FRESHMEN SEMINARS PROGRAM
FALL SEMESTER 2005
This file contains updates as of 05/16/2005 (in red)
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
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
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
M, W, F 9:00-9:50 a.m., location: Bryan 117
Title: “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.
FMS 115-02
M, W, F 10:00-10:50 a.m., location: Graham 303
Title: “King Arthur Revisited”
Instructor: Jennifer Whitaker
Department of English
See description for FMS 115-01.
FMS 115-03
T, R 12:30-1:45 p.m., location: Graham 302
Title: “Synesthesia of Sound: Poetry and Music in a Postmodern Context”
Instructor: Jennie Thompson
Department of English
This course is designed to highlight the crucial connection between contemporary American Poetry and Music.
We will combat critical opinions that poetry today has distanced itself too much from "the dance." Books read
include A. Van Jordan's Rise and Brigit Pegeen Kelly's Song; music incorporated includes Woody Guthrie, Public
Enemy, and the Velvet Underground.
In past semesters, Jennie Thompson has taught English literature and rhetoric courses namely ENG 251 (Major
American Authors: Colonial to Romantic) and ENG 101 (Composition). After receiving her MFA in poetry this
year, she now teaches introductory poetry and freshman seminar in music and poetry. She also hosts two radio
shows (6 Degrees of Pavement and a rotation shift) on WUAG, the campus station.
page 2
FMS 115-04
T, R 3:30-4:45 p.m., location: Graham 209
Title: “Synesthesia of Sound: Poetry and Music in a Postmodern Context”
Instructor: Jennie Thompson
Department of English
See description for FMS 115-03.
FMS 115-05
M, W, F 1:00-1:50 p.m., location: Graham 203
Title: “Transformation, Identity, and Metaphor”
Instructor: Gerry Canavan
Department of English
In this course, we will explore the metaphorical connections between various stories of metamorphosis and our
understanding of the world at large.
Gerry Canavan received his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina in 2004. His fiction
and nonfiction have appeared in a number of literary journals.
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 3:00-3:50 p.m., location: McIver 326
“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 ethics. Some of his outside interests include mountain biking, midcentury modern furniture, and music.
FMS 116-02
T, R 2:00-3:15 p.m., location: Foust 111
“Civil Discourse”
ppage 3
Instructor: Laurie White
Honors Program
This Honors Freshman Seminar will fulfill a Reasoning and Discourse requirement and 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 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 Non-Western) marker.
FMS 120-01
M, W, F 11:00-11:50 a.m., location: Petty 219
Title: “ ‘A soul that burned for freedom’: Slavery and American Literature”
Instructor: Heidi Hanrahan
Department of English
This course will help you improve your reading, writing, and analytical skills, and will introduce you to
techniques that will help you in your other course work. Our focus for the semester is on literature, specifically the
literature surrounding one of the most controversial times in our nation’s history: the era of slavery. Together, we
will read a variety of texts from a variety of authors, asking questions about how writers of different races, genders,
and socio-economic backgrounds responded to the “peculiar institution.” Additionally, we will discuss how the
shadow of slavery still hangs over literature and American society today. At the end of the course, you will be able
to identify some of the varied characteristics of this period’s literature, apply techniques of literary analysis, use
these skills in careful reading and clear writing, and demonstrate an understanding of the diverse social and
historical contexts in which these texts were written.
Heidi Hanrahan is a lecturer in the English Department. In August 2005, she completed her Ph.D. in American
Literature before 1900. Her other academic interests include composition and pedagogy and Nineteenth-Century
British Literature.
FMS 120-02
M, W, F 12:00-12:50 p.m., location: Bryan 335
Title: “ ‘A soul that burned for freedom’: Slavery and American Literature”
Instructor: Heidi Hanrahan
Department of English
See description for FMS 120-01
page 4
FMS 120-03
T, R 9:30-10:45 a.m., location: Eberhart 554
“Rebels with a Cause”
Instructor: Stephanie O’Hara
Department of Romance Languages
An angry young man, feminists, coal miners, an absurdist playwright, a shell-shocked war veteran, Algerian
freedom fighters: these are some of the writers and characters whom we will come across in this French literature
class, which will be taught in English with reading selections in English. Whether it be depictions of rebellious
characters, writers for whom the act of writing was rebellious in and of itself, or writers rebelling against literary
tradition, all of these rebels, whatever their era, have a cause. Most of the reading selections will be taken from
novels, but will also include some poetry and a short play. We will read excerpts from the following: Christine de
Pisan, The Book of the City of Ladies (1405); Louise Labé, selected poems (1500s); Arthur Rimbaud, selected
poems (1870s); Emile Zola, Germinal (1885); Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the End of the Night (1932);
Eugène Ionesco, The Bald Soprano (1950); Assia Djebar, Fantasia: An Algerian Cavalcade (1985).
