CGST131B Writing About Places: Africa

This course is one in a series called "writing about places" that explore the long tradition of writing about travel and places and changing attitudes toward crossing cultural borders. We will examine historical and cultural interactions/confrontations as portrayed by both insiders and outsiders, residents and visitors, colonizers and colonized--and from a variety of perspectives: fiction, literary journalism, travel accounts, and histories. Writing assignments will include critical and analytical essays as well as encouraging students to examine their own experiences with places and cultural encounters.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-ENGL
Identical With: ENGL131B
Prereq: None

CGST132 Writing Medicine and the Doctor-Writer

In this course students read a range of works across a variety of literary traditions, mainly by writers who were also medical practitioners (including Chekhov, Bulgakov, Lu Xun, William Carlos Williams, and Che Guevara), but also nondoctors who write compellingly about medically related subjects (Camus in THE PLAGUE, Tracy Kidder on Paul Farmer, and Anne Fadiman on cultural clashes).
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-ENGL
Identical With: ENGL132
Prereq: None

CGST136 Writing for Fellowships

National fellowships are prestigious, competitive awards that enable the recipient to pursue graduate study, a research project, or travel abroad. While fellowship winners experience great personal growth and gain credentials that aid future success, preparing the application itself helps students clarify their goals and learn how to present themselves to an unfamiliar audience, such as future employers. In this course students will learn about various fellowship opportunities, identify steps toward building a strong candidacy, and create a portfolio of compelling application materials. To inspire creative thinking, we will read short writings in various genres; authors may include Octavia Butler, Jose Antonio Vargas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, N.K. Jemisin, Ursula Le Guin, and Ocean Vuong. We will then craft personal statements and other fellowship materials, taking them through a rigorous writing process with multiple revisions. By completing the course students will grow as writers and gain skills that can also be used in writing grants and seeking a job.
Offering: Host
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.25
Gen Ed Area: None
Prereq: None

CGST141 Depicting Death in Literature

This course analyzes the theme of death primarily within French and francophone writing (in English translation), tracing the evolution of death imagery over time in literary texts. The curriculum will investigate various contexts related to the environment and language usage, offering a nuanced understanding of how the portrayal of death has changed in literature.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CGST
Identical With: CHUM141, RL&L211
Prereq: None

CGST155 Portuguese (Romance Language Speakers) I

This course offers students who have a strong working knowledge of Spanish or another Romance language the opportunity to study Brazilian Portuguese in an accelerated format. This course is conducted entirely in Portuguese. Completion of both semesters is required for study abroad in Brazil.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-RLAN
Identical With: PORT155
Prereq: FREN112 OR ITAL112 OR SPAN112

CGST201Z Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

This course is designed for students that are considering teaching English outside of the United States in the future. It may be particularly useful for those considering applying for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, the JET program, the Peace Corps, or continuing after Wesleyan to get a TEFL or TESOL certificate or master's degree. The course will include basic language acquisition theory, TEFL teaching techniques, readings by sojourners in various programs, and opportunities to reflect on personal reasons for choosing to teach abroad.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-WRCT
Identical With: WRCT201Z, EDST201Z
Prereq: None

CGST202 Preparing to Study Abroad: Culture and Language

This course is designed to facilitate students' preparations to study abroad during the following term. Through exploration of intercultural and language learning theories, intercultural communication strategies, and theories about culture, students will build a foundation for their learning and achieving their individual goals during the semester abroad. The course is open to those who are studying abroad in English as well as those who are studying a language. The course is graded at the end of the term, but ungraded check-ins during the study abroad experience are required for the credit to be awarded.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Prereq: None

CGST203 Returning from Study Abroad: Integrating Your Experience

This course will facilitate returning students' integration of the study abroad experience into their academic and personal lives. Through guided activities, readings, and weekly writing assignments, students will reflect on the many facets of the study abroad experience and how they relate to identity, academic interests, and future plans, including fellowship applications and career opportunities abroad.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Prereq: CGST202

CGST205 Introduction to Global Engagement

This team-taught seminar introduces students to the ideas and practices central to strengthening one's intercultural competence, in part through a critically informed approach to globalization. The course views "cultures" as porous, fluid, internally contested, and often overlapping--and yet still as vital realities shaping the lived experiences of all people. Building intercultural competence requires not just acquiring new knowledge but also practicing the skills and honing the attitudes that are needed to interact effectively and appropriately on a basis of informed, mutual respect. This course is a core requirement of the Global Engagement Minor (GEM); students will begin to work with the eportfolio that they will use over their time in GEM to track, reflect on, and synthesize the various experiences making up the minor.
Offering: Host
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Prereq: None

CGST208 ¿Convivencia o conflicto?: Las tres culturas de la España medieval a través del arte (CLAC.50)

For eight centuries, Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived side by side as neighbors on the Iberian Peninsula in a carefully negotiated state of coexistence known as "convivencia." While much of the written record is full of enmity, religious polemic, and mutual suspicion, the artistic record tells another version, of lives lived in close proximity giving rise to shared cultural practices, artistic tastes, and long interludes of mutual wellbeing. This Spanish-language section complements the ARHA 310 curriculum, by exploring the resonance between medieval experiences of identity, pluralism, appropriation, and exchange and our own uneasy attempts at building a multiethnic, multicultural society. This class will be conducted in Spanish. ARHA 208 is open to intermediate and advanced Spanish learners (SPAN 113 and above), bilingual students, and heritage speakers. Enrollment in ARHA 310 is optional but encouraged.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: None
Identical With: ARHA208
Prereq: None

CGST210 Language and Thought: Introduction to Linguistics

What makes human language unique? This course is an introduction to the study of human language and its underlying properties. Much of our linguistic competence lies below the level of conscious awareness, and linguists seek to uncover the subconscious principles and parameters that govern our knowledge of language. This course first explores the core theoretical areas of linguistics: phonology (sound structure), morphology (word structure), syntax (sentence structure), and semantics (meaning). Then, we will explore such topics as the workings of language use, language variation, and first- and second-language acquisition.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Prereq: None

CGST213F How Language Works: The Beliefs and Bias that Affect our Social World (FYS)

This first-year seminar takes an in-depth look at how we communicate. What do we believe about language? How does that affect our interactions on personal and societal levels? Drawing on readings from the fields of linguistics and anthropology, we will challenge common language myths and beliefs related to multilingualism, language and dialectal stereotypes, gendered language, and language learning. To synthesize those ideas, students will write reflectively and discuss their own oral and written language, conduct short research projects, and synthesize their ideas into a final paper related to a topic in the course.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-WRCT
Identical With: WRCT135F
Prereq: None

CGST214 Language Shift, Change, and Loss

South Asians (India and Pakistan) are multilinguals or at least bilinguals. Most of the world's population is at least bilingual, if not trilingual or more; nevertheless, fluent bilingualism in the United States is relatively uncommon, and biliteracy is even more rare. However, much of the research on language development and bilingualism has been conducted in the United States, even though we (USA) are a "minority world population" in these matters and we interpret the research findings in ways that most of the world's multilingual speakers would find unusual. In this course, we will study both first language and multiple language development. We will look carefully at both simultaneous bilingualism (early bilingualism, bilingualism as a first language, or "bilingualism from the crib") and sequential bilingualism (learning a second language, or more, after the first language is established). We will explore language shift (from mother tongues to majority language), and change and loss from South Asians' perspectives and how these perspectives are different from and similar to the rest of the world, and consider what should be done for language maintenance.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Identical With: GSAS214
Prereq: None

CGST215 What is (a) Language?

Scholarly inquiries into language have always faced the distinctive (though not unique) problem of how to define their object of study. What is language? Language in general, human language, a particular language, language as opposed to dialect or idiolect, etc.



This course will not answer these questions. It will, however, examine the most important and influential ways that they have been formulated and answered throughout the Western tradition of linguistic inquiry. Our survey will be organized around two main tendencies that are sometimes distinct but often complementary. First, the question of origins: Where does (a) language come from, and what does this tell us about its nature? We'll look at etymology and theories of language change alongside thought experiments and evolutionary theories that try to narrate the emergence of language from nonhuman forms of animal communication. Second, the questions of structure and function: How does (a) language work; what do we use it to do? We'll look at the medieval trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, alongside the (approximate!) modern analogues of morphosyntax, semantics, and pragmatics. Our goal will be to get a sense of the major theoretical issues that have run through scholarly inquiries into language(s) across disciplines ranging from linguistics and philosophy through anthropology, sociology, and literary theory, to cognitive studies and evolutionary biology.



While our scope is large, our method will be narrow, focusing on close readings of important primary texts in the history of Western linguistic thought. Since our emphasis will be on the coherence of theoretical positions rather the coherence of historical narratives, we'll focus especially on works that have exerted the strongest influence on contemporary understandings of language, particularly those from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-COL
Identical With: COL337
Prereq: None

CGST218 Teaching Spanish K-12: Second Language Pedagogy (CLAC 0.5)

This is a community engagement course in which students learn basic principles of language pedagogy and language acquisition to inform their teaching of Spanish to children at one of the Middletown public schools. Readings in English and Spanish; class discussion and assignments in Spanish. Students will familiarize themselves with characteristics of second language (L2) learning and teaching, a basic know-how on analyzing and preparing materials for language learning/teaching, and L2 teaching as a profession.

Language and course requirement: Students must have recently taken a SPAN course numbered 221 or above. Preference will be given to EDST and HISP majors, as well as juniors and seniors.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-RLAN
Identical With: SPAN204, EDST204
Prereq: None

CGST220 Italian Gaming Lab: Using Tabletop Games for Language Learning (CLAC.50)

Italian Gaming Lab is designed as a game-based Italian language laboratory that will focus on why and how tabletop games can be effective tools for language learning; examples will include board games, card games, and tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs), an increasingly popular type of game that is based on collaborative storytelling in which participants either impersonate one or more characters or create and organize entire worlds.



