2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    May 21, 2024  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions


Courses that meet the General Education Curriculum (GEC) are so noted at the end of their individual course description.

Courses noted as “shared” are also offered at one or more of the other Vermont State Colleges.

 

German

  
  • GER 2710 - Special Topics in German


    Credit(s): Variable

    This course provides students the opportunity to pursue topics appropriate to the 2000-level not offered in the general German curriculum.

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated with a change of topic.

  
  • GER 3710 - Special Topics in German


    Credit(s): Variable

    This course provides students the opportunity to pursue topics appropriate to the 3000-level not offered in the general German curriculum.

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated with a change of topic.
     

  
  • GER 4710 - Special Topics in German


    Credit(s): Variable

    This course provides students the opportunity to pursue topics appropriate to the 4000-level not offered in the general German curriculum.

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated with a change of topic.


History

  
  • HIS 1011 - Western Civilization I


    Credit(s): 3

    This course features lectures, readings, and discussions of the Western cultural heritage from the beginnings of civilization to 1715. The instruction includes discussion of the ancient civilizations of the Near East, Classical Greece and Rome, the development of Christianity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Reformation in Europe, and the origins of the modern state system. The course emphasizes developing skills in reading, and understanding history.

    Offering Location: Lyndon Campus

  
  • HIS 1030 - FYS: The Hidden History of Vermont: Class, Ethnicity & Gender


    Credit(s): 3

    This first-year seminar provides students with a new, more diverse perspective on the history of class, ethnicity and gender in Vermont and their place within it. Students begin by discovering their own history in terms of class, ethnicity and gender and then broaden their perspective to include the larger world of Northern Vermont University-Johnson, Lamoille County and Vermont. Guest speakers provide students with firsthand information of how class, ethnicity and gender shape the experiences of Vermonters.

    Restrictions: First-year students only

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 1101 - FYS: Truthiness 101: A Brief History of Consumer Culture


    Credit(s): 3

    “Truthiness” is a term that television comedian Stephen Colbert popularized in 2005. He used it to describe things that a person claims to know intuitively or “from the gut” without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination or actual facts. The overarching goals of this class is to explore some of the “truthiness” of the economic world we inhabit. How did buying, selling, shopping and advertising become such integral elements of 18th- and 19thcentury European life? What effects did the proliferation of consumer culture have on social relationships and identity? How did intellectuals strive to make sense of the changes they saw around them? What lessons, if any, can we take from this history for understanding our own situation?

    Restrictions: First-year students only

    Offering Location: Johnson CAmpus

  
  • HIS 1111 - World History I


    Credit(s): 3

    This course is an introduction to the world’s major civilizations: Ancient Mediterranean (Egypt, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Greece, Rome); European; South Asian (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh), East Asian (China, Korea and Japan), African; Islamic and Mesoamerican from their origins to the time of the global expansion of European civilization.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus, Lyndon Campus

  
  • HIS 1112 - World History II


    Credit(s): 3

    This course explores the continuing development of the world’s major civilizations: European/American, South Asian (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh), East Asian (China, Korea and Japan), African and Islamic from the time of European global expansion to the present, with particular attention given to the problems and challenges of globalization.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus, Lyndon Campus

  
  • HIS 1211 - American History I


    Credit(s): 3

    This course offers a study of the foundation of American society, and emphasizes the growth of democracy, sectional interests and conflicts, and the frontier through the Civil War.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus, Lyndon Campus

    Notes: This course is offered every fall.
  
  • HIS 1212 - American History II


    Credit(s): 3

    This course offers a study of the American civilization from reconstruction to the present, and emphasizes industrialization, immigration and imperialism, the two World Wars, the New Deal, and the problems of contemporary America.

    Restrictions: Sophomore standing (Lyndon)

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus, Lyndon Campus

    Notes: This course is offered every spring.
  
  • HIS 1710 - Special Topics in History


    Credit(s): Variable

    This course provides students the opportunity to pursue topics appropriate to the 1000-level not offered in the general History curriculum.

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated with a change of topic.

  
  • HIS 2140 - The Civil War


    Credit(s): 3

    This course explores the causes and effects of the Civil War, focusing on issues important both then and now, such as states’ rights, the treatment of blacks and minorities, a political Supreme Court and reactions to the war.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 2210 - Women in U.S. History


    Credit(s): 3

    This course examines the changing roles and important contributions of women in American history. Well-known figures such as Abigail Adams, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Jane Adams are explored along with less prominent women.

    Recommended: HIS 1211  and HIS 1212 

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 2240 - Survey of Eurasia


    Credit(s): 3

    This course is a survey of Eurasian history beginning from the Byzantine Empire through Kievan Russia and other Middle Age principalities to the present. The emphasis is on the periods since the establishment of Muscovite Russia and Ottoman Empire with such topics as leadership and succession; the role of Orthodox Church and Islam and other eastern religions on the development of the distinctive cultures in the region; outside influences and relationships with neighbors, colonization; efforts of reforms and role of the state in Russian Empire, revolutionary movements, the evolution of social, political and economic institutions. The use of novels, poetry, arts and films will complement historical analysis.

