FSEM100-01 (CRN 4618) Energy and the Environment
One of the most important challenges facing the world in the 21st century is to identify and develop sustainable sources of energy in order to maintain a reasonable standard of living while also minimizing our impact on the environment. This seminar will discuss the science of energy production and usage for a variety of energy sources and energy conservation strategies, and also examine the environmental advantages and drawbacks of each source or strategy. The BP oil spill and the unfolding events at the nuclear power plants in Japan after the earthquake illustrate just some of the dangers underlying our current energy production portfolio. The science regarding the challenge of global climate change will also be discussed. While the seminar is discussion based and writing intensive, an introduction to the basic physical principles and skills necessary to understand the issues involved in energy systems will also be presented, including physical units conversion and problem-solving techniques. The course will also include course blog postings and discussion of energy and environmental issues found in the popular press.
Your Professor
Kevin Riggs holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Minnesota and specializes in research on magnetic materials useful for magnetic recording and information storage. He also holds an M.S. in Physics/Musical-acoustics from Case Western Reserve University and has an active research program using laser-based holographic techniques to image the vibration patterns of musical instruments. He teaches many advanced courses for physics majors, but especially enjoys interacting with students from a wide range of backgrounds in his general education course on musical acoustics titled "The Science of Music" and his new first-year seminar titled "Energy and the Environment." In his spare time, Dr. Riggs enjoys playing guitar in a Stetson faculty jazz quartet, the "Thin Film Magnetism."
FSEM100-02 (CRN 4619) Writing for the Health of It
Is writing good for your health? There's such a wealth of literature exploring illness--are writers instinctively moving themselves toward wellness when they write? Is it that same impulse that drives others to keep journals and diaries or write poems? Recently, researchers have made the impact of writing on illness the focus of scientific study with remarkable results, both emotionally and physically, supporting what those who love to read and write have known all along: the written word is powerful medicine. Writers often describe their process as a sort of spiritual practice from which they gain insight. The connection between health and spirituality in its various forms is yet another area receiving attention, from studies on the impact of prayer on healing to commentary on the similarities between mystic practice and circumscribed lives of the ill. Where do writing, spirituality, and wellness meet? This course will explore that intersection through a variety of texts, discussion, and written response. In addition, students will learn the sort of writing that has been found to be healing and have the opportunity to experience its potential through journaling and creative writing.
Your Professor
Gail Radley, a lecturer in the English Dept., received her B.A. in Independent Studies with an emphasis in creative writing from Mary Baldwin College and her M.A. in English from Stetson. She is the author of 21 books for children and young adults, as well as various articles and short stories for adults. One of these, "'Writing With the Ink of Light on the Tablet of the Spirit,'" a paper Radley presented at the annual Writing and Wellness Conference, was published in Writing and Wellness Connections (Evans; Idyll Arbor, 2010).
FSEM100-08 (CRN 4625) Concepts of the Human: Freaks, Others, and In-Groups
This course explores various conceptions of what it is to be human-and what it is to be viewed as less than human (thus, a freak). Academics label such outcast status "otherness." Fundamentally, to be 'other' is to be different from the norm. Indeed, in viewing human beings as persons with dignity and worth, we often exclude those we view as different as not deserving of equal treatment. In order to come to an understanding of what we as a society value, however, we must understand otherness. And it is only by deconstructing difference, by understanding what constitutes the 'other' and how it is defined by the in-group, that we can ultimately become a truly multicultural and diverse community.
Deconstructing difference promotes awareness of diverse peoples by deconstructing the concept of the 'other' and the role it plays in fostering fear and discrimination. In order best to understand how discrimination works, its historical and literary origins in western culture, its enduring conceptual power, and its pervasive presence in modern America, we intend to pursue a multilevel analysis. This course will be taught in three distinct sections: beginning with classical Greek origins of identity and the concept of otherness, continuing with a deconstruction of contemporary attitudes toward the various '-isms.' The class aims to embolden students to reconsider the significance of contemporary models of the human, as supplied by various religious, scientific, philosophical, and pop-cultural sources.
Your Professor
Dr. Susan Peppers-Bates attended Davidson College as an undergraduate and received her Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania in 2000. She has published on figures in early modern philosophy, topics in the philosophy of religion, and on existentialist vampires. She is fond of science fiction, medieval murder mysteries, gardening, and all things philosophical.
FSEM100-10 (CRN 4627) Self and World
This seminar is required for incoming first-year Bonner Scholars.
What does the term "individual" mean apart from "the community"? What does "community" mean apart from the concept of "the individual"? This seminar will explore the relationship between these two concepts with a view to understanding how the community shapes the individual and how the individual can, and should, shape the community. We will think about issues pertaining to social justice and ask what responsibility the individual has for her or his own formation and what responsibility the individual has for the formation and well being of the community. Service learning in the community is central to this exploration.
Your Professor
After earning his B.A. from Stetson University, Greg Sapp went on to earn an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary and the Ph.D. in Philosophical Theology from the University of Virginia. He is particularly interested in the formation of Christian thought and doctrine. He has published articles and presented papers in the fields of doctrinal development, historical philosophy and theology, and religion and culture. His latest work is in the area of sports and religion. He returned to Stetson in 2006 and holds the Hal S. Marchman Chair of Civic and Social Responsibility. He comes to us most recently from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where he was awarded the 2005 Spencer B. King Distinguished Faculty Award. He has taught first-year seminars for 12 years now.
FSEM100-13 (CRN 4630) Ecology and Evolution
In this course we investigate two of the major themes in modern Biology. First, we discuss how evolution has a profound impact on our understanding of all biological systems. We also consider how the concept of evolution has been the subject of controversy, particularly in our public schools. Second, we discuss how the study of human cultures from across the globe and an understanding of their environmental impacts can inform our efforts to live in a more sustainable manner. Students that enroll in this course should enjoy being outside in natural habitats. On Fridays we will frequently take field trips to local areas including Blue Spring State Park and Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge.
Your Professor
Dr. Terry Farrell came to Stetson from Stanford University where he was conducting research on Marine Biology. He teaches in a variety of courses on Ecology and Marine Biology at Stetson. In the last two decades he has done research with many Stetson students. This research has resulted in more than a dozen published articles on the ecology and behavior of turtles and rattlesnakes. He is a former chair of the Biology Department. In 2009 he won the Hague Award for outstanding teaching in the College of Arts and Sciences.
