Information for New Undergraduate Students

First-Year Seminars

For a list of First-Year Seminars offered Spring 2010, please click here.

TRUE VALUE MEALS
Professor James Bryant, Program in American Ethnic Studies

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

The goal of this course is to explore the complex interactions between advertising, food production, safety and availability, agricultural environmental impact and standards of living. How has our evolution as a fast food nation affected social interactions? Corporate farming produces more food than our nation needs, but hunger and malnutrition are still present. Could modern agricultural practices be putting human and environmental health at risk? How do economic factors affect farmers, food processing workers, and consumers buying the final product? If you are what you eat, learning more about the true value of the food goods you consume should be given a high priority in order to make the best choices of what and where to eat.

RACE, ETHNICITY AND THE LAW
Professor Muriel Beth Hopkins, Program in American Ethnic Studies

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

This seminar will explore the racial patterns in the evolution of American Law. We will examine a compendium of landmark legal decisions that involve racial issues and the socio-legal impact of the American legal process upon African-American citizens. The cases are derived from the Supreme Court Digest which gives the factual background, the holdings, and the reasons for the decision in each case. We will discuss the erosion of American law through governmental inaction and creative judicial interpretation. Moreover, we will question the fairness of cases that may have restricted the constitutional rights of the minority population in America.

The goal of this course is to use the historical method to evoke analytical thought in light of the historical context of the cases; assess the status of civil rights in America; and project future trends in the judicial system with respect to the law as a cure for discrimination.

VISUALIZING SOUTH ASIA
Professor Sandya Hewananme, Department of Anthropology

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86851 / MWF 3:00 – 3:50 p.m. / Winston 124

Visualizing South Asia focuses on visual imagery as a mode of representation engaged in constructing, reproducing and recreating the other. The seminar will thus explore films, paintings, photographs from and about South Asia, and will engage in critically analyzing how the mainstream notions of nation, gender, religion and ritual, and social change in South Asia are constructed at the intersection of audience, global discourses and political economic contexts. The course will also explore alternative visual imagery that challenges and subverts mainstream visual knowledge production on South Asia.

PYRAMIDS, PEOPLE AND POLITICS
Professor Jeanne Simonelli, Department of Anthropology

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86852 / TR 1:30 – 2:45 p.m. / Banks Seminar Room

From the pyramids and palaces of Guatemala to the jungles and highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, the ancient Maya live in contemporary Maya lifeways, traveling on a pathway of adaptation, confrontation and tradition. Learn about Maya cycles of time as we approach the year 2012, examining prehispanic traditions, including cosmology, language, art and architecture. Move through the era of Spanish colonization, to current political, economic, health, and social issues, with special focus on the relationship between rebellion and development in Southern Mexico and identity and culture in Guatemala. The course involves consideration of human rights and ethical issues, free trade versus fair trade, and examination of the question of "Who owns history?" Includes a service-learning component in the local community.

DISCOVERING THE AVANT-GARDE
Professor Leigh Ann Hallberg, Department of Art

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86853 / TR 9:30 – 10:45 a.m. / Scales Fine Arts Center 9

This seminar will explore the art, politics and history of modern and contemporary avant-garde movements. The genesis, evolution and influence of these movements will be explored through video works, trips to local art collections and galleries. Studies of historical avant-garde movements will be used to understand the movements relationship to contemporary culture.

ICONOCLASM: THE ART OF DESTROYING ART
Professor Charles Peterson, Department of Art

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86854 / TR 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. / Scales Fine Arts Center 103

The golden calf. Graffiti. Acid-flinging suffragettes. Carpet bombing. Self-destructive art. Punk rock. Burning books. Burning flags. Burning crosses.

These topics and more will serve as case studies used to analyze the religious, political, social, and psychological motivations for the destruction of art and images. We will discuss specific instances of art-destruction occurring across the globe from the distant past to present day. Various prominent historical iconoclastic revolts, subsequent periods of repressed art production, and contemporary art that explores and challenges the theme of iconoclasm will also be addressed.

THE AMERICAN DREAM
Professor Margaret Supplee Smith, Department of Art

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

The American Dream of Home Ownership is the belief that, in the United States of America, hard work will lead to a better life, financial security, and homeownership. Though this notion has been seriously undermined by recent events, it has been a pervasive, thought ambiguous, collective vision articulated by leaders from Thomas Jefferson to Barack Obama. In this seminar we will use the disciplines of intellectual history, architectural history, and visual cultural studies to examine a key facet of this dream of owning ones own home. We will focus on private residences and public projects, suburban neighborhoods and affordable housing, and resort communities and will participate in a Habitat for Humanity project. Includes a service learning project.

VERSAILLES
Professor Harry Titus, Department of Art

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86855 / MWF 2:00 – 2:50 p.m. / Scales Fine Arts Center 103

The seminar will focus on the chateau and its surrounding city and park. The history of the site and buildings will be followed from the erection of a hunting lodge for Louis XIII through the post-Napoleonic era, when the complex was transformed into a museum. The class will study the inhabitants of the chateau and their activities, renovations of the complex that reflected changing social and political conditions, and Versailles' impact on European ideas about royal residences.

Students will make presentations on a variety of topics, such as personalities, buildings, gardens, financing, entertainments, courtly protocol, and the development of organizations to support royal activities.

