2009-2010 Course Catalog

Liberal Studies Program

• Special Degree Requirements
• Suggested Course of Study
• Courses
• Faculty

Stewart Justman, Director

The Liberal Studies curriculum is designed for the student who seeks a liberal education with emphasis on the humanities.  It is not intended for the student who is undecided about a major. While allowing ample room for electives, the coursework for the LS major focuses on the literary and religious works, cultural records, and ideas that enrich our common inheritance.  The aim of the program is to foster critical understanding and appreciation of our inheritance and world through the study and discussion of these texts and traditions.  Emphasis in all cases is on critical thinking, close reading of primary sources, analytical writing, and historical understanding.  Students who graduate from the program will be prepared to enter various fields in the private and public sectors, pursue further professional training, and be better prepared to meet the demands of citizenship.  More information about the program is available at the Liberal Studies Program office in LA 101, (406) 243–2171, or online at www.cas.umt.edu/liberal.

Majors in Liberal Studies may not take any course work presented for LS credit on a pass/not pass basis. Upper–level students transferring into this program should have at least a C average in all credits attempted.

Degree Requirements

Following are the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Liberal Studies.

Major Requirements

Core Curriculum (courses numbered under 300)

• WRIT 101 (ENEX 101) Composition (coreq. or prereq. to LS 151L–152L ............................................. 3
• Foreign language (2 years of one language)............... 18
• Liberal Studies 151L, 152L Introduction to Humanities... 8
• American Literature..................................................... 3
• American History..................................................... 3–4
• European literature (including British)........................... 3
• European history (including British)........................... 3–4
• Native American studies or African–American studies.... 3
  (including cross–listed and cognate courses in anthropology, geography, and sociology)
• Asian studies............................................................. 3
  (including cross–listed courses in anthropology, geography, and sociology)
• Philosophy or political science.................................... 3
• Religious studies ....................................................... 3

Upper–Division Curriculum (courses numbered 300 and above)

The upper–division writing expectation must be met by successfully completing an upper–division writing course from the approved list in the Academic Policies and Procedures section of this catalog. See index.

The student elects upper–division courses in either the General, Asian Studies, Religious Studies or Women and Gender Studies options.

General Option

• History................................ 3
• Art history or music history.................... 3
• Philosophy ................................... 3
• Women's and Gender Studies or Native American Studies or African–American Studies........................................................ 3
• Liberal Studies (from among LS 326, 327, 368, 428)........................................................... 6
• Religious Studies (from among RELS 310,320,335,351,352)................................. 6
• Senior Liberal Studies capstone seminar...................... 3

Asian Studies Option (Professor Bradley Clough, advisor):

Students who choose the Asian Studies option must register with the Asian studies faculty advisor who will supervise their program. The following requirements must be met to complete the Asian studies option within the liberal studies major.

1. Completion of the Liberal Studies core curriculum. (See above.)
2. Six credits in introductory Asian Studies courses (100–level courses or study abroad in Asia).
3. Twelve credits in foundational Asian Studies courses (200–level courses), including Asian Studies 201H.
4. At least 30 credits in upper–level courses (300–level courses and above), of which at least six credits must be in the humanities and six in the social sciences.
5. Language Requirement: Two years (or equivalent proficiency) in an Asian language appropriate to the student’s academic goals and approved by the academic advisor. Students who plan to pursue graduate work are strongly advised to complete three years, including at least one study abroad in Asia experience.

Religious Studies Option (Professor Paul Dietrich, advisor): 

The academic study of religion is coextensive with the broad field of humane learning in which questions pertaining to the meaning of human existence are most prominent.  The study of religions in the University is therefore taken up in close conjunction with the humanities, arts, letters and several sciences.  Please refer to the Religious Studies section of the catalog for course requirements. 

Women's Studies Option (Professor Elizabeth Hubble and Professor Bryan Cochran, Co–Directors):

Students who choose the Women’s Studies option must register with the Women's Studies advisor, who will supervise their program. The following requirements must be met to complete the women's studies option within the liberal studies major.

1. Completion of liberal studies core curriculum.
2. Completion of LS 119H.
3. At least 21 credits of course work in relevant, advisor approved courses numbered above 299. At least 12 of these credits must be designated as "focus" courses, and 9 more may be "content" courses. Each semester a list of these courses is published at pre–registration by the Women’s Studies office, LA 138A, (406) 243–2584.

