FS 102
FS 200
FS 201
FS 102 Sections
FS 102 02, Emerging Genetic Technologies: Promise and Peril
Professor M. Nelson
MWF 11:00 AM 11:50 AM
An exploration of the scientific, historical, and ethical dimensions of emerging genetic technologies. Little more than a century since the word “gene” was coined to describe the basic unit of genetic inheritance, techniques such as CRISPR raise the possibility of reshaping the genomes of a wide range of organisms with unprecedented ease and precision. What about these technologies worries scientists? What cautionary tales does history reveal? How do we define the “ideal” genome and what are the ethical implications of doing so? This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 102 04, Our Local Food Economy
Professor M. Ams
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
An exploration of the local businesses that provide us with food. Students will write and speak about where the local food scene is heading in the near future informed by interactions with guest speakers from Meadville and Crawford County farmers, cooks, restaurant owners, and grocery store managers. These local food providers will help students understand how they found their way into the food business and what motivates their important work. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 102 05, The Contemporary American Musical
Professor M. Cosdon
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
An exploration of the contemporary American musical, with a focus on the presentation of “difference” and “diversity” on stage. A series of recent, boldly inventive American musicals have challenged long-held values and cultural norms. Rather than the traditional fusion of syrupy plotlines with flashy songs and dances, these shows are “taking musical theatre on a whole new trip” (Passing Strange). Musicals studied may include Sunday in the Park with George, Rent, Hairspray, Passing Strange, Next to Normal, Fun Home, Hamilton, and Dear Evan Hansen. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills, with an emphasis on persuasive communication.
FS 102 07, Persuasiveness of Videogames
Professor J. Wiebel
MWF 11:00 AM 11:50 AM
An exploration of videogames as an expressive and persuasive medium. We examine how video games influence our values, understanding of the world, and our place within it by analyzing games, game playing experiences, and by designing our own games. Particular attention is paid to studying how videogames teach us about how things in the world are supposed work and how we are supposed to interact with them. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 102 10, Race and American Horror
Professor S. Buckner
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
A study of American horror’s relationship to race. The cinematic horror genre has long been cast as an outlet for social anxieties, forcing us to reckon with our cultural attitudes toward the aberrant, the monstrous, the inhuman. This course centers horror movies to explore how cinematic constructions of otherness might be used to understand our own relationships to race. Through American horror films from the twentieth century to our contemporary period, this class interrogates how horror constructs race and normative identity. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 102 11, The Robots Are Coming!
Professor A. Hart
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
An exploration of human-machine interactions. Students engage with fictional representations and scholarly analyses of machines and machine intelligences and consider how they impact human communication, jobs, education, creative arts, and interpersonal relationships. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 102 13, How Do We Know What to Grow?
Professor A. Krone
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
An exploration of different philosophies and approaches to growing food sustainably on a small scale. Students engage with current issues in sustainable agriculture, examine relevant regulations and certifications, and investigate small farms and gardens that have prioritized production, education, justice, and other topics in their work. The Allegheny campus Carr Hall Garden (the “Carrden”) will provide examples and opportunities for students to exercise their minds and dirty their hands. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 102 14, Diplomacy, War, and Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army
Professor G. Wu
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
An historical examination of modern Chinese warfare from the 1930s to the 1980s. Using the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), the Chinese Civil War (1947-1949), and China’s involvement in the Korean and Vietnam Wars as case studies, the course considers modern Chinese warfare and the evolution of Chinese military strategy. Important relationships considered include that between the army and the political parties/state, between the army and the people, between ideological training and weapons, between offense and defense, and between war and diplomacy. The seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 102 15, Ideas of Infinity
Professor James Hollerman
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
An investigation of the infinite. The concept of the infinite surfaces in philosophy, mathematics, and art, but often in different ways. Readings ranging from the ancient Greeks to modern times are taken up, including Aristotle, Galileo, Cantor, and Escher. Student papers and oral presentations argue the validity or usefulness of a particular notion of infinity as described by one or more authors. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 102 16, The Beatles and 1960s Culture
Professor H. Beverburg
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
