Interdisciplinary Studies
Four Credit Course
Offerings for Freshman
Students
The Courses
IDST 110: Ethics and Images in the Global Marketplace
This course examines the controversies in social responsibility, domestically and
globally. Issues for discussion include; employment practices, workers’ rights,
accountability, infringement, environmental stewardship, supply chain conflicts, culture
and business practices, and the business and politics of “green.”
Ms. Shelley Freyn, Ms. Amy Weaver-Kaulis, Dr. Anne Zaphiris
IDST 110: Enduring Questions
This course is organized around three central questions: 1) What does it mean to be
human? 2) Why should humans be good? 3) What is justice? These questions allow
faculty and students to interface with classic texts in a creative classroom setting.
Students will read and write essays on five books in their entirety: Cicero’s On Duties;
Machiavelli’s The Prince; John S. Mill’s On Liberty; Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s
Cabin; and Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead.
Dr. Ludlow Brown, Dr. Michael Federici and Dr. Daniel McFee,
IDST 110: Urbanology
It is the best of times and the worst of times in America’s big cities. On the one hand,
urban America is filled with bright lights, tremendous wealth, political innovation, and
the latest cultural trends. On the other hand, cities are the site of rampant crime, racial
tension, troubled schools, enduring poverty and hard knuckle machine politics. In this
course we examine the prospects and the problems of urban America, with special
attention to urban schools where so much of the drama of city life is played out. In
addition to engaging readings, lectures, and discussions, this course will feature expert
guest speakers, and first- hand experience doing service and research in Erie.
Dr. Ruth Auld,, Dr. Laura Lewis, Dr. Brian Ripley
IDST 110: Exploring Law: Ideas with Teeth
We will explore fundamental questions about the nature and functions of law. Topics
will include legal reasoning, discretion, wealth and power, law enforcement, prisons and
punishment, the profession of law, law school, juries, conflict resolution, conflicting
images of law relative to freedom and obedience, psychology and neuroscience and the
law, and (possibly) cyberspace. Law is pervasive and it speaks with the authority of the
state. As David W. Neubauer put it "...the law has teeth to it."
Dr. Randy Clemons, Dr. Thomas Gamble, Atty. Meredith Schultz
The Courses
IDST 110: Understanding Disaster
Natural disasters are seemingly ubiquitous in the news. News reports, however, provide
only small snapshots of the disaster and cannot always portray all the processes and
events leading up to, and the crises that undoubtedly result from, the event. In this
course, we will take a three-dimensional perspective on various natural phenomena
(i.e., earthquakes, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions) by addressing the science behind
them, long and short-term environmental effects of these phenomena, and how various
cultures deal with these events as well as how their history may influence the severity of
the resulting disasters. In addition to engaging readings, lectures, discussions, and
exercises, this course will feature expert guest speakers, and firsthand experience with
service learning.
Dr. Mike Campbell, Dr. Douglas Boudreau, Dr. Nicholas Lang
IDST 110: Computer-Generated Art
The general term "Computer Art" can be used to describe artwork when computer
technology plays some significant role in its production. In this course, we will be
experimenting primarily with "algorithmic art", where programming is an important part
of the process, "generative art", where randomness is employed, and "mathematical
art", where mathematical themes such as geometry and symmetry are stressed (e.g.
M.C. Escher). We will work with two programming environments, Context Free Art (for
2-D) and POV-ray (for 3-D), and use them to produce our own artwork (much of which
will be wildly complex and fantastic!), which we will then post to our own online
galleries. Along the way, we will try to learn a bit about art, programming , and
mathematics
Dr. Chad Redmond, and Visiting Art Faculty
IDST 110: Irish Identity.
