Course Catalog 2021-2022 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course Search
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This is a comprehensive listing of all active, credit-bearing courses offered by Oberlin College and Conservatory since Fall 2016. Courses listed this online catalog may not be offered every semester; for up to date information on which courses are offered in a given semester, please see PRESTO.
For the most part, courses offered by departments are offered within the principal division of the department. Many interdisciplinary departments and programs also offer courses within more than one division.
Individual courses may be counted simultaneously toward more than one General Course Requirement providing they carry the appropriate divisional attributes and/or designations.
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Religion |
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RELG 109 - Jerusalem: Negotiating Sacred Space FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
An introduction to the history of Jerusalem and to the many and varied religious groups within Judaism, Christianity and Islam that have laid claim to its sacredness. Students will explore notions of sacred space as they find expression in sequential historical periods within Jerusalem. Weekly study topics include sacred cartography, apocalypticism, pilgrimage, and the role of archaeology in ‘uncovering’ and bolstering religious land claims.
This course is cross-listed with JWST 109
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RELG 111 - Faith and the Ballot Box FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
While Thomas Jefferson argued for a “wall of separation” between church and state, in reality, there has been a thoroughfare of exchange. This course traces the intersection of religion and politics historically and in current events. We will examine issues central to the 2020 presidential election such as immigration, mass incarceration, definitions of marriage and family, gun control, and religious freedom. When do candidates use religious language and to what effect? How does religious identity affect voting patterns? What is the significance of the 116th Congress being the most religiously diverse delegation in history?
Prerequisites & Notes: A modified version of our StudiOC Learning Community entitled “Election 2020: Politics, Religion and the Arts.” The classes in this learning community are now open to ALL first and second year students.
Consent is required for each class. Although students may take just one of these classes, consent preference will be given to those who are interested in taking two of the classes in the cluster.
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RELG 135 - Introduction to Religion: Devotion and Performance in South Asia FC ARHU CD
4 credits
How does devotional literature and performance interact with and become shaped by social and historical circumstances in different South Asian traditions? In this course students think comparatively about how South Asian Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu communities express devotion through literature and performance. We will learn to read, view, listen to, and critically engage with various genres of medieval and modern literature and performing and visual arts that express passionate devotion to diverse conceptions of the divine, as well as a range of emotions - fear, longing, liberation. We will be attentive to what is shared and distinct in articulations of devotion across traditions, periods, and regions.
This course is cross-listed with GSFS 135
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RELG 137 - Introduction to Religion: Buddhism in East Asia FC ARHU CD
4 credits
This course offers a broad introduction to Buddhist traditions in East Asia, focusing on China, Korea, and Japan in pre-modern periods. The interplay between doctrine and practice that animated the historical development of these traditions will be explored through a wide range of textual and visual genres, including sutras, cave paintings, miracle tales, stones inscriptions, images and icons, and hagiography. Topics covered include the doctrines of no-self and emptiness, the place of women and gender, monasticism and its impact on family structures, varieties of Buddhist awakening, and cosmology from the hells to the pure lands.
This course is cross-listed with EAST 137
This course is appropriate for new students.
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RELG 153 - Introduction to Religion: Purity and Pollution FC ARHU CD
4 credits
The concepts of purity and impurity are important to much religious thought and affect the basics of daily life in profound ways, even as they can confound or even infuriate contemporary observers. In this course, we will focus on three sites of potential pollution: the body, food, and the land. We will also examine ways in which these concepts remain operative, both explicitly and implicitly, in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
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RELG 202 - The Nature of Suffering: The Book of Job and its History of Interpretation FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
This course will focus on the biblical book of Job as a piece of ancient religious literature that has fostered centuries of theological and existential questioning on the nature of divine justice and activity in the world, the meaning of suffering, and the existence of evil. The course will first consider the book of Job in its ancient Israelite context as it spoke to a conquered and exiled people of God. Secondarily, the course will introduce Jewish and Christian interpretations of the book as these interpretations evolved through history addressing different contexts of human alienation and suffering.
This course is cross-listed with JWST 231
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RELG 203 - The Garden of Eden in Literature, Art, and Film FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
The Garden of Eden is a story that is etched into our religious and cultural landscape. Most of us could immediately recognize its main characters and symbols: The Tree of Life, the forbidden fruit, Adam, Eve, and the snake. This course will examine the biblical story in its ancient Israelite context and in some early Jewish and Christian retellings. We will then study the role of Eden in select works of literature, art, and film.
This course is cross-listed with JWST 203
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RELG 205 - Hebrew Bible in its Ancient Near Eastern Context FC ARHU CD
4 credits
An introduction to the literature, religion, and history of ancient Israel as contained within the Hebrew Bible and to the methods of interpretation used by modern scholars to understand this ancient text. Biblical writings will be studied within the context of other ancient Near Eastern texts. Thematic emphases include the emergence of monotheism, the conceptualization of the divine/human relationship, the mediation of priest, prophet and king, and issues of canon.
Prerequisites & Notes: No previous knowledge of the Hebrew Bible is assumed.
This course is cross-listed with JWST 205
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RELG 208 - New Testament and Christian Origins FC ARHU CD
4 credits
This course is designed to introduce students to the literature and history of the New Testament in its Greco-Roman context. Students will engage in critical readings of the New Testament texts and some non-canonical early Christian and Jewish writings. Lectures will focus on the scholarly issues raised by the study of these primary texts and will introduce various methods of biblical studies currently employed by New Testament scholars. After completing this course, students will be familiar with the writings of the New Testament and with the critical debates concerning the life of Jesus and the emergence of the early church.
This course is cross-listed with JWST 208
This course is appropriate for new students.
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RELG 209 - The Bible in American Politics FC ARHU
4 credits
Religion and politics are the two topics we’re taught to avoid at dinner parties, but religion, and specifically the Bible, has always been part of the political conversation. This course will examine the Bible’s role in politcal debates over freedom of religion, slavery and abolition, women’s rights, Civil Rights, and laws targeting the LGBT community. We will also follow and critically relfect upon the appearance of the Bible in the 2018 midterm election cycle.
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RELG 215 - A History of Sin FC ARHU
4 credits
Portrayals of sin pervade religious and secular thought. This course will offer an interpretive history of sin by examining notions such as a primal fall, construals of deadly sin, negative presentations of bodies and sexuality, pride, guilt, shame, anxiety, ignorance, and modern reappraisals thereof. The focus will be on Christian traditions, but other perspectives and sources will be considered. Through texts ancient to contemporary, the course will highlight changing conceptions of sin as a means for grappling with the human condition and society.
