Course Connections: Previously Funded Activities

Fall 2002 - Winter 2003 - Fall 2003 - Winter 2004 - Fall 2004 - Winter 2005 - Fall 2005 - Winter 2006 - Fall 2006 - Winter 2007

Winter 2007

Theatre and Mediation: Bosnian Peacework and Drama Practice, a workshop with Sonja Kuftinec
ENGL448/TH399, Petra Kuppers
Sonja Kuftinec, Associate Professor of Theatre, University of Minnesota, and Director of Conflict Resolution for youth from the Middle East and the Balkans, ran a workshop with students. The workshop explored the use and power of drama as a communication tool, focusing on her experience with conflict resolution for Muslim and Christian youth in the Balkans.

Social Justice Theatre Workshop
LHSP140, ART151, Mark Tucker
Norma Bowles, Director of Los Angeles' "Fringe Benefits Theater," led students in a workshop centered on the use of theatrical techniques in exploring issues of social justice. The students then took their expanded perspectives regarding discriminatory behavior and transformed them into designs for animated sculptures to be featured in Ann Arbor's first Street Theatre Art (START). The project was an exciting opportunity for UM students to team with various community partners in the creation of live, public street art.

Worshop with David Lubin
HA230, Rebecca Zurier
Students attended Professor Lubin's lecture at the Detroit Institute of Arts on Boston's Shaw Civil War Memorial. Professor Lubin then visited the class to run a discussion on 19th century American genre paintings. The discussion allowed students the opportunity to see first-hand the, considered by some, controversial, methodology of a professional art historian.

Fall 2006

Reading and Poetry Workshop with Jim Ferris
English 417, Petra Kuppers
Students participated in a visit by artist Jim Ferris, one of the most respected disability culture poets in the US. The visit included a short reading of his poems and a workshop with the class as preparation for the class's own final projects.

Museum Visits to the Wright Museum of African American History
HIST/CAAS311 and HIST 302, Martha Jones
Students visited the Wright Museum of African American History where they were guided by docents through the exhibit, "And Still We Rise," and were asked to contemplate the construction and presentation of public history. Students' museum experience served as a basis for final projects.

Hip Hop and Slam Poetry in Detroit
AC301/HIST393, Scott Kurashige
Students attended a performance led by three prominent artists/activists from Detroit: Blair, Nandi Comer, and Invincible. The performance explored how the music and poetry of these artists offer insight into the problems confronting Detroit today, as well as instill resiliency and foster creativity among its most committed residents.

Museum Visit to the Arab American National Museum
American Culture 231, Kristin Hass
Students visited the Arab American National Museum in an attempt to broaden their understanding of different theories and methods of thinking about visual and material culture. They were asked to consider the challenges faced by the curators in presenting the history of Arab American culture and then to design exhibits of their own as final projects.

Hands-on Rumba Workshop
AC226/HIST226, Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof
Students participated in a hands-on latin percussion workshop led by three local musicians. Students were encouraged to experience rumba live, as opposed to simply reading about it and discussing it, and to think about the way collective music serves to build communities and foster a sense of identity.

Gershwin's Porgy and Bess at the Michigan Opera Theater
WS444/CAAS458/RCHUMS331, Naomi André
Students saw a performance of George Gershwin's 1935 opera, Porgy and Bess, and were asked to examine the ways questions of race were addressed in the opera, and to synthesize the experience of live opera with its historical context in their final papers.

Haunting and Witnessing: A Workshop Day
English 317/417, Petra Kuppers
Students were given a chance to see theory in practice and gain hands-on experience through a photography workshop run by local artist, Lisa Steichman, which dealt with the ways for recording and touching pasts.

Silver River
ASIAN480/380, Luo Liang
Students will attend the performance of Silver River at the Power Center, and participate in pre and post performance discussions on the power of the arts in modern Chinese political and intellectual life, with a special emphasis on this music-theater production's integration of "Western" and Chinese musical-theater traditions.

The Kirov Orchestra of the Marinsky Theater, Shostakovich Centennial Festival Concert
Composition 450, Susan Botti
Students attended a live performance of Shostakovich's 11th symphony. The piece, a poignant retelling of a deep national struggle, was a topic of much research and discussion in class.

Now or Never: the future of the Great Lakes by Students
Art & Design 300, Sadashi Inuzuka
Students mounted an exhibition of their final projects which used art to address ecological concerns of the Great Lakes region. The exhibition was held at the Matthei Botanical Gardens and The Arboretum, and a brochure including images of the student work, maps to each site, and artistic statements was distributed as an educational complement.

