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NEW COLLEGE BLOCK COURSES
FALL 2007 (Blocks I-IV)
Consumer Culture & the American Vacation (BH)
Dr. Sharryn Kasmir, Department of Anthropology
Blocks I & II (9/4-9/27; 10/1-10/24)
This course will explore consumer culture in the United States. We'll pay particular attention to the spread and popularization of the American vacation. We'll study vacation spots such as Disney World, Coney Island, and Asbury Park to examine their relation to race, class and gender divisions, the transformation of the family, the history of union movement, and the growth of the middle class. Students will be involved in on-site, ethnographic research, and will learn to conduct interviews and oral histories and to use archives to examine the meaning and experience of vacations in American life.
Science, Naturally: Exploring the Physical World (NS)
Dr. David Cassidy, Department of Chemistry
Blocks I & II (9/4-9/27; 10/1-10/24)
In this course, we'll examine some of the most significant ideas, theories, experiments and historical developments that have increased our understanding of the physical world. We'll read and write about notable scientists and current science-related issues. Through hands-on experience and visits to sites such as the Brookhaven National Accelerator Laboratory on Long Island and the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, we'll learn about some of the important features of physical science and their impact on our environment and the world.
Money & Capital in New York City: The Place of a Financial Center in a Global Economy (BH)
Dr. Conrad Herold, Department of Economics/Geography
Blocks III & IV (10/29-11/20; 11/26-12/19)
The financial district of New York City is one of the world's premier international financial markets, and the story of its rise and consolidation is one of genius and pathos. In this course, we'll seek to understand what the financial district of New York City does, how it arose as a national and then international financial center, and the challenges it currently faces in a globalized world. Fields trips include visits to the financial district of Lower Manhattan and to the New York City Federal Reserve.
Art & Archaeology of the Ancient Mediterranean World (AA)
Dr. Aleksandr Naymark, Department of Fine Arts, Art History & Humanities
Blocks III & IV (10/29-11/20; 11/26-12/19)
The location of the Mediterranean (meaning "between the lands") turned this sea into a superhighway facilitating trade and military expeditions and promoting highly consequential cultural exchanges between the earliest civilizations of the world.. In this course, we'll build a coherent and systematic picture of these early civilizations in relation to each other to construct a solid framework for the early history of western civilization. The course includes films and field trips to some of the great museums in Manhattan.
Writing Workshop: Place & Identity
Professor Patti Horvath, Department of English
Blocks III & IV (10/29-11/20; 11/26-12/19)
The goal of this course is to help students develop the abilities they need for college writing assignments and for using writing effectively throughout their lives. More specifically, the course is designed to help students develop their ability to compose and edit written work for clarity, coherence, and concision. Working in tandem with the block courses Place & Identity (Fall semester) and Ways of Knowing (Spring semester), students will meet both collectively as a class and individually with their instructor to strengthen their academic writing.
SPRING 2008 (Blocks V-VIII)
The Lost Generation (LT)
Dr. Dana Brand, Department of English
Blocks V & VI (1/28-2/21; 2/25-3/27)
In this course, we'll study the works of three of the most important American writers of the twentieth century: Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein. These and other creative individuals of the '20s and '30s were sometimes called "The Lost Generation" because they were trying break free of the methods and styles of the past in order to develop a modern way of writing about modern experience. By reading these authors and considering related developments in art, music, and popular culture, we'll try to imagine the revolutions of this time period and their impact on today's world. The course includes trips to the Museum of Modern Art and a walking tour of "Gatsby's Manhattan."
Urban Culture & Identity (HP)
Dr. Sally Charnow, Department of History
Block VI & VII (2/25-3/27; 3/31-4/24)
In this course we'll develop an understanding of how the urban experience has been a powerful force in shaping the evolution of modern social, political, and cultural forms. We'll move from early nineteenth century industrializing England to Paris in the later part of the century, and then to New York in the early years of the twentieth century. Among the questions we'll ask are: What makes a city a city? What are the relationships of race, class, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality to the urban experience both lived and imagined? The course includes visits to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
How to Do Philosophy: Knowing the Self & the World (HP)
Dr. Amy Karofsky, Department of Philosophy
Blocks V & VII (1/28-2/21; 3/31-4/24)
In this course, we'll learn how to do philosophy by doing philosophy. We'll examine some of the 'deep' questions about ourselves and the universe, such as: Do we really have free will? What is consciousness? Is there a beginning of the universe? Is there an intelligent designer of it? And, can we actually know the answers to any of these questions? By searching for the answers to these and other questions, we'll not only come to have a better understanding of philosophy, but also come to have a better understanding of ourselves and the world that we live in.
First-Year Independent Project
Block VIII (4/28-5/15)
This course provides New College students with a means of pursuing individual research projects as an outgrowth of ideas developed in first-year block courses. With the guidance and supervision of a faculty member, a student develops a project. Together, they determine such formal details as the frequency and length of the meetings they will hold during the block session. The project will result in an essay, performance, or body of work.