2012-2013 Academic Year Calendar - Marianopolis

Aboriginal issues, from land claims toself-government to resource rights.Connections are made withindigenous peoples in other partsof the world as a way of addressingcommon issues and questions regardingindigenous peoples’ rights.Stories and StorytellingIn today’s rapidly changing society,much of our heritage gets lost in theshuffle as borders of all descriptionscome down, cultures assimilate, andwe move closer towards a globalsociety. This course examines howculture is transmitted from society tosociety, and generation to generation,using the art of storytelling. Includedis a look at myths and fables fromdifferent cultures, as well as personalmyths, oral histories and familystories. Practical storytelling exercisesare included as part of the course. Byfinding our personal heritage, we notonly discover our-selves and ourworld, but we develop the capacityto change it as well.The Hero’s Journey, Myth and theModern WorldSome stories are retold so often andwith such frequency that they becomean unnoticeable part of our culture.We cease to ask how they influenceour beliefs, decisions, and actions.Living in an age where our encounterswith individuals from other culturesare becoming easier and morefrequent, it has become increasinglyimportant to understand both our ownbeliefs and those of the people wemeet. This course considers the waysthe stories people create, shape, andreveal their perception of their world.Included is a selection of European,Asian, and Middle Eastern myths andlegends that represent some ofHumanities most influentialnarratives. Also included areselections from The Hero With aThousand Faces, which provides aframework for critical inquiry. Byconsidering how these stories informthe struggle to establish successfulsocieties, we will begin to understandthe basis of the differences andsimilarities we find between peoples.Shifting Visions of the CosmosA world view is a construct thatreflects and informs our attitudetoward reality – i.e. our view ofnature, of society and (mostimportantly) of ourselves and whatour relation is to everything else. Inthis course we first consider thenature of a world view – what it is,how it gets created and changed, andwhat it does. Then, we use that as abasis for examining the major worldviews that have been dominant in thedevelopment of Western civilization:ancient, medieval, modern andcontemporary. Our goal is to see howthese world views have both shaped –and been shaped by – the greatachievements and events in westernhistory.Education’s EndThis course will explore educationand raise the question of why andhow education may be of value. Sinceit aims to raise important questionsabout the system students are alreadyengaged in by virtue of their being“students,” this course will attempt adual methodology: weekly lectureswill provide the theoretical andhistorical framework while classdiscussions will provide the mentalspace for students to negotiate thematerial personally for themselves.Each week will therefore consist ofone lecture and one discussion forumin which students will raise questionsfor themselves about the educationalsystem they are already engaged in.General Education: HumanitiesWhat better question to providestudents with?Nineteenth-Century ThinkersThe mid-nineteenth century inEurope was a time of radical socialand intellectual change. This agewitnessed the birth of Marxism andof the theory of evolution; the firstdebates about women's rights andcapital punishment; and the firstattempts at coping with massindustrialization and urbanizationthrough mass education. This courselooks at the nineteenth century as anage of new ideas and rapid changeand examines the writings of eminentEuropean writers.The Voice as InstrumentSinging is a central element of humanexpression that influences our lives inmany ways. Throughout history thehuman voice has been considered asone of the most alluring, powerful andeven dangerous of all musicalinstruments. This course will explorethe singing voice from perspectivesbeginning with an introduction to thephysiology of singing. This isfollowed by an exploration andcomparison of how different culturesuse the human voice as an instrumentof worship, communication, healing,knowledge, friendship, and protest.Students have the opportunity toattend and reflect upon liveperformances.Tattoos, Trophies and T-cellsIn this course we look at conceptsof the body in various cultures anderas. Based on descriptions of illness,healing, sports, the arts, and religiousrituals, the class discusses how worldviews are reflected in the ways wetreat, use, and experience our bodies.We also ask how these views and41