2009-2010 University Catalog archived
Course Descriptions
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East Asian Studies |
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EAS 401 - Directed Individual Study
Credits: 1
Directed Indvidual Study.
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EAS 402 - Directed Individual Study
Credits: 2
Directed Indvidual Study.
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EAS 403 - Directed Individual Study
Credits: 3
Directed Indvidual Study.
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EAS 406 - Directed Individual Study
Credits: 6
Directed Indvidual Study.
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Economics |
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ECON 101 - Principles of Microeconomics
FDR: SS1, GE6a
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall, Winter
Survey of economic principles and problems with emphasis on analysis of consumer behavior, firm behavior, market outcomes, market structure, and microeconomic policy. The first half of a two-term survey of economics. Should be followed by ECON 102.Staff.
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ECON 102 - Principles of Macroeconomics
FDR: SS1, GE6a
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall, Winter
Prerequisite: ECON 101.Continuation of survey begun in ECON 101, with emphasis on performance of the aggregate economy. Analysis of unemployment, inflation, growth, and monetary and fiscal policies.Staff.
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ECON 195 - Special Topics in Economics for Non- Majors
FDR: SS1, GE6a
Credits: 3
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
This course is offered, without prerequisite, and typically for first-year students on various topics in economics. The course emphasis changes from term to term and is announced prior to preregistration.Staff.
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ECON 203 - Econometrics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall, Winter
Prerequisite or corequisite: INTR 201. Prerequisite: INTR 202 or permission of the department head.Explorations of regression models that relate a response variable to one or more predictor variables. The course begins with a review of the simple bivariate model used in INTR 202, and moves on to multivariate models. Underlying model assumptions and consequences are discussed. Advanced topics include non-linear regression and forecasting. Examples in each class are drawn from a number of disciplines. The course emphasizes the use of data and student-directed research.Anderson, Blunch, Cline.
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ECON 210 - Microeconomic Theory
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall, Winter
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102; MATH 101.Contemporary theory relating to consumer behavior, the firm’s optimizing behavior, the nature of competition in various types of markets and market equilibrium over time. Recommended for economics majors not later than their junior year.Guse.
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ECON 211 - Macroeconomic Theory
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall, Winter
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.This course develops the classical macroeconomic framework and uses this to explore the causes and consequences of economic growth, inflation, output, and employment. This same exercise is conducted using alternative theoretical frameworks, including those associated with Keynes, Monetarists, and New Classical thinkers. Emphasis is placed on investigating the impact and effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policy under each of the theoretical paradigms or schools of thought developed.Goldsmith, Hooks.
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ECON 215 - Money and Banking
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall, Winter
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102 and at least junior standing.A study of the fundamental principles of money, credit, and banking in the United States. Emphasis is on modern conditions and problems, with particular attention to the validity of monetary and banking theory in the present domestic and international situation.Hooks.
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ECON 220 - Mathematical Economics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall or Winter
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102, MATH 101.Economic theory with emphasis on the calculus as the vehicle of exposition. The economic analysis includes models from welfare economics, production and distribution theories, the theory of the firm, macroeconomic fiscal and monetary theories, growth models, and dynamic input-output models. Students undertaking graduate work in economics without this background would be at a distinct disadvantage.Staff.
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ECON 221 - Experimental Economics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall or Winter
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.This course explores the use of laboratory methods to study economic behavior. Topics include the design of experiments, laboratory techniques to test theories, financial incentives, and analysis of experimental data. Experimental economics emphasizes applications in a variety of topics: games, bargaining, auctions, market price competition, market failures, voting, contributions to public goods, lottery choice decisions, and the design of electronic markets for financial assets.Guse.
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ECON 224 - American Economic History
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter or Spring
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.This course applies economic analysis to topics in American history and aspects of the development of the American economy. Typically, two or three aspects are chosen for intensive study; coverage varies from year to year. Possible topics include the economics of slavery; the coming of the railroads; the rise of the industrial corporation, boom and bust in the 19th century; innovation and technology; and the triumph of central banking.Staff.
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ECON 225 - Industrial Revolutions
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter or Spring 2011 and alternate years
Prerequisite: ECON 101.In the 18th century, the pace of long-run economic growth accelerated; in the end, for the first time in human history, social and economic change became visible within an individual’s lifetime. What are the roles of technical change and population growth in this transformation? Why did England industrialize first, and not China, which had a clear lead in technology in 1600? What is the impact of modern economic growth on society? Insights gleaned from Smith, Malthus, and Marx are applied to country and sectoral case studies; 19th-century novels trace the contemporary perception of social change; and class participation in iron smelting makes concrete the magnitude of technical change. Students are expected to present a major research project to the class.Smitka.
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ECON 226 - Socioeconomic Themes in Literature and Film
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter or Spring
Prerequisite: ECON 101.The causes and consequences of socioeconomic developments are explored using literature and film as texts. Insights are gained by applying fundamental economic concepts to the situations depicted in the literature and film. Viewing socioeconomic issues through the prism of literature and film offers a rich understanding of the human experience, the essence of a liberal arts education. The course is writing intensive, with essays assigned for each film and each novel. Discussion is centered on development and analysis of the socioeconomic themes portrayed in the films and literature.Goldsmith.
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ECON 230 - Labor Economics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall or Winter
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.The mechanisms and institutions which govern the allocation of labor in the American economy. The composition, quantity, and quality of the labor force; the functioning of labor markets and labor market policy; and wage determination and the distribution of income.Kaiser.
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ECON 231 - Economics of Race and Ethnicity
Credits: 3
When Offered: Spring 2011 and alternate years
Prerequisite: ECON 101.The purpose of this writing-intensive and interdisciplinary seminar is to enhance understanding of the link between race and ethnicity and economic outcomes. Participants explore a number of topics through assigned reading and classroom discussion, including: What are race and ethnicity, economic theories of discrimination, social-psychological insight about stereotyping, legacy impacts on social-economic status, affirmative action, wealth disparities between racial/ethnic groups, the role of communities in shaping economic and social well-being, concepts of identity, the connection between skin shade and economic outcomes, the contribution of assimilation and English language proficiency to the economic outcomes of immigrant Latino workers, the racial/ethnic composition of schools and academic achievement. The course fosters the development and use of critical thinking, effective writing, and oral presentation skills.Goldsmith.
