Course descriptions

In recent years, public institutions and community organizations have come to rely less on the State for support, and more on the philanthropic donations of corporations and wealthy individuals. Schools, nonprofits and aid organizations, thus, are often beholden to the vision and mission of their funders. This course will focus on the contradictions between intentions and outcomes in corporate and individual charitable giving. Through readings in anthropology, political science and business, we will explore the ways in which philanthropy might serve to maintain class, race and gender inequality and inhibit democracy. In reading, writing and class discussions, we will ask: Does the marketing of people?s need to funders depend on narratives that perpetuate poverty, inequality and hardship? Are powerful corporations and individuals capable of being socially responsible? This course will improve students? skills in research, critical reasoning and academic writing.

The most familiar public image of the Asian American is the stereotypical image of the model minority: the studious, hardworking, quiet Asian who goes on to become a successful doctor,lawyer, or business person. This image has been particularly damaging to Asian American communities because it perpetuates the erasure of these communities? varied histories, which include experiences with racial violence, refugee status, poverty, mental illness, political activism, and solidarity work. In this seminar, we will explore texts and other media focusing on Asian American experience in order to analyze images of Asian Americans, examine counternarratives, and better understand the histories and pathways to activism present in various Asian American communities.

For many, art IS politics. Whether in the service of the state during the Cold War, expressions of resistance during the Civil Rights, anti-war, and peace movements, or banners for queer, environmental and anti-globalization protest, art can be a high stakes enterprise. Art matters to artists and arts enthusiasts as well as to a variety of disciplines, including art history, cultural studies, philosophy, sociology, and urban studies. This course will focus upon American art in American contexts, exploring the scholarship on American political and public art from the 1940s to the present. Guided by Claudia Mesch?s _Art and Politics: A Small History of Art for Social Change since 1945_, we will explore how art performs within sociological, political, and cultural contexts.

Between the rise of high-profile directors such as Justin Lin and Steve McQueen and the emergence of television shows such as Blackish and Fresh Off the Boat, minorities have been changing the face of media both in front of and behind the camera. In this course we will explore how media by and about people of color across television, film, and short video impacts how we see ourselves, others, and the world at large. Students will also be given the opportunity to participate in events and programs related to the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF).

Since the decline of manufacturing in the Great Lakes region, amateur and professional photographers have used shuttered factories and rusted urban landscapes as the subjects of their art. Scholars and critics have referred to this phenomenon alternatively as ?ruin photography,? ?ruin porn,? and the ?zombie aesthetic.? In this course, we will study a number of photography collections that span geography and style, including collections published by noted publishing houses to collections posted on online photo-sharing sites. As we become more critical viewers of ruin photography, we will consider the ethics of such representations. Our own writing practice will help us better understand what such photographic representations communicate about the people and locales they depict.

Facebook posts, messenger notifications, Twitter feeds, not to mention emails, texts, and good ol' fashioned voicemails. We live in a digital age of distractions with so many tasks competing for our attention that all we're left with is depression, anxiety, and the eerie feeling that we've lost control of our own minds. But what if the solution to our modern illness was found by a man over two thousand years ago who decided to sit under a tree? In this seminar, we will uncover just what this man discovered and what science has to say about it. By blending ancient philosophy with cutting-edge neuroscience research, we will explore meditation in its many forms. Whether you think meditation is a clinically-tested exercise to reduce stress and increase mental health, or a powerful tool for spiritual liberation, in this course, you'll get the chance to study (and experience first-hand) your brain on meditation.

When our cat purrs in our lap, we might say, ?He is content.? When our dog barks when we pet a friend?s dog, we might say, ?She is jealous.? Is this mere anthropomorphizing?attributing human characteristics to non-human animals?or are the emotional lives of animals really as complex as humans? This course considers this question, and in doing so, we will broaden our scope to think about how the ?animal question? has influenced contemporary critical and cultural theory. If the experiences of animals are as complex as human experience, how does that change our understanding of the human? Of the environment? In posing these questions, we will explore emerging lines of inquiry in the humanities like post-humanism, ecocriticism, and intersectionality. And we might even watch a cat video or two!

When our cat purrs in our lap, we might say, ?He is content.? When our dog barks when we pet a friend?s dog, we might say, ?She is jealous.? Is this mere anthropomorphizing?attributing human characteristics to non-human animals?or are the emotional lives of animals really as complex as humans? This course considers this question, and in doing so, we will broaden our scope to think about how the ?animal question? has influenced contemporary critical and cultural theory. If the experiences of animals are as complex as human experience, how does that change our understanding of the human? Of the environment? In posing these questions, we will explore emerging lines of inquiry in the humanities like post-humanism, ecocriticism, and intersectionality. And we might even watch a cat video or two!

Mutation is the ultimate source of diversity. One random nucleotide change, hidden in DNA, can result in a whole new lineage of life. Invisible to the naked eye, 3.8 billon years of mutation have made microbes the most diverse organisms on the planet. These unseen unicellular creatures are the foundation of life as we know it. Vital insights into all other organisms on Earth?including ourselves?are provided by explorations of their vast morphologies, functionalities, and survival strategies. Microbes are proof of the power of hidden diversity; they are what we are all made of, which makes us all similar, yet different, from each other. But how is diversity defined and what role does it play in different communities and cultures? Together, we will examine the more visible aspects of diversity, such as ethnicity, and then go further to explore the less visible forms, such as the wide range of thought processes illustrated by those with various mental health outlooks. In this period of globalization, the way in which people respond to, and modify their understanding of, differences is at the forefront of discussion. Using Ed Yong?s book, I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes within Us and a Grander View of Life, this course will enable students to participate and lead these vital discussions on diversity from multiple perspectives. Writing assignments will focus on articulating the implications of unseen diversity, drawing parallels between unicellular life and to multi-level societal mores among humans.

