Macalester Moodle

SPAN 305 sirve de puente entre los niveles intermedios y avanzados del Departamento de Español y Portugués y, como su nombre lo indica, tiene por objetivo ayudar a les estudiantes de español a mejorar la expresión oral y escrita, así como también prepararles para los cursos más avanzados del departamento.
El tema central del curso será el concepto de la otredad en la cultura hispanohablante, que analizaremos tanto en la esfera privada como en la esfera pública. Para ello analizaremos distintas formas de expresión artística (fotografía, cine, narrativa, poesía, teatro), así como ensayos, noticias actuales y artículos de opinión, todos relacionados con las culturas y sociedades del mundo hispanohablante. Utilizaremos los textos presentados en el libro Retratos y analizaremos además algunos cuentos de la colección Siete casas vacías, de Samanta Schweblin.
Mediante estos textos, discutiremos cómo el concepto de la otredad se ha reflejado en algunos de los conflictos políticos, culturales y sociales más importantes del mundo hispanohablante durante los últimos dos siglos: desde el cuestionamiento de la familia y los roles tradicionales de género, hasta las revoluciones de los años 60 y los efectos del cambio climático en la actualidad.
Mediante algunas redacciones breves (reflexiones, resúmenes, entrevistas) y otras más extensas (narraciones y ensayos argumentativos), les estudiantes mejorarán su nivel de escritura y se prepararán para los cursos más avanzados. Igualmente, por medio de discusiones, debates, presentaciones y la grabación de un episodio de podcast, tendrán múltiples oportunidades de mejorar sus habilidades de expresión oral.

In 1947, India embarked upon one of the world’s most ambitious experiments in postcolonial democracy. This course surveys the history of the Indian state and society in the decades following the formal end of colonial rule, as the country sought to rebuild its economy, institute a new political system, and usher in large-scale social change. Given India’s immense cultural and social diversity, this was no easy task. It required answering a range of questions: How would the state ensure the rights of the country’s minorities? How would the country’s model of economic growth address wide-ranging demands for social equality? Which of India’s many languages would be designated its official language? Underlying all these questions were debates concerning the history, present, and future of Indian society.

In this course, we will consider postcolonial India from its “margins”, that is, by centering the perspectives of migrant workers, Dalits, women, and/or revolutionaries. We will use the ideas and practices crafted by these groups as our guides in assessing the political record of the Indian state.
While surveying this history, we will also study recent shifts and challenges confronting Indian democracy. Today, India is one of the fastest growing economies; it is also a country with some of the most extreme forms of social inequality. According to a recent report by Oxfam, 10% of the Indian population holds 77% of the country’s national wealth. However, reports of social inequality in India, such as the one cited above, exist alongside celebrations of its status as the “world’s largest democracy” in the national press and in global media. Considering this, what does it mean to call India a “democracy”? How do we assess the successes and failures of Indian democracy?

The challenges we will discuss are not unique to Indian democracy. Democracies everywhere struggle to balance the claims of freedom for individuals with the promise of social equality for all. India’s paradoxical, complex, and contradictory encounter with democracy has produced a rich archive of debate and contestation on this issue. This course will not only introduce you to key events, ideas, and issues shaping postcolonial Indian history, but also provide you with conceptual resources to investigate political ideas like democracy in a global, historical perspective.

Through a combination of secondary texts and a range of primary sources from postcolonial Indian history, we will develop a complex picture of the relationship, often contradictory, between the promises of democracy, development, and decolonization in postcolonial societies. You do not require any prior knowledge of Indian history or languages for this course.

This course is an introduction to a particular method of ethnographic data collection known as Ethnoscience. This is not the only method that anthropologists use, and not all anthropologists use it. It is, however, ideally suited to the research requirements of the undergraduate classroom: the need to complete a high quality research project in the course of a single semester. The aim of ethnoscience is to determine how different societies classify and categorize their worlds, and how these systems of classification provide them with guidelines for behavior and a framework to interpret experience. Ethnoscience thus seeks to elicit in a systematic and replicable way the native categories or folk terms of a culture, and to show how these terms (symbols) relate to each other in a system of meaning. Drawing on the interviewing techniques of ethnoscience, this course provides students with an opportunity to develop skills in the area of ethnographic field interviewing—a methodological staple of the discipline of anthropology and the domain of qualitative research. Students will develop these skills in the context of a field research project, which they initiate. The course revolves around generating, analyzing and reporting the data from this project. The interactive format provides weekly opportunities for students to develop and polish their oral presentation skills.

Intermediate Spanish 1 extends the use and awareness of linguistic functions in Spanish, and it broadens the understanding of the history and culture of Spanish-speaking countries.
The class meets three times a week with the professor and one extra hour with the Lab Assistant. The labs begin on Tuesday, September 19th. Since the course is interactive, attendance is required for all four sessions, including the Labs.

