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Catalogue 2013-2014 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course Descriptions
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Economics: II. Intermediate |
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ECON 290 - Field Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1/2 unit(s)
Individual or group field projects or internships. The department.
Prereq/Corequisite(s): a course in the department. Permission required.
Unscheduled.
May be elected during the academic year or during the summer. Courses numbered 200 and above are not open to freshmen in their first semester.
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ECON 298 - Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1/2 or 1 unit(s)
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Economics: III. Advanced |
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ECON 300 - Senior Thesis Preparation Semester Offered: Fall
1/2 unit(s)
This course consists of independent work with a faculty advisor and includes preparing a detailed proposal for a senior thesis paper and researching and writing two introductory chapters. These typically consist of a literature review and a full description of any theoretical model and/or econometric project (including data) that forms the core of the proposed thesis. Students should approach a proposed advisor at the beginning of the semester (or, if possible during the Spring semester of the Junior year or summer preceding the Senior year) to gain permission to undertake this course of study. Students may continue with ECON 301 upon completion of ECON 300a, conditional on approval of the advisor and the department. The department.
Open to senior majors by special permission of the advisor.
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ECON 301 - Senior Thesis Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
This course builds on the work completed in ECON 300 . Students are expected to submit the finished paper by spring vacation. They are asked to give a half hour oral presentation of their thesis to the department in the early part of the b semester. This presentation enables thesis writers to benefit from comments received at the presentation in preparing the final thesis drafts. The department.
Open to senior majors who have successfully competed ECON 300 .
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ECON 303 - Advanced Topics in Microeconomics Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
This course introduces students to modern theoretical methods in microeconomics and their application to advanced topics not typically addressed in ECON 201 . Topics vary from year to year, but typically include: modern approaches to consumer and producer theory, economics of uncertainty, general equilibrium theory, and welfare analysis. Mr. Jehle.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 201 and MATH 122 or equivalent or permission of the instructor.
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ECON 304 - Advanced Topics in Macroeconomics
1 unit(s)
This course examines recent theoretical and applied work in macroeconomics, with a special focus on the analytical foundations of modern growth theory. The requisite dynamic optimization methods are developed during the course (this involves the regular use of partial differentiation techniques). Topics include the relationship of education, demographics, institutions and industrial organization with economic growth. Mr. Sá.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 200 , ECON 201 and MATH 122 , or equivalent or permission of the instructor.
One 3-hour period.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ECON 310 - Advanced Topics in Econometrics Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Analysis of the classical linear regression model and the consequences of violating its basic assumptions. Topics include maximum likelihood estimation, asymptotic properties of estimators, simultaneous equations, instrumental variables, limited dependent variables and an introduction to time series models. Applications to economic problems are emphasized throughout the course. Mr. Ruud.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 210 and MATH 122 or equivalent. MATH 221 recommended.
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ECON 320 - Labor Economics Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
An examination of labor markets. Topics include demand and supply for labor, a critical analysis of human capital and signaling theory, the hedonic theory of wages, theories of labor market discrimination, unemployment, and union behavior. Comparative labor markets in the U.S., the U.K., and other E.U. countries and public policy with respect to such things as minimum wages, fringe benefits, unemployment insurance, and welfare reform are also addressed. Ms. Johnson-Lans.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 201 and ECON 209 .
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ECON 333 - Behavioral Economics Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
This course surveys the extensive empirical and experimental evidence documenting how human behavior often deviates from the predictions made by models that assume full rationality. This course combines economics, psychology, and experimental methods to explore impulsivity, impatience, overconfidence, reciprocity, fairness, the enforcement of social norms, the effects of status, addiction, the myopia that people exhibit when having to plan for the future, and other behaviors which deviate from what we would expect if people were fully rational. Mr. Ho.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 200 or ECON 201 .
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ECON 342 - Public Finance
1 unit(s)
This course considers the effects that government expenditure, taxation, and regulation have on people and the economy. Attention is given to how government policy can correct failures of the free market system. Topics include the effect taxes have on consumption and employment decisions, the U.S. income tax system, income redistribution, budget deficits, environmental policy, health care, voting, and social security. Mr. Rebelein.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 201 and or equivalent.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ECON 345 - International Trade Theory and Policy Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
This course examines classical, neoclassical and modern theories of international trade, as well as related empirical evidence. Topics included are: the relationship between economic growth and international trade; the impact of trade on the distribution of income; the theory of tariffs and commercial policy; economic integration, trade and trade policy under imperfect competition. Mr. Jehle.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 201 .
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ECON 346 - International Finance Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
The course is devoted to the problems of balance of payments and adjustment mechanisms. Topics include: the balance of payments and the foreign ex-change market; causes of disturbances and processes of adjustment in the balance of payments and the foreign exchange market under fixed and flexible exchange rate regimes; issues in maintaining internal and external balance; optimum currency areas; the history of the international monetary system and recent attempts at reform; capital movements and the international capital market. Mr. Islamaj.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 200 , ECON 248 , and college-level calculus, Economics majors or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
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ECON 355 - Industrial Organization Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
This course examines the behavior of firms under conditions of imperfect competition. The role of market power is studied, including the strategies it permits, e.g., monopoly pricing, price discrimination, quality choice, and product proliferation. Strategic behavior among firms is central to many of the topics of the course. As such, game theory is introduced to study strategic behavior, and is applied to topics such as oligopoly pricing, entry and deterrence, product differentiation, advertising, and innovation. Time permitting, the course may also include durable goods pricing, network effects, antitrust economics, and vertical integration. Ms. Turkay-Pillai.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 201 , MATH 122 or equivalent.
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ECON 367 - Comparative Economics Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
A study of different economic systems and institutions, beginning with a comparison of industrialized market economies in the U.S., Asia, and Europe. Pre-perestroika USSR is studied as an example of a centrally planned economy and the transition to a market economy is examined, with additional focus on the Czech Republic and Poland. Alternatives to both market and planned systems - such as worker self-management, market socialism, and social democracy - are also explored with emphasis on the experience of Yugoslavia and Sweden. Mr. Kennett.
Prerequisite(s): at least two units of Economics at or above the 200-level.
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ECON 374 - The Origins of the Global Economy Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as ASIA 374 ) This course examines the long-run evolution of the global economy. For centuries the world has experienced a dramatic rise in international trade, migration, foreign capital flows and technology, culminating in what is today called “the global economy.” How did it happen? Why did it happen to Europe first? In this course, we examine the process of economic development in pre-modern Europe and Asia, the economic determinants of state formation and market integration, the causes and consequences of West European overseas expansion, and the emergence and nature of today’s global economy. Ms. Jones.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 200 and ECON 209 .
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ECON 384 - The Economics of Higher Education
1 unit(s)
This seminar explores the economics of colleges and universities, with a particular focus on contemporary policy issues. Course materials apply economic theory and empirical analysis to selected policy issues, including tuition and financial aid, the individual and societal returns of higher education, and academic labor markets. The course also introduces students to the financial structure and management of colleges, including funding sources, budget processes, and policies and issues regarding the finance of higher education. Ms. Hill.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 200 and ECON 209 .
