FRESHMEN SEMINARS PROGRAM
FALL SEMESTER 2006
Each Freshman Seminar gives you the
opportunity to study a topic in depth while
earning credit in the General Education Core
(GEC) or to fulfill 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. Although some are
Honors classes, other sections are open to all
freshmen; however, they are 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 his assistant, Room 100 Foust
Building, (334-3186).
College of Arts and Sciences
Table of Contents
Reasoning and Discourse I (FMS 115)
2
Reasoning and Discourse II (FMS 116)
2-3
Literature (FMS 120, FMS 121, FMS 122)
3- 4
Fine Arts (FMS 130, FMS 131, FMS 132)
5
Philosophical, Religious, and Ethical
Principles (FMS 140, FMS 141, FMS 142)
6
Historical Perspectives: PreModern (FMS 150,
6-7
FMS 151, FMS 152)
Historical Perspectives: Modern (FMS 160,
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FMS 161, FMS 162)
Social and Behavioral Studies (FMS 170, FMS
7
171, FMS 172)
To see if any courses have changed
meeting days or times, or have been
cancelled, please check the website:
www.uncg.edu. Click the UNC Genie
icon, click on “Class Schedule.” Choose
the term “Fall 2006”, subject: “Freshmen
Seminars Program.”
Natural Science – Physical Science (FMS 183)
Natural Science – Life Science (FMS 184)
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Mathematics (FMS 195)
9
FMS 115
Freshman Seminars in Reasoning and
Discourse I
FMS 115 satisfies GRD category of the GEC; in
addition, it carries credit equivalent to ENG 101.
You may not receive credit for both FMS 115
and ENG 101.
FMS 115-01
FMS 115-03
M, W, F 1:00-1:50 p.m.., location: TBA
“King Arthur Revisited”
Instructor: Jennifer Whitaker
Department of English
See description for FMS 115-02.
FMS 115-04
M, W, F 9:00-9:50 a.m.., location: TBA
“Strange Music, Hidden Americas: Visions of
America in Popular Music ”
Instructor: Lee Templeton
Department of English
T, R 2:30-3:45 p.m., location: TBA
“Analyze this: Studying film adaptations of
literary texts.”
Instructor: Laura Savu
Department of English
Music is more than a form of entertainment; it is a
discourse that shapes how we see ourselves and the
world in which we live. This class will focus on the
way popular music creates images, visions, and myths
of America and how these reflect, revise, question and
contradict those images found in key historical and
literary texts spanning the history of the United States.
This course is designed to equip you with skills of
close reading, analysis, reasoning, and research
necessary for your college work and beyond. Our focus
will be on film adaptations of representative novels,
novellas, short stories, plays, and nonfiction works that
take on the age-old question: what is love? This course
cannot do more than hint at the complexity of this
subject and provide you with a foundational knowledge
of both film theory and literary criticism.
Lee Templeton’s teaching and research interests
include Medieval British Literature (particularly
Chaucer and chivalric literature), issues of gender and
grief, literary theory, music, and rhetoric. He is also a
bit of a music fanatic, and in his spare time writes for
the music website neumu.net
FMS 115-02
M, W, F 10:00-10:50 a.m., location: TBA
“King Arthur Revisited”
Instructor: Jennifer Whitaker
Department of English
In this class, we will read both “old” and “new”
literature dealing with the mythic king, ranging from
novels such as Updike’s Brazil to T.S. Eliot’s The
Waste Land and excerpts from the Welsh verse cycle
The Mabinogion. We will look at many of the films
that take Arthur and his Knights as the subject,
including Monty Python and the Holy Grail, King
Arthur, and First Knight, in order to see the changes
Arthur makes between literature and film. Because the
class is a seminar, students will test ideas, present
information, and be a vital part of a dialogue on the
current influence of King Arthur on media and society.
Jennifer Whitaker has taught English Composition at
UNCG and is currently working on a collection of
poetry. When not teaching, she enjoys ballet and
learning Welsh.
