Fall 2011
FRESHMAN SEMINAR PROGRAM
UNCG College of Arts and Sciences
Marker Abbreviations:
WI: Writing Intensive
SI: Speaking Intensive
GL: Global Perspectives
GN: Global Non-Western
Perspectives
LC: Learning Community
These seminars are open only to students who will be freshmen in the fall 2011 semester. For the most current information including location of
the class, see UNCGenie on the web: www.uncg.edu. (TBA means To Be Announced) We encourage students not to sign up for a seminar
without first reading the course description or not to sign up for more than one seminar. Talk with your advisor about registering for a seminar.
*There are 6 different Leaning Communities (LC) with 3 courses in each. These classes are restricted to students that take all 3 co-requisite
classes that are part of that Learning Community.
LEARNING COMMUNITY
GEC category: GLT
Course
Days/Time/Place
Course Title/Description
Instructor
FMS
100-01
LC 1*
T
12:30-1:20 p.m.
Foust 111
Bob
Hansen
FMS
100-02
LC 2*
FMS
100-03
LC 3*
FMS
100-04
LC 4*
FMS
100-05
LC 5*
FMS
100-06
LC 6*
R
12:30-1:20 p.m.
Foust 111
F
10:00-10:50a.m.
College Connections. This course is an introduction to learning in the College of Arts and Sciences. The
College is the largest academic unit of the University with 20 Departments, 8 interdepartmental Programs,
and over 350 faculty in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics. Students can
choose from among 64 majors and concentrations. The College is dedicated to the liberal arts mission of
higher education which is to develop knowledge and understanding needed by citizens of a free and just
society. During the semester you will become acquainted with institutional resources and services designed
to promote student success, develop and refine basic academic skills, and critically examine and reflect on
your first semester experience at UNCG.
This class is restricted to students that take all 3 co-requisite classes that are part of this Learning
Community.
See FMS 100-01 for course description.
See FMS 100-01 for course description.
Denise
Baker
M
11:00-11:50a.m.
See FMS 100-01 for course description.
Matt
McKinnon
W
11:00-11:50a.m.
See FMS 100-01 for course description.
Matt
McKinnon
F
11:00-11:50a.m.
See FMS 100-01 for course description.
Matt
McKinnon
REASONING AND DISCOURSE I
Also carries credit equivalent to ENG 101. You may not receive credit for both FMS 115 and ENG 101.
Tim
Johnston
GEC category: GRD
Course
Days/Time/Place
Course Title/Description
Instructor
FMS
115-01
M, W, F
10:00-10:50 am
TBA
Brian
Ray
FMS
115-02
T, R
11:00-12:15 p.m.
TBA
Civic Discourse and Public Writing. This course introduces students to topics in civic discourse and debate
through a consideration of publics and counterpublics. Drawing on classical rhetoric and public discourse
theory, students will analyze and engage debates on a range of contemporary issues. We will use these
theoretical frameworks to explore conflicting values and backgrounds and how they inform arguments and
opinions, as well as how they circulate in various mediums (print and broadcast news, websites, blogs, social
network media, and other venues). Our central focus is not merely the issues themselves but also the different
modes and methods of argument. Assignments include oral and written presentations. Assignments will
include oral presentations and research-based papers.
Memes and Schemes: Writing, Speaking, and Viral Culture Jamming. In this composition course, we will
use writing to examine how fads develop, how memes arise, how viral culture promotes the spread of certain
types of memes, and how engaged individuals can capitalize on this knowledge to foster debate, promote
peace, advocate for change, jam culture, or simply get people talking.
LC 5*
LITERATURE
Course
Alan
Benson
GEC category: GLT
Days/Time/Place
Course Title/Description
Instructor
Reading Daniel Boone. Who was Daniel Boone: Patriot or Tory? Indian killer or Indian lover? Solitary
wanderer or family man? And what was it really like to live in the North Carolina and Kentucky
backcountries, 250 years ago? This class considers these questions by asking what fiction can possibly teach
us about history. We will read a biography of Daniel Boone and historical documents; we also will consider
poem, novels, TV, and films such as The Last of the Mohicans. Students may write about historical
documents or on one historical novel of their own choosing.
