Course Descriptions
The listing below displays the First-Year Colloquia that are being offered in Academic Year 2007-08. The two academic disciplines combined in each colloquium are given below the course title.
FYEC 105-106
The Human Genome: Concepts and Controversies
Disciplines: Biology and Mathematics
Description: A colloquium on human heredity taught from the perspectives of a biologist and a mathematician. The use of mathematical methods and ideas in the context of modern biology has been growing exponentially in recent decades. In this colloquium the student will be introduced to some of the central concepts and the corresponding controversies in this exciting interaction of disciplines. Professor Elsa Falls, Department of Biology, and Professor Bruce Torrence, Department of Mathematics. Three hours for the mathematics portion, four hours for the biology portion. [Area of Knowledge requirements met: one four-hour laboratory science course in the Natural and Mathematical Sciences area and one three-hour mathematics course under the Natural and Mathematical Sciences area.]
FYEC 147-148
Land Ahoy, Captain: Adventures in Sea Travel and the Discovery of New Civilizations
Disciplines: Literature and Physics
Description: 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 move 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. Professor Mark Malin, Department of Romance Languages, and Professor Deonna Woolard, Department of Physics. Four hours each semester. [Areas of Knowledge met: one literature course under the Arts and Literature area and one natural sciences course under the Natural and Mathematical Sciences area]
FYEC 149-150
Ripped from the Headlines: Mass Media and Crime
Disciplines: Sociology and Literature
Description: TV programs such as CSI, The Sopranos, or Law and Order, novels by Patricia Cornwell and John Grisham, and films such as Goodfellas, Scarface, and ATL all feature popular crime stories that pique public interest in the study of crime. The problem is that the general public tends to garner most of its information concerning crime from various forms of media without critically assessing its accuracy. We will deconstruct information produced by a variety of media sources. We will explore how issues of crime become socially constructed by media venues including the news, fictional and non-fictional television shows, literature and movies. The societal consequences of this social construction will also be investigated. Professor Denise Bissler, Department of Sociology, and Professor Joan Conners, Department of English. Four hours each semester. [Areas of Knowledge met: one sociology course under the Social Sciences area and one literature course under the Arts and Literature area.]
FYEC 151-152
Pssst, Do You Want to Know a Secret?: Information Ethics and Security
Disciplines: Business and Computer Science
Description: This course examines data, its security and the risks associated with its dispersal if in the hands of another party. The course examines security from a variety of competing interests. Decisions concerning maintaining the privacy of data are not always easy – for example, in instances of national security should the government have access to private data? In business there are manifold reasons for and opportunities to share data, but should it be shared? Is there a universal correct answer? From a more pure computing perspective, how do we protect our PC? How is data gathered, stored, accessed and protected? During the two semesters of this FYC all these and many more issues will be examined. Professor Ed Showalter, Department of Economics and Business, and Professor Chuck Leska, Department of Computer Science. Three hours for the business portion, four hours for the computer science portion. [Areas of Knowledge requirements met: one business course under the Social Sciences area and one non-laboratory computer science course under the Natural and Mathematical Sciences area.]
FYEC 153-154
Exceptional Musicians
Disciplines: Music and Sociology
Description: Twice Exceptionality (2E) is the recognition of giftedness and disability in the same person. In the last decade, an increasing number of artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and other creative thinkers have been identified as being 2E. Musicians who are 2E comprise a pantheon of the world’s greatest past and present artists. From Beethoven to Stevie Wonder, 2E musicians provide a special case study of how ability and disability defy simple explanation, and often result in fascinating stories of beauty, personal triumph, and unexpected artistic discovery. This course will approach exceptional musicians from the distinct perspectives of music and sociology. The discipline of music will provide a platform for learning about the elements of composition, analyzing performance, and appreciating music as art. The discipline of sociology will provide a context for understanding disability as a medical and social construct, as well as examine side effects of stigma and discrimination from a group behavior perspective. Using these two disciplines as a vehicle, Exceptional Musicians will take students on a journey that examines both boundaries and boundlessness. By the conclusion of the experience, students will be equipped to appreciate musical genius, and to speak literately about issues of disability and otherness. They will be exposed to and practice many of the basic tools that both musicians and sociologists bring to bear in investigating, understanding, and appreciating the world around them. Professor Jack Trammell, Department of Sociology, and Professor Roger Reynolds, Department of Fine Arts. Four hours each semester. [Areas of Knowledge met: one sociology course under the Social Sciences area and one music course under the Arts and Literature area.]