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I have recently completed all work for the PhD in
English at UNCG. My main area of interest is 20th
Century British Literature, with an emphasis on the
contemporary practices of rereading and rewriting.
Because I teach what I love, in my free time I read a lot
and watch movies, especially foreign ones
FMS 115-05
M, W, F 1:00-1:50 p.m.., location: TBA
“Strange Music, Hidden Americas: Visions of
America in Popular Music ”
Instructor: Lee Templeton
Department of English
See description for FMS 115-01.
FMS 116
Freshman Seminars in Reasoning and
Discourse II
FMS 116 satisfies the GRD category of the GEC;
in addition, it carries credit equivalent to
ENG102. You may not receive credit for both
FMS 116 and ENG 102.
FMS 116-01
M, W, F 11:00-11:50 a.m., location: TBA
“Civil Discourse”
Instructor: Laurie White
Honors Program
This Honors Freshman Seminar will be based on the
book “A World of Ideas” by Lee Jacobus (sixth
edition). The book contains readings from across the
world and the centuries from the Buddha to Hannah
Arendt to Rousseau. We will be observing—and
imitating—the way these thinkers argue. And we will
take note not only of the variety of ideas—but the way
that ideas recur. Students will read more extensively
from several of these writers and write argumentative
papers based on current instances of the ideas that these
writers discuss. As a further advantage of taking this
class, students will be able to out-argue everyone—
including everyone at Honors Coffee on Wednesday!
This course is an Honors course and is a speaking
intensive course.
Laurie White teaches writing and literature. She is
especially interested in teaching writing through
imitation. She is Assistant Director of the Honors
Program and Admissions Tutor of Cornelia Strong
College.
FMS 116-02
M, W, F 11:00-11:50 a.m., location: TBA
“Reason & Argument”
Instructor: Richard Gallimore
Department of Philosophy
This course introduces students to critical thinking and
reasoning skills useful in all areas of study and in all
occupations. The course begins with an examination of
the conceptual background needed to understand and
evaluate arguments. This includes a study of the
concepts of truth, belief, evidence, and rationality. The
second part of the course makes use of these concepts
while developing a method for identifying,
interpreting, and evaluating arguments. In the final
part of the course this method will be applied to
statistical, causal, and moral arguments such as those
found in scientific reports, editorials, and speeches.
The learning goals for the course are to enable students
to distinguish rhetoric and emotional speech from
rational argumentation and to distinguish successful
arguments from unsuccessful ones.
Rick Gallimore is a former UNCG student and
instructor in the Philosophy department whose areas of
interest include theory of knowledge, metaphysics and
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ethics. Some of his outside interests include mountain
biking, mid-century modern furniture, and music.
FMS 120, 121, 122
Freshman Seminars in Literature
FMS 120, 121, 122 satisfy the GLT category of
the GEC. All sections carry a WI marker (writingintensive).
FMS 121 also carries a GL (Global Perspectives)
marker.
FMS 122 also carries a GN (Global NonWestern) marker.
FMS 120-01
M, W, F 1:00-1:50 p.m., location: TBA
“Looking In: the Outsider in Narrative”
Instructor: Jeremy Aufrance
Department of English
Ever felt like you were on the outside looking in? In
this course, we will read about the role of the outsider
across genre. We will look at film, short stories, a
novel, a graphic novel, and a book of poetry in order to
see how strangers are addressed. Because the class is a
seminar, students will present their own theories, do
their own research, and be an integral cog when it
comes to formulating a conclusion.
Jeremy Aufrance, a poet, received his MFA Degree
from the Writing Program at UNCG. When not in the
classroom, he enjoys being outside and spending time
with his family.
FMS 120-02
M, W, F 12:00-12:50 a.m., location: TBA
“Looking In: the Outsider in Narrative”
Instructor: Jeremy Aufrance
Department of English
See description for FMS 120-01
FMS 120-03
T, R 8:00-8:50 a.m., location: TBA
“Leaving Home, Finding Home: The Literature
of Travel”
Instructor: Chris Porter
Department of English
This course will help students develop their reading,
writing, and analytical skills through the study of the
literature of travel. We will explore a wide range of
travel writings, from those written of far off, exotic
lands, to those travels in familiar places, and even to
those travels that take place in the writer’s imagination.
