Bad Love 

Ross Hamilton 

Meets Mon/Wed 1:00pm - 4:10pm

3 Credit Hours

Together, we will read stories of romance gone bad, of affairs that end catastrophically, that damage lovers or leave victims along the way.   We will illuminate the consuming fantasy of the romance genre in its quest for “true love,” as well as a range of emotions – rage and revenge, narcissism and self-protection, obsession and oblivion – that surface in its wake.  We will also look at shifting interpretations of “bad love,” from Plato, to the Galenic theory of the humors, to the sociology of court-culture, to Freudian and finally contemporary neurobiological explanations of feelings.  Students are welcome to propose texts of their own interests to open this course to the widest range of interests.  In addition to seminar discussion, there will be weekly individual tutorials with Professor Hamilton as well as interviews with a neurobiologist and a psychologist. 

Introduction to Psychology

Kathleen Taylor

Meets Tue/Thurs 1:00-4:10pm

3 Credit Hours

Why do people act the way they do, feel the way they do, think the way they do?  We will explore different answers to this question ranging from the biological theories (it’s all in the brain) to the social theories (it’s all about the influences around us).  We’ll examine successes (learning, memory, intelligence, consciousness) failures (psychopathologies) and ways of changing unhealthy behaviors (biomedical and psychotherapies, stress and health) and changing attitudes (racism).  Emphasis is placed on scientific analysis of behavior, understanding theories, and interpreting research findings, with the ultimate goal of understanding more about human behavior from a scientific perspective.

Food as Art

Irena Haiduk

Meets Mon/Wed 1:00-5:00pm

3 Credit Hours

This course examines food as a medium in contemporary art. To nourish by providing healthful food experiences creates communities and a sense of belonging, care and pleasure. This course and part take in vibrant community of artist chefs in New York City and the Hudson Valley. We will start by tracing the histories of representation of food as well as collaborations between artists, chefs and food growers and proceed to visit kitchens and farms led by artists. The class will cook, bake, pickle and taste food, grow food, serve food and develop its own community of curious Epicureans. Each student will develop, design, print and bind their own cookbook/travelogue, based on their culinary heritage and experiences in class.
 

From Forensics to Art Conservation – The Jazz of Chemistry

Meena Rao

Meets Mon/Wed 1:00-4:10pm

3 Credit Hours

The contribution of chemistry to everyday life is immense. The applications of chemistry in medicine, petrochemicals, cosmetics, and food are readily apparent. However, chemistry is a key part of many other fascinating fields, some of which may be less obvious. Examples of areas in which chemistry plays a key role include forensic science; art restoration and forgery detection; and flavors and fragrances in food, beverages and other consumer products. The goal of this course is to provide insights and spur discussion of several areas and applications of chemistry, and provide hands-on experience in techniques used in these fields sparking the curiosity of Barnard students into this marvelous field.   

Dead Mothers and Wicked Stepmothers: The Maternal in Folk and Fairy Tales

Wendy Schor-Haim

Meets Tues/Thurs 9:00am-12:10pm

3 Credit Hours

You know them well: on one side, the scheming, jealous stepmother, obsessed with her fading youth. On the other, her husband’s virginal, naive, and beautiful daughter – whose own mother is usually dead. The conflict between them is so familiar that it feels inevitable. Where, though, did these nearly universal figures come from? Why are they so ingrained in the imaginations of people around the world and across the millennia? In this course, we’ll explore the roots of the maternal in folk and fairy tales. We’ll analyze a variety of stories and films to investigate the “absent mother,” “virginal daughter,” and “wicked stepmother” from different critical perspectives, paying special attention to analytical psychology and feminist psychoanalytic and literary theory, to try to figure out why these figures are so compelling, so ubiquitous, and so hard to shake.

Psychobiology of Sleep

Ari Shechter

Meets Tues/Thurs 1:00-4:10pm

3 Credit Hours

This seminar will explore sleep and circadian rhythms, emphasizing how these factors and their disruption influence human health, disease, function, and well-being. Topics will include the physiologic and neurobiological generation of sleep and circadian rhythms, and the interaction between these systems with cognitive, behavioral, endocrine, metabolic, and mood/psychiatric variables in humans, as well as sleep disorders and their treatment.

Studying New York Museums

Kristina Milnor

Meets Tues/Thurs 9:00am-12:10pm

3 Credit Hours

In this course, we will use some of New York City’s many museums to introduce students to museum studies, a field of inquiry which looks at the process and politics of publicly displaying objects for “educational” purposes. We will use individual museums as case studies of particular issues in museology, from antiquities and the art market at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to racism and cultural appropriation at the American Museum of Natural History. We will also look at “alternative” museums, such as the Mmuseumm and the Treasures in the Trash Museum to consider how they resist and rewrite traditional museum narratives. Class time will be divided between class discussions, museum visits, student presentations, and digital workshops