By definition, TIDES is an interdisciplinary experience, driven by intellectual curiosity, active learning, and experiential education. Discover the exciting topics of this year’s TIDES below. Each class also has an accompanying peer mentor, an upperclass student paired with each section to offer academic and social support as you transition to campus. Fall 2023 Peer Mentor bios will be posted in July.
TIDES courses marked with an asterisk (*) are Service-Learning courses. Students in these courses must also register for the corresponding Service-Learning component.
R 11:00-12:15p
Students will be introduced to the history and cultural folkways of New Orleans through the study of historic figures, cemetery architecture, monument construction and funerary symbolism reflected in stone and iron. Why are above-ground tombs more prevalent in New Orleans? What are the different tomb types and their architectural styles? Why do families in Louisiana visit cemeteries on All Saints Day? What symbolism does funerary art in stone and iron reveal? This TIDES course will provide several informative field sessions to local cemeteries combined with class lectures.
Heather Knight, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Newcomb-Tulane College | BIO
W 1:00-2:15p
What can scientific research tell us about practices and perspectives that lead to a happier life? What can psychology do to help ordinary people to thrive and flourish? Which practices lead to greater fulfillment and life satisfaction? Positive psychology engages such questions by utilizing scientific research methods to identify practices which lead to greater happiness and human flourishing -- a life rich in purpose, relationships, and enjoyment. Positive psychologists maintain that (1) flourishing requires more than curing pathology; (2) flourishing requires tapping human strengths and positive capacities; and (3) scientific research methods can help us to identify and refine strategies for flourishing. This course will provide a theoretical and practical introduction to applied positive psychology.
Topics will include positive emotions, hedonic misprediction and adaptation, character strengths (and their application in academia), purpose, gratitude, kindness, meditation, nurturing social relationships, and more. Students will learn about the foundational theories and research of positive psychology and will also engage in experiential homework in which they will apply strategies for enhancing their own health and happiness and for positively impacting their relationships and communities. This course will also expose students to local wellness resources at Tulane and New Orleans and will offer opportunities to explore a variety of life-enhancing practices through homework assignments and a few group activities such as attending a yoga class (exercise), a meditation class (mindfulness), and a field trip to the French Quarter exploring New Orleans architecture and history on a walking tour (engagement) and enjoying some local cuisine (savoring).
Hans W. Gruenig, Visiting Assistant Professor, Philosophy | BIO
T, W, or R 5:00-6:15p
Are leaders born or bred? How do leaders and their leadership styles impact change? How does one develop the courage and wisdom to lead and promote change effectively? This TIDES class provides an opportunity to examine the nature of leadership, its impact on the change process, and the underlying dynamics of power, politics, and conflict.
Over the course of the academic year, this course focuses on developing an interdisciplinary understanding of the theories and practices of organizational and community leadership. As a TIDES member, you will actively study the theories that emerge from a variety of fields and reflect on their practical, political, and ethical assumptions as well as on their implications in a variety of settings. Through readings, classroom discussions, interviews with local leaders, and a group initiative, you will gain a greater appreciation for the issues that affect leaders and the components of successful leadership.
**Some sections include a service-learning component**
Tim Lempfert, Director, Housing and Residence Life | BIO
Beth Wilson, Assistant Dean, Finance, Newcomb-Tulane College| BIO
Erica Woodley, Assistant Vice President & Dean of Students, Student Affairs | BIO
R 5:00-6:15p
The war with Ukraine has brought Russia’s relationship with its former imperial realm (as well as its own internal minorities) into sharp focus, prompting the scholarly community to examine our prior biases and prejudices. Russia’s aggression has intensified calls for a decolonization of our thinking, writing, and teaching about the former Soviet space. Scholars of Ukraine, the Baltics, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, among many others, have called to reappraise prior historiography’s Russo-centrism and the often-neglected implications of Soviet nationality policies; the lingering Russian/Soviet imperial legacy. This course will introduce students to the multiplicity of perspectives and experiences of the ex-Soviet nationalities and Russia’s ethnic minority groups. A variety of readings, film screenings, musical videos, and guest lectures will be part of the class. No knowledge of Russian is needed or required.
Lidia Zhigunova, Professor of Practice, Germanic and Slavic Studies | BIO
M or W 5:30-6:45p
Health is multifaceted and is pivotal to your ability to thrive during the next four years. This course goes beyond the idea of health as simply navigating choices at the dining room or setting up a gym routine. This course will examine the most relevant health topics for college students from a public health perspective, integrating theories and practices relevant to your life. In addition, this course seeks to cultivate self-care skills as an element of being healthy and successful in college.
La'Tesha Hinton, Director of Community Engagement and Health Equity, Campus Health | BIO
Megan Byas Hill, Assistant Director, Fitness & Wellness | BIO
T 3:30-4:45p
This 1-credit course will utilize a variety of cases which highlight a real-life example of a challenge in leadership. Fields covered will include business, politics, non-profit work, and social movements - all highlighting decision making in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. In most class periods, you will be asked to “inhabit” the case and take up the dilemma of its protagonist. I may assign class members roles to prepare and play in the class discussion spontaneously or in advance. None of the cases have right answers, although we may have an epilogue that tells what actually happened (the historical outcome). You are asked to wrestle with the problem as if it were your own and bring your experience and classroom learning from Tulane University and elsewhere to bear on the questions.
The Harvard Business School originated and developed the phenomenon of the teaching case to simulate business experience in novices, to create a concrete vehicle for applying abstract theories to real-world situations, and to engender engaged classroom discussion while fostering critical thinking skills as students were forced to wrestle with actual business dilemmas that had no easy answer. It is no accident that professional schools were drawn to case teaching—Law, for obvious reasons—but also schools of public affairs and public health whose missions are to utilize the best thinking of the disciplines to prepare students for careers as practitioners. Cases marry learning about real world policy and organizational problems with critical thinking, abstract reasoning, and theorizing valued in all academic disciplines. In particular, this course will offer you a chance to get to know New Orleans as a resilient city with monumental challenges left to tackle.
Brian Johnson, Assistant Vice President, Student Affairs | BIO
T 11:00-12:15p
This course examines the construction of race, gender, and orientation in several popular cultural ideological mediums. We will examine the construction and representation of race and gender in the superhero genre. We will discuss the intersection between the ideas of gaze and perspective. We will examine the representation of race and gender in the superhero cinematic genre. We will examine the intersections and relationships between race, gender, and economic class. We will theorize the economic impact of race and gender in the superhero film genre. We will consider the construction of the idea of the exceptional as it relates to the representation of race and gender in the superhero film genre. We will also include consideration of race, gender and orientation in a larger and more broad television audience.
John (Ray) Proctor, Assistant Professor, Theatre & Dance | BIO
W 4:30-5:45p
The Music and Culture of New Orleans introduces the newcomer to New Orleans to the diversity of culture in the city and region. The 11-week course explores the music, literature, art, dance, architecture, and food that are unique to Southern Louisiana so that during your student years here you can fully enjoy them. This TIDES course includes general lectures by experts in the various aspects of the culture of New Orleans. Interspersed and alternating are small sections where these experts converse directly with the freshmen, helping each individual explore the city. Students are directed to the most important music venues in the city, as well as to the best Creole and Cajun restaurants. In addition to the class meetings, each student is expected to join in at least two field trips to witness the culture first hand.
Joan Jensen, Professor of Practice, Music | BIO
Ashlin Parker, Professor of Practice, Music | BIO
Jessica Podewell, Professor of Practice, Theatre and Dance | BIO
Beverly Trask, Associate Professor, Theatre and Dance | BIO
M 12:00-1:15p
The course looks at the main beliefs and ideologies prevalent in our culture. Ideas like the entrepreneurial self, celebrity, pleasure seeking, economic man, techno-optimism, God, nation, race, and family. These ideas are constantly hammered into us by the media, our friends, family and institutions, motivational speakers, business gurus, films, but also in the actions we take in our everyday lives and even more deeply in the experience of who we are. We will look at the origin of these ideas, their often-adverse societal effects and why they sometimes make us feel disempowered, anxious, and depressed. The course thus attempts to do two things at the same time. First teach students to critically think about their society and culture, and second help them achieve more personal freedom and wellbeing.
The course focuses on several key ideas such as the myth of the great individual and covers its expression from the Renaissance to Elon Musk. I will trace the political uses of individualism from toppling the feudal order to creating a culture of self-blame. I look also to another form of individualism, the utility maximizer. The utility maximizer is a conception of ourselves that is reinforced by our role as consumers and investors. I look at the pleasure seeking self and the way that it is mobilized by the market.