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ECON 232 - Obstacles to Equal Opportunity for African-Americans
Credits: 4
When Offered: Spring, 2010
Prerequisite: ECON 101. The course analyzes policies and institutions in the U.S. that influence African-Americans in their development of human capital. Examples of topics explored include early child development, K-12 education, postsecondary education, wealth, job training programs, housing segregation, and access to quality health care.Diette.
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ECON 233 - Colorism
Credits: 4
When Offered: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 101. Colorism is the allocation of privilege and disadvantage according to the lightness or darkness of one’s skin. The practices of colorism tend to favor lighter skin over darker skin, although in rare cases the opposite practice also occurs. Colorism is present both within and among racial groups, a testament to its role as something related to but different than race. Colorism is enacted among racial groups in various contexts, from preferences in classroom settings and hiring decisions to patterns in sentencing. This course draws on analytical structures and insights from the social sciences – especially economics, sociology, anthropology, and psychology – as well as material from the humanities to explore the socio-economic consequences. The investigation is global in perspective and makes use of film and music in to enrich insights gained from course readings and classroom discussion. The course fosters the development and use of critical thinking, effective writing, and oral presentation skills while exploring the colorism.Goldsmith.
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ECON 235 - The Economics of Social Issues
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter or Spring
Prerequisite: ECON 101.This seminar is based on readings that set out hypotheses developed by economists and other social scientists regarding the causes and consequences of a wide range of social problems. Evidence examining the validity of these hypotheses is scrutinized and evaluated. The course is writing intensive and interdisciplinary since readings are drawn from a wide variety of fields. Topics discussed include, but are not limited to, poverty, education, health, crime, race, ethnicity, immigration, and fiscal matters.Goldsmith.
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ECON 236 - Economics of Education
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall or Winter
Prerequisite: ECON 101.Investigation of the role of education on outcomes for both nations and individuals. Understanding of the factors in the education production function. Emphasis on the challenges of pre-K-12 education in the United States; secondary coverage of postsecondary education. Analysis of the effect of existing policies and potential reforms on the achievement and opportunities available to poor and minority students.Diette.
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ECON 237 - Health Economics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter or Spring
Prerequisite: ECON 101.Overview of the existing institutions and policies in the United States health care system. Application of standard microeconomic models to analyze how the current structure influences the allocation and distribution of health services. Investigation of potential health care reforms.Diette.
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ECON 238 - Poverty and Inequality in the United States
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.This course takes an economic approach toward investigating recent trends in poverty and inequality in the U.S., focusing on evaluating alternative explanations for who becomes (or remains) poor in this country. Factors considered in this investigation include labor-market trends, educational opportunities, family background, racial discrimination, and neighborhood effects. Aspects of public policy designed to alleviate poverty are discussed, as well as its failures and successes. As part of the required service-learning requirement, students serve in local organizations in order to gain personal experiences that can inform their understanding of course material.Leibel.
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ECON 239 - The Economics of Crime and Punishment
Credits: 3
When Offered: Spring 2011 and alternate years
Prerequisite: ECON 101.This course explores topics of crime and criminal justice in the United States from an economic perspective. Using both theoretical and empirical methodologies, the decisions of criminals (and would-be criminals) are examined, along with markets for criminal behavior and the goods and services produced within them, and public policies aimed at dealing with crime. Sample topics include: Does crime pay? Does the government regulate crime too much or too little? Does prison “harden” criminals or rehabilitate them? Why does the U.S. imprison more people per capita than any other country? An emphasis of the course is to explore myths and realities regarding the relationships between poverty and crime.Leibel.
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ECON 243 - Industrial Organization
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall
Prerequisite: ECON 101.A comprehensive survey of government policies toward business in the American economy. Discussion centers around the bases and types of control and includes four major policies: maintaining competition, moderating competition, substituting regulation for competition, and government ownership. Special attention is paid to the success and failure of government policies.Smitka.
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ECON 244 - The Auto Industry: Economics, Society, Culture
Credits: 4
When Offered: Spring 2010 and alternate years
Prerequisite: ECON 101.This course investigates the automobile industry from an interdisciplinary perspective. Why did GM file bankruptcy? Why do we have 600-plus new passenger vehicles available in the US, and what is the cost of that diversity? How and why has the automobile shifted the rhythm of daily life, with the growth of suburbs remote from jobs, and what are the costs and benefits of that? What of safety and the environment? The course also considers cars themselves, the subject of two Tom Wolfe stories in The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby.Smitka.
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ECON 248 - Economic Analysis of Law
Credits: 3
When Offered: Spring
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.Analysis of substantive and procedural legal rules through the application of neoclassical economic theory. Emphasis is on the Chicago school of Posner, Coase, et al, and their critics, stressing efficient allocation rather than income distribution. Topics include property rights and their use to attempt to internalize externalities, the efficiency of contracts and their role in allocating risk, optimal liability rules and sanctions in torts, and the efficient amount of crime.Staff.
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ECON 250 - Public Finance
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall or Winter
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.Public choices and the public economy. An inquiry into how the references of individuals and groups are translated into public sector economic activity. The nature of public activity and public choice institutions. The question of social balance. The effects of government expenditures and taxes on the economic behavior of individuals and firms.Leibel.
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ECON 255 - Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter
Prerequisite: ECON 101.The course serves as an introduction to environmental and natural resource economics. Economic principles are used to evaluate public and private decision making involving the management and use of environmental and natural resources. Aspects pertaining to fisheries, forests, species diversity, agriculture, and various policies to reduce air, water and toxic pollution will be discussed. Lectures, reading assignments, discussions and exams will emphasize the use of microeconomic analysis for managing and dealing with environmental and natural resource problems and issues.Casey, Kahn.
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ECON 259 - Supervised Study Abroad: The Environment and Economic Development in Amazonas
Credits: 4
When Offered: Spring
Prerequisite: ECON 101 or ENV 110. Spring Term Abroad course. Amazonas is a huge Brazilian state of 1.5 million sq. kilometers which retains 94 percent of its original forest cover. This course examines the importance of the forest for economic development in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy, and how policies can be develop to promote both environmental protection and an increase in the quality life in both the urban and rural areas of Amazonas. The learning objectives of this course integrate those of the economics and environmental studies majors. Students are asked to use economic tools in an interdisciplinary context to understand the relationships among economic behavior, ecosystems and policy choices. Writing assignments focus on these relationships and look towards the development of executive summary writing skills.Kahn.
