The purpose of this course is to explore the foundations of the Humanities and to increase our understanding of the relationship between history and philosophy and how these relate to the issues concerning the human condition. During this course we will learn about some of the many traditions in the humanities, including the foundations of artistic expression. One of my main goals for this course is to demonstrate that every aspect of the humanities (art, history, philosophy, science, etc.) are all inherently related, and that we cannot accurately study one component of society or humanity without having a working understanding of the related components.

This course examines the major aesthetic, social, and political elements which have shaped modern Japanese culture and society. There are readings on contemporary Japan and historical evolution of the culture are coordinated with study of literary texts, film, and art, along with an analysis of everyday life and leisure activities.

This course explores the historical origins of the Japanese warrior class as well as its reinvention throughout the archipelago’s history, with a special focus on the pre-modern era (200–1600 CE). It highlights key historical contexts including the rise of the imperial court, interactions with the broader world, and the establishment of a warrior-dominated state. It also considers the modern imaginations and uses of the warrior figure.
Note: This course is taught in English with a project that requires research in Japanese.

In the decades following the Second World War, a cluster of extraordinary French thinkers were widely translated and read in American universities. Their works were soon labeled as “French Theory.” Why would sharing the same nationality make authors such as Lacan, Cixous, Derrida, Foucault or Debord, ambassadors of a specifically “French” theory? The course will explore the maze of transatlantic intellectual debates since 1945 and the heyday of French existentialism. We will study the debates on communism, decolonization, neo‐liberalism, gender, youth culture and mass media. This course is taught in English.

Word Count: 129816

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This course is an introduction to Islam from the perspective of media and sound studies, intended for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. From the time of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam in its various manifestations has had a complex relationship with media. While much contemporary writing focuses on Islam in the media, this course explores how many aspects of Islamic practice and thinking might be understood as media technologies that facilitate the inscription, storage and transmission of knowledge. Central questions include: How do Islam and media technologies relate? What kinds of practices of inscription and transmission characterize Islam in all its varieties across time and place? How might Islamic thought and practice be understood in light of databases, networks, and audiovisual sensation? Given the rich diversity in Islam historically and geographically, emphasis will be placed on these interconnected but divergent practices from the earliest revelations of the Qur’an to contemporary Islamist political movements, with geographies spanning from Indonesia to the Middle East and North Africa, as well as in Europe and North America. In addition to exploring these themes through reading and writing, students will be encouraged to complete course assignments and projects in media, using audiovisual documentary or composition as a means of responding to the course themes.

This course aims to provide students with a general overview of basic themes and issues in Middle Eastern history from the rise of Islam to the present, with an emphasis on the encounters and exchanges between the “Middle East” (Southwest Asia and North Africa) and the “West” (Europe and the United States).

Truth is Senior to Reality

Short Description:
A meditation intensive is where you block out the external world and devote all of your waking time to practice. Isolation Tank gnosis outlines such a meditation intensive in the floatation tank, aka isolation tank.

Long Description:
Isolation Tank Gnosis is very simple. All you need for complete spiritual enlightenment is to simply lay in an isolation tank all day and all night, taking brief excursions to the kitchen or bathroom when necessary. Historically, we have Harry Palmer’s 8-week experience with continuous floatation tank usage in the book “Living Deliberately”. This text, Isolation Tank Gnosis, give the theory, practice and history of Terrence Calvinsson de Sherleys-Womb based on his 5-week practice of the same.

Gnosis, as defined by John C. Lilly (developer of the isolation tank), is using the self to discover THE SELF as opposed to a church or group. Isolation Tank Gnosis, therefore, is leaving the self in an isolation tank long enough for THE SELF to manifest!

Word Count: 14683

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This course examines Israeli identity using a broad array of materials, including popular music, film, documentaries, and art, in addition to academic historical writings. Topics include Israel’s political system and society, ethnic relations, settlement projects, and the Arab minorities in the Jewish state. Students also discuss whether there is a unique Israeli culture and the struggle for Israel’s identity.
Preference is given to students in the MISTI MIT-Israel program.

