2018-2019 University Catalog

Apr 20, 2024

2018-2019 University Catalog archived

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Religion
	REL 226 - Death and Immortality in the Ancient World FDR: HU Credits: 3 According to Egyptologist Jan Assmann, “All culture is a struggle against oblivion.” How, then, might different cultures respond to the potential oblivion caused by death - the loss of personhood, the deterioration of the body, and the fading memories of those who have die? What rituals and ideologies preserve memories of the dead among the living? Is this commemoration a kind of immortality? In this course, we explore such questions and critically examine the nature of memory as it relates to ancient conceptions of death and afterlife. Through close analysis of epic narrative, ritual texts, and material culture, we compare traditions from different regions, including Mesopotamia, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, in order to better appreciate the rich diversity of human responses to death in the ancient worlds. All ancient texts are read in translation. Sonia.
	REL 231 - Yogis, Monks, and Mystics in India FDR: HU Credits: 3 Yogis, ascetics, and other holy people pursue extraordinary paths that invert the normal aims and values of society. This course surveys ideas on mental and physical training; their conceptual basis; the range of techniques used; and their philosophical development. Course material is drawn from a diverse range of religions that may include Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Islamic, and Christian. The course seeks to answer such questions as: “What is the purpose of these teachings and for whom were they designed?” “What roles do yogis and ascetics play in religious life?” and “What is their ethical status in the world?” Lubin.
	REL 246 - Caste at the Intersection of Economy, Religion, and Law (ECON 246) FDR: SS4 Experiential Learning (EXP): YES Credits: 4 Prerequisite: Instructor consent. ECON 100 or 101 required only for credit as an elective in the Economics major. Social stratification touches every aspect of life, and South Asia’s traditional caste structure is a special case: this highly complex, strictly-adhered-to system has been religiously legitimized and criticized over a 3,000-year history, and is nowadays seen as being at odds with the modern world. Yet it remains a crucial factor in social identity, economic roles, legal status, and religious practice. This course offers a 360-degree survey of caste both historically and in practice today in Nepal. The course addresses four themes, respectively providing for each a combination of historical background, social scientific analysis of the modern situation, and direct field experience for the students. Lubin, Silwal.
	REL 250 - Truth, Belief, Dissent: Defining Insiders and Outsiders in Ancient, Medieval and Modern Religion FDR: HU Credits: 3 Open to all students regardless of class year or major. Who decides what is orthodox [acceptable thought] and what is heretical [unacceptable], how are these decisions made, and what impact do they have on societal definitions of “insider” and “outsider?” What perennial questions emerge in debates about orthodoxy and heresy – e.g., the powers of states to enforce religious orthodoxy, the joining of political ideologies with religious interests – and how are those questions addressed in modernity? This course explores the shifting and perpetually uncertain boundaries of truth and identity in religion. The focal religion is Christianity, but comparative religions are in view. Readings include selections from the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament, “Gnostic gospels”, and other so-called heretical texts, writings from the Church Fathers (with special attention to St. Augustine), medieval heresy trials, a contemporary American novel, and recent scholarly treatments of the boundaries that define “insiders” and “outsiders.” Brown.
	REL 260 - Seminar in the Christian Tradition FDR: HU Credits: 3 An introduction to perduring issues in Christian theology and ethics through study of one or more of the classical Christian theologians. Staff.
	REL 262 - The Bible, the Enlightenment and its Aftermath FDR: HU Credits: 4 A study of how the Bible influenced the thought and culture of the Enlightenment, broadly conceived, and how various Enlightenment ideas and figures influenced the reading of the Bible both in the Enlightenment Age itself and into the succeeding centuries. Brown.
	REL 270 - Biblical Job and His Modern Masks FDR: HU Credits: 4 This course combines study, performance, and creative writing. We study the biblical Book of Job in relation to other wisdom writings in the Hebrew Bible, and then some later Jewish and Christian interpretations. Students write about a theme in the Book of Job and perform a significant passage. Afterwards, we read several modern retellings of the book such as MacLeish’s J.B., Wiesel’s Trial of God, Sholem Aleichem’s Tevye stories, and the Danish film Adam’s Apples. The final student project is a personal and creative retelling of the book in a contemporary setting. Lastly, students perform, with another member of the class, a critical scene from their compositions. Marks.
	REL 271 - Islam in America: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (HIST 271) FDR: HU Credits: 3 From the discourse on the War on Terror, to debates about Muslim women’s dress, Islam in America has attracted the attention of journalists, activists, government officials, and scholars of religion. This course takes a critical-historical approach to the topic by examining key themes in the history of Islam in America: the lives of enslaved African Muslims in the Antebellum period and the Founding Fathers’ visions of Islam; the immigrant experience of Arab Muslims at the turn of the 20th century; the role of Muslim organizations in the Civil Rights movement; and, the changing representations of American Muslims after the Gulf War and post-9/11. In interrogating the history of Islam in America, we specifically pay attention to the ways in which religion, gender, class, race, and citizenship continue to inform representations of Muslims in the U.S. Atanasova.
	REL 273 - Modern Jewish Literature in Translation (LIT 273) FDR: HL Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Completion of FW requirements. Readings in the works of 20th-century Jewish authors, studied as literary responses to the historical and religious crises of modern Jewish life in Europe, the United States, and Israel. Marks.
	REL 275 - God and the Holocaust FDR: HU Credits: 3 Through drama, poetry, theology, memoir, book-inspired films, and short fiction composed by Holocaust victims and later writers, this discussion-centered course explores how Jews have addressed the question, “Where was God during the Holocaust?” Their answers range from acquiescent faith to angry rejection, and to paradoxical wrestling with an absent God. We begin with the biblical books of Job and Lamentations as well as traditional Jewish writings about national catastrophes and the Messiah, to learn how they addressed the problem of undeserved suffering. We compare these ancient ideas with our main topic of study: the ideas and experiences of modern Jews confronting the theological problem of the Holocaust. Marks.
	REL 281 - Modern Islamic Thought FDR: HU Credits: 3 A study of Islamic religious movements and representative religious writings of the past two centuries, with focus upon “fundamentalist” or “revivalist” writings and upon recent authors responding to them. Atanasova.
	REL 283 - Sufism: Islamic Mysticism FDR: HU Credits: 3 This course explores the mystical expressions and institutions known as Sufism within the Islamic community. Topics include the elaboration of Sufism from the core tenets of Islam; Sufi practices of ecstasy and discipline; the artistic and literary products of the Sufi experience; the institutions of Sufi orders, saints, shrines, and popular practices; and the debates among Muslims over the place of Sufism within the greater tradition of Islam. Atanasova.
