Spring 2027 Seminars

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

TR 9:55-11:35am (CRN 71330)

TR 3:40-5:20pm (CRN 71329)

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.

Amazing Archaeology! (Prof. Caroline Sauvage, Classics and Archaeology) 

TR 3:40-5:20pm (CRN 71325)

This class will provide students with an introduction to archaeology through some of the seven wonders of the world and other exceptional archaeological discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean. Topics to be covered include the Great Pyramid in Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the intact tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, the necropolis at Ur (Irak), the ancient city or Troy, the royal palace of Mari, Ugarit, the Bronze Age Palaces of the Minoans in Crete and Shipwrecks of the Late Bronze Age. Through the semester, student will be introduced to the field of archaeology and its history of research especially in the early 20th c. AD, which will allow them to think critically both about the field and its evolution, but also about the research tools and methodologies that are used in the field. Such reflections will be done through active in-class discussions, exercises and role plays, formal writing, and library workshops.

Meet the Professor:

Caroline Sauvage is the NEH professor of Ancient Mediterranean Studies and the director of the archaeology center and museum in the department of Theological Studies and Classics and Archaeology at Loyola Marymount University. Her research interests include trade and maritime exchanges in the eastern Mediterranean, the development and use of textile tools during the Late Bronze Age and early Iron Age, and the definition of social groups. Her main focus is on exchanges, the status of objects, the use of objects and representations as social and identity markers across the eastern Mediterranean. She has been conducting extensive fieldwork in Cyprus, Egypt and Syria since 2002.

Apocalypse on Stage and Screen (Prof. Kevin Wetmore, Theater Arts) 

TR 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 71354)

This seminar offers an exploration of plays and films which engage the topic of apocalypse – alternately defined as hidden things revealed and the end of the world as well know it (TEOTWAWKI) – primarily within the Christian tradition, throughout history. We also examine apocalypse in the popular tradition and how it has been represented on stage and screen. And we write. A lot.

Meet the Professor:

Kevin Wetmore is a Professor of Theatre Arts, an actor, director, and stage combat choreographer. He has written a number of books and articles on a variety of topics including cannibal monsters, African adaptation of Greek tragedy, Ray Bradbury, Catholic Theatre, The Conjuring, Godzilla on stage and many others. He is the artistic director of LMU's Shakespeare on the Bluff summer Shakespeare festival, and is the founder, writer and director of the annual "Haunting of Hannon" event in the library. He has more degrees than a thermometer, none in anything useful, but this makes him a huge fan of thinking, reading, writing, and discussing everything under the sun.

Art of Understanding (Prof. Juan Mah y Busch, English)

MW 8:00am-9:40am (CRN 72503)

In this course, to become familiar with and to develop the artistry of your understanding, you learn to meditate. No prior experience is presumed or expected. The artistry of understanding is not found in answers or accuracy. It is in a person’s ability to observe various dimensions of experience, such as the wordless aspect of words, the spatial elements of time, or the quiet spaciousness found in an exhale. In addition to regular meditation, you practice different forms of writing (such as simple description, contemplative writing, critical examination, and library-based research), and you read fiction and philosophical essays that facilitate class discussion. Meditation, writing, and discussion are the foundation of the course, as well as of more artful understandings.

Meet the Professor:

With a specialization in literary and cultural studies and formal training in meditation, Juan D. Mah y Busch teaches and writes about the interplay between awareness and agency. Using meditation and literary analysis as a research method, Mah y Busch publishes on the ethics of aesthetic knowledge (aisthesis) and contemplative pedagogy. He lives in Northeast Los Angeles with Irene, their children, Iza, Josué and Serén, and their boxer Brooklyn.

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

T 3:40-7:00pm (CRN 71326)

This seminar introduces students to critical writing through an exploration of international cinema. Our particular focus is the representation of childhood in approximately twelve feature films produced around the world since the 1940s. To engage critically with these films, drawn from different national contexts and historical periods, we apply the tools of audiovisual analysis to identify the symbolic function of the figure of the child on screen. The body of work we examine is organized into groups of two or three films linked by a common theme (childhood in wartime; childhood and disability; dilemmas of the transgender child; border-crossing children; and so on). In this way, we study how the construction of childhood in cinema intersects with discourses of nation formation and with the representation of gender, sexuality, national identities, and social class. The assigned readings, drawn from cinema studies, will guide our explorations, allowing us to place the filmic analyses in a broader context that encompasses issues of historical memory, globalization, social conflict and cultural diversity.