Through this course the student will explore and
produce records of inquiry of other writers’ travels and
their own. The student will be taught to identify and
understand varied characteristics of literature, apply
techniques of literary analysis to texts, develop skills in
careful reading and clear writing, and demonstrate an
understanding of diverse social and historical contexts
out of which the texts were produced. Students will
write regular journal entries, response papers, and one
independent project, all of which will be central to the
semester portfolio. This course is writing intensive.
Chris Porter is a lecturer in the English
Department. He received his Doctorate in 2006, with
an emphasis in Twentieth-Century American
Literature. He lives with his wife and child in relative
obscurity.
FMS 120-04
T, R 12:30-1:45 p.m., location: TBA
“Leaving Home, Finding Home: The Literature
of Travel”
Instructor: Chris Porter
Department of English
See description for FMS 120-03
FMS 121-01
M, W, F 9:00 - 9:50 a.m., location: TBA
“Multicultural Perspectives on Contemporary
Postmodern Writers"
Instructor: Veronica Grossi
Department of Romance Languages
What are the different ways in which contemporary
writers from around the world approach certain social,
cultural, philosophical and historical subjects? In what
ways do particular literary and artistic genres create,
translate or problematize human experience? What role
does cultural heritage play on artistic form/content? In
this freshman Seminar we will read short stories from
all over the world. We will analyze these formally
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complex pieces from a variety of theoretical
perspectives and will relate them to other artistic
manifestations such as film, drama, painting, sculpture,
the installation and the performance. We will
incorporate creative writing exercises and theatrical
performances into our daily activities.
Veronica Grossi is an associate professor of Spanish in
the Department of Romance Languages. She
specializes in colonial Latin American literature and
cultures in particular, the literary and philosophical
works of the seventeenth century Mexican polymath
Sor Juana Lines de la Cruz. Her daughters, Isabella
and Francesca, were born on March 10, 2004.
FMS 122-01
M, W, F 1:00 - 1:50 p.m., location: TBA
“Tolstoy and Dostoevsky”
Instructor: Carrie Levesque
Department of German, Russian & Japanese
Explore the works of two major figures in world
literature, Russian novelists Fyodor Dostoevsky and
Lev Tolstoy, as they take on the complex social and
literary problems of their day. Their powerful
examinations of the human condition encompass issues
of love and death, mercy and justice, free will,
compassion, morality and aesthetics. Learn about the
broader social and artistic contexts of the Russian
Realist movement in the second half of the nineteenth
century. Works to be read will include Tolstoy's Anna
Karenina and Dostoevsky's Notes from the
Underground and Crime and Punishment.
Dr. Carrie Levesque is a full-time instructor in the
department of German, Russian and Japanese Studies.
She usually teaches courses on 20th century Russian
literature and women’s autobiographical writing, so
she enjoys the exciting change of pace of FMS 122:
Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.
FMS 130, 131, 132
Freshman Seminars in Fine Arts
FMS 130, 131, 132 satisfy the GFA category of
the GEC. All sections carry a WI marker (writingintensive).
FMS 131 also carries a GL (Global Perspectives)
marker.
FMS 132 also carries a GN (Global NonWestern) marker.
This course is Speaking-Intensive and is a servicelearning course. It is also cross-listed with Residential
College; 11 spaces are reserved for Residential
College.
Once Kim Cuny put her first sentence together, she
began telling stories. Her performances of “The Sky is
Falling” from ages 2 to 5 were widely acclaimed right
up to her final telling, on the first day of school
FMS 130-01
T, R 12:30-1:45 p.m. location: TBA
“Theatre Now!”
Instructor: Marc Williams
Department of Theatre
What is the state of Theatre in our community? This
course will examine live theatre production in
Greensboro as a way of understanding contemporary
trends and issues in professional and educational
theatre. Students enrolled in this class will attend
productions of plays and musicals being presented on
campus and in Greensboro during the semester.
