The First Year Seminar allows you to become a member of your new community in a dynamic environment and to experience intellectual life at the university level. Taught by professors with a passion for the subject and a passion for teaching, these courses are designed to encourage exploration of new ideas, examine a range of academic topics, challenge you to set high goals for your academic career, and promote a lifelong love of learning. First Year Seminars count as a core Liberal Studies requirement for all degree programs.
Honor’s Credit
Many seminars can be offered for Honor’s credit with an individual contract. Please talk to your advisor and instructor if you want to pursue this option.
First-Year Seminars: Spring 2012
CRN SUBJECT COURSE SECTION
ART 191 - Integral Arts
10649 ART 191 01
For new first year students only, this course will explore the integral nature of the arts: how we live, record our life and world, and imagine our future. Whether we paint, sculpt, act, sing, dance, or write, we have something to share. Often, many or even all of the art forms work in concert to share their vision. This course is arts intensive and is strongly recommended for those with an interest in the arts. As students examine the intersections of art to art and arts to life, this course will bring theory to life through experience and engaged collaboration. This course is part of a triad that includes THEA 191 and MUS 191. All three sections collaborate as a partnership to provide a rich arts experience as students and instructors from all three sections interact in a dynamic exchange of energy!
BIOL 190 - Discoveries in Biology
11651 BIOL 190 01
In this course we will explore how evolution has shaped the human body. We will read and study two engaging books, Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin and Why We Get Sick by Randolph Nesse and George C. Williams. Shubin writes, “ the best road maps to human bodies lie in the bodies of other animals”. As we read Shubin’s book, we’ll look at our own bodies in a new light and gain a much broader understanding of how our bodies work, including our vision, hearing, sense of smell, and the way that we move. The book Why We Get Sick will give us the opportunity to reflect upon the exquisite form and intricate functions of our body, as well as make sense of the thousands of flaws and frailties that make us vulnerable to disease. Why do we get cancer? Why do we have allergies? Why do pregnant women get morning sickness? Why can’t we regenerate body parts, and what good is pain? We’ll ask the age-old question, why do we age? We’ll think about the food that we eat. Why do we crave foods that are high in sugar and fats, even though we know we should eat vegetables and fruits? We will think about how we reproduce and why we reproduce sexually. We will consider the costs and benefits of the anatomical structures and physiological processes of the human body. Students in this class will engage in active discussions, research into health issues, and individual and group presentations. The goal of this class is to gain an evolutionary perspective of the human body and the origins of disease, which will help us to understand our own bodies and health care needs.
BIOL 192 - Plant Diversity
11885 BIOL 192 01
Would you like to learn more about how plants grow, flower, and fruit so that you can grow your own plants successfully? Have you ever wished you could identify the plants around you and know their nutritive, medicinal and other values? Have you ever wondered where the plants that are used to produce coffee, tea, beer, wine, aspirin, codeine, marijuana, and chocolate grow naturally, as well as how they are harvested and processed into the foods, drinks, and drugs that have changed human history forever? If so, Plant Diversity is the first-year seminar for you! Students in Plant Diversity rarely sit still: students are often outside, in the lab, or producing their own plant products. This course can be challenging because a lot of information is covered in one semester; however, for those students with an interest in plants or the natural world, the knowledge and experience gained is worth the effort.
CIS 195 - Information Society at Work
11852 CIS 195 01
11855 CIS 195 02
Driven by the technology that is making the news this semester, students will explore the changes information technology has made in their lives and community, and learn how computer culture affects their work, study, family, and play though a hands-on technology approach. Using presentations on current IT topics, students are highly encouraged to debate and discuss the ethical problems of technology advancement. We will also discuss some aspects of business and what part CIS plays in business, as well as what defines the College of Business and how it fits into the university. Discussion topics will include: Why do we call it the information age?; Advancements in the auto industry; How has IT changed the music industry?; Robotics and what part they are playing in our lives; The digital divide; Wireless Technologies; Social Networking; Cloud Computing; Distance Education; The Power of Information; GPS; RFID; and Google. Students will take a hands-on approach with various technologies including: Webpage Development - Learn how to upload and save files to the server; Use Google docs to upload and work on files in teams; Use some of the current technologies that are available for free - which will help students throughout the rest of their college career.
COMM 190 - A User’s Guide to the Mass Media
11965 COMM 190 01
An increasing number of media streams vie for your attention every day. But the messages may not always be as simple as they seem. Learn to read between the lines and recognize the nuance and subtext of various media. Take a look behind the curtain to see how diverse motives, agendas and practices affect the media you consume and see how that same media responds and reacts to pressures and trends from you, the consumer. Media and culture are bound together in an elaborate dance. This course will help you understand that dance and will make you a smarter consumer of media.
EDCI 191 - Teachers, Schools, and Society
11267 EDCI 191 01
This course offers an interdisciplinary examination of the ways in which public policy debates about schooling reflect ideological differences in American society. During our time together this semester, we will look at what “society” means and its influence on schools and education. This will include the importance of evaluating the choices we’ve made so far in our lives, especially with regards to our own judgments. Through this experience, we will practice thinking critically, through reading, writing and discussion, and consider options for the possibility of teaching as a career.
EDPY 190 - What is Education For?
11266 EDPY 190 01
In his 1990 book of essays, Wendell Berry uses the title to ask what seems like an odd question: What Are People For? But, when we stop to ask ourselves this question, we may realize that we have never asked it before, and that to truly live in this world, we need to answer this question for ourselves. We may also realize that for the education that we all pursue to have real meaning for us, we need to know what we as people are for and how our education transforms us makes us the people that we become. In this course, we will stop and consider Mr. Berry’s question and use it to explore what we think education is for and how teaching and learning affect our lives. In addition to Mr. Berry’s essay, we will read a novel to help us see how education utterly transforms the world that we see and how a limited world view impacts our thinking. We will also read articles, excerpts from books and watch videos and films about education, teaching and learning that will promote deep thinking and discussion about who we are and how our education helps us refine our definitions of self. NOTE: This course is part of the Learning Community, LC03 - What is Education For? - Click here for more information about this exciting community.
