Liberal
Studies Courses
LIBS 201 -
Introduction to Race, Class and Culture
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course explores the history and theories of race and class
and their impact on cultural forms.
LIBS 220 -
Race, Class and Environmental Quality
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course examines the relationships between race, class and
environmental quality within the context of a global economy
that seeks to maximize profits while minimizing
responsibility, and examines the concept of environmental
justice as a means to restore positive connections within
communities between environmental use and environmental
quality.
LIBS 221 -
Genes, Race and Society
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course examines the historical development of theories of
“race” in the Western world. It provides the student with a
basic understanding of the principles of
evolutionary/population biology, genetics, and taxonomy as
they relate to biological and social conceptions of race.
LIBS 301 -
Ethno-Nationalism and the Reconstruction of Nations
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course examines how the breakup of the USSR led to the rise
of ethno-nationalism in the process of national
reconstruction. Exploring the myths, symbols and histories
of competing
populations within the Soviet Union or its power, students discover
a paradigm that applies to the wider postcolonial world as
well.
LIBS
302 -
Media Analysis
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course examines the shaping of information in popular media, with
special emphasis on the creation of news. Examining
institutional configurations and conglomeration, it focuses on
the role of news media within national discourses, and on the
shaping of ideological consensus and the marginalization of
dissent. It asks questions about the limitations of political
discourse, and about bias and objectivity, about how news is
defined, presented, and disseminated.
LIBS
303 -
Consumer Culture
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course considers the creation of consumer culture during the last two
centuries. It looks at the development of advertising, public
relations, and mass marketing, and at the related construction of consumer
consciousness. And it considers the consequences of global
consumerism upon the environment, cultural tradition, human
social relations and economic conditions.
LIBS
304 -
The American South
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course examines
mythologies and realities of the American South: the
antebellum period, the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Civil
Rights era, the New South. It looks at how these historical
moments have been written and rewritten in academic and
popular discourses, in response to racial beliefs and
ideological needs. It considers the South as a geographical,
social, and cultural entity and as an important element within
the shaping of an American national mythos.
LIBS
305 -
Race and Class in Caribbean Culture
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course will
examine the ethnic, racial and cultural diversity of the
Caribbean, including the impact of foreign cultures on the
area, and the exportation of its unique cultural forms to the
global society.
LIBS
306 -
Gender, Technology, and Computer Culture
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course will
explore technology’s interaction with the concept of gender
and how gender is embodied in technologies, and conversely,
how technologies shape societal notions of gender. Students
will critically assess the gender relations produced in areas
such as entertainment and games, work, identity, education,
culture, globalism, race and ethnicity.
LIBS
307 -
Food and the Global Community
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course uses
multidisciplinary perspectives to examine the connections
between food and human lifeways. Focusing on varied ethnic
food traditions and peoples around the world, this course
will explore 1) the interplay of class and gender in the
preparation of food, 2) the role of political and economic
power in accessibility to and the distribution of food, and 3)
the religious and cultural symbolism of eating.
LIBS
308 -
Historical, Social & Cultural Perspectives of Technology
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course explores
the interrelationships between the human race and technology,
the range of determinism between the two, and the possible
paths for technology and humans in the global world. Global
perspectives -- including Eastern and Western, Northern and
Southern -- will be covered in the course.
LIBS 401 -
War and Culture
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course investigates the nature of war -- its causes and consequences,
and its depiction in news accounts, memoirs, literary texts,
and popular media. The course asks questions about the function
of war economically and ideologically. It considers the
intersection of war with race and gender. And it considers the
ways war is commonly represented within national
discourses.
LIBS 402 -
Historical Memory
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course looks at
the processes by which historical events are defined and
represented. It asks questions about the intersection of
nationalism and history, about the determining power of school
curricula, textbooks, museums, academic experts, and popular
media. And it examines the nature of historical truth within a
mass-mediated culture and against a prevailing postmodern
skepticism.
LIBS 501 -
Reading and Writing Cultural Critique
Credit 3(3-0)
This
writing intensive
course is intended to prepare students to write the cultural
critique -- popular and academic. The course emphasizes both
critical analysis and writing, with particular attention to
writing for a specific setting and audience. By the end of the
course, students should be able to produce a conference paper
or publishable essay.
LIBS
601 - Independent Study
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course is designed for students to conduct advanced research on a special topic.
LIBS
602 - Independent Study
Credit 3(3-0)
This
course is designed for students to conduct advanced research on a special topic. Prerequisite: LIBS 601.
