Winter Study Courses 1998
WINTER STUDY PROGRAM REMINDERS ABOUT WSP REGISTRATION All students who will be on campus during the 1997-98 academic year must register for WSP. Registration will take place in the early part of fall semester. If you are registered for a senior thesis in the fall which must be continued through Winter Study by departmental rules, you will be registered for your Winter Study Project automatically. In every other case, you must complete registration. First-year students are required to participate in a Winter Study that will take place on campus; they are not allowed to do 99's. Even if you plan to take a 99, or the instructor of your first choice accepts you during the registration period, there are many things that can happen between registration and the beginning of Winter Study to upset your first choice, so you must list five choices. You should try to make one of your choices a project with a larger enrollment, not that it will guarantee you a project, but it will increase your chances. If you think your time may be restricted in any way (ski meets, interviews, etc.), clear these restrictions with the instructor before signing up for his/her project. Remember, for cross-listed projects, you should sign up for the subject you want to appear on your record. For many beginning language courses, you are required to take the WSP Sustaining Program in addition to your regular project. You will be automatically enrolled in this Sustaining Program, so no one should list this as a choice. The grade of honors is reserved for outstanding or exceptional work. Individual instructors may specify minimum standards for the grade, but normally, fewer than one out of ten students will qualify. A grade of pass means the student has performed satisfactorily. A grade of perfunctory pass signifies that a student's work has been significantly lacking but is just adequate to deserve a pass. If you have any questions about a project, see the instructor before you register. Finally, all work for WSP must be completed and submitted to the instructor no later than Thursday, January 29th. Only the Dean can grant an extension beyond this date. WINTER STUDY 99'S Sophomores, juniors and seniors are eligible to propose "99's," independent projects arranged with faculty sponsors, conducted in lieu of regular Winter Study courses. Perhaps you have encountered an interesting idea in one of your courses which you would like to study in more depth, or you may have an interest not covered in the regular curriculum. In recent years students have undertaken in-depth studies of particular literary works, interned in government offices, assisted in foreign and domestic medical clinics, conducted field work in economics in developing countries, and given performances illustrating the history of American dance. Although some 99's involve travel away from campus, there are many opportunities to pursue intellectual or artistic goals here in Williamstown. 99 forms are available in the Registrar's Office. The deadline for submitting the proposals to faculty sponsors is Thursday, 25 September. AFRICAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES AMES 025 From the Classical to the Islamic Worlds in Jordan and Syria (Same as Religion 025) (See under Religion for full description.) AMES 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by candidates for honors by the thesis route in African and Middle Eastern Studies. AFRO-AMERICAN STUDIES AAS 030 Senior Project To be taken by students registered for Afro-American Studies 491 who are candidates for honors. AMERICAN STUDIES AMST 010 American Catholicism in the Novels of Andrew Greeley (Same as History 010) (See under History for full description.) AMST 015 "Look! Up in the Sky!": The Comic Book Superhero in American Popular Culture, 1938-1988 (Same as History 015) (See under History for full description.) AMST 016 "Once Upon a Time:" American History through Historical Fiction (Same as History 016) (See under History for full description.) AMST 017 Singing School: Popular Protestant American Religious Music (Same as Music 017 and Special 017) (See under Special for full description.) AMST 030 Senior Honors Project To be taken by students registered for American Studies 491 or 492. ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY ANTHROPOLOGY ANTH 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Anthropology 493-494. SOCIOLOGY SOC 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Sociology 493-494. ART ARTH 010 Chinese Calligraphy: Theory and Practice This course will offer students an opportunity to acquire
an understanding of the theoretical and aesthetic principles of Chinese
calligraphy as one of the highest art forms in China practiced by the
literati. We will also look into the relationship between Chinese painting
and calligraphy from various perspectives: artistic theories, techniques,
and the practice of inscribing painting in China. Technical instruction
will be included in this class. JANG ARTH 011 Exhibitionism: The Naked Truth About Art Exhibitions What exactly is put on public display in an art exhibition?
Is it cultural spectacle or personal polemic? Who is the auteur: the artist
or the curator? These and other issues of exhibition theory and practice
will be discussed in regard to real and hypothetical examples. In addition
to dissecting exhibitions at WCMA and the Clark (and consulting with their
curators), the class will study historically significant events such as
the Impressionist exhibitions and the Armory Show. Two trips to New York
will allow critiques of shows currently on view there and discussions
with New York curators. Projects will include writing reviews and inventing
various types of exhibitions. In addition, the group will propose an actual
exhibition for a small gallery in WCMA. The class will meet two hours,
two or three times a week, plus two day-trips to New York. NANCY MOWLL MATHEWS (Instructor) Nancy Mowll Mathews has organized over fifty art exhibitions and published eight books investigating various aspects of European and American modernism. She has her Ph.D. in art history from NYU's Institute of Fine Arts and was formerly Associate Professor at Randolph-Macon Women's College. She is Eugenie Prendergast Curator in the Williams College Museum of Art and teaches in the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art. ARTH 012 Arts in Pharonic Egypt The course is a study of the origins and developments
in Egyptian major arts and architecture from the start of the Pharonic
era until the time of the Romans. Considerable attention will also be
paid to the "minor arts" such as small sculpture, jewelry, and other important
crafts, as independent works and their relationship in style and intent
to the major sculpture and painting of their day. However, unlike many
Egyptian art courses, it will not limit itself to a study of the arts
per sé but will attempt to see them in the larger context of the
culture, country, personages, and beliefs that created and modified them.
This will include some attention to geology, geography, climatology, politics,
historical events, and religion, all necessary to present the arts in
their proper context as highly integrated parts of the civilization and
not standing alone. LENORE CONGDON (Instructor) Lenore Congdon, Ph.D. in Art History from Harvard, has lectured on Egyptian art and culture at Williams as well as other colleges and museums in New England. A member of the International Association of Egyptologists and The American Research Center in Egypt, Dr. Congdon has traveled and photographed extensively in Egypt. ARTH 014 Nearby Campuses Arguably the most complex site designs hereabouts, often
involving many buildings and even hundreds of acres, are those "institutional"
complexes involving education, although in Albany there are, as well,
at least two office campuses (one of the public and the other of the private
sector), and, near Troy, an industrial park campus. The purpose of this
course is to study, during each week, these multi-building sites, both
through one day of classroom discussions on readings and through two days
of site visits, should the weather cooperate. That means, during the three-and-half
week Winter Study Period, we may visit some eight (or so) campuses which
should represent the spectrum of regional examples, among which could
be: a 1960s and a 1980s office as well as industrial campus; a large public
university; boarding schools on a "green field" site and on a converted
estate; a community (commuters') college; a private residential college;
a campus in an older downtown setting; and a campus founded two centuries
ago. The site visits will be directed to how such problems as circulation,
utilities (and new technologies), building interrelationships and functions,
fund-raising campaigns, historic preservation, open space, and interactions
with adjacent environments have been historically solved. We should encounter
engineers, architects, maintenance staff, faculty and students, administrators
such as treasures, and others creating or using these spaces. A final
paper should compare a (distant?) campus of one's own choosing with the
panoply of reading and regional examples proffered in this course. SATTERTHWAITE ART HISTORY ARTH 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for ArtH 493, 494. ARTH 033 Honors Independent Study To be taken by candidates for honors by the independent study route. ART STUDIO ARTS 010 Icon Painting (Same as Russian 010) (See under Russian for full description.) ARTS 011 Non-Traditional Drawing The definition of what constitutes drawing and how drawing
is made has broadened tremendously in recent history. Many artists today,
such as Donald Sultan, and Nancy Spero use a wide variety of previously
unrecognized methods and materials to create their work. JANE MASTERS (Instructor) Jane Masters is an artist who makes drawings and sculptures. She lives and works between Bennington, VT and New York City. She received her MFA from San Diego, CA, and has exhibited throughout the country. ARTS 013 Site-Specific Art This course will introduce the student to environmental
art and site-specific installations. Topics covered will include the history
and development of environmental work from the Constructivists through
present day artists, performance art in relation to environmental work
including Happenings, basic art making concepts (Including repetition,
direction, biomorphism), and the use of traditional and non-traditional
materials. Discussions will include the place of installation art in the
contemporary art world and in art history. A brief and basic introduction
to methods and materials will lead quickly into a first assignment of
a small classroom installation (1'x1'x1'). Students will spend the remainder
of the time developing a larger scale site-specific project of a personal
nature. RAY NEUFELD '91 (Instructor) Ray Neufeld '91 has exhibited his sculptural installations and drawings at galleries and museums from New York to Oregon. In addition he has worked on scenic and lighting design for theater and television. ARTS 015 The Photo Essay This course is designed to be a "hands on" exploration
of this uniquely photographic narrative form. By way of introduction,
the class will cover the evolution and history of the photo essay in this
century, citing some of the profound social and cultural impacts it has
had. The work of notable photographers such as W. Eugene Smith, Dorothea
Lange, and other will be reviewed for inspiration and technique. JOHN S. SEAKWOOD '71 (Instructor) John Seakwood '71 is a widely published professional photographer with twenty years experience. ARTS 033 Honors Independent Project Independent study to be taken by candidates for honors in Art Studio. ASIAN STUDIES ASST 010 The Path to Bliss (Same as Religion 010) This course introduces students to Buddhist thought
both by comparing various Tibetan works such as The Path to Bliss, a meditation
manual written by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, and by daily
early morning meditation sessions. Our aim will be to provide a survey
of Buddhist methods that are used to develop detachment, love, compassion
and insight into the nature of reality. JOSHUA and DIANE CUTLER (Instructors) Joshua and Diane Cutler are the Executive Director and the Associate Director of the Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center in Washington, New Jersey. ASST 012 Chinese Popular Culture How do the Chinese celebrate? Through readings, discussions
and practical "hands on" experience we will explore how Chinese have traditionally
celebrated popular holidays and religious festivals. Topics will include
the religious and cultural meanings of the various festivals, regional
differences in how holidays are celebrated, the roles of different members
of the traditional Chinese family, the preparation (and eating!) of festival
foods, calligraphy and taiji exercises. CHEN ASST 026 Poly-Japan: Cultural Diversity in Contemporary Japan (Same as Religion 026) The travel course aims to introduce the students to
the complexity of contemporary Japanese culture beyond stereotypes and
simplification. Complexity will be experienced in four main different
arenas: (i) locality, (ii) cultural production, (iii) lifestyles, and
(iv) intercultural communication. We will sojourn in three well distinct
cultural/geographical areas of Japan: the Tokyo region in western Japan
(11 days), the Kansai region in central Japan (5 days), and Okinawa in
the south (5 days). We will be able to familiarize ourselves with several
aspects of culture and lifestyle in those areas. Particular attention
will be devoted to museums, performing arts, temples and other historical
sites, cuisine, dialectal differences (for the students of Japanese),
political and economic issues. Meetings will be organized with Japanese
university students to exchange ideas and impressions and promote intercultural
understanding. Students will be required to observe carefully the Japanese
cultural reality, formulate questions, and express their impressions in
a journal that will be used for final grading. RAMBELLI ASST 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by all students who are candidates for honors in Asian Studies. CHINESE CHIN S.P. Sustaining Program for Chinese 101-102 Students registered for Chinese 101-102 are required
to attend and pass the Chinese Sustaining Program. Classes meet Mondays,
Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00-9:50 a.m. TENG, YANG JAPANESE JAPN S.P. Sustaining Program for Japanese 101-102 Students registered for Japanese 101-102 are required
to attend and pass the Japanese Sustaining Program. Classes meet Mondays,
Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00-9:50 a.m. KUWAI ASTRONOMY ASTR 016 Observational Astronomy This course, meant for non-majors, will focus on the
most basic aspects of astronomy and will be observing-intensive, taking
full advantage of various telescopes housed on the Williams College observing
deck. Topics to be covered will include the constellations and night sky
in general, planets, the moon, the sun, stars, and galaxies. Study of
these topics will require a mix of both day and night class sessions during
which students will be required to make observations using binoculars,
telescopes, and the naked eye. Student observations will be recorded in
drawings, notes, and computer printouts and/or photographs. S. Martin (Instructor) Stephan Martin, the Department's Observatory Supervisor/Instructor, received his B.A. in Physics and Astronomy from Colgate in 1989, and his M.A. in Physics from the University of Wyoming in 1993. Prior to coming to Williams, he worked as a Data Analyst at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. ASPH 031 Senior Research To be taken by students registered for Astrophysics 493, 494. ASTR 031 Senior Research To be taken by students registered for Astronomy 493, 494. BIOLOGY BIOL 010 Polish Cultural Heritage We will examine the identity of the Polish people through
study of their history, cooking, folkart, and literature. Class will begin
with reading and discussion of major events in Polish history. Participants
in the course will then prepare and consume four traditional Polish meals.
