FS*102, Section 1: Vision, Imagination and Arts-based Activism
Professor Geffen
An exploration of vision and activism, with an emphasis on the arts. Students explore how vision and imagination inform our understanding of contemporary culture and the possibility of our shared futures. We examine the process of seeing and interpreting what we see, the qualities of visionary leaders and 20th-century artist-activists, and the role of the DIY movement and other contemporary activist cultures in transforming contemporary life and art. Students participate in a field trip to the Carnegie International in Pittsburgh, attend relevant campus lectures, and co-design and implement an activist project. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 2: Contemporary Entrepreneurial Leadership
Professor Allison
A critical examination of the personal philosophies, leadership styles, and economic and social impacts of entrepreneurs in the personal computer, internet, and web-portal industries. Each entrepreneur is studied using several models of entrepreneurial leadership, with special emphasis on the framework of Joseph Schumpeter. The individuals studied include Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Andy Grove, Jim Clark, Michael Dell, and Mark Zuckerberg. Seminar assignments include presentations, discussions based on readings, and written assignments. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 3: Smarter or Dumber?
Professor Roos
A study of the critical literature surrounding several familiar technologies. Proponents of modern media-intensive digital culture claim that television, video games, the World Wide Web, and other inventions have improved the multitasking, problem-solving, and analytical abilities of today’s students. Critics maintain that these same technologies inhibit the ability of students to think deeply and critically and have created what one writer calls “the dumbest generation.” We explore these issues through readings, discussion, presentations, and experiments. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 4: What Makes a Good Mom?
Professor Yochim
A critical investigation of popular discourses about “good” and “bad” mothers. Students interrogate these discourses, thinking through how media and popular culture shape current thought about “good mothering” and motivate women’s choices about childcare, discipline, and education. Using a critical feminist lens, we explore how mothers are judged for these individual choices and pitted against one another in an ongoing battle about what type of mothering is best for children. We ultimately consider the underlying cultural, political, and economic forces shaping mothering in the current moment. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 5: Education and Democracy
Professor Weisman
An examination of cultural attitudes that foster or inhibit democratic education and cultural expectations. Students explore basic questions that underlie learned assumptions concerning personal freedom, discrimination, and the rights of others. We draw on educational theory to examine how attitudes related to social justice are developed. Our inquiry addresses domestic civil rights and democracy in the U.S. as well as issues of power and justice in the international community, specifically the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. A service-learning component in the Meadville community is part of our work. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 6: Presidential Rhetoric: The Art of Political Persuasion
Professor Byrnes
An exploration of the rhetoric and historical context of representative presidential speeches. Presidential speeches provide a rich archive of public policy expressed in compelling rhetorical form. We examine the relationship among primarily 20th-century presidential speeches, policy decisions, and their historical contexts. In addition to analytical essays and weekly Sakai forum discussions, students write and deliver their own speeches and serve as a speechwriter for a designated peer. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 7: Analyzing Architecture
Professor Utz
An examination of architecture on campus and in the city, through articles, discussion sessions, and research. Throughout the day we navigate buildings produced by architects, engineers, and contractors. These structures shelter us from harsh elements and define the community in which we live. This constructed environment has evolved based on the study of human needs and behavior. We explore how yesterday’s architecture serves our modern needs and ask if the form fits the function or if aesthetics dominates the field. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 8: Global Water Issues
Professor O’Brien
A critical examination of issues surrounding the quantity and quality of fresh water on a global scale. We explore the unequal distribution of fresh water across the planet, investigate the primary uses of fresh water, and analyze the major types of fresh water contamination. Issues of human waste and wastewater – intimately linked to issues of fresh water quality – are examined in the context of health risks and disease associated with fecal contamination of water supplies. Students compare and contrast the various efforts by governments, non-profit organizations, and the corporate sector to provide access to water supplies and sanitation. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on description, summary, and critical thinking.
