AFRICANA STUDIES
AFR 20 Performing Self-Portraiture in the Age of Instagram
Cross-listings: ARTS 20/THEA 20/WGSS 20
Description: What does it mean to represent your own body? How do we craft compelling performances of self in a social media marketplace that treats our bodies as currency? In this studio course, we look at the lineage of the self-portrait and the role it plays in the creation of our personal mythologies. We will consider the work of Frida Kahlo, Cindy Sherman, Carrie Mae Weems, Jacolby Satterwhite, Kim Kardashian West and others. How have artists, now and in the past, turned the camera on themselves? Is it possible to subvert the gendered and racialized gaze? Students will create their own kinetic self-portraits, exploring forms such as looping video, gifs, stop-motion, and animation.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final performance
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: if overenrolled, students will be selected by submitting a brief statement of interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Kameron Neal
Kameron Neal is a queer Black video artist and performance-maker based in NYC. His work has been seen and developed at Ars Nova, BAM, La MaMa, New York Theatre Workshop, Soho Rep., Digital Graffiti Festival, Vox Populi and Yale’s Center for Contemporary Arts and Media. Kameron has also designed campaigns for The Public Theater, Joe’s Pub, Under the Radar Festival, and Shakespeare in the Park, with the creative direction of Pentagram partner, Paula Scher.
AFR 24 Touring Black Religion in the ‘New’ South
Cross-listings: ENVI 24/REL 24
Description: In February of 1927 anthropologist Franz Boas asked folklorist Zora Neale Hurston to identify an ideal location in which to study and collect data about “Negro culture in the South.” Hurston’s reply, without hesitation, was the central and gulf coast of Florida because she believed there, “it was possible for [her] to get a cross section of the Negro South in one state.” Hurston traveled directly to Eatonville, the town she eventually claimed as her birth home, and for over a decade, utilized the information she collected as the backdrop to her fiction as well as her nonfiction explorations of Black religion. Taking Hurston’s lead, this course will utilize Florida’s gulf coast as the backdrop to exploring the diverse manifestations of modern black religious expression. Because of its diverse geographical, political structures, populations, and economy, Florida has historically been characterized as a “new South” with distinctive cultural expressions. With this history in mind, this course will address four critical questions: (1) What is Black religion?; (2) What are the distinctive aspects of southern expressions of Black Protestant religion; (3) How do Black communities see themeselves in relation to broader social concerns? and (4) How, if at all, is religious expression in Florida unique? To answer these questions, we will travel to Florida’s west coast and visit three different church communities to understand Black Protestant religon as currently expressed in the ‘New South’ including a small mainstream denominational church in Talleveast Florida; a Pentecostal-Holiness church in St. Petersburg, Florida; and a mega-church in Eaton, Florida. In addition to learning about Black religion along the western coast of Florida through participant observation, students will visit and tour local historical sites significant to Black religious experiences, and will meet with local acadmics, archivists, and leaders. A 200-page course packet will contextualize the trip.
Preference will be given to majors and concentrators in Africana Studies, Religion, and Environmental Studies. Priority will also be given to students with a background in ethnographic methods.
Method of evaluation/requirements: based on an electronic field journal, participation in weekly colloquies, and an oral presentation
Prerequisites: none; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: application essays and interviews
Cost to student: $3,362
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Rhon Manigault-Bryant, James Manigault-Bryant
AFR 30 Senior Project
Description: To be taken by students registered for Africana Studies 491 who are candidates for honors.
AMERICAN STUDIES
AMST 10 New(ish) and Rare: Special Collections in the 20th century
Description: What makes relatively recent books and manuscripts worth preserving? Whose voices are missing from the library’s collections? Students in this course will explore the market for 20th-century rare books and manuscripts and recommend items for Special Collections to purchase.
We will spend our first two weeks exploring the library’s existing collections of 20th-century Americana, focusing on what makes these books and manuscripts valuable–not just in terms of their cost but their usefulness in supporting teaching and student research. We’ll explore the market for antiquarian books, and we’ll consider how social movements and historical events including second-wave feminism, workers’ strikes, and the civil rights era are documented in primary sources.
Outside of class, students will spend additional hands-on time with rare materials in the Special Collections reading room. Students will also search printed and online catalogs from booksellers who specialize in 20th-century material to look for potential additions to our collections.
Given a theoretical budget of $1000, each student will assemble a proposal to acquire a new collection of books and manuscripts for the Chapin Library or the College Archives. We’ll spend the final week of class presenting these proposals to the Chapin Librarian, who will approve a selection of items to purchase for our collections.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final collection development proposal/report justifying rationale for acquisition of rare books and manuscripts
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: random selection
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Anne Peale
Anne Peale, Special Collections Librarian at Williams, graduated from Dartmouth College and studied Material Cultures and Book History at the University of Edinburgh; she recently completed her PhD in Historical Geography.
AMST 11 North Adams: Past, Present and Future
Cross-listings: HIST 10
Description: This class gives students a chance to learn about resources and assets of Massachusetts’s smallest city, North Adams. Readings, tours, films, field trips, and meetings with people who work with or lead nonprofits and civic organizations will introduce students to local history, current conditions in the city, and plans for future cultural and economic development. Students will be expected to complete assigned readings (assorted articles) and to attend all class meetings. Final assessment will be based on students’ engagement in thoughtful discussions of class materials and in-person encounters and experiences. In addition, students will complete a final research project (written or multimedia) that they present to the class and two reflection papers. Most class sessions will take place off campus; students must be available to travel off campus and attend occasional sessions that occur outside of the regular class hours.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: first-year students preferred
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Anne Valk
Anne Valk is Associate Director for Public Humanities at Williams, with affiliations in the Center for Learning in Action; the Office of Institutional Diversity; and the department of history.
AMST 14 The Davis Center Histories
Description: This course will explore the history of the Williams College Davis Center (DC), formerly the Multicultural Center. In exploring this history, the course readings and discussions will contextualize the local specificities of the Center’s establishment within broader U.S. academic, political, and cultural discourses on student-led protest, the evolution of multiculturalism, the centrality of Black resistance, and the import of cultural specificity in creating an equitable and just world. The course will thus rely on resources in the College archives, and students will be encouraged to hone their research skills, but will also rely on communal construction of a theoretical framework to analyze the archived history of the Center while attending to the DC’s current mission to facilitate conversations about race, gender identity, sexual orientation, class, religion, and ability. Readings will include work by Kimberlé Crenshaw, Patricia Hill Collins, Roderick Ferguson, Houston Baker, E. Patrick Johnson, Jeff Chang, Sami Schalk, and more. Students will be encouraged to engage in critical and constructive discussion about the historical place and work of the Davis Center, and contribute to that work with assignments that include weekly personal reflections and program proposals to enhance the curriculum and programmatic itinerary of the Center.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2 program proposals, weekly reflections, and class participation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 25
Selection process: preference given to first-year students
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Tatiana McInnis
AMST 15 Contemporary American Songwriting
Cross-listings: MUS 15
Description: This course will focus on learning how to write and perform songs in classical contemporary style. Song styles that will be addressed include pop, rock, blues, country, folk and jazz. Topics addressed will include the evolution of song structure, how to create a lyric that communicates, vocal and instrument presentation, recording and 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 in one of the above mentioned genres. 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. One of these songs will be presented during the final performance, preferably by the student. Attendance at classes, feedback sessions, and final presentation is mandatory. Please note: this class meets every day. A short writing assignment will be passed in on the last day of class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final performance and a 2- to 3-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 14
Selection process: students with a musical background and the ability to play and instrument may be given preference, but anyone interested is encouraged to register
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Bernice Lewis
Bernice Lewis is the Artist Associate in Songwriting at Williams College. She is an accomplished singer, songwriter, producer and educator and has been a national touring artist for over thirty years She has performed at the Kerrville Folk Festival, PBS’s Mountain Stage, and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. In 2009, she was chosen by the National Park Service to be an Artist in Residence. She has released seven recordings of original songs.
AMST 30 Senior Honors Project
Description: To be taken by students registered for American Studies 491 or 492.
ANTHROPOLOGY/SOCIOLOGY
ANSO 14 Principles of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Their Application to the Understanding of the Current Epidemic of Athletic Injury and the Development of Prevention Policy
Cross-listings: CHEM 14/PHLH 14
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 first two weeks of this ambitious course is more about design issues than one of current topics in public health, about week 3–through lecture and perhaps student presentations–will apply the methodological “tool kit” to major current athletic health issues, e.g., athletic concussions and their short and long term effects. The last week 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. These presentations may also look at athletic health issues.
This WS course is designed to be a serious academic experience, with the rigor of a regular course.
Method of evaluation/requirements: completion of readings, active class participation and in-class presentations
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: applicants will be interviewed by the instructor
Cost to student: $200
Meeting time: at least three times a week for a total of 6 hours
Instructor(s): Nicholas Wright
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 The Ayn Rand Cult and the Libertarian Mind
Cross-listings: COMP 16/RLSP 16
Description: The broad, “underground” influence of publicist-novelist Ayn Rand stands as one of the more curious sociocultural phenomena to have emerged out of post-War America. Examples: A youthful Alan Greenspan was a dedicated disciple of Rand’s in the 1940s and 50s; Michael Milken was reported to have kept twenty-six copies of Atlas Shrugged in his jail cell while serving time for securities fraud; Congressman Paul Ryan and Exxon CEO (and current Secretary of State) Rex Tillerson both are avowed fans of Ayn Rand; each year to this day, Rand’s books sell hundreds of thousands of copies; and, in a crowning instance of “canonization,” the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in Rand’s honor (as part of its “Great American Authors” series) in April 1999. This course will examine the nature and origins of the Rand phenomenon through reading of relevant works of journalism, fiction, and philosophy. Titles to be studied: Jeffrey Walker, The Ayn Rand Cult; Mary Gaitskill, Two Girls: Fat and Thin; Gene H. Bell-Villada, The Pianist Who Liked Ayn Rand (selections) and On Nabokov, Ayn Rand and the Libertarian Mind; and John Locke, Second Treatise of Government. We will also view two films: the movie version of The Fountainhead (1949) and the 1996 documentary Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life. Note: No books by Rand will be read in this class! It is a course not “about” Rand but rather about the cultural sociology and anthropology of Randism.
Method of evaluation/requirements: class attendance and participation, short weekly journal entries, and a final 10-page paper
Prerequisites: some previous acquaintance with Rand’s novels
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: by seniority (i.e. first seniors, then juniors, then sophomores, etc.)
Cost to student: approximately $90 for books
Meeting time: mornings, three times a week for two-hour sessions; evening film screenings
Instructor(s): Gene H Bell-Villada
ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTH 12 Coastal Navigation
Description: Students will learn basic skills for piloting a small vessel in coastal waters using a compass and paper charts. Areas to be covered include: basic rules of navigation; reading nautical charts; recognizing and interpreting aids to navigation (buoys, lighthouses, etc.); reading a magnetic compass; plotting a position on a chart; plotting a course by dead reckoning; planning and charting a voyage; the use of standard navigation references; the use of open source chartplotting software.
Work outside class meetings will consist of assigned readings and practice plotting.
Method of evaluation/requirements: periodic quizzes and a final exercise; punctual attendance and all class meetings is required; absences for the purpose of extra-curricular activities will not be excused
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: at the discretion of the instructor
Cost to student: $77 plus cost of books
Meeting time: TWR 10:00-12:00 but may run over on occasion
Instructor(s): Peter Just
ANTH 15 Photographic Literacy and Personal Vision
Cross-listings: SOC 15
Description: When you look at a photograph, what is it really saying? How can you make photograph that says what you want to say? This course is about seeing with emotion and literacy, and making photographs that reflect your own personal voice and vision. This is not a course on technical photography–this is about breaking down the barrier between your ideas and your camera.
Students will conceptualize and photograph a project of their own choosing. Students must own or borrow a digital camera. Williams has a stock of excellent cameras available for loan. Unless there is a compelling conceptual reason to use a compact camera or phone, students will be using DSLRs.
In class we will review historical and contemporary photography, photobooks, and other sources of visual inspiration. 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.
Method of evaluation/requirements: formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: email expressing interest in the course
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: Monday and Friday 10-noon, and Wednesday 1-5 pm
Instructor(s): Ben Brody
Ben Brody is a 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.
ANTH 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Anthropology 493-494.
SOCIOLOGY
SOC 15 Photographic Literacy and Personal Vision
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 want to say? This course is about seeing with emotion and literacy, and making photographs that reflect your own personal voice and vision. This is not a course on technical photography–this is about breaking down the barrier between your ideas and your camera.
Students will conceptualize and photograph a project of their own choosing. Students must own or borrow a digital camera. Williams has a stock of excellent cameras available for loan. Unless there is a compelling conceptual reason to use a compact camera or phone, students will be using DSLRs.
In class we will review historical and contemporary photography, photobooks, and other sources of visual inspiration. 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.
Method of evaluation/requirements: formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: email expressing interest in the course
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: Monday and Friday 10-noon, and Wednesday 1-5 pm
Instructor(s): Ben Brody
Ben Brody is a 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
Description: To be taken by students registered for Sociology 493-494.
ARABIC STUDIES
ARAB 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Arab Studies 493-494.
ARAB S.P. Sustaining Language for Arabic 101-102
Description: Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study period IN ADDITION TO TAKING A REGULAR WINTER STUDY COURSE. The Registrar’s Office will automatically register you for the sustaining program once regular Winter Study registration is complete.
ART HISTORY
ARTH 10 From Metal to Money: Ancient Numismatics
Cross-listings: CLAS 10
Description: How were coins made and circulated in the ancient world? Why did a city or individual choose to mint coins? What role did coins play in people’s lived experience, as well as in Greek and Roman visual culture? In this course, we will explore the Western coinage tradition from its origins through Late Antiquity, using the college’s own numismatic collection as a basis for methodological discussions and for individual research. In consultation with the professor, each student will select coins from the collection and relate it to each of the different methodological issues under investigation. These topics will include mint and die studies; analysis of coin hoards; approaches to coin finds in archaeological excavation; the use of coins as historical “documents”; and the iconography of Greco-Roman coinage as it relates to classical art history. For most class meetings, students will present a short report on how the methodological issue under discussion relates to specific coins they have selected from the college’s collection, before choosing a final research project. In addition to the hands-on experience of working with these coins, we will also survey the different historical coinages from antiquity (e.g., Classical Greek, Hellenistic Greek, Roman Republican) through a series of illustrated lectures.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper and a presentation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: preference will be given to students majoring in Classics, Art History, and History
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Nicole Brown
ARTH 11 Editorial Cartooning and the Art of Propaganda
Cross-listings: PSCI 11
Description: This hands-on course, taught jointly by a nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist, Chan Lowe, and a former member of the Art Department faculty, E. J. Johnson, introduces students to the “Ungentlemanly Art” of cartooning through discussions and an emphasis on the creation of their own work. It is not an art course as much as an exercise in disciplining the mind to distill abstract concepts and opinions into visual and verbal symbols that can be clearly, economically and persuasively communicated to the reader. Previous drawing experience is NOT a prerequisite, nor even an advantage. Non-art majors are particularly encouraged to enroll. The basics of perspective, proportion, and shading will be covered as needed to provide all students with the necessary skills to express themselves. Much more important are an inquisitive mind, a healthy interest in the current national discourse, a willingness to enter into spirited classroom discussion, and an appreciation of satire. The fact that the course will meet during the second month of a newly elected Congress means that there will be plenty of material ripe for cartooning.
Class assignments will be critiqued in a non-threatening atmosphere. Lowe, who will be continuously producing daily cartoons, will also present his own work for criticism. Class meetings, at least two hours per meeting three days a week, will alternate between the studio experience and lectures, given by Johnson, that will acquaint students with aspects of the history of caricature, cartooning and art with a propagandistic or overtly political purpose. The lectures will provide students with knowledge they may use in producing their cartoon assignments. The success of this course depends on the commitment and motivation of all participants.
Course requirements include the drawing of several editorial cartoons per week, daily reading and viewing of news media.
Method of evaluation/requirements: editorial cartoons to be produced for each class meeting for evaluation by the class; final cartoons to be published in The Williams Record
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference will be given to non-art majors
Cost to student: $50
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Channing Lowe, E.J. Johnson
Chan Lowe has been an editorial cartoonist and opinion writer since graduating from Williams in 1975. He has worked for newspapers in Oklahoma, Florida and is now a member of the editorial board of The Berkshire Eagle.
His drawing and writing work have won many journalism awards, and is nationally and internationally syndicated by Tribune Content Agency.
E.J. Johnson is Amos Lawrence Professor of Art, Emeritus, Williams College
ARTH 16 True and Wild Tales: Argentine Cinema after 1985
Cross-listings: LATS 16
Description: The Argentine film industry is one of the most developed in the Spanish-speaking world. It is rich in genres and production scales, and in the issues raised by the films themselves. This immersive course encourages dynamic engagement with these issues, as we watch films that grapple with the country’s painful legacy of dictatorial rule, coming-of-age road movies, familial dramas, and riotous comedies that feature that distinctive, biting Argentine humor. Our meetings consist of three mandatory screenings per week, two of which are followed by class discussion. In addition to learning about the Argentine context, we will learn vocabulary and tools for discussing and writing about film. No previous coursework in film, or fluency in Spanish required (the films are subtitled)–only an interest in contemporary Argentine cinema and culture.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; 3 mandatory screenings each week
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference will be given to Art Studio and Art History majors, as well as students concentrating in Latino/a Studies
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Mari Rodríguez Binnie
ARTH 17 Architectural Models
Description: Architectural history is generally taught by photographs, which compress three-dimensional things into two-dimensional projections. But describing the dynamic nature of architectural space with a flat image is like describing an ice cream flavor with a flow chart. In this course groups of four or five students will receive measured drawings of major American buildings and construct models at quarter-inch scale. Possible subjects include works by Venturi, Wright, Eisenman, and Jefferson. No previous architectural experience is necessary. After the initial two sessions, there will be two three-hour studio sessions each week where the instructor will critique the projects. At a final meeting, a jury will review the models.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 25
Selection process: Art majors will have preference
Cost to student: $25
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Michael Lewis
ARTH 19 21st Century Museums–From the Inner Workings to the Future Vision of Culture Making
Cross-listings: ARTS 19/INTR 19/LEAD 19
Description: The role of museums in American culture has evolved dramatically over recent decades. No longer simply a repository of art and artifacts, the 21st century museum is a fully dynamic center of programming, cultural exchange, community building, and active inquiry. This is true across all types of museums–from art museums to scientific, historical, and specialty collections–and has affected every aspect of museum administration, from curatorial and collection priorities to methods of communication, fundraising, and engagement. With participation of WCMA staff, we will examine in-depth the role and behind-the-scenes work of contemporary museums. The class will include site visits to several area museums and discussions with specially skilled museum professionals, from directors, curators, and educators to collection managers, conservators, exhibition designers and development and communications managers. Students will research models of museum practice and brainstorm and develop proposals for the museum of the future. For the culminating project, the class will work as a group with WCMA staff to develop a gallery presentation and/or program that will connect with Claiming Williams Day. We will meet twice a week for four hours session at WCMA, plus 1 trip to area museums per week.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: keen interest in museums and culture
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: random selection
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): Lisa Dorin
ARTH 31 Senior Thesis
Description: 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
ARTH 33 Honors Independent Study
Description: To be taken by candidates for honors by the independent study route.
ART STUDIO
ARTS 12 Portrait Painting: from Fayum mummies to the Obamas
Description: This course will be a hybrid of studio practice and a visual survey of the painted portrait, tracing various approaches to portraiture and mark-making, from the Fayum mummies to the recently unveiled portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama, in order to inform the ways by which we will, throughout the course, paint portraits (of oneself or another). The course will culminate in a final exhibition of each participant’s painting, which will be worked on throughout the duration of the winter study, in- and outside of class. We will begin the course by looking to a range approaches to portraiture and engaging in various drawing and painting exercises, before spending the bulk of the remaining time working towards a single, polished painting, in oil or acrylic on canvas or panel. We will analyze many of the touchstone examples of portraiture over the centuries to survey a range of styles and how their respective techniques and painted marks reflected the zeitgeist, or collective psychology of a time and place, in order to inform our own painted works.
The course will meet three times per week to engage in dedicated studio work, and group analysis of historic examples of painted portraits. Outside of class, students will be expected to continue their studio work, as well as additional drawing or painting exercises, readings, and possible film screening(s). The final project, a single portrait painting, will be displayed in a group exhibition in the Spencer Art Building at the culmination of the Winter Study period, at which time each artist will present their finished work.
No experience necessary, but some background in painting and drawing is a plus.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final formal public exhibit; completion of one (or more) portrait painting(s), to be worked on over the duration of the course
Prerequisites: no experience necessary, but some background in painting and drawing is a plus
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: preference will be given to studio and art history students, and will be given to seniors thereafter
Cost to student: $125
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): William Binnie
William Binnie (born Dallas, TX, 1985) is a visual artist living and working in Williamstown, MA and Brooklyn, NY. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is held in a number of public and private collections across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Binnie’s work is currently on view at MassMoCA’s “The Lure of the Dark: Contemporary Painters Conjure the Night,” through 2019. For more information and images of work, please visit: www.william-binnie.com
ARTS 13 Creative Portraiture in the Darkroom
Cross-listings: RLFR 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 Goudouffe
Documentary photographer Daniel Goudrouffe, who describes himself as a photographer-author, creates compelling visual narratives about the complexity of life in the Caribbean and its diaspora.
His archive of the contemporary Caribbean equally enables a public reckoning with the impact of slavery and colonialism in the region.
In 2017, his images were showcased at Les Photaumnales in Beauvais, France and at the Biennale Internationale des rencontres Photographiques de Guyane.
ARTS 14 RESULTS MUST VARY
Description: An exploration of cross-disciplinary sampling: digital and visual art, sculpture, sound, music, moving image, text, theater.
Paul de Jong presents the vast media archive the Mall Of Found as a point of departure for discussion and as the resource for creative exploration, touching upon issues specific to the inception, production and presentation of art using sampled sources.
De Jong will address topics related to the creative process and issues specific to the field of sampling: integrity in appropriation, conflict in collaboration, developing method and technique, making your own rules and having changes of heart, documenting and archiving, commercial considerations, presentation and audience subjectivity.
Participants will receive a detailed introduction to the archive and its makeup. Throughout, access will be given to the digital collection. The physical archive (housed in North Adams, MA) will be accessible by appointment and through weekly group excursions. After determination of individual and collective goals, emphasis shall be given to a hands-on creative approach, outside-of-class. In-class time will be set aside for weekly individual presentations and critiques, as well as daily group meetings for topical discussions. The course may result in individual or group works presented in a gallery show, as a theatrical/musical performance, a movie showing, a web production, printed matter, publications, or readings.
Paul de Jong’s Mall Of Found is home to a wealth of assorted fringe media and ephemera. This includes some 5,000+ VHS, 1,500 LP’s, 5,000 cassette tapes, as well as photography, printed matter and film, numbering over 100,000. The subject matter is sprawling, favoring independent and amateur production and analog forms. Categories include: televangelism, self-help, hunting, meditation, technical, instructional, medical and much more.
Paul de Jong (formerly of the Books) recently released his second solo album You Fucken Sucker
Method of evaluation/requirements: final formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: active engagement in the creation of art, photography, film and video, poetry and prose, dance, theater and music
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: submitting portofolio, resume or proposal
Cost to student: 183
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): Paul de Jong
ARTS 15 Shadow Puppetry
Cross-listings: THEA 15
Description: The ancient art of shadow puppetry has seen a resurgence in contemporary art and theater. William Kentridge writes, “It is in the very limitations of shadows that we learn…It is in the gap between the object and its representation that the image emerges, the gap we fill in.” In this course, students will explore a range of techniques in shadow theater and build towards a culminating performance. We will survey the history of the form, from Asian traditions such as wayang kulit, through Victorian shadow plays, to the uses of shadow by contemporary theater makers and artists (e.g. William Kentridge, Kara Walker). Shadow puppeteer Karen Zasloff and visiting artists will guide students in creating shadow imagery from flat cutouts, sculpted objects and their bodies, and choreographing scenes on a classroom overhead projector and translucent screen. In small groups, we will interpret excerpts of prose and poetry through these handmade projections, exploring relationships among text, image sequences and music, culminating in a public performance. We will meet three times/week for three-hour sessions, with additional supervised lab and rehearsal periods according to our needs. Some basic equipment will be supplied, but students will be expected to purchase some of the materials.
Method of evaluation/requirements: short presentations and works in progress
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: students will be asked to submit a letter of interest
Cost to student: $215
Meeting time: afternoons; evenings possible
Instructor(s): Karen Zasloff
Karen Zasloff has created performances in the US and abroad with shadows, toy theater, giant puppets and video, on themes of political violence and the unconscious. She has performed in NY at PS1, Saint Ann’s Warehouse, National Sawdust, PS122 and Here Arts Center, and for 20 years with the Bread and Puppet Theater. Her drawings feature in “Banished”, which premiered at Sundance 2007. Recent projects focus on Rwanda and South Africa, including a Fulbright with the Handspring Puppet Company.
ARTS 16 Glass and Glassblowing
Cross-listings: CHEM 16
Description: This course provides an introduction to both a theoretical consideration of the glassy state of matter and the practical manipulation of glass. We do flameworking with hand torches for at least 12 hours per week. While no previous experience is required, students with patience, good hand-eye coordination, and creative imagination will find the course most rewarding. The class is open to both artistically and scientifically oriented students.
Note: if you are required to participate in a sustaining language program during Winter Study, this course meets at the same time.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation is based on class participation, exhibition of glass projects, a 10-page paper, and a presentation to the class
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: preference is given to juniors, sophomores, and those who express the most and earliest interest and enthusiasm by e-mail to Professor Thoman
Cost to student: $75
Meeting time: 9 am to noon, M-F
Instructor(s): Jay Thoman
ARTS 19 21st Century Museums–From the Inner Workings to the Future Vision of Culture Making
Cross-listings: ARTH 19/INTR 19/LEAD 19
Description: The role of museums in American culture has evolved dramatically over recent decades. No longer simply a repository of art and artifacts, the 21st century museum is a fully dynamic center of programming, cultural exchange, community building, and active inquiry. This is true across all types of museums–from art museums to scientific, historical, and specialty collections–and has affected every aspect of museum administration, from curatorial and collection priorities to methods of communication, fundraising, and engagement. With participation of WCMA staff, we will examine in-depth the role and behind-the-scenes work of contemporary museums. The class will include site visits to several area museums and discussions with specially skilled museum professionals, from directors, curators, and educators to collection managers, conservators, exhibition designers and development and communications managers. Students will research models of museum practice and brainstorm and develop proposals for the museum of the future. For the culminating project, the class will work as a group with WCMA staff to develop a gallery presentation and/or program that will connect with Claiming Williams Day. We will meet twice a week for four hours session at WCMA, plus 1 trip to area museums per week.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: keen interest in museums and culture
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: random selection
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): Lisa Dorin
ARTS 20 Performing Self-Portraiture in the Age of Instagram
Cross-listings: AFR 20/THEA 20/WGSS 20
Description: What does it mean to represent your own body? How do we craft compelling performances of self in a social media marketplace that treats our bodies as currency? In this studio course, we look at the lineage of the self-portrait and the role it plays in the creation of our personal mythologies. We will consider the work of Frida Kahlo, Cindy Sherman, Carrie Mae Weems, Jacolby Satterwhite, Kim Kardashian West and others. How have artists, now and in the past, turned the camera on themselves? Is it possible to subvert the gendered and racialized gaze? Students will create their own kinetic self-portraits, exploring forms such as looping video, gifs, stop-motion, and animation.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final performance
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: if overenrolled, students will be selected by submitting a brief statement of interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Kameron Neal
Kameron Neal is a queer Black video artist and performance-maker based in NYC. His work has been seen and developed at Ars Nova, BAM, La MaMa, New York Theatre Workshop, Soho Rep., Digital Graffiti Festival, Vox Populi and Yale’s Center for Contemporary Arts and Media. Kameron has also designed campaigns for The Public Theater, Joe’s Pub, Under the Radar Festival, and Shakespeare in the Park, with the creative direction of Pentagram partner, Paula Scher.
