Undergraduate Courses

This course surveys world history of the ancient era.

This course examines the foundations of Western Culture.

This course and HHS 124, 223, 224 investigate the social, economic, intellectual, political and cultural trends in Europe from the Middle Ages to the present in lectures and discussion.

A continuation of HHS 123.

This course and HHS 126 examine the main trends in the socioeconomic, political, and diplomatic history of the U.S. from the Pre-Revolutionary period to the present.

A continuation of HS 125. Group B, 100-level course.

A topical introduction to the humanistic study of science and technology. Discussion will cover the nature of scientific ideas, the scientific method, and scientific change; the structure of scientific communities, relations between science and technology, and the place of science in society.

A historical survey of science and technology. Principal topics include science and technology in prehistory, Egyptian and Babylonian science and culture, Greek science, Medieval technology and science, the Scientific Revolution, the making of the modern physical science, Darwin, and the Darwinian Revolution.

This course provides a survey of the origin and development of the modern Islamic World. Beginning in sixth-century Arabia, the course follows the theological and political development of the Muslim community. It explores the reasons for the great appeal Islam has had and the reasons for its spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Southern Asia as well as other regions of the world.

This is an intensive writing and research seminar designed to introduce students to the world of historical research and the historian's craft. History majors are required to take this course during the spring semester of their junior year.

An analysis of the intellectual and methodological transformations of sixteenth and seventeenth century science and the development of the modern world view. This course focuses on the major scientific figures of the age (Galileo, Descartes, Newton) with particular attention to the study of original texts. The social and institutional transformations of science in this period are also considered.

This course analyzes science as a social entity. The connections between science and society are studied in the first instance through a historical survey of the externals of science: the non-cognitive social, institutional, and professional dimensions of the scientific enterprise. On a case-study basis, the course proceeds to investigate more theoretical problems concerning relations between scientific knowledge and social structure, particularly as interpreted in the Strong Program of the Sociology of Knowledge. Students complete individual projects arising out of themes developed in class.

An examination of the historical process whereby the scientific enterprise became a central concern of the state in modern industrial societies.

This course surveys the origins and significance of technological developments in American history from the first settlements to the present. It emphasizes the social, cultural, political, and economic significance of technology in American history.

This course examines instances in American history in which “scientific” conclusions were widely perceived to be authoritative and true but were later shown to be fraudulent or false. The course examines effects that conclusions of this sort had not only on the culture at large but particularly on creative writers whose work in turn evokes tension between personal insight and faith in empirically derived “truth.”

A study of early Roman civilization from the founding of the city of Rome in 753 B.C. to the collapse of the Republic under Julius Caesar. Readings in ancient sources and modern texts.

"America Cultural History" provides an introduction to ways of analyzing conflicts between dominant and minority groups in American life.

This course focuses on the history of the United States from the perspective of women's experiences and the role gender plays in shaping and defining American history from the colonial era to the present. It examines women's social, political, and economic lives; their roles in society, their familial roles, their struggle to achieve civil rights; changes in their legal status; and the rise of feminism.

An exploration of the African-American experience in the United States from the time of the Atlantic Slave Trade to the present. Topics include social and political dynamics shaping African-American history with particular attention focused on Reconstruction, the Great Migration, and the Civil Rights Movement. Numerous African-American leaders and their concepts for an African-American identity are also emphasized, including the W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington debates, as well as speeches from Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

The course begins with the contradictions inherent in semi-feudal Russia during the age of imperialism which culminated in the collapse of the Tsarist autocracy during World War I. There is a close analysis of the revolutionary year 1917 to determine the reasons for the failure of the liberal Kerensky regime on the one hand, and the rise of the Soviets and Bolsheviks on the other. Marxist-Leninist ideology is studied and compared to economic, social, and political programs during the revolution and during its consolidation in the period of the civil war and in the Stalinist era. The course also covers more recent Russian history.

This course is a general survey of the Middle East beginning in pre-Islamic Arabia in the year 600 and ending with the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt in 1798. The course examines the early formation of the Muslim community and follows its growth under the Umayyid and Abbasid empires. It also explores the influence of the Persians and the Turks in the region, examining the Ottoman and Safavid empires, the Mongol invasion, and ultimately the influence of Western European powers leading to Napoleon's conquest of Egypt in 1798.

This course is a survey of the development of the modern Middle East from the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt in 1798 to the present. The course examines the early efforts for political reform and the beginnings of nationalism with particular emphasis on the period following World War I and the development of modern Middle Eastern nation states.

This course is an introductory survey of an important aspect of Islamic civilization, the scientific and technological achievements of early Islam. The passion for knowledge led early Muslims to internalize, assimilate and expand the scientific knowledge of older civilizations, including those of Greece, India, China and the Byzantium. This course explores their accomplishments in cosmology, mathematics, astrology, geography, medicine, natural sciences, alchemy, optics, engineering and architecture. It also explores the ways in which Muslim scientific achievements influenced the advance of science in the Western world from the Crusaders and the Renaissance to the modern era. The contributions of early Muslims to the advance of Western civilization in general and sciences and arts in particular are not necessarily well integrated phenomena into the Western historiography. This course attempts to fill this gap.

Selected topics in American diplomatic history are studied, including nationalism, imperialism, economic diplomacy, missionary diplomacy, isolationism, world war, cold war, and detente. Readings include diplomatic correspondence, documents, interpretive articles, and monographs.

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

An analysis of the intellectual and methodological transformations of sixteenth and seventeenth century science and the development of the modern world view. This course focuses on the major scientific figures of the age (Galileo, Descartes, Newton) with particular attention to the study of original texts. The social and institutional transformations of science in this period are also considered.

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

German history from its origins, but concentrating on the period from 1870 to the present. German industrialization, the dominant role of Prussia in unification, World War I, the Weimar and Nazi periods, World War II and the post-war era, including current developments, will be covered.

A survey of 20th century Middle Eastern history and politics. This course will explore the issues of nationalism, secularism and social transformations set within the predominantly Islamic Middle East. The different paths adopted by Turkey, Iran and Egypt will be among the major topics to be explored.

An analysis of the intellectual and methodological transformations of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century science and the development of the modern world view. This course focuses on the major scientific figures of the age (Galileo, Descartes, Newton), with particular attention to the study of original texts. The social and institutional transformations of science in this period are also considered.

An historical and theorectical analysis of the Constitutional Convention, the US Constitution, its foundations, conceptual and idealistic basis for the national government.  The decision-making and policymaking roles of the US Supreme Court through case law is closely examined as it relates to governmental powers and federalism.

An exploration of the modern American political experience from the turn of the twentieth century to the present.  This course examines the historical significance of the American policymaking process.  Discussions center on presidential administrations, Congress and political parties addressing domestic agendas and policies.  Highlighted eras promoting government activism include Progressivism, New Dealism, Great Society measures and recent political proposals.

An historical and political analysis of the US Constitution as it relates to civil liberties and civil rights.  The decision-making and policymaking roles of the US Supreme Court through case law in these areas are closely examined.

An interdisciplinary inquiry into individual and group motivations underlying socially significant historical experiences. Selected issues include personality formation through the ages (Martin Luther and Andrew Jackson), individual and collective consciousness (Anne Hutchinson and the Salem witchcraft hysteria), and psychobiographies of Woodrow Wilson, Adolf Hitler, and others.

Selected contemporary persepctives on European history since the French Revolution up to the creation of the European Union.

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

This course concerns social, economic, political, and cultural impressions of the Middle East reported by American writers, diplomats, and missionaries during the nineteenth century. American interest in Middle Eastern arts, particularly architecture and furniture design, are also explored.

Analyses of the foundation, expansion, and decline of the Roman Empire with an evaluation of its place in history.

This course explores the history of mediums of exchange and the consequent development of credit and credit exchange mechanisms from earliest times until the present. In particular, this course examines the relationship of money and credit to the technological environment and how evolving technologies, ranging from metallurgy to electronics, have created and shaped historical eras. Periods covered include pre-feudal, feudal, early capitalist, and modern times.

An historical analysis of post World War II suburban-urban growth policies. Examines the successes and failures of developmental proposals, especially social and environmental implications of Federal Housing Administrative incentives: de-facto segregation, commercial-residential sprawl; Smart Growth; New Urbanism and other high density concepts. Urban redevelopment policies, include brownfield, waterfront sites and the public provision of cultural and tourism infrastructure; incentives to promote gentrification; historic preservation; mixed income/community feasibility; and economic development policies, such as business improvement, tax abatements, enterprise zones and transit villages.

An analysis of history taking material factors into account. Course probes this theme from the point of view of historical change over time, case studies of material factors shaping history, and historiographically, that is, how the historical and theoretical literature has treated the exigencies of the material world and parameters governing human interaction with the material world.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the United States was fundamentally transformed. This course examines the nation’s genesis as an industrial and economic power and society’s adaptation to the industrial age. It also considers the impact of industrialism on such historical problems as technological change, economic development, race and gender relations, political participation, reform movements, urbanization, immigration, imperialism, and globalization.

"Religion in America" maps various routes pursued by religious groups in the United States--a culture in which there has been no "established" religion and in which symbiotic relations between the secular world and religious practices/beliefs continually evolve.  The course will look principally at religion as a business, religion as a force in politics, and religion in conflict with science and technology.

This course explores the modern economic and political development of China, Korea, and Japan from the late nineteenth century to the present and responses to Western imperialism. The rise of Chinese and Korean communism and Japanese fascism during the twentieth century are especially emphasized. There is also a close examination and comparison of development in additional Asian countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam.

To confront the student with social, political, legal, and ethical issues that professional scientists and engineers are being forced to reexamine in the light of the computer revolution. The course reviews traditional principles while challenging the student to recognize that technological innovation often drives social change and, specifically, that innovations as sweeping as the rapid and continuing changes in computer technology sometimes lead scientists and engineers into completely uncharted territory.

A study of the emergence and development of the Turkish Republic. The course examines the Republic’s origins in the Ottoman Empire and traces its development from the period after the First World War to the present.

A survey of the development of Arab Nationalist movements in the Middle East beginning in the period following WWI and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and tracing the different approaches to nationalism adopted in response to late Colonial forces and the emerging state of Israel.

A comparative review of the differing histories and alternative approaches to nationalism in the three major Middle Eastern States.

A survey of the History of Central Asia from the period of Persian domination through the Mongol period, the development of the Khanates leading to the Russian conquest, and finally to today’s reemergence of autonomous states.

An examination of the economic, social and political transformations that created one of Europe’s most powerful empires from 1299 until 1918. The course follows the growth and later dismemberment of the Empire, with special focus on the continuities found in the region today.

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

Legal and moral issues associated with just and unjust wars in historical perspective and the issue of war crimes in international, legal, and moral terms.

Taught through problem-based learning techniques, the course entails intensive readings on American genesis of technologies through mainly biographical accounts ranging from Eli Whitney’s rifles with interchangeable parts to Jim Clark’s development of Netscape in Silicon Valley, and the contemporary role of universities in generating intellectual property. Such topics as the inventive-entrepreneurial process, patents, and the role of government in sponsoring research and development, and the development of Management of Technology techniques are covered.

