In a class of their own: Some of Marquette’s interesting course offerings
When John Fitzpatrick, a 2009 College of Engineering alumnus, signed up for “History of the Musical in America,” he never thought a class in which the professor dressed up in an apron and served meat pies (while teaching about the musical Sweeney Todd) would help him in the future. However, as Fitzpatrick puts it, after graduating and entering “a world of cocktail parties,” knowing a thing or two about the American musical is a pretty good idea.
“This information really isn’t important to my major, but it may come in handy at social events,” said Fitzpatrick. “It is something that helps culture students.”
“History of the Musical in America,” taught by Paul Salsini, a lecturer in the College of Communication, is a class that may not offer students something that directly affects one’s major, but Fitzpatrick says it was still an important class. Fitzpatrick recommends elective courses to have the opportunity to gain a cultural learning experience.
Salsini describes his class as a look into American theater from its roots to present day. The class also serves as University Core Curriculum literature and performing arts course, which means any major is allowed to take it for credit and to fulfill the requirement. Salsini said it is important for students of any major to experience this class, or a class like it, because it allows students to learn about the art of theater.
Fitzpatrick, who credited the class as a “nice break from all of my engineering classes,” said Salsini showed him how musicals have a significant impact on society. He learned they do this by exposing important cultural experiences or events in history. An example Salsini gave was the musical “Hair,” which made its Broadway debut in 1978. He said it was culturally important because it shows America’s dissatisfaction with the Vietnam war.
Fitzpatrick was not the only former student of Salsini who took a lot away from this class.
Micheal Crowe, a 2006 College of Arts & Sciences alumnus, also took the class to fill one of his University Core Curriculum requirements. He ended up gaining a lot more from the class than he first imagined.
“How hard could it be?” Crowe said concerning his initial reaction to registering for the class. According to Crowe, he later found that the class served as a “great history lesson that lets us study how popular culture viewed issues.”
Crowe said he admits the class may not be for everyone, however he encourages anyone to venture into this area of learning, and “use the right side of your brain.”
“The class is not set up to save lives, fix teeth, legally solve your problems, or to question the meaning of the existence of God,” Crowe said. “However, it offered an eye opening educational experience to the world of musicals and current, or fairly current, pop culture. Who can’t use a good dose of pop culture?”
Crowe and Fitzpatrick both agree that the class structure was different than their usual classes. The class not only uses documentaries and videos of performances to show the musicals being discussed but also ends with a “magical musical moment.” Along with this, according to Crowe and Fitzpatrick, Salsini tries to make the musical real for the students by doing anything from giving his students little meat pies to encouraging the students to bring the musical alive with their own engaging projects. Crowe said for his final project he and his group dressed in drag to present their project on the musical “Cabaret.”
Along with “History of the Musical in America,” Marquette offers other selections that are in a class of their own. One such course is “American Television: 1946-Present”, taught this semester by David Fantle, a lecturer in the College of Communication and co-author of the book “Reel to Reel: 25 Years of Celebrity Profiles from Vaudeville to Movies to TV.”
Fantle, in his second go-around at teaching the class, said he tries to present the history of television as a history of pop culture. According to Fantle, the class attempts to find the role of television, both positive and negative, in both the social and political cultures.
Much like Salsini’s class, Fantle offers an alternative look at modern history. He said the class provides an in depth analysis of “decade by decade” television shows, news reporting and documentaries; starting with television’s invention and ending with the appearance of sitcoms.
Like most classes offered at any university, student’s commitment to the class varies, according to Fantle. However, he said he tries to keep the students on their toes – which he does with screenings and special guests.
Last year Fantle invited Henry “The Fonz” Winkler, Newton Minow (former FCC chair under President Kennedy), visitors from the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, and an animator from “The Simpsons.”
“I hope my passion for the subject and ability to bring in live historic television personalities reflects positively on Marquette as an academic institution,” Fantle said. “(It) provides students with an opportunity they probably won’t experience at another university. I don’t believe people like Henry Winkler and Newton Minow speak to many college courses.”
