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Course Catalog 2006-2007 
    
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Course Catalog 2006-2007 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Oberlin College Courses

 

Sociology
  

  • SOCI 124 - Classics of Sociology

    3 SS, WR
    First Semester. Modern sociology was born in the context of the transition from traditional to modern societies in the West. This dramatic transformation opened a whole series of new social and political problems which have defined the modern era. We will explore the ways some important founding figures of sociology analyzed such problems as individualism, alienation, lack of community, class conflict, and modern capitalism. We will address the relevance of classical sociology for contemporary issues and the students’ personal experiences.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment Limit: 45.
    Mr. Vujacic

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 125 - Sociological Analysis of Society

    3 SS
    Second Semester. A survey course to introduce students to the sociological way of looking at our world. This examination requires an exploration of the concepts, theories, and research findings related to the social organization of our world. Areas to be examined: concepts, culture, socialization, deviance and social control, social stratification, intergroup relations, the family, religion, politics, economics, and social movements.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment Limit: 45. Limited to first- and second-year students.
    Mr. White

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 127 - Introduction to Sociology

    3 SS
    Second Semester. The goal of sociology is to offer insights into our social environment, which we often take for granted, to explain the social processes that shape our lives. Sociologists address such questions as why are there inequalities; what role does religion play in our society; how is technology changing our lives; etc. This course introduces students to these and other topics as well as to the dominant theories and methods of the discipline.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment Limit: 45.
    Mr. Dhingra

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 211 - Social Research Methods

    4 SS, QPh, WR
    First Semester. This course introduces students to the analytical logic and skills required for research in sociology. Emphasis is placed on teaching and executing the research process. Information literacy goals are addressed, such as evaluating the appropriateness, reliability and accuracy of different types of information; developing familiarity with sources of available data; generating new data; and interpreting empirical information within a theoretical framework. As groups, students work on research projects throughout the semester.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: One introductory course in sociology
    Students must sign up for lab
    Enrollment Limit: 24
    Ms. John

    Credits: 4 hours
  

  • SOCI 215 - Contemporary Asian American Experience

    3 SS, CD
    Second Semester. The goal of the course is to introduce you to a range of contemporary issues dealing with Asian Americans and immigrants generally. The focus is less on each ethnic group’s differences and more on the trends that many groups face, with a focus on how they experience challenges and claim accomplishments. The course stresses the light that studying Asian Americans sheds on other groups and for the country as a whole, including immigration, identity, religion, family, gender, race relations, and other topics. We will read from a variety of disciplines, with stress on sociology.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: One course in sociology.
    Enrollment Limit: 35.
    Mr. Dhingra

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 222 - Introduction to Social Psychology

    3 SS
    Second Semester. Social psychology is an area of study within sociology which examines the relationship between the individual and society. Emphasis is placed on the scientific study of the social behavior and experiences stemming from individual’s participation in social groups, interaction with others, and the effects of the cultural environment and social structures on the individual. Topics in social psychology include theories in social psychology, socialization, self and identity, attitudes and attitude change, social perception, language, social communication and group processes.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    One introductory course in Sociology or consent of instructor
    Enrollment Limit: 35
    Mr. White

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 230 - Social Change and Political Transformation in Eastern Europe

    3 SS



    Prerequisites & Notes
    Next Offered:  2007-2008
    Mr. Vujacic

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 233 - Gender, Social Change, and Social Movements

    3 SS, CD, WR



    Prerequisites & Notes
    Next Offered:  2007-2008
    Ms. Hasso

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 235 - Gender Stratification

    3 SS, CD, QPh, WR

    Second Semester.  This course is intended to introduce students to the sociological study of gender.  Many areas relating to gender inequality will be covered.  Emphasis will be placed on the social production of gender as well as how structural forces shape the experiences of women and men with emphasis on race, ethnicity, economy, and institutions.  The goal of the course is to give students general knowledge in the area of gender stratification and allow them to understand how and why gender inequality pervades social existence. 

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisites:  One course in Sociology or consent of instructor. 
    Enrollment Limit:  35. 
    Ms. John

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 238 - Gender and Sexuality in the Middle East and North Africa

    Second Semester. This interdisciplinary survey course will examine issues of gender and sexualities, including cultural politics, and constructions of masculinities and femininities, in the Middle East and North Africa. The course pays attention to regional contextualization, historicization, and plurality. This course fulfills the feminist theory requirement.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: GAWS 100, a gender-focused introductory course in sociology, or consent of instructor.
    Note: Closed to first-year students. 
    Enrollment Limit: 30
    Ms. Hasso

    [Next Offered 2007-2008]

