Scholar Societies

New Orleans is home to a thriving contemporary art scene. In the ART NOLA Society, we will visit artists at work in their studios and explore the city's rich cultural heritage on display in its galleries and museums. We will also engage in creative activities that will nurture and provoke our own artistic expression.

Dr. Lyle Colombo, Adjunct Professor |  BIO

Required Course

ARHS 1020-01 Art Survey II: Renaissance to the Present
Dr. Stephanie Porras | TR 9:30-10:45a

An introduction to the history of Western European and American painting, sculpture and architecture from the Renaissance through the baroque, rococo, and early modern periods to the late 20th century. Considers issues including technique, style, iconography, patronage, historical context, and art theory.

*Completes NTC Core in Global Perspectives AND Aesthetics & Creative Arts.

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COLQ 1020-12 In the Company of Dogs
Dr. Donata Henry; Norah Lovell | M 2:00-3:15p

Humans have a symbiosis with dogs that has coevolved over more than 14,000 years. Dogs are arguably the most highly integrated, intelligent, and socialized of our domesticated animals and dogs have continuously been the subject matter of art from prehistory to contemporary art. How has this come to be? What is the role of art in shaping our understanding of dogs and interspecies communication? Co-taught by an artist and a scientist, our colloquium delves into the unique relationships between dogs and humans, exploring many facets of our long history…from art and culture to evolution, behavior, and ecology. We aim to dig deeper into our understanding of dogs through an interdisciplinary lens of art and science and appreciate them not just as pets, but as critical to the human story.  These themes will be introduced through foundational and modern works from poetry to painting, and activities such as dog walks in the park, a dog-drawing lesson, visits to Tulane Rare Books Collections and campus galleries and class visits from artists, scientists, and student representatives from TUSTEP (Tulane University Service-Dog Training and Education Program) The colloquium culminates with a collaborative zine project.

COLQ 1020-13 Creativity
Dr. Ryder Thornton | T 11:00-12:15p

This seminar focuses on the creative process as a psychological tool that serves both artists and non-artists. Engagement with the work of artists in exhibition and performance will heighten students’ appreciation and comprehension of creativity. Texts will cover theories of creativity and its relation to positive psychology. Beginning with Csikszentmihalyi's concept of “flow,” we will examine intrinsic motivation and the defining characteristics of the creative state. How does creativity happen? What distinguishes it from novelty? Why does it bring us joy? We will also investigate the psychological concept of happiness and its relationship with the creative process. The seminar will consist of lectures, exercises, field trips, and first-hand experience with artists and non-artists discussing their creative process. Excursions include attending concerts, theatre, museums, and dance performances. For the final project, students will interview a creative individual in professional field of their choice.

This society conducts two book-related events/term, such as a Graveyard Poets reading in the fall and a formal dinner with a Tulane Creative Writing professor in the spring. The society also assists in the coordination of book related events in the English Department (e.g. the annual Ferguson Lecture) and across campus. We also gather less formally for discussions of books that the members are currently reading, either curricularly or extracurricularly. Some prospective events include a graveyard poet’s reading and a formal dinner with a creative writing professor.

Dr. Mike Kuczynski, Professor, English |  BIO

Required Courses

ENLS 2000-01 Literary Investigations
Dr. Katherine Adams | TR 11:00-12:15p

An introduction to the analysis and interpretation of literary texts; the relevance of literature to individuals, communities, and nations; and the critical thinking, writing, and research skills used in literary study. Topics include critical approaches to interpretation; formal qualities of texts; historical, political, and social contexts; and relationships to other forms of expression. Each section investigates literature through specific issues, themes, or topics. 4000-level courses assume familiarity with skills, methods, and terms of literary analysis covered in ENLS 2000. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1010*, 1011 or 1020. * May be taken concurrently.

*Completes NTC Core Textual & Historical Perspectives OR Tier-1 Writing.

