FS 101 Descriptions (Fall, 2016)

Section 1: Public Health: Issues of Epidemic Proportions
Professor Peterson, MWF 1:30-2:20

An exploration of public health through readings, discussion, and case studies. We explore factors influencing health in both developed and under-developed regions and define public health from several perspectives. The background of this subject is examined through key historical figures and milestones. Case studies are used to examine public health as an intricate web of interconnected disciplines including the sciences, social justice, economics, culture, and politics. The organization of the health care system is considered in the delivery of public health interventions. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 2: Contemporary Topics in the U.S. Economy CANCELLED

Section 3: The Business of Sports
Professor Sickafuse, TTh 1:30-2:45

An exploration of business theories utilized in the operating activities of modern sports. The multibillion-dollar business of sports has become a pervasive element in our economy and our society. We analyze factors determining franchise profitability and market value and how sports franchises fit into the larger business strategies of modern corporate owners. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 4: Uncertainty and Mindfulness
Professor David Miller, MW 11-12:15
**Living-Learning Community**

An introduction to liberal arts education and inquiry-based learning. Students develop a sense of what is important to know about themselves and the world, what questions to ask, and what to read. Inquiry includes examination of recent and past history as well as current events through various types of media along the ideological spectrum as well as a variety of contemporary issues presented by scholars, popular writers, journalists, and filmmakers. The college curriculum is examined as well as extracurricular approaches to learning, both experiential and community-based. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 5: Meadville’s Military Matters
Professor Hart, MWF 10-10:50

A consideration of Meadville’s military history, places, and people. Students interact with former and current military members, visit memorials and monuments, and take part in events throughout the local area as they conduct primary and secondary research to discover why the military matters to Meadville. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 6: Imagining Epidemics: Public Health and Popular Culture
Professor Votava, MWF 10-10:50

An investigation of movies and television as responses to recent public health catastrophes. In addition to exploring the science behind bugs from AIDS to swine flu, students examine the reaction of popular entertainment on the big and small screens. We consider two ways of representing epidemics: reproducing “real-life” diseases and fictionalizing conditions such as zombie-ism. Topics include the problem of representing traumatic experience and the cultural as well as physical power of plague to shape society. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 7: Making Meadville Home
Professor Lo, TTh 3:00-4:15
**This section is reserved for students participating in the Bonner program**

An exploration of the spaces that, and the people who, have shaped Meadville. We all want to belong to something or some place, but how do we make this happen, especially when we are new? Sometimes, we enter with assigned roles and identities and, other times, we have to work hard to gain a sense of belonging. One way to establish a community and build relationships is to create a space where you know you belong. While you have time to develop your own thoughts on community and belonging, the final product is a research paper that helps you claim Meadville as home. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 8: The Undead and the Meaning of Life
Professor J. Miller, MWF 1:30-2:20

An investigation of the cultural significance of ghosts, zombies, vampires, and other creatures that refuse to rest in peace. We discuss stories, poems, movies, TV shows, and photographs supposed to represent the undead, from Ebenezer Scrooge’s Ghost of Christmas Past to George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Our explorations ask how the undead–this strange category between life and death–provides a way of thinking about what life means, and how we can make the most of it. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 9: Piracy and Treasure
Professor K. Haywood, MWF 1:30-2:20

An examination of piracy in the Americas. Treasure was a target carefully protected and regulated by colony and crown. It was also a magnet for illegal, illicit trade. We look at the wealth of the Americas and assess lawless culture and activity on the high seas. Is there any validity to the romanticism of “yo ho ho”? Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 10: Murder and Mayhem: Crime and Punishment in America
Professor Keysor, TTh 3-4:15

An exploration of crime and punishment in America from the Colonial Era to the present day.  Students participate in class discussion to engage with case studies, historical debates, and media representations of criminality. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 11: Chinese Emperors and Empresses: from the First to the Last
Professor  Wu, MWF 2:30-3:20

A study of the than 200 emperors in China’s 2000-year-long imperial history. What role did they play in Chinese history and in making China as it is today? How are they evaluated by the Chinese people? Using scholarly works, autobiographies, documentaries and feature films, students study the rise and fall of the most important Chinese emperors and empress from the first emperor of the Qin to the very last one, Puyi, who abdicated in 1912. We examine how these monarchs established a Chinese imperial system, sought and maintained their power and pursued change, looked at their own position in history, and handled their relationships with ministers, families, and their subjects. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 12: Mathematical Issues in Music
Professor Ellers, MWF 11-11:50