ARTS 31 Senior Studio: Independent Project Art Studio
Description: Independent project to be taken by candidates for honors in Art Studio.
ASIAN STUDIES
ASST 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by all students who are candidates for honors in Asian Studies.
Instructor(s): Li Yu
CHINESE
CHIN S.P. Sustaining Program for Chinese 101-102
Description: Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study period IN ADDITION TO TAKING A REGULAR WINTER STUDY COURSE. The Registrar’s Office will automatically register you for the sustaining program once regular Winter Study registration is complete.
CHIN 11 Shanghai Cuisine At Home
Description: Food plays a quintessential role in Chinese culture. Approaching the foodways in various regions in China provides a unique way to approach the richness and diversity of China’s regional cultures. This course introduces Shanghai cuisine, a culinary tradition that is characterized by fusion. Through discussions of readings and videos, as well as hands-on practice, students will gain insight into the Shanghai way of life. They will also learn to cook independently some typical Shanghai dishes and desserts (e.g. Shanghai huntun dumplings, spring rolls, scallion pancake, crystal shrimp, braised pork, candied lotus root, etc.). There is a mandatory field trip to a local Shanghai restaurant. Students will be expected to complete assigned readings, view videos outside of class, discuss readings and videos, write reflection papers, make recipes, cook food with the instructor, dine at a Chinese restaurant and complete a final project. Interested students who have food allergies (e.g., soy allergy, gluten allergy, nut allergy etc.) should discuss the matter with the instructor. Food plays a quintessential role in Chinese culture. Approaching the foot ways in various regions in China provides a unique path to a better understanding of the richness and diversity of China’s regional cultures. Shanghai cuisine (benbang cai), originated in Shanghai and developed its cooking style under the profound influence of those surrounding regions, is a very popular branch of Chinese food. This hands-on course introduces the culinary tradition of many famous Shanghai dishes. The instructor will demonstrate how to turn those fresh raw ingredients and special seasonings into “color-aroma-tasty” Shanghai style dishes. (e.g. soup dumplings, wantons, eight-treasure rice puddings, red braised pork, sweet and sour spare ribs, crystal shrimp etc.) Through discussions of reading and videos, hands-on practices, as well as independently cooking of certain dishes, students will gain insight into the Shanghainese way of life. Students will be expected to complete assigned readings and videos outside class, participate discussions and cook with the instructor in class, make a few recipes of what they cook, and write a 10- to 12-page final essay. The final essay should include 5 to 6 finalized recipes of the dishes students cook and a conclusion. There is a mandatory field trip to a traditional Shanghai restaurant. Important reminder: for students who have food allergies and/or who are vegetarians please inform the instructor and consult your healthcare professional before the course starts on January 3rd, 2019.
Method of evaluation/requirements: attendance of all six cooking classes and a mandatory field trip (50%); in-class efforts (20%); assignments including readings, videos, recipe and reflection paper writing (15%); 10-12-page final essay, which includes student made recipes and a conclusion (15%)
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: preference is given to Chinese language students and based on class years
Cost to student: $165
Meeting time: 10 am-12:50 p.m., January 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 24. Required noontime fieldtrip on Saturday, January 12th
Instructor(s): Xiaohong (Wendy) Wan
Wendy Wan has extensive experience teaching Chinese language and culture at K-12 levels in the United States. She is a Shanghai native and a food enthusiast.
CHIN 25 Taiwan Study Tour
Description: Interested in learning first-hand about Taiwanese culture and becoming acquainted with what has been called the “Taiwan (economic and political) miracle”? Want to improve your knowledge of Mandarin, the language with the largest number of native speakers in the world? Then join us on this 23-day study tour to Taiwan, Republic of China. We’ll spend the first two weeks in Taipei, the capital city, where 3 hours of Mandarin language classes at levels from beginning to advanced will be scheduled each morning at the Mandarin Center of National Taiwan Normal University. After class we’ll meet as a group for lunch and discussion. Activities with Taiwanese university students and visits to cultural and economic sites of interest will be scheduled for some afternoons and Saturdays, with other afternoons, evenings, and Sundays free for self-study and individual exploration. During the last week, we’ll travel to central and southern Taiwan, staying at small hotels and youth hostels. Two orientation sessions will be conducted on campus in the fall to help participants prepare for their experience.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on satisfactory completion of the language course, a 10-page paper on a topic related to Taiwan, and active participation in all scheduled activities
Prerequisites: none; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: statement of rationale and goals for wishing to participate; CHIN and ASST majors and intended majors who have no previous experience in Taiwan may receive preference
Cost to student: $3,800
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Cornelius Kubler
CHIN 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by all students who are candidates for honors in Chinese.
Instructor(s): Li Yu
JAPANESE
JAPN S.P. Sustaining Program for Japanese 101-102
Description: Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study period IN ADDITION TO TAKING A REGULAR WINTER STUDY COURSE. The Registrar’s Office will automatically register you for the sustaining program once regular Winter Study registration is complete.
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. 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 artisan studios. They are a sacred mirror maker who could be the last of his kind, a textile weaver, a Noh mask maker, 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, post a daily journal on the course website and share 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.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project; post daily blog to the course website and a public PowerPoint presentation in Kyoto
Prerequisites: at least one course in ASST or JAPN; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: personal statements
Cost to student: $3,635
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Kasumi Yamamoto
JAPN 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by all students who are candidates for honors in Japanese.
Instructor(s): Li Yu
ASTRONOMY/ASTROPHYSICS
ASTR 16 An Infinity of Worlds: Planets and the Search for Life
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: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Rob Wittenmyer
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 31 Senior Research
Description: To be taken by students registered for Astronomy 493-494.
ASTROPHYSICS
ASPH 31 Senior Research
Description: 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 and Street Performance
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 with a “gig” in a local music venue.
We will meet twice a week for three-hour sessions, with extra band practices, five hours per week, and performances to be scheduled in accordance to our needs–attendance mandatory.
Method of evaluation/requirements: original musical composition with in-class performance; 2-page short research paper and oral presentation; final performance for ‘all college’ audience
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference given in order to: seniors, juniors, sophmores, first-years
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Andy Kelly
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 Intro 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.
Method of evaluation/requirements: attendance, participation, a final presentation of their maps and journals, with attention to detail and content, a field test and 3-page research paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 16
Selection process: preference give to seniors
Cost to student: $90 plus cost of books
Meeting time: 10 am-3pm
Instructor(s): Daniel Yacobellis
Dan Yacobellis is a local naturalist and wildlife tracker who has explored forest and field for more than 20 years. He teaches courses on wilderness skills and tracking at nature education centers in Massachusetts and New York as well as his own independent programs for private groups and associations.
BIOL 22 Introduction to Biological Research
Description: An experimental research project will be carried out under the supervision of the Biology Department. It is expected that the student will spend 20 hours per week in the lab at a minimum, and a 10-page written report is required. This experience is intended for, but not limited to, first-year students and sophomores, and requires the permission of the instructor.
Method of evaluation/requirements:
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit:
Selection process:
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Rob Savage
BIOL 25 Sustainable Agriculture in California
Cross-listings: ENVI 25
Description: This Winter Study Period course engages students with the diversity of agricultural practices in California on farms ranging from winter fruit and vegetable production, to orchards and vineyards, to livestock and dairy, to eggs along the Central Coast through hands-on experiences on a variety of farms.
This is a Winter Study 2019 field course on Sustainable Agriculture in California, a field experience conducted primarily on-site for the month of January. For some participants, the WSP field course will segue from the seminar BIOL/ENVI 422–The Ecology of Sustainable Agriculture to be taught in Fall 2018 by H.W. Art. Preference for the WSP will be given to students who have previously taken BIOL 422. The WSP course will be limited to 8 students. This project is a replication of a WSP course HW Art taught in 2013 and again 2016, a travel WSP experiential course in which 7-8 students gained hands-on knowledge about agricultural systems by working on 8 farms and vineyards on the Central Coast of California. We concluded the month by participating in the Ecological Farming (EcoFarm) Conference. Sarah Gardner will be co-teaching the course with Prof. Art for pedagogical and practical reasons, including here experience in agriculture and her continuing this WSP periodically in the future.
The learning-through-working experience is designed to both de-mystify and de-romanticize agriculture by having the students gain a fuller sense of the realities of producing food by working shoulder-to-shoulder with farmers and laborers. Art’s previous experience is that the investments of time, labor, thought, and sweat by engaging in actual farming practice creates a depth of understanding not possible in the classroom. In addition to assigned texts, we also will be reading books individually and take turns reporting back to the group in the evenings, a bit like story-telling in the oral tradition. The final product will be a collaborative journal written by the class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; synthetic journal of field experiences to be produced by the group
Prerequisites: none, but see preferences for over-enrollment; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: preference to senior Biology and Environmental Studies majors/concentrators who have taken The Ecology of Sustainable Agriculture and/or other food and agriculture courses; then by essay
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: all day off campus, but starts on campus
Instructor(s): Henry Art, Sarah Gardner
BIOL 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Biology 493-494.
CHEMISTRY
CHEM 10 Persuasive Presentation–Maximize your Impact
Description: The objective of this course is to introduce a process for preparing and delivering oral presentations with accompanying visuals to enable anyone to maximize their impact. In many fields the ability to transform detailed personal knowledge of a subject into a more broadly accessible message is critical to both personal and organizational success. Often individuals are well prepared as subject matter experts, however, the ability to leverage that expertise into setting a direction or advocating for policy change is learned through trial and error. The instructor of this course has over 25 years of experience presenting scientific and product information in a corporate environment to internal and external customers. This course will focus on a deliberate method for developing persuasive communication that is both engaging and effective.
The in class portion of this course will focus on instruction with a heavy emphasis of “hands on” practice including iterative brainstorming, group sharing and feedback around presentation design, content optimization and oral delivery. The topics for these in class exercises will primarily be provided practice subjects and data sets related to everyday sales pitches and issue advocacy. Student provided topics will also be encouraged.
Assigned work outside of class will focus on selected readings, viewing presentations by relevant thought leaders and developing a final presentation on a topic of interest to the student.
Students should be prepared to develop ideas they wish to communicate about and preference will be given to students who can articulate concepts they wish to communicate about. This course will utilize Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Excel; students do no need to have expertise in these platforms, however, basic familiarity will be helpful.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project: students to identify topic of personal interest, develop presentation and present presentation to class
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference given to students who articulate a subject they would like to present on; majors or concentrations in political science/economy, public health, environmental studies and physical sciences
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons; classes will not be held on Fridays
Instructor(s): Jamie Gardner
Jamie Gardner holds a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from MIT and leads 3M’s Global Fall Protection Laboratory. Over the last 25 years he has focused on the commercialization of Photosensitive, Pest Elimination, Electronic Adhesive, Lithium Ion Battery, Cleaning and Fall Protection products. In pursuit of these efforts he has developed and taught a process utilized to update and influence coworkers, executive stakeholders, customers, external investors and sponsoring government agencies.
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. The course will include two individual sessions–in initial health assessment plus an additional session designed to personalize the course and assist the student in applying the learned techniques. There will be several books and a DVD required for this class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper, creative project, and final presentation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: email statements will be used in the event of over-enrollment
Cost to student: $85 plus cost of books
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, Klō Organic Beauty. She also holds a master’s degree in education.
CHEM 14 Principles of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Their Application to the Understanding of the Current Epidemic of Athletic Injury and the Development of Prevention Policy
Cross-listings: ANSO 14/PHLH 14
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 first two weeks of this ambitious course is more about design issues than one of current topics in public health, about week 3–through lecture and perhaps student presentations–will apply the methodological “tool kit” to major current athletic health issues, e.g., athletic concussions and their short and long term effects. The last week 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. These presentations may also look at athletic health issues.
This WS course is designed to be a serious academic experience, with the rigor of a regular course.
Method of evaluation/requirements: completion of readings, active class participation and in-class presentations
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: applicants will be interviewed by the instructor
Cost to student: $200
Meeting time: at least three times a week for a total of 6 hours
Instructor(s): Nicholas Wright
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.
CHEM 16 Glass and Glassblowing
Cross-listings: ARTS 16
Description: This course provides an introduction to both a theoretical consideration of the glassy state of matter and the practical manipulation of glass. We do flameworking with hand torches for at least 12 hours per week. While no previous experience is required, students with patience, good hand-eye coordination, and creative imagination will find the course most rewarding. The class is open to both artistically and scientifically oriented students.
Note: if you are required to participate in a sustaining language program during Winter Study, this course meets at the same time.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation is based on class participation, exhibition of glass projects, a 10-page paper, and a presentation to the class
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: preference is given to juniors, sophomores, and those who express the most and earliest interest and enthusiasm by e-mail to Professor Thoman
Cost to student: $75
Meeting time: 9 am to noon, M-F
Instructor(s): Jay Thoman
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 Departmen
Enrollment limit: limited to space in faculty research lab
Selection process: expression of student interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Katie Hart
CHEM 19 Methods in Environmental Chemistry
Cross-listings: ENVI 19
Description: This course introduces students to the advanced techniques used to study the fate of contaminants in the environment. Students will collect samples, learn a variety of extraction protocols, and become comfortable using chemical instrumentation (GC-MS, LC-MS, AA, etc.) to identify and quantify target inorganic and organic contaminants from various environmental media (soil, air, water, and biota). Studies may include: determination of heavy metals from water and sediment sources, measurement of chemical partition coefficients (octanol-water, soil-water, air-water, etc.), rates of contaminant degradation, microscopic and chemical analysis of airborne particular matter, etc. This course will meet for approximately 10-12 hours each week for lectures, discussion of reading assignments, laboratory work, and field sampling.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on overall performance in the laboratory, three 2- to 3-page assignments
Prerequisites: CHEM 151 or CHEM 153 or CHEM 155 or ENVI 102
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: preference will be given to chemistry and/or envi majors/concentrators
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: a 4 hour block is necessary, preferably from 1-5 pm once per week
Instructor(s): Anthony Carrasquillo
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
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 Departmen
Enrollment limit: limited to space in faculty research lab
Selection process: expression of student interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Jay Thoman
CHEM 24 Introduction to Research in Physical Chemistry
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
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 Departmen
Enrollment limit: 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
Description: To be taken by students registered for Chemistry 493-494.
CLASSICS
CLAS 10 From Metal to Money: Ancient Numismatics
Cross-listings: ARTH 10
Description: How were coins made and circulated in the ancient world? Why did a city or individual choose to mint coins? What role did coins play in people’s lived experience, as well as in Greek and Roman visual culture? In this course, we will explore the Western coinage tradition from its origins through Late Antiquity, using the college’s own numismatic collection as a basis for methodological discussions and for individual research. In consultation with the professor, each student will select coins from the collection and relate it to each of the different methodological issues under investigation. These topics will include mint and die studies; analysis of coin hoards; approaches to coin finds in archaeological excavation; the use of coins as historical “documents”; and the iconography of Greco-Roman coinage as it relates to classical art history. For most class meetings, students will present a short report on how the methodological issue under discussion relates to specific coins they have selected from the college’s collection, before choosing a final research project. In addition to the hands-on experience of working with these coins, we will also survey the different historical coinages from antiquity (e.g., Classical Greek, Hellenistic Greek, Roman Republican) through a series of illustrated lectures.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper and a presentation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: preference will be given to students majoring in Classics, Art History, and History
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Nicole Brown
CLAS 15 Plato’s Symposium and its Afterlife
Cross-listings: COMP 15/PHIL 15/WGSS 15
Description: Plato’s Symposium commemorates a gathering held at the home of the poet Agathon of Athens, in 416 BCE, shortly after his first victory in the tragedy contest. The attendees of Agathon’s drinking party agree to dedicate their evening to delivering speeches in praise of love (eros/Eros). This dialogue has long been one of Plato’s most widely appreciated works and its influence has ranged far beyond the purview of academic philosophy. We will read and analyze the dialogue itself, then turn to an eclectic array of works inspired by the Symposium to study its artistic and philosophical “afterlife.”
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper and an in-class presentation of independent research
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: preference given to majors or intending majors in Classics, Comparative Literature, WGSS, or Philosophy
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Amanda Wilcox
CLAS 31 Senior Thesis
Description: May be taken by students registered for Classics 493-494.
COGNITIVE SCIENCE
COGS 31 Senior Thesis
Description: May be taken by students registered for Cognitive Science 493-494.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
COMP 10 Constructing Gender and Body in the Gym
Description: While it may not be written on the campus map, it’s common Williams knowledge that the gym on upper Lasell is called “the EstroGym.” Have you ever wondered why cardio spaces, like the EstroGym, seem to be occupied predominantly by women while weight rooms are filled with men? We will explore the answers to this and other questions in this hybrid physical and academic course.
Half of the course will be taught in the weight room, where students will learn proper strength training form and technique. It is a suitable introduction for novice lifters as well as an opportunity for experienced lifters to improve and refine their technique. Students will explore the differences between powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, and bodybuilding and will have the opportunity to practice these different forms. This includes, but is not limited to, the following exercises: squat, deadlift, overhead press, bench press, clean, jerk, push-up, and pull-up.
The other half of the course will be a critical exploration of phenomena that are often taken for granted within the fitness industry. We will discuss how cultural understandings of gender and bodies are created and reinforced in physical activity spaces. Topics will include the cultural reinforcement of the gender binary, the policing of nonconforming identities in physical spaces, hegemonic masculinity in the gym, and the social construction of ideal femininity and masculinity. Much of our reading will be grounded in feminist and sociological theory, but will also include text and visual sources from CrossFit gyms, international weightlifting competitions, bodybuilding shows, and more. Outside of class meeting times, students will be expected to complete readings, brief writing assignments (1-2 pages max), gym observations, short film viewings, and gym selfies (seriously). Depending on class size and logistics, we may take 1-2 field trips to other local gyms for observation purposes.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper and final project
Prerequisites: none–open to those with any type of lifting experience (no experience to Olympic athlete), including students with any form of disability as long as they are cleared by a licensed medical provider
Enrollment limit: 14
Selection process: students will write a paragraph explaining why they want to take the course
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Holly Crane
COMP 11 Queer Russia
Cross-listings: RUSS 11/WGSS 11
Description: A 2013 law banning “homosexual propaganda” represents the latest in a long series of efforts by the Russian state to erase the existence and experience of its LGBTQ citizens. This course will explore Russia’s suppressed queer archive from the imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet eras, focusing on the vibrant literature, art, and film about LGBTQ Russians. We will examine works produced by and about queer Russians in an attempt to understand distinctly Russian notions of gender and sexual identity, as well as how LGBTQ Russians have formed their own identity within the country’s evolving gender regime. Our survey will include works of fiction, poetry, visual art, and film from before and after the Bolshevik revolution, Stalinism and its aftermath, and the post-Soviet era. Throughout our discussions, we will work towards an alternative cultural history of Russia that will allow us to determine how and why the country’s queer citizens have become the despised Other under Putin. Knowledge of Russian is not required. All readings will be in English, and all films will include English subtitles.
Method of evaluation/requirements: completion of reading and viewing assignments, attendance in class, active participation in discussions, and completion of a collaborative project with other members of the class
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 16
Selection process: preference to Comparative Literature, Russian, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies majors
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Julie Cassiday
COMP 12 The Grand Hotel in Film and Fiction
Cross-listings: GERM 12
Description: The grand hotel with its dual promise of luxury and estrangement was considered a theater of social transformations in the age of travel. We will discuss novels, short stories and films that feature the hotel as a space of both class distinction and possible class confusion, of sexual taboo breaking, and gendered performance, and a transnational extension of colonialist oppression. Authors will include Edith Wharton, Thomas Mann, Vicki Baum, Ali Smith, Rick Moody. Films may include: The Last Laugh, Grand Hotel, Grand Hotel Budapest, Anomalisa, Screaming Man, Hotel Sahara, Hotel Rwanda, A Single Girl, Maid in Manhattan. We will also consider short theoretical readings on conspicuous consumption, branding, modernity and metropolitan spaces, and postcoloniality.
In the present, hotel dramas focus on issues of the invisible worker, neoliberalism (Anomalisa, Single Girl), or the trauma of civil war and the raced body (Hotel Rwanda, Screaming Man), or cultural alienation and the inability to feel joy (Lost in Translation, Hotels of North America). Comedies explore the fantasy of a dramatic social climb through identity confusion in a hotel setting (Maid in Manhattan), satires highlight the confidence man/trickster who profits from social pretensions (Felix Krull, Grand Hotel). Class lines are straddled and the boundaries between death and life blurred (Hotel World, Hotel Sahara) as the hotel space becomes a riotous echo chamber, mirroring precarious lives of illegal migrants and displaced workers.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: discretion of the instructor
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Helga Druxes
COMP 13 Fanon: Anticolonialism and Revolution
Cross-listings: ENGL 13
Description: This course will serve as an intensive introduction to Fanon’s philosophical and political writings, which continue to stand as some of the most influential and rousing works of the twentieth century. Born in Martinique and trained in France as a psychiatrist, Fanon spent the last decade of his life in Algeria, where he joined the struggle for national liberation. Marked by a layered history of anti-colonial struggle in the Caribbean, Europe, and North Africa, as much as by a commitment to the world-wide projects of decolonization and revolution, Fanon’s writing was has been taken up by protest movements around the world, from South Africa to Sri Lanka, from the Black Panthers to queer theory.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; 5-page paper; 2- to 3-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: tutorial-style pairing
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Anjuli Raza Kolb
COMP 15 Plato’s Symposium and its Afterlife
Cross-listings: CLAS 15/PHIL 15/WGSS 15
Description: Plato’s Symposium commemorates a gathering held at the home of the poet Agathon of Athens, in 416 BCE, shortly after his first victory in the tragedy contest. The attendees of Agathon’s drinking party agree to dedicate their evening to delivering speeches in praise of love (eros/Eros). This dialogue has long been one of Plato’s most widely appreciated works and its influence has ranged far beyond the purview of academic philosophy. We will read and analyze the dialogue itself, then turn to an eclectic array of works inspired by the Symposium to study its artistic and philosophical “afterlife.”
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper and an in-class presentation of independent research
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: preference given to majors or intending majors in Classics, Comparative Literature, WGSS, or Philosophy
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Amanda Wilcox
COMP 16 The Ayn Rand Cult and the Libertarian Mind
Cross-listings: ANSO 16/RLSP 16
Description: The broad, “underground” influence of publicist-novelist Ayn Rand stands as one of the more curious sociocultural phenomena to have emerged out of post-War America. Examples: A youthful Alan Greenspan was a dedicated disciple of Rand’s in the 1940s and 50s; Michael Milken was reported to have kept twenty-six copies of Atlas Shrugged in his jail cell while serving time for securities fraud; Congressman Paul Ryan and Exxon CEO (and current Secretary of State) Rex Tillerson both are avowed fans of Ayn Rand; each year to this day, Rand’s books sell hundreds of thousands of copies; and, in a crowning instance of “canonization,” the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in Rand’s honor (as part of its “Great American Authors” series) in April 1999. This course will examine the nature and origins of the Rand phenomenon through reading of relevant works of journalism, fiction, and philosophy. Titles to be studied: Jeffrey Walker, The Ayn Rand Cult; Mary Gaitskill, Two Girls: Fat and Thin; Gene H. Bell-Villada, The Pianist Who Liked Ayn Rand (selections) and On Nabokov, Ayn Rand and the Libertarian Mind; and John Locke, Second Treatise of Government. We will also view two films: the movie version of The Fountainhead (1949) and the 1996 documentary Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life. Note: No books by Rand will be read in this class! It is a course not “about” Rand but rather about the cultural sociology and anthropology of Randism.
Method of evaluation/requirements: class attendance and participation, short weekly journal entries, and a final 10-page paper
Prerequisites: some previous acquaintance with Rand’s novels
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: by seniority (i.e. first seniors, then juniors, then sophomores, etc.)
Cost to student: approximately $90 for books
Meeting time: mornings, three times a week for two-hour sessions; evening film screenings
Instructor(s): Gene H Bell-Villada
COMP 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Comparative Literature 493-494.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
CSCI 11 Hour of Code
Description: Knowledge of computing fundamentals empowers people with a unique set of problem-solving skills. These skills are currently in high demand and are expected to remain so in the foreseeable future. Yet computer science isn’t just a useful skill–it’s also a limitless canvas for expressing one’s own creativity. Computer science is interesting and fun!
Hour of Code is a one-hour, hands-on workshop that introduces young students to computer science. Not surprisingly, mastery of computer science takes a bit longer than one hour. Therefore, the goal of Hour of Code is simply to demystify computer programming. A typical workshop blends self-paced activities with in-class tutorials. The best Hour of Code experience inspires participants to pursue further study in computer science on their own time.
The first half of this winter study course exposes you to elementary programming, the nuts and bolts of pedagogy, and prepares you to run an Hour of Code workshop. The second half puts your training into practice: you will organize and run an Hour of Code workshop in a Berkshire-area middle school. No prior computer science knowledge is required. The only prerequisite is a love of technology and a enthusiasm for working with young learners.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: 1/2 CS students; 1/2 non-CS students, with preference to first- or second-year students
Cost to student: $35
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Daniel Barowy
CSCI 12 Stained Glass Tiling
Description: In this course students learn geometric drawing, design, and the traditional craft skills needed to build a stained glass window. Each student will make a single panel of stained glass from a mosaic of transparent colored glass tiles. Students will learn how to cut glass; to paint and print on glass with kiln-fired enamels; to assemble, solder, patinate and frame a stained glass window. Instructional sessions on the use of tools and safe handling of materials are included where necessary.