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ECON 386 - The Economics of Immigration Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
This course examines the theoretical and empirical models that economists have developed to study the economic impact of immigration. The course describes the history of immigration policy in the United States and analyzes the various economic issues that dominate the current debate over immigration policy. These issues include the changing contribution of immigrants to the country’s skill endowment; the rate of economic assimilation experienced by immigrants; the impact of immigrants on the employment opportunities of other workers in the US; the impact of immigrant networks on immigrants and the source and magnitude of the economic benefits generated by immigration. The course also studies the social and civic dimensions of immigration - how it relates to education, marriage, segregation etc. We compare various cohorts of immigrants who entered the US at different time periods. We also compare generations residing in the US, more specifically immigrants and their children. Ms. Basu.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 200 and ECON 209 . ECON 210 recommended.
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ECON 388 - Latin American Economic Development Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as LALS 388 ) This course examines why many Latin American countries started with levels of development similar to those of the U.S. and Canada but were not able to keep up. The course begins with discussions of various ways of thinking about and measuring economic development and examines the record of Latin American countries on various measures, including volatile growth rates, high income and wealth inequality, and high crime rates. We then turn to an analysis of the colonial and post-Independence period to examine the roots of the weak institutional development than could explain a low growth trajectory. Next, we examine the post WWII period, exploring the import substitution of 1970s, the debt crises of the 1980s, and the structural adjustment of the 1990s. Finally, we look at events in the past decade, comparing and contrasting the experience of different countries with respect to growth, poverty and inequality. Ms. Pearlman.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 100 and ECON 209 or equivalent.
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ECON 389 - Applied Financial Modeling Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Applications of economic theory and econometrics to the analysis of financial data. Topics include the efficient markets hypothesis, capital asset pricing model, consumption based models, term structure of interest rates, arbitrage pricing theory, exchange rates, volatility, generalized method of moments, time-series econometrics. Mr. Johnson.
Prerequisite(s): ECON 201 , ECON 210 and ECON 225 , MATH 122 or equivalent; or permission of the instructor. MATH 220 , MATH 221 recommended.
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ECON 399 - Senior Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1/2 or 1 unit(s)
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Environmental Studies: I. Introductory |
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ENST 100 - Earth Resource Challenges Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as ESCI 100 , ESSC 100 , and GEOG 100 ) This course combines the insights of the natural and social sciences to address a topic of societal concern. Geographers bring spatial analysis of human environmental change, while earth scientists contribute their knowledge of the diverse natural processes shaping the earth’s surface. Together, these distinctive yet complementary fields contribute to comprehensive understandings of the physical limitations and potentials, uses and misuses of the earth’s natural resources. Each year the topic of the course changes to focus on selected resource problems facing societies and environments around the world. When this course is team-taught by faculty from earth science and geography, it serves as an introduction to both disciplines.
Topic for 2013/14a: Water and Cities. With the explosive urbanization of the modern world, new and unprecedented demands are placed on the earth’s hydrological systems. A variety of environmental issues-such as water provision and drought, depletion of aquifers, pollution of watersheds, flooding, regional climate change, privatization of supply and other policy questions-arise out of the insatiable demand for water by contemporary metropolitan regions. This course combines geographical and geological perspectives on the increasingly urgent problems of urban water. Consideration is given to case studies of water problems in the New York metropolitan region, cities and suburbs of the arid U.S. Southwest, and Latin American mega-cities such as Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro. Ms. Menking.
Two 75-minute periods.
Open only to freshmen; satisfies college requirement for a Freshman Writing Seminar.
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ENST 107 - Global Change and Sustainability Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
This class offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the climate, ecosystem and sustainability principles needed to understand human impact on the natural environment. We discuss the issue of global change prediction and the scientific basis for global change assessments and policy measures. Key topics are the physical climate system and its variability, the carbon cycle and related ecosystem processes, land use issues, nutrient cycles, and the impact of global change on society. Common threads in all of these topics include the use of observations and models, the consideration of multiple scales (temporal and spatial), the interaction of human behaviors and choices with natural systems, and the linkages among aspects of the global change issue. Ms. Spodek.
Two 75-minute periods.
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ENST 124 - Essentials of Environmental Science Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
A lecture/laboratory course in which basic topics in environmental biology, geology, and chemistry are covered with examples from current environmental issues used to illustrate the application and interdisciplinary nature of these fields. This course treats the following topics: energy sources and waste products, atmospheric patterns and climate, biogeochemical cycles, properties of soils and water, and ecological processes. Using these topics as a platform, this course examines the impact humanity has on the environment and discusses strategies to diminish those effects. The laboratory component includes field trips, field investigations, and laboratory exercises. Mr. Belli and Ms. Christenson.
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory.
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ENST 125 - Environmentalisms in Perspective Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)
This multidisciplinary course examines significant approaches to the theory and practice of environmentalisms past and present. Students explore possible connections between the ethical, aesthetic, social, economic, historical, and scientific concerns that comprise environmental studies. The methods of inquiry we follow and the environmentalisms we consider vary among sections. Ms. Hughes.
Required of students concentrating in the program.
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ENST 177 - Environmental Political Thought Semester Offered: Fall
1/2 unit(s)
(Same as POLI 177 ) The emerging awareness of ecological problems in the past half-century has led to a questioning and rethinking of some important political ideas. What theories can describe an ecologically-sound human relation to nature; what policies derive from those theories; and how do they value nature? What is the appropriate size of political units? What model of citizenship best addresses environmental issues? This course will address selected issues through readings in past political thinkers like Locke and Marx and in contemporary political and environmental theorists. Mr. Stillman.
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ENST 178 - Political Theory, Environmental Justice: The Case of New Orleans After Katrina Semester Offered: Spring
1/2 unit(s)
(Same as POLI 178 ) Hurricane Katrina flooded much of New Orleans, causing intense social and political problems within the city and testing the ability of citizens and governments to respond to the crisis. The course aims to interpret and evaluate those responses by reading past political theorists, such as Aristotle, Hobbes, and DuBois, and current evaluations, such as those based in concerns for environmental justice. Mr. Stillman.
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Environmental Studies: II. Intermediate |
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ENST 254 - Environmental Science in the Field
1 unit(s)
(Same as BIOL 254 , ESCI 254 , and GEOG 254 ) The environment consists of complex and often elegant interactions between various constituents so that an interdisciplinary approach is required to understand how human interactions may affect it. In this course, we study a variety of aspects of a specific environment by considering how biological, chemical, geological, and human factors interact. We observe these interactions first hand during a weeklong field trip. Some of the questions we may consider are: How does a coral polyp create an environment that not only suits its particular species, but also helps regulate the global climate? How has human development and associated water demands in the desert Southwest changed the landscape, fire ecology, and even estuary and fisheries’ health as far away as the Gulf of California? How have a variety of species (humans included) managed to survive on an island with the harsh environment of the exposed mid-ocean ridge of Iceland? The course is offered every other year, and topics vary with expertise of the faculty teaching the course.
Prerequisite(s): permission of the instructor.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ENST 258 - Environment and Culture in the Caribbean Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as AFRS 258 ) The ecology of the islands of the Caribbean has undergone profound change since the arrival of Europeans to the region in 1492. The course traces the history of the relationship between ecology and culture from pre-Columbian civilizations to the economies of tourism. Among the specific topics of discussion are: Arawak and Carib notions of nature and conservation of natural resources; the impact of deforestation and changes in climate; the plantation economy as an ecological revolution; the political implications of the tensions between the economy of the plot and that of the plantation; the development of environmental conservation and its impact on notions of nationhood; the ecological impact of resort tourism; the development of eco-tourism. These topics are examined through a variety of materials: historical documents, essays, art, literature, music, and film. Ms. Paravisini.
