FRESHMAN SEMINAR PROGRAM
FALL SEMESTER 2008
http://www.uncg.edu/aas/fms/
Each Freshman Seminar gives you the
opportunity to study a topic in depth while
earning credit in the General Education Core
(GEC) or fulfilling the College Additional
Requirements (CAR). The seminars are small
discussion classes taught by faculty selected for
their commitment and interest in undergraduate
teaching. The seminars have no prerequisites
and do not presume any special knowledge
about the topics to be covered. The seminars
emphasize class discussion, critical reading or
original literature (rather than textbooks), and
practice in writing and argument. They are all
challenging courses, intended for students who
plan to take their education seriously.
You may not receive credit for more than one
seminar under the same course number, even
if the contents of the seminars are different.
For additional information, please contact Bob
Hansen or Susan Stansbury, Room 100 Foust
Building, (334-3186).
College of Arts and Sciences
UNCG
To see if any courses have changed
days, times, locations or have been
cancelled, please check the website:
www.uncg.edu.
Click the UNCGenie icon,
click on “Class Schedule.”
choose the term “Fall 2008”,
subject: “Freshman Seminars Program.”
Table of Contents
Schedule Information
1
Reasoning and Discourse II
(FMS 116)
2
Literature
(FMS 120, FMS 121, FMS 122)
3
Fine Arts
(FMS 130, FMS 131, FMS 132)
4
Philosophical, Religious, and Ethical Principles
(FMS 140, FMS 141, FMS 142)
5
Historical Perspectives: PreModern
(FMS 150, FMS 151, FMS 152)
5
Historical Perspectives: Modern
(FMS 160, FMS 161, FMS 162)
6
Social and Behavioral Studies
(FMS 170, FMS 171, FMS 172)
7
Natural Science – Physical Science (FMS 183)
7
Mathematics (FMS 195)
8
FMS 116
Freshman Seminars in Reasoning and Discourse II
FMS 116 satisfies GRD category of the GEC; in addition,
it carries credit equivalent to ENG 102. You may not
receive credit for both FMS 116 and ENG 102.
FMS 116-01
MWF 11:00-11:50 a.m., location: Bryan 111
“Money and Class in America”
Instructor: Dr. Shelby Smoak, Dept. of English
This course carries the Speaking Intensive marker.
This seminar investigates issues of money and class
in America. We will be especially considering the idea of
America as a middle-class society, and we will try and
discover the boundaries dividing poor and middle-class
and middle-class and wealthy.
Further, we will
investigate the effects of a class-structured society.
Through the investigative reporting in David K. Shipler’s
The Working Poor and Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and
Dimed, we will be especially critiquing the condition of
America’s blue-collar working class. This portion of the
course takes into account the situation of poverty in
America, the concept of minimum wage, and the idea of
“just getting by”.
Shelby Smoak received his doctorate in American
Literature, with minors in British Literature and Literary
Theory. His hobbies include photography, writing, and
playing music. Smoak is the guitarist and lead singer for
Chapel Hill indie-rock band, Simple. He lives in Chapel
Hill with his wife Kathleen and their cat, the Great
Catsby.
FMS 116-02
MWF 11:00-11:50 a.m., location: Sullivan Science 355
“King Arthur”
Instructor: Ms. Jennifer Whitaker, Department of English
This course carries the Speaking Intensive marker.
This seminar will focus on a historical range of texts
dealing with Arthurian stories and myth in order to see
how the “Once and Future King” weathered the transition
to the media-driven age of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Roughly the first half of the course will focus on
providing students with a foundational knowledge of
early Arthurian canon, specifically using Lacy and Ashe’s
The Arthurian Handbook and “Culhwch and Olwen,”
collected in the Welsh The Mabinogion, as guides
Jennifer Whitaker is Assistant Director of the
University Writing Center, and has taught English
composition, Freshman Seminars courses, honors courses
and lower-level literature courses. Her areas of interest,
in addition to civil discourse, include 20th-century poetry,
Arthurian literature, and all things Welsh.