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RELG 216 - Apocalyptic FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
Apocalypticism conjures images of a cataclysmic end of the world, but the genre of apocalyptic includes far more than warnings of imminent destruction. The root derives from apokalypsis or revelation, and apocalyptic texts typically claim privileged knowledge through a supernatural revelation of historical or otherworldly disclosures. This course will examine Jewish and Christian apocalyptic texts and then trace afterlives of these texts and worldviews from the Middle Ages to the present day.
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RELG 217 - An Empire of Martyrs: Christianity in the Mediterranean World FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
This course offers an interpretive study of the development of Christianity in the Greek east and Latin west, treating the emergence of Chrstianity in its self-conscious division from rabbinic Judaism, early intra-Christian debates about the relationship between God and the world, waves of Christian persecution and martyrdom, the legalization of Christianity and its change to an imperial religion, and growing splits between eastern and western Christians. The course will analyze the historical developments of martyrdom, monasticism, mysticism, iconography, and heresy within their larger contexts of Greco-Roman culture, Christianity as an imperial religion, and the emergence of Islam.
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RELG 218 - Authority and Dissent in Medieval Christianity FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
This course offers an interpretive study of medieval Christian traditions, focusing on negotiations of authority and dissent in various reform movements. These radical movements, from the twelfth-century renaissance to the Protestant and Catholic reformations of the sixteenth century, caused political and social upheaval by striving to retrieve an idealized past. Issues for consideration include the rise of clerical authority and abuse, scholasticism, biblical interpretation, the role of women, free will, embodiment, asceticism, mysticism, and heresy. The background will be the changing landscape of medieval Europe through urbanization, crusades, plagues, and economic developments.
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RELG 225 - Religion, Power, and Knowledge I: the Early Modern West FC ARHU
4 credits
This course analyzes the development of Western religious thought from the end of the Thirty Years War to the mid-19th century. It explores the ways religious thinking reimagines God, scripture, political sovereignty, and the nature of religious experience in conversation with an emerging scientific worldview. Attention will be paid to the ways these intellectual developments put in play a set of definitions and distinctions that are internal to, and historically entangled with, colonialism, rights-discourse, and the rise of nation-states. Some of the thinkers to be studied include Vico, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Rousseau, Kant, Lessing, Montesquieu, and Schleiermacher.
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RELG 226 - Religion, Power, and Knowledge II: Secular Modernity FC ARHU
4 credits
This course examines the relationship between religious and secular frameworks in the modern West from the mid-19th century to present. Central topics include theological responses to modern scientific and historical consciousness, secular and atheistic critiques of religion, and efforts to address the cultural, political, and religious issues arising from the devastation of the two world wars and the disaggregation of colonial empires. The course engages Existentialist, Neo-Orthodox, Feminist, Black, Marxist, and Postcolonial perspectives. Readings are drawn from (among others) Feuerbach, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Barth, Levi, Gutierrez, Cone, Daly, Williams, and Althaus-Reid.
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RELG 229 - Religious Rituals in East Asia FC ARHU CD
4 credits
Ritual has always played a central role in the religions of East Asia. In this course, we conduct case studies of ritual practices representative of each major tradition (Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Shinto), as well as several that defy neat categorization. We will study ritual as compelling practices through which religious actors have sought to transform self, society, and cosmos. Orthopraxy, performance, affect, and the body are some the key themes we’ll consider in our engagements with textual primary sources as well as video and audio recordings of rituals as performed and recreated in contemporary settings.
This course is cross-listed with EAST 153
This course is appropriate for new students.
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RELG 231 - Introduction to Hindu Traditions FC ARHU CD
4 credits
This course introduces Hindu religious traditions and identifies key issues in the study of Hinduism and religion more broadly. Students will become familiar with terms essential to Hindu theologies and worldviews (e.g., dharma, karma, caste, and bhakti), prominent and lesser-known deities (e.g., Shiva, Krishna, Durga, and Santoshi Ma), and a wide variety of texts and performance traditions (from the Ramayana to the poetry of Mirabai). We will focus on how Hindu worldviews, theologies, texts, and practices have been enacted and received over time and in different social and regional contexts - from South Asia to North America.
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RELG 232 - Religion and Culture in Indian Epics FC ARHU CD
4 credits
The Mahabharata and the Ramayana have been crucial religious and cultural texts in South Asia for millennia. In this course, we engage with the dynamic traditions of both epics - from Sanskrit versions composed over 2,000 years ago to contemporary theatrical, comic book, and televised renditions. While we will become familiar with major narrative, religious, and social themes of each text, our focus will be on how ideas about gender and sexuality are negotiated historically and in the vibrant modern lives of the epics. Feminist and postcolonial theories will inform how we approach each of our primary sources. Field trips required. Visits to the Allen Memorial Art Museum and Mudd Library Special Collections play an important part in the course.
This course is cross-listed with GSFS 232
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RELG 233 - Haunted Archipelago: Ghosts, Spirits, and the Occult in Japanese Religion FC ARHU CD
4 credits
Plagued by vengeful spirits, pursued by demon hordes, and possessed by foxes-such were the experiences of many throughout Japanese history. This course explores the diversity of otherworldly encounters and religious responses to them in Japan from ancient times until today. Readings include popular tales, illustrated scrolls, ritual texts, doctor’s notes, Jesuit accounts, and gothic short stories. We also consider the late nineteenth century emergence of modern academic disciplines meant to defang the weird (minzokugaku, psychiatry, monsterology) against a changing technological landscape of-as rumor had it-electric lines fueled by human oil, hospitals staffed with vampiric physicians, and ghost trains.
This course is cross-listed with EAST 133
This course is appropriate for new students.
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RELG 234 - The Religious Thought of Mohandas Gandhi and His Critics FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
Mohandas Gandhi was among the most radical religious and social thinkers in the twentieth century. His non-violent resistance to colonial rule, as well as his commitment to asceticism, truth, and self-reliant egalitarian communities, won him many admirers and critics. The course begins with Gandhis writings, especially his autobiography. Then it examines critiques of his ideas and methods as well as how they have been expanded and rethought in recent times.
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RELG 237 - Gender and Sexuality in Indian Religions FC ARHU CD
4 credits
From the erotic asceticism of the god Siva to the auspicious power of a married woman, the nexus of gender and sexuality has broadly shaped the practices and philosophies of South Asias many religious traditions. The central questions guiding this course are: How do Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam incorporate sexual practice and/or restraint into a vision of ethical life? When does ones gender become dangerous or unethical? In pursuing these questions, students will gain a deep familiarity with South Asian asceticism, the place of erotics within religious discourse, new perspectives on queer and transgender theories, emic feminisms, and sexual ethics.
