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Spring Semester 2014

Comparative Studies 1100  Introduction to the Humanities: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
Multiple Instructors
MWF 9:10-10:05, 10:20-11:15, 11:30-12:25, 1:50-2:45, 3-3:55, 4:10-5:05
TR 8-9:20, 12:45-2:05, 5:30-6:50
 
Explores the role of literature and the arts in constructing, maintaining, and questioning the values and
beliefs of diverse cultures and historical periods; topics vary.  GE Literature and Global Diversity. 
 

Comparative Studies 2101 Literature and Society

Professor Katey Borland TR 12:45-2:05

Today as in the past humanitarianism is both part of and resistant to structures of domination.  In this course, we will examine a number of different literary genres from different historical periods and world regions thematically linked by their enactment or description of the humanitarian project.  How do the images and ideals constructed through memoir, film, and political treatise affect society?  How do those images and ideals limit the possibilities for social transformation and/or obscure continuing inequalities?  Throughout we will attend carefully to the ways in which different literary genres work, their particular vocabularies, potentialities and limitations.  Major texts will include:  A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Twenty Years at Hull House, Gandhi (the movie), Motorcycle Diaries, Unbowed, and others.GE Literature and Global Diversity.


Professor Naomi Brenner TR 3:55-5:15 (Honors section)

This semester, we’ll be examining books that have been banned or challenged for a variety of reasons, from obscenity to politics to religious beliefs.  Why do different societies find certain works of literature threatening or dangerous?  Who defines “good taste”?  How do these controversies affect the literary works themselves?  What do these often extreme examples suggest about the relationship between literature and society?  Texts will include the Song of Songs, Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses and more. Honors version available.
 
 
Comparative Studies 2103 Literature and the Self
Instructor Nancy Tewksbury
MWF 9:10-10:05
 
Study of relationships between psychology and literature; analysis of psychological concepts and processes as represented in literature and film of diverse cultures and historical periods. GE Literature and Global Diversity. 
 
Comparative Studies 2104 Literature, Science, and Technology
Professor Eugene Holland
TR 9:35-10:55 (Honors section)
 
In this course we will read and view some of the great works of science fiction.  One aim of the course is to review the historical evolution of the genre, starting with the work of Jules Verne at the end of the 19th century and ending with great works (books and films) of the late 20th century.  How do science fiction authors respond to one another over time?  How does the science fiction genre constitute a tradition?  Another aim is to consider what makes science fiction a recognizable literary and cinematic genre, and what distinguishes it from closely related genres (such as fantasy and utopia).  What roles does science play in science fiction?  And how does the genre encourage us to reflect on the nature of contemporary social life as we know it and get us to imagine alternatives to it?  How does science fiction confront the Unknown – Other worlds, Other cultures, Other creatures, Other beings?  GE Literature and Global Diversity. Honors version.
 
 
Comparative Studies 2105 Literature and Ethnicity
Professor Theresa Delgadillo
TR 11:10-12:30
 
In this introductory level course, students will explore representations and critiques of ethnic identity in literature and film. Since ethnicity often intersects with race, class, gender, sexuality and disability in both its actual social construction and in representation, we will devote some time to understanding these terms/theories and their meanings before engaging in close reading and visual analysis of select texts. This course will largely be focused on understanding and unpacking literature and film about ethnicity. We will learn about the distinctiveness of each literary or cinematic form we study as well as the significance of this form to the particular social, historical and aesthetic contexts that a text embraces or invokes. Students will learn about key categories of analysis, diverse literary and cinematic forms and the art of reading and interpreting literary and visual texts. Students will also learn approaches to understanding ethnicity. Assignments will include quizzes, short critical essays and leading class discussion. GE Literature and Social Diversity in the U.S.
 
 
Comparative Studies 2193 Individual Studies
 
Designed to give students an opportunity for personal study with a member of the faculty.
Repeatable to a maximum of 6 cr hrs or 6 completions. This course is graded S/U.
 
