2018-2019 Academic Catalog 
    
    Apr 29, 2024  
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2018-2019 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Courses of Instruction

 

Dance
  

  • DNC 235 - Dance Partnering

    0.5 course unit
    This course is an introduction to and elaboration upon the foundational elements of various dance partnering techniques for trained dancers.  An experiential survey course, this class covers Contact Improvisation, Ballroom, Ballet, and other contemporary partnering idioms.  Manipulation, lifts, supports, and the development of a kinetic relationship are explored and integrated in a non-gender specific manner in this course through shared transfer of weight, momentum, leverage, counter-balancing, and moving in harmony.  This physical work is supported by theoretical readings and video, offering historical and/or cultural context.  The course culminates in a creative lab synthesizing the techniques learned.
    Prerequisite(s): DNC 160 - Movement Workshop for Dancers & Actors  and DNC 310 - Ballet III   or higher or DNC 340 - Modern Dance III  or higher.
  

  • DNC 250 - Experiential Anatomy & Somatic Practice for Dancers

    0.5 course unit
    This course is designed to provide a studio experience for investigation of applied anatomy and kinesiology with particular emphasis on movement re-patterning.  Readings focus on the historical development and practical applications of a variety of somatic practices whose purpose is to change mental and physical action to produce a healthier and more balanced moving body.  Studio work emphasizes participation in at least one form of somatic practice and how it enhances study in the traditional dance technique class.  Written work investigates the connections between theory, science, and functionality.
  
  

  • DNC 265 - Screen Dance

    1 course unit
    Visual Images of the moving body have never been more prominent, and the ability to present one’s choreography globally has never been more accessible.  This course examines screen dance as a hybrid art form and a cultural phenomenon, combining a theoretical examination of screen dance with the practical experience of creating original dance videos.  An exploration of dance’s history on screen from Hollywood’s movie musicals, music videos, avant-garde explorations, and YouTube will be examined.  This course will introduce students to the tools for creating dance in today’s digital environment, as well as exploring topics of representation and kinesthetic possibilities for filmed bodies.
    Prerequisite(s): DNC 115 Dance Technique & Performance I .
  

  • DNC 275 - Anatomy & Kinesiology for Dancers

    1 course unit
    This course examines the science of human motion with particular emphasis on the biomechanics of dance.  Course content covers the human skeletal system; joint biomechanics relevant to dance; muscle origin, insertion, and action; and the role gravity plays in muscle action.  Analysis of physical structure, function, and dynamic alignment as they relate to performance enhancement and injury prevention are investigated.
    Prerequisite(s): BIO 102 Concepts of Biology: Biology of Movement  or BIO 151 Principles of Biology II: Cells & Organisms .
  

  • DNC 350 - Teaching Dance: Theory & Methods

    1 course unit
    This course introduces various theories of dance/movement education and how they apply in a variety of populations in diverse settings (pre-school, K-12, special populations, community crossovers, private studios, and older adults).  Course work includes lecture, class discussion, guest speakers, reading, observation, written analysis, peer teaching, and fieldwork.
    Prerequisite(s): DNC 115 Dance Technique & Performance I .
  

  • DNC 360 - Advanced Dance Composition

    1 course unit
    Advanced theory and experience in creating dances.  Studio work in movement exploration and compositional structure are complemented by films, video, trips to see dance, critical analysis, and reading and writing assignments.
    Prerequisite(s): DNC 201 Dance History  and DNC 260 Dance Composition . 
  

  • DNC 375 - Advanced Topics in Dance Science

    1 course unit
    Through this course students will explore and expand their understanding of anatomy, biomechanics, and the physics of movement.  Correct alignment, both static and active, will be a primary focus.  Upon completion the students will be able to conduct a complex biomechanical and motor analysis of dynamic motion common in dance.  Principles of exercise physiology and dance and sport psychology will be explored.  Lab work will focus on developmental experiences, applying and reinforcing effective movement analysis, teaching, and coaching methods.
    Prerequisite(s): DNC 275 Anatomy & Kinesiology for Dancers  or permission of instructor.
  

  • DNC 490 - CUE: Advanced Research in Dance I

    .5 course unit
    This course serves as the first part of the Culminating Undergraduate Experience in which students apply and integrate skills and knowledge from previous dance courses they have taken.  The course emphasizes research methodology, critical thinking, creativity, writing, and presentation skills.  Faculty and students work together to develop appropriate research projects and venues for presentation based upon area of dance major concentration.
    Prerequisite(s): DNC 201 - Dance History  and DNC 375 - Advanced Topics in Dance Science  if dance science concentration, DNC 360 - Advanced Dance Composition  if choreography concentration, DNC 350 - Teaching Dance: Theory & Methods  if dance education concentration.
  

  • DNC 495 - CUE: Advanced Research in Dance II

    .5 course unit
    This course serves as the conclusion of the Culminating Undergraduate Experience.  In this semester the projects developed in the fall semester are finalized and presented.  All individual papers and ePortfolios are also completed.  
    Pre- or co-requisite: DNC 490 CUE: Advanced Research in Dance I  
  

  • DNC 950 - Community Performance Ensemble

    0.5 course unit
    Members of the Community Performance Ensembles in dance and theatre develop, rehearse, and tour programs (dance performances, plays, and interactive dramatic pieces) for presentation at schools, community centers, and senior citizen residences.  In addition to participation in the touring ensemble, students will be expected to submit a journal about their experience in mounting the production and touring to diverse audiences.  Audition may be required for participation.  May be repeated for credit.
  

  • DNC 960 - Dance Internship

    Each internship is to be designed in consultation with a faculty sponsor and an on-site supervisor, and will include an academic project to be defined by and submitted to the faculty sponsor for evaluation.  Will be graded pass/fail.
  

  • DNC 965 - Teaching Dance Practicum

    0.5 course unit
    Gives students an opportunity to assist a professional teacher, engage in lesson plan building, and writing a teaching philosophy.  Will be assigned a letter grade, A through F.
  

  • DNC 970 - Dance Independent Study/Research

    Each independent study/research course is to be designed in consultation with a faculty sponsor.

