Below are WAYS 103 Seminars that will be offered in Fall 2026.
Today’s concert scene is diverse and exciting, but what were concerts at Crane like fifty years ago? Whose music was performed and who were the performers? This class will explore diversity as it has evolved on the concert stage by examining selected concert programs from past and present performances at the Crane School of Music. What music should Crane perform in 2026? 2030? You will finish the semester by designing YOUR idea of a diverse and inclusive concert program.
This course will examine issues of inclusivity and the underlying ethical questions that surround characters in comic books, graphic novels, CGI, games, virtual reality, and multi-media art. Study includes the history of Wonder Woman, the comics code, and the work of contemporary American artists Ian Cheng, Kerry James Marshall, and Alison Bechdel, who use characters in multi-media art and deal in notions of gender and identity providing new perspectives in understanding characters.
Hollywood is often criticized for being too white, too male, too straight, too able-bodied. Do you think that’s true? Was it once true but you think now things have changed? We’re going to look at American films to see how people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ people, and people with disabilities are represented. You will give your speeches on the films as well as having an opportunity to present on at least one film of your choice. No film studies experience is required.
What does it mean to be an inclusive leader? As you begin to take leadership roles, you’ll need to have some important skills: how can you foster inclusion? How can you communicate the value of diversity for groups? Drawing from a range of perspectives and historical moments, you will explore your leadership style across a variety of topics and learn how you can nurture an environment in which people feel comfortable being their authentic selves.
When Harlan Howard called country music “three chords and the truth,” he named an American obsession: authenticity. We prize music that “keeps it real”—even when it’s staged. Why does “realness” matter, and how is it performed? This course explores authenticity as sound, style, and strategy in shaping American identities.
We will examine the contributions made and challenges faced by women in science across generations. Students will engage with the stories of scientific pioneers like Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin, analyze the work of recent Nobel laureates such as Elizabeth Blackburn and Jennifer Doudna, and explore the challenges faced by early-career researchers. Together, we will consider how gender and representation continue to influence scientific inquiry.
Maps hold a special place in society and have been used for thousands of years. We trust maps without question, but maps have been lying to us since the beginning. However, just because they have been lying to us that does not stop them from being important. We will spend the semester examining and discussing: what maps are, why they are all lying, how maps and their lies have influenced the way we think about the world and ourselves, how the lies of maps can be used against others, and who might be harmed by the lies maps tell. We’ll practice speaking and explaining how maps contain biases and what they’re capable of communicating.
This course explores the intersections of mindfulness practices and diversity, focusing on how mindfulness can enhance our understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students will examine various contemplative traditions and practices, alongside critical discussions on race, gender, sexuality, ability, and socio-economic factors. Through readings, discussions, experiential exercises, and reflective assignments, students will develop a deeper understanding of themselves and others within diverse social contexts.
In many ways, race is “seen” with many people often identifying race—and making judgments about another person or group of people—based only on what they see. In this course, we will use images from comics and graphic novels to explore what people see when they “see race.” We will look at both positive and negative visualizations, exploring images that celebrate racial diversity as well as those that emphasize stereotypes, in order to better understand how race is seen. Further, we will use our discussions of these images as way to begin talking about our own understandings of the visual nature of race: How do we see race? How do we want our race to be seen? What do we want others to see?