May 05, 2024  
College Catalog 2019-2020 
    
College Catalog 2019-2020 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Courses


 

English

  
  • ENGL 622 - Internship


    Work in practical (usually off-campus) experiences that explore potential careers, apply an English major’s skills, or make a substantive addition to the student’s knowledge of literary issues. Prerequisite(s): Sufficient preparation and permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • ENGL 623 - Internship


    Work in practical (usually off-campus) experiences that explore potential careers, apply an English major’s skills, or make a substantive addition to the student’s knowledge of literary issues. Prerequisite(s): Sufficient preparation and permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • ENGL 624 - Internship


    Work in practical (usually off-campus) experiences that explore potential careers, apply an English major’s skills, or make a substantive addition to the student’s knowledge of literary issues. Prerequisite(s): Sufficient preparation and permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENGL 631 - Preceptorship


    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • ENGL 632 - Preceptorship


    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • ENGL 633 - Preceptorship


    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • ENGL 634 - Preceptorship


    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENGL 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)

  
  • ENGL 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)

  
  • ENGL 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)

  
  • ENGL 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)


Environmental Studies

  
  • ENVI 104 - Soil: Science and Sustainability

    Cross-Listed as GEOL 104  
    From the food we eat, to the air we breathe, soil shapes our lives. Soil forms in response to local conditions, recording regional climate variability (if you know how to look). Soil is also one of the most important carbon sinks, so the way we interact with soil has the potential to seriously impact our changing climate. However, as an important agricultural resource, we must continue to utilize soil to feed Earth’s growing population. To better understand this under-appreciated layer of Earth, this class will investigate soil formation, soil properties and the variability between types of soil, and how we interact with soil in our world today. This course includes one field trip. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 120 - Environmental Geology

    Cross-Listed as GEOG 120  and GEOL 120  
    The physical environment has begun to show signs of our earth’s expanding population and the increasing need for natural resources. Geologic materials such as soil, water, and bedrock, and geologic processes such as earthquakes, volcanic activity, and running water often pose constraints on land use. This course is designed to introduce students to the relationship between humans and their geologic environment: the earth. We will focus on understanding the processes that shape the surface of the earth, and how these processes affect human activity. We will use current scientific methods to collect and analyze data. Topics include surface-water dynamics and flooding, groundwater and groundwater contamination, pollution and waste management, landslides, volcanic and earthquake hazards, and global climate change. Format: the course will include local field excursions, lectures, discussions and hands-on exercises; evaluation will be based on homework/classroom activities, short writing assignments, and exams. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 130 - Science of Renewable Energy

    Cross-Listed as  
    This is a course on the current status of the most promising alternative and renewable energy options from a primarily scientific and technological perspective. Current methods of electricity generation and transportation energy sources will be briefly reviewed (fossil fuels, nuclear fission, and hydroelectric), including discussion of their limitations and environmental consequences. The focus of the course will be on understanding the scientific basis of alternative and renewable energy sources, and their promise and technological challenges for wide scale implementation. Biofuels, wind, photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, hydrogen, nuclear fusion, and geothermal will be considered in depth.  (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 133 - Environmental Science


    This course provides basic scientific knowledge and understanding of how our world works from an environmental perspective. Topics covered include: basic principles of ecosystem function; biodiversity and its conservation; human population growth; water resources and management; water, air and soil pollution; climate change; energy resources, and sustainability. The course has a required 3 hour lab section. Spring semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 144 - Lakes, Streams and Rivers

    Cross-Listed as BIOL 144 .
    Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, is also home to numerous streams and rivers. In this course we will examine the nature of these aquatic ecosystems; exploring their ecology, geology and chemistry. We will also investigate human impacts through such practices as agriculture, urbanization and industrialization, on these important ecosystems. Students will complete projects exploring various aspects of local waterbodies, especially the Mississippi, Minnesota, and St. Croix Rivers. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 150 - Climate and Society


    Seasonal and annual patterns of temperature and precipitation influence the development, success and collapse of civilizations. Regional climate determines numerous things about how humans adapt to survive there, including the type of shelter needed, the length of the growing season, and the availability/scarcity of freshwater. Using a combination of scientific and historical records, this course will provide a brief introduction to the climate system and will then focus on how changes in climate affected several societies throughout history. In the latter part of the course we will discuss observed global warming in the modern world, what the potential benefits and consequences of it may be, and whether or not there are lessons to be learned from our ancestors. Offered every other year. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 160 - Dynamic Earth and Global Change

    Cross-Listed as  
    This course provides an introduction to the materials and structure of the Earth and to the processes acting on and in the Earth to produce change. Emphasis is placed on the evolution of landforms and the formation of Earth resources. Discussions focus on the important role of geologic processes in the solution of environmental problems. Required for geology majors. Local field trips. Three hours lecture and two hours lab per week. Every fall. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 172 - Psychology in the Material World

    Cross-Listed as PSYC 172  
    This course is an in-depth psychological analysis of consumerism and the human relationship to “stuff.” Consumerism, materialistic aspirations, and “affluenza” (the disease of affluence) all exert profound and often undesirable effects on both people’s individual lives and on society as a whole. These phenomena, and the consumerist culture they are embedded in, affect our psyches, our families, our local communities, the peoples of the world, and the integrity of our ecological system. This course draws from a range of theoretical, clinical, and methodological approaches to explore several key questions: Where does the drive to consume originate? Do we control our consumer behavior, or does it control us? Is it possible to live in our culture and not be a consumer? What are the alternatives to the status quo? We will analyze and discuss both the scholarly ramifications of these ideas and also how to act upon them in our lives and society more broadly. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 194 - Topics Course


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

  
  • ENVI 202 - Sustainability and the Campus


    This interdisciplinary class will make direct connections between global environmental issues, such as climate change, and life on an urban campus. With Macalester College as our case study, we will explore how the daily activities on a campus (energy use, food, transportation, water use, etc.) translate into issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, solid waste, and urban stormwater. We will examine campus resource and energy flows and have the opportunity to combine theory with application through a real-world campus sustainability project. All interdisciplinary perspectives are needed and welcome. Offered yearly. (2 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 203 - Introduction to Urban Ecology

    Cross-Listed as GEOG 203  
    Urban ecology is both a concept and a field of study. It focuses on interactions between humans, urban ecosystems, and the built environment. With over half of the world’s population now living in cities, cities have assumed a critical role in shaping local, regional, and global ecologies. In this course, we will examine the distinctiveness of the interconnected urban biophysical, socio-economic, and political processes. In order to disentangle the complexity of human-environment relations in cities, we will take an interdisciplinary approach and learn theories and concepts in natural science ecology, environmental studies, geography, urban planning, sociology, and public policies. We will use our campus and the Twin Cities as a “living laboratory” and apply these theories and concepts to laboratory exercises, field observation, case studies, and research on contemporary urban sustainability initiatives. Every year (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 215 - Environmental Politics/Policy

