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SPRING 2007 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 Changing Nature of American Jazz Dance Bob Boross, Dance F 10-10:50am, MAB 317 Course Code 87524 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 - feeing 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. Readings will be taken from Professor Boross’ website, his own research and publications, writing assignments, watching videotapes and live dance, etc. Bob Boross is head of the jazz, tap, and musical theatre dance areas of the UCI Dance Department, and holds an M.A. in Individualized Study in Jazz Dance from New York University. After performing on Broadway in the 1981 revival of Can-Can, choreographed by Roland Petit, Bob became a teacher and choreographer in jazz dance and musical theatre. In theatres across the country he has choreographed Annie Get Your Gun, Guys and Dolls, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Pirates of Penzance, and for UCI - Victor/Victoria. His concert dances have been seen in New York City at the Broadway Dance Center Performance Outlet and at Dancespace, in Los Angeles with the 2002 Gypsy Awards show and Spectrum Dance in LA, and Texas with Discovery Dance Group. His piece "Cool," a finalist in the Jazz Dance World Congress Choreography Competition, will soon join the repertory of the London Studio Center Jazz Dance Company in England. What Do You REALLY Want to Be When You Grow Up?! Cliff Faulkner, Drama M 3:30-4:20pm, Mesa Court Housing Complex, Community Center Room Course Code 87505 NOTE: Professor Faulkner’s seminar will be held in the Mesa Course Housing in the Community Center Classroom. Please be aware that your travel time will be greater than 10 minutes if you are coming from Central Campus. For a map of Mesa Course, please go to http://www.housing.uci.edu/mc/map/asp. Through readings, discussions, and fun exercises, this seminar helps you find career paths that are right for you—and opens doors to making those dreams a reality! The answers to career questions may be inside you already, and this class can help you find them. Cliff Faulkner's life has included scene painting, stage design, art direction, stage direction, graphic arts, arts administration, and teaching. The evolutions have made this career particularly interesting. Your path may be straight or curvaceous—it's yours to choose! So, You Want To Be A Star? Don Hill, Drama Tu 4:00-4:50pm, Mesa Court Housing Complex, Community Center Classroom Course Code 87508 NOTE: Professor Hill’s seminar will be held in the Mesa Course Housing in the Community Center Classroom. Please be aware that your travel time will be greater than 10 minutes if you are coming from Central Campus. For a map of Mesa Course, please go to http://www.housing.uci.edu/mc/map/asp. Students will learn how to create and establish career goals in the performing arts (both in front and behid the footlights). Students will individually explore what the word "success" means, how to create an action plan, and how to find a mentor to help you achieve your goals. Don Hill has worked in the professional theatre as an actor, stage manager, production manager, director, producer and union negotiator in a thirty-two year career spanning both coasts. During his five years as production manager for the Los Angeles Theatre Center he supervised 66 main stage productions 54 of which were new works. As production manager for inaugural season of the Geffen Playhouse he worked with such prominent directors as Joe Mantelo on Love, Valor, Compassion and Adrian Hall on Quills. As Associate Producer for the Long Beach Civic Light Opera (one of the largest musical theatre companies in America), Hill worked with such personalities as Carol Burnett, Dixie Carter, Nell Carter, Tyne Daly, Sandy Duncan, Charles Durning, Bebe Neuwirth, Leslie Uggams and Elaine Stritch. Is All the World Really a Stage? Anthony Kubiak, Drama Th 1:00-1:50pm, Mesa Court Housing Complex, Community Center Classroom. Course Code 87513 NOTE: Professor Kubiak’s seminar will be held in the Mesa Course Housing in the Community Center Classroom. Please be aware that your travel time will be greater than 10 minutes if you are coming from Central Campus. For a map of Mesa Course, please go to http://www.housing.uci.edu/mc/map/asp. A series of articles and discussions on the widespread role of role-playing and theatre in culture and politics. Anthony Kubiak is a professor of Drama, specializing in modern theater and performance. He has published books on the role of theater in American society, and theater's associations with terrorism. Art of Collaboration and Consensus Decision Making Lisa Naugle, Dance Tu 2:00-2:50pm, MAB 317 Course Code 87516 Artistic collaboration requires successful communication where individuals work on steps and procedures that are small portions of a larger accomplishment. Brainstorming, creative thinking and problem solving make valuable skills and can be significant contributions to successful teamwork. The course will feature a map of the territiory of collaborative activity including the instructor's creative projects over the past 10 years with dancers, musicians, visual and new media artists. We will