    Offering Location: Lyndon Campus

  
  • HIS 2255 - Early Modern Europe


    Credit(s): 3

    This course examines European history from the medieval period through the French Revolution. We will survey the major events of this period, such as the Crusades, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Age of Exploration and the Enlightenment, while also paying particular attention to the cultural, intellectual and social developments that accompanied these events. While this course is primarily concerned with European history, we will consider this history in a global context throughout the semester.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 2285 - Modern Europe


    Credit(s): 3

    This course examines European history from the French Revolution to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The class surveys the critical events of the period, including the Industrial Revolution, imperialism, the two world wars and the Cold War. We focus particularly on the rapid cultural, economic, political and social transformations of Europe in the last two centuries, the projection of European power around the world and the response to European imperialism both inside and outside of Europe.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 2710 - Special Topics in History


    Credit(s): Variable

    This course provides students the opportunity to pursue topics appropriate to the 2000-level not offered in the general History curriculum.
     

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated with a change of topic.

  
  • HIS 2810 - Internship in History


    Credit(s): 1-12

    Students plan and complete an approved internship in consultation with their faculty supervisor.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 2910 - Independent Study in History


    Credit(s): 1-12 (Johnson); 1-3 (Lyndon)

    This course allows the student to pursue the exploration of a topic of history not offered in the regular curriculum, under the tutelage of a department faculty member. An independent study contract must be negotiated with the instructor and filed before registering for this course.

    Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

    Restrictions: Sophomore standing (Lyndon)

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus, Lyndon Campus

  
  • HIS 3020 - Greek & Roman History


    Credit(s): 3

    This is a study of the political, social, economic and cultural achievements of Greek and Roman civilizations. Topics include the emergence of the Greek city-state, Athens in the 5th century, the Hellenistic world, Republican Rome and the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.

    Recommended: HIS 1111  and ENG 2171  

    Offering Location: NVU Online

  
  • HIS 3040 - Ancient Civilizations of the New World


    Credit(s): 3

    This interdisciplinary course traces the indigenous development of civilization in the Americas from the time of the first settlers over 10,000 years ago, through the development of agriculture and towns, to the advanced civilizations that were destroyed by European colonialism in the sixteenth century. Although we will focus on the civilizations of Mexico and Central America, the high cultures of South America and southern North America will be investigated as well.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3050 - Community in America


    Credit(s): 3

    This course explores the historical and personal dimensions of the questions posed by Bellah and others: how ought we to live, how do we think about how we live, who are we as Americans, and what is our culture. It further explores the inter-relationships between individuals and institutions, with special emphasis on the concept of civic virtue.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3056 - Race in America


    Credit(s): 3

    [LGPP5] This course will use a multi-disciplinary lens to analyze American racial attitudes and beliefs over time. The course will emphasize the historical roots of American racism, and how the racial perceptions of various types of Americans have evolved as material circumstances and ideological traditions changed. Both progressive and regressive racial attitudes will be addressed through readings, lectures, discussion, and guest speakers. Students will explore how racial attitudes have interacted with such different areas of life as culture, politics, work, gender relations, violence, religion and ethnicity to shape profoundly twenty-first century America. 

    Prerequisites: This course is offered every even-numbered fall.

  
  • HIS 3060 - Church & State in America


    Credit(s): 3

    This course examines the dynamic interactions of religion and public policy in American history that have shaped the shifting boundaries of our freedom of religion and our freedom from religion.

    Recommended: HIS 1211  and HIS 1212 

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3080 - Colonial America: History & Life


    Credit(s): 3

    This course provides an examination of major aspects of colonial life and the important political and economic events of the period from the early 17th century through 1789. Attention is paid to the establishment of colonies, lifestyles in various parts of the colonies, the American Revolution and efforts to form a new government after the Revolution, and elements of colonial history and life that form part of our heritage.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3090 - Modern German History


    Credit(s): 3

    This course surveys the troubled history of the modern German nation-state including its unification, imperial expansion, experiment with democracy during the Weimar republic, participation in two world wars, embrace of Nazi dictatorship, division into two distinct countries, and ultimately, its integration as one nation into an increasingly unified Europe.

    Prerequisites: One history course

    Recommended: Two or more history courses

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3141 - History of the United States in the 20th Century I


    Credit(s): 3

    This examination of the American response to the problems of the 20th century focuses on the 1898-1945 time period, paying particular attention to the Progressive Movement, the 1920s and the New Deal. Harry S. Truman and the Cold War, and the Kennedy-Johnson era. [First semester, HIS 3141: 1898-1945; Second semester, HIS 3142 : 1945- present.]

