Course Descriptions

H-01

Braving Bioethics
Would you like to clone yourself? If asked, would you help your best friend die? What about having your DNA resequenced to be the next Michael Jordan or Mia Hamm? Ethics is a conversation about questions. Bioethics invites us to engage the brave new worlds of biotechnology, medicine, and transhumanism as we explore such burning issues as Nazi medical experiments, embryonic experimentation, physician-assisted suicide, test tube babies, eugenics, abortion, genetic engineering, and artificial organs. We will use moral philosophy, critical thinking, and social scientific inquiry to engage in cutting edge debate about modern technological reality.

Craig Klugman & Laura Higday

H-02

A Journey Beyond Movies at the Mall
In only 110 years movies have taken us to every imaginable corner of human experience. How does one make sense of an art that embraces kung fu fighters, Latin dancers, girls next door, sinking cruise ships, Godzilla, gangsters, gangsta rappers, and Mickey Mouse? The key is to come to an understanding of cinematic style. We will experience a wide variety of movies from many periods and countries. We will watch our own sense of style come together on the screen as we shoot and edit our own short movies as well as conduct research and write critically.

Heather McMahon & Rick Seyford

H-03

Beyond the Looking Glass
How do the blind perceive their environments? Would your perspective change if you had been born in Ghana or Tibet? Would you view the world differently if you were another gender? We view the world through our own lenses and filters, both in terms of our literal senses and as a result of our personal and social identities, characteristics, and experiences. Through reflective and creative writing, field trips, guest speakers, films, readings, and more, we will find new ways of seeing the world and explore how reality is constructed. By the end, we will gain a greater awareness of how we perceive the world and use our senses, leading to a more conscious way of relating to ourselves, others, and the world.

Nathan Long & Crystal Wright

H-04

Journey: The World Tour
Are you packed? Get ready to take a "world-wind" tour with us! We will begin in the Americas, cross the Atlantic by steamship to Africa and Europe, take the Orient Express to Asia, and find our way back to the Americas. Along the way, we'll consider reasons to travel: the everyday and the exotic, voluntary and involuntary, business and leisure, adventure and alternative vacations. Analyzing travel narratives and writing our own will help us investigate imaginary and real modes of travel, from the armchair to the airplane.

Lisa Edwards & Cecily Heisser

H-05

Material World: The Past Through What's Left Behind
Real, unusual, and amazing things have the powerful capacity to surprise, mystify, fascinate, and inspire people. We will explore ancient Egyptian artifacts to things in your kitchen drawer, combining aspects of the History Detective with the Antiques Road Show. This will be hands-on-history with field trips, film review, and internet research. We will explore ways to inform people of the future about our culture. Recent history resides in the minds and experiences of people. To preserve those experiences, we will also conduct background research and collect oral interviews of both peers and others on and off campus. We hope to preserve those interviews in a local archive for future scholars and researchers to study.

John Bland & James Stoneking

H-06

Foreign Policy: A Diplomatic Journey
"Does America need a foreign policy?" Thus begins a text by former secretary of state Henry Kissinger. In this course we will consider this question as well as the larger issue of the role of diplomacy in the 21st century. Our goals will be to trace the development of American and global diplomatic history, develop our own foreign policy, and culminate with a multinational summit to consider some of the most pressing issues of our time. We will consider a variety of topics including national security, humanitarian aid, environmental concerns, trade policy, and the geopolitical balance of power. Throughout the course we will participate in simulations, go on field trips, be visited by guest speakers, hold debates, watch films, and stimulate our curiosity of the foreign policy process.

Ed Motley & Patrick Touart

H-07

Inside Out
What sets us apart? What makes people "The Other"? Come join us as we journey through the world of the intentional and unintentional outsider. Through the coincidence of birth, poverty, disability, and cultural inheritance, individuals and societies are often isolated. Conversely, some people choose to live and work away from the mainstream. In this course, we will explore artists, writers, film makers, thinkers, and just plain folks as we weave our way through the rich fabric of creative production and conscious non-conformity. We will study fiction, poetry, essays, film, the visual arts, music, and varied artistic, political, and cultural movements in order to meet ourselves and greet "The Other."

