Mar 28, 2024  
College Catalog 2017-2018 
    
College Catalog 2017-2018 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Courses


 

Linguistics

  
  • LING 401 - Field Methods


    The vast majority of the world’s languages cannot be learned from textbooks or programmed tapes. They have never even been recorded. In this course, which is required for all linguistics majors, students meet with one or more bilingual speakers of a language unknown to them, and attempt by means of elicitation and analysis of texts to understand its structure. Prerequisite(s): LING 300   Spring semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • LING 435 - History of the Spanish Language

    Cross-Listed as  
    An overview of Modern Spanish as it has developed over time. Course will trace the historical evolution of the most salient phonological, morpho-syntactic and lexical traits of Modern Spanish and will include study of the origins of American Spanish. Students will also be introduced to some of the principal theories of language change. This course satisfies the Area 3 requirement for the Hispanic & Latin American Studies major. Prerequisite(s):  LING 309  or   or permission of instructor. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • LING 436 - Spanish Dialectology

    Cross-Listed as   and LATI 436  
    A survey of modern dialectal variations of Spanish that includes examination of American Spanish dialects as well as those of the Iberian Peninsula. Sociolinguistic issues and historical aspects of dialect variation and study will be addressed, along with other extralinguistic factors. Through this course, students will be provided an introduction to theories of language change, as well as the history of the language, and will gain a broad understanding of the different varieties of Modern Spanish. This course satisfies the Area 3 requirement for the Hispanic & Latin American Studies major. Prerequisite(s):  LING 309  or   or permission of the instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • LING 437 - Applied Linguistics: Spanish Second Language Acquisition

    Cross-Listed as  
    An overview of research projects on the acquisition of Spanish as a second language. Students will learn about the theoretical approaches used in these studies as well as the effects of various pedagogical approaches on the development of Spanish interlanguage systems. While the focus of the course is on the acquisition of Spanish as a second language, students will gain a broad and useful understanding of different pedagogical issues directly related to the acquisition/learning process(es) of other second languages. This course satisfies the Area 3 requirement for the Hispanic & Latin American Studies major. Prerequisite(s): LING 309  or   or permission of instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • LING 488 - Translating Japanese: Theory and Practice

    Cross-Listed as  
    This workshop for advanced students of Japanese explores the craft and cultural implications of Japanese-to-English literary translation. It aims to give students not only a facility and sophistication in translating Japanese, but also a closer familiarity with the Japanese language itself. Through weekly translation assignments, we will examine the expressive qualities of the Japanese language, tracing major developments of prose style in the modern period and studying the socio-historical context manifested in those linguistic innovations. Our work will be informed and enhanced by engagements with theories of translation as well as essays on Japanese-to-English translation specifically. We will cover a broad range of genres, including essays, poetry, manga, and film (subtitles). The course will culminate in an original project translating a Japanese work of one’s choice.This workshop for advanced students of Japanese explores the craft and cultural implications of Japanese-to-English literary translation. It aims to give students not only a facility and sophistication in translating Japanese, but also a closer familiarity with the Japanese language itself. Through weekly translation assignments, we will examine the expressive qualities of the Japanese language, tracing major developments of prose style in the modern period and studying the socio-historical context manifested in those linguistic innovations. Our work will be informed and enhanced by engagements with theories of translation as well as essays on Japanese-to-English translation specifically. We will cover a broad range of genres, including essays, poetry, manga, and film (subtitles). The course will culminate in an original project translating a Japanese work of one’s choice. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 305 - Third Year Japanese I  or higher (4 Credits)

  
  • LING 494 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • LING 611 - Independent Project


    Limit of one may be applied toward the major unless the student is carrying out a capstone or an honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • LING 612 - Independent Project


    Limit of one may be applied toward the major unless the student is carrying out a capstone or an honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • LING 613 - Independent Project


    Limit of one may be applied toward the major unless the student is carrying out a capstone or an honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • LING 614 - Independent Project


    Limit of one may be applied toward the major unless the student is carrying out a capstone or an honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • LING 621 - Internship


    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • LING 622 - Internship


    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • LING 623 - Internship


    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • LING 624 - Internship


    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • LING 631 - Preceptorship


    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • LING 632 - Preceptorship


    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • LING 633 - Preceptorship


    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • LING 634 - Preceptorship


    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • LING 641 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • LING 642 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • LING 643 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • LING 644 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (4 Credits)


Mathematics

  
  • MATH 112 - Introduction to Data Science

    Cross-Listed as COMP 112  
    This course provides an introduction to the handling, analysis, and interpretation of the big datasets now routinely being collected in science, commerce, and government. Students achieve facility with a sophisticated, technical computing environment. The course aligns with techniques being used in several courses in the natural and social sciences, statistics, and mathematics. The course is intended to be accessible to all students, regardless of background. Occasionally offered. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 125 - Epidemiology


    Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of disease and health in human populations and the application of this understanding to the solution of public health problems. Topics include measurement of disease and health, the outbreak and spread of disease, reasoning about cause and effect, analysis of risk, detection and classification, and the evaluation of trade-offs. The course is designed to fulfill and extend the professional community’s consensus definition of undergraduate epidemiology. In addition to the techniques of modern epidemiology, the course emphasizes the historical evolution of ideas of causation, treatment, and prevention of disease. The course is a required component of the concentration in Community and Global Health. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 135 - Applied Multivariable Calculus I


    This course focuses on calculus useful for applied work in the natural and social sciences. There is a strong emphasis on developing scientific computing and mathematical modeling skills. The topics include functions as models of data, differential calculus of functions of one and several variables, integration, differential equations, and estimation techniques. Applications are drawn from varied areas, including biology, chemistry, economics, and physics. Prerequisite(s): None. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 137 - Applied Multivariable Calculus II


    This course focuses on calculus useful for both theoretical and applied work in the mathematical, natural, and social sciences. Topics include: partial derivatives, gradients, contour plots, constrained and unconstrained optimization, Taylor polynomials, interpretations of integrals via finite sums, the fundamental theorem of calculus, double integrals over a rectangle,and differential equations. Attention is given to both symbolic and numerical computing. Prerequisite(s): MATH 135 or a year of high school calculus at the level of AP calculus with an AB score of 4 or higher. 

      Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 155 - Introduction to Statistical Modeling


    An introductory statistics course with an emphasis on multivariate modeling. Topics include descriptive statistics, experiment and study design, probability, hypothesis testing, multivariate regression, single and multi-way analysis of variance, logistic regression. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 194 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 212 - Philosophy of Mathematics

    Cross-Listed as  
    Why does 2 + 2 equal four? Can a diagram prove a mathematical truth? Is mathematics a social construction or do mathematical facts exist independently of our knowing them? Philosophy of mathematics considers these sorts of questions in an effort to understand the logical and philosophical foundations of mathematics. Topics include mathematical truth, mathematical reality, and mathematical justifications (knowledge). Typically we focus on the history of mathematics of the past 200 years, highlighting the way philosophical debates arise in mathematics itself and shape its future. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 111 , MATH 279 , or permission of the instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 236 - Linear Algebra


    Linear algebra is one of the pillars of mathematics, both pure and applied. Linear relations can be used to model phenomena from numerous disciplines in the mathematical sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, engineering, and computer science. This introduction to linear algebra blends mathematical computation, theory, abstraction, and application. It starts with systems of linear equations and grows into the study of matrices, vector spaces, linear independence, dimension, linear transformations, orthogonality and projections, eigenvectors, and their applications. The resulting linear algebraic framework is a flexible and powerful way to approach multidimensional problems. Prerequisite(s):  MATH 279  or MATH 137 , or with permission of instructor, MATH 135   Offered every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 237 - Applied Multivariable Calculus III


    This course focuses on calculus useful for the mathematical and physical sciences. Topics include: scalar and vector-valued functions and derivatives; parameterization and integration over regions, curves, and surfaces; the divergence theorem; and Taylor series. Attention is given to both symbolic and numerical computing. Applications drawn from the natural sciences, probability, and other areas of mathematics. Prerequisite(s): MATH 137  or a strong high school calculus at the level of AP calculus with a BC score of 4 or higher. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 253 - Statistical Computing and Machine Learning


    Statistics as applied to “big data,” including large numbers of variables.  The linear and logistic modeling techniques from Math 155 will be augmented with computer-based methods of data exploration, visualization, data mining, supervised and unsupervised clustering, and other techniques central to machine learning. The course also deals with methods of combining and organizing data from diverse sources and the high-level statistical computer programming needed to carry out sophisticated data analysis and graphical presentation.   Prerequisite(s): MATH 155   Every semester (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 279 - Discrete Mathematics


    Discrete mathematics studies collections of distinct, separate objects and is complementary to calculus (which studies continuous phenomena). This course introduces techniques for analyzing arrangements of objects and the relationships between them. The material emphasizes problem solving and logical argumentation, rather than computation. Topics include basic counting principles, induction, logic, recurrence relations, number theory, and graph theory. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 294 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 312 - Differential Equations


    Introduction to the theory and application of differential equations. Solving linear and first-order systems using algebra, linear algebra, and complex numbers. Using computers to solve equations both symbolically and numerically and to visualize the solutions. Qualitative methods for nonlinear dynamical systems. Applications to diverse areas of modeling. Prerequisite(s):  MATH 236  and MATH 237  Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 313 - Advanced Symbolic Logic

    Cross-Listed as   
    A second course in symbolic logic which extends the methods of logic. A main purpose of this course is to study logic itself-to prove things about the system of logic learned in the introductory course. This course is thus largely logic about logic. Topics include second order logic and basic set theory; soundness, consistency and completeness of first order logic; incompleteness of arithmetic; Turing computability; modal logic; and intuitionistic logic. Prerequisite(s):  PHIL 111  or MATH 279  or permission of instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 354 - Probability


