2008-09 Courses: Winter

How do writers who are interested in particular issues write about those issues? What conventions do they use, and how do they construct arguments? We will explore how writers approach the issue of immigration from various disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. Through our reading, we will be looking for examples of the kinds of writing that students in this class are interested in pursuing. Based on this research, each student will develop a writing project that builds on their strengths and helps them develop as a writer. We will also do several smaller assignments together.

Accompanied by live drumming, we will learn dances originating in Africa and migrating to Brazil during slavery. We will dance to the driving, rapturous beat from Brazil known as samba. For the people of the villages surrounding Rio de Janeiro, samba is considered their most intense, unambivalent joy. In addition, we will dance and sing to contemporary cross-cultural beat from Bahia: Samba-Reggae and the Candomble religious dances of the Orixas. We will also learn dances from other regions of Brazil, such as Baiao, Frevo and Maracatu.

Algebraic Thinking develops problem solving and critical thinking skills by using algebra to solve context-based problems. Problems are approached algebraically, graphically, numerically, and verbally. Topics include linear, quadratic, and exponential functions, right-triangle trigonometry and data analysis. Collaborative learning is emphasized.

In this course, students will learn basic finger-spelling, vocabulary, conversation sign and ASL grammar. Introduction to deaf culture includes invitations to participate in Deaf Coffee and other Deaf activities on campus and in the community.

Students will focus on broadening their vocabularies, conversation skills and using appropriate and accurate ASL grammar, with emphasis on the non-manual aspect of communication. There is a continued study of deaf culture and invitations to deaf events in this area.

In this yearlong course, students will learn the Arabic alphabets, and to read and write in modern and Classical Arabic Standard, the language spoken in all of the 22 Arabic states and many Islamic countries (all Muslims have to pray in Arabic). By the end of the year, students will learn to speak at a novice level. Students will also learn some short poems and stories as well as the Arabic culture and some conversational Arabic.

In Conversational Arabic we will practice and learn the everyday spoken language used in daily life, which is more informal than the formal written language covered in Beginning Arabic. Each quarter will build on the previous quarter's learning. We will use the book Spoken Arabic for Foreigners, An Introduction to the Palestinian Dialect by Dr. Moin Halloun.

How do we record our everyday experiences? This studio-based course is designed to build visual literacy, examining the patterns of our environment and the objects that surround us. Approaching a successive range of projects through observational drawing, collage, and water-based painting, students will be encouraged to investigate what these processes and materials suggest about the subjects they capture. Classes will include concentrated work on both individual and collaborative pieces, informal discussions on the development of projects, demonstrations, and research, as students develop a portfolio of works on paper.

The second quarter of this two-quarter sequence will continue the study of audio production. Students will continue their work with analog recorders and mixing consoles while starting to work with computer-based multitrack production. Additional topics will include acoustics, reverb and digital effects processing. Class time will be spent on lectures and recording exercises. There will be weekly lab assignments outside of class.

Students will learn fundamentals of ballet and gain greater physical flexibility and coordination. In addition, we will practice developmental movement therapy, Pilates and visualization exercises, and learn to apply them to achieve heightened awareness of self through movement both in and outside class. Ballet slippers required.

This is an introductory studio course in making functional ceramics. Study will include handbuilding and throwing approaches to forming utilitarian vessels from stoneware and porcelain clays. Half the registration in this course is reserved for freshmen and sophomores.

This course will begin with a thorough investigation of how atoms unite to form molecules with a focus on covalent bonding. We then will investigate intermolecular forces, the properties of solutions and end with the topic of chemical kinetics. The lab will include titrations and the properties of solutions, including crystal growth. An introduction to chemical instrumentation will be incorporated into the lab and students will be required to utilize chemical drawing programs. New students should be aware that this course is a continuation from the fall quarter.

This course will help students develop the skills necessary to successfully engage in seminar discussions in a predominantly privileged classroom setting. Students will gain an understanding of how perception impacts interaction with members of the dominant culture and persons of color, and examine how their own perceptions influence the way they interact with others. Students will learn how to identify triggers to frustration and anger, resolve conflict in a classroom setting, and learn anger management skills. The 4-credit option requires a group project.

Fundamentally, furniture can be understood as made objects designed to satisfy needs of utility, convenience, and physical and emotional comfort inside our living and working environments. Recognizing need is, after all, the primary condition of design. Beginning from this simple premise and drawing on a rich tradition that bridges disciplines and movements, this two-quarter sequence will explore the wide and evolving spectrum of need, concept, and aesthetic perspective that constitutes furniture design and construction. Winter quarter will focus primarily on conceptual design with spring quarter devoted to constructing those designs.