Comparative Studies 2194 Group Studies
 
Designed to give groups of students an opportunity to pursue special studies not otherwise offered.
Repeatable to a maximum of 6 cr hrs or 6 completions. Honors version available.  This course is graded S/U.
 
Comparative Studies 2214 Introduction to Sexuality Studies
Instructor Rita Trimble
MWF 10:20-11:15
 
Provides an introduction to sexuality studies through an interdisciplinary approach. To apply the knowledge learned, this course requires a fieldwork component.
 
Comparative Studies 2281 American Icons
Instructor Drew Lyness
TR 2:20-3:40
 
Interdisciplinary methods in American studies; emphasis on the plurality of identities in American culture. GE cultures and ideas and diversity soc div in the US course.
 
Comparative Studies 2301 Introduction to World Literature
Professor Katey Borland
TR 9:35-10:55
 
This course discusses literatures of the world in their historical and social contexts. We will read texts from the literary traditions of five geopolitical areas: Latin America, Africa; Asia; the Middle East; and Europe/North America. Classroom discussions will focus on select twentieth century texts from these areas that comment on cultural contact, especially as related to colonization and globalization. Additional examples of literary and film texts identified by both the professor and students will be considered in class.  Major texts will include:  Tierra del Fuego, Gods Bits of Wood, Salt of the Earth (film), Battle of Algiers (film), Persepolis (book and movie), The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Middle of the World (film), Shipwrecks. GE literature and diversity global studies course.
 
 
Comparative Studies 2322 Introduction to Latino Studies
Professor Miranda Martinez
TR 9:35-1-:55
 
This course is an introduction to Latino Studies, a discipline that studies the experience and condition of U.S. Latinos – including Mexican, Caribbean and Latin American. It treats Latino Studies as an interdisciplinary arena, drawing from both the social sciences and humanities. 
 
The course presents and analyzes scholarly works that include theoretical models, methodological strategies, and analytical approaches to learning about U.S. Latinos. We will take a social science approach to understand the demographics, immigration and socioeconomic incorporation of distinct Latino/a groups, and we will discuss policy issues related to growing Latino/a visibility in U.S. society. We will use fiction, essays and poetry to understand the historical and actual experience of Latinos/as, and the distinct cultural and political expressions that have emerged through the Latino/a encounters with U.S. politics and culture.  
 
 GE cultures and ideas and diversity soc div in the US course. Cross-listed with Spanish 2242.
 
Comparative Studies 2341 Technology, Science, and Society
Professor Leo Coleman
Lecture 9:10-10:05
Recitation sections Tuesday or Thursday 10:20-11:15
 
This class is an introduction to the social, cultural, and ethical questions raised by contemporary science and technology, and explores how cultural approaches can help us respond to the challenges of technological and social change. By focusing on key case-studies at the intersection of technology, society, and politics, including issues surrounding climate change and energy consumption, genetically-modified organisms, and genomic science, we will examine the cultural impact of technological change, and how cultural norms and values affect technological development. We will further explore how law and politics define and shape the technologically and scientifically possible, through the definition of property rights, national political framings of the desirability of technological intervention in medicine and nature, and social mobilizations which directly produce new knowledge in contested scientific fields.  Finally, we will examine the intersection of technology and selfhood in Western contexts, especially inquiring into the impact of digital communications and social media on our personal and political lives.  We will ask, and aim to answer, questions such as: Why do scientific and technological solutions to social problems have so much power in our own society? How useful is scientific knowledge?  When and how can we draw the line between the technically possible and the socially desirable? What needs are fulfilled by technology, and what hopes and desires does it serve? GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course.
 
 
Comparative Studies 2350 Introduction to Folklore
Professor (from English)
WF 9:35-10:55
 
A general study of the field of folklore including basic approaches and a survey of primary folk materials: folktales, legends, folksongs, ballads, and folk beliefs. GE cultures and ideas course. Cross-listed in English.
 