Mutation is the ultimate source of diversity. One random nucleotide change, hidden in DNA, can result in a whole new lineage of life. Invisible to the naked eye, 3.8 billon years of mutation have made microbes the most diverse organisms on the planet. These unseen unicellular creatures are the foundation of life as we know it. Vital insights into all other organisms on Earth?including ourselves?are provided by explorations of their vast morphologies, functionalities, and survival strategies. Microbes are proof of the power of hidden diversity; they are what we are all made of, which makes us all similar, yet different, from each other. But how is diversity defined and what role does it play in different communities and cultures? Together, we will examine the more visible aspects of diversity, such as ethnicity, and then go further to explore the less visible forms, such as the wide range of thought processes illustrated by those with various mental health outlooks. In this period of globalization, the way in which people respond to, and modify their understanding of, differences is at the forefront of discussion. Using Ed Yong?s book, I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes within Us and a Grander View of Life, this course will enable students to participate and lead these vital discussions on diversity from multiple perspectives. Writing assignments will focus on articulating the implications of unseen diversity, drawing parallels between unicellular life and to multi-level societal mores among humans.

This seminar will focus on the ever-elusive concept of happiness and explore what it means and whether there is a biological component to it. Will happiness make us more productive and less anxious in an uncertain world? Does it come from within or is it created by external circumstances (e.g., ?If I had more money, if I were thinner, I would be happy.?)? We will explore these questions as well as investigating scientific approaches to happiness and the techniques we can use to achieve it, using The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt, Professor of Ethical Leadership at the NYU-Stern School of Business. Haidt began his career studying negative moral emotions, such as disgust, shame, and vengeance, but then moved on to the understudied positive moral emotions, such as admiration, awe, and moral elevation. This work got him involved with the field of positive psychology, which was founded here at the University of Pennsylvania.

We have all heard that elephants never forget. But how many of us know that they also weep? Or that captive orcas can learn to "speak dolphin?" Scholars from areas as diverse as philosophy, biology, social justice, and the arts are currently formulating a new field: animal studies. These scholars are exploring how animals think, what they feel, and in some cases working with animal rights activists to question our laws and personal behaviors in light of these discoveries. In this course we will add to the conversation by looking at how popular culture - especially films like Blackfish and the Cove - reflect and shape our understanding of non-human animals.

The vampire has been a staple of horror films since the early days of cinema. Vampires, who prey on the living by literally sucking the life out of them, represent some of our deepest fears. Yet since the earliest vampire film, the vampire has also been a sexual threat and speaks to our subconscious fears and desires. Grotesque, hideous, and terrifying, the vampire is nonetheless a figure of our never-ending fascination. Why is the vampire such a lasting and enduring figure? In this course, we will trace a history of the vampire film by looking at the earliest surviving example of the genre, F. W. Murnau?s Nosferatu. We will examine the film, its background, and how contemporary audiences reacted to it. We will also consider how Nosferatu influenced later vampire films, and why it continues to haunt audiences today.

From Superman?s iconic red ?S? to Batman?s form-fitting leather suit, superheroes are defined by their attire. Equal parts gaudy, theatrical, and athletic, costumes are pivotal to the superhero?s widespread appeal, dividing the larger-than-life character from his civilian alter ego. However, this phenomenon is not limited to comics. Historically, costumes represented an inversion of one?s nature?an opportunity to escape the dreariness of everyday life and become someone new. This seminar will explore the consequences of using costumes to alter one?s identity, drawing on examples from both fiction and reality. Though superhero costumes will be the primary focus, we will ultimately move beyond caped crusaders to interrogate how even the most familiar costumes, from Halloween masks to the straw hats of Penn?s Hey Day, allow us to inhabit diverse identities. In addition, case studies involving ?real-life? masked vigilantes, like Pussy Riot, will reveal the fluid interplay between popular culture and contemporary politics.

Everywhere you look online, from YouTube to Yelp, rating systems and ?Like? buttons abound. We live in a world where expressing preferences has never been so easy, or more public. And while we may believe that our tastes and opinions are our own, efforts to influence our likes have intensified in a networked society where these rating systems have economic consequences. Researchers in marketing, psychology, new media, and sociology have tried to explain the dynamics of our preferences, and in some cases, suggest how they might be shaped. In this course, we will explore what research indicates about how our likes are formed, change, and become part of a sharing economy. Along the way, we will look at everything from the food or music we favor, to how we express those likes and loathings online. We will consider both individual tastes and societal trends, from the neuroscience of why you like coffee to whether having wide-ranging tastes has become the new marker of social class.

The terms "big data" and "analytics" abound in contemporary discourse, but few nonspecialists understand their purpose or promise beyond monetization of our clicks, content preferences, and geolocations. Alongside their overt commercial ends, analytics may also provide "insights" about who we are, what makes us tick, and how we might live productive, healthier, and even more fulfilling lives. This section will examine the rewards?and costs?of scaled data and their social utility with reference to MIT data scientist Alex Pentland's notion of "social physics," quantified expressions of how we interact, produce, consume, and relate with information from cat videos to stock tips. Equal parts technology, information studies, and social science, this section may also be of interest to anyone with a Facebook account or mobile device.

Fulfills the Writing Requirement The late 1800s-early 1900s was a rich period of time both in science and the arts. New ideas and discoveries were flooding the cultural environment in ways that inspired both artists and scientists. Although Einstein and Picasso never met or knew of each other's work, the social, scientific and intellectual milieus in which they lived led each to ideas in science and art which forced us to dramatically reconsider the very nature of reality. This course will explore the cultural and intellectual environments of the late 1800s, the lives of two revolutionary thinkers and the nature of their creativity, and how and why the revolutionary concepts E=mc2 and Cubism came within two years of each other in the early 1900s, ushering in the Modern Era.

Fulfills the Writing Requirement The late 1800s-early 1900s was a rich period of time both in science and the arts. New ideas and discoveries were flooding the cultural environment in ways that inspired both artists and scientists. Although Einstein and Picasso never met or knew of each other's work, the social, scientific and intellectual milieus in which they lived led each to ideas in science and art which forced us to dramatically reconsider the very nature of reality. This course will explore the cultural and intellectual environments of the late 1800s, the lives of two revolutionary thinkers and the nature of their creativity, and how and why the revolutionary concepts E=mc2 and Cubism came within two years of each other in the early 1900s, ushering in the Modern Era.

