Ecuador

Professor Nelson (Colby, Geology)

During the fall semester 2003, Bates students may join students from Bowdoin and Colby colleges in the study of Andean geology, Ecuadorian history, and Spanish language. The program is headquartered in Quito at the Andean Center for Latin American Studies.

Ecuador is an eloquent example of a Latin American country re-creating its national identity as it straddles the forces of tradition and modernity, unity and diversity. In recent years the monolithic concept of Ecuador has been challenged by notions of multiculturalism and a "plurinational" Ecuador, where indigenous peoples and Afro-Ecuadorians have the same rights as Euro-Ecuadorians. The CBB Off-Campus Study Program in Ecuador offers students an opportunity for advanced preparation toward a major in Spanish or Latin American studies, though students with other academic interests are also encouraged to participate.

Students are required to take one Spanish language course unless they can demonstrate fluency in the language, in which case a Spanish literature course is substituted. Spanish language skills are tested upon arrival in Quito.

Courses

CBBE 008. Spanish Language Study. This course is conducted by faculty of the Andean Center for Latin American Studies, the host institution of the program. Students are tested and placed in a Spanish-language course of appropriate level. Staff.

CBBE 022. Introduction to Volcanoes and Volcanology. This course is an introduction to the scientific study of volcanoes and volcanic phenomena and includes an introduction to global plate tectonics, origins and chemistry of magmas and volcanic gases, reasons for differing eruptive styles and the resulting landforms, impacts of volcanic eruptions, distribution of volcanoes, and areas of high volcanic risk. Students take advantage of the proximity of active volcanoes in the Ecuadorian Andes and the Galápagos Islands for field trips; laboratories present introductions to basic map-reading, rocks, and minerals, with emphasis on volcanic materials. R. Nelson.

CBBE 023. Principles of Geomorphology. The origin, history, and classification of landforms and the processes that shape the Earth's surface are examined. Emphasis is placed on the study of physical processes, and both lectures and laboratory work are included. Laboratories focus on aerial photograph and topographic map interpretation and the ability to recognize the geologic significance of particular landforms. Field trips to areas around Quito illustrating fault- and fold-related structures and resulting landforms, active volcanoes, fluvial phenomena, and alpine glacial features complement lectures and labs. R. Nelson.

CBBE 024. History and Culture of Ecuador. This course provides an introduction to the archeology, mythology, and culture of pre-Inca peoples; the Inca Empire; the Spanish conquest; and the indigenous peoples and general population of Ecuador. Students visit museums and archeological sites in and around Quito. Staff.

South Africa

Associate Professors O'Neill (Colby, Classics) and Stakeman (Bowdoin, History and Africana Studies)

During the 2002-2003 academic year, Bates students may join students from Bowdoin and Colby colleges in the study of the history, mythology, and anthropology of South Africa at the CBB Cape Town Center. Students take two courses in the CBB program and two from a wide range of course offerings at the University of Cape Town.

Fall 2003 Courses

039. A History of Apartheid, 1948-1994.
040. The Oral History Workshop.

Winter 2004 Courses

041. World Myth and Film.
042. Crisis and Catharsis: Myth and the Visual Media in South Africa.

Courses

CBBA 039. A History of Apartheid, 1948-1994. Whatever else it was, apartheid was a major feat of social engineering. How was it able to become the dominant ideology of South Africa? How was it able to persuade people to follow its tenets? How was it able to translate its ideas into practice? This course examines the background and events leading to the Nationalist Party victory that instituted apartheid in 1948, the development of apartheid's ideology, its organization and implementation, and its effects on the people of South Africa. Students then consider the anti-apartheid movement, its organization, changing ideologies, iconography, and effects. Finally, the course shows how the two positions interacted to end apartheid and form the new South Africa. R. Stakeman.

