Ellis College of Arts & Sciences

Interdisciplinary Programs 2019-2020

Film Studies
Logic Minor
Museum Studies
Museum Studies Certificate
Museum Studies Minor
Women's & Gender Studies
Minor Requirements for Women's and Gender Studies
Certificate Requirements for Women's and Gender Studies
Courses Women's & Gender Studies
General Courses
Library Science

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Film Studies

Director: Dr. Clinton Atchley, Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Philosophy

The Film Studies minor and certificate offers a wide array of interdisciplinary courses aimed at developing skills in close analysis and critical writing, provoking theoretical and methodological reflection, and deepening students’ historical knowledge of film and media practices. As befits the interdisciplinary character of our program, we have many rich connections with disciplines such as art history, comparative literature, the various national literatures, languages and cultures, gender studies, cultural studies, history and others.

Required courses (12 hours) for Certificate and Minor:

THA 3423: Movie Appreciation and Enjoyment

ENG 4383: Literature and Film

One of the Special Topics (ENG 4963, IMD 4053, or COM 4003)

COM 4493: Preproduction OR COM 4503: Postproduction

Electives for minor (two courses in addition to the required courses above):

ENG 4963: Special Topics (when appropriate)

ART 4823: Motion Graphics

ART 4583: Advanced Studio Media and Design (when appropriate)

ART 4783: History of Photography

IMD 4053: Special Topics (when appropriate)

THA 3503: Acting for the Camera

THA2273: Costuming for Stage, TV, and Film

THA2293: Stage and Studio Makeup

THA3083: Stage and Studio Lighting

COM 4003: Special Topics (when appropriate)

Logic Minor

Director: Dr. Steven J. Todd, Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Philosophy

Whereas logical thought is a cornerstone of the liberal arts education, students may minor in Logic by completing any 15 hours from the following interdisciplinary list of courses. No more than one sophomore or junior level statistics course (PSY 2143, MTH 2323, SOC 3103) may count toward this minor. To encourage students to explore a greater variety of ways of thinking, no more than 6 hours may come from a specific area (such as COM, PSY, or MTH). At least 3 hours must be classes at the 3000 level or higher. Through these varied classes, students learn about argumentation; rhetoric; inference; inductive, deductive, or transductive reasoning; logical fallacies; symbolic logic; scientific reasoning; analytical reasoning; critical thinking; and other forms of using logic and recognizing the illogical.

Fifteen hours from the following:

COM 2153 Argumentation and Debate

COM 4093 Persuasion

COM 4133 Rhetorical Theory

CSC 1104 Foundation of Computer Science I

CSC 1114 Foundations of Computer Science II

ENG 2133 Rhetoric and Argument

ENG 4643 Rhetoric and Composition

MTH 2283 Discrete Mathematics I

MTH 2323 Statistical Methods

MTH 3573 Transition to Advanced Mathematics

PHI 2133 Logic I

PHI 4143 Logic II

PHI 4043 Ancient Philosophy

PHI 4053 Modern Philosophy

PHI 4073 20th Century Philosophy

PSY 2143 Research Statistics

PSY 3153 Cognitive Psychology

PSY 3233 Critical and Analytical Thinking

PSY 4323 Advanced Statistics

SOC 3103 Statistics

Museum Studies

Director: Mr. David Sesser, Huie Library

This interdisciplinary minor is designed to introduce students to a broad understanding of museums, their place in society, and to prepare students for careers in museums and related cultural institutions. Through courses designed to expand students’ knowledge of best professional practices and through hands-on training in museum settings, this minor will allow graduates to pursue employment in a variety of museums.

Museum Studies Certificate

Students may earn a certificate in Museum Studies by completing INT 2013 Introduction to Museum Studies, INT 4013 Museum Exhibit Production and at least six hours from the list below with no more than three hours from a single discipline.

Museum Studies Minor

Required Courses (6 hours):

INT 2013 Introduction to Museum Studies

INT 4013 Museum Exhibit Production

Elective Courses (12 hours from list below, no more than 6 hours from a single discipline):