We will try our hands at making intricately decorated Easter eggs, straw
ornaments, and paper cutouts. We will also read and discuss a translation
of one of the pivotal pieces of Polish literature, Pan Tadeusz. Students
are expected to provide their own transportation to my kitchen which is
about 1.5 miles from campus. LASKOWSKI BIOL 011 Organisms with a B.A. Attitude Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! Or maybe ravens, slugs,
and orchids. Whatever organism you think is the neatest, this is your
chance to sing its praises! This course will celebrate various organisms
featured in a variety of liberal arts disciplines--in literature, film,
history, economics, etc. During the first few weeks as a class we'll look
at a representative or two from each of the following groups: viruses
and bacteria, insects, and plants. Each will be explored from the perspective
of natural science, social science, and the humanities. For example, a
presentation on cockroaches might combine readings from the book The cockroaches
of Stay More by Donald Harington with a discussion of the evolutionary
and social history of cockroaches. We might examine the genetic basis
for kernel color in Indian corn, explore the plant's domestication in
the New World, and cuisines that feature Zea mays. Each student will choose
his/her favorite organism to research, incorporating and integrating all
three liberal arts perspectives into his/her study. The results of that
exploration will be submitted as a 10-page paper. In addition, each student
will produce a piece of original work (for ex., a scientific experiment,
a video project, or a piece of creative writing) centered around their
chosen organism. During the last week of classes each student will share
the major accomplishments of his/her multifaceted organism with the rest
of the class in a brief class presentation. ALTSCHULER BIOL 012 Medical Ethics (Same as Special 012) This course will examine contemporary issues in medical
ethics. The first type of issue that we will discuss regards decisions
that are made in the practice of medicine. For example, a current topic
of great interest in this area is whether physicians should help a terminally
ill patients end their own lives. Another example of this type of issue
is whether a genetic counselor should perform a test to allow parents
to learn the sex of their fetus, knowing that the parents will abort if
the fetus is of a particular sex. A second type of ethical issue that
we will investigate includes larger social issues related to health care.
For example, should we ration the use of expensive medical technologies
so that we can provide some minimal level of basic medical services for
all of our citizens? Also, global problems such as AIDS will be examined;
if expensive protease inhibitors prove to be effective treatment for HIV
infection and AIDS, what are our obligations to the 90% of AIDS patients
who live in developing countries? Finally, future problems such as what
to do about the potential for cloning humans will be examined. In discussing
these and other issues, we will attempt to understand the moral reasons
underlying opposing positions. A major goal of the course is to help participants
not only understand these difficult issues but also to develop their own
reflections whenever possible. MATTHEW ISSAC FOGG (Instructor) Matt Fogg is a third year medical student at New York University where he recently completed the Arthur Zitrin Fellowship in Medical Ethics. BIOL 013 Exercise Physiology, Diet, and Metabolism This course will consider some of the complex interactions
between diet, exercise, and the body's metabolism. A partial list of topics
include: how different types of food are used in the body; how training
influence metabolism; how metabolism influences performance; muscle metabolism
during exercise; and long-term considerations of diet and health. The
student can evaluate his/her exercise performance in the laboratory. S. SWOAP BIOL 014 Evolutionary Medicine While the practice of medicine in the 50s and 60s was
characterized by great optimism, that of the 80s and 90s is becoming increasingly
pessimistic. Many diseases which should have been conquered are on the
rise and frightening new ones keep appearing. Is there a fundamental failure
in our approach to medicine? We will take an evolutionary and ecological
perspective on this problem, considering the origins and potential treatments
for various diseases in this light. The list of diseases we will consider
includes various viral and bacterial infections (e.g. AIDS, Lyme disease,
tuberculosis), skin and breast cancer, autoimmunity, diabetes, malaria,
asthma, and prion based diseases. Class will meet three times per week
and will be a combination of lecture and discussion. This course should
be of interest to both the committed pre-med and the medically curious,
so there is no prerequisite. Basics in evolution, ecology, and biology
will be covered, at the same time that the potential for very sophisticated
analysis of each disease. LEE VENOLIA (Instructor) The instructor is a former Assistant Professor in the Biology Department and is trained in genetics. BIOL 015 Natural History of the Berkshires (Same as Environmental Studies 015) We are fortunate in Williamstown to be surrounded by
a variety of natural areas. In this course we will explore some of these
natural areas, and study the natural history of the plants and animals
that inhabit them. We will take field trips to a variety of sites to gain
an appreciation for the diversity of natural communities that occur near
Williamstown. Students will become familiar with common plants and will
learn to identify them in winter. We will not neglect animals, although
they are harder to observe. Students will learn to identify animal tracks
and will look for overwintering insects. In addition, some field trips
will be devoted to learning about birds. We will also consider how the
climate, topography, and human uses of each site have shaped the ecological
community, and discuss the adaptations that allow local animals and plants
to survive New England's winters. The course will consist primarily of
field trips, so students should be prepared to spend time outside. Snowshoes
will be used if necessary. MEYER BIOL 016 Moon Farm Video (Same as Environmental Studies 016) The New England landscape is an ever-changing tapestry
that is the product of physical, biological, and historical factors. One
representative bit of this mosaic is the 60-acre Moon Lot nestled in the
center of the Hopkins Memorial Forest. A subsistence farm from the Eighteenth
Century until the mid-1950s, the Moon Farm was the subject of a 12-minute
16mm black-and-white film made by a WSP course in January, 1973. Since
that time, the Moon Barn has been relocated to the entrance of the Hopkins
Forest, woodlands have reclaimed much of the site, and media technology
has undergone important changes. The objective of this course is to analyze
and document the changes that have occurred on the site over the past
quarter-century. The original film will be transferred to sVHS video format
and new video footage will be taken and edited to produce a half-hour
video interpreting the continued changes in the land as exemplified by
the Moon Lot. ART BIOL 017 Outbreak: Viruses and Culture The popular press would have us believe that the AIDS
pandemic is a unique example of a viral pathogen causing cultural, political,
and behavioral changes in society. In fact, infectious diseases and viral
epidemics have impacted society throughout recorded history. This course
will examine the intersection of infectious disease and society. The basic
biology of viruses will be covered in context of examining the impact
of viruses on human history and politics. The current interest in emerging
viruses will also be examined with a focus on the social, economic, ecological,
and cultural factors which induce episodes of novels to see how the representation
of infectious diseases has evolved. How viruses have been portrayed by
the entertainment industry, in both the print and film media, will be
considered for their accuracy and intent. Roseman BIOL 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Biology 493, 494. CHEMISTRY CHEM 010 Structure Determination with Advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Techniques This course will introduce intermediate-level students
of chemistry to advanced techniques in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
spectrometer operation that are employed in modern molecular structure
analysis. Topics covered in the course will include basic spectrometer
architecture, the fundamentals of NMR theory, spin-spin coupling interactions,
simple decoupling experiments, simple multinuclear applications, and multipulse
sequence experiments. Special emphasis will be placed on powerful "one-dimensional"
and "two-dimensional" analysis techniques, including (1D): Distortionless
Enhancement by Polarization Transfer (DEPT) and Nuclear Overhauser (NOE)
difference spectra and (2D): H,H Correlation Spectroscopy ("H,H, COSY")
and H,C COSY and C,C COSY ("2D INADEQUATE"). Class members will be trained
in the operation of the Chemistry Department's new NMR console and data
station and problem sets and the final class project will be carried out
on this instrumentation. A command of introductory organic chemistry will
be required. RICHARDSON CHEM 011 Science for Kids (Same as Environmental Studies 011 and Special 011) (See under Special for full description.) CHEM 012 Applying the Scientific Method to Archaeology and Paleoanthropology Archaeological studies, which consider the human impact
on the environment, can include materials as recent as nineteenth-century
glass, or as old as stone tools from hundreds of thousands of years ago.
And paleoanthropology, the study of early human remains, covers materials
that are millions of years old. Natural science can answer a wide variety
of questions for researchers in the field, not just how old an object
is, but also where, how, and sometimes why an object was made. These answers
in turn tell us about patterns of human development and settlement, and
also help us distinguish forgeries from genuine artifacts. ANNE SKINNER (Instructor) Anne Skinner is a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Williams. CHEM 013 Genetics and Disease: the Biology, Psychology, and Ethics of Genetic Testing (Same as Psychology 013 and Special 013) How much of a role do your genes play in disease? What
is genetic testing? What are the social and public policy issues surrounding
genetic testing? This course will provide current information on how disease-related
genes are identified, the availability and reliability of genetic tests,
and the actual testing methods in current use. We will consider the contribution
of genetic predisposition toward illness compared with other known risk
factors, including behavior, personality, and stress. We will also discuss
the myriad ethical, moral and economic issues that surround genetic testing
and counseling. With the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2005,
decisions regarding who will be tested and who will have access to this
information will be addressed by both judicial and legislative bodies.
Our goal for this course is to supply you with sufficient scientific information
and theoretical perspective that you will be able to make significant
contributions to the coming public discussion of these complex issues. FRIEDMAN and WEISS CHEM 014 EMT Training Course A course designed to prepare students for the Massachusetts
EMT exam and to provide training to become MA-certified Emergency Medical
Technicians. This is a time-intensive course involving 100 hours of class
plus 10 hours of emergency room and ambulance work. Students will learn,
among other skills, basic life support techniques, patient assessment
techniques, safe transportation and mobilization skills, as well as the
treatment of various medical emergencies, including shock, bleeding, soft-tissue
injuries, and child birth. KEVIN GARVEY (Instructor) Kevin Garvey is a Massachusetts state and nationally approved EMT-I (Intermediate) and an EMT-IC (Instructor-coordinator). He has been involved with Emergency Medical Service for 15-20 years. Mr. Garvey currently works as an EMT-I at Village Ambulance, Williamstown, and is also an EMT training instructor at Greenfield Community College. CHEM 018 How to Brew Beer (Same as Special 018) An introduction to the basics of brewing beer, this
course is designed to increase your appreciation of the art of brewing.
Equipment, ingredients, and methodology will be discussed in detail and
used in practice. Students will learn clean brewing techniques and brew
one small batch of beer. Other topics covered in the course will include
the history, chemistry, and politics of brewing beer. In addition to brewing,
we will spend time learning to evaluate critically some of the major varieties
of beer. MARK NUTCHER and DAVID BACKUS (Instructors) Mark Nutcher has a B.S. from the University of Oregon and an M.A. from the University of Colorado. David Backus has a B.A. from Haverford College and expects his Ph.D. in Summer 1997 from the University of Washington, Seattle. CHEM 022 Introduction to Scientific Research An experimental project will be carried out under the
supervision of a member of the Department in fields such as biochemistry,
inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, or physical chemistry. LOVETT CHEM 031 Senior Research and Thesis To be taken by students registered for Chemistry 493, 494. CLASSICS CLAS 010 Ovid's Metamorphoses One of the most delightful and influential of all the
authors of Classical Antiquity was Ovid. His vast compendium of classical
mythology, the Metamorphoses, contains the versions of Greek and Roman
myths that are the most familiar to us. And when we look at a painting
or sculpture of a mythological scene a primary source is almost invariably
Ovid. Shakespeare knew his Ovid well, and until the Romantic Era Ovid
was regarded among the most important classical authors. The Metamorphoses
was read for the sheer joy of its pagan wit and narrative skill, as an
allegory of Christian virtues, and even as foreshadowing the New Testament. FUQUA CLAS 013 Biblical Hebrew in a Month (Same as Religion 013) This course will enable students to read the Bible in
the original Hebrew in a fast, fun, and focused way. Topics include the
difference between BeGeD-KeFeT, BuMaF, K'MiNPaTS, and the Throaty Five.
Meet sentences without verbs, the extra pronoun, and word pairs. Discover
a word's three letter root and explore the mysteries of the Shwa and Dagesh.
Learn the seven `buildings' of the Hebrew verb and find the missing letters.
In addition to this intensive study of Hebrew vocabulary and grammar,
attention will also be given to the polyvalence of biblical discourse.