This course is a social and cultural history of engineering before the modern era. It examines the nature and the role of the engineer and engineering in a global context in the pre-modern and early modern (pre-industrial) periods.  Through a series of case studies involving lecture, reading, discussion, technical demonstration and laboratory work, the course will examine the technical, economic, political, ideological, and cultural factors that can influence the contents, direction, location, and rhythm of engineering innovation.  Particular attention will be paid to the emergence of science-based engineering in early modern Europe, and the conditions that were going to lead to its spread throughout the world during the modern period.

: This course highlights the selected lives and careers of engineers in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries who both contributed to and were influenced by their country’s politics, economy, society, and/or culture.  Through course readings, discussions, and assignments, students will connect the activities of engineers to struggles for power in the national and international arenas. This course complements HHS 465 Engineering in History I, which covers engineering in the ancient and pre-industrial world, but HHS 465 is not a prerequisite.

A survey of major developments in the history and geography of Planet Earth.

The impact of the Norman Conquest on kingship, government, and social structure; the reign of the Tudors on church and state; the Puritan and Lockean revolutions on the development of Parliament and Common Law; the two party system on reform; the industrial revolution on economic power and Empire; and Britain’s role in world wars and the twentieth century. Particular attention is paid to the development of individual rights.

The life and times of the Renaissance artist-engineer, the institutions and influences which created his imagination, inventiveness, and great works of art. The course also covers what he was not, exploding popular myths about his achievements, and investigates his life on a personal, more human level.

The course examines the genealogy of the construct of “sustainability” and the efforts to address its inherent challenges in a variety of places and times.  The course is chronological and thematic, with each unit reflecting the mood of the times regarding the conceptual framework of sustainability and reaction/responses, such as the Romantic response to industrialization in Europe and the rise of the Ecology movement in the United States in the late 1960s. It will also provide students with substantive grounding in historical case studies of environmental issues, and develop intellectual tools for understanding and solving contemporary sustainability challenges globally.

Examination of the history of medical science in the Western World from Greek antiquity to the present.

This course takes a thematic approach to the history of technology in  the modern era.  Topics may include the study of invention, innovation,  and standardization; industrial research and development; technological  systems; transnational exchanges: histories of gender, labor, and race:  and the emergence of a global 'Network Society.'

A survey of recent trends in the application of ecological and geographical perspectives in historical studies. Some emphasis on historiography is appropriate for thesis writers.

Research topics in history and methods of historical scholarship.

The subject of this course changes, but recent topics have been an in-depth study of Shakespeare's Hamlet, consideration of three of his comedies, and a study of literary New York.

Readings in core texts of western literature produced by civilizations of the ancient world.. Representative texts include works by: Homer, Sophocles and Virgil, and readings in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. Sections of this course may takes up great books of science such as Vitruvius' Ten Books on Architecture read in conjunction with Virgil's Aeneid.

Readings in core texts of western literature from medieval times to the present. Representative authors include Chretien, Dante, Racine, Shakespeare, de Lafayette, and Kafka. Instruction in basic elements of rhetoric and composition is also emphasized. Group A, 100-level course.

Examination of the philosophical use of language as it deals with concepts and value judgments.

Uses of language to convey thought and feeling in a variety of fictional and nonfictional forms.

A survey of European culture as the foundation of American culture. Course emphasizes literary evelopments and also provides a brief introduction to major evelopments in western architecture, music, and art.

A study of American literature with reference to parallel developments in architecture, art, music and film. American literature seen as a response to European culture and to problems unique to life in the New World.

The theatre's ability to cultivate empathy, to raise questions about societal practices, to explore the human condition, to foster collaboration, and to create community make it a dynamic and unique forum in which to participate as audience or practitioner. This course examines the development of the theatre from its roots in Ancient Greece to the present day. Students will examine that evolution from a number of critical points: theatre's literature, history, technological innovations, and social role. The class will read works of dramatic literature and historical texts. Attendance at NYC theatrical productions and "hands-on" exposure to the process of theatrical creation will complement the course readings.

This course introduces students to the discipline of literature by examining literary works of different genres that focus on science and scientific inquiry. Special attention is given to the ways that scientific advances have challenged conventional beliefs about the structure of the world and humanity’s place in it. The course will examine how, throughout the centuries, science has been considered as a source for liberation and innovation on the one hand or oppression and even possible transgression on the other. Readings may include works by Aeschylus (Prometheus Bound), Marlowe (Doctor Faustus), Blake, Brecht, Stoppard, Vonnegut, and others.

This course provides an introduction to the study of film as a separate genre. The course concentrates on formal analysis of the aesthetic, ideological, and technological elements that comprise the multiple languages of cinema. The course introduces the student to various genres of narrative cinema as well as to different categories of cinema such as experimental, documentary, and hybrid forms. Although this course analyzes some work produced in the United States, it also provides the student with an introduction to cinema as an artistic practice that spans the globe, including contemporary as well as historical modes.

A survey of Modernism in European Literature. The authors to be considered include Rimbaud, Mallarme, Rilke, and Mann. Developments in architecture, music, and art are provided, as well.

A survey of poets and prose writers such as Thomas Carlyle,
 Alfred Lord Tennyson,  Elizabeth Barrett Browning, John Stuart Mill, Charles Dickens, Oscar  Wilde, and Christina Rossetti who in the days of Queen Victoria created  texts that reflect our own concerns with religion and science,  spirituality and materialism, labor and capital, gender and space, Christmas and goblins.

This course is a form of argument about meaning that emphasizes two points: 1) the language we have available determines our idea of reality and 2) semantic structures seem to convey their own independent meanings in spite of what speakers of the language may think they intend.

A study of the fiction of science and the science of fiction through the reading of authors from Mary Shelley (Frankenstein) to William Gibson (Neuromancer), the viewing of films such as Metropolis and Dune, and the writing of a piece of science fiction.

A study of literary works concerned with sources of creativity.  To be considered are texts such as Mann’s Death in Venice, Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus, and Wordsworth’s The Prelude.

Course examines the interrelationship of literary works and the ethnic heritage of their authors and/or the texts themselves.

Course examines the interrelationship of literary works and the ethnic heritage of their authors and/or the texts themselves.

This course investigates the views man has expressed about the advent impact of technology and science across recorded history. Questions that might be addressed include: What is the relationship between religion and technology? Has man always viewed technological innovations as positive? What relationship is there between man’s vision of utopian society and technology? Readings may include, but are not limited to, novels, philosophical treatises, and the literature of various societies.

Myths are much more than entertaining stories; they teach much about their cultures. Myths pervade our lives and represent a discrete way of thinking, different from rational logic. In this course, students will see how Western civilization was enriched by Greek and Roman myths. Myths from the ancient Near East also reached the West through the Judeo-Christian tradition. This course provides an introduction to ancient civilizations and their literary, religious, and artistic legacies.

Selected plays by Shakespeare will be read and analyzed both as literary and performance texts. Students are required to attend a professional production of a Shakespearean play in New York City.

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

This course includes Geoffrey Chaucer’s major works The Canterbury Tales and the dream vision poems.  The latter are based on accepted contemporary psychological theory that dreams teach solutions to real life problems.  In The Canterbury Tales, pilgrims who meet at a roadside tavern tell each other stories about contemporary morals, love, religion, and war as they journey to Canterbury Cathedral.  Students will encounter a range of medieval literary genres (e.g., romance, epic, fabliau, and saint’s life) while studying the mores and customs of the fourteenth century.  Topics include medieval ideas on fate and religion, marriage, magic, science, and technology.

During the summer, Shakespeare is presented in parks and parking lots throughout New York City. In this course, we read and discuss plays and then go to see them. We view both traditional and experimental productions. Sometimes we see more than one production of a play, if a number of companies decide to do it.

The study of prose fiction in short story form. Texts consist of representative selections of the short story genre that offer a wide variety of techniques and themes. All students will participate in classroom critical analysis.

A study of the Indo-European origins and development of English from Old English Anglo-Saxon, to Chaucer's Middle English and the Modern English Period.

This course examines the beginnings of the environmental movement in America by focusing on the writings of Henry David Thoreau and his contemporaries. Primary readings include works by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, John James Audubon, James Fenimore Cooper, William Cullen Bryant, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emily Dickinson, John Muir, Sarah Orne Jewett, and Jack London. Contextual material includes works by Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur, Thomas Jefferson, William Bartram, Philip Freneau, Louis Agassiz, Susan Fenimore Cooper, George Perkins Marsh, Gifford Pinchot, and Theodore Roosevelt.

Consideration of texts by writers of the romantic movement in England: Blake, Coleridge, William and Dorothy Wordsworth, Percy Bysshe and Mary Shelley, Keats, and Byron.

A survey of theatrical innovation in modern and contemporary Europe and the United States. Students will analyze dramatic literature and create scenic designs for one or more plays studied in class. Group attendance at a theatrical performance in New York City outside of class time is required.

Readings from the novel's beginnings in England up to contemporary works. Selections include works such as Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, Richardson's Pamela, Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Bronte's Wuthering Heights, Dickens' Hard Times, and Woolf's To the Lighthouse.

Readings of plays from the dramatic productions of Aeschylus to modern works of theatre. Students attend professional productions in New York City and often have an opportunity to interact with those involved in bringing them to the stage.

Readings in authors such as Bradstreet, Bryant, Longfellow, Poe, Whitman, and Dickinson.

A study of works produced during the British and European romantic movements by. PAINTERS such as David, Turner, Delacroix, Gericault; WRITERS such as Hugo, Goethe, Byron, Sand; COMPOSERS such as Berlioz, Wagner, Chopin. Students attend a professional concert or opera in New York City.

An introduction to works by such writers as Emerson, Thoreau Whitman, Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, and Dickinson. An examination of 19th-century race relations in America from a literary perspective is emphasized.

An interpretation of Amercan civilization through its literature and cultural forms.  The course involves close reading of a few works of American literature written since World War II.

An interpretation of American civilization through its literature and cultural forms. The course this semester will involve close reading of a few works by some of the giants of American literature since the Second World War.

A study of works of major American poets of the twentieth century including Pound, Eliot, Williams, Moore, Stevens, Lowell, Ashbery, and Ginsberg.

Development of British fiction from James Joyce to Doris Lessing.

This course examines the journey Ireland has taken from British colony to what Fintan O’Toole describes as an island unmoored. Students will explore the complex nature of political, religious, and cultural forces found in the assigned works. Historically, literature is particularly important in the context of Irish nationalism as it served as a means for crafting an identity independent of a British one. Irish authors also contributed greatly to both the Modernist and Post-Modernist movements, and the course will provide a strong foundation in those practices.

An introduction to the basic methods of journalism, including gathering and verifying facts, finding and interviewing sources, and constructing compelling narratives.

Utilizing Che Guevara's journeys from The Motorcycle Diaries and from later in his life as its spine, this course surveys post-1945 Latin American literature.  The emphasis will be placed on  works that explore issues of poverty, oppression, and disenfranchisement.  The course will further explore specific genres of fiction such as magical realism and examine how they came to evolve in Latin America.  The course could include such writers as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Pablo Neruda, and Guillermo Cabrera Infante.

Modern Culture provides an introduction to modernism in literature and film. Students read and view a range of works that illustrate aesthetic and cultural aspects of modernism, including political, social, and religious matters, and the influence of technology on works by Crane, Leger, Antheil, and others. The course is not intended as a survey of the principal modernist texts and films but rather as an introduction to certain key notions and modes that are characteristic of Modernism from the 1870s to 1948.

