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Humanities

Fall 2009 Courses

Note:
Saturday Classes meet: September 12, September 26, October 17, November 7, November 12 and December 12
Sunday Classes meet: September 13, September 27, October 18, November 8, November 22 and December 13

History

HUM252H Great Historical Figures (Prof. Fred Simonelli) Sunday

For as long as mankind has studied the past, the question has been asked: do great men and women create the events that change society, or do critical events bring forth great men and women to meet the challenges of change? We will study the lives of six agents of change in history for clues to the elusive answer: Hildegard of Bingen, Charles Darwin, Mahatma Ghandi, Ho Chi Minh, Rev Martin Luther King, Jr., and Golda Meir.(syllabus)

HUM268H/HUM203E Travel Study: October 1 to 12, 2009 Scotland, Wales, and England (Prof. Fred Simonelli/Prof. Millie Kidd)

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HUM264H Myths and Realities of Secret Societies in History (Prof. Jane Crawford) Saturday

Popular Culture is full of intimations that secret societies run the world. What is the historical evidence about secret societies in history? This course will overview the “perennial philosophy” of secret knowledge and its manifestations in history, including ancient mysteries, alchemy, Templars, Rosicrucians, Freemasonry and contemporary groups. Join us in this fascinating journey. (syllabus)

Cultural Studies

HUM275CS Monsters and Monstrosities (Prof. Justine VanMeter) Sunday

Anthropologist Clifford Geertz has argued that culture is simply the ensemble of stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. We will investigate and interpret the stories that we construct – about ourselves and about “the Other” – by exploring literary works that revolve around figures of dread: the vampire, the specter, the witch. We will focus on various time periods (but will relate each of these to our contemporary experiences) and various locations (with emphasis on England/Ireland, various aspects of the Caribbean/West Indies and Africa, and the United States).
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English

HUM249E Narrative and 9/11 (Prof. Scott Bryson) Sunday

In this course we'll explore various responses writers have offered to the events on September 11, 2001. We'll read both fiction and non-fiction from a number of perspectives. We will pay special attention to the aims, rules, and rhetoric of narrative. In other words, we'll watch for what the authors are trying to do as they tell their stories about this highly emotional event. (syllabus)

HUM249E The American Short Story (Prof. Ben Huang) Saturday

This course provides a brief thematic overview of American short fiction. We will address six major themes: Regionalism, Immigration, Women, Science, Nature and Experimental Fiction, and for each, we will examine two primary texts -- one classical, one contemporary and investigate how author separated by multiple generations grapple with the same issues. (syllabus) (book list)

HUM203E/HUM268H Travel Study: October 1 to 12, 2009. Scotland, Wales and England (Prof. Millie Kidd/Prof. Fred Simonelli) (syllabus)

Creative Writing

HUM231CW Writing Poetry (Prof. Marcos Villatoro) Saturday

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HUM230CW Writing Noir (Prof. Joan Johnson) Sunday

Whether it is a screenplay on the order of Robert Towne's Chinatown, or a novel, short story or graphic novel, you will spend a semester crafting your own masterpiece in the noir tradition. We will study the components that go into the genre: the twisted motives, back alleys, personalities and relationships, plus the twisted turns with shadows, rain, shiny cars, sequins and black nylon stockings... Easy field trips to real haunts nearby. (syllabus)

Individuals with undergraduate degrees are eligible to take Humanities courses on a per course basis by permission of the Humanities Program Director. For more information, contact Graduate Admissions at 213-477-2800 or the Humanities Program Office at 213-477-2927.

Capstone

HUM296A Capstone Project Workshop (Prof. Millie Kidd) October 24, December 5, 2009

(timeline) (syllabus)