Potential Courses

BIO 112 Biology of Infectious Disease
John Ferguson
. T . Th .
. T . . .
8:30 - 10:20 am
1:30 -4:30 pm
Cross-listed: GISP; STS Both morbidity and mortality due to infectious disease declined steadily during the 20th century in developed nations, but remain high in poorer nations. Students examine the reasons for this tenuous disparity as they study the agents of bacterial, viral, protozoan, and metazoan disease. Diseases covered include anthrax, typhoid fever, cholera, botulism, tetanus, bubonic plague, Lyme disease, leprosy, tuberculosis, influenza, smallpox, rabies, yellow fever, polio, AIDS, malaria, African sleeping sickness, and schistosomiasis, among others. Many of the readings are relatively nontechnical case histories, but the biology underlying each condition is thoroughly developed. This course is of interest to those aiming for a career in the health professions, but is also designed to provide liberal arts students with some degree of medical literacy in these health issues. The laboratory portion introduces students to bacteria and viruses that are relatively nonpathogenic for humans. Prerequisite: experience in high school biology and chemistry.

ANTH 350 Contemporary Cultural Theory
Laura Kunreuther
M . . . .
10:30 - 12:50 pm

OLIN 303
Cross-listed: Human Rights This course is intended as an introduction to advanced theories of culture in contemporary anthropology. Required of all anthropology majors, this course will also be of interest to students wishing to explore critical innovations in the study of local, national, and mass culture around the world. In contrast to early anthropological focus on seemingly isolated, holistic cultures, more recent studies have turned their attention to contest within societies and the intersection of local systems of meaning with global processes of politics, economics and history. The class will be designed around an influential social theorist, such as Bourdieu, Bakhtin, or Marx, and the application of their theories by anthropologists, such as Aihwa Ong, Judith Irvine, or Michael Taussig. The seminar will involve participation from all of the faculty in the anthropology department. It aims to inspire critical engagement with an eye towards developing theoretical tools and questions for a senior project that makes use of contemporary theories of culture. Required for all moderated Anthropology majors.

HIST 3112 PLAGUE!
Alice Stroup
M . . . .
1:30 -3:50 pm
OLIN 308
HIST
Cross-listed: Human Rights; Medieval Studies The cry “Plague!” has struck fear among people around the world, from antiquity to the present. What is plague? How has it changed history? Starting with Camus’ metaphorical evocation of plague in a modern North African city, we will examine the historical impact of plague on society. Our focus will be bubonic plague, which was epidemic throughout the Mediterranean and European worlds for four hundred years, and which remains a risk in many parts of the world (including the southwestern United States) to this day. Topics include: a natural history of plague; impact of plague on mortality and socio-economic structures; effects on art and literature; early epidemiology and public health; explanations and cures; the contemporary presence of bubonic plague and fears about “new plagues.” Readings include: literary works by Camus, Boccaccio, Manzoni, and Defoe; historical and philosophical analyses by ancients Thucydides and Lucretius; contemporary literature on history, biology, and public health. Upper College Seminar: open to fifteen moderated students.


SOC 205 Intro to Research Methods
Yuval Elmelech
. T . Th .
1:00 -2:20 pm
OLIN 101 &
HDRANX 106
MATC
Cross-listed: Environ. Studies, GIS, Human Rights, Social Policy The aim of this course is to enable students to understand and use the various research methods developed in the social sciences, with an emphasis on quantitative methods. The course will be concerned with the theory and rationale upon which social research is based, as well as the practical aspects of research and the problems the researcher is likely to encounter. The course is divided into two parts. In the first, we will learn how to formulate research questions and hypotheses, how to choose the appropriate research method for the problem, and how to maximize chances for valid and reliable findings. In the second part, we will learn how to perform simple data analysis and how to interpret and present findings in a written report. For a final paper, students use survey data on topics such as attitudes toward abortion, sexual attitudes, affirmative action, racism, sex roles, religiosity, and political affiliation. By the end of the semester, students will have the necessary skills for designing and conducting independent research for term papers and senior projects, as well as for non-academic enterprises. Admission by permission of the instructor.