Creative Writing is a beginner’s workshop in the creation of poetry and fiction. Students examine issues such as narrative structure, stanza forms, free verse, and so on. The course explores distinctions between writing as a craft and writing as a process more closely allied with prophecy and gnosis. The impact of the computer on writing is examined. Students read works on poetics and theories of fiction, in particular mimetic and expressionistic theories developed in the West, and learn to shape their own work accordingly. Brief writing assignments are assigned weekly with a longer writing project developed over the part of the course and due the final day of class.

An introduction to classical and modern expository and argumentative writing and speech, as well as an introduction to contemporary technical and science writing.

This course along with HLI 412, 416 includes a survey of comparative literature of the medieval period, the increasing focus on the individual in society in medieval romance, and the legend of King Arthur. Works and authors studied include: The Quest for the Holy Grail, The Death of King Arthur, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Song of Roland, Bede, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Marie de France, Chrétien de Troyes, Gottfried von Strassburg, Dante, and Boccaccio.

This course focuses on the developing interest in the individual in society in medieval romance. Works and authors studied include: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Chretien de Troyes and Gottfried von Strassburg. The course follows the adventuring knight on his quests.

A survey of women authors writing in English from the fourteenth century to the present.

This course examines the role of empire building and its influence on the novel, prose, and poetry of the late nineteenth century. Readings present an overview of both colonial and post-colonial literature against the historical background. This course also examines relevant films to explore how the twentieth and twenty-first centuries portray imperialism.

Analysis of selections from the Hebrew and Christian Bibles as literary texts.

The course covers a variety of texts beginning with the earliest chronicle reports of a great battle leader -- Arthur, king of Britain -- and ending with high medieval romances such as The Death of King Arthur. The course explores the birth of the Arthurian legend. Was there ever a historical Arthur? Did he arise to save his people? Will he come again as legend has promised? How has his story developed in literature and popular culture? Delving into the mythic past of Europe, the readings include folk-tales and historical chronicles, and students will immerse themselves in some of earliest sword and sorcery literature, and observe along the way how developing technologies enhanced warrior cultures.

A study of major works and authors including Beowulf, Chaucer, Spenser, Milton, Shakespeare, Wordsworth and Wolf.

The application of contemporary literary theory derived from Heidegger and modern linguistics to the study of postmodern American literature. Students are introduced to various literary theories developed by Barthes, Kristeva, Lacan, Derrida, and Foucault, and then asked to apply these theories in considerations of works by such postmodern American writers as Pynchon, Bronk, Gass, Spicer, and Ashbery.

Examination of a few major twentieth-century Turkish, Persian, and Arabic texts in English translation. Readings would include poetry and fiction by such authors as Ece Ayhan, Orhan Pamuk, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, and Mahmoud Darwish.

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

From the ancient times to the present, literature has engaged political issues.  This course traces the intrigues of civil and familial power as captured in significant literary works which offer profound statements, creatively wrought, about vital moral, social and political principles concentrating on works up to the Renaissance.  Questions such as whether civilizations can expect their leaders to be ethical in addition to powerful or what happens to society when leaders confront evolving social conditions such as wars, civil unrest or new legal systems or what interplay there may be among the leader (often a man), his family, and the led will be examined in a variety of genres, such as tragedy and epic, and can be explored by invoking the moral imagination. By considering these questions through the vehicle of fiction, literature elicits not only the audience or readers’ intellect, but their emotions as well – in both cases, by means of reader-response. One pressing question we will tackle is whether fiction that engages issues of power and politics does – or can function to – change the world. 

A survey of English literature from the restoration of the monarchy to the present.

A study of major works and authors, including Beowulf, Chaucer, Spenser, Milton, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and Wolf.

This course offers consideration of literary texts and their relationships to other art forms.  Students will study works of literature and attend related cultural events in New York City. A typical semester may include attendance of "Hamlet" at the Metropolitan Opera, "Hard Times" at the Pearl Theater Company,or an exhibit on El Greco, Iconography, and the "Book of John" at the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation.

A survey of the development of the  novel in America from the late eighteenth century to the present. Included are works by authors such as: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Faulkner, Henry James, Edith Wharton, and Philip Roth.

Contemporary Culture provides an introduction to work in literature and film from 1950 to the present.  Students read and view a range of works that illustrate aesthetic and cultural aspects of contemporary literature and film, including political, social, and religious matters, and the influence of technology on works by Ginsberg, Seybald, Godard, and others.  The course is not intended as a survey of the principal contemporary texts and films but rather as an introduction to various key notions and modes that are characteristic of our time.

During this course, we will review Western Medieval and Renaissance art music from the 2nd century B.C. to 1600 A.D. from several perspectives: as individual masterworks, as representatives of various composers, as examples of particular styles and forms, as analytic "problems," and as artworks derived from changing social circumstances. We will emphasize the development of skills in talking and writing "about" monophonic, liturgical and polyphonic music. The course will include lectures and class discussions, assigned readings, written assignments, and periodic examinations.

In this course, student will review western Baroque to Classic music from 1600 to 1780, from several perspectives: as individual expressions of various composers, as examples of particular styles and forms, as analytic problems, and as artworks derived from changing social circumstances. This course emphasizes the development of skills in talking and writing about piano, pipe organ, orchestral and early opera music. Some composers include Bach, Vivaldi, Purcell, Pachebel, and Handel. The course will in discussions, assigned readings, oral presentations, and periodic examinations. Goals: To learn by reading notation and listening to samples of the earliest forms of music; To acquire verbal skills which are needed to explain music styles; To learn about the culture of the time which inspired the compositions. Outcomes: This is a continuation in Music History commencing with the earliest forms of the Baroque era from 1600 to the Classic Era near through the 1700's The student will receive an overview of the styles, learn about the social system of the period which directed the style and will also learn specifics about individual instruments which were used to create the sound.

The cultural convergence of music, performance, theater, and visual art has variously been termed multimedia, hybrid arts, intermedia, interdisciplinary arts, and transmedia, among others.  This course looks at how artistic disciplines inform one another and how parallel developments in technology have played a significant role in the history of the arts and music, from early tribal rituals to our contemporary digital age.  Organized as a historical survey of technology and the arts, the course will move beyond the idea of the arts as simple modes of expression to consider how it has been an active site of cultural practice.  The course will begin with the concept of “techne,” first used in antiquity, as a means of establishing the philosophical basis of creative practice and showing the fundamental unity between art, science and technology.  Through weekly lectures, readings, and discussion, we will explore the many ways that science and technology informs and inspires the creative production.  By the end of the course students will understand the ways in which diverse modalities of artistic practice function as forms of symbolic communication with aesthetic material, cultural and political dimensions.

The development of listening techniques used to aid in the appreciation of classical music; and analysis of representative compositions covering the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern periods.

This is part two of the Music Appreciation sequence. The course aims to guide and strengthen students in developing the skills of active listening in order to increase their enjoyment of ballet music, film music, music theater and opera. To this end, the course strengthens the students' ability to identify and respond to the basic conventions of ballet, film, music theater and opera and the way that the basic musical building blocks - melody, harmony, rhythm, tempo, tone color and form - take creative advantage of these conventions for expressive purposes, including the creation of mood, characterization, narration and storytelling. The course is not intended as a historical survey of the genres of ballet, film music, music theater or opera. Rather, it focuses on important core works from these genres, placed in their historical and stylistic context for purposes of comparison and appreciation. The aim throughout is to focus on works that an interested music lover is liable to hear in the normal course of their musical experience and that form a basis for further in-depth exploration of these genres. At the same time, the course provides, without losing this central focus, at least brief exposure and consideration of selected examples of contemporary pop and commercial music in these and related genres, including hip-hop and music video, that will build on the students' pre-existing interest and enthusiasm. Finally, and unique to the Music and Technology program at Stevens, the course draws special attention, wherever appropriate, to important milestones in the development of music technology and their impact on the development of music in the genres of ballet, film music, music theater and opera as well as related contemporary genres. Prerequisites: None. Group A, 100-level course.

This course will provide an extensive overview of the development of electronic music, from early experiments and innovations in the late 19th century through to modern-day electronic music. This course will also provide an extensive overview of salient technical and artistic methodologies cultivated throughout the development of electronic music. This course will also explore the correlation between technological change and societal change.

This course begins with a review of the rudiments of music (scales, modes, key signatures, time signatures, rhythm, meter, intervals, and basic acoustical principles) and a review of important compositional trends that have affected the course of Western musical history. Students are then introduced to the triad and seventh chords in all inversions. All theoretical study is accompanied by listening, score analysis, and actual writing. All incoming students should already know how to read music (treble and bass clefs). Prerequisites: none. Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective.

With the presumption of no previous formal study, Music Theory I presents the fundamental materials and procedures of tonal music. The students are introduced to elements of music theory, including scales, key signatures, intervals, triads, seventh chords, Roman numeral and figured bass analysis, 4-part writing, and first species counterpoint. Aural skills are developed with the introduction to "fixed-do" solfege.

Music Theory II continues the presentation of the material and procedures of tonal music with the study of harmonic syntax as it pertains to tonal cadences, intermediary harmonies modulation and tonicization in major and minor, and fundamental concepts of diatonic sequences. Students continue their mastery of 4-part writing with Roman numeral and figured bass analysis and undertake writing assignments in second and third species counterpoint in two voices. Aural skills are developed with alto clef "fixed-do" solfege primarily in minor. 

This course introduces students to theoretical and practical experiences in interdisciplinary production technologies, with an emphasis on visual and aural design principles. Projects may include creating and editing digital images, music, sound, video, text, and motion graphics.  Students will work in teams to create projects. Not for general Humanities credit.

This course involves production tools available in hardware and software utilized to make compositions and sound tracks for an array of visual and live performance environments. The course provides an introduction to these areas, offering background important to other courses in the program that students may take in the future. Topics include the music business, general recording studio protocol, MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), basic recording techniques with ProTools, techno music production sequencing with Digital Performer, synthesizer history and programming, electronic music and synthestration, interactive applications such as MAX, sound design, digital sampling for visual art support with Mach 5, and sound-effect libraries, music programs for the Web Quicktime, Real Audio, and Windows Media Player applications, mastering with ProTools Plug-Ins, Peak, Roxio Jam and Toast, and MP3 creation and web uploading and distribution with e-commerce.

The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) revolutionized the production world of electronic music. This course will explore the fine details of the code, as well as the everyday studio and stage use of the protocol. The student will explore all types of synthesis techniques via keyboards, tone modules, and software plug-ins. There will also be an overview of traditional electronic music from the last century to the present. In the weekly lab, the student will explore the software and hardware interconnection process and create an artistic experiment in electronic music as a final project.

In order for students to acquire the most basic and fundamental piano techniques, students will undertake rudimentary exercises designed to facilitate the most common fingering techniques and hand positions. Students will be required to demonstrate the ability to play major scales, simple arpeggios, and develop muscle memory for basic intervals. By the end of the semester, students should be able to read 2 part treble and bass compositions.

Piano II is the second in a series of Piano Instruction for Beginner/Intermediate Music Technology Students and all students interested in learning how to play piano and/or keyboards. This class will focus on the Development of Functional Keyboard skills.

Piano Class 4 is the fourth class  in a four semester sequence of group piano classes offered by the Music and Technology Program.  The class concentrates on advanced piano skills including the development of a contemporary repertoire, advanced piano technique, advanced concepts in keyboard improvisation, score reading and accompaniment techniques.

