Fall 2013 Course List

Please consult ConnectCarolina (through MyUNC) for the most up-to-date information about FYS offerings and availability.

For more information about a specific instructor, please click on the instructor name.

African, African American, and Diaspora Studies (AAAD)
American Studies (AMST)
Anthropology (ANTH)
Art (ARTS)
Asian Studies (ASIA)
Chemistry (CHEM)
City and Regional Planning (PLAN)
Classics (CLAS)
Communication Studies (COMM)
Computer Science (COMP)
Dramatic Art (DRAM)
English (ENGL)
Exercise and Sport Science (EXSS)
Folklore (FOLK)
Geography (GEOG)
Geology (GEOL)
History (HIST)
Information and Library Science (INLS)
Interdisciplinary Studies (IDST)
Marine Sciences (MASC)
Mathematics (MATH)
Music (MUSC)
Philosophy (PHIL)
Physics (PHYS)
Political Science (POLI)
Psychology (PSYC)
Public Policy (PLCY)
Religious Studies (RELI)
Romance Languages and Literatures (ROML)
Slavic Languages and Literatures (SLAV)
Sociology (SOCI)
Statistics and Operations Research (STOR)
Women’s and Gender Studies (WMST)
Other Opportunities

African, African American, and Diaspora Studies

AAAD 50: Defining Blackness: National and International Approaches to African-American Identity
SS, US
TUTH, 9:30 – 10:45am
Timothy McMillan

America is an increasingly multicultural and diverse nation. And yet, the central concepts of race and diversity are often poorly defined. Racial categories have been used in the U.S. from the earliest colonial times, but their meanings have changed with every generation. What makes a person black in the 21st century is increasingly complex and a subject of much debate. In this seminar, we will focus on the creation of black identity in the U.S. and internationally. As we move beyond the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the United States, how does race play a role in our personal lives, our national identity, and our international concerns? Position papers written in response to films, readings, and blogs; class discussion; and a final documentary project exploring race and society will be used to enhance and evaluate students’ understanding of the meaning of blackness in the U.S. and the larger global community.

AAAD 51: Masquerades of Blackness
VP, US
TUTH, 9:30-10:45AM
Charlene Regester

This seminar is designed to investigate how the concept of race has been represented in cinema historically, with a particular focus on representations of race when blackness is masqueraded. Its intent is to launch an investigative inquiry into how African Americans are represented on screen in various time periods, how we as spectators are manipulated by these cinematic constructions of race, and how race is marked or coded other than through visual representation. Students will view films that deal with “passing” from the various historical periods and will utilize theoretical concepts introduced in the assigned reading material on racialized representations in these visual representations. Films selected for viewing include the pre-World War II Era, the Civil Rights Era, and the “Post-Racial” era. Students will be required to write three papers that reflect their ability to apply theoretical concepts to reading racialized representions on screen in these three historical periods and that demonstrate their understanding of how racial masquerades have evolved over time.

AAAD 52: Kings, Presidents, and Generals: Africa’s Bumpy Road to Democracy
BN, CI
TUTH, 2:00-3:15PM
Bereket Selassie

This seminar is designed to introduce students to Africa’s modern history and politics. Starting with a brief, recent history of the continent, we will focus on the variety of systems of government in Africa and the challenges facing them. Traditional institutions, juxtaposed with modern institutions, will be discussed with a special focus on the types of leadership involved in such institutions. A major part of the seminar will pose questions such as:

• What has been Africa’s record in the march toward democracy?
• What are the obstacles to democratic transition and how have Africans tried to overcome such obstacles?
• What are the roles of the constitutional systems and the forms of government in advancing democracy?
• What is the role of leadership?
• What difference does the type of leadership (monarchy, republican, etc.) make in the march toward democracy?

AAAD 89: African American Life Stories (NEW! Added 7/16/2013)
US
MWF, 9:00 – 9:50 am
Kenneth Janken

We can learn a lot about African American history by paying attention to the ways that individual African Americans write and talk about their own lives and the lives of their family and neighbors. You may think such a statement is only common sense, but, except when the subject is black celebrities or athletes, we are accustomed by mass media and our own habits of thought to think about African Americans as a faceless mass. Yet individuals have their own stories to tell and their own reasons for telling them. In this first-year seminar, students will explore the lives and experiences of a select group of individuals – some famous, others not so famous. We will read (and in some cases, listen to) their own words, and discuss what was unique about them, why they were compelled to tell their life stories, what unites them to others in their communities, and how reading them can enrich our understanding of African American history. Students will write short responses (about a page in length) to the assigned readings to help them prepare for class discussion. They will also write two longer essays (around six pages in length) that review, compare, and contrast the themes in some of the autobiographies. Guidelines for each type of assignment will be handed out and discussed in class. Students are expected to contribute actively to class discussion.

AAAD 89.002 The United Nations and the Challenges of Peace and Development in Africa
(NEW! Added 7/17/2013)
BN, GL
TUTH, 2:00 – 3:15PM
Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja

This seminar is designed to examine the UN role in Africa with respect to the challenges of sustainable peace and development, two of the international organization’s major objectives, along with human rights, humanitarian affairs, and international law. Starting with the instructor’s own experience in UN-led efforts in conflict prevention and resolution, as well as the promotion of democratic governance for sustainable development, the seminar will challenge students to reflect on both UN accomplishments and failures in these two areas. Topics of discussion include current UN peacekeeping missions in Africa and major issues of development such as the advancement of women, governance, the environment, and poverty eradication. Students will select topics for their research and class presentations in both areas, either individually or in groups of two or three.  A ten-page paper based on any of the two presentations is required.

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American Studies

AMST 89: Native American Artists
VP, US
MWF, 2:00 – 2:50PM
Jenny Tone-Pah-Hote

This seminar analyzes the multifaceted roles that Native American artists play within their families, communities, and the world at large, and connects Native American artists and art to vital conversations in American Indian studies such as colonialism, gender, and tribal sovereignty. It analyzes how Native people and others have created and contested the idea of the “Native American Artist.” It further explores how artists have represented themselves not just though their art but through other texts as well. We will examine the lives, works, and representation of Native American artists through biographical and autobiographical texts, articles, books, and art itself. The class encourages students to critically examine and analyze representations of Native artists and the items they have produced. It hones critical thinking skills though in-class discussion, informal, and formal writing assignments. Students will also produce a research paper and present their work in class.

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Anthropology

ANTH 53H: Darwin’s Dangerous Idea (Honors)
SS
TUTH, 3:30–4:45PM
Paul Leslie

Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection is central to one of the most profound revolutions in the history of thought, generating stunning insights but also some misunderstanding and tragic abuse. This seminar aims to provide a clear understanding of how natural selection works, and how it doesn’t work. We will examine objections to the theory; how the environmental and health problems we face today reflect processes of natural selection; and recent attempts to understand why we get sick, how we respond to disease, why we get old, why we choose mates the way we do, and more. Class sessions will feature a mix of lecture and discussion of concepts and issues. Students will also engage in small group projects—cooperative explorations of problems raised in class or in the readings, and/or designing mini-research projects.

ANTH 54: The Indians’ New Worlds: Southeastern Histories from 1200 to 1800
HS, US, WB
TUTH, 5:00–6:15PM
C. Margaret Scarry

By AD 1200, most Southeastern Indians were farmers who lived in societies ruled by hereditary chiefs. After 1500, encounters between Indians and Europeans changed the lives of all concerned, but the changes took place in, and were shaped by, existing cultures. This seminar uses reading, discussion, and lecture to examine the lives of Southern Indians and to understand how encounters and interaction with European explorers and colonists changed the worlds in which the Indians lived. Students will learn how archaeologists and historians work, both separately and together, to study the past of Native societies. Students will study and analyze archaeological artifacts, Spanish accounts of Southeastern Indians, and other primary materials in class. These activities, along with various role-playing exercises, will directly involve the students in the study of Native people in the period between 1200 and 1800. Grades will be based on class participation, two short papers, participation in a group project, and a final paper related to the group project.

ANTH 61: Deep Economies
SS, GL
TUTH, 11:00am–12:15PM
Rudolf Colloredo-Mansfeld

In Namibia, an ethnic group named the Ju/hoansi lived for 20,000 years by foraging and hunting—then they nearly gave up their way of life in eighteen months in the late 1970s. In Maine, lobster gangs in coastal towns attack rival lobstermen and defy marine biologists. Yet, in so doing, they have created one of the most productive fisheries in the world. And in Chicago, street level entrepreneurs work as mechanics, chefs, and child-care specialists using back allies, public parks and storefronts. Along the way they build a community economy that spans church ministries, downtown businesses, and the urban drug trade.

ANTH 64: Public Archaeology in Bronzeville, Chicago’s Black Metropolis
HS, NA
MWF, 10:00–11:50AM
Anna Sophia Agbe-Davies

The term “African diaspora” usually refers to the consequences of the transatlantic slave trade, but there have been many diasporas of people of African descent. One major movement took place in the U.S. in the early 20th century when millions of people left small southern communities for large industrial northern cities. This seminar examines that phenomenon through the lens of a single site where migrants lived in the city of Chicago. The Phyllis Wheatley Home for Girls was run by black women to provide social services for female migrants from 1926 through the 1960s. Research at this site combines elements of archaeology, anthropology, and history to study their lives. Students, working in teams, will have the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing research effort via analysis of written records and artifacts. This multidisciplinary project will be of interest to students curious about 20th century history, African-American culture, museums and heritage, women’s and gender studies, migration, and labor history.

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 Studio Art

ARTS 50: The Artistic Temperament
VP
TUTH, 9:30–10:45AM
James Hirschfield

This seminar – meant for students who have an interest in the arts, from any perspective and for any art form – examines the daunting yet important questions of how to advance and sustain one’s artistic production. We focus not only on what it means to be a successful artist, but also examine the importance of creativity and hard work in any successful venture. While looking at the work and lives of musicians (Hector Berlioz to the Beatles), playwrights (Shakespeare to Arthur Miller), film makers (Luis Brunuel to Werner Herzog), visual artists (Michelangelo to Alberto Giacometti), and even a tight-rope walker (Philippe Petit), we will grapple with what it means to be in the business of self-expression. The seminar is meant to help students understand who they are, and how in the words of Joseph Campbell they can “follow their bliss.” As we consider career options, two important questions will emerge: “What does it means to be an artist?” and “What lies before me?” Ultimately, the key to success in the arts is finding the physical and spiritual nourishment to continue, sustain, and move an artistic activity forward. We will focus not on the road to success per say, but also on driving down that road and learning to avoid the pot holes and muddy patches that can throw us off the road. Student projects will include written papers, written interviews, and a chance to create a self portrait through any artistic form.

