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CONCENTRATIONS

Environmental Studies

Latin American Studies

Peace and Justice Studies

Women’s Studies

Sustainability

 

COURSES

History of American Women

Prophets and Profits

Race in American History

Family Issues and Social Policy

Service and the Hispanic Community

Latin American Thought

Philosophy and the City

HIV/AIDS

Women & Development in Latin America

"The Problem of Hell": Genocide

English 251: Borderlands Writings

Economics 465: Development Economics

= Course includes service-learning or community-based learning

"Every discipline, beyond its necessary specialization,
must engage with human society, human life, and the environment in appropriate ways,
cultivating moral concern about how people ought to live together."
- Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J.

History of American Women: From Colonization to Mid-19th Century (HIST 238)
History of American Women: From Mid-19th Century to the Present  (HIST 239)

Susan Poulson, Ph.D.               poulsons1@scranton.edu

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

We will study the history of American women from the colonial era to the mid-nineteenth century [for HIST 239, the modern era] and introduce gender as a concept in historical analysis.  Special attention will be given to changes in the family, the work force, women's participation in politics and reform movements, and African-American women.  This course is cross-listed for the Women’s Studies Concentration.  The WSC is an 18 credit academic program that focuses on studying women’s experiences in history, culture, society and in institutional structures and processes that have disparate impacts on women and men.

 

HIST 238

RESOURCES:

Jacobs, Harriet	Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl
Norton, Mary Beth	Major Problems in American Women's History
Rosenberg, Carrol-Smith	"The Cult of Domesticity"  "Victorian Sexuality"
	A Midwife’s Tale
	Emily Dickinson
	Not For Ourselves Alone:  Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony
	Sojourner Truth

 

ASSIGNMENTS:

Select two films from those on reserve in the Media Resources Collection (3rd floor, WML) and before Thanksgiving write a one-page single-spaced review of how gender (and perhaps race, class, etc.) shaped the subject of the each film.  Organize this brief review thematically and give example and observations to illustrate.

A Midwife’s Tale, Emily Dickinson, Sojourner Truth

Not For Ourselves Alone: Eliz. Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony

 

HIST 239

RESOURCES:

Baumgardner, J. & Richards, A.	Manifesta
Corrigan, Maureen	Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading
Norton, Mary Beth	Major Problems in American Women's History
Peril, Lynn	Think Pink, “Gender, Coeducation, and the Transformation of Catholic Identity in American Higher Education”
Walker, Alice	The Color Purple
Woloch, Nancy	Women and the American Experience

 

ASSIGNMENTS:

• Explore how gender norms were reflected or changed by a specific event (legislation, protest, election, sports event, etc.)  Please use at least 6 books as sources for your information. 
• Popular Culture both reflects and shapes societal gender norms.  The paper assignment asks students to observe and critique the representation of gender in any particular period covered since 1880.  One may choose from 3 related films, 3 years of a particular magazine, or 2 novels.  In addition to these materials, one must use at least 4 books as background sources to aid in your interpretation.  Please write a paper in which you present your ideas and observations about the issue of gender in the popular culture you have reviewed.

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Prophets and Profits: The Economy in the Christian Life         (T/RS 236)

Scott Bader-Saye, Ph.D.          badersayes2@scranton.edu 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course will inquire into the witness of the church concerning capitalism and consumerism, wealth and poverty, business and the common good.  The course is organized around the cardinal virtues – wisdom, justice, temperance, and courage – which give a distinctive shape to Christian participation in the marketplace.

Successful completion of this course will assist students to:

• Articulate central Christian beliefs and practices concerning economic issues
• Analyze capitalism and socialism from the perspective of Christian moral theology
• Embody the witness of Christian character in the world of business
• Envision just responses to the challenge of poverty
• Develop modes of resistance to the culture of consumption

Course topics are

• Wisdom: Scripture, Tradition, and the Rise of the Market
• Courage: The Vocation of Christian Work
• Justice: The Challenge of Poverty
• Temperance: The Dangers of Consumerism

RESOURCES:

Stackhouse, McCann, Roels, eds.	On Moral Business
Ronald J. Sider	Just Generosity
Juliet B. Schor	The Overspent American
John Calvin	“On Usury” from Calvin’s Ecclesiastical Advice
Robert Heilbroner	“The Economic Revolution,” “The Wonderful World of Adam Smith,” and “ The Inexorable System of Karl Marx”  in The Worldly Philosophers
Thomas Aquinas	Summa Theologica
John Paul II	Centesimus annus

 

JOURNALS:

(10% of final grade): Every Wednesday you will turn in a typed journal page of reflections on the class readings for that week (no more than 1 single-spaced page). Give a brief summary of one or two main points from the week’s readings (you don’t have to cover everything) and then try to relate the readings to some current event or personal experience.  The point is not to have the “right” reflections, but to show me that you have thought about the readings. 

