Courses:

Africana Studies -

HA 362.250.01 (H S)
Ghana: History, Politics and Culture* (letter grade, 3 credits)
Instructor: Katrina McDonald
Credits:

Description: *This undergraduate study abroad course is taught for 3-credits and a letter grade. Students enrolled in this course will be exposed to core themes related to the modern and historical experiences of Ghana. In addition to traditional academic lectures, readings, and assignments, students will complete a day-long service learning project and will be directly engaged with "active" learning while in the field. Prior to leaving, students will be exposed to broad themes related to the African Diaspora as it relates to West Africa and Ghana in particular. While in Ghana, participants will spend the majority of the time in Accra, the country's capital. Here, they will have the opportunity to attend six lectures, all given by University of Ghana faculty members. Visits to Elmina Slave Castle, the Kakum National Rain Forest, the village of Bonwire (the home of kente weaving) and the open market in the city of Kumasi (capital of the Ashanti region). Students will be required to keep a journal.

Anthropology -

AS 070.105.01 (H)
B'More: An Ethnographic Consideration of Everyday Life
Instructor: Samantha Gottlieb
Schedule: SMTWThF 9:00am-5:00pm; B'More Program meets Jan 18-23. You must participate in all B’More Program activities.
Credits: 1

Description: This course will start out with major health and social interventions in Baltimore and begin to query the differences between the ways in which such programs imagine life and what daily life is like in Baltimore. We will explore some of the major health crises in Baltimore in historical context, and engage with alternative ways of understanding social phenomena. This course will include historical, legal, public health, and anthropological/ethnographic lenses through which to think about daily life in Baltimore. Connecting with the B-More Experience, we will juxtapose policy with everyday experiences.

AS 070.227.01 (H S)
Concepts of Mind
Instructor: Bican Polat
Schedule: TTh 1:00-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: This course will explore the concept of mind with regard to two distinct approaches that have been developed within the discipline of anthropology and neurosciences. We will first look at a set of excerpts from Claude Levi-Strauss with regard to his conception of human mentality and the associated social practices. Then we will look at some salient issues and themes in neurosciences in order to reflect on the ways in which a materialistic approach to human mind differs from an anthropological one. Examining such notions like brain, mind, body, meaning, practice, and symbolism, we will discuss the underlying discursive and scientific contexts that shape various modes of thinking.

AS 070.243.01 (H S)
Why do anthropologists care about medical science?
Instructor: Todd Meyers
Schedule: MWF 9:00-12:00pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: Why do anthropologists care about medical science? At its core, medical science weaves together peoples, geographies, politics, technologies, and knowledges—and forms a complex (and sometimes problematic) object of thought and analysis for anthropology. In the course, students will conduct close directed readings of three contemporary ethnographic texts focusing on different aspects of medical science. In addition, secondary readings will help to clarify discussion topics. The approach in the course will be both theoretical and methodological (“how” will be as important as “why”). The course is designed to accommodate students with little reading background in medical anthropology, as well as those with prior medical anthropology coursework.

AS 070.245.01 (H S)
The Concept of Cool and Its Circulation
Instructor: Marieke Wilson
Schedule: TF 1:00-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: In Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film “Almost Famous”, the ever-sardonic and legendary music critic Lester Bangs informs his new disciple William that “the only true currency in this bankrupt world... is what you share with someone else when you're uncool.” In this course, we will try to understand how cool is created, coined, and turned into a currency of alternative aesthetics, innovation, improvisation, and affective or intellectual “temperature”. Also, what makes cool spread? What makes an industry of cool? Through engagement with ethnography, film, literature, and even jazz, we will try to understand what makes things that have been deemed cool either relevant or defunct. Texts and materials may include “The Laws of Cool” by Alan Lui, “Naked Lunch” by William S. Burroughs, “Purity and Danger: An Analysis of the Concepts of Taboo and Danger” by Mary Douglas, Nicholas Ray’s Rebel Without a Cause, Miles Davis’ “Birth of the Cool”.

AS 070.247.01 (H S)
Anthropology of Poetry
Instructor: Brian Tilley
Schedule: WF 1:00-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: How do anthropologists interpret the poetry they encounter while carrying out fieldwork? Does poetry in everyday life spring from the heart or from tradition? We will put these questions to three ethnographers of poetry—Steve Caton writing on men's poetry in Yemen, Steven Feld on sung poetry in Papua New Guinea, and Dell Hymes on Native American poetic prophecies—while reading related works. Throughout this course we will ask ourselves where is there poetry in our daily lives, what does it give expression to, and what influence does it bear?

AS 070.249.01 (H S)
Humans and Animals: Conceptualizing boundaries, transgressions and relatedness
Instructor: Maya Ratnam
Schedule: MWTh 2:00-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: This course will explore the recent turn in anthropology, social theory and the humanities towards thinking about the salience of animals and more broadly of non-human beings in constituting human culture and forms of life. The aim of this course will be to guide students through basic yet classic texts in anthropology on the subjects of sacrifice and totemism, representative works from recent literature and philosophy that explore the emergent nature of the moral, political and social complexity of questions surrounding animals, recent work in cross-disciplinary human sciences on the political potentialities of cyborgs and replicants, as well as encourage a fresh look at classic films such as Blade Runner. The aim of the course will be to unsettle and problematize, as well as contextualize the taken-for-granted character of the boundary between human and non-human.

Applied Math and Statistics -

EN 550.282.01 (Q)
A Hands-On Introduction to MATLAB
Instructor: Eric Harley
Schedule: MW 2:00-4:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: This is a first course in programming MATLAB for students in the mathematical sciences. MATLAB is widely used in research and industry for numerical calculations, plotting of functions and data, and the creation of user interfaces. Short tutorial lectures will be followed by problem solving sessions. Topics emphasized will be basic programming in the MATLAB environment and the practical solution of problems in matrix calculations, differential equations, signal and image processing, and machine learning.

EN 550.282.02 (Q)
A Hands-On Introduction to MATLAB
Instructor: Eric Harley
Schedule: MW 10:00-12:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: This is a first course in programming MATLAB for students in the mathematical sciences. MATLAB is widely used in research and industry for numerical calculations, plotting of functions and data, and the creation of user interfaces. Short tutorial lectures will be followed by problem solving sessions. Topics emphasized will be basic programming in the MATLAB environment and the practical solution of problems in matrix calculations, differential equations, signal and image processing, and machine learning.

Art -

AS 371.159.01 *No area designator (Note: This course has no area designation for distribution)
Winning Techniques: The Homewood Campus Video Competition
Instructor: Joan Freedman
Schedule: MW 9:00am-12:30pm
Credits: 1

Description: In this Intersession class students will learn to shoot and edit a 3 minute video on one of several focus topics. They will be taught video production techniques, animation, photography, lighting and sound tips and tricks, digital editing and video compression. All participants will learn how to use the cameras, lights, microphones, and software in the JHU Digital Media Center. The course also prepares students to participate in the Homewood- campus Student Video Contest.