Comparative Studies 2360 Introduction to Comparative Cultural Studies
Instructor Oded Nir
TR 2:20-3:40
 
Introduction to interdisciplinary field of cultural studies; emphasis on relation of cultural production to power, knowledge, and authority, globally and locally. GE cultures and ideas course.
 
Comparative Studies 2367.02 Latino Identity
Professor Miranda Martinez
TR 12:45-2:05
 
This is a writing intensive course that examines the formation and expression of Latino/a identity in the U.S. We will look at the impact of historical experiences, including patterns of (im)migration, socioeconomic and political incorporation on identity formation of major Latino/a groups: Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban and Dominican. We will use social science, as well as fiction and essays to examine the role of race, class and sexuality in identity construction and cultural expression.  We also discuss questions related to the ambiguities and uncertainties related to U.S. Latinos/as: what has been the impact of urbanization and changing migrations patterns on these identities? To what degress is there a corporate Latino/a identity? What is the cultural significance of racial and cultural hybridization on these identities, and is there such a thing as an “authentic” Latino/a identity? GE writing and comm: level 2 and diversity soc div in the US course.
 
 
Comparative Studies 2367.04 Science and Technology in American Culture
Multiple Instructors
WF 9:35-10:55
MWF 10:20-11:15
 
Role of science and technology in contemporary American society; their relationship to human values; sources of concern about their impact; evaluation of selected issues. GE writing and comm: level 2 and cultures and ideas and diversity soc div in the US course. 
 
Comparative Studies 2367.07 Religious Diversity in the U.S.
Multiple Instructors
WF 1110-12:30
MWF 8-8:55, 1:50-2:45
 
Exploration of the concept of religious freedom and the position of minority religious groups in American society. GE writing and comm: level 2 and cultures and ideas and diversity soc div in the US course.
 
Comparative Studies 2367.08 American Identity in the World
Multiple Instructors
MWF 9:10-10:05, 12:40-1:35, 1:50-2:45, 3-3:55, 4:10-5:05
WF 8-9:20
TR 8-9:20, 3:55-5:15
Professor Daniel Reff
TR 9:35-10:55 (Honors section)
 
American culture viewed from inside and from the perspective of foreign cultures, as seen in literature, film, art, music, journalism, folklore, and popular culture. GE writing and comm: level 2. cultures and ideas and diversity soc div in the US course. Honors version available.
 
Comparative Studies 2370 Introduction to Comparative Religion
Professor Isaac Weiner
Lecture WF 9:10-10:05
Recitation sections Wednesdays and Fridays 10:20-11:15
 
Introduction to the academic study of religion through comparison among major traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.) and smaller communities. GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course.
 
Comparative Studies 2864H Modernity and Postmodernity: Issues and Ideas
Professor Philip Armstrong
MW 9:35-10:55 (Honors section)
 
The course introduces students to the principle concepts and themes defining the discourse of modernity and postmodernity. Through weekly readings, lectures, films, and extensive class discussions, the course will cover a range of debates concerning the historical and contemporary meanings of (post)modernity and its intersection with a number of related fields of research, including economics and social relations, political sovereignty, the nation-state, and global governance, colonialism and post-colonialism, migration and human mobility, media and telecommunications, religion, technology, and the environment. We will also situate the weekly readings in relation to extracts from a range of recent literature as well as documentary films addressing issues related to modernity and postmodernity. In this context, we will be asking not only “what is modernity and postmodernity?” (Its meanings and thematic concerns) but also “when is modernity and postmodernity?” (What are their origins? How do we begin to write their history?), “where is modernity and postmodernity? (How do we think of their local, regional, and global contexts?), and “modernity and postmodernity for whom?” (Who experiences modernity and postmodernity and in what ways? Which voices speak for and against these terms?).  GE literature and diversity global studies course. Honors version. 
 