This subject investigates the special relation of women to several musical folk traditions in the British Isles and North America. Throughout, we will be examining the implications of gender in the creation, transmission, and performance of music. Because virtually all societies operate to some extent on a gendered division of labor (and of expressive roles) the music of these societies is marked by the gendering of musical repertoires, traditions of instrumentation, performance settings, and styles. This seminar will examine the gendered dimensions of the music - the song texts, the performance styles, processes of dissemination (collection, literary representation) and issues of historiography - with respect to selected traditions within the folk musics of North America and the British Isles, with the aim of analyzing the special contributions of women to these traditions. In addition to telling stories about women’s musical lives, and studying elements of female identity and subjectivity in song texts and music, we will investigate the ways in which women’s work and women’s cultural roles have affected the folk traditions of these several countries.

This OER is a second-semester online language and culture manual designed for students in higher education. It follows a 14- or 15-week semester. Registration to Canvas Commons is required but free. This OER features online grammar and vocabulary practice and interactive assessment of various kinds.

The Italian American Studies Open Syllabus (IASOS) is a crowd-sourced digital collection of remixable resources to explore and teach the Italian diaspora in the United States. Organized by keyword, each entry offers an introductory curatorial overview alongside a selection of resources encompassing academic and non-academic texts, cultural artifacts, educational materials, and multimedia content. Aimed at both educators and individuals, it fills the gap in Open Educational Resources for Italian American Studies and caters to the community's desire to connect with their heritage. Launched in April 2024, the IASOS encourages contributions to expand its scope and represent diverse perspectives on and within the Italian American experience.

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Italian in Wonderland is an Open Education Digital Platform designed to replace any textbook for intermediate language Italian courses. This innovative platform, funded by the NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities), progresses from easy to challenging ensuring a smooth and continuous learning experience eliminating the disparity between lower and upper division courses. Italian in Wonderland uses a holistic teaching and learning approach integrating Italian language and culture and offering instructors and learners up-to-date materials centered around a variety of cultural topics. Any questions? Please contact the authors: italianinwonderland@gmail.com

“It’s All Greek to Me!” has everything—entertaining stories, academic articles in a variety of disciplines, vocabulary crossover in literary and academic readings, connections to local, American, and Western culture, and plenty of chances for critical thinking for advanced students of English as a Second Language (ESL). All readings are authentic with minimal adaptation from a variety of sources.

This textbook also gives help for advanced level grammar and writing issues, using outside sources, and reading and vocabulary strategies.

Short Description:
Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) is widely recognized as one of the most important American artists of the 20th century. He is best known for epic multi-panel narratives like the Migration Series (1940-1941) and Struggle: from the History of the American People (1954-56), which he created as a young artist living and working in in New York City. The second half of Lawrence’s career, which he spent in Seattle as a Professor of Art at the University of Washington, has received far less attention. The essays in this volume, researched and written by the participants in the Spring 2021 art history seminar “Art and Seattle: Jacob Lawrence” at the University of Washington School of Art + Art History + Design, fill in this gap. In so doing, we take our lead from the artist’s own framing of the Seattle period as a critical stage in his artistic development, in which conceptual and formal concerns explored across his long career converged and became more of the sum of their parts.

Long Description:
Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) is widely recognized as one of the most important American artists of the 20th century. He is best known for epic multi-panel narratives like the Migration Series (1940-1941) and Struggle: from the History of the American People (1954-56), which he created as a young artist living and working in in New York City. The second half of Lawrence’s career, which he spent in Seattle as a Professor of Art at the University of Washington, has received far less attention. The essays in this volume, researched and written by the participants in the Spring 2021 art history seminar “Art and Seattle: Jacob Lawrence” at the University of Washington School of Art + Art History + Design, fill in this gap. In so doing, we take our lead from the artist’s own framing of the Seattle period as a critical stage in his artistic development, in which conceptual and formal concerns explored across his long career converged and became more of the sum of their parts.

Word Count: 66080

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Short Description:
Jane: A Story of Jamaica (1913) is a novel by Jamaican author H. G. de Lisser and is the first West Indian novel to feature a Black protagonist. The story follows Jane, a young woman raised in the Jamaican countryside, as she prepares to leave home for the first time and move to Kingston to begin her career.

Long Description:
Jane: A Story of Jamaica (1913) is a novel by Jamaican author H. G. de Lisser and is the first West Indian novel to feature a Black protagonist. The story follows Jane, a young woman raised in the Jamaican countryside, as she prepares to leave home for the first time and move to Kingston to begin her career.

Word Count: 61875

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically as part of a bulk import process by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided. As a result, there may be errors in formatting.)

The end goal of this project is to create an online resource for those wishing to learn Japanese. We will attempt to encompass all aspects of the Japanese language, including pronunciation, reading, writing, and grammar.