AS 371.189.01 *No area designator (Note: This course has no area designation for distribution)
B'More: Charm City through the Lens
Instructor: Monica Lopez-Gonzalez
Schedule: SMTWThF 9:00am-5:00pm; B'More Program meets Jan 18-23. You must participate in all B’More Program activities.
Credits: 1

Description: This course will analyze and discuss the work of three Baltimore-based photographers and a film director. Students will be introduced to the concept of photography as an artistic medium for documenting a city’s cultural life. Classroom lectures will be complemented by visits to Fells Point and Mount Vernon, as well as to a photo exhibit in a gallery. Using their own digital and cell phone cameras, students will create their own mini-portfolios to present.

Biology -

AS 020.296.01 (N)
Foreign Gene Expression Laboratory
Instructor: Robert Horner
Schedule: MTWThF 9:00am-2:00pm
Credits: 2

Description: This lab will meet 9 am to noon, and then 1 pm to 2 pm. This laboratory will introduce students to molecular cloning techniques that allow bacteria to be used to produce a particular gene product. Recombinant plasmids, carrying a fusion protein gene, will be constructed and used to transform E. coli. These transformed clones will be used to manufacture the fusion protein, and it will be isolated.

AS 020.397.01 (N)
Fundamentals of Biological Electron Microscopy
Instructor: John McCaffery
Schedule: TWThF 11:00-3:00pm; The class will meet from 11-11:50am TWThF for lecture; and 1:00-3:00pm TWThF for laboratory. Meets Jan 6-23.
Credits: 2

Description: Introduction to the principles, practice, and application of electron microscopy (EM) to biological/cell biological research. The course will cover electron optical theory; instrumentation design, use, and applications; and will afford students 'hands-on' experience in both specimen preparation and electron microscope operation (including both transmission and scanning electron microscopes).

Biomedical Engineering -

EN 580.105.01 (S)
Intellectual Property Primer for Scientists and Engineers: Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks.
Instructor: Joerg-Uwe Szipl
Schedule: TWTHF 6:00-8:00pm; Meets Jan 5-16
Credits: 1

Description: The course will outline the basics of protection of IP for scientists and engineers. Most of the course will cover the basics of patent law, but introductions will also be given to trademarks and copyrights. Specific problems in the areas of biotechnology, computer science and the Internet will also be highlighted. It is hoped that the attendees will obtain a basic understanding of how intellectual property is protected. No prior legal background is required.

Biophysics -

AS 250.267.01 (N)
Medicine and Membrane Proteins
Instructor: Charles Moon
Schedule: MTWTh 2:00-4:00pm; Meets Jan 5-16
Credits: 1

Description: This course will introduce the concept of the molecular causes of human health and disease by using membrane proteins as case examples. It will also explore the challenges of drug discovery involving membrane protein targets. Details of the pharmaceutical business will be discussed.

Chemistry -

AS 030.440.01 (N)
Practical NMR: Basic Techniques
Instructor: Tina L. Trapane, Charles A. Long
Schedule: TTh 4:00-6:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: Mandatory for individuals (postdocs, graduate, and undergraduate students) intending to utilize NMR facilities in the Chemistry Department. Sessions will be held at the Bruker NMR spectrometers used most frequently for routine NMR data collection. Focus is on setting up instrument parameters, obtaining useful spectra, and data processing. Proton, C-13, F-19 and P-31 acquisition will be demonstrated along with preparation and handling of samples, troubleshootng and recognition of artifacts.

Classics -

AS 040.203.01 (H)
Everyone Needs a Hero: Greek Heroes in Myth and Art
Instructor: Jacquelyn Clements
Schedule: MWF 1:00-4:00pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: In anticipation of a 2009 exhibition at the Walters Art Museum, this course will examine the concept of the hero in ancient Greece. What did it mean to be a hero, and how did someone become one? We will look at epic and historical heroes and heroines, and examine how they were portrayed in literature and the visual arts. Then, we will look at the various manifestations of the hero in the Greek world alongside ideas of heroes in our contemporary society.

AS 040.204.01 (H)
Jupiter Triumphant: War and Victory in Ancient Rome
Instructor: Elisabeth Schwinge
Schedule: MWF 9:00-12:00pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: The Roman triumph was a magnificent parade in which a victorious general presented the Roman people with his spoils: captured foreign kings and queens, their soldiers, and treasures. Hailed by his own soldiers and the audience, the general, resplendent in purple and gold, rode through the city to the temple of Jupiter. This course will explore how Roman generals conducted their campaigns, and celebrated their victories with grand urban spectacles.

AS 040.353.01 (H)
Classical Etymologies
Instructor: Monica Signoretti
Schedule: MTWThF 2:00-4:00pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: Greek and Latin give origin to many medical and scientific terms as well as to many words we use every day. This course will explore the connection between the English vocabulary and its classical origin. Terms derived from Greek and Latin will be analyzed. This will improve your understanding of the words you already know as well as expand your vocabulary.

Computer Science -

EN 600.106.01 (E)
Pre-programming
Instructor: Jorge Vasconcelos
Schedule: T Th 9:00 - 11:30am; Meets Jan 5 - 23
Credits: 1

Description: This is a non-technical course intended for people new to the world of computer programming. It is aimed to introduce methodological and conceptual tools to solve problems by thinking in abstract and logical way. Situations common to the field of programming are discussed, along with fundamentals to create stepwise solutions, and programming techniques common to many languages. Students primarily do paper solutions, but some exercises might require computer. A cultural approach is promoted.

EN 600.146.01 (Q E)
Introduction to Medical Imaging
Instructor: Ioana Fleming and Hassan Rivaz
Schedule: ThF 9:00-11:30am; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: This intersession class will provide an introduction to the principles of medical imaging. X-ray, CT and ultrasound imaging will be covered. The course will offer an introduction to the principles, instrumentation and applications of each modality. The class will be a mixture of lectures, class discussions and imaging demos using medical imaging resources at the Computational Sciences and Engineering Building. Assignments will test theoretical knowledge and also practical applications. Basic Matlab knowledge and pre-calculus math are recommended. Note: Students should not expect an in depth analysis of medical imaging systems. This class is not intended as a substitute for Medical Imaging courses offered during Fall and Spring terms.

EN 600.161.01 (E)
Exploring Vision in the Real World
Instructor: Henry Lin
Schedule: TW 9:00 - 11:30am ; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: The course will focus on real world applications of computer vision and image processing, primarily in the areas of medicine and sports. The goal is to introduce students to computer vision concepts and explain how they are the building blocks for interesting and practical applications. One such example is the use of stereo vision to enhance micro surgery. Another example is the use of computer vision to create realistic 3D real-time video fly-through in sporting events, such as the NFL Super Bowl. The class will consist of lectures and class discussions. Students will be evaluated on weekly assignments and participation in discussions. This course is designed to introduce computer vision to interested students with or without a computer science background. An engineering background is recommended but not required. Matlab programming will be part of homeworks. Pre-calculus level math and some linear algebra is required.

