Undergraduate Courses
CS 100 Introduction to the Humanities: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
Instructors: TBA
MW 9:30am-11:18am; TR 9:30am-11:18am; MW 11:30am-1:18pm; MW 1:30pm-3:18pm; TR 1:30pm-3:18pm; MW 3:30pm-5:18pm; R 3:30pm-7:18pm
This course 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.
GEC arts and humanities literature course.
CS 201 Literature and Society
Instructor: Paul Reitter (Germanic Lang & Lit)
TR 1:30pm-3:18pm
Study of relationships among politics, society, and literature; analysis of social and political elements of literature and film from diverse cultures and historical periods. Prerequisite: English 110 or 111 or equivalent. GEC arts and humanities literature course.
CS 201H Literature and Society
HONORS
Instructor: Kwaku Korang
MW 9:30am-11:18am
Study of relationships among politics, society, and literature; analysis of social and political elements of literature and film from diverse cultures and historical periods. Prerequisite: English 110 or 111 or equivalent. GEC arts and humanities literature course.
CS 203 Literature and the Self
Instructor: TBA
TR 9:30am-11:18am
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. Prerequisite: English 110 or 111 or equivalent. GEC arts and humanities literature course.
CS 214 Introduction to Sexuality Studies
Instructor: Andrea Breau (WGSST)
TR 1:30pm-3:18pm
This course will provide an introduction to sexuality studies through an interdisciplinary approach. To apply the knowledge learned, this course requires a fieldwork component. 2 2-hr cl. Prereq: English 110 or equiv. Not open to students with credit for Edu Paes 214. Cross-listed in Ed Paes.
CS 234 American Icons
Instructor: Drew Lyness
MW 11:30am-1:18pm
Interdisciplinary methods in American studies; emphasis on the plurality of identities in American culture. Prereq: English 110 or equiv. GEC arts and hums cultures and ideas, and social diversity course.
CS H240 The Nature of Modernity: Key Ideas and Enduring Problems
HONORS
Instructor: Philip Armstrong
TR 1:30am-3:18pm
Examination of some of the defining ideas of modern thought and how those ideas have problematically affected modern life in both developed and developing countries. Prereq: English 110 or equiv. GEC arts and hums literature course.
CS 242 Introduction to Latino/a Studies
Instructor: Theresa Delgadillo
MW 9:30am-11:18am
Introduction to Latino studies; history, politics, and cultural production of Latino/a communities in the U.S. and its borderlands.Prereq: English 110 or equiv. GEC arts and hums cultures and ideas, and social diversity course.
CS 264 Reading Popular Culture
Instructor: Barry Shank
TR 11:30am-1:18pm
Introduction to Latino studies; history, politics, and cultural production of Latino/a communities in the U.S. and its borderlands. Prereq: English 110 or equiv. GEC arts and hums cultures and ideas, and social diversity course.
CS 270 Introduction to Comparative Religion
TR 9:30am-11:18am, Damon Berry
TR 11:30am-1:18pm, Michael McVicar
Introduction to the academic study of religion through comparison among major traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.) and smaller communities. Prerequisite: English 110 or equivalent. GEC arts and humanities, cultures and ideas and nonwestern/global focus course. Not open to students with credit for Religious Studies 270.
CS 272 Science and Society
Instructor: Allison Fish
TR 9:30am-11:18am
Critical analysis of the multiple relations of science to society, with emphasis on knowledge, power, authority, values, and ethics. Prerequisite: English 110 or equivalent. GEC arts and hums cultures and ideas course.
CS 273 Introduction to World Literature
Instructor: Katherine Borland
TR 9:30am-11:18am
Analysis of oral and written literatures of diverse cultures and historical periods. Prerequisite: English 110 or equivalent. GEC arts and hums lit course.