The paratactic and terse character of the TaNaKH produce narratives tantalizingly
`fraught with background' that virtually cry out to the reader `interpret
me'. Thus by the end of the course students will have read the Book of
Ruth with an understanding of both biblical language and biblical style. KRAUS CLAS 031 Senior Thesis May be taken by students registered for Classics 493, 494. COMPUTER SCIENCE CSCI 010 Introduction to Computer Music and Sound Generation This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of
digital sound generation and manipulation, specifically techniques used
in music. The lectures will provide an overview of the physics and psychophysics
of sound, its digital representation, and mathematical manipulation. Following
this, we will examine various techniques for processing and synthesizing
sound, and see how these techniques have actually been implemented in
"state of the art" synthesizers over the past 20 years. Sachs CSCI 012 How to Solve it: The Mathematics of Puzzles and Games (Same as Mathematics 012) (See under Mathematics for full description.) CSCI 020 Computer Animation 1998 In this course, students will learn the fundamental
issues facing animators in the fast lane of today's high-end special effects
field through hands-on experience under the direction of some of the most
talented animators in the business, the Kleiser-Walczak Construction Co.,
a computer graphics firm specializing in high-end database construction
and human figure animation. They developed and own a system for the creation
of computer generated actors called "Synthespians" which has been demonstrated
in experimental films "Nestor Sextone for President" (1988) and "Don't
Touch Me" (1990). They have also worked for PBS and CBS and their feature
film work includes "Honey I Blew Up the Kids," "The Pickle," "Stargate,"
"Clear and Present Danger" and "Judge Dredd." They have also worked on
special effects attractions for the Luxor Hotel and for Disney Theme Parks. Jeff Kleiser (Instructor) Jeff Kleiser is co-founder of Kleiser-Walczak Construction Co., a computer graphics firm specializing in high-end database construction and human figure animation. His work has appeared in many feature films and in numerous broadcast and commercial projects. Recent examples include work on the films Judge Dredd and Stargate, animated sequences in the PBS series The Astronomers and special effects attractions for the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. CSCI 030 Senior Project To be taken by candidates for honors in Computer Science via a route other than the thesis route. CSCI 031 Senior Honor Thesis To be taken by students registered for Computer Science 493-494. CONTRACT MAJOR CMAJ 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Contract Major 493, 494. ECONOMICS ECON 010 Agriculture and Sustainable Development This is a graduate WSP offered at the Center for Development
Economics. Agriculture policy makers in many developing countries face
numerous dilemmas as they seek to meet the goals of producing food, earning
hard currency through exports, generating income for the rural poor, and
protecting land, water, forest, and wildlife resources. This class will
examine the ways in which the goals of agricultural policy can coincide
and conflict. We will pay special attention to the relationship between
agricultural production and environmental protection. When and why does
agricultural production lead to land clearing, diversion of water resources,
and overuse of chemicals? When does agricultural development lead to improved
use of resources? What role can and should policy makers play in influencing
the course of agricultural development? Do markets lead to the most efficient
and most desirable outcomes? GOLLIN ECON 012 From Farm to Table: The Economics of Food This course explores how changing economic patterns
at the farm, distribution, retail, and consumer level affect food consumption
patterns in the U.S. We will explore these economic relationships as we
see how food moves from the farm to our tables. Initially, we will meet
with local farmers to discuss the economic forces that are shaping their
farming decisions. In many cases, the distinctions between production
and processing are blurred, as more farmers move into contract farming,
especially in the mid-west and south, and as many small farmers seek to
create their own market niches and begin to market and sell their own
specialty products. The food distribution system involves both local retailers,
such as co-ops and large vertically integrated chains. We will meet with
people involved with the distribution and retailing of food. Finally,
we will look at how changing social and economic factors affect the choices
that consumers make about food. DOSS ECON 013 American Business Cycles, 1929-1997 This Winter Study course is intended to provide an opportunity
for students to investigate important macroeconomic episodes in the United
States from the Great Depression to the present. Such episodes are frequently
referred to in both introductory and intermediate macroeconomics courses,
but such courses never afford the time to study them in detail. The particular
episodes to be addressed are the Great Depression itself, the Kennedy-Johnson
boom, the supply shocks of the seventies, the Reagonomics. Time permitting,
the performance of the economy during the Bush-Clinton administrations
will be evaluated against this background. The emphasis will be to try
to understand the forces that triggered major swings in U.S. macroeconomic
performance during this period, both in the direction of upswings as well
as downswings, by relying on the direct examination of data, the application
of intermediate-level macroeconomic models, and critical evaluation of
alternative interpretations offered by informed observers. MONTIEL ECON 014 Accounting The project will examine the theoretical and practical
aspects of financial accounting. Although the beginning of the course
will explore the mechanics of the information gathering and dissemination
process, the course will be oriented mainly towards users, rather than
preparers, of accounting information. The project will include discussion
of the principles involved in accounting for current assets, plant assets,
leases, intangible assets, current and long-term debt, stockholders' equity,
the income statement and the statement of cash flows. Students will be
expected to interpret and analyze actual financial statements. The nature
of, and career opportunities in, the field of accounting will also be
discussed. LEO McMENIMEN (Instructor) Leo McMenimen is returning to Williams this January from the School of Business, Montclair State College. ECON 015 Stock Market Elementary description and analysis of the stock market.
Emphasis will be on the roles of the market in our economy, including
evaluation of business firms and the success of particular capital investments,
allocating savings to different types of investment, and providing liquid
and marketable financial investments for individual savers. LEO MCMENIMEN (Instructor) Leo McMenimen is returning to Williams this January from the School of Business, Montclair State College. ECON 018 Maps (Same as Environmental Studies 018) A study of maps as ways to represent ideas and data.
Principles of "thematic cartography," including role of projections, scale,
symbols, color, and shading. Examples of maps from a wide variety of fields
(journalism, historical narrative, physical sciences, economics, political
science, advertising, propaganda) and subjects (e.g., politics, profitable
business location, efficient public facility location, poverty, military
campaigns and battles, environmental conditions, lass of forest cover,
flood risk, ethnic populations, and migration). Introduction to aerial
photographs and satellite images. The instructors' examples will be primarily
from the U.S., Canada, and Latin America, but students may work independently
on other regions. Note: This is not primarily a course in "geographical
information systems" (GIS), although there will be an introduction to
that subject. R. BOLTON and CONNING ECON 025 Spotted Owls and Pink Salmon This Travel WSP will explore the complex and divisive
issues confronting the Pacific Northwest, a region highly depended on
resource extraction industries that have become threatened by excessive
harvesting, environmental degradation, technological change, government
policy, and economic growth. A central goal of the course is to see, first-hand,
the nature of the problems, to talk with those who are affected and to
gain an appreciation for the many points of view which have made the issues
so difficult to reconcile. The course will focus on understanding the
causes of these resource problems and looking at a range of policies and
other potential solutions. Students will have opportunities to talk with
industry representatives, community leaders, native Americans, staff from
State and Federal Government, environmental groups, and academics. W. JAEGER ECON 026 South Africa's Transition: The Challenge of Redistribution and Growth This 22-day travel course will investigate the complex
problem of South Africa's economic transformation, examining the role
of public policy in mobilizing social investment that fuels revitalized
growth while bolstering higher wages and increased employment. Since South
Africa's first democratic elections three years ago, the country has implemented
a remarkable political transformation. Socio-economic progress, however,
has been much more difficult. This project will explore the challenges
posed by the objectives of redistribution and economic growth, focusing
on the role of government in providing social investment like housing,
health care, education, and job creation. SAMSON ECON 030 Honors Project The "Specialization Route" to the degree with Honors
in Economics requires that each candidate take an Honors Winter Study
Project in January of the senior year. Students who wish to begin their
honors work in January should submit a detailed proposal. Decisions on
admission to the Honors WSP will be made in the fall. Information on the
procedures will be mailed to senior majors in economics early in the fall
semester. BRAINERD ECON 031 Honors Thesis To be taken by students participating in year-long thesis research (ECON 493-W031-494). ENGLISH ENGL 010 Films of Lubitsch and Sturges We will study the work of two of Hollywood's most original
comic minds and distinguished directors: Ernst Lubitsch and Preston Sturges.
Lubitsch, arguably the most prestigious Hollywood director of the 1930s,
was unmatched for the elegance and cleverness of his visual style and
for the deft and urbane acting he elicited. In such charming and worldly
comic masterpieces as Trouble in Paradise, The Shop Around the Corner,
and Ninotchka, he analyzed American and European attitudes toward sex
and money with a distinctive blend of cheerfully cynical satire and indulgent
wit. His screwball comedy about the Nazi occupation of Poland, To Be or
Not to Be, is one of the most remarkable political films ever made. Sturges
enjoyed a meteoric rise in the early 1940s as a director of wild and off-beat
comedies. Films such as The Great McGinty, The Lady Eve, The Palm Beach
Story, and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek are conceived as brilliant satires
of American politics, sex, motherhood, class, money, and advertizing,
but are almost unhinged by the madcap energies of Sturges' penchant for
farce and for weird disruptions of convention. Tifft ENGL 011 Dream Work This course will explore the relation between dream
and representation-dreaming as a mode of representation, but also representations
of dreams in a variety of cultural avatars-literature, film, advertizing.
The first portion of the course will focus on The Interpretation of Dreams,
Freud's seminal work on the unconscious and a fascinating narrative in
its own right. We will then consider a variety of literary and film works
that focus on dream life, from The Book of the Duchess to Through the
Looking Glass, from Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast" to "Videodrome."
We will end with reflections on the relation between dreams and commodity
culture-how does dream representation do its work in that sphere? how
are we brought to dream of buying dreams, including the dream that we
might, for once, "just do it"? Pye ENGL 012 Constructing Elizabeth I Renowned as the Virgin Queen and one of England's greatest
monarchs, Elizabeth I spent the first half of her reign wooing her subjects,
negotiating marriages with the various crowded heads of Europe, and defending
her right to rule the country herself, whether or not she married. This
course will compare the ways in which Elizabeth I constructed herself
(poetry, public speeches, proclamations, political negotiations, pageantry,
print, portraiture, and gossip) with the ways in which her speech and
writing have been represented by biographers and historians. I. Bell ENGL 013 A Century of Shakespeare on Screen (Same as Spanish 013) (See under Romance Languages for full description.) ENGL 014 Feminist Science Fiction This course will focus on the development of feminist
and lesbian science fiction, fantasy and utopian fiction, beginning with
Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland (1915), a utopian novel about an all-female
world, and including the science fiction of Ursula LeGuin, Margaret Atwood,
Joanna Russ, and Sheri Tepper, among others. We will consider the function
and value of "feminist" writing in what is often seen as an "escapist"
genre, and explore the range of attitudes these novels embody toward male
and female culture and identity, sexuality, the uses and dangers of technology,
and the role of violence in human culture. The first part of the course
will focus on the development of feminist science fiction as a distinct
genre, and the second part will focus on the range of, and fault lines
among, writers currently working within it. Students will have an opportunity
to pursue particular authors or types of fiction that interest them, and
the course will also offer some opportunity to meet with contemporary
writers in the field. Case ENGL 015 Ghost Stories What are the particular pleasures of a good ghost story?
"It should give you the creeps," Roald Dahl writes, "and disturb your
thoughts." Beyond the requisite chill and shudder, how might our thoughts
be disturbed? And to what end? In this course we will read a number of
supernatural tales, including classics of the genre by Algernon Blackwood,
Ambrose Bierce, M. R. James, and Edgar Allan Poe, and modern variations
by, among others, Jorge Luis Borges, Franz Kafka, Vladimir Nabokov, Elizabeth
Bowen, and John Cheever. We will also discuss two short novels-The Turn
of the Screw by Henry James, and The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley
Jackson-and two films adapted from these books (The Innocents and The
Haunting). Raab ENGL 016 Fantasy Novels of C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams (Same as Mathematics 016) (See under Mathematics for full description.) ENGL 017 Henry James Henry James writes about what it meant for American
and European societies to be mutually exposed to and by one another around
the turn of this century. In so doing he raises questions about what it
means to be civilized, to be smart, and to be rich. We will consider how
the drama of consciousness is played out in his characters' struggles
with love and conscience, and in his own preoccupation with capturing
stylistically the narrative logic of the passions. We will read three
novellas-"The Beast in the Jungle," "The Pupil," and "The Aspern Papers"-as
well as the novels The Ambassadors and The Golden Bowl. Sokolsky ENGL 018 Modern Irish Drama The first portion of this course will focus on the Irish
"Revival" period (1890s to 1920s), including drama by Yeats, Shaw, Synge,
and Lady Gregory, with supporting representative readings in short fiction
and non-fiction prose of the period. Our readings will address, in particular,
the following key issues: the recuperation and promotion of an independent
Irish literary tradition during the Revival, and the uneasy relationship
of this new literary tradition to the English literary mainstream; the
assigned writers' negotiations with the cultural politics of their time,
and in particular with the contested idea of "Irishness" itself; and the
place of gender in the construction of national and literary identity.
The remainder of the course will focus on the impact of Irish independence
and the shadow cast by the Revival writers on subsequent Irish dramatists,
including O'Casey, Behan, and Friel. We will conclude with a screening
and discussion of The Crying Game, and consider how the paradigms of political
action, gender, and national identity established in the Irish tradition
during the first half of this century continue to resonate powerfully
in contemporary literary and cultural texts. James Pethica (Instructor) James Pethica teaches Modern British and Irish Literature at the University of Richmond. He is on leave in 1997-98, completing a book on Yeats and Lady Gregory. ENGL 019 Toni Morrison A close reading of Toni Morrison's six published novels:
The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Solomon, Tar Baby, Beloved, and Jazz. Our
aim will be to experience, as intensely as possible, the way Morrison
sees things and says things-the angle of her vision and the rhythm of
her language, and the way both of those things have changed over time.
