Fall 2023

All new first-year students in the University Honors Program take one 189H seminar in the fall semester of their first year at UNL. These are extremely popular and students often reference these as among their favorite classes at UNL! All seminars are taught by excellent faculty who are passionate about Honors education. All seminars are offered via an in-person format, unless otherwise noted in description.

The 189H seminars all meet different ACE (general education) requirements. Before your NSE virtual advising appointment, please review the following course descriptions and identify several that interest you. You and your advisor will discuss which seminars and ACE courses are most appropriate for your degree plan.

ACE 2: Communication Skills

camera film and pictures

189H (Art Theory and Practice)

Looking at Video Art

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 004 Tu/Th 3:30-4:45pm
Knoll 150 Prof. Robert Derr ACE 2, ACE 7

The course explores a range of theories in relation to photography, through reading, discussion, and image making, with an emphasis on philosophical ethics of images in terms of production, dissemination, and consumption of images historically and today. While photographs collect the world for our gaze, they are visual dilemmas. From the controversial to mundane, we will consider aspects of photography related to a variety of uses, including war, fashion, art, evidence, commercial, colonial, domestic, and more. There will be several image-making projects designed to develop your critical thinking about philosophical ideas. Any digital camera is suitable for this class (from cell phone to digital SLR), as you will realize your images both digitally and commercially (Walgreens or Walmart). Basic introduction to camera controls and techniques will be covered. Completion of this course enables you to understand, criticize, problem-solve, and construct conceptual or image-based solutions.

people in room with colorful artwork on the floor

189H (Art Theory and Practice)

Making Meaningful Mayhem

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 005 Tu/Th 5:00-6:15pm
Knoll 150 Prof. Robert Derr ACE 2, ACE 7

In this transdisciplinary solution seminar, elements from a variety of fields including dance, music, theatre, and visual arts give students methods to develop social happenings that investigate such social contexts as identity, borders, rights, and climate. Social happenings, from live action to interactive digital, uniquely adapt resources to create provocative and enduring expressions of the times in which we live. Performance has a nuanced ability to engage, resonate, and influence society. This class seeks to be a laboratory of performance activities and experiences to explore and discover both the familiar and new pathways. Emphasis is on development of individual and group sensory productions while learning the history of performance from Dada, Bauhaus, John Cage’s Theater Piece No. 1, 1960s happenings, to 21st century pieces. The class comprises of lectures, film/video screenings, readings, discussions, presentations, individual and group projects, exams, and written activities. Lectures situate performances and artists through historical and theoretical contexts. Discussions uncover social, political, and artistic frameworks. The performance making and written activities develop critical thinking and concepts. Completion of this course enables the student to understand, criticize, problem solve, and construct considered solutions, whether concepts or performance practices. There are no perquisites; students should seek discovery, collaboration and experimentation.

ACE 4: Natural and Physical Sciences

Cornfield

189H (Biological Sciences)

Food Systems, Diets, & Climate Change

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 031 Tu/Th 12:30-1:45p
Beadle N176 Prof. Heriberto Cerutti ACE 4

Providing a growing global population with healthy diets based on sustainable food production systems is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. Choices made by producers (e.g., technologies and agricultural practices), market agents (e.g., transport, storage, processing and selling of food) and consumers (e.g., dietary patterns) depend on multiple factors and have major impacts on society and our planet. In this course, we will explore current food systems (e.g., global production, processing, trade, consumption and waste), their driving trends (e.g., population growth, income, dietary habits, globalization) and impacts (e.g., human health, food security, climate change) as well as the challenges of redesigning food systems. The course will rely on reading and critically evaluating, using the principles of the scientific method, research papers and reports from academic groups, non-profit organizations and government agencies. Group projects will focus on specific case studies such as plant-based burgers, AquAdvantage salmon, Artic apple and fortified foods. Evaluation of student accomplishments will be done by written assignments, discussions in class, a group project and a class presentation.

