Note: First-Year Seminar descriptions are also available on the online course schedule. You will ultimately choose and register for a First-Year Seminar during your online registration time. Detailed information on how to search and register for courses can be found on the first-year registration website. See the online course schedule for a full listing of all fall courses.

STRAIGHT TO HELL: TALES OF THE UNDERWORLD – ELIZABETH MANWELL (SEMN-101)
Many ancient cultures imagine a place in the afterlife that lies below or at the edge of our world, sometimes a vague and shadowy place, and at times one of torment. We’ll look at a variety of ancient myths (Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, and Norse) that take us straight to hell, as well as a variety of contemporary movies, plays and stories that reimagine that ancient hellscape. As we wander across the River Styx and back, we’ll explore why we find stories about hell so alluring and what they can teach us about living.

MIGRATION, COMMUNITY, AND SELF – JEFFREY HAUS (SEMN-104)
Going to college and immigrating to a new country have much in common. Moving to a new place presents many challenges. Yet, a new environment also offers opportunities for personal growth that force immigrants to reconcile “Old” with “New.” Through reading, writing, and discussion, students will seek to relate a specific episode of migration-the mass movement of over 2 million Jews from Eastern Europe to the United States between 1881 and 1914-to their own “immigration” to Kalamazoo. Along the way, the class will explore many of the universal questions raised by relocation. Why does migration occur? What motivates people to pick up their lives and move to a new place, and what happens to them when they arrive? How does the migration experience shape their view of their new environment? How do immigrants reconstruct communities for themselves where none may have previously existed? Finally, how does moving to a new place shape one’s sense of self?

EXPLORING TECHNOLOGY FOR ACCESSIBILITY – PAM CUTTER (SEMN-107)
Digital technology is an essential part of modern life. Much of the technology today is not designed with the needs of people with disabilities in mind, excluding them from opportunities and limiting their participation in many routine activities. When technology is designed and developed to be accessible it can reduce barriers for people with disabilities, increasing opportunities to work, learn, communicate, and engage in daily life. In this course, we will learn about accessibility in the context of computers, and study the distinction between accessibility, usability, and inclusion. We will explore the range of barriers to computer usage, the use of adaptive technologies, and best-practice guidelines for designing and developing accessible systems and technologies to meet the demands of users of all ages and abilities. Students will discover ways to advocate for changes in policy and practice.

HORROR CINEMA AND THE UNNATURAL – BABLI SINHA (SEMN-110)
Horror films from the world over express anxiety around difference, which is often imagined through monsters, ghosts, zombies, and violent killers. Preoccupations in the genre include familial trauma and its impact on survivors as well as cultural anxiety around matters of race, gender, and class relations, immigration, and warfare. In this class, we will explore through films and film criticism the ways in which the horror genre navigates these crises of normativity and its disruptions. We will focus on the visceral nature of the medium and the genre of horror, which seeks to shock and startle and ask why viewers take pleasure in being frightened, disgusted, and distressed.

FROM AGATHA TO ZORRO: POPULAR FICTION IN THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY – JAMES DENISON (SEMN-111)
As the twentieth century dawned so, too, did a new form of literature: the pulp fiction magazine. Unlike their more staid predecessors in the realm of popular fiction publishing, the dime novels, these magazines (and their characteristically colorful covers), offered an arena in which newly imaginative and provocative stories thrived. Though they are often dismissed as cheap fodder for mindless pleasure-seekers, this course takes these stories and the influence they had on our world seriously. It investigates the divides between “high”, “low”, and “middlebrow” culture that consideration of the “popular” provokes, considers the long afterlives of these stories and the heroes like Tarzan, Zorro, Conan the Barbarian, John Carter, Buck Rogers, and Doc Savage that they originated, analyzes the visual dimensions of their often colorful and dramatic illustrations, contemplates the divisions between “pulp” magazines and other forms of popular fiction, and weighs the gendered, sexual, racial, and class considerations that affected the stories’ readership and the visions that they cast of the world and the people within it. What can they tell us today?

