Spring 2025 Seminars

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

TR 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 70405)

TR 3:40-5:20pm (CRN 70406)

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)

TR 6:00-7:40pm (CRN 70387)

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 through the close analysis of scholarly articles. Students will be introduced to religious traditions of Japan and learn about key moments in its recent history from the WWII era to the present.

Meet the Professor:

The Wise Fool & the Art of Clowning  (Prof. Stacey Cabaj, Theater Arts & Dance) 

TR 1:45-3:00pm (CRN 70411)

This course explores the sociocultural role of clowns: the subversive, satirical, silly, sacred, and wise fools who minister to their audiences through laughter and play. We will analyze their rituals of transgression, their defiance or circumvention of social norms and speaking truth to power, as invitations to freedom. We will investigate examples of clowning across cultures, history, contexts, and media as catalysts for discussion about the theories of laugher, the necessity of play, and the wisdom that arises through failure and folly. 

Meet the Professor: 

Professor Stacey Cabaj (she/her) is an actress, author, performance pedagogy specialist, and voice coach. She holds an M.F.A. in Theatre Pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University and a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, as well as teaching certifications in the Meisner Approach to Acting, Meditation, Vibrant Voice Technique®, and Vocal Yoga®. At LMU, Cabaj teaches acting and pedagogy courses in the Department of Theatre Arts, and has served as a Faculty Fellow in the Center for Faculty Development. As an actress, she has appeared across the United States and internationally in musical theatre, classical theatre, voiceover, new works, and as a concert soloist. Cabaj is the co-author of Lessons from our Students: Meditations on Performance Pedagogy (Routledge, 2023).

Stacey.Cabaj@lmu.edu

Black Los Angeles (Prof. Jennifer Williams, African American Studies)

MW 9:55-11:35AM (CRN 70396) 

Meet the Professor:

Jennifer Williams is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies; She is a Philadelphia native, and attended Temple University for her graduate work. Her research interests are Black women’s history, Afrofuturism, and Black introversion.

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

M 4:30-7:50pm (CRN 70391)

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.

Cultivating Empathy (Prof. Patrick Damon Rago, Dance)

TR 8:00-9:40am (CRN 70413)

Cultivating Empathy 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 read a variety of texts that explore 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.

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

MW 3:40-5:30pm (CRN 70383)

MW 6:00-7:40pm (CRN 70384)

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 one’s will and one’s success.

Secondly, we will focus on a careful reading of a Daoist text, Daodejing and contemporary work on Yinyang Thinking to conceptualize a worldview of transformation and the source of growth mindset.

Thirdly, we will engage in a hand-on Daoist traditional practices to train our basic skill and mastery.

Fourthly, this course invites students to engage critically and reflectively with your own experiences and formulate your best daily practice for a cultivating and developing a success mindset and skill.

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 9:55-11:35am (CRN 72842)

Meet the Professor:

Yanjie Wang is Associate Professor in Asian and Asian American Studies at Loyola Marymount University. She received her Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultures from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Prior to her Ph.D. studies in the US, Prof. Wang received her M.A. from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and her B.A. from Peking University. Prof. Wang’s areas of research include modern Chinese literature and Chinese cinema. She specializes in the issues of displacement, internal migration, trauma, violence, gender and sexuality, and ecocriticism. Prof. Wang’s essays have appeared in Journal of Chinese Cinemas, Asian Cinema, American Journal of Chinese Studies, Modern Chinese literature and Culture, Concentric: Literary and Cultural Studies, Situations: Cultural Studies in the Asian Context, Routledge Handbook of Modern Chinese Literature, among others.

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

MW 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 72665)

TR 9:55-11:35am (CRN 72664)

TR 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 72663)

TR 3:40-5:20pm (CRN 72662)

"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 international sustainability, and learn how to thrive in cross-cultural contexts. Plus, we'll help you uncover the unique opportunities and challenges of international career growth, including internships, study abroad programs, and expat assignments. Buckle up and get ready to conquer work in an international economy.