    An introduction to probability theory and application. Fundamental probability concepts include: sample spaces, combinatorics, conditional probability, independence, random variables, probability distributions, expectation, variance, moment-generating functions, and limit theorems. Special course topics vary and may include: computer simulation, stochastic processes, and statistical inference. Prerequisite(s): MATH 237 ; or MATH 137  and MATH 236   Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 361 - Theory of Computation

    Cross-Listed as   
    This course examines the theoretical foundations of computation. It explores different mathematical models that try to formalize our informal notion of an algorithm. Models include finite automata, regular expressions, grammars, and Turing machines. The course also discusses ideas about what can and cannot be computed. In addition, the course explores the basics of complexity theory, examining broad categories of problems and their algorithms, and their efficiency. The focus is on the question of P versus NP, and the NP-complete set. Prerequisite(s):   and  , or permission of instructor Every spring. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 365 - Computational Linear Algebra

    Cross-Listed as  COMP 365  
    A mix of applied linear algebra and numerical analysis, this course covers a central point of contact between mathematics and computer science. Many of the computational techniques important in science, commerce, and statistics are based on concepts from linear algebra, such as subspaces, projections, and matrix decompositions. The course reviews these concepts, adopts them to large scales, and applies them in the core techniques of scientific computing. These include solving systems of linear and nonlinear equations, approximation and statistical function estimation, optimization, interpolation, eigenvalue and singular value decompositions, and compression. Applications throughout the natural sciences, social sciences, statistics, and computer science Prerequisite(s): COMP 120  or COMP 123 , and MATH 236   Every spring. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 376 - Algebraic Structures


    Introduction to algebraic structures, including groups, rings, fields, and vector spaces. Other topics may include geometric constructions, symmetry groups, algebraic coding theory, Burnside’s counting theorem, Galois theory. Prerequisite(s):  MATH 279  and MATH 236   Every spring. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 377 - Real Analysis


    Basic theory for the real numbers and the notions of limit, continuity, differentiation, integration, convergence, uniform convergence, and infinite series. Additional topics may include metric and normed linear spaces, point set topology, analytic number theory, Fourier series. Prerequisite(s):  MATH 237  Every fall. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 378 - Complex Analysis


    A course in the study of functions of complex numbers, a topic which touches fields as varied as number theory, applied mathematics, physics, engineering, algebraic geometry, and more. We cover: geometry and algebra of complex numbers; complex functions; differentiation and integration, including the Cauchy-­Riemann equations, Cauchy’s theorem, and the Cauchy integral formula; Taylor series, Laurent series, and the Residue Theorem. Throughout, we emphasize complex functions as transformations of the plane, and also make a strong connection to applications. This course is appropriate both for students with an interest and background in theoretical mathematics and proof, and students whose primary interest is the application of mathematics to other fields. Prerequisite(s): MATH 236  and MATH 237 . Every spring. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 379 - Combinatorics


    A second course in discrete mathematics that develops more advanced counting techniques. Combinatorics is the study of arrangements, patterns and configurations. Generally speaking,  we fix a set of objects and then arrange those objects into patterns satisfying special rules. Once we identify an interesting family of objects, we ask: how many are there? what are their structural properties? how can we find the “best” one(s)?  Topics are drawn from  graph theory, enumerative combinatorics, graph algorithms, and generating functions.  Prerequisite(s): MATH 279  and MATH 237   Offered odd-numbered fall semesters. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 394 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 432 - Mathematical Modeling


    Draws on the student’s general background in mathematics to construct models for problems arising from such diverse areas as the physical sciences, life sciences, political science, economics, and computing. Emphasis will be on the design, analysis, accuracy, and appropriateness of a model for a given problem. Case studies will be used extensively. Specific mathematical techniques will vary with the instructor and student interest. This course counts towards the capstone requirement. Prerequisite(s): MATH 312  and one of the following:  COMP 120  or COMP 123  or COMP 124   Fall semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 437 - Topics in Applied Mathematics


    Topics in applied mathematics chosen from: Fourier analysis; partial differential equations; wavelets; signal processing; time-frequency analysis; stochastic processes; optimization; computational geometry; and more. Topics are examined in theoretical and applied contexts, and from analytical and computational viewpoints. This course counts toward the capstone requirement. Prerequisite(s): MATH 365  and one of the following: COMP 120  or COMP 123  or COMP 124  Odd numbered spring semesters. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 453 - Survival Analysis


