Building connections in the curriculum and community Learning Communities and Integrative Seminars: To help you build connections among the various parts of the liberal arts core curriculum (LACC), you will have the opportunity to take one or more small-group integrative seminars. Every freshman will have the chance to study with a small and highly supportive group of peers (your learning community cohort) in one of the three terms of your freshman year. The Western Oregon University faculty are committed to providing personal and focused attention, and you will benefit from participation from senior professors.
Social Science Division: Course Offerings Fall - SSC 150: Introductory Social Science Seminar, History of the Social Sciences
(4 credits each term, Year-long series)
[Drs. Geier, Huston, Smith, Olson, Rector, Callero]
Winter - SSC 151: Introductory Social Science Seminar, Topics in Social Sciences
(4 credits each term, Year-long series)
[Drs. Geier, Huston, Smith, Olson, Rector, Dolan]
Spring - SSC 152: Introductory Social Science Seminar, Research in the Social Sciences
(4 credits each term, Year-long series)
[Drs. Geier, Huston, Smith, Olson, Rector, Dolan]
First-Year Academy in the Social Sciences at Western Oregon University
The Introductory Social Science Seminar is a year-long sequence of courses (SSC 150, 151, and 152) that will provide students with a general and integrative introduction to the Social Sciences. Class meetings will be divided into large lecture sections (twice a week for one hour each) and smaller lab sections (once a week for two hours). Lectures may take the form of one-person presentations or may be team taught, and will address topics of general and common interest within the Social Sciences. Labs will be divided into small groups, 15-20 students, who will work with individual faculty. The lab sections will involve students in learning about specific disciplines, and will focus on intensive reading, writing, and discussion. In 2005-2006, the Introductory Social Science Seminar will be taught by faculty from Anthropology, Criminal Justice, Geography, History, and Sociology.
This Seminar is an exciting and unique opportunity for first-year students at Western Oregon. It is an opportunity to learn about the Social Sciences in a systematic, sustained, and interdisciplinary manner that will emphasize connection rather than division. This will help students to make better sense out of their advanced work, particularly for those who major in the Social Sciences. It is also an opportunity for students to work closely and directly with Social Science faculty during the course of an entire year. This direction and guidance will create an invaluable bridge between high school and university, particularly in the early development of college-level reading and writing skills and “habits of the mind” important to student success in higher education. The relationships that students develop with their peers will be equally valuable as they move forward in their educations at Western.
Creative Arts Division Course Offerings
Fall and Winter- CA180: Capitalism and Culture (3 credits, combined with two other courses for a total of nine credits, single term)
[Drs. deChatelet and Harden] Combined with: Introduction to Theatre and 2-D Design
Popular forms of visual media such as cinema, television, advertisement and fashion are determined and manipulated by a variety of influences: political, social and economic. This course examines the origins of these visual forms, their interpretation, reception and their relevance in our lives. At the same time we will investigate the effects of capitalistic influence on what we view and the cultural consequences that have resulted from this. This course will be offered in conjunction with the LACC courses of 2-D Design and Introduction to Theatre .
Participants in this class will explore a variety of entertainment media and create analytical, creative and scholarly responses. They will participate in the process of developing a short play, an animation and a graphic design alternative for apparel as well as viewing journal and text material, films and short video clips. Assessment of understanding will be determined by the outcomes of creative endeavors, group discussions and two written essays.
Fall or Winter - CA 180: Artists’ Voices
(3 credits, combined with three other courses for a total of nine credits, single term)
[Dr. Chance]
Combined with: Concert Choir, Voice, and Beginning Drawing
Throughout history music and art have often been considered separate but similar. Upon occasion visual artists have also been musicians and the reverse. We’ll look at the lives and thinking of specific individuals who have worked synthetically, using both voice and art, and at artists who work collaboratively. We’ll study genres of the arts that are inherently inclusive of both fields such as performance art, music videos, modern opera and film. And we’ll invent new art forms that use voice in a visual context. Drawing will be the primary visual art form, though it will be considered expansively and dimensionally.
Students will engage in analytical projects about musical and artistic elements, qualities and structures. We’ll attend performances and gallery exhibits, view film and work individually and collaboratively to create a final visual/vocal performance project. Understanding of form and content will be evaluated in a variety of ways throughout the course. Working together, we’ll use the various strengths of individuals to create a final successful project. Prior knowledge is not needed in either voice or art, though experience will be gained concurrently through attending additional classes in voice and art.
Winter only - CA 180: Music in Film
(3 credits, combined with two other courses for a total of nine credits, single term)
[TBA]
Combined with: Introduction to Film and Music in the 20th Century
Since the earliest days of film, music has played an essential role in setting the mood and telling the story. Students in this class will be enrolled concurrently in a class on the history of film, and one on popular music in America. These two streams converge in the phenomenon of film that emerged over the last century. In this class, we will watch movie excerpts that demonstrate how directors have called on composers to help them achieve their goals—from the live music that accompanied silent film, through the grand orchestral tradition of 1960s Westerns, to the urban beat of today’s independent films.