In the process of developing that kind of complex familiarity with Morrison's
work, we will find what a rich occasion for thought it is. By way of Morrison,
we should be able to rediscover as questions such things as memory, race,
nuclear families, and black women's talk. Geoff Sanborn (Instructor) Geoff Sanborn is Assistant Professor of English at Fairfield University, where he teaches courses in American literature and culture. He is the author of The Sign of the Cannibal: Melville and the Spectacle of Savagery, and is working on a collection of essays on race, trauma, and memory. ENGL 020 Journalism In this introduction to journalism, students will learn
reporting, writing, and editing skills through written assignments and
in-class exercises. We will examine how different styles of writing serve
different needs, and the practical and legal limits within which journalists
work. Assignments will include writing a news story, a feature article,
a review, and an editorial. Students also will practice the essential
art of rewriting. Sally White (Instructor) Sally White worked at Time Inc. magazines in New York and Washington for thirteen years. She is now a freelance writer. ENGL 023 Parody Workshop In this course we will be reading and analyzing (or
at least discussing superficially and vaguely) famous parodies of famous
authors. But the bulk of our energy will be spent writing. For each class,
students will prepare a short parody of an assigned writer, some of which
we'll read aloud. Class time will be spent trying to figure our what works
and what doesn't, what's funny and what's lame. In addition, students
will have the entire Winter Study period to prepare a longer parody of
a writer of their choice (due in the last class). Paul Park (Instructor) Paul Park is the author of five novels and a small but meager body of short fiction. ENGL 024 Kipling and India: Encountering the Other While Disney cannibalizes and vulgarizes Kipling's Jungle
Books, N. C. Chaudhuri calls Kim "one of the greatest of English novels."
Edward Said, writing on culture and imperialism, admits Kim to "the world's
greatest literature." Salman Rushdie reads Kipling's Indian stories with
the incompatible emotions of "anger and delight." Why, after a near century
of invisibility on college syllabuses, is this Nobel Prize-winning and
internationally popular author now being read, studied, and admired by
exactly those whom we might expect to be too angered to be delighted?
Shall we join them? We shall read as much as we can of Kipling's Indian
fiction, and consider whether it is time to open the academic canon to
what Said calls Kipling's "extraordinary genius." C. Park (Instructor) Clara Park is Senior Lecturer in English emerita at Williams. ENGL 030 Honors Project: Specialization Route Required during Winter Study of all seniors admitted to candidacy for honors via the specialization route. ENGL 031 Honors Project: Thesis Required during Winter Study of all seniors admitted to candidacy for honors via the thesis route. ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES ENVI 010 Writing and Drawing-The Naturalist's Journal This course will explore the tools for studying the
natural world through various uses of writing, literature, and drawing.
Students will spend time outdoors learning the ecosystem of the Williamstown
area and time indoors doing observational drawing, reflective writing,
and reading and discussion of nature literature. The month's work will
be contained in a nature journal, to be displayed and discussed as part
of a final project. CLARE WALKER LESLIE & CHRISTIAN MCEWEN (Instructors) Clare Walker Leslie has written five books on nature drawing. She illustrated Prof. William T. Fox's At the Sea's Edge. Christian McEwen is a writer and editor in Charlemont, Massachusetts. ENVI 011 Science for Kids (Same as Chemistry 011 and Special 011) (See under Special for full description.) ENVI 012 Land Conservation: Tenets and Techniques Land trusts are the fastest growing component of the
environmental movement across the U.S. and, increasingly, a source of
job opportunities. This course will examine why and how 20 percent of
Massachusetts has been preserved as open space. Land is the base for all
our other resources: rare species habitat; groundwater and river protection;
wildlife; scenic views; and recreation. We'll look at the history of land
protection, sources of funding, land protection tools such as bargain
sales, conservation easements, bequests, and limited developments, together
with the tax benefits associated with land donations and estate planning.
Selection of critical parcels for acquisition, including wildlife habitat
planning considerations, and the increasing need for proper stewardship
of conservation areas, will be examined. The role of local, state, and
federal agencies and non-profit organizations in land protection will
be discussed. Current projects on Cape Cod and in the Berkshires will
be used to illustrate concepts and patterns. MARK H. ROBINSON '79 (Instructor) Mark Robinson is the executive director of the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts in Barnstable, Massachusetts. ENVI 013 Technology Development and Environmental Concerns in Russia, Canada and the United States This course in Technology Development is a survey course
in problem solving applied to answer a basic question: What are the technological,
environmental or social factors which govern the success or failure of
large Northern Development projects? There are many answers to such questions-and
we approach them from an economic, technological, environmental, political
and social point to view in order to see what each discipline individually
contributes to the answer. Only then can we combine these approaches to
determine the optimum answer. DR. HENRY COLE (Instructor) Dr. Henry Cole '59 was the Science Advisor to Alaska Governor Steve Cowper from 1986 to 1991. He currently manages a mining waste water remediation project. ENVI 014 Risky Business Managing risks is an important, controversial paradigm
in American institutions and culture. This course will introduce you to
basic ideas in risk management and challenges you to respond by developing
a critical, informed stance on how uncertain and incomplete knowledge
should affect the choices made by individuals, the public, and large organizations. LEE and KOMOROWSKI Kai Lee is professor of environmental studies; Walter Komorowski is director of library systems. ENVI 015 Natural History of the Berkshires (Same as Biology 015) (See under Biology for full description.) ENVI 016 Moon Farm Video (Same as Biology 016) (See under Biology for full description.) ENVI 017 Exploration, Science, and the Environment (Same as History of Science 017) (See under History of Science for full description.) ENVI 018 Maps (Same as Economics 018) (See under Economics for full description.) ENVI 031 Senior Research and Thesis To be taken by students registered for Environmental Studies 493-494. GEOSCIENCES GEOS 010 Geology of the National Parks A vicarious trip through selected national parks of
the U.S. and Canada with emphasis on the geological basis for their unique
scenery. Areas to be studied will be chosen in order to illustrate a wide
variety of geologic processes and products. The class will meet most mornings
during the first two weeks for lectures and discussions, supplemented
with lab work devoted to the interpretation of topographic and geologic
maps and to the study of rock samples. Readings will include a paperback
text as well as short publications of the U.S. Geological Survey and various
natural history associations. The second half of the project will involve
independent study of topics chosen by the students in preparation for
half-hour oral presentations during the last week. The oral reports will
be comprehensive, well illustrated explanations of the geology of a particular
national park or monument of the student's choice, using maps, slides,
and reference materials available within the department and on the internet.
A detailed outline and an accompanying bibliography will be submitted
at the time of the oral presentation. WOBUS GEOS 012 Searching for Gold The search for gold has obsessed humanity for millennia.
It has driven people to great feats of exploration and has carried them
to the most inhospitable corners of the Earth. It has caused wars, shaped
societies, built nations, and destroyed civilizations. This course will
examine the natural occurrence of gold, the means by which it has been
found and mined since prehistoric times, and the history, literature,
and folklore of gold rushes from ancient times to the present. Readings
will be from a variety of historical, literary, and geological sources,
ranging from texts for medieval miners and memoirs of Spanish conquistadors,
through the literary accounts of Jack London and Mark Twain, to news accounts
of the ongoing gold rush in the Amazon jungle and assessments of the environmental
impact of modern mining operations. BRANDRISS GEOS 014 Dinosaur Science (additional information about the course) Science literacy in society is low and science is sometimes
a feared topic in high school, but everybody likes dinosaurs. Kids positively
love them. How can we use this fascination for the huge, bizarre, and
long dead animals to teach K1-8 about science? Paleontology is a discipline
that sits between the earth and life sciences with the possibility to
embrace physics (bio-mechanics), math, chemistry, and astronomy. Therefore,
it is easy to integrate dinosaurs in many agendas. In this course we will
learn basics about dinosaurs. We will study science education standards
and curricula for the different grade levels and discuss different ways
to use dinosaur paleontology in teaching. The students will pair up and
concentrate on one grade level. In cooperation with public school teachers,
they will choose a science topic from the curriculum that can be carried
out with the help of dinosaurs. We will use the first weeks to work out
curricula that actively involves the children on different levels. The
last two weeks will be devoted to use of this in practice. GUDVEIG BAARLI (Instructor) Gudveig Baarli received her Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Oslo in 1988 and is a Research Associate in Geosciences at Williams. GEOS 020 Computer Applications in the Sciences An in-depth exploration of Macintosh-based applications
designed to make scientists' lives easier and better (or sometimes harder
and worse). Scientific activity commonly generates large amounts of data
and/or mathematical models. There are now many applications available
to manipulate, portray, and mathematically model data. It is becoming
increasingly important to the success of a scientific project to effectively
present the results in a visually understandable and aesthetically pleasing
way. KARABINOS GEOS 025 Geology in the Virgin Islands Participants in this course will spend the Winter Study
period camping and conducting field work in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the
geology of which represents an unusual mix of active tectonic processes
and carbonate sedimentation. Subduction of the Caribbean plate beneath
the North American plate produced a chain of volcanic islands, including
the Virgin Islands. Although volcanism is ongoing elsewhere in the Antilles,
the Virgin Islands volcanoes are now extinct. The islands were much modified
by changing sea levels during the last 1.5 m.y. Coral reef systems that
developed during periods of high sea level were exposed and eroded when
sea level dropped. Sea level has risen steadily over the last 15,000 years,
and much of the modern offshore topography is due to the development of
a system of fringing reefs that has grown up on top of the older, eroded
reef terraces. COX GEOS 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Geology 493-494. GERMAN GERM S.P. Sustaining Program for German 101-102 Something new and different for students enrolled in
German 101-102. Practice in the use of German for everyday purposes; creation
and performance of short dramatic sketches through group collaboration;
games; songs; storytelling; reading. No homework. GERM 010 Introduction to Dutch (Same as Special 010) This will be a crash course for those interested in
acquiring a basic knowledge of that wonderfully guttural language spoken
not only by over fifteen million Netherlanders, but also by six million
Belgians, Afrikaners, Antilleans, and some elderly Indonesians. ADRIANA M. BROWN (Instructor) Adriana Brown '85 studied English and German translating at the University of Amsterdam. She has taught Dutch at Williams College during Winter Study Period since 1989. GERM 025 German in Germany Begin or continue study of the German language at the
Goethe Institute in Prien, Germany. The Goethe Institute program attracts
students from all over the world. A typical course meets for four weeks,
18 hours/week, generally providing the equivalent of one semester course
at Williams. To earn a pass, the student must receive the Goethe Institute's
Teilnahme-Bestätigung which denotes regular attendance at classes,
completion of homework, and successful completion of a final test. NEWMAN GERM 030 Honors Project To be taken by honors candidates following other than the normal thesis route. GERM 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for German 493-494. HISTORY HIST 010 American Catholicism in the Novels of Andrew Greeley (Same as American Studies 010) Andrew Greeley is a Roman Catholic priest, sociologist
and best-selling author of fiction. His novels cover an equally wide spectrum
of genres, such as fantasy, psychological suspense, and murder mysteries.
The common thread in all of Greeley's writing is his concern with the
central issues of today's crisis in Catholicism. In this course we will
read selected novels and focus on the ways in which Greeley presents such
interwoven themes as hierarchy versus spirit, the feminine divine versus
patriarchal institution, laity versus clergy, human sexuality, clerical
celibacy, the role of women in the church, miracle and everyday life,
and religious zeal versus social toleration. While these issues are especially
poignant for Catholics, Greeley strives to make them equally accessible
to people of other religions. This course will follow his lead. BERETZ HIST 011 Gaius Bolin and His Successors: Williams College and African Americans Between 1865 and 1935 more than two dozen African Americans
matriculated at Williams College. This Winter Study Project will survey
the history of African Americans and American colleges both black and
white, and explore the particular circumstances which blacks encountered
at Williams. Students will write two short papers. The first assignment
concerns blacks on some other campus in the late nineteenth or early twentieth
century. In the second assignment students will choose a black Williams
student from the same period and research his experiences at Williams
and beyond based on resources in Williamsiana. DICKERSON HIST 012 Robert Musil and the Crisis of European Culture, 1890-1930 This course will be devoted to reading closely the major
works of the Austrian novelist and essayist, Robert Musil (1880-1942),
one of the greatest critical and imaginative thinkers of the twentieth
century. In essays, short stories, and novels, Musil portrayed and analyzed
the crisis of bourgeois culture after the turn of the century that would
give rise to Nazism and to the collapse of liberal, civil society in Central
Europe. Although we will read Young Torless and a number of his short
stories and essays, the bulk of the course will be devoted to Musil's
masterpiece, The Man Without Qualities, a novel that presents the disordered
world of pre-war Vienna as a model for the cultural and moral crisis in
Europe during the first three decades of the twentieth century. Requirements
a 10-page paper and regular and thoughtful participation in class discussion. KOHUT HIST 013 Material Culture of Late Imperial China This Winter Study project will look at the objects that
constituted the physical reality of Chinese men and women around the turn
of the twentieth century. We will visit four museums (Williams, Peabody-Salem,
Peabody-Harvard, and one other to be arranged) where we will interact
with actual historical objects under the guidance of museum professionals.