Ari Ofengenden, Professor of Practice, Jewish Studies | BIO
M 9:00-10:15a, M 5:30-6:45p, W 1:30-2:45p, or R 5:30-6:45p
Taylor Your Tulane is a 1-credit TIDES course that applies human-centered design (design thinking) mindsets and tools to support first-year students in designing a fulfilling college experience. Students in this course will build an understanding of how they can be designers in their own lives and prototype different “investments” in the college experience by building a diversified college portfolio that includes their education, and relationships and experiences on campus and in New Orleans. Topics include the purpose of college, major selection, educational wayfinding, and interest exploration outside of the classroom, all applied through an introduction to Design Thinking. This seminar class incorporates small group discussion, in-class activities, field exercises, personal reflection, and individual coaching.
Julia Lang, Professor of Practice, Taylor Center | BIO
Wendy LeBlanc, Assistant Director, Academic Services | BIO
LeShawn Simplis-Barnes, Director of Admission, School of Public Health
Patrick Long, Senior Academic Advisor, Coordinator of First Year Advising, Academic Advising
M or W 2:00-3:15p
Yoga is a practice that offers many tools for living skillfully. This class will arm first year students with tools to help ground, calm, and focus them. The best part is that these lessons come from sweating, moving, going upside down, chanting, breathing, talking, listening, and having fun. The Sanskrit work Kula means a community, and we will create a Kula in our class, as well as connect with the New Orleans yoga community. This course is for anyone who loves yoga, or is just interested in learning more about it.
Michaela Cannon, Senior Professor of Practice, Theatre and Dance | BIO
T 12:30-1:45p
From the influence of the religious right to the impact of gay marriage on the social fabric, religion is moving front and center in our culture. But so is food. Religion and food are often thought as distinct, separate. But in fact religion, cuisine, sexual orientation, the media, and way of life issues strongly impact politics. In this class we will discuss the relationships of these factors on present-day consciousness. This will be a student-centered class, so come ready to share your thoughts.
Brian Horowitz, Sizeler Family Professor, Jewish Studies | BIO
M 3:00-4:15p
This seminar explores LGBTQ+ life in New Orleans from an interdisciplinary perspective. It focuses on the LGBTQ+ history of the city, narratives of personal experiences, cultural representations and expressions, and current research on discrimination and on social and health programs.
The main objective of this seminar is to introduce students to New Orleans LGBTQ+ community not only through its history, culture, and challenges, but also through meeting some of its members and leaders. The first part of the seminar will focus on the LGBTQ+ history of the city, from the 1920s to nowadays, in order to understand both the challenges the community has had to face throughout the 20th century and its particular contemporary context. The second part of the seminar will focus on interdisciplinary issues including the ways the community dealt with post-disaster traumas, the discrimination trans individuals and people of color face, and approaches to improve health programs geared toward the community. A mandatory part of the seminar will be a field trip to the LGBT Community Center of New Orleans to meet some of the leaders and members of the community and to the French quarter to visit one of the oldest LGBTQ+ bookstores in the US, Frenchmen Art and Books.
**This course includes a service learning component**
Charles Mignot, Senior Professor of Practice, French | BIO
R 11:00-12:15p
The US sports industry is a highly gendered social institution with a long history of reproducing gender inequality. This course invites students to reconsider sports and the idea of athleticism through the lens of intersectional feminism. Over twelve weeks, we will look at sports from several different angles: as proof that gender is a social construct, and that men and women are more alike than different; as an important site where cultural understandings of masculinity and femininity are constantly being redefined; as a source of case studies for examining social problems like sexual violence and the wage gap; and as a medium for exploring our campus, our health and well-being, and the city of New Orleans.
Rebecca Atencio, Associate Professor, Spanish & Portuguese | BIO
R 11:00-12:15p
New Orleans is a city celebrated for its vibrant and diverse cultural heritage, and inextricably intertwined with its 300-year history is the concept of "Creole." This course offers an interdisciplinary journey into the multilayered world of Creole politics, culture, and artistic expression in the Crescent City, exploring the complexities of Creole identity, its rich culinary traditions, distinctive architecture, aspects of Creole languages, and the importance of Creole music. Readings, discussions, guest speakers, and field trips will encourage students to gain a deeper appreciation of the city’s Creole heritage and foster critical thinking about historical events and their impacts on the city’s different social and ethnic groups.
Pia Kostner, Professor of Practice, Germanic & Slavic Studies | BIO
M 9:00-10:15a
This course empowers students to ethically harness ChatGPT, an AI-driven conversational agent, to supercharge their skills in research, creativity, writing, time management, critical thinking, and career exploration. By blending human ingenuity with AI-sourced information and efficiency, students will become early adopters of AI technology and responsible AI citizens.
Julia Lang, Professor of Practice, Taylor Center | BIO
W 3:00-4:15p
This seminar will introduce students to various aspects of German culture in New Orleans. We will begin by looking at broader German immigration trends to the United States and discuss the history of New Orleans under French and Spanish rule. We will then explore how German immigrants helped shape the cultural, social, and political structure of the Crescent City, especially after the Louisiana Purchase. Today, New Orleans is primarily known for its French and Spanish influence, but in the years before the American Civil War, the German population of New Orleans made up the largest German colony south of the Mason-Dixon line. German settlers dominated the local beer industry, supplied New Orleans with food harvested in the outlying parishes, and were an integral part of the local cultural scene. With the advent of World War I, Anti-German sentiment in Louisiana grew, and by the end of the war all expression of German culture was prohibited by law. Gradually, the German language disappeared, and German traditions were forgotten. However, if we dig a little deeper, we will find ample evidence of a once vibrant German culture, remnants of which survive to the present day. Students will have the opportunity to enjoy traditional German food at Deutsches Haus, go on field trips to German sites, and meet with people from the German community.
Pia Kostner, Professor of Practice, Germanic and Slavic Studies | BIO
T 12:30-1:45p
This course will engage in a critical and historical exploration and analysis of the horror genre in film. In due course we will discuss the origins of horror as a film genre; the definitive characteristics of horror, both formally and narratively; horror’s intersections with major critical and social themes and issues; the monster as the definitive characteristic of horror films; and the various ways in which the monster is imagined.
Jerome Dent, Assistant Professor, Communications | BIO
M 5:00-6:15p
This seminar explores American college culture from an intercultural perspective. Students will acquire the tools to cope not only with the specificities of American college culture and expectations, but also with issues related to interpersonal relations and the diversity of identities and cultures in the US.
Charles Mignot, Senior Professor of Practice, French | BIO
F 10:00-11:15a
For the inhabitants of the ancient world, magic and witchcraft were part of everyday life. In modern-era New Orleans, magical practitioners have also found a home and a place in the local culture. This course will explore magical literature, rituals, and beliefs in two ways: first as they existed in ancient Near Eastern civilizations (such as Mesopotamia and biblical Israel), and how these beliefs continue into modern America (especially locally in NOLA). Students will learn the skills necessary to succeed at a rigorous university (such as close reading, academic writing, and class participation) while exploring topics such as demonology, illness, prayer, exorcism, and witchcraft.
Jason Gaines, Professor of Practice, Jewish Studies | BIO
W 11:00-12:15p
This course will take you through a journey that explores how the culture of Ancient Greece has been incorporated and displayed in New Orleans. Working as a group, we will discover how Ancient Greek culture has permeated the fabric of the city, from architectural choices to Mardi Gras krewes. Through this unusual and engaging journey, we will build a new appreciation for the composite world that is New Orleans, where ancient and modern blends, and where different cultures, including ancient ones, become a distinctive identity. All the while learning the skills necessary for a successful college experience.
Emilia Oddo, Associate Professor, Classical Studies | BIO
W 2:00-3:15p
This 1-credit course fulfills the First-Year Seminar requirement as a Tulane Interdisciplinary Experience Seminar (TIDES). In this course we will discuss how to deconstruct standard comic format, read and discuss five different comic theories, look at 19(+) different comic structures to create a final project.
Jessica Podewell, Senior Professor of Practice, Theatre | BIO
R 9:30-10:45a
This dynamic course offers students a comprehensive introduction to the world of Traditional Martial Arts with a focus on Taekwondo, Krav Maga, Boxing, and general fitness. Designed to accommodate all levels of experience, from beginners to seasoned practitioners, the course provides an in-depth exploration of each discipline's historical roots, philosophical underpinnings, and cultural significance. Students will learn the foundational movements of traditional martial arts. Instruction will emphasize the artistry of martial forms, the tactics of sportive engagement, and the practicalities of self-defense, all while improving overall physical fitness. Classes are conducted in a safe, non-contact setting to ensure a learning environment that is both challenging and supportive. Through collaborative assignments, students will engage in group activities that encourage peer learning and teamwork, fostering an environment of mutual respect and camaraderie. The curriculum is designed to challenge students' perceptions and encourage growth in both martial arts proficiency and personal development. Through written and oral assignments, students will reflect on their experiences and articulate their understanding of the material covered. As an added value to this course, students who fulfill the requirements will have the opportunity to be awarded international rank recognition by a global traditional martial arts association. This distinction not only celebrates the skills acquired but also connects students to the larger martial arts community worldwide.