	REL 284 - Gender, Sexuality, and Islam FDR: HU Credits: 3 How have issues of gender and sexuality in Medieval and Modern Islamic societies been debated across the Middle East, South Asia, and the West? Students examine scholarly and public discussions of gender and Islam, and they build a vocabulary in which to talk about women. queer, and intersex history as they concern Muslim societies and their foundational sources in their regional and historical contexts. No prior knowledge of Islam is necessary. Atanasova.
	REL 285 - Introduction to American Indian Religions (SOAN 285) FDR: HU Credits: 3 This class introduces students to some of the dominant themes, values, beliefs, and practices found among the religions of North America’s Indian peoples. The first part of the course explores the importance of sacred power, landscape, and community in traditional Indian spiritualities and rituals. It then examines some of the changes that have occurred in these traditions as a result of western expansion and dominance from the 18th through early 20th centuries. Lastly, the course considers some of the issues and problems confronting contemporary American Indian religions. Markowitz.
	REL 295 - Special Topics in Religion FDR: HU Credits: 3 credits in fall or winter, 4 in spring Prerequisite varies according to the topic. A course offered from time to time in a selected problem or topic in religion. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Spring 2019, REL 295-01: Special Topics in Religion: Who Owns the Bible? (3). Where does the Bible come from? How did different texts come together to form the biblical canon? Who oversaw these processes? What is at stake—politically and theologically—in these processes? This course considers such questions and examines the composition and transmission of the Bible, as we know it today. In particular, the course focuses on the materiality of the Bible, including the surviving manuscripts and artifacts that help us reconstruct the ways in which biblical texts circulated from ancient times to the present day. We analyze the problems posed by the discovery of such objects, either through archaeological excavation or purchase on the antiquities market, and why such factors matter. The course culminates in a critical analysis of the recently opened Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., which, since its inception, has been plagued by controversies, including the illegal smuggling of ancient artifacts into the United States and the display of fake Dead Sea Scroll manuscripts. Ultimately, the course uses this case study to consider the relationship between canon, commerce, and religious authority in American culture. The course includes a field trip to the Museum of the Bible. (HU) Sonia.
	REL 296 - Seminar in Religion, Ethics, and Law FDR: HU Credits: 3 A consideration of human practices in pursuit of the good and the good life with an eye toward understanding the interaction of these practices with social, cultural, and institutional powers and authorities. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.
	REL 333 - Meditation and Self-Knowledge FDR: HU Credits: 4 For 2,500 years, Hindus and Buddhists have promoted meditation as a means to attain insight and liberation from suffering, a state sometimes understood in terms of divinity or Buddha-nature. Meditation has also been adopted by some in the West during the last century, often for psychological or physical benefits apart from any devotional context. What had traditionally been a practice of ordained monks was popularized in the West, a trend that then caught on in Asia as well. We look at the origins of meditative practices in Asian traditions using primary sources, social context, and personal experience of basic meditative techniques. The course concludes by noting that some contemporary neuroscientists are looking to meditation to better understand mind, brain, emotion, and cognition. Lubin.
	REL 335 - Hindu Law in Theory and Practice (LAW 335) FDR: HU Credits: 3 India produced one of the oldest legal systems in the world — one that offers some surprising contrasts with modern assumptions about the nature and scope of the law. Combining ethical and ritual obligations alongside rules for criminal and civil litigation, it was intended to cover every aspect of life, from personal habits to political institutions. The course begins with the ancient codes, Indian political theory, and documents from everyday legal practice in medieval times. The second half of the course begins with colonial-era British attempts to codify Hindu law; Hindu personal law in modern India; and the controversy over religion and secularism in the courts today, including the constitutional definition of “Hindu;” attempts to legislate against disapproved religious practices; and disputes over sacred spaces. We close with comparisons with legal reasoning about religion in America, Israel, and England, based on court cases. Lubin.
	REL 340 - Seminar in Asian Religions FDR: HU Credits: 3 Prerequisite: One course in Asian religions or instructor consent. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. A study of specific topics in Asian religion and society. Lubin.
	REL 350 - Seminar in Biblical Studies FDR: HU Credits: 3 Prerequisite: REL 101, 102, 151 250, or course work in ancient history or classics, or instructor consent. An exploration of a topic in Biblical studies, focusing on ancient texts and their interpreters from antiquity to the present. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
	REL 351 - Seminar in Biblical Studies FDR: HL Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Previous coursework in religion, classics, philosophy or ancient history recommended. An exploration of a topic in Biblical studies, focusing on ancient texts and their interpreters from antiquity to the present. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Fall 2018, REL 351-01: Visions of the End: Apocalyptic Literature Antiquity to the Present (3). Prerequisite: Previous coursework in religion, classics, philosophy or ancient history recommended. A study of the texts, movements and other cultural manifestations of end-time expectations in Jewish and Christian antiquity with attention to prominent legacies of apocalypticism in medieval and modern times. Contemporary apocalyptic expressions in art, music, and film (e.g., hip-hop, zombie apocalypses, dystopian fiction) also considered. (HL) Brown.
	REL 381 - Islamic Law in Society (LAW 323) FDR: HU Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent. This seminar introduces students to the Islamic understanding of shari’a (“Path,” “law”) and its role in Muslim culture, history, and society. To be examined are: the key sources of law in the Qur’an and the model of the Prophet Muhammad, the early development of Islamic legal theories and institutions, the roles of these institutions in everyday life, and the struggle to re-imagine Islamic law and its place in contemporary Muslim communities. Case studies include the nature of political institutions, the rights and roles of women, and Islamic economics, courtroom procedure and the standing of shari’a in American courts. Atanasova.
	REL 387 - Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland (ENGL 387) FDR: HU Credits: 4 Prerequisite: INTR 301. Experiential Learning. This course immerses the student in the literature, religious traditions, history, and culture of Ireland. The primary focus of the course is on Irish literary expressions and religious beliefs and traditions, from the pre-historic period to the modem day, with a particular emphasis on the modem (early 20th-century) Irish world. Readings are coordinated with site visits, which range from prehistoric and Celtic sites to early and medieval Christian sites to modem Irish life. Major topics and authors include Yeats and Mysticism, St. Brendan’s Pilgrimage, Folklore and Myth, Lady Gregory and Visions, Religion in Irish Art, the Blasket Island storytellers, the Mystic Island, and others. Brown, Conner.
