Spring Gap Semester Elective 2028
12 - 15 credits
Select a Program
Jump toPortraiture in Greece and Rome was a vital currency of social interaction and public engagement – across gender, class, location and context. As new archaeological data and research methodologies are transforming our understanding of its form and impact, the field is one of the most vibrant of ancient art. The course will discuss all aspects of what made a portrait: facial characteristics, hairstyles, body types, and clothing, as well as the inscribed base and placement. It will do so with a keen awareness of the developments and experimentations of the medium over time. The course will investigate themes like the uses of male and female portraits in public, the use of type-associations and role models, and the choices of statue types and status indicators. It will ask questions about who commissioned works, about workshop practices and distribution, and about the visual impact of techniques and form for the viewer, as well as why some portraits were destroyed or reworked.
This course is about the art of writing about art, and surveys notable examples. As in any historical study, our understanding of art history is filtered through specific writings. These writings can to be appreciated in themselves for their sensitivity, originality, and craft, and also evaluated critically. In this course we search out authors who achieve sensitive description of works of art of many diverse styles and periods, who vividly communicate the intellectual and emotional responses triggered by visual experience, and who skillfully delineate art’s historical and cultural context. This course is appropriate for beginners in art history.
The course is designed to introduce students to the history of museums and to curating practices. Classes will discuss the cultural position of the museum, the evolution of its function, the different forms of display, the historical developments of the act of collecting, the position of the visitor and the role of the curator. The primary purpose of the course is to provide students with a critical vocabulary for understanding how museums produce knowledge and structure the ways in which history, geography, cultural difference, and social hierarchies are mapped. Through a series of richly detailed case studies related to ancient and contemporary Rome museums, collections and institutions, classes will investigate the differences between the roles, the missions, the objectives, and the policies of conservation and exhibition-making in spaces, relating to modalities of thought. The course also intends to introduce the figure of the curator and its development from conservator and classifier to creative, critical protagonist of contemporary art culture. The course concludes with an overview of current debates around the contemporary need for museums, and large scale exhibition (such as Biennials and Triennials) and their perceived social functions
The course is an introduction to Environmental Archaeology and Paleoclimatology, the studies of the interactions between humans and environment. Human history (like settlement-patterns, migration, and economies) depended on environmental factors, and, in turn, humans had an impact on the landscapes they were living in. The course will examine the composite archaeological approaches to this: The studies of Earth, Fauna, and Flora collectively known as Environmental Archaeology, as well as Palaeoclimatological analyses of long-term patterns and variations in temperature and humidity; all factors that strongly conditioned the environment. The course is a critical engagement with the primary data, as well as with the scientific and archaeological approaches and the research of the fields.
The course addresses the skills, methods and issues essential to building the future Art Historians tool kit. To this end, it develops simultaneously on three levels: immersing students in progressively complex assignments and exams; getting students to practice art history as an issue-based analysis of objects; providing students with the historical and methodological frameworks specific to the field. The course lays the foundation for looking at, understanding and working in the visual arts. The material corpus that the course draws on is primarily Early Modern Europe and the Americas, across a period roughly between AD 1400-1750.
The course addresses the skills, methods and issues essential to building the future Art Historian’s tool kit. To this end, it develops simultaneously on three levels: immersing students in progressively complex assignments and exams; getting students to practice art history as an issue-based analysis of objects; providing students with the historical and methodological frameworks specific to the field. The course lays the foundation for looking at, understanding and working in the visual arts. The material corpus that the course draws on is primarily the Medieval Mediterranean and Western Asia, across a period roughly between AD 400-1400.
This course surveys the art and architecture of the Islamic world from the 7th to the 13th centuries. The phenomenal rise and establishment of Islamic civilization in three continents- Asia, Africa and Europe- in this period is studied through monumental religious and secular architecture and its applied decoration from mosaics to stucco and wall paintings and through painted ceramics, carved wood and ivories, metalwork, illuminated manuscripts, and embroidered and woven textiles. The form and function of buildings and artifacts, their changing patterns of use and their evolving meanings are examined in their original social, political, religious, and cultural contexts. One of the primary aims is to become familiar with the regional diversity of medieval Islamic visual culture and so also to consider what issues are involved in studying a tradition that flourished in several geographical areas, encompassing a variety of cultures and national and ethnic identities. Two special areas of focus are the urban design and architecture of Islamic medieval centers such as Cairo and Islamic court culture which, often centered around royal palaces such as Madinat al-Zahra in Spain, produced some of the most outstanding luxury arts of the Middle Ages.
Rome City Series – An on-site survey of Roman urbanism, as well as developments in figural media and architecture, from the 4th to the 14th century. While the course will naturally emphasize the abundant religious art remaining in the city, it will also examine such secular achievements as towers, housing, defenses, and roads. On site activity fee applies.
