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FALL 2002 FRESHMAN SEMINARS
The School of Biological Sciences also offers freshman seminars during spring quarter. For more information, please visit http://freshmanseminars.bio.uci.edu/. Please note that students may take a maximum of three freshman seminars for credit, so long as subjects vary, over their entire university career. CLAIRE TREVOR SCHOOL OF THE ARTS The Image and Identity Stephen Barker, Drama W, 12-12:50 pm, Drama 145 Course Code 87901 From the cave walls at Lascaux (or before!) to the virtual art of Bill Viola, Gary Hill, Robert Wilson, Laurie Anderson, and the internet, images claiming to be "art" are manifestations of cultural identity. This seminar will explore ways in which artists explore the nature of subjectivity and identity in the images they produce. The Changing Nature of American Jazz Dance Bob Boross, Dance F 9-9:50 am, Location HOB2 129 Course Code 87904 American jazz dance has regularly adopted new looks as styles, technology, and popular culture have evolved throughout the twentieth century. Yet, the fundamental basis of jazz dancing—feeling and reacting to rhythm—still remains the same. This seminar will examine the roots of jazz dance, its philosophy, societal influences, and the pioneers of the changing nature of American jazz dance. Students will read articles, observe videotapes, see performances, and discuss the history of jazz dance in relation to their personal experiences. Experiments in Music Christopher Dobrian, Music, Information and Computer Science Th 5-5:50pm, Music and Media 316 Course Code 87908 This seminar will focus on two kinds of experimentation in music. One is experimentation in acoustics, audio perception, and cognition, which is conducted in an attempt to give us a better understanding of the effects of music. A second is the experimental use of new means of sound production and new methods of composition, in an effort to expand the musical culture in interesting ways. In both cases, scientific method and ideas from other disciplines are used to give us new understanding of the phenomenon of music. SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Darwinism and the Modern World Michael Rose, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology M 1-1:50pm, SH 425 Course Code 87917 Darwinism is one of the most important scientific theories of our time. Beyond its importance for biology, it has played an important role in the history of politics, economics, and philosophy. It is now becoming important for medicine and psychology as well. There are few scientific theories which re-pay closer inspection by students of all disciplines. Readings will be taken from "Darwin's Spectre, Evolutionary Biology in the Modern World" by Michael R. Rose. HENRY SAMUELI SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING 21st Century Electronic Gadgets and Technologies Pai Chou, Electrical and Computer Engineering M 9-9:50am, ET 201 Course Code 87907 This seminar first surveys new gadgets ranging from wireless and handheld embedded systems to medical instruments, and discusses the enabling technologies and their relationship to the ECE curriculum. Students will then propose a new gadget with justifications based on course reading. Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems—Engineering at the Micro Scale John LaRue, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Schedule to be set at 1st class meeting (Sept. 20, 2002, Monday, 12-12:50 pm), EG3161 Course Code 87912 The focus of the seminar is on the design, development, and application of MEMS in Biomedical, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering. The seminar will be team taught with faculty presenting different topics and meeting with a team of 2 or 3 students throughout the quarter to advise them on the development of a review paper. Topics will include: General overview of MEMS with some applications. Introduction to processing with lab tour and demonstration. Discussion of review paper and introduction to library research tools. MEMS in Biomedical Engineering. MEMS in Mechanical Engineering. MEMS in Electrical Engineering. SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES Al-Andalus: Muslims, Jews, and Christians in Medieval Spain Michelle Hamilton, Spanish and Portuguese T 1-1:50pm, HH 344 Course Code 87909 The Islamic civilization that flourished on the Iberian Peninsula between 711 and 1492 has been called the Golden Age of Arabic civilization. Al-Andalus, that is, medieval Muslim Spain, has been held up in the contemporary world as a model of a tolerant Islamic society in which coexistence with Christians and Jews was a reality. But, how tolerant was medieval Islamic Spain? What was medieval Muslim Spain like? This class will explore these questions and how medieval Muslim society in Spain dealt with many of the same issues facing us today, such as cultural and ethnic diversity, linguistic difference, and religious fundamentalism. The readings will include history and poetry of the time period. Power, Sex, and Religion: The Present Crisis in the Catholic Church Lamar Hill, History W 4-4:50 pm, KH 200E Course Code 87910 Historians will look back on the current crisis in the Catholic Church and ask how, why, and what impact? And we are going to look at other churches as well as secular institutions. We are going to examine the issues embedded in the current crisis and develop strategies for interpreting it. Among our resources will be newspapers, magazines, and some literary work that may help us to understand the many layers of meaning that we encounter. This seminar will give us a chance to discuss a very emotional and divisive issue in a calm and respectful way. Many of us will have personal opinions but how do we control them as we try to interpret rather than judge. Going Public: Writing, Rhetoric, and Public Action Susan Jarratt, English and Comparative Literature, Campus Writing Coordinator W 11-11:50 am, SSL 159 Course Code 87911 Students will read brief selections from the history of rhetoric including the works of classical authors such as Aristotle and Cicero, as well as contemporary scholars like Kenneth Burke and Stephen Toulmin on developing a rhetorical persona, shaping arguments, understanding