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 254 - Political Sociology

    3 SS
    First Semester. This course is intended as an introduction to a major sub-field of sociology, the sociology of politics. We will begin with an examination of the birth of democratic politics in the contemporary Western world. We will touch on such problems as the social origins of democracy, the rise of political citizenship and the modern nation-state, class and elite conflict, lower-class social movements, and the political-cultural foundations of democratic politics. In the second part of the course we will concentrate on one of the major anti-liberal movements and regimes in the 20th century, Nazism.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment Limit: 35.
    Mr. Vujacic

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 258 - Security, Secrecy, and Spectacle: Surveillance Society Since 9/11

    3SS   New Course Added 10/24/2006
    Spring Semester. How are legal institutions changing in the wake of 9/11?  We will sketch an answer to this question in this course, both by expanding our cognitive toolkits to incorporate insights of recent/contemporary social theorists (e.g., the growth of panoptic surveillance in the modern world) and by exploring the profound changes now taking place with respect to habeas corpus, the growth of hidden prisons and wire-tapping, etc.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: One course in Sociology or consent of instructor. 

    Enrollment Limit:  25

    Mr. Steward

    Credits: 3 Credits
  

  • SOCI 271 - Sociology of Law and Legal Institutions

    3 SS  New Course added 05/12/2006
    Second Semester. Attention is given to the development of legal norms and related institutions. Institutional analysis will be directed primarily toward courts, judges, prosecutors, lawyers and legal training, prisons and prison functionaries.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: One introductory course in Sociology.
    Enrollment Limit: 30.
    Mr. Steward

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 277 - Race and Ethnic Relations

    3 SS, CD
    First Semester. This course introduces and critically reviews the nature of relations between racial and ethnic groups. We examine concepts, perspectives, and research associated with majority and minority group relations. Included is an exploration into the role of racism, prejudice and discrimination in majority and minority relations. Furthermore, we examine the role of immigration and the experiences of selected racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Limited attention will be given to ethnic relations in the global context.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment Limit: 30
    Mr. White

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 282 - Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory

    4 SS, CD, WR
    Second Semester. Classical sociology arose in response to social problems opened up by the advent of industrial society, from the disintegration of community and the decline of religion to class conflict, and the rationalization of social life. The founding fathers of modern sociology—Durkheim, Marx, and Weber—formulated their theories in response to these problems and established three distinct traditions in sociological theory. This course explores continuities between classical and contemporary sociology in each of these three traditions.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment Limit: 40
    Note: Priority given to Sociology majors
    Mr. Vujacic

    Credits: 4 hours
  

  • SOCI 304 - Loose Canons: Constructing the Classics in Law and Society

    3SS   New Course Added 10/24/2006
    Spring Semester.  Disciplines are often understood through their classical/canonical texts. But what happens when disciplines collide?  We will explore the merging (and  emerging) canons of law and society scholarship, an interdisciplinary field including law, sociology, politics, history, anthropology, etc. We will study canonical texts as an advanced law and society course, and we will consider their canonicity as a case study in the sociology of knowledge.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: One course in Sociology or consent of instructor. 

    Enrollment Limit:  25

    Mr. Steward

    Credits: 3 Credits
  

  • SOCI 314 - Unequal Educations

    3SS
    Second Semester.  This course focuses on education as a social institution and the inequalities structured within it.  Using theory and empirical evidence, education in the United States will be examined from pre-school through post-secondary levels.  The intersections of education and other institutions, (e.g. political, economic and familial) are analyzed and include discussions of race/ethnicity, class, gender and sexuality.  Further, the role of education in social reproduction and social control will be examined.



    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment Limit:  25
    Ms. John

    Credits: 3
  

  • SOCI 340 - Nationalism, Culture, and Politics Under and After Dictatorship: Spain and Yugoslavia in the Twentieth Century

    1.5 SS, 1.5 HU, CD

    Second Semester.  This course focuses on education as a social institution and the inequalities structured within it.  Using theory and empirical evidence, education in the United States will be examined from pre-school through post-secondary levels.  The intersections of education and other institutions, (e.g. political, economic and familial) are analyzed and include discussions of race/ethnicity, class, gender and sexuality.  Further, the role of education in social reproduction and social control will be examined.



    Prerequisites & Notes
    Identical to HISP 340.
    Enrollment Limit:  35

    Mr. Vujacic

    Credits: 3
  

  • SOCI 348 - Constructing Immigrant Communities

    3 SS New Course Added 04/13/2006

    First Semester.  The U.S. is currently experiencing its highest rates of immigration ever – both legal and illegal. How are groups building distinct communities and/or assimilating? What is the reaction of the second generation to its minority status? Also, how should the U.S. respond to immigration? Is the discourse of multiculturalism helpful? Taking a comparative approach, we examine why groups immigrate, the kinds of communities  they form, and with what effects on themselves, other groups, and the  nation.



