This Wide Angle video features the women of Rwanda who have emerged as outspoken leaders and the great strides they have made toward rights and equality.

This course surveys art of America from the colonial era through the post-war 20th century. The student will consider broad stylistic tendencies in various regions and periods and examine specific artists and works of art in historical and social contexts, with emphasis on the congruent evolution of contemporary American multi-cultural identity. Overarching issues that have interested major scholars of American art and its purview include the landscape (wilderness, Manifest Destiny, rural settlement, and urban development); the family and gender roles; the founding rhetoric of freedom and antebellum slavery; and notions of artistic modernism through the 20th century. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Understand the historical (geographic, political) formation of the present United States of America; Be familiar with renowned influential American artists from the 18th through the 20th century; Be conversant in common stylistic designations used in Western art of the 17th through 20th centuries; Recognize subjects and forms in American art through history that mark its distinction; Be able to engage specific images, objects, and structures from different critical perspectives to consider their functions and meanings. (Art History 210)

This course is an introduction to the major methodologies used by art historians. Although not a history of art history per se, it is organized in a roughly chronological order that traces major methodological developments within the discipline from the birth of art history in the nineteenth century through the late twentieth century. The course will also examine how artworks are displayed in modern art museums. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Explain what art historians study and what kinds of questions they ask about works of art; Identify major art historical methodologies and their associated theories and theorists; Write a critical summary of a piece of art historical scholarship; Explain the major aspects of the methodological approaches outlined in this course and how they relate to the philosophical, historical, and social context in which they first appeared; Explain how different methodologies can be used to analyze works of art; Compare and contrast major art historical methodologies; Use different art historical approaches to interpret, analyze, and write about works of art. (Art History 301)

Contemporary art denotes a specific period of art starting in the 1960s that is characterized by a break from the modernist artistic canon and a desire to move away from the dominant Western cultural model, looking for inspiration in everyday and popular culture. This course focuses on Western art and culture, yet also explores a selection of contemporary art around the globe. The student will examine a variety of specific aesthetic and social issues and look at the different strategies contemporary artists proposed and used in their work. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: identify significant works of contemporary art and visual culture; describe the difference between modernist and contemporary works of art; explain the geographical shift of artistic centers from Europe (Paris) to the United States (New York), and then in the 21st century to a global spreading (Asia and Africa); define and discuss the development of contemporary art as a series of different cultural, social, and political inquiries over the past 50 years; identify and discuss multiple and vital relationships between contemporary art and such broader social and cultural issues as ideology, gender, race, or ethnicity; describe and explain a relationship between different contemporary art strategies, such as performance or installation, and their immediate social and cultural context; discuss how important contemporary artworks relate to their social and historical contexts; define contemporary art as a continuing, international artistic project; identify and define the importance of contemporary art and contemporary visual culture in today's increasingly globalized world. (Art History 408)

The goal of this seminar is to have open discussions of controversial political and social issues and raise awareness of current world events in an informal setting. Discussions for the first part of each class will focus on current events from that week, while in the second part of class students will discuss a scheduled issue in greater detail. Scheduled issues include the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the regulation of marijuana, how our society should punish criminals, genocide in Rwanda and Sudan, discrimination in our society today, the future of social security, whether pornography is sexist, and where we can go from here in the Arab/Israeli Conflict. Discussions will be supplemented by readings, films, and public speakers. Students will also be encouraged to read news media from around the world.

This course focuses on a range of theories of gender in modern life. In recent years feminist scholars in a range of disciplines have challenged previously accepted notions of political theory such as the distinctions between public and private, the definitions of politics itself, the nature of citizenship, and the roles of women in civil society. In this course we will examine different aspects of women's lives through the life cycle as seen from the vantage point of political theory. In addition we will consider different ways of looking at power and political culture in modern societies, issues of race and class, poverty and welfare, sexuality and morality.

This subject explores the legal history of the United States as a gendered system. It examines how women have shaped the meanings of American citizenship through pursuit of political rights such as suffrage, jury duty, and military service, how those political struggles have varied for across race, religion, and class, as well as how the legal system has shaped gender relations for both women and men through regulation of such issues as marriage, divorce, work, reproduction, and the family. The course readings will draw from primary and secondary materials in American history, as well as some court cases. However, the focus of the class is on the broader relationship between law and society, and no technical legal knowledge is required or assumed.

