May 17, 2024  
Catalogue 2020-2021 
    
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Catalogue 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

 

Jewish Studies: I. Introductory
  

  • JWST 101 - Politics, Law, Story


    1 unit(s)
    The course examines the political dimensions of Jewish thought, approaching questions of power and powerlessness through the concept of authority. Drawing on classical Jewish understandings of law and story, this multidisciplinary study takes up a wide range of texts, from Biblical narratives and classical rabbinics, to the modern novel and contemporary critical theory. Andrew Bush.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • JWST 150 - Jews, Christians, and Muslims

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as RELI 150 ) An historical comparative study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The course focuses on such themes as origins, development, sacred literature, ritual, legal, mystical, and philosophical traditions, and interactions among the three religions. Kirsten Wesselhoeft, Marc Michael Epstein.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • JWST 180 - Unlocking the Bible: Traditional and Radical Readings

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as RELI 180 ) Mark Twain once said that “when a library expels a book of mine and leaves an unexpurgated Bible around where unprotected youth and age can get hold of it, the deep unconscious irony of it delights me.” The Hebrew Bible, (or Old Testament, as it is known to Christians,) is a book that can feel startlingly contemporary, and can be radically moving. It has also undoubtebly been misread and misunderstood. Our course together revisits familiar stories—often talked about, but increasingly rarely closely read—in the context of textual and interpretative history. We consider what the “Good Book” might have meant in its original ancient Israelite context, and how it has since accumulated meanings in various interpretive communities over the millennia since its composition. What can we learn from the interpretations of thinkers in earlier times about how the Bible might speak to us as postmodern, politically and gender-aware thinkers in an academic context— secular or religiously observant alike? No previous knowledge of the Bible or the study of religion required. Agnes Veto.

    Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS

Jewish Studies: II. Intermediate
  

  • JWST 201 - Jewish Textuality

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as RELI 201 ) This course addresses characteristic forms of Jewish texts and related theoretical issues concerning transmission and interpretation. On the one hand, canonical texts–Bible, Midrash, Talmud–are considered, including some modern (and postmodern) reactivations of these classical modes. On the other hand, special attention is given to modern problems of transmission in a post-canonical world. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): JWST 101  or permission of the instructor.
  

  • JWST 214 - The Roots of the Palestine-Israel Conflict


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as HIST 214 ) An examination of the deep historical sources of the Palestine-Israel conflict. The course begins some two centuries ago when changes in the world economy and emerging nationalist ideologies altered the political and economic landscapes of the region. It then traces the development of both Jewish and Arab nationalism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries before exploring how the Arab and Jewish populations fought—and cooperated—on a variety of economic, political, and ideological fronts. It concludes by considering how this contest led to the development of two separate, hostile national identities. Joshua Schreier.

    Not offered in 2020/21.
  

  • JWST 216 - Israeli Media

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as MEDS 216  and RELI 216 ) This course provides students with an in-depth understanding of current political, social and religious developments in Israel by reading and analyzing Israeli media including newspapers, web sites, blogs, TV clips and more. Through the study of historical texts and current media, students gain an understanding of Israel’s complex multi-party political system, key political actors, the economic structure and the differences between the religious and political sectors in Israeli society.

    Topic for 2020/21a: Negotiating Identity. How has identity in Israel has been constructed and deconstructed? Particular attention is paid to the recent emphasis on ‘hyphenated identities’ (like that of the “Arab Jew”). Key themes include ethnicity, gender, language, as well as political resistance and solidarity. The course explores how Israeli media has embodied or challenged social thought and perception, its major focus is upon contemporary cinema as a site of representation and expression. Sigal Yona.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • JWST 222 - Psychological Perspectives on the Holocaust


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as PSYC 222 ) The Holocaust has spawned several now classic programs of psychological research. This course considers topics such as: anti-Semitism and stereotypes of Jews; the authoritarian and altruistic personalities; conformity, obedience, and dissent; humanistic and existential psychology; and individual differences in stress, coping and resiliency. The broader implications of Holocaust-inspired research is explored in terms of traditional debates within psychology such as those on the role of the individual versus the situation in producing behavior and the essence of human nature. The ethical and logical constraints involved in translating human experiences and historical events into measurable/quantifiable scientific terms are also considered. Debra Zeifman.

    Prerequisite(s): PSYC 105 .

    Not offered in 2020/21.
  

  • JWST 254 - A Hundred Gospels and the Confusing, Conflicted Life of Jesus


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as RELI 254 ) Who was Jesus? What does the Bible say about him? How did it come to say what it does? Was he a humble carpenter? A divine being? A revolutionary? A rabbi? Was he learned in ancient wisdom, or simple and charismatic and fresh in his teaching? The sources dance in, about and around the issues as they alternately confirm and confound definitions. The canonical Gospels-accounts of Jesus’ life accepted as authoritative by Christians-number four. But even these four contradict each other and require “harmonization” in the eyes of believing Christians. And they are only four out of ten completely preserved examples. In addition to these ten, there are a further six Gospels describing only the childhood of Jesus, four partially preserved Gospels (including the Gospel of Mary Magdalene), and tens of fragmentary, reconstructed, and completely lost Gospels. Once thing is certain from all of these documents: Jesus wasn’t a Christian. How, then, did he come to be regarded as the founder of a new religion, a religion that would be called Christianity? And how did he come to be understood as God, the Son of God, or both at the same time? Marc Michael Epstein.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Not offered in 2020/21.
  

  • JWST 255 - Western Mystical Traditions

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)

    (Same as RELI 255 ) Textual, phenomenological and theological studies in the religious mysticism of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. May be taken more than once for credit when content changes.

     

     

    Topic for 2020/21b: Kabbalah. A survey of the historical and phenomenological development of the theoretical/theosophical and practical/magical dimensions of the Jewish mystical tradition from its biblical origins to postmodernity. Marc Epstein.

    Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level course in Religion or Jewish Studies or permission of the instructor.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • JWST 270 - Diasporas


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as INTL 270  and POLI 270 )

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • JWST 281 - From Anti-Judaism to Anti-Semitism

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as RELI 281 ) An exploration of the historical trajectory from religious to racial Jew-hatred through the study of religious, historical, political and sociological sources as well as art, literature and music. Agnes Veto.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • JWST 282 - The Land of Israel Before the State of Israel

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as RELI 282 ) This course deals with the Holy Land in Jewish (as well as Christian and Muslim) reality and imagination before Zionism. Love of and attachment to the Land in religious texts, poetry, art, literature and music, as well as the tensions between such sentiments and diasporist thought; and the collusions and collisions between and among the communities which claimed these attachments from antiquity through the Ottoman Period.  Agnes Veto.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • JWST 290 - Community-Engaged Learning

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    0.5 or 1 unit(s)
    Course Format: INT
  

  • JWST 298 - Independent Work

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    0.5 to 1 unit(s)
    Course Format: OTH

Jewish Studies: III. Advanced
  

  • JWST 300 - Senior Thesis or Project

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    1 unit(s)
    Optional for students concentrating in the program. Must be elected for student to be considered for Honors in the program.

    Permission required.

    Course Format: INT
  

  • JWST 305 - Advanced Hebrew


    1 unit(s)
    Expansion of language proficiency through intensified study of conversation, culture, literary texts, and other Israeli media.  Readings are arranged according to thematic topics and course may be repeated for credit if topic changes.  

    Three 50-minute periods.

    Not offered in 2020/21.
  