This course is cross-listed with GSFS 237
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RELG 240 - Religious Objects in East Asian Religions FC ARHU CD
4 credits
This course examines East Asian religions through case studies of material objects. In the histories of Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Shinto, physical things have participated in the making of religious identities by serving ceremonial and practical purposes, giving shape to doctrine, and mediating exchanges between religious communities and society. These diverse roles will be assessed in the study of a wide range of objects, including statues, silk, aromatics, scrolls, hair, robes, portraits, and relics. We seek to enliven textual accounts with perspectives from material culture and the senses, and along the way engage issues of materiality, representation, and agency.
This course is cross-listed with EAST 154
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RELG 241 - Literature and Ethics: British Novels HC ARHU
2 credits
What does it mean to lead an ethical life? Novelists, like religious ethicists, explore this question and related topics such as moral development, authenticity, obligations to others, and justice. While religious ethicists seek to provide conceptual clarity in their treatment of these topics related to the ethical life, novelists bring their explorations to life in the worlds of their novels. In this one module course we will study religious ethical concepts and then the lived complexity presented in novels by Charles Dickens including Bleak House, where Dickens explores issues such as obligations to others and justice.
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RELG 242 - Literature and Ethics: American Novels HC ARHU
2 credits
This second-module course is separate from the first-module course RELG 241 but it continues the approach of studying themes in the moral life as articulated conceptually by religious ethicists and as presented in the world of fictional novels. In this course we will focus on essays and novels by Marilynne Robinson to explore key topics in ethics such as love, forgiveness, transcendent value, and human nature. Readings will include works by religious ethicists, selected essays by Marilynne Robinson, and her novels Gilead and Home.
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RELG 243 - Catholic Popes and their Social Teaching FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
Centering on the lives and teachings of three popular popes, Pope John XXIII, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Francis, this course will explore Catholic social teaching on topics such as war and peace, economic justice, structural oppression, and the environment, as well as broader concepts in Catholic ethics such as the nature of moral truth, views of the human person, social agency, and human limitation. In the process we will gain an understanding of the church’s positions on social issues over time as well as foundational components of catholic ethics.
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RELG 244 - Ethics in Early China FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
This course provides an introduction to the early development of Chinese moral thought, from the oracle bone divination of the Shang Dynasty to the religious, ethical, and political theories of classical Confucianism, Mohism, and Daoism, through the unification of China in 221 BCE. We will concentrate on early debates over human nature, the best practices of self-cultivation, the general nature of the cosmos and the human role in it, and the proper ordering of society.
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RELG 245 - Religion and Ethics FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
This is an introductory course in religion and ethics, focusing on social responsibility and moral reasoning. We examine the basic methods and tools in ethics, after which we survey several topics including: medical ethics, environmental ethics, athletics and ethics, just war theory, and global justice. Our aim is to explore the complexity of these topics and to understand what intellectual resources various religious traditions bring to the moral discussion in American public life today.
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RELG 248 - Religion, Ethics, Environment FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
Humans understand their relationship to the larger environment and its other inhabitants in a variety of complex ways. This course examines several of the religious, philosophical, and scientific schools of thought in environmental ethics. In addition to considering the diverse array of positions one can take toward the environment, e.g. animal rights, land ethics, nature religions, and ecofeminism, this course also considers in depth topics such as environmental justice, climate change, anthropocentrism, and sustainability.
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RELG 249 - Medical Ethics FC ARHU
4 credits
This course offers an analysis of selected issues in medical ethics and the methods of ethical reasoning used to study these issues, focusing on attendant religious, moral, and legal questions. The orientation of the course is clinical, with case studies used throughout. Topics to be addressed include issues such as death and dying, privacy and informed consent, organ procurement and transplantation, and global infectious diseases. Special attention will be given to emerging technologies such as genetic testing and manipulation, embryo modification, and cloning, as well as ways advances in genetics may impact other issues.
This course is appropriate for new students.
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RELG 250 - Introduction to Judaism FC ARHU CD
4 credits
The field of Jewish Studies investigates a group that has been called Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews, and whose common bond has been characterized as a religion, race, nation, and culture. This course will present foundational narratives, ideas, and rituals in Judaism, along with pivotal events in Jewish history and identity formation. And yet students will also behold the immense diversity and variations of these elements across time and space. We will pay special attention to how traditional sources are reinterpreted over time, to shifting dynamics between Jewish thought and practice, and to relations between cultural memory and current events.
This course is cross-listed with JWST 150
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RELG 251 - Modern Jewish Thought FC ARHU CD
4 credits
A historical and philosophical investigation of modern Jewish thought. This course will consider the approaches of major Jewish thinkers from a range of movements and ideological perspectives. We will explore perspectives on topics including the meaning of Judaism, the authority of rabbinic tradition, the role of ethics, the relationship between Jews and non-Jews, and the nature of God.
This course is cross-listed with JWST 151
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RELG 252 - Jewish Mysticism FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
Mystical experience may transcend the bounds of traditional authority, and yet, from a historical perspective, those quests for divinity take place overwhelmingly within prescribed traditions. Such tensions between immediacy and mediation, infinity and form, transcendence and relation will be central themes of this course. Thus, as we delve into key sources of Jewish mysticism, we will consider how they interact with, and launch from, traditional texts and practices. But, paradoxically perhaps, this is how we will begin to uncover their most transcendent dimensions. Topics to be explored will include the multiple genders of God, rationalism versus mysticism, and erotic symbolism.
This course is cross-listed with JWST 152
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RELG 253 - Pilgrimage, Travel, and Judaism FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
The desire to seek spiritual fulfillment in a far-away place is a hallmark of many religious traditions, including Judaism. In this course we will trace the ancient and medieval roots of pilgrimage and various Jewish pilgrimage practices that have emerged in the modern period, in Israel as well as in Europe, North Africa, and the United States. Together, we will ask, what has motivated Jewish travelers? Have they found what they were looking for? How have their travels shaped and been shaped by the histories of their places of origin and of destination?
This course is cross-listed with JWST 253
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RELG 255 - Gender(s) and Jewish Law FC ARHU
4 credits
According to Jewish law, women and men have different religious obligations and prohibitions. This course examines the way in which rabbinic constructions of gender both adopt a binary representation of maleness and femaleness, but also challenge that binary through the construction and articulation of other possible gender presentations. We will also explore contemporary feminist and queer challenges to rabbinic ideas about gender and the questions they raise for Jewish thought and practice.