Field-trip to New York to visit Steinway Hall
Performance Applications of Piano Technology 301, Robert Grijalva
Students traveled to New York to visit Steinway Hall, Steinway Factory, and the Keyboard Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to further their understanding of the process involved in the construction of pianos and thus to better inform their own playing efforts.

Museum Visit to the Toledo Museum of Art
RCCORE195 and CLARCH427, Gina Soter and Steve Ellis
Students visited the Stabiae exhibit at the Toledo Museum of Art to experience first hand artifacts that had been studied in class. Students were encouraged to consider what the artifacts revealed about Roman culture and society.

Michigan Theater Film Screening: "Heading South"
French 270, Olivier Delers
Students viewed "Heading South," an adaptation of a novel read in the course. Students explored the changing representations of sexual tourism in Haiti in the 1970s from literature to film.

Museum Visit to the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Hedelberg Project
LHSP125, Jennifer Metsker
Students visited the "Annie Leibovitz" exhibit at the DIA and the Heidleberg Project. Within the context of popular culture, students studied the ways various artists have used art to reclaim individuality from mass media and entertainment. After the trip, students created self-portraits of themselves as a popular icon, using Leibovitz's ideas as a basis, and 2-D collages inspired by the homogenizing world of pop. Both projects were accompanied by creative texts and were displayed in a gallery in the Michigan Union.

Concert by Los Van Van, Toronto
Honors 250, Julie Skurski
Students had the unusual opportunity to attend a live performance by the internationally renowned Cuban dance band, Los Van Van. The group strives to be musically innovative while providing thoughtful commentary on life in Cuba. The performance correlated with students' study of the role of Afro-Cuban music, dance, and religion in the formation of Cuban national identity.

Winter 2006

Spanish Gypsies and Flamenco Expression
RCHUMS 333: Cultures in Dialogue, Olga Lopez-Cotin
Arte y Pureza, a Spanish flamenco group, had a talk about gyspy culture with students in addition to a performance and workshop.

Toledo Museum of Art Field Trip
LHSP 140: Arts and Humanities, Matt Kelley
Student investigated American portraiture and self-portraiture and its relationship to narrative at the Toledo Museum of Art.

Four Black Theater Performances
THR222/CAAS 341: Intro to Black Theater
Students attended four different performance of black theater, exposing them to techniques and themes discussed in class.

The Music of Louis Andriessen
Music 450: Undergraduate Composition Seminar, Michael Daugherty
One of the most respected contemporary composers, Louis Andriessen, gave a master class for students and a UMS concert.

Screening and Discussion with Filmmaker Emily Hubley
FV 300: Video Art, Stashu Kybartas
Director of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," filmmaker Emily Hubley shared her work, knowledge and experience with film students.

Heidelberg Project Site Visit and Seminar
ARTDES 310: Detroit Connections, Nick Tobier
This field trip was inspiration for the students own ongoing artistic work with 4th graders at Detroit elementary schools.

Fall 2005

Cincinnati, OH Site Visits
CAAS 495: Re-visioning American Slavery, Tiya Miles
Students visited National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, OH.

UMS and Ann Arbor Symphony Performances
WS 344/ ENG 317: Gender and the Arts, Naomi Andre
Students saw dance, opera, symphony, and multi-media performances in addition to readings and guest lectures.

The Representation of Cuture
COMM 478: Visual Communication, Bradley Taylor
Students visited to Arab American National Museum (AANM) and Wright Museum of African-American History.

Campus Visit of Playwright Makesh Elkunchwar
ENG 407: The Literature of Decolonization, Sunil Agnani
Contemporary Marathi playwright Mahesh Elkunchwar, whose work the students had read, gave a lecture.

The America Project
AC 498: The America Project, Julie Ellison
Students collaborated with Sekou Sundiata, a contemporary African-American poet at the Arab American National Museum.

Workshop with Jose Torres Tama
ARTDES 230: Process, Holly Hughes
Multimedia artist Jose Torres Tama did a workshop with students focusing on creating identity though artistic process.

Campus Visit of Filmmaker Su Freidrich
F/V 400 Filmmaking I & F/V 401: Video Art I, Jennifer Hardacker
Lesbian-identified independent filmmaker Su Freidrich gave a talk to students and a public presentation of her work.

Heidelberg Project Tour
CAAS 358: Building Black Communities, Kelly Quinn
Students took a guided tour of the Heidelberg Project in downtown Detroit led by creator Tyree Guyton.

Jane Austen Dance Lesson
ENGLISH 313: Jane Austen, Adela Pinch
Students learned English country dancing from four dance experts from the Ann Arbor Council for Traditional Music & Dance.