Our goal will be to develop an understanding of how to use artifacts (along
with relevant documentary data) to explore cultural questions. REEVES HIST 014 Fly Fishing in American Literature In recent years, fly fishing has become a very popular
form of fishing. However, the noble art of catching a trout on a fly has
a long tradition in American literature. Through texts and films, this
course will examine texts which use fly fishing as an expression for concerns
other than catching (and releasing) fish. Readings will include works
by Ernest Hemingway, M.R. Montgomery, Norman Maclean, Margot Page, Rick
Lyons, and John Gierach. Class will meet three times a week. WONG HIST 015 "Look! Up in the Sky!": The Comic Book Superhero in American Popular Culture, 1938-1988 (Same as American Studies 015) This course will examine American comic books from the
late 1930s through the present, focusing on the emergence and evolution
of the comic book superhero as a series of cultural icons-efforts to craft
a national sense of heroic parameters and possibilities. Specific areas
of exploration will include the impact of World War II and the Cold War
on American popular culture; adapting the hero to an age of nuclear warfare;
gender constructions, women's liberation and women superheroes of the
1960s and 70s; and the emergence of the anti-hero over the 1980s. F. DALZELL (Instructor) Frederick Dalzell is the Albion Fellow in American Maritime History at the Williams-Mystic Program. HIST 016 "Once Upon a Time:" American History through Historical Fiction (Same as American Studies 016) Over the past two hundred years, authors as diverse
as Washington Irving, Winston Churchill, Toni Morrison and Gore Vidal
have all tried to retell the story of our nation in their fictional writings.
This course will introduce students to some of the basic events and themes
of American History through a study of major works of historical fiction.
We will examine how several key turning points in our nation's past, such
as the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the Civil Rights Movement
have been represented and interpreted by different novelists and short
story writers over time. We will also compare some of these fictional
accounts with very short thematic concerns of novelists and professional
historians in an attempt to understand the broader relationship between
history and fiction. Some of the texts that may be covered in the course
include: James Fenimore Cooper's Drums Along the Mohawk, Charles Johnson's
Middle Passage, Gore Vidal's Lincoln, Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels,
Lewis Nordan's Wolf Whistle, and the films Last of the Mohicans, Gone
With the Wind, Glory, and Malcolm X. JESSICA MEYERSON '90 (Instructor) Jessica Meyerson'90 is completing her Ph.D. in History at Princeton University. HIST 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for History 493-494. History of Science HSCI 017 Exploration, Science, and the Environment (Same as Environmental Studies 017) For Winter Study, would you rather go to a Pacific island,
the far reaches of the earth's atmosphere, the deep ocean, the Arctic
or Antarctic? You can do all that and stay in Williamstown by studying
how the activities of exploration and science became intertwined in Western
culture. Starting with the voyages of James Cook in the late eighteenth
century, explorers adopted modern science into their arsenal of tools
to discover, understand, and claim the natural environment in the name
of the nations they represented. This class will use primary and secondary
historical sources, as well as movies and historical literary sources,
to study how explorers of various portions of the globe used science to
define, utilize and control these newly discovered environments. Until
the nineteenth century, explorers were busy finding `new' lands and islands.
After most coastlines had been located, names and claimed by westerners,
explorers turned to the end of the earth-the deep ocean, the jungle, the
rainforest, the atmosphere, and the Arctic and Antarctic. In two projects,
a paper and a poster presentation to the class, students will investigate
the convergence of science and exploration for a natural environment of
their choice (categories will be: Distant Lands and Islands; Ocean and
Atmosphere; the Arctic and Antarctic). Questions addressed by the course
will include: how the theme of science and exploration became integrated
into our culture; and what the historical legacy of the conjunction of
science and exploration means for our contemporary understanding and use
of natural environments. HELEN M. ROZWADOWSKI (Instructor) Helen Rozwadowski, Williams '86, a double major in Biology and English, has recently received her doctorate in the history of science from the University of Pennsylvania. Her thesis work focused on the history of nineteenth-century oceanography and exploration. INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAM FOR EXPERIMENTAL AND CROSS-DISCIPLINARY STUDIES EXPR 010 Inventing New Media '98: Advanced Section This is a workshop for experimentation and invention
using digital production tools and software. All workshop participants
will work in one or more of the following areas: digital imagery (Photoshop,
Illustrator and Debabelizer); digital video and animation (Premier, After
Effects, animation works); Digital Audio (Sound Edit and Deck II); and
interactive programming (Director and HTML) towards the creation of an
on-line interactive project. We will also be reviewing existing interactive
media on and off-line and have the opportunity to participate in discussion
and lectures with visiting artists, authors and producers of new media.
Alexandra Smith '81 and David Furlow '80 (Instructors) The instructors' design and development work in both the U.S. and the U.K. has focused mainly on commercial and educational CD-ROM authoring and production. They have also consulted on projects for Philips, Sony, Warner Brothers, and Macmillan Publishing. Their CD-ROM PAWS (Personal Automated Wagging System-a navigational cartoon dog simulator) was named best Children's Title of 1995, Cannes (Milia) and British Interactive Media Award 1996. LITERARY STUDIES LIT 010 The Fashioning of Fashion (Same as French 010) (See under French for full description.) LIT 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Literary Studies 493,494. MATHEMATICS MATH 010 The Game of Chess Chess is a beautiful and very inspiring game. No game
has surpassed chess in its popularity in all countries for many centuries.
One of the oldest games, it has a history spanning 1400 years and has
offered inspiration to scientists, artists, and writers. Such is the subtlety
of the game that no one has been able to determine whether it is an art,
a science, a sport, or a combination of them all. This course will be
an introduction to the beautiful and inspiring world of chess. Topics
include basic principles: openings, middle-game and endings; mathematical
aspects of chess; general theory of a middle-game play; end-game strategies.
We will look at some famous games, discuss chess problems and organize
a tournament among students and computer programs. CHKHENKELI MATH 011 Gambling, Game Shows, Money, and Analytical Reasoning Have you ever been bothered by the way contestants bid
on the Price is Right game show? How would you bid? Where would you drop
the Plinko chips? Have you ever wondered what good strategies are for
casino games? In this course, we will develop reasonable strategies for
various games. In addition, we will study such problems as how to split
an inheritance fairly among beneficiaries, how cities could save money
on the cost of garbage collection, and how airlines could improve their
efficiency. If you love games and you like to save money, this is the
course for you. LOEPP MATH 012 How to Solve it: The Mathematics of Puzzles and Games (Same as Computer Science 012) Rubic's Cube, Instant Insanity, Spin-Out, Towers of
Hanoi, Nim, the Fifteen Puzzle. Fun? Frustrating? All of these puzzles
and games, and many more, have underlying mathematical structures which
can be exploited not only to help us discover solutions but also to allow
us to design new puzzles and games. In fact, studying games and puzzles
often gives us new insights into mathematics. In this course, we will
examine a variety of such puzzles and games, exploring the ways in which
mathematics helps us to describe, understand, and (hopefully!) solve them. Lenhart MATH 014 Broken Symmetry and Modernistic Despair (Same as Philosophy 014 and Physics 014) How do we know anything? Certainly none of us understands
the true workings of our minds, our society and of the universe, but still,
overall, at the day-to-day level, we seem to be able to think and to make
frequently accurate predictions. The very fact that we do have this partial
understanding of the world without having any real clue as its underlying
foundations tells us something deep about how the world is put together.
This has become a major theme in physics in the last 25 years, going by
various names such as renormalization, broken symmetry or emergence. Taking
these physics ideas and trying, by analogy, to apply them to questions
in the arts and humanities can help ease the despair created by modernism. GARRITY MATH 015 Mock Trial (Same as Special 015) This course gives each student the chance to act as
a litigation lawyer in a full-fledged courtroom mock trial, complete with
witnesses, a judge, and a jury. To this end, students practice basic techniques
of interviewing witnesses, planning case strategy, conducting direct and
cross-examination, making and answering objections, and delivering an
opening statement and closing argument. DAVID W. MORGAN (Instructor) MATH 016 Fantasy Novels of C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams (Same as English 016) Both Lewis and Williams were members of The Inklings,
the remarkable group of British authors and thinkers who met regularly
at "The Eagle and Child" Pub in Oxford, where writers (Including Tolkien)
read their works in progress to one another. Lewis is well-known; the
works of Williams have received less recognition, but were admired by
W.H. Auden, Dorothy L. Sayers, and T.S. Eliot. Both Lewis and Williams
approached their work as staunch Anglican Christians, and their point
of view will be respected in this course; however, their novels can speak
to the lives of all readers who are sensitive to their own world and to
human relationships. V. HILL MATH 030 Senior Project To be taken by candidates for honors in Mathematics other than by thesis route. MATH 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Mathematics 493-494. MUSIC MUS 010 Introduction to the Music of Duke Ellington An historical approach to the music of Duke Ellington
and Bully Stayhorn, following the development of Ellinton's music from
the 1920's through his death in 1974. There will be extensive reading
and listening assignments. A. JAFFE (Instructor) A. Jaffe is Artist-in-Residence in Jazz and Director of the Williams Jazz Ensemble. MUS 011 Marimba Music of Zimbabwe This course will introduce students to the marimba music
and culture of Zimbabwe. Students will have readings and discussions concerning
Zimbabwean history and culture and will learn to play the marimba. The
course will culminate in a public performance in the last week of winter
study. The course will be taught by Professor Ernest Brown, director of
the Zambezi Marimba Band, who will be assisted by visiting artist-in-residence
Alport Mhlanga, a Zimbabwean composer, teacher and marimba player. E. BROWN MUS 012 Meeting the Century's Music Head-on A chance to become acquainted with major styles of music
of the first half of the twentieth century and to attend performances
of representative major works in live performances by several major musical
organizations. Lectures in Williamstown will precede journeys to Boston
and New York to hear the Boston Symphony (Janacek), the New York Philharmonic
(new commissioned work and Copland) and the Metropolitan Opera (Britten,
Stravinsky.) K. C. Roberts MUS 013 English Handbell Choir A performance Winter Study project, the handbell choir
will rehearse two hours per day, five days per week. A five-octave set
of English handbells will be used. Repertoire will be wide-ranging, from
the classics to popular music, from original compositions to arrangements.
Difficulty of repertoire will depend on the skill of the ensemble as it
develops. D. MOORE MUS 017 Singing School: Popular Protestant American Religious Music (Same as American Studies 017 and Special 017) (See under Special for full description.) MUS 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Music 493, 494. NEUROSCIENCE NSCI 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Neuroscience 493-494. PHILOSOPHY PHIL 010 Philosophical Puzzles For good reason, the Philosophy Department at Williams
tends to look at philosophical problems as developing out of historically
located texts and situations. There is another approach, however, which
is perhaps better suited to Winter Study: seeing philosophical problems
as arising from puzzles. We will spend January discussing such questions
as: Could God create a stone so heavy He couldn't lift it? Is this merely
a joke or does it show the impossibility of a perfectly omnipotent being?
Is the set of all sets that do not contain themselves a member of itself
or not? Why do some philosophers consider that last question one of the
great questions of the twentieth century? Do those philosophers have too
much time on their hands? We will examine puzzles from the Liar to the
Prisoner's Dilemma, in fields from metaphysics to ethics. GERRARD PHIL 012 Greek Love and Contemporary Theory Plato placed the analysis of erotic love between men
at the very heart of some of his most powerful and important dialogues.
He linked eros to citizenship, military valor, human excellence, and the
practice of philosophy itself. He used its dynamic to shed light on some
of his most important notions, such as the distinction between nature
and convention, the relation of knowledge to virtue, the centrality of
citizenship for self-making, and the pervasiveness of desire as an issue
for politics and philosophy. At the same time, these dialogues enact a
complex, multi-vocal relation to their subject matter. Plato appears both
to celebrate and interrogate the pederasty of his time: rich in irony
and ambiguity, his works have been taken to provide a strong defense of
love between men and to argue for the transcendence of all erotic aims. MORRIS B. KAPLAN (Instructor) Morris B. Kaplan Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Purchase College, SUNY, returned to college teaching after several years as a trial attorney with the Legal Aid Society of New York. Routledge published his book Sexual Justice: Democratic Citizenship and the Politics of Desire in March of 1997. In 1993-94, he was the inaugural Rockefeller Foundation Fellow in Legal Humanities at the Stanford Humanities Center. PHIL 014 Broken Symmetry and Modernistic Despair (Same as Mathematics 014 and Physics 014) (See under Mathematics for full description.) PHIL 025 Modernist Architecture in India India is home to two of the most important projects
by modern Western architects in a non-Western society: Le Corbusier's
planned city of Chandigorh and Louis Kahn's Indian Institute of Management
in Ahmedabad. It is also a country in which vast population pressures,
and a complex set of cultural issues, raise acute problems for how to
structure the urban environment. This class will set an experience of
modern architecture in India in the context of philosophical and practical
questions about aesthetics, politics, urban planning, and cross-cultural
interaction. AMY REICHERT and SAMUEL FLEISCHACKER (Instructors) Amy Reichert is a practicing architect who has taught two classes in the Art History department. Samuel Fleischacker teaches aesthetics as well as political philosophy. Both instructors share an interest in modernism and India. PHIL 026 Women's Issues in Contemporary India (Same as Women's Studies 026) This course is an experience-based introduction to women's
issues in contemporary India. Rather than focus on the oppression of women,
we will look at the ways in which women are working to gain control of
and better their lives in three concrete contexts. To this end, we will
spend three weeks in India with three non-governmental organizations which
work in the areas of employment, small-scale fishing, and literacy. We
will begin by visiting the Self-Employed Women's Association in Lucknow,
U.P., an organization distinguished in the work it has done to provide
women loans, training, and access to markets so that they can control
the production and sale of handicrafts. Our second visit will be with
the coast-to-coast National Fishworkers' Forum. The NFF has been engaged
in a long struggle against large-scale mechanized fishing practices that
are destructive to the local environment and damaging to the livelihood
of small-scale fisherfolk. The site we will visit is in Trivandrum district
in the southern state of Kerala, where women, who traditionally have sold
the fish catch in the local market, have become increasingly active in
addressing women's issues through their involvement in the NFF. Finally,
we will visit Nirantar, a Delhi-based women's organization which works
on literacy for adult women. Nirantar has been involved in setting up
village-level community literacy projects in the state of Rajasthan, which
have become centres for women to mobilize politically: for example, soon
after beginning to attend literacy classes, women have marched on government
offices to demand that their water supply be improved; they have run for
local office; they have organized to support rape victims. Nirantar has
also establised a residential college for newly-literate women to study
general science, history, literature-a "liberal arts" curriculum. Through
readings, lectures, and discussions with organizers, fieldworkers, and
participants, we will seek to answer such questions as: what kinds of
issues are women's issues, in these contexts? What connections do women
draw between their own concerns and various social movements, such as
environmentalism? How have their new activities changed these women's
lives? Their views of themselves and their futures and the world? Their
relationships to their families and communities? What changes have women
brought about in the structures of their families and communities? KAMTEKAR PHIL 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Philosophy 493-494. PHYSICS PHYS 010 Light and Holography This course will examine the art and science of holography.