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RELG 257 - Judaism in the U.S.: State, Synagogue, and Beyond FC ARHU CD
4 credits
This course will explore the relationship between Judaism and the category of “religion.” Focusing on the U.S. context, we will explore the privileged political and social status of “religion,” its limits in describing non-Protestant groups, and diverse approaches to its description. Topics will include Jews and “religious freedom”; the emergence of Jewish denominations and the role of the synagogue; the multiplicity and creativity of Jewish identity and practice; and the sacralization of “secular” Jewish culture and politics
This course is cross-listed with JWST 257
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RELG 270 - Islam FC ARHU CD
4 credits
This course surveys Islam in its religious, intellectual, historical, socio-political and institutional dimensions. It provides an overview of Muslim religious traditions for purposes of further historical study and for understanding contemporary Muslim societies. Topics covered include elements that constitute Muslim traditions, cultures and identities, such as: pre-Islamic Arab society and surrounding Persian and Roman civilizations, the Prophet and the Qurán, Islamic theology, law, devotional rituals, arts and literatures, mysticism, mosque and madrasa.
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RELG 272 - Introduction to the Qur’an FC ARHU CD
4 credits
Introduction to the Qur’an, the sacred scripture of the Islamic religious tradition. Topics include: approaches to the idea of revelation and the history of the written text, its overall content and themes, the style of the Qur’an, the Life of Muhammad as a source for interpreting the Qur’an, and Muhammad and the Qur’an as the foundation of law, theology, aesthetics, politics, and practices of piety such as recitation. Emphasis on reading the Qur’an in English-language interpretation.
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RELG 274 - Friendship: Perspectives from Religion, Politics, Economics, and Art FC ARHU
4 credits
This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the role of friendship in promoting peacemaking. By providing normative, philosophical, theological, political, economic and artistic analysis (in visual arts, literature and film), the course examines the potentials of friendship as a catalyst for a paradigm shift in international and interfaith relations and in peacemaking. Moving beyond cold war and cold peace, this course discusses how promoting civic friendship through interdisciplinary and inter-cultural approaches can help curb violence, political oppression, religious extremism, economic injustice and environmental destruction.
Sustainability
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RELG 275 - Religion and Politics in the Modern Muslim World FC ARHU CD
4 credits
The vast geography of Islam extending from Indonesia to Morocco has been fertile and contentious meeting place of religion and politics, especially in the modern era. This course analyses the dynamic between religion and politics in the Muslim world focusing especially on the last fifty years. The Arab-Israeli war, the Islamic revolution in Iran, the rise of militant fundamentalism, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the emergence of the Islamist democratic parties in Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey will be among the case-studies examined.
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RELG 276 - The Ethics of Conflict Resolution and Peace-Making in Christianity and Islam FC ARHU CD
4 credits
The course offers a comparative introduction to the ethics of conflict resolution, peace-making and friendship in the Christian and Islamic traditions. By examining normative and philosophical analysis and theological conceptions of conflict, reconciliation, civic forgiveness and friendship, this course examines the place of religious practice and belief amidst unprecedented international efforts to end violence, political oppression and economic injustice. This course provides a new approach to conflict resolution beyond cold-peace.
Prerequisites & Notes: At least one course in Islam and one in Christianity or alternatively one course in Conflict Resolution.
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RELG 282 - Survey of American Christianity FC ARHU
4 credits
Introduction to major issues, figures and movements in American religious history and American Christianity. Attention will be given to persistent themes such as individualism, the search for community, religion and reform, religious conservatism and innovation, and the religious nature of American culture. Class, race, ethnicity and gender will also be addressed as we explore American religious experience in all its diversity. The goal is to better understand the place of religion in American society, and to evaluate its past impact and future role. Some field trips to local churches.
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RELG 283 - American Religious Traditions FC ARHU CD
4 credits
The relationship between ‘religion’ and ‘America’ has long been subject to political, religious, and scholarly debate. This course will enter into this discussion, exploring diverse activities, attitudes, and communities understood to be religious and their varied relationships to the material and political conditions of what is now the United States. Topics will include the religious roots of and religious reactions to colonialism, imperialism, racism, capitalism, the Cold War, and the Internet age.
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RELG 286 - Religion in the Contemporary Americas FC ARHU
4 credits
This course offers a broad survey of religion in the contemporary Americas from the late nineteenth century to today. We will consider a range of transnational religious movements, including theosophy and the “global occult,” to Black Jews and early Rastafari, to evangelical Protestantism in the United States and Latin America. Hemispheric in scope, it asks to what extent we can tell a story about religion in the Americas and the challenges in so doing. And most of all, it considers how such a perspective might enhance or complicate our understanding of religion in the world today.
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RELG 304 - Biblical Women in Text and Tradition FC ARHU CD WADV
4 credits
This course uses a tradition history approach to trace the midrashic and inter-textual development of biblical women as their stories are expanded through translation, retelling and homily. The textual traditions examined include the Massoretic Hebrew text, the Greek Septuagint, the Aramaic targums, the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, and early Jewish and Christian commentary. The evolving biographies include those of Eve, Rebekah, Dinah, Jezebel, and Ruth. Readings will be in English.
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RELG 306 - Biblical Biographies Told and Retold FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
This course will trace the midrashic and intertextual development of the biographies of three pairs of biblical men and women as their stories are translated, expanded and retold. We will first examine the primordial pair, Adam and Eve. We will then study the matriarch Rebekah and her less-favored son, Esau. Finally, we will read the unfolding biographies of the Moabite Ruth and her royal great grandson, King David. The textual traditions include the Masoretic Hebrew text, the Greek Septuagint, the Aramaic targums, the Pseudepigrapha, rabbinic midrash, and the New Testament. All readings will be in English translation.
This course is cross-listed with JWST 306
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RELG 323 - Globalization and East Asian Religions FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
Why is Christianity so popular in Korea and China? Why is it an international incident when the Japanese Prime Minister visits a particular shrine? This course will explore what globalization means for the religions of East Asia. Starting with the historical transmission of religions across East Asia, it will focus on the eras of colonialization and post-colonialization, and their accompanying global economic, cultural, and religious exchange within East Asia and its diaspora. It will discuss constructive aspects of religious globalization such as the explosion in new religious movements across Asia, as well as negative aspects like religious nationalism. Field trips required.