FS*102, Section 9: Africa Is Not a Country: “Africa” in Historical Perspective
Professor Hardin
An interrogation of portrayals of Africa today. Students analyze depictions of Africa in news media and compare those depictions to scholarly histories of the issues in question. Topics include the Atlantic slave trade, the status of women, economic development, and politics. Students research how the history of a particular country has shaped it today. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 10: Creatures of the Night
Professor Sheffield
An exploration of “classic” horror from Edgar Allan Poe to Stephen King. By exploring perennial motifs (e.g., the vampire) in horror fiction and films, we investigate the concept of monstrosity, the nature of evil, and what it means to be human. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 11: Women and Science
Professor Werner
An exploration of women’s participation in science and mathematics. We study the lives and accomplishments of some notable female scientists. Topics include the social and cultural factors that contributed to the under-representation of women in science, feminist critiques of science, and the current climate for women working in scientific fields. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 12: Analyzing Architecture
Professor Utz
An examination of architecture on campus and in the city, through articles, discussion sessions, and research. Throughout the day we navigate buildings produced by architects, engineers, and contractors. These structures shelter us from harsh elements and define the community in which we live. This constructed environment has evolved based on the study of human needs and behavior. We explore how yesterday’s architecture serves our modern needs and ask if the form fits the function or if aesthetics dominates the field. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 13: Nuremberg and Its Legacy: Historical and Ethical Perspectives on Medical Research
Professor Farrelly-Jackson
A study of medical research integrating historical and ethical approaches. Students examine experiments done by Nazi doctors and interrogate the legacy of the Nuremberg Code, the first international set of ethical guidelines for research involving human subjects, in the light of other kinds of experimentation done in the name of medicine, national security, and human progress. We also discuss key ethical challenges that persist today, such as research using vulnerable populations, genetic intervention, and the use of medical knowledge for military interrogation. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 14: Mysticism, Messianism, and Political Action
Professor Bernstein-Goff
A consideration of the reemergence of religious mysticism as a major component of contemporary Judaism. We explore the history of the Jewish mystical tradition, called Kabbalah, the rise of the mystical pietism of Hassidism, and contemporary forms of the Kabbalistic tradition, including its prominence in popular culture and the non-Jewish world in the 21st century. We also study the role of Jewish Messianism as a political force in the Middle East and the part it plays in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section15: Black Women in American Culture
Professor Gilbert
An exploration of the significance of black women in the American cultural landscape. We examine how black women are represented in American literature, in both academic and popular culture texts, and why black women’s intellectual thought remains marginalized despite the increase in texts about and by black women. Drawing from black feminist understandings of black womanhood, we interrogate black women’s writing from various genres and time periods to understand “when and where black women enter” American cultural discourse. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 16: How to Live?
Professor P Jackson
A consideration of the values that inform our decisions about how to behave and what to want and who to be. We investigate what makes some lives seem so much more enchanting and enviable than others, as well as whether there is such a thing as the objectively desirable life, how we might define it, and how we know when we’re living it. We study what the greatest minds in history have said about the good life and explore how these ideas fit with our own. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 17: How to Live?
Professor P Jackson
A consideration of the values that inform our decisions about how to behave and what to want and who to be. We investigate what makes some lives seem so much more enchanting and enviable than others, as well as whether there is such a thing as the objectively desirable life, how we might define it, and how we know when we’re living it. We study what the greatest minds in history have said about the good life and explore how these ideas fit with our own. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 18: Changing Worlds, Selves, Stories
Professor Reeck
A study of 21st-century immigration narratives. In the broader context of a globalized yet also polarized world, and set against increasing class disparities and reverse migration in America, we explore essays, films, and novels that illuminate the experience of immigration. We discuss how personhood is complexified through individual, family, and national histories and how home, belonging, and community all play into a nuanced sense of place. We question whether the traditional image of America as a land of immigrants and opportunity is what inspires immigration narratives today, or if these now draw on different experiences of person and place. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 19: Brazil: Not Just “el Jogo Bonito”
Professor N Smith
An exploration of the culture of Brazil through a variety of sources. We consider the three general types of culture: culture with a capital C (formal culture), culture with a small c (everyday culture), and the culture of communication. We also examine the products, perspectives, and practices of Brazil. We study literature, history, film, art, music, and even soap operas and sports to find out what makes Brazilians Brazilian. Discussions based on close reading of the texts, written assignments, and oral presentations are emphasized. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 20: Musical Conversations and Musical Designs
Professor Chien
An examination of masterpieces of classical music literature designed to develop the skill of attentive listening. Starting with factual observations of musical elements, students are guided to a deeper understanding of musical conversations. The progression leads to analytical listening and critical thinking about musical designs. Class discussions and writing and speaking assignments engage students in exploring the differences between objective musical observations and subjective responses to the composer’s intention. Students are required to attend a specific musical performance off campus; transportation is provided, but students may be charged a small fee for tickets. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
Note: this year’s required concert is a piano recital by Professor Chien at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Fine Arts, Tuesday, April 8, 2014, 7:30 PM. The concert is free for students enrolled in the course.
