Courses

Spring 2024

 

AFAMAST 2288: Bebop to Doowop to Hiphop: The Rhythm and Blues Tradition

• TuTh 3:55PM - 5:15PM / Baker Systems 180 / Jason Rawls

ART EDUCATION 2550: Introduction to Visual Culture: Seeing and Being Seen

• We 1:00PM - 3:50PM / Ramseyer Hall 039 / Clayton Funk

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ART EDUCATION 2700: Criticizing Television 

• Online / TBA
• Online /  Kelsi Stoltenow Petersen
• Online / Elle Pierman
• Online / Jessica Sarber
• MoWe 11:10AM - 12:30PM / Ramseyer Hall 039 /TBA
• TuTh 11:10AM - 12:30PM / TBA / Hayes Hall 006
  TuTh 9:35AM - 10:55AM / Hagerty Hall 259 / TBA
• Online / Lauren Pace

A critical analysis of a wide variety of television programs through viewing, discussing, reading, and writing. Students will focus on the ways in which racial, ethnic, and gender diversity issues are represented on television. Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 2367.03, Theatre 2367.03, or 2700. GE writing and comm course: level 2 and diversity soc div in the US course. GE foundation writing and info literacy and race, ethnicity and gender div course. Cross-listed in Theatre.

CHINESE 4406: China Pop: Contemporary Pop Culture & Media in Greater China

• WeFr 2:20PM - 3:40PM / Mendenhall Lab 115 / Nancy Tewksbury

Introduction to Chinese opera as traditional culture, dramatic literature, and performing art; selected opera scripts and stage performances from Beijing opera, Kunqu, and regional operas; illustrated discussions of various aspects of the theater.

CHINESE 5474:  Chinese Opera

• Mo 2:15PM - 5:00PM / Hagerty Hall 351 / Marjorie Chan

Introduction to Chinese opera as traditional culture, dramatic literature, and performing art; selected opera scripts and stage performances from Beijing opera, Kunqu, and regional operas; illustrated discussions of various aspects of the theater.

• Online / Alex Bonus

This course is designed to promote an understanding of basic mass communication practice.

COMM 3513 - Video Games and Society

• Online / Teresa Lynch

A broad overview of the effects of video game play on society. Students critique the literature on this topic and design their own study to test video game effects.

COMPARATIVE STUDIES 2281: American Icons

• TuTh 9:35AM - 10:55AM / Mendenhall Lab 191 / John Brooks     

Interdisciplinary methods in American studies; emphasis on the plurality of identities in American culture. Prereq: English 1110 (110) or equiv. GE cultures and ideas and diversity soc div in the US course. GE foundation historical and cultural studies course.

COMPARATIVE STUDIES 3686 - Cultural Studies of American Musics 

• MoWe 12:45PM - 2:05PM / Baker Systems 140 / Van Truing

Investigation of the social, political, and cultural contexts of the development of popular musics in the U.S. Prereq: English 1110 or equiv. GE VPA and diversity soc div in the US course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts course.

CONSUMER SCI: FASHION & RETAIL 2372: Appearance, Dress, and Cultural Diversity 

• Tu 11:10AM - 12:30PM / Mendenhall 100 & Online / Julie Hillery

A cross-cultural study of the diversity and meaning of appearance and dress as manifestations of individual and group behavior, social organizations, and cultural norms. GE soc sci indivs and groups course. GE foundation social and behavioral sci course.

CONSUMER SCI: FASHION & RETAIL 2374: 20^th-Century Fashion and Beyond

• TuTh 3:00PM - 4:20PM / Pomerene Hall 260 / Cydni Robertson
• Online / Trina Gannon Blair

Relationship between culture, society and fashion in the 20th century, the influence of historic dress on contemporary fashion, and industry developments leading to mass fashion.
Prereq: English 1110. GE historical study course. GE foundation social and behavioral sci course.

