Course Title | Description |
---|---|
ANCIENT & MEDIEVAL ERAS |
|
Classical Mythology
|
Classical mythology permeates the literature and art of western culture. This course will examine some of the major myths of the ancient world in an effort to understand their impact upon that world and our own. Using primarily the dramatic texts of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, as well as Homer’s Odyssey and Ovid’s Metamorphoses, we will study the Greek pantheon, heroes such as Odysseus, Agamemnon and Oedipus, and heroines such as Antigone, Iphigenia and Alcestis. We will also examine the way in which more modern writers such as Tennyson, Yeats and Auden have incorporated and transformed these myths in their poetry. A class presentation and a research paper are required. |
Ancient Egypt optional trip to Egypt 56:606:502:01 Index: 69382 M-W 6:00 -7:20 PM Cross-listed: 50:090:301:01 50: 525:122:40 / 56:606:614:02 Professor Gabor Toth |
The course introduces the students to the Ancient Egyptian civilization from the early Stone Age to their conquest by the Persians and Greeks. It gives a comprehensive historical account on the rise and fall of the Egyptian dynasties, analyzes archeological and anthropological evidence, discusses religious, cultural and social patterns, and examines the earliest masterpieces of art and architecture in the Egyptian world. Credit by arrangement: 3 for just the course; 4.5 for the course plus trip |
AGE OF REVOLUTIONS |
|
18 th Century Literature
|
We will view the eighteenth century this term through the prism of the novel, which became the dominant form of literary expression before the century came to an end. We will concentrate on the depiction of sensibility and the education of the sensibilities of readers brought about through fiction. We will read works by Daniel Defoe (Robinson Crusoe, Oxford UP, 2007, ISBN 978-0192833421); Jonathan Swift (Gulliver’s Travels, Oxford UP, ISBN 978-0192833778); Henry Fielding (Tom Jones, Oxford UP, 1996, ISBN 978-0192834973); Sarah Fielding (David Simple, Oxford UP, 1987, ISBN 978-0192817662); Frances Burney (Evelina, Oxford UP, 2002, ISBN 978-0192840318); and Jane Austen (Emma, Oxford UP, 1998, ISBN 978-0192802378), all of which except for David Simple are on the MA Comprehensive Reading List. In addition, each student will prepare another 18th -century text on sensibility, from a list provided by the instructor. A classroom presentation and research paper are required. |
Special Topics in American Literature: Wharton and James |
We read short stories, novellas, novels, and essays by of two of the finest American writers. Henry James and Edith Wharton defined an era and style of realism with their socially astute and psychologically complex tales of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century life in Europe, New England, and Old New York. We explore the cultural circumstances that helped to shape the careers of these two remarkable writers; the deep friendship that developed between them; and qualities of literary realism that they developed and helped bring to maturity. Assignments include 3 papers and a mid-term exam. |
CULTURAL DIVERSITY |
|
Antisemitism: From the New Testament to the Holocaust to Today
|
An investigation into the nature and historical development of antisemitism beginning with the New Testament through medieval and modern Christianity to the racial antisemitism of the Nazis. Examination of specific stages of Nazi genocide as well as its implications for modem religion, theories of human nature, and situations we may confront in the future. Integrates material from history, psychology, ethics, theology, and literature in order to evaluate possible responses. |
ARTS & LITERATURE |
|
Chinese Art
|
Considers Chinese painting, sculpture , architecture, ceramics, printmaking, metalwork, and textile arts and their historical religious, and social contexts. |
Three Centuries in American Poetry
|
In this course we will study American poetry of the seventeenth, |
Latin American Art and Culture
|
Native-American, colonial, and modern art and architecture of Lation America in their cultural context. Material culture traced either thematically or chronologically. Topics change from year to year. This course may count toward th eLatin American Studies minor. |
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES |
|
Design in Barcelona
|
The International Studies trip to Barcelona, Spain is to explore the city through graphic design and to facilitate an exchange of ideas and to develop a discourse about contemporary design practices in a foreign country. While open to all undergraduate and graduate students as a general survey to understanding contemporary graphic design, the course will focus primarily on the knowledge and techniques that are familiar to more experienced graphic design students. The trip will include visits to various design studios and agencies, museums and the exploration of Barcelona’s visual and cultural language. |
Peruvian Art International Studies trip to Peru – March 2008 56:606:613:02 Index: 74604 Cross-listed: 50:080:490:01 & 50:082:492:03 Professor Ken Hohing |
A photography-based course consisting of classroom seminars in conjunction with the International Studies tour to Peru during Spring Break, 2008. The course will focus on basic camera operation and photographic techniques for portraiture, landscape and wildlife photography. Students are required to attend pre and post trip seminars to be scheduled in early spring. Locations in Peru include Lima, Cuzco, Machu Picchu & the Sacred Valley, and the ruins of Ollantaytambo and Sacsayhuaman. Grade credit can be earned through participation in the group photography project “Messages to America”, which investigates societal issues and international perceptions through portraiture and sociological data collection. No pre-requisite or prior photographic knowledge is required. Students must supply their own camera equipment.
|
Literary Ireland
|
May 24-June 2, 2008 |
Ancient Egypt and Jordan
|
Please reference Ancient Egypt course description above. |
French Literature in Burgundy and Paris French literature in translation 420 Graduate Liberal Studies 606 May 13-2, 2008 56:606:614:03 Index: Professor Norman Ellman nellman@camden Six monday afternoons 2 1/2hours |
An introduction to French literature and civilization, with emphasis on important writers connected with Burgundy and Paris–Molière, Diderot, Hugo, and Colette, among others. We will become acquainted with French history and civilization from the Age of Classicism to the present, including several major artistic movements. |
POLITICS AND SOCIETY |
|
Radical Politics
|
Political protest movements and methods of radical political change. |
Radical Islam Challenges the West
|
This course introduces students to the place of radicalism within the Islamic world, and examines and analyzes why, when, how and even whether it poses significant security challenges to the liberal democratic tradition of the West.The course will also focus on the relationship of this challenge to the forces of globalization. |
PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION |
|
Modern Social & Political Philosophy
|
Critical examination of the philosophical problems involved in theories of the state and society. Topics include the nature and justification of political obligation, civil disobedience, violence, natural rights, and justice. |
Philosophical and Religious Perspectives on Childhood
|
This course explores the meaning and significance of childhood in society. It does so from a variety of Western philosophical and religious points of view. The first half of the course critically examines some of the most influential writings on childhood in history, from antiquity to modernity. We ask how these texts respond to such questions as the nature of childhood, the aims of child rearing, and responsibilities to and of children in society. The second half investigates the social ethics of childhood today. It looks into disputes about the purpose of families, children’s relations to culture, and national and international children’s rights. |
RESEARCH IN LIBERAL STUDIES |
|
56:606:689:01 Index: 67283 |
Independent study of a special interest to the student, under supervision of an advisor chosen in consultation with the program director. |
56:606:690:01 Index: 67284
|
|
MATRICULATION CONTINUED |
|
56:606:800:01 Index: 64716
|
If for some reason, you cannot register for courses in Spring 2008, you should register for Matriculation Continued. You pay only a $57 fee, which allows you to remain a member in good standing of the Liberal Studies Program, use the Rutgers library and other facilities, and saves you from the trouble of being re-admitted in the following semester. |