GS222 - Special Topics:
Selected topics will be discussed and will vary from year to year.
.25 or .5 or 1 unit — Banagale, Bruder, Chui, Getty, Grover, Hinkle, Johnson, Woodard
Previously Featured Offering
American Origins of Non-violence Study explores the unsung heroes of America's nonviolent social change movements. Students will examine of the works of nonviolent groups, such as prison reformers and abolitionists, to better understand how these unnamed people have contributed to social change.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said America is the greatest purveyor of violence in history. A different story celebrates the contributions of Quakers, Anabaptists, abolitionists, prison reformers, labor unions, women, minorities, environmentalists and others who firmly established the power and effectiveness of nonviolence as an organizing principle. The course explores some of these Americans and their work through the lens of active nonviolence.
From the earliest 2D games (Space Invaders, Pong, Pac-Man) to the open environments of Grand Theft Auto and World of Warcraft, this course examines the worlds, characters, and narratives of videogames.
As systems of play, games produce meaning through the establishment and exploration of complex rules. The reliance on arbitrary rules distinguishes videogames from other aspects of life (Why does Mario have three lives?), even as the advancement of graphic engines and modes of interactivity increasingly break down divisions between game and world. Accordingly, this course examines the various ways in which videogames intersect with and borrow from other modes of play, performance, and artistic/cultural/political expression.
The course begins with a survey of videogame history and the major concepts/debates surrounding the emerging field of game studies. We then consider the aesthetic intersections between videogames and cinema, both in popular forms of “machinima” and in more experimental practices. Finally, we examine at the various ways in which videogames operate throughout popular culture: in the emerging field of “persuasive” or political games, as allegories of digital culture, and as agents in the development of individual and collective identity.
The course begins with a survey of videogame history and the major concepts/debates surrounding the emerging field of game studies. We then consider the aesthetic intersections between videogames and cinema, both in popular forms of “machinima” and in more experimental practices. Finally, we examine at the various ways in which videogames operate throughout popular culture: in the emerging field of “persuasive” or political games, as allegories of digital culture, and as agents in the development of individual and collective identity.
Offerings
| Term | Block | Title | Instructor | Location | Student Limit/Available | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | Block 1 | Special Topics: State of the Rockies Research and Reporting | Katrina-Kat Miller-Stevens | See Prof. 003 | 25 / 24 | 05/20/2025 |
| Fall 2024 | Block 1 | Special Topics: CC Elevate Topic Details | Brett Gray, Aaron Stoller | See Prof. 003 | 25 / 18 | 05/20/2025 |
| Fall 2024 | Block 1 | Special Topics: CC Elevate Topic Details | Jane Byrnes, Aaron Stoller | See Prof. 003 | 25 / 15 | 05/20/2025 |
| Fall 2024 | Block 1 | Special Topics: CC Elevate Topic Details | Leo White, Aaron Stoller | See Prof. 003 | 25 / 18 | 05/20/2025 |
| Fall 2024 | Block 1 | Special Topics: CC Elevate Topic Details | Jarred Wiehe, Aaron Stoller | See Prof. 003 | 25 / 14 | 05/20/2025 |
| Fall 2024 | Block 1 | Special Topics: CC Elevate Topic Details | Christine Green, Aaron Stoller | See Prof. 003 | 25 / 17 | 05/20/2025 |
| Fall 2024 | Block 1 | Special Topics: Senior Seminar | Pedro de Araujo | TBA | 25 / 24 | 05/20/2025 |
| Spring 2025 | Block H | Special Topics: Communications Studies: Peer Tutoring and Communication Strategies Topic Details | Sarah Hinkle | Tutt Library 317 | 25 / 19 | 05/20/2025 |
| Spring 2025 | Block H | Special Topics: R You Ready?! Starting with R and Data Visualization Topic Details | Karen Chui | Tutt Library 105 | 25 / 8 | 05/20/2025 |
| Spring 2025 | Block H | Special Topics: Campaigning for Social Change in the Digital Era Topic Details | Srda Popovic | Palmer Hall 13 | 32 / 22 | 05/20/2025 |
| Spring 2025 | Block H | Special Topics: Sound Design and Music for Live Performance Topic Details | Max Sarkowsky | Cornerstone Art Center 308 | 25 / 15 | 05/20/2025 |
| Spring 2025 | Block H | Special Topics: Full of Stories: Interdisciplinary Arts and Episodic Knowledge Topic Details | Eiko Otake | Cornerstone Art Center 130 | 25 / 12 | 05/20/2025 |
| Spring 2025 | Block H | Special Topics: Materials Science Research Incubator Topic Details | Adam Light | Olin Hall 270 | 10 / 2 | 05/20/2025 |
| Spring 2025 | Block H | Special Topics: Internship and Job Search Strategies for Liberal Arts Students Topic Details | Brett Woodard | Palmer Hall CommonRoom | 25 / 3 | 05/20/2025 |
| Spring 2025 | Block 5 | Special Topics: Senior Seminar | Pedro de Araujo | TBA | 25 / 15 | 05/20/2025 |
| Spring 2025 | Block 6 | Special Topics: AI @ CC: A Block 6 Learning Community Topic Details | Ryan Banagale | See Prof. 003 | 25 / 19 | 05/20/2025 |
| Fall 2025 | Block 1 | Life Design at CC Topic Details | TBA | 32 / 28 | 05/20/2025 | |
| Fall 2025 | Block 2 | Topics in GS: Evolving How We Narrate Evolution: Nat. Geographic & Role of Educational Nonprofits Topic Details | Dan Johnson, Ryan Banagale | TBA | 25 / 10 | 05/20/2025 |
| Fall 2025 | Block 2 | Special Topics: Science and Society Topic Details | Neena Grover | TBA | 25 / 24 | 05/20/2025 |
| Spring 2026 | Block H | Special Topics: Breathe Easy: The Environmental Health and Science of Indoor Air Topic Details | Andrea Bruder | TBA | 25 / 22 | 05/20/2025 |
| Spring 2026 | Block H | Special Topics: R You Ready?! Starting with R and Data Visualization | Karen Chui, Steve Getty | TBA | 25 / 21 | 05/20/2025 |
| Spring 2026 | Block H | Special Topics: Internship and Job Search Strategies for Liberal Arts Students | Brett Woodard | TBA | 25 / 20 | 05/20/2025 |
| Spring 2026 | Block H | Special Topics: Communications Studies: Peer Tutoring and Communication Strategies | Sarah Hinkle | TBA | 25 / 25 | 05/20/2025 |
Report an issue -
Last updated: 05/20/2025