FSEM100-16 (CRN 4633) The West in Question
It is impossible to read a newspaper, surf the Internet, or watch the nightly news without hearing how "western values" are under assault. Chinese economic might, Islamic terrorism, Russian imperialism-the so-called "West" faces numerous challenges. Such challenges are hardly new, of course. From the Thirty Years War and The French Revolution to the Holocaust and the Cold War, "Westerners" have debated, fought, even killed each other in the name of "freedom", "equality", "nation", "democracy," and "Judeo-Christian" values. By analyzing major questions in Modern European History, this First Year Seminar will inquire whether "The West" possesses a coherent set of values and whether those values continue to have relevance at the outset of the twenty-first century.
Your Professor
Eric Kurlander (Ph.D., Harvard University) is Associate Professor of Modern European History at Stetson University. His recent book, Living With Hitler: Liberal Democrats in the Third Reich (Yale University Press, 2009), examines the ways in which German liberals negotiated, resisted, and in some ways accommodated the Third Reich. His first book, The Price of Exclusion: Ethnicity, National Identity, and the Decline of German Liberalism, 1898-1933 (Berghahn Books, 2006), describes how ethnic nationalist ideology gradually undermined the liberal parties in late-Imperial and Weimar Germany. His articles have appeared in Central European History, The Journal of Contemporary History, The Historian, The Catalog of the German Historical Institute, Ethnopolitics, and The European Review of History, as well as a number of edited collections. Kurlander has held research and writing fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation; Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; the German Historical Institute; the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD); the Krupp Foundation; and Harvard University's Program for the Study of Germany and Europe. His current projects include a textbook, The West in Question: Continuity and Change (Pearson-Longman), and Nazi Monsters: A Supernatural History of the Third Reich. In his free time, Kurlander enjoys parenting, reading, travel, sports, and popular culture.
FSEM100-19 (CRN 4636) American Popular Culture: Why a Movie is Never 'Just a Movie'
Film, television, the Internet, advertising, music, news media, bestselling fiction-these are only some of the forms of popular culture that we encounter every day in the United States. Far from being "just entertainment," popular culture helps shape values, ideas, and attitudes in American life. This course introduces students to important examples of popular culture from World War II to the present. From '50s rock-n-roll to rap, from Leave It to Beaver to The Cosby Show, from World War II advertising to mass media images of Sept. 11, popular culture gives us insights into the assumptions that shape American values, policy, and social practice. Course themes include national identity, representations of race, gender, and sexuality, ideas about family, and the dynamics of power between audience and producers. Students will have an opportunity to pursue projects on topics that interest them and will learn strategies for successful and rewarding popular culture analysis. At the same time, students will hone their writing and speaking skills; this classroom setting is highly interactive, and we will work together to understand our texts and their significance for their times.
Your Professor
Dr. Emily Mieras enjoys teaching about popular culture because the class offers a chance to analyze cultural phenomena that we often take for granted and to figure out how they help create meaning in American life. Dr. Mieras teaches a range of classes in History and American Studies on such topics as multiculturalism, consumer culture, and women's and gender history. She also directs the Gender Studies program at Stetson. Her research projects include a history of college students' community service work in the Progressive Era, and investigations into contemporary planned communities and visions of family life in contemporary American popular culture.
FSEM100-21 (CRN 4638) American Freedom in Action
Free speech, freedom of religion, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, due process of law ? all commonly recognized terms, but what do they mean in practice? Using public schools as the stage, we will examine American freedom through the lens of exciting legal controversies focused on U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Can students protest? Pray? Advocate illegal behavior? Be strip searched? Can a school post the Ten Commandments? Censor student publications? Teach intelligent design alongside evolution? Compel students to accept diversity?
We also consider the inevitable conflict between the twin pillars of the American experience: freedom and democracy. When individual freedoms clash with the desires of the majority, how are we to referee the disagreement? Should the majority always rule? Should the freedom of one be superior to the will of the many? Where do we draw the line between the two? Anyone considering a career in law, education, religion, or politics ? or is passionate about liberty ? will love this hands-on study of America's experience in defining individual freedom while preserving democratic order.
Your Professor
Professor Glen Epley earned his Ph.D. from Duke and has been a sportswriter, high school history teacher, professor at three universities, deputy superintendent of a 55,000 student school district, and a senior executive for the world's 6th largest insurance brokerage house. He is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Teacher Education at Stetson where he teaches graduate courses in school law and school finance. He has published on topics such as separation of church and state, due process in student discipline, censorship in schools, legal issues of child abuse, teachers and tort liability, in loco parentis, educational malpractice, and the constitutional rights of parents.
FSEM100-23 (CRN 4866) When Women Ruled Russia: Eighteenth-Century Russia
Almost continually for 70 years, from 1725 to 1796, women held the supreme authority in Russia. The most famous of these rulers was Catherine the Great. During this time Russia's identity changed very much, both externally, in terms of territorial expansion and its role in European affairs, and internally, as it absorbed modern values imported from the West. These changes had both negative and positive dimensions. In this period Russia became a major European power. It also changed domestically by incorporating European standards into an established Slavic tradition.
This course deals with much more than the politics of female rule. We must look at the experience of women who were not ruling, both nobles and commoners. We will access that experience through literature, painting, religion, music, and memoirs.
Your Professor
Dr. Paul Steeves is a specialist in Russian church history. He has taught at Stetson University since 1972. He was awarded the McInery Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 1979 and the first Hand Research Award in 1992. He has published many items dealing with religion in Russia. He maintains a current web page reporting news about religion in present-day Russia and other post-soviet countries.
FSEM100-24 (CRN 4955) USA, The Natural Experiment: Environmental Debates
The course includes an examination of American history in terms of the environmental features of often-familiar events. The great achievements of American civilization have included, in effect, a grand experiment on the landscape, with a whole range of results for good and ill. After learning how we have developed toward our present relationship with the environment, students will then learn inventive suggestions about next steps and do guided research for putting forth their own proposals. In short, this class grapples with The Three Whats: what has happened (in the human relation with the environment); so what (why should we care?); and now what (what's the next step?).
