College Seminars

Note: You will need to complete the Drew Online Network User Training to earn credits for the Common Hour. You have the option of either self-paced online or instructor-paced class with lectures and demonstrations.

Course List

CSEM 1/1 Growing Up in the French-Speaking World – Instructor: Deborah Hess

In countries of multilingual and multicultural origin, identity is often the primary question for the young adult who reaches the stage of making decisions on his or her own and without parental influence. If the United States tends to suppress difference in a ‘melting pot,’ societies influenced by French linguistic and cultural practices face additional challenges. One option is for their primary linguistic and cultural identity to be to a greater or lesser degree French. This seminar will focus on questions relating to self and identity in societies influenced by the French language and cultural practices, including Belgium, Algeria, Senegal, Haiti, Quebec, as well as mainland France. In addition, issues relating to gender and self-fulfillment will be the subject of this seminar. Materials include short stories by authors from these regions. The course seeks active student participation through discussion, oral reports, round tables and debates. Materials will be read and discussed in English.

CSEM 1/2 Searching for Hamlet: On the Page, Stage, and Screen – Instructor: Dan LaPenta

HAMLET has been the play that theatre artists for hundreds of years have felt compelled to tackle in order to prove their “chops.” And scholars and critics have engaged in an unquenchable pursuit of the meanings and secrets of Shakespeare’s masterpiece. In this College Seminar, we will conduct our own search for Hamlet, focusing our entire semester on this seemingly bottomless work, doing our own intensive exploration of the text and continually asking the question “How do we translate what we learn about the play into performance?” In working towards possible answers, we will look at Shakespeare’s dramatic techniques and how what he writes helps define character and intention for the actor. Along with our thorough exploration of the text, we will study a variety of film performances and the choices that those productions have made in bringing the Prince of Denmark alive. While theatre experience would be helpful in this class, it is not a requirement. Love of HAMLET is, however!

CSEM 1/3 Personal Identity and Immortality – Instructor: Erik Anderson

If I traded bodies with someone else, would I still be the same person? Would I continue to be the same person if my brain were transplanted into another human body or into the body of an android? Would a human being or an android with copies of my thoughts be me? These are vexing philosophical questions that are apt to give rise to widespread disagreement. However, there are at least two facts about which everyone is in agreement: 1) for every person there is some time at which that person is born and 2) there is some later time at which that person dies. This seminar is concerned with the question of what it is for some person who is born at one time to be the same person who dies at some later time. This investigation places us in a position to address the question of what it would be for a person to survive one’s death, or to be immortal. Readings include classical works by John Locke and David Hume, as well as works by contemporary philosophers Bernard Williams, Sydney Shoemaker, and Derek Parfit.

CSEM 1/4 Forty Studies that Changed Psychology – Instructor: Patrick Dolan

Psychology is the science of mental processes and behaviors. Effective treatments for depression and anxiety, improved child rearing practices, and enhanced educational techniques are just a few examples of how psychological research has directly and profoundly improved our quality of life. This seminar will explore some of the most influential studies in psychology — topics that include the influence of nature versus nurture, conformity, sexuality, and false memories. In the process of discussing the methods and results of the particular studies, we will address the controversies, ethical dilemmas, and long-term implications of the findings on understanding what makes us tick.

CSEM 1/5 How To Be Medieval – Instructor: Martin Foys

What does the word “medieval” mean to you? More than you think it does. The seminar will explore how we generally misunderstand the medieval past, and then use our own sense of the medieval to define our present lives. In the course, we will first look at some major modern misconceptions about what the Middle Ages were, and then study the ways that the modern world recycles the medieval through popular and intellectual forms like rock music, art, history, fantasy, literature, architecture, comic books, video games, museums, and even the design of our own university campus.

CSEM 1/6 Fantastic Journeys in the Ancient Greek World – Instructor: Meredith Safran

Exciting and unexpected things happen to people when they leave home, especially in the largely uncharted ancient Mediterranean world. Returning travelers bring back amazing stories of their journeys to strange places, but how can we be sure that these tales of adventure are true? What is at stake in separating fact from fantasy, and how can fiction contain its own kind of truth? In this course, we will read selections from several works of ancient Greek literature that relate tales of “fantastic journeys”: Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Herodotus’ Histories, Lucian’s parody True Histories, and Chariton’s adventure novel Callirhoe. In addition, we will view recent films that dramatize modern versions of such fantastic journeys.

CSEM 1/7 Why Do We Eat That? – Instructor: Maria Masucci

Agriculture has been termed the worst mistake in human history. Global human health declined after the adoption of farming and the rise of civilization. Clearly choices about what we eat are more complicated than health and meeting nutritional needs. What have past societies done and can we find lessons in their successes and failures? Through readings, films and debates we will journey in this seminar from early agricultural societies to the “Columbian Exchange”, “Green Revolution” and today’s debate over GMOs and the power of Monsanto. We will ask; why do we eat what we eat? have we, are we or even, can we, make the “right” choices. Even more difficult, what would the “right” choices be?