About 100 years ago, a time of great civic, literary, and religious excitement was
festering in and around Dublin. Irish political movements were gathering strength and
debating strategies, James Joyce saw his controversial short story cycle Dubliners
published in his homeland as W.B. Yeats and others were plotting the Celtic Revival, and
by the late 1930s a free Ireland gave the Catholic Church a “special position” in the
newly drafted constitution. These important events will provide the touchstone for our
course on Irish culture and history. Some topics the class will explore include Ireland’s
political history, the long-standing “troubles” in Northern Ireland, the Irish role in
contemporary European politics, Celtic Christianity, Irish religious history, the Sisters of
Mercy, the literary heritage of the emerald isle including the works of James Joyce and
W. B. Yeats, as well as Mercyhurst’s Irish heritage.
Dr. David Livingston, Dr. Brian Ripley, Dr. Brian Reed
The Courses
IDST 110: American Life in the 1930’s
The 1930s represent one of the most fascinating and controversial periods in modern
U.S. History. A decade of economic hardship permanently altered the American
landscape politically, economically, socially, and culturally. The economic catastrophe
also produced what many refer to as “The Greatest Generation.” The purpose of
American Life in the 1930s is to explore the era of the Great Depression from the
vantage point of ordinary citizens. During the term students will examine such topics as
politics, class race, gender, pop culture, literature and arts to name a few.
Dr. John Olszowka, Mr. Brian Sheridan, Dr. Marnie Sullivan
IDST 110: The Sacred and the Beautiful
The purpose of this class is to provide students with an opportunity to engage in the
study of the Humanities across disciplines. Almost every human culture on the planet
possesses notions of the sacred and the beautiful. Sometimes these are two ways to
say the same thing. Sometimes they are viewed as distinct (even opposing) forces. This
class engages the study of the sacred and the beautiful through religion, dance, and
music.
Dr. Robert vonThaden, Ms. Noelle Partusch, Mr. Brent Weber
The Faculty
DR. RUTH GABIG AULD is the Director of the Graduate Program in Special Education.
She teaches courses in classroom management and behavioral
approaches to enhancing teaching and learning. She received her
doctorate from Duquesne University. Some of her recent scholarly
work has appeared in The Journal of Proven Practices and the Journal
of Behavioral Education. Dr. Auld also serves as a consultant with
several Erie urban schools including East High, Wayne, and Jefferson
Elementary Schools.
DR. DOUGLAS L. BOUDREAU is Associate Professor of French in the Department of
World Languages and Cultures and Director of the Mercyhurst College
Honors Program. He presents regularly at conferences and has
published articles on both French Renaissance literature and 20th
century Francophone literatures. He earned his doctorate from the
Ohio State University.
The Faculty
DR. LUDLOW BROWN, has taught at Mercyhurst for over 30 years. Dr. Brown received
his Ph.D. in Philosophy from SUNY Buffalo, and his BA in Philosophy from
Cornell University. Dr. Brown was the recipient of the 1998 “Teaching
Excellence Award” at Mercyhurst. He has served as The Chair of the
Division of Humanities, Director of the Mercyhurst College Honors
Program, Department Director of Philosophy and Religious Studies,
Department Chair of Philosophy and President of College Senate. Dr.
Brown has authored articles in various areas of philosophy and has
presented papers to both professional and general audiences on topics of philosophical
and pedagogical interest. He has done work in contemporary ontology, evolutionary
epistemology and ethics, levels theory and applied ethics. Dr. Brown’s current interest
is in the ethics of human/robot interactions
DR. MIKE CAMPBELL is Professor of Biology and Associate Dean of the Zurn School of
Natural Sciences & Mathematics. He was trained in wildlife and
fisheries sciences at Texas A&M University before joining the
Mercyhurst faculty in 1984. Dr. Campbell recently helped guide the
student effort to complete a campus greenhouse gas emissions
inventory, and is currently working to advance development of a
college garden and renewable energy research at the college’s farm in
Girard. Dr. Campbell is committed to utilizing his talents to advance
public education on issues related to climate change and hopes to engage students in
taking responsibility for their part in this global problem.
DR. RANDY S. CLEMONS is Professor of Political Science, and Dean of the School of
Social Sciences. He is co-author of a public policy textbook that has been
widely adopted at schools such as Duke, UCLA, Syracuse, George Mason,
and Davidson. He regularly presents papers at conferences, primarily in
the area of national security; and his teaching areas include both
international relations and courses in public policy and Legal Process. He
earned his doctorate from Idaho State University. He was the recipient
of the 2007 “Teaching Excellence Award” at Mercyhurst.