    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment LImit 25

    Mr. Dhingra

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 354 - Social Movements and Revolutionary Change

    3 SS
    Next offered 2007-2008
    Mr. Vujacic


    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 378 - Sociology of the African American Community

    3 SS, CD
    Next offered 2007-2008

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 391 - Practicum in Sociology

    2-3 SS
    This course combines individual internships and private readings on a subject matter related to the internship—for example, an internship in a social service agency and readings and discussion on poverty and welfare issues.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    See individual faculty.
    Sections will be offered by Ms. John, Mr. Dhingra, Mr. Vujacic, and Mr. White. Note: At the discretion of the instructor, grading for this course may be CR/NE or P/NP only
    Prerequisites: Two courses in Sociology
    Consent of instructor required

    Credits: 2 to 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 392 - Internships in Teaching

    1-2 SS
    This course offers students the opportunity to work with a Sociology faculty member as a teaching assistant for one of the faculty member’s courses. Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, leading discussion groups, maintaining course websites, conducting library research and providing review of materials.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    See individual faculty.
    Sections will be offered by Ms. John, Mr. Dhingra, Mr. Vujacic, and Mr. White.
    Note: At the discretion of the instructor, grading for this course may be CR/NE or P/NP only.
    Prerequisites: Two courses in Sociology
    Consent of instructor is required.

    Credits: 1 to 2 hours
  

  • SOCI 403 - Seminar in Social Psychology: African-American Personality

    3 SS, CD

    First Semester. The purpose of this course is to critically examine the literature and research on the African-American psychology and personality. Specific attention will be given to: the sociological, psychological and the afrocentric approaches to the study of African-American personality; the issue of measurement or assessment of minority personality (e.g., testing bias, etc.); the role of family and other institutions on the African-American personality; African-American self-esteem and identity and other racial concerns related to African American psychology. 

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisites: Three courses in sociology or African-American Studies or consent of instructor.
    Enrollment Limit: 12. 
    Preference given to senior sociology and AAST majors. Junior majors may also participate.

    Mr. White

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 406 - Seminar: Gender and the State in the Middle East and North Africa

    4 SS, CD, WRi



    Prerequisites & Notes
    Next Offered:  2007-2008
    Ms. Hasso

    Credits: 4 hours
  

  • SOCI 407 - Seminar in Social Psychology: Racial and Ethnic Identities 3 hours in the 21st Century

    3 SS



    Prerequisites & Notes
    Next Offered:  2007-2008
    Mr. White

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 431 - The Making and Unmaking of Communist Ideals

    3 SS
    Second Semester. This seminar explores the development of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe through historiography, literature, and film. The main part of the course is devoted to early revolutionary dilemmas, the relationship of intellectuals to the revolution in Soviet Russia and the West, and the rise of Stalinism. With novels by Gladkov, Silone, Koestler, Solzhenitsyn, and Milosz, and films by Beaty, Bertolucci, Mikhalkov, and Makavejev.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisites: Two courses in Sociology or consent of instructor
    Enrollment Limit: 12
    Mr. Vujacic

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 436 - Seminar in Sexualities and Collective Action

    3 SS, CD, WR
    Next offered 2007-2008

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 442 - Censorship and Silencing

    3SS    New Course Added 10/24/2006
    Second Semester.  We will open with a study of the liberal orthodoxy regarding freedom of expression and the problem of state censorship.  We will then turn to various  heterodoxies that challenge the conventional wisdom: problems of media concentration and non-state censorship; the problem of silencing via hate speech; etc. We will also address the ways that technology enables and constrains practices of censorship and silencing.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. 

    Enrollment Limit:  10

    Mr. Steward

    Credits: 3 Credits
  

  • SOCI 443 - Generations of Youth: Relationship, Work, Culture, and Communication

    3 SS



    Prerequisites & Notes
    Next Offered:  2007-2008
    Ms. John

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 450 - Beyond Us Vs. Them: How We Manage Contradictory Categories

    3 SS, CD
    First Semester.  We frame people as divided into competing groups (e.g. poor vs. rich, immigrant vs. American). But this is too simplistic, for we frequently inhabit contradictory categories (e.g. mothers in high-status careers, mixed races, gay Christians). This course advances current theories of group hierarchies and individual agency by examining how people manage conflicting statuses. We incorporate multiple disciplines, not only sociology. Students will research whichever groups interest them for a final project.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: Senior sociology majors only. Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 12.
    Mr. Dhingra

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 490 - Junior Year Honors

    1-3 SS
    Sections will be offered by Ms. John, Mr. Dhingra, Mr. Vujacic, and Mr. White.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required

    Credits: 1 to 3 hours
  

  • SOCI 491 - Senior Year Honors

    1-6 SS
    Sections will be offered by Ms. John, Mr. Dhingra, Mr. Vujacic, and Mr. White.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required

    Credits: 1 to 6 hours
  

  • SOCI 995 - Private Reading

    .5-3 SS
    Projects will be sponsored by Ms. John, Mr. Dhingra, Mr. Steward, Mr. Vujacic, and Mr. White.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required.
    Note: At the discretion of the instructor, grading for this course may be CR/NE or P/NP only.