It will introduce modern optics at a level appropriate for a non-scientist,
giving the necessary theoretical background in lectures and discussion.
Demonstrations will be presented and students will make several kinds
of holograms in the lab. Thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation,
we have seven well-equipped holography darkrooms available for student
use. JONES and FORKEY PHYS 012 Meet the Right Side of Your Brain: Drawing as a Learnable Skill Representational drawing is a not merely a gift of birth
or a magical ability granted by angels, but a learnable skill. If you
ever wanted to draw, but doubted you had the ability or believed you could
not learn, then this course is for you. This intensive course utilizes
discoveries in brain research to teach representational drawing. By using
simple techniques and extensive exercises you will discover and develop
the perceptual shift from your symbol based left hemisphere to your visually
based right hemisphere. This cognitive shift enables you to accurately
see and realistically represent the physical world. You will learn to
draw a convincing portrait, self-portrait, and still life. This course
is designed to develop your powers of observation and enhance your innate
creative problem solving abilities, which are applicable in any field.
Students need no previous artistic experience, just the willingness and
desire to learn a new skill. Students will be expected to attend and participate
in all sessions. They will also be required to keep a sketchbook recording
their progress and complete a final project. Bill Ziemer (Instructor) Bill Ziemer is a multimedia artist living in Williamstown. PHYS 013 Automotive Mechanics The purpose of this course will be to provide an understanding
of the basic function of the major components of the modern automobile.
Through lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on experience, individuals
will learn basic maintenance of an automobile. In addition, students will
be expected to study in depth one of the major automotive systems which
include carburetor or fuel-injection systems, the lubrication and cooling
system, the electrical system, the steering, brake and suspension system,
and the power train for both manual and automatic transmissions. MICHAEL FRANCO (Instructor) Michael Franco is the owner of Flamingo Motors in Williamstown. PHYS 014 Broken Symmetry and Modernistic Despair (Same as Mathematics 014 and Philosophy 014) (See under Mathematics for full description.) PHYS 016 Confronting the Mysterious Every day we encounter claims of extra-scientific phenomena
such as telepathy, ESP, UFOs, astrology, faith healing, dowsing, and crop
circles. Are they real? Should you invest money in cold fusion research
or a device which liberates energy from the vacuum? Can one travel faster-than-light
or backward in time? How does one go about answering these types of questions?
This course will study the scientific methods used to access evidence
for phenomena that extend beyond the present boundaries of science. Readings
will include works by Carl Sagan and The Amazing Randi, a professional
magician who uses his special expertise to examine claims of psychic phenomena. S. BOLTON PHYS 022 Research Participation Several members of the department will have student
projects available dealing with their own research or that of current
senior thesis students. Approximately 35 hours per week of study and actual
research participation will be expected from each student. Students will
be required to keep a notebook and write a five-page paper summarizing
their work. Those interested should consult with members of the department
as early as possible in the registration period or before to determine
details of projects then expected to be available. JONES PHYS 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Physics 493, 494. JONES and members of the department POLITICAL ECONOMY POEC 031 Honors Thesis To be taken by students registered for Political Economy 493. POLITICAL SCIENCE PSCI 010 Moral Choices in Difficult Times How should people choose when the moral outcomes are
uncertain or difficult? We live in peaceable times and largely we escape
the moral dilemmas that others have had to confront. How would we have
chosen, how should we choose? The course will explore both real and fictionalize
treatments (e.g., Miller's play, The Crucible and Kazan's movie, On the
Waterfront). The materials will be both current and ancient (e.g., Sophocle's
Antigone and Philcotetes). MARCUS PSCI 011 Conformists and Rebels? The Fifties and the Sixties Are you a conformist or a rebel? Do most rebels really
crave something worth conforming to? We will explore the character of
conformism and rebellion by attending to the character of the two recent
decades that symbolize each: the 1950's and the 1960's. The 1950's seemed
to establish a politics of contentment. But such contentment was never
as widespread as its celebrators assumed, and soon it in turn gave way
to the rebellion of the sixties. We live in the wake of the many reforms
enacted during that rebellion. To examine and assess the political legacy
of the sixties and the fifties, we will consider readings in social and
political thought and histories of the period, such as The Lonely Crown,
One Dimensional Man, The Organizational Man, The Feminine Mystique, Growing
Up Absurd, and Silent Spring. Selected films such as Rebel Without a Cause,
and Easy Rider will complement the picture gained through readings. Third,
we will consider various contemporary assessments of the 1960's in order
to inform our own assessment of their legacy. MUIRHEAD PSCI 012 The Politics of Gender-Bending: Drag, Camp, Butch and Fem in the Life and Movies of the End of the Twentieth Century (Same as Women's Studies 012) In the last ten or twenty years, just about every mass-mediated
paragon of woman and man as Dustin Hoffman, Julie Andrews, Kurt Russell,
Barbra Streisand, Gérard Depardieu, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams,
Ellen Barkin, Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes and the Canadian figure-skating
pair of Lloyd Eisler and Isabelle Brasseur have won acclaim for their
cross-dressed performances, fixed up as someone of the opposite sex. Even
though the 80s and 90s have been thought of as the rebound of political
conservatism after the 60s and 70s, the same era has been the renaissance
of gender-bending, to the point that even politicians have gotten into
the act: witness New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's unlikely appearance
in early 1997 in full and lavish drag, as "Rudia Giuliandrews," alongside
not only four cross-dressed deputy mayors (two men and two women) but
accompanied by Julie Andrews in her get-up as a woman who plays a female
impersonator from the Broadway show Victor/Victoria. COOK PSCI 014 The Transition to Majority Rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa This course deals with the peace settlements that established
democratic governments in Zimbabwe and South Africa. In particular, it
addresses the nature of the liberation movements, the reasons for and
outcomes of negotiations between the old regime and the liberation movements,
and the type of democracy that is emerging in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The course will also consider how the new governments in Zimbabwe and
South Africa are developing new political institutions, how they are trying
to promote social equality, and how they are dealing with the poverty
and inequality they inherited from the white governments. Zimbi Mubako (Instructor) Mr. Mubako was an important participant in the liberation movement in Zimbabwe, has been a prominent official in independent Zimbabwe (including the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs) and is currently a Judge of the High Court of Zimbabwe. In addition, he has taught in universities in Africa and Europe and is intimately familiar with South African politics. PSCI 015 Sexuality and the Law The gay rights struggle has occupied the attention of
courts, legislative bodies and agencies at every level of federal and
state government, as well as the public sector and the media. This course
will examine that movement's attainments, defeats and controversies, with
emphasis on the tension between the idealistic and the pragmatic. After
reviewing gay history and the paths taken by other civil rights movements,
this course will focus on specific issues: challenges to sodomy laws;
the military ban; purges of schools and libraries; workplace protection;
child custody disputes; and same gender marriage. Discussions will include
strategies and reactions used by both proponents and opponents of gay
rights, the use of state as well as federal constitutional arguments,
and both sides' activities at the national level. JOHN D. RAWLS '65 (Instructor) John Rawls '65 is a New Orleans attorney who has participate in major gay rights litigation and in Louisiana politics. PSCI 025 Recording the Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement, though a quite recent historic
event, is generating a dynamic array of museums and memorials. These include
the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta,
Georgia and special museums in Montgomery, Birmingham, Selma, and Memphis.
These memorials range in subject matter. Some focus on the techniques
of King and the SCLC1; others on special recognition of those who gave
their lives; others on the details of specific local campaigns. This Winter
Study will visit and observe the development of these collections. The
goal is to undertake study and examination to determine how the story
is being developed in the exhibitions and how this relates to materials
available for classroom teaching through academic texts, including the
pattern(s) in use of multi-media. The group will meet with official curators
and benefactors of the museums and with persons active in the movement.
The WSP will convene at the beginning of January and begin background
discussion on civil rights campaigns and the museum movement to recognize
them. The group will arrive in Atlanta on the eve of the Martin Luther
King, Jr. national birthday and attend the ceremonies at the King Center
on Monday. We will then travel to sights in Birmingham (Tuesday), Montgomery
(Wednesday), Selma (Thursday), and Jackson (Friday) and culminate in Memphis
(Saturday). The group will then travel to Highlander, in New Market, Tennessee
for summary and reflection on Sunday and Monday. The group will return
to Williamstown on Tuesday. A. WILLINGHAM PSCI 030 Senior Essay To be taken by students registered for Political Science 491 or 492. PSCI 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Political Science 493-494. PSCI 032 Individual Project To be taken by students registered for Political Science 495 or 496. PSCI 033 Advanced Study in American Politics To be taken by students registered for Political Science 481-482. PSYCHOLOGY PSYC 011 Fictional Worlds This course explores the role of fantasy, imagination,
and magic in the lives of both children and adults. We will examine why
children love fairy tales, develop imaginary companions, and believe in
supernatural phenonmena. We consider why some children are more prone
to believe in fiction and fantasy than others, and what happens to these
beliefs in adulthood. For example, are adults who had a childhood imaginary
companion different from those who did not? Does belief in magic disappear
entirely in adulthood? KAVANAUGH PSYC 012 The Pursuit of Happiness What makes people happy? Fame and fortune? Love and
fulfillment? Winning the lottery? Are men happier than women? Are the
young happier than the elderly? Is religious faith associated with happiness?
Does happiness vary by culture? In this course, we'll look at social psychological
research on the causes and consequences of happiness and discover the
(occasionally surprising) answers to these and other questions. We'll
also look at the other side of the coin: What makes people unhappy, how
people deal with tragedy and unhappiness, and what people regret most
in life and why. A theme throughout the course will be the application
of the various research findings to living our own happy lives. SAVITSKY PSYC 013 Genetics and Disease: the Biology, Psychology, and Ethics of Genetic Testing (Same as Chemistry 013 and Special 013) How much of a role do your genes play in disease? What
is genetic testing? What are the social and public policy issues surrounding
genetic testing? This course will provide current information on how disease-related
genes are identified, the availability and reliability of genetic tests,
and the actual testing methods in current use. We will consider the contribution
of genetic predisposition toward illness compared with other known risk
factors, including behavior, personality, and stress. We will also discuss
the myriad ethical, moral and economic issues that surround genetic testing
and counseling. With the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2005,
decisions regarding who will be tested and who will have access to this
information will be addressed by both judicial and legislative bodies.
Our goal for this course is to supply you with sufficient scientific information
and theoretical perspective that you will be able to make significant
contributions to the coming public discussion of these complex issues. FRIEDMAN and WEISS PSYC 014 Human Behavior in the Holocaust What does it take to turn an ordinary person into a
cold-blooded killer? Under what circumstances will ordinary men and women
condone, accept, and encourage conditions of horror, humiliation, and
widespread cruelty? Why do some individuals give aide to victims of oppression
at the risk of their own lives? What influences the altruistic response
in people? How can we recognize the human potentials lurking within each
of us? These and other searching questions of human behavior will be explored
in order to better understand how people made the Holocaust possible. ELIZABETH WILEN-BERG (Instructor) Dr. Elizabeth Wilen-Berg is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Dr. Wilen-Berg's mother is a holocaust survivor who participated in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943 and was sent to a Nazi extermination camp. PSYC 015 Effective Negotiating and Conflict Management Conflict is part of daily life and a common dynamic
of human relationships and interactions. While we may feel like avoiding
conflict, it is better to work toward resolution. In this course, we will
examine negotiating and resolving conflict from a win/win perspective.
