First-Year Seminars & First-Year Launches
Description
First-Year Seminars and First-Year Launches are designed for incoming first-year students with no prior college experience. Students may take either a First-Year Seminar or a First-Year Launch to fulfill this First-Year Foundations Requirement.
First-Year Seminars
These small classes introduce you to the intellectual life of the University. You will make personal connections with distinguished faculty members who are active scholars and accomplished teachers. This small setting gives you the opportunity to engage with your peers and your instructor as you learn how scholars pose problems, discover truths, resolve controversies, and evaluate knowledge, while exploring specific questions or issues in depth.
First-Year Seminars go beyond the traditional lecture and discussion format. They invite you to explore new and old ideas, engage with complex issues, and become an active learner through inquiry, analysis, discovery, and action!
First-Year Launches
You will join a faculty member who is an accomplished teacher in a small class that offers an introduction to a major. This small setting gives you the opportunity to engage actively with your peers and your instructor as you learn the foundations of a long-term sequence of study. You will also fulfill a requirement in your prospective major by taking a First-Year Launch course.
Learning Outcomes
These are the learning outcomes that are expected of students after completing a course.
Connect with a faculty member early in the educational process. |
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Learn intensively among a small cohort of students. |
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Apply methods for how scholars pose problems, discover solutions, resolve controversies, and evaluate knowledge – FY-SEMINAR. |
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Produce knowledge through self-directed inquiry and active learning – FY-SEMINAR |
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Analyze and communicate issues associated with a broad, introductory topic, covering a wide range of knowledge – FY-LAUNCH |
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Learn the foundation of a discipline – FY-LAUNCH |
Fall 2023 Course Offerings
Check Connect Carolina for the most up-to-date information about offerings, meeting times, instructional modes, and availability.
- Seats are limited to first-year students (and transfer students in their first year who completed fewer than 24 hours of post-college class credit at another institution prior to arrival at UNC-CH). Students may only register for one first-year seminar or one first-year launch during their time at UNC-CH.
- Honors (noted by the “H” in the course number) seats are limited to Honors Carolina students until Open Enrollment. At that time, all first-year students and qualifying transfer students are welcome to register for these classes. Honors Carolina students may only register for an honors first-year seminar or honors first-year launch.
AAAD 54-001: African Migrations, Boundaries, Displacements, and Belonging |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Michael Lambert |
Boundary making, migration, and population displacement have been significant dimensions of the contemporary African experience. How has boundary making, broadly defined (inclusive of national borders, rural-urban distinctions, and ethnic and racial groupings, for example), shaped contemporary Africa? What types of and through what processes were boundaries were created? How did the African people respond to these processes? What population displacements unfolded in the context of this boundary making? And how did the people of Africa make sense of and understand boundary making, migration, and displacement? These are some of the questions we will be examining in this interactive and discussion oriented class. We will build our examination of these issues around six novels written by African authors. These novels will provide insight into the ways by which boundaries, migration, and displacement impacted the everyday lives of the African people. Michael LambertMichael Lambert is an Associate Professor of African Studies and Anthropology. His research has principally been in francophone West Africa with a focus on issues related to migration. He has lived for over five years in Senegal and the neighboring nation of Mauritania, where he served as a Peace Corps volunteer, and he has travelled extensively throughout the continent. His first book, Longing for Exile: Migration and the Making of a Translocal Community in Senegal (West Africa) (Heinemann, 2002), explores the cultural and social history of urban migration in a Senegalese community. His most recent book (co-authored), Up from These Hills: Memories of Cherokee Boyhood (Nebraska [Bison Books], 2011), explores American Indian experience in the mid-20th century. |
AAAD 89-001: Afro-Latinxs in the U.S. |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM | Instructor(s): Maya Berry |
What does it mean to be both racially Black and ethnically Latino in the U.S.? This discussion-based course will look at the history, culture, experiences, political struggles, and social dilemmas of “Afro-Latina/o/xs”: African-descended peoples from Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean who reside in the U.S. The erasure of these communities, along with their struggles for well-being, prosperity, belonging, and visibility, will be explored. The class provides an opportunity for a deeper understanding of the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade, ethno-nationalism, and U.S. foreign-policy, and their connection to contemporary issues of migration, sexism, inequality, and anti-blackness. In-depth conversations about the politics of “race” and “ethnicity” will trouble dominant U.S. paradigms of identity. We will engage with a variety of sources, from academic books and scholarly articles to film. Students will synthesize their understanding through daily forum posts, a collaboratively-prepared presentation, an essay, and a group research project. Maya BerryMaya Berry is a sociocultural anthropologist who writes on topics related to race, gender, politics, and performance in Cuba, as well as black feminist approaches to ethnographic methods more broadly. She earned a PhD. in Anthropology from University of Texas at Austin and an MA in Performance Studies from New York University. Prior to joining AAAD at UNC-Chapel Hill, she was a postdoctoral associate at the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University. A third-generation Afro-Cuban-American, she is practitioner and researcher of Afro-Cuban dance. For her teaching at UNC she has been awarded the Office of the Provost Engaged Scholarship Award in Engaged Teaching (2020) and the Johnston Teaching Excellence Award (2021). |
AAAD 89-002: History of African Americans at UNC-CH |
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FY Seminar | T, 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM | Instructor(s): Robert Porter |
This course will explore the history of African Americans on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus from earliest times to the present. Campus tours, interesting reading and in depth exploration of the lives and times of African Americans associated with UNC-CH will feature prominently. Robert PorterRobert Porter has taught at UNC-CH for over 30 years and has won numerous teaching awards. His courses feature much class discussion and that will be especially true for his first-year seminar. He has taught extensively about North Carolina and UNC-CH, not only in the classroom but on his Black and Blue Tours that explore African American history at UNC-CH. |
AMST 54-001: The Indians' New Worlds: Southeastern Histories from 1200 to 1800 |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM | Instructor(s): Margaret Scarry | Same as: ANTH 54-001 |
By AD 1200, most Southeastern Indians were farmers who lived in societies ruled by hereditary chiefs. After 1500, encounters between Indians and Europeans changed the lives of all concerned, but the changes took place in, and were shaped by, existing cultures. This seminar uses reading, discussion, and lecture to examine the lives of Southern Indians and to understand how encounters and interaction with European explorers and colonists changed the worlds in which the Indians lived. Students will learn how archaeologists and historians work, both separately and together, to study the past of Native societies. Students will study and analyze archaeological artifacts, Spanish accounts of Southeastern Indians, and other primary materials in class. These activities, along with various role-playing exercises, will directly involve the students in the study of Native people in the period between 1200 and 1800. Grades will be based on class participation, two short papers, participation in a group project, and a final paper related to the group project. Margaret ScarryMargaret Scarry’s fascination with Native American cultures began in high school, when she participated in an archaeological field school on Summer Island, Michigan. She pursued her interest through undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Michigan, where she earned her Ph.D. in 1986. Though her first archaeological experience was in the Midwest, she soon shifted her interest to the Southeast, where she investigates Native American foodways—the activities and ideas by which people acquire, distribute, prepare, present, consume, and think about food. Much of her research has focused on the Moundville chiefdom, which flourished in Alabama from about A.D. 1100 to 1500. After a number of years in Florida and Kentucky, Scarry joined the anthropology faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1995. Among other things, she teaches courses on archaeology, food and culture, and archaeobotany. |
AMST 55H-001: Birth and Death in the United States |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Timothy Marr |
This course explores birth and death as common human rites of passage impacted by changing American historical and cultural contexts. Since both are defining life events that remain beyond experiential recall, studying them in interdisciplinary ways opens powerful insights into how culture mediates the construction of bodies, social identities, and philosophical meanings. Readings and assignments are designed to examine changing anthropological rituals, medical procedures, scientific technologies, and ethical quandaries. We will also explore a variety of representations of birth and death in literary expression, film, and material culture as well as in hospitals, funeral homes, and cemeteries. Timothy MarrTimothy Marr is an Associate Professor in the Department of American Studies, where since 2000 he has taught courses on mating and marriage, cultural memory, and tobacco. His research interests include the life and works of Herman Melville and American approaches to Islam and Muslims. |
AMST 89-001: America's Threatened Languages |
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FY Seminar | MWF, 12:20 PM – 1:10 PM | Instructor(s): Benjamin Frey |
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the rich tapestry of minority languages spoken in this country began a widespread shift toward English. This has led many indigenous languages to the brink of extinction, and to the loss of the heritage languages of many immigrant communities. This course examines the social and historical motivations for this trend, and explores critical thinking skills for analyzing the phenomenon of language shift. Benjamin FreyDr. Frey is an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and has worked toward Cherokee language reclamation since 2003. His research focuses on the connection between social network structure and language behavior. |
AMST 89-002: What is Critical Race Theory? |
