Arts, Culture, and Humanities

ACH 102.1: Playwriting: Crafting the 10-Minute Play

Prof. Steve Marsh, Department of Theatre Arts | View Bio

Day/Time: Wednesday | 8:30am to 9:50am

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to April 6, 2018)

Location: Tabler Center Blackbox (110)

Course #: 55192

What is important to you and how can you express those ideas in dramatic form? Students will learn that there are many different dramatic forms through which ideas may be expressed. In this seminar we will pay special attention to the 10-Minute play format, which has become a staple of many regional theatre and playwriting organizations around the country. All students who participate in this workshop will share their ideas through class discussions and writing plays.

The workshop sessions will allow students the freedom to share their writing with the class, and receive feedback from the class and the instructor. Nothing is off limits. The class will avoid shallow, thumbs up/thumbs down criticism, and learn to explore their peer’s work from an approach of dramaturgical inquiry. What is the playwright trying to achieve? How, specifically, does the writing succeed, fail, confuse, inspire? Students will be encouraged to think about one or two ideas that they would like to explore deeply, and in the course of the semester develop a stage play that is unique, inherently theatrical, deliberate and satisfies the playwrights’ original impulse to write.

Students in the class must be willing to read (act) each other’s plays in an informal round table setting. Everyone in the class should check egos at the door, and be willing to help fellow playwrights by offering constructive criticism and participating in the readings without the fear of looking bad. Remember that the focus of the workshop is on the work of the playwright, not the quality of the acting. Full attendance and participation is required.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.2: The Salon

Prof. Stephen Shultz, Department of Journalism | View Bio

Day/Time: Wednesday | 4:00pm to 5:20pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to April 6, 2018)

Location: Tabler Center, Room 104

Course #: 55193

A salon was a gathering of people at someone’s home where a variety of ideas would be discussed.  These gatherings were often attended by the great and, perhaps, not so great, writers and intellects of the time and were usually hosted by wealthy women of French society. Ultimately, the salon vogue spread throughout Europe.  The salons were most especially popular in Paris, during the Enlightenment Era, which took place prior to the French Revolution.  It might, indeed, be argued that the salons, with their characteristics of free discussion and intellectual exchange, might have ultimately played an important role in leading to the French Revolution.

Our classes, after some introductory instruction, will aim to mimic the salon in the sense that each student will select a topic, prepare a reading assignment, and play the role of a leader who will keep each discussion interesting and progressing, while ensuring that every participant gets an opportunity to speak.

The salon experience hopefully will promote a different, exciting, and unique opportunity for students, while at the same time assisting each participant in gaining confidence in organizational, leadership, and public speaking skills; all of which are necessary as we confront the changes, problems, and challenges that the increasingly technological twenty-first century is certain to create.

The success of the course will be completely dependent on each individual student.  That means that it is a necessary requirement that all students in the class be very active in both listening and participating in meaningful discussion.  This is not a course for those who do not like to participate!  All students enrolled in The Salon will be obligated to read all assignments in advance of each class session as well as preparing to lead a discussion on a topic of their choice.

Most of the course will be conducted by the students.  Each student who registers for The Salon should be open to new and unique ideas and experiences as well as being willing to lead a discussion on a selected topic of interest.

The Salon 102 Seminar promises to provide a unique and memorable experience for all who participate.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.3: Gods of Peace, Gods of War

Prof. Chris Filstrup, Department of University Libraries | View Bio

Day/Time: Monday | 1:00pm to 2:20pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to April 6, 2018)

Location: Melville Library N3090

Course #: 55194

How do religions deal with war? Sometimes religious organizations or communities lead the charge. For example, the Crusades. Sometimes they bravely resist calls to arms. For example, American pacifists who refused to fight in World War I or World War II. Some religious scriptures include “turn the other cheek” admonitions; others leave room for just (that is, justifiable) wars. This class will study both religious writings and historical events. Campus chaplains and community religious leaders will join the class to help us understand how religion deals with the worldly reality of organized violence.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.4: Medicine and the Media

Prof. Cathy Marrone, Department of Sociology | View Bio

Day/Time: Thursday | 5:30pm to 6:50pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to April 6, 2018)