Dance Technique

Dance technique courses meet for three to five hours a week and are worth 0.5 course units.  The Arts (AR) requirement may be met when two dance idioms are completed in the same semester.  Technique courses at all levels are repeatable for credit.

Placement at the appropriate level is determined by Muhlenberg Dance Faculty who will evaluate student level of expertise in the dance idiom.  Beginning classes are designed for students with very little or no prior experience in the dance form.  Intermediate classes are for those with several years of prior training while advanced classes are for those with significant professional training and demonstrated advanced skills.
  

  • DNC 110 - Ballet I

    0.5 course unit
    Introduction to the fundamentals of classical ballet.  Areas covered will include the understanding of correct body placement; positions of the feet, head, and arms; musicality; and the development of the elementary habits of movement applicable to the form.
  

  • DNC 120 - Jazz Dance I

    0.5 course unit
    Introduction to fundamentals of jazz dance technique.  Areas covered include polyrhythms, body isolations, movement analysis, and syncopation.  Performance of simple dance phrases using fundamental forms.
  

  • DNC 125 - Aerial Acrobatics I

    0.5 course unit
    This course introduces aerial movement techniques on a variety of aerial equipment.  Areas covered will include the fundamentals of aerial movement: climbing, inversions, drops, and partnering.  The course will also cover cross training on the ground for the development of strength, flexibility, and safety precautions when working in the air.  This course will be supplemented by a study of circus history and theory.
  

  • DNC 130 - Jazztap I

    0.5 course unit
    This course will cover the fundamentals of tap dance technique, composition, and beginning improvisation.  There will be an emphasis on the musical component of jazztap with jazz piano accompaniment and rhythm workshops.  Flat tap shoes required.
  

  • DNC 140 - Modern Dance I

    0.5 course unit
    Introduction to the basic principles of dance movement.  Areas covered will include body alignment, coordination, strength and flexibility, and basic forms of locomotion.
  

  • DNC 145 - Hip Hop I

    0.5 course unit
    This course is an introduction to the fundamentals and basics of Hip Hop dance, its history and cultures.  Musicality, Funk, and Groove will be explored and performed throughout the semester as well as a variety of Hip Hop styles.
  

  • DNC 210 - Ballet II

    0.5 course unit
    A continued elaboration of classical ballet technique through barre and center practice with emphasis on body placement, flexibility, strength, and the application of these principles to movement.  Increased vocabulary and development of performance quality and styles.
  

  • DNC 220 - Jazz Dance II

    0.5 course unit
    A further examination of jazz dance principles of polyrhythms, syncopation, and body isolations with an emphasis on more extended movement phrases and musicality.  Focus on clarity of style and presentation.
  

  • DNC 225 - Aerial Acrobatics II

    0.5 course unit
    This course is designed to further the student’s knowledge of aerial work and circus theory.  Through sequencing, choreography, and more advanced strength training, participants will gain stamina and the tools to create transitions between movements in the air.  More advanced partnering will be explored as well as how to interact with the apparatus on the ground as a theatrical tool.  Students will develop a solo work presented at the end of the semester.  The course will be supplemented by studies in international circus history and theory on the role of circus in our current society.
    Prerequisite(s): DNC 125 Aerial Acrobatics I  or instructor approval.
  

  • DNC 230 - Jazztap II

    0.5 course unit
    Concentration on expanding tap vocabulary, creating choreography, and practice on improvisation with live music.  The emphasis will be on performance and the development of each student’s personal style.
  

  • DNC 240 - Modern Dance II

    0.5 course unit
    Concentration on specific techniques fundamental to modern dance: mobilizing weight, articulating joints, increasing range, and incorporating strength.  Additional attention to movement expression: phrasing, dynamics, and rhythm.
  

  • DNC 245 - Hip Hop II

    0.5 course unit
    Further examination and concentration on the techniques of Hip Hop dance with a focus on the styles of the Hip Hop families:  Old School, Trendy/New Age, Funk, Lockin, Breakin Basics, Poppin Basics, Dance Hall, House, and Commercial Video Hip Hop.
    Prerequisite(s): DNC 145 - Hip Hop I  or permission of the instructor.
  

  • DNC 310 - Ballet III

    0.5 course unit
    For the intermediate level ballet dancer who has a solid foundation in alignment and ballet vocabulary. Emphasis is on expanding dance technique, dancing with clear musical phrasing and a range of effort qualities, accents, and dynamics.
  

  • DNC 320 - Jazz Dance III

    0.5 course unit
    For the intermediate dancer with strong dance foundation able to execute multiple turns, multi-dimensional phrase work, jumps and isolations within jazz styles.
  

  • DNC 330 - Jazztap III

    0.5 course unit
    For the intermediate dancer who accurately taps extended combinations and rhythmic phrases with increasing speed. Work emphasizes correctly counting and maintaining tempos while also developing a personal style and improvisational abilities.
  

  • DNC 340 - Modern Dance III

    0.5 course unit
    For the intermediate level modern dancer with emphasis on spinal articulation and integration, muscular control and joint mobility in increasingly complex phrase work. Students work on expanding their range of effort qualities and musical sophistication.
  

  • DNC 345 - Pointe & Variations

    0.5 course unit
    This course focuses on the development of strength, stamina, and artistry of dancing en pointe in a variety of balletic styles from an array of artistic eras.  Musicality, dynamic range, and the physical techniques of expressive dancing en pointe provide the foundational emphasis of the course.  Concurrent registration in ballet technique strongly recommended.
    Prerequisite(s):   DNC 410, 411 Ballet IV  or DNC 470, 471 Ballet V  or permission of instructor.
  

  • DNC 410, 411 - Ballet IV

    0.5 course unit
    Concentration on specific techniques fundamental to expertise in classical ballet.  Increasingly complex combinations at the barre and in center work.  Further development of performance technique and personal style in the classical genre.  Composition and pointe work included.
    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required for 410.  411 is open to students who have taken 410.
  

  • DNC 420, 421 - Jazz Dance IV

    0.5 course unit
    Advanced principles of jazz dancing: complex rhythmic analysis, extended movement phrases, development of individual jazz dance style.  Compositional studies in jazz dance. 
    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required for 420.  421 is open to students who have taken 420.
  