    Credits: .5 to 3 hours

Technology in Music and Related Arts
  

  • TECH 100 - Introduction to Music Technology I

    First Semester. Survey of relationships between music and current and emerging technologies. Selected review of historically significant works and composers, and of contemporary uses of the medium. Discussion of the impact of new media on the aesthetics, thought processes, and working methods of the composer. Introduction to MIDI, sound synthesis, and digital audio. Practical work in the music technology lab. Preference given to students for whom this course is required.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 18.
    Mr. Feller

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • TECH 150 - Studio Skills for Composers

    Second Semester. Introduction to concepts of recording, mixing, editing, and composition within the realm of the large studio. Students will work on creative projects including the recording of live performers and intermediate MIDI techniques. Opportunities for individual hands-on recording will be limited, but students will be involved in a number of in-class recording sessions in which their music (or the music of their peers) is recorded. Course will cover editing and revision for digital audio, and compositional, technical and aesthetic issues associated with recorded music, and the effective combination of digital audio and MIDI sources.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: TECH 100. Preference given to students for whom this course is required. Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 18.
    Mr. Feller

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • TECH 200 - Studio Techniques

    First Semester. An introduction to the studio environment. Practical work includes analog sound models, MIDI, digital audio, DAT and ADAT, synthesis techniques, sequencing and sound editing on the computer. Introduction to working with additional media in the studio and on the Internet. Survey of historical and contemporary practice in the field, exploration of analytical and critical techniques. Preference given to students for whom this course is required.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 12.
    Mr. Lopez

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • TECH 201 - Computer Music

    Second Semester. Creation and transcription of music for performance under computer control. Introduction to MAX, an object-oriented, interactive musical programming language. Concept and design of computer instruments. Introduction to theories of digital sound generation, sampling, and editing. Investigation of timbre synthesis by means of frequency modulation. Practical work with computers. Projects emphasizing individual creative goals.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: TECH 200. Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 12.
    Mr. Nelson

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • TECH 210 - Advanced Computer Music

    First Semester. Investigation of theoretical aspects of digital synthesis (sampling theory, signal processing, and program design). Concepts in elementary mathematics will be introduced. Discussion and application of algorithms for computer-assisted composition. Investigation of real-time techniques using the Macintosh computer, MIDI, and digital sound synthesizers. Individual creative projects stressing the unique capabilities of digital music systems.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: TECH 201. Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 12.
    Mr. Nelson

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • TECH 211 - Performance Technology

    Second Semester. Concentration on realtime technologies and performance issues. Emphasis on creative work outside the studio with a requirement for at least two public performances. Topics include performance issues in the field, performance technologies not already covered in previous courses, realtime sonic and visual systems, realtime motion sensing, performative gesture, and ensemble and collaboration issues. Students will engage frequently in self-critique and class critique.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: TECH 210. Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 12.
    Mr. Lopez

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • TECH 250 - Analog and Digital Circuit Design

    First Semester. A year-long course offered in alternate years. The first semester concentrates on the theory and design of the basic components found in analog electronic music synthesizing systems. The second semester expands into systems design employing digital circuitry and components used in hybrid systems. Practical work in the TIMARA electronic laboratory.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 12.
    Mr. Talbert

    [Next Offered 2007-2008]


    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • TECH 251 - Analog and Digital Circuit Design

    Second Semester. A year-long course offered in alternate years. The first semester concentrates on the theory and design of the basic components found in analog electronic music synthesizing systems. The second semester expands into systems design employing digital circuitry and components used in hybrid systems. Practical work in the TIMARA electronic laboratory.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 12.
    Mr. Talbert

    [Next Offered 2007-2008]


    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • TECH 305 - Collaborative Investigations in Choreography and Composition

    3 HU

    Second Semester. The goal of this course is to initiate and support contact among students who have a strong interest in developing collaborative work with each other. We will investigate and experiment with various models of collaboration; participants will create studies in response to artistic challenges and problems. As a means to better understand the medium of their collaborators, students will also investigate those disciplines in which they are less accomplished. Artists we may study include: Adams/Sellars, Cage/Cunningham, Glass/Wilson, The Rachel’s/Bogart.  P/NP/CR/NE Grading only.

           

     

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Identical to Dance 305.
    Enrollment Limit: 20
    Consent of instructor required.
    This course will satisfy a TECH 350 requirement for TIMARA majors.

