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Connections



Wheaton's unique Connections program provides an exciting way to explore different areas of knowledge and different approaches to problems. All Wheaton students must take either two sets of two-course connections (a total of four courses), or one set of three connected courses. Courses are linked across any two of six academic areas: creative arts, humanities, history, math and computer science, natural sciences, and social sciences.

Students are also invited to discover their own possible linked courses, and to approach the faculty and propose a Connection. Students are encouraged to think about possible connections early on, though many will prefer to fulfill this requirement in their sophomore year. (Note that if the chosen Connections do not include courses from all three of the traditional academic divisions--arts and humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences--students will be expected to take at least one course in the missing division[s]. Faculty advisors help students plan accordingly.)



Connections

23007. African Diaspora in New World

The courses in this connection connect the tradition of African American music to important aspects of American history and culture as studied from the perspectives of history and/or sociology. Students will learn to contextualize material across courses in these disciplines. History and sociology address issues of race and ethnicity, resistance, the church, community building, and the historical, political and economic backgrounds of these issues. Music explores the intangible reservoir of creativity and spiritual energy that helped an oppressed community not only to survive, but to flourish artistically. This connection encourages students to synthesize history and sociology with artistic and theological issues through music.

This may be completed as a two- or three-course connection. All connections must include at least one of the music courses. Effective with the Class of 2010, a two-course connection must link courses from at least two different areas, a three-course connection must link courses from three areas.

Connections:
Creative Arts
Musc 272 African American Originals I: Spirituals, Blues and All That Jazz
Musc 273 African American Originals II: Rhythm and Blues, Rock and Contemporary Jazz

History
Hist 209 African American History to 1877
Hist 210 African American History: 1877 to the Present

Social Sciences
Soc 230 Race and Ethnicity
Wmst 315 Black Feminist Theory

23001. African Worlds

The African Worlds connection enables students to explore the range of interrelated cultures, histories, politics, art and intellectual contributions of African people living south of the Sahara. A combination of disciplinary perspectives is critical to understanding the contemporary challenges that face the continent. Common areas of concern explored in this connection include the precolonial legacy of African cultures and civilizations and how they interacted with other parts of the world system; the impact of European colonial overrule; the link between politics, art, performance and ritual; and the impact of African cultures on Europe and the Americas.

This may be completed as a two- or three-course connection. Effective with the Class of 2010, a two-course connection must link courses from at least two different areas, a three-course connection must link courses from three areas. These courses may be used in either the major or minor in African, African American, Diaspora Studies.

Connections:
Creative Arts
Musc 212 World Music: Africa and the Americas

History
Hist 143 Africans on Africa: A Survey

Humanities
Arth 212 African Visual Cultures
Arth 312 Contemporary African Arts
Eng 245 African Literature

Social Sciences
Anth 225 Peoples and Cultures of Africa
Anth 255 Women in Africa
Pols 203 African Politics

23013. Animal Power in Religion, Art and Science

Students taking these connected courses will learn to explore religious themes through visual forms, in addition to their more typical expression in textual media, and will draw inspiration and a content base from this background information as they develop their own creative expression. They should plan to enroll in the courses in the same semester, choosing whichever of the three studio courses is offered when the religion course is available. Rel 277 begins with myths and visual images of animals in a variety of religious traditions; both classes will participate in a field trip which offers the opportunity to observe how animals are featured in religious art. Art students will present their creative work to the rest of the students in the religion course for critique at the end of the semester.

This may be completed as a two- or three-course connection. Effective with the Class of 2010, a two-course connection must link courses from at least two different areas, a three-course connection must link courses from three areas.

Connections:
Creative Arts
Arts 215 Relief Printmaking
Arts 315 Intaglio Printmaking
Arts 325 Lithography

Humanities
Rel 277 Religion and Animals

Natural Sciences
Bio 226 Comparative Animal Behavior
Psy 226 Comparative Animal Behavior

20026. Biopharma

Students taking these two courses will have coordinated opportunities to study the global pharmaceutical industry, which has grown into a multibillion-dollar enterprise merging economic principles and biomedical research to develop and distribute therapeutics around the world. Students in Bio 112 are introduced to modern cell and molecular biology in both lecture and laboratory settings, while those in Econ 112 are introduced to the behaviors of economic markets, pricing and product distribution. The Biopharma Connection will engage "Cells and Genes" students in discussing the economic implications of the biomedical research they discuss and engage "Microeconomics" students in the process of biological research.

Shared lecture topics illustrating important principles from both biological and economic perspectives will include vaccine development and distribution, drug therapy and human cloning, and the human genome project. Through independent laboratory research in the Cells and Genes lab, students will have the opportunity to do an independent research project in which they design and perform their own experiments, analyze and present their own data and make their own scientific discoveries. This project will offer students invaluable insights into the scientific process and into the inevitable pitfalls and occasional breakthroughs that accompany scientific discovery--insights critical to understanding why R&D budgets are so big in the pharmaceutical industry.

Connections:
Bio 112 Cells and Genes
and Econ 112 Introduction to Microeconomics

23010. Black Aesthetics

Black Aesthetics examines African American contributions to the visual arts, music and literature of the United States. Placing African American creativity within historical, sociological and political contexts, students may explore how black artists forged a creative culture that both illustrated their unique experience and identity and transformed the arts of the dominant culture within which they worked.

This may be completed as a two- or three-course connection. Effective with the Class of 2010, a two-course connection* must link courses from at least two different areas, a three-course connection must link courses from three areas.

*A two-course connection requires one course from Creative Arts or Humanities WITH one course from History or Social Sciences.

Connections:
Creative Arts
Musc 272 African American Originals I: Spirituals, Blues and All That Jazz
Musc 273 African American Originals II: Rhythm and Blues, Rock and Contemporary Jazz

Humanities
Arth 263 African American Art
Eng 209 African American Literature and Culture

History
Hist 209 African American History to 1877
Hist 210 African American History: 1877 to the Present

Social Sciences
Pols 327 Black Political Thought
Pols 271 African American Politics
Pols 371 African American Politics
Soc 230 Race and Ethnicity

20061. Body and Mind

This connection seeks to explore the relationship between mental life and the physical body. Often this relationship between the two is misunderstood, or, even worse, taken for granted. This is a complex issue, and the goal is to inspire some thought about (1) how the mind arises from the physical body, (2) how the function of the brain gives rise to the structure of thought, and (3) how damage to the brain can selectively affect cognitive abilities.

Connections:
Psy 222 Cognition
or Psy 312 Perception
or Psy 330 Consciousness
and Bio 244 Introductory Physiology

20010. Body, Form and Motion

The sequence of presentations in Bio 106 on various anatomical and physiological topics will coincide with lessons and assignments in Arts 340. As students learn the major bones in the human body, they will also create sketches of the articulated skeleton. As they learn to draw human figures in the lying, sitting and standing positions and in motion, they will study the anatomical features of all the major muscles, the physiology of muscle movement, and cardiovascular and respiratory changes during physical activity. Students will be expected to produce a "connected" final project. For example, a student who draws figures in different positions or in motion will write an analytical report that discusses types of major muscle activity produced with each position or movement. As students understand the anatomical and physiological basis of every bump, angle and curve of figure drawings, they will refine their artistic skills.

This connection should significantly heighten students' appreciation of science and motivate them to learn more about the biology of the human body while developing techniques in figure drawing.

Connections:
Arts 340 Figure Drawing and Anatomy
and Bio 106 Basic Anatomy and Physiology

20041. Colonial Encounters

This two-course connection examines questions of race, ethnicity, religion, gender and sexuality in the contexts of empire, nation and transnational cultural identities. Combining the study of French language and literature with either sociology course makes it possible to interrogate colonial and postcolonial discourses, conflicts and identities.

Connections:
Fr 235 Introduction to Modern French Literature
and Soc 200 Social Movements
or Soc 280 The Asians and America

20018. Communicating Information

Information abounds. A liberal arts education should seek to instill not only the ability to acquire and produce information, but also the ability to organize and communicate it effectively.

Professional/Technical Writing asks students to articulate problems, make recommendations and to support those recommendations using information expressed as numbers, words and visuals. Discrete Math similarly challenges students to analyze information in the form of problems and to convey those analyses as solutions using symbols, words and visuals. Language and logic, in both courses, are a means of learning material and developing thinking processes; both courses implicitly and explicitly address the false dichotomy between numbers and words. Students in Professional/Technical Writing learn that data play a crucial role in the construction of effective professional arguments.

