Thematic Minors

Thematic minors focus your education on significant themes examined from several disciplinary perspectives. They reflect the belief of Colorado College that, in addition to the more specialized major, you need to gain experience in comparing and connecting ideas and approaches across the disciplines. For this reason, thematic minors are designed to end with an integrative experience in which you bring together much of what you have learned in the minor. The integrative experience may consist of a paper, a creative project, a block of independent study, or a special seminar shared by all participants in the minor. To enable you to gain different disciplinary perspectives, at least one unit in the minor may be a course in the department of your major, and it must be directly related to the theme or issue of the minor. You may also be creative and design your own thematic minor. Your proposal must meet the following criteria:

• Five or more units of courses in all, including courses in at least two departments other than the major, one course in your major department at most, and then only if it relates directly to the theme of the minor, and an integrative experience, planned in advance with an adviser. If the minor you propose includes study abroad, your minor must be approved before you leave. The proposal must be reviewed and approved by the Dean’s Advisory Committee. Forms for proposing an independent minor are available from the registrar.
• Successful completion of a thematic minor will be recorded on your official transcript. The minor is a valuable option and deserves your attention

African Studies

Professors WADE, J. WATKINS

The African studies minor is a five-unit (minimum), interdisciplinary approach to the study of Africa that must include at least one unit in Africa and a designated Integrative Experience.

Students may choose a four-unit, semester-long, approved study abroad program with a fifth course taken at Colorado College. The fifth course may be taken either before study in Africa (from among introductory courses on Africa) or upon return from study in Africa (from an approved intermediate-level course focused on Africa). Alternatively, a student may choose to study in Africa, on an approved program, for one, two, or three units, taking the additional courses (totaling five courses minimum) focusing on Africa at Colorado College. Currently, one, and two-unit study in Africa courses are offered by the Colorado College Summer Session.

Students may choose from among the following programs that are on the Colorado College approved list of study abroad courses in sub-Saharan Africa:

THE INTEGRATED EXPERIENCE:
The Integrative Experience is to be a paper completed during one of the last courses in the minor with the approval of the instructor and the minor adviser.

Before a minor can be approved or study in Africa undertaken, an approved “Student Plan for an African Studies Minor” must be completed and signed by the student’s academic adviser and the African studies program adviser.

Colorado College courses in African studies include the following and should be selected with the advice of the African studies minor adviser. AH 170: Alternative Perspectives in Art History: Topics (when topic is appropriate); EN 280: Topics in Literature (when topic is appropriate); FR 308: Cultures and Civilizations of French-Speaking Regions; GS 218: Introduction to Africa; GS 234: Issues in Contemporary Africa; HY 221: Africa and Europe to 1919; HY 222: The Emergence of Modern Africa, 1885–present; MU 222: Topics in Ethnomusicology (when topic is appropriate); PH 240: Philosophies of Africa; PS 203: South Africa after Apartheid; PS 203: Africa’s International Relations; PS 203: Foreign Policies of African States; RE 110: Topics in Religion (when topic is appropriate); RE 252: Women in Hinduism and Islam; RE 341: Sufism.

American Cultural Studies

Associate Professor MONTAÑO (director), Professors HYDE, MONROY, SEWARD, Associate Professors GARCIA, HERNANDEZ-LEMUS, ROMMEL-RUIZ, WONG, Assistant Professors, CHAN, IRIZARRY, PADILLA, SIFUENTES, TIONGSON, TORRES-ROUFF, Adjunct Associate DAVIS, Lecturer MARTINEZ, VARELA

The American Cultural Studies program encourages student interest in and understanding of the historical and current relationships between cultural groups in the United States. The program coordinates courses cross-listed from other departments in order to provide critical interdisciplinary perspectives and methodologies for the study of issues such as identity, race, immigration, public policy, and cultural expression. The program also offers a thematic minor. Courses offered for American Cultural Studies (CS) credit are included in the list below. This list is not exhaustive. Each year the program may offer additional courses taught by regular or visiting faculty. Students who are interested in the minor must consult the program director, or one of the advisers.