EN 600.406.01 (E)
Developing Photo and Video Applications For Online Social Networks
Instructor: Carol Reiley and Dan Mirota
Schedule: MWF 1:00-4:00pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: How many hours do you spend on facebook a day? This experimental course will teach you how to create and launch web 2.0 applications. The class provides an introduction to the field of computer vision, giving you the tools to detect and track objects in the environment. Class topics include social network interfaces – primarily facebook application interface (API), image processing, face detection, virtual environment and rendering methods. Students will work in small teams to conceptualize, develop, distribute, and market new applications to facebook users. Coursework is appropriate for students interested in computer vision, entrepreneurship, or human-computer interaction. Syllabus: http://lcsr.jhu.edu/wiki/images/a/ae/Syllabus_v1.pdf

Economics -

AS 180.104.01 (S)
Seminar in Financial Literacy
Instructor: Colleen Carey
Schedule: MTWThF from 10 to 12 and 2 to 4 PM. While the class doesn't meet every day during those times, students will need to have those times free.
Credits: 1

Description: This course follows the natural capitalization sequence of a company to introduce the main components of the financial services industry: private equity, commercial finance, IPO's, M&A's and leveraged buy-outs, Wall Street research, asset management, and industry ethics. Lectures on these topics will be given by alumni financial experts. The course concludes with a three-day trip to New York City, which will include visits to financial firms and an alumni networking reception. Firms may include J.P Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, and BlackRock.

AS 180.217.01 (S)
Economic and Social Networks
Instructor: Marc Remer
Schedule: MW 1:00-4:30pm
Credits: 1

Description: This course will offer an introductory study of industries where formal and informal social networks play an important role. We will explore firms whose revenue rely critically on interpersonal connections, including telecommunications, on-line dating websites, and music file sharing. A large portion of the course will be spent analyzing the Facebook and MySpace business models, and how consumers decide which network to join. The ultimate goal of the course is to have students propose their own business that utilizes a social network.

Electrical and Computer Engineering -

EN 520.107.01 (E)
Introduction to Basic Electronics
Instructor: Russell Rasquinha, Jai Madhok
Schedule: TW 4-7pm ThF 4-8pm; Meets Jan 20-23; Supplies cost is $25
Credits: 1

Description: The main goal of this course is to give you a brief exposure to basic circuit theory and good electronic design principles that culminates into a simple hands-on project. Some of the design skills you will learn include working with sensors, power regulation, noise filtering techniques with capacitors, soldering and simple device packaging. This course will be fairly fast paced with only 3 to 4 hours of lab per day. Therefore, preparation is key to being efficient. In order to get you to prepare, learning material will be given beforehand for you to read and understand.

English -

AS 060.109.01 (H)
Inheriting Hamlet
Instructor: David Hershinow
Schedule: TTh 9:00-11:30am; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: This class will explore the legacy of Hamlet from critical theory to popular film, from Sigmund Freud to Arnold Schwarzenegger's Last Action Hero. More than any other play by Shakespeare, Hamlet has been the mirror through which later eras have viewed their own image. We will consider these interpretations and, along the way, work to develop some of our own.

AS 060.122.01 (H)
Gangster Politics: The Role of Ethnic Gangsters in American Cinema
Instructor: Anthony Wexler
Schedule: MWF 4:00-5:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: In this Intersession course we will consider the rise (and fall) of some of America’s most notorious and beloved gangsters: Don Corleone (“The Godfather”), Frank Lucas (“American Gangster”), Tony Montana (“Scarface”), and Meyer Lansky (“Lansky”). Using the films as our primary texts, and with the help of short readings from Zizek, Freud and Foucault, we will take up questions concerning the difficulties and hopes of the immigrant experience, the codes of gangster morality, and the role of organized crime in the American Imagination.

AS 060.205.01 (H)
Family and Politics in the British Novel
Instructor: Robert Higney
Schedule: MWF 9:00-12:00pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: In this course, we’ll read works by E.M. Forster, Elizabeth Bowen, and Zadie Smith: novelists who have taken the domestic lives of families as means to engage the political and social problems of their times. With additional readings from Freud, Rorty, Bakhtin and others, we will trace the relationship of the novel form to changing conceptions of the family, to the legacy of colonialism and multi-culturalism, and to the role of art and liberal ideals.

AS 060.210.01 (H)
The American Western
Instructor: Hadley Leach
Schedule: WF 9:00-11:30am; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: The American Western will engage with a handful of seminal films and related critical material to evaluate how the mythology of the American West has been shaped by Hollywood representations of the cowboy and other iconic figures of the frontier. How does the Western ask us to think about nation and national belonging? Is the West geographically and historically fixed, or does it exist as a more indeterminate place? And finally, who can claim ownership of the West and the Western narrative? Films will be drawn from four major stages in the development of the Western as a film genre, encouraging comparative analyses across films.

Entrepreneurship & Management -

EN 660.150.01 *No area designator (Note: This course has no area designation for distribution)
Media & P.R. in the Big Apple
Instructor: Leslie Kendrick
Schedule: Entire course runs Jan 12-22. Hodson Room on Jan 12-16 from 10:00am-12 noon and 1:00-3:00pm. Bus is provided by Career Center and the $250 fee includes bus and hotel. REGISTER CAREER CENTER NOT ISIS.
Credits: 1

Description: Gain insight into trends and career opportunities in public relations and media through one week of class learning (half days) followed by a 3-day trip to New York to network with and learn from executives from leading P.R. and media firms.

EN 660.155.01 (Note: This course has no area designation for distribution)
Neuromarketing and Consumer Behavior
Instructor: Andrea Wills
Schedule: MTW 1:00-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-16
Credits: 1

Description: Neuromarketing is a new field of marketing that studies consumers' sensorimotor, cognitive, and affective response to marketing stimuli. Consumer behavior is the study of how people buy, what they buy, when they buy and why they buy. It blends elements from psychology, sociology, sociopsychology, anthropology and economics. As a result of taking this course, students will be able to: 1. distinguish consumers as individuals and decision-makers, 2. describe how income and social class, various subcultures, and cultural influences impact consumer behavior, 3. understand online consumer behavior, especially topics such as virtual communities, virtual marketing, and e-commerce, 4. identify the consumer decision making process, 5. understand the basics of neuromarketing and how this new discipline is applied to marketing.

Film & Media Studies -

AS 061.146.01 (H)
The Stand-Up Comic in Society
Instructor: Adam Ruben
Schedule: MTW 7:00-10:00pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: Stand-up comics uniquely reflect the collision of cultures that produced them. Students study and analyze influential comics, then create, workshop, perform, and ultimately justify their own five-minute stand-up routine.