Additionally, both courses use group problem solving and collaborative communication. An exercise involving the description and reproduction of a Lego model in Math 211, for example, parallels an abstract-drawing process-writing exercise in Eng 280. Effective communication in both courses also explores the visual display of quantitative information, as students read and design charts, graphs and/or figures; in Eng 280 document design (e.g., font selection, page layout, spacing, etc.) also serves as an important rhetorical element.

Connections:
Eng 280 Professional and Technical Writing
and Math 211 Discrete Mathematics

20011. Communication through Art and Mathematics

Art and mathematics are both forms of communication. The concept of design as communication is explored in Arts 250 through traditional and modern typography and design layout. This connection takes the idea of communication through design and extends it to communication through mathematics, particularly as it is used in advertising. Several topics linking math and computer graphic 3-D representation are incorporated into the course and students will use this and other tools to create an advertisement for math that includes prose, verse, song, drawing, graphics and/or other media.

Connections:
Arts 250 Graphic Design I
and Math 127 Colorful Mathematics

20022. Computer Architecture

Students taking these two courses will connect the practical experience and knowledge gained through creating electronic circuits with a theoretical understanding of how data are stored and transmitted within the structure of a computer.

Comp 220 focuses on the workings of a computer at a relatively high level, looking primarily at how data in binary form (0s and 1s) are transmitted through circuits, from memory through the CPU to arrive at an answer. In order to represent this, we use the notion of a series of "black boxes" to describe what happens to the data in each component. In Phys 110 (a laboratory-based course), students actually build these "black boxes" and see how the electronic components work. This hands-on approach will give students a much deeper understanding of the components that are discussed at a higher level in the computer science course.

Connections:
Comp 220 Computer Organization and Assembly Language
and Phys 110 Electronic Circuits

20056. Computing and Texts

This connection is a new variation of the "Poetry and the Computer" Connection. Our goal is to demonstrate to students how computing can be used to investigate textual corpora (specifically the Dictionary or Old English machine-readable corpus of Anglo-Saxon and the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien). Students will use techniques such as word-frequency counts to investigate and characterize authorship, prose and poetic style, and the dating of text. In the computer science course students will learn to design introductory experiments and as part of the Methods Section of those experiments, learn to write scripts (programs, software) to search textual corpora and gather statistical measures. In the English courses they will examine the ways that computing-based approaches can mesh with more traditional approaches.

Connections:
Eng 208 Anglo-Saxon Literature
or Eng 259 J.R.R. Tolkien
and Comp 131 Computing for Poets

20032. Cultural Flows in South Asia

These two courses address sociocultural issues central to the South Asian region of the world, home to approximately 1.5 billion peoples, and they model for students the strengths of multidisciplinary approaches to the study of this area. Anthropology and ethnomusicology study human culture from distinct but complementary disciplinary perspectives. While ethnomusicology is a relatively young discipline with a hybrid theoretical toolbox and a specifically performative focus, anthropology brings to bear a broad and deep body of theory on the study of social structure and cultural expression. The professors of the two courses will give guest lectures in one another's classes during the semester. Students who wish to complete this connection should plan to enroll in both courses in the same semester.

Connections:
Anth 295 Peoples and Cultures of South Asia
and Musc 221 Music and Dance of South Asia

20057. Early American Studies

The courses in this connection address America before the 1860s. Grounded in the interdisciplinary field American studies, the connection offers students an opportunity to employ different disciplinary approaches to texts that are often shared across English and history. As Sam Coale notes in his syllabus, "literature has never existed in a vacuum. It is always a product of its particular era, both participating in and criticizing it."

Questions of interpretation characterize both disciplines in their approaches to the period. Students in the English course read literary texts with close attention to the historical contexts in which they were produced. In the history courses, students learn to interpret a variety of primary sources, including documents produced by and for governments, narratives and diaries written by individuals, newspapers and other periodicals printed between 1750 and 1876. Students are as likely to find themselves listening to or singing folk songs as they are reading novels or learning about electoral politics. Central to each course are questions about the development of the place that came to be called America and interactions among the peoples who encountered each other there.

Connections:
Eng 253 American Literature to 1865
and Hist 201 American Colonial History
or Hist 202 America: The New Nation, 1776 - 1836
or Hist 203 America: The Nation Divided, 1836 - 1876

20063. Ecology: A Statistical Approach

Ecology is unique among the biological sciences for its dependence on applied statistical techniques from experimental design to data analysis. This is because ecology is a field science and numerous sources of variability effect field-collected data. That is, field data typically have much "noise" and it is essential to apply statistical techniques in order to detect a "signal." The emergence of ecology as a strong, essential science in the latter half of the 20th century is largely due to the availability of computers to permit sophisticated and robust statistical procedures to be applied to large field-generated data sets. This lesson is vital for students of ecology and is taught during the first labs, then reinforced throughout the semester. It seems obvious that connecting with a basic course in statistics provides a catalyst for students in fully understanding how ecology is done. In turn, students of statistics would profit from using actual data sets generated by ecology students.

Connections:
Bio 215 Ecology
and Math 151 Accelerated Statistics

20017. Ecology and Public Policy

"Anthropogenic ecology," the effect of humanity on ecosystems, is an emerging area of influence in ecology and is related to the discipline of conservation ecology, which in turn deals with such issues as ecosystem management for biodiversity, reintroduction of native species, elimination of invasive species and protection of endangered species and ecosystems. While there are many good examples of the importance of conservation ecology, none is better than the methods by which the policies that govern the U.S. national park system are formulated.

In this Connection, Bio 215 deals with the basics of ecology, including anthropogenic examples, while Pols 321 specifically examines the budget of the National Park Service. Students in this course role play in making decisions for allocation of National Park Service funds. The park service, probably the single largest manager of public lands, botanical and animal species, and cultural artifacts in the world, owns some 357 parks and other designated areas, encompassing 80 million acres in the United States.

These connected courses enable students to learn more about the issues that must be resolved in making sound budgetary decisions. For ecology students, a pragmatic examination of the reality of budgeting in the area of conservation science will add immeasurably to the value of their introduction to the discipline. For political science students, an introduction to how an ecologist views the various issues in park administration and policy making will provide insights about how science informs decision and priority making.

Connections:
Bio 215 Ecology
and Pols 321 Public Administration and Public Policy

20048. Environmental Problem Solving

This connection brings together two courses that investigate and shape our relationship with the natural world through analysis and hands-on practice. It represents a multidisciplinary approach to exploring the interaction between humans and the natural world. It provides an understanding of the consequences of human manipulation of the environment through analysis of some of the major environmental problems facing the world. Further, students will apply this understanding to actual environmental conflict situations using the theory and practice of interest-based negotiation in hands-on fieldwork assignments.

Chem 303 explores the underlying biogeochemical cycles controlling the natural world and the ramifications of human disturbance of those cycles. Environmental issues are viewed in light of how science can inform public and private policy decisions. Students are encouraged to consider the link between environmental quality and the human condition and to explore the possibilities for equitable and sustainable technologies. Pols 361 bypasses the traditional approach of politics, seeking compromise, and the law, which produces frequently unstable or societally unacceptable win-lose outcomes. It assists students to learn the value of building trust among parties in conflict, by identifying conflicted parties and interests, generating positive responses to them, and embracing rather than compromising on issues of health, safety and environmental quality. It exposes students to the concept and practice of risk assessment, and the application of these in their fieldwork.

Connections:
Chem 303 Current Problems in Environmental Chemistry
and Pols 361 Environmental Conflict Resolution

23014. Film and Society

Increasingly, fictional film is used as a lens to view the social dynamics of the society that produced the film. Analysts, critics and theorists rely on a variety of conceptual frameworks and models to interpret, analyze and assess these texts and the history of their production and audience reception. These approaches include film studies, culture studies and criticism in the humanities, and content and thematic analysis in the social sciences, as well as philosophic investigations of the arguments made in film.

This connection enables students to explore various aspects of this rich field in different national cinemas. In the First-Year Seminar, "The Dreams We See," offered every year, students learn how to analyze selected American box office hits from over the last century as primary historical documents. Pols 345 relies on contemporary films to examine political and social issues in post-Communist Russia.

In Fr 246, students learn to distinguish between modes of representation like realism, surrealism and subjective narratives to see how they reinforce or resist paradigms of class, gender or nationalism. In Itas 320, students examine how works by major Italian film directors respond to aesthetic and cultural debates and reflect the Italian socio-historical context, while Pols 225 is organized around Michael Walzer's concept of politics as an art of unification and includes ten films that are narratives about Italian unification and nation building.

Any two-course connection must include one course from each of the two areas, social or language (the FYS course is counted as a Social Science). Three-course connections must also include courses from two of the areas, but no more than one course from any one department.

Effective with the Class of 2010, this connection may only be taken as a two-course connection.

