WINTER STUDY PROGRAM
Winter Study Project (WSP) Registration
All students who will be on campus during the academic year must register for a WSP. Registration will take place in mid-October. 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 WSP automatically. In every other case, you must complete registration. First-year students are required to participate in a WSP that will take place on campus; they are not allowed to do 99’s.
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 their 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 once the Winter Study registration process is complete. Winter Study courses are graded Pass/Perfunctory Pass/Fail. 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. Students who fail their Winter Study Projects or receive a second Perfunctory Pass will be placed on academic probation by the Committee on Academic Standing and will be required to make up the deficiency. Students who fail through gross neglect of work will normally be required to resign.
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 online at https://williamscollege.formstack.com/forms/winter_study_special_project_99.
AFRICANA STUDIES
AFR 16 Our Movement Moment
Cross-listings: HIST 16
Description: In this experiential Winter Study (including local travel and perhaps trips to NYC/Boston), we will be studying the resurgence of the left in the United States today with an eye towards uncovering its historical origins, its global linkages, its innovative tactics, and the ideologies and theories undergirding these movements. Books (Direct Action, This is an Uprising, The Third Reconstruction), films, music, online articles/blogs/websites, posters, and pamphlets will be perused as students craft an individual ‘research’ project on the movement of their choice, participate in local struggles, and respond (in writing and class participation) to class materials.
Students will do a combination of the following: a journal, activist work, class participation, a short research paper and oral presentation
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: preference will be given to student activists
Cost to student: $25 plus cost of book(s) and reading packet
Meeting time: afternoons; T, W, Th 11-1, but will vary and include travel
Instructor(s): Shanti Singham
AFR 25 Paris Noir: Performances in the City of Light
Cross-listings: RLFR 25/COMP 25
Description: There are many ways that African diasporic culture has performed throughout past and present Paris. From the spectacle-making of Saartje Bartman as Hottentot Venus in the late 1800s to the honoring of American dancer Josephine Baker as the Queen of the Colonial Exposition in 1931, the female African diasporic body has been a source of exoticism and desire in Paris. The privileging of African masks and sculptures in the visual art of Man Ray and Pablo Picasso in the early 20th century characterized the African body as primitive, simple and close to the earth. The sounds of jazz traveling to Paris via the concerts of such greats as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington in the 1930s further conflated notions of African and African diasporic cultures, while also exciting (and sometimes scaring) the French listening public. The mid-twentieth century brought Afro-Caribbean writers Frantz Fanon and Jeanne and Paulette Nardal as well as African American writers Richard Wright and James Baldwin; their African diasporic literature performed political dissent. Today hip hop culture is alive and well in Paris. Morphing beyond its Bronx beginnings, hip hop performers from West and North Africa now reign, dancing and spitting from La Place in the 1st arrondissement to Saint-Denis in the out skirted banlieues. In sum, throughout the ages African diasporic performance has persistently found breeding ground in Paris. Taught in English, this winter study travel course allows students to immerse themselves in past and present Paris via literary, filmic, artistic, musical and cultural performances of the African diaspora. In the first four days of winter study, students will engage with literature, historical essays, film, and music in preparation for their immersive trip to Paris. These classes will be two hours long; a course packet will be created and Glow audiovisual materials posted for homework assignments. Next students will commence a 10-day field trip to the City of Light, their task to observe multiple African diasporic performances as they engage in some of the following activities and venues: jazz clubs, a city tour, a tour of African American writers and artists in Paris, hip hop workshop, art museum exhibitions, a meal at a Senegalese restaurant, desserts from Arab bakeries, visit La Goutte d’Or of the 18th arrondissement (an area of predominately African diasporic population), and meet with professional musicians, writers and filmmakers in Paris. Students are required to maintain a travel journal and create an original final performance for the class. This performance could take many forms; it could be a short film documentary, song, spoken word performance, collage, photo essay, dance, or play. After returning to campus, students will reconvene to present their short performances. Note: All applicants for this winter study should write a 1-page double-spaced report that describes their experience traveling abroad, motivation for joining the course, and any prior courses and/or background in African diasporic performance.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project; travel journal
Prerequisites: none; no previous travel to France or French language proficiency is necessary; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: preference will be given to majors and concentrators in Africana Studies, French, and Comparative Literature; priority will also be given to students who have never had an experience studying abroad and/or upperclassmen
Cost to student: $3500
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Rashida Braggs; Christophe Kone
AFR 30 Senior Project
To be taken by students registered for Africana Studies 491 who are candidates for honors.
AMERICAN STUDIES
AMST 12 Native American Drama in Performance
Description: Native American drama creates embodied archives and decolonial imaginings that turn the stage into a site of transformative political potential. Our primary goal, then, is to become thoughtful and informed readers of historical and contemporary Indigenous theater on our way to understanding how the entire constellation of performance-script, staging, technical elements, and more-contributes to this potential. The bulk of our reading will be several key dramatic works by Native American and First Nations playwrights from the last thirty years, along with contextual and critical essays. In our analyses, we will consider the role tribal traditions, issues of gender, and concepts of embodied practice play in the writing, performance, and reception of these works. We will also explore how political and cultural histories of European colonization and Native resistance have shaped these works, including how they engage stereotypes of and popular narratives about Native peoples. Students will also be expected to keep abreast of current events and to become more acquainted with issues affecting Indigenous peoples.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project; short writing and performance exercises; discussion participation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: if overenrolled, students will be asked to submit a brief statement of interest
Cost to student: $40 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Katy Evans
Katy Evans teaches English, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Native American Studies at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Albany, NY. She received her Ph.D. in English with a focus on Native American literature from the University of Texas at Austin and has published multiple articles on Native theater over the last 7 years.
AMST 30 Senior Honors Project
To be taken by students registered for American Studies 491 or 492.
ANTHROPOLOGY/SOCIOLOGY
ANSO 14 Principles of Epidemiology, Public Health, and Leadership in the Health Professions
Cross-listings: CHEM 14/PHLH 14/LEAD 15
Description: More and more, decisions in the health professions are being made on evidence from the medical literature rather than solely from the “experience” of the physician or other health practitioner. What kinds of questions (hypotheses) are being asked, and how are they answered, and answered reliably? How does a conscientious health professional keep up with this evidence and evaluate it both critically and efficiently? After a brief introduction to the history of epidemiology, the class will study a selection of “unknown” historic epidemics, and contemporary data sets in small groups, and present their conclusions in class. The remainder of roughly the middle third or so of the class will explore systematically the approaches and research designs epidemiologists use to answer, among others, questions of treatment effectiveness, preventive strategies, and to study cause and effect, e.g., is this exposure reliably related to an outcome of interest. And finally, how does one decide whether that relationship might be a causal one, and therefore actionable. The various research design applications will be illustrated by appropriate historic—some from the “canon” of the public health and clinical literature—or by more current papers. Although the course is more about design issues than one of current topics in public health, the last part of the course—through lecture and student presentations—will apply methodological “tool kit” to current issues, e.g., athletic concussions and their short and long term effects, the current epidemic of C-Sections, or of opioid abuse, etc. During the last part of the course the class will operate as a Journal Club, with individual and/or groups of students responsible for presenting and critiquing the design, conduct and analysis of a paper(s) concerning a current issue. It is expected that in choosing issues for presentation, some students will suggest issues perceived to be important to them, perhaps from their own private reading, their personal and/or family health experiences, or from actively shadowing a practicing physician. (A course offered every year by the pre-med counselor, Barbara Fuller). While both courses cannot be taken at the same time, students shadowing a physician may wish to review the literature to delve more deeply into a problem they have seen. They will be welcome to suggest a topic and join this course on an ad hoc basis to discuss it more thoroughly than may be possible in the hospital or outpatient setting. Since these students are occupied during the day, we may add evening sessions on reasonable notice to accommodate their schedules. From time to time in the course, readings having to do with leadership in the health professions will be discussed. As papers are discussed, leadership issues will be highlighted. If funding for an outside speaker is available, a session on ethics will be organized. This WS course is designed to be a serious academic experience, with the rigor of a regular course. Students will be expected to read, consider, and present, and participate actively in the discussion that follows.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper, final project
Prerequisites: course in Biostat helpful, but not required
Enrollment limit: 18
Selection process: interview
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Nicholas Wright ‘57
Dr. Wright is medical epidemiologist who first worked with maternal and child health and family planning programs in Alabama and Georgia. Later, after training as an EIS officer at the CDC, he was a resident consultant to both the Sri Lankan and Thai Ministries of Public Health. Still later, he was a faculty member in the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, in New Jersey.
ANSO 16 Social Life of Fashion
Description: Dress is a social skin. Through classical sociological accounts and ethnographies, this class will examine how Western societies have historically shifted their understanding of the (in)significance of clothing. Once a guild-bound public presentation of self, fashion transformed into a more deliberate, yet class conscious choice of taste centered on distinction. Late modern fashion and style render the previous forms inconclusive. Ironically, with more celebration of freedom of expression and identity, the modern person feels gradually more bewildered, which results in anxiety about what to wear and ultimately in more uniformity of fashion on the sidewalk. This class will further look into themes like the role of style in subcultures, and the trend of second-hand and vintage clothes consumption.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: preference to upper-class students
Cost to student: $15
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Marketa Rulikova
Marketa Rulikova received her PhD from the Polish Academy of Sciences. She is currently a visiting assistant professor of sociology at Williams College. She has also taught at Bennington College, Keene State College, and New York University in Prague. Her research focuses on social stratification and cultural transformation in post-socialist Eastern Europe, and global migration. Rulikova just finished a research project on second-hand culture in the Czech Republic.
ANSO 18 South Asia in Translation
Cross-listings: ASST 18/COMP 18
Description: From the novels of writers from Salman Rushdie to Arundhati Roy to Mohsin Hamid, the Anglophone literature of India and Pakistan is justly famous, but what of South Asia’s vast treasures of modern fiction in Urdu, Tamil, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi and Telugu? This course is an opportunity to study, in English translation, twentieth century novels and short stories written in South Asia’s vernacular languages, to reflect on the labor of translation itself, and to translate a short literary work from one of these languages into English. Texts to be read will draw particularly from Leftist and Dalit writers, and will include work by Ismat Chughtai, Intizar Hussain, Premchand, Bama, Omprakash Valmiki, Gogu Shyamala, and Mahasveta Devi. For their projects, students will translate into English a short work from a South Asian language they know, workshop these translations with the class, and revise them, such that by the course’s end each student will have a polished work of translation to show for their efforts.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: knowledge of a South Asian language
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: a short statement of intent
Cost to student: cost of book(s) and reading packet
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Joel Lee
ANTH 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Anthropology 493-494.
SOC 15 Photographic Literacy and Practice
Cross-listings: ANTH 15
Description: When you look at a photograph, what is it really saying? How can you make photograph that says what you mean? This course will educate students on the concepts of photographic seeing and visual literacy, while also training students to apply these concepts to their own photography. In class we will review historical and contemporary photography, photobooks, and other sources of visual inspiration. Students will conceptualize and photograph a project of their own choosing. Students will learn to defend their work during in-class critiques, and at the end of the course the class will design and produce an exhibition of their photography.
Outside of class, students will be expected to photograph on their own in the Williamstown area and access to a car may be helpful.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project; formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: none, but students must own or borrow a digital camera (a DSLR with a 35mm lens is ideal, but compact cameras will also work)
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: students can email me
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: three times per week—Mondays and Fridays from 10am-12pm and Wednesdays from 1pm-5pm
Instructor(s): Ben Brody
Ben Brody is a Massachusetts-based photojournalist and exhibiting artist who has focused primarily on the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. For more than ten years he has photographed the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while pioneering a unique visual approach conveying the absurdity and unintended consequences of those wars.
SOC 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Sociology 493-494.
ARABIC STUDIES
ARAB S.P. Sustaining Program for Arabic 101-102
Sustaining Program for Arabic 101-102.
ARAB 25 Arab-Americans and Latinos/as in Southern California: Culture, Solidarity and Borderlands
Cross-listings: AMST 25/LATS 25
Description: The course will approach the study of immigrant communities, local networks, grassroot organizing, and cross-cultural solidarity between Arab-American and Latino/as in Southern California within a larger framework of borderlands and ethnic studies. While on-campus, students will discuss these issues through reading selected texts in history, literature, linguistics, cultural studies, and current media coverage. Through these readings and additional visual texts and films, students will acquire a framework from which to understand immigration history in the US in general, and the border culture of Southern California in particular. The students will also learn about the inter-relationships between the ways Arabic/Spanish and Spanglish are used in Arab-American and Latino/as speech communities and the sociocultural contexts affecting that usage. One of the key topics that we intend to examine is the collective response to the current political atmosphere in the US and the various ways in which both communities mobilized under the banner of “No Ban, No Wall”. Then, the class will take a 10 to 12-day trip to Southern California. Students are expected to participate in all the scheduled activities, keep a daily journal and share in daily reflections. Upon returning, there will be a debriefing and a structured summation on campus in preparation for writing a 10-page paper.
This course is designed for students who wish to learn more about the intersections of Arab-American and Latino/as histories and cultures in Southern California, migration, and who have transnational and multicultural interests.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: personal statements
Cost to student: $2800
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Amal Eqeiq; Lama Nassif
ARAB 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Arab Studies 493-494.
ART HISTORY
ARTH 16 Rediscovering Robert Bresson: Between Cézanne and the Surrealists
Cross-listings: RLFR 16
Description: French filmmakers Robert Bresson (1901-1999) made just thirteen films in fifty years. Nevertheless, he is widely regarded as a creative genius and one of the most important directors of all time. His far-reaching influence extends beyond other filmmakers to artists, poets and musicians. Nearly two decades after his death, we are still in the words of Martin Scorsese, “coming to terms with Robert Bresson, and the peculiar power and beauty of his films.” This class will an offer an in-depth study of a filmmaker so notoriously secretive that he systematically lied about his age and his artistic apprenticeship. As a high Modernist, Bresson presented his films as being willed into being and having no forbears or antecedents. New research, however, links him to the Dadaists and later the Surrealists. One goal of this class will be to further anchor him in the cultural movements of his youth.
He began his career as a painter but quickly abandoned that practice after having concluded that after Cézanne there was nowhere to go. Bresson belongs to a small group of filmmakers (Godard is another) for whom painting provides a primary source of inspiration. By his third film, he had rejected trained actors preferring to work with non-professionals whom he called “models.” Starting with his first two feature films (Les Anges du péché/Angels of the Street and Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne) made during the German Occupation, we will examine his output under the lens of these influences in order to better apprehend his stylistic choices. This class will include a visit to the print study room of WCMA, which has an extensive collection of works by the Surrealists. Required reading: Bresson’s own book of writings, Notes on the Cinematograph (New York Review of Books, 2016); Bresson Interviews just published in English (2016); James Quandt’s edited volume, Robert Bresson Revised.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: preference given to majors in Art History and/or French.
Cost to student: $30 plus cost of book(s) and reading packet
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Sally Shafto
Sally Shafto is a widely published interdisciplinary film scholar and specialist of the French New Wave. Following her dissertation on Jean-Luc Godard, in 2007 she published the first monograph on the Zanzibar Films with Paris Expérimental. In Paris she worked as a translator for several years for the online edition of Cahiers du cinéma. From 2010-15 she taught in Morocco where she also actively covered developments in Maghrebi and African cinema for Senses of Cinema and Framework.
ARTH 25 Practicum in Curating: Warhol’s Flowers in a Botanical Garden
Cross-listings: WGSS 25
Description: This course focuses on the final stages of preparing an exhibition at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, renowned for its collection of tropical plants, including orchids, in Sarasota, FL. In addition to the climate-controlled room where four Warhol’s silkscreens from WCMA will be displayed, we will work on installing other spaces, containing photographs, documents, etc., in the mansion, as well as the garden and conservatory. Students will have the opportunity to work with the entire staff, from the Director to Education, Marketing and Communications, Membership, Programming, Exhibition design, Horticulturalist, Botanist, Preparators, Docents, Members, and volunteers. We will be in residence in Sarasota for 2 ½ weeks (January 11-26). The beginning of the WSP will be spent in Williamstown researching exhibition practices and Warhol’s life and work, as well as reviewing extant exhibition materials, including wall texts, labels, and publicity. Class meetings will share and discuss this work. Class time at Selby includes meetings with me and museum staff, aiding with installation and its evaluation, field trips, including meetings with Curators, to the Ringling Museum in Sarasota and the Dali Museum in Saint Petersburg.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none; open to all upper-class students
Enrollment limit: 6
Selection process: preference will be given to Art majors who have had 301 Methods, a 400-level senior seminar, or museum experience
Cost to student: $2660
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Carol Ockman
ARTH 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for ARTH 494. For requirements of entry into the course, please see “The Degree with Honors in Art, Art History” in the catalogue or on the Art Department’s webpage.
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: students need permission of the department to register for this course
Instructor(s): Chavoya
ARTH 33 Honors Independent Study
To be taken by candidates for honors by the independent study route.
ART STUDIO
ARTS 11 Photojournalism, From Pitch to Post-Production
Description: This course will mimic the experience of a working photojournalist. Through classroom critiques, discussion and an overview of the history of photojournalism, students will learn how to shoot a range of photography assignments from breaking news to long-form feature stories and will also learn how to pitch and shoot newsworthy stories of their own. Coursework will include the basics of photographic composition, an introduction to post-production work in Photoshop and the essentials of writing concise, informative captions on a tight deadline. Students will also learn to successfully approach and interview photo subjects as well as the elements of producing a compelling visual story. Students should be curious and brave as they will have to go out onto the streets and photograph and interview strangers. One to two weekly photo shoots will be assigned as homework and critiqued in class, and one or two class field trips to photograph off campus will be required. Towards the end of the course, a well-known photographer will present his work and give a critique to the class. The final project will entail a longer photojournalism project of the students’ choosing to be exhibited as a slideshow on the Williams College Art Department website.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none, but students must have a digital SLR camera
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: students should provide 5 of their own photographs and a brief description of why they want to take the course
Cost to student: $5
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Lili Holzer-Glier
Lili Holzer-Glier is a documentary photography and writer. She regularly contributes to Vogue and The New York Times and her work has also appeared in PBS, Vice, The New Yorker and more. Her first book, Rockabye, was published by Daylight Books in 2015.
ARTS 14 Painting: Exploring Materials and Techniques
Description: It’s an oft-repeated maxim that “good artists borrow; great artists steal.” In this course students will experiment with “stealing” a variety of techniques from artists throughout history to improve and broaden their skill as painters. Students will learn to wield a squeegee like Gerhardt Richter, integrate photo transfers into their work à la Njideka Akunyili Crosby, and build up jewel-like glazes inspired by Northern Renaissance masters. We will investigate a range of uses for different tools including frisket, tape, palette knives, mediums, and varnishes. The class will also include workshops on portraiture, still lifes, and reference photography. While many assignments and exercises will require students to work from observation, the magpie approach to technique is designed to encourage artistic playfulness and risk-taking. Class time will be used for workshops on materials and methods, in-class work, and critiques. We will also discuss the conceptual and formal diversity of contemporary painting through regular slideshows, occasional assigned readings, and a local museum visit. Students may choose to work in either acrylic or oil paint.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference given to Art majors, especially seniors
Cost to student: $100
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Emma Steinkraus ‘10
Emma Steinkraus is a painter, a 2010 Eph alumna, and the Gallery Director at Coe College
ARTS 31 Senior Studio: Independent Project Art Studio
Independent project to be taken by candidates for honors in Art Studio.
Instructor: Podmore
ASIAN STUDIES
ASST 25 Exploring Hong Kong: Past and Present
Description: “Exploring Hong Kong: Past and Present” introduces the history, politics, economy, as well as literary and cultural life of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a metropolitan city which used to be a British colony and now a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of People’s Republic of China. This course is jointly taught by Williams faculty and faculty from Lingnan University, a liberal arts college in Hong Kong. Eight Williams students will travel to Hong Kong and take the course together with eight Lingnan students on Lingnan campus. Students from both sides are required to have in-depth intellectual and personal interactions both inside and outside of the class. They will meet for two hours a day in a seminar style course for the first two weeks and then devote the last week to a final project. The contents of the course consist of two modules. The first week of class will be focused on the history, politics, and economy of Hong Kong, taught by Lingnan faculty. The second week of class will be focused on the literature and culture of Hong Kong, taught by Williams faculty. Each Williams student will be paired with a Lingnan student as “learning buddies” and meet outside of class for at least one hour a day for discussions or exchange of ideas on the assigned readings. In addition, students are required to participate in a few field trips to visit some government and social organizations, the HK monetary authority, the HK Cultural and Heritage Museum, the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub. Students will also have self-guided tours to explore the city of Hong Kong in order to discover and experience the everyday life of Hong Kong. The instructional language for this course is English. No previous knowledge of Mandarin or Cantonese is required. Students are required to attend and actively participate in class discussions every day, keep a daily journal and complete a final project.
Method of evaluation/requirements: active participation, a daily journal, final project or performance
Prerequisites: none; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: This course is aimed at students from all disciplines at Williams who are interested in knowing more about Hong Kong. All interested students are required to attend the Hong Kong travel course information session in the fall and submit a 500-word persona
Cost to student: $775
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Li Yu
CHINESE
CHIN S.P. Sustaining Program for Chinese 101-102
Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study period.
CHIN 10 Chinese Martial Arts Novels and Films
Cross-listings: COMP 10
Description: The aura of Chinese knight-errant’s alternative universe (jianghu, lit. the rivers and lakes) has never waned thanks to the thriving literature of Chinese martial arts. Recognized as the oldest genre of Chinese popular fiction still being written today, the martial arts novel constructs a fascinating human sociality where chivalry and altruism govern, stateless subjects wander, and heroic grace unfolds. This course will examine the literary, artistic, and social imagination of this alternative universe, jianghu, in selected modern martial arts novels written by Jin Yong (aka Louis Cha Leung-yung). It also compares Jin Yong’s oeuvre, endorsed by die-hard fans, with the breathtaking yet controversial C(H)ollywood martial arts extravaganzas that have been released in the current millennium. Students will inquire into the themes of righteousness and law, self and state, martial arts and medicine, body and gender, and the martial arts world and postcolonial history; as well as traditional philosophical concepts of yin and yang, and “between the people” (minjian) and “all under heaven” (tianxia). Finally, we will explore the genre’s aestheticism via literary, visual, and acoustic constructions in the cultural text. Materials include novels written by Jin Yong, and films directed by Ang Lee, Zhang Yimou, and Kar-Wai Wong, and others. No prerequisite is required. All materials, class discussions, and writing assignments will be in English. Materials in Chinese are available for those who would like to read the primary source.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will include class attendance and participation, creative activities such as rewriting/composing English lyrics for the theme song of martial arts TV drama and film, and a final paper (10-12 pages)
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: preference to current and prospective ASST, CHIN, JAPN, and COMP majors
Cost to student: cost of book(s) and reading packet
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Man He
CHIN 13 Taichi
Description: Taichi is a popular form of physical exercise. This class will teach students the 24 movements of Yang-style Taichi and the auxiliary qigong skills. It will also introduce to students the history of the development of Taichi and the Chinese cultural values embedded in it. Combining in-class practice, assigned readings, and multimedia medium, students are expected to be able to complete the movements learned in class and self-practice them out of class at their wish. The class will meet three times a week for two hours each time. Attendance will be taken in class. Students will write a 10-page essay that demonstrates their understanding of the cultural aspects of Taichi at the end of the course. Evaluation will be based on attendance, effort in class, and a final demonstration that shows students can complete all learned movements with precision and coherence.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; final performance
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: seniors, Asian Studies majors
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Youlin Shi
Youlin Shi has been teaching taichi in the Northern Berkshire community for over 20 years. She was the recipient of Northern Berkshire Neighborly Acts award and the 2005 Martin Luther King Peacemaker award.
CHIN 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by all students who are candidates for honors in Chinese.
JAPANESE
JAPN S.P. Sustaining Program for Japanese 101-102
Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study period.
