Africa (AF)
Asia (AS)
Europe (EU)
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
Middle East (ME)
Transregional (TR)
United States (US)
HIST 384 - Somalia: From Independence to Collapse (AF)
Examines the history of modern Somalia from 1960 to the present. Major themes include the partition of Somaliland, Somali resistance; colonial rule in Somaliland; independence and problems of independence; the Siad Barre government; irredentist claims and wars; the collapse of Somalia; international intervention and aftermath; attempts to form a government, Islamic Courts Union, and al-Shabab fighters; and piracy. (AF)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines the history of the Darfur crisis. Topics include the people of Darfur, ethnic relations and conflicts, conquest and colonial legacy, Darfur and the Sudan government, the rebels, responses of the Sudan government and Janjaweed, the war, human rights violations, foreign powers, the challenge of humanitarian intervention, and the future of Darfur. Students explore the responsibilities and opportunities we have, as individuals and as a nation, to respond to the refugee migrations, human rights abuses, and genocides that haunted the 20th century and that are beginning to plague the 21st. Exposes students to historical causes of the crisis and some of the humanitarian challenges facing the world today. Also offers multiple frameworks for thinking about what roles we might play in influencing public policy and having an impact on people in need. Students learn to understand and analyze the crisis that the United Nations called “the world’s worst humanitarian disaster” and the United States called “genocide.” (AF)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Offers history students the opportunity to engage in intensive discussion of recent scholarship. Faculty explore new research areas, which will hone students’ skills of critical reading and discussion. Topics and themes will vary based on faculty interests; examples include public history, history of sexuality, material culture, military history, environmental history, or historical justice.
Credits: 1.00 Prerequisites:HIST 199 or HIST 299 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Selected topics with thematic focus rather than a geographical focus. The thematic seminar underscores the importance of exploring the diversity and the connections of human experience across space and time, and it aims to support the field of focus pathway within the major.
Credits: 1.00 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Selected problems in East Asian history from early modern times to the present. Typical offerings include social history of late Imperial China, chaos and order in early modern Japan, and moments in East Asian history. (AS)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: One course in Asian history Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
HIST 459 - Seminar on Modern Middle Eastern History (ME)
Covers selected topics in the history of the Middle East from 1600 AD, including political and social institutions of the Ottoman Empire, European economic and cultural penetration, and the colonialism and nationalisms that developed from 1798. Although the majority of the assigned readings focus on the territories once belonging to the Ottoman Empire, research on Iran and the Persian Gulf as well as some Central Asian and/or North African territories is allowed. Students become familiar with the major historiographical debates in the field and are expected to refer to them in their independent research projects. (ME)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:HIST 105 or HIST 359 or equivalent experience Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
HIST 462 - Seminar on Problems in African History (AF)
Selected topics in African history from the ancient times to the present. Possible topics include African kingdoms and civilizations, expansion of Europe and the conquest of Africa, African resistances to colonialism, decolonization, colonial legacy, socio-economic and political developments in post-independence Africa, ethnic relations and conflicts, modern and indigenous mechanisms of governance. Students become familiar with the major historiographical debates in the field and are expected to refer to them in their research project. (AF)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: One African history course Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
HIST 475 - Seminar in African American History (US)
Selected problems in African American history, including the civil rights movement and African American intellectual history in the 20th and 21st centuries. (US)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:HIST 218 or HIST 318 or HIST 319 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
HIST 476 - Seminar on Problems in the 19th-Century United States (US)
Selected topics in political, social, and cultural history. Possible topics include labor, rights, citizenship, race, religion, empire, gender, and/or sexuality. Students become familiar with the major historiographical debates in the field and are expected to refer to them in their independent research projects. (US)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: One course in US history Major/Minor Restrictions: Only History Majors and Minors Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
HIST 479 - Seminar on Problems in the History of U.S. Foreign Policy (US)
Selected topics, explored through a combination of assigned readings and research in primary sources. Past seminars have included U.S.-East Asia relations in the 20th century, the origins of the Cold War, and the role of culture, race, and gender in U.S. foreign relations. (US)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:HIST 215 or HIST 216 or HIST 316 or two courses in US History or international relations Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
HIST 482 - Seminar on Problems in British History since 1800 (EU)
