Global Arc

With the frenzied pace of life, there is little time to ponder the meaning of life. How does a person find deeper meaning? What is the relationship of the meaning of my life to a larger purpose? Writers, thinkers, & religious thinkers; ordinary folks--a neighbor, one's parents & grandparents--have grappled with these questions. The course explores some responses to the "big questions" of life. Readings & films are taken from different cultures, times, & spheres of human endeavor & experience.

What is the role of sound in film? Music and sound effects are central elements of telling its stories by establishing pacing, enhancing mood, commenting on or interpreting, even contradicting and subverting what we see. This course explores these questions from the "talkies" of the late 1920s to the films of today. Over this time filmmaking technology has been transformed by post-production editing. We will analyze selected films and scenes to develop a technical and critical vocabulary to describe and assess the multiple visual and aural layers of a still evolving art form in which what we hear is as important as what we see.

In this cross-disciplinary seminar, students will embark on a journey to understand language technology i.e ChatGPT, Gemini, Llama etc and, in particular, its application to the intricacies of the African languages. By examining the evolution of language technology and its limited application to commercially profitable languages, the course will highlight the need for expansion into a wider array of world languages in order to equally provide the cultural and societal benefits that the technology provides. Students will gain an understanding of how language technology impacts daily life through examples like smart devices and virtual agents.

This seminar will dig deeply into American history during the early national period. It will examine politics, high and low, as well as cultural and intellectual developments. By making these moves, and, crucially, by thinking about how historians make them, the course will teeter constantly between its express content and larger lessons about historical methodology and practice.

Immigrant rights advocates propose sanctuary as a framework for immigrant inclusion while conservatives have countered with legislation, lawsuits, and rhetoric. But what does sanctuary mean for immigrants and community members who embrace the concept? What are practical tools drawn from sanctuary that shape welcoming communities in the U.S., and how can they evolve to account for new realities? Using scholarly writings, first-person accounts, gray literature, periodicals, and multimedia resources, we will examine sanctuary. We will also engage with theorists and practitioners conceptualizing and applying sanctuary to community-engaged work.

Food and science are integrated in our everyday lives, and this seminar explores their intersection in the kitchen. You will learn how to prepare foods like humus, falafel, manakish za'atar and to make cheese, yogurt, pickles, kombucha, and much more! Through food production and consumption, you will discover the fascinating world of molecular biology, microbiology, and biochemistry. We will also study how naturally occurring chemicals produced by microbes or plants can affect our bodies and health. This course will mostly prepare vegetarian foods and no prior cooking experience is required.

Some 125 stone plaques in Rome mark inundations dating back 800 years. We trace the rise and fall of the Tiber using the tools of geodesy. We introduce the quantitative geoscience of measuring Earth's shape, deformation, and its gravity field. Lectures on fundamental principles and programming exercises prepare for outdoor on-campus field-work and the mandatory week-long research trip to Italy. In Rome, we measure and map the elevation of known historical flood markers, placing them in the chronological context of urbanization, interpreting them in the light of humanity's attempts to control nature. Must be 18 with valid passport.

For as long as we have been human, we have been looking up. In this course, we will explore the connection between past and present: what tools did ancient civilizations use to study astronomical phenomena, how did they then explain said phenomena, and how does what they learned compare to what we know now? In addition to readings and discussions, we will collaborate on the creation of "artifacts," conduct research, and visit museums to view artifacts associated with the history of astronomy. This course will combine the creative and the scientific. Fall break will be spent in Cusco, Peru, where we will tour Incan astronomical sites.

This course explores the representation of the Middle East in Western media, challenging misconceptions, prejudices, and stereotypes. It analyzes how the media perpetuates these perceptions. It examines various mediums, including the video game Call of Duty, to understand how the Middle East is constructed and its individuals are depicted as villains. It provides an analytical framework to help students develop critical analysis skills to challenge prevailing narratives that shape popular perceptions. It fosters critical thinking to discern accurate and unbiased depictions of the "other" and promotes empathy, respect, and appreciation.

Feminism is an identity practice, but it is also a lens that we can use to examine the world around us. In this seminar, we will study influential feminist theories--historical and contemporary, scholarly and popular--and use them to analyze a range of contemporary pop cultural forms including Broadway musicals, movies, magazines, television shows, stand-up comedy specials, social media, and music.