Catalog
First-Year Seminars
Professor Emerita Creighton; Professors Bruce, Cummiskey, Federico, O’Higgins, Rand, Rice-DeFosse, and Richter; Associate Professors Castro, Kazecki, Ott, and Rocque; Visiting Associate Professor Plastas; Assistant Professors Chaney, Diamond-Stanic, Essenberg, and Kennedy; Visiting Assistant Professors Eanes, Gillies, Sapsford, and Wright; Senior Lecturer Vecsey; Lecturers Alcorn, Alford, Bessire, Boss, Fullerton, Konoeda, Palin, Saha, Salazar-Perea, Sale, Sewall, Wallace, and Wade
All first-year students are strongly encouraged to enroll in a first-year seminar. Each first-year seminar offers an opportunity for entering students to develop skills in writing, reasoning, and research that will be of critical importance throughout their academic career. Enrollment is limited to fifteen students to ensure the active participation of all class members and to permit students and instructor to concentrate on developing the skills necessary for successful college writing. Seminars typically focus on a current problem or a topic of particular interest to the instructor. First-year seminars are not open to upperclass students. They carry full course credit.
First-year students should consult the Schedule of Courses (https://gg-bprod.bates.edu/bprod/bwckschd.p_disp_dyn_sched) for information on which of the following first-year seminars are offered in 2020-2021.
FYS 152. Religion and Civil Rights.
Traditionally, the civil rights movement has been viewed as a political and social reform movement initiated to secure the citizenship rights of African Americans. This seminar supplements this view by exploring how religion shaped the vision and experience of civil rights activists. Topics include such dimensions of the movement as the centrality of the black church, the prominence of religious leaders, the use of theological language, the ritualization of protest, and the prevalence of sacred music. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] M. Bruce.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 177. Sex and Sexualities.
This course studies the representation of sex and sexualities, both "queer" and "straight," in a variety of cultural products ranging from advertising and novels to music videos and movies. Topics may include connections between sex and gender queerness suggested by the increasingly common acronym LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer); the advantages and inadequacies of using such labels; definitions and debates concerning pornography, sex education, public sex, and stigmatized sexual practices such as BDSM; the interrelations between constructions of sexuality and those of race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, and class; and the necessities and complexities of ensuring consent. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] E. Rand.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
This course counts toward the following Interdisciplinary Program(s)
FYS 191. Love and Friendship in the Classical World.
The ancient meanings of friendship and the ways in which friendship was distinguished from love are the subject of this course. Students read and analyze ancient theorists on friendship and love, such as Plato and Cicero, and also texts illustrating the ways in which Greek and Roman people formed and tested relationships within and across gender lines. The topics under discussion include: friendship as a political institution; notions of personal loyalty, obligation, and treachery; the perceived antithesis between friendship and erotic love; the policing of sexuality; friendship, love, and enmity in the definition of the self. All discussions use the contemporary Western world as a reference point for comparison and contrast. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] D. O'Higgins.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 203. Family Stories.
What is a family? What are the stories that are told about family and how do they betray experiences that are at once culturally specific and often universal in their telling? How are we comforted and sustained by constructs of family; how are we limited, for example, by heteronormative and class-based assumptions that constrain the expression of household and kinship? In this course, students explore family stories in various genres (film, memoir, novel, television) to deepen their understanding of how this formative human experience is played out in a broad diversity of cultures. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] K. Read.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 236. Epidemics: Past, Present, and Future.
The course covers principles of epidemiology, mechanisms of disease transmission, and the effects of diseases on society throughout history. The emergence of new diseases, drug resistance, and biological terrorism are discussed. Social effects of bubonic plague, typhoid, tuberculosis, smallpox, yellow fever, Ebola, Marburg, AIDS, hantaviruses, and Legionnaires' Disease are studied. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [S] [SR] P. Schlax.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 249. Global Economy and Nation-State.
What is the global economy? What are nation-states? And what is the relationship between the global economy and the nation-state? This course first examines the historical formation of nation-states and then reflects on their performance and integrity since the end of the cold war, with the rise of neoliberalism, globalization, and regional trade blocs such as the European Union and the North American Free Trade Agreement. Special attention is given to issues of sovereignty and democracy, the role of international financial institutions, and the way nation-states are likely to evolve in the coming decades. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [HS] F. Duina.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 258. Law and Justice.
What is the nature of law and what is the relationship between law and justice? What is the nature of judicial reasoning and how is it related to moral reasoning? What are the functions and limits of a legal system? This seminar approaches these questions on philosophical, constitutional, and practical levels. Substantive questions include the justification of incarceration and the death penalty, racial and economic justice,property rights, liberty and privacy rights, and freedom of speech and expression. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] D. Cummiskey.FYS 262. Stealth Infections.
Specific microorganisms, including some bacteria, viruses, and prions, have recently been associated with specific chronic, long-term diseases. Some of these diseases, termed "stealth infections," include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, ulcers, cervical cancer, obsessive compulsive disorder, coronary artery disease, diabetes, and Crohn's disease. In this seminar, students explore the links between microorganisms and these particular diseases and consider several questions: What is the scientific evidence linking microorganisms with these stealth infections? Have the organisms co-evolved with their human hosts? How are the organisms transmitted? Can we control them? What might be the public health impact of such stealth infections? Not open to students enrolled in BIO 127. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [S] [SR] K. Palin.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 297. The Idea of Europe.
What is Europe? Is it the cradle of all that is civilized and cultured or the blood-soaked ground of empires, genocides, and revolutions? How does one mediate between these two extremes to arrive at a European identity for the twenty-first century? What can we learn from the last 100 years of European history that will help us better understand Europe’s present? In this course, students explore these questions by engaging deeply with recent literature and scholarship, film and other visual arts, and current news media. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] R. Cernahoschi.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 300. Exploring Education through Narratives.
In this seminar, stories, once the primary way knowledge passed from one generation to another, are the basis for examining educational topics and issues. Students read fictional, biographical, autobiographical, and other narratives to learn more about some aspect of education and/or schooling. Topics include teachers and teaching; teacher/student roles; gender identity; students' experiences in school; and how race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, or other differences may cause some to feel like outsiders. Students conduct fieldwork and independent research. Enrollment limited to 15. (Community-Engaged Learning.) [W1] B. Sale.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 305. Corporal Culture: Body and Health in America.
This seminar addresses a variety of topics related to body and health, from body image to body dysmorphia. Students read both primary sources (largely research) and first-person accounts related to eating disorders, diet and nutrition, body image, drug and alcohol use, smoking, sexuality, cosmetic pharmacy, fashion, definitions of physical and psychological "health," sex and gender, exercise, and organ transplantation. The seminar involves weekly writing assignments, occasional in-class assessments, student presentations, and a final writing project. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] K. Low.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
This course counts toward the following Interdisciplinary Program(s)
FYS 308. Searching for the Good Life.