In this CLAC course, we will explore how a game-informed pedagogy can work in Italian language and culture classrooms and to highlight analog gaming approaches that have worked inside and outside the language classroom. We will discuss the basics of Game-Based Learning (GBL) applied to L2 acquisition, as well as play a series of games that can illustrate the gameful principles previously studies. Participants will discuss the application of gaming principles to L2 acquisition and create reports and playful presentations on their linguistic journey through play. The course offers students the opportunity to use language creatively and to develop critical knowledge within the rising and innovative field of Game-Based Learning and educational game design.



The course will be conducted in Italian, and games will be played in Italian. Both intermediate/advanced learners of Italian (second-year level or above) and native speakers are welcome. If you are unsure about whether your language background is sufficient for the course, please contact the instructor.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-RLAN
Identical With: ITAL220
Prereq: ITAL102

CGST221 Food in Japanese Media (CLAC.50)

This 0.50 CLAC section is conducted in Japanese and will feature Japanese-language media (documentaries, films, TV shows, anime, and some texts such as news articles and manga). It is designed to supplement CEAS 210: From Tea to Connecticut Rolls: Defining Japanese Culture Through Food. All materials and discussion will be in Japanese. There may be some writing assignments depending on ability. The section is open to students with Japanese-language ability, from intermediate level to native speakers. With the instructor's approval, this section may be taken independently of the parent course. Evaluation will be primarily based on participation, effort, and completion of assignments.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-CEAS
Identical With: CEAS211
Prereq: None

CGST222 Translating Modern Japanese Song Lyrics (CLAC.50)

This course offers students the opportunity to build skills and experience as translators of cultural texts by producing Japanese-to-English translations of the lyrics to select modern Japanese popular songs. Students will formulate their own individual translations of the assigned song each week, and then work together in class sessions to amend and further develop those translations, learning from each other's choices and strategies in order to arrive at the most effective rendering possible. Successful completion of JAPN 218 required; heritage learners, native speakers of Japanese, and others with advanced Japanese language skills (both spoken and written) are welcome in the course, with advance permission from the instructor.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-CEAS
Identical With: JAPN285
Prereq: JAPN218

CGST224 Living a Good Life: Chinese Lab (CLAC.50)

This optional "lab" class is intended for students (1) who have taken or are currently taking PHIL 210: Living a Good Life; and (2) who have little or no exposure to classical Chinese. Each weekly session will introduce students to aspects of the classical Chinese language--the written language of pre-20th-century China. Students will be able to read (in Chinese) and discuss (in English) key passages from the Confucian classics on which the Living a Good Life courses is partly based. No previous knowledge of Chinese (classical or modern) is necessary.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-PHIL
Identical With: PHIL151, CHIN151
Prereq: None

CGST225 Living a Good Life: Greek Lab (CLAC.50)

This optional "lab" class is intended for students (1) who have taken or are currently taking Phil 210: Living a Good Life; and (2) who have little or no exposure to Classical Greek. Each weekly session will introduce students to aspects of Attic Greek--the written language of most of the Greek texts we will be studying this semester. Students will be able to read (in Greek) and discuss (in English) key passages from Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and Epictetus' Encheiridion, on which the Living a Good Life course is partly based. No previous knowledge of Greek (classical or modern) is necessary.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-PHIL
Identical With: PHIL152
Prereq: None

CGST226 French and Francophone Gastronomy

This course explores the variety of French and Francophone gastronomy through texts, recipes, and other media such as films and cooking shows. Through these materials, students will reflect on the relationship between food and culture and the shape it takes in French and Francophone cultures. They will develop a deeper knowledge and appreciation for various foods and dishes.



The course will include a hands-on component through which students will cook and taste foods from various areas in the Francophone world. The course will culminate in a final public event during which students will introduce and share foods from the Francophone world, which attendees will have the opportunity to taste.



This course is a CLAC course conducted entirely in French. In addition to weekly meetings, there will be a few cooking workshops. Grade will be based on class participation, weekly reflection journals, a final presentation, and a final paper.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-RLAN
Identical With: FREN233
Prereq: None

CGST227 Writing Short Fiction in Spanish

This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of writing short fiction in Spanish. It will enhance their command of Spanish and their skills as effective writers through the examination and discussion of many aspects of the craft of fiction writing, which will inform students' own writing and development of their personal style. We will examine essential features of fiction (methods of constructing narrative tension, climax, ambiguity, character, dialogues, and structure), as well as various fictional styles through our discussion of the writing of our peers and a study of the texts of a number of contemporary Latin American and Latinx writers working in a genre that has been crucial to the region's intellectual production.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-RLAN
Identical With: SPAN227
Prereq: SPAN221

CGST228 Deaf Communities: Facts and Perspectives

This course explores the diversity of the Deaf communities in the United States, examining Deaf cultures and the factors shaping them including history, education, technology, and institutions. We will discuss the prevalent perspectives in American society towards the Deaf experience, clinical and cultural. We will also compare American Deaf cultures and American mainstream cultures.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Prereq: None

CGST229 Language and Politics: Making and Unmaking of Nations

This course explores the key topics at the intersection of language and politics, including language choice; linguistic correctness; (self-)censorship and hate speech; the performance of ethnic and national identity in language; gender politics and "powerful" language; rhetoric and propaganda; and changing conceptions of written language, driven in part by technological advances. One of the examples of such topics is Tweet politics or incivility on the web around the globe. This course consists of three modules. In the first two modules the above-mentioned topics will be discussed in general, while in the last module we will see how preferences in language policies and politics played a significant role in making and unmaking of nations in different parts of the world, from South Asia to East Asia to North America.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-GSAS
Identical With: GSAS210, CSPL212
Prereq: None

CGST230 Between Marx and Coca-Cola: European Cinema of the 1960s and 1970s

In the 1960s and early 1970s, a growing sense of alienation and social unrest spread across Europe, making their marks in both society and cinema. Borrowing the words of New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard, these years led to the emergence of "the children of Marx and Coca-Cola." This course, taught in English, will introduce students to a multi-faceted portrait of Europe in the 1960s and 70s through avant-garde and popular cinema from France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Eastern Europe. We will focus on films that depict global capitalism, gender relations, and government control. Some of the themes we will discuss include the critique of consumerism and materialism, the changing role of women in society, life under socialism and dictatorship, and youth counterculture. Last but not least, students will learn how New Wave directors challenged traditional approaches to narrative cinema.
Offering: Host
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CGST
Identical With: RL&L230
Prereq: None

CGST231 Love and Suffering in Ancient Rome (CLAC.50)

In this CLAC course students with some background in ancient Latin will read selections of the extant sources on love and suffering in Roman myth, history, and thought. The sources that we will cover will be drawn from diverse genres and periods: historiography, epic poetry, lyric poetry, and comedy. This diversity will offer a unique opportunity to students to identify and analyze the intersections of age, class, status, gender, and ethnicity and the way they shaped Roman ideology on "love." We will be looking at how cultural practice shapes language, how ideology shapes law, and how literature challenged cultural norms of love and marriage, all the while unpacking and interrogating the Roman belief that love had no place in the citizen life dedicated to serving the state: love produces suffering. In turn, we will reflect on the ideological shift in the last 150 years that has come to dominate "western" beliefs on love and marriage, that is, "all you need is love," over family, friends, and society, despite the obstacles: suffering produces love.



The selections of readings will be drawn primarily from what the students read in translation in the parent course. The final selection will be based on the level of the students. This CLAC is conceived as appropriate for students on the intermediate and advanced level of ancient Latin.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS
Identical With: LAT230
Prereq: LAT102

CGST233 Introduction to ASL / English Interpretation (CLAC 0.5)

Having completed course work in Beginning ASL l, Il and Intermediate I, II, students who have demonstrated a strong interest in continuing their studies at a more sophisticated and challenging level may find this course work interesting pursuant to becoming a professional, credentialed Sign Language Interpreter.



This experience will provide students with a working knowledge of the profession of interpreting including the Code of Professional Conduct, certification criteria, the roles and responsibilities of a professional interpreter and discussions of the role of the interpreter in a variety of professional settings including educational, medical, legal, the performing arts, counseling, and rehabilitation.



Students who attend this course demonstrate that they are able to express in ASL, with some confidence, routine and everyday experiential topics within a conversational format with some elaboration. They demonstrate clear and accurate signing and fingerspelling at a moderate rate of speed.



This coursework uses a process-oriented approach for applying the essential cognitive strategies for interpretation. These strategies include organizing and manipulating visual images, analyzing message for meaning, and self-monitoring for message accuracy. This experience serves as a transition from language learning to beginning interpretation.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-LANG
Identical With: LANG233
Prereq: LANG191

CGST234 Introduction to Russian and Soviet Cinema (CLAC.50)

This course provides an introduction to the history and poetics of Soviet and Russian cinema--in Russian. From the avant-garde experimentation of Lev Kuleshov, Sergei Eisenstein, and Dziga Vertov to the masterpieces of Andrei Tarkovsky, Sergei Parajanov, and Kira Muratova, the course will explore the development of Russian film as artistic medium and as national tradition. The discussion and comparative analyses of different forms and genres, including silent cinema, propaganda films, blockbusters, and auteur cinema, will be situated within the cultural, political, and aesthetic contexts of the Soviet Union and contemporary Russia. Students will learn the key works, names, events, and concepts of the Russian cinematic tradition. They will develop skills in analyzing and interpreting films and will acquire the basic critical terminology of film studies in Russian and English. They will also learn how film form and aesthetics are conditioned by technology, ideology, economics, theory, tradition, and culture. The overarching goal is to see how cinema in Russia and the Soviet Union has created and contested narratives of history and identity, how cinema has served the interests of the state, and how it has defied them. This class consists of lectures and focused discussion of films. It will be taught in Russian and is open to students who have successfully completed RUSS202, as well as to heritage and native speakers. Students can expect to practice speaking Russian and honing their writing skills. Credit: 0.5
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-REES
Identical With: RUSS234, FILM234, REES234
Prereq: RUSS202

CGST235 Brazilian Culture and Identity Through Media (CLAC.50)

If asked about Brazil, chances are one may answer by invoking stereotypes that once conveyed Brazil's global image: samba and futebol (soccer). While music, carnaval, and soccer are central elements of the national identity, these aspects of Brazilian culture fail to do justice to the complexity of a country of ever-increasing global impact, with a top-ten economy, a massive, continental territory. and some 200 million inhabitants who constitute what may be the most diverse population on the planet.