The primary focus of this course will be the theoretical study of sound and light wave theory as it relates to productions techniques:  for audio, the basics of transducer technology and signal flow; for vision, electromagnetic waveforms, theory of optics, and the different applications of capturing visuals through digital means.  At the completion of the course, students will be able to understand wave theory, transducer theory, basic acoustic properties of sound and hearing, basic understanding of characteristics of light and color, signal flow and practical applications of the above.  Ultimately students will have the theoretical foundations to develop their audio/visual engineering skills as an art form. Not for general Humanities credit.

Fundamentals of sound recording technology with focus on composer-operated tools to generate the art. Presents an understanding of the terms and basic skills needed to make quality recordings of the art on the "ProTools" non-linear based system. Microphone, Monitor, Mixer, Digital Signal Processing "Plug-Ins," Dynamics, and basic studio acoustics will be explored. Students will experience the producing and recording of a multi-track song project at the completion of the course.

Mixing consoles in project studios will be explored and more advanced techniques in dynamics, equalization, reverberation, and signal processing. Students will meet in small groups for at least four hours a week to execute organized studio "hands on" lab exercises. Students will experience the producing and recording of a more advanced multi-track song project at the completion of the course. Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective.

Webtools for the Arts will examine current internet technologies and web portal developments and their application to the Arts.  Through the implementation of basic principles of php, MySql, html, Java and other webtools, students will learn to not only incorporate media content representing their particular interest in the arts but also implement authentication and Ecommerce tools, customize, embed and implement external web content, explore creative and alternative blog usages and explore the next generation cloud environment. Not for general Humanities credit.

This course will provide students with the fundamental understanding of the role and construction of software-based musical instruments. The course will focus on the development of skill-sets in commercial and open-source platforms. Students will also be introduced to low-level coding logic, providing the opportunity to develop and contribute original externals for prominent music production environments.

Music Theory III continues the presentation of the material and procedures of tonal music with the study of elements of melodic and rhythmic figuration, dissonance and chromaticism, modal mixture, and an advanced examination of applied chords and diatonic modulation. Students undertake writing assignments in 4th and 5th species counterpoint in two voices. Species counterpoint is incorporated into 4 part-writing exercises. Aural skills are developed with and chromatic alterations. 

Music Theory IV continues the presentation of the material and procedures of tonal music with a continued study of dissonance and chromaticism including 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th chords, Neapolitan II, Augmented Sixth chords, and chromatic voice leading techniques. Students undertake writing assignments in species counterpoint in three voices.  Aural skills are developed with more complex "fixed-do" solfege primarily in mixed modes with chromatic alterations.  Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective.

Music Composition is a one semester course that presents a detailed analysis of the techniques of music composition. The course will focus on Form and Structure, Stylistic Movements, and Compositional Techniques. Students will be expected to demonstrate their understanding of all concepts presented in class via a series of quizzes and two significant works they will compose during the course of the semester. Music Composition will deepen the students understanding and implementation of the various techniques of musical composition. Since all students will have completed HMU202 (formerly 302), HMU420 will allow for a stronger and more coherent understanding of the implementation of those concepts and will greatly enhance the students understanding of the concepts presented in HMU 303 & 304 & 405.

This course will explore the historical context, methods and current research trends surrounding the composition of electroacoustic music.  Students will record and shape environmental sound recordings using digital audio platforms to explore the soundscape (sonic environment) as compositional form. Through this creative process, students will explore the integration and segregation of both traditional music and environmental sound events into different musical streams based on comparative analyses of their sonic structures. The final course assignment will require students to apply new knowledge and music production skill-sets to produce their own original electroacoustic composition.

Piano III is the third in a series of Piano Instruction for Beginner/Intermediate Music Technology Students and all students interested in learning how to play piano and/or keyboards. This class will focus on the Development of Functional Keyboard skills. Prerequisites: HMU 221 or permission of the instructor.

Piano IV is the fourth in a series of Piano Instruction for Beginner/Intermediate Music Technology Students and all students interested in learning how to play piano and/or keyboards. This class will focus on the Development of Functional Keyboard skills. Prerequisites: HMU 322 or permission of the instructor.

Lecture will be based around advanced implementation of recording techniques and procedures in the professional studio environment. Students will end the semester with; a thorough understanding of large frame in-line audio mixing consoles, additional advanced microphone placement techniques, and understanding of transducer experimentation. Synchronization between analog machines and digital audio workstations and MIDI interfaces will be explored. The student will gain the ability to troubleshoot and avoid externally generated noise in an audio system. Students will experience the entire engineering process that goes into integrating tracks from a live recording session with songs, from running the original recording session to producing the final mix. Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective.

As the final semester of Sound Recording Arts, students are expected to fully understand the basic principles of audio engineering and the studio environment as a workplace. This class is designed to specifically address digital audio production. Although many of the topics have been mentioned in previous classes, course work will require in depth analysis of the many elements of this production format. Additionally, we will be studying in depth, advanced audio techniques. Students will be required to bring an audio example every class to be evaluated and attempt to recreate using the studio as lab. By the end of the semester, students will understand advanced principals of digital recording and the practical application thereof. Additionally, students will have in depth experiential knowledge of recording practices and advanced production techniques. Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective

This course is an introductory survey of the music of the Eastern Mediterranean as explored by Traditional and Modern Turkish music. It explores the Balkan, Greek, and Persian influences from earliest times as well as Western composition and idioms. Modern jazz, rock, dance, and video influences will be examined, as well.

This course deals with the basic principals of physics as it relates to sound.   Sound wave transmission, musical instrument sound vibration, transducer theory, room acoustic design and isolation design are discussed and explored. Recording Studio design will be explored and the mysteries of the room "appearance" will be explained. The more informed an individual is about the topic of acoustics; the art of music production becomes more efficiently achieved.   The student will complete the course with a thorough understanding of acoustical design techniques.   This knowledge will not only prepare the student for professional studio design and construction (music, audio/video for post production), it is also applicable in understanding the environments in which they might create productions.

This course traces the development of black popular music from its earliest roots in northwest Africa to the urban centers of the United States.

The development of listening techniques used to aid in the appreciation of classical music; and analysis of representative compositions covering the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern periods.

A survey and analysis of representative composers through critical listening and analysis of important music literature.

Techniques in how to listen and what to listen for. History of the idiom. Analysis of outstanding performances and styles.

Course begins with a review of the rudiments of music   (scales, modes, key signatures, time signatures, rhythm, meter, intervals and   basic acoustical principles) and a review of important compositional trends   that have affected the course of Western musical history.  Students will then   be introduced to the triad and seventh chords in all inversions.  All   theoretical study will be accompanied by listening, score analysis and actual   writing.

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

This course is an exploration of traditional orchestral instruments. The student will learn fine details related to the characteristics of instruments in the orchestral family with classroom examples of masterpieces in the classical repertoire, as well as by experiencing either live demonstrations or sampled demonstrations by the instructor. The student will learn the basics of expanding a piano score to woodwind, brass, and string quartets.

This is part two of a two-semester sequence. Whereas Orchestration I explored the mechanical aspects of the orchestra and presented the physical and technical boundaries of each instrument contained therein, Orchestration II explores the aesthetic principals engaged when writing for this most unique subject, and the student will be introduced to the art of conducting. In addition to completing the Adler text, students will spend significant time in the MAC Lab realizing their orchestrations of the standard literature from Mozart to Penderecki. To this extent, we will use the new interactive edition of the classic Principles of Orchestration by one of history's greatest orchestrators, Rimsky Korsakov. Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective.

 This course involves production tools available in   hardware and software utilized to make compositions and sound tracks for an   array of visual and live performance environments.  The course provides an   introduction to these areas, offering background important to other courses in the   program that students may take in the future.  Topics include the music   business, general recording studio protocol, MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital   Interface), basic recording techniques with "ProTools," techno music production   sequencing with "Digital Performer," synthesizer history and programming,   electronic music and "synthestration," interactive applications such as "MAX,"   sound design, and digital sampling for visual art support with "Mach 5" and   sound-effect libraries, music programs for the web: quicktime, real   audio and windows media player applications, mastering with ProTools "Plug-Ins,"   "Peak," "Roxio Jam" and "Toast," plus "MP3" creation and web uploading and   distribution with e-commerce.

 The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)   revolutionized the production world of Electronic Music.  This course will explore the   fine details of the code as well as the everyday studio and stage use of the   protocol.  The student will explore all types of synthesis techniques via   keyboards, tone modules and software plug-ins.  There will also be an   overview of traditional electronic music from the last century to the present.  In   the weekly lab, the student will explore the software and hardware   interconnection process and create an artistic experiment in electronic music as a   final project.

The exciting art of techno music has dynamically transformed over the years, incorporating elements of classical electronic music and cutting-edge high-tech innovations. This course will explore the techniques and enable the student to have a greater understanding of the tools of the trade. Each class will preview examples of the most well known works over the years, and demonstrate the technique, since sounds often recycle years later, i.e., sample loops in current compositions, for example. The students will participate in weekly lab exercises by creating music in the Media Arts Center with state-of-the-art software and will apply advanced music theory skills. The final project shall be a three-song student composition professional "demo." Guest producers will be invited to join us in class. Basic keyboard or iGuitar skills are required.

An introduction and survey of the art of sound synthesis, Electronic Music will focus on synthesizer programming utilizing subtractive synthesis, filter manipulation, voltage control amplifiers and ADSR generators. As well, a historical presentation will expose the student to the evolution of non-acoustic sounds. Weekly labs and assignments will allow the student to implement those synthesis techniques presented in class.  Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective.

HMU 406 explores the integration of audio production for such visual mediums as television, film and interactive games. Through an analysis of various commercial visual media The course introduces 1) the techniques and terminology representing the technical parameters common to both audio and visual producers 2) the psychological impact of sound association 3) the implementation of audio tools in the creation of . ADR (automatic dialog replacement), Music Editing, Sound effects and/or Foley.. 4) An understanding of the commercial marketing impact of sound.

Sound Design calls upon major technical elements from HMU 410-413 from psychoacoustics to sound wave manipulation within the digital to create soundscapes that enhance the art of story telling. The student will learn to create original sound effects, use and manipulate existing sound effect libraries, and identify the audio needs of a visual image. They will use the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), as instructed in the Sound Recording course series, to integrate audio and visual elements. They will also be able to create a stand-alone soundscape for radio or audio only internet applications. Via lab assignments, students will complete the course with the foundation for an audio portfolio - demo CD.

Fundamentals of sound recording technology with focus on composer-operated tools to generate the art. Presents an understanding of the terms and basic skills needed to make quality recordings of the art on the "ProTools" non-linear based system. Microphone, Monitor, Mixer, Digital Signal Processing "Plug-Ins," Dynamics, and basic studio acoustics will be explored. Students will experience the producing and recording of a multi-track song project at the completion of the course.

 Lecture will be based around advanced implementation of   recording techniques and procedures in the professional studio environment.   Students will end the semester with; a thorough understanding of large frame   in-line audio mixing consoles, additional advanced microphone placement   techniques and understanding of transducer experimentation.   Synchronization between analog machines and digital audio workstations & MIDI interfaces   will be explored. The student will gain the ability to troubleshoot and   avoid externally generated noise in an audio system.  Students will   experience the entire engineering process that goes into integrating tracks from   a live recording session with songs, from running the original recording   session to producing the final mix.