Exhibition of work on the last day of Winter Study is mandatory. All students must participate in setting up a group exhibition of work, and tidying the lab at the end of Winter Study. This course is time-consuming. More information may be found at https://coombscriddle.wordpress.com/2016/03/28/stained-glass-tiling-the-process/
Method of evaluation/requirements: creativity and effort demonstrated throughout; quality of finished panel and final presentation; teamwork whilst mounting exhibition; attendance; formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: no previous experience in art or geometry is necessary, however, ideal applicants will have an interest in art or mathematics, patience, good hand skills and want to spend at least 20-25 hours per week working on their project
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: preference to seniors and those who express an early or specific interest
Cost to student: $260
Meeting time: mornings, 15 hours per week; students must be willing and able to put in an additional 5-10 hours per week outside of class
Instructor(s): Debora Coombs
Debora Coombs’ stained glass windows are exhibited and commissioned internationally. She is a Fellow of the British Society of Master Glass Painters with a Masters degree from London’s Royal College of Art and 35 years of experience in the design, fabrication and teaching of stained glass. Contact: (802) 423-5640, [email protected] Photos: http://www.coombscriddle.com and http://coombscriddle.wordpress.com
CSCI 14 Creative Dynamics
Cross-listings: MATH 14
Description: Broadly defined, a dynamical system is an object whose future state can be calculated from its current state. Examples include ordinary and partial differential equations, discrete dynamics, cellular automata, billiards, spatial games, coupled/synchronized systems, agent models, evolutionary/selective dynamics, graph dynamics, Markov chains, and many more..
The instructor will give a survey of such systems, and students will be free to imagine, create, and compute their own systems with an emphasis on graphical presentation of results.
Method of evaluation/requirements: grading will be based on class participation, presentation of results, and a final project
Prerequisites: solid computer programming skills in some language with good support for graphics
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: computational skills, math background, and enthusiasm; students will be asked to submit a brief description of their qualifications
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings preferred, but I will need a computer lab, so scheduling may be of issue
Instructor(s): Stewart Johnson
CSCI 16 Introduction to Tech Entrepreneurship
Description: This course provides an introduction to the fundamental aspects of building a technology startup. It’s one thing to make software–and it’s another to build a successful software company. You will learn how to develop product/market fit, how to build an MVP (minimum viable product), how to market products on a budget, organizing and running a team, shipping software, and the different types of corporate structures.
You’ll learn from a range of successful entrepreneurs and industry experts, through their writings as well as short guest appearances (via video calls) during classroom sessions.
Students will create a demo and 5-minute pitch (pitch deck optional) by the end of the course. For the product demo, students can choose to produce either working code, a technical white paper, or design mockups/wireframes. Students will be graded on the quality of the product demo and pitch. Attendance and participation will also be taken into account for final grades.
Students will have the opportunity to show off their final products, and their pitches, in an optional Demo Day.
Method of evaluation/requirements: attendance and participation in class; final project
Prerequisites: CSCI 134 or CSCI 135 or permission from the instructor
Enrollment limit: 22
Selection process: preference given to Computer Science students, and to students who demonstrate evidence of entrepreneurial initiative
Cost to student: $135 plus cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Elissa Shevinsky
Elissa Shevinsky ’01 helped launch Geekcorps (acquired), Everyday Health (IPO), Daily Steals, Glimpse, and Brave ($35M ICO.) Shevinsky was featured on the cover of the New York Times Sunday Business, for her startup Glimpse. Shevinsky is Editor of the book “Lean Out: The Struggle for Gender Equality in Tech and Startup Culture.”
CSCI 23 Introduction to Research and Development in Computing
Description: An independent project is completed in collaboration with a member of the Computer Science Department. The projects undertaken will either involve the exploration of a research topic related to the faculty member’s work or the implementation of a software system that will extend the students design and implementation skills. It is expected that the student will spend 20 hours per week working on the project. At the completion of the project, each student will submit a 10-page written report or the software developed together with appropriate documentation of its behavior and design. In addition, students will be expected to give a short presentation or demonstration of their work. Prior to the beginning of the Winter Study registration period, any student interested in enrolling must have arranged with a faculty member in the department to serve as their supervisor for the course.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final paper and presentation/demonstration
Prerequisites: project must be preapproved by the faculty supervisor
Enrollment limit: none
Selection process: preference given to sophomores and juniors
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Bill Lenhart
CSCI 28 Solution Design: from Ideas to Implementation
Cross-listings: ECON 28
Description: Designing a pair of computerized glasses is not enough. Who will use them, and what problems will they solve? How can you be certain someone will adopt your new technology before you spend millions of dollars building it? Google Glass and other wearable technologies have struggled to answer these questions. In fact, somewhere between 40 and 60 percent of large IT projects fail and all too often, the cause has little to do with the quality of technical engineering. Innovators often solve the wrong problem, misidentify the users of the software, or fail to adapt to evolving requirements. The challenge is that engineers–and Williams students–like to be told what problem they are to solve, but the average consumer is terrible at knowing what they want until they see how the new product will work. Solution design offers a powerful framework for resolving this paradox efficiently.
We will examine how to visualize interactions between market forces, corporate directives, and engineering requirements, and how to apply design thinking to generate novel ideas within these constraints. Then, we will interrogate the strength of our ideas by asking author Marty Kagan’s questions: is it feasible? is it valuable? will someone use it? and does it have business viability? Readings by Steve Blank and Eric Reis emphasize the importance of low-cost, rapid prototyping/experimentation and statistical analysis thereof that results in actionable development goals. Finally, we will introduce topics in human computer interaction, and organization tools for complex technical collaborations like Git and the Getting Things Done methodology for task management.
Throughout the course, small teams will deploy this toolkit against problems of the students’ choosing. One team may wish to design a new app for the WSO website. Another team may choose to interview a local organization and design a technology powered tool that can improve its operations. You are the innovator.
Small teams of students will each execute one iteration of design and prepare a plan for developing a technological solution to a problem of their choosing. The contents of the plans may include: careful descriptions of the product’s goals, stakeholders, target users, assumptions, and constraints; a business plan; sketches of a user interface; first steps in programming an application; write ups of experiments intended to test underlying assumptions; and a direction for future development efforts.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: students will be asked to submit a brief paragraph describing their interest in the course and what they hope to get out of it
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): Allan Wellenstein
Allan Wellenstein is a senior vice-president at DataArt, a global technology consulting firm and the head of their Solution Design consulting practice. Allan has over 15 years of experience helping some of the world largest companies design and implement massive technology transformations. Though technically headquartered in New York City, he lives with his wife and three children in Pittsfield, MA.
CSCI 31 Senior Honor Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Computer Science 493-494.
Instructor(s): Jeannie Albrecht
DANCE
DANC 10 Funk Styles/Hip-Hop Dance: Technique, Improvisation , Choreography
Description: This course will focus on the foundations of Hip-Hop as dance and as culture. The techniques of lockin’, poppin’, breakin’, 90’s and house dance as well as terminology and history. Technique class will include across the floor and center combinations allowing dancers to find their relationship to athleticism, dynamics and articulation of the body.We will also view and discuss media and literature that contextualizes Hip-Hop,deepens understanding of the form as dance and embodied history. Students will journal to reflect and record information.
Technique class will meet three times a week followed by a required rehearsal of choreography that will be created. The expected contact hours will meet the required average of 20 weekly.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final performance
Prerequisites: some experience in any type of dance form or athletics and an interest in the history of Hip-Hop
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: instructor will contact waitlisted people via email to determine
Cost to student: $25 plus cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Shakia Johnson
DANC 11 BFF (Ballet Film Festival!)
Description: This course is for ANYONE interested in learning more about ballet, through a variety of experiences. First, of course, will be physical practice, 2-3 times per week. For those who have no (or little) prior ballet training, you’ll learn the fundamentals of ballet technique in a safe but challenging class; separate classes will be held for intermediate/advanced dancers. All course participants will gather together twice a week for movie/documentary viewings–a wide range of films (primarily) about ballet and ballet dancers from around the world–and once a week for lectures and group discussions, either in a seminar format or during a meal, about the films as well as the history and/or current context related to them. Reading material will also be assigned so that all students have a grasp of the overarching history of ballet. At the end of Winter Study, students will participate in an informal physical presentation.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on individual progress in the physical components, as well as on the quality of participation in all activities–physical work as well as discussions
Prerequisites: none for beginner-level students: none; sufficient prior ballet training (with permission and/or placement class from instructor) for intermediate/advanced level students
Enrollment limit: 30 (divided between the two levels)
Selection process: students who are planning on taking DANC 203 in the Spring will get preference
Cost to student: $100
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Janine Parker
ECONOMICS
ECON 10 A Practitioner’s Overview of Securities Markets and Investment Banking
Description: A broad overview of various aspects of the Fixed Income and Equities Markets and the role of Investment Banks. Topics, amongst others, will include: The effect of Fiscal and Monetary policy on Markets, Securities Sales and Trading, Bonds and Bond Math, Public Equities and Asset Management, Credit Analysis, Private Equity and Leveraged Buy-outs, Mergers and Acquisitions and Risk Management. Course will focus on real life practices and will include guest speakers and case studies. Course Goal: (1) to provide you with an understanding of how modern capital markets operate from a practical, real-life perspective (2) to help you think critically about issues effecting the stock and bond markets, and (3) to have fun and instill a passion in some of you for future study and/or work in the Securities Industry.
Required Readings: (1) Understanding Wall Street (Fifth Edition) by Jeffrey Little and Lucien Rhodes (2) Packet of Case Studies (3) Students will be asked to read the Wall Street Journal on the day that each class meets.
Class will meet 3 days per week for 2-3 hours per meeting. Outside of class, students will spend time on readings, preparation for case studies, and writing term paper
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on Group Case Study (oral presentation), 5-page term paper (topic TBD); class participation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: If overenrolled, priority will be based on written statement of interest
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Tim Bock
Tim Bock ’88 worked at Credit Suisse for 28 years where he ran Global Capital Markets, leading a unit of 250 Investment Bankers responsible for Credit Suisse’s global financing businesses, including equity capital markets, debt capital markets, leveraged finance origination and corporate derivatives. Tim held several other leadership roles at CS, including Global Co-head of the Product platform in the Private Bank and Head of Derivatives Origination in the Equity and Fixed Income Departments.
ECON 11 Financial Accounting and 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: final project, short assignments
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: preference in order of: sophomore; junior; first-year; senior; if over-enrolled, students will submit written statements of interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons, Monday-Friday
Instructor(s): Alex Reeves, A.J. Rossi
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.
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
ECON 13 Essential Tools for Startups to Change Good Ideas to Successful Businesses and Organizations
Description: This course provides a road map for turning business ideas into successful businesses. Students generate business ideas and then work in teams t develop a business model to take the ideas to startup and beyond. The course also provides basic training in design thinking, business financials, and business analysis. The course uses the Lean Launchpad methodology used at major business schools throughout the world and endorsed by the National Institutes for Health and the National Science Foundation for commercializing research projects. The course is appropriate for students in any field of study who want to know how to build a startup that succeeds.
The class will meet for two and a half hours three days a week for short lectures, discussions, group work, and presentations. Outside of class, students will be required to watch online lectures and videos, read handouts, and to work in teams to develop and research their business models. Teams will be required to develop a team plan, to interview customers, to analyze the results, to revise their plans, to meet with the instructor, and to develop presentations of their work.
Each team will make weekly presentations along with a final presentation of their work. They will also develop a team video of the lessons the team learned during the course. Students will also be required to provide a 2-3 page final paper of their experiences in the course.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; weekly group presentations of the results of investigations done outside of class
Prerequisites: none–course is appropriate for any major and anyone interested in learning about starting a business
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: seniors first if the course is over-enrolled
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Steven Fogel
Steve Fogel has thirty years of experience working with startups. He has helped over 1,000 people start businesses and works with hundreds of entrepreneurs each year. He has used the Lean Launchpad methodology for the past six years and received training at Stanford University.
ECON 14 Sports Economics
Description: This course is an introduction to the use of economic concepts and empirical tools in addressing puzzles and policy issues in the world of sports. Through independent study and in-class discussions of academic and non-academic readings, films, and other materials (including one or more talks by outside speakers), students will explore topics such as competitive performance and strategic incentives of athletes, the organizational structure of professional sports, the use of statistical methods for evaluating athletic performance, betting and gambling markets, professional athlete labor markets, the local economic impact of sporting events, and more. Students are expected to complete small research assignments outside of normal class hours, to present their findings, and to help lead discussions of readings and other materials assigned for each class. The course will culminate in a group research paper and presentation on a topic in the economics of sports.
Method of evaluation/requirements: class participation, mini research projects, and a group-based 10-page paper and final presentation
Prerequisites: one economics AND one math/stats course
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: if overenrolled, preference will be given to senior and junior economics majors
Cost to student: $50
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Will Olney
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: quantitative background (math, econ, sciences) and ideally sophomores and juniors (students applying for internships)
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: instructor discretion
Cost to student: approximately $200 for books
Meeting time: MWF, 10-11:50 am
Instructor(s): Rahul Bahl
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–A Legal, Financial and Business Perspective
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 for entrepreneurs or key employees 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. An alternative to one of these scenarios would involve splitting the class into small groups designated as either founders or investors and requiring the groups to negotiate investment terms. 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 a preference for seniors
Cost to student: $100
Meeting time: mornings; occasional afternoon sessions will be held to meet with industry guests on an informal basis
Instructor(s): Robert Schwed
Mr. Schwed retired from the law firm of WilmerHale in December 2015 after a 40-year career focused on private equity and venture capital. For nine years, he was an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School teaching a course on venture capital law. He taught this course during Winter Study in 2017 and 2018. Mr. Schwed graduated from Williams with a degree in Economics in 1971 and from Harvard Law School in 1974.
ECON 17 Watching Wall Street from Washington: Financial Market Analysis for the Public Sector
Description: This course investigates the strategies for, as well as the relevance of, financial market analysis directed toward the public good. Students will develop a deeper understanding of global financial markets, and learn how that understanding can be leveraged to help shape and achieve policy goals.
Specifically, the course will cover five major topics:
1) Basic techniques for financial market analysis across a variety of major asset classes;
2) The characteristics of financial market analysis–its forms, theoretical underpinnings, positive attributes, and deficiencies;
3) The hierarchy of policy relevance of financial market analysis;
4) Costs, risks, and difficulties of financial market analysis for the public sector; and
5) Future challenges and formulations of public sector market analysis given the technological developments in finance, money management, and trading.
Readings will primarily be publicly available articles and papers, as well as one basic reference book: Gliner, Greg; Global Macro Trading: Profiting in a New World Economy; Bloomberg Press, 2014.
We will meet three times a week for two-hour sessions, with extra discussion and presentation times scheduled in accordance to our needs.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on a 5- to 10-page presentation including charts and succinct text to be presented in a 10 minute briefing format; attendance and participation will also be taken into account
Prerequisites: ECON 110 and ECON 120
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference for seniors
Cost to student: approximately $40 for the required book
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): John Fagan
John Fagan ’95, Director of the Treasury Markets Room and former senior strategist at Discovery Capital, holds a JD and an MPA from Harvard and a BA from Williams.
ECON 18 Games!
Cross-listings: ENVI 18
Description: We will explore interactive games and how they can be used for scholarly research, teaching or training, negotiation, and, oh, yes, having fun. In math and economics, games are the fundamental way we model situations in which people (or firms or governments) interact with each other, and we use these games to predict responses to new policies, to teach policymakers how policies might work in practice, and to test theories of behavior. In negotiation and policymaking, games can be used to demonstrate key concepts about stakeholders, their positions, and their strategies, as well as pitfalls and paths to “win-win” outcomes to resolve public disputes. A number of popular board games and video games also can have similar applications. In our class, we will learn about different types of games and how they can be used. Short readings will be complemented with in-class game play and discussions of the games, and we will watch some relevant movies. Students will keep a journal of reflections on their experiences with the games. The semester will culminate in students designing games of their own–negotiation games, economic games, mathematical games, or board games–and presenting them and playing them with the group.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project; game journal
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: expressed interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons, TWR 1-4 pm
Instructor(s): Sarah Jacobson, Pia Kohler
ECON 19 Wall Street to Main Street : A Liberal Arts Approach to Wealth and Financial Management
Description: Establish understanding of basic financial tenets. Build upon these ideas using modern terminology and concepts as it relates to the growing field of wealth management. Cover topics including income, debt, compensation, investment management, philanthropy, estate planning, taxation and cross–border implications. Course will include readings, discussion and presentations. Class meetings six hours per week plus potential outside class projects.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2-3 short papers
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference to non-economics majors
Cost to student: $50
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Kathryn G Kennedy
Kate Kennedy ’88 is an Attorney and CPA who is a co-leader of the Executive Financial Planning practice at a growing Registered Investment Advisor. She has practiced law, done taxes, survived the 2008 financial crisis. She has worked as an attorney in a law firm as well as at Arthur Andersen LLP, The Ayco Company (A Goldman Sachs Company); Lehman Brothers; Barclays and now is a Partner at HPM Partners (which is to be renamed by 7/1/18).
ECON 20 Ethical Issues of Hedge Fund Compliance and Regulation
Description: Through lecture and case-study, this course is designed to introduce students to the structure and goals of hedge funds, the relevant laws and regulations that govern them, and the ethical issues which arise as an employee and in-house counsel. Having established a working foundation of what a hedge fund is and how it operates, students will focus on the various conflicts of interest endemic to a hedge fund structure. Conflicts between the hedge fund manager and the hedge funds (employees and their investors)as well as conflicts among the multiple funds themselves. Students will learn to recognize these conflicts not just in finance but throughout their daily lives. The course will detail the structure of the compliance departments that monitor hedge funds and the ethical obligations of in-house compliance and legal departments. The class will work through real life examples of issues that have arisen at hedge funds in recent years. Cases will involve some of the significant issues monitored by compliance such as insider trading, failure to disclose information to investors, conflicts of interest, bribery issues, Anti-money laundering issues, and presentation of the fund’s performance.
The class will examine the responsibilities of young analysts at a hedge fund and what is expected of them as well as the pressure they face to play close to the edge of what is legal.
The course will discuss creating a culture of compliance and what that entails from the compliance department as well as from employees themselves. What are the obligations of the individual to speak out when violations are observed?
The students will be presented with articles about hedge funds from both the media, the SEC and hedge funds themselves. These readings will present the students with a window into the goals of hedge funds and the ethical issues which must be managed when working at a hedge fund.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; the assessments are based on presenting the students with real-life compliance issues and asking them to prepare a policy and procedure to help manage this issue for the firm
Prerequisites: interest in finance or ethics
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: preference to juniors and seniors; other prospective students based on a paragraph describing their interest in the course
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings or afternoons
Instructor(s): Mark Schein
Williams College 1988: Econ/American Studies; Vanderbilt Law School 1991; Assistant District Attorney Bronx DA’s Office (prosecuted organized crime and police corruption)(1991-1997); Trial Counsel NYSE Enforcement Division (1997-2001); Director of Broker Dealer Compliance US Trust Company (2001-2004); Director of Anti-Money Laundering Schwab Capital Markets (2004-2005); Chief Compliance Officer York Capital Management (2005 to present)
ECON 22 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
Cross-listings: POEC 22
Description: This experiential course provides students the opportunity to explore public policy through training and work as volunteer income tax preparers for low income working people in North Adams, Massachusetts. By the end of the term, students will be IRS-certified volunteer income tax preparers. Students have the option of writing a 10 page analytic essay or serving as tax preparers for local clients of the Berkshire Community Action Council. The course will also offer an overview of the U.S. income tax, and the role of the tax system in overall U.S. social policy, especially policy towards lower-income households.
Coursework will consist of a series of classes and open lab sessions coordinated with the self-paced IRS “Link and Learn” on-line tax preparer training program. Class time will be spent discussing policy and program context as well as working through the online training program. A poverty simulation and follow up Q&A session featuring guests from local social service organizations will help orient students to the issues facing low-income families in the northern Berkshires.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; complete IRS certification to assist in tax preparation; volunteer work
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 14
Selection process: written statement of interest
Cost to student: $15
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): William Gentry, Paula Consolini
ECON 23 Investing
Description: This class is designed to provide students with an overview of endowment and investment management and is taught by members of the Williams College Investment Office. The Investment Office is responsible for overseeing Williams’ $2.7 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 (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 oversubscribed, students will be selected via phone interviews
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Abigail Wattley
Abigail Wattley ’05, Managing Director–Abigail rejoined Williams College in September 2010 after business school. From 2007 to 2008 Abigail worked in the Williams Investment Office in the role of Investment Analyst. Prior to working for Williams, Abigail was a Senior Consulting Associate at Cambridge Associates. Abigail received a B.A. in Economics from Williams College in 2005 and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 2010.
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, discussions, 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, but will also cover some New World wine regions including California, Oregon, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia among others.
Students are invited to email the instructor with a brief description of background and interests, but are not required to do so.
Method of evaluation/requirements: in addition to the final project presentation, a blind tasting exam
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 27 Quilting Inspired by Gee’s Bend
Description: Quilting as an art form is present in many communities, but residents of Gee’s Bend, Alabama are recognized for their very distinctive quilting style. In this hands-on class students will learn the basics of quilt-making, inspired by the designs and techniques used in Gee’s Bend. Students will also learn about the history of this group of African American quilt-makers and the economic forces that influenced their work. The course will involve field trips to a local quilt store and museum, instruction in techniques such as improvisational piecing, and creation of an original art quilt. The course will culminate with a public exhibition of students’ quilts. No previous sewing experience required.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: statement of interest
Cost to student: $355
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Sara LaLumia, Chris LaLumia
Chris LaLumia is a life-long quilter and retired teacher. She taught one of her daughters to be an award-winning art quilter. Her other daughter is an economics professor at Williams College.
ECON 28 Solution Design: from Ideas to Implementation
Cross-listings: ECON 28
Description: Designing a pair of computerized glasses is not enough. Who will use them, and what problems will they solve? How can you be certain someone will adopt your new technology before you spend millions of dollars building it? Google Glass and other wearable technologies have struggled to answer these questions. In fact, somewhere between 40 and 60 percent of large IT projects fail and all too often, the cause has little to do with the quality of technical engineering. Innovators often solve the wrong problem, misidentify the users of the software, or fail to adapt to evolving requirements. The challenge is that engineers–and Williams students–like to be told what problem they are to solve, but the average consumer is terrible at knowing what they want until they see how the new product will work. Solution design offers a powerful framework for resolving this paradox efficiently.
We will examine how to visualize interactions between market forces, corporate directives, and engineering requirements, and how to apply design thinking to generate novel ideas within these constraints. Then, we will interrogate the strength of our ideas by asking author Marty Kagan’s questions: is it feasible? is it valuable? will someone use it? and does it have business viability? Readings by Steve Blank and Eric Reis emphasize the importance of low-cost, rapid prototyping/experimentation and statistical analysis thereof that results in actionable development goals. Finally, we will introduce topics in human computer interaction, and organization tools for complex technical collaborations like Git and the Getting Things Done methodology for task management.
Throughout the course, small teams will deploy this toolkit against problems of the students’ choosing. One team may wish to design a new app for the WSO website. Another team may choose to interview a local organization and design a technology powered tool that can improve its operations. You are the innovator.
Small teams of students will each execute one iteration of design and prepare a plan for developing a technological solution to a problem of their choosing. The contents of the plans may include: careful descriptions of the product’s goals, stakeholders, target users, assumptions, and constraints; a business plan; sketches of a user interface; first steps in programming an application; write ups of experiments intended to test underlying assumptions; and a direction for future development efforts.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: students will be asked to submit a brief paragraph describing their interest in the course and what they hope to get out of it
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): Allan Wellenstein
Allan Wellenstein is a senior vice-president at DataArt, a global technology consulting firm and the head of their Solution Design consulting practice. Allan has over 15 years of experience helping some of the world largest companies design and implement massive technology transformations. Though technically headquartered in New York City, he lives with his wife and three children in Pittsfield, MA.
ECON 30 Honors Project: Specialization Route
Description: 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
Description: 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 developing-country 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 11 The Brontes 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 Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights as well as selections from 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 free style journal writing, a finished visual journal and participation in class discussion, projects and assignments
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference to English and Art majors
Cost to student: $30 plus cost of books
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 a Good Story
Description: How do you offer an audience, out loud, 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, using the models of folktales and narrative nonfiction. 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 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 and will offer stories to two different public audiences, one on campus and another in a local school. Students will also be asked to write a brief reflective essay.
The class will meet for two hours a day, Monday through Thursday.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: statement of interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Kelly Terwilliger
Kelly Terwilliger has been telling stories professionally for 17 years in schools, libraries, festivals, parks, museums, community centers, and pubs.
ENGL 13 Fanon: Anticolonialism and Revolution
Cross-listings: COMP 13
Description: This course will serve as an intensive introduction to Fanon’s philosophical and political writings, which continue to stand as some of the most influential and rousing works of the twentieth century. Born in Martinique and trained in France as a psychiatrist, Fanon spent the last decade of his life in Algeria, where he joined the struggle for national liberation. Marked by a layered history of anti-colonial struggle in the Caribbean, Europe, and North Africa, as much as by a commitment to the world-wide projects of decolonization and revolution, Fanon’s writing was has been taken up by protest movements around the world, from South Africa to Sri Lanka, from the Black Panthers to queer theory.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; 5-page paper; 2- to 3-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: tutorial-style pairing
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Anjuli Raza Kolb
ENGL 14 Humor Writing and Analysis
Description:
In this class we’ll hijack the tools of fiction writers, dishonor the genre of memoir, perpetuate the problem of fake news and push the bounds of taste in memes. You’ll write several short, creative works and make an oral presentation analyzing a specific work that you consider an example of comic excellence. We’ll discuss what kind of relationship thinking people should have with sexist, ethnic and religious humor. And we’ll talk about postmodernism. Hey, it’s an English class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; class participation; one group project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: random selection by registrar with roughly equal distribution of class years
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Eric Randall
Eric Randall is a journalist whose work has been published in USA Today, Time, Newsweek and The Washington Post, as well as some reputable publications. He has no particular qualifications for teaching this class but is a firm believer in doing what you can get away with.
ENGL 15 Tolkien: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and Oxford
Description: In this class we’ll read and discuss in depth the literary and imaginative richness of J. R. R. Tolkien’s beloved fantasy novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as well as the aspects of his biography and the scholarly works he wrote while an Oxford professor that most illuminate his fantastical writings: “On Fairy-Stories,” “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics,” and “On Translating Beowulf.” By combining the fantastical and the academic in Tolkien, we’ll get a better view of his imagined fortresses, castles, strongholds, of his elves, dragons and shires, as well as a better view of “the city of dreaming spires,” his beloved Oxford nestled in the green hills of its own Oxfordshire.
Students are asked to participate in all class discussaions, and, at the end of the class, students will be asked to submit a 10-page research paper. Class will meet three times a week for two hours each sesssion, and your work outside the class will average around twenty hours a week and involve reading and film viewing.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none–if student has already read some or all of Tolkien’s writings, no need to worry, as there will still be much to learn about his imaginative world
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: if over-enrolled, preference will be given to students who write the instructor a short email explaining their interest in the class
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of books
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): Ryan Riley
Ryan earned master’s degrees in literature from both Oxford and Yale, and a bachelor’s in literature from Harvard, where he was a humor writer for The Harvard Lampoon and started a literary discussion and writing group inspired by Tolkien’s Inklings.