Obsessions with Anatomy: Physical Difference and Disability in Literature. This course will present a
variety of texts about bodies with physical differences and disabilities. We will cover many textual genres
such as short stories, novels, memoirs, personal narratives, poetry and film. We will investigate why bodies
with physical difference are either hyper-visualized or ignored within larger studies of gender, race, and
culture. Finally, we will ask the ultimate question about bodies of difference which is, why do they appear so
often in literature, capturing the attention of so many writers and readers?
Hope
Hodgkins
FMS
120-01
WI
T, R
9:30-10:45 a.m.
TBA
FMS
120-03
WI
T, R
2:00-3:15 p.m.
TBA
Erin
Houlihan
FMS
120-04
WI
T, R
2:00-3:15 p.m.
TBA
FMS
120-05
WI
GL
T, R
12:30-1:45 p.m.
TBA
FMS 1
120-06
WI
T, R
12:30-1:45 p.m.
TBA
A Tarheel Born and a Tarheel Read. How does North Carolina look through the eyes of its local
contemporary novelists? How do writers build a convincing sense of place in the worlds they build with their
words? In this course, we will read from the mountains to the beach, sampling work from Fred Chappell,
Clyde Edgerton, Kaye Gibbons, Jill McCorkle, Michael Parker and Ron Rash. During our tour, we’ll consider
what it means to be a North Carolina novelist and how language, place, and truth interact.
Nancy Bucknall has lived, worked, and read in North Carolina for 25 years, which makes her a naturalized
Tarheel. She enjoys North Carolina’s mountains and its beaches, and longs to visit the Great Dismal Swamp,
to see if it’s really all that dismal.
“Blessed are the forgetful”: Representations of Lacunas in Literature and Film. This course examines the
form, interpretation and act of representing memory disorders in literature and film. These gaps—also known
as lacunas—often lead to negative spaces within representation with which readers must actively engage in
order to create meaning. Our exploration takes us through complex narrative structures where memory lapses
yield unreliable narration. We will examine how these texts use perspective to blur the lines between
subjective “truth” and objective “reality,” and how we make meaning from textual ambiguities. Texts for
consideration: Palahniuk’s Fight Club, Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Foer’s Extremely
Loud & Incredibly Close, alongside such films as Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and
Nolan’s Memento.
“Literature In Four Voices” Literature in Four Voices is an examination of the writings of James Baldwin,
Lorraine Hansberry, bell hooks and Michael Eric Dyson. Two authors from the last days of modernism and
two who stand firmly in the postmodernist era. All four writers are great contributors to the rhetorical
conversation that surrounds African American literature and black thought. By examining these four authors it
is our intention to examine the concepts of identity, race, culture and literature on the American landscape as
viewed through the works of these intellectuals.
FINE ARTS
Course
Nancy
Bucknall
Todd
Atchison
Logie
Meachum
GEC category: GFA
Days/Time/Place
Course Title/Description
Instructor
WI
M, W, F
10:00-10:50 a.m.
TBA
Jeff
West
WI
T, R
9:30-10:45 a.m.
TBA
FMS
130-03
WI
M,W,F
10:00-10:50a.m.
TBA
FMS
131-01
WI
T, R
11:00-12:15 p.m.
TBA
WI
T, R
11:00-12:15 p.m.
TBA
Acting Change in America: Human Rights Onstage. In this course we will look at the rich legacy of
American plays that have, at their center, the struggle for equality in a chaotic world. These dramas reflect the
nation’s political, social, and moral norms which have been in constant flux in the tumultuous 20 th century
and they bring into sharp focus the troubling prejudices and conformities that have influenced and sometimes
dominated our culture.
This class is restricted to students that take all 3 co-requisite classes that are part of this Learning
Community.
Modern American Art through Controversy. The history of modern American art has been shaped by
themes and issues that have reappeared over the course of the 20th century, frequently becoming highly
publicized controversies. The rapid sequence of styles and movements (Realism to Abstract Expressionism to
Pop Art to “art off the easel”) are woven together by an aesthetic of independence and individualism.