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

Contemporary Music Theory is a one semester presentation of the materials and procedures of music emanating from the evolution of Romanticism through Impressionism and arriving at the dismantling of tonality in the 20th century. In this class, melodic, rhythmic and harmonic analysis will transcend the triadic structures of the common period as presented in Music Theory I-IV. Students will be expected to demonstrate their understanding of all concepts presented in class via a series of quizzes and two significant works they will compose during the course of the semester.

Spatial Music Applications will explore the intersection between the spatial features of traditional music structures and the environmental soundscape. The course will present a perspective on aesthetics through the creation of original spatial audio works. Students will engage with spatial music applications, composing large-scale sonic works for multi-channel loudspeaker arrays. Students will develop their own spatialization tools in order create dynamic spatial works; interrogating the notion of dynamic spatial gesture as a means to develop compositional narrative and to function as a temporal sonic signature.

This course is an overview of the vast music business world and what a real and successful producer must know to compete in today's commercial music environment. Topics include: discovering an act, training, development, music union memberships, performance, music attorney expectations, management contracts, booking agents, promoters, publishing deals, performance rights organizations, production deals, recording studio management, record deals and labels, interactive media and Web promotion, and distribution. Guest speakers may be invited to class and students may visit "indie" and major label headquarters. All students will be encouraged to participate in the student organized Media Label Club

This course will survey key benchmarks and documents in the history of media technologies while also introducing critical readings of 20th and 21st century media culture, both from the theoretical field of media studies and the creative works of artists, filmmakers, and writers. We will explore how media technologies from print and photography through film, radio, television, video, the Internet, games, and social software have been successively introduced, disseminated, and commodified, and how their mediations have profoundly affected the way we experience and interpret our contemporary society and culture. Students will be required to complete readings every week, to contribute to a class web project including blogs and wiki, and to produce short papers and presentations that respond to and analyze the readings, in-class screenings, and other material we discuss. Prerequisites: none.

The study and performance of popular Concert Band repositories.

The study and performance of modern music.

The study and performance of choral masterworks.

This lecture course, with interactive studio demonstrations, is an introduction and overview of the world of multimedia. The student explores the basics of audio, graphics, photography, and video production through the use of digital audio, medi and music production, digital graphics, and photography and video software.

All Music and Technology majors are required to take four semesters of musical instrument instruction.  After choosing an instrument (subject to availability), the student will be assigned an instructor with whom weekly lessons are arranged.  Lessons are 1 hour/week with grade evaluations based on a combination of homework and in-class performance.  The first two semesters of lessons are taken under HMU 496, while the second two are under HMU 497 and require a recital/performance.                                                

The third and fourth semesters of musical instrument instruction are taken under HMU 497 and require all students to perform in a recital setting to be determined in consultation with the instructor.  Grade evaluations based on a combination of homework, in-class performance and recital performance.        

Upon completion of the Recital requirement (HMU 497), Music and Technology majors must enroll in two additional semesters of Ensemble.  They may complete this requirement in one of two ways: 1) By becoming an active member of a Stevens sanctioned (student life) ensemble, or 2) by participating in a private Ensemble (consisting of at least three members, 66% of whom must be Music & Technology students).  In both cases, there must be faculty supervision and approval.

Thesis tutorial.

This course is intended as a general introduction to the discipline of philosophy through an examination of various attempts throughout history to answer the very fundamental question, “What does it mean to be human?” Topics discussed include happiness, the soul, virtue, good and evil, and the like. Readings from classical sources include Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Hume, Mill, Nietzsche, Sartre and others.

This course provides an examination of philosophical concepts and ideas that address questions regarding the problem of knowledge (epistemology), methods of reasoning and the nature of reality (metaphysics). Special attention will be given to applying these topics to an introduction to the philosophy of natural science. Readings include classical sources such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Hegel, as well as contemporary works.

A discussion and critical analysis of leading contemporary   ethical theories, including utilitarianism, intuitionism, and virtue   theories, among others.  In addition, some consideration of criticisms by feminist   philosophers of these traditional approaches to ethics will be given.

A study of the relation of the individual to society and the state. Major issues to be examined include the nature of freedom, justice and equality, alienation, and political authority. Also includes an analysis of political models such as liberalism, socialism, conservatism, and anarchism, as well as alternative conceptions of democracy.

Theories, tactics, goals, and impact or organized minorities and how they relate and transform the American political sphere; groups studied include African-Americans, Latinos, Asians, Indians, and other politically marginalized minorities.  Court decisions and legal precedents of mentioned groups in case law are closely examined in this
course.

The philosophy of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804).  Readings   from his works on reason, science, and morals.

A comprehensive examination of the disciplines of Epistemology and Metaphysic; topics addressed include being and reality, logic and language, the concept of truth, skepticism, causality, and knowledge. Readings are both historical and contemporary in nature.

An exploration of theories of art and of aesthetic experience. Questions addressed include the following: Are judgments of taste objective? What are the roles of form, expression, and representation in the arts? How is art related to society? What is the nature of creativity in art and science? What is the relationship between creativity and madness? Examples are drawn from the various art forms, including painting, literature, music, dance, and film.

A comprehensive study of Ancient and Medieval philosophers beginning with the Greek Pre-Socratics, through Plato and Aristotle, the post-Aristotelian schools of Epicureanism, Stoicism and Skepticism, through Plotinus, Augustine, and major Medieval thinkers such as Anselm, Avicenna, Averroes, and Thomas Aquinas.

A critical analysis of the aims and methods of science, and its principles, practices, and achievements.

This course investigates the history of the opposition of science and religion, beginning with the emergence of philosophy as an alternative to mythology, through the scholastic dominance of the Aristotelian world-view, to the Scientific Revolution, the emergence and acceptance of evolution, and beyond. Special attention will be given to current attempts at reconciling and/or harmonizing these traditionally antithetical disciplines.

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

Time is one of the fundamental problems in philosophy. It poses specific challenges for any analysis or definition. Many philosophers have even denied the existence of time. Others have pointed at the difference between the linear time of nature and the non-linear time of human experience. The class will discuss classical and modern texts. It will raise questions such as: why is there only one direction of time? Does time have a beginning? Is time travel possible? Is time real or a product of our understanding? Is a timeless existence possible?

 An examination of basic positions in the field of   environmental ethics with
 emphasis on principles of sustainability, whether there   are legal and moral rights for nature, human treatment of animals, and   environmental policy and decision-making.

The resurgence of nationalism, ethnicity, and the affirmation of cultural difference in the contemporary world has created problems for older conceptions of citizenship and universal rights. Philosophical arguments underlying alternative conceptions of social, political, and cultural identity and the conflicts that have emerged recently concerning claims to national recognition and cultural group rights. A related theme is the tension between the diversity of cultures on the one hand and increasing global interconnectedness on the other.

An examination of the methods and techniques of formal logic, including the history of the discipline from Aristotle through Leibniz, Frege, Russell, Quine, and others.

Problems of meaning and reference in Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, and others.

A philosophical examination of the mind and mental functioning. Some questions addressed include the following: Can we know what it is like to be a bat? Could it be that everyone (other than oneself) is a robot? What is the relationship between mind and brain? Can computers think? Readings include the work of Nagel, Wittgenstein, and Freud, among others.

A consideration of the historical development of the western philosophical tradition, beginning with the pre-Socratics, up and through contemporary thinkers. The course will examine the recurrence of perennial problems in the history of intellectual thought.

A study of major thinkers and movements in the nineteenth century including Kant, Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Mill, James, and Freud. Issues discussed will include the nature of scientific knowledge, political and moral right, and the emergence of psychological theory.

Studies of current trends in analytic and Continental philosophy.

What is the basis for the authority of the law?  What are   the competing
 theories of crime and punishment?  What are the grounds of   legal rights and duties?  What are the relations among justice, liberty,   and equality in the law?  We will also consider such current legal issues as   the insanity defense, the death penalty, the rights of unborn children,  regulation of the internet, and affirmative action.

This course will focus on some of the new ethical issues that face social and political actors in the current period of globalization. We will examine the value questions that arise in relations among nation-states in such contexts as human rights, distributive justice, economic development, and the preservation of the environment. Among the topics to be discussed are just war theory and the analysis and response to terrorism; hunger, welfare, and global distributive justice; immigration and refugees; international business ethics; racism and sexism in national and international contexts; and democracy and the Internet. To illuminate these issues, we will consider alternative contemporary perspectives in political philosophy, including liberal, communitarian, and feminist approaches, and will examine their implications for politics in the context of emerging global frameworks. Emphasis will be placed on oral presentations and intensive discussion.

Consideration of such issues as the ethical responsibility of scientists and technologists for the uses of their knowledge, the ethics  of scientific research, and truth and fraud in science and engineering. We will study such contemporary moral questions as those concerning the uses   and abuses of nuclear energy, environmental pollution and the preservation of natural resources, and the impact of new technologies on the right   to privacy.

The course is intended as an introduction to the key issues and methodologies of bioethics. It refers to the central problems in bioethics (autonomy of the patient, organ transplantation, stem cell debate, cloning, etc.), as much as to newer developments, such as genetic enhancement and the commercialization of the body. A main focus is to explore the field of bioethics in an interdisciplinary way and to bring not only ethical, legal, or scientific criteria into play, but also those from an existential, social, or cultural background. A short introduction to the moral theories used in applied ethics is given. The course helps to develop a responsible and sensitive conduct in future studies or occupations.

The algorithm: its theory, history, and philosophical significance.

This course examines the conceptual foundations of such disciplines as economics, sociology, anthropology, and political science. Readings include excerpts from Smith, Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Winch, among others.

This course is a general introduction to both the history and present concerns of feminist philosophy. Readings include classic essays of feminist thought by Wollstonecraft, Mill, Engels, and others as well as contemporary writings in philosophy and feminism. This course serves as a foundation for a minor in Gender Studies. No prior courses in philosophy are required.

An examination of the work of the American Pragmatists. Readings from the works of James, Pierce, Dewey, Rorty, Putnam, and West, among others.

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

This course examines the popular philosophical movement known as “Existentialism.” In addition to reading such seminar thinkers as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, and Camus, attention will be given to works outside the rubric of philosophy proper, including literature and cinema.

The primary aim of this course is to introduce students to the medium of film as a possible vehicle for the presentation and examination of key philosophical concepts and ideas such as the nature of reality, time, and the question of the good life. Special consideration will be given to the ways this mode of presentation might differ from more traditional methods such as the philosophical treatise or essay. Throughout this course we will analyze classical as well as more recent films.

This course follows the work of the following Edith Stein, Simone Weil, Iris Murdoch, Simone de Beauvoir, Hannah Ardent, and Ayn Rand. These are all seminal thinkers who began their philosophical work in the first half of the twentieth century and went on to influence the course of intellectual thought for a generation to come. And yet, more often than not, these women tend to be omitted from the traditional canon of twentieth-century philosophy. One goal of this course is to consider why that is the case.

This course is an examination of theories of and possible   solutions to warfare purveyed by prominent thinkers, from Plato and Aristotle up through modern scientists such as Steven Pinker.