ALL SPEECH IS LEGITIMATE: THE FALLACY OF “BROKEN” LANGUAGE – TRIS FAULKNER (SEMN-129)
Descriptions of language use tend to be absolute and uncompromising in their nature. For instance, it is common to hear that certain ways of speaking or writing (i.e., expressing oneself) are “wrong” or “ungrammatical”, “inappropriate”, or even “unprofessional”. In other words, that there is correct (“good”) language and incorrect (“bad”) language, where the former is how we should strive to express ourselves. However, what standard and non-standard speech have in common is that they are both human creations. In other words, both are invented, since all language is invented! In this seminar, students will explore various language dialects (both standard and non-standard) with the objective of developing a more in-depth understanding of the relationship between language use and personal identity. Not only will we examine views on “right” and “wrong” language, but also how these views influence how we perceive others and tie in with internalized socio-cultural biases. Who gets to decide what’s “right” or “wrong” anyway? Put differently, “If you understand me, why correct me?” Some familiarity with Spanish, while not required, will benefit students in their understanding of course concepts.

SHAKES-TEEN – AMY SMITH (SEMN-139)
In this course, we’ll be focusing on how the United States has reworked Shakespeare into the teen movies of the 90’s, rock and rap music across the decades, and vlogs like “Jules and Monty.” In exploring how Shakespeare has been adapted to these radically different contexts, we’ll also be exploring the difficult issues these adaptations focus on–race, gender, sexuality, colonialism and class. What a culture does with Shakespeare’s plays can tell you a lot about that culture; so, we’ll be asking a number of questions: Why is Shakespeare so popular in the United States today? What does he mean to us? What are we doing with his plays and why? What do our adaptations of his work tell us about our own views about racism or sexism in America, for example?

TRUTH, LIES, AND POLITICS – JENNIFER EINSPAHR (SEMN-144)
Are truth and politics friends or foes? Does your answer differ depending on the kind of truth in question? In political matters, is it always wrong to lie? Political thinkers have been asking such questions for millennia, but in an era of echo chambers, “fake news,” and conflicting accounts of what’s true, they have presented themselves with renewed urgency. In this course, we will examine the relationship between truth and politics within the political theory tradition as well as in the contemporary context. We will focus in particular on strategies for navigating the bewildering terrain of our so-called “post-fact” context, in which it seems as though politics has become a contest over reality itself.

CREATIVITY: INSPIRATION AND BEYOND – SIU-LAN TAN (SEMN-145)
The psychology of creativity is as complex and mysterious as it is intriguing. Whether brushing paint on canvas, composing a poem or piece of music, launching a new advertising campaign, or making a breakthrough at the frontiers of science, some form of creative thinking is required. In this seminar, we examine how creativity is expressed in arts, sciences, inventions, marketing, and many other domains, and also shine a spotlight on inclusive design. The ideas of classic and contemporary theorists and research findings reported by social scientists serve as a foundation for discussions and essays. Students will also apply their own imagination and creative problem-solving skills to a variety of puzzles and projects. This seminar will challenge basic assumptions about the nature of creativity and expand our horizons, to encompass the richness and diversity of creative expression in its many forms.

FROM THE BORDERS TO THE LAKE: A COMMUNITY-BASED APPROACH TO BARRIO LEARNING – CYNDY GARCIA-WEYANDT (SEMN-146)
In this seminar, the main goal is to understand how we become part of the Kalamazoo College community through community-based work rooted in social justice and social change. This course is designed for students to gain strong navigational skills in the college. From service learning/civic engagement to peer learning, students move around Kalamazoo and engage in meaningful ways with the community. In collaboration with community partners serving BIPOC youth, hands-on activities, field trips, panel discussions, and guest speakers we will explore the role of non-profit organizations and their impact on local communities. The objective of this seminar is to gain the skills to become successful students at K while we grapple with the challenges of belonging, including our own challenges of belonging.

CONTESTED SPACES IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT – PATRICK KINNE (SEMN-149)
Somewhere around 2007, an important shift occurred: for the first time ever, more people lived in urban areas than rural areas. After a century of rapid urbanization, living in cities is now the norm for the majority of humans. This radical shift in the way that we as people live has brought with it many points of conflict and contention. This course will examine some of these battles as they occur around such issues as use of space, how cities are lived in and experienced, how cities come to shape identity, and what the city’s role in the greater society is.