GALAPAGOS
Professor David Anderson, Department of Biology

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

The Galápagos Islands, in the eastern Pacific Ocean, catalyzed Charles Darwin's thinking regarding biological evolution, and scientists continue to use Galápagos to test the predictions of modern evolutionary theory. Galápagos is the most pristine island ecosystem in the world, with over 95% of its original biodiversity intact, but is under increasing pressure from human development and exploitation. We will survey the amazing animals and plants in Galápagos, using the information gained to critique evolutionary biology and conservation policy. The course will culminate in a 10-day trip to Galápagos at the end of the semester, including a week on a tour yacht. Expected cost of the trip is $4,800 per student. Detailed information will be provided during the fall 2009 semester.

THE SCIENCE IN SCIENCE FICTION: XENOBIOLOGY 101
Professor Miriam Ashley-Ross, Department of Biology
Professor Wayne Silver, Department of Biology

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

From Star Trek and Star Wars to Contact, science fiction permeates popular culture. How much "science" is there in science fiction? We will consider alien life as depicted in books, television and movies, using biological principles to inform us as to what aliens might really look like, and why movies and television so often get it wrong. Students will design biologically realistic aliens and incorporate them into creative writing.

BIOLOGY OF THE MIND
Professor Carole Browne, Department of Biology
Professor Cliff Zeyl, Department of Biology

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

Molecular biologists and psychologists are assembling an increasingly detailed picture of thought, moods, mental states, and mental illness. Pharmaceutical solutions to psychiatric disorders are proliferating, while drug abuse remains a part of American culture. We will become familiar and comfortable with what is known about the molecular and cellular basis of all these phenomena. We will also consider more personal and artistic descriptions of mental states, and try to connect molecular biology with psychology and with the way we experience our minds. The underlying question driving this course will be whether or not biology can describe the mind, healthy or disordered. Can molecules explain consciousness?

GLOBAL CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Professor William Smith, Department of Biology

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86856 / TR 9:30 – 10:45 a.m. / Winston 129

This course will attempt to clarify current ideas about the topical subjects of Global Change and Environmental Sustainability and, thus, develop a clear understanding of these important, coupled concepts. Both of these topics will be researched, understood in detail, and integrated into a unifying perspective that will enable well-defined plans for the actions of individuals in the future. The problem of different value systems will be addressed. In general, the identification and understanding of a problem, using research to find a solution, and the effective application and dissemination (oral and written) of these results to others will be the underlying theme of this course.

SCIENTISTS: BORN OR MADE?
Professor Christa Colyer, Department of Chemistry

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86857 / TR 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. / Salem 210

Despite increased media coverage of issues such as global warming, and the popularization of science through television shows such as "CSI," there is still much mystery surrounding the role of the scientist in today's society. Is one born to be a scientist, or is it possible to cultivate the interest and skills necessary to succeed in this far-reaching profession? In the broadest sense, this seminar will expose students to the lives of scientists, past and present, thus revealing the true traits and motivations that govern scientists lives and work, as opposed to the stereotypes that we might otherwise be familiar with. Finally, students will identify, on a personal level, if they have the "right stuff" and how the traits of scientists might also be those necessary to succeed in other professions or vocations.

THE ANALYTICAL METHODS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
Professor Bradley Jones, Department of Chemistry

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86858 / TR 4:00 – 5:15 p.m. / Salem 210

The novels and short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will be used as a guide for the development of the scientific skills of observation, deduction and reporting. Holmes' analytical method and Dr. Watson's flair for the report will be used as models for the experimentalist's laboratory notebook. Several of Holmes' techniques will be reproduced as group experiments: deductions from a common object, the identification of pipe tobaccos, and the preparation of a seven percent solution, to name a few. Students will submit anonymously their own short story written in Doyle's style, and these will be critically analyzed in a group setting.

DEATH AND THE AFTERLIFE IN ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME
Professor Shawn Deeley, Department of Classical Languages

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

Whether we think of the morose Achilles of Homer's Odyssey, who both laments his death and deconstructs the heroic ethos of the Iliad, or a Roman mosaic representing a gory battle between a gladiator and wild beast of the arena, ancient sources provide us with an important glimpse into Greco-Roman views on death. This seminar is an exploration of both Greek and Roman attitudes toward death and the afterlife. Topics that will be addressed in readings, discussion, and written work will include, but not be limited to: representations of the underworld as it is depicted in both art and literature; ancient funerary practices; suicide as a self-constituting action; death as spectacle; Christian martyrdom.

VIDEO GAMES: THEORY AND RESEARCH
Professor Marina Krcmar, Department of Communication

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86859 / TR 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. / Carswell 305

Although video games are designed as popular entertainment, there has been a lot of research that examines gaming in terms of its content and effects. This class will examine research and theory on video game play including, but not limited to the motivation of game selection, the effect of virtual environments on learning, the consequences of violent game play, and the role of game features in player outcomes.

GREAT AMERICAN SPEECHES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Professor John Llewellyn, Department of Communication

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86860 / MWF 10:00 – 10:50 a.m. / Carswell 305

Public speeches are monuments to history and precursors of societal change. This class will read, closely examine and discuss a portion of the one hundred most significant American speeches of the 20th century. From the speech that American scholars of rhetoric voted the century's most significant (Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" address) to less well known addresses, the class will explore the intersection of history, rhetoric and eloquence.