 

PRESENTATIONS:

(20% of final grade): Each student will make a presentation to the class – either a review and response to a documentary or a case study of a company that stands out for seeking the common good in its business practices. You will turn in a one page single-spaced text of your presentation.

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Race in American History                 (HIST 216)

Lawrence W. Kennedy, Ph.D.  Lawrence.kennedy@scranton.edu

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This class investigates the concept of race in American history from the colonial era to the present.  The focus is on the experience of African-Americans but we will also consider the historical experience of American Indians and Asian-Americans.  The major topics will be:  the idea of race; slavery; the “Jim Crow” system of segregation; and the Civil Rights movement.  Students will:  Identify and describe key figures and developments that pertain to the history of race and racism in the United States; describe examples of cause and effect relationships; will recognize the procedures that historians use to identify sources, collect evidence, and draw conclusions; and will read and interpret various types of historical sources.

 

RESOURCES:

Kolchin	American Slavery
edited by Chafe et al	Remembering Jim Crow
Sitkoff	The Struggle for Black Equality
edited by Gordon-Reed	Race on Trial

 

ASSIGNMENTS:

• Essay based on the assigned class books Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.  No other sources are to be used.  Compare and contrast how Frederick Douglass and Maya Angelou responded to racism in their lives.  Describe perspectives and insights that you have found in the book and offer specific incidents that illustrate the similar and different life experiences.
• Essay describing how laws defined slavery and slave life in the colonial period and the revolutionary and early antebellum periods of American history.  In writing the essay, you should consider:  how slavery came to be racially defined in the colonial era; how people came to be defined as property; what slave codes were like; and how the ideas of the American Revolution affected constitutions and laws dealing with salves and slavery.
• Final Essays: 1. Considering the period after the 1954 Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education:  Who are the three key figures in this struggle?  What are the three key events in this struggle?  What are the three key results of this struggle? 2.  How has this course, Race in American History, affected your understanding of American History?

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Family Issues and Social Policy                    (SOC 217)

Loreen Wolfer, Ph.D.                           Loreen.Wolfer@scranton.edu

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

We have all heard the expressed fear that the family as an institution is weakening.  This course is designed to examine four problems of the family which often lead to this claim: the issue of work and the family (including poverty); separation and divorce; family violence; and elder care.   Each area will be addressed individually in terms of a description of the social problem, practical and theoretical reasons why the problem exists and the local, state and federal programs / policies designed to address these problems.  Each program and policy will be critically examined in terms of who is benefiting most, the least, why (both practical and theoretical) and what are the wider social implications of the strengths / weaknesses of the programs.  Service learning will provide students exposure to the policies directed at these problems and help students apply a multicultural interpretation of these situations and the policies aimed at minimizing them.

Goals of the course include:

• Students will use a multicultural perspective to become familiar with four main problems associated with the family.
• Students will understand the historical context that created these family problems.
• Students will examine how these problems are more relevant to certain members of society, especially women and racial minorities.
• Students will examine how social, economic and other institutional factors helped shape these problems, especially for certain groups such as women and minorities.
• Students will explore the local, state and federal policies at alleviating these problems.
• Students will critically evaluate the existing policies and programs from a multicultural perspective regarding who benefits the most, the least, why and what can be done to change this.