Your Professor
Dr. Paul Croce has been interested in nature since he was a child; as a little kid, he loved animals, wanted to learn about them, and got upset at the rising number of extinctions. As an adult, he has become concerned not only about the current fate of the natural world, but also about the way people with different ideologies talk right past each other rather than find solutions on what to do. As a researcher, he has written on the impact of science and religion on our views of nature, and on ways to conciliate cultural and political differences (especially as these ideas show up in the work of American psychologist William James). As a professor in the interdisciplinary field of American Studies, he is committed to hearing out different values and enlisting different disciplines for finding paths to environmental health. No matter each student's field of interest, he is committed in fostering environmental awareness-a value in itself, and big plus to countless individual career goals.
FSEM100-27 (CRN 4968) Social, Economic, Emotional, and Spiritual Intelligences, or the Lack Thereof?
Can u raed this? Do you bilvee ptassinaloey in the pweor of iedas to cnaghe ateitudts, lveis and umtillaety, the wrlod? If so, you may wish to ponder over why so many life-changing ideas are ignored or downright rejected in the world. We agree that humans are rational, intelligent beings, but why do we often act against our intelligence? To what degree do we live our lives in an economically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually thoughtless manner? Is it possible that despite our intellectual dominance, we live like goslings imprinting upon the first role model (economically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually) that we come across, blindly following it to the death of our human intelligence? Students registering for this course will read and analyze books in economics, psychology, sociology, and religious studies to contemplate these questions and more. However, as you prepare to think outside the box, be wary of jumping into the frying pan.
Your Professor
Ranjini Thaver was born and raised like a gosling in South Africa. She completed her B.A. degree in Economics and Psychology at the University of Durban-Westville, a B.A. (Hons.) degree in Economics at the University of Cape Town, and then completed her M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Notre Dame. She has taught at Stetson since 1992. While at Stetson she co-created the African Studies program,and developed the first university-based microcredit program in the world. This program is located in a poverty stricken are in DeLand and in a small village in Tanzania.She has taught courses in Economics, Africana Studies, Women and Gender Studies, and the Honors Program.
FSEM100-28 (CRN 4976) Latin America Turns Left: a 'backyard' challenge to (North) American Diplomacy
Since the turn of the century, eight of South America's ten Spanish and Portuguese speaking nations have elected Left-wing presidents. Some are vocally anti-capitalist and anti-U.S. Much of Central America has also 'turned Left' in recent years. Meanwhile, China is emerging as Latin America's principal trading partner. Twenty years ago, nine of South America's ten countries were governed by Center-Right or Right-wing presidents, and all ten were openly aligned with the U.S. How do we explain this massive and unprecedented political, economic and diplomatic shift? What does it mean to the United States, which has traditionally defined Latin America as part of its own 'backyard' sphere of influence? Should the U.S. try to do anything about it?
Your Professor
William Nylen is Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science. He earned the Ph.D., M.A., and M.Phil. in political science/comparative politics at Columbia University (New York) and an M.A. in Latin American studies and international economics at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (Washington, D.C.). His teaching and research interests focus on Latin American politics and political economy (especially Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Venezuela), economic development, democracy, and democratization. He presents his work at national and international conferences and has authored numerous articles and book chapters. His 2003 book, Elitist Democracy vs. Participatory Democracy: Lessons from Brazil (St. Martins/Palgrave) is based on research and interviews with leading political figures in Brazil. He is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish and plays bass guitar in the faculty rock band, "Mobilized Ignorance."
FSEM100-29 (CRN 4978) The Dynamics of Friendship
Both the phenomenon of Facebook and the quest for intimacy have elevated the topic of friendship into serious discussion. Among the questions this course explores are the following: What exactly is a friend? How does friendship differ from other relationships? Are virtual friendships authentic relationships? How does one become a friend? What leads to breakups between friends? How are love and friendship different? Can humans be friends with animals? The seminar discussions will be prompted by readings in classical, biblical, and contemporary works about friendship by prominent thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, C. S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Thomas Merton. In addition, fiction, films, music, and poetry will engage our thinking together.
Your Professor
Dr. Donald Musser has taught at Stetson since 1978, specializing on the role of religion in culture and interfaith relationships. Additionally, he has been an Air Force chaplain, a chemical engineer, and a pastor. His Ph.D. is from the University of Chicago. He is co-author of a widely used college textbook on the Bible. Currently, he is working on a book entitled "The Autobiography of a Friendship." He lives in an oak forest with his wife Ruth, and armadillos, squirrels, raccoons, bird, and butterflies. His avocations include gardening, bass fishing, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
FSEM100-30 (CRN 4979) Healthy Religion and Sick Religion
This course will help you think intelligently about religion and its role in today's world. Religion serves both to heal and empower and to promote violence in the name of God. This course examines key topics including religion and self-transformation, religion and violence, and freedom of religion as a human right. The class is set up as a seminar, meaning that during most classes we sit around a table and discuss assigned readings and films. You learn how to make professional oral presentations and how to write with precision, persuasiveness, and clarity. You also learn how to think critically so that you can discern whether an argument rests on solid evidence or not. Part of this class involves creating an index of your values and a life plan that ties together these values with your chosen career path.
Your Professor
Phillip Lucas is passionate about teaching, spirituality, baseball (the Yankees!), India, guitars, and gardening. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Barbara and has published original research in the fields of new and minority religions, religious freedom, comparative spirituality, and American religious history. He is the founding General Editor of Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions, the leading academic journal in the field of new and minority religions. At Stetson he teaches courses on world religions, American religious history, comparative spirituality, and new religions. He received the McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching from Stetson in 2002 and the Homer and Dolly Hand Award for Excellence in Scholarship in 1995 and 2007. He has lived and/or traveled in India, Europe, Guatemala, Mexico, and Canada.
FSEM100-33 (CRN 4983) Does Civilization Make Us Crazy?
Madness and civilization have always been inextricably intertwined, from Old Testament prophets in the wilderness to divinely inspired pagans (the oracle at Delphi, the Sybil, Cassandra) to modern figures like William S. Burroughs, Sylvia Plath, Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Clueless), Syd Barrett (of Pink Floyd) and Vincent Van Gogh. Does Civilization Make Us Crazy explores the borders of sanity and civility through a broadly cultural approach, from investigative journalistic critiques of western psychiatry to film, painting, literature, music, and other aspects of culture. We will also examine some of our most important theorists of madness and civilization, from ancient thinkers like Plato to moderns like Freud and Foucault. Expect to read a lot, write a lot, and to spend time with your classmates working out other means of expression.
