Choosing Classes

HOW TO CHOOSE AND REQUEST CLASSES

This is the hardest part because there are so many courses available and the descriptions are short. Here are courses that are almost 100% guaranteed to be approved. (There are rare cases when a course might be declined, but that is rare.)

Choose courses for Fall semester first, but take a look at the spring offerings too–there could be courses you really want then, so you may want to finish your American Studies requirement in the Fall semester.

Step A

Choose courses from the lists below based on what Danielle and Rajiv mentioned in the Welcome letter and your own interests.

Step B

Email Danielle your 2 courses for Fall and 1 backup. You may also indicate your spring choices, but those may change.

Fall 2023 American Studies courses

  • HST 319: Asian American History

Survey of Asian American history from mid-nineteenth century to present. Analysis of shared and different experiences of the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, Hmong, and East Indian peoples who have come to the United States.

Instructor: Anna Pegler-Gordon.

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 3:00 PM-4:20 PM

Location: Case Hall, 339

  • HST 320: History of Michigan

Political, social, and economic development from colonial beginnings to the present.

Instructor: Roger Rosentreter.

Days and Times: Monday and Wednesday, 6:00 PM-7:20 PM

Location: Natural Sciences Bldg, 140

  • HST 306: Modern United States

United States history from 1920 to the present. Transformations in political, economic, and social institutions and Americans’ responses to these changes. Development of the welfare-warfare state. The transformation to a post-industrial economy. Political and cultural responses to these changes.

Instructor: James Anderson

Days and Times: Monday and Wednesday 6:00 PM-7:20 PM

Location: South Kedzie, S109

  • HST 329: College Sports in the United States

Origins of sports in higher education. Effects of industrialization and television. Civil rights movement in sports: incorporation of women and members of minorities. Title IX era. History of individual sports.

Instructor: Juan Pescador

Days and Times: Monday and Wednesday 8:00 AM-9:20 AM

Location: STEM, 1001

  • IAH (Integrative Studies Arts & Hum) 201: United States and the World (D) face to face sections (no online sections allowed)
  • IAH (Integrative Studies Arts & Hum) 207: Literatures, Cultures, Identities (I) Sec 013-Focus: Ideas of Race and Identity.

Instructor: Emily Katz

Days and Times: Friday, 11:30 AM-12:20 PM

Location: Demonstration Hall, 204

  • REL 220: Religion in America.

History, themes and issues of religions in America from precolonial times to the present

Instructor: Shreena Gandhi

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday 2:40 PM-4:00 PM

Location: Hubbard Hall, 129

Fall 2023 Professional courses

1.      ENG 420 Language and Culture

Domain, issues, and methods of cultural linguistics. Relationship between language and culture. Language and ethnicity, status, and role. Pidgin and Creole languages. Crosscultural communication

Instructor: Chantal Tetreault

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:20 AM-11:40 Am

Location: Natural Sciences Bldg, 145

  2.     LLT 807: Language Teaching Methods Approaches, methods, and materials for teaching foreign and second languages , including the teaching of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Selection and evaluation of materials, lesson planning, and management of activities and materials.

Instructors: Amy Kroesche

Days and Times: Wednesday, 4:10 PM-7:00 PM

Location: Wells Hall, A104

3.     LLT 809: Teaching Second Language Reading and Writing

Teaching reading and writing in foreign and second language contexts. Vocabulary and pre-reading activities; materials development; integrating, assessing and researching reading and writing; reading and writing to learn language, academic reading and writing.

Instructors: Charlene Polio

Days and Times: Monday, 3:00 PM-5:50 PM

Location: Wells Hall, B106

 

4.    LLT 861: Advanced Topics in Second Language Acquisition

Advanced course in second language acquisition. Topics vary based on current topics in the field and faculty interests.

Instructors: Paula Winke

Days and Times: Tuesday, 8:00 AM-10:50 AM

Location: Wells Hall, A222

5.     LLT 874: Qualitative Research in Second Language Studies

Theories, principles, and techniques underlying qualitative research. Applications to investigating second language learning and teaching.

Instructors: Peter De Costa

Days and Times: Thursday 11:30 Am-2:20 PM

Location: Wells Hall, A304

 

6.    LIN 225: Language and Gender.

Gender and language in societies around the world. Issues such as status, power and politeness in monolingual and multilingual societies. The role of gender in language development, language variation and language change.

Instructors: Not Available at the moment

Days and Times: Monday and Wednesday, 10:20 AM-11:40 Am

Location: Not Available at the moment

 

7.     LIN 424: Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology.

Phonetics, phonetics features and components, phonological phenomena, phonemic analysis, sound systems and data analysis.