JAPN 11 The Samurai in Japanese Film
Description: Some of the finest films ever crafted and celebrated in cinematic history have projected the lives and legends of the samurai. Like the gunfighter and cowboy of the American West, the samurai is an extraordinarily iconic figure, if not, an enduring expression of a distinct Japanese ethos. This course will examine the samurai genre, the formulation of the samurai character, the code of Bushido he lived by, and the multiple roles he has assumed in Japanese filmmaking. Whether as a warrior or loyal retainer to his lord, a symbol of purity of purpose or tragic sacrifice, the samurai has usually been apotheosized as a noble, revered hero. Why? Notwithstanding this image, the films in this course will trace the rise and fall of the samurai class, the tangled legacies of its demise, and ultimate disappearance at the end of the Shogunate era, when Samurai cut their top knots before the turn of the twentieth century, and put up their swords for good. The focus of this class will be on the films of Kurasawa, Gosha, Kobayashi, Okamoto and Inagaki.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper after each film screening
Prerequisites: none but class attendance and participation is mandatory
Enrollment limit: 25
Selection process: random
Cost to student: $25
Meeting time: afternoons, MWF – 1-3pm; Wednesday from 1-4 pm for film screenings
Instructor(s): Frank Stewart
Frank Steward graduated with a BA in English (Honors) from Wesleyan University in 1980. He received an MA in English from Columbia U in 1985. Subsequently, he taught at the university level in Japan from 1990 – 2004; fourteen of those years were spent in the Faculty of Law at Hiroshima Shudo University in Hiroshima. He lived in walking distance of Heiwa Koen Peace Park, the epi-center of the A-bombing in 1945.
JAPN 25 Kyoto Artisans: Exploring 1200 years of cultural history of Kyoto thorough modern craftsmanship
Description: Kyoto, the former imperial capital of Japan has 1200 years of history. It is called Japan’s cultural treasure house and thrives on its ancient heritage in architecture, gardens, religion, performing and culinary arts and craftsmanship. Yet Kyoto’s appearances can be deceiving. At a glance, its traditional architectures, sacred shrines and temples are absent as they are tucked away behind tall buildings and busy commercial storefronts. In Kyoto, you will find a monumental temple designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site under the shadow of ultramodern high-rising buildings. There is an enigmatic quality to the city with this juxtaposition of old and new. This unresolved tension between tradition and modernization can be Kyoto’s fascination. The purpose of this travel course is to explore the cultural history of Kyoto and how traditional craftsmanship is perpetuated and transformed in a modern era as the city of Kyoto developed. Students will visit Kyoto artisans at their studio and through a discourse with thriving artists, they will arrive at their own conclusion about what it means to sustain tradition while pursuing modernization and innovation. The first week of the course is conducted on campus. Students will intensively study the cultural history of Kyoto with readings, films and discussion. Also in pairs, they will conduct research on one selected area of Kyoto craftsmanship to acquire in-depth knowledge. Each pair will be responsible to educate the entire group for the onsite visit in Kyoto. Then, for the second and third week, the class will travel to Kyoto. We will first visit historic sites to learn the context of how craftsmanship developed from courtly culture in the Heian period, samurai tradition in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, religious ceremonies and Noh Theater and tea ceremonies. After and during these excursions, we will visit four to five artisan studios. They are a sacred mirror maker who could be the last of his kind, a textile weaver, a Noh mask maker, and a sculptor of Buddhist statues. Some of these artisans are perpetuating hundreds of years of family tradition. Some started out as an apprentice and established his/her own studio. Students will also have hands on experiences at some studios. Students are expected to participate in all the scheduled activities, keep a daily journal and share in daily reflections. At the end of the Kyoto visit, students will summarize their reflections and present their views on Japanese traditional and modern craftsmanship to the local community and the Kyoto artisans at a public forum. Throughout the course, students will upload their dairy journals, reflections and, at the end of the course, their final power-point presentation to a course website. The class will return to campus towards the end of the fourth week.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project; post daily blog to the course website and a public PowerPoint presentation in Kyoto
Prerequisites: none, but not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: personal statements
Cost to student: $3440
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Shinko Kagaya
JAPN 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by all students who are candidates for honors in Japanese.
ASTRONOMY/ASTROPHYSICS
ASTR 16 An Infinity of Worlds: Planets and the Search for Life
Cross-listings: GEOS 16
Description: Less than a generation ago, we wondered, as we had for millions of years before, whether there were any other planets at all. Now, we are privileged to be in the first generation of humans to know that many of the points of light dusting our night sky are host to orbiting worlds, some of which may be like our Earth. In this course, we will explore the techniques that are being used to discover these new worlds. We will make our own contributions to this great age of discovery, by using remotely-operated telescopes in Australia to gather data on new planets. This course, meant for non-majors, will deal with the science of planet hunting, the astounding diversity of planets known to exist, the emerging science of astrobiology, and the enduring question of “are we alone?” through works of science fiction and cutting-edge research.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: if overenrolled, preference will be given to first-years and sophomores
Cost to student: $10
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Rob Wittenmyer ‘98
Rob Wittenmyer ’98 is Associate Professor of astrophysics at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. He is a veteran planet hunter with nearly 20 published planet discoveries.
ASTR 20 France Under the Nazis: 1940-1945
Cross-listings: HIST 20
Description: What was it like for the French nation to be under Nazi occupation in World War II? And what was it like for average French men and women, Christian and Jewish, to live—and hide—in France under that occupation? How did they experience, remember and portray their experiences? Did they agree with fascism and collaborate with the new regime? What was it like to summon the courage to join and fight in the underground resistance movement? Or was it safer to keep one’s head down and just try to survive? We will look for the meaning of those experiences—both psychological and political—by reading excerpts from the works of ground-breaking historians such as Robert Paxton and Philippe Burrin and as well as excerpts from some novels set in the Vichy years. We will also watch and discuss some of the great French documentaries made at the time, along with commercial films made later by some of France’s leading directors. We will also hear from some Williamstown neighbors who lived in France as young children during the war.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; active participation in class discussions, several class presentations
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: willing to accept more students if demand is there
Cost to student: $30 plus cost of book(s) and reading packet
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Margo Bowden
Ms. Bowden graduated magna cum laude from Vassar College, studying European history there, and subsequently at Columbia University. She has taught history at independent schools in New York and in the Queen’s College graduate Education division.
ASTR 31 Senior Research
To be taken by students registered for Astronomy 493-494.
ASTROPHYSICS
ASPH 31 Senior Research
To be taken by students registered for Astrophysics 493-494.
BIOLOGY
BIOL 11 Teaching 3rd Grade about Zebrafish – BioEYES
Description: BioEYES brings tropical fish to 3rd grade classrooms in Williamstown, North Adams, and Lanesborough Elementary schools, in a science teaching workshop. Elementary school students will breed fish in the classroom, then study their development and pigmentation during one week. Williams students will adapt BioEYES lesson plans to the science curriculum for the schools we visit, work with classroom teachers to introduce concepts in genetics and development, help the 3rd grade students in the classroom, and assess elementary student learning. No zebrafish experience is necessary; during the first week students will learn to set up fish matings, and learn about embryonic development and the genetics of fish pigmentation as well as practice teaching the 3rd grade BioEYES lesson plans with hands-on experiments using living animals. In the subsequent three weeks students will present lessons at the schools and review assessment data.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project; review of pre and post survey assessments
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 14
Selection process: preference to seniors
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: varies depending on needs of schools and laboratory requirements
Instructor(s): Jennifer Swoap; Renee Schiek
Jennifer Swoap, an elementary school teacher, currently coordinates Williams Elementary Outreach, where Williams students teach hands-on science lessons at area elementary schools. Renee Schiek currently serves as the liaison between Lanesborough Elementary School and the Williams Elementary Outreach, where Williams students teach hands-on science lessons at area elementary schools. She is a frequent substitute at Lanesborough ES and holds a degree in mechanical engineering.
BIOL 12 New Orleans Style Jazz
Description: This course has a focus on making music based on the principles of improvisation and street performance embodied by New Orleans-Style jazz. Typically composed of brass instruments, this course welcomes musicians and performers of all types, from the classically trained to those with no experience who are willing to play washboards, kazoos, and experiment with other forms of sound-making. For when you travel the world after Williams, this course will prepare you to “busk,” or make money playing music on the street, where some of the most dynamic forms of jazz and improvisation have been created. The course will include various street performances and culminate in a “gig” at a local music venue.
Requirements include participation in final performance, at end of term, outside of class time; original written musical composition; short written research project; attendance and participation in class is required; rehearsal with classmates outside of class is required.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; final performance
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference will be given as follows: seniors, juniors, sophomores, first-years
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Andrew Kelly ‘80
Andy Kelly, a local Jazz musician and former busker, Williams College Class of ’80, now travels the world bridging cultures with music, using American jazz to make peace in the world.
BIOL 13 Introduction to Animal Tracking
Description: This course is an introduction to the ancient art and science of animal tracking, and its use for ecological inventory. Participants will deepen their skills as naturalists, their awareness of the natural world, and discover that even the greens at Williams College are abundant with wildlife. Students will have field time in class at Hopkins Forest as well as through independent study at a convenient outdoor location of each student’s choosing. Basic concepts of animal tracking, its history and use by indigenous people throughout the world will be discussed through video and slide show. Students are required to create journals and site maps of Hopkins and their personal study areas, including all major features of the landscape, flora and fauna activity. Evaluation will be based on attendance, participation and a final presentation of their maps and journals, with attention to detail and content. The course will meet twice a week for five hour sessions, primarily in the field. Students are also required to do extensive independent field study, demonstrating observations through journals and site maps, a field test and research paper.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; final project; field test
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 16
Selection process: seniority
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: 10-3 two days a week
Instructor(s): Dan Yacobellis
Dan Yacobellis has been working with school children and at-risk teens and adults since 1997. Dan has run programs including tracking, friction fire making and other primitive skills for centers and organizations throughout the capital district, western Mass., the Adirondacks and Vermont. He also teaches a Winter Study course on Animal Tracking at Williams College. Dan has been a naturalist, tracker and student of native lore, culture, and life for more than 20 years.
BIOL 19 The Science of Sleep (and the Art of Productivity)
Description: Sleep deprivation is widespread throughout American society, especially at rigorous colleges where stressful schedules often interfere with a good night’s sleep. Although improving sleep quality has been shown to dramatically increase physical and emotional health, as well as academic and athletic performance, most people don’t understand why sleep is so beneficial and restorative. This Winter Study Course is dedicated to improving knowledge of sleep science and healthy sleep habits with three overarching goals: (1) First, we will learn about what happens in our brains and bodies when we sleep and what is meant by “a good night’s sleep.” We will survey some amazing new discoveries from cutting-edge sleep research labs and examine methods that successfully help many people get a better night’s sleep. (2) Next, we will explore the relationship between sleep habits and a busy lifestyle. Frequently, a lack of sleep is caused by an attempt to be productive and attend to a busy schedule. We will explore proven strategies developed by highly successful scientists, business leaders, and athletes to achieve a work/sleep balance such that a person can be more productive during the day to enjoy more sleep each night. (3) Finally, to impact the college and community, we will develop a set of educational resources to teach others about the science of sleep and methods of improving sleep hygiene. These resources will include free public presentations to campus and off-campus groups (including local classrooms), brochures and posters with easy-to-understand “sleep facts,” and a website offering information about sleep science. Taken together, students in this course will thoroughly learn about the science of sleep and a healthy work/sleep balance and then share this knowledge with the local and broader community. This course will meet approximately 10-20 hours each week and include outside readings. Evaluation will be based on a short research paper and final project to educate others about sleep. This course is partially funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 24
Selection process: students will be invited to submit a short paragraph on their motivation to take the course and share sleep science with others
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Matthew Carter
BIOL 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Biology 493-494.
CHEMISTRY
CHEM 13 Ultimate Wellness: Concepts For a Happy Healthy Life
Description: This course provides an opportunity to drastically improve your life by introducing concepts that can start making a difference in the way you feel today! We will approach nutrition, lifestyle, and happiness from a holistic perspective. Students will learn how to tune out mixed media messages and look within to find ultimate health and wellness. Topics include:
- Ayurveda
- Cleansing
- Preventative medicine
- Yoga and meditation
- Food intolerance awareness
- Healthy eating and meal planning
- Deconstructing cravings and overcoming sugar addiction
- Healthy skin care with oils
- Finding your happiness
Evaluation will be based on completion of assignments, class participation, reflective 5-page paper or equivalent creative project, and final presentation that demonstrates a level of personal growth. After signing up for this course please email Nicole at [email protected] with a brief statement describing your interest in the course and what you hope to achieve in it. In the event of over-subscription, these statements will be used in the selection process. We will meet twice a week for three-hour sessions as a group. There will be several books and a DVD required for this class. Course will include two individual sessions. An initial health assessment and an additional session designed to personalize the course and assist the student in applying the learned techniques. After signing up for this course please email Nicole at [email protected] with a brief statement describing your interest in the course and what you hope to achieve in it; in the event of over-enrollment, these statements will be used in the selection process.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper (or project equivalent) and final presentation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: statement of interest
Cost to student: $20 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Nicole Anagnos
Nicole Anagnos is Health Coach and Director at Zen Tree Wellness in Williamstown. She is co-founder of the organic skin care company, Klo Organic Beauty. She also holds a master’s degree in education.
CHEM 17 The Scientific Life
Description: What is it like to be a scientist? What is the process of becoming one? From coursework, to research experiences and looking at graduate school, we’ll see how we might enter a scientific community. Through interviews, readings, and film, we’ll explore mundane and extraordinary aspects of being a scientist, including the experiences of underrepresented groups in the sciences. We will look into the motivations of individuals to pursue careers in science, and into how these motivations helped scientists overcome difficult situations. We’ll create a space for discussion and reflection on the experience of being a science student at Williams and what tools you have at your disposal to construct your scientific life.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 14
Selection process: preference given to first year students, students are encouraged to email the instructor detailing their interest in the course
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): Christopher Goh
CHEM 18 Introduction to Research in Biochemistry
Description: An independent experimental project in biochemistry is carried out in collaboration with a member of the Department with expertise in biochemistry. Biochemistry is a branch of chemistry that deals with the molecular details of living systems including the interaction of biologically important molecules. In the Chemistry Department, studies are underway to investigate the structure/function relationship of proteins, the interaction between proteins and RNA and DNA, and the molecular basis of bacterial gene regulation.
Method of evaluation/requirements: a 10-page written report
Prerequisites: variable, depending on the project (at least CHEM 151) and permission of the department; since projects involve work in faculty research labs, interested students must consult with one or more of the faculty instructors listed below and with the department chair before electing this course
Enrollment limit: enrollment limited to space in faculty research lab
Selection process: expression of student interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: daily
Instructor(s): Amy Gehring; Chip Lovett
CHEM 22 Introduction to Research in Environmental Analytical Chemistry
Description: Representative projects include: Analysis of sediment and fish samples collected from the Hoosic River drainage basin for contamination with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and soil, plant and aquatic animal samples from southern Vermont for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and its chemical relatives. This project focusses on techniques used in environmental analysis including trace-level determination of persistent organic pollutants by GC-MS and/or LC-MS.
Method of evaluation/requirements: a 10-page written report is required
Prerequisites: variable, depending on the project (at least CHEM 151) and permission of the department; since projects involve work in faculty research labs, interested students must consult with one or more of the faculty instructors listed below and with the department.
Enrollment limit: enrollment limited to space in faculty research lab
Selection process: expression of student interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): David Richardson; Jay Thoman
CHEM 23 Introduction to Research in Organic Chemistry
Description: Representative projects include: a) Study of the selective zinc-mediated deuteration of iodohydrocarbons. Students involved in this work will learn techniques involved in organic synthesis, including analysis by NMR and GC-MS. b) Analysis of sediment and fish samples collected from the Hoosic River drainage basin for contamination with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and/or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). This project will focus on techniques used in environmental analysis including trace-level determination of persistent organic pollutants by GC-MS and/or LC-MS.
Method of evaluation/requirements: a 10-page written report is required
Prerequisites: variable, depending on the project (at least CHEM 151) and permission of the department; since projects involve work in faculty research labs, interested students must consult with one or more of the faculty instructors listed below and with the department Chair before electing this course
Enrollment limit: enrollment limited to space in faculty research lab
Selection process: expression of student interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Jimmy Blair; Sarah Goh
CHEM 24 Introduction to Research in Physical Chemistry
Cross-listings:
Description: An independent experimental project in physical chemistry is carried out in collaboration with a member of the Department with expertise in physical chemistry. Current research projects in the Department include computer modeling of non-linear, chaotic chemical and biochemical systems, molecular modeling of water clusters, laser spectroscopy of chlorofluorocarbon substitutes, and observing the dynamics in glasses using single molecule spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations.
Method of evaluation/requirements: a 10-page written report is required
Prerequisites: variable, depending on the project (at least CHEM 151) and permission of the Department. Since projects involve work in faculty research labs, interested students must consult with one or more of the faculty instructors listed below and with the Department Chair before electing this course. Non-science majors are invited to participate.
Enrollment limit: enrollment limited to space in faculty research lab
Selection process: expression of student interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Enrique Peacock-Lopez;
CHEM 31 Senior Research and Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Chemistry 493-494.
CLASSICS
CLAS 11 Alexander the Great
Cross-listings: HIST 12
Description: In this course we will be exploring the many different Alexanders that have existed over the centuries, and we will try to gain insight into the hold he has had on our imaginations for over two millennia. In different places and ages he has been the ideal warrior-king; the pious leader whose exploits serve God; the brilliant but vulnerable boy-king corrupted by sudden wealth and power; the philosopher-king who debated the sages of India or lived a life of Stoic virtues; the isolated, out-of-touch mad leader; the liberator of the oppressed; the lonely romantic seeker; the tyrannical despot. Ancient accounts of his life evolved into mythologies for the new world he had created with his conquests. These tales circulated throughout Greece, North Africa, the Near East and India, and later by way of Rome throughout the western world, growing into separate and distinct traditions as each culture made Alexander its own. In addition to a number of these ancient and medieval texts, we will look at Alexander in the artistic tradition of the west and the near east along with examples of Alexander in film.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; 2- to 3-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: preference will be given to students majoring in Classics, History, Comp. Lit. and Art History
Cost to student: cost of book(s) and reading packet
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Kerry Christensen
CLAS 31 Senior Thesis
May be taken by students registered for Classics 493-494.
COGNITIVE SCIENCE
COGS 31 Senior Thesis
May be taken by students registered for Cognitive Science 493-494.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
COMP 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Comparative Literature 493-494.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
CSCI 10 Databases & Data Visualization
Description: Data has become big, so much so we now call it {Big Data}. What does it mean? How do we develop a database? How do we extract data so we can use it to make valuable decisions? How do we present it so non-technical people can understand it? Companies like Guess?, Harrah’s Casino and the Weather Co have become leaders in their industry by leveraging their data. In this class we will look at ways companies gain value from their data, how one can organize data in a relationship database, and the basics of SQL and data visualization. We will learn to use {Tableau} and other database software to give you an understanding of databases and their use in business. This will be a hands on class that gives you time to learn to develop relational data models, use {SQL} to extract data, discuss case studies about how companies are using data and finally bringing this all together in a final where you will use a set of data to develop a dashboard and data visualizations through Tableau. Students will be evaluated on attendance, participation, lab assignments, as well as a final project in data visualization.
Method of evaluation/requirements: attendance, participation, lab assignments, as well as a final project in data visualization
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: seniority and then by enrollment time
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Monica Garfield ‘88
Dr. Monica Garfield is a Professor in Computer Information Systems at Bentley University, Waltham, MA USA. Her research focuses on the use of IT to enhance team formation and as socio-technical issues that impact the use and implementation of IT systems. She teaches in the MBA and the MS programs at Bentley University covering database topics as well as the strategic management of IT.
CSCI 11 eTextiles
Description: Digital data is being infused throughout the entire physical world, escaping the computer monitor and spreading to other devices and appliances, including the human body. Electronic textiles, or eTextiles, is one of the next steps toward making everything interactive and this course aims to introduce learners to the first steps of developing their own wearable technology devices. After completing a series of introductory eTextiles projects to gain practice in necessary skills, students will propose and design their own eTextiles projects, eventually implementing them with Lilypad Arduino components, and other found electronic components as needed. The scope of the project will depend on the individual’s prior background, but can include everything from a sweatshirt with light-up turn signals for bicycling, to a wall banner that displays the current air quality of the room, to a stuffed animal that plays a tune when the lights go on, to whatever project you can conceivably accomplish with Lilypad Arduino inputs, outputs, and development board in a two-week time period. People with little computer programming experience will learn to edit snippets of Arduino code for their purposes. People with considerable computer programming background will learn some of the idiosyncrasies of programming for Lilypad Arduino which should be transferable to other Arduino platforms.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: CSCI 134 is encouraged but not required
Enrollment limit: 19
Selection process: preference to Computer Science Majors
Cost to student: $95
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Iris Howley
CSCI 12 Stained Glass Tiling: Quasicrystals and Geometric Solids, Building an Invisibility Cloak
Description: This course will begin with a group project to construct a mathematically precise model of a quasicrystal in stained glass. We will build a large, low-relief sculptural surface from hundreds of mirrored glass tiles oriented in ten different directions. This crystalline geometry is being explored at nanoscale for it’s potential as a cloaking device. It also occurs in nature, wrapping the surface of some viruses and in the formation of galaxies. Students will learn how to cut glass tiles, wrap them in copper, assemble and solder three-dimensional forms. Instructional sessions on the use of tools and safe handling of materials are included where necessary. In the second part of the course students will build geometric figures of their choice from transparent colored glass tiles (unpainted).Exhibition of work on the last day of Winter Study is mandatory. All students must participate in setting up the exhibition and tidying the lab at the end of Winter Study.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: none, however, students with good hand skills, patience and an interest in art or mathematics will find the course most rewarding
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: preference to seniors
Cost to student: $260
Meeting time: mornings, 10am – noon
Instructor(s): Debora Coombs
Debora Coombs’ stained glass work is commissioned and exhibited internationally. She has an MFA from the Royal College of Art in London, England, and has taught at graduate and postgraduate levels for almost four decades.
CSCI 14 Creating a Roguelike Game
Description: Before World of Warcraft, before Diablo, before the Legend of Zelda and the Nintendo Entertainment System, before fancy graphics cards and computer mice, there were text terminals and there was Rogue. Created around 1980 by Michael Toy, Ken Arnold, and Glenn Wichman at U.C. Santa Cruz, this wildly popular video game “wasted more CPU time than anything in history.” [Dennis Ritchie] and spawned an entire genre, known as ‘roguelikes’. Roguelikes in the original style are created and played to this day, and many of the game design concepts and principals that Rogue pioneered can be found in modern games outside the genre. In this course we’ll study (and play) some roguelikes, discuss what does and doesn’t work and why, and work in small teams to design, plan, and code our own. Creating the game will require a lot of time writing code, but we’ll also bring in game design, software design, user experience, project management, models and tools for collaboration, and various topics and realms related to game programming (AI, procedural content, complex data structures, persistence, help systems, etc.). In class students will do exercises, participate in discussions, give presentations, and provide feedback to each other as well as write code. Outside class students will meet with each other, do various writing assignments, and spend a lot more time coding. By the end each team will have a complete, working game that showcases their particular interests and goals.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project; class participation
Prerequisites: completion of CSCI 136 or equivalent programming experience
Enrollment limit: 16
Selection process: if overenrolled, students will be selected based on programming experience and expressed interest (writing, call, meeting, etc. all considered)
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): Chris Warren ‘96
Chris Warren (Williams ’96, Computer Science) is a programmer with extensive web development experience, and is also a serious amateur game designer. He’s worked for a couple of dot-coms, taught AP computer science in Hawaii, supported himself as an independent web developer, worked as a programmer in Williams OIT from 2003 to 2016, and currently is a partner in a web development consulting company. He has spent [far too] many hours over the years playing roguelike games.
CSCI 31 Senior Honor Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Computer Science 493-494.