Michelangelo (1475-1564) was one of the most famous and influential artists in his own time and has continued to be ever since. This seems reason enough to examine his work in detail as it forms an essential facet for understanding not only Italian Renaissance art but art in general, as many of the issues involved in trying to comprehend his imagery are applicable throughout art history. The course will have a global monographic approach, meaning that the artists entire output will be discussed and analyzed from an array of historical, thematic and methodological points of view. The aim is to arrive at an understanding of Michelangelos visual thinking and communicative processes and their development and influence. Along with classroom lectures and site visits in Rome, there will be a required overnight trip to Florence. Mandatory field trip classes may require a fee.
This upper level seminar/practicum provides rigorous, practical preparation for the writing of professional art-historical research papers, including the Senior Thesis, through four discrete units: an individual portfolio review; a research tools and methods seminar; intensive, directed bibliographic research; and the formulation of a presentation to the class on the thesis topic, together with a new ‘foundation’ portfolio demonstrating mastery of the research skills, competencies, and bibliography necessary for advanced art-historical research writing. The course is intended for JCU Degree Seeking students, but advanced visiting students studying Art History are welcome.
The aim of this course is to provide the theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary to conceive, plan and produce a creative photographic project. Each student will work on a photography research project that may concern: nature photography, architecture, portraiture, fashion and beauty, photojournalism, landscape, etc. Students should already have a basic competence in black and white photography including developing and printing techniques and will experience advanced creative darkroom techniques. Further instruction will involve the use of Photo Shop software for the digital manipulation of images. Assignments will help students to begin to acquire specific skills and knowledge sought in the professional workplace.
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This course is meant for students who wish to deepen their knowledge in the field of corporate identity and branding. It will address how to respond to technical and communication requirements of a design brief, develop visual concepts, create a system of graphical elements that form the basis of an identity, and define a strategy for a brand. The course will also consider the professional standards of preparing artwork for print. The course requires good competence in visual communication and expertise in the major Graphic Design programs.
Textiles and fiber are crucial to today’s conceptual and technical creative practices. This studio-based course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, traditions and applications of fiber and to their relationships to contemporary art and design. Projects engage with the historical relevance of fibers, its relationship to issues such as labor, identity, decoration, and functionality. These are taken to be vehicles to explore the use of textiles and fiber within the expanded field of contemporary art and design. Emphasis is placed on researching and developing creative ideas through material sampling and exploration of surface and structure. Students investigate dyeing, printing, weaving and manipulation of fabric to investigate imagery, color and form
In the digital era, independent, experimental, self-produced video art has become a widespread, even dominant, phenomenon that is visible in art galleries, museums, and other venues throughout the world. This course in video and video art will greatly increase students’ awareness of the possibilities offered by new inexpensive technologies not only to create simple clips to post on various social network sites, but also to make true, creative, artistic works. The course includes in-depth study of the basic aspects of both video shooting and subsequent elaboration at the computer using software such as Final Cut.
EN 110 with a grade of C or above.
Writers’ Room is an immersive workshop-style course that places students in the shoes of a television writer working to break a season’s worth of story and write a screenplay that advances the program’s plot and develops its themes while maintaining characterization and tone consistent with the vision of the showrunner. Students will learn how to pitch ideas, collaborate with others writers (giving and taking notes) and express themselves in the voice of the show. The course covers the economic, historical, and aesthetic foundations of contemporary television writing and production and will prepare students to evaluate, develop, and pitch series ideas for episodic television, evaluate and develop episode ideas in a collaborative working environment in line with the tone of the show and produce effective written material (pitches, summaries, show bibles, screenplays) that adhere to professional standards.
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The objective of this course is to expose students to the environment of business-to-business (B2B) marketing from a global perspective, with emphasis on how it differs from the consumer (B2C) marketing context. Concepts, models and analytical tools are studied in the areas of business-to business marketing analysis and strategy; managing business-to-business marketing processes; and putting business-to-business marketing into practice.
A dramatically new form of marketing has emerged. Recent years have witnessed the use of such terms as subversive marketing, disruptive marketing, radical marketing, guerrilla marketing, viral marketing, and expeditionary marketing. This course represents an attempt to bring together these perspectives by providing an integrative framework called entrepreneurial marketing (EM). With EM, marketing is approached not as a set of tools (a technology) for facilitating transactions or responding to change, but as a vehicle for fundamentally redefining products, services, and markets in ways that produce a sustainable competitive advantage. EM represents a strategic type of marketing built around six core elements: innovation, calculated risk-taking, resource leveraging, strategic flexibility, customer intensity, and the creation of industry change. Conditions in the marketplace environment drive the need for entrepreneurial marketing (turbulence, discontinuities, rapid changes in technology, economics, competition, etc.), while organizational culture can hinder or facilitate the firm’s ability to demonstrate high levels of EM.
