September
12, 2003
Arab
representation in the media, Tolkien and the world post-9/11 are just
a handful of subjects students are studying this fall.
A new class from
the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences "The
United States and the World in the 21st Century," grew out of faculty
desire to help people understand current international affairs. It's
offered 7 to 9 p.m. Thursdays so Bay Area residents can attend and participate
in discussions. With a flexibility that's rare in academia, the schedule
of topics and speakers can change on short notice to respond to new developments
in world affairs.
"This
is an effort to help the public and campus community understand this
extremely complex post-9/11, post-Iraqi war global situation," says
BSS Dean Joel Kassiola. "One of the great consequences of 9/11
is that the average person realizes the world is very small and that
we cannot continue in our blissful ignorance
and not be affected by international relations."
The class
(BSS 277) meets in Humanities Auditorium (Rm. 133). The public is invited
to attend on a space-available basis. See the course
Web page for more
information.
Other interesting or new classes include:
"Arab
Representation in U.S. Film & Media" (Ethnic
Studies 430)
Lecturer
Matthew Shenoda examines representation of peoples from the Arab world
by focusing on American films and media. The course
will focus on Hollywood as well as news media to better understand
how Arabs are viewed by the U.S.
"Post-Colonial
Arab & Arab American Identity: Memory & Resistance" (Ethnic
Studies 420)
Also taught
by Shenoda, the class looks at Arab American identity from a post-colonial
historical context, focusing on nationalism,
culture, politics, history, poetry, psychoanalysis, post-colonial
studies, critical theory and cinema.
"Business
of Creative Writing" (Creative Writing 506/806)
The
innovative class offers tips on pitching books to publishers,
writing grants or starting a small press, online journal or writers'
group. It's believed
to be one of the first courses of its kind offered by a university
writing program. The class was created in response to student demand. "Our
students want to have a picture of what their lives will be like
when they graduate," said associate professor Robert Glück,
an award-winning poet and fiction author who teaches the class. "We
have students who have agents already, but they want a better feel
for the shape of the industry."
"Adolescence: Social Inequality and Self" (Sociology
500)
This
class focuses
on young people and their efforts to develop a sense of themselves
in the context of such social inequalities as racism, sexism,
heterosexism and
poverty. The class, taught by Assistant Professor of sociology
Jessica Fields, will examine young people in schools, within
their families and
on the streets and how these factors are social change agents.
"Magic
and the Supernatural in Medieval Europe" (History 640)
Students
study fantastic creatures and places, with an exploration
of miracles, magic, charms, folk traditions, saints and
relics. Taught by Assistant
Professor of history Jarbel Rodriguez, the course also covers
stories of ghosts and vampires and shows how the supernatural
played a role in medieval
society and what the beliefs reveal about the medieval world.
"The
Rhetoric of Terrorism" (Speech and Communication Studies 496)
Professor
Joseph Tuman once again addresses world politics and
terrorism as a form of rhetorical communication in this
four-unit
class. Students
analyze public discourse on terrorism, from President
George W. Bush's speeches after the attacks and Osama
bin Laden's video messages
to the
way average people talk about terrorism. Students also
explore how terrorists manipulate the mass media, and, in turn, how
the mass media manipulate
terrorism. In addition to Sept. 11-related activity,
the class explores suicide bombings in Israel and terrorist
acts committed
by the Ku Klux
Klan, Irish Republican Army, Carlos the Jackal and the
Tupamoros group in Uruguay.
"'Lord
of the Rings' as Epic" (English Language and Literature
630)
Students
delve deep beyond the pages of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic,
guided by English professor George W. Tuma, who has studied
Tolkien's
work for
more than 20 years and taught English literature at
SFSU for 33 years. Tuma, a Tolkien purist, has not seen
either "Lord of the
Rings" film
because he is afraid the films would stray too far
from the book. He also notes that Tolkien himself questioned if it was possible
to transform
the book into a quality movie.
-- Public Affairs
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