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Asian Studies

ASIA 62 Women and Spirituality in Turkey
HS, BN
MWF, 8:00-8:50am
F. Cangüzel Zülfikar

This seminar is designed to examine both the historical and the contemporary aspects of women’s religiosity in today’s Islamic Turkey. Mystical interpretations and practices of Muslims are fairly common and inform a great many people’s understandings of self, the world, and the nation. We will discuss the various definitions of who and what constitutes a Sufi, their social engagement, and the controversies around gendered authority in these communities by examining the lives of spiritual Muslim women. While today women’s participations are more public, these are not entirely new developments, and we will also explore the role of women historically in these communities. We will also examine the ways in which the secular context of Turkey has shaped how Turkish women can and cannot express their religiosity. Sufi women from Turkey and their leadership will be examined by using primary and secondary sources, including documentaries and movies. At the end of the semester students will prepare final projects and present them based on their research and skits. This seminar requires students’ active participation in discussions.

ASIA 63: Japanese Tea Culture (CANCELED 5/8/2013)
HS, BN
TUTH, 9:30-10:45AM
Morgan Pitelka

This seminar will explore the history of tea culture in Japan with particular attention to the emergence in the 16th-17th centuries of the ritualized practice often referred to in English as the “tea ceremony” (chanoyu). Merchants, Buddhist monks, warlords, European Jesuits, and specialized “tea masters” all participated in this cultural practice, which remarkably has survived to the present day as a cornerstone of Japanese tradition. Students will investigate some of the following questions inside and outside of class: Where did the distinctive aesthetic principles of tea culture come from? What literary and historical sources are available for the study of tea? And how can we use extant art objects in institutions such as the Ackland Art Museum to understand the history of tea culture?

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Chemistry

CHEM 73: From Atomic Bombs to Cancer Treatments: The Broad Scope of Nuclear Chemistry
PL
TUTH, 2:00–3:15PM
Todd Austell

Nuclear chemistry is a field that touches the lives of everyone perhaps every day of their lives. This seminar will approach the topic of nuclear chemistry on the level of an introductory chemistry class with no prerequisite. Atomic structure, nuclear fission and nuclear fusion processes will be studied to provide the background necessary to understand their applications. Nuclear weapons and nuclear power will be covered in detail with discussion of topics relevant both for today’s society and for the future. Other topics including household applications, nuclear medicine, radiation safety, and the problematic issue of radioactive waste storage will be discussed. The seminar will include guest lecturers from the various fields of nuclear chemistry, selected reading assignments, topical student-led discussions, possible facility trips/tours, and a final project presentation on a relevant topic.

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City and Regional Planning

PLAN 53: The Changing American Job
CI, NA
TUTH, 9:30–10:45AM
Nichola Lowe

What will the U.S. labor market look like when first-year UNC students graduate four years from now? How will employment opportunities differ from those facing their parents and relatives a generation or two ago, or even those of recent college graduates? This seminar explores these questions by looking at the changing nature of the American job and the transformative forces—from global trade and outsourcing to corporate restructuring, deregulation and new skill demands—that have influenced this change in recent decades and have added to economic insecurity in recent years and in the aftermath of the “Great Recession.” We will consider how these forces are experienced differently by urban and rural residents, by men and women, and by members of different socio-economic and ethnic groups, including native-born and immigrant workers. We will also consider local and regional strategies for helping workers adapt to this changing economic environment. Class discussions and small group activities will help students think about the larger economic and policy implications of U.S. labor market restructuring. Through a series of research-backed “jobsblogs” and with help from career advisors, students will also reflect on how the forces behind this change might affect their own career goals and advancement opportunities.

PLAN 55: Sustainable Cities
SS
TUTH, 5:00–6:15PM
Todd BenDor

This seminar examines the sustainability of cities and regions. A sustainable community is one in which new development improves the quality of life of people in the community, while preserving environmental functions into the future. We will look at how cities have evolved and how different approaches to property rights and urban development affect sustainability and quality of life in America. We will critically examine a vision for more sustainable places, and we will look at actions that can be taken by citizens, businesses, and governments to help improve sustainability. In this seminar, students will engage in discussions about the economic, social, and environmental conditions of cities, and make presentations about urban sustainability topics that interest them. Students will also examine several different cities in detail to understand how their actions have transformed their urban environments. By the end of this seminar, students will understand what constitutes a sustainable urban community and be able to articulate the major threats to sustainable development. Students will also have developed a sound base of knowledge about the validity, effectiveness, feasibility, strengths and weaknesses of various strategies and methods for fostering sustainability.

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Classics

CLAS 56: Women and Men in Euripides
LA, NA, WB
MWF, 3:00–3:50PM
Owen Goslin

No other ancient writer explored the relationship between the sexes as acutely as the tragedian Euripides, and none has inspired such visceral reaction from ancient and modern audiences. How did Euripides shape the Greek mythological tradition to interrogate contemporary conceptions of gender? Why did this writer, working within a society as patriarchal as ancient Athens, create such socially transgressive heroines as Medea and Phaedra? And why have critics, from ancient Athens to today, reached such divergent judgments about the tragedian, with some labeling him a ‘misogynist’ and others a ‘proto-feminist’? This seminar will discuss these and related questions through a close reading of nine Euripidean plays that have had a profound influence on drama and literature for over two millenia. In the final weeks of the seminar we will also watch and discuss some modern adaptations – by the filmmakers Cacoyannis, Pasolini, and Lars von Trier – in order to consider Euripides’ relevance to today’s gender concerns. Since scenes of verbal contest are characteristic of Euripidean tragedy, assignments will include short oral presentations in the form of a debate about the choices made by the various characters. Written assignments will consist of three short papers and a final comprehensive examination.

CLAS 71H: The Architecture of Empire
HS, BN, WB
TUTH, 3:30–4:45PM
Jennifer Gates-Foster

This seminar investigates how ancient empires used architecture to express their particular values and philosophies, including their views on religion, the nature of the monarchy, and their own stature within the broader world. In addition we will consider how the built environment shaped the experience of individuals in ancient societies, particularly their experience of power in imperial contexts. The ancient empires to be examined are those of Egypt, the Hittites, Assyria, Persia, Athens, and Rome. Classes will be discussion based and will focus on the close analysis of city plans, monuments, and other archaeological materials. Students will give short oral reports and undertake a creative project based on ancient empires that will culminate in a final essay. Readings will be provided.

CLAS 89: The Politics of Persuasion in the Ancient and Modern World
CI, WB
MWF, 1:00–1:50PM
Luca Grillo

This seminar explores the theory and practice of Greek and Roman oratory in comparison with contemporary speeches. Are there rules for crafting a successful speech? What does a speech reveal about the assumptions and mentality of its audience? How much do Greek and Roman oratory affect the way we construct and evaluate a speech today? Oratory will be considered both as a discipline with its own laws and practices and as a window into the values and debates that animate the public life of a people. We will do close readings of key passages and orations and analyze their rhetorical structure and argument; then, having mastered the basics of the Greco-Roman “politics of persuasion,” we will compare speeches from other civilizations, including the ancient Near East, the Bible, ancient China and India. Assignments will include not only essays on major themes in classical rhetoric and on their reception in modern discourse, but also close readings of key passages and orations, and analysis of their rhetorical structure and argument. Discussion-based classes will focus on readings taken not only from Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Demosthenes, and Cicero but also from past history and from the modern era (e.g. George Washington, Dr. King, Hitler, Churchill, and the 2012 presidential candidates). Students will work closely with the instructor to craft a speech, which they will deliver to the rest of the class at the end of the course.

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Communication Studies

COMM 53: Collective Leadership Models for Community Change
SS, EE
TUTH, 3:30–4:45PM
Patricia Parker

In this seminar we explore the possibilities for collective leadership involving youth and adults in vulnerable communities. Course readings, guest speakers, and class field trips will provide exemplars of collaborative leadership models that engage people across traditional divides of culture, race, economics, and age. Students will work in teams to research, design, and implement community-based change projects focusing on three key strategies that engage youth as leaders and stakeholders in communities: youth media arts, youth organizing, and youth participatory action research. Students will present their projects (orally and through multi-media documentation) in class, and may be selected to present their work at the biennial leadership conference first convened in 2009 and organized by participants in the inaugural class of this seminar. Throughout the semester, each seminar participant will write a series of short essays reflecting on the collective leadership models and their own community engagement.

COMM 89: Understanding Place through Rhetoric
PH
MWF, 12:00–12:50PM
Bill Balthrop

Every moment of our lives is spent in some “place.” We live in various places; we work in places; we play in places; we remember and sanctify certain places. This seminar will explore how it is that we come to understand what and how these places are meaningful in our lives. In doing so, we will look at such places “rhetorically”—that is, how were they designed to persuade those of us who inhabit them, how we actually experience them, and how we make sense of them in terms of our individual lives as members of families, communities, and as citizens of the nation. We will seek to understand these places through readings from different disciplines, field trips to a number of sites (including the Carolina campus, Franklin Street, shopping malls, commemorative sites, and others), class discussion, short reaction papers and reports, and a group research report at the end of the semester.

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Computer Science

COMP 60: Robotics with LEGO®
QI
TUTH, 2:00–3:15 pm
Henry Fuchs

We will explore the process of design, and the nature of computers, by designing, building, and programming LEGO robots. We will learn how to program computers to read sensor values, to control actuators, and to perform increasingly complex tasks. Each student will be lent, for the semester, a complete Lego Mindstorms NXT kit. Once or twice during the semester we will hold friendly competitions to evaluate our robots. Some time during the semester, each student will individually study and make a presentation on a chosen aspect or application of robotics. Previous programming experience is not required.