This course offers key insights into the rapidly growing service sector industry. The course is challenging and requires students to apply their knowledge and skills for the effective management of service design and delivery. Central issues addressed in the course include identifying differences between service and product marketing; understanding how customers assess service quality/ satisfaction; applying the GAPS model to assess service failure; and understanding of the theory of relationship marketing and using related tools and techniques for keeping customers and encouraging loyalty.
This course introduces students to the conceptual frameworks, ethics, and practice associated with social marketing. This course explores how classic marketing techniques can be effectively applied beyond traditional corporate settings, in not-for-profit organizations. Students will gain an understanding of the basic principles of social marketing, and then will address fundraising and resource development as well as social communication campaigns. Fundraising is the application of marketing principles to generate funds that enables not-for-profit organizations to achieve their objectives and cover their expenses. Social communication campaigns deal with creating awareness of the not-for-profit organizations mission and services and influencing specific target audiences to behave differently for a social purpose. At the end of the course, students will gain an understanding of the financial analysis needed for program management and performance review. The course offers students a valuable opportunity to implement the marketing concepts in an original and growing sector, where the objectives are broader than simple profit maximization, and social, ethical and political factors play a major role.
This senior capstone course culminates the coursework performed in the Communications and Media Studies program. With a major research assignment in the form of a written paper, video essay, or creative project, the course is intended to assess the students development and understanding of the Departments learning outcomes. Capstone projects combine evidence-based research on a major media topic, critical analysis, literature review, ethical considerations, and express technical competency. Students are expected to demonstrate awareness and understanding of major schools of thought in media and cultural studies, and to perform critical media analysis.
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This course offers the student practical experience researching, writing and marketing feature articles for print and/or online magazines. The topics covered include how to develop a good idea, analyze a target audience, gather information, write a feature article, and sell the story. Ultimately this course will teach students how to successfully write longer feature stories and how to pitch them to the appropriate publication. The class time will include lectures where voice, style, use of language, and story structure techniques will be discussed. Class time will also include in-class writing and discussion
This is a course in basic photojournalism on location. There will be both classroom sessions and classes off campus, held on location in Rome and the surrounding area, as well as visits to photographic exhibitions. Students will gain an understanding of the basic concepts of photography and photojournalism; how cameras and lenses work; image composition; lighting conditions and techniques; shooting on location; techniques for working as a photographer; editing and producing photographs; and building a portfolio of images. Class sessions will cover learning use of a camera, lights, composition, color, documentary and candid photographic techniques, photographic software such as Adobe Photoshop, and critiques. Classes on location include practical fieldwork.
EN 110 with a grade of C or above, DJRN 221 or permission of the instructor
This course focuses more in-depth on the fundamentals of news reporting and writing, with an emphasis on the print, online, and broadcast media. Key skills to master include criteria for judging news, information gathering, and crafting different styles of news stories for print, broadcast and online media. The course also covers proper line-editing techniques, plus Web layout and publishing.
Though often overlooked, the act of projection is at the heart of cinema (the act or process of causing a picture to appear on a surface). This studio course focuses on the creation of moving image-based work, exploring how time and space are used as materials to create form and inspire content within the contemporary film genre known as expanded cinema. The technical, historical and psychological aspects of the projected image will be studied in order to re-think cinema as a group and investigate how the projected image can find meaning outside the black box of theaters or the white cube of galleries. Two personal experimental video projects will lead to a final group video installation that will use the environment within the vicinity of the JCU campus (Trastevere neighborhood) to inspire site-specific works while also becoming the location of the final outdoor projection event.
This course explores the latest developments in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) through critical artistic practices. By looking at different modes of cutting-edge research-based work from artists, scholars, and activists from across the planet, the course reflects upon the implications of AI in transforming traditional notions of creativity, authorship, and labor in general. Such critical works will be used to shed light on the materialities of this technological innovation, its impact on the environment, and the processes of extraction and exploitation that are embedded within the very practice of compiling a dataset and training Large Language Models (LLMs) upon which generative AI works. The course takes on a decolonial approach, considering how technology has been historically used as a tool of colonialism, and how contemporary advancements in the field of AI continue to perpetuate the colonial power dynamics of extraction and exploitation. It also considers how a de-colonial standpoint can offer alternative perspectives for understanding and critiquing the impact of AI on society, culture, and politics.