• TuTh 11:10AM - 12:30PM / Enarson Classroom Bldg 311 / Kristin Paulus

Analysis and application of trend forecasting practices in all aspects of the fashion industry.

DANCE 2152:  Hip Hop II

• TuTh 12:45PM - 2:15PM / Sullivant Hall 370 / Don Isom

Non-major intermediate/advanced level studio practice of hip hop dance; includes survey of the history, theory, and/or literature of hip hop dance.  Prereq: One Year of 1151 (201.06) or permission of instructor. Repeatable to a maximum of 8 cr hrs or 4 completions.

DANCE 3401: Dance in Popular Culture                 

• Online / Yujie Chen

Popular dance in the United States, with an emphasis on how movement constructs identity and community. GE cultures and ideas and diversity soc div in the US course.

ENGLISH 2263: Introduction to Film                    

• TuTh 11:30AM - 12:25PM / Stillman Hall 100 / Jesse Schotter

Introduction to methods of reading film texts by analyzing cinema as technique, as system, and as cultural product.Prereq: 1110.01 or equiv. GE VPA course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts course.

ENGLISH/ COMPARATIVE STUDIES 2264: Introduction to Popular Culture Studies                 

• TuTh 8:00AM - 9:20AM / Denney Hall 238 / Rachel Stewart

Introduction to the analysis of popular culture texts. Prereq: 1110.01. GE cultures and ideas course. GE foundation historical and cultural studies course. Cross-listed in CompStd.

ENGLISH 2270: Introduction to Folklore

• TuTh 11:10AM - 12:30PM / TBA / Zahra Abedi
• MoWe 2:20PM - 3:40PM / Hagerty Hall 062 / Daisy Ahlstone

Folklore theory and methods explored through engagement with primary sources: folktale, legend, jokes, folksong, festival, belief, art. Folklore Minor course.  Prereq: 1110.01. GE cultures and ideas course. Cross-listed in CompStd 2350.

ENGLISH 2463:  Introduction to Video Games Analysis

• TuTh 9:35AM - 10:55AM / Denney Hall 316 / Ryan Helterbrand
• TuTh 11:10AM - 12:30PM / Denney Hall 316 / Ryan Helterbrand

 

An introduction to humanities-based methods of analyzing and interpreting video games in terms of form, genre, style, and theory. No background in video game play is necessary. All students will have regular opportunities for hands-on experience with different game types and genres in both the computer-based classroom and the English Department Video Game Lab. Prereq: English 1110. GE VPA course.

ENGLISH 3364: Special Topics in Popular Culture

• TuTh 12:45PM - 2:05PM / Denney Hall 250 / Misha Grifka

Special Topic: Gaming and Play    

What do you think about when you hear the word "game"? Is it video games? Board games? Games of pretend? Maybe it?s TTRPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, or game shows, or card games, or gambling games. Maybe it?s improv games or LARP. Maybe it?s something else entirely. Gaming and play are an important part of every human culture, throughout the millennia, but many people don?t think about them in depth. In this class, we will be diving into the depth and breadth of the world of games. What makes something a game? Do games have to be fun? How does the type of game influence what it?s like to play? How are some people encouraged or discouraged from playing games? We?ll look at board games, video games, tabletop games, and more. You?ll be introduced to game theories and theories of play, and produce both critical and creative writing on the class themes. This class will involve play, of course, but also serious thought about how games affect us, from the personal to societal level. You do not need to have experience with any specific type of game, so self-identified gamers and non-gamers alike are welcome!

Focused study in reading popular culture texts, organized around a single theme, period, or medium. Prereq: 1110.01. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 cr hrs. GE cultures and ideas course. GE foundation historical and cultural studies course.

ENGLISH 3372: Science Fiction and/or Fantasy     

• Online / Zoe Thompson

Special Topic: 

• TuTh 12:45PM - 2:05PM / Cockins Hall 312 / Andrew Romriell

Special Topic:  

• WeFr 9:35AM - 10:55AM / Denney Hall 214 / David Brewer

Special Topic: Fantasy Set in Our World

Introduction to the tradition and practice of speculative writing. Provides students the opportunity to examine and compare works of science fiction and/or fantasy. Prereq: 1110. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 cr hrs. GE lit course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts course.

