Offered FALL 2008 (not Spring as previously listed):
AFR 220(F) Introduction to African American Writing

New crosslisting under Africana Studies and Latina/o Studies:
AMST 403(S) New Asian American, African American, Native American, and Latina/o Writing (Same as Africana Studies 403, Comparative Literature 375, English 375, and Latina/o Studies 403) (D)

Cancelled Fall course:
ANTH 320 Health and Illness in Cross-Cultural Perspective

To be offered Fall 2008:
ARTH 103(F) Asian Art Survey: From the Land of the Buddha to the World of the Geisha

Cancelled Fall 2008:
ARTS 100 section taught by Takenaga.

New Fall Course:
ARTS 105(F) Participatory Media Production (Same as American Studies 105)
This course is an introduction to the history and theory of participatory media production and community media practice.  Community media production, be it local, identity-based, or virtual, can challenge the mainstream and encourage communities to add their voices to the media landscape. The convergence of art, media and social justice is at the core of community media practice. We will engage in this rich history through studying and writing about examples of community radio stations, guerrilla television, public access television, satellite television, tactical media, intervention, Indymedia and more. Readings will include Paolo Freire, Dee Dee Halleck, Clemencia Rodriguez, Robert McChesney, Suzana Milevska, and Ellie Rennie. Additionally, students in the course will form teams to work on participatory digital media projects (examples could include a short documentary, video blog or photo exhibit) reflecting concerns of specific communities with which they identify. These projects will be participatory in nature, meaning that we will take an approach to making art in which the "audience" is engaged directly in the production process, allowing them to become co-creators.  No production experience is required; this course serves as a pre-requisite for more advanced video production courses. Lab fee.
Enrollment limit: 12 (expected: 12).
Hour: LANE

The following course does not satisfy any requirements for the Art Major:
ARTS 200(F) Costume Design (Same as Theatre 305)

The following course does not satisfy any requirements for the Art Major:
ARTS 202(S) Movement and Art Making

New Fall Course:
ARTS 210(F) VIDEO ART
This course is an introduction to the theory, history and practice of digital video production. Students will engage in a series of exercises in video that build to culminate in an independent final project.  Foundational skills in camera, lighting, sound recording, editing and DVD authoring will be covered.  Class time is divided between hands-on workshops, discussion, screenings, and ongoing critique of student work. Students will be expected to demonstrate that they are learning not only how to produce video technically, but how to engage with the form critically and creatively.  A course reader and weekly video screenings will engage students in the history of the medium as artform, as activist tool, as related to filmmaking trajectories, and as mediator of cultural space. Lab fee.
Prerequisites: a 100-level course in cultural/media studies, art history, or media production.
Enrollment limit: 10 (expected: 10).
Hour: LANE

New Spring Tutorial:
ARTS 304T(S) Video Post-Production
This upper-level video course is an opportunity for students to build their skills in post-production techniques.  More advanced skills in Final Cut Pro and Soundtrack will be explored in a series of workshops and exercises.  An ongoing engagement with viewings and critical texts will allow us to both master and challenge traditional practices in post-production.  Pacing, continuity, compositing, color correction, sound mixing and special effects will be covered.  Rather than focusing on a final project, students will generate a series of four to six short videos that experiment with form, style and substance. 
Format: tutorial. Each week, one student in each tutorial pair will produce a short work that responds to a particular assignment related to that week's viewing and reading. Rather than focusing on a final project, students will generate a series of four to six short videos that experiment with form, style and substance.  The class will also meet as a group for two critique sessions. Lab fee.
Enrollment limit: 10 (expected: 10).
Hour: LANE

