Current Roster

Fall 2024

Fall 2024 MLAS courses begin Monday, August 26 and end Wednesday, December 4.

For a preview of these courses and to meet MLAS faculty and students,  attend the Open House on August 20, 6:00 pm, Cohen Memorial Hall

 

MLAS 6400: Seminar in Literature and Creative Writing:  Shakespeare  and the Invention of Character
Prof. Lynn Enterline, Department of English, Emerita
Evening that the course will meet: Tuesdays, 6:00-8:30 pm
Course Description:
“That’s he that was Othello: here I am.” This is but one of many moments where Shakespeare represents a character in crisis. In this course, we will investigate why the inner worlds and motives of his characters have attracted so much interest and speculation from audiences, actors, and critics. Considering soliloquies as well as dialogues, rhetorical questions, and literary allusions that convey the sense of a textured and tantalizingly mysterious interior life, we will survey all genres of Shakespeare’s work (dramatic as well as lyric and narrative poetry) by taking the question of “character” to be one that requires close literary, rhetorical, and historical analysis. Our study of each of his works will revolve around a number of interrelated topics important in Shakespeare’s life and habits of invention: the myths that dominated what 16   ^th   century writers dubbed “the renaissance” or cultural “rebirth” from the classical past; the Tudor educational revolution and its transmission of European “humanism”; the practices of the commercial theater in Shakespeare’s London; and the close connection between the stage and the burgeoning legal profession. Studying Shakespeare’s emotional characters and literary representations of personal interiority will allow us to think about 16   ^th   century experiences of social distinction—i.e. socially marked and contested differences between genders, classes, and races. Overall, this course will allow students several ways to approach an impossible question: How did Shakespeare become “Shakespeare?”
(Literature and Creative Writing)

 

MLAS 6600: Seminar in Social Science:  Psychology of Politics and Policy
Prof. Ashleigh Maxcey, Department of Psychology
Evening that the course will meet: Mondays, 6:00-8:30 pm
Course Description:
This timely course delves into the interplay between political ideologies, behavior, identity, and decision-making, exploring how perceptions, attitudes, and actions drive policy formation and systemic structures, while integrating cognitive, social, clinical, and neuroscience perspectives to address real-world challenges.  By the end of this course, students will be able to:  Understand key psychological theories and concepts relevant to politics;   Analyze the psychological motivations behind political decisions and affiliations;  Examine the role of group dynamics, biases, and emotions in political perceptions and actions;  Evaluate the psychological tools and strategies used in political campaigns and messaging; and  Discuss the implications of psychological factors in shaping public policy and societal outcomes.
(Social Science)

 

MLAS 6700 Interdisciplinary Seminar (Core Course): The Dilemmas of Modern American Foreign policy in Historical Perspective
Prof. Thomas Alan Schwartz, Department of History
Evening that the course will meet: Wednesdays, 6:00-8:30 pm
Course Description:
Ukraine, the Middle East, Iran, China, North Korea, and Haiti. The headlines tell the stories of dramatic foreign policy crises throughout the world and the efforts of the American Presidents and policymakers to cope with these myriad challenges.  Why have these crises erupted now and how best can they be addressed?  This course will explore the historical background to the most important international issues of today, the policies and actions of previous American leaders, and what lessons history might afford about such crises and their resolution. 
(Core Course or History)

 

8/7/2024