Bill Rials, Senior Professor of Practice, Information Technology | BIO
T 2:00-3:15p
Open only to Altman Scholars, this TIDES experience plays an important role in the 4-year curriculum of the Altman Program in International Studies and Business. The students that make up each Altman “cohort” will take one class together each semester that they are on campus during their studies. Altman TIDES will kick off these courses during the Fall of their Freshman year. With an eye towards producing exceptional global citizens, Altman TIDES introduces students to the rich cultural fabric of New Orleans by examining past and present contributions made by peoples of different ethnicity and race. The cultures of French, Spanish, Italian, Creole, African, Latino, Jewish and Vietnamese residents, both past and present, have shaped New Orleans into the vibrant city that it is today.
Specifically, we will discuss each group’s impact on New Orleans’ history, culture, economy and business and the challenges each faced in the process of social and cultural integration. Along the way, students will be exposed to some of the finest food representative of each group that makes New Orleans one of the greatest cities in the world – and an interesting place to directly study international influences at a local level.
**For Altman Scholars Only**
Casey Love, Senior Professor of Practice, Political Science | BIO
Myke Yest, Professor of Practice, Finance | BIO
R 2:00-3:15p
Welcome! As a member of the Tulane community, you are part of a diverse and developed scientific community. In this course we’ll work on developing ways of learning and basic scientific skills that will aid you if you are interested in getting research experience and help you in succeeding in your coursework. This course is designed to teach you new thinking and learning skills, and to apply those skills to develop and run an iterative hypothesis-driven experiment. You will experience the collaborative nature of science by working in groups and receiving feedback on your work from your peers.
Christian Burr, Professor of Practice, Cell and Molecular Biology | BIO
Elizabeth Abboud, Professor of Practice, Cell and Molecular Biology | BIO
W 2:00-3:15p
The transition to university life can present challenges, as you juggle less structure, more demands, new roles, and increased pressures. The purpose of this TIDES course is to help you develop social and emotional skills; benefitting you in academic and work contexts, interpersonal relationships, and overall well-being. Explore the tranquil side of New Orleans and discover your best self through mindfulness and self awareness activities.This course is designed to help students develop strengths and assets that promote their social and emotional well-being as they transition to a higher education setting in New Orleans. Along the way, they will be introduced to social and emotional competencies that can help promote their personal and interpersonal awareness and competence which will help students navigate new and challenging academic, social, and emotional terrain. These competencies include: self-awareness; self-management; social awareness; relationship skills; and responsible decision making.
Brooke Grant, Professor of Practice, Teacher Preparation and Certification Program | BIO
Erica Smith, Professor of Practice, Teacher Preparation and Certification Program | BIO
T 5:00-6:15p
Using readings, discussions, interactive group interviews and field trips, students will learn about different career pathways to engaging others in improving mental health. Students will meet different professionals in the city, hear about their paths, learn about their theoretical orientation, and reflect on the experiences they will pursue while at Tulane relevant to this career choice.
Alexandra Sims, Senior Professor of Practice, Psychology | BIO
W 10:00-11:15a
This 1-credit Tides course introduces you to research through a historical and experiential engagement with the myriad forms and aspects of one of the oldest and most ubiquitous communication and information technologies: the book. Rather than consume books for their content (text), in this course, our concern will be with the whole book (from cover to binding, to page design and marks left on margins) as a material object. From scroll to codex, to e-book, and from manuscript tradition to print, we will learn the books’ anatomy and how to read and interpret those physical features as evidence. In the process, students will gain a deeper appreciation for the book as an object as they explore the book form alongside its text. Each week we will explore the history of book making processes including letterpress printing, book binding, papermaking, and various 20th c printing and duplicating technologies. We will learn about appreciating books as objects through lectures, discussions, and hands on experiments with bookmaking. The class will culminate with each student creating their own book object. In addition, we will enjoy visits with local printers and book makers and virtual visits from book artists and book historians. The course is ideal for students considering majors in art history, art, English, history, archeology, media studies, science, or any subject that requires reading or using books.
Agnieszka Czeblakow, Head of Research Services, Tulane University Libraries | BIO
R 9:30-10:45a
This course explores the development of the modern United States presidential campaign, with an emphasis on mass media. Considering the development of new communications technologies, how has the presidential campaign changed over the last six decades? How has it remained the same? The class will consider the creation of narrative across radio, television and social media outlets.
Various forms of mass communication, including radio, television, and social media networks, will be considered as channels for political campaign development. The development of emerging technologies and media landscapes will be contextualized.
**This course includes a service learning component**
Aidan Smith, Administrative Associate Professor, Newcomb Institute | BIO
M 2:00-3:15p
Get to know New Orleans through an exploration of its museums, from art museums to contemporary galleries to house museums and beyond. Students will seek to understand how museums in New Orleans serve diverse communities in the city. To understand museum practice more generally, we will also explore past and current methods in museum curation and education, ethical issues museums face, and how museums respond in times of war and natural disasters. Ideal for students considering majors in art history or history.
Holly Flora, Associate Professor, Art | BIO
M 4:00-5:15p
Art is a conversation that takes place over time and space. It is a response to events past and present, and an invitation to discuss how we shape our future. Art creates community, but it also reflects the communities it is created out of. This course will provide an understanding of New Orleans through the lens of Visual and Performing Arts. The course will introduce students to the rich cultural heritage of New Orleans while gaining insight to how history, environment, politics, socioeconomic conditions, and diversity has shaped life in the city, and how the art of the city responds to help define its culture. Through numerous artists, artworks, cultural traditions, and temporary exhibitions, students will learn how art can provide a reflection on where we’ve been, alternatives to where we are, and opportunities for ways forward as a city or a community.
Thomas Friel, Coordinator for Interpretation and Public Engagement, Newcomb Art Museum | BIO
R 2:00-3:15p
You already know that New Orleans is famous for its food, but how much do you know about its Asian American foodways? The seminar employs food and foodways as an analytical framework to explore issues of identity, migration, imperialism, race, gender, and sexuality. Through a diverse range of texts including short stories, films, documentaries, menus, cookbooks, and blogs, we will consider what food reveals about cultures, relations, and identity in Asian diasporas with a focus on locales and traditions in New Orleans. Along the way, you will have the opportunity to reflect on your own relationship to food as a first-year student at Tulane University.
Allison Truitt, Professor, Anthropology | BIO
M 3:00-4:15p
This course combines practical skill building, active learning, and engagement activities to support local communities around issues of environmental and urban justice, climate challenges, and sustainable futures for New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast. While examining the fields of data literacy and interpretation, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic bias, and the ethical considerations about how data is collected, interpreted, and used for policy decision making and community engagement (data justice fields). The substantive emphasis of the course will be on the use of data for advocacy and support of communities involving urban justice (e.g., inequality, policing, carceral rights, poverty, housing, etc.), environmental justice, (e.g., polluted neighborhoods, indoor and outdoor air pollution, water and soil pollution, etc.), all in an effort to move New Orleans and surrounding communities from their climate challenges to just sustainable futures. The course will also explore community empowerment through the instruction of techniques of data advocacy, citizen science, political activism, etc.
Christopher Oliver, Senior Professor of Practice, Sociology | BIO
Jon Chambers, Professor of Practice, Digital Media Practices | BIO
R 12:30-1:45p
The seminar will introduce students to the imperial legacy context of Russia’s aggression against its neighbors that culminated in an all-out invasion of Ukraine attempted in February 2022 and now transformed into the largest-scale war on Europe since WWII. -The mainstream media discourse about the motives for the ongoing atrocities evolves between the (Kremlin’s) narrative about NATO’s expansion, ethnic rights for self-determination, and the war as a tool to perpetuate the usurpation of power by Putin’s “elite” in Russia and its neighbors. This discourse overlooks the role of failure to fully admit and qualify the crimes that the Soviet Union (and the Russian Empire before it) committed against the people that inhabited the lands it captured and controlled during its reign. There were several attempts to rectify the imperial legacy and to atone for them. Yet all of them eventually failed. One manifestation of the latest failure is the obstruction of access to swaths of state archives even at peaks of the brief democratization of Russia during the 1990s. The implications of that failure are profound. They yield fertile grounds for distorted beliefs about “historical justice” across the world and facilitate the effectiveness of a fascist-style propaganda in nowadays Russia.