Through no fault of their own, former Comedy Central late-night hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have become media messiahs to a whole generation. How did Stewart?s `Daily Show? and Colbert?s `Colbert Report,? both created as faux-news parodies, gain legitimacy among the political elite? Why are they increasingly cited as primary news sources by Americans under 30? We will examine the unique satire of these insurrectionary `newsmen,? as well as that of HBO's John Oliver and TBS's Samantha Bee, among others, and what it says about us as a culture. Or, as Colbert puts it, ?I am America, and so can you!?

Through no fault of their own, former Comedy Central late-night hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have become media messiahs to a whole generation. How did Stewart?s `Daily Show? and Colbert?s `Colbert Report,? both created as faux-news parodies, gain legitimacy among the political elite? Why are they increasingly cited as primary news sources by Americans under 30? We will examine the unique satire of these insurrectionary `newsmen,? as well as that of HBO's John Oliver and TBS's Samantha Bee, among others, and what it says about us as a culture. Or, as Colbert puts it, ?I am America, and so can you!?

From hacker culture to DIY (do it yourself!), we have countered global mass production with craft: grassroots creativity and invention. Recent research by sociologist and media studies expert David Gauntlett suggests that craft promotes individual happiness and social well-being by forging community. In our ever more interconnected world, online platforms like YouTube, SoundCloud, and Instagram, along with in-person groups from hackathons to knitting circles, allow us to exchange skills, collaborate, and share our creations. In this course, we will examine the social value of craft movements from the industrial era to the digital era, drawing on the fields of positive psychology, media studies, and the history of craft. We will also practice multiple genres of communication to gain new tools for connecting with the wider world. Finally, we will explore writing as a social act ? by examining the idea of audience, and by sharing our work through peer reviews and presentations.

From hacker culture to DIY (do it yourself!), we have countered global mass production with craft: grassroots creativity and invention. Recent research by sociologist and media studies expert David Gauntlett suggests that craft promotes individual happiness and social well-being by forging community. In our ever more interconnected world, online platforms like YouTube, SoundCloud, and Instagram, along with in-person groups from hackathons to knitting circles, allow us to exchange skills, collaborate, and share our creations. In this course, we will examine the social value of craft movements from the industrial era to the digital era, drawing on the fields of positive psychology, media studies, and the history of craft. We will also practice multiple genres of communication to gain new tools for connecting with the wider world. Finally, we will explore writing as a social act ? by examining the idea of audience, and by sharing our work through peer reviews and presentations.

Few of us stop to consider how we learned to fulfill our very basic need for food. Yet historians, nutritionists, psychologists, and anthropologists tell us that there is nothing about the way we eat that is not conditioned by our culture. In this class, we will explore what the research indicates on how and why we eat what we do, as well as why our tastes dispose us towards certain foods rather than others. Sweet, salty, spicy?how do we learn to appreciate certain flavors, and why do why do we reject others? Everything from picky childhood eaters (chicken nuggets, anyone?) to the cultural differences that distinguish ?Mediterranean? from ?Asian? or ?Southern? cuisine will be open to investigation. While this class focuses on a topic of relevance to us all and will touch on research from several different academic disciplines, the emphasis throughout will be on analysis, synthesis, and research.

Reality TV has been dubbed the ?end? of scripted television, the guiltiest of guilty pleasures, and yet this media phenomenon continues to proliferate, leading to what some scholars have considered a fascinating, new ?inter-generic space? with the power to redefine concepts of audience and authenticity, performance and voyeurism. Drawing on sociology, media studies, and cultural politics, will consider the range of recent reality TV productions, both in the U.S. and abroad, from talent competitions like American Idol and other "gamedocs," to "docusoaps" and reality sitcoms, with stops at every reviled and revered Kardashian and Big Brother contestant in between. As we become cannier, more critical viewers, we will also sharpen our research and writing skills by analyzing and practicing a variety of ?real world? genres, such as cover letters, abstracts, and op-eds.

Reality TV has been dubbed the ?end? of scripted television, the guiltiest of guilty pleasures, and yet this media phenomenon continues to proliferate, leading to what some scholars have considered a fascinating, new ?inter-generic space? with the power to redefine concepts of audience and authenticity, performance and voyeurism. Drawing on sociology, media studies, and cultural politics, will consider the range of recent reality TV productions, both in the U.S. and abroad, from talent competitions like American Idol and other "gamedocs," to "docusoaps" and reality sitcoms, with stops at every reviled and revered Kardashian and Big Brother contestant in between. As we become cannier, more critical viewers, we will also sharpen our research and writing skills by analyzing and practicing a variety of ?real world? genres, such as cover letters, abstracts, and op-eds.

Few of us stop to consider how we learned to fulfill our very basic need for food. Yet historians, nutritionists, psychologists, and anthropologists tell us that there is nothing about the way we eat that is not conditioned by our culture. In this class, we will explore what the research indicates on how and why we eat what we do, as well as why our tastes dispose us towards certain foods rather than others. Sweet, salty, spicy?how do we learn to appreciate certain flavors, and why do why do we reject others? Everything from picky childhood eaters (chicken nuggets, anyone?) to the cultural differences that distinguish ?Mediterranean? from ?Asian? or ?Southern? cuisine will be open to investigation. While this class focuses on a topic of relevance to us all and will touch on research from several different academic disciplines, the emphasis throughout will be on analysis, synthesis, and research.

?Don?t touch that dial!? This class provides an introduction to the study of media and culture by exploring the ubiquity of screens in public places, from perennially playing CNN feeds in airport departure lounges to Hulu and Netflix in the palm of your hand. Guided by Anna McCarthy?s Ambient Television: Visual Culture and Public Space, we will explore the development of ideas about publicness, privacy, and commerce?where identities collide and consumer preferences emerge?from before the inception of television broadcasting to the present. Together, we?ll draw on examples of television outside the home, including televisions in bars, hospital waiting rooms, and department stores, and join in debates involving journalists, consumer advocates, architects, political scientists, and anthropologists. Along the way, we?ll engage with questions such as: What sort of public space do we now share, with our proliferating devices? How has it been conditioned by the presence, production, and reception of television? And what potential exists to intervene constructively in the media landscape we?ve inherited?

