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nusician looks at 40 HFM? m WP 13 .<9 Bl f ^ 'f^.jjH BL 9p I Ik J^B h : i^l HI ^HIIW^ ? ^ H ? V ^B HHkJ il beach comber Jimmy Buffet entertains a crowd ! Wh "the best thi] probably ] m 5a U.S.A. Inc. 199S The Gam KIM TRUETT The Gamecock In Charleston Friday night. oever sa rigs in liJ 1^ #-? J o -4- v CL&.UL <51 U VI It's eve you vv lecock Wednesday, April 19, 1995 yM Amherst class takes a 1< College Press Service Amherst College junior Jim Scharff didn't have any reservations about taking professor Austin Sarat's class this semester, despite the ofv fact that everyone told him it was murder. The role of murder in society is exactly what Sarat is teaching. Cou "Murder is basically a hook for teaching great books, very complex legal ideas and popular culture to students who might not have had ^ an opportunity to be exposed to it," said Sarat, a professor in the newly developed department of law, jurisprudence and social thought. "I'm taking my students on a journey trom tne laminar to tne strange," Sarat said. "I'm showing them that you can't understand me O.J. until you read Dostoyevsky." wit Although Sarat envisioned the material would interest students studying law, students from all areas of study are taking "Murder," which is being offered this spring for the first time. In fact, more than ^ 270 students enrolled in the class, making it one of the most popular courses in Amherst history. "The content definitely drew me to the course," Scharff said, a biology major. "You see and hear about murder all the time, but you rarely get to examine it. I wanted to view murder in a different perspective." wh Required reading for the class includes "Crime and Punishment" ing and other literary classics, as well as dozens of law cases. In addition, ^ students have watched films by Alfred Hitchcock, videos by Snoop me Doggy Dogg and episodes of "Geraldo." "Everything we read or watch in the class is great," Scharff, 21, said. "It's outstanding material." But weather if s the case of Macbeth or the Menedez brothers, stu- tifj dents find that defining what is or isn't murder can be - well, a killer, mo rii Si Why Leav Stuff id Call Fe are free" uSt fund. *Val Box< c I p fThursd.700 Pi rywhere fTx ?mtobe? Thi r?A~ ?? B 1 (2 b Rev. Th M * Tfic 1610C ?der Dok at assassination "When you look at all this material, you realize the line between at is and isn't murder is constantly blurred," ScharfF said. "A lot vhat we do in class looks at those distinction." Instead of lecturing students, Sarat lets class discussions run their irse. "The students are very active, so that makes the discussions flow rly easily," Sarat said. "They confront the reality that murder is important theme in the 1990s." Yet despite constant reminders of death and destruction in the dia, Sarat realizes that the students aren't always comfortable h the course's content. "It's a difficult subject to have to cover twice a week," Sarat said, s not a pretty picture. There's really nothing uplifting or reassur; about it." Alicia Kahn, a freshman enrolled in Sarat's class, acknowledges it the material can be difficult to take time, but is able to keep it in perspective. "This is something that we have to deal with," Kahn said. "The ole notion of murder is upsetting, especially to women, consider; the battering cases we have studied. But it's important to exam. Just because something might make you uncomfortable doesn't an you should avoid it." Schraff agrees. "Murder definitely makes me feel uncomfortable," said. "What makes it the most frightening is that you could idenr yourself with the victim or the murderer. That's not something st classes pull out of you." JMMER VACATION "ORAGE lug it all home? e the Big with us. jjjp today for Great mer Deals! V iety of unit sizes Gate access 7 days/week ss and storage supplies Visa & MasterCard* Two convenient Columbia locations... Unc la> I 2648 Two Notch Rd. UOR'S 252-0449 ? 7403 Parklane Rd. 788-5013* >elf Service Storage with Full Service Benefits " Chaplains y2sJ / Corner Heart to Heart ^ "Installation- PALM ADMIT Campus Ministry Body & Soul OV? Dinner and program: qJU "What is Feminist - Theology Anyway?" ay April 20,1995 7:00pm with Ms. Monica Lane -f BAPTIST Wednesday at 5:30 pm lj STUDENT Worship & Dinner Sunday 5:30 pm byy" Qy Partnership Among Lutherans & Methodists ckens Street 799-3854 728 Pickens Street* 799-7363 a r ANTFRMTRY D'niler & Pr0gram * Community TuesdayEveni"g6:00pm e Episcopal Church Wednesday Bible on Campus ~. , . %_ ionday night Study at 7 pm ible Study at 6pm 115 Marion Street Iks. N. of Horseshoe) J m % Presbyterian m: 0 . ? S?= S Student?Center Rich Biega Chaplain * Illfr - n02 Greene St. e4Fi^lY?h?Ureh - 799-0212 St. Thomas More Catholic Center Mass Sunday 11am, 6 pm; Mon.-Thurs. 12:15 pm Confession Sat. 2-3 pm or by appt. Newman Club Evening Prayer - 6:45pm Meetings: Tues. 7 pm >no6^-:\7VWre-> Rev. Michael F. McCafferty, Chaplain ireene Street 799-5870 * (across from the School of Nursing)