100-level QLCs Spring 2020

*20- Individuals and Society

*30- Institutions and Society

*40- Science and Society

*50- Creativity and Innovation

*60- Quantitative reasoning - Students may also meet this requirement by

taking a course beginning in MAT (math) rather than in a QLC

Please remember that this document is a supplemental resource that should be used in conjunction with MyAccount. QLC pairs must be in the same learning community (LC).

You will choose one QEN 102 course AND a 100 level QLC because these courses are corequisites. For example:

QEN 102-005 LC2WITH

QLC 140 LC2

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 1: The Pursuit of Happiness

Exercise, meditation, career, sex, Oprah- what leads to happiness? From the time of Plato and Aristotle to the 21st century, thinkers and researchers have been engaging with the meaning of happiness. In this learning community, students will analyze, practice, and reflect on the art of happiness.

QEN 102

002, 003

QLC 120

QLC 130

Rhetoric and Argument: Happiness All Around You Part of the First-year Writing Program, this course is designed to follow QEN 101. What factors contribute most to a happy life— big salary, service to others, family and close relationships, passion? How much control do you have over whether or not you achieve it? Is there a happiness threshold in every individual or could we all be happier? In this course students will research, analyze, and argue about various perspectives on happiness and the best methods for pursuing it. Corequisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

Philosophy for Life What do great philosophers – as well as contemporary neuroscience and psychology – have to say about happiness and a good life? Students will learn about and try living out a number of philosophies (including Socrates, Aristotle, Epicurus, the Stoics, the Buddha and the existentialists), will reflect on those philosophies and experiences, think critically, and choose and develop the philosophy of life they think best provides the best guide. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

A Sociology of Happiness Our culture is enchanted with happiness, but our modern society seems to generate discontent. Students will consider the issue of subjective well-being within its sociological context. Some framing questions of the class include the following: How is happiness culturally constructed, experienced, and measured? How do social forces enable the pursuit of happiness for some and constrain it for others? Can social institutions be reorganized to promote happiness? Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Sarah Creech

Norris Frederick

Jeremiah Wills

MWF 9:20-10:30am

MWF 11:50-1:00pm

TR 9:55-11:40

TR 9:55-11:40

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 2: Tomboys, Sissies, and Queens: Performing Gender in Society

This learning community will explore how our societal constructs of gender shape our perceptions and realities.

QEN 102 005 & 006

QEN 102 004

QLC 140

QLC 150

Rhetoric & Argument: A woman’s place: Cooks, chefs, & the culinary in modern U.S. culture. Part of the First-year Writing Program. What’s the difference between a meal and a culinary masterpiece? A chef and a cook? Why do we crave "home cooking” but admire “Top Chef”? In this course, we will sample from a widebuffet of reality and vintage TV, cookbooks, and food-themed novels and films. Through these readings, we will explore how our ideas about cooking, taste, and even culinary spaces such as kitchens and restaurants are connected to our ideas about gender. Corequisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

Rhetoric & Argument: Who Is That Masked Figure? Part of the First-year Writing Program. In this course where we will study the fundamentals of argument, we will consider the female heroine. Who are the role models for girls? How do they compare to heroes? We will investigate female heroines of work, of politics, of sports, of pop culture and of comics to see how they are portrayed and regarded. What qualities are valued in heroes, in heroines, and by whom? We will explore what explains the difference. Corequisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

Gender and Sport Performance Students will examine exercise and sport performance through the lenses of historical and cultural aspects of identity. Topics will include genetic and physiologic differences that predispose athletic performance, nutritional strategies and interventions, health disorders, and psychological effects of gender discrimination in sport. Students will apply scientific inquiry through lab investigations on these topics, and analyze primary literature sources/examples. Corequsite: QEN 102 from the same learning community.