Examines topics in the history of modern Britain and its empire (including pre-independent Ireland). Political, social, economic, diplomatic, and cultural approaches are included. (EU)
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: London Study Group
Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
HIST 484 - Seminar on Modern European Cultural and Intellectual History (EU)
Examines selected themes and topics in the cultural and intellectual history of Europe from the late 18th century to the present. (EU)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: One course in modern European history Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
This course focuses on selected topics in Russian history. Past and proposed topics include the Russian Revolution, Stalinism, Russian social history, national minorities in the Russian Empire, Russia and the Cold War, and Russian popular culture. (EU)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: Background in Russian history Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
HIST 489 - Seminar on Problems in Military History (TR)
Focuses on the role of organized violence in history in the context of military-civil relations and change in military technology and methodology. The period covered is ancient to modern (1945), mainly European and non-Western. Each seminar concentrates on a particular era. (TR)
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
A seminar for candidates for honors and high honors in history. Students enroll in this seminar to complete or extend a paper already begun in another history course. (TR)
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Spring semester only
Corequisite: None Prerequisites:HIST 199 or HIST 299 Major/Minor Restrictions: Only History Majors Class Restriction: Only Senior Restrictions: Limited to seniors with a history GPA of 3.50 of higher Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
The ITAL 121, 122 sequence is an introduction to the Italian language that provides a foundation in both spoken and written Italian. ITAL 121 introduces students to the basic structures of the language in a highly interactive way: it emphasizes the mastery of grammatical structures and vocabulary with a strong emphasis on obtaining both communicative and cultural competency. Language Placement Guidelines
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
ITAL 122 is a continuation of ITAL 121 designed to increase students’ proficiency in the four skills of understanding, speaking, reading and writing Italian by enhancing their mastery of more complex grammatical structures and vocabulary. Students continue to work with conversation partners, but will also incorporate more specific cultural references in oral presentations and in written assignments. Language Placement Guidelines
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Recommended: Students with a grade of C– or below in ITAL 122 are urged to repeat the course before continuing. Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
ITAL 195 - Elementary-Level Italian Language Abroad
Elementary-level language courses taken abroad with a Colgate study group, an approved program, or in a foreign institution of higher learning.
Credits: 1 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Designed to improve student’s ability to understand, speak, read, and write Italian and to expand students’ knowledge of Italian culture. It includes review of basic Italian grammar and introduction to new grammar structures, conversational practice, short compositions, cultural and literary readings, and films. Language Placement Guidelines
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: Two or three years of high school Italian, or ITAL 122, or the equivalent Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Recommended: Students with previous high school Italian should consult with instructor for proper language placement Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
ITAL 202 - Intermediate Italian: Language and Literature
Designed to build proficiency in all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and to improve knowledge of Italian culture. Besides reviewing and improving students’ grammar and vocabulary competency, this course will focus on the reading of short works of Italian literature, short compositions, and class discussions. Students will engage with a wide variety of literary and nonliterary materials, such as books, newspapers, magazines, and videos. Language Placement Guidelines
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:ITAL 201 Three to four years of high school Italian or ITAL 201 Students with more than four years of high school Italian should consult the instructor regarding placement. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
An introduction to major works of Italian cinema from Neorealism to contemporary productions. Students will watch and discuss groundbreaking films by Italian directors such as Rossellini, Fellini, Antonioni, Pasolini, Wertmüller, Benigni, and others. Places Italian cinema within the context of European art cinema and film theory, and focuses on the ways these films represent diverse Italian historical and cultural situations. It emphasizes the study of cinematic analysis and filmmaking techniques, as well as the historical and cultural situation in Italy from World War II to the present. Students are required to attend weekly screenings in addition to regular class meetings. Taught in English, with the option of a discussion group in Italian.
Credits: 0.00 Corequisite:ITAL 223 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Enduring for more than a thousand years, the Venetian Republic was one of the longest-lasting political entities in Europe. During its prime, it was the dominant naval and economic power in the eastern Mediterranean, and the major conduit for goods and ideas between the Muslim world and Western Christendom. This course traces the rise and fall of this remarkable maritime empire, its relation to the rest of Italy, and its lasting cultural contributions.