DANCE
DANC 19 Served: Community-based Dance at Williams
Cross-listings: AMST 19/REL 19/ANTH 19/THEA 19/SOC 19/MUS 19
Description: “Served: Community-based dance at Williams” is a practicum course in social practice art making centered around the creation of Served, an original evening-length performance in collaboration with Williams Dining Services staff and artists Allison Orr and Krissie Marty from Forklift Danceworks. Focusing heavily on the practical experience of collaboratively creating and documenting an original artistic work, the course will include minimal required reading. Prior to the start of the Winter Study term, students will read a series of articles/excerpts contextualizing the tradition of community based art, and view a documentary and series of short clips of previous work of Forklift Danceworks to prepare for their work on Served. Through an artmaking process led by Orr and Marty, students will practice ethnographic mixed-media artmaking-embedding with dining services staff and creating art through choreography, music, photography, video and audio recording, etc. Students will contribute to the documentation of the process of making Served through interviews with project participants, short video projects, blog posts, photography, or short podcasts. Served students will meet with course instructors 3-5x weekly, beginning with skill-building work in ethnography and interview techniques, choreographic methods, video production, and later working to collaboratively develop the content of the performance and creating final projects which will contribute to the performance and documentation of Served. Other course requirements include: (1) a minimum of 15 hours/week shadowing/rehearsing with dining services staff, and (2) assisting with final rehearsals and production of Served during the week between Winter Study and the start of the spring term (dead week). Performances of Served will take place on the evenings of February 2nd & 3rd. Students must be available for tech rehearsals and performances January 29th-February 3rd in order to participate in this course.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; journal plus final project or performance or videography project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: preference given to those available past Winter Study, through “dead week” in order to assist with performances weekend of Feb 1-3, experience in the arts or ethnographic practice
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Allison Orr; Krissie Marty
ECONOMICS
ECON 10 Legal Remedies: How the Law Solves Problems
Description: What happens when you win a lawsuit? By reading legal opinions, we will study the tools judges and juries have at their disposal to right wrongs, including compensatory and punitive damages, liquidated damages, and injunctions. We will focus on how the law borrows-or does not borrow-from economics, philosophy, and psychology when assigning value to complex losses like the loss of a life, a limb, a beloved pet, or one’s sexual function. And we will see how those decisions about value shape both big-picture and everyday decision-making. Because legal remedies are a manifestation of society’s sense of justice, students will emerge from the course with a better understanding of our (often hidden) collective values. Evaluation will include class attendance and participation, in-class and out-of-class problem sets, and an end-of-class paper or presentation. We will meet twice a week for three-hour sessions.
Method of evaluation/requirements: students may choose to write a 10-page paper or to make a 10-minute presentation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: random
Cost to student: $25
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Lisa Freeman
Lisa Freeman is a judicial attorney at the California Court of Appeal. Before joining the court, she practiced law at an appellate law firm in Los Angeles and at a large international law firm in New York City. She graduated from Yale Law School and served as a law clerk for a federal Court of Appeals and a federal District Court judge. She has taught legal analysis and writing, symbolic logic, and a Williams Winter Study course on negotiation.
ECON 11 Financial Accounting and Financial Modeling for Private Equity and Investment Banking
Description: ECON 11 is an intensive winter study designed for students intending to pursue or explore professional opportunities in finance and investing, with a focus on the private equity industry. Incorporating instruction by a dynamic mix of industry professionals and faculty, the course aims to equip students with the fundamental skills required in many entry-level finance positions, preparing them for interviews, internships, and jobs in the field. The course is structured as four-section progression over the four-week term. The first section is an introduction to the basic concepts of corporate finance, and an overview of the private equity and investment banking industries. The second section covers financial accounting, during which students will learn accounting fundamentals, and how to construct, interpret and analyze financial statements. In the third section, students will receive rigorous training in financial modeling and valuation methods, provided by Training the Street, a professional financial training firm. In the fourth week, students will put to test the skills they’ve acquired and build financial models to evaluate an investment in a case company. This is a unique opportunity to receive professional-level training in core competencies of finance and investing, and students are expected to approach it as such. Given the nature and depth of material to be covered, students should plan on committing 20+ hours and 4-5 days per week between in-class sessions and assignments.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on a final project, short homework assignments, and attendance
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: preference to sophomores; in the event of over-enrollment, selection will be based upon written statements of interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): Alex Reeves and A.J. Rossi; occasional visiting instructors
Sponsor: Steven C. Graham ’82
Alex Reeves `11 currently works in Corporate Strategy and Development at Penumbra, a medical technology company based in the San Francisco area. Prior to Penumbra, Alex was an Associate at private investment firm Graham Partners, where he evaluated investments in industrial and manufacturing-related businesses, and supported portfolio companies and their management teams across a range of strategic and financial initiatives. Alex plans to attend the Tuck School of Business in the fall of 2018. A.J. Rossi graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2014, with a double major in Economics and Political Science. A.J. has since joined Graham Partners as an Associate, where he sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ portfolio companies. A.J. also currently manages the firm’s intern and analyst training programs. Steven C. Graham ’82 founded private investment firm Graham Partners in 1988 and serves as Senior Managing Principal. He oversees all of the activities of the firm, including investment sourcing, evaluating, monitoring and divesting. Steve serves on the boards of numerous portfolio companies of Graham Partners and on the firm’s Investment and Valuation Committees. Steve also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Center for Private Equity and Entrepreneurship at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
ECON 12 Public Speaking
Description: This course will help students become effective and organized public speakers, whether public speaking means giving a class presentation, participating in a debate, or giving a formal speech before a large audience. We will primarily use extemporaneous and prepared class presentations as a means of learning this skill, but we will also study great American speeches, presidential debates, and other examples for further insights into persuasive public speaking techniques. The class will provide a supportive environment to help each student create his or her own public speaking style that is comfortable, confident, and conversational. We will also focus on organizational techniques, handling visual aids effectively, eye contact and body language. Finally, receiving feedback and providing constructive criticism to other students in the class will be an important part of the course.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on in-class presentations, class participation, and a 10-page written critique of the student’s own videotaped presentations
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: preference will be based on written statement of interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Lara Shore-Sheppard; Lucie Schmidt
ECON 13 Essential Tools for Creating a Successful Startup
Description: This course provides a road map for turning business ideas into successful businesses. Students generate business ideas and then work in teams to develop a business model to take the ideas to startup and beyond. The course also provides a basic training in design thinking, business financials, and business analysis. The course uses the Lean Launchpad methodology taught a major business schools throughout the world and endorsed by the National Institutes for Health and the National Science Foundation. The course is appropriate to students in any field of study who want to know how to build a startup that succeeds.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; weekly team presentations, a final team presentation and a team video
Prerequisites: none—course is appropriate for any major and any interest
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: seniors first
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Steven Fogel
Steve Fogel has spent the last thirty years working with startups. He has helped over 1,000 people start businesses and works with 100’s of entrepreneurs each year.
ECON 15 Value Investing and other Hedge Fund Strategies
Description: The intent of the class is to introduce students to the principles of fundamentals based equity investing. The primary focus will be on value investing, but we will broadly explore different equity investment strategies, understand the process behind successful equity selection, and study great investors. While oriented towards students interested in careers in investment management, students contemplating careers in consulting and investment banking will also benefit.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: juniors and seniors preferably in Economics or Political Economy or with some demonstrated interest in a career in finance/investments
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: upperclassmen who clearly exhibit the desire for a career in finance (instructor’s discretion)
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Rahul Bahl ‘09
Rahul Bahl ’09 is an investment analyst at Hidden Hills Partners Fund, a value oriented hedge fund in San Francisco. Prior to HHPF, Rahul was an Associate in GE Capital’s Private Equity Group assisting in the management of their $2Bn portfolio of public and private investments.
ECON 16 Venture Capital: Founders, Investors and Key Employees
Description: The course will examine the venture capital industry from both a theoretical and practical perspective and will focus on the interplay of the legal, business, economic and financial issues that need to be dealt with in the formation, organization, governance and financing of new enterprises. The course is designed to provide students with a fundamental knowledge of the corporate and other laws applicable to venture capital, as well as with an appreciation of the concerns of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and early employees. Class sessions will be devoted primarily to a discussion of business cases taken from the entrepreneurial curriculum of the Harvard Business School. In addition, students will be required to participate in small groups prior to class to prepare advice to clients in three scenarios—an early stage company negotiating with a key executive the company is seeking to hire, a company considering two competing term sheets for venture financing and a company faced with the need for additional financing in a distressed situation. As a capstone to the class, students will participate in an in-class business simulation game developed at Wharton that will require students to interact in assigned roles as founders, investors or key employees. In addition to reading and analyzing the assigned business cases prior to class, students will be asked to review various background materials. Classes will meet for at least six hours per week, with additional sessions scheduled for meetings with outside industry experts that accept invitations to address the class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: participation in class, preparation of discussion outlines (each equivalent to a 3-4 page paper) in connection with the small group assignments, and participation in the business simulation game
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: by lot, with preference for seniors
Cost to student: $100
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Robert Schwed ‘71
Mr. Schwed recently retired from the law firm of Wilmer Hale after a 40-year career focused on private equity and venture capital. For the past nine years, he has been an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School teaching a course on venture capital law. He taught this course during the 2017 Winter Study. Mr. Schwed graduated from Williams with a degree in Economics in 1971 and from Harvard Law School in 1974.
ECON 17 How to Start a Startup
Description: Students of this course will learn about the mechanics and strategy to start a company or social enterprise. Corporations are the enabling vehicle of entrepreneurs. We’ll discuss what types of corporate entities are best given the entrepreneurs’ goals—c-corporations, LLCs, benefit corporations, or 501c3’s. We’ll discuss decision-making processes including governance, voting, and management. For for-profit startups, company equity (stock) is essential to reward employees and to attract investor dollars. We’ll learn how early stage companies allocate equity and how that changes as a company grows. Finally, we’ll talk about strategies for attracting investment capital, the lifeblood of startups. We’ll make copious use of case studies and speak with several guest experts. Students will work in teams to develop models for several types of startups in various business sectors.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; final project; class participation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 16
Selection process: statement of interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Jeffrey Thomas
Jeffrey Thomas is the Executive Director of Lever, a center for entrepreneurship based in North Adams, Massachusetts. He has helped launch dozens of early stage companies, including several that have been funded through the Williams campus-wide Business Plan Challenge.
ECON 19 Program Evaluation for International Development
Description: Development organizations face strict competition for scarce resources. Both public and private organizations are under increasing pressure to use rigorous program evaluation in order to justify funding for their programs and to design more effective programs. This course is an introduction to evaluation methodology and the tools available to development practitioners, drawing on examples from developing countries. It will cover a wide range of evaluation techniques and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each. The course is a mix of applied econometrics and practical applications covering implementation, analysis, and interpretation. You will learn to be a critical reader of evaluations, and begin to develop the skills needed to participate in planning and implementing an evaluation.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on class participation, problem sets, and two 8-page papers
Prerequisites: one public economics course or microeconomics course (ECON 504 or ECON 110), and one empirical methods course (POEC 253 or ECON 255, 502, or 503)
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: priority will be given to CDE fellows, and based on a written statement of interest
Cost to student: $15 plus cost of book(s) and reading packet
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Jon Bakija
ECON 20 Sports Analytics
Description: Students will identify an empirical question relevant to a sport. This may be done in consultation with faculty from the Athletics Department. They will then work in a group to review the existing literature, assemble appropriate data and construct an econometric model aimed at addressing the question of interest. The statistical software package STATA will be used for the analyses. The resulting research will be presented at the end of the January term.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: ECON 255
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: seniority
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): David Zimmerman
ECON 21 Fieldwork in Global Coffee
This course involves an internship in a developing economy and an academic analysis of relevant development issues. Students work full-time in either Nicaragua or Kenya with organization active in the international coffee trade. The instructor will work with each student to help arrange a placement and to help secure funding through Williams Financial Aid or other sources. Such arrangements must be made well in advance of Winter Study. Students will read relevant background articles distributed at the end of fall term and must agree to keep a journal, maintain contact with the instructors, and write a final paper on development issues raised by their specific internship. A group meeting of all students will occur after Winter Study to reflect on individual experiences. Students are also encouraged to attend development talks at the Center for Development Economics throughout the academic year.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 90 hours of fieldwork; satisfactory evaluation from the institutional sponsor; 10-page final paper or equivalent; participation in final meeting
Prerequisites: spoken Spanish or Swahili
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: at the time of registration, interested students should send a resume and letter of interest to Ashok Rai; these will be used to select students if over-enrolled
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Ashok Rai
ECON 22 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
Cross-listings: POEC 22
Description: This course examines the U.S. individual income tax, with a particular focus on how it affects low-income families. Students will complete an IRS volunteer training course, and become certified volunteer income tax preparers. At the end of the term, students will use their newly acquired expertise to help individuals and families in Berkshire County prepare and file their tax returns. Class meetings will involve a mix of discussion of assigned readings and exercises that help develop tax preparation skills and understanding of poverty, both nationally and locally. Assignments outside of class include short readings (on tax policy, the challenges of living in poverty in the U.S., and related public policies); successful completion of online IRS VITA training; and participation as a volunteer tax preparer for approximately six hours during the final week of winter study. The volunteer tax preparation sessions take place in North Adams.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; volunteer work
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 14
Selection process: written statement of interest
Cost to student: $15
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Sara LaLumia
ECON 24 Economics, Geography and Appreciation of Wine
Description: This course provides an introduction to the economics, geography and appreciation of wine. We will be studying the economics and geography of wine production, and will also learn to identify, understand and appreciate the major wine types of the world. The course will involve lectures, outside readings, and in-class wine tastings. We will focus primarily on the Old World wine styles and regions of France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Spain and Portugal. The course has been expanded to also cover some New World wine regions, including California, Oregon, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on short quizzes, including blind tastings, and either an oral presentation or 10-page paper at the conclusion of the course
Prerequisites: none, but students must be 21 years old on or before the first day of class
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: mix of academic record and diversity of backgrounds and interests
Cost to student: $300
Meeting time: T,R evenings
Instructor(s): Peter Pedroni
ECON 30 Honors Project: Specialization Route
The “Specialization Route” to the degree with Honors in Economics requires that each candidate take an Honors Winter Study Project in January of their 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. Seniors who wish to apply for admission to the Honors WSP and thereby to the Honors Program should register for this WSP as their first choice. Some seniors will have begun honors work in the fall and wish to complete it in the WSP. They will be admitted to the WSP if they have made satisfactory progress. They should register for this WSP as their first choice.
ECON 31 Honors Thesis
To be taken by students participating in year-long thesis research (Economics 493-W31-494).
ECON 58 Growth Diagnostics
Description: Evidence suggests that the “binding constraints” to economic growth have been remarkably heterogeneous across countries and over time (i.e., the potential for economic growth can be unlocked in a large variety of ways). For instance, pre-reform China had been constrained by poor supply incentives in agriculture, whereas Brazil has been held back by an inadequate supply of credit, South Africa by poor employment incentives in manufacturing, El Salvador by insufficient production incentives in tradables, Zimbabwe by poor governance, and so forth. How can a developing country’s policymakers arrive at conclusions such as these, thus enabling them to pragmatically pursue a selected set of growth-promoting policies, as opposed to a “laundry list” of reforms that are simply based on “best practice” rules-of-thumb? This course will serve as a primer on “growth diagnostics,” an empirically-driven analytical framework for identifying the most binding constraints to growth in a given country at a specific point in time, thereby allowing policymakers to develop well-targeted reforms for relaxing these constraints while being cognizant of the country’s prevailing economic, political, and social context. The course will employ a range of country-specific case studies to not only elucidate how the framework can be operationalized for policymaking but also demonstrate its scope and limitations. Students will be required to work in groups, each representing a given developing or emerging-market economy, in order to build a mini growth diagnostic for their group’s assigned country by the end of the course.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on extensive class participation, one 20-page group paper comprising a mini growth diagnostic for a country, and a group presentation on the mini growth diagnostic
Prerequisites: ECON 501, ECON 502/503, ECON 504, and ECON 505/506
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: if overenrolled, priority will be based on written statement of interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Quamrul Ashraf
ENGLISH
ENGL 10 Performing the Novel: The Celestials by Karen Shepard
Cross-listings: AMST 10/ASST 10/THEA 10
Description: This class will help develop and perform a stage adaptation of English Department Senior Lecturer Karen Shepard’s 2013 novel The Celestials. The book, set in North Adams, Massachusetts, takes place during a remarkable moment in the city’s history, when, in 1870, 75 young Chinese men were brought from San Francisco to break a strike at a local shoe factory. The city, along with the lives of many of its residents, were transformed by the arrival of the Chinese workers. Central characters in this ensemble piece include the factory owner and his wife, the Chinese foreman and some of his co-workers, and North Adams residents. Students may participate as actors, co-directors, and/or dramaturges. Prior theater experience is not required. The course will conclude with two staged readings of the play, one at Williams, and one at MASS MoCA in North Adams, the actual site of the shoe factory depicted in the novel. Taught by UC Berkeley professor, playwright and director Peter Glazer. For more information on the novel: http://karen-shepard.com/the-celestials/
Method of evaluation/requirements: final performance; formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: preference to English, Theatre, Asian Studies and American Studies majors
Cost to student: $30
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Peter Glazer
Peter Glazer is a playwright, director, and Associate Professor in the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies at UC Berkeley. He received his BA in Drama from Yale University, and his PhD in Performance Studies from Northwestern University. His plays, musicals and adaptations include Woody Guthrie’s American Song, which has won numerous awards since its premiere in 1988, Foe, based on the novel by J.M. Coetzee, and Heart of Spain – A Musical of the Spanish Civil War.
ENGL 11 “Jane Eyre” and the Visual Art Journal
Description: Academic courses from all disciplines at Williams often require the use of a journal to help students focus on their work. This course will push that concept to its limit as we explore some of the classic writings of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte. Our goal will be to find real and tangible ways that visual art journaling can enhance our learning of literature. We will create and record visual insights as we read, and we will explore how this practice can help us conceive what we are reading. In addition to reading the entirety of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre we will read selections from both Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Anne Bronte’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. There will also be readings from various authors and artists on the subject of journaling as a tool for learning.
Method of evaluation/requirements: at least 10 pages of journal writing, a finished visual journal and participation in class discussion and assignments; participation in a final class where we will showcase our journals
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: preference to English and Art majors
Cost to student: $25 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Patricia Malanga
Patricia Malanga received her BA in English Literature from the University of Massachusetts in 1990. While working as the Academic Assistant in the English Department here at Williams for the last 20 years, she has explored her love of literature and her love of the visual arts. This course will be the culmination of those interests.
ENGL 12 The Art of Telling (out loud) a Really Good Story
Description: How do you offer an audience a compelling and memorable story? This course will aim to develop both a sense of the structure behind a good story and the improvisational skills that bring a told story to life. In class we’ll tell stories. We’ll explore basic approaches to shaping stories (and elaborations on these approaches), as well as what makes a story a “story” instead of something else. We’ll engage in improvisational exercises, and explore the expressive capacities of voice, body, tempo and silence, considering how the improvisation of told tales might intersect with or resemble improvisational performance in other arts. We’ll also discuss issues facing tellers of traditional tales, personal stories, and other story types. When do you or do you not have the right to tell a particular story? How do you claim “authority” to tell a story? What are the implications of choosing the stories we do tell? What stories need to be told that are not? What stories need amendment? What does storytelling mean for other academic or social realms? Outside class, students will analyze and critique recordings and videos of other storytellers with the goal of enhancing their own storytelling strategies. Students will prepare for presentation in class three different kinds of stories, one of which will be offered to the wider public on campus or in the near environs.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: statement of student interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings, 2-hour sessions Monday through Thursday
Instructor(s): Kelly Terwilliger
Kelly Terwilliger has been telling stories professionally for 16 years in schools, libraries, festivals, parks, museums, community centers, and pubs.
ENGL 15 Teaching High School English in Independent Schools
Description: Are you interested in teaching English at the secondary school level, particularly in an independent school setting? If so, this course is designed for you. We will cover three topics any aspiring English teacher should be familiar with: (1) how to design new courses and construct effective syllabi; (2) how to lead engaging classroom discussions about challenging works of literature; and (3) how to grade and constructively comment on student writing. This course will emphasize practice over theory, and throughout the winter term, we will jump in and try our hands at all three of these fundamental teaching skills: each student will dream up and design the syllabi for two elective courses meant to appeal to high school students; lead one 30-minute mock classroom discussion on a poem or short story of his or her own choosing (with the other students “acting” as 10th or 11th graders); and practice commenting on and grading various samples of student writing. Near the end of the course, we will also touch upon some of the nuts and bolts of landing your first teaching position, including how to prepare a strong job application and how to ready yourself for an interview and on campus visit. There will be no single final paper, but much writing and work will be required throughout: sample course descriptions and syllabi; written and mental preparation to lead a 30-minute classroom discussion; written comments on a number of sample student papers; and finally, various short written reflections on teaching which will be assigned throughout the course.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; evaluation will be holistic, based on written work, discussion-leading performance, and overall effort and engagement
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: if course is overenrolled, students will be asked to email the instructor to explain their reasons for taking the course; preference will be given to juniors and seniors
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: Tues, Wed, Thurs, 10am-noon
Instructor(s): Bernie Rhie
ENGL 16 Typewriters!
Cross-listings: AMST 16
Description: Are you saturated by the digital stream? Are you weary of screens? Typewriters are clattering their way back into our awareness: manifestos, pop up poetry, type-ins, celebrity collectors, feature films. Patented in 1868 and popularized in the 1930s, typewriters were the primary writing technology until the advent of the computer in the 1980s. Let’s learn the history of this amazing machine, watch archival footage and new documentaries, visit typewriter repair shops, and—most importantly—write on our own typewriters. We will study the mechanism, learning about basic repairs. We will experiment with carbon paper, erasable paper, and Whiteout. We will write letters, put them in envelopes, and send them through the mail. We will set up typing stations, writing poetry on demand. As we commit to writing primarily on our typewriters during this month, we will observe the changes in our thinking and writing. Final projects (multiple media allowed) and a public exhibit will reflect upon these changes.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; 2- to 3-page paper; final project; formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: instructor’s discretion, based upon student statement
Cost to student: $155
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Cassandra Cleghorn
ENGL 18 Stories and Pictures
Cross-listings: ARTS 18
Description: What would you do if Vladimir Nabokov suddenly appeared and said: “Read this thing I wrote, and then make a twenty second stop-motion animation that captures what it feels like to long for a country that doesn’t exist anymore. You have a week.”? What if Spike Lee demanded you made a trailer for a film that doesn’t exist? You don’t even want to know what Lydia Davis would want from you. “Stories and Pictures” can help you prepare for these kinds of situations. In this class, we will read short stories and produce visual responses to them. We will condense narratives and create the work of imaginary artists. We will talk about the different ways in which the written word can provide fuel for image-making, and figure out how to make good art fast. In our meetings we will look at how other visual artists have used narrative to inform their work and try out various art-making techniques such as drawing, collage, digital photography and video.
Method of evaluation/requirements: four artworks and one class presentation, as well as ongoing participation in class discussion
Prerequisites: none; students of all intellectual and creative persuasions are welcome
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference will be given to students writing to the instructor with a short paragraph about why they want to be in this class
Cost to student: $40
Meeting time: mornings; 3 times weekly for 2-hour sessions; at least one field-trip
Instructor(s): Gabriela Vainsencher
Gabriela Vainsencher is a Brooklyn-based visual artist who makes videos, site-specific installations, drawings, and sculptures. Vainsencher was Williams College’s Levitt fellow in 2009, and since then she has taught a winter study class in January 2012-2016. Her recent exhibitions include a two-person show at the Musée d’art moderne André Malraux in Le Havre, France, and a solo show at Recession Art gallery in New York.