Location: SBS N101

Course #: 55195

Two very powerful social institutions, Medicine and the Media have grown in prominence in the US. Just think of the numerous television and “reality” series dedicated to physicians, addiction disorders, forensic pathology and even the numerous doctor-directed self-help shows. No matter the media platform, it is clear that health and medical information is pervasive and persuasive, entertaining and at times, even unduly frightening. This seminar will create a dialogue about the cultural direction and dominance of these mingled institutions.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.5: The Tele-Present Self: How We Use Gadgets

Prof. Philip Baldwin, Department of Theater Arts | View Bio

Day/Time: Monday | 5:30pm to 6:50pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to April 6, 2018)

Location: Staller Center 3022

Course #: 55196

Who are we online? Who are we ‘broadcasting’ to from our smartphones? What is the ‘glue of the self’ when we feel pulled from every direction? Texting while driving has become the leading cause of traffic accidents. Why? This is a course that explores the self using a number of open source software, wild interfaces, and social media sites. Design the zero- distance space! The university of the future. Critically look at the construction of your ‘self’ on all your social media sites! Add as many human-computer interface devices as possible. We will play with the Kinect and the Neuro-sensor cap to have gesture and emotion move motors, film, and sound! we will work on the design juncture between machines, HCI, and BCI. The foucs of this semester’s work will be STEM to STEAM and the big ideas behind a technocratic culture. We will work on a staged transmedia production, kickstarter sites, a blog, and a mixed reality lab.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.6: Introduction to Indian Music and its influence on Bollywood Cinema

Prof. Aruna Sharma, Department of Asian and Asian-American Studies

Day/Time: Friday | 1:00pm to 2:20pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to April 6, 2018)

Location: Humanities 3019

Course #: 55197

Basic Elements of Indian Classical Music, such as the Raga music, Tala (Time Measure), different schools or Gharanas, classical forms such as Dhrupad, Khayal and Thumri are studied through the analysis of historical and contemporary masterpieces. The role of specific stringed and percussion instruments such as Tanpura and Tabla is studied. The intimate relationship exists between music, religion and ethnicity, especially in liturgical and popular music.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.7: Introduction to Indian Music and its influence on Bollywood Cinema

Prof. Aruna Sharma, Department of Asian and American Studies | View Bio

Day/Time: Friday | 2:30pm to 3:50pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to April 6, 2018)

Location: Humanities, Room 3019

Course #: 55198

Basic Elements of Indian Classical Music, such as the Raga music, Tala (Time Measure), different schools or Gharanas, classical forms such as Dhrupad, Khayal and Thumri are studied through the analysis of historical and contemporary masterpieces. The role of specific stringed and percussion instruments such as Tanpura and Tabla is studied. The intimate relationship exists between music, religion and ethnicity, especially in liturgical and popular music

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.8: The Literature of Hiking

Prof. Troy Wolfskill, Department of Chemistry | View Bio

Day/Time: Wednesday | 11:00am to 11:53am

Meeting Pattern: 53 mins per week for 14 weeks (January 22, 2018 to May 4, 2018)

Location: Tabler Center room 107

Course #: 55199

This course will explore the literature of hiking, including both fiction and non-fiction, and spanning everything from Adventure Stories to Zoology. You will select an appropriate book to read and then prepare an oral presentation for your fellow students using PowerPoint or similar software. You will also explore the equipment needed for hiking by creating spreadsheets that list the gear essential to safe hiking and that help you to choose items based on cost, weight, durability and other factors. Hiking opportunities in the area will be explored, and a few hikes will be scheduled.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.9: Art Out of the Box

Prof. Noboho Nagasawa, Department of Art | View Bio

Day/Time: Wednesday | 4:00pm to 5:50pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 50 mins per week for 7 weeks (January 22, 2018 to March 9, 2018)

Location: Staller Center, Room 0045

Course #: 55200

This course investigates the contemporary art projects that are created outside of the gallery and the museum framework. Students will review a number of diverse art practices in the context of socially relevant issues, and investigate the ideas and the strategies that have affected the larger audiences. Lectures will introduce projects of contemporary artists whose practices may not be within the conventional art practices. Students will examine the methods and approaches of the artists who have executed the projects as dynamic social/cultural events. Students will learn basic sculpture projects with wire, clay and plaster.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

Notes: This course meets for 2 hours per week for 7 weeks.