Your Professor
Joel B. Davis grew up in Wyoming, graduated from the University of Oregon with a Ph.D. in English Literature, has enjoyed climbing Devil's Tower as much as working in the Manuscripts room at the British Library, and cannot shake his irrational fear of sharks and amoebae in Florida waters. He has traveled extensively in Europe, published on Shakespeare and other Renaissance writers, and his teaching interests include film, poetry, gender & sexuality, rhetoric, Shakespeare, and most things having to do with sixteenth and seventeenth-century European literature or culture.
FSEM100-36 (CRN 4986) Arks and Islands
This course explores the environmental future of our planet by taking a close look, first, at island ecology, which teaches valuable lessons about species development and extinction. The second part of the course will be an in-depth exploration of zoos and nature preserves, or “arks.”
Both islands and arks have been controversial: scientists disagree about the lessons to be learned from islands, and animal rights activists struggle with conservationists about the ethics of zoos. These debates are connected because the lessons learned from island biogeography often determine the designs and purposes of zoos and preserves.
Visits to a nearby zoo and one or two nature preserves will be part of the class. Material for the course also includes science writing by David Quammen and Shirley Strum; current news stories; science fiction by David Brin and Octavia Butler; and films such as Avatar. Other assignments include personal essays, active leadership in class discussion, and research on your choice of a topic related to the course work.
Your Professor
Mary Pollock teaches courses in nature writing, British literature, and women and gender studies. Her books include Figuring Animals, a collection of essays; Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning: A Creative Partnership; and a manuscript she has just completed entitled Storytelling Apes. One of her conclusions in Storytelling Apes is that almost all the world’s charismatic wildlife is now, or soon will be, confined to “arks” of some kind. What kind, though? Professor Pollock invites seminar students to participate in cutting-edge discussions of this issue.
FSEM100-37 (CRN 4993) Diversity in the 21st Century Classroom
In this course we will examine the meaning of diversity and its relation to global education. Through literature and film, we will discuss the broad definition of diversity, focusing on the study of race, ethnicity, language, gender, social class, sexual orientation, religion, and emotional and physical disabilities. All students will use field placements in local schools or non-profit organizations to provide practical experiences that will illuminate our class's major concepts.
Your Professor
Dr. Bette Heins holds the Nina B. Hollis Chair of Educational Reform in the Department of Teacher Education. She directs the Hollis Institute for Educational Reform and teaches educational psychology, exceptional student education, and classroom management. Her research interests include single gender education, reading issues, and classroom management. She writes that she loves teaching about diversity in the classroom and, in her words, she "celebrates deviancy on a daily basis."
FSEM100-38 (CRN 4994) Media in the Age of Facebook
Check Facebook. Check e-mail. Send a text. Check Facebook again. Watch a YouTube clip. Check Facebook again. Our daily lives now include a constant stream of information that still arrives in print, on TV or film, or on the radio, but also now comes to us through newer and rapidly changing mediums, from the web to mobile phones, podcasts to viral video. Social media has provided tools for political revolutions, and it is also revolutionizing how we receive information.
But how is this reliance on technology affecting us? How do we know what to focus on and what is important? What's the best way to find news that matters to us or that covers things we don't even know we should know? How can you tell the difference between fact and opinion, analysis or propaganda? Who do you trust to give you accurate information? And does that even matter? In this seminar, we'll examine everything from the evolution of news and social media (such as Facebook and Twitter) to advocacy journalism, and through discussion and written analysis, learn how to become thoughtful, critical consumers of the media in our lives.
Your Professor
Andy Dehnart's writing and reporting on television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Salon, Wired, and other publications He writes regularly about TV and popular culture for The Daily Beast and msnbc.com. A member of the Television Critics Association, Andy publishes and writes reality blurred, an internationally acclaimed web site that "revels in the post-ironic pleasures of reality television," as The New York Times said. Andy has a Master of Fine Arts in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College, and following a wide range of work experiences in new media and journalism, now teaches writing and journalism at Stetson, where he advises the student newspaper, The Reporter. Besides being addicted to reality television and popular culture, he is also an avid runner and thrill ride fanatic who performs improv comedy.
FSEM100-39 (CRN 5088) Using the Sociological Imagination to Explore Media Landscapes
Facebook, iBook, MTV, WebTV, YouTube, YouPorn, Super Bowl, Super Smash Flash. Media programs like these and many others comprise an important and growing part of life in contemporary American society, shaping not only our days but our selves. This course pursues vital sociological questions about media in contemporary society: what is the social structure of the media and how have these media structures evolved? How do media affect and shape people? What biases do media have? What roles do media play, and should they play, in democratic societies and in a globalizing world? What is media literacy and how can we become more media literate citizens? We will pursue answers to these questions through reading and in-class discussion and debate. In addition, students will have the opportunity to study, write and present about media landscapes that interest them, local to global, whether online, on TV, in magazines, books, or elsewhere. In so doing, students will exercise their sociological imagination, connecting self and personal experience to history and social structure.
Your Professor
Dr. Paul Lachelier is Assistant Professor of Sociology in Stetson's Department of Sociology and Anthropology. His research and writing focuses particularly on the theory and practice of citizen engagement in politics and civic life. Courses he teaches at Stetson include: How Americans Think, Power and Evil, and Community Organizing for Social Change. Dr. Lachelier holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
FSEM100-40 (CRN 5089) Water and Life
This seminar will sample the interplay of culture, science, environment, power, politics, literature, business, and the myriad other ways that human lives intertwine with Water and Life. Students will choose which topics we will focus on. These could include: Water as Sacred; Water and Disease; Melting Ice; Water and Politics; Water and Literature; Water and History; Restoring Ecosystems; Water and Energy; Sustainable Clean Water; Water and Climate Change; Aquifers and groundwater; Impacts of development on water resources; Urban water quality; Coastal water resources management; Ocean management; and many other possibilities.
Your Professor
Derek Barkalow grew up in, under, and on the waters and beaches of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Block Island, Montauk Point, and the Jersey shore. A sojourn to the Midwest for college allowed new experiences in and around the Great Lakes. Dr. Barkalow has taken Stetson students to the Caribbean and various local lakes, rivers and beaches in central Florida. A member of Stetson's Biology faculty, he has explored many diverse academic arenas including a recently developed junior seminar on the "Future of Human Health and Welfare."
