Literary & Visual Arts

Explore the captivating and dangerous ways in which writers construct foreign worlds of "East" and "West" and how they trespass, distort, and dream the border between themselves and other civilizations. From the Argentinian Borges' depictions of Arabian labyrinths to the Syrian Adonis' depictions of New York City alleyways, from the French Baudelaire's meditations on Oriental opium-dens to the Persian Hedayat's meditations on the madmen of Paris, you will see how authors represent unknown and outsider cultures. Ultimately, you will interrogate the experience of radical otherness and its use as a complex force of creativity, consciousness, and imagination.

Mid-twentieth-century America was characterized by changing gender roles and definitions, geographic and demographic shifts, war, and burgeoning technology, among other things. This course looks at fiction and drama to see how great American authors such as Tennessee Williams, Flannery O'Connor and Richard Yates portrayed and, perhaps, shaped the mid-century American understanding of love, sex, and family.

How adulthood, success, and leisure is defined shifts as generations and mindsets evolve. American films, and pop culture more broadly from the 20th and 21st centuries, provide context and representation for those changing viewpoints. This course is discussion-heavy, so you gain greater societal and cinematic understanding while developing your leadership, speaking, and listening skills.

Effective theatrical performance and communication begins with focused concentration, a free and active imagination, physical poise, and a controlled voice. In this course, you will hone these skills while reading, analyzing, and experimenting with contemporary acting strategies and methods. Your work on the stage will be guided and grounded by careful study and consideration of acting theory and history. You will not only have an understanding of the discipline and rigor required for successful performance but will also have a theoretical understanding and tools to create compelling and viable characters for the stage and for a public audience.

The Renaissance was a period of discoveries, and the new concepts of the self, markets, technologies, and devotions changed the shape of Europe. Examine some of the major paintings, sculptures, and architecture from Italy and Northern Europe that shaped modern culture. You will develop skills in interpreting visual images and build competence in creative thinking.

Explores how profoundly our lives are shaped by the designs of graphics we see, objects we use, and buildings we move through every day. You will gain increased understanding of the role good and bad design affects us and shapes the world in which we live.