Fall 2024 Seminars

Contemporary Issues in African Economic Development (Prof. Nyema Guannu, Economics)

TR 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 41582)

TR 3:40-5:20pm (CRN 41583)

This introductory seminar course will examine major contemporary issues in economic development and underdevelopment, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. Topics discussed include the role of markets, inequality and poverty, international and regional economic processes, domestic macroeconomic policies, economic growth, the role of the state in economic development, civil war and conflict, debt crisis, and other central issues of economic development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Animated Spirituality: Japanese Religion in Anime, Manga, and Film (Prof. Eric Swanson, Theological Studies)

MW TR 9:55-11:35am (CRN 41555)

This course addresses religion and spirituality as seen through the lens of Japanese popular culture, including anime, manga, and live-action film. It examines how popular culture productions have represented and engaged with religious themes and human dilemmas, and asks students to critically assess the place of religion in the recent history of Japan. Emphasis will be placed on analyzing popular culture productions as well as close engagement with scholarship on anime and religion. The course also focuses on the religious, social, and cultural issues that have preoccupied creators of manga, anime, and film, and the creative ways in which these they are expressed in their work.

Meet the Professor:

Eric Haruki Swanson is an Assistant Professor in the Theological Studies Department at Loyola Marymount University. He is a native of Japan and received a BA in Religious Studies from Indiana University Bloomington, a MA in Esoteric Buddhist Studies from Koyasan University, and PhD in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Harvard University. As a cultural historian who studies the religious traditions of Japan, he takes an interdisciplinary approach that involves analysis of Buddhist scripture, doctrinal treatises, ritual manuals, narrative picture scrolls, and artistic performances. His research focuses on exploring the various ways Buddhist institutions responded to waves of political change and social uncertainty and how historical figures constructed religious identities through the production of texts and ritual practices.

Black Los Angeles (Prof. Marne Campbell, African American Studies)

TR 8:00-9:40am (CRN 41592)

This course will explore the history of Los Angeles by considering the contributions of African Americans in the region from the founding of the city in 1781. We will first consider the Afro-Latino heritage in the making of Los Angeles, and then examine the contributions of other groups of Black Angelenos through the turn of the twenty-first century. The objective of this course is to provide students with a detailed understanding the crucial role that African Americans have played in the history of Los Angeles by examining both secondary and primary texts.

Meet the Professor:

Marne Campbell is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies at LMU. She has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

The Blues, Rock, and Authenticity (Prof. David Carter, Music)

MWF 1:40-2:30pm (CRN 41588)

This course will examine popular music and the quest for authenticity in it through the examination of three groups of artists: Black American blues artists of the 1920s through the 1950s, blues-influenced British rock artists of the 1960s, and female rock artists of the 1990s. Students will see how questions of race, gender, authenticity, and appropriation play out in each of these periods and trace connections between these groups of musicians. In addition to engaging in close musical observation, students will consider broader cultural and social perspectives on the music. Students will develop their reading and writing skills through smaller assignments as well as a final major written paper. Students will also develop their oral communication skills and their information literacy skills.

Meet the Professor:

David S. Carter is a composer, theorist, and teacher based in Los Angeles, where he is an Assistant Professor of Music (Theory/Composition) at Loyola Marymount University. He earned his doctorate in music composition at Northwestern University, where his principal teacher was Lee Hyla. Prior to his graduate music studies, he completed a J.D. at the University of Southern California and a B.A. in English Literature at Yale University. He previously taught at Northwestern and North Park University. His music theory research focuses on the analysis of form in popular music, and he has presented scholarly papers at the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (U.S.) conference, the College Music Society National Conference, and the Nief-Norf Summer Festival. His compositions have been performed or recorded by the JACK Quartet, the International Contemporary Ensemble, Ensemble Dal Niente, Ensemble Court-Circuit, and Ensemble Signal, among others. He won the Iron Composer competition at Baldwin Wallace University, Northwestern University’s William T. Faricy Award, and second prize in the Rhenen International Carillon Composition Competition. He has had works performed at the Northwestern University New Music Conference (NUNC! 3), June in Buffalo (2014 and 2011), the 2008 Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice at New England Conservatory, Music07 at the University of Cincinnati, and the 2007 Bowdoin International Music Festival. Examples of his work can be found at davidcartercomposer.com and soundcloud.com/davidscarter.