  • JWST 315 - Jews, Jewish Identity and the Arts

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    One 2-hour period and individual conferences with the instructor.
  

  • JWST 330 - Religion, Critical Theory and Politics


    1 unit(s)
    Advanced study in selected aspects of religion and contemporary philosophical and political theory. May be taken more than once for credit when content changes.

    Prerequisite(s): Any 100- or 200-level course in Art or Religion. 

    One 2-hour period.

    Not offered in 2020/21.
  

  • JWST 350 - Confronting Modernity


    1 unit(s)
    Advanced study in selected aspects of religion and contemporary philosophical and political theory.  May be taken more than once for credit when content changes. 

    One 2-hour period.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • JWST 371 - The Fishman Seminar

    Semester Offered: Spring
    0.5 unit(s)
    The course is offered by the Fishman Fellow in Jewish Studies, appointed annually to lecture on his/her scholarly concerns in the field of Jewish history, texts or culture. Students are encouraged to take note of the fact that each Fishman Seminar is uniquely offered and is not  repeated. Since the topic changes every year, the course may be taken for credit more than once.

    Topic for 2020/21b: The Sephardic Heritage: Language, Arts, and Culture: This course explores the fertile intellectual, artistic, religious and cultural landscape of Sephardic Jews (Jews originating in Babylonia, emigrating to Spain in the early Middle Ages, and therefrom in 1492). Our focus is upon the Sephardic heritage of Bosnia, as a distinctive but interdependent strand in the rich and diverse tapestry of traditions—Christian, Muslim and Jewish—that comprises the wider Bosnian culture. Each meeting illuminates an aspect of the architecture, literature, art, and music of Sephardim of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the 16th century through the present, and challenges students to consider development of the Sephardic culture within the multilingual and multireligious context of the region. Aleksandra Buncic.

    Second six-week course.

    One 2-hour period.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • JWST 399 - Advanced Independent Work

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    0.5 or 1 unit(s)
    Prerequisite(s): For all 300-level courses unless otherwise specified: one unit at the 200-level or permission of the instructor.

    Course Format: OTH

Latin American and Latino/a Studies: I. Introductory
  

  • LALS 105 - Conceptualizing Latin and Latino/a America

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)

    (Same as EDUC 105 ) Topic for 2020/21b:  Popular Education and Social Struggle in Latin America. Popular education builds on the values of solidarity, inclusion, and respect for human rights. Its critical pedagogy and radical education philosophies arm learners with skills and knowledge which many see as vital to the construction of new forms of anti-capitalist politics and social movements. Popular education exists in both formal and informal education environments and characterizes the informal learning that underpins and emerges from protests and social movements. It challenges dominant education approaches and formal educational systems. The latter are legacies of Latin America’s colonial past and driven by present-day state agendas, which critics claim reproduce existing unjust social conditions.

    This course examines the development of popular education in Latin America since the 1960s. Students learn about popular education’s philosophical and theoretical assumptions as well as its pedagogical practices. The course first looks historically at the roots of popular education and liberation theology in the history of social protest in Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico, and then at contemporary popular education and social protests in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Haiti, and Guatemala. Throughout the course, students compare popular education models with formal educational systems. Applying their understandings of the course content, students develop a critical Latin American studies curriculum for middle and high school students that examines the social, economic, gender, environmental, linguistic, and racial-justice issues faced by groups within diverse communities in Latin America. The overall goal of the course is to allow students to become well versed and able to apply a variety of educational theories that are rooted in popular education and fall within the tradition of social justice education. Tracey Holland.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 106 - Dynamic Women


    1 unit(s)
    How do issues of inequality, social justice, representation, popular culture, migration, environmental justice and globalization look when women’s voices and gender analysis are at the center? This multidisciplinary course examines writing by and about women in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latino/a USA. We read and write about a range of genres — from testimonio, film and fiction to social science. The goal is to develop an appreciation and understanding of the varied lives and struggles of Latinas and Caribbean women, the transnational politics of gender, key moments in the history of the hemisphere, and contemporary issues across the Americas.  Light Carruyo.

    Open only to first-year students; satisfies college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 107 - Popular Education and Social Struggle in Latin America


    1 unit(s)
    This course examines the relationships between popular education, critical pedagogy, and social change in Latin America. Latin American educators have been responsible for introducing popular education models which challenge dominant approaches and build on the values of solidarity, inclusion and respect for human rights. The course examines the development of popular education in Latin America since 1960. Students analyze popular education’s philosophical and theoretical assumptions as well as its liberating pedagogical practices which encourage learners to problem-solve and to question the taken for granted (Jara, 2011). In addition to their reading and writing assignments, students in the class learn about popular education by watching short documentaries produced by the La Educación en Movimiento Project (http://laeducacionenmovimiento.com ) and interacting via Skype with educators, participants, and directors of these projects to learn first hand about their philosophies, pedagogies, and the social, economic, and environmental problems in the communities that these programs seek to address.  Tracey Holland.

    Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS

Latin American and Latino/a Studies: II. Intermediate
  

  • LALS 214 - Transnational Perspectives on Women and Work

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as SOCI 214  and WMST 214 ) This class is a theoretical and empirical exploration of women’s paid and unpaid labor. We examine how women’s experiences as workers — across space, place, and time — interact with larger economic structures, historical moments, and narratives about womanhood. We pay particular attention to the ways in which race, class, gender, sexuality and citizenship intersect and shape not only women’s relationships to work and family, but to other women workers (at times very differently geopolitically situated). We are attentive to the construction of women workers, the work itself, and the meanings women give to production, reproduction, and the global economy.  Light Carruyo.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 227 - Colonial Latin America

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as HISP 227 ) Studies in Latin American literary and cultural production from the European invasion to the crisis of the colonial system.

    Topic for 2020/21a: Natural and Moral History of the Spanish Empire. This course explores the interrelated development of scientific observation, geographic mapping, writerly expression, artistic rendering, moral legitimization, and in the exploration and colonization of Spain’s transatlantic and transpacific empire. Readings and class discussion examine the epistemological and political challenges early modern Spanish and Latin American scientists, historians, and writers encountered in describing, classifying, understanding and assigning value to what was for them “new” scientific phenomena and civilizations. Course texts address such figures as Gonzálo Fernández de Oviedo, José de Acosta, El Inca Garcilaso, José Celestino Mutis, Alexander Von Humboldt, and Alejandro Malaspina, among others. Michael Aronna.

    Prerequisite(s): One course above HISP 206 .

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 229 - Postcolonial Latin America

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as HISP 229 ) Studies in Latin American literary and cultural production from the emergence of the nation states to the present. Thematically structured, the course delves into the social, political, and institutional processes undergone by Latin America as a result of its uneven incorporation into world capitalist development.

    Topic for 2020/21a: Animals in Caribbean and Mexican Literature and Visual Culture. The course examines the presence and role of animals in the colonial and postcolonial histories, literatures, and cultures of the Caribbean and Latin America, from Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo to Homero Aridjis. We look at how interactions between humans and other animals have significantly shaped narratives and visual cultures in the region and work through the methodological implications of centering animals within narrative and artistic representations. Topics include indigenous cosmologies, the politics of hunting, the commodification of animals and animal parts, the protection of animals and the environment, posthumanism, and notions of wildlife. Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert.