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ECON 270 - International Trade
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.Specialization of production, the gains from trade, and their distribution, nationally and internationally. Theory of tariffs. Commercial policy from the mercantilist era to the present. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Transnational economic integration: the European Community and other regional blocs.Anderson.
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ECON 271 - International Finance
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter or Spring
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.International monetary arrangements, balance-of-payments adjustment processes, and the mutual dependence of macroeconomic variables and policies in trading nations. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), international investment, and the World Bank. International cooperation for economic stability.Anderson.
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ECON 272 - Japan’s Modern Economy
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall or Winter
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.Analysis of the contemporary Japanese economy, including the comparative structure of its economy; the macroeconomics of the late 1980s “bubble economy” and subsequent growth; the changing role of women and its impact on fertility; and the future of an economy facing population decline and the fiscal burden of a rapidly aging population. Texts include works by sociologists and political scientists to emphasize the need to integrate the impact of policy and social structures on economic behavior.Smitka.
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ECON 274 - China’s Modern Economy
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.Economic analysis of the Chinese economy in the 20th century. Comparisonsof pre- and post-revolutionary periods. Performance and policies of Taiwan and mainland China. Issues include the population problem, industrialization, provision of public health and education, alleviation of poverty and inequality. Microeconomic emphasis.Smitka.
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ECON 275 - Comparative Labor Markets
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter or Spring
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.A comparative examination of labor markets and institutions in a set of advanced capitalist countries. Study and analysis address the roles played by institutions in explaining cross-national differences in labor-market outcomes, including employment, unemployment, labor force participation, mobility, and income distribution. The course also considers the likelihood of convergence of institutional arrangements across countries.Kaiser.
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ECON 280 - Development Economics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall or Winter
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.A survey of the major issues of development economics. Economic structure of low-income countries and primary causes for their limited economic growth. Economic goals and policy alternatives. Role of developed countries in the development of poor countries. Selected case studies.Casey, Blunch.
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ECON 281 - Institutions and Economic Performance
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall, Winter
Prerequisite: ECON 101. Institutions such as laws, the political system, and cultural norms embed all social activity. They structure economic, political, and social interaction and as such play a central role in facilitating (or hindering) economic development. This course’s objective is to explore from a broad perspective how institutions affect economic performance, what the determinants of institutions are, and how institutions evolve. We will study examples from the existing capitalist economies, the developing and transition countries, as well as the more distant history. Because the study of institutions is necessarily an interdisciplinary endeavor, the course combines the approach of economics with the insights from law, political science, history, and sociology.Grajzl.
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ECON 288 - Supervised Study Abroad
Credits: 4
When Offered: Spring
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102, permission of the instructor(s), other prerequisites as specified by the instructor(s), and approval of the International Education Committee.For advanced students, the course covers a topic of current interest for which foreign travel provides a unique opportunity for significantly greater understanding. Emphasis changes from year to year and will be announced each year, well in advance of registration. Likely destinations are Europe, Latin America, and Asia. These courses may not be repeated.Staff.
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ECON 295 - Special Topics in Economics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.Course emphasis and prerequisites change from term to term and are announced prior to preregistration. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. A maximum of nine credits chosen from all special topics in economics courses may be used, with permission of the department head, toward requirements for the economics major.Staff.
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ECON 301 - Strategy and Equilibrium
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter
Prerequisites: ECON 210 and MATH 101.Microeconomics without the assumptions of perfectly competitive markets: small number of agents, asymmetric information, uncertainty, externalities, etc. Applications include auctions, bargaining, oligopoly, labor market signaling, public finance and insurance. Class time combines lectures, discussion and classroom experiments. Heavy emphasis on problem solving using game theory.Guse.
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ECON 303 - Topics in Econometrics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall, Winter
Prerequisites: ECON 101, 102, and 203.Further explorations of regression models, building on the material from ECON 203. The course begins with a review of the OLS model and continues to alternative models, answering questions such as: How do we proceed if the dependent variable is categorical, rather than continuous (as in the OLS model)? How might we proceed if one or more of the Classical Assumptions are violated? Underlying model assumptions and consequences are discussed. Possible topics include models for categorical outcomes, 2SLS/IV, matching methods, quantile regression, time-series analysis, and panel data models. The course emphasizes the use of data and student-directed research.Anderson, Blunch.
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ECON 304 - Applied Econometrics Laboratory
Credits: 4
Prerequisites: ECON 203 or INTR 202 and permission of the instructor. Much of the work done by consulting companies, banks, insurance companies, think tanks, government agencies, etc, is based on applied statistical and econometric analysis. This course helps prepare students for careers in these environments by providing further explorations of regression models, using a hands-on approach and emphasizing the use of data and student-directed research.Blunch
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ECON 316 - Central Banking
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: ECON 215 and permission of the instructor.This seminar explores the theory, institutions, and history of central banks. It is a reading- and research-intensive course designed to give the student a deep knowledge of theoretical and current issues facing central banks. Readings include classic theoretical studies of central banks by economists such as Bagehot, Friedman, and Schwartz, as well as modern studies such as Leijonhufvud, Goodhart, and Eichengreen. Each student chooses additional readings from the area of theory, history, institutions, or people related to central banking.Hooks. Spring 2011 and alternate years
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ECON 317 - The European Monetary Union
Credits: 3
When Offered: Spring 2010 and alternate years.
Prerequisite: ECON 215.This course explores monetary union within the European Union. Topics considered include: economic theories about monetary union; policy choices for the new European Central Bank; labor market adjustments to a common monetary policy; fiscal Economics policy coordination among participating countries; and possible expansion of the euro area. Students research topics by country and share their findings through oral and written presentations. Consideration is given to how this information helps to explain current events and how it influences actions taken by policymakers. In addition, the course explores the broader issues related to the impact of economic integration on politics and culture.Hooks.
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ECON 318 - Gold, Silver, and Oil: Monetary Policy in the 1970s
Credits: 4
When Offered: Spring, 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 215. An examination of monetary theory and monetary policy in the U.S. in the 1970s, with a focus on selected events, including the closing of the gold window, the oil crisis, and the appointment of Volker to the Federal Reserve. Includes economic, historical, cultural, and journalistic views. Seminar class requires daily reading and written reviews, as well as active participation.Hooks.