Denys Bondar, Associate Professor, Physics & Engineering Physics | BIO
Oleg Gredil, Associate Professor, Finance | BIO
T 11:00-12:15p
This seminar will introduce students to the state of American politics and society surrounding the presidency of Donald Trump. It is not designed to be solely a look at his election in 2016 and his administration; instead, it is a broad exploration of the factors that lead to his election and the resulting “state of the union.” Through readings and discussion of current events, we will explore the history of our current state of public opinion, issues regarding polarization, race relations, and gender dynamics, and the prospects for forming a “united” country in the midst of a divisive era.
Brian Brox, Associate Professor, Political Science | BIO
T 5:00-6:15p
Haiti is inexorably tied to New Orleans through historic and contemporary through lines beginning with the only successful rebellion by enslaved people in the Americans that eventually led to independence of Haiti and to this small island nation becoming the first free Black country in the entire world in 1804. As a result of the defeat of the French army in St. Domingue, Napoleon yielded the French territory to the U.S. government in the form of the Louisiana Purchase. Throughout the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, the revolution’s impact was felt throughout the U.S. South and by 1809, 10,000 Haitians arrived in New Orleans, doubling the population. There are parallels between New Orleans and Haiti in the areas of architecture, cuisine, cultural celebrations, and music that emerge to even the casual observer. Even though a majority of Haitian settlers from the early 20th century in the New Orleans Ninth Ward area were displaced by events surrounding Hurricane Katrina, immigrant communities of Haitians, particularly on the West Bank of New Orleans have grown due to the contemporary political and natural disasters within the island country. This Colloquium will examine the fascinating history and contemporary landscape of the connective tissue between Haiti and New Orleans through a range of readings, reflections, class discussions, as well as through experiential elements including field trips.
Sarah Montes, Senior Associate Registrar, Office of the University Registrar |
T 11:00-12:15p
In this class we will consider which concepts and representations are associated with the idea of New Orleans as a city and Louisiana as a larger territory. We will examine theoretical texts of space and urban organization in conjunction with film (and other forms of visual representation), prose, and social commentaries to consider how the city as a modern and postmodern construct has come to be imagined as a site of utopian progress and a space of internal contradiction. We will analyze how texts represented varying and blurred notions of exclusion and inclusion, experiences of longing and belonging. At times the city and its residents are depicted as the most decadent, cosmopolitan, or spectacular and at other times as the most lawless, diseased, and corrupt. The course will interrogate how social spaces, in particular New Orleans (and the larger Louisiana area) have been mapped by literature, film, and culture in paradoxical and interconnected ways and served as projections of social and cultural ideologies. Furthermore, the class will explore how historical and social processes –such as colonialism, increased industrialization, national and political ideologies, and consumer culture—have both informed and been shaped by the culture and literature.
Isa Murdock-Hinrichs, Professor of Practice, English | BIO
W 3:00-4:15p
In this course, students will explore engineering projects local to the New Orleans area. From the St. Louis Cathedral to the Superdome, the Crescent City Connection to the Causeway, the Lapeyre Shrimp Peeler to Mardi Gras Megafloats, Oil & Gas to Wind & Solar Energy, NASA Rockets to Nerves-On-A-Chip, New Orleans has a wide array of engineering interests. These projects, advancements, and industries will be introduced and put into perspective with discussions of their technology, histories, economic impacts, and cultural influence. The topics will be brought to life by local guest speakers and trips to one or more of the following: NASA Michoud, Mardi Gras World, the Superdome, and the French Quarter.
Matt Barrios, Professor of Practice, Science and Engineering | BIO
R 12:30-1:45p
The course will focus on exploring questions on leadership from non-theoretical lens by emphasizing manifestations of leadership in different forms of art (poetry, fiction, painting, sculpture, film, etc.). Using the medium of art, the students will be able to access and distill their own observations about leadership throughout time, which we will then compare to contemporary theories from the fields of organizational psychology and leadership studies.
Mallory Monaco Caterine, Senior Professor of Practice, Classical Studies | BIO
Ambika Prasad, Professor of Practice, School of Professional Advancement
M 1:00-2:15p
New Orleans is a city rich in history, culture, and spirits. Some of that history and culture has been responsible for events associated with hauntings and other paranormal/supernatural occurrences (and vice versa). Using the haunted history of the city as a touchstone or lens, we will explore the non-paranormal history and cultural make-up of New Orleans from before its founding to modern times.
Tim McLean, Senior Professor of Practice, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | BIO
T 4:00-5:15p
Founded in 1718, the city of New Orleans has a long and rich history with sports. From the rise of social class-driven sports such as rowing and billiards to the New Orleans Saints’ heroic revival of the city post-Hurricane Katrina, sports has been as integral to the area as food, music, and Mardi Gras. Sports have made an enduring impact on the social world in which we all live. It is a taken for granted aspect of our everyday lives – whether that entails watching “SportsCenter” or noticing that every single major newspaper contains a “Sports” section that is as long if not longer than any other section. Yet there is more to sport than just what we see on a daily basis. In this course, we will explore general sports-related topics and examine actual case studies related to New Orleans’ sports scene. More than simply ‘talking sports,’ students will study issues from political, economic and social viewpoints and also gain an understanding of the rich sports heritage found here in New Orleans.
Readings and discussions, field trips, and guest speakers will aid students to understand both historical accounts and modern-day subjects associated with sports such as governmental involvement, public financing, community development and community engagement. Students will learn about after-school programs and how they promote and development boys and girls through activities that build character, cultivate new skills, and create a sense of belonging – in this case a place where kids can express themselves, play together and get fit.
**This course includes a service learning component**
Maurice Smith, Associate Director, Center for Public Education | BIO
T 2:00-3:15p
“-Borja, where are you from? -I am Spanish -Oh great, which country?” (question that your professor has been asked many a time). What is being Spanish? There is a misconception in the US about what this word means. Spanish refers to a person born and raised in Spain, so, what is Spain? Spain is a predominantly white country situated in the south of Europe who has enjoyed an ethnic, racial, gender, and religious diversity since very early in history. Therefore, the aim of this course is to study the representation of ethnic, racial, gender, and religious minorities through Spanish cinema in the late 20th century and the early 21st century. Despite advances in integration in the last twenty years, the underlying racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and transphobia from certain sectors of society is still palpable in different areas of this society. We will address questions of diversity, inclusion, discrimination and (lack of) opportunity. In the last section of this class, we will also examine the representation of Spanish people in US American cinema, sometimes taking them as exotic or even having white Spanish actors playing roles from people in Latin America. By the end of the course, students will have a space to compare the situation in Spain with their own country and seeing the parallels in diversity and discrimination between the two countries, probably, reaching the conclusion, that the situation is not that different. Similarly, we will also delve into the idea that a Spanish person automatically becomes a minority in the US imaginary due to their Hispanic origins and the fact they speak Spanish.
Borja Game de Cossío, Professor of Practice, Spanish | BIO
T 11:00-12:15p
For over a hundred years, cinema has played a key role in shaping your social imaginaries and in creating types and stereotypes. Different national cinemas have their own lists of typical characters that speak eloquently of the economic, political, and cultural structures of their societies. Mainstream American cinema, arguably, exceeds the constraints of a national cinema and has become your conscience of the global subject, but it still formulates ideas and builds subjectivities that are deeply ingrained in your American imagination. Among these constructions is the portrayal of 'Latin America' and, more specifically, 'Latin Americans.' In this course, you will explore, analyze, and question the constructions devised by mainstream Hollywood films around Latin America and its characters. From studio recreations of South American cities in classic films (Gilda, Charles Vidor, 1946) or the US-Mexico border (Touch of Evil, Orson Welles, 1958) to solemn reflections on colonial history (The Mission, Roland Joffé, 1986) to enchanted versions of Mexican traditions (Coco, Disney-Pixar, 2017), American cinema has consistently imagined Latin America. In discussing six films and key critical readings, you will identify, describe, and critique this process. You will also reflect on its connections to current debates in the US.
Antonio Gomez, Associate Professor, Spanish & Portuguese | BIO
M 4:00-5:15p
This course examines the racial history of Brazil and how it compares and contrasts with other regions in the Americas. Students will engage in weekly discussions about topics in Afro-Brazilian popular culture and will analyze the political resistance inherent in so many of these art forms.
Megwen Loveless, Senior Professor of Practice, Spanish and Portuguese | BIO
T 3:30-4:45p
This course offers an introduction to the foundations of empathy and the role it plays in relationships and addressing conflict. Topics covered will include the primacy of empathy in addressing conflict, community building, active listening, and techniques to hold conversations among people in conflict or that disagree with each other. Students will gain an understanding of the role that inclusion and equity play in developing empathy and will learn, through personal reflection, guest lecture, and in-person experience, the skills and techniques necessary to manifest empathy in their own lives, relationships, and conflicts as well as various resources within the Tulane and Greater New Orleans community available for support when they run into problems within these areas.