Meet the Professor:

Professor Beth Hynes serves an Instructor in Management in the College of Business Administration here at LMU. 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 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 committed to igniting her students’ interest in international business.

The Global Great War (Prof. Elizabeth Drummond, History)

MWF 10:50am-12:00pm (CRN 70394)

MWF 12:15-1:25pm (CRN 70395)

The First World War – or the Great War, as it was known at the time – was a catastrophic global conflict: it left over 8.5 million soldiers and 10 million civilians dead, saw empires fall, and established new international power dynamics. Occupation and border changes during and after the war uprooted millions, creating a lasting refugee crisis. More than a hundred years after the conflict, its legacy still haunts societies across the globe.

While many histories of the First World War focus on European experiences, especially of the Western Front, the war must be understood in the context of empire. In this First-Year Seminar, we will explore the causes and consequences of a war that radically transformed the war and shaped the history of the twentieth century – not just in Europe, but also in Africa, India, and the Middle East.

We will also consider war strategies and technologies, life in the trenches, mass casualties and the development of new ideas about war wounds and disabilities, the mobilization of the home front (including women and children), and the development of war cultures, as well as the rituals of commemoration and the revolutionary developments that emerged out of the war.

Using a variety of primary sources, including letters, novels, art, and propaganda, we will study the lived experiences of the war, on the frontlines and the home front, of both Europeans and peoples from the colonies – and we will seek to reconstruct the everyday lives of soldiers, women, medics, artists, captives, conscientious objectors, and peace activists through a semester-long “avatar” project, in which you create an imagined historical character and narrate their experiences of the war, using evidence from the sources to justify your choices as historically plausible.

Meet the Professor

Elizabeth Drummond (https://eadhistory.org/) is associate professor of History, specializing in modern Central European history (especially Germany and Poland), the history of nationalism and imperialism, gender history, and cultural history. Her current research focuses on two areas: (1) nationalist activism and experiences of national belonging in the German-Polish borderland of Poznania before the First World War and (2) the Weimar-era artist and book designer Max Thalmann. Professor Drummond earned her Ph.D. from Georgetown University and is affiliated faculty in Jewish Studies and Women’s & Gender Studies, the director of the Single-Subject Teacher Preparation Program in Social Science (History), and a co-founder of the German Studies Collaboratory and the German Studies Association Teaching Network. In 2022, she received the 2022 President’s Fritz B. Burns Distinguished Teaching Award from LMU.

Elizabeth.Drummond@lmu.edu

History of Television (Prof. Tom Szollosi, Screenwriting)

M 11:30am-2:50pm (CRN 72659) 

Utilizing clips, lecture, and assigned reports/writing exercises, The History of Television gives students a concise review of the medium's cornerstone moments and major trends. The emphasis is on writing and developing students' academic skills in order to produce success in their academic careers and beyond.

Meet the Professor: 

Professor Tom Szollosi worked as a screen and television writer from 1976 until (roughly) 2015, at which point he began his teaching career. He teaches courses in writing for film and television, working with students on their scripts and on a wide range of writing and rewriting techniques. 

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

F 11:30am-2:50pm (CRN 72660)

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

Data Innovations for the Global Economy (Prof. Zaki Eusufzai, History)

TR 1:45pm-3:25pm (CRN 72675)

TR 3:40-5:20pm (CRN 72676) 

This is a case-study based course which examines current and potential use of data innovations in improving living standards around the world. The cases that form the backbone of the course will examine specific instances of how better data collection and analysis have been used to develop innovative projects, which in turn have enhanced the lives of millions of people around the world. Examples include -- using drones/AI to identify and then repair potholes; using mobile phone technology for assessment of disaster relief; use of camera-based technology for counting crowd size. These cases will span a number of industries and sectors, as well as countries. They will be examined through a 3-way classification: data collection method(s), data analysis method(s) and the problem solved/function performed. Using this classification, the students will mix and match individual ingredients from each classification and devise their own data innovation case as part of a (group) course project.