    Topic for 2020/21b: Post- Human Futures: New Latin American Literature. In Latin America, as anywhere else, we begin the third decade of the 21st century with an uneasy eye on the horizon. The future—of the region, politics, literature, the planet, the human—lies ahead as an open question that requires a speculative imagination to be answered. In this class, we read a series of works of literature from the last 15 years coming from the Caribbean, as well as North, Central and South America that have imagined possible paths to the future, where, after “all that is solid melts into air,” new forms of the human and their relation to each other, technology, and the planet can be conjured. We read poetry and fiction by Rita Indiana, Dolores Dorantes, Verónica Gerber Bicecci, Lina Meruane, and Samantha Schweblin, among others. Instruction, materials, and evaluation in this class are in Spanish. Marcela Romero Rivera.

    Prerequisite(s): HISP 216  or HISP 219 .

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 230 - Latina and Latino Literature

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as ENGL 230 ) Students and instructor collaborate to identify and dialogue with the growing but still disputed archive of “Latinx Literature.” The category “Latinx” presents us then with our first challenge:  exactly what demographic does “Latinx” isolate (or create)? How does it differ from the categories “Hispanic,” “Chicanx,” “Raza,” “Mestizx,” or “Boricua,” to name only a few alternatives, and how should these differences inform our critical reading practices? When and where does Latinx literature originate? Together, we work to identify what formal and thematic continuities might characterize a Latinx literary heritage. Some of those commonalities include border crossing or displacement, the tension between political and cultural citizenship, code-switching, indigeneity, contested and/or shifting racial formations, queer sexualities, gender politics, discourses of hybridity, generational conflict, and an ambivalent sense of loss (differently articulated as trauma, nostalgia, forgetting, mourning, nationalism, or assimilation).  Hiram Perez. 

  

  • LALS 242 - Brazil in Crisis: Continuity and Change in Portuguese America

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as AFRS 242 , GEOG 242 , INTL 242 ) Brazil, a giant of Latin America and the Global South, has long been known as the “land of the future.” Yet frustrating political-economic crises have repeatedly followed periods of rapid growth and social progress. Taking current crises as a point of departure, this course examines Brazil’s contemporary evolution in light of the country’s historical geography, the distinctive cultural and environmental features of Portuguese America, and the political-economic linkages with the world system. Specific topics for study include: the legacies of colonial Brazil; race relations, Afro-Brazilian culture, and ethnic identities; issues of gender, youth, violence, and poverty; processes of urban-industrial growth; regionalism and national integration; environmental devastation and sustainability; controversies surrounding the occupation of Amazonia; and long-run prospects for democracy and equitable development in Brazil. 

      Brian Godfrey.

    Two 75-minute periods.
  

  • LALS 243 - Mesoamerican Worlds


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as ANTH 243 ) A survey of the ethnography, history, and politics of indigenous societies with deep historical roots in regions now located in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. This course explores the emergence of Mesoamerican states with a vivid cosmology tied to warfare and human sacrifice, the reconfiguration of these societies under the twin burdens of Christianity and colonial rule, and the strategies that some of these communities adopted in order to preserve local notions of identity and to cope with (or resist) incorporation into nation-states. After a consideration of urbanization, socio-religious hierarchies, and writing and calendrical systems in pre-contact Mesoamerica, we will focus on the adaptations within Mesoamerican communities resulting from their interaction with an evolving colonial order. The course also investigates the relations between native communities and the Mexican and Guatemalan nation-states, and examines current issues—such as indigenous identities in the national and global spheres, the rapport among environmental policies, globalization, and local agricultural practices, and indigenous autonomy in the wake of the EZLN rebellion. Work on Vassar’s Mesoamerican collection, and a final research paper and presentation is required; the use of primary sources (in Spanish or in translation) is encouraged.  David Tavarez.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Not offered in 2020/21.
  

  • LALS 245 - Making Waves: Topics in Feminist Activism

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 1 unit(s)
    (Same as AFRS 245  and WMST 245 ) Topic for 2020/21b: Queer and Trans of Color Interventions. This course examines queer and transgender of color art, theory, and activism, in order to understand the intersections between different modes of “making waves” in our current moment. We explore not only the specific contexts of works and their authors, but also the social, political, and economic changes manifest. The course asks students to develop their own trans of color critique, and asks what benefits such a critique holds for persons of a variety of identifications and texts that might seem outside a “trans” purview. We interweave written texts with audio, visual, and performative theory, in order to explore the many forms of trans of color critique across the world that do not exist in written form. Students are encouraged to make connections between queer and trans of color activism(s) today and other historical and present social justice movements within and outside the U.S. Creative and critical written assignments provide opportunities to develop self-reflexivity, hone analytical skills, and make connections between our everyday lives and larger social, political, and economic systems. The course harnesses performance as a mode of “doing” theory, not only in the objects we study but also as an analytic for understanding complex social texts and their contexts. Ultimately, the course invites students to think about how queer and transgender of color theory is imbricated with social justice and artistic formations in our contemporary world.  Elias Krell.

    Prerequisite(s): WMST 130  or permission of the instructor.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 246 - The U.S.-Mexico Border: Capital, State, and Nation


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as GEOG 246 ) Born in large part of violence, conquest and dispossession, the United States-Mexico border region has evolved over almost two centuries into a site of intense economic growth and trade, demographic expansion, ethno-cultural interaction, and political geographic conflict. The course focuses on these processes over space and time as they relate to capitalist production, state-making, and nation-building on both sides of the international divide. In doing so, the course considers the U.S.-Mexico borderlands as a region, one characterized by dynamic transboundary ties and myriad forms of socio-spatial difference. Joseph Nevins.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Not offered in 2020/21.
  

  • LALS 248 - The Human Rights of Children - Select Issues


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as  EDUC 248  and INTL 248 ) This course focuses on both theories surrounding, and practices of, the human rights of children. It starts from the foundational question of whether children really should be treated as rights-holders and whether this approach is more effective than alternatives for promoting well-being for children that do not treat children as rights holders.. Consideration is given to the major conceptual and developmental issues embedded within the framework of human rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The course covers issues in both the domestic and international arenas, including but not limited to: children’s rights in the criminal justice context including life without parole and the death penalty; child labor and efforts to ban it worldwide; initiatives intended to abolish the involvement of children in armed conflict; violence against street children; and the rights of migrant, refugee, homeless, and minority children. The course provides students with an in depth study of the Right to Education, including special issues related to the privatization of education and girls’ education. The course also explores issues related to the US ratification of the CRC, and offers critical perspectives on the advocacy and education-based work of international human rights organizations.  Tracey Holland.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Not offered in 2020/21.
  

  • LALS 250 - Language, Culture, and Society

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)

    This course draws on a wide range of theoretical perspectives in exploring a particular problem, emphasizing the contribution of linguistics and linguistic anthropology to issues that bear on research in a number of disciplines. At issue in each selected course topic are the complex ways in which cultures, societies, and individuals are interrelated in the act of using language within and across particular speech communities.

    May be repeated for credit if the topic has changed.

    Topic for 2020/21b:  Language, Empires, and Nations. (Same as ANTH 250 ) How have early global (colonial) and late global (post- or neo-colonial) states formulated language policies, and to what degree have their subjects conformed to or resisted these attempts? How does language use relate to the notion of belonging to globalized colonial, national, and local domains? This course offers a survey of anthropological, historical, and linguistic approaches to these questions through a consideration of language contact in colonial and neo-colonial situations, a comparison of linguistic policies upheld by empires, nation-states and transnational processes, and the conflict between language policy and local linguistic ideologies. The course addresses case studies from the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia that cover the range between institutional language reform and individual strategies of accommodation and resistance as they relate to early and contemporary forms of global expansion from the sixteenth century onwards.  David Tavárez.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 252 - Building Inclusive Communities in Latino-a-x Poughkeepsie


    0.5 unit(s)

    (Same as HISP 252 ) This course is intended for students who wish to learn from and support that process, notably connecting with local Latino-a-x high school students with the goal of helping empower them to be leaders in the process.