This course is cross-listed with EAST 323
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RELG 330 - Religion, Gender, and Sexuality in India FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
How do religious ideologies influence social behaviors and norms related to gender and sexuality? And how are these norms lived out, reinforced, and subverted? This course considers how Hindu and Jain traditions negotiate the complex relationship between religion, gender, and sexuality. Topics may include: kinship and family; pregnancy and childbirth; goddess traditions; asceticism; transgender identities; masculinities; somatic nationalism; and eroticism in literary and performance traditions. Students will explore each topic through engagement with diverse primary and secondary sources, including autobiographies, oral histories, ethnographies, films, religious narratives, and theatrical performances.
This course is cross-listed with GSFS 330
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RELG 335 - Buddhism, Healing, and the Body in East Asia FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
The links between Buddhism and healing are as old as the religion itself, and proved especially pivotal in the transmission of the religion to East Asia. How have Buddhists historically imagined the body, disease, and healing? How was this therapeutic imagination in turn shaped by morality, monasticism, ritual practice, and demonology? This course brings these questions to an examination of the rich history of Buddhist healing. Throughout, we also emphasize the intersections of Buddhist healing with other traditions known and practiced in China, Korea, and Japan, including Ayurveda, Daoism, and varieties of classical and popular medicine.
This course is cross-listed with EAST 335
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RELG 340 - Seminar in Ethical Issues in Death and Dying FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
Seminar in Ethical Issues in Death and Dying
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RELG 343 - Religion in Public Life FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
In recent decades, the dramatic public presence of religion around the globe has challenged the assumption that modernization requires the retreat of religion into the private sphere. Drawing on historical and contemporary perspectives, this course examines the renewed attention to religions political relevance within the modern West. Attention will also be given to how recent theologians and philosophers of religion have brought religious themes to bear on current social and political challenges.
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RELG 347 - Seminar: Virtue, Religion, and the Good Life FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
What does it mean to live the virtuous or good life? Are there advantages to focusing on character and virtue rather than on rights, duties, or consequences? What is the relevance of virtue language for contemporary moral and political philosophy? We explore these and other questions as we compare classical and contemporary statements from ancient China, Christianity, and the Greeks, among others, that address issues of human nature, ethics, and tradition. /p>
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RELG 348 - Comparative Religious Ethics FC ARHU WADV
4 credits
This seminar focuses on the recent development of comparative religious ethics as a field, first surveying influential books and essays of the past 30 years, and then examining a number of recent works, including several that examine political theory comparatively. Comparative religious ethics makes ethical diversity central to its analysis, which typically begins with description and interpretation of particular accounts of morality. Comparing different instances of such ethics requires searching reflection on the methods and tools of inquiry.
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RELG 358 - Religious Outsiders and the American State FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
This course explores the relationship between select outsider religions Native Americans, Jews, Catholics, Muslims, Mormons, and Buddhists, and the American state from the beginnings of the United States until the present day. In a country that is premised on the separation of church and state but that also includes diverse religious communities, the place of religion in public life and of the government’s role in regulating and defining religion have long been contested. What do church-state relations look like if we focus on groups outside of the Protestant mainstream? What are the scope and limits of ‘religious freedom’?
This course is cross-listed with JWST 358
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RELG 373 - Islamic Mystic Traditions and Literature FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
This seminar examines Sufism as both an esoteric and a devotional tradition, along with its relevance to modern Muslim life. Topics covered include the theory and history of ascetic movements, Sufi schools and institutions from classical to the modern times. Emphasis will be on reading and discussing selective and representative prose and poetry produced by great Sufi masters such as Ibn Arabi, Attar and Rumi as well as literary figures like Sadi and Hafez. The course will also explore experiential, artistic and musical dimensions of Sufi-oriented religiosity.
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RELG 390 - Forgiveness in the Islamic and Christian Traditions FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
This course examines forgiveness within the Christian and Islamic traditions. Our aim is to attend to each tradition in detail before engaging in comparison. Topics discussed from the Christian tradition include biblical literature, theological interpretations, and spiritual practices linked to forgiveness (Rosary of the Holy Wounds, penance). Topics discussed from the Islamic tradition include the Quranic and Hadith literatures, Islamic theology and ethics, and texts of supplication used in the Muslim piety rituals.
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RELG 401 - Capstone Research Methods FC ARHU WADV
4 credits
This course focuses on the skills necessary for doing research in and using the methods of the academic study of religion. Students work one-on-one with a faculty advisor and in a group peer review process to develop a literature review and first draft of their capstone project, which is completed in RELG 402.
Prerequisites & Notes: Students must have completed at least one 200-Level course in two of the three general approaches to the study of religion. Students are strongly encouraged to have completed an advanced 300-Level seminar before taking RELG 401.
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RELG 402 - Capstone Colloquium FC ARHU WADV
4 credits
In this team-taught advanced course, students work in a colloquium setting to discuss the research process and produce an independent capstone project. Only students who have completed the RELG 401/ RELG 402 sequence may be considered for Honors.
Prerequisites & Notes: RELG 401
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RELG 405 - Capstone Seminar in Religious Studies FC ARHU WADV
4 credits
As an alternative to RELG 401/402, this capstone-experience course enables seniors to reflect upon, and apply in a wide variety of settings, what they have learned about the academic study of religion in light of their own coursework in the major. The seminar includes short papers, workshops and oral presentations.
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RELG 995F - Private Reading - Full FC ARHU
4 credits
Private readings are offered as either a half or full academic course and require the faculty member’s approval. Students who wish to pursue a topic not covered in the regular curriculum may register for a private reading. This one-to-one tutorial is normally at the advanced level in a specific field and is arranged with a member of the faculty who has agreed to supervise the student. Unlike other courses, a student cannot register for a private reading via PRESTO. To register for a private reading, obtain a card from the Registrar’s Office, complete the required information, obtain the faculty member’s approval for the reading, and return the card to the Registrar’s Office.
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RELG 995H - Private Reading - Half HC ARHU
2 credits
Private readings are offered as either a half or full academic course and require the faculty member’s approval. Students who wish to pursue a topic not covered in the regular curriculum may register for a private reading. This one-to-one tutorial is normally at the advanced level in a specific field and is arranged with a member of the faculty who has agreed to supervise the student. Unlike other courses, a student cannot register for a private reading via PRESTO. To register for a private reading, obtain a card from the Registrar’s Office, complete the required information, obtain the faculty member’s approval for the reading, and return the card to the Registrar’s Office.