Matthew Wegmann, Conflict Resolution Specialist, Department of Institutional Equity | BIO
R 3:30-4:45p
"Drugs in Music and Literature: Morocco, Spain, and New Orleans" explores the historical and contemporary significance of cannabis as a countercultural and political resistance symbol, particularly within the realm of music, across diverse regions. Students analyze the cultural, social, and political contexts surrounding cannabis use, considering race, religious practices, and the influence of Islam and Sufi rituals. The seminar delves into the evolution and transculturation of musical genres such as Flamenco, Rock & Roll, Sufi- Trance Rock, and Jazz, examining how these genres have been shaped by the intersection of cannabis culture, race, hippie values, and religious traditions. Assessment is based on class participation, written assignments, and a final presentation or creative project, fostering critical thinking and interdisciplinary perspectives. This seminar aligns with the TIDES' goals of promoting active learning, intellectual challenges, and social co-curricular activities, providing students with a transformative interdisciplinary learning experience.
Yasmina Aidi, Assistant Professor, Spanish & Portuguese, Middle East & North African Studies | BIO
M 5:00-6:15p
In a global connected world where what happens on the other side of the planet is live streamed in real time, the experience of being a person living today can feel overwhelming. It can be argued that this is the worst time in human history. Is the world worse today than at any other time? What does our knowledge of memory and perception contribute to the understanding of the contemporary global context? In Billy Joel’s song, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” over 100 cultural, social, political, and economic events which took place between 1948 and 1989 are highlighted. A recent remake by Fall Out Boy updates Joel’s song using events since 1989. The suggestion in these songs is that human history has been plagued with catastrophes and heralded with triumphs. In this course, students will identify the historical references in both songs comparing them to our current context. Students will study the scientific literature on memory and how memories impact people’s current view of the state of our world. The course will culminate in students creating a survey to learn more about how people perceive the historical and current world contexts, and how these ideas interact with each other. Survey results will be analyzed to share findings and develop conclusions. Throughout the course, students will have the opportunity to shape their own learning experience and development of critical thinking skills by contributing to each class session content, course materials, questions to discuss, and practicing research skills. This co-creation of the course between the professor and students is uniquely suited to the TIDES program and supports its objectives and outcomes.
Liv Newman, Administrative Assistant Professor, Center for Engaged Learning & Teaching | BIO
W 5:00-6:15p
Management is the coordination and administration of tasks to achieve a goal. The functions of management are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. In the Art of Management, we will review and discuss these four functions using text, case studies, and simulations. We will explore companies that are run well and those who messed up along the way. Learning from the mess ups has the best growth opportunities.
Ashley Nelson, Senior Professor of Practice, Business & Legal Studies | BIO
M 2:00-3:15p
There will be two primary goals in this course. The first will involve introducing students to New Orleans history, culture, and literature. The second will entail an interdisciplinary introduction to a wide array of influences with the effort of showing how New Orleans's turbulent history of changing possession, immigration, and migration have contributed to a "performance" of various versions of "New Orleansness." The course will focus specifically on the presence of French, Spanish, African and a brief overview of the various immigrant communities in the city's history and the various ways in which these groups have performed their own version of New Orleans for the city itself, the United States, and the world. In addition, the students will use the maps found in Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas to look at how maps are constructions of authenticity.
Brittany Kennedy, Senior Professor of Practice, Spanish & Portuguese;| BIO
T 9:30-10:45a
The central conceit of this course is that all participants build characters for, and participate in, a Dungeons and Dragons (styled) adventure that is based around collaborative storytelling, problem solving, the building and development of critical analytic skills, and the discovery of identity. This course will employ the city of New Orleans – and the Tulane Campus – as the “world” in which these new adventures discover themselves. The students will begin this course by building “character sheets” based on who and what they are (Identity location markers) and what they bring to the adventure. This part of the class will encourage students to articulate their own strengths and – areas of themselves upon which they are working. We will partner with The Office of Multicultural Affairs to engage these students in a discussion of identification (self-identification and how we identify others). The students will be sent on an adventure during which they will have to learn to use the resources available to them in the Tulane University Library System. The students will be asked to go through Audubon Park (and Audubon Zoo) to find creatures and treasures. The students will be asked to go to the French Quarter and have specific foods that are specific to New Orleans Culture and listen to music that was created here in New Orleans. The students will be asked to take pictures and sample sounds as “proof” that they have completed their quests. The students will be asked to “scribe” and reflect upon their adventures. The students are going to be asked to consider the relationship between “game” and “real-life” when we talk to local New Orleans Health and wellness programs (CrescentCare). This course will be rooted in the concepts of discovery, and gaming, and responsibility for choosing one’s own adventure. We will also read at least on “fantasy” novel and discuss the nature of the narrative itself. We will discuss how the idea of women and female characters function in the book. We’ll talk about how the book depicts the idea of the protagonists, as well as, the “traditional” trope of male as default in much of fantasy fiction – and what that means. We will discuss how the novel utilizes and incorporates the concept of “race.”
Ray Proctor, Assistant Professor, Theatre and Dance | BIO
W 3:00-4:15p
In 2016, Tulane University President Mike Fitts established the Race Commission composed of students, staff, faculty, and board members to address issues related to campus diversity. Join this TIDES course as an early step in becoming a student leader committed to this and other diversity initiatives at Tulane. You will learn about the array of programs offered by the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Activities will include academic and social events that bring together TIDES students and members of various student organizations involved in promoting intercultural exchange and understanding. We invite you to become a part of this group of change-makers.
Monique Hodges, Associate Director, Newcomb-Tulane College | BIO
T 5:00-6:15p
Art (in its broadest sense, including visual arts, literature, and various types of performance) is meeting science all around us. These interactions go well beyond the use of science as raw material by artists. The advancements in science lead to dramatic changes in our perception of the world clearly reflected in artists’ creations. Just as religious and mythological sources had influenced art before and during the Renaissance, artists are now being moved by the need to capture the complexities and mysteries of the physical universe. In many ways, science and art are profoundly similar. The best of each rises up from the depths of human creativity, in both the arts and science there’s the need for inspiration and hard work, the willingness to experiment and be brave, and the conviction that you are searching for or creating work that says something meaningful about the world or nature. In this course, we will discuss the mutual influence of arts and science (particularly physics) using examples from different art forms and historic periods. The course includes trips to New Orleans Museum of Arts and Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO-Livingston).
Jerry Shakov, Senior Professor of Practice, Physics and Engineering Physics | BIO
T or R 3:30-4:45p
What do you think of when you hear “Latin America”? What does it mean to be “Latin American”? This class aims to touch on these questions by exploring and expanding your perceptions about the region and its peoples. This class will delve into the cultural stereotypes and expressions of the region established within historical, societal, and political frameworks. Drawing on literature, film, music, art, performance, and the lived experiences of Latinx and Latin American immigrant communities, this class will examine diverse aspects of culture, society and identity in the region known as “Latin America.” At the end of the course, students should be able to identify what and where is Latin America, who are Latin Americans, how Latin America has influenced local New Orleans community life and culture, and why knowing about Latin America is important.
James Huck, Administrative Assistant Professor, Stone Center | BIO
R 11:00-12:15p
In this course, we will come to a better understanding of the articulation of public space in its relationship to history and memory. We will first discuss a number of paradigmatic cases in the battle for the public expression of national, regional, or group trauma in the form of monuments, memorials, or sites of commemoration: the Holocaust memorial in Berlin, the Vietnam memorial in DC, the “Parque de la memoria” in Buenos Aires, and the alternative ways of remembering the totalitarian period in Indonesia. Next, we will focus on these negotiations in the recent history of New Orleans: the marks of Katrina in the city today, the ways New Orleans chooses to remember it, and the controversy about the removal of confederate monuments in the city.
Antonio Gomez, Associate Professor, Spanish & Portuguese | BIO
M 4:00-5:15p
Over the course of the next year students will develop an understanding of why young adults engage in high-risk health behaviors. During the first semester attention will focus on the social processes thought to underlie young adults' uptake of behavior patterns which expose them to unnecessary health risks. Among the wide range of high risk behaviors to be covered over the course of the year will be drinking, drugging, smoking, eating, speeding, unsafe sex, and other risky choices. Participants will develop an understanding of how one's family, friends and peers come to shape high-risk health behavior patterns. New Orleans provides an excellent vantage point from which to scientifically explore a culture in which exhibiting high risk health behavior patterns is almost normative. Students will work up epidemiological comparisons between their hometowns and New Orleans based on a wide range of available Internet databases. Students do no direct observations or participation in any high-risk behavior patterns as part of the course.
