Fall 2013 Courses

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All courses taught by Robinson Professors are open to anyone meeting department prerequisites.

Shaul Bakhash | Spencer Crew | Paul D'Andrea | Robert Hazen | Hugh Heclo | Carma Hinton | Harold Morowitz | John Paden | Steven Pearlstein | James Trefil | Laurie Robinson

Shaul Bakhash

HIST 387:010  Modern Iraq
Iraq has had a turbulent history ever since it was carved out of three provinces of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I.  In this course, we will examine the politics of Iraq under the British mandate; as an independent state under the monarchy; and as a republic after the revolution of 1958, with special emphasis on  the social composition of Iraq’s people and of its ruling elites; the ideologies that shaped these elites;  and the various  attempts to create a cohesive nation out of Iraq’s disparate ethnic and religious communities. We will study in some detail the Iraqi revolution of 1958 and its legacy;  the rule of the Baath and Saddam Hussein; Iraq as a player in the region and the international system; and the American invasion of Iraq and its aftermath. (TR 12:00-1:15 pm)

HNRS 131:008  Contemporary Society in Multiple Perspectives: Dictatorship and Dissent
As laid out most graphically in the novels and essays of the Russian writer, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, totalitarian states and autocracies create elaborate systems of prisons and incarceration camps, secret police and interrogators, courts and jailers to silence dissidents, critics, human rights advocates, independent artists and intellectuals and anyone, in short, who refuses to conform to the ideology and policies of the state. Solzhenitsyn also recounts the manner in which often courageous and ordinary men and women cope when caught in these fearful webs of repression—how they attempt to remain whole, retain their dignity and integrity, avoid surrender. Taking Solzhenitsyn as our starting point, we will use fiction and prison memoirs from Russia, China, Nazi Germany, and Iran to examine the nature of the repressive apparatus of the authoritarian state and the response of the men and women who fall victim to it. (TR 1:30-2:45pm)

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Spencer Crew

HNRS 240:002 Reading the Past
The definition of family and the role of each member of that unit have evolved over the years.  Often the changes are related to economic circumstances and the social mores of the society.  This course will primarily examine the way the American family has changed since colonial days.  In the process we will study how the responsibilities of women, children, and men have altered and why.  We also will compare this with views of family operation in other selected societies such as Rome, India, China, and Japan.

In addition, the class will acquire basic skills in oral history so they can interview family members or close associates to better understand their own family history or the experiences of others growing up. (TR 10:30-11:45)

HIST 300:004 Introduction to Historical Methods - Underground Railroad and Abolition
The course will introduce students to the theory and practice of history.  It will use the Underground Railroad and its connections to slavery and abolition as the vehicle for teaching skills in historical thinking, research, and writing.  The Underground Railroad was a loose network of individuals dedicated to undermining the institution of slavery and gaining freedom for African Americans enslaved by the institution.  Studying it will provide an opportunity for using historical skills and methodology to separate myth from truth in the process writing a research paper. (T 1:30-4:15)

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Paul D'Andrea

HNRS 122:002  Reading the Arts
What elements came together to create the Renaissance? Do we have similar or analogous elements in our social, intellectual, and artistic life today? What energies brought about the Renaissance? Can we use those or parallel energies to create an American or perhaps international renaissance? Would that be a satisfactory substitute for war? We will study primary sources only, reading and viewing Petrarch, Donne, Rabelais, Erasmus, Montaigne, Pico, Machiavelli, Castiglione, Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Milton, Luther and Calvin. Lectures will set these creative figures in context. Disciplines such as art and literary criticism, history or ideas, will be used to interpret the works and try to identify for our use the sources of Renaissance energy. (TR 3-4:15 pm)

HNRS 240:003  The Great Conversation: Rx for Cultural AmnesiaThe Great Conversation is the ongoing, lively, creative discussion among the noble living and the noble dead. “Noble” means simply someone willing and able to read widely and imaginatively.
If we could speak with Aeschylus about his Oresteia (458 BC/BCE), we would learn that he has something priceless to offer us that we can use in our political decisions today, but only if we can grasp the imaginative dimension of his work. Being able to “speak” with him is to participate in the Great Conversation.
If you don’t take part in the Great Conversation, you get cultural amnesia, a leading cause of ideology.
This course helps the student join in the GC, which has, historically, been a major source of creativity.
We will read Aeschylus, Beckett, Boccaccio, Dante, Lessing, Lincoln, Machiavelli, Flannery O’Connor, Ovid, Sylvia Plath, Theodore Roethke, Shakespeare, and Thucydides. (TR 12-1:15 pm)

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Robert Hazen

UNIV 301:001 Great Ideas in Science
A non-technical introduction to the ideas that have shaped the growth of science. The idea behind each major advance is treated in its historical context, with special attention to its importance in mankind's understanding of the nature of the universe. Examples are taken from the physical, geological, and biological sciences. (M 4:30-7:10)

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Hugh Heclo

On leave.