  • DNC 430, 431 - Jazztap IV

    0.5 course unit
    Advanced principles of tap dance, including improvisation, choreography, complex rhythmic analysis, and development of individual style.
    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required for 430.  431 is open to students who have taken 430.
  

  • DNC 440, 441 - Modern Dance IV

    0.5 course unit
    Refinement of technical clarity, performance skills, and composition.  Musicality, interpretation, and learning longer movement sequences
    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required for 440.  441 is open to students who have taken 440.
  

  • DNC 470, 471 - Ballet V

    0.5 course unit
    For the advanced ballet dancer who displays confidence and fully embodied presence when executing class combinations with clear musical phrasing, a wide range of effort qualities, accents, and dynamics. Emphasis is on developing artistry and mastery. Dancing en pointe integrated into class work.
    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required for 470.  471 is open to students who have taken 470.
  

  • DNC 472, 473 - Modern Dance V

    0.5 course unit
    For the advanced modern dancer who has accomplished Integrated spinal clarity intermingled with appropriate core support and clear alignment of the pelvis, legs, and arms in advanced dancing patterns. The student employs a vast and varied dynamic range and applies a deeply analytic approach to increasing artistry and performance.
    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required for 472.  473 is open to students who have taken 472.

Documentary Storymaking
  

  • DOC 150 - Introduction to Documentary Storymaking

    1 course unit
    This course is an introduction to digital documentary storymaking. It merges the critical study of documentary media with the hands- on construction of documentary stories. Working with tools of the documentary arts - video, still images, audio, writing - students will acquire the foundational skills of media production and effective storytelling while absorbing and analyzing rich examples of documentary storytelling over time and place. The course provides a survey of traditions and issues in documentary media and an introduction to documentary practices and methods. Students will study representative works from a variety of documentary approaches and learn to analyze the techniques of observation and representation at use in these pieces. Finally, students will become familiar with major theoretical constructions of documentary and be able to use these analytical tools to critique both historical and emergent documentary forms. Students will complete several small documentary projects to be gathered in an e-portfolio to be further developed in the capstone.
    Meets general academic requirement HU.
  

  • DOC 250 - Legal & Ethical Questions in Documentary Practice

    1 course unit
    Through the lens of documentary filmmaking, this course explores the legal and ethical issues associated with documenting people, places, events, and situations.  In so doing, we will consider how documentary films construct and represent truth, the nature of documentarians’ relationships with, and ethical obligations towards, their subjects, and how these questions inform other documentary practices.  Topics discussed will include the impact of copyright law on documentary practice and best practices in fair use for documentary filmmakers.  The course seeks to encourage students’ understanding and awareness of the ethical and political implications of documentary filmmaking and to see their own documentary practice as engaged in these concerns.
    Prerequisite(s): DOC 150 Introduction to Documentary Storymaking  
    Meets general academic requirement SL.
  

  • DOC 370 - Capstone in Documentary Storymaking

    1 course unit
    This course challenges students to synthesize their course of study across the Documentary Storymaking Minor and solidify their learning in a collaborative documentary project.  The course is required in order to complete the Documentary Storymaking Minor.  The Capstone is a workshop-based experience that guides students through the design, planning, field research, production, and completion of a substantial documentary media project that results in a public presentation of their most advanced work.  Production will be informed and enhanced by class discussion of selected readings, screenings, relevant theories and practices in documentary.  The course is offered once a year, typically in the spring semester, and is open to Documentary Studies minors and other advanced students by permission of instructor.
    Prerequisite(s): DOC 150 Introduction to Documentary Storymaking  and DOC 250 Legal & Ethical Questions in Documentary Practice  
    Meets general academic requirement AR.

Economics
  

  • ECN 101 - Principles of Macroeconomics

    1 course unit
    The fundamental determinants of economic activity, inflation, depression, international finance, and development.  Monetary, banking, and fiscal institutions are considered in relation to their role in contemporary public policies designed to cope with these problems.
    Meets general academic requirement SL.
  

  • ECN 102 - Principles of Microeconomics

    1 course unit
    The operation of the price mechanism in modern enterprise economies.  Allocation of resources and distribution of income in competitive and monopolistic markets for products, labor, and other resources.  Contemporary issues in microeconomic theory and policy are examined.
    Meets general academic requirement SL.
  

  • ECN 220, 221 - Intermediate Microeconomic Theory

    1 course unit
    A specialized examination of certain aspects of price analysis, such as the consumer, the firm, market structures, price determination, and income distribution.
    Prerequisite(s): ECN 102 Principles of Microeconomics  and MTH 121 Calculus I .
    Meets general academic requirement W when offered as 221.
  
  

  • ECN 243, 244 - Health Care Economics

    1 course unit
    The purpose of this course is to study the facts, concepts, and analyses necessary to understand national health care.  The emphasis of the course will be on the economic arguments for or against alternative public policy initiatives in health care and public and private health care systems.
    Prerequisite(s): ECN 101 Principles of Macroeconomics  or ECN 102 Principles of Microeconomics .
    Meets general academic requirement W when offered as 244.
  

  • ECN 245, 246 - Environmental Economics

    1 course unit
    This course explores the relationship between the economy and the environment.  Mainstream economic theories and policies will be analyzed from a critical and American policy perspective.  The impact of externalities, social costs, property rights, market controls, government regulations, economic development on environmental protection will be analyzed.  Other topics covered will include accounting for pollution and resource depletion in GDP statistics, cost-benefit analysis, population, and sustainable development.
    Offered in the spring semesters of odd numbered years.
    Prerequisite(s): ECN 101 Principles of Macroeconomics  or ECN 102 Principles of Microeconomics .
    Meets general academic requirement W when offered as 246.
  

  • ECN 251, 252 - Development Economics

    1 course unit
    The course begins with an introduction of the concept and measurement of economic growth and development.  Models of growth and development processes are then analyzed.  Problems in areas such as population, education, savings and capital formation, natural resources, foreign trade, foreign aid, etc. are examined, and possible policy measures are explored.
    Prerequisite(s): ECN 101 Principles of Macroeconomics  or ECN 102 Principles of Microeconomics .
    Meets general academic requirement W when offered as 252.
  

