school of social science - Hampshire College

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
APPLICATION PROCESS FOR COMMUNICATIONS
STUDENTS
All Division II and III students wishing to work with
communication" faculty during the 1998 academic year must
file their proposals (available in the School Office) with the
faculty by April 22. 1998.
CCS 111
WHEN MACHINES TALK
Lee SpeccoclSteven Weisler
The tremendous advances in computer science over the
last three decades continually raise the question of whether
computers will ever be as intelligent, as conversant, as creative
as humans are. In this course we will examine the prospects
for building machines that can talk and can understand
human language. We will consider linguistic, philosophical.
and computational challenges to modeling what are often
considered to be the defining characteristics of what it means
(0 be human. We begin whh a discussion of the possibility of
"artificial intelligence" (AI), covering the claims that have
been made by AI scientists and the critiques of such claims
that have arisen from the philosophical community. We then
focus on the fundamental logic and mathematics of computation
and language, including techniques for proving that
certain linguistic problems are "intractable" or "unsolvable."
Students will be evaluated through a combination of
short papers and problem sets, along with a final project.
Class will meet twice a week for one hour and twenty minutes
each time. Enrollment limh is 25.
CCS 140
VIDEO I
Joan Braderman
This intensive course will introduce students to basic
video production techniques for both location and studio
work. In conjunction with technical mini courses offered by
the Library staff, we will look at the production process piece
by piece, giving anention to preproduction, fund-raising, and
distribution, as well as formal elements like color. light.
sound. composition, camera movement, and editing techniques.
We will look at tapes and films that are particularly
relevant to each facet of our work to ground our discussions.
No one form or style will be stressed, though much in-field
work will be assigned. "Video art," new narrative, "documentary,"
compilation tapes. cable shows, and other forms of
video practice will be considered. Students will be trained in
all technical aspects of video production, from shooting and
lighting techniques, studio location and switcher skills to an
introduction to the Avid. We will also introduce Adobe
Premiere and other desktop computer software including
basic graphics for video. Sound work will include omni,
shotgun and radio microphones, miking and mixing of sound
for studio, and location work for video. Students will learn to
edit on RM440s with Uhmatic decks, cuts only, and on-line
methods, as well as an introduction to computer procedures
on the Editmascer. Students will work on projects and
exercises in rocation crews throughout the term, as well as a
final project. While occasional short writing assignments will
be made, scudents will be primarily engaged in video production.
71
ISPRING I
A background in film/video theory, history. or criticism
is preferred for entry into the course. Class will meet once a
week for two hours and fifty minutes. There will also be two
two-hour workshops. Enrollment is limited to 16. All
interested students should come to the first class meeting for
selection.
CCS 143
AN INTRODUCTION TO DAOIST PHILOSOPHY
Zhaolu Lu
This is an introductory course in Chinese philosophy. It
is designed to serve the needs of students from all sectors of a
college or university and does not presuppose previous
knowledge of Chinese language. culture. or philosophy. It
provides students with a systematic introduction to the basic
works and theories of Daoism. one of the major philosophical
schools which shape the foundations of Chinese civilization
and culture. We begin with a brief survey of the rise and fall
of Daoism. We then go through Lao Zi or Dao De jing and
Zhuang Zi, these being two of the Daoist classics known as
"the Three Xuan." Finally, we shall systematically examine 12
Daoist basic categories-Dao Dc. Wu Wei, DongJing. Zhi Yu.
Zuo Wang. Yang Xing. Yang Qi. Tian Ren. Xing Shen. Yun
You, Lian Dan, Qi Wu.
Class will meet twice a week for one hour and twenty
minutes each time. Enrollment is limited to 25.
CCS 150
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INFANT
Mary Jo Rattermann
The rate of a child's development during the first 24
months of life is astounding. During this time infants begin to
interact with their environment in increasingly more sophisticated
ways; they begin to walk, to talk, and [0 affect the
people around them. In this course we will examine the
intellectual development of the child during these crucial
months. as well as the infant's emotional and social growth. In
addition to providing an overview of the course of infant
development. this class will also introduce the student to the
basic research questions and techniques used to study infant
development. Students will be expected to read and critique a
series of articles from the professional scientific literature.
Students will also be asked to give one presentation during the
course of the semester. Additionally, they will write a final
paper that may be developed into a Division I examination
project.
Class will meet twice a week for one hour and twenty
minutes each time. Enrollment limit is 20.
CCS 171
INTRODUCTION TO INTERACTIVE MEDIA
PRODUCTION
Richard Muller
This is an introduction to the concepts and techniques
that inform current work in interactive media production.
The course will be organized around the production of an
interactive CD-ROM piece. The class as a whole will develop
the specifications and design for the project; students will
work in smaller groups to design and produce the elements of
the piece and to integrate these elements into a single work.
Among the topics covered will be production planning;
interface design and testing; acquiring, creating, and editing