ACE 5: Humanities

Freedom of Expression in Contentious Times

189H (Journalism)

Freedom of Expression in Contentious Times

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 013 MWF 12:30-1:20pm
Anderson 333 Prof. Matt Waite ACE 5

The course examines the history of freedom of expression in the United States and how the extent of that freedom may change for specific situations. Some of the situations we will examine are high schools, national security situations, surveillance, free press-fair trial, campaign finance, the internet, hate speech, defamation and invasion of privacy. The course will examine the way expression has affected equality for women and people of color in the United States’ diverse society. Evaluating freedom of expression requires recognizing the tension between competing individual rights or between the rights of individuals and the common good. That tension is something we face almost every day.

pixelated computer game screen

189H (English)

Interactive Fiction and Game Design

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 009 Tu/Th 3:30-4:45pm
LPH 25 Prof. Stephen Ramsay ACE 5

Works of "interactive fiction" (or "text adventures") are among the oldest forms of video games and the oldest forms of digital art. In such games, players interact with the (textual) environment using only text commands — solving puzzles, interacting with non-player characters, moving through often quite elaborate landscapes, and taking on the second-person persona of a character within an evolving story. In a world in which so many games aim toward hyper-realism with sophisticated graphics and sound, such games can seem primitive. But all the basic elements of game design pertain: storytelling, narrative timing, interaction design, puzzle mechanics, and so on. By removing the technical demands imposed by more elaborate systems, interactive fiction allows one to consider these design elements in greater detail and with greater ease. The programming involved is far simpler than what is used to create triple-A games, and is easily learned by novices. In this class, we will learn to program interactive fiction, study a number of existing games in detail, read some of the more important material on game design, and (most importantly) design and develop our own works of interactive fiction. This course requires no prior experience with either game design or programming.

security camera

189H (English)

An Introduction to Surveillance Culture

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 007 Tu/Th 11:00-12:15pm
Henzlik 36 Prof. Adrian Wisniki ACE 5

What does it mean to be under surveillance? To be part of a surveillance culture? To live in a surveillance state? How have the internet and the rise of big tech companies changed the possibilities for and enactment of total societal surveillance? And, in the modern state, how do factors such as government, race, and gender inflect the practices of surveillance? This course will explore such questions. We will consider how the topic of surveillance has been addressed and represented in literary works and films from the last hundred years by authors from North America and Europe. We will engage in theoretical reflections on the practice of surveillance using a selections from a set of touchstone critical works. Finally, we will draw on our primary and critical readings plus articles from the contemporary press to reflect on the evolution of surveillance practices from the early twentieth century to the present. As part of this, we will give particular attention to how a range of contemporary technologies have enabled commercially-led surveillance on a scale never before possible in human history.

Language

189H (Modern Languages)

Leveraging Language: How Culture and Language Influence Each Other

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 014 MWF 9:30-10:20am
Knoll 150 Prof. Peiwen Wang ACE 5

Now more than ever, the languages we use to communicate influence who we are and how others perceive us. This seminar focuses on the study of language in relation to culture in the 21st century. The course draws on research that focuses on language acquisition, intercultural communication, endangered languages, multiculturalism, language and power, and sociolinguistics. We will explore topics such as how culture can affect language, thought, learning, and media; how we learn languages; how culture affects language translation; how intercultural communication is influenced by language; why some languages are endangered and how they might be saved; and languages’ relationship to identity and power. We will analyze and discuss various types of materials such as readings, videos, podcasts, and other materials, as well as language and culture examples from a wide variety of global and local contexts. No experience with languages other than English is required to be successful in this course.

wall painting people holding hands in a line in the 60s with signs like integrate now

189H (English)

A Long Legacy of Black Resistance

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 008 Tu/Th 9:30-10:45am
Knoll 257 Prof. Ng'ang'a Wahu-Muchiri ACE 5

Focusing on global anti-racism movements, UHON189H investigates the extent to which anti-racism activism in one part of the world borrows from, and is informed by, similar resistance elsewhere. Students are invited to consider civil rights activism from the 60s onwards, in spaces as diverse as Chicago and the American South. Aside from intellectual thought leaders such as James Baldwin, the course will also discuss the political philosophies of various African American activists. The last third of the course will consider how contemporary activism as manifested by Michelle Alexander, Ava DuVernay, Janae Bonsu, and Andrea Ritchie re-invents older practices of community organizing and political mobilizing.