In this course we will critically examine how the media has helped shape Brazilian identity and how the country is perceived from outside. We will cover topics such as social relations, race, poverty, gender, violence and human rights. Readings will draw upon theories and concepts in media studies and cultural studies. Class discussion will consider cultural texts, television shows, films, music, poetry, fashion, and social media posts. This course will be taught in English and Portuguese (introductory or intermediate level is sufficient).
Offering: Host
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Prereq: None

CGST236 Music, Culture and Social Justice in Latin America (CLAC.50)

This course examines influential Latin American musicians and the relationship between their artistic production and the battles for human rights, democracy, and social justice in the hemisphere. The seminar will focus on the periods of dictatorial rule and transition to democracy in the Americas (mostly, from the 1960s through the late 1980s). We will study the main musical trends and leading artists in Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries in those decades, assessing the role of their music in battles for free expression, democracy, and social justice in human rights. Among the artists whose work we will consider are Victor Jara (Chile), Mercedes Sosa (Argentina), Los Guraguao (Venezuela), Catano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Chico Buarque (Brazil). Students will be encouraged to analyze music through lyrics and song form, while understanding the historical, political, and social climates in which these artistic productions developed. Students will understand how music and culture can be powerful tools of resistance, assessing their impact in educating, inspiring, and creating social awareness and commitment in Latin American societies. This course will be taught in English, Portuguese, and Spanish (introductory or intermediate level is sufficient).
Offering: Host
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Prereq: None

CGST237 The Soviet Century (CLAC.50)

This course begins and ends with two crucially important dates of the 20th century. On November 7, 1917, the Bolshevik party launched a revolution against the Russian government with the aim of overthrowing not just the state but capitalism, the economic and social system that defined modern civilization. Over the coming decades, the state they created (eventually named the USSR) embarked on an unprecedented project to remake the world. On December 26, 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed into 15 countries. The Soviet project raises fundamental questions about political systems, economics, and human nature--questions that are a long way from being answered. It also shaped modern history all over the world, including in the United States, which confronted the Soviet Union as its political and ideological archenemy during the Cold War. In charting the USSR's trajectory from pariah nation after World War I to global superpower following World War II, we will explore the ways in which socialist modernity offered an alternative to its capitalist twin. In an effort to understand the contradictions of Soviet life leading up to and during the Cold War, the course will examine how the Soviets sought to rethink issues of class struggle, family structure, education, gender dynamics, race, religion, sexuality, and patriotism. We will consider key theoretical writings in addition to poetry and prose by major Russian and Russophone authors. Particular attention will be paid to underground cultures that arose in response to the repression of free speech, ethnic discrimination, and the Gulag prison system. This class consists of lectures and focused discussion of essays and films. It will be taught in Russian and is open to students who have successfully completed RUSS202, as well as to heritage and native speakers. Students can expect to practice speaking Russian and honing their writing skills. Credit: 0.5
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-REES
Identical With: REES257
Prereq: RUSS202

CGST238 Investigaciones Importantes en Psicología (CLAC.25)

This course will focus on a dozen key empirical studies that have had a major impact on the field of psychology. We will explore the big-picture question each study was examining, what the thinking in the field was then and is now on this big-picture question, how the data were gathered and analyzed, what relevant replication attempts have found, and what the implications of the findings are for the field of psychology. Lectures and conversations will be conducted in Spanish. Readings will generally be in Spanish, but some may be in English. Students should be at the intermediate level or above.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 0.25
Gen Ed Area: SBS-PSYC
Identical With: PSYC281
Prereq: SPAN110 OR SPAN111 OR SPAN112 OR SPAN113

CGST240 Introduction to Tamazight: The Native Language of North Africa and Beyond (CLAC.50)

This course will introduce students to the language (sounds and script) and culture of the Amazigh people, an ethnic group (commonly known as Berbers) native to North Africa and West Africa, specifically Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, northern Mali, and Niger, with some oases in Egypt and the Canary Islands.



The Tamazight language--the alphabet of which is called Tifinagh--has been a written language for almost 3000 years, although it was disrupted throughout history due to various invasions and conquests of the area. The Tuareg people of the Sahara desert in Northern Africa, and as of late Morocco and Algeria, have been using the Tifinagh alphabet (oldest dated inscription from about 200 BC) and the Tamzight language as a secondary national language.



The objectives of this course are: 1. To introduce students to the sounds and script of Tifinagh; 2. To teach students basic conversation and essential elements of the Tamazight language; and 3. To familiarize students with the culture of the different Amazigh peoples.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Identical With: LANG160
Prereq: None

CGST241 Introduction to ASL in the Performing Arts (CLAC.50)

This course offers an introduction to artistic ASL interpreting. "Artistic ASL Interpreting" does not apply only to performing groups who present songs in sign language on a stage. Nor is it a term that is exclusively linked with theatrical interpreting in a "platform" setting of plays, musicals, or poetry. Artistic interpreting can be explained as a refined, more creative style of interpreting at the highest levels of the profession. For students, it presents challenges that encourage more attention to eye gaze and contact; shifts in body stance and positioning; size and style of sign production; facial expressions; gestures as communication and sign alternatives in overall concept formations and messaging. These are, in fact, some of the most important components in ASL communication and some of the most challenging aspects to encourage or teach.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-ASLD
Identical With: ASLD221
Prereq: LANG191

CGST242 Introduction to ASL / English Interpretation (CLAC.50)

Having completed course work in Beginning ASL I, II, and Intermediate I, II, students who have demonstrated a strong interest in continuing their studies at a more sophisticated and challenging level may find this coursework interesting pursuant to becoming a professional, credentialed sign language interpreter.



This experience will provide students with a working knowledge of the profession of interpreting including the code of professional conduct, certification criteria, the roles and responsibilities of a professional interpreter, and discussions of the role of the interpreter in a variety of professional settings including educational, medical, legal, the performing arts, counseling, and rehabilitation.



Students who attend this course demonstrate that they are able to express in ASL, with some confidence, routine and everyday experiential topics within a conversational format with some elaboration. They demonstrate clear and accurate signing and fingerspelling at a moderate rate of speed.



This coursework uses a process-oriented approach for applying the essential cognitive strategies for interpretation. These strategies include organizing and manipulating visual images, analyzing message for meaning, and self-monitoring for message accuracy. This experience serves as a transition from language learning to beginning interpretation.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-LANG
Identical With: ASLD222
Prereq: LANG191

CGST245 Not Just Neorealism: Italian Cinema, its History and Politics (CLAC.50)

This 0.5-credit course is conducted in Italian and designed to supplement the English-language Italian cinema course "Not Just Neorealism: Italian Cinema, its History, and Politics" (RL&L 245). The presentations that are part of the requirements for the parent course (RL&L 245) will serve as our basis in this discussion-based section: Students will be responsible for screening films in addition to those required for 245, for presenting them, and, during the discussion sections in Italian, responsible also for linking them to the course material. Further, students enrolled in the CLAC will also make mini-presentations to the broader body of the students enrolled in the parent course only, linking the extra screenings to those that are part of the course syllabus, and enriching the discourse and knowledge base.



Students are required to be simultaneously enrolled in the parent course in order to enroll in the CLAC section. For this reason, enrollment is granted on a POI basis.



Students must have advanced competency in Italian: completed ITAL 221 or a course with a higher number, spent a semester (or more) in Wesleyan's Program in Bologna, or be linguistically proficient. For any questions about linguistic preparation, please contact the instructor.



Please note that at present this section is not acceptable as one of the nine required courses for the ITST major.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-RLAN
Identical With: ITAL245
Prereq: ITAL221

CGST250 Body, Soul, and Afterlife Journeys in Ancient Greece (CLAC.50)

The connection between body and soul and their journey in the afterlife were at the center of how the ancient Greeks thought not only of mortality but also of the good life itself. This CLAC course is connected to the Classical Civilization course titled "Death and Afterlife in Egypt and Greece" that will be taught in the fall by Kate Birney. The parent course explores the archaeology of death and burial in Egypt and Greece. It examines how the funerary practices and the very notions of death, the soul, the body, and the afterlife operated in these societies by drawing upon diverse evidence--archaeological, art historical, and mythological.



In this CLAC course students with some background in ancient Greek will read selections of the surviving evidence on death and the afterlife. Sources will be drawn from diverse genres and periods: historiography, Homeric poetry, Platonic philosophy, and religious tablets. This diversity will offer a unique opportunity to identify different registers and to explore how language itself reflects and in turn shapes the ideas and practices for which it is used. We will thus be looking at: how different media and performances are used to express loss, hope, and heroism in the face of death; how social class, gender, and political ideology are reflected in these media and how they influence ideas about death and the afterlife; and, last, how we are to create adequate methodologies as "readers" of such diverse evidence.