	REL 395 - Advanced Seminar in Religion FDR: HU Credits: 3 Prerequisite will vary according to the topic. An advanced seminar offered from time to time, depending on student interest and staff availability, in a selected problem or topic in religion. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.
	REL 399 - Senior Seminar Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Senior religion major. This course begins with consideration of the nature of the study of religion. The remainder of the course is devoted to the writing of an independent research project. Students will continue to meet for discussion of work in progress and instruction in the craft of researching and writing a long, multi-source independent research project. Marks.
	REL 401 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 1 Subject to departmental approval and available departmental resources, this course provides an opportunity for individuals to pursue significant lines of independent study in the field of religion. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.
	REL 402 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 2 Subject to departmental approval and available departmental resources, this course provides an opportunity for individuals to pursue significant lines of independent study in the field of religion. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.
	REL 403 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 3 Subject to departmental approval and available departmental resources, this course provides an opportunity for individuals to pursue significant lines of independent study in the field of religion. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.
	REL 493 - Honors Thesis Credits: 3-3 Honors Thesis.
Romance Languages
	ROML 295 - Topics in Romance Languages Credits: 1-3 Prerequisites vary with topic. Nature and content of the course is determined by the interests of the instructor(s) and student(s). May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
	ROML 296 - Spring-Term Topics in Romance Languages Credits: 4 Prerequisites vary with topic. Nature and content of the course is determined by the interests of the instructor(s) and student(s). May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff. Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
	ROML 297 - Spring Term Abroad in Romance Languages Credits: 4 A spring-term abroad topics course in which the language of instruction is English, while students also study the language of the host country (French, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese). The course topic is an intensive cultural study related to one of the societies that speak Romance Languages, with an emphasis on experiential learning. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
	ROML 493 - Honors Thesis Credits: 3-3 Prerequisites: Senior standing, honors candidacy, and instructor consent. Interested students should see a member of the Romance languages faculty by winter term of their junior year. May not count towards fulfillment of the major requirements.
Russian
	RUSS 111 - Elementary Russian I Credits: 4 A basic course in Russian which includes the spoken language, fundamental grammar and reading. Bunina.
	RUSS 112 - Elementary Russian II Credits: 4 Prerequisite: RUSS 111 or its equivalent. A basic course in Russian which includes the spoken language, fundamental grammar and reading. Bunina.
	RUSS 261 - Intermediate Russian I Credits: 4 Prerequisite: RUSS 112 or its equivalent. Continuation of RUSS 112 with some attention to Russian literature and culture. Staff.
	RUSS 262 - Intermediate Russian II FDR: FL Credits: 4 Prerequisite: RUSS 261 or its equivalent. Continuation of RUSS 261 with some attention to Russian literature and culture. Staff.
	RUSS 301 - Advanced Russian I Credits: 3 Prerequisite: RUSS 262 or equivalent. Speaking, reading and writing of Russian with increased attention to Russian literature and advanced grammar. Brodsky.
	RUSS 302 - Advanced Russian II Credits: 3 Prerequisite: RUSS 301. A continuation of RUSS 301. Brodsky.
	RUSS 313 - Advanced Conversation Credits: 4 Prerequisites: RUSS 262 with a grade of B+ or better, or RUSS 302, or instructor consent. A course designed for the advanced language student with emphasis on conversation. Staff.
	RUSS 315 - 19th-Century Russian Literature FDR: HL Credits: 3 Prerequisite: RUSS 262 or equivalent. The novels, plays, poetry, and literary movements of the 19th century. Authors examined include Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, and Chekhov. Conducted in Russian. Brodsky.
	RUSS 316 - 20th-Century Russian Literature FDR: HL Credits: 3 Prerequisite: RUSS 262 or equivalent. The novels, plays, poetry, and literary movements of the 20th century. Solzhenitsyn, Babel, Platonov, Mandelshtam, and Tsvetaeva are examples of authors examined. Conducted in Russian. Brodsky.
	RUSS 395 - Topics in Russian Literature FDR: HL Credits: 3 Prerequisite: RUSS 262 or equivalent. A seminar on a particular author, period, or genre. Recent topics have included Russian War Stories, Russian Childhood, The Art and Craft of Propaganda, and The Caucasus. The subject changes annually. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Conducted in Russian. Winter 2019, RUSS 395-01: History of Russian Journalism (3). Students read works in Russian by a number of Soviet journalists such as Mikhail Koltsov, Ilf, and Petrov. Students also study works of the outstanding journalists of the post-Soviet era–Anna Politkovskaya, Fatima Tlisova, Elena Racheva, Vitaly Portnikov, and Svetlana Alexievich. (HL) Brodsky. Fall 2018, RUSS 395-01: Russian Literature of the Fantastic (3). Prerequisite: RUSS 262 or equivalent. Students choose works of fantastic literature by 19th- and 20th-century authors such as Nikoloi Gogol, Fyodor Sologub, Zinaida Gippius, Mikhail Bulgakov, and Liudmila Petrushevskaya, read in Russian. (HL) Brodsky.
	RUSS 401 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 1 Prerequisite: Instructor consent Advanced study in Russian. The nature of the course will be determined by the students’ needs and by evaluation of their previous work. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.
	RUSS 402 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 2 Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Advanced study in Russian. The nature of the course will be determined by the students’ needs and by evaluation of their previous work. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.
	RUSS 403 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Advanced study in Russian. The nature of the course will be determined by the students’ needs and by evaluation of their previous work. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.
Russian Area Studies
	RAS 401 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 1 Prerequisite: Permission of the Russian Area Studies Committee. Directed Individual Study. Staff.
	RAS 402 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 2 Prerequisite: Permission of the Russian Area Studies Committee. Directed Individual Study. Staff.
	RAS 403 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Permission of the Russian Area Studies Committee. Directed Individual Study. Staff.
	RAS 473 - Senior Thesis Credits: 3 Prerequisites: Senior standing, Russian Area Studies major, and permission of the program head. Students explore specialized issues in Russian Area Studies through writing a thesis on a topic chosen in consultation with two members of the Russian Area Studies faculty committee. Staff.