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3142 - History of the United States in the 20th Century II


    Credit(s): 3

    This examination of the American response to the problems of the 20th century focuses on 1945 to the present, with particular attention paid to President Harry S. Truman, the Cold War, and the Kennedy-Johnson era. [HIS 3141 : Covers the period 1898-1945]

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3155 - Sports in American History


    Credit(s): 3

    This course will analyze the evolution of American society from the 1830s to the present through the lens of organized professional and amateur athletics. The course will probe what sports has to teach us about the process of American history in such areas of life as gender, race, ethnicity, local cultures and mass culture, economics, politics, religion, and regional/national identity. Both the experiences of participation and spectatorship will be addressed. 

    Offering Location: Lyndon Campus

  
  • HIS 3160 - Vermont’s Coastal Regions


    Credit(s): 3

    This course explores, compares and contrasts the social, political and cultural dimensions of the history of Vermont’s major watershed areas. Special emphasis is placed upon the cultural concepts of “Greater Vermont” and the Western and Eastern Unions of the late 1700s.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3165 - Vermont History


    Credit(s): 3

    This course provides a close look at Vermont’s historical, social, and economic development, its problems as a republic, the struggle for statehood, and its constitution and government today. The instruction observes Vermont’s place in American civilization from its inventive, cultural, educational, literary, and political contributions.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus, Lyndon Campus

  
  • HIS 3167 - Women in Vermont History


    Credit(s): 3

    As late as the 1970s, women were almost entirely written out of Vermont history. Women’s historians have made considerable strides in correcting this gross omission. This course has been developed to, first and foremost, retell the “Vermont Story” from the vantage point of women’s experiences and, second, to provide a methods for bringing women into the curriculum. It will be taught in a compressed format and meet for one week during the summer. Students will be expected to complete the required readings before the course begins and to submit an original research project one month after the course ends.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3225 - Latin America: Mexico to Chile; History, Politics, Cultures


    Credit(s): 3

    Before the Europeans and through the Spaniards, the British/French, the Soviets and the USA, the turmoil and the angst of a continent as it lurched from communism, to socialism, to exploitative and merciless capitalism; from Liberation Catholic Theology to the arrival of Protestantism; from the domination of ethnic Europeans to the domination of Indians; from a western-oriented world view to developing one of their own; from cash crops to cocaine; from political dictatorships to drug cartels; and so on.

    Restrictions: Junior standing

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3280 - The History of the American Recording Industry


    Credit(s): 3

    [LGPP5] This course traces the history of the recording industry in America from its origins in the 1890s to the present. It explores the history of both minor and major labels that have produced music in such genres as classical, jazz, blues, gospel, country, rock and rap. It covers the internal politics of record labels, their competition with each other, and their relationship with various levels and branches of government. It also analyzes the evolution of how labels have manufactured, promoted and distributed their product. It further traces how labels have responded to changing technology and changes in the marketplace. Listening to, and analyzing, the music produced by a variety of labels is a major component of this course.

    Prerequisites: The prerequisite is sophomore standing. There is a course fee. This course is offered every odd-numbered spring.

  
  • HIS 3310 - 18th and 19th Centuries Europe


    Credit(s): 3

    [LGPP5] This course will focus on the growth of royal and republican governments in Europe, the major wars and revolutions, including the Napoleonic era and its impact. It will examine such themes as Enlightenment, Romanticism, the industrial revolution, socialism and Marxism, national unification movements, European expansion, the origins of World War I, and major cultural and intellectual developments. The use of novels, arts and films will complement historical analysis.

    Prerequisites: The prerequisite is sophomore standing or permission. This course is offered every odd-numbered fall.

  
  • HIS 3312 - Europe in the 20th Century


    Credit(s): 3

    This course covers the development of Europe since 1914, stressing the two world wars in their international context and the phenomena of communism and fascism.

    Prerequisites: One history course

    Recommended: Two or more history courses

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3330 - Europe since 1914


    Credit(s): 3

    [LGPP5] This course provides students with a comparative survey of major ideological, political, economic, and cultural developments in Europe in the 20th century. This study will examine World War I and the Peace of Versailles, the Bolshevik Revolution and Civil War in Russia, the crisis of the western democracies, totalitarian movements such as Fascism and Nazism, the impact of World War II, the Cold War, postwar reconstruction and economic revival, European socialism and the emergence of a European Community, Eastern European transformation in 1990’s, and cultural and social trends, all of which shape a modern European perspective. Equal emphasis on both Eastern and Western Europe will illuminate broad patterns of change and continuity across the continent. The use of novels, memoirs, and films will complement historical analysis.

    Prerequisites: The prerequisite is sophomore standing. This course is offered every even-numbered fall.