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ECON 340 - Innovation and Patents
Credits: 4
When Offered: Spring, 2010
Prerequisite: INTR 202.Studying innovation and technological change is extremely important in economics. This course examines the innovation process paying special attention to the role played by patents and patent law. After a brief introduction to patent law and the justification for patent rights, we study issues such as the financial return to patenting, the strategic use of patents in business, knowledge spillovers, and ways in which patents may deter innovation (patent trolls, patent thickets, and the tragedy of the “anti-commons”). A significant part of the course involves hands-on work with patent and financial data using Stata.Marco.
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ECON 356 - Economics of the Environment in Developing Countries
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter or Spring, alternate years
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102, and either ECON 255 or 280.This course focuses on the unique characteristics of the relationship between the environment and the economy in developing nations. Differences in economic structure, political structure, culture, social organization and ecosystem dynamics are emphasized as alternative policies for environmental and resource management are analyzed.Kahn, Casey.
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ECON 382 - Health Economics in Developing Countries
Credits: 3
When Offered: Spring 2010 and alternate years
Prerequisites: ECON 101, 102, and 203.A survey of the major issues of health economics, with a focus on the experiences of developing countries. Health structure of low-income countries and primary causes for their limited health performance. Health goals and policy alternatives. An examination of the role of econometrics in the evaluation of health programs is a major part of the course, including review of instrumental variables and matching methods.Blunch.
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ECON 395 - Special Topics in Economics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisite: At least one course from among ECON 203, 210, or 211.Course emphasis and prerequisites change from term to term and will be announced prior to preregistration. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. A maximum of nine credits chosen from all special topics in economics courses may be used, with permission of the department head, toward requirements for the economics major.Staff.
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ECON 398 - Field-Specific Research Seminar in Economics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall, Winter
Prerequisites: ECON 203, 210, and 211.Students work through the original literature in a given field within the discipline of economics. Emphasis is on critical understanding of that literature. Required written work and class discussion focus on summarizing and reviewing articles, gaining insight into the current economic knowledge documented in that literature, and identifying future research questions implied by the current literature. Student effort culminates with a detailed and rigorous proposal of an independent research project for ECON 399: Capstone Seminar in Economics (3).Staff.
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ECON 399 - Capstone Seminar in Economics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter
Prerequisite: ECON 398.This capstone course builds upon the foundations developed in ECON 398. The central element is a major independent research project. This project is carried out with continual mentoring by a faculty member. Each student documents research in a formal paper and offers an oral presentation summarizing his/ her research results.Staff.
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ECON 401 - Directed Individual Study
Credits: 1
Prerequisites: Six credits in economics courses numbered 200 or above, either a cumulative grade-point average of 3.000 or of 3.000 in all economics courses, and permission of the instructor.The objective is to permit students to follow a course of directed study in some field of economics not presented in other courses, or to emphasize a particular field of interest. May be repeated for degree credit with permission for different topics.Staff.
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ECON 402 - Directed Individual Study
Credits: 2
Prerequisites: Six credits in economics courses numbered 200 or above, either a cumulative grade-point average of 3.000 or of 3.000 in all economics courses, and permission of the instructor.The objective is to permit students to follow a course of directed study in some field of economics not presented in other courses, or to emphasize a particular field of interest. May be repeated for degree credit with permission for different topics.Staff.
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ECON 403 - Directed Individual Study
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: Six credits in economics courses numbered 200 or above, either a cumulative grade-point average of 3.000 or of 3.000 in all economics courses, and permission of the instructor.The objective is to permit students to follow a course of directed study in some field of economics not presented in other courses, or to emphasize a particular field of interest. May be repeated for degree credit with permission for different topics.Staff.
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ECON 406 - Directed Individual Study
Credits: 6
Prerequisites: Six credits in economics courses numbered 200 or above, either a cumulative grade-point average of 3.000 or of 3.000 in all economics courses, and permission of the instructor.The objective is to permit students to follow a course of directed study in some field of economics not presented in other courses, or to emphasize a particular field of interest. May be repeated for degree credit with permission for different topics.Staff.
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ECON 493 - Honors Thesis
Credits: 3-3
When Offered: Fall-Winter
This course is required of Honors candidates in addition to the 21 credits in economics (courses numbered 200 and above) required of all economics majors.
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Education |
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EDUC 200 - Foundations of Education
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.An introduction to the issues relating to American public education in the 21st century. Students are introduced to information about teaching strategies and school policy upon which future courses can build. Emphasis is given to school efforts to create environments which promote equity and excellence within a multicultural system. Required for teacher licensure in Virginia.Staff.
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EDUC 210 - Practicum
Credits: 1-3
When Offered: Fall, Winter, Spring
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. Intended as a corequisite for students taking education courses.This course provides students with an opportunity to observe and assist in elementary and secondary classrooms in the local school systems. In addition, students study topics related to effective educational practice, such as classroom management, motivation, differentiation, standardized curriculum, and lesson planning. Students spend 30 hours per credit in a classroom setting and complete readings and written assignments analyzing their experience. Required for teacher licensure in Virginia. May be repeated for a maximum of three credits with permission.Ojure, Sigler.
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EDUC 280 - Poverty and Education
Credits: 4
When Offered: Spring, 2010
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. This course examines the complex interaction between poverty and education through a variety of activities, including field work in urban and rural settings, review of contemporary film on education in high poverty communities, and relevant policy research and journal readings. In addition, the course examines the challenges of education in high poverty settings or for individuals experiencing poverty as well as schools and communities attempting to overcome the obstacles that poverty creates. Students visit public and private charter schools and innovative educational programs in Washington, D.C. and in rural West Virginia and become immersed in urban and rural culture. Students enrolled in the course must be able to be off-campus for one to two weeks of the term. Additional details form the instructor.Dailey.
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EDUC 302 - Understanding Exceptional Individuals
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall, Winter
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing; EDUC 200 and/or POV 101.This course addresses education for exceptional individuals by examining the key issues surrounding instruction for children and adolescents with disabilities or special talents. Students study the identification, etiology, and incidence of exceptionality. Through case-study review and individual research projects, students investigate the educational, social, and cultural dimensions of life in American society for exceptional individuals. Required for teacher licensure in Virginia.Ojure.
