Spring 2026 Colloquia
DWC sections are never over-enrolled. If you wish to change your section, please go directly to Cyberfriar and select an alternative section with open seats. If you have a compelling reason (accommodations, unavoidable scheduling conflict, medical) for switching your DWC section and cannot do it yourself on Cyberfriar, please reach out to Mrs. Pam Belcher (administrative coordinator for DWC) or Dr. Sharon Murphy (DWC Director). Under no circumstances should you reach out to any DWC instructors directly to gain admittance into their section. Thank you!
Spring 2026 Colloquia descriptions forthcoming in Fall 2025
Voices of Empire-Publius to Putin
DWC 202 C01: M: 10:30am-12:30pm 2:30-4:20
Voices of Empire- Publius to Putin
Francesca Silano, Jessica Blum-Sorenson
Environmental Health
DWC 202 C02: M: 11:30am-1:20pm, S03 & S04: W: 11:30am-1:20pm Environmental Health
Peter Rogers, Rachel Lyons
History of Families & Parenting
DWC 202 C03: W 1:30pm-3:20pm, S05 & S06: M 1:30pm-3:20pm
History of Families & Parenting
Alex Orquiza, Kelly Warmouth
Apocalypse
DWC 202 C04: T 8:30am-10:20am, S07 & S08: F: 8:30am-10:20am
Apocalypse
Vance Morgan, Rob Stretter
Judaism as an Idea of Western Civilization
DWC 202 C05: T: 10:30am-12:20pm, S09 & S10: W: 10:30am-12:20pm
Judaism as an Idea of Western Civilization
Arthur Urbano, Benny Bar-Lavi
Gaming Civ
DWC 202 C06: T: 12:30pm-2:20pm, S11 & S12: R: 12:30pm-2:20pm
Gaming Civ
Alyssa Lopez, Elyse Oakley
Our Monsters, Our Selves
DWC 202 C07: T: 2:30pm-4:20pm, S13 & S14: R:2:30pm-4:20pm
Our Monsters, Our Selves
Elizabeth Bridgham, Sharon Murphy
Exporing Middle Ages through Modern Games
DWC 202 C08: M: 8:30am-10:20am, S15 & S16: W: 8:30am-10:20am
Exploring Middle Ages through Modern Games
Aaron Colaiacomo, Chris Beard
Ancients & Moderns
DWC 202 C09: W: 10:30am-12:20pm, S17 & S18: F: 10:30am-12:20pm
Ancients & Moderns
Bill Hogan, Chris Parrott
Care for Creation and the Western Tradition
DWC 202 C10: W: 12:30pm-2:20pm, S19 & S20: M: 12:30pm-2:20pm
Care for Creation and the Western Tradition
Dana Dillon, Bill Patenaude
Consciousness, Contemplation and Conviction
DWC 202 C11: M: 8:30am-10:20am, S21 & S22: R: 8:30am-10:20am
Consciousness, Contemplation and Conviction
John Allard, Peter Costello
Me, Myself and I: The Reading and Writing of Autobiography
DWC 202 C12: R: 10:30am-12:20pm, S23 & S24: T: 10:30am-12:20pm
Me, Myself and I: The Reading and Writing of Autobiography
Alison Espach, Cristina Rodriguez,
How do we write ourselves? This interdisciplinary course will ask students to examine the autobiography from both sides of the page, as authors and as critics. Autobiography as a category insists on identifying the author as the speaker: the class readings will interrogate who gets the privilege to speak for themselves, and how and why writers from different backgrounds – social, religious, ethnic, racial, national – might tell their stories differently. We will also study autobiography’s other major claim: that it’s true. We will examine this claim by asking the following questions: What is literature’s relationship to truth? What is memory’s relationship to truth? What is an individual’s relationship to the truth? And can anything crafted really be true?
In addition to studying multiple genres of autobiography, including memoir, personal essay, and autobiographical fiction, we will also practice writing in these genres: students will write and workshop original pieces that imitate an author’s prose style and form. The art of imitation is one practiced by many great thinkers and writers throughout history because there is no better way to engage with the specific choices made by each author. It also gives students the rare opportunity to “try on” a prose style and format as they develop and discover their own. “Me, Myself, & I” is grounded in the belief that reading and writing are acts of self-creation, as well as direct ways of engaging with the world. This course aims to give students the necessary tools to better understand and express their own identity in an increasingly global and complicated world. Authors include St. Augustine, Frederick Douglas, Richard Wright, Thomas Merton, Anne Sexton, Richard Rodriguez, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and others.