CSEM 1/8 Psychological Myth Busters: 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology – Instructor: Jessica Lakin

Because psychology is the study of people’s minds and behaviors, our personal experiences often lead us to develop beliefs about psychology and people more generally that are not supported by the scientific literature. In this seminar, we will explore some of the most common psychology-related myths (e.g., people only use 10% of their brains, dreams possess symbolic meaning, low-self-esteem is a cause of psychological problems). We will discuss and analyze these myths in the context of psychological research, which will increase psychological understanding and sharpen critical thinking skills.

CSEM 1/9 What can the physical sciences and computer engineering tell us about the brain? – Instructor: Minjoon Kouh

The field of neuroscience, the study of the brain, consists of highly interdisciplinary efforts. In this seminar, we will use ideas and approaches from computer science and physics to understand how the brain might work. We will explore questions like: Can we engineer an artificial brain, and how intelligent can a computer be? What does it mean to be intelligent, anyway? Can we achieve a computational theory of the brain?

CSEM 1/10 On Being Human – Instructor: George-Harold Jennings

In this seminar we examine the experience of being human. In addition to discussing ideas about human origin, we explore numerous psychological perspectives regarding human nature and society, social ills that diminish human expression, love, gender roles, healthy and unhealthy personalities, sexuality, parapsychological (Psi) phenomenon, spirituality, consciousness, death and dying, and religious concerns from both Western and Eastern perspectives.

CSEM 1/11 Sacred Wisdom – Instructor: Chris Taylor

Through wisdom literature (such as proverbs, maxims, aphorisms, epigrams, parables and short stories) this seminar will explore the rich treasuries of sacred thought from five of the great world religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism for their insights into some of the deepest and most perplexing questions of human existence. Among the topics we will consider are: the nature of reality, the ultimate meaning of life, suffering, pain, evil, virtue and what defines the good life. We will look for both comparisons and differences in the ways these five traditions consider some of the most ancient and enduring questions shaping human existence.

CSEM 1/12 Birds Do It, Bees Do It…but not like this! Reproduction in the 21st Century – Instructor: Christina McKittrick

“Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it…” Although Cole Porter was talking about falling in love, birds, bees, fleas (regardless of educational status), and humans all have the capacity to mate and reproduce. Reduced to its simplest elements, sexual reproduction involves the fusion of male gametes (sperm) and female gametes (ova or eggs) to form a genetically unique individual. However, an increased understanding of reproductive biology has been accompanied by advances in technology that have created many more options for creating life; with these technologies, come complex questions not only about what we can do, but also what we should do. As we explore the interface between science and society, this seminar will introduce students to such technologies as in vitro fertilization, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, and embryonic stem cell research, and will ask them to consider the ethical questions arising from these technologies.

CSEM 1/13 Are We Alone? – Instructor: Alan Rosan

Do you think that life exists beyond the Earth? Do you think there are intelligent alien civilizations out among the stars? Did you know there is an active investigatory discipline called Astrobiology that seeks to answer one of the oldest and most significant of human concerns, the great question: Are We Alone? Did you know some intriguing evidence already suggests that life may not be unique to Earth? Now, for the first time in human history, we may be able to scientifically address the question posed by the great Italian-American Physicist Enrico Fermi in 1950, “Where is Everybody? In this seminar we will learn how we might possibly detect, contact, understand and communicate with extraterrestrials. Through science literature, works of science fiction and video, we will explore motivation, intelligence, knowledge, sentience, responsibility, and what it is that is worth knowing, feeling and communicating. We will learn about past and recent SETI attempts to listen for and to communicate with extraterrestrial civilizations. We will discuss what experiments have and are being performed, how they are being accomplished, what is happening now, who is doing this work, what has been learned thus far and what the future may hold for life on and beyond the Earth.

CSEM 1/14 Beijing and Shanghai: Two Stories of Chinese Modernity – Instructor: Bai Di

This course is a general introduction to modern Chinese culture through looking at two important Chinese cities: Beijing and shanghai. The course focuses on three issues: 1. to understand modern Chinese history characterized by the conflicts between tradition and modernity; 2 to get acquaintance to different aspects of daily life in urban China; and 3 to challenge the biased orientalist views of Chinese revolutions, nationhood, gender and individuality.

CSEM 1/15 Bubbles, Panics and the Definition of Insanity – Instructor: Giandomenico Sarolli

Description: The latest financial meltdown may seem like something new and amazing, yet we have seen it all before. When viewed with hindsight, the signs of impending doom were all obvious, yet people still invested. In this class we are going to look at the history of financial panics in a different and more amusing way. If we look at the journalistic pieces that were written immediately before and after a panic, you will see how easy it was to get caught up in the moment and therefore how easy it was to fall for the latest get rich scheme. This class does not assume any prior knowledge of stocks or financial markets, just a morbid curiosity. One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting a different result. Find out why investors are all insane.

