"The First Year Seminar is a course that facilitates students' transition from high school to college, " explained John Schwaller, vice chancellor for academic affairs at UMM. "Each seminar section presents common information to assist students in appreciating a broad spectrum of issues which they will confront in college, as well as particular information on an academic topic. It is part of UMM's commitment to quality undergraduate education."
A description of each class offering, including the instructor's name and class title, are included here:
Viktor Berberi Journeys through Hell
How various cultures have produced stories of hell in order to understand
and critique the world of the living. Students will present skits,
monologues, collages, and interviews depicting original stories of hell,
interpreting existing stories, and investigating the place of hell in the
popular imagination. Interactive displays will allow visitors to
experience their own hellish journey.
Leslie Meek Evolutionary and Biological Bases of Female Behavior
Visitors can participate in interactive Web surveys on gender, to take a
survey on what people find attractive in sexual partners, participate in a
foot race against the opposite sex while dressed as women, and listen to
our videotape of students on campus and their thoughts on attractiveness.
J. Wendel Cox The American Comic Strip
Often regarded as merely light entertainment, the comic strip is a
powerful medium of communication capable of remarkable expression,
reaching a daily audience of 100 million Americans. And comic strips,
while now commonplace around the world, are a distinctly American form in
their marriage of art, entertainment, and mass marketing and consumer
culture. For more than a century, comic strips have explored the human
experience and American life from the vantages of slapstick, satire,
drama, and adventure. They have been a reflection of their times, a
source of challenge, and a subject of controversy. Come see yourself, your
friends and family, and fuzzy-wuzzy animals portrayed in the panels of a
comic strip!
John F. Schwaller The Conquest of Mexico
Mexico in the 16th C. was the first place that people from four
continents came together to live in one community. Native Americans,
Europeans, Africans, and Asians all helped to form Mexican society. Each
of the continents, in turn, provided new foods to the others. Our section
will focus on the culinary contributions of the continents. We will
present examples of Spanish, Aztec, African, and Asian foods before
contact.
Anne Farrell Rights, Relativism, and Responsibility
One section of the class has been doing a service-learning project
tutoring Somali refugees as well as immigrants from other countries, who
are living in Willmar and Marshall. The students will give a multi-media
presentation of the stories of some of the people with whom they have been
working.
One section of the class will present an information campaign on conditions of malnutrition world wide. The students will discuss the right to subsistence, which is included in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and who, if anyone, has a responsibility to fulfill the duty to aid that is commensurate with this right.
Nic McPhee Roots Music: Why, Where, and How?
Explore the origins, interactions, and influences of American Roots Music
through student-made music videos, information kiosks and listening
stations, and live performances of both traditional and original material.
"We will be producing a radio show on this material on KUMM (89.7 FM) on the
following Sunday (24 November) from 9:30pm to midnight."
Scott Lewandowski Fantasy and Science Fiction
Join us to... view a number of talk/news shows featuring panelists and
guests out of fantasy and science fiction. Listen as the characters
explore current events and contemporary issues from their unique points of
view. Place yourself in one of a diverse array of exotic/fantastic locales
through the wizardry of digital imaging. Stand out from the crowd by
having your face painted with a science fiction or fantasy motif.
Demonstrate your intellectual prowess by playing "Science Fact or Science
Fiction."
Engin Sungur Statistics of Global Diversity
The Statistics of Global Diversity section will create a multimedia
display of students' work by using pictures, movies, graphs, numbers, and
maps. A movie, power point presentation and interactive web-site will be
accessible at the booth in addition to the posters of the students' work.
Come and dazzle your senses and explore diversity by seeing graphs and maps, tasting and smelling the food, hearing the music, watching the movies, feeling the diverse clothing, and understanding numbers.
Katherine Benson Global Perspectives on Children's Well-Being Children are the future.
What is the status of children's wellbeing in
different countries and regions around the globe? Are they growing up to
become productive citizens? Will they realize their potential to
contribute in positive ways to our world? Are current trends for children
improving or declining? Where there are problems, what can be done? What
protections does the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child seek for children, and what impedes the implementation of these?