Suggested Course of Study

The course of study for Liberal Studies majors varies greatly depending on student interest and course availability. The core curriculum typically takes more than two years to complete, while the upper–division requirements typically take less than two years. Following is one possible course of study for the first two years:

Courses

U = for undergraduate credit only, UG = for undergraduate or graduate credit, G = for graduate credit. R after the credit indicates the course may be repeated for credit to the maximum indicated after the R. Credits beyond this maximum do not count toward a degree.

Liberal Studies (LS)

• U105 H Introduction to Russian Culture
• U 119H Philosophical Perspectives on Women in the Western Hemisphere 3 cr. Offered intermittently.  Same as PHIL and WS 119H.  Introduction to the discipline and scope of Western philosophy focusing on women as the subject rather than men.  A chronological study following the ideological development in the West of social attitudes and scientific theses.
• U 151L Introduction to the Humanities 4 cr. Offered autumn. Prereq., eligibility for WRIT 101 (ENEX 101) based on writing placement examination. General survey of the field of Humanities in Western civilization with reference to non–Western analogs, contrasting the Greco–Roman with the Jewish and Christian traditions.
•  U 152L Introduction to the Humanities 4 cr. Offered spring. Prereq., eligibility for WRIT 101 (ENEX 101) based on writing placement examination. General survey of the field of Humanities in Western civilization, with reference to non–Western analogs, since antiquity.
•  U 160L Classical Mythology 3 cr. Offered every spring; offered intermittently in summer. Same as MCLG 160L. Deities and myths of the Greeks and Romans, with emphasis on those of most importance to Western literature and art.
•  U161H Introduction to Asian Humanities 3 cr.  Offered autumn. Coreq., LS 151L or consent of instr. Selective survey of classical South and East Asian perspectives on the humanities as introduced in LS 151L. Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism are the primary traditions considered.
• U 170 Myth Seminar: Honors 1 cr.  Offered every spring, offered intermittently in summer.  Same as MCLG 170.  Coreq., MCLG/LS 160L.  Research, writing, and discussion about the mythologies of the Greeks and Romans in a small group setting.
•  U 180L Introduction to Film 3 cr. Offered every term. Same as ENFM 180L.  The history and development of the film medium. Emphasis on critical analysis of selected classic or significant films.
•  U 195 Special Topics Variable cr. (R–9) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one–time offerings of current topics.
• U 210H Japanese Culture and Civilization 3 cr. Offered intermittently. Same as AS, MCLG 210H and JPNS 150H. The historical, religious, artistic, literary and social developments in Japan from earliest times  to the present.
•  U 211H Chinese Culture and Civilization 3 cr. Offered intermittently. Same as AS and CHIN 211H.  A comprehensive study of Chinese culture and civilization in the manifold aspects of anthropology, sociology, economics, history, literature, religion, and philosophy.
• U 212S Southeast Asian Culture and Civilization  3 cr. Offered intermittently.  Same as AS and SOCI 212S (SOC 212H).  Introduction to the history, geography, cultures, social organization, and contemporary events of Southeast Asia.
• U 213X The Middle East  3 cr.  Offered autumn odd–numbered years.  Same as AS and GPHY 245X (GEOG 213S).  A survey of the biophysical and cultural geography of Southwest Asia and North Africa.  Emphasis on environmental change, pre–history,  patterns of cultural and historical change, issues of socio–economic, religious, and political diversity, and the broader political significance of the region.
• U 214  Central Asia: Peoples and Environments 3 cr. Offered autumn. Same as AS 214, HSTR 241.  Introduction to Central Asia’s history, culture and ways of thinking.  Focus on the political and social organization of Central Asia and cultural changes as expressed in art and interactions with China, India and the Middle East.
•  U 221Y Germanic Mythology and Culture 3 cr. Offered intermittently. Same as MCLG 231Y. Offered alternate years. Germanic culture and mythology from 200 B.C. to 1200 A.D. Topics include the Germanic pantheon, Germanic religious practices, Germanic migrations and major literary masterpieces. Credit not allowed for LS 221Y, MCLG 231Y and GRMN 362Y (GERM 362H).