COMMUNICATION, CULTURE AND SOUTH ASIA
Professor Ananda Mitra, Department of Communication

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

This course takes a critical look at the history, culture, politics and geography of South Asia with the goal of understanding how the people from that part of the World have an influence on global issues and how the cultures of South Asia are influenced by the process of globalization. The course requires occasional Sunday afternoon viewing of Bollywood movies.

CREATIVE DISCOVERY IN DIGITAL ART FORMS
Professor Jennifer Burg, Department of Computer Science

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86861 / MWF 1:00 – 1:50 p.m. / Manchester 017

This course allows students to explore the creative possibilities of interactive multimedia and computer-generated art and music. Students will learn beginning-level digital processing techniques, they will read and discuss works that explore creativity and digitally-produced art, and they will write papers on related subjects.

LIFE IN THE DIGITAL AGE: THE SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
Professor Brian Kell, Department of Computer Science

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

The pervasive rise of digital technologies, including personal computers, the Internet and Web, digital media, and increasingly ubiquitous digital devices is transforming society in ways both expected and unforeseen, both positive and negative. As citizens of this digital society, we all can benefit from a better understanding of the expanding roles of these technologies in our lives. This seminar focuses on the interface between digital technologies and society, including social, legal, ethical, commercial, environmental, and other issues surrounding computers, computer networks and other digital technologies.

CREATIVITY ACROSS THE LIFESPAN AND SOCIETY
Professor Sam Gladding, Department of Counseling

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

This seminar will explore the nature of creativity and how creativity develops across the lifespan and in society. Students will read seminal works on creativity as well as discuss and write about how creativity is manifested in various domains.

THE DAO OF MARTIAL ARTS
Professor Patrick Moran, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86862 / MWF 3:00 – 3:50 p.m. / Carswell 016

How do three different cultures address the same need to prepare the individual to meet the spiritual challenges involved in potentially mortal combat? Interest in such books as Musashi's Go Rin no Sho has even penetrated into the business community. But the deeper interest for the general student lies in the preparation for a higher level of life provided by these traditions.

ENTREPRENEURS IN AMERICAN HISTORY
Professor Robert Whaples, Department of Economics

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

This seminar will examine the motives, strategies and impacts of entrepreneurs in the past, as a way to understand the challenges facing entrepreneurs of today. It will cast a wide historical net, taking a broad view of entrepreneurship, including entrepreneurs in business, finance and the policy arena, as well as those involved in social, religious and labor movements. The approach will blend biography with a broader view of the economy and society of each period and theories about entrepreneurship.

WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM A CHILDREN'S BOOK
Professor Patricia Cunningham, Department of Education

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

Historical topics, issues and values can be explored through literature intended for children. United States history comes alive as children learn about the beginnings of our country, the westward expansion or the Vietnam War in historical fiction with children as the main characters. Global awareness is raised as children read stories about children who live all over the world. Issues such as civil rights, women's rights, disabilities and protecting the environment are powerfully presented in stories and biographies that help children clarify their own beliefs and values. In this course, students will explore at least 50 books written for children and determine what can be learned from these books.

CHILDREN OF DIVORCE
Professor Linda Nielsen, Department of Education

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86863 / TR 1:30 – 2:45 p.m. / Tribble A205

This course will examine the ways in which their parents divorce affects children in our society. Students will debate and write about the various issues affecting children of divorce, such as: What are the best arrangements for shared parenting after divorce? How and why does divorce benefit some children? In what ways can schools better meet the needs of children of divorce? What damaging messages do children get from the media about divorced parents?

POETRY/PHILOSOPHY
Professor James Hans, Department of English

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

This course is designed to get students to think about the relationship between poetry and philosophy, beauty and truth, by investigation some of the ancient and modern sources of our contemporary viewpoints. Through an investigation of works as various as several of Plato's dialogues to modern meditations on these questions by thinkers and poets like Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, and Wallace Stevens to contemporary poets and novelists like Czeslaw Milosz, A. R. Ammons, Milan Kundera, Anne Carson, and Jenny McPhee, we will examine the fundamental ways the Western world has considered the relationship between these two fundamental cultural resources.

FOLKLORE AND MYTHOLOGY IN IRISH LITERATURE
Professor Jefferson Holdridge, Department of English

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86864 / MW 3:00 – 4:15 p.m. / Tribble A201

An examination of how folklore and mythology was used by 19th-century Irish writers as a mode of national consciousness and a means for cultural as well as political independence. The course will also examine how these uses were contested and explored by later writers.

THE BILL OF RIGHTS: WHAT THE FRAMERS INTENDED AND OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING
Professor Wayne King, Department of English

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86865 / MWF 2:00 – 2:50 p.m. / Tribble C115

The first ten amendments to the Constitution are the foundation of American liberty. But few Americans know what they are, and even fewer know what they mean. (Even former Chief Justice Burger, when asked his opinion of the Ninth, admitted he couldn't recall what it said.) This seminar explores just what the founders meant when they said Congress shall make NO law abridging freedom of speech, or that the right to bear arms shall NOT be abridged. Does that mean you can say anything you want to, and carry a gun to back it up? What about quartering troops? Any marines tried to take over your house lately?