also look at the work of prominent artistic couples and other pathbreaking experiments (groups) fostered by collaboration and partnership. Student will be given tasks, scenarios projects to encourage collaborations that serve to transform individual ideas into meaningful information and representations. Students will participate in various projects (small and large group) over several weeks through face to face and online communication. They will engage in critical and creative thinking as they work together toward deeper levels of artistic awareness and capabilities in problem solving. Lisa Naugle is Associate Professor in the Department of Dance. She holds a Ph.D and MFA in dance from New York University. Her research and publications explore the convergence of contemporary performance and new media technologies. Her work has been performed in London, Amsterdam, Germany, Italy, France, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Budapest,Prague, Brazil, Spain, Korea, China and Canada, as well as throughout the USA. Hollywood's Portrayal of the Artist Alan Terricciano, Dance M 7:30-8:50pm, HH 257 Course Code 87521 In this course, students examine the way in which artists and the practices of making art are portrayed in the commercial film industry. Discussion centers on how historic notions about the artist in society, the role of creative expression in our culture, and the idea of genius and the masterpiece, are perpetuated and distorted through this lense. Films we will watch include "Immortal Beloved", "Shakespeare in Love", "Isadora", "Bird", "Lust for Life" and "This is Spinal Tap." Students will write a review one movie chosen by the instructor. Students will focus their review on points discussed in class. Alan Terricciano is a composer and pianist serving as the chair of the Dance Department. He was recently named Orange County's "Artist of the Year" by the organization 'Arts Orange County.' He has performed as a pianist and had scores presented nationally and internationally. SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Biology of Energy Medicine Shin Lin, Developmental & Cell Biology W 10:00-10:50am, BH 1429 Course Code 87530 Energy Medicine, a major branch of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, deals with the emission of energy from the body and the response of the mind and body to external energy within the context of health and healing. This seminar will focus on the latest clinical and basic research on such therapies as Electrotherapy, Qigong, and Reiki. Demonstration of technologies and hands-on learning of some techniques are included in the course. Shin Lin has faculty appointments in the areas of Cell Biology, Physiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Integrative Medicine at UCI. His research is focused on the use of the latest biomedical technologies to study changes in bioenergy (measured as heat, light, and electricity) associated with mind-body practices and energy therapies (e.g., Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga), as well as the effect of such energy on cells structure and function in vitro. He is currently the Director of the International Alliance for Mind-Body Signaling and Energy Research, Co-Chair of the World Congress on Qigong, Chair of an advisory group on Energy Medicine for the National Institutes of Health, and editorial board member of the "Journal for Alternative and Complementary Medicine" and the journal "Chinese Medicine". From Molecules to Memory Marcelo Wood, Neurobiology and Behavior M 11:00-11:50am, BH 1422 Course Code 87536 In this seminar, we will discuss molecular events involved in memory storage and how knowledge of these molecular events is used to design and identify novel cognitive enhancers. As with any performance enhancing drug, we will also debate how and when these enhancers should be used, which taps into the emerging field of neuroethics. Marcelo Wood received his Ph.D. in molecular biology from Princeton University and studied the neurobiology of learning and memory as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. He recently recently joined the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior in January of 2006 as an Assistant Professor. He am also a member of the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory (CNLM). His laboratory's research is focused on understanding the role of chromatin remodeling regulation of transcription required for memory processes. One result of this work has been the identification of a novel cognitive enhancer. This will be the starting point for the seminar. These and other enhancers will be discussed within the context of neuroethics, which is a topic of great importance. PAUL MERAGE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Business and the Environment Dennis Aigner, Economics/Public Policy W 10:00-10:50am, MPAA 120 Course Code 87500 NOTE: Professor Aigner's Seminar will ONLY meet Weeks, 7, 8, 9, 10 and Finals Week. An introduction to some of the leading environmental problems of the day, the business sector’s contribution to them, and business’ new leadership role in combating them and preventing new problems from arising. Student teams will develop presentations on each of