Connections:
Humanities
Fr 246 Introduction to French Cinema
Itas 320 Italian Cinema
Ger 267 Lulu, Lola and Leni: Women of German Cinema
Ger 374 Film and German Culture

Social Sciences
First-Year Seminar The Dreams We See
Pols 225 Italian Politics
Pols 345 Understanding Russian Politics and Society through the Prism of Film

23002. Food

This two- or three-course connection links the First-Year Seminar course "The Rituals of Dinner" or Anth 210, which is required, to one or two courses in the sciences. The anthropology course covers such topics as how culture shapes taste and cuisine, how different forms of food production affect social structure and nutrition, and the political factors that cause famine and food shortage. Currently, the course has substantial units on eating disorders and the causes and consequences of malnutrition, as well as on food safety and the controversies around genetically modified food. It has several components that interface with and complement components of each of the science courses as well as an extensive service learning component.

Bio 205 contains substantial units on weight control and eating disorders and on critical issues in nutrition, such as the world food supply and the influence of advertising. Biology students will gain in-depth perspectives on the cultural aspects of food availability, food choice and eating customs. Anthropology students will appreciate the biological parameters underlying the contribution of nutrients to health and disease.

Bio 262 features a survey of the plant kingdom and a study of plant anatomy. Students learn the distinguishing features of each plant phylum and of selected families of flowering plants, the evolutionary features of each group, the ecology of each group, and how plants from these groups are utilized by human societies. The course looks especially at plants that are important in the lives of students, as sources of food, beverages, medicines, industrial products, and as objects of aesthetic beauty. Complementary to the service learning component of Anthropology 210, students enrolled in Plant Biology go out into the field of the supermarket, the Harvard Botanical Museum and the cranberry bog.

Chem 109 will most clearly connect in two arenas: the function of micronutrients and the potential and problems of genetically modified foods. The Edible Chemicals course focuses specifically on the chemical components of food; the constituents of food, their chemical structures, functional properties and their interactions. A laboratory component of the course examines not only the chemical characteristics of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and micronutrients, but also their behavior together, in cooking and in digestion. A separate section of the course focuses on genetically modified foods, their potential and problems and the reality of their presence on our supermarket shelves.

The connection must be completed with at least one course from the two areas: Social Sciences (Fsem 101, Anth 210) and Natural Science. It may be either a two or three-course connection.

Effective with the Class of 2010, this connection may only be taken as a two-course connection.

Connections:
Natural Sciences
Bio 205 Nutrition
Bio 262 Plant Biology
Chem 109 Edible Chemicals

Social Sciences
First-Year Seminar Rituals of Dinner
Anth 210 Feast or Famine: The Ecology and Politics of Food

23017. Forbidden Knowledge

Throughout recorded human history, the acquisition of new knowledge through scientific discovery or technological invention has confronted human societies with ethical dilemmas. Students in this class will encounter these quandaries of the human condition by studying religious, literary, philosophical and scientific texts. The texts selected for this course explore the changing attitudes at various moments in history towards the need to forbid or control knowledge. Attitudes towards nature and the acquisition of knowledge in the Middle Ages, the origin of the scientific method in the 16th century as well as current issues in genetics will be explored from the perspectives of various disciplines.

This may be completed as a two- or three-course connection. Effective with the Class of 2010, a two-course connection must link courses from at least two different areas, a three-course connection must link courses from three areas.

Connections:
History
Hist 285 History of Science to the Scientific Revolution.

Humanities
Ger 262 The Morality and Fate of Forbidden Knowledge

Natural Sciences
Bio 211 Genetics

23004. Gender

This two- or three-course connection allows students to explore gender from a variety of disciplinary perspectives: the humanities, social science courses in psychology or sociology and/or the scientific perspective of psychobiology. Two-course connections must combine one course from each of two of the available areas. Three-course connections must include courses from at least two of the areas.

This combination of courses will ask students to consider the intersections between gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity and class. Eng 240 examines the ways in which poetic genres encode gender. Psy 290 explores gender issues by studying the psychology of women. Soc 260 focuses on cultural norms and social structural aspects of gender. Psy 261 focuses on the biological basis of issues surrounding sex, gender and sexuality. Psy 275 examines the construction and experience of gender from the viewpoint of the lived body. The courses will also be linked by a shared writing component that focuses on the variety of conventions used in these different disciplines.

Effective with the Class of 2010, this connection may only be taken as a two-course connection.

Connections:
Humanities
Eng 240 Gender, Genre and Poetry
Fr 236 Introduction to Early French Literature

Social Sciences
Psy 261 Psychobiology of Sex and Gender
Psy 275 The Body in Human Experience
Psy 290 Psychology of Women
Soc 260 Gender Inequality

20008. Gender Inequality: Sociological and Literary Perspectives

The major concerns of this connection are examined in Soc 260: How do we learn to be women and men? How are our cultural beliefs and social institutions gendered? How do different sociological and feminist theories illuminate gender relations? How can we better understand the perpetuation of inequality by examining images of women in the media, sexism in language and violence against women? How is sexism related to racism, class stratification and heterosexism?

A number of these questions will be pursued in Fr 236 through a close reading and discussion of a series of literary texts that explore the lives of women who, in widely different social settings, confront beliefs and institutions that establish and perpetuate gender inequality and privileged male dominance. Students will consider various reactions to patriarchal hegemony by women in two traditional institutions: married life and the convent. Unhappily married women (Iseut, Phèdre, Emma Bovary) turn variously to adultery, incest, madness and suicide in an attempt to deal with their plight. Bent on expiating her sense of guilt through the sacrifice of her child's freedom, a mother forces her illegitimate daughter (Suzanne Simonin) into the convent against her will, where she is brutalized physically and where she becomes the object of lesbian desire. Despite their apparent victimization, all of these women possess enormous strengths and adopt particular strategies that inform their resistance to gender inequality.

Connections:
Fr 236 Introduction to Early French Literature
and Soc 260 Gender Inequality

20015. Genes in Context

At the 50-year anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA, it is clear that the technology and medicine related to DNA have generated a wide range of ethical implications. This connection permits students interested in studying the genome at different levels to consider and apply those implications in their work. The 200-level DNA course is team taught, by a biologist and a computer scientist; students may sign up for it as either Comp 242 or Bio 242. Three different upper-level courses, Comp 215, Bio 211 and Bio 307, also study DNA and the genome. Any one of these four courses may be connected to Phil 111, which emphasizes topics dealing with DNA technology and applications.

This connection takes as its goal increasing students' awareness and understanding of the ethical issues stemming from the use of our growing knowledge of DNA and the genome. Many students taking this connection will be expected someday to make professional decisions about DNA-related issues and an understanding of the ethical implications of those decisions will serve them (and the larger community) very well. As technology and medicine find ways to utilize genetic information, increasingly complex issues with more serious consequences will emerge. Students who have taken this connection will be better equipped to evaluate and address these issues as they arise and are more likely to take a broader view of the effects of their actions. In addition, students will learn Perl, deemed by many in bioinformatics to be one of the more accessible string-matching languages, useful for genome searches and pattern matching for phylogenetic trees.

Connections:
Bio 242 DNA
or Comp 242 DNA
or Comp 215 Algorithms
or Bio 211 Genetics
or Bio 307 Cell Evolution
and
Phil 111 Ethics

20007. German Language in European History

This connection seeks to place language learning in an historical context. Students will learn about the significance of Germany in modern European history while studying the language and literature of that nation. The two courses include consideration of issues of gender, class and multi-ethnicity, particularly at the intersections of German and Jewish and German and Middle Eastern cultures. The German language courses may fulfill the foreign language foundations requirement.

Connections:
Ger 201 or Ger 202 Intermediate German
and Hist 102 The Development of Modern Europe since 1789

20068. German Politics and Culture in the European Context

Pols 215 explores, among other things, the impact of social history on contemporary politics, the structures and values that shape politics in different countries, and the impact of these factors on contemporary public policies. Questions such as "what constitutes Europe?" in the face of a more extensive European integration process force the peoples of the continent to examine historical roots and contemporary cultures.

Ger 276 or Ger 376 Berlin examines the political, social and cultural metamorphoses of a city with a special focus on the intercultural crossroads in literature, film, music, and architecture. The course investigates how new identities and memories are formed and how these processes are influencing the policies and politics of contemporary German/European governments.

Students who take both courses benefit from the macro and micro perspectives these courses offer: whereas they acquire a critical eye with which they will analyze and compare various forms of government and politics in Europe in one course, they are asked in the other to apply their critical faculties to deepen their understanding of the subsequential impact the political and policy changes have on the cultural and social surroundings in the everyday life of the citizens and vice versa.