ENGLISH 3378: Special Topics in Film and Literature 

• WeFr 12:45PM - 2:05PM / Denney Hall 250 / Alan Farmer

Special Topic: Shakespeare and Film

Prereq: 1110. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 cr hrs. GE cultures and ideas course. GE foundation historical and cultural studies course.

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ENGLISH 4577.02: Folklore II: Genres, Form, Meaning, and Use 

• TuTh 11:10AM - 12:30PM / Baker Systems 394 / Merrill Kaplan

Special Topic: Legend, Superstition, and Folk Belief

Rumors and spooky stories, superstitions and conspiracy theories, fake news and folk belief, UFOs and elves: folklorists study all these things and more as legendry, the genre in which societies work through their most pressing fears, beliefs, and doubts. Take this course for a deep dive into how legend crystalizes cultural anxieties and how people use legend in ongoing debates about the nature of our world. 

Study of folk groups/communities, folklore genres, issues/methods in folklore studies. Study of the relationship between cultural forms, community interpretations, and social uses. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 cr hrs.

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ENGLISH 4578: Special Topics in Film  

• WeFr 12:45PM - 2:05PM / Denney Hall 265 / David Brewer

Special Topic: The Musical

This course will investigate what is perhaps simultaneously the most beloved and the most mocked of all film genres: the musical. We?ll explore the enduring appeal of characters bursting into song and dance when their emotions swell. We?ll investigate the perennial (and perhaps perennially flawed) attempts of filmmakers to make musicals edgier or cooler in some way. And we?ll consider why such an inherently ridiculous and unrealistic form should persist, despite all of the changes to both society and the film industry over the past century.

• TuTh 2:20PM - 3:40PM / Denney Hall 213 / Ryan Friedman

Special Topic: Film and American Society After WWII

This course examines the history of the American cinema in the years immediately following the Second World War, covering the period from 1945 to 1960. We will view and discuss significant Hollywood films from a variety of genres (e.g., comedy, musical, film noir, western, melodrama, social problem film), contextualizing them by reading articles and excerpts from a variety of sources (e.g., popular magazines, film-trade publications, books of popular sociology, design treatises, political speeches) published during the era in which these films were produced and released. These textual primary sources will serve to illustrate historical discourses describing, reinforcing, and/or critiquing what were conceived of as significant social issues and shifts - from the "veterans problem," to the "housing crisis," to "juvenile delinquency," to sexism, and racial segregation in schools. In our discussions, we'll be interested in how the assigned films reflected, responded to, and inflected the print debates happening around these issues and shifts-even and perhaps especially when the films are not overtly working in the "social problem" genre. We'll also approach the films in the context of the upheavals happening in the American film industry during this period, as a result of the Paramount decree, the HUAC hearings, suburbanization, and declining movie theater attendance. In particular, we'll examine the ways in which the rise of television as a competing medium of mass entertainment shaped the stories that Hollywood movies told and the visual devices that they used to dramatize these stories.

Prereq: 6 cr hrs of English at 2000-3000 level, or permission of instructor. Repeatable to a maximum of 9 cr hrs.

