Fall 2023
Humanities Courses
An introduction to critical thinking about world culture through selected readings in major literary forms from ancient times to 1700.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
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HUM 101-50 | DISTANCE EDUCATION | K. Green |
In this interactive course, students will use a humanities lens to explore questions about what it means to be human: How and why have individuals throughout history and around the globe sought to make sense of their world through creative expression? How do our interactions with society and the environment around us shape our sense of self? How do we in turn shape society and our environment? Throughout the course, students will engage with examples of cultural products from a range of humanities disciplines, such as art history, literature, religion, music history, theater, film, philosophy, and language and linguistics. In the course of this engagement, students will practice skills that are not only essential for humanities classrooms but extend to any workplace: thinking critically, interpreting evidence, and communicating effectively, all while striving towards a deeper understanding of diversity in order to respond creatively and constructively to the challenge of difference.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 105-01 (HONORS) | MWF 11:00am–11:50am | A. Hall |
Note: This section is restricted to students active in the University Honors Program. Please call Honors at 502-852-6293 for more information. | ||
HUM 105-02 | MWF 10:00am–10:50am | N. Polzer |
HUM 105-03 | MWF 11:00am–11:50am | H. Salo |
HUM 105-04 | MWF 12:00pm–12:50pm | P. Wessels |
HUM 105-05 | MWF 01:00pm–01:50pm | E. Lewis |
HUM 105-06 | MW 04:00pm–05:15pm | E. Ghita |
HUM 105-07 | TTh 09:30am–10:45am | A. Bittner |
HUM 105-08 | TTh 11:00am–12:15pm | R. Ismaila |
HUM 105-09 | TTh 02:30pm–03:45pm | TBA |
HUM 105-50 | DISTANCE EDUCATION | E. Ghita |
Introduction to the fundamental vocabulary, principles, analytical processes, and styles of the creative arts (painting, sculpture, architecture, and the printed image), with an emphasis on the performing arts (theatre, dance, music, film, and television). The course will include a variety of individual and group activities focused on creativity and performance in the classroom and in the community.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
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HUM 151-01 | MW 02:00pm–03:15pm | D. Wilder |
HUM 151-50 | DISTANCE EDUCATION | K. Hill |
Interdisciplinary study of the arts and humanities in contemporary American culture emphasizing the convergence of European, African, Hispanic, Asian, and indigenous cultures, as well as the distinguishing characteristics of each culture as revealed in three of the following areas: fine arts, drama, literature, philosophy, religion, and popular entertainment.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 152-01 (HONORS) | TTh 02:30pm–03:45pm | M. Johmann |
Note: This section is restricted to students active in the University Honors Program. Please call Honors at 502-852-6293 for more information. | ||
HUM 152-02 | MWF 09:00am–09:50am | J. Fraley |
HUM 152-03 | MW 02:00pm–03:15pm | J. Fraley |
HUM 152-04 | TTh 01:00pm–02:15pm | F. Schildknecht |
HUM 152-05 | TTh 02:30pm–03:45pm | E. Polley |
HUM 152-50 | DISTANCE EDUCATION | J. Cresseveur |
The study of the principal world religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and indigenous traditions) in their cultural contexts.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 216-01 (HONORS) | TTh 01:00pm–02:15pm | M. Hagan |
Note: This section is restricted to students active in the University Honors Program. Please call Honors at 502-852-6293 for more information. | ||
HUM 216-02 | TTh 09:30am–10:45am | M. Hagan |
HUM 216-03 | MWF 10:00am–10:50am | E. Denton |
A survey of the history, beliefs, and sacred literatures of the religions of South and East Asia from the perspectives of the humanities and the history of religions.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 218-01 | MWF 10:00am–10:50am | P. Pranke |
A comparative introduction to Western world religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) through a systematic survey of history, scripture and interpretation, doctrine, practice, and aspects of religious material and literary culture.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
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HUM 219-01 | MWF 11:00am–11:50am | D. Penwell |
This course provides an introduction to Jewish diversity and the Jewish historical minority experience through the prism of the arts and the humanities. Five chronologically sequenced units will examine Jewish cultures in different historical periods and geographical regions to communicate the scope of diverse Jewish communities in the past and present. Special attention will be placed on how gender, ethnicity, and demographic realities, such as displacement and migration, influenced the creation, design, and consumption of Jewish literature, art, music, theater, film and media, food, and philosophic tradition.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
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HUM 220-50 | DISTANCE EDUCATION | A. Angermann |
Introduction to the fundamentals of film form and film content, including narrative, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, genre, acting, and sound, with emphasis on relationships between these elements and diverse cultural contexts.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 224-01 (HONORS) | MW 02:00pm–03:15pm | A. Hall |
Note: This section is restricted to students active in the University Honors Program. Please call Honors at 502-852-6293 for more information. | ||
HUM 224-02 | TTh 09:30am–10:45am | E. Polley |