David.Carter2@lmu.edu

Books About Beasts: Animal Narrative, Human Readers (Prof. Molly Youngkin, English)

MWF 9:25-10:35am (CRN 41563)

MWF 10:50am-12:00pm (CRN 41564)

This course focuses on literary representations of animals, or animal narratives, to show how humans understand their own place in the world and responsibilities to the world.  The central questions of the course will be:  How are animals represented by humans?  According to these representations, what is the relationship between humans and animals?  Do animals have rights?  What obligations do we have to them?  We will contextualize these questions by discussing contemporary debates about the animal/human relationship, including the use of animals in scientific research, the role of zoos and wildlife parks in animal preservation, the role of pets in our lives, the ethics of vegetarianism, and other topics of interest to students enrolled in the class. 

By reading animal narratives in conjunction with discussion of contemporary debates about related topics, we will better understand the complicated relationship between humans and animals and the ethical issues involved in this relationship.

Meet the Professor:

Dr. Molly Youngkin teaches in the English department and specializes in nineteenth-century British literature. She teaches courses in Romantic and Victorian literature, as well as gender studies, periodical studies, narrative theory, and animal studies.

Molly.Youngkin@lmu.edu

The Catholic Church, Nazis, & Jews (Prof. Margarete Feinstein, Jewish Studies)

TR  9:55-11:35am (CRN 41571)

TR 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 41572)

Meet the Professor:

Dr. Margarete Myers Feinstein is Associate Director and Clinical Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies at Loyola Marymount University. She received her Ph.D. in History from the University of California at Davis. Interested in legacies of the Nazi period, she has published extensively on German national identity and on Jewish Holocaust survivors in postwar Germany. Gender, memory, and personal narratives often feature in her work. Among the courses that she teaches at LMU are the History & Psychology of the Holocaust and Genocide, Modern Jewish History, Nazi Germany & Questions of Conscience, and the History of Antisemitism.

mfeinste@lmu.edu

Childhood in International Cinema (Prof. Aine O’Healy, Modern Languages and Literatures)

T 4:30-7:50pm (CRN 41557)

This seminar introduces students to critical writing through the exploration of international cinema. Our focus is on the representation of childhood in several films produced around the world since the 1940s. In order to engage with these films, drawn from different national contexts and historical periods, students apply the tools of audiovisual analysis to discern the symbolic functions fulfilled by the figure of the child. We will examine how the construction of children in cinema intersects with discourses of nation formation and with the representation of gender, sexuality, ethnicity and social class. The assigned readings, mainly drawn from cinema studies, will guide our explorations and will allow us to place the filmic analyses in a broader context, encompassing issues of globalization, discourses of the border, and discussions about multiculturalism and diversity.

Meet the Professor:

Professor Áine O'Healy is Professor of Italian and Director of the Humanities Program at Loyola Marymount University.

Chinese Characters: Myths and Marvels (Prof. Yu Li, Modern Languages & Literatures)

MW 3:40-5:20am (CRN 41553)

This course is an inquiry-based introduction to the Chinese script. You will be encouraged to pose questions regarding Chinese characters, for example – Are Chinese characters little pictures? Why are there so many of them? How do they work? Are they still used in writing Korean, Japanese, or Vietnamese? What is the difference between the simplified script and the traditional script? Why are there two scripts? How to type Chinese characters on a computer? How important an artform is Chinese calligraphy? – and so on. These questions will serve as the starting points in our collective inquiry into the Chinese writing system as a linguistic subject, a cultural phenomenon, a technological impetus, or an artistic embodiment in and beyond Asia. You will be guided to dive deeper in debunking the popular myths about Chinese characters. You will also learn to read, write, and type 100 high-frequency characters.

Meet the Professor:

I am trained as a linguist. My research focuses on the cultural and social meanings of the Chinese writing system. My current project is looking at how a particular typeface created in the US has been used to represent the Chinese identity. At LMU I coordinate the Chinese program (did you know that we offer a Chinese minor?) and teach a wide range of China-related courses, such as Chinese Calligraphy, Chinese Food Cultures, and Global China. I am working on a new course called "Reading Multilingual Cities" and hope to offer it soon. I grew up in northern China, received my education there up to the Master's level before coming to the US to pursue my PhD in linguistics. I taught at Emory University for more than a decade and joined LMU in 2018.

 yu.li@lmu.edu

Contemplative Practice (Prof. Jane Brucker, Studio Arts)

TR 8:00-9:40am (CRN 41584)

TR 9:55-11:35am (CRN 41585)

FYS Contemplative Practice provides a broad cultural, artistic and psychological/physiological understanding of the variety, creativity, process and power of the contemplative experience. A series of interdisciplinary readings and lectures are accompanied by weekly meditative experiences, allowing students to explore the numerous ways one can encounter the numinous or achieve a peaceful state.