American artists of the 20th century simultaneously embraced and challenged standards of public taste. This
course will examine many of the controversies that shaped modern American art, including the role of art
critics, outsider art, public funding, and the role of museums.
This class is restricted to students that take all 3 co-requisite classes that are part of this Learning
Community.
The Dramatic Impulse: Classical Theatre in Greece and Rome. Why do we tell stories? When did
humans first tell stories and how did telling stories evolve into performance? This course will address early
performance and how the Theatre was born. The plays of Ancient Greece and Rome will be explored as a
natural consequence of humankind’s “dramatic impulse.”
History and Art of Animation. Animation is an art form that brings fanciful imaginings to vivid realization.
As a popular form of entertainment for children and adults, animation captivates our imagination and
influences our way of perceiving the world. In this class we will look at the historical progression of
animation techniques, the social characterizations presented in popular cartoons, and the artistic brilliance of
animators from around the world.
This class is restricted to students that take all 3 co-requisite classes that are part of this Learning
Community.
French Films and Their American Adaptations: Cinematic Comparisons between French and American
Cultures. This course will focus on discussing French films and their American adaptations. One class
period, students will discuss a French film, and the next class period will be dedicated to its American
adaptation. Students will study the cinematic adaptation as well as French culture through a range of films.
While discovering French culture, students will also reflect on their own culture. We will begin the course by
reading and practicing writing about cinema and the study of film. Students will then watch and discuss
cultural, historical, and political issues found in the assigned films.
FMS
130-01
LC 1*
FMS
130-02
LC 6*
LC 4*
FMS
131-02
PHILOSOPHICAL, RELIGIOUS, AND ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
Course
Jennifer
Reich
Marc
Williams
Eleanor
Cowen
Bertrand
Landry
GEC category: GPR
Days/Time/Place
Course Title/Description
Instructor
Wabi Sabi Ethics for Sustainability. This course is designed to reveal the perfection that lies in the everyday
aspects of our lives that we often take for granted. By paying attention to the seemingly small things and
simple pleasures, we can explore the connection of our daily decisions and practices to global concerns. In
this course, we consider how the choices we make are ones we can sustain and ones that can sustain us.
This class is cross-listed with Residential College; 11 spaces are reserved for Residential College
TBA
Spoma
Jovanovic
FMS
140-01
WI
T, R
2:00-3:15 p.m.
Mary Foust –
Ashby Parlor
FMS
142-01
WI
M, W
2:00-3:15 p.m.
TBA
From REL
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES: Pre-Modern
Course
FMS
151-01
WI,
GL
GEC/CAR category: GHP/GPM
Days/Time/Place
Course Title/Description
Instructor
T,R
9:30-10:45 a.m.
TBA
Down Here with the Rest of Us: Religion in the Medieval West. The Medieval period is frequently
described as an age of intense religious faith, but was that really the case? In this course, we will investigate
the major religions of the period and attempt to trace the connections between doctrine, faith, and action. Did
female saints actually have eating disorders? Did French peasants really worship a greyhound? Did priests
and monks always abstain from sex? We will investigate these and other questions using a variety of texts by
and about religious participants of the period.
This class is restricted to students that take all 3 co-requisite classes that are part of this Learning
Community.
Caitlin
Saraphis
LC 3*
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES: Modern
Course
GEC/CAR category: GHP/GMO
Days/Time/Place
Course Title/Description
Instructor
The Machine That Changed The World: The History of the Computer and Computing Technology. This
course explores the historical evolution of the computer from ancient times through the technological
explosion of the 20th century, its impact on society, culture, and politics, and its potential benefit or detriment
to humankind in the future.
God and the Constitution. Have you heard the old adage "never discuss religion and politics"? I have, and I
think it's crazy! I believe the two most powerful forces known to man are God (religion) and government.
So, we're going to look at that relationship in the American political system. We will begin by examining our
Constitution and those who wrote it, and continue by looking at current day issues of church and state.