RESOURCES:

Gerstel, Naomi, ed.	Families at Work:  Expanding the Bounds
Ehrenreich, Barbara.	Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
Jeynes, William.	Divorce, Family Structure and Academic Success of Children
Donileen R. Loseke, Richard Gelles, and Mary Cavanaugh.  eds	Current Controversies on Family Violence

 

ASSIGNMENTS:

Short Reaction Papers: 

Students will be required to write 2 reaction papers based on course readings.  Students are free to chose their readings.  These papers will be approximately 3-5 pages and, depending on the nature of the topic, may  include (but are not limited to):  1)  A reaction to the chosen article;  2) An evaluation of the relevant policy / program in terms of who is benefiting, who is not and why (with a special focus on diversity issues); 3)  Implications for social justice; and 4) Any personal reactions you experienced in terms of value conflicts, personal re-evaluations, etc.  Components 1 and 4 are mandatory.  Components 2 and 3 depend on the content of the reading (however, if they are relevant and the student ignores this, the grade will reflect that omission).  Students need to be prepared to lead class discussions based on their readings.  Therefore, I suggest that students also prepare some questions to stimulate class discussion regarding their chosen readings (although these questions do not need to be submitted with the paper).

Service Learning Journal: 

In order to gain some real life knowledge about these problems, students will be required to complete 15-20 hours of service learning in a facility designed to deal with one of the four family social problems we will discuss.  You will devote 1.5-2 hours a week each for approximately 10 weeks of the semester.  You will also have a 30 minute orientation meeting with the contact person at your agency to be completed by Friday, February 18.  The hours will be documented in your journals and I will be checking with contact people at the relevant agencies to verify the hours.  A complete list of participating agencies will be provided during the second week of class. Students will keep a notebook charting their concrete experiences during their service learning (e.g. what you saw each day), reflections on how your observations relate to class material, and personal reactions both to the observations and the fit with class material.  This notebook can be kept informally and be handwritten.  I will collect it twice a semester to assess the level of exposure to the topic in your service learning and your level of analysis regarding your experience.

Final Paper: 

Your final paper will be a detailed critical assessment of a policy of your choosing regarding one of these family problems that is relevant to your service learning experience.  In other words, this is a critical assessment of a policy where the information for the assessment is based both on what you’ve learned in your readings and your observations during your service learning.  You analysis should include issues of cultural diversity, including minority and women's experiences.

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Service and the Hispanic Community           (SPAN 335)

Robert A. Parsons, Ph.D.                                 parsonsr1@scranton.edu

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

In conjunction with a local service-providing agency, the Director of Collegiate Volunteers, and the course professor, students develop a community service project that involves working with the local Hispanic population.  They spend approximately three hours per week (40 – 45 hrs. total for the semester) in community service activities.  To provide context, students read and discuss sociological and historical materials related to the Hispanic immigrant experience, as well as literature in Spanish about the immigrant experience by Hispanic immigrant writers (or writers from immigrant families).  Most readings and all discussions are in Spanish.  There are several presentations from local service providers and Hispanic immigrants.

Lecture topics include

• changing demographic patterns in northeast Pennsylvania.
• the primary characteristics of Hispanic culture, as well as the overarching similarities and major differences between Hispanic subcultures and different nationalities.
• characteristics of the immigrant experience: cultural displacement, marginalization and diminished socio-economic status.

RESOURCES:

Jiménez, Francisco	Cajas de cartón
Suárez-Orozco, Marcelo M. and Mariela M. Aáez, ed.	Latinos: Remaking America
Mary Romero, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Vilma Ortiz, ed.	Challenging Fronteras: Structuring Latina and Latino Lives in the U.S
	Illegal Americans
	Hispanics: the changing role of women
	Issues of Latino Identity: The Yearning to Be. . .
	The Blending of Culture: Latino Influence on America
	Latin beat: Latino culture in the United States
	Biculturalism and Acculturation Among Latinos
	Ties that Bind: Immigration Stories
	El Norte

 

ASSIGNMENTS:

• All students will hand in a final compilation of journal entries detailing week to week activities during the course of the semester.  This should be an objective record of activities kept on a weekly basis throughout the semester. (22% of grade)  Students will also write a final subjective, personal reaction to the semester’s service work, 8 to 12 pages. (20% of grade)
• 3 tests on the lectures and videos. 
• Bi-weekly conversations outside of class time with the professor and other students about the service experience: successes, failures, challenges, practical or material problems, emotional reactions, etc.  These discussions are in addition to the regular three hour class meeting and can be in Spanish or English, individual student’s preference.