Reginald Parquet, Clinical Assistant Professor, Social Work | BIO
T 5:00-6:15p
This TIDES class was put together by a team of university art professionals with the intention of introducing students to the breadth of the visual arts scene in contemporary New Orleans. The course includes field trips to and visits from artists, curators, critics, collectors, private gallery owners, and public museum professionals, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the vibrant cultural life of the city. Ideally students will come away from the class with an appreciation of the richness of the visual arts in New Orleans, the ability to discuss and write about the visual arts, and some insights into the nuts-and-bolts activities of the individuals and institutions the define the visual arts in New Orleans.
Laura Richens, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Art | BIO
T 5:00-6:15p
Explore New Orleans through sampling its literature while working on your own creative writing. We will read selections from various genres of New Orleans literature as well as works about the craft of writing, and spend time inside and outside of class in creative writing pursuits. We’ll visit where writers lived and wrote in the French Quarter, attend local readings together, and meet with contemporary New Orleans authors. These activities, along with workshopping each other’s pieces, will help us discover how literature can illuminate a city. Discover the literary imagination of New Orleans, and begin to experience your time at Tulane as “a little piece of eternity dropped into your hands” (Tennessee Williams).
Lyle Colombo, Adjunct Lecturer, Newcomb-Tulane College | BIO
W 5:30-6:45p
“A Helluva Hullabaloo: Learning How to #BeExcellent at Tulane” introduces students to developing life skills that will be useful not only in college, but also will help prepare them for the “real-world.” The broad-reaching goal of this TIDES course is to offer students the opportunity to gain valuable skills and lessons that can be used to succeed during their career at Tulane.
Wendy LeBlanc, Learning Specialist, Athletics | BIO
T 4:00-5:15p
Ever wondered about the distinction between art and craft, why crafting is popular, or how many beads are in a Mardi Gras Indian suit? Whether you do crafts, buy them, use needle and thread, hammer and nails, paper and scissors or glitter and glue, you are involved in crafting. We’ll learn about crafting as a hobby and a profession, with an emphasis on local craft culture in New Orleans. We’ll explore assorted craft practices and communities through guest speakers, field trips to local craft centers or markets and hands-on workshops.
Penny Wyatt, Director, Parent Programs | BIO
R 5:00-6:15p
This TIDES course we will address the question, "What constitutes the heart and soul of New Orleans?" The most common answers are, great restaurants, Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, French Quarter Festival, Voodoo, Ghosts, the Blue Dog, and of course, the Saints. Throughout the semester, we will study and discuss the city's cultural fabric from a folkloric, historical, artistic, literary, and cinematographic point of view. Students will assess the different facets and components that build our great city and contribute to its unique culture through the analysis of assigned text and film material, the participation in class discussions, team presentations, and field trips, as well as in the format of a reflective final paper.
Alexandra Reuber, Senior Professor of Practice, French| BIO
M 5:00-6:15p
Sports as a Leadership Model is a one-credit hour course for first year students that uses a sports lens to introduce Tulane students to what character traits have made sports figures, coaches, teams, and organizations successful as well as aided in turning sports from recreational fun to a multi-billion-dollar global industry juggernaut. This class will introduce students to several different valuable life skills and lessons to aide them in their academic endeavors and professional journey. The goal of this class is to see what transferable skills those in the world of sports use in their respective venues to help them become success stories and pass those qualities along to you to aid you in achieving success in life during and after Tulane.
Charvi Greer, Deputy Athletics Director, Athletics | BIO
M 10:00-11:15a
This course will explore how various societies, past and present, have been organized. From small tribal societies that practice communism to large industrial societies that foment capitalism, the mechanisms by which society is organized are intentional and deliberate. Anthropological, sociological, political, economic, and historical perspectives will be considered throughout the course. Special attention will be given to how inequality manifests itself within societies. This course will require students to select the societies we will study and to actively participate in researching these societies. The course will culminate in student groups designing a society according to goals and outcomes they set by applying the knowledge they have gained over the course of the semester.
Liv Newman, Associate Director, CELT | BIO
R 5:00-6:15p
Silver Screen Shakespeare offers an introduction to Shakespeare’s life and works through film. Utilizing class viewings, discussion, and outside readings, students will gain familiarity with Shakespearean dramaturgy and history, as well as be introduced to theatrical production concepts. No prior knowledge of Shakespeare, theatre, or film production is required.
Vanessa Rodriguez, Assistant Dean, Student Support and Success | BIO
R 2:00-3:15p
The interdisciplinary course will examine three main political problems in Europe today; the environmental crisis, social inequality and migration from the Middle East. Prof. Ofengenden will begin with examining the ways of life and accepted thinking that these three problems undermine and challenge including consumerism, individualism, traditionalism, economic rationality, developmentalism, growth, globalization and nationalism. Prof. Ofengenden will survey the history of early challenges to accepted thinking including the challenges to exploitation and privatization of land argued by the thinkers of the Enlightenment (e.g. Rousseau) as well as early critics of industrialism. Prof. Ofengenden will use both literature and thought to show illuminate these critics. Prof. Ofengenden will then move to 20th and 21th European contributions to environmental thought and economic inequality as well as political movement and artistic expressions of both of these trends. These will include Martin Heidegger, Theodore Adorno, Arne Naess, Serge Moscovici, Bruno Latour, Thomas Piketty, Jacques Rancière, David Harvey. Finally this part of the course will look at two contemporary political protest movements the Yellow Vests in France and Extinction rebellion in the UK. It will look into how these movement were formed and the way they have transformed in the discourse around income inequality and environmental crisis in France and the UK.
The second part of the course lead Prof. Nicosia by will look at the issue of immigration to Europe. After a first survey on the immigration phenomenon starting from the year 2010 through, course will pass to analyze social and political tensions caused by anxiety and phobias towards the Other, and the way it reshapes geographical spaces and cultural patterns of the hosting countries, with particular attention to the notions of borders (in the cities and the neighborhoods), citizenry (what and how to define a citizen at the margin), new ethics’ parameters (e.g. religion, welfare etc...), and ultimately the ideas of nation, nationality and nationalism. The second part of the course will be dedicated on the voices of the migrants and their representation through the new artistic phenomena related to migration in the Mediterranean countries (Italy, Greece), with particular attention to literature, video, (photography, video installations), cinema, as well as music creations.
Roberto Nicosia, Professor of Practice, French and Italian | BIO
R 12:30-1:45p or 2:00-3:15p
In this course you will explore various art forms and become familiar with a variety of New Orleans artists. Additionally, you will create projects in class such as jewelry, print-making, and a Ready-Set-Design project in a small group setting. We invite guest artists to our classroom plus we will go on at least one field trip (if not two). This is also a service-learning course. You will be given the opportunity to earn Tier I service (20-hour commitment) by assisting in an after-school program at a local school (we provide transportation). You will assist art teachers with 3rd-8th graders in creating fabulous works of art. Win-win! Have fun in our classroom plus earn Tier I service. After-school Program: 2 hours / week, M-F, 3:45-5:45. During our first class you will tell us which day you would like to volunteer for your 2-hour shift, only one day/week. **This course includes a service learning component**
Maria DeLouise, Adjunct Faculty, PreK-12 Education Programs | BIO
Todd Shaffer, Adjunct Faculty, First-Year Experience
R 3:30-4:45p
The syllabus of this course has been programmed from a sociological approach to sport, so that the students can gain an overall view of Spanish culture, of the Spanish way of life, throughout the analysis of geographical, historical, cultural and literary factors in the make-up of the nation in the present-day, and in its diverse manifestations. Additionally, it will examine various aspects of the relationship between sport and Spanish society. The importance of sports goes beyond its obvious political significance. Indeed, sociologists and anthropologists have recently studied the interaction between sports and social and cultural dimensions. Nowadays, there is no doubt about the integrative and unifying strength which sports exhibit. It is a phenomenon that carries out an enormous social impact, interests the majority of the population and is practiced by a large part of the population.
The course begins with a consideration of general theoretical questions on the idiosyncrasy of every culture by comparing U.S. and Spanish cultural trends and stereotypes. After that, it will examine the different cultures within Spain: Castilian, Catalan, Basque and Galician; focusing mainly on language, nationality, and political implications. Following the midterm, we will focus on the analysis of specific sports such as soccer, traditional sports of Spain, basque pelota, the controversial bullfighting and all their different social and political implications.
Carlos Juan Lozano, Professor of Practice, Spanish and Portuguese | BIO
F 1:00-2:15p
Compelling storytelling lies at the heart of success across fields. From a business person pitching a new product to a research scientist vying for a competitive grant, the ability to tell a captivating story gives you an advantage. Storytelling skills serve you when interviewing for internships or jobs, networking, or even just making new friends in college. Whether your ultimate goal is a TED Talk with a million views or just a kick ass toast at your best friend’s wedding one day, this class will give you concrete tools to improve your public speaking and storytelling skills. In this experiential class, we will create a supportive environment where you will discover your personal communication style and how to leverage your strengths to gain more confidence in your ability to tell a great story. Our class will culminate in a story-telling event where each student tells a personal story from their lives in front of an invited audience.