    Cross-Listed as   
    This course provides an introduction to the field of Environmental Politics and Policy. Using a comparative approach, the course engages the meaning and development of environmental governance. We will explore the tandem rise of the modern environmental movement and profound new environmental legislation in the U.S. and internationally. Topics investigated will include: deforestation, hazardous wastes, climate change, population growth, and loss of biodiversity. Offered yearly. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 221 - Environmental Ethics

    Cross-Listed as PHIL 221 
    Emerging in the 1970s, the field of environmental ethics began by sparking a rich line of philosophical inquiry largely focused on the moral status of the natural world and the non-human entities within it. What reasons do we have to give moral consideration to the environment? And what do we mean when we say we have a moral duty toward the environment? Do we have moral duties to individuals within a species, or to species themselves, or to ecosystems, or to…? This course will invite you to reflect on key philosophical works that engage these and related questions. You will also have the opportunity to think about significant emerging topics in environmental ethics. Depending on the semester, these may include the debate over the ethics of wilderness preservation; the challenges of expanding environmental ethics to address issues of global climate change and resource sustainability; environmental rights; and environmental justice. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 225 - 100 Words for Snow: Language and Nature

    Cross-Listed as LING 225 .
    Human beings have an unprecedented ability to shape the environment around them, yet the environment powerfully shapes both individuals and species. Two main questions run throughout this course: 1. How does language influence the way we think about and perceive nature, which in turn influences the way we interact with and shape nature? 2. How has our environment shaped the Language faculty and individual languages? To answer these questions, we’ll start by asking, what is language and what is nature? Then we’ll turn to the way that our environment has impacted the evolution of Language. Next we’ll look at indigenous knowledge as it is encoded by language and the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis, which says that language influences the way we perceive the world. With this as background, we’ll look at the language of environmental discourse. Next, using the metaphor of ecology, we’ll examine languages as if they were organisms and analyze the ecosystems that sustain them. Knowing what makes a healthy language, we’ll look at endangered languages and the connections between linguistic diversity and biodiversity. Offered yearly. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 231 - Environmental Economics and Policy

    Cross-Listed as ECON 231  
    This course studies the economics of public policy toward the environment. We begin by examining the problem of market failure in the presence of externalities and public goods. Then, we consider public policy responses to these market failures, including command-and-control regulations, tax and subsidy incentives, marketable pollution permits, voluntary programs, and information as regulation. We consider these policies in contexts such as local pollution, climate change, threats to biodiversity, environmental justice, international trade, and development. In addition, we learn how to measure the costs and benefits of pollution control.  By the end of the semester, you will learn how economists think about environmental problems, understand the advantages and disadvantages of a range of environmental policies, be able to conduct a cost-benefit analysis, and have a complete economic analysis of an environmental problem. Counts as a Group E elective for the Economics major. Prerequisite(s): ECON 119  (with minimum grade of C-). (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 232 - People, Agriculture and the Environment

    Cross-Listed as   
    This course introduces you to the study of human-environment interactions from a geographic perspective, with a special emphasis on agriculture. We will examine environmental issues in a variety of geographic contexts (developed and developing countries) and the connections between environmental problems in different locations. Beyond agriculture, we will also examine other sectoral issues in relation to agriculture or as stand alone environmental concerns. These themes include: human population growth, consumption, biodiversity, climate change, and environmental health. We will be trying on a number of theoretical lenses from geography’s broad human-environment tradition (such as physical geography, cultural ecology, commodity chain analysis, political ecology, resource geography, the human dimensions of global change, hazards geography and environmental justice). In other words, I not only want us to explore a range of environmental issues, but also to grapple with theory and how this informs our understanding of the human-environment interface. Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 234 - U.S. Environmental History

    Cross-Listed as   
    People have always had to contend with the natural world, but only recently have historians begun to explore the changing relationships between people and their environment over time. In this course, we will examine the variety of ways that people in North America have shaped the environment, as well as how they have used, labored in, abused, conserved, protected, rearranged, polluted, cleaned, and thought about it. In addition, we will explore how various characteristics of the natural world have affected the broad patterns of human society, sometimes harming or hindering life and other times enabling rapid development and expansion. By bringing nature into the study of human history and the human past into the study of nature, we will begin to see the connections and interdependencies between the two that are often overlooked. Offered yearly. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 235 - Climate Change: Science, Economics, and Policy

    Cross-Listed as ECON 235  
    Combustion of fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide, which traps energy near Earth’s surface and leads to warmer average global temperatures. Combustion of fossil fuels also forms the backbone of the modern economy. This team-taught course provides a framework in which to consider the costs and benefits of fossil fuel consumption in the present and over the coming decades and centuries. We use concepts from climate science and environmental economics to evaluate existing and proposed policy interventions designed to reduce fossil fuel consumption, and consider possible technological solutions to slow or reverse climate change. Among our main approaches are state-of-the-art Integrated Assessment Models; students will be exposed to several of the most commonly used models and to research from their critics. This course counts as a 200A economics course. Students signing up for the course as Economics will get credit toward the social sciences general distribution requirement; those signing up for the course as Environmental Studies will get credit toward the natural sciences and mathematics general distribution requirement. Prerequisite(s): ECON 119  . Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 236 - Consumer Nation: American Consumer Culture in the 20th Century

    Cross-Listed as HIST 236  
    “Of all the strange beasts that have come slouching into the 20th century,” writes James Twitchell, “none has been more misunderstood, more criticized, and more important than materialism.” In this course we will trace the various twists and turns of America’s vigorous consumer culture across the twentieth century, examining its growing influence on American life, its implications for the environmental health of the world, and the many debates it has inspired. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 237 - Environmental Justice

    Cross-Listed as AMST 237  
    Poor and minority populations have historically borne the brunt of environmental inequalities in the United States, suffering disproportionately from the effects of pollution, resource depletion, dangerous jobs, limited access to common resources, and exposure to environmental hazards. Paying particular attention to the ways that race, ethnicity, class, and gender have shaped the political and economic dimensions of environmental injustices, this course draws on the work of scholars and activists to examine the long history of environmental inequities in the United States, along with more recent political movements-national and local-that seek to rectify environmental injustices. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 239 - Economics of Global Food Problems