CS 301 Love in World Literature
TR 9:30am-11:18am, Michael Murphy
MW 3:30pm-5:18pm, Ilana Maymind
Representations of love in world literature; emphasis on mythological, psychological, and ideological aspects of selected representations in different cultures and time periods. GEC arts and humanities, literature and nonwestern/global focus course. Prerequisite: 5 credit hours in literature and English 110 or 111 or equivalent.
CS 308 Representations of the Experience of War
MW 11:30am-1:18pm
TR 3:30pm-5:18pm
Representations of war in works of literature, religious texts, and film from diverse cultures and time periods. GEC arts and humanities, literature and international issues course. Prerequisite: English 110 or equivalent.
CS 358 Film and Literature as Narrative Art
Instructor: TBA
M 11:30am-2:18pm and W 11:30am-1:18pm
Relationships between film and literature; emergence of cinematic art as a form of representation with emphasis on diverse cultural traditions. Prerequisite: English 110 or 111 or equivalent. GEC arts and hums VPA course.
CS 367.01 American Identity in the World
Instructors: TBA
MW 9:30am-11:18am; TR 9:30am-11:18am; MW 11:30am-1:18pm; TR 11:30am-1:18pm; TR 1:30pm-3:18pm; MW 3:30pm-5:18pm
American culture viewed from inside and from the perspective of foreign cultures, as seen in literature, film, art, music, journalism, folklore, and popular culture. Prerequisite: English 110 or equivalent and sophomore standing. GEC second writing, social diversity course.
CS 367.02 Science and Technology in American Culture
Instructor: Gabriel Piser
MW 11:30am-1:18pm
Role of science and technology in contemporary American society; their relationship to human values; sources of concern about their impact; evaluation of selected issues. Prerequisite: English 110 or equivalent and sophomore standing. GEC second writing course, social diversity course.
CS H367.02 Science and Technology in American Culture
HONORS
Instructor: Brian Rotman
MW 1:30pm-3:18pm
Role of science and technology in contemporary American society; their relationship to human values; sources of concern about their impact; evaluation of selected issues. Prerequisite: English 110 or equivalent and sophomore standing. GEC second writing course, social diversity course.
CS 367.03 Religious Diversity in America
Instructors: TBA
TR 9:30am-11:18am; MW 1:30-3:18
Exploration of the concept of religious freedom and the position of minority religious groups in American society. Prerequisite: English 110 or equivalent and sophomore standing. GEC second writing course, social diversity course.
CS 373 and 373E Translating Literatures and Cultures
Instructor: Nina Berman
MW 3:30pm-5:18pm
This course explores aspects related to translating literary and non-literary texts from one language into another, from one cultural context into another, and from one historical period into another. We will read a range of theoretical texts from the field of translation studies and focus on issues such as the question of equivalence and/or incommensurability of different languages; historical dimensions of the field; and ideological and institutional aspects. The notion that translation always "rewrites" a text, the fact that translations are composed for specific audiences, the role of editors and publishing houses, and the most recent phenomenon of creating and translating texts and media for global audiences are among the issues at the center of our discussions. In addition, we will consider situations where translation is crucial to cross-cultural communication.
The theoretical part of the course will be accompanied by a practical part, that is, every student will be asked to produce translations into English from a foreign language he or she is familiar with. These translations will then be discussed in class. The emphasis will be on identifying problems that occur in the process of translating, and we will evaluate the translations presented in class in light of various theoretical approaches and methodologies. Basic knowledge of a foreign language (two quarters minimum or equivalent) is sufficient to participate in this task.
Texts:
Susan Bassnett, Translation Studies; Umberto Eco, Experiences in Translation; Lawrence Venuti, The Translation Studies Reader
In addition, select examples from fiction, non-fiction, and film will serve to further illuminate various dimensions of the translation process.
Assignments and Grading:
Participation (20%); one class discussion summary (10%); one translation project (draft; presentation in class; final version; 30%), one term paper (either an annotated translation, an analysis of a translation, or a discussion of a translation related theoretical aspect; 40%; including abstract).