	RAS 493 - Honors Thesis Credits: 3-3 Prerequisites: Senior standing and honors candidacy. Honors Thesis. Staff.
Sanskrit
	SKT 101 - Elementary Sanskrit I Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Sanskrit, sister to Greek and Latin and aunt to most of the languages of Europe, was used to compose most Hindu and Buddhist sacred texts. and much other literature of India, including the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics, lyric poetry, drama, fables, works on yoga and meditation, poetics, logic, political theory, law (Dharma), the exact sciences, and the erotic arts. The discovery by Western scholars of the remarkably systematic ancient grammar of Panini (around 400 BCE) led to the development of the modern science of linguistics. This elementary course presents the basic grammar of the language over the course of the year. From the very first day, students begin reading texts and using simple spoken Sanskrit. We also discuss the role of Sanskrit in religious history and in Indian and Nepali society up to the present. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.
	SKT 102 - Elementary Sanskrit II Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent and SKT 101 or equivalent Continuation of SKT 101. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.
	SKT 201 - Intermediate Sanskrit I Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent and SKT 102 or equivalent. An integrative review of grammar, focusing on syntax and idiomatic usage, and put into practice in reading and oral textual analysis using the traditional method for glossing and analyzing compounds. Readings are drawn from Lanman’s Reader and other passages in prose and verse. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.
	SKT 202 - Intermediate Sanskrit II FDR: FL Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent and SKT 201 or equivalent. Continuation of SKT 201. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.
	SKT 301 - Advanced Readings in Sanskrit Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent and SKT 202 or equivalent. Readings are selected to match the skills and (where possible) interests of the student. The course presents the readings in the context of their social, historical, and intellectual situation, the conventions of the genre, and their impact on the tradition to which they belong. Texts are read with traditional commentary, where it is available. A portion of each term is given over to reading texts from manuscript or inscription to give the student an understanding of the philological problems posed by the material form of the text, of variant readings, and the constitution of printed texts. Grammar and syntax are reviewed as needed. May be repeated for degree credit when readings are different. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.
Sociology & Anthropology
	SOAN 101 - Introduction to Anthropology: Investigating Humanity FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Prerequisite: First-year or sophomore standing. Juniors and seniors with instructor consent. This course is an introduction to the four subfields of anthropology: physical/biological anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, and cultural anthropology. The course explores how we humans understand each other, what we do, and how we got to where we are today. Topics include human evolution; cultural remains in prehistorical and historical contexts; connections among language and social categories like gender, class, race, and region; and social organization in past and present contexts. Concepts such as culture, cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, and global and local inequalities are discussed. Staff.
	SOAN 102 - Introduction to Sociology: Investigating Society FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Prerequisite: First-year or sophomore standing. Juniors and seniors with instructor consent. An introduction to the field of sociology including both micro and macro perspectives, this course exposes students to key topical areas in the discipline and includes readings that show the range of research methodologies in the field today. The sociological meaning of concepts such as social group, nation, state, class, race, and gender, among others, are discussed. Topics may include social inequalities, group processes, collective action, social networks, and the relationship between social organization and the environment. Staff.
	SOAN 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar in Sociology Credits: 3 First-year seminar. Prerequisite: First-year standing. First-year seminar. Fall 2018, SOAN 180A-01: FS: Health and Concept of Race (3). First-year Seminar. Prerequisite: First-year class standing only. A deep examination of how people think about what race is, and how societal conceptions of race affect people’s health, whether health policy, health outcomes, access to healthcare, or relationship to the medical establishment. We tackle questions such as: What are different conceptions of race and what are some the institutions that socialize people into understanding what “race” is? Is skin color or ethnic predisposition to diseases like Sickle Cell Anemia indicative of a biological basis for race? Should race be used as a factor in medical diagnosis and is it an important factor to account for in medical research? What are some of the causes and outcomes of racial health disparities? Does race denote something inherently biological, cultural, or structural about one’s ancestry, background, or lifestyle? In the end, students should be better able to articulate the complexities of that undergird racial disparity in health outcomes. (SS4) Chin.
	SOAN 181 - FS: First-Year Seminar in Anthropology FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Prerequisite: First-year standing. First-year seminar.
	SOAN 202 - Contemporary Social Problems FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 A study of the relationship of social problems to the cultural life and social structure of American society. An analysis of the causes, consequences, and possible solutions to selected social problems in American society. Eastwood.
	SOAN 205 - Power and Status: An Introduction to Social Influence FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 This seminar explores the fundamental sociological concepts of “power” and “status” and how they are related to social influence. Power and status undergird social inequality on both a macro and a micro level. Students view the types, uses, and consequences of power and status differences through a structural social psychological lens, while analyzing leadership in organizational contexts. Students compare the nature of “power” versus “status” and investigate the ways power and status 1) parallel, 2) differ, and 3) interact with one another in theory and in practice of creating, maintaining, and changing our social world. Students are asked to think creatively about what role status and power dynamics have in shaping all aspects of everyday social life, particularly their lives at W&L. Chin.
	SOAN 206 - Archaeology FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 An examination of anthropologically-oriented archaeology. Specific subjects to be considered will include the history of the subdiscipline, theoretical developments, field techniques, substantive contributions for the prehistoric and historic subareas and recent developments in theory and methodology. Gaylord.
	SOAN 207 - Biological Anthropology FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 This course considers the emergence and evolution of Homo sapiens from fossil, archaeological, and genetic evidence. The class focuses on evolutionary mechanisms; selective pressures for key human biological and behavioral patterns, such as bipedalism, intelligence, altruism, learned behavior, and expressive culture; relations among prehuman species; the human diaspora; and modern human diversity, particularly “racial” variation. The course also examines theories from sociobiology and evolutionary psychology about motivations for modern human behaviors. Bell.
