Special Topics:
Selected topics will be discussed and will vary from year to year.
.25 or .5 units — Chui, Getty, Miller-Stevens, Popovic
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 2021 | Block 1 | Special Topics: Internship and Job Search Strategies for the Liberal Arts Student Topic Details | Megan Nicklaus | Tutt Library 411/412 | 25 / 10 | 05/15/2022 |
| Fall 2021 | Block 1 | Special Topics: State of the Rockies Research and Reporting | Katrina-Kat Miller-Stevens | TBA | 25 / 21 | 05/15/2022 |
| Fall 2021 | Block 3 | Special Topics: Human Rights: Key Issues and Concepts Topic Details | Sayantan Saha Roy | Barnes Science Center 412 | 25 / 16 | 05/15/2022 |
| Spring 2022 | Block H | Special Topics: Campaigning for Social Change in the Digital Era Topic Details | Srda Popovic | Palmer Hall 25A | 25 / 16 | 05/15/2022 |
| Spring 2022 | Block H | Special Topics: R You Ready?! Starting with R and Data Visualization Topic Details | Steve Getty | Tutt Library 201 | 32 / 11 | 05/15/2022 |
| Spring 2022 | Block H | Special Topics: Stanley Kubrick: An American Rebel Topic Details | John Simons | Armstrong Hall 231 | 25 / 2 | 05/15/2022 |
| Spring 2022 | Block H | Special Topics: Interspersed Arts Collective Topic Details | Ryan Banagale | See Prof. 003 | 25 / 19 | 05/15/2022 |
| Spring 2022 | Block 6 | Special Topics: Desgng Your Life: Explrg the Acdmc and Prof Jrney through the Lens of Design Thnkng Topic Details | Megan Nicklaus | Tutt Library 411/412 | 25 / 18 | 05/15/2022 |
| Spring 2022 | Block 7 | Special Topics: State of the Rockies Research Topic Details | Katrina-Kat Miller-Stevens | See Prof. 003 | 25 / 21 | 05/15/2022 |
| Spring 2022 | Block 7 | Special Topics: Senior Seminar | Pedro de Araujo | TBA | 25 / 24 | 05/15/2022 |
| Spring 2022 | Block 7 | Special Topics: Senior Seminar | Pedro de Araujo | TBA | 25 / 20 | 05/15/2022 |
| Fall 2022 | Block 1 | Special Topics: State of the Rockies Research and Reporting | Katrina-Kat Miller-Stevens | TBA | 25 / 25 | 05/15/2022 |
| Spring 2023 | Block H | Special Topics: Campaigning for Social Change in the Digital Era Topic Details | Srda Popovic | TBA | 25 / 25 | 05/15/2022 |
| Spring 2023 | Block H | Special Topics: R You Ready?! Starting with R and Data Visualization Topic Details | Steve Getty, Karen Chui | TBA | 25 / 25 | 05/15/2022 |
| Spring 2023 | Block 5 | Special Topics: State of the Rockies Research Design | Katrina-Kat Miller-Stevens | TBA | 25 / 25 | 05/15/2022 |
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Last updated: 05/15/2022