    The course offers students a chance to engage with and learn more about the local Latino-a-x community, meet local community leaders, and learn about the most pressing issues impacting the community at the local, state, and national levels. This course also allows students to experience best practices when it comes to developing and sustaining an inclusive community – developing intimacy, exploring social identity and power, using effective communication and conflict resolution skills, and attending to the well-being of the individual members of the community – specifically in the context of Latino-a-x community.

    Spanish-speaking and Latino-a-x students are encouraged to enroll, but all students are most welcome! Both English and Spanish are used, but always in a way that is inclusive and accessible to non-Spanish speakers. Eva Woods.

    First six-week course.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 253 - Children of Immigration


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as SOCI 253 ) Immigration to the U.S. since the 1970s has been characterized by a marked and unprecedented increase in the diversity of new immigrants. Unlike the great migrations from Europe in the late 1800s and early 1900s, most of the immigrants who have arrived in the U.S. in the last four decades have come from Latin America, Asia, and the Caribbean. New immigration patterns have had a significant impact on the racial and ethnic composition and stratification of the American population, as well as the meaning of American identity itself. Immigrants and their families are also being transformed in the process, as they come into contact with various institutional contexts that can facilitate, block, and challenge the process of incorporation into the U.S. This course examines the impact of these new immigration patterns by focusing on the 16.4 million children in the U.S. who have at least one immigrant parent. Since 1990, children of immigrants - those born in the U.S. as well as those who are immigrants themselves - have doubled and have come to represent 23% of the population of minors in the U.S. In this course we study how children of immigrants are reshaping America, and how America is reshaping them, by examining key topics such as the impact of immigration on family structures, gender roles, language maintenance, academic achievement, and identity, as well as the impact that immigration reforms have had on access to higher education, employment, and political participation. This course provides an overview of the experiences of a population that is now a significant proportion of the U.S. population, yet one that is filled with contradictions, tensions and fissures and defies simple generalizations.  Erendira Rueda.

    Not offered in 2020/21.
  

  • LALS 255 - Global Political Economy

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as INTL 255 ) This course explores competing visions of economic globalization, and uses these distinct frameworks to analyze the meaning, causes, extent, and consequences of globalization, with a particular focus on the relationships among global, national and local economic phenomena. What do we mean by globalization? What are the effects of globalization on growth, inequality, and the environment? How might international economic policy and the particular form(s) of globalization that it promotes help to explain the pace and form of urbanization? Who benefits from globalization, and who might be hurt? Why do economists and others disagree about the answers to these and related questions? This course explores some of the ways that interdisciplinary analysis might enrich our understanding of economic globalization.  Timothy Koechlin.

    Two 75-minute periods.
  

  • LALS 256 - Bilingualism and/in K-12 Public Education

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as EDUC 256  and  URBS 256 ) Learning in schools where the language of instruction is new presents a challenge familiar to young immigrants and refugees across the globe. This affects their educational achievement, as well as their sense of inclusion and belonging in their new communities. This course examines the issue of education for English Language Learners through a field based experience. The hands-on component of the course is paired with readings that draw from bilingual education, critical theories of pedagogy, education policy, migration,, and education for social change. A group research and writing project is intended to highlight the academic needs of local ELLs, to examine the current instructional models for bilingual students. The course is open to all Vassar students interested in (a) community-based learning as a tool for social change; (b) learning about the experiences of bilingual students in Poughkeepsie schools; and (c) gaining practical experience researching bilingual education policy. Tracey Holland.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 258 - Latin American Politics


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as POLI 258 ) Drawing from political processes across several Latin American countries, this course focuses on conceptual debates regarding political representation and participation, political institutions, political culture, and political economy in the region. A major theme is inequality. The course examines historical-structural patterns, relationships among social, economic, and political conditions at the national, sub-national and regional levels, and important social and political actors and institutions. The course also examines the evolution of US roles in Latin America. Katherine Hite.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 262 - Latin American Philosophy

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as PHIL 262 ) A survey course, conducted in English, covering a series of thinkers and traditions in the Americas, particularly Central and South America and the Carribbean, both before and after the colonial period. This course is conducted in historical order, and covers numerous topics pertaining to conceptions of the world, ethics, and politics. We begin by reading pre-colonial and Native American philosophical sources, including a peek into Aztec and Mayan thought. We then study and discuss the colonial era, where the issues of emancipation and the rights of indigenous groups and women were playing out on a global scale. This includes readings on Bartolomé de las Casas, Sor Juana, and Simón Bolívar. We then do a unit on the identity movement in the 19th and 20th century, where each nation was grappling with the problem and (im)possibility of forging a national identity in the wake of its independence. This unit might include readings on Martí, Vasconcelos, Ramos, Gracía, Alcoff, Schutte, and Zea. We end with a discussion of whether there is a distinctive Latino/a philosophy, and the relevance of historical Latin American thought to the modern day. Sofia Ortiz-Hinojosa.

    Prerequisite(s): One course in Philosophy.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 268 - Religion, Repression, and Resistance in Latin America


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as ANTH 268  and HIST 268 ) What was it like to live in a society where crimes of thought and religious transgressions were prosecuted and punished? How did various populations confront and resist inquisitorial activities? What is the legacy of the Inquisition in the Americas? This course addresses these and other questions through a focus on the Latin American Inquisition and Extirpation (ecclesiastic attempts to reform or destroy Precolumbian indigenous religions). The course tracks the emergence of Inquisition tribunals in Mexico City, Lima, and Cartagena after 1571, and the Catholic Church’s prosecution of indigenous idolatry and sorcery. It focuses both on trends in prosecution, torture, and punishment, and on the dynamic responses of those who were either targets or collaborators: indigenous peoples, Jews, Africans, female healers, people of mixed descent, and Protestants. Towards the end of the course, based on students’ interests, we also review other select case studies of religious control and resistance in Latin America. Students proficient in Spanish or Portuguese are encouraged to work with primary sources. David Tavárez.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 270 - Undocumented, Unapologetic, Unafraid

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as EDUC 270 ) This introductory immigration course is about undocumented people in the U.S. and will be situated within a historical, academic, legal, political, social, cultural, and economic context. The course will take a historical look at immigration law and legal enforcement, with a particular focus on the (mis)construction and criminalization of undocumented immigrants. By examining how the concept of undocumented/unauthorized immigration has been created, we will seek to understand the ways that this immigration status works to unjustly exclude and exploit undocumented people. Course content will consider the array of social institutions that are complicit in this work (e.g. schools, governments, agencies, industries, media, public opinion) and how undocumented people resist these forms of oppression and dominance that are exerted by these institutions and entities. An emphasis will be given to undocumented immigration from Latin America especially Mexico given the large percentage (~79% & 51%, respectively) of undocumented immigration that comes from that region however, it’s important to note that being undocumented is not relegated to just one race/ethnicity/nation of people. Also, a special focus of this course will examine how undocumented students navigate K-12 schooling experiences and pathways to college. Key topics will include but not limited to current legislation like DACA & DREAM Act; current campaigns like Comprehensive Immigration Reform and Undocumented, Unapologetic, and Unafraid campaigns; immigration industrial complex; the theoretical intersectionality of racism and nativism with other forms of oppression; and the global, capitalist, economic forces that create both the need to migrate and the need for immigrant labor. Jaime Del Razo.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 271 - Hello, Dear Enemy: Mounting an Exhibition of Picture Books on Experiences of War and Displacement