Climate Change and Migration (Prof. Rebecca Wall, History) 

MWF 9:25-10:35am (CRN 71346)

• Gain an introduction to historical thinking, research, writing, and study at the college level
• Become familiar with key concepts, theories, and ideas about climate change and migration
• Obtain literacy in analyzing a variety of written materials, including historical research, scientific publications, mass media, and literature
• Compare and bring to bear histories of climate change and migration to the current climate crisis facing the contemporary world
• Develop written expression capacity, and practice skills including prewriting, revision, and editing
• Reinforce best practices and strategies for time management and academic engagement

Dante's Divine Comedy (Professor Roniger Scott, Philosophy)

MW 9:55-11:35am (CRN 71334)

In this seminar, we will discuss the journeys of a person named Dante who gets lost in the middle of a dark forest. When wild animals block his path, Dante is forced to travel down into the depths of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, and flies into the heavens of paradise.  The Divine Comedy, comprised of the Inferno, the Purgatorio, and the Paradiso, is one of the most famous and influential texts every written. This three-part work, not coincidentally written by a man named Dante, is saturated with theological, philosophical, historical, literary, and artistic meaning. Dante’s Divine Comedy influenced the imagination of some of the greatest artists in history.  

Dante’s Inferno is a prison for eternity, accurately subdivided like a model dungeon, perfectly organized, with no possible evasions, no bribery to the guards, and no hope for escape. We will study this great metaphor of a cosmic incarceration created by Dante's genius, and the amazing variety of the world of the convicted felons, including Lucifer. After hell, we will also visit the seven story mountain of Purgatory. Climbing up the mountain, Dante becomes more and more free until he becomes able to fully trust himself. Finally, Dante flys up through the circles of Heaven meeting angels and saints on the way. This course brings philosophy and poetry into conversation about what it means to live well. 

Drama and Culture of South-Eastern Culture (Prof. Arnab Banerji, Theater Arts and Dance)

MW 3:40-5:20PM (CRN 71355)

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

TR 9:55-11:35am (CRN 71341)

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.

Empathy: An Antidote to Bullying the Self, Others, and the Planet (Prof. Kara Wade, Theatre Arts and Dance)

MW 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 71351)

This 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 humankind maps paths negotiating social issues that affect the body, mind, and spirit of humankind and the planet. Course activities will be experiential, reflective, analytical, and creative. Over the course of the semester, students will read a variety of texts that explore authors’ understanding of Empathy from the viewpoints of the Encouragement of Learning; Education of the Whole Person: body, intellect, and emotions; and Service of Faith and Promotion of Justice in relation to the self, other, and the planet.

Health Psychology: Where Mind and Body Meet (Prof. Máire Ford, Psychology)

TR 9:55am-11:35am (CRN 71323)          

This course explores the mind-body connection using a biopsychosocial perspective. Specifically, this course explores the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to health and illness. Topics include, but are not limited to: (1) theoretical perspectives on health psychology, (2) behavioral, social, and biological determinants of health and illness, (3) factors associated with health promoting/compromising behaviors, (4) the prevention and treatment of illness, (5) coping with illness and (6) health disparities. An overriding course goal is to inform students about the way psychologists conduct research, communicate research findings, and apply psychological knowledge.

Holocaust Literature and Film (Prof. Pauline Ebert, Modern Languages and Literatures)

TR 1:45pm-3:25pm (CRN 71324)

The Holocaust has been positioned at the limits of representation– as the indescribable, the incomprehensible. The impossibility of adequately expressing the atrocities of the Holocaust stands in contrast to the need to transmit knowledge about this event to later generations. Attempts to represent the Holocaust, to describe and understand this event and its implications, are numerous and have occurred across a wide range of media forms (literature, film, photography, art, music, monuments, etc.), and genres (as in documentary, drama, comedy, science fiction). As the Holocaust recedes in time and the numbers of living historical witnesses and survivors decline, these representations increasingly shape our perception and understanding of the event.

