Current Integrated Studies
Ancient Greece and the Near East: History, Politics, and Literature (IS 145)
When does history begin? This integrated study answers that question by tracing the invention of many technologies and institutions taken for granted today, such as writing, cities, and democracy, to the ancient Near East and Greece. Students will be introduced to the history, politics, and culture of the peoples of the ancient Near East and Greece, from the establishment of the first cities in Mesopotamia to the conquests of Alexander the Great. Through an exploration of this period, students will gain valuable insights into the complexities of contemporary societies and develop a nuanced perspective on the world we inhabit today. Satisfies the H, S, L, I, and W1 requirements. Twelve credit hours.
Faculty: Elizabeth Hill, James Taylor, Tizoc Chavez.
Students who take the three linked courses in IS 145 will receive all-college distribution credit in five areas: Historical Studies (H), Social Sciences (S), Literature (L), the first-year writing (W1), and the international diversity (I) requirements.
PL 145 — Myth and Reason: Literature and Philosophy of Ancient Greece
An introductory survey of key works in ancient Greek literature and philosophy. The course encourages a holistic understanding of the ancient Greek world by foregrounding conceptual relations between myth and reason, religion and philosophy, nature and civilization, and more. Selected readings may include excerpts from the epic poems of Homer; Hesiod’s Theogony; Fragments of Sappho’s poetry; the tragedies of Euripides, Aeschylus, and Sophocles; the comedies of Aristophanes; Plutarch’s “Sayings of Spartan Women”; fragments from PreSocratic philosophers including Heraclitus and Parmenides; Plato’s dialogues; and Aristotle’s treatises. Satisfies the L and I requirement. Four credit hours. Hill.
GO 145A — Leadership in the Ancient World
What constitutes “good” leadership? What makes for a successful leader? This course explores these questions through an in-depth study of leadership in the ancient world. It explores the political, social, and cultural contexts that shaped leadership styles and strategies in that era. Through analyzing the leadership theories, practices, and ideologies of figures such as Cyrus the Great, Themistocles, Pericles, and Alexander the Great, students will gain a historical and theoretical foundation for the study of political leadership in contemporary times. Satisfies the S and W1 requirements. Four credit hours. Chavez.
CL158 — History of Ancient Greece and the Near East
This course offers an overview of ancient Greek history and culture from the Mycenaean society of the Bronze Age to the formation of the Hellenistic kingdoms, and situates this historical survey within the broader context of the histories and cultures of the Near East. We will begin with the foundation of the first cities in the fourth millennium BCE and end with the fall of Ptolemaic Egypt to the Roman Empire. Over the course of the semester, we will read texts ranging from the poems of the priestess Enheduanna to the dialogues of the philosopher Plato. Particular attention will be paid to political, social, and cultural history. Satisfies the H requirement. Four credit hours. Taylor.
New World Disorder: America between the Wars, 1919-1939 (IS 138)
The United States emerged from World War I as the world’s richest and most powerful nation, but Americans found this no guarantee of individual happiness, social peace, economic security, or political stability. This cluster examines the sources of Americans’ soaring hopes and profound discontents; how literature expressed the yearning and disappointments of intellectuals, African Americans, immigrants, and other groups; and how philosophers sought meaning in an age when nothing in life or logic seamed assured.
Faculty: Katherine Stubbs, Rob Weisbrot, Steve Wurtzler.
Students who take the three linked courses in IS 138 will receive all-college distribution credit in four areas: Historical studies (H); Literature (L); Art (A); and the first-year writing requirement (W1).
EN 138 — The Perils and Pleasures of Modernity
How did American literature respond to the dramatic social and cultural transformations that shook the United States after the devastating Great War? Moving from the roaring twenties through the Depression, we will study texts that emerged from the Lost Generation and the Harlem Renaissance, as well as the work of immigrant and working-class writers. Students will engage in a series of writing-intensive exercises and workshops, producing and revising four essays over the course of the semester. Stubbs. Satisfies the L and W1 requirements. Four credit hours.
Why did racial, religious, cultural, and regional tensions tear at American society in the years after World War, a time of soaring production, consumption, and living standards? Why did the nation’s vaunted prosperity give way in 1929 to the greatest economic collapse in American history? How did people cope with hard times over the next decade? How did their responses transform American values, culture, and politics? Weisbrot. Satisfies the H requirement. Four credit hours.
CI 138 Film and Media, 1919-1939
From the aftermath of World War I to the outbreak of WWII, film and mass media took on increasing importance in American life. Filmmakers, writers, musicians, photographers, and artists grappled with first a period of prosperity and media invention, then the aftermath of the stock market crash of 1929, and finally the prospect of war in Europe and elsewhere. Mass media not only entertained, but they also became tools to document and to shape the realities faced by US citizens, functioning at the service of various movements for social change. We will focus on different types of film in relation to nonfiction writing, theater, radio, photography and recorded sound. Wurtzler. Satisfies the A requirement. Four credit hours.