Upper-Level Courses

BHP 266 Fashion and Sustainability 

Professors Kerrie Sendall (Biology) and Robin Shane (Costume Design)

M/W 1:10-2:40 p.m.

Core Substitutions: Aesthetic Perspectives: Fine Arts or Scientific Perspectives  | NBCB-Humanities, Natural Sciences, or Liberal Arts

This class will explore the history of textiles, clothing and adornment from pre-history to now as reflected through the materials available in the environment, climate, and techniques used to create the garments.  We will explore the evolution of clothing as it moved from fulfilling the basic needs of adornment, self-expression and protection, to the creation of fashion houses and the factories for mass-production.  We will also explore the movement from natural fibers to petroleum-based products and the evolution of “fast fashion” and its impact on the environment.  We will talk about organic vs. conventional farming of cotton and other materials, and the treatment of workers in factories in both the US and abroad, and the effect of the environment as we move into the future.  We will explore this through lectures, films, experiential projects, and hands-on experiences using the materials discussed in the class.

BHP 212: Children and the Media

Professors Cara DiYanni (Psychology) and Aaron Moore (Sports Media)

T/TH 1:10-2:40 p.m.

Core Substitutions: Social Perspectives  | NBCB-Social Science or Liberal Arts

This course examines how children and adolescents use and understand media and analyzes the role of media in their social and cognitive development. After studying the socializing presence of the media, students will analyze how exposure to television programs, movies, magazines and the Internet shapes children’s socio-emotional development and their understanding of cultural norms. This course will also explore the effects that media use has on children’s health, aggressiveness, and academic performance.

BHP 252: Creativity and Design Thinking

Professors Jia Shen (Information Systems, Analytics, and Supply Chain Management) and Catrinel Tromp (Psychology)  

T/TH 9:45-11:15 a.m.

Core Substitutions: CAS–Social Perspectives | NBCB–Social Science or Liberal Arts

Creative, interdisciplinary, and collaborative work is being recognized as increasingly important for innovation and solving global problems of the 21st century. This course will introduce students to a much-needed framework for dealing with unstructured problems for creative problem solving, and a process for innovation. The course consists of two related parts: the psychology of creativity provides a foundational basis of knowledge and discussion, and the design thinking framework serves as an example of a powerful creative thinking strategy that an increasing number of individuals and organizations have used successfully over the past decade.

BHP 311: Visions of the Future 

Professors Matthew Goldie (English) and Jay Stern (Film)  

T/TH 4:30-6:00 p.m.

Core Substitutions: Aesthetic Perspectives: Fine Arts or Aesthetic Perspectives: Lit. | NBCB-Humanities or Liberal Arts

An apocalypse is coming. But when? And for whom and what on this planet…or beyond? Or, perhaps, a glorious era of peace and harmony and technical wonders awaits. This course explores how apocalyptic and other futures have been imagined in various media: writing, film, visual arts, and others. It considers revelations of what the future could be like in this life or another, possible futures, utopian and dystopian visions, and more. It asks students to consider technological, literary, imagined, and other speculations about what the future could be like.

BHP 351: Genocide, Human Rights, and Literature

Professors Barbara Franz (Political Science) and Seiwoong Oh (English)   

T/TH 1:10-2:40 p.m.

Core Substitutions: Social Perspectives or Aesthetic Perspectives: Lit. Global Perspectives| NBCB- Social Science, Humanities, or Liberal Arts

This course is designed to introduce students to one of the most troublesome and unnerving aspects of the modern world: the systematic cleansing and killing of populations defined by ethnicity, nationality, or race. Genocide is a contested term, and we will explore its various meanings. The course will concentrate on genocides and crimes against humanity in the 20th century. We will discuss the meaning of key terms like human rights, humanitarianism, and genocide, and investigate particular cases of mass atrocities, starting with the Holocaust and a number of historic cases of genocide, e.g., the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, and focus on contemporary atrocities in Rwanda, ex-Yugoslavia, and Darfur. We will also explore the historical process of establishing human rights standards, and examine critically some of the recent efforts at redress, justice, and memory through criminal tribunals, truth and reconciliation commissions, and restitution. A central question runs through the course: how are these two polar opposites, human rights and genocide, related? Do modern forms of thinking about politics and the diversity of human society enable and encourage both phenomena? We will also examine literary and cinematic representations of genocides and mass atrocities. Readings include a variety of literary and cinematic works: novels, poems, graphic novels, memoirs, and film. How have literary and cinematic writers responded to and represented these “unspeakable” events?