Prereq: English 110 or equiv; minimum two quarters foreign language. GEC arts and hums cultures and ideas and diversity/international issues course.
CS 376 The Jewish Mystical Tradition
Instructor: Michael Swartz
TR 1:30pm-3:18pm
The history of Jewish mysticism from antiquity to the present, with emphasis on its implications for the comparative study of religious experience. Prereq: English 110 or equiv; minimum two quarters foreign language. GEC arts and hums cultures and ideas and diversity/international issues course.
CS 398 Approaches to Comparative Studies
Instructor: Nina Berman, MW 11:30am-1:18pm
Class # 14632
Introduces comparative studies majors to theoretical tools, methods of investigation, and key concepts in comparative studies research and scholarship. Prereq: English 110 or equiv, and comp st major; or permission of dept. Required for comp st majors.
CS 470 Folklore of the Americas
Instructor: Katherine Borland, TR 1:30pm-3:18pm
Class # 26197
This course is an introduction to Folklore Studies of the Latin American Region. We will examine both folklore theory and methodology as it has been developed by Latin American scholars, and specific genres in selected culture areas. Without generalizing about the vast and diverse region we call LatinAmerica, we will explore Mayan myth (The Popol Vuh), folklore of the Texas-Mexican Border, Caribbean musical traditions including salsa, Nicaraguan dance and festival, Afro-Brazilian Candomblê, and craft in Western Mexico. Our texts will be supplemented by video screenings, audiotapes, and other media sources. Students will help broaden our scope by conducting research on archives and special collections and identifying a particular cultural tradition of a particular group or area that they will explore in depth. Students will be invited to design a final project (research paper, performance, media project) based on that research. The course will have a substantial library research component and will include Ohio University Latin American Studies students via videoconferencing.
Principal texts:
- Paredes, Folklore and Culture on the Texas-Mexican Border
- Manuel, Caribbean Currents
- The Popol Vuh
- Landes, City of Women
- García-Canclini, Transforming Modernity
Contact instructor at borland.19@osu.edu for more information.
CS 515 Gender, Sexuality, and Religion
Instructor: Michael McVicar
TR 3:30pm-5:18pm
Class # 26142
Using diverse expressions from U.S. culture and history, this course critically investigates intersections of gender, sexuality and religion in comparative, transnational, and cross-cultural contexts. Drawing on examples from Christianity, Buddhism, Native American traditions, and new religious movements (including Mormonism, the Oneida Perfectionists, Neo-Paganism, and Raëlianism), the course investigates the complex ways religious discourse and practices define, regulate, control, and transform social relationships, gender categories, and sexual desire. We will explore controversies associated with polygamy and other non-monogamous sexual relationships; alternative ways of ordering families; religiously motivated veiling; abortion; homosexuality; and ritualized sexual practices among many other topics. Along the way we will rely on a combination of secondary scholarship and primary sources (including films, pamphlets, letters, etc.) to lead us through the complex relationship between gender, sexuality, and religion.
Contact instructor at mcvicar.2@osu.edu for more information.
CS H524 Varieties of Christianity
HONORS
Instructor: Dan Reff, MW 9:30am-11:18am
Class# 17464
Many of us think of religion as meaningful because it conveys transcendent truths (i.e. love thy neighbor; life is but an illusion). And yet, however much we may embrace religion to transcend our own cultural-historical predicament, religious experience or religion, in general -- be it beliefs, institutions, rituals, etc. -- is necessarily a matter of time and place. This course explores various expressions of Christianity, historically and cross-culturally. The course is interdisciplinary in that we will approach Christianity from a variety of perspectives, keeping in mind that religion is always something else and implies values, beliefs and practices that we might term “economic,” “political”, “gendered,” etc. Most of the readings for the class are by authors who consciously draw from a variety of disciplines (e.g. archaeology, anthropology, history, theology, religious studies, sociology), attempting to convey how particular cultural-historical contingencies (and sometimes “accidents” of history) have governed the lives of Christians and their embrace of Christianity.
