AFST B204  #BLACKLIVESMATTEREVERYWHERE  (1.0 Credit)

Paul Joseph López Oro

#BlackLivesMatterEverywhere: Ethnographies & Theories on the African Diaspora is a interdisciplinary course closely examines political, cultural, intellectual, and spiritual mobilizations for Black Lives on local, global and hemispheric levels. We will engage an array of materials ranging from literature, history, oral histories, folklore, dance, music, popular culture, social media, ethnography, and film/documentaries. By centering the political and intellectual labor of Black women and LGBTQ folks at the forefront of the movements for Black Lives, we unapologetically excavate how #BlackLivesMatterEverywhere has a long and rich genealogy in the African diaspora. Lastly, students will be immersed in Black queer feminist theorizations on diaspora, political movements, and the multiplicities of Blackness.

(Offered: Spring 2025)

AFST B206  BLACK LATINX AMERICAS: MOVEMENTS, POLITICS, & CULTURES  (1.0 Credit)

Paul Joseph López Oro

Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts); B: Analysis of the Social World

This interdisciplinary course examines the extensive and diverse histories, social movements, political mobilization and cultures of Black people (Afrodescendientes) in Latin America and the Caribbean. While the course will begin in the slavery era, most of our scholarly-activist attention will focus on the histories of peoples of African descent in Latin America after emancipation to the present. Some topics we will explore include: the particularities of slavery in the Americas, the Haitian Revolution and its impact on articulations of race and nation in the region, debates on “racial democracy,” the relationship between gender, class, race, and empire, and recent attempts to write Afro-Latin American histories from “transnational” and “diaspora” perspectives. We will engage the works of historians, activists, artists, anthropologists, sociologists, and political theorists who have been key contributors to the rich knowledge production on Black Latin America.

ARCH B101  INTRODUCTION TO EGYPTIAN AND NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY  (1.0 Credit)

Jennie Bradbury

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

A historical survey of the archaeology and art of the ancient Near East and Egypt.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

ARCH B102  INTRODUCTION TO CLASSICAL ARCHAEOLOGY  (1.0 Credit)

Rocco Palermo

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

A historical survey of the archaeology and art of Greece, Etruria, and Rome.

(Offered: Spring 2025)

ARCH B203  BUILDING THE POLIS: ANCIENT GREEK CITIES AND SANCTUARIES  (1.0 Credit)

Shannon Dunn

Division: Humanities

A study of the co-development of the Greek city-states and their sanctuaries. Archaeological evidence is surveyed in its historic context. The political formation of the city-state and the role of religion is presented, and the political, economic, and religious institutions of the city-states are explored with a focus on regional variations in timelines of development, building styles, and connectivity. The logistics of building construction, religious travel, and interregional influences will also be addressed.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

ARCH B252  POMPEII  (1.0 Credit)

Staff

Division: Humanities

Introduces students to a nearly intact archaeological site whose destruction by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 C.E. was recorded by contemporaries. The discovery of Pompeii in the mid-1700s had an enormous impact on 18th- and 19th-century views of the Roman past as well as styles and preferences of the modern era. Informs students in classical antiquity, urban life, city structure, residential architecture, home decoration and furnishing, wall painting, minor arts and craft and mercantile activities within a Roman city.

(Offered: Spring 2025)

ARCH B317  CULTURAL HERITAGE AND ENDANGERED ARCHAEOLOGY  (1.0 Credit)

Jennie Bradbury

This course will examine how and why archaeological sites are ‘endangered’. Primarily focusing on the Near East and North Africa (the MENA region), we will examine the different types of archaeological and heritage sites found across this broad region, and some of the threats and disturbances affecting them. We will consider how different interest groups and stakeholders view, value and present historical and archaeological sites to the general public, as well as the success of modern initiatives and projects to safeguard the heritage of the MENA region. Our research will consider the ethics of cultural preservation, as well as the issues and problems encountered by heritage specialists working in areas of modern conflict. Whilst not all damage can be prevented, the course will consider how different threats and disturbances might be mitigated. Prerequisite: Upper level 300-level course. Students should have completed at least two 100 level/200 level courses in either classical or near eastern archaeology.

ARCH B347  ANCIENT ARTIFACTS IN THE BRYN MAWR SPECIAL COLLECTIONS  (1.0 Credit)

Staff

Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

Centered on the question, how we can learn from and through objects, this course explores a selected corpus of artifacts from the ancient Mediterranean in the Bryn Mawr Special Collections with the aim to uncover how these objects were made and used and what they might have meant to their ancient users. Students will handle, study, and interpret a variety of artifacts made of clay, metal, stone, and glass, ranging from vessels, mirrors, and statuettes to mosaics and frescoes used originally in a variety of contexts of ancient Mediterranean daily life and spanning now their second-life as constituents of the Bryn Mawr Special Collections. Through close observation and analysis of the procurement and trade of the raw materials of these objects and their manufacturing techniques and decoration, including its themes, which extend from daily scenes and mythological tales to colorful abstract motifs and intriguing inscriptions, students will examine the use and function of these artifacts as evidence of meaningful ancient Mediterranean cultural thought, behavior, and experience. Interpretation will be based on close observation and active and experiential learning, through tactile engagement with these objects, comparing and contrasting them, studying their conservation, and inquiring, through deep critical thinking, archival work, and reflexivity, about their provenience, collecting, and digital itineraries. Prerequisites: ARCH B101 and B102.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