  
  • HIS 3350 - Struggle for Democracy


    Credit(s): 3

    Democracy traces its roots to ancient Athens, but rarely appeared in subsequent centuries. This course will examine the development of democratic theory and practice through a close examination of the pertinent writings of both its proponents and critics including: Plato, Aristotle, Montesquieu, Machiavelli, Locke, Rousseau, Mill, Tocqueville, Marx, Madison and others.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3352 - Britain in the Age of Empire


    Credit(s): 3

    This is a survey of the political, social, economic and cultural development of Great Britain since 1714. Emphasis is on the origins and growth of democratic attitudes and institutions and the rise and fall of the British Empire.

    Prerequisites: One history course; or permission of instructor

    Recommended: Two history courses

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3355 - The European Enlightenment


    Credit(s): 3

    This course seeks to understand the nature of the cultural and intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment. In what way was it a continuation of the Scientific Revolution? How did it reflect changes in the structure of 18th century European society and politics? Did it involve a repudiation or undermining of Christianity? In what ways did it anticipate intellectual debates of later centuries? In what sense did it reflect contemporary concerns? To answer these questions, this course relies on readings from leading historians of the Enlightenment as well as texts from French, British, Scottish and German thinkers of the period.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3370 - Nationalism & Rebellion in Irish History


    Credit(s): 3

    This course explores events and topics in Irish history from 1600 to present, including resistance to English rule, republicanism and reaction, emancipation and repeal, famine and mass emigration, the development of Irish nationalism and national identity, literary renaissance, separation and civil war, and the northern crisis.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3400 - Modern French History


    Credit(s): 3

    This course examines the political, social and cultural history of France from the ancient regime through the end of the 20th century. It examines events such as the Revolutions of 1789 and 1848, the reign of Napoleon, the Paris Commune, the First World War, the Vichy Regime, the Algerian War and the constitution of the European Union. The course uses these events as vehicles for exploring a series of larger historical themes that have shaped modern France. We pay particular attention to France’s difficult struggle to establish a lasting democracy, the paradoxes of French imperialism, the nature of citizenship and national identity, and the role of immigrants and of immigration throughout the nation’s modern history.

    Prerequisites: One history course

    Recommended: Two or more history courses

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3420 - French Revolution


    Credit(s): 3

    This course examines the French Revolution of 1789, the modern democratic revolution that profoundly changed not only French society but transformed Europe and gave birth to modern nationalism and continuing movements for social-political reform and revolution.

    Prerequisites: One history course

    Recommended: Two or more history courses

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3430 - History of the Soviet Union


    Credit(s): 3

    The Revolution of 1917 and the emergence of the Communist state are stressed with emphasis on the internal problems and conflicts and the development of the Soviet Union as a world power. Students research individual topics and gain an understanding of the conflicts that dominate the contemporary political scene.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3440 - Modern Russia


    Credit(s): 3

    [LGPP5] This course offers a study of modern and contemporary Russia. This broad survey begins with the rule of Alexander I and the Napoleon invasion and takes up the principal phases of Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet history. The discussion highlights issues of leadership, the role of state and bureaucracy, revolutionary movement, centrifugal forces, the role of religion and the development of economy, political forms, literature and arts. The use of novels, poetry, memoirs, arts and films will complement historical analysis.

    Prerequisites: The prerequisite is sophomore standing or permission. This course is offered every odd-numbered spring.

  
  • HIS 3445 - History of Soviet/Russian Cinema and TV


    Credit(s): 3

    [LGPP5]  This course provides a general chronological and thematic introduction to how Russian, Soviet, and Post-Soviet cinema and TV shaped and responded to wider social and cultural contexts. The films and TV programs are analyzed from the point of view of form, narrative, ideology, history and cultural background. This interdisciplinary course introduces the history and theory of Russian cinema and features a selection of the most influential Russian and Soviet films of the 20th century.

  
  • HIS 3450 - Women in European History


    Credit(s): 3

    A study of the changing role of women in European history is offered from the end of antiquity to the 20th century. Topics include women in public and private life, the economic and legal position of women, and the changing role of women in society.

    Prerequisites: HIS 1111  or HIS 1112  or ENG 2510  

    Offering Location: NVU Online

  
  • HIS 3510 - Chinese History & Culture


    Credit(s): 3

    This is an introductory survey of Chinese history and culture from early China to today. Topics include arts and religion, the dynastic system and empire, major movements for reform and revolution, and China’s international interests.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3520 - Japanese History & Culture


    Credit(s): 3

    This is an introductory survey of Japanese history and culture from ancient times to today, including the formation and growth of the Japanese state, arts and religion, the influence of Chinese culture and Western pressure, and Japan’s international interests.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 3530 - Modern East and Southeast Asia


    Credit(s): 3

    [LGCC4] This course studies Japan, Korea, China and the countries of Southeast Asia from the second half of the nineteenth century to the present. The course emphasizes the impact of foreign imperialism, independence and reforms after World War II, current economic, political and cultural patterns of these regions and challenges of the future.