FYEC 155-156
The Great Epic Drama of the 20th Century: Connections Between History and Theatre
Disciplines: History and Drama
Description: This course examines the connections and intersections of the disciplines of History and Theatre as vehicles for understanding the most dramatic historical events, issues and personalities of America from 1898 until 2001. The twentieth century is defined as the period from the Great Exposition in Chicago in 1898, which showcased technology and promoted significant change in many facets of American life and culture, to the defining moment of the events of September 11, 2001. It is in this 103 year period that the nation’s character experienced major transformations which fundamentally altered every aspect of American life and the nation’s sense of itself and its place in the “global village.” The major culminating exercise will be a series of staged readings (with music and costumes, if possible) selected from the dramatic works that we have examined during the year. In addition, we will hold a “Talk Back.” The campus community and the general public will be invited to these activities. Several students will present synopses of the major historical events of the twentieth century. We will also have the entire body engage in a spirited question and answer session and debate. Professor Marilyn Mattys, Department of Fine Arts, and Professor Alphine Jefferson, Department of History. Four hours each semester. [Areas of Knowledge met: one history course under the Civilizations area and one drama course under the Arts and Literature area.]
FYEC 157-158
Remembering: Memory from a Literary and a Psychological Perspective
Disciplines: Literature and Psychology
Description: How does memory work? Is it like a storage container which holds information but sometimes loses it? Is it like a video camera that records our experiences? Do we retain memories associated with the different senses equally well‹ those of sight, sound, odor, taste, and touch? By what mechanism might a sound or an odor bring a flood of recollections from the past? How do people, society, and culture shape our memories? These two courses will study the nature of memory and the genre of the memoir, examining the physiology of memory, the ways in which memories are reconstructed, the role memory plays in forming one¹s identity, the transformation memories undergo through writing, and the cultural and literary significance of the memoir. Professor Amy Goodwin, Department of English, and Professor Alva Hughes, Department of Psychology. Four hours each semester. [Areas of Knowledge met: one literature course under the Arts and Literature area and one psychology course under the Social Sciences area.]
FYEC 159-160
Us/Them, Self/Other: Cross-Cultural Conceptions of the Stranger
Disciplines: Literature and Sociology
Description: Friend or foe? How do you know? Human beings have always lived in groups based on cooperation and mutual aid. Yet they are also strongly inclined to draw lines around their own groups and to treat those on the other side differently. Why? While in-group and out-group labels are often based on categories such as ethnicity, nationality, or socio-economic class, they are often arbitrary, and change from place to place and time to time. This FYE will examine the historical and cultural context in which categories of Us v. Them, Self and Other, Citizen and Foreigner take shape. Relying on cultural comparisons and literary texts, we will explore how friends and strangers are defined and how they are (mis) treated based on those definitions. Examining historical processes such as colonialism, we will discuss how different peoples have come into contact and the clashes, oppressions, and accommodations that have resulted. Taking a contemporary view of globalization, we will explore how the economic, political, and cultural shrinking of our world shapes cross-cultural (mis)understanding. Along the way, we will grapple with challenging questions about power and prejudice, war and peace, and the capacity of the human race to create a more harmonious world. Specific issues will include: immigration, racism, and human rights. Professor Scott London, Department of Sociology, and Professor Aouicha Hilliard, Department of Romance Languages. Four hours each semester [Areas of Knowledge met: one sociology course under the Social Sciences area and one literature course under the Arts and Literature area.]