Connections:
Ger 276 or Ger 376 Berlin - Site of Memory, Site of Construction
and Pols 215 Contemporary European Governments and Politics

20028. Germanies: History vs. Culture

The three courses in this connection explore the historical reality and cultural concept of Germany from the sometimes compatible, sometimes contradictory, perspectives of history and German studies. Ger 250and Ger 276 or Ger 376 examine 20th-century Germany through novels, films and other art forms. Topics in Hist 240 include the unification of Germany under Bismarck, Germany and World War I, Weimar culture, the rise of National Socialism, the Holocaust and World War II, the Wall, Berlin and reunification. Only one of the German courses counts towards fulfilling this connection.

Connections:
Hist 240 German History: 1648 - Present
and Ger 250 German Culture
or Ger 276 Berlin - Site of Memory, Site of Construction
or Ger 376 Berlin - Site of Memory, Site of Construction

20023. Global Music

Global Music connects the study of culture and society generally (in Anth 102) to the study of music within specific cultures and societies: Musc 211 considers the musical traditions of India, Japan, Indonesia and the Middle East, as well as Celtic and Rom (gypsy) traditions of Europe; Musc 212 looks at the music of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as ethnic music of the U.S., including Native American, Anglo American, African American and Hispanic traditions.

Ethnomusicology and anthropology are both interdisciplinary fields that cross the boundaries of social science, the humanities and the arts in order to comprehend commonalities of the human experience across a wide range of cultural variations. In addition to sharing this comparative project, anthropologists and ethnomusicologists also share certain methodological techniques: participant observation, intensive interviewing, archival and documentary audiovisual research in local communities, often in "exotic" locations. Students will be encouraged, whenever possible, to attend performances, lectures and films that enhance our understanding of cultural diversity and human expression.

Connections:
Musc 211 World Music: Eurasia
or
Musc 212 World Music: Africa and the Americas
and
Anth 102 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

20042. Graphic Design and Web Programming

The ease with which anyone can create and post a Web site has resulted in a proliferation of Web pages, most of them not very interesting and poorly designed. This two-course connection enables students to learn basic graphic design principles and then apply them to Web pages that incorporate interesting graphics, animation and dynamic content. Such successful pages can be made only by learning programming and other techniques beyond the skill of most Web masters.

Although not required, it is recommended that Arts 250, Graphic Design I, be taken before taking Comp 161, Web Programming, Graphics and Design.

Connections:
Comp 161 Web Programming, Graphics and Design
with Arts 250 Graphic Design I

20033. History and Politics of U.S. Foreign Policy

The Cold War and post-Cold War history studied in Hist 206 are intimately connected to U.S. foreign policy and the foreign policy studied in Pols 229 forms and shapes the substance of much of the history of this period. Students taking these paired courses will be exposed to the historical analysis of critical events and documents that have had and continue to have an impact on the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy. They will learn about the political structures and relationships that led to the formulation of foreign policy over time, and they will have a chance to debate and critique policies, thus developing their critical thinking and analytical skills.

Connections:
Hist 206 Modern America: 1945 to the Present
and Pols 229 United States Foreign Policy

20001. Human Biology and Movement

Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular and respiratory systems is important to dancers, helping them understand how the bones, muscles and joints work together to produce movement and how the heart and lungs cooperate to provide energy for continued movement. Students in these connected courses will relate theory and application: dancers will learn how to improve technique, form and stamina; biology students will find dynamic applications for their understanding of anatomy and physiology.

Connections:
Bio 106 Basic Anatomy and Physiology
and Thea 110 Jazz Dance
or Thea 140 Ballet

20039. Ideas of Antiquity

Much of contemporary Western culture--its political, ethical and legal systems; its artistic, musical and literary expressions; its scientific theories and rational explanations; its theological and metaphysical commitments--originates in the ideals and institutions of classical Greek culture. This two-course connection focuses on the times, places and events of ancient Greece within which some of the most important classical ideas arose. Such contextualization will illustrate both the universal nature and the potential application of classical ideas while deepening students' understanding of the historical conditioning and particularity of them.

Connections:
Hist 100 Ancient Western History
and Phil 203 Ancient Philosophy

23008. Italian Culture, Language and Society

The First-Year Seminar section forming the basis of this connection examines different ways of seeing Italy and the complex nature of Italian life reflected in the concept of la dolce vita. Course materials, in English and Italian, include films, fiction, history and personal accounts of life in Italy today. The centrality of language to the historical disunity and eventual unification of Italy is a theme that runs throughout the seminar, and the politics of art and the ways in which language reflects cultural values emerge as important themes in the course. These themes mean that either or both of the other two courses provide stimulating interdisciplinary intersections of culture, art and language. Combining these courses will also provide a strong foundation for students who wish to study or travel in Italy.

Great Works II is a continuation of Art History 101, covering architecture, sculpture and painting in Western art from the early Renaissance to the present. Among the periods covered in this course are Italian art of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, including Sienese, Florentine and Venetian paintings, Renaissance architecture, Italian Baroque art and architecture, as well as modern periods of art that originated in Italy, such as Futurism.

Readings in Contemporary Italian Literature is designed to improve students' oral and written abilities to communicate abstract and sophisticated ideas in Italian. The course also introduces them to contemporary Italian writers and thus broadens their understanding of the Italian world through poetry, short stories and other textual production such as advertising and film. Italian 200 is normally a fourth-semester Italian course with Italian 101,102 and 150 as prerequisites, but there are also usually a number of first-year students in the course.

Effective with the Class of 2010, this connection may only be taken as a two-course connection.

Connections:
Humanities
Arth 102 Great Works II
Arth 202 Great Works II (Enhanced)
Itas 200 Advanced Intermediate Italian

Social Sciences
First-Year Seminar La dolce vita

20062. Jews in Modern Europe

In this connection students will learn how social, political and economic factors have shaped the Jewish community in Europe and how the Holocaust, the worst catastrophe in Jewish history, has affected Jewish identity and culture. Students will study the development of European Jewish communities and their relations with the Christian world in the Medieval and Early Modern eras, how modernization transformed relations between Jews and Christians and how many Europeans responded to Jewish assimilation attempts with anti-Semitism and persecution. Both courses will deal with the effects of the Holocaust on Jewish identity, political structures and religious thought.

Connections:
Hist 228 European Jewish History
and Rel 232 Faith after the Holocaust

20070. Language and Literacy

This connection will provide a means for students to examine what it means to be an American through an active, engaged literacy. In Eng 256, students practice critical analysis of text that are depictions of and reflections on this process. In Educ 240, critical analysis often centers on the non-neutrality of texts and contexts, as well as the idea that literacy is not always liberating or empowering and thus is often used to marginalize or limit opportunity.

Connections:
Educ 240 Multiple Perspectives on Literacy
Eng 256 The Discourses of Cultural Diversity in U.S. Fiction

20058. Latino Culture

The topic of Latino culture will be analyzed from two academically distinct but conceptually interrelated perspectives: literature and sociology. Students will have the opportunity to study the Latino experience in the U.S. (e.g., Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, Dominican Americans, etc.) by examining the writings, fact and fiction, of Latinos and the social structure and culture of the communities in which they live.

Connections:
Hisp 300 Spanish Practicum Internship
and Soc 285 Latino Community

23015. Learning to Learn in Math and Science

This two or three-course connection seeks to address issues in the nature and quality of math and science education in America by strengthening the math and science training of potential teachers in unusual and stimulating ways. It will have immediate relevance and appeal to Wheaton education minors, most of whom go on to become early childhood and elementary school teachers, by increasing their confidence in understanding math and science and their appreciation for the relevance of math and science in their everyday lives.

Each of these courses devotes time to modeling appropriate pedagogies and discussing differences in learning styles, ways of knowing and similar topics that develop stronger learners. All emphasize confidence building as science learners and educators. Math 133 will specifically address issues in math education through problem-solving activities and the infusion of gender and multicultural issues in this area. Int 111 involves data sharing and analysis, and emphasizes both group field-based projects and standards-based content and preparation for subject-matter teacher tests.

Students completing this connection should plan to take the math course and the science course before Education 371, 381 or 385, which must be taken in the fall of the junior year, prior to student teaching senior year.

Effective with the Class of 2010, a two-course connection must link courses from at least two different areas, a three-course connection must link courses from three areas.

Connections:
Social Sciences
Educ 371 Early Childhood Curriculum
Educ 381 Elementary Curriculum
Educ 385 Teaching Math and Science

Math/Computer Science
Math 133 Concepts of Mathematics

Natural Sciences
Int 110 or Int 111 Ponds to Particles

20029. Living Architecture

These biology and art history courses share the assumption that architecture, whether built by humans or by nature, follows simple structural principles. These shared principles, termed "Rules to Build By" in these courses, are illustrated in the common characteristics of structures as different in scale as living cells and Gothic cathedrals.

