FYEC COURSE DESCRIPTIONS FOR 2011-2012
FYEC 113-114 - Identity I & II: Me, Myself, and I; We, You, and Them – In this course students will examine the nature of theatre and acting and study the psychology of the self in social contexts. Students will survey dramatic literature, explore mask work, perform scenes, and study how individuals think about, influence, and relate to one another. In a culminating project, the students will be challenged to come to terms with the origins and nature of identity. Area of Knowledge requirements met: one fine arts course under Arts and Literature area and one psychology course under the Social Sciences area. Four hours each semester. J. Mattys and Klaaren.
FYEC 147-148 - Land Ahoy, Captain: Adventures in Sea Travel and the Discovery of New Civilizations - From the 1400’s to the Age of Enlightenment, scientists and explorers set out to learn more about their world. As advances in navigation permitted more extensive voyages, these individuals, moved by promise of wealth and by curiosity, ventured to even more exotic regions. This course will explore the science that underpins navigation, study narrative accounts of civilizations found in new lands, and discuss how these topics manifest themselves in our modern world. Area of Knowledge requirements met: one literature course under the Arts and Literature area and one non-laboratory science course in the natural sciences under the Natural and Mathematical Sciences area. Four hours each semester. Malin and Woolard.
FYEC 221-222 - Creation: Before and After: Human beings have been obsessed with many questions about themselves and the world around them, such as “Why does the world look and function the way it does?” How did we get here?” “Who do we blame for the bits that don’t work?” The attempts to answer these questions are all over the map, but a major division can be seen in the period before the advent of rational humanism (8th century BC in the west) and after the Scientific Revolution (roughly 16th - 18th century in Europe). While these dates do not apply to many non-western or “primitive” cultures, there is a common division between times when a mythical way of thinking had yet to give ground to scientific thinking, without completely disappearing. This FYC is the platform for an examination of these two diametrically opposed yet contemporaneous ways of thinking. The Before section (3hours) will examine the mythical explanations of how life might have originated on our planet and the After section (4 hours) will explore the current principal scientific theories regarding how life might have originated on our planet, and the theory of evolution by natural selection. Area of Knowledge requirements met: one literature course und the Arts & Literature area and one laboratory science course in the natural sciences under the Natural and Mathematical Sciences area. Four hours one semester. Three hours one semester. Daugherty and Falls.
FYEC 223-224 - Square Peg (in a Round Hole): Discourses in the Psychology and Philosophy of Difference. What makes you different? What’s normal? Who decides? Why is it important to fit in? Is it ever important not to fit in? How should we respond to difference? What is difference? Difference presumes some idea of a standard, some expectations for how things are and how things should be. Philosophers start from a standard based on rationality and difference is measured against this. Psychologists start from a standard based on objectivity and difference is measured against this. In this course, we will begin with an examination of how these disciplines construct difference on the basis of prevailing conventions regarding human nature. We will then consider race and gender, two current areas of discourse which problematize philosophy and psychology’s assumptions about human nature. We will learn from experience in an ongoing service project. Our goal is to think critically about the ideology of fitting in, as square pegs in a round hole. Area of Knowledge requirements met: one philosophy course under the Civilizations area, and one psychology course under the Social Sciences area. Four hours each semester. Turney and Hughes.
FYEC 225-226 - Ministers, Merchants, and Midwives: Professional Women and the Reformation - The Reformation brought a new spirit of freedom –in thought and religious practice to Europe in the sixteenth century, yet women, in general, saw the boundaries of their lives narrow throughout this period. We will study way the Reformation affected women differently than men. How did the Protestant Reformation affect women? Did women react to the new freedom from ancient doctrines and rituals as actively as Protestant men? Were women’s literary and nurturing works equally valued in their communities? This year we will be examining the roles of women in Reformation Europe and determining the various effects that the Reformation had on women’s lives and choices. Area of Knowledge requirements met: one history course under Civilizations area (HIST 100), and one literature course under the Arts and Literature. Four hours each semester. Watkinson and Scott.
FYEC 227-228 - The Longest American Century – History Realities and Theatrical Reflections is an interleaved two-semester history and theatre course which examines six primary themes in American history and theatre. These are: Displacement and Transition, Equality and Struggle, Economics and Urbanization, War and Peace, Prosperity and Modernization, and Mass Media and Politics. This course analyzes the connections and intersections of the disciplines of History and Theatre as vehicles for understanding America’s transition from a British colony to a unique nation using the English language. Transition is a primary theme because Africans, Europeans and Indigenous People acculturated to create a new reality. They struggled with basic questions of equality as well as articulated notions of domination and subjugation. Hence, economic stratification became more obvious with urbanization and the move toward modernization. While various mass media promoted the idea of “keeping up with the Joneses,” politicians promised a nation of continued development, growth and prosperity. Although those politicians were advocating peace, they were always preparing for war. These conflicting aspirations and contradictions find expression on a very broad American stage and among its many different citizens. If history is a record of America’s past, then theatre is the reflection of that past in many venues. Area of Knowledge requirements met: one history course under Civilizations area (HIST 100), and one fine arts course under Arts and Literature area. Four Hours each semester. Jefferson and M. Mattys.