We will have demonstrations and a game for visitors to play (with prizes!) to test campus awareness of global issues concerning children's nutrition, shelter, health, education, and basic survival. As a special case, we will include how the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa has affected children. In addition, we will look at the impact of armed conflict and war. Besides the demonstrations and game, we will have a slide show, music, posters, handouts, and treats to share. Our Web pages will be accessible to the campus at that time, too.
Paula O'Loughlin Examined Lives and Everyday Acts: the Politics of
Consent and Dissent
Students in these sections will be doing the the following: an
interactive exercise on the meanings of patriotism, multimedia art, a
formal reading of poetry which expresses political consent or dissent, a
slide show of satire as dissent, guerilla theatre re the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, showing art and playing a compilation of
non-US music of dissent.
David Wuolu Culture, Geography, and Identity
Ever wondered who you really are? Are you struggling to find yourself? David
Wuolu's FYS students will help you find your identity through a
series of skits and interactive activities. Watch us track down Camen San
Diego and find out how much you know about your country. Activities
include: 1) U.S. Immigration test; 2) Skit of the game show, Where in the
World is Camen San Diego?;3) Survey of UMM students diversity and what
they really know about it; 4) Map of the world with tacks displaying your
hometown in one color and your ancestry in another.
Sarah Buchanan Stereotypes in Films
Our sections analyze stereotypes in films and we are engaging in several
different kinds of projects to fully explore what stereotypes are and how
they function. There are groups making their own films to show to the
audience, in which they highlight various stereotypes in commercial films;
groups analyzing film posters and the way they capitalize on stereotypes;
groups making games about stereotypes in which audience members can test
their awareness; some live performances designed to highlight costuming
and the way costume choices affect our perceptions of characters; and some
live discussions of films.
Jeanne Purdy Greek Myth and Literature
At 10:30 and 11:00 a.m. on the Edson stage, the Mighty Python Players of
the Greek Myth classes will present Judge Judy and High Crimes and
Misdemeanors. Judge Judy will rule on cases such as Zeus' 115 paternity
suits, Hermes' cattle raid when he was one day old, and Prometheus' the
of fire for humans. Join us to hear Judge Judy's verdicts.
Gretchen Murphy White Identity, White Privilege
Section 12: Through a display of posters and video, our class will
present and explore the idea that race is socially constructed. We will
present scientific and social arguments, as well as interviews with Morris
community members, faculty and students on their perceptions of race.
Section 14 will physically represent the often intangible effects of white
privilege and invite participants to examine how white privileges affect
people of all races, and how whites can reject these privileges.
Rich Heyman American City Spaces: Diversity in a Geographical Perspective
These sections will be exhibiting models that show the changing social
dynamics of cities throughout history. Models, posters, video, and
computer simulations will explain how the spatial structure of cities
responds to and helps shape the changing structure of social organization,
especially along lines of gender, race, ethnicity, and class.
Tracey Anderson - The Eugenics Movement in the United States
This section will present information on the restrictive marriage laws
that were associated with the eugenics movement in the United States. Visit
their wedding chapel to find out if you are fit enough to marry. If so,
find out how to maximize your contribution to the improvement of the human
race.
Or explore the eugenics-inspired Utopian society that is depicted in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. They will present posters and video propaganda promoting their own Brave New World.
Steve Gross Explaining the Inexplicable: 20th Century Genocides
To bring home the reality of genocide in this world; to present the
criteria under international law which define genocide; to examine the
complicity of other nations in a specific genocide; and to consider why
the international community has failed to understand and confront this
evil, we are presenting a mock trial. The charge: violation of the
United Nations' convention on genocide. The defendant: Saddam Hussein
Margaret Kuchenreuther Why We Eat What We Eat
Visitors will learn about the All-American Meal, fast food, and the
"super-sized" costs it imposes on society. We will explore the
environmental, social, and health costs of fast food, as well as the
healthy alternatives available to consumers. This is information that
everyone will want to know before placing their next order for a burger
and fries!
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Last Modified Tuesday, February 01, 2005
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