The meditative exercises students engage include principles of mind/body coordination and philosophy including yoga and the Alexander Technique, movement, drawing and sound meditations and exposure to contemplation as part of a faith practice. The professor teaches drawing in the Department of Art and Art History and is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique and Vinyasa yoga.

Meet the Professor:

Jane Brucker is a Los Angeles artist using installation and performance to engage the viewer through contemplation, movement and ritual activity. By combining found objects and heirlooms with textiles, glass, and cast metals she examines memory, fragility, and death. Her work has been exhibited at venues throughout the United States and internationally in Nepal, Japan, Scotland, France, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Brucker is a professor at Loyola Marymount University where she is area head in drawing. She earned an MFA degree from The Claremont Graduate University, an MA in Religion and the Arts from Claremont School of Theology and attended Skowhegan School of Sculpture and Painting, where she was awarded a fellowship to study painting with Agnes Martin and traditional buon fresco with Lucienne Bloch. She is a certified teacher of the FM Alexander Technique and incorporates contemplative practice into her teaching.

Cultivating Empathy (Prof. Patrick Damon Rago, Dance)

MW 9:55-11:35am (CRN 41591)

The course will engage students in connecting concepts about Empathy found in a variety of texts, rituals, and art works to the themes of the LMU Mission in order to learn and explore how we negotiate physical, intellectual, social, emotional, and psychological situations.  Course activities will be experimental, experiential, reflective, analytical and creative.  Over the course of the semester, we will engage with a variety of texts, videos, activities and interpersonal connections that explore and develop Empathy from multiple viewpoints.

Meet the Professor:

Patrick Damon Rago has been a Professor in the Dance Department at Loyola Marymount University since 2000.  He has choreographed and performed modern dance around the country and internationally.  His choreography uses humor, spoken word, theatricality, and hyper physicality to explore human connection and other emotional themes.

Children's Books with Life Lessons (Prof. Timothy Williamson, Psychology)

MWF  9:25-10:35am (CRN 41549)

MWF 10:50am-12:00pm (41550)

Meet the Professor:

Dr. Timothy Williamson is a clinical health psychologist with specialized training in public health and psychosocial oncology (the psychological care of people with cancer) and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Science. He completed his undergraduate education at Pitzer College, his MPH at Claremont Graduate University, his Ph.D. at UCLA, and a postdoctoral research fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. His research interests are focused on stress, stigma, and health, and he is the Director the Psychosocial Risk & Resilience In Stress & Medicine (PRRISM) Research Lab at LMU. In addition to this First Year Seminar, he teaches courses in statistics, psychopathology, and health psychology. He is firmly committed to undergraduate mentorship and providing students with learning experiences that promote self-reflection and deep understanding.

Timothy.Williamson@lmu.edu

Culture, Art, and Society: Modernism (Prof. Damon Willick, Art and Art History)

TR  1:45-3:25pm (CRN 41586)

TR  3:40-5:20pm (CRN 41587)

This First Year Seminar examines the integral role of art and culture in the development of the modern world through a focused study of select artists and movements. Each week, a particular artist or movement will be studied in relation to modernity and modernism. Utilizing a combination of lectures and in-class discussion, students will learn the critical vocabulary necessary for visual analysis and interpretation while analyzing art in relation to its cultural, historical, and theoretical contexts; an examination of the social, religious, political, economic, and philosophical influences on the production of art will be of primary concern. One of the goals of the course is to understand how visual culture can be “read” in relation to historical and theoretical events of the modern period.

Meet the Professor:

Damon Willick is a Professor of Modern and Contemporary art with a teaching and research concentration on American visual culture of the post-World War II period. Dr. Willick received his Ph.D. in Art History from UCLA where he also completed his undergraduate studies. He is the author of Valley Vista: Art in the San Fernando Valley, ca. 1970-1990 (Angel City Press, 2014), a publication that accompanied his curating an exhibition by the same title at California State University, Northridge. His writing has appeared in such journals as X-TRA, NKA Journal of Contemporary African Art, East of Borneo, Spiritus, and Artpulse, as well as numerous book chapters and museum catalog essays. Dr. Willick is also an active curator and art critic, and he currently serves as a contributing editor of the journal X-TRA Contemporary Art Quarterly and on the Fellowship Advisory Board of Friends of Residential Treasures, Los Angeles (FORT LA).

damon.willick@lmu.edu

Dao & A Growth Mindset (Professor Robin Wang, Philosophy)

MW 6:00-7:40pm (CRN 41558)

Is success about learning or proving you are smart? What are ways to be successful? How should you go about your own unsuccessful experiences and disappointments? This course will explore these questions that might enhance your successes in class, college and life. This exploration will be divided into four interrelated parts:

First, we will investigate the different mindsets, identifying a contrast between the growth mindset and the fixed mindset; and interplaying between ability, efforts, and characters to avoid what might be called “gap characters,” the space between ones will and one’s success.