Me, Myself and I: The Reading and Writing of Autobiography
DWC 202 C13: R: 12:30pm-2:20pm, S25 & S26: R: 12:30pm-2:20pm
Me, Myself and I: The Reading and Writing of Autobiography
Alison Espach, Cristina Rodriguez,
How do we write ourselves? This interdisciplinary course will ask students to examine the autobiography from both sides of the page, as authors and as critics. Autobiography as a category insists on identifying the author as the speaker: the class readings will interrogate who gets the privilege to speak for themselves, and how and why writers from different backgrounds – social, religious, ethnic, racial, national – might tell their stories differently. We will also study autobiography’s other major claim: that it’s true. We will examine this claim by asking the following questions: What is literature’s relationship to truth? What is memory’s relationship to truth? What is an individual’s relationship to the truth? And can anything crafted really be true?
In addition to studying multiple genres of autobiography, including memoir, personal essay, and autobiographical fiction, we will also practice writing in these genres: students will write and workshop original pieces that imitate an author’s prose style and form. The art of imitation is one practiced by many great thinkers and writers throughout history because there is no better way to engage with the specific choices made by each author. It also gives students the rare opportunity to “try on” a prose style and format as they develop and discover their own. “Me, Myself, & I” is grounded in the belief that reading and writing are acts of self-creation, as well as direct ways of engaging with the world. This course aims to give students the necessary tools to better understand and express their own identity in an increasingly global and complicated world. Authors include St. Augustine, Frederick Douglas, Richard Wright, Thomas Merton, Anne Sexton, Richard Rodriguez, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and others.
Civic Engagement in the USA: Constitutional Principles, History and Turning Points
DWC 202 C14: R: 2:30pm-4:20pm, S27 & S28: T: 2:30pm-4:20pm
Civic Engagement in the USA: Constitutional Principles, History and Turning Points
Chris Arroyo, Darra Mulderry
Colonial Legacies and Modern Manifestations; African, American and the Occupied Territories
DWC 202 C16: F: 11:30am-1:20pm, S31 & S32: W: 11:30am-1:20pm
Colonial Legacies and Modern Manifestations; African, American and the Occupied Territories
Ruth Ben-Artzi, Luz Colpa
Cosmic Connections : Reenchanting the World
DWC 202 C18: M: 9:30am-11:20am, S35 & S36: R: 9:30am-11:20am
Cosmic Connections : Reenchanting the World
Chris Sauder, Colum Dever
Dark Psychology and Literature
DWC 202 C19: M: 11:30am-1:20pm, S37 & S38: F: M: 11:30am-1:20pm
Dark Psychology and Literature
Olga Limnios. Greg Charpentier
A National Artistic Experiment: FDR & the Federal Theatre Project
DWC 202 C20: M: 1:30pm-3:20pm, S39 & S40: W: 1:30pm-3:20pm
A National Artistic Experiment: FDR & the Federal Theatre Project
Erin Schmidt, Sharon Murphy
Race and Identity in Contemporary America
DWC 202 C21: T: 8:30am-10:30am, S41 & S42: F: 8:30am-10:30am
Race and Identity in Contemporary America
Iain Bernhoft, Jiyoom Im
Percussion, Rhetoric and Judgement
DWC 202 C22: R: 10:30am-12:20pm, S43 & S44: F: 10:30am-12:20pm
Percussion, Rhetoric and Judgement
Iain Bernhoft, Jiyoon Im
The Sound of Painting