	SOAN 208 - Qualitative Methods Credits: 3 Qualitative research methods are widely used to provide rich and detailed understandings of people’s experiences, interactions, narratives, and practices within wider sociopolitical and economic contexts. Typical methods include oral histories, interviews, participant observation, and analysis of visual and textual culture. Students will engage in research aligned with community interests. Stages of the project will include topic identification, research design, ethical and legal considerations, choosing an appropriate methodology, data collection, analysis and write-up, and presentation and critique. Staff.
	SOAN 210 - Field Methods in Archaeology FDR: SL Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes Credits: 4 Additional special fees. Some financial aid may be available through departmental funds. Additional special fees may apply. If necessary, some financial aid may be available through departmental funds. This course introduces students to archaeological field methods through hands-on experience, readings, and fieldtrips. Students study the cultural and natural processes that lead to the patterns we see in the archaeological record. Using the scientific method and current theoretical motivations in anthropological archaeology, students learn how to develop a research design and to implement it with actual field excavation. We visit several field excavation sites in order to experience, first hand, the range of archaeological field methods and research interests currently undertaken by leading archaeologists. Students use the archaeological data to test hypotheses about the sites under consideration and produce a report of their research, which may take the form of a standard archaeological report, an academic poster, or a conference-style presented paper. Gaylord.
	SOAN 211 - Laboratory Methods in Archaeology FDR: SL Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes Credits: 4 Additional special fees may apply. If necessary, some financial aid may be available through departmental funds. This course introduces students to archaeological lab methods through hands-on experience, readings, and fieldtrips. Students process and catalogue archaeological finds ensuring they maintain the archaeological provenience of these materials. Using the scientific method and current theoretical motivations in anthropological archaeology, students learn how to develop and test hypotheses about the site under consideration by analyzing the artifacts they themselves have processed. We visit several archaeology labs in order to experience, first hand, the range of projects and methods currently undertaken by leading archaeologists. Students then use the archaeological data to test their hypotheses and produce a report of their research, which may take the form of a standard archaeological report, an academic poster, or a conference-style presented paper. Gaylord.
	SOAN 212 - Theories of Social Psychology Credits: 3 An introduction to three major paradigms present in the sociological tradition of social psychology. The course examines social structure and personality, structural social psychology and symbolic interactionist framework. The three paradigmatic approaches are used to understand how macro-level processes influence micro-level social interaction and vice versa. Chin.
	SOAN 218 - Basic Statistics in the Social Sciences Credits: 3 Introductory statistics course designed to help students become good consumers of statistics, but especially geared for students interested in sociology, archeology, and anthropology. Topics include descriptive and inferential statistics, sampling, and regression analysis. Students also get practical experience with cleaning and analyzing real world secondary data. Staff.
	SOAN 219 - Applied Bayesian Regression for the Social Sciences FDR: SC Credits: 3 This course is an introduction to applied Bayesian regression, emphasizing applications for social scientists. We begin by introducing some philosophical and mathematical bases of Bayesian inference. We then move on to a sustained focus on applied regression, starting with bivariate regression and moving on to regression with multiple predictors, up to and including models with interactions. Along the way, students will be exposed to the use of directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) in thinking about causality with observational data. Throughout the course students will carry out numerous analyses of data, learning by doing. Examples are drawn from anthropology, sociology, political science, and related fields. Eastwood.
	SOAN 221 - Sociology of Religion (REL 221) FDR: HU Credits: 3 Theories of the origin and functions of religion; institutionalization of religious belief, behavior, and social organization; and conditions in which religion maintains social stability; and/or generates social change. Eastwood.
	SOAN 224 - American Indian Religions, Landscapes, and Identities (REL 224) FDR: HU Credits: 3 Drawing on a combination of scholarly essays, native accounts, videos, guest lectures, and student presentations, this seminar examines the religious assumptions and practices that bind American Indian communities to their traditional homelands. The seminar elucidates and illustrates those principles concerning human environmental interactions common to most Indian tribes; focuses on the traditional beliefs and practices of a particular Indian community that reflected and reinforced the community’s understanding of the relationship to be maintained with the land and its creatures; and examines the moral and legal disputes that have arisen out of the very different presuppositions which Indians and non-Indians hold regarding the environment. Markowitz.
	SOAN 225 - Peoples of Central Europe Through Literature and Film FDR: SS4 Credits: 4 This course provides basic information about the citizens of Central European nations of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. Beliefs, attitudes, and value systems of the people of Central Europe are examined against the backdrop of major historical events of the 20th century. Core textbook readings are supplemented by feature films, video materials, novels, short stories, plays, and poetry. Class discussions focus on interpreting these works of art in the context of comparative historical-sociological analysis of the Polish, Czech, and Hungarian cultures and societies. Jasiewicz.
	SOAN 228 - Race and Ethnic Relations FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Prerequisite: At least junior standing. Instructor consent required. An analysis of minority groups in America. Theories of ethnicity are examined focusing on the relationship between class and ethnicity, and on the possible social and biological significance of racial differences. Attention is also given to prejudice and discrimination, as well as to consideration of minority strategies to bring about change. Novack.
	SOAN 230 - Discovering W&L’s Origins Using Historical Archaeology (HIST 230) FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Not open to students who have taken SOAN 181 with the same description. This course introduces students to the practice of historical archaeology using W&L’s Liberty Hall campus and ongoing excavations there as a case study. With archaeological excavation and documentary research as our primary sources of data. we use the methods of these two disciplines to analyze our data using tools from the digital humanities to present our findings. Critically, we explore the range of questions and answers that these data and methods of analysis make possible. Hands-on experience with data collection and analysis is the focus of this course, with students working together in groups deciding how to interpret their findings to a public audience about the university’s early history. The final project varies by term but might include a short video documentary. a museum display, or a web page. Gaylord.