COMP 89.072: Everyday Computing
PL
MW, 11:00aAM-12:15PM
Ming Lin

We will study various examples on how computing technology affects different aspects of our daily life in today’s society, including artistic and creative processes, bioinformatics, computer animation, computer game dynamics, digital music and audio synthesis, medical simulation and training, robotics and automation, special effects generation, and virtual environments. Students will learn about computational thinking for solving many different problems in the physical and virtual world. Building upon the foundation from classroom seminars and invited guest lectures from industry and within the academia, students will engage in an in-depth study of one particular cutting-edge topic (e.g. computational sciences, multimedia for assistive technology, game design, etc.) of interest to them, thereby allowing issue-specific research by individual students while covering a wide range of materials. No prerequisites are required, but basic literacy in using a computer is helpful.

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Dramatic Art

DRAM 81H: Staging America: The American Drama (Honors)
VP, CI, NA
TUTH, 2:00-3:15PM
Gregory Kable

This seminar examines our national drama from its colonial origins to the present. Students will read plays and criticism, screen videos, engage in critical writing, and explore scenes in performance as related means of exploring the visions and revisions constituting American dramatic history. We will approach American drama as both a literary and commercial art form, and look to its history to provide a context for current American theater practice. Readings are chosen for their intrinsic merit and historical importance, but also for their treatment of key issues and events in American life. Our focus throughout will be on the forces that shaped the American drama as well as, in turn, drama’s ability to shed new light on the national experience.

DRAM 83: Spectacle in the Theatre
VP
MWF, 11:00-11:50AM
David Navalinsky

This seminar will explore the artists, art and technology involved in creating the world of the play. It is intended as an overview for students who want to learn about design but who may prefer to act or direct, or (even) attend or study plays. Several plays will be carefully considered within the context of stage spectacle. Students will use these plays to create their own designs in the areas of scenery, costumes, and lighting. Careful historical research, close reading and analysis, text and source material, and collaboration will be the focus of the student projects. In addition, the seminar will look at theatrical technology and how spectacle has evolved from the Greeks to Cirque du Soleil.

DRAM 87H: Style: A Mode of Expression (Honors)
VP, CI, NA
TUTH, 9:30-10:45AM
McKay Coble

Consider Oscar Wilde’s statement from The Decay of Living 1889: “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life. This results not merely from Life’s imitative instincts, but from the fact that the self conscious aim of Life is to find expression, and that Art offers it certain beautiful forms through which it may realize that energy…” Do you agree or disagree? This seminar studies the elements of design in their pure form, surveys a history of period styles and theatre, and identifies their causes.

Art and design have frequently shown the inner life of humankind throughout history better than political, intellectual, or social history. While a period’s style is seldom defined by the everyday choices of everyday people and is most often recorded in the works of artists, writers and intellectuals must recognize the “times” as a major motivator for all stylistic choices. Even minor arts reflect major events.

We will study the elements of design as they exist in their pure form; a “tool box” of elements available to artists and practice the principles to which design is bound. We will survey a history of period styles, period theatre and identify their causes. We will explore one period’s style as a foundation for the next and dispel the Star Trek premise that future styles will only reflect the future. Student progress will be assessed through an in-class presentation on a topic of period style or context and final creative project/paper. The text for the class is A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor which will be a daily discussion.

DRAM 88: Ecology and Performance
VP, EE
TUTH, 2:00-3:15PM
Karen O'Brien

This seminar will guide students through the process of researching, developing, and producing new performance works inspired by socio-ecological issues. This task will involve: an understanding and practicing of a range of performance techniques; an understanding of the development of “green theatre” and core principles surrounding notions of sustainability; research and engagement with current ecological debates; and the ability to integrate these elements in the form of a new ecologically-driven dramatic work for performance. The seminar will culminate in the presentation of new works aimed at promoting ecological sustainability. The seminar is student-directed and focused on experiential learning. Students will be assigned weekly readings and will conduct student-driven research. Students will be expected to keep a journal throughout the semester, to present individual research, to collaborate with a group to integrate research into performance, and to attend one group field outing to a non-profit organization that promotes sustainability and one performance event outside of the scheduled course time. No prerequisites are required.

DRAM 89: The Heart of the Drama: Fundamentals of Acting, Playwriting and Collaboration
VP, EE
TUTH, 12:30-1:45PM
Mark Perry

The goal of this seminar is to get you doing theatre, to spark your creativity, and to connect you with the deeper lessons of this dynamic art form. You will act. You will write. You will work with others. It won’t always be easy, but if you are willing to stretch yourself, you should have a great time. Each lesson is organized around a principle or virtue inherent in the practice of the art. Participants study a quotation or two that relate to that principle and then engage in drama exercises that spring from that principle. By the end of the course, you will have gained skills to make you comfortable to write, stage, and perform your own 10 minute plays. Not just for those interested in pursuing theatre, this seminar will give you a more holistic understanding of essential principles in the practice of your life.

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English

ENGL 53: Slavery and Freedom in African American Literature and Film
LA, US
MWF, 1:00-1:50PM
William Andrews

The purpose of this seminar is to explore the African American slave narrative tradition from its 19th-century origins in autobiography to its present manifestations in prize-winning fiction and film. The most famous 19th-century slave narrative, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845) was an international best seller. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861), the amazing but utterly truthful story of Harriet Jacobs’s slave experience in Edenton, North Carolina, is extensively read and taught in college and university classrooms around the world. In the 20th century, many important African American autobiographies and novels—Washington’s Up From Slavery (1901), Wright’s Black Boy (1945), Ellison’s Invisible Man (1952), Haley’s The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), and Morrison’s Beloved (1987) —are products, formally and thematically, of the ongoing slave narrative tradition. The slave narrative has also given rise to a number of notable films, from major studio releases like Spielberg’s Amistad (1997) to TV-films like Charles Burnett’s Nightjohn (1996). The 1977 television series based on Haley’s Roots enabled the slave narrative tradition to have a profound impact on late 20th-century American culture. Slave narratives have also had strong influence on popular films such as Blade Runner (1982), The Handmaid’s Tale (1990), and Django Unchained (2013). Because of the widespread incidence of human trafficking and other forms of involuntary servitude in the world today, slavery remains a major human rights issue.

The seminar will examine many of the texts and films mentioned in the previous paragraph. Students will discuss the readings and films in class, and in on-line discussion forums. Students will work on the North American Slave Narrative Web site, providing research on a narrative of their choice and posting that research for the use of its world-wide readership. Students will also have the opportunity to research and write about the impact of slavery on their family history or on the town, city, or region they come from.

ENGL 72: Literature of 9/11
LA, CI, GL
MWF, 11:00-11:50AM
Neel Ahuja

This seminar will explore representations of the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath in literature and popular culture. Following an introduction to the concept of terrorism and to the production of knowledge about political violence in the fields of law, politics, religious studies, and terrorism studies, we will explore a diverse array of themes related to the 9/11 attacks and the “war on terror” as depicted in memoirs, poetry, novels, public art, graphic novels, film, and music: explanations of the causes and consequences of political violence; the role of religion in public culture and state institutions; national security discourse; mourning and public trauma; depictions of the US military in Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan; and the perspectives of detainees and minority communities on the attacks and their aftermath. Students will read and discuss both critical scholarship and literary texts, discuss major controversies in organized debates, compose two papers, and complete group presentations on topics of their choice.

ENGL 75: Interpreting the South from Manuscripts
HS, CI, EE
TUTH, 12:30-1:45PM
Connie Eble and Laura Clark Brown

The Southern Historical Collection, housed in the Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library, contains the raw materials of people’s lives—their letters, diaries, writings, scrapbooks, photographs, and other personal and professional documents that open windows to the past as it was lived. Students in this seminar will gain hands-on experience working with manuscript collections. By learning how to conduct archival research and how to analyze and interpret historical records, they will have opportunities to contribute to our understandings of the past and the past’s reflections in the present. This fall the seminar will focus on women in the American South between the first and second waves of feminism, roughly the 1920s through the early 1960s with some attention paid to the 1910s and earlier decades and to the 1970s.

The seminar is built around student-led class discussions of archival readings, a portfolio of short written responses to the readings, four short-form, analytical essays based on archival research, and a culminating research project producing a long-form essay and a formal oral presentation. Archival readings for class discussions will be available online, but the four essays and final project will require between 3–5 hours each working with original documents in Wilson Library. Most class meetings will be discussions led by small groups of students. Other class meetings will be viewings of documentaries and guest lectures by conservators, oral historians, and a photographic archivist.

Much attention is given to the fine points of oral presentation and excellent expository writing, including correct grammar and usage, and appropriate word choice and sentence structure. Students, who possess solid writing skills and who are comfortable expressing their ideas in class discussions, are well-suited to succeed in this seminar. Attendance and class participation are critical components of this seminar, and students are expected to attend every class.

ENGL 85H: Economic Saints and Villains: The Entrepreneurial Spirit in Early English Literature (Honors – Carolina Entrepreneurial Initiative)
LA, CI, WB
TUTH, 11:00AM-12:15PM
Ritchie Kendall

The rise of new economic activities—whether the birth of international banking, trading in future commodities, or the marketing of junk bonds—bring with them both excitement and trepidation. Literature about how ordinary and extraordinary people go about the business of getting and spending is one way that a culture comes to terms with emergent and potentially revolutionary economic formations. This seminar will explore how early modern England from the 16th to the 19th centuries imagined new economic orders through plays and novels. We will examine how Renaissance plays by Marlowe, Shakespeare, Dekker, and Heywood present economic scoundrels such as Barabas and Shylock as well as heroic entrepreneurs such as Simon Eyre and Thomas Gresham. In the 18th century we will sample the work of Daniel Defoe who crafted a guide for early tradesmen but also produced subversive novels with dubious heroines who use sex and business acumen to acquire and lose great fortunes. From the 19th century, we will read two works, a little known melodrama, The Game of Speculation, as well as the iconic A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Both stories speculate on the compatibility of economic and spiritual success. We will conclude with a modern epilogue: three satiric films from the era of Reagonomics including Oliver Stone’s Wall Street, Mike Nichols’ Working Girl, and Jon Landis’ Trading Places. Our objective throughout will be to analyze how literary art, itself a form of economic activity, simultaneously demonizes and celebrates the “miracle of the marketplace” and those financial pioneers that perform its magic.