Secondly, we will learn about the skill and mastery from the Daoist text Zhuangzi to conceptualize the sources of the growth mindset and emotional health. The success making is usually believed something deliberate and rational—a planned activity. But Daoist teaching complicates this view with a tension between human calculational emotions and the intervention of unexpected reality. Daoist mindset will open a new horizon and unique mode of human understanding.

Thirdly, we will engage actively in the LMU Digital Veterans Legacy Project (LDVL), which focus on documenting the lives of veterans interred in the Los Angeles National Cemetery (LANC). This hand-on field work will research the lives of veterans from underrepresented backgrounds that are prominently represented in the LANC, yet of whom little is known.

Fourthly, we will identify, explore, write and create digital media of the rich histories of these underrepresented veterans; developing a toolkit for the public to research, document and memorialize the contributions these veterans made to our American story; creating a public digital archive that uses best practices in digital media. 

After all, this course will inspire students to learn about underrepresented American veterans’ stories to train our basic ability and characters for success; and introduce students to an intellectual rigor, critical thinking, and effective writing skills while laying the foundation for a life-long commitment to learning. It builds a life-long commitment to intellectual curiosity, creative activity and aims at improving students’ skills in written and oral communication and information literacy. 

Meet the Professor:

Robin R. Wang is Professor of Philosophy and 2016-17 Berggruen Fellow at Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Science, Stanford University. Her teaching and research focus on Chinese and Comparative Philosophy, particularly Daoist Philosophy. She is the author of Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture (Cambridge University Press, 2012) and was a credited Cultural Consultant for the movie Karate Kid, 2010.

East Asian Cinema (Prof. Yanjie Wang, Asian and Asian American Studies) 

TR 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 41570)

Meet the Professor:

Yanjie Wang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies and serves as the Coordinator for its Asian and Pacific Studies program. She holds a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultures from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, an M.A. from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a B.A. from Peking University. Professor Wang specializes in in Asian literature and cinema, focusing on themes such as displacement, migration, migrant workers, ethnic minorities, ecocriticism, trauma, violence, and women and gender. Her recent work explores the aesthetics and ethics of representing ecological crises in contemporary Chinese cinema. She is currently working on projects that examine the cinematic portrayal of China’s ethnic minorities through transborder and translocal lenses.

Einstein Goes to Hollywood: The Science and Fiction of Science Fiction (Prof. Jonas Mureika, Physics)

TR 8:00-9:15am (CRN 41580)

This course will explore depictions of future science in movies and television, and discuss how realistic (or unrealistic) these mechanisms actually are. In the process, students will learn the fundamental tenets of two revolutionary ideas in 20^th century physics: the non-intuitive framework of quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of relativity. These paradigm-shifting descriptions of Nature and some of their distinguishing characteristics arose from the breakdown of established physical laws previously believed to be immutable. An overarching aim of the course is to demonstrate how even the failures of the greatest ideas in science can lead to unparalleled advances in our understanding of the world in which we live.

Meet the Professor:

Prof. Jonas Mureika is a theoretical physicist who studies black holes, quantum gravity, and cosmology. He has been at LMU since 2004. Dr. Mureika spent much of his academic training at the University of Toronto, where he earned his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in physics. He also holds an M.Sc. from the University of Waterloo where he studied particle physics. His research interests lie in identifying the observational signatures of quantum gravity that might arise in future experiments such as gravitational wave detections and imaging of supermassive black holes through the Event Horizon Telescope.

Previously, Dr. Mureika engaged in several interdisciplinary projects, including modeling wind and altitude assistance in sprint races and studying hidden structure in abstract expressionist art. He also teaches the core course "Weapons of Mass Destruction," which provides an overview of the history and science of nuclear weapons.

jmureika@lmu.edu

Your Future Career in the Global Marketplace (Prof. Beth Hynes, Management)

MW 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 41545)

TR 9:55-11:35am (CRN 41546)

TR 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 41547)

TR 3:40-5:20pm (CRN 41548)

"Who needs a corner office when you can have a passport full of stamps?" Join us to explore strategies for enjoying a thriving career in a borderless economy.

Get ready to go global and unlock the secrets to career success in the fast-paced world of international business! In this Course, we'll dive into the exciting drivers, trends, and innovations shaping the global economy in which your career will develop. You'll explore the world of global entrepreneurship, discover the ins and outs of what it means to pursue a calling, and learn how to thrive in cross-cultural contexts. Plus, we'll help you uncover global immersion opportunities here at LMU, including study abroad programs, alternative spring breaks, and fellowships. Buckle up and get ready to conquer your future as a professional in an international economy.