FYEC 229-230 - The Mathematics of Design - Greek architecture, Renaissance painting, and modern theatrical set construction have all been influenced by mathematics. Geometric concepts such as perspective, balance, and scale are important in many areas of design. Knowledge of materials, center of mass, and weight tolerance must be computed to safely build sets and sculptures. The plays "Proof" and "Arcadia" have themes constructed on mathematical concepts. In this course will study the mathematics behind design in many areas of the fine arts. Area of Knowledge requirements met: one mathematics course under the Science and Mathematics area, and one fine arts course under the Arts and Literature area. Four hours each semester. E. Torrence and Hilmar.
FYEC 231-232 - Beaches or Bedrooms – The Economic and Environmental Consequences of Coastal Development. This course combines the primary disciplines of economics and environmental (coastal) geology to address the question, “What is the value of a beach in its natural state?” To this end, students will examine both economic and environmental consequences of choices that people make in highly dynamic coastal zones or the costs and benefits associated with coastal development. From a geologic perspective, students will investigate and analyze the processes that operate in natural coastal systems, the products that those processes produce, and the impacts of humans on those natural systems. Students will also examine and apply economic models of the trade-offs associated with choices, the conceptual basis for cost-benefit analysis, and the methods used for measuring these values. During the first third of the course, students will develop the skills and perspectives of coastal geologists and economists. Students will then apply those sills and perspectives to several case studies in order to examine the consequences of choices made by humans. Finally, students will use their analyses of case studies to predict the consequences of choices in an actual project setting. Area of Knowledge requirements met: one economic business course under the Social Sciences area, and one laboratory science course in the natural sciences under the Natural and Mathematical Sciences area. EVST 105, Environmental Problem Solving I. Four hours one semester. Three hours one semester. Lang and Fenster
FYEC 233-234 - Mad Scientists - So many scientists both fictional and real have been labeled "mad" that the term has become a cliché. While history has exonerated many of the scientists who once bore this label, the question remains: why weren’t these scientists’ ideas initially accepted by society? This is precisely the question this course will seek to answer through both an examination of literary representations of scientists and research and experimentation on the factual bases of “radical” scientific theories. Area of Knowledge requirements met: One literature course under Arts and Literature area, and one laboratory science course in the natural sciences under the Natural and Mathematical Sciences area. 4 hours each semester. Cadwallader, Giemza and Huber.
FYEC 235-236 – East-West Encounters in Film and Literature: This course focuses on how Western cultures of Europe and the United States perceive and experience Eastern cultures, such as those of China, Vietnam, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, India, and Pakistan, and how these cultures experience the West. Disciplines: Literature and Fine Arts. Four hours each semester. Both sections will travel to New York City during the weekend of September 23rd. This course has a $100 supplemental fee per student for the travel component. Goodwin and Eren.
FYEC 237-238 – Ethics and Capitalism: Morality, Society and Wealth - This colloquium will explore capitalism and the complex interrelationship between capitalist enterprises and society as they have developed over time. Two interleaved courses will look at important topics and figures from management, social, and philosophical perspectives. Students will develop a deeper understanding of both the benefits and criticisms of capitalism and of alternative, socialist perspectives. Important topics include the concepts of wealth creation, wealth distribution, the role of government, and the often contentious relationship between capital and labor. Of particular importance will be an understanding of the historical, political/legal and socio-cultural contexts which influenced and were influenced by various ethical systems and ideologies. There will be readings that are unique to each class, as well as shared readings addressed in both. Area of Knowledge Requirements met: One business course under the Social Sciences area, and one philosophy course under the Civilizations area. Four hours one semester. Three hours one semester. Showalter and Gray.
FYEC 239-240 - Mythbusters: Why People Make Dumb Decisions - This course will explore decision making behavior from two perspectives, management and neuroscience. As a year-long, project-based course, multiple research approaches will examine the ways we understand and interpret our world. Area of Knowledge Requirements met: One business course under the Social Sciences area, and one biology course under the Natural Science with no lab. Three hours each semester. Lowry and Franssen.