Stephanie O’Hara received her Ph.D. in French literature from Duke University in 2003. Prior to coming to UNCG in the fall of 2004, she taught at Iowa State University. Her scholarly interests include early modern literature
and cultural studies, as well as the theory and practice of translation. She has lived and studied in Aix-en-Provence,
Paris, and Lyon.
FMS 120-04
T, R 2:00-3:15 p.m., Location: Curry 244
“Images of Teaching and Learning”
Instructor: Laurie McCollum
Department of English
This course, designed for North Carolina Teaching Fellows, will explore images of teaching and learning in
works of fiction and non-fiction, including the novel, short story, autobiography, and essay. Films will also be
included in the course. Requirements include class discussion, a reading/viewing journal, a mid-term and final
exam, book review, and a group project.
This course is restricted to NC Teaching Fellows and it is an Honors course.
Dr. Laurie McCollum-Tisdale is a lecturer in the English Department, where she teaches literature and is especially
interested in the twentieth century modernist D. H. Lawrence. She is a Law & Order junkie who also enjoys horses,
hiking, and movies.
FMS 120-05
M, W 3:30-4:45 p.m., Location: Curry 241
“Images of Teaching and Learning”
Instructor: Laurie McCollum
Department of English
See description for FMS 120-04
ppage 5
FMS 122-01
T, R 3:30-4:45p.m., location: Graham 423
“Global Voices, Fresh Perspectives”
Instructor: Deborah Seabrooke
Department of English
In this course we will explore our complex, changing world through the voices of contemporary fiction and
non-fiction writers around the globe.
This class will hear new voices from Viet Nam, the Caribbean, India, South Africa, Iran, Afghanistan, China, and
other countries. We will examine three areas. 1) We will see how the new immigrant is caught in the conflict
between assimilation and keeping his or her own cultural identity in contemporary America. 2) We will examine the
legacy of colonialism in order to understand the post-colonial response to that legacy. 3) Finally, we will discuss
contemporary cultural and religious revolutions, and identify some of the influences of western capitalism and
consumption, and learn how the individual resists, chooses, retells or remakes the cultural story of his or her land.
Deborah Seabrooke is a writer. She can also make a mean apple pie.
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 Non-Western) marker.
FMS 130-01
T, R 9:30-10:45 a.m., location: Mary Foust Hall
“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 service-learning course will involve telling stories to children at the Greensboro Public
Library.
This course is Speaking-Intensive and is a service-learning 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 130-02
page 6
M, W, F 11:00-11:50 a.m., location: Eberhart 554
“Film Logic: Power of Visual Storytelling in Popular Culture”
Instructor: Emily Edwards
Department of Broadcasting and Cinema
This course will study the photographic image, film production and human fascination with visual storytelling.
Every day we are in the habit of looking and interpreting what we see to make sense of the world. We “see” with our
eyes but “look” with our social, cultural and emotional selves. Film and television present us with images in illusory
motion, inviting us to become voyeurs, looking in on and helping to fabricate a visual story. This basic introduction
to "film logic" examines our experience of visual media as a patterned and structured one. Through this course
students will explore narrative form in visual storytelling, the human fascination with images and the power of
images to communicate ideas, chronicle emotion and command myth.
Emily Edwards is a media writer and producer. She completed her Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee,
Knoxville in 1984. She has published articles and book chapters on morbid curiosity, media culture, media
production, including a new book, Metaphysical Media (2005) to be published this semester. She has written and
produced several internationally distributed documentaries and two award-winning screenplays.
FMS 130-03
T, R 11:00-12:15 p.m., location: Brown 118
“Open Call to Opening Night”
Instructor: Beth Ritson-Lavender
Department of Theatre
This course will focus on the actor's world through an exploration of the actor's complete process. Through
theatre games, improvisation, monologues, scene work and literary research, we will actively learn and apply several
techniques and approaches that actors use in preparing roles. These activities will culminate in several in class
presentations/performances. Students enrolled in this class will attend productions of plays being presented on and
off campus. In preparation for going to the theatre we will read and discuss scripts and investigate the history and
critical reception of the original production of the works we are about to see. Students will develop an
understanding of theatre by writing reviews, reading scripts and essays, and by participating in all class activities
Beth Ritson is a professional actress who holds a BFA and MFA in acting. She has worked at numerous regional
theaters across the country, including several productions at Greensboro's TRIAD STAGE. Beth currently teaches
acting in UNCG's Theatre Department .