To be offered Fall 2008:
ARTS 364T(F) Artists' Books
This course will investigate the processes and ideas associated with the making of artists' books, works that are fine art objects primarily using visual images and/or text. For example, individual projects could include literary text/visual image combinations, visual diaries, three-dimensional pop-up books, solely visual narratives, autobiographies, animated "flip" books, or sculptural books. Limited-editioned as well as one-of-a-kind work will be encouraged. Media options include etching, lithography, relief printing, hand painting, drawing, some photo processes and bookbinding techniques (from boxes to hard binding). As a tutorial, this course is designed to meet individual needs, stress student participation and responsibility for learning, and to examine differing points of view. Students will meet in groups of two for discussion and critique of individual projects in the tutorial format: i.e., students are expected to give a half-hour presentation weekly regarding their projects and selected readings, and to respond to criticism and questions by the peer student and the instructor. Students will also meet once a week as a group for demonstrations, slide presentations, meetings with visiting artists, and discussion of readings.
Evaluation will be based on student participation and conceptual and technical quality of the work. There will be one required field trip during the semester. Lab fee.
Prerequisites: any one of the following: ArtS 230, 241, 242, 257, 263, or 264.
Hour: TAKENAGA

Fall Section Cancelled:
ENGL 111(S) Poetry and Politics (W)

New crosslisting under ArtS and Music:
EXPR 309(F) Exploring Creativity (Same as Mathematics 309, Music 309, and Philosophy 307)

To be offered Fall 2008:
CLAS 105(F) The Ancient Novel (Same as Comparative Literature 113)

New Spring Course:
CLAS 208(S)  Ancient Greek Religion
This course explores the history, evolution, and ritual practices of ancient Greek religion from the earliest evidence of its practice in the late second millennium BCE to the turn of the following millennium when Greek religion had become part of the syncretic cultural landscape of the ancient Near East.
Format: Lecture/discussion. Evaluation will be based on class contributions, several short papers, a midterm, and a final paper and exam. No prerequisite. If the course is over-enrolled, preference will be given
to majors in Classics and Religion. Enrollment limit: 25 (expected: 15)
Hour: LOVELL

New Spring Course:
COMP 308(S)  Everyday Life in Literature and Film
To bring the all too familiar everyday to our attention, artists and writers have made it strange.  What happens when we view everyday life from elsewhere?  While everyday culture has often been experienced as repressive and alienating in modern Western societies, a new importance assigned to everyday life made it liberating in Japan during the twenties and in contemporary China.  The contours of the everyday are delightfully vague, and it always exceeds theorizing.  For instance, is its privileged place the street or the home?  Is it lived largely in institutions that regulate our daily lives, or is it lived between and outside them?  Everyday objects and commodities like the potato, the postcard, the car, clothes, housing, etc., will be analyzed.  Fiction by Leo Tolstoy, Franz Kafka, Georges Perec, Manil Suri, Ha Jin, and Banana Yoshimoto.  Films by Chantal Akerman, Pedro Almodovar, Benoit Jaquot, and Pierre Jeunet.  Art projects that transform the everyday will also be discussed, including those of Sophie Calle, Mary Kelley, Mierle Laderman Ukeles, and Christine Hill.  Short theoretical excerpts from Freud, Kracauer, Goffman, Lefebvre, de Beauvoir, Friedan, Debord, Foucault, and Bourdieu.  All works not originally in English will be read in English translation.
Format:  seminar.  Evaluation will be based on two short oral reports on everyday objects and their history, two 3- to 5-page papers, and a 10- to 12-page final paper or creative project.
Prerequisites:  one 200-level literature course.  Enrollment limit:  20 (expected: 10).  Preference will be given to students majoring in Comparative Literature and Literary Studies.
Hour: DRUXES

New crosslisting under American Studies:
COMP 311(F) US-China Foreign Cultural Relations, 1900-1950 (Same as American Studies 311, Asian Studies 311 and English 334)