 
Comparative Studies 3360 Introduction to Globalization and Culture
Professor Nina Berman
TR 2:20-3:40
 
This course introduces students to the broader experience of globalization by examining cultural representations in relation to the circumstances and conditions of the globalization process. The course is organized chronologically, and divided into four units: the period before European hegemony; the era
of European colonialism and imperialism; the period of decolonization and modernization; and the contemporary context. These units serve to highlight continuities and changes in the globalization process. Questions of empire, migration, various types of networks, and the relationship between local
lives and larger political and economic systems are central to all units. With the onset of European colonization and imperialism, however, the scale and nature of the interdependency of different areas of the world changed dramatically. The broad timeframe of the course allows a systematic discussion of these changes. The course pays particular attention to the ways in which human lives are affected by different aspects of globalization. Class discussion centers on cultural texts and other artifacts, which will be analyzed in light of various background readings.
 
Comparative Studies 3603 Love in World Literature
Multiple Instructors
MWF 9:10-10:05, 12:40-1:35
WF 3:55-5:15
Professor Julia Watson
TR 12:45-2:05 (Honors Section)
 
Selected representations of love in different cultures and time periods. GE lit and diversity global studies course. Honors version available.
 
Comparative Studies 3606 The Quest in World Literature
Instructor Lucia Bortoli
TR 12:45-2:05
 
Motif of the quest in world literature; physical and mental journeys as metaphors of personal transformation and salvation. GE lit and diversity global studies course.
 
Comparative Studies 3607 Film and Literature as Narrative Art
Instructor Andrew Culp
M 12:10-2 and WF 12:40-1:35
Professor Maurice Stevens
M 10:05-11:55 and TR 11:30-12:25 (Honor section)
 
Relationships between film and literature; emergence of cinematic art as a form of representation with emphasis on diverse cultural traditions. GE VPA and diversity global studies course. Honors version available. 
 
Comparative Studies 3608 Representations of the Experience of War
Multiple Instructors
MWF 10:20-11:15, 11:30-12:25
TR 2:20-3:40
 
Representations of war in works of literature, religious texts, and film from diverse cultures and time periods. GE lit and diversity global studies course.
 
Comparative Studies 3645 Cultures of Medicine
Professor Alison Fish
WF 9:35-10:55 (Honors section)
 
Humanistic, scientific, and clinical perspectives on medical issues; literary uses of medical themes; medicine as art and science. GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course. Honors version.
 
Comparative Studies 3646 Cultures, Natures, Technologies
Instructor Rick Livingston
WF 11:10-12:30
 
Cultural perspectives on issues related to technology, nature, and culture; examines cultural approaches to uses of technology and their relation to natural and human worlds. Prereq: English 1110 (110) or equiv.  GE cultures and ideas course.
 
Comparative Studies 3686 Cultural Studies of American Musics
Instructor RaShelle Peck
TR 11:10-12:30
 
Investigation of the social, political, and cultural contexts of the development of popular musics in the U.S. GE VPA and diversity soc div in the US course.
 
Comparative Studies 3990 Approaches to Comparative Studies
Professor Barry Shank
WF 11:10-12:30
 
Approaches to Comparative Studies is required of all majors in Comparative Studies.  It is intended to provide a common experience for all our majors while ensuring that each has some awareness of the chief branches of intellectual work that takes place under the interdisciplinary rubric of Comparative Studies.  This class requires a lot of reading in fields as varied as folklore, comparative literature, religious studies, science & technology studies, and comparative ethnic and American studies.  The bulk of each class meeting will be devoted to discussion of the required readings.  Each student will be expected to be an active participant in all discussions and to produce 2 pages of scholarly notes on indicated readings.  There will be two essay exams, one in-class, covering the first half, and one take-home at the end that will ask you to synthesize material from the entire course. CompStd major, or permission of instructor.
 