To the average reader, the field of publishing can seem somewhat opaque. How does a novel go from scribbled notes to finished paperback? What goes into editing, printing, and marketing a short story collection? This course will aim to shed light on this exciting field through a combination of readings, talks with local publishing professionals, in-class discussion, and hands-on work. We will learn about publishing by tracing the literary work from the hands of the author, through the processes of acquisition, editing, production, marketing, and distribution, and into the hands of the reader. Additional topics will include recent trends in technology, magazine and book editing, and the roles of the literary agent, the independent publisher, and the book reviewer. We will take advantage of the extraordinary publishing resources in the Twin Cities through guest speakers and field trips. Assignments will include writing brief book reviews, presenting publisher profiles, editing projects, and writing a final paper on publishing issues. This course is designed for readers who want to know how the magazine or book they’re holding got into their hands, for writers who want to know what happens when they send their works to publishers, and for those interested in publishing as a future career.

Since the invention of film, audiences have been fascinated by fantastic depictions of the Middle Ages on screen. Audiences love escaping into mysterious worlds of adventure with kings, warriors, and princesses. But how much do these movies really have to do with the historical Middle Ages? Do they illuminate truths or manufacture lies? Was this time period really as exciting, romantic, and dangerous as we imagine? In this class, we will dive into medieval movies and use actual historical sources to see how “accurate” the movies are. In the end, we will find out what modern movies say not just about medieval societies, but how they are actually a mirror for modern-day viewers.

As a First-Year Course, this class will familiarize you with college-level materials and methods, including seminar discussions and written analysis. The class will also introduce you to various resources on campus, from health services to tech rentals.

Learning Outcomes:
Develop analytical skills and critical vocabulary using film and text
Generate profound ideas using community knowledge-weaving
Learn how the Middle Ages get translated for modern audiences
Demonstrate understanding in analytic writing and creative film-making

Climate change is no longer a distant, hypothetical threat. Yet, though more than half of Americans are “concerned” or “alarmed” about global warming, few are taking significant personal action in response, and only a small minority are involved in civic action to address the issue.
This course will take a broad psychological perspective on the questions, “Why are we not doing enough to address global climate change?” and "What will catalyze the social movement necessary to address the issue?" The class will explore psychological theories and studies that help explain why people respond to the climate crisis in the ways they do, and what psychological research tells us about how to shift that response.

Self-defense is, by its simplest definition, the act of keeping oneself safe. Our curriculum covers a continuum of scenarios and actions, from a no-contact interaction to a full-blown physical attack. We will discuss body language, awareness, and using one’s voice assertively. We will also explore physical resistance options and how to create the maximum amount of force possible in any given scenario. Warmups are included in all but the first class. Classes, except for the first class, will be conducted in bare feet unless other accommodations are made.

This course is a survey of cultural production of and about Blackness. Not only will students "look" at the work of artists, filmmakers, and theoreticians, we will also analyze and produce images that consider the relationship between the Blackness and racialization. We will read works by Tina Campt, Michael Gillespie, and Teju Cole and think about how the production of images has shifted form the 19th century to now. Also included in this class are canonical films like Marlong Riggs "Ethnic Notions" and D.W. Griffiths "Birth of A Nation," however we will also look at contemporary visual projects like Beyoncé’s "Cowboy Carter," and Garrett Bradley’s "America." While the course is focused primarily on the US, we will also talk about racial formations beyond the US and how cultural workers outside the US have engaged Blackness as a way of seeing, a way of listening, and a process of being.

Write a concise and interesting paragraph here that explains what this course is about

COMP

Write a concise and interesting paragraph here that explains what this course is about

COMP

What will this Intro to the Library lab cover?

How do I find books and articles I need for my classes? How do I navigate library research at the college level? What resources does the college provide for me that can save me money and time? What do all these different databases even DO? Becoming familiar with Macalester College's online and physical collections during your first semester at college can be a tremendous help later in your academic career. This "lab” is designed to introduce you to college-level research strategies, and complement the many skills you already bring to your academic work. This three-week online "lab" uses Moodle for communications and content.

Desde el siglo XVI hasta nuestro presente, el Amazonas ha suscitado alternativamente asombro y aprensión, codicia y ansiedad. Como lo ejemplifican metáforas tan dispares como “el Dorado”, el “infierno verde” o “los pulmones de la Tierra”, esta región es tanto un espacio geográfico como una compleja formación discursiva tejida por sus habitantes y, en no menor medida, por sus observadores.
Este curso ofrece una introducción a las representaciones culturales de la selva amazónica. Desde mitos ancestrales hasta películas y testimonios contemporáneos, analizaremos cómo el Amazonas ha sido imaginado y representado por múltiples actores, entre ellos activistas indígenas, artistas, cineastas y empresarios. Aunque analizaremos cómo esta región ha experimentado varias olas extractivistas, también discutiremos cómo la cultura amazónica ha contribuido al desarrollo de las epistemologías del sur y al cuestionamiento del antropocentrismo. En efecto, además de estudiar los mitos de origen y las narrativas de dominio en torno al Amazonas, uno de los objetivos del curso es reflexionar sobre las formas en que las poblaciones indígenas han adaptado sus conocimientos ancestrales para situarse cómo actores políticos globales en un contexto de crisis ambiental.