FMS 116-03
T R 3:30-4:45 p.m., location: Ferguson 113
“How Do We Know What We Know?: Intersections of
Philosophy and Rhetoric”
Instructor: Ms. Mary Beth Pennington, Dept. of English
This course carries the Speaking Intensive marker.
This course explores how we define knowledge,
reality, and identity, asking students to analyze their own
ways of thinking in order to more effectively
communicate in the academic context.
Students will
consider how they construct reality via philosophicallycharged primary texts, along with examples of poetry,
film, and shared personal experiences. The class will
rhetorically analyze these texts and offer critiques of the
arguments presented through weekly writing assignments
and classroom discussion. The course will culminate in a
10 minute presentation and 5 page research paper based
on an individual philosophic inquiry fostered during the
semester
Mary Beth Pennington is a fourth year Rhetoric and
Composition PhD student in the English Department. In
preparation for her dissertation work, she is currently
studying the literacy practices of university students from
rural backgrounds.
FMS 116-04
T R 8:00-9:15 a.m., location: MHRA 1209
“The Rhetoric of Rights: The Politics of Human Rights
Discourse.”
Instructor: Ms. Belinda Walzer Dept. of English
This course carries the Speaking Intensive marker.
This course will explore contemporary Human
Rights discourse locally and throughout the world through
narrative (film and novels), legal documents (the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights) and rhetoric. We
will most likely focus on human rights issues in South
Africa, Sierra Leone, Greensboro NC and South America.
Students will be asked to attend several speakers with the
Harriet Elliot Lecture Series, watch films in association
with the Human Rights Film series, and attend Ishmael
Beah’s talk, author of A Long Way Gone. Students will
learn how to analyze texts rhetorically, how to read
narrative and how to construct and articulate arguments
based on critical thinking. Regular class participation,
presentations and at least one writing assignment should
be expected.
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different perspectives. We will read about how historical
events, like the Civil War and the woman’s suffragist
movement, affected the lives of everyday people. This is
the importance of seeing historical events from the
viewpoint of “insignificant” characters.
FMS 120, 121, 122
Freshman Seminars in Literature
FMS 120, 121, 122 satisfy the GLT category of the GEC.
FMS 121 also carries a GL (Global Perspectives) marker.
FMS 122 also carries a GN (Global Non-Western)
marker.
All sections carry a WI marker (writing-intensive).
FMS 120-01
MWF 8:00-8:50 a.m., location: MHRA 1206
“Common Ground – Community, Identity, and Peace”
Instructor: Mr. John Pell, Department of English
This course will explore the endless connections
between individuality and community. We will use our
writing, reading and discussions to examine the ways in
which our sense of self, our sense of community, and our
difficulties empathizing with others affects our
understanding of peace and justice. As the course title
suggests, we will use the classroom space as common
ground - a place where we can wrestle with difficult
questions and while developing as critical thinkers and
colleagues.
John Pell is a PhD student in Rhetoric and
Composition, a field he came to by way of the theatre, the
Communications department and finally the study ethnic
literature. In the study of rhetoric he finds a place in
which his diverse interests work together. Currently he is
interested in the intersections between classical rhetoric,
interactionist theory, and North American Pragmatism.
He has presented papers on topics from Frederick
Douglass and polemic resistance to feminist critiques of
Frank Luntz. As a teacher and pragmatist he sees the
classroom as a place to enact learning and change and he
hopes to facilitate a place in the Freshman Seminar that
allows students to experience their relationship to
language, to their world, and to each other.
