Seminar Summaries
Although every effort will be made to place you in your first-choice Seminar, you may be placed in any Seminar.
Seminar assignments, once made, will not be changed. Notification of AES assignments will be mailed beginning in mid-June with further information about your Seminar including any summer assignment that may be required.
Berlin Stories: Memory? History – Imagination
A center of modern Europe, Berlin has no equal for leaving its imprint on the cultural, social, and political history of the 20th and 21st centuries. Probing the complex meanings of Berlin, especially those produced in the USA, we look at literature, music, political speeches, espionage thrillers, love stories, architecture, memorials, and Wall graffiti - texts of Berlin reflecting the city’s metamorphoses as a birthplace of modernity, the capital of the Third Reich, the divided city of the Cold War, and the stage for reunification. Discover what it means today to say, like John F. Kennedy did in 1963, “Ich bin ein Berliner!”
Gender Myths: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Myths are foundational stories that can explain why the world is the way it is, provide a blueprint for ethical (and unethcial) behavior, and offer cognitive tools for negotiating extraordinary circumstances. This class will explore a range of myths from around the world that convey what it means to be a human being in particular cultures through the lenses of gender and sexuality. Some of the guiding questions will be: How many genders are there? How do the concepts of “masculine” and “feminine” vary in different cultures? How do verbal and visual narratives reflect, shape, and respond to cultural evolution?
Going to the Dogs
Dogs appear at every major juncture in human history, with over 77 million dogs presently in the U.S. Considering the dog-human relationship lends itself to interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary perspectives, and therefore exposes students to different methods and approaches to learning that they will encounter across various disciplines. In the seminar, portrayals of dogs in various media are analyzed, the biology of dogs is examined, the social implications of dogs (dog-fighting, impact of dogs on the economy, dogs and humans in natural disasters, service dogs, etc…) are considered, and the Homo sapiens—Canis familiaris relationship is explored.
“Waiting for Superman:” Educational Reform in America
When John Adams set forth his “Thoughts on Government” in 1776, he asserted that “Laws for the liberal education of youth, especially of the lower class of people, are so extremely wise and useful, that, to a humane and generous mind, no expense for this purpose would be thought extravagant.” Many critics of American public education would argue, however, that this dream of providing equal access to a quality education for all children is essentially a dream unfulfilled, a point that is dramatically illustrated in the documentary film “Waiting for Superman.” The primary purpose of this seminar is to provide students with an opportunity to thoroughly examine and critically analyze a number of current and historical reform efforts that relate directly to the issue of providing equal educational opportunity in America.
New Orleans: The Creole City
This seminar explores the cultures, environments, and histories of a city that is quintessentially American yet unlike any other place in the U.S. We attempt to understand New Orleans especially in terms of race, class, and ethnicity as expressed or revealed in festivals and music. We investigate these themes through reading and discussion of social and cultural history, film, and music. We will give attention to the events of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, looking at how the flood affected people and changed the city and considering what was lost as a result.