    Prerequisites: The prerequisite is sophomore standing or permission. This course is offered every even-numbered fall.

  
  • HIS 3540 - Modern South Asia


    Credit(s): 3

    [LGCC4] This course features lectures, readings, and discussions on modern India. Emphasis will be placed on the social and political evolution of India from the British Empire to India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh today. Special attention will be given to Gandhi’s leadership toward independence in 1947, reforms of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, the rise of Bharatiya Janata Party, relations of India with its neighbors and its geopolitical role in the contemporary world. The use of memoirs and films will complement historical analysis.

    Prerequisites: The prerequisite is sophomore standing or permission. This course is offered every even-numbered spring.

  
  • HIS 3550 - The Islamic World


    Credit(s): 3

    [LGCC4] This course is a survey of the heart of the Islamic world and its transformation from the age of Mohammed to modern nation to states. The instruction includes the analysis of traditional society, political, economic, and cultural influence of the West, the rise of nationalism, autocracy in the Arab world, Iran, Turkey, Central Asia, Afghanistan; the Arab to Israeli dilemma; the Islamic revolution and spread of fundamentalism; the Persian Gulf conflict and its consequences; modernization and social change and the region’s geopolitical role in the contemporary world.

    Prerequisites: The prerequisite is sophomore standing or permission. This course is offered every odd-numbered fall.

  
  • HIS 3710 - Special Topics in History


    Credit(s): Variable

    This course provides students the opportunity to pursue topics appropriate to the 3000-level not offered in the general History curriculum.

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated with a change of topic.

  
  • HIS 4020 - European History in Europe


    Credit(s): 3

    This course uses specific European sites as a vehicle for exploring a particular region’s political, social and cultural history.  Examining architecture, art, monuments, museums and the landscape itself, students develop a rich understanding of key events, movements and individuals that have shaped the European past.  Specific topics and periods to be determined by the instructor.

    Prerequisites: One history course or permission of instructor

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 4710 - Special Topics in History


    Credit(s): Variable

    This course provides students the opportunity to pursue topics appropriate to the 4000-level not offered in the general History curriculum.

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated with a change of topic.

  
  • HIS 4730 - Seminar in Historical Communication


    Credit(s): 3

    Students will read, write about and discuss major works in the general field of history. In addition, students are expected to participate actively in class discussions and to focus on how and why things happened, not merely on what and when.

    Restrictions: Senior standing or permission of instructor; secondary education majors can register as juniors

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 4740 - Seminar in Historical Investigation


    Credit(s): 3

    This course is designed primarily for history majors and serves as the culmination to an undergraduate history program. Students will work intensively on a project of their own choosing, mastering the essential steps in historical research and writing. A final paper, representing a substantial piece of research, will then be submitted to the student’s peers and to the faculty members of the department. A formal presentation is also required.

    Restrictions: Senior standing or permission of instructor; secondary education majors can register as juniors

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 4810 - Internship in History


    Credit(s): 1-12 (Johnson); 1-6 (Lyndon)

    The student is placed in a work site that provides practical, career-oriented experience under the supervision of an employer and a faculty member. The internship emphasizes acquisition of job-related skills and the role of professionals in the discipline.

    Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

    Restrictions: Junior Standing (Lyndon)

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus, Lyndon Campus

  
  • HIS 4840 - Senior Thesis: History


    Credit(s): 3

    The senior thesis is a two-semester experience representing the culmination of the undergraduate history program and guided by a faculty member in the program.  Students will work intensively on a project of their own design, mastering the essential steps in historical research, writing, and presentation.

    Restrictions: Senior standing in history major and permission of instructor required.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HIS 4910 - Independent Study in History


    Credit(s): 1-12 (Johnson); 1-3 (Lyndon)

    This course allows students to pursue an advanced, in-depth study of a topic in history not offered in the regular curriculum, under the tutelage of a department faculty member. An independent-study contract must be negotiated with the instructor and filed before registering for this course.

    Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

    Restrictions: Junior Standing (Lyndon)

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus, Lyndon Campus


Humanities

  
  • HUM 1020 - FYS: Cultivating the Cross-Cultural Mind


    Credit(s): 3

    This first-year seminar course is an invitation to take a journey. It is a growth challenge course, an invitation to develop a cross-culture-bound identity. First, we will explore the notion of culture and ourselves as cultural beings - our own voices, perceptions, attitudes, values, beliefs and needs. After this self-exploration, we will sympathetically cross into other cultures, new terrains which must be entered on their own terms. Here, we will come to identify, understand and appreciate certain features of other voices so that we may, as individuals, build our own bridges of understanding and uncover paths that connect us.