We will examine what causes conflict and the role of communication in
its resolution including listening and assertiveness skills. We will examine
how to create an effective atmosphere for resolution, how to overcome
anger and mistrust, give and receive criticism, build positive power and
deal with difficult people. Through the use of videotaping and reflection,
we will focus on developing one's own style of handling conflict. Class
discussions will be based on assigned books, viewing of films and real
life case examples. Students will be required to complete readings before
class meetings, participate in class discussions and videotaping, keep
a journal and write a 10-page final paper. SUSAN CONKLIN (Instructor) Susan Conklin, L.I.C.S.W., B.C.D. is a psychotherapist in private practice in Williamstown. She is an adjunct assistant professor at North Adams State College, Education Department, Graduate Division and she is a human resource consultant and motivational speaker for corporations, agencies and schools on various aspects of communication and relationships. PSYC 016 Chinese Medicine and the Five Elements In this course we will look at Chinese Medicine from
the perspective of the Five Elements. We will look at the historical roots
and theory of Chinese Medicine, synthesizing Taoism and Confucianism.
To start, we will look at the Nei Jing, Lao Tzu and the I ching. The course
will focus on understanding the theory behind acupuncture and herbal medicine,
as well as the practical application of diagnosis and treatment. Students
will learn how to take pulses, do tongue diagnosis and find acupuncture
points. Each of the Five Elements will be discussed as well as the overall
theory that links different traditions of acupuncture together. The theory
and practical application from diagnosis to treatment will be covered,
as well as the significance of individual points. LORLI HARDIGG (Instructor) Lorli Hardigg received her B.A. from Dartmouth College and then received acupuncture training in a three year master's degree program from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute in Columbia, Maryland. She is presently studying herbs in New York City. Ms. Hardigg currently practices acupuncture in her office in Williamstown. PSYC 017 Teaching Practicum Students interested in teaching may submit applications
for a Winter Study assignment as a teacher's aide at Mt. Greylock Regional
High School or at the Williamstown elementary school. Those accepted will
work under the supervision of a regular member of the teaching staff and
submit a report on their work at the end of the Winter Study Period. This
project involves a four week commitment to full time affiliation with
the school. Interested students should consult before WSP registration
with Professor Kassin, 305 Bronfman. He will assist in arranging placements
and monitor students' progress during the four week period. KASSIN PSYC 018 Institutional Placement Students interested in a full-time January placement
in a mental health, social service or applied psychology (e.g., advertising,
law) setting may consult with members of the Psychology Department to
make appropriate arrangements. Students should first make their own contacts
with an institution or agency. They should also arrange to obtain a letter
from a sponsor at the institution who will outline and supervise the student's
duties during January. The student must agree to keep a journal and to
submit a final paper summarizing and reflecting upon the experiences outlined
in the journal. KASSIN PSYC 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Psychology 493-494. RELIGION REL 010 The Path to Bliss (Same as Asian Studies 010) (See under Asian Studies for full description.) REL 011 Drosh: Writing After the Bible Simply put midrash is Bible interpretation, written
commentary, imaginative takes on Bible stories. This course will focus
on mining some of the richer Bible stories, and characters, i.e., Abraham,
Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael, Isaac, Joseph, Miriam, Moses, Jesus, etc. and writing
about them. Poetry, prose, fiction, miscellany, anything goes. There will
be ongoing readings from a variety of sources (in addition to the Bible)
to root ourselves in the time these events took place before we make our
leaps. Those sources may include Louis Ginsberg's, Legends of the Jews,
or the Torah Anthology (Yalkut Ma'em Lo'ez). DAVID RAFFELD (Instructor) A poet and writer, Williamstown resident, David Raffeld has written widely on Bible stories, and has taught winter term courses at Williams in the Department of Religion, Philosophy, and English. He has also been a `Writer-in-Residence' in the Department of Theater for the production of his Issac Oratorio. REL 012 The Book of Revelation The aim of this course in to enable student to read
the Book of Revelation with understanding. This book, written in the late
first century and canonized in the Christian scriptures, has exerted a
profound influence on the art, literature, film, and philosophy of history
of Western Culture. The course will seek to equip students to recognize
and appreciate this influence, but it will do so by giving primary attention
to the book itself, rather than to the uses to which it has subsequently
been put. To this end, Revelation's historical and literary background
will first be discussed, and then a close reading of the book will be
offered, with attention to its structure, symbolism, literary allusions,
and thematic development. CHRISTOPHER R. SMITH (Instructor) The instructor is the minister of the First Baptist Church of Williamstown. He holds a Ph.D. in theological studies from Boston College, where he was teaching assistant to Dr. Anthony Saldarini of the Apocalypse Working Group of the Society of Biblical Literature's Genres Project. Dr. Smith has published articles on the Book of Revelation in several journals, including Novum Testamentum and The Journal for the Study of the New Testament. REL 013 Biblical Hebrew in a Month (Same as Classics 013) (See under Classics for full description.) REL 025 From the Classical to the Islamic Worlds in Jordan and Syria (Same as African and Middle Eastern Studies 025) In this project we will visit sites in Jordan and Syria
to investigate the archaeological and architectural remains of the classical,
late antique and Islamic periods in the area of the greater Levant. In
so doing, we'll develop a sense for both the profound changes that were
brought by the Islamic conquest of this area and also the continuities
that are also detectable. We will have the opportunity to spend an extended
period in Damascus, one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in
the world, and also get to know modern Amman, the capital of Jordan. We
will fly directly to Amman and spend a week in Jordan visiting Petra,
Wadi Rum and Aqaba, as well as sites closer to Amman including Jerash,
Pella Madaba and Mount Nebo. We will then travel overland to Damascus.
After several days in Damascus we will travel north to visit Palmyra,
Crac des Chevaliers, Buera. Lectures on the history and art of the region
and extensive visit to museums will round out our investigations. Each
student will arrange for a research focus with the instructor before departing
and prepare a descriptive/analytical paper upon return. DARROW REL 026 Poly-Japan: Cultural Diversity in Contemporary Japan (Same as Asian Studies 026) (See under Asian Studies for full description.) REL 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Religion 493-494. ROMANCE LANGUAGES FRENCH RLFR S.P. Sustaining Program in French 101-102 Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study Period. There are three 50-minute meetings per week. Teaching Assistant RLFR 010 The Fashioning of Fashion (Same as Literary Studies 010) "Fashion," Roland Barthes wrote, "is too serious and
too frivolous at the same time." As a product of culture, at once trivial
and essential, fashion exhibits a compulsion to create signs, to reproduce
changing meanings, and to fuel the perpetual play of difference and novelty.
The course will examine fashion as a system of communication, a network
of variable signs, a writing (on and of the body, an ideology of socially
constructed images of femininity, masculinity, and body form, a meeting
point for gender, class, and political relations of power, a system for
controlling the eroticized body, a temporal whirlwind of impermanence
and change, a process of appropriating and normalizing the new, a playing-out
of the forces of desire and consumption, an instrument for plundering
and recycling the styles of the past, and, finally, a reality of everyday
life constitutive of social order, collective fantasy, and personal self-definition.
We will focus attention on the oppositions that fashion expresses: between
the personal and the social, the private and the public, the mass-produced
and the individual, the old and the new, the artificial and the natural,
concealment and display, modesty and seductiveness, freedom and constraint. STAMELMAN RLFR 011 Astérix the Gaul: French Culture Through the Prism of the Comic The longevity and popularity of the Astérix comic
strip series over successive generations of French (and foreign) readers
can be explained, in part, by its subtle and incisive rendering of Europeanism
through caricature. This course will examine some of the most enduring
texts in the Astérix saga as interpretations, first, of French
culture and the way the French view themselves with respect to the rest
of Europe and, second, of the way they view Europe in dialogue with French
cultural norms. Such issues as "la patrie" (homeland), linguistic characteristics,
the idea of France, French provincial distinctiveness, France's view of
a homogeneous national character seen through its own cultural diversity,
and the relationship of France to other specific regional cultures will
be studied as a way not only of defining the nation's historical legacy,
but of coming to terms with the way it sees its place within the vision
of European union. Among the texts to be studied will be Astérix
the Gaul, Astérix and the Banquet, Astérix and the Normans,
Astérix in Corsica, Astérix in Britain, Astérix and
the Goths, Astérix in Belgium, Astérix in Switzerland. Analysis
of the primary texts will be complemented by secondary cultural readings
by prominent interpreters of French culture. The course will be conducted
in English; readings will be in English, but those students who wish to
read the texts in the original French should make arrangements in advance
with the instructor. Three two-hour meetings a week. NORTON RLFR 025 Study French in France This three-week intensive course in French language
and culture-for beginning, intermediate, and advanced students of French-brings
Williams students to Brittany, the French province known for its rugged
seacoast, mysterious forests, and Celtic myths. In the port-town of Lannion,
situated in the heart of Brittany, students will live, breathe and dream
in French, from arrival to departure. Courses in French language are tailored
to each student's linguistic level. In addition, students will simultaneously
improve their language skills and their understanding of French culture
by living with local families and by participating in excursions and field
work designed to familiarize them with the town and with Breton customs
and history. For three weeks, students will interact continuously in French
with citizens of all ages of Lannion. The program is organized by the
Ecole Internationale de Francais in Lannion. Norton RLFR 030 Honors Essay To be taken by candidates for honors other than by thesis route. RLFR 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for French 493-494. ITALIAN RLIT S.P. Sustaining Program for Italian 101-102 Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study Period. Three 50-minute meetings per week. Teaching Assistant SPANISH RLSP S.P. Sustaining Program for Spanish 101-102 Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study Period. Three 50-minute meetings per week. Teaching Assistant RLSP 013 A Century of Shakespeare on Screen (Same as English 013) This course will explore the way in which Shakespeare's
works have been appropriated and adapted by film makers. Special emphasis
will be paid on the popular success (or failure) of recent film adaptations,
although a few previous versions will also be considered. At least one
film in a foreign language will be studied to examine how both text and
context have been translated into another culture. A tentative list of
films includes Chimes at Midnight, Grigori Kozintsev's King Lear, Derek
Jarman's The Tempest, Kenneth Branagh's Henry V, Franco Zefirelli's Hamlet
and Christine Edzard's As You Like It. DIAZ-FERNENDEZ (Instructor) RLSP 014 Federico Garcia Lorca Lorca is possibly the best known Spanish poet of the
twentieth century. His tragic death in the early stages of the Spanish
Civil War has given special relevance to his work. A life at the height
of its poetic production was cut short by assassins' bullets in an act
that has symbolized the senselessness and tragedy of that war. Fortunately,
however, Lorca's creative genius has left a monumental legacy to humanity,
and that will be the focus of this Winter Study: to get to know the different
facets of his poetry, to read some of his essays, and to read two or three
of his well known plays. Students will view films, listen to songs that
have used his poetry as lyrics, and, if by chance one of his plays is
performed in the vicinity, a tour group will be organized. The idea is
to catch a glimpse of Lorca's versatile personality and originality through
the readings of his poetry, drama, and prose, and perhaps stimulate in
the process a desire to delve deeper into his work. Class will meet three
times a week for two hours. Conducted in Spanish. GIMENEZ RLSP 025 Guatemala: Culture, Language and Community Involvement THIS COURSE HAS BEEN CANCELLED!!!! RLSP 030 Honors Essay To be taken by candidates for honors other than by thesis route. RLSP 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Spanish 493-494. RUSSIAN RUSS S.P. Sustaining Program for Russian 101-102 Required of all students enrolled in Russian 101-102.
Three meetings per week, 50 minutes per session. Practice in speaking
and comprehension based on material already covered as well as some new
vocabulary and constructions. Designed to maintain and enhance what was
acquired during fall semester, using new approaches in a relaxed atmosphere.
No homework. RUSS 010 Icon Painting (Same as ArtS 010) This course is a step-by-step exploration in the ancient
technique of icon painting. It will introduce students to the history
and origins of this ancient art form and its symbolism and iconography.
The course will include lectures on the history of icon painting as well
as hands-on experience in traditional egg tempera technique used by Russian
Orthodox icon painters. This class requires no previous artistic training. IVAR and ANNA KRONICK (Instructors) Anna and Ivar Kronick are professional painters and have studied icon painting and conservation at the Repin Academy of Art in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Ivar Kronick also worked at the Williamstown Conservation Center. RUSS 030 Honors Project May be taken by candidates for honors other than by thesis route. RUSS 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Russian 493-494. SOCIOLOGY-See under ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY THEATRE THEA 010 Empire and Post Apartheid Chic "Colonial Picturesque" is a term which may be applied
to the impact on 18th- and 19th-century European settlers in South Africa
of their new and strange surroundings. They defined the alien landscape
through their particular "colonial gaze," profoundly influencing their
inevitable dominion in a strange land. In post-apartheid South Africa,
the current generation is adapting to the changing landscape of President
Nelson Mandela's vision for the future. A new sense of Africa and being
African is influencing and changing cultural and ethnic identity across
generational, racial, and political boundaries. EPPEL THEA 012 Practicum in Stage Production This course is a workshop for students with significant
experience in theatre at Williams. It will enable a limited number of
students to prepare one-act plays under the supervision of the instructor.