• U 227L Film as Literature, Literature as Film 3 cr.  (R–6) Offered intermittently.  Same as LIT 270L (ENTL 227L). Studies of the relationship between film and literature.  Topics vary.
•  U 251L The Epic 3 cr. (R–6) Offered odd–numbered years. Same as MCLG 251L.  Reading, study, and discussion of epic poems. Selections will vary from Western and non–Western traditions.
•  U 252L Tragedy 3 cr. (R–6) Offered even–numbered years. Same as MCLG 252L. Study of the literary, artistic and philosophical dimensions of tragedy. Selections will vary.
•  U 282L The German Cinema 3 cr. Offered intermittently. Same as MCLG 222L.  Development of the German film from its beginnings in 1895 through the contemporary New German Cinema.  Topics include Expressionism, New Objectivity, the Nazi film, the German contribution to Hollywood, and the post–war film in East and West Germany. Credit not allowed for LS 282L, MCLG 222L and GRMN 322L (GERM 361L).
•  U 293 Omnibus Variable cr. (R–6) Offered intermittently. Prereq., consent of instr. Independent work under the University omnibus option. See index.
•  U 294 Seminar Variable cr. (R–6) Offered intermittently.
• U 295 Special Topics Variable cr. (R–9) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one–time offerings of current topics.
•  U 296 Independent Study Variable cr. (R–9) Offered intermittently.
• U 301 Earth’s Mind: Ecology and Native Peoples 3 cr.  Offered intermittently.  Non–western attitudes toward nature, based on the work of anthropologists, philosophers, novelists, poets, and on native oral traditions.
• UG 305L Introduction to Russian Literature I  3 cr.  Offered autumn alternate years.  Same as MCLG and RUSS 312L  A survey of Russian poetry and prose from their beginnings (medieval period) to mid–nineteenth century.  Included are the works of Karamzin, Pushkin, and Lermontov.
• UG 306L Introduction to Russian Literature II 3 cr.  Offered spring.  Same as MCLG and RUSS 313L. A survey of Russian poetry and prose from the mid–nineteenth century through the Symbolist period of the early 20th century.  Included are the works of Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and the Symbolists.
• U 309 Reading the City: Rome 3 cr.  Offered autumn.  Same as MCLG 309.  Prereq., previous acceptance in subsequent intersession Italy program.  Overview of the history of Rome from its beginnings until modern times, with lectures on various periods and artists across the spectrum of Italian art history. Orientation to the city of Rome, practicalities of life and study in the city.
•  U 311 Chinese Folktales 3 cr. Offered intermittently. Same as MCLG 380. The study of the aspirations, desires, loves, fears, moral and aesthetic values of the Chinese people as expressed in their folk literature.
• U 313L Classical Chinese Poetry in English Translation 3 cr.  Offered intermittently in spring.  Same as AS, CHIN, and MCLG 313L.  The works of major Chinese poets to 1300 A.D.
• U 314L Traditional Chinese Literature in English Translation 3 cr.  Offered intermittently in spring.  Same as AS, CHIN, and MCLG 314L.  Highlights of Chinese literature to 1800; includes philosophy, poetry, prose, and fiction.
• U 315 Major Hispanic Authors and Their Times 3 cr.  Offered autumn.  Same as MCLG 315.  The intensive study of the life, times, and works of a major Hispanic author.
• U 320 Women in Antiquity 3 cr. Offered intermittently. Same as MCLG and WS 320. Examination of varied sources from ancient Greece, the Hellenistic world, and republican and imperial Rome to clarify the place of women in various communities.  Women’s contribution to community and the mechanisms by which communities attempted to socialize female populations.
•  U 321H German Culture to 1900 3 cr. Offered spring. Same as MCLG 330H.  Overview of major events and currents in German culture to 1900 with an emphasis on the arts, literature, and intellectual movements. Credit not allowed for LS 321H and GRMN 351H (GERM 303).
•  U 322H German Culture Since 1900 3 cr. Offered spring. Same as MCLG 331H.  Overview of major events and currents in the German culture from 1900 to the present with an emphasis on the arts, literature, and intellectual movements.  Credit not allowed for LS 322H and GRMN 352H (GERM 304).
