New and returning course scheduled for this spring and winter semester

By Rachel Sell//

Hood College will offer several new courses as well as bring back some old favorites in the spring 2023 semester.

For the winter term, Hood is offering nine undergraduate classes, ranging from introductory level to more intermediate-focused topics. The disciplines range from psychology and sociology to history and global studies, and each class will run from Jan. 2 to Jan. 20.

In the spring semester, which will begin Jan. 24, Hood will offer 434 undergraduate classes and several new courses in departments such as history, global languages, and Honors.

The registration times are as follows: Seniors can register on Monday, Nov. 14. Juniors can register on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Sophomores are able to do so Wednesday, Nov. 16 and freshmen can register on Thursday, Nov. 17.

One of these new courses, HIST 371C: Americanization of Europe, will explore how American cultural influence has increased in Europe since the 20^th century. Because America has always simultaneously fascinated and threatened European cultures, the course will analyze the exchanges between the two global powers and how they have shaped a modern alliance.

This course will also focus on the transfer of pop culture from the U.S., such as Mickey Mouse and Starbucks Coffee. Questions such as “Why do the French secretly love McDonald’s, but won’t admit it in any data?” will be answered. Corey Campion will be teaching this class and it is available to all students. Although HIST 266 is a prerequisite the class can be taken with Campion’s permission. The course will be offered on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 9:50 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

Another new course offered by the history department is HIST 371D: Hawaii and the Pacific World. The class will be taught by Mallory Huard and extends from her own dissertation research.

Students will look at the role of Hawaii in the Pacific world, as well as its connections to the U.S. through tourism, colonialism, and the World Wars. It will also analyze the current marketing and imagery of Hawaii and will be offered on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 1:05 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Yet another new course is from the global languages department. GER 301: Berlin in the 20^th century will study the culture and the different historical eras of the city of Berlin, with a focus on its transformations during the Weimar Republic and the Nazi era, as well as its role as the capital of Germany after reunification. Students will have the opportunity to look at art, film, and literature from the city.

This course comes with the unique opportunity to travel to Berlin to expand upon the class lessons. The course will be taught in English by Scott Pincikowski, with any German 200-level course as a prerequisite or with permission of the department chair. This course will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 2 p.m. to 3:25 p.m.

Several new special topics will be offered in the Honors Program in the spring of 2023.

One is HON 102: Cultivating Sustainability. Taught by both Katie Huy and the Rev. Beth O’Malley, the course will feature guest speakers, encourage experiential learning, and incorporate literature and media to foster a better understanding of conflict in natural and social systems.

Students will investigate past environmental conflicts to tackle current environmental conflicts and dilemmas. Various topics such as materialism, idealism, sustainability and socio-environmental issues will be studied. The course will also include an optional trip to Costa Rica over spring break. This course will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 11:25 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.

In addition to the new courses, a number of classes will return to Hood in spring 2023, including AFAM 470: African American Feminist Thought. The course will discuss topics such as the role of black women in politics, the church, the media, and romantic relationships. It will also study black women’s health, body image, and colorism.

Representative of a powerful and long-standing critique of power and privilege in the U.S. and the world, the black feminist tradition includes intellectual work in the form of music, art, film, poetry, and literature, which the class will study. The course will be held on Tuesdays from 5:10 p.m. to 7:55 p.m.

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