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GRAPH 352G-01
GRADUATE TYPOGRAPHY STUDIO III
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Typography III is the culmination of RISD's typography sequence, with an emphasis on typography and contemporary display platforms. Advances in software and hardware have created new opportunities for how language is written, sequenced and accessed. Projects in this semester depend on altered states, where the content, composition, and context all are potentially at play. Students will continue to develop proficiency in designing for static compositions while extending the meaning and voice of that work across multiple platforms. Students will have ample opportunity to further shape their perspective and individual voice in relation to contemporary typography. This is a studio course, so some class time will be used for discussions, most of the time we will be working in class, often on a computer. There is an expectation that students work both individually and in groups and be prepared to speak about their own work and the work of their peers in supportive and respectful ways. A laptop and relevant software are required.
Please contact the department for permission to register; registration is not available in Workday.
Major Requirement | MFA Graphic Design (3yr)
GRAPH 3859-01
TYPE DESIGN
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This elective is an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the process of designing a serif text typeface; to consider all the design decisions that are a part of this creative exercise, and to learn the finer points of bezier wrangling, serif and sans, spacing, kerning, and all the other details of execution which turn a roughly-formed idea into a more complete, rigorous and polished type design. This course will provide a fundamental understanding of how typefaces work in addition to accessing a new design tool that can find practical use. This is a Mac only course.
Elective
HPSS C333-01 / THAD C333-01
CHINESE ARCHAEOLOGY
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to introduce students to the major historical and intellectual developments in the field of Chinese archaeology, from its inception in the 10th century as antiquarianism, to the latest scientific achievements. The course will provide a general overview of key discoveries relating to the period of time spanning from the Paleolithic to the Han period, concentrating on crucial research issues on such topics as (among others), the origin of man in Asia (an alternative to the Out of Africa theory), the earliest settled societies and the beginning of rice and millet agriculture, the origins and impact of Chinese writing, the Chinese urban revolution of the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age, the political use of bronze and jade in the dynastic period, and the burial customs and religious beliefs of the early imperial period.
Elective
HPSS S101-01
TOPICS: HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, & THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Topics in History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences is an introductory course in which students are encouraged to develop the skills in critical thinking, reading, and writing that are common to the disciplines represented in the Department of History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences (HPSS). Sections focus on the topics typically addressed within the department's disciplines; through discussion about key texts and issues, students are introduced to important disciplinary methodologies and controversies. All sections have frequent writing assignments, which, combined with substantial feedback from HPSS faculty, afford students the opportunity to develop the strategies and techniques of effective writing. There are no waivers for HPSS-S101 except for transfer students who have taken an equivalent college course.
First-year students should check the Registrar's Office website for topics.
Transfer and upper-level students should register for one of the evening sections.
Major Requirement | BFA
HPSS S101-02
TOPICS: HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, & THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
In this course, we will explore how psychologists have come to understand and study the self, from social cognitive perspectives on how self-concepts are formed, how we organize understandings of the self, and how we process self-relevant information. We will also explore the self as a motivational force that drives human thoughts, feelings, and behavior, by answering questions like: What implications do self-related constructs (e.g., self-esteem, self-affirmation, self-enhancement, self-regulation) have for our success, well-being, and/or our relationships with others? We will examine cross-cultural differences in notions of the self, as well as how social influences shape not only how others see us, but how we come to see ourselves. Indeed, we will explore how our membership in social groups and social categories plays a meaningful role in how we understand ourselves and others. Further, we will explore how self-categorization within a given social identity shapes our attitudes, beliefs, and behavioral tendencies through the enacting of group based role norms. Throughout the course, we will examine the methods and tools that psychologists have used to study the self and this will allow students the opportunity for introspection and evaluation of their own self-understanding.
This section is only for students who entered RISD as a first-year (non-transfer) student, but are taking this course in their sophomore year or above.
HPSS S139-01
DIGITAL CULTURE: HOW COMPUTERS TOOK OVER THE WORLD
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course provides a framework for understanding how and why digital technology came to define the modern world. We will first explore the history of “reasoning” machines from ancient automata to analogue computers, before turning to modern digital media. Readings will contextualize the past 100 years of digital history, introducing students to the cultural legacy of the personal computer, the internet, and AI. We’ll ask: how are computers unlike other technologies? How does digital media shape our perceptions? And how much of culture can we capture in data? Students will produce weekly reading responses, give oral presentations, and complete a final research project.
Elective
HPSS S174-01
MODERN CHINA: CULTURE, POLITICES AND SOCIETY
SECTION DESCRIPTION
China has been undergoing tremendous changes in the modern era. This course explores the Chinese political and social transformations from the beginning of the Qing Dynasty until today. After a broad survey of modern Chinese history in the past four centuries, including the Manchu conquest, the Nationalist Revolution, the Communist Revolution, the Great Famine, the Cultural Revolution, and the Reform and opening-up era, we will take a closer look at the political and social structure, one-child policy, frontier/ethnic issue, urban/rural discrepancy and other issues in modern China. Through readings and discussions, this course will deepen our understanding of China from a critical as well as an empathetic perspective.