What are the things that bring people happiness? Does marriage, for example, bring more happiness or unhappiness to those who choose it? Does wealth make people happy? If so, how much wealth is enough to ensure happiness? Is a productive career likely to bring happiness? How well do most individuals do at selecting the things that will bring them sustained happiness? Is happiness even the right yardstick to use in measuring the goodness of life? And at the end of life, what constitutes a good death? In this seminar, students grapple with these and related topics in regular discussions, projects, and papers. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] M. Sargent.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 318. Through the Eyes of Children.
Is the experience of childhood universal or culturally specific? What do children from diverse French-speaking countries have in common? Children are often the least "acculturated" members of any particular society. What can we learn about culture from a child's perspective? These questions are probed by exploring childhood in a number of French-speaking countries and communities. Students examine (in English) a selection of narratives and films from the French-speaking world that feature the points of view of children. The course not only considers the ways in which narrative and film present childhood experiences in specific cultures, but also explores perspectives on issues such as family structure, sexual and gender orientation, child abuse, and colonialism. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] M. Rice-DeFosse.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 326. Choices and Constraints.
Are humans free to chart the course of their own lives, or are their fates predestined by their social locations? This seminar explores the tension between personal agency and social forces that structure human lives. The history of the intellectual debate over the roles of agency and structure frame classroom discussion of ways in which personal experiences are shaped by both social structures and systems of inequality based on race/ethnicity, class, gender, and sexual orientation. Acknowledging the role of individuals as agents of social change, students grapple with their responsibilities in perpetuating and transforming social institutions such as family, religion, health care, and the workplace. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] H. Taylor.FYS 336. Nanotechnology Project: Manipulating Atoms/Lab.
A hands-on introduction to the interdisciplinary field of nanotechnology—technology based on nanometer-scale structures. Students break into groups and become "specialists" to complete a class-wide collaborative nanotechnology project. Possible projects include designing and building a simplified scanned probe microscope, and fabricating and characterizing nanostructures. Students learn to identify and organize the tasks required of a long-term project. Clear and effective communication is emphasized as students work within and among groups, give brief talks, and write more formal papers. No previous experience is assumed, but the collaborative nature of the seminar requires the full and active participation of all participants. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [L] [S] [SR] M. Côté.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 337. Intercultural Musical Experience.
How do "first" musical experiences affect individuals and societies? Has a single hearing of any music transformed the way one views oneself and the world? These questions are perhaps most dramatically addressed in the cross-cultural musical encounter. From the age of "discovery" to the present day, the intercultural musical experience has been a focus of aesthetic pleasure, artistic exchange, colonial and racist constructions, identity formation, missionary zeal, and exoticist fantasy. In this seminar, students explore cross-cultural musical encounters from a variety of perspectives and are introduced to the concept of "music as culture." Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] G. Fatone.FYS 341. King Arthur: Myth and Legend.
The story of King Arthur of Britain and his Knights of the Round Table is one of Western civilization's most enduring legends. This course explores those elements of the Arthur story that make it so universally compelling and the ways in which its details have been adapted according to the needs and desires of its changing audience. Topics considered include feudal loyalty and kinship, women and marriage, monsters and magic, the culture of violence and warfare, and the stylistic and narrative features of the legendary mode. While students read these legends critically, they also explore their popularity: How and why has the myth of Arthur proven so universally appealing? Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] S. Federico.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 345. Classical Myths and Contemporary Art.
Movies, comic books, sculpture, painting, poems, and graffiti are some of the ways that modern societies share stories to discuss important cultural values. Not surprisingly, modern artists often invoke ancient myths, which once served a similar function. In this course, students explore the ways in which myths give members of a society, whether ancient or modern, meaningful tools to describe and explore issues, values, and conflicts. Students study ancient myths about figures such as Medea, Pygmalion, Hermaphroditus, Actaeon, and Persephone. They then collect and consider their modern versions in different media. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] L. Maurizio.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 346. Desire, Devotion, Suffering.
Love and pleasure were much cultivated in classical and medieval India, side by side with the spiritual practices better known in the West. Royal courts and rustic villages reveled in songs, stories, and dramas about courtship and passion among humans, demons, and gods. Students read a range of lyric and dramatic poetry in English translation from North and South Indian traditions featuring Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim poets. The works deal with desire and disgust; earthly love carried into religious realms; and the transformation of erotic desperation into spiritual gain. Lectures and prose readings provide cultural background and interpretive strategies; music, slides, and film clips connect literature to the performing arts, including Bollywood movies. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] Staff.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
This course counts toward the following Interdisciplinary Program(s)
FYS 362. Biomedical Ethics.
The rapid changes in the biological sciences and medical technology have thoroughly transformed the practice of medicine. The added complexity and power of medicine has in turn revolutionized the responsibilities and duties that accompany the medical professions. This course explores the values and norms governing medical practice from multiple perspectives, including Asian and Islamic approaches. Topics include the rights and responsibilities of health care providers and patients; the justification for euthanasia; and the problems of access, allocation, and rationing of health care services. Not open to students who have received credit for PHIL 213. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] D. Cummiskey.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 376. Inequality, Community, and Social Change.
Debates about inequalities linked to race, class, gender, sexuality, and global locations surround us in politics, news, and social media. In this seminar, students explore these social inequalities with a particular focus on community-engaged efforts to advance social change and the role of colleges and universities in those efforts. Students partner with local organizations oriented toward social justice and social change in Lewiston, addressing issues such as educational equity, public health, immigrant and refugee inclusion, housing justice, and family opportunity. Discussions and assignments introduce students to the history and daily life of the local community, and connect what they learn with their partner organizations to readings about social inequality, social change, and the potential contributions of colleges and their students in promoting the public good. Enrollment limited to 15. (Community-Engaged Learning.) [W1] [HS] E. Kane.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 381. Visualizing Identities.
This course analyzes the arts associated with the body. The cross-cultural, interdisciplinary seminar addresses the ways that the body has been adorned and manipulated as an artistic medium. Using the body as subject and lens for theoretical discussions, we will examine the arts of body painting, scarification, surgical manipulation, tattooing, piercing and branding, and hair adornment in cross-cultural contexts. Theories of gender, race and subjectivities of the body are central to the course. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] A. Bessire.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 393. DiY and Mash-up Culture.