DR. MICHAEL FEDERICI, Professor of Political Science, is in his 21st year of college
teaching. Dr. Federici received his Ph.D. in Politics from the Catholic
University of America in Washington, DC, an MA from CUA and a BS in
Economics from Elizabethtown College. He has published two books,
several articles and book reviews and is currently writing The Political
Philosophy of Alexander Hamilton for John Hopkins University Press. Dr.
Federici was the recipient of the 2004 “Teaching Excellence Award” at
Mercyhurst. Dr. Federici is former president of Mercyhurst College
Faculty Senate. In August 2002, he was one of a select group of American scholars
invited to deliver a paper during the Chinese Comparative Literature Association’s
Conference in Nanjing, China. Dr. Federici has been interviewed for local and national
media including WJET TV, WSEE TV, C-SPAN, WQLN Public Radio, The Erie Times News,
The Philadelphia Inquirer and CQ Weekly.
The Faculty
MS. SHELLY FREYN is an assistant professor for the Walker School of Business and the
Department of Intelligence Studies. She has worked for Fortune 100
food companies and has a track record of many new products
with top industry brands. She holds an MBA from St. Bonaventure
and has been working on a D.B.A. in marketing at Cleveland State
University; her research includes papers on new marketing
techniques for the retail industry, the food industry’s impact on
society and the effect of imports on food safety. She holds a patent
that sparked a new market category in the industry and is on the executive board
for Cooperstown Cookie Company. She teaches marketing research, international
marketing, management and competitive intelligence courses.
DR. NICK LANG is an Assistant Professor of Geology. He earned his B.A. from Whitman
College, his M.S. from Vanderbilt, and his Ph.D. from the University of
Minnesota. His teaching and research interests include structural
geology and cataclysmic geology, i.e. the study of volcanic activity,
landslides, and tsunamis. He has conducted research in planetaryscale geologic processes, performing regional-scale studies of
planetary surfaces.
DR. LAURA LEWIS, Associate Professor of Sociology and Social Work, earned her Ph.D. in
Social Welfare from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research and
community efforts have largely focused on issues related to poverty.
Currently she is engaged in an initiative that aims to foster involvement
from all sectors of the community in addressing poverty in the Erie
Region. She has written several reports on policy issues, and a case
study she authored is featured in a public policy textbook. She was the
recipient of the 2001 Social Worker of the Year Award for Northwest
Pennsylvania and of the Mercy Center for Women, 2006, Women Making History Award
and is the 2010 recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award.
DR. DAVID LIVINGSTON is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Vice President of
Advancement. He has authored a book and many chapters and
articles for publication. His area of research is 19th and 20th century
theology with a special emphasis on family, gender, and sexuality. He
has traveled to Ireland and other areas in Europe with students and
alumni several times. He earned his Doctorate from Vanderbilt
University.
The Faculty
DR. DANIEL MCFEE is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Co-Director of the
Evelyn Lincoln Institute of Ethics and Society at Mercyhurst College. Dr.
McFee earned his PhD studying Religion and Ethics from Marquette
University and completed postgraduate work at Durham University
(United Kingdom). He earned an MDiv from Duke University and a BA in
History and Classics from Bowling Green State University. Dr. McFee
has published articles and reviews on environmental ethics and the
relationship of religion and ethics in top journals such as The Ecumenical
Review, Journal of Religion, Religious Studies Review, Studies in Religion/Sciences
Religieuses, Theological Studies, and Worldviews: Environment, Culture, Religion. His
teaching and research focuses on issues of ethics and justice, particularly in the areas of
environmental ethics, technology, and the role of religious institutions in modern
society. He also teaches and writes on issues in the science-religion dialogue.
DR. JOHN S OLSZOWKA is Assistant Professor of History. His area of expertise is
American history, 1850-1950. He is particularly interested in issues of
class, race and ethnicity during America’s interwar years, 1919-1939.
He has written several scholarly articles in these areas, the most recent
of which explores the Anti-German movement in Buffalo, New York
during World War I. He is currently working on a study exploring the
rise of the labor movement in the aircraft industry, 1914-1945. Dr.
Olszowka earned his doctorate from Binghamton University (SUNY),
and was former research fellow at the Smithsonian Institution. At Mercyhurst he
teaches courses on the Civil War, Progressive Era, and Civil Rights Movement.