Credits: 1.00 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
ITAL 295 - Intermediate-Level Italian Language Abroad
Intermediate-level language courses taken abroad with a Colgate study group, an approved program, or in a foreign institution of higher learning.
Credits: 1 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
ITAL 353 - Introduction to the Study of Italian Literature: Modern and Contemporary Italian Literature
Offers a close reading of the most representative works of outstanding Italian writers from the early 1900s to the present. Focuses on questions of aesthetics, national identity, politics, gender, and race as well as on the special relationship between texts and society. Students discuss both canonical works of Italian literature from the Risorgimento (1860) to the present as well as migration literature (from and to Italy), which continually questions the parameters of national identity. Language Placement Guidelines
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: At least four years of high school Italian or ITAL 201 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
Critically introduces students to the very diverse facets of modern and contemporary Italian culture. Students engage with a wide variety of literary and nonliterary texts, such as books, newspapers, music, theatrical works, films, etc. Aims at investigating the concept of Italian identity in its relationship to issues of class, gender, race, and ethnicity. Students enhance their linguistic skills through reading materials, the writing of compositions, listening activities and oral productions. Language Placement Guidelines
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:ITAL 201 or at least four years of high school Italian Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
ITAL 361 - Advanced Grammar, Composition, and Conversation
Provides a review of grammatical principles with emphasis on correctness and style in composition in Italian. Language Placement Guidelines
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: At least four years of high school Italian or ITAL 201 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements Formerly: ITAL 301
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Advanced-level language courses taken abroad with a Colgate study group, an approved program, or in a foreign institution of higher learning.
Credits: 1 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts CORE: None
Introduces the four basic skills of speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Emphasis is on thorough mastery of the basic structures of Japanese through intensive aural-oral practice and extensive use of audiovisual materials. The two kana syllabaries and about 100 Kanji (characters) are introduced toward the goals of developing reading skills and reinforcing grammar and vocabulary acquisition.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
This course introduces the four basic skills of speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. The emphasis is on thorough mastery of the basic structures of Japanese through intensive aural-oral practice and extensive use of audiovisual materials. The two kana syllabaries and about 100 Kanji (characters) are introduced toward the goals of developing reading skills and reinforcing grammar and vocabulary acquisition.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:JAPN 121 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
This intensive course, taught eight hours per week for the first seven weeks of the semester, covers the materials presented in JAPN 121 at an accelerated pace; it introduces the four basic skills of speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. The emphasis is on thorough mastery of the basic structures of Japanese through intensive aural-oral practice and extensive use of audiovisual materials. The two kana syllabaries and about 100 Kanji (characters) are introduced toward the goals of developing reading skills and reinforcing grammar and vocabulary acquisition. Successful completion of both JAPN 123 & JAPN 124 qualifies students for the Japan Study Group in the fall.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Spring semester when there is sufficient demand
Corequisite:JAPN 124 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
This intensive course, taught eight hours per week for the second seven weeks of the semester, covers the materials presented in JAPN 122 at an accelerated pace; it introduces the four basic skills of speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. The emphasis is on thorough mastery of the basic structures of Japanese through intensive aural-oral practice and extensive use of audiovisual materials. The two kana syllabaries and about 100 Kanji (characters) are introduced toward the goals of developing reading skills and reinforcing grammar and vocabulary acquisition. Successful completion of both JAPN 123 & 124 qualifies students for the Japan Study Group in the fall.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Spring semester when there is sufficient demand
Corequisite:JAPN 123 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Elementary-level language course taken abroad with a Colgate study group, an approved program, or in a foreign institution of higher learning.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts CORE: None
The first semester of intermediate-level study of Japanese, this course completes the presentation of basic structures of the language. There is continued emphasis on oral communication, with practice in reading simple texts and acquisition of an additional 500 Chinese characters by the end of the term.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:JAPN 122 or JAPN 124 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
The second semester of intermediate-level study of Japanese, this course completes the presentation of basic structures of the language. There is continued emphasis on oral communication, with practice in reading simple texts and acquisition of an additional 500 Chinese characters by the end of the term.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:JAPN 201 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
Introduces representative modern and pre-modern works of Japanese literature in English translation, as well as modern works of Japanese film.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite:JAPN 222L Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Credits: 0.00 Corequisite:JAPN 222 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Introduces several classics of East Asian thought, familiar to every educated person in Japan, China, and Korean. Like CORE 151/CORE 152 readings, these books are about human nature and what it means to be human. They are cultural expressions of timeless value and enriching resources for human fruition. Readings include major Confucian and Taoist text, selections from Mahayana Buddhist writings, and Japanese classes on aesthetics. Taught in English.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:CHIN 250 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:CORE 151 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
