CSH 1213.04H |
The Art & Politics of Wandering |
mostly in person, some online |
MW |
11:00-11:50am |
Richardson, N. |
3 |
semester |
Wild things happen when we place one foot in front of the other. Strangers meet, kingdoms fall, and lives are changed. The history of humankind is a history of wanderlust, that particularly human propensity to wonder what’s on the other side of the horizon and determine to find out, come what may. It’s the basic stuff of everything from Biblical adventures to horror movies. In this course we will consider the world-changing power of the simple act of walking, of hopping on a bike, taking a road trip, or traversing a border. We will follow the footpaths of epic heroes, medieval pilgrims, and shipwrecked conquistadors, and march in metaphorical step with political revolutionaries, bereft mothers, and desperate immigrants. We will read, we will write, and, yes, we too will walk. And we will reflect on the art and the politics of those walks, on the apparently endless capacity of human movement across space to change lives and change the world. Building on weekly communication exercises (writing, speaking, etc.), this “workshop” seminar will culminate in a significant project in wandering via writing and/or media.
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CSH 1213.07H |
Introduction to Japanese culture through the world of Anime |
Mix of in person and online |
MW |
1:00-1:50pm |
Fukuda, M. |
3 |
semester |
Anime is a great resource to introduce the Japanese people's way of living, cultural products, customs, and perspectives. Students will learn the Japanese culture and expand their knowledge about Japanese society, for instance, education system, business culture, family values, food culture, communication style, history, geography, mythology, that are depicted in their favorite Anime. In the first half of the semester, students engage in cross-cultural analysis, group discussion, and reflection to expand their knowledge about Japanese culture. In the second half of the semester, students work collaboratively with a group to host a series of Anime movie nights to showcase their knowledge to the UTSA audience and develop their digital literacy.
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CSH 1213.03H |
Korean Pop Culture: Korean Culture through Korean Films |
Mix of in person and online |
W |
1:00-2:15pm |
Gong, D. |
3 |
semester |
Recently, the movie Parasite won 5 Academy Awards including Best Film as well as, the Palme D’Or, which is the highest film award in the Cannes film festival. Also, Squid Game was the number one series on Netflix for several weeks, covering the topic of social issues in Korea. Korea’s film and TV series industry has been thriving, and through this, students can learn Korean culture depicted from Korean films and TV series. They can be a great tool to understand a country’s culture and the people’s lives including their outfits, language, food, relationship, architectures, social issues, politics, and so on. This course is designed to strengthen students’ understanding and knowledge of Korea, Koreans, and Korean culture through Korean films. Specifically, students will learn and understand Korean culture through group projects, engaging activities such as cooking Korean cuisine together, immersing themselves in culture through authentic Korean architecture and traditional Korean instruments, and having in-class group discussions.
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CSH 1213.01H |
Language problems in the real world |
in person |
MW |
4:00-5:15pm |
Requena, P.E. |
3 |
semester |
Have you ever thought how many situations in real life have to do with language? From chatting with friends to writing legal documents, from learning to say our first word as babies to improving voice recognition technology for a tech company, from diagnosing a patient during a visit to the doctor’s to examining linguistic evidence while solving crime, the list is endless... A lot of what people do in their private and professional lives has to do with language. Addressing language-related problems/issues in the real world is a complex and dynamic task that requires not only knowledge about what language is and how it works, but also the use of interdisciplinary knowledge and resources. This course will introduce students to the study of language and will explore language problems that arise in different areas of society, including professional and institutional settings where students currently participate or will take part in one day through the exercise of their profession. The course will end with a project where students will be able to investigate a language-related problem of their interest, explore what the latest research says in relation to that problem, and come up with possible ways of addressing it.
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CSH 1213.02H |
The Plants in Our Lives: Reforesting Ideas |
in person |
T |
1:00-3:45 |
Meiller, V. |
3 |
semester |
Reforesting Ideas departs from the consideration of plants as compelling living beings to open-up philosophical explorations. We will tackle the work of contemporary thinkers who are trying to foreground the importance of plants in the sustenance of our planet. In an age of rapid environmental degradation and the loss of natural environments, the readings, materials, and explorations of this class seek to reframe long standing understandings of plants as passive and silent beings. Together, we will try to reimagine our entanglements with the vegetal world and the cultural approach to our green co-habitants. The class will integrate contemporary theoretical readings on Plant Studies with digital resources from various libraries and collections, rare and unique materials from the UTSA Library special collections, and other primary and secondary literary and visual sources to engage in interactive vegetal explorations.
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