185 Introduction to American Cultural Studies. This interdisciplinary course is one of the two required courses for the American cultural studies minor, but is open to all students who wish to take it. The goals of the course are to introduce students to the history and experiences of four major ethnocultural groups of the United States: Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, and their interactions with European Americans; to help students develop an understanding of the legal, social, and cultural constructions of racial categories in the United States and the implications of these constructions for policies, social relationships, and cultural production; and to introduce students to the ways in which scholars in different disciplines theorize and study race in the United States. (Required for the American Cultural Studies minor.) 1 unit — program faculty.

The Ancient World

Professor CRAMER (adviser)

The ancient Near East and Mediterranean areas as the background of Western civilization. Emphasis on Greco-Roman and biblical forms of thought, organization, and artistic expression as perennial influences. (Not available to classics majors.) 5 units minimum.

Students may take up to two units of introductory work from the following: FYE courses taught in the classics department (the first block generally counts, but not the second block of FE 130), CL 125/HY 209, EN 223, RE 111, 112, PS 103 (one unit counts).

Students must take at least three units of work from the following: AH 207/CL 223, AH 209, CL 215/HY 214, CL/HY 216, CL 219/DR 201, CL 220, CL 221/HY 302, CL 222, CL 226, CL 250/HY 213, CL 322. Students must have a reading knowledge equivalent to the first two blocks’ worth of Greek, Latin, or Hebrew.

THE INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE:

The Arts: Theory and Practice

Adviser: Professor Sifuentes (adviser)

This minor allows students to consider the philosophy of art and the theory of particular arts, studied in conjunction with actual experience in creation and performance. Students will explore the relationship between “criticizing” and “doing” — specifically how this relationship expresses itself in different art forms. Students distribute their five units among the categories below in the following manner: two courses, each from a different category, dealing with artistic theory, and two courses, each from a different category, involving artistic practice. At least one course in artistic theory and one course in artistic practice must be drawn from the same category.

THE INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE:

Black Studies

Professor GARCIA (adviser)

A study of Afro-American life and culture, including the religion that blacks have used to buttress their lives, the literature that has captured black struggle and expression over the centuries, aspects of black history, sociology, politics, economics, and achievements in the arts. 5 units minimum. Students must take at least one course from each of the following four categories. The fifth unit of the minor may be selected from any of the categories.

THE INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE:
A paper or project integrating different ideas or knowledge from the minor completed during one of the last two courses of the minor.

THE INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE:
Students should, in addition, complete an integrative experience project, in connection with the last or next to last course in the minor, which addresses the relationship between theory and practice in the arts, drawing upon at least two art forms, or some type of performance, exhibition, etc. which involves work in more than one art form.

Cinema Studies

An interdisciplinary approach to the study of cinema. 5 units minimum.

THE INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE:
A paper dealing with some aspect of cinema, written in connection with one of the cinema courses taken in the minor or, for those two choose Option Two, with one of the noncinema courses, OR a short movie or video project, accompanied by a paper discussing sources, influences, the way it was made, etc. Some explanation: There are many different contexts in which the relationship among the three linked courses — the one cinema course and the two courses in other disciplines — may be seen. In each of the examples below, more than two non-cinema courses have been listed, in order to suggest that the options under each cinema course would not be excessively limited. Cinema and 20th-Century History, Politics, or Society: Examples: GS 220, EN 263, SO 224, AN 293, MU 205, FS 205, AN 219, HY 258, 268; Cinema In Relation to Other 20th-Century Arts: Examples: FS 205, AH 245, EN 398, HS 330, MU 399, DR 204; Cinema and Theories of Art and Language: Examples: FS 105, AH 112, DR 100, EN 301, FR 306, GS 208, PH209. No doubt many other courses would be appropriate in each of these lists, and, of course, there are still other cinema courses which would generate their own appropriate clusters.

Concepts of Human Nature

Professor RIKER (adviser); Professor NOBLETT (secondary adviser)

An examination of the question, “How are we to explain human activity?” by bringing into a common forum the leading theories of human nature. 5 units minimum.

Students must choose at least one unit from each of the following categories and have courses from at least two departments. Category One: Social Creation of Human Nature: AN 102, PY 100, 109, SO 109, SO 228, PH 307. Category Two: Courses that consider biological or psychological structures and/or forces as necessary elements in the explanation of human activity: AN 101, 201, BY 100 (Sociobiology), 351, PY 120, 374, 394. Category Three: Courses that examing metaphysical or conceptual issues concerning human nature: PH 218, 100, 116, 210, 307, CL 220, GS 101. Departments often change courses and many courses can substitute for those listed here. Students may consult with the adviser to determine whether a course can satisy one of the requirements.