Student Work Exhibit at Warhol Museum
ARCH 432: Undergraduate Design Studio, Keith Mitnick
Students exhibited their speculative "re-designs" for the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, PA at the museum itself.

Cultural Connections in Dance
DANCE 358: Black Dance, Shauna Steele
Students attended 4-day International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference in New York City, NY.

Evolution Mural
LHSP 140: Art in Public Spaces, Mark Tucker
Student created an evolution-themed mural in a stairwell in the Undergraduate Science Building.

The 21st Century Orchestra
MUSIC 140 & 240: History of Music, Charles Garrett
Student attended a talk given by Laura Jackson, the only female conductor of a major US symphony and a UM alum.

Identity and Dislocation: A Talk with Achy Obejas
AC/WS 243: Latinas in the US, Larry La Fountain-Stokes
Achy Obejas, a queer Latina author gave a talk about immigrant communities and lesbian identities.

Empty Pockets 2
ARTDES 300: Narrative Art- Dreams, Phoebe Gloeckner
Based on class work, student created a graphic novel called "Empty Pockets 2" for distribution to entire School of Art and Design.

Winter 2005

Wright Museum Field Trip
History 302, Martha Jones
Student in a class called "Mapping Black Detroit" visited the Wright Museum as part of a project to construct a interactive "map" for a kiosk in the museum.

Hands on Wig Workshop with Dawn Rivard
Theater 472, Christianne Myers
Students studying stage makeup learned from guest wig designer Dawn Rivard the techniques of selecting, fitting and making wigs.

Workshop with Minnie Bruce Pratt
Arts and Design 300 and English 325, Holly Hughes
Artist and activist Minnie Bruce Pratt taught students about using interdisciplinary, mixed-media methods to create autobiographical work.

DIA Murano Glass Exhibit
Romance Language 101-233, Romana Habekovic
Students in elementary Italian language classes visited the Venetian Murano Glass exhibit at the DIA to learn more about the culture and art of Venice.

Theater and Arts in Munich
RC Language 231, Janet Shier
Student participants traveled to Munich, Germany over spring break to see 8-10 theater productions ranging from marionettes to cabaret to opera.

Making Medieval Manuscript Workshop
English 370, Amy Eichhorn-Mulligan
Student learned from Randy Ashplund, and expert in medieval manuscript production and illustration, how to make their own manuscript.

New York Philharmonic Concert Series
String Department 140 - 540, Steven Shipps
Fifteen students receiving private violin instruction in the School of Music were able to see two performances of the NY Philharmonic for less than $50.

"Tosca"
Romance Language 101-233, Romana Habekovic
Students in elementary Italian language classes saw the traditional Italian opera "Tosca" performed at the Detroit Opera House.

William Morris at Block Museum Field Trip
English 317 and 417, Elizabeth Miller
Student studying "print culture and literary radicalism in 19th c. Britain" went to the Block Museum at Northwestern to see an exhibit of William Morris' prints.

Hands-on Latin Percussion Workshop
American Culture 206 and History 698, Jesse Hoffnung-Garskoff Student studying Latin music learned how to Latin percussion instruments and were introduced to Rumba playing from three guest musicians.

Grand River Mural Project
Lloyd Hall Scholars 140, Mark Tucker
Students studying the effect of art in public spaces designed and painted a mural on the exterior of a neighborhood art studio/gallery in Detroit.

Suheir Hammad Workshop
American Culture 210 and Woman's Studies 343, Nadine Naber
Now-famous Palestinian poet Suheir Hammad worked with students to understand he contemporary expressive/ artistic practices of Arab women.

Fall 2004

Ravi Shankar Concert and Indian Music Conference
History 458, Barbara Metcalf
Students participated in conference on classical Indian music and watched performance and interview with Ravi Shankar.

Heidelberg Project and Wright Museum Field Trip
Communication Studies 478, Bradley Taylor
Students went to both Detroit venues to learn more about using visual communication to convey social ideas and history.

"The Elephant Vanishes"
RC Language 196, Tetsuya Sato
Student studying in their first semester of Japanese language study were exposed to contemporary Japanese culture and expression.

"The Elephant Vanishes"
History 451, Leslie Pincus
Students studying recent Japanese history saw a production of three short stories by contemporary Japanese author Haruki Murakami.

Writing Outloud Workshop
RC Core 100, Janet Shier
Professional storyteller Yvonne Healy lead a workshop where Freshman seminar students learned storytelling and interview techniques.