AMERICAN ART IN ITS MANY CONTEXTS: THE COLLECTION AT REYNOLDA HOUSE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
Professor Barry Maine, Department of English and Director of Interdisciplinary Honors Program

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86866 / TR 3:00 – 4:15 p.m. / Reynolda House Museum of Art

This First Year Seminar will meet twice a week at the Reynolda House Museum of American Art. The house itself and the collection of American art there will provide the focus for the seminar, as we attempt to interpret what is on display there in the context of art history, architectural history, American culture, American literature, and museum culture. What is a museum for and how did this one in particular come into being? What contexts are most useful in understanding the paintings in the collection? These are just a few of the questions we will be considering. Students enrolled in this seminar will 1) enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the past and present life of an American art museum, with guided tours, gallery talks, special events, and interactions with the museum staff; 2) read American literary classics that correlate well with paintings in the museums collection; 3) discuss their reactions to a wide variety of art works and special events at the museum; and 4) write a series of papers on topics assigned by the instructor.

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
Professor Larry West, Department of German and Russian

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86867 / TR 3:00 – 4:15 p.m. / Greene 341

This course will examine the German Passion play of the late middle ages, the (in)famous Oberammergau Passion Play, and modern film adaptations of the Passion of Christ. Discussions of both the plays and films will emphasize their historical, religious, and sociological implications. Topics of special interest in both genres include the humanity of Jesus, treatment of women, changing portraits of Judas, anti-Semitism, and the portrayal of the devil figure(s).

MIND AND BODY: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE
Professor Jack Rejeski, Department of Health and Exercise Science

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86868 / Monday 3:00 – 5:30 p.m. / Reynolds Gym 308

The primary aim of this first year seminar is to explore contemporary research on mind-body interactions and selected health behaviors in the realm of chronic disease and physical disability. Special emphasis is placed on neuroscience and clinical research related to the relaxation response, mindfulness, and the therapeutic benefits of meditation. The course covers four main themes: (1) stress and disease, (2) how training the mind can change the brain, (3) the origin and treatment of obesity, and (4) the nature and public health threat of functional decline in aging.

THE NEW SOUTH: PROMISE AND PRISON
Professor John Hayes , Department of History

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86869 / MW 3:00 – 4:15 p.m. / Tribble A208

This seminar explores what it was like to live in the "New South," a society marked by severe poverty, rigid racial hierarchies, and oligarchic politics, as well as by capitalist opportunities, social mobility, and cultural creativity. Using a wide variety of sources, novels, memoirs, photographs, films, oral histories, songs, field studies, material culture we will zoom in on the U.S. South 1880-1940 and analyze the open possibilities and enclosing confinements that different people faced in their everyday lives in this distinct society.

HERODOTUS: FATHER OF HISTORY, FATHER OF LIES
Professor Jeffery Lerner, Department of History

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

The seminar focuses on Herodotus' Histories, a sweeping ethnographic investigation of the conflict between Greece and Persia in the fifth century B.C.E. This was a confrontation between the massive, wealthy, multiethnic empire of Persia and the fractious Greeks which had immeasurable impact on the history of the Greeks themselves and continues to inspire modern discussions of freedom, nationalism, and identity. The Histories will also provide a lens through which to explore the nature of history itself: what are the inherent difficulties of making sense of conflicting perspectives and biased evidence, and how does Herodotus inform us about the nature of writing history? Can history convey deeper meanings and broader truths, or is it by nature confined to expressing particulars? Should history present the warts and all truth, or commemorate and memorialize? Where lies the border between history and fiction?

AFRICAN EXPRESSIVE CULTURE AS HISTORY
Professor Nathan Plageman, Department of History

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86870 / TR 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. / Tribble A305

This course uses a number of African popular expressive forms such as music, theater, art, and clothing to reveal local views and interpretations of historical events during the Twentieth century. As we analyze the ways in which these individuals have represented events of the last 100 years, we will collectively assess culture's relationship to political, economic, social, and historical change. More importantly, we will garner a greater understanding of the ways in which Africans have creatively used the resources at their disposal in order to engage with the past, present, and future.

IMAGE OF WEALTH AND POVERTY IN U.S. CULTURE
Professor J. Howell Smith, Department of History

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86871 / MW 4:00 – 5:15 p.m. / Tribble A305

In the first decades after World War II, the economic promise of the U.S. was that prosperity would grow so much that poverty could be abolished without lessening the prosperity of those who had money. By 2007 that optimism had faded, and the statement that "the poor you will have with you always" has become more prevalent. The election of 2008 accentuated the role of community government in the treatment of the rich and the poor.

The seminar will study what Americans have said about who should be wealthy and who should be poor. What are the burdens of being identified as rich or poor? How have we depicted the rich and the poor in art and literature? Is there any reason a person should give away power and prestige? By what right does a community take money from the rich and give it to the pooras in graduated income tax? What is the function and nature of philanthropy and volunteerism? Do the wealthy and the poor need each other?

Short weekly projects or papers and one extended project or paper, which we will all critique, will guide discussions of what Americans in the past and present believed about the meaning of being wealthy or being poor. When admiration of wealth and respect for volunteerism and charity come in conflict, what do the sparks of the collision illuminate about us?

THE DIRT ON DEVELOPMENT: ENTREPRENEURIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL APPROACHES TO SOLVING THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS
Professor Emily Wakild, Department of History

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86872 / TR 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. / Tribble A104

Have you ever wondered how some individuals make a big difference? In this course, we will examine what strategies these difference-makers use to solve the world's problems and investigate how they can be applied elsewhere. To do so, we will analyze and debate problems of development regarding disease, hunger, finance, sustainability, and environmental change in various areas of the world including our own community.

