Summer Term at Washington College

MUS 100: Introduction to Music

Monday-Thursday 12:00pm-2:30pm

An introduction to music including the study of notation, the basic elements of music theory, terminology, instrumentation, form, and the basic style periods. Representative works will be examined, and the aesthetics of music will be considered. Intended for students with little or no background in music.

MUS 104: Introduction to World Music and Ethnomusicology

Monday-Thursday 12:00pm-2:30pm

An introduction to music of the world, including popular, folk, religious and classical traditions. Explores the way ethnomusicologists organize and analyze knowledge about the world, while investigating the ways music acquires meaning in performances that are socially, historically, and culturally situated.

ART 261: Intermedia

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

This course explores the theories and concepts of drawing from a contemporary perspective. The curriculum, while focusing on basic skills and concepts of drawing, is interdisciplinary in nature. In addition to drawing fundamentals, the course will place emphasis on connecting conceptual thinking to one's broader creative practice. Contemporary and historical examples of artists working within such a creative practice are covered through lectures and screenings. 

AMS/ENG 209 Introduction to American Literature and Culture 

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

AMS/ENG 209 is gateway courses to the American Studies major at Washington College, counting both for Humanities General Education credit and prerequisite credit for American Studies.  The course is also writing intensive, its course work being exclusively a series of short papers.
 
The American Studies major, the oldest cross-disciplinary major at Washington College, allows unusually independent students virtually to design their own majors, including both Social Science and Humanities courses that prepare students for careers in education, government, law, and social service, among others. It is exceptionally keyed to the College's historical heritage and provides students with all of the opportunities afforded by the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, in particular the Center's many paid internships. 

CMS 150: Public Speaking

Monday/Wednesday 9:00am-11:30am, Tuesday/Thursday asynchronous

Class presentations, job interviews, internships-pubic speaking is part of our everyday life. This course teaches students the main principles of public speaking; practice in composition, delivery, and criticism of informative, persuasive, and entertaining speeches. Particular attention is paid to speaking with media and public speaking in a digital world. Everyone needs to know how to do it and the sooner you learn the better!

PHL 294: Special Topics: Practical Philosophy of the Good Life

Monday-Thursday 6:30pm-9:00pm

This is a course in applied ethics, using Western and Eastern moral philosophies for addressing issues involved in living the good life. Students will be acquainted with moral philosophies such as Aristotle, Stoicism, Kant, Existentialism, Buddha and Confucius, and examine thinking fallacies which may lead to self-defeating habits of emotions and behaviors, such as perfectionism, band-wagon thinking, stereotyping, lack of empathy, lack of courage, etc.  No Prerequisite.

ENG 213: Black Literature Matters

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

In 1903 W. E. B. Du Bois, black intellectual extraordinaire, described how African Americans struggled with “double-consciousness” and the need to be respected as both black people and United States citizens.  In this survey course, we will seek to understand these struggles through analyses of 19th- 20th-, and 21st-century African American poetry, fiction, drama, and memoir.  We’ll also consider how these writers address the intersectionality of race, gender, class, and nationality.  If you want to know how black writers have used literature to depict the realities of life in America, or why and how black literature matters, then this is the course for you.

This course is listed as Intro to African American Literature and Culture I in the course catalogue.

Counts for Humanities distribution, English major, AMS major, CMS major, English minor, and Black Studies minor.

THE 494: Admin Seminar

Monday/Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

This course will introduce students to the many fields and opportunities within performing arts administration—from artistic leadership & industry advocacy to grant-writing & facilities management. Students will explore various sub-fields and will engage with working industry professionals in the field. For Theatre & Dance majors/minors, this course can replace 1 semester of THE400 or any THE/DAN Practicum course. This course is only 2 credits, graded. No prerequisite; open to THE/DAN majors & minors, or to others with permission of the instructor.

Cost for this course is $1,000

MUS 106: Rock, Pop, and American Culture

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

THIS COURSE WILL MEET IN-PERSON

An examination of popular music in America from the 1830s through the modern day. With a particular emphasis being placed on the 1950s and 1960s, students will develop an understanding of the cultural, political, and economic forces of these eras and will examine how popular music history intersects with all aspects of American history and culture. This course also examines several important threads in popular music history, including the ever-present, but ever changing, role of race relations, the impact of evolving technologies, and the history of the music industry. In addition to reading the assigned textbook, students are also asked to watch/listen to important archival performances, televised interviews with notable musicians, radio interviews with scholars of popular culture, and other relevant primary sources.

CMS 394: Special Topic: Media and Censorship

 

Monday/Wednesday 3:00pm-5:30pm, Tuesday/Thursday asynchronous

Media and Censorship examines the complicated history, application, and ethics of the intersection of media systems, politics, culture, jurisprudence, and censorship on a global scale. Focal media systems vary semester to semester. This summer, we will consider cinema, censorship, and culture. Censorship has been a part of the global cinematic landscape since  film’s beginnings. Importantly, censorship has been wielded as a tool to construct, reinforce, suppress, and erase various cultural modes and expressions. Examining a series of films banned across the globe, we will investigate how film is a battleground in the “culture wars” around sex, political ideology, gender, race, revolution, class, violence, and pleasure. CMS Students: this is an Arts and Production Tier 2 class, a Film Studies Tier 3 class, and an Identity and Culture Tier 3 class.