    Cross-Listed as ECON 239  and INTL 239 
    This class will examine food distribution, production, policy, and hunger issues from an economics perspective.  It explores and compares food and agriculture issues in both industrialized and developing countries. Basic economic tools will be applied to provide an analytical understanding of these issues.  Topics such as hunger and nutrition, US farm policy, food distribution, food security, food aid, biotechnology and the Green Revolution, the connection between food production and health outcomes, as well as others related themes will be explored in depth throughout the semester.  This course counts as a Group E elective for the Economics major. Prerequisite(s): ECON 119 . C- or higher required for Economics major prerequisites. Occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 240 - The Earth’s Climate System


    The Earth’s climate system is complex and dynamic, and yet understanding this system is crucial in order to address concerns about anthropogenic influences on climate. In this course, we examine the basic physical and chemical processes that control the modern climate system, including the role of incoming solar radiation, the greenhouse effect, ocean and atmospheric circulation, and El Nino. We also look critically at the methods and archives used to reconstruct climate in the past, such as ice cores, marine and lake sediments, and cave deposits. We explore the possible effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions on modern and future climate by critically examining the models used in climate prediction, and discuss the challenges of modeling such a complex system. Although this course is taught from a primarily scientific perspective, it includes frequent discussions of the roles policy and economics play in the current dialogue on global climate change. Offered yearly. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 252 - Water and Power

    Cross-Listed as GEOG 252  and POLI 252  
    This course develops an interdisciplinary approach to studying water resources development, drawing from geography, anthropology, history, politics, hydrology, and civil engineering. With a focus on large river basins, the course examines historical and emerging challenges to the equitable and sustainable use of transboundary waters. After first exploring the history of American water development, we will turn our attention to issues around sanitation, food production, gender and privatization in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Prerequisite(s): ENVI 120 , ENVI 133 , or ENVI 232  . Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 254 - Population 7 Billion: Global Population Issues and Trends

    Cross-Listed as GEOG 254  
    This course challenges students to critically examine contemporary global population issues and link these patterns and processes to local events and situations. Using the lens of Geography, we will investigate the dynamic interplay between individual, local, regional, national, and international scales and the implications of scale, culture and perspective in dissecting current population issues. We will also use individual countries as case studies to examine population policies. Students will acquire a working knowledge of the data and methods used by population geographers to describe and analyze changes in human populations at sub-national scales, and will implement these skills in an independent research project. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 258 - Geog of Environmental Hazards

    Cross-Listed as   
    The study of environmental hazards stands at a key point of intersection between the natural and social sciences. Geography, with its focus on human-environment interactions, provides key analytical tools for understanding the complex causes and uneven impacts of hazards around the world. We will explore the geophysical nature and social dimensions of disasters caused by floods, droughts, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, and wildfires. For each of these hazard types, we apply theoretical concepts from major hazards research paradigms, including quantifying the human and economic impacts of disaster; assessing, managing, and mitigating risk; and reducing the impacts of disaster, not only through engineering works but also by reducing social vulnerability and enhancing adaptive capacity. Looking into the future, we will discuss how global-scale processes, such as climate change and globalization, might affect the frequency, intensity, and geographical distribution of environmental hazards in the decades to come.  Offered every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 259 - Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic

    Cross-Listed as  
    The Arctic represents one of the most extreme environments to which humans have adapted. These adaptations include both biological and cultural changes required to settle and flourish in this formidable setting. This course looks at some of the cultural practices that appear to be ubiquitous throughout the Arctic, as well as those specializations that have developed as a result of some of the more localized environmental pressures. It also explores the consequences of rapid global climate change as well as modernization on these unique cultures to get a sense of what the future might hold for the indigenous peoples of the Arctic. Prerequisite(s):   or   or consent of instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 262 - Studies in Literature and the Natural World

    Cross-Listed as ENGL 262 .
    A course studying the ways that literary writing develops thought and feeling about nature and our part in it. In a particular term, the course might address, for example, nature poetry from Milton to Frost; literature and the agrarian; gendered representations of nature; literary figures of relationship among humans and other kinds; nature, reason, and the passions; literatures of matter and of life; time, flux, and change in literary and science writing. Offered yearly. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 270 - Psychology of Sustainable Behavior

    Cross-Listed as PSYC 270  
    This course is built around the argument that “environmental problems” do not exist; they are in fact human behavior problems. Thus, if we want to craft effective solutions to issues such as ocean acidification, air pollution, or climate change, we must start with the human behaviors that lead to them. We will cover psychological principles, theories, and methods and explore the complex web of factors underlying environmentally sustainable and unsustainable actions. A strong theme throughout the semester is the intersection of identity - personal, social, and cultural - and environmentalism.  We will explore questions such as, “Why do some groups of people feel a part of the sustainability movement while others feel alienated from it or skeptical of it?”; “Who takes action on behalf of the natural environment, under what circumstances, and why?”; and “How can we create contexts that promote true sustainability?” Psychology of Sustainable Behavior is a project-based class with a strong civic engagement component. Students will participate in three class projects: a self-change project (2.5 weeks), a community-based collaborative project (5 weeks), and a communication/education project (3 weeks). Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100  for Psychology majors. Offered yearly. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 275 - Outdoor Environmental Education in Theory, Policy and Practice

    Cross-Listed as EDUC 275  
    This course provides an introduction to outdoor education as an opportunity to promote social justice and environmental sustainability in a globalized world.  Informed by relevant philosophical, psychological, cultural and political-economic frameworks, in addition to critical issues in public education policy and practice, we will explore interdisciplinary approaches to outdoor environmental education appropriate for students across the K-12 continuum.  We will utilize the Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area (Ordway Field Station) as an outdoor classroom and will adapt curriculum from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other outdoor education organizations to assist elementary school teachers and students in fulfilling Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards. Early in the semester, all students will participate in a weekend retreat at the Ordway Field Station. Weekly lab sessions will include field days during which course members design and implement educational experiences for elementary school children at Ordway, small group work days for preparing field day lesson plans, trips to local outdoor environmental education sites within the Twin Cities, and other experiential learning opportunities.  Weekly seminar sessions incorporating readings, reflective writing, and individual and small group projects complement the experiential aspects of the course. As the semester progresses, each course member will develop a curricular unit aimed at teaching an important environmental issue to diverse adolescents attending urban public schools.  The curricular unit is a significant undertaking that provides students with the opportunity to synthesize all aspects of the course material in a creative, pragmatic and integrative manner. Every fall. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 280 - Environmental Classics