CSEM 1/16 Tea Party Politics in Contemporary America – Instructor: Phil Mundo

The Tea Party movement has captured a basic feeling many Americans hold about government: they suspect government does very little good and is a threat to their personal liberties. The Tea Party movement has given voice to this perception, and it has gathered a chorus of like-minded politicians and citizens who comprise a loosely organized but nonetheless significant challenge to American government. This course explores the origins of the Tea Party movement, related political developments in American politics, and their consequences.

CSEM 1/17 The Politics of Beauty – Instructor: Kesha Moore

What is beauty and how does it shape our lives? Is it true that “blondes have more fun” or that only tall men can be President of the United States? This course will explore the significance of culture, politics, and social inequality in determining what (or who) is considered beautiful. We will specifically look at the importance of race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, and nationality in structuring notions of beauty. We will also discuss the implications of being considered beautiful (or not) for a person’s social, professional, and economic life. This course will use popular culture as well as academic text to investigate our notions of beauty and its significance for our lives.

CSEM 1/18 The Power of Music – Instructor: Trevor Weston

This course will explore the different ways in which music can affect our lives. Students will analyze music from many different genres to reveal how music has historically communicated information about cultural, historical, and social realities in a given society. The course will also explore various questions surrounding definitions and criticisms of different types of music. The course will mostly use examples of music from the “Classical”, Popular and Jazz traditions for analysis, but music from non-Western Musical traditions will also be used for class discussion.

CSEM 1/19 What Disney Does – Instructor: Nadine Ollman

Compelling in their simplicity, satisfying in their happy endings, folk and fairy tales help shape our earliest ideas of good, and evil, and justice. Most of us, however, don’t know the original stories; we know “the Disney version.” What happens to traditional childhood tales (and fiction for adults, too) when they become Disneyfied? By analyzing and comparing the original sources with Disney’s film versions we will try to identify the social politics – the politics of power, race, and gender – that characterize what Disney does.

CSEM 1/20 Mathematics of Art and Art of Mathematics – Instructor: Raif Rustamov

What makes a work of art mathematical? How do artists use mathematics in their work? How art can be used to visualize difficult mathematical concepts? We will start by discovering mathematical secrets in the works of M.C. Escher and other artists. Within this context we will study topics such as symmetry, spherical and hyperbolic geometry, similarity, fractals, and higher dimensions. Additional topics will be included according to the interests of the students and instructor. As we progress, you will start authoring (by hand or on computer) your own art to illustrate some of these mathematical concepts.

CSEM 1/21 How the Media Shape Our Perceptions of Crime and Violence – Instructor: Scott Bonn

The mass media, including television, film, newspapers and the Internet, have a profound influence on our perceptions of the world around us. This is particularly true of our beliefs and attitudes regarding crime and violence—phenomena that, thankfully, the majority of us only experience through media images. In this seminar, we will examine the effects of the mass media on public perceptions of crime and violence, including homicide, rape and terrorism. We will discuss sociological and communication theories that seek to explain media effects on society. We will also examine numerous media images of crime and victims and attempt to debunk (disprove) popular myths and stereotypes.

CSEM 1/22 Women and Art – Instructor: Margaret Kuntz

This course will explore the evolving role of women as patrons of art, makers of art, and as subjects of art. Through a series of case studies and a variety of media we will explore the visual arts, both past and present, as a means to better understand the role of women in past cultures and in our contemporary society. Some of the topics covered will include: prominent, powerful women of the past such as Egypt’s Queen Hatshepsut and Marie de’Medici Queen of France; ancient images of Venus/Aphrodite will be discussed in connection with their Renaissance reincarnation and modern images of the nude. In addition, we will question the emergence of the female artist in the sixteenth century and the role of women today as award winning architects, street artists, and members of the great museums around the world.

CSEM 1/23 The Secret Life of Theatre – Instructor: Jen Plants

When you hear the word “performance,” what comes to mind? Can we use the principles of theatre to think about work that doesn’t happen on a stage? The selves we present on Facebook, the guerilla antics of Improv Everywhere (whose “missions” have included bringing Ghostbusters to life in the reading room of the New York Public Library,) political protests and reality TV are all theatrically based performances that create alternative identities based in theatrical principles. By examining contemporary performances (on the page, on film & television, online and in person) and experimenting with some of those forms ourselves, we’ll explore what it means to perform and how widely we can define “theatre.”