ENGL 16 Henry James’ The Golden Bowl
Description: In this course we will read Henry James’ late novel, The Golden Bowl, which dramatizes many of James’ crucial preoccupations. Centered on a wealthy American collector living in England at the turn of the twentieth century, the novel examines the personal and cultural costs of an American obsession with amassing relics of a collapsing European empire, as well as the potentially ruinous effects of wealth and refined sensibility on tangled love relations. The novel’s ethical and perceptual intricacies are conveyed in an ingeniously demanding style that presses syntax to its limits. We will read critical essays on the novel, and draw on Walter Benjamin’s work on collecting and on the Arcades of 19th-century Paris.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: a 100-level English course or permission of the instructor
Enrollment limit: 15 students.
Selection process: English majors will have priority
Cost to student: $15 plus cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Anita Sokolsky
ENGL 17 How to Write Auto-Fiction
Cross-listings: REL 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: two stories (10-20 pages) and two revisions (10-20 pages)
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: email explaining reasons for interest in the course to [email protected]
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Dalena Storm
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.
ENGL 19 Screenwriting Challenge: The Tale of an Underappreciated Musical Genius
Cross-listings: MATH 19
Description: The goal of this course is to draft a screenplay inspired by the last twelve years (1916-1928) of the remarkable Czech composer Leos Janacek’s life. Before the course begins students will listen to a wide array of Janacek’s music and read a number of essays about his life. Every weekday during winter study we will immerse ourselves in brainstorming and writing, with the aim of completing a draft by the end. The workload will be intense but (I hope) extremely rewarding. I particularly encourage students with a passion for writing and classical music to apply. A writing sample (any genre) and a brief description of what drew you to the course is required.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none, but students with a passion for writing and classical music are encouraged to apply
Enrollment limit: 3
Selection process: writing sample and brief application
Cost to student: $55
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Leo Goldmakher
ENGL 20 Winter Naturalist’s Journal
Cross-listings: ENVI 20
Description: This course will engage with the natural world through writing, drawing, and personal observation. Students will spend time out of doors exploring the ecosystem of the Williamstown area, and indoors practicing reflective writing (both poetry and prose), and observational drawing. Everyone will be required to keep a nature journal, to be shared and displayed as part of the final project. This course is designed for students who are interested in environmental studies, creative writing, and drawing.
Instructor will meet with students for 6 hours of in-class time, and will provide assignments totaling at least 15 hours a week, including daily visits to a chosen spot on campus for writing and observation. Students will be provided with a binder of articles and poems, which they will be expected to read and comment on. There will be at least one field trip. The class will conclude with a celebratory reading/showing of student work.
Students will be required to keep a daily journal, and also to write in class. They will be asked to perfect and edit several of these pieces in place of a ten page paper, and to read from one or more of them at the final celebration.
Method of evaluation/requirements: daily journal and 2- to 3-page papers
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: random selection
Cost to student: $80 plus cost of books
Meeting time: mornings, Mondays and Wednesdays
Instructor(s): Christian McEwen
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. In addition to reading the work of guests, there may be required texts about issues and methods related to journalism. Students will be expected to complete several small reporting and writing exercises, as well as one feature-length news story on a topic chosen 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, Bloomberg News, BuzzFeed News, ProPublica, the Wall Street Journal and APM Marketplace.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
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: $923
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Christopher Marcisz
Christopher Marcisz is a freelance writer and editor based in Williamstown. He was a reporter (and later editor) at the Berkshire Eagle. Previously he worked in Washington covering national energy policy, wrote about sports in Moscow, and worked on the international desk at Newsweek. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
ENGL 30 Honors Project: Specialization Route
Description: Required during Winter Study of all seniors admitted to candidacy for honors via the specialization route.
ENGL 31 Honors Project: Thesis
Description: Required during Winter Study of all seniors admitted to candidacy for honors via the thesis route.
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
ENVI 12 Geology of the National Parks
Cross-listings: GEOS 12
Description: A vicarious trip through a variety of national parks of the U.S. and Canada to appreciate the geological basis of their spectacular scenery. Areas will be selected to portray a wide range of geological processes (volcanism, desert and coastal erosion, mountain building, glaciation, etc). We will meet most mornings during 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 by natural history associations linked to the parks. The second part of the month will involve independent meetings with the instructor to prepare an oral report about the geology of a park of the student’s choice. These reports during the last week will be comprehensive and well illustrated, using PowerPoint and pertinent maps and samples. 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: 10
Selection process: preference to first-year students
Cost to student: approximately $125 for books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Bud Wobus
ENVI 15 From Basalt to Balsam to Beavers: The Natural History of New England
Description: In this course we will explore, far and wide, the New England Landscape and try to make some sense of the amazing physiographic and biological diversity that it offers in a relatively small area. From the spruce clad Berkshires to the broad Connecticut River Valley to the glacially forged coastal plain, we will delve into various landscapes and decipher the primary forces and features that make them distinct–their bedrock and climate, glacial history, flora and fauna. We’ll learn the predominant trees and shrubs and search for patterns to their occupation of the landscape. We will observe the behavior and evidence of winter-hardy wildlife–including chickadees, waterfowl, rabbits, weasels, beavers and coyotes. How do they manage to cope in their often rigorous and fickle environments and how might they be affected by climate change and other human influences? Through field trips, museum visits, individual investigations, readings, discussions and guest presentations, you’ll become a little more aware and appreciative of the natural heritage of the region that you have made your recent home. Students should be prepared to spend significant time outdoors, sometimes hiking several miles, in winter conditions; some trips will require students to be away from campus beyond normal class hours.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: students who demonstate a special enthusiasm for this subject will be favored; all else being equal, seniors will receive special consideration
Cost to student: $260 plus cost of books
Meeting time: mornings; several class sessions off campus will likely last the entire day
Instructor(s): Drew Jones
Drew Jones is Manager of Hopkins Memorial Forest where he oversees the management of the facilities, coordinates research and teaching activities and outreach programs for the public and local schools. He also operates an owl banding station in the fall and intermittently engages in other field research. In the past, he has worked as a wildlife biologist and educator from the Southern Appalachians to the North Woods.
ENVI 18 Games!
Cross-listings: ECON 18
Description: We will explore interactive games and how they can be used for scholarly research, teaching or training, negotiation, and, oh, yes, having fun. In math and economics, games are the fundamental way we model situations in which people (or firms or governments) interact with each other, and we use these games to predict responses to new policies, to teach policymakers how policies might work in practice, and to test theories of behavior. In negotiation and policymaking, games can be used to demonstrate key concepts about stakeholders, their positions, and their strategies, as well as pitfalls and paths to “win-win” outcomes to resolve public disputes. A number of popular board games and video games also can have similar applications. In our class, we will learn about different types of games and how they can be used. Short readings will be complemented with in-class game play and discussions of the games, and we will watch some relevant movies. Students will keep a journal of reflections on their experiences with the games. The semester will culminate in students designing games of their own–negotiation games, economic games, mathematical games, or board games–and presenting them and playing them with the group.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project; game journal
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: expressed interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons, TWR 1-4 pm
Instructor(s): Sarah Jacobson, Pia Kohler
ENVI 19 Methods in Environmental Chemistry
Cross-listings: CHEM 19
Description: This course introduces students to the advanced techniques used to study the fate of contaminants in the environment. Students will collect samples, learn a variety of extraction protocols, and become comfortable using chemical instrumentation (GC-MS, LC-MS, AA, etc.) to identify and quantify target inorganic and organic contaminants from various environmental media (soil, air, water, and biota). Studies may include: determination of heavy metals from water and sediment sources, measurement of chemical partition coefficients (octanol-water, soil-water, air-water, etc.), rates of contaminant degradation, microscopic and chemical analysis of airborne particular matter, etc. This course will meet for approximately 10-12 hours each week for lectures, discussion of reading assignments, laboratory work, and field sampling.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on overall performance in the laboratory, three 2- to 3-page assignments
Prerequisites: CHEM 151 or CHEM 153 or CHEM 155 or ENVI 102
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: preference will be given to chemistry and/or envi majors/concentrators
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: a 4 hour block is necessary, preferably from 1-5 pm once per week
Instructor(s): Anthony Carrasquillo
ENVI 20 Winter Naturalist’s Journal
Cross-listings: ENGL 20
Description: This course will engage with the natural world through writing, drawing, and personal observation. Students will spend time out of doors exploring the ecosystem of the Williamstown area, and indoors practicing reflective writing (both poetry and prose), and observational drawing. Everyone will be required to keep a nature journal, to be shared and displayed as part of the final project. This course is designed for students who are interested in environmental studies, creative writing, and drawing.
Instructor will meet with students for 6 hours of in-class time, and will provide assignments totaling at least 15 hours a week, including daily visits to a chosen spot on campus for writing and observation. Students will be provided with a binder of articles and poems, which they will be expected to read and comment on. There will be at least one field trip. The class will conclude with a celebratory reading/showing of student work.
Students will be required to keep a daily journal, and also to write in class. They will be asked to perfect and edit several of these pieces in place of a ten page paper, and to read from one or more of them at the final celebration.
Method of evaluation/requirements: daily journal and 2- to 3-page papers
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: random selection
Cost to student: $80 plus cost of books
Meeting time: mornings, Mondays and Wednesdays
Instructor(s): Christian McEwen
ENVI 24 Touring Black Religion in the ‘New’ South
Cross-listings: AFR 24/REL 24
Description: In February of 1927 anthropologist Franz Boas asked folklorist Zora Neale Hurston to identify an ideal location in which to study and collect data about “Negro culture in the South.” Hurston’s reply, without hesitation, was the central and gulf coast of Florida because she believed there, “it was possible for [her] to get a cross section of the Negro South in one state.” Hurston traveled directly to Eatonville, the town she eventually claimed as her birth home, and for over a decade, utilized the information she collected as the backdrop to her fiction as well as her nonfiction explorations of Black religion. Taking Hurston’s lead, this course will utilize Florida’s gulf coast as the backdrop to exploring the diverse manifestations of modern black religious expression. Because of its diverse geographical, political structures, populations, and economy, Florida has historically been characterized as a “new South” with distinctive cultural expressions. With this history in mind, this course will address four critical questions: (1) What is Black religion?; (2) What are the distinctive aspects of southern expressions of Black Protestant religion; (3) How do Black communities see themeselves in relation to broader social concerns? and (4) How, if at all, is religious expression in Florida unique? To answer these questions, we will travel to Florida’s west coast and visit three different church communities to understand Black Protestant religon as currently expressed in the ‘New South’ including a small mainstream denominational church in Talleveast Florida; a Pentecostal-Holiness church in St. Petersburg, Florida; and a mega-church in Eaton, Florida. In addition to learning about Black religion along the western coast of Florida through participant observation, students will visit and tour local historical sites significant to Black religious experiences, and will meet with local acadmics, archivists, and leaders. A 200-page course packet will contextualize the trip.
Preference will be given to majors and concentrators in Africana Studies, Religion, and Environmental Studies. Priority will also be given to students with a background in ethnographic methods.
Method of evaluation/requirements: based on an electronic field journal, participation in weekly colloquies, and an oral presentation
Prerequisites: none; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: application essays and interviews
Cost to student: $3,362
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Rhon Manigault-Bryant, James Manigault-Bryant
ENVI 25 Sustainable Agriculture in California
Cross-listings: BIOL 25
Description: This Winter Study Period course engages students with the diversity of agricultural practices in California on farms ranging from winter fruit and vegetable production, to orchards and vineyards, to livestock and dairy, to eggs along the Central Coast through hands-on experiences on a variety of farms.
This is a Winter Study 2019 field course on Sustainable Agriculture in California, a field experience conducted primarily on-site for the month of January. For some participants, the WSP field course will segue from the seminar BIOL/ENVI 422–The Ecology of Sustainable Agriculture to be taught in Fall 2018 by H.W. Art. Preference for the WSP will be given to students who have previously taken BIOL 422. The WSP course will be limited to 8 students. This project is a replication of a WSP course HW Art taught in 2013 and again 2016, a travel WSP experiential course in which 7-8 students gained hands-on knowledge about agricultural systems by working on 8 farms and vineyards on the Central Coast of California. We concluded the month by participating in the Ecological Farming (EcoFarm) Conference. Sarah Gardner will be co-teaching the course with Prof. Art for pedagogical and practical reasons, including here experience in agriculture and her continuing this WSP periodically in the future.
The learning-through-working experience is designed to both de-mystify and de-romanticize agriculture by having the students gain a fuller sense of the realities of producing food by working shoulder-to-shoulder with farmers and laborers. Art’s previous experience is that the investments of time, labor, thought, and sweat by engaging in actual farming practice creates a depth of understanding not possible in the classroom. In addition to assigned texts, we also will be reading books individually and take turns reporting back to the group in the evenings, a bit like story-telling in the oral tradition. The final product will be a collaborative journal written by the class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; synthetic journal of field experiences to be produced by the group
Prerequisites: none, but see preferences for over-enrollment; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: preference to senior Biology and Environmental Studies majors/concentrators who have taken The Ecology of Sustainable Agriculture and/or other food and agriculture courses; then by essay
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: all day off campus, but starts on campus
Instructor(s): Henry Art, Sarah Gardner
ENVI 26 Material Culture and Craft of 19th Century Coastal New England
Cross-listings: MAST 25
Description: The goal in this course is to provide an opportunity for students to develop an intimate understanding of 19th century Mystic through lived experience. To appreciate a culture or a community so different from what we live and experience today, you must also understand the ways in which its residents shaped their world, specifically, the crafts they plied. There are few opportunities in life when this understanding can be delivered through lived experience. This will be one of them. Taking advantage of the extraordinary resources of Williams-Mystic, the coastal and ocean studies campus of Williams College located at the Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT, this winter-study course, taught at Williams-Mystic, aims to: 1) provide rich hands-on participatory experiences that authentically mirror 19th century maritime craft and culture; and 2) offers learners a rare opportunity to delve deeply into the mindset of 19th century maritime culture by creating an authentic artifact that reflects understanding of the values and mores of this time period.
Method of evaluation/requirements: performance-based evaluation using exemplars, experts and authentic audience; final paper or project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: by application
Cost to student: $1,500
Meeting time: daily from Jan 3-Jan 14
Instructor(s): Thomas Van Winkle along with other instructors, including some employed by the Mystic Seaport who specialize in chanteys, shipsmithing, ship Carving, scrimshaw, canvasworks, and boatbuilding
ENVI 31 Senior Research and Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Environmental Studies 493-494.
GEOSCIENCES
GEOS 11 River Restoration in Practice
Description: River restoration is a growing billion-dollar international industry. Since the environmental movement began in the 1960s and 1970s, renewed interest in the beauty and benefits of healthy streams has resulted in increased research, funding, and applied restoration of rivers, streams, wetlands, and riparian corridors. The restoration of rivers and streams comes in many different forms including dam removal and in-channel habitat restoration. In this course, we’ll learn about the history of restoration and the basics of fluvial geomorphology and hydrology. We will gain applied knowledge and experience with the practice of restoration through a combination of lectures, classroom exercises, conversations with restoration advocates and practitioners, field trips and field data collection. A final practicum will involve the design of a restoration project. The course will generally be structured around three sections:
Science: Week 1 will primarily involve lectures and classroom exercises and discussion of the literature, learning about the history and evolution of river restoration as well as the basics of the science that drives restoration.
Data Collection and Analysis: Week 2 will focus on data collection and analysis typically required for river restoration projects. This will include topographic surveying, geomorphic and habitat mapping, pebble counts, stream discharge measurements, GIS mapping, and hydraulic modeling.
Intensive Practicum: Small groups of students will be given a real restoration project example to research, analyze, and design. This practicum will include data collection, GIS analysis, flow modeling, and design plansheets describing the restoration plan.
The class will meet on average 8 hours per week and will include up to 3 day-long field trips. Students should expect to be outside for portions of the day collecting field data in/near rivers in winter conditions.
Method of evaluation/requirements: students will be evaluated based on their final group design submittal
Prerequisites: none, though some background in GIS and a scientific field (geology, biology, ecology, etc.) will be useful
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: background in scientific fields of study
Cost to student: $16
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Nicholas Nelson
Nick is a fluvial geomorphologist and regional director for Inter-Fluve, a river and wetland restoration company. He has assessed hundreds of miles of river and designed/managed the removal of more than a dozen dams in New England. He has lectured at the University of MN, Tufts University, University of TN, and currently teaches courses at Northeastern University and the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
GEOS 12 Geology of the National Parks
Cross-listings: ENVI 12
Description: A vicarious trip through a variety of national parks of the U.S. and Canada to appreciate the geological basis of their spectacular scenery. Areas will be selected to portray a wide range of geological processes (volcanism, desert and coastal erosion, mountain building, glaciation, etc). We will meet most mornings during 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 by natural history associations linked to the parks. The second part of the month will involve independent meetings with the instructor to prepare an oral report about the geology of a park of the student’s choice. These reports during the last week will be comprehensive and well illustrated, using PowerPoint and pertinent maps and samples. 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: 10
Selection process: preference to first-year students
Cost to student: approximately $125 for books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Bud Wobus
GEOS 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Geology 493-494.
GERMAN
GERM S.P. Sustaining Program for German 101-102
Description: Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study period IN ADDITION TO TAKING A REGULAR WINTER STUDY COURSE. The Registrar’s Office will automatically register you for the sustaining program once regular Winter Study registration is complete.
Meeting time: five 50-minute meetings per week (MTWRF, 9-9:50 am)
Instructor(s): TBA (Teaching Associates)
GERM 30 Honors Project
Description: To be taken by honors candidates following other than the normal thesis route.
GERM 12 The Grand Hotel in Film and Fiction
Cross-listings: COMP 12
Description: The grand hotel with its dual promise of luxury and estrangement was considered a theater of social transformations in the age of travel. We will discuss novels, short stories and films that feature the hotel as a space of both class distinction and possible class confusion, of sexual taboo breaking, and gendered performance, and a transnational extension of colonialist oppression. Authors will include Edith Wharton, Thomas Mann, Vicki Baum, Ali Smith, Rick Moody. Films may include: The Last Laugh, Grand Hotel, Grand Hotel Budapest, Anomalisa, Screaming Man, Hotel Sahara, Hotel Rwanda, A Single Girl, Maid in Manhattan. We will also consider short theoretical readings on conspicuous consumption, branding, modernity and metropolitan spaces, and postcoloniality.
In the present, hotel dramas focus on issues of the invisible worker, neoliberalism (Anomalisa, Single Girl), or the trauma of civil war and the raced body (Hotel Rwanda, Screaming Man), or cultural alienation and the inability to feel joy (Lost in Translation, Hotels of North America). Comedies explore the fantasy of a dramatic social climb through identity confusion in a hotel setting (Maid in Manhattan), satires highlight the confidence man/trickster who profits from social pretensions (Felix Krull, Grand Hotel). Class lines are straddled and the boundaries between death and life blurred (Hotel World, Hotel Sahara) as the hotel space becomes a riotous echo chamber, mirroring precarious lives of illegal migrants and displaced workers.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: discretion of the instructor
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Helga Druxes
GERM 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for German 493-494.
GLOBAL STUDIES
GBST 17 The Third World City
Cross-listings: PSCI 17
Description: In 2007, the world became majority urban. But most of these urbanites live not in places like New York or Tokyo but rather in places like Lagos or Mumbai, dwelling in shantytowns and working in petty commerce. Their cities’ path of urbanization diverges from the “normal” one accompanying industrialization in the West and in East Asia. About this phenomenon, arguably the most important social fact in today’s world, observers have adopted wildly divergent normative and theoretical stances, from the romantically optimistic to the apocalyptic. We read a few of these, including Mike Davis, Rem Koolhaas, Hernando De Soto, and Robert Neuwirth, and watch some films and videos on the subject.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference to PSCI majors and GBST concentrators
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): James Mahon
GBST 30 Senior Honors Project
Description: To be taken by candidates for honors in International Studies.
HISTORY
HIST 10 North Adams: Past, Present and Future
Cross-listings: AMST 11
Description: This class gives students a chance to learn about resources and assets of Massachusetts’s smallest city, North Adams. Readings, tours, films, field trips, and meetings with people who work with or lead nonprofits and civic organizations will introduce students to local history, current conditions in the city, and plans for future cultural and economic development. Students will be expected to complete assigned readings (assorted articles) and to attend all class meetings. Final assessment will be based on students’ engagement in thoughtful discussions of class materials and in-person encounters and experiences. In addition, students will complete a final research project (written or multimedia) that they present to the class and two reflection papers. Most class sessions will take place off campus; students must be available to travel off campus and attend occasional sessions that occur outside of the regular class hours.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: first-year students preferred
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Anne Valk
Anne Valk is Associate Director for Public Humanities at Williams, with affiliations in the Center for Learning in Action; the Office of Institutional Diversity; and the department of history.
HIST 12 Cold War Films
Description: The Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, a nearly half-century standoff, was as ideological as it was military. For every nuclear test, arms sale, or military operation there was a propaganda ploy, rhetorical barb, or diplomatic ultimatum to match. Amidst this hostile competition between two incompatible ways of life-capitalism and communism, totalitarianism and democracy–an atmosphere marked by panic, secrecy, insecurity, paranoia, surveillance, and conformity pervaded American life. This class will explore these quintessential, overlapping elements of Cold War culture in a series of films produced from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s. Film screenings will be accompanied by contextual readings to be completed prior to class discussion.
Method of evaluation/requirements: students will be evaluated on class participation and four response papers (2-3 pages each)
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: based on a questionnare provided by professor
Cost to student: $10
Meeting time: mornings, 10 am-?
Instructor(s): Jessica Chapman
HIST 13 Eyewitnesses to History: American Treasures in the Chapin Library
Description: What did Christopher Columbus write in his 1493 letter to the Spanish court? How did John Smith describe the Virginia colony the early 1600s? What would a pioneer find when following the Oregon Trail west in 1846? How much did a female slave cost in Richmond, Virginia, in 1860? These and many other intriguing questions are answered by rare books, manuscripts, newspapers, maps, and prints in the Chapin Library, primary sources which contain eyewitness accounts of important events in American history.
Students in this course will learn, through handling rare materials, how to analyze primary sources and put them in historical context. For the first two weeks, they will investigate items, selected by the instructors, in tutorial-like sessions, with one student presenting conclusions of research and another giving a critique. For the final project, each student will select an item from the Chapin Americana holdings, write a 10-page research paper and present it to the class, and write a brief note about the item for a public display in the Special Collections instruction Gallery.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: discretion of the instructor
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Charles Dew, Wayne Hammond
HIST 14 Game of Thrones, ca. 850 B.C.E.: Empire, Religion and Palace Intrigue in the Neo-Assyrian Reliefs at WCMA
Description: Long before the palace intrigues of Jaime, Cersei and Tyrian Lannister, Mesopotamian monarchs established the world’s first empires and littered their landscapes with palaces and temples, fortresses and monumental art. The two Assyrian stone reliefs at WCMA are stunning examples of the “calculated frightfulness” with which the kings ruled, employing politics and religion in effective and deliberate combination.
In this course, we meet twice-weekly for an interdisciplinary, closeup look at the WCMA reliefs and objects in the WCMA cuneiform collection to ask: What (and how) did the reliefs ‘mean?’ Why did they merit inclusion in the palace of the one of the most powerful kings in the ancient world? What (and how) do they ‘mean’ in their present Williamstown setting? Finally what is the status of Nimrud, the ancient city where the reliefs were excavated, post-ISIS, and why does the study of the ancient world matter in the digital age?
In this course, our ‘work’ includes readings in ancient texts, learning to write cuneiform signs and words in clay, the Epic of Gilgamesh, royal correspondence, ancient conceptions of the past, gender, sexuality, religion, and stories of queens, kings and courtiers in love and war. We finish with a feast of ancient Mesopotamian fare and an overnight field trip to Yale’s Babylonian Collection.
Readings from the extensive bibliography will be selected based on student interest, and the course can be further refined for individual students, including those whose senior theses may benefit from consideration of the ancient world. Students with no experience in art history or ancient history are warmly invited to join, as are those with some background in relevant subjects, such as the religions, cultures and history of the modern Middle East.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; the final project will be adjusted to fit the academic backgrounds and interests of individual students
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10-12
Selection process: by seniority; auditors are welcome
Cost to student: $200 plus cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Alison Gruseke
Alison Gruseke, PhD, studied at Williams and Yale. Her research and teaching focus on the Hebrew Bible, the ancient Near East, and on the ways in which the ancient world can illuminate modern problems of identity, theology and ethics. The negotiation of cultural boundaries, identity formation, and the interrelationship of cultures in conflict form a strong thread that runs through her work.
HIST 15 Homer in Vietnam
Description: This course will examine the impact of combat trauma on American soldiers during the war in Viet Nam, and how that trauma affected their return to the United States. We will read two books that explore these issues through the lens of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Jonathan Shay’s Achilles in Vietnam and Odysseus in America. We will discuss how Homer’s classics have come to represent the trauma of war and coming home from the Trojan War to our current wars in the Middle East and beyond. In addition to discussing these two books, we will also view a number of films that address these issues. The class will be primarily discussion based on the readings and films.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: military veterans will be given priority should the class be overenrolled
Cost to student: approximately $25 for books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Scott Wong
HIST 16 DDR. The Life and Death of a Vanished Nation: East Germany, 1949-1990
Description: In 1989, in the wake of the rapid crumbling of their power in the face of massive popular resistance, the authorities in the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik, or DDR) opened the Berlin Wall. Within a year the wall had been torn down and the East German state voted itself out of existence, absorbed wholly into the belly of its larger and more powerful neighbor to the West. Suddenly, the nation born of the promise to create a genuine people’s democracy and claiming the moral high ground as an anti-Fascist state had vanished, its political culture and social institutions suddenly erased. What were the promises of the regime and what happened to those promises? What were the contradictions in East German society and why and where did resistance slowly build to the point where the entire edifice came crashing down? This course will briefly chart the short history of the DDR, from the founding of the Socialist Unity Party in the Soviet occupation zone of a defeated Germany at the end of the Second World War to the total collapse of the regime in 1989/90. The course will explore key moments in the political history of the DDR, including the uprisings of 1953 and the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961. It will also focus on the social and cultural practices of East German society, exploring the nature of everyday life under the Communist regime. The course will meet three times per week (2-3 hours each meeting) for the four weeks of Winter Study. Part of the evidence for our discussions will come from the viewing and analysis of seven films, the majority of which were made in the DDR during its short existence and are essential viewing for the course. A textual history of the DDR will also be accompanied by a packet of additional reading materials that will be discussed in class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference given to History and German majors
Cost to student: $20 plus cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Chris Waters
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): Alex Bevilacqua
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
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Eiko Maruko Siniawer
INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES
INTR 19 21st Century Museums–From the Inner Workings to the Future Vision of Culture Making
Cross-listings: ARTH 19/ARTS 19/LEAD 19
Description: The role of museums in American culture has evolved dramatically over recent decades. No longer simply a repository of art and artifacts, the 21st century museum is a fully dynamic center of programming, cultural exchange, community building, and active inquiry. This is true across all types of museums–from art museums to scientific, historical, and specialty collections–and has affected every aspect of museum administration, from curatorial and collection priorities to methods of communication, fundraising, and engagement. With participation of WCMA staff, we will examine in-depth the role and behind-the-scenes work of contemporary museums. The class will include site visits to several area museums and discussions with specially skilled museum professionals, from directors, curators, and educators to collection managers, conservators, exhibition designers and development and communications managers. Students will research models of museum practice and brainstorm and develop proposals for the museum of the future. For the culminating project, the class will work as a group with WCMA staff to develop a gallery presentation and/or program that will connect with Claiming Williams Day. We will meet twice a week for four hours session at WCMA, plus 1 trip to area museums per week.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: keen interest in museums and culture
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: random selection
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): Lisa Dorin
JEWISH STUDIES
JWST 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Jewish Studies 493 or 494.