Productions we may see include: The Diary Of Anne
Frank, Macbeth, The Old Settler, Seussical: The
Musical, for colored girls who have considered
suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, Flannel Shorts. In
preparation for attending these productions, we will
read and discuss scripts and investigate the history of
the works we are about to see. Students will develop an
understanding of theatre by writing reviews, reading
scripts and essays, and participating in discussions.
Marc Williams is a freelance director and instructor.
Before completing his MFA in Directing, he served as
a Casting Director for the Fredricksburg Theatre and
spent three years teaching high school theatre.
FMS 130-02
T, R 9:30-10:45 a.m., location: TBA
“Storytelling Across Culture”
Instructor: Kim Cuny
Department of Communication
Take a journey into the folklore of Non-Western
countries as we advance multicultural education and
foster an appreciation of diversity. Students will
research, read, analyze, and perform stories of their
choice; from around the world. As the journey comes
to an end the final storytelling project of this servicelearning course will involve telling stories to children
at the Greensboro Public Library.
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FMS 140, 141, 142
Freshman Seminars in Philosophical,
Religious and Ethical Principles
FMS 140, 141, 142 satisfy the GPR category of
the GEC. All sections carry a WI marker (writingintensive).
FMS 141 also carries a GL (Global Perspectives)
marker.
FMS 142 also carries a GN (Global Non-
Western) marker.
FMS 140-01
M,W,F 11:00-11:50 a.m., location: TBA
“The Old Religion in a New Age: History and
Practice of Neo-Paganism in the West”
Instructor: Matt McKinnon
Department of Religious Studies
From the names of the days of the Week to dressing up
as witches and goblins at Halloween to leaving
footwear out to be filled with gifts in late December,
our contemporary culture betrays the marks of its
pagan past. In this class, we will study the beliefs and
practices of those among us who claim the ancient
religions of Pre-Christian Europe as their contemporary
faiths. While some attention will be given to these
religions before and during the Christianization of
Europe, our focus will be on the modern resurgence of
these beliefs, as well as the various claims that
important aspects of these cultures have survived to our
present time. Subjects to be studied include Wicca and
other forms of witchcraft, Celtic traditions, Druidism,
Ásatrú (Neo-Pagan Norse religion), as well as folktales
and the Christianization of Pagan practices.
Matt McKinnon is a lecturer in the Religious Studies
Department. His academic interests include modern
and postmodern theology, philosophy of religion,
religion and culture, religion and politics, and
language and epistemology.
FMS 142-01
T, R 11:00-12:15 a.m., location: TBA
“The Dalai Lama: Monk, Statesman, Mystic.”
Instructor: Douglas Duckworth
Department of Religious Studies
This course will explore the complex interrelations of
politics, religion, and modernity around a
contemporary contemplative and statesman: the current
Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama. We will read and
discuss texts by and about him in response to a wide
range of topics such as ethics, science, religion,
psychology, international relations, and human rights.
We will address his role as a Buddhist monk and Noble
Peace Laureate, and discuss how the Buddhist religion
and the culture of Tibet have influenced his
character and policies. This course will address a
number of contemporary issues regarding the
interaction of religion and modernity through looking
into one of the most fascinating and influential political
and religious leaders of our time.
Douglas Duckworth is a Visiting Assistant Professor in
the Department of Religious Studies. He spent over six
years studying in Asia before he completed his Ph.D. in
Buddhist Studies at the University of Virginia in
2005. He has recently taught courses in Asian
Religions, Sanskrit, and Tibetan at Florida State
University. His passions include language, food,
and travel (not necessarily in that order).
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. All sections
carry a WI marker (writing-intensive).
FMS 151 also carries a GL (Global Perspectives)
marker.
FMS 152 also carries a GN (Global NonWestern) marker.