EDUC H311  THEORIES OF CHANGE IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS  (1.0 Credit)

Kelly Zuckerman

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

A culminating capstone for seniors pursuing the major and minor in Educational Studies through the Education Department, this course uses the frame of “theories of change” to examine how transformation can occur within educational institutions and beyond. Through weekly readings as well as embodiment opportunities and campus-based excursions and speakers, students examine changemaking and changemakers in a variety of domains including museums, the natural world, academic scholarship, music, dance, gastronomy, and design, among others. In doing so, students are encouraged to explore and experience a wide range of approaches to identifying issues, envisioning alternative outcomes, and developing and implementing action strategies. Weekly fieldwork in an educational institution further supports this exploration, as students begin to crystalize and map their own views on changemaking and their identity as agents of transformation around a particular issue of interest. The course culminates in the creation of a capstone portfolio documenting the breadth and depth of students’ experience in the Education Department. Prerequisite(s): Students completing the major or minor in Educational Studies

(Offered: Spring 2025)

FREN B105  DIRECTIONS DE LA FRANCE CONTEMPORAINE  (1.0 Credit)

Camille Leclère-Gregory, Rudy Le Menthéour

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

Ce cours a pour objet les dynamiques et les tensions qui structurent ou déstructurent la France contemporaine. Dans quelle mesure la France a-t-elle profité de la colonisation et de l'esclavage pour devenir la France ? Le modèle républicain est-il mis à mal par ce qu'on appelle les "communautarismes", ou n'est-il lui même qu'un déguisement du communautarisme de la majorité ? Quel est ce "séparatisme" qui menacerait la cohésion nationale et les valeurs universalistes de la France ? Pourquoi la laïcité est-elle en crise aujourd'hui ? L'État de droit peut-il demeurer un État de droit face au djihadisme ? L'arbitrage impossible entre priorité sanitaire et priorité économique montre-t-il que le pouvoir politique est devenu impuissant ? Les travaux à rendre vous permettront de vous exprimer dans des formats innovants (podcast, présentation vidéo, réalisation de pages Internet) et de perfectionner vos compétences à l’oral aussi bien qu’à l’écrit. Prerequisite: FREN 005 or 101.

(Offered: Spring 2025)

GEOL B210  CATALOGING COLLECTIONS  (1.0 Credit)

This course is an introduction to cataloguing as an integral component of museum collections management. Students will consider the history, theories, and practices of cataloguing as a museum practice as it relates to the different objectives of various types of museums (art, natural history, science, history, zoological). Students will explore how cultural attitudes, institutional policies, and social expectations have historically influenced, and continue to shape, the development of collections management policies and procedures, while undertaking projects related to collections research and cataloguing. They will evaluate and recommend standardized vocabularies to build a collections database that accommodates more complex histories while optimizing searchability. They will engage with instructors who are actively involved in the professional operations of and calls to “decolonize” collections, becoming trained in the fundamentals of cataloguing collections as they actively rethink these structures and contribute to object records.

HART B120  HISTORY OF CHINESE ART  (1.0 Credit)

Jie Shi

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

This course is a survey of the arts of China from Neolithic to the contemporary period, focusing on bronze vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Chinese appropriation of Buddhist art, and the evolution of landscape and figure painting traditions.This course was formerly numbered HART B274; students who previously completed HART B274 may not repeat this course.

(Offered: Spring 2025)

HART B201  CRITICAL APPROACHES TO VISUAL REPRESENTATION: MEDIEVAL/MODERN  (1.0 Credit)

Alicia Walker

Division: Humanities

This is a topics course. Course content varies. This course is writing intensive. This course examines intersections between the medieval and modern worlds through art and architecture. Students study medieval works of art and/or architecture as well as their afterlives in the modern era, as realized through revivals of style and form, museum exhibition excavation, alteration and adaptation for reuse, etc. There are no prerequisites for this course. Enrollment preference given to majors and minors in History of Art.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

HART B275  INTRODUCTION TO MUSEUM STUDIES  (1.0 Credit)

Monique Scott

Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts); B: Analysis of the Social World

Using the museums of Philadelphia as field sites, this course provides an introduction to the theoretical and practical aspects of museum studies and the important synergies between theory and practice. Students will learn: the history of museums as institutions of recreation, education and leisure; how the museum itself became a symbol of power, prestige and sometimes alienation; debates around the ethics and politics of collecting objects of art, culture and nature; and the qualities that make an exhibition effective (or not). By visiting exhibitions and meeting with a range of museum professionals in art, anthropology and science museums, this course offers a critical perspective on the inner workings of the museum as well as insights into the “new museology.” Not open to first-year students. Enrollment preference given to minors in Museum Studies. This course was formerly numbered HART B281; students who previously completed HART B281 may not repeat this course.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

HART B276  TOPICS IN MUSEUM STUDIES  (1.0 Credit)

Monique Scott

This is a topics course. Course content varies. This course was formerly numbered HART B248.