Two 75-minute periods.
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ENST 260 - Issues in Environmental Studies
1 unit(s)
The purpose of this course is to examine in depth an issue, problem, or set of issues and problems in environmental studies, to explore the various ways in which environmental issues are embedded in multiple contexts and may be understood from multiple perspectives. The course topic changes from year to year.
Prerequisite(s): permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ENST 261 - “The Nuclear Cage”: Environmental Theory and Nuclear Power
1 unit(s)
(Same as SOCI 261 and INTL 261 ) The central aim of this course is to explore debates about the interaction between beings, including humans, animals, plants and the earth within the context of advanced capitalism by concentrating on the production, distribution, consumption, and disposal of nuclear power. The first question concerning the class is how does Environmental Theory approach nuclear power and its impact on the environment. The second question deals with how this construction interacts with other forms of debate regarding nuclear power, especially concentrating on the relation between science, market and the state in dealing with nature, and how citizens formulate and articulate their understanding of nuclear power through social movements. Ms. Batur.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ENST 270 - Topics in Environmental Studies Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
The purpose of this course is to take up topics relevant to environmental studies, and examine them through the perspectives of the humanities and the natural or social sciences. The course topic changes from year to year.
Topic for 2013/14b: It’s Only Natural: Contemplation in the American Landscape. This course examines the ways in which Americans have approached the natural world as both a source of revelation and an object of contemplation. Drawing on a wide range of literary, environmental and religious texts, we explore the dynamic relations between concepts of the natural, the human, and the divine in the American and the Native American experience. We also consider the American landscape tradition in painting and photography, as well as certain forms of folk music. We take field trips to local sites, including parks, farms, museums and monasteries, and host class visits from educators and artists. Techniques of contemplation play a role in the course. Mr. Kane.
Special permission required.
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ENST 290 - Field Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1/2 or 1 unit(s)
Individual or group field projects or internships. Prior approval of advisor and instructor supervising the work are required. May be taken during the academic year or during the summer. Participating faculty.
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ENST 291 - Field Experiences in the Hudson Valley Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1/2 unit(s)
The course emphasizes project-based learning that, rather than beginning with established divisions or disciplines, focuses on problems or questions to which students can bring all the resources of their previous classes in a truly multidisciplinary fashion. Required for Environmental Studies majors.
Two 75-minute periods.
First 6-weeks of fall semester and second 6-weeks of spring semester.
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ENST 298 - Independent Research Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1/2 or 1 unit(s)
Individual or group project or study. Prior approval of advisor and instructor supervising the work are required. May be taken during the academic year or during the summer. Participating faculty.
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Environmental Studies: III. Advanced |
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ENST 300 - Senior Project/Thesis Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Recognizing the diverse interests and course programs of students in Environmental Studies, the program entertains many models for a senior project/thesis. Depending on their disciplinary concentration and interests, students may conduct laboratory or field studies, literary and historical analyses, or policy studies. Senior project/thesis proposals must be approved by the steering committee.
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ENST 301 - Senior Seminar Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
In the Senior Seminar, Environmental Studies majors bring their disciplinary concentration and their courses in the program to bear on a problem or set of problems in environmental studies. Intended to be an integration of theory and practice, and serving as a capstone course for the major, the seminar changes its focus from year to year. Required of students concentrating in the program.
Open to other students by permission of the director and as space permits.
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ENST 303 - Thesis Semester Offered: Fall
1/2 unit(s)
Yearlong course ENST 303b-ENST 304 .
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ENST 304 - Thesis Semester Offered: Spring
1/2 unit(s)
Yearlong course ENST 303 -ENST 304.
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ENST 305 - People and Animal Histories in Modern India
1 unit(s)
(Same as ASIA 305 and HIST 305 ) This course examines human interactions with animals in India from the colonial period through the present. How have various groups and important individuals defined the proper relationship between themselves and the animals around them? What challenges and advantages have animals and people met with as a result? As we explore how people have served their social, political, economic, national, and religious interests through animals, we learn how human values and beliefs about animals have in turn helped shape Indian environments. We read a variety of primary sources by Indians and Englishmen in South Asia, ranging from children’s literature through the writings of bird fanciers, big game hunters, and early animal rights advocates. Ms. Hughes.
One 2-hour period.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ENST 325 - American Genres
1 unit(s)
An intensive study of specific forms or types of literature, such as satire, humor, gothic fiction, realism, slave narratives, science fiction, crime, romance, adventure, short story, epic, autobiography, hypertext, and screenplay. Each year, one or more of these genres is investigated in depth. The course may cross national borders and historical periods or adhere to boundaries of time and place.
One 2-hour period.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ENST 331 - Topics in Archaeological Theory and Method Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as ANTH 331 and STS 331 ) The theoretical underpinnings of anthropological archaeology and the use of theory in studying particular bodies of data. The focus ranges from examination of published data covering topics such as architecture and society, the origin of complex society, the relationship between technology and ecology to more laboratory-oriented examination of such topics as archaeometry, archaeozoology, or lithic technology.
Topic for 2013/14b: Technology, Ecology, and Society. Examines the interactions between human beings and their environment as mediated by technology, focusing on the period from the earliest evidence of toolmaking approximately up to the Industrial Revolution. Student research projects often bring the course up to the present. Includes experimentation with ancient technologies and field trips to local markets and craft workshops. May be repeated for credit if the topic has changed. Ms. Johnson.
Prerequisite(s): previous coursework in Anthropology, Environmental Studies, or Science, Technology, and Society, or permission of the instructor.
One 2-hour period; plus 4 hour lab.
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ENST 335 - Paleoclimatology: Earth’s History of Climate Change
1 unit(s)
(Same as ESCI 335 ) In recent decades, record high temperatures and extreme weather events have led scientists and policy makers to grapple with the fact that human activities are affecting the climate system. At the same time, scientists have come to realize that climate is capable of dramatic shifts in the absence of human intervention. The science of paleoclimatology seeks to understand the extent and causes of natural climatic variability in order to establish the baseline on top of which anthropogenic changes are occurring. In this course we examine the structure and properties of the oceans and atmosphere and how the general circulation of these systems redistributes heat throughout the globe, study how cycles in Earth’s orbital parameters, plate tectonics, changes in ocean circulation, and the evolution of plants have affected climate, and explore the different lines of evidence used to reconstruct climate history. Weekly laboratory projects introduce students to paleoclimatic methods and to records of climatic change from the Paleozoic through the Little Ice Age. Ms. Menking.
Prerequisite(s): 200-level work in Earth Science or permission of the instructor.
One 4-hour classroom/laboratory/field period.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ENST 340 - Advanced Urban and Regional Studies Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as ESCI 340 and GEOG 340 ) Topic for 2013/14b: Arctic Environmental Change. Arctic environments define a geographic region that is important to understand both in terms of its distinctive biogeographic patterns and functions and because it is subject to some of the most dramatic environmental alterations associated with global climate change. This course takes a biogeographic and landscape ecological approach to examining how this region contributes to global biodiversity, and why it contributes disproportionately to the regulation and change of the earth’s climate system. What characteristics define these environments and make them especially vulnerable to positive feedbacks in a changing climate? How might climate changes alter landscape structure and composition, and what are the implications of these changes for the distribution of plants and animals in the region? What are global implications of these changes? We examine current literature and data to explore these questions about ongoing and anticipated environmental change in arctic regions. Some background in understanding earth systems or climate change is helpful. Ms. Cunningham.