The selections of readings will be drawn primarily from what the students read in translation in the parent course. The final selection will be based on the level of the students. This CLAC is conceived as appropriate for students on the intermediate and advanced level of ancient Greek.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS
Identical With: GRK250
Prereq: GRK102

CGST251 Classical Chinese Philosophy: Chinese Lab (CLAC.50)

This 0.5 credit course is conducted in Chinese and designed to supplement the standard English-language Classical Chinese Philosophy (PHIL205) course. Students must have taken PHIL205 in the past or be enrolled in it simultaneously. The course will have two main foci: introducing students to modern and contemporary Chinese-language debates about Chinese philosophy and exploring in greater depth the meaning of key passages from the classical works students are reading in translation in PHIL205.



Both advanced learners of Chinese (fourth-year level or above) and native speakers are welcome. Familiarity with classical Chinese is desirable but not required. Assignments will include presentations in Chinese and some written work in English; evaluation will be tailored to each student's language background. If you are unsure whether your language background is sufficient for the course, please contact the instructor.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-CEAS
Identical With: CHIN351, PHIL251
Prereq: None

CGST252 Chinese Calligraphy (CLAC.25)

This 0.25 CLAC course will provide students with a brief understanding of the art of Chinese calligraphy through calligraphy practice. They will learn about the characteristics of Chinese calligraphy from the "Four Treasures of the Study," as the tools of calligraphy (writing brush, ink stick, ink stone, and paper). They will understand the development history of Chinese calligraphy from five basic scripts of Seal (zhuanshu), Clerical (lishu), Standard (kaishu), Semi-cursive (xingshu), and Cursive (caoshu). The course focuses on imitation and practice of the Standard script kaishu. Prerequisite: Current or future Chinese class students are preferred.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.25
Gen Ed Area: HA-CEAS
Identical With: CHIN303
Prereq: None

CGST253 East Asian Culture Through Chinese Pop Music (CLAC .50)

Even after the meteoric rise of K-Pop in recent years, Mandarin Chinese Language pop music, also known as Mandopop, remains a highly popular musical genre that influences East Asian popular culture. This course introduces students to the literary history and cultural forces that shaped Chinese popular music. The songs featured in the syllabus serve as a soundtrack to the "Introduction to History: Foundations of East Asian Cultures," as the themes largely mirror the contents of the parent course.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-CEAS
Identical With: CHIN305, CEAS305
Prereq: CHIN205

CGST254 Self and Other in Cross-Cultural Encounters (CLAC.50)

This course is open to students currently enrolled in ANTH101: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology or in ANTH103: Gifts and Giving. It is intended for students with an interest in improving their spoken and written Spanish through an exploration of the problems and possibilities of cultural anthropological practice. This exploration will happen via class discussion and short ethnographic research assignments. The course will be conducted in Spanish and is open to students with some level of proficiency: from intermediate to advanced and to heritage speakers of the language. Students are expected to be currently enrolled in, or to have previously taken, ANTH101 or ANTH103. Email the instructor for information about alternatives to this requirement.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ANTH
Identical With: ANTH254
Prereq: None

CGST255 Modern History and Culture of Korea: From Imperialism to Two Koreas (CLAC.50)

This course will serve as an introduction to the more recent history and culture of Korea; South Korea's rebirth from the remnants of a devastating war into a globalized country whose cultural influence has grown drastically since the 2000s. We will be discussing politics and diplomacy, economic development and industrialization, the growth of mass culture, and social changes concerning Korean women and family. Key topics will include the colonial period, the Korean War and national division, the struggle for democracy, and Korean pop culture. Course material will include films, dramas, and literature on these topics.



This course will be conducted in Korean. Students who have either completed three years of Korean or meet the language fluency equivalent are encouraged to take this course. Native speakers of Korean are also welcome.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-CEAS
Identical With: KREA255
Prereq: None

CGST256 Exploring Korea Through a Multifaceted Cultural Lens (CLAC .50)

This course will address a variety of aspects of traditional and modern Korean culture, ranging from traditional cuisine, music/art, religion, and the modernization of Korea in the 20th century to the Korean Wave, films, education, and the history of Korean pop music. Video clips, movies, and other multimedia materials will be utilized to better facilitate students' learning of Korean culture and heritage.



This course will be conducted mostly in Korean. Students who have either completed one or two years of Korean or meet the language fluency equivalent are encouraged to take this course. Native speakers of Korean and heritage speakers are also welcome.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-CEAS
Identical With: KREA256
Prereq: None

CGST260 Reading Mencius in Chinese (CLAC.50)

This course offers students the opportunity for guided reading of the original, classical Chinese text of the great Confucian classic Mencius (or Mengzi). Advanced (fourth-year level or above) competence in Chinese (including native Chinese competence) is required for the class, but previous experience in classical Chinese is not. The pace of reading and language of discussion will be determined based on student enrollment.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Identical With: PHIL260
Prereq: None

CGST261 Reporting on Global Issues: International Journalism in Action

This course is designed to introduce students to various mediums of international reporting beyond the traditional print format, like video and podcasting. Visual and auditory formats have gained widespread prominence, making journalism more accessible to diverse audiences. After delving into sourcing, research, and reporting techniques, students will engage in discussions with accomplished innovative journalists, hosts, and reporters who possess extensive experience in covering international issues. Throughout the semester, students will gain valuable insights from these conversations and collaborate in teams to produce a podcast episode for a class series focused on migration.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ALLB
Identical With: CSPL268, WRCT267
Prereq: None

CGST262 Korean Music from Shamanism to Television (CLAC.50)

This course is open to intermediate learners, advanced learners, and native speakers. The discussion topics will be broadly approached, utilizing various music video examples as vehicles to deeper social, religious, and cultural understanding. These various music examples are from ancient to current Korean music practices. Historically, Korean music was integrated with dance, literature, art, song, and ceremony. Therefore, music (sound) was not separated from other elements but was essential to daily life, community activities, religious practice, artistic collaboration, costumes, food, and the very soul of the Korean people. Traditional Korean music is imbued with the history of court ritual, folk village stories, and myths, in addition to religious rituals of Confucianism, shamanism, and Buddhism. The music is central to a broad range of cultural, social, and humanitarian aspects of Korean life.



Korean traditional music has been evolving for over 2,000 years, and it is now rapidly moving in many directions with contemporary life and influence from Western culture. Historically, music was created as a group activity by village people oftentimes working with a spiritual leader shaman. Currently, the most acceptable music is created and performed by individual performers as a repertoire for TV programs. In the 21st century, as society changes, Korean music is changing also, with differing values of popular culture brought in through recordings, film, and of course the internet. Young musicians go beyond traditional music and are developing a new repertoire that mixes Western instruments or electronics with various traditional instruments. This is a new Korean identity. Newly created Korean ensembles and bands such as K-pop are successfully beginning to dominate the international music scene. In contrast to the formerly inner-looking "Hermit Kingdom," Korea has now entered into instant global communications with the production of more individual music in various styles.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-MUSC
Identical With: MUSC262, KREA262
Prereq: None

CGST264 Portuguese and the Luso-Brazilian Short Story (CLAC.50)

This course offers students a chance to read and discuss short stories written in Portuguese from around the world (Brazil, Portugal, Mozambique, and Macao). It is open to students with intermediate or advanced Portuguese. Heritage learners and students with native Portuguese, both spoken and written, are also welcome. Assignments will include presentations and written work in Portuguese; assessment will be tailored to each student's language background.



All classroom discussion will be in Portuguese. Readings/films will be discussed weekly, including topics of language and content. Everyone will participate in discussions. Each class will include a short presentation (5-10 minutes) by a student on the week's assignment, including a brief introduction of the text, author, and geographical/historical context. Each student will contribute a discussion question before class on the assignment.
Offering: Host
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-CGST
Prereq: None

CGST265 History of Spanish Cinema for Spanish Speakers (CLAC.50)

Spanish 265 is designed as a discussion section for students who are enrolled simultaneously in SPAN 301 and who have advanced proficiency in Spanish. This half-credit course offers students the opportunity to master the critical vocabulary and tools of film analysis in Spanish.



Weekly student-led discussions will provide students with the unique opportunity to exercise these tools regularly and gain greater fluency in the language. Students will be responsible for the same material included on the SPAN 301 website at: https://span301.site.wesleyan.edu/. Students will submit their assignments in Spanish and contribute weekly posts to a blog set up for SPAN 265.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-RLAN
Identical With: SPAN265
Prereq: None

CGST266 Neotropical Acuatic Ecosystems: Their Importance, Sustainable Use, and Conservation (CLAC 1.0)

(English translation below Spanish text) El curso de Ecosistemas Acuáticos Neotropicales permitirá a los estudiantes buscar información y discusión sobre la diversidad y complejidad de los ambientes acuáticos en la América tropical. Comenzaremos a aprender definiciones, características, distribución y ejemplos de humedales, lagos, ríos y muchos otros hábitats acuáticos en todo el neotrópico. El origen del sistema hidrológico. Evolución de las principales cuencas: Amazonas, Magdalena, Orinoco y Paraná. El Paleo Orinoco-Amazonía: Importancia geológica y biótica. Dinámica geológica. Evidencia geológica y biológica. Hipótesis evolutivas de la fauna piscícola. Evolución del paisaje amazónico como parte del conocimiento para comprender los diversos procesos y patrones de riqueza y distribución de la biodiversidad. Los humedales (sabanas inundadas) de Colombia-Venezuela como ejemplo de humedales neotropicales. El Pantanal brasileño y las llanuras colombo-venezolanas como "áreas de criadero" para la biota acuática y terrestre y su importancia para el mantenimiento de la biodiversidad. Los estudiantes también leerán y buscarán información sobre el Sistema Fluvial Orinoco como ejemplo de estudio. La importancia biótica, el desarrollo sostenible y la conservación. Identificar los factores antrópicos que afectan al sistema. El desarrollo social y económico, y las contribuciones a través de los Programas de Evaluaciones Acuáticas Rápidas (RAP's) como metodología para producir información que permitió proponer áreas para la conservación de la biodiversidad. Terminamos con un análisis de los recursos y la importancia pesquera de las principales cuencas neotropicales: Amazonas, Orinoco y Paraná-Paraguay. Seguridad alimentaria. Ejemplos de ríos en riesgo.