This course will investigate literary, filmic, and artistic representations of the Holocaust, focusing in particular on questions of ethics, aesthetics and history. We will examine the various debates and controversies surrounding the issue of representation of the Shoah and discuss some of the theoretical texts that have shaped the area of Holocaust Studies. We will explore the ways in which these written, filmic, and artistic cultural artifacts have attempted to narrate the events of the Holocaust, and examine exemplary responses to the Shoah in a variety of media forms and genres. The course will deal with questions such as the meaning of art and the limits of historical representation.

Stage Fright: Horror and Terror in the Theatre (Prof. Kevin Wetmore, Theatre Arts)

TR 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 71354)

Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr. is Professor and Chair of Theatre Arts with areas of expertise in Japanese theatre, African theatre, Shakespeare, Asian cinema, horror cinema, Greek tragedy, stage combat and comedy. He has degrees from Bates College, the University of Leeds and the University of Pittsburgh, where he completed his doctorate in Theatre and Performance Studies.  He also received an M.A. in Theology from LMU in 2010.

He is the author of Athenian Sun in an African Sky: Modern African Adaptation of Classical Greek Tragedy (McFarland, 2001), Black Dionysus: Greek Tragedy and African American Theatre (McFarland, 2003), The Empire Triumphant: Race, Religion, and Rebellion in the Star Wars Films (McFarland, 2005), Shakespeare and Youth Culture (Palgrave 2006), Back from the Dead: Reading Remakes of Romero’s Zombie Films as Markers of Their Times (McFarland 2011), Post-9/11 Horror in American Cinema (Continuum, 2012), The Theology of Battlestar Galactica (McFarland 2012), and Modern Asian Theatre and Performance 1900 – 2000 (with Siyuan Liu and Erin B. Mee, Methuen/Bloomsbury, 2014) as well as the editor or co-editor of eleven more volumes, including Modern Japanese Theatre and Performance (Lexington, 2006), Suzan-Lori Parks: A Casebook (Routledge 2007) Revenge: East and West (Palgrave, 2008), Portrayals of Americans on the World Stage (McFarland, 2009), Catholic Theatre and Drama (McFarland 2010), Black Medea: Adaptations for Modern Plays (Cambria, 2013), and the Methuen Drama Anthology of Modern Asian Plays (with Siyuan Liu, Methuen, 2014), among others. He is also the author of numerous articles on theatre, cinema, Japanese culture, popular culture, horror, and performance.

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

F 11:30am-2:50pm (CRN 71349)

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

Latin American Cinema (Prof. Jacob Martin, Film & Television Production)

R 3:05-6:25pm (CRN 72754)

F 8:00-11:20am (CRN 71348)

This course will introduce students to key principles of Catholic Social Teaching and social justice issues through the lens of modern Latin American Cinema. The Catholic Church and more specifically the Society of Jesus, has played a significant role in the struggle for liberation in the modern history of numerous Latin American states. High profile global events, such as the assassination of Oscar Romero in 1980, the Salvadoran Jesuit Martyrs in 1989 and the recent expulsion of the Jesuits at the University of Central America in Nicaragua, have foregrounded the significance of the Catholic Church’s position within the Latin American political, economic and social landscape. With that said, the Church’s historical complicity with oppressive systems of colonization and authoritarian regimes cannot be ignored, thus creating an ambiguous legacy within the modern Latin American context.

This course will offer an introduction to a range of Latin American films from different periods and styles, which will be analyzed through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching, contemporary social justice scholarship, and cinema studies. Students will read various social documents from both the universal and local church in order to garner an appreciation for Catholic Social Theory and its importance for them as students at a Jesuit university. These readings will also serve as a means of evaluating the various cinematic texts screened in the classroom for issues related to social justice, particularly, migrancy, indigenous rights, political oppression, and trafficking.

The films screened will be from numerous Latin American cinemas, including Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Colombia, and the course will make reference to broader continental and international currents, such as Third Cinema. The material will be discussed in terms of both the aesthetic contributions the films have made and their foregrounding of discourses on memory, violence, state terror, and ethnicity. Students will be able to identify historical and political contexts for how social issues have been portrayed. They will also come to a deeper understanding of Catholic Social Teaching and its significance for them as students at a Catholic University. Students will also become aware of the network of Jesuit educational institutions throughout the world and their place within the Ignatian educational legacy. They will come to understand different filmmaking strategies for advocacy or effecting social change, as well as the application of critical theory to film history and analysis. This will in turn serve to assist in the student’s development of critical thinking and writing skills about media, culture and its relationship with social justice.