ENGL 25 Journalism Today
Description: This course will give students an in-depth view of the inner workings of journalism today. It will feature the perspectives of several Williams alumni who work in a broad spectrum of today’s media universe, including print, broadcast, and new media. Our guests will help students workshop their ideas for a feature-length piece of journalism they’re expected to create during the month. They will discuss the reporting skills to use, as well as their own experiences. Students should be aware that our precise meeting schedule week by week may vary to accommodate the schedules and availability of our guests. In addition to reading the work of guests, there will be one required text about reporting and writing. Students will be expected to complete several small reporting and writing exercises, as well as one feature-length news story on a topic they choose at the beginning of the course. There will be a week-long trip to New York for field work and to visit various newsrooms. In previous years, organizations visited have included CNN, the New York Times, the Columbia School of Journalism, ABC News, MSNBC, Pro Publica, the Wall Street Journal and NPR.
Method of evaluation/requirements: participation in class discussions and reporting and writing exercises, and the completion of one fully-reported, original, feature-length news story about a topic to be assigned at the beginning of the course
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference will be given to students with a demonstrated interest in journalism or media (as explained in a statement of interest), with a priority given to upperclassmen
Cost to student: $900
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Elizabeth Rappaport ‘94 and Bob Krefting
Liz Rappaport is a Life & Arts editor at The Wall Street Journal. She works at the New York City headquarters. Previously, she was credit markets editor and a reporter. She covered Goldman Sachs Group Inc. as well as credit and other markets during the financial crisis. She wrote about financial markets and Wall Street at TheStreet.com and Dow Jones Newswires. Ms. Rappaport graduated from Williams College with a degree in English. Masters in Journalism and Mass Communications, NYU.
ENGL 30 Honors Project: Specialization Route
Required during Winter Study of all seniors admitted to candidacy for honors via the specialization route.
ENGL 31 Honors Project: Thesis
Required during Winter Study of all seniors admitted to candidacy for honors via the thesis route.
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
ENVI 10 Local Farms and Food
Description: What foods are produced on farms near Williamstown? Why? What does “local food” even mean? Why should we care? In this winter study we will visit 3-4 working farms in the region to see different types of farming in action and talk with farmers about their work. We will also read various material related to food and farming covering past, present and future. The class will usually meet twice per week: once for a farm visit and a second for classroom discussion about the farm visit and that week’s assigned readings. Students will be required to submit a 10-page paper at the end of Winter Study on a related topic of their choosing.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: short expressions of interest sent to me at [email protected]
Cost to student: $95
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Jacob Israelow ‘01
Jacob Israelow is the Founder and Managing Director of Dirt Capital Partners, an investment firm which partners with sustainable farmers on farmland purchases in the Northeast United States. Previously, he worked for Goldman Sachs in Asia. He graduated from Williams in 2001.
ENVI 18 Sustainable Business Models
Cross-listings: ECON 18
Description: This course explores the practical realities of “sustainable business.” We will develop our own definition of “sustainability” that encompasses the dual meanings of (1) financial success as well as (2) long run positive impact on climate and the environment. Topics include:
- What are the criteria for sustainability? E.g. Renewable energy; organic farming; creative waste disposal; broader social purpose.
- How does the concept of externalities relate to sustainability? Must all external costs and benefits be “internalized” in order for a business to be truly sustainable?
- Should “environmentalism” be a “rear guard” movement seeking to slow, conserve, protect, defend, and delay economic growth, or whether should modern environmentalism embrace the dynamic power of capitalism to create technologies and businesses that actively work against climate change?
- Can sustainable business models coexist with traditional shareholder value maximization models? We evaluate the role of “B” companies allowing directors to take into account the interest of all stakeholders including workers, consumers, the society at large, and the environment.
- How does sustainability reconcile with the priority of economic growth, particularly in the developing world? What is the relationship to fair labor standards and environmental regulation?
- What is the optimal role and purpose of governmental subsidies? When should subsidies sunset and leave industries to succeed (or fail) on their own?
- How can investors promote sustainable businesses proactively through their capital allocation strategies?
- Should large philanthropic organizations (foundations and endowments) consider proactive values aligned investing as an alternative to divestment from fossil fuels companies?
Assigned Reading: Encounters with the Archdruid, by John McPhee (Part 3); Breakthrough, by Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberg; plus a collection of 4-5 substantial articles. Symposium 2018: In past years, we took field trips to NYC to meet with entrepreneurs and investors in sustainable finance. In January 2017 we changed direction to bring 27 outside speakers to campus for a well-received Sustainable Investing Symposium. The current plan is to reprise Symposium 2.0 in January 2018 with a new crop of key players in the sustainable investing field. Planning is already underway. Students will play an active and engaged role in preparing for, executing, and participating in the Symposium. Final project: Teams of 2-3 students will target a company or topic of their choice and present (during the last week of class) a critical evaluation of that company’s progress, challenges, and prospects for success both financially and in terms of their sustainability goals. Project teams have done remarkably well with their company presentations in past years, including outstanding presentations on a range of renewable energy companies, a memorable critique of Tesla Motors, and a survey of Wall Street’s varied response to growing demand for “values aligned investing alternatives.” Most teams take advantage of the Symposium speakers to conduct primary research on their chosen company or topic, from giant magnets rolling around in barges to produce electricity to sustainable farming practices.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 18
Selection process: letter to instructor
Cost to student: $45 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Don Carlson ‘83
Don Carlson is currently a venture partner with Rubicon Venture Capital and a consultant with Lansberg Gersick Associates. Don has been a Williams faculty member (CES and chair of political economy, 1990-92); chief knowledge officer at Goldman Sachs; a trial lawyer at Williams & Connolly, and legislative director for Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II. Don graduated from Williams as a Political Economy major in 1983 and Harvard Law School in 1986.
ENVI 19 Mountains to the Sea—The Nature of New England
Description: This course aims to answer the what, why and how of the New England landscape. From the spruce-covered Berkshire peaks to the broad Connecticut River Valley to the sandy coastal plain, we will investigate the primary factors that drive the diversity in the topography, soil, plant communities, and wildlife that inhabit these areas. We will also consider how humans have and continue to engage with these landscapes. Field activities may feature hiking to the peak of an ancient basalt ridge; walking through a towering hardwood forest and a scrubby, pine woodland; following fox tracks in the snow; traipsing around a beaver pond; observing wintering waterfowl on a salt marsh; and visiting a museum or interpretive center. These activities will be supplemented by readings and class discussions. Students should be prepared to spend many hours out in winter conditions and be able to hike several miles. Some trips will necessitate that students be away from campus beyond normal class hours.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; final project; short written assignments
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: seniority, sincerity of interest in the subject
Cost to student: $455 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Drew Jones
Drew Jones has been the manager of Hopkins Memorial Forest for the past seventeen years, where he oversees various aspects of the management, education and research programming of the facility. In addition, he is involved in some of his own research projects, most recently Northern Saw-whet owls banding, and elementary education programs in the forest. He also leads occasional Williams class field trips and assists with regular laboratory trips for the Environmental Science course.
ENVI 21 Green Revolving Funds—Principles and Practice
Cross-listings: ECON 23
Description: A green revolving fund is an internal funding structure that allows an organization like Williams to invest a certain amount of capital in sustainability projects, and refresh the fund with the cash flows from completed projects over time (generally from energy or other resource savings). Williams has initiated a small student-run green revolving fund, which this course will use as a learning example. Students will learn the principles behind green revolving funds through lectures and readings and review case studies of funds at other institutions. Students will explore the range of sustainable project types including energy conservation and efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, waste reduction and landscape management. They will learn which projects are already funded through the College’s efforts and which would be potentially be candidates for green revolving funding. A significant portion of the class will be devoted to developing project proposals for funding. Class will meet three times a week for two hours, with several hours a week of reading (during the first part of the course) and project proposal work (during the second part of the course).
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference will be given to seniors, economics majors, environmental studies majors or concentrators
Cost to student: $30
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): Amy Johns ‘98
Amy Johns is the director of the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives at Williams College where she leads the College’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact.
ENVI 22 Reimagining Rivers
Description: Rivers play a hugely important role in the artistic, religious, and literary cultures of societies around the world. They are often imagined to be timeless and eternal, yet rivers have been changed dramatically by human activity over time and they will change even more dramatically as the climate continues to warm. What can the past and present of rivers tell us about their future? What light can art, literature, film and shed on their possible role in creating a more just and sustainable society? What are rivers for? Focusing on Europe and the Americas (but making frequent forays into other parts of the world), we will examine classic literary texts by authors such as Mark Twain, Norman Maclean and others; works by visual artists such as William Turner, Andy Goldsworthy, and Ed Burtynsky; documentary and feature films such as “Damnation” and “Fitzcarraldo,” as well as some environmental journalism and ethnographic writing. We will also take a few field trips to local rivers. The class will meet for 6 hours each week for discussion; all films will be viewed outside of class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: several 2- to 3-page papers; discussion leading; presentation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: seniority
Cost to student: $45 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Nicolas Howe
ENVI 31 Senior Research and Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Environmental Studies 493-494.
GEOSCIENCES
GEOS 12 Geology of the National Parks
Cross-listings: ENVI 12
Description: A vicarious trip through a variety of national parks in the US and Canada to appreciate the geological basis of their spectacular scenery. Areas to be included will be selected to portray a wide range of geological processes (volcanism, desert and coastal erosion, mountain-building, glaciation, etc.). The group will meet most mornings for the first two weeks for highly illustrated classes supplemented by the interpretation of topographic and geologic maps and by out-of-class study of rock samples. Reading will be from a paperbound text (PARKS AND PLATES) and from short publications by the U.S. Geological Survey and natural history associations linked to the parks. The second part of the month will involve independent study and meetings with the instructor to prepare an oral report about the geology of a park or monument of the student’s choice. The oral reports during the last week will be comprehensive and well-illustrated, using Power Point, maps, samples and other reference materials pertinent to the geology of the area. A detailed outline and bibliography will be distributed by the presenter at the time of the report.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference to first-year students who have had no previous college-level study of geology
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Bud Wobus
GEOS 14 Landscape Photography (Same as ENVI 14)
Cross-listings: ENVI 14
Description: This class will broaden students’ appreciation for the appearance and history of the landscape and teach the skills of making a successful photograph. Williamstown, situated in a valley between the Green and Taconic Mountains and bisected by the Green and Hoosic Rivers, is a place of great natural beauty. The local landscape is a subject that inspires both professional and amateur photographers alike. While Williamstown will be the subject of most of our work, we will use it to learn principles of universal application. Students will discover the importance of light in making a photograph. They will also learn camera skills and the mechanics of digital photography utilizing Adobe Lightroom, which will be reviewed at biweekly class meetings. In addition to photographing and critiquing images, the class will visit collections at the Clark Art Institute, WCMA and Chapin Library to see original photographs. Course will include an overview of the history of landscape photography with an emphasis on American workers such as Carlton Watkins, Eadweard Muybridge, Alfred Stieglitz, Eliot Porter and Ansel Adams. Demonstrations will include examples of cameras such as medium and large format. Students will produce a body of successful photographs that will be projected at the Winter Study presentation day and on the web http://nicholaswhitmanphoto.com/winterstudy2016/ and http://nicholaswhitmanphoto.com/winterstudy2017/Students will submit short written explanations with each of their photographic assignments.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: digital camera, laptop with Lightroom, 1T external hard drive
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: expressed interest and by luck of the draw
Cost to student: $75
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Nicholas Whitman
Nicholas Whitman is a professional photographer and the former Curator of Photography at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. A 1977 graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, he has honed his craft to make landscape photographs of power and depth. See more at www.nwphoto.com.
GEOS 25 The Changing Landscape and Musical Geography of the Mississippi: Winter Study at Williams-Mystic
Description: The course will be based at Williams-Mystic, the College’s renowned maritime studies program in Mystic, Connecticut. We will focus on learning about the geological history of the Mississippi River Delta, the history of human settlement in the region, and the musical record of the environmental and socioeconomic challenges faced by the communities of the delta. Experiential learning is important to the course, and we will spend two evenings enjoying Cajun and Zydeco music as well as the blues. Finally, the course will involve synthesizing the experiences and learning of the first two weeks into oral presentations in which students will propose solutions for improving the sustainability of habitats and communities that are threatened by rising sea levels. We will use the multidisciplinary Defining the Delta (Edited by Janelle Collins, The University of Arkansas Press, 2015) as our textbook for the course. This winter-study course thus aims to:
- Explain the role of landscape change in controlling the sustainability of the environments upon which the communities and the economic infrastructure of the Mississippi River Delta have been built;
- Examine the musical geography of the region as a means for understanding the legacy of landscape and socioeconomic changes for the people who call the delta their home.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none, though not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference given to sophomores and then juniors
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Jose Constantine; Craig Edwards
Craig is a renowned musician and musical historian of the Mississippi River Delta and majored in ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University. Reflecting his great talent, he was recently named a Connecticut Master Teaching Artist by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts.
GEOS 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Geology 493-494.
GERMAN
GERM S.P. Sustaining Program for German 101-102
Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study period.
GERM 12 Climate Catastrophes in Literature and Film
Cross-listings: COMP 12
Description: Climate disasters form the backdrop to many dystopian visions, ranging from apocalyptic passages in the Bible (the Great Flood, the Book of Revelation) to the 2016 Oscar-candidate {Mad Max: Fury Road}. Temperatures drop too low or rise too high, rainfall proves persistent or fails to materialize. Each of these scenarios presents extreme challenges to the affected populations as it imperils the access to food, shelter, and – often – human love. In this course we will look at how fictive societies emerging in climate-related disasters are organized and what forms of “humanity” seem accessible under conditions of scarcity. We will discuss what it means to engage with these fictive scenarios in the age of global warming and discuss excerpts from contemporary political essays, which offer further alternative and constructive visions of the future (e.g. Felix Guattari’s Three Ecologies, Rebecca Solnit’s Paradises built in Hell). Readings include texts from antiquity (e.g. the Bible, Homeric Hymn to Demeter), and the 19th and 20th century (e.g. Mary Shelley’s The Last Man, Lord Byron’s Darkness, Octavia E. Butler’s The Parable of the Sower, Max Frisch’s Man in the Holocene). In addition to the readings, we will watch 1-2 films per week (e.g. Waterworld, 2012, The Road, Young Ones, Mad Max: Fury Road, Blind Sun). For their final project, students will choose and analyze their own favorite “cli-fi” (climate fiction) and produce a piece of cli-fi in the medium of their choice.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper and creative project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 18
Selection process: students will be asked to send an email to the instructor, explaining their interest in the course
Cost to student: cost of book(s) and reading packet
Meeting time: discussion based sessions in the morning, film screenings (1-2 per week) in the afternoon
Instructor(s): Susanne Fuchs
Susanne Fuchs holds a PhD in German Studies from New York University. She has previously studied at the University of Vienna, the University College London, and the Freie Universität Berlin. Susanne Fuchs has taught literature and philosophy courses at the University of Zürich and New York University. Her research interests include theater studies, conflict studies, and the environmental humanities.
GERM 30 Honors Project
To be taken by honors candidates following other than the normal thesis route.
GERM 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for German 493-494.
GLOBAL STUDIES
GBST 30 Senior Honors Project
To be taken by candidates for honors in International Studies.
HISTORY
HIST 10 North Adams: Past, Present, and Future
Cross-listings: AMST 11
Description: Learn about resources and assets of Massachusetts’s smallest city and our neighbor. Readings, tours, films, field trips and meetings with people who work with or lead nonprofits and civic organizations will introduce you to local history, contemporary issues, and plans for future cultural and economic development. You will be expected to complete assigned readings (articles) and to attend all class meetings. Final assessment will be based on your engagement in thoughtful discussions of class materials and in-person encounters and experiences. In addition, you will complete a final research project (written or multimedia); and two short reflection papers. You must be available for class meetings off-campus and outside of the regular class hours. Transportation will be provided for off-campus sessions.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: priority to first- and second-year students
Cost to student: $10
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Anne Valk
Annie Valk is a lecturer in the History Dept. and the Associate Director for Public Humanities, affiliated with the Center for Learning in Action and the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity.
HIST 11 Latina Feminisms: Then and Now
Cross-listings: WGSS 11
Description: During the late 1960s and 1970s, Mexican American and Puerto Rican women wrote about and became activists on the issues they confronted. As activists in the Chicano and Puerto Rican movements, they noted the contradictions between the language of equality and their designated roles. They analyzed their roles in these movements, in their families, in their communities, and in the broader society. How did their writings define emerging Latina feminisms and/or “Third World feminisms”? How pertinent are the issues they defined to Latina feminisms today?
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; lead discussion(s)
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: History majors, LATS concentrators
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Carmen Whalen
HIST 13 Eyewitness to the Civil Rights Movement
Description: During sixteen months in 1964-’65, I worked as a civil rights organizer in rural Mississippi with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). I witnessed and aided in the heroic struggle by black citizens to dismantle the pervasive structure of Jim Crow that had oppressed them for generations. I met relatively uneducated people with the stature of giants. What I encountered was an apartheid America—a vicious police state reinforced extra-legal violence—beyond the understanding of most Americans and certainly beyond the imagination of young people today. This course will explore this transformational moment in recent American history largely thru reading and discussion. Topics will include nonviolence, the role of the black church, black nationalism, Malcolm X and Black Power, the role of women, armed self-defense, the role of whites, the third party politics of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and the actions of the federal government during this turbulent time. Students will read three books and present a final project of their choosing. Documentary film and music from the period will have a prominent role. It is the intent of the instructor to convey the immediacy that only first person experience can evoke.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based upon class participation and final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: random selection
Cost to student: $90
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Chris Williams
Chris Williams was the college architect at Williams for many years. In his younger days, he was a field organizer in the civil rights movement in rural Mississippi. Today he lives on the backroads of Vermont.
HIST 15 The City in Indian Cinema
Cross-listings: ASST 15
Description: About 450 million people, one third of India’s total population lives in cities. What is the urban experience of this large complex community? What are people’s everyday struggles, concerns, and joys in these spaces? This course explores the multifaceted relationship between cinema and the modern city in the Indian context. We will engage with readings and a series of films, including but not exclusively of the popular Bollywood genre to explore the diversity, chaos, hopes and dreams of India’s burgeoning cities.
Method of evaluation/requirements: participation, response papers
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: some preference to Seniors studying History and Asian Studies
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Aparna Kapadia
HIST 18 The Rose and the Pendulum
Description: The first two novels by medievalist, novelist, and literary critic Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose (1980) and Foucault’s Pendulum (1988), are a pair. The former, cast in the guise of a detective story, follows the exploits of Brother William of Baskerville (a medieval incarnation and satire of Sherlock Holmes) as he investigates a series of murders afflicting a fourteenth-century Italian monastery, ultimately detecting a disturbing Apocalyptic plan behind the deaths. The latter, set in 1970s Milan, follows vanity publishers whose efforts to attract the business of occultists inspires them to invent their own historical conspiracy theory, which they christen The Plan, and which before long acquires an ominous reality all its own. Both books explore such literary problems as the locus of textual meaning and the nature of interpretation, against such richly realized historical backdrops as late medieval monasticism, the fourteenth-century political intrigue surrounding the demise of the Knights Templar, early modern esotericism, and even twentieth-century Italian leftism. Both are also highly effective satires of the literary and historical genres in which they participate. In this winter study we will read The Name of the Rose and Foucault’s Pendulum as entertaining fiction and as ports of entry into intriguing episodes in medieval and early modern history; and also for their deeper literary and semiotic themes.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will depend upon attendance, participation, five 1.5-page response papers, and an in-class presentation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: preference for prior coursework in medieval history
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Eric Knibbs
HIST 19 Ekphrasis, or, Poetry About Art
Description: Recently, poets have been expanding the contemporary potential of the genre known as “ekphrasis” to extend conversations across artistic mediums. In the process, they have been developing exciting new work experimental of their own. Mary Jo Bang’s 2004 poetry collection The Eye Like a Strange Balloon responds to works from Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon to David Lynch’s Mullholland Drive. Fred Moten (in books like The Feel Trio) and Tyehimba Jess (in his 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning Olio) are writing poems that viscerally animate both the history and rhythms of musical forms from Vaudeville to Jazz. In Public Figures, Jena Osman puts herself in the position of public statues across Philadelphia, creating a multi-media text that tracks their gaze. In this Winter Study course we will join these experimenters: describing, engaging, animating, imaginatively projecting, and talking back to works of art in all genres. Watching films and television (perhaps the new “Twin Peaks”), listening to music, experiencing performance (including Yoko Ono’s “Cut Piece”), viewing paintings and sculptures (ideally taking field trips to Mass MOCA and the Clark), and reading other writers (including our classmates), we will develop a range of responses and original forms. We will also create prompts, constraints, and practices from each artistic encounter that we will take with us into our own writing lives.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: if overenrolled, preference will be given to students who have taken creative writing at the college
Cost to student: cost of book(s) and reading packet
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Stefania Heim
Stefania Heim is author of the poetry collection A TABLE THAT GOES ON FOR MILES, and translator, most recently, of the Italian poems of metaphysical artist Giorgio de Chirico. Her essays have appeared or are forthcoming in A Public Space, Critical Flame, Jacket2, Textual Practice, and elsewhere. She is a Poetry Editor at Boston Review and has taught at institutions including Columbia University, Deep Springs College, Duke University, and the University of Montana MFA program.
HIST 30 Workshop in Independent Research
Description: This course is intended for both junior History majors and sophomores intending on majoring in history who think they might like to do a senior thesis and would like to gain more experience in independent research. Students who are interested in exploring a possible topic for a senior thesis are especially encouraged to sign up. This workshop will help familiarize students with methods for doing historical research, including how historians define good research questions; become familiar with the historiography; and identify primary sources. Students will pursue their own research on any topic of their own choosing for a 10-page final paper, and we’ll use a workshop format to discuss the research and writing of that paper.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; weekly assignment
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: interest in course subject determined by questionnaire
Cost to student: $25
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Anne Reinhardt
HIST 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by all senior thesis students who are registered for History 493 (fall) and History 494 (spring), History 31 allows thesis writers to complete their research and prepare a draft chapter, due at the end of Winter Study.
Method of evaluation/requirements: chapter of thesis
Prerequisites: must be admitted into department’s Thesis Program
Enrollment limit: none
Selection process: N/A
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Eiko Maruko Siniawer
JEWISH STUDIES
JWST 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Jewish Studies 493 or 494.
JUSTICE AND LAW
JLST 14 Mock Trial
Description: In Mock Trial, the students are the attorneys and witnesses who prepare and present a civil trial with opening statements, direct and cross-examination, and closing arguments. The cases are selected from the American Mock Trial Association’s prior cases and include claims of civil rights, defamation, and products liability. The students develop the trial strategy, select the appropriate witnesses from those available and prepare the case as a group. The course has been offered 5 prior times with great success. The “final exam” is the presentation of two trials, one as plaintiff and one as defense, with outside attorneys acting as judges and a jury. The two teams switch sides in the trials so that all students get the experience of considering arguments from both sides. We secure attorneys to act as judges and jurors to render a verdict and provide comments to the students on their presentations.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project; two trials, one as plaintiff and one as defendant
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 24
Selection process: will seek input from Registrar and if needed use lottery
Cost to student: $20
Meeting time: Monday noon-3:50 and Tuesday 10:00-2:00
Instructor(s): David Olson ‘71; Louis (Sey) Zimmerman ‘71
Dave Olson, Class of ’71, is a practicing civil trial attorney with 38 years of experience. He has handled complex cases in state and federal courts, including class actions. He has held leadership roles in the ABA and has co-authored and edited more than 8 books for the ABA and other organizations. He is a frequent speaker on a wide range of legal subjects. The course has been offered for 5 prior Winter Study Sessions and has been oversubscribed on several occasions. David Olson, Class of 1971, is a practicing trial attorney with more than 38 years of experience and has offered this course for 5 different Winter Studies. He co-teaches the course with Sey Zimmerman, Class of 1971, who is a retired trial attorney.