For example, the first Rule to Build By states, "To maximize flexibility, assemble complex structures from simple repeating units." In Cell Biology, this principle is illustrated by cell skeletons, which exist in countless shapes by recombining common identical subunits in different patterns. In medieval architecture, the principle is illustrated in Romanesque buildings that were constructed from modular units to create additive architecture that was efficient, flexible and diverse. The second posits that "To construct self-supporting structures, balance forces of tension and compression," a principle manifested in cells by mitotic spindles and the arched stable scaffolds that support cell division, and in cathedrals by flying buttresses that support stone walls.

Living Architecture students work together in Wheaton's Imaging Center for Undergraduate Collaboration (ICUC) in several joint laboratory exercises. One lab utilizes techniques of polarization imaging to detect the forces at work on skeletons of cells and of cathedrals. In another lab, digital image analysis is used to detect patterns in visual data in diverse objects and materials. For example, this versatile technique can be used equally well to find hidden patterns in neural networks--webs of interconnected nerve cells--as in the Bayeux Tapestry (a 230-foot-long embroidery that records the Norman Conquest in 1066). Studying dramatically different subjects through the shared approaches available in the ICUC lab will crystallize students' understanding of important relationships in methodology between these apparently disparate fields.

Connections:
Bio 219 Cell Biology
and Arth 353 Castles, Cathedrals and Monasteries

20003. Logic and Digital Circuits

In logic, students employ a variety of methods to determine the truth values of statement forms and the validity of argument forms. These methods depend on an understanding of basic logical relations: negation, disjunction, conjunction and implication. These relations also form the foundations of digital electronic circuits. Students in both these courses will learn to follow specific paths (physical or not) in order to arrive at a conclusion or termination of a circuit. Logic students will see, in Electronic Circuits, the physical manifestation of logical rules and procedures. Physics students will be introduced to philosophical issues that arise in the analysis of logical forms.

Connections:
Phil 125 Logic
and Phys 110 Electronic Circuits

20016. Logic and Programming

Logical equivalence, propositional expressions and clear reasoning are cornerstones of learning to write computer programs or software. Further grounding in logical reasoning will help students in computer science to see a theoretical side of programming and the philosophical side of writing collections of statements in languages that make machines perform logical instructions. Philosophy students will benefit by focusing on the use and application of logic in the writing of computer programs and will come to see, firsthand, the point of logical precision.

Connections:
Phil 125 Logic
and Comp 115 Robots, Games, and Problem Solving

20045. Mathematical Tools for Chemistry

The two semesters of Physical Chemistry examine the theoretical underpinnings of the physical behavior of molecules at both the macroscopic (thermodynamics in Physical Chemistry I) and microscopic (quantum mechanics in Physical Chemistry II) levels. Specifically, these courses teach the mathematical representation of molecular behavior. Students taking this connection will establish a diverse mathematical toolbox and then use it as they solve complex physical problems.

Connections:
Chem 355 Chemical Thermodynamics
or Chem 356 Quantum Chemistry
and
Math 221 Linear Algebra
or Math 236 Multivariable Calculus

20044. Mathematics of Chemical Analysis

In "Analytical Chemistry I" and "Analytical Chemistry II" students learn how to determine the quantitative composition of a chemical sample. What these techniques all have in common is the need to do calculations to determine composition and statistical analysis to interpret the data. Advanced statistical methods such as those taught in "Accelerated Statistics" are incredibly useful in determining both the validity and significance of the data.

Connections:
Chem 331 Aqueous Equiibria
or Chem 332 Instrumental Analysis
and
Math 151 Accelerated Statistics

20005. Microbes and Health

Both these courses deal extensively with the human immune system. Bio 221 covers such topics as the role of microbes (mostly viruses and bacteria) in causation of diseases, covering HIV and related viruses as well as the health behaviors and risk factors associated with conditions caused by infectious organisms. Psy 265 uses HIV and AIDS as a case study for understanding the intersections of behavior and infectious disease and focuses on the impact of stress on immune response. The laboratory exercises in Bio 221 will illuminate for students some of the practical clinical procedures used to diagnose infectious diseases. Psy 265 will help students understand how psychological experience influences health and how infectious diseases impact the lives of chronically ill individuals.

Connections:
Bio 221 Microbiology and Immunology
and Psy 265 Health Psychology

20024. Modern China: Tradition and Contemporary Politics

Students who begin this connection with Hist 365, which covers the political, social, intellectual and cultural history of China from the late 18th century to the present, will find they have an excellent historical background for Pols 223, which focuses mainly on political developments in China after 1949. Those whose schedules do not permit this order may take the political science course first. Both courses may also count toward a major or minor concentration in Asian Studies.

Connections:
Hist 365 Modern China
and Pols 223 Contemporary Chinese Politics

20014. Modern Italy

These two courses focus on modern Italy from interdisciplinary and cross-divisional perspectives, exploring the historical, political and sociocultural phenomena that have shaped contemporary Italy. Pols 225 uses case studies and films to explore current Italian policies, such as immigration, taxes and education, through an analysis of their historical roots in Italy's political movements (e.g., feminism and the 1968 international youth movement) and in Italy's long-standing problems (e.g., political bureaucracy and corruption). Itas 235 approaches many of these phenomena through literature, art (such as Futurism), and historical and literary criticism. It considers how Italy's contemporary history has shaped Italian women's lives and work, and how women and their production, in the broadest sense, have shaped contemporary Italy. Thus, students who make this connection will be learning not only about modern Italy, but also about how different disciplines (social science and the humanities) develop illuminating methodologies for analyzing historical frameworks and cultural productions.

Connections:
Itas 235 Italian Women Writers in Translation
and Pols 225 Italian Politics

23003. Modern Latin America

This is a two- or three-course connection that links courses from four different areas: the humanities, the arts, the social sciences and history. Students completing these courses will gain a multidisciplinary understanding of the sociopolitical and cultural phenomena that have shaped contemporary Latin America. Students who can take either Hisp 280 or Hisp 316 in their connection will derive the additional insight that can only be gained by reading texts on Latin America in the original language, from a distinctly Latin American perspective.

Effective with the Class of 2010, a two-course connection must link courses from at least two different areas, a three-course connection must link courses from three areas.

Connections:
Creative Arts
Musc 220 Music in Latin American Culture

History
Hist 219 Norte y Sur: Modern Spanish America

Humanities
Hisp 280 The Hispanic World: Introduction to Latin American Culture
Hisp 316 Spanish American Literature II: Contemporary Literature

Social Sciences
Anth 235 Peoples and Cultures of Latin America
Pols 233 The Politics of Latin America

20047. Molecules to Masterpieces

Molecules to Masterpieces helps students connect the art they create in Arts 111 / Arts 116 or the art they study in Arth 101 / Arth 201 to its chemical underpinnings. All of the classes in this connection look at art through an historical lens, focusing on what materials were used by artists in specific periods. Art, Color, and Chemistry adds the explanation of why those materials were useful in creating lasting, and sometimes not-so-lasting, works of art.

Connections:
Chem 145 Art, Color and Chemistry
and
Arth 101 Great Works I
or Arth 201 Great Works I (Enhanced)
or Arts 111 Two-Dimensional Design
or Arts 116 Drawing I

20043. Music: The Medium and the Message

Our experience of music, whether by Beethoven, Billie Holiday, the Beatles or the Bad Plus, consists of the emotions and subjective impressions communicated and inspired by the arrangement of sounds. As in verbal communication, both the sounds themselves and the particular method of organizing them determine these effects. In Musc 114, the focus is on the vocabulary, grammar and syntax of this language of sound (the "message"). In Phys 107, the focus is on the actual sounds themselves, in terms of their mathematical and physical relationships (the "medium"). Studying musical material from both these perspectives deepens our understanding and appreciation of this essentially mysterious phenomenon.

Connections:
Musc 114 Music Theory I: Fundamentals of Harmonic Practice
with Phys 107 or Musc 107 The Physics of Music and Sound

20009. Performing into Theory

The creative process and the theoretical enterprise are intertwined; artistic creation and rational reflection influence one another reciprocally. This connection engages students in the rich possibilities of a collaboration between the performing arts and philosophy.

Students will critically and creatively explore the boundaries between theory and practice, reason and imagination, mind and body. We want both to embolden and humble the theoretical stance by challenging it to critically evaluate pathbreaking or genre-blurring creative performance. Simultaneously, we will discover the way in which ideas in their intellectual and historical context affect artistic expression. In so doing, we hope to extend theory's "self-understanding" and demystify the creative process.