An examination of how the Beatles shaped and reflected the musical and cultural trends of the 1960s. The Beatles reached an unprecedented level of fame as “Beatlemania” swept nearly the entire globe, and with this notoriety came the power to spark change. Students investigate how the Beatles’ music, appearance, personalities, and views developed and study their relationship to social and political issues of that decade: racial inequality, the widening generation gap, gender relations, economic class divisions, the Vietnam War, and the counterculture. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 102 18, Nothing Is Without Music
Professor D. Willey
MWF 11:00 AM 11:50 AM
An historical investigation of the concept that the universe is governed by principles of musical harmony. Originating in ancient Greece with the idea that the planets emitted musical notes, this vision of heavenly harmony eventually became a theory of everything to the extent that by 630 CE Isidore of Seville could claim that, “nothing is without music.” In this course we trace the history of the idea from its ancient Greek roots up to its current incarnation in String Theory. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 102 19, Terrorism
Professor S. Kirschner
MWF 11:00 AM 11:50 AM
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 20, Courts and Social Change
Professor B. Harward
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
An examination of the policymaking role of courts. Popular understanding of the legal system in the U.S. holds that courts are (for better or worse) uniquely positioned to bring about social change. Lacking sufficient support in legislative contexts, disadvantaged groups seeking policy change have gone to the courts to secure their rights. We will explore how institutions (formal and informal rules), judicial ideology, local political culture, case type, and other factors shape the conditions under which courts can bring about the social change sought by reform-oriented groups. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 102 21, Self-Care: Science vs. Spin
Professor S. Stanger
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
An exploration of the wellness industrial complex and the science of taking care of yourself. Students investigate, discuss, and critique self-care as an industry and the framing of health in
school and work contexts from psychological, sociocultural, economic, and policy perspectives. Students evaluate the evidence base of specific self-care trends and develop and implement wellness plans based on their findings. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 102 23, Brain, Art, and Mind
Professor Jeff Hollerman
MWF 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
An exploration of the neuroscientific processes that occur during the expression and appreciation of various art forms, including music, visual arts, dance, language and literature. A discussion of the neuronal aspects of sensation, perception, movement, cognition, and emotion observed during artistic expression and appreciation will provide the material for student speaking and writing assignments. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 102 24, Growing (in) Your Community – Plants and Your Environment
Abbreviated Title: Growing (in) Your Community
Professor J. Ludewig
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
An exploration of the environment and our relation to it with trees and other plants as lead “partners.” Students arrive at a intersecting picture of how culture, community, and the environment intertwine. How is any interaction with the plant world shaped by local, national, and ethnic communities and their unique narratives? As circumstances allow, students work with local community partners to put their knowledge into practice and reflect on the value of community engaged learning. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 102 27, Succeeding by Mistake
Professor R. Weir
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
An exploration of the many ways in which mistakes and failure can lead to success. Societal messages teach us that we must strive for perfection, avoiding mistakes and failure at all costs. In this course, we examine the negative consequences of such messaging and the crucial, creative role of mistakes in many fields. This seminar develops written and oral communication skills with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context.
FS 200 Section
FS 200 00, Drugs in Modern and Contemporary Cultures: Marijuana, Cocaine, and OxyCotin
Abbreviated Title: Three Drugs in Modern Cultures
Professor W. Hernandez
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
An exploration of three drugs in modern and contemporary cultures. We study how marijuana, cocaine and OxyContin emerged, were marketed and consumed by a large number of people, thus becoming a concern for governments. Students investigate the history of each product and the official policies enacted by the state to regulate their consumption. We use an interdisciplinary approach to investigate this subject, reading historical, medical, and journalistic sources, and watching audiovisual materials from Europe and the Americas. Coursework emphasizes the development of effective oral and written communication skills with a focus on research, formed argument, and critical thinking.
FS 201 Sections
FSBIO 201 01, Investigative Approaches in Biology
Professor M. Venesky
MW 1:30 PM 4:20 PM
Credits: 4
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. Two 3-hour meetings per week.
Must be taken on the letter-grade basis.
Prerequisite: BIO 220.
This course is required for Biology majors and minors.
FSBIO 201 02, Investigative Approaches in Biology
Professor B. Dawson
MW 1:30 PM 4:20 PM
Credits: 4
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. Two 3-hour meetings per week.
Must be taken on the letter-grade basis.
Prerequisite: BIO 220.
This course is required for Biology majors and minors.
