New & Revised Courses - 2011-12
Anthropology
ANTH140 PO. Love, Labor and Law Across Borders. Ms. Mahdavi. Over the past quarter century, women and men have migrated across borders to engage in different forms of intimate labor. They have done so formally and informally, as spouses, domestic workers, and sex workers. This seminar invites students to question received categories for classifying and understanding these forms of migration by examining them as types of intimate labor that fundamentally reshape constructions of family, citizenship, labor, gender, and sexuality across borders. The framework of intimate labor requires one to rethink scholarly, policy, and activist formulations of migration and the phenomenon of "human trafficking" premised on artificial distinctions between forced and voluntary movement, formal and informal migration and labor, and legitimate and illegitimate statuses in host and receiving countries. The course will look at readings in various transnational contexts to question ways in which intimate labor is being reconfigured through gendered migration practices and policies. The seminar will primarily look at these issues through an anthropological lens, but we will engage other disciplines such as economics, sociology and politics to enhance our understandings of convergences across modes of intimate labor and reduce gaps between policy and lived experience. Fall 2011; alternate years.
Art & Art History
ART 021 PO. Foundations of Digital Design. Mr. Allen. Foundations of Digital Design is a hands on introduction to the principles of visual design using digital tools and computer programming. Letter grade only. Each semester.
ART 120 PO. Photographing People. Ms. Auerbach. This studio course investigates the tradition of photographic portraiture. Technical skills will be honed and expanded, lighting techniques will be introduced, and discussion will revolve around the portrait within photographic history. A semester long portraiture project will culminate in a book project or website. Prerequisite: 20 or 28. Letter grade only. Fall 2011.
ART 190 PO. Junior/Senior Studio Art Seminar. Ms. Teixido. For Pomona Studio Art Majors, to be taken in the fall of the junior and senior years. A more in-depth examination of the theories and issues relevant to contemporary art practice. Exploration takes the form of art production and its critique and response papers to visiting artists, readings and field trips. Letter grade only. Each fall.
Astronomy
ASTR009 PO. The Cosmic Origins of the Universe - the Stars, the Elements and Earth. Mr. Penprase. A survey of the origins of the universe, the formation of the first elements and stars, and the production of planets. The "cosmic context" of life on Earth is considered, with a detailed discussion of the origins of the elements, exoplanets, the Anthropic principle, and the uniqueness of Earth as a planet. Includes a laboratory/observatory component. No prerequisites. Letter grade only. Every fall.
Biology
BIOL194 PO. Senior Experimental Thesis. Staff. A two semester laboratory or field project that addresses an original question. Open to students whose written preliminary project proposals have been approved by the department. Preliminary proposals due one week prior to pre-enrollment in the spring of the junior year. Taken in two semesters for half-course credit first semester and full credit second semester; grade and credit awarded at the conclusion of the second semester. Students who do not pass the first semester receive a NC (no credit) grade and must enroll in BIOL191 (Senior Library Thesis) in the second semester for one-half course. First semester, half course. Second semester, full course.
Chemistry
CHEM156 PO. Physical Chemistry in Molecular Biology. Mr. Johal. The application of physical chemistry to biochemistry and molecular biology. A study of chemical thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, and spectroscopy related to the determination of molecular structure and molecular interactions. Prerequisite: CHEM001A, B or 51; MATH030, 031; PHYS041,042. CHEM115 is highly recommended. Each spring.
Dance
DANC138 PO. Concert Dance in the Global Age. The history and development of concert and theatre dance on a global scale; the introduction of ballet and later modern dance into areas such as India, Turkey, and Iran. Issues of colonialism, transnationalism, and the politics of culture; exploration of how these western forms were received in non-European contexts, and then altered, as with classical ballet in China, or ways in which they spawned new forms, such as Japanese butoh. Fall 2011; alternate years.
Economics
ECON115 PO. Economics of Immigration. Mr. Lozano. In this course we will explore the economic consequences of international migration. Among the topics are immigrants' assimilation and acculturation, effects of immigration on hosting communities, remittances and effects of immigration on sending countries, and the outcomes of second and higher-order generation immigrants. In addition, we will explore policies proposed and implemented in the U.S. and abroad. Prerequisite: 52 or 57. Spring 2012; alternate years.