HISTORICAL CAPITALISM: EAST AND WEST
Professor Sarah Watts, Department of History

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

This course conceptualizes the historical origin and development over the last 500 years of modern capitalism in a world-historical context, its novelty and dynamics, the global structural transformations that produced it and the interests and institutions that drove it.

THE MYSTERY OF QI: THE CHINESE PERSPECTIVE ON THE BODY, MIND, AND PERSONAL WELL-BEING
Professor Qiong Zhang, Department of History

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86873 / TR 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. / Tribble B117

In this seminar we will investigate the mystery of Qi, the putative vital energy which constituted the core of traditional Chinese understanding of the body and stood at the source of Chinese medicine and food culture, certain literary, artistic, and religious practices, and the martial arts.

POLITICS AND THE ARTS
Professor Robert Utley, Jr., Program in Humanities

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86874 / TR 3:00 – 4:15 p.m. / Greene 340

The seminar will engage students in a careful investigation of the relationship between art, especially dramatic and literary art, and public life. Exemplary literary texts will be studied to understand the central importance which the public realm frequently plays in great art and the profound manner in which artists portray the character of political life. Classic works of literary criticism will be read to supplement and deepen the consideration of the literary texts. Representative authors may include Sophocles, Aristotle, Shakespeare, Machiavelli, Moliere, Rousseau and Twain.

A MATHEMATICIAN READS THE NEWSPAPER
Professor Larissa Horn, Department of Mathematics

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86875 / MWF 10:00 – 10:50 a.m. / Manchester 245

Numbers are often considered to be facts that provide irrefutable evidence for an argument; however, they can also mislead a person or oversimplify a situation. In this course, we will look at how numbers affect news stories. A single event may have several (valid) interpretations depending on how data are presented. Topics will include both historical and contemporary events in economics, politics, sports, environment, medicine, and other subjects chosen by participants.

MUSIC OF PROTEST
Professor Patricia Dixon, Department of Music

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86863 / TR 1:30 – 2:45 p.m. / Tribble A205

In this course we explore the social movements that produced music of protest in the Americas from the 1920s to the present. The focus is on the artists, the social issues and the transmission of values through music. We also seek to understand the inter-relationships of the United States and the countries in Latin America during and after the Cold War, and the events that shaped musical expression in both continents. We will cover topics such as: the music industry and the manipulation of artists and cultural values, how music defines spaces for communication and the sharing of values, how artists mobilize traditions in music to form collective identities, and how transnational communities emerge around the globe. The course also seeks to find out how music of protest has been affected by technology today. Students will be asked to explore how artists build virtual communities to present their music and move their fans to political action on a variety of issues from domestic violence, human rights across the globe and the environment. We will study how music is an integral dimension of human behavior and liberal arts scholarship, with the power to move masses and change society.

COMMUNICATION AND THE FINE ARTS
Professor Louis Goldstein, Department of Music

Spring 2010 / TBA / TBA / TBA

This interdisciplinary seminar will explore the questions: Why are there different arts? How do the various fine arts differ in their ability to communicate emotions and thoughts? Experiences at live events and art shows will provide the focus for class discussions. Written assignments will include personal reactions, traditional discourse, and experimental prose and poetry. We will explore artistic expressions in music, theater, literature, cinema, the plastic arts, asking how thoughts and feelings are translated into communicable forms of expression. Prerequisite: an open mind.

THE MUSICAL THEATRE OF STEPHEN SONDHEIM
Professor David Hagy, Department of Music

Spring 2010 / TBA / TBA / TBA

Students will read about and explore Stephen Sondheim's contributions to the Broadway stage. Twelve to fourteen of his shows will be watched, read, listened to and examined with regard to tradition, creativity, and the ever-changing theatrical expectations of the public. Presentations, discussions and papers will compare his goals, methods of working, and achievements throughout his life as well as to other major figures of the Broadway musical theater stage. Musical or theatrical background not required but encouraged.

WAGNER'S RING OF THE NIBELUNG AND ITS SYMBOLS
Professor David Levy, Department of Music

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86877 / TR 9:30 – 10:45 a.m. / Scales Fine Arts Center M307

Did you ever wonder where Tolkien got his idea for an all-powerful ring? This seminar will explore one of the great epics of Western culture. Conceived as a Prelude and Three Days, the four operas that comprise Richard Wagner's Ring cycle (Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung) consumed more than a quarter century of the composer's life. Adapted from strands of medieval German, Norse, and Icelandic mythology, the Ring tells a compelling story of power, greed, treachery, and redemption that speaks as powerfully to modern sensibilities as it did to its first audience in 1876. Interpreted variously as creation myth, critique of capitalism, nationalistic tract, and source for racial theories, the Ring has had profound implications for the subsequent development of art, music, philosophy, politics, and popular culture. The seminar will explore this richly-textured work through study of its text (in translation), video recordings, and audio recordings. Reading knowledge of music or German is not required. Additional readings will reflect cross-disciplinary approaches to the work, and will include, among others, The Nibelungenlied, The Saga of the Volsungs, and authors such as Ernest Newman, Robert Donington, George Bernard Shaw, Friedrich Nietzsche, Michael Ewans, Jacques Barzun, Deryck Cooke, and others.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, CAPITALISM, AND THE PUBLIC GOOD
Professor Adrian Bardon, Department of Philosophy

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

Is downloading copyrighted music or video unethical? Should one's online activities be protected from advertisers? Should certain commercial activities be restricted, or should free speech apply regardless of content? How is the internet used to manipulate global markets? Should the Web have a government of its own? This course examines emerging ethical, legal, and public policy issues deriving from commercial activities on the internet and World Wide Web. Discussion and multimedia presentations will be emphasized.