    What is the history and evolution of environmental thinking and writing?  How have writers shaped the ways we understand our relationship with the natural world?  This course explores these questions, drawing in roughly equal measure on ‘classic’ texts from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.  The ideas introduced by these classic texts are still present, implicitly and explicitly, in much of today’s environmental discourse. This course will use a selection of books and papers that have had a major impact on academic and wider public thinking - primarily but not exclusively in the USA.  Through engaged discussion, we will trace the impact of each text, beginning with the context in which it was written and ending with its influence on our contemporary understandings of the environment.  In addition, we will seek to understand the characteristics of ‘classic’ texts that hold attention, encourage new ways of thinking, and facilitate social change. Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor or two of the following: ENVI 133 , ENVI 240 , ENVI 215 , ENVI 234  ENVI 285 . Offered yearly. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 281 - The Andes: Landscape and Power

    Cross-Listed as HIST 281  and LATI 281  
    This course explores the interaction between landscape and power in Andean history from the colonial period to the present day. The dramatic mountains have both shaped and have been shaped by sociopolitical relations, from the “vertical archipelagos” of ancient Andean peoples to the extractive economies of the Spanish and post-colonial Andean states. The course incorporates analytical perspectives from environmental, cultural, and urban history, alongside eyewitness accounts, to consider the relationship between the natural and built environments, on the one hand, and Andean racial and social identities, on the other. In selected years, this course will involve collaboration with contemporary Andean communities deploying oral history as a means of community and environmental preservation. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 285 - Ecology and the Environment

    Cross-Listed as   
    Ecology and the Environment dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. The course will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual ‘lenses’: Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week. Offered every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 294 - Topics Course


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

  
  • ENVI 335 - Science and Citizenship

    Cross-Listed as POLI 335  
    This course focuses on environmental controversies as a means for exploring the dynamic relationship between science, technology and society. Through topics such as genetically modified foods, geoengineering and toxic waste disposal, the course will critically examine concepts of risk, uncertainty, trust, credibility, expertise and citizenship. Students will also examine the role of art and media in shaping of public consciousness. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or permission of instructor. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 340 - US Urban Environmental History

    Cross-Listed as HIST 340  
    In the minds of many Americans, cities are places where nature is absent-places where nature exists only in the crevices and on the margins of spaces dominated by technology, concrete, and human artifice. This course confronts this assumption directly, drawing on the scholarship from the relatively young field of urban environmental history to uncover the deep interconnections between urban America and the natural world. Among the other things, we will examine how society has drawn upon nature to build and sustain urban growth, the implications that urban growth has for transforming ecosystems both local and distant, and how social values have guided urbanites as they have built and rearranged the world around them. Using the Twin Cities has a backdrop and constant reference point, we will attempt to understand the constantly changing ways that people, cities, and nature have shaped and reshaped one another throughout American history. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 343 - Imperial Nature: The United States and the Global Environment

    Cross-Listed as HIST 343  
    Although the United States accounts for just five percent of the world’s population, it consumes roughly twenty-five percent of the world’s total energy, has the world’s largest economy, and is the world’s largest consumer and generator of waste. Relative to its size, its policies and actions have had a significantly disproportionate impact on global economic development and environmental health. Mixing broad themes and detailed case studies, this course will focus on the complex historical relationship between American actions and changes to the global environment. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 350 - Renewable Energy Systems

    Cross-Listed as PHYS 350  
    This course provides an in-depth treatment of the science and engineering of power generation by solar and wind and their integration on the electrical grid using energy storage.  In the first part of the course general aspects of grid energy production will be surveyed.  The focus of the course will be an in-depth treatment of the physics of solar cells, wind turbines, and the most promising energy storage options.  We will conclude with a discussion of current technical and economic issues associated with the wide scale implementation of these technologies.  Not available to students who’ve earned credit for PHYS 130 - Science of Renewable Energy . Alternate spring semesters. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 360 - Paleoclimate

    Cross-Listed as GEOL 360  
    Earth’s climate has evolved with the planet itself as changing boundary conditions in the ocean, atmosphere, cryosphere and lithosphere have caused ice ages, periods of extreme warmth and mass extinctions. Information about these events is contained in the geologic record in the form of fossils and rock sequences, but also in lake and ocean sediments, ice sheets, cave deposits and tree rings. This course will provide an overview of variations in climate throughout Earth history while simultaneously examining the proxies and archives used to reconstruct those changes. We will also construct our own record of paleoclimate using cores from a local lake and a variety of laboratory techniques. Prerequisite(s): ENVI 240 , ENVI 150  or GEOL 160  . Every other spring. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 366 - Plant Ecophysiology

    Cross-Listed as BIOL 366  
    Plant physiological processes in the environment regulate local, regional, and global climate and control ecosystem functioning. However, climate change is altering these processes across diverse ecosystems. We will learn about plant physiological processes, including converting light to energy, carbon cycling and storage, water transport, nutrient acquisition, growth, and the responses of these processes to an increasingly variable and potentially stressful environments. This course will also focus on scaling of carbon cycling, diving into remote sensing and global datasets, as well as novel data we collect in class to analyze with R/RStudio. We will learn about current techniques available to measure physiological processes. We will also focus on the broader process of science: how do we turn ideas into questions, questions into data, and data into compelling stories about the natural world? Prerequisite(s): BIOL 285 . Alternate fall semesters. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 368 - Sustainable Development and Global Future

    Cross-Listed as INTL 368  


    This course examines the history and modern use of “sustainable development” as a framework for international development. Close attention is given to the role of philanthropies, NGOs and social movements in shaping projects and policies. The course examines a range of topics including appropriate technology, microfinance, ecotourism and ecovillages. Prior coursework in international development and/or environmental studies is strongly recommended.

     

      Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 375 - Rural Landscapes and Livelihoods

    Cross-Listed as   
    This course introduces students to Rural Geography, a sub-discipline within Geography. Using a sustainable development framework this course emphasizes the linkages between human and physical landscapes through the evaluation of landuse and community change in rural areas throughout the US. We will explore the implications of demographic (including migration and immigration), economic, cultural, and environmental changes for rural environs using several case studies from across the US and Western Europe, including an overnight field trip to northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Rural community strategies for adapting to and accommodating competing demands for water and landuse will be considered, including pressure for new housing developments, recreation opportunities (boating, fishing, hiking, biking), and conservation needs. Students will be exposed to theoretical and empirical approaches to rural development in different regional contexts, as well as problems associated with these development paradigms. We will explore the rapidly changing rural environments in a developed world context in order to deepen our understanding of the interconnectedness of human and physical systems more broadly. Offered periodically. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 392 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (2 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 394 - Topics Course