FMS 120-02
M,W,F 9:00-9:50a.m., location: MHRA 1206
“The Significance of the Insignificant in Literature. ”
Instructor: Ms. Kristen Pond, Department of English
Point of View powerfully influences our notions of
truth, history, and identity. The literature we read in this
course will not only feature different sides of familiar
stories than we’ve heard before, but the texts will include
a variety of characters telling the same story from
Kristen Pond is a doctoral candidate in the English
Department. Her research interests include storytelling
and identity, nineteenth-century British Literature, and
feminine modes of writing and discourse. When she is not
working on her dissertation, Kristen enjoys hiking,
kayaking, cheering on the wolfpack, and sharing coffee
and chocolate with friends
FMS 121-01
M,W,F 12:00-12:50p.m. location: Sullivan Science 103
“Global Literature of Memory and Witness”
Instructor: Mr. Charles Tedder, Department of English
This course focuses on twentieth century literature
composed in the context of war, genocide, political
repression, and struggles for human and civil rights
around the world. We will be asking how literature can
serve as communal memory and witness, and what
writing/reading can offer us in such times. Readings will
include the 2008 All Freshman Read, A LONG WAY
GONE: MEMOIRS OF A BOY SOLDIER by Ishmael
Beah, who will be visiting campus this fall
Charles Tedder is a graduate student in English
specializing in twentieth century literature, critical
theory, and utopian studies.
FMS 121-02
T, R 3:30-4:45 p.m. location: Mary Foust 128
“Literature of Friendship”
Instructor: Dr. Frances Arndt, Department of English
It is probable that in college one learns more from
friends than from course work. This class is a study in
patterns of friendship, using some historical material,
films, and especially literature, both fiction and nonfiction. Students will analyze these patterns and each will
write a major paper on a problem of friendship or a study
of actual friends. Common readings will include
selections from theories of friendship (Aristotle, Cicero,
Kierkegaard, for example) and contemporary novels and
stories. We will also be watching relevant films.
Frances Arndt is director of the Residential College
where she teaches literature courses including Grail
Literature and Detective Fiction. She loves wildlife and is
becoming a serious bird-watcher.
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FMS 121-03
M,W,F 11:00-11:50 a.m. location: Bryan 105
“The Other Side of the Coin: Money and its Perversions
in French Literature”
Instructor: Dr. Bertrand Landry, Dept. of Romance
Languages
This seminar will focus on an historical range of
texts dealing with money and its perverse role in society.
We will begin by inquiring about the importance and the
place of money in society, and its representation in art,
from Dutch masters to contemporary painters. The first
text, Master Pierre Pathelin, a 15th century medieval
farce, deals with dishonesty and money. The second text,
The Miser, a 17th century play written by famed
playwright Molière, mocks a greedy patriarch, and reveals
the tainted effects of his greediness on his family. The
third text, letters from a 17th century correspondence
written by a French noblewoman, Madame de Sévigné,
shows the costly and catastrophic consequences of both
ostentation and representation at Louis XIV’s service.
The fourth text, Rameau’s Nephew, an 18th century book
by Denis Diderot, examines, in a philosophical dialogue,
the darkest sides of money such as corruption, venality,
and disdain for work. The fifth text, Old Goriot, is an
internationally recognized novel by Honoré de Balzac
dealing with money and self-interest in 19th century Paris.
Finally, our last text, The Kill, a novel by Émile Zola,
describes speculation and its perverted consequences in
Baron Hausmann’s Paris. These texts as well as two
films will provide openings to various issues debated and
of concern in 21st century society, including our modern
perception of money and its role.
Dr. Bertrand Landry was born and raised near
Dijon, France. He obtained his MA and Ph.D.
respectively from Miami University of Ohio and Boston
University. Landry specializes in Seventeenth-Century
French Literature.
FMS 130-01
T R 2:00-3:15 p.m. location: STAC 204
“Classical Architecture and Classicisms”
Instructor: Mr. Richard Gantt, Department of Art
All around us in today's United States are buildings
that offer us a means to travel back to the remote past.
This seminar will examine the architectural styles of
ancient Greece and Rome and the architectural inspiration
that other cultures and other centuries have derived from
those sources. The student will gain a useful familiarity
with the original principles of classical architecture and
the stylistic versions and their cultural meanings that have
shaped subsequent environments.