 
Comparative Studies 4191 Research Internship in Comparative Studies
 
Intensive research experience in Comparative Studies; individualized research training; students collaborate closely with faculty member on research project; projects either student-initiated or faculty research. Permission of instructor required. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 cr hrs or 6 completions. This course is graded S/U.
 
Comparative Studies 4193 Individual Studies
 
Designed to give students an opportunity for personal study with a member of the faculty. Permission of instructor required. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 cr hrs or 6 completions. This course is graded S/U.
 
Comparative Studies 4597.01 Global Studies of Science and Technology
Instructor Ricky Crano
WF 3:55-5:15
 
Explores relations among culture, science, and technology in changing global contexts. Previous completion of 2367.02 or 367.02 recommended.
Prereq: Completion of a Second Writing course and Natural Science sequence, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 597.01. GE diversity global studies and cross-disciplinary seminar course.
 
Comparative Studies 4597.02 Global Culture
Instructor Josh Kurz
TR 3:55-5:15
 
Examines contemporary global cultural flows, the concepts useful in analyzing them, and the questions they raise about power and cultural change.
Prereq: Completion of Second Writing course. Not open to students with credit for 597.02. GE diversity global studies and cross-disciplinary seminar course.
 
Comparative Studies 4685 Comparative Ethnic and American Studies
Professor Maurice Stevens
TR 2:20-3:40
 
Examines relationships between interdisciplinary fields of American Studies and Ethnic Studies.
 
Comparative Studies 4804 Studies in Latino Literature and Culture
Professor Theresa Delgadillo
TR 12:45-2:05
 
In this course we will consider the interplay between the visual and the literary as we read novels, short stories and poems about visual objects such as art, print, visions, photographs, movies, architecture, graffiti, tattoos, landscape. We will also view films -- themselves visual objects -- where sight and seeing are paramount. In this course students will explore how Latina/o literature participates in and mediates visual culture as well as how it questions the act of "seeing," especially with respect to race, class, gender, sexuality or nation. Assignments will include short critical essays, leading class discussion and visual presentation. Readings will include: What You See in the Dark by Manuel Muñoz; The Buddha Book by Abraham Rodriguez, Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros, Loving Che by Ana Menendez, The Youngest Doll by Rosario Ferré, War by Candlelight by Daniel Alarcón, Chango's Fire by Ernesto Quinonez, Into the Beautiful North by Luis Urrea. Not open to students with credit for English  4588 (588), or 4587. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 cr hrs. 
 
Comparative Studies 4846 Social Studies of Objects and Networks
Professor Alison Fish
WF 2:20-3:40
 
Examines the concept of networks and networking in the contemporary world, including analysis of cultural impact of communications technologies; new reproductive technologies; and the production, use, and reuse of consumer goods.
 
Comparative Studies 4903 World Literature: Theory and Practice
Professor Gregory Jusdanis
TR 2:20-3:40 (E section)
 
Discussion of world literatures in theoretical, historical, and cultural contexts, with particular attention to translation, language, nationalism, globalization, and internationalism.  Prereq: 2273 (273), or 3373 (373). Not open to students with credit for 4903E (573, 573E). Embedded honors available.
 
Comparative Studies 4972 Theory and Method in the Study of Religion
Professor Sarah Iles Johnson
TR 12:45-2:05
 
Survey of contemporary theories and methods used in the academic study of religion. Prereq: 2370 (270) or equiv. Not open to students with credit for 520.
 
Comparative Studies 4990 Senior Seminar in Comparative Studies
Professor Daniel Reff
TR 12:45-2:05
 
Writing seminar based on students' independent research.  Prereq: 3990 (398), and 500 or 4000-level course in CompStd, and Sr standing, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 598.
 
Comparative Studies 4998 Undergraduate Research in Comparative Studies
 
Undergraduate research in variable topics; independent study.  Prereq: Permission of instructor. Repeatable to a maximum of 9 cr hrs or 3 completions. This course is graded S/U.
 