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EDUC 303 - Teaching and Learning in the Content Area
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter
Prerequisites: Education 200, 210, and junior standing. This is a course specifically for those who wish to teach on the middle- or secondary-school level. The course examines research on instruction in all content areas. Students practice and critique instructional strategies for developing reading comprehension and critical thinking across the curriculum. The major learning theories of educational psychology are reviewed and then integrated into the organization of instructional materials that students design and field test. Required for teacher licensure.Ojure.
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EDUC 305 - Teaching Elementary Reading
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter
Prerequisite: Education 200. Corequisite: Education 306. This course prepares students to teach reading in the elementary classroom. Participants will develop an understanding of the reading process, consider theories of reading instruction, examine current research in reading development and investigate elements of a balanced literacy program. Strategies for teaching word study, phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension and spelling will be studied for each developmental reading stage. Students will also examine formal and informal diagnostic techniques and instructional procedures for dealing with various types of reading difficulties.Sigler.
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EDUC 306 - Practicum: Teaching Elementary Reading
Credits: 1
When Offered: Winter
This practicum course accompanies Education 305, and provides students with the opportunity to observe and practice reading methods used in elementary education.Sigler.
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EDUC 369 - Urban Education
Credits: 4
When Offered: Spring, 2010
Prerequisite: EDUC 200, 210, and one additional EDUC or POV course, or permission of the instructor. Students explore pedagogy, curriculum, and social issues related to urban education by working in schools in the Richmond area for four days each week, returning to Lexington on Friday for seminar and discussion. In addition, students attend a seminar each week that rotates among the Richmond schools where students are placed. Although students read about and discuss the broader social and economic forces that have shaped urban schools, the primary focus of the course is on the ramifications of those forces for teachers in the classroom; students concentrate on observing and understanding critical components of teaching and learning in the urban classroom. Housing is provided through alums in Richmond and the students have to be in Richmond Monday through Thursday.Ojure, Sigler
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EDUC 401 - Directed Individual Study
Credits: 1
Prerequisites: Senior class standing and permission of the Director of Teacher Education. Students must have completed at least one course in professional studies and have had relevant field experience. May be completed in the Lexington area. Students investigate current issues in education through research and work in the field and have opportunities to put educational theory into practice in elementary and secondary school settings. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different.Ojure.
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EDUC 402 - Directed Individual Study
Credits: 2
Prerequisites: Senior class standing and permission of the Director of Teacher Education. Students must have completed at least one course in professional studies and have had relevant field experience. May be completed in the Lexington area. Students investigate current issues in education through research and work in the field and have opportunities to put educational theory into practice in elementary and secondary school settings. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different.Ojure.
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EDUC 403 - Directed Individual Study
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: Senior class standing and permission of the Director of Teacher Education. Students must have completed at least one course in professional studies and have had relevant field experience. May be completed in the Lexington area. Students investigate current issues in education through research and work in the field and have opportunities to put educational theory into practice in elementary and secondary school settings. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different.Ojure.
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Engineering |
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ENGN 100 - Computing in Physics and Engineering
(PHYS 100)
Credits: 1
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Pass/Fail only.Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.An introduction to the use of computing tools essential to degree work in physics and engineering. Students are instructed in the use of microcomputers, the university network, word processing, spreadsheets, computer algebra packages, and advanced symbolic mathematics tools.Staff.
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ENGN 101 - How It Works, How It’s Made
FDR: SC, GE5c
Credits: 3
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
An introduction to the engineering and science behind devices that students use or are exposed to everyday. Contemporary equipment and technology, along with their applications, are presented first, gaining familiarity with a subject before studying the underlying scientific aspects. By investigating “how it works,” students become aware of fundamental physical principles. Examining “how it’s made,” students are exposed to the engineering design criteria which govern all manufactured objects.Kuehner.
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ENGN 160 - CADD: Computer-Aided Drafting and Design
FDR: SC, GE5c
Credits: 3
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisite: MATH 102 with C or better.An introduction to engineering and architectural drawing using a CADD program. Basic orthographic projection, pictorials, and assembly drawings. Introduction to the use of solid modeling in three dimensions.Kuehner.
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ENGN 203 - Mechanics I: Statics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall
Prerequisite: MATH 102. Pre- or corequisite: PHYS 111.The science of mechanics is used to study bodies in equilibrium under the action of external forces. Emphasis is on problem solving: trusses, frames and machines, centroids, area moments of inertia, beams, cables, and friction.Van Ness.
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ENGN 204 - Mechanics II: Dynamics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter
Prerequisite: ENGN 203.A study of kinetics of particles and rigid bodies including force, mass, acceleration, work, energy, momentum. A student may not receive degree credit for both ENGN 204 and PHYS 230.Kuehner.
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ENGN 207 - Electrical Circuits
(PHYS 207)
Credits: 4
When Offered: Fall
Prerequisite: ENGN/PHYS 225.A detailed study of electrical circuits and the methods used in their analysis. Basic circuit components, as well as devices such as operational amplifiers, are investigated. The laboratory acquaints the student both with fundamental electronic diagnostic equipment and with the design and behavior of useful circuits. Laboratory course.Sukow.
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ENGN 208 - Electronics
(PHYS 208)
Credits: 3
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisite: ENGN/PHYS 207.An introduction to basic analog and digital electronics. Topics may include diodes, transistors, logic gates, flip-flops, counters and timers, and phase-locked loops. The integrated laboratory component of this course acquaints the student with the design of basic analog and digital circuits, and with the diagnostic techniques used to study these circuits. Laboratory course.Staff.
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ENGN 225 - Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering
(PHYS 225)
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter
Prerequisites: PHYS 112, MATH 221.Study of a collection of mathematical techniques particularly useful in upper-level courses in physics and engineering: vector differential operators such as gradient, divergence, and curl; functions of complex variables; Fourier analysis; orthogonal functions; matrix algebra and the matrix eigenvalue problemI. Mazilu.
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ENGN 240 - Thermodynamics
(PHYS 240)
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter
Prerequisites: PHYS 112 and MATH 221.A study of the fundamental concepts of thermodynamics, thermodynamic properties of matter, and applications to engineering processes.Van Ness.