Barry Gabay & Tisha Ulmer

ID #	Course Title	Instructor(s)
H-01	Braving Bioethics Would you like to clone yourself? If asked, would you help your best friend die? What about having your DNA resequenced to be the next Michael Jordan or Mia Hamm? Ethics is a conversation about questions. Bioethics invites us to engage the brave new worlds of biotechnology, medicine, and transhumanism as we explore such burning issues as Nazi medical experiments, embryonic experimentation, physician-assisted suicide, test tube babies, eugenics, abortion, genetic engineering, and artificial organs. We will use moral philosophy, critical thinking, and social scientific inquiry to engage in cutting edge debate about modern technological reality.	Craig Klugman & Laura Higday
H-02	A Journey Beyond Movies at the Mall In only 110 years movies have taken us to every imaginable corner of human experience. How does one make sense of an art that embraces kung fu fighters, Latin dancers, girls next door, sinking cruise ships, Godzilla, gangsters, gangsta rappers, and Mickey Mouse? The key is to come to an understanding of cinematic style. We will experience a wide variety of movies from many periods and countries. We will watch our own sense of style come together on the screen as we shoot and edit our own short movies as well as conduct research and write critically.	Heather McMahon & Rick Seyford
H-03	Beyond the Looking Glass How do the blind perceive their environments? Would your perspective change if you had been born in Ghana or Tibet? Would you view the world differently if you were another gender? We view the world through our own lenses and filters, both in terms of our literal senses and as a result of our personal and social identities, characteristics, and experiences. Through reflective and creative writing, field trips, guest speakers, films, readings, and more, we will find new ways of seeing the world and explore how reality is constructed. By the end, we will gain a greater awareness of how we perceive the world and use our senses, leading to a more conscious way of relating to ourselves, others, and the world.	Nathan Long & Crystal Wright
H-04	Journey: The World Tour Are you packed? Get ready to take a "world-wind" tour with us! We will begin in the Americas, cross the Atlantic by steamship to Africa and Europe, take the Orient Express to Asia, and find our way back to the Americas. Along the way, we'll consider reasons to travel: the everyday and the exotic, voluntary and involuntary, business and leisure, adventure and alternative vacations. Analyzing travel narratives and writing our own will help us investigate imaginary and real modes of travel, from the armchair to the airplane.	Lisa Edwards & Cecily Heisser
H-05	Material World: The Past Through What's Left Behind Real, unusual, and amazing things have the powerful capacity to surprise, mystify, fascinate, and inspire people. We will explore ancient Egyptian artifacts to things in your kitchen drawer, combining aspects of the History Detective with the Antiques Road Show. This will be hands-on-history with field trips, film review, and internet research. We will explore ways to inform people of the future about our culture. Recent history resides in the minds and experiences of people. To preserve those experiences, we will also conduct background research and collect oral interviews of both peers and others on and off campus. We hope to preserve those interviews in a local archive for future scholars and researchers to study.	John Bland & James Stoneking
H-06	Foreign Policy: A Diplomatic Journey "Does America need a foreign policy?" Thus begins a text by former secretary of state Henry Kissinger. In this course we will consider this question as well as the larger issue of the role of diplomacy in the 21st century. Our goals will be to trace the development of American and global diplomatic history, develop our own foreign policy, and culminate with a multinational summit to consider some of the most pressing issues of our time. We will consider a variety of topics including national security, humanitarian aid, environmental concerns, trade policy, and the geopolitical balance of power. Throughout the course we will participate in simulations, go on field trips, be visited by guest speakers, hold debates, watch films, and stimulate our curiosity of the foreign policy process.	Ed Motley & Patrick Touart
H-07	Inside Out What sets us apart? What makes people "The Other"? Come join us as we journey through the world of the intentional and unintentional outsider. Through the coincidence of birth, poverty, disability, and cultural inheritance, individuals and societies are often isolated. Conversely, some people choose to live and work away from the mainstream. In this course, we will explore artists, writers, film makers, thinkers, and just plain folks as we weave our way through the rich fabric of creative production and conscious non-conformity. We will study fiction, poetry, essays, film, the visual arts, music, and varied artistic, political, and cultural movements in order to meet ourselves and greet "The Other."	Barry Gabay & Tisha Ulmer