FS 201 Descriptions (Fall, 2016)

FS 201 courses complete the required FS sequence and also count for elective credit in the department offering the course. Because FS 201 forms a bridge between the first-year FS courses and the Junior Seminar, students are expected to take FS 201 in the sophomore year. Some majors and minors require an FS 201 course in that specific program; in these cases, the same FS 201 course may be used to satisfy both the FS requirement and the major/minor requirement.

FSBIO 201 Communication in a Discipline – Biology
Investigative Approaches in Biology. Taught by various Biology faculty.

An investigative laboratory course that emphasizes experimental design, modern experimental techniques and instrumentation, analysis and interpretation of data, and written and oral presentation. The course consists of three multi-week project modules designed to illustrate investigative approaches at different levels of biological organization—molecular/cellular, organismal/physiology, and population/ecosystem. There is an emphasis on independent and cooperative laboratory/field work, and on writing and speaking in the sciences. One two-hour recitation/discussion and three-hour lab period per week. Prerequisite: BIO 220. This course is required for Biology majors and minors.

FSCHE 201 Communication in a Discipline – Chemistry
Research Methods in Chemistry. Professor Van Horn.

An introduction to writing, speaking, and research methods in the discipline of chemistry. Topics include experimental design, statistical analysis of data, ethical conduct of research and selected classical, spectroscopic and chromatographic methods of analysis. Analytical techniques are discussed in the context of laboratory projects that are designed, performed, and interpreted by the class. Taught in the fall semester. Prerequisite: a grade of C or better in CHEM 122 or CHEM 112.

FSCOM 201 Communication in a Discipline – Communication Arts
Sports/Media and Cultural Power. Professor Tompkins.

An introduction to writing and speaking in the discipline of Communication Arts. Students examine the forces shaping contemporary sport-media culture. To understand sport culture, we need to understand the media. In this study, we learn about both: the institutions that shape our mediated experience of the sport as well as the cultural meanings and representations that derive there from. We pay particular attention to constructions of race, gender, sexuality, nation, and class.

FSDMS 201 Communication in a Discipline – Dance & Movement Studies
Dance: Ritual of Experience. Professor Reedy.

An exploration of ritual and ceremonial dances from multiple cultural perspectives, drawing upon insights into dance as human thought and as physical, cultural, social, economic, psychological, political and communicative behavior. Of particular interest is the role dance plays in the expression of both resistances to and maintenance of cultural expressions of power and value. Special emphasis is placed on relating each student’s personal experience of dance to the topics covered. Effective writing and speaking within the guidelines of the discipline is emphasized. May count toward a minor in Dance and Movement Studies.

FSENG 201 Communication in a Discipline – English
Into Conversation: How Texts Talk. Professor V. Prince.

An introduction to writing and speaking in the discipline of English. Students apply a variety of critical approaches to a few literary texts, consider theoretical assumptions and methodologies, and explore the way these approaches are used to enter into conversation with text. Students read John Edgar Wideman’s Philadelphia Fire alongside Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Jason Osder’s Let the Fire Burn and view Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq alongside Aristophanes’ Lysistrata as well as other shorter works in an effort to consider how texts speak to one another.

FSENV 201 Communication in a Discipline – Environmental Science
Environmental Problem Analysis. Taught by various Environmental Science faculty.

An interdisciplinary analysis of modern controversial environmental issues. Students examine scientific, economic, cultural and political underpinnings of issues. Areas of study address environmental degradation, natural resource use and misuse, human-environmental interactions, and environmental justice. Written assignments and oral arguments and presentations are emphasized. Counts toward the major in Environmental Science or Environmental Studies. Prerequisite: Environmental Science 110.

FSGEO 201 Communication in a Discipline – Geology
Field Geology. Professor Schwartz.

Applied principles and field methods in geology and environmental geology. Students are exposed to critical analysis and communication in the geosciences through field and laboratory projects involving topographic maps, aerial photographs, geologic maps, rock and soil properties, subsurface drilling and geophysical data, and computer applications. Geologic mapping and hazards, landfill siting, environmental pollution, and oil exploration issues provide context for the projects. Field work or laboratory, one period. May include a multi-day field trip. Prerequisite: GEO 108 or GEO 110. May count toward a major or minor in Geology. Students who have taken GEO 230 prior to Fall 2006 may not take this section of FSGEO 201.

FSGHS 201 Communication in a Discipline – Global Health Studies
Topics and Approaches in Global Health. Professor Darrouzet-Nardi.

An introduction to writing and speaking in the discipline of Global Health Studies. Students are introduced to the research methods and modes of communication used in the field of global health and use case studies to investigate different approaches to identifying, analyzing, and responding to global health issues. We read primary and secondary research, interpret data, evaluate tools for communicating effectively to different audiences, and explore various research methods. Ethical, cultural, and interdisciplinary dimensions of global health research and work are emphasized throughout. Prerequisite: GHS 130.

FSHIS 201 Communication in a Discipline – History
Nelson Mandela and the End of Apartheid in South Africa. Professor Shapiro

An introduction to writing and speaking in the discipline of history. Students are introduced to historical thinking through an analysis of how negotiation and compromise played a central role in ending what had seemed to be one of the world’s most intractable conflicts. In particular, students investigate the emergence of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the process through which the practitioners of apartheid were granted amnesty in return for telling the truth about their crimes.

FSPHY 201 Communication in a Discipline – Physics
Investigative Approaches in Physics. Professor Poynor.

An investigative laboratory course that emphasizes experimental design and analysis, interpretation of data, and written and oral presentation. This course stresses independent and cooperative laboratory work. Writing and speaking in the physical sciences is emphasized through written, oral and poster presentations. Prerequisite: PHYS 120 or PHYS 102.