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as EDUC 271 , INTL 271 , MEDS 271  and WMST 271 ) At a time when the world is witnessing the largest displacement of people since WWII, due in significant measure to armed conflict, this course examines select case studies (both past and present) of armed conflict and their consequences for children. Journalists, photographers and writers of young adult literature have done much to raise awareness about children and armed conflict, and to treat them in such a way that audiences develop understanding, empathy, and solidarity with children affected by armed conflict. A principal aim of the course is to study the topics of war and displacement, journalism and photography, and young adult literature, and then to mount an exhibition in the Collaboratory of photographs and books that will travel to area schools and libraries, where Vassar students serve as docents. Our work is enriched by study of human rights statutes and policy pertaining to children affected by armed conflict, as well as by interaction with visiting artists and educators. Tracey Holland.

    Two 75-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 274 - Writing Workshop

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as HISP 274 ) It admits of three modes, according to each student’s preference. The course includes periodic meetings where the texts are collectively discussed (Previous Requisite: one course at the 220 level or special permission by me.). A) Chronicle: the course hinges around an ongoing event (political, historical, etc.) chosen by each student. Such event will be researched as it develops during the semester, in depth and thoroughly. The end result will be an annotated dossier of primary and secondary sources and the writing of a chronicle based upon some of the models studied (García Márquez, Rodolfo Walsh, Germán Castro Caycedo, Alma Guillermo Prieto, etc.) B) Fiction: the course is geared toward completion of a piece of writing previously agreed upon between each student and me (collection of poems or short stories, novelistic fragment, journal, short film and so on). Writing models and problematics will be discussed and serve as a springboard for each student’s project. C) Testimonial Writing: the course will allow for crafting a piece of testimonial writing (of one’s own or someone else’s experience). Writing strategies will be derived from an understanding of the genre’s logic and its problematization. In all modalities, the final text can take the form of an audiovisual product (the student’s technical knowledge for carrying on such a project is presupposed).  Mario Cesareo.

    Prerequisite(s): HISP 216  or HISP 219  or permission of the instructor.

    Course Format: INT
  

  • LALS 290 - Community-Engaged Learning

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    0.5 to 1 unit(s)
    Individual or group field projects or internships. May be elected during the college year or during the summer. Open to all students.  The Department.

    By special permission.

    Course Format: INT
  

  • LALS 297 - Reading Course

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    0.5 unit(s)

     

    Individual or group reading and writing project, based on substantial reading lists supervised by the instructor in consultation with students. May be elected during the college year or during the summer. Offered pass/fail option as well. Open to all students.  The Department.

    By special permission.

    Course Format: INT
  

  • LALS 298 - Independent Research

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    0.5 to 1 unit(s)
    Individual or group research project. May be elected during the college year. Open to all students.  The Department.

    By special permission.

    Course Format: INT

Latin American and Latino/a Studies: III. Advanced
  

  • LALS 300 - Senior Thesis

    Semester Offered: Fall
    0.5 unit(s)
    A 1-unit thesis written over two semesters. The Department.

    Yearlong course 300-LALS 301 .

    Course Format: INT
  

  • LALS 301 - Senior Thesis

    Semester Offered: Spring
    0.5 unit(s)
    A 1-unit thesis written over two semesters. The Department.

    Yearlong course LALS 300 -301.

    Course Format: INT
  

  • LALS 302 - Senior Thesis

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    1 unit(s)
    A 1-unit thesis written in the fall or spring semester.  Students may elect this option only in exceptional circumstances and by special permission of the program director. The Department.

    Course Format: INT
  

  • LALS 303 - Senior Project

    Semester Offered: Fall
    0.5 unit(s)
    US Latino/a studies programs have their origins in the joining of university students with grassroots organizers to create multidisciplinary curricula and initiatives recognizing the contributions of Latino communities. A senior project reflects that spirit. In conjunction with two faculty members, one of whom must come from the LALS steering committee, students formulate a project topic based on continuing community-based work they have done during their Vassar years. The project might be rooted in the local Latino/a community, or from sustained work in Latin America. Students submit a proposal and bibliography, develop a work plan, and follow the same schedule as thesis writers. The senior project must go beyond a fieldwork experience, and requires a well-defined written analytical component. The Department.

    Yearlong course 303-LALS 304 .

    Course Format: INT
  

  • LALS 304 - Senior Project

    Semester Offered: Spring
    0.5 unit(s)
    US Latino/a studies programs have their origins in the joining of university students with grassroots organizers to create multidisciplinary curricula and initiatives recognizing the contributions of Latino communities. A senior project reflects that spirit. In conjunction with two faculty members, one of whom must come from the LALS steering committee, students formulate a project topic based on continuing community-based work they have done during their Vassar years. The project might be rooted in the local Latino/a community, or from sustained work in Latin America. Students submit a proposal and bibliography, develop a work plan, and follow the same schedule as thesis writers. The senior project must go beyond a fieldwork experience, and requires a well-defined written analytical component. The Department.

    Yearlong course LALS 303 -304.

    Course Format: INT
  

  • LALS 305 - Senior Project

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    1 unit(s)

    US Latino/a studies programs have their origins in the joining of university students with grassroots organizers to create multidisciplinary curricula and initiatives recognizing the contributions of Latino communities. A senior project reflects that spirit. In conjunction with two faculty members, one of whom must come from the LALS steering committee, students formulate a project topic based on continuing community-based work they have done during their Vassar years. The project might be rooted in the local Latino/a community, or from sustained work in Latin America. Students submit a proposal and bibliography, develop a work plan, and follow the same schedule as thesis writers. The senior project must go beyond a fieldwork experience, and requires a well-defined written analytical component.

    This will serve as a 1-unit/1-semester option for a Latin American Studies Project.  Special permission. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): Special permission

    This will serve as a 1-unit/1-semester option for a Latin American Studies Project. Special permission.

    Course Format: INT
  

  • LALS 321 - Feminism, Knowledge, Practice


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as SOCI 321  and WMST 321 ) How do feminist politics inform how research, pedagogy, and social action are approached? Can feminist anti-racist praxis and insights into issues of race, power and knowledge, intersecting inequalities, and human agency change the way we understand and represent the social world? We discuss several qualitative approaches used by feminists to document the social world (e.g. ethnography, discourse analysis, oral history). Additionally, we explore and engage with contemplative practices such as mediation, engaged listening, and creative-visualization. Our goal is to develop an understanding of the relationship between power, knowledge and action and to collectively envision healing forms of critical social inquiry. Light Carruyo.

    Not offered in 2020/21.
  