This course analyzes the ways in which diverse cultural practices have been used or understood as political weapons, as attempts to intervene in the historical world. The course will introduce students to a number of approaches both theoretical and practical, through readings of source texts and analysis of specific case studies which have investigated the possibility of cultural practice being used as a tool of conflict, dissent, affirmation of identity and resistance. One of the areas of inquiry will be an investigation of how, in advanced capitalist societies, social and political struggle necessarily happens through an engagement with dominant culture and media forms rather than in spite of them; the course will therefore concentrate on those cultural practices that, although not apparently political in content and aim, can nonetheless be used in politically productive ways. Emphasis will be placed on popular and mass culture artifacts and on the ways in which style is used by sub-cultures and other social identities in both national and global contexts.
This course examines a growing subfield of cinema studies, ecocinema, which is devoted to exploring the intersection between film and environmental issues. Ecocinema encompasses a range of movie genres, including documentary, Hollywood blockbusters, eco-horror, indigenous films, and animation. This course investigates how themes like environmental catastrophe, wilderness, animal rights, climate change, the construction of human-nature relations, ecojustice, and environmental politics are communicated through the particular medium properties of film. This course also examines the material impact of film on the environment. During the semester students will study films by combining traditional methods of film criticism with ecocriticism to explore production, aesthetics, narrative, reception, and culture in relationship to environmental themes.
This course is an introduction to the current debate around the relationship between globalization and the media. By linking theoretical conceptions with hands-on empirical research and analysis, students will develop a richer and multi-layered perspective around the increasingly relevant yet contested notion of globalization, and specifically on the role that the media have in advancing, challenging and representing social, political and cultural change across multiple regions of the world.
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From the cylinders to MP3s, from Tin Pan Alley to death metal, this is a general survey course exploring and analyzing the history and meaning of popular recorded music within mass culture and society. It focuses on the historical, aesthetic, social, political-economic and technological developments that have shaped the very definition of the popular in the musical field. The course covers various aspects of recorded music from the history of the recording industry to the concept of the recorded, from rock and other nationally specific styles to the rise of MTV and beyond.
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What is televisions fate in the global digital cultures of convergence? The course examines new programming and advertising strategies in the medium of television, the reconfiguration of traditional and the emergence of new roles within the industry, the development of new global production and distribution strategies and models as well as how these transformations shape actual program content.
Since its emergence in the late 1970s, the music video has become the dominant means of advertising popular music and musicians, as well as one of the most influential hybrid media genres in history. In sampling and reworking a centurys worth of films and other pop culture artefacts (as well as art objects and concepts), music videos have affected aesthetic style in a wide range of film and television genres, introducing experimental and avant-garde techniques to a mass audience while influencing artistic and aesthetic movements in their own right. This course will investigate the ways in which popular (recorded) music and visual cultures have reciprocally influenced one another. Music videos will be examined alongside various other media forms including videogames, live concert films, film and television music placement and curation, television title sequences and end credits, user generated content on YouTube, remixes, and mashups. The course will take a particular look at experimental, avant-garde film and video traditions and how they inform music video. Ultimately, the course will specifically treat music videos as a distinct multimedia artistic genre, different from film, television and the popular recorded music they illuminate and help sell.
The course focuses on the economics of development, with specific reference to underdeveloped Third World nations. While drawing extensively on the tools of standard economic theory, it deals with development issues for which economic theories at best provide only partial answers. It offers a problem-oriented approach, with a historical and institutional perspective, to issues such as poverty, population, income distribution, international trade, investment, aid, and the debt problem.
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Situations in which the outcome of your own decisions depends also upon what others do are pervasive in everyday life. Game Theory focuses on the study of strategic interactions, which occur if the payoff (e.g., utility or profit) to an agent depends not only on her own decisions but also on the decisions made by others. In the presence of strategic interactions, choosing an optimal course of action requires taking other agents behavior and beliefs into account. This is an introductory course in Game Theory which develops the basic tools and concepts necessary to analyze such interactions and understand how rational agents should behave in strategic situations. In recent years, game theoretic methods have become central to the study of networks (e.g, financial networks) and social interactions. In this course they are used to analyze such economic and political issues as oligopoly, the problem of the commons, auctions, bank runs, collusion and cartels, the conduct of monetary policy, bargaining, global warming, competition among political parties, arms races, negotiations and conflict resolution (e.g., contested resources and territorial disputes). Emphasis is placed on applications, practical understanding and a tools-oriented approach. The topics will be presented through a combination of abstract theory and many applied examples.
This course aims at enhancing economic reasoning skills along with developing theability to communicate complex arguments and quantitive information effectively in written, visual, and oral formats. Basic tools and methods of economics and statistics are used to understand and analyze a variety of contemporary economic problems and policy issues chosen by the instructor. Students are expected to participate in class discussions, prepare and present their own research.