    Restrictions: First-year students only

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HUM 1030 - Representing the World


    Credit(s): 3

    [LGCC4] This course explores a selection of works of art, literature, philosophy, and history from ancient to modern times in order to investigate how humanity tries to explain and understand the world we inhabit. Like scientific theories, stories and philosophies are essentially ways human beings explain the world and our place in it. Representing the world through literature, philosophy, and history has also been a way for humans to question and to challenge accepted explanations for the way the world works. Students in the course will focus on how the human race needs to explain the world in order to understand it, and how such representations are also often a way to question the accepted explanation of the world.

    Prerequisites: This course is offered every semester.

  
  • HUM 1710 - Special Topics in Humanities


    Credit(s): Variable

    This course provides students the opportunity to pursue topics appropriate to the 1000-level not offered in the general Humanities curriculum.

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated with a change of topic.

  
  • HUM 2710 - Special Topics in Humanities


    Credit(s): Variable

    This course provides students the opportunity to pursue topics appropriate to the 2000-level not offered in the general Humanities curriculum.

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated with a change of topic.

  
  • HUM 2810 - Internship in Humanities


    Credit(s): 1-12

    Students plan and complete an internship in a humanities field in consultation with their advisor.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HUM 2910 - Independent Study in Humanities


    Credit(s): 1-12

    Students develop and complete an independent study in a humanities field in consultation with their advisor.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HUM 3010 - Myth & the Modern Age


    Credit(s): 3

    Myths have emerged in every society since the dawn of the human race. This course examines recurrent mythological themes and their significance not only to their original time and place but to ours. Central to this study is the role of the hero in various cultures. In the work of Joseph Campbell, one of the greatest scholars of comparative mythology, we will search for the “point of wisdom beyond the conflicts of illusion and truth.”

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HUM 3030 - The Mythic Journey


    Credit(s): 3

    The human experience is rooted in stories and myths. To tell a story is to be grounded in the present while remembering the past and peering into the future. The course will enable each student to find meaning about the human experience as depicted in myths and about one’s own life experiences as a mythic journey.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HUM 3040 - Genesis


    Credit(s): 3

    This course focuses on The Book of Genesis and explores its contemporary relevance. Themes of creation, temptation, violence and murder, punishment and righteousness, the perceived mission of select groups, family, truth and deceit, religious struggle and the displacement of people will be considered.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HUM 3110 - Native American History & Culture


    Credit(s): 3

    This course focuses on the Native American experience in North America, using three distinct perspectives: historical ethnography, with its interdisciplinary emphasis on post contact native culture; Native American literature, emphasizing oral and written traditions as well as myth and legends; and political science, which focuses on the sometimes troubled continent. Selected aspects of material culture, art history and other disciplines will also be incorporated.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HUM 3120 - The Abenaki & Their Neighbors


    Credit(s): 3

    This course will focus upon the Abenaki experience in Northeastern North America, using three distinct Euro-American perspectives: historical ethnography, with its interdisciplinary emphasis on Abenaki culture; Abenaki literature/myth emphasizing oral and written traditions as well as myth and legends; political science, which focuses on the sometimes troubled relations between the Abenaki Peoples and Euro-American inhabitants of our continent.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HUM 3125 - Religions of the World


    Credit(s): 3

    This course offers a comprehensive study that will include introductions and analyses from numerous fields of knowledge. The three western religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, plus animism and polytheism in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Pacific Islands will be covered in the first half of the semester. The other great eastern religions of the Hindus, Buddhists, the great philosophy of the Confucianists, plus the relatively small religions of the Shintos, Taoists, Jainists, Sikhs, etc., will be covered in the second half of the semester. The geography, economics and politics of the regions, as they relate to each religion, will be covered. Particular attention will be paid to the inequities and the discontent across the centuries and under various dynasties.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HUM 3150 - People & Cultures of the Middle East & North Africa


    Credit(s): 3

    This course encompasses the religions, history and politics of these two regions, as well as general aspects of their cultures. We shall begin by studying the various histories of the Israelis, Arabs, Turks and Iranians. Then we will study the religions of Judaism, Eastern Christianity and Islam, and various aspects of their cultures, such as food and holidays. Briefly we shall study the political aspects of the Arab-Israeli dilemma, as well as socialism and capitalism in the Middle East and North Africa.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HUM 3160 - African Culture


    Credit(s): 3

    This course focuses on Africa’s culture, history, economics, geography, politics and religion, as well as the way the continent is interfacing with the modern world. The course will begin with a survey of Africa’s history and then progress to discussion of other aspects of Africa.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HUM 3170 - Popular Culture in America


    Credit(s): 3

    A consideration of the forms and functions of American popular fiction as reflectors and determinants of popular culture, this course examines Westerns, detective thrillers and sentimental romances.

    Offering Location: NVU Online

  
  • HUM 3710 - Special Topics in Humanities


    Credit(s): Variable

    This course provides students the opportunity to pursue topics appropriate to the 3000-level not offered in the general Humanities curriculum.