This course will examine why the Orinoco and Amazon basins in South America harbor a biological richness much larger than other river basins around the world. About 50% of all higher plant species of the world are included in these basins. Data on vertebrates showed that about 3,000 freshwater fish species, thousands of birds (migratory and local), and hundreds of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals have been found so far in those basins geographically included in six countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. We will examine the key factors that have affected their historical-geological development, the actual richness, and the threats to sustainable development and conservation. We will ask questions about the nature and interactions of the key factors and agents that harbor and transformed the high ichthyological and other aquatic biota diversity, reflected by the wide range of landscapes and aquatic ecosystems included in those basins. We will try to identify fragile aquatic ecosystems depending upon the biological richness, endemicity, importance for local communities, and potential threats. We will examine the current trends in the fisheries, forest exploitation, and agriculture for human consumption, noting that stocks of many species of fish are in steep decline, and that current fishing practices are not sustainable. Finally, the major impacts and threats faced by the fishes and aquatic ecosystems of the Orinoco River Basin are discussed with the purpose of studying potential plans for sustainable development. The course is presented in a reading/discussion format in which all readings, writings, and discussions will be in Spanish.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: NSM-ENVS
Identical With: ENVS188, LAST260
Prereq: SPAN221

CGST267 Current Environmental Issues in Latin America (CLAC 1.0)

(English translation below Spanish text) Este curso proporcionará información histórica y actual sobre el desarrollo de temas ambientales en América Latina. La información se dividirá en la evaluación del uso del medio ambiente durante los períodos precolombino y colonial (a); y b) período moderno. Se discutirá la organización, estructura y gobernanza del medio ambiente. El desarrollo de políticas públicas, planes de gestión, factores que se deterioran y los posibles usos sostenibles del medio ambiente y sus recursos. Leeremos literatura interdisciplinaria incluyendo: académica, informes, documentos oficiales gubernamentales y proyectos de ONG dedicados al diagnóstico, desarrollo y uso o nuestros recursos en América Latina. Por último, se estudiarán casos particulares de países latinoamericanos como Argentina, Brasil, México, Costa Rica, Perú y Venezuela. El curso se presenta en un formato de lectura/discusión en el que todas las lecturas, escritos y discusiones estarán en español.



This course will provide historical and current information on the development of environmental issues in Latin America. The information will be divided into assessing the use of the environment during (a) pre-Columbian and colonial periods and (b) the modern period. The organization, structure, and governance of the environment will be discussed, as will the development of public policies, management plans, factors that deteriorate, and the potential sustainable uses of the environment and its resources. We will be reading interdisciplinary literature including academic, reports, official governmental documents, and NGOs' projects dedicated to the diagnostic, development, and use of resources in Latin America. Finally, particular cases of Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru, and Venezuela will be studied. The course is presented in a reading/discussion format in which all readings, writings, and discussions will be in Spanish.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: NSM-ENVS
Identical With: ENVS294, LAST290
Prereq: SPAN221

CGST268 Food Security and Environmental Conservation (CLAC 1.0)

(English translation below Spanish text) En este curso los estudiantes investigarán información y discusión sobre la seguridad alimentaria y el uso del medio ambiente en una selección de países de América Latina. Haremos preguntas sobre la base de la producción y disponibilidad de alimentos. También examinaremos la información disponible de las agencias públicas y privadas sobre los programas establecidos por los países para garantizar la seguridad alimentaria de sus habitantes y el uso sostenible y la conservación del medio ambiente. Discutiremos conceptos como: La soberanía alimentaria y la seguridad como un sistema alimentario en el que las personas que producen, distribuyen y consumen alimentos también controlan los mecanismos y políticas de producción y distribución de alimentos; La nutrición como normas mundiales y particulares de consumo de alimentos; La Justicia social relacionada con la accesibilidad de los alimentos; y el derecho humano a una alimentación adecuada y a la libertad del hambre como uno de los objetivos del milenio de las Naciones Unidas. El estudiante revisará casos particulares en América Latina. El curso se presenta en un formato de lectura/discusión en el que todas las lecturas, escritos y discusiones estarán en español.



In this course students will research and discuss food security and the use of the environment in a selection of Latin American countries. We will ask questions about the basis of food production and availability. We will also examine the available information from public and private agencies about programs established by countries to ensure the food security of their inhabitants and the sustainable use and conservation of the environment. We will discuss concepts such as: food sovereignty and security as a food system in which the people who produce, distribute, and consume food also control the mechanisms and policies of food production and distribution; nutrition as a global and particular standard of food consumption; social justice related to the accessibility of food; and the human right to adequate food and freedom from hunger as one of the United Nations' objectives of the millennium. Students will look at particular cases in Latin America. The course is presented in a reading/discussion format in which all readings, writings, and discussions will be in Spanish.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: NSM-ENVS
Identical With: ENVS297, LAST298
Prereq: SPAN221

CGST273 Tatort - Window into Germany (CLAC.50)

Few television shows have become anchored in German cultural discourse as firmly as "Tatort," a weekly crime show produced and broadcast by public television since 1970. Watched by up to 40% of all potential viewers, new episodes are prominently reviewed in major daily newspapers and serve as a focus for discussions about German politics, culture, and society. Episodes have tackled questions of police brutality, immigration, gentrification, and the surveillance state, while also shining a light on Germany's changing conception of itself. Over the years, the show has attracted some of the major directors and actors from German-speaking regions, such as Wolfgang Petersen, Margarethe von Trotta, Dominik Graf, Sibel Kekili, and Götz George. In this course, we will watch current and canonical episodes of the show, using it as a way into discussions about Germany's past, present, and future.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-GRST
Identical With: GRST273
Prereq: GRST212

CGST281 Global Economy: Germany and the World in an Age of Extremes, 1870-1957 (CLAC.50)

This Center for Global Studies discussion course explores the experience of globalization in the German-speaking world from the war of German unification in 1870 to the emergence of the European Community in 1957. It will analyze German imperialism and overseas investment before 1914; the deglobalization of the German economy in the First World War; the problem of reparations and other economic challenges faced by the Weimar Republic; and the impact of global protectionism and the Great Depression, the economic forces allowing the rise of Hitler, the economics of war, and the Nazi "New Order." We will explore the reasons for the ultimate failure of the German war effort and the country's catastrophic destruction and defeat in 1945, as well as Germany's postwar division and occupation as well as the gradual reconstruction and reintegration of the West German economy into a European and global division of labor beginning with the Bizone Agreement and GATT (1947), the Marshall Plan (1948), and the London German External Debt Agreement (1953), culminating in the Treaty of Rome (1957) creating the European Economic Community. The course will be using select German-language historical primary sources to explore this topic, supported by short secondary source narratives in both German and English pitched to intermediate to advanced German speakers/readers. Unlike the parent History lecture class (HIST 280: The Origins of Global Capitalism, 1800-present), this is a discussion course aimed at expanding vocabulary and practicing fluent discussions in the fields of history, politics, and economics.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Identical With: HIST281, GRST350
Prereq: GRST213

CGST283 Venezuela: The Effect of Oil Discovery on People, the Environment, and on Democracy (CLAC 1.0)

(English translation follows below) Este curso examinará los factores clave que han afectado el desarrollo de Venezuela y su entorno desde el período precolonial hasta el presente. Dividiremos la historia de Venezuela en dos períodos críticos: antes y después del descubrimiento de petróleo. Haremos preguntas sobre la naturaleza y las interacciones de los factores y agentes clave que transformaron a Venezuela de una colonia a la de un país económicamente independiente. Al examinar los períodos económicos anteriores y posteriores al petróleo por separado, aprenderemos que los factores clave, como la agricultura, el uso de la tierra y la influencia colonial europea, cambiaron drásticamente, transformando así muchas instituciones sociopolíticas. Los contrastes incluirán la resiliencia y la erradicación de enfermedades, los derechos humanos y la esclavitud, la propiedad de la tierra, la salud humana, los impactos en la biodiversidad y la salud humana, y la protección de las culturas indígenas. En última instancia, examinaremos los factores que han llevado al colapso de la democracia. Leeremos una literatura interdisciplinaria que incluye antropología, religión, sociología, ciencias ambientales, derecho e historia. El curso se presenta en un formato de lectura / discusión en el que todas las lecturas, escritos y discusiones serán en español.