FSEM100-42 (CRN 5192) The Art of Madness
The word madness means everything and nothing at all. It is such a puzzling, confounding riddle that some of the greatest writers, artists, and philosophers have pondered it for much of their lives. During the semester, we will consider many representations of madness as well as social, political, creative, philosophical, and psychological theories of madness. Is there a method to madness as Shakespeare claims? Does learning lead to madness, as Petrarch feared? Or as Emily Dickinson seemed certain, perhaps "much madness is divinest sense." What is the relation of madness and everyday life? We will address these and other questions and claims in this First Year Seminar. We will read a wide range of material, including a case study by Sigmund Freud, social theory by Michel Foucault, fiction by Edgar Allan Poe, and poetry by Arthur Rimbaud and Sylvia Plath. We will also consider the visual arts and film. Students with interests in literature, art, psychology, sociology, and especially those who are interested in a little of everything should consider this course. But beware: according to Nietzsche, "When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you."
Your Professor
Dr. John Pearson is a Professor of English and Director of the General Studies Program. Originally from Boston, he studied in Florida and in Boston before coming to Stetson. His areas of expertise include American literature (especially the nineteenth century), autobiography, and nonfiction. In addition to this first-year seminar, Pearson teaches a variety of classes including autobiography, a junior seminar called The Cult of the Beautiful, Modern American Literature, and Reading Nonfiction.
FSEM100-43 (CRN 5193) How Fiction Works
Did you cry when Old Yeller died? Or stand in line at midnight for the last installment of Harry Potter? Were you ever moved by people and events you knew to be fabrications? Ever thought about why? We all recognize a good story when we read it; but what makes some stories better than others? Examining works of both canonical and popular literature we will explore what makes good fiction 'work': what makes a character believable? How do writers create setting? How do plots unfold? And, most importantly, what keeps us turning the page? With some help from the critics James Wood and David Shields, we'll delve into Virginia Woolf, John le Carre, William Faulkner, J.K. Rowling, and lots more.
Your Professor
Mark Powell is the author of the novels Prodigals and Blood Kin and has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Breadloaf Writers' Conference. In 2009 he received the Chaffin Award for Contributions to Appalachian Literature. He has degrees from the Citadel, the University of South Carolina, and Yale Divinity School. He is a book addict, and an exercise addict, and thinks that's probably enough.
FSEM100-44 (CRN 5194) European Cinema: Screening Wars
The course will investigate the representations of European military conflicts from the WW1 to the Balkan Wars, including the Spanish Civil War, the Cold War, and other European civil wars. We will study films from France, Spain, Germany, the former-Yugoslavia, the UK, and Eastern European countries. Special attention will be paid to the representation of history and the complex ways in which European filmmakers have explored the legacy of war. Most of the films studied will be fiction films, but the influence of important documentary films will also be examined.
Questions to be discussed include: How has the cinema been a means both of examining and repressing the troubled past of Europe? What particular modes of cinematic representation have been developed in films devoted to this topic? How do these films address their public? The course is based on close readings of individual films. We will look at the concept of film analysis and the relationship between film, politics, and society.
Your Professor
Florian Vauléon is a native of France. He holds a Ph.D. from Ohio State University in French Studies specializing in critical approaches to literature and culture. He has done extensive research in visual studies and French cinema. His current projects include the culture of cafés in 18th-century Paris, the representation of Caribbean plantations in 18th-century Parisian visual culture, and the response of Enlightenment thinkers to the French presence in the West Indies.
FSEM100-45 (CRN 5202) Photography: Finding Your Perspective
This course is an introduction to digital photography, seeing creatively and expressing your unique vision. In this class you will learn the basic functions of the camera, digital image manipulation, online photo management, and digital photo presentation solutions. We will investigate the history of artistic photography and learn how to look at and talk about photography as an art form. We will use all of these new skills to explore and document your world and develop your own artistic expression through photography. The most important goal is finding out what makes your perspective unique and how can you share that with others through the art of the photographic image.
For this class you are required to have the following: a digital camera (3 megapixels or higher, manual override is preferred but not necessary, no cell phone cameras), charger, USB cable and memory cards.
Your Professor
Matt Roberts is a new media artist who exhibits his work both nationally and internationally. His work has been exhibited in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Mexico, and Taiwan. He recently received the International Transitio award from the Transitio MX Festival in Mexico City. He is the creative director and founder of MPG: Mobile Performance Group, a collective of Stetson students and faculty who work together to create real-time video/audio performances in public spaces. Roberts teaches in the Digital Arts program and Art Department.
FSEM100-46 (CRN 5218)The Rituals of Our Lives: Bells and Smells with Stories to Tell
Why do we throw babies off the side of temples to awaiting family? Why do we put our hands in gloves filled with stinging ants? Why do we physically alter our bodies with specific markings or piercings? Why do we use incense in sacred gatherings? Why do some of us use elaborate music, chants, a simple bell or pure silence to acknowledge the presence of the sacred? Why do some of us make Gator motions with our arms while others make tomahawk chops to encourage players in athletic competition? ARE WE JUST NUTS OR ARE WE REMARKABLY HUMAN? This course will examine our habits, customs and traditions, the rituals of our lives. From birth to death and everything in between we participate in ritual actions that are an extension of our family, neighborhood, and culture. In this course we examine the nature of these rituals and how they compare and contrast in their explanation of the Circle of Life. Are Rituals outdated? Are new Rituals needed? Do Rituals matter at all? Let's find out together.
Your Professor
Michael Fronk, the University Chaplain, is a Graduate of Stetson University where he received his B.A. in Religious Studies. He received his M.Div. from Southern Seminary. His special expertise is in the area of the changing expressions of death rituals in America where he continues to be a national speaker, writer and consultant. This has led him to embrace the faith practices of cultures that are not his own and to encourage his students to find excitement in the meaningful journey of people who do not share their history. He is known for his ability to find humor in the quest to be human and believes that truth and self-discovery happens in the most unlikely places.