DWC 202 C23: T: 12:30pm-1:20pm, S45 & S46: R: 12:30pm-1:20pm
The Sound of Painting
Bing Huang, Sang Woo Kang
Islam, Reason and Reform
DWC 202 C24: T: 2:30pm-4:20pm, S47 & S48: R: 2:30pm-4:20pm
Islam, Reason and Reform
Emann Allebban, Bilal Ibrahim
Caught Between Hope and Despair: Questioning Existence
DWC 202 C25: W: 9:30am-11:20am, S49 & S50: F: 9:30am-11:20am
Caught Between Hope and Despair: Questioning Existence
Rob Miner, Bruno Shah
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Harmony & Discord: Cold War Politics in Science, Education & Music
DWC 202 C26: W: 11:30am-1:20pm, S51 & S52: F: 1:30am-1:20pm,
Harmony & Discord: Cold War Politics in Science, Education & Music
Lin Zhang, Jo-Ann Thomas
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Ancients and Moderns
DWC 202 C27: W: 1:30pm-3:20pm, S53 & S54: F: 1:30pm-3:20pm
Ancients and Moderns
Bill Hogan, Chris Parrott
War & Peace
DWC 202 C28: R: 8:30am-10:20am S55 & S56: M: 8:30am-10:20am
War & Peace
John Lawless, Liz Palazzolo
Philosophy and Poetry in East and West
DWC 202 C29: R: 10:30am-12:20pm S57 & S58: T: 10:30am-12:20pm
Philosophy and Poetry in East and West
Colin King, Chun Ye
The Holocaust and the Philosophical Significance of Evil
DWC 202 C30: R: 12:30pm-2:20pm, S59 & S60: T: 12:30pm-2:20pm
The Holocaust and the Philosophical Significance of Evil
Chris Sauder, Jackie Satlow
The Holocaust and the Philosophical Significance of Evil
DWC 202 C31: R: 2:30pm-4:20pm, S59 & S60: T: 2:30pm-4:20pm
The Holocaust and the Philosophical Significance of Evil
Chris Sauder, Jackie Satlow
Islam and the West: A History of Conflict and Coexistence from Muhammed to the War on Terror
DWC 202 C33: M 11:30am-12:20, S66: W: 1:30pm-3:20pm, S65: W: 1:30pm-3:20pm
Islam and the West: A History of Conflict and Coexistence from Muhammed to the War on Terror
Vefa Erginbas, Sandra Keating
Dark Psychology and Literature
DWC 202 C34: F: 1:30pm-3:20pm, S67 & S68: W: 1:30pm-3:20pm
Dark Psychology and Literature
Olga Limnios, Greg Charpentier
We can…but should we?
DWC 202 C36: M: 3:30pm-5:20pm, S71 & S72: R: 3:30pm-5:20pm
We can…but should we?
Vance Morgan, Robert Camp
Experiencing Art
DWC 202 C35: M: 2:30pm-4:20pm, S69 & S70: R: 2:30pm-4:20pm Experiencing Art
Licia Carlson, Amy Foley
From “Idiots, Imbeciles and Morons” to Neurodiversity: Perspectives on Disabilities throughout the 20th Century
DWC 202 C37: R: 11:30am-1:20pm, S73 & S74: M: 11:30am-1:20pm
From “Idiots, Imbeciles and Morons” to Neurodiversity: Perspectives on Disabilities throughout the 20th Century
Heather Allcock, Anthony Rodriguez
Comparative History of Retail
DWC 202 C38: M: 4:30pm-6:20pm, S75 & S76: R: 4:30pm-6:20pm
Comparative History of Retail
Guolin Yi, Courtney Bouzigian
History of Sports
DWC 202 C39: W: 3:30pm-5:20pm, S77 & S80: M: 3:30pm-5:20pm
History of Sports
Fr. John Vidmar, Sean Holley
How the Right Became the Right
DWC 202 C40: R: 4:30pm-5:20pm, S81 & S82: M: 4:30pm-5:20pm
How the Right Became the Right
Jim Keating, Pat MacFarlane
Clinical Bioethics
DWC 202 C41: M: 1:30pm-3:20pm, S83 & S84: W: 1:30pm-3:20pm
Clinical Bioethics
Gina Noja, Amy Delaney
Dr. Sharon Murphy
Director
Ruane Center for the Humanities 116
401.865.2380
sharon.murphy@providence.edu
Dr. Richard Barry
Associate Director
St. Catherine of Siena Hall 217
401.865.1713
RJBarryIV@providence.edu
Pamela Belcher
DWC Office
Ruane Center for the Humanities 237
401.865.2231
pbelcher@providence.edu