Jenny Mercein, Assistant Professor, Theatre & Dance | BIO
T 3:30-4:45p
Many students have been drawn to Tulane for its heavily touted commitment to community, but what does this mean and look like in actuality and from the perspective of the New Orleans community? This course introduces students to concepts around community engagement at an individual level and at Tulane, the components of ethical service, the dynamics of entering a community that may be new to you, and an introduction to a specific community within New Orleans via service with a partner organization that will engage with the course throughout the semester.
The class will partner with two main community partners (Pointe-au-Chien Tribe and Mardi Gras Indian Chiefs Council) and also serve with various partners that work on recycling, re-using, and restoration, to overall learn how conservation measures impact communities.
**This course includes a service learning component**
Jelagat Cheruiyot, Professor of Practice, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology | BIO
T 3:30-4:45p
Many students have been drawn to Tulane for its heavily touted commitment to community, but what does this mean and look like in actuality and from the perspective of the New Orleans community? This course introduces students to concepts around community engagement at an individual level and at Tulane, the components of ethical service, the dynamics of entering a community that may be new to you, and an introduction to a specific community within New Orleans via service with a partner organization that will engage with the course throughout the semester.
The class partners with Trinity Community Center, a long-term center serving and empowering the Hollygrove neighborhood. Students will mentor with the afterschool program or support other aspects of the community center.
**This course includes a service learning component**
Bridget Smith, Assistant Director, Center for Public Service | BIO
W 9:00-10:15a
Many students have been drawn to Tulane for its heavily touted commitment to community, but what does this mean and look like in actuality and from the perspective of the New Orleans community? This course introduces students to concepts around community engagement at an individual level and at Tulane, the components of ethical service, the dynamics of entering a community that may be new to you, and an introduction to a specific community within New Orleans via service with a partner organization that will engage with the course throughout the semester.
**This course includes a service learning component**
Michael Pizzolatto, Senior Program Manager, Center for Public Service | BIO
R 3:30-4:45p
This seminar examines the historical and contemporary relationships between race, gender, class, and modern practices of surveillance. This course will introduce students to the interdisciplinary theories of surveillance studies such as discipline, control, capitalism, and privacy, as it relates to race, class, and gender. Students will examine readings related to enslavement, prisons, police violence, reality television, workplace surveillance, domestic violence, media, big data, travel, and drones. Seminar discussions will include cases where patriarchal power and racialized systems were used to promote perceptions of security, fear, exposure, and control. As praxis, students will use rapid response research strategies to design and produce a digital media project that uses technology tools such as maps, visualizations, textual analysis, and/or audio-visual production. These products will use New Orleans as a case study to analyze how surveillance technology is used as a form of social control or counter-surveillance tactic as it relates to concepts of race, gender, class, and power. Digital media skills will be taught in this course. All technical skill-levels are welcome.
**This course includes an optional service learning component**
Jacquelyne Howard, Administrative Assistant Professor, Newcomb Institute| BIO
W 3:30-4:45p
This course introduces students to an unfamiliar part of New Orleans’ history that is as defining to the city’s character as her more familiar Spanish and French past: Irish New Orleans.
For many different reasons, Irish immigrants were drawn to Antebellum New Orleans, and they came to this city by the tens of thousands. Contrary to still prevailing prejudice, the newly arriving Irish immediately set about creating their own communities, several of which we will explore in this course. Strong familial ties denoted these neighborhoods as did their Catholic faith and the extraordinarily beautiful churches these immigrants built to serve their spiritual needs. Life was not easy in New Orleans: frequent epidemics killed people by the tens of thousands. However, the Irish immigrants successfully carved out lives for themselves that gave the city a permanent Irish flavor which, to this day, is still defined by Irish customs and traditions and inseparable from the colorful, multi-faceted spirit of New Orleans.
**This course includes a service learning component**
Laura Kelley, Adjunct Faculty, History | BIO
M 12:00-1:15p
From Ruby Bridges’ role in the desegregation of New Orleans schools in1960 to Mari Copeny’s (Little Miss Flint) present-day push for clean water in Flint, Michigan, the efforts of youth activists illuminate them as political actors and change agents who seek to create an equitable world. With the influx of student-activists comes the development of distinct fields of inquiry that analyze their experiences and motivations. This course explores youth activism situated between the “angry decades” (60s &70s) and "age of rage” ( present). While investigating the ways students participate in and construct movements, we will examine how they encourage policy change. As the course centers youths’ voices, we will analyze speeches and written work (e.g., statements, petitions, credos) of activists and place their ideas in conversation with scholarship, popular texts, and media about the myriad ways youth insert themselves in social justice efforts. The course engages youth studies, girlhood studies, and history to develop greater understanding of student activism related to, education, environmental justice, and civil and human rights. As we learn, research, and analyze, we will consider our roles in resistance work on local, national, and global levels and discuss the world(s) that we imagine.
Ebony Perro, Professor of Practice, English| BIO
W 4:00-5:15 p or 5:00-6:15p
Over the course of the academic semester, this course focuses on developing an interdisciplinary understanding of the theories and practices of emotional intelligence as it applies to your transition and success as a first-year student at Tulane. As a TIDES member, you will actively study the theories that emerge from a variety of fields and reflect on their practical, social, and ethical assumptions as well as on their implications in a variety of settings. Through readings, classroom discussions, and episodes of Apple TV’s Ted Lasso, you will gain a greater appreciation for the issues that affect all of us as human beings in relationship with each other.
This course is designed around the three central themes of emotionally intelligent leadership: self, others, context. Each theme will be addressed individually but the course will also examine the interdependence between the three. Course sessions will be dynamic and include a variety of experiential learning, group participation, guest speakers, and activities designed to stimulate thinking and build our capacity and efficacy for affecting change in our own lives and within our community.
Laura Osteen, Assistant Vice President, Campus Life| BIO
Heather Seaman, Director of the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life| BIO
F 10:00-11:15a
New Orleans sits at the edge of the continent on layers of alluvial clays and sand, on a delta barely 5000 years old. The low elevation and shifting nature of the ground has influenced the growth and construction of the city, and provided a resource of clay for building and ceramic art. This class will explore the ground under our feet, examining the makeup of the geology of our city, the river that formed it and some of the ways geography and geology has influenced the growth and character of its neighborhoods. As climate change magnifies the forces that shaped the delta, the natural processes of flooding, erosion and subsidence are accelerating with serious consequences for the New Orleans and South Louisiana. Our environmental exploration will take us out to find and dig local clay, prospecting at the Studio in the Woods and the Carrolton river bank at the “Fly”, experiencing the land in a direct way. The clay we dig will be refined in the ceramics studio and used it to make vessels and other botanical forms inspired by the historic enterprise of Newcomb Pottery. Founded within the Newcomb Art Department in 1896, the Newcomb Pottery enterprise utilized local clays and employed talented women graduates from the Art department, developing unique and beautifully crafted forms that emphasized designs drawn from indigenous plants. Special tours of the Newcomb Art Museum’s collection of the historic pottery will provide models for our own works, made from the clays we dig and fired in the modern kilns of the Newcomb Art Department.
Jeremy Jernegan, Professor, Ceramics| BIO
M or W 12:30-1:45p
In Henry VI, Shakespeare wrote, “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers;” however, “all the lawyers” have avoided being killed since that line was written. Why? From the largest corporate mergers to simple adoptions, and from public policy to the enactment of criminal laws, the need for lawyers is increasing because the law is a central part of our daily lives and the bedrock of a free society. Although the press might occasionally indicate otherwise, lawyers are members of a profession and they get respect, but is being a lawyer really like the popular portrayals on television shows such as Law and Order or in a John Grisham novel? This class will help you explore how one becomes a lawyer and what it is like to be a lawyer.
**This course includes a service learning component**
Sanda Groome, Professor of Practice, Legal Studies| BIO
W 3:00-4:15p
This course will introduce students to research, theories, and practices central to the field of applied positive psychology and the emerging subfield of positive leadership for the purposes of (a) increasing personal and interpersonal well-being and (b) developing positive leadership skills which can be applied within university, business, organizational, civic, and government spheres.
Positive psychology is a relatively new field which asks questions such as: What can scientific research tell us about practices and perspectives that lead to a happier life? What can psychology do to help ordinary people to thrive and flourish? Which practices lead to greater well-being, fulfillment, and life satisfaction? Positive psychology engages such questions by utilizing scientific research methods to identify practices which lead to greater well-being (including positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment). Positive psychologists maintain that (1) flourishing requires more than curing pathology; (2) flourishing requires tapping human strengths and positive capacities; and (3) scientific research methods can help us to identify and refine strategies for flourishing. Topics in positive psychology include positive emotions, hedonic misprediction and adaptation, character strengths, purpose, gratitude, kindness, meditation, nurturing social relationships, exercise, and more.