	SOAN 238 - Anthropology of American History (HIST 238) FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent. This course explores issues within historic American communities that ethnographers often investigate among living groups, including cultural values, religious ideologies, class structures, kinship networks, gender roles, and interethnic relations. Although the communities of interest in this course ceased to exist generations ago, many of their characteristic dynamics are accessible through such means as archaeology, architectural history, and the study of documents. Case studies include early English settlement in Plymouth, Massachusetts; the 18th-century plantation world of Virginia and South Carolina; the post-Revolutionary Maine frontier; and 19th-century California. Bell.
	SOAN 240 - Food, Culture, and Society FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 This course explores connections among food, culture, and society. Food has been an essential way that individuals and societies define themselves, especially now in our ever globalizing world, as cultural anthropology continues to be a central discipline guiding this field of study. Students review some of the classic symbolic and structural analyses of gastro-politics. We explore relationships between fast-food/globalized taste vs. the Slow Food Movement/localized taste, and delve into socioeconomic and political practices behind the production and consumption of coffee, milk products, and alcoholic beverages. Students investigate relationships among cooking/eating and race, gender, and sexuality, and discuss community food justice. Opportunities to experience the Rockbridge area food scene are integrated into the syllabus. Goluboff.
	SOAN 243 - Imaging Tibet (ARTH 243) FDR: HA Credits: 4 An examination of images and imaging practices of the early 1900s to the present in order to define and analyze the ways in which both Western and Asian (particularly Tibetan and Chinese) artists have imagined Tibet and its people. Kerin.
	SOAN 245 - European Politics and Society (POL 245) FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 A comparative analysis of European political systems and social institutions. The course covers the established democracies of western and northern Europe, the new democracies of southern and east-central Europe, and the post-Communist regimes in eastern and southeastern Europe. Mechanisms of European integration are also discussed with attention focused on institutions such as European Union, NATO, OSCE, and Council of Europe. Jasiewicz.
	SOAN 246 - Post-Communism and New Democracies (POL 246) FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 A comparative analysis of transition from Communism in the countries of the former Soviet bloc. Cases of successful and unsuccessful transitions to civil society, pluralist democracy, and market economy are examined. The comparative framework includes analysis of transition from non-Communist authoritarianism and democratic consolidation in selected countries of Latin America, the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and South Africa. Jasiewicz.
	SOAN 250 - Revolutions and Revolutionaries FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Experiences of activists, radicals, and revolutionaries in a wide variety of settings. Throughout history, individuals have organized with others to bring about different forms of social change. What is it like to be on the front lines fighting for social transformation? Why do people risk life and limb to do so? How do activists advance their goals? We examine sociological research, biographical studies, political theory, and historical sources for insights into the lives of those who make social and revolutionary movements possible. Perez.
	SOAN 251 - Social Movements (POL 251) FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Prerequisites: POL 100, 105 or 111 or instructor consent. A survey of American social movements, including an evaluation of competing theoretical approaches to the study of social movements and an examination of the strategies, successes, failures, and political and social consequences of the civil rights, labor, student, and women’s movements. Close attention is given to factors contributing to the rise and decline of these movements. LeBlanc, Eastwood.
	SOAN 252 - Language, Culture, and Communication FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 This course surveys anthropological approaches to understanding the intersections among language, culture and society. Topics include non-human communication systems, the origins of human language, and methods of establishing historical relationships among languages. Formal linguistic analysis receives some attention, but the greatest part of the course concerns language in sociocultural contexts. Examples of linguistic phenomena in ethnographic perspective are drawn from people around the world, including the Gullah, the Apache, and the Bedouin of Egypt. Bell.
	SOAN 256 - The History of Violence in America (HIST 256) FDR: HU Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing. An examination of the social origins, evolution, and major forms of extralegal, violent conflict in the United States, including individual and collective violence and conflict related to race, class, gender, politics, and ethnicity, especially emphasizing the 19th and 20th centuries. Major topics include theories of social conflict, slavery and interracial violence, predatory crime, labor strife, and inter-ethnic violence. Senechal.
	SOAN 261 - Campus Sex in the Digital Age FDR: SS4 Credits: 4 This class explores how the cell phone has impacted hooking up and dating at college, with particular attention to Washington and Lee University as a case study. We discuss the development of campus sexual culture in America and the influence of digital technology on student sociality. Students use open-source digital research tools to analyze data they collect on the mobile apps they use to socialize with each other on campus. As a digital humanities project, students work in groups to post their analyses on the class WordPress site. Goluboff.
	SOAN 263 - Poverty and Marginality in the Americas FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 In recent decades, some global transformations have increased inequality and marginality in various regions of the world. Neoliberalism has generated both opportunities and challenges to human development In different countries. This course focuses on how the undermining of safety nets, the decline of models of economic growth centered on state intervention, and the internationalization of labor markets have affected societies in Latin America and the United States. Students analyze the structural causes of marginality and how the experience of poverty varies for people in both regions. We rely on anthropological and sociological studies to address key questions. How do disadvantaged individuals and families in the Americas deal with the challenges brought about by deindustrialization, violence, and environmental degradation? How do their communities struggle to sustain public life? What are the processes causing many people to migrate from one region to the other? Perez.
	SOAN 265 - Exploring Social Networks FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 This course is an introduction to network analysis. Students learn some of the major network analysis literature in sociology and related fields and develop their skills as network analysts in laboratory sessions. Social science, humanities, business, and public health applications are emphasized. Eastwood