ECON129 PO. Health Economics. Ms. O'Leary. The demand for medical care services, especially as a function of insurance; the demand for insurance and issues of selection; reimbursement policies of Medicare and other payers, and effects on hospital and physician behavior; effects of health maintenance organizations and managed care; the quality of medical care; and current health policy issues in the U.S. Prerequisite: 52. Spring 2012.
ECON161 PO. Advanced Macroeconomic Analysis. Mr. Kuehlwein. Selected issues in macroeconomic theory, empirical analysis, and policy including growth, unemployment, consumption, investment, inflation, budget deficits, and monetary policy rules. Covers rational expectations, real business cycles, sticky price models, endogenous growth, financial crises, and macroeconometrics. Prerequisites: 101, 102, and either 107 or 167. Spring 2013. Alternate years.
ECON169 PO. Advanced Econometrics. Mr. de Pace. An overview of state-of-the-art econometric modeling methodologies. Estimation and inference techniques for cross-section, time-series, and panel data. Empirical applications in the fields of macroeconomics, microeconomics, and financial economics using modern statistical software. Prerequisites: 107 or 167 and MATH060, or permission of the instructor. Letter grade only. Spring 2012; offered alternate years.
English
ENGL137 PO. Fragment as Form. Mr. Kunin. The fragment as form in early modern literature: aphorisms, diaries, letters, dictionaries, footnotes, ballads, poems, ruins, and histories. Letter grade only. Spring 2012, offered occasionally.
ENGL138 PO. Henry James on Art and Society. Mr. Kunin. How does art make life? How do you use a novel to love the world? We will try to answer these questions by studying James's novels and tales. We will also consider some writings by Eliot, Adams, Wilde, Wharton, and William James. Letter grade only. Fall 2011.
ENGL156 PO. Milton and Visual Culture. Mr. Kunin. Milton's poetry and prose in the context of visual culture: primacy and shame of the visible; blindness; iconoclasm; and "dissociation of sensibility." Some attention to theories of image-making in other early modern poetry, painting, fashion, and design. Letter grade only. Spring 2012.
ENGL159 PO. Literature and the Natural World. Ms. Gravendyk. This course will explore the ways in which 20th century writing, especially poetry, engages the concept of "nature." Alongside primary texts in non-fiction and poetry, we will read selections from ecocriticism and theory. Some writers that may be included in this course are Aldo Leopold, Mary Austin, Forrest Gander, Robert Hass, and Annie Dillard. Letter grade only. Alternate fall semesters; fall 2011.
ENGL170G PO. Shakespeare Seminar. Ms. Rosenfeld. We will spend the entire semester studying a single play by Shakespeare, working that play from the full variety of critical angles and concerns available to us, including a range of literary and theatrical paradigms. The play will also serve as an index to a history of the early modern period, its central questions and its tentative answers. Letter grade only. Fall 2011.
Environmental Analysis
EA 102 PO. Community Mapping: Asian American Geographies (CP). Ms. Kim. This course is an introduction to Community Mapping, using Geographic Information Systems software (ArcGIS). The theme for this semester is "Asian American Geographies" and we will be using a limited set of available secondary data to analyze and visualize Asian and Pacific Islander (API) urban experiences in a tri-county area: Los Angeles, Riverside, and Orange County. Students will gain a basic understanding of the software as a tool for social mapping. By the end of the course each student will create maps illustrating a variety of aspects of API life, including but not limited to socio-economic status, immigration patterns, residential density, educational attainment, and poverty levels in different communities. Letter grade only. Each fall.
Gender & Women's Studies
GWS 181 PO. Feminisms in Community Engagement: Bridging Theory with Praxis (CP). Ms. Runions. Under supervision of a Gender and Women's Studies faculty member and in the context of a seminar of interdisciplinary readings, students work in a community setting. The focus of the fall 2011 course will be on gender and incarceration. Students will take part in a writing workshop in the California Institute for Women (prison). Letter grade only. Prerequisite: GWS 26. Fall 2011.
German
GERM130 PO / GRMT130 PO. Topics in Public German Discourse. Staff. Explores current and emerging topics regarding the German-speaking countries in the European and transatlantic context. Topics may range from media and communication to literature, commemoration and education to ecology, policy, and globalism. Course provides an up-to-date and comprehensive, yet focused, inquiry into specific developments relevant for contemporary society. Prerequisite: 44 for GERM130; none for GRMT130. Offered every third semester.