FMS 150-01
M,W,F 1:00-1:50 p.m., location:TBA
“Sport and Society in Ancient Greece and
Rome”
Instructor: Linda Danford
Department of Classical Studies
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 Danford is a lecturer in the Classical Studies
Department where she teaches a variety of courses on
Greek Mythology, Roman Civilization, and Women in
Antiquity. She has lived in Greensboro with her family
for 30 years and has taught at UNCG for the past 16
years. She likes to eat, cook, travel, play bridge, and
do crossword puzzles.
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. All sections
carry a WI marker (writing-intensive).
FMS 161 also carries a GL (Global Perspectives)
marker.
FMS 162 also carries a GN (Global NonWestern) marker.
FMS 160-01
T,R 12:30-1:45 p.m., location: TBA
“Nature of Women’s Lives: Perspectives on
Contraception”
Instructor: Beth Walker
Department of Women and Gender Studies
Although the human quest for, and our relationship
with contraception has been documented since 1500
BC, it remains a controversial issue in the 21st Century.
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Additionally, because birth control in recent history has
been viewed chiefly as a woman’s responsibility, the
issue of contraception is central to any discussion of
woman’s lives and issues affecting women.
In this seminar we will look at how the concept,
development and use of contraception has intersected
with history, women’s movements, social reform
movements, science, medicine, religion and politics.
Maryland College Park. She has two small boys who
quickly tire of her trying to teach them the Presidents
of the United States in correct order.
Beth Walker is a Program Associate with Women’s and
Gender Studies and teaches the Introduction to
Women’s and Gender Studies course. For most of her
career she was a health educator focusing on women’s
health issues including reproductive health, breast
cancer and sexuality education.
FMS 170, 171, 172
Freshman Seminars in Social and
Behavioral Studies
FMS 160-02
M, W, F 10:00-10:50 a.m., location: TBA
“Hollywood and History: Truth, Lies and
Videotape”
Instructor: Christine Flood
Residential College
The tragic elements of many eras in American History
make it almost irresistible to script writers and
producers to make them into big-budget films, and
often films that take huge historical leaps over the real
story. Of course, no one expects movie makers to be
historians, nor is that their job, technically—their job is
to make good films. Yet in reality, the visual images of
movies last far longer than any lecture; the
characterizations and plotlines in films persist even
over the protests of frustrated historians. Movies, in
reality, represent history for many of us.
In this seminar, we will look at several first-run
movies, among them The Patriot, Glory, Gone with the
Wind, Grapes of Wrath, Mississippi Burning and will
critique the films on their historical storytelling. Our
readings will include Past Imperfect, a set of history
essays on popular films, and as well as a history
textbook to help us contextualize the real events and
issues.
A lecturer in the Department of History since 1999,
Christine has also been, for the last five years, the livein-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
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FMS 170, 171, 172 satisfy the GSB category of
the GEC. All sections carry a WI marker (writingintensive).
FMS 171 also carries a GL (Global Perspectives)
marker.
FMS 172 also carries a GN (Global NonWestern) marker.
FMS 170-01
T, R 12:30-1:45 p.m., location: Graham 307
“Disaster, Self and Society”
Instructor: Steve Kroll-Smith
Department of Sociology
Societies and civilizations are invariably shaped by
disasters; and it is human behaviors, decisions, and
projects that create the conditions for cataclysmic
events. This course begins with a simple premise. To
wit, most disasters are characteristic rather than
accidental features of the places and societies where
they occur. This premise encourages us to see disaster
and society as closely coupled. Indeed, we might go so
far as to say that each produces the other. Challenging
the common assumption that disasters are random
ecological events, we will see how communities and
societies make decisions that often intensify, if not
create, human loss and suffering. Guided by this
insight we will examine how societies both create
cataclysmic events and how those events change the
personal, cultural, and political fabric of societies.
Steve Kroll Smith is the Head of the Department for
Sociology. He has degrees from Ball State, Bryn Mawr
and the University of Pennsylvania. He as well has a
special research interest in napping.
