WCore Culture and Diversity Courses
DANCE-110: Creative Process in Movement and Dance
This course is an interdisciplinary and playful exploration of the creative process in dance for anyone - no previous dance experience required. Students participate in theoretical and practical content to develop an understanding of our moving bodies, movement potential, personal voice, and collaboration via tools of improvisation, composition, and communication through movement. (WCore: WCFAH, DE, WCCAD)
ENVI-203: Climate Resilience
In this course, students will engage in extensive interdisciplinary research on how indigenous and people of colors communities build ecological, cultural, and emotional resilience in response to the crisis of climate change. Students will also collaborate on developing a website where they communicate their research findings to the general public. New content for the website will be created by cohorts of students each time the course is offered. (WCore: WCSBS, DE, WCCAD)
GNDR-101: Gender, Sex, and Identity
The central aim of this course is to foster critical thinking about gender and how the concept of gender structures relationships of power around us every day. This means that we will think about, write about, and talk about questions related to what gender is, how it affects us, and how it can change. Throughout this course, we will draw on several different disciplines, such as sociology, philosophy, literature, and political science, to develop a multi-faceted understanding of how gender structures our lives. We will also look at specific topics related to the intersections of race and gender, sexual identity, gender inequality, and the flexibility of gender categories. (WCore: WCFAH, DE, WCCAD)
GNDR-201: Narrative Medicine
Get ready to dive into a thought-provoking journey that explores the powerful intersections of race, class, gender, and disability in the world of medicine! This course will challenge you to think critically about how cultural and political attitudes shape the way we approach health and the treatment of marginalized groups. Through a wide range of narratives and real-world examples, we'll explore how issues like racism, sexism, cissexism, and ableism show up in medical practices-and how these dynamics are tied to law and popular culture. By the end of the course, you'll have a deeper understanding of how medicine impacts society and why it's crucial to address these inequalities in the field. Get ready for a class that will not only expand your perspective but spark meaningful discussions that resonate with real-world issues. (WCore: WCSBS, DE, WCCAD)
HIST-120: The Story of America
This class will serve as an introduction to American history from the colonial period to the present day. We will seek to answer some fundamental questions: How did we get here? How did we go from a handful of small, not very important British colonies to the richest and most powerful nation on earth? How free have Americans been, who has wielded power, and how has that changed over time? How do historians construct their versions of the past? (WCore: WCFAH, DE, WCCAD)
HIST-206: Homelands and Contested Spaces
Focusing on the methods, processes and outcomes of empire in what are usually referred to as "settler states," this course explores the United States, Australia, and South Africa (among others) from circa 1600 to the present. It compels students to grapple with the complex origins, realities and legacies of what we commonly know today as reservations and homelands. Questions of primary concern in this course are: How and why did these spaces come to be? How and why were they maintained (or not maintained)? Why did certain populations accept or reject the creations of these spaces (and why do these responses change over time)? How do the ancestors of settlers and indigenous populations see and experience these spaces today? The course places a heavy emphasis on critical reading, film interpretation, and research. (WCore: WCFAH, DE, WCCAD)
NURS-109: Sociology, Wellness, and Healthcare
Students are challenged to think critically about the sociology of health and healthcare. Questions students will analyze are: 1) how social forces affect health, illness, and healthcare; 2) how society views the meaning and experience of illness with an emphasis on mental illness; 3) the social distribution of healthcare in the United States; 4) the social meaning of health care systems and technologies; 5) the sociology of differing healthcare practitioners and practices. Additionally, students will explore how sociology can affect healthcare around the world. Finally, through case studies students will examine ethical dilemmas in healthcare and the politics underpinning those dilemmas. (WCore: WCSBS, WCCAD)
PHIL-201: Ancient Philosophies
In this course, we will read, write about, and discuss ideas from some of Western philosophy's most canonical authors. This course will focus on "Ancient Philosophy," or primarily Western philosophy from the Ancient Greeks through the medieval period. This course will concentrate on ideas related to metaphysics, ethics, and epistemology, with a bit of ontology to keep things exciting. Throughout this term, you will start to notice how these ideas are at work in the philosophical texts that you have already read and concepts that you take for granted. (WCORE: WE, WCCAD)
PHIL-202: Modern and Contemporary Philosophies
In this course, we will read, write about, and discuss ideas from some of Western philosophy's most canonical authors. This course will focus on "modern philosophy," or Western philosophy from the mid-1600s to the late-1700s. This course will concentrate on ideas related to metaphysics and epistemology, with a bit of ontology to keep things exciting. Throughout this term, you will start to notice how these ideas are at work in the philosophical texts that you have already read and concepts that you take for granted. (WCore: RE, WCCAD)
PHIL-216: Ethical Issues in Health and Healthcare
The basic or human right to life enjoys widespread endorsement, though just what sort of life is considered a basic right may vary from one society to another. While exploring some of these varieties of the conception of "life" (to which we often suppose all human beings have a right, and thus that others have a duty to uphold), we will focus in this course on the role which health and adequate health care play in securing a basic right to life. Other necessities for a substantive life as a matter of right will be discussed as well. (WCore: WCFAH, WCCAD)
PHIL-221: Phil of Disability & Neurodiversity
In philosophy, ethics is the study of moral decisions and moral actions. To put it simply, the aim of this course is to ask the question, "What ought I do?" Throughout this term, we will ask this question again and again, sometimes in the context of concrete decisions and sometimes in the context of more abstract theories of right and wrong. In the process, we will read the work of thinkers who try to answer the same questions, investigate their works thoroughly, and analyze their ideas and our own through writing and class discussion. (WCore: WCFAH, DE, WCCAD)
SOC-105: The Sociological Imagination
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to sociology by examining the cultural, organizational, and social forces that shape people's perceptions, actions, and opportunities. Areas of emphasis include the sociological perspective; social inequality; and social roles, groups, and institutions. (WCore: WCSBS, DE, WCCAD)
SOC-253: Sociology of the Family
This course explores the modern American family--examining the traditions, roles, functions, representations, changes, and controversies surrounding the social institution of the family. (WCore: WCSBS, DE, WCCAD)
THTR-275: Period Styles
Historic architecture, interior design styles, and fashion are essential areas of knowledge for theatre designers. Many productions are not only set in historic periods and locales, but also draw on historic inspirations. This course will introduce theatre majors to a range of historic and global period styles in architecture, decor, and fashion for application in theatre design. Students will learn basic terminology of architectural features, furniture, and fashion. Students will also learn about research methods and historical and cross cultural influences in fashion and architecture. (WCore: WCSBS, RE, WCCAD)