During the first three weeks of the class, we will explore theological and cultural-historical questions regarding Jesus and his vision of Christianity, and how epidemic disease and the “collapse” of the Roman Empire subsequently affected that vision, shaping Christianity during late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. In week four we will read The Name of the Rose, a work of fiction that has been lauded for capturing the central role of the Church in the lives of Europeans during the late Middle Ages. We will next consider the important role that Satan has played in Christianity, and then consider the Protestant Reformation, including Weber’s thesis that it made possible modern capitalism. The last four weeks of the quarter we will take a closer look at Christianity during the modern period, first in the United States and then in Latin America, Africa, and China. Au Qtr. Prereq: English 110 or 110H or equiv. CompStd 270 recommended.
Contact instructor at reff.1@osu.edu for more information.
CS 541 Myth and Ritual
Instructor: Lindsay Jones
TR 11:30am-1:18pm
Class# 26143
Storytelling is, so it has been said, a universal art. People of all cultures—contemporary America included—invariably express their deepest concerns and highest aspirations in the myths or foundational stories that they tell. Likewise, we are hard pressed to find any society that is not deeply committed to performing a wide range of ritual activities—from religious rites, to public celebrations, to completely personal acts of prayer and devotion.
This class will take a critical look at the supposedly universal categories of ‘myth’ and ‘ritual’ and, moreover, at the complex ways in which myth and ritual are related. To that end, we will consider: (1) a series of alternative academic theories of myth and ritual; (2) a series of specific case studies featuring the myths and rituals of several very different sorts of communities from North and Meso-America, India, Europe, Africa, and perhaps even Columbus, Ohio; and (3) a set of strategies for the cross-cultural comparison of myths and rituals.
Contact instructor jones.70@osu.edu for more information.
CS 544 Studies in Latino Literature and Culture: War and Migration in Twenty-first Century Latino/a Literature
(cross-listed as English 588)
Instructor: Theresa Delgadillo, MW 1:30pm-3:18pm
Class# 26284
Since 2000, scores of new Latino/a literary texts have emerged that take wars and migrations past and present as their setting, thoughtfully exploring the relationship between violence and mobility, belonging and brutality. In this course we will together study several novels, memoirs, and non-fiction accounts that address these themes, and we will analyze a few recent films on these topics. Assignments include weekly one-page critiques of readings, midterm exam, class presentation, one 4-page paper and one 10-page research paper.
Contact instructor at delgadillo.3@osu.edu for more information.
CS 597.01 Global Studies of Science and Technology
Instructor: Brian Murphy
MW 11:30am-1:18pm
Explores relations among culture, science, and technology in changing global contexts. GEC capstone course.
Prereq:
- Jr standing or permission of instructor. GEC Issues of the Contemporary World class.
CS 597.02 Global Culture
Instructor: Joshua Kurz
TR 9:30am-11:18pm
Examines contemporary global culture flows, the concepts useful in analyzing them, and the questions they raise about power and cultural change.
Prereq:
- Jr standing or permission of instructor. GEC Issues of the Contemporary World class.
CS 648 Studies in Orality and Literacy
Instructor: Margaret Mills (Near Eastern Lang and Cultures)
W 2:30pm-5:18pm
Class# 26103
Cross-listed in NELC.
This course introduces some major theoretical trends concerned with literacy, oral communications and their interactions in global perspective, then critiques those theories in light of case material, key elements of which are from the Middle East. All readings are in English, and students working in other areas of the world are encouraged to write their final research papers on case material or theory with direct reference to their own areas of specialization, and to bring their comparative and critical perspectives derived from other parts of the world to bear on class discussion.