Revised Course Description:
ENGL 133(F) New Poetry (W)
In this class we will read or otherwise experience a range of poetry being produced right now in the U.S. Some of this poetry doesn't immediately seem to "fit" in the classroom: it's too new, too weird, too raw, too cerebral, too multi-media, too performance-oriented, somehow "unteachable." The premise of the course is that by engaging with these diverse voices we will come up with ways of talking about them, and that in the process we will have to take up some big and interesting questions: What is poetry? Can it be defined? How does poetry aim to affect us? Does one need "expertise" to appreciate it? And: is poetry important? Does it matter-socially, politically, culturally? The course is aimed at lovers of poetry, those who dislike poetry, those who are intimidated by the idea of it, and those who can't see why we should bother. Readings will be structured around the work of the poets coming to Williams to read, and may also include some "old poetry" (for purposes of comparison), critical articles, and manifestos; we will also watch documentaries or listen to CDs of more performance-oriented work (e.g., slam, spoken word).
Format: discussion/seminar. Requirements: regular participation; 4 short (from 2-3 to 5-6 pp.) papers, of which you will be asked to revise two; one essay will be a research paper on a poet or poetic movement of your choice. Occasional group projects and short postings for class discussion. This course is part of the Critical Reasoning and Analytical Skills initiative.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 19). Preference to first-year students.
Hour: SWANN

Revised Prerequisite:
ENGL 355T(F) Fanaticism
Prerequisite: a 100-level English course, except 150.

New Fall course:
ENVI 230(F) Nature and Politics in the Himalayan Region
The Himalayan Mountain region stretches over an arc of 2,400 km, including territories of at least seven nation-states. Today, the region holds the largest remnant expanse of forests and other wildernesses in the Indian sub-continent, and it is a major global biodiversity hot-spot. About one-sixth of the world's population lives in the drainage basins of the Himalayan glaciers and rivers. The mountains and rivers often serve as national borders, creating lines of contestation. The region’s biological and water “resources” are also subjects of dispute and contestation, with the interested parties including hundreds of millions of people downstream. All these forces combine to make the Himalayan region one of growing interest to international markets and politics, as well as regional and global conservation agendas. The course will introduce students to the political ecology of these influences, with an emphasis on how they present and manifest themselves on the ground. The course will follow a discussion format. Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements: multiple 5- to 8-page papers, plus occasional assignments based on readings. One long paper may be substituted for several short papers, with the permission of the instructor.
Prerequisites: Environmental Studies 101 or permission of instructor. Enrollment limit: 20 (expected: 15).
This course satisfies the "Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences" requirement for the Environmental Studies concentration.
Satisfies one semester of the Division II requirement.
Hour: THEOPHILUS

New Spring Course:
ENVI 231(S) Political Ecology of International Biodiversity Conservation
This course will begin by exploring concepts of biological diversity and current threats and problems facing biodiversity, such as changing land use patterns, consumerism, genetic engineering, industrial agriculture, and invasive species. We will then examine competing notions of biodiversity conservation: why, where, what, who decides, and how best to conserve? What is the relationship between neo-liberal globalization and current conservation strategies? Are calls for increased conservation measures a result of economic-induced ecological degradation, or another form of development in line with neo-liberal paradigms of international donors (intergovernmental, NGOs, corporations)? Are rapidly expanding protected areas in developing countries the new colonialism driven by a globalization of western environmentalisms? What is the relationship between western science and traditional ecological knowledge regarding causes and solutions for biodiversity conservation? We will then examine the role of alternatives challenging conventional notions of conservation, such as bioregionalism, community-based strategies, participatory management, radical ecology and others.
Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements: multiple 5- to 8-page papers, plus occasional assignments based on readings. One long paper may be substituted for several short papers, with the permission of the instructor.
Prerequisites: Environmental Studies 101 or permission of instructor. Enrollment limit: 20 (expected: 15). This course satisfies the "Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences" requirement for the Environmental Studies concentration. Satisfies one semester of the Division II requirement.
Hour: J. JONES

Revised Course Description:
GERM 201(F) Advanced German
What does it mean to be “foreign”? How do you experience yourself differently in another country? How do you feel about home when you are away from it? When does another country feel like home? This course expands on the reading, writing, and speaking skills acquired at the intermediate level. We will use a variety of texts, such as newspaper articles, essay, short stories, travel reports, podcasts, and websites to explore the theme of travel. Conducted in German; Readings in German.
Format: seminar/discussion. Requirements: active class participation, frequent short writing assignments, oral presentation, and a final project.
Prerequisite: German 104 or equivalent. No enrollment limit (expected enrollment: 12).
Hour: MERLEY HILL