the selected problems and business’ contribution to them based on resources suggested by the instructor and their own web-based research. The instructor will present and lead the discussion relating to business’ new leadership role in solving environmental problems. Dennis J. Aigner is Professor of Management and Economics and former Dean of The Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). From 2000 to 2005 he held the position of Dean and Bren Fellow in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Before that, he was Professor of Economics and Chairman of the Department of Economics at the University of Southern California (USC). He received his Ph.D. degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Professor Aigner's publication record includes several books and numerous articles on statistical and econometric methodology. He was founding editor of the Journal of Econometrics, and co-edited the Journal for 20 years. His research interests include corporate environmental management, U.S. competitiveness in global markets, foreign investment, state and local economic issues, and workers' compensation. Strategic Role of Information Technology in Business Vijay Gurbaxani, Management W 1:00-2:50pm, SB 116 Course Code 87526 NOTE: Professor Gurbaxani’s seminar will ONLY meet weeks 1-5. NOTE: After March 23, 2007, Professor Gurbaxani’s seminar will be open to sophomores, as space permits. This course is designed around key business and management issues surrounding the development and use of information technology resources in organizations. Four main themes are examined - Understanding information technology and its role in organizations, how managers can gain competitive advantage by using information technology to enable new strategies and business models, how managers can use information technology to redesign their business processes, organizations and industries and how managers should manage their information technology assets and infrastructure to support their business objectives. Dr. Vijay Gurbaxani is Senior Associate Dean and Professor of Information Systems and Computer Science at the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine. His research, teaching and consulting interests focus on the application of economic principles to strategic issues in the information systems context. He is an expert on sourcing strategies for IT services and on the valuation of IT investment. Dr. Gurbaxani has an active research program supported by funds from the National Science Foundation and from industry. He is the author of a book, “Managing Information Systems Costs,” and has published numerous articles and management reports in his areas of specialization Stategic Management Bradley Killaly, Management Tu 12:00-1:50pm, MPAA 120 Course Code 87529 NOTE: Professor Killaly's seminar will ONLY meet weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. The position of the general manager in addressing management of the entire business rather than a particular functional area. Topics include the role of the general manager in organizations, industry analysis, core competencies, innovation, acquisition and diversification, globalization, ethical and moral responsibilities of a manager. Professor Killaly received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, his M.P.A. from Princeton University and his M.Sc. in Economics from the London School of Economics. His key research areas include Evolutionary economics, with specific attention to the causes of firm change. Organizational decision making, learning and organizational ecology. The relationship between organizational experience and performance. HENRY SAMUELI SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Photonics and Optics Communications Chin Lee, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Tu 11:00-11:50am, BH 1433 Course Code 87514 How are photons (or optical waves) generated? Are they particles or waves? What are their unique and interesting properties and associated applications? How are photons used to carry and transport nearly unlimited amount of information in fiber optics communication networks forming the backbone of the mordern communication network? Chin C. Lee received Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University. He is a professor of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Director of the School-wide Materials Engineering and Manufacturing Technology graduate program. His research interests include semiconductor devices, microwave devices, electronic packaging, thermal design of electronic devices, bonding technology, electromagnetic theory, scanning acoustic microscopy, integrated optics, and optoelectronics. He has co-authored more than 200 research papers. Chin C. Lee is a Fellow of IEEE and a member of Tau Beta Pi. He is an associate editor of IEEE Trans. Components and Packaging Technologies and is recognized and listed as one of the 230 highly cited researchers in the world in the subject category of Engineering on Thomson-ISI Citation Dada Base. SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES On the Liberation of Women Ermanno Bencivenga, Philosophy Tu 2:00-2:50pm, HOB2 233 Course Code 87502 In this seminar we will