Cathedrals, magic and megafauna: Here are eight classes to bookbag for the spring 2022 semester

<p>Trying to meet those looming Trinity course code requirements? Looking to explore more of the quirky classes that Duke offers? Look no further.</p>

Trying to meet those looming Trinity course code requirements? Looking to explore more of the quirky classes that Duke offers? Look no further.

Trying to meet those looming Trinity course code requirements? Looking to explore more of the quirky classes that Duke offers? Look no further. Here is The Chronicle’s list of nine interesting classes you should take for the spring 2022 semester.

Our Culinary Cultures

Taught by Kelly Alexander, Bridges House 113, Fr 10:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Course credits: DOCST 344S, CULANTH 258S, ICS 334S (CCI, W, ALP)

According to DukeHub, this class examines the world of food and its preparation through fieldwork research. The class will read stories of how food is prepared and presented in order to explore how what we eat reveals key biographical, economic and religious aspects of our cultures. The course uses photography, audio and documentary writing to introduce students to the history of food writing and the concept of food as a nonverbal tool of communication. 

Gothic Cathedrals

Taught by Edward Triplett, Smith Warehouse Bay 11 A233, MoWe 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Course credits: ARTHIST 225, MEDREN 215 (CCI, R, ALP, CZ)

In this class, students will learn about the great cathedrals of Europe in England, Germany, and Italy, with a special focus on France, from roughly 1140 to 1270. The course will also examine their construction, financing and role in the fabric of medieval city life. Students will focus on the urban context of each city, the history of the site and its relics and the artistic and technological developments that made the construction of these complex and large-scale structures possible. 

Marine Megafauna

Taught by Meagan Dunphy-Daily, LSRC B101, TuThu 10:15-11:30 a.m.

Course credits: BIOLOGY 205, ENVIRON 205, MARSCI 205 (STS, NS)

This class explores the ecology, systematics and behavior of large marine animals such as giant squid, bony fishes, sharks, sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals. Coursework will cover the impact of human activities and technological advancement on populations as well as economic, social and policy considerations in the protection of threatened species.

Life Within Capitalism

Taught by Dirk Philipsen, LSRC D243, TuThu 10:15-11:30 a.m.

Course credits: ETHICS 271, ECON 270, HISTORY 284, POLSCI 252, PUBPOL 249 (EI, CZ)

This class analyzes how capitalism has shaped people's ethical values with a focus on the United States. Coursework investigates central developments behind the history of capitalism, key struggles that led to the formation of capitalist logic and possible future developments within capitalism.

From Madness to Mental Disorders: Sociology of Mental Health

Taught by Jenifer Hamil-Luker, Social Sciences 136, MoWe 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Course credits: SOCIOL 257, GLHLTH 257, PSY 267 (CCI, EI, SS)

This class investigates mental health processes and policies through a historic, cultural and socioeconomic context. Coursework examines ethical dilemmas created by the medicalization of deviance and how social conditions shape the development and consequences of mental disorders, treatments and policies. The class will also discuss alternative theoretical explanations for how mental health and well-being services are linked to socioeconomic status, gender, race, ethnicity, citizenship, age and sexuality. 

Customer Empathy & Brand Experience Design

Taught by Brad Brinegar, Perkins LINK 088, TuTh 12:00-1:15 p.m.

Course credits: I&E 350 (SS)

Amazon now gets consumers whatever they want, whenever and wherever they want it. These “direct-to-consumer” brands control every customer interaction and become as much about that experience as about the product itself. This course will explore how brands use customer empathy to reframe people’s category expectations and enhance their lives.

Magic, Religion, and Science since 1400

Taught by Thomas Robisheaux, East Duke 209, MoWe 10:15-11:30 a.m.

Course credits: HISTORY 260, MEDREN 287, SCISOC 260 (CCI, EI, STS, CZ)

This class focuses on the history of magic and witchcraft in western culture from the Renaissance to the present, specifically the relationship of supernatural beliefs to religion and science. Students will learn about magic, astrology and alchemy in the Renaissance, early modern witch beliefs, skepticism in the Enlightenment, modern marginal sciences such as parapsychology and adaptations of magical beliefs to modern culture.

Crime and the City from Dickens to The Wire

Taught by Susan Thorne, Friedl Bldg 126, WeFr 8;30-9:45 a.m.

Course credits: AAAS 226, HISTORY 313 (CCI, EI, ALP, SS)

Students in this class will compare crime and the city through Charles Dickens's "Oliver Twist" and the HBO television series "The Wire." Class discussions will juxtapose the social and political context of each, paying attention to the nature and causes of criminal activity within them. Individual and personal responsibility will be contrasted to structural factors such as urban housing, public health, education, poverty and the criminal justice system.


Alison Korn

Alison Korn is a Pratt junior and enterprise editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume.

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