First Year Seminars
Me, Myself, & I: Who the Heck Am I?
FYS 107
Instructor: Tracy Powell
Description: This course examines the perplexing question of what constitutes the self from a philosophical, psychological, existential, and biological lens. Consideration will progress from a broad theoretical understanding of self to an individually tailored look at one’s own identity. Deeper self-understanding leads to better informed decision-making and overall enhanced well-being. Come embark on this pivotal journey.
Started from the Bottom, Now We’re Here
FYS 107
Instructor: Student Enrichment Program
Description: In this class, we will research and write about what it means to be first-generation or low-income in the current U.S. educational system. How are members of these populations, traditionally underrepresented at college, impacted by policy and the Higher Ed experience? We will examine what a modern “War on Poverty” would look like and what role education would play. We will explore issues of identity and culture (including gender, race/ethnicity, and class) and potential solutions to the barriers that underrepresented students face.
*SEP students only
Play: It’s Not Just for Kids
FYS 107
Instructor: Brandon Claggett
Description: This first year seminar will explore the role of lifetime play from global to local through multiple lenses – historical, cultural, political, sociological, relational, psychological, and physiological. These perspectives will be framed using Social Ecological Theory, Wellness Model, and Play Theory. The signature assignment will be a letter to your future self.
Fairy Tales
FYS 107
Instructor: Kristen Klay
Description: Talking mirrors, glass slippers, and the Big Bad Wolf are all elements found in Grimms’ Fairy Tales. Collected in Germany in the early 1800s by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, these stories have enduring appeal and are a vital part of Western literary tradition. And yet, in the British-occupied sector of Germany following World War II, Grimms’ Fairy Tales were banned because they were deemed to be feeding “a bloodthirsty German imagination.” In this course we will analyze literary fairy tales from continental Europe and trace the history of the fairy tale from oral tradition to print and film. Although our focus will be on literary tales, we will also have an opportunity to look at fairy tale illustrations and to compare some of these stories to modern Disney film versions.
Color and Expression in Art
FYS 107
Instructor: Jodie Garrison
Description: In this art-making course students will explore how color can be used for communication and expression. Students will practice color mixing and learn basic color theory.
What’s Your Story?
FYS 107
Instructor: Alicia Wenzel
Description: Get the tools you need to discover and analyze the diverse lives of your friends, family, and yourself. Build a deep understanding of your past through personal reflection, and find how you have overcome adversity to thrive in your own individual narrative. You will learn to communicate using writing and speech, collaborate with your peers, and use media to express the rich diversity of your life and the lives of those around you.
Reading Bodies, Minds, and Disability
FYS 107
Instructor: Kate Connolly
Description: This class will explore the ways that texts, film, and visual art have challenged our assumptions and values about what it means to have a body. We will study Disability as a civil rights movement that strives to foster inclusivity and eradicate discrimination. We will discuss the potential gains and value of functional diversity, and have fun reading and viewing some thought-provoking, challenging, and enjoyable works of art.
Mythology in the Marvel Comic Universe
FYS 107
Instructor: Ken Kirby
Description: Explore the use of mythological characters and stories in the films of the Marvel Comic Universe. We will compare the film storylines with the original Norse myths, and we will read essays that look at the role of mythology in literature. In our modern scientific culture, why are we so fascinated by mythology?
The Future is In Our Hands
FYS 107
Instructor: TPSSS staff
Description: In this class we will research and write about what it means to be a first-generation or low-income student pursuing an Education degree in the US. We will explore issues of identity and culture and potential solutions to the barriers that underrepresented students face in the K-12 school system. Example topics may include: inequality of resources in neighborhoods and communities and the impact on k-12 schools or cultural bias in standardized tests.
*TSPSSS students only*
Physics In Science Fiction and Fantasy
FYS 207
Instructor: Maren Anderson
Description: Ever wondered how a Star-Trek transporter would work? Or if it could work? How about Harry Potter’s magic? Interstellar light-speed travel? Me, too. Let’s find out how many of these tropes are real, and how many are actually “handwavium” and “baloneyum.” We’ll be using speculative literature as an entry point into explaining real math and physics.
Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics
FYS 207
Instructor: Maren Anderson
Description: We are confronted with an astronomical amount of information in the modern era. Much of this information is tied to numbers and statistics, yet often little or no context is offered so people can truly understand what the data shows. Worse yet, there are entities that are purposefully obfuscating the truth by misstating the data or presenting them in a misleading way. This course will focus on how data and statistics are used in the media and modern culture and how to view data through a critical lens to understand what the information means and whether it is being presented in a truthful manner.
Exploring Natural Disasters
FYS 207
Instructor: Grant Smith
Description: Course focuses on natural disasters and how these normal processes of the Earth concentrate their energies and deal heavy blows to humans as well as have severe environmental and health impacts for many years after the event. This course is concerned with how the natural world operates and, in so doing, kills and maims humans and destroys their works. The course will discuss the connections between both physical (e.g. processes of nature) content and biological (e.g. health issues related to aftermath of disasters).
The Disinformation Trap
FYS 207
Instructor: Mary Pettenger
Description: Students in The Disinformation Trap course will explore how and why we are exposed to many types of disinformation online, will investigate why people believe disinformation, and learn how to avoid the disinformation trap. Students will research types and purposes of disinformation, create a survey to gather information from their community about why people believe the information, and present the results.
Money Management
FYS 207
Instructor: Mark Elton
Description: The goal of this class is to help students to become financially responsible, conscientious members of society. To reach that end, this course develops students’ understanding and skills in such areas as money management, budgeting, career planning, financial goal attainment, the wise use of credit, insurance, investments, and consumer rights and responsibilities. This course will give students the tools and resources needed to make wise financial decisions by evaluating the costs and benefits, recognizing their rights and responsibilities as consumers, and applying the knowledge learned to financial situations encountered later in life. Ultimately, they will learn how to put their money to work.
Protecting the Living World and its Inhabitants
FYS 207
Instructor: Bryan Dutton
Description: This course will explore the reasons for protecting biological diversity along with particular places where biodiversity is found. The course will introduce important concepts through consideration of several ongoing conservation efforts while exploring the why and how behind these efforts.
Human Migration and the Refugee Crisis
FYS 207
Instructor: Eliot Dickinson
Description: Examines the complex forces behind international migration and the enormous impact it is having on our globalized world. The course covers both the challenges and opportunities associated with migration in a broad selection of countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Oceania.
Notorious Trials
FYS 207
Instructor: Jennifer Moreno
Description: Crimes that shocked the nation: bizarre defendants, strange case details, unbelievable defenses. In this course we examine the crimes that made headlines and how the trials became almost as notorious as the crimes.
Get Woke to Being Broke
FYS 207
Instructor: SEP staff
Description: In this class, we will research and practice what it means to be first-generation or low-income in the current U.S. educational system. What are the financial mechanisms that make Higher Education possible for those coming from low-income backgrounds? What is the financial impact of a college education, positive and negative? Students will calculate these costs and rewards from an individual perspective exploring cost of attendance, impact of financial aid, inflation in both cost of attendance and local economy, and planning for future financial needs.
*SEP students only*
Do Scientists Create Disasters?
FYS 207
Instructor: Jim Dawson
Description: Why are scientists so often depicted in television and movies as evil or short-sighted? The alternative is not much better; a stereotypic representation as absentminded and ineffective at leadership. Is Michael Crichton entirely to blame or were the seeds of mistrust of science planted in the cinema long ago? Which films portray scientists in a positive way? At a time when mistrust of science is evident at the national level, the question of how the media treats scientists is relevant. This seminar will examine how science is represented in selected films and television. We will then explore actual instances in which scientists have unleashed disaster and how they have helped avoid disasters. Finally, do perceptions and stereotypes promoted by media influence the diminishing role of science in political debate and policy-making?
Contact Us
Phone: (503) 838-8296 | Email: gened@wou.edu