GRMT162 PO. Rich, Pretty, and Orderly? - What Makes Switzerland Tick. Mr. Rindisbacher. The doughnut hole of Europe - in the middle but largely unfamiliar. This cultural studies course fills the knowledge gap about Switzerland through a comprehensive account of the country's role in the European and global cultural and political frameworks via (literary) texts, films, historical and economic sources and in depth analysis of this successful multicultural country's political system, its neutrality and significant international presence. Alternate years.
History
HIST071 PO. Modern Europe Since 1789. Introduction to the major economic, political, and social developments in European society since the French Revolution, including the Industrial Revolution, Nationalism, Marxism, the Russian Revolution, political and economic imperialism, World Wars I and II, the Great Depression, the Holocaust, and the development of the European Union. (Core course, Europe Since the Renaissance).
HIST089E PO. Economic History of Europe: 1000-1800. Mr. Woods. A survey of the economic history of Europe emphasizing its cultural and social context from the feudal to the modern, Topics include the transformation of agrarian society, formation of proto-capitalist economic institutions, market innovations, technological/knowledge-based social development, population disorientations, and "revolutions" in business, finance, agriculture, manufacture, and industry. Lecture and discussion. Fall 2011.
HIST110H PO. American Society, 1500-1900. Ms. Wall. Research seminar culminating in a research paper substantially based on primary sources dealing with any aspect of American history up to 1900. Letter grade only. Spring 2012; alternate years.
Japanese
JPNT177 PO. Japanese and Japanese American Women Writers: How, Where and What. Ms. Miyake. An examination of writings by classical/modern Japanese/Japanese American women writers within local/global settings focusing on what they wrote, why they wrote, and where they wrote. The course will explore how local/global gender and race politics inform their writings--and their reception--and the ways these formulations (which have crossed back and forth across the Pacific from the earliest Japanese immigration to the U.S. through international exchanges to this day) continue to fashion the writings of these women writers. Letter grade only. Spring 2012; alternate years.
Linguistics & Cognitive Science
LGCS106 PO. Semantics. Mr. Harris. Language users manage to communicate complex thoughts and ideas within rapidly changing and evolving contexts, often with incredible ease. How are we able to locate linguistic meanings in such rich and elusive contexts? What is the relationship between the meaning of a word or expression and its linguistic form? What are the rules or processes that determine how more complex meanings are created from their parts, and how do these processes relate to other cognitive or mental processes? This course introduces both theoretical and practical tools to build an abstract theory of linguistic meaning that addresses these questions, among others. Prerequisite: 10.
LGCS125 PO. Field Methods in Linguistics. Mr. Diercks, Ms. Paster. Where do we get the data on which linguistic theory is based? In this class, students learn hands-on how to systematically approach the study of an unfamiliar language. Languages vary from year to year; previous languages included Luganda, Twi, and Malayalam. Prerequisites: 10 and one of 105 or 108.
Mathematics
MATH032S PO. Calculus III with Applications to the Life Sciences. Ms. Radunskaya, Mr. Rumbos. Presents the core topics of Multivariable Calculus (Math 32) and probability in the context of problems from the life sciences. Topics include: vector fields, limits and continuity, differentiability, linearization, probability distributions, multiple integrals, line integrals, and Green's Theorem. Applications include models of species interaction in ecosystems, the spread of disease and mutations. Provides an excellent background for students who intend to go on to Math 60 as well as for students taking a mathematical modeling course (e.g. MATH183) or a course on dynamical systems (e.g. MATH112). Prerequisite: 31 (C- or better) or satisfactory score on placement exam. Each spring.
MATH183 PO. (CP) Mathematical Modeling. Mr. Elderkin, Ms. Radunskaya, Mr. Rumbos. Introduction to the construction and interpretation of deterministic and stochastic models in the biological, social and physical sciences, including simulation studies. Students are required to develop a model in an area of their interest. Offered with optional Community Partnership activity. Prerequisite: 102. Each spring.