EPIC EPICS – SOHINI PILLAI (SEMN-150)
The term “epic,” from the Greek epos and the Latin epicus, is often used to describe very long narrative poems about heroic warriors and colossal battles such as the Iliad, the Aeneid, the Ramayana, and Beowulf. But today we also see the term epic being applied to television shows, video games, and feature films. What makes something an epic? It’s length? It’s content? It’s format? In this class, we will explore ten different epics: Raya and the Last Dragon, the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Mahabharata, the Odyssey, the Cilappatikaram, the Sirat al-Amira Dhat al-Himma, the Divine Comedy, Paradise Lost, the Odyssey of Star Wars, and Game of Thrones. Throughout this course, we will engage with the following questions: How have epics changed over time? How have epics traveled across regions? What role does religion play in epics? What can epics tell us about gender, ethnicity, and power now and in the past?

SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE: SOCIETY AND THE INDIVIDUAL THROUGH THE MUSIC OF STEVIE WONDER – BEAU BOTHWELL (SEMN-156)
This course uses the music and life of Stevie Wonder as the starting point from which to ask one of the basic questions of humanistic inquiry: How does an individual artist’s creative output relate to the society and culture in which they live? For an artist like Wonder we must also raise the reciprocal question: How does that art shape culture, and even create new social realities? Grappling with these questions in relation to the work of Stevie Wonder –Michigan native and arguably the greatest living American musician– requires engagement not just with the music, but with the differing intellectual priorities and scholarly methodologies of fields like History, Literature, Musicology, and Religion, as well as Technology, Disability, Gender, and Black Studies. As an introduction to college-level writing and research, this course requires students to imagine their own contributions to these questions not just as isolated ideas, but as entries into ongoing intellectual conversations.

I LOVE (THE MUSIC OF) THE 90’S – JOSH MOON (SEMN-158)
The 1990s were a period of dramatic change for popular music. Genres like alternative rock, “gangsta” rap, and electronica rose to prominence and still influence the music we hear today. Major label sales and indie success soared until the disruption of mp3 technology and Napster reorganized the music industry. MTV and Rolling Stone were essential. Today, the music and culture of the decade is mined for “new” styles, products, and nostalgia (“I ♥ the 90’s!”). While thinking seriously about sounds, image, and artistry, this course examines the music of the 1990s in social context with an ear to the events, politics, fashion, controversies, and identities that shaped musical experience.

PERFORMING ART IN CHINA: TRADITION AND INNOVATION – RUYUAN YANG (SEMN-160)
This seminar introduces students to the rich world of contemporary (21st century) Chinese performing arts through the study of visual works. It focuses on the intersection of tradition and modernity. Students will have the opportunity to understand key aspects of theatre, dance, music and folk performance, including their cultural and artistic significance. Iconic works such as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony, Yang Liping’s dance drama Peacock, and Zhang Yimou’s Impression series will be discussed. The course also explores the role of festivals, globalization, and cross-cultural collaborations that keep shaping Chinese stage art.

SALEM POSSESSED: THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS AND THEIR LEGACIES – CHARLENE BOYER LEWIS (SEMN-168)
In 1692, the people of Salem, Massachusetts grew terrified when a small group of girls accused an enslaved woman, an impoverished woman, and a scandalous woman of bewitching them. Ultimately, twenty men and women were hung or pressed to death with stones and over a hundred others found themselves imprisoned. Historians have long considered the Salem Witch Trials a pivotal moment in American history. Countless works have offered countless reasons for the strange happenings in Salem, trying to explain why a small community in Colonial America would succumb to witchcraft hysteria long after it had died down in Europe. The Salem Witch Trials have haunted American culture. Starting in the nineteenth century and continuing into the present, writers and artists have grappled with the various meanings of the witch hunts and the persecution of innocent persons, seeing connections between “the furies of fanaticism and paranoia” of 1692 and their own time. Most famously, Arthur Miller in The Crucible used the trials to examine the persecution of alleged Communists in the 1950s. This course will examine and seek to understand the events of 1692 and the subsequent legacies of the trials in American culture through the actual documents from the trials, the writings of historians, and the imaginative works of novelists, playwrights, poets, and film makers.

REWIRED & DISCONNECTED: RETHINKING LIFE IN A DIGITAL WORLD – NICOLAS POLANCO (SEMN-171)
In an age of constant connectivity, are we more isolated than ever? This first-year seminar explores how digital technologies are reshaping the way we think, communicate, and relate to one another. From the rewiring of our brains to the reshaping of our relationships, students will explore how constant connectivity can change not only how we think, but who we are. Students will analyze how technology alters attention, memory, and human relationships, and consider how living has changed in a tech-saturated world. Through critical readings, reflective discussions, and multimedia analysis, the course investigates the tension between technological advancement and human well-being—challenging students to consider how we might reclaim agency, attention, and authentic connection in a hyperconnected world.