•  UG 323 Studies in Literary Forms 3 cr. (R–9) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., LIT 300 (ENLT 301) or consent of instr. Same as LIT 375 (ENLT 323). Reading of various authors from different literary periods and cultures working in the same mode of composition (every two years, Literature of Place, Modern Drama, 19th Century Fiction, 20th Century Fiction, Lyric Poetry, Science Fiction, Autobiography; less frequently, Travel Literature, Popular Fiction, Epic, Tragedy, Satire, Romance, Comedy).
• U 325 The Roots of Western Ethics 3 cr. Offered intermittently.  Prereq., lower–division course in Perspective 5 or consent of instr.  Same as MCLG 365.  Studies of the origins of Western ethical thinking in the original writings of Greek writers and their application to current situations. 
• UG 326 Stories East and West 3 cr. Offered yearly.  A course tracing the influence of Arabic fiction on its western counterpart.
• U 327L Gender and Sexuality in English Fiction 3 cr. Offered alternate years.  Same as WGS 379L & LIT 379L (ENLT 375L).  Major 20th century novels and short stories written in English in different parts of the world and how these texts explore changing concepts of gender and sexuality.
• UG 338 The French Cinema 3 cr. (R–6) Offered intermittently.  Same as MCLG and FREN 338.  An historical, aesthetic, and critical survey of the French cinema, from its beginnings in 1895 through the contemporary cinema (Muet, classical, Realism, Nouvelle Vogue, etc.) With an introduction to contemporary film criticism. Students taking the course for French credits are required to do research, reading, and writing in the French language.
•  UG 340H Ancient Greek Civilization and Culture 3 cr. Offered intermittently. Prereq., ART 150H or 151H or consent of instr.  Same as MCLG 360H and ART 380H.  Slide lecture course. Ancient Greek works of art and architecture, related to and explained by contemporary ideas and values of Greek society.
• UG 341 Roman and Early Christian Art in Context  3 cr. Offered intermittently. Prereq., ART 150H or 151H or consent of instr.  Same as ART 381 and MCLG 361. A survey of the various media used in Roman art; the social political, and economic contexts in which the media were developed; and the transition (technical, iconographic, and contextual) to the art of the Early Christian period.
• U 351 Exploring the Humanities in Depth 3 cr.  (R–9) Offered autumn and spring.  Intensive study of a specific historical period in Western humanities through its seminal literature, with an emphasis on the intellectual and ethical paradigms which form an essential component of the foundations of the Western tradition.
•  UG 356 Studies in Literature and Other Disciplines 3 cr. (R–9) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., nine credits in LIT or LS or consent of instr. Same as LIT 376 (ENLT 325). Selected works of literature studied in conjunction with works of art, music, religion, philosophy, or another discipline (every two years, Psychology and Literature, Film and Literature, The Poetry of Meditation; less frequently, British Art and Literature, Modernism, Literature and Science, Bible as Literature, Song).
• U 358 Latin American Civilization through Literature and Film 3 cr.  Offered autumn odd–numbered years.  The development of the traditional society of Latin American civilization through the interaction of European, Indian and African elements.  Credit not allowed for both LS/MCLG 358 and SPNS 357 (SPAN 359).
• U 362 Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy 3 cr.  Offered intermittently.  Same as MCLG 362 and PHIL 362.  Examination of the thought of the philosophers of Greece and Rome as expressed in original works read in English translation.  Ancient philosophy studied within its historical, linguistic and cultural setting.
• U 365 South Asian Traditions: Hinduism 3 cr.  Offered spring even–numbered years.  Same as AS and RELS 365.  Critical exploration of selected aspects of Hindu thought, narrative and practice, both in contemporary and historical perspective.  Focus primarily on India, but with consideration of Hinduism’s transformation and impact beyond South Asia.
• UG 368 Shakespeare:  Comedy and Tragedy 3 cr.  Offered yearly.  An investigation of the differences, but also affinities, between the two fundamental Shakespearean genres.