  • LALS 352 - Indigenous Literatures of the Americas

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as  AMST 352  and ANTH 352 ) This course addresses a selection of creation narratives, historical accounts, poems, and other genres produced by indigenous authors from Pre-Columbian times to the present, using historical, linguistic and ethnographic approaches. We examine the use of non-alphabetic and alphabetic writing systems, study poetic and rhetorical devices, and examine indigenous historical consciousness and sociopolitical and gender dynamics through the vantage point of these works. Other topics include language revitalization, translation issues, and the rapport between linguistic structure and literary form. The languages and specific works to be examined are selected in consultation with course participants. They may include English or Spanish translations of works in Nahuatl, Zapotec, Yucatec and K’iche’ Maya, Quechua, Tupi, Aymara, and other indigenous languages of Latin America. David Tavárez.

    One 2-hour period.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 363 - Revolution and Conflict in Twentieth-Century Latin America


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as HIST 363 ) Revolution has been a dominant theme in the history of Latin America since 1910. This course examines the revolutionary experiences of three nations—Mexico, Cuba, and Nicaragua. It examines theories of revolution, then assesses the revolutions themselves—the conditions out of which each revolution developed, the conflicting ideologies at play, the nature of the struggles, and the postrevolutionary societies that emerged from the struggles. Leslie Offutt.

    Prerequisite(s): HIST 264  or permission of the instructor.

    Not offered in 2020/21.
  

  • LALS 367 - Indigenous Cultures and Languages of Latin America


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as ANTH 367 ) This intensive offering focuses on closely mentored, collaborative work on Mesoamerican, Andean, or Amazonian languages and cultures. Students develop and execute a concise research project based on their own interests, qualifications, and previous coursework. Possibilities include intensive study, work with material culture in Vassar’s museum and rare book collections or elsewhere, and digital humanities projects, including those under development by the instructor. One previous course in Latin American and Latino/a Studies, Anthropology, History or the social sciences is recommended, but not required. David Tavárez.

    NRO for Juniors and Seniors only.

    One 2-hour period.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: INT
  

  • LALS 374 - Writing Workshop

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as HISP 374 ) It admits of three modes, according to each student’s preference. The course includes periodic meetings where the texts are collectively discussed (Previous Requisite: one course at the 220 level or special permission by me.). A) Chronicle: the course hinges around an ongoing event (political, historical, etc.) chosen by each student. Such event is researched as it develops during the semester, in depth and thoroughly. The end result is an annotated dossier of primary and secondary sources and the writing of a chronicle based upon some of the models studied (García Márquez, Rodolfo Walsh, Germán Castro Caycedo, Alma Guillermo Prieto, etc.) B) Fiction: the course is geared toward completion of a piece of writing previously agreed upon between each student and me (collection of poems or short stories, novelistic fragment, journal, short film and so on). Writing models and problematics will be discussed and serve as a springboard for each student’s project. C) Testimonial Writing: the course allows for crafting a piece of testimonial writing (of one’s own or someone else’s experience). Writing strategies are derived from an understanding of the genre’s logic and its problematization. In all modalities, the final text can take the form of an audiovisual product (the student’s technical knowledge for carrying on such a project is presupposed).  Mario Cesareo.

    Prerequisite(s): HISP 216  or HISP 219  or permission of the instructor.

    Course Format: INT
  

  • LALS 381 - Race and Popular Culture


    1 unit(s)
    (Same as AFRS 381  and SOCI 381 ) This seminar explores the way in which the categories of race, ethnicity, and nation are mutually constitutive with an emphasis on understanding how different social institutions and practices produce meanings about race and racial identities. Through an examination of knowledge production as well as symbolic and expressive practices, we focus on the ways in which contemporary scholars connect cultural texts to social and historical institutions. Appreciating the relationship between cultural texts and institutional frameworks, we unravel the complex ways in which the cultural practices of different social groups reinforce or challenge social relationships and structures. Finally, this seminar considers how contemporary manifestations of globalization impact and transform the linkages between race and culture as institutional and intellectual constructs. Carlos Alamo.

    One 2-hour period.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 382 - Decolonizing Digital Culture

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as HISP 382  and MEDS 382 ) Digital media are ubiquitous. Through them we communicate, inform ourselves, organize our lives, watch one another, self-soothe and invent ourselves. Digital media are both central to struggles for social justice and at the same time, in the hands of corporate and state agents, weapons against these struggles. This course explores how the history, physical infrastructure, political economy and symbolic and affective meanings in media-scapes across Latin America, the Caribbean, Mexico and Spain are crucial for understanding digital culture and its impact on us. Topics studied include Indigenous digital culture; digital literacy; fake news; social media and social movements; gendered, racialized and classed identities in online communities; (dis)embodiment; the networked self; and border surveillance technologies. We analyze a range of media texts including novels, films, theoretical essays, manifestos, archives and multi-media born-digital content. Taught in Spanish. Eva Woods.

    Prerequisite(s): HISP 216  and one course above 216.

    One 2-hour period.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 383 - Nation, Race and Gender in Latin America and the Caribbean - Senior Seminar


    1 unit(s)
    With a focus on Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean this course traces and analyzes the ways in which the project of nation building creates and draws upon narratives about race and gender. While our focus is on Latin America, our study considers racial and gender formations within the context of the world-system. We are interested in how a complicated history of colonization, independence, post-coloniality, and “globalization” has intersected with national economies, politics, communities, and identities. In order to get at these intersections we examine a range of texts dealing with policy, national literatures, common sense, and political struggle. Specific issues addressed include the relationship between socio-biological theories of race and Latin American notions of mestizage, discursive and material “whitening,” the myth of racial democracy, sexuality and morality, and border politics. Light Carruyo.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 385 - Women, Culture and Development

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as INTL 385 , SOCI 385 , and WMST 385 ) This course examines the ongoing debates within development studies about how integration into the global economy is experienced by women around the world. Drawing on gender studies, cultural studies, and global political economy, we explore the multiple ways in which women struggle to secure well-being, challenge injustice, and live meaningful lives. Light Carruyo.

  

  • LALS 386 - Ghetto Schooling

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as EDUC 386  and SOCI 386 ) In twenty-first century America, the majority of students attend segregated schools. Most white students attend schools where 75% of their peers are white, while 80% of Latino students and 74% of black students attend majority non-white schools. In this course we will examine the events that led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka and the 60-year struggle to make good on the promises of that ruling. The course will be divided into three parts. In part one, we will study the Brown decision as an integral element in the fight against Jim Crow laws and trace the legal history of desegregation efforts. In part two, we will focus on desegregation policies and programs that enabled the slow move toward desegregation between 1954 and the 1980s. At this point in time, integration efforts reached their peak and 44% of black students in the south attended majority-white schools. Part three of the course will focus on the dismantling of desegregation efforts that were facilitated by U.S. Supreme Court decisions beginning in the 1990s. Throughout the course we will consider the consequences of the racial isolation and concentrated poverty that characterizes segregated schooling and consider the implications of this for today’s K-12 student population, which is demographically very different than it was in the 1960s, in part due to new migration streams from Latin America, Asia, and the Caribbean. Over the last 40 years, public schools have experienced a 28% decline in white enrollments, with increases in the number of black and Asian students, and a noteworthy 495% increase in Latino enrollments. Eréndira Rueda.

    One 2-hour period.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • LALS 387 - Latin American Seminar

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as HISP 387 ) A seminar offering in-depth study of topics related to the literary and cultural history of Latin America. This course may be repeated for credit when the topic changes.