Recommended: FIN 301 for Business, International Business, and Economics
Entrepreneurial activity is a powerful engine for growth in todays economy. The financial issues confronting entrepreneurial firms are drastically different from those faced by established companies; this course is designed to address those unique financial issues and develop a set of skills appropriate for such situations. The course will be articulated in three main parts: 1) investment analysis understanding sources of value, reading financial statements and using pro-forma models in the context of acquisitions; 2) financing the entrepreneurial firm various sources of capital, including seed and angel financing, crowdfunding, venture capital and strategic alliances; 3) harvesting investment exit strategies including IPOs and acquisition by a third party.NOTE: the course is opened to all students interested in entrepreneurship. While some prior knowledge of finance will be helpful, the basic concepts will be covered in the course.
Focusing on both theory and application, the course will cover forward, futures, swaps and options markets. Students will learn how derivatives markets operate, and how derivatives are priced and used, in order to understand the importance of derivative instruments in business and the economy. Special attention will be paid to the mechanics of derivative instruments and the markets in which they trade, using the Law of One Price and arbitrage forces to develop derivatives pricing models, applying derivatives pricing models using real world data, communicating derivative hedging strategies and applying speculative strategies using derivatives.
Prerequisite: GRK 102 or permission of the instructor
This course is designed to offer students with a basic level of Greek language preparation the opportunity to read texts in the original. The level of readings may range from intermediate to advanced. Language levels will be determined at the beginning of the course and students will be arranged in suitable reading groups. Texts appropriate to each groups level will be chosen by the professor and the individual students. Texts will vary. All groups will work independently and in weekly reading groups with the professor where issues of language, grammar, and literary technique wil be discussed.
After a brief review of key grammar and morphology from Greek 101, the course will complete the process of providing students with a sufficient grasp of Greek vocabulary, morphology and syntax to enable them to read unadapted passages from ancient Greek authors (with the aid of a lexicon) by the end of the course. There will be short readings of selections from Aesop, Lucian and Greek epigrams.
This course provides continued study of accidences and syntax, treating all tenses of the verb in the subjunctive, indirect discourse, paraphrastic constructions and deponents. Vocabulary development is continued through intensive reading of selections of Latin prose. Students are also introduced to verse forms and the study of inscriptions. Assignments focus on translation from English to Latin and Latin to English.
This course examines the history of Ancient Greece from the Archaic Age to the Age of Alexander, the seventh through fourth centuries B.C.E. Focus will be on the rise of Athens and Sparta as the most influential city states in Greece; the development of their respective political, military and social systems; and the causes of the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War that paved the way for the rise of Macedon and domination of the Greek world, first under Philip II, and then his son, Alexander the Great, until his death in 323 B.C.E. Readings in translation will include Herodotus, Aristophanes, Plato, Thucydides, Xenophon, and Plutarch.
This course explores the multi-ethnic dimensions of the Roman world with a particular emphasis on the Imperial period (31BCE-476 CE). From Rome’s beginnings, its population was characterized by cultural diversity, and one of the Empire’s greatest strengths was its ability to integrate diverse peoples into Roman political, social and cultural life. Nevertheless, as the Empire expanded into Europe and the Mediterranean, many peoples who came under Roman rule continued to maintain distinctive ethnic, social and cultural identities. In this course, we will explore the complex processes of social and cultural negotiation between local identities and Romanization that resulted from Roman expansion. In doing so, we will seek a better understanding not only of how and why the cultural identities of such groups differed from mainstream Romanitas, but also the ways in which these interactions contributed to the shaping of Roman identity.
The course is an introduction to a critical reading of Dante’s Divine Comedy in its historical, philosophical, religious, and poetic contexts. Readings of Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise seek to identify Dante’s stylistic and thematic contributions to the literary world as well as to understand their relationship with medieval politics, philosophy, and culture. This course is taught in English.
The course deals with works by major writers in the English language over a period of nearly one thousand years. Beginning with Anglo-Saxon poetry, this survey continues through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and concludes with Milton. In the context of the course, students should develop both their general background knowledge of literary history as well as their ability to appreciate and criticize particular texts. This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 200-level literature classes are required to produce 4-5,000 words of critical writing.
Considering major British and Irish writers since 1832, this course deals with, among other concerns, the various ways in which the Victorians and selected writers of the first half of the 20th century responded to the inheritance of Romanticism. This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 200-level literature classes are required to produce 4-5,000 words of critical writing.
The course traces various developments in the genre of the novel from the 17th to the 20th centuries through a reading of selected representative texts. In addition, students are required to consider these works alongside of the development of theories about the novel. This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 200-level literature classes are required to produce 4-5,000 words of critical writing.
Introduces major Slavic literary works of different genres (stories, novels, poetry, essays) focusing on this literatures profound contributions to global literature and culture, providing historical background and analyzing foundational examples. This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 300-level literature classes are required to produce 5-6,000 words of critical writing.