In this course we will explore what neuroscientist David Eagleman refers to as "secret life of the brain," by which he means the massive engineering of our subconscious brain that which is busy at work beneath the conscious decisions we make everyday. Eagleman describes our conscious minds as just the tip of the iceberg as he explores the role of the brain in driving our behavior, thoughts, and experiences. In this course we will focus on the Eagleman's work as a launching point for our own research and writing.

In this course we will explore what neuroscientist David Eagleman refers to as "secret life of the brain," by which he means the massive engineering of our subconscious brain that which is busy at work beneath the conscious decisions we make everyday. Eagleman describes our conscious minds as just the tip of the iceberg as he explores the role of the brain in driving our behavior, thoughts, and experiences. In this course we will focus on the Eagleman's work as a launching point for our own research and writing.

In this course we will explore what neuroscientist David Eagleman refers to as "secret life of the brain," by which he means the massive engineering of our subconscious brain that which is busy at work beneath the conscious decisions we make everyday. Eagleman describes our conscious minds as just the tip of the iceberg as he explores the role of the brain in driving our behavior, thoughts, and experiences. In this course we will focus on the Eagleman's work as a launching point for our own research and writing.

In this course we will explore what neuroscientist David Eagleman refers to as "secret life of the brain," by which he means the massive engineering of our subconscious brain that which is busy at work beneath the conscious decisions we make everyday. Eagleman describes our conscious minds as just the tip of the iceberg as he explores the role of the brain in driving our behavior, thoughts, and experiences. In this course we will focus on the Eagleman's work as a launching point for our own research and writing.

In this course we will explore what neuroscientist David Eagleman refers to as "secret life of the brain," by which he means the massive engineering of our subconscious brain that which is busy at work beneath the conscious decisions we make everyday. Eagleman describes our conscious minds as just the tip of the iceberg as he explores the role of the brain in driving our behavior, thoughts, and experiences. In this course we will focus on the Eagleman's work as a launching point for our own research and writing.

In this course we will explore what neuroscientist David Eagleman refers to as "secret life of the brain," by which he means the massive engineering of our subconscious brain that which is busy at work beneath the conscious decisions we make everyday. Eagleman describes our conscious minds as just the tip of the iceberg as he explores the role of the brain in driving our behavior, thoughts, and experiences. In this course we will focus on the Eagleman's work as a launching point for our own research and writing.

In this course we will explore what neuroscientist David Eagleman refers to as "secret life of the brain," by which he means the massive engineering of our subconscious brain that which is busy at work beneath the conscious decisions we make everyday. Eagleman describes our conscious minds as just the tip of the iceberg as he explores the role of the brain in driving our behavior, thoughts, and experiences. In this course we will focus on the Eagleman's work as a launching point for our own research and writing.

In this course we will explore what neuroscientist David Eagleman refers to as "secret life of the brain," by which he means the massive engineering of our subconscious brain that which is busy at work beneath the conscious decisions we make everyday. Eagleman describes our conscious minds as just the tip of the iceberg as he explores the role of the brain in driving our behavior, thoughts, and experiences. In this course we will focus on the Eagleman's work as a launching point for our own research and writing.

This discipline and topic-based course will focus on the fundamentals of academic and professional writing with the goal of sharpening students? reasoning and providing them with strategies for its effective expression. Through a series of short formal exercises, revisions, peer reviews, and timed writings, students will practice generating and expressing their own ideas in response to readings, collaborative exercises, and discussions about the course topic. Focus will be on the basics of critical writing: formulating and supporting propositions; reasoning and evidence; explanatory as well as justificatory reasoning. With an emphasis on rhetoric, students will learn how to write and revise for the various audiences they will encounter at Penn and beyond. Attention will also be paid to mechanics, usage, and style, as well as an introduction to citing and documenting sources. All elements of the seminar include guidance from an experienced instructor and feedback from fellow students to provide writers with the challenge of addressing diverse readers. The emphasis throughout is on creative thinking precisely expressed. (Part 1 of 2 part Critical Writing Sequence for LPS BA candidates)

This discipline and topic-based course will focus on the fundamentals of academic and professional writing with the goal of sharpening students? reasoning and providing them with strategies for its effective expression. Through a series of short formal exercises, revisions, peer reviews, and timed writings, students will practice generating and expressing their own ideas in response to readings, collaborative exercises, and discussions about the course topic. Focus will be on the basics of critical writing: formulating and supporting propositions; reasoning and evidence; explanatory as well as justificatory reasoning. With an emphasis on rhetoric, students will learn how to write and revise for the various audiences they will encounter at Penn and beyond. Attention will also be paid to mechanics, usage, and style, as well as an introduction to citing and documenting sources. All elements of the seminar include guidance from an experienced instructor and feedback from fellow students to provide writers with the challenge of addressing diverse readers. The emphasis throughout is on creative thinking precisely expressed. (Part 1 of 2 part Critical Writing Sequence for LPS BA candidates)

We know that sleep is vital to human health, both mental and physical. Science has told us that healthy sleep practices can combat chronic illness; that our age can determine when we fall asleep and for how long; and that our dreams are often connected to the problems of our waking lives. Similarly, whether one experiences insomnia or pulls regular all-nighters to study, we know that lack of sleep can be damaging to one?s health. In this seminar, we will dig deeper into the science of sleep, looking specifically at the connections between our sleeping and waking minds and examining the relationships between what we think (our beliefs), how we feel (our emotions), and how we sleep.

We know that sleep is vital to human health, both mental and physical. Science has told us that healthy sleep practices can combat chronic illness; that our age can determine when we fall asleep and for how long; and that our dreams are often connected to the problems of our waking lives. Similarly, whether one experiences insomnia or pulls regular all-nighters to study, we know that lack of sleep can be damaging to one?s health. In this seminar, we will dig deeper into the science of sleep, looking specifically at the connections between our sleeping and waking minds and examining the relationships between what we think (our beliefs), how we feel (our emotions), and how we sleep.

What does it mean to be considered a ?foreigner?? How has the relationship between immigrants and the ?American Dream? shifted over time? This writing seminar examines the politics of belonging in the contemporary American context be exploring the complex relationships between immigration, society, and identity in a rapidly globalizing world. We will untangle these connections through readings in history, anthropology, and film that will consider the role of public institutions and schools in the shaping of social citizenship, the plight of refugees in the current moment, and the role of race and religion in the crafting of ?worthy? immigrant subjects.