AS 061.256.01 (H)
Script Analysis
Instructor: Lael Smith
Schedule: MWF 9:00-11:30am; Meets Jan 5-16
Credits: 1

Description: This course will offer students a chance to look at a screenplay and evaluate it, learning the language of the screenplay and the three-act structure. Students will also learn marketable skills: reading, evaluating material and doing script coverage. The intended goal of the course is not to enable students to write a screenplay, though that may happen, but to give them the critical tools to be able to analyze a movie or screenplay from an informed artistic and commercial perspective.

AS 061.257.01 (H)
I Want To Be Humphrey Bogart
Instructor: Lucy Bucknell
Schedule: WThF 3:00-6:00pm; Jan 14, 15, 16, 21, 22
Credits: 1

Description: Bogart in the forties, from High Sierra to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. In-class screenings and emphasis on discussion over lecture. No prior film studies experience required.

General Engineering -

EN 500.201.01 (E)
Introduction to Matlab for Engineers
Instructor: Sharmishtaa Seshamani
Schedule: TTh 1:00-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: Matlab is a powerful but relatively simple and quick way of solving numerical problems in mathematics, computer science and engineering. In this introductory course we will discuss Matlab's programming paradigm, with an emphasis on numerical problem solving. We will discuss Matrix-Vector operations, numerical solutions to systems of equations, data representation and display, and other special topics as time permits. The course will be a hands on experience utilizing lab computers with a small course project and micro assignments given for part of each lecture.

German and Romance Languages and Literatures -

AS 210.151.01 *No area designator (Note: This course has no area designation for distribution)
Italian Elements 1* (3 credits, letter grade only)
Instructor: Jessica Nadeau
Schedule: MTWThF 9:00-12:00pm
Credits: 3

Description: * This basic language class is offered for 3 credits and letter grade. Pass/Fail option is NOT available as language classes cannot be taken S/U. All Intersession students, without exception, will receive a letter grade. Italian Elements is a year course; must complete Elements II in the Spring 2009 to receive credit. The aim of the course is to provide students with basic skills in listening to and reading, writing, and speaking the language through the use of elementary texts, videos, and electronic materials. All classes are conducted in Italian; oral participation is strongly encouraged from the beginning.

AS 211.230.01 (H)
Modernité et avant-garde
Instructor: Iuliana Vicovanu
Schedule: MWF 1:00-3:30pm; Meets Jan 12-23
Credits: 1

Description: The course aims to introduce students to the French literary activity and works of the 1910’s and 1920’s, while reflecting on the notions of ‘modernity’ and ‘avant-garde’. We will examine a selection of theoretical and literary works (manifestoes, periodical articles and poems), as well as other experimental artistic practices such as cubist “collages” and dada cinema. Readings by Baudelaire, Mallarmé, Apollinaire, Reverdy, Marinetti, Tzara, Breton ; avant-garde film by Fernand Léger, René Clair, Francis Picabia.

AS 211.234.01 (H)
French Collections in Baltimore
Instructor: Magali Nachtergael
Schedule: TTh 1:00-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: One of the most important French heritage in America can be found in museums: collections are full of masterpieces that bring directly a part of cultural and historical France. Considering the collections mainly in Baltimore but also in the close area (Washington D.C. or Philadelphia), we will study the historical and aesthetic background of French paintings and sculptures through readings and direct confrontation with some of these masterpieces of French art.

AS 215.240.01 (H)
Spectrality, Memory, and Loss in Contemporary Spain
Instructor: Giselle Vitaliti
Schedule: MWF 12:30-3:30pm; Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: This course will explore notions of haunting, spectrality, and discontinuity in literature and film pertaining to recent Spanish history. Students will conduct close readings of these narratives to examine questions of memory, trauma, and personal/collective loss. Students will read Antonio Muñoz Molina's novel "A Manuscript of Ashes" and watch Victor Erice's "El espíritu de la colmena" (1973) and Guillermo del Toro's film "El espinazo del diablo" (2001). Supplementary theory and criticism will be provided including selections from Jacques Derrida's "Specters of Marx". Readings and discussion will be in English.

History -

AS 100.151.01 (Note: This course has no area designation for distribution)
B'More: History and Practice of Transportation in the City
Instructor: David Schley
Schedule: SMTWThF 9:00am-5:00pm; B'More Program meets Jan 18-23. You must participate in all B’More Program activities.
Credits: 1

Description: If you had lived in the nineteenth century, how would you have moved from one area of the city to another? Would you have chosen to go by foot, omnibus or electric streetcar? Like today, your choice might depend on your own social characteristics. This course will study transportation in Charm City, from its beginnings as a port city and later as a rail hub and industrial center. It will provide a general overview on how we move around in Baltimore, and how the ways that we move have changed historically. In the process, we will address desegregation and barriers to movement.

AS 100.158.01 (H)
B'More: Architecture Through the Ages
Instructor: Daniel Vivian
Schedule: SMTWThF 9:00am-5:00pm; B'More Program meets Jan 18-23. You must participate in all B’More Program activities.
Credits: 1

Description: Baltimore has long been renowned for its rich and varied architecture. This course takes an in-depth look at some of the city’s most distinctive buildings and civic spaces. We will explore the history of well-known landmarks and ordinary buildings, commercial and residential neighborhoods, and important monuments, each offering a different view of the city’s development over time. Mornings will be devoted to lectures and discussion, with fieldtrips and tours of select buildings in the afternoons.

AS 100.226.01 (H)
The French Revolution: An Introduction to the Practice and Uses of History
Instructor: Edward Kolla
Schedule: MWF 1:00-4:00pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: This course has a twofold aim: to acquaint students with one of the defining events of modern history, while likewise familiarizing them with some of the theory and methodology of historical scholarship. Each meeting will be devoted to a theme in the study of history – like evidence, or morality in history – which will be investigated through the prism of an important episode in or debate about the French Revolution.

History of Art -

HA 010.306.01 (H)
Program Abroad: Renaissance Art in Florence* (3 credits, letter grade)
Instructor: Jason DiResta and Jennifer Sliwka
Schedule: Jan 5-24
Credits: 3

Description: * This undergraduate study abroad course is taught for three credits and a letter grade. The churches, palaces, museums and piazzas of Florence and nearby cities serve as the clasroom for this intensive three-week course on Italian Renaissance Art. Students examine the art of Giotto, Brunelleschi, Masaccio, Donatello, Fra Angelico, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo. The emphasis is on the various functions and meanings of works of art within the culture of Renaissance Florence. Students are encouraged to develop a close knowledge of particular works as material forms.

Humanities Center -

AS 300.250.01 (H)
William Carlos Williams: In the American Grain
Instructor: Thomas Dechand
Schedule: MWF 10:00-12:00pm Jan 9 - first class meeting, Jan 9-23.
Credits: 1

Description: A tour of selected poetry and prose by William Carlos Williams. Special attention will be given to Williams as a theorist of the imagination, to Williams’ notion of "the universality of the local," and to some of the ways that Williams’ career as a physician helped to shape his work as an artist.