• UG 371 Women in America: from the Civil War to the Present 3 cr. Offered intermittently. Same as HSTA 388 (HIST 371H) and WGS 371H. Interpretive overview of women's experiences in America after the Civil War. Exploration of such topics as women's associations, the battle for suffrage, organized feminism and its opponents, the industrialization of housework, women in the workforce, reproductive rights, and welfare. Particular attention to women's experiences shaped by class and race as well as by gender.
• UG 381 Studies in the Film 3 cr. Offered autumn and spring.  Same as ENFM 381L. Prereq., LS 180L or consent of instr. Same as MCLG 381.  Studies in genres, directors, movements, problems, etc.
• U 391 Agriculture in the Humanities and Fine Arts 1 cr. Offered autumn.  Same as EVST and PHIL 391.  Lecture series that accompanies cooperative education credit for students in P.E.A.S. (Program in Ecological Agriculture and Society).
•  U 395 Special Topics Variable cr. (R–9) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one–time offerings of current topics.
•  U 396 Independent Study Variable cr. (R–12) Offered intermittently.
•  U 397 Research Variable cr. (R–6) Offered intermittently.
•  U 398 Internship Variable cr.  Offered intermittently. Prereq., consent of director.  Extended classroom experience which provides practical application of classroom learning during placements off campus.  Prior approval must be obtained from the faculty supervisor and the Internship Services office. A maximum of 6 credits of Internship (198, 298, 398, 498) may count toward graduation.
• UG 428 Renaissance Debate on Women 3 cr. Offered yearly. A reading of texts from the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries in several different genres (prose pamphlets, lectures, lyrics, drama, extracts from epics), to examine the arguments presented by women and men that crucially shaped the debate on women and gender and influenced modern attitudes toward women in the western hemisphere.
• UG 432 Twentieth Century Chinese Fiction in English Translation 3 cr.  Offered intermittently in spring.  Same as CHIN, and MCLG 432.  A survey of the principal works of Chinese fiction circa 1910–1990
•  UG 455 Studies in Comparative Literature 3 cr. (R–9) Offered intermittently. Same as LIT 430 (ENLT 430) and MCLG 440.  Study of important literary ideas, genres, trends and movements. Credit not allowed for more than one course on the same topic numbered LIT 430 (ENLT 430), MCLG 440, 494 or LS 455.
• UG 460 History of Criticism and Theory  3 cr. Offered autumn or spring. Prereq., LIT 300 (ENLT 301) and six credits in literature courses numbered 300 or higher. Same as LIT 420 (ENLT 420). A survey of the historical development of critical theories which shaped ways of reading and writing from Plato and Aristotle to the present.
•  UG 461 Topics in Critical Theory 3 cr. (R–6) Offered autumn or spring. Prereq., LIT 300 (ENLT 301) and six credits in literature courses numbered 300 or higher. Same as LIT 420 (ENLT 421). Study and application of one or more theoretical approaches to interpreting texts (e.g., aesthetic poststructural, new historicist, classical, renaissance, romantic, narrative, psychoanalytic, formalist, neo–Marxist, feminist, gender, cultural studies and reader–response theory.)
•  U 493 Omnibus Variable cr. (R–6) Offered intermittently. Prereq., consent of instr. Independent work under University omnibus option. See index.
•  UG 494 Seminar in Humanities: Genres and Periods 3 cr. (R–9) Offered intermittently. Concentrated studies in specific genres and periods.
•  UG 495 Special Topics Variable cr. (R–9) Offered intermittently. Experimental  offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one–time offerings of current topics.
•  U 496 Independent Study Variable cr. (R–9) Offered intermittently.
•  U 497 Research Variable cr. (R–6) Offered intermittently.
•  U 498 Internship Variable cr.  Offered intermittently. Prereq., consent of director.  Extended classroom experience which provides practical application of classroom learning during placements off campus.  Prior approval must be obtained from the faculty supervisor and the Internship Services office. A maximum of 6 credits of Internship (198, 298, 398, 498) may count toward graduation.

Faculty

Professors

• Paul A. Dietrich, Ph.D., University of Chicago, 1984
• Stewart Justman, Ph.D., Columbia University, 1976
• Ruth Vanita, Ph.D., Delhi University, 1992

Assistant Professor

• Bradley Clough, Ph.D., Columbia University, 1998
• Nathaniel Levtow, Ph.D., Brown University, 2006