New Course Spring 2009:
GERM 202(S) Voices from the Edge: Minority Culture in Contemporary Germany
Recent literature, films, television shows, music, and websites attest to the increasing multiculturalism of the German-speaking countries. In this course we work with cultural products that have been created to give voice to various minority cultures in Germany, such as Turkish-German, Afro-German, Jewish, and gay cultures. Among the questions we will ask are: How are minority cultures represented? Who created this representation (i.e., is this a self-representation)? Is it empowering for the subject? Although we will focus primarily on cultural productions since 2000, we will also learn the history of each group’s presence in German-speaking countries, an important context for current debates. Conducted in German; Readings in German.
Format: seminar/discussion. Requirements: active class participation, frequent short writing assignments, and a final paper.
Prerequisite: German 201 or equivalent. No enrollment limit (expected enrollment: 12).
Hour: MERLEY HILL

New Course Fall 2008:
GERM 225(F) Wise Lady or Witchy Woman?  The History of Witches (Same as Comparative Literature 225 and Women’s and Gender Studies 223)
Although the first image that comes to mind may be a woman in a black hat, riding a broomstick, the word “witch” has had many meanings over its several hundred years of history.  In this course we trace the development of the witch, from Scandinavian mythology to the Spanish Inquisition, from the Salem Witch Trials to The Wizard of Oz.  Because the vast majority of witches have been women, this course is informed by a feminist perspective.  We will examine representations of the female witch in a variety of cultural productions, and we will consider what happens when women take back the word.  Materials will include historical texts, myths, fairy tales, literature, and film. Taught in English.
Format:  lecture/discussion.  Requirements:  active class participation, frequent short writing assignments, and a final project. 
Prerequisites: none. Enrollment limit:  30 (expected enrollment:  20).  Preference given to those majoring in German, Comparative Literature, Literary Studies, or Women’s and Gender Studies.
Hour: MERLEY HILL

New Course Fall 2008:
INTR 252(F) The Human Image: Photographing People and Their Stories (Same as ArtS 252)
The single most photographed subject is the human form. The motivations and strategies for imaging faces and bodies, both individual and aggregate, are as varied as the subjects themselves. In this course, we will examine some of the many approaches used to photograph people. We’ll start by exploring self-portraiture, and progress to photographing others--both familiars and strangers, in the studio and in less controlled environments. We’ll end with a consideration of “documentary” photography and other visual narratives. In each case, we’ll examine our reasons for making an image, and the methods available for achieving these goals. Thus, the class will have a significant technical component, dealing with the creative use of camera controls, the properties and uses of light, and digital capture and processing. We will also examine the conceptual and scientific bases for how we perceive and evaluate images. Students will initially use school-supplied digital cameras, and later have the option of using film. Lab fee: $100-150.
Format: Studio/lecture. Requirements: Students will be expected a) to photograph extensively outside of scheduled class hours b) to participate in class discussion and in both oral and written critique, c) to present one paper, and d) to exhibit their work at the end of the semester. Preprequisites: Students from all disciplines are welcome. Previous photography experience is desirable, but not essential. Students are strongly encouraged to contact the instructor if they have questions about course requirements. Enrollment limit: 12 (expected: 12). Preference to upper class students. This course satisfies an art major requirement.
Hour:B. GOLDSTEIN

To be offered Fall 2008:
MATH 302(F) Complex Analysis (Q)
The calculus of complex-valued functions turns out to have unexpected simplicity and power. As an example of simplicity, every complex-differentiable function is automatically infinitely differentiable. As examples of power, the so-called "residue calculus" permits the computation of "impossible" integrals, and "conformal mapping" reduces physical problems on very general domains to problems on the round disc. The easiest proof of the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra, not to mention the first proof of the Prime Number Theorem, used complex analysis.
Format:  lecture.  Evaluation will be based primarily on homework, classwork, and exams. Prerequisites:  Mathematics 301 or 305. No enrollment limit (expected: 10). 
Hour: LOOK