An introduction to mathematical concepts that have applications in music. We discuss topics such as the science of sound, the mathematical foundations of scales and tuning systems, algebraic analysis of symmetry in music and art, and geometrical and topological analysis of harmony. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 13: Philosophy of Mathematics
Professor Lo Bello, MWF 9-9:50

An introduction to the philosophy of mathematics. We consider the questions of what mathematics is, and how it is related to other branches of knowledge. We read Plato’s Timaeus, Book I of Euclid’s Elements of Geometry, the story of Archimedes in Plutarch’s Life of Marcellus, Descartes’ Discourse on Method, and Hadamard’s The Psychology of Invention in the Mathematical Field. Students write papers on each of these books and present them to the seminar for discussion; they also prove geometrical propositions before the class. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 14: Cross-Cultural Portraits
Professor Shi, MWF 11-11:50

An exploration of intercultural awareness through the representation of the Self and Other in Chinese and American cultures. Fiction, poems, illustrations, and movies from Chinese (with English translations available) and American sources are discussed, with field trips in the Meadville area and to Pittsburgh. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 15: Language Matters CANCELLED

Section 16: Latinos in the United States: A Historical and Cultural Introduction
Professor Hernandez, TTh 11-12:15

A historical and cultural introduction to the largest ethnic minority in the United States. We propose a framework for comprehending the reasons behind the growth in the last sixty years of the U.S. Latino population, which in some states is becoming the main ethnic group.  Using Puerto Rican journalist Juan Gonzalez’s theory that posits a link between the United States becoming a global power, its expansion into land formerly ruled by Spain, and the migration of Spanish-speaking people to America, our study includes a diverse array of written and audiovisual sources produced by Latino writers and filmmakers about the three significant U.S. Latino groups: Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 17: Water, Food, and Energy:  What’s Next?
Professor O’Brien, TTh 1:30-2:45

A study of fresh water supplies, food systems, and energy resources from an interdisciplinary perspective. We examine these systems at the local, national, and global scales and identify how these natural resources are inherently linked in human societies. How well do we understand the dynamics among our water, agriculture, and energy supplies? How might we create policies to effectively manage these resources in tandem? What are the emerging ideas under development to meet our growing needs for water, food and/or energy? Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 18: Americans in Paris: Setting an Agenda for 20th-Century Culture
Professor Farrelly-Jackson, TTh 3-4:15

A multidisciplinary exploration of the rich contributions to modernist culture made by American expatriates in Paris in the first half of the 20th century and the significance of the city itself for the creative lives of these figures. Topics include Gertrude Stein’s contribution to modern art and literature, Man Ray’s role in the Dadaist and Surrealist movements, Hemingway’s Parisian apprenticeship, the cultural impact of African-American jazz musicians in Montmartre, and the particular significance of Paris for women and African-American writers and artists. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 19: Love and Friendship
Professor Holland, MWF 9;9:50

An exploration of close personal relationships as they have been traditionally understood in Western culture. What leads to love between two people? Does love bring out the best or worst in a person? What is the nature of friendship, and what qualities make a good friend? Are friendships between men different than friendships between women? These questions are explored through class discussion of films, television programs, music, and classic and modern texts, including Plato’s Symposium, Shakespeare’s Sonnets, and Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 20: Islam in America: From Slavery to Muhammad Ali
Professor Mirza, TTh 11-12:15

A study of the history of Muslims in the United States from Colonial times to the present day. Attention is given to different segments of the Muslim community including African Americans, immigrants, and converts. Students explore the experience of Muslim Americans in order to better understand how America achieves and falls short of its values. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 21: Science: From Time Travel to Healthcare Delivery
Professor Rahman, MWF 1:30-2:20

An examination of two topics, Time Travel and Healthcare Delivery, that uses the unique ability of science to make valid predictions. For the first topic, students look at the radical predictions made by Albert Einstein which imply that traveling to the past or the future is certainly possible. Current scientific theories that predict the possibility of time travel both to the future and the past are also studied.  For the second topic, students use scientific markers to compare the healthcare system in the U.S. with those of other countries. Given the serious problems with healthcare delivery in this country — including its very high cost — and the radically different solutions proposed by some of the 2016 presidential candidates, a proper understanding of this topic based on science is of great importance. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 22:  Rock ‘n’ Roll in America
Professor Statman, TTh 9:30-10:45