How did consumption become creative? How did musicians associated with punk, hip hop, electronica, and dub reggae create new art from the discarded refuse of late twentieth-century life? This course takes up the do-it-yourself ethic as a defining impulse in contemporary musical culture, informing the democratic amateurism of punk, the "found sound" innovations of the experimental avant-garde, and the collage aesthetic of the digital "mash-up." Students explore Lawrence Lessig's Creative Commons, with its challenges to copyright law, and engage with the work of John Cage, Bikini Kill, Brian Eno, the Raincoats, M.I.A., and Girl Talk, among others. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [CP] D. Chapman.FYS 395. The Sporting Life.
Sporting events with such names as the Super Bowl, World Cup, Olympic Games, and March Madness suggest the magnitude of importance of sports in many people's lives. The fact that so many people so passionately engage in sports as participants and spectators also indicates its significance. The import of sport can be considered from a myriad of perspectives, from the social and natural sciences to the humanities. In this interdisciplinary course, students consider a variety of sources including academic articles, personal memoir, fiction, film, and observation. Enrollment limited to 15. (Community-Engaged Learning.) [W1] S. Langdon.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 419. Tobacco in History and Culture.
This interdisciplinary seminar examines the role tobacco has played in shaping global political economies, cultures, and health. Students pay particular attention to how gender, race, class, and nationalism influence and have been influenced by tobacco. From the use of slave labor in seventeenth-century Chesapeake Bay colony to wooden Indians flanking the entrance of tobacco shops, to feminist slogans invoked to sell cigarettes, tobacco has functioned as a signifier and shaper of social norms and divides. Topics include labor and tobacco production, ethics of corporate power, the visual culture of tobacco, health and human rights, smoking and stigma, the global epidemiology of tobacco related illness, and tobacco regulation. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] M. Plastas.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
This course counts toward the following Interdisciplinary Program(s)
FYS 423. Humor and Laughter in Literature and Visual Media.
What is humor? How do we define what is funny? Is humor a universal phenomenon that works across cultures and different generations of readers and film viewers, or is it place- and time-specific? In this seminar students discuss various manifestations, strategies, and functions of humor in selected literary and visual narratives and they consider existing theories of humor and laughter. Open to students with a sense of humor. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] J. Kazecki.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 425. Politics and Memory in Central and Eastern Europe.
The twentieth century casts a long shadow over Eastern and Central Europe: two world wars, ethnic cleansing, communist dictatorships, and, most tragically, the Holocaust. Each country has its share of victims, villains, heroes, collaborators, and cowards. Efforts to make sense of this history, even after all these years, remain a topic of intense political debate. This course examines historical writings, films, and monuments to explore the politics of memory in Eastern and Central Europe, with particular attention paid to Germany, Poland, and Russia. Why does historical memory of these events continue to have such emotional and political power in this region? What choices are made in memorializing history, and what are their contemporary political implications? Enrollment limited to 15. (Politics: Identities and Interests.) (Politics: Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) [W1] [AC] J. Richter.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 427. Introducation to Ecopsychology: The Human-Nature Relationship.
Ecopsychology is concerned with the psychological dimensions of our relationship to the environment. As a developing and interdisciplinary field of inquiry, ecopsychology provides the opportunity to explore conceptions of self and nature; the perceived schism between humans and nature; and the psychological sources and repercussions of environmental degradation. In the context of these themes, we explore the cultural evolution of the Western mind, identity, the psychology of climate change, and the role of perception in healing the human-nature relationship. Throughout, our fundamental question asks how we might become more wisely responsive and adapted to current environmental conditions. OFFERED REMOTELY Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] L. Sewall.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 429. Thinking and Feeling.
Doing philosophy involves putting your beliefs up to rational scrutiny and examining your reasons for holding them. But our mental lives involve not just thinking and reasoning, but also feelings. These feelings can influence how we think, sometimes without us realizing that they do. In this course students ask what good reasoning is, examine when and how feelings impact our reasoning, and what we ought to think about this influence. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] L. Ashwell.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 432. Disney Demystified: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in the Magic Kingdom.
Students learn to discern America's contested beliefs and values by unearthing the cultural politics embedded in Disney productions, including the studio's mainstay, feature-length animated motion pictures. Such demystification entails delving beyond apparent surface messages to reveal underlying tensions, recurring contradictions, and even counter-hegemonic themes. With respect to the particular intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, ability and nation, what distinguishes millennial popular culture from productions of the early twentieth century? What American cultural continuities do we detect? Given the corporation's covert messages on love and sex, individualism and freedom, pleasure and entertainment, violence and conquest, what are the implications of Disney's increasingly global touch? Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] E. Eames.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 433. Reimagining Europe in Contemporary Film.
Rack focus is a technique in which a filmmaker shifts focus in a single frame from a foreground object to one in the background or vice versa. The shift occurs simultaneously: the blurry object coming into focus as the clear object goes out of focus. Contemporary Europe is undergoing a social, political, economic, and cultural "rack focus" of its own. In this seminar students examine the twenty-first-century rearticulation of foreground and background in European society and culture through the medium of feature-length films. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] D. Browne.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 437. Arts in Performance.
In this course students investigate the theatricality of performance from the point of view of makers, performers, audiences, and society. Students see and discuss live performance and popular culture throughout the semester, exploring historical and current ideas in performance from inside and out. Not open to students who have received credit for DN/TH 104. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] Staff.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 439. Defining Difference: How China and the United States Think about Racial Diversity.
"China's national minorities excel at singing and dancing." Such a broad generalization about ethnic groups could get someone fired in the United States. In China, this type of statement is touted as simple fact. In this seminar students compare U.S. and Chinese experiences with racial diversity and consider the uses the two countries make of ethnic categories. Are Americans being hypocritical in criticizing China on these issues? Does China's relative lack of diversity excuse attitudes that outsiders consider "racist"? Students read historical and contemporary sources and watch a popular Chinese TV show in translation, as they wrestle with and write about these provocative issues. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] N. Faries.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 440. Roots of Nonviolence.
How does an ancient text urging a distraught warrior into battle spark a nonviolent resistance movement spanning continents and centuries? This text, the Bhagavad-Gita, inspired Thoreau at Walden Pond and Gandhi as a practical guide for daily living. Thoreau’s essay "Civil Disobedience" influenced Gandhi’s satyagraha movement and both men's lives and writings fueled Martin Luther King Jr.'s nonviolent struggle for civil rights. This seminar explores the legacy of these potent texts and powerful leaders and implications for moral life, democratic politics, and transformative social change. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] S. Smith.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 442. Shaking It Out: Writing and Critiquing Personal Narratives.