discuss the groundbreaking essay in which John Stuart Mill examines and refutes the basic arguments that were classically used to maintain women in a position of dependence on men. Professor Bencivenga has been at UCI since 1979. He is the author of 31 books and over 70 scholarly articles. He is the winner of five teaching awards. He is also the founding editor of an international philosophy journal and of a book series. Spanish Culture in Southern California Michelle Hamilton, Spanish W 10:00-10:50am, SSL 155 Course Code 87507 This class will explore aspects of Spanish culture in Southern California. We will explore how the history, architecture, culture and people of Southern California have been impacted by Spain and Spanish culture. We will look at historical buildings, cuisine and modern influence of Spaniards in Hollywood. Michelle Hamilton is a Professor of Iberian Literature and Culture and focus on the intercation of Muslims, Jews and Christians in medieval Spain. Anatomy of Memory Rebeca Helfer, English Th 4:00-4:50pm, HH 232 Course Code 87527 What is memory? How do we remember? Why? This course asks these questions and more as we explore a range of writings -- from Augustine to Freud, Montaigne to Nabokov -- on the literary, historical, biographical, psychological, historical, and scientific elements of memory. Our cultural examination of memory and remembrance will include elements of popular culture, such as song lyrics, advertisements, and other media forms. The course's aim: to think creatively about what makes something memorable and why. Rebeca Helfer is an assistant professor of Renaissance literature in the English Department; her work is on poetry and memory. Is Preventive War Just? Aaron James, Philosophy W 11:00-11:50am, HOB2 233 Course Code 87509 Some recent wars have been justified as preventive wars. The goal is not simply to pre-empt an attack when a threat has already arisen. It is to prevent threats before they arise. We will ask whether this is a morally justified form of self-defense. Professor James specializes in Ethics and Political Philosophy Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll in Restoration Drama Richard Kroll, English M 3:00-3:50pm, HH 251 Course Code 87512 The theatres in Lopndon were reopened in 1660 after the English Civil War and when Charles II was recalled to the throne. We will read four plays in the course of the term: they are witty, raunchy, and FUN. These are The Country Wife, The Man of Mode, The Rover (written by the first woman to earn a living by writing) and the Way of the World. These represent some of the best plays in the seventeenth century, including those by Shakespeare. Professor Kroll teaches in British literature from about 1600 (Shakespeare) to 1800 (Austen). He also teaches the large criticism course in English ranging from Plato to the present, and several different kinds of classes in drama. Cities and the Future: Cinema, Science Fiction, Narrative Catherine Liu, Film & Media Studies Tu 11:00-11:50am, SSL 152 Course Code 87515 This seminar will explore the image of utopic and dystopic cities in science fiction narratives and cultural theory. We will look at the ways in which the city functions in the processes of modernization that distinguish the past two centuries, as well investigate the project of the city into the future. This seminar will deal with how the concept of the city becomes a protagonist of modern narrative structures. Catherine Liu has published in cultural and critical theory, psychoanalysis and has written a novel about New York City of the 1980s. She is completely a manuscript titled Modernity and its Discontents: Freud, Adorno, Benjamin Understanding Political Violence David Pan, German W 11:00-11:50am, KH 400D Course Code 87531 This course will consider two texts in political theory, Hannah Arendt’s "On Violence" and Carl Schmitt’s "The Concept of the Political," in order to understand how political violence comes about and what alternatives there are for limiting its proliferation. While each class will concern itself directly with a section from one of these works, the discussion will seek to make the theoretical concepts concrete by linking them to real world events involving political violence, including war, revolution, terrorism, and totalitarianism. David Pan received his Ph.D. in German literature from Columbia University and has taught at Washington University in St. Louis, Stanford University, and Penn State University. He has also worked as a consultant at McKinsey and Company and as an editorial associate and book review editor at the journal, TELOS. He is the author of "Primitive Renaissance: Rethinking German Expressionism," which reinterprets German Expressionist art and literature as part of a primitivist movement rather than a modernist one, and he has just finished a book project about sacrifice as a trope in German literature entitled “Economies of Sacrifice: Violence and Culture in Modern Germany.” He is currently working on a manuscript about the idea of tradition in 18th century German thought. The Spanish Language Worldwide Armin Schwegler, Spanish F 3:00-3:50pm, HH 251 Course Code 87519 This "fun course" studies the history and contemporary usage of