    Survival analysis refers to a set of methods used for modeling “time-­to-­event” or “duration” data. In many studies, the outcome of interest is the time between between events (e.g. onset of Alzheimer’s until death, time unlit default on a loan, unemployment duration, marriage duration, removal-­to-­recurrence of a tumor, emergency room length of stay). Survival analysis evolved from a practical reality: the precise values of data are often unknown. We will introduce the concepts of censoring and truncation, and discuss the Kaplan-­Meier curve, parametric regression models, Cox’s proportional hazards model, and time-­varying covariates. The course will have an applied focus. Examples may be drawn from a variety of fields including, but not restricted to, medicine, economics, sociology, and political science. The course will count toward completion of the concentration in Community and Global Health. This course counts toward the capstone requirement. Prerequisite(s): MATH 155  and MATH 354 . Even fall and even spring semesters. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 454 - Bayesian Statistics


    Bayesian statistics, an alternative to the traditional frequentist approach taken in our other statistics courses, is playing an increasingly integral role in modern statistics.  Highlighted by Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight.com and Baseball Prospectus fame, Bayesian statistics has even reached a popular audience.  This course explores the Bayesian philosophy, the Bayesian approach to statistical analysis, Bayesian computing, as well as both sides of the frequentist versus Bayesian debate.  Topics include Bayes’ Theorem, prior and posterior probability distributions, Bayesian regression, Bayesian hierarchical models, and an introduction to Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques. Prerequisite(s): MATH 155  and MATH 354 . Odd fall and odd spring semesters. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 455 - Mathematical Statistics


    An important course for students considering graduate work in statistics or biostatistics, this course explores the mathematics underlying modern statistical applications. Topics include: classical techniques for parameter estimation and evaluation of estimator properties, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and linear regression. Special topics vary and may include: tests of independence, resampling techniques, introductory Bayesian concepts, and non­-parametric methods. Though not the focus of this course, concepts will be highlighted through applications in a variety of settings. Prerequisite(s): MATH 354   Even numbered spring semesters. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 471 - Topology


    A course in both theoretical and computational mathematics. Theoretical concepts include fundamental ideas from point set topology—continuity, convergence, and connectedness—as well as selected topics from algebraic topology—the fundamental group, elementary homotopy theory, and homology. This theoretical framework provides a backbone to understand new advances in topological data analysis. Applications are chosen from diverse fields such as biological aggregations, medicine, image processing, signal processing, and sensor networks. This course counts towards the capstone requirement. Prerequisite(s): MATH 365  or MATH 376  or MATH 377   Odd spring semesters. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 476 - Representation Theory


    A course in matrix representations of groups, a topic which unites the powers of group theory and linear algebra. Topics include: symmetry in linear spaces, modules, group actions, characters, tensor products, and Fourier analysis on groups. Applications are chosen from: ranked data, molecular vibrations, quantum mechanics, random walks, number theory, and combinatorics. Important ideas from linear algebra are revisited from a more sophisticated point of view. These include: linear transformations, abstract vector spaces, change of basis, subspaces, direct sums, projections, and eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Prerequisite(s): MATH 376   Odd numbered fall semesters. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 477 - Projects in Analysis


    Students will work on semester projects that build on the material of MATH 377  or MATH 378 . These projects are designed to serve as Capstone projects and will be open-­ended exploratory projects on topics chosen from real, complex, or functional analysis. Prerequisite(s):  MATH 377  or MATH 378   Even numbered spring semesters. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 479 - Network Science

    Cross-Listed as   
    The modern Information Age has produced a wealth of data about the complex networks that tie us together. In response, the field of Network Science has arisen, bringing together mathematics, computer science, sociology, biology, economics and other fields. This course will explore the fundamental questions and the mathematical tools of Network Science. This includes: the structure of complex networks, including connectedness, centrality and “long tails”; community detection; random/strategic models for network formation; diffusion/contagion and “tipping points” on networks; and algorithms for analyzing complex networks. Prerequisite(s):  MATH 236  and MATH 379 . Odd numbered spring semesters. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 494 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 601 - Tutorial


    Closely supervised individual (or very small group) study with a faculty member in which a student may explore, by way of readings, short writings, etc., an area of mathematics not available through the regular offerings. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • MATH 602 - Tutorial


    Closely supervised individual (or very small group) study with a faculty member in which a student may explore, by way of readings, short writings, etc., an area of mathematics not available through the regular offerings. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • MATH 603 - Tutorial


    Closely supervised individual (or very small group) study with a faculty member in which a student may explore, by way of readings, short writings, etc., an area of mathematics not available through the regular offerings. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • MATH 604 - Tutorial


    Closely supervised individual (or very small group) study with a faculty member in which a student may explore, by way of readings, short writings, etc., an area of mathematics not available through the regular offerings. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 611 - Independent Project


    Individual project including library research, conferences with instructor, oral and written reports on independent work in mathematics. Subject matter may complement but not duplicate material covered in regular courses. Prerequisite(s): Arrangement with faculty prior to registration, departmental approval, and permission of instructor and department chair. (1 Credits)

  
  • MATH 612 - Independent Project


    Individual project including library research, conferences with instructor, oral and written reports on independent work in mathematics. Subject matter may complement but not duplicate material covered in regular courses. Prerequisite(s): Arrangement with faculty prior to registration, departmental approval, and permission of instructor and department chair. (2 Credits)