FSEM100-47 (CRN 5219) Museums, With and Without Walls
This course examines what we collect, why we collect, how we display, and why these practices matter. Together we read about and reflect on the development of museums from ancient storehouses and philosophical schools, through cabinets of curiosities and private collections, to institutionalized repositories of cultures, nations, disciplines-of ways of seeing, knowing, and assigning value. To bring it home, we visit some of the 20 museums, art galleries, learning centers, and collections within a 25-mile radius of DeLand (envisioned from its beginning as the "Athens of Florida"), to think about the role of museums in the 21st century. And finally, as a class, we create a museum of museums-or at least a small exhibition, real and virtual, drawing on what we've learned about this human tradition.
Your Professor
Karen Cole directs the Gillespie Museum, Stetson's Earth Science Museum in a Natural Setting. She earned her Ph.D. in literature from the University of Illinois and served as Associate Professor of Humanities and Social Thought at the Louisiana Scholars' College at Northwestern State University in Louisiana. She has taught courses on environmental literature and gender studies, and has published on women's work in landscape design.
FSEM100-48 (CRN 5242) The Anxiety of Identity
I think therefore I am... I think? Our identity, we wish to believe, is housed in our control over our thoughts, in the choices and memories we have made. What does it mean, then, when someone else takes control of my "I"? Even scarier, what happens when I cannot avoid this "I," and "I" takes me places where I don't want to go? Art often taunts this anxiety, teasing us with competing concepts of the self that shake the stability of identity. That "I" scams people (me, too!), commits crimes, stalks victims. All the while, I uncomfortably enjoy the alienating experience. We will explore novels and short stories, mystery and horror films that creatively manipulate first-person narration for different, subversive purposes.
Your Professor
Dr. Nicole Denner attended Indiana University for her undergraduate and master's degrees, and received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Northwestern University. She studied horror films at IU and 18th century Enlightenment literature for her doctorate (they aren't so different after all). She has taught at Stetson since 2001 in both the French and English departments. She is most interested in how and why texts so frequently turn inward and comment upon themselves.
FSEM100-49 (CRN 5243) Are We What We Eat? Food, Health, and Controversy
What does food mean to you? In this course we will have lively discussions about food (fast, organic, wild, vegan, ethnic, and food stuffs, among others). How does popular culture influence what food we purchase and consume? How does the media affect our perceptions of what is healthy or nutritious? What do we need to know to make thoughtful choices about food? In our exploration of food, ideas of nutrition and our personal and community health will be discussed. What role does society and science play in our pursuit of health and wellness goals? How are we situated in the culture of food and society, not just in the science of nutrition? Together, we will endeavor to discover what options we have for taking action to address food-related issues in our own lives.
Your Professor
Tara Schuwerk earned her B.A. in Organizational Communication and M.A. in Communication from the University of Central Florida and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Human Communication from Arizona State University with specializations in health and intercultural communication and qualitative research methods. She has a passion for understanding how people perceive and construct ideas of health, specifically in the area of food and nutrition. To this end, Dr. Schuwerk is currently researching areas of hunger relief, specifically the food banking system. At Stetson, she is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies and Integrative Health Sciences.
FSEM100-50 (CRN 5244) Who Gets to Call It Art: Art Institutions and the Art Market
In 1917, Marcel Duchamp's Fountain ? a mass produced, porcelain urinal turned 90 degrees and signed "R. Mutt" ? was hidden from public view and dismissed as non-art. In 1999, a 1964 replica of the "original" Fountain was sold for $1,600,000 at Sotheby's art auction. In 80 years Duchamp's famous ready-made went from a marginalized and largely forgotten artistic prank to a universally recognized icon of modern art. This course will investigate how this process of validation in the art world works. The main question we will ask is not "What is art?" but rather "Who gets to decide what is art?" We will discuss the role of art institutions (universities, museums, galleries, auction houses) and the art market in shaping the way art and its history is consumed and marketed.
Your Professor
Dr. Katya Kudryavtseva (Ph.D., University of Southern California) is Assistant Professor of Art History at Stetson University. She specializes in art of the twentieth century, and her research focuses on the intersecting trajectories of art history, politics, law, and business and their role in the development of the canon of modern and contemporary art. Her teaching interests include historiography and canon formation; collecting and display; aesthetic and critical theory of modern and contemporary art; and the impact of art institutions and the art market on the art historical discourse. Her book, "The Making of Kazimir Malevich's Black Square," is under contract with NLO publishing house (Moscow, Russia) and will appear in 2012.
FSEM 100-51 (CRN 5251) Writing the Revolution: Civic Engagement and Rhetoric
Regardless of political orientation, class, nationality (or any perspective that informs a worldview), everyone is in agreement that something is wrong with the “system.” As we examine a wide range of historical reform figures and their strategies to effect social and institutional change (i.e., Lycurgus, Cicero, Gandhi, Assange), you will work to emulate and/or adapt these models to achieve some degree of measurable civic improvement, either in a local or national context. Given this purpose, your success in the course will depend, at least partly, on the written, verifiable impact you have. For example, for every meaningful email response you receive (from city/county leaders) or for any published letter to the editor, you will receive credit. All non-violent political perspectives (and agendas) are welcome. Significant research required, with a portfolio that consists of your accumulated research, communications, and action narratives which, taken together, argue for your overall ability to persuade others of your point of view.
Your Professor
While intermittently working on his graduate degrees (Clemson, MA, English; University of South Carolina, Ph.D., Composition and Rhetoric), Michael Barnes taught, wrote, and travelled in the Far East, calling Tokyo home for four years. Tenured at Stetson in 2006, current research interests focus on computer-facilitated empirical studies on academia via overlooked institutional artifacts (textbooks, internal communiqués, and so forth). Pedagogically a sophist, most of his courses push students to “argue both sides equally well.”
FSEM100-52 (CRN 5266) Us and Them: The Human and the Un-Human
What does it mean to be human? Or, more specifically, how does ‘my brand of humanity’ compare to that of others? Since the dawn of humanity, groups of people have constructed norms, ideals, values, attitudes, and behaviors that distinguish those considered the right and proper people from those who are not quite ideal but who are tolerated, finally from those whose presence, or even whose very existence is considered anathema. Over the millennia, this construction of the human ideal has been translated into misogyny and sexism, racism and slavery, heterosexism and homophobia, and, at its very worst, genocide.
Us and Them promotes awareness and value of diverse peoples by deconstructing the concept of the ‘other’ and the role it plays in fostering fear and discrimination, starting with the Greco-Roman world and continuing into modern times.
Your Professor
Dr. Kimberly Flinthamilton is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Stetson. Her special areas of interest are: Greek art/archaeology, Greek/Latin, and slavery in the ancient world.
