| MLA Course Descriptions |
| Catalog | Courses | Schedules | Applications | Directions | MLA home |
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
| 60000 Level Courses (60100-60199) *60103 WORKING CLASS LIFE IN LITERATURE AND FILM An examination of working-class life and culture traditionally ignored by the academy. By examining fiction, poetry, and films by and about the working-class, we will seek to understand the fluidity of working-class life and culture as well as the way social class intersects such other identities as race, gender, and sexual orientation. *60113 MYTHS AND LEGENDS: NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN THOUGHT Luther Standing Bear declares: "The Indian, by the very sense of duty, should become his own historian, giving his account of the race--fairer and fewer accounts of the wars and more of statecraft, legends, languages, oratory, and philosophical conceptions." This course is a survey of the legends and myths and the cultural-agricultural practices of the north American Indian tribes and nations with a focus on the nature of the self (person; tribe), the world (nature; cosmos), and their inter-relationship(s). These concepts are discussed and comparisons with Western philosophy are made when appropriate.
Dr. Spencer K. Wertz, Professor and Chair of the Philosophy Department, is a Cherokee descendent who has long standing interest in native North American literature. His most recent article is on maize in the Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Ethics. *60123 GLOBAL PERSUASIVE CAMPAIGNS, THEIR INFLUENCE AND IMPACT Global communications have created an international community exposed to persuasive campaigns, some advertising and some informational. This course will examine the influence and impact of global persuasive campaigns through an analysis of the structure of the campaign process and the use of images to create familiarity and experience. The ultimate impact and influence of such campaigns is highly variable, depending on the media in which they appear and the cultural context in which they are interpreted.
Dr. Douglas Ann Newsom, Professor of Journalism, received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. She has been involved in public relations work in industry, has published in the area of public relations and communication theory, and has received many awards, including being designated in the category of "Outstanding Educators of America." She has three co-authored textbooks widely used in colleges and universities. *60133 THE SOCIOLOGY OF DEVIANT BEHAVIOR What is deviance? From a sociological perspective, deviance is a matter of social definition, interpretation, and reaction. This seminar examines the story of deviance, a story involving the struggle between rule breakers and those who seek to define them as outside normative boundaries. The goal is to introduce students to substantive topics and scholarly work within the sociology of deviance while providing an opportunity for discussion and critique. Special emphasis will be placed on the interactional dynamics involved in defining and managing deviance and the development of deviant careers.
Dr. Carol Thompson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Texas Christian University. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on such topics as death penalty attitudes, defensive gun ownership, fear of victimization, criminal recidivism, and women and violence. She teaches in the areas of criminology, victimology, deviance and the criminal violence. Dr. Thompson has been a guest of Public Television’s McQuistion Show, The NBC Nightly News, and is interviewed often by local and national television and newspaper journalists concerning crime related topics. *60143 ECONOMICS OF CONTEMPORARY ISSUES Basic concepts and tools used by economists and applications of those tools to analyze contemporary economic and social issues will be discussed. Included among the issues will be drug prohibition, tax reform, Social Security, the minimum wage, and environmental protection.
Dr. Michael Butler, Associate Professor of Economics, received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His primary fields of specialization are microeconomics and industrial organization. Dr. Butler's publications cover a wide array of topics, including electric utility regulation, the diffusion of technological innovations, abortion legislation as a public good, and competitive balance in major league baseball. *60153 CULTURE AND AMERICAN CINEMA An exploration of cinema as a form of American social expression. As cultural artifacts, films are produced in specific historical contexts by and for cultural groups. Films produced for American audiences reflect American values, myths, and behavior and thus constitute an important form of social expression. We will examine movie genres and directors from the 1930s through the 1950s to see how Hollywood's images of America changed over time.
Dr. Joan McGettigan, Associate Professor of Radio-TV-Film, earned her M.A. in English and her Ph.D. in Mass Communications at Penn State University. A specialist in Film History and analysis, she has published articles on the films of writer-director Terrence Malick and on the depiction of characters in literature, film, radio drama, and legal discourse. She is currently working on a history of movie theaters in Philadelphia, PA. *60173 ROME AND FLORENCE: DEVELOPMENT OF WESTERN CHRISTIANITY AS SEEN THROUGH ART AND ARCHITECTURE Study in Rome and Florence of the artistic achievements of Western culture emphasizing the historical perspective of the development of Christianity and Western civilization. *60183 "AFTER DICTATORSHIP: CAN LATIN AMERICAN NATIONS ACHIEVE DEMOCRACY?" The course challenges the facile assumption that because guerrilla wars have ended and the generals have turned power over to civilians, Latin America will necessarily "go democratic." The course focuses on the peace processes in selected Latin American countries in order to explore the serious challenges that confront nations seeking to democratize when they are saddled with deep legacies of authoritarianism.
Dr. Michael Dodson, Professor of Political Science, received his Ph.D. from Indiana University. Since 1980, he has made dozens of research trips to Central America. His earlier published work dealt primarily with religion and politics. More recently, he has written about the rule of law. Dr. Dodson is currently doing research on justice system reform in El Salvador and Guatemala. 60193 HIGH CIVILIZATIONS OF THE AMERICAS: THE AZTECS, THE INCAS, AND THE MAYA An examination of the beginning, development, and decline of the three major aboriginal cultures of the Western Hemisphere. The total culture of each civilization will be explored including religious, social, economic, and military factors. Post conquest developments will also be examined.
Dr. Don M. Coerver, Professor of History and Director of the Master of Liberal Arts program, received his Ph.D. from Tulane University. He is a former resident of Mexico, has traveled extensively throughout the country, and is the author of seven books and many articles on Mexican history. He serves as a consultant to the Library of Congress Hispanic Division and has served as president of the Southwestern Council on Latin American Studies and the Southwestern Historical Association. |