Palestine/ Israel/ USA through the Arts at Michigan
RC Core 350 & Honors 493, Janer Shier
A series of performances, art exhibits, films, workshops with Palestinian, Israeli and American artists and musicians addressing the issue of Middle East conflict.

Karen Reno Workshop
Art and Design 300, Holly Hughes
Classroom workshop and visit by bicultural lesbian performance artist Karen Reno focused on creating performance art out of personal identity,

"Body Adornment of the Cordilleran"
Asian Language 111, 211, 499, Adelwisa Agas-Weller
Workshop, lecture and public photography exhibition surrounding the body adornment practices of ethnic Filipino tribes of the Cordilleran region.

DJ Spooky's "Rebirth of a Nation"
Film/ Video 301 and 306, Terri Sarris
Students studying video art and digital animation were able to hear talk given by Paul Miller (a.k.a. DJ Spooky) and see his performance at the Power Center.

Winter 2004

"The Jealous Imagination"
French 367, George Hoffman
Attendance of UMS/Guthrie Theater's performance of Shakespeare's "Othello."

Musicology Performance Project
Musicology 140, Mark Clague
Students in each discussion sections plan all aspects of a performance, gaining important experience not just as performers but also as entrepreneurs.

Visit by Filmmaker Andres Veiel
Film/Video 320, Johannes Von Moltke
Showing of films and talk with German filmmaker Andres Veiel.

Film at the DIA
History 218, Vietnam War, David Smith
Visit to the DIA for viewing of a documentary film on the Vietnam War.

Visit by Stuart Brown
RCCORE 100, "Children Under Fire," Elizabeth Goodenough
Interactive workshop with Stuart Brown, filmmaker, neurologist, and creator of the Institute for Play.

Detroit Performing Artist Showcase
American Culture 305/History 468/CAAS 358, Scott Kurashige
Honoraria for three Detroit area performing artists.

UMS/Guthrie Theater Performance of "Othello"
English 267, Shakespeare, Macklin Smith
Attendance of UMS/Guthrie Theater's performance of Shakespeare's "Othello."

Fall 2003

Visit by Author Luis Francia
English 381/American Culture 324, Sarita See
Visited by noted Filipino author Luis Francia.

Visit to Frank Murphy Museum
Dept. of Asian Languages and Cultures, Adelwisa Agas Weller
Visit to Frank Murphy Museum in Harbor Beach to see and learn about art from the Phillipines.

The History and Future of Detroit Bus Tour
Sociology 495, Reynolds Farley
Bus tour of Detroit led by Prof. Farley, including notable public art and architecture of the city.

UMS Presentation of Chava Alberstein
Modern Hebrew, Vera Szabo
Attendance of UMS presentation of famed Israeli singer and songwriter Chava Alberstein.

Health and Illness in African Worlds
History 355, Nancy Hunt
Visit to DIA for special presentation by African curator Dr. Nii Quarcoopoome.

Visiting the Heidelberg Project
COMM 478, Visual Communications, Bradley Taylor
Visit to Heidelberg Project for special talk with project creator Tyree Guyton.

Winter 2003

Visit with Eve Ensler
RCHUMS 481/482/485, Play Production Seminar, Director and Text, Acting Workshop, Kate Mendeloff.
Attendance of talk given by playwright of Eve Ensler, in Ann Arbor for the performance of her play, Necessary Objects.

Health and Illness in African Worlds
History/African-American Studies 355
Attendance of UMS sponsored performance of Sekou Sundiata, "Blessing the Boats," which deals with an African-American man's kidney transplant experience.

Fall 2002

Detroit: Its History and Future
Sociology 495, Reynolds Farley
Bus tour of Detroit led by Prof. Farley, including notable public art and architecture of the city.

Workshop with Filmmaker Jon Jost
Film and Video 401, Video Art 2, and 455, Music and Voice and Sound on Film, Mark Nornes
Workshop for Film and Video students with maverick independent American filmmaker Jon Jost.

Introduction to Deaf Culture
Linguistics 140/150/250, Intro to Deaf Culture/Elementary ASL I/Intermediate ASL I, Paula Berwanger
Attended mime and gesture performance by the Toys Theatre of Russia at the Michigan School for the Deaf in Flint, Michigan.

Reco(r)ding Berlin
RCCORE 334, Karein Goertz
Attending various performances and museums during Spring Break trip to Berlin. The experience will be recorded in the students' video projects and made available by public screening.

The Art of Dance
RC HUMS 260/Dance 220/RCCORE 100, Beth Genne
Attendance of UMS-sponsored performance of the Bolshoi Ballet in Detroit.