FS*102, Section 21: Musical Conversations and Musical Designs
Professor Chien
An examination of masterpieces of classical music literature designed to develop the skill of attentive listening. Starting with factual observations of musical elements, students are guided to a deeper understanding of musical conversations. The progression leads to analytical listening and critical thinking about musical designs. Class discussions and writing and speaking assignments engage students in exploring the differences between objective musical observations and subjective responses to the composer’s intention. Students are required to attend a specific musical performance off campus; transportation is provided, but students may be charged a small fee for tickets. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
Note: this year’s required concert is a piano recital by Professor Chien at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Fine Arts, Tuesday, April 8, 2014, 7:30 PM. The concert is free for students enrolled in the course.
FS*102, Section 22: The Heroine in Opera
Professor W Jamison
A study of the dilemma facing the primary female character in selected operas and how her situation is portrayed using musical materials and processes. Students familiarize themselves with the plot of each opera as well as the text and music of selected excerpts. Assignments emphasize writing and speaking skills, the recognition and description of musical elements, and the ways in which music and story interact. No musical background is required. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 23: Music of the Great Migration
Professor Christie-Searles
A study of the social and cultural history of the movement of African-Americans from Mississippi, and other southern states, to the north, mainly Chicago, and the impact the movement had on the evolution of music. Musicians of the state’s Delta region were historically significant to the development of the blues. Low prices for cotton and national financial pressures resulted in African-Americans losing their land. Many Mississippi musicians migrated to Chicago and created new forms of jazz and other genres there. Students investigate the conditions that made the migration necessary and the implications for both the north and the south. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 24: Terrorism
Professor Kirschner
An exploration of modern terrorism. Students read political science and sociological literature on when terrorism occurs, who commits and supports terrorism, and the most effective policy responses to terrorism. We focus on 20th- and 21st-century groups employing terrorism but also explore earlier uses of the tactic. Academic literature is supplemented with films and class projects to investigate how individuals and societies respond to terrorism. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 25: South Asian Politics in Literature and Film
Professor Wood
An introduction to political and social issues in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh through novels and film. We discuss themes, including independence movements, ethno-religious conflict, Islamism, gender, caste, and class, through novels and films that deal with these issues. We hold an evening film screening approximately once every two weeks. Students lead class discussions on the historical and political themes of these works and choose one book and one film as the subjects of two longer papers. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 26: The Book of Nature: Science and Religion in the Middle Ages
Professor Willey
An exploration of the development of western science during the Middle Ages and its intimate connection with religious thought. While today we think of science and religion as unrelated subjects, during the Middle Ages science was essentially regarded as a branch of theology. It was believed that one could know about God through either of two books: the Bible or the book of nature, which had also been “written” by God through the act of creation. We trace the development of medieval ideas about science culminating with the emergence of the modern notion of science as a discipline separate from religion, as evidenced in the work of Galileo and Newton. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 27: The Noise Between Our Ears
Professor Hancock
An examination and critical evaluation of the evidence and theories that psychology and related sciences have amassed on the origins, consequences, and limitations of self-awareness in animals and humans. Evidence of the evolutionary continuity of animal and human consciousness is a focus. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 29: Of Cannibals and Savages: French Encounters with the New World from the 16th-19th Centuries (Short Title: French New World Encounters)
Professor Hatcher
An exploration of Europe’s encounter with the New World through a French lens. Using maps, travel narratives, essays, novels, and film, we study the challenge to existing systems of knowledge posed by the firsthand experience of travelers to the Americas; the emergence of distinct colonial identities; and Romantic nostalgia over France’s lost American empire. We also explore divergences between French and British approaches to land and indigenous peoples as reflected through differing narrative tropes. This seminar, taught in English, develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 30: Of Cannibals and Savages: French Encounters with the New World from the 16th-19th Centuries
Professor Hatcher
An exploration of Europe’s encounter with the New World through a French lens. Using maps, travel narratives, essays, novels, and film, we study the challenge to existing systems of knowledge posed by the firsthand experience of travelers to the Americas; the emergence of distinct colonial identities; and Romantic nostalgia over France’s lost American empire. We also explore divergences between French and British approaches to land and indigenous peoples as reflected through differing narrative tropes. This seminar, taught in English, develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section 31: Unveiling Masks of Diversity
Professor Epps
An examination of diversity in the context of contemporary society in the United States as it relates to power, privilege, social class, prejudice, discrimination, and stereotypes. Students take an in-depth look at identities as influenced by cultural context and as perceived by others; examine literary texts, journal articles, and films to interrogate and unveil the outward manifestations or masks of diversity; and investigate the multifaceted concept of identity. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS*102, Section W1: Hamlet to Hip-Hip: Contemporary Appropriation
Professor Crowley
A study of the various ways in which contemporary artists make use of the works of others. By examining works that borrow, rip off, and mash up previous works, students investigate the construction of authenticity in the digital age. Students consider prominent examples of both aesthetic and cultural appropriation in an attempt to define what is and what is not “appropriate” when it comes to such sampling. Materials come from various genres and periods, including Renaissance drama, postmodern literature, and recent popular music. Artists studied range from Shakespeare and Stoppard to Danger Mouse and Girl Talk. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context. Designated “W,” this section places particular emphasis on the practice of writing and offers specialized instruction to improve writing skills.