One 3-hour period.
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ENST 341 - Oil
1 unit(s)
(Same as ESCI 341 and GEOG 341 ) For the hydraulic civilizations of Mesopotamia, it was water. For the Native Americans of the Great Plains, it was buffalo. As we enter the twenty-first century, our society is firmly rooted both culturally and economically in oil. This class looks into almost every aspect of oil. Starting at the source with kerogen generation, we follow the hydrocarbons along migration pathways to a reservoir with a suitable trap. We look at the techniques geologists and geophysicists use to find a field, and how engineers and economists get the product from the field to refineries, paying particular attention to environmental concerns. What is involved in the negotiations between multinational corporations and developing countries over production issues? What are the stages in refining oil from the crude that comes from the ground to the myriad uses seen today, including plastics, pharmaceuticals, and fertilizers, not to mention gasoline? We also discuss the future of this rapidly dwindling, non-renewable resource, and options for an oil-less future. Mr. McAdoo, Mr. Rashid.
Prerequisite(s): one 200-level Earth Science course or permission of the instructor.
One 4-hour classroom/laboratory/field period.
Not offered in 2013/14. Will be offered in 2016/17.
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ENST 350 - New York City as a Social Laboratory
1 unit(s)
(Same as URBS 350 ) What is the future role of cities in the global environment? The goal of this class is to explore the major challenges in making cities environmentally sustainable. Efforts to generate and foster green and sustainable urban space confront economic, political and social complexities, while our imagination is being challenged to define alternatives. By focusing on New York City, we explore alterations in the discourse on sustainability as it relates to spatial allocation in urban design, and architectural innovations in the form and function of green buildings. Through a combination of classroom based discussions and New York City on site investigations, the class strives to understand expanded definition of sustainability in the contemporary urban environment.
Prerequisite(s): permission of the instructor.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ENST 352 - Conservation Biology Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as BIOL 352 ) Conservation Biology uses a multidisciplinary approach to study how to best maintain the earth’s biodiversity and functioning ecosystems. We examine human impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem function and discuss how to develop practical approaches for mitigating those impacts. We start the semester by assessing the current human footprint on global resources, asking questions about what we are trying to preserve, why we are trying to preserve it, and how we can accomplish our goals. We critically examine the assumptions made by conservation biologists throughout, using case studies from around the world to explore a range of perspectives. Discussion topics include conservation in an agricultural context, the efficacy of marine protected areas, the impact of climate change on individual species and preserve design, restoration ecology, the consequences of small population sizes, conservation genetics, the impacts of habitat fragmentation and invasive species, and urbanecology. Ms. Ronsheim.
Recommended: courses: BIOL 241 , BIOL 208 , or BIOL 226 , GEOG 260 , GEOG 224 , or GEOG 356 ; or permission of the instructor.
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ENST 356 - Environment and Land-Use Planning
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 356 and URBS 356 ) This seminar focuses on land-use issues such as open-space planning, urban design, transportation planning, and the social and environmental effects of planning and land use policies. The focus of the course this year is impacts of planning policies (such as transportation, zoning, or growth boundaries) on environmental quality, including open space preservation, farmland conservation, and environmental services. We begin with global and regional examples and then apply ideas in the context of Dutchess County’s trajectory of land use change and planning policies. Ms. Cunningham.
Prerequisite(s): one 200-level course in Geography, Urban Studies or Environmental Studies.
One 3-hour period.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ENST 361 - Modeling the Earth Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as ESCI 361 ) Computer models are powerful tools in the Earth and Environmental Sciences for generating and testing hypotheses about how the Earth system functions and for allowing simulation of processes in places inaccessible to humans (e.g. Earth’s deep interior), too slow to permit observation (e.g., erosion driven uplift of mountains ranges), or too large to facilitate construction of physical models (e.g., Earth’s climate system). Taking readings from the scientific literature, we create and then perform experiments with simple computer models, using the STELLA iconographic box-modeling software package. Topics include the global phosphorus cycle, Earth’s radiative balance with the sun and resulting temperature, the flow of ice in glaciers, and the role of life in moderating Earth’s climate. Toward the end of the semester, students apply the skills they have acquired to a modeling project of their own devising. Ms. Menking.
Prerequisite(s): one 200-level course in the natural sciences.
One 4-hour classroom/laboratory period.
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ENST 364 - Seminar on Selected Topics in Law and Technology
1 unit(s)
This course explores the dynamic interrelationship between technology and law. It is designed to analyze the reciprocal effects of our society’s developed jurisprudence and the advancement and use of science and technology on each other. Areas explored include American Constitutional, international, environmental, criminal, and property law, particularly as they interact with reproductive determination, government information gathering, hazardous waste generation, biotechnology, and technology transfer.
One 2-hour period.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ENST 367 - Peoples and Environments in the American West
1 unit(s)
(Same as HIST 367 ) This course explores the history of the trans-Mississippi West in the nineteenth century and its legacies in modern America. Themes include cultural conflict and accommodation; federal power and Western politics; and humans’ negotiations with their environments. The course considers the history of the frontier as a process; the Western U.S. as a geographic place; and the legendary West and its functions in American mythology. Ms. Edwards.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ENST 368 - Toxic Futures: From Social Theory to Environmental Theory Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as SOCI 368 ) The central aim of this class is to examine the foundations of the discourse on society and nature in social theory and environmental theory to explore two questions. The first question is how does social theory approach the construction of the future, and the second question is how has this construction informed the present debates on the impact of industrialization, urbanization, state-building and collective movements on the environment? In this context, the class focuses on how social theory informs different articulations of Environmental Thought and its political and epistemological fragmentation and the limits of praxis, as well as its contemporary construction of alternative futures. Ms. Batur.
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ENST 370 - Feminist Perspectives on Environmentalism
1 unit(s)
(Same as ESSC 370 and WMST 370 ) In this seminar we explore some basic concepts and approaches within feminist environmental analysis paying particular attention to feminist theory and its relevance to environmental issues. We examine a range of feminist research and analysis in ‘environmental studies’ that is connected by the recognition that gender subordination and environmental destruction are related phenomena. That is, they are the linked outcomes of forms of interactions with nature that are shaped by hierarchy and dominance, and they have global relevance. The course helps students discover the expansive contributions of feminist analysis and action to environmental research and advocacy; it provides the chance for students to apply the contributions of a feminist perspective to their own specific environmental interests. Ms. Schneiderman.
Prerequisite(s): permission of the instructor; Women’s Studies 130 recommended.
One 2-hour period.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ENST 372 - Sustainability and Environmental Political Thought Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as POLI 372 ) Sustainability is arguably the most important principle and practice for the contemporary environmental movement. This course will explore the historical origins of the concept, its various and contested meanings, its relation to other leading dimensions of environmental political thought, and its critics. We will also analyze the relation of sustainability to mass-consumption societies, to democracy, and to the modern state. Mr. Stillman.
Prerequisite(s): permission of the instructor.
One 2-hour period.
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ENST 375 - Aquatic Chemistry
1/2 or 1 unit(s)
(Same as CHEM 375 ) This course explores the fundamentals of aqueous chemistry as applied to natural waters. The global water cycle and major water resources are introduced. Principles explored include: kinetics and thermodynamics, atmosphere-water interactions, rock-water interactions, precipitation and dissolution, acids and bases, oxidation and reduction, and nutrient and trace metal cycling. Ms. Spodek.