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ENGN 250 - Introduction to Engineering Design
Credits: 4
When Offered: Spring 2010 and alternate years
Prerequisite: PHYS 112.This course introduces students to the principles of engineering design through first-hand experience with a design project that culminates in a design competition. In this project-based course, the students gain an understanding of computer-aided drafting, machining techniques, construction methods, design criteria, progress- and final-report writing, and group presentations. Students are engaged using various methods, including traditional lectures, seminars, apprenticing, group work, and peer critiquing in order to achieve the learning objectives for the class.Kuehner.
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ENGN 251 - Experimental Methods in Physics and Engineering
(PHYS 251)
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall
Prerequisite: PHYS 112 or permission of the instructor.An introduction to the design and implementation of experimental methods. Execution of the methods focuses on current data acquisition techniques, along with a study of standard data reduction and analysis. Results are examined in order to review the experimental method employed and to redesign the method for future experiments. This course is intended for any science major interested in performing experimental research on campus or in graduate school.Kuehner.
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ENGN 255 - C++ for Engineering and Physics
(PHYS 255)
Credits: 4
When Offered: Spring, 2010
Prerequisite: PHYS 112.An introduction to the C++ programming language, with applications characteristic of computation-intensive work in engineering and physics. Numerical integration, difference approximations to differential equations, stochastic methods, graphical presentation, and nonlinear dynamics are among the topics covered. Students need no previous programming experience.Williams.
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ENGN 260 - Materials Science
(PHYS 260)
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter
Prerequisite: PHYS 112.An introduction to solid state materials. A study of the relation between microstructure and the corresponding physical properties for metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites.Van Ness.
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ENGN 265 - Integrative Science: Cardiovascular Disease
(BIOL 265)
Credits: 4
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisite: BIOL 111 or PHYS 112.This course integrates biology, physics, engineering and mathematical modeling through the study of the cardiovascular system and cardiovascular disease. A variety of cardiovascular disease states are used to reinforce basic mechanical and electrical principles of cardiovascular physiology. Treatments using these physiological and/or engineering principles are also considered, such as cardiovascular drugs and drug delivery systems, heart and blood vessel transplantation, defibrillators and heart monitors, etc. Laboratories provide an opportunity to investigate fluid dynamics, cardiovascular monitoring using physiological transducers, computer heart/vessel modeling software, diagnostic imaging (ultrasound/MRI), etc. Speakers and site visits highlight cardiovascular medicine (clinical and/or veterinary), epidemiology, FDA medical device approval and testing, vascular stent design, etc., to provide a wider relevance to our discussions. Laboratory course.I’Anson.
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ENGN 295 - Intermediate Special Topics in Engineering
Credits: 3
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisites: PHYS 111 and 112.Intermediate work in bioengineering, solid mechanics, fluid mechanics or materials science. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits with permission and if the topics are different.Staff.
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ENGN 301 - Solid Mechanics
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall
Prerequisite: ENGN 203.Internal equilibrium of members; introduction to mechanics of continuous media; concepts of stress, material properties, principal moments of inertia; deformation caused by axial loads, shear, torsion, bending and combined loading.Van Ness.
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ENGN 302 - An Introduction to the Finite Element Method
Credits: 3
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisites: ENGN 301 and MATH 332.An introduction to the finite element method using a variational approach to obtain numerical solutions of differential equations governing physical problems. Examples will be drawn from solid mechanics, fluid mechanics and electrostatics.Staff.
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ENGN 311 - Fluid Mechanics
Credits: 4
When Offered: Winter
Prerequisite: ENGN 204 or PHYS 230.Fluid statics; application of the integral mass, momentum, and energy equations using control volume concepts; introduction to viscous flow and boundary layer theory. Laboratory course.Kuehner.
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ENGN 312 - Heat Transfer
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall
Prerequisites: ENGN 311 and MATH 332.Principles of heat transfer by conduction, convection, and radiation. Topics include transient and steady state analysis, boiling, condensation, and heat exchanger analysis. Application of these principles to selected problems in engineering.Kuehner.
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ENGN 330 - Mechanical Vibrations
Credits: 3
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisites: ENGN 204 or PHYS 230, MATH 332.Analysis of lumped parameter and continuous systems (free and forced, damped and undamped, single- and multi-degree-of-freedom); transient response to shock pulses; simple linear systems; exact and approximate solution techniques; and solution to continuous systems using partial differential equations.Williams.
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ENGN 351 - Solid Mechanics Laboratory
Credits: 1
When Offered: Fall
Corequisite: ENGN 301.Experimental observation and correlation with theoretical predictions of elastic behavior of structures under static loading; statically determinate and indeterminate loading of beams and trusses; shear; and torsion. Laboratory course.Van Ness.
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ENGN 361 - Polymer Science and Engineering
(PHYS 361)
Credits: 4
When Offered: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ENGN/PHYS 240 or CHEM 261 or permission of the instructor. Science and engineering of large molecules. Physical and chemical structure of polymers correlated with mechanical properties. Crystal morphology. Theory of rubber elasticity. Time and temperature dependent properties of polymers. Relevance to polymer physics and chemical and mechanical engineering. Van Ness.
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ENGN 395 - Special Topics in Engineering
Credits: 3
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisite: Junior standing.Advanced work in solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, or materials science. Topics selected based on student interest. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits with permission and if the topics are different.Staff.
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ENGN 401 - Engineering Problems
Credits: 1
Prerequisites: Junior standing and approval of the instructor.A special course of instruction, reading and investigation designed to serve the needs of individual students in a selected field of proposed engineering endeavor. May be repeated for degree credit with permission.
Topic for Winter, 2010:
ENGN/PHYS 401: Electronics Laboratory (1). Corequisite: PHYS/ENGN 208. Students learn techniques emphasizing the design, construction, and analysis of practical analog and digital circuits such as: wave-shaping diode circuits; oscillators; A/D and D/A converters; comparators; constant-current and voltage sources; Schmitt triggers; transistor audio and differential amplifiers; Boolean logic (AND/NOT/OR); and digital memories (flip-flops and latches). EricksonStaff.
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ENGN 402 - Engineering Problems
Credits: 2
Prerequisites: Junior standing and approval of the instructor.A special course of instruction, reading and investigation designed to serve the needs of individual students in a selected field of proposed engineering endeavor. May be repeated for degree credit with permission.Staff.