**Will Cover T1 Writing if bringing in ENGL 1010 credit from AP/IB/transfer.

COLQ 1020-05 Impossible Mothers
Dr. Brian Horowitz | W 12:00-1:15p

This seminar will examine the ways in which gender and women are presented by the authors of the Hebrew Bible, and in later Jewish or Israeli texts. Among the central questions in the seminar will be: Is there a general prejudice against women in the Jewish tradition? What roles are given to women; can we speak about equality between the genders? Are women portrayed as powerful or powerless, and what are the implications of our answer? How do modern women react to the misogyny of Biblical texts? In what ways do women “fight back”? Among our readings will be excerpts from the Bible and Babylonian Talmud, the diary of Glückel of Hameln, Paula Wengeroff’s autobiography, Sylvia Plath, the poetry of Rachel and Leah Goldberg, and contemporary authors such as Orly Castel-Bloom.

In the Cultural Engagement Scholar Society, we’ll visit art and history museums, independent movie theatres, and attend live theater productions on and off-campus. Some prospective events include a visit to the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), a trip to the WWII Museum, a private evening tour of the Newcomb Art Museum, and an outing to the Broad Theater.

Dr. Karissa Haugeberg, Associate Professor, History |  BIO

*Note for ARCH students: course times may conflict with ARCH 1011 MWF 9-12 studio course

Required Course

HISU 2001-01 History of the 21st Century: 9/11 to Now
Dr. Jana Lipman | MWF 9:00-9:50a

*Completes NTC Core Global Perspectives AND EITHER Textural & Historical Perspectives OR Tier-1 Writing.

**Will Cover T1 Writing if bringing in ENGL 1010 credit from AP/IB/transfer.

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COLQ 1020-08 Art on the Margins
Dr. Isa Murdock | R 11:00-12:15p

This course investigates practices in New Orleans art that interrogate dominant systems of representation. It examines how artists in New Orleans rely on and devise strategies that confront, appropriate, subvert, and queer the meanings, aims, and experiences of conventional art practices. These may include shifts in the content of a work and its audience to methods by which it is produces, its formal properties, and its reception. The focus of the class will include analyses of practices of documentation, re-appropriation, abstraction, mining the archive, and camp (among others). Directly connected to questions of marginalization of certain artistic voice and art practices are—of course—inquiries into whether attempts to dislodge and reconfigure dominant systems results merely in the consumption of those works and their integration into larger system or whether they have the potential to destabilize those systems. The class will include a number of talks by New Orleans artists, visits to New Orleans museums and other art spaces.

COLQ 1020-01 Objective Data
Dr. Alexis Culotta, Sierra Polisar | T 1:00-2:15p

Museums and galleries can inspire awe with the objects and materials they put on display. From the histories of their making, through their preservation over time, objects in museum collections tell stories and reflect larger legacies of movements and change. It is the role of museum staff to extrapolate themes and concepts from their collections, collating information and different interpretations which are recorded in museum databases. Databases allows museums to document objects, but what more can their data do? Can data help museums reevaluate the significance of their objects and collections as a whole? Does the data alone tell a story? And does it come with its own limitations and biases? In this TIDES course, students will have the opportunity to investigate the benefits, challenges, and constraints of managing museum’s collection data. Following a brief grounding in the history of museum collections from both an art historical and a collections management perspective, students will progress through weekly conversations and site visits that illuminate the practicalities, perks, and pitfalls that can emerge at the intersections of historical materials and data analysis. Alongside these components, students in this course will gain “hands on” access to a selection of objects from the Newcomb Art Museum (NAM) as they work to research and draft thematic object checklists as a capstone to our course that can potentially be published as a resource for others on campus.

From public policy to popular culture, gender impacts the way we think about the world and our place in it. This society centers feminist approaches to literature, film, and public life in New Orleans and beyond. We will read and discuss essays from contemporary authors like Roxanne Gay and Brit Bennet, attend events in the city like the New Orleans Film Festival, and engage with feminist and activist community partners. We’ll talk about how to move from thinking about feminism to becoming more engaged citizens and members of the Tulane and New Orleans community. In the spring, we’ll explore the politics of Carnival with discussions and events that consider how gender performance shapes both the Mardi Gras ball and parading traditions. Prospective events include a tour of a neuroscience research laboratory, a discussion of psychoactive drugs, and an exploration of strategies for deeper learning.