This is an intensive course designed to facilitate student participation in a variety of study group contexts, including individual study and research. Emphasis is on oral comprehension, honorifics, social contexts, and reading and writing skills.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
“The way of tea,” chanoyu or chado/sado , was established by Sen no Rikyu in the 16th century in Japan, with “harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility” (wa kei sei jaku) as its principles. Chanoyu is the most direct practice of Zen Buddhism tradition, and many samurai warriors practiced it as part of the martial arts education. Students learn to realize the principles of chanoyu in a concrete and ritualistic way of making and receiving a bowl of maccha whisked tea. Assigned readings, along with hands-on practice, help students learn the Japanese tradition, art, aesthetics, calligraphy, literature, history, philosophy, and architecture. At the end of the course, students create and perform a tea ceremony in small groups, write a final paper that reflects on their performance and relates their experience to their modern lives as well as to their own cultural backgrounds. Students learn how the apparent universal concepts such as purity, tranquility, and mindfulness are attained through different sets of human behavior, and examine the human diversity and global interconnections reflected in cultural and artistic expression over time and space. The course has no prerequisite and is taught in English. Students will consume maccha tea and Japanese confectionery.
Credits: 1 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Increasing emphasis on written Japanese, with acquisition by the end of the term of an additional 500 Chinese characters.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:JAPN 202 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Increasing emphasis on written Japanese, with guided practice in reading unedited modern texts.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:JAPN 301 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Intensive course designed to facilitate student participation in a variety of study group contexts, including individual study and research. Emphasis is on oral comprehension, honorifics, social contexts, and reading and writing skills.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Advanced-level language course taken abroad with a Colgate study group, an approved program, or in a foreign institution of higher learning.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts CORE: None
Focuses on reading in literary and non-literary modern texts and mastery of the remaining Chinese characters on the jōyō kanji list of 1,945 characters.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:JAPN 302 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Focuses on reading in literary and non-literary modern texts and mastery of the remaining Chinese characters on the jōyō kanji list of 1,945 characters.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:JAPN 302 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
Explores linguistic issues often encountered when learning Japanese as a second language. Topics include dialectical variations and their geographic and linguistic significance in Japan, variations in the use of Japanese by different generations, foreign accent, and factors affecting success or failure for learning Japanese as a second language. Includes lectures, discussions, and hands-on exercises such as acoustic analysis of Japanese spoken by native and non-native speakers. Texts and class discussion are mostly in English but knowledge of modern standard Japanese for everyday use is assumed. Also designed for students to develop ideas for senior research projects.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:JAPN 202 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Focuses on readings from different fields such as anthropology, history, linguistics, and literature, depending on student interest. Class discussions are conducted entirely in Japanese.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: When there is sufficient demand
Corequisite: None Prerequisites:JAPN 402 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Intensive course designed to facilitate student participation in a variety of study group contexts, including individual study and research. Emphasis is on oral comprehension, honorifics, social contexts, and reading and writing skills.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Focuses on a systematic study of advanced grammar necessary for oral and written communication in Japanese at the native speaker level. At this level of advanced study, possibilities of one-on-one correspondences between Japanese and English are few, and simply consulting dictionaries could easily result in insufficient or misleading information. Grammar structures that appear beyond JAPN 402 are covered and extended so that students understand systematic and comprehensive usages. Students concentrate on these kinds of advanced grammar patterns through textbooks and authentic reading materials, and learn to use them actively, accurately, and systematically in context. In addition, the study of kanji characters and vocabulary accompanies the study of grammar in order to reach the native-level fluency.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:JAPN 302 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
JAPN 481 - Topics in Japanese Culture (Study Group)
Offered in a field of the study group director’s expertise. Takes advantage of museums, libraries, and historical sites in and around Kyoto, as well as guest lectures by Japanese and Western experts, to enrich classroom instruction
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
JAPN 482 - Cultural Studies: The Japanese Village (Study Group)
This study group course examines the foundations of Japanese social interaction through a series of readings, guest lectures, and discussions, followed by several weeks of intensive study and documentation of life in one or more village settings.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Students pursuing honors research enroll in this course.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Introduction to the rich tapestry of cultures and peoples who live in contemporary Israel. Looking at the experiences of immigrant communities-Jews from Poland, Morocco, India, Russia, Ethiopia, etc., this course will discuss ethnicity, acculturation, and mobility in Israel. A consideration of film, literature, and scholarly accounts from a range of disciplines will allow students to explore both those who are at the center and at the periphery of Israeli society.