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

  
  • ENVI 477 - Comparative Environment and Development

    Cross-Listed as GEOG 477  and   
    A concern for the relationship between nature and society has been one of the pillars of geographic inquiry and has also been an important bridge between other disciplines. By the 1960s, this area of inquiry was referred to variously as “human ecology.” Over the last decade, certain forms of inquiry within this tradition have increasingly referred to themselves as “political ecology.” The purpose of this seminar is to review major works within the traditions of cultural and political ecology; examine several areas of interest within these fields (e.g., agricultural modernization, environmental narratives, conservation, ecotourism); and explore nature-society dynamics across a range of geographical contexts. Towards the end of the course we will explore how one might begin to think in practical terms about facilitating development in marginal environments. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Prior completion of a geography course(s) with an environmental or development focus is encouraged. Generally offered every other year. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 478 - Cities of the 21st Century: The Political Economy of Urban Sustainability

    Cross-Listed as GEOG 478  
    In this urban studies capstone seminar students research the internal and external forces that will foster change and reinforce the status quo in American metropolitan areas during the 21st century. Course readings focus on suburbs, which are the dominant mode of metropolitan living in contemporary America. We will consider the history of suburbanization, the political economy of growth in the suburbs, the rise of smart growth strategies, and other attempts to foster change in the suburban experience (including the New Urbanism, green building and green movements, and regionalism). We will also consider how suburbs are now experiencing demographic changes and investigate the struggle for community in historic and contemporary suburbs. This seminar will thus complicate the conventional narrative of suburbs as sprawling, inauthentic and homogeneous places. Students will further enrich their understanding of issues covered in the course by conducting original research that examines ways in which American suburbs are changing and/or remaining the same despite efforts to the contrary. Students will consider their collective findings and discuss what they portend for American cities in the 21st century. Fall semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 489 - Environmental Leadership Practicum


    This course is an intensive internship experience (8-10 hours/week) with an environmental organization or business in the Twin Cities metro region. An internship is an excellent way for students to apply knowledge learned in the classroom and laboratory, to learn more in an environmental area, and to explore career options. Required for Environmental Studies majors. It is recommended that students complete this course during the fall of their senior year. Graded S/SD/N only. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required. Corequisite(s): ENVI 490   Offered yearly. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 490 - Envi St Leadership Seminar


    This weekly seminar complements the internship experience by bringing together students to discuss common experiences and reflect on professional development challenges. Weekly assignments include reflective writing, mentor profiles, mock job interviews and meetings with ES alums and community leaders.
      Prerequisite(s): For Environmental Studies majors only. Corequisite(s): ENVI 489   Offered yearly. (2 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 494 - Topics Course


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

  
  • ENVI 611 - Independent Project


    This is an opportunity for students to do independent study or research on an environmental topic. This may be undertaken in the Environmental Studies Program laboratory and/or field facilities under the direct supervision of a faculty member. It may also be undertaken at another college, university, or similar institution under direct supervision, or in certain circumstances, it may be undertaken off campus with minimal direct supervision. Given the nature of independent projects, students need to demonstrate that they have the necessary background, including appropriate coursework, in the area they are interested in pursuing before an independent project is approved. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. (1 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 612 - Independent Project


    This is an opportunity for students to do independent study or research on an environmental topic. This may be undertaken in the Environmental Studies Program laboratory and/or field facilities under the direct supervision of a faculty member. It may also be undertaken at another college, university, or similar institution under direct supervision, or in certain circumstances, it may be undertaken off campus with minimal direct supervision. Given the nature of independent projects, students need to demonstrate that they have the necessary background, including appropriate coursework, in the area they are interested in pursuing before an independent project is approved. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. (2 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 613 - Independent Project


    This is an opportunity for students to do independent study or research on an environmental topic. This may be undertaken in the Environmental Studies Program laboratory and/or field facilities under the direct supervision of a faculty member. It may also be undertaken at another college, university, or similar institution under direct supervision, or in certain circumstances, it may be undertaken off campus with minimal direct supervision. Given the nature of independent projects, students need to demonstrate that they have the necessary background, including appropriate coursework, in the area they are interested in pursuing before an independent project is approved. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. (3 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 614 - Independent Project


    This is an opportunity for students to do independent study or research on an environmental topic. This may be undertaken in the Environmental Studies Program laboratory and/or field facilities under the direct supervision of a faculty member. It may also be undertaken at another college, university, or similar institution under direct supervision, or in certain circumstances, it may be undertaken off campus with minimal direct supervision. Given the nature of independent projects, students need to demonstrate that they have the necessary background, including appropriate coursework, in the area they are interested in pursuing before an independent project is approved. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 621 - Internship


    This is an opportunity for students to work with professionals in the environmental field outside of academia. Students will work with a faculty sponsor and their site supervisor to develop a set of learning goals, strategies to meet these goals, and methods of evaluation for the internship, including the nature of the final product. An internship is an excellent way for students to apply knowledge learned in the classroom and laboratory, to learn more in an environmental area, and to explore career options. The internship may be undertaken during a semester or during the summer and must encompass 140 hours of work by the student. It is expected that the student will make a poster presentation of his/her experience. All internships graded S/D/NC only. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. (1 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 622 - Internship


    This is an opportunity for students to work with professionals in the environmental field outside of academia. Students will work with a faculty sponsor and their site supervisor to develop a set of learning goals, strategies to meet these goals, and methods of evaluation for the internship, including the nature of the final product. An internship is an excellent way for students to apply knowledge learned in the classroom and laboratory, to learn more in an environmental area, and to explore career options. The internship may be undertaken during a semester or during the summer and must encompass 140 hours of work by the student. It is expected that the student will make a poster presentation of his/her experience. All internships graded S/D/NC only. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. (2 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 623 - Internship


    This is an opportunity for students to work with professionals in the environmental field outside of academia. Students will work with a faculty sponsor and their site supervisor to develop a set of learning goals, strategies to meet these goals, and methods of evaluation for the internship, including the nature of the final product. An internship is an excellent way for students to apply knowledge learned in the classroom and laboratory, to learn more in an environmental area, and to explore career options. The internship may be undertaken during a semester or during the summer and must encompass 140 hours of work by the student. It is expected that the student will make a poster presentation of his/her experience. All internships graded S/D/NC only. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. (3 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 624 - Internship


    This is an opportunity for students to work with professionals in the environmental field outside of academia. Students will work with a faculty sponsor and their site supervisor to develop a set of learning goals, strategies to meet these goals, and methods of evaluation for the internship, including the nature of the final product. An internship is an excellent way for students to apply knowledge learned in the classroom and laboratory, to learn more in an environmental area, and to explore career options. The internship may be undertaken during a semester or during the summer and must encompass 140 hours of work by the student. It is expected that the student will make a poster presentation of his/her experience. All internships graded S/D/NC only. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 631 - Preceptorship