El curso se dividirá en tres unidades temáticas que proveerán el marco general de nuestras discusiones:
I. Narrativas de origen: mitos y poemas uitoto (Colombia y Perú)
II. Narrativas de dominio: el cine de la bonanza cauchera (Brasil, Colombia y Perú)
III. Narrativas de resistencia: el testimonio de Davi Kopenawa (Brasil)

What is an artists' book? Are they works of art that belong on display, or should they be "read" in a library? Using Macalester's artists' book collection as the foundation for exploration, we will study the forms and functions of these works. Starting in the 1950s and continuing to the present, this course will consider how this genre was formed and what influences it. We will review selected artists’ books, survey popular book types, and briefly discuss the genre’s obsession with terminology. In considering artists’ books, we will focus on such questions as these: Why is it a book? Why this medium? How is it a book? We will discuss artistic strategies and techniques as we consider how to determine if a book is successful or not. We will explore basic book-making techniques using traditional and modern forms, culminating in a final book project in which you synthesize your knowledge of materials and form by making your own book. The course covers content development, object design, integration of various media, digital and low-tech image making processes, and the functionality of various bookmaking materials, culminating in an exhibit of the completed artists' books.

This is a team-taught class that combines sociology and anthropology decolonial theories to provide a critical examination of global perspectives that tend to be associated with modern institutions that emerge in the Global North. More importantly, through a decolonizing lens, we will delve into an alternative understanding of the global rooted in the perspective of the Global South and discuss its liberatory possibilities. To better grasp the “coloniality of power” (Quijano 2000) we will focus on how this is manifested in intergovernmental organizations like the United Nations and educational and arts institutions. The course will introduce students to subaltern practices and movements in the Global South that have the potential to unsettle the Western hegemony that dominates international organizations, and the fields of education and the arts in the Global North. A decolonial approach to global perspectives also requires an inquiry into the cultural and racial differences embedded in local-global contexts. Finally, the course will allow students to learn new ways of thinking about power, responsibility, and ethics in the context of globalization, and become aware of organizing experiences that have engaged in decolonization processes.

The following is an outline of the course. The syllabus is a binding contract between students and the instructor. Students should familiarize themselves with course requirements, policies, and calendar of the class. Students are responsible for the understanding of the content presented in this syllabus.

Course Description and Objectives
SPAN 101 is the first elementary Spanish course in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. The course objectives are:

a) To introduce students to the Spanish language and culture(s)
b) To help students develop the necessary skills to be able to communicate in Spanish at a novice-mid/novice-high level
c) To acquire proficiency in all four communicative skills: listening, reading, speaking and writing
d) To challenge students to think and react to questions and situations which require them to draw on their own background and experience
e) To begin to familiarize them with the Latinx communities in Minneapolis and Saint Paul

SPAN 101 meets MWF with the instructor. There is one extra hour with the Laboratory Instructor(s). Since the course is interactive, attendance is required and mandatory to all sessions, including the labs.

Note: Spanish and Portuguese Department policy requires that students achieve a grade of C (73%) or higher in order to be able to continue on to the next level (i.e. from SPAN 101 to SPAN 102).

This course draws on the Reproductive Justice framework (Sister Song 1994) to anchor the experiences of marginalized and racialized bodies that gestate in the Americas. Thus, the focus of the class goes beyond access to abortion to include comprehensive sex education, the right to have children and to parent them in safe and sustainable communities. While we will start out with analyzing the U.S. case and then move to learn about the work in other countries of the Americas, the guiding question will be: what can the U.S. learn from the feminist movements in the Americas? In so doing, the readings and class discussions will pay particular attention to feminist movements and the coalitions they have formed to fight for social justice in the region.

Welcome to Comp 225, Software Design and Development!

In this topic-based course, students develop linguistic and cultural skills to move from “advanced low” proficiency to “advanced high” proficiency in Mandarin. Subjects studied include gender relations, education reform, population control, and housing.
This course places a special focus on reading. Students are encouraged and helped to further advance their oral proficiency while developing reading and writing skills. Students learn to expand their speaking repertoire from topics of everyday routines and interest to more intellectually and linguistically challenging topics such as social issues and current events. The combination of writing exercises after each lesson, discussions in class, debates and presentations as a group provides ample of opportunities for students to practice, and improve both language and interpersonal skills.

SOCI

From slinky silks to latex and leather, textiles are key ways that humans design and display our identities. This hands-on course is a deep-dive into how writing, film, and identity-creation intersect with the history of fashion. We will focus on how clothing and textiles have been used to both express and subvert gender expectations, encountering figures like Anne Lister (“the first modern lesbian”), Eleanor Rykener (the earliest documented trans woman in England), and Susan Stryker (contemporary trans theorist and activist). Additionally, we will work with visual media, from RuPaul’s DragRace to Gentleman Jack. Come ready to play with fabric and historical fashion, no prior experience required! In this class, we will learn the basics of sewing, giving us tangible insight into the long history of clothing and “women’s work”. Students will develop a multimodal portfolio, including written work, design sketches, and wearable garments.

The class fulfills the college-wide requirements in Humanities and Writing as Argument.