THE INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE:
Either an independent study for the fifth course, or a paper in the final course that meets the approval of both the professor in the course and the minor adviser, or an independent, no-credit project arranged with the minor adviser.

Education Studies

FERGUSON (adviser)

Education from the perspectives of its historical, philosophic, and/or social foundations, and from its psychological dimensions. Consideration will be given to educational issues and applications. 5 units.

Students must take one unit from each category and an additional unit from categories one or four.

THE INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE:
A paper or a project in connection with one of the last courses taken in the minor.

**Indicates courses that may be applied toward teaching licensure.

Environmental Issues

Professors KANNAN, WHITTEN (advisers)

This minor is intended to provide a foundation for understanding the interdisciplinary nature of environmental problems and opportunities. For exceptions to the list below, a formal written proposal of the alternative(s) desired should be given to the minor advisers before taking the course(s), especially if the course is not a Colorado College course. Off-campus courses must first be accepted by the respective department chair as being worthy of credit in their department: general education courses are usually not accepted. Note also: No more than ONE course from your major department may be used to fulfill requirements in the minor. 6 units minimum, one from each category; no course may count twice. (Courses marked with an asterisk [*] have prerequisites. Many of the following courses are cross-listed in other departments.)

 Courses used to meet requirements above cannot be counted again here. The following courses are automatically accepted: *BY 308; *EC 335, *341, *404; *EV 310, *421, *422; and selected topics/research courses at the 300 or 400 level (obtain advance approval from the above thematic minor advisers).

Feminist and Gender Studies

Professor Roberts (adviser); Associate Professor Bresnahan (secondary adviser)

The feminist and gender studies curriculum consists of critical examination of theories about and attitudes toward women, gender, and sexuality both in Western culture and globally, with the goal of broadening our perspectives as well as of considering the conditions for the creation of a more equitable society. 5.5 units minimum, or 6 units if the option of a minor paper is pursued.

REQUIREMENTS:
Students seeking to minor in feminist and gender studies must complete FG 110; 200; either 410 or, under special circumstances and with consent of their minor advisor, a minor paper (335 or 336) and a thematic concentration consisting of three courses. Only one unit of the minor may also be counted toward, or in the department of, the student’s major. See the feminist and gender studies major listing for an explanation and illustration of thematic concentrations. Check the course schedule for offerings for 2007–08.

Journalism

Professors HENDRICKSON, LEE, LOEVY, PRENDERGAST (advisers)

Investigation of the connections across disciplines that result in self-critical, intellectually responsible journalism. 5 units minimum.

Students must take GS 216 and GS 314 and select three courses from Category Two.

Linguistics

Professor L. WATKINS (adviser)

The scientific study of language, encompassing structure, meaning, and use in contemporary societies as well as historical and evolutionary perspectives on human language. Students develop a basic understanding of the social and cognitive dimensions of language and the analytic tools of modern linguistics. Such a foundation has relevance for a wide range of studies, including cognition, computing and intelligence, comparative literature, language teaching, American cultural studies and international studies. 5 units.

THE INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE:
A paper or research project, expanding on course work or undertaken independently, with the consent of the instructor, the student, and the minor adviser.

Medieval Studies

Professor NEEL (adviser)

The social, intellectual, and artistic development of medieval Europe. Emphasis on the interaction of cultural elements in Latin Christendom. Comparative study of earlier and later Western as well as contemporary Byzantine and Islamic experiences. Five units minimum.

Students must choose at least five units from among the following courses: AH 200 (when appropriate), 208, 210, 211, 220, AS 226, DR 202, EN 310, 311, FR 413, GR 315, HY 274, 312, 376, RE 130 (only 1 unit), RE 321 (when topic is appropriate).

THE INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE:
A paper which integrates several aspects of Middle Ages, taken in one of the concluding courses of the minor and arranged among the student, the instructor, and the minor advise.

Myth and Folklore

Professor DOBSON (adviser)

The comparative study of epic, myth, and folklore as primarily oral (sometimes authored) expressions of the collective experience of cultures, and of the human mind. Literary and artistic modulations of these forms. 6 units minimum.