  • ECN 332, 333 - Public Finance

    1 course unit
    Analysis of government’s role in a mixed economy.  Principles of government expenditure and taxation and structure of the U.S. tax system, with emphasis on tax incidence and the effect of tax and spending policies on economic efficiency.  The effects of the public debt and deficit are analyzed.
    Offered in the spring semesters of even numbered years.
    Prerequisite(s): ECN 220, 221 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory .
    Meets general academic requirement W when offered as 333.
  

  • ECN 334, 335 - International Trade & Globalization

    1 course unit
    An economic analysis of international trade, including the national gains and losses from trade, the effect of trade on the distribution of income within and across nations, the effect of trade barriers on national welfare, and the effect of trade agreements on participating nations.  Public policy implications will be emphasized..
    Prerequisite(s): ECN 101 Principles of Macroeconomics  and ECN 102 Principles of Microeconomics .
    Meets general academic requirement W when offered as 335.
  
  

  • ECN 348 - Game Theory & Applications

    1 course unit
    This course will introduce the student to game theory and its applications in describing the behavior of firms and individuals.  We shall examine market structure and its effect on firm behavior and apply modern analytic techniques to develop a thorough understanding of strategic decisions.
    Prerequisite(s): ECN 220, 221 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory  or permission of instructor.
  
  

  • ECN 490, 491 - CUE: History of Economic Thought

    1 course unit
    This course traces the development of systematic economic reasoning from the pre-Mercantilist period to modern times.  Attention is given to the influence of changing economic conditions and institutions on the progress of economic thought.  The seminal ideas of Smith, Malthus, Ricardo, Marx, Walras, Marshall, Keynes, and others are examined.  The schools of economic thinking that grew out of the work of these major contributors are studied, including Classical, Marginalist, Neo-Classical, Institutionalist, Keynesian, and Radical economics.  The evolution of mainstream economics from its early beginnings as laissez-faire political economy to its contemporary scientific approach is considered.  The role of scientific methodology in economic inquiry is examined.  The historical roots of current economic issues and debates are studied.
    Prerequisite(s): ECN 220, 221 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory  and ECN 222, 223 Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory .
    Meets general academic requirement W when offered as 490.
  

  • ECN 960 - Economics Internship

    1 course unit
    Under faculty supervision, students will be placed in internship positions with local business and other related organizations in order to gain experience in the application of the theories and concepts learned in the classroom.  Students will be required to document their experiences in a written journal, to share their experiences with others in a classroom setting, and to prepare a significant term paper or project report.
    Open to juniors and seniors only. Pass/fail only.
  

  • ECN 970 - Economics Independent Study/Research

    Each independent study/research course is to be designed in consultation with a faculty sponsor.  

Education
  

  • EDU 101 - History & Politics of American Education

    1 course unit
    This course examines the larger historical and sociopolitical forces that have shaped the rise and development of the institutional school in America.  Beginning with Jeffersonian America through the late industrial period to the present day, the course traces changes in the political economy and how these changes have influenced educational policy and practice, such as rise of the common school and educational policy debates regarding the appropriate role of education in a democratic industrial and plural society.  The course also addresses how schools interpret, translate, and transfer American culture through the overt and covert curriculum as well as public policy by studying the various conflicting aims of education in a democracy.  The purpose of the course is to develop the students’ potential for thinking critically about American education and its institutions in preparation for ethical citizenship and/or educational leadership.
    Meets general academic requirement SL.
  

  • EDU 104, 105 - Educational Psychology: Child Learning & Development

    1 course unit
    This course reflects knowledge derived from theory, research, and professional practice as it covers the physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional development of infants and children (birth-9 years old) and the impact of this study for teaching and learning.  In addition to classic developmental theorists (Piaget, Vygotsky, and Erikson among others), students will explore a variety of topics that impact the child as learner at these stages of development, including but not limited to attachment, brain development, memory, fantasy and the imagination, the arts as a way of knowing, play behavior, friendship, the development of empathy, early understandings of justice, the use of public and private space, transition from home to school, and children in relation to authority.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): Provisional admission to the program or permission of the instructor.
    Meets general academic requirement SL (and W when offered as 105).
  

  • EDU 106, 107 - Educational Psychology: Adolescent Learning & Development

    1 course unit
    This course reflects knowledge derived from theory, research, and professional practice as it covers cognitive, social, and personal development and the psychology of teaching and learning.  We will use our classroom as an “experiment” in methods of teaching, learning, and educating ourselves about the sociopolitical contexts for development and learning in American classrooms.  The focus of this course is on the developmental changes and challenges that occur approaching and during the adolescent years.  We will explore both what is understood as “typical” adolescent development as well as the ways in which individual adolescent experience may be unique.  We will view the adolescent in a range of social contexts (e.g., family, peer group, school, culture) as we consider how issues of diversity (i.e., race, culture, class, gender, sexual identity) impact learning and development.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): Provisional admission to the program or permission of the instructor.
    Meets general academic requirement SL (and W when offered as 107).
  

  • EDU 190, 191 - The Arts in Education

    1 course unit
    In this course students will examine the arts as a way of perceiving the world, reflecting and challenging cultural norms, and expressing and learning new ideas.  Through a primarily studio experience, students will have an opportunity to engage in a variety of art forms (the visual arts, movement, music, and drama) as part of the process of learning an aesthetic language.  Recent advances in the field of neuroscience, psychology, education, and cultural studies help to illuminate both theory and practice.
    Prerequisite(s): Provisional admission to the program or permission of the instructor.
    Meets general academic requirement AR (and W when offered as 191).
  

