Courses for Auditors
The Community Auditing Program offers two types of courses to auditors, University courses and Auditor Only Series courses. The University courses are the courses which Princeton students attend. They are part of the regularly scheduled classes at Princeton University. The Auditor Only Series courses are scheduled by the Office of Community and Regional Affairs. Princeton students do not attend Auditor Only classes.
Guidelines
- Registration is limited to the undergraduate courses in the catalog. We do not offer graduate level courses in this program.
- Community auditors may not participate in University courses. In these courses the student population must be the focus of the professor's attention before, during, and after class.
- In the Auditor Only Series courses, the community auditors are the students and may fully participate.
- Community auditors are not eligible to take Visual Arts, Performing Arts, or Writing courses.
- Very few courses are offered in the evening.
- Courses are not offered during the summer.
Course Catalog Link
To view and print the spring 2025 course catalog click on the document Spring 2025 CAP Lecture Offerings. Spring 25 CAP Lecture Offerings
Auditor Only Series - Spring 2025
ASC106 Contemporary American Crime Fiction
Professor: Alfred Bendixen
Description/Objective: An exploration of the themes, techniques, and power of contemporary American crime fiction through the study of four recent novels:
Barbara Neely, Blanche on the Lam (1992), William Kent Krueger, Ordinary Grace (2013), Lyndsay Faye, Seven for a Secret (2013), and Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men (2005).
The American crime novel has a central place in our literary culture, providing authors with a form that almost inevitably confronts questions basic to a democratic society devoted to ideals of equality and justice. The conflict between these ideals and the realities of race, class, and gender in American culture forms the foundation for much of our best crime fiction. The four novels we will explore demonstrate both the variety and power of this genre.
Our exploration begins with Barbara Neely’s Blanche on the Lam, the first of four novels featuring the vibrant and feisty African American detective, Blanche White, as she assumes the role of a housekeeper to a wealthy North Carolina family and finds herself a potential suspect in a murder case. Neely’s satiric humor and vivid characterization distinguishes this novel’s treatment of crime and detection. We then shift to rural Minnesota of William Kent Krueger’s Edgar award winning Ordinary Grace, which transforms the usual murder mystery into a remarkably poignant coming of age story. The novel provides a loving but thoughtful portrayal of American life in the late 20th century. Lyndsay Faye’s Seven for a Secret plunges us into 1846 New York City where the young Copper Star, Timothy Wilde, confronts slave catchers, thieves, and murderers. The book demonstrates the special power of the historical detective novel. It is the middle and strongest volume of a trilogy. Although it works as a standalone novel, some may wish to read The Gods of Gotham (2012), which introduces the main characters, before starting this one. Finally, we end with No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy’s powerful inquiry into the meaning of honor and violence in the American landscape. The book is recognized as one of the major works by one of the most highly regarded writers of his time.
Our discussion of the themes and techniques of these works will pay appropriate tribute to the literary artistry that marks these novels, emphasizing the ways that crime fiction relies on the creation of memorable characters and a strongly defined sense of time and place as well as on plots based on revelation and surprise.
Schedule: February 7, 14, 21, 28, 2025
Time/Day: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Friday’s
Location: on campus
About: Alfred Bendixen received his Ph.D. in 1979 from the University of North Carolina and taught at Barnard College, California State University, Los Angeles, and Texas A&M University before joining the Princeton faculty in 2014. Much of his scholarship has been devoted to the recovery of 19th-century texts, particularly by women writers, and to the exploration of neglected genres, including the ghost story, detective fiction, science fiction, and travel writing. His teaching interests include the entire range of American literature as well as courses in science fiction, graphic narrative, and gender studies. Professor Bendixen may be best known as the founder of the American Literature Association, the most important scholarly organization in his field, which he continues to serve as Executive Director and as a frequent director of its national conferences. His most recent books include A Companion to the American Novel, (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012), The Cambridge History of American Poetry (co-edited with Stephen Burt; Cambridge University Press, 2015), and The Centrality of Crime Fiction in American Literary Culture (co-edited with Olivia Carr Edenfield); Routledge, 2017). The Library of America volume of Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Novels, Stories & Poems is his latest publication.
ASC107 THE SCIENCE OF LOVE: Go Behind the Scenes of McCarter’s play LEGACY of LIGHT
Instructors: Debbie Bisno, Director of University & Artistic Partnerships, and Julie Felise Dubiner, Director of Artistic Initiatives. Classes will feature special guest Artists.
Description/Objective: Artists & Industry leaders take you behind the scenes of LEGACY OF LIGHT - a contemporary play that delves into the twin passions of science and motherhood by the award-winning writer Karen Zacarias. The class will explore the themes in the play and learn how the creative team (director, producer, playwright, dramaturg, designers) collaborate to bring a new production to life.