FYEC 161-162
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Hypotheses: Conservation of Beaches through Art and Science
Disciplines: Art and Environmental Studies
Description: This course will provide students with the unique opportunity to create and publish a book that demonstrates both the dynamics and beauty of the coastal environment. In addition, the Nature Conservancy – a private organization dedicated to the conservation of land, water, and organisms – will use the book as a tool to educate the general population about the value and nature of beaches. Like the early explorers, students will use the skills required by both artists and scientists to conduct scientific research on the Virginia barrier islands located along Virginia’s eastern shore – the longest expanse of coastal wilderness remaining on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. This rigorous approach will enable students to develop questions (hypotheses) dealing with a complicated problem (i.e., difficult to solve) in the coastal sciences - such as the impact of sea-level rise and coastal storms on our world’s coasts – and to pursue answers to those questions using artistic (qualitative) and scientific (quantitative) methods. Ultimately, students will communicate their findings through art and writing. In the process, students will develop an environmental ethic regarding coastal development and conservation. Consequently, this course will require a commitment to conduct field work on the islands and will involve co-curricular weekend travel. We anticipate at least three trips to the shore per semester on Sundays and other days to be determined by students’ schedules. Professor Ray Berry, Department of Fine Arts, and Professor Michael Fenster, Environmental Studies Program. Four hours each semester. [Areas of Knowledge requirements met: one fine-arts course under the Arts and Literature area and one laboratory natural science course under the Natural and Mathematical Sciences area.]
FYEC 163-164
Darwin and Biology; Darwin and Literature
Disciplines: Biology and Literature
Description: Few scientific revolutions have had the impact and scope of Darwin’s work on evolution, which forced people in and out of science to think of nature and the place of humans within it in new and often troubling ways. These linked courses seek to gauge the effects of the Darwinian revolution. We will begin by reading selections from Darwin’s Origin of the Species and Descent of Man. Through a reading of novels and poetry, students will examine the ways in which science caused literary writers to re-evaluate their craft and the ways in which writers in turn re-valued science. Through study of the biology relating to modern evolutionary concepts, students will see how Darwin influenced most areas of biology and how subsequent work in biology has altered Darwin’s concepts. The courses will conclude with a final project, in which working groups from the combined classes will produce an analysis of the effects of Darwinian and more modern evolutionary concepts on an area of human activity other than literature or biology. Each analysis will evaluate the evidence for the apparent influences and will assess the biological accuracy of the Darwinian and other evolutionary concepts as they were applied to the area of human activity. Professor Art Conway, Department of Biology, and Professor Mark Parker, Department of English. Four hours each semester. [Areas of Knowledge requirements met: one laboratory science course under the Natural and Mathematical Sciences area and one literature course under the Arts and Literature area.]
FYEC 165-166
The World is Flat and so are Virginia's SOL Scores: Does Education Matter?
Disciplines: Economics and Political Science
Description: The World is Flat and so are Virginia’s SOL scores: Does Education Matter? Students entering college are experts on education, having experienced thirteen years of it already! What political and economic concerns have shaped your experience in school so far? What forces will shape your education in college? And most importantly, will your education prepare you for the future? This course investigates how these questions are addressed in Virginia. It includes study of the politics and economics of all levels of education, from pre-K-12 to all types of higher education in the Commonwealth. We will track specific policy proposals presented in the 2008 session of the Virginia General Assembly and analyze the likely impact of these proposals through the study of educational policy, politics, and economics. Professor David Brat, Department of Economics/Business, and Professor Brian Turner, Department of Political Science. Four hours each semester. [Areas of Knowledge requirements met: one economics course under the Social Sciences area and one political science course under the Social Sciences area.]
FYEC 167-168
M & Ms: Mortality, Meaning and Memorialization
Disciplines: Literature and Psychology
Description: Death and dying are components of life and meaning. Each of us confronts, accepts, or denies death
and dying as an individual, as a member of larger groups, and as a member of society and a global community. Such personal and societal responses can constitute a crisis for individuals and for society, but our responses can also bring fuller meaning to life. This course provides an overview of the study of death and dying, covering key issues and questions in the field. We look at personal and social attitudes regarding death from cross-cultural and historical perspectives. We also examine personal views of death from the perspective of the dying. This FYC focuses primarily on the disciplines of psychology and literature, but will also draw from sociological, anthropological, medical, mythological and spiritual investigations of death and dying. Students will study issues ranging from the existential to the medical, from grief and loss to memorialization, and from individual death to holocaust. While students will examine theoretical views of death and dying in culture, they will also be invited to reflect upon the meaning of death – and life – in their own lives. Professor Mary Polce-Lynch, Department of Psychology, and Professor Maria Scott, Department of English. Four hours each semester. [Area of Knowledge requirements met: one psychology course under the Social Sciences area and one literature course under the Arts and Literature area.]