  
  • MATH 613 - Independent Project


    Individual project including library research, conferences with instructor, oral and written reports on independent work in mathematics. Subject matter may complement but not duplicate material covered in regular courses. Prerequisite(s): Arrangement with faculty prior to registration, departmental approval, and permission of instructor and department chair. (3 Credits)

  
  • MATH 614 - Independent Project


    Individual project including library research, conferences with instructor, oral and written reports on independent work in mathematics. Subject matter may complement but not duplicate material covered in regular courses. Prerequisite(s): Arrangement with faculty prior to registration, departmental approval, and permission of instructor and department chair. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 621 - Internship


    Internships are offered only as S/D/NC grading option. Prerequisite(s): Junior and Senior standing. Arrangements must be made prior to registration. Departmental approval and permission of instructor required. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • MATH 622 - Internship


    Internships are offered only as S/D/NC grading option. Prerequisite(s): Junior and Senior standing. Arrangements must be made prior to registration. Departmental approval and permission of instructor required. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • MATH 623 - Internship


    Internships are offered only as S/D/NC grading option. Prerequisite(s): Junior and Senior standing. Arrangements must be made prior to registration. Departmental approval and permission of instructor required. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • MATH 624 - Internship


    Internships are offered only as S/D/NC grading option. Prerequisite(s): Junior and Senior standing. Arrangements must be made prior to registration. Departmental approval and permission of instructor required. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 631 - Preceptorship


    Work in assisting faculty in the planning and teaching of a course. Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor. Work with Academic Programs Office to complete a Preceptor Learning Contract Form . Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • MATH 632 - Preceptorship


    Work in assisting faculty in the planning and teaching of a course. Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor. Work with Academic Programs Office to complete a Preceptor Learning Contract Form . Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • MATH 633 - Preceptorship


    Work in assisting faculty in the planning and teaching of a course. Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor. Work with Academic Programs Office to complete a Preceptor Learning Contract Form . Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • MATH 634 - Preceptorship


    Work in assisting faculty in the planning and teaching of a course. Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor. Work with Academic Programs Office to complete a Preceptor Learning Contract Form . Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MATH 641 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • MATH 642 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • MATH 643 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • MATH 644 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (4 Credits)


Media and Cultural Studies

  
  • MCST 110 - Texts and Power: Foundations of Media and Cultural Studies


    This course introduces students to the intellectual roots and contemporary applications of cultural studies, including critical media studies, focusing on the theoretical bases for analyses of power and meaning in production, texts, and reception. It includes primary readings in anti-racist, feminist, modern, postmodern, and queer cultural and social theory, and compares them to traditional approaches to the humanities. Designed as preparation for intermediate and advanced work grounded in cultural studies, the course is writing intensive, with special emphasis on developing skills in critical thinking and scholarly argumentation and documentation. Completion of or enrollment in MCST 110 is the prerequisite for majoring in media and cultural studies. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 114 - News Reporting and Writing


    This class gives an introduction to the many media platforms that are vital to contemporary journalism, and provides a strong foundation in news writing and reporting. It is taught by a veteran editor and writer, who is a Macalester graduate and currently a digital editor at the Minneapolis Star Tribune ( startribune.com ). Campus and Twin Cities communities are used as students plan, develop, report and write stories individually and in groups. Cookies are usually served in class.   (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 126 - Local News Media Institutions


    In this course students analyze the social, cultural, economic, political, and regulatory factors shaping the nature of US communications media, and then investigate how this affects local media organizations and their role in recognizing, serving and facilitating (or not) local populations, communities, interaction, identity, and civic engagement. Considering the history and practices of American journalism, and the current shifts in media technology and economics, the class examines the degree to which media function to provide effective access to news and information, foster diversity of content, encourage civic engagement, and serve the interest of citizens and diverse communities in a democratic society. Individual student projects for the course begin by identifying particular geographic, ethnic, or cultural neighborhoods and communities in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, and proceed to explore the degree to which these communities are recognized, defined, or served by various media institutions and journalism practice. Students explore various attempts to revitalize local communication, news delivery and civic discourse through experiments in community media, citizen journalism, community-based news aggregation, media arts, community service and other media innovations and reforms across neighborhood, ethnic, immigrant, gender, sexuality, and other public issues and community participation. Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 128 - Film Analysis/Visual Culture


    This course introduces the aesthetics of film as well as selected issues in contemporary film studies. Its aesthetic approach isolates the features that constitute film as a distinct art form: narrative or non-narrative structure, staging, cinematography, editing, and sound. Topics in contemporary film studies that might be considered include one or more of the following: cultural studies and film, industrial organization and globalization, representations of gender and race, and theories of authorship, horror, and spectatorship. Several papers, a test covering basic film terms, and a short video project emphasizing abstract form are required. Suitable for first year students. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 194 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 202 - Global Media Industries

