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Course Criteria
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4.00 Credits
In the past ten years, there has been a relative explosion on the big and little screens for black roles and shows - the films of Spike Lee, BET, "Yo, MYV Raps," Oscars for Denzel Washington and Whoopi Goldberg, "In Living Color," Mario Ven Peebles, John Singleton, and "Frank's Place." But how do they fit into the historical context of American films of the past century, and into American culture: What were the struggles like of black actors, writers, and directors This class will examine those struggles through readings, discussions, and above all viewing the old firms from silent and early sound days. We will see Stepin Fetchit, clips from "Birth of a Nation, " and "The Jazz Singer," as well as films by Oscar Micheaux, the acting and singing of Paul Robeson, and the 'first' all black musical "Hallelujah;" the feeble liberal attempts at integration in Hollywood as represented by "Pinky," and "Imitation of Life," independent wonders like "Nothing But A Man;" anf the wold and wacky '70s of 'blaxploitation.'
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4.00 Credits
Robert Sewall said, "Sometimes nothing but death will remind us that we are alive." Title Olsen reminded us that, "death deepens the wonder," yet many of us are afraid and embarassed to talk about death and its relationship to life. Everyone faces death alone, yet people from various cultures and religions have very different ways of thinking about death, preparing for it and grieving. Just the mention of the word death stirs up emotion. In this course we will study the process of dying in order to demystify it, and then study intricate emotional, spiritual, and psychological avenues of thought that this emotionally charged topic brings forth. Using such authors as Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, C.S. Lewis, Sherwin B. Nuland, and others, we will wxamine dying as a necessary process to be studied by the living to enjoy a fuller and more complete life. Through a combonation of discussions, individual and group presentations, and informal lectures, students will study aspects of death by starting with Dr. Sherwin B. Nuland's book, How We Die, and broaden our understanding of various cultures and religions have developed models for coping with death and grieving. We will explore the relationship between death and love in different cultures and religious settings to gain a better understanding of how befriending death enhances life.
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4.00 Credits
Students will analyze the specific strengths and weaknesses of films such as "Citizen Kane," "Mane's Crossing," and "Short Cuts." By examining the broader philosophical contexts of film criticism, students will gain a deeper understanding of the universe of discourse about art and an appreciation for the distinctive art of the cinema. All students will read a selection of philosophical texts, view films, and join in class discussions. Students registered for AL-9 and AL-10 competences will fill additional requirements.
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4.00 Credits
In a certain sense, everyone is a philosopher. Yet too few people study philosophy itself to bring out their hidden philosopher. In this course, we will examine original writings to see how great minds from other cultures look at the human condition. This course emphasizes critical reading and conversation. Our range of study will be extensive, for example, Ewe and Swahili proverbs from Africa, al-Farabi and Bahya from West Asia, the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita from South Asia, and Confucius and Lao Tzu from East Asia. To facilitate their active participation in class discussions, students will prepare microthemes, brief reflections on the study assignments. Pre-'99 Competencies: AL-5, AL-C, HC-C. Faculty: Patrick J. Keleher, Jr.
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4.00 Credits
Students will learn the breadth of the art of storytelling, from its roots as oral performance in a variety of traditional cultures to its recent revival in America. This is essentially a performance course, with side journeys into history, theory, and applications. Students will begin with personal and family stories, sharing first in class in groups. then they will create elaborated performance pieces from this material. Videos, audiotapes, books, and live performance from professional tellers will be used as guides. The instructor will show how personal stories can connect to themes in world folklore and mythology. Pre-'99 Competencies: AL-2, AL-A, AL-E. BA'99 Competencies: A-2-A, A-2-B, A-1-H. Faculty: Joseph Sobol
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4.00 Credits
In this course, we will examine the folklore process as it is acted in rural societies, and the changes and continuities that characterize folklore in a modern urban setting like Chicago. The class will be introduced to the history of the discipline, the system of folklore classification by genres as well as more recent approaches to fieldwork dynamics, cultural process and contemporary. Class projects will involve field collection and analysis of lore of an ethnic, family or other contemporary folklore-generating community. Pre-'99 Competencies: HC-1, HC-C, AL-4, AL-E. BA'99 Competencies: H-1-E, H-1-B, A-3-D, A-1-H. Faculty: Joseph D. Sobol
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4.00 Credits
A three-part introductory investigation of the writer's life and work, focused primarily on giving the students the opportunity to develop a personal relationship - or, at the very least, to have an intimate experience - with the writer's work. This course is founded on the premise that his plays are universal and timeless, and contain the profound questions of human existence: Who am I What is God Can love conquer all Is happiness possible in a fallen world Though the focus of the course will be on the personal response and interpretation and not on research, the course will loosely trace the writer's life and work, touching upon many aspects of Elizabethan cosiety, life, mores, politics. Three plays - one early, one middle, and one late - will be examined.
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4.00 Credits
Our identity and behavior are formed and honed in social groups. This course will draw on literature, film and theories of social psychology to study influence and communication patterns in work and family. The roles we are given and assume shape our identity and development. Students will read literature, view film, and reflect on their experience using the perspective and heuristic tools provided by social psychology. We will examine how social characteristics and communication pattern shape us. Literary and artistic works will be sources for illuminating the human condition. Changes in attitudes, values, and goals that occur as we develop as adults will be viewed through the lens of our membership and interaction with groups.. Pre-'99 Competencies: HC-C, AL-C, AL-D. Faculty: Pat Ryan
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4.00 Credits
This is a course in media studies, persuasive communication, business writing, and classical and modern rhetoric. Our study and discussion will cover: 1) the evolution of modern media (from print to book publishing to TV and the internet) and their impact on society and culture; 2) theory and practice of persuasive communication - as exemplified in a variety of different forms from campaign debates and business memos to TV commercials and political cartoons; 3) essential principles of effective professional and technical communication - examined mainly from the standpoint of classical rhetoric but also in light of recent developments in communication theory, cognitive science, and psycholinguistics. The main emphasis of the course will be to show how classical models of rhetoric (originally designed to guide the composition and evaluate the effectiveness of ancient oratorical and literary works) still provide an excellent framework for understanding modern media and improving practical communication skills. This course is also offered in an online version open to students at all campuses. Pre-'99 Competencies: WW, HC-D, AL-F. BA'99 Competencies: A-1-X, F-X, H-2-G. Faculty: David Simpson
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4.00 Credits
The innocent suffer--how can that be possible and God be just Robert Kennedy scrawled these words on a legal pad the day his brother was murdered, and they echo the cry of countless human beings down through the ages. They also echo some of the greatest voices in our literature, among them Job, Milton, Voltaire, Melville and Dostoevsky. Philosophers and theologians refer to this topic as theodicy, or the problem of evil. This course will survey the problem of evil as it have been treated by imaginative writers from a variety of cultural standpoints. We will examine plays, poetry and fiction from both the ancient and modern periods. Moreover, we will consider the perspectives which inform these works, be they Judeo-Christian, Buddhist, psychoanalytic, feminist, or post-colonial. Texts to be emphasized may include Wisel, Night; Euripides, The Bacchae; Shelley, Frankenstein; Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell; Achebe, Things Fall Apart; Hesse, Siddhartha; and the films Brimstone and Treacle and Mother Night. Learning strategies include a journal of the readings, a dialogue and a final exam. Pre-1999 Competencies: AL-1, AL-5, AL-C, AL-R. BA-1999 Competencies: A-1-A, A-1-D, A-3-E, A-3-G. Faculty: John Kimsey
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