To "essay" means "to attempt; to try." This course offers students rigorous study and practice of the art of the creative nonfiction essay, looking specifically at the ways writers use creative impulses to write better textual critiques, and vice versa. Readings include classics from writers such as White, Angelou, Baldwin, Thompson, Dubus, Didion, and Wallace, and several contemporary American essays by writers like Hilton Als, Leslie Jamison, Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah, and John Jeremiah Sullivan. Enrollment limited to 15. (English: Post-1800.) [W1] [AC] [CP] J. Anthony.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 443. Heroes or Villains? Columbus and Fidel (Castro).
Christopher Columbus' momentous voyage in 1492 ushered in the modern world in Europe, the Americas, and Africa. As a historical figure, Columbus has been the object of much myth making, both positive and negative. Likewise, no other politician in Latin American history has been better known or more controversial than Fidel Castro. Columbus and Fidel, as he is known in Cuba, shared a utopian view of their world and the future of humanity. This seminar approaches the two figures by studying their own writings, the opinions of their contemporaries, and the ideological constructions that see them as heroes and also as negative figures in history. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] B. Fra-Molinero.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
This course counts toward the following Interdisciplinary Program(s)
FYS 445. The Nature of Spirituality.
What do people mean when they claim to be "spiritual but not religious"? Why do rivers and sunsets, trees and mountaintops so often come to be associated with spiritual power and connection to a greater reality? This course invites students to explore such questions and phenomena through shared reading of a variety of scriptures, naturalist writers, and mystics; through producing their own formal essays, reviews, and creative reflections; and through experiential learning in a more-than-human world. Enrollment limited to 15. (Purposeful Work.) [W1] [AC] [HS] C. Baker.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 446. The Communication Equation: A Mathematical Media Tour.
Mathematics is everywhere in the news these days, from basic statistics to more sophisticated uses to describe economics, science, and mathematical breakthroughs. Too often we accept numbers and data as the truth, without giving them a second thought. It is therefore important to develop critical reading skills. As creators of information, it also is important to learn to use mathematics and data to support arguments and undertake true scientific reporting. In this course students read breaking news articles and longer features to learn effective uses of mathematics in journalism. They put these best practices to use by writing articles, blogs, and radio pieces. Additional topics may include mathematics in other media such as fiction writing, television, movies, and art. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] M. Montgomery.FYS 447. Holocaust on Stage.
This seminar studies the award-winning Polish play Our Class, by Tadeusz Słobodzianek, which is based on the 2001 book Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland by Jan T. Gross. This controversial book explores the July 1941 massacre of Polish Jews by their non-Jewish neighbors in the small town of Jedwabne during the Nazi occupation. The play raises a question of national collective memory in the aftermath of World War II. Students study the historical events on which the play is based, and examine the dramatic structure of the text in the aspects of staging. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] K. Vecsey.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 452. Football, Fútbol, Soccer: The Local Politics of a Global Game.
Football, fútbol, Fuβball, calcio—soccer in the United States—is a global game, with more nations participating in the World Cup than belong to the United Nations. The sport attracts the wealthiest as club owners and is played by even the poorest with nothing more than a round ball and a flat space. It has been blamed for precipitating ugly violence and credited for ethnic reconciliation. This course explores the politics of soccer, with an emphasis on how multiple identities—nationality, ethnicity, religion, class, gender—are expressed through soccer in the United States and around the world. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [HS] J. Baughman.FYS 455. Neuroscience Fiction.
What possibilities come with 100 billion interconnected neurons? What happens if we extend, hybridize, or even discard the wet and messy reality of our brains for synthetic alternatives? In this course, students use science fiction to probe the links between brain and behavior, ponder new psychosocial potentials, and challenge current notions of subjectivity and representation. Students explore concepts such as linguistic relativity, collective consciousness, noogenesis, cybernetic threat, the exocortex, psi powers, and digital immortality through literature and media. They are introduced to discourses of transhumanism, Afrofuturism, feminist utopia, and cyberpunk and its derivatives, and engage in their own speculative writing, design, and construction. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [CP] [HS] N. Koven.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 460. Environmentalism, Social Justice, and Education.
It is widely believed that the environmental movement and the social justice movement are closely connected. Many of the same forces that lead to environmental degradation are also the root causes of social injustice. This course encourages students to debate emphatically and write persuasively about these connections as they are revealed locally in the Lewiston-Auburn area (including field research in the local community); nationally in cities like Flint, Michigan, and the fracking fields of eastern Ohio; and globally by considering the eco-militants of the oil-rich Niger River Delta in Africa. Enrollment limited to 15. (Community-Engaged Learning.) [W1] [AC] W. Wallace.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 461. Gut Microbiome: The Next Frontier.
The "gut microbiome" is a burgeoning frontier in medical research. Vastly out-numbering human cells, the diverse world of bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and viruses that inhabits our gut is being identified as a key player in moderating health. This seminar looks at how human behaviors, diets, and medications influence how microbes mediate mood, energy, resistance to infection, and overall health. Can we shape our own gut microbiome in a way that keeps us healthy? Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [S] L. Brogan.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 462. The Living Planet.
Earth is home to an amazing variety of living systems intricately connected to each other and to the environment. Over four billion years, organisms and their environments have co-evolved, at times undergoing drastic and abrupt changes. Many geologists term the current geological age the Anthropocene, because of the significant changes affected in large part by human systems, which, too, are rapidly changing. This course explores these major Earth systems, how they influence on another, and what their future holds. Students consider both the science behind changes in Earth's systems and existential questions about the ethics of human participation in and modification of these systems. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [CP] R. Saha.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 465. Communicating Science to the Public.
The ability to effectively communicate science research to non-experts encourages sound public policy and is an essential skill for those interested in pursuing a career in science, journalism, or government. In this course, students critically evaluate primary literature in the biological sciences and consider various methods for communicating science research to public audiences through project-based learning exercises, including written blog posts, science journalism articles, and public presentations. Students become familiar with the scientific method of inquiry and examine how narratives and storytelling can be more effective for public engagement and comprehension of science than the information deficit model. Not open to students who have received credit for BIO 126. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] A. Mountcastle.FYS 466. Math and the Art of M. C. Escher.
This course examines selected designs of M. C. Escher through the lens of mathematics. A study of Euclidean, spherical, and hyperbolic geometries allows students to analyze Escher’s art by exploring the rich geometric framework on which it is constructed. Additional topics include symmetry, frieze and wallpaper patterns, and tesselations. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [CP] A. Alford.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 467. The Rise of Graphic Narratives: Paneling Morality's Discontents.
Why are graphic narratives popular? Why do they represent both individual imagination and cooperative creative communication? What do these multifaceted texts offer today’s techno-savvy reader? The juxtaposed storytelling units used in graphic narratives (verbal, visual, spatially fragmented time) cultivate a field of action characters whose "humanity" often displays the inconstancies found in notions of morality. The course examines how and why graphic narratives have risen from a popular comics medium to the literature of choice for questioning societies' moral scaffolds. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] C. Aburto Guzmán.FYS 468. Beyond Nelson Mandela: Themes and Personalities in South African History.
Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first black president in 1994 after more than three centuries of white dominance. Today, he is considered the greatest African leader of the twentieth century. This popular perception, born of Mandela's charisma after walking out of jail and becoming president, cuts out many actors and events in the history of South Africa. This course introduces students to these obscured actors and events. It begins by exploring the encounter between Europeans and Africans, then examines the institutionalization of the apartheid state, and concludes by studying the reactions to, and defeat of, the apartheid state. Enrollment limited to 15. (Africana: Diaspora.) (Africana: Historical Perspective.) (Africana: Introductory Sequence.) [W1] [AC] [HS] P. Otim.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 469. Reconsidering the American Dream.
The mythology of the American Dream promises the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Many pursue the dominant narrative of "the good life" without question: higher education, career, a comfortable lifestyle, and the accumulation of wealth. This course examines the ecological, economic, and social implications of this narrative, and considers why the dream is more of a nightmare for so many people. The course considers alternative conceptualizations of success. Throughout the course, students gauge their strengths and weaknesses in reading, writing, and research skills; develop each of these skills; and receive an introduction to the resources they can use to hone their skills throughout college. OFFERED REMOTELY Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] E. Alcorn.FYS 470. Life beyond Capitalism.
Ever-growing inequality and accelerating climate change have left many wondering if capitalist forms of economic organization are truly able to serve the well-being of our communities and ecosystems. But how else might we do things? Rather than seeking comprehensive models for future "economic systems," this course draws on tools from economic anthropology and geography to examine myriad, existing noncapitalist livelihood practices in contemporary industrialized societies. With a focus on Maine, and Lewiston-Auburn in particular, students explore the possibility that sustainable and cooperative forms of sustenance might already be emerging "between the cracks" to offer hopeful pathways forward in uncertain times. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] E. Miller.FYS 471. Race, Gender, and Identity in STEM.
How do race, gender, and identity impact someone's decision to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)? This course provides an introduction to stereotype threat, impostor syndrome, identity development, and the growth mindset, with an emphasis on strategies for success in STEM fields. Relevant topics include the history of science and its connections to colonialism, and barriers that have prevented STEM disciplines from achieving equity in terms of the demographic representation among scientists. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [HS] [SR] A. Diamond-Stanic.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 473. How Do You Know That?.
Knowledge is a political, ethical, philosophical, and pragmatic problem. Skepticism carries an air of intellectual sophistication, but can easily halt conversation and inquiry. This seminar aims to provide a guide to thinking about knowledge with questions such as: What do we mean when we say we "know" something? What is the role of certainty and uncertainty, of evidence and logic, in the creation of knowledge? Several touchstones guide this intellectual journey: knowledge creation as a process of interaction between environment and individual; the power and peril of abstraction; and the ethics and psychology of knowledge and argument. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] B. Moodie.FYS 474. The Literary Insect.
All generations of humankind have been keen to describe the habits and habitats of our small, formidable, creeping cousins. What makes bugs so interesting? Why does literature need them? Does our fascination with beetles, bees, and butterflies go beyond the fear and admiration that come from the tremendous differences between our bodies and theirs? This seminar looks at literature in many genres—fables, poems, novels, memoirs, and natural histories—to find out what humans have learned from the literary insect, and to ask further questions about bug life. Participants also venture outside to explore insect habitats nearby. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] M. Wright.FYS 476. Coastal Hazards/Lab.
Humans have always lived along the world’s coastlines, yet constantly changing coastal landscapes and climate change, combined with increases in coastal populations, present a unique and challenging set of pressures for people and ecosystems at the boundary between land and sea. In this hands-on course, students explore the science of coastal hazards (e.g., erosion, sea level rise, storm events, tsunamis, and harmful algal blooms) by studying beaches, salt marshes, barrier islands, and coastal waters in a variety of settings. The laboratory/field component may include a weekend trip to Acadia National Park, and two late-return laboratories during the week to the Bates Morse Mountain Conservation Area and Saco Bay. The basic principles learned by studying Maine coastal systems facilitate exploration of coastal hazards in other parts of the world. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [L] [QF] [S] [SR] B. Johnson.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 477. The Story of Earth.
What was Earth like 4.5 billion years ago? Sixty-five million years ago? One hundred thousand years ago? What irreversible changes have occurred in its history? What processes govern how the Earth evolves? How have we pieced together its history? This course surveys the geologic history of Earth and includes hands-on practice of the methods geologists use to learn about our planet. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [L] [S] [SR] G. Robert.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 478. The Story of the Brain: Ideas and Controversies about Brain Function from Antiquity to the Digital Age.
What sort of device is the brain? What principles does it follow, and what do these imply about our ultimate freedom, responsibility, limitations, and place in the natural order? In this course, students explore how we have grappled with these questions over history, and how these questions continue to animate modern art and culture. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] J. Castro.FYS 479. Ethics and Environmental Issues.
A study of issues in environmental ethics, including questions about whether nonhuman organisms have value, what sort of moral concern is owed to the natural world, whether and why it's a bad thing when species go extinct, and whether it's acceptable to subject the environment to capitalist market norms. The course explores debates currently taking place among environmental thinkers regarding our moral obligations to other persons, to other animals, to ecosystems, to species, and to the Earth itself. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] P. Schofield.FYS 480. Communism.
"The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win." With this rousing call to revolution in 1848, Karl Marx inspired an international movement that would destroy capitalism and replace it with a more just society. Where revolutions did succeed, however, the reality of communist rule differed significantly from Marx's vision. This course examines the trajectory of communist theory and practice from Marx's Manifesto, through the revolutions in Russia and China and the brutal dictatorships that followed them, through the collapse of the communist utopian vision in the late twentieth century. Enrollment limited to 15. (Politics: Identities and Interests.) (Politics: Institutional Politics.) (Politics: Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) (Politics: Security, Conflict, and Cooperation.) [W1] J. Richter.FYS 481. Truth.
Two neutron stars colliding 130 million years ago confirmed Einstein’s gravity theory. Does confirmation mean Einstein’s theory is true? How is truth defined within the many truth and reconciliation commissions around the world? What promise of truth lies within historical archives? Within documentaries? Within fiction? How can we speak truthfully about unspeakable acts? This seminar joins thinkers modern and ancient drawn from many disciplines to explore what is meant by "truth," how people form ideas about what is true, why people care greatly about truth, and how social forces influence what people think is true. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] M. Murray, A. Dauge-Roth.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 482. Reading Cats and Dogs.