ENGL 87: Jane Austen, Then and Now
VP
MWF, 1:00-1:50PM
Jeanne Moskal

The focus for this semester will be “Pride and Prejudice: Then, Now, and In Between.” Students will begin with in-depth reading of Austen’s 1813 novel and its treatment of sisters dispersed by the competition for a good marriage. We will then analyze adaptions, parodies, and extensions of Pride and Prejudice itself, in print and on film, as well as cultural migrations of Austen’s themes to other settings like Civil-War America, Tsarist Russia, present-day India, and present-day Utah.

ENGL 89: Imagining the Future (CANCELED 8/7/13)
LA, NA
TUTH, 12:30-1:45PM
Matthew Taylor

What will our world look like in 10 years? 50? 100? Will the future be a utopian paradise or a dystopian wasteland? Through a wide-ranging survey of popular science writing, novels, films, and manifestos, this seminar will examine fictional and nonfictional attempts to imagine the future, from the 19th century to the present. We will explore everything from futurology (the science and industry of predicting possible futures) and transhumanism (the movement to radically enhance human beings through emerging technologies) to warnings of imminent environmental collapse and depictions of post-apocalyptic landscapes. Our focus will be less on assessing the accuracy of these predictions and more on determining what they tell us about the hopes and fears of the present. Students will work individually and collaboratively in multiple formats, including group presentations, focused writing exercises, and in-class debates (the lecture portion of the seminar will be kept to a minimum). Occasional film screenings outside of class may be required.

ENGL 89H.001: Reading and Writing Women’s Lives (Honors)
LA
TUTH, 11:00AM-12:15PM
Jane Danielewicz

How do our lives become stories? This simple question provokes writers to produce autobiographies or memoirs or biographies. This honors seminar narrows the scope, focusing on contemporary stories that involve personal and lived experience by and about women. Not only will we be reading autobiographical stories and theories that describe women’s experience, but we will also try producing creative nonfiction ourselves. What stories will students—as women or as men—tell about their lives? Students will be challenged to investigate questions of self and identity by composing (using traditional written or new media formats) four genres of life writing during the seminar: autobiography, autoethnography, biography, and personal essay. Students will learn the research methods involved in life writing. The seminar will be conducted as a workshop to promote interactive, experiential learning. Students will be organized into working groups to facilitate community building. Published authors will visit the class. Students will publish their own work through public readings and on-line venues.

ENGL 89H.002: Horror (Honors – John L. Townsend III FYS in English)
MWF, 11:00-11:50AM
Tyler Curtain

Why Horror? The world is filled with terrors and horrors. The question is, do we need a literature to tell us this? Shouldn’t we be reading works that offer roadmaps to what is good and beautiful? In times like these, shouldn’t a university student be reading the great works of Western Civilization? Those works, we are told, will provide us with solace for cultural decline, and a blueprint to a moral order during an age of corruption and self-interest. The Horror genre includes works that are terrifying, scary, creepy, and (appropriately) horrific. The genre is also deeply moralistic. Promiscuity? Punished with dismemberment. Sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll? Certain to be preludes to awful deaths. From Lot’s wife to Salem’s Lot, we will discuss horror-as-morality. For the first class, please read two tales. The first is Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery. The second, Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. On the first class, we will discuss those two great short stories as we start a semester-long conversation about what counts as horror and how the world is ordered.

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Exercise and Sports Science

EXSS 51 Entrepreneurship in Human Performance and Sport (Carolina Entrepreneurial Initiative)
EE
TUTH, 9:30-10:45AM
Deborah Stroman

Interested in learning the necessary fundamentals of starting your own business in the sport industry? This seminar provides inquisitive students an introduction to entrepreneurship and its application in the world of human performance and sport business. There is a substantial body of knowledge, concepts, and tools that business owners need to know before “stepping out on their own.” This seminar explores creativity exercises and introduces entrepreneurial business tools inspiring students to develop and seek out profitable opportunities and/or serve as social entrepreneurs whose goal is to make a difference in the solving of world problems. There is an endless customer base of sports aficionados, customers, fans, patients, and spectators willing to pay for a quality product and/or service. The following concepts are specifically applied to sport entrepreneurial opportunities: the characteristics of entrepreneurs, writing business plans, developing the business model, entrepreneurial marketing, sales, technology usage, finance and fund-raising, building a successful team, and exit strategies. The FYS will use lectures, group activities, case study analysis, videos, mini-presentations, and lively class discussions. Guest lecturers will visit to provide expert real-life knowledge and insight on entrepreneurship. Our goal is to answer questions such as “What are some of the pitfalls, minefields, and hazards I need to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to?” “What are the contacts and networks I need to access and develop?” How can I recognize when an opportunity is more than just another good idea and if it fits my personal mindset, capabilities, and life goals?”

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Folklore

FOLK 77: The Poetic Roots of Hip-Hop: Hidden Histories of African American Rhyme
VP, US
TUTH, 12:30-1:45PM
Glenn Hinson

“There ain’t nothing new about rapping.” That’s what elders from a host of African American communities declared when hip-hop first exploded onto the scene. This “new” form, they claimed, was just a skilled re-working of poetic forms that had been around for generations. Each elder seemed to point to a different form—some to the wordplay of rhyming radio deejays, others to the bawdy flow of street-corner poets, still others to the rhymed storytelling of sanctified singers. And each was right; elegant rhyming has indeed marked African American talk for generations. Yet because most such rhyming was spoken, its history remains hidden. This seminar will explore this lost history, searching the historical record to uncover hidden heritages of African American eloquence, rhymed storytelling, and sharp social critique. Our goal is nothing short of re-writing hip-hop’s history, by revealing the everyday poetries that, for generations, have defined what it means to be African American. Towards this end, student teams will conduct original archival research, which will lead to class presentations and individual papers; students will also attend a range of poetic events during the semester.

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Geography

GEOG 56: Local Places in a Globalizing World
SS, GL
M, 3:00-5:30PM
Altha Cravey

Globalization is a word we hear every day, but what does it mean for us in local places? Specifically, what can an understanding of globalization tell us about Carolina and nearby places? This seminar weaves together perspectives on globalization with hands-on exploration of Carolina and its place in today’s global “knowledge economy,” and the University’s founding in relation to the globalizing forces of that day. Our focus will shift back and forth between the global and the local, even to the microscale of our campus. We will learn through a variety of experiences and approaches, including fieldwork, old documents, and some introductory GIS (geographic information systems) exercises in addition to readings, class discussion, and group work. By the end of the seminar, students will not only have an understanding of globalization and the very real connections between the global and the local, but also a unique perspective on our university.

GEOG 64: Historical Geography of Vietnam
HS, BN
MWF, 2:00-2:50PM
Christian Lentz

What do we think of when we think of Vietnam? For many, Vietnam was and remains a war that haunts veterans, families, and politicians. But to think only of the “Vietnam War” overlooks a country and its story. In fact, many Vietnamese wonder why Americans are so preoccupied with the “American War”!

We will explore modern Vietnam in order to situate the American War in a broader spatial and historical context. Landscapes range from forests, over mountains, through fields, and down stream to river deltas. Vietnamese move from village to city, meander through cafes and rice paddies, cross oceans and land again. Our journey begins with royal unification and collapse, winds through colonialism and nationalist struggles, pauses in the Cold War, and ends with ongoing reforms. This seminar aims to introduce a fascinating place rich in history and to animate a geographic imagination students can take anywhere. Through forays to the university library and media center, we learn how to locate and appreciate fact and fiction, primary and secondary sources, text and picture, film and map. Through reading and writing exercises as well as class viewings and discussions, students encounter new points of view, engage scholarly debates, and develop informed perspectives.

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Geology

GEOL 72H: Field Geology of Eastern California (Honors)
PL, EE
TUTH, 2:00-3:15PM
Drew Coleman

This seminar will be designed around a one-week field trip to eastern California, where students will study geologic features including active volcanoes, earthquake-producing faults, evidence for recent glaciations and extreme climate change, and how locals deal with living on active geologic features. Before the field trip (which will take place the week of Fall Break and be based at the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab, Mammoth Lakes, California), the seminar will meet twice a week to go over basic geologic principles and to work on specific field topics for which student groups will be responsible. During the trip students will work on small projects (e.g., making a geologic map; measuring, and describing an active fault; observing and recording glacial features on a hike), and collect samples for an original, small group, research project. After the field trip students will complete laboratory analysis of samples and present the results of their research to the department. Grading will be based on the research, group work presented on the trip, and on a variety of small projects during the trip (notebook descriptions, mapping projects, etc.). Students will be required to pay some of the costs (estimated about $850). This seminar will require missing three days of classes.

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History

HIST 72H: Women’s Voices: 20th-Century European History in Female Memory (Honors)
HS, CI, NA
M, 4:00-6:30PM
Karen Hagemann

The seminar examines 20th century European history through the lens of women’s autobiographical writings. It explores women’s voices from different generational, social, and national backgrounds. We will read and discuss autobiographical texts by six women, who grew up in middle class families in Austria, Britain, France, and Germany and wrote about their lives in the first half of the 20th century. They all tried to make a difference in society and politics: Emmeline Pankhurst (1958-1928), a leader of the British suffragette movement; Alice Salomon (1872-1948), a liberal Jewish-German social reformer; Vera Brittain (1893-1970), a British peace activist and writer; Toni Sender (1888-1964), one of the first female parliamentarians in Weimar Germany; Genevieve De Gaulle-Anthonioz (1920-2002), a French resistance fighter and a survivor of the women’s concentration camp Ravensbrück; and Ruth Klüger (1931-), an Austrian-Jewish student who survived Auschwitz and became a professor in the U.S. The overarching theme of the seminar is the struggle of women for equal economic, social and political rights. We will explore what effects political changes, revolutions and wars as well as the Holocaust had on this struggle and the lives of women more general. Through intensive discussions of the reading in class, group work and the opportunity to write a research papers on a female autobiography of their own choice, the seminar offers students a unique approach to 20th century European history and will introduce them to historical research and writing.

