Fall 2008 Seminar Faculty

Ben Brinkley

ARH 199 Buddhism through Art

The opportunity to talk about ideas in a small group is rare in undergraduate education, even though it is the best way human beings have found to learn and work together.

As a museum educator, I spend a lot of time looking at art and talking about it with groups. This experience usually makes me notice new things and challenge my own assumptions.

I’m especially interested to teach a freshman seminar during fall quarter, since students are just beginning to learn what will be expected of their reading, writing, thinking, and speaking skills. The study of religion and the study of art are fun because they allow us to use many methods, including those of history, literature, philosophy, and sociology. If the course introduces students to both the pleasures and challenges of undergraduate education, it will have been successful.

Sana Krusoe

ARTC 199 Eating and Art

I have many motivations to teach a Freshman Seminar, but foremost among them is having the opportunity to design a class for young, entry-level students that affords them both a caring, intimate environment and the excitement and adventure that learning experiences can offer. I love getting to know these students right out of high school, and I find that they impress me every year with the level of insightful intelligence that they bring to the group. The Freshman Seminar experience in particular keeps me optimistic about the future.

John Donovan

CH 199 Weird Science

The Freshman Seminar offers me an opportunity to provide undergraduates with an essential appreciation for how humans discover knowledge through challenging our natural intuitions. This critical process is fundamental to all fields of scholarship and is a core component of any university education. Scientific discovery and knowledge is a collaborative and social human endeavor, which works similar to but differently from other human activities. Normally this method of obtaining knowledge is learned "at the elbow" of a practicing scientist, but this course will enable all students to utilize this historically revolutionary process in both their careers and their personal lives, and to gain a greater critical understanding of the basis our technological society.

I personally find the joy of critical thought combined with the often surprising and unintuitive beauty of nature (as discovered by science) to be a wonderful adventure for life. I am eager to attempt to share this appreciation and awe of the natural universe with those starting to learn just how large and complex the human perceived universe really is. Learning how to separate the possible from the improbable is part of that wonderful journey.

Margaret McBride

ENG 199 Science Fiction: A New Mythology

I like the small elective class, the chance to teach science fiction, and the enthusiastic students.

Science fiction is my main field of research: I am actively involved in three professional organizations dealing with speculative fiction. I mostly teach writing so the Freshman Seminar gives me a chance to teach and talk about the literature I am most interested in. By narrowing the focus to science fiction that uses mythology also plays to different interests of students.

Galen Martin

PPPM 199 Confronting Consumerism: Beyond Recycling

Learning and teaching are much more than the conveyance of information. We must process the information in meaningful ways. While lectures are an important part of the educational experience, it is through discussion and writing that students develop critical thinking and meaningful interaction with the subject matter. My undergraduate work was carried out in a small liberal arts college where nearly all my classes were seminars. This has instilled in me a deep appreciation for opportunities provided by the Freshman Seminar Program for both students and faculty.

In this seminar we discuss globalization as an interrelated set of processes that increasingly connect all people who inhabit the earth. We will explore the globalization of politics, communication, economics, culture, and the environment. While some see such changes as a fundamental means of improving quality of life for everyone, others view such changes as divisive, self-serving processes promoted by affluent individuals, corporations, and nations. The class explores this debate by investigating the global promotion, production and consumption of specific products and ideas.

Kathie Carpenter

INTL 199 Childhood: Theories, Stories, and Movies

It is always a joy to teach this course. Freshmen bring so much energy and excitement into the classroom - it's contagious! In this seminar we use novels and films about childhood, along with scholarly accounts of influential Western theories of childhood, to explore beliefs about the relationship between childhood and adulthood. I find that the topic generates a lot of interest and discussion because although parenting is very important, most students have never been asked to critically analyze their views on it before.

Carlos Aguirre

HIST 199 Soccer and Society in Modern Latin America

Teaching a Freshman Seminar on Latin America is a wonderful opportunity to nurture the growing interest among our students in the history and culture of the region. I have done it twice in the past, with wonderful results, but I always wanted to teach a Freshmen Seminar on a theme that is very fond to me: the history of soccer and its connections to the larger societies in which it has developed. Soccer, like any other popular pastime, is not only a form of entertainment and a collective passion. It also reflects the multiple tensions, social arrangements, and changing socio-cultural structures of a given society. This course uses soccer as a window to explore some of the most important aspects of contemporary Latin American societies: the development of various forms of political culture, the formation of regional and national identities, the forging of popular cultures and traditions, and the impact of global economic and cultural trends. Students in this seminar will be able to deepen both their understanding of Latin American societies and (I hope) their appreciation for soccer and its fascinating history.

Bob Zimmerman

PHYS 199 Search for Life in the Universe