AMS/ENG 210: Introduction to American Literature and Culture II

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

AMS/ENG 210 is gateway courses to the American Studies major at Washington College, counting both for Humanities General Education credit and prerequisite credit for American Studies.  The course is also writing intensive, its course work being exclusively a series of short papers.
 
The American Studies major, the oldest cross-disciplinary major at Washington College, allows unusually independent students virtually to design their own majors, including both Social Science and Humanities courses that prepare students for careers in education, government, law, and social service, among others. It is exceptionally keyed to the College's historical heritage and provides students with all of the opportunities afforded by the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, in particular the Center's many paid internships.

PHL/REL 294: Special Topic: Islam: A Detailed Introduction

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

This course provides students a detailed introduction to the religion of Islam. Students read large segments of the Qur’an (the book of revelations to Muhammad), Hadith collections (accounts of Muhammad’s sayings and actions) and early Sira (biographies of Muhammad). Close examination is given to the Sunni-Shia division; the theological traditions and madahib (or schools of interpretation) in Sunni Islam, and the principles of Shiite theology; the development of the caliphate; Sufism or Islamic mysticism; Islam’s interaction with global religions; Islamic extremism; and contemporary Islamic writers re-conceptualizing the place of Islam in the contemporary world.  Special guest speakers from around the world enhance the learning experience.  

PHL/REL 394: Special Topic: Confucianism and Ru Meditation

 

Monday-Thursday 6:30pm-9:00pm

This course introduces the philosophical concepts, sociological foundation, political implementation, and spiritual/religious practices of the Asian Ru (Confucian) tradition. While remaining sensitive to its varying characteristics through different historical periods, the course also presents Ruism’s development across Asian countries such as Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia, and studies its historical interaction with Western cultures. Students are encouraged to think over and practice Ruist insights in a broader context of philosophical and religious studies, while being able to compare it with other major Asian and Western philosophical and religious traditions. Special acquired skills: students will learn Meditation in Motion in its varying forms, such as breathing, sleeping, quiet-sitting and Taiji martial arts, to strengthen their mind-body general well-being and increase creativity and productivity.

BUS 109: Managerial Statistics

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

Managerial statistics focuses on the use of statistical analytics to make fact-based decisions for business firms and other organizations. Topics taught include descriptive statistics, normal distribution, probabilities, sampling distributions, hypothesis testing, ANOVA and simple and multiple linear egression analysis. The course also requires students to conduct a survey and research on the a topic of interest, and then, using skills learned in the course, to prepare appropriate analyses and develop relevant conclusions related to the working hypothesis. Students will also enhance skills in Excel (for statistical analysis) and writing (for presentation of survey projects and results). Students must not have taken MAT 109.

EDU 252: Educational Psychology

 

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

This course reflects knowledge derived from theory, research, and professional practice as it covers human development and learning, inquiry and research, and experience-based principles of effective practice. Such practice encourages: 1) intellectual, social, and personal development; 2) creating instructional opportunities adapted to diversity in learners, e.g. individual and cross-cultural developmental variability, approaches to learning, and multiple intelligences including spatial/artistic intelligence; 3) strategies for developing critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills; and 4) formal and informal strategies for assessing intellectual, social, and physical development.  

POL 104: Introduction to World Politics

 

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

A general introduction to the study of world politics and international relations. The course focuses on the history and nature of the international system, the cold war and post cold war era, foreign policy behavior, arms control, conflict, nationalism, international political economy, environmental problems, terrorism and human rights.

POL 394: Freedom in America

 

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

This distinctive course explores the contested meanings of freedom in American political thought. We explore the historical origins of the American constitutional project; the defense of a system of self-government with freedom at its heart; and the various interpretations of freedom which have emerged in American legal and political theory.  Throughout the course we place our focus on the great ideas of freedom and their concrete instantiations in political and legal practice. Representative topics include economic freedom, state regulation, religious freedom, personal autonomy and civil rights and liberties. Students connect with leading experts enhancing the learning experience.

ANT 105: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

 

Monday-Thursday 12:00pm-2:30pm

The study of human diversity with emphasis on cultural anthropology. Topics include the anthropological perspective, resources of culture, organization of material life, systems of relationships and global forms of inequality. The course examins how anthropologists apply their skills to solve contemporary human social problems. Basic ethnographic interviewing skills. Introduction to ethnography.

SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology

 

Monday-Thursday 3:00pm-5:30pm

Introduction to basic concepts and theories in sociology concerning the nature of society, culture, and personality. Consideration of social processess, groups, and institutions found in modern American society.