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Latin American Thought        (PHIL 242)
Kevin Nordberg, Ph.D.            nordberg@scranton.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

RESOURCES:

Tzvetan Todorov	The Conquest of America
Bartolomé de Las Casas (tr. Briffault)	Devastation of the Indies
Juana Inés de la Cruz  (Juana Ramírez y Asbaje)	The Answer/La respuesta
Paolo Freire	Pedagogy of the Oppressed
edited by Jorge J.E. Gracia & Elizabeth Millan-Zaibert	Latin American Philosophy for the 21st Century

ASSIGNMENTS:

• Two short presentations to focus class attention on issues in the readings and stimulate class discussion; followed up within a week with a short (2 page) summary of points discussed in class.
• Two take-home exams: one at mid-semester and the other at finals.

• At least one extra-curricular event (e.g. movie, lecture, cultural event) approved by instructor but in line with any Latin American Studies Concentration issue.

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Philosophy and the City         (PHIL 314)
Sharon M. Meagher, Ph.D.       meaghers1@scranton.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

RESOURCES:

ASSIGNMENTS:

WEBSITE: http://www.philosophyandthecity.org
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HIV/AIDS: Biological, Social and Cultural Issues     (INTD 211)
Dr. Patricia Harrington, Nursing;
Dr. Michael Sulzinski, Biology
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Study of the biology of HIV and AIDS, including fundamentals of infectious disease, immunology and virology. The impact of the epidemic is examined in relation to the differing experiences of various social groups and countries. The epidemiology of the disease and the response of health care systems and governments are explored. Open to all majors, prerequisite: C/IL 102 (or equivalent).  May be used to partially fulfill the requirements for “Cultural Diversity” and “Natural Science”.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Describe the human immune response, the viral structure and implications for transmission, and drugs used to control HIV infection.
2. Explain the natural history of HIV disease.
3. Discuss vaccine candidates and vaccination strategies
4. Define the mechanism in which opportunistic pathogens infect the body.
5. Examine the relationship between HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases and the response of social systems to the epidemic.  
6. Discuss the effects of the epidemic on women and on various cultural groups in the United States and in other countries in the world.
7. Identify and compare community resources, both locally and nationally.
8. Develop a teaching plan for HIV prevention for a population at risk for HIV infection.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Two reaction papers

Purpose:  To identify your reactions to the guest speakers’ presentations in class, and to compare your impressions, about people living with HIV and AIDS, before and after the presentation.

Criteria:  In each reaction paper, please address the following:

• Present your reaction to the speaker.                                                                             25%
• How did the speaker’s experience with HIV influence your perception of the disease?        25%
• Describe how the speaker’s message related to your personal and academic life.             25%
• What recommendations would you suggest for your peers, family members, and for
  society at large?                                                                                                            25%

2. Teaching Project/Class Presentation

For this project, you will plan an HIV prevention program for an "at risk" group. The group will be assigned to you in class. Research the literature on HIV prevention for your assigned "at-risk" group.  Develop a plan to teach about HIV prevention. The plan should be typed and 4-5 pages in length.  NOTE: The plan will not be implemented.

The following criteria should be addressed in the paper:

• Description of the problem for this risk group, developed from a review of the literature.    Should address: history of the risk group, why are they at risk?/specific challenges to learning and potential for behavior change/successful strategies, already in place for prevention programming                          30%
• The teaching plan should include: Goals - list two overall goals for your teaching project.  Example: “Senior citizens at the “hometown” senior center will be able to: a) Name two risky behaviors for HIV transmission  &   b) Describe how HIV develops into AIDS                                                                   5%
• Describe the setting for your teaching project; the methods to be used (e.g.: posters, pamphlets, videos, etc.); & timing (time of day, # of sessions needed).                                                                           10%
• Identify the “behavior change principle (s) that you will use to develop the plan, and describe why these were selected                                                                                             5%
• Explain how you would evaluate the project.  Example: pre and post testing, oral questioning, etc.    5%
• Format: The paper should be typed, double spaced, approximately 4-5 pages + reference list. Correctly cite your sources in the text of the paper                                                   5%
• Critiques:  After you complete the plan, give it to two other people for their critique (not classmates in INTD-211).  Ask them to read your plan and give you an honest critique of how it could be improved: is it a realistic approach to the risk group you selected?  Have them write directly on the critique forms.  Hand in the teaching project and the two critique forms.                                                                               20%
• Presentation in class – Prepare a five-minute overview of your teaching project in class.  Team presentations (of like topics) are encouraged.                                                                                  20%