Meet the Professor:

Professor Beth Hynes serves as an Instructor in Management in the College of Business Administration. Prior to joining the faculty, Professor Hynes enjoyed a career as a global entrepreneur in a Fortune 500 firm. During her career in business, she led global business divisions in strategy, business affairs, and legal operations. As well, Professor Hynes practiced law as an intellectual property and entertainment advisor in global law firms in Boston and New York City. A graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, Professor Hynes also holds a law degree from Northwestern University where she served as an editor on the Northwestern University Law Review, and a master’s degree in business administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business. A passion for educating the next generation of ethical business leaders led her to a teaching career at LMU where she brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her classroom. With a unique blend of achievement in academics, business, and law, Professor Hynes is dedicated to igniting her students’ interest in international business while emphasizing the importance of the triple bottom line.

Beth.Hynes@lmu.edu

Greek Stories: Identity and Storytelling (Prof. Christina Bogdanou, Modern Greek Studies)

TR 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 41568)

Fascinated by Greek mythology and history and intrigued by Modern Greece and its culture? A literature-based course, Greek Stories looks at Greek myth, history, literature, and culture as it has evolved from the past to the present. The relationship between myth and history, conflicting cultural identities, war and politics, urbanization and globalization, the changing geopolitical map of Europe will be some of the topics we will explore in our discussions.

Meet the Professor:

Professor Christina Bogdanou earned a Ph.D in Comparative Literature from the University of California at Los Angeles with an emphasis in 19th - 20th c. European literature, critical theory and gender studies. A native of Athens, Greece, she completed her B.A. in English literature and linguistics at the University of Athens. Upon graduation, she received the prestigious National Scholar Award (I.K.Y) to pursue an M.A. in Comparative Critical Theory Studies at Warwick University in the UK and then her doctorate degree at UCLA. Prior to her appointment at LMU, she taught at UCLA and Occidental College.

Professor Bogdanou joined LMU in 2001. She has taught courses in comparative literature, critical theory, and Modern Greek literature, culture and language. She is currently the Director of the Basil P. Caloyeras Center for Modern Greek Studies and the Odyssey Summer Study Abroad Program in Greece.

Her teaching and research interests are in the areas of identity politics, gender studies, cultural representations of women and women’s writing/voices.

The Horror Film, Religion, Evil (Prof. Jacob Martin, Film & Television Production)

M 6:00-9:20pm (CRN 42667)

W 6:00-9:20pm (CRN 42668)

This class will will analyze the ways in which religion has been utilized by the supernatural horror film to invoke and evoke fear in its audiences. Students will view a collection of supernatural horror films from North America, South America and Europe, dating back to F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922) up to the contemporary era, and including films such as St. Maud (Ross Glass, 2019) in order to analyze the multiplicity of ways that religious figures, imagery, and places are utilized in the supernatural horror film either to combat or manifest evil, as a means of inciting fear in its audience. Using the notion of “the good, moral, and decent fallacy,” which is the rejection that religion is always a positive force in society, we will examine religion’s societal instability throughout the West in the twentieth and into the twenty-first century and use it as a means of analyzing cinematic horror. 

Meet the Professor:

Dr. Jacob D. Martin, S.J. is an assistant clinical professor of Film, Television and Media Studies at LMU. He received his doctorate film studies from Trinity College, Dublin and is a Jesuit priest. He is also a stand-up comedian, whose current show, A Jesuit Walks into a Bar plays at venues throughout the United States.

Jacob.Martin@lmu.edu

Latino L.A. (Prof. Sylvia Zamora, Sociology)

TR 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 41577)

TR 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 41578)

Latinos now represent 50 percent of all residents in Los Angeles, making them the largest racial/ethnic group in the city. This course takes a sociological look at the social, economic, political, and cultural histories and contemporary experiences of Los Angeles’ diverse Latino population. Students will understand how the Latino presence has transformed from primarily Mexican-origin to one that now includes people from all over Latin America, and develop an appreciation of the important role Latino/as have played in the formation and development of Los Angeles and broader U.S. society. The course combines historical perspectives with current events of various topics such as Latino/a migration to Los Angeles, immigrant settlement, family, community social capital and gentrification, racial and ethnic identity, gender and sexuality, media representations, race relations and discrimination, labor organizing, schooling, policing, immigrant rights and political activism. This course makes use of documentary film, social media, student presentations and classroom discussions to achieve the learning outcomes.