Connections:
Eng 287 Writing for Performance
and Phil 236 Aesthetics

20067. Philosopy and Politics of Law

Students in these connected courses will study the theoretical and political underpinnings of American (and sometimes British) law. Of all the possible areas of that law, American Constitutional law admits most readily to philosophical and political inquiry; and for this reason, the courses in this connection focus much of their attention on that area. The most controversial and profound discussions of rights, of tensions between the federal government and the states, and of the roles of various branches and departments of our government are all grounded in political and philosophical theories. These theories, which Supreme Court Justices and other judges employ often in deciding cases, play a central role in these connected courses. And while the Philosophy courses employ different methodologies than do the Political Science courses, those methodologies complement each other and together provide students with a deeper and more sophisticated view of the law than they would have otherwise. These complementary approaches help students appreciate not only how our system of law actually works, but also how one might go about justifying its structure and its practices--or arguing for their reform.

Connections:
Phil 260 How Judges Reason
or Phil 265 Philosophy of Law
and
Pols 341 Constitutional Law I: The Supreme Court and the Constitution
or Pols 351 Constitutional Law II: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

20040. Political Theories, Political Realities: Ideas and Practices in Past Politics

Students in these connected courses will study the material and institutional frameworks that generated pre-modern political theories and will come to understand the complexities of putting these theories in practice and the often nearly unbridgeable gap between the ideal and the real. Early European history saw the development of the majority of basic legal and political structures and ideologies (e.g., common law and jury trials, representative government and the separation of church and state). Knowledge of these ideas and practices, and of the theorizing behind them, becomes crucial to our understanding of such historical phenomena as nation-state building, imperialism, the conduct of war and efforts to establish systems of national and international law.

Connections:
Hist 101 The Development of Modern Europe from the Medieval Era to 1789
and Pols 207 Classical and Medieval Political Theory

20030. Politics and Global Change

Politicians and government regulators often make decisions that affect our natural world without understanding the science that explains how that world operates. Many issues concerning the use and modification of our natural environment, such as water use, desertification, air and water pollution, and climate change, cross national boundaries, but global treaties often prove difficult to ratify or enforce. Many scientists also wish to pursue their research without the distraction of politics.

These courses offer a bridge across this divide by adding scientific information to the political debate in Pols 109 and by showing the practical and political aspects of human impacts on Earth systems to students in Phys 160. Students completing the connection will learn both sides of the politics-science relationship in detail; all students will benefit from the expanded breadth of discussion in both classes.

Connections:
Pols 109 International Politics
and Phys 160 Geology

20049. Psychoactive Sacramentals

(No description available.)

Connections:
Rel 230 Mysticism and Spirituality
and Psy 227 Drugs and Behavior

20066. Public Writing

Writing as Stanley Arnowitz argues, "is not a skill but both an art and a form of critical learning". Deployed with care and commitment, it is also a political agent, capable of effecting visible change beyond the printed page. Each of these courses recognizes the power of writing by teaching students to develop and apply critical thinking skills through writing for non-academic contexts. In Writing Public Policy, students analyze case studies and problem sets to draw on a variety of information resources as they create citizens' roles in advocating public policy. Students focus on reaching the policy audience they identify from the citizen role they choose or are assigned to play for the individual cases. Student assessment of each piece of policy work is a prominent feature of the course, related to Professor Murphy's assessment of learning outcomes.

In Professional/Technical Writing, students learn to use writing as a means of problem posing and problem solving as they identify, research and then propose solutions to campus and/or community problems. Students discover that the way an idea is expressed is as important as what is being expressed; indeed form and content are nearly inextricable. Many of these final projects are ultimately shared with the specific campus leaders to whom they are written.

Both courses allow students to experience writing as action in the workplace and political arenas.

Connections:
Eng 280 Professional and Technical Writing
and Pols 303 Writing Public Policy

20059. Quantum Theories: Contemporary American Fiction, Modern Physics and the Universe

Quantum Theory is the cutting-edge meta-narrative of our times. The challenges physicists face in attempting to explain it to the non-physicist, and often to themselves, involve the use of language, counter-intuitive notions about cause-and-effect logic, the positing of images and metaphors to describe the quantum field--are there electrons, particles, waves, fields, antimatter, quarks, a "pulsating flux," a holographic universe (each of these has been used to describe each of the others?--and the idea of statistics and probability replacing "absolute" objects.

Connections:
Eng 346 Contemporary American Fiction: Quirks, Quarks, and Quests - or - Sex, Lies, and Quantum Leaps
and Phys 225 Modern Physics
or Ast 130 The Universe

20050. Quest for Transcendence

(No description available.)

Connections:
Rel 230 Mysticism and Spirituality
and Psy 260 Psychology of Religion

23016. Race as a Social Construct

The courses in this connection have the common theme of the origins and consequences of dividing humans into categories based upon morphological characteristics. In "Genetics," students will study the complex pathways by which melanin pigments are formed. A major conclusion will be an appreciation for skin tones as a continuum of shades rather than as discrete and classifiable "racial" characteristics. In "Africans on Africa," students will explore the attitudes and opinions of the diverse peoples of Africa for a much more complex point of view on what it means to be African or African-American. "Multicultural Issues in Psychology" is a course focusing on ethnic and racial identities and their influences on human behaviors and interactions.

This may be completed as a two- or three-course connection. Effective with the Class of 2010, a two-course connection must link courses from at least two different areas, a three-course connection must link courses from three areas.

Connections:
History
Hist 143 Africans on Africa: A Survey

Natural Sciences
Bio 211 Genetics

Social Sciences
Psy 251 Multicultural Psychology

20012. Reading Children

Reading Children examines literature's responsiveness to children and their needs. Each course explores literate processes from distinct but connected perspectives; each requires students to read children's literature and attends to children's responses to text. Both courses study the history of childhood as a context for understanding childhood reading.

In Eng 286 students practice critical and cultural analysis of texts. In Educ 390 critical analysis often centers at the letter, word, sentence and story levels as participants study the processes involved in learning to read.

This connection will deepen students' understanding about reader response theory at many levels of development and experience. Eng 286 brings this critical strand into the foreground, since authors, editors, publishers and sellers are almost never members of the target audience. Educ 390 also focuses on these "consumers of the literature" as they grow and develop as readers and thinkers. Like the authors, publishers and sellers of children's books, teachers are not children. The course therefore examines the challenges of planning instruction to take into account the social and cognitive worlds of children and the literacy practices that will engage and enhance learning.

Connections:
Eng 286 Children's Literature
and Educ 390 Teaching of Reading and the Language Arts

23011. Revolution!

Social change, even revolutionary change, occurs in a variety of venues: in the home, at places of worship and on the streets. These connected courses allow students to examine many types of social movements and change, both in the U.S. and globally, and to compare and reflect on the methods of protest that are used in them. Students will study and analyze controversial issues involving racial, ethnic and national identity, as well as religion, sexuality and class, all of which shape our culture.

Thea 215, Theatre and Social Change, is the required course in this connection. By completing one or more of the history and sociology courses, students will have an opportunity to apply historical and social perspectives and pertinent theories of social change to their understanding of the theatre as a tool for conflict resolution. And they will consider how individualized, dramatized stories can realize or "perform" social issues in the theatre.

In addition to the theatre course, students must take one or two other courses to complete either a two- or three-course connection. Note, however, that only one sociology course will count in the connection.

This may be completed as a two- or three-course connection. Effective with the Class of 2010, a two-course connection must link courses from at least two different areas, a three-course connection must link courses from three areas.

Connections:
Creative Arts
Thea 215 Theatre and Social Change

History
Hist 337 Power and Protest in the United States

Social Sciences
Soc 200 Social Movements
Soc 230 Race and Ethnicity

20055. Russia: Challenge and Opportunity

In this connection students will study Russia, one of the largest nations in the world, from the point of view of its history and current situation. In Pols 375, students will examine current challenges facing Russia, such as public health crises, depopulation, environmental damage, and political and economic instability, through the lens of political science theory. In Hist 215, they will learn about the historical background of Russian problems. In both courses students will consider whether Russia is somehow "flawed" and whether it can overcome the challenges it faces today.

Connections:
Hist 215 History of Russia
and Pols 375 The Politics of Social and Economic Problems in Post-Communist Russia

20051. Russian History and Culture

This two-course connection will explore the intersection between popular forms of art, music and literature and the historical development of Russia. Students will not only learn how the creativity of individuals and communities influences and is influenced by political, social and economic developments, but also will see how academic disciplines approach similar issues from different perspectives.