A Musical Narrative of Gender and Sexuality In this course, we will explore how cultural and social mores affected musical traditions through the lens of gender and sexuality. Students will trace the evolution of musical styles by analyzing specific music excerpts as they apply to trends and customs throughout music history in Western society, ranging from the Baroque period to modern times. Throughout the course, the focus will be on fostering an appreciation of musical styles within the context of history and how they represent the progression of gender/sexuality in the performing arts. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Bonnie Shisko

Tyrone Ceaser

Molly Brown

TR 3:50-5:35;

TR 9:55-11:45

Cancelled. Please select one of the other QEN options in this learning community.

MWF 9:20-10:30 (F= lab time)

R 9:55-11:40 (hybrid)

CANCELLED

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 3: Power Shifts: Religion, Radicalism, and Reform

This learning community will explore the concept of social justice by digging into the connections between social movements, progress, and the lives of the people involved in these ground-breaking events.

QEN 102 007

008, 009

QLC 130

QLC 150

You Say You Want a Revolution: Music, Rhetoric, and Social Change Part of the First-year Writing Program, this course is designed to follow QEN 101. The role of rhetoric is central to social change, allowing people to persuade those around them of new ways to see things. In this course, we will be considering how rhetoric functions in many social change movements, including movements focused on gender, race, economic status and other justice concerns. We will consider music from Pete Seegar, Billie Holliday and Beyoncé, to Rage against the Machine, Ani Difranco, and Public Enemy along with many other texts in various social justice movements. Together, we will work to understand the role of music and other rhetorical genres in movements for social change, becoming better listeners, writers, and perhaps even advocates in the process. Corequisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community

American Radicals This Queens Learning Community Course will explore the ways in which citizens can form and reform social institutions by studying four key social movements which occurred in 20th century America: the women’s, labor, civil rights, and peace movements. Students will examine both the history of these movements and their political, social, psychological, and cultural significance. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Turning the Lens on Injustice This course will explore the intersection of imagemaking with advocacy, propaganda and social change. We will be studying historical movements like voting rights, child labor, civil rights and the environmental movement and connect them to contemporary events. We create our own advocacy images, and apply theories of visual literacy to social media in order to help understand their impact. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Andrea McCrary

Knudson, Laura

Robert Whalen

Michael O’Neill

TR 9:55-11:40

MWF 8-9:10;

MWF 9:20-10:30

MWF 11:50-1

MWF 11:50-1

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 4: What’s your lens? How do you see difference? Diversity is a given--how we see it, understand it, and respond to it is influenced by the lens through which we view it. In this learning community we will explore the themes of identity, diversity and inclusion from a constellation of perspectives: social perspective, biology, language, religion, the Hebrew Bible, and other literature. QEN 102 011 & 012

013 & 014

QLC 120

QLC 130

QLC 140

Rhetoric and Argument: Our Diverse Identities This course is designed to follow QEN 101. Who are you? Where are you from? What makes you, you? Are there multiple 'yous'? In this class, you will explore questions of identity and diversity through a cultural lens. For instance, how do you create your identity? How is identity created for you? How is your identity defined/reflected by family, friends, the larger culture? How do you understand identity? You will read, research, and write about questions of identity in our multicultural world. You will consider the role of language and storytelling in the formation of identity as you consider both your own identity as well as others. Corequisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

The Bible: Who's In and Who's Out What does the Bible say about identity and diversity, inclusion and exclusion, power and privilege, rights and responsibilities, exile and home? How are modern issues of diversity such as gender, socioeconomic, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability and age addressed in ancient texts and how do Biblical teachings impact society today? While people from many walks of life make claims to what this Bible says, the Bible is not univocal. This course will explore the diverse voices in which the Hebrew Bible speaks: theological voices, womens’ voices, prophetic voices, and voices of social justice. Students will identify modern voices that speak to them on these issues and find their own voices to use in addressing issues of diversity and identity that impact society today. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.All Kinds of Kinds In this course we will explore our diversity as it relates to ability. Living in a diverse society includes living with people who are differently abled. Differences can be due to physical or intellectual disability, learning differences, or mental health issues. How do our abilities and disabilities define us? What does it mean to live with a disability? How do we react to those who are differently abled? What is society’s response and responsibility? What do our laws say about this? What is our personal response to this aspect of diversity in our lives and how does it affect our identity? Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