Meet the Professor:

Born and raised in South East Los Angeles, Professor Sylvia Zamora received her Ph.D. in Sociology from UCLA and a B.A. in Sociology and Latin American Studies from Smith College. Her research and teaching are guided by questions concerning Latino immigration and how it is changing social, political and racial dynamics in American society; she is also exploring the ongoing manifestations of African American and Latino relations in the context of major demographic shifts. Her work has been recognized with awards from the American Sociological Association Sections on International Migration and Racial and Ethnic Minorities and appears in Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Latino Studies and the edited volume, “Just Neighbors?: Research on African American and Latino Relations in the United States.” She is currently working on a book manuscript based on a comparative, multi-site project in México and the U.S. examining how racial ideologies ‘travel’ with migrants across borders, and the implications of this for immigrant incorporation in U.S. society.

sylvia.zamora@lmu.edu

Making Sense of Global Politics (Prof. Mariano Bertucci, Political Science) 

MWF 8:00-9:00am (CRN 40860)

MWF 11:30am-12:30pm (CRN 42253)

This course is an introduction to the main issues, actors, processes and outcomes shaping global politics at the turn of the 21st century. It covers issues such as nuclear proliferation, global terrorism, food security, the environment, the global economy, global inequality and poverty, financial crises, population and migration, global health, global crime, and the role of some of the most important international organizations in trying to effectively deal with such challenges. This course is designed to jump-start (or reinforce) your curiosity about some of the most pressing issues shaping the world we all live in. The course is discussion-based; descriptive in nature (i.e. based on facts, data and research, the course answers what some of the most pressing global issues are actually about); and, it helps build healthy work habits and gain writing and oral communication skills that you will find useful no matter what profession you choose to enter.

Students are required to do—and think about—all assigned readings before class and read newspapers and follow the news on a daily basis. (If you know you are not going to be able to do this, then you should not take this class.) Upon completion of this course, you will: a) be a much more informed global citizen; b) know how to present effective arguments—both in writing and orally—on virtually any global topic; and, c) have work habits that most future employers will likely find worth investing in (vs. the profile and experiences of other people).

This course answers what type of questions: “What is nuclear proliferation about?”, “What are financial crises about?”, and so on. If you’d like to gain some analytical tools to help you explain why nuclear proliferation and financial crises (to name just two examples) take place, this course is the perfect complement to more advanced courses on, for instance, International Relations, Politics of the Global Economy, International Security and Comparative politics (which you can also take at the Political Science Department at LMU). Before trying to explain anything, it is key to understand very well what is that we want to explain.

Meet the Professor:

Mariano Bertucci earned his B.A. in International Relations from the Universidad de San Andres in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and his M.A. in International Studies from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Southern California. Drawing on Political Psychology and Political Sociology, Professor Bertucci’s research helps better understand the domestic determinants of some of the most pressing issues in international security and the international political economy. A second strand of his research focuses on how to effectively bridge the theory-policy gap in international affairs. His work has been published in International Studies Perspectives, PS: Political Science & Politics, Latin American Politics and Society, and featured in mass media outlets such as The Huffington Post and Inside Higher Ed. He has lived, worked and researched in places such as Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Brasilia, Santiago, New Orleans and Washington, DC, and volunteered in non-profit organizations helping veterans overcome the traumas of war in Los Angeles, collecting and distributing medical supplies to developing countries in Denver, and facilitating aid work with indigenous people in the region of the Triple Frontier in South America.

Monsters We Imagine (Prof. Stella Oh, Women's & Gender Studies)

TR 9:55-11:35am (CRN 41576)

In this course, students will critically consider and analyze how concepts of the monstrous challenge simplistic binary categories that structure our understanding of society. Society tends to organize individuals into categories of female or male, living or dead, reality or myth. It makes us uncomfortable when such organizational delineations are transgressed. The uneasiness that results lead us to label such transgressions as monstrous. The word “monstrous” originates from the Latin root monere meaning to warn. What do monsters that transgress and challenge boundaries warn us of? What are the limits of the human and where does the monster begin? These are some of the questions that the course will explore.

Meet the Professor:

Prof. Stella Oh is Professor in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies. She also serves as the Director of the Peace and Justice program. Her areas of expertise are literature, trauma studies, and human trafficking. Professor Oh’s research is informed by and grows out of her training as both a literary critic and a scholar of ethnic and gender studies. In addition to her more than 30 published works, her recent piece “Ethical Storytelling and Postmemory” was published by Ohio University Press. She was an invited keynote speaker at Fujen University in Taiwan and has given talks in Austria, Beijing, Iceland, London, South Korea, as well as the U.S. Her research on ethics and feminist storytelling aligns with her role as a professor. She regularly teaches courses on narrative optics, human trafficking, and gender justice. On her spare time she enjoys hiking and being in nature.

stella.oh@lmu.edu

Muscle, Mind, and Meditation: What the Body Knows (Prof. Taryn Vander Hoop, Theater Arts & Dance)

TR 11:50am-1:05pm (CRN 40874)

This is an interdisciplinary course that asks students to make connections between the personal and the scientific in terms of movement and meditation. We will explore the intersection of movement, culture, science and indigenous knowledge through walking and nature, human anatomy, somatics and yoga, science and meditative practices. We will analyze scholarly, scientific and indigenous texts from various cultural traditions related to movement and mindfulness to understand the benefits to both body and mind. Students will develop skills to embody more holistic life practices.