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Women & Development in Latin America          (PS 384 ST)
Dr. Sharon M. Meagher           meaghers1@scranton.edu
Dr. Isabel Bueno Lázaro          buenolazari2@scranton.edu
Dr. Linda Ledford-Miller          ledfordl1@scranton.edu

Course description

This team-taught partial travel course will engage students in thinking about the challenges of development in Latin America, with particular emphasis placed upon the gendered dimensions of both development theory and practice.  Through a combination of readings, films, lectures, discussion and travel to Puebla and Huehuetla, students will be challenged to understand the burdens placed on women in underdeveloped nations as well as the roles that women have played in that region’s development. 
Students who complete this course successfully will:

• understand the crises of development from a global perspective and within the cultural, social, economic, political, historical and contemporary context of Latin America
• comprehend the complex role that gender plays in social, economic and political development globally, with particular emphasis on Latin America
• make connections between social justice, sustainability, and development issues in Latin America
• be able to identify feminist theories of development and their critique of traditional development theories
• appreciate how social change can happen and how they can become social change agents
• develop an understanding of feminist pedagogy as they listen and learn from one another

RESOURCES:
Sylvia Chant with Nikki Craske                    Gender in Latin America
Jane L. Parpart, et al.                                Theoretical Perspectives on Gender and Development
Jennifer Abbassi and Sheryl L. Lutjens        Rereading Women in Latin America and the Caribbean: The Political Economy of Gender
                                                   Columbus Didn’t Discover Us
                                                   The Tree of Life
                                                   The Tree of Knowledge
                                                   Indian Democracy
                                                    Women Organize!

ASSIGNMENTS:

• Reflective journal.  The journal sets down your daily response to the course reading and discussion, other class work, and our travel experiences.  In part, you will use the journal to answer questions generated in your small groups and/or by the instructors.  Whenever appropriate, you should cite specific examples from either reading or experience that supports the claims that you make.  Done well, the journal will provide you with the groundwork for your final synthesis paper.  Criteria for evaluating journals include consideration of the following issues:   a.) do the entries demonstrate that the student understands critical issues and their import, and answers questions in ways that address those central issues?  b) does the student bring knowledge of the assigned readings to bear in the discussion, and make appropriate use of both textual and travel experience examples? c) are the entries thoughtful and well-written?  d) is the journal complete, with a sufficient number of substantive entries? 
• Two class presentations.  Students will work in small groups with others who share their disciplinary major to raise questions concerning the assigned readings for the week and facilitate a class discussion. Students will work in small groups with others who have different disciplinary majors to offer reflection and discussion on an assigned issue that they will examine while we are in Mexico
• Final synthesis paper.  Students must write a final paper that synthesizes what they have learned in the class.  Questions to be explored include:
• • What did the immersion experience of week 3 add to my understanding of the framework we built in part I of the course?  What would I have missed if I had traveled without prior study of the issues? 
  • What contributions have women made to sustainable development?  What obstacles have prevented women from contributing and/or increased burdens placed on women?
  • What are the structural or institutional dimensions of creating a just and sustainable world? 
  • How does change happen?  How can we create a just and sustainable world?  How can we build effective alliances to create change?  How do we overcome impediments to sustainable development? 
  • What are our roles as social change agents in the creation of global justice?  What steps can we identify that we might pursue as individuals or as part of a group? 

Please note that students will be expected to share what they have learned with the campus community.  Students will be required to commit to doing a presentation on either Saturday, March 1st at the Foundations in Feminism workshop co-sponsored by the Jane Kopas Women’s Center and the University of Scranton Women’s Studies program or at an another event co-sponsored by the Latin American studies program and the JKWC

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"The Problem from Hell": Genocide     (IS 390)
Dr. Gretchen J. Van Dyke                    Vandykeg1@scranton.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Arguably one of the most devastating pieces of news to emerge internationally toward the end of World War was the confirmation that Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party had undertaken the systematic extermination of approximately 6 million Jews and 5 million other “undesirables” in their effort to consolidate their power and establish supreme race to rule the world.  With the horrors of the Holocaust exposed, assurances were given that “never again” would the free world, and particularly its new leader—the United States, allow for such crimes to occur; never again would the world stand by as a people was systematically destroyed because of their “national, ethical, racial, or religious” makeup.  Yet the crime of genocide was carried out multiple times in the 20th century, and it is happening in Darfur early in this 21st century.  Often the world’s leaders have stood at the sidelines wondering if and when they should take action to stop it.