Dr. Aidan Smith, Adjunct Professor, Women and Gender Studies |  BIO

*Note for ARCH students: course times may conflict with ARCH 1011 MWF 9-12 studio course

Required Courses

GESS 1900-01 Sex, Power, & Culture
Dr. Krystal Cleary | TR 11:00-12:15p

This course invites students to learn the skills necessary to identify, analyze, and ultimately transform the cultural, social, and political forces that shape and are shaped by sex and sexuality. Approaching sexuality as a system of norms, values, beliefs, and patterns of interaction, students will learn how sexuality intersects with with gender, race, age, ethnicity, religion, ability, and other axes of power and privilege. Students will be introduced to the current body of empirical data and theory to identify how these intersecting systems of power take shape in patterns of human interaction such as forming relationships, dating rituals and sexual scripts, and interpersonal conflict and violence. In sum, students will develop the skills to 1) analyze how their own interpersonal and intimate relationships are embedded within and constitutive of broader systems of power and 2) how to work individually and collectively to change them.

*Completes NTC Core Race & Inclusion AND Social & Behavioral Sciences.

GESS 1901-01 Sex, Power, & Culture Discussion
Dr. Krystal Cleary | F 9:00-9:50a

Discussion section for GESS 1900.

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COLQ 1020-11 Reproductive Politics in New Orleans
Dr. Clare Daniel | W 1:00-2:15p

From sex education for middle and high schoolers to nutrition assistant for impoverished new parents, the phrase "reproductive politics" encompasses far more than debates over abortion and contraception. This course explores American studies scholar Laura Briggs' claim that "all politics [are] reproductive politics," with a particular focus on the political and legal realities of reproductive life in the city of New Orleans.

**This course includes a service-learning component**

COLQ 1020-09 Writing New Orleans
Dr. Beau Boudreaux | W 4:00-5:15p

A student adopts and inhabits a new city, becoming native. Keep a journal of New Orleans. Write it down! Take moments, ideas to reflect the experience among peers living in the Crescent City. Write lyrics, letters, and poems discussed during workshops in class and on excursions in the city. Become thoughtful...listen, read, write, and converse through language. A journal may recollect moments in tranquility or may take the form of day-to-day experience.

During particular classes we will write about riding the streetcar, trips in Audubon Park, and on the levee by the Mississippi river. Students will keep a journal and participate in a writer’s workshop. There are no examinations.

The human brain has a hundred billion neurons interlinked by a hundred trillion connections, relaying trillions more electrical and chemical signals during each second of your life. Out of this vast communication web emerges your every movement, sensation, urge, thought, decision, and dream. Today, there is no more exciting field than the study of the brain and its impact on our behaviors. The Gray Matter Society provides Honors Scholars with the opportunity to learn more about the fields of Neuroscience and Psychology as thriving sciences and potential career paths. Monthly events are led by faculty members and focus on a variety of brain-related questions such as (1) What do Neuroscience and Psychology tell us about the best strategies for studying and learning? (2) How do psychoactive drugs influence our brains and our behaviors? (3) What biological factors underlie psychological conditions such as anxiety, depression, and attention deficit disorder? In addition, guest faculty members provide valuable guidance for Scholars in planning their majors and future careers in academia, medicine, and other fields.

Dr. Jonathan Fadok, Assistant Professor, Psychology |  BIO

*Note for ARCH students: course times may conflict with ARCH 1011 MWF 9-12 studio course

Required Courses

PHIL 2030 Minds, Machines, Experiences
Dr. Kevin Morris | MWF 11:00-11:50a

Introduction to philosophical issues in the study of mind and consciousness. Topics include: the place of mind in the natural world, mechanism and thoughts; computer intelligence; consciousness and the mind-body problem; mental causation and explanation.

*Completes NTC Core Textual & Historical Perspectives OR Tier-1 Writing core requirements.

**Will cover T1 Writing if bringing in ENGL 1010 credit from AP/IB/transfer.

**This course has an optional service-learning component.**

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COLQ 1020 Psychology of Social Media
Dr. Carrie Wyland | W 2:00-2:50p

In our current world, more and more of our social interactions are becoming virtual. In light of this, psychological research has begun to explore the effect of social media on psychological processes. In this seminar, we will discuss how social media has transformed our society, our relationships, and our selves. We will consider both the negative effects, such as lowered self-esteem and depression, as well as the positive effects, such as social networking and digital altruism. We will read current empirical research addressing some of the psychology behind social media, examine journalistic coverage of the effects of social media, as well as explore various social media sites directly. The seminar will aim to be a balance between discussion of personal experience and opinions with scientific research and theory.