Media Studies
MS 085 PO. Independent & Experimental Film & Video. Mr. Hall. This course examines, in formal, historical, and political perspective, independent, experimental, and avant-garde film traditions selected from a broad range of visual traditions. Topics vary yearly from the European avant-garde to postwar American 16mm filmmaking, from the rise of video to the radical experimentations in sound. Prerequisite: 49, 50 or 51. Every year.
MS 147D PO. Topics in Media Theory: Theories of the Visual. Ms. Friedlander. This course examines ways of understanding relationships between viewers and images through an exploration of the cultural, political, and psychic mechanisms that accompany the act of looking. It engages these issues though consideration of painting, photography, film, television, science, and surveillance. It provides students with a background in a range of foundational theoretical perspectives—feminist, psychoanalytic, Marxist, phenomenological, structuralist, poststructuralist—that underpin scholarship in the fields of media studies and art history.
Molecular Biology
MOBI191 PO. Senior Thesis - Research Grant Proposal. Staff. Completion of a written proposal seeking to solve an outstanding problem in molecular biology (half course). Open to students who have not been approved for an experimental thesis. Letter grade only. Half course. Each semester.
MOBI194 PO. Senior Experimental Thesis. Staff. Completion of a laboratory research project. Experimental Senior Theses may be undertaken by mutual agreement between a student and a faculty member and are dependent upon design and availability of a suitable project and appropriate lab space. Suitable laboratory projects include continuation of investigations begun in summer research or Independent Studies. Taken in two semesters for half-course credit each semester; grade and credit awarded at the conclusion of the second semester. Students who do not pass the first semester receive NC (no credit) grade and must complete a research grant proposal (191, half-course) in the second semester. Students unable to secure an experimental thesis must complete a research grant proposal. Letter grade only. Every semester.
Philosophy
PHIL002 PO. Introduction to Ethics. Ms. Tannenbaum, Mr. Green, Ms. Davis. The course surveys the major questions about ethics. How do we reason about specific moral problems, such as capital punishment, distribution of scarce resources, and the value of life. Are ethical beliefs objective or are they relative to a person or culture? What is the motivation for moral theorizing? Each fall.
PHIL190 PO. Senior Seminar. Staff. Senior exercise required for all philosophy majors. A focused discussion of central themes and methods in philosophy. Topics will vary by year. Open to senior philosophy majors only. Letter grade only. Each fall.
Physical Education
PE 012 PO. Beginning Backpacking. Mr. Crawford. An introduction to travelling in the backcountry with groups.
PE 014 PO. Beginning Rock Climbing. Mr. Crawford. An introduction to rock climbing and mountaineering.
PE 017 PO. Wilderness Survival. Mr. Crawford. An introduction to surviving in the backcountry.
PE 092 PO. Community Emergency Response Team Certification. Mr. Jones, Staff. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area (school, neighborhood, workplace, etc.) and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT members can assist others following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. Pass/no credit grading only. Fall 2011.
Physics
PHYS193 PO. Comprehensive Examination. Mr. Tanenbaum. No change to course description.
Politics
POLI133 PO. Law and Politics. Ms. Hollis-Brusky. This course examines the intersection of law, politics, and policy in the American context. It investigates the opportunities and pitfalls of legal advocacy, the relationship between litigation and legislation, and the nature of judicial interpretation and policy-making. In doing so, it explores the ways in which legal decisions and processes shape and are shaped by political and institutional conditions. Prerequisite: 3. Alternate years.
POLI149 PO. Techno Politics and Policy. Mr. Worthington. Science and technology shape and are shaped by society, and are therefore forms as well as objects of power and authority. Topics include the origins and evolution of science policy in the U.S.; technology and globalization; the politics of BANG (bits, atoms, neurons, genes); and citizen participation in technology policies and practices. Prerequisite: PPA 1 or STS 1. Alternate years.
Religious Studies
RLST107 PO. Tradition and Innovation in the Making of Modern Chinese Buddhism. Ms. Ng. During China's transition from imperial rule to modern state, traditional religions were challenged with the seemingly inevitable fate of being erased by modernizing and secularizing forces. To meet intellectual, social, and political challenges that included state persecution. Buddhist leaders poured their efforts into rearticulating Buddhism under a spectrum of approaches defined by two polarities: (1) conservatives who emphasized restoring Tradition and (2) progressives who favored modernization. We will look at the Buddhist adaptations to modernity, particularly the modern state, from the perspective of religious history, exploring how metaphors of "Tradition" versus "Innovation" can be used toward the preservation and revitalization of religion. Lecture/Discussion. Letter grade only. Prerequisite: one RLST course. Alternate years.