Along with learning about these popular genres of entertainment, Marquette offers a new course that analyzes horror movies. The class “Reading Film as Narrative: Horror Film” is taught by Diane Hoeveler, a professor in the College of Arts & Sciences.
Hoeveler said the class focuses on not only questioning why horror movies and literature are so popular, but also to question the implications of these films and books.
“The horror genre is frequently ridiculed as adolescent or overly violent,” Hoeveler said. “It also serves as an important social function by alerting its consumers to those issues about which their culture has the most anxiety, fear and angst.”
Despite this class being offered at many other universities across the country, Hoeveler said this is the first time Marquette is offering it.
Students, however, have shown great interest in the class, as it was filled the second day of registration. Because of this, Hoeveler said she plans to add more sections of the class in the future.
Much like other classes concerning pop culture, it serves to analyze the world in a new light. Hoeveler said she wishes that her students learn to be critical and aware of the culture society offers.
“It is important to know how to analyze film as an ideology that is trying to teach us to fear others who are different from us,” said Hoeveler. “By analyzing how different cultures construct ‘horror,’ we can understand what those societies most fear and use as a scapegoat. ”
Not all interesting classes discuss pop culture. One example is “Sociology of Work and Occupations” taught by Mary Ann Farkas, a professor in the College of Arts & Sciences. Farkas said this class covers the meaning, implications and functions of work for a society. It is also is offered as a Manresa course.
“It means that work is conceptualized as more than just physical or mental labor, but as a journey of self-exploration and growth,” Farkas said. “Work is also considered as a ‘calling’ or vocation of social responsibility.”
The class, which is run as a seminar and discussion of course material, is open to all majors. Each student, according to Farkas, is open to choose an occupation that they may have interest in and see if it is right for them through service learning. She said this is a way for students to apply lessons learned in class, such as equity and fairness, to the working world.
“The most important lesson for students is to think about work differently,” Farkas said. “Each job should be conceptualized as a leg in life’s journey toward finding a meaningful way to use one’s gifts and talents; a career that is is personally satisfying and socially useful is an ultimate goal.”
The class also welcomes several guest speakers. According to Farkas, students responded well to the guest speakers, particularly how they inspired the students to look into new careers (such as writing, teaching and public service.)
For Kaley Mullin, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, the class did not open ideas for new careers — but it did open her views on the breadth of occupations.
“I learned to appreciate the enormous amount of jobs out there,” Mullin said. “Some of which you would have never thought before.”
She said she never thought so much went into jobs, such as the hierarchy within Disney theme parks or the amount of work “dirty jobs” accomplish.
While “Sociology of Work and Occupations” deals with adult occupation, another class Marquette offers deals specifically with childhood. “Childhood in America,” taught by James Marten, professor and chair of the History department in the College of Arts & Sciences, covers childhood from American colonial times to modern America.
The class, offered about every two years, looks at America through a very specific point of view to analyze childhood’s differences and similarities. The class is also open to all students.
“Even if (childhood) differs in technology, health care or school, kids are kids,” Marten said. “Even though there are differences in the culture, they are biologically children, which is something we all share at one point in time.”
Marten said that students have opportunities to share their own stories that relate to the history lesson.
“What students get out of it is it provides a kind of context with their own childhood,” Marten said. “We talk about ourselves a lot; what it is like to grow up in the sense that there is a cultural and historical realm to which they have experienced.”
While most students’ classes concern mainly their major, taking off-beat classes is something many students may hope to do during their collegiate careers.
“I believe that classes like these would be helpful in rounding out a students’ education,” said Olivia Salmon, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences, who admits her first semester was filled mainly with general education classes. “If you only focus your attention in only one subject area, you could only understand and experience so much.”
Sean Patrick O’Reily, a freshman in the College of Engineering, said while he does not see a need for pop culture in formal education or to earn a degree, it is valuable for the student. According to O’Reily, no matter the course subject, most classes improve a students’ abilities to think critically and analyze the world around them.
Tags: childhood, Class selection, courses, education, History of Musicals, History of Television, horror genre, Marquette classes, Rhetoric of Social Movements, Sociology, students, unique
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