HIST 89: Emperors, Courts and Consumption: The Mughals of India (John L. Townsend III FYS in History)
BN, WB
TUTH, 11:00AM-12:15PM
Emma Flatt

The Mughal Empire (1526-1858) is not only one of the most well-known of South Asian polities, it was also the grandest and longest lasting empire in Indian history. At its height this empire covered almost the entire subcontinent and its rulers and elites were responsible for much of the iconic architecture and painting associated with India in the popular mind today. Rich in textual, material and visual primary sources, in recent years this period has been the focus of vibrant and exciting scholarly work, which has re-evaluated long-held assumptions about the nature of pre-modern South Asia. Through a study of autobiographical texts, contemporary accounts, objects, architecture and later representations in scholarly works, films, novels, and Wikipedia entries, we will analyze the complex ways in which this powerful dynasty portrayed itself and the various ways it is remembered today.

HIST 89H: Water in the Middle East (Honors – John L. Townsend III FYS in History)
HS, GL
TUTH, 2:00-3:15PM
Sarah Shields

This seminar will introduce students to the recent history of the Middle East and the Aegean, to the importance of the environment in analyzing the past, and to the methods historians use to understand the past. This seminar will focus on encouraging critical analysis of sources and thinking about the multiple causes of events in the past. Historians emphasize that “facts” are not sufficient, that it is necessary to bring a critical eye to sources, that events cannot be understood independent of their context, and that they make sense only when they can be marshaled into evidence to support coherent interpretations of the past. For first year students, learning to differentiate between “opinion” and “interpretation” is essential, and historical methodology can provide the background necessary to both create and analyze arguments based on evidence. The seminar will also make the connection between history and policy, insisting that today’s water issues in the region cannot be understood outside of their historical contexts.

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Interdisciplinary Studies

IDST 89: Magic, Religion, and Science – from the Middle Ages to the Present
HS
TUTH, 11:00AM-12:15PM
Instructor of record: David Pfennig
Royster fellows: Maia Dedrick, Melati Nungsari, Shaily Patel

From Harry Houdini to Harry Potter, the concept of magic has fascinated the modern imagination.
This seminar explores the various ways in which ‘magic’ is constructed. Is magic something that is distinct from religion? Or have we simply labeled something ‘magical’ when it doesn’t conform to our notions of ‘religious’? Is there a difference between shamanism and medicine if both practices are designed to heal? This seminar examines the distinctions between magic, religion, and science through various frameworks including anthropology, sociology, and economics. We will use these frameworks
to analyze how definitions of magic, religion, and science are constructed and maintained. We will consider magical practices and discourses that cover a range of topics from alchemy to witchcraft trials. Through this seminar, students will learn how to negotiate distinctions between magic, religion, and science, and develop an awareness of the various factors that precipitate these classifications. Students will keep a weekly reading journal, conduct independent research, and participate in a mock trial for the practice of magic or witchcraft.

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Information and Library Science

INLS 89: Social Movements and New Media
SS
TUTH, 12:30-1:45PM
Zeynep Tufekci

Movements ranging from uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and beyond to “Occupy” protests in the United States have been using new media technologies to coordinate, organize, and intervene in the public sphere as well as to document, share, and shape their own stories. Using a range of tools from Facebook to Twitter, from satellite modems to landlines to ad-hoc mesh networks, these movements have made their mark in history. The objective of this seminar is to enhance our conceptual and empirical understanding of the interaction between the new media ecology and social change. We will explore various approaches to studying social movements and social change and look at specific cases. Governments and powerful institutions are also responding to the challenge posed by the emergence of the Internet as a mundane and global technology. From increased surveillance and filtering capacity, to delivering propaganda over the Internet to their own, governments around the world are broadening their repertoire of social, technical, and legal tools for control and suppression of—and through—the Internet. We will explore the integration of new media tools within these movements as well governmental and institutional responses to these developments. Materials for this class will include readings, videos (not to be viewed in class but as material to be viewed), and a variety of visiting speakers (both in person and via Skype).

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Journalism and Mass Communication

JOMC 89: Entrepreneurism in American Journalism (Carolina Entrepreneurial Initiative)
HS, NA
TUTH, 12:30-1:45PM
Ferrel Guillory

This seminar considers the development of news through radio, through television, through newspapers and magazines and now through digital means of delivery. Throughout the seminar, students will examine enterprising journalists and journalistic institutions—and their roles in assembling both a mass audience and niche audiences —and how in doing so they exert influence on the political and cultural dynamics of the United States. This seminar seeks to give students experience in writing interpretative journalism. It places a special focus on analyzing the formation of journalistic enterprises, and students will have an opportunity to produce their own entrepreneurial ideas for journalistic enterprises that fit current technology and that serve to inform the public agenda. At the conclusion of the seminar, students will have a deeper appreciation for ethics, media-citizen relationships, and the complexities of people wielding power through a free press in a free, democratic society.

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Marine Sciences

MASC 55: Change in the Coastal Ocean
PL
TUTH, 9:30-10:45AM
Christopher Martens

This seminar provides students with opportunities to explore recent changes in marine and terrestrial environments caused by the interactions of fascinating oceanographic processes. Class presentations and discussions focus on the work of active marine scientists who combine their traditional disciplinary research with knowledge and skills from other fields as needed to understand new environmental challenges. This cross-cutting scientific approach prepares class members to recognize important connections between traditional disciplines to discover interdisciplinary research areas that they might wish to further explore during their undergraduate careers at Carolina. In preparation for discussions, laboratory demonstrations, and occasional visits to field sites, we read a series of recently published, non-technical research papers. We use information from those papers plus current research at Carolina to investigate how biological, geological, physical, and geochemical processes interact to influence coastal, open-ocean, and tropical environments. Students will participate in “video- and photo-trips” during classes, laboratory demonstrations using state-of-the art instrumentation in our laboratories, and “hands on” mini-experiments designed to emphasize the importance of the scientific question rather than just the technology involved. Please note that this seminar has no prerequisites.

MASC 57: From “The Sound of Music” to “The Perfect Storm”
PL, QI
TUTH, 12:30-1:45PM
Alberto Scotti

We are constantly surrounded by phenomena that are wave-like in nature. We communicate over short distances with sound waves, and we use electromagnetic waves to communicate over long distances. We see waves when we stand at beach, and the weather we experience is controlled very often by wave-like features of the jet stream. In this seminar, we will develop the conceptual framework necessary to understand waves, starting from laboratory observations. The main goal is to explore the common traits of waves, and how these traits can be used to enhance our understanding and to predict the outcome of a broad range of important physical phenomena.

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Mathematics

MATH 58: Math, Art, and the Human Experience
QI
TUTH, 12:30-1:45PM
Mark McCombs

This seminar is designed to engage students in an exploration of the relevance of mathematical ideas to fields typically perceived as “non-mathematical” (e.g., art, music, film, literature). Equally important will be an exploration of how these “non-mathematical” fields influence mathematical thought. Seminar activities and assignments have been designed to illuminate the fact that even the most complex mathematical concepts grow out of real people’s attempts to understand their world. By the end of the seminar, students should be able to

• Identify and assess how mathematical ideas influence and are influenced by ideas expressed through art, music, literature, religion, etc.
• Compare and contrast different philosophies concerning the nature of mathematics
• Articulate their own well-reasoned ideas concerning the nature of mathematics
• Discuss the evolution of fundamental mathematical concepts in a historical as well as a cultural context
• Discuss the work and lives of important mathematicians in relation to the “non-mathematical” work of their contemporaries
• Identify and assess how their own understanding of mathematical ideas influences the way they interact with the world

Seminar assignments and activities will include weekly readings and short homework writing assignments (2–3 paragraphs), quizzes, and a portfolio of mathematical art (e.g., painting, origami, poetry, music). No prerequisite is required.

MATH 62H: Combinatorics (Honors)
QI
TUTH, 11:00AM-12:15PM
Ivan Cherednik

The seminar is an excellent background for future specialists in mathematics, physics, computer science, biology, economics, for those who are curious what statistical physics is about, what is cryptography, and how stock market works, and for everyone who likes mathematics. The seminar will be organized around the following topics:

1) Puzzles: dimer covering, magic squares, 36 officers
2) Combinations: from coin tossing to dice and poker
3) Fibonacci numbers: rabbits, population growth, etc.
4) Arithmetic: designs, cyphers, introduction to finite fields
5) Catalan numbers: from playing roulette to the stock market

Students will learn about the history of Combinatorics, its connections with the theory of numbers, its fundamental role in the natural sciences and various applications. It is an advanced research seminar (but has no prerequisites); all students are expected to participate in projects under the supervision of the instructor and the Graduate Research Consultant. The grades will be based on exams, bi-weekly homework assignments, and participation in the projects. The seminar requires focus and effort, but generally, the students have been quite satisfied with the progress they make (and their grades too).

MATH 89: Networks: The Science of the Connected World
QI
TUTH, 9:30-10:45AM
Peter Mucha

We live in a connected world, where the confluence of the different connections—social, political, financial, informational, technological, biological, behavioral, epidemiological—affects virtually every aspect of our lives. The study of networks provides a language for describing these connections and for attempting to describe the resulting impacts. Most people are familiar with the concept of a network in terms of hyperlinked Web pages or online social networks; but networks are also useful for studying a wider variety of applications, with “nodes” representing actors of interest and connecting “edges” representing relationships. We will explore the roles of networks in public health, political activity, economic markets, workplace interactions, and internet search, among others. We will explore classical ideas in graph theory, fundamental concepts in social network analysis, and more recent developments in network science. We will also meet with guest speakers who are leading mathematical and social scientists studying networks.

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Music

MUSC 65: Music and Culture: Understanding the World through Music (CANCELED 5/21/2013)
VP, NA
TUTH, 11:00am-12:15PM
Emil Kang & James Moeser

This seminar will focus on the incredibly wide variety of performances in the Carolina Performing Arts. Through attendance at performances, research on works being performed and on the performing artists themselves, including opportunities to meet these artists, students will explore questions such as: How does music reflect culture? What makes a great work of musical art? What is the relationship between composition and performance? What are the obligations of the performer to the composer? What goes into the preparation of a performance? What is the impact of the audience on the performer? How much improvisation takes place in a live performance? What makes a particular performance outstanding, or by contrast, unsuccessful? We will also examine the ideas of virtuosity, curiosity, and re-invention. Students will be provided tickets and will be expected to attend all performances listed below. Musical ability and training is not a requirement for this seminar, although students with musical experiences are welcome. Program and dates are subject to change.