HART B340  TOPICS IN MATERIAL CULTURE  (1.0 Credit)

Sylvia Houghteling

This is a topics course. Course content varies. This course was formerly numbered HART B345.

(Offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2025)

HART B420  MUSEUM STUDIES FIELDWORK  (1.0 Credit)

Sylvia Houghteling

This course provides students a forum in which to ground, frame and discuss their hands-on work in museums, galleries, archives or collections. Whether students have arranged an internship at a local institution or want to pursue one in the Bryn Mawr College Collections, this course will provide a framework for these endeavors, coupling praxis with theory supported by readings from the discipline of Museum Studies. The course will culminate in a final presentation, an opportunity to reflect critically on the internship experience. Prior to taking the course, students will develop a Praxis Learning Plan through the Career and Civic Engagement office. All students will share a set syllabus, common learning objectives and readings, but will also be able to tailor those objectives to the specific museum setting or Special Collections project in which they are involved.

(Offered: Spring 2025)

HIST B237  THEMES IN MODERN AFRICAN HISTORY  (1.0 Credit)

Kalala Ngalamulume

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This is a topics course. Course content varies

HIST B349  TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE HISTORY  (1.0 Credit)

Ignacio Gallup-Diaz

Division: Social Science

This is a topics course. Topics vary.

HIST H299  HISTORICAL METHODS LAB: ARCHIVE THEORY AND PRACTICE  (1.0 Credit)

Marlen Rosas

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts); B: Analysis of the Social World

In recent decades, the historical concept of “the archive” has served as a cornerstone for inquiry across disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. At a moment of dramatic transformation in archival practice through digital technologies, one that is fundamentally altering the nature of archives and our relationship to them, this course introduces students to the interdisciplinary theory and practice of the archive as method, material culture, power, and idea of the world. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or above

(Offered: Fall 2024)

PSYC B231  HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY  (1.0 Credit)

Magdalena Leszko

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course will provide an overview of the field of health psychology using lecture, exams, videos, assignments, and an article critique. We will examine the current definition of health psychology, as well as the theories and research behind many areas in health psychology (both historical and contemporary). The course will focus on specific health and social psychological theories, empirical research, and applying the theory and research to real world situations. Prerequisite: Introductory Psychology (PSYC B105) or Foundations of Psychology (PSYC H100). Students may take either this course or HLTH/PSYC H245 not both.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

RELG H131  THE LURE OF IMAGES: RELIGION AND VISUAL MEDIA  (1.0 Credit)

Pika Ghosh

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

This course examines representations from figural forms to abstractions, found objects and beautiful writing to understand the power of sacred imagery. We will examine formats from medieval manuscripts and painted walls to films, panoramas and comic books to observe the dynamics that emerge among viewers and images in spatial contexts ranging from altar pieces, sculpture, stained glass and painting in neo-Gothic churches, calligraphy in mosque and shrine interiors, deity icons in Hindu temples and potent fabrics in Buddhist monastic complexes. Crosslisted: VIST.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

SPAN B312  LATIN AMERICAN AND LATINO ART AND THE QUESTION OF THE MASSES  (1.0 Credit)

Martín Gaspar

The course examines the ways in which Latin American and Latino texts (paintings, murals, sculptures, and some narratives) construct "minor," "featureless" and "anonymous" characters, thus demarcating how and which members of society can and cannot advance a plot, act independently and/or be agents of change. By focusing the attention on what is de-emphasized, we will explore how artistic works, through their form, are themselves political actors in the social life of Latin America, the US, and beyond. We will also consider the place of Latin American and Latino Art in the US imaginary and in institutions such as museums and galleries. Prerequisites: Course is taught in English and is open to all juniors or seniors who have taken at least one 200-level course in a literature department. Students seeking Spanish credit must have taken BMC Spanish 120 and at least one other Spanish course at a 200-level, or received permission from instructor. Course does not meet an Approach. Counts toward Latin American, Iberian and Latina/o Studies. Counts toward Museum Studies.

VIST H131  THE LURE OF IMAGES: RELIGION AND VISUAL MEDIA  (1.0 Credit)

Pika Ghosh

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

This course examines representations from figural forms to abstractions, found objects and beautiful writing to understand the power of sacred imagery. We will examine formats from medieval manuscripts and painted walls to films, panoramas and comic books to observe the dynamics that emerge among viewers and images in spatial contexts ranging from altar pieces, sculpture, stained glass and painting in neo-Gothic churches, calligraphy in mosque and shrine interiors, deity icons in Hindu temples and potent fabrics in Buddhist monastic complexes. Crosslisted: VIST.

(Offered: Fall 2024)