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

MW 1:45-3:25pm (CRN 71342)

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

Mortal Questions (Prof. Daniel Speak, Philosophy)

MWF 10:50am-12:00pm (CRN 71335) 

An introduction to academic reading, writing, and speaking for the common good—with a topical focus a set of central concerns for every one of us; namely, regarding death and the meaning of life. We will be considering questions like these:

*Is death bad for the person who dies?
*Would it be a good thing to live forever?
*Are there any good reasons to believe in the immortality of the soul?
*How should we shape our lives in light of our inevitable deaths?
*What makes a life a meaningful one?

Seeking help from literature, psychology, and (especially) philosophy, you can look forward to reading Plato, Tolstoy, the Bible, David Foster Wallace, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and more. While the course is, indeed, for any incoming LMU students, you might especially appreciate this one if you are intrigued by philosophy and challenging reflection on what it means to be a human being. 

Meet the Professor:

Professor Daniel Speak has been teaching at LMU for 17 years. And he’s generally a big fan of LMU students. You’ve probably already seen his ratemyprofessor ratings. It’s best if you don’t look at them. This is good advice overall but is especially true in this case. Otherwise, you would see that his say things like this: “If you are looking for a teacher that tries to be funny and is simply worthless...this is the teacher for you.” Also, “[t]ries to be funny, but you quickly find out he's just a jerk. I have no idea why this guy went into philosophy. He looks more like a middle-age frat boy than anything else.” Professor Speak has to endure being reminded of this last one by his family fairly regularly. The point is, don’t trust ratemyprofessor (or maybe you SHOULD trust it; who knows?). 

Making Sense of Global Politics

MWF 9:25-10:35am (71339)

MWF 10:50am-12:50pm (71340)

MWF 12:15-1:25pm (71338)

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.

Oceans and Empires (Prof. Kevin McDonald, History)

MWF 1:40-2:50pm (CRN 71327)

MWF 3:05-4:15pm (CRN 71328)

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)

MWF 12:15-1:25pm (CRN 71337)

MWF 1:40-2:50pm (CRN 71344) 

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. 

Saints and Sinners: 20th Century Catholic Novels  (Prof. Scott J. Roniger, Philosophy)

MW 9:55-11:35am (CRN 71334)

TR 9:55-11:35am (CRN 72814)

This course will be a close reading of some of the greatest works of fiction in the 20^th Century, including the very best of Catholic literature in the modern period. The themes explored in these classics, which will be unpacked in the course, are perennial and include the following: the restlessness of the human soul, human life understood as exile and pilgrimage, the paradoxes of human freedom, the nature of love and sacrifice, the human person’s flight from and encounter with God, and the mystery of supernatural grace and mercy.

The course provides an ideal introduction to humanistic studies at the university level by allowing these perennial issues to be raised by classic works of fiction. Using literature as a springboard to philosophical and theological questions is an excellent way for first-year students to see how such questions can arise in the course of human life and why these questions are central to the human search for happiness. Such a method engages the heart, mind, and imagination of students. While this course fits best within the “Faith and Reason” theme, it also deals with aspects of ethics, virtue, justice, culture, and society.  

The learning objectives are: (1) To learn how to read classic works of literature at a proper level of detail and complexity, which includes developing a sense for the importance of the connections between structure, theme, and symbolism embedded in a novel. (2) To learn how to articulate orally perennial issues as they are manifest and developed in such literature. (3) To learn how to write papers that are grammatically correct, accurate in their descriptions of the novels, and insightful in their discussion of the themes in the novel. (4) To think imaginatively, philosophically, and theologically about how these works of literature can enrich their own lives.

Meet the Professor:

Science and Engineering

TR 9:55-11:10am (CRN 72547)

TR 3:40-4:55pm (CRN 71357)

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.  

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

TR 9:55-11:10am (CRN 71353)

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 71356)

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 the 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: From Narnia to Middle Earth (Prof. Aimee Ross-Kilroy, English)

MW 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 71332)

MW 3:40-5:20pm (CRN 71333)

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.

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

MWF 1:40-2:50pm (71350)

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 72755)

TR 11:50am-1:30pm (CRN 71347)

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.