    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 632 - Preceptorship


    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 633 - Preceptorship


    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 634 - Preceptorship


    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • ENVI 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)

  
  • ENVI 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)

  
  • ENVI 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)

  
  • ENVI 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)


French

  
  • FREN 101 - French I


    Emphasizing the active use of the language, this course develops the fundamental skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. It includes an introduction to the cultural background of France and the Francophone world. Class sessions are supplemented by weekly small group meetings with a French graduate assistant. For students with no previous work in French. ALL COURSES ARE TAUGHT IN FRENCH UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED. Every fall. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 102 - French II


    This course continues the development of the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with increasing emphasis on the practice of reading and writing. It includes introduction to the cultural background of France and the Francophone world. Class sessions are supplemented by weekly small group meetings with a French graduate assistant. ALL COURSES ARE TAUGHT IN FRENCH UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED. Prerequisite(s): FREN 101  with a grade of C- or better, placement test or permission of instructor. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 111 - Accelerated French I-II


    This course develops fundamental skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. It includes introduction to the cultural background of France and the francophone world. It is designed for students who have had some French prior to enrolling at Macalester or who want to review basic structures. The course prepares students for French III and includes two lab. Sessions. ALL COURSES ARE TAUGHT IN FRENCH UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 194 - Topics Course


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

  
  • FREN 203 - French III


    The aim of this course is to bring students to a point where they can use French for communication, both oral and written. At the end of this course students should be able to read appropriate authentic materials, write short papers in French and communicate with a native speaker. It consolidates and builds competencies in listening, speaking, reading and writing and includes study of the cultural background of France and the Francophone world. Class sessions are supplemented by weekly small group meetings with a French graduate assistant. ALL COURSES ARE TAUGHT IN FRENCH UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED. Prerequisite(s): FREN 102  or FREN 111  with a grade of C- or better, placement test or permission of instructor. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 204 - Text, Film and Media


    This course presents a study of the contemporary language and culture of France and the Francophone world through authentic materials including the French press, the internet, television, literature and film. At the end of this course students should have attained a more sophisticated level of communication in French, the ability to use their skills in French for a variety of purposes including research in other disciplines, and a full appreciation of the intellectual challenge of learning a foreign language and its cultures. ALL COURSES ARE TAUGHT IN FRENCH UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED. Prerequisite(s): FREN 203  with a grade of C- or better, placement test or permission of instructor. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 294 - Topics Course


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

  
  • FREN 305 - Advanced Expression: Communication Tools


    This course is an intensive training in oral expression and corrective phonetics. Materials include news broadcasts from French TV, films and articles from the French and Francophone press. Grammar patterns that enhance communication will be studied. Class sessions are supplemented by small group meetings with French assistants and small conversation groups with Francophone tutors. Taught in French. Prerequisite(s): FREN 204 , placement test or permission of instructor. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 306 - Introduction to Literary Analysis


    This course is designed to develop the necessary skills for interpreting literature and for writing effectively in French. Students learn to do close reading and analysis of a variety of literary works and to compose critical essays. The course also includes a study of selected grammatical patterns and stylistic techniques. ALL COURSES ARE TAUGHT IN FRENCH UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED. Prerequisite(s): FREN 204  or placement test or permission of instructor. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 308 - From Lascaux to 1789: The Evolution of French Civilization


    This course traces the cultural, philosophical, literary and sociological works and movements that move France from the early period of Lascaux to the French revolution 1789. It explores the multi-facets of each century through 1789. The reading list includes early documents on Lascaux, Charlemagne, Jeanne d’Arc, Catherine de Médicis, Rabelais, Montaigne, Descartes, Me de Scudéry, the diaries of Louis XIV, Voltaire, Diderot, movies on French Revolution and French art from the early period to 1789. Taught in French.  Prerequisite(s): FREN 204  is required. This course in not open to students who have already completed FREN 306  or high level courses in French. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 309 - Contemporary France: History, Culture and Current Events


    This course is designed for students who want to understand contemporary events and issues in France. The course includes a review of essential historical events that have shaped modern France, in particular the legacy of the French Revolution, the colonial empire, WWII and the French-Algerian War. These events have shaped all contemporary debates (i.e. the recent law regarding wearing religious symbols in schools, the October 2005 suburb riots, recent immigration laws, and many other topics). The course also studies the place of France in relationship with the United States and the European community. Some units focus on the production of French culture and various intellectual/artistic movements through a variety of up-to-date authentic materials: newspaper articles, films, ATV news, websites. Taught in French. Prerequisite(s): FREN 204  required. This course in not open to students who have already completed FREN 306  or high level courses in French. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 310 - Passerelles: Introduction to French and Francophone Studies


    This course is a topics course designed to introduce students to the diversity of French and Francophone Cultures. Through the means of diverse medias: images, music, films, and texts, students will engage with different approaches to the cultural productions of several areas. The course includes aspects of French culture as well to cover how France and the Francophone World engage with each other.  Units will include: The transformations of Paris (May 1968, immigration, Paris and its periphery); The Tunisian Revolutions (from one Tunisia to the next); West Africa (modern cultures; emigration; riches); Central Africa (identity; languages; survival); Algeria (web documentaries on several generations, gender, rural/urban); Morocco (youth, tales of women, performances of human rights); Island multiculturalism (Mauritius cosmopolitanism, Caribbean diversity, Haitian riches, French Polynesian artists, Madagascar youth and history); Quebec (identity; language; diversity). The course will be conducted as a seminar. The goals of the course are to introduce students to a rich cultural transnational world in multiple relations with France, French language, changed by this relation and changing France and French as well, through various media. Films will be screened out of class. Taught in French. Prerequisite(s): FREN 204   Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 311 - Francophone Cultures of/in America


    This course is an introduction to the multiple facets of francophone cultures and heritage, old and new, in the Western Hemisphere. It explores historical connections between France and the United States; Quebec, Acadia and Louisiana; Louisiana, Haiti and creole cultures, from the Caribbean to the Twin Cities; French, Franco-American and Metis heritage and communities in the Midwest and along the Mississippi. The course also explores connections between francophone cultures and the Americas (Hmong, Vietnamese, African and North American). The textbookHéritages francophones: Enquêtes Interculturelles is supplemented with authentic materials (visual, musical, filmic, and print). Visits to different sites and opportunities to meet with different communities of francophone heritage in the Twin Cities are built into the course. Work includes presentations, opportunities to develop small digital projects in French, and short essays. Prerequisite(s): FREN 204   Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 320 - Francophone Theater of Exile and Immigration