Credits: 1.00 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Covers representative works of fiction by Italian, French, English, Russian, Hungarian, American, Canadian, and Israeli Jewish writers. Not all nationalities are covered in the syllabus for any given year. Discussion centers on a close analysis of the novels, comparing individual and national responses to the Jewish 20th-century experience. By including fiction written across Europe, North America, and Israel, while limiting the time frame to the years following World War II, the question of whether there exists one or more approaches to fiction that are characteristically Jewish is addressed. All readings are in English translation.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
The Bible is not only the best-selling book in America, but is arguably the book that has most profoundly shaped the United States. This course is an introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in its American contexts, particularly American public life. In reading the Hebrew Bible, students ask themselves how these scriptures have shaped American politics, culture, history, and literature. Who has used the Bible and how? To whom does the Bible now speak, and what does it say? In what sense is the Bible understood to be an American text? This course presumes no knowledge of the Christian or Jewish Bibles.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:RELG 208 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
What role does literary art play in the shaping of biblical narrative? How does the construction of the sacred text reflect its theological meaning? The religious vision of the Bible is given depth and subtlety precisely by being conveyed literarily; thus, the primary concern in this course is with the literature and literary influence of the received text of the Bible rather than with the history of the text’s creation. As students read through the canon they establish the boundaries of the texts studied, distinguish the type(s) of literature found in them, examine their prose and poetic qualities, and identify their surface structures. Students also consider the literary legacy of the Bible and the many ways that subsequent writers have revisited its stories.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:RELG 213 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None Formerly: RELG/JWST 317.
Comparative scriptural analysis or what is now called “Scriptural Reasoning.” The focus will be on close readings of the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and Qur’an with an eye to common themes and differences. Students will engage in a comparison of interpretive traditions in Judaism, Christianity and Islam to see how particular scriptural passages are understood in the religious traditions. The course will also spend time studying the ways in which scriptural reasoning has been used as a form of religious conflict resolution and peace-building in situations of conflict in the UK and Middle East.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:RELG 222 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
An introduction to the religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In learning about the three Abrahamic religions and their sacred spaces, students are exposed to key themes in the study of religion (scripture and interpretation, feasting and fasting, pilgrimage, sanctuary and sacred space, ritual and worship) and to the particular theme of each religion’s conceptions of Jerusalem. The course foregrounds the ways that each tradition understands the city as a symbol–as a holy city, a city of God, a centre of the cosmos. As importantly, it explores how religion is lived within the city’s sacred geography, investigating the religious practices and sacred sites of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in Jerusalem.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:RELG 228 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
The death of six million Jews at the hands of the Nazis in the Second World War represents a radical challenge to faith in Judaism, in Christianity, and in humanism. The course begins with a historical overview of the Holocaust and uses accounts of Holocaust survivors to articulate the challenge of the Holocaust to faith. It then reviews philosophical and theological responses to this challenge by Jewish and Christian authors. The weak as well as the heroic human figures in the Holocaust are studied. Those Jews who survived with their humanity intact and those non-Jews who helped them are the most important witnesses to the resiliency of the human spirit which we now have.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:RELG 251 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Judaism is a dynamic religious tradition that has developed many forms during a more than 3000-year history that has spanned nearly the entire globe. Students in this course consider how Jewish communities from the biblical period to the present day have shaped their practices and beliefs within their own specific historical circumstances. Students read primary sources such as the Bible, the Talmud, the Zohar, midrashim, prayers, response literature, and philosophical and theological discussions. In an effort to understand the ways in which Jews have lived their lives religiously, students explore how Jewish self-identity, textual traditions, and religious practices combine to define “Judaism.”