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Rhetoric & Composition |
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RHET 099 - Approaches to College Writing for International Students HC ARHU
2 credits
Designed for international students whose first language isnt English, this course will immerse students in the practices of writing for college. Students will learn how to better navigate the many forms and expectations they face in college writing. We will work both as a community of writers as well as through individual conferences. Please consult the instructor; consent is required for this course.
Prerequisites & Notes: Notes: Off Campus Concurrent enrollment equivalent to Rhetoric and Composition 101, 102, 103 or 105. High school concurrent enrollment only.
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RHET 100 - Academic Writing for the American Classroom FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
This course is designed for multilingual and international students interested in exploring the writing process in English, with particular focus on American academic conventions and expectations of inquiry, argument, and attribution of sources. The class will serve as a writing community in which students read and discuss the work of classmates. Students will write often, reflect on their individual writing process, and meet regularly with the instructor to discuss progress.
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RHET 102 - Writing for College & Beyond FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
This course will immerse students in the practice of writing for college and beyond. Students will explore a number of forms, analyze and create arguments, work with sources, and develop greater flexibility and ease in their writing
This course is appropriate for new students.
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RHET 103 - Re-envisioning Writing: Connection, Negotiation, and Empowerment FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
We all face myriad situations in which we speak or write to connect with others, whether that involves writing an academic paper, crafting an email, or talking at a public gathering. This course maintains that students have many more resources for this work than they’ve been taught to recognize; our work in this course will help students intentionally and strategically mobilize these resources for various purposes and audiences. Using a “multilingual orientation” that sees the many “languages” we write and speak as assets, we will contemplate the notion of many Englishes, explore the possibilities of “code-meshing,” and play with the possibilities of translation. The course welcomes multilingual writers as well as students who consider themselves monolingual speakers of English and will strive to create a supportive learning community.
This course is appropriate for new students.
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RHET 105 - Writing to Learn & Participate FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
This course is about writing to accomplish something. Class activities emphasize strategies used in college papers and how non-academic writing requires similar skills in research, argument, and composition. Students write weekly drafts of several short papers, which are workshopped in class meetings and discussed in individual appointments with the instructor. P/NP Grading
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RHET 110 - Speaking and Writing FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
In this course, students will develop skills needed to construct and deliver effective speeches by recognizing the role of communication in cultivating engaged participation in public life and encouraging an audience-centered approach to speaking, persuasion, and rhetoric. While theoretical foundations of public speaking methods and techniques will be discussed, this is a practice-oriented course. As such, students will develop effective writing and speaking techniques through classroom discussions, activities, and assignments. Students will develop speeches and presentations based upon their own socio-political interests.
This course is appropriate for new students.
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RHET 120 - Journalism Basics FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
This course will cover basic reporting, news and features writing, and ethics in journalism. In addition to course writing assignments, students will be encouraged to produce articles for student and local publications.
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RHET 201 - Writing in the Sciences FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
A course designed for students interested in developing their composing/revising skills for writing in natural science and mathematics disciplines or interpreting science topics for readers of general science issues.
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RHET 203 - Writing Medical Narratives HC ARHU WINT
2 credits
This course will be structured around drafting the personal statement for a career in healthcare, a particularly challenging but surprisingly dynamic genre of writing. Crucial to crafting the personal statement is the “story” one tells; as an applicant, you are essentially telling thestory of how you arrived at the decision to pursue a career in medicine and healthcare. As such, the course will also focus on understanding how stories quite generally are structured and how they function. We will read medical narratives of fiction and nonfiction from writers such as Amy Hempel, Susanna Kaysen, Atul Gawande, Oliver Sacks, Leslie Jamison, Laura Hillenbrand, Anne Fadiman, among many others. Like the best healthcare providers, the best writers are empathetic towards their readers. In this way, writing and medicine share a common goal: human connection.
Prerequisites & Notes: None
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RHET 205 - Rhetorics of Gender Non-Conformity FC ARHU CD WINT
4 credits
Meant for sophomores, juniors, and seniors who wish to continue developing academic skills stressed in First Year Seminars (critical reading, writing, and research). Course members will examine how artistic, activist, journalistic, and historiographic rhetorics are used in film and television to portray transgender and gender non-conforming people. Materials and assignments will be rooted in an intersectional approach including diverse perspectives of economic class, race, ability, nationality, regionality, and religion. Students will work on a variety of multimodal writing tasks, including essays and scripting for audio, video or public exhibition.
This course is cross-listed with GSFS 204
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RHET 206 - Writing Medical Narratives HC ARHU WINT
2 credits
This course will be structured around drafting the personal statement for a career in healthcare, a particularly challenging but surprisingly dynamic genre. Crucial to crafting personal statements is the “story” one tells. Thus, the course will also focus on how stories generally are structured and function in medical narratives of fiction and nonfiction from writers like Amy Hempel, Susanna Kaysen, Atul Gawande, Oliver Sacks, Leslie Jamison, Laura Hillenbrand, Anne Fadiman. Like the best healthcare providers, the best writers are empathetic towards their readers. In this way, writing and medicine share a common goal: human connection.
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RHET 207 - Literary Journalism FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
From New Journalism to the personal essay, literary techniques are reshaping the way journalists write about sports, nature, politics, science, and the arts. This course will explore the way journalists use the tools of fiction and poetry in their writing while remaining true to the standards of reporting. Students will balance the reading of literary journalism and essays with time spent crafting their own writing.
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RHET 208 - American Political Rhetorics FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
In this course we will analyze, discuss, write about, and present on how American political rhetorics work. We will focus on contemporary campaign advertising, debates, speeches and writing by presidents and candidates, and Supreme Court rulings and dissents. We will work mostly in the television and Internet eras, when visual and social media have become central to campaign messages?and to political successes and failures. As part of our discussions of all of these elements, we will engage with questions of how identity is used to attract?and alienate?political participation. Research projects will expand from our class readings to bring in additional rhetorical forms, thus expanding our understanding of what comprises American political rhetorics.
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RHET 210 - Rhetoric and Social Protest FC ARHU WINT
4 credits
This course is dedicated to exploring the various theories, contexts, and rhetorical strategies of resistance. Through both a historical and a contemporary perspective, we delve into the limitations and possibilities of protest rhetoric. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of rhetoric to enact advocacy, students will read rhetorical theory and criticism, primary texts, and complete written and oral assignments. Students will develop an understanding of the rhetorical underpinnings of social activism and the role it plays in societal change.