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FY Seminar | MWF, 11:15 AM – 12:05 PM | Instructor(s): Keith Richotte |
One of the most misunderstood terms to enter the public consciousness in recent years is “critical race theory.” It is a term that, by now, we have all heard, have at least some vague concept of what it is about, and have some inclination – depending on our political leanings – to either defend or reject it. But what is it really? Where did it come from? How it is used? Why has it become part of the public consciousness? Is it really something that I want to defend or reject depending on my political leanings? What happens when we bridge the gap between the empty signifier that is bandied about on cable news channels and the scholarship that started, continues to fuel, and critiques this movement? This class offers a real grounding in what is too often an empty term in the public discourse. We will examine critical race theory’s history, big ideas, important thinkers, and serious critiques. We will openly, honestly, and respectfully engage with an important, misunderstood, and politically fraught movements in American law and society. Keith RichotteIn addition to teaching at UNC, Keith Richotte is a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, an Associate Justice on the Turtle Mountain Tribal Court of Appeals, and the Chief Justice on the Spirit Lake Tribal Court of Appeals. He has a J.D. and LL.M. in addition to his Ph.D. and his scholarship focuses on federal Indian law, tribal law, constitutionalism, and governance. |
ANTH 53H-037: Darwin's Dangerous Idea |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Paul Leslie |
Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection is central to one of the most profound revolutions in the history of thought, generating stunning insights but also some misunderstanding and tragic abuse. This seminar aims to provide a clear understanding of how natural selection works, and how it doesn’t. We will examine objections to the theory; how the environmental and health problems we face today reflect processes of natural selection; and recent attempts to understand why we get sick, how we respond to disease, why we get old, why we choose mates the way we do, and more. Class sessions will feature a mix of lecture and discussion of concepts and issues. Students will also engage in small group projects—cooperative explorations of problems raised in class or in the readings and/or designing mini research projects. Paul LesliePaul Leslie’s professional interests focus on human ecology, and he has pursued this primarily through research among nomadic peoples in East Africa. His most recent project entails studying (while nursing an aged Land Rover across the African savanna) human-environment interactions in northern Tanzania, especially how the changing land use and livelihood patterns of the Maasai people living there affect and are affected by wildlife and conservation efforts. When not teaching or practicing anthropology, he enjoys bicycling, motorcycling, woodworking, and jazz. |
ANTH 54-001: The Indians' New Worlds: Southeastern Histories from 1200 to 1800 |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM | Instructor(s): Margaret Scarry | Same as: AMST 54-001 |
By AD 1200, most Southeastern Indians were farmers who lived in societies ruled by hereditary chiefs. After 1500, encounters between Indians and Europeans changed the lives of all concerned, but the changes took place in, and were shaped by, existing cultures. This seminar uses reading, discussion, and lecture to examine the lives of Southern Indians and to understand how encounters and interaction with European explorers and colonists changed the worlds in which the Indians lived. Students will learn how archaeologists and historians work, both separately and together, to study the past of Native societies. Students will study and analyze archaeological artifacts, Spanish accounts of Southeastern Indians, and other primary materials in class. These activities, along with various role-playing exercises, will directly involve the students in the study of Native people in the period between 1200 and 1800. Grades will be based on class participation, two short papers, participation in a group project, and a final paper related to the group project. Margaret ScarryMargaret Scarry’s fascination with Native American cultures began in high school, when she participated in an archaeological field school on Summer Island, Michigan. She pursued her interest through undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Michigan, where she earned her Ph.D. in 1986. Though her first archaeological experience was in the Midwest, she soon shifted her interest to the Southeast, where she investigates Native American foodways—the activities and ideas by which people acquire, distribute, prepare, present, consume, and think about food. Much of her research has focused on the Moundville chiefdom, which flourished in Alabama from about A.D. 1100 to 1500. After a number of years in Florida and Kentucky, Scarry joined the anthropology faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1995. Among other things, she teaches courses on archaeology, food and culture, and archaeobotany. |
ANTH 62-001: Indian Country Today |
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FY Seminar | MWF, 11:15 AM – 12:05 PM | Instructor(s): Valerie Lambert |
With the United States as our geographic focus, this seminar explores a range of 20th- and early-21st-century American Indian topics and current issues. We look at Indian casinos, tribal colleges, identity, gender, tribal courts, sports, and other topics. An exploration of the history of American Indians before and after the arrival of Europeans, a history with which we begin the seminar, provides essential background for looking at the present and recent past. This seminar will help students better understand the challenges facing American Indian communities both internally and externally and the creative solutions being forged to address these challenges. It will also help students further develop skills in reading, writing, critical analysis, and public speaking. Valerie LambertValerie Lambert is an associate professor and an enrolled citizen of the Choctaw Nation. She received her Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from Harvard University and has won awards for undergraduate teaching and for a book she wrote about her tribe. She has twice been elected president of the Association of Indigenous Anthropologists. Professor Lambert is married and the mother of two daughters, both of whom are college students. |
ANTH 89-001: Archaeology and Popular Culture |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Douglas Smit |
Archaeology often captures the popular imagination through fantastic and farfetched portrayals of lost civilizations, aliens, and spectacular treasures. While these depictions of archaeology and the past may not be accurate, the story being told is nonetheless significant and reflects something about the culture that produced it. This course explores how these films, televisions shows, books, and video games tell stories about the past, what stories are being told, and what these representations imply about the relationship between archaeology and society. We will critically analyze popular representations of archaeology, comparing how competing visions of fact and fiction operate in the public sphere. Douglas SmitDouglas Smit is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology. He is an archaeologist who currently directs projects in Peru and Philadelphia. His research focuses on the archaeology of the recent past, how local people have interacted with big processes like globalization over the past five hundred years. He is also a newcomer to UNC, having just moved with his partner, an infant, two dogs, and one cat to North Carolina from Philadelphia in the summer of 2022. Beyond archaeology, he loves hiking, basketball/soccer, and reading, non-fiction, although these days, it is mostly child-care. |
APPL 110-03F: Introduction to Design and Making: Developing Your Personal Design Potential |
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FY Launch | TTH, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM | Instructor(s): Glenn Walters |
Students work in flexible, interdisciplinary teams to assess opportunities, brainstorm, and prototype solutions. Design thinking and physical prototyping skills are developed through fast-paced, iterative exercises in a variety of contexts and environments. Glenn WaltersI am a Professor of the Practice in the Department of Applied Physical Sciences at UNC Chapel Hill. In this role, I am developing and teaching courses covering fundamentals of engineering in such areas as design, fluids, hydraulics, additive manufacturing, etc. My specialty is creating curriculum that focuses on experiential activities that develop student intuition as a pathway to learning theory and practice. |
APPL 89-001: Tree, Timber, Totem |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 PM | Instructor(s): Richard Superfine |
Trees, through their biology, meaning and uses, create an arc of understanding that spans what it means to be human. Ultimately, we will explore the meaning of trees and wood and why we seek happiness in nature, cherish wood and the creation of objects of wood. Tree: What is a tree from a biological perspective? How do they represent a complex community and play a vital role in life on the planet? Timber: What is the economy of wood internationally and in the state of NC? What are biophysical and material properties of trees that allow them to grow so large and be so useful to human society? Totem: Why do we respond emotionally to wood and choose it as a material in our lives and surroundings? How do we design and create objects of meaning from wood? We will walk in the woods, meet “wood people” from across the state and country and learn woodworking with projects of the students’ design and creation. Richard SuperfineI am the son of a home builder, a first gen life-long student who is also a faculty member that has a passion for studying biology using the perspective and tools of physics. In my day job at UNC I build microscopes, materials and systems to study the wonders of the lung, the body’s immune system and biomedical diagnostic technologies – all in collaboration with brilliant scientists from across UNC and the world. I also have a woodworking shop in my basement where I make from wood furniture and gifts of meaning for family and friends. |
APPL 89-002: Convergent Research: Solving the Grand Engineering Challenges of the Future |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Instructor(s): Ronit Fraiman |
Convergence research focuses on addressing complex problems in science, engineering, and society. Today’s and tomorrow’s grand challenges will not be solved by one discipline, but by the integration of knowledge, methods, and expertise from across various disciplines. This first-year seminar will introduce students to the new scientific language of convergence research. Through surveying the grand challenges of engineering, we will learn how through pursuing a common research challenge, experts from various fields intermix their knowledge, theories, methods, data, and research communities, enabling new discoveries to emerge. Students will participate in various in-class activities, group discussion and problem-solving coaching to enhance understanding of how chemistry, physics, materials science, biology, math, and computer sciences are applied to engineering. Seminar will host guest lecturers with expertise on a particular topic, allowing the students to gain a true interdisciplinary view of the subject, instead of an isolated view of each. Ronit FraimanMy interdisciplinary expertise in chemistry, nanotechnology, material science, and computer science allows me to study problems whose solutions are beyond the scope of a single area of research practice. I truly believe that collaborations among scientists trained in different fields are essential for exploring and tackling complex problems. As such, I am both a participant and a leader of integrated research teams involving a vast network of interdependent researchers. I develop breakthrough biologically inspired technologies to advance healthcare. My work has led to major advances in tissue engineering, nanobiotechnology, and diagnostics, and key innovations are being translated into commercial products. |