HUM 224-03 | TTh 11:00am–12:15pm | TBA |
HUM 224-04 | TTh 01:00pm–02:15pm | J. Richie |
HUM 224-05 | W 04:00pm–06:45pm | D. Carpenter |
HUM 224-50 | DISTANCE EDUCATION | D. Carpenter |
Interdisciplinary study of the Middle Ages with emphasis on the distinctive characteristics of the arts, literature, and religious and philosophical thought in their cultural context.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 302-01 | TTh 09:30am–10:45am | K. Green |
Interdisciplinary study of the modern period, from the Enlightenment to the present, with emphasis on the distinctive characteristics of the arts, literature, and religious and philosophical thought in their cultural context.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 304-01 | MWF 09:00am–09:50am | M. Johmann |
The interdisciplinary study of religion as a cultural phenomenon, with emphasis on individual, social, mythic, literary, and textual manifestations.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 308-01 | MWF 10:00am–10:50am | K. Kleinkopf |
This course examines the intersections of religion and culture. It does not focus on religious texts; instead, its focus is on how religion plays a part in people’s everyday lives as a source of meaning and order, as well as by creating a nexus of rituals, communities, spaces, and identities. It analyzes world religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism), as well as local and indigenous religious traditions from a cultural perspective.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 310-50 | DISTANCE EDUCATION | R. Fuller |
Study of the outlook of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in relation to the cultures from which it is derived.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 311-02 | MW 02:00pm–03:15pm | N. Polzer |
A study of important Islamic movements and thinkers in the Indian subcontinent, Egypt, and Turkey, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 316-01 | TTh 02:30pm–03:45pm | M. Moazzen |
A film theory course that introduces students to theoretical approaches to cinema that may include structuralism, semiotics, psychoanalysis, feminism, and post-structuralism, as well as historical, cultural, and gender theory.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 324-50 | DISTANCE EDUCATION | L. Mercer |
Offers students the opportunity to study a specific group of films in greater depth. Topics could include a focus on genre (e.g., rom com, mystery, film noir), or the course could focus on a particular theme (e.g., food and film, war and film).
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Note: May be repeated up to three times if different selections of films are studied.
Course/Section | Topic | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|---|
HUM 326-01 | African American History through Film | TTh 02:30pm–03:45pm | F. Jamison |
This class explores major themes in African American history through the medium of film. More specifically, it analyzes the ways in which popular Hollywood films construct the historical past, the ensuing battles among historians and the public over Hollywood’s version of American history, and the ways that such films can be utilized as historical documents themselves. To better understand the ways in which film can be used as historical artifacts, we will engage in critical readings and analyze primary sources from the period in which the films were created. We will consider films as products of the culture industry; as visions of popularly understood history and national mythology; as evidence for how social conflicts have been depicted; and as evidence of how popular understanding and interpretations of the past have been revised from earlier eras to the present. | |||
Note: Co-listed with HIST 310-04. | |||
HUM 326-02 | Extreme Faith: Religion and Film | Th 04:00pm–06:45pm | N. Polzer |
Through responsive viewing, discussion, and written analysis of feature-length contemporary films, this course will explore the challenges to religious faith and practice faced by individuals in extreme personal situations and/or historical contexts. Films will represent a spectrum of different world religions including, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and world Indigenous religions (Inuit and Australian Aboriginal). |
Analysis of sex roles as embodied in classic works in philosophy, literature, history, drama, and art in ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary times.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 331-02 (HONORS) | TTh 11:00am–12:15pm | S. Bertacco |
Notes: (1) This section is restricted to students active in the University Honors Program. Please call Honors at 502-852-6293 for more information. (2) Cross-listed with WGST 303-02. | ||
HUM 331-03 | MW 02:00pm–03:15pm | K. Hill |
Note: Cross-listed with WGST 303-03. | ||
HUM 331-51 | DISTANCE EDUCATION | J. White |
Note: Cross-listed with WGST 303-51. |
A survey of the universal aspects of Native American religions, cosmologies, and practices from prior to European contact until the present day.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 336-01 | MWF 11:00am–11:50am | H. Cruz |
Mythology of Greek gods and goddesses through the study of ancient texts, major sites of worship, and ancient representations of these deities.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 338-01 | TTh 01:00pm–02:15pm | TBA |
A historical survey of the relationship between the social-cultural roles of women and their representation in world religion.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 340-02 | MWF 12:00pm–12:50pm | E. Denton |
Note: Cross-listed with WGST 340-02. |
Study of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism and their interrelationship with the cultures of South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan).