Purchase of a yoga mat and yoga tune-up balls required.

Meet the Professor:

Prof. Taryn Vander Hoop (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and producer. She is the co-founder of Summation Dance, an NYC/LA based modern contemporary dance company, called “full of energy and creativity” by The New York Times. Vander Hoop believes in the education of the whole person – body, mind and spirit. She trains her students to be open and receptive to new ways of moving, thinking and being, and integrates somatics, anatomy and yoga studies into her curriculum. She is an E-RYT 500 certified yoga instructor, and has led yoga teacher trainings in Costa Rica, New York, New Jersey, South Korea, and Vietnam. She wrote her own certification curriculum in 2017 and co-founded Lila Flow Yoga, which is recognized by the Yoga Alliance. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Dance with additional majors in English Literature and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography.

Taryn.VanderHoop@lmu.edu

People and the Environment (Prof. Nicolas Rosenthal, History)  

TR 9:55-11:35am  (CRN 41551)

TR 11:50am-1:30pm  (CRN 41552)

This First-Year Seminar will introduce students to the field of environmental history. At the most basic level, environmental historians study the relationship of people to the environment. Some environmental historians emphasize culture and intellectual themes, exploring the ways people think about the natural world and how it is connected to the ways they shape it. Others privilege the economic foundations of environmental relationships, focusing on how human beings get subsistence, comfort, and wealth from the environment. Still others focus on the politics and policy of human relationships with their environment, covering topics such as environmental activism and government regulation. This course will explore these themes within a historical context, focusing on North America. Our topics will include Indigenous societies, European colonization and settlement, urbanization and industrialization, conservation and environmentalism, and contemporary environmental issues in historical perspective.

Meet the Professor:

Nicolas G. Rosenthal is Associate Professor of History, specializing in Native American, American West, Environmental, and 20^th Century United States history.  His current research project explores the experiences of Native American painters and how they sought to influence popular ideas about Native American culture while making a living in the broader art world.  Dr. Rosenthal received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Oregon, earned a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and published Reimagining Indian Country: Native American Migration and Identity in Twentieth-Century Los Angeles (University of North Carolina Press, 2012).

nicolas.rosenthal@lmu.edu

Religion, Big History, and Ecology (Prof. Christopher Chapple, Theological Studies)

MW 3:40-5:20pm (CRN 41554) 

We will explore four major religious traditions plus the insights of science as we think and talk and write about ecological prospects for the future. We will read the novel Ministry for the Future; the professors' books Living Landscapes: Meditations on the Elements in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain Yogas and Black Indian; Journey of the Universe; and Laudato Si' by Pope Francis. Students will affiliate into elemental research groups and make presentations on films that interrogate environmental issues. We will have field trip experiences on and off campus that focus on recognizing the Tongva community that settled and thrived on what is now the LMU campus for a thousand years. Students will write frequently and self-reflectively, including a final research paper on a topic of their own interest. 

Meet the Professor:

Prof. Christopher Key Chapple (PhD Fordham 1980) joined the LMU faculty in 1985 and serves as Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology and Director of the Master of Arts in Yoga Studies. He has published more than 20 books and holds advisory board and leadership positions for the Forum on Religion and Ecology (Yale), the International School for Jain Studies (Pune), the Centre for Jain Studies (SOAS, U London), the South Asian Studies Association, the Uberoi Foundation, and the Dharma Academy of North America.

Science and Engineering (Prof. Elham Ghashghai, Systems Engineering)

MW 3:40-4:55pm (CRN 42664)

An introductory course on the fundamentals of science and its impact on society.  

What is science and scientific thinking? What qualifies as science? What is the philosophy of science? Does science answer everything? What are the social and ethical philosophical questions surrounding modern science? What is the scientific approach addressing today’s challenges such as climate change? 

The students will be engaged in critical lively discussions, writing papers and present engaging presentations. The students will build a foundation to not only improve their understanding of science and engineering, but also will be guided to build a foundation for their future research, social and academic engagement.  