ART 3143 (WI) History of Art to the Renaissance

ART 4253 (WI) History of Art

ART 4703 (WI) History of Western Art - Renaissance to Present

ART 1793 Digital Skills for Artists

ART 3613 The Digital Image

ART 4103 (WI) Art of the Non-Western World

ART 4343 Art Apprenticeship

ART 4783 (WI) History of Photography

ANT 2013 Introduction of Cultural Anthropology

ANT 2023 Introduction to Physical Anthropology and Archeology

ANT 3043 North American Indians

ANT 3096 Archeological Field School

ANT 4053 World Cultures

HIS 3033 (WI) Colonial America

HIS 3073 Early National United States

HIS 3083 (WI) Civil War and Reconstruction

HIS 3113 Introduction to Public History

HIS 3133 Emergence of Modern America

HIS 3153 (WI) The Rise of American Diversity

HIS 3163 (WI) The Age of Social Movements

HIS 3503 History Internship

HIS 4213 (WI) The American West

HIS 4263 Arkansas and the Southwest

HIS 4293 The Old South

HIS 4333 American Women's History

HIS 4363 Special Topics in American History

INT 3033 Directed Museum Project

Other Courses:

FCS 3353 (WI) Historic Costume through the 19th Century

FCS 3483 History of Costume: 19th Century to Present

GEO 4223 (WI) The American West

LIB 3003 Library Research Methods

COM 3263 Video Art

COM 4123 Advertising Principles and Practices

COM 4193 Public Relations Techniques

PHS 1053 Earth Systems and the Environment

PHS 1073 Meteorology

PHS 1133 Introduction to Physical Geology

REC 3143 Travel and Tourism

SOC 4063 World Cultures

THA 2273 Costuming for Stage, TV, and Film.

THA 2273L Costuming for Stage, TV, and Film Lab

THA 2573 Principles of Stagecraft.

Women's & Gender Studies

Directors: Dr. Stephanie Barron, Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Philosophy, and Dr. Shannon Clardy, Department of Physics. Steering Committee Members:

Mr. Henshaw, Dr. Hickerson, Dr. Valentine.

The Women’s and Gender Studies minor and certificate is an interdisciplinary program with course offerings from several different departments throughout the university. Students who complete this minor or certificate will examine historical and cultural conditions crucial to understanding the construction of gender and the experiences of women in the U.S. and across cultures. The program features an interdisciplinary core course and cross-listed courses that challenge students to think critically about sexuality, gender, race, class, and nation.

Minor Requirements for Women's & Gender Studies

HUM 2153 Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies (3 hours)

Directed electives (with no more than 9 hours from any one discipline; 12 hours)

Total (15 hours)

Certificate Requirements for Women’s and Gender Studies

HUM 2153 Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies (3 hours)

Directed electives (9 hours)

Total (12 hours)

Courses Women's & Gender Studies

HUM 2153. Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies. This course is designed to introduce students to the rich body of knowledge developed by women and about women and gender. The structure of gender and its consequences for women both in our own culture and throughout selected regions of the world will be studied from interdisciplinary perspectives. In addition, we will examine feminist theories, women's movements, and forms of feminist pedagogy. This course gives students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines an introduction to the rich body of historical and contemporary scholarship about women, sexuality, and gender. It foregrounds concepts of gender, race, class, and sexuality, and addresses the materiality of various oppressions as they intersect with critical areas of identify and thought. Constructions of gender and its implications both in our own culture and throughout selected regions of the world are studied from interdisciplinary perspectives. Prerequisite: ENG1463 and ENG1473 or ENG1803.

Electives (12 hours, no more than 9 hours from any one discipline):

COM 3413. Gender Communication. A study of the variable of gender as it influences verbal and nonverbal interaction between men and women. Why the verbal and nonverbal codes are different and how they may be modified to produce good communication.

ENG 4403. Topics in Women’s Literature. This course will focus on poetry, prose, and/or drama by women. Topics will vary. For example, the course may be a survey of literature written by women of a particular period, movement, or culture, an examination of the works of an individual woman writer, or a cross-cultural exploration of a particular theme within women’s literature. As course content varies, students may take this course twice.

FCS 3153. Family Relations. The dynamics of interpersonal relationships among family members at each stage of the life cycle.

HIS 4003. Women in Europe from the Fall of Rome to the French Revolution. This course examines women’s social and cultural position in medieval and early modern Europe, a period of remarkable cultural continuity punctuate with period of dramatic political and intellectual change. It addresses issues such as women’s participation in political life, the ideas, social norms and laws governing marriage and sexuality, scientific ideas about women and their difference from men, women’s economic roles, their education, and there relationship with the Christian Church. Prerequisite: HIS 1013.

HIS 4303. Sex and Gender in Africa. The course examines concepts and perspectives in African Gender and Sexuality Studies. Focusing on both historical and contemporary conceptions of gender identity, the course explores the intersections of gender with race, class, kinship, economics, religion, and power. Themes covered include colonialism, nationalism, social movements, post-colonialism as well as concepts such as marriage, motherhood, masculinity, and sexuality in African and comparative contexts. Students will be exposed to concepts, theoretical approaches, and historical methods that scholars have employed to examine, critique, and construct gender in African history.

