Descriptions of language use tend to be absolute and uncompromising in their nature. For instance, it’s common to hear that certain ways of speaking or writing (i.e., expressing oneself) are “wrong” or “ungrammatical”, “inappropriate”, or even “unprofessional”. In other words, that there is correct (“good”) language and incorrect (“bad”) language, where the former is how we should strive to express ourselves.
However, what tends to get lost in translation is that “standard” language, just like “non-standard” speech, is nothing other than a linguistic variety. Both standard and non-standard dialects are logical, systematic, and rule-abiding. Sometimes, their rules may coincide, while other times they may be separate and apart.
Importantly, a prime distinguishing feature is that standard language users tend to hold more social power, authority, and prestige, while non-standard language users often form part of marginalized or minoritized communities. Put differently, standard dialects are prestige dialects, whereas non-standard varieties are stigmatized.
In this seminar, students will explore various language dialects (both standard and non-standard) with the objective of developing a more in-depth understanding of the relationship between language use and personal identity. Not only will we examine views on “right” and “wrong” language, but also how these views influence how we perceive others, as a result of internalized, socio-cultural biases. Who gets to decide what’s “right” or “wrong” anyway? Put differently, “If you understand what I’m saying, why feel the need to correct me?”
Some familiarity with Spanish, while not required, will benefit students in their understanding of course concepts.
- Teacher: Tris Faulkner
From the “big two” comic companies, only 26.7% of all superheroes are women. Superheroines are in short supply, but their impact on pop culture is legendary. From Wonder Woman to Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, from Sailor Moon to Kpop Demon Hunters, powerful women have captured audiences’ attention. But what makes the superheroine super?
In this course, we will track the trajectory of the contemporary superheroine in comics, television and film from the 1990s to now. What does the superheroine tell us about our cultural values and expectations of women? How has that changed in the last thirty years? In studying how superheroines are constructed, we will engage in ongoing discussions around gender, particularly as they intersect with race and sexuality.
How does the superheroine access and demonstrate power? How does she define and produce justice? Through class discussions, analytical writing, and our own creative writing, we will seek to understand what those answers tell us about ourselves, and the world we live in. We will learn what being super means to us, inclusive of all of our genders.
- Teacher: Isabela Agosa
How did ancient societies confront catastrophe, and what can their responses reveal about our own world? This course investigates themes related to natural and human-made disasters in the ancient Mediterranean, exploring how communities endured, interpreted, and rebuilt in the wake of crisis. Drawing on archaeological evidence, ancient texts, and modern scholarship, we will consider the causes and aftermaths of events like the eruption of Vesuvius, the fires and floods of Rome, the Antonine Plague, and other moments of environmental and social upheaval. Disasters tested the strength of governments, exposed social inequality, fueled religious fear and political unrest, and forced ancient communities to rebuild in the face of uncertainty. By examining how ancient peoples understood and responded to disaster, students will explore broader themes of resilience, vulnerability, memory, and survival while drawing connections to contemporary challenges such as pandemics, climate change, and urban disasters. Combining history, archaeology, environmental studies, and science, this course offers an exciting introduction to the ancient world through some of its most dramatic moments.
- Teacher: Crystal Rosenthal