An exploration of the impact of Rock ‘n’ Roll music on American culture. Rock ‘n’ Roll has been around for over 60 years. Yet it maintains the image of youth and, often, rebellion. Students examine how, from its beginnings to the present, Rock ‘n’ Roll music has been a force in the American landscape. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 23: Harnessing Technology in Our Community CANCELLED

Section 24: Are You Game?
Professor Dearden, TTh 9:30-10:45

An exploration of the importance of games in human culture: why we play games; what we can learn from games about ourselves, human nature, society, and interpersonal interactions; and how games help us learn. Students examine these questions through discussions of gamification, sports, and game theory as well as hands-on experience playing a variety of games. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 25: Crafters, Makers, and the DIY Culture
Professor Whitenack, TTh 3-4:15
**Reserved for students participating in the Access Allegheny program**

An exploration of the rise of the modern arts and crafts movement. The “do it yourself” (DIY) ethic values the process of knowledge and making, rather than purchasing ready-made products, and extends to creative works, food, home improvement, and technology. Scholars have identified parallels between the current DIY movement and the Arts and Crafts Movement of the 1950s. Students examine themes of the DIY culture through discussion of both movements, as well as hands-on experience with crafting or making. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 26: Making Sense of Place
Professor B. Haywood, MW 3-4:15
**Living-Learning Community**

An exploration of the meaning and role of place in our lives, including both how we develop attachment to places and the influence place has on our values, personalities, and everyday experience. While negotiating the academic and social transition to the novel places of college life, students relate to questions of place within cultural geography, landscape studies, and environmental psychology. Students examine places of personal significance in-depth, alongside the role of place in historical and contemporary social systems, communities, and “natural” and “unnatural” spaces. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 27: Natural Resource Conservation
Professor Bowden, T 1:30-2:45 and Th 1:30-4:20
**Living-Learning Community**

An investigation of natural resource use and conservation. Northwest Pennsylvania has a diversity of natural resources that provide environmental and economic opportunities to the region. We examine protection and management of forests, farms, wildlife, streams, and wetlands, as well as the economic and social concerns that challenge informed use and long-term protection of valuable resources. In this laboratory and field-based class, students can expect to spend a considerable amount of time outdoors in the diversity of weather enjoyed by this region. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 28: You Are Here
Professor Crozier, TTh 1:30-2:45

An investigation of identity through ways we perceive and think about time, place, and how we interact with the world. We examine where you’re from, where you are now, and where you’re going. We explore the paradoxical nature of body and mind, true and false, belief and interpretation through readings from theatre, geography, philosophy, and psychology. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 29: Theatre and Community
Professor Watkins, TTh 11-12:15

An exploration of theatre as communal practice.  How is drama created?  What can we learn about culture through performance?  In this course, students examine fundamental issues about social and cultural practices, dramatic conventions, and how theatre reflects our fragmented society.  Students study plays and performance traditions, develop improvisational acting and writing skills, and create and produce an original theatre performance as the final project for the course.  Course work emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 30: Food for Thought: Exploring Food Controversies
Professor J. Wiebel-Silva, MWF 2:30-3:20
**Reserved for students participating in the Access Allegheny program**

An examination of contemporary issues related to food’s production and consumption. Students read a wide range of materials including food manifestos, editorials and columns by food critics, advertisements for grocery stores and restaurants, and television food programming. In doing so, students gain a greater understanding of the issues these texts raise and communication strategies they rely on to advance particular visions of food. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 31: Deconstructing Psychopathology, Gender, and Film
Professor Heuchert, TTh 1:30-2:45

An exploration of the representations of psychological disorders presented in feature films.  Gender is one of the primary perspectives used to guide a critical analysis of the portrayal of women and men, those with psychological disorders, as well as those who diagnose and treat people with psychological disorders.  Several films such as Betty Blue, House of Games, My Life as a Dog, and Mr. Jones are studied.  The impact of these popularized representations on our everyday knowledge of psychological disorders and our views of women and men are analyzed through extensive readings and critical class discussions, and several written and oral presentations. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 32: Brain, Art, and Mind
Professor Jeffrey Hollerman, MWF 2:30-3:20

An exploration from a neuroscientific viewpoint of various art forms, including music, visual arts, dance, language, and literature, as well as philosophy. Neuronal processes involved in sensation, perception, movement, cognition, and emotion are discussed in relation to artistic expression and appreciation. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 33: Storytelling
Professor Searle-White, TTh 9:30-10:45
**Reserved for students participating in the Access Allegheny program**