 

ACH 102.10: Flash Fiction – The Art of the Short Short Story

Prof. Joseph Labriola, Department of Program in Writing and Rhetoric

Day/Time: Friday | 10:00am to 10:53am

Meeting Pattern: 53 mins per week for 14 weeks (November 3, 2017 to November 3, 2017)

Location: Tabler Center room 107

Course #: 55201

In our fast paced, ever-changing era of the tweet, there seems to be a shifting emphasis towards concise, impactful works of expression. Enter the ‘flash fiction’ piece where traditional short fiction is trimmed even further, all while conveying just as much emotional and interpretative expression as its literary predecessors. In this seminar/workshop we will explore the various forms of flash fiction (and other short) writing to discuss its craft as well as produce our own works.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.11: Women & Politics

Prof. Jessica Mitchell, Department of Social Welfare

Day/Time: Monday | 5:30pm to 6:23pm

Meeting Pattern: 53 mins per week for 14 weeks (November 3, 2017 to November 3, 2017)

Location: Melville Library S1410

Course #: 55202

This course will explore the historical role of women in American politics, elections and issue campaigns. We will explore the institutional systems and social expectations that have kept women out of the public sphere. A historical perspective of women’s participation, mobilization and activism in American politics and policy issues will be discussed beginning with the suffrage movement. Discussions will then explore the recent cultural and structural changes that have occurred in government and politics due to increased participation by historically marginalized groups including women and minorities.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.12: Women & Politics

Prof. Jessica Mitchell, Department of Social Welfare

Day/Time: Monday | 7:00pm to 7:53pm

Meeting Pattern: 53 mins per week for 14 weeks (November 3, 2017 to May 4, 2018)

Location: Melville Library S1410

Course #: 55203

This course will explore the historical role of women in American politics, elections and issue campaigns. We will explore the institutional systems and social expectations that have kept women out of the public sphere. A historical perspective of women’s participation, mobilization and activism in American politics and policy issues will be discussed beginning with the suffrage movement. Discussions will then explore the recent cultural and structural changes that have occurred in government and politics due to increased participation by historically marginalized groups including women and minorities.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.13: Homer’s Odyssey

Prof. Clyde Miller, Department of Philosophy | View Bio

Day/Time: Thursday | 10:00am to 11:20am

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to April 6, 2018)

Location: Tabler Center, Room 104

Course #: 55204

Students will read Homer’s Odyssey in translation and examine film, comic book, and art interpretations to compare and enrich seeing and reading. Students will prepare answers to questions to discuss in groups each session. They will become acquainted with one of the classic heroes of Western literature and ideas. They will reflect on the ways in which Odysseus’ desire and efforts to return home are to be found in contemporary life and experience and write at least two brief essays on the connections between Odysseus and themselves.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.14: Telling A Story with Pictures: The Art of Comics

Prof. Ruth Kisch, Department of School of Professional Development

Day/Time: Wednesday | 2:30pm to 3:50pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to April 6, 2018)

Location: Tabler Center, Room 107

Course #: 55205

Comic strips and comic books have been central to popular culture world-wide for many decades. In this course students will go beyond the casual reading of comics to explore and understand what makes comics unique as expressive visual art. In conjunction with analyzing comics as visual narratives, students will work on group and individual projects to experience firsthand what is required for combining words and pictures for this unique art form.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.15: Telling A Story with Pictures: The Art of Comics

Prof. Ruth Kisch, Department of School of Professional Development

Day/Time: Thursday | 11:30am to 12:50pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to April 6, 2018)

Location: Tabler Center, Room 104

Course #: 55206

Comic strips and comic books have been central to popular culture world-wide for many decades. In this course students will go beyond the casual reading of comics to explore and understand what makes comics unique as expressive visual art. In conjunction with analyzing comics as visual narratives, students will work on group and individual projects to experience firsthand what is required for combining words and pictures for this unique art form.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.16: Memory, Monuments, and Meaning

Prof. Susan Scheckel, Department of English | View Bio

Day/Time: Wednesday | 10:00am to 10:53am

Meeting Pattern: 53 mins per week for 14 weeks (January 22, 2018 to May 4, 2018)