Meet the Professor

Professor Zaki Eusufzai has always been fascinated by new inventions that combine technology and economic development. Since data is the "new oil"/technology, he has designed this course so that you can learn and then make your own contribution in using data based innovations to improve the lives of millions of people all over the world. He has taught at LMU for over two decades.

Islam and the Building of America (Prof. Amir Hussain, Theology)

TR 9:55-11:35am (CRN 70386)

Over the past 25 years my research has examined how American Muslims have lived out their religion in a society in which they are: 1) a minority community, 2) have internal differences in terms of degree of observance, sectarianism (Sunni, Shi‘a, Nation of Islam, etc.), ethnicity (25% are African American, 35% are South Asian, 33% are Middle Eastern), political affiliation, socio-economic status, etc., and 3) have to deal with issues of western modernity (e.g., same-sex marriage). This course turns that research question on its head, and asks not how America has transformed the practices of American Muslims, but how American Muslims have transformed America.

Meet the Professor:

Professor Amir Hussain has a deep commitment to students, and holds the distinction of being the only male to serve as Dean of Women at University College, University of Toronto. The author or editor of 7 books, he is the past president of the American Academy of Religion. He was an advisor for the television series The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, and appears regularly on Ancient Aliens, History’s Greatest Mysteries with Laurence Fishburne, Holy Marvels with Dennis, Quaid, and The UnXplained with William Shatner.

Amir.Hussain@lmu.edu

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

TR 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 70402)

TR 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 70403)

Latinos now represent 50 percent of all residents in Los Angeles, making them the largest ra-cial/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/x population. Students will understand how the Latino/x 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/xs 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/x migration to Los Angeles, Latino/x entrepreneurship, gentrification, Latino/x identity formation, reproductive rights, media stereotypes and representation, race relations and discrimina-tion, policing, immigrant rights and political activism. This course makes use of documentary film, lectures, in-class activities, small group and classroom discussions, and writing assignments to achieve the learning outcomes.

Meet the Professor:

Professor Sylvia Zamora was born and raised in South Gate, a Latino neighborhood in South East Los Angeles. She is a sociologist with research and teaching interests in Latino communities, immigration, race relations, and social justice issues.

Sylvia.Zamora@lmu.edu

Literature of Exile and Terror (Prof. Holli Levitsky, English and Jewish Studies)

MW 3:40-5:20pm (CRN 70390)

Meet the Professor:

My name is Dr. Holli Levitsky, and in addition to being an English professor, I am the director of our Jewish Studies program. I came to LMU after getting my PhD at the University of California, Irvine, with a specialty in Jewish literature and critical theory. My books and articles explore various forms of the Jewish experience from around the world in literature and culture. Through the course readings, discussions and assignments in this course, we examine examples of the universality of the exilic experience, which I find that students just coming to college understand in a unique way. I especially love teaching first year students because then I get to know them for all 4 years! When I'm not teaching, writing, or otherwise working, I love to bake with sourdough, play with my cats, swim, hike and read.

Holli.Levitsky@lmu.edu

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

TR 9:55-11:35am (CRN 70404)

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

Multiracial Voices (Prof. Curtiss Takada Rooks, Asian and Asian American Studies)

MW 9:55-11:35am (CRN 70409)

For the first time in modern U.S. history, the 2000 U.S. Census allowed persons of multiracial ancestry to not only fully identify themselves but also be counted present in United States.  Confined and restrained by the troupe of the tragic mulatto persons of multiracial ancestry often struggled to find their voice in the weight of monoracial hegemony.  Passing provided one strategy for survival and identification.  Such was the case from our country's birth to the late 1960s when the Loving v. Virginia (1968) Supreme Court case legally and constitutionally legitimized interracial marriage and with it multiracial offspring throughout the U.S.  Thus, contemporary U.S. society ushered in a new trope of "Hybrid Vigor" celebrating, defining multiracial persons as the hope for America's post-racial or race-less future.  Yet, through it all multiracial persons continued to be defined by others -- their voices muffled in the service of power, privilege and the struggle for dominance.  Persons of multiracial ancestry then and now became the symbol of all that is bad and all that is good in U.S. race relations.