AS 300.320.01 (H)
Recognition as a Philosophical Problem
Instructor: Martin Shuster, Daniela Ginsburg
Schedule: MW 2:00-4:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: What does it mean to recognize yourself and/or someone else? This class will explore recognition as a philosophical problem. We will keep in mind how this problem affects other issues (e.g. identity politics, multiculturalism, nationalism, etc.) and contexts (e.g. social, legal, ethical, political). As well, we will touch on the historical context(s) of this problem. Thinkers we will consider include, but are not limited to Fichte, Hegel, and Cavell.

Interdepartmental -

AS 360.105.01 (H S)
B'More: A Locovore's Bounty
Instructor: Charles Moon
Schedule: SMTWThF 9:00am-5:00pm; B'More Program meets Jan 18-23. You must participate in all B’More Program activities.
Credits: 1

Description: In this course, students will get a taste for Baltimore's local "foodshed" by examining the economic, environmental, and social consequences of the slow food movement in and around the city. Both in the classroom and off-campus, we will gather the perspectives of local farmers, chefs, and writers on these issues. We will also compare the reemerging interest in locally produced foods with the history of food enterprise in the Chesapeake region.

AS 360.225.01 (H)
Sacred Spaces
Instructor: Shira Lander and Associate Chaplain Kathy Schnurr
Schedule: MTWThF; Jan 12-16; Monday meet at the Interfaith Center 11:30am-5:30pm
Credits: 1

Description: Description: This course will analyze the social function of worship spaces of six world religions, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism through the prism of spatial and ritual theory. Students will deepen their understanding of world religions as well as religion's role in society. Course will run Monday through Friday, January 12 - 16, and will include 3 day-long field trips. The first class meeting will be January 12, 2009, Monday, 11:30am, downstairs in the Bunting-Meyerhoff Interfaith and Community Service Center. Tuesday, 8:30-7:00pm Field Trip to DC. Wednesday, 11:30am-4:30pm Field Trip to Baltimore, Thursday 10:45-7:30pm Field Trip to Silver Spring, MD. Friday 10:00-1:00pm at the Interfaith Center. Digital Camera strongly recommended.

AS 360.240.01 (S)
Social and Political Activism
Instructor: William Smedick and Scott Sherman
Schedule: Classroom: 211 HODSON on Jan 6,8,13, 15 (TTh) 4:30-6:30 pm. Sun Jan 18-- 1/2-day workshop(schedule TBD); Jan 19,21,22-- 3-6:30 PM
Credits: 1

Description: Social and Political Activism is a training program for undergraduates, the future agents of change. The program will blend academic coursework with practical workshops, giving students specific tools to make a real difference in their communities and beyond. The course is skill-driven and aims to teach students the nuts-and-bolts of affecting real change. Students will learn the strategies and tactics to change public policy, influence decision making, empower communities and raise needed funds.

AS.360.141.01 (Note: This course has no area designation for distribution)
Exercise Physiology and Health Appraisal
Instructor: Anne Irwin
Schedule: WThF 3:00 - 6:00pm; meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: Through a combination of JHU expert speakers and practical sessions in the Recreation Center, the course will cover such topics as: exercise physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, testing & assessment, strength training principles, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, exercise psychology, injury prevention, special health populations, and other topics.

AS.360.205.01 (H)
Pursuing Sustainable Happiness
Instructor: Provost Kristina Johnson and Dr. P.M. Forni
Schedule: TWThF 10:00-12:00pm; students must attend all class meetings; course meets from Jan 15-23.
Credits: 1

Description: This course meets Jan. 15-23. This intersession course will provide the students with the essential tools to pursue and achieve sustainable happiness during their college years and prepare them to experience it in their lives after college. The main premise of the course is that happiness is a byproduct of the good life and a good life is one of respect and caring for people, the environment and future generations. Sustainable happiness then is the result of living a life that is good in that it shows respect and care towards all that exists now and all that will exist in the future. It is not, however, a purely altruistic project, but rather one in which altruism and self-interest harmoniously converge.

HA 360.236.01 (N)
Ecuador and Galapagos Islands* (3 credits, letter grade)
Instructor: Eric Fortune
Schedule: Jan 7-19
Credits: 3

Description: * This undergraduate study abroad course is taught for 3 credits and a letter grade. This course is an introduction to Ecuador's Rain Forest, Highlands, and Galapagos Islands. The course will concentrate on the flora and fauna of these special habitats, but will also include the history, art, and culture of Ecuador. The final grade will be based on a field notebook that the student keeps, participation during the trip, and a final paper due in late January. There are no prerequisites other than a valid passport and approval of instructors.

Latin American Studies -

AS 361.232.01 (H S)
Intimacy and Political Violence in Contemporary Latin America Cinema
Instructor: Isaias Rojas-Perez
Schedule: MWTh 4:00-5:30pm; Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: Through viewings of six recent films made in a range of Latin American countries, this class explores the place of political violence in Latin American history and considers the specific ways in which victims restore senses of intimacy and trust in their everyday lives, in the aftermath of devastating violence.

Mechanical Engineering -

EN 530.114.01 (E)
Introduction to Computer-Aided Design
Instructor: Michael Boyle
Schedule: MTWTh 5:30-9:00pm; Meets Jan 5-9
Credits: 1

Description: This course explores many aspects of the mechanical design process using computer-aided design (CAD). Solid modeling, assembly modeling, detail drafting, mechanism dynamics, and structural analysis are all explored using Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0.

EN 530.114.02 (E)
Introduction to Computer-Aided Design
Instructor: Michael Boyle
Schedule: MTWTh 1:30-5:00pm; Meets Jan 5-8
Credits: 1

Description: This course explores many aspects of the mechanical design process using computer-aided design (CAD). Solid modeling, assembly modeling, detail drafting, mechanism dynamics, and structural analysis are all explored using Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0.

EN 530.453.01 (E)
Control Design for Teleoperators
Instructor: Paul Griffiths
Schedule: MW 3:00-4:30pm in CSEB B05 F 10:00-12:00pm in Wyman Park Bldg #140, Jan 5-23.
Credits: 1

Description: This course is an introduction to remote robotic operation, or teleoperation. These robotic systems allow us to explore remote and inaccessible spaces and provide realistic force-feedback to the user. Teleoperation is of growing importance in fields such as surgical systems and space robotics. The goal of this course is to program a simple teleoperator system using Phantom Omni robots. To achieve this the course will cover forward and inverse kinematics of serial robot manipulators, PD-control and gravity compensation. This course is appropriate for senior undergraduates or graduate students in mechanical engineering. A background in programming and dynamics is recommended.