The Biology of You From conception and throughout your life, how does biology define you? In this course, we will study personal identity and diversity from a biological perspective. We will explore the role that genetics and the microbiome play in shaping individuality. How is it that genetically identical twins develop into distinctly different individuals? How can the bacteria in your gut affect the decisions you make and the diseases you develop? We will also examine how your environment can affect your DNA and microbiome and thus define your identity. The course will include a laboratory component with an emphasis on the scientific method. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Tracy Perez

Charles Israel

Judy Schindler

Meg Johnson

Joanne Walsh

MWF 9:20-10:30 OR

MWF 11:50-1 OR

MWF 9:20-10:30

TR 9:55-11:40

TR 9:55-11:40

TR 9:55-11:40& Lab R (Thurs)11:40-12:40

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 5: Sustainability

How do people connect with the environment and what does this connection (or lack of connection) mean for the future? In this learning community, we will address multiple perspectives on the interaction between people and the environment.

QEN 102 016, 017

QLC 130

QLC 140

Sustainability and Responsibility Part of the First-year Writing Program, this course is designed to follow QEN 101. Environmentalist, Aldo Leopold argued for a “land ethic” that considered the land as a member of the community, and not just the place where community happens. But how does that work when the land has no voice? Do we as citizens of the land have an ethical responsibility to the land? Where do we draw the lines? In this course, we will study the implications of what it means to engage in a land ethic by reading important texts, viewing and listening to podcasts, TED Talks, and documentaries. Finally, we’ll consider our own local community, the place we call home, in an effort to understand what a land ethic looks like in action. Corequisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

A Greener World: Politics, policy, and the environment This course examines how politics and policy decisions impact sustainability. The course will analyze green political movements, the effect of electoral decisions on environmental policy and how environmental policy decisions are made. The focus of the course will be on how the rights and responsibilities of citizenship relate to sustainability issues. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

The Science of Sustainability In this course, students will explore how humans affect and are affected by the environment. The emphasis will be on our current knowledge of sustainability and how the scientific method is used to improve our understanding of human impact on the planet. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Heidi Giffin

Mark Kelso

Robyn Byers

MWF 9:20-10:30;

MWF 11:50-1

MWF 11:50-1

MWF 9:0010:30am

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 6: Stranger Things

In this learning community, we will explore the ways that culture influence the ways that people express themselves and at the ways that individual expressions help to define culture.

QEN 102 018

019 & 020

QLC 140

QLC 160

Available Means: Understanding Persuasion in Writing as a Rhetorical Choice Part of the First-year Writing Program, this course is designed to follow QEN 101. How do advertisers convince you that their product is the best? How do politicians convince you to vote for them? All by using the ancient technique of persuasion. In this class, we will explore the ways we are persuaded particularly as it relates to quantitative (numbers) and scientific data. Yes – numbers tell a story. Scientific facts tell a story. We will consider how those stories are told, who gets to tell them, and why that matters in a world defined as “post-truth.” Corequisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

Stranger Things: Science and Truth What is science? How does science define truth? And why should you care? Science is a process developed to understand nature. But it isn’t just for scientists. The capacity to employ scientific reasoning provides the means to assess claims, recognize faulty logic, and reach sound conclusions. In this course we will explore the methods used in science. By applying those methods to contemporary issues you will improve your ability to separate fact from fiction and better ascertain truth – the realities that nature imposes on our world. If you don’t see why you need science or how it’s relevant, this may be the science course for you. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Stranger Things: Reality Seen Through the Lens of Mathematics Why is it important to study mathematics? The SAT’s are over, calculators are cheap, and there’s no way that you will choose it as a major. However, you soon notice that the world constantly bombards you with probabilities, bar graphs, average values, and other numerical onslaughts. How do we sift through mathematical information to answer questions? To find the hard kernel of truth? To persuade others to our way of thinking? Or perhaps, more nefariously, to fool an audience into thinking that the world is upside down? Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Jennifer Daniel

