May Term 2012 Course Offerings

Mini Term Course offering for 2013

 

BIOLOGY 108 (3) Goodman

ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY. A consideration, based on basic biological concepts, of the processes leading to the degradation of our environment. The course includes discussions of such topics as environmental pollution by pesticides, industrial by-products, and radioactive materials; the historical background and future prospects of the population explosion; and the need for preservation of our natural resources. Prerequisite: none.

 

BIOLOGY 140 (3) Hargadon
BIOLOGY OF CANCER. An exploration of fundamental biological concepts underlying normal cellular and developmental processes and those that are disrupted in cancer. Topics include cell structure and function, regulation of growth, the genetic and environmental causes of cancer, cancer treatments, and the role of clinical trials. Case histories and specific cancers will be used to explore the personal and social dimensions of a cancer diagnosis. This course is intended for non-majors wishing to fulfill a science requirement and may not be counted toward the Biology major. Prerequisite: none.

 

ECONOMICS 103 (3) Garrett

MONEY AND BANKING. Analysis of the fractional reserve banking system and its place in financial markets and the American economy. The Federal Reserve System and its relation to the banking system are analyzed. Monetary and fiscal policies are examined in the light of Macroeconomic theory. Prerequisite: Economics 101. May not be taken by a student who has had Economics 303, except with permission of the instructor.

 

ECONOMICS 217 (3) Isaacs
ECONOMICS OF SPORTS. Economic analysis of individual, team, and league sports. This course focuses not only on the market structure and industrial organization of sports leagues, but also addresses the public finance issues of municipal stadium construction and the labor issues involved with free agency and salary caps. Prerequisite: Economics 101.

 

ECONOMICS 285 (3) Garrett (This course is tentative until it receives approval from the Academic Affairs Committee) 

TOPICS IN INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS.  Selected issues in contemporary international economics: theory, empirical evidence, and public policy for developed and developing economies. Topics include: reasons for countries to trade; trade policies and trade agreements; immigration; foreign direct investment; foreign exchange markets; international monetary system and the IMF; and international capital flows and capital controls. Prerequisite: Econ 101.

 

ENGLISH 252 (3) Robbins
INTRODUCTORY CREATIVE WRITING: FICTION. A workshop in the discipline of writing fiction. Students study the techniques of short-story writers, such as Anton Chekhov and Eudora Welty, to use as models in the writing of their own stories. Prerequisite: none.

 

ENGLISH 336 (3) Robbins
AUSTEN. A study of Austen's six novels, juvenilia and selected letters critically considered, focusing on her subject of the growth of the mind and on her style. The question of whether Austen is an eighteenth- or nineteenth-century writer, a classic or a romantic artist, a "revolutionary" or a "conservative" is central, but emphasis is on the fiction, not on the revolutionary period in which she lived.

 

FINE ARTS 103 (3) M. Archer
INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC LITERATURE. The aim of this lecture course is to develop listening skills, musical understanding, and knowledge of the standard repertoire. It examines music in its historical and cultural contexts through readings, guided listening, audio-visual materials, and lecture demonstrations. No special musical knowledge or ability is required. The course is open to all students. Prerequisite: none.

 

GVFA 110 (3) Barrus
LITERATURE AND POLITICS. This course uses great works of literature to illuminate and give concrete meaning to the fundamental issues of government and politics. Readings are taken from both classical and modern, and Western and non-Western authors. Prerequisite: none.

 

GVFA 201 (3) Barrus
AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT. A survey of the ideas that have shaped American political life from the 18th century to the present. Emphasis is placed on close reading and critical interpretation of the writings of such thinkers as Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Lincoln, and F. D. Roosevelt, as well as contemporary writers. Prerequisite: none.

 

HISTORY 185 01 (3) Frusetta  (This course is tentative until it receives approval from the Academic Affairs Committee) 

WARCRAFTING AND STATEBUILDING.  This course explores how the reemergence and evolution of state warfare determined the evolution of modern European history from 1500 through 1960.  This was not a process limited to warfare alone, but was part of a nexus of economic change, technological development and an increasingly powerful, centralizing state. All this contributed to the "making of modern warfare," which increasingly was to play a symbiotic relationship in the making of the modern state and the rise of Western Europe to global predominance in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.   Course can fulfill the social science requirement.  Prerequisite: none.

 

HISTORY 285 01: (3) Frusetta (This course is tentative until it receives approval from the Academic Affairs Committee) 

FILM, EUROPEAN HISTORY AND MEMORY.   This course focuses on three key moments in twentieth-century Europe, examining how both American and European cinema have subsequently shaped the memory of the First World War, of Nazism, and of decolonization. By viewing, discussing and writing about these films, you will explore how movies create a window into how society remembers and recreates the past, and how to read these films as "cultural texts" that provide glimpses not about their topics, but about the society that shaped them.  Course can fulfill the core social science requirement.  Prerequisite: none.