Students take five required courses in the minor, with a choice of a sixth bearing directly on their area of concentration, in which they may complete their culminating project. As an alternative, they may, with the consent of the minor adviser and faculty member, choose to complete their project in an independent study. The five required courses are chosen with a view to teaching basic methodologies needed to pursue myth or folklore studies in a given subject matter. When appropriate, topics courses in a number of departments may also count toward the minor.

Nonviolence: Theory and Practice

Professor NOBLETT (adviser); Lecturer CORIELL (secondary adviser)

This minor is designed to introduce students to the study of nonviolent and violent behaviors. Through the examination of issues in which choices between violence and nonviolence can be made, students will be asked to determine the extent to which they can discover nonviolent solutions to problems which appear to demand violent actions. These issues occur in all aspects of life from personal confrontations to political upheavals. They cross disciplinary boundaries to include not only discussions of philosophical values and situations of social unrest but also determine how problems are resolved in the sciences. Thus, the study of nonviolence includes not just considerations of war and peace, not just interactions among people, but also the relationship between humans and the natural world. 5.25 units minimum.

All minors are required to take GS 210 (Category One) and a capstone experience (Category Five). Students distribute their remaining units among the categories listed below: one unit from Category Two; two units from either Category Three A or from Category Three B; .25 unit from Category Four or one full additional unit from Category Three.

Psychoanalysis: Theories of the Unconscious

Professors DOBSON (adviser), LEE (secondary adviser)

The idea of the unconscious permeates 20th- and 21st-century thought and culture. This minor focuses on specific theories of the unconscious as they appear in psychology, philosophy, literature, and the arts.

Required Courses:
CO 120/PY 120/PH 203 Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy: Discovering the Unconscious, CL 220/WS 220 Myth and Meaning, and PH 325 Philosophy and Psychoanalysis. A fourth course in the minor may be chosen from any of the following courses, which consider notions of the unconscious in the various disciplines: CO 351/ CL 222 Sources of the Self: Revisioning Psychology DR Acting Methodologies; DA Body, Mind, and Creativity, EN 306 Problems In Literary Theory (when applicable), HS 205 Film Noir, EN 386 James Joyce’s Ulysses, PH 203, 303 Topics in Psychoanalysis, PH 307 Ethics in Contemporary Life; PY 160/WS 206 Women and Madness. Other appropriate courses may be added or substituted with the approval of the minor advisers.

Capstone Course:

Renaissance Studies

Professor EVITT (adviser)

The ideas, arts, letters, and institutions of Europe in the period between 1300 and 1700. Attention given to the continuities and differences between this period and its medieval predecessor. 5 units minimum.

THE INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE:
A paper written in one of the last two courses of the minor and arranged among the student, the instructor, and the minor adviser.

Resource Systems in the American West

Professors HECOX, KANNAN, W. ROBERTS, PERRAMOND, WOOD (advisers)

A comprehensive approach to understanding basic resource systems and their interaction among themselves and with human organizations in Western America, including: land, energy, natural resources, recreation, and environment. Attention is given to the economic and public policy dimensions of understanding, managing, and preserving resource systems. 5 units.

Note: The Committee on Instruction requires that no more than ONE course from the major department(s) may be counted as fulfilling the requirements of a minor. However, additional courses can be taken and will count toward graduation, if desired. Students must take at least two but no more than three units from Category One. The additional courses can be concentrated in Category Two or Three or spread across both categories.

Revolutions

Professor ASHLEY (adviser)

Revolutions are complex phenomena having social, economic, and cultural, as well as political dimensions and consequences. This minor focuses on the last two centuries, which have been particularly marked by such challenges to tradition and the dominant institutions of society. In addition to examining particular revolutions from a number of different perspectives, it invites students to explore the theory and practice of revolution in general. 5 units minimum.
Students must take one or two units from the following:

Urban Studies

Professor FENNELL (adviser)

A study of human communities that have been organized into cities and conurbations. Variations of urban lifestyles, urban social problems, and the technical and ethical considerations of the
impact of built environments. (Application deadlines: April 5 – fall, November 5 – spring.)
5 units minimum.

Students must accumulate four units of credit from the courses listed below, distributed over at least three of the categories, or take the ACM urban studies program in Chicago.

THE INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE:
A thesis, project, etc., completed in GS 330, with the instructor’s permission.