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Carma Hinton

HNRS 122:003 Reading the Arts
This course introduces students to some basic concepts and practices of Chinese art. Through in-depth studies of a variety of ancient as well as contemporary art, including painting, calligraphy, sculpture, and architecture, the course will explore the particular ways in which the relationship between convention and innovation, discipline and freedom, community and individuality, and high art and popular art evolved in China’s long cultural tradition. Considerable emphasis will be given to examining the role of art and artist in society. (T 4:30-7:10 pm)

CHIN 320:001 Contemporary Chinese Film
This course provides a historical overview of Chinese language cinema, focusing on productions from Mainland China.  The story of Chinese cinema is closely entwined with the turbulent history of 20^th century China.  Since its beginnings in the early 1900s – during the final years of the last imperial dynasty – Chinese cinema has embodied and responded to the profound challenges brought about by a rapidly changing world.  In exploring this story, we will study the works of a number of key directors and examine moments of dramatic shifts in cinematic style within a broader social and political context.  We will pay particular attention to issues of national, cultural, and gender identities, the relationship between art and politics, and cross-cultural communication. (Also listed as ARTH 303 and FAVS 399 T 7:20-10:00 pm)

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Harold Morowitz

HNRS 353:001 An Informatic Approach to the Study of the Cultural and Intellectual Roots of Western Culture and Civilization
While various collections such as Harvard Classics and the University of Chicago Great books series have been set forth to formulate cultural literacy, they each fill an entire four year undergraduate curriculum.  In the usual college program this basis of our culture and how it emerged has largely been eliminated.  Our course, Honors 353, tries to inform the student of the nature of this core and how it has influenced our perspective of life and society. It attempts to use new methods of knowledge handling to extract  the description of the Western Canon and its effect on today's world.  In today's highly interconnected clash of civilizations there is also a need of an Eastern Canon and other influences but that is the task of other curricula. We will use the Britannica Great Book series, which extracts from the thousands of works of the Western Canon the core of what the editors believe is required for non-specialists to understand the world in which they function.  Our purpose is to convey an understanding of the cultural foundations of Western society, to see how they have come about, and to have a feel of how our institutions have emerged from these roots.  (MW 1:30-2:45 pm)

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John Paden

GOVT 430:001: Comparative Political Leadership
Comparative political leadership, relationships between political culture and types of leadership, patterns of leadership recruitment, and linkages between political elites and citizenry. (TR 10:30-11:45 am)

GOVT 490:005 Globalization Debates
Seminar focuses on the multiple actors and actions in today's international system, to develop an understanding of the relationships and themes that characterize and condition the existing field of international transactions, exploring its parameters and conceptual approaches from different disciplines. (TR 1:30-2:45 pm)

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Steven Pearlstein

GOVT 367:001 Issues in Government and Politics:  Money, Markets and Economic Policy
No prerequisite. Applies basic economic concepts to an examination of fundamental issues facing the U.S. and global economies. Explores the way markets work, the reasons they sometimes fail and the role of government policy. Topics include productivity and economic growth, taxes, health care, globalization, income distribution and financial crises, with an emphasis on market structure, social institutions and the not-always rational behavior of investors and consumers.

Over the last decade, economics has moved from the periphery of the political conversation to its white hot center. This course will provide a familiarity with the fundamental issues facing the U.S. and global economies, along with an understanding of the economic principles that underlie them. The course is aimed at non-economics majors seeking the economic literacy necessary to do their jobs, manage their lives and participate intelligently as citizens in a democracy.  It is taught by a prize-winning journalist with a knack for demystifying complex economic ideas and policy choices and translating them into conversational English. There are no prerequisites and the course involves very little math. Critical thinkers with curious minds are strongly encouraged to enroll. (MW 1:30-2:45 pm)

HNRS 131:006 Contemporary Society in Multiple Perspectives
Course Description: We will follow the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial campaign as it unfolds this fall, not just in the ordinary sense but from the perspectives of a wide range of Virginians who are in some way participating in it or will be affected by it. A farmer. A small business owner. A unionized factory worker. A candidate for state legislature. A weekly newspaper editor.  A banker. A retiree.  A nurse. An environmental activist. A Tea Party organizer. A minister. Each student will be assigned one such individual and keep in weekly contact as the campaign unfolds, “seeing” the election through his or her eyes—and share that view in class discussions.  Class sessions will also feature formal in-class debates on key issues in the campaign.  Students will be required to watch all candidate debates and follow the campaign as in unfolds in the news media, on the web and in TV commercials. The aim of the course is two-fold.  One goal is for students to develop a real-world understanding of campaign politics, political journalism and government policy, and the interaction among them. The other is to develop an appreciation of how the world looks to someone with different values and life experiences. Some summer reading will be required.  Registration closed after August 1. (TR 10:30-11:45)

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James Trefil

On leave.

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Laurie Robinson

HNRS 131:001: Contemporary Society in Multiple Perspectives: Problem Solving in Government
A Case Study Using the Promise Neighborhoods Program
How do government agencies tackle problems and work with local communities to address them? How does the federal government interact with local governments? And can an individual government employee -- you, if you take a job in public service -- make a difference as an effective "change agent"? This course will focus on the nuts and bolts of creative problem-solving in government. To do that, we'll focus on one program -- the U.S. Department of Education's Promise Neighborhoods initiative, which is based on the model of Geoffrey Canada's Harlem Children's Zone. We will see how it is being implemented in a low-income community in Northeast Washington, D.C. Students will work in teams to define the problems being addressed, research and track down pertinent data, identify key public and private sector partners (e.g., community groups, Washington players, interest groups) and analyze the barriers to accomplishing program goals. Students will offer their own assessment of issues and propose solutions to problems being encountered. As part of the seminar, students will take Friday field trips to meet and talk with community representatives in the Northeast Washington neighborhood, as well as with officials at federal agencies and Washington interest groups. (TR 1:30-2:45 pm)


 

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