ENGLISH 4597.01: The Disability Experience in the Contemporary World 

• TuTh 12:45PM - 2:05PM / Denney Hall 207 / Amrita Dhar

Special Topic: Disability Poetry, Milton and Beyond
This advanced undergraduate seminar on critical disability studies will centre the disability poetics of John Milton, the seventeenth-century poet and polemic who is to this day credited with creating the greatest epic poem in the English language, Paradise Lost, a poem he composed while completely blind. Here are some of the questions we will consider: how does one write a poem that is 10,500+ lines long (and that is so beautiful that it is read hundreds of years on and celebrated in languages across the world) while blind, and In a time before assistive technology, before Braille, before even electricity? What does that composition look like--and where does it come from? What has the poem meant to generations of disabled writers, and what does it mean today in our world? Readers who have encountered Milton before are welcome, and even more welcome are those who have not. Those who enjoy poetry are welcome, and even more welcome are those who do not. Paradise Lost, which is often regarded as one of the most difficult and most allusive poems ever written, is also one of the most accessible poems ever written. It is a poem of genuine access and accommodation—matters which have become even more current and urgent in our day than they were in Milton's. But Milton will always remain one of those who started the conversation to get us here. 

Global, national, and local issues of disability in the contemporary world; interdisciplinary approach combines historical, literary, philosophical, scientific, and service-oriented analysis of experience of disability. GE cross-disciplinary seminar course.

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ENGLISH 5664: Studies in Graphic Narrative 

• Tu 9:10AM - 12:05PM / Sullivant Hall 205 / Robyn Warhol

Special Topic: Graphic Memoir

A course designed for both advanced undergraduates and graduate students, "Graphic Memoir" will introduce the styles, structures, and strategies of autobiographical life stories told in comics form. Beginning with the insights we can gain about the form from how-to books drawn by comics artists Scott McCloud (Making Comics) and Matt Madden (99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style), we will read graphic memoirs in a range of genres and media, asking what it means to put the "graph" in "autobiography." The class will tour the collection at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum on the OSU campus, which will be the focus of students' research projects.

Introduction to advanced study in graphic narrative and theory; thematic topics include the contemporary graphic novel, graphic autobiography, the history of comics, and comics journalism.  Prereq: 9 cr hrs at the 3000, 4000, or 5000-level in English, or permission of instructor. Repeatable to a maximum of 9 cr hrs.

FILMSTD 2271: Introduction to Film Studies for Majors

• TuTh 11:10AM - 12:30PM / University Hall 082 / Mark Svede

An introduction to the field of Film Studies based on a survey of the major theories of film analysis, specifically geared for incoming majors. Prereq: English 2263 (263), or HistArt 2901 (260). GE VPA course.

• TBA / Online

Chronological survey of the most influential and recognized film artists and film movements of the world.  GE VPA and diversity global studies course.

MODERN GREEK 2680: Folklore of Contemporary Greece 

• TuTh 9:35AM - 10:55AM / Enarson Classroom Bldg 346 / Georgios Anagnostou

A general survey of socio-cultural trends and issues in modern Greece through close examination of ethnographies and other folk expressions. GE VPA and diversity global studies course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts course.

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MUSIC 2252: History of Rock 'n' Roll 

• WeFr 12:45PM - 2:05PM / 209 W 18th Ave 160 / Austin McCabe Juhnke

The history and culture of rock 'n' roll. GE VPA course.

• MoWe 10:20AM - 11:15AM / Weigel Hall 174 / Katie Graber

This course examines the sonic expressions of people's status, identity, rights, and duties as political subjects across multiple scales of place. We will consider the value of cultural advocacy in the public sector and social activism in the public sphere and the importance of partnering with (non)governmental institutions, community organizations, and grassroots affiliates to advance musical art. GE VPA and diversity global studies course.

• MoWe 11:10AM - 12:30PM / TBA / Hugh Urban

This course traces the modern revival of magic and neo-paganism, both in new religious movements and in popular culture, novels, music and film, from 1870 to the present. The course examines the intersections between emergent magical groups and various social and political movements. GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts and historical and cultural studies course.

RUSSIAN 2335.99: Magnificence, Mayhem, and Mafia: Russian Culture

• Online / Mykyta Tyshchenko

Russian culture from its foundations to the 21st century through analysis of literature, film, music, visual arts, beliefs, and customs. Taught in English.  GE cultures and ideas & diversity global studies course. GE foundation historical and cultural studies course.

