Seminars

• Dr. Elaine Ostry
• TR 11–12:15
• 3 Credits

In “The Magical Lessons of Harry Potter,” we will examine the Harry Potter series both as literature and a prominent force in popular culture. Like most books for young readers, Harry Potter was written to delight and instruct. This fantasy world has a lot to tell us about our own world—–its racial conflicts, gender challenges, and class inequalities. Potter fans have continued the series in a number of ways, from fanfiction to fan vids, and it has even been suggested that Potter has influenced the political and cultural views of millennials. Students will read the series, focus on themes of social justice, and understand some of the reasons why and how Harry Potter, the boy who lived, continues to survive in different forms. You will get a chance to explore aspects of the books that interest you through papers and presentations, and even creative work. If you have read the books already, you will have the chance to dig deeper into the books to mine their significance and see, perhaps, why you developed a connection to them. If you haven’t read them, you can still succeed in the course––and find out what all the fuss has been about. Students interested in literature, writing, Gender and Women’s Studies, film and popular culture will find a particular connection to the course.

This seminar will satisfy the Humanities component of the SUNY Plattsburgh general education program.

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121 Hawkins Seminar Room B

• Dr. Tracie Church Guzzio
• MWF 10 – 10:50
• 3 Credits

***THIS SEMINAR IS OPEN TO FRESHMEN ONLY***

This course examines significant works of American culture and literature that are considered “gothic.” However, it is not about style, genre, or even period. The idea of gothic transcends a historical era, representing our cultural anxieties about our character and society. It reveals the horrors of our past, while it highlights our fears of the future. Therefore, the gothic can be found in the Puritan beginnings; in European first contact with the wilderness; in the haunted landscape of Southern slave plantations; in our environmental disasters; in our suburbs; in our current racial conflicts; and in our definitions of our own humanity. The American gothic is also an expression of the human psyche and a reflection of sin, guilt, and violence both as individuals and as Americans. As Leslie Fiedler points out, this is a “Literature of darkness and the grotesque in the land of light and affirmation.” In this seminar we will come to understand the historical roots of the gothic in American culture, and its continuing appearance and transformation in the contemporary world. We will trace this narrative from the Salem Witch trials to the film, Get Out.

We will also focus on American literature and popular culture’s unique contribution to this narrative: the domestic gothic, female gothic, racial gothic, suburban gothic, and apocalyptic gothic. As a general rule, students are incredibly responsive to gothic tales and images. Our goal, as a class, will be to contextualize those responses within a historical framework and to articulate what both delights and disturbs us about the gothic.

This seminar will satisfy the Humanities component of the SUNY Plattsburgh general education program.

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121 Hawkins Seminar Room B

• Dr. Shawna Mefferd Kelty
• TR 11 – 12:15
• 3 Credits

This seminar seeks to investigate the history of African American theatre and performance from the antebellum era through the Depression and into the present. We will divide our focus between black playwrights and black performers/practitioners.

Some of the questions we will consider include: How do black theatre and black political thought intersect? What is the relationship between the past and present representations of African American identity? How does a study of drama reveal the historical narrative of the African American experience? And how does it contribute to an understanding of African American cultural traditions? What does theatre offer in addressing the racial issues of the past? Of our time?

The seminar will engage with all of these questions as students examine the plays through close readings, discuss social and ethical issues found in the texts and performance conditions, and pursue creative research projects. Assignments in the course include written responses to required readings, class presentations and performances, mini-podcasts, and a research project.

Readings and supplementary sources may include:

• Uncle Tom’s Cabin (George Aiken)
• The Escape: Or a Leap to Freedom (William Wells Brown)
• Color Struck (Zora Neale Hurston)
• A Raisin in the Sun (Lorraine Hansberry)
• Dutchman (Amiri Baraka/ LeRoi Jones)
• Father Comes Home from the War (Suzan Lori- Parks)
• Party People (the spoken word collective, Universes)
• "Black Folks’s Theatre to Black Lives Matter: The Black Revolution on Campus" by La Donna L. Forsgren
• "The Ground on Which I Stand" by August Wilson (speech)
• “The Case for Reparations” by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
• Living with Lynching: African American Lynching Plays, Performance, and Citizenship, 1890-1930 by Koritha Mitchell
• “Why We’re Pissed Off: Ferguson By The Numbers” by Nathan Leigh
• “The Science of Why Cops Shoot Young Black Men” by Chris Mooney

This seminar will satisfy the U.S. Civilization component of the SUNY Plattsburgh general education program.