    Topic for 2020/21a: New Argentine Cinema. The seminar follows the appearance and development of the Argentine New Wave, from the mid-1990s to the present. These films have initiated a new direction in Argentine and Latin American film, as they try to find new narrative forms that symbolically articulate and transform the radical crises–cultural, national and economic–that neoliberalism and its aftermath brought to the Argentine landscape. In the process, new voices, ethnic communities, sexualities and social sensibilities emerge, questioning established ways of thinking and looking at the nation and its uneasy fragments. The emerging result has been a boom in production that publics and film festivals worldwide have recognized through accolade, prizes, worldwide distribution and critical praise. Films by auteurs such as Adrián Caetano, Martín Rejtman, Pablo Trapero, and Lucrecia Martel are discussed, bearing on themes such as the circulation of bodies and labor, nation, migration and globalization, memory and subjectivity, the eye vs. the gaze, the spheres and politics of social space, and the political unconscious of melodrama and allegory within the context of subalternity and the Third World. In Spanish. Mario Cesareo.

    Topic for 2020/21a: Detective Fiction in Latin America. This seminar examines the unique literary origins and development of detective fiction in Latin America in different national, political, and cultural contexts to inquire how specific genres of detective fiction and film correspond to particular issues of organized crime, class and ethnic difference, governability, corruption, quotidian violence, urbanization, and the media across Latin America. In Spanish. Michael Aronna.

    Topic for 2020/21b: Art, Film, Literature and Climate Change in Latin America. This seminar addresses the toll climate change is taking on Latin America through its expression in art, film, and literature. Melting glaciers, coral bleaching, changing rainfall patterns, rising sea levels, water, and food insecurity are among the topics addressed eloquently through the arts in the region. The course examines the central role artists, filmmakers, and writers have played as key environmental activists throughout Latin America, focusing on literary work by Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia), Pedro Cabiya (Dominican Republic), and Homero Aridjis (Mexico), artists like Tomás Sánchez (Cuba), Alejandro Durán (Mexico), and Ruby Rumié (Colombia), and films like Even the Rain (2011), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), A Place in the World (1992), The Naked Jungle (1954), and The Towrope (2012). Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert.

    Prerequisite(s): HISP 216  and one course above 216.

    One 2-hour period.
  

  • LALS 388 - Latin American Economic Development

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as ECON 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. Sarah Pearlman.

    Prerequisite(s): ECON 209 .
  

  • LALS 399 - Senior Independent Research

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    0.5 to 1 unit(s)
    By special permission.

    Course Format: INT

Mathematics and Statistics: I. Introductory
  

  • MATH 121 - Single Variable Calculus

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    The calculus of one variable and its applications are discussed. Topics include: limits, continuity, derivatives, applications of derivatives, transcendental functions, the definite integral, applications of definite integrals. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): A minimum of three years of high school mathematics, preferably including trigonometry.

    Mathematics 121 is not open to students with AP credit in mathematics.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 126 - Calculus IIA: Integration Theory

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    0.5 unit(s)
    In this course, we expand and build upon basic knowledge of differential and integral calculus. Various techniques and applications of integration will be studied. The calculus of transcendental functions—such as the exponential, logarithmic, and inverse trigonometric functions—will also be developed. A main theme in this course is the many ways functions can be defined, and arise naturally in problems in the mathematical sciences.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 121  or its equivalent.

    First or second six-week course.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 127 - Calculus IIB: Sequences and Series

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    0.5 unit(s)
    Real numbers may be represented as infinite decimals. In this course we generalize this representation by studying the convergence of sequences and of series of real numbers. These notions further generalize to the convergence of sequences and series of functions. We study these ideas and their relation to the Calculus.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 121  or its equivalent.

    First or second six-week course.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 131 - Numbers, Shape, Chance, and Change


    1 unit(s)

    What is the stuff of mathematics? What do mathematicians do? Fundamental concepts from arithmetic, geometry, probability, and the calculus are explored, emphasizing the relations among these diverse areas, their internal logic, their beauty, and how they come together to form a unified discipline. As a counterpoint, we also discuss the “unreasonable effectiveness” of mathematics in describing a stunning range of phenomena from the natural and social worlds. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): At least three years of high school mAthemAtics.

    Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

    Would you like to see a more just and humane world? The SJQ courses engage you from the very start of your Vassar studies in thinking about the relationship between power and social change. A set of public lectures that address the nature of social justice accompany SJQ courses.

    Two 50-minute periods and one 50-minute discussion period.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 132 - Mathematics and Narrative


    1 unit(s)
    To most, mathematics and narrative live in opposition-narrative is ubiquitous while mathematics is perceived as inscrutably esoteric and obscure. In fact, narrative is a fundamental part of mathematics. Mathematical proofs, problems and solutions, textbooks, and journal articles tell some sort of story. Conversely, many literary works (Arcadia, Proof, and Uncle Petros and the Goldbach Conjecture) use mathematics as an integral part of their narrative. Movie and television narratives such as Good Will Hunting and Numb3rs are also mathematically based. Nonfiction works about mathematics and mathematical biographies like Chaos, Fermat’s Enigma, and A Beautiful Mind provide further examples of the connection between mathematics and narrative. We use this course to explore this connection by reading and writing a variety of mathematical narratives. 

    Open only to first-year students; satisfies college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 141 - Introduction to Statistical Reasoning

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)

    The purpose of this course is to develop an appreciation and understanding of the exploration and interpretation of data. Topics include exploratory data analysis, basic probability, design of studies, and inferential methods including confidence interval estimaation and hypothesis testing.  Applications and examples are drawn from a wide variety of disciplines. When cross-listed with biology, examples are drawn primarily from biology. Statistical software is used.  Computationally less intensive than MATH 240 . The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): Three years of high school mathematics.
     

     

    Not open to students with AP credit in statistics or students who have completed MATH 240 , ECON 209  or PSYC 200 .

    Not recommended for students who have taken a semester of calculus: those students should instead consider MATH 240 .  AP Statistics, MATH 141 and MATH 240  all provide an introduction to statistics and students should not take more than one; they all can serve as a prerequisite for further statistics courses in the Mathematics and Statistics Department.

    In certain semesters, one section may be cross-listed with BIOL 141 .

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 142 - Statistical Sleuthing: Personal and Public Policy Decision-Making in a World of Numbers


    1 unit(s)
    The world inundates us with numbers and pictures intended to persuade us towards certain beliefs about our health, public policy, or even which brand of product to buy. How can we make informed decisions in this context? The goal of this course is for us to become statistical sleuths who critically read and summarize a piece of statistical evidence. We read articles from a variety of sources, while using basic statistical principles to guide us. Course format: mixture of discussion and lecture, with regular reading and writing assignments. The Department.

    Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

    Three 50-minute periods.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 144 - Foundations of Data Science

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    (Same as CMPU 144 )  This course focuses on students’ development and practice of computational thinking and inferential thinking. Students learn the basics of the Python programming language to make generalizations based on limited data while accounting for uncertainty in the data collection process. Students learn to write programs, generate images to visualize data, and work with real-world datasets, culminating in a final project centered around analyzing climate change data. Jingchen (Monika) Hu, Jason Waterman.

    Two 75 minute periods and one 2-hour lab.

    Course Format: CLS

Mathematics and Statistics: II. Intermediate

Prerequisites for all intermediate courses: MATH 126  and MATH 127 , or permission of the department, unless otherwise indicated.
  