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:RELG 283 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Focused on the great novels and short stories written by European Jews before the Holocaust. All of the writers–even Kafka, whose fictional world is non-Jewish–reflect a Jewish consciousness and a Jewish confrontation with modernity. Modernity in these works takes different and often conflicting forms. In some works it is revolution (the promise of communism as a solution to the Jewish question); in other work, emigration, Zionism, or radical assimilation to the surrounding culture, what that happens to be. Several books–most prominently those of Sholem Aleichem, Agnon, and Kafka–take up the question of God’s justice. Several books deal with the loss of identity. A variety of 20th-century themes (political radicalism, bourgeois desires and bourgeois impurity, a desire to uproot and a search for roots) run through the texts, always in different combinations. All readings are in English translation.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
An examination of the origins and development of apocalyptic literature, much of which deals with the end of the world, during the Second Temple and early Christian periods. This course focuses on primary source texts in translation as well as the theoretical and methodological problems surrounding the analysis of ancient texts for the development of the worldview known as apolcalpyticism. Modern case studies are analyzed as comparative examples throughout the course.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:RELG 308 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
JWST 329 - The Politics of Nationalism and Memory in Eastern Europe (Extended Study)
How is history used to advance state-building and nation-building projects? What role do forgetting and memory play in politics? How do international forces interact with domestic political movements? This extended study course uses Vilnius, the current capital of Lithuania, as a case for studying the politics of nationalism and memory, which so shaped its history and which continue to inform its politics and culture today.
Credits: 1 Crosslisted: POSC 329 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
A course on European and American Jewish thought, covering a spectrum of liberal and traditional figures. The course studies the ways in which Jewish thinkers have responded to the challenges of modern philosophy, religious pluralism, and feminism. Modern reformulations of traditional Jewish ideas and religious practices are discussed as well as contemporary theological exchanges between Jews and Christians. Readings are taken from such figures as Mendelssohn, Buber, Rosenzweig, Heschel, Fackenheim, and Plaskow.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:RELG 339 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No First-year Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines life under tyranny – Soviet and Nazi – as distilled through the fiction of Russian/East European and Jewish writers who experienced it firsthand. An intertwining of political and private life from the inception of a new regime, with many people exuberantly hopeful, through the various stages of acquiescence, resistance, escape, and sometimes death. Readings include Timothy Snyder’s essay On Tyranny, stories, novels, and poems by Chekhov, Mayakovsky, Babel, Vasily Grossman, Kundera, and Nabokov.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:REST 354 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts CORE: None
The first semester of an introductory study of the elements of the Latin language. A thorough and methodical approach to the basics is supplemented, as students progress, by selected readings of works by ancient authors.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
The second semester of an introductory study of the elements of the Latin language. A thorough and methodical approach to the basics is supplemented, as students progress, by selected readings of works by ancient authors.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:LATN 121 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements
Covers the material of Elementary Latin (121, 122) at an accelerated pace. Open to all students who would like to learn Latin efficiently and intensively; some background in Latin is helpful but not required.