In this course, students will engage in a chronological exploration of the sonnet. Beginning with a brief introduction to the forms Italian origins, students will then examine the formal and thematic evolutions of the sonnet as it came to and gained popularity in the English-speaking world. Themes and conventions to be discussed will include Petrarchism, courtly love, gender, anti-Petrarchism, history, politics, the self, and art. The flexibility of the form over the centuries will also be emphasized, including the contemporary question of what it is exactly that makes a sonnet a sonnet.
This course will continue analyzing main political events, changes and cultural achievements of the High Middle Ages until the discovery of the New World. Topics covered include Seljuk Turks in Asia Minor, Pope Gregory VII and the idea of a Crusade, the Crusades and Latin states of the Levant, the Spanish reconquista, Italian city states and their culture, Slavic kingdoms and states in the Balkans, the rise of Mongols and its consequences for Europe, the Plague, Medieval Russia, and the Ottoman Turks and the fall of Constantinople.
Native American resistance has occurred throughout the centuries and continues at present. This seminar aims at analyzing historic and contemporary Native American strategies of survival and the various forms of interaction and relations they have had with the U.S Government. Starting with an examination of different processes of territorial colonization of Indigenous territories and resources, the seminar will then investigate the legal, political, social, and cultural significance of resistance and self-determination.Satisfies “Modern History” core course requirement for History majors.
This course examines the history of immigration to the United States since the beginning of the nineteenth century. In it, students will use historical and anthropological sources to study the causes of immigration and the social, cultural and economic adaptation of immigrants to the American way of life. Significant attention will be given to immigrants experiences in the United States and the various processes through which immigration has shaped American identities, politics and society.
This course surveys European history from the Reformation to the present, concentrating on the intellectual, political, and economic transformations that marked the advent of Western modernity and on what these changes meant for the people living through them. An additional focus of the course is the evolving relationship between Europe and the rest of the world over the time period covered. Like HS 120, this course also provides an introduction to the practice of history, i.e., how historians go about reconstructing and interpreting the past.
An in-depth survey of Italian history from the emergence of Fascism to the crisis of the first Republic in the early1990s. Focus will be on the breakdown of the Liberal system, the emergence and nature of Fascism, and Mussolinias New State, as well as the achievement and weaknesses of the post-war democratic Republic.
Contemporary discussions of globalization often suffer from a certain short-sightedness. The phenomenon is all-too-frequently treated as a recent creation of twentieth and twenty-first century world economies and information networks. Both advocates and critics of globalism too often assume that the history of globalization has been the history of the westernization of economic and cultural practices. This course will provide you with the opportunity to develop a broader perspective on these contemporary issues in the setting of one of the world’s truly historical global cities.In it, we will seek a deeper and longer-term understanding of the complex forces and cross-cultural interactions that have been globalizing our planet since the 14th century A.D. We will begin with a brief survey of the construction and operation of earlier world-systems in the Eastern Hemisphere (including long-distance exchanges between Rome and China, the rise of the world of Islamdom, and the Mongol world system of the 12th-14th centuries). The remainder of the class will focus on the slow and uneven development of a truly global system from 1400 forward. We will proceed both thematically and chronologically looking at a series of short case studies illustrating various aspects of this process, such as the development of market conventions, ecological exchanges, transport technologies and networks, migration, the varied roles violence has played, and industrialization and deindustrialization.
This course will examine the transformation of the United States from a peripheral country to a world power. The course will analyze the causes of that transformation, focusing on industrialization, the First World War, the Great Depression, changes in American social thought and literature, the Second World War, the Cold War, Vietnam, and the search for a new world order. Special attention will be devoted to democracy and freedom, the role of race, the impact of immigration, as well as the post-war student and protest movements.Satisfies “Modern History” core course requirement for History majors.
Opera is perhaps one of Italy’s most important cultural innovations, continuing to fascinate the world since its birth over four hundred years ago. The aim of the course is to examine the birth and development of opera in Italy from the late Renaissance to contemporary Italian opera. The inherent problems in the union of music, text, and drama in this complex music form are explored in the solutions that the most important operatic composers have provided. The aim of the course is then not only to understand and appreciate a story set to music, but the different and varied aspects of opera, its creation, and production. The course explores the history of Italian opera from its birth in the late Renaissance, its development in the 17th century, Italian opera abroad with G.F. Handel and W.A. Mozart, the Belcanto operas, G. Verdi, the Verismo movement, 20th century and contemporary opera. Form and structure in opera, relations between text and music, the world of singers and the characters they portray, historic study of the operatic orchestra, notions of opera production: staging, sets, costumes and the Italian opera house.
Global Leaders Certificate (GLC) Program approved course.