Grounded in relevant critical race, social and identity theory, students through the use novels, poetry, film, song and video to examine the lives and articulation of self by multiracial persons as they claim their own voices, their own definitions, tell their own stories—and, in the process they unmask the continued use of race as a means to power and privilege.

Meet the Professor:

Curtiss Takada Rooks is an assistant professor in Asian and Asian American Studies. He received his Ph.D. in comparative culture, with an emphasis in cultural anthropology at the University of California, Irvine in 1996. He teaches courses on Asian Pacific American ethnic communities, mixed race and ethnic identity, and qualitative research methods.  His scholarship encompasses multiracial & ethnic identity, multicultural/diversity issues and engaged community based evaluation addressing community wellness & chronic health issues.  He has lectured widely on mixed race identity and diversity including the 2017 UCLA Mixed Student Union Conference keynote address, entitled “Musings on A Life Lived Double, Or More”, and guest lectured at Sophia University (Tokyo, Japan) Center for Global Discovery entitled, “From the Margins to the Center: The Role(s) of Japanese Americans of Mixed Race Ancestry in US-Japan Relations: Case Studies in Transnational Identity” (2016).

Oceans and Empires (Prof. Kevin McDonald, History)

MW 9:55-11:35am (CRN 70392)

MW 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 70393)

What does history look like from an oceanic perspective? This seminar will engage students with the historical development of oceanic empires, with a primary focus on overseas European and American expansion, ca. 1450-1850. The course does not aim at comprehensive coverage but instead develops comparative analyses of maritime empires, including European, British, and American case studies, and the history of ocean basins (Indian, Atlantic, Pacific).

Meet the Professor:

Kevin P. McDonald is an Assistant Professor of Colonial America and Atlantic World History at Loyola Marymount University, with research interests in maritime history, pirates and piracy, colonialism/empire, and slavery. Dr. McDonald received his Ph.D. in History at the University of California, Santa Cruz (2008) and the M.A. in History from Rutgers University/NJIT. He was an A.W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in the Humanities at Carnegie Mellon University (2011-12). His book, Pirates, Merchants, Settlers, and Slaves: Colonial America and the Indo-Atlantic World, (University of California Press, 2015), explores a global trade network located on the peripheries of world empires and shows the illicit ways American colonists met the consumer demand for slaves and East India goods.

Personal Growth and Spiritual Development (Prof. Eric Magnuson, Sociology)

TR 9:55am-11:35am (CRN 70400)  

TR 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 70401)

This is a course about life! It will be based in personal experience and community involvement. It is intended for people who are interested in exploring both emotional growth and alternative spirituality. The class is a blend of religious studies, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. It is a good course for people who are open to new ideas and practices of unconventional and Eastern spirituality. Students should also be interested in emotional exploration and be open to exploring personal beliefs, experiences, and feelings. The course will involve meditation and other mindfulness practices. (Note: The class is open to any and all spiritual and religious beliefs and backgrounds and does not require belief in any particular religious ideas.)

Meet the Professor:

Eric Magnuson is a tenured associate professor in Sociology. His research interests include social psychology, gender and masculinity, spirituality, social justice, and countercultures. His first book was on the topic of men’s movements, masculinity, and personal growth. He is currently working on a book about Burning Man, alternative spirituality, and personal development. 

Prisons and Public Culture (Prof. Andrew Johnson, Political Science and International Relations)

MW 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 70388)

MW 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 70389)

In 1972, there were 300,000 U.S. Americans in prison. Today, there are over 2 million. No other nation incarcerates such a large proportion of its population. The ratio of blacks to whites incarcerated today is around six to one. 25% of black men and 15% of Latino men will go to prison before their mid-thirties. This course will examine how U.S. American democracy and culture shaped its penal system. We will examine policing and imprisonment in criminal punishment systems, immigration systems and psychiatric and medical systems, looking for overlaps and distinctions between how these systems implement policing and imprisonment. We will confront our assumptions about incarceration and detention in the U.S., and critically examine the ways in which we are already connected to, invested in, and increasingly dependent upon a criminal justice system that relies on the mass warehousing of people of color and socioeconomically disadvantaged people.