This course will examine the key factors that have affected the development of Venezuela and its environment from the pre-colonial period to the present. We will divide the history of Venezuela into two critical periods: before and after the discovery of oil. We will ask questions about the nature and interactions of the key factors and agents that transformed Venezuela from a colony to that of an economically independent country. By examining the pre- and post-oil economic periods separately, we will learn that the key factors, such as agriculture, land use, and European colonial influence, changed dramatically, thereby transforming many sociopolitical institutions. The contrasts will include resilience to and eradication of diseases, human rights and slavery, land ownership, human health, impacts on biodiversity and human health, and protections of indigenous cultures. Ultimately we will examine the factors that have led to the collapse of democracy. We will read an interdisciplinary literature that includes anthropology, religion, sociology, environmental sciences, law, and history. The course is presented in a reading/discussion format in which all readings, writings, and discussions will be in Spanish.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ENVS
Identical With: ENVS283, LAST383
Prereq: SPAN221

CGST285 Global Hip Hop of the Non-Anglophone World (CLAC .50)

Proficiency in a language other than English is required. Each student will present to the class a single piece of their choice in a non-English language every other week (for a total of five presentations). Presenters will provide the class with written lyrics in both the original language and in English translation. In lieu of analyzing recordings by others, students have the option to compose their own non-English rap songs and record (or perform) them for in-class discussion. The final paper will tie the five presentations together in a single formal document (or website). Class discussion will be in English, but the topics will all be rap lyrics and hip hop/youth culture in the non-Anglophone world.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-MUSC
Identical With: MUSC285
Prereq: None

CGST290 Nietzsche als Versucher (CLAC.50)

The term "Versucher" combines three meanings: (i) a writer of essays, (ii) a maker of experiments and hypotheses, and (iii) a tempter who seductively tests convictions and provokes latent desires. Friedrich Nietzsche draws on all these senses when he proposes "Versucher" as "the not-undangerous name [he] dares to bestow" on the "philosophers of the future"--a coming generation of free spirits who will (finally) be capable of appreciating and continuing his intellectual legacy (Beyond Good and Evil, §42).



This course will interrogate Nietzsche's conception of a philosophical Versucher and examine how this concept might apply to Nietzsche himself: as an experimenter with literary style and genre (including the essay form) and as a polarizing cult figure who has attracted the fascination of generations of teenagers and the most diverse (often diametrically opposed) ideological movements. How is it that Nietzsche inspires such passionate attachment in such radically different readers? What is it about his philosophical style and literary form that cultivates a feeling of intimacy and fierce allegiance while also admitting such aggressively divergent interpretations? To explore these questions, we will read and discuss excerpts from Nietzsche's writings and correspondence alongside texts by his friends and interlocutors--such as Richard Wagner, Paul Rée, and Nietzsche's unrequited paramour, Lou Andreas-Salomé. We will also look at prominent cases of his cultural reception--notably by the Nazi party (due to the influence of Nietzsche's sister, who was a party member) and simultaneously by opponents of totalitarianism such as Robert Musil, Karl Löwith, and Walter Kaufmann.



This course is part of the Fries Center for Global Studies' Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC) initiative. It is taught in German and associated with COL290/PHIL252 "Nietzsche - Science, Psychology, Genealogy," though students can take either course independent of the other. No background in philosophy or literature is required for this course, but advanced-intermediate (B2+) reading and spoken German is a must.
Offering: Host
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-GRST
Identical With: GRST330, COL287, PHIL253
Prereq: None

CGST291 "Sexuality" in the Making: Gender, Law, and the Use of Pleasure in Ancient Greek Culture (CLAC.50)

The parent course (CCIV 281/FGSS 281) examines the construction of gender roles in ancient Greece and approaches gender as an organizing principle of private and public life in ancient Greek society by using literary, scientific, historical, and philosophical sources as well as material evidence. Issues addressed include: the creation of woman, conceptions of the male and female body, the legal status of men and women; what constitutes acceptable sexual practices and for whom (e.g., heterosexual relationships, homoeroticism, prostitution etc.); ideas regarding desire, masculinity and femininity, and their cultivation in social, political, and ritual contexts such as rituals of initiation, marriage, drinking parties (symposia), the law court, and the theater.



The textual sources used in the course cover a spectrum of genres: medical texts, Homer, lyric poetry, tragedy, comedy, law-court speeches, and philosophy among others. In the CLAC connected to this course students with some background in ancient Greek will read selections from these genres and will be able to compare different discourses and registers in the original. In the past, even through brief lexical examples--e.g., pointing at the use of ta Aphrodisia (the things/matters related to Aphrodite) in a culture that has no one term/concept for our notion of "sexuality"--students were intrigued by how different terms and discursive media in the original may offer access to perspectives, visions, and values that differ from and can, in turn, inform our own. The CLAC will create an opportunity precisely for this kind of access and a better informed and nuanced conversation.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS
Identical With: GRK291
Prereq: GRK102

CGST302 Narrating China: Chinese Lab (CLAC.50)

This 0.5 credit course is conducted in Chinese and designed to supplement the standard English-language Narrating China: Introduction to Modern Chinese Literature (CEAS 202) course. It allows students to encounter a selection of modern and contemporary Chinese literary texts in their original Chinese. As the parent course guides students through major literary movements and themes from 20th-century China, students in the CLAC tutorial will read poems, short stories, or excerpts of longer texts from the same periods in the original Chinese. In weekly meetings, students will discuss the readings in Chinese, to delve deeper into their stylistic and linguistic characteristics unobservable in translations.



Both advanced learners of Chinese (fourth-year level or above) and native speakers are welcome. Evaluation is based on students' preparedness, participation, and formal oral presentations, and will be tailored to students' language background. If you are unsure about whether your language background is sufficient for the course, please contact the instructor.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-CEAS
Identical With: CHIN302
Prereq: None

CGST303 Ukraine and Its Environment

International perspectives on environmental issues are critical in order to address the challenges facing the world. Developing an international perspective requires more than learning from printed literature--it requires in-country experience and the desire to be able to view issues through different cultural lenses. This course will provide such experience by learning about the diversity of Ukrainian environments, people, and cultures both in the classroom at Wesleyan and by traveling to Ukraine during Spring Break. During our time in Ukraine we will receive lectures in English from noted scholars, politicians, professors and scientists on topics such as environmental law, global environmental security, urban environment, environmental policy in developing states, and sustainable development for the developing world. We will travel and learn from scientists at Chernobyl about the regeneration of forest ecosystems, learn from agronomists about agriculture on the steppes, and learn from politicians and scholars about Ukrainian environmental policy and their views of U.S. policies. We will also enter into round table discussions with university students to exchange ideas about potential international solutions and approaches to environmental problems. These are just some of the experiences that are planned for our visit. Ukraine, as a pivotal democracy of the former Soviet Bloc, is an amazing place to witness how a nation wrestles with dramatic changes in policy. At the same time Ukraine is culturally diverse, which presents interesting challenges to formulating fair and cohesive policies.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: NSM-ENVS
Identical With: ENVS303
Prereq: ENVS197 OR EES199

CGST304 Urdu Literature and Poetry (CLAC 1.0)

This course is specifically designed for students who have advanced skills in the Urdu language. The syllabus includes readings that range from classic to current traditions. You will read Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza Ghalib, Iqbal, Nasir Kazmi, Sadat Hassan Manto, Ishfaq Ahmad, Bano Qudsia, Abdullah Hussein, and many more. The main goal of the course is to familiarize you with Urdu literary traditions. You will also have opportunities to improve your expository and creative writing skills in Urdu by completing various projects and assignments. Course topics include the development of Urdu, Urdu poetry, and Urdu prose.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Identical With: HIUR303
Prereq: None

CGST305 Global Engagement Capstone Seminar

This is the required capstone seminar for the new global engagement minor. As part of this seminar, GEM students are expected to complete an e-portfolio that will synthesize their experiences from all requirements. The e-portfolio requires students to reflect on their intercultural development, knowledge, and skills gained throughout the GEM program and to interpret intercultural experience from the perspectives of their own and others' worldviews. GEM seniors will present their e-portfolio to other participants and to the advisors of the program.
Offering: Host
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: None
Prereq: CGST205

CGST308Z Dealing with Difference: Intercultural and Multicultural Education

How do students learn about cultural difference in school and college? Multicultural education, intercultural education, international education, global learning, internationalizing the curriculum -- all are terms related to bringing cultural competence into teaching and learning. These different approaches are often in conflict with each other, while ostensibly teaching the same knowledge, skills, and attitudes. In this course, we will trace the histories of multicultural and international education to the present day. We will explore the purposes, theories, practices, and pedagogies associated with these two fields, as well as their intersections, convergences, and divergences. Finally, we will view these fields through a critical lens to reveal their successes and shortcomings, and formulate our own recommendations for the future direction of each -- or both.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Prereq: None

CGST312 Theory and Practice of Torture: From Middle Age to Modern Times

This course is centered around the analysis of the theory and practice of torture during wartime, in prisons, under political dictatorship, and in civil life. It includes examples from visual art, cinema, and literature around the world.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CHUM
Identical With: CHUM312
Prereq: None

CGST316 The Environmental Crisis and Nuclear Testing Narratives in Global Francophone and Arabic Cultures

This interdisciplinary course examines nuclear themes, with a particular focus on nuclear testing as depicted in novels, film documentaries, and poetry within Francophone and Arabic cultures. It emphasizes the profound impact of nuclear testing on human life and the environment. The course analyzes literature in French and English as well as visual materials (photography and films), archival materials, political writings, news articles, and websites. Students must possess reading ability in French and an interest in North African culture.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CHUM
Identical With: CHUM360, ENVS314
Prereq: None

CGST319Z Islamic Spain

IN-PERSON COURSE: 10:00am-noon and 1:00pm-3:00pm, Monday through Friday. Please note: Students should expect some readings and assignments to be due during winter break, prior to the beginning of Winter Session class meetings. Islamic Spain is a history and culture course that deals with Muslims in and in relation to the Iberian Peninsula. The course will not only be limited to the first period spanning roughly over nine centuries (711-1614 CE) but will also cover the area in question from the 17th century to present. The course will be conducted in English but will additionally draw on sources written in other languages which the instructor will translate into English and provide to students for class purposes (mainly French, Spanish, Arabic and German). Syllabi for Winter Session courses will be posted to https://www.wesleyan.edu/wintersession/courses.html as soon as they are available.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Prereq: None

CGST320 La cultura y la historia de la España islamica (CLAC.50)

This course will be taught in Spanish, and spans a timeline between 711 and 1492, i.e., from the date of the conquest/invasion of Iberia by Muslim troops to the fall of Granada and the expulsion of Muslims and Jews from Spain. Before starting discussion of the course material, students will be introduced to Arabic sound and script, as well as some common vocabulary and lexical concepts shared between Spanish and Arabic. This makes sense because Muslim culture and the Arabic language were present in Iberia for the better part of 800 years.