  • MATH 220 - Multivariable Calculus

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    1 unit(s)
    This course extends differential and integral calculus to functions of several variables. Topics include: partial derivatives, gradients, extreme value problems, Lagrange multipliers, multiple integrals, line and surface integrals, the theorems of Green and Gauss. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 126  and MATH 127  or equivalent.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 221 - Linear Algebra

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    1 unit(s)
    The theory of higher dimensional space. Topics include: geometric properties of n-space, matrices and linear equations, vector spaces, linear mappings, determinants. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 126  and MATH 127  or equivalent, or permission of the department.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 228 - Methods of Applied Mathematics

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    Survey of techniques used in the physical sciences. Topics include: ordinary and partial differential equations, series representation of functions, integral transforms, Fourier series and integrals. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 126  and MATH 127 , or permission of the department.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 240 - Introduction to Statistics

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    The purpose of this course is to introduce the methods by which we extract information from data.  Topics are similar to those in MATH 141 , with more coverage of probability and more intense computational and computer work. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 126  and 127 .

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 241 - Probability

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    1 unit(s)
    This course in introductory probability theory covers topics including combinatorics, discrete and continuous random variables, distribution functions, joint distributions, independence, properties of expectations, and basic limit theorems. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 126  and MATH 127 , or permission of the department.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 242 - Applied Statistical Modeling

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    Applied Statistical Modeling is offered as a second course in statistics in which we present a set of case studies and introduce appropriate statistical modeling techniques for each. Topics may include: multiple linear regression, logistic regression, log-linear regression, survival analysis, an introduction to Bayesian modeling, and modeling via simulation. Other topics may be substituted for these or added as time allows. Students are expected to conduct data analyses in R. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 126  and MATH 127 ; MATH 141 .

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 261 - Introduction to Number Theory

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    1 unit(s)
    Topics include: divisibility, congruence, modular arithmetic, diophantine equations, number-theoretic functions, distribution of the prime numbers. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 126  and MATH 127 , or permission of the department.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 263 - Discrete Mathematics

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    Mathematical induction, elements of set theory and logic, permutations and combinations, relations, topics in graph theory, generating functions, recurrence relations, Boolean algebras. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 126  and MATH 127 , or permission of the department.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 268 - Protecting Information: Applications of Abstract Algebra


    1 unit(s)
    In today’s information age, it is vital to secure messages against eavesdropping or corruption by noise. Our study begins by surveying some historical techniques and proceeds to examining some of the most important codes currently being used to protect information. These include various public key cryptographic schemes (RSA and its variants) that are used to safeguard sensitive internet communications, as well as linear codes, mathematically elegant and computationally practical means of correcting transmissions errors. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 126  and MATH 127 , or permission of the department.

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 290 - Community-Engaged Learning

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    0.5 to 1 unit(s)
    Course Format: INT
  

  • MATH 297 - Topics in Mathematics

    Semester Offered: Fall
    0.5 unit(s)
    Reading Course

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 221  or equivalent, and permission of the instructor.

    Course Format: OTH
  

  • MATH 298 - Independent Work

    Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
    0.5 to 1 unit(s)
    Election should be made in consultation with a department adviser.

    Course Format: OTH

Mathematics and Statistics: III. Advanced

Prerequisites for all advanced courses:  MATH 220  and MATH 221 , or permission of the department, unless otherwise indicated.
  

  • MATH 301 - Topics In Advanced Mathematics and Statistics

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    0.5 to 1 unit(s)
    The focus of the intensive is proposed by the faculty leader and based on student’s previous studies. Students take an active role in presentation and research throughout the semester in collaboration with the faculty leader. Topics may come from mathematics, statistics, and applications of mathematics. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 220 , 221  and permission of the instructor.

    Open only to declared majors in mathematics.

    Course Format: INT
  

  • MATH 315 - Advanced Topics in Applied Mathematics

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    This course introduces three main types of partial differential equations: diffusion, elliptic, and hyperbolic. We develop such equations from real-world examples and applications from physics, biology, epidemiology, and from student interests. We explore several mathematical and numerical strategies for solving these models and introduce ways to glean information from them.  Students may also be exposed to a collection of non-standard mathematical modeling techniques: Cellular Automata, Pair Approximation Equations, and Agent Based Modeling. Familiarity with programming in Matlab is developed throughout the semester.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 220 , MATH 221  and MATH 228 .

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 321 - Real Analysis

    Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
    1 unit(s)
    A rigorous treatment of topics in the classical theory of functions of a real variable from the point of view of metric space topology including limits, continuity, sequences and series of functions, and the Riemann-Stieltjes integral. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): For all advanced courses: MATH 220  and MATH 221 , unless otherwise indicated.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 324 - Complex Analysis

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    Integration and differentiation in the complex plane. Topics include: holomorphic (differentiable) functions, power series as holomorphic functions, Taylor and Laurent series, singularities and residues, complex integration and, in particular, Cauchy’s Theorem and its consequences. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): For all advanced courses: MATH 220  and MATH 221 , unless otherwise indicated.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 327 - Advanced Topics in Real Analysis

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    Continuation of MATH 321 . Measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, Banach spaces of measurable functions. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 321 .

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 328 - Theory of Differential Equations and Dynamical Systems

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    Existence and uniqueness theorems for ordinary differential equations; general theory and eigenvalue methods for first order linear systems.  The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 321  or permission of the instructor.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 331 - Topics in Geometry

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    Topics vary from year to year and may include differential geometry, fractal geometry, Euclidean geometry, hyperbolic geometry, projective geometry, and algebraic geometry. 

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 220  and MATH 221 , unless otherwise indicated.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 335 - Differential Geometry


    1 unit(s)
    The geometry of curves and surfaces in 3-dimensional space and an introduction to manifolds. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 321 .

    Not offered in 2020/21.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 339 - Topology

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    Introductory point-set and algebraic topology; topological spaces, metric spaces, continuous mappings, connectedness, compactness and separation properties; the fundamental group; simplicial homology. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 321  or MATH 361 .

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 341 - Statistical Inference


    1 unit(s)
    An introduction to statistical theory through the mathematical development of topics including resampling methods, sampling distributions, likelihood, interval and point estimation, and introduction to statistical inferential methods. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 220 , MATH 221  and MATH 241 .

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 342 - Applied Statistical Modeling

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 unit(s)
    For students who have completed MATH 341 . Students in this course attend the same lectures as those in MATH 242 , but will be required to complete extra reading and problems. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 220 , MATH 221  and MATH 341 .

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 347 - Bayesian Statistics

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    An introduction to Bayesian statistics. Topics include Bayes Theorem, common prior and posterior distributions, hierarchical models, Bayesian linear regression, latent variable models, and Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. The course uses R extensively for simulations. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 220 , MATH 221  and MATH 241 .

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 348 - Statistical Principles for Research Study Design

    Semester Offered: Spring
    1 0 unit(s)
    Research studies are used in many fields, from economics and political science to physics, biology, and medical research. All of them share a need for statistically valid methods for study design and the analysis of results. This course covers the statistical principles and challenges behind randomized and non-randomized studies in these and other fields, highlighting the role statisticians play in the research process. Mathematical theory, examples, and simulations in R are considered in evaluating study designs. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 220 , MATH 221 , MATH 240  and MATH 241 .

    Three 50-minute periods.

    Course Format: CLS
  

  • MATH 351 - Mathematical Logic

    Semester Offered: Fall
    1 unit(s)
    An introduction to mathematical logic. Topics are drawn from computability theory, model theory, and set theory. Mathematical and philosophical implications also are discussed. The Department.

    Prerequisite(s): MATH 321  or MATH 361 .

    Course Format: CLS
 

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