ARTH 55H-001: Art, Gender, and Power in Early Modern Europe |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Tania String |
What did it mean to be a man or to be a woman in the Renaissance? This seminar will explore the ways in which constructions of gender are critical to understandings of the visual arts in the early modern period (c. 1400-1650). We will discuss and analyze a focused group of representations of men and women: portraits, mythological and biblical paintings and sculptures, and even turn our attention to the buildings these men and women inhabited. We will study the work of artists such as Michelangelo, Donatello, Titian, Holbein, and Rubens, amongst others, to find ways of understanding how masculinity and femininity were central concerns in early modern society and in the art produced in this period. Tania StringDr. Tania String is an art historian specializing in the art of the Tudor period in England, and the Renaissance more broadly. She is the author of numerous books and articles on the portraits of Henry VIII. Before coming to UNC in 2010 she taught in England at the University of Bristol. |
ARTH 61-001: African American Art of the Carolinas |
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FY Seminar | MWF, 10:10 AM – 11:00 AM | Instructor(s): John Bowles |
Focusing on the Carolinas, this seminar explores the many ways African Americans have used art to define themselves and their communities. We will ask how art has been used to maintain cultural traditions, shape American culture and build political solidarity from the era of colonialism and slavery to the present. We will study the cultivation of artistic practices from Africa; African American painters, sculptors and craftsmen who earned national reputations for the quality of their work; artists who re-imagined and redefined African American identity through art; and artists throughout the 20th century who represented the daily lives and hardships of rural and working-class blacks. Students will visit campus museums and archives and conduct original research using regional sources. Persistent questions throughout the semester will include, How does the art of African Americans in the Carolinas provoke us to question our own identities and roles within the region, and what is the contemporary role of art in shaping public discourse? John BowlesJohn Bowles received his Ph.D. from UCLA in 2002 and is a graduate of the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Independent Study Program. He is an historian of African American art, who works from the assumption that art plays an important role in determining how we see ourselves as morally responsible individuals. In his research and teaching, he attempts to convey the urgency of art by addressing moral and political dilemmas we would often rather ignore. He has published articles and art criticism in various journals and has recently completed a book that examines the work of artist Adrian Piper. He is currently writing a book that explores how African American artists have engaged simultaneously with modernism, globalization and diaspora from the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s until today. |
ASIA 65-001: Philosophy on Bamboo: Rethinking Early Chinese Thought |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Uffe Bergeton |
Over the last few decades a large number of bamboo manuscripts of hitherto unknown texts dating to the 4th to the 1st centuries BCE have been excavated from various sites in China. This wealth of new material has led many scholars to rethink longstanding assumptions about early Chinese thought. In order to enable students to engage directly with the recently discovered texts and cutting-edge research on them, this course will briefly introduce students to the received classics of the pre-Qin period, such as the Analects, the Mozi, the Mencius, the Xunzi, the Daodejing, the Zhuangzi and the Hanfeizi. Rather than merely providing an introduction to these traditional texts, we will study how recently discovered texts challenge traditional readings of pre-Qin works and lead us to question traditional classifications of pre-Qin works into “schools of thought” or isms such as Confucianism, Legalism, Daoism, etc. Uffe BergetonUffe Bergeton is a historian of early China with a focus on pre-Qin (i.e. pre-221 BCE) culture, history and thought. Originally from Denmark, he has lived and studied in France, Taiwan and China. His research projects include early Chinese theories of epistemology and the politics of reclusion, as well as comparisons between pre-Qin China and ancient Greece. |
BIOL 101-01F: Principles of Biology |
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FY Launch | MWF, 8:00 AM – 8:50 AM | Instructor(s): Jordan Claytor |
This course is the prerequisite to most higher courses in biology. An introduction to the fundamental principles of biology, including cell structure, chemistry, and function; genetics; evolution; adaptation; and ecology. (See department concerning Advanced Placement credit.) Three lecture hours a week. Jordan ClaytorJordan Claytor is originally from Maryland and received his undergraduate degree in biology from Elon University. As an undergraduate, he did research investigating how anthropogenic noises impacted the behavior of bottlenose dolphins. His interest in dinosaurs and paleontology developed during an internship at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History studying landscape ecology using micro-vertebrate fossils. He was featured in the NOVA program, Dinosaur Apocalypse: The Last Day on PBS. His current research is on the evolution and ecology of early mammals using morphology independent methods to infer diet. |
BIOL 62H-001: Mountains Beyond Mountains: Infectious Disease in the Developing World |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Mark Peifer |
The global pandemic has refocused the attention of the world on the importance of using science to address pathogens in a global way, and on the inequities in our health care system in the US and globally. In this course we will examine the challenges of treating infectious disease in the developing world, and explore the root causes of global health care inequity. We will use HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis as examples, and the nation of Haiti as a case study, as we explore viral and bacterial pathogens, how they affect our bodies, and how we can use this information to develop better treatments. We’ll also explore innovative ways to bring health care to resource-poor nations. Mark PeiferMark Peifer is the Michael Hooker Distinguished Professor of Biology at UNC, where he and his lab study how the animal body is assembled during embryonic development, using genetic and cell biological tools. He was raised in Minnesota and is a first generation college student. His interest in global public health was stimulated by a desire to help students take a closer look at the world around them, and by the experiences he has had with the people of Haiti. He and his spouse live in the woods west of town, and his two daughters are both UNC grads, one a social worker and one a student teacher in second grade. |
BIOL 66-001: Evolution and the Science of Life |
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FY Seminar | MWF, 8:00 AM – 8:50 AM | Instructor(s): Aimee Deconinck |
This interdisciplinary first-year seminar examines the roots, ideas, questions and applications of evolutionary biology. What is evolution, how does it work, and how do we study it? How did modern scientific theories of evolution emerge from the traditions of natural philosophy and natural history? How do we use evolution to understand fundamental questions ranging from adaptation, biological diversity and human origins to the evolution of disease, aging, sex and culture? We will learn about the central concepts of evolution, the scientific tools used to study evolution and the history of life, and apply these concepts and tools to understand how evolution occurs in the past, present and future. Aimee DeconinckAimee Deconinck is a PhD candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She obtained her B.S. in Marine Biology from California State University, Long Beach, then taught public high school for 7 years before returning to graduate school. Aimee is a first generation college graduate and first generation graduate student whose research explores mitochondrial and nuclear genome communication in organisms experiencing environmental stress. |
BIOL 89-001: Unsolved Problems in the Genomic Age |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Kerry Bloom |
We are living in times of a genetic revolution. We have sequenced the human genome and are in a position to transform medical treatment in the world. In spite of the advances in DNA sequencing, there remain mysteries in terms of how the cell accesses genetic information and how our genomes are transmitted to progeny cells with such high fidelity. The principles governing chromosome organization have been discovered through advances in biology, physics, statistics and computational sciences. This class will explore advances from the diverse disciplines and discuss the successes and limitations of the different approaches. Kerry BloomDr. Kerry Bloom has a long-standing interest in chromosomes. How does the cell pack 2 meters of DNA into a tiny (10 micron) cell. We use a combination of tools including genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, polymer physics, computer simulations and molecular modeling to understand basic mechanisms of chromosome organization and segregation. |
CHEM 102-01F: General Descriptive Chemistry II |
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FY Launch | MWF, 9:05 AM – 9:55 AM | Instructor(s): Anna Curtis | Prerequisites, CHEM 101 and 101L; C- or better required in CHEM 101. |
The course is the second in a two-semester sequence. See also CHEM 101. This course considers reaction rates; equilibrium and its applications; spontaneity and Gibbs energy; bulk properties of solids; thermochemistry; and electrochemistry. Anna CurtisDr. Anna Curtis is a Teaching Assistant Professor at UNC in the department of chemistry. She has training in electronic dynamics in semiconductor nanomaterials with applications in solar cell technology as well as promoting students’ ability to think scientifically in the general chemistry classroom. Her current interests lie in constantly improving her knowledge of current research and best practices in chemical education as well as incorporating this knowledge into her teaching. Her interest in chemical education is driven by her belief that, with the right attitude and environment, all students are capable of learning chemistry. |
CHEM 102-02F: General Descriptive Chemistry II |
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FY Launch | MWF, 10:10 AM – 11:00 AM | Instructor(s): Danielle Zurcher | Prerequisites, CHEM 101 and 101L; C- or better required in CHEM 101. |