  • EDU 201 - Introduction to Special Education: Diverse Learners & Inclusive Classrooms

    1 course unit
    This course is designed to broaden knowledge and understanding about students with disabilities and how they develop and learn.  Emphasis is placed on the roles and responsibilities of regular education teachers in meeting the needs of these students in order to create positive inclusive learning environments as informed by relevant research.  The course introduces the pre-service teachers to topics, including health impairments, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, ADHD, emotional disturbance, autism, sensory impairments, physical disabilities, and giftedness.  These topics are examined from the perspective of causation, diagnosis, cognitive and social-emotional characteristics, learning styles, early intervention, and differentiated instructional strategies with a focus on meeting the needs of students in the context of the regular classroom.  The role of the regular classroom teacher in the referral/evaluation process and working with appropriate school personnel and families is emphasized.  Also examined are multicultural and bilingual issues as they pertain to special education.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): Provisional admission to the program or permission of the instructor.
    Meets general academic requirement SL.
  

  • EDU 202 - Introduction to Early Childhood Education

    1 course unit
    This course presents the history, philosophy, and theory of early childhood education and surveys major models and programs that educate young children, including Bank Street (traditional nursery), Montessori (child-centered), and DISTAR (direct instruction) among others.  It focuses on the role of the teacher in designing, organizing, and implementing educational programs for children in preschools, kindergartens, and early elementary grades as informed by the recommendation of professional organizations such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): Provisional admission to the program.

Methods Courses
  

  • EDU 204 - Integrating Curriculum & Instruction for Young Learners

    1 course unit
    This course focuses on understanding educational research, theory, and reflective practice in planning for and implementing content- and age-appropriate instructional strategies resulting in the effective teaching of diverse young learners (ages 4-9).  This includes an investigation of a range of the essential teaching skills, including the planning, implementation, and adaptation of meaningful instruction and the development of a supportive learning environment.  Students are introduced to a broad range of research-based teaching methodologies, classroom management strategies, and fair assessment techniques.  Focusing on the conceptual understanding of big ideas, students will use national, state, and district standards to plan, implement, and adapt lessons and units in early grades.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): EDU 104, 105 - Educational Psychology: Child Learning & Development  and provisional admission to the program.
  

  • EDU 206 - Integrating Curriculum & Instruction for Adolescent Learners

    1 course unit
    This course focuses on understanding educational research, theory, and reflective practice in planning for and implementing content- and age-appropriate instructional strategies resulting in the effective teaching of diverse adolescent learners (ages 9-18).  This includes an investigation of a range of the essential teaching skills, including the planning, implementation, and adaptation of meaningful instruction and the development of a supportive learning environment.  Students are introduced to a broad range of research-based teaching methodologies, classroom management strategies, and fair assessment techniques.  Focusing on the conceptual understanding of big ideas, students will use national, state, and district standards to plan, implement, and adapt lessons and units in their content areas.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): EDU 106, 107 - Educational Psychology: Adolescent Learning & Development  and provisional admission to the program.
  

  • EDU 211, 212 - Theory & Practice of Teaching English Language Learners

    1 course unit
    This course is designed to prepare pre-service teachers to face the multifaceted issues of teaching the diverse group which makes up English language learners.  Course topics include cultural awareness and sensitivity as it applies to teaching language acquisition theory and instructional strategies with an emphasis on practical knowledge and skills required to simultaneously teach language, culture, and academic content to non-native speakers of English.  Instructional strategies and pedagogical approaches such as SIOP (Structured Instruction Observation Protocol) and CALLA (Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach) will be explained, analyzed, evaluated, and applied to develop and present lessons appropriate to ELLs.  Course readings will cover cultural awareness, language and identity, theories of language acquisition, and current approaches in instructing ELLs.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): Provisional admission to the program.
    Meets general academic requirement DE and when offered as 212 is a cluster course and a linked (IL) course.
  

  • EDU 326 - Language & Early Literacy

    1 course unit
    This course aims to provide an understanding of language and early literacy development of diverse young children (birth to age 9).  Theories of first language acquisition provide a framework for understanding stages of oral language development and functions of oral language.  The relationship between language acquisition and reading and writing processes are explored through the emergent literacy perspective.  Topics in early literacy development include print awareness, phonemic/phonological awareness, phonics instruction, decoding and oral reading fluency, and developmental writing.  These theoretical backgrounds inform various instructional approaches to early literacy instruction such as constructivism/whole language, balanced literacy program, and guided reading.  This course also offers an overview of children’s literature, including an introduction to the genres, notable books and authors, and resources for incorporating children’s literature in literacy education programs.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): EDU 204 - Integrating Curriculum & Instruction for Young Learners  and formal admission to the Education Certification Program.
    Meets general academic requirement W.
  

  • EDU 327, 328 - Literacy & Social Studies Education

    1 course unit
    This course focuses on literacy development and instruction in grades 3-8, particularly on construction of meaning during the reading and writing processes.  Topics of study in this course include reader response theories, theories of comprehension, comprehension strategies (such as inferring and summarizing), and vocabulary development and instruction.  The course has an emphasis on content area literacy with an introduction to instructional strategies and activities to promote content area learning.  Writing theories and instruction are presented through model frameworks and programs.  In addition, this course will provide perspectives, methodologies, and philosophies of teaching social studies as a content area subject in the elementary and middle schools.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): EDU 204 - Integrating Curriculum & Instruction for Young Learners  or EDU 206 - Integrating Curriculum & Instruction for Adolescent Learners  and formal admission to the Education Certification Program.
    Meets general academic requirement W when offered as 328.
  

  • EDU 330 - Social Studies Education for Adolescent Learners

    1 course unit
    This course presents the history and development of social studies in middle and high schools.  It provides both an historical and political context to study the best teaching practices in the disciplines at the heart of social studies:  American and Pennsylvania history, world history, civics, economics, and geography.  With a focus on state and national standards in these disciplines, including the themes from the National Council for the Social Studies, students will develop lesson plans, instructional strategies, and assessments for diverse learners and will learn to supplement the textbook with primary sources, newspapers, websites, and curricula developed by professional national organizations.  Relevant to content certification.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): EDU 206 - Integrating Curriculum & Instruction for Adolescent Learners  and formal admission to the Education Certification Program.
  