	SOAN 266 - Neighborhoods, Culture, and Poverty FDR: SS3 Credits: 3 This course examines social-scientific research on the determinants of poverty, crime, and ill health by focusing on neighborhoods as the sites where many of the mechanisms impacting these outcomes operate. In addition to engaging with key readings and participating in seminar discussions, students conduct their own exploratory analyses of neighborhood level processes using a variety of spatial data analysis tools in R. Eastwood.
	SOAN 267 - Simulating Society FDR: SS5 Credits: 3 Prerequisite: SOAN 101 or 102 or instructor consent. This course is an introduction to computational social science, a rapidly growing field that spans the boundaries of several disciplines. It focuses on complex phenomena such as the spread of rumors, cascades of collective action, dynamics of inter-group violence, housing segregation, and related processes. To analyze such processes, we can make use of agent-based models. In this course, students read and discuss key works in this area of research. They also explore simulations of social processes and develop their own simulations. No programming background is required or expected. Eastwood.
	SOAN 268 - Migration, Identity, and Conflict (POL 268) FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Prerequisite: SOAN 102, POV 101, or POL 105. This course focuses on the complex relationship between migration, political institutions, group identities, and inter-group conflict. The course is a hybrid of a seminar and research lab in which students (a) read some of the key social-scientific literature on these subjects, and (b) conduct team-based research making use of existing survey data about the integration of migrant populations into various polities. Eastwood.
	SOAN 269 - Studying Global Culture with the World Values Survey FDR: SS5 Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Previous exposure to regression analysis, though regression is reviewed during the first week of the course. Analysis of data from the World Values Survey, a major source for studying global culture and cultural change. We read scholarly works that have made use of these data and carry out our own analyses of WVS data as consider questions about religious belief, political values, and social attitudes across the world. Eastwood.
	SOAN 270 - Deviance FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 An examination of theories of deviance from a sociological perspective. Particular emphasis is placed on the causes of deviant acts and on the social processes utilized in evaluating these behaviors. Theoretical applications are made to crime and mental illness. Novack.
	SOAN 276 - Art & Science of Survey Research Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes Credits: 3 Prerequisite: SOAN 102 or instructor consent. This course is designed as a group research project in questionnaire construction and survey data analysis. Students prepare a list of hypotheses, select indicators, construct a questionnaire, collect and analyze data, and write research reports. When appropriate, the course may include service-learning components (community-based research projects). Topic for Winter 2019: Does the City of Lexington, Virginia, Serve Its Inhabitants Well? Jasiewicz.
	SOAN 277 - Seminar in Medical Anthropology FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Despite radical differences in theory and procedure, the diagnosis and treatment of diseases are human cultural universals. This seminar first examines the beliefs and practices that comprise the medical systems found among a wide variety of non-western peoples. We then investigates the responses of a number of non-western communities to the introduction of western, biomedical practices. We finish by considering such ethical issues as whether or not non-western peoples who supply western doctors and pharmacologists with knowledge of curing agents should be accorded intellectual property rights over this information; in what situations, if any, should western medical personnel impose biomedical treatments on populations; and should anthropologists make use of indigenous peoples as medical trial subjects as was allegedly done by Napoleon Chagnon. Markowitz.
	SOAN 278 - Health and Inequality: An Introduction to Medical Sociology FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 This course introduces sociological perspectives of health and illness. Students examine topics such as social organization of medicine; the social construction of illness; class, race and gender inequalities in health; and health care reform. Some of the questions we address: How is the medical profession changing? What are the pros and cons of market-driven medicine? Does class have an enduring impact on health outcomes? Is it true that we are what our friends’ eat? Can unconscious racial bias affect the quality of care for people of different ethnicities? What pitfalls have affected the way evidence-based medicine has been carried out? Chin.
	SOAN 280 - Gender and Sexuality FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 An investigation of gender cross culturally. Special consideration is given to the roles of biology, cultural variation, identity, and power in determining patterns of male dominance. Emphasis is placed on changing relationships between men and women in American society. Goluboff.
	SOAN 281 - Adolescence Under the Microscope FDR: SS4 Credits: 4 This course focuses on adolescence through the lens of social psychology. Insights from sociology, anthropology, and psychology are employed to explicate the adolescent experience in the United States in contrast to other societies. Topics include: the impact of liminality on adolescent identity in cross-cultural perspective; adolescence as objective reality or cultural fiction; adolescence and peer relations, gender and suicide; and new technologies and virtual adolescence. Each student engages in a research project focusing on adolescence and identity through either interviews or observational techniques. The final project is a group analysis of adolescence as reflected in Facebook. D. Novack and L. Novack
	SOAN 285 - Introduction to American Indian Religions (REL 285) FDR: HU Credits: 3 This class introduces students to some of the dominant themes, values, beliefs, and practices found among the religions of North America’s Indian peoples. The first part of the course explores the importance of sacred power, landscape, and community in traditional Indian spiritualities and rituals. It then examines some of the changes that have occurred in these traditions as a result of western expansion and dominance from the 18th through early 20th centuries. Lastly, the course considers some of the issues and problems confronting contemporary American Indian religions. Markowitz.
	SOAN 286 - Lakota Land Culture, Economics and History (ECON 286) FDR: SS4 Credits: 4 Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 101 or instructor consent. This class focuses on the cultural, economic, and historical dimensions of the Lakotas’ (Titonwan tawapi) ties to their lands as expressed in their pre- and post-reservation lifeways. It includes a 10 day field trip to western South Dakota to visit and meet with people in the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations and the Black Hills. Guse, Markowitz.
	SOAN 288 - Childhood FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 This course explores the experience of childhood cross culturally, investigating how different societies conceptualize what it means to be a child. Our readings progress through representations of the lifecycle, starting with a discussion of conception, and moving through issues pertaining to the fetus, infants, children, and adolescents. We discuss socialization, discipline, emotion, education, gender, and sexuality, with special attention given to the effects of war, poverty, social inequality, and disease on children and youth. Goluboff.