This course focuses on understanding what human rights are and what are the challenges to their realization. Students will examine what specific protections ought to be granted to vulnerable groups, like women, children, stateless persons, refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons. The special challenges related to the protection of human rights in an age of globalization, and the challenges to human rights protection posed by terrorism and its consequences are also analyzed. An interdisciplinary approach will be used to examine different cases and understand the main human rights issues at stake.
PL 210 recommended, and Junior Standing
This course explores the major questions posed by religious freedom rights. Students will enter into the debate over what is religious freedom in general and what is the proper place of religion in democratic societies, and then focus on conflicts over the formal relationship between religious and state authorities, the allocation of public wealth to religious communities, the place of religious symbols in the public sphere, religious education in public and private schools, exemptions from general legal requirements for religious claims, tensions between religious communities identity and expressive rights and liberal views of sexual morality and gender equality.
This course provides a critical examination of the principles and institutions of International Criminal Law (ICL), which aims to hold individuals accountable for the crime of aggression, genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. To critically assess ICLs effectiveness and contribution to international peace and justice, we study its development in the 20th century, and look closely at the workings of the International Criminal Court, other special courts and alternative approaches to transitional justice today.
Junior Standing or permission of the instructor
A Eurosceptic refers to someone who opposes the powers of the European Union (EU). The change in 1992 from European Community to European Union, and the commitment towards ‘ever-closer union among the peoples of Europe’, included in the Preamble of the Treaty of Rome, politicized European integration and led to increased levels of contestation across the Member States. Thirty years later, following the UK’s departure from the EU, Euroscepticism has become a key ingredient of the ‘populist toolkit’, as right-wing populist leaders reassert national sovereignty and left-wing populists rally against the perceived neo-liberal direction of European integration. With a focus on political parties, public opinion, civil society actors, the role of the media and transnational developments, the course explores opposition towards European integration from geo-political, economic and cultural perspectives.
Globalization is perhaps the keyword of our time. It signifies a multifaceted development that also has major implications for world politics and democratic nation-states. From a theoretical, normative and empirical perspective, the course examines the complex relationship between globalization and democracy. Does globalization help generate democracy, and if so, under what conditions? What are the causal mechanisms shaping the relationship between globalization and democracy? How can democratic institutions, claims, rules and rights be preserved or renewed in a partially globalized world (Robert Keohane)? The course will explore these questions and related controversies by turning to leading contemporary scholars of international relations and international relations theory. Special attention will be paid to institutions and agents of political globalization as well as factors engendering or undermining democratization on the national and global level.
This hands-on course introduces students to the practice of designing and carrying out their own research projects in the social sciences. Using real-life exercises and examples, it addresses how to develop sound and manageable research questions, write literature reviews, define concepts, make appropriate methodological choices, and apply them in practice. Students learn to read, present and analyze social science data and write up original research findings according to the conventions of the field. They practice how to critically review existing scholarship and apply the same rigor to their own writing. The importance of carrying out ethical and reflexive research is emphasized throughout the course.
This course analyzes the processes leading to the formation of a Soviet sphere of influence in Europe after 1945 and to its dissolution in 1989. Special emphasis will be placed on each country’s pre-communist history and how it resurfaced after communism; the nature and ideology of “real existing socialism”; ethnic strife, patterns of disintegration -reintegration, and other basic domestic, regional and international issues of post-communism.
This course, which is conducted in Italian, aims at improving students ability to write texts of different types and levels of specialization, focusing on academic and professional purposes. The course has both theoretical and practical components aimed at familiarizing students with the cultural and formal elements that make texts effective, convincing and articulate.
Placement, IT 302 or permission of the instructor
This course, which is a continuation of IT320, analyzes the major writers of Italy from the 18th century to the present, including such authors as Alfieri, Foscolo, Manzoni, Leopardi, Verga, Carducci, D’Annunzio, Pascoli, Pirandello, Montale, Pavese, and Moravia.
Sophomore standing or above
Coming Soon
This course will introduce students to contemporary Italian media and popular cultures. The course has a thematic approach and applies the analytical theories of critical cultural studies. Students will be exposed to development of various media forms as they have been shaped by and their impact on Italian culture and society. The press, film, radio, television, popular music, comics and graphic arts, sports and digital networks will be investigated from a variety of angles with particular attention on the medias role in the construction of collective identities, the role of power and capital in shaping national identity, media use by social movements, the question of representation, popular protest and subcultural and subaltern expressions within the national space. Italys role within the global media economy will also be investigated.