  • EDU 334 - Mathematics Education for Young Learners

    1 course unit
    This course will analyze the content, pedagogy, and management of the Pre-K to grade 4 mathematics curricula in diverse classrooms.  Emphasis will be placed on how young children learn mathematics, problem solving, reasoning and proof; communication; making connections within mathematics and with the world outside the classroom; multiple representations; and research based instructional strategies, all within the context of developing number sense, operations, patterns and functions, geometric shapes, data analysis and probability, and measurement.  Students will use national, state, and district standards to plan, implement, and adapt lessons for the early grades.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): EDU 204 - Integrating Curriculum & Instruction for Young Learners  and formal admission to the Education Certification Program.
  

  • EDU 336 - Mathematics Education for Adolescent Learners

    1 course unit
    This course presents theories and practices of teaching mathematics in middle and high school classrooms with focus on 1) discrete and integrated mathematics knowledge such as algebra, geometry, statistics, and probability; 2) pedagogy; and 3) curriculum design.  Course content includes learning theories, national and state standards for the mathematics school curriculum, planning and material development skills, assessment, use of appropriate technology, and classroom management.  Relevant to content certification.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): EDU 206 - Integrating Curriculum & Instruction for Adolescent Learners  and formal admission to the Education Certification Program.
  

  • EDU 344 - Science Education for Young Learners

    1 course unit
    This course will enable the student to develop a professional practice as a science educator based on the best current knowledge about how young children learn science, the nature of science, and research-based methods of science teaching.  Emphasis will be placed on developing inquiry oriented pedagogical strategies that foster children’s natural curiosity; building an understanding of the nature of science; creating curricula, materials, and resources for instruction in diverse classrooms; devising authentic experiences with scientific questions and phenomena, and using assessment in the service of instruction, all within the framework of the PA Academic Standards for Science and Technology and for Environment and Ecology.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): EDU 204 - Integrating Curriculum & Instruction for Young Learners  and formal admission to the Education Certification Program.
  

  • EDU 346 - Science Education for Adolescent Learners

    1 course unit
    This course will enable the student to develop a professional practice as a science educator based on the best current knowledge about how adolescents learn science, the nature of science, and research-based methods of science teaching.  Emphasis will be placed on incorporating inquiry oriented pedagogical strategies that encourage student-generated scientific questions; developing basic and integrated process skills to answer scientific questions; building an understanding of the nature of science; creating curricula, materials, and resources for instruction in diverse classrooms, devising hands-on experiences with scientific questions and phenomena, focusing on collecting and interpreting authentic data, and using assessment in the service of instruction, all within the framework of the PA Academic Standards for Science and Technology and for Environment and Ecology.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): EDU 206 - Integrating Curriculum & Instruction for Adolescent Learners  and formal admission to the Education Certification Program.
  

  • EDU 362 - Languages Education

    1 course unit
    This course will prepare students to be a teacher of foreign languages in grades K-12.  Topics include school contexts for language learning, processes of secondary language acquisition, exemplary instructional strategies, and professional resources for curriculum and instruction.  Students will be actively engaged in fieldwork placements to put the knowledge gained in the course into effective practice.  By the end of the course, students will develop a philosophy of teaching languages and gain a repertoire of strategies that will make them effective teachers of languages.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): EDU 206 - Integrating Curriculum & Instruction for Adolescent Learners  and formal admission to the Education Certification Program.
  

  • EDU 363 - English Education for Adolescent Learners

    1 course unit
    This course is designed to provide advanced instruction in preparation for a teaching career by focusing on providing theoretical background and practical guidance specifically targeted to secondary English teachers.  Based on the understanding that learning is more concurrent than sequential, the course examines effective strategies to prepare, execute, and continually reflect on lessons used in the teaching of English.  Students will have an opportunity to articulate their vision as English teachers, to develop a working knowledge of the various teaching theories and strategies, and to apply and evaluate instructional practices and theories to determine those which will best facilitate attainment of their vision.  Relevant to content certification.  Fieldwork is required.
    Prerequisite(s): EDU 206 - Integrating Curriculum & Instruction for Adolescent Learners  and formal admission to the Education Certification Program.
  

  • EDU 370 - Urban Ethnography

    1 course unit
    The focus of this interdisciplinary course is on the relevance of the qualitative research method of Ethnography for exploring issues pertaining to youth in urban contexts.  We will explore the complex relationships among schooling, social structure, and culture through research projects conducted by course participants.  Students will be taught methods of data collection and analysis, including how to examine research subjectivities, “gain entry” in the field, manage data, frame assertions, seek confirming and disconfirming evidence, consider diverse audiences for reporting, and try out various narrative styles and voices in their interpretive writing.  This course has been relevant to students interested in youth and urban issues across a variety of majors, including Art, Theatre, Dance, Media and Communication, English, Sociology, Psychology, Spanish, and American Studies.
    Meets general academic requirement W.
  

  • EDU 410 - Seminar in Assessment & Evaluation

    1 course unit
    This course is designed to provide an overview of developmentally appropriate assessment/evaluation issues, techniques, and practices.  Both on-going informal and formal assessment as integral to the teaching and learning process are emphasized.  The course examines topics including formative and summative assessment, teacher made tests, standardized testing, alternative/authentic assessment techniques, grading practices, and parent conferences.  The course introduces ways in which technology can be integrated into the assessment and evaluation process.  Throughout the course, students are encouraged to think critically about the issues surrounding assessment within the context of educational practices and political realities.
    Prerequisite(s): Admission to professional semester.
  

  • EDU 420 - Seminar in Professional Studies & Community Education

    1 course unit
    As part of the Professional Semester, this course will provide teacher candidates an overview of the education profession with an emphasis on studies and experiences connected with individual teacher professionalism and ethical practice.  The course will investigate issues confronting the professional educational community, such as standardized testing, school reorganization, and appropriate school/ community/family relationships in the context of the rights and responsibilities of the professional teacher.  Other topics of exploration will include Pennsylvania school law (i.e. Chapter 4: Academic Standards and Assessment; Chapter 11: Student Attendance; and Chapter 12: Students and Student Services) and national professional organizations and standards.
    Prerequisite(s): Admission to professional semester.
  
