Course Descriptions

 
MLA 613 Human Spirit in Art (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
This course will study the art of selected great painters and sculptors of the Western and Eastern worlds in order to probe the depth and richness of the human spirit in its many manisfestations. Literary, philosophical and historical material which helps to reveal the specific outlook of each artist will supplement the study of his visual creations.


MLA 615 Ethics: Moral Dimensions of Life (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
A study of major moral concepts and theories and application of ethics to contemporary moral questions such as abortion, racism, sexism, sexual morality, privacy, punishment and global issues.


MLA 617 Technology, Bureacracy, and Identity in Modern America (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
This course is designed to explore the connections among technology as a historical force, bureaucracy as an institution, and the concept of self or personal consciousness in modern America. Texts chosen for the course represent various disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives on the subject from philosophy, sociology, history, political science, literature and art.


MLA 619 God, Nature and Human Nature (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
An examination of some of the ways human beings have conceived of and theorized about the existence and nature of God, and about the nature and value of individualized human beings in relation to those conceptions of the divine.


MLA 621 Existentialism and Literature (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
An examination of major themes in Existentialist philosophy as they occur in literary works. Emphasis will be placed on approaching symbol, metaphor, dialogue, character plot, etc., as various modes of communicating existentialist thought.


MLA 627 Imagination, Reform, and the Urban Transformation of America (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
This course will investigate the imaginative response to cultural change with its focus on the period 1880-1920 in the United States. Background in the historcal forces of change and the philosophical value system of the 19th century wil provide the context of the course. The central focus will be the themes inherent in the imaginative response to rapid change in an urban environment as seen in literature, art, architecture, and the activities of the social reform group.


MLA 628 Latin America: Historical and Cultural Interpretations (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
A multidisciplinary examination of key Latin American historical periods and related cultural features. Using the perspective of the arts, the social sciences and history, students will develop an understanding of the region's uniqueness.


MLA 630 Masterpieces of Spanish Literature (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand        Summer: On Demand
Study of the great works of Spanish literature in translation. Class discussion in English. Cross-listed as Spanish 630 for those who are pursuing an MLA degree with a Hispanic Studies emphasis. Those who take the class as Spanish 630 will read the works in Spanish and turn in all written work in Spanish. The course may be repeated for credit as the works that are studied vary.


MLA 631 Dimensions of Drama (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
A course designed for the graduate student interested in reading or seeing drama. A variety of Shakespearean and modern plays (for example, Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, Antony and Cleopatra, King Lear; Brecht's Galileo, the Caucasian Chalk Circle; Chekov's The Three Sisters; Ibsen's Hedda gabler - among others) will be examined in a variety of ways. We will discuss each play as creating its own world, each play in relation to a genre (comedy, history, tragedy) and above all, find the life of each play as revealed in performances, participate in directing exercises, and develop their own analyses of the plays as theatrical scripts.


MLA 636 Technology and the Arts (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
An examination of competing ideas about both art and technology, and about the sometimes conflicting, sometimes complementary relationships between art and technology. Emphasis on 19th and 20th Centuries. The course will include perspectives on film, architecture, music, and photography. Students will be encouraged to extend their research to other areas of interest.


MLA 637 Musical Experience: Reflections in Sound (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
Music representing a broad range of historical and cultural styles, genres, and repertories will be examined and discussed. Focus will be on developing listening techniques and nurturing an informed awareness of the principles of sonic design and expression.


MLA 645 Classical Roots of Modern Culture (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
A multi-disciplinary study of the classical ideal as it appears in ancient Greece and influences other periods of Western Civilization, especially the Twentieth Century, and analysis of its continuing dialogue with romanticism. A connecting theme present in the materials studied will be the nature of the hero.


MLA 651 Autobiographical Writing (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
Through a 'workshop' approach, participants investigate and practice writing in the various forms of autobiographical essay from diary and journal to reminiscence and memoir to autobiographically-based fiction. Students implement aspects of narrative and descriptive techniques, structure, tone, and point of view, as well as explore a variety of subejcts from early memory to defining the self in relation to others, places, events, and history itself.


MLA 653 American Folklore (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
A survey of American folklore as a field, its methods and materials. Concentration on several topics including, but not limited to, children's folklore, urban legends, family folklore, and vernacular music. Students will collect, annotate and analyze items of folklore, and then present their work both orally and in writing.


MLA 658 Literature and Psychology: Archetypes of Midlife (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
Participants study various literary texts in depth as they illustrate the archetypal processes that manifest during midlife, such as: the lure of soul-mating, the return of the repressed, "burying the dead," and moving toward integration and transcendence.


MLA 690 MLA Special Topics (2-3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
Seminars on special topics including such recent offerings as Art and Technology, The History of Science, Issues in American Constituional History, Latin American Cultural History, Literature and Psychology, American Folklore, North American Women Writers, and Religion in Cross-Cultural Perspective.


MLA 697 Independent Study Project (1-4)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
A tutorial in specific subject matter may be arranged. Students may apply up to 6 credits toward their degree program.


MLA 698 Continuing Registration (1)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
Continuing enrollment in graduate studies. This option is to be used for registration after completion of all course requirements or when not otherwise actively enrolled. Students not otherwise enrolled at the time they sit for the oral exam must enroll in MLA 698. This course may not be used to meet any program or graduation requirements.


MLA 699 Thesis (1-4)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand        Summer: On Demand
MLA students who are working on their thesis need to enroll in this course. A minimum of 20 hours of coursework toward the degree is required prior to enrollment in this course.