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 341-01 | MWF 01:00pm–01:50pm | P. Pranke |
Note: Cross-listed with AST 340-01. |
An overview of Eastern mysticism through a close reading of significant primary texts from Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and Daoist mystical traditions in the light of perennial and contextual theoretical frameworks and current critical scholarships.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 342-01 | TTh 02:30pm–03:45pm | M. Hagan |
Note: Co-listed with AST 390-03. |
The varieties of religious experience in the United States: native traditions, manifestations and adaptations of Christianity, and other religions practiced in the United States.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 344-50 | DISTANCE EDUCATION | T. Burden |
This course discusses various African understandings of religion by examining specific traditions, beliefs, and practices from Ancient Egyptians, Yoruba, Dogon, and Dagara, among others. Christianity and Islam are discussed as unique parts of the African religious experience.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 351-51 | DISTANCE EDUCATION | S. McAllister |
Note: Cross-listed with PAS 351-51. |
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Course/Section | Topic | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|---|
HUM 361-01 | The Literature of the Holocaust | TTh 11:00am–12:15pm | R. Omer-Sherman |
In studying fictional, poetic, and nonfictional narratives of the Holocaust, our task will be to witness the event through the texts we read: What does it mean to think of literature as a kind of witnessing? And just what are the limits of language in representing such an unrepresentable event? For the writer, there is a very real crisis of representation. In The Story of a Life, Aharon Appelfeld, the Israeli novelist and Holocaust survivor, describes the feeling of being defeated by his own story: “Every time you talk about those days, you feel that this is incredible. You tell and you don’t believe that this happened to you. This is one of the most humiliating feelings that I’ve experienced.” And Charlotte Delbo testifies that “Auschwitz is there, fixed and unchangeable, but wrapped in the impervious skin of memory that segregates itself from the present ‘me.’” Included in the argument of this course, is the idea that literature can and does respond vigorously to catastrophe. Our main focus will emphasize the roles of silence, memory, identity, and problems of representation, but we will also consider other issues along the way, such as the psychology and history of antisemitism, as well as the problem of articulating a new ethics for humanity. Drawing from European, American, and Israeli narratives, our readings will introduce some of the significant poets and writers who were witnesses to, survivors, and in some instances victims of the Holocaust. Later in the semester, we will encounter narratives by Ozick, Spiegelman, Semel, and others, a second generation whose work is distinguished by a tension between the desire to write about the Holocaust and guilt at doing so. What does it mean to be the child or even grandchild of a survivor? What will the collective memory of the Holocaust be in the twenty-first century, after the last survivors have given testimony? The way that Jews and others deal with the Holocaust is not always wise. Sometimes we manipulate it, turning Holocaust-related fears into an outlook and a value system. Time and again, we discover that, whether we want it or not, nearly every one of us is a carrier pigeon of the Holocaust. So it is worth coming to terms with it more consciously. As Ecclesiastes (1:18) tells us: “For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” | |||
Note: Co-listed with ENGL 372-01. | |||
HUM 361-50 | Race, Gender, and Human Behaviors | DISTANCE EDUCATION | L. Anthony |
The course is an elective that examines human behaviors in relation to race and gender from psychological, sociological, and technological perspectives. These perspectives will be viewed in terms of contemporary societies throughout the African diaspora. At the end of the term, students will demonstrate their knowledge by creating a presentation for an adverse audience while taking a supportive position of a social issue relating to race and/or gender. | |||
Note: Co-listed with PAS 300-51 and WGST 390-51. |
This course explores various religious beliefs, practices, experiences, traditions, and institutions of African-descended people in the United States. Students will be introduced to a range of African American religious traditions and a variety of perspectives within African American religious thought. These traditions and their respective beliefs and practices will be situated within their proper historical, social, and cultural contexts.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 377-02 | MW 01:00pm–02:15pm | B. McCormack |
Note: Cross-listed with PAS 317-02. |
Interdisciplinary study of Iberia-Latin America, with emphasis on the distinctive characteristics of the arts, literature, and religious and philosophical thought in their cultural context.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 380-01 | TTh 02:30pm–03:45pm | K. Swinehart |
Methods and theories in interdisciplinary thinking and research, emphasizing (1) the interrelationships of the disciplines; (2) the importance of synthesizing art, theatre, literature, music, philosophy, and religion in a cultural context; and (3) the critical examination of issues arising from fields outside the humanities that have significant impact on and synergy with the humanities.