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated with a change of topic.

  
  • HUM 4710 - Special Topics in Humanities


    Credit(s): Variable

    This course provides students the opportunity to pursue topics appropriate to the 4000-level not offered in the general Humanities curriculum.

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated with a change of topic.

  
  • HUM 4810 - Internship in Humanities


    Credit(s): 1-12

    Students plan and complete an internship in a humanities field in consultation with their advisor.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • HUM 4910 - Independent Study in Humanities


    Credit(s): 1-12

    Students develop and complete an independent study in a humanities field in consultation with their advisor.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus


Interdisciplinary Seminars

  
  • INT 1010 - New Student Seminar


    Credit(s): 3

    New Student Seminar introduces college level scholarship and the college community. The instruction includes values and goals clarification, time management skills, academic expectations, interpersonal and communication skills, and familiarity with the college’s policies, procedures, resources, and services. The course is intended for first-year and transfer students.

    Prerequisites: There is a lab fee.

  
  • INT 1011 - Summer Bridge


    Credit(s): 1

    This course is designed to facilitate a successful transition to college and focuses on orientation to college, academic success strategies, professional develoment, and introduction to a degree program or programs.  Topics include student rights and responsibilities, student grading and graduation requirements, student information technologies and database orientation, campus/site resources, time management, note taking, test taking, learning sytles and study skills, self esteem, group dynamics and stress management, introduction to career opportunities and program-specific topics.

    Restrictions: Must be a Summer Bridge Student

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • INT 1020 - Entering an Academic Community


    Credit(s): 3

    This course introduces the student to LSC’s intellectual and social environment. Instructors use a variety of approaches to strengthen higher level thinking, enhance academic skills, and provide information that leads to success in college.

    Prerequisites: There is a course fee.

  
  • INT 1025 - Explore & Connect


    Credit(s): 1

    This class consists of a combination of weekly discussions, in-class exercises and faculty presentations designed to help students Increase awareness of their own strengths, interests and skills; engage in an active process of self and career exploration in order to identify majors that are appropriately matched with skills and interests; become familiar with JSC’s academic programs and faculty; and develop a relationship with the class instructor who will serve as your academic advisor.

    Restrictions: Undeclared major or permission of instructor

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • INT 1030 - Experiencing Academic and Cultural Life


    Credit(s): 1

    This course provides students the opportunity to think deeply about a variety of academic and cultural events. During the semester the students will attend six activities chosen from an approved list. For each activity, the students will write a paper based on their experience and on questions that the instructor has provided. This course is a continuation of the academic/cultural events from INT 1020. The main emphasis of this course is the student’s participation in the intellectual and cultural life of the College with the subsequent strengthening of personal life. Repeat once for credit.

  
  • INT 1040 - Introduction to College


    Credit(s): 1

    The course introduces first year students to the academic skills and campus information useful for success in the face of college level standards, expectations, and life-styles. Close linkage with a core academic course and interactive teaching methods are used to enhance the skills and decision making habits needed for achieving academic success in college.

    Prerequisites: Prerequisites are first year standing and co-enrollment in a Divisional Core course of the GEU. There is a course fee. This course is offered every semester.

  
  • INT 1080 - Gateway to College


    Credit(s): 1

    This course introduces academically at-risk students to self-assessment techniques, effective study methods, and other skills necessary for college-level academic performance. The course builds a supportive learning community for students using structured workshops during class time and regular individual meetings with the instructor throughout the semester.

    Prerequisites: This course is open only to first-year students. This course is offered every fall.

  
  • INT 1710 - Special Topics in Interdisciplinary Studies


    Credit(s): Variable

    This course provides students the opportunity to pursue topics appropriate to the 1000-level not offered in the general Interdisciplinary Studies curriculum.

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated with a change of topic.

  
  • INT 1810 - Integrated Research and Writing


    Credit(s): 1

    This course focuses on information literacy and writing skills. Students will learn how to do library research and integrate that research into a written assignment. Instruction may include how to evaluate sources, develop research strategies, and construct bibliographies and in-text citations using a format such as MLA or APA.

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated five times for credit. There is a course fee. This course is offered every semester.

  
  • INT 2010 - Jumpstart Your Future


    Credit(s): 1

    This course is intended to assist students in defining their career/life goals, identifying useful resources, and establishing plans to make their goals realities. The course will instruct students in procedures for both long-term and short-term goal-setting, including planning for their remaining time in college. Instruction will also include values clarification, interest assessments, networking, and presentation skills.

    Prerequisites: This course is offered as second-half mini in the spring.