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 141-01
T, R 3:30-4:45 p.m., location: McIver 327
“Religious Traditions and Care of the Earth”
Instructor: Charles Headington
Department of Religious Studies
ppage 7
Do religions care about the earth? Do they propose a way of thinking and a way of living that honors and
respects the earth or do they, as some have criticized, proclaim truths and an ethic that demeans and abuses the
earth? These are important questions because millions of people look to their religion as a guide to life.
The earth and its ecosystems need the attention and care of human beings. Humans, whether we like it or not,
are now transforming the face of the earth and determining the fate of its ecosystems and creatures. Will we find a
way to cooperate with the earth or will we attempt to control it even more? What active role can religions take in
reshaping our thoughts and behaviors about the earth?
There are many new religious voices in Buddhism and Hinduism as well as western traditions such as Judaism,
Christianity and Islam. Also, indigenous traditions such as the Australian Aborigine and native Americans are more
active in putting forth an earth-friendly worldview.
Our study will take three major themes: Ecological Identity, Simple Living and Food. Each will comprise a
third of the course. For each theme or third of the course, you will have a test on the material, and then you’ll
complete two projects on Food and Simple Living. Thus, you will have a theoretical and an experiential way of
understanding the material.
Charlie Headington’s courses at UNCG examine our society’s preoccupation with destroying the earth. In turn, they
propose better ways of thinking about and interacting with natural systems. He likes to garden at home and at
elementary schools, cook, read, and learn Italian.
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 Non-Western) marker.
FMS 151-01
M, W, F 10:00-10:50 a.m., location: Foust 111
“You Don’t Belong! The ‘Other’ in Medieval Western Culture”
Instructor: Anne Barton
Department of History
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 prosecuted 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. She lectures in
the History Department and works as the Assistant Director of the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Center
(CASA). In her spare time, she enjoys creating scrapbooks which document her adventures with her husband Rick,
their daughter, Katie, and their dog, Sasha.
FMS 151-02
M, W 2:00-3:15 p.m., location: Stone 217
“Frozen in Time: The Archaeology of Pompeii”
Instructor: Maura Heyn
page 8
Department of Classical Studies
In this course, we will the study the archaeological evidence for Pompeii in order to gain insight into the
society of a Roman city. Buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, Pompeii offers us the unique opportunity to
see a town “frozen in time”. Despite the extraordinary preservation of the remains, many questions remain about the
inhabitants of the city, particularly with regard to how they defined themselves both as a community and as
individuals. In order to understand better the public and private lives of the inhabitants, we will explore the
archaeological remains of Pompeii and Herculaneum (a neighboring town, which provides great comparative
material).
Maura Heyn is a classical archaeologist who studies the Roman Empire. She has worked on excavations in Rome
and France.
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 Non-Western) marker.
No courses this semester
FMS 170, 171, 172
Freshman Seminars in Social and Behavioral Studies
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 Non-Western) marker.
FMS 170-01
T, R 12:30-1:45 p.m., location: Graham 307
“War and Conflict”
Instructor: Amanda Leigh Sink
Department 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 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.
Leigh Sink has been at UNCG since 1989 and has thoroughly enjoyed it. She enjoys playing tennis and watching
Carolina basketball.
ppage 9
FMS 170-02
M, W 3:30-4:45 p.m., location: Science 203
“Race, Gender and Social Equality”
Instructor: Michael Cauthen
Department of African American Studies
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 9:00-9:50 a.m., location: Graham 116
“Planetary Evolution: Landscapes, Fossils, and Life”
Instructor: Mary Hall-Brown
Department of Geography
This course is designed to give students a better understanding of the inseparable links between geology and
biology that have been ongoing since the beginning of time. Throughout Earth’s history, Earth has experienced both
cataclysmic and more subtle long-term events that altered the course of life on the planet. Cataclysmic events, such
as volcanic eruptions and meteor strikes, caused the rapid near extinction of virtually all life on Earth. While other
events caused slow subtle changes of the landscape, climate, and biology of the planet. This course will present an
introduction to the geological events that have occurred over the past 4.6 billion years, and the impact of those
events on the life forms as indicated from the fossil record. This course tries to answer the how, when, where, why,
and what questions that concern Earth’s history. How did geological events occur? When and where did the event
take place? Why did the event happen? What species were able to survive?
Mary Brown has a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology from the University of South Alabama and a Master’s Degree in
Geography from UNCG. Her area of concentration is in Geographic Information Science (GIS), with an emphasis
in Remote Sensing. At UNCG she has taught Earth Science, Physical Geology, and Introduction to GIS. Her free
time is spent with her husband, two sons, three dogs, two cats and two fish.
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).
page 10
No courses this semester
FMS 195
Freshman Seminars in Mathematics
FMS 195 satisfies the GMT category of the GEC. All sections carry a WI marker (writing-intensive).
No courses this semester
ppage 11