Instructors: Scott Borgeson

Days and Times: Monday and Wednesday, 10:20 AM-11:40 AM

Location: Wells Hall, A226

 

8.    LIN 434: Introduction to Syntax. Structure of sentences and structural relations among phrases. Methods of syntactic analysis and argumentation.

Instructors: Alan Munn

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:20 AM-11:40 AM

Location: Wells Hall, A301

 

9.    LIN 437: Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics.

Natural language semantics and pragmatics. How human languages encode meaning and put linguistic meanings to use. Basic mathematical tools used to formally analyze semantics and pragmatics data.

Instructors: Brian Buccola

Days and Times: Monday and Wednesday, 12:40 PM-2:00 PM

Location: Wells Hall, A118

 

10.  LIN 463: Introduction to Cognitive Science

Cognitive processing of information by animals, humans, and computers. Relevant issues in philosophy, linguistics, psychology, neurophysiology, and artificial intelligence.

Instructor: Ralf Schmaelzle

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:20 AM-11:40 AM

Location: Natural Resources Bldg, 223

11.    LIN 471: Sociolinguistics Tue Thu : 10:20 AM-11:40 AM Instructor: Suzanne Wagner. Linguistic and social psychological bases for language choice. Accounts of language variation and related larger constructs such as speech community, communicative competence, dialect, and language change.

Instructor: Betsy Sneller

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 12:40 PM-2:00 PM

Location: Wells Hall, A132

 

12.   ROM 803: Foundations of Contemporary Language Teaching

Theoretical and research foundations for communicative and proficiency-oriented instruction of World languages with implications for the classroom.

Instructor: Anne Violin Wigent

Days and Times: Wednesday, 3:00 PM-5:50 PM

Location: Wells Hall, A236

 

13.   THR (Theatre) 101N: Acting I for Non-Theatre Majors (sections 1-5)

Available Sections-

Section 1:

Instructor: Robert Roznowski

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 3:00 PM-4:50 PM

Location: Auditorium, 305

Section 2:

Instructor(s): Mona Eldahshoury and Robert Roznowski

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 3:00 PM-4:50 PM

Location: Brody Hall, 175

 

14.  Others: language classes, EAD courses, misc others.

Spring 2024 American Studies Courses

  1. AIIS (Amer Indian & Indigenous Stdy) 201.001: Introduction to American Indian and Indigenous Studies

Introduction to the study of American Indian and other Indigenous peoples, including issues related to culture, knowledge, language, governance, colonization, sovereignty, and ongoing revitalization efforts.

Instructor: Not available at the moment

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 12:40 PM 2:00 PM

Location: Berkey Hall, 209

  • ANP (Anthropology) 433: Contemporary American Indian Communities

 American Indian communities today, both reservation and urban, including issues of tribalization, Pan-Indianism, culture change and revitalization, economic development, federal policy, religious freedom, and gender roles.

Instructor: Heather Howard

Days and Times: Monday and Wednesday, 12:40 PM-2:00 PM

Location: Snyder Hall, C202

  • ENG (English) 350: Readings in African, African-American, or African Diaspora Literature Tue Thu : 12:40 PM-2:00 PM  Instructor: Joshua Lam Extensive readings in multiple genres drawn from the literature of Anglophone Africa, from African American writers, or from the African Diaspora.

Instructor: Joshua Lam

Days and Times: Monday and Wednesday, 12:40 PM-2:00 PM

Location: Not available at the moment

  • IAH (Integrative Studies Arts & Hum) 201: United States and the World (D) Section 740 Hybrid section

A hybrid section blends online instruction with scheduled in-person class sessions. Focus: American Indians from Stereotype to Human Being.

Instructor: Patrick Lebeau

Days and Times: Monday, 8:00 AM-9:50 AM

Location: Tentative, Berkey Hall, 314

  • IAH (Integrative Studies Arts & Hum) 201: United States and the World (D) Section 741 The Muslim Experience in the US

This class meets in person on Mondays and OA the rest of the week.

Instructor: Brahim Chakrani

Days and Times: Monday, 12:40 PM-2:30 PM

Location: Not available at the moment

  • IAH 207: Literatures, Cultures, Identities Sec 030-Focus: Ideas of Race and Identity

Instructor: Alena Aniskiewicz

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:20 AM-12:10 AM

Location: Hubbard Hall, G32

  • REL (Religious Studies) 306: Native American Religions

Indigenous forms of spirituality among the Native American peoples. Materials from myth, ritual, ceremonial life, and art as ways of obtaining and sharing religious knowledge. Pervasive spiritual and cosmological themes.

