Humans & Animals in Society Courses
The courses listed below are not all offered each semester. They are offered on a rotating basis and by faculty availability. Please check the Class Search for classes being offered in the current semesters.
A special note about online courses for prospective distance learning students who will not reside in Texas: The United States Department of Education(USDOE) published regulations in the Federal Register (Chapter 34, § 600.9(c)) that require all institutions of higher education to seek authorization in every state (and territory) in which they operate, physically or virtually, in order to maintain eligibility for federal financial aid. TCU’s authorization status can be viewed by state at http://www.cte.tcu.edu/distance-learning/distance-learning-state-authorization/. We can ONLY accept students from states where we are registered (showing in purple on the state-authorization map).
'Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.' Words do hurt as we full know because language is neither innocuous nor value neutral, especially in the process of constructing identities. Language's form as stereotype constructs and relects the representations of others. Its discourse of difference and humiliation as an ethno-typing strategy presumes superiority of one ethnic group (e.g. Israel and Euro-American) over another. And these stereotypes proliferate throughout culture and time via diverse media, including the Bible, itself a cultural artifact. Probing the seams of the representation strategy of stereotyping in its diverse media, however, reveals the identity of 'self' reflected within 'other' while simultaneously ascribing a voice often left silenced to the 'other' in its own identity construction. This course explores the representation process through stereotyping by means of paired ethic groups, past (e.g. Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, and Samaritans) and present (e.g. Native, Latina/o, Asian, and African Americans).
Philosophical examinations of moral, aesthetic, ontological, and epistemological issues concerning food are topics studied and discussed in this course. Such issues as vegetarianism; ethical issues regarding food additives, food politics and feminism; food as art; food as a metaphor of life; cultures (e.g., Mayan and Japanese) characterized by their cuisine; and recipes as a model of justified rational procedures are covered during the semester. One of the key concepts developed to handle these issues effectively is foodmaking as a thoughtful practice, where practice is understood by the American pragmatists, Peirce and Dewey.
The course explores 20th century American culture through examining the ordinary objects of our lives, from A-1 Sauce to Zippo lighters, studying how, when, and why ordinary objects rise from the culture and in turn, give shape and character to both culture and personal identity.
This course examines a broad spectrum of leadership issues through the study of historical and literary (both fictional and non-fictional) leaders in a wide variety of societies and historical eras. The study uses movies to provide multiple contexts in which to understand and apply academic leadership theories. By doing so, the course challenges the student to view leadership from multiple perspectives (theoretical, as well as contextual.) Be aware that this is a totally on-line course, but it is NOT self-paced. Each week, there are activities that must be completed by specific due dates. Students are required to choose their preferred method of accessing movie (e.g., Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, etc.) The TCUglobal site does not provide access to the movies. Students are advised to make plans, early in the semester, for access to the required movies to ensure they have access when the required movie is scheduled.
An examination of new ideas, data and theories to interpret changing roles of men and women in contemporary society.
The last two decades of the 20th century ushered in tumultuous changes in the economic, social, and political landscape; these transformations would have an indelible impact on the emerging society of the 21st century. This course is designed to provide a forum for analysis and discussion of some of the most significant issues of global politics in the new Millennium. While the attempt is to dissect these issues primarily on their own terms, we would also discuss the challenges they pose to the United States and the global community.
An examination of contrasting models and standards of communication ethics. Students apply these perspectives to specific situations involving freedom of expression, political campaigns, interpersonal communication, advertising and writing.
Students in this course will not only study translation but they will also actually translate. For example, they will learn early on how a recent winner of the most prestigious international prize for the translation of a work of fiction is but a novice and not even a speaker of the language she was translating from. Students go on to investigate theories of translation as applied to a wide range of different genres of texts and communication situations; in addition, they review critically the varied and most valued practices of translating. During the course, then, the students will work with one another on individual or group translation projects of their choosing. By the end of the semester, the students will be such experts on translation in society that they themselves will confidently enter their own work in a university-sponsored translation prize contest judged by a world-renowned translator.
This course focuses on influential media representations of otherness in its various forms including crime and criminals, disease and disability, and non-heterosexual sexual orientations, in a range of noteworthy films and television programs from the turn of the 20th century to the present day.
The course provides an in-depth overview of the challenges involved in identifying and systematically evaluating opportunities for creating new ideas, new models, ventures, and initiatives, across a wide range of contexts, including startups, social enterprises, and large, established corporations.
Language is neither innocuous nor value-neutral in the matter of group identity or the process of constructing identities, ancient (e.g. Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, and Samaritans) and/or modern (e.g. Native, Latina/o, Asian, and African Americans). Integral to this process are stereotypes (image and non-image) that effectively reify the representations of “other(s)” while presuming the superiority of one ethnic group (e.g. Israel and Euro-American) over another. These stereotypes proliferate throughout culture and time via diverse media, including the Bible, itself a cultural artifact. Postcolonial analyses probe the representation strategy of stereotyping to reveal the identity of “self” reflected within “other” while simultaneously ascribing an often-silenced voice to the “other.” This course’s focus on representation will enable students to identify, explain, evaluate, and critique the use of stereotypes while examining diverse media wherein these stereotypes are embedded.