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ENGN 403 - Engineering Problems
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: Junior standing and approval of the instructor.A special course of instruction, reading and investigation designed to serve the needs of individual students in a selected field of proposed engineering endeavor. May be repeated for degree credit with permission.Staff.
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ENGN 421 - Directed Individual Research
Credits: 1
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.Directed research in engineering. May be repeated for degree credit with permission of the instructor.Staff.
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ENGN 422 - Directed Individual Research
Credits: 2
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.Directed research in engineering. May be repeated for degree credit with permission of the instructor.Staff.
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ENGN 423 - Directed Individual Research
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.Directed research in engineering. May be repeated for degree credit with permission of the instructor.Staff.
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ENGN 493 - Honors Thesis
Credits: 3-3
When Offered: Fall-Winter
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor and departmental honors candidacy.Honors Thesis.Staff.
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English |
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ENGL 101 - Expository Writing
FDR: FW, GE1
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall
Sections limited to 15 students each.Concentrated work in English composition, emphasizing rhetoric, style, and structure, and giving some attention to methods of documentation. The course focuses primarily on the students’ own compositions and includes regular conferences with the instructor.
Topics for Fall, 2009:
ENGL 101A: Expository Writing: International Issues (3). This section is designed for non-native speakers of English and provides extensive group and individual help with reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. We study some international issues and compare life in other countries with contemporary life in the United States. The course also involves students teaching us about their native countries. (FW) Smout
ENGL 101B: Expository Writing: Human Values and World Views (3). Beginning with Man’s Search for Meaning, a classic description of the mental experiences of concentration camp inmates, students read two books and several essays about the role of values and beliefs in human life, focusing especially on the life of college students. This section is intended for students who are native speakers of English. (FW) Smout
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ENGL 105 - Composition and Literature
FDR: FW, GE1
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall, Winter
No credit for students who have successfully completed ENGL 101 or fulfilled FW or GE1 through exemption. Sections limited to 18 students each.Concentrated work in English composition with readings including a mixture of genres, such as drama, poetry, nonfiction prose, and narrative fiction. The sections vary in thematic focus. All students write at least five essays during the term. All sections stress argumentation, the use of evidence, critical analysis, and clarity of style. Students write at least five essays during the term.
Topics for Winter, 2010:
ENGL 105A: Composition and Literature: The Nature of Nature. This course is an exploration of the human understanding of nature. How have writers, poets, and thinkers understood their relationships to “the natural world”? What is nature? How are we able and unable to define it? We read widely within environmental literature. Emerson, Whitman, Darwin, Annie Dillard, and Wendell Berry, among others, frame our discussion of “nature,” “truth” and the relationship of these ideas to one another. We explore the implications of such understandings for a modern world in which ecological concern is a matter of daily news and attention. Green
ENGL 105B: Composition and Literature: The Bad Girl’s Guide to the Open Road. This course examines five different texts in which women take a variety of road trips; through these texts, we study the historical, emotional, gendered, raced, spiritual and economic perspectives of traveling, and look closely at how road trips are a literary structure that allows writers (and readers) to explore the formation of individual and national identity. How and why do women take road trips? Do age, race, and economic status figure into these journeys? How do outward journeys serve as metaphors for inner explorations? Do women travel differently than men? Are road trips inherently more dangerous for women? Do women’s road trips function as vehicles for classic coming of age mileposts such as rebellion, testing, passage into adulthood, or is there something else going on? If so, what function does the road trip serve for women in American literature? How are road trip narratives useful structures for examining women’s lives? Are women who take to the open road represented as deviants, undomesticated, or “bad girls” and if so, why? What is the appeal of the open road for women writers and travelers in American literature? Miranda
ENGL 105C: Composition and Literature: Coming of Age. This course examines a number of literary works that deal with the process of coming of age – the fundamental human movement from youth to adulthood, naiveté to awareness, innocence to experience. In discussions and essays, we focus on the tensions, pains, joys, myths, and realities of this transition. Major questions include: what are the crucial stages involved in coming of age? How do issues such as authority, rebellion, and conformity affect one’s coming of age? How does the process differ for men and women? What roles do sexuality and desire play in this process? What larger patterns – mythic, religious, social, economic – are reflected in this movement? How is coming of age related to love? to death? What happens if the “normal” pattern is broken? Readings include Dickens’s David Copperfield, Brontë’s Jane Eyre, two plays by Shakespeare, and J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Conner
ENGL 105D: Composition and Literature: I See Dead People. The course analyzes literary representations of ghosts and the afterlife. Major texts may include: Henry James, The Turn of the Screw; A. S. Byatt, The Conjugal Angel; Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit; Thornton Wilder, Our Town; Caryl Churchill, Top Girls; Toni Morrison, Beloved. Gavaler
ENGL 105E: Composition and Literature: Coming of Age. This class explores the experience of youth and its transition into adulthood through the works of William Shakespeare, the English romantic poets, Charlotte Brontë, and William Faulkner. Dransfield
ENGL 105F: Composition and Literature: The Country and the City. In this course we read literary works that explore ideas about place. What makes a place significant? How does place function in creating personal and communal identities? How do representations of place change according to historical and linguistic contexts? We read works in a variety of genres, periods, and national traditions. Some representative writers could include Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Whitman, Dickinson, Bishop, Linda Hogan, Tom Stoppard, Aldo Leopold, Barry Lopez, Rick Bass, and Pattiann Rogers. Warren
ENGL 105G: Composition and Literature: Wicked Women. This section begins with Chaucer’s Wife of Bath and ends with recent essays on Hillary Clinton. We look at witchcraft, femme fatales and prostitutes as a way of considering literary approaches towards women and men’s power and sexuality. The course is not for women only – for instance, our discussion of witchcraft and wizardry runs from Miller’s The Crucible through excerpts from Harry Potter. Brodie
ENGL 105H: Composition and Literature: Faith, Doubt and Identity. In this writing-intensive seminar, we explore the topic of belief and how it shapes a person’s selfhood. How does being a part of a religious community, or a variety of religious communities, shape one’s identity? How does identity change with the adoption of either belief, skepticism, or another culture? We ask these questions primarily through the genres of novels and short stories, examining lives of faith and doubt. Texts include Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer-prize winning novel Gilead, about a Congregationalist minister descended from abolitionists; James Wood’s The Book Against God, a novel on a philosophy student’s repudiation of his father’s Christianity; selected short stories from Flannery O’Conner, poems by Native American Joy Harjo, and a story by Jhumpa Lahiri, from her Pulitzer-prize story collection, Interpreter of Maladies, on an Indian woman immigrant to American who makes shrines to the Virgin Mary. Gertz
ENGL 105I: Composition and Literature: Gossips and Con Artists. This course explores literary representations of two prominent social discourses: gossiping and conning. Through critical reading, collaborative learning, and argumentative writing, we explore diverse characterizations of the gossip and the con artist in a variety of genres and texts, ranging from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. We analyze the various schemes and rhetorical strategies that gossips and cons employ in their texts to exert social influence, their understanding and manipulation of the status quo, their motivations and rewards, and their efforts upon both the individual and the larger community. To further our practice of sound argumentative writing, we juxtapose the discourses of gossip and con artistry with our own modes for persuading readers. In addition, we think critically about our personal susceptibility to the influences of the gossip and the con as well as our inclinations to (sometimes?) play their roles. Wall
ENGL 105J: Composition and Literature: The 1960s. This course explores a variety of American literary responses to the growing social unrest that characterized the decade. Texts include several produced during the 1960s as well as several that look back from increasing distances. Writers represented may include Updike, Pynchon, Mailer, Morrison, August Wilson, and others. Crowley
ENGL 105K: Composition and Literature: Misfits, Rebels and Outcasts. The title of the course leaves out a lot. If extended, it might include strangers, visionaries, fanatics, prophets, artists, lovers, criminals, transients, deviants, freaks, monsters, and so on. We read stories, poems, and plays about individuals challenging the status quo, either directly or indirectly, consciously or unconsciously. We consider, among other things, what happens to the individual in the process, and what happens to the status quo. Oliver.