About the Play: “What is the science of love?” Two women scientists, living hundreds of years apart - one in Princeton, NJ and the other in France - explore the meaning of love, motherhood, family, art and science in this contemporary comedy. Legacy of Light juxtaposes the story of Émilie du Châtelet, a mathematician, scientist, and lover of the great 18th-century philosopher Voltaire, who became unexpectedly pregnant at 42, and that of a 21st-century physicist desperately trying to conceive a child.
Themes
- The Intersection of Science and Art: the play explores the tension and synergy between scientific discovery and artistic expression, particularly through the character of Maria Mitchell, a pioneering astronomer. Learners interested in the humanities and sciences will discover a compelling dialogue between these fields, raising questions about the nature of knowledge and creativity.
- Feminism & Gender roles now and then: The narrative emphasizes the struggles of women in the 19th century in male-dominated fields. It delves into the challenges and societal expectations experienced by female scientists.
- Legacy & Influence: The concept of legacy - personal and scientific - permeates the play, prompting reflections on how individuals can impact future generations.
Performance: March 21, 2025, Matthews Theater 7:30 PM F
Schedule: March 28, April 4 & 11, 2025 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM F
Time/Day: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Friday’s
Location: McCarter Theater
About: Debbie Bisno (Director of University and Artistic Partnerships) was McCarter’s Resident Producer for 6 years and currently oversees McCarter’s strategic relationship with Princeton University and surrounding partners, including the theater’s Arts & Ideas program which links campus scholarship to the work on stage and behind the scenes. Bisno’s experience spans Broadway, Off-Bway, London and Chicago theater. Broadway highlights include the recent Tony Award Winning production of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (UK & Broadway), the Tony Nom. revival of Terrence McNally’s Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune starring Audra McDonald & Michael Shannon; Additional Broadway: Grace, War Horse, Hair, Merchant of Venice & others. Originally from Macon, GA, Debbie began her theatrical career in Chicago as co-founder of Roadworks Productions, which she started with fellow Northwestern University graduates. The co. produced Midwest and World Premieres, winning numerous awards for ambitious new work and literary adaptations. She is a Board Member of the global ethics program FASPE (Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics) and lives in Princeton with her husband David, and Portuguese Water Dogs, Bernice & Maude.
Julie Felise Dubiner is Director of Artistic Initiatives at McCarter and is a dramaturg, producer, teacher, and mentor. She has freelanced around the country at the Huntington, Seattle Rep, the Shepherd School of Music, Steppenwolf, Defiant, blue star, KCACTF, and more. Prior to McCarter, she was on staff at American Revolutions/Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and the Prince Music Theater. Among her dramaturgy credits are The Copper Children by Karen Zacarías, Between Two Knees by the 1491s, Sweat by Lynn Nottage, Indecent by Paula Vogel, and The Liquid Plain by Naomi Wallace. Julie has served on panels for among others the Horton Foote Prize, MAP Fund, the Playwrights’ Center, the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, and is a mentor for the LMDA Early Career Dramaturg caucus. She has taught at Columbia, Yale, University of Evansville, University of the Arts, University of Portland, University of Colorado, SUNY New Paltz, and SOU.Her introductory essays are included in the Bloomsbury editions of I and You and the anthology Revolutionary Women by Lauren Gunderson. She is the co-creator of Rock & Roll: The Reunion Tour, co-author of The Process of Dramaturgy, and a contributor to Diversity, Inclusion, and Representation in Contemporary Dramaturgy, The Routledge Companion to Dramaturgy, Innovation in Five Acts, and other publications and podcasts. She won the PT Barnum Award for Excellence in Entertainment in 2017.
ASC108 Introduction to American Sign Language
Professor: Noah Bucholz
Description/Objective: This course introduces DEAF+WORLD; a world where people speak with their hands and hear with their eyes. The primary goal is to build a strong foundation for acquiring American Sign Language (ASL) and understanding Deaf culture. By the end of class, you will be able to hold greeting conversations as well as conversations about two or three different basic topics in ASL. If you are interested in studying ASL further, this course will help you know which online/offline resources to use and teach you how to use them for your further studying.
Schedule: Wednesday's, February 5, 12, 19, 26, 2025
Time/Day: 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
About: Noah Buchholz is Senior Lecturer and Director of the American Sign Language (ASL) Program in the Program in Linguistics. He is also an ASL performing artist, ASL-English translator, and Certified Deaf Interpreter. He is currently a PhD candidate in Religion & Society at Princeton Theological Seminary. His research interests include disability/Deaf studies, political theology, and postcolonial/decolonial studies. He is also interested in translation, literature, theatre, and film.