" This class explores the political and aesthetic foundations of hip hop. Students trace the musical, corporeal, visual, spoken word, and literary manifestations of hip hop over its 30 year presence in the American cultural imagery. Students also investigate specific black cultural practices that have given rise to its various idioms. Students create material culture related to each thematic section of the course. Scheduled work in performance studio helps students understand how hip hop is created and assessed."

This course will introduce you to the field of literary theory by identifying and engaging with the key problems and questions that animate theoretical discussion among literary scholars and critics, including issues pertaining to ideology, cultural value, the patriarchal and colonial bases of Western culture, and more. The student will be acquainted with the basic principles and preeminent texts that have defined many of the major critical debates of the 20th and 21st centuries. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to define both literary criticism and literary theory, and explain the emergence of literature as a discipline of study; identify and discuss classical Greek explanations of the purpose of literature; explain and account for the rise of critical theory in the 20th century, and describe the place of theory in contemporary English and cultural studies; provide a brief overview of the major tenets, practitioners, and ideas of the following critical and theoretical movements and/or schools: Russian Formalism, structuralism, post-structuralism, semiotics, Deconstruction, psychoanalysis, feminism, gender theory, Marxism, Reader-Response paradigms, New Historicism, Post-Colonialism, Ethnic and Cultural Studies, Eco-criticism and Eco-theory and trauma theory; identify and discuss some of the viewpoints opposed to the practice of criticism and literary theory; identify and discuss some of the newly emerging trends in literary theory, such as eco-criticism, trauma theory, chaos theory, game theory, and trans-identity criticism; identify, discuss, and define some of the key literary theories of such major literary and cultural critics and theorists as Plato, Aristotle, Karl Marx, Michele Foucault, Judith Butler, Jacques Derrida, Jacques Lacan, T.S. Eliot, Henry Louis Gates, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Eve Sedgwick, and Frederic Jameson. (English Literature 301)

This survey course can be used by students who are looking to take just one general overview course or by those who want to go on to more advanced study in any of the subfields that comprise the political science discipline, such as American politics, comparative politics, international politics, or political theory. The goal of this course is to introduce the student to the discipline's concepts, terminology, and methods and to explore instances of applied political science through real world examples. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Describe and evaluate the concepts of power, legitimacy, and authority; Discuss the origins and developments of the nation-state; Distinguish between traditional and behavioral approaches to the study of politics; Discuss general approaches to the study of politics, such as political philosophy, political systems theory, and political economy; Describe and discuss the political socialization process; Examine the nature of political participation from a comparative perspective; Discuss the nature of public opinion from a comparative perspective; Identify the different types of electoral systems and be able to assess the implications of those systems; Identify the role and functions of political parties; Identify the different types of party systems from a comparative perspective; Describe and evaluate the general principles of presidential and parliamentary political systems; Describe and compare the essential features of at least three governments of Western Europe; Identify and evaluate the principles of authoritarian and totalitarian governments; Discuss the concepts of political development and problems facing developing nations; Discuss and explain the origins and principles of democratic capitalism, democratic socialism, Marxist socialism, national socialism, fascism, and third world ideologies; Describe the origins, development, and principles of international law; Identify and assess the influence of major international organizations; Describe and analyze the causes of international conflict; Analyze current critical issues in international relationships. (Political Science 101)

" This course offers an introduction to Women's and Gender Studies, an interdisciplinary academic field that asks critical questions about the meaning of gender in society. The primary goal of this course is to familiarize students with key issues, questions and debates in Women's and Gender Studies scholarship, both historical and contemporary. Gender scholarship critically analyzes themes of gendered performance and power in a range of social spheres, such as law, culture, work, medicine and the family."

This course offers an introduction to Women's and Gender Studies, an interdisciplinary academic field that asks critical questions about the meaning of gender in society. The primary goal of this course is to familiarize students with key issues, questions and debates in Women's and Gender Studies scholarship, both historical and contemporary. Gender scholarship critically analyzes themes of gendered performance and power in a range of social spheres, such as law, culture, work, medicine and the family.

An interdisciplinary subject that draws on literature, history, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, and feminist theory to examine our cultural assumptions about gender, trace the effects of new scholarship on traditional disciplines, and increase awareness of the history and experience of women as half the world's population.