JUSTICE AND LAW
JLST 14 Mock Trial
Description: In the Mock Trial course, students are divided into two teams in which they play the roles of attorneys and witnesses during their preparation for and participation in a simulated civil trial. They are given a series of witness statements and pleadings together with various documents and other data that they must evaluate for potential use as evidence as they plan to present their case as either the plaintiff or the defendant. Team members must prepare and deliver Opening Statements and Closing Arguments as well as handle direct and cross-examinations of the witnesses who testify for both sides. The “final exam” consists of two trials with the two teams switching sides on the second day such that they must evaluate the case from both sides. At the two trials, an experienced attorney plays the role of judge, and volunteer jurors from the community listen to the evidence and render their “verdict” based on the presentations.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: coordination with Registrar with nod going to upperclass students
Cost to student: $16
Meeting time: Mondays and Tuesdays, 10 am to 1:30 pm
Instructor(s): David Olson, Louis (Sey) Zimmerman
David Olson ’71 has practiced as a civil trial attorney for 40 years with a firm currently with over 500 attorneys handling cases in state and federal courts. He has taught Mock Trial on 6 previous occasions, receiving strong reviews for the course.
Sey Zimmerman ’71 practiced civil litigation in Texas and Washington DC representing domestic and international clients in a variety of civil litigation cases.
LATINA/O STUDIES
LATS 16 True and Wild Tales: Argentine Cinema after 1985
Cross-listings: ARTH
Description: The Argentine film industry is one of the most developed in the Spanish-speaking world. It is rich in genres and production scales, and in the issues raised by the films themselves. This immersive course encourages dynamic engagement with these issues, as we watch films that grapple with the country’s painful legacy of dictatorial rule, coming-of-age road movies, familial dramas, and riotous comedies that feature that distinctive, biting Argentine humor. Our meetings consist of three mandatory screenings per week, two of which are followed by class discussion. In addition to learning about the Argentine context, we will learn vocabulary and tools for discussing and writing about film. No previous coursework in film, or fluency in Spanish required (the films are subtitled)–only an interest in contemporary Argentine cinema and culture.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; 3 mandatory screenings each week
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference will be given to Art Studio and Art History majors, as well as students concentrating in Latino/a Studies
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Mari Rodríguez Binnie
LATS 31 Latina/o Honors Thesis Seminar
Description: Students must register for this course to complete an honors project begun in the fall or begin one to be finished in the spring.
Prerequisites: approval of the program chair
Enrollment limit: limited to senior honor 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 and an in-class presentation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 25
Selection process: Leadership Studies concentrators, preference to seniors and juniors
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): William Simon
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 Work 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! Dynamic 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. Knowledge is transferred in the classroom through fast-paced, concise student-led discussion, live interaction with seven world-class guest speakers, individual communications exercises, role-playing, and personal one-on-one mentoring by the instructor. Preparing for productive class discussions and participation requires reading three short books (The Headmaster; Killer Angels; Breaking Through) and various articles, watching selected videos, understanding material provided in a subject matter guidebook, completing a private Birkman assessment on-line, as well understanding wide-ranging human performance though an encapsulated case study of the people at the Battle of Gettysburg. Benefits realized by students from all classes can be applied to any enterprise, including business, entrepreneurial initiatives, education, non-profits, and public sector governmental service. Students prepare a 5-page paper on a topic of their choosing that is work-shopped 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 private individual mentoring and coaching. Class meetings are conducted with lots of fun starting in mid-morning for 1 hour and 45 minutes 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.
Method of evaluation/requirements: class participation based on materials provided for daily preparation, a 5-page paper reviewed in a tutorial peer format and evaluated by the instructor, and a one-page personal development action plan
Prerequisites: the only prerequisite is a keen and purposeful desire to learn and develop oneself through a practical applied experience
Enrollment limit: 12; open to first-years, sophomores, juniors and seniors!
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: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10-11:50 am
Instructor(s): Ted McPherson
http://www.intersolvegroup.com/profiles-frames.html
http://www.intersolvegroup.com/home-frames.html
LEAD 14 The CIA and the Politics of Intelligence
Cross-listings: PSCI 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: cost of book (~$25)
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Donald Gregg
Donald Gregg ’51 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.
LEAD 15 Barack Obama: A First Draft of Presidential History
Cross-listings: PSCI 15
Description: Barack Obama’s election in 2008 seemed to many Americans to mark the dawn of a new era in American history. Eight tumultuous years later, he left office with a significant record of achievement-and his political opponents in control of the White House, Congress, and most of the states. This course will undertake a preliminary historical assessment of the Obama presidency. Looking at foreign policy and domestic issues (including economic policy, health care, immigration, and LGBTQ rights), we will examine Obama’s leadership style and its relation to the structure of American politics in the early 21st century; the sources of his achievements and disappointments; and his enduring significance for American politics and history.
Students will read (and view) primary sources as well as works of journalism and scholarly analysis, which we will discuss in seminar-style class meetings. Halfway through the course, students will propose an essay on some important aspect of Obama’s presidency; the final assignment will be the essay itself.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: one course in American politics, Leadership Studies, and/or 20th century American history
Enrollment limit: 19
Selection process: preference will be given to LEAD concentrators and PSCI majors
Cost to student: $12 plus cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Mason Williams
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 9 am-5 pm, with a possible one nighttime rescue exercise
Instructor(s): Scott Lewis
LEAD 19 21st Century Museums–From the Inner Workings to the Future Vision of Culture Making
Cross-listings: ARTH 19/ARTS 19/INTR 19
Description: The role of museums in American culture has evolved dramatically over recent decades. No longer simply a repository of art and artifacts, the 21st century museum is a fully dynamic center of programming, cultural exchange, community building, and active inquiry. This is true across all types of museums–from art museums to scientific, historical, and specialty collections–and has affected every aspect of museum administration, from curatorial and collection priorities to methods of communication, fundraising, and engagement. With participation of WCMA staff, we will examine in-depth the role and behind-the-scenes work of contemporary museums. The class will include site visits to several area museums and discussions with specially skilled museum professionals, from directors, curators, and educators to collection managers, conservators, exhibition designers and development and communications managers. Students will research models of museum practice and brainstorm and develop proposals for the museum of the future. For the culminating project, the class will work as a group with WCMA staff to develop a gallery presentation and/or program that will connect with Claiming Williams Day. We will meet twice a week for four hours session at WCMA, plus 1 trip to area museums per week.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: keen interest in museums and culture
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: random selection
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): Lisa Dorin
MARITIME STUDIES
MAST 25 Material Culture and Craft of 19th Century Coastal New England
Cross-listings: ENVI 26
Description: The goal in this course is to provide an opportunity for students to develop an intimate understanding of 19th century Mystic through lived experience. To appreciate a culture or a community so different from what we live and experience today, you must also understand the ways in which its residents shaped their world, specifically, the crafts they plied. There are few opportunities in life when this understanding can be delivered through lived experience. This will be one of them. Taking advantage of the extraordinary resources of Williams-Mystic, the coastal and ocean studies campus of Williams College located at the Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT, this winter-study course, taught at Williams-Mystic, aims to: 1) provide rich hands-on participatory experiences that authentically mirror 19th century maritime craft and culture; and 2) offers learners a rare opportunity to delve deeply into the mindset of 19th century maritime culture by creating an authentic artifact that reflects understanding of the values and mores of this time period.
Method of evaluation/requirements: performance-based evaluation using exemplars, experts and authentic audience; final paper or project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: by application
Cost to student: $1,500
Meeting time: daily from Jan 3-Jan 14
Instructor(s): Thomas Van Winkle along with a number of instructors including some employed by the Mystic Seaport who specialize in chanteys, shipsmithing, ship Carving, scrimshaw, canvasworks, and boatbuilding
MATHEMATICS/STATISTICS
MATH 12 The Mathematics of Lego Bricks
Description: This course is a modification of five previous winter studies I have done on the Mathematics of LEGO bricks. Similar to those, we will use LEGO bricks as a motivator to talk about some good mathematics (combinatorics, algorithms, efficiency). We will partner with Williamstown Elementary and teach an Adventures in Learning course (where once a week for four weeks we visit the elementary school after the day ends to work with the kids). We will also submit a Lego Ideas Challenge, to try and create a set that Lego will then market and sell.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 2- to 3-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: discretion of the instructor
Cost to student: $40
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Steven Miller
MATH 13 The Mathematics of SET (and other games)
Description: SET is a popular game where players try to find certain collections of three cards, which share or fail to share properties like color, shape, and number. This seemingly simple game gives rise to an incredibly variety of mathematical ideas. These range from counting and probability, to the behavior of lines in strange models of geometry. Throughout this class we’ll study these mathematical ideas, as well as those coming from other mathematically interesting games (and we’ll of course play lots of SET and other games!). Previous experience with SET or with mathematics is not required!
We will be meeting for 6 hours per week in class. Outside-of-class work will include readings (from the book “The Joy of SET” and short mathematical readings relevant to other board games), learning and practicing other mathematically relevant board games, working on small problem sets, and as a final project designing a new game based on mathematical ideas. These final projects will be showcased in a board game night at the end of Winter Study.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project; small problem sets
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: preference given to students with less mathematical background
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Ralph Morrison
MATH 14 Creative Dynamics
Cross-listings: CSCI 14
Description: Broadly defined, a dynamical system is an object whose future state can be calculated from its current state. Examples include ordinary and partial differential equations, discrete dynamics, cellular automata, billiards, spatial games, coupled/synchronized systems, agent models, evolutionary/selective dynamics, graph dynamics, Markov chains, and many more..
The instructor will give a survey of such systems, and students will be free to imagine, create, and compute their own systems with an emphasis on graphical presentation of results.
Method of evaluation/requirements: grading will be based on class participation, presentation of results, and a final project
Prerequisites: solid computer programming skills in some language with good support for graphics
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: computational skills, math background, and enthusiasm; students will be asked to submit a brief description of their qualifications
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings preferred, but I will need a computer lab, so scheduling may be of issue
Instructor(s): Stewart Johnson
MATH 15 Self Care: Exploring Acupressure, Reflexology and Aromatherapy
Cross-listings: SPEC 15
Description: Learn techniques to take care of yourself and others! In this course, students will explore acupressure and reflexology through hands-on practice with partners. Modalities will first be demonstrated by the instructor, and then will be reinforced through in-class practice. The course will also cover essential oils and the chemistry behind aromatherapy, studying chemical families and their main characteristics. With this knowledge, students will create custom aromatherapy blends to address specific health issues. These blends will be made in class, and can be taken home. This class is designed to be useful to students and their loved ones, providing the student with tools to cope with life events. The focus will be on using acupressure, reflexology and aromatherapy to help with stress, anxiety, sleep, skin health, and sickness. Assigned reading and/or online videos will be required to prepare for each class. In addition, students will complete 16 hours of acupressure and reflexology practice outside of class on volunteers. These hours will be signed off on a log sheet by the volunteers. In-class assessments of techniques will also occur. Each student will prepare at least one presentation to share with the class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 16 out-of-class logged practice hours are required leading up to an in-class practical assessment for the acupressure and reflexology components of the course; the aromatherapy portion of the class will be evaluated by a presentation to the class on a par
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: if overenrolled, students will be selected based on emailing the instructor the reasons behind choosing this course; preference will be given to seniors, and also to students with immediate wellness needs
Cost to student: $20 plus cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Jennifer Turek
Graduate studies in zoology took Jennifer Turek to the University of Otago in New Zealand, where she also attended the Lotus College of Natural Therapies. After graduating, Jennifer opened up her business, Koru Therapies first in New Zealand, then California and now in Williamstown, MA. Jennifer provides a custom holistic health experience which is a unique blend of Eastern, Western, Kiwi and American techniques that is unlike what most have experienced before.
MATH 17 Modern Dance–the Muller Technique
Description: This dance class will be based on the modern dance technique developed by Jennifer Muller, with whom the instructor danced professionally for 5 years in New York City and in Europe. Jennifer Muller was a soloist in the dance company of José Limon before she started her own company in 1974. She has added her own style of movement to the Limon technique, creating an expansive, free flowing dance that is wonderful to do and to watch. The class will be multi leveled and open to both men and women alike. Students will have the opportunity to choreograph a short piece either as a soloist or in small groups.
Method of evaluation/requirements: a 1/2-page journal entry is required after each class, a 1/2-page commentary on 10-12 dance videos, attendance, and a short performance at the end of winter study
Prerequisites: none; no previous dance experience necessary
Enrollment limit: 24
Selection process: discretion of the instructor
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Sylvia Logan
Sylvia Logan received her B.A. in Slavic Literature from Stanford University. She danced professionally with several dance companies including Jennifer Muller and the Works, a modern company based in New York City for five years.
MATH 18 Introduction to Python Programming
Description: Python has become one of the most commonly used programming languages in recent times, due to its flexibility, readability, and reusability. In this course, we will develop the basic tools within python. These include mathematical and string operators, if-then statements, loops, functions, modules, objects, and file operations.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 25
Selection process: seniority and major
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Andrew Bydlon
MATH 19 Screenwriting Challenge: The Tale of an Underappreciated Musical Genius
Cross-listings: ENGL 19
Description: The goal of this course is to draft a screenplay inspired by the last twelve years (1916-1928) of the remarkable Czech composer Leos Janacek’s life. Before the course begins students will listen to a wide array of Janacek’s music and read a number of essays about his life. Every weekday during winter study we will immerse ourselves in brainstorming and writing, with the aim of completing a draft by the end. The workload will be intense but (I hope) extremely rewarding. I particularly encourage students with a passion for writing and classical music to apply. A writing sample (any genre) and a brief description of what drew you to the course is required.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none, but students with a passion for writing and classical music are encouraged to apply
Enrollment limit: 3
Selection process: writing sample and brief application
Cost to student: $55
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Leo Goldmakher
MATH 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Mathematics 493-494.
Instructor(s): Susan Loepp
STAT 12 The Sacred Harp: History, Traditions, and Practice of Shape-Note Singing
Cross-listings: MUS 12
Description: The Sacred Harp is a tunebook, a style, a community, and a tradition. One of the most distinctly American forms of music, with a continuous tradition dating back over 150 years, shape-note music continues to be sung in amateur communities around the country-and increasingly, the world.
In the reading portion of the course, we will study the history and current culture of shape-note singing. We will discuss issues of tradition and community, including shifts and tensions with respect to geographical region, religious affiliation, and race. Meanwhile, we will engage in the actual practice of shape-note singing. For those with little formal training in music, this will include a quick introduction in the basics of music, but it will also highlight unique aspects of the Sacred Harp style in comparison to Western classical music, including the four-shape system of solfège. In addition to singing in class, we will visit one of the regular weekly singings in Northampton (mandatory). For the final project, students will have the opportunity to write a paper analyzing the tradition or stylistic aspects of the music; to write one or more tunes and compare them stylistically to those found in The Sacred Harp; or to undertake a quantitative analysis of the tunebook’s music and its use in recorded singings. Assignments throughout the course will include smaller versions of these varied options, including short composition exercises and responses to the readings.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; final project; musical composition with commentary
Prerequisites: some previous singing or music-reading experience helpful
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: seniority
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of books
Meeting time: two evenings each week
Instructor(s): Micah Walter
Micah Walter received his A.M. in Music from Harvard University and his B.A. in Music and Linguistics from Haverford College. He is interested particularly in non-performative forms of music, and the impact music and community have on each other. He feels strongly that all people, regardless of training, should be able to participate in music-making in a fulfilling way. An active Sacred Harp singer, he has attended all-day singings and conventions in seven states and written over thirty tunes.
STAT 30 Senior Project
Description: To be taken by candidates for honors in Statistics other than by thesis route.
STAT 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Statistics 493-494.
MUSIC
MUS 10 Winter Study Chamber Orchestra (WiSCO)
Description: I will organize a classical chamber orchestra to read and perform music of assorted periods and genres. Two student conductors will lead the orchestra, each one having completed my Fall conducting class. In addition to conducting the orchestra, they will act as personnel managers and librarians. I will coach them on every aspect involved in producing a symphonic performance.
Berkshire Symphony members and players in the Chamber Orchestra of Williams will make up the majority of the ensemble.
The backbone of the training for the orchestra and the student conductors will involve issues of intonation, articulation, balance, bowing, dynamics, tempo, and interpretation. During rehearsals, members of the orchestra will be encouraged to offer ideas and suggestions in order to take part in the ownership of the final product. There will be a final recorded and videotaped concert at the end of Winter Study. Maximum enrollment: Strings: 12 violins, 5 violas, 4 cellos, 2 basses, and Winds: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani.
Method of evaluation/requirements: based on attendance and preparation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 36
Selection process: if overenrolled, a short audition on the scheduled repertoire will be held and adjudicated by me and the student conductors
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: MWF 7-9 pm
Instructor(s): Ronald Feldman
MUS 11 Sound and the City: New York on Film
Description: Countless films take place in New York City, but not all foreground the city as an active character in the plot. In this course we will seek answers to the following questions: how does the urban environment participate in a film’s story? How can a movie soundtrack create a particularly urban atmosphere? How can sound represent or subvert the urban communities represented on screen? And more broadly: what does it mean to be a New Yorker? Films such as The Naked City (1948), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Taxi Driver (1976), Manhattan (1979), and Do the Right Thing (1989) are wildly diverse in terms of genre, cinematography, soundtrack, and the subject positions they represent, and yet their soundscapes all forge a distinctly New York “feel.” Through close viewing–and listening–we will explore how the directors, mixers, editors, and composers deployed sound to forge distinct perspectives on the urban experience. Students will be expected to attend all screenings, read reviews and secondary literature, maintain a “sound journal,” and produce a ten-page final paper.
Method of evaluation/requirements: “sound journal” and a 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference given to Music, Theatre, and American Studies majors, and students with prior film studies coursework
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: three 2-hour sessions per week
Instructor(s): Jacek Blaszkiewicz
MUS 12 The Sacred Harp: History, Traditions, and Practice of Shape-Note Singing
Cross-listings: STAT 12
Description: The Sacred Harp is a tunebook, a style, a community, and a tradition. One of the most distinctly American forms of music, with a continuous tradition dating back over 150 years, shape-note music continues to be sung in amateur communities around the country-and increasingly, the world.
In the reading portion of the course, we will study the history and current culture of shape-note singing. We will discuss issues of tradition and community, including shifts and tensions with respect to geographical region, religious affiliation, and race. Meanwhile, we will engage in the actual practice of shape-note singing. For those with little formal training in music, this will include a quick introduction in the basics of music, but it will also highlight unique aspects of the Sacred Harp style in comparison to Western classical music, including the four-shape system of solfège. In addition to singing in class, we will visit one of the regular weekly singings in Northampton (mandatory). For the final project, students will have the opportunity to write a paper analyzing the tradition or stylistic aspects of the music; to write one or more tunes and compare them stylistically to those found in The Sacred Harp; or to undertake a quantitative analysis of the tunebook’s music and its use in recorded singings. Assignments throughout the course will include smaller versions of these varied options, including short composition exercises and responses to the readings.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; final project; musical composition with commentary
Prerequisites: some previous singing or music-reading experience helpful
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: seniority
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of books
Meeting time: ideally includes a weekly evening session
Instructor(s): Micah Walter
Micah Walter received his A.M. in Music from Harvard University and his B.A. in Music and Linguistics from Haverford College. He is interested particularly in non-performative forms of music, and the impact music and community have on each other. He feels strongly that all people, regardless of training, should be able to participate in music-making in a fulfilling way. An active Sacred Harp singer, he has attended all-day singings and conventions in seven states and written over thirty tunes.
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. Vocalists and instrumentalists are encouraged to participate, but there is no required prerequisite for the course. Course will consist of historical workshops in Gospel music. Required reading People Get Ready by Robert Darden, course booklet 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 a trip to an African American Church service (Sunday morning). Requirements for the course include a 5-page paper with creative project or performance and a field trip to church.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper with creative project or performance and participation in the field trip
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: seniors
Cost to student: $138 plus cost of books
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 14 Classic and Contemporary Musical Theater
Cross-listings: THEA 14
Description: This Winter Study will give participants an opportunity to study and perform numbers for one or more singers in great American musicals and European light operas. You have sung a solo, you have sung in chorus–now practice the exacting art of singing an ensemble on stage. The course will culminate with a performance of ensembles, solos, and duets from a variety of musical theater shows. Other ensembles from European models may also be included. Singers, actors, and pianists are all welcome to participate. The course is intended especially for singers who wish to have some stage time, and for actors who wish to work on their singing.
Method of evaluation/requirements: a student may fulfill the requirements of the course by performing challenging numbers from the great American songbook in the final class public performance
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: the instructor will communicate with those wishing to register either in person or via email
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Keith Kibler
Keith Kibler has performed under some of the finest directors currently working including David Alden, Peter Sellars, Galina Vishnevskaya. He sang a major role in Kurt Weill’s “Die Kleine Mahagonny” under Alvin Epstein with the American Repertory Theatre. He has been a featured soloist with the Boston Pops in American theater music. Keith Kibler is an Associate Artist in the Music Department at Williams College. He can be reached at [email protected]
MUS 15 Contemporary American Songwriting
Cross-listings: AMST 15
Description: This course will focus on learning how to write and perform songs in classical contemporary style. Song styles that will be addressed include pop, rock, blues, country, folk and jazz. Topics addressed will include the evolution of song structure, how to create a lyric that communicates, vocal and instrument presentation, recording and 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 in one of the above mentioned genres. 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. One of these songs will be presented during the final performance, preferably by the student. Attendance at classes, feedback sessions, and final presentation is mandatory. Please note: this class meets every day. A short writing assignment will be passed in on the last day of class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final performance and a 2- to 3-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 14
Selection process: Students with a musical background and the ability to play and instrument may be given preference, but anyone interested is encouraged to register.
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Bernice Lewis
Bernice Lewis is the Artist Associate in Songwriting at Williams College. She is an accomplished singer, songwriter, producer and educator and has been a national touring artist for over thirty years She has performed at the Kerrville Folk Festival, PBS’s Mountain Stage, and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. In 2009, she was chosen by the National Park Service to be an Artist in Residence. She has released seven recordings of original songs.
MUS 16 Zimbabwean Music Collaboration
Description: This course focuses on teaching Zimbabwean music performance. Besides introducing a selection of basic songs on mbira, marimba and voice, the course explores orchestration of such music on other instruments such as brass, woodwinds, strings and additional percussion. The course content will trace both continuity and change in music from traditional song styles into African popular music. Beside the instrumental practice of the class, we will watch on YouTube and other videos the collaborative nature of this music. The class will end with an end-of-Winter Study performance by the participants.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final performance
Prerequisites: none, but students who play other instruments are encouraged to bring them
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: students with musical background; those who play other instruments may have an advantage
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Tendai Muparutsa
MUS 25 Creative Art Projects inspired by Southern Florida Native American Indian History and Culture
Description: This travel course will focus on creative work inspired by the history and culture of Native American Indians of Southern Florida. We will discuss the history and culture of Native Americans in the area, focusing mostly on the Calusa, their society, politics, system of government, trading customs, and religion. We will also talk about their construction of canal systems, and their architecture and engineering. Students will arrive to their own conclusion about the impact of Native Americans in our culture. They will also use their experiences during field trips, workshops, lectures, and group discussions as a source of inspiration for their creative work in one or more of the following fields: music composition, visual arts (video, photography), literature, poetry, and theater. They will create their projects individually or could form teams to create interdisciplinary works. If team work is selected for the creation of a project there will be a limit of one student per discipline in each team.
We will visit archaeological and historical sites, Research Centers, and Museums focused in the History and Culture of Native American Indians of South West Florida. We will attend lectures offered by archaelogists, and will participate in the process of screening, cataloging, and analysis of samples extracted from the shell mounds of Useppa Island and Pineland at the Randell Reaserch Center of the University of Florida. Calusa artifacts made with ceramic materials, wood carving, and painting, are recognized worldwide as remarkable examples of Native American artistic achievement. Samples of their art found during excavations in SW FL are part of exhibitions in the Historical Museums that we will visit. Students will learn about music inspired by precolombian native american instruments and art.
We will discuss information and will visit the estuaries that sustained the world of the Calusas.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; creative project, and travel journal
Prerequisites: none; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 7
Selection process: priority given to students interested in creating original work in response to field trips and visits to Research Centers and Museums (musical, photography and/ or video, literary, poetry, theater)
Cost to student: $1,995
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Ileana Perez Velazquez
MUS 31 Senior Thesis
Description: 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. Topics include the neuroscience of attention, emotion, understanding, memory, and executive functions. Emphasis will be on the neuroscience itself with opportunities for students to make connections to their own learning processes and strategies.
Students will engage in collaborative research projects that will develop their use of the medical model to evaluate primary neuroscience research studies for validity. They will develop their own evaluation systems for identifying how valid research interventions and expanded opportunities for successful learning. Students will lead class discussions based on their reading of primary research. Small groups of 2-3 students will be assigned different articles on the same topic and spend time in class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: discretion of the instructor
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Judy Willis
Dr. Judy Willis ’71 combined her 15 years as a board-certified practicing neurologist with ten subsequent years as a classroom teacher to develop her focus in the neuroscience of learning. Dr. Willis has written nine books and more than 100 articles, as well as giving invited presentations internationally, applying neuroscience research to potential interventions to facilitate successful learning. She has been on the adjunct faculty of the University of California Graduate School of Education, Santa Barbara.
NSCI 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Neuroscience 493-494.
PHILOSOPHY
PHIL 11 Spinoza’s Ethics
Description: Spinoza’s Ethics aims to prove that human happiness consists in our rationally perceiving that God is all there is, and that all there is–including you and I–is God. Yet the Christian Church immediately deemed the Ethics “a book which, perhaps since the beginning of the world until the present day, surpasses all others in godlessness and endeavors to do away with religion and set godlessness on the throne.” Spinoza’s own Jewish community issued a writ of herem, excommunicating him for “monstrous deeds” and “abominable heresies.” In our Winter Study we will closely read Spinoza’s Ethics together, in order to understand how its doctrine that God is everything could be so profoundly godless. Our goal will be to view the universe from the standpoint of eternity. This may involve some monstrous deeds and abominable heresies of our own.