ENGL 190 - The Literature of Home & Belonging
11752 ENGL 190 01
This course will examine reading and writing about literature, with an emphasis on human experience and values. As an introduction to some facets of “English” as a discipline, this seminar will explore different ways that “home,” “family,” and “a sense of belonging,” are presented in short stories, poetry, essays, and film. For example, we will read Barbara Kingsolver’s 2001 collection of personal essays, Small Wonder, as well as Sir Thomas Moore’s 1516 fictional “novel,” Utopia. Short stories and poems by American and international authors, and films such as A River Runs Through It, The Joy Luck Club, and City of Joy will provide other views and perspectives in addition to an introduction to different literary genres. Further, the class will engage in experiential and service learning projects, such as doing a “Family Heritage” interview and oral presentation, learning about the history of Sylva and Cullowhee, and helping build homes with “Habitat for Humanity.” Students will do a variety of writing assignments, from literary and film interpretation to personal as well as researched essays.
ENGL 190 - First Year Seminar in Literature: English 190 "Outlaw" Literature
11753 ENGL 190 02
Dorothy Allison stated in an interview that “the deepest way to change people is to get them to inhabit the soul of another human being who is different from them. And that happens in story. That happens in literature.” In this class, we will read novels about “outlaws,” those who live and struggle on the margins of society. The stories will be about people you know—the man who runs the pawn shop, children dealing with parents on drugs, Native Americans struggling to make it in the world outside the reservation, miners and millworkers. Students will complete a variety of writing assignments. The class will decide on a service project designed to address some of the issues we will discuss in class.
ENGR 199 - Introduction to Engineering Practices & Principles
10562 ENGR 199 01
10564 ENGR 199 30 - LAB
Introduction to the engineering disciplines, curriculum, personal and professional development, teamwork, project planning, communication skills, and conceptual design engineering. This is a required class for all students considering majors in engineering or engineering technology.
ENVH 190 - From Black Death to Bioterrorism
10596 ENVH 190 01
10636 ENVH 190 02
10638 ENVH 190 03
This course uses current events to examine basic public health concepts as they apply to the average U.S. citizen; critical evaluation of pandemic infectious diseases that could affect the majority of the human population (influenza, HIV), vector borne diseases (West Nile virus), bioterrorism disease agents (smallpox, anthrax), radiation, and/or chemical exposures; and an assessment of the various ways that the public can be protected. An essential course for any educated citizen, and of particular interest to those interested in community health or pursuing a health-related major.
FIN195-30 - You and Your Money
11804 FIN 195 30
Do you want to learn how to manage your money? Then this is the course for you. With good money management skills you will be able to budget your money each month, reduce expenses, set financial goals and control your debt. You will learn the good and bad of credit cards and how to establish a strong credit score. This course will also introduce you to topics about insurance, investing and making large purchases such as a car or house. Having a sound grasp of money management will make your college experience much more enjoyable as well as help you in the years beyond college when you will be faced with many important financial decisions.
LAW 195 - Contemporary Legal Issues
11384 LAW 195 01
Law for life: In every way and every day law is a major factor in our lives. From birth, to school, work, play, marriage, home buying, credit, children and even death, the law governs our actions and decision-making. Emphasis is placed on providing practical legal knowledge and topics such preparing to meet with a lawyer, writing a will, establishing credit, buying a home and calculating child support payments will provide hands-on activities. Students will investigate the impact of law on everyday life and explore the fundamental operations of the legal system.
MUS 191 - Integral Arts
10648 MUS 191 01 
For new first year students only, this course will explore the integral nature of the arts: how we live, record our life and world, and imagine our future. Whether we paint, sculpt, act, sing, dance, or write, we have something to share. Often, many or even all of the art forms work in concert to share their vision. This course is arts intensive and is strongly recommended for those with an interest in the arts. As students examine the intersections of art to art and arts to life, this course will bring theory to life through experience and engaged collaboration. This course is part of a triad that includes THEA 191 and ART 191. All three sections collaborate as a partnership to provide a rich arts experience as students and instructors from all three sections interact in a dynamic exchange of energy!
ND 190 - Nutrition
11147 ND 190 01
11037 ND 190 02
How do I avoid the freshman 15? What are the healthiest foods to eat on campus? Should I still be taking vitamins? Explore the answers to these questions and more, design your own personal eating plan (chocolate cream pie included) and discover how the foods you eat influence your appearance, energy level, health, and longevity.
PSC 190 - Civic Engagement
11037 PSC 190 01
This course is designed to give students the tools they need to become productive and engaged members in their community. The focus is on the power of the individual. The course covers the institutions, people and processes one must deal with to bring about effective change.
THEA 191 - Integral Arts
10650 THEA 191 01
For new first year students only, this course will explore the integral nature of the arts: how we live, record our life and world, and imagine our future. Whether we paint, sculpt, act, sing, dance, or write, we have 
something to share. Often, many or even all of the art forms work in concert to share their vision. This course is arts intensive and is strongly recommended for those with an interest in the arts. As students examine the intersections of art to art and arts to life, this course will bring theory to life through experience and engaged collaboration. This course is part of a triad that includes ART191 and MUS 191. All three sections collaborate as a partnership to provide a rich arts experience as students and instructors from all three sections interact in a dynamic exchange of energy!