MOVIES AND METAPHYSICS
Professor Stavroula Glezakos, Department of Philosophy

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86878 / MWF 12:00 – 12:50 p.m. / Tribble A307

In this seminar, we will examine some central issues in metaphysics, including: the appearance-reality distinction, free will, personal identity, and the nature of love. We will read classic and contemporary writings by philosophers, as well as view movies, in which these and other philosophical themes are explored.

TRUTH, REALITY, AND OBJECTIVITY: PHILOSOPHICAL THEMES IN PHYSICS
Professor Ralph Kennedy, Department of Philosophy

Professor Daniel Kim-Shapiro, Department of Physics

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86879 / TR 9:30 – 10:45 p.m. / Tribble A307

Is all truth relative, contingent on social and historical factors? Does it make sense to speak of what is "real", independently of what anybody says or thinks? Is objectivity ever a reasonable goal? We will consider these philosophical questions with reference to natural science generally and quantum mechanics in particular, a field which poses acute challenges for traditional understandings of reality and objectivity.

GOD
Professor Christian Miller, Department of Philosophy

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

Is it rational to believe in the existence of God, understood as an all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving being? Do features of the natural world entitle us to believe in the existence of such a being? How are we to understand the claims that God is omnipotent and perfectly good? Can we reconcile human freedom with divine foreknowledge, and the existence of evil with God's perfect goodness? Are divine commands the source of the moral rightness of acts?

PHILOSOPHY OF WAR
Professor Clark Thompson, Department of Philosophy

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86880 / MW 4:30 – 5:45 p.m. / Tribble A201

Philosophy of War is a study of the implications of moral theory for the determination of when war is morally permissible and of how war is to be conducted if it is to be waged in a morally acceptable way. We shall examine whether just war theory can offer acceptable guidance in making these determinations. We shall ask whether the provisions of international law governing warfare, as well as the rules of warfare adopted by the military forces of the United States, are morally acceptable, and whether various military actions (e.g., the bombing of cities to weaken civilian morale) violate such provisions and rules.

HARNESSING LIFE'S MOLECULAR MACHINES: FROM AIDS TESTS TO HYDROGEN CARS
Professor Jed Macosko, Department of Physics

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86881 / WF 3:00 – 4:15 p.m. / Olin 206

In this entrepreneurially-geared First Year Seminar, students will explore the submicroscopic resources found inside living cells: tiny machines made up of amino acids and DNA. These molecular machines undergird every living system and nearly all biotechnological devices and methods. The goal of this class will be to learn how these machines perform their manifold functions and how biotechnologists harness them to make useful innovations. After culling ideas from Wake Forest University professors and off-campus entrepreneurs, students will draft proposals that leverage those ideas in order to create value. Particular emphasis will be placed on the value of "appropriate technology" - inexpensive AIDS tests for developing countries, for example - and on energy conscious technology, such as hydrogen producing molecular machines. The textbook for this class is The Machinery of Life by David Goodsell.

DEBATING CAPITALISM
Professor David Coates, Department of Political Science

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

An introduction to some of the core debates on the nature, desirability and potential of capitalism. Students will be introduced to competing definitions of capitalism, to competing claims about the desirability and strengths of various models of capitalism, and to competing claims about the effects of those models on different societies, social groups and the global environment.

THE COLD WAR AND VIETNAM: "WELL, HOW DID I GET HERE?"
Professor Matthew Cullinan, Department of Political Science

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86882 / Wednesday 3:00 – 5:30 p.m. / Greene 310

The Vietnam War profoundly influenced American politics, culture, foreign policy and military strategy from the 1960s on. For many, the war has been viewed as a "fools-errand." Yet, the lead up to American intervention can be understood best when situated clearly within the stream of United States policy during the period. Vietnam was not so much an anomaly as it was the logical end of a Cold War policy of containment. With an exploration of the Cold War context, we can set a framework for understanding Vietnam. We will delve into the military, diplomatic, policy, political and social environments that shaped the war in Vietnam. Our goal is to come to an understanding of how a small Southeast Asian country became the focal point for a conflict whose symbolism and legacy, along with the reality of the war on the ground, had such a longstanding impact on the United States.

CHALLENGES TO THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY
Professor Yomi Durotoye, Department of Political Science

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86883 / TR 3:00 – 5:30 p.m. / Tribble A304

This seminar will provide students with the ability to view and analyze global issues from a variety of methodological perspectives. We will explore the ways by which we identify, define, describe and explain all sorts of differences and the mechanisms by which people try to negotiate their differences in the world at large. We will use these insights to explore familiar global issues such as ethnicity and racism, gender, globalization and economic inequality, the environment, population growth and migration, human rights, and international security.

ANIMAL MINDS: ARE WE REALLY ALONE IN THE WORLD OF CONSCIOUS THOUGHT?
Professor William Gordon, Department of Psychology

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86884 / TR 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. / Greene 310

There is a common belief that humans are distinct from all other species in that only humans possess conscious minds, and the ability to monitor and reflect upon their own thoughts. This course will encourage students to critically evaluate this view of human distinctiveness by examining the concept of consciousness in humans, and evidence from the field of comparative cognition dealing with animal intelligence. The course will emphasize in-class discussions of assigned readings, and written analyses of the experimental findings discussed in class.