To be offered Fall 2008:
PSCI 217(F) Constitutional Law II: Rights
Constitutional Law II explores constraints imposed on governmental power by a system of civil rights. Areas examined include equal protection, due process, freedom of speech and religion. Within these and other broad doctrines, countless specific controversies arise. Those we address include abortion, same-sex marriage, affirmative action, flag-burning, and the death penalty. Much of the reading consists of Supreme Court cases, but we will also pay close attention to the broader context surrounding these cases. A recurring question is the relevance of the Court's undemocratic nature. Should the Court see itself as a tribune of the powerless, which must restrain the political branches or, alternatively, should it generally defer to the people's elected representatives? A closely related question involves the extent to which the Court should confine the rights it protects to those specifically listed in the Constitution. Finally, to what extent do and should judges consult their moral or even political views, as opposed to undertaking a more objective, apolitical or distinctly "judicial" analysis, in reaching decisions?
Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements: a midterm, final exam, 8- to 10-page paper, and class participation.
No prerequisites, but open only to those first-year students with Advanced Placement credit in American politics. Enrollment limit: 35 (expected: 35). Preference to Political Science Majors.
American Politics Subfield
8:30-9:45 MWF
MOORE

New Fall Course:
PSCI 304(F)  Race and the Criminal Justice System
This seminar will consider the role and treatment of racial/ethnic minorities in the criminal justice system. We will examine the historical and theoretical frameworks for understanding the relationship between race, crime, and criminal justice. In so doing, students will become familiar with trends and patterns in criminal offenders by racial/ethnic minorities as well as the systemic response to such behavior. The seminar focus substantively on the (racialization) of criminal social control and the consequences of mass imprisonment for families, communities, and our society. In addition to analyzing important texts in these areas, students will develop new insights on crime and punishment in the black experience through empirical research.  We will also discuss public policy in criminal justice with guest speakers from Members of Congress and distinguished academics.
Format: seminar. Requirements: readings, class presentation, book reviews and final research paper.
Prerequisites: one previous course in political science or permission of instructor. Enrollment limit: 20 (expected: 17). Preference given to political science majors.
American Politics Subfield
Hour: 7:00-9:40 M
MOORE

New Fall Course:
RLSP 255(F) Women’s Autobiographies in Post-Franco Spain (Same as Women's and Gender Studies 255)
This course is a study of the genre of autobiography and women narrators in twentieth-century Spain. We will read works by Carmen Martín Gaite, Ana María Matute, Rosa Chacel, Rosa Montero and Laura Freixas among others, where we will explore five essential elements that construct a life narrative: memory, experience, identity, body and agency. We will also analyze the self and identities of the narrators, and how their lives might reflect a collective memory of the Spanish community after dictatorship. Conducted in Spanish.
Format: discussion/seminar. Evaluation will be based on class participation, several short writing assignments, and a final paper. At least one of the short assignments will be edited and re-written; the final paper will be handed in as a draft first and then edited.
Prerequisite: Spanish 105 or higher, or permission of instructor, or results of the Williams College Placement Test. Enrollment limit: 22 (expected: 20). Preference given to Spanish majors and students with a background in literature.
Hour: 1:10-2:25 TF
PÉREZ-VILLANUEVA

The following course will be offered next Spring :
RLSP 301(S) Cervantes' Don Quijote
This course is an in-depth study of Cervantes' masterpiece Don Quijote. With this novel, Cervantes forever transformed the European literary landscape and the future of prose fiction. We will consider the singularity of Cervantes' achievement from the perspectives of language, literature, and culture. The literary and social background of the period will also shape our understanding of the work's historical context. Additional reading will include a selection of major critical studies. Conducted in Spanish.
Format: seminar. Evaluation will be based on meaningful class participation and 20-25 pages of writing divided into several discrete assignments, some of which will include rewriting, and a final paper.
Prerequisites: any 200-level Spanish course. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 15).
Hour: PEREZ-VILLANUEVA

Course title change:
THEA 342(F) Solo Theatre

Two sections to be offered Fall 2008:
WGST 101(F,S) Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies (W) (D)
MR 2:35-3:50 KENT
TR 11:20-12:35 CASE

Questions or concerns?
Send Email
Registrar Home . | .Williams Home