We will discuss not only the main events that took place during the Muslim occupation of parts of Iberia but also the cultural legacy Muslims and Jews left behind in the peninsula after they were expelled in 1492, especially in the realms of art, science, language, architecture, and le savoir-vivre. We will look at the different theories put forth by scholars about the conquest/invasion of the peninsula, in regard to the ease and speed with which the peninsula was overrun by Muslims. We will examine the hereafter and the consequences of the expulsion of Muslims and Jews on the Iberian peninsula as well as the neighboring territories. Finally, we will make a jump to the 21st century and try to connect some dots by looking at the current situation in and around the Strait of Gibraltar, particularly the influx of illegal immigrants from North Africa and sub-Saharan countries, and the ensuing issues.
Offering: Host
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Prereq: None

CGST321 Theatre for Social Change - Taught from Ecuador with Local Participants

This course is taught in Spanish. Students should have Spanish proficiency equivalent to SPAN 112 or higher. This course is designed to lead Wesleyan students and Ecuadorian community counterparts through the process of creating social change by practicing social change. Using exercises and activities that pull from the areas of Theatre of the Oppressed and Performance Activism, as well as traditional theatre tools such as movement and mask-making, we engage challenging concepts and conflicts by dialoguing via our performative work. Our exploration stretches from the theoretical foundations of structural and symbolic oppression to ongoing real-life events related to themes that are selected by the course participants (examples include cultural identity, systemic racism, privilege, power, environmental justice, and gender equality/equity). Each course participant chooses a thematic area and joins a small group with which they will apply learned methods to exploring their theme. Together, Wesleyan students with local counterparts create short virtual theatrical projects to be presented to the whole cohort. Readings cover theory and methods in Applied Theatre, community-based case studies, and articles related to the chosen themes. The readings are contextualized to the diverse lived realities of the course's participants as well as to our globalized society.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Identical With: DANC320
Prereq: None

CGST322 Storying and Re-Storying (Storytelling for Social Change) - Taught from Ecuador w Local Participants

This course is taught in Spanish. Students must have proficiency in Spanish equivalent to SPAN 112. When we consciously appropriate the power of stories to collectively reimagine our world, we turn the word story into a verb. We "story" our world. When our "storying" seeks to transform a system founded on unjust stories, we are "restorying" our world. This course begins with our human ability, and need, to tell stories, examining how we use them for communication, as well as how we become empowered or disenfranchised by them. Based on the realities present in our communities (our local community of place, college campuses, cities, neighborhoods, spiritual communities, etc.), students work with their counterparts, combining theory with practice, to create and tell stories with the goal of identifying shared conflicts and inspiring change. Since stories are told in many ways, the course engages the "telling" through various methods: writing stories and poems, Spoken Word, coloring/drawing, mapmaking, and moving our bodies. In each project, we implement the elements of storytelling, balancing distinct narrative traditions, such as myth and legend, with influences of the modern world. Readings look at a wide array of narrative theory and methods, focusing on storytelling as a form of creating and expressing knowledge. The course concludes with the interweaving of local and international stories into "our stories."
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Identical With: DANC322
Prereq: None

CGST323 Hebrew in the Media: From National Literature to International Films and TV Shows (CLAC 1.0)

This new language course is offered as an enrichment opportunity to students with intermediate or advanced Hebrew skills who are interested in improving all their language skills and/or acquiring additional linguistic and cultural preparation for study abroad in Israel. Cultural activities including participating in the 23rd Annual Contemporary Israeli Voices 2024 and Lunch and Learn meetings with native speakers are part of the course. In addition, special writing workshops with internationally renowned Israeli scholars will be integrated into the course curriculum. The course explores the changes in Israeli society as it moves from national ideological literature to the exploration of new multicultural media such as films and TV shows and thus gaining international fame and inspiring widespread emulation. The course may be repeated for credit. This course is part of Wesleyan's Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC) initiative sponsored by the Center for Global Studies. For more information, please check http://wesleyan.edu/cgs/eventsprograms/clac/index.html.



The course counts toward the minor in Jewish and Israel Studies.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CJST
Identical With: CJST315, HEBR315
Prereq: None

CGST324 Cuban Literature and Film: Imagination, Revolt, and Melancholia

This course surveys the major aesthetic and socio-historical movements in modern and contemporary Cuba. Since the late 19th century, the island of Cuba has been at the center of a number of key epochal disputes: between colonialism and independence, racism and racial justice, neocolonialism and revolution, liberalism and socialism, isolationism and globalization. In the arts, the turn of the century launched a period of great imaginative invention. Considering the singular place of Cuba in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the globe, this course addresses some of the most representative works of Cuban literature and film since independence until the present time. Imagination, revolt, and melancholia are the three concepts that will orient our discussion. Imagination refers both to artistic creation and to the collective capacity of projecting new worlds, utopias, or impossible realities. Revolt, as opposed to revolution, is not restrained to politics as usual but relates rather to a deep experience of discontent and a return (from the Latin revolvere) to ancient psycho-social strata. Finally, melancholia serves as a point of view to understand what happens when history does not live up to emancipatory expectations. Special attention will be given to Afrocubanismo, ethnographic literature, the avant-garde aesthetics of the group Orígenes, Marvelous Realism, testimony, revolution, socialist experimental film, diaspora, the Special Period, and post-Soviet life.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-RLAN
Identical With: SPAN296, COL314, LAST315
Prereq: SPAN221

CGST325 Media in the Arab World: From TV and Film to Social Media (CLAC.50)

Media in the Arab world has undergone significant changes in recent times, with the emergence of new technologies, platforms, and voices across various mediums such as movies, newspapers, magazines, and social media. This course will introduce students to some of the main channels for the communication and expression of information in the Arab world today.



While television remains the most popular source of information - with channels such as Al-Jazeera even having an international audience - access to information has expanded to include online news websites and social media. Social media, in particular, has become an increasingly important source of information, especially among younger generations.



In this course, we will delve into the evolution and impact of media in the Arab world, exploring its role in shaping public opinion, identities, and narratives across different channels. We will look at movies, television series, and social media programs, as well as sources of traditional information, such as newspapers, magazines, and news broadcasts.



This course is open to students studying all levels of Arabic, but is particularly suited to students who have completed Intermediate Arabic as well as native speakers of Arabic.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Identical With: ARAB322
Prereq: None

CGST330 Reading Tolstoy in Russian (CLAC .50)

In this half-credit course, students will read excerpts from works by Lev Tolstoy in Russian. Class will be devoted both to translating the Russian texts and to discussing them in Russian. Non-native speakers should have studied Russian for at least four semesters.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-REES
Identical With: RUSS330, REES330
Prereq: None

CGST331 Love and Suffering in Ancient Rome (CLAC .50)

In this CLAC course, students with some background in ancient Latin will read selections of the extant sources on love and suffering in Roman myth, history, and thought. The sources that we will cover will be drawn from diverse genres and periods: historiography, epic poetry, lyric poetry, and comedy. This diversity will offer a unique opportunity to students to identify and analyze the intersections of age, class, status, gender, and ethnicity and the way they shaped Roman ideology on "love." We will be looking at how cultural practice shapes language, how ideology shapes law, and how literature challenged cultural norms of love and marriage, all the while unpacking and interrogating the Roman belief that love had no place in the citizen life dedicated to serving the state: love produces suffering. In turn, we will reflect on the ideological shift in the last 150 years that has come to dominate "western" beliefs on love and marriage, that is, "all you need is love," over family, friends, and society, despite the obstacles: suffering produces love.



The selections of readings will be drawn primarily from what the students read in translation in the parent course. The final selection will be based on the level of the students. This CLAC is conceived as appropriate for students on the intermediate and advanced level of ancient Latin.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS
Identical With: LAT330
Prereq: LAT102

CGST333 The Cosmos of Dante's Comedy - Medieval Italian Lab (CLAC .50)

This optional lab is dedicated to students who are taking or have taken RL&L 226 (The Cosmos of Dante's Comedy) and want to read and discuss sections of Dante's masterwork in Italian. The lab is designed for upper-intermediate and advanced learners of Italian, but students with reading knowledge of Italian should contact the instructor if they feel this course may be appropriate for them.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-RLAN
Identical With: ITAL333
Prereq: None

CGST334 Exploring Personhood in the 20th and 21st Centuries (CLAC 1.0)

The goal of this course is to provide a thorough examination of the concept of personhood in the 20th century by studying how it has been portrayed and understood in diverse cultural contexts across Arabic, English, and Francophone cultures. Through the use of comparative analysis and an interdisciplinary approach to cultural artifacts--such as works of literature, art, and religious texts as well as current debates around AI and personhood--students will explore how different cultures have approached the question of what it means to be a person and how this has evolved over time. By the end of the course, students will have a deeper comprehension of the various ways in which personhood has been created and perceived throughout different cultural and historical contexts.



