Fall 2010 3 week Course Descriptions
Seminars (280 & 380)
Special Topics (281 & 381)
BIMD 381.30
SPECIAL TOPIC: FACING ILLNESS AND DEATH
CRN: 1163
4 CREDIT HOURS
INSTRUCTOR: MICHAEL BLACKIE
Course Description: This course combines the study of narrative with the creation of documentary portraits for the
purposes of recognizing the value of trust in building ethical relationships. To that end, students will immerse themselves in
the documentary production process, pairing audio recording and interviewing in the tradition of National Public Radio and
“This American Life” with digital photography, to create original documentary work. For the subjects of these portraits,
students will seek out individuals in the midst of real-life situations where their health is directly impaired. In order for these
portraits to be meaningful, students must earn their subjects’ trust. Earning this trust requires honoring the stories their
subjects share with them. Students will, then, explore the narrative dimensions of personal illness stories in literature,
memoirs, and documentaries to be used as points of reference during the development of their portraits. Students will also
learn the techniques of framing, lighting, and composition, as they relate to the visual production process, and how to gather
professional audio and conduct high-quality interviews.
This course will be team-taught by two filmmakers, Steve Bognar and Julia Reichert, and Professor Michael Blackie. Steve
Bognar’s films have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and at numerous other festivals in the United States and
abroad. Julia Reichert’s work has earned two Academy Award nominations for Best Feature Documentary. Together,
Bognar and Reichert produced the award-winning feature documentary, A Lion in the House, which spanned six years in
the lives of five families who each had a child fighting cancer.
CHEM 381.30
SPECIAL TOPIC: POLYMER CHEMISTRY
CRN: 1167
3 CREDIT HOURS
Course Description:
EDUC 280.30
SEMINAR: EDUCATION PRACTICUM
CRN: 1443
3 CREDIT HOURS
INTRUCTOR PERMISSION REQUIRED
PASS/NO CREDIT ONLY
Course Description:
EVST 380.30
SEMINAR: CLIMATE CHANGE AND CAMPUS SUSTAINABLILITY
CRN: 1367
1 CREDIT HOUR
Course Description:
HIST 280.30
SEMINAR: EUROPE IN CRISIS
CRN: 1281
3 CREDIT HOURS
INSTRUCTOR: Don Fleming
Course Description: As the 20th century dawned, Europe’s dominant position seemed assured. European science,
technology, and economic productivity had progressed rapidly in the 19 th century and had few rivals, while European art,
literature, and philosophy were widely admired and imitated. Many European governments were becoming more
democratic in the later 1800s, and violent upheavals like wars and revolutions seemed to belong to the past. Yet the new
century did not bring the era of continued European peace, progress, and prosperity that an observer in 1890 might have
expected. Instead, Europe found itself devastated by two world wars and racked by multiple revolutions. In many states,
the trend towards democracy was reversed by the rise of totalitarian governments like the Communist regime in Russia and
the Fascist ones in Italy and Germany. European economic and political dominance of the world was shattered, and the
horrors of the World Wars and the Holocaust led many intellectuals to question the bedrock ideas of Europe’s civilization.
This course will examine this ‘age of catastrophes’ in Europe, focusing on the linked political, social, economic, and
intellectual upheavals of this troubled era. Note: you may not take this class if you have taken FSEM 104.
INTD 380.30
SEMINAR: EPIC IMITATION: FROM ROME TO TATOOINE AND BEYOND (INTD CORE PENDING APPROVAL)
CRN: 1392
3 CREDIT HOURS
TEAM TAUGHT
INSTRUCTORS: C. Willis-Chun and R Gutierrez
Course Description: This course is an inquiry into the ways that epic narratives serve as “equipment for living” for nations
in strife. Students will employ multiple perspectives to understand how epics are formed and function, what they suggest
about the societies they represent, and how they work to solidify both a sense of unity within the nation and separation from
enemies. Further, students will compare multiple epics in order to gain an appreciation of the role of imitation within the
genre such that stories and heroes recur across eras and cultural contexts.
MATH 381.30
SPECIAL TOPICS: NONLINEAR DIFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
CRN: 1177
3 CREDIT HOURS
Course Description: This is a second course in ordinary differential equations (ODE). We will spend the term considering
the following question: What do we know about a system of ODE when we cannot solve it? A system of linear differential
equations can be solved explicitly but rarely is an "interesting" problem linear. Relaxation oscillators, pendulums, and
planetary orbits are all examples of nonlinear ODE. We would spend some time proving when linearization works, and
more importantly, when it does not. We will also consider other qualitative theorems such as Existence and Uniqueness
Theorem, Poincare-Bendixson Theorem, Lienard's Theorem, and Hopf Bifurcations.
MGMT 280.31
SEMINAR: TOPICS IN HEATHCARE MANAGEMENT
CRN: 1255
3 CREDIT HOURS
Course Description: This course will examine innovations in the field of healthcare management. Specifically, the course
will explore the ways in which leaders in the healthcare industry are addressing issues of sustainability. The course will
investigate solutions and approaches to transform healthcare so that it is ecologically sustainable without compromising
patient safety or care.