Military Science -

AS 374.107.01 *No area designator (Note: This course has no area designation for distribution)
Motivating Leadership
Instructor: Steve Pomper
Schedule: MWF 10:00-11:30am; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: This course is an introduction to some basic and accepted leadership theory, traits and skills. It mainly focuses on your ability to influence individuals and small groups to achieve timely results and desirable objectives. Discussions and readings are on decision making, assessing, following, mentoring and counseling. The course can also explore methods that are more experimental, controversial and sometimes unproductive. Ultimately, you will discover your current leader potential and establish a benchmark for a lifelong journey of bettering yourself, and more importantly, those you will soon lead.

Music -

AS 376.130.01 (H)
The Romantic Composer
Instructor: Angel Lam
Schedule: MWF 9:00-11:30am;Week One, MT 9:00-11:30am; Week Two, Meets Jan 5,7,9,12,13. Jan 9, Friday night, 7:00pm BSO.
Credits: 1

Description: This is an introductory course to the music of the Romantic period, 19th century European concert music. Students will engage in listening to music written by Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Mussorgsky and Richard Strauss, to name a few, and the appreciation of the different musical expression voiced by these composers. The course includes one field trip to see a concert at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Marin Alsop is internationally acclaimed as an interpreter of Brahms.The First Symphony, a work that so tormented the composer, eventually alleviated the burden of composing a symphony in the wake of Bethoven's genius. The text for Schwantner's stirring work was compiled from the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. This special performance pays tribute to Dr. King's 80th birthday and the holiday in his honor.

AS 376.144.01 (H)
Paul's Boutique: Twenty Years Later, Why It Still Matters
Instructor: Lane Harder
Schedule: MTTh 4:00-7:00pm,Jan 5-22.
Credits: 2

Description: This course offers a detailed analysis of The Beastie Boys' influential second album, Paul's Boutique. This album simultaneously served as the pinnacle of sampling artistry and the last straw for many in the music industry who saw sampling as nothing more than theft. Using digital editing technology, students will reassemble many of the songs on the album using the original songs from which the samples came. They will also read and discuss influential articles on the pros and cons of sampling as well as how sampling has developed in recent years with the popularity of mashups, placing the album into a larger historical context.

AS 376.151.01 (H S)
Get to Know the BSO: America's First Municipal Orchestra
Instructor: Josephine Yun
Schedule: WF 4:00-6:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: Did you know that when the Baltimore Symphony began in 1915, it was a branch of the local government? This course will explore the BSO's history, challenges, and evolution into the internationally recognized organization it is today. Guest lecturers will include a member of the BSO administration and BSO musicians. The class will finish with a trip to see a BSO concert at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

AS 376.152.01 (H)
Opera Paradigms: From Mozart to Modernity
Instructor: Jolie Lin
Schedule: MTWF 4:00-6:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: What makes an opera a ‘great work of art’? Beginning with the twilight of the European Enlightenment, this class will survey significant operatic works through the golden age of opera in the 19th century and end with modernism of the early 20th century. We will examine how such operas as "Marriage of Figaro," "Der Freischütz," "Aida," and "Wozzeck" embody the aesthetic principles of their time. We will also discuss the relevance of opera to American culture today and possibly take a field trip to the Baltimore Lyric Opera House.

AS 376.153.01 (H)
Pushing the Envelope: Progressive Trends in Music
Instructor: Randy Bauer
Schedule: MTTh 12:30-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: This course will explore several intersecting domains of musical progressivism in the twentieth century, such as socio-political commentary through music, new realms of virtuosity, and visionary attitude. Specific topics will include the albums of Miles Davis, avant-garde trends in classical music, the Delta blues as social commentary, and music written in response to world crises. An ability to read music is not necessary.

AS 376.154.01 (Note: This course has no area designation for distribution)
B'More: The Music of Baltimore Today
Instructor: Ruby Fulton
Schedule: SMTWThF 9:00am-5:00pm; B'More Program meets Jan 18-23. You must participate in all B’More Program activities.
Credits: 1

Description: We will explore Baltimore's music scene today, spending one morning lecture on each of the following topics: Concert music of Baltimore (Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Peabody Conservatory); Music of current concert music composers from Baltimore (Christopher Rouse and Philip Glass); Experimental music of Baltimore (High Zero Festival, the Red Room concert series, Brian Sacawa's Mobtown Modern concert series); Pop music of Baltimore (survey of various local bands). Afternoon events will include community service work assisting a local music organization; a guest lecture or performance by a representative from the Meyerhoff, Peabody or the experimental or pop music scene; and a field trip to Peabody for a tour and to attend a concert on the Thursday Noon series (Thursday, January 22).

AS 376.155.01 (H)
Tunes for 'Toons
Instructor: Faye Chiao
Schedule: MW 1:00-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: For many people, a first introduction to “classical” music came from watching cartoons. This course seeks to re-trace this influence by exploring the use of musical works in classic cartoons by Warner Brothers and Disney. We will also take a more in-depth look at the musical works used (or spoofed!) in such cartoon classics as Warner Brothers’ “What’s Opera Doc?” and “The Rabbit of Seville.”

AS 376.159.01 (H)
Philosophies of Music Composition
Instructor: Jenny Beck
Schedule: TTh 10:00-12:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: This course will introduce various structures and styles in the repertoire of Western classical music. In-class directed listening to excerpts from different eras will introduce musical style from the composer's persepective. Short reading assignments will elaborate the compositional agenda of selected works and how the composer's objective relates to the prevailing social and cultural contexts. Repertoire may include: Ancient Greek Music, Early Church Music, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, Mahler, Schoenberg, Cage, Reich, and Glass.

Philosophy -

AS 150.100.01 (H)
Love
Instructor: James Gilmore
Schedule: MWF 1:00-4:00pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: What is love? Why do we fall in love? We will read the Symposium and the Phaedrus by Plato, (probably) excerpts from works by Foucault and Montaigne, as well as some shorter articles and works of fiction by Raymond Carver, Larry Brown and maybe some others. Students will write a short paper and contribute to a group presentation.

AS 150.103.01 (H)
Moral Relativism and Objectivity
Instructor: Nicholas Tebben
Schedule: MWF 2:00-3:30pm; Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: Moral relativism seems to be in the air these days. Talk of “equally valid” points of view has become a common place. This trend has been encouraged by anthropological work demonstrating the remarkable diversity of moral views around the world. The central question of this class will be: is moral relativism true? That is, we will ask whether moral truths – and not just beliefs about moral truths – are relative to an individual, or a culture, or a point of view.

AS 150.106.01 (H)
Heidegger's Being and Time
Instructor: Alexander James
Schedule: TTh 5:00-8:30pm; Meets Jan 5-15.
Credits: 1

Description: This course will consist of a close reading of selections from Division I of Heidegger’s Being and Time, one of the most influential and original texts of 20th century philosophy. In Division I, Heidegger offers an analysis of the basic structures of human experience and in the process calls into question traditional philosophical dichotomies responsible for generating and sustaining philosophical problems. If time permits, we will also consider Kierkegaard’s influence on Heidegger and parallels between Heidegger and Wittgenstein. No prior background in philosophy is required.