People have always written about their pets. Taking the most common species of nonhuman companions as its focus, this seminar moves through five centuries of English literature, meeting cats and dogs along the way: Sir Gawain's precious hounds in Malory's Morte d'Arthur, the old feline who captures Keats' imagination (if not his heart), the dog called Crab who graces Shakespeare's stage, the mysterious Cheshire Cat planted in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and many others. With their strong genetic ties to tigers and wolves, cats and dogs inevitably remind of us what is untamed in our own behavior. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] M. Wright.FYS 484. Making Sense: The Social Significance of Sensory Perception.
How do our senses help us to order and organize our world? How are our senses themselves ordered and organized? In what ways might our senses be intertwined with the world in which we live? This course considers these questions in a range of different contexts, and it challenges students to think about the senses as socially and culturally constructed pathways between bodies and worlds. In doing so, this course directs attention to the politics of the senses: how worlds of perception and experience are opened for us, closed to us, and shaped by forces beyond our immediate control. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] J. Rubin.FYS 485. Contemporary Comedy.
This course explores the contemporary comedy landscape by looking at humor writing (short stories, novel, and internet venues), television, stand-up comedy, podcasts, and other comedy artifacts while considering issues of audience and the various tools of humor. Topics include comedy forms, comic personae, and the subject matters of humor, including but not limited to issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] T. Salter.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 486. Wildlife Diseases: The Nature of Parasitism.
How and why do wild animals get sick? What threats do infectious diseases pose for wildlife? Are those pathogens dangerous to humans? This course introduces students to the dynamics of wildlife diseases, with roots in ecology, evolution, public health, and the changing relationships between humans and nature. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [SR] D. Dearborn.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 487. Politics and Performance on Stage and Screen.
This seminar examines the way contemporary playwrights and performers have interpreted the American political landscape on stage and screen. Students analyze scripts from various playwrights and their staged productions, and take a critical look at two different motion pictures that use politics as their main theme. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] C. Odle.FYS 489. Writing Ourselves, Writing With Others: Identity, Community, and Discourse.
This course approaches the nonfiction writing process as a creative means of self-discovery, insight, and social impact. Students read and reflect on memoir, poetry, essays, arguments, and other first-person genres, as well as scholars and writers who write about the nonfiction writing process. There are multiple opportunities for students to compose and revise narrative pieces about the people, cultures, and experiences that have shaped their identities, explore and refine their writing processes, and share and respond to their own and their peers’ texts. The final project is a creative autoethnographic electronic portfolio. Writers of all levels are encouraged to enroll. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [CP] B. Fullerton.FYS 490. The History of Persistence: American Women's Protest, 1840–2020.
2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, giving most American women the right to vote. It also marks the year when several women competed for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Using these events as bookends, this course explores the history of American women’s public protest, from the nineteenth-century suffrage movement to the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s, to "Me Too" and the political campaigns of the last five years. Students consider the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, class, and age in their discussions, and approach the topic by analyzing primary sources, debating historical interpretations, reviewing scholarly literature, and completing an oral history of a veteran protester. OFFERED REMOTELY Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] M. Creighton.FYS 491. Reading Japan in Multicultural Picture Books.
This course explores children's picture books and the depictions of Japanese culture in them. Students read each picture book closely, considering the whole book (including the cover, layout, pictures, and languages) and examining the representations of cultures, languages, and identities therein. Students draw on the Diverse Book Finder Picture Book Collection in the Ladd Library; they focus on books that feature Japanese and Japanese American people, but also explore other dimensions of multiculturalism. Students deepen their understanding through community-engaged work. No background on Japan is required. Enrollment limited to 15. (Community-Engaged Learning.) [W1] [AC] [HS] K. Konoeda.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 493. Feed Your Mind: Food Justice and Community Gardens.
In this course, students study the potential of community gardens to cultivate social justice, provide access to fresh food, and improve education. Students read about, write about, visit, and work in local community gardens, exploring the material and ideological relationships between food and culture. Course texts situate the local food movement in interdisciplinary historical contexts and connect agriculture with education and environmental justice. After learning about types of community gardens, garden-based education, and activist rhetoric, students create projects that expand opportunities for social justice in community gardens and complete a portfolio of writing in a range of genres. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [CP] S. Wade.FYS 494. Lorraine Hansberry and James Baldwin: Young, Gifted, Black, and Queer.
Lorraine Hansberry and James Baldwin were two of the most influential artists and public intellectuals of the twentieth century. Both produced works in a variety of genres—essay, drama, novel, oratory, film, and television. They championed the civil rights movement, promoted African American dignity and pride, and critiqued white supremacy throughout their careers. This course joins the new research on Hansberry and Baldwin that uses an intersectional approach to demonstrate how their identities as queer people of color influenced and shaped their enduring and powerful analyses of race, gender, sexuality, and social class in their art. Enrollment limited to 15. (Africana: Gender.) [W1] [AC] [HS] C. Nero.Interdisciplinary Programs
This course counts toward the following Interdisciplinary Program(s)
FYS 495. Understanding Russia: Truth, Lies, and Bullshit.
U.S.–Russia relations seem to have been driven into a cul-de-sac of political hyperbole, distortion, and provocation. Statements, such as those by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, "Russia continues to redraw international borders by force, undermine democracy in sovereign nations, and divide the free nations of Europe, one against the other," and Russian President Vladimir Putin, "The people who are trying to sway the domestic political situation in the U.S.A. by means of anti-Russian slogans are either stupid or dangerous," are typical of the discourse in mainstream media and from politicians in both countries. In this seminar students examine the Russian side of this altercation and try to understand how the quarter-century of post-Soviet Russian history has shaped Russia's current narrative. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] D. Browne.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 497. Community Science of Brain Injury in Sports.
The risk of concussion-causing head injuries in professional, collegiate, and high school sports competitions are a topic of intense debate in society. In this course, students analyze the complex of sports-related concussions and the risks for human health from different perspectives, including an exploration of the neurobiological foundations of concussion-induced changes in brain functionality, and an analysis of the occurrence and handling of concussions in athletes from local sport teams. For this purpose, students work with local schools to gather information about the risk of concussions in school sports and changes in training practices aiming at circumvention of concussions. Enrollment limited to 15. (Community-Engaged Learning.) [W1] [AC] [SR] M. Kruse.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 498. Art and Reflection: The Commonplace Book.