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RUSSIAN 3460: Modern Russian Experience through Film             

• TuTh 12:45PM - 2:05PM / Hayes Hall 024 / TBA
• Online / Helen Myers

Exploration of some of the most revealing hopes and disappointments of Russian people presented in internationally acclaimed Russian films. Taught in English. GE VPA and diversity global studies course.

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RUSSIAN 3470.01: Anna Karenina Goes to Hollywood: Tolstoy's Novel in Film and Popular Culture 

• WeFr 9:35AM - 10:55AM / Hagerty Hall 259 / Alexander Burry

This course explores Tolstoy's Anna Karenina in relation to popular American culture. The course will consist of two parts: in the first half, we will read and discuss Anna Karenina, and we will then examine films and other popular works based on the novel.
GE VPA and diversity global studies course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts course.

RUSSIAN 3480: The Russian Spy: Cultures of Surveillance, Secret Agents, & Hacking from the Cold War through Today 

• TuTh 11:10AM - 12:30PM / Mendenhall Lab 131 / Dima Arzyutov
• Online / Alisa Lin

This course explores the concept of the spy in the cultural imaginations of both Russia and the West from the early-20th century through the present. Topics will include stereotyping in popular culture, the relationship between fiction and the political imagination, Western (especially American) and Russian views of each other, the Cold War, privacy, security, fear, and war. GE VPA and diversity global studies course.

SLAVIC 2230:  Vampires, Monstrosity, and Evil: From Slavic Myth to Twilight 

• TuTh 2:20PM - 3:40PM / Mendenhall Lab 115 / Daniel Collins
• TuTh 9:35AM - 10:55AM / Hayes Hall 005 / Sunnie Rucker-Chang
• Online / Diana Sacilowski

Changing approaches to evil as embodied in vampires in East European folk belief & European & American pop culture; function of vampire & monster tales in cultural context, including peasant world & West from Enlightenment to now. Taught in English.GE cultures and ideas course, GE diversity global studies course.

SLAVIC 2365: Sports, Socialists, and Society in Russia and Eastern Europe

• Online / TBA   

This course looks at the development of sports as a substitute and arena for battle between countries, as well as the rise of sports culture more generally in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of nationhood, politics, and corporeality. In this course, students will learn about the history and culture of sports, spectatorship, fandom, the Cold War, and Central and Eastern Europe. GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course.

SOCIOLOGY 3302: Technology and Global Society                                                                   

• Online / Chris Papaleonardos
• Online / Chris Papaleonardos
• Online / Danielle Schoon

Social aspects of technology, social change, and technological development; underdevelopment and the global economy.

THEATRE 5771.05: All Singing, All Dancing: The History of Musical Theatre 

• TuTh 2:20PM - 3:40PM / Baker Systems 148 / Claudia Wier

Advanced study on the history and contemporary practice of the art form of musical theatre including an emphasis on the American Rock Musical.

WGSST 2230: Gender, Sexuality and Race in Popular Culture 

• Tu 12:45PM - 2:05PM / CBEC 130 / Robin Cremins, Treva Lindsey
• WeFr 11:10AM - 12:30PM / Mendenhall Lab 175 / Shana Sandborn
• WeFr 12:45PM - 2:05PM / Mendenhall Lab 175 / Tate Johanek
• TuTh 3:55PM - 5:15PM / Denney Hall 250 / Min Hung Kuo
• Online / Mariana Meriqui Rodrigues
• Online / Kate Livingston
• Online / Maghan Jackson
• Online / Madeleine McClung
• Online / Kate Livingston

Explores how popular culture generates and articulates our understandings of gender and sexuality and their intersections with race and class. GE VPA course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts and race, ethnicity and gender div course.

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WGSST 4527.01: Studies in Gender and Cinema 

• WeFr 12:45PM - 2:05PM / University Hall 082 / Maghan Jackson

Analysis of different film types focused on women to help students understand historical scope, theoretical frameworks, and reading strategies for understanding these films; topics vary.