Participants in this class will study film music through listening, readings and discussion. They will consider technical and expressive issues, and relate developments in film music to other developments in 20th-Century music-making. Students will be graded through class discussion, listening tests, and written assignments.
Spring only - CA 180: Music and World Domination (3 credits, combined with two other courses for a total of nine credits, single term)
[ Dr. Coker]
Combined with: Introduction to Theater, and Music Literature
For more than two thousand years artists, governing bodies, and economic entities have used the empathetic nature of art to try to steer history’s course toward their ends. Over the duration of the term we will discuss ways that various parties have used music, visual art, theatre, dance, poetry, and literature to affect the minds and souls of their audiences. We will begin in Ancient Greece and work our way to the present day. Special attention will be afforded to music and collaborative events where music is a primary element. This class will be taught in conjunction with two other LACC courses from the Creative Arts Division.
Participants in this class will be expected to actively discuss assigned topics and readings. They will also be assigned listening excerpts to study. Students will be tested on readings, listening excerpts, and discussion topics. In addition, an individually assigned creative project will be part of each student’s work for the term. Prior musical knowledge is not needed.
Spring only - CA 180: Guitar Gods & Prima Donnas
(3 credits, combined with two other courses for a total of nine credits, single term)
[Drs. Bergeron, and Thomas]
Music & Dance in Contemporary Culture Combined with: The Body Politic and Music of the 21st Century
Music and dance have been part of every culture throughout history, but only since the 20th Century have mass media brought performers and audiences together on a worldwide scale. As a result, music and dance genres are increasingly homogenized on the one hand and increasingly fragmented on the other. Creative expressions of isolated subcultures sometimes become simply products to sell. Star performers are worshiped as heroes, and made into millionaires. We will explore these and other issues, looking for ways in which the performing arts reflect the values and sensibilities of the cultures of which they are a part.
Participants in this class will be concurrently enrolled in lecture classes in both music and dance. They will explore the topics presented through readings and discussion, listening to music, viewing dance, and attending live performances. Students will be evaluated through tests, essays and a final project. Prior experience in music and dance is not required.
Spring only - CA 180: The Art of Protest
(3 credits, combined with two other courses for a total of nine credits, single term)
[ Dr. deChtelet]
Combined with: Introduction to Theatre, and Social History of Rock and Roll
Music, Art, Theatre, Film and Politics in the 20th and 21st Centuries Throughout history, artists have sought to change the political climate armed only with their creativity. In the last 100 years, more and more forms of expression have given artists new weapons to confront the political machine. This class will study popular forms of art such as the cinema, television, music, theatre, visual art, and advertising that address, overtly or subversively, a political agenda. Emphasis will be on those art forms reflecting the voice of the minority attempting to change the status quo. Potential areas of study may include: realism, propaganda, documentary, expressionism, folk, punk and spirituals.
Participants in this class will be concurrently enrolled in lecture classes in both music and theatre. In addition to scholarly reading, students will watch films, read plays, listen to music and study visual art. Requirements will include in-depth discussions, scholarly writing assignments, and creative writing assignments and/or artistic projects.
Humanities Division Course Offerings All Humanities Freshman Seminars carry writing-intensive credit; students will do a variety of informal writing-to-learn and formal, polished writing aimed at developing both critical thinking skills and writing skills. Students must have 6 hours of writing-intensive coursework to graduate; each of the Humanities seminars will provide 3 hours toward that total.
Fall only - Hum 190W: Crime and Punishment
(3 credits, combined with two other courses for a total of ten credits, single term)
[Dr. Jane Babson, and TBA] (3 sections)
Combined with: English 104 and Philosophy 102
This integrated seminar discusses many of the thematic connections between Literature and Philosophy: Eng 104 (Intro to Fiction) & Phil 102 (Morality & Social Justice). The topic for the seminar is Crime and Punishment: We will focus on how the individual defines himself vis-à-vis the need/desire to conform or rebel against the codes of society. How do we 'know' what is the 'right thing to do'? Can history or culture reveal a moral good? Several narratives such as Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and Bernhard Schlink's The Reader work within the framework of many 19th and 20th century philosophers, such as Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Foucault, and others.
Fall only - Hum 190W: The Beautiful and the Ugly (3 credits, combined with two other courses for a total of ten credits, single term)
[Drs. Stahman, and Perlman]
Combined with: German Literature and Philosophy 282
This seminar works in tandem with GL 110 (German Literature in Translation) and Phil 282 (Philosophy of Art) in order to examine questions about “beauty, truth, and goodness” in the wake of the modernist movement. Students explore German Expressionism in paintings, literature and philosophy as well as early modernist architecture to gain an understanding of the aesthetic tradition and its upheaval at the turn of the last century. We will also examine recent experiments in German aesthetic culture and analyze how postmodernist aesthetics are informed by early German modernism. (No knowledge of German required.)