Credits: 1.00 When Offered: Spring semester when there is sufficient demand
Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Restrictions: Not open to students who have completed LATN 121 or LATN 122. Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Elementary-level language courses taken abroad with a Colgate study group, an approved program, or in a foreign institution of higher learning.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines the prose styles of Cicero and Sallust through readings of selections from both Cicero’s Orations and Sallust’s Bellum Catilinae. Close reading allows students to expand and develop their knowledge of Latin grammar and syntax as well as to learn the fundamentals of Latin prose style.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:LATN 122 or
Introduction to Latin poetry through close reading of selections from Vergil or other poets. Students gain a wider appreciation of the technical and literary aspects of Latin poetry through their acquaintance with Rome’s great epic poet.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:LATN 122 or
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
LATN 295 - Intermediate-Level Latin Language Abroad
Intermediate-level language courses taken abroad with a Colgate study group, an approved program, or in a foreign institution of higher learning.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts CORE: None
Selections from Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita are closely read and analyzed. Particular attention is paid to Livy’s historiographical method as well as to the Roman republican period that is the subject of the bulk of his work. Selections from other Roman historians may be examined for comparison.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:LATN 201 or higher Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines the role and development of public speaking in the Roman republic. Readings in Latin include early rhetorical fragments (from Cato the Elder and others) and one major oration of Cicero. Several Ciceronian speeches are also read in English translation. Equal amounts of attention are given to analysis of style, scrutiny of argument, and study of historical context.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:LATN 201 or higher Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
At least one complete play from the early Roman comedians, Plautus and Terence, is closely read and analyzed in this course. The focus is on Roman social structure satirized and revealed within the comedies as well as on the unique language of the plays. This allows a glimpse at a more colloquial Latin than that of later poets and prose stylists.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:LATN 201 or higher Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Selections from Propertius, Tibullus, Ovid, and Catullus are subjected to close reading and analysis. Particular attention is paid to the development and tradition of the genre of Roman elegy. The Roman elegists oppose their own poetical technique and thematic direction to that of the writers of more “serious” poetry. Students explore this dichotomy.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:LATN 201 or higher Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Close reading and analysis of one of the most influential of ancient works, the Metamorphoses. Ovid’s epic poem encompasses all of Graeco-Roman myth, poetry, and history. Students have the opportunity to master Ovid’s classic Latin style and to explore his influences and those he influenced.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:LATN 201 or higher Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Advanced-level language courses taken abroad with a Colgate study group, an approved program, or in a foreign institution of higher learning.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts CORE: None
Close reading and analysis of selections from the Annals of Tacitus and other works. Particular attention is paid to the historiographical method of Tacitus as well as to the Roman imperial period that is the subject of the bulk of his work. Selections from other Roman historians may be examined for comparison.
Close reading and analysis of selections from Horace’s Odes. Students will study all aspects of the poems, including the poet’s accomplishments in metrics and poetics, his thematic concerns, and the relationship between poem and poetic book.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:LATN 321 or LATN 340 or LATN 350 or LATN 360 or LATN 370 or LATN 380 or higher Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Close reading and analysis of selections from Vergil’s two earlier works, the genres to which they belong (bucolic and didactic), and their relationship to his Aeneid. Students focus on questions of genre, the relationship between the poet and his Greek and Roman predecessors, and the thematic and poetic development of the author.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:LATN 321 or LATN 340 or LATN 350 or LATN 360 or LATN 370 or LATN 380 or higher Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Close reading and analysis of a selection of Cicero’s correspondence (from the collection of more than 900 letters) with such figures as Marcus Brutus and Julius Caesar, as well as with close friends and family. Students not only focus on the broad variations in style evident throughout the corpus but also examine the tumultuous world of the late Republic, in which Cicero himself played a leading role and for which his letters remain one of history’s most revealing testimonies.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:LATN 321 or LATN 340 or LATN 350 or LATN 360 or LATN 370 or LATN 380 or higher Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Close reading of selected satires written by Lucilius, Horace, Persius, and Juvenal. The course examines the origins of satire (the only genre native to Rome and largely free of Greek influence), the function of satire in Roman society, and the influence of satire on later European literature and thought.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:LATN 321 or LATN 340 or LATN 350 or LATN 360 or LATN 370 or LATN 380 or higher Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts CORE: None
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies
LGBT 220 - Lives, Communities, and Modes of Critical Inquiry: An Exploration into LGBTQ Studies
The course explores the lives, experiences, and representations of LGBTQ persons, those who identify or are identified as transgressive in terms of their sexuality and/or gender expression. Particular emphases may vary, but topics typically explore LGBTQ communities and families, cultures, and subcultures; histories, institutions, and literatures; and/or economic and political lives. Selected topics serve to expose complex cultural forces that continue to shape sexuality and regulate its various expressions. The course promotes the examination of new theories and methodologies in relation to established disciplines as it underscores the generation of new knowledge within traditional fields of scholarship. By examining sexualities, students gain an understanding of and respect for other differences in human lives such as age, ability, class, ethnicity, gender, race, and religion.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts CORE: None