Method of evaluation/requirements: journal
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: preference to Philosophy majors
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Justin Shaddock
PHIL 12 Bioethics According to The Simpsons
Description: Active Euthanasia? Okely Dokely! Human cloning? Don’t have a cow, man! Over the past twenty years The Simpsons has included a healthy dose of stinging and sometimes surprisingly illuminating critique of numerous bioethical issues. In this winter study course we will use clips and episodes from the classic animated series as a launch pad for investigating the deeper philosophical concepts and ethical questions involved in a variety of bioethical topics. Good comedy has a way of driving straight to the core of contested issues and painful circumstances, providing a point of entry for students in the class to more serious, academic material. Along the way, the course will also investigate what makes The Simpsons‘s treatment of these bioethical issues *funny*-how its satire plays on common misunderstandings, contradictions and inconsistencies in social policy and individual decisions, and how serious issues drive the comedic effect. During the first portion of the course, the instructor will present selections from The Simpsons that take up several core bioethical issues, paired with related readings from the bioethics literature. In the second portion of the course, the students themselves will identify and present clips pertaining to bioethical issues. The final project for the course will be collaborative in nature: small groups of students will be asked to develop and pitch (to the other class members) a storyline for a Simpsons episode (or portion thereof) that centers on a bioethical topic.
Classes will meet two or three afternoons each week, and students will be expected to read a substantial amount of philosophical material in preparation for these meetings. In addition, students will need to spend significant amounts of time outside of class viewing videos and developing their final projects.
Evaluation will be based on class participation, one in-class presentation, and the final collaborative project.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference will be given to students who indicate intellectual seriousness about philosophical bioethics
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Julia Pedroni
PHIL 13 Boxing
Description: Boxing is one of the world’s oldest sports, and there are 3000 year old artistic representations of boxing from ancient Egypt. The history of boxing in the United States during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries reflects the history of the nation. Issues of class, ethnicity, race, and gender have played a central role in the sport. Stories about boxing also play a central role in the popular culture. In this course we will look at some treatments of boxing by social historians, examine some depictions of boxing in documentary and dramatic films, and watch some classic fights.
We will also learn some of the fundamental skills involved in boxing. Training as a boxer will give men and women a better appreciation of the physical demands involved. Four days a week we will engage in an intensive training regimen working on basic punching technique, footwork, defense and conditioning. The workouts will involve minimal contact, but will be physically demanding. Students will need to purchase boxing gloves, handwraps, and a jump rope.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation will be based on attendance, participation, and a 10-page final paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: discretion of the instructor
Cost to student: $150
Meeting time: morning workouts; movies, discussions and seminars in the afternoon and evening
Instructor(s): Keith McPartland
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 1.75-hour classes that will meet 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 and Chip Hartranft.
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 journal, and to participate in class discussions of the readings. Students will submit weekly written assignments in response to prompts relating to class material.
Method of evaluation/requirements: four 1- to 2-page papers and class attendance and participation
Prerequisites: no previous yoga experience required
Enrollment limit: 14
Selection process: instructor’s discretion; interviews with enrollees
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Anne O’Connor
Yoga teacher Anne O’Connor is certified in the Iyengar yoga method, which she has been practicing for 20 years. O’Connor, a freelance editor, also serves on the Williamstown Select Board and is a member of the First Congregational Church of Williamstown.
PHIL 15 Plato’s Symposium and its Afterlife
Cross-listings: CLAS 15/COMP 15/WGSS 15
Description: Plato’s Symposium commemorates a gathering held at the home of the poet Agathon of Athens, in 416 BCE, shortly after his first victory in the tragedy contest. The attendees of Agathon’s drinking party agree to dedicate their evening to delivering speeches in praise of love (eros/Eros). This dialogue has long been one of Plato’s most widely appreciated works and its influence has ranged far beyond the purview of academic philosophy. We will read and analyze the dialogue itself, then turn to an eclectic array of works inspired by the Symposium to study its artistic and philosophical “afterlife.”
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper and an in-class presentation of independent research
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: preference given to majors or intending majors in Classics, Comparative Literature, WGSS, or Philosophy
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Amanda Wilcox
PHIL 25 Eye Care and Culture in the Atlantic Coast Regions of Nicaragua
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 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 required to attend organizational and training meetings and to complete a number of relevant readings prior to the trip.
Method of evaluation/requirements: performance in eye clinics, journal
Prerequisites: none; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: application essays
Cost to student: $3,700
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Alan White
PHIL 31 Senior Thesis
Description: 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. By using simple techniques and extensive exercises you will develop your ability to accurately see and realistically represent the physical world. You will learn to draw a convincing portrait, interior, and still life. This course is designed to develop your powers of observation and teach creative problem solving abilities. Students need no previous artistic experience, just the willingness and desire to learn. 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: evaluation will be based on participation, effort, and development; final project required
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 16
Selection process: if overenrolled, selection will be based on seniority
Cost to student: $0
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. If students have prior experience with electronics, they should contact the instructor prior to enrollment.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: MATH 130, equivalent calculus, or permission from instructor; no prior experience with electronic circuits is assumed
Enrollment limit: 14
Selection process: priority will be given to seniors first, first-years last
Cost to student: $100
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Daniel Maser, Jason Mativi
Daniel Maser is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Physics, working with Professor Tiku Majumder in his atomic physics research laboratory.
Jason Mativi is the electro-mechanical technician in the Bronfman Science Center. He will teach the digital electronics portion of the course.
PHYS 15 Cooking for the Real World
Cross-listings: SPEC 13
Description: The course assumes you know nothing about cooking, and, with that in mind, will focus on the basics. The course will teach you how to prepare simple, healthy, and delicious food. You’ll learn about basic knife skills, sanitary kitchen practices, cooking equipment and menu planning. Some of the foods you will learn to make during the course of winter study will include Mac ‘n Cheese, quick breads, soups and salads, pie crusts and cookies. Time permitting, we may take a field trip to a local farm. You will also get to meet with some local chef’s to help you understand why everything we do revolves around food. The reading list will include: you decide what 1 or 2 books you would like the students to read.
Method of evaluation/requirements: daily journal and a final cooking demonstration
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: limited to juniors and seniors but would like an email from the students applying on what food means to them
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: three times a week (no Fridays), 3-5:30 pm
Instructor(s): CJ Hazell
PHYS 16 The Way Things Work
Description: How does a motor run? What do chocolate and steel have in common? How does Williams heat and power the campus? Can paper be washed? What’s inside everyday appliances? How do you build a speaker? From simple machines to complex processes, in this course we’ll explore the way things work! Class will meet three afternoons a week for a mixture of lecture, discussion, local field trips, and lots of hands-on exploration. Homework will primarily consist of readings and exercises relevant to the current class topics and extra tinker-time. In the last part of the course, students will have a chance to explore the functioning of some process, object, or technology of their choice.
Method of evaluation/requirements: either building a final project with a short writeup or writing a 10-page paper, and a presentation to the class
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 16
Selection process: by seniority
Cost to student: $40 plus cost of books
Meeting time: 1-3:50 pm MTF (or MTR)
Instructor(s): Katharine Jensen
PHYS 22 Research Participation
Description: Several members of the department will have student projects available dealing with their own research or that of current senior thesis students. Approximately 35 hours per week of study and actual research participation will be expected from each student.
Method of evaluation/requirements: students will be required to keep a notebook and write a five-page paper summarizing their work; those interested should consult with members of the department as early as possible in the registration period or before to determine details of projects then expected to be available
Prerequisites: permission of instructor
Enrollment limit: 1 or 2 per project
Selection process: permission of instructor
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: to be arranged with instructor
Instructor(s): David Tucker-Smith and members of the Physics department
PHYS 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Physics 493-494.
POLITICAL ECONOMY
POEC 22 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
Cross-listings: ECON 22
Description: This experiential course provides students the opportunity to explore public policy through training and work as volunteer income tax preparers for low income working people in North Adams, Massachusetts. By the end of the term, students will be IRS-certified volunteer income tax preparers. Students have the option of writing a 10 page analytic essay or serving as tax preparers for local clients of the Berkshire Community Action Council. The course will also offer an overview of the U.S. income tax, and the role of the tax system in overall U.S. social policy, especially policy towards lower-income households.
Coursework will consist of a series of classes and open lab sessions coordinated with the self-paced IRS “Link and Learn” on-line tax preparer training program. Class time will be spent discussing policy and program context as well as working through the online training program. A poverty simulation and follow up Q&A session featuring guests from local social service organizations will help orient students to the issues facing low-income families in the northern Berkshires.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; complete IRS certification to assist in tax preparation; volunteer work
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 14
Selection process: written statement of interest
Cost to student: $15
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): William Gentry Paula Consolini
POEC 31 Honors Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Political Economy 493.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
PSCI 11 Editorial Cartooning and the Art of Propaganda
Cross-listings: ARTH 11
Description: This hands-on course, taught jointly by a nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist, Chan Lowe, and a former member of the Art Department faculty, E. J. Johnson, introduces students to the “Ungentlemanly Art” of cartooning through discussions and an emphasis on the creation of their own work. It is not an art course as much as an exercise in disciplining the mind to distill abstract concepts and opinions into visual and verbal symbols that can be clearly, economically and persuasively communicated to the reader. Previous drawing experience is NOT a prerequisite, nor even an advantage. Non-art majors are particularly encouraged to enroll. The basics of perspective, proportion, and shading will be covered as needed to provide all students with the necessary skills to express themselves. Much more important are an inquisitive mind, a healthy interest in the current national discourse, a willingness to enter into spirited classroom discussion, and an appreciation of satire. The fact that the course will meet during the second month of a newly elected Congress means that there will be plenty of material ripe for cartooning.
Class assignments will be critiqued in a non-threatening atmosphere. Lowe, who will be continuously producing daily cartoons, will also present his own work for criticism. Class meetings, at least two hours per meeting three days a week, will alternate between the studio experience and lectures, given by Johnson, that will acquaint students with aspects of the history of caricature, cartooning and art with a propagandistic or overtly political purpose. The lectures will provide students with knowledge they may use in producing their cartoon assignments. The success of this course depends on the commitment and motivation of all participants.
Course requirements include the drawing of several editorial cartoons per week, daily reading and viewing of news media.
Method of evaluation/requirements: editorial cartoons to be produced for each class meeting for evaluation by the class; final cartoons to be published in The Williams Record
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference will be given to non-art majors
Cost to student: $50
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Channing Lowe, E.J. Johnson
Chan Lowe has been an editorial cartoonist and opinion writer since graduating from Williams in 1975. He has worked for newspapers in Oklahoma, Florida and is now a member of the editorial board of The Berkshire Eagle.
His drawing and writing work have won many journalism awards, and is nationally and internationally syndicated by Tribune Content Agency.
E.J. Johnson is Amos Lawrence Professor of Art, Emeritus, Williams College
PSCI 12 First Amendment Law and Policy
Description: The Constitution is a covenant among the people, the states and government of the United States that substantially defines the unique American experiment and experience.
First numerically, and in importance to many Americans, is the Constitution’s guarantee of free thought and expression, encompassing the First Amendment’s freedoms of speech, press, assembly, petition and religion.
Over time the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) and the “inferior” federal courts and state courts have given the First Amendment special and exalted status, ruling it contains “preferred freedoms” that are the “matrix, the indispensable condition of nearly every other form of freedom,” and the mechanisms Americans employ to “form a more perfect union” through democratic processes.
The course will provide students an intensive examination of First Amendment law and policy, with substantially more time and attention devoted to these rights than possible in a survey civil liberties or constitutional law course.
We will examine the most important First Amendment decisions and influential concurring and dissenting opinions dealing with government action purportedly infringing a First Amendment right. We will also examine how free expression fares in and shapes American society at large. A private employer’s, college’s or other institution’s restriction of expression may not violate the First because it is not government action, but the First and its judicial interpretation affects the discussion and resolution of non-government conflicts involving speech, political activity and religious exercise. The course will explore the rationale and implications of permitting and fostering or limiting certain categories of free expression or in specific contexts (libel – obscenity – “fighting words” – hate speech – depictions of violence and cruelty – child pornography – and others) and in various settings, public and private, involving and outside government.
The course will be offered at a time when First Amendment rights are being challenged, especially press freedoms and free speech on college campuses, including Williams’. With the press held in historically low esteem by the public and under attack from the current federal administration the course will incorporate lessons and discussions involving these matters. Some portion of each class will be devoted to current free expression issues in America, in its local communities and on the Williams’ and other college campuses. Students will be assigned to identify, research and lead discussions of such issues.
The course requires reading (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1puCX7gzBRfH_3Km2tVClZU0ELE7JS8RQaWmd5KTg84k/edit?usp=sharing), class participation and writing. Class participation will be important because the course will be taught Socratically (as most law school classes are with the teacher asking and students answering questions – and many in the other direction). There will be an optional SCOTUS simulated oral argument at the end of the winter study.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none, but if oversubscribed priority will be given to students who have taken constitutional law
Enrollment limit: 25
Selection process: students who have a background in or have taken constitutional law or civil liberties will be given priority
Cost to student: $123 plus cost of books
Meeting time: flexible
Instructor(s): Lloyd Constantine
Lloyd Constantine ’69 has argued many constitutional law cases in SCOTUS and “inferior” federal courts. He has taught law school (Fordham) and both civil liberties and first amendment law and policy to undergraduates (SUNY).
PSCI 13 The Art of War
Description: This course will examine the meaning and uses of the classical Chinese text, The Art of War, by Sunzi. Students will consider Sunzi’s insights both in the context of ancient Chinese philosophy and in terms of their contemporary relevance. The first half of the course will concentrate on placing Sunzi in historical and philosophical context; the second half will examine how The Art of War has been used in a variety of modern fields.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; mandatory class attendance and participation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: students with background in Chinese studies will have a preference; after that, seniority
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Sam Crane
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: cost of book (~$25)
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Donald Gregg
Donald Gregg ’51 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 Barack Obama: A First Draft of Presidential History
Cross-listings: LEAD 15
Description: Barack Obama’s election in 2008 seemed to many Americans to mark the dawn of a new era in American history. Eight tumultuous years later, he left office with a significant record of achievement-and his political opponents in control of the White House, Congress, and most of the states. This course will undertake a preliminary historical assessment of the Obama presidency. Looking at foreign policy and domestic issues (including economic policy, health care, immigration, and LGBTQ rights), we will examine Obama’s leadership style and its relation to the structure of American politics in the early 21st century; the sources of his achievements and disappointments; and his enduring significance for American politics and history.
Students will read (and view) primary sources as well as works of journalism and scholarly analysis, which we will discuss in seminar-style class meetings. Halfway through the course, students will propose an essay on some important aspect of Obama’s presidency; the final assignment will be the essay itself.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: one course in American politics, Leadership Studies, and/or 20th century American history
Enrollment limit: 19
Selection process: preference will be given to LEAD concentrators and PSCI majors
Cost to student: $12 plus cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Mason Williams
PSCI 16 The Martial Art of Politics–Aikido, Gandhi, and King
Description: “The techniques of Aikido are intended as tools for us to use in examining the nature of power, to engage in uncompromising self-scrutiny, and to realize our potential as powerful, compassionate, creative, self-aware human beings.”–Mary Heiny Sensei
Aikido is a Japanese martial tradition that combines the samurai arts of swordwork and grappling with the philosophical desire to forge a path of harmony in the face of determined opposition. 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.
The physical training (10 am-noon each weekday morning in Currier Ballroom) 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 selected writings on nonviolence (Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and theoretician Gene Sharp) and the tactical practices of successful nonviolent protest campaigns. 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 on a topic of their choosing. Each group will be responsible for crafting speech text, a tactical analysis of their proposed campaign, and a social media plan. Actually implementing the campaign is not a part of the course.
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 we so often encounter. Joining us for several sessions will be local scholar Stewart Burns, author of the award-winning MLK biography To The Mountaintop. 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 do not have to be especially athletic, and in Aikido women train as equals with men.
Students are encouraged to correspond with the instructor (rkent-at-williams.edu) before registration begins if they have questions.
Method of evaluation/requirements: quality of participation in both physical and intellectual course components (historical analysis, class discussions, final project)
Prerequisites: same physician’s approval on file as the school requires to participate on sports teams
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: if overenrolled, selection will be based on a questionnaire
Cost to student: $175
Meeting time: daily, 10 am-noon for aikido training, + 2 times a week for academic discussions, typically over lunch.
Instructor(s): Robert Kent
Robert Kent ’84 spent 3 years in Kyoto, Japan earning his Sho Dan (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), having studied for 21 years at Aikido West in Redwood City under Frank Doran Shihan, where he helped run the youth program for 18 years. He is currently President of Aiki Extensions, Inc, a nonprofit that supports programs that bring the strategic insights and practical wisdom of Aikido into non-traditional settings. He earned a Masters degree in Philosophy at Claremont Graduate School in 1993, writing his thesis on the Ethics of Authenticity. This will be the twelfth year he’s offered a Winter Study class.
PSCI 17 The Third World City
Cross-listings: GBST 17
Description: In 2007, the world became majority urban. But most of these urbanites live not in places like New York or Tokyo but rather in places like Lagos or Mumbai, dwelling in shantytowns and working in petty commerce. Their cities’ path of urbanization diverges from the “normal” one accompanying industrialization in the West and in East Asia. About this phenomenon, arguably the most important social fact in today’s world, observers have adopted wildly divergent normative and theoretical stances, from the romantically optimistic to the apocalyptic. We read a few of these, including Mike Davis, Rem Koolhaas, Hernando De Soto, and Robert Neuwirth, and watch some films and videos on the subject.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference to PSCI majors and GBST concentrators
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): James Mahon
PSCI 18 Girl Meets World: Films from 5 Continents
Cross-listings: WGSS 18
Description: This course brings together a selection of films that challenge the narrative of girl-meets-boy as the privileged formula for representing the growth and development of young women around the world. Sometimes girl does meet boy, but the challenge that these films put to us is to re-imagine the path to womanhood as mediated by other factors as well: girls’ own curiosity and ambition, their resourcefulness in the face of poverty and exploitation, resistance against being gendered in conventional ways, their friendships and romantic ties with one another, and their many creative ways of defining how one becomes a woman. To support our analysis of the films, we will also consider how some transnational feminist movements have responded to the challenges and creative energies of girlhood. Special attention will be given to the difficulty of securing girls’ rights through international conventions that implicitly treat all children (ages 0-18) as male, and all women as adults. Films and film-makers will likely be selected from the following countries: Korea, India, Great Britain, Belgium, Senegal, France, Australia, Colombia, Argentina, and the United States. Readings to be completed outside of class time include children’s books, young adult fiction, and international human rights documents.
Method of evaluation/requirements: active class participation and either 3 policy memos (3-4 pages each) or one 10-page final paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference to Political Science and WGSS majors
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Nimu Njoya
PSCI 19 Law as a Tool for Social Justice
Description: The law may be deployed to achieve social justice in different ways: through the courts, legislation, and 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. We 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 for non-fiction), which is about a 1949 Florida rape case involving 3 black men who are defended against the charge of raping a white woman by Thurgood Marshall, at risk to his life. While we encounter the brutal obstacles to obtaining justice in the deep South, the book also is in part a mini-biography of Marshall, and we will read about the great victories he achieved nationally in Supreme Ct. cases involving voting, housing and education.
Next is Gideon’s Trumpet, a classic in the field of constitutional law by Anthony Lewis about winning the right of a pauper to be provided with a lawyer in 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 protection provided to individuals by the Bill of Rights.
The third book is Winning Marriage by Marc Solomon. It narrates the incredibly successful effort by the LGBT community to win for same-sex couples the right to marry, focusing on gritty political battles at the state level, moving to landfall Supreme Ct. decisions. We will read the penultimate Obergfell decision.
The last book is Jonathan Harr’s A Civil Action (winner, 1996 Nat’l Book Critics Circle Award for non-fiction). The issue is environmental justice and the case is a lawsuit between private litigants: Woburn MA residents who suffered leukemia and other illnesses arising out of toxic chemicals dumped by two large corporations. A David, a very small law firm, takes on Goliath, two giant companies and their huge law firms.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: seniors first, then juniors, sophomores and first-years
Cost to student: approximately $70 for books
Meeting time: 10-11:50 am MWF
Instructor(s): Richard Pollet
Richard Pollet graduated from Williams in 1969 cum laude, with Honors in Poli Sci, and thereafter obtained a law degree from Columbia Law School. He spent 40 years practicing law, the last 26 as General Counsel of J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT), retiring in 2013. Subsequently, he has done some consulting for WPP, JWT’s parent company, and last taught this Winter Study course in Jan. 2018.
PSCI 20 The Personal is Political: A Nonfiction Writing Workshop
Description: Since St. Augustine’s Confessions, great political thinkers have crafted personal stories as evidence of and witness to their own political times. Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs told their stories to further the abolitionist movement. W.E.B. DuBois, James Baldwin, and Simone de Beauvoir ushered us through the turbulent 20th century showing how the personal is political, and the political, personal. Today, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Suki Kim, Maggie Nelson, and Claudia Rankine, among others, show us how well-crafted personal stories can bring important political ideas to the forefront of our collective imagination.
Anticipating criticism of the form, Beauvoir wrote in the preface to her 1961 autobiography that “if any individual…reveals himself honestly, everyone, more or less, becomes involved. It is impossible for him to shed light on his own life without at some point illuminating the lives of others.” In this workshop, you will do just that, crafting a nonfiction project–memoir, personal essay, or a hybrid form–the final draft of which will determine half of your grade. We’ll meet for six hours each week, splitting our time between discussions of the published work we’re reading and a workshop-setting discussion of the work you’re producing. Your engagement with this class will occupy significantly more time outside of the classroom–roughly twenty hours a week–during which you’ll be engaged in the writing process and reading for class.
Readings for the course will be selected from:
Baldwin, James. “Notes of a Native Son”
Biss, Eula. Selections from Notes from No Man’s Land
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Selections from Between The World and Me
Hurston, Zora Neale. How It Feels to be Colored Me
Khan-Cullors, Patrisse and Asha Bandele. Selections from When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir
Nelson, Maggie. Selections from The Argonauts
Rankine, Claudia. Selections from Citizen
Smarsh, Sarah. “Poor Teeth”
and others
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: through submission and evlautaion of a brief writing sample
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Julia Munemo
Julia Munemo holds her MFA in creative nonfiction and has completed a memoir about race, love, mental illness, and her father–a writer of racially charged pulp fiction. Her manuscript explores how her legacy conflicts with her present-day life as one half of an interracial marriage and the mother of mixed-race children. She teaches writing workshops in Williamstown and Maine.
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. During the session, students are responsible for keeping a journal of their experiences and observations. Additionally, students write final papers summarizing and reflecting upon the experience in light of assigned readings. A group meeting of all students will occur before winter study to prepare and after to discuss the experience.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; 90 hours of fieldwork; satisfactory evaluation from the institutional sponsor; daily journal; 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: $0
Meeting time: meeting prior to start of winter study and again after conclusion
Instructor(s): Nicole Mellow, Paula Consolini
PSCI 22 Learning Intervention for Teens
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 program, an official Commonwealth of Massachusetts probation program. Our goal is to empower the teenagers through positive peer mentorship and by allowing them to take ownership of an independent project. Each Williams student helps a teen investigate, develop a final project, and present about a topic of the teen’s choosing. The project and other program activities aim to cultivate initiative, creativity, focus, and skills in areas such as goal-setting and communication, which the teenagers can transfer to their school, work, and home lives. The course ends with a presentation in which each adolescent/Williams student pair formally presents its work 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 develop experience serving in an official capacity, learn to mentor teenagers, and gain insight into the juvenile justice system. 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, sponsored by Chief Wynn and Professor Shanks but entirely run by trained Williams students who have served as mentors in the past. In order to enroll in the course, all students must write a paragraph explaining why they believe they’d be a successful mentor in this program. Students should email their paragraphs to student coordinator Nicholas Goldrosen at [email protected] and cc: [email protected]
Method of evaluation/requirements: journal and final reflection totaling 10-15 pages, final project with teenager
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: by paragraph of interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: the first day of the class (1/3/19) will meet from 9 am to 4 pm. The other class sessions meet TWR from 3-6 pm
Instructor(s): Cheryl Shanks, Michael Wynn
Michael Wynn, Pittsfield Chief of Police, graduated from Williams in 1993.
PSCI 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Political Science 493-494.
PSCI 32 Individual Project
Description: To be taken by students registered for Political Science 495 or 496.
PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 11 Designing Your Life and Career after Williams
Description: This course takes a psychological approach to helping you figure out what to do with your life. We start by reviewing your life story up until now and determining how it has shaped you. We discuss, for example, whether you feel pressured to go down a certain road, whether you feel torn between your head and your heart, or whether you feel directionless. Then we take stock of who you really are now, including your core interests, tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses. We try to identify life designs that play to your signature strengths, as opposed to situations that are a setup for frustration and failure. The class encourages you to let go of comparing yourself to your peers, as different people need different things. You explore your underlying values and what you find most important in life. You consider the level of meaning you need in your work, as well as how much you care about money, status, fame, independence, connection, and creativity. The class introduces you to the concept of “flow,” the feeling you get when engaging in activities that provide ideal levels of challenge and mastery. By designing lives and careers that promote flow states, you will be most likely to thrive and not merely succeed. Indeed, it is important not to design a life that appears successful but feels miserable. Your choice of a romantic partner can also have huge implications for the trajectory of your life. The class helps you to identify typical traps, such as staying with someone who is a bad match, and discusses how to make constructive relationship choices. Ultimately, as there are likely multiple valid life and career paths for you to take, you identify and develop three different plans that feel authentic and inspiring to you.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference given to juniors and seniors
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: 10 am-noon, MTW
Instructor(s): Ben Johnson
Dr. Johnson received his B.A. from Williams College, his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Yale University, and is a Clinical Associate Professor at Brown University. He has taught this Winter Study for the last two years and deeply enjoys mentoring students around career issues.
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. The course culminates in a final peer education presentation each student develops over the first 3 weeks through independent study outside of class on a related topic of their own choosing approved by the instructor.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: instructor approval
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Kathryn Foley
PSYC 13 Practical Preparation For Work After Williams: Standing Out Instead of Fitting In!
Cross-listings: LEAD 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! Dynamic 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. Knowledge is transferred in the classroom through fast-paced, concise student-led discussion, live interaction with seven world-class guest speakers, individual communications exercises, role-playing, and personal one-on-one mentoring by the instructor. Preparing for productive class discussions and participation requires reading three short books (The Headmaster; Killer Angels; Breaking Through) and various articles, watching selected videos, understanding material provided in a subject matter guidebook, completing a private Birkman assessment on-line, as well understanding wide-ranging human performance though an encapsulated case study of the people at the Battle of Gettysburg. Benefits realized by students from all classes can be applied to any enterprise, including business, entrepreneurial initiatives, education, non-profits, and public sector governmental service. Students prepare a 5-page paper on a topic of their choosing that is work-shopped 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 private individual mentoring and coaching. Class meetings are conducted with lots of fun starting in mid-morning for 1 hour and 45 minutes 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.