CSEM 1/24 Madmen in Authority, Defunct Economists, and their Quarrels – Instructor: Bernie Smith

The course explores the conflicting visions and material interests underlying competing economic ideas and policies. It examines how and why different economists offer different definitions and accounts of prosperity and poverty, equality and inequality, and stability and instability. It draws on both historical and contemporary debates on the role of markets, government, and organized private interests in the development and functioning of capitalist economies, and the role that economists have played in explaining, justifying or critiquing capitalist development.

CSEM 1/25 Photography Without a Camera – Instructor: Rebecca Soderholm

“Stare. It is the way to educate your eye, and more. Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long,” wrote photographer Walker Evans. While cameras are excellent tools for staring, in this seminar we will learn to look without them. How often do we give a piece of the world our total attention? Through readings, discussions and exercises, we will expand our observational skills while examining the fundamental principals of what makes photography unique. Students will be introduced to the darkroom to make camera-less images on light-sensitive material, and will also go forth into the world as observers, to describe facts, preserve moments and make visual decisions using a variety of tools.

CSEM 1/26 Revolution and Other Fun with Social Media – Instructor: Shannon Bradshaw

In this seminar, we will study the flow of information surrounding important events in our world. In particular, we will explore Twitter, Facebook, and live-blogging activity in the face of recent political change in Egypt. We will consider ad hoc search and rescue networks that emerged in social media following earthquakes in Japan. We will also look at chatter in the wake of more common events such as presidential addresses, television series, and shifts in financial markets. Our focus will be questions such as: How do information flows influence the events they describe? What can we learn about populations by observing the information they create and consume? What changes do such information phenomena bring about in the technologies that enable them?

CSEM 1/27 The Middle East Spring Social Movements – Instructor: Catherine Keyser

What happened in the Middle East in Spring of 2011 starting with Tunisia and moving through one dictatorship, semi-democracy, and authoritarian regime after another? How do we understand these various people’s movements from a variety of perspectives: political science approaches, sociological approaches of social movements, and the perspective of political culture? This seminar will look at each of these cases with an eye to developing our critical thinking skills, our knowledge of history and geography, and finally our ability to predict what happens next…

Eat, Act, Learn: The Shaping Community, Creating Identity Living-Learning Program

Drew University is pleased to announce a new program for first year students. Three College Seminars will join forces next fall to create a Living-Learning Community focused on community and identity. Students electing this program will benefit from a full year of activities related to this topic, working closely with professors to plan and execute projects and events. All students participating in the Shaping Community, Creating Identity living-learning program will live in the same residence hall and attend joint events throughout the year. This program will include special community activities, field trips, films, speakers and other opportunities.

Student selecting one of the following College Seminars will automatically join the living learning program. In addition to the requirements of the seminar, students in this program will sign up for a 1-credit spring special class for this program alone and be asked to attend monthly events with students in the other College Seminars that are part of this program:

CSEM 1/29 Community Service – Instructor: Amy Koritz

While we believe community service to be a good thing, an activity that benefits others and improves our shared world, we may not have thought much about the meaning of community, or, indeed, of service. What constitutes a community? Do we belong to a single community or many? And is service always beneficial to those being served? We will explore assumptions and beliefs about these two key terms—both separately and together. This seminar is limited to Civic Scholars. Students will contribute 18-20 hours of community service over the course of the semester.

CSEM 1/30 Food, Me, and the Others – Instructor: Nancy Noguera

Do you like food, eating in ethnic restaurants, having family meals, inviting your friends to share a meal? This course is an invitation to eat, reflect, and research on food and its meanings. Food is central in our lives and to the understanding of any culture. Food touches everything and is the foundation of every economy, making social differences, shaping ethnic identities, boundaries, bonds, and contradictions an endlessly evolving enactment of gender difference, desire, religion believes, family, and community relationships. We will explore some historical changes that are essential to understand how foods have helped shape human societies but, most important we will explore and reflect on the meanings of food in our own lives, how food is at the heart of “community”, its importance in the heritage and identity of some members of the multi cultural community in which we are immersed. Students will do a community research project over the year and plan an exhibit with their results.

CSEM 1/31 Who Goes to College and Why? – Instructor: Lillie Edwards

Imagine that in 2015 your four years at Drew will be the subject of a major motion picture. Will it be a silly comedy like “Accepted” (2006), an emotive drama like “Good Will Hunting” (1997) or a little of both genres? As you begin to shape your college story of personal, academic and community life at Drew into whatever you want and imagine it to be, you will also explore in this course how students, college campuses and American culture have shaped the meaning of college from the late 1800s to the present. This seminar will illuminate how students shape a college community, how the community shapes its students and what this relationship tells us about ourselves, our college community and our nation. Focusing on selected decades, we will examine how and why college students and college campuses in American have changed, especially in terms of gender, race, class and sexuality as well as access to college. In addition to course readings, films and discussions, during the academic year you will talk with Drew faculty, alumni/ae and secondary school students about college. You will write and share journal entries about your college story as you begin to script what college means to you.