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RHET 230 - Travel Writing in Crisis HC ARHU
2 credits
Travel writing in crisis
The title has two meanings: As a genre, travel writing is highly vexed. With roots in the colonial project, travel writing has long been the purview of western–usually male–travelers who travel to farflung locales and report back on them for those at home. But in recent decades, this idea of travel writing has been challenged and critiqued – putting the genre in a kind of crisis that has led to the creation of new forms, the inclusion of new voices, and the expansion of definitions of travel.
Similarly, given the world we live in, travelers don’t always move for pleasure; the word “travel” is related to the word “travail,” which suggests a sense of struggle, trial, and conflict. This course will also look at travel writing in the midst of crisis and challenging circumstances. We will explore some of the existing literature on travel; at the same time, students will write their own accounts of travel and place. What challenges have students faced as travelers? What does the impact of COVID-19 look like in different places? How can writing give us a way of understanding our place in challenging circumstances? This course might be especially interesting for students returning from study away programs, but all are welcome. This course will be taught using Zoom technology or Blackboard.
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RHET 303 - Writing about Travel: Composing as Reflection on Time Abroad FC ARHU WADV
4 credits
Students returning from study abroad are often asked: “How was Peru/London/Tibet/Zanzibar?” Frequently, after such students have replied “fine,” “great,” or “really tough,” the conversation stops. How might students make sense of their journeys? How might we fashion our travels into coherent and compelling writing? This course creates a community of writers and travelers in which we will both read and create various genres of writing about travel.
Prerequisites & Notes: Travel experience; not open to first-years.
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RHET 305 - Organization Grant Proposals FC ARHU WADV
4 credits
Sooner or later many professionals need to apply for grants. This course covers the basics of writing grant proposals or fellowship applications and researching funding sources. Students will learn to use the Cleveland Foundation Center’s database and work on a proposal to fund a community-based project or fellowship proposal in their area of interest. Instruction includes individual attention to fundamental college-level writing skills. Especially useful for artists, scientists, and community activists.
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RHET 306 - Writing and Language Diversity FC ARHU CD WADV
4 credits
Whether it involves stereotypes based on accents, insistence on “Standard English” in academic settings, or prejudice against certain varieties of English, many of us are steeped in questionable attitudes about language. This course explores issues in language diversity and examines what some refer to as “standard language ideology” - the idea that there is one superior form of language for academic and professional settings. We will delve into key sociolinguistic approaches to language diversity as we consider anti-racist work in language, the concept of World Englishes, the possibilities of codemeshing, and what this all means for the practice and teaching of writing. This course considers students’ diverse linguistic backgrounds as resources; in their writing, speaking, and multimodal projects for the course, students will explore ways to tap into the wealth of their linguistic experiences for expression. This course will be of special interest to WAs and students interested in education and language pedagogy.
Prerequisites & Notes: Closed to first-year students. This course will be of special interest to WAs and students interested in education and language pedagogy.
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RHET 320 - Community News Reporting FC ARHU WADV
4 credits
In this course students will undertake advanced projects of pitching, researching, writing and producing news stories about the Oberlin town community. Ethical treatment of sources, balanced and contextualized reporting, verification of facts and multiple modes of producing will be stressed. Previous work as a news journalist, either in high school or college, is preferable for students enrolling in this course. At least one field trip will be required, conditions permitting.
Does this course require off campus field trips? Yes
Community Based Learning
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RHET 401 - Teaching and Tutoring Writing Across the Disciplines FC ARHU WADV
4 credits
In this course, students study composition theory and pedagogy and at the same time learn to work with their peers as writing associates. In the process of helping to educate others, students work toward a fuller understanding of their own educational experiences, particularly in writing.
Prerequisites & Notes: Experienced students of all majors who write well are encouraged to apply. Closed to first-years and to seniors in their final semester. Students must apply to take this course before early registration; applications are linked from the Writing Associates Program’s webpages.
This course is cross-listed with ENGL 399
Community Based Learning
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RHET 402 - Tutoring Lab HC ARHU
2 credits
A course in which students develop their presentation and public speaking skills by conducting in-class workshops across campus. While studying oral communication theory and pedagogy, students will gain a broader understanding of the value of public speaking and recognize their own educational experiences with the discipline.
Prerequisites & Notes: RHET 401
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RHET 995F - Private Reading - Full FC ARHU
4 credits
Private readings are offered as either a half or full academic course and require the faculty member’s approval. Students who wish to pursue a topic not covered in the regular curriculum may register for a private reading. This one-to-one tutorial is normally at the advanced level in a specific field and is arranged with a member of the faculty who has agreed to supervise the student. Unlike other courses, a student cannot register for a private reading via PRESTO. To register for a private reading, obtain a card from the Registrar’s Office, complete the required information, obtain the faculty member’s approval for the reading, and return the card to the Registrar’s Office.
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RHET 995H - Private Reading - Half HC ARHU
2 credits
Private readings are offered as either a half or full academic course and require the faculty member’s approval. Students who wish to pursue a topic not covered in the regular curriculum may register for a private reading. This one-to-one tutorial is normally at the advanced level in a specific field and is arranged with a member of the faculty who has agreed to supervise the student. Unlike other courses, a student cannot register for a private reading via PRESTO. To register for a private reading, obtain a card from the Registrar’s Office, complete the required information, obtain the faculty member’s approval for the reading, and return the card to the Registrar’s Office.
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Rhet and Comp Practica Courses |
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RTCP 107 - Practicum in Journalism CC
1 credit
Through this course students earn academic credit working for an approved journalistic publication on campus. The course does not meet as a class, but students are expected to attend all required staff meetings and fulfill the assignments made by their editors.
Prerequisites & Notes: Students can earn a maximum of four credits toward graduation (a maximum of six credits for editors).
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RTCP 308 - Fellowship Writing CC
1 credit
This course is for students interested in writing applications for awards committees. Sessions will combine discussions of successful applications, in-class tutorials, and limited lecturing. We will focus more on editing than on generating a first draft. To that end, students can expect to apply several critical methodologies to their materials including those from literary theory, theories of visual design, and logic. Those interested in Watson, Fulbright, or Major UK awards are especially encouraged to enroll.
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Russian |
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REES 107 - Russian History I FC SSCI CD
4 credits
An introductory survey of Russian history from the earliest times to the mid-19th c. Beginning with an overview of the Kievan Rus and the Mongol overlordship, we will explore the diverse influences of the steppe, Orthodox Christianity, and `the west’ on the nature of the Muscovite and Imperial Russian state, the relationship between state and society, the formation of national and imperial identities, and dominant cultural values.
Prerequisites & Notes: Counts towards the History major and the REES major.