ANT 296: Archaeology Field School

Ever wonder what an 18th century tavern looked like? Curious about what people in the 1700s dropped into their toilets? Would an American Indian village feel familiar? Register for the Archaeological Field School to find out! The 6-credit summer class will teach you archaeological survey, excavation, and laboratory techniques and will provide networking opportunities with Maryland Historical Trust archaeologists and Archaeology Society of Maryland volunteers from a range of professions.

When: May 17 – June 18, 2021 [5 weeks]

Where: Barwick's Ordinary in Denton, MD [Caroline County]

Cost: $2250.00 = includes tuition and fees. WC housing can be secured for an additional $550.00. 

Check out more info

Students will register for ANT 296-10 [4 credits] and ANT 296-11 [2 credits]. Courses count for Social Science Distribution, the ANT major, and the ANT and MFCE [Museum, Field, and Community Education] minors.

 Email Dr. Julie Markin [jmarkin2@washcoll.edu] with questions or to register.

BUS 111: Principles of Marketing

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

THIS COURSE WILL MEET IN-PERSON

A critical approach to the study of the marketing concept including policies and principles. Emphasis is placed on the identification of variables involved in marketing decision-making and the process by which marketing decisions are made.

BUS 112: Introduction to Financial Accounting

Monday-Thursday 6:00pm-8:30pm

THIS COURSE WILL MEET IN-PERSON

An introduction to the accounting principles and procedures used for collecting, recording, summarizing, and interpreting financial information. Students will learn to read and interpret financial statements. Special emphasis is placed upon the concepts of internal control over resources and transactions. Computerized spreadsheets are integrated into the course.

ANT 107: Introduction to Environmental Archaeology

 

Monday-Thursday 12:00pm-2:30pm

Exploration of the variety of past human societies and cultures through archaeology, with an emphasis upon the interplay between environment and culture. The course covers a wide time span, from the biological evolution of hominids and the origins of culture to the development of complex civilizations and the more recent historical past.

MAT 111: Differential Calculus

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

Analytic geometry, the derivative and differential, elementary functions, limits, continuity, and applications. Prerequisite: It is strongly recommended that a student should have strong algebra and trigonometric skills before taking this course.

ENV 141: Atmosphere, Ocean, Environment (with lab)

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am, Lab: Friday 8:30-12:30

This course examines processes and features that characterize the Earth's surface. The course focuses on the major Earth systems of land (lithosphere), air (atmosphere), and water (hydrosphere) and explores how these systems evolve and interact through geologic time. Examples include studying global air circulation and its effect on weather, examining links between ocean currents and global climate, and exploring how stream processes help to shape landscape. The role of plate tectonics in driving the exchange of matter and energy between Earth's systems is also a central theme. The course is designed to provide the necessary scientific and intellectual background for understanding a wide range of Earth phenomena, and to give students a greater appreciation for the natural environment. Includes three lecture hours per week plus lab.

This course is asynchronous with synchronous lab

MAT 109: Statistics

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

Introduction to the appropriate methods for analyzing data and designing experiments. After a study of various measures of central tendency and dispersion, the course develops the basic principles of testing hypotheses, estimating parameters, and reaching decisions. Credit for MAT 109 will not be given if taken before or subsequently to BUS 109, PSY 209, or ECN 215.

CSI 201: Computer Science I

Monday-Thursday 9:00am-11:30am

The objectives of this course are threefold: (a) to introduce problem-solving methods and algorithmic development; (b) to teach an object-oriented programming language; and (c) to teach how to design, code, debug, and document programs in an object oriented environment using techniques of good programming style.

*Students will need a decent computer and stable internet; devices without a proper keyboard (such as phones or tablets) will not be enough. 

CRS/CMS 294: Special Topic: Headwater to Bay

Course Meeting Time: TBA

This experiential program brings students to the intersection of arts and the environment, exploring five key topics—flow, tradition, transformation, subsidence, and resilience—through field and creative work as a pathway to understanding the modern Chesapeake Bay. Through a two-week exploration of the Bay from its largest tributary all the way to its confluence with the ocean, students will discover how the environment and a sense of place impacts the people of the contemporary Bay region—and use their experiences to develop a unique body of creative work in response. Students will prepare for their experiences in the field with a week in the classroom, dividing their time between readings, discussion, and lectures on background history, environment, and culture with arts instruction and workshops in environmental creative writing, photography, sketching, journaling and watercolor. Once students embark on their two-week field experience beginning on the Susquehanna and concluding on the Coastal Bays of the Lower Eastern Shore, they will document their travels through journals, sketches, and photography/videography. Upon returning for their final week in the classroom, students will use their work to create a final, comprehensive project. This may be an illustrated, photo or video essay that explores the meaning of place in the Chesapeake—its environmental fragility, its productivity, its beauty, its threatened culture, and its possible future. CMS students: this is an Arts and Production Tier 2 class and an Identity and Culture Tier 3 class.