What does it mean to be considered a ?foreigner?? How has the relationship between immigrants and the ?American Dream? shifted over time? This writing seminar examines the politics of belonging in the contemporary American context be exploring the complex relationships between immigration, society, and identity in a rapidly globalizing world. We will untangle these connections through readings in history, anthropology, and film that will consider the role of public institutions and schools in the shaping of social citizenship, the plight of refugees in the current moment, and the role of race and religion in the crafting of ?worthy? immigrant subjects.

In the last three decades, governments have turned to the private market to help improve access to high quality public education. Grounded in principles of competition and deregulation, ?school choice? proponents believe that markets improve cost inefficiency and educational excellence. This seminar will analyze the tensions emergent from restructuring of public education, paying special attention to the implications of market fundamentalism for notions of citizenship, politics, and racial justice. We will then locate these tensions in contemporary issues around privatization and urban education reform through Maia Cucchiara?s Marketing Schools, Marketing Cities. In students? research, they will tackle a set of paradoxes arising from the marketing of public education and analyze how we might achieve greater equity across race and class.

Do we need help choosing what to eat? How much to save for retirement? Whether to check the organ donor box at the DMV? Certain behavioral economists think so. This section will explore how everyone from urban planners to nutritionists to hotel housekeeping to the Internal Revenue Service engages, knowingly or not, in design that influences everyday decisions. Fusing economics, psychology, public policy, and rhetoric, such "nudges" aim less to incentivize or discourage choices than gently encourage "better" habits for individuals and, in turn, society at large. The course will address questions of freedom, choice, and paternalism at the heart of Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sustein's bestselling book Nudge, with the broader goal of learning how we ourselves might become perceptive and influential in designed contexts we encounter each day.

Do we need help choosing what to eat? How much to save for retirement? Whether to check the organ donor box at the DMV? Certain behavioral economists think so. This section will explore how everyone from urban planners to nutritionists to hotel housekeeping to the Internal Revenue Service engages, knowingly or not, in design that influences everyday decisions. Fusing economics, psychology, public policy, and rhetoric, such "nudges" aim less to incentivize or discourage choices than gently encourage "better" habits for individuals and, in turn, society at large. The course will address questions of freedom, choice, and paternalism at the heart of Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sustein's bestselling book Nudge, with the broader goal of learning how we ourselves might become perceptive and influential in designed contexts we encounter each day.

People around the world are starting to ask themselves questions once thought to have obvious answers: Is free trade really such a good deal? Is financial innovation truly beneficial? Is international law actually enforceable? Or to put these questions another way: Has globalization gone too far? This seminar will begin with a careful reading of influential development economist Dani Rodrik's 2011 book The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy. Students will consider the past century of ups and downs in international trade and finance, then think and write about how economists might apply their skills to achieve a more appropriate balance between the market and the state going forward. The instructor is a retired American diplomat and a former Wall Street analyst.

People around the world are starting to ask themselves questions once thought to have obvious answers: Is free trade really such a good deal? Is financial innovation truly beneficial? Is international law actually enforceable? Or to put these questions another way: Has globalization gone too far? This seminar will begin with a careful reading of influential development economist Dani Rodrik's 2011 book The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy. Students will consider the past century of ups and downs in international trade and finance, then think and write about how economists might apply their skills to achieve a more appropriate balance between the market and the state going forward. The instructor is a retired American diplomat and a former Wall Street analyst.

How does invention really work in engineering? Engineers invent products and design processes, but the concept of the lone genius is largely a myth. Engineers participate in formal and informal communities of professionals and produce knowledge in a variety of ways. Using antilock braking systems (ABS) for passenger cars as a case study, Ann Johnson?s Hitting the Brakes. Engineering Design and the Production of Knowledge traces a more accurate representation of the circuitous path of invention. From 1930s patents to 21st century blog posts, the process of designing ABS has been more nuanced than one might think. Taught by a licensed Professional Engineer, this seminar will lead students through an exploration of engineering as a multifaceted endeavor. It will help students learn to identify and produce authentic genres of writing used in engineering and encourage them to enrich their understanding of the breadth of skills that successful participation in the field encompasses.

Comics today comprise many types of expression with one thing in common: words and pictures working together to convey a story or message. Originating, some say, hundreds of years ago, but taking off in modern form in the early twentieth century, comics have been used to tell jokes, weave tales of fantasy and adventure, make political and social commentary, and more. And in the last two or three decades, the study of comics and graphic novels has blossomed into a lively academic discipline. This seminar is an inquiry into what defines the art of comics, how it functions, and what modern audiences can derive from it. We will read examples of the art, from comic strips to graphical novels and manga, spanning more than a hundred years, and we?ll also read scholarly literature on the subject. Students will participate in collaborative exercises, write several works in different genres, and prepare portfolios of their work.

Witchcraft. Mysticism. Magick (with a k). Are these simply the stuff of entertainment, or something more? In our modern world, does the occult have a place? In your world as a student at Penn, is there a place for the mystical? Many scholars are fascinated with the various forms of occult theory and practice in human history, from their highly influential role in early times to their uneasy coexistence with modernism in recent times. Some theorize that even at our most logical and scientific, we still retain a primal connection to our magickal heritage. This course is about exploring the many kinds of mystical, magickal thinking that continue to influence our world. We?ll review thought-provoking scholarship on the subject and formulate ideas of our own. You?ll participate in collaborative exercises and write several works in different genres. Whether you?re a believer or a skeptic, if you have a sound intellect and an open mind, you?re perfect for this course!

In this course, we will learn about contemporary writers who do not separate the humanities from the sciences; the left brain from the right brain; or inspiration, creativity and expression, from data, logic, and rules. Writers experimenting at the intersections of creative writing and mathematics will help us examine how, and why, these two fields of inquiry are so often divided--and what can happen when we bring them together. Do you find yourself obsessing over your next move in Words with Friends? Do you like palindromes ("was it a cat I saw", "now I won," rotator, sagas, civic) and anagrams (dormitory, dirty room)? If so, you are probably already engaged in the practice of ?Writing by the Numb3rs," and in this class you will be in good company.