Meet the Professor

Andrew Johnson is a political theorist, with a particular focus on the history of police institutions and contemporary social movements seeking to diminish their political power. He obtained his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California Santa Barbara. Andrew is in the process of adapting his dissertation research into a book, entitled Theses on the History of Police. He explores the historical narratives surrounding the formation and development of police institutions. Simple narratives and activist slogans are employed by conservatives, liberals, and abolitionists alike. He argues that historical complexity can benefit social movements by challenging received wisdom and transforming common sense beliefs.

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

MW 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 70397) 

In this course we will explore how some of the world’s religious traditions are responding to the problem of ecological degradation. The course will begin with a round of introductions and story. Who are you? How did the people who nurtured you help you to make it to where you are today? These conversations will take place within the context of a summary overview of the emerging field of “big history.” This discipline traces the story of the birth and development of the universe from the great flaring forth to the dawning of the human species. Our small selves are part of a much larger network of energetic forces that also are found within ourselves.

Meet the Professor:

Prof. Christopher Key Chapple is Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology and founding Director of the Master of Arts in Yoga Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. A specialist in the religions of India, he has published more than twenty books, including the recent Living Landscapes: Meditations on the Elements in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain Yogas (SUNY Press). He serves as advisor to multiple organizations including the Forum on Religion and Ecology (Yale), the Ahimsa Center (Pomona), the Dharma Academy of North America (Berkeley), the Jain Studies Centre (SOAS, London), the South Asian Studies Association, and International School for Jain Studies (New Delhi).

cchapple@lmu.edu

Religion and Pop Culture (Prof. Corrina Laughlin, Communication Studies) 

MW 9:55am-11:35am (70410)

This course will use the porous and often mutually informing categories of “religion” and “popular culture” to introduce students to essential critical thinking and writing skills as well as critical media literacy. The objectives of this course fit within the first year seminar theme of “Culture, Art and Society.” Our analysis will take seriously the Critical Cultural Studies notion that “popular culture”, once considered “low” or trashy is a worthy site for understanding ideology and politics. Students will read scholarly articles and theoretical texts alongside excerpts from novels, films, television series, podcasts, and memes. We will consider and discuss definitions of religion that will help students imagine the role of religion and religiosity in the construction of media, marketing, fashion, globalization, and digital culture and we will cover crucially important contemporary topics including the disturbing rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia in popular culture.

By the end of the course students will have familiarity with common religious discourses em- bedded in American popular culture and civic life and they will be able to recognize stereotyped, tokenized, and biased media portrayals of religion and religious people. Students will also demonstrate media arts practice by designing and executing a podcast project and will be pre- pared for this with in-class workshops and peer-review sessions.

Meet the Professor

Prof. Corrina Laughlin teaches Media Studies in the Communication Department at LMU. Her work focuses on digital culture, especially the interplay between religion and the digital and on digital feminism. She is the author of Redeem All: How Digital Life is Changing Evangelical Culture (University of California Press, 2021) and her scholarly work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals in Communication and Media Studies. She has also written for outlets such as The Atlantic and VICE, and has participated in ethnographic and documentary filmmaking and audio projects that have debuted at various festivals and conferences. Professor Laughlin is a Southern California native, a mom of two boys, and an avid (though terrible) skier. 

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

TR 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 72769)

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. 

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

TR 9:55-11:10am (CRN 70414)

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

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

MW 9:55-11:35am (CRN 72669)

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. 

Tolkien in Context (Prof. Aimee Ross-Kilroy, English)

MWF 9:25-10:35am (CRN 70399)

MWF 10:50am-12:00pm (CRN 70398)

In The Defense of Poesie, Sir Philip Sidney argued that while the world reality delivers is "brazen, the poets only deliver a golden" world.  In this course, we will explore the creation of fully realized, imaginative worlds through the work of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams.  The Inklings, as they called themselves, formed a loose literary society and encouraged each other in the writing of work that was often greeted with some skepticism by the academic communities in which they also participated.  Nonetheless, their works have been enormously influential on fantasy, children's literature, and science fiction. Additionally, each of these writers was influential in shaping thought about literature, history and theology.

