This course examines how we as consumers in the "Western" world engage with musical difference largely through the products of the global entertainment industry. We examine music cultures in contact in a variety of ways-- particularly as traditions in transformation. Students gain an understanding of traditional music as live, meaningful person-to-person music making, by examining the music in its original site of production, and then considering its transformation once it is removed, and recontextualized in a variety of ways. The purpose of the course is to enable students to become informed and critical consumers of "World Music" by telling a series of stories about particular recordings made with, or using the music of, peoples culturally and geographically distant from the US. Students come to understand that not all music downloads containing music from unfamiliar places are the same, and that particular recordings may be embedded in intriguing and controversial narratives of production and consumption. At the very least, students should emerge from the class with a clear understanding that the production, distribution, and consumption of world music is rarely a neutral process.

This course examines how we as consumers in the "Western" world engage with musical difference largely through the products of the global entertainment industry. We examine music cultures in contact in a variety of ways-- particularly as traditions in transformation. Students gain an understanding of traditional music as live, meaningful person-to-person music making, by examining the music in its original site of production, and then considering its transformation once it is removed, and recontextualized in a variety of ways. The purpose of the course is to enable students to become informed and critical consumers of "World Music" by telling a series of stories about particular recordings made with, or using the music of, peoples culturally and geographically distant from the US. Students come to understand that not all music downloads containing music from unfamiliar places are the same, and that particular recordings may be embedded in intriguing and controversial narratives of production and consumption. At the very least, students should emerge from the class with a clear understanding that the production, distribution, and consumption of world music is rarely a neutral process.

This freshman seminar examines the homelessness problem from a variety of scientific and policy perspectives. Contemporary homelessness differs significantly from related conditions of destitute poverty during other eras of our nation's history. Advocates, researchers and policymakers have all played key roles in defining the current problem, measuring its prevalence, and designing interventions to reduce it. The first section of this course examines the definitional and measurement issues, and how they affect our understanding of the scale and composition of the problem. Explanations for homelessness have also been varied, and the second part of the course focuses on examining the merits of some of those explanations, and in particular, the role of the affordable housing crisis. The third section of the course focuses on the dynamics of homelessness, combining evidence from ethnographic studies of how people become homeless and experience homelessness, with quantitative research on the patterns of entry and exit from the condition. The final section of the course turns to the approaches taken by policymakers and advocates to address the problem, and considers the efficacy and quandaries associated with various policy strategies. The course concludes by contemplating the future of homelessness research and public policy.

Freshmen Seminars under the title "Topics in Literature" will afford entering students who are considering literary study, the opportunity to explore a particular and limited subject with a professor whose current work lies in that area. Topics may range from the lyric poems of Shakespeare's period to the ethnic fiction of contemporary America. Small class-size will insure all students the opportunity to participate in lively discussions. Students may expect frequent and extensive writing assignments, but these seminars are not writing courses; rather they are intensive introductions to the serious study of literature.


See the Africana Studies Department's website at https://africana.sas.upenn.edu for a description of the current offerings.

Freshmen Seminars under the title "Topics in Literature" will afford entering students who are considering literary study, the opportunity to explore a particular and limited subject with a professor whose current work lies in that area. Topics may range from the lyric poems of Shakespeare's period to the ethnic fiction of contemporary America. Small class-size will insure all students the opportunity to participate in lively discussions. Students may expect frequent and extensive writing assignments, but these seminars are not writing courses; rather they are intensive introductions to the serious study of literature.


See the Africana Studies Department's website at https://africana.sas.upenn.edu for a description of the current offerings.

The primary goal of the freshman seminar program is to provide every freshman the opportunity for a direct personal encounter with a faculty member in a small setting devoted to a significant intellectual endeavor. Specific topics will be posted at the beginning of each academic year. Fulfills Arts and Letters sector requirement. This course is cross-listed with MUSC 016 when the subject matter is related to African American or other African Diaspora issues. See the Africana Studies Department's course list at https://africana.sas.upenn.edu for a description of the current offering.


See the Africana Studies Department's websie at https://africana.sas.upenn.edu for a description of current offerings.

This course is cross-listed with PSCI 010 (Freshmen Seminar) when the subject matter is related to African American or other African Diaspora issues. Topics vary. A recent topic is "Race, Crime, and Punishment." See the Africana Studies Department's website at https://africana.sas.upenn.edu for a description of the current offerings.

The course will focus on race and ethnicity in the United States. We begin with a brief history of racial categorization and immigration to the U.S. The course continues by examining a number of topics including racial and ethnic identity, interracial and interethnic friendships and marriage, racial attitudes, mass media images, residential segregation, educational stratification, and labor market outcomes. The course will include discussions of African Americans, Whites, Hispanics, and Asian Americans and Multiracials.

The course will focus on race and ethnicity in the United States. We begin with a brief history of racial categorization and immigration to the U.S. The course continues by examining a number of topics including racial and ethnic identity, interracial and interethnic friendships and marriage, racial attitudes, mass media images, residential segregation, educational stratification, and labor market outcomes. The course will include discussions of African Americans, Whites, Hispanics, and Asian Americans and Multiracials.

The course will focus on race and ethnicity in the United States. We begin with a brief history of racial categorization and immigration to the U.S. The course continues by examining a number of topics including racial and ethnic identity, interracial and interethnic friendships and marriage, racial attitudes, mass media images, residential segregation, educational stratification, and labor market outcomes. The course will include discussions of African Americans, Whites, Hispanics, and Asian Americans and Multiracials.