PHOT/ ARTH 328 Photography, History
And News
Luc Sante
. . . Th .
1:30 -3:50 pm
OLIN 304
AART
Ever since the Civil War, photography has been recording great events, and at least since the 1890s it has been chronicling those smaller events we call news. Arguably, everything that has passed before the lens since the beginning can qualify as history of some sort. This course will consider war photography, tabloid photography, disaster coverage, photojournalism, and propaganda, as well as the role of photography in preserving evidence of changes in daily life over the past two centuries. Special attention will be given to objectivity, rhetoric, chance, and the ambiguity of the photographer's position in a crisis. Participation in classroom discussion is mandatory, as are one research paper or audiovisual presentation, and a take-home exam at semester's end.

LIT 2182 Nonfiction Workshop:
Writing Science
Elizabeth Frank
. . W Th .
10:30 - 11:50 am
OLIN 303
PART
This is a course for both science and humanities students who share a fundamental belief in the importance of science literacy. To laypersons, contemporary science is often impenetrable. They need clear, informative, and engaging explanations of contemporary work in science, particularly as these affect ethical and political decisions at every level of society. Students in the class will write about science in a number of formats: for example, essays, editorials, feature articles and book reviews, all of varying length and complexity. We will try to solve the problems that must inevitably arise when the search for voice confronts subject matter that is hard to simplify or explain. Limited to 15 students who have each passed a lab and/or quantitative science course at Bard. (Applicants submit email indicating that they have passed a lab and/or quantitative science course.)

American eels are born in the Sargasso Sea. In the mid-Atlantic Ocean, thousands or millions of eels convene and copulate, only here. It is impossible to raise eels in aquatic farms, the way we harvest some species of fish and shrimp. Each spring, the sea spawns thousands of tiny pseudo-transparent bodies, "glass eels." Clear with the exception of a black spine and black eyes, the form adapts to life and predation in the ocean. From the Sargasso Sea, the bodies ride the currents of the Gulf Stream up into freshwater tributaries, into the Hudson River, into Tivoli Bays.

Along the way, over time, the eels of glass grow to be several inches long-too small to be earthworms, too large to be parasites. In the freshwater rivers of the east coast, the eels begin to consume aquatic insects and dead organic matter, sacrificing the previous diet of plankton. Growing, no longer needing the same innate protection, the skin of the eels loses its clear pigment and takes on a brownish hue. Their name changes from glass to elvers.

Eel populations have been in decline over the years, and nobody knows why. Some say global climate change and shifting ocean patterns. Others say overfishing and dam construction. Some compromise and say both. Aiming to study eel migration patterns, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation has a collaborative study between scientists, students, and community volunteers to collect data on glass eels along the Hudson River tributaries. Along the way, the study gives its members experience in science, rivers, ecosystems. It is both research and pedagogy.

Today I caught seventeen glass eels. Our hands reached into the black and green fyke net to rummage for a glimpse of crystalline white. The mesh net is large, and was placed south of the small waterfall leading into the Bay. It captures the tiny bodies that attempt to swim upstream as they migrate. It is one o'clock in the afternoon and the tide is still low. Our hands are covered in invertebrates-they look like small alien shrimp. In the net are hundreds of them, crawling upon one another. As we reach in, they envelop our hands, scuttling in an attempt to move and escape. From the yellow-brown pulsing mass comes brief flashes of white amongst the bland color palette.

Amongst these masses, our hands grasp the minute eels between our fingers. A bucket filled with a few inches of bay-water becomes a temporary home for the seventeen. Our hands thrust down into the low-tide water of the Bay to wash of the excess bodies that stubbornly cling. The glass eels spasm amongst one another. I can't decide which is stranger, the feeling of a dozen invertebrates in one's hand, or a living squirming eel, nearly invisible.