Richard Gantt is an architectural historian whose
own areas of study include the ancient world and the
kingdoms of France and England in the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries. He is particularly interested in
ideas that have been generated by classical architecture,
landscape and urban design and their subsequent
quotations and variations for artistic, social, and political
meanings in the modern world.
FMS 130-02
MWF 2:00-2:50 p.m. location: Sullivan Science 355
“Acting Change in America: Human Rights Onstage”
Instructor: Mr. Jeffery West, Department of Theatre
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.
Jeffery West is an actor, director, and teacher with
over 35 years experience in the performing arts. He has
appeared in films, on television, and onstage in New York
and regionally. He has taught at UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke,
Elon, St. Mary’s College, and Greensboro College. He
was the Artistic Director of the Raleigh Ensemble Players
for four years, is a member of the Screen Actors Guild
and Actors Equity Association.
FMS 130, 131, 132
Freshman Seminars in Fine Arts
FMS 130, 131, 132 satisfy the GFA category of the GEC.
FMS 131 also carries a GL (Global Perspectives) marker.
FMS 132 also carries a GN (Global Non-Western)
marker.
All sections carry a WI marker (writing-intensive).
FMS 130-03
MWF 2:00-2:50 p.m. location: Sullivan Science 355
“Acting Change in America: Human Rights Onstage”
Instructor: Jeffery West, Department of Theatre
See description for FMS 130-02
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FMS 130-04
T R 3:30-4:45 p.m. location: Bryan 216
“10 Watts is All You Need: Indy Rock Culture”
Instructor: Mr. Tom Dempster, School of Music
From the quirky art-rock of DEVO and the Talking
Heads to the icon of Björk and the eclectic TV on the
Radio, college radio and “rock” and its youth-culture has
launched, rescued, and sometimes destroyed the careers
of various artists and groups. This course explores the
history of this wide and inclusive “genre,” discusses the
criticisms and politics of “independent” music, and seeks
to engage students in writing their own music criticism
pieces, attending live performances, and discussing the
future of the “independent” media in a rapidly changing
technological landscape. A final, substantial piece of
music criticism or a research paper will be coached and
revised with the aid of the instructor through the initial
stages to the final draft.
Tom Dempster was raised in Sanford, Chapel Hill,
and the Outer Banks, attended university at UNCG and at
Texas, and has taught at both places as well as others.
His hobbies/interests/joys include psychoacoustic
research, music criticism, composing, running, and
reading huge, incomprehensible books about nothing in
particular.
FMS 140, 141, 142
Freshman Seminars in Philosophical, Religious and
Ethical Principles
FMS 140, 141, 142 satisfy the GPR category of the GEC.
FMS 141 also carries a GL (Global Perspectives) marker.
FMS 142 also carries a GN (Global Non-Western)
marker.
All sections carry a WI marker (writing-intensive).
the ideal person. Under the umbrella of science fiction,
both the film industry and the literary world have created
stories that challenge these philosophical ideals and offer
up varying interpretations that stretch these concepts,
sometimes to the breaking point. This seminar will
explore some of these stories and perhaps arrive at a
better understanding of these philosophical theories and
how they might impact humanity.
Barbara Hands taught both mathematics and
philosophy in a local high school for 30 years before
coming to UNCG. This is her third year as a member of
the UNCG Philosophy Department. She has particular
interest in how traditional philosophical issues are
depicted in literature and the film industry and how useful
science fiction can be in relating those ideas. She also
enjoys maintaining her aquarium, motorcycle riding, and
collecting gem stones in the form of jewelry.
FMS 142-01
MWF 1:00-1:50 p.m., location: Petty 223
“Transforming Religious Conflict through the
Performing Arts.”