    Mr. Lopez, Ms. Martynuk


    Credits: 3
  

  • TECH 310 - Independent Creative Project

    First and Second Semester. An opportunity for students who have completed introductory and intermediate work in the TIMARA studios and who wish to undertake an individual project on an advanced level. Primarily intended to support the development of the Junior Project or Junior Recital. Work created for this course will receive group critique in the Junior/Senior Seminar.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: Junior standing in the TIMARA major. Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 10.
    Mr. Lopez, Mr. Nelson

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • TECH 330 - Studio Recording

    First Semester. Theory and application of studio equipment to the recording of acoustic and electronic musical instruments. Use of recording equipment including multi-track tape recorders, analog and digital tape recorders, mixing consoles, signal processing devices, and microphones. Projects will include multi-track recordings, direct to stereo recordings, and advanced tape editing.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: Junior standing in the TIMARA major. Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 10.
    Mr. Eachus


    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • TECH 350 - Workshop in Music and Media Technologies

    First and Second Semester. Advanced workshops in the use of technological media in composition, performance, interactive media, and in interdisciplinary contexts. Emphasis on creation of original works and solution of performance problems of analog, digital, and hybrid music systems, and the use of technological media in a variety of contexts.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: TECH 211. Note: May be repeated for credit. Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 15.
    Mr. Nelson

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • TECH 351 - Workshop in Solar Music

    First Semester. TECH 351 explores the use of sound and music in articulating environmental phenomena, focusing on solar power in real time and space. The course will combine the expertise of faculty and students in musical composition, environmental studies, and physics to design solar thermal musical instruments. We also plan to use sound to articulate resource consumption and solar power electronically, based on data from the Adam Joseph Lewis Center’s monitoring system.  Students in this class will join students from ENVS 212 for the second module to produce sounding installations. This course satisfies a TECH 350 requirement for TIMARA majors.


    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment limit: 10
    Mr. Lopez



    Credits: 3
  

  • TECH 410 - Independent Creative Project

    First and Second Semester. An opportunity for students who have completed introductory and intermediate work in the TIMARA studios and who wish to undertake an individual project on an advanced level. Primarily intended to support the development of the Senior Project or Senior Recital. Work created for this course will receive group critique in the Junior/Senior Seminar.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: Senior standing in the TIMARA major. Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 10.
    Mr. Lopez, Mr. Nelson

    Credits: 3 hours

Theater
  

  • THEA 100 - Acting 1: Fundamentals

    3 HU
    First and Second Semester. The focus of this class is on developing specific techniques basic to American acting traditions (conversational reality; executing activities; playing intentions) and applying these skills in contemporary scene work. Intended for first- and second-year students. Auditions (prepare one- to two-minute contemporary monologue) will be scheduled during orientation week for fall semester sections and during the week preceding registration for spring semester.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of chair required.
    Enrollment Limit: 16.
    Mr. Moser

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 101 - Introduction to Theater Arts

    3HU
    This course traces the process by which a work of dramatic literature moves from page to stage. This is a team taught class including the entire Theater and Dance faculty. We will focus on all major aspects in which a theatrical production is actualized, with special attention on how comprehensive text analysis leads to a concept defining artistic choices. The course will cover design collaboration, an overview of both production implementation (sets, costumes and lights) and the rehearsal process (staging, coaching, and stage management), as well as how these elements are finally synthesized in performance. (This course is highly recommended for first and second year students planning to take THEA 100: Acting 1, offered second semester.)


    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment Limit: 50.
    Mr. Grube.

    [Next Offered 2007-2008]

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 105 - Exploring Acting

    3 HU 
    First Semester. This course is intended to allow non-Theater majors to explore the craft of acting and live performance. Students will use storytelling, improvisations, and scene work to become familiar with techniques in creating character, identifying obstacles and objectives, and pursuing actions on stage. Students will also engage in theatrical exercises aimed at developing vocal expression, physical activity, and emotional realism, as well as discussions exploring the nature and function of theatre.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Note: This course is intended for third- and fourth-year students only.
    Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 16.
    Mr. Emeka

     

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 172 - Technical Production: Scenery

    3 HU

    First and Second Semester.  Beginning work in the techniques and principles used in technical production for theater, dance, and opera. Lecture materials include: production management, stage rigging, orthographic projection, elements of the physical plant as well as construction methods used in building scenic units. Students participate in fabricating scenery for the semester’s productions as scheduled.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment Limit 14

    Mr Grube, Mr. Natt

    Credits: 3
  

  • THEA 173 - Production: Costumes

    3 HU
    Second Semester. An overview of the costuming process from the development of the costume design through the construction of the costume. Also includes seminars in costume crafts, shop management and fabrication. A three-hour weekly lab focuses on theatrical costume techniques and approaches.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 8.
    Ms. Cuthbertson

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 174 - Lighting Technology

    2 HU  New Course Added 09/20/2006

    First Semester, Second Module. An introduction to lighting technology, terminology and technique.  Lectures cover lighting history, equipment, manual and computer controlled lighting systems, distribution systems, electricity, lamps, reflectors, lenses, projection equipment and moving lights.  Students hang and focus lights for actual shows and participate in a crew for a theater, dance or opera production during the semester.  In case of schedule conflicts a project may be substituted for the run crew.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment limit 20.  