The impact of historical occurrences and cultural movements on the construction of personhood, the influence of religion and politics or the fictional writing on conceptions of personhood, the representation of personhood in literature and art, and the emergence of AI as a new frontier in the investigation of personhood are some of the major topics covered in the course. This will open up new discussion topics about posthuman beings and persona status, particularly in science fiction.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CHUM
Identical With: CHUM380, RL&L280
Prereq: None

CGST335 Politics, Revolutions and Visual Culture in the Post-Revolutionary Arab Societies

The course "Politics, Revolutions, and Visual Culture in Post-Revolutionary Arab Societies" critically investigates the interaction of politics, social revolutions, and visual culture in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. This course examines the dynamic interaction between political transformation, revolutionary movements, and the various forms of artistic expression in Arab countries.



Students will delve into the complex interplay between politics and visual culture through a combination of theoretical discussions, case studies, and visual analysis, gaining a nuanced understanding of how images, art, photography, film, and other visual media have shaped and reflected sociopolitical changes in post-revolutionary Arab contexts.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CHUM
Identical With: CHUM382, RL&L382
Prereq: None

CGST340 Identity and "Pacha" (Land-Based Knowledge and Re-imagining Community) - Taught from Ecuador

This course is taught from Ecuador by our study abroad partner, Pachaysana.



According to indigenous Andean scholars, Pacha refers to the time-space continuum, or as the "everything around and inside us." This course asks students to challenge their identities by broadening their epistemological and ontological lenses to see their individual and collective lives as they relate to Pacha. To synthesize this complicated process, we ask participants to examine who they are as related to the ever-changing ecology in which they live. For this course, ecology is approached broadly, referring to the Greek origin on the word oikos, meaning home. We take advantage of our virtual exchange and examine home as an interconnection of how we relate to "place and space," exploring our ecology as the triad of our immediate territory (llakta in Kichwa), our surrounding natural environment (allpa in Kichwa), and our global and pluriversal space (pacha). Throughout the course, we use an interdisciplinary lens to examine "who we are" as related to this diverse understanding of ecology, taking into consideration that our ever-changing environment includes an ever-changing human story. Readings are transdisciplinary, coming from the fields of anthropology, sociology, human geography, gender studies, ethnic studies, history, the arts, and development studies. Toward the end of the course, after examining certain theories and case studies, we will imagine the reconstruction of our identities contextualized to pacha, space, place, ecology, oikos, and home.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Identical With: ANTH250
Prereq: None

CGST341 Critical Interculturality and the Pedagogy of Unlearning

This course is offered by our study abroad partner, Pachaysana, online from their site in Ecuador, with local educators.



An ever-growing number of students, scholars, and activists criticize our educational institutions for upholding colonial structures, and via numerous movements are calling for "decolonization." Any effort to decolonize our education must go well beyond the content of what we teach in the classroom. In addition to what we are learning, we must explore how we learn, where we learn, and with whom we learn. We also must think about what "decolonization" means, taking into consideration the lands on which our campuses and communities are located. This course addresses decolonization through the lens of critical interculturality, referring to Catherine Walsh's critique of multiculturalism as functional or relational interculturality. Bringing in readings from Indigenous and Latin American scholars and taking part in workshops facilitated by local Ecuadorian community members, we will use interactive methods to explore some of the most challenging concepts related to decolonization, including "decolonization is not a metaphor," epistemic justice, border thinking, and embodied methodologies. Those concepts will then be examined with regards to the realities on our college campuses and our communities, and we will begin to dream about moving from the "functional" to the "critical." By the end of the course, informed by the readings and interactions with community-based educators in Ecuador, students will formulate clear questions and identify potential strategies for applying critical interculturality at their college campuses.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Identical With: ANTH241
Prereq: None

CGST350 Twentieth-Century Russian Poetry (CLAC .50)

Taught in Russian, this course is dedicated to the reading of 20th-century Russian poetry in the original (Blok, Mayakovsky, Mandesltam, Akhmatova, Brodsky, Prigov, etc.). The course is appropriate for native speakers, heritage speakers, advanced and intermediate learners (with the minimum of four semesters of Russian).
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: HA-REES
Identical With: RUSS350, REES350
Prereq: RUSS202

CGST352 The Communist Experience in the Soviet Union (CLAC.50)

Like the parent course, HIST353: The Communist Experience in the 20th Century, this CLAC course will engage with the problem of experience through a series of themes: subjectivity; engaging in the political process of building socialism; aesthetics; travel and tourism; East and West; race and ethnicity; production and consumption; time and space; political engagement and disengagement; science and technology; and emotions. We will work with sources from oral histories, diaries, film, television, and the press. The final project would involve a close reading and paper on a theme covered in class using both primary and preapproved secondary sources in Russian. The student language background appropriate for this class is (preferably advanced) intermediate to native.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-HIST
Identical With: HIST352, REES352
Prereq: None

CGST380 Arabic in Translation: Arabic-English & vice versa (CLAC.50)

This course is aimed at introducing students of Arabic, who are already advanced in the Arabic language and have a decent command of it, to the art of translation--namely, translation between Arabic and English. After an overview of translation concepts and techniques, we will study and tackle samples from news media, literature, publicity announcements, novels, and a wide range of actual translation assignments. The course will be conducted in Arabic, except for the parts where English has to be used as part of the translation processes.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Identical With: ARAB380
Prereq: None

CGST381 Arabic Calligraphy (CLAC.50)

This course caters to students with an interest in Arab culture, offering hands-on workshops to acquire basic skills in various Arabic calligraphy styles using classical materials (qalam, pen, ink, brush). In addition to practical sessions, the course provides a historical perspective on calligraphy, showcasing examples from the Middle East and North Africa. The instructor, who is experienced in creating calligraphic art, will guide students through the intricate world of Arabic calligraphy.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-CGST
Identical With: ARAB381
Prereq: None

CGST412 Group Tutorial, Undergraduate

Topic to be arranged in consultation with the tutor.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT

CGST413 Israeli Cinema (CLAC 1.0)

This Hebrew course will be linked to the film course, taught in English, entitled CJST 250: Eyes Wide Shut: The Eternal Presence of the Absent Arab in Israeli Cinema. This course is targeted toward students with very advanced knowledge of the Hebrew language. Students will mostly view the same films as the parent class, with special attention to the Hebrew language. We will analyze, discuss, and write on each of the films. The focus of the course will be to map the cultural and social changes in Israeli society reflected in the transformation in format and themes of Israeli films. Scholar visits will be part of the course, and students will attend a few cultural enrichment activities. This course may be repeated for credit. This course is part of Wesleyan's Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC) initiative; for more information, see https://www.wesleyan.edu/cgs/eventsprograms/clac/index.html.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CJST, SBS-CJST
Identical With: CJST413, HEBR413
Prereq: None

CGST414 Israeli Cinema (CLAC 1.0)

This most advanced Hebrew course can be taken either as a language enrichment course to the parent course, CJS223: Israeli Women Filmmakers and Israeli Society, or taken by itself independently as an advanced Hebrew course. The focus of the course will be studying films made by female filmmakers. Students will analyze, discuss, and write on the films with special attention to mapping the cultural and social changes in Israeli society as well as changes in films' formats and themes. Conversing in Hebrew with Israeli film directors and scholars during Lunch and Learn Meetings as well as attending the screening of films in Hebrew in the 18th Annual Ring Family Wesleyan University Israeli Film Festival and writing reflective papers on films will provide a cultural and social framework for the course. In addition, the course will include special workshops delivered by renowned Israeli filmmakers and scholars. The course may be repeated for credit. This course is part of Wesleyan's Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC) initiative sponsored by the Center for Global Studies. For more information, please check http://wesleyan.edu/cgs/eventsprograms/clac/index.html.



The course counts towards the Minor in Jewish and Israel Studies
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CJST, SBS-CJST
Identical With: CJST414, HEBR414
Prereq: None

CGST419 Student Forum

Student-run group tutorial, sponsored by a faculty member and approved by the chair of a department or program.
Offering: Host
Grading: Cr/U

CGST420 Student Forum

Student-run group tutorial, sponsored by a faculty member and approved by the chair of a department or program.
Offering: Host
Grading: Cr/U

CGST480 Engaged Projects

Engaged Projects (EPs) are rigorous, self-designed endeavors in which a student studies a topic of their choice and completes a final project intended for a non-academic audience. Students are encouraged but not required to select a topic that is connected to another class or their major. Final projects can take the form of blogs, videos, a website, or other media; a work of art, an event, a workshop, a presentation, or panel; a policy proposal or analysis; a white paper or op-ed series; a business plan; and/or any other piece(s) thoughtfully designed for the public.



EP students will develop a self-directed research and project plan. They must enlist an EP Sponsor who will serve in an advisory/mentor role; Sponsors can be Wesleyan faculty, staff, alumni, or community partners; family members or friends; or other experts or professionals willing to play this role. Seeking and enlisting an appropriate Sponsor is a component of the EP learning experience.



In addition to conducting their own extensive research and producing a summative project by the end of the semester, students will write a series of reflections to document their progress and their learning.



For more information, visit https://www.wesleyan.edu/patricelli/engaged-projects.html.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: None
Identical With: CSPL480
Prereq: None

CGST491 Teaching Apprentice Tutorial

The teaching apprentice program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to assist in teaching a faculty member's course for academic credit.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT

CGST492 Teaching Apprentice Tutorial

The teaching apprentice program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to assist in teaching a faculty member's course for academic credit.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT

CGST497A Introduction to Portuguese and the Azores (CLAC .25)

This course will be an introduction to Portuguese/Azorean history and geography. It will include an introduction to Portuguese pronunciation, greetings, basic expressions, food, weather, and vocabulary related to the geology and culture of the islands.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.25
Gen Ed Area: NSM-EES
Identical With: E&ES497A
Prereq: E&ES497