  

HISTORY 285 02 (3): Pearson (This course is tentative until it receives an affirmative vote from the faculty) 

BENEATH THIS HILL:  AN INTRODUCTION TO HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY AND SLATE HILL PLANTATION, THE BIRTHPLACE OF HAMPDEN-SYDNEY COLLEGE.  This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the theory, methods and techniques of historical archaeology using Slate Hill Plantation as a principal focus of discussion and research.  The class will concentrate on how historical archaeologists use material culture, documentary evidence and oral history to interpret the historical past and contribute to our understanding of past and present social, racial, ethnic and economic settings and interactions.  Archaeological and documentary resources associated with Slate Hill Plantation will be used to explore specific questions and approaches to archaeological study.  Prerequisite: none.

 

MATHEMATICS 111 (4) Hulsizer

MATHEMATICS AND SOCIETY. An exploration of the mathematical techniques used to solve problems in society. Specific topics are chosen from among the following: voting and power; division and apportionment; graph theory and scheduling; cryptography, game theory, symmetry, and form; and probability.  Students who have completed any course in mathematics above Mathematics 111 cannot receive credit for Mathematics 111. Prerequisite: none.

 

PSYCHOLOGY 107 (3) Mossler
CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES IN PSYCHOLOGY. This is an entry-level course designed to introduce students to conflicting views on a variety of important issues in different areas of psychology. The focus of this course is the gulf between public opinion and empirical knowledge. Discussions about each controversy begins with a presentation of some basic information about the general topic under study (e.g., the accuracy of eyewitness testimony and the nature of human memory) and is followed by an in-depth examination of each controversy in light of what the public believes to be true and what psychologists have learned. Videotapes, web resources, and readings from the critical thinking monograph are used to supplement the primary text in this course.  Prerequisite: none. 

 

PSYCHOLOGY 209 (3) Mossler
PSYCHOLOGY OF ADOLESCENCE.  This course is designed to introduce students to adolescence, an important stage of human growth and development. Students begin by reviewing the major theories of adolescence, then cover some of the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes that occur during this stage of development.  Current research on problematic behaviors such as drug use, sexual behavior, risk taking, juvenile delinquency, and psychopathology help students explore the roles that neurological development, parents, and cultural forces play in the development of these behaviors. Finally, students develop ideas about how we might reduce or eliminate the occurrence of some of these problematic behaviors. Videotapes, web resources, and additional short readings are used to supplement the primary text in this course.  Prerequisite: Psychology 102, or permission of the instructor. 

 

RELIGION 103 (3) Carney
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS. An introduction to the origins, development, and current meaning of several spiritual traditions. The course is designed to show the diversity of religious traditions, as well as to indicate the common questions that the various traditions address. The course begins with a consideration of the relation between religion and the human condition as we experience it. In the light of this introduction, several traditions chosen from the Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, Muslim, and Native American are examined. Prerequisite: none.

 

RELIGION 203 (3) Carney

RELIGIONS OF EAST ASIA. A study of Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, and Buddhism in the context of the history and culture of East Asia. Prerequisite: none.

 

RELIGION 204 (3) Bowman
ISLAM. A study of the major elements of religious life and practice in the Islamic tradition: Allah, Qur'an, Prophet, worship, law, theology, mysticism. Special attention is paid to the influence of Islam on the development of European culture, the relation of Islam to the Jewish and Christian traditions, and the contemporary resurgence of Islam. Prerequisite: none.

 

SPANISH 201-202 (3/3) Afatsawo and Salinas
INTESNIVE INTERMEDIATE SPANISH I & II: INTERMEDIATE SPANISH I A continuation of the 101-102 sequence. Continued development of the four basic skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Emphasis on the use of Spanish in the classroom. Prerequisite: Spanish 102, 103, or placement by the department. INTERMEDIATE SPANISH II. Emphasis on the productive skills of speaking and writing with a general grammar review. Continued practice in reading of authentic Hispanic texts, both popular and literary. Several oral presentations are required. (Please note that there are residence requirements and additional fees for this course).

 

SPANISH 202 (3) Dejong
INTERMEDIATE SPANISH II. Emphasis on the productive skills of speaking and writing with a general grammar review. Continued practice in reading of authentic Hispanic texts, both popular and literary. Several oral presentations are required. Prerequisite: Spanish 201.

 

WESTERN CULTURE 101 (3) Widdows

BEGINNING TO 900 C.E. Common topics and events are civilization in the Fertile Crescent, the rise of Athens and democracy, the Roman Empire and its aftermath, Hebrew culture, and the rise of Christianity. Common texts are Homer, Iliad (selections); Sophocles, Oedipus Rex; Plato, Apology; Genesis (selections) and one gospel (selections); Augustine, Confessions (selections).

 

WESTERN CULTURE 102 (3) F. Archer

900-1800 C.E. Common topics and events are the Middle Ages, the rise of the nation-state, the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery, the Protestant Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. Common texts are Dante, Inferno (selections); Machiavelli, The Prince (selections); Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice; Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations (selections); Madison, Federalist 10; The Declaration of Independence.

 

WESTERN CULTURE 103 (3) Blackman
1800 C.E.-PRESENT. Common topics and events are Romanticism, the Industrial Revolution, the democratization of the world, modern science and technology, the world wars, and the modern world. Common texts are Darwin, The Origin of Species (selections) or a modern account of evolution; Marx, The Communist Manifesto; Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents (selections); Achebe, Things Fall Apart; Martin Luther King, Letter from a Birmingham Jail; Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own (selections).