Topics for Fall, 2009:
ENGL 105A: Composition and Literature: American Gods (3). Students in this class consider the creeds and values that have jostled together in the literatures of the United States and, more generally, what Americans hold sacred. Our readings include 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century poetry and fiction, from Melville and Dickinson to Ginsberg, Kingston, and Silko. Wheeler
ENGL 105B: Composition and Literature: Wicked Women (3). This section begins with Chaucer’s Wife of Bath and ends with recent essays on Hillary Clinton. We look at witchcraft, femme fatales and prostitutes as a way of considering literary approaches towards women and men’s power and sexuality. The course is not for women only - for instance, our discussion of witchcraft and wizardry runs from Miller’s The Crucible through excerpts from Harry Potter. Brodie
ENGL 105C: Composition and Literature: Gossips and Cons (3). This course explores literary representations of two prominent social discourses: gossiping and conning. Through critical reading, collaborative learning, and argumentative writing, we explore diverse characterizations of the gossip and the con artist in a variety of genres and texts, ranging from Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. We analyze the various schemes and rhetorical strategies that gossips and cons employ in the texts to exert social influence, their understanding and manipulation of the status quo, their motivations and rewards, and their effects upon both the individual and the larger community. To further our practice of sound argumentative writing, we juxtapose the discourses of gossip and con artistry with our own modes for persuading readers. In addition, we think critically about our personal susceptibility to the influences of the gossip and the con as well as our inclinations to (sometimes?) play their roles. Wall
ENGL 105D: Composition and Literature: Nonconformity and Community (3). What is the proper role of nonconformity in a healthy community? How much conformity is needed to sustain a culture? Are complete nonconformity and strict conformity even possible? Reading and discussing classic and contemporary texts, we ask questions about the importance of sameness and difference within the various communities to which we belong. Pickett
ENGL 105E: Composition and Literature: Ethnic Lives and Ethnic Lies (3). This course considers a particular and frequently-recurring strain of “literary hoax,” or fabricated memoir: ethnic autobiographies “unmasked” as fakes and fictions. Through close readings of such notorious shams as The Education of Little Tree, I, Rigoberta Menchu, and the more recent Misha and Forbidden Love, we ask what these literary hoaxes - and their subsequent “outing” - suggest not only about our expectations of truth in the memoir but also about what constitutes an “authentic” ethnic identity in today’s world. Darznik
ENGL 105F: Composition and Literature: Films of Kubrick (3). Stanley Kubrick is widely considered one of the most brilliant and disturbing directors of the 20th century. This auteur-based approach attends to all the films of Stanley Kubrick from Paths of Glory through Eyes Wide Shut with a strong emphasis upon the relation of his life to his films and upon his strategies for adapting novels. Important novels/films include Lolita, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Full Metal Jacket. Adams
ENGL 105G: Composition and Literature: Misfits, Rebels and Outcasts (3). The title of the course leaves out a lot. If extended, it might include strangers, visionaries, fanatics, prophets, artists, lovers, criminals, transients, deviants, freaks, monsters, and so on. We read stories, poems, and plays about individuals challenging the status quo, either directly or indirectly, consciously or unconsciously. We consider, among other things, what happens to the individual in the process, and what happens to the status quo. Oliver
ENGL 105H: Composition and Literature: I See Dead People (3). The course focuses on literary representations of spirits and the afterlife. Texts may include: Henry James, The Turn of the Screw; A. S. Byatt, The Conjugal Angel; W. P. Kinsella, Shoeless Joe; Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit; Thornton Wilder, Our Town; Toni Morrison, Beloved. Gavaler
ENGL 105I: Composition and Literature: The Age of Chaucer (3). This courses focuses on the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer and his late-medieval predecessors and contemporaries, such as John Gower, Marie de France, and the Gawain-poet. Readings emphasize gender and class roles, chivalric ideals, and the medieval concept of the natural world. Short-response papers and critical essays encourage close reading and help students develop analytical writing skills. All texts are read in modern English translation. Jirsa
ENGL 105J: Composition and Literature: The Nature of Nature (3). This course is an exploration of the human understanding of nature. How have writers, poets, and thinkers understood their relationships to “the natural world”? What is nature? How are we able and unable to define it? We read widely within environmental literature. Emerson, Whitman, Darwin, Annie Dillard and Wendell Berry, among others, frame our discussion of “nature,” “truth” and the relationship of these ideas to one another. We explore the implications of such understandings for a modern world in which ecological concern is a matter of daily news and attention. Green
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