the roles of logic and emotion in persuasion, and related subjects. But the primary reading will be discovered and selected by the students themselves as they find the issues they will take up as public action projects for the quarter. The work of the seminar will be student-driven and collaborative. Activities will include attendance at public lectures or demonstrations; analyses of news articles, editorials, and electronic resources on contemporary events; class discussion and debate; and a major public communication, the form of which will be determined by the students. Introducing Opera: Puccini's La Bohème Meredith Lee, German, Dean of Undergraduate Education W 10-10:50 am, KH 400 Course Code 87913 What are we to make of an opera in which a fragile heroine, dying of tuberculosis—a disease that takes your breath away—sings to her death? Puccini's popular and romantic opera "La Bohème" comes to Orange County this fall! The seminar will read the libretto, view the opera, and learn about contemporary opera production and interpretation. No formal musical training is required. The seminar will include attendance at the Opera Pacific production in November. The Black Death Ann Van Sant, English and Comparative Literature Andre Ouellette, Pathology F 1-1:50 pm, HOB2 128 Course Code 87916 Nearly 100,000 people died in the "Great Plague" of 1665. The cause was Yersinia pestis. In this interdisciplinary seminar, we will study the 1665 case as it is described in Daniel Defoe's documentary-style novel—The Journal of the Plague Year—and as it is understood in modern scientific terms. We will also study the plague as an emerging disease. The course will have an extensive website. Taught by a molecular biologist and a professor of English literature.. Voyages in World History Charles Wheeler, History M 11-11:50 am, KH 126 Course Code 87924 In this class, we will look at the writings of people who moved beyond the boundaries of their known worlds, and wrote about the new ones they encountered. Our time span begins with the first known writings of voyages and ends with one of the more recent. We will also read about different kinds of voyages, from voyages of discovery and conquest, to voyages voluntary or involuntary, to those that break beyond mental as well as physical boundaries. Readings will include excerpts from: thethe Mesopotamian epic of Gilgamesh; an 8th century spiritual voyage to Mecca; the Vinland Sagas of Viking Greenland; the Arab traveler Ibn Battuta in Africa; Christopher Columbus and his misunderstood new worlds; the trials of the Amistad; Alexandrine Tinne andand Amelia Earhart transgress gender worlds; fictional voyages by Joseph Conrad; Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11. DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION AND COMPUTER SCIENCE Future Impacts of Biological Computer Technologies Pierre Baldi, Information and Computer Science W 4-4:50 pm, ICS 432 Course Code 87902 This seminar will examine some of the current trends in biological and computer technologies and extrapolate them into the future. Specific topics will be selected depending on student interest. Possible topics include: artificial intelligence, the Internet, embryonic stem cells, human cloning, nanotechnology. Readingss will be taken from "The Shattered-Self—the End of Natural Evolution" by Pierre Baldi. Experiments in Music Christopher Dobrian, Music, Information and Computer Science Th 5-5:50pm, Music and Media 316 Course Code 87908 This seminar will focus on two kinds of experimentation in music. One is experimentation in acoustics, audio perception, and cognition, which is conducted in an attempt to give us a better understanding of the effects of music. A second is the experimental use of new means of sound production and new methods of composition, in an effort to expand the musical culture in interesting ways. In both cases, scientific method and ideas from other disciplines are used to give us new understanding of the phenomenon of music. SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL SCIENCES From Atoms to Quarks, and Beyond: The Search for a Theory of Everything David Casper, Physics and Astronomy W 2-2:50 pm, FRH 2111 Course Code 87905 Since Democritus first proposed that the world is made of atoms almost 2500 years ago, natural philosophers and physicists have pursued the quest for a unified description of how nature behaves: a "Theory of Everything". Through historical case studies, this seminar will survey the development of a scientific world-view from antiquity through modern times, and outline our present understanding of how the most fundamental building blocks of the world behave. Students will be asked to read one or two selections from a list of popular science books, choose a particular scientific puzzle (historical or contemporary) and report on how it was solved or is being attacked, and how the answer led (or could lead) to future progress toward a more complete understanding of nature. Physics & Technology: How Electricity Changed Civilization Roger McWilliams, Physics and Astronomy Tu 11-11:50 am, FRH B012 Course Code 87915 Among the most important contributors to civilization are James Clerk Maxwell and Michael Faraday. Through their experimental observations combined into natural laws have come all things electrical. Civilization has been altered fundamentally via the physics of electromagnetism. For example, the Women's Movement towards gender equality could not succeed without this physics. The impact of the transistor, laser, and motor on society will be discussed prominently. Because of the conceptual difficulty of understanding electromagnetism few people approach its prose and power directly. However, everyone on the planet benefits from this science. No previous physics or mathematics needed. Meeting in the laboratory, the class will have hands-on experience with lasers, transistors, and motors while discussing the social impact of the physics. Global Climate Change F. Sherwood Rowland, Chemistry, Earth Systems Science, Nobel Laureate M 11-11:50am (1st class meeting on Oct. 7th), RH 390 Course Code 87918 In many ways, the understanding of atmospheric chemistry, especially its impact on global climate, is still in an early stage. The necessary instrumental