Justin Stacy

Marco Scipioni

Mike Tarabek

MWF 9:20-10:30

MWF 8-9:10

MWF 9:20-10:30

TR 10:25-11:40 & lab time Wed1:10-3:40

TR 9:55-11:40

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 7: Culture and Health

Culture affects health in a variety of ways, from how we define sickness and health to who gets sick and who has access to treatment. In this learning community, we will investigate the effects of culture on health through both cross-cultural comparisons and in-depth examinations of our own health beliefs and behaviors and their effects on our well-being. Among the topics covered will be the impacts of rhetoric and cultural beliefs on public health, the process of habit formation, and the connection between stress and our well-being.

QEN 102 021, 022

QLC 120

QLC 130

Culture, Rhetoric, and Global Health Part of the First-year Writing Program, this course is designed to follow QEN 101. This class will look at the impacts of our rhetoric and cultural beliefs on health outcomes for people in the U.S. and around the world. This includes how media representations of health crises and the propagation of health myths affect public policy and health-seeking behaviors, how both cultural norms and institutional inequalities surrounding gender, race, class, and sexuality create unequal health outcomes, and how cultures differ in their beliefs about health. We will explore these issues through research and written argumentation. Corequisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

Freedom, Habit, and Embodiment This class uses embodied practice to investigate the manner in which habits inflect perception and interpretation of the surrounding environment and practically shape behavior. We will study philosophical work on free will and determinism and somatics and will use movement improvisation techniques to study the nature and function of our physical habits. Excellent for individuals with existing body practices such as exercisers, athletes, actors, martial artists, sports science majors, yoga practitioners, and dancers. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Mind, Body, and Culture As far back as ancient Greece, physicians and philosophers have contemplated the connection between the mind and the body. Today, psychologists are examining the ways that our mind impacts our physical health. In this class we will examine the impact of our psychological well-being on our health and explore the following questions: What is our physiological response to stress? How does the stress response impact our immune system? Can prolonged stress intensify or cause disease? What are methods that may help control the stress response, and can these methods improve wellness? In this course, you will have the opportunity to explore how your own culture, personality, habits, and lifestyle may be impacting your health, and how adopting new habits may improve your health. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Tracy Stephens

Eric Mullis

Bianca Sumutka

MWF 9:20-10:30;

MWF 11:50-1

TR 9:55-11:40

TR 9:55-

11:40

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 8: What is the role of culture?

QEN 102 024, 025,026

QLC 120

QLC 150

Part of the First-year Writing Program, this course is designed to follow QEN 101. Corequisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

Culture of Immigration

Culture and Character

Kobre, Michael

Staff, Staff

Gilstrap, Beth

Giffin, Heidi

Calcamp,

Kevin

MWF 11:50-1

TR 9:55-

11:40

TR 9:55-11:40 Character, Popular Culture, and Performance: This course will focus on the contemporary performance

of character in film, television, theatre, and videogames. We’ll consider how popular characters are represented and how their performances suggest systems of values, beliefs, traditions, etc. Using these representations of character, we will create our own characters for film, television, theatre, and videogames and explore, through writing, performance, and design, how popular culture can affect individual, communal, and global perspectives. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

This course explores immigration culture and what we can learn from those who immigrate to America. What do the customs, holidays, clothing, food, and more, including what they left behind, tell us about the people we do life with, and what can we stand to learn from them? We will examine immigration in American history through stories and learn about the social and culture significance of immigration. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

This learning community focuses on the concept of “culture”: the systems of values, beliefs, traditions, and expressions that weabsorb and create in both conscious and unconscious ways and that affects the ways we see ourselves and others. We’ll consider howculture shapes an individual’s place in the world. We’ll examine these questions though literature, design, and performance.

MWF 11:50-1

MWF 1:10-2:20