Spring 2027

Mahjong (麻将 / 麻雀) is a lively and engaging game that originated in China and is widely played in Taiwan. It is common to see people playing Mahjong in parks, tea houses, or with friends in a relaxed social setting. The game uses tiles marked with Chinese characters and symbols, making it a unique and interactive way to connect language with play.

In

Feminism imagines a world free of gender-based oppression and injustice. But what exactly does such freedom involve? In this course, we’ll investigate the interplay between gender, feminist theory, and philosophical views about freedom. Some prompting questions include: Is individual freedom enough? What does ubiquitous pornography mean for sexual

In his re-interpretation of psychoanalytic structures, Jacques Lacan described the feminine position not as a gender or an identity but as a form of “jouissance”, a word that is related to enjoyment, but in his use is more akin “getting off on”. This feminine jouissance is available to any subject regardless of gender. According to this proposition, the

For the experienced (3+years of playing) violinist/violist. Lessons in traditional styles of fiddling – Quebecois, New England, Southern Appalachian, Scandinavian, Cajun, Irish, and Scottish. This course is designed to heighten awareness of the variety of ways the violin is played regionally and socially in North America (and indeed around the world) and to give practical

This is an intensive seminar on films about film, films that undo themselves, films that analyze their own methods of construction, and films that examine the assumptions of filmic grammar. The course is a primer on film theories through the work of the filmmaker-as-theorist such as  Harun Farocki, William Greaves, Straub and Huillet, Jean-Luc Godard, Laura Mulvey,

This class explores how to make fine art black and white and color inkjet prints from digital files. Students will learn how to edit digital media with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom by using non-destructive workflows to preserve the integrity of their files. The course will emphasize developing technical proficiency along with making

Virtue is a habit. To be ethical is to choose the mean between extremes. Happiness is not a goal, but a state. In popular culture, Aristotle's ethical views are often represented in slogan form. In this seven-week course, we will interrogate and unpack the meanings of and ideas behind these slogans. We will carefully investigate the theory embodied in

This course will discuss practices and ethics around digital photography, and experiment with foundational tools and techniques, aiming to create space for students to develop their own interests within the possibilities of the medium. Classes will combine practical exercises, readings on the development of digital photography and its impact on society, discussions mostly on

In this course, students will study and practice social conversation structures modeled in French-speaking contexts. From palabres to salons, from débats to theatrical dialogues, students will develop their understanding of various oral cultural practices, their subtexts and implicit codes, and the ways in which meaning is negotiated through tone, gesture, and context.

This course will closely examine various modes in which poetry is commonly written, including the elegy, the ode, the ekphrastic, the prose poem, the pastoral, the aubade, and the litany. Students will also be introduced to the vocabulary and practice of traditional prosody, acquire a familiarity with writing in meter and using rhyme, and attempt prescribed forms such as the

To do or not to do?
The decision itself is already a mystery.
Moments of choice are often ambiguous, unstable, even uncomfortable—yet at the same time full of possibility.

This course explores improvisation through the tension between embodiment and disembodiment. For example, imagine standing in a dining hall, unable to decide between a hamburger and a pizza

The Gothic is a worldview equally at home in nostalgia and strangeness. It thirsts for arcane, even craven, knowledge and is frequently motivated by a fearful fascination with the foreign. In Gothic novels (the first of which appeared in 1764) psychic ‘interiority’ is revealed in dark spaces tainted by unthinkable crimes or haunted by spirits--and/or The Church. But if

This course is designed to assist MFA Research Fellows with the research and development of their new work. The weekly format is determined with the candidates. In class, they show works-in-progress and discuss issues involved in their creative processes. Though the class meets only once a week, candidates are expected to spend considerable time each week in active, ongoing

This course is designed to assist MFA candidates with the research and development of their new work. The weekly format is determined with the candidates. In class, they show works-in-progress, try out ideas with their colleagues, and discuss issues involved in their creative processes. Though the class meets only once a week, candidates are expected to spend considerable

This course allows students more time to complete thesis project work.

Fundamentals of 2-D animation principles will be explored through drawing, from basic motion cycles to straight-ahead animation. Students will primarily work analog- pencil and pen on paper, with additional instruction in After Effects compositing workflow. Weekly exercises will explore a variety of animation techniques to create short

This course will focus on the learning of traditional Scottish and Irish melodies on the harp as well as developing foundational technique. This will include looking at body posture, the importance of relaxation and its relationship to developing good tone, and finger placement. In group lessons, students will learn melodies and exercises the traditional aural way, by ear,

A brief history of animated images from the 1500s to the present day including early devices to create sequential images, through to the invention of the rotoscope, avantgarde

We will work semi-chronologically from the late 19th to the early 21st century, examining how the “director” emerged as a seminal force in the experimental theater. Parallel movements in film will be considered, but our focus remains on live performance. We will read historic manifestos, critical responses, and examine videos and visual research. We may read contemporary

History tells us that humans have always wondered about the natural world. For thousands of years, our ancestors gazed in wonder at the heavens, experimented with plants and medicines, and tried to comprehend their own mortality.  But when did “science” actually begin to be its own field, separate from philosophy, astrology, or faith? Beginning with human

This course offers a continuing introduction to the history and development of world theater and drama. We will experience the vibrant pageant of theater history through an exploration of its conventions and aesthetics, as well as its social and cultural functions. Starting in the nineteenth century, we will read representative plays ranging from the advent of stage Realism

Human rights are universal in principle, but often they are systematically violated in practice, especially in developing countries of the global south. This introductory course explores the international politics of human rights, with a particular focus on the developing world. Topics to be examined in lectures, written assignments, discussions

Hyper Body Practice is a movement lab for people who are curious about how the body actually works—not just how it’s “supposed” to look. Instead of chasing perfect technique, we explore how movement emerges through the relationship between perception, environment, and imagination.

Each class starts with somatic practices inspired by Water Dropping Technique and

Students propose an independent study plan with approval from Donna Faye Burchfield and select an approved thinking partner/mentor.

Students propose an independent study plan with approval from Donna Faye Burchfield and select an approved thinking partner/mentor.