Instructor: Not available at the moment

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 2:40-4:00 PM

Location: Ernst Bessey Hall, 316

Spring 2024 Professional Courses

  1. ANP (Anthropology) 330: Race, Ethnicity, and Nation: Anthropological Approaches to Collective Identity 

Understanding race and ethnicity. Models analyzing racial, ethnic, and national identities; boundaries; and collective identities and differentiations. Case studies from cultures worldwide.

Instructor: Andrea Louie

Days and Times: Monday and Wednesday, 10:20 AM-11:40 AM

Location: Snyder Hall, C302

  • ANP (Anthropology) 420: Language and Culture

Domain, issues, and methods of cultural linguistics. Relationship between language and culture. Language and ethnicity, status, and role. Pidgin and Creole languages. Crosscultural communication.

Instructor: Mindy Morgan

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 2:40 PM-4:00 PM

Location: Tentative, Berkey Hall, 217

  • ENG (English) 420: Language and Culture

Domain, issues, and methods of cultural linguistics. Relationship between language and culture. Language and ethnicity, status, and role. Pidgin and Creole languages. Crosscultural communication.

Instructor: Mindy Morgan

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 2:40 PM-4:00 PM

Location: Tentative, Berkey Hall, 217

  • LIN (Linguistics) 431: Introduction to Morphology

Word structure, word formation, morphological analysis, interface with phonology and syntax, and theoretical issues in morphology. Data from diverse languages of the world.

Instructor: Deogratias Ngonyani

Days and Times: Monday and Wednesday, 10:20 AM-11:40 AM

Location: Wells Hall, A226

  • LIN (Linguistics) 424: Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

Phonetics, phonetics features and components, phonological phenomena, phonemic analysis, sound systems and data analysis.

Instructor: Scott Borgeson

Days and Times: Monday and Wednesday, 10:20 AM-11:40 AM

Location: Engineering Building, 3400

  • LIN 434: Introduction to Syntax

Structure of sentences and structural relations among phrases. Methods of syntactic analysis and argumentation.

Instructor: Alan Munn

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:20 AM-11:40 AM

Location: Wells Hall, A318

  • LIN (Linguistics) 450: Child Language Acquisition

 Linguistic issues, perspectives and research on the acquisition of language by children. Phonology, lexicon, morphology, syntax, semantics. Universal principles, variation, contexts. Implications for related disciplines.

Instructor: Cristina Schmitt

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 8:30 AM-9:50 AM

Location:  Wells Hall, A326

  • LIN (Linguistics) 471: Sociolinguistics

Hybrid section

Instructor: Betsy Sneller

Days and Times: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:20 AM-11:40 AM

Location: Not available at the moment

  • LLT (Language, Learning & Teaching) 808: Assessment for Language Teaching and Research

Classroom diagnostic and achievement assessment. Reliability and validity of language tests. Alternative assessment methods. Standardized and performance-based testing. Program-level assessment. Measuring language proficiency for research.

Instructor: Koenraad Van Gorp

Days and Times: Monday, 9:10 AM-12:00 PM

Location: Wells Hall, A304

  1. LLT (Language, Learning & Teaching) 841: Topics in Second/Foreign Language Learning and Teaching: Language Learning and Technology

Instructor: Senta Goertler

Days and Times: Wednesday, 4:10 PM-7:00 PM

Location: Wells Hall, A304

  1. LLT (Language, Learning & Teaching) 846: English Structures and Functions

Polio Phonological, morphological, grammatical, lexical, discourse and pragmatic systems of English, including historical origins and social, regional, and gender variations. Application to the teaching of English to speakers of other languages.

Instructor: Patricia Spinner

Days and Times: Monday, 3:00 PM-5:50 PM

Location: Wells Hall, A234

  1. LLT (Language, Learning & Teaching) 872: Research Methods for Language Teaching and Foreign/Second Language Learning


Concepts and procedures for designing and conducting research in second/foreign language learning and teaching.

Instructor: Charlene Polio

Days and Times: Tuesday, 3:00 PM-5:50 PM

Location: Wells Hall, A336

  1. THR (Theatre) 101N: Acting I for Non-Theatre Majors

Section 1:

Instructor: Robert Roznowski

Days and Times: Monday and Wednesday, 12:40 PM-2:30 PM

Location: Auditorium 305

Section 2:

Instructor: Oscar Rodriguez, Robert Roznowski

Days and Times: Monday and Wednesday, 3:00 PM-4:50 PM

Location: Auditorium 305

  1. Others: language classes, EAD courses, misc others.