Method of evaluation/requirements: class participation based on materials provided for daily preparation, a 5-page paper reviewed in a tutorial peer format and evaluated by the instructor, and a one-page personal development action plan
Prerequisites: the only prerequisite is a keen and purposeful desire to learn and develop oneself through a practical applied experience
Enrollment limit: 12; open to first-years, sophomores, juniors and seniors!
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: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10-11:50 am
Instructor(s): Ted McPherson
http://www.intersolvegroup.com/profiles-frames.html
http://www.intersolvegroup.com/home-frames.html
PSYC 14 JA SelCom
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: 10-page paper
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: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): Dave Johnson
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: formal public exhibit
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
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 taught self compassion skills, including mindfulness practices and recognizing and challenging negative self talk, among others. You will be asked to practice these skills between classes, do some reading, and reflect on your experiences.
Method of evaluation/requirements: one 2- to 3-page reflection paper will be due each week; a weekly log of mindfulness activities will also be kept and submitted
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 18
Selection process: random selection
Cost to student: $10
Meeting time: mornings and afternoons
Instructor(s): Becky Crane
Becky is a licensed clinical social worker. She has worked as a psychotherapist with Integrative Wellbeing Services here at Williams since 2014. She has explored the topics of compassion and self compassion both professionally and personally.
PSYC 17 “Cultural Cliteracy”: Introduction to Transformative Sexuality Education
Description: This course will introduce students to transformative sexuality education. Transformative sexuality education assumes students will experience major shifts in their sexual knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Undergraduates commonly report inadequate sex education in high school, concern that students are sexually harassed, assaulted, or raped during their four years in residence and that little opportunity exists on campus for students to talk with each other candidly about sexual issues. The course is designed to improve the sexual culture on the Williams College campus by expanding knowledge, fostering skills, and providing opportunities for intergroup dialogue. Students will explore topics such as communication and sexual communication, gender diversity, enthusiastic consent, pleasure in and out of committed relationships, hookup culture, models of sexual functioning, BDSM/kink culture, and sexual identity. Topics will be examined through an intersectional lens.
A variety of methods will help engage students with course material. Lectures by the instructors, large and small group discussions, role-plays, practice of empathy, intimacy, interviewing skills, reading literary fiction, DVD screenings, anonymous class surveys, and taking sexual histories promote students’ learning. Sexually explicit material is used in this course, following trauma-informed practices and guidelines specifying best pedagogical practices. Each class session is designed to create activities that will lead students to achieve at least three learning objectives.
Evaluation will be based on submission of a journal entry related to each class session and a journal entry related to a reading/movie due each class session. Students will submit a final paper and creative project. Attendance and participation are crucial to successful completion of this course.
Method of evaluation/requirements: class attendance and participation; 5-page paper; 2- to 3-page paper; final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: sophomores and juniors will be given priority
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: three 2-hour sessions a week would be preferable
Instructor(s): Ruby Solomon, Paul Gitterman
PSYC 18 Peer Health Call In Walk In Training
Cross-listings: SPEC 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: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 24
Selection process: current 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
Instructor(s): Laini Sporbert
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 Noah Sandstrom is required
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: random selection
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: by appointment
Instructor(s): Noah Sandstrom
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 faculty mentor
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: TBD based on the research lab project
Instructor(s): Steve Fein
PSYC 23 Gaudino Fellowship: Immersive Engagement and Reflection
Description:
Method of evaluation/requirements:
Prerequisites:
Enrollment limit:
Selection process:
Meeting time:
Instructor(s): Susan Engel
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): Amie Hane
PUBLIC HEALTH
PHLH 13 Behavioral Health Prevention and Middle School Leadership Development
Description: In this course, students will learn about behavioral health prevention and promotion, with an emphasis on the prevention of substance use disorders and the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Strategic Prevention Framework. Following this grounding in prevention science, students will learn about middle school leadership development and community action with a behavioral health and wellness focus, and be trained to deliver core components of the New Hampshire Teen Institute’s (TI) Leaders In Prevention program for students in grades 6-8.
The classroom portion of this course will prepare students to put this knowledge into practice as staff members at the January session of Leaders In Prevention, serving with other youth & adult staff members of TI to facilitate a weekend of education and networking for 50-60 middle school students from around NH and New England. Students in this course will work with teams of middle school students to help them create a student-led action plan for a school or community wellness event to be implemented in their home communities.
During the first 2 weeks of the Winter Study period, students will meet on campus for approx. 15 hrs per week. The experiential portion of the course–serving as facilitators at the Leaders In Prevention weekend–will be an overnight trip from Thurs. 1/17–Sun 1/20 to a conference center in Greenfield, NH. (Lodging & food will be provided to students free of charge while at the camp.) This trip is mandatory for the course, and involves working with middle school youth for 3 very full days. Students will meet once again during the final week of Winter Study to debrief and process their facilitation experiences.
Academic work will be primarily contained to the classroom time of the first two weeks. A culminating 10-page reflection paper to demonstrate a synthesis of students’ classroom and practical learning will be the only sizeable out-of-class work.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page reflection paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: lottery
Cost to student: $45
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Marissa Carlson
Marissa is the Executive Director of the NH Teen Institute and a trainer for multiple workshops developed by SAMHSA’s CAPT and ATTC systems. She is the Secretary of the Prevention Certification Board of NH and the NH Prevention delegate to the IC&RC, and serves on the NH Governor’s Commission Prevention Task Force. Outside of prevention work, she is Assoc. Artistic Dir. of Mill City Productions in North Adams, MA.
PHLH 14 Principles of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Their Application to the Understanding of the Current Epidemic of Athletic Injury and the Development of Prevention Policy
Cross-listings: ANSO 14/chem 14
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 first two weeks of this ambitious course is more about design issues than one of current topics in public health, about week 3–through lecture and perhaps student presentations–will apply the methodological “tool kit” to major current athletic health issues, e.g., athletic concussions and their short and long term effects. The last week 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. These presentations may also look at athletic health issues.
This WS course is designed to be a serious academic experience, with the rigor of a regular course.
Method of evaluation/requirements: completion of readings, active class participation and in-class presentations
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: applicants will be interviewed by the instructor
Cost to student: $200
Meeting time: at least three times a week for a total of 6 hours
Instructor(s): Nicholas Wright
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.
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 is often minimized or even disregarded. Medical schools debate how or whether to emphasize this more interpersonal aspect of medicine within their curriculums. This concern with the patient/physician relationship becomes particularly relevant with today’s reliance upon personal devices and with a culture promoting medicine as a big business model. Increasingly research shows that the combination of both perspectives–patient centered understanding and technical proficiency–lead to better diagnosis and treatment; to improved patient compliance and satisfaction; and to increased physician professional satisfaction. Original thinking, examining personal/family experiences, in-class skill practice, and skype interviews with patients/student/health care professionals will provide much of the learning experience. This seminar works well for those who have shadowed physicians or are planning to shadow, but all majors are welcome.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project plus three 2-page papers
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: class balance and student interest
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of books
Meeting time: 10 am-noon, TWR
Instructor(s): Sandra Goodbody
Sandra Goodbody is a clinical social worker. She has maintained a psychotherapy practice in D.C., has a clinical appointment at The George Washington School of Medicine, and has served as a senior project director at the National Academy of Medicine.
PHLH 16 Addiction Studies and Diagnostics
Description: This course is designed to assist students while at Williams and after graduation develop an effective understanding of the impact and treatment of addiction. It is designed for students planning to continue on to Med School and graduate work in the Humanities; work in public health; are a part of a family; a friend of an addict or those impacted by addiction; or to be an educated citizen. 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 as well as their experience working as therapists. Students will be expected to accurately diagnose the speakers according to the criteria in the DSM-5. Finally, an annotated bibliography and oral presentation will be presented in groups at the end of the course.
Method of evaluation/requirements: class participation, field experience of 12-step and other mutual aid recovery groups, experience with initial assessments for substance use disorders, initial experience with formal criteria for SUD diagnosis
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: by graduating class and then by instructor permission
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: MW 7-9:30 p.m.
Instructor(s): Rick Berger
Mr. Berger has been teaching this course at Williams since 2010. He has advanced degrees from Springfield College and the Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies, 30 year of recovery from addiction, and a decade of experience in community mental health and clinics.
PHLH 18 “The Transformation of Silence:”: Exploring Campus Sexual Violence Prevention and Response
Cross-listings: WGSS 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.
Course will meet 3 days per week for 2 hours. Some outside of class work in the form of film viewing and attendance at talks.
Method of evaluation/requirements: a 10-page final paper, along with Glo 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
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Meg Bossong
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.
PHLH 25 Public Health, Education, and Community Action in Rural India
Description: This course will explore access to and reliance on public health services, NGOs, and education in a rural Indian social context. As one of the fasted growing and most populated countries in the world, India has the potential to have an enormous global impact. However, the country’s future in entirely dependent upon the health of its population, specifically its most vulnerable–and most vital–members: women and children. To understand how public health and education policy can be formed and changed to address inequity and sociocultural biases, students will learn about the context of India and how local, national, and global actors currently interact with social systems. The course will begin with an orientation and introductory lectures in New Delhi. Then students will travel to rural Uttar Pradesh (UP) for 10 days for seminars with local experts and field trips to community health centers, schools, and villages. Following their trip to UP, students will travel to Rajasthan to meet NGO workers in Jaipur. The course will include an introduction to fieldwork methods and an interview project on a topic chosen by the student addressing development in India. This course will be run in partnership with the Foundation for Public Health, Education, and Development (http://fphed.org/). A UP-based organization with its own campus, FPHED’s board collectively has decades of experience hosting study abroad programs, including biannual semester-long programs with the School for International Training. FPHED will assist in making all accommodations and travel arrangements, as well as making local connections with experts and translators for students.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper
2- to 3-page paper
Other: Students will be required to keep a private daily journal.
Prerequisites: none; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: Public Health students get preference, then by seniority
Cost to student: $2800, which includes all transportation, lodging, meals, lectures, and research materials
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Elizabeth Curtis
Ms. Curtis graduated from Williams College in Spring of 2017 with a degree in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and a Concentration in Public Health. With the support of a Fulbright-Nehru student researcher fellowship, she is currently conducting community-based participatory research with FPHED on reproductive health programs in rural UP. She has spent a cumulative 11 months to-date studying and researching reproductive health in rural India.
RELIGION
REL 12 The Mumonkan and Tathagata Zen: An Exploration of Mind
Description: Zen is the sect of Buddhism that stresses experience over all cognitive formulas and principles. Based on the tenet that all beings have what is called Buddha Nature, practice is entered into with the faith than one can have exactly the same experience that the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, had and can thereby come to know the process that constitutes the nature of all beings and things that comprise the universe.
The primary method of practice is the meditative technique known as zazen, and the type of Zen that focuses on the consciousness that develops from diligent zazen practice is known as Tathagata Zen. Through one’s efforts in zazen, one may come to the intuitive experience of the Dharma Activity, the activity that gives birth to all things and into which all things return.
Although the Dharma Activity cannot be described fully in words, it is possible to use words that point to it without running afoul of its truth. The Mumonkan (The Gateless Gate) is a classic Zen text containing 48 such pointers or koans. Utilizing this text as a focus of discussion, students will attempt to grasp the teaching contained in these pointers by means of the principles of Tathagata Zen. The practice of zazen will be part of each class, and the course will culminate in a two-day zen retreat.
Those taking the course will keep a daily journal of their course-related experiences which will be reviewed by the instructor. They will also write a series of short papers on selected koan from The Mumonkan.
The course will meet from 9am–Noon on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Anyone wishing to take this course must submit a paragraph stating their purpose for doing so. Up to ten students will be accepted for this course and all are eligible, including those who have taken a prior Winter Study Zen course taught by this instructor.
Method of evaluation/requirements: journal review; four 2-page papers
Prerequisites: submission of a paragraph stating purpose in taking this course
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: paragraph of purpose
Cost to student: $121 plus cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): James Gordon
Williams ’62.Retired psychiatrist.Zen practitioner for 48 years,17 as a monk.
REL 14 Mountain Religion
Description: Sacred mountains play a central role in the founding myths of many religious traditions. Mountains such as Sinai, Olympus, and Kailash are considered divine abodes, entry into which confers spiritual powers. For many religious practitioners, pilgrimage to and practicing in and around the mountains provides a special opportunity to encounter the gods and acquire spiritual benefits. In this comparative course, we will explore the special role and function of mountains in Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam, with a special focus on contemplative practices from Japan’s Shugendo tradition and the kaihogyo nighttime hikes of Tendai monks, circumambulation of Himalayan peaks and mantra recitation, and pilgrimage journeys.
Class will meet for three 2-hour sessions per week. Readings will consist mostly of journal articles and selections from books, with a 5-page reflective paper due at the end of the course. Depending on the weather, we will take advantage of the surrounding mountains for short contemplative hikes, applying some of the practices we will study.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: lottery
Cost to student: $75
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Seth Wax
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: two stories (10-20 pages) and two revisions (10-20 pages)
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: email explaining reasons for interest in the course to [email protected]
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Dalena Storm
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 18 The Rare and Wondrous Bibles of the Chapin Library
Description: What does a Bible from 1462 feel like? Smell like? In this course, students will touch, smell, and examine early and rare Bibles from the world-class collection of Bibles housed in Williams’s own Chapin Library. Highlights of the collection include multiple significant 15th and 16th century Bibles, as well as a 1611 King James Bible. Through class readings and discussions, as well as a small research project, students will learn about the history of the book, the history of the Bible as a book, and the specific histories of one or more rare Chapin Bibles of their choosing. The major project for the course will be for students to experiment with and curate a Twitter account and course website as online exhibits of the ‘rare and wondrous’ Bibles of Chapin Library.
Method of evaluation/requirements: the major project for the course will be for students to experiment with and curate a Twitter account and course website as online exhibits of the ‘rare and wondrous’ Bibles of Chapin Library
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 14
Selection process: Religion majors first, then History majors, then seniority (seniors, then juniors, etc.)
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons; I’ll need to meet in the Chapin Library, so this course will need to be coordinated with other courses uses the space
Instructor(s): Phillip Webster
REL 24 Touring Black Religion in the ‘New’ South
Cross-listings: AFR 24/ENVI 24
Description: In February of 1927 anthropologist Franz Boas asked folklorist Zora Neale Hurston to identify an ideal location in which to study and collect data about “Negro culture in the South.” Hurston’s reply, without hesitation, was the central and gulf coast of Florida because she believed there, “it was possible for [her] to get a cross section of the Negro South in one state.” Hurston traveled directly to Eatonville, the town she eventually claimed as her birth home, and for over a decade, utilized the information she collected as the backdrop to her fiction as well as her nonfiction explorations of Black religion. Taking Hurston’s lead, this course will utilize Florida’s gulf coast as the backdrop to exploring the diverse manifestations of modern black religious expression. Because of its diverse geographical, political structures, populations, and economy, Florida has historically been characterized as a “new South” with distinctive cultural expressions. With this history in mind, this course will address four critical questions: (1) What is Black religion?; (2) What are the distinctive aspects of southern expressions of Black Protestant religion; (3) How do Black communities see themeselves in relation to broader social concerns? and (4) How, if at all, is religious expression in Florida unique? To answer these questions, we will travel to Florida’s west coast and visit three different church communities to understand Black Protestant religon as currently expressed in the ‘New South’ including a small mainstream denominational church in Talleveast Florida; a Pentecostal-Holiness church in St. Petersburg, Florida; and a mega-church in Eaton, Florida. In addition to learning about Black religion along the western coast of Florida through participant observation, students will visit and tour local historical sites significant to Black religious experiences, and will meet with local acadmics, archivists, and leaders. A 200-page course packet will contextualize the trip.
Preference will be given to majors and concentrators in Africana Studies, Religion, and Environmental Studies. Priority will also be given to students with a background in ethnographic methods.
Method of evaluation/requirements: based on an electronic field journal, participation in weekly colloquies, and an oral presentation
Prerequisites: none; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: application essays and interviews
Cost to student: $3,362
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Rhon Manigault-Bryant, James Manigault-Bryant
REL 25 Yoga and Meditation in India: Theory and Practice
Description: This course delves into the theory and practice of both Hindu and Buddhist yoga in their land of origin, India. In the first half, we stay in the North Indian town of Rishikesh, one of the main centers of Hindu yoga today, located on the banks of the Ganges River. There we practice yoga and meditation daily, study yoga philosophy, and visit leading yoga centers. In addition we volunteer daily at Mother Miracle Community Development Program, where a K-12 school is dedicated to teaching exceptionally intelligent poor children. In the second part of the course, we travel to South India and stay at Sera Je Monastic University, the largest center of Tibetan Buddhist monastic learning in India. There we continue our daily practice of yoga and meditation, and study with a Tibetan monastic scholar the theory of Tibetan Buddhism. In the afternoons students volunteer with Tibetan students and visit Tibetan service organizations in the area. In this way we gain a solid overview of the practice of yoga and meditation in India. We come to appreciate and learn from the people upholding the living traditions of yoga, as well as helping these people to strengthen the education that will allow them to interact with the global world.
Required Reading: The Path to Enlightenment by The Dalai Lama; Yoga and the Luminous: Patanjali’s Spiritual Path to Freedom by Christopher Key Chapple; selected articles about yoga and contemporary yoga exchanges.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper; daily journal
Prerequisites: none; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: interview
Cost to student: $3,327
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Georges Dreyfus, Natasha Judson
Tasha Judson, M.Ed., is a certified alignment oriented Hatha yoga teacher and authorized meditation teacher. She has directed Tasha Yoga studio in Williamstown since 2003.
REL 30 Senior Project
Description: 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 Storm
ROMANCE LANGUAGES
FRENCH
RLFR S.P. Sustaining Language for French 101-102
Description: Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study period IN ADDITION TO TAKING A REGULAR WINTER STUDY COURSE. The Registrar’s Office will automatically register you for the sustaining program once regular Winter Study registration is complete.
Meeting time: five 50-minute meetings per week (MTWRF, 9-9:50 am)
Instructor(s): TBA (Teaching Associates)
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 Goudouffe
Documentary photographer Daniel Goudrouffe, who describes himself as a photographer-author, creates compelling visual narratives about the complexity of life in the Caribbean and its diaspora.
His archive of the contemporary Caribbean equally enables a public reckoning with the impact of slavery and colonialism in the region.
In 2017, his images were showcased at Les Photaumnales in Beauvais, France and at the Biennale Internationale des rencontres Photographiques de Guyane.
RLFR 30 Honors Essay
Description: To be taken by candidates for honors other than by thesis route.
RLFR 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for French 493-494.
ITALIAN
RLIT S.P. Sustaining Language for Italian 101-102
Description: Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study period IN ADDITION TO TAKING A REGULAR WINTER STUDY COURSE. The Registrar’s Office will automatically register you for the sustaining program once regular Winter Study registration is complete.
Meeting time: three 50-minute meetings per week, 9-9:50 am
SPANISH
RLSP S.P. Sustaining Language for Spanish 101-102
Description: Students registered for 101-102 are required to attend and pass the sustaining program during the Winter Study period IN ADDITION TO TAKING A REGULAR WINTER STUDY COURSE. The Registrar’s Office will automatically register you for the sustaining program once regular Winter Study registration is complete.
Meeting time: three 50-minute meetings per week, 9-9:50 am
Instructor(s): TBA (Teaching Associates)
RLSP 16 The Ayn Rand Cult and the Libertarian Mind
Cross-listings: ANSO 16/COMP 16
Description: The broad, “underground” influence of publicist-novelist Ayn Rand stands as one of the more curious sociocultural phenomena to have emerged out of post-War America. Examples: A youthful Alan Greenspan was a dedicated disciple of Rand’s in the 1940s and 50s; Michael Milken was reported to have kept twenty-six copies of Atlas Shrugged in his jail cell while serving time for securities fraud; Congressman Paul Ryan and Exxon CEO (and current Secretary of State) Rex Tillerson both are avowed fans of Ayn Rand; each year to this day, Rand’s books sell hundreds of thousands of copies; and, in a crowning instance of “canonization,” the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in Rand’s honor (as part of its “Great American Authors” series) in April 1999. This course will examine the nature and origins of the Rand phenomenon through reading of relevant works of journalism, fiction, and philosophy. Titles to be studied: Jeffrey Walker, The Ayn Rand Cult; Mary Gaitskill, Two Girls: Fat and Thin; Gene H. Bell-Villada, The Pianist Who Liked Ayn Rand (selections) and On Nabokov, Ayn Rand and the Libertarian Mind; and John Locke, Second Treatise of Government. We will also view two films: the movie version of The Fountainhead (1949) and the 1996 documentary Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life. Note: No books by Rand will be read in this class! It is a course not “about” Rand but rather about the cultural sociology and anthropology of Randism.
Method of evaluation/requirements: class attendance and participation, short weekly journal entries, and a final 10-page paper
Prerequisites: some previous acquaintance with Rand’s novels
Enrollment limit: 30
Selection process: by seniority (i.e. first seniors, then juniors, then sophomores, etc.)
Cost to student: approximately $90 for books
Meeting time: mornings, three times a week for two-hour sessions; evening film screenings
Instructor(s): Gene H Bell-Villada
RLSP 30 Honors Essay
Description: To be taken by candidates for honors other than by thesis route.
RLSP 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Spanish 493-494.
RUSSIAN
RUSS S.P. Sustaining Language for Russian 101-102
Description: Required of all students enrolled in Russian 101-102. 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.
Students required to participate in the sustaining program also need to take a regular winter study course. The Registrar’s Office will automatically register you for the sustaining program once regular Winter Study registration is complete.
Method of evaluation/requirements:
Meeting time: three 50-minutes classes per week, 9-9:50 am
Instructor(s): TBA
RUSS 11 Queer Russia
Cross-listings: COMP 11/WGSS 11
Description: A 2013 law banning “homosexual propaganda” represents the latest in a long series of efforts by the Russian state to erase the existence and experience of its LGBTQ citizens. This course will explore Russia’s suppressed queer archive from the imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet eras, focusing on the vibrant literature, art, and film about LGBTQ Russians. We will examine works produced by and about queer Russians in an attempt to understand distinctly Russian notions of gender and sexual identity, as well as how LGBTQ Russians have formed their own identity within the country’s evolving gender regime. Our survey will include works of fiction, poetry, visual art, and film from before and after the Bolshevik revolution, Stalinism and its aftermath, and the post-Soviet era. Throughout our discussions, we will work towards an alternative cultural history of Russia that will allow us to determine how and why the country’s queer citizens have become the despised Other under Putin. Knowledge of Russian is not required. All readings will be in English, and all films will include English subtitles.
Method of evaluation/requirements: completion of reading and viewing assignments, attendance in class, active participation in discussions, and completion of a collaborative project with other members of the class
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 16
Selection process: preference to Comparative Literature, Russian, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies majors
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Julie Cassiday
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 paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: discretion of the instructor
Cost to student: $0
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: 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 a wide variety of fields. Our students have 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
Prerequisites: none; knowledge of Russian or Georgian is not required; not open to first-year students
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: $2,785
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Vladimir Ivantsov
Vladimir Ivantsov holds a PhD in Russian Studies from McGill University (Canada). Prior to coming to Williams, he taught at McGill University and St. Petersburg State University (Russia). His research interests cover a broad spectrum of topics, including Dostoevsky, existentialism, and rock and pop culture. He published a book on the contemporary Russian writer Vladimir Makanin.
RUSS 30 Honors Project
Description: May be taken by candidates for honors other than by thesis route.
RUSS 31 Senior Thesis
Description: To be taken by students registered for Russian 493-494.
THEATRE
THEA 14 Classic and Contemporary Musical Theater
Cross-listings: MUS 14
Description: This Winter Study will give participants an opportunity to study and perform numbers for one or more singers in great American musicals and European light operas. You have sung a solo, you have sung in chorus–now practice the exacting art of singing an ensemble on stage. The course will culminate with a performance of ensembles, solos, and duets from a variety of musical theater shows. Other ensembles from European models may also be included. Singers, actors, and pianists are all welcome to participate. The course is intended especially for singers who wish to have some stage time, and for actors who wish to work on their singing.
Method of evaluation/requirements: a student may fulfill the requirements of the course by performing challenging numbers from the great American songbook in the final class public performance
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: the instructor will communicate with those wishing to register either in person or via email
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Keith Kibler
Keith Kibler has performed under some of the finest directors currently working including David Alden, Peter Sellars, Galina Vishnevskaya. He sang a major role in Kurt Weill’s “Die Kleine Mahagonny” under Alvin Epstein with the American Repertory Theatre. He has been a featured soloist with the Boston Pops in American theater music. Keith Kibler is an Associate Artist in the Music Department at Williams College. He can be reached at [email protected]
THEA 15 Shadow Puppetry
Cross-listings: ART 15
Description: The ancient art of shadow puppetry has seen a resurgence in contemporary art and theater. William Kentridge writes, “It is in the very limitations of shadows that we learn…It is in the gap between the object and its representation that the image emerges, the gap we fill in.” In this course, students will explore a range of techniques in shadow theater and build towards a culminating performance. We will survey the history of the form, from Asian traditions such as wayang kulit, through Victorian shadow plays, to the uses of shadow by contemporary theater makers and artists (e.g. William Kentridge, Kara Walker). Shadow puppeteer Karen Zasloff and visiting artists will guide students in creating shadow imagery from flat cutouts, sculpted objects and their bodies, and choreographing scenes on a classroom overhead projector and translucent screen. In small groups, we will interpret excerpts of prose and poetry through these handmade projections, exploring relationships among text, image sequences and music, culminating in a public performance. We will meet three times/week for three-hour sessions, with additional supervised lab and rehearsal periods according to our needs. Some basic equipment will be supplied, but students will be expected to purchase some of the materials.
Method of evaluation/requirements: short presentations and works in progress
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: students will be asked to submit a letter of interest
Cost to student: $215
Meeting time: afternoons; evenings possible
Instructor(s): Karen Zasloff
Karen Zasloff has created performances in the US and abroad with shadows, toy theater, giant puppets and video, on themes of political violence and the unconscious. She has performed in NY at PS1, Saint Ann’s Warehouse, National Sawdust, PS122 and Here Arts Center, and for 20 years with the Bread and Puppet Theater. Her drawings feature in “Banished”, which premiered at Sundance 2007. Recent projects focus on Rwanda and South Africa, including a Fulbright with the Handspring Puppet Company.