WE CAN, BUT SHOULD WE? ETHICAL QUESTIONS AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
Professor Wayne Pratt, Department of Psychology

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

Although bioethics is currently receiving well-deserved attention, much of the popular discourse often reduces to emotional diatribe, rather than objective ethical dialogue. This course will direct the student to critically examine ethical issues in science, from the treatment of humans and animals in research to what the ethical implications of cloning may be. Coursework will emphasize in-class discussions and the development of written argument on contemporary issues at the boundary between contemporary science and ethical thought.

PSYCHOLOGICAL UTOPIAS
Professor James Schirillo, Department of Psychology

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

Utopias focus on actualizing potential social states given preconceived notions of the capacities and limitations of human nature. Students will read several literary utopian novels and related critiques that explore how to improve human society given the psychological constraints of human nature.

THE NATURE OF GENIUS
Professor Cecilia Solano, Department of Psychology

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

The popular image of genius usually paints them as either benign persons blessed with almost magical cognitive abilities (Einstein) or as people with major personality difficulties and an overwhelming ambition to dominate the world (Dr. Evil). In both cases, the person is seen as being "apart" from the rest of humanity. This course is designed to examine popular images and to consider as well the nature of "true" genius.

LIFE PERSPECTIVES
Professor Eric Stone, Department of Psychology

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

The purpose of this course is to investigate various thoughts, research, and philosophies on how we can best live our lives. To this end, we will consider both traditional Western ideas as well as a range of less traditional perspectives (such as Eastern religions). To the extent possible, the focus will not be on abstract concepts, such as the "meaning of life," but instead on more tangible recommendations on how to live. In so doing, the hope is that we can apply these ideas to how we approach our own lives, and get a better sense of how we fit into the world in which we live.

FINDING THE GOOD (OR AT LEAST THE BEST) IN DISASTERS
Professor Kenneth Hoglund, Department of Religion

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

Disasters present unique cases for life-or-death decisions. But such decisions may have been made many steps earlier both in how preparations were made for a disaster, and how professionals and volunteers are trained to make such decisions in the face of an incident. This seminar looks at the complexity of a disaster (using Hurricane Katrina as a paradigm), the ways best practices are implemented to respond to a disaster, and what the ethical role of a citizen is in the face of disasters. As a part of the seminar, students are certified as qualified volunteers to respond to a local disaster.

SURPRISING SPIRITUALITY: POPULAR CULTURE AND CONTEMPORARY RELIGIOUS LIFE
Professor Lynn S. Neal, Department of Religion

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86885 / MWF 1:00 – 1:50 p.m. / Wingate 206

From Christian romance novels to Simpson spirituality to the myth-making of professional wrestling, this course investigates the relationship between popular culture products and the religious lives of their devotees. Throughout the semester, we will be questioning how popular culture is influencing individual spirituality, religious vitality, and American culture.

CAPITALISM, RELIGION AND CULTURE
Professor Ulrike Wiethaus, Department of Religion

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86886 / Monday 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. / Wingate 206

This First Year Seminar focuses on the ways that capitalism, religion, and culture intersect across time and geographical areas. Special emphasis will be placed on the evolution of capitalism in Western Europe, its transmission to the Americas through the interplay of various historical and discursive forces, particularly colonialism and Christian teachings, and historical and contemporary responses in select case studies.

TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION
Professor Elizabeth Anthony, Professor of Romance Languages

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

Through analyses and discussion of selected tales of mystery and imagination this seminar seeks to challenge our assumptions and our modes of perception. The texts under consideration invite us to probe beyond perceived events. They require us to become careful and attentive readers as we assume the role of detective, judge, or psychoanalyst. We will consider the choices authors make when constructing tales about mad scientists, scorned lovers, and supernatural events. Reading will include works by Robert Louis Stevenson, HG Wells, Edgar Allan Poe, Prosper Mérimée and Steven Millhauser. Films include works by Hitchcock, Wilder, and Salvatores.

EUROPEAN HUMOR IN TIMES OF GLOBAL CHAOS: THE AVANT-GARDES
Professor Ana León-Távora, Department of Romance Languages

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

The political and economic tensions generated by the arrival of World War I open a traumatic period during which the Arts start to break with the past and, in most cases, also with the rules of logic and reason. This historical context of chaos and horror becomes the perfect foundation for the emergence of the European avant-garde movements, which, contrary to the climate of general despair, shared a common interest in the use of humor as an aseptic tool to cure the horrors of the war. As artist Jacques Vaché posed it: We don't act like that because we are in good humor. We are in good humor because, otherwise, we would go to pieces. This seminar will examine various concepts of humor in post-World War I Europe through an interdisciplinary study of different European artistic manifestations.

THE OCCIDENTAL TOURIST: TRANSATLANTIC TRAVELS IN ART, FILM, AND LITERATURE
Professor Kathryn Mayers, Department of Romance Languages

Spring 2010 / CRN: TBA / TBA / TBA

An interdisciplinary study of colonial and postcolonial identity formation through the analysis of artistic, cinematic, literary, and historical representations of transatlantic travel from different nations around the Western hemisphere (Spain, France, England, Belgium, Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Argentina, Brazil, the American South, the U.S.-Mexico borderlands). Readings include colonial accounts of transatlantic travel and their modern adaptations by writers, artists, and filmmakers.