Since approximately the middle 1970s, case studies of oral traditions and oral forms of communication, and the comparative study of literacy practices worldwide, have been thriving fields. Historically, in the West, literacy has been seen by some as the key to the development of rational thought, historical consciousness, and civil society. Debates over the cognitive and social effects of forms of mass literacy, from print to the internet, are ongoing.
In this class we will review some foundational theorizations (Street vs. Ong on literacy, Lord building on Parry in modeling orality and oral tradition) and go on to look at subsequent extensions and critiques of them in case studies. The readings offer a sampler of history of the topic the last 35 years.
Some questions to be addressed are:
- What claims have been/ can be made for technological effects of literacy on societies?
- What are the effects of oral performance on performers and audiences in different social contexts, and what are the mechanisms of those effects?
- What are some of the operative concepts of authorship, responsibility or authority over texts (variously defined) or other kinds of intangible property claims emerging from different case studies?
- How can the multiplicity of social contexts and varieties of communication be accommodated in any sort of comparative or unified theory of either orality or literacy at this juncture (or for that matter, of their interaction)?
Contact instructor at mills.186@osu.edu for more information.
CS 651 Topics in Comparative Studies: Perennial Philosophy
Instructor: Monika Brodnicka
T 3:30pm-6:18pm
Class# 17714
Scholarship on Perennial Philosophy, or philosophia perennis, offers a revolutionary perspective on the study of comparative religion. It claims that despite the exoteric differences or similarities among world religions, there is an underlying unity among them on the esoteric level. This unity is based on shared mystical principles, which offer direct insight into the nature of ultimate Reality. The Traditionalist School, for example, which helped to propel the ideas of perennial philosophy into the 20th century, argues that all religions share the same esoteric foundation for knowledge, described by René Guénon as oriental metaphysics. This course will examine the key figures of Perennial Philosophy, particularly from the Traditionalist School, discuss the major ideas put forward by the movement, review some of its main criticisms, and attempt to apply its framework to unexamined religious traditions.
Contact instructor at brodnicka.1@osu.edu for more information.
CS 677.02 Themes in World Folklore: Folklore, Memory, and History
Instructor: Ray Cashman (English)
TR 1:30pm-3:18pm
Class # 26144
This course explores the interrelationships between folklore and history, memory and the past. What can we discover about the past from various surviving forms of popular expressive and material culture (e.g., ballads and vernacular architecture)? At stake is rescuing from oblivion the experiences, values, and worldviews of common people in the past. What can we discover about culture in the present from contemporary vernacular constructions of the past (e.g., commemorative parades and battle reenactments)? At stake is differentiating between history and memory, understanding the appeal of the past in the present, and appreciating how people use the past in the present to envision a future that fits their moral, social, and political agendas. Key concepts include folklore, identity, tradition, oral history, material culture, commemoration, nostalgia, social or collective memory, and the politics of culture. Using perspectives from folklorists, anthropologists, and historians, we will advance our understanding of culture, past and present, through transdisciplinary dialogue.
Readings will include several shorter texts on Carmen and the following:
- Jan Vansina, Oral Tradition as History
- Guy Beiner, Remembering the Year of the French: Irish Folk History and Social Memory
- Maurice Halbwachs, On Collective Memory
- Paul Connerton, How Societies Remember
- Keith Basso, Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language among the Western Apache
- Richard Flores, Remembering the Alamo: Memory, Modernity, and the Master Symbol
Assignments include reviews of and presentations on relevant books not on the syllabus, and a final research paper and presentation.
Contact instructor at cashman.10@osu.edu for more information.
CS 705 Introduction to Latino Studies: Methods and Approaches
Instructor: Frederick Aldama, R 5:30pm-8:18pm
Class# 26714 (Cross-listed as Spanish 705)
This is the gateway course for the Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization in Latino Studies. "Introduction to Latino Studies" is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Mexican-American/Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban American, Caribbean, and Central/South American communities within the United States as well as how their histories and cultures interface with those in the Americas generally.