Fall only - Hum 199W: Humanistic Inquiry (3 credits, combined with two other courses for a total of ten credits, single term)
[Drs. Plec, and Schmidt]
Combined with: Writing 135 and Speech
This seminar draws upon fundamental principles and skills developed in the co-enrolled SP 111 and WR 135, both LACC requirements. Additionally, it provides students with Writing Intensive credit. The course requires students to consider the overarching purpose of inquiry in the humanities. The goal is for students to develop a sense of what it means to engage in humanistic inquiry and to produce individualized statements of their philosophy of education. Throughout the course, students will be exposed to writers and speakers who address issues central to the humanities. Students will compose several 2-3 page informal writing assignments and speech drafts, as well as a 6-8 page final term paper. Students will also deliver a 7-8 minute presentation based on the final paper.
Winter only - Hum 190W: Utopia and Dystopia
(3 credits, combined with two other courses for a total of ten credits, single term)
[Drs. Andrews, and Perlman]
Combined with: Philosophy 253 and English 104
This course deals with the intersection of philosophy and literature, focusing specifically on utopian and anti-utopian (“dystopian”) literature. Readings ranging from Plato’s Republic and Moore’s Utopia through 19th-Century utopian visions (including Marx), and leading to 19th- and 20th-century “dystopian” literature depicting utopian visions gone wrong, in works like 1984 and Brave New World. The course will also include utopian and dystopian films and television depictions from Star Trek to Blade Runner and The Terminator.
Spring only - Hum 190W: The Future of Humanity
(3 credits, combined with two other courses for a total of ten credits, single term)
[Drs. Harding, and Perlman]
Combined with: English 104 and Philosophy 101
Students in this seminar [co-enrolled in Eng 104 (Intro to Fiction) & Phil 102 (Morality & Social Justice)] will examine some possible directions human individuals and society might take in the future, along with the ethical issues that arise from those directions and from "future planning" in general. Texts will include several science fiction novels and short stories, essays on the ramifications of some future directions, and a selection of science fiction criticism which examines both the literary and ethical dimensions of the texts.
Natural Science/Mathematics Division Course Offerings
Fall or Winter or Spring - Bi 199W: Current issues in Biology (2 credits, single term)
[Dr. Guralnick]
Freestanding course
This is a freshman seminar course to cover the current issues in Biology and Chemistry. Students will be expected to read literature that will cover issues in molecular biology, environmental biology, and other topics which may be interdisciplinary to both biology and chemistry (ie, forensics chemistry). Students will be given reading assignments to discuss, web and library research, and papers to write. Students will do informal and formal writing on a variety of topics. Class will meet for two hours a week.
The topics may include mad cow disease detection and prevention, Sports doping and performance enhancing drugs, stem cell research and ethical considerations, drug pharmacology (the next generation therapy), and other areas of student interest. The topics will vary from quarter to quarter depending on what is being covered during the quarter.
Fall and Winter– GS 107: The Geological Record of Climate Change
(4 credits, single term)
Dr. Myers]
Freestanding course
Freshmen Seminar is open only to first year freshmen. This seminar will provide each student a highly personalized learning experience by providing the student an opportunity to work closely with a faculty member within a small supportive group of peers. The Geological Record of Climate Change is a general interest course that will focus on the interdisciplinary study of climate change throughout the recent and distant past. The course will examine the recovery and analysis of data about ancient climates from fossils, ocean bottom and ice cores, and other sources, will discuss the interpretation of these data, and evaluate the relevance of ancient climate records for predicting the rate and magnitude of future climate change. Four units of lecture and hands-on activities/lab activities.
Fall only - Math 199: Chemistry-Biology- Math Learning Communities (4 credits, combined with two other courses for a total of 12 credits, single term)
[ TBA]
Combined with: Biology 211 and Chemistry 221
This is a freshman seminar course to cover the current issues in biology and chemistry with a focus on skill development in math. Students will learn the fundamentals and importance of mathematics in biology and chemistry. Some topics may cover mendelian and population genetics and the role of math. Students will learn to present the results such as the importance of relating scientific findings to newspapers for everyday reading. Some topics may include genetically modified organisms, genomics in humans and population growth. Students must have a math placement score that places them into Math 111 or higher.
Winter only - GS 107: Natural Disasters (4 credits, single term)
[Dr. Wade]
Freestanding course
Students will study how the natural world works and the process of natural disasters. Students will learn about earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis and how they develop their power. Students will study the impact of these natural disasters in killing humans and destroying their works. Further understanding of these processes will be done by studying previous natural disasters.
Spring only - GS 107: Energy Issues
(4 credits, single term)
[Drs. Courtney and Wade]
Freestanding course
The course will study the use of energy in society. Students will learn about the different types of energy available and their production. Students will learn about the ramifications of using the different energy sources and impacts on society. Students will learn about non-renewable and renewable energy sources and the impact on populations and the environment. Students will debate the use and non-use of different energies, such as drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and its impact on caribou. Other issues will also be discussed such as the use of nuclear energy.