FS*102, Section W2: Medicine and Literature: Narratives of Illness and Disease
Professor Votava
An investigation of links between medical and literary approaches to the study of living and dying. Students examine the narrative patterns through which biological processes of disease and human experiences of illness are recognized and understood, in genres from case study to epic quest, and from the perspectives of scientists, doctors and nurses, and patients and families. A service learning option is included. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context. Designated “W,” this section places particular emphasis on the practice of writing and offers specialized instruction to improve writing skills.
FS*102, Section W3: Heading Home
Professor V Prince
An exploration through the humanities of questions and issues surrounding notions of home. We consider home from its manifestation as household in the I-Ching, the ancient Chinese book of changes, to its displacements through migration, through its commercialization on HGTV, and to its role in nation-building. We consider what our sense of home says about identity, class, and community. We explore what it means to be “at home”—which is to say comfortably situated in the world. And we explore what it means to be “ghetto”—which is to say that one has uncannily exposed something to public view that should have been kept private. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context. Designated “W,” this section places particular emphasis on the practice of writing and offers specialized instruction to improve writing skills.
FS*102, Section W4: Composing a Digital Life
Professor Hart
An examination of digital technologies and their effects on identity formation and personal literacy practices. Students actively engage in constructing online selves through blogging, participation in networked communities, and digital storytelling in order to develop an understanding of how digital rhetorics affect their personal and community identities as well as their reading and writing practices. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context. Designated “W,” this section places particular emphasis on the practice of writing and offers specialized instruction to improve writing skills.
FS*102, Section W5: Composing a Digital Life
Professor Hart
An examination of digital technologies and their effects on identity formation and personal literacy practices. Students actively engage in constructing online selves through blogging, participation in networked communities, and digital storytelling in order to develop an understanding of how digital rhetorics affect their personal and community identities as well as their reading and writing practices. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context. Designated “W,” this section places particular emphasis on the practice of writing and offers specialized instruction to improve writing skills.
FS*102, Section W6: Learning or Losing Out: Contemporary Issues in Education
Professor S Slote
An investigation into issues confronting contemporary education in the United States. Students begin by exploring educational philosophies and articulating their own, then turn to examine the current state of public education and the impact of contributing factors such as social class, funding distribution, and immigration. Students have the opportunity to investigate the merits of a variety of solutions to problems in education, including standardized testing, charter schools, and national programs such as Teach for America. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context. Designated “W,” this section places particular emphasis on the practice of writing and offers specialized instruction to improve writing skills.
FS*102, Section W7: Learning or Losing Out: Contemporary Issues in Education
Professor S Slote
An investigation into issues confronting contemporary education in the United States. Students begin by exploring educational philosophies and articulating their own, then turn to examine the current state of public education and the impact of contributing factors such as social class, funding distribution, and immigration. Students have the opportunity to investigate the merits of a variety of solutions to problems in education, including standardized testing, charter schools, and national programs such as Teach for America. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context. Designated “W,” this section places particular emphasis on the practice of writing and offers specialized instruction to improve writing skills.
FS*102, Section W8: Inventing Appalachia
Professor B Slote
An exploration of Appalachian identity as shaped by historical forces and as imagined from various national perspectives. By tracing the origins of stereotypes both heroic (such as the independent mountaineer) and denigrating (hillbillies and rednecks, for instance), students consider how the region has served national cultural interests as a site of remoteness, backwardness, poverty, and prodigal beauty. Students also read works by Appalachian authors and activists that complicate or “talk back” to this national perspective. Material comes from various fields, including history, cultural studies, literature, and film. This seminar develops oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context. Designated “W,” this section places particular emphasis on the practice of writing and offers specialized instruction to improve writing skills.
Section W9: Words, Words, Words
Professor Bulman
An exploration of the power of the English language, its uses and abuses. Topics include the history and development of English; how language shapes our reality; the function of jargon, euphemism, prejudicial language, and political propaganda; the ethics of rhetorical persuasion; and the importance of audience and occasion. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context. Designated “W,” this section places particular emphasis on the practice of writing and offers specialized instruction to improve writing skills.