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Food, sex, power and money add spice to spring semester at Lone Star College-Montgomery
Lone Star College-Montgomery is serving up some scrumptious —with a dash of spice— new course offerings in Spring 2009.
Students with a hearty appetite — or even just a sweet tooth — might consider sampling Ron Heckelman’s Food and Feasting in Literature (English 2341), which examines the imagery of consumption across many genres including satire, tragedy and comedy, epic and romance, and folklore and fairytale.
“Food is central to life and has played an equally essential role throughout the history of literature, Heckelman said. “Take the primary story of Adam and Eve and the origin of evil in the Judeo-Christian tradition, for example. It is a story about eating.”
Heckelman also referenced Jonathan Swift’s satirical essay “A Modest Proposal,” where the author suggests that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling children as food for the rich.
“It’s using cannibalism as satire and eating as a form of social critique,” Heckelman said.
During the course, students will read about the history and anthropology of world cuisine’s, along with selections from a variety of literary works, including the modern novel, “The Edible Woman,” by Margaret Atwood; watch and write reviews of films such as “Babette’s Feast,” “Eat Drink Man Woman,” and “Tortilla Soup;” and take a field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston to view works that represent food and feasting in a variety of contexts.
Food and Feasting in Literature (English 2341) will meet during the Spring semester Mondays and Wednesdays from 1-2:20 p.m. The course satisfies the college’s multi-cultural requirement and transfers as an elective to four-year colleges and universities. Prerequisites are English 1301 and 1302.
An additional new course offering in Spring 2009 is an exciting combo of two traditional courses — history and psychology— with the theme of Sex, Money & Power: Through the Life Span and Through the Ages.
The courses, PSYC 2314 and HIST 2322, which must be taken together in a learning community environment, will use the span of life from conception to death in conjunction with the history of the world to examine what roles sex, money and power play in the history of nations and the lives of individuals.
“Because history is the story of people, studying World History in conjunction with Life Span psychology allows students to get a sense for how people experienced different stages of development in various parts of the world across time periods,” said Amy Curry, professor of history who will teach the history section, while Kathleen Monahan, professor of psychology, will teach the psychology component.
“We plan to spend time exploring the nature versus nurture debate, not just in the sense of what psychologists have said about it in terms of developmental stages, but also to see it in action through historical trends and cultural differences,” Curry said.
Monahan said that the learning community will help students better understand development through the life span by putting it in historical context.
“Students often think that psychologists from earlier times lacked common sense and/or critical thinking because they don’t understand the contexts in which their ideas emerged,” Monahan said. “Linking these two courses will provide the context and deepen student understanding.”
The courses will be taught in a seminar style: there won’t be any tests and grades will be based on student participation in discussion, debate, a final project and extra activities, Curry said.
“The smaller class size and the extended time period that learning communities provide will also allow us to take some interesting field trips,” Monahan said. Planned excursions include trips to the exhibit Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul; the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Holocaust Museum.
HIST 2322 will be offered in the Spring 2009 from 10-11:20 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; PSYC 2314 will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m.-12:50 p.m. HIST 2322 prerequisites include completion of developmental English coursework or higher-level course (ENGL 1301). PSYC 2314 prerequisites include PSYC 2301, completion of developmental English coursework, or higher level course (ENGL 1301).
Students with a hearty appetite — or even just a sweet tooth — might consider sampling Ron Heckelman’s Food and Feasting in Literature (English 2341), which examines the imagery of consumption across many genres including satire, tragedy and comedy, epic and romance, and folklore and fairytale.
“Food is central to life and has played an equally essential role throughout the history of literature, Heckelman said. “Take the primary story of Adam and Eve and the origin of evil in the Judeo-Christian tradition, for example. It is a story about eating.”
Heckelman also referenced Jonathan Swift’s satirical essay “A Modest Proposal,” where the author suggests that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling children as food for the rich.
“It’s using cannibalism as satire and eating as a form of social critique,” Heckelman said.
During the course, students will read about the history and anthropology of world cuisine’s, along with selections from a variety of literary works, including the modern novel, “The Edible Woman,” by Margaret Atwood; watch and write reviews of films such as “Babette’s Feast,” “Eat Drink Man Woman,” and “Tortilla Soup;” and take a field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston to view works that represent food and feasting in a variety of contexts.
Food and Feasting in Literature (English 2341) will meet during the Spring semester Mondays and Wednesdays from 1-2:20 p.m. The course satisfies the college’s multi-cultural requirement and transfers as an elective to four-year colleges and universities. Prerequisites are English 1301 and 1302.
An additional new course offering in Spring 2009 is an exciting combo of two traditional courses — history and psychology— with the theme of Sex, Money & Power: Through the Life Span and Through the Ages.
The courses, PSYC 2314 and HIST 2322, which must be taken together in a learning community environment, will use the span of life from conception to death in conjunction with the history of the world to examine what roles sex, money and power play in the history of nations and the lives of individuals.
“Because history is the story of people, studying World History in conjunction with Life Span psychology allows students to get a sense for how people experienced different stages of development in various parts of the world across time periods,” said Amy Curry, professor of history who will teach the history section, while Kathleen Monahan, professor of psychology, will teach the psychology component.
“We plan to spend time exploring the nature versus nurture debate, not just in the sense of what psychologists have said about it in terms of developmental stages, but also to see it in action through historical trends and cultural differences,” Curry said.
Monahan said that the learning community will help students better understand development through the life span by putting it in historical context.
“Students often think that psychologists from earlier times lacked common sense and/or critical thinking because they don’t understand the contexts in which their ideas emerged,” Monahan said. “Linking these two courses will provide the context and deepen student understanding.”
The courses will be taught in a seminar style: there won’t be any tests and grades will be based on student participation in discussion, debate, a final project and extra activities, Curry said.
“The smaller class size and the extended time period that learning communities provide will also allow us to take some interesting field trips,” Monahan said. Planned excursions include trips to the exhibit Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul; the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Holocaust Museum.
HIST 2322 will be offered in the Spring 2009 from 10-11:20 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; PSYC 2314 will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m.-12:50 p.m. HIST 2322 prerequisites include completion of developmental English coursework or higher-level course (ENGL 1301). PSYC 2314 prerequisites include PSYC 2301, completion of developmental English coursework, or higher level course (ENGL 1301).
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