Spanish worldwide. Special emphasis is placed on Latin American dialect varieties (including Mexican, Cuban, Argentinean, Colombian, and USA Spanish). By taking this course students will gain a better appreciation for (1) how and why a once very marginal tongue has become one of the world's major languages, (2) the extent to which Spanish dialects differ today, and (3) how Spanish evolved from Roman times into what it is today. No prior knowledge of spoken or written Spanish required. (bold and underline last line) Born in Switzerland and resident of the USA since 1975, Professor Schwegler has learned Spanish and about 10 other languages. His research on the Spanish language and its dialects have taken him to virtually every corner of Latin America (he often does field work in remote jungles in South America). The author of over 40 scholarly articles and several books, he is currently writing a monograph about PALO MONTE, an Afro-Cuban ritual language used in voodoo-like ceremonies. Prof. Schwegler has been a guest professor at several universities in Europe and the United States, and recently spent 2 years in Costa Rica as Director of UC's Education Abroad Program. In the fall of 2002, he taught at the University of Havana and did field work in Cuba for his new book. Baseball as America Steven Topik, History M 1:00-1:50pm, Middle Earth Housing Complex, Gandalf’s Classroom B Course Code 87522 NOTE: Professor Topik's seminar is being held in Middle Earth Housing. Please be aware that your travel time will be greater than 10 minutes if you are coming from Mesa Court or the School of the Arts. For a map of Middle Earth, please go to http://www.housing.uci.edu/me/map.asp. We will try to understand "America" by studying the history of "the American Pasttimes", baseball. Issues include: baseball and nationalism, and war, urbanization, integration, Latin American and Japanese participation, professionalization, gender relations, drugs and scandals. Steven Topik is a California native, attended UCSD before the University of Texas. He is a student of Latin American and world history. He has been teaching at UCI since 1985 and attended summer school here in 1969. He enjoys baseball much more as a fan than as a player. China: Beyond the Headlines Jeffrey Wasserstrom, History W 2:00-2:50pm, HH 108 Course Code 87523 China is increasingly making headlines in the United States these days, but it can be hard for Americans to know what to make of coverage of the world's morst populous country. This is because mass media discussion of China often veers in sensationalistic directions and overstates both the positive and negative aspects of developments in that country. This class seeks to provide students with skills to move beyond the simplistic notions conveyed in soundbites, and place into a meaningful context and into historical perspective stories about everything from China's economic rise, to China's growing role in global popular culture, to China's potential to someday pose a military threat to the United States. In doing so, it attempts to equip students with analytical skills that will help them become better critical consumers of news about not just China but about all parts of the world. Jeffrey Wasserstrom is a specialist in modern Chinese history who has published widely in both academic and general interst venues, including newspapers (such as the Asian Wall Street Journal) and magazines (such as the Nation and Newsweek). The topics he has worked on have range from student protest (the subject of his first book), to gender, to the cultural history of the city of Shanghai. He has served as a consultant to prize-winning documentaries on the Tiananmen demonstrations of 1989 and the Cultural Revolution, and he has taken ten trips to Asia during the last twenty years. Until he came to Irvine in the Summer of 2006 as a Professor of History, he spent 15 years teaching at Indiana University, where his last posts were as a Professor of History and the Director of the East Asian Studies Center. Iraq: Another Vietnam? Charles Wheeler, History M 11:00-11:50am, KH 126 Course Code 87535 Since 1975, whenever and wherever the US government commits military forces abroad, even when the hint of possible foreign entanglement arises, news anchors, pundits and other opinion makers wring their hands and ask: “Could this be another Vietnam?” This time, in 2006, they just might be right: Iraq certainly does seem like another Vietnam. But what is a “Vietnam”? Why is Iraq another Vietnam? The purpose of the course is twofold: (1) to compare Vietnamese and Iraqi wars according to a set of objective criteria; and, perhaps more importantly, (2) analyze the discourse about the Vietnam War and comparisons of it to Iraq in America’s mainstream media, to understand how the rhetoric of “Vietnam” can actually shape American attitudes about wars like Iraq, even to the level of policymaking. Charles Wheeler is Assistant Professor in the Department of History. His areas of interest are Vietnam, the South China Sea, and the world. In addition to Vietnamese, world and ocean histories, Professor Wheeler also teaches classes on the Vietnam War. He is currently completing a book that explores trans-oceanic networks of