Elective
HPSS S174-02
MODERN CHINA: CULTURE, POLITICES AND SOCIETY
SECTION DESCRIPTION
China has been undergoing tremendous changes in the modern era. This course explores the Chinese political and social transformations from the beginning of the Qing Dynasty until today. After a broad survey of modern Chinese history in the past four centuries, including the Manchu conquest, the Nationalist Revolution, the Communist Revolution, the Great Famine, the Cultural Revolution, and the Reform and opening-up era, we will take a closer look at the political and social structure, one-child policy, frontier/ethnic issue, urban/rural discrepancy and other issues in modern China. Through readings and discussions, this course will deepen our understanding of China from a critical as well as an empathetic perspective.
Elective
HPSS S233-01
FAN CULTURES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Many people, across cultures, have experienced an enthusiasm that changes them. In this course, rooted in the interdisciplinary field of fan studies, we will investigate various histories of such passion, especially how groups of people, over time, have used ardent beliefs and practices to shape new identities and communities and how others, often in authority, have sought to suppress or manage those identities and communities. We will study early instances of fandom, from 19th-century social manias to various groups of lovers, fanciers, buffs, and kranks, as well as modern fans of media, music, and sports. Students can expect advanced reading in cultural history and media theory, as well as several short papers.
Elective
HPSS S234-01
MUSIC IN DAILY LIFE
SECTION DESCRIPTION
For millions of people today, music is experienced less in marked events, like concerts, and more in the unmarked or mundane moments of each day: commuting to work, going for a walk, shopping at a store, cleaning the kitchen. In this course, we will explore different aspects of everyday musicality, from common acts of making and listening to the communities of learning and psychological affordances they create. Throughout, we will pay close attention to the diverse functions of musicking, including self-making, motivation, social control, and healing, as well as the changing music technologies and institutions that have shaped musical experience. Assignments include readings in ethnomusicology, sociology, and history, as well as fieldwork observation and interviewing.
Elective
HPSS S235-01
ISRAEL/PALESTINE CONFLICT: GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY AND CONTEXT
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course will both introduce and afford students the opportunity to develop and expand their knowledge of the history, both co-existential and conflictual, of Israel/Palestine. Situated broadly within the context of the Middle East and beginning in antiquity with the emergence of three monotheistic religions in the Middle East – Judaism, Christianity and Islam, this course will focus initially on the Ottoman period (ca. 1500-World War One), World War One in the context of the Middle East, and the establishment of British and French mandates and the protectorates in the Middle East after World War One. The middle part of the course will be devoted to the post-World War Two Middle East and this pivotal period in the history of Israel/Palestine. Topics addressed here will include: the Cold War and US and Russian/Soviet interests in the Middle East; the Arab nationalist leader of Egypt Gamel Abd al-Nasser; the Suez Canal Crisis (1956); the Six-Day War (1967) and its aftermath; the Yom Kippur War (1973) War; the Camp David Peace Accords (1978); and the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990). The latter part of the course will focus on the recent history of Israel/Palestine and place current events and warfare in the Middle East in geographical and historical context. With an appreciation for the complexity, geo-politics, and spatial dimensionality of this topic, this course will look to engage with the history of Israel/Palestine at and across the local, regional, and international levels. This course will, in a step-wise and iterative manner, equip students with the requisite knowledge to grapple with, navigate, and develop, with the necessary intellectual precision, a multi-perspectival understanding of the past, present, and future of Israel/Palestine.
Elective
HPSS S243-01
BLACK FEMINISM
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course exposes students to the key figures, texts and concepts that constitute Black Feminism. In this course we will establish a solid understanding of Black feminist thought and related theoretical concepts by exploring the lived experiences of Black women. We will develop a historical understanding of Black feminism and how it supports intersectionality. We will assess new schools of thought like hip-hop feminism and trace the influence of Black feminism in critical race theory and Women's Studies as a whole.
Elective
HPSS S250-01
NATIVE AMERICAN FILM & MEDIA
SECTION DESCRIPTION
What is the popular perception of the indigenous peoples in the media today? How do media constructions of Native people tell us as much, if not more, about American identity than the indigenous peoples they depict? How do these various representations impact the indigenous people whose images are featured in documentaries, films, television shows, and internet media? How are Native American people taking charge of their image and stories through media production? This course explores the construction and depiction of Native American and Indigenous identity, history, culture, and language and some of America's major issues facing contemporary indigenous peoples through film and media. We will examine issues of representation, visual and textual imagery, and aesthetically distinctive but recognizable design choices that often stand in for Indigenous media. We will view award-winning films, theater depictions, television episodes, internet media, social media, comic books, and documentaries to explore these issues.
Elective
HPSS S251-01
CRITICAL HISTORY OF POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
SECTION DESCRIPTION
In this course, students will explore canonical texts in Western political thought as well as political works borne of (but not limited to) feminist philosophy, philosophy of race, queer theory, and crip theory. In conversation with these varying perspectives, students will grapple with questions concerning equality, opportunity, rights, and justice. By investigating and destabilizing the canon, this class will offer students a critical history of Western political philosophy, with an emphasis on thinkers often overlooked within the field. The course will include lectures, discussions, student presentations, and long and short form writing assignments.