CBBA 040. The Oral History Workshop. South Africa is a place where everyone has a story to tell. How can we translate these stories into a "people's history" of South Africa? This course offers training in how to conduct an oral history project. Topics include research design, how to identify subjects, the ethnographic interview, how to use interviews historically, and how to coordinate oral and written sources, as well as practice using equipment to conduct mock interviews. Students then use this knowledge to design and execute approved historical research projects in South Africa. R. Stakeman.

CBBA 041. World Myth and Film. This course provides the theoretical background, methodology, and vocabulary to discuss ancient and modern myths whether they are transcribed on paper or recorded on film. Students examine myths and films from Europe, the Near East, Asia, the Americas, and Africa. Myths drawn from the oral traditions of South Africa (particularly Xhosa and Zulu myth) form a major component of all sections of the course. Students address a variety of questions: Is there a method common to humanity for palliating recurring sexual, social, and political dilemmas? Do ancient and modern cultures confront them in similar or different ways? What lessons can we learn from each culture's mediation of the oppositions of male and female, rich and poor, familiar and unfamiliar? Topics include the hero, coming of age, sexuality, gender roles, plague and punishment, and rape and society. Readings are taken from Beowulf, Gilgamesh, the Odyssey, the Tain, Oedipus Rex, The African Storyteller, and Metamorphoses. Films include Star Wars, The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Chinatown, Lone Star, Blade Runner and The Usual Suspects. K. O'Neill.

CBBA 042. Crisis and Catharsis: Myth and the Visual Media in South Africa. South Africa is currently experiencing the excitement and growing pains of a major social and political transformation. As part of that transformation, South Africa is confronting issues of gender, sexuality, rape, disease, social hierarchy, and political change. Film and popular television dramas have become vehicles to explore these themes, which have previously been treated in the myths and folktales of various cultures within and outside South Africa. This course considers mythic treatment of these social issues as well as their expression in television dramas, documentaries, and contemporary African films. K. O'Neill.

United Kingdom

Professor Okrent (Bates, Philosophy); Associate Professor Collings (Bowdoin, English); Assistant Professor Laurence (Bowdoin, Government)

During the fall semester 2003, Bates students can join students from Bowdoin and Colby colleges in the study of literature, philosophy, and genetics at the CBB London Centre. During the winter semester 2004, courses are offered in British politics and culture and the performing arts. Elective courses, called "Centre courses" are offered in the fall and winter semesters in archeology, British art and architecture, British politics, economics, and the performing arts. Students register for a concentration (two or three courses) and take their remaining one or two courses from among the other concentration offerings or Centre courses.

Fall 2003 Courses

Literature Concentration:

086. London Amusements, 1770-1820.
087. Rural England.

Philosophy Concentration:

084. The Concepts of Race and Gender.
085. The Rise of Philosophical Analysis.

Biomedical Sciences Concentration:

088. Human Genetics.
One or two courses from among these courses offered by the University of East London:

UEL BS 241. Introductory Pharmacology.
UEL BS 249. Physiological Function and Dysfunction.
UEL BS 303. Medical Biotechnology I.
UEL BS 323. Infectious Disease Process.
UEL BS 343. Toxicology.
UEL BS 348. Medical Physiology.

Winter 2004 Courses

Government Concentration:

Performing Arts Concentration:

011. Voice and Movement.
066. Professional Skills Acting Workshop.
091. Contemporary British Theater.

Centre Courses, Fall 2003 and Winter 2004

022. Contemporary British Politics.
040. The Economic Integration of the European Union.
065. Physical Theater and Performance.
067. Roman Britain: Continuity and Change.
068. From Stonehenge to the Anglo-Saxons.
075. Text and Performance.
077. Literary London: Mapping the City.
079. British Art and Architecture.

Courses

CBBU 011. Voice and Movement. Advanced study of voice and movement for the stage, under the direction of professional coaches. Staff.

CBBU 022. Contemporary British Politics. A comparative politics course examining the British system of government and the most important issues and developments in British politics since 1945. Topics include parliamentary government, the evolving party system, electoral behavior, the rise and fall of the welfare state, Thatcher's economic revolution, race relations, the breakup of the Empire, NATO, the European Union, Welsh and Scottish devolution, and Northern Ireland. Staff.

