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Spring 2002 Social and Historical Studies (E104/S104)
E104 Crime, Mass Media, and Society (Chermak, S.)
Crime is among the top concerns of the American public. Concern and fear of crime is influenced by many different
sources, including the news media. Newspapers, television stations, and radios are among the most influential sources
used by the public to develop opinions about crime and the criminal justice system. Moreover, the frequent presentation
of crime in entertainment sources increases the importance of understanding the media images presented to the public.
Although the images of crime and criminal justice are important, our understanding of the media as a social control
institution is limited. This points to the fundamental question addressed in this course: What role does the mass media
play in crime control? We will address this question in three ways. First, we will examine how media organizations
relate to other social control institutions. For example, we will consider how news organizations construct crime
stories, and how the reliance on police and court sources for crime information affects the images presented about crime.
Second, it will be important to understand the significance of the media images presented about crime, focusing on how
these images help establish community boundaries. Third, we will examine how media images can directly affect how the
public thinks about crime, politicians formulate policy, and criminal justice professionals dispense justice. The course
will help students understand the media's place in the social control structure of our communities.
E104 The Rise and Fall of Ancient Civilizations (Conrad, G.) About 10,000 years ago, human societies in several areas of the world began to undergo a series of major transformations. Small groups of hunters and gatherers settled into the world's first farming villages. From these villages arose bigger towns, and eventually large and complex urban civilizations. How and why did these changes take place? In what ways were the early civilizations similar to one another? How did they differ from one another? What do these similarities and differences tell us about the nature of civilization and the state, culture change, and human society itself? This course addresses such questions through an introductory survey of five ancient civilizations: the Sumerians and Egyptians in the Old World and the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas in the New World. Lectures, readings, and discussion sections describe and compare these civilizations and consider the ways in which their growth and decline were shaped by environment, technology, trade, warfare, religious beliefs, and other phenomena. Some of the discussion sections provide hands-on exercises that introduce basic principles and methods of archaeological research. The goal of E104 is not to provide final answers to the questions posed above. (At present there are none.) Rather, the goal is to introduce students to the ways in which major questions in social and historical studies are investigated and debated. The course also aims to teach critical thinking skills. Students are asked to weigh competing points of view against the available data and develop the strongest arguments they can to support their own interpretations.
There are two lectures and one discussion section per week. Grades are based on four short (3-5 page) essays and a
take-home final exam (essentially a fifth essay). For more information see the course Web site:
www.indiana.edu/~ancient/ E104 Language and Politics (Obeng, S.) This course explores the language of politics. In particular, it examines how politicians or political actors and political commentators use language to talk about politics and how politics also influences language. We will examine the speeches of politicians, party propaganda, slogans, and other discourse types aimed at influencing the political process. Also examined is the language used in communicative events like congressional or parliamentary sessions, cabinet meetings, state of the union address, and so forth. The political actors whose language will be examined include presidents and vice-presidents, members of Congress, parliamentarians, senators, governors, and action group members.
Because the course involves investigating how language and politics influence each other, the course will cross
disciplines like political science, journalism, and communication. To help broaden students' perspectives on language and
politics the course will not focus exclusively on language and politics in the United States. To this end, the course will
occasionally cross cultural/national boundaries by observing data from the United Kingdom and non-Western cultures,
especially Africa (Ghana).
E104 The Occult in Western Civilization (Newman, W.) The occult is a theme that is deeply ingrained in the history of Western civilization. From antiquity to the present, segments of our society have laid claim to an esoteric wisdom that could only be revealed to those who are worthy of its exercise. Such "occult" pursuits as alchemy, astrology, and magic played an important role in the formation of modern science during the scientific revolution of seventeenth century, and subsequently had a major impact on poetry, music, and the pictorial arts. And yet, if we consider the pursuits that are usually deemed to make up "the occult," it is remarkable how little these fields have to do with one another. What does alchemy, an artisanal pursuit related to metallurgy, have in common with divinatory practices such as astrology, oneiromancy, or crystal-gazing? What does witchcraft have to do with extraterrestrial life? The Occult in Western Civilization will answer these questions and others. It will also argue that the occult sciences - especially alchemy, astrology, and natural magic-were originally predicated on quite reasonable bases consistent with the best science and philosophy of their time, however they may have been altered in late twentieth-century culture. By thinking carefully about the relationships among science, philosophy, and those disciplines traditionally classified as "occult" students will learn about the nature of scientific knowledge more generally.