The course is the second in a two-semester sequence. See also CHEM 101. This course considers reaction rates; equilibrium and its applications; spontaneity and Gibbs energy; bulk properties of solids; thermochemistry; and electrochemistry. Danielle ZurcherDr. Danielle Zurcher is a Teaching Assistant Professor at UNC in the chemistry department. Her training has been at the intersection of polymer and organic chemistry to design and improve novel materials for sensing toxic water contaminants. Her current interests lie in implementing effective teaching methods that promote student engagement and develop their critical thinking skills in large introductory courses. Dr. Zurcher is continually searching for new ways to connect students with chemistry and the new ways in which polymers are being used in our lives offer many great examples. |
CHEM 75-001: Bread from Air? The Chemistry of Fertilizers |
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FY Seminar | MW, 1:25 PM – 2:40 PM | Instructor(s): Alexander Miller |
Fear of a global famine inspired chemist Fritz Haber’s research into the production of ammonia from nitrogen in the air. Following a breakthrough laboratory discovery, engineer Carl Bosch led the development of a large-scale industrial process to produce ammonia… and together they changed the world. This First Year Seminar will introduce concepts of scientific inquiry and interdisciplinary collaboration in the context of the humankind’s utilization of fertilizers. Weaving together elements of plant biology, chemical synthesis and catalysis, environmental science, and technoeconomic analysis, the course will critically examine the past, present, and future of fertilizers. Alexander MillerProfessor Alexander Miller is fascinated by the ability to control chemical reactivity by altering molecular structures based on transition metal ions. He gets to work with an incredible group of chemists to help apply chemical principles to grand challenges in alternative energy and sustainability, including projects that can underpin the development of light-driven fuel production and sustainable ammonia synthesis. Prof. Miller is an enthusiastic teacher who believes in the power of student-driven discovery. He is an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow and was (when he was younger) included in Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 list in the Energy category. |
CLAR 50-001: Art in the Ancient City |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Donald Haggis |
The course is a comparative study of the archaeology of Ancient Egypt and the Bronze Age Aegean, ca. 3000-1100 B.C., exploring the public art produced by two Mediterranean state-level societies: the Aegean Bronze Age palace centers of Crete and Mainland Greece (Minoans and Mycenaeans); the territorial state and empire of ancient Egypt. These interrelated cultures produced very different forms of public art and architecture reflecting unique cultural developments, and forms of urbanization. We examine the form, style, context, and media of production, consumption and display of art in the public sphere, exploring the definition of art; art as material culture; and art as an expression of social values and projection of dominant sociopolitical ideologies. While these ancient civilizations on opposite sides of the Mediterranean were in contact with each other, borrowing or sharing certain cultural traits, they ultimately produced very different forms of complex society. The goal of the course is to compare and contrast the method, media, and subject matter of public art toward a contextual and archaeological understanding of these differences and similarities, and ultimately the cultures that formed them. Donald HaggisDonald Haggis is Professor of Classical Archaeology in the Department of Classics and Adjunct Professor in the Curriculum in Archaeology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a field archaeologist who has been conducting archaeological excavations and surveys in Greece for the past 36 years, working particularly on the island of Crete in the Greek Aegean. His main research interests include early state formation and the origins and emergence of early cities in the Aegean during the Bronze Age (ca. 2000 B.C.) and Early Iron Age (ca. 1000-700 B.C.). He is currently the director of excavations of an early Greek city at the site of Azoria in eastern Crete (https://azoria.unc.edu/). |
CLAS 57H-001: Dead and Deadly Women: Around the World with Greek Tragic Heroines |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM | Instructor(s): Sharon James |
In this course, we will study the great tragic heroines of ancient Greek drama, focusing on Clytemnestra, Medea, Alcestis, Phaedra, the Trojan Women, Antigone. We will also read a contemporary novel that engages many of these mythic women. We will study the Greek tragedies intensively, along with their global reception in later art, from paintings to poems, stage productions to sculptures, operas to ballets—these plays have been adapted and engaged in virtually every part of the world. Our questions will include: why does Greek tragedy focus so intensely on women? Are the playwrights misogynists or do they express some sympathy for women? What about these female characters grabbed the imaginations not only of ancient Greek playwrights but of later writers, painters, composers, not to mention readers? How do these characters appeal to artists and audiences from Alaska to Asia, from Latin America to Eastern Europe? How are their stories relevant to the 21st century? Did the ancient Athenians know something we don’t? Sharon JamesProfessor Sharon James specializes in Roman comedy, Latin poetry, and women in ancient Greece and Rome. She has published many articles on these subjects, as well as a book on Roman love elegy (published in 2003); she is currently preparing a large-scale book on women in Greek and Roman New Comedy (the plays of Menander, Plautus, and Terence). She is also the co-editor of Blackwell’s Companion to Women in the Ancient World (published 2012). Professor James regularly teaches all these subjects at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her lecture courses, CLAS/WMST 240/240H (Women in Ancient Greece) and CLAS/WMST 241/241H (Women in Ancient Rome) are cross-listed between Classics and Women’s Studies. In summer 2012 she co-directed an NEH Institute on the performance of Roman comedy. In 2013, she won the University’s William C. Friday/Class of 1986 Award for Excellence in Inspirational Teaching; in 2021, she won the Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. |
CLAS 62-001: Bandits, Barbarians, and Rebels in the Ancient Mediterranean |
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FY Seminar | MWF, 11:15 AM – 12:05 PM | Instructor(s): Jennifer Gates-Foster |
A study of Greek and Roman depictions of marginalized and peripheral peoples in both literary and visual sources, with consideration of the origin, development, and social roles ascribed to these groups. Jennifer Gates-FosterJennifer Gates-Foster is Associate Professor in the Department of Classics and Curriculum in Archaeology at UNC Chapel Hill. She received her PhD at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2005 and has been at Carolina since 2013. Her primary research interest is in the archaeology of the Hellenistic and early Roman Eastern Mediterranean, especially Egypt, with a focus on the construction of identity in border regions. |
CLAS 89-001: Ancient Medicine from Hippocrates to Asclepius |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM | Instructor(s): Janet Downie |
What is health? What does it mean to be ill? How would doctors, patients, and ordinary people who lived more than two thousand years ago in the ancient Mediterranean have answered these questions? Ancient Greek medicine is often claimed as an ancestor of modern Western biomedicine – but what is the nature of this relationship? In this course we learn about ancient Greek concepts of disease and therapy as they were developed and appropriated through cross-cultural conversations with Egyptian, Roman, Christian, Arabic, and Enlightenment cultures. Our sources include ancient medical writings, literary texts, and archaeological evidence for therapeutic practice, including votive offerings, surgical tools, and visual images. Thematic units on medical ethics, physiological models, gendered bodies, concepts of disability, and the relationship between religion and science help students gain an understanding of how cultural attitudes to the body inform scientific approaches, and of the relationship between medicine and the humanities. Janet DownieJanet Downie researches the literature, history, and culture of the ancient Mediterranean. Her interest in ancient medicine was sparked by work on the ancient first-person dream diary of divine healing that was the focus of her first book (At the Limits of Art: A Literary Reading of Aelius Aristides’ Hieroi Logoi, Oxford University Press 2013). In the Classics department at UNC, she teaches ancient Greek language and literature at all levels, from beginner to advanced, including courses on Homer, Plato, and ancient fantasy novels. Her current projects focus on geographies of Hellenism in the Roman imperial world, the afterlives of ancient texts and ideas, and embodied antiquity: ancient medicine and discourses of the body in the Greek and Roman worlds. |
DRAM 120-01F: Play Analysis |
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FY Launch | TTH, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM | Instructor(s): Mark Perry |
Development of the skill to analyze plays for academic and production purposes through the intensive study of representative plays. DRAM 120 is the first course in the major and the minor in dramatic art. Mark PerryMark Perry teaches playwriting, play analysis and dramaturgy and serves as a resident dramaturg with PlayMakers Repertory Company. His plays A New Dress for Mona and The Will of Bernard Boynton have been produced by UNC’s Department of Dramatic Art, and both scripts are available from Drama Circle. Mark is a graduate of the University of Iowa’s Playwrights Workshop and a former recipient of the North Carolina Arts Council’s Literature Fellowship for playwriting. |
DRAM 80-001: Psychology of Clothes: Motivations for Dressing Up and Dressing Down |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Instructor(s): Pamela Bond |
The course seeks to help students find ways to articulate their own motivations for dress and then apply the ideas they have discovered to the ways in which individuality as well as group attitudes are expressed through clothing. Honors version available. Pamela BondPamela Bond is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Dramatic Art. Pamela has taught at Hampton University and North Carolina Central University. Her recent work includes costume design for The Bus Stop featured at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. She has performed professionally at the National Black Theatre Festival and featured apparel designs in Charlotte Fashion Week and Winston Salem Fashion Week. Pamela believes that in order for students to experience the full scope as theatre practitioners they must be willing to explore diverse ethnic and cultural backdrops, as well as their own. So what does your clothing say about you? What messages are you trying to send with what you put on today? Let’s explore your closet and see who you are. |
DRAM 83-001: Spectacle in the Theatre |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): David Navalinsky |