Prerequisite(s): CHEM 245 ; PHYS 113 , PHYS 114 ; MATH 121 /MATH 122 or MATH 125 or permission of the instructor.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ENST 381 - Topics in Ecosystem Ecology - Ecosystem Structure and Function Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as BIOL 381 ) Ecosystems are complex systems, where biotic and abiotic factors interact to create the world we see around us. Understanding the nature of ecosystems is fundamental to understanding how disturbance and change in a dynamic world will influence ecosystem stability. This is especially critical as we enter the Anthropocene; a time in our planets history where one species, modern humans, dominate. Major changes brought about by increased human activity include changing climate regimes, invasive species spread and biodiversity loss. This course explores how ecosystems, both aquatic and terrestrial, are assembled (structured) and how different ecosystems process energy and matter (function). We use our understanding of structure and function to explore how different ecosystems respond to changes in the environment (including climate change, invasive species introductions, loss of biodiversity and pollution). A class project will explore an ecosystem scale problem, and students will develop a plan for effectively communicating the scientific understanding of the problem to multiple stakeholders. Ms. Christenson.
Prerequisite(s): BIOL 241 .
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ENST 386 - Seminar on Energy and Extraction Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 386 ) This course examines the political, economic, cultural, and ecological dimensions of historical and contemporary systems of energy and extraction. Grounded in theoretical perspectives from political ecology, critical resource geography, green governmentality, and related fields, we examine key issues surrounding, on one hand, energy production, distribution, and consumption; and on the other hand, global extractive industries. By exploring diverse case studies in the Americas, Africa, Middle East, and Asia, we survey varied topics and themes. These include petro-capitalism and fossil fuel dependence; new forms of resource extraction such as mountaintop removal mining and hydraulic fracturing; the cultural politics of race, class, and gender in environmental conflicts; the relationship between energy and social transformation; and social movements, labor politics, and struggles for justice. Mr. Lindner.
Two75-minute periods.
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ENST 387 - Risk and Geohazards
1 unit(s)
(Same as ESCI 387 and GEOG 387 ) The world is becoming an increasingly risky place. Every year, natural hazards affect more and more people, and these people are incurring increasingly expensive losses. This course explores the nature of risk associated with geophysical phenomena. Are there more hazardous events now than there have been in the past? Are these events somehow more energetic? Or is it that increasing populations with increasingly disparate incomes are being exposed to these hazards? What physical, economic, political and social tools can be employed to reduce this geophysical risk? We draw on examples from recent disasters, both rapid onset (earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones), and slow onset (climate change, famine) to examine the complex and interlinked vulnerabilities of the coupled human-environment system. Mr. McAdoo.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 121 , ESCI 151 , or ESCI 203 .
One 4-hour period.
Not offered in 2013/14. Will be offered in 2015/16.
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ENST 389 - From the Natural History Museum to Ecotourism:The Collection of Nature
1 unit(s)
(Same as AMST 389 ) From the rise of the Natural History Museum, the Bureau of Ethnology, and early endeavors to create a national literature, the appropriation of American Indian lands and American Indians (as natural objects) offered Euro-Americans a means to realize their new national identity. Today, the American consumer-collector goes beyond the boundaries of the museum, national park, and zoo and into ecotourism, which claims to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate money, jobs, and the conservation of wildlife and vegetation. This course investigates historical and current trends in the way North Americans recover, appropriate, and represent non-western cultures, ‘exotic’ animals, and natural environments from theoretical and ideological perspectives. Course readings draw from the fields of anthropology, archaeology, museology, literature, and environmental studies. Ms. Graham, Ms. Pike-Tay.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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ENST 399 - Senior Independent Research Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1/2 or 1 unit(s)
Individual or group project or study. Prior approval of advisor and instructor supervising the work are required. May be taken during the academic year or during the summer. Participating faculty.
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Film: I. Introductory |
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FILM 175 - The Art of Film Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
An introductory exploration of central features of film aesthetics, including formal and stylistic elements: color, lighting, editing, sound, etc. Exposure to a wide spectrum of types of films, including: silent, abstract, non-narrative, documentary and genre films, and the artistic choices manifested by each. Subjects are treated topically rather than historically, and emphasis is placed on mastering key vocabulary. The department.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
May not be used toward the Major requirements.
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FILM 180 - Writing About Movies Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
This course focuses on the reviews of famous film critics such as Pauline Kael, David Denby, and Jonathan Rosenbaum, not with the goal of turning students into reviewers, but as a springboard for examining great prose (and great movies). We look at what gives their writing grace, style, passion, and a personal tone of voice, and at some of the classic and contemporary films they discuss. We also slowly branch out into other genres of writing about film: interviews, autobiographies, and critical essays, to explore the variety of ways writers share their love of film and offer interpretations of great films’ meaning and importance. Ms. Kozloff.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
Open only to freshmen; satisfies college requirement for a Freshman Writing Seminar.
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FILM 181 - Chaplin and Keaton Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
This freshman seminar investigates the art of silent film comedy through a close examination of the films of Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Film critics today rank their films among the finest motion pictures ever produced. Both Chaplin and Keaton were clearly the authors of their movies, as they controlled all major conceptual and technical elements. In addition to viewing and discussing many of the short and feature- length films produced by Chaplin and Keaton, students read critical essays analyzing and interpreting these films, as well as theoretical works dealing with the nature of comedy. Students compose and revise weekly brief essays (two to four pages) and deliver a short oral presentation. As a final project, students complete a longer analytical paper (around ten pages) that explores specific visual comic elements in one of the feature-length films created by Charles Chaplin or Buster Keaton. Mr. Steerman.
Two 75-minute periods, plus outside screenings.
Open only to freshmen; satisfies college requirement for a Freshman Writing Seminar.