The basic goals of the course, then, will be to instill a historical understanding of the occult while at the same time
stimulating philosophical reflection on the nature of scientific knowledge in general. The student assignments will be
based on material used for the class, such as demonstrations, experiments, and discussions. In the weekly discussion
sessions, the students will be responsible for answering a set number of questions handed out in advance and based closely
on the readings and lectures. Three major exams will be given during the course relating to the questions discussed
during the sessions. In addition, a set number of other assignments will be handed out, such as the interpretation of
astrological horoscopes.
E104 Medieval Heroes (Shopkow, L.) Who were the heroes of the Middle Ages? How did changes in medieval society create changes in people's thinking about heroes? And how do heroes in general meet societal needs? Although people tend to think that heroes simply act heroically, to become a hero (rather than an unsung hero!), a person's actions need to be noticed and celebrated by others. And over time, the actions and qualities attributed to the hero by society change as the needs and nature of the society change. These will be the issues we will discuss this semester. This course will be divided into a short introductory unit, and five units devoted to individual heroes or types of heroes. We will discuss King Arthur, the epic hero, the holy hero, the rebel hero, and the heroine. The lectures and readings for each unit will describe the society producing the hero and the stories about the hero, and we will read the stories themselves. There will also be discussion sections. Skills: The emphasis in this course will be on helping students develop their ability to read and interpret primary sources (sources written during the Middle Ages), such as biographies, histories, and fiction, and to write more effectively.
Assignments: Short weekly writing assignments about the readings, two take-home essay exams, and a two-hour in-class
final examination. Students will be graded on these assignments, as well as class participation in discussion sections.
E104 Ethnicity, Race, and Identity in Latin America (Guardino, P.) How did race and ethnicity become among the most important dimensions of identity in Latin America? How have racial and ethnic boundaries been perceived and enforced by European Americans, African Americans, and Native Americans? How have ideas about race and ethnicity changed over time? How have visions of race and ethnicity been used to construct national identities in Latin America? Why and how have racial and ethnic identities resurged in Latin American politics and art in recent years?
This course is designed to introduce students to the kinds of questions historians pose about identities and boundaries.
We will use a variety of materials to explore race and ethnicity over time. Students will be exposed to different kinds
of information about race, including both written and visual primary sources from the past, historical writing based on
such evidence, contemporary cinematic depictions of race and ethnicity in both the past and the present, and contemporary
art and literature. They will be asked to think critically about all of these materials and produce arguments in both
written and verbal forms.
S104 Servant Leadership (Gray, C.)(0140)
Many students seek volunteer experiences as undergraduates both in an effort to serve others an improve our community and
also as an opportunity. This course takes those goals and adds to them a series of readings and reflections, helping you
to examine your own potential for both service and leadership. You will read original works of those who devoted themselves
to service and will serve at least two hours per week (20 hours total) in one of IU’s primary partner organizations
(including, Boys and Girls Club, Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Shalom Community Center). With fellow students in the course,
you will discuss both the literature and your experiences, to gain a deeper understanding of the principles of servant
leadership, to test the theories, and to develop your own plan of action for your life's work.
S104 Adventure in Indiana (Galloway, R.)(0141)
Why do people climb Mount Everest or travel to the South Pole? What is the utility of adventure? This course offers a
survey of historical and contemporary adventure literature through the media of non-fiction, fiction, poetry and film.
In addition to exploring the literature of adventure, this class will also participate in actual adventures with experts
in the pursuit of play: 9 year olds. Our class will partner with a third grade class from Fairview Elementary School.
Many of these children are from families with little opportunity for adventure experiences. We will prepare and go on
adventures with them and in so doing learn about the importance of play and adventure in the character formation of a
human being. Students must be free on five Fridays between 11 and 2:30 in order to participate in the adventures with
the Fairview students.
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