  
  • INT 2040 - Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing


    Credit(s): 3

    This course is designed to enable students to better be able to identify issues or problems, gather information from diverse perspectives about those problems, systematically evaluate that information and its contexts, and synthesize the inferences and evidence methodically into a well-reasoned interpretation. Each section is a topics seminar, in which a topic of interest is used to focus the instruction and practice in critical thinking. Topics are chosen by instructor and will vary by semester.

    Prerequisites: ENG 1082  

    Offering Location: Lyndon Campus

  
  • INT 2710 - Special Topics in Interdisciplinary Studies


    Credit(s): Variable

    This course provides students the opportunity to pursue topics appropriate to the 2000-level not offered in the general Interdisciplinary Studies curriculum.

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated with a change of topic.

  
  • INT 2910 - Independent Study in Interdisciplinary Studies


    Credit(s): 1-12

    Students plan and complete an approved independent study in consultation with their faculty supervisor.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • INT 3010 - Natural Landscapes & Literature


    Credit(s): 3

    This is an interdisciplinary focus on nature preserves, national parks and wilderness areas and on ways that people’s conceptions of these natural environments have changed over time. Students will examine how writers, environmentalist and naturalists describe these “ideal landscapes;” how they define their relationships to the land; and what they say people can do, as individuals and as members of groups, to protect the integrity of the natural environment and guarantee our access to it now and in the future.

    Restrictions: Upper-division status

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • INT 3045 - The Bible: History, Literature, Spirituality


    Credit(s): 3

    The course is a group inquiry into the meanings and historical/cultural contexts of several books of the Old and New Testaments. Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, Job, The Gospel of Mark and The Gospel of Matthew will be particularly emphasized. Texts which have been considered sacred carry a special charge. You should be prepared to be open to learning, discussing and arguing with classmates, as well as with the teacher. You will be asked to examine the gist and implications of concepts such as monotheism, the Chosen People, righteousness and its rewards, the Messiah, the Kingdom of God, forgiveness, the Day of Judgment, and, through discussion and a variety of mostly short writing assignments, to close the gap between what you read and yourself.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • INT 3050 - The Art & Culture of Cuba


    Credit(s): 3

    This extended-classroom course will be based in Havana, Cuba, and will essentially offer students an experiential course in cultural immersion and aesthetics. Students will spend seven days observing historical, contemporary and popular visual art, architecture, music and dance. Additionally, students will experience many facets of Cuban history and culture in an urban setting, including food, local rituals and traditions. Students will study and observe a spectrum of extraordinary artistic endeavors as it has played out over centuries, and they will experience contemporary Cuban life as it is lived. Much of this travel experience will include visits to museums and studying cultural heritage, with guided tours by local Cubans and academic instruction by the professors. There will be field lectures during the day and presentations at night providing a context, historical and aesthetic, for what will be observed each day.

    Restrictions: Permission of Instructor

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • INT 3130 - Compassion & You: An Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism


    Credit(s): 3

    Over centuries, since the inception of Buddhism, many different schools of Buddhism have developed. This course examines Mahayana Buddhism and its presentation of Buddhist philosophy and psychology. Unlike other spiritual traditions, Buddhism is a synthesis of philosophy, psychology and spirituality. Close examination of two of the greatest Buddhist literary works will be the focal point during this course to help lay the foundation for a clear understanding of Mahayana Buddhist thought. Students will explore Buddhist art, music, philosophy and meditation to enhance a full understanding of Buddhist practice and theory.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • INT 3150 - Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid


    Credit(s): 3

    This course examines the beautiful underlying relationships between logic, art and music, along with other treasures of western thought and culture. Students will read major portions of Douglas Hofstadter’s book of the same name.

    Prerequisites: Successful completion of Foundation Skills - Mathematics

    Restrictions: Junior standing

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • INT 3210 - The Holocaust: An Interdisciplinary Approach


    Credit(s): 3

    This upper-level course, uses analytical frameworks drawn from history, political science, literary criticism, psychology, sociology, philosophy and religious studies to explore the dimensions of the Holocaust (1933-1945) and to assess its lasting impact.

    Offering Location: Johnson Campus

  
  • INT 3710 - Special Topics in Interdisciplinary Studies


    Credit(s): Variable

    This course provides students the opportunity to pursue topics appropriate to the 3000-level not offered in the general Interdisciplinary Studies curriculum.

    Prerequisites: This course may be repeated with a change of topic.

  
  • INT 4010 - Life Beyond the Classroom


    Credit(s): 1

    This course will facilitate the student’s transition from college to the work world. Course content will involve individual goal-setting. The course will cover issues involving the contemporary workplace, organizational culture, and professional communication, as well as the execution of a job search campaign and basic life skills and citizenship responsibilities. Particular attention will be paid to utilizing the skills that employers value: computer literacy, communication skills, adaptability, interpersonal skills, and self-initiated activity. Individual and group projects, research, and portfolios will be required in this class.

    Prerequisites: This course is offered as first-half mini in the spring.

 

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