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Film: II. Intermediate |
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FILM 210 - World Cinema to 1945 Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
An international history of film from its invention through the silent era and the coming of sound to mid-century. The course focuses on major directors, technological change, industrial organization, and the contributions of various national movements. In addition to the historical survey, this course introduces students to the major issues of classical film theory. The department.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 175 strongly suggested but not required.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
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FILM 211 - World Cinema After 1945 Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
An international history of film from mid-century to the present day. The course focuses on major directors, technological changes, industrial organization, and the contributions of various national movements. In addition to the historical survey, this course explores the major schools of contemporary film theory, e.g., auteurism, semiology, Marxist theory, feminism. The department.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 210 , and permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
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FILM 212 - Genre: The Musical Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Examines the development of American film musicals from The Jazz Singer to Sweeney Todd and Les Misérables. The course looks at major stars such as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, and Judy Garland, and the contributions of directors such as Vincente Minnelli and Bob Fosse. Students examine the interrelationships between Broadway and Hollywood, the influence of the rise and fall of the Production Code, the shaping hand of different studios, the tensions between narrative and spectacle, sincerity and camp. Reading assignments expose students to a wide range of literature about film, from production histories to feminist theory. Ms. Kozloff.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 175 or FILM 210 and permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
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FILM 214 - Genre: The War Film
1 unit(s)
An examination of how American films have represented World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War and the Gulf Wars. Films chosen include both those made while the conflicts rages (Bataan, 1942), and those made many years later (Saving Private Ryan, 1998, and Three Kings, 1999). This class focuses on such issues as: propaganda and patriotism, pacifism and sensationalism, the reliance on genre conventions and the role of changing film technologies. For comparison, we look also at documentaries, television, “home front” stories at war-time poetry, posters, and music. Reading assignments cover topics such as the government’s Office of War Information, the influence of John Wayne, the racism of the Vietnam films, the ways in which the Iraq war movies have been influenced by the genre. Ms Kozloff.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 175 or FILM 210 and permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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FILM 215 - Genre: Science Fiction
1 unit(s)
The course surveys the history of science fiction film from its beginnings in the silent period to the advent of digital technologies. The “golden age” of the 50s, the emergence of a new kind of science-fiction film at the end of the 60s (Kubrick’s 2001), and the “resurgence/revival” of science-fiction film in the late 70s-early 80s (Blade Runner, Alien) are given special attention. Topics include subgenres (end of the world, time travel, space exploration, robots, atomic energy), the relation of science-fiction films to their social context and their function in popular culture, the place of science in science-fiction, and the role of women in the genre. While passing mention is made of television science fiction, the course focuses on film.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 175 or FILM 210 and permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods plus required weekly evening screenings.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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FILM 216 - Genre: Romantic Comedy
1 unit(s)
This class studies the genre of romantic comedy in American film from the “screwball comedies” of the 1930s (It Happened One Night, Bringing Up Baby) to the resurgence of the genre in the 1990s and the 21st century. The course focuses on the work of major stars such as Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and Meg Ryan, as well as the contribution of such directors as Ernst Lubitsch, George Cukor, Preston Sturges, Howard Hawks, Billy Wilder, or Nora Ephron. We place these films in the context of other representations of romance-such as Shakespeare’s comedies-and in the context of the changes in American culture, particularly in the role of women. Readings lead students to a deeper understanding of the history of American film, genre, and the star system. Ms. Kozloff.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 175 or FILM 210 and permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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FILM 217 - Video Art Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as ART 217 ) Video Art has for some time been an important medium for visual artists. It has taken its place along with and often in tandem with all of the major categories of art production. The students are expected to learn how to “speak” using Video technology. This course is an exploration of the scope and possibilities of this important medium. The students learn the technical expertise necessary to be able to produce work in this medium. Student work is periodically screened and discussed by the class and the teacher, so that relationships between video and how it is implemented to best serve the visual, conceptual and narrative aspects of the work is better understood. Regular screenings of videos and films provide students with a context of historical and contemporary practices in which to consider their own production. TBA.
Two 2-hour periods.
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FILM 218 - Genre: The Western Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
This course offers an historical and cultural exploration of the Western film genre. There is emphasis on the relationship between the Western and the central myths of the American experience. The changing nature of masculinity, the representation of violence, and the roles designated to women are addressed. The course examines Westerns directed by filmmakers D. W. Griffith, John Ford, Howard Hawks, George Stevens, John Huston, Fred Zinnemann, Sidney Poitier, Sam Peckinpah, and Clint Eastwood. Ms. Mask.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 175 or FILM 210 and permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
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FILM 220 - Chinese Film and Contemporary Fiction Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as CHIN 220 ) An introduction to Chinese film through its adaptations of contemporary stories. Focus is on internationally well-known films by the fifth and sixth generation of directors since the late 1980s. Early Chinese films from the 1930s to the 1970s are also included in the screenings. The format of the course is to read a series of stories in English translations and to view their respective cinematic versions. The discussions concentrate on cultural and social aspects as well as on comparison of themes and viewpoints in the two genres. The interrelations between texts and visual images are also explored. Mr. Du.
Prerequisite(s): one course in language, literature, culture, film, drama, or Asian Studies, or permission of the instructor.
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FILM 230 - Women in Film
1 unit(s)
This course both examines the representation of women on film from an international perspective, and explores the works of key international women directors. Issues addressed include: constructions of femininity, masculinity, and sexuality, and the mapping of intersections between gender, power, race, class, and nation. We then study women directors of feature films such as Kathryn Bigelow (USA), Julie Dash (USA), Mingmonkul Sonakul (Thailand), Deepa Mehta (India), Nan Triveni Achnas (Indonesia), Jane Campion (New Zealand), Chantal Akerman (Belgium), and Yasmin Ahmad (Malaysia). Readings are drawn from feminist (film) theory, post-colonial theory, genre theory, and cultural studies. Screenings may include Sweetie, Sepet, The Photograph, Fire, Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, and Near Dark.
Prerequisite(s): one course in Film or Women’s Studies.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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FILM 231 - Minorities in the Media Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
This course examines the dynamics of race, class, gender and sexuality as they are represented in American society. Throughout the semester, we will analyze films, television programs, videos and advertisements, as well as other mediated discourse, to assess the way categories of “minority” identity have been constructed in mainstream society. In addition to examining images of those persons collective known as “minorities,” we will consider the representation of those defined as “majority” Americans. In addition to scholarship by black British cultural theorists, African American scholars, critical race theorists and sociologists, this course enlists scholarship from the growing field of whiteness studies. Issues and topics may include “model minorities” (Henry Louis Gates, Jennifer Lopez, Rahm Emmanuel, Tiger Woods, Ellen DeGeneres, The Williams Sisters), global advertising, racial profiling, police brutality (Rodney King, Abner Louima, Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell), the Proposition 209 conflict, the WNBA, gay marriage, and the representation of the Middle East. Readings, screenings and papers required. Ms. Mask.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 175 or FILM 210 and permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods, plus outside screenings.