This seminar will explore the artists, art and technology involved in creating the world of the play. It is intended as an overview for students who want to learn about theatrical design. Students will create their own designs in the areas of scenery, costumes, and lighting for three plays throughout the semester. The plays will be placed outside of their traditional setting while still maintaining the story and themes. Students have placed Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a trailer park and a daycare center for example. Careful historical research, close reading and analysis, text and source material, and collaboration will be the focus of the student projects. David NavalinskyDavid Navalinsky is the Director of Undergraduate Production in the Department of Dramatic Art. David has taught at the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Mississippi. David’s recent design work includes scenery for The Uncanny Valley by Francesca Talenti. The Uncanny Valley featured a Robothespian™, which is exactly what it sounds like. He has also written a documentary theatre piece Priceless Gem: An Athlete Story, which tells the stories of UNC athletes. David has worked professionally at South Coast Repertory in Orange County California, The Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Illinois Shakespeare Festival, and the Karamu Performing Arts Theatre in Cleveland, OH. Some of David’s favorite projects were at the Dallas Children’s Theater where he made a dinosaur collapse and pirates walk the plank. |
DRAM 83-002: Spectacle in the Theatre |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Instructor(s): David Navalinsky |
This seminar will explore the artists, art and technology involved in creating the world of the play. It is intended as an overview for students who want to learn about theatrical design. Students will create their own designs in the areas of scenery, costumes, and lighting for three plays throughout the semester. The plays will be placed outside of their traditional setting while still maintaining the story and themes. Students have placed Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a trailer park and a daycare center for example. Careful historical research, close reading and analysis, text and source material, and collaboration will be the focus of the student projects. David NavalinskyDavid Navalinsky is the Director of Undergraduate Production in the Department of Dramatic Art. David has taught at the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Mississippi. David’s recent design work includes scenery for The Uncanny Valley by Francesca Talenti. The Uncanny Valley featured a Robothespian™, which is exactly what it sounds like. He has also written a documentary theatre piece Priceless Gem: An Athlete Story, which tells the stories of UNC athletes. David has worked professionally at South Coast Repertory in Orange County California, The Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Illinois Shakespeare Festival, and the Karamu Performing Arts Theatre in Cleveland, OH. Some of David’s favorite projects were at the Dallas Children’s Theater where he made a dinosaur collapse and pirates walk the plank. |
DRAM 85-001: Documentary Theatre |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM | Instructor(s): Aubrey Snowden |
This course explores the political and social ramifications of documentary theatre in the United States. Students will investigate a local community of their choosing and create an interview-based performance. Honors version available. Aubrey Snowden |
EMES 101-01F: Planet Earth |
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FY Launch | TTH, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM | Instructor(s): Michelle Haskin |
This course will introduce geological concepts through the lens of U.S. national parks and a plate tectonic framework. The course will take a small-group approach to in-class work where developing collaboration and communication skills will be a focus. Students will apply their talents, skills, knowledge, and creativity to investigate related topics of interest as they manifest in a specific U.S. National Park to examine the interconnectedness of the geologic sciences and other fields of study. They will present their work in a manner appropriate to their project. Because this course is geared toward students newer to the university environment, the course will also discuss adjacent issues relevant to first-year students such as studying approaches, professionalism, as well as usefulness of meta-cognition, self-reflection, and feedback. Students will practice employing these ideas and approaches though individual and small-group work. Optional laboratory: GEOL 101L. Michelle HaskinMichelle Haskin is an Assistant Teaching Professor who strives to facilitate undergraduate learning through equitable pedagogical practices and collaborative learning. She has an interest in metacognition and applying learning strategies to help students discover new ways to approach and reframe their learning. She has taught over 2300 UNC students and looks forward to teaching many more. |
EMES 52-001: Living with Our Oceans and Atmosphere |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Instructor(s): Wei Mei |
This seminar will introduce students to the nature of the Earth’s oceans and atmosphere, and describe the processes that lead to our weather patterns and global climate. Emphasis is placed on understanding how the oceans and atmosphere affect human population, how oceanic and atmospheric changes are linked to increasing human activity, and how these changes can affect you. Basic principles and modern theories of changing climate, severe weather events, oceanic hazards, and interactions between the oceans and the atmosphere will be studied. Examples of presently active research being conducted at UNC and at other institutions will be used to highlight how the above topics are investigated scientifically. Readings will be taken from introductory textbooks on meteorology, oceanography and environmental sciences; and modern articles in periodicals such as Scientific American, Nature, American Scientist, National Geographic, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, and Weatherwise. Various websites, including those within the UNC Department of Marine Sciences, will be used. Classroom presentations, seminars, and group discussions and debates will be utilized. Wei MeiWei Mei is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at UNC Chapel Hill. He holds a Ph.D. in Earth System Science from the University of California at Irvine, and a Master of Science in Meteorology and a Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Sciences from Nanjing University (China). Dr. Mei is the instructor of “Environmental Systems Modeling” (MASC/ENEC/GEOL 415) and “Living with Our Oceans and Atmosphere” (MASC 52) at UNC. He was a guest lecturer for several undergraduate and graduate courses on atmosphere, oceans and climate prior to coming to UNC. Dr. Mei’s current research interests lie in extreme weather and climate events (including hurricanes and atmospheric rivers) and their effects on coastal hazards (e.g., storm surge, flooding, and high winds). His work has contributed to the recognition of the effect of ocean temperature on hurricane intensity and to the understanding of the link between hurricanes and climate. |
EMES 72H-001: Field Geology of Eastern California |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Instructor(s): Drew Coleman |
Have you ever wanted to stand on a volcano, see a glacier, trace out an earthquake fault, or see the Earth’s oldest living things? This seminar is designed around a one-week field trip to eastern California, where students will study geologic features including active volcanoes, earthquake-producing faults, and evidence for recent glaciation and extreme climate change. Before the field trip (which will take place the week of Fall Break and be based at a research station near Bishop, California), the class will meet twice a week to learn basic geologic principles and to work on developing field research topics. During the field trip students will work on field exercises (e.g. mapping, measuring, and describing an active fault; observing and recording glacial features) and collect data for the research projects. After the field trip, students will obtain laboratory data from samples collected during the trip and test research hypotheses using field and laboratory data. Grading will be based on presentation of group research projects, and on a variety of small projects during the trip (notebook descriptions, mapping projects, etc.). Students may be required to pay some of the costs of the trip (a maximum of about $500.) This course will require missing three days of classes. The course is designed to teach basic geology “on the rocks”, so there are no prerequisites. Link to Yosemite Nature Notes video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5RQp77uVPA Drew ColemanDrew Coleman’s research focuses on understanding how the Earth works by determining the rates of processes (mountain building, extinction, volcanism, etc.) that occurred in the past. To accomplish this he and his students date rocks. His teaching is inquiry based and he is most happy when he is teaching “hands on” in the field or lab. |
ENEC 201-01F: Introduction to Environment and Society |
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FY Launch | MWF, 10:10 AM – 11:00 AM | Instructor(s): Gregory Gangi | Lab/Recitation: ENEC 201-735 or ENEC 201-736 |
Human-environment interactions are examined through analytical methods from the social sciences, humanities, and sciences. The focus is on the role of social, political, and economic factors in controlling interactions between society and the environment in historical and cultural contexts. Three lecture hours and one recitation hour a week. Gregory GangiIn his teaching, Greg Gangi conveys a complex understanding of environmental challenges and explores innovative solutions. His teaching extends beyond the classroom as he leads students to many countries to learn firsthand about global change and innovation. He organized several educational trips to Germany, the Netherlands and the Nordic nations. Given the role that South Korea and China play in shaping the future of technology, he plans to guide students in learning from these two nations during the summer of 2019. Gangi received various awards at UNC and a national award for his advising and mentoring of students. In 2014, he was awarded the NACADA Award for Outstanding Faculty Advisor. He received the Tanner Award for Teaching Excellence in 2010 and the University recognized him with the Massey Award for Outstanding Service in 2018. In addition to his teaching, Gangi works to create networks in North Carolina between industry, academia, and government to help strengthen innovation. He also seeks to foster international networks that connect companies in the Clean Tech sector with North Carolina. He defines clean technology broadly to include companies in clean energy, smart cities, water technologies, innovations to make transportation more sustainable, building technologies and solutions that improve food security and agricultural sustainability. He is the lead organizer of the annual UNC Clean Tech Summit, which represents the largest event of its kind in the southeastern region of the United States. |
ENGL 57-001: Future Perfect: Science Fictions and Social Form |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM | Instructor(s): Matthew Taylor |
What will our world look like in ten years? Fifty? One hundred? Will the future be a utopian paradise or a dystopian wasteland? Through a wide-ranging survey of popular science writing, novels, and films, this first year seminar will examine fictional and nonfictional attempts to imagine the future from the nineteenth century to the present. We will explore everything from futurology and transhumanism to warnings of imminent environmental collapse. Our focus will be less on assessing the accuracy of these predictions and more on determining what they tell us about the hopes and fears of the times in which they were made. The course will culminate in a short research paper on a future-oriented topic of your choosing. Matthew TaylorMatthew Taylor’s research focuses on the intersections among environmental humanities, critical theory (including posthumanism, biopolitics, science and technology studies, and critical race theory), and nineteenth- and twentieth-century American literature. His first book, Universes without Us: Posthuman Cosmologies in American Literature (Univ. of Minnesota Press), examines cosmologies that challenge the utopianism of both past and present attempts at fusing self and environment. |