NOELLE PARTUSCH is Assistant Professor of Dance at Mercyhurst College and specializes
in Labanotation and Liturgical Dance. She earned her B.F.A. from the
State University of New York, an M.F.A. from The Ohio State University,
and a Labanotation Teachers Certificate from the Dance Notation
Bureau in New York City. Ms. Partusch teaches ballet, pointe,
conditioning, dance appreciation, Kinesiology, and Labanotation. She
choreographs for concert dance, opera, and dance in worship. She
served as Associate Artistic Director of Alaska Dance Theatre for 11 years and danced
professionally with Atlanta Ballet II, Alaska Dance Theatre and the Anchorage Opera
among others. In addition she taught for the University of Alaska Anchorage
Department of Theatre and Dance and Alaska Regional Director of the Sacred Dance
Guild. She is a member of the Sacred Dance Guild, International Council of
Kinetography Laban (ICKL), and CORPS de Ballet, International. Ms. Partusch acts as
advisor to the Mercyhurst College Liturgical Dance Ensemble where she mentors the
next generation of leaders in Liturgical dance.
The Faculty
DR. CHARLES REDMOND is Professor of Mathematics and Computer Systems. He
received his PhD in mathematics, with a specialty in probability theory,
from Lehigh University in 1993 and has been a member of the
Mercyhurst faculty since then. He has published articles and results in
the Annals of Applied Probability, the Journal of Stochastic Processes and
Their Applications, Mathematics Magazine, Mathematics Teacher, and
the College Mathematics Journal. His current interests are in computing,
especially web development, computing education, and algorithmic and generative art.
He is a regular contributor to the Context Free Art gallery at
http://www.contextfreeart.org/.
DR. BRIAN D REED is an Associate Professor of English and Director of the Center for
Teaching Excellence. His interests include eighteenth-century British
literature, African -American literature, modern Irish writers, travel
writing, and pedagogy. He is n advocate for study abroad, and has
taken students to Ireland, England, Italy, Germany, France, and
Switzerland. He has published on Richard Wright, George Eliot, and
teaching writing. He earned his doctorate from Case Western Reserve
University.
MR BRIAN R SHERIDAN is a faculty member in the Communication Department. A
1987 graduate of Mercyhurst, Sheridan is the faculty advisor to Laker TV,
the College’s student-run cable station along with his teaching
responsibilities that include courses in new media, journalism and film.
He continues to contribute as a journalist and writer as well as reporting
for WJET-TV/WFPX-TV. Mr. Sheridan’s breadth of experience includes
interviewing a variety of people from singer Tony Bennett, to Senator
Hillary Clinton and the Dalai Lama. Mr. Sheridan was the only journalist to witness the
mysterious death of pizza delivery man, Brian Wells the so-called pizza bomber’s victim,
on August 28, 2003. He has been interviewed by a variety of news programs from TLC,
the BBC and Fuji TV in Japan. He is author of “Erie Flashback”, video history segments
that won him Erie County Historical Society’s Media Award as well as researcher/editor
of “A Picture Palace Transformed,” a history book about Erie’s Warner Theater.
The Faculty
DR. MARNIE SULLIVAN is an Assistant Professor of English. Her interdisciplinary
interests include the creative expressions of traditionally
underrepresented groups, literature of the environment, and science
writing. In addition to her scholarship in literary analysis, Dr. Sullivan
is a seasoned student advocate who has conducted research and
presented papers on feminist pedagogy and teaching practices, service
learning, and learning communities. In the classroom she encourages
social justice through critical thinking, creativity, and civic
engagement. Dr. Sullivan earned a Ph.D. in literature from Bowling Green State
University in 2004 with a dissertation that examined both the scientific and literary
aspects of Rachel Carson’s three sea books.
DR. ROBERT VON THADEN is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies who specializes
in biblical and other sacred texts. He earned a B.A. from Muhlenberg
College, an M.A. from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. from
Emory University. His current research and writing involve the cognitive
science of religion, especially embodied theories of culture. The
recipient of a 2008 Society of Biblical Literature Regional Scholar award,
Dr. von Thaden is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the
Catholic Biblical Association of America, the Eastern Great Lakes Biblical
Society, and the American Academy of Religion. The manuscript of his book, The
Wisdom of Fleeing Porneia: Conceptual Blending in 1 Corinthians 6:12 -7:7, is currently
under review for publication.