    Mr. Benjamin

     

    Credits: 2 Hours
  

  • THEA 199 - Theater Production Lab

    0 HU
    First and Second Semester. Each enrolled student will serve on one technical/administrative crew for one of the theater, dance or opera productions during the semester: scenery, lighting, sound, costumes or publicity. Mandatory one-time class meeting on the second Friday of the semester; 4:30-6:00 p.m.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Ms. Jobe

    Credits: 0 hours
  

  • THEA 200 - Acting 2: Scene Study

    3 HU
    First Semester. A year long sequence of intermediate level scene study work. The class will focus on observation, personalization, activation, and listening. First semester will utilize plays by contemporary playwrights. Second semester will utilize classical American plays by such authors as Odetts, Miller, Hansberry, Wilson and Williams.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Notes: Auditions in late spring. A few slots will be held for fall auditions and transfers.
    Prerequisite: THEA 100. Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 12.
    Mr. Wright.

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 201 - Acting 2: Scene Study

    3 HU
    Second Semester. A year long sequence of intermediate level scene study work. The class will focus on observation, personalization, activation, and listening. First semester will utilize plays by contemporary playwrights. Second semester will utilize classical American plays by such authors as Odetts, Miller, Hansberry, Wilson and Williams.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Notes: Auditions in late fall. A few slots will be held for late auditions and transfers.
    Prerequisite: THEA 100. Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 12.
    Staff

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 208 - Introducting to Directing

    3 HU

     First Semester. This course is designed to introduce students to the art and craft of directing. Students will explore the theory and function of the director as well as become familiar with the step by step process that a director must take to create a piece from first read into production. Students will develop strategies for analyzing scripts, visualizing design concepts, as well as engage in exercises to create dynamic staging and begin building a vocabulary for working with actors.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 12.
    Mr. Emeka


    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 210 - Movement for Actors

    3 HU
    First Semester. This studio course explores movement through both a structured and an improvisational approach. We will emphasize developing an expressive and malleable physicality. The basis for individual movement exploration is in Laban Effort/Shape work. Group improvisations will focus on responsive/openness; the ability to respond to quickly changing circumstances while remaining open to the choices of others. Awareness, presence, alignment and strength will also be addressed through the consistent practice of certain movement patterns. There will be out of class assignments in addition to the studio work.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 15.
    Ms. Martynuk

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 212 - Stage Management

    3 HU 

    Second Semester. This course is an introduction to the practice of stage management for theater, dance, musical theater, and opera. Topics covered include: organization, communication, interpersonal relations, the production process, rehearsal and performance procedures, and documentation. This course will culminate in a final stage manamgement project and a prompt book for a play. 

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of the instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 14.
    Ms. Jobe

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 213 - Stage Management Practicum

    1-4 HU
    First and Second Semester. For student stage managers currently working on productions sponsored by the Theater and Dance Program.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Note: May be taken concurrently with THEA 212.
    Consent of instructor required.
    Ms. Jobe

    Credits: 1 to 4 hours
  

  • THEA 222 - Introduction to Design

    3 HU
    First Semester. An introduction to designing for the performing arts. Lectures and readings cover elements of theater design, i.e., scenery, costumes, and lighting, used to express creative ideas. Projects provide a chance to experiment with the building blocks of design. Text analysis and concept also are covered from a visual perspective. A preliminary course to further studies in scene, costume, or lighting design.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 12.
    Mr. Flaharty

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 225 - Individual or Group Projects

    1-3 HU
    First and Second Semester. Intended for intermediate or advanced-level work by individuals and small groups not easily covered in the private reading option. Projects must be approved by the sponsoring faculty member before registration. Demands high student initiative and sustained individual work. Projects sponsored by Ms. Jobe and Mr. Moser.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of director required.

     

    Credits: 1 to 3 hours
  

  • THEA 236 - Scene Design and Historical Research

    3 HU
    Second Semester. This course will use historical theater architecture and scene design as an impetus to the design process by using historically accurate elements to inspire plans and elevations for class design projects. Presentation of individual and group design projects will be by plan, elevation, rendering and model. Basic scenographic techniques will be covered, as well as design processes involving the collaborative nature of the medium.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 12.
    Mr. Grube

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 252 - History of the Western Theater

    3 HU
    First Semester. A year-long lecture course tracing the evolution of the Western theater from Dionysian ritual in ancient Greece through contemporary performance practice in Europe and America. Theater architecture, works of dramatic literature, and theoretical treatises on performance are studied in relation to the social and intellectual history of each major era. Three historical periods receive special attention: the fifth century BC in Greece, the 17th century in England and France, and the 20th century in Europe and America.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisites: THEA 252 and consent of instructor are prerequisites for THEA 253.
    Enrollment Limit: 35.
    Mr. Copeland