Instructor: Dr. Katherine Zubko
Department of Religious Studies
This seminar identifies and examines how key
religious elements, including myth, ritual and symbol, are
utilized to perpetuate conflict/violence within the specific
contexts of the Middle East and South Asia. At the same
time, we will analyze how these same key religious
elements are incorporated into local performing arts
traditions – puppetry, theatre, music, dance and film – in
order to attain goals of religious cooperation in these two
regions. The final project includes the guided
development of a short performance script in addition to
critical analysis.
Katherine Zubko is a scholar of Asian religions with
research interests in performance, gender, body and
ritual. She has studied Bharata Natyam, a traditional
Hindu storytelling dance form, for the past decade.
FMS 140-01
MW 3:30-4:45p.m., location: Sullivan Science 349
“Philosophy and Science Fiction”
Instructor: Ms. Barbara Hands, Dept. of Philosophy
Throughout the ages, philosophers have been
concerned with formulating and reformulating a variety of
concepts trying to answer the big questions concerning
the nature of reality, morality, and the soul, as well as
developing and defending the idea of the ideal society and
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FMS 150, 151, 152
Freshman Seminars in Historical Perspectives:
PreModern
FMS 150, 151, 152 satisfy GHP category of the GEC and
GPM category of the CAR.
FMS 151 also carries a GL (Global Perspectives) marker.
FMS 152 also carries a GN (Global Non-Western)
marker
All sections carry a WI marker (writing-intensive).
FMS 150-01
T R 11:00-12:15 p.m., location: MHRA 1208
“Sports and Society in Ancient Greece and Rome”
Instructor: Dr. Linda Rupert, Department of History
In this course we will explore the development of
competitive sport from its beginnings in the Greek Bronze
Age through to the gaudy and violent spectacle of chariot
racing and gladiatorial combat in the Roman Imperial
period. We will also be taking a look at how different
cultures, including our own, express their varying
concepts of physical beauty and body image as well as
political values and even sexuality through sport.
Linda Rupert studies the intermixing of peoples and
cultures in the European empires that developed around
the sea basins of the Atlantic and Caribbean in the early
modern period (approximately 1415-1815). She has lived
in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe.
FMS 151-01
MWF 1:00-1:50 p.m., location: MHRA 2209
“You Don’t Belong! The ‘Other’ in Medieval Western
Culture”
Instructor: Ms. Anne Barton, Department of English
Are we “in” or are we “out”? Various groups of
people have asked this question throughout history.
Lepers, heretics, prostitutes, Muslims, and Jews might
have answered that they were “out” in medieval Europe.
The historian R.I. Moore has argued that the high middle
ages was the period of the “formation of a persecuting
society” during which the majority (those who were “in”)
willfully persecuted various minorities (those who were
“out.”) Is his argument valid, both in its terms and in its
dating? In this course, we will examine sources by and
about those on the fringes of medieval society – sources
including romances, poems, art, laws, and religious texts
– to see if we can find evidence to support or reject
Moore’s thesis. Through this process we will be able to
see how and why medieval people defined various groups
as “in” or “out” of the mainstream of western medieval
Christendom…
Anne Barton studied French and Medieval History
at the University of California at Santa Barbara. In her
spare time, she enjoys creating scrapbooks which
document her adventures with her husband Rick, their
daughter, Katie, and their dog, Sasha.
FMS 160, 161, 162
Freshman Seminars in Historical Perspectives:
Modern
FMS 160, 161, 162 satisfy GHP category of the GEC and
GMO category of the CAR.
FMS 161 also carries a GL (Global Perspectives)marker.
FMS 162 also carries a GN (Global Non-Western)
marker.
All sections carry a WI marker (writing-intensive).
FMS 160-01
MWF 10:00-10:50a.m., location: Mary Foust Hall
“Been in the Storm So Long: The Long Road of the
American Civil Rights Movement”
Instructor: Ms. Christine Flood, Dept. of History
This seminar is cross-listed with Residential College.