This course aims to provide a general introduction to the area of Positive Psychology, the scientific study of what makes life most worth living, and to scientific findings related to happiness, well-being, and the positive aspects of the human experience. We will review the history of Positive Psychology, and its contribution to more traditional areas of psychology. The course also incorporates experiential learning and exercises aimed at increasing personal well-being and at facilitating students understanding of the fundamental questions in the field.
ssues related to psychopathology will be explored, with an emphasis on methodological problems and the causes of psychopathological conditions. The DSM classification system, which has become standard in North America and in many other parts of the world, will be examined critically, and other more theoretically coherent nosologies will be studied. Diagnostic categories will be examined from the point of view of three major theoretical approaches: psychodynamic, biological, and cognitive. Through required readings and a research paper, the student will become familiar with contemporary work in the field and will learn to read professional articles in a critical way. Emphasis in the course will be on the understanding and not simply the description of psychopathological states and their multiple complex determinants. Every psychological disorder has its specific content for the person suffering from it.
The course provides students with an opportunity to integrate and consolidate the skills and knowledge acquired through the major curriculum while reflecting on overarching themes and issues that characterize psychology as a science and as a profession. Discussion will focus on questions of diversity within the discipline, multiculturalism, ethics, and social responsibility in the marketing of psychology among others. Attention will also be given to what it means to be a psychologist and to current developments in the field. Students will be expected to present material and lead class discussions, as well as write a final research proposal about a topic of their choosing.
This course is designed for the general student to provide an overview of artificial intelligence (no computer programming skills are necessary). This course will discuss intelligent agents and the building blocks of artificial intelligence: knowledge bases, reasoning systems, problem solving, heuristic search, machine learning, and planning.
This course offers an overview and an introduction to the capabilities and limitations of computing and digital multimedia; the theoretical foundations of computing that drive future computing and technological advancements; computer software including operating system and application software; fundamentals of computer networks and the Internet; networks types and standard protocols; cloud computing; next generation Internet or “Internet of the things”; additive manufacturing and 3D printers for business; business intelligence, data analysis, digital contact with customers; privacy and personal data protection on the Internet; Cyber war, computer risk, and security concerns.
The structure, management, and development of business information systems. The nature of business information, computer hardware and computer software, systems analysis, and the development and introduction of business information systems will be covered, as well as the impact of technological innovations.
The class will examine the chemical, biological, physical, and geological processes involved in that climate change, already evident in the 20th century, and predicted for the 21st century. The human impact upon the greenhouse effect is explained, the merits of the scientific theory are examined in light of available evidence to date. Climate changes apparent at the century time-scale, and longer, are introduced; the physical forcings responsible for these changes are presented. The international treaties (the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol) that address anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are introduced, along with local to regional initiatives developed by the private and public sectors.
This course introduces students to debates on how crime and deviance are portrayed in contemporary media. On one hand, media provide us with insights into often-hidden worlds, revealing some of the ways in which crime operates and deviance is experienced. On the other hand, media deeply influence how we label some people and activities as criminal and deviant and how we then perceive and respond to these individually, socially, and politically. It is both a mirror to society and a powerful force in molding social relations. Throughout the course, students engage with theoretical frameworks from sociology and communication studies in order to analyze the construction of crime and deviance in films, television shows, newspapers, televised news and social media. The topics explored include prisons, organized crime, serial killers, as well as the enduring and recurring depictions of certain actors in society, such as women, children and police(men).
Sophomore Standing; Recommended: SOSC/LAW 221 or PL/LAW 326
This course explores the fast-growing field of green criminology, which examines the causes, consequences, and legal responses to a wide range of environmentally destructive activities. These include catastrophes such as oil spills, systematically polluting extraction and production processes, illegal trades in hazardous materials such as toxic waste and natural resources like wildlife and timber, among others. It investigates the impacts that these activities have on human and ecosystem health and security, and identifies how vulnerability to these harms intersects with class, race, gender and geographical discrimination, disproportionately burdening underprivileged groups in advanced and less developed economies. The course unpacks how these activities are managed in international and domestic law and highlights gaps, loopholes, and contradictions among regulations, as well as tracing the political processes by which legal frameworks are developed and enforced. Finally, it explores the intensifying role of civil society activism in pushing for more effective prevention policies and reparatory justice mechanisms.
Strongly recommended: background in contemporary Italian studies or anthropology/sociology/urban studies.
This course guides students interested in executing an independent fieldwork project in the city of Rome. As a unique global city, Rome’s contemporary social, economic and political realities provide a fascinating context for observing and analyzing the production of culture, social and political change, and practices of everyday life. This seminar-style course guides students through the four main phases of their independent research project, helping them to: a) select a manageable and realistic case-study for their research, b) identify and interpret relevant theoretical and empirical literature, c) choose the most appropriate techniques of fieldwork observation, data collection and recording, and apply them in a rigorous, ethical and reflexive manner in the city of Rome, d) create a sophisticated written and visual report of their research findings and conclusions. Students will present their final projects to the JCU community during the last week of the semester.
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