This course is cross-listed with HIST 107
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REES 108 - Russian History II FC SSCI CD
Beginning with the reform era in mid-19th century, this course examines the processes that led to the revolutions of 1917 and the consolidation of Soviet power; the formation and nature of the Stalinist system; the Soviet experience of World War II and the origins of the Cold War; post-Stalin efforts at reform and factors which led to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991; the course ends with a brief consideration of the Yeltsin and Putin regimes.
This course is cross-listed with HIST 108
This course is appropriate for new students.
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REES 360 - Constructing the Russian Revolutionary Self FC ARHU CD WADV
4 credits
What role do individuals play in revolutionary history? How do understandings of identity change in moments of upheaval? How do scholars use ‘ego-documents’ as historical sources? This research seminar is an exploration of selfhood in the modern Russian revolutionary tradition. Through treatises, memoirs, artworks, and films, we will examine how nihilists, populists, Marxists, feminists, and the militant working class constructed new forms of radical subjectivity. The seminar will culminate in a research paper that will investigate, through primary sources, both revolutionary biography as well as the challenges that revolution poses to the idea of biography itself.
This course is cross-listed with HIST 360
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REES 481 - Stalinism FC SSCI CD WADV
4 credits
A political system, an economic project, a civilization, a crime: what was Stalinism? I.V. Stalin was the de facto leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953.His name is synonymous with the boldest triumphs and most grotesque tragedies of twentieth-century socialism. This course investigates the intense debates surrounding the nature and legacy of Stalinism. It will analyze a series of crucial developments in modern Russian history-socialist realism, the Gulag, the show trials, collectivization, the Second World War-and explore how warring interpretations over Stalinism still shape the historical and political landscape of the present.
This course is cross-listed with HIST 481
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REES 500 - Honors FC SSCI
4 credits
REES Honors course
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RUSS 005 - Russian Phonetics HC ARHU CD
2 credits
Open to students of Russian at all levels (elementary, intermediate, advanced). An opportunity to focus on and fine-tune phonetics and intonation without having to worry about grammar, vocabulary, etc. Targeted practice of specific sounds, sound combinations, words, phrases etc. through tongue twisters, proverbs, poems, songs, and simple dialogs. By the end of this modular course students should be well on their way to developing correct, near-native Russian pronunciation. Involves a final oral project. Note that this course is only offered on an occasional basis (not annually).
Prerequisites & Notes: RUSS 101 or the equivalent
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RUSS 007 - Navigating Russia: Practical Strategies for Living and Studying Abroad HC ARHU CD
2 credits
Americans go abroad with a set of assumptions about Russia, but have little real sense of how Russians live, think, and communicate on a day-to-day basis: they see only the tip of the cultural ‘iceberg.’ This course provides a practical guide to navigating Russia?and avoiding unnecessary collisions?by exploring ‘submerged’ and overlooked aspects of Russian life: nonverbal communication patterns, unspoken norms about food, health, individualism, friendship, loyalty, etc. We will analyze a range of challenging communicative situations so students can develop their own strategies and survival techniques for living in Russia. Open to students at all levels. In English.
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RUSS 101 - Elementary Russian FC ARHU CD
4 credits
An introduction to contemporary Russian, providing students with basic cultural literacy and an active command of the fundamentals of the language: speaking, understanding, reading, and writing. We employ a wide variety of authentic materials (literary and web-based texts, videos, movies, cartoons, music) as a window onto the vibrant reality of modern Russia. Regular language lab work.
This course is appropriate for new students.
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RUSS 102 - Elementary Russian FC ARHU CD
4 credits
An introduction to contemporary Russian, providing students with the basic cultural literacy and an active command of the fundamentals of the language: speaking, understanding, reading, and writing. We employ a wide variety of authentic materials (literary and web-based texts, videos, movies, cartoons, music) as a window onto the vibrant reality of modern Russia. Regular language lab work.
Prerequisites & Notes: RUSS 101 or equivalent is prerequisite for RUSS 102. Note: Students who cannot begin Elementary Russian in the fall may place into RUSS 102 by successfully completing Winter Term Intensive Russian.
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RUSS 170 - Beekeeping: A Cultural and Environmental History HC ARHU CD
2 credits
Humans have “kept” honeybees for millennia, but have never fully tamed them. This modular course explores our complex relationship with this fascinating semi-domesticated species from a global perspective (Eurasia, Africa, the Middle East, the Americas), with particular emphasis on Russia and the Slavic world, which has an extraordinarily rich beekeeping tradition. Topics include: basic bee biology; wild bees; bee lining; traditional beekeeping, including tree hives, skeps, log hives (we’ll build one!); the development of the movable-frame hives and the rise of industrial apiculture; colony collapse disorder and climate change; new approaches to natural or “bee-centric” beekeeping. Some weekend field trips/activities.
Does this course require off campus field trips? Yes
This course is cross-listed with ENVS 170
This course is appropriate for new students.
Sustainability
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RUSS 203 - Intermediate Russian FC ARHU CD
4 credits
Review and refinement of the essentials of grammar and vocabulary, and continued development of reading, aural/oral skills, and writing through a variety of authentic sources (magazine articles, blog posts, music videos etc.) that further expand cultural competence. The course content focuses on everyday life in contemporary Russia and includes such topics as education, social networks, healthcare, crime and punishment, and life in a big city.
Prerequisites & Notes: RUSS 102 or equivalent.
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RUSS 204 - Intermediate Russian FC ARHU CD
4 credits
Review and refinement of the essentials of grammar and vocabulary, and continued development of reading, aural/oral skills, and writing through a variety of authentic sources (magazine articles, blog posts, music videos etc.) that further expand cultural competence. The course content focuses on everyday life in contemporary Russia and includes such topics as the family, gender, work, travel, migration, and the environment.
Prerequisites & Notes: RUSS 203 or equivalent.
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RUSS 215 - The Meaning of Life: Dispatches from Nineteenth-Century Russia FC ARHU CD
4 credits
Life was grim in nineteenth-century Russia! Faced with an oppressive political system, overwhelming evidence of suffering, poverty, and appalling ignorance, the imperfectability of human nature and the messiness of personal relationships, and, finally, the specter of death, Russian writers had ample opportunity to ponder the meaning and meaningless of existence. Their attempts to grapple with the cursed questions of life gave rise to an extraordinarily rich existentialist tradition. Drawing on classic works by Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov and others, the course will take a sane, upbeat, and irreverent approach to some timeless and very serious issues. In English, no prerequisites.
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