commerce, culture and religion, developed from the human ecology of the South China Sea, and their impact on Vietnamese colonial expansion during the 16th through 19th centuries, an event which laid the foundation for modern-day Vietnam. DONALD BREN SCHOOL OF INFORMATION AND COMPUTER SCIENCES Cellular Automata: Complex Patterns from Simple Rules David Eppstein, Information and Computer Science M 11:00-11:50am, CS 360D Course Code 87537 Cellular automata such as Conway's famous "Game of Life" are systems for describing complex and changing visual patterns based on very simple computational rules. In this seminar, we'll see the kinds of patterns that can be generated with cellular automata, find out about computer programs for exploring cellular automaton rules, and learn about how these systems can model phenomena from the physical world. David Eppstein has been a professor in the computer science department at UCI since 1990. His main research is in the design and analysis of algorithms, but he also has a strong interest in recreational math topics. He has published one research paper on cellular automata and was the discoverer of the first period-7 spaceship pattern in Conway's Game of Life, a well-known and popular cellular automaton rule. Cyber-Puzzlers Michael Goodrich, Information and Computer Science M 11:00-11:50am, BH 1423 Course Code 87506 Through in-class discussions and brain-storming sessions, this course will study cyber-puzzlers and brain teasers, which are often used during job interviews as a test of Mathematical and Computational thinking. Special attention will be paid to puzzlers that have a relationship to computer science topics. Problem solutions will need only high school mathematics and logic. Professor Goodrich's research is directed at the design of high performance algorithms and data structures for solving large-scale problems motivated from information assurance and security, the Internet, information visualization, and geometric computing. He is also interested in computer science education. He received his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 1987. What's the scoop? Information Technology in the Popular Press Amelia Regan, Information and Computer Science M 2:00-2:50pm, ICS Student Affairs Office Conference Room Course Code 87538 NOTE: Professor Regan’s seminar will be held in the ICS Trailers. It is building 313 on a campus map. This seminar will focus on current developments in information technology and their reporting in the popular press (NY Times, LA Times. Amelia Regan studies applications of information technologies and optimization methods for logistics and supply chain management. She spends most of her time building mathematical models and developing computer based algorithms for solving these problems. SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL SCIENCES SETI: Search for life elsewhere in the universe Asantha Cooray, Physics M 4:00-4:50pm, FRH 4135 Course Code 87525 In this seminar, we will discuss the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) programs. The seminar will involve readings of our space exploration to Mars and other planets/satellites, and established SETI projects to send and receive messages from other civilizations. We now know that other stars have large Jupiter- and Saturn-like planets around them, though our astronomical technologies have not reached the level to see Earth-like planets around other stars. But, if such planets do exist, then can we expect life on them? can we communicate with such civilizations? No astronomy or science background is necessary, except for a curiosity on this subject. Assistant Professor Cooray received his bachelor's degrees in Physics and Mathematics from MIT in 1997, his Ph.D. in Astronomy and Astrophysics from U. of Chicago in 2001, and has been a UCI faculty member since 2005. His current research attempts to understand how the Universe got to be the way it is. He is also interested in understanding the inner workings of the "Big Bang" event, and if there are signatures from the event that we can see and detect today. His website is http://www.cooray.org. Energy and the Environment Patrick J. Farmer, Chemistry M 3:00-3:50pm, PSCB 220 Course Code 87504 There are inherent problems and limitations in the continued use of petroleum-based fuels, including both the limited supply and the byproduction of pollution. Nuclear energy, while quite efficient, brings high societal costs in liabilities and waste containment. The President has advocated the use of hydrogen as a fuel source, but its technological feasibility is still being assessed. In addition, biofuels derived from plants are being considered as a renewable energy source. In this course, we will discuss the basic science underlying the various energy sources and their effect on the world around us. Patrick Farmer received his B.S. at University of Texas at San Antonio, then obtained his PH.D. at Texas A & M University in Inorganic Chemistry. He won two postdoctoral fellowships from the National Science Foundation, the first was at Ecole Normale Suprieure in Paris to study electrochemistry, the second was at Caltech to study photochemistry and its applications to biology. He started here at UC