CBBU 040. Economic Integration of the European Union. The course provides a comprehensive examination of the processes of European economic integration, and offers a critical analysis of E.U. policies in their broader political-economic context. A historical overview of the main economic events and currents is followed by a brief introduction to the key institutions and processes. The course then shifts its attention to the analysis of the main economic policies that continue to shape the integration processes of the E.U., including the Single Market, Economic and Monetary Union, and the Common Agricultural Policy. The course closes with a look at the E.U. and its impact on global economics, ranging from the World Trade Organization to E.U. enlargement and the Third World. Staff.

CBBU 065. Physical Theater and Performance. This course explores contemporary modes of physical theater and performance in British and European theater. Students work together in an ensemble and learn a basic physical theater vocabulary. The emphasis of the course is on developing new skills, exploring the group imagination, and applying the techniques to a wide range of plays, including Greek tragedy, Shakespeare, Restoration comedy, and the work of modern European playwrights. Theater games engage students physically and mentally, encouraging the development of physical and vocal confidence. Staff.

CBBU 066. Professional Skills Acting Workshop. In this course, actors and directors develop the professional skills used in theater, film, and television. Sight-reading, monologue work, scene study, interview techniques, and creating a résumé are explored. The students then choose a project for performance. Past work has included one-act plays, workshop performances, and Jacobean plays. Staff.

CBBU 067. Roman Britain: Continuity and Change. This course examines the impact of the Roman conquest on Britain in the first to fifth centuries C.E. in the light of modern studies of cultural and technological interaction. Emphasis is placed upon the archeological evidence for cultural change, adaptation, and resistance through detailed studies of key monuments and excavations. Material cultural evidence such as coins, pottery, glass, and other artifacts is examined. Contemporary historical narratives are contrasted with less-formal written evidence such as inscriptions and graffiti. Field trips are an essential element of the course and have included Hadrian's Wall, Fishbourne Villa, the Roman Baths at Bath, and the British and London Museums. Staff.

CBBU 068. From Stonehenge to the Anglo-Saxons. This course focuses on the archeology of Britain from the introduction of agriculture to the end of the Saxon Kingdom (circa 4500 B.C.E.-1066 C.E). The course considers the archeological evidence for the establishment of complex societies in Britain in the Neolithic, Bronze, and Iron ages. The impact of Rome on Britain and the effects of its decay and replacement by Saxon settlers are examined. The continuity of communities over millennia is considered as a framework for modern Britain. Field trips include Stonehenge/Avebury, Bath, Canterbury, York, and St. Albans. Staff.

CBBU 075. Text and Performance. London is the capital of world theater and this course focuses on the wide range of plays and production styles in both the West End and fringe venues. Students see approximately twelve plays (including one musical), ranging from Shakespeare and Greek tragedy to the contemporary British playwrights. Students analyze the productions and supporting text in the context of theater history and criticism. Field trips include a backstage tour of the National Theatre and a visit to Shakespeare's reconstructed Globe Theatre Museum. Staff.

CBBU 077. Literary London: Mapping the City. This course examines different literary "mappings" of London by British writers from the nineteenth century to the present. Students read and discuss texts written in a variety of genres (including novels, short stories, and poetry) and concerned with diverse themes. The course includes field trips to relevant sites, such as Greenwich or the British Library manuscript gallery, to give richer and more precise contexts for the set of texts. Staff.

CBBU 079. British Art and Architecture. This course examines art, architecture, and the British art world between 1700 and 1900. Works by painters such as Hogarth, Wright of Derby, Constable, and Turner, the portraitists, and the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood are studied at London museums. Walking tours around London to view particular architectural monuments supplement the lectures on British architecture. Staff.