Location: Tabler, Room 107

Course #: 55207

In this course we will explore the function and (changing) meanings of public monuments in American culture. Are monuments built to preserve the past? To shape the future? To celebrate triumphs? To memorialize loss? Are there certain subjects that cannot or should not be memorialized? To explore these questions, we will briefly examine the history of monuments in the U.S., including innovative counter-monumental designs. We will also discuss recent debates about what to do with monuments from the past that seem to violate current values (Confederate monuments, for example). As a final project, students will collaborate in groups to design a monument to a person, group, or event that they believe expresses values or issues important to bring to public attention now.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.17: Rock and Roll and its influence on American Society and Culture

Prof. Norman Prusslin, Department of Theater Arts Academy | View Bio

Day/Time: Thursday | 2:30pm to 3:50pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to April 6, 2018)

Location: Tabler Center, Room 107

Course #: 55208

The class will examine the influence of the music of the rock and roll era ( 1950-present) on American society, culture, politics, fashion, religion and the popular arts. Discussion will focus on artists, songs, musical trends and styles. Video screenings, readings, group and individual projects will be component parts of the course experience.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.18: Rock and Roll and its influence on American Society and Culture

Prof. Norman Prusslin, Department of Theater Arts Academy | View Bio

Day/Time: Thursday | 4:00pm to 5:20pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to April 6, 2018)

Location: Tabler Center, Room 107

Course #: 55209

The class will examine the influence of the music of the rock and roll era ( 1950-present) on American society, culture, politics, fashion, religion and the popular arts. Discussion will focus on artists, songs, musical trends and styles. Video screenings, readings, group and individual projects will be component parts of the course experience.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.19: Contemporary Issues in Film

Prof. Andrea Paldy, Department of Program in Writing and Rhetoric

Day/Time: Tuesday | 11:30am to 12:50pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to May 4, 2018)

Location: Tabler Center, Room 107

Course #: 55210

This film history course will look at the way that social issues are portrayed in film. Through film analysis and a look at current events, we will compare historical film representation and the audience’s reception of the films to today’s social climate. 

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.20: Contemporary Issues in Film

Prof. Andrea Paldy, Department of Program in Writing and Rhetoric

Day/Time: Tuesday | 1:00pm to 2:20pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to May 4, 2018)

Location: Tabler Center room 107

Course #: 55211

This film history course will look at the way that social issues are portrayed in film. Through film analysis and a look at current events, we will compare historical film representation and the audience’s reception of the films to today’s social climate. 

Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.21: Creating Character: the Art and Science of Casting

Prof. Amy Cook, Department of Theatre Arts | View Bio

Day/Time: Monday | 5:30pm to 6:50pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 1 weeks (January 22, 2018 to May 4, 2018)

Location: Tabler Center room 107

Course #: 55212

This class will look at casting and discuss what makes one actor “right” for a role and another one “wrong.” We will watch films and read discussions about casting and issues of race and gender. We will examine the performances of one actor in several roles (such as Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder and Jerry Maguire) and look at different actors in the same role. We will extend this discussion to ourselves and the way we “cast” ourselves through our actions, our costumes, and our social media presence.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.22: Italian Culture Through The Arts

Prof. Lois Lemonda, Department of European Languages, Literature, and Cultures

Day/Time: Tuesday | 10:00am to 11:20am

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to April 6, 2018)

Location: Tabler Center, Room 104

Course #: 55213

The course would divulge into various topics in Italian Culture in order to engage students in a cross-cultural discussion with an emphasis upon the arts, specifically literature and film. Students would be exposed to various facets of Italian culture through these media and would reflect upon both their own backgrounds as well as their expectations/existing knowledge of Italian culture. Students would be afforded the opportunity to examine their own cultural beliefs in the context of another, thereby enriching the overall diverse and multicultural experience at Stony Brook University.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading

 

ACH 102.23: Global Environmental History

Prof. Tara Rider, Department of Sustainability Studies | View Bio

Day/Time: Monday | 1:00pm to 2:20pm

Meeting Pattern: 1 hr 20 mins per week for 10 weeks (January 22, 2018 to April 6, 2018)

Location: Tabler Center, Room 107

Course #: 55214

While the natural world has shaped and conditioned human experiences, over time, man has made increasingly far-reaching alterations to their surroundings. Thus, this course will be an exploration of how natural environments have been transformed by mankind and how those environments have shaped man’s thinking about nature. Through case studies of places such as Easter Island and themes such as disease and war, we will study how nature is both natural and cultural.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the ACH Undergraduate College

1 credit, Letter Grading