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121Hawkins Seminar Room A

• Dr. Rob Keever
• MWF 9-9:50
• 3 Credits

Unlike many other math courses, this math seminar does not focus on content but on problem solving. The main objectives of the course are for students to study how to analyze and simplify a range of problems, how to estimate and check mathematical results for reasonableness, and arrive at answers in which they have confidence. Methods of problem solving include teaching oneself by doing simpler problems, translating between English and symbolic language of mathematics, and rewriting problems in ways that extract the mathematical content, ignore nonessential detail, thereby leaving well-defined mathematical problems that are (perhaps) easier to solve.

The assignments and class time are aimed at getting students to understand specific problem solving strategies, and we hope to accomplish this through direct engagement of students in the problem solving process. Students will work together to accomplish this goal. These methods embody the expectations of the Math category of the General Education program, to “introduce students to mathematical thinking and logic and foster students’ ability ‘to interpret and draw inferences from mathematical models such as formulas, graphs, tables, and schematics,’ ‘to represent mathematical information symbolically, visually, numerically and verbally,’ ‘to employ quantitative methods such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or statistics to solve problems,’ and ‘to recognize the limits of mathematical and statistical methods.’” We hope to accomplish this in a mutually supportive environment. Students will be graded on their ability to demonstrate this understanding as well as the ability to apply the methods to a wide variety of problems.

The assignments and class time will focus almost entirely on real world problems. The pedagogy will ask every student to actively engage in the education of their classmates as well as themselves. This is the ideal math class for students who lack confidence in their mathematical ability.

This seminar will satisfy the Math component of the SUNY Plattsburgh general education program.

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121Hawkins Seminar Room A

• Dr. James Armstrong
• M 3:30-4:45, W 3:30 – 5:15
• 3 Credits

Films are cultural representations that should intentionally and unintentionally depict and explore the cultural assumptions of filmmakers. In this course, students will watch Israeli-made films, as a means for interpreting Israeli culture, society, and politics. At the same time films are works of art, sharing elements with both literature and visual arts. Films have aesthetic value, and our attention to film in this class will attend to the artistic elements and value of the films we watch.

Students will be introduced to the main elements of filmmaking and its artistic components, and you will be expected to use this in the interpretation of Israeli film. Class time will be divided between viewing films and interpreting them. Readings on film studies and analysis of film will be combined with literature on Israeli culture and society and the Israeli film industry to provide students with the tools for critique and interpretation and the appreciation of film as an art form. Another significant element of the course is to treat Israeli film from an ethnographic perspective: the film playing the role of the key informant who provides the anthropologist with a “native perspective” of a culture. The main issues to be explored in this course include interethnic relations, religious-secular relations, gender relations, and violence and warfare.

The main questions to be explored in this seminar include: What are the values represented in Israeli film? What are the aesthetic and artistic elements of the films we watch? What do filmmakers ignore or misrepresent about a culture? What is Israeli culture like? What biases are there in the representations of Israeli culture? Students should learn about modern day Israeli culture and society and refine their ability to analyze and interpret film.

Students will write critiques of films and make at least two formal presentations of their critiques during the semester. The final project will be to assess what this in depth exploration of Israeli film has taught the student about Israeli culture, society, and politics.

This seminar will satisfy the Art component of the SUNY Plattsburgh general education program.

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — Hawkins 121 Seminar Room B

• Tony D’Angelo
• TR 3:30 – 4:45
• 3 Credits

The popular conception of yoga may include people who manage to get their bodies into strange or unusual positions or postures, it may generate thoughts of exotic places, or, yet again, it may be associated with poorly understood practices of meditation. As with most popular conceptions there is some truth, but also much that is false in these ideas. This seminar provides students with an opportunity to explore and experience yoga under the guidance of a life-long practitioner of yoga.

To understand yoga entails a familiarity with the cultural, religious and historical contexts in which it arose. Students will be introduced to major themes of Indian civilization, especially as these are manifested in the beliefs of Hinduism. The seminar will be based on the concept of the “Yoga of Synthesis” which is the integration of the four main paths of traditional yoga:

• Jnana Yoga — the path of knowledge, wisdom and discrimination
• Bhakti Yoga — the path of transforming emotions into devotion and love
• Karma Yoga — the path of selfless service to humanity
• Raja Yoga—the science of control of mind and body

These paths will be the basis to inquire into the most fundamental questions of human existence: Who am I? Why am I here? How can I achieve health and peace of mind?