Irvine in 1995, and since has won several awards including an NSF CAREER award and an American Cancer Society Research Scholar award. He got an active research program focused on redox chemistry of biological systems, including using enzymes as electrochemical catalysts, making redox-based drugs for melanoma and heart disease, and understanding the biological chemistry of melanins. The Chemistry of Health and Disease A. J. Shaka, Chemistry F 12:00-12:50pm, Mesa Court Housing Complex, Community Center Classroom Course Code 87532 NOTE: Professor Shaka's seminar will be held in the Mesa Course Housing in the Community Center Classroom. Please be aware that your travel time will be greater than 10 minutes if you are coming from Central Campus. For a map of Mesa Court, please go to http://www.housing.uci.edu/mc/map/asp. How do the lifestyle choices we make affect our quality of life, our chances of falling ill, and how long and well we'll live? Chemistry offers suprising insight into states of health and disease on the molecular level, and suggests good strategies to safeguard your health and enjoy life to the fullest. Join us for this open-ended wide-ranging seminar and see how Science is closing in on the causes of illness, aging and death. We won't live forever-- but it doesn't hurt to make an effort! Dr. Shaka has been on the UCI Faculty for 18 years. His research focuses on methods to determine the structure of biomolecules in solution using nuclear magnetic resonance. He has an ongoing interest in aging, because it's happening to him! SCHOOL OF SOCIAL ECOLOGY Understanding Cities: Learning from Popular Film, Television, Song, and Print Victoria Basolo, Planning, Policy and Design Tu 11:00-11:50am, SE 315 Course Code 87501 Images of cities are developed through experience, mostly second-hand through film, television, song, and print. This seminar explores the images of cities offered through these sources and challenges course participants to analyze the presentation of cities and city life as depicted through the mass media. Victoria Basolo, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Planning, Policy, and Design. Her research interests focus on urban planning, development, and policy issues including housing, economic development, intergovernmental relations, and politics. Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Manga, and More! Ken Chew, Planning, Policy and Design Tu 3:00-3:50pm, Mesa Court Housing Complex, Community Center Classroom Course Code 87503 NOTE: Professor Chew's seminar will be held in the Mesa Course Housing in the Community Center Classroom. Please be aware that your travel time will be greater than 10 minutes if you are coming from Central Campus. For a map of Mesa Course, please go to http://www.housing.uci.edu/mc/map/asp. Why do we like or dislike certain comics, graphic novels, or manga? What does that reveal in turn about these media and their audiences? This seminar provides a toolkit for reading and evaluating comic books, graphic novels, manga, and related outlets, both for their aesthetic and their sociological qualities. We'll survey some classics, some classics-in-the-making, and some of our personal favorites (classics or not!). Ken Chew started paying serious attention to comics long, long before coming to UCI in the mid-1980s. His favorites include Stan Sakai's USAGI YOJIMBO, Mike Mignola's HELLBOY, and Paul Chadwick's CONCRETE. He loves to learn about what other fans are reading. Los Angeles Through Film Rodolfo Torres, Planning, Policy and Design M 6:00-7:50pm, SSL 122 Course Code 87533 The seminar explores Los Angeles through analysis of feature films. Particular attention is paid to how power and inequality are constructed,represented, and contested in Hollywood cinema. Students are required to attend six sessions of approximately two hours to screen films. The remaining three seminar meetings will be one hour and devoted to the interrogation of the films as a form of critique. Professor Rodolfo D. Torres teaches urban planning. He is author of several books on cities and inequality. SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Race and Gender Discrimination in Jobs and Everyday Life Matt Huffman, Sociology Th 11:00-11:50am, Middle Earth Housing Complex, Gandalf’s Classroom B Course Code 87528 NOTE: Professor Huffman’s seminar is being held in Middle Earth Housing. Please be aware that your travel time will be greater than 10 minutes if you are coming from Mesa Court or the School of the Arts. For a map of Middle Earth, please go to http://www.housing.uci.edu/me/map.asp. This seminar addresses discrimination by gender and race in the United States. In addition to discrimination in the context of paid employment, we will discuss other "everyday life" contexts such as buying a car or renting an apartment. We will also discuss how social scientists approach the study of race and sex discrimination. Matt Huffman is an Associate Professor of Sociology. His research examines race and gender inequality in organizations and labor markets. He has testified in Orange County Superior Court as an expert witness in cases involving sex discrimination allegations. Best Foot Forward Mary Louise Kean, Psychology Tu 12:00-12:50pm, Middle