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. The majority of our
readings are primary sources, a monograph on particularly
important event, and essays by historians. Hopefully,
these types of sources will help us understand how Civil
Rights affected normal, everyday citizens.
A lecturer in the Department of History since 1999,
Christine has also been, for the last five years, a faculty
member in the Residential College. Her areas of study
include the American South and the Civil War, but her
particular focus of study is on the role of the Border
States in the months leading to secession in the winter of
1860/61. Ms. Flood is a graduate of both UNCG and the
University of Maryland. She has two small boys who
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quickly tire of her trying to teach them the Presidents of
the United States in correct order.
FMS 160-02
T R 2:00-3:15p.m., location: MHRA 2204
“Binder’s Keepers: The History and Making of Books.”
Instructor: Mr. Alan Brilliant
The history of books tells the story of modernity.
The making of books illustrates how the modern world
was constructed. By examining not only the history of
books but also their form and construction, the student
will gain an invaluable insight into the formation of the
modern world. This is not simply an intellectual history,
since this course will analyze the craft of bookmaking and
engage us in the composition of our own books. We will
understand the limits imposed upon the written word and
the other choices that have existed over time and across
cultures.
Alan Brilliant has a degree in history from
Columbia University in New York. He has been making
books, studying books, and writing about books all his
adult life. He is the author of three books and has
recently turned his attention to teaching.
FMS 162-02
T R 12:30-1:45 p.m., location: Brown 215
“Latino Immigrants in U.S. Society.”
Instructor: Dr. Antonio de la Cova, Dept. of History
An analysis of Latino immigration to the United
States with a special emphasis on the diversity of the
immigration experience by national origin, region of
settlement, and gender. In order to understand this
experience, we will pay particular attention to the
histories of Latino immigration to the United States in
order to identify similarities between the receptions of
Latino immigrant groups and other immigrants in history.
We will also discuss predominant theories of international
immigration, relationships between the historical and
contemporary context, immigration policy, and the
adaptation of Latino immigrants in the U.S.
Antonio de la Cova, a native of Havana, holds an
M.A. in Latin American Studies from San Diego State
University and a Ph.D. in History from West Virginia
University. He is the author of Cuban Confederate
Colonel: The Life of Ambrosio José Gonzales (2003) and
The Moncada Attack: Birth of the Cuban Revolution
(2007). A former journalist, he has traveled extensively
throughout Latin America with his wife Carlina, who
teaches in the Department of Anthropology.
FMS 162-01
T R 8:00-9:15a.m., location: MHRA 1206
“Latin America: The Hidden Omnipresence of Women”
Instructor: Dr. Mary B. Floyd, Department of History
In this Freshman Seminar, students will examine the
history of Latin America. Women have always played an
important role in Latin American societies. Only in the
past few decades, however, have historians and others
begun to reveal the variety of their experiences and their
place in the history of Latin America. Through video,
primary documents where possible, and histories, we will
explore the role of women in the history of Latin America
from the colonial period to the present
Dr. Mary B. Floyd has a Ph.D. in Latin American
history from Indiana University. Her research interests
lie primarily in nineteenth-century Venezuela. Her
teaching responsibilities include various courses on Latin
American and Western Civilization 102. She developed
this course to go beyond the confines of her research
interests.
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FMS 170, 171, 172
Freshman Seminars in Social and Behavioral Studies
FMS 170, 171, 172 satisfy the GSB category of the GEC.).
FMS 171 also carries a GL (Global Perspectives)marker.
FMS 172 also carries a GN (Global Non-Western)
marker.
All sections carry a WI marker (writing-intensive).
FMS 170-01
TR 2:00-3:15 p.m. location: MHRA 1213
“Psychopathology and Film”
Instructor: Dr. Thomas Kwapil, Dept. of Psychology
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.
Professor Kwapil is a clinical psychologist whose
interests include the study of psychopathology and
watching a good film (providing a perfect match for this
course!).