Viking ship at sea

189H (History)

Raiding, Trading, and Praying in the Viking Age

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 014 MWF 12:30-1:20pm
Knoll 258 Prof. Angela Bolen ACE 5

This class will explore Viking culture, looking at several aspects including their role as fearsome conquerors and explorers, their relationships with other cultures and peoples through trade, and the influence of their faith systems on their culture, as well as how they viewed these figures of myth and legend that have lived on to today in various forms.

cross on building top

189H (History)

Tolerance and Persecution in Pre-Modern Europe

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 011 Tu/Th 12:30-1:45pm
Knoll 258 Prof. Amy Burnett ACE 5

American society in the 21st century has become polarized, which raises important questions for us about getting along with our neighbors. Do those holding minority viewpoints have a right to exist within a society, and if so, under what conditions? Can a society hold together if it is divided among competing groups? Are you personally willing to get along with people who hold views you find repugnant? Where does one draw the line between dissent and disobedience? In the millennium between 700-1700, Europeans faced similar questions, and they formulated a variety of legal, intellectual, and personalized responses to the problem of religious diversity. We will look at how and why people did—and did not—get along with their neighbors, considering the definition of heresy, the workings of the Inquisition, the coexistence of Christians, Jews, and Muslims in Spain, and the impact of the Protestant Reformation and the religious wars of the 16th and 17th centuries. Looking at the variety of responses to religious diversity in the past gives us a more sophisticated framework for approaching questions of how to respond to political and social polarization today.

ACE 6: Social Sciences

Flags of many nations

189H (Political Science)

American Foreign Policy and the New World Disorder

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 019 MWF 9:30-10:20am
Knoll 150 Prof. Patrice McMahon ACE 6

Although the United States is the single most powerful country in the world, its ability to control outcomes is increasingly challenged. In this class, we will look at recent and ongoing US foreign policy, going back to the 1990s, and develop an understanding of contemporary policies.

human hand touching index fingers with a robot hand on the screen

189H (Educational Psychology)

How to Become Creative or Talented: Human v. AI

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 006 MWF 8:30-9:20am
Knoll 258 Prof. Kim Marxhausen ACE 6

Both humans and artificial intelligence tools learn, but who wins the intelligence race? This class will look at learning, creativity, and talent in various domains exploring the psychological, environmental, social, and biological factors that lead to their development. Class discussion and study will focus on the similarities and differences for a better understanding of both man and machine. This field of study offers implications for self-growth and the future of education. Have we reached a point where AI can do our work for us? Maybe, but how will it impact creativity and talent?

The Many Faces of Tyranny

189H (Political Science)

The Many Faces of Tyranny

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 020 MWF 10:30-11:20 am
Knoll 258 Prof. Don Beahm ACE 6

History is full of tyrannical leaders, such as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Josip Broz Tito, Mao Zedong, many of whom gained power before the full scope of their intentions were clear. As active citizens, we have an obligation to work to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. This course is an analysis and evaluation of the subject of tyranny from multiple points of view. Students will read, discuss, view videos and write about what some of the foremost authorities have had to say about the topic. We will learn from political theorists as ancient as Plato, to Hannah Arendt’s examination of the development of totalitarianism in Nazi Germany, on through to contemporary views of what tyranny is, and how it manifests itself in governments, societies, and individuals.

The Neuroscience of Zombies

189H (Psychology)

The Neuroscience of Zombies

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 021 MWF 10:30-11:20am
Knoll 150 Prof. Jacquelyn Omelian ACE 6

We all know that zombies aren’t real… right? But what about a parasite that makes mice lose their fear of cats and end up as lunch? Or a virus that makes people terrified of a glass of water? In this class, we’ll sort the fact from the fiction and explore the wonderfully weird world of the brain. Using cases of both real and fictional disorders, we will explore the ways in which the typical brain functions. Along the way we will cover common neuroscience methodologies, important historical contributions, and relevant current theories. By the end of this course you will have developed a broad understanding of the field of neuroscience and be well prepared to repel a zombie apocalypse, should one occur.

ACE 7: Fine Arts

100 years of film

189H (English)

100 Years of Film

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 027 MWF 2:30-3:20pm
Knoll 150 Prof. Michael Page ACE 7

For over one hundred years we have been enthralled by the movies! Undoubtedly film is the central mode of artistic cultural expression in our world today. Much of our social discourse revolves around our shared experiences of the cinema. In this course, students will explore the worlds of film by 1. Watching; 2. Reading (both films and screenplays); 3. Contextualizing; 4. Talking (in class discourse); 5. Writing (both analytically and creatively), and, last but not least, 6. Enjoying the pleasures of the cinema. This Honors seminar will introduce students to the art of film and the craft of screenwriting; key moments of film history and the social, historical, and artistic context surrounding the films; and, through the reading of screenplays, how films develop from page to screen. Students will not only watch some of the great films of the last 100 years, but they will also learn how to read films as “texts,” by applying analytical and critical methods to their viewing of films. As we view/read the films, students will also have the opportunity to read a number of screenplays (and a few short novels) to learn the craft of screenwriting, and they will write their own short screenplay as one of their class projects. Students will also learn the craft of the film review by writing two film reviews during the course of the semester.