FSEM100-53 (CRN 5268) Looking On: Exploring European Cultures Through Film
What do we really see when watching a film? Film, like all visual culture, offers the possibility and pleasure to see things that we wouldn't normally be able to see. Cinema makes a spectacle of the everyday and turns the extraordinary and spectacular into commonplace. As spectators we identify with different characters on-screen, share in their private and intimate acts, and witness their breaks with social and cultural mores. In this course we will watch a series of contemporary films from various European countries and reflect on how each filmic story challenges our expectations as gendered spectator and questions our assumptions about different cultural behaviors and values.
Your Professor
Elisabeth Poeter, Associate Professor of German, received her PhD in German Studies from the University of California at Berkeley and joined the Stetson faculty in 1995. Dr. Poeter teaches all levels of German language, German culture, film, and literature. Her main research interest is in educational philosophy with a focus on women’s education since the 18th century, medicine and religion during the Enlightenment, and contemporary literature by women and minority writers in German speaking countries. In recent years she has also found a new interest in international films and now teaches film courses regularly. She is also a faculty member in the Gender Studies Program and the director of the 6-week Stetson Summer School in Freiburg, Germany.
FSEM100-99A (CRN 5023) Life at the Intersection: Examining the Collision of Ideas, Innovations, and Culture
"What do termites and architecture have in common? Music records and airlines? And what does any of this have to do with healthcare, card games or cooking?"1 In this course, we will examine these questions and many more as we study and discuss how ideas and innovations come together in often explosive ways. We will use a study of the Medici Effect and other works to challenge ourselves to see beyond our own current expertise and to actively approach new situations, including the first year in college, in creative and game-changing ways.
Your Professor
John Tichenor is a jazz drummer who teaches in the Decision and Information Science department in the School of Business Administration. John has worn lots of Stetson hats over fifteen years, teaching statistics courses, serving as Director of Institutional Research, University Registrar, and occasional drummer in local jazz and rock groups including the faculty rock band, "Two-Piece Chicken Dinner." His academic background includes the B.A. and M.A. from Baylor University and Ph.D. in sociology from Florida State University. John and his family enjoy traveling and often participate in Stetson's Study Abroad program in Innsbruck, Austria.
FSEM100-99B (CRN 5024) Applying Self Awareness to College and Career
This course will engage you in a process of self-assessment, reflection, and dialogue. You will have the opportunity to better understand yourself and how that relates to both enjoying and succeeding in college and in your (personal and professional) life. Significant parts of the course will include talking with your peers, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, values clarification, and objective feedback.
Your Professor
Dr. Greg McCann is a teacher, coach, consultant, entrepreneur, business owner, and professional speaker. He works with family businesses all over the U.S. and abroad. He comes from a family business and was a Stetson business major right after the last ice age. Since 1990 he has been on the Stetson Business faculty and for the last 13 years he has worked with the next generation from families that have businesses. He is passionate about helping students and professionals gain greater awareness, increase their passion for their (personal and professional) lives, and develop their character.
FSEM100-99C (CRN 5025) Self-Assessment and Business Introduction
This course is designed to help students understand themselves and their environment as they make the transition into the collegiate program. Students, through a variety of self-assessment vehicles, will better understand their values, learning styles, and habits in order to create a successful academic life. In the business area, students will analyze and discuss the ways in which business and society interact. This includes gaining exposure to a diverse set of perspectives and how they interact in the business and societal relationship. Focus will be given to the major topics studied in business. Students will read several popular business books to better understand the importance of business in our daily lives. Since the professor of this course loves sports, we explore the many facets of sports and how it relates to business.
Your Professor
Dr. Gary Oliphant is the Chair of the Decision and Information Science department and a frequent co-author with his wife, Dr. Becky Oliphant. He holds a Ph.D. in Marketing and an MBA from Florida State University and M.Ed. in Computer Science and Mathematics from California University of Pennsylvania. He is certified in Project Management and in several different areas of SAP an enterprise software system. He has worked in several government agencies as a planning manager, in the nuclear field industry as system analyst, and owned several different companies, one of which was the second largest real estate publication in the United States. In his classes he makes theories come alive with real world business examples. He loves to play all sports, follows the Stetson athletic teams, and is a big Steeler, Pirate, and Penguin fan. He has played college basketball and continues to play baseball today. He has taught in the international program in Austria-Germany-Italy on both the MBA and undergraduate level for the past eight years and also accompanied the graduate students to China and Japan. Most recently, he and wife were with a group of graduate students in Tokyo, Japan, during the earthquake.
FSEM100-99D (CRN 5026) Self-Assessment and Business Introduction
This course is designed to help students understand themselves and their environment as they make the transition into studies in a collegiate business program. Students, through a variety of self-assessment vehicles, will better understand their values, learning styles, and habits for successful academic life. Students will complete projects and assignments that reinforce business-necessary skills such as team building, critical thinking, problem solving, and effective communication (oral presentations and writing assignments are major components of this course). Students will also complete a service-learning project as part of the course
Your Professor
Peggy Stahl, a management professor at Stetson University, holds an M.S. in Organization Development from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California and a B.A. in Political Science from Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. Throughout her life Stahl has been involved in a variety of business roles and held several management positions. Most of her time has been spent as an organization development consultant, involving a number of different industries. Most students expect to experience a stereotypical college class to earn the credits they need to be granted their degree. Everyday lectures followed by inevitable tests and quizzes are anticipated as the preferred schedule pattern for most courses by most professors. But, Stahl isn't most professors. She brings a unique prospective to her classrooms and operates in what some consider to be a fresh and contemporary way. Her courses involve many diverse experiential exercises that model real-world business scenarios encountered by many who graduate from Stetson University. Stahl was the recipient of 2008 Campus Life Faculty Appreciation Award, the 2010 Executive MBA Distinguished Professor Award, and is among those faculty members recognized for the 2010 School of Business Service Award.
FSEM100-99E (CRN 5027) Self-Assessment and Business Introduction
This course is designed to help students understand themselves and their environment as they make the transition into studies in a collegiate business program. Students, through a variety of self-assessment vehicles, will better understand their values, learning styles, and habits for successful academic life. Students will complete projects and assignments that reinforce business-necessary skills such as team building, critical thinking, problem solving, and effective communication (oral presentations and writing assignments are major components of this course). Students will also complete a service-learning project as part of the course.