Earth Housing Complex, Whispering Wood/Woodhall Study Room Course Code 87511 NOTE: Professor Kean's seminar is being held in Middle Earth Housing. Please be aware that your travel time will be greater than 10 minutes if you are coming from Mesa Court or the School of the Arts. For a map of Middle Earth, please go to http://www.housing.uci.edu/me/map.asp Etiquette is an old-fashioned term for putting your best foot forward. Writing nice thank you notes (email or snail mail), using the right fork, and dressing appropriately for the occasion, all still count with family, employers, friends, and even professors. Having a framework of polite behavior makes you and everyone you encounter more comfortable. In this course students will learn not to be baffled by arrays of forks and learn how to write notes and formal letters among other things. Mary Louise Kean received her Ph.D. in Linguistics from MIT. Her current research focuses on language and cognition, not manners. She grew up in Washington, DC, at a time when ladies (not just Queen Elizabeth) wore hats and gloves. She bought her first etiquette book just for the fun of it at age 10, and continues to find society's "rules" variously fun, bizarre, annoying, and helpful. Women of Color in Film Belinda Robnett-Olsen, Sociology Tu 4:00-6:50pm, SSL 155 Course Code 87517 Movies provide viewers with powerful messages about women. In this course we will analyze the ways in which women of color are portrayed. What roles do Asian-American, African-American, and Latinas play in film? Does the media produce stereotypes? How are the roles of women in these groups changing? We will pay particular attention to issues of class and sexuality. Each class meeting we will watch a contemporary film and discuss the portrayal of women of color. Class participation is essential and constitutes 50% of your course grade. Your final examination is a 2-3 page paper analyzing the portrayal of a woman (women) of color in a film of your choice. Refer to your readings and class discussion to help with your analysis. It is due the last day of class. Professor Belinda Robnett-Olsen has taught at UCI since 1999. Her focus is on gender, race/ethnicity, and social movements. She is author of "How Long? How Long? African American Women in the Struggle for Civil Rights." Peace is Every Step Barbara Sarnecka, Psychology M 2:00-2:50pm, SSPA 3182 Course Code 87518 This course is an introduction to mindfulness meditation, drawing on the Zen style of meditation. Each week, we will practice sitting silently for 20 minutes, and then spend 30 minutes discussing a short reading. There is also a meditation "homework" assignment each week, where students will try to practice meditation for 10-15 minutes each day. Barbara Sarnecka is an assistant professor in Cognitive Sciences, studying language development and conceptual change. COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES Developmental disabilities in America - from 'village idiot through the asylum to community integration. Anne Tournay, Pediatrics Tu 2:00-3:50pm, Middle Earth Housing Complex, Whispering Wood Multipurpose Room Course Code 87534 NOTE: Dr. Tournay's seminar will meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month starting on April 10, 2007 (Week 2). The seminar ONLY will meet on the following Tuesdays: April 10, 2007 April 24, 207 May 8, 2007 May 22, 2007 June 12, 2007 NOTE: This seminar is being held in Middle Earth Housing. Please be aware that your travel time will be greater than 10 minutes if you are coming from Mesa Court or the School of the Arts. For a map of Middle Earth, please go to http://www.housing.uci.edu/me/map.asp. This seminar will explore the medical and social issues regarding developmental disabilities in America. Genetic and other causes of developmental disabilities will be discussed, together with a review of how society has treated affected individuals. The 'autism epidemic' will be reviewed. The class will have the opportunity to meet families affected by developmental disability. At least one field trip is also planned. Dr. Tournay is a child neurologist at UC Irvine Medical Center. She went to medical school at University College London, England. She did her Postgraduate training in pediatrics and child neurology at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and the National Institutes of Health. She works extensively with children and adults with developmental disabilities, and derive a great deal of enjoyment from doing so. Practical Nutrition for College Students Frances Jurnak, Physiology & Biophysics M 5:00-5:50pm, HH 210 Course Code 87510 Course will focus on the scientific basis for genetic individuality, metabolic role of vitamins and minerals, diet fads, exercise and muscle building fads, improvement in mental acuity, avoidance of contagious diseases, methods to mitigate the negative effects of alcohol on the body, staying younger longer, and lowering the risk for cancer. Frances Jurnak is a Professor of Physiology and Biophysics in the College of Medicine. Her research specialty is structural and functional biochemistry, with strong personal interest in nutritional biochemistry. |
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