This course introduces students to environmental policy and ethics, with special attention to the importance of economic considerations. Specific issues to be covered may include: the equity-efficiency contrast, different decision-making structures, the role of narratives in policy-making, externalities, public goods, property rights, market-failure, benefit-cost analysis, justice, the choice of categories in quantifying policy problems, the relationship of formal and informal rules, propaganda versus information, and the normative idea of rights. This course is an introduction to the interplay of politics, economics, and ethics as they enter into policy-making in the environmental arena.

The Seminar in Philosophy is intended to provide students with an in-depth examination of the work of either one specific philosopher (or pair of philosophers), or a particular work in the history of philosophy that has had a profound impact on the development of intellectual thought. Special attention will be given to how the philosopher or work in question influenced work outside philosophy.

This course examines the politics and morality of science and technology.It uses an interdisciplinary perspective, known as Science and Technology Studies(STS), that includes anthropology, history, philosophy, and sociology. It begins by exploring the history of the field, which arose from scientists' concerns about nuclear arms, atomic energy, and environmental degradation. It will introduce basic concepts such as social construction and technological determinism. Topics will include social studies of scientific community, the pursuits of objectivity, how politics and values are built into technologies, and perceptions of technological and environmental risk. The course emphasizes conceptual tools that students can apply in their own encounters with technology.

Students will learn the skills required for researching, analyzing and writing about science-related topics (including medicine, engineering and the environment) in an informed and ethical manner. The course will help prepare students for careers in science journalism and/or science communication for corporate, governmental and nonprofit organizations. The course will also help teach engineering and science majors how to communicate more effectively to peers and the public.

Course Description: This course will examine how the various media shape public perceptions of science, with special attention given to engineering and medicine. Our primary focus will be topics with a social and/or political dimension, including brain science, genetic engineering, psychiatric drugs, artificial intelligence, national security, economics as well as the clash between science and religion. Students will learn how to read influential publications with a critical eye, enabling them to distinguish between bias and hype on the one hand, and fairness and accuracy on the other.

This course examines the creation and reception of visual representations of socially-relevant data.  Students analyze existing data visualization methods from the fields of science, health, economics, demography, geography, and science and technology studies. At the same time, students make their own interactive data visualizations for web browsers using data of relevance to social and scientific issues such as crime, medicine, environment, war, and race. While not a course in data visualization, students will be required to do some basic coding, web design, and graphic design in developing their own projects. No prerequisite courses or experience will be required.

 Environmental Communication introduces the study and practice of how          
 individuals and institutions craft, distribute, understand, and use messages  
 about the environment and human interactions with it.  Topics include the     
 study of important communication principles, the mass media and social media, 
 the planning of effective communication campaigns, close analysis of global   
 climate change and sustainable energy, and communication across different     
 cultures.  This course provides students with the tools, techniques, and      
 strategies necessary for persuasive, professional, and scientifically rigorous
 communication about environmental issues.

This course examines the emergent field of global public health through the disciplinary lenses of science and technology studies. Throughout the course, students examine the global dimensions in current local and national practices of public health and discuss the impact of developments in science and technology on the development of disease surveillance, prevention, and response programs. Students will read and learn to analyze critically a variety of sources, such as academic texts and scientific papers, news media coverage of global health in action, and policy drafts and reports.

This course explores key issues in public policies that shape scientific and technological activity. Course themes include: the historical origins of American and international science and technology policy; the complex relationship between science, technology, and democracy; forms of adversarial and promotional regulation; and scientific controversies in the recent past and present. Students will finish the semester with a project in which they apply theoretical insights from science and technology studies to the analysis of complex public policy questions.

This course examines how matters of biological and environmental determinism have been treated by scientists, humanists, activists, and other prominent Americans from the 18th century through the present day.  Students will approach this subject through the disciplinary lenses of science and technology studies, and examine sources that illuminate conceptualizations of the nature-nuture distinction in relation to biology, race, class, intelligence, health, and athletic ability from the "Founding Fathers" through the 21st century.  Readings can include selections from Thomas Jefferson, Charles Darwin, Francis Galton, Booker T. Washington, the founders of the American eugenics movement, Franz Boas, Margaret Mead, B.F. Skinner, and the authors of "The Bell Curve."

This course provides an in-depth exploration of scientific controversies that raise ethical, philosophical and political questions. Potential issues include physicists’ quest for a “theory of everything,” conflicts between science and religion, global warming and other environmental concerns, the search for “clean” energy, the nature-nurture debate, the mind-body problem, genetic engineering of humans and research on nuclear arms and other weapons. The core of the course will be public presentations organized by the Stevens Center for Science Writings (see list of events below). Students are required to attend these CSW events; read books and/or articles by the CSW speakers; prepare questions for CSW speakers; write papers on the issues raised by CSW speakers in their writings and lectures; and discuss these issues in class on non-presentation weeks. There are no exams in this course.

The course provides an overview of the nuclear era, starting with its beginnings during WWII. It demonstrates how developments in scientific research and technological development drove the creation of an immense military-industrial-academic enterprise. The Cold War precipitated an arms race that led to a new social reality based upon Mutually Assured Destruction. Students will learn how nuclear weapons have shaped international relations in the 21st Century, how non-state entities and the related possibilities of nuclear terrorism have come into prime focus, and how societies have integrated the production of nuclear energy. They also will gain a greater appreciation for the cultural novelties of the nuclear era, as well as for the changing social and political contexts of decision-making. Throughout the whole course, the existential threat of nuclear weapons technologies will be examined and discussed.

This class examines the history of the Stevens family, the Stevens Institute of Technology, and the relationship between the family, the school, and the city of Hoboken, New Jersey. Through these topics, the class will approach the broader subjects of cultural history, economic development, the history of science and technology, and American higher education in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.  Student projects will draw on archival manuscripts and artifacts in SC Williams Library.

This course will examine scientific theories of war--including biological, ecological and cultural models--as well as the historical interactions between science and militarism.

This course covers the social aspects of policy-making with respect to public health. It emphasizes the public health benefits that citizens receive, and how those benefits can be promoted or weakened through active citizen participation in the decision making process. The course also examines how technological innovations can improve medical practice, create better health outcomes, and challenge existing public health policies. Furthermore, it compares the similarities and differences between the American health system and systems in other countries (including Canada and European nations), based on factors such as access, affordability, and overall quality of the public health infrastructure.  Course readings and assignments concentrate on the political, economic, and ethical aspects of health care policy, as well as the importance of communication in the policymaking process and the provision of health care.

An examination of the origins, nature and progress of urban society.  Selected readings focus on recurrent and persistent urban problems:   overcrowding, traffic congestion, political corruption, faulty sanitation systems, etc.; a student may also engage in field analysis projects which relate either to home town areas or to the North Jersey region.

Major emphasis is on current economic, environmental and social problems.

An introduction to the evolution and operation of the U.S. federal government.  This course focuses on problems in energy policy, foreign policy, elections, and civil rights.

A survey of the evolution of juries and recent legal and social scientific analysis of jury rules. Case studies are used to explain the scope of issues decided by juries and conceptions of justice used to evaluate their performance.

The objective of this course is to provide students with a general survey of the field of sociology.  This course aims at providing students with a way to think about and understand the social world and one’s place in it.  Therefore, the lectures, readings and assignments will focus on understanding the basic social processes and how they can be applied to everyday events, both small and large, both personal and political.

This course is the second part of Introduction to Sociology.  This part can be taken alone or in conjunction with the first part (HSS 141).  While the first part emphasizes the relationships between individual lives and larger social forces, this part discusses social issues from a global perspective. After taking this course, students will be able to analyze and evaluate globalization and its consequences as well as the positions of different groups of people in the increasingly global social world.

This course emphasizes the biological underpinnings of behavior and of mental processes. What do we know? How do we come to know? What do we want? Why do we act the way we do? In this course these fundamental questions of psychology are mainly looked at from a biological perspective that emphasizes the study of the brain and nervous systems. Historical, philosophical, and evolutionary perspectives on mental processes are considered, as well.

An introduction to issues and theories in Life Span Development, Personality Theory, and psychological disorders. Topics include cognitive and social development, attachment, moral thinking, and psychoanalytical theory. Focus is placed on those seminal theories that have had lasting import for psychology as well as other disciplines. These theories include, but are not limited to, those of Piaget, Erikson, and Freud.

This course examines aspects of modern subcultural American life including deviancy and delinquency, crime, drug abuse, and ethnicity.

Drawing on theory and practice from such diverse disciplines as history, media studies, literary criticism, psychology, and sociology, Cultural Studies investigates the production, distribution, and consumption of cultural artifacts. Issues concerning race, class, gender, and sexual orientation are explored with attention to the analysis of social phenomenon.

This course is a survey of various cultural traditions. Typical study units include Afro-American, Asian, Hispanic, and American ethnic cultures in historical perspective.

Theories, tactics, goals, and the impact of organized minorities and how they relate and transform American political identity. Groups studied include African Americans, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, and other politically marginalized minorities. Feminism, queer theory, race conscious theory, and critical race theory are closely examined particularly as they relate to court decisions and legal precedents in case law.

This course presents an overview of the theoretical backgrounds as well as the historical and very current research in the field of life span developmental psychology. Special emphasis will be placed on infancy and childhood, adolescent and young adult development. All aspects of development, i.e. physical, cognitive, emotional and social will be addressed. Ongoing issues such as: critical vs. sensitive periods, brain plasticity and malleability, the nature/nurture controversy will be addressed throughout the semester.

Biological Psychology explores the physiological underpinnings of mental processes and behavior by covering the basic anatomy and physiology of the nervous system.  The study of topics such as visual perception, language, depression, schizophrenia and their relation to neurological structure and deficit as well as their ultimate relationship to human consciousness will constitute the essential components of the class.

This course offers perspectives utilized in the analysis and evaluation of public policymaking and policy results. Policy approaches include cost-benefit allocations, budgetary procedures and feasibility impact studies. Normative constraints and political implications of systematic policy analysis are also examined, particularly in relation to public infrastructure projects.

An introduction to arguments about the relationship between computing and society, the impact of computing activities on social relationships, and the evolution of institutions to regulate computer-mediated activities.

An introduction to the history of and theoretical principles associated with using voting techniques to resolve conflicts. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of operational rules. Student projects constitute a major part of the course.

An analysis of the historical development of psychology. Issues such as perception, learning, cognition, and memory are explored within the context of various schools of thought.

What is theory? What is personality? A review of Freud, Adler, Sullivan, Jung, Rogers, etc., on the nature of personality.

This course provides an introduction to the concept of globalization, including its history, foundations, and implications from the end of World War II to the present day. Topics covered include the nature of globalism, economic and social trends, the roles of government in embracing globalization, global inequality, the rise of cities in the global economy, and the sociological implications of globalization. Particular emphasis will be placed on global/local tensions, especially as they relate to the response of local societies to global influences in both developed and developing countries. Students will perform analyses of globalization through discussions of current events relating to global society.

An analysis of the contemporary international political framework. The course explores the character of the state system, the nation-state, the role of leadership personality, transnational actors, the balance-of-power, security and economic issues, the nature and limitations of power, the uses of terrorism, and Third World issues.

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

This course will study the human phenomenon of leadership, focusing on the two main (and oft-times competing) analyses of leadership: the Humanistic approach and the Behaviorist approach.