    This course is a survey of francophone theater and film from 1975 to 2014. The plays and films will cover three main topics: the development of colonial and post-colonial subjects, the act of writing and performing while living in exile, and the idea of the Other in francophone film and theater. We will study a variety of plays and films that were written in and take place in all parts of the francophone world, including Quebec, Lebanon, Algeria, Belgium, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Martinique, Romania, and France. The form of each work varies widely, from classical French dramatic techniques to minimalist contemporary staging and characterization. Students will study blocking and staging techniques and explore contemporary performance theory in addition to writing literary and cultural analyses. Authors and filmmakers studied include Abla Farhoud, Wajdi Mouawad, Edouardo Manet, Michel Azama, Michele Cesaire, Anca Visdei, Pierre Gope et Nicolas Kurtovithc, and Moussa Toure. Taught in French. Prerequisite(s): One 300-level French course. Occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 321 - Introduction to French Cinema


    This course provides an introduction to French cinema in a selection of films by a diverse range of directors and that may include examples from the early experimentation of Louis Feuillade and the Lumière brothers through the classic period of Renoir, Cocteau, Buñuel, and Jacqueline Audry; the 1960s French Nouvelle Vague including Godard, Truffaut, Agnès Varda; Resnais and Marguerite Duras; and contemporary cinema from directors including Beineix and Jeunet though to Audiard, Haneke, Claire Denis, Mehdi Charef, and Abdellatif Kechiche. Our objective will be to analyze both the specificity of French cinema as a distinctive art and the way in which French filmmakers have used film to represent and critique various power relations, practices, and institutions in French society, whether in the domains of politics, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race, or immigration. We will read some introductory film theory, pay attention to both the formal and thematic dimensions of the works we study, and develop skills in scene analysis and interpretation. The course will be taught in seminar format. Prerequisite(s): FREN 204  . Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 330 - Towards a Postcolonial Pacific


    This course is a comparative introduction to postcolonial literature (and some film) from the Pacific region, in particular from the so-called “Polynesian Triangle.” The course examines recent works by major literary figures through a postcolonial prism, and focuses on literary representations of the political and social legacy of colonialism in these territories. For each country studied, we begin with a brief historical review of colonization in dialogue with a text written by a colonial visitor or settler. We then examine resistance to dominant colonialist discourse in the works of prominent contemporary “indigenous” authors, in dialogue with current political debates in each territory. Course themes include differing conceptions of race, ethnicity and indigeneity in each country, and their relation to the histories of British, French and U.S. imperialism in the Pacific; the rise of indigenous nationalist movements, and the question as to whether political independence defined in ethnic terms remains a feasible goal in an era of globalization; questions of language in a Pacific space still dominated by its colonial division into distinct “Anglonesian” and “Franconesian” spheres; and the island as a unit of political organization as opposed to alternative pan-Oceanic conceptions of inter-relation. Authors studied include Katherine Mansfield; Patricia Grace; Witi Ihimaera; Victor Segalen; Chantal Spitz; Célestine Vaite; Herman Melville; Mark Twain; Lee Cataluna; Lois-Ann Yamanaka. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 331 - Haiti: Culture, Human Rights and Humanitarianism


    The January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti, that killed more than 250,000 people, brought a lot of attention to the country traditionally described as “the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.” This course aims to provide students interested in humanitarianism, human rights, the Caribbean, cultural studies, and French and Francophone Studies an introduction to Haiti and Haitian culture throughout its history, including pre-and post-earthquake culture. It also aims at providing a thoughtful critical frame to the extraordinary humanitarian situation after the earthquake and the responses it generated at the Haitian and international levels. Throughout the course, students will become more familiar with Haitian history, its rich cultural production, and the relevance of culture to human rights representations, abuses, and responses to abuses as well as its relevance to various humanitarian crises in Haiti, especially the post-earthquake daily situation. Students will also gain knowledge about Haitian society, local organizations working in human rights and humanitarianism, the geography of Human Rights, local IDP environment, and humanitarian distribution of resources, and they will acquire the critical tools necessary to understand, assess, and participate in the current debates about human rights and humanitarianism practices in Haiti (including issues related to health, gender, economic rights, education, and access to resources of any kind). This course will be taught in English. Students taking it for credit counting toward the French major or Minor will be able to read some of the material and conduct their research in French. Students interested in doing an internship with one of the many organizations in the Twin Cities linked with Haiti should speak to the instructor. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 332 - Immigration in Europe


    Global media have long been fascinated with images of migrants from the South enduring perilous journeys in their attempts to enter Europe through land or sea. These images have produced series of standard narratives, especially since the 2010s, rather than a deep understanding. With the help of theorists such as Hannah Arendt, Giorgio Agamben, Achille Mbembe or Sarah Mekdjian, this course will analyze mass media images of immigration, juxtaposing them with more nuanced representations from European cinema and literature. Works from France, Germany, Greece, Italy, and Spain will be examined to study specific issues (from detention camps in and out of the Schengen space to integration and citizenship of several generations, from cultural exclusions to hospitality, love, and success stories). Each of the major European countries has a different historical, geographical, and economic relationship with the migrants’ countries of origin, and the course will proceed comparatively, seeking not just commonalities but also significant differences among the European countries receiving migrants. Questions of race, ethnicity, gender, race, religion and differences will be important concerns. The materials for the class are diverse. They include documents about the vocabulary, law, practices of migration, and refugee and migrant rights, written memoirs and fiction, films, graphic novels, critical essays, and interactive and creative maps.  Starting with classics that deal directly with immigration such as Werner Fassbinder’s Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974), the course will carry its analysis forward to current fiction films. In addition, some documentary films such as Kal Touré’s Victims of our Riches (2006), Fire at Sea (2016), and Welcome to Refugistan (2016) will be screened for background information. Narratives include short works by writers such as Igiaba Scego, Laila Lallami, Donato Ndongo-Bidyogo, Fatou Diome among others (materials for the course are regularly updated to remain current). The course features conversations with guests (human rights lawyers, community members, and artists) during the semester. The course functions as a discussion seminar. Student work includes presentations to the class and several short papers. Occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 333 - The Language of Diplomacy