AS 150.109.01 (H)
Space and Time in Modern Philosophy: Newton, Leibniz, and Kant
Instructor: Patrick Leland
Schedule: MWF 1:00-4:00pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: Famously, Isaac Newton and G.W. Leibniz discovered calculus simultaneously, and they argued for the rest of their lives as to who had made the original discovery. Newton and Leibniz also argued about the nature of space and time, and their dispute inspired Immanuel Kant to write the most influential work of modern philosophy. We'll examine the early modern debate about the nature of space and time and then examine Kant’s response and its philosophical significance.

Physics & Astronomy -

AS 171.208.01 (N)
The Physics of Everyday Things
Instructor: Mark Mathis
Schedule: TTh 2:30-5:00pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: This course is designed to explore the physics principles behind some common, everyday things and some not so common things – including computers, price scanners, powered flight, ships, televisions, GPS, solar panels, and nuclear reactors. Other topics may be discussed. This course is designed for non-physics majors who have taken the introductory physics courses 171.101 and 171.102, and is not intended to be very math-intensive.

Political Science -

AS 191.102.01 (S)
International Human Rights and Terrorism
Instructor: Stefanie Fishel
Schedule: MTWThF 9:30-11:30am; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: This class is a topical survey of International Relations through human rights and the issues surrounding terrorist acts. How should human rights laws be applied to these issues? Instruction will be split between providing a basis for understanding human rights and the way they operate in the world through laws, institutions, and actions and focusing on the concept and phenomenon of terrorism and its relation to the maintenance and protection of human rights.

AS 191.212.01 (S)
Nationalism and Violence
Instructor: Alden Mulabdic
Schedule: MW 1:00-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: Violence in the past two decades has severely undermined the belief in the end of history. Despite (or because of) ‘globalization’ we have witnessed the resurgence and persistence of nationalist conflicts. The phenomenon of nationalism (ethnic, civic, and/or sectarian) is an important subject of analysis. This course is an introduction to the main theoretical paradigms and to select case studies. We will be reading two books and watching two documentaries (ex-Yugoslavia and Iraq).

AS 191.360.01 (S)
Consequences of War
Instructor: Sunil Vaswani
Schedule: MWF 4:00-7:00pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: An analysis of the international and domestic ramifications of war and war preparations. Topics include state formation (the Hintzean tradition and its critics), political development, memory of war and the construction of nationhood, the garrison state, and civil-military relations. Readings include a mix of theory and case studies. A film will also be viewed and discussed. Requirements include short written responses to reading assignments and a final exam.

Psychological & Brain Sciences -

AS 200.102.01 (N S)
Free Will and Determinism: a psychological perspective
Instructor: Jeffrey Moher
Schedule: TTh 1:00-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: Do we behave in a deterministic manner, our actions predictable according to certain variables, or are we free to act as we choose? This course examines the question primarily by looking at data from psychological research, investigating the brain and behavior in humans and other animals, but also by drawing from other areas such as philosophy and physics.

AS 200.213.01 (S)
Clinical Psychology in Action
Instructor: Rachel Piferi
Schedule: MW 9:00-12:30pm; Meets Jan 5-14.
Credits: 1

Description: Through guest presentations and field trips to various locations, this course will expose psychology majors to research and practice in clinical psychology. Students will learn about clinical psychology through interactions with professionals in the field and through tours of clinical organizations. Psychology majors only.

AS 200.225.01 (S)
Women in Science
Instructor: Hayley Kleitz
Schedule: TTh 9:00am-12:30pm; Meets Jan 6-15
Credits: 1

Description: In this course, we will investigate gender differences in science careers and discuss how science education early in life and social forces later in life affect career outcomes in the sciences. We will also highlight the careers of several influential women scientists across disciplines and discuss their contributions to the field.

Sociology -

AS 230.116.01 (S)
Baltimore Innovations
Instructor: Michael Reese
Schedule: MWTh 9:00-11:30am. Field trips will be part of this course, Jan 5-16.
Credits: 1

Description: Through lectures and field trips, this course will introduce students to diffusion of innovation theories through the use of case studies rooted in Baltimore (e.g., Baltimore & Ohio Railroad & transportation technology, Johns Hopkins & modern medicine). Several questions will guide the course discussions. Why do new ideas or innovations succeed or fail? What are the consequences of innovations on society? What role do individuals and social groups play in diffusing new ideas?

AS 230.119.01 (H)
B'More: Urbanization and Urban Politics
Instructor: Daniel Pasciuti
Schedule: SMTWThF 9:00am-5:00pm; B'More Program meets Jan 18-23. You must participate in all B’More Program activities.
Credits: 1

Description: This course will examine the physical, social and economic dimensions of health and medical care in the urban environment with specific reference to urban sprawl, air quality, urban heat island effects, physical activity patterns, pedestrian and motor vehicle injuries, water quantity and quality, redevelopment, and health disparities by race and class.

AS 230.122.01 (S)
Urban Renewal in Baltimore: From Harborplace to Hopkins
Instructor: Peter Rosenblatt
Schedule: MWTh 12:30-3:30pm; Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: An introduction to Baltimore’s changing urban landscape. Starting with its most prominent feature, the Inner Harbor, the course will then move outward to explore the impact of urban change in other parts of the city, ending with Hopkins’ own involvement with the redevelopment of East Baltimore. Along the way, we will discuss the controversies surrounding urban renewal and the pros and cons of different types of neighborhood change. Field trips will be included to investigate different parts of the city.

AS 230.125.01 (S)
B'More: Immigration and the City
Instructor: Mindelyn Buford, II
Schedule: SMTWThF 9:00am-5:00pm; B'More Program meets Jan 18-23. You must participate in all B’More Program activities.
Credits: 1

Description: This course introduces students to immigration to Baltimore City, past and present. Through classroom discussion and fieldtrips throughout Baltimore City, students will learn why people migrate, the affect of migration on immigrant’s lives, and how immigration impacts the host society. Topics of discussion will include: immigration patterns, social networks, socioeconomic characteristics, neighborhoods, and immigrant institutions.

AS 230.126.01 (S)
Explaining the 1979 Iranian Revolution: Interpreting a World-Historical Event
Instructor: Kevan Harris
Schedule: MTTh 12:30-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: Few events shook the US more than the 1979 Iranian Revolution and its subsequent trajectory (it arguably got Ronald Reagan elected). Even more shaken were the existing social science theories on revolutions - Iran seemed to defy them all. This 3-week class will go through various interpretations of the Revolution and look at how different explanations of a world-historical event lead to different views of how the larger social world operates.

AS 230.128.01 (S)
Popular Music, Culture, and Politics in the United States
Instructor: Caitlin Pearce
Schedule: MWTh 2:00-5:00pm; Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: Throughout the twentieth century, music has played a significant role in the making of popular culture, subculture, counterculture, and politics in the United States. In this course, we will examine the relationship between social and political ideology and music. The final week will be devoted to the theme of music as a tool for popular mobilization and resistance.