COLQ 1020-03 Science, Technology, and Society
Dr. Khaled Adjerid | T 12:30-1:45p

Those interested in and pursuing STEM fields have often felt like they were exempt from the conversation on society. They have often been excluded from discussions regarding the ethical implications of the progress that they pay a key role in. In this class, we will use various lenses to view the technical advancements in big data, science and engineering, including those that you may be working on in the coming four years. We will examine the global, societal, economic, and environmental implications of subjects such as ethics of big data, AI, social media, digital media, large scale engineering projects, scientific research, medicine and big pharma, and more, focusing on examples found in the NOLA area. The topics will be brought to life by local guest speakers from local organizations such as Glass Half Full or Green Light NOLA as well as trips to one or more of the following: NASA Michoud, Mardi Gras World, the Superdome, and a Flood Abatement Pumping Station.

The tools and technologies used in technological advancements, including healthcare, are often designed for well-resourced settings. In our society, we will explore how those technologies work (or don’t work) in the rest of the world, starting here at home in New Orleans. In this scholarly society, we consider locations that may not have the same resources as we do in most of the USA, especially considering the implications of healthcare tools and technologies designed for both diverse environments and diverse populations. We will explore innovations and innovators who are making contributions in this field. Conservation with faculty members at Tulane, discussion of inspiring stories of technological innovation, as well as online meetings with innovators in global health will provide topics for discussion of ways to incorporate design for all. Some prospective events include a screening of healthcare and technology related documentary films, and a trip to the Mobile Medical Museum or the WWII Museum. Dr. Green will also facilitate several conversations on topics relevant to innovation in engineering for global health and technology.

Dr. Mykel Green, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering | BIO

Required Courses

PHIL 1050-01 Medical Ethics
Instructor To Be Announced | TR 9:30-10:45a

This is an introductory course to Medical Ethics and focuses on the major ethical principles and values related to several aspects of life and death. In the first part of the course, we will examine case studies, the second part of the course will be focused on ethical and conceptual questions regarding the nature and significance of autonomy, decisional capacity, and informed consent, and the third part will be focused on issues relating to social justice, equality, and equity in the practice of medicine. 

*Will provide framework for further studies in philosophy and/or preparation for human perspective of medical work.

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COLQ 1020-02 Crescent City Conundrum
Emily Harris | R 2:00-3:15p

Health is influenced by factors beyond one's genetics. The social determinants of health - where we are born, raised, work, and play - contribute to our overall health. Inequities in these determinants lead to inequities in health. In this TIDES course we will look at New Orleans through the lens of social determinants of health and the health care institutions that have served the people in this community. We will explore the history of New Orleans to understand the social, economic, and racial disparities that impact our residents' health and wellbeing today. Finally, we will look to the future and see what's on the agenda for improving the health of New Orleanians.

COLQ 1020-10 Running and the Imagination
Dr. Thom Luongo | W 3:00-4:15p

This colloquium explores running as an activity of the embodied imagination. Students will be expected to think deeply about how running and other physical activities engage our imaginations and shape our identities and relationships to the world. Each student will develop deeper ways of asking the question, “why do we run?”—and perhaps come to some answers. We will read and discuss some works of literary fiction and memoir that use running to explore the relationship between the physical activity of running and characters’ identities and imaginations; some non-fiction explorations of the careers of great runners and the relationship between the inner-life and running; and some texts that explore the relationship between running and social and racial identity. We will also discuss running as a practice, including introductions to local routes and races (for those interested) and theories of training.

The service-learning component of the course will partner students with local young runners through Youth Run Nola. In the process of supporting Youth Run Nola’s mission, students will also develop insights into the different ways in which these young runners’ imaginations are shaped by physical activities and consider how the different social situations and community experiences of their running partners shapes their experience of physical activity and of themselves as embodied imaginations. Differences between how the younger runners view physical activity and how the students approach running will ideally help students reflect on their social positions and what running means to them.