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 253 - History of the Western Theater

    3 HU
    Second Semester. A year-long lecture course tracing the evolution of the Western theater from Dionysian ritual in ancient Greece through contemporary performance practice in Europe and America. Theater architecture, works of dramatic literature, and theoretical treatises on performance are studied in relation to the social and intellectual history of each major era. Three historical periods receive special attention: the fifth century BC in Greece, the 17th century in England and France, and the 20th century in Europe and America.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisites: THEA 252 and consent of instructor are prerequisites for THEA 253.
    Enrollment Limit: 35.
    Mr. Copeland

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 254 - Introduction to Asian Theater/Dance Performance

    3HU, CD
    Second Semester. Asian performance rarely makes the sort of distinction between “theater” and “dance” that characterizes much Western performance. This course is designed as an introduction to those modes of Asian performance which combine elements of both theater and dance: Kabuku, Noh and Bunraku from Japan, Beijing Opera from China, Wayang Kulit from Indonesia, and Kathakali from India. Many of these forms also utilize masks and puppets. This course will examine the wide range of theatrical elements that Asian forms utilize to create an alternative to the Western style known as “realism.”  Counts Toward the East Asian Studies Major.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment Limit: 20.
    Mr. Copeland

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 260 - Lighting Design

    3 HU
    First Semester. This class studies the theories and techniques of lighting design for the performing arts. Lectures cover the design process, which includes space, script, music and movement, script analysis, design collaboration, and design execution. Lectures on composition, color, and drafting are supplemented with lighting design projects undertaken by members of the class. Final project is a realized design in the Little Theater. Students are required to meet for technical rehearsals in the evenings at the end of the semester to finish this course.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: THEA 174.
    Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 15.
    Staff

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 261 - Lighting Design for Dance

    2 HU   New Course Added 10/30/2006

    Second Semester, Second Module. This class studies the theories and techniques of lighting design for the performing arts, but most specifically for dance. Lectures cover the design process , which includes space, script, music and movement score analysis, design collaboration and design execution. Lectures on composition, color and lighting notation drafting and charting) are supplemented with work on productions produced by the Theater and Dance Program, including the Oberlin Dance Company concert in Hall Auditorium.



    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment Limit: 20    

    Prerequisites: THEA 174 or consent of Instructor. 

    Ms. Wong

    Credits: 2 Credits
  

  • THEA 264 - African American Drama

    3 HU, CD

    Second Semester. This class surveys plays written by black Americans with an emphasis on works of the late 20 th century. An overview of the history of African-American performance is followed by reading and discussion of current criticism and a wide selection of plays by writers such as James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry, Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), Adrienne Kennedy, Langston Hughes, Ntozake Shange, August Wilson, and George Wolfe. Requirements include papers, mid-term and scene work. Identical to Thea 264.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment Limit: 20

    Ms. Jackson Smith

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 269 - Voice for the Actor

    2-3 HU
    First Semester. This course introduces basic principles of voice production for actors: breathing, relaxation, coordination, resonance and centering. Exercises are designed to integrate mind/breath/sound/body in the act of purposeful communication: daily progression from pure sound to text work. Emphasis on freeing the students’ natural range and expressiveness. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of general American speech through the study of the International Phonetic Alphabet, addressing individual speech challenges.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent by audition and instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 16.
    Mr. Wright

    Credits: 2-3 hours
  

  • THEA 270 - Speech and Dialects For The Actor

    3 HU

    Spring Semester. A course designed to introduce the student to the fundamentals of General American speech through the study of the International Phonetic Alphabet. The first module of the course will address individual speech challenges and the second module will investigate the process of learning dialects for the stage.  Limited to 12 with consent of the instructor.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Limited to 12 with consent of the instructor.

    Mr. Wright

    Credits: 3
  

  • THEA 275 - African-American Performance Theater

     3 HU, CD    New Course Added 07/24/2006

    Second Semester. This course is a workshop for creating performance art including drama, spoken word, dance, and musical performance that explores the legacy of the African-American Experience in form or content. From Africa through the Middle Passage and into America, students will read essays, stories, poems, and plays—while discussing the legacy and aesthetic of the African tradition within the Diaspora. Students will gain academic information as well as develop their own artistic responses to the material. All will read, write, and perform. A workshop performance will be presented using the work of the class.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 12. Identical to AAST 275.
    Mr. Emeka


    Credits: 3 Credits
  

  • THEA 281 - Rehearsal and Performance

    1-3 HU
    First and Second Semester. Intermediate and advanced level work in preparation and public performances of a production directed by a member of the theater faculty.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Notes: May be repeated once only for credit.
    CR/NE or P/NP grading.
    Consent of instructor required.
    Staff