In this course, we will learn about contemporary writers who do not separate the humanities from the sciences; the left brain from the right brain; or inspiration, creativity and expression, from data, logic, and rules. Writers experimenting at the intersections of creative writing and mathematics will help us examine how, and why, these two fields of inquiry are so often divided--and what can happen when we bring them together. Do you find yourself obsessing over your next move in Words with Friends? Do you like palindromes ("was it a cat I saw", "now I won," rotator, sagas, civic) and anagrams (dormitory, dirty room)? If so, you are probably already engaged in the practice of ?Writing by the Numb3rs," and in this class you will be in good company.

We often think of creative writing as an expressions of the author's creativity, but writers have long been creating poems and novels using appropriative techniques including cutting, copying and pasting, Google searches, court testimony and other mechanized methods. In this writing seminar, we will read and discuss these works alongside Kenneth Goldsmith's collection of critical essays *Uncreative Writing: Managing Language in the Digital Age,* which describes the history and practice of conceptual art, from artists and writers including Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp, Sol LeWitt, Ezra Pound, Walter Benjamin and James Joyce, to current practitioners. Through exercises, workshops, peer review, and revision, we will, like the writers and readers Goldsmith describes, "define new roles for the writer [and] reconsider what writing is." Our investigations will allow us to challenge concepts of identity, to consider the position of originality in poetry and fiction, and examine the roles of writer and reader in this "digital age."

Everyone knows the story of Robin Hood. He?s an outlaw, a rogue in green leading a band of merry men. Robin Hood stands for the people in the face of a greedy ruler. But what do we know about the historical Robin Hood and does it matter if he actually existed? In this course we will consider the rise of the outlaw as the vox populi, the voice of the people. We will learn about the rise of the folk hero in 15th-century England and ask how the popular legend became ingrained in English culture. Our course will follow the historical, social, and cultural circumstances surrounding the growth of the Robin Hood legend. We will question who or what Robin Hood is and how we can see traces of ?Robin Hood? even in contemporary America.

Everyone knows the story of Robin Hood. He?s an outlaw, a rogue in green leading a band of merry men. Robin Hood stands for the people in the face of a greedy ruler. But what do we know about the historical Robin Hood and does it matter if he actually existed? In this course we will consider the rise of the outlaw as the vox populi, the voice of the people. We will learn about the rise of the folk hero in 15th-century England and ask how the popular legend became ingrained in English culture. Our course will follow the historical, social, and cultural circumstances surrounding the growth of the Robin Hood legend. We will question who or what Robin Hood is and how we can see traces of ?Robin Hood? even in contemporary America.

What exactly is ?chick lit?? Is it the literary equivalent of cotton candy or just a label to apply to something written by a woman? What kind of ?chicks? get to be the subject of this ?lit?: can or should these texts claim to speak for all women, or do they only speak for a narrow segment of the population? What do we make of the genre?s dominant narratives of cities, consumerism, and courtship? In our quest to answer these questions and more, we?ll consider texts including Sex and the City, Bridget Jones?s Diary, and Kavita Daswani?s For Matrimonial Purposes. We will also turn our critical gaze to current media representations of women in blogs and magazines. What does chick lit reveal about gender, race and power in American culture?

What exactly is ?chick lit?? Is it the literary equivalent of cotton candy or just a label to apply to something written by a woman? What kind of ?chicks? get to be the subject of this ?lit?: can or should these texts claim to speak for all women, or do they only speak for a narrow segment of the population? What do we make of the genre?s dominant narratives of cities, consumerism, and courtship? In our quest to answer these questions and more, we?ll consider texts including Sex and the City, Bridget Jones?s Diary, and Kavita Daswani?s For Matrimonial Purposes. We will also turn our critical gaze to current media representations of women in blogs and magazines. What does chick lit reveal about gender, race and power in American culture?

This course interrogates the multiple ways that ?Africa? has been displayed both on the continent and elsewhere in the world. From museums to theme parks, from monuments to safaris, the invention and reinvention of Africa at different times and places has served different needs for different audiences. Using as its primary case study a text on the reimagining of the African past in post-apartheid South Africa, we will grapple with questions of memory, identity, and public commemoration, both in South Africa and beyond. Working through multiple genre-based writing assignments, we will focus on research, analysis, and synthesis, as well as tailoring our writing to the demands of different genres. Through peer review, group work, and class discussion, we will create a discourse community focused upon the ways in which display, memory, and commemoration impact our sense of the world.

The ebb and flow of the market has caused global financial panics, ousted presidents, started wars, and put millions on the dole. At the center of every panic in American history has been consumer debt?and the failure to repay debt?leading some to dub the U.S. ?a nation of deadbeats.? From Congressional fistfights over the gold standard to gunboat diplomacy in Peru, the history of financial panics is as enthralling as it is important. In this course, we?ll look at history?s losers as well as its winners, and we'll explore the following questions: What is the relationship between risk, doubt and debt? How does a crisis on Wall Street become a crisis on Main Street? What can financial panics tell us about contemporary America?

The ebb and flow of the market has caused global financial panics, ousted presidents, started wars, and put millions on the dole. At the center of every panic in American history has been consumer debt?and the failure to repay debt?leading some to dub the U.S. ?a nation of deadbeats.? From Congressional fistfights over the gold standard to gunboat diplomacy in Peru, the history of financial panics is as enthralling as it is important. In this course, we?ll look at history?s losers as well as its winners, and we'll explore the following questions: What is the relationship between risk, doubt and debt? How does a crisis on Wall Street become a crisis on Main Street? What can financial panics tell us about contemporary America?

Each of us takes for granted the place of music in our lives. It helps us to focus while studying, keeps us running at a steady pace, and even changes our moods. Most people can harness these features of music, but few can say with any conviction how they operate. In this course, we will explore some of the possible solutions to the question: how does music impact the human mind? In looking for solutions, we will be aided by This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession, written by musician-cum-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin. Through analyzing this text we will gain insights into the functions of human music from the perspectives of neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, and biology.