Throughout the day I feel the pinch and scuttle of invertebrates and eels. I am in class, typing in the lab, eating with a fork and knife. The creatures are not there anymore, now swimming upstream again along the waters of the Bay, visible in their absence.

i dont understand my need to update this three times in 1 day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etTX0TAz-5g

enjoy. its a really nice cover.

i havent done any work all day. its been good.

we are doing a biodiversity experiment in eco & evo with algae, aka protists. needless to say, i am very excited.

im such a dork...

books ive loved / influenced my thought

in no order, of course

Marcel Mauss: The Gift
Michel Serres: The Parasite
Michael Taussig: Shamanism, Colonialism, and the Wild Man
Herman Melville: Moby Dick
Aldous Huxley: Brave New World
Norton Juster: The Phantom Tollbooth
Ibn Tufayl: Hayy Ibn Yaqzan
Amitav Ghosh: In an Antique Land
William Blake: The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
Tobias Scheneebaum: Keep the River on Your Right
Herman Hess: Siddhartha
Milton Hatoum: The Brothers
George Bataille: Theory of Religion
Italo Calvio: The Baron in the Trees
Frank Fischer: Citizens, Experts, and the Environment
Susanne Antonetta: Body Toxic

this was the first actually fun weekend i had in a while. completely uneventful, but i hung out with people i havent seen in a while, went to SMOG shows, and went out on some drives with people. uneventful, but i had a good time, and felt pretty happy.

ive been thinking, what do i need to simply be happy? its weird this year not really having "a group," but thats just something about me. put me around the same people for too long and ill go insane. i guess hopping groups is just the price then. but in Brazil i had the chance and opportunity to ask what i need to just be happy. nothing long term, just, for now. academics and school are important. and i think im doing pretty well in my classes it seems. but academics shouldn't be the top priority. being happy should. and maybe ive been looking to books and words and professors to legitmiate my intelligence and not just looking at the world around me to be happy. its spring. time to go on walks with people. actually go to other dorms and parties. call people up to get food, go outside, hang out. maybe even just meet some new people and see about that. working out, laughing with friends, having interesting and engaging conversations, reading for pleasure. because writing papers and underlining sentences is not going to make me happy. that seems obvious now, but it basically just hit me. which is funny.

im listening to a johnny cash cover of "bridge over troubled water." its great. today i need to write a rough draft of my junior fellowship proposal. i could work on my final anthropology paper, but thats in a few weeks.

seems set or something. dragonball evolution comes out on thursday. i may have to force my friends to see it with me.

i just watched half of Annie Hall. really great movie. i think it might be a pivitol point for me. what was that line Vonnegut said? blah blah blah..."you are not alone?" now, im not at all comparing myself to Woody Allen. no way, no way at all. but...some of the things are there. actually it isnt his character at all, but just the idea of, hey, what are you looking for? i like intellectual engagement, but maybe right now isnt the time for that. sometimes i think, Dan, you should have majored in biology. its concrete. but then i listen to the anthropological half of my brain, "Dan, nothing is that concrete, you know that." truth? pure gift? nonesense, oh Marcel Mauss. i think im funny, i find it so much easier to write on this blog than to write any paper this semester. this is me, my voice. i feel a little (is that the right word?) dark, calm, mysterious, layered. i write for Nonfiction class and feel myself stifling myself. maybe out of fear of being judged. or that the class wont like it. its no way to live, really. but it would be nice to committ myself to something. im slowly learning that i am actually capable of doing work at the last minute and that it will work out all right. you know, i remember one of my thoughts on coming to Bard. through high school i knew i had this mostly quantitative brain. math was easy for me. calculations were easy for me. the whole creative, intellectual, opinionated part...not as much. certainly there, but not as much. i wanted to come to Bard so that i could unlock that part of my thoughts, or more so, that part of myself. now i find myself, having opinions, but still feeling torn. i just want to do something and its cliche and old by now, but to be honest thats the truth of it. i love writing. i also dont mind calculations. my one biggest gripe with anthropology? obsessive search for meaning. why do we have to analyze it and proclaim it there? it is there. obviously. humans do things with meaning. we face this struggle daily. without meaning its all so pointless. so we take the surroundings, some would say apriori, others not, some given, others constructed, and apply and imbue meaning to it all. i love metaphors from biology. so much so that they are forming my basis for a senior project on collaborative health projects. Darwin says compete, and thats how we evolve and interact. Margulis says collaborate, symbiosis and mutualism. who is right? was it Plato who said its always some of both, some of the cultural, some of the biological? then at the same time i yell at the me who wants to take a bunch of statistics and do social research off that. its not enough. staistics take away whatever information doesnt fit the model. thats what models do-they're exclusionary by their nature and function. to strip down, expose the raw-whatever that means-compile it together, and draw out their own meaning, in the form of p<0.05