Students will attend these performances:

September 27, 2013 – Maceo Parker | George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic
October 3, 2013 – The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
October 8, 2013 – L-E-V with Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar
October 23, 2013 – András Schiff, piano – The Goldberg Variations
October 29, 2013 – Chris Thile, mandolin
November 4, 2013 – The Manganiyar Seduction
TBD – Jimmy Cliff
November 12, 2013 – Taj Mahal, Vusi Mahlasela, and Deva Mahal – World Blues

MUSC 89: Marketing Music (Carolina Entrepreneurial Initiative)
VP
TUTH, 9:30-10:45AM
Chérie Rivers Ndaliko

This seminar takes the perspective of the modern musician, and explores how digital technology shapes the creation, dissemination, and promotion of music in a global context. Particular topics of study may include: the creative, legal, and ethical implications of digital composition, the changing shape and role of the recording studio, the digital distribution of music, the use of social networking to promote artists, the role of music in social movements, Internet-based fundraising (e.g., crowd funding), and critical issues of cross cultural audio visual representation. Students will take a hands-on approach to these topics with opportunities to participate in all aspects of audio-visual production and promotion. During this seminar students will also interact with guest musicians and music entrepreneurs to explore how to use digital technologies to make and market music themselves. This seminar will be best for students who like music, but musical skill and talent are not prerequisites for success. By the conclusion of the course the successful student will demonstrate critical understanding of the theoretical, creative, and practical aspects of music production in the early 21st century.

MUSC 89H: Digital Isabella d’Este (Honors)
VP, WB
TUTH, 3:30-4:45PM
Anne MacNeil

Digital Isabella d’Este is designed to prepare students for future opportunities in the digital humanities, international research collaborations, and interdisciplinary European studies. Through group work on the on-going development of an open-access digital research forum, we will study the correspondence, music, and history of the most prominent female figure of the Italian Renaissance, Isabella d’Este, Marchesa of Mantua (1474-1539). Because Isabella d’Este is the textbook example of a multi-talented Italian “Renaissance woman,” her activities interest researchers in a wide range of disciplines. Our project will aim to assemble at one site a tool for continuing collaborative study of all of her pursuits: political governance, letter writing, art collecting, architecture, patronage of music and theater. Direct access to Isabella’s correspondence, the rooms she lived in, and the artifacts of her aesthetic environment are currently restricted to those who can travel to a small city in Italy where these materials are preserved. Upon arrival in Mantua, one may (with special permission) visit the famous art and performance space Isabella created in the Ducal Palace, her studiolo, but such visits can be disappointing. Except for ceiling decorations and the remnants of a few painted walls, these rooms stand empty today, their paintings, books, sculptures, clocks, and musical instruments scattered in museum collections around the globe, their music long silenced. Digital Isabella d’Este seeks to assemble interactive resources for study of this important figure “in the round.” No prior knowledge of music, art, or computer programming is necessary.

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Philosophy

PHIL 51: Who Was Socrates?
PH, NA, WB
TUTH, 11:00AM-12:15PM
Mariska Leunissen

Socrates is by far the most famous Greek philosopher and, perhaps, the first real philosopher known in the Western tradition. In this seminar, we explore the intellectual and historical context within which Socrates is thought to have revolutionized philosophy so as to better understand his significance for his contemporaries and for us. Our focus, however, will be on the large and perennial human questions that Socrates made his own: How should we live? What is justice? What is virtue? What sort of society should we strive to provide for our families and for ourselves? Each week we will read a part of one of the primary texts and discuss it carefully in the class. These discussions will serve both as a testing-ground for ideas and as preparation for the writing assignments. By learning to talk and write in an engaging but disciplined ways about books and ideas that are both exciting and significant, we will not only be finding out about Socrates but also be taking up the Socratic challenge to live the examined life.

PHIL 55: Paradoxes
PH, CI
W, 2:00-4:30PM
Keith Simmons

Paradoxes have been a driving force in Philosophy since the 5th Century B.C. They force us to rethink old ideas and conceptions. Aristotle famously said that Philosophy begins in wonder – and he had in mind the kind of deep puzzlement that paradoxes generate. In this seminar, we will study a wide range of paradoxes: Zeno’s paradoxes about space, time, and motion, the sorites paradoxes about vagueness (such as the paradox of the heap), paradoxes of rationality (Newcomb’s paradox and the Prisoner’s Dilemma), paradoxes of belief (including paradoxes of confirmation, and the surprise examination paradox), logical paradoxes (Russell’s paradox about classes and the Liar paradox about truth), and paradoxes about time. These paradoxes are not just important – they are fun too. They encourage us to think creatively, in new and surprising ways. In this seminar, you will be given the opportunity to tackle the paradoxes yourselves, through group discussions, oral presentations, and frequent written assignments. Philosophy is best viewed as a practice, as something that one does. By actively engaging with the paradoxes, both orally and in your written work, you will develop the intellectual skills that make philosophical progress possible.

PHIL 57: Race and Affirmative Action
US
TUTH, 11:00am-12:15PM
Bernard Boxill

The goal of the course is to get a mature and correct understanding of race, racism, and affirmative action.

PHIL 66 Ethics: Theoretical and Practical
PH
TUTH, 11:00AM-12:15PM
Thomas Hill, Jr

This seminar aims to encourage students to think seriously and clearly about ethical problems by means of class discussion, group research projects, and examination of philosophical and literary works. Theoretical issues to be considered include relativism, utilitarianism, deontological ethics, and virtue ethics. Practical issues may include abortion, substance abuse, treatment of animals and the environment, and sex, love, and marriage.

PHIL 89: Proofs of the Existence of God
PH
TUTH, 9:30-10:45AM
Douglas MacLean

Our primary aim in this seminar is to examine attempts by philosophers to prove the existence of God. How good are the arguments? What is the aim of producing or criticizing such proofs? What philosophical and moral issues come into focus as we confront the challenges involved in proving God’s existence? Our secondary aim is to raise and explore some other related issues, such as: What is the relation between knowledge and faith? Is there a conflict between science and faith? What psychological or evolutionary reasons might explain the fact that belief in God is a nearly universal cultural phenomenon? Is God’s existence a necessary condition for the objectivity of ethics?

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Physics and Astronomy

PHYS 52: Making the Right Connections
MW, 11:00AM-12:15PM
Lab (section 415): M, 1:00 – 3:00pm
Lab (section 422): F, 2:00 – 4:00pm
Hugon J. Karwowski

This seminar will investigate the multiple roles that computers perform in scientific investigations. We will discuss and test in practice how the connections are made between measuring devices and computers, how the collected data are evaluated, and how the decisions based on the experimental results are made. We will look at how the information is fed back into the data acquisition process. We will also discuss the role of the computer simulations in scientific research, and the societal consequences of recent technological advances. The accompanying lab will give students basic working knowledge of data acquisition techniques with primary focus on encoding, decoding and flow of data from and to scientific instruments. This seminar will be of particular interest for prospective science majors, but there are no prerequisites.

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Public Policy

PLCY 50: Environment and Labor in the Global Economy
SS, GL
TUTH, 12:30-1:45PM
Richard Andrews

The recent rapid globalization of manufacturing and finance raises important public policy issues concerning impacts on the environment, labor, and communities. Does the globalization of business harm the environment, working conditions, and human rights, or improve them? Under what circumstances, and what public policies are needed to assure that these values are protected? How do these issues affect us as individual citizens, consumers, and students, and what responsibility do institutions such as universities bear, as well as businesses and governments, in responding to them? Economic globalization is the reality of the world we live in: the central questions are what kind of global economy we want to achieve, and how we might best go about achieving it. We will begin by discussing some of the basic principles and history behind economic globalization and debating the arguments about them, and then teams of students will prepare presentations and lead discussions on some of the more specific issues – such as energy, climate change and environmental impacts, working conditions and “sweatshops,” women and child labor, human rights, and international trade agreements – and possible policy strategies to address them. Students will also learn to use library, internet, and interview research to study the impacts of globalization on their own hometowns, and present and compare the results.

PLCY 70: National Policy: Who Sets the Agenda?
SS, CI, NA
TUTH, 2:00-3:15PM
William Hodding Carter

The U.S. is governed by democratically elected leaders. According to theory, they both represent the people and lead them, setting and implementing policies to further prosperity and justice at home and security abroad. But who and what actually sets the nation’s policy agenda? The President? Congress? The media? Special interests? Dramatic and unexpected events—9/11, for example—or carefully calibrated long-term plans? Variable public opinion or inflexible ideological zeal? These are some of the questions that we will attempt to answer. We will examine closely the work of agenda—setting theorists as well as contemporary case studies. There will be individual presentations based on assigned papers throughout the semester. Team projects aimed at creating agenda-setting campaigns will take up much of the final weeks of the seminar.

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Political Science

POLI 50: Movies and Politics
SS, CI
MW, 9:00-11:20AM
Pamela Conover

In this seminar, we will consider the interplay between films and politics—filmmakers and citizens. We will discuss production values, what movies “mean,” and the intent of filmmakers, but our major focus will be on the contribution of films to political life and what we can learn from films about our political system as well as ourselves as citizens. Towards this end, we will watch both fictitious and documentary films. One theme will be to evaluate whether political films provide accurate understandings of reality. Another theme will be to explore the changing influence of documentary filmmakers in shaping the political role of films in our society. A third theme will be to consider how political life is shaped by diversity—race, class, gender, sexuality, and religion—and the extent to which that diversity is represented in films. A final theme will be to examine how our self-understandings as citizens are shaped by the experience of watching films. Among the topics covered will be propaganda, industry and governmental censorship, campaigning, interest groups and corruption, congress and the presidency, the judicial system, foreign affairs, and contemporary wars. In addition to watching films and reading about them, students will engage in seminar discussions, wiki writing, and online discussions. Grades will be based on several writing projects, a group project, and a final exam.

POLI 62: Power Politics
SS, CI
TUTH, 3:30-4:45PM
Terry Sullivan

The use of political leadership stands at the center of an organized society; yet we know little about how leaders exercise their influence with other decision‑makers. In this seminar, students will examine theories of leadership ranging from ancient models of good character through the medieval theories of the religious tutors (Machiavelli and Erasmus) to modern business leadership, and then compare those theories with what real leaders do. To obtain this perspective, students will listen to secret recordings of bargaining between the president and other national leaders. This seminar teaches students about the differences between real leadership and theories of leadership. It also exposes them to the rigors of research projects conducted on the basis of real data they develop. In addition, this class will help students learn how to write more effectively to sound smart.

