Upcoming 360° Clusters

Fall 2013

Approved

Contemplative Traditions

This 360 course comprises three classes that share an interest in contemplation or mindfulness in theory and practice. The course brings together historical, cultural, psychological and religious perspectives in its study of mindful and contemplative traditions.  Mindfulness has long been an important aspect of both Buddhist and Christian monastic practice. With its recent introduction as a key component of Western therapeutic modalities for remediating psychological difficulties or coping with stress, mindfulness has also become a central focus of much new psychological research and theory.  Students and faculty will travel to mindful and monastic communities in Japan and the US.

  • Courses:

     

      • EAST 260: The History and Rhetoric of Buddhist Meditation (Glassman, East Asian Studies)
      • GNST 260: Silent Spaces: A History of Contemplation in the West (Francl, General Studies)
      • PSYC 260: Listening to Mind and Body: The Psychology of Mindfulness (Schulz, Psychology)
  • 360 Course Units: 3 units
  • Field Component: Travel to retreats in Japan (tentative - September 29-October 12, 2013), and Pennsylvania (tentative - September 11-13)
  • Prerequisites: none
  • Open/Closed: all courses available to 360 participants only

 

Approved

To Protect the Health of the Public

Themes such as the place and power of government and interest groups and the need for building and supporting a public health infrastructure (a clear responsibility of national and state governments) will reverberate throughout the three courses.

  • Courses:

     

      • GNST 201: Nutrition, Smoking and Cardiovascular Health: Exemplars of the Relationship between Health, Federal Policies and National Associations in the United States (Hewitt, General Studies)
      • SOWK 575: Global Public Health: Strategies, Successes and Failures of Health Policies in India, Russia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the United States (Kerson, Social Work)
      • FREN 275: Improving Mankind: Hygiene and Eugenics in the Age of Enlightenment (Le Menthéour, French)
  • 360 Course Units: 3 units
  • Field Component: two day trips to Philadelphia
  • Special Programming: 3 group dinners, Praxis I for both SOWK354 and GNST201
  • Prerequisites: none, FREN 275 available for French credit
  • Open/Closed: all courses open to students not participating in 360

 

Approved

Perspectives on Sustainability: Disasters and Rebuilding in Japan

This 360 focuses on Japan’s response to natural and man-made disasters and the impact of those responses on environmental and sustainability issues. The incorporation of analytical perspectives from architecture/urban studies, literature/film, and art will allow students to understand the important relationship between of culture and context in shaping these efforts. In addition to the coursework, the cluster provides students with volunteer, intern, and research opportunities in the Tohoku area.

  • Courses:

     

      • CITY 304: Disaster, War, and Rebuilding in the Japanese City (Hein, Growth and Structure of Cities)
      • JPNS 035/LITR 035J: Narratives of Disaster and Rebuilding in Japan (Gardner, Japanese - Swarthmore)
      • ARTH 035: Pictured Environments: Japanese Landscapes and Cityscapes (Sakomura, History of Art - Swarthmore)
  • 360 Course Units: 3 units
  • Field Component: field trips to Philadelphia, internship opportunities to select students in summer 2014
  • Special Programming: Lab time on Fridays, 1-4 pm, reserved for field trips to Philadelphia, movie screenings, group work
  • Prerequisites: none
  • Open/Closed: CITY 304 available to 360 students only, ARTH 035 and JPNS 035 open to non-360 students

 

Proposed

Exhibiting Modern Art

This 2-unit 360 cluster runs over the course of the 2013-2014 academic year.  In the fall, the History of Art course will study the history of modern art from the Armory Show of 1913 to the present, through the lens of a significant collection of modern American art on loan to the College. The spring Museum Studies course will shift to the implementation of theory in the multidisciplinary practice of mounting and programming an exhibition of the collection in Canaday Library.  The 360 will consider differences in addressing academy and community as audiences, and bring together theoretical and practical aspects of art history, art criticism, art exhibition, and art education.

  • Courses:

     

      • HART 350: Topics in Modern Art: Modern Art in Exhibition (Steven Z. Levine, History of Art)
      • HART 3xx : Making an Exhibition: Perspectives on Museums(Brian Wallace, Special Collections)
  • 360 Course Units: 2 units
  • Field Component: field trips in the tri-state area, mounting of an exhibit in Canaday Library during spring semester
  • Prerequisites: previous courses in History of Art or permission of the instructors
  • Open/Closed: all courses available to 360 participants only

 

Spring 2014

Approved

Ecological Literacy: Economics, Education, Literacy

Ecological literacy seeks to understand the natural systems that make life on earth possible, and to put that understanding into practice. It goes beyond the mastery of facts about the natural world and human impact on the environment, beyond an appreciation of the science of earth systems. At its heart, it addresses the infamous “values-action gap,” by inviting students to learn about how complex systems work, and to explore the possibilities of their resilience and sustainability--with the goals of conveying their understanding to others, and acting thoughtfully themselves for the well-being of the world. In this 360, we will explore three different disciplinary languages of ecological literacy--those of economics, education, and literary expression--to prepare students for engaging in broader conversations and actions.

  • Courses:

     

      • ECON 136: Working with Economic Data (Ross, Economics)
      • EDUC 285: Ecologies of Minds and Communities (Cohen, Education)
      • ENGL 213: Ecological Expression: Re-creating our World (Dalke, English and Gender Studies)
  • 360 Course Units: 3 units
  • Field Component: 4-5 local field trips on Fridays throughout the semester
  • Special Programming:
  • Prerequisites: none
  • Open/Closed: ECON 136 open to non-360 participants, EDUC 285 and ENGL 213 available to 360 students only

Fall 2014

TBA

 

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