  
  

  • EDU 950 - Student Teaching I

    1 course unit
    Student teaching is the core component of the professional semester.  As interns in the public schools, students have the opportunity to apply the content knowledge and pedagogical skills gained in their academic preparation to actual classroom situations.  Lesson and unit planning as well as assessment and classroom management skills are honed with the support of a mentor teacher and a college supervisor.  Daily seminars prior to student teaching focus on differentiated instruction, questioning strategies, lesson planning, meeting the needs of a diverse public school population, and strategies to enhance student motivation.  Weekly seminar sessions during the semester provide the student teachers with a forum to reflect analytically on their classroom experiences as they develop their professional skills and voice.  This semester consists of two full-time teaching experiences in grade levels appropriate to the area of certification.
    Prerequisite(s): Admission to the professional semester.
  

  • EDU 951 - Student Teaching II

    1 course unit
    Student teaching is the core component of the professional semester.  As interns in the public schools, students have the opportunity to apply the content knowledge and pedagogical skills gained in their academic preparation to actual classroom situations.  Lesson and unit planning as well as assessment and classroom management skills are honed with the support of a mentor teacher and a college supervisor.  Daily seminars prior to student teaching focus on differentiated instruction, questioning strategies, lesson planning, meeting the needs of a diverse public school population, and strategies to enhance student motivation.  Weekly seminar sessions during the semester provide the student teachers with a forum to reflect analytically on their classroom experiences as they develop their professional skills and voice.  This semester consists of two full-time teaching experiences in grade levels appropriate to the area of certification.
    Prerequisite(s): Admission to the professional semester.
  

  • EDU 970 - Education Independent Study/Research

    Each independent study/research course is to be designed in consultation with a faculty sponsor.   
     

English General Literature

Note: 100 level courses may NOT be counted toward the English major or minor.
  

  • ENG 113 - British Writers

    1 course unit
    A concentrated survey of the work of some of the most influential British writers and of the development of British literary traditions; intended to help non-majors become close and informed readers of literature.  Focus will vary from semester to semester.
    Meets general academic requirement HU.
  

  • ENG 115 - American Writers

    1 course unit
    A concentrated survey of the work of some of the most influential American writers and of the development of American literary traditions; intended to help non-majors become close and informed readers of literature.  Focus will vary from semester to semester.
    Meets general academic requirement HU.

Foundation Course for Majors and Minors
  

  • ENG 275 - Theory & Methods of English Studies

    1 course unit
    Intended primarily as a foundations course for current and prospective English majors and minors, Theory & Methods of English Studies develops a common language and shared ideas about the enterprise called English Studies.  It requires close readings of works in three different genres ─ poetry, plays, and fiction ─ focusing on various crisis points in literary history: the Renaissance, the Romantic revolution, and the Modernist moment.  We consider, of course, the theory and methods of English studies as these have evolved over time, but especially since the 1970s to the present.  We examine the history of English as a discipline, what it means to call something “literary,” as well as questions of why and how people go about analyzing literary texts and how literary and critical practices change over time.
    Current and prospective English majors and minors only.
    Meets general academic requirements HU and W.

Reading X
  

  • ENG 202 - Reading Emily Dickinson

    1 course unit
    Emily Dickinson’s life, letters, and poems have attracted an unusually diverse set of “labels.”  She is variously described as Romantic, Modern, Post-Modern, Puritan, anti-Puritan, feminist, anti-feminist, a victim of psychological disorders (agoraphobia, anorexia, depression), a victim of patriarchal oppression, a genius, a great ironist, and more.  So Dickinson’s poetry offers us much to negotiate in the course, ways of reading as well as readings of individual poems.  We will also study poems by two twentieth century women writers, Elizabeth Bishop and Adrienne Rich, in light of Dickinson’s legacy, and try to trace Dickinson’s particular kind of “nature” poetry back to a seventeenth-century religious tradition she admired.
    Meets departmental Texts/Contexts approach.
    Meets general academic requirements HU and W.
  

  • ENG 206 - Reading Austen

    1 course unit
    This course explores the novels of Jane Austen and their contemporary revisions.  Roughly half of the course consists of an intensive, critically, and historically-contextualized study of four of Austen’s novels.  The other half consists of a cultural materialist study of the revisions, sequels, and film adaptations of Austen produced predominantly in the 1940s and since the1990s.  In this way, we explore the evolving importance of Austen to her readers as well as the ways such adaptations reflect and shape the meanings of her novels under changed conditions of production.
    Meets departmental Transformations approach.
    Meets general academic requirements HU and W.
  

  • ENG 208 - Reading Alice in Wonderland

    1 course unit
    This course investigates Lewis Carroll’s Alice books - Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass - in themselves and as they are transformed into a larger cultural “Alice Myth” with a life of its own.  The course examines these texts in a variety of cultural and aesthetic frames.  These are primarily British and Victorian, considering the Alice books as children’s stories, as dream-texts, and as complexly comic representations of gender, class, and childhood.  In addition, the course will consider the relation between the texts and their author, who led a triple life as Charles Dodgson, Oxford don in mathematics, as the writer Lewis Carroll, whom Dodgson never acknowledged, and as one of the fathers of photography, a famous portrait photographer.  In the latter part of the course we will pursue the afterlife of the Alice Myth up to the present day.  We will look at adaptations of the books, film versions by the surrealist Svankmajer and by Disney, and perhaps the video game based on the Alice books.
    Meets departmental Transformations approach.
    Meets general academic requirements HU and W.
  

  • ENG 212 - Reading Frankenstein

    1 course unit
    Students will examine the three distinct versions of Mary Shelley’s novel (1818, 1823, 1831), read selected criticism and biographical material, and then focus on various literary, film, and theatrical adaptations, including H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), Lynd Ward’s woodcut adaptation of the novel (1934), the original Boris Karloff film (1931), Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982), and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).  The course will begin by examining Frankenstein’s important progenitors: The Book of Genesis, the Pygmalion and Prometheus myths, and selections from Milton’s Paradise Lost.
    Meets departmental Transformations approach.
    Meets general academic requirements HU and W.
  

