New Courses, HP Courses, Honors Courses and IDS Courses Descriptions

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New Courses

ENGL 250: CULT MOVIES

Jeff Jeske

What is a cult movie? Hundreds of films, both mainstream and underground, have been given this label, despite vast differences in genre and quality. What are the common denominators?
And what do these films tell us about the underside of the American psyche? About the way that the Other is constructed in America? About widely divergent meanings of being human in the 20th century? We will view film from several decades from the 1930's to the 1990's looking at the relationship between these often transgressive films and the history and culture of their period.
We will also enhance our appreciation of the filmmaker's craft by looking closely at how film's different artistic systems-e.g., cinematography, sound, lighting, costume, acting-combine to produce the composite art that is a film.
Course Films: Freaks, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dr. Strangelove, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Faster Pussycat Kill Kill, Harold and Maude, The Big Lebowski, Being John Malkovich

ENGL 282: WORLD CINEMA

Jeff Jeske

We will explore the wealth of cinema that has been produced in regions outside of the United States, especially East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. We will immerse ourselves in subject matter that depicts a range of human experience; each film celebrates the culture and people of its country of origin. In studying films from, and reading about, various cultures, we will see vivid and provocative examples of difference, while also experiencing images that speak to the universality of human experience.
We will also study film artistry-critics have judged this course's set of films to be fine examples of film art-as well as the relationship between art and ideology. Course films: Raise the Red Lantern (China), Eat Drink Man Woman (Taiwan), Chunhyang (Korea), City of God (Brazil), Time for Drunken Horses (Iran), Kadosh (Israel), Faat Kine (Senegal), After Life (Japan).

JPS 350: Family and Divorce Mediation

John Motsinger

Learn how to help couples going through separation and divorce resolve questions relating to child custody and parenting, property division, child support and alimony through mediation. Considers conflict resolution theory, basic and advanced mediation strategies, information gathering, communications techniques, negotiation strategies, family dynamics, stages of divorce, spousal and substance abuse, marital and family law, taxation, business and property valuation and other issues typically arising in domestic cases. Intensive role plays involving cases where the parties work directly with the mediator and those where the parties are represented by attorneys. Specific attention paid to rules and standards of practice promulgated by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission. Skills learned in this course may be transferred to other family, community, legal and workplace issues.
This course may be used to satisfy requirements for the Interpersonal Communication concentration, but may not substitute for JPS 270 (Introduction) or JPS 437 (capstone).
This course may be used to satisfy supplemental (non-core/non-capstone) course requirements for the Peace and Conflict Studies major or concentration.

JPS 400: Grassroots Advocacy & Public Policy

John Motsinger

Study of the principles of grassroots organizing for effecting community action, issue advocacy and electoral campaigns in support of community justice goals. The course will consider theories underlying grassroots organization and the strategies and tactics used by groups like the Piedmont Peace Project, coalitions organized by the Industrial Areas Foundation, nonprofit agencies and local political office seekers. Must work with or do a case study of an area community action/advocacy group, nascent movement or political campaign as part of course.
You may use this course to fulfill one of the upper-division or 400 level courses for majors in Community & Justice Studies and in Criminal Justice and as additional credits for students in other disciplines.

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IDS 400 COURSES

IDS 456: The Grotesque in Art and Literature

Carol Hoppe

Alienation is one of the most important themes in modern art. Our loneliness and fear of life's senselessness seems to have intensified in modern times, and its harshest portrayals take grotesque forms. In 20th century art, music, dance, theater and literature we find tormented and tormenting visions. But the grotesque has been around for a long time, beginning in the 16th c., finding a revival in the 18th, followed by a full "flowering" in our own era. In this course we'll trace its development, especially in art and literature, but including music and other art forms, depending on participants' expertise. Writers will include Poe, Faulkner, O'Connor, Durrenmatt, Albee and Kafka. We'll also view artistic works of Bosch, Grunewald, Durer, Daumier, Goya, Klee, Ernst, Dali, Munch, and Picasso. Students will participate in a presentation based on the art of their major and offer an individual talk on the aesthetic principles of a particular grotesque work. Papers, short written analyses, a mid-term exam, and panel discussions round out the course.

Pre-requisite: At least two courses in one of the following fields: art, music, literature, or theater.

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