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Colloquia
and Other Small Classes for First- and Second-Year Students Colloquia Colloquia are designed to give students at the beginning of their college careers the opportunity to enroll in small courses which explore specific themes or texts in an interdisciplinary manner. These seminar-style courses offer a uniquely personal setting for student-faculty and student-student interactions. Colloquia provide an opportunity to sharpen analytical skills, to deal clearly with abstract concepts, and to improve writing and oral skills. Enrollment in each colloquium is generally limited to about 15 students, with 10 places reserved for first-year students and five places for second-year students. Students may elect only ONE colloquium per year. Enrollment in some colloquia is limited to first-year students only. The following is a partial listing of the colloquia that will be available in 2003-2004. (Other small classes limited exclusively to first-year students will be found in the "First-Year Seminar Program" section of this catalog.) African American Studies 118. Ritual and Performance I: The World According to the Yoruba 3 hours 3SS, CD, WR First Semester. This course will explore religious phenomena, performance, and artistic "agency" of the Yoruba and their descendants. We will look at Yoruba syncretic beliefs in the New World as well as in the Old World in respect of ritual secrets and choices for artistic representation, in the performance "arena. " After reading and discussion of written and verbal expression on this subject by practitioners, artists, and intellectuals, students will use dance movement, artistic representation, and "nommo, " the word, to represent their own construct of a ritual; by that means they will render their example of a specific "construct" of ritual. Enrollment Limit: 15 first-year students only. Identical to DANC 118. Ms. Sharpley 120. The Caribbean and the Wider World 3 hours 3SS, CD, WR First Semester. In 1493 the Caribbean did not exist in the imagination of Europe and the wider world. In 1494, it was "discovered" by Columbus, and from that time onwards became an integral part of the European imagination and of the Atlantic world. This course will examine the historical background to this transformation and some of the political, moral, and economic issues that confer significance on the changes that took place. Enrollment Limit: 15 first-year students only. Mr. Millette Dance 118. Ritual and Performance I: The World According to the Yoruba 3 hours 3SS, CD, WR First Semester. This course will explore religious phenomena, performance, and artistic "agency" of the Yoruba and their descendants. We will look at Yoruba syncretic beliefs in the New World as well as in the Old World in respect of ritual secrets and choices for artistic representation, in the performance "arena." After reading and discussion of written and verbal expression on this subject by practitioners, artists, and intellectuals, students will use dance movement, artistic representation, and "nommo", the word, to represent their own construct of a ritual; by that means they will render their example of a specific "construct" of ritual. Enrollment Limit: 15 first-year students only. Identical to AAST 118. Ms. Sharpley French 360. Littèrature et musique 3 hours 3HU, CD First Semester. Music has often been considered as an ideal for literature, but what is that ideal? Music is sometimes thought of as mathematical arrangement, harmony, civility hence as a perfect sort of language. At other times, music is conceived as inspiration, genius, the unconscious clashing with representation in general and with language in particular. We will explore the ambiguous place of music in French literature through poetry, novels, essays, and, of course, music from the 18th to the 20th-c. This colloquium is designed particularly for freshmen and sophomores with strong preparation in French (with an SAT II score above 675, Advanced Placement credit in French, French 301, or the equivalent). Conducted in French. Enrollment Limit: 15 first-year students only. Mr. Philippe History 112. The Bourgeoisie and the Making of Modern Europe 3 hours 3SS, CD Second Semester. This course uses Karl Marx's critique of the European bourgeoisie, the Communist Manifesto, as the starting point for an exploration of the central economic, political, and cultural characteristics of this class, as well as the development of modern Europe. Topics include capitalism and commodity culture, industrialization and urbanization, nationalism and imperialism, family and assignments. Enrollment Limit: 12 first-year students only. Ms. Chin 117. National Schizophrenia in Japan and Sub-Saharan Africa 1945-Present: Tradition, Modernity and the Modern Novelist 3 hours 3SS, CD, WR First Semester. Our focus will be the exploration of the tension between indigenous tradition and Western modernity among post-1945 novelists in Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Topics to be covered include the family, gender roles, politics, and religion. Authors to be read include Buchi Emecheta, Mishima Yukio, Peter Abrahams, Ariyoshi Sawako etc. Extensive discussion and frequent writing assignments will be the basis for evaluation. Enrollment Limit: 12 first-year students only. Mr. DiCenzo 149. Approaches to World History 3 hours 3SS, WR, CD Second Semester. A critical examination of approaches to world history including the continental, civilizational, and world systems approaches, as well as of narratives constructed around themes such as the rise of the West, European expansion, the discovery of the New World, and the like. We will focus on largely unexamined metageographical conceptions and how they are implicated in Eurocentric assumptions about world historical developments. We will read recent critical works on world history and historiography that have suggested new approaches to the subject, in particular regarding trade and economic exchange, so that we may bring to bear a critical perspective on material and cultural exchange and diffusion from a global perspective. Finally, although "globalization" is a very current concern, we will discover that it has been a salient issue for the past five hundred years. Enrollment Limit: 15 first-year students only. Mr. Kelley Politics 132. Explaining Social Power: Classical and Contemporary Theories 3 hours 3SS, WR Second Semester. Politics is about power. However, there is no consensus as to what power is, or about how power operates in society. Drawing on economic, sociological, psychological and feminist approaches, as well as on works of classical and contemporary political theory, the colloquium will discuss the questions: "what is the basis of social power?" and "how does power operate in society?" Readings will be drawn from Machiavelli, Hobbes, Marx, Weber, Freud, Foucault and recent feminist work. Note: Two sections offered. Enrollment Limit: 15 first-year students only. Ms. Kruks Rhetoric and Composition 111. Writing about Environmental Topics 3 hours 3HU, WRi Second Semester. This course focuses on how to use writing to think through complex topics. For subject matter, the class will explore what different sorts of language, such as scientific or non-fiction literary prose, enable us to observe about the natural environment. Class format will be discussion and peer response, with some time devoted to research skills. The instructor will meet with each student several times during the semester to comment on weekly writing assignments. CR/NE grading. Enrollment Limit: 15 first-year students only. Ms. Cooper 115. Entering Discourse Communities: Writing for College and Beyond 3 hours 3HU, WRi Second Semester. This course aims to form a writer's community that will explore the various discourses in which class members participate. We will approach writing as real communication among group members rather than artificial practicing of skills. The course will include readings on writing processes as well as essays on varied topics. There will be weekly writing assignments and regular conferences with the instructor to review drafts and revisions. Most classes will be conducted as peer response workshops. CR/NE grading. Enrollment Limit: 15 first-year students only. Mr. Podis Other Small Classes for First-Year Students In addition to the Colloquia for First- and Second-Year Students listed above, Oberlin has a program of seminars for first-year students. See the section of the catalog, "First-Year Seminar Program." In addition, a substantial number of other small courses suitable for first-year students are available. These are usually at the 100 and 200 level in most departments, and they carry no requirements of prerequisites. Many 100- and 200-level courses have enrollments of 35 or less. Even courses with larger enrollments for lectures often have smaller discussion sections or laboratory sections. Careful consultation of the catalog or the on-line course supplement will reveal these courses. |
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