precision and sensitivity for dealing with chemical species present in low concentrations has only been progressively available over the last two decades, and the trace composition of the atmosphere is highly variable around the world. The Rowland research group isis heavily involved in regional and global experiments aimed at uncovering details of atmospheric chemistry and global environmental problems. This seminar will explore challenging and interesting scientific puzzles linked to global climate change. SCHOOL OF SOCIAL ECOLOGY Introduction to Social Ecology Dan Stokols, Urban and Regional Planning Tu 2-2:50 pm, SE 112 Course Code 87921 This course offers an overview of social ecology as a framework for research and community problem solving. Assigned readings and class discussions are organized around core principles and themes that are inherent in the social ecological perspective. One theme is the importance of applying basic theory and research to the analysis and resolution of community problems, such as global environmental change, crime and violence in society, and the challenges of a rapidly aging population. A second theme is that complex societal problems should be approached from multiple disciplinary perspectives rather than from the vantage point of single disciplines. A third theme is that research questions and public policy issues can be better understood if they are examined at multiple rather than singular levels of analysis. Thus, problems such as crime, violence, and global environmental change can be understood in terms of individual behavior and motivation, social influence, organizational and community dynamics, and policy initiatives enacted at state, regional, international levels. The seminar also will provide an historical perspective on the development of social ecology as a multidisciplinary field, both at UCI and beyond. SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Quantum Mysteries for Everyone Jeff Barrett, Logic and Philosophy of Science M 12-12:50pm, SST 603 Course Code 87903 The quantum world is an odd place. We will investigate some of the mysteries of quantum probability, interference, superposition, nonlocality, and entanglement. We will see why any physical theory that makes the right empirical predictions must violate common intuitions about the nature of the physical world. Causes and Implications of Transnational Migration Leo Chavez, Anthropology W 1-1:50 pm, SST 318 Course Code 87906 Why are so many people moving from one country to another? How do "natives" react? What do immigrants expect? What changes do both natives and newcomers experience? What can we expect in a Post 9/11 world? These are some of the questions this course will examine, using examples from the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia. An emphasis will be placed on developing a critical anthropological perspective. Readings will be assigned from newspapers, magazines, and recently published books and articles. Movies and documentaries will also provide source material. Globalization: Problem or Panacea? David A. Smith, Sociology T 11-11:50am, SSPB 4206 Course Code 87920 The word "globalization" is familiar to anyone tuned into global media, and is rapidly emerging as the favorite mantra of political leaders, business executives, and news reporters all around the world. It is clearly one of those faddish neologisms that is frequently invoked but rarely defined (and, in this case, freighted with ideological implications). In this seminar we will explore what globalization means—and try to carefully delineate just exactly what large-scale worldwide political and economic changes have occurred in the past two or three decades that led to the presumption that "the world has changed." Finally, we will analyze and discuss whether a world beset with myriad problems (grinding poverty and inequality, international tension and terrorism, severe ecological threats, etc.) is better or worse off given the current level of "globalization." Has it solved our problems? Or just made them worse? Finally, how can we as citizens and "ordinary people" constructively participate in our new globalized society? Fast Food Society: Life under Golden Arches Judith Treas, Sociology M 11-11:50 am, SSPB 4206 Course Code 87923 Americans spend more than a billion dollars on fast food each year. Launched in Southern California half a century ago, the fast food industry now stands for the best and worst of American civilization. Our seminar ponders how McDonald's pioneering principles of efficiency, predictability, and control have spread to religion, health care, and even higher education. Discover why Golden Arches cast such a long shadow over the lives of 3.5 million fast food workers, the future of Western ranching, the health of consumers, and the cultures of the globe. Readings will be taken from George Ritzer's "The McDonaldization of Society" and Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal." COLLEGE OF MEDICINE The Evolution of the Evolution versus Religious Dogma Controversy Cal McLaughlin, Biological Chemistry Tu 2-2:50 pm, MS1 D240 Course Code 87914 The publication of Charles Darwin's seminal book, "The Origin of Species" in 1859 ignited a religion versus science controversy that has persisted to this day. We will take both a historical and a conceptual point of view to try to understand why this controversy has been so durable, especially in America. We will start by reading portions of Darwin's book so that we can understand what biologists and other scientists mean by evolution. We will then examine the point of view of those who oppose the theory of evolution. Since neither the theory of evolution nor the objections to it have remained static, we will document how both sides have evolved since 1859. The course will involve readings from the relevant texts and some library research on the part of the students. There will be guest speakers and extensive use will be made of World Wide Web based materials. Science and non-science majors are welcome. |
| Freshman Seminar Program 256 Aldrich Hall Irvine, CA 92697-5675 Phone (949) 824-6987 Fax (949) 824-3469 A Division of Undergraduate Education Program © 2006-2008 The Regents of the University of California All Rights Reserved |