JLST 15 The Work of the Supreme Court: A Simulation
Cross-listings: CHEM 15
Description: The objective of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the personal, theoretical, and institutional characteristics that impact the decision making process of the nation’s highest court. At the beginning of the course, the students will be provided with briefs, relevant decisions and other materials for a case currently pending before the court. Where possible, cases will be selected that address constitutional issues that also have a political and/or historical significance. Past examples include the constitutionality of provisions in the Affordable Care Act, rights of prisoners held in Guantanamo, the extent of First Amendment rights of students, and the applicability of the State Secrets doctrine to the country’s extraordinary rendition program. Four students (two on each side) will be assigned to prepare and present oral arguments to the “Court”, which will consist of the other eight students, each playing the role of a Supreme Court Justice. An instructor will act as the Chief Justice to coordinate the student Justices and keep them on focus. After the oral argument, the “Court” will confer and prepare majority and minority opinions, which will be announced in “open court” at the conclusion of the term.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference to upperclassmen/legal studies majors
Cost to student: $25
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Robert Groban Jr. ‘70; Thomas Sweeney III ’70
ROBERT S. GROBAN, JR., is a Member of Epstein Becker Green, PC and National Chairperson of its Immigration Law Group. Prior to joining EBG, Mr. Groban served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1976-81, and handled a variety of civil, criminal, immigration and Nazi War Criminal cases at both the trial and appellate levels. Messrs. Groban, Pope and Sweeney are lawyers who each have over 25 years of varied litigation experience.
LATINA/O STUDIES
LATS 31 Latina/o Honors Thesis Seminar
Students must register for this course to complete an honors project begun in the fall or begin one to be finished in the spring.
Prerequisite: approval of program chair
Enrollment limit: limited to senior honors candidates
LEADERSHIP STUDIES
LEAD 12 Principles of Effective Leadership
Description: This course will examine issues related to effective leadership in a variety of contexts, primarily through the experience of guest lecturers. We will begin by identifying key principles of leadership with reference to several great leaders in history, moving on to consider contemporary yet timeless topics such as personal responsibility, corruption and fraud in the private sector as well as the essential role good communications skills play in exercising leadership. The majority of class sessions will feature distinguished guest speakers, many of whom are Williams alumni, who have held leadership roles in government, business, philanthropy and healthcare. Probing our guests’ approaches to organizational leadership is the primary goal of this Winter Study. Each student will be asked to host a guest at dinner or breakfast before we meet, to introduce him or her to the class, and to stimulate discussion. After each lecture, we will spend time in the next class sharing impressions, surprises and lessons learned. There will be a 10-page final paper which may take a variety of forms and formats, but which should address the basic themes in our readings as well as what you have learned from our guests, both collectively and more specifically in the case of at least three individuals.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; in-class presentation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 25
Selection process: Leadership Studies concentrators, preference to seniors and juniors
Cost to student: $50 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): William Simon ‘73
William E. Simon, Jr., ’73. Businessman, lawyer, and philanthropist, Mr. Simon is Co-Chairman of William E. Simon & Sons, a private equity firm, and the William E. Simon Foundation. Early in his career he was Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York and later was the 2002 Republican gubernatorial nominee in California. Mr. Simon is a Trustee Emeritus of Williams College.
LEAD 13 Practical Preparation For Working After Williams: Standing Out Instead of Fitting In!
Cross-listings: PSYC 13
Description: Students will dramatically enhance and expand their own practical professional competencies and personal attributes by gaining specific, skills valuable and relevant for success in the real-world of work. Challenging sessions are conducted by an exceptionally accomplished instructor focusing on character, interpersonal astuteness, communicating skills, leading effective change, financial statement literacy, decision-making under pressure, and thinking critically about and acting intentionally for personal development. Preparing for productive class discussions and participation requires reading several books (The Headmaster; Killer Angels; Breaking Through) and various articles, watching selected videos, understanding material provided in a subject matter guidebook, completing a Birkman assessment on-line, as well understanding wide-ranging human performance though an encapsulated case study of the people at the Battle of Gettysburg. Knowledge is transferred in the classroom through fast-paced, concise lectures, live interaction with world-class guest speakers, individual communications exercises, role playing, and personal mentoring by the instructor. Benefits realized by students can be practically applied in any enterprise, including business, entrepreneurial initiatives, education, non-profits, and public sector governmental service. Students prepare a 5-page paper that is workshopped in a tutorial peer evaluation format prior to submission to the instructor. A one page personal development action plan is also prepared that remains confidential between the student and the instructor in order to provide feedback. Class meetings are conducted each day for 1 1/2 to 2 hours Monday through Thursday during Winter Study with an estimated three hours of daily preparation (about 20 hours per week) necessary by each student in order to take ownership for achieving and enjoying the full learning experience. An individual personal development action plan requiring additional personal critical thinking and research is also submitted.
Method of evaluation/requirements: class participation, evidence of understanding collateral materials, and 5-page paper evaluated by instructor and in a tutorial peer format.
Prerequisites: a keen and purposeful desire to learn and develop oneself in a practical applied experience—this course is open to all students seeking a uniquely meaningful and impactful Winter Study curriculum available nowhere else at Williams College!
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: diversity and inclusion of geographic, economic and social background will be considered in order to assemble a spirited mix of participants
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings, 10-11:50 a.m.
Instructor(s): Edward R. (Ted) McPherson ‘67
http://www.intersolvegroup.com/profiles-frames.html
LEAD 17 Three Roosevelt Elections: 1932, 1936, 1940
Cross-listings: HIST 17
Description: The 1930s were a pivotal decade in American history. It was the decade of the Great Depression, of darkening war clouds, and of the golden age of Hollywood movies. It was also the decade of Franklin Roosevelt. In the presidential election of 1932, as the country was plummeting to rock bottom in the Depression, New York’s governor Franklin Roosevelt challenged incumbent President Herbert Hoover, whose administration, FDR said, was “frozen in the ice of his own indifference.” Four years later, in the election of 1936, FDR defended his New Deal record against Governor Alf Landon of Kansas. And in 1940, as European democracies fell one by one to the merciless Nazi onslaught and as American isolationists sought to appease Hitler, Roosevelt ran for an unprecedented third term, the first and only president ever to do so. We will study these three consequential elections by using material from historians, newspapers, campaign speeches, and memoirs. We will also explore the mood in the country as reflected in some of the great movies of that period: “The Grapes of Wrath,” “Dead End,” “Top Hat,” “The Mortal Storm,” “The Best Years of our Lives,” and others.
Method of evaluation/requirements: active participation in class discussions, class presentations, final paper
Prerequisites: none, but preference given to students with background in American history and American political science
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference given to students with background in American history and American political science; preference to declared and prospective LEAD concentrators and then students with background in American history and American political science
Cost to student: cost of book(s) and reading packet
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Susan Dunn
LEAD 18 Wilderness Leadership in Emergency Care
Description: This Winter Study course is for students who would like to participate in a 9 day, 72 hour comprehensive hands on in-depth look at the standards and skills of dealing with wilderness based medical emergencies. Topics that will be covered include, Response and Assessment, Musculoskeletal Injuries, Soft Tissue Injuries, Environmental Injuries, and Survival Skills. Additional topics, such as CPR, are also included. Students will be required to successfully complete the written and practical exams, and not miss any of the 9 classes to receive credit and WFR/CPR certification.
Method of evaluation/requirements: written and practical exam
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 22
Selection process: submit a statement of purpose to the instructor explaining why they want to take the course and hope to gain from the experience
Cost to student: $465
Meeting time: the course runs nine consecutive days straight from 9AM – 5PM, with a possible one nighttime rescue exercise
Instructor(s): Scott Lewis
MATHEMATICS/STATISTICS
MATH 11 A Taste of Austria
Description: This course introduces students to elements of the Austrian culture around the turn of the 19th century up to today. Students will learn and prepare presentations about significant contributions to the arts and sciences from Austrians such as musicians i.e. Gustav Mahler, W.A. Mozart artist Gustav Klimt, scientist Karl Landsteiner or poet Stefan Zweig. Other activities include learning how to dance the Viennese waltz composed by Johann Strauss (in case you want to attend Austria’s main annual society event, the Opernball in Vienna) or how to prepare Wienerschnitzel or bake Sachertorte (the delicious cake offered by the Hotel Sacher in Vienna) as well as creating “The Imperial Pancake” alias “Kaiserschmarren” offered in most Austrian restaurants. The course will be conducted mainly in English, with some German. This year we are planning to have “Austrian Culture Ambassadors”, high school students from a private high school visiting from Graz who will be available for part of the class for individual one on one German speaking/tutoring. Last years visiting musician young pianist Philipp Scheucher will perform a piano concert at Chapin Hall, allowing my students and their friends to hear Austrian works by Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven at Williams College live in concert. We will also have a guest lecture by Austrian brain scientist Gerwin Schalk, Ph.D. who is one of the leading neuroscientists in brain mapping. If time and weather permits, we will also pursue typical Austrian winter activities such as downhill or cross country skiing, sledding or skating.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on attendance, a 10-page paper (including presentation slides) and a corresponding presentation on a topic with an Austrian connection (possible topics will be suggested, but students can choose their own) and class discussions
Prerequisites: none, although some knowledge of German is welcome
Enrollment limit: 24
Selection process: discretion of the instructor
Cost to student: $90
Meeting time: mornings, 10 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; two evening sessions: piano concert and waltz evening; outdoor activities: i.e. skiing, sledding TBA
Instructor(s): Sophia Klingenberg; Bernhard Klingenberg
Sophia Klingenberg, MD: Born in Graz, Austria. Family Medicine physician, currently training in Pediatric Surgery residency. During her career she worked in the Opera House of Graz as an extra and in the managing office. She is involved in cultural activities such as being part of the International business committee of the 62nd Viennese Opera Ball in NYC.
MATH 12 The Mathematics of LEGO Bricks
Description: Since their introduction in 1949, LEGO bricks have challenged and entertained millions. In this course we’ll explore some of the connections between LEGO bricks, mathematics and popular culture. Activities will range from trying to do a LEGO Idea challenge to teaching an Adventures in Learning class at Williamstown Elementary to building a bridge (hopefully over the gap on the 2nd floor of Paresky) for MLK day.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on class participation, a short 5-page paper, and adherence to `Leg Godt’
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: preference will be determined if needed by an application essay, interview and/or meeting
Cost to student: $20
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Steven Miller
MATH 13 Seldom Told Stories of Women and Minorities in Science
Description: This course will be centered on learning about the achievements of women and minorities who have made significant contributions to science and the scientific community. We will discuss both historical and modern challenges faced by women and under-represented minorities in the sciences. Students will conduct an independent research project on a scientist of their choosing and lead a discussion based on that individual. Additional reading for this course will include the book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, which was made into the 2016 film Hidden Figures.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: based on expressed interest
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Julie Blackwood
MATH 15 Pilates: Physiology and Wellness
Cross-listings: SPEC 15
Description: During the first half of the twentieth century, Joseph Pilates developed a series of exercises he called Contrology designed to strengthen core muscles and improve overall health. Now known as Pilates, these exercises are meant to increase flexibility, strength, endurance, and spinal health. In this course, we will study the physiology and origins of the Pilates exercises as well as how Pilates can be incorporated into an overall wellness plan. Class time will include both Pilates routines, discussion, and guest lecture.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; weekly quizzes, readings, and a final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: selection will be based on student responses to survey questions
Cost to student: $125 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: 3 mornings each week
Instructor(s): Allison Pacelli
MATH 16 Live From Studio 275
Description: Live From Studio 275 has the goal of producing two to three humorous (mostly slapstick-Marx Brotheresque) math videos, each two to three minutes. These will be put on YouTube by the end of winter study. The goal is for them to be so funny that people who are not just your friends and family will want to watch them. We will explore the workings of a 3-camera, broadcast technology studio. Students will learn how to set-up and operate cameras, lights and microphones in addition to learning the equipment and software that manages these unique systems. We will review and practice the tech roles inherent to studio production: director, producer, audio engineer, camera operator, lighting engineer, set building/decorating, make-up, etc. Though the schedule is subject to change, in the first week there probably will be 4, 4-hour morning sessions. In weeks 2-4 we will produce content for the actual videos. Typically, we will schedule one, full-day production block for each video (8AM-4PM, with appropriate breaks). Pre- and post- production meetings will also be required Due to the limited number of roles per production and relative size of the studio, enrollment is capped at 8. This allows each student to fully engage with every production. Tech roles and responsibilities will rotate to assure each student experiences all phases of the studio workflow. Thus in this winter study you will learn the craft of producing professional quality videos and also the aesthetic components of creating links between humor and math. No math background required or expected. The overall course should be intense and enjoyable. Though subject to change, in the first week there will probably be four meetings, each of at most four hour morning sessions. In weeks two to four, we will produce content for the actual videos. Typically, we will schedule one, full-day production block for each video (8AM-4PM, with appropriate breaks). There will probably be two such days. Pre- and post-production meetings will also be required.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: by interviews with instructors
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Thomas Garrity; Tamra Hjermstad; Patrick Gray
MATH 18 Introduction to Python Programming
Description: Python has recently become one of the most prominent programming languages. Besides it’s high degree of efficiency, it is primarily focused on readability and extensibility. Therefore, Python can be easily used to solve a wide array of problems in computer science, mathematics, business, and many other fields. In this course, we will be introduced to the syntax of Python and apply it to solve several basic (mathematical) problems. The course is intended as an introduction for non-computer science majors.
Method of evaluation/requirements: in-class assignments will be submitted and graded based on successfully solving a given problem
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: discretion of the instructor, priority given to students without prior programming experience
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: 2 hours 3 times per each full week
Instructor(s): Andrew Bydlon
Andrew Bydlon is a mathematician by trade who often uses programming (C++/Python) as a tool to solve algebraic and geometric problems.
MATH 20 Humor Writing
Cross-listings: ENGL 20
Description: What is humor? The dichotomy inherent in the pursuit of comedic intent while confronting the transient nature of adversity can ratchet up the devolving psyche’s penchant for explication to a catastrophic threshold, thwarting the existential impulse and pushing the natural proclivity for causative norms beyond the possibility of pre-situational adaptation. Do you know what that means? If so, this is not the course for you. No, we will write funny stuff, day in and day out. Or at the very least, we will think it’s funny. Stories, essays, plays, fiction, nonfiction, we’ll try a little of each. And we’ll read some humor, too. Is laughter the body’s attempt to eject excess phlegm? Why did Plato write dialogues instead of monologues? Who backed into my car in the Bronfman parking lot on the afternoon of March 2, 2017? These are just a few of the questions we will not explore in this course. No, we won’t have time because we will be busy writing. (But if you know the answer to the third question, there’s a $10 reward.) Plan to meet 6 hours a week, and to spend at least 20 hours a week on the course. No slackers need apply. Produce or become produce. Everyone will submit at least one piece for publication.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 15-20 pages of writing
Prerequisites: sense of humor (broadly interpreted)
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: students will submit writing to the instructor for evaluation.
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Colin Adams
MATH 25 Introductory Photography: People and Places in Peru
Description: This is an introductory course in photography with emphasis on people and places, and in particular travel to Lima, Cuzco, and Machu Picchu, in Peru. There will be three assignments and a project to complete and hand in, one each week. Each assignment will consist of a number of images and in some cases maybe prints, to be determined each week, to be shown in class. The final project will consist of a group of slides together with an essay explaining the creative process used in making those images. There will be one main field trip for about eight days in Peru. Students will be introduced to basic photographic principles and to the culture of Lima and Cuzco, Peru.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; evaluation will be based on class participation, completion of assignments and the final project; students will be expected to come to all classes but there will be one so-called “sick day” that each participant may take
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: based on questionnaire and interview
Cost to student: $4480 ($4065 if students already own an appropriate camera)
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Cesar Silva; Richards Washburne
In 2010, Mr. Washburne joined the stable of photographic artists who are represented by the Sun to Moon gallery (www.suntomoon.com) in Dallas. Since then he has worked exclusively as a fine art photographer concentrating on landscapes, abstracts and street shooting.
MATH 30 Senior Project
To be taken by candidates for honors in Mathematics other than by thesis route.
MATH 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Mathematics 493-494.
STAT 10 Data Visualization
Description: Through modern technology, our world is becoming increasingly quantifiable, and it is now easier than ever to collect accurate and timely data from sources of myriad variety. Data visualization provides one means to detect patterns and structure in “big data” which can translate into accessible information to further scientific knowledge and improve decision making. In this course, we will study techniques for creating effective static and interactive data visualizations based on principles of graphic design, visual art, perceptual psychology, and statistics/data science. The class will meet about 6 hours a week for lecture and discussion with two additional meetings for external speakers. In addition to reading assigned texts and participating in class discussions, students will be expected to complete daily data visualizations exercises in R as well as a final group project. Students will be expected to write up their process and present their final visualizations to the class. There are no prerequisites for the class. All academic backgrounds and programming experience are welcome and encouraged. Programming exercises will be tailored to past experience.
Method of evaluation/requirements: participation, programming exercises, and a final project and presentation.
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: expressed interest to instructor via email, diversity of backgrounds, and/or chance
Cost to student: $75 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Brianna Heggeseth
STAT 12 How (Not?) to Lie with Statistics
Description: Statistical analysis is a lot like a car. It’s useful, it can do a lot of damage if you fall asleep at the wheel, and most people don’t know the details of how it works but still go along for the ride. This is a course about responsible driving: how to communicate and interpret ideas based on data. We’ll explore the choices and challenges involved in collecting, analyzing, visualizing, and explaining data-and the mistakes, accidental or not-so-accidental, that creep into the process. Along the way, we’ll learn to recognize misleading and misinterpreted statistics in the real world. Regular class meetings will be focused on discussion. Outside of class, the course will involve readings, working on problems, contributing to discussion boards, and a final project. We will use the free statistical software package R; previous experience with R is not required.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project; contributions to discussion
Prerequisites: a previous statistics course, either AP or at Williams; or permission of the instructor
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: random selection (of course)
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Laurie Tupper
STAT 19 Chess, Speed Chess, Bughouse
Description: This course will present a fast and fun introduction to chess, speed chess, and multi-player variants of classical chess. We’ll begin with the rules of chess, and a study of classical openings, theory, checkmates, and endgames. These concepts will be practiced through in-class games. We will always make use of chess clocks, limiting a player’s total thinking time. Chess clocks are an important part of tournament chess and speed chess, and are critically important in several chess variants we’ll explore. This will open up your eyes to the high-paced, social, and extremely fun nature of recreational chess. Students will immensely enjoy learning and playing these variants, and will be surprised at how much fun chess can be. The course will culminate in a series of informal tournaments among the class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: understanding of the rules and basic principles of chess, and participation and performance in class
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: a brief statement of your present chess knowledge and experience
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Daniel Turek
STAT 30 Senior Project
To be taken by candidates for honors in Statistics other than by thesis route.
STAT 31 Senior Project
To be taken by students registered for Statistics 493-494.
MUSIC
MUS 11 Words and Music by Bob Dylan
Description: This course will offer students an opportunity for intensive study of the songs of Bob Dylan as we investigate in detail Dylan’s lyrics and their musical setting and performance. Albums receiving particular attention will include The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, The Times They Are A-Changin’, Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde, Blood on the Tracks, and Love and Theft. Our primary focus will be on the songs themselves-on how they were put together and on how we hear them-yet we will also consider the impact of social and artistic context on their creation. By studying these particular songs, we will develop and refine our abilities to read and hear all forms of words and music. In addition to training our analytic and interpretive skills on Dylan’s work, we will also briefly consider figures who influenced Dylan and artists he inspired.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none, although prior experience in literary and musical studies will enable students to engage more fully in the course’s interpretive and analytical work
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference given to English and Music majors or to applicants with demonstrated successful experience in related courses
Cost to student: $10
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): W. Anthony Sheppard
MUS 13 The Golden Age of Gospel Music
Description: A historical look at American Black Gospel, stressing the vocal tradition of the African American Church. Vocalist and instrumentalist are encouraged to participate, but there are no required prerequisite for the course. Course will consist of historical workshops in Gospel music. Required reading The Golden Age of Gospel by Horace Clarence Boyer and Lloyd Yearwood and will require a minimum of 10-page report. Music covered will be from the mid 1800’s to contemporary gospel music. Field trip will include trip to a African American Church service (Sunday morning).
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project will be 5-page paper with creative project or performance and a field trip to church
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: if overenrolled, preference to seniors
Cost to student: $16 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Avery Sharpe
Legendary Bassist Avery Sharpe has performed with Jazz greats from McCoy Tyner to Dizzy Gillespie. Sharpe is a Gospel Historian and has a strong up bringing in “The Church of God in Christ.”
MUS 15 The Contemporary Singer-Songwriter
Cross-listings: AMST 15
Description: This course will focus on learning how to write and perform songs in contemporary styles (rock, folk, jazz, bluegrass, etc. Unfortunately, we will not be addressing rap or spoken word). Topics addressed will include song structure, how to create a lyric that communicates, vocal and instrument presentation, performing techniques, publicity for events, and today’s music industry. This class will culminate in a public performance of material written during the course. To successfully pass this course, students are required to create, edit, perform and possibly record two original songs. These songs must be conceived during the course period (previously written material is not usable). Students will be guided to create both music and lyrics. They may also be required to participate in a co-write session. At least one of these songs will be presented during the final performance. Attendance at classes, feedback sessions, and all officially scheduled events is mandatory. A short writing assignment based on the assigned reading will be passed in on the last day of class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; final performance
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 14
Selection process: students with a musical background and the ability to play an instrument may be given preference, but anyone interested is encouraged to register; priority maybe given to upperclassman
Cost to student: $30 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Bernice Lewis
With four decades as a national touring artist and seven acclaimed CD’s, Singer/Songwriter Bernice Lewis has been teaching her Winter Study Course on performing and songwriting for over two decades. She is also a published poet, a producer, and a sought after coach. She is an Artist in Residence for the National Park Service, the Artist Associate of Songwriting at Williams College and songwriting instructor at Colorado College. She holds an M.Ed from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.
MUS 16 Zimbabwean Music Experience
Description: This course will allow students to explore Zimbabwean music by understanding its context, use and performance styles. Instruments will include marimba, karimba, drums and singing. Further students will learn to participate in an Afrocentric ensemble and its related nuances.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final performance
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: musical experience becomes a factor
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Tendai Muparutsa;
MUS 18 “Wherefore Art Thou?”: Musical Explorations of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Description: The tale of the star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet is surely the Shakespearean story best established in popular culture. Beyond the elements of romance and tragedy which it first brings to mind, the play Romeo and Juliet mixes low comedy, combat, songs, clowns, intrigue, and social commentary. Such a popular play has invited numerous and diverse musical treatments for over two centuries, with composers seizing on various facets of the play according to their times and temperament. We will begin with a reading of the play itself, and then examine various treatments of the narrative including the dramatic symphony by Berlioz; selected scenes from romantic operas by Bellini, Gounod, and Delius; the orchestral overture by Tchaikovsky, the ballet by Prokofiev, and the Broadway musical West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein. We will also consider film adaptations of the story, including the 1936 version directed by George Cukor, the 1996 film directed by Baz Luhrmann, and the 2011 animated Gnomeo and Juliet, with special attention to the cinematic use of music. Students should plan on 6 hours per week in class and 20 hours per week outside of class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: first-year students and sophomores
Cost to student: $20
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): M. Jennifer Bloxam
MUS 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Music 493-494.