    Cross-Listed as  INTL 202 
    Global media collectively have tremendous influence in how many see and comprehend the world and therefore on the information and beliefs upon which they feel or act. While media are central to the continued production of a sense of “the world” at large or the “global” scale, media industries are situated geographically, culturally and institutionally. Even if they promise worldwide coverage or are multinational companies, there is much to be gained from studying how media are produced and distributed differently according to specific social, political, economic and historical conditions. This course considers media industries around the world with a focus on the relationships between the labor and infrastructures behind representations in a broad range of media (television, radio, cinema, news, telecommunications, internet). (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 234 - New Media Theories/Practices


    In the last couple of decades we have seen the invention and popularization of a wide assortment of digital technologies and with them, a wide variety of new media forms. The internet (which includes a collection of media forms, from web pages and peer-to-peer software to social media and video sharing sites), massively multiplayer online video games, ubiquitous computing, software, mobile phones - together, many argue, these and other forms of new media are reshaping how we live, create, work and even, what it means to be human. In this class we’ll examine a cross-section of contemporary humanistic research that has sought to understand the impact(s) of new media through a comparison to earlier, pre-digital media. In addition, we will engage in hands-on workshops, where we will use and learn some of the tools, software, and websites that our texts consider. Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 247 - Documentary Film and Video


    This course explores the history and theory of documentary practices in film and video: the epistemological issues and critical debates surrounding documentary attempts to depict and/or comment on -reality,- the implications of cinematic technique and style for documentary representation and function, and the place of documentary representation in social, political and cultural discourses about nation, race, gender, sexuality, and class. The course integrates critical readings on documentary history and theory and viewings and discussions of relevant documentary films and videos. Prerequisite(s): MCST 128  recommended Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 248 - History of Film 1893-1941


    This course provides an overview of the history of film up through the release of Citizen Kane , examining aesthetic, industrial, social, and theoretical topics in a variety of national and cultural contexts. Discussions, lectures, and screenings emphasize commercial and avant-garde styles and their determinants. What is the style now referred to as the “classical Hollywood cinema?- Why did it materialize? What alternatives were there? The course explores issues of racism and gender as well as connections between the history of film and the modernization of European and U.S. culture. Several papers are required. Prerequisite(s): MCST 128  recommended, sophomore status or permission of instructor Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 249 - History of Film Since 1941


    This course provides an overview of the history of film from the early 1940s, examining aesthetic, industrial, social, and theoretical topics in a variety of national and cultural contexts. Discussions, lectures, and screenings emphasize international commercial and alternative styles and their determinants. Why and how did alternative styles develop against and within the Hollywood system? The course explores issues of racism and gender as well as connections between the history of film and postwar transformations, with particular attention to the effects on filmmaking of the Cold War in the United States and of post colonial struggles in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Several papers are required. Students who have completed MCST 248 - History of Film 1893-1941 will be encouraged to engage in independent research. Prerequisite(s): MCST 128  recommended. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 252 - Photography: Theories and Practices of an International Medium

    Cross-Listed as ANTH 252  and INTL 252  
    This course examines histories, theories and practices of photography, a medium that has transformed significantly since the daguerrotypes of the mid 19th century.  In 1839, Daguerre’s invention was presented as “a free gift to the world.”  This course will look at how that gift has been put to use in photographic cultures around the world in contexts as diverse as portrait studios in Yogyakarta, a history museum in Vietnam, French advertising, Soviet family albums and news imagery circulating worldwide. While we will pay careful attention to visual aesthetics, we will focus on photography as a documentary genre that has long been central to how individuals imagine the world beyond their experience. We will also be considering personal photographic archives such as family albums and scrapbooks and asking when private photographs become public representations.  One central feature of the course will be learning about how scholars have thought about and through photography and discussing the complications of applying these theories transhistorically and cross-culturally.  (Berger, Barthes, Benjamin, Sontag, Sekula, Strassler, Pinney, Tagg, Azoulay) Topics for discussion include debates around truth in photography and the politics of representation, photography’s relationship to history and changing institutional uses of photography, as well as different photographic cultures and their anthropological and sociological significance. Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 256 - Mass Culture Under Communism

    Cross-Listed as  RUSS 256 
    Revolution to the fall of communism. For each period in Soviet history, changes in the production and consumption of culture will be considered with specific examples to be discussed. Topics dealt with in the course include the role of mass media in society, popular participation in “totalitarian” societies, culture as a political tool. Popular films, newspapers and magazines, songs, radio and TV programs, etc., will serve to analyze the policies that inspired them and the popular reactions (both loyal and dissenting) they evoked. Taught in English. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 279 - Value: The Bad, the Ugly, and the Cheap

