Title: Jazz and Its Contexts This course will give students a broad view of what most of the world thought was one of America’s great contributions to society in the twentieth century: jazz. We will explore the development of the music, both in terms of its social contexts and in terms of its formal devices. We… Read more »

Humans tell stories about themselves and their experiences to connect with others, share values, build relationships, and create kinship and friendship bonds. We all have stories to tell, but what makes stories compelling enough that others (i.e., strangers) would want to hear them or purchase them as books to read or listen to? What is… Read more »

“Modern Madness” examines how various forms of madness have been defined and treated between 1800 and the present. We will see madness described as the result of heredity, moral degeneracy, upbringing, trauma, fatigue, and body chemistry. The asylum has been an almost constant presence over the past 200 years, and we will pay particular attention… Read more »

In this course we will read accounts of voyages to Hell, Heaven, and many imaginary and real places in between. Beginning with Homer’s seventh century B.C. account of Odysseus’ complicated voyage (and his even more complicated arrival) home after the Trojan War, and ending with Voltaire’s satirical analysis of the treats (robbery, rape, cannibalism, slavery) awaiting… Read more »

Our Declaration of Independence states boldly that all men (which we will translate as people) have an “inalienable right” to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. In this seminar we will focus on the last two ideas. How are “liberty” and “happiness” conceived? What are the tensions between these two values? Can they be… Read more »

Ideas and arguments about money—what it is, how it works, who controls it—have been fundamental to modern history and to many theories of modernity itself. In this seminar, we will work through some foundational texts of Western social and political theory, focusing on how authors’ claims about money relate to how they see the world,… Read more »

What does it mean to think for yourself? How do we learn to do this? What is the difference between education and indoctrination? This course will examine these central questions through a mix of philosophy, psychology, and literature, and give students the opportunity to examine the shaping of their own lives thus far. We will also consider how social… Read more »

4739 ALVIN ROSENFELD TuTh 2:20-3:35 pm BH 238 Well known as historical figures, both Hitler and Anne Frank long ago began to take on symbolic dimensions–he as the 20th century’s leading personification of evil, and she as girlhood innocence despoiled by unspeakable anguish and condemned to an early death. In novels, stories, poems, plays, films,… Read more »

33892 BILL JOHNSTON MW 2:20-3:35 pm BH 343 Literature is made of language. But what is language made of? This course offers an introduction to linguistics in the context of literary texts. From phonology (the study of the sounds of language) to semantics (the study of meaning) and pragmatics (how language works in spoken and… Read more »

33845 ALICIA KOZMA TuTh 4:45-6:00 pm ARR ***THIS CLASS IS OPEN *ONLY* TO FRESHMAN WELLS SCHOLARS*** This freshman Wells honors seminar introduces students to the concept of media literacy—the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication— and explains why media literacy is a critical skill while also teaching students… Read more »