How to Listen to Pop Songs

189H (Music)

How to Listen to Pop Songs

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 017 MWF 12:30-1:20pm
Westbrook 104 Prof. David von Kampen ACE 7

Popular music’s visual marketing permeates our culture, with songwriters and bands using images and music videos to catch our attention. But music is made for ears, and pop songs deserve to be considered on their own purely musical terms. In this class we’ll listen to a wide variety of songs—Frank Sinatra to the Beach Boys to Stevie Wonder to Ben Folds to Taylor Swift—and many others in between. We will figure out what makes a great song great, and how new ways of listening can deepen your enjoyment of your favorite music.

Psychology of Music

189H (Music)

Psychology of Music

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 016 Tu/Th 3:30-4:45pm
Westbrook 9 Prof. Robert Woody ACE 7

Throughout time, human beings have been fascinated with music. Research in the psychology of music has uncovered much regarding how musicians acquire the ability to convey emotional intentions as sounded music, how listeners perceive it as feelings and moods, and how this powerful process relates to social and cultural dynamics. This course addresses these broad themes, giving specific attention to topics such as: development and learning, motivation, expressivity and artistic interpretation, creativity, performance anxiety, listener preferences and emotional response, and the roles of music in society.

Scale with many colorful faces

189H (Theatre)

Staging Trial: Social Justice and Policy in Theatrical Storytelling

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 026 Tu/Th 12:30-1:45pm
Knoll 150 Prof. Bindi Kang ACE 7 or ACE 9

This course will discuss the common qualities in both theatre and trial: social gathering, live communication and public debate. Students will read dramatic texts, watch theatre productions and hear testimonies from actual social events all over the world, from theatres in Ancient Greece (The Bacchae), Elizabethan England (The Merchant of Venice) and pre-modern China (The Injustice of Dou E), to modern and contemporary stage such as The Twelve Angry Men (America, 1955), Death and the King’s Horseman (Nigeria, 1975) and The Laramie Project (America, 2000 and 2010). Putting criminal justice and its related issues on race, gender and sexuality as a focal point, this course aims to explore the following questions: What kind of social functions could theatre be at stake when presenting itself as a courtroom to discuss crime, policy, and social justice? Which artistic choices have been made in theatrical storytelling to make these social events more believable, or more unrealistic? This course will also introduce students to theories in performance studies, to examine acting in everyday life and to study courtroom as a performance space.

Taking the Globe Global

189H (Theatre)

Taking the Globe Global: Perspectives on Shakespeare from Around the World

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 025 MWF 1:30-2:20 PM
Temple Building Prof. Stephen Buhler ACE 7 or ACE 9

In this course, we will read and analyze the text of Shakespeare and examine how Shakespeare's plays are adapted into performances around the world. Centered on four of Shakespeare's major works - A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night - we will explore global approaches to the Comedies and Tragedies through multiple mediums (including theatre, film, and video games), time periods, and cultural lenses. We will investigate how and why the language, characters, and stories in Shakespeare transcend generational and geographic divides, and how the continued translation and transformation of Shakespeare impacts the formation and expression of cultural identities around the globe.

A World of Music

189H (Music)

A World of Music

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 015 Tu/Th 11:00-12:15pm
Westbrook 109 Prof. Tony Bushard ACE 7 or ACE 9

Music making is one of the most important creative processes experienced by people throughout the world. In this class we will explore various types of music made across the globe and how each culture incorporates music into their daily lives. In addition, we will examine the role of the ethnomusicologist and the various ways in which ethnomusicology contributes to our understanding of music. In order to investigate these diverse topics more thoroughly, we will read and discuss texts that engage the music from (for instance) economic, political, social, racial, and gender perspectives. Further, we will experience the music itself through a variety of interactive and participatory media. The class will culminate with a musical ethnography project and presentation wherein students will have the opportunity to explore music making in the greater Lincoln community.