"This course is designed as an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Women's and Gender Studies, an academic area of study focused on the ways that sex and gender manifest themselves in social, cultural, and political contexts. The primary goal of this course is to familiarize students with key issues, questions and debates in Women's Studies scholarship, both historical and contemporary. This semester you will become acquainted with many of the critical questions and concepts feminist scholars have developed as tools for thinking about gendered experience. In addition, we will study the interconnections among systems of oppression (such as sexism, racism, classism, ethnocentrism, homophobia/heterosexism, transphobia, ableism and others.) In this course you will learn to "read" and analyze gender, exploring how it impacts our understanding of the world."

In this course, the student will examine the writings of a diverse group of medieval women and analyze the perceptions of reality that they present, taking into account critics' views on their works as well. The student will begin by acquainting ourselves with the major socio-historical developments that shaped women's role in the period. The student will then take a look at some major feminist and gender/sex-related approaches to literature, followed by readings of women-authored texts, examining their styles, techniques, and representations of the world around them. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: explain Medievalism as both a historical period and a movement in literature and the arts; provide an account of the role of women in the Middle Ages; explain the general intellectual climate of the Middle Ages; explain the significance of the Fall of the Roman Empire; explain the importance of Medieval oral traditions, the rise of literacy, cultures of chivalry, courtly love, Scholasticism, and the Church; describe the lives of Medieval women, wives, virgins, lovers, and mothers; explain the relationship between Medieval women and the Church in terms of theology, emerging religious communities, persecution, nunnery, scripture, hagiography, martyrdom, and sainthood; discuss Medieval concepts of gender and sexuality; explain the notion of secular female authorship; describe Medieval class structure and especially the nature of aristocratic and working-class women in the Middle Ages; identify and describe the formal and structural conventions of the Medieval lay; detail the themes of love, desire, romance, marriage, widowhood, and literary self-expression in the Medieval text; describe the major tenets, ideals, and ideas investigated in ChaucerŐs Canterbury Tales, especially from the perspective of the women in this complex text. (English Literature 407)

In this class we will come to understand the vast changes in Spanish life that have taken place since Franco's death in 1975. We will focus on the new freedom from censorship, the re-emergence of movements for regional autonomy, the new cinema, reforms in education and changes in daily life: sex roles, work, and family that have occurred in the last decade. In so doing, we will examine myths that are often considered commonplaces when describing Spain and its people.

Beverly Smith redefines politics in light of the feminist movement. Program explores the issue of why there are so few women the healthcare professions and the ramifications of this on women's health. Host Barbara Barrow-Murray speaks with guests Sherry Weingart (Co-director of the Women's Community Heath Center), Mary Alice Lee (Director of Counseling and Referrals for Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts), Beverly Smith (an instructor on women's health at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and member of the Boston Chapter Committee to End Sterilization Abuse), and Christine Bond (Director of Family Planning, Harvard St. Neighborhood Health Center) about the impact of the increasing role of male physicians on women's healthcare, political issues (such as legislation and abortion) related to women's healthcare, sex and sexuality education, and whether or not sterilization is being forced deliberately on Third World women. Additional segments include a brief interview with musician Webster Lewis (Director of the Post Pop Space Rock Be Bop Gospel Tabernacle Orchestra and Chorus of Boston) conducted by Barrow-Murray in which Lewis talks about his new recording Touch My Love and his role in the 1978 Boston Disco Awards show (footage from Lewis' performance at the Disco Awards included). Produced by Barbara Barrow-Murray. Directed by David Atwood.

An interdisciplinary examination of the Asian-American experience with particular emphasis on gender and race from mid-nineteenth century to present. Topics include: Asian American women's history, Asian American feminisms, gender and ethnic nationalism, images of Asian American men and women in film and media, sexuality, and the impact of immigration on gender roles. Uses extensive primary sources and audio-visual media.

An interdisciplinary examination of the Asian-American experience with particular emphasis on gender and race from mid-nineteenth century to present. Topics include: Asian American women's history, Asian American feminisms, gender and ethnic nationalism, images of Asian American men and women in film and media, sexuality, and the impact of immigration on gender roles. Uses extensive primary sources and audio-visual media.