    Cross-Listed as ANTH 333  
    This interdisciplinary course, co-taught by faculty in Anthropology and French and Francophone Studies, will introduce students to the broad range of international institutions where French is one of the primary working languages. Language, as the basis for human cooperation, provides a vehicle for students to explore the connections between language, power, and human rights. To engage students from the outset with the lived experiences of those working in the larger diplomatic world, students will do a life-history interview with a professional to learn more about their career trajectory and the work that they do.  We will further bring real-life scenarios into the classroom by watching and analyzing simulcast sessions in French from the International Criminal Court and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.  Throughout the course we will deepen our understanding of the historical and cultural dynamics within Europe over the past 150 years that gave rise to, maintain, and subvert the role of language in diplomacy. See the website of the Anthropology or French department for information on an optional international Fieldtrip component for this course in Summer 2017. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and application process. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 370 - Art of Translation: Style, Grammar, and Translation


    We will examine pieces of literature in English and in French and analyze the different modes of expression, the various styles and compare their styles. Theoretical material will enable students to determine stylistic changes geared to specific contexts. At the same time, exercises will concentrate on translation from English to French and French to English. The books we are using progress from the specific parts of speech to general and complex questions concerning the order of the words (ordre des mots) and la mise en relief. With the use of books, journals, newspapers etc… we will proceed to write in journals twice a week to achieve clarity and elegance in written French examining the literary (langue littéraire) to the colloquial (langue familière) and the formal French (langue soignée des gens cultivés). In addition to regular correction of journals, 4 papers will be rewritten after advice and suggestions of the instructor on content (introduction, conclusion presentation of arguments), vocabulary, stylistic and grammatical errors. Students will translate 4 short genres (literary, journalistic, theater and conversation pieces). As the topic relates to the cultural, economical, sociological and historical aspects of France, it addresses the diverse disciplinary areas well established in the French Department and the long term affiliation with the humanities, media and cultural studies, and women’s and gender studies programs. Taught in French. Prerequisite(s): FREN 305  or FREN 306  . Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 394 - Topics Course


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

  
  • FREN 402 - Voices of the Francophone Mediterranean


    This course focuses on Mediterranean francophone literatures and cultures, principally from the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and Lybia) but also occasionally from the Machrek (Lebanon, Syria), and the French Mediterranean, from colonial times to current events, including the post “Arab Spring”. The course contains units on orientalist representations, (texts, paintings, photographs and other critical material) diverse colonial and post-colonial European and North African representations of the regional cultures from multidirectional perspectives and theories, multiculturalism in North Africa, gender and sexualities, immigration, religion, and national/post-national cultural productions, including literature and cinema. Texts include major authors (such as Assia Djebar, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Abdellatif Laabi, Laila Lallami, Malika Mokeddem, Albert Memmi, for North Africa and Andrée Chedid, Ezza Agha Malak, Adonis from the Machrek for example). Films include a variety of classics and very contemporary films as well as theoretical and critical materials about the regional cinema and film directors.  The course also includes graphic novels and music. Taught in French. Prerequisite(s): FREN 306  . Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 403 - Voices from the Pacific Rim


    This course is an introduction to colonial and postcolonial representations of the French territories in the South Pacific, including French Polynesia and New Caledonia, as well as the former French colonies of ‘Indochine.’ We will examine the process by which the colonized territories of the Pacific islands and South-east Asia are constructed as objects of desire and difference for a metropolitan French public, and link the formation of these colonialist ideologies to their political and economic underpinnings. We will also explore the interrogation, subversion and displacement of colonial ideology in contemporary postcolonial francophone literature and film by intellectuals in the Pacific and in the Indochinese diaspora. The course will begin with a introduction to the theory of ideology and an overview of the French colonial presence in the Asia-Pacific region. We will then move to examine the  conceptualization of the Pacific as an ‘antipodes’ of Europe beginning in French thought in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, i.e. as an uncanny opposite or other characterized by its inversion of often corrupt metropolitan social, political and religious values and norms. This section of the course will conclude with a survey of recent work by Kanak and Polynesian writers that confront the realities of the troubled legacy of French colonialism in the Pacific. The last part of the course will begin with an examination of exoticized representations of French Indochina that draw on a long history of European stereotypes concerning the ‘Orient.’ The course will end with the study of recent work that thematizes the conflicts experienced by the descendants of those former Indochinese colonial subjects who immigrated to metropolitan France. The course bibliography will include texts and images by Rétif de la Bretonne, Pierre Loti, Paul Gauguin, Victor Segalen, Déwé Gorodé, Marguerite Duras, André Malraux, Linda Lê, and Régis Wargnier. Taught in French. Prerequisite(s): FREN 306  . Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 404 - Voices from Africa


    In this course, students will be introduced to the great variety of texts written in Sub-Saharan West and Central Africa. Through the study of great pre-colonial Mandingue epics transcribed into French to post-genocide literature from Rwanda, students will become familiar with writers from Senegal, Mali, Cameroon, Rwanda, Ivory Coast as well as with other materials such as music, visual art and other art forms. The course will also expose students to the relationship between France and former African colonies from the first encounters to the current discourses and debates about the “FrançAfrique” as well as to post-colonial theory and to immigration literature from the African perspective.  Each class will start with music. The course will also familiarize students with the francophone African communities in the Twin Cities. TIn this course, students will be introduced to the great variety of texts written in Sub-Saharan West and Central Africa. Through the study of great pre-colonial Mandingue epics transcribed into French to post-genocide literature from Rwanda, students will become familiar with writers from Senegal, Mali, Cameroon, Rwanda, Ivory Coast as well as with other materials such as music, visual art and other art forms. The course will also expose students to the relationship between France and former African colonies from the first encounters to the current discourses and debates about the “FrançAfrique” as well as to post-colonial theory and to immigration literature from the African perspective.  Each class will start with music. The course will also familiarize students with the francophone African communities in the Twin Cities. Taught in French. Prerequisite(s): FREN 306 .  Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • FREN 405 - Voices from the Caribbean Islands


    Haiti is the first Black Republic in the Western Hemisphere, it is the first island that Christopher Columbus colonized, it is also the first country to defeat the troops of Napoleon, an event that precipitated the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. In short, it is an important place to study as it is connected to North and South America, the Caribbean, France and other European countries, and the African continent. In this course, we will study the history of Haiti since pre-colonial times, through historical documents, history analysis and political documents and analysis from the colonial period to current events in Haiti. We will also examine the place of Haiti in relation to globalization, and its economy and how it went from practically supporting more than half of the French economy in the 17th-century to being the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. Haiti is one of the most productive places in terms of culture: paintings, literature, music, etc. The course emphasizes the introduction to Haitian culture with the study of its religions, languages and cultural productions. We will listen to various music that developed throughout history in Haiti.  Offered occasionally. Taught in French. Prerequisite(s): FREN 306 .  Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

 

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