POLI 63: Social Movements and Political Protest and Violence
SS, NA
TUTH, 11:00AM-12:15PM
Xi Chen

When organized, seemingly powerless people can challenge political domination and social injustice with a variety of popular collective actions: Social protests, riots, revolutions, and social movements. This seminar draws on empirical examples from the United States and a few other countries, and investigates how different forms of popular collective actions are taken in different times and spaces, and why some of them succeed while others fail. No prerequisites are required. Students will engage in intensive reading and class discussion, and watch a few documentaries. They are also required to conduct one or two research projects on a contentious political event or a social movement organization.

POLI 71: Politics of Race, Ethnicity, Language, Religion, and Gender
SS, US
TUTH, 2:00-3:15PM
Andrea Benjamin

In many parts of the world, race, ethnicity, language, religion, and gender are explicitly linked to politics. In the United States, we tend to link these identities to politics through political parties. In this seminar, we will explore the concepts of race, ethnicity, language, religion, and gender in a comparative context in order to gain a better understanding of their application in the United States. From there we will consider the relationship between race, ethnicity, language, religion, gender, and politics, from the perspective of citizens, candidates, policies, and institutions. We will use scholarly texts as the foundation for the seminar, but we will couple those with newspaper articles and narratives to gain a first-hand perspective as needed. This seminar will not have a final exam, but students will work on a group project and make a presentation to the class.

POLI 89: Lobbying & Power in Washington (CANCELED 7/15/2013)
SS, NA
MW, 3:30-4:45PM
Frank Baumgartner

Billions of dollars are spent in efforts to influence the government in Washington each year. What is the effect of it all? Can lobbyists “purchase” policy outcomes? Is the government corrupt? What rules apply to make sure that lobbyists do not corrupt the system? Where are the loopholes? What about regular citizens; where is their entree into the system? Students will be actively engaged in class discussion, follow the activities of a particular interest group as debates play out during the semester in Washington (maybe gun control, immigration, or something else, depending on what is current), take a few quizzes, and write four short papers throughout the semester on different aspects of lobbying and power. Readings include a combination of political science books to provide some conceptual background and current events readings from newspapers and the web. Grades will reflect participation, quizzes, and papers.

POLI 89: Thinking about Law
PH
TUTH, 8:00-9:15AM
Charles Szypszak

Are you interested in being a lawyer or public official? Do you know what it means to “think like a lawyer”? Have you considered why people mostly honor the law? Where do you find “the law”? How do judges decide difficult cases? This seminar will explore the notion of a rule of law, formal and customary law, legal analysis, judicial interpretation, and the realities of the adversarial system and law practice. We will consider what makes law seem legitimate and how to assess whether it promotes liberty and justice. This seminar will challenge students to be reflective and critical about their own perspectives and to explore personal responsibility for promoting a rule of law. Students will be engaged in analytical thinking and expression through readings, classroom discussions, and research and writing assignments. Reading materials will include selections from court cases, scholarly articles, and other sources that provide an introduction to the notion of a rule of law, the sources of law that govern us and protect our individual rights, the nature of legal analysis, the different methods of judicial interpretation, and the realities of law practice and the adversarial system.

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Psychology

PSYC 55: Children’s Eyewitness Testimony
SS
TUTH, 2:00-3:15PM
Peter Ornstein

With increasing frequency, young children are being called upon to provide evidence in legal proceedings, and often it is the testimony of children that is central to the outcome of a case being tried. Children’s testimony is sought regularly in cases that range from divorce and custody disputes in family courts to allegations of sexual abuse in criminal cases. But what is known about the abilities of children to provide accurate information in these types of legal situations? To a great extent, children’s testimony depends upon their abilities to remember previous experiences and to be able to resist the suggestions of others. In this seminar, we will discuss the relevant literature on children’s memory and cognition in the context of a treatment of specific cases – most of which involve allegations of child sexual abuse – that have come to trial. Particular emphasis will be placed on two cases, the relatively recent Little Rascals Day Care case in North Carolina, and the 300-year old Salem Witch Trials.

PSYC 61: Drug Addiction: Fact and Fiction
PL, CI
TUTH, 9:30-10:45AM
Rita Fuchs Lokensgard

Illicit and legally available drugs make the user feel good but also promote the development of physical/psychological dependence. In this biological psychology seminar, we will take a multi-disciplinary approach to learn about the neurobiology of drug addiction with a focus on the following interesting questions: Are media depictions of drug addiction accurate? What are the beneficial and harmful psychological effects of abused drugs? What has scientific research, using human and animal subjects, revealed about the neurobiology of the “brain on drugs”? Are drug-associated environmental stimuli important in the addiction process? Do most users become addicts? How does our conceptualization of addiction influence treatment and drug policy? Has the “war on drugs” been successful? We will tackle these questions through classroom discussions, lectures, guest lectures, movies, writing assignments, an oral presentation, and a visit to a research lab. In this communication intensive seminar, the critical analysis of methodology used to advance our knowledge about addiction will be emphasized.

PSYC 89: The Senses of Animals
PL
TUTH, 11:00AM-12:15PM
Mark Hollins

This seminar deals with the senses of animals. Many animal senses are related to our own, but are either more or less highly developed than ours. For example, falcons have sharper vision than we do, whereas moles are nearly blind. However, some animals possess sensory abilities that we lack entirely, such as the ability to perceive magnetic fields or the polarization of light. We will examine both categories of animal senses, talking about how they work, and how they help animals survive. The seminar is also intended to increase students’ understanding of the scientific method, and to help them develop their ability to communicate scientific ideas effectively in speech and writing. Grades will be based primarily on three exams including the final, three written assignments totaling 10 pages, and two in-class reports.

PSYC 89: Psychology of Emotion
SS
MWF, 1:00-1:50PM
Kristen Lindquist

This seminar is designed especially for students interested in exploring the psychological study of emotion. Topics will include theoretical models of emotion process and structure, as well as a review of research questions including “Can you read emotions in the faces of other people?” (emotional expressions), “How is emotion expressed in the body?” (autonomic physiology), “Where do emotions live in the brain?” (affective neuroscience), “Is emotion a source of wisdom or the enemy of rationality?” (emotion and reasoning), “Does emotion help or hurt your relationships with other people?” (emotion and social behavior), “Can you control your emotions or do they control you?” (emotion regulation), and “Do emotions keep you healthy or make you sick?” (emotion and health), “Are women really the more emotional sex?” (gender and emotion). A range of perspectives in psychology will be explored, spanning social, cultural, developmental, clinical, cognitive, and comparative psychology disciplines. Cognitive and behavioral neuroscience will also be considered. Mondays and Wednesdays will be interactive lectures and Fridays will be less formal discussions. Friday discussions will be used to explain or demonstrate especially important ideas that will be covered in the following week’s lectures, to discuss concepts covered in the assigned readings, and to discuss the “real world” implications of class topics. Students will be evaluated based on exam performance, on a written research proposal, on an oral presentation of the research proposal, and on participation in Friday discussions.

PSYC 89: Racism, Racial Identity, and African American Mental Health
TUTH, 9:30-10:45AM
Enrique Neblett

This seminar examines the connections among racism experiences, racial identity and African American mental health with a focus on African American children, adolescents, and young adults. We begin the seminar with an overview of foundational themes and theoretical perspectives that inform the study of racism and racial identity as they pertain to African American youth mental health. In the second part of the seminar, we use film, debate and personal reflections to inform an in-depth study of racial identity – the significance and meaning that individuals ascribe to being African American – as a protective factor in the link between racism and poor mental health outcomes for African American youth. Finally, we conclude the seminar with a discussion of current topics, controversies, and recent advances in the field. Throughout the seminar, a primary objective will be to consider diverse perspectives regarding how our knowledge and understanding of racism and racial identity has evolved over time and how the psychological experiences of African Americans can be used to promote African American mental health and wellness.

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Religious Studies

RELI 63: The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls
HS, WB
MW, 5:00-6:15PM
Jodi Magness

The Dead Sea Scrolls have been described as the most important archaeological discovery of the 20th century. The first scrolls were discovered in 1947, in a cave near the site of Qumran by the Dead Sea. Eventually the remains of over 900 scrolls were found in 11 caves around Qumran. The scrolls date to the time of Jesus and include the earliest preserved copies of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). They were deposited in the caves by members of a Jewish sect called the Essenes who lived at Qumran. In this seminar we discuss the archaeology of the site of Qumran and the contents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which have been the subject of much controversy and speculation.

RELI 70: Jesus in Scholarship and Film
SS
M, 9:00-11:50AM
Bart Ehrman

This seminar will examine how historians have reconstructed the life, teachings, and death of the historical Jesus. We will look at the Gospels of the New Testament, as well as references to Jesus in other writings (Roman and Jewish sources, as well as Gospels that did not make it into the New Testament). In addition, we will explore how Jesus has been portrayed in modern film, including such Biblical “epics” as The Greatest Story Ever Told, such “period pieces” as Jesus Christ Superstar, such brilliant retellings as Jesus of Montreal, and such controversial films as The Last Temptation of Christ, and The Passion of the Christ. The ultimate goals of the seminar are to see what we can say about the historical man Jesus himself and how Jesus came to be portrayed in both ancient sources and modern imagination.

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Romance Languages and Literatures

ROML 55H: Writing with an Accent: Latino Literature and Culture (Honors)
LA
TUTH, 3:30-4:45PM
Rosa Perelmuter

In this seminar we will study the literary production of Hispanics living in the U.S. Using a variety of materials (essays, documentaries, films, music) and English-language texts (novels, short stories, plays, poetry) we will examine works by Chicano, Puertorican, Nuyorican, Dominican, and Cuban-American writers. Topics to be discussed include: Latino or Hispanic? What’s in a Name?; Negotiating the Barrio; The politics of Bilingualism; The search for Home in Migrant, Rural, and Urban Environments; The Many Faces of Machismo; Religion and Spirituality in Latino Communities; Forms of Prejudice and Discrimination, Music as a Cultural Bridge. All readings will be in English though knowledge of Spanish is welcomed.