**This course includes a service-learning component**

Before the first Europeans arrived, around 40 distinct indigenous groups intermingled in Bulbancha, or what we now know as New Orleans. Today, regardless of their geographical location or sociopolitical situation, health indicators are always poorer for indigenous populations when compared to the general population. This society will examine New Orleans through a biocultural framework, with a focus on issues confronting indigenous people. Students will meet with indigenous scholars and leaders, and visit an indigenous community impacted by climate change. Other prospective events will be film screenings, a Decolonized Walk of Bulbancha tour, and visits to cultural institutions that have roots in pre-colonial times. These experiences and scholarship will enable students to identify a paradigm oriented towards enhancing health equity through the pathways of research, advocacy, and leadership.

Dr. Lorelei Cropley, Associate Professor, Public Health |  BIO

*Note for ARCH students: course times may conflict with ARCH 1011 MWF 9-12 studio course

Required Courses

NAIS 1101-01 Native America: Introduction
Dr. Judith Maxwell | MWF 9:00-9:50a

Though only 0.9% of the US population, Native Americans have played and continue to play an important part in American society. Largely invisibilized by the foregrounding of other ethnic minority groups, Native Americans in the US struggle for recognition (federal, state, and local), for survival as cultural groups (cf. Ile de Jean Charles evacuation/resettlement), and for basic rights (legal protections, religious freedom, education, health services, and subsistence). While focusing primarily on Native American groups in the US, this course will explore the histories of indigenous peoples. Vignettes of the cultures, languages, philosophies and lifeways of indigenous Americans provide the backdrop for coming to know the modern autochthonous peoples.

*Completes NTC Core in both Race & Inclusion AND Social & Behavioral Sciences

COLQ 1020-07 Indian Tribes on the Bayou
Dr. Laura Kelley | T 3:30-4:45p

Want to explore the wilds of Louisiana outside of New Orleans? Try some alligator meat, shrimp caught fresh from the sea or, in general, explore another side of Louisiana's rich cultural heritage- then this class is for you! The far-reaching impact of Native American Tribes of the lower Mississippi Valley on shaping Louisiana history is among the least explored subjects among the otherwise well-documented rich history of Louisiana. Recent and ongoing research shows that without the “Petit Nations’”, as some of the Tribes were called, the history of this region would have been quite different. This course offers students the rare opportunity to participate in on-going, important research that entails working directly with Tribal members. In addition, students will have the opportunity to take a trip conducted by Tribal members down the bayous as they give a tour of their ancestral lands as well as explore other areas of Louisiana outside of New Orleans while also tasting some of the food native to Louisiana. An experience not to be missed!

**This course includes a service-learning component**

Tulane was founded as a medical school. How have medicine and public health affected New Orleans? How does New Orleans' history, location, and culture affect the health issues of the city? This society will address health in New Orleans from a medical, public health, and historical perspective. We’ll focus on visiting places around New Orleans with medical and public health significance, such as the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, the Carville Leper Colony, the Tulane Medical School, the yellow fever chapel and cemeteries, and the Culinary Medicine center.

Dr. Emily Harville, Associate Professor, Epidemiology |  BIO

Required Course

MUSC 2410-01 American Music
Dr. Kyle Decoste | TR 2:00-3:15p

A survey of music in the United States from the early colonial period to jazz, rock, art music, and hip hop. The course traces the widely varied paths taken by music in the United States and shows how the three spheres of folk, popular, and classical music have continually interacted to form a variegated whole. Lectures move from genre to genre, situating each in its historical and sociological context.

*Completes NTC Core Aesthetics & Creative Arts.

Choose One

COLQ 1020-04 Causes and Consequences of Sea Level Rise
Dr. Keena Kareem | M 12:00-1:15p

Earth’s surface is dynamic, with the processes of plate tectonics interacting with a atmospheres and oceans. Climate changes in response to the creation and removal of mountain belts and rifts, volcanic eruptions, orbital forcings, and human activity, result in a feedback system that enhances or diminishes global temperature. As global temperatures rise, polar ice sheets melt, and the meltwater causes sea level rise at a global scale. Yet, the majority of humans live or work along Earth’s coastlines, which respond to sea level rise in a variety of ways. Sea level rise, therefore, poses tremendous financial risk to coastal communities, and is already provoking resettlements and expensive mitigation. This Colloquium offers students the opportunity to consider the response of Louisiana’s coast within a global context, and to compare and contrast the coastal response in this region with tropical and arctic examples. We focus on a review of the Earth-ocean-atmosphere system, data constraining sea level rise, evidence for the regional variations in rates of sea level rise, economic, societal, and strategic implications of land-loss and increasing severity of storms, and discuss geo-engineering projects for Louisiana and other areas worldwide.