In this upper-division elective for political science, international studies majors, and history majors, students will

• consider the impact of the Armenian genocide and Jewish Holocaust & the development of international standards to guide the international community’s response to genocide.
• examine specific genocides in 20th century to assess both the impact on the citizens of individual countries (especially the victims) and the challenges that shape the international community’s response.
• explore the question “How does a country, a nation, a people recover from genocide”, which includes listening to stories of personal healing as well as assessing the role of various forms of international justice, such as international war crimes tribunals. 
• discuss and critically assess the lessons of the past to determine how the international community can prevent and end genocide in the 21st century, specifically considering the ongoing situation in Darfur.  

Topical Outline

• Course Introduction & Theoretical Foundations: Images of Genocide
• Armenia, the Holocaust, and Raphael Lemkin’s Quest
• The 1970s and 1980s: Cambodia, Senator Proxmire, and Iraq
• The Balkans: Bosnia, Srebrencia, and Kosovo
• Genocide in Africa – Rwanda
• Healing and Recovery – International, State, and Personal Levels
• Genocide Prevention

RESOURCES:

 

Don Cheadle & John Prendergast	Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond (2007)
Immaculée Illibagiza	Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust (2006)
Elizabeth Neuffer	The Key to My Neighbor’s House (2002)
Samantha Power	“A Problem From Hell”: America and the Age of Genocide (2002)
Gilbert Tuhabaonye & Gary Brozek	This Voice in My Heart: A Runner’s Memoir of Genocide, Faith, and Forgiveness
	Universal Declaration of Human Rights
	UN Declaration on Genocide
	The New York Times daily

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1.  Class Participation/Attendance -- 20% (20 points)
Students are expected to be on time for class and have assigned readings prepared for class; each week a discussion question will be given on which students must prepare a written thesis statement for the following week.  Thesis statements will be presented at the beginning of each class and will be collected each week

2.  Seminar Leadership -- 30% (30 points)
Every student, working with a colleague, will lead class discussions on at least one occasion during the semester.  Students will choose their specific leadership topic from the weekly topics list.  With guidance from this professor, they will review additional readings, prepare discussion questions, give opening presentations, prepare small media projects, and provide in-depth analysis on individual class topics.  This will give students the chance to research and examine more deeply specific seminar issues, essentially making them "experts" on these topics.  Students may also use their leadership sessions to complete the short essays that are required for the course.  Students' preparation, organization, and actual oral presentation will be evaluated to constitute their leadership grade.  Students will also complete an evaluation for each team member, which will be an additional evaluative tool for each leadership team.

3.  4 Short, Analytical Essays (3 optional topics, 1 assigned topic) -- 20%/10% (20 points/10 points)
Optional Topics:  As mentioned above, students will be given a weekly discussion question on which to focus their class preparation for the following week's class.  Students may chose 3 occasions (questions) during the semester on which to prepare a short, 4-5 page answer (double-spaced typed with standard 1-inch margins and 12-point fonts) that must be turned in on the day of that particular discussion.  Students will analyze and reflect upon the particular readings for that discussion in a formal, written manner, and document their analysis using specific citations from class readings.  Students should try to demonstrate their understanding of the most salient points about the individual topics that are being studied. 

Assigned Topic:  This essay will be in place of a midterm exam.  It will be a 6-7 page answer (double-spaced typed with standard 12-point fonts) in response to a question that will be given out in class.  The question will be somewhat more comprehensive than the 3 optional topics, but will, again, ask students to analyze and reflect upon class readings and issues that are being discussed in the seminar, using specific citations from the class readings.  Demonstration of knowledge and a thoughtful, critical evaluation of course material are the goals of this assignment.

4.  Final Essay -- 20% (20 points)
This assignment will be similar to the assigned midterm essay:  again, an approximately 6-7 page answer (double-spaced typed with standard 12-point fonts) in response to a question that will be given out in class.