In the seventeenth century, commonplace books were known as a silva rerum—a forest of things—made by transcribing passages of texts into a personal book, usually with annotations. In this seminar students read, write, collect, and draw. Each student makes a commonplace book of their own by annotating, by hand, a collection of writing. They study anthologies of handwritten illustrated letters, artists’ sketchbooks and diaries, and facsimiles of commonplace books. With its emphasis on sketchbooks, drawing, and handwritten work, this seminar fulfills the drawing prerequisite for courses in studio art. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [CP] P. Johnson.FYS 499. Reading Literary Space.
Stories are not only structured and shaped, they move through different kinds of cultural spaces and geographies. In The Poetics of Space, Gaston Bachelard argued that poems, too, have found their basic images in archetypal spaces: houses, rooms, and shells. Recent years have brought a "spatial turn" to the humanities, where issues related to race, gender, and sexuality have been productively organized by an attention to maps, contradictory spaces, networks, and mobilities. In this course students read poems, short stories, and theoretical texts with an emphasis on spatial interpretation. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] S. Dillon.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 500. Seeing With Light: The Physics of Biological Imaging.
Observing nature on any length scale requires harnessing the properties of light. Guided by the laws of physics, biological imaging has evolved over the past several centuries from observing pond scum to resolving individual proteins at the atomic scale. This seminar surveys the properties of light, the fundamental physics of imaging systems ranging from the human eye to modern nanoscopes, and their application in addressing biological questions. Familiarity with algebra and trigonometry is expected. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] T. Gould.FYS 501. Japan on Screen.
An introduction to film studies within an area studies context, centering on five prominent Japanese films by major directors (1950-2010). Students learn how to read films beyond narrative content, acquiring the vocabulary and skills necessary for formal film analysis. Taught in reverse chronological order, students encounter films by Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Itami Jūzō, Teshigahara Hiroshi, Kurosawa Akira, and Ozu Yasujirō, capped with a glimpse at one of Ozu's silent comedies. Course readings and writing assignments consider questions of the auteur, film form, and reception as well as the place of film within the larger context of Japanese society. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] J. Wiesinger.Interdisciplinary Programs
This course counts toward the following Interdisciplinary Program(s)
FYS 502. Death in the Digital Age.
Death in the real world raises interesting question about the afterlives of our virtual selves. These virtual selves include the social media accounts that we did not close out before our passing, our avatars in video games, and the archives and records that other people use to represent us after we die. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] A. Shrout.FYS 503. Making Moral Minds: Nature, Nurture, and the Sources of Morality.
This course examines the origins and mechanisms of moral judgment and decision making. How much is our moral cognition shaped by culture as opposed to evolved nature? How much is it shared with nonhuman animals? What motivates us and drives our evaluations? What weaknesses, limitations, and biases might we face? In addressing these questions, students read classic philosophical texts, recent philosophical publications, research in psychology, and popular science writing. Along the way, they attempt to glean practical lessons for how we think about ourselves, our decisions, and our moral community. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] M. Dacey.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 504. Crows and Ravens: Feathered Minds, Lettered Voices.
Crows and ravens abound in literature. From Aesop to Poe, these most uncanny members of the family Corvidae have enchanted and bewildered their human neighbors. This seminar uses cognitive ecology to approach the varied representations of crow and raven species in fiction and poetry. The course asks how human and corvid minds are seen to interact within specific environments, and what these interactions mean for both human and avian evolution. How have we adapted to life with crows and ravens, and vice versa? How does literature itself count as an element of the environments we share with these animals? Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] M. Wright.FYS 505. Bates STEM Scholars.
What does it mean to become a scientist or mathematician and how do we build STEM identity? What habits of mind and practice are particularly effective in developing expertise in STEM knowledge and skills? What is the role of a supportive community of scholars? Thisseminar explores these questions and strategies for creating student success through reflective writing and collaborative engagement in learning. Corequisite(s): one of the following: any 100-level biology or earth and climate sciences course; CHEM 107A; FYS 274; MATH 105, 106, 205, or 206; NRSC 160; NS/PH 117; or PHYS 107. Enrollment limited to 15. Instructor permission is required. [W1] [S] A. Diamond-Stanic, K. Ott.FYS 506. Ways of Knowing: Contemplative Practice, East-West.
How does knowledge transform us? How does learning incorporate the body, the emotions, and the imagination? What is a good life, and how do we achieve it? This course explores contemplative traditions of classical Greece, early medieval Europe, South and East Asia, as well as modern perspectives drawn from continental philosophy and cognitive psychology. In addition to literary-historical study of the philosophical traditions of Europe and Asia, students gain firsthand experience in contemplative engagements drawn from these traditions, and develop their own reflective practices to deepen their pursuit of learning. Course work includes reading primary sources, interpretive and reflective writing assignments, and opportunities for interdisciplinary encounters. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] Staff.FYS 507. Lewiston: A Local Lens on Global Issues.
Sometimes the best way to answer big questions is to look for answers on a local scale. This course engages with debates on topics such as immigration, economic development, sustainable agriculture, environmental degradation, and racial inequities in the legal system by taking a closer look at the Lewiston-Auburn community and its rich history. Students learn tools of historical inquiry by seeking the roots of present-day challenges in the past, while also developing skills to work across difference through community-engaged learning activities. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] S. Boss.FYS 508. The Rest of Nature through Human Eyes.
Although our connections to the rest of nature may be hidden from us, we remain reliant on a complex network of interactions with other species. As we shape their environments, other species influence us in turn, feeding us, protecting us, destroying, sustaining, and inspiring us. How are we to understand the living world of which we are a part? In this seminar, students explore different ways of learning about other species, with a particular emphasis on scientific methods, and communicate what they have learned through a variety of genres. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] C. Essenberg.FYS 509. The Sociology of Holidays.
Holidays, both national and religious, occupy a central place in our lives. The United States recognizes ten federal holidays. Holidays shape our social worlds in many ways, including through the observation of traditions, engagement in rituals, and reflection on loss. Sociologically, there is much to be examined, from the history of holidays, to the social meaning holidays hold, to the shared experience of rituals with social groups. This course engages with each of these issues, exploring what social functions holidays serve, variation in social and cultural practices surrounding holidays, and how and why holidays came to be such a social force in modern society. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [HS] M. Rocque.FYS 510. Creativity: Theory and Practice.
What is creativity? Can people learn to be more creative? How do scholars study creativity and the creative process? In this course, students explore the answers to these questions through reading scholarly works from the interdisciplinary field of creativity studies. They examine cultural conceptions of creativity and the conditions that facilitate creative outcomes across disciplines. Together and individually, students practice developing the research-based attributes, skills, and habits associated with developing personal creativity. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] B. Sale.FYS 511. Information is Physical: From Classical to Quantum Computers.
