Fall 2008 House Courses
Syllabi and course synopses for the Fall 2008 offerings are now available. For more information on our House Courses, log onto ACES Course Schedule and look under the listings for HOUSECS. The courses offered this semester include:
Lost in Translation: Asians in America
HOUSECS 79.01
Asian/Pacific Islander is the fastest growing racial minority group in the United States. According to Duke University Undergraduate Admissions, 21.5% of the Class of 2009 is classified as Asian, Asian-American or Pacific Islander. By US standards, about one-third of the world population classifies as Asian. There have been several waves of Asian immigration in the United States, introducing generations of vastly different identities into, and thus constantly reshaping, the Asian Diaspora. It is a population with conflicts from the outside and within. Many have one foot in the United States and another half-way across the world. In this "multicultural" country of ever increasing diversity, where do Asians fit in?
In this class we will explore the Asian identity and its role in the United States. What does it mean to be Asian/Asian American? How do we perceive ourselves and how do others perceive us? Who is our voice and what should they say? Should there even be a voice? We will investigate these questions, and more, using history, popular culture, the media, politics and our own experiences to bring light to these issues. Finally, we will wrap up the class by bringing it all back home and looking at the Asian presence at Duke.
Instructors (and Contact for Permission Numbers in 2nd week of Drop/Add):
Jack Zhang (jack.zhang@duke.edu)
Erica Duh
Michelle Sohn
Meeting Time and Place:
Mondays 7:00 - 8:30pm, Keohane 4B 402 Living Room
Dating and Mating: Hookup Culture at Duke
HOUSECS 79.03
The purpose of this course is to explore the topics of sexual ethics and casual sex as they apply to Duke. College campuses have long been accused as being havens for casual hookups and sexual encounters. At Duke, students live, breath, and date by this credo; relationships with people of the opposite sex are often dependent on this hookup culture. It is important that students not only understand what their beliefs about sex are, but also what has shaped those beliefs. Perceptions about "hooking up" can be both positive and negative. Some would argue that a de-romanticized sex life is empowering. What part of one's identity -- sexuality, race, gender, religion, etc. -- creates these ideologies about sex and "hooking up"? Does the hookup culture itself differ from one race and one sexuality (ie: one identity) to another; or does the mainstream hookup culture set the sex scene for an entire campus? Who is entitled to participate in this hookup culture, and who is excluded from it? What part does "social ladder-ing" play, and what sex scene remains for those who don't fit into the "ideal"? As a campus, where do we go from here? How can we strive to make this hookup culture a healthy one, and what part does communication play? This course plans to understand and explore these pertinent questions.
Instructors (and Contact for Permission Numbers in 2nd week of Drop/Add):
Katrina Weschler kbw7@duke.edu
Chantel Liggett
Meeting Time and Place:
Mon, 8:00 - 9:30pm, Keohane 4D 301