This course will explore the birth, triumph, and fall of Arab nationalism, focusing not only on intellectual and political leaders of the movement, but also incidents in history which in one way or another shaped political and/or social traits of the movement. The factors that contributed to the development and/or decline of the movement that will be examined are: the rise of colonialism, the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, World War I and World War II, the Cold War, emergence of the state of Israel, and the recent incidents in the region and the world. The ideological links between Arab nationalism and modern radical movements will also be examined.

This course surveys the philosophical foundations and developmental stages of Islamic political thought from the Prophet to the modern ages. In the first part of this course, the theories of early ‘Muslim’ philosophers, i.e. Avicenna, Al-Farabi, Al-Ghazali, Averreos, and Ibn Khaldun, on the state, government, and politics will be examined. The second part will concentrate on pre-modern (Al-Mawardi) and modern Muslim intellectuals who contributed to the genre of Islamic political philosophy, including liberal and radical trends.

This course discusses important issues related to gender and race in science and engineering (S&E).  The issues include S&E as professions and social institutions as well as the experiences of women and minorities as S&E students, professionals, and the users of current science and technologies.  In addition, this course explores the current social issues and policy concerns regarding gender and race in science and technology.

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

This course addresses various theories, approaches, and methodologies used in the sociology of scientific knowledge, including the strong programme, relativism, actor-network theory, gendered accounts of science, and laboratory studies.  In addition, it discusses the relationships between science, technology, and society, such as how science and technology influence society and how society influences science and technology.  Furthermore, the course explores the issues related to science and technology workforces and policies.  The issues discussed in the course occur in both the U.S. and other countries, and the readings discussed in the course crosscut sociology and other disciplines.

A survey of different approaches to the psychological interpretations of religious phenomena such as the image of God, rituals, myths, faith healing, meditation, mysticism, and conversion.

An analysis of gender differences and perceptions in contemporary society.

This course introduces students to the study of gender from a sociological perspective.  It focuses on gender as a social construction that occurs during interaction and influences our social relationships as well as personal experiences.  We examine how gender and power are interrelated.  To address these questions, we will, first of all, investigate theories and studies that explain gender differences from biological and cultural perspectives.  then, we will analyze how gender shapes and is shaped by large social institutions such as education, the workplace, the family, politics, and media.  In this course, we will also explore the intersections of gender, race, class and sexual orientation.  The readings, class discussions, and assignments are designed to help students improve their critical thinking skills, understand the social construction of gender, learn about sociological research, and develop their communication skills.

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

An examination of the varieties of organization of human societies in a comparative ethnographic context.

An introduction to recent Darwinian and sociobiological theories of human nature.

An in-depth and extensive study and discussion of the theories of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Each theory is examined individually; the nature of the unconscious, dream interpretations, religious symbolism, and the aim of psychotherapy are critically examined. Students read from primary sources including Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams, Totem and Taboo, Jung’s Man and His Symbols and Modern Man in Search of a Soul, as well as from biographical material, and other secondary sources. Emphasis on points of confluence and of departure between the two. The course is limited to 15 students.

This course will provide more advanced students with an opportunity to pursue in-depth study of a particular problem and/or topic within the field of Social Science (Political Science, Psychology, Sociology) that has either not been covered in other courses or has only been superficially "touched upon."

This course traverses through the elemental study of two-dimensional art and design--structural elements, organizational principles, psychological effects, and communicative functions--focusing on both the technical and the imaginative. Problem-solving studio assignments and critiques combined with visits to museums and galleries enable students to develop criteria for the analysis and evaluation of images created both by themselves and by others.

This course will approach the basics of drawing as an integrative tool where ideas and processes are explored and expanded through the drawing medium. Skills will be rendered through observation, manipulation, and coordinating and understanding these practices. Through problem solving within a range of projects, each student will begin to develop a visual language and the drawing skills that can be applied to conceptual, visual, and technical disciplines. Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective.

This course provides an introduction to the techniques, processes, history, and language of photography.  Students will gain a technical understanding of cameras, production techniques, and post-production/presentation in order to develop their abilities to communicate creatively through studio exercises, discussion, and homework projects.

The cultural convergence of music, performance, theater, and visual art has variously been termed multimedia, hybrid arts, intermedia, interdisciplinary arts, and transmedia, among others.  This course looks at how artistic disciplines inform one another and how parallel developments in technology have played a significant role in the history of the arts and music, from early tribal rituals to our contemporary digital age.  Organized as a historical survey of technology and the arts, the course will move beyond the idea of the arts as simple modes of expression to consider how it has been an active site of cultural practice.  The course will begin with the concept of “techne,” first used in antiquity, as a means of establishing the philosophical basis of creative practice and showing the fundamental unity between art, science and technology.  Through weekly lectures, readings, and discussion, we will explore the many ways that science and technology informs and inspires the creative production.  By the end of the course students will understand the ways in which diverse modalities of artistic practice function as forms of symbolic communication with aesthetic material, cultural and political dimensions.

This course will introduce the formal vocabularies specific to works of art and familiarize the student with the complex interaction between form, meaning, and historical context. Course readings will consist of historical documents, as well as recent critical and historical writing. Western and non-Western objects and architecture dating from pre-history to the mid-nineteenth century will be discussed at length in the classroom and at museums. Group B, 100-level course.

This course introduces students to key moments in the history of modern art in the newly industrial societies of America, Europe, and the [former] Soviet Union. Painting, sculpture, and photography from the 1850s to the 1980s will be examined. Focusing on a wide range of methodological questions, this course will also consider the relationship between avant-garde culture and mass culture, the implications of emergent technologies for cultural production, and the development of radical avant-gardism in the context of authoritarian political formations and advancing global capitalism.

This is an orientation to the interdisciplinary field of art and technology. The course explores the territory at the intersection of the technical, scientific, entertainment and fine arts communities. We will cover topics in contemporary media forms, online communities, the history of the art/technology field, as well as provide an overview of software used in the Internet, print, entertainment, design and communications industries. The seminar will encourage critical and analytical thinking through a stimulating range of hands-on and scholarly activities, including seminar lectures, readings, exposure to various kinds of media, discussions, field trips, a series of research papers and presentations, and a final project.

This course introduces students to theoretical and practical experiences in interdisciplinary production technologies, with an emphasis on visual and aural design principles. Projects may include creating and editing digital images, music, sound, video, text, and motion graphics.  Students will work in teams to create projects. Not for general Humanities credit.

This course will serve as an introduction to video production using current video technologies.  Students will learn basic production skills and they will be introduced to the history of experimental film and video.  There will also be a discussion of visual structure.  In this course students will develop and shoot footage that may be used for Video II.

The primary focus of this course will be the theoretical study of sound and light wave theory as it relates to productions techniques:  for audio, the basics of transducer technology and signal flow; for vision, electromagnetic waveforms, theory of optics, and the different applications of capturing visuals through digital means.  At the completion of the course, students will be able to understand wave theory, transducer theory, basic acoustic properties of sound and hearing, basic understanding of characteristics of light and color, signal flow and practical applications of the above.  Ultimately students will have the theoretical foundations to develop their audio/visual engineering skills as an art form. Not for general Humanities credit.

Webtools for the Arts will examine current internet technologies and web portal developments and their application to the Arts.  Through the implementation of basic principles of php, MySql, html, Java and other webtools, students will learn to not only incorporate media content representing their particular interest in the arts but also implement authentication and Ecommerce tools, customize, embed and implement external web content, explore creative and alternative blog usages and explore the next generation cloud environment. Not for general Humanities credit.

New digital technologies have had a profound impact on contemporary art making. This course will examine digital imaging concepts, methods, history, and aesthetics. Students will capture, edit, alter, and publish digital images and work on a variety of projects.

This interdisciplinary course introduces students to programming languages created for artists and designers for making practical and experimental interactive artworks. Leveraging the power of custom-written software, this project-based class focuses on interactivity through the lens of videogames. Students will design a series of games, as well as learn about artists/designers using code for creative projects, and the mechanics and history of popular and art games.

This course introduces students to key moments in the history of modern art in the newly industrial societies of America, Europe, and the Soviet Union. Painting, culpture, and photography from the 1850s to the 1980s will be examined. Focusing on a wide range of methodological questions, this course will also consider the relationship between avant-garde culture and mass culture, the implications of emergent technologies for cultural production, and the development of radical avant-gardism in the context of authoritarian political formations and advancing global capitalism.

This course covers the essentials of being a professional artist or designer: professional writing, portfolio preparation, finding exhibition and job opportunities, and finances for creatives. By the end of the semester, students will have crafted a portfolio of their work, as well as a professional packet for seeking internships, jobs, and exhibition opportunities. Additionally, the course marks the beginning of the Visual Art & Technology thesis process. Students will conduct research and write an artist statement outlining other artists and creatives whose work is an influence.

This is an intermediate course in digital print media, with an emphasis on how it informs and evolves visual language for artistic expression. Students will consider multiples, sequencing, notation, gesture, and narrative concerns, combining formal elements with experimentation across media; these media may include: printmaking, drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture. Students continue to work with computer software applications as tools to develop a more in-depth knowledge and vocabulary of the technical, theoretic, and aesthetic possibilities inherent in the medium. Classroom lectures and hands-on lab exercises compliment readings and problem-solving projects. One trip to Manhattan and one scheduled Media Industry Forum on campus is required.Prerequisite: HAR 310 or permission of the instructor. Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective.

This is an advanced studio art course in digital image-making concepts and techniques, allowing in-depth exploration of extended computer-based
photo and compositing projects. Aesthetic issues are balanced with technical issues, and artistic criteria such as composition, lighting, and the creative process are emphasized. The class combines demonstrations/ presentations/tutorials followed by independent hands-on project-based
activities applying acquired techniques. There will be opportunity for in-class discussions, critiques and presentations. Students are expected to demonstrate time management skills, work independently and meet deadlines.

This class continues with technical, theoretical, historical, and aesthetic approaches to video as a time-based art medium. Students continue to: recognize and control video's formal parameters of image, sound, shot, transition, and sequence; explore the history of video as an experimental art form; and gain an understanding of how concepts and compositions can be developed in time as well as space. Traditional camera, sound, and lighting techniques in production are reviewed, and non-linear video editing using Apple's Final Cut Pro is refined. One trip to Manhattan and one scheduled screening/lecture/event on campus is required. HAR 320 or permission of the instructor. Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective.

This course is projects-centered for advanced students who have already built up technical skill, historical knowledge and formal vocabularies in the video medium through their earlier studies, and are now motivated to produce more intensive video projects of their own design. Video III will build on the skills and concepts introduced in Video I and II, giving students the opportunity to explore the theory, history and practice of video as a timebased art medium in more depth through screenings of artists’ work and reading of artists’ texts. Video III will also give students the opportunity to develop projects with more formal and technical complexity through technical lectures in special topics in advanced production and post-production, focused around issues relevant to the interests of students enrolled in the course – for example, surround sound mixing, interactive authoring or multichannel editing.  

This course introduces students to modeling and simple computer animation using the industry-standard tool, Autodest Maya. It also provides a foundation for further work with 3-D and imaging tools. In addition to technical subjects, students will learn about the history, artistic practice, and developmental trajectory of 3-D graphics. It is recommended (but not required) that the student consider Animation as a two-semester sequence, with the student planning to register for HAR 331 Animation II the second semester. Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective.