AS 230.136.01 (S)
Medicine, Media, Markets and Motherhood: Health and Infant Feeding in America
Instructor: Caitlin Cross-Barnet
Schedule: TTh 10:00am-12:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: Health care access and information are not equally distributed in our society. Race, gender and class influence people’s health and the health care they receive. These social factors also the influence the way people perceive what health is and what it means to obtain appropriate health care. Using infant feeding as a microcosm of health issues in society, this class will examine economic, social, and medical differences in perception and experience among varying race, class, and gender groups. We will look at infant feeding research in public health, medicine, and sociology as well as examine how breastfeeding and formula feeding are depicted in fiction, television shows, advertising, and other media. The class will culminate in a website analysis students will conduct using insights gained from class readings and materials.

AS 230.215.01 (S)
Sociology of Sports
Instructor: Christian Villenas
Schedule: TWThF 1:00-3:30pm; Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: Recent events surrounding troubled athletes, performance enhancing drugs, gambling, and Title IX have garnered much media attention, reinforcing the relevance of sports to the public consciousness, and its prominence as a social institution. This course will provide an overview of the sociology of sports. The course will center on the connection between sports and social institutions, particularly, the economy, education, and the media. Major emphasis will be given to issues concerning race, class, gender, and collegiate athletics.

Writing Seminars -

AS 220.170.01 (H)
Glamour & Tragedy: Writers on the Big Screen
Instructor: Gabrielle Ponce
Schedule: MTWTh 1:00-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: This course will investigate how writers, and the writing life, have been portrayed in film. Students will view a variety of films about writers and juxtapose these portraits with interviews and biographical sketches of a set of writers. Students will work to uncover what the writing life means and how the writing process is brought into focus, and at times distorted, in 20th & 21st century film.

AS 220.171.01 (H)
Song Writing: The Poetry of Music
Instructor: Anne-Marie Thompson
Schedule: MWTh 10:00-11:30am; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: We will investigate song as both inherent in poetry and as a possible vehicle for it, focusing on the lyricist's particular challenges and possible techniques. We'll look at what makes Goethe's poetry attractive to a musician like Schubert, and what Bob Dylan's lyrics share with those of Keats and Shakespeare. We'll follow the tradition of forms like the ballad and the blues song, and compose a few of our own.

AS 220.172.01 (H)
Modern Monsters: Rewriting Myths and Fables
Instructor: Robin Tung
Schedule: MTTh 12:00-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-22.
Credits: 2

Description: In this course, we will examine a series of stories that resurrect monsters and creatures from ancient mythology and traditional fables. We will explore the evolving concept and role of the monster in the context of social history and literature. Students will consider literary techniques in the writing of their own revision of a myth or fable and emphasis will be placed on point of view. Readings will be from Donald Barthelme, Ann Carson, John Gardner, and Angela Carter among others.

AS 220.173.01 (H)
Creative Writing Workshop: Writing About Yourself
Instructor: Shashi Bhat
Schedule: TTh 1:00-3:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: Students will work on crafting their own life stories into rich and polished writing, delving into the topic of memoirs and creative non-fiction. Pieces may be written for personal reflection, development as a writer, and even for graduate school or medical school application essays. This is primarily a workshop course, but we will also focus on learning to read as writers, exploring works from Richard Selzer, E.B. White, Cynthia Ozick, and others.

AS 220.174.01 (H)
Three Weeks in Hell: Dante's Inferno
Instructor: Stephen Kampa
Schedule: MWF 12:00-3:00pm; First class Jan 7, Wed, Jan 7-23
Credits: 2

Description: Ready to spend three weeks in hell, or at least Dante's version of it? We will approach Dante's Inferno from the perspective of creative writers trying to steal a few tricks from one of the greatest poets of all time. We'll examine Dante's use of allegory, theology, praise and invective, terza rima, and more in order to inspire our own compositions. Reading Dante well is a life-changing experience: let's begin!

AS 220.177.01 (H)
Weird Stories, Amazing Tales, Fantastic Fiction
Instructor: Charlotte O'Donnell
Schedule: MWF 10:00-11:30am; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 1

Description: This course seeks to explore the boundaries between science fiction, fantasy writing and literature. Students will study basic writing techniques involved in creating speculative fiction, with particular interest given to helping students construct alternate realities inside their stories. Topics will include mythical creatures, ghosts, and time/space travel. Students will read Bradbury, Kafka, Murakami and Bender among others.

AS 220.178.01 (H)
Dostoevsky, Fitzgerald, and Surrealism: Ethics and American Modernism
Instructor: John D. Rockefeller V
Schedule: MWF 6:00-9:00pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: Drawing on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s letters and textual clues, we explore the idea that Fitzgerald conceived The Great Gatsby as an American inflection of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. Did Fitzgerald condemn the social deterioration of laissez-faire America during the Prohibition era, by intentionally contrasting his depiction of Americans' restricted eithics in the 1920s with Dostoevsky's depiction of Russians' capacious ethics in the 1870s? Do the evocations of Maria Edgeworth's Castle Rackrent and Andre Breton's surrealism reveal Fitzgerald's antipathy toward European moderism and his commitment to restoring pre-modern ethics in America?

AS 220.179.01 (H)
B'More: Baltimore Writers
Instructor: William Hensel
Schedule: SMTWThF 9:00am-5:00pm; B'More Program meets Jan 18-23. You must participate in all B’More Program activities.
Credits: 1

Description: The class will examine the works of writers who were born, or have lived, in Baltimore. Possible authors include Poe, Mencken, Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, and others. Students will visit historic literary landmarks as well.

AS 220.180.01 (H)
Freewriting Across Genres
Instructor: Ryan Edel
Schedule: MWF 2:00-5:00pm; Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: Ready to break through writer’s block? Need inspiration for your stories and poems? Join us as we use freewriting techniques to plumb the depths of personal experience. Then, through our encouraging workshop experience, you’ll learn to harvest these raw materials of life to develop your short stories and poems. Finally, we’ll examine the writer’s life through essays by Kurt Vonnegut, Alice Walker, Elie Wiesel, Joyce Carol Oates and others.

AS 220.208.01 (H)
Introduction to Creative Writing: Medicine and Literature--Dealing with the Body and Difference
Instructor: Joanna Pearson
Schedule: MTWTh 2:00-4:30pm; Meets Jan 5-23
Credits: 2

Description: This is a medicine, literature, and creative writing course that should be of particular interest to pre-med or pre-health profession students. From Greek myths of the minotaur, to the history of carnivals and freak shows, to popular recent documentaries about disability like Murderball, we will consider how the consideration of bodily difference has evolved. Through our own writing of short stories, poems, and memoirs, we will attempt to write thoughtfully as we consider difference.