There are many great A&S courses available for the upcoming semester! This electronic bulletin board is designed to highlight a number of new and featured classes offered across the College of Arts and Sciences. Once you have identified a class of interest, log in to Ìýto add the relevant class(es) to your shopping cart and finalize the enrollment process.
Upper-Division Electives
Each semester, the College of Arts & Sciences Curriculum Office puts together a list of upper-division classes that are NOTÌýrestricted to specific majors or minors and do ±·°¿°ÕÌýhave prerequisites. The list is designed to help Juniors and SeniorsÌýin A&S work toward the 45Ìýupper-division credit hours (at leastÌý30 of which must be in A&S) that are required for graduation.
(Spring 2027 list pending)
Spring 2027 Featured Classes
Spring 2027 classes are not visible in the Class Search until October 12.
Asian Studies
This class will explore the history of China's interest in and development of space technology from the Mao era through today. China became the third country ever to launch a human into space in 2003 and has been expanding its space program ever since. Beijing has poured billions into its military-run space program, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022 and eventually sending humans to the Moon. Tracing the development of China's space industry chronologically, this class will consider the long-term policy and industry implications of the growing U.S. - China Space rivalry. Course texts will draw on primary source documents, policy analysis, business case analyses, and contemporary Chinese science fiction to understand the current context for this rivalry and make policy recommendations for the future.Ìý
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Germanic & Slavic Languages & Literatures
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From the turbulent financial situation of 1929 to the rise of National Socialism and Hitler,ÌýBabylon BerlinÌýrecreates hedonistic nightlife and suffocating societal clashes in the final years of the Weimar Republic. But what was Weimar Germany actually like? Through a mix of fictional and historic sources, we will delve into the many faces of the Weimar Republic’s political, artistic, and societal movements to think about how Weimar was viewed during its time and its significance today. Throughout the course, our emphasis will be on the visual arts and film, both from the Weimar era and works about Weimar. Taught in English.ÌýArts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities.
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Explores the contributions to Russian/Soviet literature, film, and the performing arts by such LGBTQ cultural icons as Nikolai Gogol, Marina Tsvetaeva, Sergei Eisenstein, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The course also surveys the history of social and legal restrictions on non-heteronormative behaviors in Russia from the medieval period to the present, with an emphasis on the emergence of LGBT rights activism and the reactionary rise of homophobia as a tool of nationalist politics in Putin’s Russia. Taught in English.ÌýArts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities and Arts Sci Gen Ed: Diversity-Global Perspective.
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This course explores source criticism and creative analysis of Tolkien's work outside ofÌýLord of the RingsÌýandÌýThe Hobbit. Students will read and analyze Tolkien's transformative versions (fanfictions) ofÌýThe Saga of the Volsungs,ÌýKullervo's Tale, and more, comparing them to the originals and discussing why Tolkien made the changes that he did. Students will comprehensively apply these critical analysis skills to a different piece of transformative media at the end of the semester. Having takenÌýSCAN 1202: Tolkien's Nordic Sources in The Lord of the RingsÌýis helpful, but not required. Taught in English.ÌýArts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities.
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