Hieroglyphs, magic, and buried treasures! Fascination with ancient Egypt has existed for millennia, with ancient Greeks and Romans even creating ?Egyptianized? art and adopting Egyptian deities to their pantheon. Napoleon?s invasion of Egypt led to new archaeological discoveries like the Rosetta Stone and a revival of Egyptian architecture. The Victorian era was filled with mummy unwrapping parties and black market trade of artifacts robbed from tombs. The 1922 archaeological discovery of the undisturbed tomb of King Tutankhamun unleashed a frenzied wave of modern Egyptomania. Golden treasures, ancient curses, and the mysterious deaths of the tombs? archaeologists proved irresistible. These discoveries inspired Egyptian motifs in New York?s Chrysler Building, authors like Agatha Christie, and movies like Cleopatra and The Mummy. And colossal Egyptian obelisks and sphinxes were even shipped across the Atlantic to display to the eager public of London and Philadelphia. This course links the study of ancient societies and modern experiences in a way that invites critical thought. Students will examine how archaeology and the ancient world inspire today?s media, art, architecture, and more.

What?s the difference between a mistakenly held belief and a delusion? Is there a special connection between politics, religion, and delusional thinking? How do we distinguish delusional thinking from rational thinking? Delusions, by definition, hide from introspection. Thus, an interesting problem confronts the philosopher: how do I know I?m not delusional at this very moment? Philosophers have a-lot to say about rationality, but delusions themselves are curiously under-examined. This course is an introduction to the philosophy of delusion. We will read Jennifer Radden?s On Delusion in order to explore the relation between rationality and delusion, and the social life of falsely held beliefs.

What?s the difference between a mistakenly held belief and a delusion? Is there a special connection between politics, religion, and delusional thinking? How do we distinguish delusional thinking from rational thinking? Delusions, by definition, hide from introspection. Thus, an interesting problem confronts the philosopher: how do I know I?m not delusional at this very moment? Philosophers have a-lot to say about rationality, but delusions themselves are curiously under-examined. This course is an introduction to the philosophy of delusion. We will read Jennifer Radden?s On Delusion in order to explore the relation between rationality and delusion, and the social life of falsely held beliefs.

Can we imagine life without the internet? How has instantaneous access to information transformed the ways we think and feel? How have digital technologies reshaped social interactions and cultural norms? This course is an introduction to the philosophical perils and possibilities posed by the internet. We will read Hubert Dreyfus? On the Internet to explore the ways the internet has transformed ideas of teaching and learning, the limits of embodiment, the relationship between anonymity and social responsibility, and perhaps paradoxically, our relationships to our bodies. Combining resources from history, philosophy, and information science, we will examine how the technology and infrastructure of the internet is transforming how think, feel, and manage our relationships and identities.

Imagine you are in the final stages of developing the world?s first time machine, when, to your surprise, your future self appears and destroys all of your plans. If the time machine is never developed, how did you travel back from the future to interfere with your past self? This scenario is a version of the grandfather paradox, one of the many puzzling possibilities that seems to be raised when considering time travel. Incredibly, according to our best physical understanding of the universe, time travel is possible, although paradoxical situations like this must be impossible. How could that be true? In this seminar, we will explore the philosophical and physical underpinnings of the possibility of time travel, with a special eye towards attempting to resolve the paradoxes that seem to be engendered by that possibility.

Imagine you are in the final stages of developing the world?s first time machine, when, to your surprise, your future self appears and destroys all of your plans. If the time machine is never developed, how did you travel back from the future to interfere with your past self? This scenario is a version of the grandfather paradox, one of the many puzzling possibilities that seems to be raised when considering time travel. Incredibly, according to our best physical understanding of the universe, time travel is possible, although paradoxical situations like this must be impossible. How could that be true? In this seminar, we will explore the philosophical and physical underpinnings of the possibility of time travel, with a special eye towards attempting to resolve the paradoxes that seem to be engendered by that possibility.

Since the scientific revolution, there has been a tension between our belief that laws govern the physical world, and our belief that we have free will. If all physical systems are subject to the laws of nature, and we are physical systems, does that imply that our futures are predetermined by those laws? If we truly have free will, does this imply that we are not subject to the laws of nature, and therefore not (merely) physical systems? In this seminar, we will explore the relationship between our modern conception of what physics tells us about determinism, causation, and the nature of time, and the philosophical discussions of free will, self-identity, and autonomy. The book for this seminar will be J. T. Ismael?s 2016 book How Physics Makes Us Free.

When you hear a politician speak, can you spot their rhetorical tools of oversimplifying, cherry-picking, demonizing, ridiculing, or just plain lying? Would it surprise you that they can take a scientific result that says one thing and distort it to argue its complete opposite, and convince people to vote against their own interests? In a time when facts seem to be in the eye of the beholder, decisions that affect our health and well-being are often made with purposefully twisted reasoning that perverts the work of scientists and truth itself. In this course we will look at the science and (mis)representations in the media and political circles of controversial issues like global warming, abortion, and immigration. We will arm ourselves with critical thinking, spotting fallacies, distortions, and outright lies in recent political statements and media coverage. We will learn how to properly question and when to trust what we are told, and what we can all do to preserve reality.

When you hear a politician speak, can you spot their rhetorical tools of oversimplifying, cherry-picking, demonizing, ridiculing, or just plain lying? Would it surprise you that they can take a scientific result that says one thing and distort it to argue its complete opposite, and convince people to vote against their own interests? In a time when facts seem to be in the eye of the beholder, decisions that affect our health and well-being are often made with purposefully twisted reasoning that perverts the work of scientists and truth itself. In this course we will look at the science and (mis)representations in the media and political circles of controversial issues like global warming, abortion, and immigration. We will arm ourselves with critical thinking, spotting fallacies, distortions, and outright lies in recent political statements and media coverage. We will learn how to properly question and when to trust what we are told, and what we can all do to preserve reality.

In the aftermath of the 2016 Presidential election, one thing seems clear: American society is currently deeply divided. Protests have erupted across the country. Virulent language has been thrown back and forth by those on either side of the political spectrum. Is there a way to find common ground in such a divisive landscape? Using Hochschild?s Strangers in Their Own Land, this course looks at how understanding the role of emotions might help bridge this divide. Emotions play a major role in politics: consider the love of you have for your country, the hatred you harbor for the enemy, or even the fear you feel towards the future. Each represents an emotional reaction to something decidedly political, but these emotional resonances are not confined to one political position or another. Understanding how emotions operate in politics may teach us how to bridge the divide that currently punctuates American politics and society, regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum.