ACE 8: Ethics

Cheaters, Billionaires, and Mega Media: American Sports in the 21st Century

189H (Sports Media and Communication)

Cheaters, Billionaires, and Mega Media: American Sports in the 21st Century

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 024 Tu/Th 12:30-1:45pm
Andersen 228 Prof. John Schrader ACE 8

The former Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren famously said, “I always turn to the (newspaper’s) sports pages first, which records people’s accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man’s failures.” In the subsequent six decades, sport has moved closer and closer to the front pages. Collectively, sports would be considered among the biggest industries in America, and with it are the inherent issues and ethical considerations we examine in this course. Sport is one of the few places in our society you will find the confluence of economics, class, gender, race, and identity. To study sport is to take a close examination of who we as Americans, and as citizens of the world. In this course we will examine the issues and ethics of a variety of institutions, including college and professional sports, the media, the sports business, and what role fans play in these dynamics.

Scales made of plants

189H (Environmental Studies)

From Zika to Flint, Michigan: Public Health and Environmental Justice

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 010 Tu/Th 11:00-12:15pm
Knoll 257 Prof. Christine Haney Douglass ACE 8

As the global population grows, and our world becomes increasingly interconnected via processes of globalization, our social and natural worlds are becoming further interwoven. International travel creates a pathway for previously limited outbreaks of disease to spread. The internet creates a pathway for the illumination of once hidden social and ecological crimes. This course will explore contemporary public and environmental health case studies from around the world through the lens of environmental justice. Environmental justice involves the fair and equal treatment and involvement of all people in efforts to care for and access environmental resources. We will investigate current cases of environmental concern in urban areas, remote indigenous communities, local and international law, and the development of local and international public health practices and collaborative efforts.

Just Do It neon sign

189H (Advertising & Public Relations)

Just Do It – Or Don’t: Ethical Persuasion

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 002 Tu/Th 9:30-10:45am
Knoll 150 Prof. Nancy Mitchell ACE 8

All communication is persuasive in some way, so how do we sort through what others tell us to find the truth and how do we act as ethical communicators ourselves, both personally and professionally? This course will familiarize you with a variety of ethical issues in advertising and public relations and examine their impact on contemporary society. You will develop your ability to think critically about communicating messages and examine the role of persuasion. You’ll learn about various ethical perspectives and pick up some tools that can be applied no matter what your major, such as reframing arguments and considering their impact on your audience and society. Even though the topics will be studied through the lens of marketing communications, these skills and abilities transcend disciplines as we are all creators and consumers of information. You will have the opportunity to apply what you learn to issues that interest you.

Cellphone notification graphic

189H (Advertising & Public Relations)

Why Am I Getting That Ad? Influencing Audiences in a Data-Driven Social Media World

Course description ►

ACE 9: Human Diversity

Scales

189H (Women's & Gender Studies)

Gender, Sex, and Race on Trial: Famous Legal Cases in Film

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 029 MWF 1:30-2:20pm
Knoll 258 Prof. Joann Ross ACE 9

In this class, we will learn about notable American trials where sex, gender, race/ethnicity, or disability of a primary character is integral to the legal action. We will then critically evaluate Hollywood’s rendition of those legal events. During the course of the semester, we will learn about legal aspects of trials that hinge upon complex issues of social identity and what their big screen adaptations reveal about American attitudes towards the legal issues at the heart of these court battles.

Great American City

189H (Community and Regional Planning)

The Great American City: From Injustice to Inclusion

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 028 MWF 11:30-12:20pm
Knoll 258 Prof. Jacob Schlange ACE 9

Cities - and the planning that goes into creating them - have often fueled inequality and injustice. This course will explore vital questions about inclusion and belonging in American cities, from the fraught history of red lining and discriminatory covenants to the ongoing, modern-day phenomena of gentrification and hostile design. Most importantly, we will explore how planning and urban policy can offer a better way forward for the future.

Big Weather, Big Politics

189H (Anthropology)

Protecting our Planet: Conservation and Anthropology

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 003 MWF 1:30-2:20pm
Knoll 150 Prof. Timothy Sefczek ACE 9

For this course we will explore various facets of conservation, from real-world dilemmas to theoretical paradigms in approaching conservation. Each week we will discuss different facets of conservation including: historical approaches at home and abroad, ethical considerations of conservation work, the anthropological approach, using biodiversity hotspots, the role of NGOs and field stations, ecotourism positives and negatives, the good and bad of COVID on conservation, conservation genetics and habitat restoration. Each week we will have a lecture, 2-3 readings from peer-reviewed sources, and a discussion on the focal topic. Weekly reflections on the conservation topic will be used to assess comprehension of course topics. The final project will be an 8-10 minute presentation on a conservation approach, program, or issue of your choosing.