Building upon the fundamentals of animation and how they can be applied through Autodesk Maya, the focus of this course will be for the students to develop the skills necessary to create a final project that shows the ultimate type of animation character. Students will accomplish this task through observation and practice and are encouraged, in their own creative expression, to explore non-discursive modes of articulation and communication. Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective.

This rigorous and intensive computer animation course builds upon Animation I & II. The course is designed for the serious 3-D animation student who is expecting to continue working in animation. It continues the approach of increasing skills and artistic practice in all areas of 3-D animation: concept, modeling, animation, and rendering. This is not just a software training course. While understanding advanced software tools will be necessary to attain the objectives of this course, grade evaluation is based on the student’s development and successful demonstrations of mastery of timing, visual design, and storytelling abilities. Throughout the class, students will be encouraged to find their own artistic voice. Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective.

In this course, students will build on their experiences in Design I with a focus for books and other sequential material.  Students will learn industry-standard software, mock-up printed prototypes, and understand how to prepare a project for professional printing and binding.

This course introduces students to the history of photography from its beginnings in the 1830s to the recent practices of artists working with photographic technologies in the context of postmodernity. The primary task of the course will be to develop visual literacy and familiarity with the complex and contradictory genres and social functions of photographic image production. At the same time, this course will introduce the difficulty of writing the history of photography as a separate discipline that operates both inside and outside histories of modern art.

This course surveys a range of issues and creative practices that bring art and biology into close alignment. A number of areas are investigated, including: the literature of the outdoors; emergent, biomorphic cultural forms and systems; neuronets and the Internet as virtual nervous systems; and recent innovations in green art, culture and architecture. This course combines a survey with hands-on art projects. Students read and discuss selected writings and visual images, then make projects with self-selected materials and tools. Collaborations with biologists, ecologists, bio- ethicists, artists, and others are encouraged. This course is taught by an artist.

This course will survey key benchmarks and documents in the history of media technologies, while also introducing critical readings of 20th- and 21st-Century media culture, both from the theoretical field of media studies and the creative works of artists, filmmakers, and writers. We will explore how media technologies from print and photography through film, radio, television, video, the Internet, games, and social software have been successively introduced, disseminated, and commodified, and how their mediations have profoundly affected the way we experience and interpret our contemporary society and culture. Students will be required to complete readings every week, to contribute to a class Web project including blogs and wiki, and to produce short papers and presentations that respond to and analyze the readings, in-class screenings, and other material we discuss.

This course examines American fiction films in terms of their historical development through the studio system and in terms of current narrative theory. The course is concerned with ways in which narratives are constructed and ways in which they provide the appearance of "meaning." Particular attention is given to film noir. Various European films that strongly influenced, or parallel, merican works are also examined.

This course is a survey of the myriad art and architectural forms of the Middle East. From earliest origins in Mesopotamia and Egypt, the course examines Byzantine and Sassanid influences on the development of Islamic Art under the Umayyids and Abbassids, as well as the Ottomans and Persians. It follows these influences through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, examining the current state of art, including film, in the Middle East.

This studio course explores the concepts of form and space, focusing on hands-on experiences using different types of materials to create three-dimensional sculptural works.  Students are encouraged to be experimental with their combination and use of materials.  This course will address formal elements of design and construction in relation to contemporary art works through video documentation, slides and books.  Readings that accompany class discussions and a visit to Manhattan will be assigned throughout the semester.

Students will focus and expand their visual and conceptual knowledge and technical skills by drawing from the nude model, as well as explore new issues, dialogues, and skills surrounding the medium of drawing. The class will include studio course work and independent projects, as well as group field trips to see current drawing exhibitions in New York City. A class presentation of a chosen artist, as well as a supporting written paper, will be required of each student. The final project will be an interdisciplinary independent project designed and created by each student. Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective

An introduction to the principles and strategies of net art through readings, encounters with artwork, projects, and practical instruction in graphic, multimedia, and interaction design for the Web. Techniques and design problems will be studied through historical and current examples of networked artistic practices. This is a studio course, focused on creative production and peer critique, which meets for four hours, once a week, and also requires students to put in weekly lab time outside of class to complete their assignments. Students will be expected to produce and present three net art projects over the course of the semester, including one final project that must be launched online. Students are not expected to have previous programming experience but should already be familiar with the digital imaging, audio, and/or video tools necessary to produce media that they wish to include in their projects. While this course will introduce students to some of the technologies used by net artists, it should not be taken as a programming class, and cannot be used as an equivalent to technical courses offered by other departments.

In this project-based course, students will produce three site-specific interactive installations which successfully integrate image and sound through audience interaction within a predetermined space and time, using video cameras, microphones, midi, radio waves, live video software, and analog mixers. We will focus on collaboration, process, and contextualizing work within the history of interactive media art, and include research projects, writing/presentations, sketches, critiques, and technical workshops.

This course is an overview of a broad range of topics about contemporary fine art. We examine theoretical issues, modern and post-modern styles, and the industry and practice of visual art through bi-weekly visits to galleries and museums in Manhattan. Readings, papers, and presentations are required. This course approaches its subject matter from the artists' standpoint and is taught by a professional artist.

This course is an overview of a broad range of topics about contemporary fine art combined with complementary hands-on experiences in the creative process. We examine theoretical issues, modern and post-modern styles, and the industry of visual art, as well as make art to further enhance our awareness and understanding of visual imagery. This course approaches its subject matter from the artist¹s standpoint and is taught by a professional artist.

An internship is a short-term work experience that emphasizes learning. It is an essential way to try out a career, develop new skills, combine academic theory with “hands-on” experience, and build up a resume. This is an independent and individually-initiated program of work arranged between the student and an institution, organization, or business. Internship requires a plan (prepared with the job supervisor) to be presented to the Internship faculty sponsor, per approval, in the Program in Art & Technology, outlining the scope of work before starting the internship. It is expected that Internship will run approximately 8 to 12 hours per week for 14 weeks (or 112 to 168 hours per academic session) per 3 credits. A scheduled bi-weekly meeting with a group to discuss internships and career interests is expected. The student's internship performance will be evaluated by the following: a) a weekly journal describing the student's involvement in various activities and projects; b) an approximately five-page reflective essay in which the student integrates prior coursework with the internship experience (a theory and practice exercise); c) a basic report indicating the extent to which scope of work was accomplished; d) attendance and participation in group meetings; e) a written evaluation from the student's supervisor; f) a portfolio of work accomplished during the internship, if appropriate. Does not fulfill general humanities requirements; may be taken as a free elective.

This course has a different topic or theme each semester, and can be taken twice, subject to advisor approval. Visiting artists who have been invited to work at Stevens will design this course, which will be studio-based or in a seminar format. Teaching methods and evaluation will vary with the instructor. Registration by permission of the instructor or ARTC director only. Topics might include: “The Artist’s Book,” “The Body and New Physicality,” "Database Art,” “Negotiating the Everyday,” “Transmedia.”

Art & Technology students are required to produce a significant body of work or major project in the last semester of their senior year in which the ideas, methods of investigation, and execution are determined by the student under the guidance and direction of a faculty advisor.  HAR 498, in combination with the prerequisite (HUM 499) is the culmination of their undergraduate experience.  Students are responsible for finding faculty advisors in their area of choice, which may be one person for both HUM 499 and HAR 498, or two faculty members working together during the yearlong process.  During the seventh semester, students work in HUM 499 tutorial to begin their research and create a model for their senior projects.  Their final semester at Stevens is spent in production.  Plans and a schedule are developed with their advisor(s), and they meet every week or two to discuss and evaluate student progress.  Group meetings with other seniors and advisors are encouraged.  At the end of the semester, the project and substantial analytical paper situating the project are juried by a committee of three, and the project is publicly exhibited.  The paper with accompanying visual documentation of the project is submitted to the library.

This course is intended as the capstone experience for Visual Art & Technology students, a focused time to prepare your thesis project and paper. During this semester, we will have a series of group and individual critiques of thesis work in progress, as well as work together to plan, promote, install, and host a reception for the thesis exhibitions, and organize participation in Innovation Expo through posters or other presentations.

This course examines American fiction films in terms of their historical development through the studio system and in terms of current narrative theory. The course is concerned with ways in which narratives are constructed and ways in which they provide the appearance of “meaning.” Particular attention is given to film noir. Various European films that strongly influenced, or parallel, American works are also examined.

This course is an advanced elective concerned with cultural aspects of American arts from the nineteenth century to the present. The course centers on the ways in which images in literature, painting, photography, films, and other arts reflect, reinforce and stimulate cultural norms. Trends in European arts are studied in relation to their influence on American art.

The theatre's ability to cultivate empathy, to raise questions about societal practices, to explore the human condition, to foster collaboration, and to create community make it a dynamic and unique forum in which to participate as audience or practitioner. This course examines the development of the theatre from its roots in Ancient Greece to the present day. Students will examine that evolution from a number of critical points: theatre's literature, history, technological innovations, and social role. The class will read works of dramatic literature and historical texts. Attendance at NYC theatrical productions and "hands-on" exposure to the process of theatrical creation will complement the course readings.

This course introduces students to theatrical design.  The course will examine the collaborative nature of theater and the interrelationship between art and technology in the design fields.  An emphasis will be placed on the historic contributions of such key theater artists as Richard Wagner, Edward Gordon Craig, and Bertolt Brecht in the area of design and how their influence is still felt today.  In the classroom, students will create a design element for the hypothetical production of a play or musical.   Studio Course: Not for General Humanities credit.

Open to International Students Only.  Cannot be used for Humanities Credit.

This course empowers students with the written and oral communications skills essential for both university-level academic discourse as well as success outside Stevens in the professional world.  Tailored to the Stevens student, styles of writing and communications include technical writing, business proposals and reports, scientific reports, expository writing, promotional documents and advertising, PowerPoint presentations, and team presentations.  The course covers the strategies for formulating effective arguments and conveying them to a wider audience.  Special attention is given to the skills necessary for professional document structure, successful presentation techniques and grammatical/style considerations.

This course introduces students to all the humanistic disciplines offered by the College of Arts and Letters: history, literature, philosophy, the social sciences, art, and music. By studying seminal works and engaging in discussions and debates regarding the themes and ideas presented in them, students learn how to examine evidence in formulating ideas, how to subject opinions, both their own, as well those of others, to rational evaluation, and in the end, how to appreciate and respect a wide diversity of opinions and points of view.

Topics include significant issues in history and political science.

A working seminar in which students will become acquainted with the various research methods and resources in the Humanities disciplines, and with the modes of presentation characteristic of each discipline.  Special attention will be paid to clarity of expression and logical structure of essays and research papers.

This course provides a critical examination of topics addressed in events sponsored by the Center for Science Writings, during which prominent science writers delve into a variety of aspects of science and technology-and their impact on society-from both a historical and contemporary point of view.  In addition to regular weekly class meetings, students have the unique opportunity to meet CSW speakers to discuss their work.                       

Please contact the Registrar for more information.
Phone: (201)216-5555
Fax: (201)216-8030
E-mail: registrar@stevens.edu

The student will complete a major research thesis in the area of concentration under the guidance of a faculty advisor.  Open to Bachelor of Arts students only.

An individual program of study arranged between student and instructor.  A tutorial plan must be prepared (and presented to the Tutorial Committee of the Department of the Humanities) outlining the program and indicating the nature and scope of the project (generally a written paper).  Upon completion of the program, the student will receive a grade and credit for a humanities elective.