Connections:
Hist 215 History of Russia
and Russ 101 Russian Folklore

20064. Russian History and Politics

This connection will focus on Russian domestic or foreign policy and its roots in Russian history. In Russian Politics or Russian Foreign Policy, students will study the evolution of the Russian political system since the collapse of the Soviet Union, or the conduct and motivational premises of Russian foreign policy. In Russian History, students will go to the beginnings of Russian society and the state, and examine the role of religion, geography, social hierarchy, political power and ideology over the past two millennia.

Connections:
Pols 249 Russian Foreign Policy
or Pols 255 Russian Politics
and Hist 215 History of Russia

20053. Schooling in Modern Society

This connection between Educ 250, Schooling in America and Hist 337, Power and Protest, or Hist 206, Modern America, is based on the common themes explored in all three courses. Schooling in America covers a history of American education (Historical Foundations), and issues of equality and access to education. All three courses explore issues of racial and other forms of inequality and our society's attempts at redress through education and other realms. All courses connect students to pressing issues in the past and in the present. Students taking these classes will be able to see seminal issues in our history from multiple and important points of view.

Connections:
Educ 250 Schooling in America
and Hist 337 Power and Protest in the United States
or Hist 206 Modern America: 1945 to the Present

20031. Science FACTion

These entwined courses introduce students to the beauty and power of mathematics and show how mathematical ideas have influenced literary science fiction. Students examine how concepts of combinatorics, infinity, topology, logic, computability, number theory and cryptography are both interrelated and linked to the most influential science fiction of the past 40 years: a lovely look at the intertwinings of the nature of language and the language of nature.

Connections:
Math 123 The Edge of Reason
or First-Year Seminar The Edge of Reason
and Eng 243 Science Fiction
or Eng 101 Writing about Science Fiction

23006. Sexuality

What is sexuality? What is its biological basis? How does society constrain and construct it? How is sexuality represented and, again, constructed in such discourses as literature, film and religion? How does sexuality intersect with race? How do sexuality and race circulate and clash in global contexts? These are some of the questions that students taking courses in this connection will address.

More specifically, for example, students in Hist 341 will gain perspectives on the Victorian sexologists. Those in Anth 350 and Eng 272 may deepen their understanding of transgender, while those in Itas 235 will focus on gender violence. Psy 261 and Soc 310 provide perspectives on power and bodily pain; Soc 310 and Eng 272, on post-colonialism and representations of gender, sexualities and cultures. Students completing Soc 310 and Fr 331 will learn about Western (and imperialist) discourses on sexuality, nation and power. Psy 275 explores the fundamental role of sexuality in the experience of the lived body and the shaping of the body image. Other combinations will provide other perspectives and focuses on the general topic of sexuality. Altogether there are 13 courses from three different areas (history, humanities and social science) from which students may create two- or three-course connections.

Students have considerable flexibility in creating these connections. This may be completed as a two- or three-course connection. Effective with the Class of 2010, a two-course connection must link courses from at least two different areas, a three-course connection must link courses from three areas. Students interested in this topic may wish to take more than the two or three courses required to complete a connection.

Connections:
History
Hist 341 Sex and Culture in the 19th-Century U.S.

Humanities
Eng 272 Romancing the Novel
Eng 348 Sexual Politics of Film Noir
Fr 331 Other Voices, Other Stories: Great Works by Women from France and the Francophone World
Itas 235 Italian Women Writers in Translation
Rel 142 Religion and Sexuality

Social Sciences
Anth 350 Gender and Social Organization
Educ 270 Issues of Adolescent Development
Psy 235 Human Sexuality
Psy 261 Psychobiology of Sex and Gender
Psy 270 Adolescent Development
Psy 275 The Body in Human Experience
Soc 310 Beyond Global Feminism
Wmst 312 Feminist Theory

20069. Structure and Function of Drugs

The two courses Chem 254 and Psy 227 share the common topic of psychoactive substances. Drugs and Behavior is the introductory psychopharmacology course that focuses on the action, bioactivity and behavioral effects of psychoactive substances, especially drugs of abuse. It includes study of dose response, binding properties and the effects of these drugs on normal brain chemistry. Examples of such substances range from caffeine and prescription pharmaceuticals like prozac to illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine. The one thing all of these substances have in common is that they are organic molecules. Organic II focuses on the structure, physical properties of organic molecules with functionality similar to the type listed above.

Included in this study is a general look at the reactivity of the active portions of those compounds. The take away message is that all compounds with similar functional groups will behave in a similar way, both in terms of chemical reactions and in terms of biological activity. Students completing this connection will have a better understanding of the intimate relationship between the structure of a compound and the biological activity it exhibits.

Connections:
Chem 254 Organic Chemistry II
and Psy 227 Drugs and Behavior

20020. The Art of the Print

Students completing this connection will learn to understand printmaking from the perspectives of artist, connoisseur, collector, conservator and art historian. They will discover that the material taught in Arth 270 makes richer sense when they have experimented with printmaking and begun to develop their own personal imagery in Arts 315.

Arth 270 focuses on the history of prints, particularly the Old Masters, who were among the greatest printmakers of all time. Students in this class work directly with the prints in the Wheaton College Collection, learning how to handle and care for them and to identify media. They also learn about the history of prints from the early 15th century to the early 19th century. Becoming print collectors and organizing an exhibition drawn from the Wheaton collection are also requirements of the course. Since there is a great deal of emphasis on the object and on the techniques of the Old Masters in the art history class, becoming a printmaker in Arts 315 will give students a wonderful opportunity to create prints and truly understand the intricacies of this medium.

Connections:
Arth 270 The Art of the Print
and Arts 315 Intaglio Printmaking

20004. The Calculus of Microeconomics

Microeconomics becomes all the more interesting when techniques from calculus can be applied to many of the issues it addresses. In particular, the graphic representation of marginal analysis, continuity and optimization in microeconomics can be approached analytically through the tools of differentiation, the major topic in introductory calculus. All examples and projects in the introduction calculus offered in Math 102 will have a basis in economics; problem sets and class time in Economics 102/112 will involve application of the calculus.

Connections:
Math 102 Calculus I with Economic Applications
and Econ 102 Introduction to Microeconomics
or Econ 112 Introduction to Microeconomics

20019. The Darwin Connection: Evolution, Race and Culture

Though evolutionary thought long preceded the work of Charles Darwin, it is his work, beginning with On the Origin of Species (1859), that essentially defined what has become the discipline of evolutionary biology. Darwin was a Victorian gentleman, well educated and affluent. His identity as a scientist was as much informed and affected by his perceptions of Victorian society as by his work in science. And the impact of his work on society, in turn, was immediate.

This connection seeks to teach students about Darwin in the context of his 19th-century world. Information on Darwin, including his own writings--books, letters and journals--is truly voluminous and readily available. Students in Bio 111 will learn how Darwin the scientist was influenced, indeed molded, by Victorian culture, concerns and values. Students in Eng 235 will learn what evolutionary biology really is and why Darwin's scientific work had such a dramatic impact on his era. Darwin's writing has often been used in English literature courses for its general eloquence and its skilled use of metaphor, aspects that science students will find engaging and helpful in understanding evolutionary theory.

Connections:
Bio 111 Evolution and Ecology
and Eng 235 Empire, Race and the Victorians
or Eng 236 Sex, Work and the Victorians

23009. The Environment

The courses in this connection investigate our relationship with the natural world from different perspectives. They will offer multidisciplinary approaches to understanding the environment and our human interaction with it, to addressing such issues as climate change, population growth and endangered species, and to assessing the impacts--positive and negative--of technology on the environment and human society.

Students will take one of the three science courses, each of which provides a basic understanding of the underlying physical, chemical and biological processes controlling the natural world. They will learn how science can inform policy decisions and how social and economic concerns can shape the environment. In Soc 315 they will have the opportunity to consider the cultural, social and environmental impacts of contemporary Western civilization and its technologies. In Rel 242 they may explore the religious roots of the current environmental crisis by examining the spiritual origins of our ideas about nature.

This may be completed as a two- or three-course connection. Effective with the Class of 2010, a two-course connection must link courses from at least two different areas, a three-course connection must link courses from three areas. None of the courses need be taken concurrently or consecutively.

Connections:
Humanities
Rel 242 Religion and Ecology

Natural Sciences
Bio 201 Environmental Science
Chem 103 Chemistry and Your Environment
Chem 303 Current Problems in Environmental Chemistry

Social Sciences
Soc 315 Society, Technology and the Environment

20060. The Genetics of the Autism Spectrum

The autistic spectrum of behaviors is becoming increasingly connected to genetics as more neurological and developmental pathways are being deciphered. Psy 324 provides a rich set of examples, as taught by Professor Grace Baron, an authority on autism and practitioner in the field. Bio 211 supplements by providing the background needed to appreciate the genetics of childhood behavior disorders, in general, and autism in particular.