CBBU 084. The Concepts of Race and Gender. British and American societies, among many others, classify persons in terms of their gender and their race. How these classifications are made and who belongs to which class have enormous consequences for the people classified. But the basis for these classifications is anything but clear. Are someone's race and gender social facts about a person, or are they biological facts? How are determinations rooted in the biology of a group different from determinations based on social relations within that group? This course examines the similarities and differences between American and British ways of applying these kinds of concepts, using the techniques of conceptual analysis which were developed in Britain in the first sixty years of the twentieth century. M. Okrent.

CBBU 085. The Rise of Philosophical Analysis. This course explores the history of twentieth-century British philosophy by examining the methods and characteristic doctrines of two successive British philosophical movements. Students first focus on the early twentieth-century attempt, pioneered by Russell and the early Wittgenstein, to apply the newly developed techniques of formal logic to the analysis of the cognitive significance of our ordinary ways of talking. They then consider the way in which a later generation of "ordinary language" philosophers, including Ryle, Austin, and the later Wittgenstein, reacted against this attempt. M. Okrent.

CBBU 086. London Amusements: 1770-1820. This course examines the emergence of a wide array of new urban pleasures in the era when London took its distinctive shape as a great modern city. Drawing on a number of disciplines, the course is anchored in the period's literature, especially in readings depicting London life by such authors as Goldsmith, Sheridan, Burney, Wordsworth, Hazlitt, and Keats. Students also discuss of works of art from the period in London museums, including works by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Turner, and Constable. They visit public gardens, gathering places, and museums that emerged as places of public enjoyment, display, curiosity, and instruction, such as Kew Gardens, Regent's Park, Covent Garden, and the British Museum. They study buildings that exemplify Adam and Regency style in architecture, and consider styles of clothing, manners, and social behavior new at the turn of the nineteenth century, particularly as they relate to gender, sexuality, and social class. D. Collings.

CBBU 087. Rural England. This course considers writing that emerged from rural England during and after the period of increased urbanization over the past two centuries, with an emphasis on the way authors conceive of rural life as resistance to urban life, as the cultivation of the local or traditional, as the site for more elemental forms of living or working, or as a world that haunts a largely urbanized present. Authors may include Wordsworth, Austen, Clare, Hardy, Lawrence, Forster, Thorpe, and Sebald. D. Collings.

CBBU 088. Human Genetics. This course explores cytogenetics and genomics, developmental genetics, population genetics, and transgenics. A laboratory component complements visiting lectures and field trips to such places as the Human Genome Project, Cambridge, or a meeting at the Royal Society of London. Staff.

CBBU 089. British Media and Politics in Global Perspective. What effects do the mass media — newspapers, television, popular culture and the Internet — have on politics and society? Do commercial pressures on media corporations lead to a "dumbing down" of news and a weakening of democratic discourse? Is the alternative — public provision of news and information — any better? Will the information technology revolution empower more citizens or exacerbate divisions between information "haves" and "have-nots"? Should the media be regulated, and if so, how, why and by whom? This course examines how differences in the ownership and regulation of media affect how news is selected and presented, and examines various forms of government censorship and commercial self-censorship. It considers the role of the media and "pop culture" in creating national identities, perpetuating ethnic stereotypes, and providing regime legitimation. H. Laurence.

CBBU 090. London and the Politics of International Finance. London has been the epicenter of the world's financial markets for the past two hundred years. This course takes advantage of London's unique position as the cradle of economic globalization to examine how international finance affects national politics and vice-versa. Students consider globalization in historical perspective: How does British financial hegemony in the nineteenth century compare to U.S. hegemony today? What lessons, if any, can we learn from the past? Students look at the interplay of financial globalization and domestic politics today. What are the effects of "hot money" on national sovereignty? On democracy? On equality and social justice? Are governments helpless in the face of the international capital markets, or can they control them? H. Laurence.

CBBU 091. Contemporary British Theater. This course studies the relationship of dramatic text to theatrical performance in the contemporary London theater. A variety of types of theater is explored. Students attend twelve productions and write analytical papers about them. Staff.