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FILM 232 - African American Cinema
1 unit(s)
(Same as AFRS 232 ) This course provides a survey of the history and theory of African American representation in cinema. It begins with the silent films of Oscar Micheaux and examines early Black cast westerns (Harlem Rides the Range, The Bronze Buckaroo, Harlem on the Prairie) and musicals (St. Louis Blues, Black and Tan, Hi De Ho, Sweethearts of Rhythm). Political debate circulating around cross over stars (Paul Robeson, Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Eartha Kitt, and Harry Belafonte) are central to the course. Special consideration is given to Blaxploitation cinema of the seventies (Shaft, Coffy, Foxy Brown, Cleopatra Jones) in an attempt to understand its impact on filmmakers and the historical contexts for contemporary filmmaking. The course covers “Los Angeles Rebellion” filmmakers such as Julie Dash, Charles Burnett, and Haile Gerima. Realist cinema of the 80’s and 90’s (Do the Right Thing, Boyz N the Hood, Menace II Society, and Set it off),is examined before the transition to Black romantic comedies, family films, and genre pictures (Coming to America, Love and Basketball, Akeelah and the Bee, The Great Debaters). Ms. Mask.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 210 and permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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FILM 233 - The McCarthy Era and Film
1 unit(s)
This class focuses both on the history of anti-communist involvement with the American film industry and on the reflection of this troubled era in post-war films. We trace the factors that led to The House on Un-American Activities Committee’s investigation of communist influence in Hollywood, the case of the Hollywood Ten, the operation of the blacklist and its final demise at the end of the 1950s. We look at films overtly taking sides in this ideological conflict, such as the anti-Communist I Was a Communist for the FBI and the pro-labor Salt of the Earth, as well as the indirect allegories in film noirs and science fiction. Reading assignments are drawn from a wide range of sources, including HUAC transcripts, government documents, production histories, and genre studies. The course concludes with a look at how more contemporary films such as Good Night and Good Luck have sought to frame our understanding of this era. Ms. Kozloff.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 175 or FILM 210 and permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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FILM 235 - Celebrity and Power: Stardom in Contemporary Culture
1 unit(s)
Celebrity fascinates Americans. It informs popular culture, professional sport and national politics. Yet what defines celebrity? How are stars manufactured by the Culture Industry? Why is the ubiquitous cult of celebrity so important in contemporary Western culture and across global mediascapes? Through classic and contemporary writings, the course examines stardom and various brands of star charisma. We interrogate conventional forms of celebrity power as well as the conversion of entertainment industry charisma into forms of political charisma (i.e., the careers of Ronald Reagan, Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzenegger). As intertextual signs, stars reveal the instabilities, ambiguities and contradictions within a given culture. The changing configuration of American society is revealed in an examination of celebrity and stardom as social phenomena. This course transverses from Mary Pickford to Oprah Winfrey and beyond. Readings, screenings and writing assignments required. Ms. Mask.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 175 or FILM 210 and permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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FILM 236 - African Cinema: A Continental Survey
1 unit(s)
African national cinemas reflect the rich, complex history of the continent. These films from lands as diverse as Chad, Senegal, and South Africa reveal the various ways filmmakers have challenged the representation of Africa and Africans while simultaneously revising conventional cinematic syntax. This survey course examines the internal gaze of African-born auteurs like Ousmane Sembene (La Noir De, Xala, Mandabi), Djbril Diop Mambety (Hyenes), Desire Ecare (Faces of Women), Manthia Diawara (Conakry Kas), and Mahmat-Saleh Haroun (Bye-Bye Africa). It places these films alongside the external gaze of practitioners Euzan Palcy (A Dry White Season), Jean-Jacques Annaud (Noir et Blancs en Couleur) and Raoul Peck (Lumumba). The films of documentary filmmakers Anne Laure Folly, Ngozi Onwurah and Pratibah Parmaar are also examined. This course utilizes the post-colonial film theory and scholarship of Imruh Bakari, Mbye Cham, Nwachukwu Frank Ukadike and Manthia Diawara. Screenings, readings and papers required. Ms. Mask.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 175 or FILM 210 and permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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FILM 237 - Indian National Cinema
1 unit(s)
(Same as ASIA 237 ) This course is designed to introduce students to the dynamic and diverse film traditions of India. It examines how these texts imagine and image the Indian nation and problematizes the “national” through an engagement with regional cinemas within India as well as those produced within the Indian diaspora. Readings are drawn from contemporary film theory, post-colonial theory, and Indian cultural studies. Screenings may include Meghe Dhaka Tara/The Cloud-Capped Star (Ritwik Ghatak, 1960), Mother India (Mehboob Khan, 1957), Shatranj Ke Khilari/The Chess Players (Satyajit Ray, 1977), Sholay (Ramesh Sippy, 1975), Bombay (Mani Ratnam, 1995), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham/Happiness and Tears (Karan Johar, 2001), Bride and Prejudice (Gurinder Chadha, 2004), and Mission Kashmir (Vidhu Vinod Chopra, 2000). Ms. Harvey.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 175 or FILM 210 and permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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FILM 238 - Music in Film Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as MUSI 238 ) A study of music in sound cinema from the 1920s to the present. The course focuses on the expressive, formal, and semiotic functions that film music serves, either as sound experienced by the protagonists, or as another layer of commentary to be heard only by the viewer, or some mixture of the two. Composers studied include Max Steiner, Bernard Herrmann, Jerry Goldsmith, Danny Elfman and others as well as film scores that rely upon a range of musical resources including classical, popular, and non-Western music. Specific topics to be considered this semester include music in film noir and the movie musical. Mr. Mann.
Prerequisite(s): one course in music (not performance) or film.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
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FILM 239 - Contemporary Southeast Asian Cinemas Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as ASIA 239 ) This survey course is designed to introduce students to the dynamic and diverse film texts emerging from and about Southeast Asia. It examines how these texts imagine and image Southeast Asia and/or particular nations within the region. More specifically, the course focuses on the themes of urban spaces and memory/trauma as they operate within texts about Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Timor-Leste. The course reading material is designed to provide (1) theoretical insights, (2) general socio-cultural and/or political overviews, and (3) more specific analyses of film texts and/or filmmakers. Ms. Harvey.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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FILM 255 - Italian Cinema in English
1 unit(s)
(Same as ITAL 255 ) Close analysis of the narrative and visual styles of Michelangelo Antonioni, Bernardo Bertolucci, Lina Wertmüller, Gianni Amelio and Nanni Moretti, in the context of post war Italian cinema and culture. Theoretical literature on these directors and on approaches to the interpretation of cinematic works aid us in addressing questions of style and of political and social significance. Ms. Blumenfeld.
Prerequisite(s): No prerequisites.
Two 75-minute periods and two film screenings.
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. May be counted towards the Italian major.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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FILM 260 - Documentary: History and Aesthetics
1 unit(s)
Beginning with an exploration of film pioneers such as Robert Flaherty and Margaret Mead, the course also examines the impact of John Grierson on documentary production in both Great Britain and Canada. In addition, the development of cinema verité is traced through the work of such filmmakers as Jean Rouch, Richard Leacock, Robert Drew, D. A. Pennebaker, Frederick Wiseman, and the Maysles Brothers. Other topics might include city-symphonies, domestic ethnographies, and mockumentaries. Screenings may include: Nanook of the North (Robert Flaherty, 1922), Chronique d’un ete (Paris 1960) (Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin, 1961), Primary (Robert Drew, 1960) Jane (D.A. Pennebaker, 1962), Boxing Gym (Frederick Wiseman, 2010), and This is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984). Ms. Harvey.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 175 or FILM 210 and permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
Not offered in 2013/14.
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FILM 280 - The Middle East in Cinema and Media Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as MEDS 280 ) This course looks at Middle Eastern electronic media and film to ask questions about contemporary culture, social life and politics in the region. Using the events of the “Arab Spring” and its aftermath as touchstones, we investigate such topics as globalization, mediated identity, gender, and mediated entertainment. While most of our focus is on the Arab countries, we also examine cultural material from Iran, Israel, and Turkey. We watch films, follow blogs, and read popular and academic material on the region. Mr. Elseewi.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 175 or FILM 210 and permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods, plus outside screenings.
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FILM 286 - TV History and Criticism Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as MEDS 286 ) This course is a survey of the history, technology, regulation, audience, and economics of television and related electronic media from the 1920s until the present. This class focuses on both the historical development of the medium and its texts as well as on the theoretical frameworks scholars have used to study television. The course approaches television primarily through the lens of its relationship with American culture with an ongoing focus on issues of race, gender, class, and the political process. Mr. Elseewi.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 210 or MEDS 160 .
Two 75-minute periods, plus outside screenings.
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FILM 290 - Field Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1/2 or 2 unit(s)
To be elected in consultation with the adviser and the Office of Field Work.
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FILM 298 - Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1/2 or 1 unit(s)
To be elected in consultation with the adviser.
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Film: III. Advanced |
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FILM 300 - Film Research Thesis Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1 unit(s)
An academic thesis in film history or theory, written under the supervision of a member of the department. Since writing a thesis during fall semester is preferable, film majors should talk to their advisers spring of junior year. In Film, a research thesis is recommended, especially for those students not writing a Screenplay Thesis or enrolled in Documentary workshop, but it is not required. Members of the Department.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 210 /FILM 211 , two additional courses in film history and theory, and permission of the instructor.