The philosophy of yoga introduces students to new perspectives on our perceptions of reality, values and the role of the ego or self in daily life. The practice of yoga provides concrete tools for bridging the discord between the mind and body. It strives for integration and new levels of physical mastery, body awareness and mental control. The objective of the seminar is to expose students to all levels of the yoga experience through readings, discussion, yoga exercise and meditation practice. Student evaluation will focus on written papers, class presentations and participation in seminar discussions.

This seminar will satisfy the World Systems component of the SUNY Plattsburgh general education program.

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121Hawkins Seminar Room A

• Dr. Gillian Crane-Kramer
• TR 2 – 3:15
• 3 Credits

Since the publication of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species in 1859 the topic of evolution has raised controversy. Should such a controversy exist? In order to critically assess the theory of evolution it is necessary to understand the fundamentals of the scientific method. What is a ‘naturalistic explanation’ and how does it differ from other forms of explanation? What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory? Why is experimentation and repeatability essential to scientific methodology? The seminar will evaluate creationist and intelligent design criticisms of science and evolution and evaluate the evidence of each. The seminar will also explore the emergence of scientific methodology in the classical and medieval periods laying the ground work for modern science.

The seminar will focus on the concept of natural selection and will assess the evidence for evolution drawn from modern living organisms and the fossil record. What are the strengths and weaknesses of both forms of evidence? How does evidence from such fields as genetics, primatology, paleoanthropology, epidemiology and other fields relate to evolution? What is the difference between hereditary and acquired traits? How do we account for the biological adaptations humans have made to changing environments? And are we still evolving? If so does the theory of evolution have predictive power? Students will apply the theory of evolution to modern problems drawn mainly from medicine and disease. This exploration of the real-world application, significance, and consequences of evolution will constitute a main part of this course.

This seminar will also focus on the following topics: the debate over evolution; the process of natural selection; the implications of the theory for racial arguments; patterns of disease; evolutionary medicine; the evolution of human behavior; and measures of human intelligence, among others. Students will be required to write a term paper and lead a discussion on a topic or question derived from these topics. In addition students will write weekly reaction papers about the reading assignments.

This seminar will meet the Natural Sciences and Technology component of the SUNY Plattsburgh general education program

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121Hawkins Seminar Room A

• Dr. Erin Mitchell
• MWF 11 – 11:50
• 3 Credits

Most of us long to live in a “home” in which we can experience a feeling of being “at home.” Most of us also feel, sometimes, “homeless” even “at home.” Some of us choose “to leave home” to get educated or employed; some of us are forced to do so by natural disaster, abuse, enslavement, conflict, persecution, and/or underemployment. Some of us feel suspended between multiple “homes”; many of us less privileged leavers must learn new ways, even as we, perhaps unwittingly, contribute to hybridity and pluralism of societies around the globalized world, and as we worry about our families left behind. Some of us, however, temporarily or for the rest of our lives, do not find adequate physical or emotional shelter. Some of us who live in cardboard boxes, shanty-towns, shelters, slums, and crime-ridden neighborhoods, however, can feel “at home” just as others in better surroundings do.

The course fosters a necessarily multidisciplinary approach to ideas about home and homelessness. Discussion, presentations, creative and research assignments will ponder questions including: “What do ‘home’ and “feeling at home” mean?”; “To what extent is it possible to have multiple ‘homes’ that are socially and culturally different from one another?”; “How does the interpretation of ‘home’ differ across sexualities, genders, races. ethnicities, classes, ages and places?” “ What does ‘cosmopolitanism’ mean in a globalized economy in which the Global North controls most of the money and power, and the Global South provides much of the labor and many of the natural resources?”; “What is the difference between exile and displacement?”; Is statelessness equivalent to homelessness? What does being a “permanent refugee” mean?

This seminar will satisfy the Global Issues component of the SUNY Plattsburgh general education program

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121Hawkins Seminar Room A

• Dr. Monica Ciobanu
• TR 12:30 – 1:45
• 3 Credits

In the last three decades the countries of East and Central Europe have undergone major upheavals and fundamental transformations. These included revolution, emancipation form the tutelage of the former Soviet Union, democratization and adoption of free markets, integration into the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and finally state-building. But the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 and the ensuing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, together with the recently increasing turn towards illiberal right-wing populism in the region, shows that “the other half of Europe” still remains a mystery for historians, political scientists and the general public. This seminar will explore how communism ended and how democratic politics has emerged under Western guidance.

It will examine the reforms and processes that led to European integration, evolving relationships with the United States, how economic transformations have affected their populations, persistent problems of ethnicity and nationalism, the changing role of women, and post-accession democratic fatigue. Through the examination of these social, political, and economic developments, the seminar will expose the ongoing geo-political and cultural tensions facing countries in this region which are caught between Eastern and Western spheres of influence. Students will come to understand the similarities and difference in developments and responses to development in the region.

Some of the important questions to be examined in the seminar include:

• What was the impact of communism on the various states in this region?
• What is the relationship between ideology, policy, and social processes in the Soviet Bloc countries?
• Why did the Soviet Empire collapse?
• What was the impact of democratization and economic transformation after the collapse?
• What are the differences between the Central European countries, the Balkan countries and the Baltic countries? Where does Ukraine stand?
• How were the social and cultural lives of people affected by the changes that took place?
• What accounts for the recent rise of nationalist movements in some of the countries of the region?
• How do people today remember communism?

Participants in this seminar can expect an atmosphere of dialogue and discussion, with perhaps a bit of contentiousness, as the issues at hand can be emotionally loaded. The instructor will provide an inside view of life behind the Iron Curtain. Students will be expected to engage in class discussions, to complete two essays and a research paper examining one of the important issues raised by the seminar. In addition, everyone will make a presentation on their research.

This seminar will satisfy the Global Issues component of the SUNY Plattsburgh general education program

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121Hawkins Seminar Room A

• Dr. Ryan Alexander
• MW 2 – 3:15
• 3 Credits

Epidemics have had a profound effect on the development of the modern world. From the scourge of smallpox in the Spanish Conquest of the 1520s to today’s opioid crisis, epidemics have affected humans at every level — individual, family, community, nation, and beyond.

The sociological effects of epidemics are paradoxical. In one sense they bring people together, compelling individuals to reach across social divides and work together to fight a common enemy. Yet just as often they do the opposite, reinforcing divisions along lines of race, class, gender, and geography. Many of the greatest advances in science and medicine have been made in the aftermath of epidemics, yet in other moments of epidemic crisis people actually lose trust in science. One need only look at the anti-vaccination movement today to see this phenomenon. Epidemics also fuel cultural debates and get wound into the political process in important ways. Discussions over morality, individual vs. collective responsibility, and the appropriate extent (and limits) of government in regulating people’s health all tend to heat up in times of epidemic crisis. This course will examine these and many other issues from a global historical perspective. Over the course of the semester, we will draw on numerous case studies to develop an understanding of how people and institutions have responded to epidemic threats. In doing so, you will leave the course with a sharper understanding of the origins, accomplishments, and shortcomings of modern public health.

This seminar will satisfy the Global Issues component of the SUNY Plattsburgh general education program

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121Hawkins Seminar Room B

• Dr. Susan Mody
• W 5 – 7:45
• 3 Credits

Do new movements like Time’s Up and #MeToo signal an end to sexual harassment in workplaces? Have women’s public voices finally earned the power of credibility? Is this a definitive moment in the long history of women’s struggle for equal rights? Feminist legal theorist Catherine MacKinnon says in a recent NY Times Op Ed that power is, finally, paying attention to women’s voices. Yet “power” remains institutionalized as a domain of male prerogative and governance. Classics scholar Mary Beard describes a long practice in Western Civilization of suppressing women’s voices through often violent misogyny--from Homer’s Odyssey, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Shakespeare, and 16^th century European art to current Twitter feeds and the House of Commons. “…[W]hen listeners hear a female voice,” she says, “they do not hear a voice that connotes authority; or rather they have not learned how to hear authority in it; they don’t hear muthos,” the authoritative public speech constructed in the era of Homeric Greek as “men’s business.” Is the speech of powerful public men thus marked as automatically credible because it comes from a designated location of authority? Does this help to explain why powerful men can assert immunity to evidence presented by women’s testimonies? Will women in politics have to continue to expect the abuse of misogynistic speech? In this course, we will discuss such questions, following unfolding current events while reading, in addition to Beard’s Women & Power, selections from:

• Anita Hill’s memoir Speaking Truth to Power, in which Hill discusses her decision to go public in 1991 about the sexual harassment she experienced while working for Clarence Thomas, whose nomination to the Supreme Court was then under Senate review.
• Leigh Gilmore’s Tainted Witness: Why we doubt what women say about their lives, which includes a focus on the feminist activist founders of #Black Lives Matter.

The course will include these works as well as other articles focusing on issues of power and credibility in public voices. Students will engage in discussion and regular written responses to readings with a mid-term paper and a final investigation project.

This seminar will count as an elective in the gender and women’s studies major and minor programs and may satisfy (by petition) the Western Civilization category of the general education program.

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121Hawkins Seminar Room A