HIS 4333. American Women’s History. Examines the history of American women from the colonial era to the present, focusing on women’s political organizations and social activism, economic importance, daily lives, and the ideological construction of gender roles.

PSY 4693. Love and Sexual Behavior. Intimate relationships including friendship, romance, sex, and marriage. The material looks at relational behavior that is normal or abnormal, mature or immature, healthy or unhealthy. Discussions will examine factors that may play roles in determining whether relationships succeed or fail, such as communication, negotiation, gender differences, cultural differences, and predictors of divorce. Topics include attraction, courtship, dating, mating, marriage, parenting, divorce, jealousy, fidelity, sexual response cycle, dysfunctions, paraphilias, obsession, impulsivity, sex crimes, and Internet relationships.

SOC 4293. Sociology of Gender Roles. A study of the changing roles of women and men in American society. Comparisons are made with other societies. Prerequisite: SOC 1013.

SOC 3033. Marriage and Family. A functional course which will acquaint the student with research findings of sociology, psychology, and home economics, and which relate to the institution of the family and practice of courtship and marriage. Behaviors and values will be explored using the technique of cross-cultural comparisons.

SOC 4503. Domestic Violence. This course will treat theories of physical and psychological violence and aggression as they apply to the interpersonal relationships within the home. Rape, child abuse, spouse battering, sibling abuse, and elder abuse are focal topics.

SOC 4603. Women and Law. This course will center on the historical and current operation of gender in the law and society. The course will uncover the social, psychological, political and economic effects of gender implications in the law on individuals and groups. Using sociological, historical and legal methods and theories, the course will uncover the impact of gender, and the intersections of gender with race and class. The student will learn to recognize, analyze and discuss both verbally and in writing the various dimensions of gender and law present in the structures and situations in U.S. society.

THA 4473. (WI) Women, Gender and Race in American Theatre. A course designed to heighten the student’s awareness of the role that women, gender, and race have played historically and play currently in the theatre arts of the United States. This course is designed to explore the wide range of theatre that is usually referred to as theatre of diversity, “theatre of the people,” “fringe theatre,” or even “theatre of difference.”

*Special Topics courses offered on women’s and gender issues may also be designated as minor electives by the Women’s and Gender Studies Director.

*One seminar may be counted toward the elective requirements for the women’s and gender studies minor if the topic of research is germane and approved by the director of the minor, even if the seminar is not specifically a women’s and gender studies course.

General Courses

GEN 0053. Conversational English/International Students.

GEN 1023. Dynamics of Leadership.

GEN 1031. Henderson Seminar. A mandatory course designed for first-time entering freshmen, Henderson Seminar facilitates the transition of first-time freshmen to the university by introducing them to academic expectations and support services and by fostering engagement in university life beyond the classroom.

GEN 1041. American Culture for International Students. A mandatory course designed for all international students new to the United States. This course is intended to help international students to understand American values, laws, customs, family and social issues, and help them to cope with cultural differences. The course is required for all international students in their first semester at the university. (Exception are students transferring from United States universities above the rank of freshman.) All designated students must pass the course with a grade "C" or above.

GEN 1112. University College (Fall 2017 Pilot Course). Only available to freshman needing remediation in three areas. GEN 1112 will guide students through the process of thinking critically about the challenges to their academic success and identifying strategies to overcome them. Various skills critical for college success will also be introduced. Assignments will help students improve reading and writing skills developed during remedial courses.

GEN 3073, 5073. Travel and Study.

GEN 4083, 5083. Study Abroad: Non-Western.

INT 2013. Introduction to Museum Studies. This course serves as a survey of the history of museums as well s the philosophical nature of museums. Different types of museums are discussed including art, natural history, historical, science and others. The course will introduce students to occupations within the museum field.

INT 4013. Museum Exhibit Production. A capstone course, students will work individually with a faculty member or an approved off-campus museum professional to design, create, install, and curate an exhibit. Students should select a project which supports their previous museum studies coursework. Prerequisites: GEN 2013 and 6-hours of Museum Studies electives.

Library Science

LIB 3003. Library Research Methods. The course provides an introduction to library and research skills. Students will learn how information is organized by libraries and indexing systems, how to create strategies for finding information, how to use print and electronic sources to locate information, and how to evaluate and cite information found. Students will use these skills to produce a short research paper or an annotated bibliography.

LIB 3013. Archival Management. An introductory course into the field of archives, students will learn basic practices utilized in archival repositories. Topics covered will include preservation, processing, and digital archives. Students will gain exposure to these and other topics through a combination of readings, lectures, and hands on learning.