MS. AMY WEAVER-KAULIS is an Instructor in the Fashion Merchandising Department
and a specialist on the subject of social responsibility of apparel and
textile firms, as well as the international trade of fashion-related
products. Ms. Weaver-Kaulis earned a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising at
Mercyhurst College as well as an M.S. in Industrial/Technical
Merchandising and Fabric Analytics at the University of North Texas.
The Faculty
MR. BRENT WEBER earned his Bachelor of Music Education from Kansas State
University. He obtained his first Master of Music from University of
Missouri in Kansas City. While studying at UMKC, Mr. Weber was
selected as leading tenor in the opera L’Amico Fritz and the world
premiere opera Duse and D’Annunzio. Mr. Weber was selected as a
young artist apprentice for the Pittsburgh Opera for three years and
Chautauqua Opera for two. He just completed his sixth year, (SP10) as
assistant professor of Voice and Choral Education at Mercyhurst. He
has produced and stage directed student operas at Mercyhurst and has acted as
supervising producer for the Mercyhurst student run musicals Grease, Bye Bye Birdie
and others. Active in the community, he has also been the stage director for several
Erie Opera Theater’s productions and has been a featured soloist with the Erie Chamber
Orchestra. Along with Mr. Weber's extensive regional performance resume, he is now
adding many professional operatic productions that he has directed, including Suor
Angelica, Il Tabarro, and Rigoletto in Fort Lauderdale and several with the Erie Opera
Theater.
DR. ANNE ZAPHIRIS is chair of the Mercyhurst College Communication Department.
Whether she’s researching environmental initiatives or putting theory
into practice by engaging students in community issues, Dr. Zaphiris
immerses herself in communication. Beyond the classroom, her
involvement extends from advising the communication honor society,
Lambda Pi Eta, to serving as an advisory board member for the Evelyn
Lincoln Institute for Ethics and Society and teaching graduate courses in
the Organizational Leadership master’s program. Currently, she is monitoring changes
in corporations’ values statements related to globalization and cultural convergence
along with analyzing media coverage of Erie Renewable Energy’s proposal to build a tire
plant in Erie, PA. Her research interests include organizational identity, image and
reputation, corporate social responsibility initiatives, communication and social change
and environmental issues
The Faculty
THOMAS J. GAMBLE, PH.D., is the 11th president of Mercyhurst College. He earned the
doctorate in social psychology from the Maxwell School for
Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and completed
postdoctoral studies in child psychology at Yale University. His
research and publications are primarily in the area of the application
of biological and psychological perspectives to the development of
delinquency in the context of broader social forces. He is a member
of the Board of Trustees of Mercyhurst College, the Chair of the
Research Committee for the Association of Independent Colleges
and Universities of Pennsylvania, and a member of the American
Psychological Association, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the American
Society of Criminology.
DR. BRIAN RIPLEY is Dean of Faculty in the Office of Academic Affairs. He joined the
Mercyhurst community in 1996, which led to his tenure as professor in
the Political Science department. His teaching has focused on political
institutions in the United States, Asia, and Europe. In 2008 he was asked
to serve as Senior Academic Advisor for the Office for Academic Affairs a
natural segue to his current position. Dr. Ripley received his B.A. from
Macalester College and his PhD from The Ohio State University and was
a Pew Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Prior to
coming to Mercyhurst, Dr. Ripley taught at the University of Pittsburgh where he
received the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award.
MEREDITH SCHULTZ, J.D. serves as the Assistant Dean of the Walker School of Business
and Compliance Advisor for The Office of Academic Affairs at the
College. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of
Pittsburgh in 2005. Meredith practiced law in the areas of insurance
defense, worker’s compensation, and family law before coming to
Mercyhurst College in 2006. She teaches “Law for Leaders” for the
Organizational Leadership Graduate program in addition to her teaching
responsibilities for the Walker School of Business Ms. Schultz also serves
as an advisor to the Pre-Law Society at Mercyhurst College