HEALTH CARE REFORM: A SOCIOLOGICAL VIEW OF AMERICA'S "NON-SYSTEM"
Professor Rebecca Matteo, Department of Sociology

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86887 / MWF 8:00 – 8:50 a.m. / Carswell 018

President Obama's candidacy reflects a strong emphasis on health care reform, which proceeds in the context of a strained economy with most Americans receiving health insurance through employers. This course aims to explore the potential for major changes to the United States' health care system in a practical way through use of a sociological perspective. The focus includes understanding "health and illness" as social issues and the institutional response to health care needs, both of which are enhanced through international comparison.

THE AMERICAN DREAM IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE, 1947-2009
Professor Earl Smith, Department of Sociology

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86888 / TR 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. / Manchester 122

The American Dream in Comparative Perspective, 1947-2009 is the examination of the quest for upward mobility by Americans from approximately 1947 up through the present. It is designed as a sociological examination of hope, challenges, and risks by Americans to better their life chances via the established steps such as advanced education and military service -- towards obtaining success individually and as families. Additionally, some time will be devoted to examining illegitimate routes to success.

THEATRE ALIVE!
Professor Sharon Andrews, Department of Theatre and Dance

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86889 / MWF 12:00 – 12:50 p.m. / Scales Fine Arts Center 208

Theatre Alive! will follow the process, production and the artistic choices involved in mounting the University Theatre's productions; Doubt by John Patrick Shanley and Sonnets For An Old Century by Jose Rivera. The course will explore how a production team comes to understand and agree on the ideas and values inherent in a play script and then how these ideas and values are communicated from the stage.

This will be an active engagement course with lively discussions and creative presentations.

BORDER CROSSINGS: CREATIVITY IN THE MIX AND THE MARGINS
Professor Lynn Book, Department of Theatre and Dance

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86890 / Wednesday 3:00 – 5:30 p.m. / Scales Fine Arts Center 134

This course is for adventurers, interlopers, thieves and the just plain curious. Venture into unknown and sometimes unruly territories on the frontiers of creativity. Here we will chart the incredible cross-fertilizations that have occurred over the last several years between and betwixt fields, ideas and cultures. We will stake out our research from the perspective of the 'Big Four' of the Arts: Theatre, Dance, Visual Arts and Music, learning how they have dramatically metamorphosed, yielding new forms in the mix of disciplines and in the margins between them. What is it that makes someone creative and how do certain behaviors get designated as such? Gain a contemporary, critical overview of the striking array of transdisciplinary trends in the arts and encounter the notion that you, yourself can become a creative agent in everything that you do.

DECIPHERING THE BULLS AND THE BEARS: TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF STOCKS AND OPTIONS
Professor Jonathan Christman, Department of Theatre and Dance

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86891 / TR 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. / Scales Fine Arts Center M307

The financial markets are exciting and a source of wealth, but markets can also be confusing and frightening to individual traders in stocks and options. The internet now provides traders with real time information that allows minute-by-minute analysis of price trends in markets. This FYS introduces the tools and techniques of technical analysis, a method of investing based on computerized analysis of price patterns. In this class, students will use professional charting software and learn to interpret real time market data. Students will critically examine the wealth of available financial information and develop strategies for evaluating conflicting information. The tensions between technical analysis and traditional fundamental analysis, which involves in-depth analysis of a company's strengths and weaknesses, will also be explored.

Skills developed in this course will be directly applicable to many disciplines, including economics, political science, mathematics, history, and business. After taking this course, the student will be able to see beyond the daily stock market headlines to understand the global significance of commodities and currencies. This course will also help interested students identify a personal investment portfolio style.

THE WORLD AND WORK OF AUGUST WILSON: AN EXPLORATION OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Professor John Friedenberg, Department of Theatre and Dance

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86892 / TR 1:30 – 2:45 p.m. / Scales Fine Arts Center 208

Pulitzer Prize winning playwright August Wilsons acclaimed play cycle explores the African-American experience in each decade of the 20th century. Explore this series of plays together with the art and music which influenced Wilson drawing on critical as well as historical writings.

POVERTY ACROSS RACE, GENDER, AND SPACE
Professor Sherriann Lawson Clark, Program of Women's and Gender Studies

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86893 / TR 1:30 – 2:45 p.m. / Greene 160

"Poverty across Race, Gender, and Space" is a seminar that allows students to prove and debate such questions as: What is poverty? What are its causes and consequences? Who are the poor? How do different groups experience poverty? Where is it located? What role does public policy play in shaping the lives of poor children and families? Students will read and critique the works of various social scientists that study poverty and leave this course with a better understanding of the complexities and the dynamics surrounding impoverished families and communities in the U.S. today.

CAPITALISM AND PATRIARCHY: SIBLING SYSTEMS OF SUPREMACY
Professor Patricia Willis, Program of Women's and Gender Studies

Fall 2009 / CRN: 86894 / TR 9:30 – 10:45 a.m. / Greene 312

This course will use feminist theoretical analytics to deconstruct the capitalist economic system and its enduring relationship between the two systems, looking at how each supports the other, how patriarchy has mutated to accommodate capitalism, who has benefited and who has been harmed by each system, and what alternative systems might present more equitable options for humanity.