Positive leadership studies focus on evidence-based approaches to successful leadership and draw on research at the intersection of positive psychology, leadership studies and organizational studies. Topics in positive leadership studies include approaches to well-being, strengths, leadership styles, problem solving (appreciative inquiry vs. pathologizing inquiry), meaning, intrinsic vs. extrinsic value, effective communication, and cultivating and maintaining positive relationships.
This course will provide students with a theoretical and practical introduction to applied positive psychology with a focus on positive leadership. Students will engage in experiential homework in which they will apply strategies for enhancing their own well-being -- and for positively impacting their own leadership initiatives. This course will also expose students to local wellness resources at Tulane and will include a walking tour of the French Quarter exploring New Orleans architecture, history, culture, and cuisine.
Hans Gruenig, Instructor, Philosophy| BIO
T 3:30-4:45p
This course will explore the authority of commissioners as well as the rights and responsibilities of athletes and others in professional sports leagues and college sports. Students will explore disciplinary measures relating to on and off-field misconduct, performance enhancing and recreational drug use, and speech, as well as the impact of sports gambling, discrimination, and other issues with an emphasis on current events. Students will learn about the source and scope of a commissioner’s power, player rights when faced with disciplinary action, league collective bargaining agreement rules, and the types of punishments available. Students will be asked to think critically about the scope of a commissioner’s power in specific cases, to consider desired outcomes from multiple perspectives, and to discuss the propriety of various rules governing player, coach, owner, and fan conduct. Students will gain a basic understanding of the application of law to professional and college sports industries. Students will also learn the essential tenets of negotiation applied in a sports setting and engage in a mock negotiation.
Gabe Feldman, Paul and Abram B. Barron Associate Professor, Law | BIO
Eric Blevins, Sports Law Program Manager, Center for Sport | BIO
R 3:30-4:45p or 5:00-6:15p
As the concept of local foodways becomes entrenched in the growing “foodie” culture of the United States, local food and local dishes become an ever more important marker of place. Whether justified or not, Creole and Cajun food and, of course, the ubiquitous Cocktail, are perceived by many as synonymous with New Orleans. In this course, we will explore the myths and realities of these three key concepts as they apply to food and drink in New Orleans.
Amy George, Senior Professor of Practice, Spanish and Portuguese | BIO
T 4:00-5:15p
In this course, we will come to a better understanding of the role that non-profit organizations play in combating the effects of poverty in the US. We will focus primarily on New Orleans and examine the contributions of non- profits to such efforts as building houses, providing health care, and supporting education. We will also examine the interactions of non-profits and state and local governments. Although we will be considering the broad role that non-profits and community engagement play in the US, we will focus on New Orleans' long-term recovery from hurricane Katrina as well as on the roles that non-profits play in New Orleans outside the context of recovering from Katrina.
**This course includes a service learning component**
Dennis Kehoe, Andrew W. Mellon Professor, Humanities | BIO
R 1:30-2:45p
Successful fight scenes have always played a role in many theater, film and dance performances. Through this course Tulane students will have the opportunity to be exposed to martial-art techniques that can be used for staging combat. They will practice drills, read selected passages and watch film clips that will aid them to stage small fight performance along with their classmates by the end of the semester.
Dimitri Papadopolous, Visiting Instructor, Engineering | BIO
Antony Sandoval, Professor, Theatre and Dance | BIO
T 2:00-3:15p
The Italian Culture in New Orleans" will focus on different facets and components of the Italians in the Crescent city. Special consideration will be given to the discussion of the following topics: New Orleans and the culture of the Italian emigrants, traditions, cuisine, music, fiction and movie rendering of the Italian emigration.
Roberto Nicosia, Professor of Practice, Italian | BIO
M 2:00-3:15p
To many it comes as a surprise that Salsa music was born in New York, but its emphasis on the rhythm of the music, its introduction of electronic instruments and other musical genres fundamentally changed the Cuban Son and Mambo on which it was based. In addition, early salsa was a product of the late 1960’s and 1970’s revolutionary politics and many of classic salsa from this period has complex and interesting critiques of Latin America and the United States. Salsa’s introduction into an international media market was not the first: the Mambo and Cha cha cha’s entry into American culture is portrayed in films like “Dirty Dancing,” and it has been integrated into international ball room dance, like in the Japanese film “Shall We Dance.”
¡Salsa! is comprised of two main approaches to understanding this complex and exciting musical genre. First students read critical texts about the evolution of the genre, some of its many polemics, and the themes that its songs express. The methodology of this course will focus on historical and cultural studies readings discussions, class presentations and short writing assignments. These are designed so that students will gain an understanding of the evolution of the respective genres and of the complexity of the themes that they address.
Salsa music frequently has a hidden beat that many anglo listeners miss. Students will also be treated to music presentations by award winning Cuban music band AsheSon in an attempt to engage their ears in active listening. Finally, salsa can only be understood through dancing it. Through four workshops with Cervantes instructor Aurelio and Linda of the Cervantes Organization students will learn the basic steps, some turns, and then will begin putting them together in an introduction to the Cuban Rueda, a circle dance where couples periodically change partners. The goal of these workshops is a bodily immersion into the cultures that they are studying, and to give students an opportunity to discuss their readings with master practitioners.
Javier Olondo, Adjunct Professor, Music | BIO
W 5:00-6:15p
Are you a songwriter, or someone who is interested in songwriting? In this course students will read articles on songwriting by the songwriters themselves, listen to and analyze successful songs, use techniques that the pros use, and collaborate with each other. There will also be guest lectures by professional songwriters and artist. By the end of the course students will have written original songs and have them critiqued by the other students and the Instructor. Musical ability will be welcome but will not be required.
Mark Carson, Adjunct Professor, Newcomb-Tulane College | BIO
M 2:00-3:15p
The class is about visual pleasure and aesthetic beauty. What makes a picture or painting beautiful? We will examine this question through several disciplines including philosophy, art history and experiential artistic practice. We will consult short readings of the classics answer to this question (e.g. Plato, Kant, Schiller, Delacroix, Hegel, Marx, Heidegger, Freud, Vygotsky, Foucault, Gombrich, Susanne Langer, John Berger, Elaine Scarry, Boris Groys, Clement Greenberg, Laura Malvie) At the same time we will also look at several distinct periods and ask what was beauty at these specific times. I have chosen four such times. The first period is the Northern Renaissance (e.g. Van Eyck, Bosch, Dürer, Bruegel) the second the Baroque (e.g. Velázquez, Rembrandt), the third the impressionists (e.g. Manet, Degas, Cassatt, Monet, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec) the expressionists (Franz Marc, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner) and fourth 20th century art photography. We will examine various concerns that we have with the beautiful. For example, the concern that the love of beauty is at best an evasion from the problems of social reality, at worst a way of legitimizing the status of the rich and powerful. That it is merely a marker of social class (e.g. Bourdieu). That beauty is frivolous, decadent, distracting, and unserious. That there is nothing to describe or to share or give account to this most subjective experience. We will attempt to answer this question by looking to both the experience as well as production of beauty as a kind of temporary emancipation from a life-world experience, a life- world that is limited by material conditions and social factors. We will also look at beauty as a transformative decentering of the self. We will examine deeply Kant’s idea that true beauty is the free play of imagination and understanding in the mind of the audience and therefore can include any theme of topic.
Taking our inspiration both from the philosophers of beauty as well as from the artists we will attempt to capture and frame beauty around us in NOLA. There will be structured weekly tasks in which we will train the eye and mind in finding the aesthetic in some of the most unlikely places, as well as to close viewing. Much of the course will be focused on finding words in writing and speech that attempt to describe and theorize our aesthetic intuitions.
Ari Ofengenden, Professor of Practice, Jewish Studies | BIO
W 4:00-5:15p
Identity and power are often interwoven with community social issues, but may not be openly apparent to the average individual engaging in community service. This course encourages students to first understand their social identities, then the broad range of social issues in New Orleans, to contribute in a meaningful way to the body of work already being done in the New Orleans community. Students will reflect on their own social identities and connect to local non-profits, community organizers, and a broad survey of current issues in New Orleans. By creating a space for meaningful discussions about community involvement, students will examine how social identities and power affect community engagement in New Orleans. This is also a tier 1 service learning course and students will be required to complete at least 20 hours with the selected community partners.
**This course includes a service learning component**
Maurice Smith, Associate Director, Center for Public Service | BIO