The natural sciences and computing have long been intertwined disciplines. Only recently have researchers begun to explore just how strong this connection is: first, that computing is a fundamentally physical process, something in and of nature and not merely abstract; second, that the evolution of our universe according to the laws of physics is a computation. In this course students learn about the history of computing machines, and how this has culminated in the recent development of rudimentary quantum computers. Studenst read both historical nonfiction on the history of computing and scientific journal articles. Written work helps students clarify and communicate their ideas on the subjects, including their own relationship to technology. Students run quantum algorithms using the web-based IBM Quantum Experience environment. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] M. Lichtman.FYS 512. The Molecular Brain.
We are beings that can live, think, feel, and remember without knowing how we do it. We consider our thoughts, emotions, and memories as ethereal, justified, and categorical. They are none of these, but they are chemical. This seminar examines the new ways in which the fields of neuroscience and chemistry are elucidating the brain, manipulating behavior, and treating disease. For example, students discuss how our changing understanding of the mind affects a criminal justice system predicated on culpability. In the laboratory portion of the seminar, they look at mammalian memories under microscopes. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [SR] A. Kennedy.FYS 513. Out of Order: Justice and Injustice in World Legal Histories.
Disputes are universal; resolution, punishment, and enforcement, however, are as diverse as humanity itself. This course looks beyond American-centered understandings to investigate the deep history of law across space and time. Students explore legal cosmologies, the friction between codes and the messy world of corrupt judges and litigious peasants, the legal orders of smugglers and mafia, and the conflict between indigenous customary law and the systems of settler colonial societies. They grapple with a set of questions centered on relations of power: Do legal orders buttress hierarchies? Or can they be mobilized by marginalized peoples to assert rights long denied? Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] W. Chaney.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 514. Writing and Language Justice in a Global World.
How do writers—especially those from minoritized backgrounds—use language to explore their identities, to navigate familiar and unfamiliar places, and to advocate for equity and inclusion? In this seminar, students explore these questions by reading and crafting texts in a range of genres and voices; working on writing projects with local high school students, many of whom have recently moved to Lewiston from other countries; and engaging in research and public writing to address community needs. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] S. Wade.FYS 515. Food Systems and Food Justice.
As modern food systems have grown increasingly productive, centralized, and expansive, they have lifted millions out of poverty and averted malnutrition for millions more. At the same time, they cause massive ecological impacts and they rely on social injustices including land theft, labor exploitation, and rampant (if uneven) food insecurity. Through the lens of food justice, this course explores the central question of how humanity will feed itself in an era marked by climate change and a global pandemic. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] F. Eanes.FYS 516. Multilingualism and Society.
Some forms of multilingualism are celebrated, but others are undervalued and even seen as a problem. This seminar explores personal and social dimensions of bilingualism and multilingualism with a goal of realizing linguistically just communities. Through reading memoirs of bi- and multilinguals, conducting interview projects and linguistic landscape study, students explore such topics as paths to multilingualism, language and identities, dialect, language rights, "native" speaker, and translanguaging. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] K. Konoeda.FYS 517. Epidemics: Disruption, Inequality, Change.
Epidemics of infectious and noninfectious origin disrupt societies and cultures in many ways, often highlighting disparities and inequalities within populations. Through the lens of epidemiology, this course examines the factors that impact the emergence of epidemics. Students consider racial, ethnic, social, and economic disparities that have affected the distributions of global epidemics of historical and current significance. How and why do epidemics function as disruptors of societies and cultures? Can they be agents for innovation and social change? This course includes a community-engaged component. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] K. Palin.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 518. Ancient Magic and its Practitioners.
What is the nature of magic? Why is it said to exist? What is its relationship with religion, science, community, and power? In this course students examine some answers to these questions from the Greek and Roman world, using a variety of sources, from epic and philosophy to buried curse tablets and astrological guides. They also consider its practitioners: sorceresses, soothsayers, folk heroes, and false prophets. They compare perspectives from different Greek and Roman communities, including Greco-Roman Egypt and the Near East,\; from pagan, Jewish, and Christian voices; and explore modern theories on magic's relationship to class, ethnicity, and gender. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] G. Gillies.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 519. Performing Medea: Murder, Magic, and Marginality.
Princess, witch, infanticide, outcast, feminist, and skilled rhetorician: the mythological figure of Medea has horrified and delighted audiences for millennia. Students encounter multiple tellings from both ancient and modern contexts of Medea’s journey across the ancient Mediterranean world, her involvement in the quest for the golden fleece, and the extreme act of revenge she enacts on being abandoned for another woman. By analyzing this multi-layered character’s portrayal in plays, poetry, film, novels, and music, students consider the themes of female agency, resistance, revenge, identity, and the impact of empire. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] [HS] T. Sapsford.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
FYS 520. Vaccines.
From the first immunizations in ancient Chinese medicine to the social and medical campaigns that led to the eradication of smallpox, and during the current search for a vaccine for COVID-19, vaccines have been controversial. On the one hand, vaccines are the single-most effective way to prevent disease; on the other hand, people often fear and resist them. If vaccines are so effective, why don't we have more? As students explore the past, present, and future of immunizations, they explore the biological bases of vaccines and the difficulties in developing effective ones as well as the ethics of vaccination development and public health policies. Students also examine how vaccination programs in the United States compare with those in other countries and why some programs are more successful than others. How vaccines have shaped human life and why humans resist vaccines despite their efficacy are also considered. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] [AC] B. Salazar-Perea.FYS 521. Physiology of Climate Change.
Animals respond to environmental change across multiple time domains, from acute responses to phenotypic plasticity to evolutionary adaptation. How do these diverse responses stack up against the rate and magnitude of anthropogenic climate change? This course evaluates evidence that animals are already responding to climate change and considers their capacity for future responses. Which species are likely to be successful, which species may not, and how confident are we in these predictions? Along the way, students discuss the implications of climate change for human health. Enrollment limited to 15. [W1] Offered with varying frequency. R. Bavis.FYS 522. The Least Dangerous Branch? Grappling with Judicial Power in the United States.
U.S. politics seems increasingly divided by judicial power. Judicial nominees are confirmed by bare majorities in the Senate. Judicial reform, including but not limited to expanding the Supreme Court, is widely debated and characterized as either a necessity for democratic preservation or as creating a crisis that could destroy our constitutional system. How did we get here? While the scope of judicial power has been controversial since the Founding, are our present circumstances a reflection of a longstanding controversy or is something new happening? This seminar takes on these questions by exploring how and why legitimate judicial power and the capacity for the courts to support social change may be conceptualized differently by politicians, political scientists, lawyers, and the people themselves. Enrollment limited to 15. (Politics: Institutional Politics.) (Politics: Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) [W1] Offered with varying frequency. S. Engel.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations