Fall Courses
September 25, 2017
Students still looking for classes to fill their fall schedules can explore workplace identity, comparative social movements, citizen science and more in these fall courses.
Anthropology
Language, Culture & Cognition (ANTH 112.001)
This course is an introductory survey of three ways language is understood as a central element that glues together human culture: language around categories and taxonomies as shared perception; language origins and evolution; and language as socialization. An additional fourth unit on fieldwork methods in cross-cultural understanding and language will prepare students for future qualitative research.
This 3.0 credit course will be taught by Wes Shumar, PhD, and is open to all Drexel students. The class will meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 2-2:50 p.m. Location: Academic Building 219.
Anthropology of Water (ANTH T180.001)
Water permeates all aspects of human life. We are made of it, cannot survive without it, organize our social lives around it and marvel at its many forms. In this course, students will explore the social life of water through cultural eyes and its objectification from an integral part of community life to a commodity on the stock market. The manipulation of water has led to environmental degradation and has forced social change in many cultures, large and small, throughout the world. The readings and discussions in this course will explore the state of water today and the search for solutions within the rubric of cultural values and holistic practices.
This 3.0 credit course will be taught by Judith Storniolo, PhD, and is open to all Drexel students. The class will meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 1-1:50 p.m. Location: Pearlstein Business Center 308.
COMMUNICATION
Publicity & Promotion (COM T180.001)
This course will focus on how to think like a publicist. With this mindset, students will learn how to put together and carry out a successful publicity campaign. Practical skills to publicize products, businesses and events in today’s technology-driven world will be taught throughout the term.
Through readings, class lectures, guest speakers from the field, classroom participation and assignments, the student will be able to critically evaluate what tactics are needed to wage a successful publicity campaign and have a solid understanding of the role of publicity in today’s world.
This 3.0 credit course will be taught by Rebecca Goodman, and is open to undergraduate students. The class will meet Tuesdays, 6:30-9:20 p.m. Location: Papadakis Integrated Science Building 105.
Advanced Journalism (COM 261.001)
This course explores the more creative aspects of journalism including feature stories and blogs, and focuses on interviews and getting outside the classroom to explore potential stories.
This 3.0 credit course will be taught by Karen Cristiano and is open to undergraduate students who have taken COM 160 or COM 260. The course will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m.-12:20 p.m. Location: Pearlstein Business Center 203.
Public Relations Campaign Planning (COM 386.001)
This capstone course will focus on the advanced aspects of public relations: how to analyze, plan, conduct and implement successful public relations campaigns systematically and scientifically. Students will create full-scale PR campaigns, including budget, media materials and social media tools for their real-world "clients," and implement key activities.
This 3.0 credit course will be taught by Rosemary Rys and is open to undergraduate students who have taken COM 284 and COM 286. The course will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-4:50 p.m. Location: Academic Building 215. Note: This course is required for PR majors and will not be offered again until spring.
ENGLISH
Global Black Literature & Activism (ENGL 360.003)
This Literature and Society course deals with writings from Black authors (originally or in translation into English). The liberation struggles and aspirations of people of African descent have produced a diverse array of literary and cultural texts. This course will examine writing by Black American, Caribbean, and African intellectuals in order to better understand how they have inspired and reflected on the political mobilizations that have shaped the modern world. Topics include Black religious thought, nationalism and internationalism, Communism and socialism, anti-imperialism, feminism/womanism, civil rights, and LGBTQ equality. This is a writing intensive course.
This 3.0 credit class, taught by andré carrington, PhD, is open to undergraduate students who have passed ENGL 103 or earned an A for ENGL 105. This class will meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 2-2:50 p.m. Location: Randell Hall 323.
HISTORY
The Reformation Age (HIST 257.001)
The course covers the general background to the Reformation, both religious and secular, the growth of reform movements, including the big names (Luther and Calvin) but also other sects, the Catholic reform and counter-Reformation efforts, and the legacies of reform and the Reformation in Europe and beyond.
This 4.0 credit course, taught by Jonathan Seitz, PhD, is open to all undergraduate students. This class will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays, 10-11:50 a.m. Location: Academic Building 108.
The Study of History (HIST 301.001)
This course is for history majors in their pre-junior or junior year; it explores conventions and historiographical conversations in the discipline of history. Students will examine philosophies of history, great historical debates and the nature of historical evidence.
This 4.0 credit course, taught by Donald Stevens, PhD, is open to history majors beyond the freshman level who have taken HIST 296. This class will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12-1:50 p.m. Location: 3101 Market Street.
PHILOSOPHY
Contemporary Ethical Philosophy (PHIL 215.001)
Students will explore the ethical theories of John Rawls. Topics include political liberty, fair equality, religious pluralism, public reason, reasonable agreement and civic virtue, among others.
This 3.0 credit course, taught by Carol Mele, PhD, is open to all undergraduate students. The class will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-1:50 p.m. Location: Papadakis Integrated Science Building 105.
Literary Theory (PHIL T380.001 / ENGL 380.001)
This course examines literary theoretical thinking and focuses on 20th century structuralism, post-structuralism and contemporary theory. Students will examine the ways in which language is conceived and reconceived by major theoretical writers and the implications of this rethinking for conceptualizations of history, politics, ideology, sexuality and trauma, among others.
This 3.0 credit course, taught by Jennifer Yusin, PhD, is open to junior and senior English majors and Philosophy majors who have completed two 200-level or higher philosophy courses. Pre-requisites may be waived for interested students. This is a writing-intensive course. The class will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11-12:20 p.m. Location: Lincoln Plaza, 3020 Market St., 318.
The Dialogues of Plato (PHIL 481.001)
The dialogues of Plato are foundational to the history of philosophy and modern thought. Students will focus on three major themes: “Death and Healing,” “Friendship and Love,” and “Knowledge and Philosophy.” While students will primarily be reading the dialogues of Plato, they will also be exposed to relevant secondary literature concerning these texts. This course is equivalent to PHIL421: Ancient Philosophy.
This 3.0 credit course, taught by Patricia Grosse, PhD, is open to juniors and seniors who have completed two 200-level or higher philosophy courses. Pre-requisites and restrictions may be waived for interested students. This is a writing-intensive course. The class will meet Mondays, 2-4:50 p.m. Location: MacAlister Hall 4014.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Race and Politics (PSCI T180.001)
This course provides an introduction for navigating complicated questions surrounding the subject of race, a biological fiction that nevertheless has serious political implications. Topics covered include the scientific status of "race," legacies of slavery, mass incarceration and police brutality, and contemporary movements like Black Lives Matter.
This 4.0 credit course will be taught by George Ciccariello-Maher, PhD, and is open to all undergraduate students. The class well meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2-3:50 p.m. Location: Academic Building 214.
Power in Protest: Social Movements in Comparative Perspective (PSCI 260.001)
This course considers theoretical approaches to comparative social movements by closely examining evidence about specific movements. Questions include: When and why do people mobilize to make demands against their states and societies? What contextual conditions enable such mobilization, and under what conditions does mobilization decline? Finally, do movements actually matter for bringing about change?
This course is designed to gain leverage on these questions by surveying an eclectic literature from international relations and comparative politics.
This 4.0 credit course will be taught by Phil Ayoub, PhD, and is open to undergraduate students who have completed PSCI 140 or PSCI 150 or by permission of the instructor. This class will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays, 2-3:50 p.m. Location: Lincoln Plaza, 3020 Market St., 436.
Politics of Environment and Health (PSCI 334.001)
This course examines political aspects of environmental health issues. Students will discuss how “environment” and “health” are defined by different stakeholders. How, according to these political actors, is health impacted by environment, and how are environmental factors addressed in health care? How do scientists study human exposure in everyday environments? What institutions are responsible for regulating hazardous materials? How is community health impacted by pollution and what actions do communities take to protect health? Using historical and contemporary case studies, students will engage with these questions at different scales of analysis, learning about the politics of knowledge, social movements, the medical establishment, and the ethics of health in late industrialism.
This 4.0 credit course will be taught by Alison Kenner, PhD, and is open to undergraduate students. This class will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10-11:50 a.m. Location: 3101 Market St., 224.
Political Communication (PSCI 335.001)
This courses introduces an investigation of the relationship between politics and communication, with the goal of developing an understanding of political communication's role in election campaigns, news coverage, political debates, political advertising, and "normal" portrayals of the political system through media and interpersonal communication.
This 4.0 credit course will be taught by Bill Rosenberg, PhD, and is open to undergraduate students beyond the freshman level or by permission of the instructor. This class will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays, 2-3:50 p.m. Location: Lincoln Plaza, 3020 Market St., 318.
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY
Citizen Science (SCTS T580.001 / ENVS T580 / PSCI T480)
Increasingly, people without formal scientific training are participating in the process of generating new knowledge. In this class, students will examine this phenomenon known as “citizen science” from a social scientific perspective. Students will compare two primary traditions of citizen science: one stemming from amateur naturalism, the other with its roots in movements to democratize science and empower communities confronting environmental hazards.
This 3.0 credit course, taught by Gwen Ottinger, PhD, is open to graduate students and undergraduate students above the freshman level. The class will meet Tuesdays, 6:30-9:20 p.m. Location: Academic Building 216.