ENGL 66-001: Blake 2.0: William Blake in Popular Culture |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Joseph Viscomi |
William Blake, the visionary poet, artist and printmaker of the British Romantic period, has had enormous influence on modern art and popular culture. His illuminated poetry integrated word and image anticipating graphic novels and influencing many modern musicians, poets, writers (including Pullman, His Dark Materials Trilogy, Bono, Patti Smith and Jim Morrison). Using the Blake Archive, a hypertext of Blake’s poetry and art, we will study key Blake works as well as the digital medium that enables us to study these works in new ways. We will also explore the Web for performances and adaptations of the works we study and for works by musicians, painters, poets, writers, actors, playwrights, performers, dancers and film and video makers who were or are inspired or influenced by Blake. Students will share their discoveries with the class and produce critical or creative responses to a work by Blake or by an influenced artist. Joseph ViscomiJoseph Viscomi, the James G. Kenan Distinguished Professor of English Literature, directs and co-edits the William Blake Archive (blakearchive.org). His special interests are British Romantic literature, art, and printmaking and digital humanities. He has co-edited 9 illuminated works for The William Blake Trust and over 172 digital editions of Blake's literary and art works for the Blake Archive. He is the author of Prints by Blake and his Followers, Blake and the Idea of the Book, and Blake’s Printed Paintings: Methods, Origins, Meanings. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Rockefeller Foundation, Getty Foundation, and the National Humanities Center. |
ENGL 89-001: One Long Book That's Worth It |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM | Instructor(s): H. M. Cushman |
This course guides students slowly and carefully through one extraordinary long book that is well worth the time and effort. Texts vary year to year. Required text: one book you’ll never want to sell back. H. M. CushmanProfessor H. M. Cushman is a scholar of English literary history. |
ENGL 89-002: Human Rights and Literature |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Instructor(s): Stephanie Degooyer |
In this class we will investigate the history of human rights from the perspective of literature. We will explore how rights are represented and narrated in novels such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and how founding declarations—famously, the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (1789), and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)—rely on fictional structures. While attending to some of the more politically contentious issues involved with human rights, such as the claim that universal rights lack political and legal enforcement, we will also consider the following questions: how does fiction help articulate and represent claims to human rights? Why might a political philosopher or legal scholar turn to a work of fiction from the eighteenth century or present day in order to make an argument about human rights? Alongside theoretical and historical writings about human rights we will read authors such as Hannah Arendt, Edmund Burke, Behrouz Boochani, Mahatma Gandhi, Thomas Hobbes, Mohsin Hamid, Thomas Paine, Mary Shelley, and Mary Wollstonecraft. Stephanie DegooyerStephanie Degooyer’s research examines intersections between law and literature, with interests in immigration, migration, history of disease and global health, and human rights and humanitarianism. She teaches classes on law and literature, transatlantic and colonial literature, Medical Humanities, and theories and history of the novel. Stephanie Degooyer’s forthcoming book, Acts of Naturalization, (JHUP, 2022) looks to the legal process of naturalization in the long eighteenth century to argue for a new fictional conception of nationality in early modernity. She is currently working on two projects: Asylum Nation: Refugees and the Founding of America, which traces the colonial history of legal concepts such as “asylum” and “refugees” in British common law and early American legal and literary history, and a book project on the history and social function of unidentified bodily remains. She is co-author of The Right to Have Rights (Verso Books, 2018), and co-editor of The Routledge Companion to the Novel (forthcoming 2023). She has written on a variety of topics – immigration, borders, vaccines, disease, and literature – for The Nation, Guardian, Dissent, Boston Review, Lapham’s Quarterly, Humanity, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Public Books. |
ENGL 89-003: American Poetry in Motion |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Eliza Richards |
This course focuses on the creative processes involved in writing poetry. We will look at poets’ revisions of their work, their statements about poetry, their letters to and from other writers, and the publication and reception of their poems in their own time. We will concentrate on specific case studies: the manuscripts and letter-poems of the reclusive writer Emily Dickinson; the notebooks, letters, and poems of Walt Whitman that he wrote while tending the wounded in the Civil War hospitals; the poems, manuscripts, and letters of George Moses Horton, who taught himself to read and write and published two books of poetry while enslaved in North Carolina; and the drafts, revisions, and animal drawings of twentieth-century modernist Marianne Moore. The course seeks to develop close reading skills that are crucial for interpreting poetry; to explore how social and cultural conditions both limit and enable poetic expression, and how poets analyze and criticize those conditions; to strengthen writing and oral communication skills; and to develop research skills. Eliza RichardsEliza Richards is a Professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature. She teaches American literature before 1900 and American poetry. She has written about Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, the poetry of the US Civil War, and popular women’s poetry. Professor Richards has won awards for teaching on both the graduate and undergraduate level. |
ENGL 89-004: Shakespeare's Hamlet: A Tragedy for a Modern Age in Crisis |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM | Instructor(s): Michael Gadaleto |
This first-year seminar provides a multi-faceted, in-depth, and unique exploration of William Shakespeare’s tragic masterpiece, Hamlet. A play as oft misunderstood as it is celebrated, Hamlet occupies a strange place in our cultural landscape, being a work with which many of us become acquainted early on – be it through The Lion King, parodies, or compulsory high school reading – while at the same time remaining a kind of distant, difficult, and marble-encased “classic” that seems to evade our attempts to appreciate or even understand it. Put more simply, Hamlet is an artistic masterpiece – though an extremely difficult one – that we have been told we “should” know and love, but that for many students remains a frustrating, even confounding, mystery. As a lifelong lover of this play, one of my goals as a professor is thus to share that passion with students and help make this centuries-old work “come alive.” In particular, I will argue that Hamlet, for all its complexity, is a play about political, moral, and personal crisis that continues to resonate strongly with our own vexed present-day moment. Shakespeare’s plays, and especially Hamlet, remain relevant – via their humor, their vivacity, their pathos, their insight – through their remarkable ability to portray, critique, and question human nature and to prompt us as readers to reconsider our assumptions about the world around us, a world that Hamlet both reflects and makes new each time we revisit it. In order to arrive at this deeper understanding of Hamlet’s relation to our own modern-day experience, the course will introduce various key contexts of the play that are essential to understanding it. Like the play itself, the course will follow a basic five-act structure: • ACT 1 – Introducing (1) Hamlet’s 400-year legacy, (2) Shakespeare’s life and career, and (3) the practices of the Elizabethan theater in which he worked and created what we now know as Hamlet. • ACT 2 – Reading the standard, full text of Hamlet (Q2) with an eye toward comprehension of Shakespeare’s early modern language as well as key literary themes and philosophical concepts at the heart of the play. • ACT 3 – Understanding some of the key intertextual sources that Shakespeare used and referenced when writing Hamlet, from the Scandinavian legend of Amleth to Virgil’s epic Aeneid, in order to appreciate the way in which any “classic” text is informed by and based on other, earlier texts. Hamlet is a play about storytelling, and its references to other stories is key to that project. • ACT 4 – To investigate the various early printed texts of Hamlet – including the notorious First Quarto (Q1) and the missing Ur-Hamlet – in order to appreciate how even the most classic works are created out of innumerable contingent and minute editorial decisions. • ACT 5 – To survey some of the key moments in the past 400 years of Hamlet performance and criticism, from the earliest Elizabethans’ sense of the play, to the Romantics and Victorians, to modernist critics like T.S. Eliot, on to more global reinterpretations by various artists and scholars from Japan to the Soviet Union. Michael GadaletoProfessor Gadaleto is a scholar of Shakespeare, Milton, and English Renaissance literature, whose work has been published in several of the top journals in his field. In the seventh grade he stumbled upon a film version of ‘Hamlet’ and has never looked back. He is also an avid fan of sci-fi, horror literature, and video games, and in recent years he's begun writing and teaching screenwriting. He has some amazing ideas for TV series about Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ and Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’ that he'll be more than happy to tell you about (it’s just the writing part that’s hard…). |
ENGL 89H-001: The Machine Mistake from Frankenstein to the Smartphone |
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FY Seminar | MWF, 10:10 AM – 11:00 AM | Instructor(s): David Ross |
There is the assumption that science fiction propagandizes for the gleaming gadgetry that it depicts. It’s true that science fiction often endorses the scientific endeavor and worldview. It’s further true that the science fictionists of the 1940s and 1950s tended to pine for the space age that began in 1969. But even at its giddiest and wonkiest, science fiction remembers the lesson of Frankenstein. It remembers that our monsters develop ideas of their own; that they wind up haunting us and even hunting us; that our innovations—however seemingly benign—however fenced and fail-safe—threaten to escape our control and our comprehension. This course traces the genealogy of this machine anxiety. Our guiding questions will be: What are machines? Does the artificially intelligent “machine” cease to be a machine? Are machines “natural” or “unnatural”? Are they heretical? Are their dangers inherent? How do they change us? Our course epigraph might paraphrase Winston Churchill: We shape our machines; thereafter they shape us. David RossDavid A. Ross is a graduate of Yale and Oxford. He has been a member of the Department of English & Comparative Literature at UNC–Chapel Hill since 2002. He is the author of A Critical Companion to William Butler Yeats (2009) and the co-editor/co-translator of The Search for the Avant-Garde, 1946–1969 (2012), the descriptive catalogue of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. A collector and amateur scholar of traditional Chinese paintings and Japanese woodblock prints, he has served as president of Southeast Conference of the Association for Asian Studies and as both editor and book review editor of the Southeast Review of Asian Studies. |