LIFE WITH TWO LANGUAGES – LARISSA DUGAS (SEMN-172)
Almost half of the world’s population uses two or more languages as they go about their daily lives. In this seminar, we will explore what it means to be a bilingual or multilingual person – how this affects our brains, our ways of communicating, and our perspective on the world. We will also investigate how different societies organize life with two or more languages. Subtopics include bilingual music, bilingual education, hyperpolyglots, bilingualism & politics, language loss, and translation. This course is ideal for students interested in linguistics, multilingual students, students from a bilingual household or students whose first language is not English.

EXPLORING CULTURAL DIVERSITY THROUGH STORYTELLING – QUINCY THOMAS (SEMN-177)
This course is an investigation into storytelling and an analysis of various mediums and texts created by scholars and artists working within an interconnected world. While examining and creating performances of self-discovery, students will explore how we, as part of a global community, embody/perform stories that speak to inequities across marginalized groups. The classroom community will explore what it means to take part in cross-culture encounters, conversations, and stories in a world where the socially constructed boundaries between culture, community, and country are becoming less visible.

WHEELS OF CHANGE: ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE BY BIKE – AMELIA KATANSKI (SEMN-182)
This community-engaged course (SEE IMPORTANT INFORMATION BELOW**) explores cycling through the lenses of social and environmental justice. We will study the way bicycles—as vehicles of freedom and mobility–empowered women and people of color during the late 19th century “cycling craze,” and we will learn about policies based in racism and sexism that limited who could easily experience the liberating movement cycling offered. Understanding that history, we’ll focus on how, today, the bicycle offers hope for sustainable transportation that supports individual, community, and environmental health in ways that redress racism, and gender- and ability-based discrimination. Working closely with community partners, including the City of Kalamazoo, we will explore how communities can build cycling infrastructure using an equity lens, developing a comparative perspective by investigating how urban cycling thrives in communities in the US and around the world. We will work closely with partners on and off campus on projects that will help to provide equitable, sustainable cycling infrastructure for people of all races, genders, income levels, and ages. As we do this, we will come to know our community by bike, riding together regularly. We will also take a field trip or two to learn more about how communities nearby are improving access to safe cycling for their residents.
**Important Course Information: You DO need to be comfortable riding a bike to be part of this class. You DO NOT, though, need to own your own bike or bring one to campus. We have bikes and helmets available for your use during class-related riding. If you have any questions about this course, please contact Amelia Katanski at Amelia.Katanski@kzoo.edu.

DID SCI-FI DO IT FIRST? EXPLORING THE FUTURE WE WERE PROMISED – DWIGHT WILLIAMS (SEMN-189)
Dive into the captivating world of retro science fiction (Sci-Fi) and its uncanny predictions about our future. Through the lens of classic sci-fi television, we will explore scientific themes such as artificial intelligence, space exploration, genetic engineering, and extraterrestrial life. Each week, we will analyze how these shows envisioned the future and compare their forecasts to today’s scientific realities. Together, we’ll examine the scientific accuracy of these narratives, their impact on real-world innovation, and the ethical and societal questions they raise.
Along the way, we’ll consider the dynamic relationship between science fiction and science fact – how fiction influences and reflects scientific progress – and learn to thoughtfully evaluate emerging technologies and their potential impacts.

IT’S ONLY ROCK’N ROLL (BUT I LIKE IT) – SCOTT BADE (SEMN-191)
Mick Jagger said the song “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like it)” was a response to the pressure he and the band felt to continually exceed their past accomplishments. Who could have imagined how rock and roll (and all of its children) would succeed, exceed and change the world? Who could have imagined what rock and roll has accomplished and what the world has accomplished because of rock and roll? In this seminar we will explore some of the fascinating relationships between current events, social, cultural and political developments, and rock music, as expressed through the music, lyrics, art, philosophy and fashion of rock and roll. Through generous listenings, viewings, readings, discussions, and, most importantly, through our writings, we will gain a well-rounded view of the history of rock music and a deeper appreciation for the complex and evolving part rock and roll and has played and continues to play in the social, cultural, political and, of course, musical evolution of our lives and the world.