"Been in the Storm So Long:” The Long Road of the American Civil Rights Movement. Pick up any high
school history book, and the story of 20th century America is always the same: a War, the Roaring Twenties,
the Great Depression, another war, then another war, this one of a different kind, affluence, and then, all of
the sudden, by the way, POOF! The Civil Rights movement comes out of nowhere. The real story is much
more deeply embedded in American History, with its roots at the very beginning. As with all history, the civil
rights movement did not up and occur one day, so we will look at each event in its larger historical context,
finding the roots of each.
This class is cross-listed with Ashby Residential College; 11 spaces are reserved for Residential College.
Mark
Armstrong
FMS
160-01
WI
T, R
3:30-4:45 p.m.
FMS
160-02
WI
MWF
9:00-9:50 a.m.
FMS
160-03
WI
MWF
10:00-10:50 a.m.
Mary Foust 128
SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL STUDIES
Course
Christine
Flood
GEC category: GSB
Days/Time/Place
Course Title/Description
Instructor
War and Conflict. It has been estimated that there has been a war somewhere in the world 94% of the time
since the dawn of civilization. Why does mankind periodically organize himself for armed conflict and
warfare? This course will begin by asking these questions and try to answer them through an examination of
the United States’ involvement in war and conflict over the last hundred years.
Psychopathology and Film. Mental illness (psychopathology) is frequently portrayed in popular culture.
The history of cinema is filled with classic films such as “A Beautiful Mind” and “One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest” that have introduced society to a variety of mental disorders. Furthermore, independent films
frequently portray moving character studies that reveal the toll that mental illness takes on patients and their
family members. However, popular cinema has often presented mental illness in a comical fashion (e.g.,
“What About Bob”) or presented mental illness and treatment in a blatantly unrealistic fashion (e.g.,
“Spellbound”). The goal of the course is to use examples from popular and independent cinema as a catalyst
for discussion of psychopathology, treatment, and the modern myths that often accompany mental disorders.
This class is restricted to students that take all 3 co-requisite classes that are part of this Learning
Community.
Fans, Athletes, and Sports in Modern Society. This course investigates the place of sport in society with a
special emphasis on identity. Social identities are clearly an important factor in how a person understandings
his or her sense of self and place in society—and identities formed in and around the issue of sport are
becoming increasingly important in late modern societies. As such we’ll be looking at how these identities are
achieved and disengaged for both athletes and fans. Central to this discussion will be issues of race, gender,
and sexual orientation.
A. Leigh
Sink
FMS
170-01
WI
T, R
9:30-10:45 a.m.
TBA
FMS
170-02
WI
T, R
2:00-3:15 p.m.
TBA
WI
M,W,F
12:00-12:50 p.m.
TBA
LC 2*
FMS
170-03
Jeff
Colbert
Tom
Kwapil
Steve
O’Boyle
College of Arts & Sciences Freshman Learning Communities:
LC
FMS 100
FMS
ENG 101/ CST 105
Community
1
T
FMS 100-01
1230
1320
Bob Hansen
MWF
FMS 130-01
1000
Jeff West
1050
TR
CST 105-23
1400
1515
Carol Steger
Community
2
R
FMS 100-02
1230
1320
Tim Johnston
TR
FMS 170-02
1400
1515
Tom Kwapil
MWF
ENG 101-16
1000
1050
Jason Cooke
Community
3
F
FMS 100-05
1000
1050
Denise Baker
TR
FMS 151-01
930
1045
Caitlin Saraphis
TR
ENG 101-43
800
915
Shana Scudder
Community
4
M
FMS 100-06
1100
1150
Matt McKinnon
TR
FMS 131-01
1100
1215
Eleanor Cowen
TR
ENG 101-57
1230
1345
Dan Burns
Community
5
W
FMS 100-07
1100
1150
Matt McKinnon
TR
FMS 115-02
1100
1215
Alan Benson
TR
CST 105-27
1230
1345
Sarah Dunning
Community
6
F
FMS 100-08
1100
1150
Matt McKinnon
TR
FMS 130-02
930
1045
Jennifer Reich
TR
CST 105-25
1100
1215
Jessica Digh
*For more information please contact UNCG College of Arts & Sciences Advising (CASA) at 336-334-4361.
Updated 06/03/2011