Meet the Professor:

Dr. Elham Ghashghai joined Loyola Marymount University as full-time faculty in Spring of 2022 as part of the Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Systems Engineering department. Prior to joining LMU, she was a senior project leader at The Aerospace Corporation leading projects on future Communication and Global Positioning Satellites for fifteen years. Prior to that, Elham was with the RAND Corporation, leading and contributing to a variety of studies for future aerospace architecture, communication satellite design, operations research, Global Positioning System (GPS), information technology, and Middle East policy analysis. Dr.. Ghashghai has two M.S. degrees—one in mathematics and one in operations research—and a Ph.D. in industrial engineering from Purdue University. She was also an adjunct faculty at the University of Southern California. 

Sleep: Your Hidden Superpower! (Prof. Carolyn Viviano, Biology) 

MW 9:55-11:35am (CRN 41581)

Sleep impacts everything. Although good sleep habits are as important to academic success, health, and well-being as eating properly and being active, only 1 in 10 college students get the recommended 7-9 hours of healthy sleep per night, in comparison to 4/10 of all adults.  During this seminar, we will consider the scientific advances in sleep research in the context of society, policy, health, and even fiction.

Meet your Professor:

Carolyn Viviano received a BA in Biology from Amherst College and a PhD in Genetics and Development from Columbia University. After several years in the US and UK researching the mechanisms of embryonic development and limb regeneration, she became increasingly interested in science and environmental literacy issues. The opportunity to work with future teachers at LMU motivated her to make the career change into science education. Dr. Viviano is a member of the Biology Department and the Director of the Secondary Science Education program. Her work at LMU is driven by the core belief that it is vital to instill in others an appreciation and respect for the world around them, regardless of their intended profession, and the goal of creating a challenging and stimulating atmosphere for students at all levels. 

The Sights & Sounds of Resistance (Prof. Divine Kwasi Gbagbo, Music)

TR 9:55-11:10am (CRN 41589)

Meet the Professor

Divine Kwasi Gbagbo is Assistant Professor of Music (Ethnomusicology) in the music department. He earned his Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Arts (Fine Arts), with specialized focus in Ethnomusicology and Musicology, from Ohio University. His expertise in scholarship, research, teaching, and performance has given him more than two decades of teaching experience in world music cultures, African and African American music, music history, African studies, and interdisciplinary arts in different cultural contexts. In the music department at LMU, he teaches courses in ethnomusicology and directs the World Music ensemble. Dr. Gbagbo brings his multicultural background to bear on the classroom experience and ensemble's performances. He also writes choral art and instrumental music, which blends indigenous Ghanaian-Ewe compositional styles with techniques in western conventional harmony. He served as teaching associate at Ohio University and Kent State University before joining the music department at LMU.

divine.gbagbo@lmu.edu

Women Warriors- Who's Telling the Story? (Prof. Kennedy Wheatley, Production Film and Television)

TR 9:55-11:35am (CRN 41560)

TR 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 41561)

This course explores stories of American 'women warriors' who refused to accept limitations on their lives as women -- changing the course of history. We will study artists and activists, farmworkers and businesswomen, judges, politicians and athletes from past and present. Using documentaries, essays, news articles, books, and fiction films, we will examine how each of these women changed our world, all through the FYS lens of Power and Privilege.

Together, we will ponder: How is the rebellion of these women warriors in 1848, or 1963, or 2019 still reverberating in our society today? Whose stories have been widely told and who has been ignored?  Who do we believe when there are conflicting stories about the same woman, and why? What do these stories tell us about what it means to be female in the U.S., and how has that changed over time? 

We will explore and practice different genres of storytelling: biographical storytelling, dramatic storytelling, stories framed by critical analysis, and the intriguing grey area in between.  

This course may be particularly relevant for students whose majors involve storytelling, but all students are welcome, and a diverse group will create a richer, more engaging experience for all.   Students of all genders and non-gendered students are invited to bring their perspectives to this course.  All voices are equally honored, and everyone is respected for their own lived experience.  My goal is to share some thought-provoking ideas with you and for our shared listening to help us all grow.

Meet the Professor: 

Kennedy Wheatley is interested in how the power of media can be used for social change.  She directs documentaries, fiction films and PSAs for non-profit organizations and international NGOs.  She is currently working on a series of videos about reversing climate change.  As an artist and activist, she strives to tell stories through innovative narratives, images and sound.  She has taught in the School of Film & Television at LMU since 2000.  She earned her M.F.A. in Cinematic Arts from the University of Southern California, and an B.A. in Ethnic Studies from the Michigan State University. She lives in the foothills of LA, and is an avid swimmer and gardener.