ENVR 89-002: Environment-ECUIPP Lab: Connecting with Communities through Environmental Research for Public Health |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Instructor(s): Amanda Northcross |
This course is an entry into an undergraduate learning community organized by the Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering. The ECUIPP Lab (Environmentally-Engaged Communities and Undergraduate students Investigating for Public health Protection) is a creative community of students, faculty members and practice partners. Students in ENVR 89-001 will become members of the Environment-ECUIPP Lab. Over the course of the semester they will design and conduct research that addresses a pressing environmental health issue in a local community. Students will work with the local community partner to develop a research question and use the resources of the ECUIPP Lab and the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering to answer the question through the research process. The course is a hands-on undergraduate research experience Amanda NorthcrossProf. Amanda Northcross likes to build things and enjoys working together with students and communities to explore environmental health concerns, design field campaigns, and build and deploy networks of sensors to answer environmental health questions. With BS, MS and PhD degrees in chemical and environmental engineering she is passionate about health equity. Dr. Northcross has conducted environmental health and engineering research in Guatemala, Brazil, Nigeria and the United States. She will work together with faculty from UNC’s Water Institute to conduct community-engaged environmental research with first year students. |
GEOG 52-001: Political Ecology of Health and Disease |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Instructor(s): Michael Emch |
This course examines the ecology of infectious diseases including environmental and anthropogenic drivers of those diseases. During the semester we will focus on several case studies of diseases including COVID-19, malaria, cholera, and HIV/AIDS. The biophysical and evolutionary drivers of diseases will be examined as well as the political, economic, social, and environmental systems that shape health and disease across spatial and temporal scales. A political ecological framework is used to examine such topics as how political forces and economic interests helped shape the HIV/AIDS and malaria pandemics in Africa and beyond. We will also examine how emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19 diffuse through populations and how public health efforts and geographical and epidemiological modelling and analyses can be used to predict and limit their spread. Michael EmchMichael Emch is W.R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Geography and Epidemiology at UNC. His expertise is in infectious disease ecology, spatial epidemiology, neighborhood determinants of health, and geographic information science applications of public health. He leads the Spatial Health Research Group which conducts research that explores spatio-temporal patterns of disease, primarily infectious diseases of the developing world. His research group focuses on diverse topics such as the role of population-environment drivers in pathogen evolution, how social connectivity contributes to disease incidence, and using environmental indicators to predict disease outbreaks. For more information see the Spatial Health Research Group website at spatialhealth.web.unc.edu/. |
GEOG 56-001: Local Places in a Globalizing World |
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FY Seminar | MWF, 10:10 AM – 11:00 AM | Instructor(s): Altha Cravey |
Globalization is a word we hear every day, but what does it mean for us in local places? Specifically, what can an understanding of globalization tell us about Carolina and nearby places? This seminar weaves together perspectives on globalization with hands-on exploration of Carolina and its place in today’s global “knowledge economy,” and the University’s founding in relation to the globalizing forces of that day. Our focus will shift back and forth between the global and the local, even to the microscale of our campus. We will learn through a variety of experiences and approaches, including fieldwork, old documents, and some introductory GIS (geographic information systems) exercises in addition to readings, class discussion, and group work. By the end of the seminar, students will not only have an understanding of globalization and the very real connections between the global and the local, but also a unique perspective on our university. Altha CraveyAltha Cravey became a geographer because she loves to travel and see new things. Her research focuses on globalization, labor, and gender issues in contemporary Mexico. She is beginning to publish on globalization in the US South as well. Cravey was born and raised in Illinois and Indiana and worked as a construction electrician for eleven years before finishing her undergraduate education. Her dissertation at the University of Iowa was supported by a four-year Iowa Fellowship and was published as Women and Work in Mexico’s Maquiladoras (Rowman and Littlefield, 1998). Cravey loves to bicycle around campus and Chapel Hill. |
GEOG 89-001: Freshwaters in the Anthropocene |
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FY Seminar | MWF, 12:20 PM – 1:10 PM | Instructor(s): Amanda DelVecchia |
Freshwaters sustain myriad ecosystem services by providing drinking water, irrigation, inland fisheries, transportation, recreational opportunities, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity. At the same time, both water quality and quantity are impacted by land use, water abstraction, damming, contamination, and climate change. This seminar will focus (1) on understanding how these anthropogenic pressures affect freshwater ecosystems differently across ecoregions, and (2) how management, legislative, and social initiatives have adapted or developed solutions. We will focus mainly on the United States but consider case studies from around the world. Students should be prepared to read and discuss three materials per week. These reading materials will include a range of popular media including podcasts, newspaper articles, and book chapters, as well as scientific articles and overviews. We will also spend some time exploring and talking about streams accessible to the UNC campus. Class will culminate with research projects in which students get to explore a topic of their choice and presenting findings to their peers. Amanda DelVecchiaI am a physical geographer focusing on freshwater ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry. This involves connecting various spatial and temporal scales, and biotic and abiotic factors, within groundwater, lakes, wetlands, rivers, and their watersheds. In particular, I ask how connectivity between different parts of the landscape (including those we cannot see!), and over time, affect functions like carbon and nutrient cycling, food webs, and greenhouse gas dynamics. By understanding these connections, we can better predict how freshwaters react to climate change and anthropogenic alteration, so that we may better protect freshwater biodiversity and function. I use a mix of empirical and data science, and work across the U.S. and internationally. You can learn more about my research by visiting my website at amandadelvecchia.weebly.com, by emailing me, or by visiting during my office hours, in which case I can promise you a warm reception and an offer for tea. |
GLBL 221-01F: The Migratory Experience |
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FY Launch | TTH, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Instructor(s): Carmen Huerta-Bapat |
The course will critically analyze the migrant experience in North America and Europe with a focus on the experience of migrants from Mexico. Although the popular media often portrays migrants as agentless individuals making haphazard decisions, migration is a calculated decision that individuals, families, and groups make to improve their living conditions. We will explore the motivation of migrants, the nature of the migrant journey to their destination states, and their integration and adaptation into their new host societies. Through historical readings, selected works of literature, documentaries and my own firsthand lived experiences as a Latina immigrant, we will examine what motivates and drives their choices, what guides their actions, and what keeps them grounded during their perilous journey. By the end of the course, students will: Carmen Huerta-BapatCarmen Huerta-Bapat holds a PhD in sociology from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, an MA in sociology from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, and an MA in political science from Rice University. She proudly ‘sampled’ multiple PhD programs before settling on sociology, which gives her a multi-faceted understanding of how knowledge is generated, as well as various methodological techniques. Her current research takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding how institutions work to incorporate underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, with a particular focus on immigrant communities. Specifically, her work examines how schools, universities, and police agencies react to the arrival of new migrant communities. She is currently pursuing projects that examine police behavior toward Latino immigrants in North Carolina, the social and health impacts associated with persecutory immigration policies, the negative impacts of microaggressions on first-generation college students, and parental involvement of Latino families in public education. Dr. Huerta-Bapat is currently drawing on her social science training and lived experience as a Latina immigrant in a project with the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Her work aims to design health interventions with marginalized communities to ensure that these actions are grounded in mutual understanding and respect. |
GSLL 51-001: Stalin and Hitler: Historical Issues in Cultural and Other Perspectives |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Instructor(s): David Pike |
This course deals with critical issues, in the broadest possible context, that dominated the twentieth century: the rise of fascism out of the carnage of World War One and the Bolshevik revolution to which the war and Czarist Russia’s involvement in it helped contribute. As the semester unfolds, drawing on a variety of historical and documentary films, and literature (memoirs, novels), we will take a comparative look at singular personalities like Lenin, Stalin and Hitler and examine the role played by such key figures in historical events of this magnitude. More towards the end of the semester, we glance briefly at the situation created in Western and Eastern Europe by the defeat of fascism and contemplate the origins and evolution of the cold war. We conclude with a consideration of the dissolution and democratization of Eastern European countries, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and, against the tragic background of the past, the recent reemergence of conflict between Russia and the “West.” David PikeDavid Pike received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1978 in German Studies with a minor in Russian and has taught at UNC–CH since 1980. He is the author of three books, The Politics of Culture in Soviet -Occupied Germany, 1945-1949 (1993), Lukács and Brecht (1985), and German Writers in Soviet Exile, 1933-1945 (1982). His research takes him regularly to Berlin and Moscow. |