In this course, students will read representative works of fiction and non-fiction by each of these authors.  We will explore their literary collaborations, and the questions and concerns of the mid-twentieth century that informed their writing.  We will also explore interpretations of their work, their impact on popular culture in the past and today, and the cultural uses to which their work is put in the present.  At the heart of inquiry is the question of the role of the imagination and fictional world-making in a real world that increasingly reveres technology and science.

Meet the Professor:

Aimee Ross-Kilroy teaches courses in British literature, Renaissance literature including Shakespeare, composition, fiction and children’s literature. She also serves as the Associate Director of the Freshman English Program. Her research interests include early modern revenge tragedies, and she has an article forthcoming in the journal Renaissance and Reformation/Renaissance et Reforme entitled “‘The Very Ragged Bone’: Dismantling Masculinity in Thomas Middleton’s The Revenger’s Tragedy,” and is at work researching purgatory and its absence in the English Renaissance. In her spare time, she finds herself watching a great deal of youth soccer and entertaining the notion of someday writing children’s literature of her own.

German Culture through Film & Literature (Prof. Agnes Cser, Modern Language and Literature)

TR 6:00-7:40pm (CRN 70385)

This course examines how the topics of war and peace are addressed and represented in German literature and film, created from the 1760s up to our present days. We will address how literature and film productions responded to the socio-historical moments of war and peace in which they were created. Readings, viewing films, and lectures will provide the source material for class discussions, essays, and quizzes. Students are expected to read relevant texts before coming to class, complete assignments and participate in class and group discussions. Upon completion of the course, students will have 1) acquired an understanding of how historical, social and political moments gave birth to the creation of representative works dealing with war and peace from 1760s to our present days. 2) achieved an introductory understanding of constructions and representations of war and peace in literature, film, and media. 3) further developed their reading, listening, speaking and analytical writing skills in English.

Meet the Professor:

Agnes Cser received her PhD in Transcultural German Studies and German Literature from the University of Arizona and the Universität Leipzig, Germany. Born in Hungary, Agnes loves languages, literature, and music. Beside her ongoing research on the poetic mission of educating in German literature, Dr. Cser’s interests include the history of German cinema and the interrelationship of German literature and music in the artistic outputs of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Franz Schubert, and Franz Liszt. Prior to joining LMU, Dr. Cser designed and taught a broad German curriculum at several universities as well as tought servral German literature courses in translation. She enjoys helping students to reach their full potential through educating themselves through the arts.

Who Owns Art? (Prof. Melody Rod-ari, Art History)

MWF 12:15-1:25pm (CRN 70412)

Who Owns Art? examines the history of collecting in Europe and America during late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The course will examine specific cultural patrimony cases such as the ongoing debate over the return of the Parthenon sculptures currently in the collection of the British Museum. Specifically, the class will explore questions such as: should the sculptures be returned to Greece where they once adorned the Parthenon temple, or should they remain in the British Museum where greater numbers of visitors have access to them? This seminar is for students who are interested in learning about cultural patrimony, art law, and the world of collecting and museums. Students will have opportunities to visit local museum collections such as the Norton Simon Museum and the Getty Villa. 

Meet the Professor:

Melody Rod-ari is a professor of Art History at LMU and is also the Southeast Asian Content Editor for Smarthistory. Prior to coming to LMU, Dr. Rod-ari was the curator of Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum. She continues to be an active curator and recently redesigned the South and Southeast Asian galleries at the USC, Pacific Asia Museum. Her research investigates Buddhist visual culture in Thailand, and the history of collecting South and Southeast Asian art. Her work has been published by various journals and university presses including Amerasia Journal and the National University of Singapore Press. She has received fellowships from the Henry Luce Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Melody.Rodari@lmu.edu

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

TR 9:55-11:35am (CRN 72668)

TR 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 72667)

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.