FMS 170-02
Parks during the summer sessions. He is currently the
Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Geography
Department. Before discovering teaching as a career
M, W, F 11:00-11:50 a.m., location: Science 203
“Race, Gender and Social Equality”
Instructor: Michael Cauthen
Department of African American Studies
he wanted to work for the National Park Service.
Race and gender are fundamental organizing principles
of American society, yet they are grossly
misunderstood by laypersons; and dimly understood by
social scientists. We will explore what is genuinely
known about gender and race relations in America,
with the special intention of applying this knowledge to
the creation of an ethically, and legally “fair” society.
Michael Cauthen teaches in the African American
Studies Program, and the Residential College. He is
interested in cross-cultural perspectives on prejudice
and discrimination, trends in race and scholastic
performance, and in the philosophical dimensions of
education.
Natural Sciences:
FMS 183
Freshman Seminars in Physical
Science
FMS 183 satisfies GNS category of the GEC and
GPS category of the CAR. All sections carry a WI
marker (writing-intensive).
FMS 183-01
M, W, F 10:00 – 10:50 am, Location: TBA
“Earth Science in North American National
Parks.”
Instructor: Michael E. Lewis
Department of Geography
The National Parks of North America include a
premier sampling of field research areas in the earth
sciences. Landscapes ranging from alpine mountains
to rivers flowing through enormous canyons and on to
the sea shore are all represented. This course will use
the National Parks as a field context to consider the
development of scientific theories about plate tectonics
and mountain building, earthquake and volcanic
activity, landslides and other mass movements, climate
change and weather patterns, glaciers, river and stream
functions, and coastal landscape change.
Michael Lewis is a physical geographer who has lead
10 UNCG field excursions to North American National
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Natural Sciences:
FMS 184
Freshman Seminars in Life Science
FMS 184 satisfies GNS category of the GEC and
GLS category of the CAR. All sections carry a WI
marker (writing-intensive).
FMS 184-02
MWF 9:00-9:50 a.m. Location: TBA
“Science in the Media”
Department of Biology
Instructor: Amy Adamson
This course is designed to explore scientific inquiry,
methods, and comprehension by investigating the
media and its role in science communication. Many of
our perceptions regarding science come from novels,
magazines, documentaries, TV shows, fictional
movies, and comic books. This course will focus on
the differences between science communicated through
fictional and non-fictional sources, and through
different media formats. By doing so, the student will
be also able to understand and outline proper scientific
methods, as well as be able to communicate their ideas
effectively in writing.
Amy Adamson teaches Biology courses in Introductory
Biology, Cell Biology, and Biotechnology. Dr.
Adamson’s research interests focus on the interactions
between viruses and cells. She has degrees from State
University of New York at Genesco, and John Hopkins
University.
investigation. What is unique about this course is that
we will emphasize understanding the application
associated with the mathematics, as well as the use of
the computer as a `virtual laboratory' on which to
explore the mathematical models, and of course the
mathematics itself. Topics to be studied include models
of population growth, spread of infectious diseases,
chaos, games of chance, mathematics in the media,
and of course the mathematics itself. Topics to be
studied include models of population growth, spread of
spread of infectious diseases, chaos, games of chance,
mathematics in the media, etc.
Richard Fabiano is an Associate Professor of
Mathematics and Director of Undergraduate Studies in
the Department of Mathematical Sciences.
His research interests are in applied mathematics,
including mathematical modeling and computer
simulations.
FMS 195
Freshman Seminars in Mathematics
FMS 195 satisfies the GMT category of the GEC.
FMS 195-01
MWF 11:00-12:15 p.m., Location: TBA
“Introduction to Mathematical Modeling”
Instructor: Richard Fabiano
Department of Biology
In this course we will study mathematics
as it arises in applications in the natural and social
sciences and in the everyday world. For each
application we will develop a mathematical model
which will serve as the basis for further analysis and
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For more information write:
FRESHMAN SEMINAR PROGRAM
100 FOUST BUILDING, P. O. BOX 26170
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO
GREENSBORO, NC 27402-6170
or call:
(336) 334-3186
or see our website:
http://www.uncg.edu/aas/fms.htm
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