    Cross-Listed as GERM 279  
    For thousands of years value has been scrutinized in philosophy, art history, and economic analysis, as it cuts across three constitutive aspects of social, cultural, and political life: economy, aesthetics, and ethics. Not only do we have and impose on the world our moral, aesthetic, and exchange values, but these three fields often become difficult to distinguish, as is evident in the slippery flexibility of words that allow us to say as much “this painting is bad or worthless” as “I think this person is bad or worthless,” or “this is a bad, or worthless, remark” and “this is a bad or worthless check.” This course will focus primarily on influential accounts of value in aesthetic theory, while also examining the ways in which aesthetic value demarcates itself from or implicates its moral and economic counterparts, and what the interplays among the three fields entail for aesthetic value. Our readings will focus on the impact of primarily German thought on the formation of modern aesthetic theory-from the early eighteenth century through the Enlightenment and Romanticism to high modernism and the Frankfurt School. Class and readings in English. Prerequisite(s): No pre-knowledge required. This course is appropriate for all level students. Occasionally (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 294 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 315 - Gender, Sexuality and Film

    Cross-Listed as WGSS 320 
    This course explores a variety of critical approaches to the representation of gender and sexuality in film and video, including psychoanalytic feminist film theory and criticism, queer theory, narrative analysis, genre, visual culture, and cultural studies of gender and sexuality in relation to race, nation, and class. How have social constructs about gender and sexuality been promulgated and/or contested in film and video within mainstream and avant-garde contexts of cultural production? How have these constructs functioned to uphold and/or challenge other forms of social stratification or privilege? And, how might the woman’s body in particular—both as a sight to behold and a site of looking—offer different ways of thinking representational possibility? In asking these questions, the course considers a wide range of issues, including the gaze, the body, media technologies, spectatorship, identity and identification, realism, mythology, and pornography. Written work emphasizes the close analysis of film texts.  Prerequisite(s): Prerequisites: sophomore standing;   , Film Analysis and Visual Culture, or a course in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; or permission of the instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 321 - Cultures of Neoliberalism

    Cross-Listed as INTL 321  
    Neoliberal theory posits the relative autonomy of the economic sphere from both culture and politics. Rejecting this assumption, the course will give students the ability to understand the interconnection of economic, political and cultural practices as well as the ways that economic theories are shaped by cultural assumptions about what constitutes a person, a life, a society, etc. We will read some of the foundational texts from the neoliberal school of economic thought (Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman) alongside more contemporary reflections on the culture and politics of neoliberalism from the fields of Anthropology, Geography, Philosophy, Cultural Studies, and Critical Race Studies. Additionally, we will look at both the global institutions that craft and enforce economic policies as well as their impacts in multiple international contexts. This course will emphasize interdisciplinarity and original research. Finally, in addition to key texts, we will examine recent documentaries that attempt to render economic structures visible. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 323 - Fundamentals of Video Production


    This course is designed as a basic introduction to digital video production. The objective of the class is to familiarize students of film theory and history with the language of cinema from the standpoint of production in order to deepen your appreciation and knowledge of the technical aspects of film/video and to develop your capacity to use video as a tool for research and communication. In this way, the course will be a combination of technical instruction, critical engagement, and creative exploration. We will analyze and employ a variety of filmmaking techniques as well as constructing narrative and non-narrative strategies for doing so. The focus of the course will be to familiarize you with some basic conventions of experimental, documentary, and narrative cinema. In each assignment, you will be encouraged to think about how formal decisions enhance and further narrative or thematic elements. We will thus pay very close attention to formal aspects of cinematic production: mise-en-scene. cinematography, editing, and sound design. In addition to this attention to form, success in the class will be dependent on a commitment to working through the technical aspects of video production (camera operation, lighting, editing software) in order to create short, original video pieces. Prerequisite(s): MCST 128  or MCST 248  or MCST 249   Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 331 - Racial Formation, Culture and U.S. History


    This interdisciplinary course will employ the methodologies of cultural and media studies within an historical framework to ask: What roles did “race” (the presence of diverse races; the relationships among those groups of people; the construction and representation of racial identities; the linking of material privileges and power to racial locations) play in the development of the United States? How have relationships of class, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality been linked to “race”? How has “race” been a site of struggle between groups? How is the present a product of historical experiences? Our coursework will rely on reading historical studies, theory, cultural analysis, and memoirs, and on viewing and analyzing cultural performances and films. This course is designed for students with experience in history, cultural studies, African American studies and/or American studies. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 334 - Cultural Studies and the Media

    Cross-Listed as AMST 334 
    An overview of contemporary approaches to media as culture, a determining as well as determined sphere in which people make sense of the world, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, identity, and social inequality. Students develop tools for analyzing media texts and accounts of audience responses derived from the international field of cultural studies and from the social theory on which it draws. Analysis emphasizes specificity of media texts, including advertisements, films, news reports, and television shows. Experience in cooperative discussion, research, and publication.   Prerequisite(s):  MCST 110  or permission of instructor Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 337 - Dead White Men