Sociology of Activism

189H (Sociology)

Sociology of Activism

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 023 MWF 2:30-3:20pm
Burnett 232 Prof. Aaron PeekMease ACE 9

In this course, we will be engaging in activism. Rooting this activism in a Sociological approach, the course provides the opportunity for you to make a difference on issues you are passionate about. This course will provide you with the theory, research evidence, and tools to engage with others in the public sphere. At the end of this course, you will possess a variety of skills to continue your activism as you see fit.

Staging trial

189H (Theatre)

Staging Trial: Social Justice and Policy in Theatrical Storytelling

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 026 Tu/Th 12:30-1:45pm
TKnoll 150 Prof. Bindi Kang ACE 7 or ACE 9

This course will discuss the common qualities in both theatre and trial: social gathering, live communication and public debate. Students will read dramatic texts, watch theatre productions and hear testimonies from actual social events all over the world, from theatres in Ancient Greece (The Bacchae), Elizabethan England (The Merchant of Venice) and pre-modern China (The Injustice of Dou E), to modern and contemporary stage such as The Twelve Angry Men (America, 1955), Death and the King’s Horseman (Nigeria, 1975) and The Laramie Project (America, 2000 and 2010). Putting criminal justice and its related issues on race, gender and sexuality as a focal point, this course aims to explore the following questions: What kind of social functions could theatre be at stake when presenting itself as a courtroom to discuss crime, policy, and social justice? Which artistic choices have been made in theatrical storytelling to make these social events more believable, or more unrealistic? This course will also introduce students to theories in performance studies, to examine acting in everyday life and to study courtroom as a performance space.

Taking the Globe Global

189H (Theatre)

Taking the Globe Global: Perspectives on Shakespeare from Around the World

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 025 MWF 1:30-2:20 PM
Temple Building Prof. Stephen Buhler ACE 7 or ACE 9

In this course, we will read and analyze the text of Shakespeare and examine how Shakespeare's plays are adapted into performances around the world. Centered on four of Shakespeare's major works - A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night - we will explore global approaches to the Comedies and Tragedies through multiple mediums (including theatre, film, and video games), time periods, and cultural lenses. We will investigate how and why the language, characters, and stories in Shakespeare transcend generational and geographic divides, and how the continued translation and transformation of Shakespeare impacts the formation and expression of cultural identities around the globe.

American Female Action Heroes

189H (Women's & Gender Studies)

Wonder Women on Screen: American Female Action Heroes

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 030 MWF 2:30-3:20pm
Knoll 258 Prof. Tamy Burnett ACE 9

In 2017, the film Wonder Woman offered viewers a refreshingly 21st-century, socially conscious, and feminist conceptualization of what a female action hero could be. For years, movie studios have resisted female-led—never mind female-directed—blockbuster action films. This attitude and absence of many competitors suggest that Wonder Woman stands alone in our popular imagination. In truth, the film’s success is a culmination of a long and fascinating history of female action heroes in American culture. In this class we will explore that history of female action heroes in 20th and 21st century American popular culture, primarily in film and television, but also in other media. We will examine these figures in the comparison to their male counterparts and traditional heroic archetypes, and consider female action heroes within the context of the evolution of feminism(s) and changing attitudes about women’s strength, abilities, and roles in society.

A World of Music

189H (Music)

A World of Music

Course description ►

UGEP 189H Section 015 Tu/Th 11:00-12:15pm
Westbrook 109 Prof. Tony Bushard ACE 7 or ACE 9

Music making is one of the most important creative processes experienced by people throughout the world. In this class we will explore various types of music made across the globe and how each culture incorporates music into their daily lives. In addition, we will examine the role of the ethnomusicologist and the various ways in which ethnomusicology contributes to our understanding of music. In order to investigate these diverse topics more thoroughly, we will read and discuss texts that engage the music from (for instance) economic, political, social, racial, and gender perspectives. Further, we will experience the music itself through a variety of interactive and participatory media. The class will culminate with a musical ethnography project and presentation wherein students will have the opportunity to explore music making in the greater Lincoln community.