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FILM 301 - Film Screenplay Thesis Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1 unit(s)
The creation of a feature-length original screenplay. Open only to students electing the concentration in film. Senior status required. Students wishing to write a screenplay instead of a research thesis must have produced work of distinction in FILM 317 - Introduction to Screenwriting and FILM 319 - Screenwriting . Mr. Fligelman.
Prerequisite(s): permission of the instructor.
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FILM 317 - Introduction to Screenwriting Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as DRAM 317 ) Study of dramatic construction as it applies to film, plus practice in story development and screenwriting. Mr. Fligelman.
Prerequisite(s): DRAM 102 or FILM 210 and permission of the instructor.
One 2-hour period plus outside screenings.
Writing sample required two weeks before preregistration. Open only to juniors and seniors.
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FILM 319 - Screenwriting Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
An in-depth exploration of the screenplay as a dramatic form and a workshop aimed at the development, writing, and rewriting of a feature-length screenplay. Students study the work of noted screenwriters and are required to complete a feature-length screenplay as their final project in the course. Open only to students who have produced work of distinction in FILM 317 . Mr. Fligelman.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 210 /FILM 211 , Drama or FILM 317 , and permission of the instructor.
One 2-hour period plus outside screenings.
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FILM 320 - Filmmaking Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
This course concentrates on a theoretical and practical examination of the art of visual communication on 16 mm. film. Assignments emphasize developing, visualizing, and editing narratives from original ideas. Instructors may emphasize narrative projects. Mr. Robinson.
Fees: see section on fees.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 210 /FILM 211 and permission of the instructor.
One 2-hour period plus 3-hour lab.
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FILM 321 - Narrative Filmmaking Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Each student writes a non-dialogue narrative from their original idea. Working in partnerships of two, each student directs and does sound on his or her narrative while doing the camera and editing on his or her’s partner’s film. Lighting and logistics are a shared responsibility. Shot in 16mm. Editing utilizes Final Cut Pro. Mr. Robinson, TBA.
Fees: see section on fees.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 320 and permission of the instructor.
One 2-hour period plus 3-hour lab.
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FILM 325 - Writing the Short Film Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Students learn the process of developing original, twenty minute narrative screenplays. Scripts produced in FILM 327 are selected from those created in Film 325. Must be taken concurrently with FILM 326 . Mr. Robinson, TBA.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 320 plus FILM 321 and permission of the instructor.
One 3-hour period.
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FILM 326 - Documentary Workshop Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
This course addresses the aesthetic, ethical and theoretical issues specific to the documentary genre as students explore a variety of documentary styles. Student crews make twenty-minute documentaries in HD digital that explore in depth a person, place, event, or an issue. Students learn advanced video and sound-recording techniques, using professional grade digital cameras, sound recorders and microphones. Post-production is done on Final Cut Pro. Mr. Robinson, TBA.
Fees: see section on fees.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 320 , FILM 321 and permission of the instructor.
One 3-hour period plus 3-hour laboratory.
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FILM 327 - Narrative Workshop Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Student crews create twenty-minute 16mm sync/sound narrative films from original student scripts written in FILM 325 . Individual members of each crew are responsible for the major areas of production and post- production: direction, camera, editing, and sound. The projects are shot on color negative film and edited digitally using Final Cut Pro. Students wishing to compete for directing positions in Film 327 must have completed FILM 325 . Mr. Robinson, TBA.
Fees: See sections on fees.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 326 and permission of the instructor.
One 3-hour period plus 3- hour lab.
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FILM 379 - Computer Animation: Art, Science and Criticism
1 unit(s)
(ART 379 , CMPU 379 , and MEDS 379 ) An interdisciplinary course in Computer Animation aimed at students with previous experience in Computer Science, Studio Art, or Media Studies. The course introduces students to mathematical and computational principles and techniques for describing the shape, motion and shading of three-dimensional figures in Computer Animation. It introduces students to artistic principles and techniques used in drawing, painting and sculpture, as they are translated into the context of Computer Animation. It also encourages students to critically examine Computer Animation as a medium of communication. Finally, the course exposes students to issues that arise when people from different scholarly cultures attempt to collaborate on a project of mutual interest. The course is structured as a series of animation projects interleaved with screenings and classroom discussions. Mr. Ellman, Mr. Roseman.
Prerequisite(s): permission of the instructor.
Two 2-hour periods.
Offered alternate years. Not offered in 2013/14.
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FILM 392 - Research Seminar in Film History and Theory Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)
This course is designed as an in-depth exploration of either a given author or a theoretical topic. Students contribute to the class through research projects and oral presentations. Their work culminates in lengthy research papers. Because topics change, students are permitted (encouraged) to take this course more than once. Preference is given to film majors who must take this class during their senior year; junior majors and others admitted if space permits.
Topic for 2013/14a: Artist, Auteur: Spike Lee. The son of a musician and a teacher, Shelton Jackson Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Nicknamed “Spike”, he grew up in a household that valued education as well as the arts. With the release of his first feature film, Lee initiated another cinematic revolution. He demonstrated to Hollywood studios that serious contemporary African-American films were not only commercially viable, they were also profitable. His success has created opportunity for other writers, directors, actors and technicians. Over the last twenty years Spike Lee has directed an array of challenging, innovative and provocative features, documentaries and commercials. The themes embedded in his work are often culled from news headlines, making him one of the most politically engaged filmmakers of his generation. This course is a senior seminar in which the films of Lee are rigorously examined.
Topic for 2013/14b: 9/11 in Film and Popular Culture. This class examines the representations of 9/11 in film and popular culture and the impact of these representations on a variety of social formations. Using various lenses such as political economy, cultural studies, and postcolonial studies we analyze American and global society in the post 9/11 “age of terror”. We pose such questions as how are race, gender, religion and social class brought to bear in 9/11 representations. How are national and personal identities put into play in 9/11 cultural production? What kinds of political, ethnic and ideological groups are involved in representing 9/11? What is the role of trauma in contemporary popular culture? How has the representation of 9/11 contributed to a surveillance society? How has 9/11 affected us as individuals? Topic for 2013/14a: Ms. Mask. Topic for 2013/14b: Mr. Elseewi.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 210 /FILM 211 , two additional units in film history and theory, and permission of instructor.
One 3-hour period, plus film screenings.
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FILM 399 - Senior Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1/2 or 1 unit(s)
To be elected in consultation with the adviser.
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French and Francophone Studies: I. Introductory |
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FREN 105 - Elementary French Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Fundamentals of the language. Students learn to understand spoken French, to express simple ideas both orally and in writing, and to read French of average difficulty. While enhancing their communicative skills, students acquire knowledge of France and the Francophone world. The department.
Three 50-minute periods, 2 hours of drill and oral practice.
Yearlong course 105-FREN 106 .
Open to seniors by permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited by class. Not open to students who have previously studied French.
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FREN 106 - Elementary French Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Fundamentals of the language. Students learn to understand spoken French, to express simple ideas both orally and in writing, and to read French of average difficulty. While enhancing their communicative skills, students acquire knowledge of France and the Francophone world. The department.
Three 50-minute periods, 2 hours of drill and oral practice.
Yearlong course FREN 105 -106.
Open to seniors by permission of the instructor. Not open to students who have previously studied French. Enrollment limited by class.
Students should go on to FREN 205 after successful completion of 106.
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