FSBIO 201 03, Investigative Approaches in Biology
Professor C. Coenen
MW 1:30 PM 4:20 PM
Credits: 4
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. Two 3-hour meetings per week.
Must be taken on the letter-grade basis.
Prerequisite: BIO 220.
This course is required for Biology majors and minors.
FSCOM 201 00, The Stories We Tell
Professor I. Sinha Roy
TTH 1:30 PM 2:45 PM
Credits: 4
An exploration of powerful storytelling examples across multimedia platforms. As emerging scholars in Communication & Cultural Studies and Theatre, we will use interdisciplinary perspectives to consider how various audiences and persuasive agendas affect narrative design and produce new ways of looking. Drawing from diverse sources, students critically challenge, in informed ways, what novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie describes as the dangers of a single story. Students will develop their abilities in scaffolding research, constructing thoughtful and thought-provoking arguments for various publics and developing professional presentation and written communication skills.
This course may be counted toward the major or minor in Communication & Cultural Studies.
Prerequisite: Completion of FS 102
FSECO 201 00, The Political Economy of Africa and the MENA Region
Professor S. Onyeiwu
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Credits: 4
An exploration of the economies of Sub-Saharan and North African countries, with emphasis on the impact of colonization, post-colonial development strategies, globalization, and contemporary economic policies. Students learn how economic, political, and social factors interact to shape economic development in Africa and the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region.
FSECO 201 02, Fraud and Business Ethics
Professor Waugh, J.
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
4 Credits
Fraud by employees costs business trillions of dollars globally each year. We will explore the elements of theories about fraud, the role of whistleblowers, internal and external controls, the characteristics of fraudsters and victim organizations as well as different fraud schemes. We will examine how fraud actors are able to work alongside their counterparts while victimizing their employer at the same time. FBI reports and biographical accounts of fraudsters as well as fraud documentaries, scholarly articles, and interactive fraud investigation educational tools will be utilized.
FSENV 201 01, Environmental Problem Analysis
Professor E. Bethurem
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Credits: 4
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.
Must be taken on the letter-grade basis.
Prerequisite: ENVSC 110.
FSENV 201 02, Environmental Problem Analysis
Professor D. Byrnes
TTH 9:30 AM 10:45 AM
Credits: 4
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.
Must be taken on the letter-grade basis.
Prerequisite: ENVSC 110.
FSHIS 201 00, Debating the Russian Revolutions of 1917
Abbreviated Title: Russian Revolutions
Professor K. Pinnow
TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
Credits: 4
An introduction to research, writing, and speaking in the discipline of history. Students approach historical thinking by considering academic and political debates over the 1917 Russian Revolutions during the last century. The course focuses on skills central to producing historical accounts as students explore the meanings attached to the revolutions and the ways that we remember the past.
FSMAT 201 00, Probability Theory
Professor C. Dodge
TTH 8:00 AM 9:15 AM
Credits: 4
An introduction to writing and speaking in the discipline of mathematics. Students explore mathematical techniques for evaluating the likelihood of given events occurring. A focus will be placed on discrete random variables and combinatorics applied to games of chance. Additionally students will also explore examples of continuous random variables utilizing integral calculus. Students learn to use a software package for mathematical typesetting.
Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in one of the following courses: MATH 141, MATH 151, MATH 160.
FSPHI 201 00, Freedom, Addiction, and the Opioid Crisis
Professor I. Kurtsal
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Credits: 4
A study of what happens to human agency and choice in cases of addiction. This course explores how addiction, agency, and choice are framed by philosophy, psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, sociology, and anthropology. Students read and discuss journal articles as well as ethnographic narratives of addiction. Topics include the opioid epidemic, moral responsibility, the role of social policies, social stigma, and comparisons between the US and other cultures. Listening to guest speakers, including recovering addicts, is one of the learning tools.
FSWLC 201 00, Academic Communication in Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Professor B. Lewis
TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
4 Credits
An introduction to research and communication in the disciplines of Modern Languages. Through close work with a small number of texts and cultural topics, students engage with the norms and processes of research, including the development of appropriate topics; the location, evaluation, use, and citation of secondary sources; the incorporation of these sources into their own analyses; and the communication of these analyses in writing and speech as part of a scholarly conversation. While given in English, our study prepares language majors for research in the target language, including in the Junior/Senior Seminar and Senior Project.
Must be taken on the letter-grade basis.