COLQ 1020-19 NOLA Cities of the Dead

Heather Knight | 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.

The Science of Happiness Society will directly connect scholarly theories and research on happiness and wellbeing to our everyday lived experiences. Happiness is something humans universally strive for and in recent decades we have learned more and more about the biology, psychology, and sociology of happiness. This society will explore the big question of “What makes us happy?” through a lens of science, while also directly addressing how we can promote a culture of flourishing. Join us as we discuss this topic, hear from interdisciplinary guest speakers, and have experiences that positively affect personal and community wellbeing. Some possible events include volunteering (promoting kindness), field trips to museums/galleries/the zoo (creating awe), picnics in the park (connecting with nature), yoga (practicing mindfulness), writing letters and postcard (experiencing gratitude). This society is for anyone who wants to learn more about wellbeing while implementing practices that are scientifically supported to promote flourishing in your own life.

Dr. Alexandra Zaballero Sims, Senior Professor of Practice, Psychology |  BIO

*Note for ARCH students: course times may conflict with ARCH 1011 MWF 9-12 studio course

Required Course

ANTH 1020-02 Cultural Anthropology
Claudia Chávez Argüelles | MWF 10:00-10:50a

The observed range of variation of ways of life around the world. The cross-cultural investigation of becoming and being human. Comparative treatment of social organization, subsistence activities, values, and religion.

*Completes NTC Core in both Social & Behavioral Sciences AND Global Perspectives.

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COLQ 1020-20 Cultural Nutrition and Wellness
Dr. Liz Abboud | W 2:00-3:15p

Welcome! As a member of the Tulane community, you are also now a part of the larger New Orleans community. In a city with such rich cultural roots, there is a vast expanse of health and wellness options throughout the city. From access to nutritionally complete foods or more esoteric resources, such as mind-body connections, this course is designed to introduce students to overall health and wellness needs and availabilities across New Orleans. In addition to exploring health and wellness resources, we also delve into facilitated discussions surrounding the experiences of a first-year college student, such as vulnerability, connection, self-awareness, mindfulness, and integrity.

**This course includes a service-learning component**

COLQ 1020-18 Mindfulness: Self & Emotions
Dr. Ngawang Legshe | W 5:00-6:15p

This class introduces different mindfulness techniques, application of mindfulness practices in understanding destructive emotions and cultivating positive emotions. Mindfulness techniques cover intentional cultivation of non-judgmental, non-reactive, present-moment awareness, bare attention and concentration. Concentration and mindfulness exercises will be practically studied and evaluated. Students will enhance their experience of awareness, clarity, and empathy. Students will also learn coping skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia. Students will be required to participate in daily mindfulness practices: self-awareness, identification of destructive emotions, logical and mindful responses, and compassionate living. The course will critically analyze mindfulness-based research articles and introduce to how to integrate different mindfulness techniques in research applications. Information will be based on recent scientific research and ancient Tibetan contemplative practices.

**This course has an optional service-learning component.**
 

We will explore how different regions in the world developed economically. What was the role of geographical features like the quality of land, the abundance of domesticable animals, and natural resources in agricultural productivity? Has the effect of geographical features persisted to affect the development of countries today? What was the role of economic institutions for development? How have property rights and laws governing economic arrangements played a role in the growth of some regions or countries? How did the economy work in some ancient civilizations like the Incas or the Aztecs. More recently, how have major policy initiatives affected development? For example, how did the increase in world trade affect developing countries? Which government policies have worked best and worst to improve the development of nations? We will also study briefly the economic development of the city of New Orleans.

Dr. Felix Rioja, Associate Professor, Economics |  BIO

Required Course

PSDV 2400-01 Intro to International Development
Dr. Emily Rains | TR 12:30-1:45p

This course introduces students to the notion and history of “international development” and examines the different theories and strategies of development that have evolved in the last seventy years. We address the many challenges that the global community is facing in its efforts to reduce poverty in an equitable and sustainable manner. We then tackle varied thematic issues and goals of development such as understanding multifaceted poverty, improving health and education outcomes, and building sustainable cities, which provide students with opportunities to apply the theories under study along with exploring possible solutions. Altman students in the PSDV major or minor may substitute ISIB 3010 for PSDV 2400.