NEUROSCIENCE
NSCI 10 The Neuroscience of Learning
Description: An interactive and collaborative exploration of what neuroscience research reveals about how the brain learns and what factors can be influenced to facilitate successful learning and the neuroplastic development of highest brain potentials in learners. Topics include the neuroscience of attention, emotion, understanding, memory, and executive functions. Students will engage in collaborative research projects, that will develop their use of the medical model to evaluate primary neuroscience research studies for validity, and develop their own ideas about how the valid research could correlate with teaching strategies to promote successful learning and understanding for learners from early childhood through adulthood. These strategies include the use of project-based learning, development of learners’ neural networks of executive functions, and opportunities to transfer of learning to novel applications so learners construct memory at the concept level that can be adapted (as facts, technology, jobs, and the world changes) and applied for novel problem solving and creative innovation. Full class will meet 2- hours per day for formal, but still interactive, instruction. Instructor will also work with students on their collaborative and individual assignments for another 2-3 hours/day. Students will have two main projects they can do collaboratively or individually. One will be to select a topic of the neuroscience of learning that interests them and select, read, and evaluate (validity e.g. scientific model; appropriate conclusions based on the data) research studies to produce the equivalent of a review article. This will be done with the support of class discussions with the instructor to evaluate their selections of research validity. They will have the option of selecting a topic from the instructor’s book, Research-Based Strategies To Ignite Student Learning: Insights from a Neurologist/Classroom Teacher, ASCD 2006 http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107006.aspxthat will be under revision and updating from January 2018 – March 2019. This will give them recognition in the publication as contributors to the content. Alternatively, if they are interested in developing their research review into another publication, they can choose to be guided to write it as a blog for edutopia, NBC education nation, or other outlets through the instructor’s position as staff expert or to its publication in the more formal journals of neuroscience. The other project will be to create and teach (fellow participants) a lesson that incorporates strategies they learn and develop, based on the neuroscience of learning, about the topic they select for their focus paper.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: priority to upper grades as it can be offered annually
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Judy Willis ‘71
Dr. Judy Willis combined her 15 years as a board-certified practicing neurologist with ten subsequent years as a classroom teacher to become a leading authority in the neuroscience of learning. Dr. Willis has written seven books and more than 100 articles for professional journals applying neuroscience research to successful teaching strategies. She is on the adjunct faculty of the University of California Graduate School of Education, Santa Barbara. Dr. Willis travels nationally and internationally.
NSCI 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Neuroscience 493-494.
PHILOSOPHY
PHIL 11 Philosophy of Chess
Description: Chess is one of the noblest and most fascinating of human endeavors. We will examine chess in many of its facets: its history, philosophy and literature. We will look at the art of chess and the art that chess has inspired. Above all, we will work together on improving our playing skills: we will study chess openings, middle games and endgames, and engage in continual tournament play.
Method of evaluation/requirements: analysis of a selected game; evaluation will be based on class participation and problem assignments
Prerequisites: all students should know the rules of chess and be able to read chess notation
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: if the class is overenrolled, students will be selected according to playing strength, as indicated by USCF ratings, results in the College chess club, or other measures
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Steven Gerrard
PHIL 14 Yoga and a Grounded Life
Description: “Yoga and a Grounded Life” will examine what the practice of yoga is, and how it can serve as a foundation, guide, and inspiration for living, particularly in the face of personal or societal challenges. Alongside the physical practice of yoga, the class will investigate the philosophical and ethical teachings of yoga’s ancient text, the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali. Students will learn a number of basic yoga poses and breathing techniques in 2-hour classes that will meet 4 or 5 days a week. In addition, students will read and discuss portions of the Yoga Sutras and several different commentaries, such as those of BKS Iyengar (Light on the Yoga Sutras) and Chip Hartranft (The Yoga Sutra of Patañjali). Attendance at all classes is required. Missed classes must be made up before the end of Winter Study, usually by attending a regular class at Tasha Yoga. Students will be expected to practice on their own outside of class, to submit journal entries on their impressions, and to participate in class discussions of the readings. For final credit, students must write a 5-10 page paper on a theme of their choice relating to class material.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; 2- to 3-page paper; participation
Prerequisites: no acute physical injuries; no previous yoga experience required
Enrollment limit: 14
Selection process: at instructor’s discretion after consultation with students
Cost to student: $65
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Anne O’Connor ‘86
Anne O’Connor is a certified Iyengar yoga teacher who has been practicing yoga for about 20 years. She is also a freelance editor and is currently serving a 3-year term on the Williamstown Board of Selectmen. She is active in environmental and social justice advocacy, particularly at the local and state level.
PHIL 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Philosophy 493-494.
PHYSICS
PHYS 12 Drawing as a Learnable Skill
Description: Representational drawing is not merely a gift of birth, but a learnable skill. If you wanted to draw, but have never had the time to learn; or you enjoy drawing and wish to deepen your understanding and abilities, then this course is for you. This intensive course utilizes traditional drawing exercises to teach representational drawing. You will learn to draw a convincing portrait, interior, 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.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project; evaluation will be based on participation, effort, and development
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: by seniority
Cost to student: $9
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Stella Ehrich Brownstein;
Stella Ehrich is a professional painter whose work includes portraits, landscapes and still life subjects. She studied for seven years at Studio Simi in Florence, she holds an MFA in painting from Bennington College and a BFA from the Memphis Academy of Art.
PHYS 13 Electronics
Description: Electronic circuits and instruments are indispensable parts of modern laboratory work throughout the sciences. This course will cover the basics of analog circuits, including transistors and operational amplifiers, and will briefly introduce digital circuits and the Arduino, a microcontroller. Class will meet four afternoons a week for a mixture of lab and lecture, providing ample opportunity for hands-on experience. Students will build and test a variety of circuits chosen to illustrate the kinds of electronic devices and design problems a scientist is apt to encounter. In the last week, students will design and build a final project, or will write a 10-page paper.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project or 10 page paper
Prerequisites: MATH 140 or equivalent calculus; no prior experience with electronic circuits is assumed
Enrollment limit: 16
Selection process: priority will be given to seniors first, first-years last
Cost to student: $60
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Catherine Kealhofer; Jason Mativi
Jason Mativi is the electro-mechanical technician in the Bronfman Science Center. He will teach the digital electronics portion of the course.
PHYS 14 Light and Holography
Description: This course will examine the art and science of holography. It will introduce modern optics at a level appropriate for a non-science major, 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 7 well-equipped holography darkrooms available for student use. At the beginning of WSP, the class will meet for lecture and discussion three mornings a week and for lab 2 afternoons a week. The later part of the month will be mainly open laboratory time during which students, working in small groups, will conduct an independent project in holography approved by the instructor. Attendance at lectures and laboratory is required.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation based on regular attendance, completion of 4 laboratory exercises, and a holography laboratory project (approved by the instructor) with either a poster presentation to the class at the end of WSP; attendance at all classes and labs is required for a passing grade
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: preference to students with no physics above Physics 109; then seniors, juniors, sophomores and first-years
Cost to student: $50
Meeting time: morning lectures, with labs in the afternoon
Instructor(s): David Tucker-Smith; Kevin Forkey
PHYS 20 Loop d’ Loop d’ Loop d’ Loop…
Cross-listings: MUS 20
Description: This class is about music, but you don’t have to be a musician to take it. It is about recursion, but you don’t have to be a computer scientist to get it. We will play with the subjective and social meanings of sound-art, but you don’t have to be an artist to play along. Imagine that you record yourself speaking in a room; You record the sound of that recording as it plays back in that same room; You record the recording of the recording; You sit back and let this loop repeat and repeat. Eventually your words are smoothed out by the resonances of the room into a rich melody.In this class we will explore the world of sound-art. We will transmute audio samples by harnessing the resonances of architectural spaces in Williamstown, from dorm room to theater. Emphasizing hands-on projects, students will create, listen, and read their way to a new understanding of sound and recursion.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final Midpoint project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: seniority
Cost to student: $20
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Daniel Fox
Daniel Fox is a composer and a mathematician based in New York City. His writing has appeared in Hyperallergic, VAN Magazine, Title Magazine, Perspectives of New Music, and Transactions of the American Mathematical Society. His compositions have been performed by Either/Or, the Momenta Quartet, Miranda Cuckson, and Contemporaneous. His musical interests revolve around materiality. His website is thoughtstoodefinite.com.
PHYS 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Physics 493-494.
POLITICAL ECONOMY
POEC 23 Investing
Description: This class is designed to provide students with an overview of investment management and is taught by members of the Williams College Investment Office. The Investment Office is responsible for overseeing Williams’ $2.4 billion endowment. Through presentations, discussion, readings, and project work, Winter Study students will gain a better understanding of the various components of an institutional investment portfolio, how it is managed, and how investment managers are selected and monitored. Students will learn about portfolio theory as well as specific asset classes such as global equities, hedge funds, venture capital, buyouts, real estate, and fixed income. Students are expected to attend all on-campus classes (approx. 6 hours/week) and complete a set of relevant readings, a case study exercise, journal entries, and a final project (expectation that work will take approx. 20 hours/week). Students will also be required to complete an introductory excel course. The course is open to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: if overenrolled, students will be selected via phone interviews
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Abigail Wattley ‘05
Ms. Wattley serves as a Managing Director in the Williams College Investment Office in Boston. Prior to joining the Investment Office in 2007, Ms. Wattley served as a Consulting Associate at Cambridge Associates, an investment consulting firm. She holds a BA in economics from Williams College and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
POEC 31 Honors Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Political Economy 493.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
PSCI 12 Writing About Pictures
Cross-listings: AMST 13
“Writing about painting,” an irritated critic once remarked, “is like dancing about architecture.” How, the quip seems to ask, can the workings of the one medium possibly find expression in the other? Yet, whether in comments on Instagram or in the pages of scholarly journals, we find words for images all the time—as people have probably done ever since they began making pictures. (Of course, people have been dancing about architecture for a long time, too.) This class will engage numerous ways of finding words for all sorts of pictures. We will pay particular attention to artworks and photojournalism, but we will look at a wide range of (especially) still and (sometimes) moving pictures, and will read many different kinds of writing about them, including, for instance, tweets, blogposts, poems, stories, essays, and monographs. Although we will even read some critical how-tos, this course is neither in art history or critical method nor even, precisely, in the practice of writing art criticism. The aim, rather, is develop your skills and your voice as a writer whose responses to images might satisfy you while informing, engaging, provoking, or bringing pleasure to those who read what you write.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-Page final writing assignment plus regular short exercises
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: random
Cost to student: $35 plus the cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Mark Reinhardt
PSCI 14 The CIA and the Politics of Intelligence
Cross-listings: LEAD 14
Description: This course will trace the evolution of CIA from an organization largely focused, in its early days, on coups and regime change under the Dulles brothers, to its present role in the war on terror and beyond. Students will consider how intelligence is and ought to be gathered, and the political issues that emerge from those activities. Some of the Agency’s signal successes and failures will be examined, and some of its directors will be evaluated. The fluctuating relationship between CIA and the FBI will also be discussed. Stress will be placed on the personal experiences of those who have served in the Agency.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will include class attendance and participation, and a short, 3- to 4-page retrospective paper on the course and its content
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference to PSCI and LEAD students
Cost to student: $50
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Donald Gregg ‘51
Donald Gregg served in CIA from 1951-82, worked in the White House from 1979-89, and was US Ambassador to South Korea from 1989-93. He is now chairman emeritus of The Korea Society. 1980-89, taught a second-year graduate level course at the Master of Science in Foreign Service Program of Georgetown University. He is now chairman of the Pacific Century Institute in Los Angeles.
PSCI 15 Cinema and Politics in Mexico
Description: With the international prominence of Mexican directors such as Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, and Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexican cinema has attracted new attention and respect. But historically, the country’s films have also provided an indispensable window into Mexico’s history, politics, and self-image. This course offers a survey of Mexican film from the 1930’s to the present, with an emphasis on the so-called “Golden Age” (c. 1936-58) epic dramas and comedies.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none, but a good knowledge of Spanish is a plus
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: by commitment and Spanish fluency
Cost to student: $20 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): James Mahon
PSCI 16 So You Say You Want a Revolution…: Aikido and The Art of Nonviolent Protest
Description: Aikido is a Japanese martial tradition that combines the samurai arts of sword and grappling with the philosophical desire to forge a path of harmony in the midst of chaos. As such, it addresses situations of conflict that manifest themselves physically, but also offers insight into how to redirect the energies—social, psychological, or political—that might otherwise become conflict in one or another aspect of our lives. As a martial art, Aikido teaches us more than simply how to survive; it also teaches us how to physically express our noblest intentions in movements that protect not only ourselves but the attacker as well. Martin Luther King famously observed that “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.” Aikido, a physical expression of nonviolence, is the alternative approach made manifest – the light that can drive out darkness and the love that can drive out hate. Nonviolent political protest seeks to reveal the weaknesses of the regime participants seek to overthrow, to inspire one’s dedicated allies, to undercut one’s committed opponents, and to persuade the undecided in a context where, typically, use of force is not an option. A disciplined commitment to nonviolence is not easy to maintain in the face of often violent repression, but serves to help the watching world understand that the nonviolent movement is operating on a higher moral plane than the oppressive regime, and more than anything else, this is what eventually changes hearts and minds. The physical training (10am-noon each weekday morning) will improve each student’s strength, balance, posture, and flexibility. Everyone will also learn how to throw friends twice their size across the room. About 25% of training time will be devoted to sword, staff, and dagger techniques. The academic component of the course will engage with how the physical training resonates with the tactical practices of successful nonviolent protest campaigns. Students will read Gene Sharp’s From Dictatorship to Democracy along with selections of Thoreau, Gandhi, and King. Each student will research and profile a successful nonviolent campaign, explain why it worked, explain what was “aikido” about it, and in small groups will pick a target and draft a plan for a contemporary protest campaign themselves. Each group will be responsible for crafting speech text, a tactical analysis of their proposed campaign, a social media plan, and a YouTube video which supports their revolutionary objectives. By integrating physical and intellectual components, the course seeks to forge in each student a stronger and more coherent perspective on how the pursuit and embodiment of harmony can resolve the conflicts that some falsely contend are endemic and inevitable. Additional relevant experiences, such as meditation practice, outdoor misogi, and feature films (Gandhi, Selma, etc.) will be woven into the course as schedules permit. Students should understand that this course, because of its dual physical and intellectual components, asks them to invest more of their time in class than some other Winter Study offerings. Students will be evaluated on the quality of their participation in both physical and intellectual course components (historical analysis, class discussions, final project) Students are encouraged to correspond with the instructor ([email protected]) before registration begins if they have questions.
Method of evaluation/requirements: participation, presentations, and final project
Prerequisites: same physician’s approval on file as the school requires to participate on sports teams; students do not have to be especially athletic, and in Aikido women train as equals with men
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: instructor provided survey
Cost to student: $175 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings, 10-12 M-F, and smaller group academic sessions 1:00-2:30 once or twice a week
Instructor(s): Robert Kent ‘84
Robert Kent ’84 spent 3 years in Kyoto, Japan earning his first degree black belt, directly after majoring in both Philosophy and Religion at Williams. He currently holds a Yon Dan rank (Fourth degree black belt), is President of Aiki Extensions, Inc., and founder of The PeaceCamp Initiative. He earned a Master’s degree in Philosophy at Claremont Graduate School in 1993, writing his thesis on the Ethics of Authenticity. This is the twelfth year he’s offered a Winter Study class.
PSCI 17 When Politics Worked
Description: The WSC will examine the relationship between two political adversaries, President Ronald Reagan and Speaker of The House Tip O’Neill. Reagan entered office in 1981 as the outsider who was committed to bringing change to Washington. He knew that as an outsider it would not be easy to change the existing political culture as he would be facing opposition from Washington’s number one insider, Tip O’Neill. To the surprise of many, these two strong willed leaders were able to develop a working relationship which many thought was impossible to achieve. Despite their deep philosophical differences they were able to get things done. While their disagreements were often contentious, they made a commitment to be civil and respect each other’s position. Though Reagan and O’Neill often locked horns, they never allowed their disagreements to become personal. Both proved to be skilled politicians who always did what was best for America and not for political motives. Many believe that they set the gold standard for how politics should conducted. Chris Mathews in his book, Tip and The Gipper, referred to the Reagan and O’Neill era as a time when politics worked. The political culture in Washington has changed a great deal in the past 35 years ago. Compromise has been replaced with gridlock. The class will analyze today’s political culture with that of the Reagan and O’Neill period. Can today’s political leaders end the gridlock which is paralyzing the government? The class will hear from elected officials from both sides of the aisle who will offer their views on what lies ahead for politics in America.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: lottery
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): John Barrett
John Barrett served 36 years in elective office including 26 years as Mayor of North Adams.
PSCI 18 War Games
Description: Games and simulations have been used for centuries in training officers to lead combat. They are used frequently in the professional development of foreign affairs and intelligence officials. And they are used in IR courses to help students analyze and understand international politics across a wide array of interactions. This course explores the educational value of games in the study of international relations. Students in this course will spend the bulk of their time playing games. We will play traditional board-based war games, diplomatic games, peacebuilding games, role-playing games, and computer simulations. Specific titles may include: Diplomacy, A Distant Plain, Churchill, AFTERSHOCK: A Humanitarian Crisis, Brynania, and Civilization VI. In turn we will discuss the value of these games and simulations, different theories of victory, and the effectiveness of different gaming platforms.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: preference given to PSCI majors and students planning a PSCI major
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Darel Paul
PSCI 19 Law as a Tool for Social Justice
Description: The law may be deployed to achieve social justice in different ways: through the use of the judicial system, by the enactment of legislation, and at times through the ballot. While we will see the law work positively, we also will examine its limitations and failures due to societal, economic and human obstacles.
The class will read 2 books in full, and 2 in part, all of which relate compelling stories.
We begin with Devil in the Grove (winner, 2013 Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction), which centers on a highly publicized 1949 Florida case involving 3 young black men who are defended against the charge of raping a white woman by Thurgood Marshall, then with the NAACP, at risk to his life. While we will encounter the brutal obstacles to obtaining justice in the deep South in 1949, the book also serves in part as a mini-biography of Marshall, and we will read about the great victories he achieves at the national level in the Supreme Ct. in cases involving voting, housing and education.
Next is Gideon’s Trumpet, a classic in the field of constitutional law by the renowned Anthony Lewis about winning the right of a pauper to be provided with legal counsel in all state felony cases. The book elegantly describes the structure of our Federal system, delineating the tension between the rights reserved to the states in the area of criminal law, and the umbrella of protection provided to individuals by the Bill of Rights.
The third book is Winning Marriage, The Inside Story of how Same-Sex Couples Took on the Politicians and Pundits – and Won (2014) by Marc Solomon. The book narrates the incredibly successful effort by those in the LGBT community and their allies to win for same-sex couples the right to marry over a relatively short time. The book focuses on the gritty political battles at the state level, ultimately moving to the Federal stage. The class will read key segments of the book, and also will read the landmark Obergfell Supreme Ct. decision establishing the right of same-sex couples to marry.
The final book is A Civil Action (winner, 1996 National Book Critics Circle Award for non-fiction) by Jonathan Harr. The legal issue is environmental justice, and unlike the other books, involves a lawsuit between private litigants: a group of people in Woburn, MA who suffered leukemia and other serious illnesses arising out of toxic chemicals dumped by two large corporations. A David, a very small law firm representing the plaintiffs, takes on Goliath, the two companies and their huge law firms. The class will read excerpts from the book.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10 page paper, broken into 2 1/2 pages for each book
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: by seniority, i.e. seniors get first preference, freshman last
Cost to student: approximately $70 for books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Richard Pollet ‘69
Richard Pollet graduated from Williams in 1969, cum laude, with Honors in Political Science, and thereafter obtained a J.D. from Columbia Law School. He spent 40 years practicing law, the last 26 as General Counsel of J. Walter Thompson (JWT), retiring in June 2013. Subsequent to retirement, he has done some legal consulting for WPP, the parent company of JWT.
PSCI 20 Food Culture of the Berkshires
Cross-listings: SPEC 20
Description: This course will examine the people and ideas behind some of the most exciting developments in our regional food culture. Class sessions will include guest presentations from food experts/enthusiasts in our community and field trips to regional places of interest. The final project will be the production of a food magazine in the style of the Edible series. Each student will contribute one short piece of writing for the magazine and will give an oral presentation about their piece on the final day of class. Students will also be responsible for photography, artwork, and other aspects of the magazine’s design. We will devote class time to providing feedback on student ideas.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on the magazine piece, oral presentation, attendance, and participation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 11
Selection process: students will write a paragraph explaining why they want to take the course
Cost to student: $58
Meeting time: mornings, twice a week for three-hour sessions, with possible additional class time scheduled if necessary
Instructor(s): Matthew Tokeshi
PSCI 21 Fieldwork in Public Affairs and Private Non-Profits
Description: This course is a participant-observation experience in which students work full-time for a governmental or nongovernmental (including voluntary, activist, and grassroots) organization or for a political campaign. Students may find placements in government and nonprofit organizations in which their work involves significant involvement with public issues. Examples include: town government offices; state or federal administrative offices (e.g., environmental agencies, housing authorities); interest groups that lobby government (e.g., ACLU, NRA); nonprofit organizations such as service providers or think tanks (e.g., Habitat for Humanity, Cato Institute); and grassroots, activist or community development organizations (e.g., Greenpeace or neighborhood associations). The instructors will work with each student to arrange a placement; such arrangements must be made in advance of the Winter Term. Students should first make their own contracts with an institution or agency. The instructors and members of the Political Science Department are available to help students find placements, if necessary. Each student’s fieldwork mentor shall send a confirmation letter to the instructor verifying the placement and describing the nature of the work to be performed by the instructor, and write a final paper summarizing and reflecting upon the experience. A group meeting of all students will occur after winter study to discuss the experience.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 90 hours of fieldwork; satisfactory evaluation from the institutional sponsor; 10-page final paper or equivalent; participation in final meeting
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: selection will be based on a resume and letter of interest; at the time of preregistration interested students should send a resume and letter of interest to Paula Consolini ([email protected])
Cost to student: student covers transportation costs to and from internship site
Meeting time: some meetings will take place prior to Winter Study and at the end, as students are off-site in internships during the term
Instructor(s): Paula Consolini; Cathy Johnson
PSCI 22 Learning Intervention for Teens
Cross-listings: JLST 22
Description: This course pairs energetic Williams students with adolescents involved in the Juvenile Court System of Berkshire County. Judges assign teenagers (ages 13-17) to this alternative sentencing program—this is certified as an official Commonwealth of Massachusetts probation program—when their absence from or misbehavior in schools has been a central feature of their delinquency. The goal of this program is to show these teens that learning can be fun, can center on topics that matter to them, and can be empowering. If the teens see school as something other than a form of incarceration, they will be motivated to stay there and to succeed. Each Williams student helps a teen investigate, develop a report on, and present their conclusions about a topic of the teen’s choosing. In the past these have ranged from BMX, to the history of North Adams, to the causes of teen methamphetamine use . The course ends with a presentation in which each adolescent/Williams student pair formally presents its work via PowerPoint to an audience that includes the Berkshire County Juvenile Court judges and probation officers, town and city chiefs of police, County District Attorney and assistant DAs, the teens’ peers and families, Williams faculty and community members. Williams students gain experience serving in an official capacity, learn to mentor teenagers, and gain insight into the causes of and solutions to the incidence of juvenile crime and underachievement. Williams students are expected to attend trainings, meet with their teens three times a week, co-give a final presentation, and keep a weekly journal detailing their meetings. {This is a student-led course.} In order to enroll in the course, all students must write a paragraph explaining why they want to take it. Students should email their paragraphs to student coordinator Marissa Levin Shapiro at [email protected] and cc: [email protected]
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: by paragraph of interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Cheryl Shanks; Michael Wynn ‘93Michael Wynn, Pittsfield Chief of Police, graduated from Williams in 1993
PSCI 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Political Science 493-494.
PSCI 32 Individual Project
To be taken by students registered for Political Science 495 or 496.
PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 10 Applied Sport and Performance Psychology
Description: This course will introduce theoretical framework and the application of psychological skills for performance in variety of settings including (but not limited to) athletics, theatre, and music. Topics include: motivation, goal setting, perseverance, attention, visualization, learning mindset, confidence and mindfulness. The class will meet three times a week for two hours and students are expected to complete the assigned readings for each class and be ready to discuss, with examples. Additionally, students will prepare a 10 minutes presentation and deliver in class. Finally, students will write a 10-page paper on a topic decided on with course instructor.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; presentation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference given to psychology, theatre, and music majors
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: morning, three times a week for two hours
Instructor(s): Tomas Adalsteinsson; Steven Fein
PSYC 11 Designing Your Life and Career after Williams
Description: This course will help students determine which directions they would like to take in their lives and careers. We will take stock of your interests, talents, strengths and challenges, and figure out which careers play to your strengths. We will discuss the importance of understanding your own values (e.g., security, meaning in your work, money, fame, and freedom in your schedule) and how that fits with the choices ahead of you. We will identify how careers differ in meeting these needs and help you to find a healthy balance. The class will try to help you identify which activities come so naturally to you, perhaps without you even fully realizing it, that they may point to a career path. We will talk about your life story up until now, and how that has shaped what you think you should do with your life. We will help you to imagine complete freedom in rewriting your life story and see what emerges. We will discuss how workplace and professional cultures differ and help you to figure out which cultures are good fits. We will look some at practical resources that are available to you to pursue dreams, once you have chosen an initial path. Students will consider how important choosing a fitting romantic partner is, and how destructive it can be to ignore your instincts. We will look at how choosing a great partner and developing a rewarding career can be synergistic. The course will culminate by writing and presenting life plans that are courageous and authentic, and that excite you. Articles, books, lectures, and films will be used to help you discover and develop your plan. This course will also reference and make use of material from a formative class the instructor had with famed psychologist Elliot Aronson, PhD, when he was a senior at Williams.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: letter of interest
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Ben Johnson ‘91
Dr. Johnson is a clinical psychologist and Director of RICBT, a large cognitive-behavioral therapy and coaching practice in Rhode Island. He is also Clinical Associate Professor at Brown University where he teaches psychotherapy. In his clinical practice, he helps people find career directions that feel authentic and inspiring and he helps clients understand, own, and transform their life stories. Dr. Johnson received his B.A. from Williams College and his Ph.D. from Yale University.
PSYC 12 Alcohol 101: Examining and Navigating the College Drinking Scene
Description: Seventy-two percent of college students report that they used alcohol at least once within the past 30 days. Where is the line between fun and danger? This course will examine the realities of the role of alcohol in the social lives of college students. Students will engage in active discussions of readings, videos, and myths vs. facts, as well as personal observations and opinions. Class structure will involve 3-hour classes that meet twice weekly. Participants will learn scientific facts about alcohol, including how it gets metabolized in the body differently in men and women, and how to recognize and respond to the signs of alcohol poisoning. Films will include evocative footage and interviews, such as “College Binge Drinking and Sober Reflections.” We will hear from an expert in trauma and sexual assault and explore the significant role of alcohol in sexual assault on college campuses. We will discuss alcohol-related medical emergencies and problem-solve strategies to stay safe when choosing to use alcohol. Statistical data from colleges here in the Northeast will be reviewed, including survey results from the Core Institute and the Harvard School of Public Health Alcohol study.
Method of evaluation/requirements: in-class participation, a 5-page paper outlining and rationalizing the final project, and a final presentation aimed at educating peers
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: permission of instructor
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Kathy Niemeyer
Kathy holds an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Boston College and is an LMHC with current private practices in Williamstown and Pittsfield. She has worked in the Fitchburg State and Stonehill College Counseling Centers and was also the AOD Prev. Program Coordinator at Stonehill. She taught a semester-long Alcohol and Other Drugs course at Boston College and is a regular guest lecturer at Williams.
PSYC 14 JA SelCom: A Case Study in Selection Processes
Description: This course will explore the nature of selection processes. What does an optimal selection process look like? How do our implicit biases materialize in selection? These are just a few of the questions that we will seek to understand through guest speakers from The Davis Center, Psychology Department, Admissions, and the Career Center. The majority of the time will be dedicated towards applying these ideas in selecting the next class of Junior Advisors, an undertaking that will allow students to examine selection processes in general. Readings will cover topics such as organizational behavior and human decision processes, social networks and organizational dynamics, and gendered wording and inequality.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based upon attendance and a 10-page paper that analyzes and researches a selection process
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 25
Selection process: preference given to sophomores and admission is based on quality of the application
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: this is an extremely time intensive class; we will meet mornings and afternoons every day
Instructor(s): Dave Johnson
Dave Johnson is the Associate Dean of the College and the Dean of First Year Students at Williams College. He is intimately involved with the JA system and is an alum of Williams having graduated in 1971.
PSYC 15 Ephquilts: An Introduction to Traditional Quilting
Description: This studio course will lead the student through various piecing, appliqué and quilting styles and techniques, with some non-traditional methods included. Samples will be made of techniques learned, culminating in the completion of a sizeable project of the student’s choosing (wall quilt or lap-size quilt). There will be an exhibit of all work (ephquilts), at the end of winter study. “Woven” into the classes will be discussions of the history of quilting, the controversy of “art” quilts vs. “traditional” quilts, machine vs. hand-quilting and the growing quilting market. Reading list: Pieces of the Past by Nancy J. Martin; Stitching Memories: African-American Story Quilts by Eva Ungar Grudin; Sunshine and Shadow: The Amish and Their Quilts by Phyllis Haders; A People and Their Quilts by John Rice Irwin; Treasury of American Quilts by Cyril Nelson and Carter Houck; The Quilt: New Directions for an American Tradition, Nancy Roe, Editor. Requirements: attendance of all classes (including field trip), a love of fabric, design and color, an enthusiasm for handwork, participation in exhibit. Extensive time will be spent outside of class working on assigned projects.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; final project; formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: seniors, juniors, sophomores, first-years
Cost to student: $250
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Debra Rogers-Gillig
Debra Rogers-Gillig, one of the top quilters in New England, has been quilting for over 35 years, and teaching classes and coordinating shows and exhibits for 30 years. She has received numerous prizes and awards from quilt shows in New York and New England and been published in quilt magazines.
PSYC 16 Self Compassion: The Benefits and Challenges
Description: Ever put yourself down when things aren’t going well? Offering yourself compassion is often recommended by therapists and is a skill taught in some modes of therapy. What is the basis for this recommendation? How is self-compassion put into practice? What makes it so challenging? You will learn about the elements of self-compassion, explore and experience different ways of offering yourself compassion, and discuss your experiences. You will look at ways that self-compassion can positively impact your mental health, your work, your play, and your relationships. You will be asked to practice skills between classes, do some reading, and reflect on your experiences.
Method of evaluation/requirements: weekly 2- to 3-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 18
Selection process: random
Cost to student: $10
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Becky Crane
I am a licensed independent clinical social worker and have worked in Psychological Counseling Services at Williams since 2014. I have lived in the Berkshires for 34 years and have 3 adult children. I frequently encourage self-compassion in my work with students.
PSYC 19 Violent Crime: Myths and Realities
Description: Television, movies, and video games bombard us with fictional depictions of violent crime and the consequences of victims’ responses. But what is violent crime really like? What do we know about different types of violent criminals? How does predatory violence differ from social violence? What are the most effective ways to avoid and deter violent crime? If you do become a victim, what are the most effective ways to avoid injury? Should you resist? If so, how? In this course we will read and discuss theories of crime and criminals, research using data from sources such as the National Crime Victimization Survey, and expert recommendations for personal safety and self-defense.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: seniority
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Kris Kirby
PSYC 21 Psychology Internships
Description: Would you like to explore applications of psychology in the “real world?” This course gives students an opportunity to work full-time during Winter Study in a mental health, business, education, law or other setting in which psychological theories and methods are applied to solve problems. Students are responsible for locating their own potential internships whether in the local area, their hometowns, or elsewhere, and are welcome to contact the course instructor for suggestions on how to do this. In any case, all students considering this course must consult with the instructor about the suitability of the internship being considered before the Winter Study registration period. Please prepare a brief description of the proposed placement, noting its relevance to psychology, and the name and contact information of the agency supervisor. Before Thanksgiving break, the student will provide a letter from the agency supervisor which describes the agency, and the student’s role and responsibilities during Winter Study. Enrolled students will meet the instructor before Winter Study to discuss matters relating to ethics and their goals for the course, and after Winter Study to discuss their experiences and reflections.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on a 10-page minimum final paper summarizing the student’s experiences and reflections, a journal kept throughout the experience, and the supervisor’s evaluation
Prerequisites: approval by Catherine Stroud is required
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: random
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: by appointment
Instructor(s): Catherine Stroud
PSYC 22 Introduction to Research in Psychology
Description: This course provides a research opportunity for students who want to understand how psychologists ask compelling questions and find answers about behavior. Several faculty members, whose subfields include behavioral neuroscience, cognitive psychology, social psychology, clinical psychology, developmental psychology, and the psychology of education, will have student projects available. Since projects involve faculty research, interested students must consult with members of the Psychology Department before electing this course. In addition, students should discuss with faculty what the weekly time requirements will be.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on the quality of research participation, student’s lab journal, and either an oral presentation or a written 10-page report of the research project
Prerequisites: permission of instructor
Enrollment limit: limited to space available in faculty research labs
Selection process: selection will be based on evaluation of departmental application and number of faculty available as mentors
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: determined by faculty
Instructor(s): Nate Kornell
PSYC 23 Gaudino Fellowship: Immersive Engagement and Reflection
Cross-listings: PHLH 23
Description: The Gaudino Fund is offering Gaudino Fellowships for a group of 2 to 4 students during Winter Study 2017, based upon a proposed domestic or foreign collaborative project. Student teams should organize their proposed projects around two main components: direct encounter with otherness and self-reflection. Projects will be evaluated on whether they subject the students to “uncomfortable learning”, i.e. having an experience that challenges and perhaps alters one’s view of what it is to live a good life and the group’s commitment to incorporate separate home stays for each fellow as part of their project, either joint or separate work/engagement internships, and a structure to facilitate collaborative action and learning. The team selected will be guided and overseen by the Gaudino Scholar who will help assure successful arrangements and will conduct appropriate preparatory discussions and follow-up sessions to optimize and help students articulate lessons learned from the overall experience. The intent of the program is to open the student to an understanding (of both the familiar and unfamiliar), and to a development of empathy, that could not be achieved without the fellowship experience. N.B. Although this course is housed in PSYC, projects are not limited to psychology. Each prospective team needs to meet with the Gaudino Scholar as early as possible, but no later than September, and submit their group application by October 15th. Application guidelines can be found at http://gaudino.williams.edu/gaudino-fellowship/. Each student is expected to write a short (3-4 page) self-reflection before leaving for the WSP, keep a journal of their experience, as well as write a 8-10 page paper by the end of the Winter Study period reflecting on the WSP experiences and what has changed in the student’s perceptions and beliefs from the opening essay. They will also meet the other members of the team on a weekly basis during Winter Study and regularly update the Gaudino Scholar by email and/or Skype calls. The team that receives the Gaudino Fellowship will give a brief presentation to the Board about their experience at the Board’s spring meeting in April. The team whose project is approved will receive the Gaudino Fellow designation. In addition, students on Financial Aid will receive Gaudino funding from a minimum of 50% to a maximum of 90% of the budget for the project up to $2,500, as determined by the Financial Aid office. No additional funding for students’ projects will be provided by the College.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: on the basis of their proposals
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Susan Engel; Lois Banta
PSYC 25 Eye Care and Culture in Nicaragua
Cross-listings: PHIL 25
Description: We will spend around ten days in Nicaragua, chiefly in the Atlantic Coast Autonomous Regions. Almost all of the days in those regions will be spent in clinics, where students-in conjunction with three optometrists who volunteer their time for the trip-will administer eye exams, write prescriptions, and distribute glasses. While in Nicaragua, the students will keep detailed journals that they will complete following their return to Williamstown. They will interact with Nicaraguans during the eye clinics, and will have opportunities for speaking with them during evenings. Students will also be expected to attend organizational and training meetings and complete a number of relevant readings prior to the trip.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: students will submit applications indicating why they want to take the course. It is important to have some students who are fluent in Spanish
Cost to student: $3800
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Laura Smalarz; Elise Harb
PSYC 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Psychology 493-494.
Method of evaluation/requirements: determined by faculty
Prerequisites: PSYC 493 or NSCI 493
Enrollment limit: depends on number of thesis students
Selection process: all will be enrolled
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: determined by faculty
Instructor(s): Ken Savitsky
PUBLIC HEALTH
PHLH 15 The Human Side of Medicine
Description: In today’s health care atmosphere of physician accountability, advanced medical technology and evidence-based diagnosis, the “human side” of medical practice and health care delivery are often minimized or even disregarded. Medical schools now passionately debate how, whether or when to emphasize this more interpersonal aspect of patient treatment within their curriculums. Yet research shows that the combination of both a patient centered approach as well as physician technical proficiency offer several substantial benefits. These include better diagnosis and treatment; improved patient compliance and satisfaction; and increased physician professional satisfaction combined with decreased physician burn-out. This course provides an opportunity to understand the complexities of the doctor-patient relationship, to learn the personal skills of self-reflection and providing empathy, and to grapple with a profession undergoing great change.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final individual or group project which includes a 6-page paper; two reaction papers (2-3 pages); class presentation; active class discussion/engagement expected
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: priority to juniors and seniors; priority to pre-med and public health students
Cost to student: $65 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings, TWR, 10 a.m.-noon and possibly a few evening meetings
Instructor(s): Sandra Goodbody
Sandra Goodbody, MSW is a psychotherapist with many years’ experience in private practice. She is on the clinical faculty at George Washington School of Medicine where she teaches. She previously worked at both the Institute of Medicine and at Catholic University School of Social Work.
PHLH 16 Addiction Studies and Diagnostics
Description: The goal of this class is to help students develop an effective understanding of the definition, impact, and treatment of addiction. Students will be familiarized with the DSM-5, the text used to diagnose mental illness in the US. Speakers will tell their stories in their journey from addiction to recovery. Students will be expected to accurately diagnose the speakers according to the criteria in the DSM-5. I expect an active discussion in class on Jan. 22nd with invested members of the local community. Finally, an extensive annotated bibliography and oral presentation will be presented in groups at the end of the course.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: instructor permission
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: 7-9:30 PM, two evenings each week
Instructor(s): Rick Berger
I am Rick Berger, M.Ed., MA-C, & CAGS and have 30 years’ experience in recovery from alcoholism, starting as an undergraduate. I presently work at UMass directing and teaching in an addiction counselor certificate program and work as a therapist at rehab clinic Swift River in Cummington, MA. I have taught this Winter Study course at Williams for seven years. I also taught at Kansai Gaidai U in Osaka and spent a dozen years living in either Japan or South Korea.
RELIGION
REL 12 Zen Buddhism—Study and Practice
Description: This course is designed to provide students with an intensive experience in the study and practice of Zen Buddhism. The explosive growth in communication technology is one of many factors that have people searching for ways to stay grounded and to live lives of purpose. This course will teach students how to find and keep their center ground as they go through the everyday activities of living. They will learn how to breathe properly, something neglected in Western cultures for the most part but well known in the East. The practice of abdominal breathing, in turn, makes it easier to get one’s attention into the area of the abdomen known as the tanden (J.) or tan t’ien (C.). Proficiency in doing this provides the centering or grounding that many people wish for without knowing clearly how to achieve it. Students will also encounter the fact that deep spiritual truth cannot be accessed through the intellect. The writings studied and the meditation methods practiced are designed to help students make contact with the foundation of life itself, something greatly facilitated by shifting one’s attention or consciousness to the tanden. As Matija B.,’15, said in his discussion prompt for the Buddhist Meditation and Discussion Group,” It is necessary to study and it is necessary to practice. There is no way around it.” This course is based on the understanding he described so well. Ideally, the class will have at least 4 and no more than 15 attendees. We shall meet each day from Monday through Friday from 9am to noon. After morning tea will come chanting practice followed by at least 2 twenty minute periods of zazen (meditation). Both koan study and sutra study will take place. Three koans a week will be examined carefully and discussed. Zen Comments on the Mumonkan by Zenkei Shibayama will be the main text. The students will be asked to write a paragraph or two expressing their sense of the koan. Sutra study will focus on The Diamond Sutra, one of the classic texts favored by the zen school. Periods of zazen will take place during and after the study sections. Other auxiliary readings will provide exposure to such influential teachers as D.T. Suzuki, Yasutani Roshi, and Red Pine. The students will keep a journal in which they will document their experiences and reflections as they study and practice shifting the center of consciousness to the tanden. At the end of the month they will write a one to two page paper expressing their final thoughts on their experience. The climax of this course will be a two day retreat in the style of a traditional Japanese sesshin. At some suitable location, the students will follow a sesshin schedule from 5am – 9pm. The retreat will be a silent one and will feature listening to an actual talk given on such a retreat by my teacher, Joshu Sasaki, Roshi. Students will be able to provide feedback and suggest program implementations as the course proceeds.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: by submitting a paragraph describing their reasons for wanting to take this course
Cost to student: $90 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): James Gordon ‘62
After graduating from Williams College in 1962, Dr. James Gordon went on to Harvard Medical School. His 36 years as a practicing physician included a few years as an internist followed by many years as a consultation psychiatrist working in general hospitals with a focus on seriously and terminally ill patients. His Zen training began in 1970 and has been continued vigorously for 45 years, 7 studying with Soen Nakagawa, Roshi, and 38 studying with Joshu Sasaki, Roshi. In 2001, he was ordained as a Buddhist monk. This long intense training allows him to provide the students with an authentic practice opportunity.
REL 13 Religion in Popular Culture
Description: Religion continues to be a pervasive subject in popular culture in the US. Countless TV shows, films, and works of literature and music address religious themes, both directly and indirectly. This course will constitute an in-depth exploration into the ways in which religion is presented in this material, and what this tells us about popular conceptions of religion in American culture. We will primarily be examining a variety of case-studies in detail, including TV shows, films, music, novels, and magazines. We will be addressing the intersection of a number of themes, such as individualism and group belonging, consumer capitalism, morality and spirituality, belief in the sacred and supernatural, and identity and race. Pop-culture material will be supplemented with brief readings to provide some context and conceptual frameworks. Some examples of the materials we will be engaging are: Oprah, Deepak Chopra, Reza Aslan’s Believer, Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and the Lego Movie.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: application
Cost to student: cost of book(s) and reading packet
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Zaid Adhami
REL 14 Yoga Asana and Meditation: Theory and Practice
Description: Yoga conjoins cultivating our capacity to experience sensations in the body/mind with sophisticated and sometimes challenging explanations of how to register and understand those experiences. In this course we practice yoga poses and meditation, increasing our mindful awareness of embodied life. Without a theoretical framework, however, those experiences are unlikely to land and stick. Our study of yoga theory both ancient and contemporary, philosophical and anatomical refines our mental understanding so we can engage our practices with greater appreciation. The synergy of experience and understanding empowers you to take better care of yourself. In addition to class meetings this course involves daily practice of meditation, yoga and contemplation both individually and in small groups. The aim is to gain a foothold for being present to your life so you can make the most of it.
Method of evaluation/requirements: weekly reflection journals are revised to form the culminating 10-page paper; a day-long field trip to Kripalu Yoga Center is required
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: email explaining reasons for interest in the course to [email protected]
Cost to student: $290
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Natasha Judson
Natasha “Tasha” Judson M.Ed. directs and teaches yoga and meditation at Tasha Yoga on Spring St. in Williamstown. Her yoga classes combine breath-based movement, mindful alignment within poses, and intelligent sequencing to support the optimal unfolding of each individual. She is a Certified Anusara Yoga teacher and practices Iyengar Yoga regularly. Her meditation instruction comes from Tibetan, Vipassana, and non-dual Saiva traditions.
REL 17 How to Write Auto-Fiction
Cross-listings: ENGL 17
Description: You glanced eagerly over the course descriptions, looking for something that would allow you finally, at last, to wrestle with the ridiculous assumption that those literary genres-namely, “Fiction” and “Non-Fiction”-had intrinsically established identities and clear bounds. You wanted the class that would allow you to write the truth as you experienced it, the truth that was not entirely dependent on facts as markers of truth, but also not so flimsy as to bend in the gentle breeze of every casual opinion. Your eyes stopped on the title, “How to Write Auto-Fiction,” and your attention was piqued. Will it all be written in the second person? you wondered, a thought that had you a little concerned, but the professor calmly stepped in to assure you that no, it would not, in fact it would be best if you avoided that particular narrative mode entirely. You would be focusing on writing stories from your life (10-20 pages each), narrated in the first-person, not entirely factual, but certainly not false. They would be workshopped by your peers, revised, and resubmitted. You would come to class ready to write on the first day, and you would be ruthless in your revisions of shitty first drafts.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 15-20 page story, draft and revision
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: email explaining reasons for interest in the course to [email protected]
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Dalena Storm ‘09
Dalena Storm is local writer of fiction and non-fiction. She earned her BA from Williams College and her MFA from Bennington College where she participated in a number of combined workshops on memoir and fiction, and she began to explore the space between the genres in her own fiction in addition to completing a memoir.
REL 20 Allen Ginsberg Allowed
Cross-listings: ENGL 21
Description: In his poem “Wichita Vortex Sutra” (1966) Allen Ginsberg writes, “I lift my voice aloud, make Mantra of American language now, I here declare the end of the War! Ancient days’ Illusion! – and pronounce words beginning my own millennium.” These lines capture the stakes of reading poetry aloud for Ginsberg (especially in the late 1960s). Ginsberg hopes to provoke new states of consciousness through the supervenience of sound, rhythm, and thought. And he hopes thereby to affect unfolding events and incite epochal beginnings. In this Winter Study we will read Allen Ginsberg aloud and see if we can make Mantra of American language now. We will also listen together to recordings of Ginsberg reading his poetry. Students will be required to purchase Ginsberg’s Collected Poems: 1947-1997 [about $22.00 for the paperback edition]. Each student should prepare a few poems to read for every session. Opportunities for analytical reflection on the poems can be expected to ebb and flow throughout our time together. My own interests in Jewishness, politics, sexuality, and religion are likely to come up, but it will be up to the students to emerge as a reflective community of voices. Students will be evaluated on the basis of their participation and a final project. The final project is open to creative interpretation. Ideas include: reciting a memorized poem by Ginsberg, writing a “stream of consciousness” reflection on Ginsberg’s poetry, recording one of Ginsberg’s poems with specially chosen music or video, or writing a more traditional paper that is about ten pages long.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: seniors will be given priority
Cost to student: cost of book(s)
Meeting time: afternoons, 1-3pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
Instructor(s): Jeffrey Israel
REL 30 Senior Projects
An advanced course for Senior Religion majors (who are not writing theses) to further develop their senior seminar paper into a polished 25-page research paper (which will also be the focus of a brown-bag presentation during the Spring semester). The course will help the students with general research methods, workshopping, paper writing, and presentation practice.
Instructor(s): Jason Josephson
ROMANCE LANGUAGES
FRENCH
RLFR S.P. Sustaining Program for French 101-102
Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study period. There are five 50-minute meetings per week.
Meeting time: mornings; 9-9:50 a.m.
Instructor(s): TBA (Teaching Associates)
RLFR 10 Fictions of Domesticity
Cross-listings: GERM 10
Description: We visit an author’s home in search of a connection to the origin of their writing: here’s the site from which a novel or poem sprang. Museums dedicated to authors’ homes feed this fantasy, that in looking at Melville’s desk (complete with glasses) or at the room where Dickinson dwelt, we are even closer to them than in their words. However, as we will explore in the course, far from an unmediated visit to the source of genius, museums of author’s homes construct narratives of their own about authorship, art, even about the value of daily life. We will explore the question of how museum tales told about home correspond with how writers themselves shaped conceptions of domestic space. We will visit the homes of, and read works by, Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, and Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: if course is overenrolled, we will ask for one page statements that explain interest in the course
Cost to student: $142
Meeting time: afternoons; there will be three field trips
Instructor(s): Kashia Pieprzak; Helga Druxes
RLFR 13 Creative Portraiture in the Darkroom
Cross-listings: ARTS 13
Description: In this course we will revisit the boundaries between self-portraiture and portraiture. Working in pairs, students will both practice being a model and a photographer: they will pose as a model for their classmates and assist a classmate in creating a self-portrait. In addition, using as a point of departure Hippolyte Bayard’s photograph Self-Portrait as a Drowned Man, one of the first self-portraits in the history of photography, students will learn how to use a view camera (a large format camera used shortly after the invention of photography in 1839 and still in use today). We will also study the characteristics of film photography, specifically, light, chemicals, and sensitive media and use them as tools to make creative portraits in the darkroom. By the end of the course students will have learned to shoot with a 4 x 5 view camera and have practiced with manipulations in the darkroom in order to create unique portraits. Each student will exhibit their work as a triptych in an exhibition.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: knowledge of black and white analog photography is preferred but not required
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: Art major and minors then random
Cost to student: $120
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Daniel Goudrouffe
Born in France and from Guadeloupe, Daniel Goudrouffe is an author photographer who is influenced by humanist photographers and by the philosophy of the Magnum co-operative agency. He uses poetic realism as his principal mode of expression to document the experiences of people from the Caribbean.