  • ENG 218 - Reading the South

    1 course unit
    This course will study how novelists, poets, and playwrights have treated the American South, and the extent to which they have challenged or fostered prevailing popular representations in songs and movies and political rhetoric (e.g. Dixie, down-home, Jim Crow, “a civilization gone with the wind”).  We will consider how their work addresses what ideologues and historians have characterized as the “peculiar” political and social conditions that have made the South distinctive: slavery and its Jim Crow aftermath.
    Meets departmental Text/Contexts approach.
    Meets general academic requirements HU and W .

Genres
  

  • ENG 231 - Modern Drama

    1 course unit
    This course will examine the emergence of a realistic and naturalistic “modern drama” out of its nineteenth century theatrical melodramatic roots.  We will pay particular attention to late nineteenth and early twentieth century plays about gender conflict and “The New Woman,” which emerged out of the suffragette movement, and to the evolution of theatrical forms.  Students will be expected to distinguish between melodrama, the well-made play, the realist play, the naturalistic play, and expressionism.  The first half of the course will establish how these forms were created and expanded by famous male European dramatists; in the second half, we will explore how these themes and forms were adopted and used by female playwrights.
    Meets general academic requirement HU.
  

  • ENG 235, 236 - Contemporary Drama & Performance Art

    1 course unit
    In this class we will examine several intertwined strands of contemporary theatre practice: postmodern theatre, political and documentary theatre, and performance art.  We will be using postmodernism as our primary theoretical lens; in particular, we will look at how contemporary art questions traditional dramatic narratives and problematizes not only theatre history but history itself.  This course will focus both on dramatic texts and performance art; we will examine the way in which the body, as well as the word, carries meaning and how dramatic meaning can change over time and through performance.
    Meets general academic requirement HU (and W when offered as 236).
  

  • ENG 237, 294 - Postwar Drama

    1 course unit
    An exploration of the ways in which theatre and representational practice were challenged and changed by the Second World War and its political, cultural, and social aftermath.  We will examine British, American, and German plays by writers such as Osborne, Pinter, Weiss, Handke, Bond, and Griffiths.
    Meets general academic requirement HU (and W when offered as 294).
  

  • ENG 238, 239 - Plays on Film

    1 course unit
    Plays on Film is a study of the (all too few) aesthetically successful films made from stage plays, approached in the context of why adaptations of plays to film typically do not in fact, work.  In addition to studying a canon of plays and films, this course will also engage (and contrast) textual, performance-based and image-based methodologies, and students will be asked to write papers demonstrating proficiency in all three theoretical approaches.
    Meets general academic requirement HU (and W when offered as 239).
  

  • ENG 240, 241 - The Nature of Narrative

    1 course unit
    This course will explore the forms and functions of primarily prose narratives with particular attention to structure, point of view, and narrative conventions of time, space, plot, character, and “realism”.  Different versions of the course will vary in focus and emphasis: some may survey a variety of forms and genres (short story, novel, memoir, autobiography) while others may concentrate on one or two of these.
    Meets general academic requirement HU (and W when offered as 241).
  

  • ENG 243, 244 - Genres of Popular Fiction

    1 course unit
    A study of the nineteenth century genesis and twentieth century development of three of the major genres of popular writing: mystery, horror, and science fiction.  We will be reading not only particular works from these categories but theoretical essays on the nature of the genre itself.  Authors may include Poe, Lovecraft, Conan Doyle, Hammett, Chandler, Shelley, Le Guin, and others.  This course will not only focus on reading popular literature and writing standard literary critical papers but will also examine literary genre as a category and ask students to write creatively within the specific literary genres - mystery, horror, romance, adventure, science fiction - studied by the course.  In this way, the course will provide a thorough exploration (i.e. historical, theoretical, and practical) of the various modes of popular literary expression.
    Meets general academic requirement HU (and W when offered as 244).
  

  • ENG 245, 246 - Poetry & the Imaginative Process

    1 course unit
    What is poetry?  How is it made or constructed?  Is it the product of sudden inspiration or of something more mundane?  This course will address such questions by examining the work of poets who, in addition to their poems, have left behind letters, journals, and notebooks that allow us to reconstruct the processes through which their poems develop and progress to completion.  Students will be encouraged to write and chart the development of their own poems in process.
    Meets general academic requirement HU (and W when offered as 246).
  

  • ENG 249, 250 - Science Fiction & Fantasy

    1 course unit
    This course undertakes an in-depth and literary exploration of a few representative texts in the vast genre of Science Fiction/Fantasy.  We pay special attention to the particular ways in which science fiction and fantasy engage with the concerns of the terrestrial present which produces them or in which they are read.  We will consider science fiction as a literary exploration of historical, scientific, social, political, and personal issues under consideration by actual humans in the here (or near here) and now (or not so long ago).  In particular, our syllabus highlights texts that think about ecology and bodily identity.  We also consider Science Fiction/Fantasy as a literary form - a discourse with its own rules, methods, and history.  Readings may include such works as “Bloodchild” by Octavia Butler, The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, The Female Man by Joanna Russ, Dune by Frank Herbert, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin.
    Meets general academic requirement HU (and W when offered as 250).
  

  • ENG 251, 252 - Contemporary Fiction

    1 course unit
    A study of representative late twentieth and twenty-first century English language novels and stories.
    Meets general academic requirement HU and DE (and W when offered as 252).

Connections
  

  • ENG 255 - Literature & Film

    1 course unit
    This course examines the relationship between novels and plays and their film-adaptations, concentrating on the different ways we read and interpret these narrative forms.  The course will attend closely to the variety of decisions that inform the translation of literary works into a different medium with different conventions for a different audience.  Emphases and subject matter will change.
    Meets general academic requirement HU.
  

  • ENG 257, 258 - Literature & Evolution

    1 course unit
    This course considers how evolutionary narrative shapes and is shaped by nineteenth century British conceptions of the individual, species, race, nation, sexuality, and nature.  We will read Darwin in the original, as well as some of his influences, including Malthus and Paley, and much of the poetry, fiction, and popular science that helped build and disseminate evolutionary thinking, including Alfred Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning, Robert Louis Stevenson, and H.G. Wells.
    Meets departmental Texts/Contexts approach.
    Meets general academic requirement HU.
 

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