Psychological research suggests that we are born with some moral understanding, such as the ability to distinguish between kindness and cruelty. When given the opportunity, one-year-olds will punish a ?bad? puppet, and even three-month-olds show a preference for helpful cartoon characters over unhelpful ones. Other aspects of morality, it is argued, develop during one?s lifetime. In this class, we will consider various facets of morality, such as the feelings of empathy and compassion, understanding of fairness and punishment, in-groups and out-groups, and even disgust. We will examine the evidence of these moral faculties in babies, and the nature of the moral sense in adults.

Picasso, Einstein, Steve Jobs -- three of the individuals, among many others, who have been proclaimed to be "creative" geniuses. In this course, we will examine how we define creativity and the factors that make a person more or less creative. As we explore the scientific study of creativity, we will consider its relationship to personality, motivation, and intelligence. We will ask whether creativity has a dark side. We will discuss emerging psychological theories of creativity, learn about research in this developing field, and explore the ways researchers have used the methods of science to answer questions about creativity.

Tone is a crucial component of American political discourse. It can bring citizens together and tear voters apart; it can sabotage compelling arguments and sell unlikely propositions. But what is tone, exactly? It depends on how we define it and how we measure it. In "Political Tone: How Leaders Talk and Why," the tonal speech patterns of Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton are analyzed through five variables?certainty, optimism, activity, realism, and community?to determine how and why political tone shapes our perceptions. What types of political leaders are we drawn to, and why? How do Republicans and Democrats use tone in similar and different ways? Which tones tend to be evoked during national crises? This course will be a hybrid exploration of linguistics, rhetoric, communication, and sociology, with distinct implications for political science.

Watch out, shouts Helen Sword! The world of academic writing is under attack by an unstoppable force of zombie nouns! If we want to reclaim the beauty of language, we?ve got to put the human back in the humanities and the universe back in the university! Sword took a hard look at academic discourse and wondered, ?Why do universities [?] churn out so much uninspiring, cookie-cutter prose?? It boils down to style, she says, and her heavily research-based text, Stylish Academic Writing, examines the numerous roles of style in the vast world of academic writing. Throughout her analysis, she integrates practical strategies for how we can bring more style to our own work, from crafting clearer sentences to incorporating curious anecdotes. As we apply her tips, we?ll also consider the rhetorical reasons for academic jargon and why disciplinary differences exist in the first place.

Tone is a crucial component of American political discourse. It can bring citizens together and tear voters apart; it can sabotage compelling arguments and sell unlikely propositions. But what is tone, exactly? It depends on how we define it and how we measure it. In "Political Tone: How Leaders Talk and Why," the tonal speech patterns of Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton are analyzed through five variables?certainty, optimism, activity, realism, and community?to determine how and why political tone shapes our perceptions. What types of political leaders are we drawn to, and why? How do Republicans and Democrats use tone in similar and different ways? Which tones tend to be evoked during national crises? This course will be a hybrid exploration of linguistics, rhetoric, communication, and sociology, with distinct implications for political science.

Video games are big business. Be it studio blockbusters like Mass Effect, free-to-play apps like Candy Crush, or even the ever humble Pong, video games have infiltrated almost every aspect of our culture. Could it be that they have also infiltrated our brains? In this seminar, we will explore the psychology and economic theory of video games. With a multidisciplinary toolkit of cognitive science, marketing research, and a splash of humor, we will answer perennial questions, such as, "Why do people cheat with strategy guides?"; "Why do we keep getting excited about new loot?"; "Is it a problem that we like violence in video games?"; and, of course, "Do video games make you smarter?" This course is open to non-gamers, newbies, and eSports champs alike. No gaming console or Steam account required.

We are all aware of how important it is to ?perform??often this means living up to someone else?s expectations, but it could just as easily mean living up to our own. In recent years, scholars in many fields have explored how such performances give rise to personal identity, and contribute to seemingly stable social configurations like race, gender, and sexuality. If we are all already performing to some greater or lesser extent, why, then, do we continue to pay money and spend time watching other people perform imaginary characters in fictional situations? What are actors doing when they act, and how is it different from what we do, every day? Theatre scholar Nicola Shaugnessy addresses these questions and more in Applying Performance: Live Art, Socially Engaged Theatre and Affective Practice. Together, we?ll read Shaugnessy?s book to situate ourselves in debates about the ethical dilemmas of theatre-going and theatre-making in the 21st century, as well as explore the relationship between acting onstage and ?real life? offstage.

We are all aware of how important it is to ?perform??often this means living up to someone else?s expectations, but it could just as easily mean living up to our own. In recent years, scholars in many fields have explored how such performances give rise to personal identity, and contribute to seemingly stable social configurations like race, gender, and sexuality. If we are all already performing to some greater or lesser extent, why, then, do we continue to pay money and spend time watching other people perform imaginary characters in fictional situations? What are actors doing when they act, and how is it different from what we do, every day? Theatre scholar Nicola Shaugnessy addresses these questions and more in Applying Performance: Live Art, Socially Engaged Theatre and Affective Practice. Together, we?ll read Shaugnessy?s book to situate ourselves in debates about the ethical dilemmas of theatre-going and theatre-making in the 21st century, as well as explore the relationship between acting onstage and ?real life? offstage.

For the first time in human history, more than half of all the people on earth now live in cities. From bursting megacities like Rio de Janeiro and Mumbai, to rising city-states like Dubai and Singapore, to financial powerhouses like London, New York, and Tokyo, the world?s economy, politics, and ecological future depend, increasingly, on what happens in cities. In this class, we will investigate this new reality in depth: What makes cities grow and thrive, and what makes them fail? What is causing the world-wide growth of slums, and what, if anything, can be done about it? Will growing cities be an ecological disaster, or a green opportunity? And ultimately, we will ask whether this new wave of urbanization means for humanity?s future. Students will improve their analytic and narrative writing abilities, use case studies of individual cities, and focused writing assignments to develop and articulate well-informed opinions about a complex, real-world topic without cut-and-dry answers.