Your Professor
A professor in the finance department, Dr. Chris Tobler spent six years as a journalist and 10 years as a small business owner prior to joining the faculty at Stetson in 2007. In addition to an MBA concentrating in international business and a Ph.D. in finance, he also has a Masters of Arts in English specializing in Modern and European Literature. A native of Arkansas, Dr. Tobler has traveled extensively throughout Europe and North America.
FSEM100-99F (CRN 5030) Self-Assessment, Critical Thinking and American Business
Author H. Jackson Browne is credited with the quote, "Find a job you like and you add five days to every week." This FSEM course is designed to help students to achieve this objective. The course encourages students to focus on their personal interests and skills through a sundry of creative and critical thinking exercises. The course also introduces students to the broad functions of a typical business enterprise including the disciplines of Marketing, Management, Finance and Accounting.
Your Professor
Dr. Scott Jones is an Assistant Professor of Marketing in the School of Business at Stetson. Dr. Jones received his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon and was also on the faculty at Clemson University. Dr. Jones teaches a variety of courses include "Consumers and the Marketplace" and "Sport Marketing".
FSEM100-99G (CRN 5235) Seven Habits of Highly Successful Entrepreneurs
One could call this seminar "How to Make a Difference". Entrepreneurs are not just businesspersons, they are folks who have a passion for what they do and want to be their own boss as they do it. But succeeding as an entrepreneur requires a combination of knowledge, skills, virtues, and attitudes that must be identified and cultivated. This freshman seminar will introduce students to these essential attributes through self-assessment, experiential exercises, teamwork, case studies, and meetings with successful entrepreneurs. Even if the student is not planning on owning his or her own business, the perspectives gained will be valuable to anyone aspiring to make a difference with their life.
Your Professor
Dr. Andrews directs Stetson's Prince Entrepreneurship Program at Stetson University and has over 17 years of experience on various company boards including 7 years as board chairman. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in Strategic Management and his M.I.M. degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. In addition, he earned his Certified Financial Manager designation with the Institute of Management Accountants and his Certified Mergers and Acquisitions Advisor certification with the Alliance of Mergers and Acquisition Advisors. He is an active member of the Florida Venture Forum - the South's largest association of venture capitalists.
FSEM-100-99H (CRN 5248) The Tipping Point
This course provides experiential opportunities for students to facilitate their self-understanding as they transition into a business program. We will examine and analyze factors leading to successes and failures in business, sports and other social sectors, and draw connections to the life experiences of students. Students will critically reflect on contemporary literature, and complete projects and assignments that reinforce vital business skills such as team building, critical thinking, problem solving, and effective written and oral communication.
Your Professor
Rosalie Carpenter holds an M.S. in Positive Organizational Development from Case Western Reserve University, and an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from the University of South Carolina. She also holds Certificates in Emotional Intelligence, Sustainability and Appreciative Inquiry, and has taught courses in Management and Business Communications. Since joining the University in 2003 Carpenter has held several positions in Student Activities, First Year Studies and Student Success. She has opened two businesses, is a sports fan and enjoys taking care of her 3 dogs.
FSEM100-99I (CRN 5263) Self Assessment and Business Introduction
This course is designed to help students understand themselves and their environment as they make the transition into studies in a collegiate business program. Students, through a variety of self-assessment vehicles, will better understand their values, learning styles, and habits for successful academic life. Students will complete projects and assignments that reinforce business-necessary skills such as team building, critical thinking, problem solving, and effective communication (oral presentations and writing assignments are major components of this course). Students will also complete a service-learning project as part of the course.
Your Professor
Mr. Morris W. Goodwin holds a BSBA degree from the University of Central Florida and earned his Masters in Business Administration degree from Stetson University in 1986. For 13 years, Mr. Goodwin has been a lecturer in the Decision and Information Sciences department, located in the School of Business Administration, and teaches Management Information Systems (MIS) courses. He is a member of the Microsoft Developer Network, the Association for Information Systems and the International Association for Computer Information. Mr. Goodwin is committed to ensuring that his students have a thorough understanding of technology at its best.
FSEM100-99J (CRN 5267) Applying Self Awareness to College and Career
This course will engage you in a process of self-assessment, reflection, and dialogue. You will have the opportunity to better understand yourself and how that relates to both enjoying and succeeding in college and in your (personal and professional) life. Significant parts of the course will include talking with your peers, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, values clarification, and objective feedback.
Your Professor
Peter Begalla, M.S., is an alumnus of Stetson University,where he received his Masters in Mental Health Counseling in 1998. He teaches Family Business courses at the School of Business Administration, Stetson University. Mr. Begalla has been a consultant and counselor for over 12 years and works intimately with small and medium sized business, creating strategies for the development of the business, and the development of the people within the business. He is enthusiastic about assisting businesses as well as students with successfully achieving their goals and long term strategies.
HON101- (01, 02) Enduring Questions: What Does It Mean To Live Sustainably?
(This FSEM offered to Honors Students only)
"We should live sustainably!" seems a recent exhortation, but perhaps it is no more than a return to the literary tradition of Utopias. Are we not telling stories about an intentional community based on idealistic visions? How do such comparisons between sustainability and Utopias fail to account for contemporary realities? What are the dystopic aspects of sustainability? Our course encourages students to explore assumptions about socio-environmental systems that animate social movements of every political stripe. Sustainability studies derive from the social sciences but students in our seminar will interrogate the movements with interpretive tools drawn from the Humanities: history, philosophy, and literature. Two professors, an environmental geographer and a philosopher, will lead first-year Honors students as they learn the rigors of critical-thinking and self-expression. At the end of the semester they apply those skills to real-world problems through independent projects.
Your Professors
Dr. Joshua Rust is an assistant professor of philosophy and faculty advisor to both the Philosophy Club and Film Club. A committed fan of all things pop-cultural, he's recently co-authored an essay in the bookTrue Blood and Philosophy. His wife gave birth to their first child, a big baby boy named Quinn, this past winter.
Tony Abbott is a Geographer and Political Ecologist (B.S./M.A.-UGA; Ph.D.-UMN). Research foci include agricultural biodiversity, clean energy, greenhouse gas and other environmental policy, and sustainability science with a longstanding regional interest in the Americas, especially Ecuador.