RLFR 14 By Foot: Walking As Method and Experience
Cross-listings: COMP 14
Description: This is a course about walking and its relation to thinking, writing, and art. It combines discussion and analysis with audiovisual art making, and animates these practices through weekly outings in Berkshire County. We will investigate walking as a critical, artistic, and contemplative method, as well as an embodied experience inseparable from social relationships, identities, time, and place. Discussion will be informed by writers as well as artists, among them, Baudelaire, Debord, Fulton, Thoreau, Oliveros, Poe, Rousseau, Varda, and Wordsworth. Issues include: walking as choice, necessity, and performance; walking as aesthetic practice (flânerie, soundwalking, psychogeography); ability, mobility, and the creative process. Evaluation will be based on participation, the completion of three creative assignments, documented and posted on the course blog. At the end of the course, students will present a final 10-page essay, or a final artistic or documentary project.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none; all are welcome
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: preference given to French majors and certificate students
Cost to student: $50
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Annelle Curulla; Matthew Anderson
Matt Anderson is a multimedia artist and has worked in sound, performance, and installation since 1993. He studied at the Studio for Interrelated Media at the Massachusetts College of Art and has exhibited and performed in venues including the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, UK; Tmuna Theatre, Tel Aviv, Israel; and Festival Ecuatoriano de Musica Contemporanea, Quito, Ecuador.
RLFR 18 Rue Cases-Nègres, Landmark Film
Cross-listings: Africana, COMP
Description: This course focuses on Euzhan Palcy’s French Caribbean film Rue cases-nègres (1983) and the classic novel from which it was adapted, Joseph Zobel’s La rue cases-nègres (1950), and the different ways in which this film can be interpreted. A landmark film from Martinique now considered a classic in world cinemas, Rue cases-nègres introduced audiences around the world to colonial life in the French Caribbean in the 1930s from an insider’s perspective. Students will view most films and complete creative assignments outside of class. Discussion will be informed by scholarly readings, TV archives, and documentaries.
Method of evaluation/requirements: short presentations, in class participation, analysis of film elements, three response papers, and the successful completion of final creative project: a video essay
Prerequisites: RLFR 105
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: preference to Africana Studies concentrators, Comparative Literature and French major, and then random
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings, twice a week for three hours
Instructor(s): Sophie Saint-Just
RLFR 30 Honors Essay
To be taken by candidates for honors other than by thesis route.
RLFR 31 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.
Meeting time: mornings; 9-9:50 a.m.
Instructor(s): Nicastro
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.
Meeting time: mornings; 9-9:50 a.m.
Instructor(s): TBA (Teaching Associates)
RLSP 30 Honors Essay
To be taken by candidates for honors other than by thesis route.
RLSP 31 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. Regular attendance and active participation required to earn a “Pass.” Open to all.
Meeting time: mornings; 9-9:50 a.m.
Instructor(s): TBA
RUSS 16 Russian Spies in DC: FX’s “The Americans”
Description: From the beginning of the Cold War to the present, the presence of Russian intelligence operatives in the nation’s capital has been the subject of fascination and speculation. In this course, we will examine the FX channel’s series The Americans, in light of both the popular imaginary about Russian spies in the United States and the actual history of intelligence wars in Washington. How does the series represent the lives of Russian political and intelligence operatives during the Reagan presidency, and how does it interpret the larger events of the Cold War in its final decade? Readings will draw from accounts on both side of the Cold War, focusing on signature developments such as Jewish immigration from the Soviet Union, the covert biological weapons programs, and Soviet attempts to build relations with progressive movements in the United States.
Method of evaluation/requirements: class participation and presentations, and a final 10-page essay
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: through a wait list
Cost to student: cost of book(s) and reading packet
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Alexandar Mihailovic
Alexandar Mihailovic has taught at Bennington College, Williams College, and Brown and Columbia Universities. His books include Corporeal Words: Mikhail Bakhtin’s Theology of Discourse, Mitki: The Art of Postmodern Protest in Russia, and the edited volume Tchaikovsky and His Contemporaries: A Centenary Symposium. He has also published articles about cultural relations during the Cold War, African-American studies, art history, and cinema studies.
RUSS 25 Williams in Georgia
Cross-listings: ANSO 25/SPEC 25
Description: Williams has a unique program in the Republic of Georgia, which offers students the opportunity to engage in three-week-long internships in any field. Our students have worked in the Georgian Parliament, helped in humanitarian relief organizations like Save the Children, interned in journalism at The Georgian Times, taught unemployed women computer skills at The Rustavi Project, documented wildlife, studied with a Georgian photographer, done rounds at the Institute of Cardiology, and learned about transitional economies at the Georgian National Bank. In addition to working in their chosen fields, students experience Georgian culture through museum visits, concerts, lectures, meetings with Georgian students, and excursions. Visit the sacred eleventh-century Cathedral of Sveti-tskhoveli and the twentieth-century Stalin Museum, take the ancient Georgian Military Highway to ski in the Caucasus Range, see the birthplace of the wine grape in Kakheti and the region where Jason sought the Golden Fleece. Participants are housed in pairs with English-speaking families in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital city. At the end of the course, students will write a 10-page paper assessing their internship experience.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper OR a 3-minute video and short paper about their internship experience
Prerequisites: none; knowledge of Russian or Georgian is not required
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: interested students must attend an informational meeting and submit a short essay about their interest in the course
Cost to student: $2670
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Olga Shevchenko; Julie Cassiday
RUSS 30 Honors Project
May be taken by candidates for honors other than by thesis route.
RUSS 31 Senior Thesis
To be taken by students registered for Russian 493-494.
THEATRE
THEA 12 Careers in Arts Management and Producing Models
Description: This class will serve as an introduction to the many career options “behind the scenes” in the arts and entertainment industry. Students will get an overview of the daily roles & responsibilities within Producing, Management, and Administration in fields such as live theater, dance, music, film/television and visual arts, primarily delving into not-for-profit organizations and independent producers in New York City. Coursework will include budgeting of income and expenses, fundraising, marketing and promotion, production management, curation, and business strategies across a variety of disciplines. We’ll discuss organizational structures, career trajectories, and the staff positions that support arts production in this saturated market, with a particular focus on contemporary multi-disciplinary theater, including the ever evolving relationships between the theatrical unions, artists, and producers. As an example, we’ll chart the course of Line Producing one new play from the earliest stages of its artistic development through its New York premiere and beyond, considering the process from multiple angles and highlighting the myriad of people required to launch a piece of art or entertainment. The group will take one trip to New York City to meet with experts in the field, learn about their roles and responsibilities, and attend live shows at venues and festivals such as Under The Radar at the Public Theater, COIL at PS122, PROTOTYPE (opera-theater), American Realness (dance), and/or gallery visits, with opportunities to meet the curators, producers, and staff responsible for supporting and executing the vision of the artists. As a final project, each student will prepare a theoretical plan to produce a piece of their own curation, complete with contracts, timelines, venue selection, expense budget, revenue projections, fundraising plans, marketing and media plans, and analysis of the target audience.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference to Theater and Art majors or students involved in the Dance Program
Cost to student: $163
Meeting time: mornings, afternoons
Instructor(s): Casey York ‘10
Casey York is a Brooklyn-based Producer and Arts Administrator. Currently the General Manager of NYC’s new work incubator Ars Nova, she supports the development and production of music, comedy and theater artists in the earliest stages of their professional careers. She previously served as the Associate General Manager at Off-Broadway’s Playwrights Horizons, and completed New York Foundation for the Arts’ Emerging Arts Leaders’ Boot Camp program. She is a proud alum of Williams College.
THEA 17 Physical Storytelling
Cross-listings: DANC 17/MUS 17
Description: This studio course will function as a laboratory for developing the basic skills in stage movement and physical storytelling. Students will develop short pieces that which will be integrated into larger narrative sequences at the end of the course. Our work will start with each student bringing a text that she or he would like to develop into a performance; class discussion will be instrumental in cutting the text to a manageable size, and in highlighting its most important aspects. Thus revised, texts will serve as the foundation for our work: over the next three weeks, our project will be to enrich and embody each textual piece, as well as to discover potential similarities and resonances between them. The primary form for material will be short sequences, or ‘sketches’, created fisicly by each student in response to his or her text. In presentation, the student will be asked perform the sketch, then to repeat it as precisely as possible. We will thereby deepen our capacity for clarity of gesture and movement. This will help us to develop our specificity as choreographers and our ability as performers to maintain emotion and intensity. By the end of the course, we will have collectively transformed, combined and condensed the original sketches into pieces ready for performance. Students will be expected to contribute substantial creative work to their own projects and to the projects of their peers through original material as well as detailed critiques and sensitive improvised responses. At the end, students will show in a open doors day, the result of the course. Outside-of-class work could include film viewing, practice, developing ideas founded during work at the studio.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; final project or performance; debrief conversation
Prerequisites: interested in being fiscally engage and work body movements
Enrollment limit: 17
Selection process: in case of over enrollment, priority will be given to Theatre and Dance majors, and to students with demonstrated commitment to performance work; it will be possible to arrange short video interviews.
Cost to student: $163
Meeting time: Monday through Friday, 4 hours per day
Instructor(s): Jorge Puerta Armenta
BIRTHPLACE: Bogotá, Colombia. TRAINING: National Centre for Contemporary Dance (CNDC Angers/France) AFFILIATIONS: 1996-97 Folkwang Dance Studio, Essen/Germany. From 1997-2014 was permanent ensemble member of Wuppertal Tanztheater Pina Bausch, where he continues to guest as a dancer. OTHER INFO: he has created Dance-theater pieces and dance installations shown in Europe and South America and assisted Theater directors Omar Sangare (Williams College) and Tim Etchelles (Forced Entertainment/UK).
THEA 32 Senior Honors Thesis
See description of Degree with Honors in Theatre.
WOMEN’S, GENDER AND SEXUALITY STUDIES
WGSS 18 “The Transformation of Silence”: Exploring Campus Sexual Violence Prevention and Response
Cross-listings: PHLH 18
Description: Since 2011, student activism and federal guidance of dramatically changed how campuses address sexual violence. This class will explore response to and prevention of sexual violence on college campuses and more broadly, across topics related to gender and sexuality, race, constructs of accountability, and public health and social justice approaches to prevention. Class will be heavily comprised of interactive activities, along with reading, films, and reflective writing. Some outside of class work in the form of film viewing and attendance at talks.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page final paper, along with Glow reflections
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: submission of a few sentence description indicating interest level in the course, preference to first years and sophomores
Cost to student: $10
Meeting time: mornings, 3 days per week for 2 hours
Instructor(s): Meg Bossong ‘05
Meg Bossong ’05 is the Director of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response. Prior to returning to Williams, she was the Manager of Community Engagement for the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, where she worked with community stakeholders in education, faith communities, medical and mental health care, law enforcement, and beyond on response and prevention initiatives.
WGSS 31 Honors Project
See description of Degree with Honors in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
SPEC 10 Peer Support Training
Description: Are you the person your friends turn to for support? Good listening and communication skills are of benefit to everyone, but particularly for student leaders and those interested in the helping professions. This course will prepare you to be a better listener and a more effective, confident communicator. You will learn to help others feel more at ease with social, academic, and personal relationships as well as to provide support in more charged, personal or urgent situations. You will learn to communicate skillfully about sensitive issues and find your own style in helping roles. Emphasis will be given to learning one’s limits and authority within a given situation, knowing when and how to refer to other resources, and many resources available to students. Besides improving self-knowledge and interpersonal self-confidence, students have found this training applicable to subsequent leadership roles (JAs or HCs). This is an experiential training augmented by relevant readings and out of class assignments designed to deepen your understanding and practice of communication and helping skills.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 21
Selection process: reverse seniority by class year
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons, twice a week for 3 hour sessions.
Instructor(s): Karen Theiling; Laini Sporbert
Karen Theiling is a staff psychotherapist at Psych Services in the Health Center at Williams College, where she has enjoyed supporting Williams students for many years. Teaching active listening, communication and relationship skills is a particular passion. Laini Sporbert is a Health Educator at Williams College. She is widely known for her work with Peer Health, health education promotions campus-wide, and for her work with substance abuse on campus.
SPEC 11 Podcasts from the Farm: Stories of Food Security, Workers’ Rights, and Carbon Farming
Description: This course will use podcasting as a vehicle to explore how Massachusetts farmers’ are working on a variety of issues to increase food security, improve farmworkers’ rights, and make an impact on climate change. Guiding questions will include: How do farmers view their role on issues of hunger, workers’ rights, and climate change? What are they currently doing to make an impact on these issues? What opportunities and challenges lie ahead for them related to these issues? How can their stories be told in a compelling way? What are the opportunities to enhance storytelling by using an audio format as the medium? Students will study interviewing, storytelling, and podcasting best practices and will use what they learn to create interesting podcasts that are both rich in content and in sound. Partnering with the Massachusetts chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA Mass), the class as a whole will attend the NOFA Mass Winter Conference at Worcester State University on January 13 and will conduct initial interviews there with presenters and attendees. Informative and impressive podcast creations will be used as resources on the NOFA website and the Williams sustainability website. A number of assignments will involve listening to and critically analyzing podcasts. Our time together will be a combination of learning about various farming issues in Massachusetts, analyzing content and audio choices, practicing interview techniques, and getting feedback from peers.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 11
Selection process: preference will be given to sophomores and juniors and the need to create a group that is diverse in terms of majors and interests
Cost to student: $80 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Mike Evans
Mike Evans is the Assistant Director of the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives at Williams College. Prior to working at Williams, he was the associate director of Utahns Against Hunger and founded and directed Real Food Rising, a youth-empowerment sustainable farming program.
SPEC 18 Call In Walk In Training for Peer Health
Cross-listings: PSYC 18
Description: This course is the full training for students who would like to cover Call In Walk In shifts in the Peer Health Office (Paresky 212). Students should either already be a member of Peer Health, or have an interest in joining Peer Health, as those students will get priority acceptance. Topics that we will cover include alcohol and other drug use; sex, STIs and contraception; rape, sexual assault and Title IX compliance; mental health; stress and sleep; healthy and unhealthy relationships, etc. Students will meet various on- and off-campus resources for referral. Outside of class work will include readings, video viewings, information gathering, and a possible field trip to local agencies.
Method of evaluation/requirements: students will create and submit (implementation not necessary) a Health Promotion event or campaign of their choosing, based on the topics covered in the training, or related subjects; event/campaign should be geared toward the Williams student population and will include a rationale, feasibility plan, budget, target audience and intended goals of the program
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 24
Selection process: current active members of Peer Health will be chosen first; other students will be enrolled based on stated commitment to Peer Health
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings, Monday through Friday, 10am – noon
Instructor(s): Laini Sporbert
Laini is a Health Educator at Williams College, focusing on substance abuse education and counseling, mental health awareness, sexuality education, and sleep. She has been at the college since 1997, and has been the Peer Health Staff Advisor since 2006. She has an M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology with a specialty in addictions.
SPEC 19 Healthcare Internships
Description: Firsthand experience is a critical component of the decision to enter the health professions. Through these internships, students can clarify their understanding of the rewards and challenges that accompany the practice of all types of medicine. Internships are arranged in two distinct ways: some students live on campus and are matched with a local practitioner, while others make independent arrangements to shadow a distant professional. The expectation is that each student will observe some aspect of medicine for the better part of the day, five days per week. In recent years, students have shadowed physicians, veterinarians, dentists, nurses, and public health experts.
Method of evaluation/requirements: a 5-page reflective paper is required, as is attendance (for those shadowing near campus) at three Monday evening programs; students will meet from 6:00-8:00 pm over dinner to hear from invited speakers from the medical community as a stimulus to discussion about their apprenticeship experiences
Prerequisites: interested students must attend an information meeting in late September; local enrollment is limited by the number of available practitioners; preference for placements will be given on the basis of seniority and demonstrated interest in the health professions
Enrollment limit: limited by the number of available practitioners
Selection process: preference for placements will be given on the basis of seniority and demonstrated interest in the health professions
Meeting times: Mondays, 6:00-8:00 pm
Cost per student: $0
Instructor(s): Barbara Fuller, Associate Director and Director of Science and Health Professions Advising
SPEC 21 Experience the Workplace; an Internship with Williams Alumni/Parents
Description: Field experience is a critical element in the decision to enter a profession. Through this internship, students can clarify their understanding of the rewards and challenges that accompany the practice of many different aspects within a profession, and understand the psychology of the workplace. Internship placements are arranged through the Career Center, with selected alumni and parents acting as on-site teaching associates. The expectation is that each student will observe some aspect of the profession for the better part of the day, five days per week. It is also expected that the teaching associate will assign a specific project to be completed within the three-to-four week duration of the course depending upon appropriateness. The expectation is that each student will be in the field to observe some aspect of the profession for the better part of the day, five days per week. In addition to observation there may be an opportunity to work on distinct projects generated by the instructor depending upon appropriateness. It is expected that students will complete assigned readings, keep a daily journal, and write a 5- to 10-page expository review and evaluation that will become public record as a resource for other students.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5- to 10-page expository review and evaluation
Prerequisites: interested students must attend an information meeting in early October, and meet individually with Career Center staff to go over the details of their placements
Enrollment limit: placements will be determined by the individual alum or parent sponsor based on application and possible telephone interview
Selection process:
Cost to student: local apprenticeships—local transportation; distant apprenticeships—costs will vary based upon location, BUT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT
Meeting time: each student will be in the field to observe some aspect of the profession five days per week, at least 6 hours per day.
Instructor(s): Dawn Dellea, Manager of Alumni/Parent Engagement Programs
SPEC 22 Outdoor Emergency Care
Description: The course is designed to teach and develop technical proficiency, as well as the leadership skills, required to effectively and efficiently administer emergency medical care in outdoor and wilderness environments. It is divided into three sections. When successfully completed, it can lead to certification as a member of the National Ski Patrol and certification in CPR for the Professional Rescuer. The course is based upon:
- National Ski Patrol’s Outdoor Emergency Care (5th Edition), a curriculum containing textbook/web-based learning as well as hands-on, practical skill development.
- CPR for the Professional Rescuer (American Red Cross or American Heart Association).
- 18 hours of outdoor “on the hill” training in Ski Patrol rescue techniques.
Successful completion of all 3 sections, along with demonstrating ski/snowboard proficiency, will qualify the student to be a National Ski Patrol member. Class time: 3 hour/day, 5 days/week. On-the-snow (@ Jiminy Peak): 3 hours/day, 2 days/week. Self-paced on-line/textbook study: ~2 hours/day
Method of evaluation/requirements: written exam and hands-on skill demonstration
Prerequisites: ski/snowboard proficiency preferred
Enrollment limit: 18
Selection process: experience/proficiency at ski/snowboard; experience in emergency care
Cost to student: $128.50 plus cost of book(s)
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Thomas Feist ‘85
Following his Williams graduation (Chemistry, 1985), Tom Feist received his PhD in Materials Science from the Univ. of PA. After a year teaching chemistry and serving as acting WOC Director at Williams, he spent a career working in technology and technology management at DuPont and General Electric. He started ski patrolling at Williams, has spent 35 years patrolling at various mountains, and loves instructing patrol skills to new students.
SPEC 28 Class of 1959 Teach NYC Urban Education Program
Students in this course learn about the front-line challenges of urban public education by working in one of New York City’s public schools. Participants will be expected to pursue a full day’s program of observing, teaching, tutoring and mentoring in their choice of more than 20 different school situations from elementary through high school. Each of the participating schools will have a resident supervisor who will meet with the January interns to arrange individual schedules and provide mentoring during the month. There will be weekly seminar meetings of all the interns who are expected to participate in group discussions, keep a journal and write a 5 page paper reflecting upon their experience. The course will conduct orientation meetings with students prior to January, matching each student’s interest with appropriate teaching subject areas and a host school. Dormitory-style housing will be provided along with some assistance with transportation and food costs-estimated at $400 for the term. Further assistance is available for financial aid students.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on a journal and a 5-page paper.
Prerequisites: sophomore, junior or senior standing; not open to first-year students.
Enrollment limit: 12.
Cost to student: $400.
Meeting time: off-campus fieldwork: daily 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and weekly seminar dinners.
Instructor(s): TRACY FINNEGAN
Tracy Finnegan is a master’s level teacher with training and teaching experience in a variety of approaches and settings.
SPEC 35 Making Pottery on the Potter’s Wheel
Description: Learning to form pottery shapes with your hands on the potter’s wheel is challenging but accessible to any student who invests time and effort. This is a very old-fashioned skill—archaeologists tell us potter’s wheel skills were widespread in world culture by 3000 BCE. YouTube videos will not help you to learn the subtle hand positions and pressures needed to succeed in shaping symmetrical pleasing forms. A teacher/coach will help you understand and learn these skills, but it is up to you to apply yourself with repeated practice, patience and persistence. Each class will begin with an explanatory demonstration followed by student practice on the potter’s wheel. Every student will have exclusive use of a potter’s wheel for each class. Pottery making classes will be held in the mornings, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, at Oak Bluffs Cottage Pottery in Pownal, Vermont. We will use both stoneware and porcelain clay bodies, and will work on mugs, bowls, pitchers, plates, jars, lids, vases, and bottles, and will finish these shapes by trimming and adding handles, lugs, lids, spouts, and knobs. We will also work on hand-building projects. Early in the Winter Study Session there will be a 1.5-hour slide presentation held one afternoon at a location on campus. After the tenth pottery making class meeting, all completed work will be kiln-fired to biscuit, approximately 1750F. The eleventh meeting will be devoted to glazing your 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 to cone 5, approximately 2150F. The last meeting, held at Oak Bluffs Cottage Pottery early in the new semester, will be devoted to a “final project positive-orientation critique” in the studio of your finished work. Woven into explanatory demonstrations will be presentations on various topics relating to the science and history of pottery making. Attendance at all class sessions and enthusiasm for learning the craft of pottery making are required.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project critique session
Prerequisites: none; no pottery making experience necessary
Enrollment limit: 9
Selection process: level of enthusiasm for learning the craft of pottery making
Cost to student: $370
Meeting time: mornings 9am-12pm
Instructor(s): Ray Bub
Ray Bub is a ceramic artist and teacher at Oak Bluffs Cottage Pottery in Pownal, Vermont, 10 minutes north of the Williams College campus. All class meetings except the slide show take place at Oak Bluffs Cottage Pottery. Learn more about Ray Bub at www.raybub.com
SPEC 39 “Composing A Life:” Finding Success and Balance in Life After Williams
Description: To be at Williams you have learned to be a successful student, but how do you learn to be successful in life? How will you define success in both your career and in your personal life? How will you achieve balance between the two? In short, what will constitute the “good life” for you? We borrow the concept of “composing a life” from Mary Catherine Bateson, as an apt metaphor for the ongoing process of defining success and balance in life. This course is designed: (1) To offer college students an opportunity to examine and define their beliefs, values, and assumptions about their future personal and professional lives before entering the “real” world; (2) To encourage students to gain a better understanding of how culture, ideology, and opportunity affect their life choices; (3) To provide an opportunity for students to consider different models of success and balance through “living cases” (in the form of guests from various professions and lifestyles); and (4) To aid students in contemplating their own life/career options through individual advising and introducing various career and life planning resources. Using selected readings, cases, and guest speakers, we will explore both the public context of the workplace as well as the private context of individuals and their personal relationships in determining life choices. Requirements: regular attendance, class participation, field interview, and a 10-page final paper, weekly assignments include cases and readings from a variety of related fields, and some self-reflection exercises. Questions about the course: please contact Geraldine Shen at [email protected]
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: preference to juniors and seniors
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Geraldine Shen ‘01; Joe Bergeron ‘01
Geraldine Shen ’01 is a former management consultant, development officer, curriculum coordinator, and admissions officer who currently leads a community non-profit organization in Williamstown. Joe Bergeron ’01 is a technology consultant, entrepreneur, and software developer.
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