Month: September 2015

New Anthropology Courses

by

Melissa Rosario (Visiting Assistant Professor)

Resisting Racism, Extraction, and Dispossession in the Americas

ANTH 217
Fall 2015
Crosslisting: LAST 217
M.W… 11:00AM-12:20PM

In this course, we examine land based social movements as responses to the legacies of empire and colonialism. We begin with an overview of the ideologies of economic and political “progress” that justified the dispossession of indigenous and racialized groups in the Americas. Then we will turn away from the logic of imperial domination to consider alternative forms of knowledge and practice that posit new relationships between nature and society. Of special focus will be a range of ethnographies of land-based movements including the Zapatistas, Garifuna, and MST (Movimento Sem Terra) as well as feminist, indigenous, and anti-racist theories informed by the forms of resistance and decolonization that we have studied.

Sarah Newman (Visiting Assistant Professor)
Talking Trash
ANTH 112
Fall 2015
Crosslisting: ARCP 112
T.R.. 10:30AM-11:50AM

Every day, we make conscious and unconscious decisions that define what we consider clean or dirty, good or bad, valuable or expendable. As the familiar saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” At an individual and societal level, our ways of wasting affect both the world we inhabit and our place within it. This course draws on readings in archaeology, anthropology, history, psychology, material culture studies, and environmental science to explore one of humanity’s most prodigious products and greatest legacies: trash. We will study conceptions of waste from different times, places, and perspectives, as well as the impact of refuse on our everyday behavior, systems of ethics and meaning, and interactions with the environment.

The Pre-Columbian World: 100 Objects
ANTH 227
Fall 2015
Crosslisting: ARCP 227, ARHA 227
T.R.. 02:40PM-04:00PM

From cities of gold and frightful gods to apocalyptic calendars and ritual human sacrifice, the ancient Americas are both sensational and sensationalized. This course delves deeper into the Pre-Columbian world by examining 100 objects made and left behind by indigenous Americans. We will explore cultures and histories in North, Central, and South America from the peopling of the New World over 10,000 years ago to the arrival of Europeans at the end of the fifteenth century. Organizational themes include: the domestication of plants and animals, notions of rulership and authority, modes of communication, and religious ideologies.

New film course for first-year students!

by

A new film course for first-year students!

FILM 104 Documentary Filmmaking: An Introduction to Project Learning is a filmmaking course taught by renowned Pakistani American author and documentarian Sadia Shephard. It is designed to introduce first-year students to collaborative project-based work.

Documentary Filmmaking: An Introduction to Project Learning
FILM 104
Fall 2015
Section: 01

This course is an immersive, hands-on introduction to the documentary film process, in which students will examine the world around them to create compelling stories where real people are the protagonists and the narratives are informed by real life. Through close study and analysis of feature-length and short documentaries, and active research, writing, producing, directing, shooting, sound recording, editing and re-editing, students will rigorously explore the power and possibilities of non-fiction storytelling. The course is a dynamic combination of individual and group production work, in which students will be expected to produce their own exercises, as well as collaborate with their classmates on a short documentary video. Individual and group exercises will focus on the idea of portraiture and how to make effective visual and aural portraits of a place or person. This course is designed to introduce fundamental production concepts and techniques through lectures, projects, and lab experiences. Film production experience is not required, and experience with film-editing software is helpful but not required. Production lessons include discussions of how to build partnerships with documentary subjects, conduct interviews, shoot observational video footage, record sound, and edit digital video. Students will present works-in-progress in all phases of the creative process and participate in constructive critical discussions.

Credit: 1
Gen Ed Area Dept: HA FILM

Course Format: Lecture / Discussion
Grading Mode: Graded

Level: UGRD
Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: None
Past Enrollment Probability: 75% – 89%

Freshman Video Workshop

by

This is a small (10 student) group tutorial open to incoming Freshman that introduces students to the art and practice of video storytelling. No previous experience is necessary but students should be eager to delve into Wesleyan and be comfortable working with others and conducting interviews. This will be a “hands on” tutorial and much of the work will be done outside of classroom hours. Equipment, hard drive space and editing time will all be provided. Best practice guidelines for planning, organizing and completing a video project will be discussed during class time. Students will show evidence of progress every week to share in class for peer feedback. Students will be expected to research a topic (or “Wesleyan Story”), create a detailed storyboard to plan the production, schedule interviews and shoot and edit a short (under 10 minute) piece. These videos will be publicly available and serve to showcase both the University and our student’s talents. This group tutorial is for course credit and it is important that students have adequate time in their schedule to devote to the project. Interested students should contact either Allynn Wilkinson (awilkinson@wesleyan.edu) or Lisa Dierker (ldierker@wesleyan.edu)