Connections:
Psy 324 Childhood Behavior Disorders
or First-Year Seminar Visualizing Autism
and Bio 211 Genetics

20046. The Greeks on Stage

The Greeks Onstage is a two-course connection that examines the history, style, techniques and acting of Greek tragedy. Analysis of the social and cultural contexts of drama makes students aware of the political tensions surrounding issues of class, religion, gender, sexuality and national identity. Combining the close reading of texts and the analysis of scripts with actual performance enhances student appreciation and understanding of the material.

Connections:
Clas 254 The Drama of Fifth Century Athens
and Thea 351 Advanced Acting

20034. The Historical Context of Contemporary American Culture

This two-course connection enables students to apply the historical study of modern America to their understanding of the art and culture of the period. Students must take Hist 206 and one of the creative arts or humanities courses.

Connections:
Hist 206 Modern America: 1945 to the Present
and
Arth 318 Art since 1945
or Eng 247 African American Women's Literature
or Eng 249 Hollywood Genres
or Eng 256 The Discourses of Cultural Diversity in U.S. Fiction
or Eng 257 Race and Racism in U.S. Cinema
or Musc 273 African American Originals II: Rhythm and Blues, Rock and Contemporary Jazz
or Rel 223 Religion in Contemporary America

20025. The Math in Art and the Art of Math

Mathematics and art have always been connected. Math has been used to create works of art (perspective, golden rectangles, fractals, even visualizations of the fourth dimension), while art has been used to expand mathematical knowledge (artistic perspective shaped the drawing of mathematical diagrams; da Vinci illustrated a math text on the Golden Mean). Math has also been used to analyze art, for example, classifying figures based on their symmetry or using fractals to study 17th-century Japanese woodcuts or Jackson Pollock. Revolutions in art and in math, moreover, have often been closely tied: the Renaissance in art, preceded and to some extent made possible, the Renaissance in math; the new mathematical ideas of the fourth dimension and non-Euclidean geometry coincided roughly with the movement away from realism in the early 20th century.

Math 122 will use the mathematical mode of inquiry to pose and answer questions relating to art and art history. The course will progress chronologically from ancient Egypt and Greece to the Renaissance and move forward from there. While the material in the course is entirely mathematical, its topics as well as many of the examples and some of the work the students do will be drawn from the field of art and from materials that students will encounter in Arth 102.

Connections:
Math 122 Math in Art
and Arth 102 Great Works II
orArth 202 Great Works II (Enhanced)

20054. The Religious Response

Contrary to what scholars early in the 20th century predicted, religion today is playing an increasingly conspicuous role on the world stage as well as in individual lives. Both as shared tradition and as personal faith, religion is also undergoing dramatic change. In our increasingly globalized world, the changing face of religion has become a challenge to us all, whatever our own religious views may be.

But the shape of current world events need not be the only impetus for the study of religion. As far back as we can see, it has always been a major factor in human lives. It has provided the contours and texture of social life; influenced intellectual, economic, and political movements; inspired art, architecture, and music, contributed fundamentally to language and literature; and provided insight and meaning for the mass of humanity. In its many forms, it has been the source of great suffering and of great joy. A liberal education remains incomplete without some understanding of religion and its role in history and in individual lives.

Together, the courses constituting this connection provide a systematic overview of the world's major religious traditions in conjunction with interpretive frameworks for understanding the nature of the religious response to the inner and outer worlds, the possible meanings of the diverse religious expressions, and the significance of religious involvement in the lives of persons today.

Connections:
Rel 102 Introduction to the Study of World Religions
and Psy 260 Psychology of Religion

20065. Theories of Imperialism

This upper-level connection will examine the ways that nations have dealt with each other in the past and present, with focus on the imbalances of power that have led to imperialism. In Theories of International Relations, imperialism is examined through the many theoretical approaches that have been proposed over the past century, from J.A. Hobson to Robinson and Gallagher. In European Imperialism, theories are compared with the actual history of imperial expansion. This connection will allow students to think about the ways that state power, economic strength, technological advances and ideology have been used as tools of domination.

Connections:
Hist 321 European Imperialism, 1757-1939
and Pols 339 Theories of International Relations

20038. Top Secret

What are secrets and why do we need to keep them hidden? Once we have secrets, how do we keep other people, companies, organizations, and countries from uncovering them?

Your computer log-in password and your credit card number are two secrets you want to keep hidden from strangers. Microsoft's source-code is a secret, and the formula that produces Coca-Cola is coded, locked in a vault, and kept under tight security. Al Qaeda has secrets that the U.S. government wants to know. The U.S. government has military secrets, diplomatic secrets and policy secrets it doesn't want anyone, even allies, to know.

This two-course connection enables students to relate the "hows" of encoding secret information in the math course to the "whats" and the "whys" of doing so in the domains of government and business in the political science and economics courses. Students will learn what information policy makers and planners believe is necessary to keep secret and how to construct unbreakable codes to keep these secrets secure.

Connections:
Math 202 Cryptography
and Pols 229 United States Foreign Policy
or Pols 379 National Security Policy
or Econ 361 Industrial Organization and Public Policy

23012. Visualizing Information

Whether created or analyzed, produced for professional or folk purposes, viewed as data or expression, images are an increasingly common component of contemporary communication in both scholarly and popular venues. Each of the courses in this connection addresses the process of creating information out of images and their display. The increasing reliance on visual imagery in digital communication has put a premium on developing a genuine visual literacy in the encoding and deciphering of visual communication. This connection will allow students to appreciate the importance, power and value of using visual media for both gathering and disseminating knowledge.

This may be completed as a two- or three-course connection. Effective with the Class of 2010, a two-course connection must link courses from at least two different areas, a three-course connection must link courses from three areas.

Connections:
Creative Arts
Arts 250 Graphic Design I
Arts 350 Graphic Design II
Eng 289 Word and Image

Natural Sciences
Bio 219 Cell Biology
Bio 254 Developmental Biology

Math/Computer Science
Comp 365 Computer Graphics

Humanities
Fr 352 The Quill and the Brush

Social Sciences
Psy 312 Perception
Soc 282 Visual Sociology

20002. Voting Theory, Math and Congress

Not all elections are determined by simply counting who gets the most votes and declaring that person the winner. Mathematical theories of voting can create alternative voting methods that may then be applied to congressional elections as well as to the everyday functioning of the legislative branch. These courses, meant to be taken simultaneously, will explore the relationship between theory and practice through a joint project in which students from both classes work together on a simulation of a political campaign and election.

Connections:
Math 217 Voting Theory
and Pols 211 or Pols 311 Congress and the Legislative Process

23005. Women in the United States

These seven connected courses focus on women in the United States, addressing the intersections of gender, race and class in U.S. history, in U.S. social structures, and in U.S. literature and literary theory. Students may combine them in a variety of ways to create two- or three-course connections with different emphases, exploring the history of women, the positioning of women in current society, or the representations of women in gendered discourse, past and present.

Students might, for instance, trace African American women's resistance to the dominant culture in history and in literature. They could examine the relationship between women and industrialization in both economics and history. Or they might explore how theories of psychological development play out in literary representations.

More specifically, students taking Eng 247, Psy 290 and Hist 234 will address body image in a novel by Toni Morrison, in psychological work on anorexia, and in discussions of beauty in the 1920s. Students taking Hist 233, Eng 377 and Econ 241 will discuss "woman's sphere" and the politics of domesticity in 19th-century novels, drawing on the domesticity engendered by household economies. Seven courses from three different areas (history, humanities, social science) may be combined to create two- or three-course connections.

Effective with the Class of 2010, a two-course connection must link courses from at least two different areas, a three-course connection must link courses from three areas.

Connections:
History
Hist 230 U.S. Women to 1869
Hist 231 U.S. Women since 1869
Hist 232 Women in North America to 1790
Hist 233 U.S. Women, 1790-1890
Hist 234 U.S. Women since 1890

Humanities
Eng 247 African American Women's Literature
Eng 377 Feminist Criticism

Social Sciences
Econ 241 Women in U.S. Economy
Psy 290 Psychology of Women
Wmst 312 Feminist Theory


Connections:
History
Hist 230 U.S. Women to 1869
Hist 231 U.S. Women since 1869
Hist 232 Women in North America to 1790
Hist 233 U.S. Women, 1790-1890
Hist 234 U.S. Women since 1890

Humanities
Eng 247 African American Women's Literature
Eng 377 Feminist Criticism

Social Sciences
Econ 241 Women in U.S. Economy
Psy 290 Psychology of Women
Wmst 312 Feminist Theory

 

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