Prerequisites: Junior standing; majors only.
Notes: (1) Credit may not be earned for both HUM 509 and HUM 609. (2) Approved for the Arts and Sciences upper-level requirement in written communication (WR). (3) This course fulfills the Culminating Undergraduate Experience (CUE) requirement for certain degree programs. CUE courses are advanced-level courses intended for majors with at least 90 earned credits/senior-level status.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 509-01 | W 04:00pm–06:45pm | K. Kleinkopf |
Notes: (1) Co-listed with HUM 609-02. (2) Register for this section if you are an undergraduate student. |
Prerequisite: Junior standing.
Course/Section | Topic | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|---|
HUM 512-01 | Modern Middle Eastern Literature | TTh 04:00pm–05:15pm | M. Moazzen |
In this course, we study the rich, complex, and diverse texts of modern Middle Eastern literature. The readings include works of writers such as Naguib Mahfouz, Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, and Orhan Pamuk. | |||
Notes: (1) Co-listed with HUM 612-01. (2) Register for this section if you are an undergraduate student. |
Prerequisite: Junior standing.
Course/Section | Topic | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|---|
HUM 561-01 | Caribbean Poetics of Persistence | Th 04:00pm–06:45pm | S. Bertacco |
Description TBA | |||
Notes: (1) Co-listed with HUM 682-01, WGST 593-03, and WGST 692-03. (2) Register for this section if you are an undergraduate student. | |||
HUM 561-02 | Playscript Interpretation | F 11:00am–01:45pm | J. Segal |
Description TBA | |||
Note: Co-listed with TA 571-01. | |||
HUM 561-03 | Phenomenology | T 04:00pm–06:45pm | J. Barry |
The development of the phenomenological method and its use from Husserl to the present. | |||
Notes: (1) Co-listed with HUM 682-02, PHIL 572-01, and PHIL 605-03. (2) Register for this section if you are an undergraduate student. | |||
HUM 561-75 | Introduction to Public History | Th 04:30pm–07:15pm | G. Crothers |
Introduction to nature, history, and methods of public history. Emphasis on relationship of historical scholarship to nonacademic applications. | |||
Note: Co-listed with HIST 697-75. |
Notes: (1) May be repeated up to three times under different topics. (2) Approved for the Arts and Sciences upper-level requirement in written communication (WR).
Course/Section | Topic | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|---|
HUM 590-05 | Faith and Film | T 02:30pm–04:30pm Th 02:30pm–03:45pm |
J. Ferré |
From Charlie Chaplin’s 1917 silent movie Easy Street to the 2018 film First Reformed, feature films have explored the promises and shortcomings of religious faith and institutions. Because films about religion consider values, beliefs, or perspectives that are important at the time of their release, popular films about religion can serve as an index to religious anxieties and preoccupations. This course will trace the history of religion and film decade by decade from the silent era to the twenty-first century, focusing on the themes, values, and contexts of films about Christianity, Judaism, and Islam—the predominant religions in North America. | |||
Note: Co-listed with COMM 463-02. |
The study of major systematic views of the development on Western culture.
Prerequisite: Completion of 75 undergraduate hours.