FMS 170-02
MWF 11:00-11:50 a.m., location: Sullivan Science 349
“On Human Nature”
Instructor: Mr. Michael Cauthen, African American
Studies Program
Human beings and the societies they create, inhabit,
and destroy, are the most complex phenomena on the
planet. Much is assumed, but little in understood about
what it means to be human. Perhaps the most fundamental
question which may be asked is, does human nature exist?
Social and behavioral scientists from many “grand”
disciplines
(i.e.,
sociology,
anthropology,
and
psychology) profoundly and doggedly grapple with this
question alone. We will explore the myriad of
descriptions, explanations, and methods for understanding
humankind. The main intellectual “platform” for this
exploration is the landmark book (and Pulitzer Prize
winner) by E. O. Wilson, entitled, On Human Nature.
Michael Cauthen teaches in the African American
Studies and Freshman Seminars Programs. He is also the
current president of the South Atlantic Philosophy of
Education Society or SAPES. His research interests
include the intersections of race and education, the
philosophical dimensions of education, and cross cultural
perspectives on prejudice and social discrimination. He
enjoys reading, writing, computer graphics, and other
visuals arts, and going to the movies.
FMS 170-03
T R 11:00-12:15 p.m., location: Grogan College
“The Narration of Healing:
Social Science and
Storytelling.”
Instructor: Ms. Love Crossling, Grogan College
This course will focus on the historical and
conceptual foundations of the Narrative approach and the
different ways the approach is applied within the different
social sciences to promote explanation and healing.
Through a focused investigation of the Narrative
approach, students will not only learn about this important
and powerful way of understanding human behavior, they
will also learn about the fundamental concepts and
defining features of the core social science disciplines,
gain a better understanding of the similarities and
differences between the social sciences, and gain insight
into the complexities and ambiguities of trying to
understand and “heal” human behavior.
Love L. Crossling is the Coordinator for Residence
Life and Student Learning of Grogan College. She
received her B.A. degree in Psychology and
Communication Studies from the University of North
Carolina at Greensboro, and her M.S. in Marriage and
Family Therapy as a division of Child Development and
Family Relations at East Carolina University. She has
worked as an In-Home Intensive Family Therapist and as
an instructor in the School of Education and Student
Academic Services. She is currently approaching the
dissertation phase of her doctoral degree in Cultural
Foundations at the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro.
FMS 170-04
T R 11:00-12:15 p.m., location: MHRA 1211
“War and Conflict”
Instructor: Ms. A. Leigh Sink, Dept. of Political Science
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 seminar 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.
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Leigh Sink has been at UNCG since 1989 and has
thoroughly enjoyed it. She enjoys playing tennis and
watching Carolina basketball.
FMS 171-01
T R 3:30-4:45p.m., location: Stone 204
“The Hungry Coyote: Anthropologists Look at
Megacities”
Instructor: Dr. Joel Gunn, Department of Anthropology
Do you come from a small town or a big city? In
1950, the dusty village of Netzahualcoyotl east of
downtown Mexico City had 5000 persons. By 2000 it
swelled to 5 million souls and was part of the most
populous metroplex in the world. Huge cities, called
“megacities”, are expected to become the most prominent
feature of the 21st century. Humans began as hunters on
dusty savannahs and slowly found their way to cities over
millions of years. Following this pattern, anthropologist
study human organizations, working upward from the
family. What do they find about megacities? Can
humans adjust to dusty cities of great size? This course
will explore the issue of megacities through readings and
writing exercises in inference designed to expand the
student's and the instructor's ability to comprehend
formerly unimaginable circumstances
Joel Gunn’s field experience encompasses cultures
in the United States, Mesoamerica, southern Europe and
Cyprus. He has taught at major universities and
participated in research. His areas of emphasis include
global climate change as it affects regional cultures,
ecology, and landscape studies.
He is especially
interested in complex systems modeling of cultural
change processes. He has published numerous books,
articles, chapters, and reports on cultural change.
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