Robinson Professors

Spring Courses 2010

All courses taught by Robinson Professors are open to anyone meeting department prerequisites.

Shaul Bakhash

HNRS 230: Cross-Cultural Perspectives: Middle Eastern Lives

This course seeks to give students an understanding of modern Middle Eastern history, culture, and society through the reading of individual autobiographies and biographies of statesmen, intellectuals, women, and “ordinary” people. (TR 3:00-4:15pm)

HIST 460: Modern Iran

This course will examine a number of themes in the history of modern Iran: The evolving structure of the state and its institutions; the role of different social groups and classes; state power and opposition to the state; politics as expressed in Islamic and secular ideologies; the role of the great powers, and forms of Iranian response to the Western challenge; and the impact of the Constitution Revolution of 1906 and the Islamic Revolution of 1979. (TR 1:30-2:45 p.m.)

Spencer Crew

HIST 122: History of Modern America

This course will examine the events and the individuals tat shaped the development of the United States from 1876 to the present. This is a time of tremendous change for the nation as it becomes a world power, experiences the immigration of millions of new people, undergoes a tremendous growth of its cities, is shaken by the dropping of the atomic bomb and the start of the cold war, copes with civil rights and anti-war activists, and elects its first African American president. How the nation reacts to and adjusts to these many changes will drive the course. It will use film, first hand narratives, primary documents, newspaper articles, and oral histories to provide a sense of the thoughts and the concerns of individuals at the time of the events under examination. The course also will examine how these past events have impacted and shaped our present day world. (TR 10:30-11:45 a.m.)

HIST 499: Slavery, Abolition and the Underground Railroad

Slavery and its abolition was one of the major issues in the United States leading up to the Civil War. Southerners saw slavery as a positive good for themselves and for the enslaved people they controlled. Abolitionists saw slavery as a blemish on the nation and were committed to bring it to an end. The participants of the Underground Railroad took direct action to undermine slavery by aiding enslaved people seeking freedom escape and start new lives. Reading the ideas and stories of the individuals who were a part of this interracial activist movement, investigating how the underground railroad worked on a day-to-day basis, and examining how historians have assessed this movement will provide the foundation for research class participants will do on the underground railroad and abolition. The Underground Railroad was a complex operation which over the years has had many myths connected to it. Sorting the myth from reality will enable students to better understand how historians assess research material and craft a thesis for their work. They will then apply these insights to the writing of their own research paper for the class. (R 4:30-7:10pm)

Paul D'Andrea

On leave

Robert Hazen

UNIV 301: Great Ideas in Science

A non-technical introduction to the ideas that have shaped the growth of science. The idea behind each major advance is treated in its historical context, with special attention to its importance in mankind's understanding of the nature of the universe. Examples are taken from the physical, geological, and biological sciences. (M 4:30 - 7:10 p.m.)

Hugh Heclo

GOVT 470: Faith and Reason in the Making of the Modern Mind.

In this seminar we will investigate the interlocking claims of religious faith and human reason in Western culture, from Biblical times to the present. The first portion of the course covers tightly focused reading assignments in theology and philosophy and the second portion deals with particular case studies, from Galileo to the Intelligent Design debate. Also listed as HIST 386, PHIL 391, and RELI 376. (MW 1:30-2:45 p.m.)

GOVT 472: Christianity, Secularism, and American Democracy.

This seminar examines, from the Reformation to George W. Bush, the evolving relationship between religion and the American political order. Also listed as HIST 389, RELI 376, SOCI 395. (MW 12:00-1:15 p.m.)

Carma Hinton

FAVS 399: U.S. Documentaries on China

Renowned China scholar Derk Bodde once observed, “Throughout history, China, to an unusual degree, seems to have been capable of inspiring either ardent admiration or intense antipathy.” Film and television have great power to magnify such sentiments. Today the average American’s perceptions of China are influenced far more by his or her exposure to television than by reading. Hours before the TV set, however, do not automatically produce “media literacy,” as this viewing is usually a passive, absorbent, non-analytical experience. This course will study American documentary films about China dating from the 1940s to the present. Through film viewing and discussion, supplemented by readings of historical writings as well as film theory and criticism, the course will explore how images of China on the American screen have changed over time, and how these changes, or at times drastic reversal, have mirrored broader historical currents in US-China relations. A number of films will be analyzed in detail to expose students to basic elements of documentary filmmaking. Course is taught in English. Also listed as HIST 393. (T 7:20-10:00 p.m.)

ARTH 482/599: Monuments and Memories in Asian Art

Waiting on course description.
(T 4:30-7:10 p.m.)

Harold Morowitz

See Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study

John Paden

HNRS 230: Cross-Cultural Perspectives

Issues of family values, gender and social relations, economic perspectives, and national culture are addressed in "Understanding the Giants of Asia and Africa: China and Nigeria." Wherever possible, primary texts in translation will be the basis for seminar discussion. (TR 10:30-11:45 a.m.)

PUBP 503: Culture, Organization, and Technology

Course focuses on the influence of culture in societal, political, economic, and technological processes, national and internationally. Culture is seen as dynamic and interactional. Using case studies, students learn pertinent approaches to the study of culture, from the analysis of organization and social networks to that of belief systems and identities. Students also develop practical skills in observation, participations, and intervention. (W 7:20-10:00 p.m., Arlington)

James Trefil

UNIV 301: Great Ideas in Science

A non-technical introduction to the ideas that have shaped the growth of science. The idea behind each major advance is treated in its historical context, with special attention to its importance in mankind's understanding of the nature of the universe. Examples are taken from the physical, geological, and biological sciences. (T 7:20-10:00 p.m.)

HNRS 353: Technology in Contemporary United States

What will the Washington area look like in 50 years? This course will focus on the technology and development of cities, using the capitol area as an example. Students will look at present-day Washington from a historical standpoint and learn what we can predict for its future in light of robotics, nanotechnology, and genetic engineering. (T 4:30-7:10 p.m.)