ROML 56: Italians in Search of Harmony
LA
TUTH, 11:00am-12:15PM
Ennio Rao

This seminar explores the concept of harmony in selected Italian writers, from Dante to contemporary writers. In the 14th century, Dante dreamed of a universal empire that would assure peace on earth, thus allowing mankind to pursue knowledge and wisdom and to achieve the ultimate harmony in the next world: the natural reunion of creature and creator. Dante himself directs his readers to interpret the journey of the pilgrim in the Divine Comedy as Everyman’s quest for transcendental harmony with God. This quest for harmony is characteristic of many Italian writers, from Petrarch to Leopardi, to many contemporary poets, novelists, and film directors. Students will be reading and discussing works by Dante, Petrarch, Leopardi, Pirandello, Vittorini and Moravia, and will view films by Antonioni and Bertolucci. They will also be divided into groups and invited to produce an original work (theatrical, cinematic, literary, artistic, etc.) that illustrates the concept of harmony.

ROML 89H: Sex and the Sexually Transgressive in Renaissance European Literature (Honors)
LA, NA
TUTH, 2:00-3:15PM
Lucia Binotti

This seminar challenges the veiled prejudice in academic circles that considers overt eroticism to be a minor genre or mode, of interest only in terms of language and customs, but without literary merit. We will devote part of the seminar to the close reading of both canonical and lesser-known poetry and prose of the 16th and 17th century where the treatment and interpretation of sex is primary. Texts will be discussed in terms of their literary tradition (popular or cultured), sources and influences (the Arabic erotic literary tradition or classical carnal poetry such as Ovid’s and Catullus’), language, structure, rhetoric, the particular nature of their eroticism, degree of explicitness, and, especially, tone. After this exchange of ideas we discuss how each epoch, or even generation and/or movement, deals with the physical in a different way and establishes distinct limits on its expression.

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Slavic Languages

SLAV 88H: Gender and Fiction in Central and Eastern Europe (Honors)
LA, BN
MWF, 9:00-9:50AM
Ewa Wampuszyc

Studying culture through the prism of gender can be a great introduction to a region like Central and Eastern Europe. In this seminar, we will have a chance to explore definitions of “masculine” and “feminine” in fiction, film, and essays by and about women from Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. We will discuss how gender concepts shed light on self-identity, nationalism, private property, public spaces, values, ethics, political dissent and oppression, and consumerism. We will consider the connection between the 19th century “Woman Question” and nationalism. We will study how communist ideology promised gender equality, but failed. We will discuss perceptions of gender and consumerism after the fall of communism. Students will learn how political and economic transition affected Central/Eastern Europe; about everyday life under communism; about the geography of Central and Eastern Europe; and how the language and discourses we use shapes our world view. Student progress and grades will be assessed through class participation, a group presentation, and writing assignments (ranging from short responses to a longer paper).

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Sociology

SOCI 64: Equality of Educational Opportunity Then and Now
SS
TUTH, 11:00AM-12:15PM
Karolyn Tyson

The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case centered on one of the most significant and controversial issues in American public education: equality of educational opportunity. As we near the 60th anniversary of this historic Supreme Court decision, this seminar will use a sociological lens to examine in depth the social conditions that precipitated the case, other relevant court decisions, the changing definitions of race, and the educational landscape over the past 59 years. Topics include de jure and de facto segregation, busing, between-school segregation, tracking and ability grouping, the black-white achievement gap, and residential segregation. Students will read historical and contemporary accounts and research reports on the move and progress toward equality of educational opportunity, view films related to the topic, conduct original research exploring the schooling experiences of contemporary American youth, and prepare an oral presentation and research paper.

SOCI 69 Human Societies and Genomics
SS
TUTH,  9:30-10:45AM
Guang Guo

The seminar focuses on how advances in molecular genomics over the past decades benefit sociology and other social sciences. Topics include an introduction to traditional biometrics (inferring genetic influences using genetically related individuals without using molecular information); an introduction to basic principles of molecular genetics; joint influences of social contexts and genetic heritage to human behaviors; history of human evolution and contemporary race/ethnicity; evolutionary psychology; sex, gender, and genomics; ethical, legal, and social issues in genetic studies (ELSI); genetic testing; and epigenetics – the potential links between genes and environment. To make the seminar accessible to students in social sciences, it does not have prerequisites, but familiarity with basic genetics or a social science field is helpful. The seminar does not focus on technical details of genomics, but on the main ideas. Students will be reading book chapters and mainly original articles published in contemporary scientific journals before classes, and presenting and discussing these articles in class. Students will write short summaries of the articles they read, present articles and lead discussion on these articles in class, take a midterm exam, and write a review essay.

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Statistics and Operations

STOR 62: Probability and Paradoxes
QI
TUTH, 3:30-4:45PM
Douglas Kelly

Did you know the following? Among 40 randomly chosen people, it is very likely that two of them will have the same birthday, and even with only 23 people, the chance of a match is better than 50%. A test for a disease may be 99% accurate, and yet if you test positive, your probability of having the disease may be only 10%. It is possible for baseball player A to have a higher batting average than player B for the first half of the season, and also for the second half of the season, but for player B to have a higher average for the whole season. In mathematics there are either true statements that can never be proved, or false statements that can be proved true, or both. There are competitive situations in which it is in everyone’s advantage to act selfishly, but everyone does better if all act cooperatively. Mathematics and logic, in particular the theory of probability, are powerful tools for understanding the world around us, but they lead to some surprising conclusions, as in the examples above. Studying such surprises adds to our understanding of randomness, logic, and behavior. In this seminar, we will look at these and other seeming paradoxes, and learn how thinkers in various fields try to explain them. No previous knowledge of mathematics beyond basic algebra is required. Grades are based on class participation, a few written assignments, and an end-of-term project.

STOR 64: A Random Walk down Wall Street
QI
TUTH, 2:00-3:15PM
Chuanshu Ji

The ups and downs of many stocks, bonds, and mutual funds in the past few years have made a significant impact on our society. Accordingly, a good understanding of financial markets becomes a necessary part of our education. This seminar is intended to provide students with a multimedia platform on which they can learn some basic concepts in finance and economics, useful tools for collecting and summarizing financial data, and simple probability models for quantification of the market uncertainty. Students will actively participate in the seminar’s organization. A number of small projects will be assigned to students, supervised by the instructor. The projects include data analysis using Excel, experimentation of simple investment strategies and portfolios through “virtual trading,” discussions on the performance of those portfolios and related probability calculation. Students will present what they conduct in the assigned projects. Grades will be based on students’ performance in their homework, projects, and presentations.

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Women’s and Gender Studies

WMST 64 Plantation Lullabies: Literature by and about African American Women
LA, NA
TUTH, 11:00AM-12:15PM
Tanya Shields

Have you ever had historical déjà vu? Were you ever struck by historical images in contemporary places? If not, you might be surprised to know how much of the past is hidden in plain sight. This seminar offers analytical strategies for understanding different ways that plantation culture was represented metaphorically in the 19th and 20th centuries with a view to understanding how it continues to manifest itself today with a particular emphasis on women’s experiences. We will explore the idea of the plantation as a physical place, an often-nostalgic idea, and a lasting economic system. We will journey through poetry, film, literature, and music to see how these echoes appear in various women’s texts from the US and the Caribbean. We will consider how our own identities inform our reactions to these texts and our broader environment. The final project for the seminar asks students to create their own plantation narratives—an engaging assignment that brings together history, storytelling, and analytic ability.

WMST 68 Assumed Identities: Performance in Photography
VP
M, 3:30-6:15PM
Susan Harbage Page

Have you ever made a “selfie” and posted it on the internet? What image of yourself were you trying to reinforce? This seminar uses photography and its aspects of role-playing, performance, and documentation to understand the construction of identity and the changing roles that we take on in society. We will look at historical and contemporary photographers who use assumed identities to create their own realities and challenge society’s stereotypes. Through a series of photographic self-portraits and performative experiences we will query our own identities and how they have been constructed. No specific camera equipment required. You may use any camera you have access to including smart phones for this seminar.

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Other Opportunities

CHEM 190 You Don’t Have to be a Rocket Scientist
PL
MW, 3:30-4:45PM
Lauren Jarocha

You cannot escape science. It is part of our technology, TV commercials, news headlines, and political policy.  Core science courses involve memorizing facts and repeating experiments with known outcomes, but is this how scientific research actually works? Why do scientists agree, disagree, or change their minds? How do we know if the science we encounter is “good” science, and what does that even mean? In this course, students will gain an understanding of modern scientific research practices and develop the critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate scientific information: who produces it, how it is obtained, and how to make sense of it. Special focus is placed on analyzing media presentations of science, recognizing pseudoscience, and exploring the known scientific facts behind current controversies.  Some course topics are chosen based on class interest, and previous courses have covered topics including cold fusion, perpetual motion machines and “free” energy, ghost hunting, cryptozoology, psychic phenomenon, and health and diet fads. This is a science class for all majors and proves that you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to make informed decisions or to recognize and understand the science that you encounter every day.

MATH 190 Mathematics and Climate
CI, QI
TUTH, 12:30 – 1:45PM
Colin Grudzien

Predictions of the earth’s climate are made into the next century with the possible changes ranging from non-existent to catastrophic, but how do we make these predictions when the Earth’s weather is so irregular?  Climate science must draw from many disciplines including chemistry, physics, and mathematics to analyze the diverse processes that make up the Earth’s climate.  The controversy over global warming presents the need to objectively evaluate “What is climate change and what contributes to it?”, but there is no way to run controlled studies on the Earth’s climate as a whole.  Sophisticated computer models are used to simulate Earth’s climate and give researchers the ability to experiment with Earth’s climate system, helping them understand the impact of changes to its diverse processes. In order to devise sensible policy for the future of our planet, decision makers must increasingly rely on these mathematical models to understand the future consequences of changes to our climate.

This seminar will introduce the fundamentals of climate physics at a level understandable to non-science majors, and will explore how these concepts are integrated into the mathematical models which give us our predictions of future climate.  There will be regular use of climate modelling software inside and outside of class, and class attendance with laptops is required.  Students will be asked to formulate and defend a climate policy for their final project, using their individual research and modelling experiments to support their proposal.

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