    Cross-Listed as GERM 337 
    Today we often hear people dismiss the Western (mostly European) philosophical tradition as a bunch of “dead white men.” In other words, the argument goes, these thinkers harbored such passe notions as universal truths, a universal subject, and an individual in total control of itself and endowed with a pure reason unadulterated by rhetoric, imagination, fiction, and politics. Why should we bother with “dead white men” now that we understand that truth depends on historical context, that the self is decentered by the unconscious, that identity is constituted by gender, race, class, and other cultural factors, that truth is linked to power, and that ideology is omnipresent? Unfortunately, this all-too-familiar attitude overlooks its own faulty presupposition: it presumes a clear-cut break between philosophical tradition and contemporary thought, as if contemporary thought had no tradition out of which it emerged and could, therefore, merely discard what preceded it. Hence the popularity of phrases like “philosophy is dead.” It is all the more ironic to see this attitude prevail in the West at the very moment that multiculturalism has become our cause celebre : all cultural traditions are supposed to be “respected,” except the West’s own tradition. (Perhaps as a new way for the West to reinstate surreptitiously its superiority as the sole culture with no tradition?) This course pursues a close reading of texts by various “dead white men” as the unconscious (i.e., repressed and, for that matter, all the more powerful) undercurrent of contemporary thought. Assigned texts will include: Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Pascal, Spinoza, Kant, Hegel, Marx, as well as texts by twentieth-century thinkers that stress the dependence of contemporary thought on philosophy. No pre-knowledge required; all readings in English. With different reading lists this course may be taken more than once for credit. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 342 - Representing the World As It Is: Histories and Theories of Ethnographic Film

    Cross-Listed as ANTH 342  and INTL 342  
    How can an experience of the world as it is be represented?  What are the promises and challenges of transcultural filmmaking?  This course will explore what has been called ethnographic, cross-cultural and transcultural cinema from several points of view.  We will look at ethnographic film in terms of its geo-political, anthropological and cinematic origins, and then delve into its various forms and contemporary manifestations.  We will examine some of the major films of the canon of ethnographic cinema, and look at the developments of several it its most renowned practitioners (Flaherty, Mead, Rouch, Marshall, Gardner, Asch, MacDougall).  We will explore the shifting forms and representational strategies of ethnographic film and how these are linked to technological and ideological transformations.  We will see how scholars inside and outside of anthropology have defined, criticized or challenged the project of ethnographic film, and how recent film and video makers, including those who traditionally have been the subject of the ethnographic gaze, have created new ways of visualizing experience for themselves and for others. Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 354 - Blackness in the Media

    Cross-Listed as AMST 354 
    This course examines mainstream and alternative systems of African American representation in the media from the 1820s to the 1960s, including race records, race movies, the Black press, Black video, and Black appeal radio. It also examines the way Blackness is constructed in the media today, including the role of new media (such as cable and the Internet); new corporate formations (such as FOX, UPN, and BET), and new forms of representation (such as representations that reject the Black-White binary). Prerequisite(s): AMST 110  or MCST 110  or permission of instructor Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 355 - Advanced Journalism: Electronic


    Writing and production of news, feature, and documentary stories for radio, television, and news media. The course stresses effective script writing and the development of a strong sense of journalistic ethics in an electronic environment. Emphasis is placed on frequent visits with practicing journalists and policy makers, on-site visits to electronic newsrooms, and field news assignments on campus and throughout the Twin Cities. Students will produce video, audio, and Internet stories. The course also examines the changing role of the media and the impact of electronic media and broadcast journalists on politics, government, education, and the legal system. Taught by a 20-year veteran print and broadcast journalist and former U.S. Senate press secretary. Prerequisite(s): MCST 114 - News Reporting and Writing  or permission of instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 357 - Advanced Journalism: New Media


    In-depth reporting and writing of news, feature and opinion pieces. This course stresses effective writing and editing and the development of a strong sense of journalistic ethics. Emphasis is placed on reporting throughout the community and frequent discussions with practicing journalists, writers and policy makers. Students will examine the changing role and formats of media and the impact of media and journalists on culture, politics, government, education, the legal system and the community. Taught by a veteran print and online journalist and editor. Prerequisite(s): MCST 114 - News Reporting and Writing  or permission of instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 364 - Afrofuturism in Media and Popular Culture


    This course examines the Afrofuturist school of cultural representation, which includes science fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy and magic realism, in film, television, and new media. It includes literary narratives and works of music and other arts that construct, re-construct and/or critique the history, present and future of African American and other African diasporic people. Prerequisite(s): MCST 110 , AMST 101 , AMST 103 , or AMST 110   Every other year. (4 Credits)

  
  • MCST 376 - Critical Social Theory and the Media


    Studies of the contributions critical social theory has made to research oriented toward democratic communication. Class discussion evaluates the social uses of theories and probes assumptions and values embedded within them. A research paper allows each student to examine one theory or theoretical issue in detail. Prerequisite(s):  MCST 110  or permission of instructor Alternate years. (4 Credits)

 

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