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Course Descriptions

REL 226 - Death and Immortality in the Ancient World

REL 231 - Yogis, Monks, and Mystics in India

REL 246 - Caste at the Intersection of Economy, Religion, and Law

REL 250 - Truth, Belief, Dissent: Defining Insiders and Outsiders in Ancient, Medieval and Modern Religion

REL 260 - Seminar in the Christian Tradition

REL 262 - The Bible, the Enlightenment and its Aftermath

REL 270 - Biblical Job and His Modern Masks

REL 271 - Islam in America: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

REL 273 - Modern Jewish Literature in Translation

REL 275 - God and the Holocaust

REL 281 - Modern Islamic Thought

REL 283 - Sufism: Islamic Mysticism

REL 284 - Gender, Sexuality, and Islam

REL 285 - Introduction to American Indian Religions

REL 295 - Special Topics in Religion

REL 296 - Seminar in Religion, Ethics, and Law

REL 333 - Meditation and Self-Knowledge

REL 335 - Hindu Law in Theory and Practice

REL 340 - Seminar in Asian Religions

REL 350 - Seminar in Biblical Studies

REL 351 - Seminar in Biblical Studies

REL 381 - Islamic Law in Society

REL 387 - Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland

REL 395 - Advanced Seminar in Religion

REL 399 - Senior Seminar

REL 401 - Directed Individual Study

REL 402 - Directed Individual Study

REL 403 - Directed Individual Study

REL 493 - Honors Thesis

ROML 295 - Topics in Romance Languages

ROML 296 - Spring-Term Topics in Romance Languages

ROML 297 - Spring Term Abroad in Romance Languages

ROML 493 - Honors Thesis

RUSS 111 - Elementary Russian I

RUSS 112 - Elementary Russian II

RUSS 261 - Intermediate Russian I

RUSS 262 - Intermediate Russian II

RUSS 301 - Advanced Russian I

RUSS 302 - Advanced Russian II

RUSS 313 - Advanced Conversation

RUSS 315 - 19th-Century Russian Literature

RUSS 316 - 20th-Century Russian Literature

RUSS 395 - Topics in Russian Literature

RUSS 401 - Directed Individual Study

RUSS 402 - Directed Individual Study

RUSS 403 - Directed Individual Study

RAS 401 - Directed Individual Study

RAS 402 - Directed Individual Study

RAS 403 - Directed Individual Study

RAS 473 - Senior Thesis

RAS 493 - Honors Thesis

SKT 101 - Elementary Sanskrit I

SKT 102 - Elementary Sanskrit II

SKT 201 - Intermediate Sanskrit I

SKT 202 - Intermediate Sanskrit II

SKT 301 - Advanced Readings in Sanskrit

SOAN 101 - Introduction to Anthropology: Investigating Humanity

SOAN 102 - Introduction to Sociology: Investigating Society

SOAN 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar in Sociology

SOAN 181 - FS: First-Year Seminar in Anthropology

SOAN 202 - Contemporary Social Problems

SOAN 205 - Power and Status: An Introduction to Social Influence

SOAN 206 - Archaeology

SOAN 207 - Biological Anthropology

SOAN 208 - Qualitative Methods

SOAN 210 - Field Methods in Archaeology

SOAN 211 - Laboratory Methods in Archaeology

SOAN 212 - Theories of Social Psychology

SOAN 218 - Basic Statistics in the Social Sciences

SOAN 219 - Applied Bayesian Regression for the Social Sciences

SOAN 221 - Sociology of Religion

SOAN 224 - American Indian Religions, Landscapes, and Identities

SOAN 225 - Peoples of Central Europe Through Literature and Film

SOAN 228 - Race and Ethnic Relations

SOAN 230 - Discovering W&L’s Origins Using Historical Archaeology

SOAN 238 - Anthropology of American History

SOAN 240 - Food, Culture, and Society

SOAN 243 - Imaging Tibet

SOAN 245 - European Politics and Society