RLST150 PO. The Eye of God: Race and Empires of the Sun. Mr. Smith. In mythic cycles from the "Western Tradition," there has been a sustained intrigue over the relationship between the human eye and the heavenly sun. This intrigue has been reshaped—but not lost—with the advent of modern visual surveillance techniques. In this course, we will examine a range of technological and political manifestations of the solar eye and its significance for religion. Letter grade only. Alternate years.
Sociology
SOC 030 CH. Chicana/os-Latinas/os in Contemporary Society. Ms. Ochoa. No change to course description.
SOC 150 AA. Contemporary Asian American Issues. Mr. Thai. Survey of contemporary sociological theories and empirical studies focusing on Asian American experiences in the U.S. and globally; major themes in the sociological imagination including race, class, gender, sexuality, marriage/family, education, consumption, childhoods, aging, demography, and the rise of transmigration. Readings and other course materials will primarily focus on the period since 1965. Letter grade only. Spring 2012; alternate years.
SOC 189P PO. Rethinking the Civil Rights Movement. Ms. Barr. A panoramic view of the Civil Rights Movement. Explores the vastly different regional forms that the struggle for social justice assumed in the United States. Emphasizes the heroic acts of ordinary men and women. Expands conventional temporal frameworks. Letter grade only. Fall 2011.
Theatre
THEA004 PO. Theatre for Social Change / Queer Theatre Activism. Ms. Bowles. Creating activist theatre to build queer and allied community, and to address queer issues including homophobic, transphobic, sexist, and heterosexist behavior, policies and laws. Student will research global theatre activism practice and work with campus and community organizations to devise and present public performances.
THEA050 PO. Collective Creation. Mr. Leabhart. Students will create a collaborative performance based on Eduardo Galeno's book Mirrors. Performances are scheduled for end-of-semester at Seaver Theatre, the CMC Athenaeum, for the Pitzer campus and a prospective venue in Los Angeles. Students from all backgrounds are encouraged to enroll. Letter grade only. Each fall.
THEA100D PO. Acting Studio: The Profession of Acting. Ms Martinez. A studio that will focus upon the craft of the professional actor. This course will include script analysis, audition and cold reading strategies, monologues and scene work, and will culminate in a performance recital. Letter grade only. Prerequisite: 12. Alternate years.
THEA189 PO. Dramatic Theory and Criticism. Ms. Bernhard. A comprehensive analysis of dramatic theory and criticism from Natyashastra to Radical Street and Feminist Theatre. Theorists and critics will include Zeami, Aristotle, Artaud, Boal, Suzuki, Barba, Bogart, Brecht and Grotowski. Beginning in 2013, THEA189 will be required as prerequisite for THEA190 Senior Seminar in Theatre. Half-course. Letter grade only. Each semester.
THEA190H PO. Senior Seminar. Staff. Required of all senior majors. Advanced readings and synthesis of research materials, conferences and mentoring sessions with thesis advisors, discussions and seminar presentations, all in preparation for senior thesis in theatre. Half credit. Second-half credit to be capstoned with THEA192H, THEA193H, or THEA194H, Senior Thesis Project. Letter grade only. Each fall.
THEA191H PO. Senior Thesis. Staff. Continuation of work begun in Senior Seminar. Students following the General Theatre Emphasis must take this course to complete their thesis. Half credit. Letter grade only.
THEA192H PO. Senior Project in Performance. Staff. This course is a continuation of the thesis work in THEA190H. It includes the production work, creative activity, rehearsal and performance of a creative work to be performed, based on the individual reading, research and writing of the Senior Thesis. Half credit. Letter grade only.
THEA193H PO. Senior Project in Design. Staff. Individually planned reading, creative activity and writing related to the design of a creative work for public performance. It is the creative development of the thesis and culminates in the scenic, costume or lighting design for a production. Half credit. Letter grade only.
THEA194H PO. Senior Project in Dramaturgy. Mr. Horowitz. This course based on the individual reading, research and writing of Senior Thesis that leads to the production of work for public performance. Half-credit. Letter grade only.