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Borderlands Writings   (ENG 251)         (PS 384 ST)

Dr. Susan Méndez                   mendezs2@scranton.edu

Course description

This course is designed to analyze and discuss literature of the US southwest (California & New Mexico) and the US southeast (Florida). Each of these locations, due to political, social, and cultural ties and divisions, represents a type of border culture, US/Mexican in the southwest and US/Cuban in the southeast. This class explores the historical and cultural connections amongst all of these texts by focusing on reoccurring topics such as the cultural role of women in these communities, the impact of international military conflicts, domestic violence, healing practices and illness, the utility of religion/spirituality, and sexual identity. Special attention will be paid to women’s experiences and stories from the borderlands that address their struggle with modes of patriarchal authority and institutional structures of power in the medical field and religion. Focus will also be given to how these US Latina/o communities are tied inextricably, in terms of history and culture, to their Latin American countries of origin, especially when these countries are involved in military conflicts. Also, this course will tackle the question of placing borderlands literature with the canon of American literature.  How does borderlands writings contribute to the diversity and intellectual distinctiveness/integrity of American literature?

 

Aims:

1. To read various fictional texts of Latina/o literatures with attention paid to cultural and historical contexts
2. To form strong, effective, and clear thesis statements and essays about these literatures
3. To trace and discuss common and significant themes and topics within these literary texts

 

RESOURCES:
Gloria Anzaldua                                        Borderlands
Ana Castillo                                              So Far From God
Achy Obejas                                             Memory Mambo
John Rechy                                      Miraculous Day of Amalia Gomez
Graciela Limon                                  In Search of Bernabe
Cristina Garcia                                  The Aguero Sisters

 

ASSIGNMENTS:

• Three short essays (five-six pages each)
• Two essay exams (a midterm and a final)

The topics for all of these assignments and tests will come from class discussions.
All assignments must address the topic selection and requirements of the writing and exam prompts I give out in class. Essays must follow MLA format.  You can revise one of your essays, but you must meet with me before you begin revising your essay. When turning in your revision, you must also turn in your original essay and a brief description as to how you revised your essay: what did you add on, take away, or reorganize in your writing and why.   
There will also be in-class writing assignments that will be given sporadically throughout the semester in order to ensure that the class is keeping up with the reading. 

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Development Economics     (ECO 465)
Dr. Satyajit Ghosh                   ghoshs1@scranton.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
In today's global economy economic underdevelopment of less developed countries (LDC) remains a matter of concern not just for the LDC's themselves but for the advanced economies as well. Economic Development of the third world countries is viewed as one of the most important social and economic challenges facing the modern world. While interest in Development Economics can be traced back even to Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, the traditional discipline of Development Economics, as we know it today, emerged about forty years ago from the writings of Rosenstein-Rodan, Nurkse and Lewis among others. As Lewis's Surplus Labor model so clearly illustrates it, the focus of the discipline of Development Economics was on the process of development. In recent years, however the discipline has undergone a major shift. There is now a growing emphasis on the problems and structures of underdevelopment. It also intensively uses the tools of rigorous economic analysis.

The purpose of this course is to study traditional theories as well as recent advances in Development Economics against the backdrop of the experiences of the LDC's in today's world. We begin with an overview of the subject matter of development economics along with a quick look at the UN Millennium Goals and experiences of developing economies. We then briefly discuss the concepts of economic growth. Next we study the unevenness in development and discuss in detail the issues of income inequality and poverty. We also discuss population growth and its relationship to economic development. To get a complete picture of unevenness of economic development within a developing country we discuss dual economies and consider rural-urban interaction.

We then turn to the most recent analytical advances in the study of economic development: informal markets in developing economies. With an emphasis on agricultural economies we analyze the markets for land, labor and credit in an LDC. We conclude with discussions of issues pertaining to international trade and economic development. Throughout the course we develop the theories with the help of economic data on LDC's.

Upon completion of this course students should learn

1. the multidimensional aspects of economic underdevelopment,
2. to use economic analysis to understand the causes for underdevelopment,
3. use tools of economic analysis to understand the process of economic  underdevelopment and
4. learn the role of  informal markets in a developing country.

RESOURCES:

Debraj Ray

Development Economics

ASSIGNMENTS:

• Two in-class exams 25% each
• Comprehensive final 25%
• Homework assignments on applications and extensions of the ideas developed in the text and the lectures 15%
• A term paper in which students will analyze in detail some aspects of development, such as importance of international trade in economic development, macroeconomic policy, income inequality and poverty, role of education in economic development, functioning of credit market, role of technology, environment and economic development etc. in the context of one or more developing countries 10%

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