MGMT 280.32
SEMINAR: NEGOTIATIONS
CRN: 1553
3 CREDIT HOURS
Course Description: This course seeks to increase competence and confidence to confront negotiation and influence
opportunities through a progressive sequence of negotiation simulations. Through this process we will explore your own
personal style and its impact, as well as specific areas for individual development. You will be encouraged to expand your
negotiation toolkit and develop greater strategic flexibility across situations and people by encouraging you to try out new
behaviors and strategies in a safe, supportive environment.
MUSI 280.31
SEMINAR: PHILOSOPHY AND MUSIC
CRN: 1179
3 CREDIT HOURS
INSTRUCTOR: Paul Louth
Course Description: What is music? Is it a form of communication or an imitation of natural life processes? Is it a type of
prayer or a self-contained art object? Is it merely a cultural commodity or something that gives us insight into our emotions?
Is it a universal language or a culturally-bound dialect impenetrable to outsiders? This seminar, which will focus on readings
and discussion, will examine ideas about music ranging from those of the ancient Greeks to contemporary scholars in an
attempt to address questions about music’s meaning, value, and place in society. The course will also examine attempts to
justify music’s place in the school curriculum. No prior theoretical understanding of music is necessary.
MUSI 280.32
SEMINAR: GERMAN DICTION
CRN: 1633
1 CREDIT HOUR
INSTRUCTOR: Dawn Sonntag
Course Description: This course is designed both for vocal music majors and for individuals interested in conversational
German who would like guidance and practice in pronunciation, using the International Phonetic Alphabet as a tool. Singers
will practice using art songs, and non-singers will practice with spoken texts. No previous experience in the language
is necessary; grammar basics will be included in the course so that students are able to do basic literal translations using a
dictionary.
MUSI 280.34
SEMINAR: “HANDEL’S MESSIAH AND THE ART OF THE ORATORIO”
CRN: 1656
1 CREDIT HOUR
INSTRUCTOR: Dawn Sonntag
Course Description: The oratorio is a large-scale musical drama in concert format based on a dramatic spiritual or
scriptural story or text, performed with chorus, soloists, and orchestra, organ, or a combination of both. In this course, the
history and development of the oratorio will be discussed, with special attention placed on the Christmas oratorios of J.S.
Bach, Joseph Rheinberger, and Georg Friederich Händel. A highlight of the course will be a community Messiah singalong, complete with soloists, chorus, and instrumental accompaniment.
In this course, we will study the relationship of music and text in Handel's most well-known oratorio, The Messiah,
as well as the historical context in which this work was composed. The course will include a field trip to a free (for full time
students age 30 and under) performance of the Messiah by the renowned baroque ensemble, Apollo's Fire in Willoughby
Hills on Wednesday, December 15th.
PHIL 280.30
SEMINAR: PHILOSOPHY OF THE MIND
CRN: 1182
3 CREDIT HOURS
INSTRUCTOR: Lee Braver
Course Description: What is the mind? We use it to ask this very question, but we don’t know what it is. This course will
introduce you to some of the basic positions in philosophy of mind.
PSYC 380.30
SEMINAR: DRUG USE AND ABUSE
CRN: 1507
3 CREDIT HOURS
INSTRUCTOR: Amber Chenoweth
Course Description: This course will explore current drug issues through psychological, biological, medical, social,
historical, and cultural perspectives. This course will discuss individual classes of drugs and their effects from the level of
the single neuron to the person as a member of society, as well as ethical and legal issues related to substance use and
abuse. Students will critically examine primary and secondary literature in the field of neuropsychopharmacology, and
integrate this information for class discussions and individual research. Prerequisite: PSYC 215 or BIOL 215.
RELG 280.31
SEMINAR: TOPICS IN THE STUDY OF THE BIBLE
CRN: 1421
3 CREDIT HOURS
Course Description:
RELG 280.33
SEMINAR: NEW RELGION MOVEMENTS IN AMERICA
CRN: 1506
3 CREDIT HOURS
Course Description: This course will examine new and alternative religious traditions in America from the 18th century to
the present day. Using literary, multimedia, historical, and ethnographic sources, we will consider new religions as examples
of religious innovation, resistance, and conflict. Some topics and themes to be covered include: gender; violence;
apocalypticism; conversion; syncretism; and the cultural significance of new religions in America.
SOAN 280.30
SEMINAR: THE SOCIOLOGY OF MENTAL ILLNESS
CRN: 1288
3 CREDIT HOURS
PREREQUISITE: SOAN 155
Course Description: This course is an introduction to the sociological perspective of mental health and illness.
Sociologists have made important contributions to our understanding of mental illness in three important ways: definitions,
recognition and perceptions of mental illness (including stigma associated with labeling), the prevalence and distribution of
mental health/illness and the history and organization of treatment for mental illness. In addition, we will discuss the
experience of mental illness from the perspective of persons living with mental illness and their families.
SOAN 380.31
SEMINAR: INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN’S STUDIES
CRN: 1722
3 CREDIT HOURS
This course will introduce students to Women’s Studies scholarship, and aid in developing critical skills for understanding
the social forces that shape us as gendered individuals. It will examine major social institutions and systems of power and
oppression that influence gendered experiences. The course emphasizes diverse gender perspectives with respect to
sexuality, class, race/ethnicity, ability, and age.