*Completes NTC Core in both Social & Behavioral Sciences AND Global Perspectives.

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COLQ 1020-17 or COLQ 1020-21 The Art of Management
Ashley Nelson | M 5:00-6:15p or W 5:00-6:15p

This course introduces students to the business world by critically examining the art of management. The course's objective is to introduce students to basic business concepts, develop a plan for their field of study, and have fun in the process. In the end, students will better understand how to connect an academic plan to a career, work in groups and network, and become socially responsible.

The World Languages and Cultures Society gives students the opportunity to discover new languages and cultures, to meet international faculty member and students, to practice their foreign language skills, and to develop their intercultural competence. The Society will hold monthly events that will put a different country and language in the spotlight. Each event will start with a general introduction to the culture and language of a country and will be followed by a social gathering where society members will meet and interact with faculty members and students from this country. The countries and languages will be: France & French; Morocco & Arabic; Nigeria & Yoruba; China & Chinese; Mexico & Spanish.

Dr. Charles Mignot, Senior Professor of Practice, French and Italian |  BIO

Required Course

MUSC 2420-01 World Musics
Dr. Daniel Sharp | TR 11:00a-12:15p

An overview of the field of ethnomusicology and the types of issues and concerns that have guided the research of world music within that field. A number of selected musical case studies from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas that illuminate the differences between Western musics and their counterparts in other parts of the world. Particular interest will be given to the way in which cultural, social, and religious beliefs have informed stylistic, performance practice, and aesthetic development in other parts of the world as a means of reflecting about the same types of connections in Western music.

*Completes NTC Core in both Aesthetics & Creative Arts AND Global Perspectives.

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COLQ 1020-15 Tolkien as Translator
Dr. Marc Zender | F 4:00-5:15p

While many have enjoyed J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings as an epic novel, few readers are aware of the fundamentally linguistic and anthropological nature of Tolkien’s writing. As Oxford Professor of Anglo-Saxon, Tolkien was intimately familiar with the Germanic languages, their history, and their epic literatures. Because of his background, he went far beyond the invention of a few strange-sounding names for the characters and places of his world, instead developing a detailed proto-language (Common Eldarin) and following its development into two distinct but related Elvish tongues, Quenya and Sindarin. He also invented Khuzdul (Dwarvish), the Black Speech, Adûnaic (Númenórean) and Sôval Phârë (The Common Speech). Importantly, he assumed a role of translator of The Lord of the Rings, employing English archaisms and dialects to reflect the varying speech styles of his characters, their relative social status, and their complex interrelationships. Old English, Old Norse, and Gothic were all employed to accurately reflect the degree of kinship characters, places and languages had to the ‘Common Speech’.

In this course, we study the role of language in The Lord of the Rings, applying concepts and perspectives from linguistic anthropology to shed light on Tolkien’s methods and purpose as the ‘translator’ of Middle-earth. Students are introduced to Tolkien's invented languages (and their real-world inspirations) and two of his invented alphabets. An appreciation of the linguistic foundations of Middle-earth greatly increases one's understanding of Tolkien’s achievement, and provides insights into one linguist’s view of the intricate and interdependent relationships of language, culture, and society.

COLQ 1020-16 Talking New Orleans
Dr. Nathalie Dajko | F 9:00-10:15a

Do you know how to pronounce New Orleans the right way? Do you make groceries or wrench your dishes in the zink? You’ll learn to talk like an insider in this class that looks at the history, development, and current diversity of New Orleans English!We’ll start by taking an overview of the New Orleans (and by extension Louisiana’s) linguistic history, starting with the indigenous people who occupied the place called Bulbancha at the time of European arrival. We’ll then examine the arrival of Europeans and Africans: the languages they brought with them and the new one(s) they created here. You’ll get hands-on experience collecting and analyzing linguistic data as you explore modern New Orleans, talking to locals, attending festivals and participating in the exciting culture this city has to offer. By the end of the semester, you’ll be able to say what it really means to sound New Orleans!