The course intends to introduce students to ecological thinking in culture and literature. In the first half of the semester, we read and discuss foundational theoretical texts that map out the development of modern ecological thought, and explore cultural discourses that affect our thinking about the biosphere, aesthetic codes,  gendered “nature,” and the narrative of environmental pollution. In the second half, we scrupulously read six American short stories to test our understanding of the ecocritical project, also experimenting with a new way of reading  American narratives (classic and contemporary) with green and posthumanist agendas in mind. These sessions will be assisted with a set of downloadable questions in the Student Reader Guide.

Objectives of the course: to familiarize students with a variety of perspectives in ecological theories, environmentalism, and ecocriticism; to enlarge their vocabulary, and oral and writing skills about green agendas; to enable them to read literary texts in an ecocritical perspective; to alert them to their responsibilities for the human and nonhuman environment as prospective intellectuals and critical thinkers at this time of ecological crisis.

The course is an introductory lecture on Asian American history through the narrative of the Chinese and Japanese American communities in the United States. During the semester we will examine and discuss important historical events from the perspective of the selected ethnic groups, their struggles, starting from the second half of the 19^th century and ending the lecture series by discussing contemporary issues that Asian Americans have to face. The class material – assigned readings, primary documents, oral histories, and films – are intended to inspire discussions and debates on such vital issues as immigration, naturalization and citizenship, xenophobia and anti-Asian sentiments, Chinese and Japanese ethnic communities, social conflicts, racial and ethnic politics in America, including the issue of civil liberties.

The course offers an introductory overview of African-American history. During the course of the semester we will trace the history of African Americans from Ancestral Africa to North America, from slavery to post-civil rights America. We will discuss the cultural, social, and political status of the African-American community throughout the history of the United States, focusing on such important periods as Colonial America, the American Revolution, the Antebellum Period, the Civil War, the Reconstruction Era, World War I, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Civil Rights Movement.