“Laughing Matters: Sitcoms and Society,” UWS 77B
This course explores the American television sitcom as more than just entertainment—as a mirror of cultural values and a subtle engine of social commentary. From All in the Family to The Office, sitcoms have long reflected and shaped public conversations about identity, power, and everyday life.
Students examine how humor, character dynamics, and narrative structure engage with changing societal norms, revealing how sitcoms both reinforce and challenge ideas about race, gender, class, and politics. By analyzing key shows across decades, we explore how this enduring form of popular culture influences the way we think about social difference, belonging, and the construction of the “ordinary.” The course invites students to develop original arguments through recursive writing practices and critical conversation.
“The Resistance Mix-Tape: Music and Social Justice,” UWS 64B
This course explores music as a powerful tool for political expression and social change. Drawing on genres like folk, punk, and hip-hop, we examine how artists have used music to resist injustice, confront systems of power, and give voice to marginalized communities. From the anti-war anthems of the 1960s to contemporary protest tracks, we consider how music does more than reflect culture—it helps shape it.
Students engage with songs as rich, multimodal texts—linguistic, sonic, and visual—and use critical frameworks to analyze how race, gender, class, and identity intersect with musical expression. While no musical training is required, students are invited to think deeply and critically about how sound, language, and performance work together to advocate for justice. The course culminates in an independent research project on a music and social justice topic of the student’s choosing.
“Everyday Apocalypse; or Living Through the Long Emergency,” UWS 65A
This course examines how we make sense of a world shaped by ongoing crisis. From pandemics and climate disasters to racial injustice and political extremism, our present moment is often defined by overlapping emergencies that blur the line between the ordinary and the catastrophic.
Through contemporary events and cultural texts—film, media, literature, and more—we explore how the idea of “normalcy” is constructed, challenged, and manipulated. How do media and political discourse shape our understanding of crisis? How do people navigate a world where uncertainty feels constant? Students in this course investigate these questions from multiple angles, using writing and research to critically engage with the complex challenges of our time—and to imagine alternative futures.
“The Composition Seminar,” CSEM
This first-year composition course is designed to help students strengthen their writing practices and build confidence as they transition into college-level work. Rooted in collaboration and inquiry, the course emphasizes writing as a process—supported by pre-drafts, peer review, and one-on-one faculty conferences.
Students engage in a series of writing and research projects that invite close reading, critical thinking, and rhetorical awareness across a range of media. The course also introduces students to digital and multimodal literacies, culminating in a collaborative capstone project: a research-driven website on a social justice issue that matters to them. Along the way, students become more engaged participants in the intellectual and civic life of the university.