Workshop performances of these short works will take place at the end
of the WSP. BUCKY THEA 030 Senior Production May be taken by students registered for Theatre 491, 492 but is not required. THEA 031 Senior Thesis May be taken by students registered for Theatre 493, 494 but is not required. WOMEN'S STUDIES WOST 012 The Politics of Gender-Bending: Drag, Camp, Butch and Fem in the Life and Movies of the End of the Twentieth Century (Same as Political Science 012) (See under Political Science for full description.) WOST 016 Rape and Sexual Assault Counseling This course will provide students with a general education
about rape and sexual assault in our society. Topics covered in the classroom
lectures and discussions will include: myths and realities of sexual assault;
child sexual assault; sexual harassment; crisis counseling; counseling
for special populations; the legal system and legal procedures as they
pertain to sexual assault; medical response to sexual assault; college
procedures; and talking with survivors of rape and sexual assault. DONNA DENELLI-HESS (Instructor) Donna Denelli-Hess is Health Educator at Williams College. WOST 026 Women's Issues in Contemporary India (Same as Philosophy 026) (See under Philosophy for full description.) WOST 030 Honors Project To be taken by candidates for honors other than by thesis route. WOST 031 Senior Thesis To be taken by students registered for Women's Studies 493, 494. SPECIALS SPEC 010 Introduction to Dutch (Same as German 010) (See under German for full description.) SPEC 011 Science for Kids (Same as Chemistry 011 and Environmental Studies 011) Are you interested in teaching? Do you enjoy working
with kids? Do you like to experiment with new things? Here is a chance
for you to do all three! The aim of this Winter Study Project is to design
a series of hands-on science workshops for elementary school children
and their parents. Students, working in groups of 2-4, will spend the
first three weeks of Winter Study planning the workshops. This will involve
deciding on a focus for each workshop (based on the interests of the students
involved) followed by choosing and designing experiments and presentations
that will be suitable for 4th-grade children. Then, on the third weekend
of Winter Study (January 24, 25) we will bring elementary school kids
with their parents to Williams to participate in the workshops. You will
get a chance to see what goes into planning classroom demonstrations as
well as a sense of what it's like to actually give a presentation. You'll
find that kids at this age are great fun to work with because they are
interested in just about everything and their enthusiasm is infectious.
You'll also be giving the kids and their parents a chance to actually
do some fun hands-on science experiments that they may not have seen before,
and you'll be able to explain some scientific concepts to them in a manner
that won't be intimidating. L. KAPLAN SPEC 012 Medical Ethics (Same as Biology 012) (See under Biology for full description.) SPEC 013 Genetics and Disease: the Biology, Psychology, and Ethics of Genetic Testing (Same as Psychology 013 and Chemistry 013) How much of a role do your genes play in disease? What
is genetic testing? What are the social and public policy issues surrounding
genetic testing? This course will provide current information on how disease-related
genes are identified, the availability and reliability of genetic tests,
and the actual testing methods in current use. We will consider the contribution
of genetic predisposition toward illness compared with other known risk
factors, including behavior, personality, and stress. We will also discuss
the myriad ethical, moral and economic issues that surround genetic testing
and counseling. With the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2005,
decisions regarding who will be tested and who will have access to this
information will be addressed by both judicial and legislative bodies.
Our goal for this course is to supply you with sufficient scientific information
and theoretical perspective that you will be able to make significant
contributions to the coming public discussion of these complex issues. FRIEDMAN and WEISS SPEC 014 Winter Emergency Care, CPR, Ski Patrol Rescue Techniques The course is in three parts. When successfully completed
it can lead to a certification as a National Ski Patrol member and certification
in Professional Rescue CPR. It will also be designed to teach wilderness
and outdoor emergency techniques. JAMES BRIGGS (Instructor) Jim Briggs was the Outing Club director at Williams for many years. He has led trips to the Alps on a number of occasions. SPEC 015 Mock Trial (Same as Mathematics 015) (See under Mathematics for full description.) SPEC 016 The Art and the Calling of Becoming a Doctor C.P. Snow in "The Two Cultures" wrote: "I believe the
intellectual life of the whole of western society is increasingly being
split into two polar groups....Literary intellectuals at one pole, [and]
at the other the scientists...Between the two a gulf of mutual incomprehension-sometimes
(particularly among the young) hostility and dislike, but most of all
a lack of understanding." This is true for the education of most of today's
doctors, who are taught to rely too heavily on just the scientific underpinnings
of their profession. Great physicians are scientists and artists. David J. Elpern (Coordinator) Dr. Elpern, a practicing physician, has organized international conferences on the medical humanities for the past ten years. SPEC 017 Singing School: Popular Protestant American Religious Music (Same as American Studies 017 and Music 017) This performance-oriented class will explore the history
of popular Protestant sacred music in the United States, with a special
emphasis on music that might have been sung in the Berkshires from the
eighteenth to the early twentieth century-including sacred harp, Shaker
hymns, gospel, and African-American spirituals. Our premise will be that
this music can provide a valuable route to understanding the complex,
diverse religious and social cultures of New England. Outside of class,
we will be reading about U.S. religious movements and music history; we
will also be "reading" old hymnals, in part with an eye to selecting particular
hymns for interpretation and performance. Class time will be divided between
discussing the readings and singing. There will also be visits by local
historians and musicians, and possibly one master class by a scholar/performer
of early American music. The class will culminate with a concert, to be
held at a local site where some of these hymns were once sung. Swann SPEC 018 The Art of Brewing Beer (Same as Chemistry 018) (See under Chemistry for full description.) SPEC 019 Medical Apprenticeship A student is assigned to a local physician, dentist,
or veterinarian to observe closely his or her practice in the office and/or
at the North Adams Regional Hospital, Berkshire Medical Center (Pittsfield,
MA), or Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (Bennington, VT). It is expected
that a student will spend the better part of the day, five days a week,
with the physician or a period mutually agreed upon by the student and
the physician as being educationally significant. The program has proven
to be extremely successful in giving interested students a clear picture
of the practice of medicine in a non-urban area. An effort is made to
expose the student to a range of medical specialties. TEACHING ASSOCIATES (Instructors) DEBORAH AUGUST, M.D. JOSHUA KLEEDERMAN, D.M.D. SPEC 022 Inside College Athletics This course will examine current issues within the National
Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and how they affect Williams. Issues
to be addressed include: divisions of competition, athletic scholarships,
entrance requirements, recruiting, Title IX, and the overall operation
of intercollegiate athletics at Williams. RICHARD QUINN (Instructor) Richard Quinn is Assistant Director of Public Information and Sports Information Director at Williams College. SPEC 023 Book Publishing This course combines practical `hands-on' workshops
in editing, marketing, graphic design, and production/manufacturing with
lecture/teaching sessions conducted by professionals from all aspects
of the publishing process. Primarily devoted to book publishing, the purpose
of the workshops and discussions is to provide student with `real-life'
experience in actually performing the tasks they would at a publishing
house. Students will be given practical assignments in writing advertising
and publicity copy, and in preparing an overall marketing plan for a list
of forthcoming titles. Experienced professionals will lead the workshops,
which will include some on-site sessions at Storey Communications, a local
book publishing company in Williamstown. Students will develop a clear
sense of their own aptitude and ability in this profession. M. JOHN STOREY '65 M. John Storey '65 is owner and president of STOREY COMMUNICATIONS, INC., a book publishing company. SPEC 027 Writing Workshop at Theodore Roosevelt High School Williams students participating in this Winter Study
project will work intensively with selected Roosevelt students on honing
their writing skills. Tutors will plan lessons in collaboration with two
English teachers, and then work closely with their classes. They will
also work individually with selected Roosevelt students. In addition,
the tutors, together with Williams teaching interns (see SPEC 028), will
meet with educators and teachers to discuss aspects of the educational
experience at Roosevelt. Tutors will have regular meetings with Prof.
Newman to discuss their work. NEWMAN SPEC 028 Teaching Practicum: Roosevelt High School, the Bronx Participating students are expected to pursue a full
schedule of observing, teaching, tutoring, etc. at Roosevelt High School
for the four weeks of January, under the overall direction of Mrs. Janet
Saraceno, Assistant Principal for English. Interested students should
consult with Dean of Admission Phil Smith, at Mather House, who will arrange
for several orientation meetings on campus and a one day visit to Roosevelt
in December, prior to the Winter Study Period. P. SMITH SPEC 029 Principles of Flight Have you ever looked at an airplane in the sky and asked,
"What keeps it up there?" Or, "How do they navigate when the weather is
bad and they can't see the ground?" Or, better yet, "How can the weather
be predicted with any degree of accuracy and can I do it?" E. Woodward Printz (Instructor) SPEC 034 The Contemporary Singer/Songwriter Objective: To learn to express thought, feelings, opinions,
and stories in song form. To develop communication as an outgrowth of
personal expression, and to acquire the skills necessary to perform original
works in a public setting. BERNICE LEWIS (Instructor) Bernice Lewis is an accomplished singer and songwriter who has performed her work throughout the country. She lives in Williamstown. SPEC 035 Making Pottery on the Potter's Wheel Each class will begin with a lecture-demonstration,
followed by practice on the potter's wheel. Each student will have the
use of a potter's wheel for each class. We will work on mugs, bowls, pitchers,
plates, jars, lids, vases, and bottles, and will finish these shapes as
required by trimming and adding handles, lugs, lids, spouts, and knobs.
We will also work on several different handbuilding projects. After to
tenth class session, all class work will be biscuit-fired. The eleventh
class will be devoted to glazing the biscuited pieces. Glazing techniques
will include pouring, dipping, layering, brushing, and stamping, and using
wax resist and other masking techniques to develop pattern and design.
The completed work will then be glaze-fired. The last meeting will be
devoted to a "final exam" gallery show of your best work. Woven into lecture-demonstrations
will be presentations on various topics relating to the science and history
of pottery making. RAY BUB (Instructor) Ray Bub is a ceramic artist and potter at Oak Bluffs Cottage Pottery in Pownal Vermont. He also teaches pottery making at Southern Vermont College. SPEC 036 Teaching Practicum: St. Aloysius School, Harlem An opportunity for up to three students to observe and
practice and teach and tutor at St. Aloysius School in Harlem for the
four weeks of January, under the direction of Mrs. Laurel Senger, Principal.
Interested students should consult with Dean of Admission Phil Smith at
Mather House, who will arrange for orientation meetings and a visit to
St. Aloysius in December, prior to Winter Study. P. SMITH SPEC 037 Buildings Histories of Williams Ever wondered how much was spent to build Lasell Gymnasium?
Or what building was previously on the site of Thompson Chapel? What about
the person for whom your dorm is named? The aim of this course is to introduce
students to historical research using the variety of primary and secondary
resources available in Sawyer Library and the College's Archives. These
resources will enable us to research and to compose essays that will illuminate
the histories and meanings behind the campus facades, monuments and sites
that we so often take for granted. Student work is planned for inclusion
in a proposed interactive historical campus map project. Students will
be responsible for producing a building/site essay and biographical sketches
of individuals related to the site (approximately 10 pages), and for selecting
visual and/or documentary materials to illustrate or expand the essay
and sketch(es). LEE DALZELL and SYLVIA KENNICK BROWN (Instructors) SPEC 038 Science and Computer Science in an Elementary School Classroom In an increasingly complex technological world familiarity,
education, and training become all important for success in any field.
Today's world of science demands demands a scientifically literate population.
To foster national science literacy, education at the elementary level
is an ideal first step. Debate rages on elementary science education;
however, educational experts agree on the following points: 1) children
need a balance of content (information and concepts) and process (activities
and experiments); and 2) children must find science interesting, enjoyable,
and pertinent. One avenue for practice of these points is occurring at
Williamstown Elementary School. Williams College is collaborating with
WES to bring hands-on inquiry of nature and seeking answers that give
meaning to their experiences. The students learn about science by doing
science rather than reading textbooks and memorizing facts. Every class
is equipped with computers analysis and graphing software. Williams students
in this program are paired with WES teachers. Working closely with the
classroom teachers, students develop curriculum appropriate experiments,
activities, computer work, and demonstrations which support inquiry based
science. The class requires ten hours a week most of which will be spent
in classroom (WES is located across from the tennis courts). Regular meetings
will be held to discuss elementary school science reform and science/computer
instruction. A 10-page paper on each student's Winter Study experience
will be due at the end of the term. There will be a meeting in early December
to match those enrolled with teachers. JENNIFER SWOAP (Instructor) Jennifer Swoap is the Science Liaison for the Williamstown Elementary School and Williams College. She has been a systems consultant for Andersen Consulting and has taught third grade, computer science, and high school physics. |