but seriously. i love learning. thats why i find myself buying a new book here and there on Amazon.com, waking up at late hours of the night because of my insomnia-which i like-and searching JSTOR for some information. doing the Wiki search. but thats all there is here. the learning, no applying, no experience, no doing. and ive felt the other side and now this is just like Plato's forms to me. you know the story?

there are humans tied to a rock in a cave. behind them is a fire and a bunch of objects, shapes, animals, what have you. the humans chained to the rock dont see any of these things. because of the fire, they only see the shadows cast from the true objects. the shadows are their reality. one man frees himself and escapes the cave. he is overwhelemed by the superabundance of forms, real forms, and goes back inside the cave to explain it to his companions. they dont believe him, because the forms they see are the only reality they know. they refuse to leave. but the man cant. hes already seen what is real. and academia, isnt real, at all. it takes real life, analyzes and extracts what it needs from it, and publishes what it needs from it in a scholarly journal nobody but students and professors and high level experts will read. and so the cycle continues, unable to escape the cave. but thats why you go abroad or whatever, to escape your narrow cave. and ive seen the sorts of things i want to do. do. i grow tired and uninspired by abstract theory. how do they actually operate? or, what am i actually learning? "to think critically, to write, to speak," i am told. bah. i have my whole life to learn that. let me go out and experience the true forms of the world. let me actually touch the forms, not just their shadows. thats all theory and abstraction is-shadows. you go from A to B to C to D to E and finally have a conclusion. you proclaim your theory, and countless students are taught that theory the way you presented it, which is mostly from A to E. not the steps in between. and so we dont actually learn anything. we learn the ends, not the means. we dont learn how they came up with it, maybe the methods of their study, maybe their interests in the subject. but as a whole, we just continue to stumble in the dark searching for some meaning. but we refuse to acknowledge that the real meaning lies outside of the cave, in fact, in zero relationship to the cave. the cave is not at all relevant to anything we desire.

wouldn't that be nice? philosophy has its place; at least it doesnt try to capture reality perfectly. it leaves the abstractions in and makes you search through, just like the philosopher, to find your own truth. because everybody is inherently brilliant. just need to try and find whatever gets them thinking and talking, i suppose. i think i learned more from my host father Leo in four days than i probably learn in a weeks worth of extensive college class.

in sum: all i want is praxis.

aced my GIS mid-term.
interviewed for commencement job.
had a productive conversation about gift theory and psychology at lunch.
wrote my 6 page discussion paper on truth commissions.
went to the gym.
potential go to clubs in the city soon.
wrote a crappy non-fiction piece.
switched advisers.
proposed tutorial idea.
received good comments on final paper proposal.
waiting for crit-sheets and mid-term grades.
have to read 100 pgs of Plato
start catching eels next week.
late night taco bell runs.