    Credits: 1 to 3 hours
  

  • THEA 300 - Acting 3

    3 HU 
    Second Semester.    This is an intensive course designed to increase the actor’s physical awareness of space and rhythm while creating relationship and character. Students will engage in movement exercises, improvisations, and scene work in order to engage in the pursuit of emotional and physical “actions” onstage. Through readings and discussions, we will also work to identify obstacles and objectives in developing an actor’s process that allows them being fully present and committed to what is going on “in the moment”.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: THEA 200, and consent of instructor. Limit: 12.
    Mr. Emeka

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 301 - Acting 3: Shakespeare

    3 HU 
    First Semester. This course will introduce skills needed to perform Shakespeare: imaging, phrasing, scansion, and rhetorical analysis. To be taken concurrently with THEA 210, 269 (Movement and Voice for the Actor). This combination of courses is designed to prepare advanced students planning to apply to graduate school in Acting.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: THEA 200, 201. Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 12.
    Mr. Moser

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 302 - Happenings, Non-Literary Theater, and Performance Art

    3 HU

    Second Semester. Utilizing videotape excerpts from legendary productions, this course traces the evolution of “non-literary” theater in America from the 1960s to the 1990s. It begins by examining the “Theater of the Body” in the work of The Living Theatre and The Open Theatre; moves to more “painterly” theater pieces by Robert Wilson, and concludes with recent works of Mabou Mimes and The Wooster Group in which actor/audience participation is replaced by technological “mediation.”

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Enrollment Limit: 20

    Mr. Copeland

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 307 - Directing

    4 HU
    Second Semester. During first module, seminar readings will focus on a director’s conceptualization process. Students will be introduced to different modes of textual analysis and how these lead to key artistic choices. During the second module, classes will monitor the progress of student-directed one act plays to be performed in the Little Theater.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: THEA 208.
    Consent of instructor required.
    Enrollment Limit: 6.
    Mr. Moser

    Credits: 4 hours
  

  • THEA 320 - Special Projects: Design, Production, Stage or Arts Management

    1-4 HU
    First and Second Semester.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required.

    Credits: 1 to 4 hours
  

  • THEA 324 - The Concept of the Avant-Garde

    3 HU
    First Semester. A seminar examining the cultural and political forces of the late 19th and early 20th century which helped create an “adversary” relationship between “avant-garde” artists and middle-class society. The course focuses on those modernist movements that affected painting, literature, and theater. Major issues explored include: the relationship of the avant-garde to radical politics as well as to popular culture and the mass communications media, the “fate” of the avant-garde in the age of post-modernism, and the current controversies surrounding NEA funding for the work of artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe.

    Prerequisites & Notes

    Enrollment Limit: 20.
    Mr. Copeland

    Credits: 3 hours
  

  • THEA 341 - Directing Project

    1-3 HU
    First and Second Semester. Individual study in directing. Student directors will meet weekly with a faculty advisor to discuss and monitor their projects through the various stages of production: script analysis, concept, design, casting, rehearsals, tech, and performance. Students must first gain Theater and Dance Program approval for a their project, at which time a faculty advisor will be assigned. (Applications available in the program office, are due April 15th.)

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisites: THEA 208 and stage management of a faculty-directed production.
    Consent of instructor required.
    Mr. Moser

    Credits: 1 to 3 hours
  

  • THEA 368 - Black Arts Workshop II: African Diasporan Culture in Perfomance from Blues to Hip Hop

    4 HU, CD

    First Semester.  This course continues the inquiry begun in AAST/THEA 268 focusing on the Western Hemispheric inheritance from traditional African cultures.  This course will focus on performance in sacred and secular cultures of the African diaspora in the mid-to-late 20th century.  The class will hone performance skills through in-class exercises and assignments, and intellectual and critical skills through reading, discussions, presentations, journals and critical papers examining aesthetic and cultural performance theories.  The course will culminate in a final performance.

     

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite:  AAST/THEA 268 or other AAST Fine Arts classes taught by
    Professors Coleman, Sharpley and/or Logan.

    Enrollment Limit: 20. Consent of Instructor Required.
    Ms. Jackson Smith

    Credits: 4
  

  • THEA 420 - Honors Project

    2-6 HU
    First and Second Semester. Intensive independent work in theater on a research thesis or creative project to be decided upon in consultation with an advisor.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Prerequisite: Admission to the Honors Program. Projects sponsored by Mr. Copeland, Mr. Grube, Ms. Jackson Smith, and Mr. Moser, and Mr Wright. 
    Consent of instructor required.

    Credits: 2 to 6 hours
  

  • THEA 995 - Private Reading

    .5-3 HU
    Projects sponsored by Mr. Copeland, Ms. Cuthbertson, Mr. Flaharty, Ms. Groseth, Mr. Grube, Ms. Jackson Smith, Ms. Jobe, Mr. Moser, Mr. Mroczek, and Mr. Wright.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    Consent of instructor required.

    Credits: .5 to 3 hours
 

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