THEA 20 Performing Self-Portraiture in the Age of Instagram
Cross-listings: AFR 20/ARTS 20/WGSS 20
Description: What does it mean to represent your own body? How do we craft compelling performances of self in a social media marketplace that treats our bodies as currency? In this studio course, we look at the lineage of the self-portrait and the role it plays in the creation of our personal mythologies. We will consider the work of Frida Kahlo, Cindy Sherman, Carrie Mae Weems, Jacolby Satterwhite, Kim Kardashian West and others. How have artists, now and in the past, turned the camera on themselves? Is it possible to subvert the gendered and racialized gaze? Students will create their own kinetic self-portraits, exploring forms such as looping video, gifs, stop-motion, and animation.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final performance
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: if overenrolled, students will be selected by submitting a brief statement of interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Kameron Neal
Kameron Neal is a queer Black video artist and performance-maker based in NYC. His work has been seen and developed at Ars Nova, BAM, La MaMa, New York Theatre Workshop, Soho Rep., Digital Graffiti Festival, Vox Populi and Yale’s Center for Contemporary Arts and Media. Kameron has also designed campaigns for The Public Theater, Joe’s Pub, Under the Radar Festival, and Shakespeare in the Park, with the creative direction of Pentagram partner, Paula Scher.
THEA 32 Senior Honors Thesis
Description: See description of Degree with Honors in Theatre.
WOMEN’S, GENDER AND SEXUALITY STUDIES
WGSS 11 Queer Russia
Cross-listings: COMP 11/RUSS 11
Description: A 2013 law banning “homosexual propaganda” represents the latest in a long series of efforts by the Russian state to erase the existence and experience of its LGBTQ citizens. This course will explore Russia’s suppressed queer archive from the imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet eras, focusing on the vibrant literature, art, and film about LGBTQ Russians. We will examine works produced by and about queer Russians in an attempt to understand distinctly Russian notions of gender and sexual identity, as well as how LGBTQ Russians have formed their own identity within the country’s evolving gender regime. Our survey will include works of fiction, poetry, visual art, and film from before and after the Bolshevik revolution, Stalinism and its aftermath, and the post-Soviet era. Throughout our discussions, we will work towards an alternative cultural history of Russia that will allow us to determine how and why the country’s queer citizens have become the despised Other under Putin. Knowledge of Russian is not required. All readings will be in English, and all films will include English subtitles.
Method of evaluation/requirements: completion of reading and viewing assignments, attendance in class, active participation in discussions, and completion of a collaborative project with other members of the class
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 16
Selection process: preference to Comparative Literature, Russian, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies majors
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Julie Cassiday
WGSS 15 Plato’s Symposium and its Afterlife
Cross-listings: CLAS 15/COMP 15/PHIL 15
Description: Plato’s Symposium commemorates a gathering held at the home of the poet Agathon of Athens, in 416 BCE, shortly after his first victory in the tragedy contest. The attendees of Agathon’s drinking party agree to dedicate their evening to delivering speeches in praise of love (eros/Eros). This dialogue has long been one of Plato’s most widely appreciated works and its influence has ranged far beyond the purview of academic philosophy. We will read and analyze the dialogue itself, then turn to an eclectic array of works inspired by the Symposium to study its artistic and philosophical “afterlife.”
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper and an in-class presentation of independent research
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 8
Selection process: preference given to majors or intending majors in Classics, Comparative Literature, WGSS, or Philosophy
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Amanda Wilcox
WGSS 17 Girl Meets World: Films from 5 Continents
Cross-listings: PSCI 18
Description: This course brings together a selection of films that challenge the narrative of girl-meets-boy as the privileged formula for representing the growth and development of young women around the world. Sometimes girl does meet boy, but the challenge that these films put to us is to re-imagine the path to womanhood as mediated by other factors as well: girls’ own curiosity and ambition, their resourcefulness in the face of poverty and exploitation, resistance against being gendered in conventional ways, their friendships and romantic ties with one another, and their many creative ways of defining how one becomes a woman. To support our analysis of the films, we will also consider how some transnational feminist movements have responded to the challenges and creative energies of girlhood. Special attention will be given to the difficulty of securing girls’ rights through international conventions that implicitly treat all children (ages 0-18) as male, and all women as adults. Films and film-makers will likely be selected from the following countries: Korea, India, Great Britain, Belgium, Senegal, France, Australia, Colombia, Argentina, and the United States. Readings to be completed outside of class time include children’s books, young adult fiction, and international human rights documents.
Method of evaluation/requirements: active class participation and either 3 policy memos (3-4 pages each) or one 10-page final paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: preference to Political Science and WGSS majors
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Nimu Njoya
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.
Course will meet 3 days per week for 2 hours. Some outside of class work in the form of film viewing and attendance at talks.
Method of evaluation/requirements: a 10-page final paper, along with Glo 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
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Meg Bossong
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 20 Performing Self-Portraiture in the Age of Instagram
Cross-listings: AFR 20/ARTS 20/THEA 20
Description: What does it mean to represent your own body? How do we craft compelling performances of self in a social media marketplace that treats our bodies as currency? In this studio course, we look at the lineage of the self-portrait and the role it plays in the creation of our personal mythologies. We will consider the work of Frida Kahlo, Cindy Sherman, Carrie Mae Weems, Jacolby Satterwhite, Kim Kardashian West and others. How have artists, now and in the past, turned the camera on themselves? Is it possible to subvert the gendered and racialized gaze? Students will create their own kinetic self-portraits, exploring forms such as looping video, gifs, stop-motion, and animation.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final performance
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: if overenrolled, students will be selected by submitting a brief statement of interest
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Kameron Neal
Kameron Neal is a queer Black video artist and performance-maker based in NYC. His work has been seen and developed at Ars Nova, BAM, La MaMa, New York Theatre Workshop, Soho Rep., Digital Graffiti Festival, Vox Populi and Yale’s Center for Contemporary Arts and Media. Kameron has also designed campaigns for The Public Theater, Joe’s Pub, Under the Radar Festival, and Shakespeare in the Park, with the creative direction of Pentagram partner, Paula Scher.
WGSS 25 Community Mobilization in Senegal for Public Health and Economic Empowerment
Description: This class will take a group of 6 students to Senegal to learn about successes and challenges in grassroots organizing, with a focus on the interrelated areas of public health–especially HIV and AIDS–women’s rights, and economic empowerment, including through cooperatives.
We will build on established relationships in Senegal, where the instructor has taken several groups of students since 2006. That country has many lessons to teach, as a majority Muslim culture with a female Prime Minister where women have created and continue to build cooperatively owned enterprises, a West African country that has consistently kept the rate of HIV prevalence under 1%, and a diverse culture with a democratic tradition of tolerance, even celebration of ethnic difference.
Our hosts, ACI’s Baobab Center, have a strong record of working with visiting scholars and students to teach them local languages and orient them to Senegalese culture, as well as a deep and well-respected history of capacity-building work with local groups working on HIV, public health, women’s rights, and LGBTQ issues.
We will spend our first week in Dakar, the capital, with students doing homestays with Senegalese families. We will attend Wolof classes and lectures on local issues as well as visiting NGOs. In our second week we will move inland to the town of Kaolack, where we will be hosted by the Association pour la Promotion de la Femme Sénégalaise, a 30-year-old group with an extensive record of empowerment of village women through strategies ranging from small-scale credit to popular education and theater.
Requirements: Before we leave campus each student will choose a particular focus for the trip, and do preliminary research to inform their visit–including comparative material about the US. Upon our return to campus we will meet to discuss our findings, and students will write 10-page papers drawing upon existing research as well as our conversations and experiences in Senegal.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 6
Selection process: preference will be given to students with skills in French and a demonstrated interest in public health and/or women’s economic empowerment
Cost to student: $3,892
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Kiaran Honderich
WGSS 31 Honors Project
Description: See description of Degree with Honors in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
SPECIAL
SPEC 10 Counseling Skills Intensive
Description: Are you the person your friends turn to for support? Good listening and communication skills are of benefit to everyone, but particularly for students with support responsibilities and those interested in helping professions. This course will prepare you to be a better listener and more effective, confident communicator. Develop a deeper sense of presence to help others feel more at ease with sharing, facilitate decision-making and problem-solving using validation and active listening skills, and learn effective strategies and boundaries appropriate to more urgent situations. We will practice fundamental counseling skills, learn about factors influencing our own communication styles and the roles we gravitate toward in our relationships with others. You will learn how to communicate about sensitive issues and find your own style in helping roles. Emphasis will be given to understanding one’s limits within a given situation, knowing when to refer to other resources, and what resources are available to students.
We will meet twice a week for 3 hour sessions. This is an experiential training augmented by relevant readings, journaling, and out of class exercises designed to deepen your understanding and practice.
Method of evaluation/requirements: evaluation is based on participation, attendance, and the 10-page paper
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 20
Selection process: reverse seniority on campus
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: afternoons
Instructor(s): Karen Theiling, Laini Sporbert
Karen Theiling is psychotherapist at Williams College where she has provided counseling to students since 2000. She is a licensed mental health counselor whose particular interests include trauma, gender and sexuality, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and outreach of all kinds.
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 11 Podcasts from the Farm: Audio Stories about Food Sovereignty, Farmworker Justice, Climate Change, and Farm Viability
Description: How do New England food producers approach issues of justice and climate change while maintaining viable businesses? In this course students will interview farmers and food entrepreneurs and weave those interviews into compelling audio stories for a wide variety of audiences. 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.
Guiding questions will include: How do farmers view their role on issues of justice and climate change? What are they currently doing to make an impact on these issues? What opportunities and challenges lay ahead for them related to these issues? How does one tell a story in a way that is universal or at least relevant to one’s intended audience? What are the opportunities to enhance storytelling by using an audio format as the medium?
In partnership 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 Saturday January 12 and will conduct initial interviews there with presenters and attendees. Informative and impressive podcast creations will be used as resources on the NOFA website, the Williams sustainability website, and will be posted to Stitcher, iTunes, and Soundcloud.
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: evaluation will be based on participation, two short essays, and a 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: $85 plus cost of books
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 12 What’s Advertising and Why Should We Care About It?
Description: Admittedly, only a handful of Williams students will enter the advertising business, especially the classic Madison Avenue version of it. On the other hand, an appreciable percentage of graduates will join fields where some form of advertising and promotion is a critical but complicated success factor, whether in NGOs, business, non-profit organizations or startup ventures.
The proposed course is a high level view of one of the most important levers in society today. In one form or another, advertising influences not just our purchase decisions but also (and increasingly) politics, public policy, use of social media and a host of cultural issues, including perceptions about diversity, gender and the role of women in society.
This course teaches how insights, strategy and positioning come to creative life, are assessed and how they percolate through brand experience and within the organization. We will consider why and how marketers align themselves with different demographic and age groups creatively and how they build positive perception. It will also help students understand why–after all the metrics and analysis and research–a brilliant creative idea is worth its weight in gold.
The course is intended as an overview and will necessarily proceed at a rapid pace. Course content will be a mix of case studies, examples drawn from the current marketing world and original research by students. Where appropriate and possible, guest speakers will be invited in order to provide particular insight or participate in debate. The final project presentation will ask student teams to ‘reverse engineer’ the observed advertising and communications strategies of a marketer (broadly defined) using publicly available data and course materials.
The course would meet twice per week in three hour sessions. Out-of-class expectations are approximately 10 hours/class in research, writing and group work projects.
Method of evaluation/requirements: short written assignments weekly; final presentation prepared in teams and presented to class
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 16-20
Selection process: discretion of the instructor
Cost to student: $10 plus cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Stephen Harty
Steve worked in advertising for 30 years, spanning developments such as the launch of cable networks, interactive and digital platforms and into today’s highly diversified communications environment. He was CEO or Chairman for four firms and served clients such as American Express, Johnnie Walker, Axe deodorant, Cadillac, Verizon, IBM and Miller Lite. He helped launch jetBlue Airlines, Ally Bank and the Voom HDTV service. He is a 1973 graduate of Williams and a trustee emeritus.
SPEC 13 Cooking for the Real World
Cross-listings: PHYS 15
Description: The course assumes you know nothing about cooking, and, with that in mind, will focus on the basics. The course will teach you how to prepare simple, healthy, and delicious food. You’ll learn about basic knife skills, sanitary kitchen practices, cooking equipment and menu planning. Some of the foods you will learn to make during the course of winter study will include Mac ‘n Cheese, quick breads, soups and salads, pie crusts and cookies. Time permitting, we may take a field trip to a local farm. You will also get to meet with some local chef’s to help you understand why everything we do revolves around food. The reading list will include: you decide what 1 or 2 books you would like the students to read.
Method of evaluation/requirements: daily journal and a final cooking demonstration
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: limited to juniors and seniors but would like an email from the students applying on what food means to them
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: three times a week (no Fridays), 3-5:30 pm
Instructor(s): CJ Hazell
SPEC 15 Self Care: Exploring Acupressure, Reflexology and Aromatherapy
Cross-listings: MATH 15
Description: Learn techniques to take care of yourself and others! In this course, students will explore acupressure and reflexology through hands-on practice with partners. Modalities will first be demonstrated by the instructor, and then will be reinforced through in-class practice. The course will also cover essential oils and the chemistry behind aromatherapy, studying chemical families and their main characteristics. With this knowledge, students will create custom aromatherapy blends to address specific health issues. These blends will be made in class, and can be taken home. This class is designed to be useful to students and their loved ones, providing the student with tools to cope with life events. The focus will be on using acupressure, reflexology and aromatherapy to help with stress, anxiety, sleep, skin health, and sickness. Assigned reading and/or online videos will be required to prepare for each class. In addition, students will complete 16 hours of acupressure and reflexology practice outside of class on volunteers. These hours will be signed off on a log sheet by the volunteers. In-class assessments of techniques will also occur. Each student will prepare at least one presentation to share with the class.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 16 out-of-class logged practice hours are required leading up to an in-class practical assessment for the acupressure and reflexology components of the course; the aromatherapy portion of the class will be evaluated by a presentation to the class on a par
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: if overenrolled, students will be selected based on emailing the instructor the reasons behind choosing this course; preference will be given to seniors, and also to students with immediate wellness needs
Cost to student: $20 plus cost of books
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Jennifer Turek
Graduate studies in zoology took Jennifer Turek to the University of Otago in New Zealand, where she also attended the Lotus College of Natural Therapies. After graduating, Jennifer opened up her business, Koru Therapies first in New Zealand, then California and now in Williamstown, MA. Jennifer provides a custom holistic health experience which is a unique blend of Eastern, Western, Kiwi and American techniques that is unlike what most have experienced before.
SPEC 18 Peer Health Call In Walk In Training
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: final project
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 24
Selection process: current 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
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: Experience of a clinical environment is essential to making the decision to enter the health professions. Through this internship, students clarify their understanding of the rewards and challenges that accompany the practice of medicine (human and animal) and dentistry. Generally, a shadowing experience focuses on provider-patient interactions within out-patient and in-patient settings. These experiences provide students with the opportunity to observe clinical interactions, as well as to learn about the systems within which health care is delivered. Students will also be introduced to core concepts of population health, providing a broad perspective on health outcomes within a geographic region and expanding their perspective on the individual clinical interactions which they observe. This course will encourage participants to reflect on their clinical experiences with a dual focus- from the perspective of the individual provider-patient relationship and within a systems-level context.
Weekly didactic sessions (3) will focus on “substance abuse” as a thematic construct for the discussion of related chronic and acute conditions frequently encountered in clinical and social/behavioral contexts. The thematic focus on substance abuse will allow students to reflect on their clinical experiences across a wide range of clinical specialties and also to engage in discussion of a public health crisis affecting quality of life across the lifespans of Berkshires residents. By the end of the course, students will demonstrate greater understanding of the fundamentals of patient-provider interactions. Students will also demonstrate an enhanced awareness of the systems through which medical care is delivered and the challenges of health care delivery within a rural community. Students will also be expected to reflect on their clinical experiences through didactic sessions and case presentations, as well as in a final paper.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 10-page paper
Prerequisites: must be at least a sophomore, on the “premedical” track, and in good standing
Enrollment limit: Local enrollment generally caps at 30-35.
Selection process: seniors have preference
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: students are shadowing healthcare providers for 20-25 hours per week
Instructor(s): Barbara Fuller
Barbara Fuller is the Director of Science and Health Professions Advising.
SPEC 21 Experience in 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.
Participation in this winter study will require the student to quickly assess the work environment, make inferences about corporate culture, performance norms and expectations, and to take initiative not only to learn from this experience, but also to contribute where and when appropriate. Understanding the dynamics within a work environment is critical to success in any organization and this hands-on experience will illuminate lessons learned in the classroom. Upon completion of the winter study, it is expected that the student write a thorough report evaluating and interpreting the experience.
Students will be required to read one of two books selected for this course. There will also be reading selected from such works as What Should I do with My Life?by Po Bronson, 2003 and Working by Studs Terkel, 2004.
Interested students must attend an information meeting in late September or early October and follow up with Dawn Dellea if students have questions about specific internships listed in the SPEC 21 syllabus. Application are submitted via Handshake.
Method of evaluation/requirements: completion of readings, daily journal, and a 5- to 7-page expository review and evaluation that will become public record as a resource for other students
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: determined by the individual alum or parent sponsor based on application and possible telephone/Skype interview (usually 60 students)
Selection process: qualifications for internships
Cost to student: cost of books
Meeting time: at least 30 hours per week, 5 days per week, 6 hours per day
Instructor(s): Dawn Dellea
SPEC 22 Outdoor Emergency Care
Description: The course will develop the technical proficiency and leadership skills required to effectively and efficiently administer emergency medical care in outdoor and wilderness environments. Successful completion of all 3 sections of the course, along with demonstrating ski/snowboard proficiency, can lead to certification as a member of the National Ski Patrol.
The course is based upon
1. National Ski Patrol’s Outdoor Emergency Care (5th Edition), a curriculum containing textbook/web-based learning and hands-on, practical skill development
2. CPR for the Professional Rescuer
3. Approximately 18 hours of outdoor training in Ski Patrol rescue techniques
Specifically, the course teaches how to recognize and provide emergency medical care for:
– Wounds and Burns
– Environmental Emergencies (e.g., frostbite, hypothermia, heat exhaustion)
– Musculoskeletal Trauma (e.g., breaks, sprains, etc.)
– Shock, Respiratory, Poisoning, Substance abuse emergencies
– Medical emergencies (e.g., heart attack, stroke, seizures, etc.)
The course will teach the use of various splints, bandages, and other rescue equipment as well as methods of extrication, use of oxygen, and how to deal with unusual emergency situations such as mass casualty incidents.
On-line and textbook learning will be supplemented by classroom work that includes lectures, videos, and hands-on skill development and practice. There will be a written and practical final exam.
The outdoor portion of the course includes rescue toboggan handling, organization and prioritization of rescue tasks, and practical administration of emergency care in the outdoor environment.
Each week there will be ~15 hours of classroom work plus ~8 hours of practical outdoor work at Jiminy Peak ski area. Homework (online and textbook based) will be required. Attendance at all classes is mandatory. The course is limited to 16 students, chosen based on ski/snowboard interest and ability as well as prior first aid experience.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final written and practical exam
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 16
Selection process: ski/snowboard interest and ability as well as prior first aid experience
Cost to student: $175 plus cost of textbook (~$100)
Meeting time: there will be some morning and some afternoon class meetings, plus outdoor time at Jiminy Peak TBD
Instructor(s): Thomas Feist
Thomas Feist (’85) is a 35-year ski patroller, certified OEC Instructor and Instructor Trainer. He has taught chemistry at Williams College and served as acting director of the Williams Outing Club in 1990-91.
SPEC 24 Transformative Moments in the Education of a Preschool Child
Description: This course will provide an opportunity for immersion in the life of a preschool community in the Bronx. Future of America Learning Center (FALC) is a nationally-accredited program that is recognized for its quality and standard of excellence in the field of Early Childhood Education. Students from varied educational institutions, teachers and instructional coaches are recommended by the Department of Education to visit FALC’s classrooms to observe, experience and learn about the Plant-a-Dream curriculum. Winter Study students will actively participate in the daily classroom activities with the children in order to develop a sense of best practices in Early Childhood Education. Students will live with families whose children are in the program, in the model of Gaudino’s experiential learning, to access a deeper sense of context and a better understanding of the issues facing children and families from this community. Opportunities for dialogue between families, staff, and students, will also be central to the learning experience. Furthermore, our mentors will guide students in robust self-reflection, as well as inquiry into the environment in which they are immersed, and the personal meaning derived from these experiences.
In 2015, FALC was selected as a Pre-K Showcase School, allowing it to serve as a model for other preschools and to collaborate with other institutions of higher learning, such as Bank Street College of Education and Lehman College with regard to “best practices.” Its curriculum is designed to support children’s resilience, and connect them with their community, as well as the real and natural world. Utilizing Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, along with other developmental assessment tools, the children’s individual learning styles, skill sets, and interests are identified, with teachers tailoring instruction to meet the individual learning profiles through a rich and diverse content, and addressing the children’s academic, socio-emotional, and cultural needs. Students will select one of three classes of which they will be a part for the length of the course. In addition to their daily participation in the classroom, they will join teachers in regular preparatory time and team meetings. They will also join in weekly staff meetings, led by the Education Director, with whom they will have weekly mentoring sessions, in addition to twice-weekly mentoring sessions with two Williams alumni now working in the field of Education and Psychology.
The Mentoring Team: Ken Kessel, Williams ’74, LCSW, specializes in Infant Mental Health and works as a Mental Health Consultant in federal Head Start preschool programs in the Bronx. He has also has served as a consultant to preschools in North Carolina and the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project as they were developing their mental health standards. A graduate of NYU School of Social Work in 1983, he has worked as a clinician in inpatient and outpatient mental health, foster care, substance abuse, medical settings, international youth programs, geriatrics, has taught graduate courses at NYU and has presented at conferences at NASW, NY Zero to Three, Westchester and Kisumu and Masoga Village, Kenya.
Bonnie Lou R. Mallonga is the Chief Operating Officer of FALC. With prior experience in psychometrics and counseling psychology, Dr. Mallonga was trained at the Washington Montessori Institute and is a current trainer in this educational model. She has presented both here and abroad on such as teacher mentoring, child advocacy, and organizational development, holding to the belief that a high quality teaching staff and best practices are critical for the complete development of the young child.
Randy Thomas, Williams ’73, Ph.D., was a student of Professor Gaudino, who participated in his Williams-at-Home program, living and working with families in the Deep South, Appalachia, Iowa and Detroit, a formative experience that lead to his training and education in the field of clinical psychology. As the current Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Gaudino Fund, he is devoting himself to the development of educational opportunities which continue Gaudino’s pedagogical legacy, providing students with alternative perspectives on the learning process.
Introduction to families and orientation to school Jan 3-6; On-site Jan 7-23; Reflections and Farewell Activities , Jan 24-25.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page summary paper, daily journal
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 4
Selection process: ?
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Randall Thomas
SPEC 25 Williams in Georgia
Cross-listings: RUSS 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 a wide variety of fields. Our students have 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
Prerequisites: none; knowledge of Russian or Georgian is not required; not open to first-year students
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: $2,785
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Vladimir Ivantsov
Vladimir Ivantsov holds a PhD in Russian Studies from McGill University (Canada). Prior to coming to Williams, he taught at McGill University and St. Petersburg State University (Russia). His research interests cover a broad spectrum of topics, including Dostoevsky, existentialism, and rock and pop culture. He published a book on the contemporary Russian writer Vladimir Makanin.
SPEC 26 Field Work in a Bay Area Start-up
Description: This course is designed to give students insight into how technology start-ups work and well as a chance to practice their problem-solving skills and gain deeper insight into the customer discovery process. The course will start in Williamstown with a review of idea development tools used in today’s start-up environment, particularly those pioneered by Stanford d.School such as the Lean Start-up method, Business Model Canvas and Design Thinking. Reading will include The Lean Start-up by Eric Ries, Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Edward deBono’s Thinking Course as well as articles and podcasts.
The class will be split into three teams of four students and paired with a Bay Area start-up looking to enter a new market, a new customer segment or are considering certain product modifications. The student teams will work on identifying customer needs, qualifying customer feedback and making recommendations to management. The class will tap into the strong Bay Area alumni network which will allow for visits to several different start-ups and fast-growing tech companies and compare how they approach their markets. The final project will be a ten-minute presentation to management.
Student should submit a short statement of why they would like to participate and what they expect to learn.
Method of evaluation/requirements: 5-page paper; final project; short summaries of customer interactions
Prerequisites: none; not open to first-year students
Enrollment limit: 12
Selection process: preference will be given to students with a demonstrated interest in entrepreneurship
Cost to student: $2,800
Meeting time: TBA
Instructor(s): Tonio Palmer
Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Williams
SPEC 28 Class of 1959 Teach NYC Urban Education Program
Description: 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
Selection process: statement of interest
Cost to student: $400
Meeting time: TBA
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 29 The “Television” Industry: Legal, Business and Policy Issues in the Distribution of Video Content
Description: This course will explore how video content is distributed in the United States and examine how a business deal to do so may actually take shape. Topics may include the history of television, various business models used to distribute video content to consumers, governmental policy and regulatory impacts on the television business, contract law and its application to video content distribution, and negotiation theory and practice. Students will explore the various ways video content is distributed, how content owners and distributors make money, the relationship between content ownership and distribution, and how the industry is changing. The course will provide students with a basic introduction to contract law and explore a video content distribution agreement in detail. Students will be expected to read articles from the trade press on a daily basis, lead and participate in class discussions, debates and negotiation case studies, analyze legal opinions, read and dissect a video distribution agreement, and, yes, watch “television.” The class will culminate in students working in teams to negotiate and draft a video distribution agreement. Class is expected to meet for 6-8 hours per week.
Method of evaluation/requirements: final project; class participation
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 10
Selection process: students will be asked to write 1-2 sentences about why they want to take the class
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: two consecutive midweek class days
Instructor(s): Robert Goldstein
Robert Goldstein has practiced law for over twenty years, the most recent fifteen of which have been in the television industry. He has been the General Counsel for a privately-held telecommunications venture, worked in-house at a Fortune 500 media company, and represented a wide range of communications companies in various stages of development.
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. Woven into pottery making demonstrations will be presentations, in response to student interest, on various topics relating to the science and history of pottery making. Every student will have exclusive use of a potter’s wheel for each class. Pottery making classes will be held in the mornings, 9 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.
Method of evaluation/requirements: attendance at all class sessions and enthusiasm for learning the craft of pottery making
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 9
Selection process: discretion of the instructor
Cost to student: $385
Meeting time: mornings 9 am-noon, plus one afternoon powerpoint slide presentation, and one final 1-hour critique session early in the spring semester at times to be arranged
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 experience as a successful student, but how do you learn to be successful in life? How will you define success in both your personal life and in your career? 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 students an opportunity for self-reflection, as well as to examine and define their beliefs, values, and assumptions about their future personal and professional lives; (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. Weekly assignments include cases and readings from a variety of related fields, and some self-reflection exercises.
Method of evaluation/requirements: regular attendance, class participation, field interview, and a 10-page final paper.
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment limit: 15
Selection process: preference to juniors and seniors
Cost to student: $0
Meeting time: mornings
Instructor(s): Geraldine Shen, Joe Bergeron
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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