Notes: (1) Approved for the Arts and Sciences upper-level requirement in written communication (WR). (2) Credit may not be received for this course and HIST 595.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 595-01 | MWF 10:00am–10:50am | M. Johmann |
Methods and theories in interdisciplinary thinking and research, emphasizing (1) the interrelationships of the disciplines; (2) the importance of synthesizing art, theatre, literature, music, philosophy, and religion in a cultural context; and (3) the critical examination of issues arising from fields outside the humanities that have significant impact on and synergy with the humanities.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Note: Credit may not be earned for both HUM 509 and HUM 609.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 609-02 | W 04:00pm–06:45pm | K. Kleinkopf |
Notes: (1) Co-listed with HUM 509-01. (2) Register for this section if you are a graduate student. |
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Course/Section | Topic | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|---|
HUM 612-01 | Modern Middle Eastern Literature | TTh 04:00pm–05:15pm | M. Moazzen |
In this course, we study the rich, complex, and diverse texts of modern Middle Eastern literature. The readings include works of writers such as Naguib Mahfouz, Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, and Orhan Pamuk. | |||
Notes: (1) Co-listed with HUM 512-01.(2) Register for this section if you are a graduate student. |
An overview of Humanities doctoral studies, from basic doctoral and post-doctoral procedures (seminar and conference papers, journal and book publications, the dissertation, the academic job market, jobs for PhDs beyond academe, and more) through an introduction to the general types of advanced modern and contemporary theory students are likely to encounter in courses that follow.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
HUM 661-01 | W 04:00pm–06:45pm | P. Beattie J. Westerfeld |
Note: Co-listed with HIST 650-01. |
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Note: May be repeated up to a maximum of five times.
Course/Section | Topic | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|---|
HUM 682-01 | Caribbean Poetics of Persistence | Th 04:00pm–06:45pm | S. Bertacco |
Description TBA | |||
Notes: (1) Co-listed with HUM 561-01, WGST 593-03, and WGST 692-03. (2) Register for this section if you are a graduate student. | |||
HUM 682-02 | Phenomenology | T 04:00pm–06:45pm | J. Barry |
The development of the phenomenological method and its use from Husserl to the present. | |||
Notes: (1) Co-listed with HUM 561-03, PHIL 572-01, and PHIL 605-03. (2) Register for this section if you are a graduate student. |
Linguistics Courses
Introduction to the basic assumptions, methods, and concepts of studying language, focusing on the way language influences human experience and the organization of human behavior. Examines the nature, structure, and use of language. May apply as elective in either Social Sciences or Humanities, meeting divisional or out-of-divisional requirements.
Prerequisite: ENGL 102 or ENGL 105.
Note: Students with credit for LING 518/ENGL 518 may not take this course.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
LING 325-01 | TTh 11:00am–12:15pm | T. Stewart |
Note: Cross-listed with ENGL 325-02. |
A comparative survey of languages from three contemporary critical perspectives: (1) language families; (2) language areas; (3) language types. Focus will be on language relationships, similarities, and differences.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
LING 327-01 | TTh 2:30pm–3:45pm | T. Stewart |
Drawing upon readings from psychology, anthropology, linguistics, and education, this course will explore aspects of both native and non-native language acquisition and development.
Prerequisite: LING 325 (or concurrently) or ENGL 325 (or concurrently).
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
LING 328-01 | MW 2:00pm–3:15pm | H. Cruz |
An ethnographic perspective to the study of language, investigating how it is used to create and maintain social institutions and rituals and how it is differentiated across genders and ethnicities.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
LING 330-02 | TTh 04:00pm–05:15pm | K. Swinehart |
Note: Cross-listed with ANTH 343-02 and ENGL 330-02. |
An introduction to phonetics and phonological theory; study of nature and organization of sound language.
Prerequisite: LING 325 or LING 327 or graduate standing.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
LING 510-01 | TTh 04:00pm–05:15pm | T. Stewart |
Notes: (1) Cross-listed with LING 610-01. (2) Register for this section if you are an undergraduate student. |
An introduction to phonetics and phonological theory; study of nature and organization of sound language.
Prerequisite: LING 325 or LING 327 or graduate standing.
Course/Section | Days/Times | Instructor |
---|---|---|
LING 610-01 | TTh 04:00pm–05:15pm | T. Stewart |
Notes: (1) Cross-listed with LING 510-01. (2) Register for this section if you are a graduate student. |