Elective
HPSS S253-01
NATIVE AMERICAN ORAL TRADITIONS
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Native American oral traditions, which include storytelling, teachings, family and tribal history, and contemporary Indian literature, lie at the heart of tribal culture. It is mainly through oral tradition that American Indian cultures have been preserved and transmitted through the generations. American Indian stories, teachings, and oral histories are rich in cultural context. They provide great insight into the worldview, values, and lifestyle, which are an integral part of the heritage of American Indians. This course examines the cultural and historical contexts of Native American and Indigenous oral traditions with a focus in North America and other Indigenous traditions.
Elective
HPSS S257-01
CROOKED ROOM: REPRESENTATIONS OF BLACK WOMEN IN FILM
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This seminar looks at images and representations of black women in American films. Students will trace, discuss, critique, and analyze films that feature black female leads and tell stories of Black womanhood to interrogate how these representations reinforce and/or defy stereotypes. Students will learn the common tropes placed on Black women (Mammy, Sapphire, Jezebel), situate them historically, and learn how they affect how Black women are portrayed. Students will assess aspects of film such as director's gender and race, camera angles, script choices etc. Students will consider issues including, but not limited to, who is writing the scripts, who is directing/producing the films, whether or not the film is based on a true story or novel, when the film first premiered (and the social/cultural climate), etc. A minimum of 7 films will be watched during the course and each film will be supplemented with required reading to help contextualize the film. Written film reviews and screening sketches will be required throughout the course.
Elective
HPSS S269-01
RELIGION AND DIASPORA: TRANSMISSION, TRANSNATIONALISM, TRADITION
SECTION DESCRIPTION
How does the ambience at a gurudwara in London transport visitors to the Punjab? What makes the replica of a Shinto shrine in Hawaii as sacred as its original in Japan? Why are St. Patrick’s Day parades larger in New York than they are in Dublin? Is a Vedic fire ritual conducted in Dubai less efficacious or equal to one in Mumbai? Do the consecrated images of gods need passports when being transported across international borders? Inspired by these questions, this discussion-intensive seminar interrogates the seemingly locked connections between religion and nationality. Both popular and scholarly notions of religious authenticity have frequently distinguished specific geographical locations as uniquely sacred, prizing the doctrinal and praxis systems in these original centers as authoritative models. This course challenges the emphasis upon territorial particularism by highlighting accounts of religion from locations deemed marginal to grand narratives of religious traditions. Through close engagements with numerous case studies centered in the North American context, it exposes students to religious beliefs and practices held by diverse communities–professing identities grounded in histories of dispersion, travel, and movement–that may be variously termed as immigrant, transnational, or diasporic. These perspectives will assist in decentering ideas of homelands as stationary sources of credible religious experience. Instead, they will enable students to better understand definitions of religion that stress dynamism, process, communication, and movement. The final project for this class entails conducting ethnographic fieldwork among a diasporic community to gain a better understanding of religious diversity in the Greater Providence Area.
Elective
HPSS S272-01
PHENOMENOLOGY AND ART
SECTION DESCRIPTION
What is phenomenology, and why does it matter for art? This course will serve as an introduction to phenomenology and some of its central methods, themes, and questions. Working within and between philosophy, art, and design, we will explore how phenomenology can enliven and enrich artistic practices, and how artistic practices can broaden and enrich our understandings of perception, sensation, and embodied experience. We will consider a range of philosophical views, from canonical figures in the field (Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty) to key insights from critical phenomenologists (Alia Al-Saji, Mariana Ortega, Lisa Guenther) who question how socially and historically contingent systems of power shape our experiences in and of the world. Students will be required to complete weekly readings and participate in class discussions. The course will also include long and short form writing assignments as well as student presentations.
Elective
HPSS S439-01
POLITICAL ECONOMY OF GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS
SECTION DESCRIPTION
How do goods/products get from producers to consumers? Global supply chains are involved in the global system of organizations, people, processes, and resources that transform raw materials into finished products. Additionally, these complex processes and networks are responsible for delivering finished products to consumers. In this course, we will first lay a foundation for understanding global supply chains, drawing from political science, economics, and management. Next, we will engage in critical analysis of the process and network with respect to issues that include human rights, gender, the environment, and labor standards. We will correspondingly examine the roles of actors such as governments, firms, consumers, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations involved in global supply chains.
Elective
HPSS S439-02
POLITICAL ECONOMY OF GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS
SECTION DESCRIPTION
How do goods/products get from producers to consumers? Global supply chains are involved in the global system of organizations, people, processes, and resources that transform raw materials into finished products. Additionally, these complex processes and networks are responsible for delivering finished products to consumers. In this course, we will first lay a foundation for understanding global supply chains, drawing from political science, economics, and management. Next, we will engage in critical analysis of the process and network with respect to issues that include human rights, gender, the environment, and labor standards. We will correspondingly examine the roles of actors such as governments, firms, consumers, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations involved in global supply chains.
Elective