An experiential, creative, and critical exploration of the power and practice of storytelling. We examine storytelling traditions from cultures in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Americas as well as contemporary uses of storytelling in business, healthcare, education, and the media.  Students also create and perform several of their own stories and learn how to integrate narrative approaches into their academic work.  Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 35: Saying No! Dissent in American Politics
Professor B. Smith, MWF 9-9:50

An examination of dissenting voices in American politics over the last century. While social critics and political historians have often noted the broad agreement among Americans about basic political and cultural values, dissenters have periodically questioned these apparently shared assumptions and challenged the boundaries of American political culture. We focus on dissenting voices from both the Left and the Right, ranging from ambivalent immigrants and suburban rebels to working-class traditionalists, radical feminists, and critics of social inequality. In listening to such dissenting voices, we examine jarring elements within the American political tradition, ask whether there exists a dissent tradition in America, and consider to what extent dissent remains a lively possibility for 21st-century Americans. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 36: Change Your Mind, Change the World?
Professor Wesoky, MWF 9-9:50
**Living-Learning Community**

An exploration of Buddhism and mindfulness and their impact on science, society, politics, and daily life. Scientific approaches include attention to neuroscientific research on meditation and mindfulness and their effects on mental and physical well-being. This understanding of the effects of Buddhist philosophy and meditative practices is extended through the ways that mindfulness is manifested in the world. Topics of study include Buddhist approaches to economics and the consumer economy, war and peace, and the environment.  Students are also given resources and information to create their own mindfulness practice. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 37: Made by Hand
Professor Chapp, MWF 10-10:50 

An exploration of artisan crafts, both edible and non-edible. We seek to answer the question “What is the value of items made by hand?” by interacting with local artisans, screening short films, reading and discussing a variety of texts, and engaging in our own attempts at handmade crafts. Students may be required to participate in trips off campus outside of regularly scheduled class time. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 38: Art, Technology, and Science Fiction: The Best Way to Predict the Future Is to Invent It
Professor Rich, TTh 9:30-10:45

An investigation of how science fiction becomes cultural reality when artists use the tools of computer and biological science to define the future of the social landscape. By studying many important works of art of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, and identifying how these pieces of art integrate notable scientific fields of study, students gain an understanding of the philosophical ramifications of the current Social Media landscape and emerging disciplines in biological science such as Synthetic Biology. Critical theory texts are paired with artworks to analyze how culture is defined by creative applications of emerging fields. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 39:  Art Activism for Social Change  CANCELLED

Section 41: Shakespeare on Screen
Professor Bulman, MWF 1:30-2:20.

An examination of the phenomenon of Shakespeare’s popularity as a cultural icon in America today. Why do we read his plays? How do they speak to contemporary concerns about race, sexuality, social class, and morality? Why have they been adapted as films to appeal to wider audiences, and especially teens? Students read plays in conjunction with viewing recent screen adaptations: Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You; Twelfth Night and She’s the Man; Othello and O; Macbeth and Scotland, PA. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 42: Food Exchange: Europe and the Americas
Professor N. Smith, TTh 11-12:15.

An examination of the exchange of different types of food and drink that has occurred from 1492 to the present between various regions of the “Old World” (Europe) and the “New World” (the Americas). Through literature, travelogues, histories, and film, we explore the effects of this exchange on culinary tastesCoursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 43: Modern Sexualities
Professor Hellwarth, MWF 10-10:50

Sexuality and sexual identities are represented, defined, and circumscribed by our culture in a variety of ways. As a means for understanding this negotiation we examine human sexual behavior, femininity and masculinity, transsexuality, intersexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality from scientific as well as popular perspectives. Readings are drawn from fields that both challenge and complement one another, including biology, psychology, art, and literature. Topics of discussion include sexual identity formation, infant sex reassignment surgery, and popular representations of masculinity and femininity. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.

Section 44: Channeling Trickster
Professor Jurs, MWF 9-9:50

An exploration of trickster figures from around the world. We will think about how the playful, mischievous imagination of the trickster ultimately leads to lasting cultural change. Students will uncover examples of trickster thinking in leaders from the worlds of art, music, social justice, and business/technology, and will be challenged to become tricksters themselves through a fun and collaborative project. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.