We will explore social, historical, and political commonalities as well as differences between these Latino communities. Themes we will explore include: 1) Pros and cons of Latino identity markers; 2) immigration, migration, and community formation histories; 3) conceptions of gender and sexuality; 4) race and racial constructions; and 5) labor markets; 6) educational experiences; 7) cultural phenomena produced and consumed by and about Latinos. Other topics to be explored include demographic trends, citizenship, political participation, mass movements, relations to histories and events in Latin American origin communities, and media representation.
This course will be made up of a series of faculty-led discussions of the assigned readings and cultural analyses (film and short story, for instance). The goal is to provide you with a range of methods and approaches to understanding the presence (historical, social, political) of Latinos in the U.S. and the Americas generally. As you determine the track that you would like to follow—history, culture, social, educational, for instance—a Latino Studies faculty member of your choice will guide you in the writing of your research paper. Films will be available on closed reserve at our main library.
Purchase new or used copies ($3 or so via Amazon.com) of Aldama’s "Dancing with Ghosts: A Critical Biography of Arturo Islas." Articles will be available for download via Carmen and the class "Content" page: www.carmen.osu.edu
This course is not available to students with credit for Spanish 705. Cross-listed in Spanish.
Contact instructor at aldama.1@osu.edu for more information.
CS 711 Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies II
Instructor: Kwaku Korang
MW 12:30pm-2:18pm
Class# 14664
This course, CS 711, continues the introduction to the theoretical and methodological debates informing comparative cultural studies that started in CS 710. The weekly readings and class discussions will be organized around a series of key concepts selected from the following: subjectivity/agency, ideology, power, unconscious/desire, communications/media, mass culture/contemporary popular culture, ritual, gender, sexuality/body, and markets/exchange. The concepts will be explored through three kinds of comparative conversation: historical, geo-political, and inter/disciplinary. The concepts will also be assessed for their use in the critical analysis and comparative study of authoritative discourses and social practices in varying socio-historical contexts.
Contact instructor at korang.1@osu.edu for more information.
CS 770.01 Intro to Graduate Study in Folklore: Genres and Interpretive Methods
Instructor: Merrill Kaplan (English), TR 1:30pm - 3:18pm
Class# 26744
Cross-listed in English.
How do we interpret traditional forms and the cultural practices that create them? How can we read cultural expression as text within the context of its performance? This course provides a lightning introduction to folklore and the intellectual wellsprings of its study. It then moves on through several canonical genres of traditional expression such as festival, fairytale, legend, folk belief, jokes, and costume with an eye towards developing the tools necessary for their interpretation.
A two-course sequence in current scholarship and methods necessary for advanced study in folklore.
Introduction to the canonical folklore genres and practice and methods in the interpretation of folklore in context. Prereq: Grad standing or permission of instructor. Advanced undergrads may be admitted with permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for English 770.01.
Contact instructor at kaplan.103@osu.edu for more information.
CS 862 Performance and Politics
Instructor: Barry Shank, M 2:30pm-5:18pm
Class# 26180
The field of performance studies carries an implicit, if slightly contradictory, politics. To a certain extent, these implicit contradictions can be rooted in the use of publics, counter-publics, and states to use performance practices to pursue their own contradictory political projects. Similarly, artists across a range of media rely on the multivalent signifying practices of performance to elicit and critique the political practices of publics and states. This seminar will provide advanced graduate students with an exposure to the theoretical and analytic literature of cultural musicology along with book length examples of work in this newly developing field. Students in the class will have an opportunity to pursue their own analyses of musical performance or an exploration of cultural musicological theory in a final paper.
This offering of Performance and Politics will spend ten weeks investigating the political agency of music as a special case of the intersection of performance and politics. The course is designed for those who desire an intense discussion about the possibilities and the limits of musical culture for producing change in the shape of the political.
Contact instructor at shank.46@osu.edu for more information.