Comparative Studies 4998H Honors Undergraduate Research in Comparative Studies
 
Undergraduate research in variable topics; independent study.  Prereq: Honors standing. Permission of instructor. Repeatable to a maximum of 9 cr hrs or 3 completions. This course is graded S/U.
 
Comparative Studies 4999 Undergraduate Thesis
 
Independent study for 4th-year students wishing to complete a senior thesis.  Prereq: Sr standing and permission of the instructor under whose supervision the work is to be completed. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 cr hrs or 2 completions. This course is graded S/U.
 
Comparative Studies 4999H Honors Thesis
 
Senior honors course leading to graduation with distinction and a thesis; independent study for the student with special aptitude. Honors thesis credits must be completed in addition to coursework requirements for all major and minor programs.   Prereq: Honors and Sr standing, and permission of instructor. A grade of A in at least half of the Comp Std courses taken and an average of B in the remainder. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 cr hrs or 2 completions. This course is graded S/U.
 
Comparative Studies 5691 Topics in Comparative Studies
Professor Nada Moumtaz
TR 11:10-12:30
 
From “private property” to “intellectual property,” the word property crowds daily conversations and newspaper articles. Ubiquitous and taken for granted, it appears to be a universal category of thought. But what is property? Is it an object, a possession?  Is it a relationship between a subject and an object or one between subjects around an object?  More importantly, how is it deployed and who mobilizes it? In this course, we will think critically about the term, analyzing its genealogy in Western thought and examining different approaches to and conceptions of the term in non-Western societies.  In the first part of the course, we will read in parallel texts that tackle key-aspects and concepts of property in Western theory and others that engage these aspects in non-Western contexts.  We will examine the context in which the term is deployed, its intricate connection to law, and its presupposition of separate categories of subjects and objects. In the second part of the course, we will examine the constant expansion of domains we call property by focusing on new objects of property relations: the body (blood, sperm, eggs), nature (CO2, medicinal plants), culture (music, writing, yoga). As we engage in contentions over the ‘propretization’ of body parts, heritage, and intellectual production, we will be thinking of property as a process to produce things, meanings, and relations. While we engage in these particular issues, we will remain attuned to the different political projects that different conceptions of property suppose and produce. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 651. Repeatable to a maximum of 12 cr hrs
 
 
Comparative Studies 5797 Study at a Foreign Institution
 
An opportunity for students to study at a foreign institution and receive Ohio State credit for that work. This course is Progress ('P') graded. Students will pay Ohio State fees and any fees in excess of Ohio State tuition, as well as all travel and subsistence costs. Prereq: Permission of department. Repeatable to a maximum of 30 cr hrs.  
 
Comparative Studies 5957.01 Folklore in Circulation
Professor Sabra Webber
R 3:55-6:50
 
It took an ex-physicist—Francis Crick—and a former ornithology student—James Watson—to crack the secret of life.  They shared certain wanderlust, an indifference to boundaries.  Robert Wright.
 
The king must have contact not only with the central power but also with the randomly scattered sources of unusual events in the magical field beyond his boundaries.  If those sources cannot be vanquished and assimilated, at least some measured contact with them must be kept.  Thus, for example, the king or his ministers may seek information from ambassadors, spies and travelers, prophets and soothsayers.  Willeford, 157
 
This seminar takes a critical look at different sorts of travel and travelers--explorers, ethnomusicologists, migrant workers, anthropologists, folklorists, NGO and government officials and workers, missionaries, and tourists. We look at a wide range of travel narratives and their relation to “tricksters” and to trickiness in various cultural and historical contexts.  It is to be hoped that students will produce papers that circle around these themes and that their projects will intersect in ways that will enhance the work of fellow students in the seminar and in turn will be enhanced by theirs. Prereq: English 2270 (270). Repeatable to a maximum of 6 cr hrs.