Earlham College | Explore-A-College

Metalsmithing: Functional and Wearable Art
This introductory course reveals the mysteries of one of the world’s oldest and most diverse art forms. Through the exploration of materials, techniques and traditions, you develop a deeper appreciation of both historic and contemporary metal arts. Wearable and functional objects are explored for creative and expressive potential as we develop skills in hand fabrication. Slide presentations and viewing of actual works enrich the studio experience with an understanding of metalsmithing in the context of contemporary crafts in our culture and our world. You gain new technical skills, new appreciation of historical and contemporary artwork, and new art that you have created.
Instructor: Nathan Jones
Assistant Professor of Art

Photography: Introduction to Black and White Photography
Join Earlham’s Artist in Residence, Walt Bistline, for an intensive introduction to blackand white darkroom photography! In this art course, you (a) learn how to use your camera’s controls to achieve the technical and creative results you want, (b) shoot and develop your own black and white film and print your own enlargements in the college’s darkrooms, and (c) review the history of photography through a wide-ranging slide show of works by famous photographers. You have opportunities to explore the creative use of photography as a means of personal expression through a variety of projects. You also are introduced to the fundamentals of art criticism as you talk about your photographs with the class and join in our lively group discussions of everyone’s work.

Film, photo paper and all necessary chemicals are provided for you.Please bring your own camera. It should be one that allows you to manually change its settings, such as the shutter speed and aperture. (No digital cameras for this course, please.)
Instructor: Walt Bistline
Artist in Residence in Photography

"I loved learning such an interesting subject in a comfortable environment. The professor was fantastic, and I learned so much about myself and the great place that Earlham is!"

Hannah, EAC '05 from Ridgefield, CT

Morality, Literature, and Me
What makes life meaningful? Am I a good person? How does an awareness of the inevitability of death influence our morality or our choices in life? How can we understand human suffering and the ways people deal with it? What is freedom, and when can it be restricted? Should our value systems be based on personal, sacred, or social authority? Using works of literature and philosophy,we examine these questions and learn about academic approaches to such concerns, while applying that knowledge to our own lives. In this course we examine such topics as: responsibility and moral choice; individual freedom and social control; and civil liberties, equality, and social justice.
Instructor: Charles Watson
Assistant Professor of Philosophy and
African and African American Studies

Writing for College
In this course, you explore writing as a process (the craft of writing) and writing as a product (ideas and arguments worthy to be read and discussed), with a special focus on types of writing often assigned in college courses. You read published texts and those you produce for the class, discussing these texts to share insights on the subject matter and on the writer's craft. You revise your work based on peer and instructor feedback, build skills in research and in the evaluation of sources, and work collaboratively to enhance analytical, critical and imaginative skills. Education is a loose theme around which readings and some writing assignments center.
Instructor: Joann Quiñones
Assistant Professor of English

Conversational Spanish
In most areas of the United States today there is opportunity to interact with native Spanish speakers. In this class you advance your ability to hold conversations with Spanish speakers and learn about their cultures and ways of life. Through literature, music, movies and conversations with native Spanish speakers, you are immersed in exploring issues of social life, education, politics, and other current issues facing young people today. Class, tutorials, and library and Internet assignments provide the academic setting for focus on grammar, pronunciation, prepared oral presentations, and spontaneous conversation. And, of course, an exploration of Hispanic culture must include some traditional food and una fiesta! You should have completed one year of high school Spanish.
Instructor: César A. Castañeda A.
Adjunct Professor of Spanish

Intensive Japanese
Learning a language other than ours is an eye-opening experience. Learning a language very different from ours, such as Japanese, is challenging and exciting. You learn Japanese language and culture through intensive and interactive activities, and through group and individual projects with the help of reading and writing exercises. By examining films, animation, video programs and other resources, you find out about the lives of Japanese young people, their interests, their plans for the future, and ideas and attitudes they have in common with American young people. You should have completed one year of high school Japanese and mastered hiragana.
Instructor: Chisato Murakami
Assistant Professor of Japanese Language

Oceans and Ice: Geology of Indiana through Time
This course explores the geologic history of Indiana. We look at the remnants of ancient oceans and fossils in rock outcrops and reconstruct Indiana's ancient environment. In addition, we make maps of glacial features in Indiana, learn about Indiana’s landscape, and discuss glaciers and Ice Ages (past AND future). Part of the class also focuses on Indiana’s energy and mineral resources, including oil, coal, and limestone. We will spend time in the classroom and the lab, but most of our time will be spent outdoors.
Instructor: Meg Streepey
Assistant Professor of Geosciences

America's Middle East
What does the average American citizen, government official, policy maker, or military leader know about the Middle East, and how did they acquire their knowledge? What are the connections between what Americans know about the Middle East, what they think about its countries and peoples, and how they think their government and their military should behave toward the region? In this course we’ll explore the history of American
involvement in the Middle East, together with the scope and character of what Americans tend to know about it, and try to get some sense of how knowledge and action have been connected. If our knowledge were different, would our behavior be different too?
Instructor: Chuck Yates
Professor of History

Exploring Human Behavior
Have you ever wondered why people act as they do? Psychologists offer four kinds of answers to this question. People influence each other through social processes. The physical environment affects us psychologically. One’s own personality has important effects on behavior. And lastly, at the physiological level, the brain and nervous system determine our actions. In this course, we examine all four explanations by employing lectures, readings, films, hands-on activities, and discussion. Classical studies and contemporary research introduce you to the theories and methods of the field of psychology. A library project fosters skills in using psychological literature.
Instructor: Nelson Bingham
Professor of Psychology

Freedom's Daughters: Women in the Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s was one of the great transformative social movements of the twentieth century. It remade not just race relations in the South but was the training ground for subsequent social movements in contemporary American society. Women were an essential, and often dominant, part of that movement, yet most of us know little of the women who collectively and individually gave their talents, strengths and lives to the st ruggle to expand democracy and realize racial justice in America. This course focuses on the leadership and contributions of such individual women as Ella Baker, Septima Clark, Diane Nash, Ruby Hurley, Gloria Richardson, and Fannie Lou Hamer as well as the collective works of hundreds of women in campaigns in Montgomery, Birmingham, and the Mississippi Delta. Additionally, the course examines the ways in which gender politics affected the direction and underlying structures of the Civil Rights Movement.
Instructor: Phyllis Boanes
African and African American Studies Director
Associate Professor of History

Susan Hillmann de Castañeda, EC'93, Director Explore-A-College
Melissa Bickford, Program Assistant

Telephone toll-free: 1-800-EARLHAM (1-800-327-5426)
Within Richmond area: 983-1330 or 983-1462
FAX: 765/983-1560
E-mail: Explore-A-College

Earlham College affirms its commitment, in all its activities and processes, to treat people equally without concern for age, gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, or ethnic origin.