GSLL 68-001: Intensity, Vitality, Ecstasy: Affects in Literature, Film, and Philosophy |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 12:30 PM – 1:15 PM | Instructor(s): Gabriel Trop |
What cultural and intellectual resources do we have to increase the intensity of our inner lives, to feel more vitally plugged into the world, and to be attracted to extraordinary modes of perception? We will read texts by famous philosophers, mystics, and poets in order to help us answer these questions. Assignments will explore creative and alternative forms of writing (rather than the standard academic essay): dialogues, narratives, letters, and free writing, among others. Authors include: Plato, Sappho, Marcus Aurelius, Hildegard von Bingen, Mechthild von Magdeburg, Meister Eckhart, Descartes, Pascal, Goethe, Kafka, Musil, Deleuze, and Rilke, among others. (Course taught in English. No prerequisites.) Gabriel TropGabriel Trop has intellectual interests in philosophy from antiquity to the present focusing on theories of art (aesthetics), science, and literature, with a special emphasis on German and French literature in the long nineteenth century. In his teaching, he tends to explore resonances between literature, film, politics, and philosophical existentialism; Dr. Trop has taught previous courses on Freedom and Terror in German Philosophy, and on the films of Christopher Nolan and German Romanticism, for example. As a classical musician (cellist), he is also interested in the aesthetics of music. |
GSLL 76-001: Uncharted Territory: Underworlds in Literature and the Visual Arts |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Instructor(s): Aleksandra Prica |
This course examines concepts and representations of underworlds in literature and the visual arts from the ancient world to modernity. Our journey will take us to the realms of the afterlife as well as into the abyss of the human psyche and the shady areas of criminal activities. We will explore how the desire to know the beyond has triggered people’s imagination, inspired literary and artistic traditions and influenced new forms of knowledge, moral values and social realities. Readings include short stories by E.A. Poe and Franz Kafka, and excerpts from works such as Plato’s Republic, the Bible, Homer’s Odyssey, Dante’s Inferno, Primo Levi’s Auschwitz memoirs, Don de Lillo’s Underworld, and Sigmund Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams. We will watch movies and TV shows such as Apocalypse Now and Breaking Bad. We will visit the museum and a theater performance. Through reading responses, papers, and an oral presentation students develop and practice skills of critical thinking, persuasive written and oral communication and they use creativity effectively. Aleksandra PricaAleksandra Prica is a professor of German literature. She was born and raised in Switzerland and studied at the University of Zürich. So far, her life has involved a lot of traveling, and she has lived in different countries and cities such as Berlin, Amsterdam, Chicago and a small village in Columbia, South America. She joined the faculty at the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures in 2016. In her research she focuses on literature of the Middle Ages and contemporary adaptations of the medieval world in literature, art and film. |
HIST 53-001: Traveling to European Cities: American Writers/Cultural Identities, 1830-2000 |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Instructor(s): Lloyd Kramer |
This seminar examines two key themes in modern cultural and intellectual history: the importance of travel in the lives and cultural identities of American writers and the important role of European cities in the evolution of modern American cultural identities. We shall focus on a historical era in which American writers were especially drawn to Europe as an alternative to the social and cultural life in the United States; and we’ll discuss how the encounter with Europe influenced these writers as they defined their national identities as well as their views of politics, social relations, gender identities, literature, art and European cultural traditions. The seminar explores how travel has become one of the most influential personal experiences in modern times; and we’ll conclude the course with discussions of how travel remained important for American writers at the end of the twentieth century. Our overall goal is to analyze the connection between travel, writing, and personal identities. This is a class for people who like to read about personal experiences and are intrigued by foreign travel. The assigned texts include works by women and men such as Margaret Fuller, David Dorr, Mark Twain, Henry James, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, Henry Miller James Baldwin, Elizabeth Spencer, and David Sedaris; and we’ll focus on works that convey how writers have interpreted American experiences in European cities such as Paris, London, Rome, and Athens. Lloyd KramerLloyd Kramer’s interests focus on Modern European History with an emphasis on nineteenth-century France and French-American cultural relations. He is particularly interested in historical processes that shape personal and collective identities, including the experiences of cross-cultural exchange and the emergence of modern nationalism. Other research and teaching interests deal with the roles of intellectuals in modern societies and the theoretical foundations of historical knowledge. His teaching stresses the pleasures of reading, discussing and writing about influential books in various eras of European and world history. |
HIST 59-001: Rebuilding the American South: Work and Identity in Modern History |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Erik Gellman |
“Class” has been the subject of more mystification, misunderstanding, and ill-informed political disagreement than perhaps any other social category. Especially in the American South, the notion of fundamental class differences may seem antithetical to the aspirations, or even claims, for a class-less society. Yet differences in occupation, income, wealth, the habits of everyday life, and definitions of the “good life” clearly remain. This course examines how class experiences and debates over the meaning of work have shaped the postbellum Southern United States. Technological innovation, the emergence of a consumer economy, and the evolution of popular culture all have made and remade class identities and influenced ideas about the South as a region as well as the racial, gender, and sexual identities of its people. Students in this course will develop new perspectives on the South in American history. They will also cultivate skills (oral and written), using history as a way of learning to analyze the past and inform the present. Erik GellmanDr. Erik Gellman is Associate Professor of History. He researches and teaches about working-class and urban life, visual culture, and comparative social movements in modern American history. He’s the author of Death Blow to Jim Crow: The National Negro Congress and the Rise of Militant Civil Rights (UNC Press, 2012) and The Gospel of the Working Class: Labor’s Southern Prophets in New Deal America (IL Press, 2011, coauthor Jarod Roll). He’s co-directed NEH and Terra Foundation programs on the Black Chicago Renaissance. His latest book is Troublemakers: Chicago Freedom Struggles through the Lens of Art Shay (University of Chicago Press, December 2020). |
HIST 70-001: Seeing History in Everyday Places: Chapel Hill as a Case Study |
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FY Seminar | T, 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM | Instructor(s): John Sweet |
This first-year seminar is an invitation to explore new ways of seeing the world around us. Our homes, our workplaces, our towns, our natural areas, our transportation networks—all are products of history, shaped by people, rich with meaning and full of surprises. The course explores the concept of cultural landscapes as a way of studying history and its legacies. Through a combination of field work, historical research and analysis, we will use maps, photographs, GIS resources and archival documents to understand how–and why–people in the past shaped our surroundings today. John SweetJohn Sweet is an American historian with wide-ranging interests. His research has focused on the colonial encounters of Africans, Native peoples, and Europeans–and how their interactions shaped the emergence of the American nation. He has also worked with other historians and literary scholars on the Jamestown colony and biographical approaches to the Black Atlantic. His current project explores the history of sex, dating, and the law in the early years of the American Republic; it is called Ruined: A Story of Rape and Retribution in Old New York. |
HIST 81-001: Diaries, Memoirs, and Testimonies of the Holocaust |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Instructor(s): Karen Auerbach |
In ghettos and hiding places during the Holocaust, European Jews and other victims of Nazism recorded their experiences in diaries and other chronicles. Efforts to preserve individual histories continued after the war as survivors wrote memoirs and gave oral testimonies beginning in the earliest postwar years. In this course, students will read diaries, memoirs and literature as well as listen to oral histories to understand the history of the Holocaust through life narratives and to explore tensions between history and memory. Karen AuerbachProfessor Karen Auerbach is assistant professor of history and Stuart E. Eizenstat Fellow in the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies. She is the author of The House at Ujazdowskie 16: Jewish Families in Warsaw after the Holocaust (2013) and editor of Aftermath: Genocide, Memory and History (2015). Prior to arriving at UNC, she taught at universities in Australia and England as well as at Virginia Tech and Brown University. She has lived for extended periods in Poland, where she was based at the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw |
HIST 84-001: Monsters, Murders, and Mayhem in Microhistorical Analysis: French Case Studies |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM | Instructor(s): Jay M. Smith |
French history has recently witnessed an extraordinary outpouring of microhistorical studies covering a range of phenomena from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. This course explores both the distinctive features of microhistorical approaches to the past and the attractions of microhistory for the practicing historian. Does the efflorescence of microhistory among French specialists signal the maturity of socio-cultural history as a branch of the discipline, or does it instead signal the field’s sad retreat from grand interpretation and synthesis? Does the new appeal of the small-scale express historians’ capitulation to post-modern attacks on “truth” or new commitments to finding the truth? What are the strengths and limitations inherent to the genre? Students will read a sampling of recent work (much of it featuring murder and mayhem) and also try their hand at writing and otherwise formulating their own microhistorical narratives. Jay M. SmithJay M. Smith is a specialist of early-modern European history whose research focuses on old regime and revolutionary France. Author or editor of five books, his most recent book in French history is Monsters of the Gévaudan: The Making of a Beast (2011). |
HIST 89-001: The Environment in American History |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Joanna Smith |
In this course, students will analyze the ways in which Americans have both shaped and been shaped by their natural environment. Together, we will trace a selected history of interactions between humans and nature in America, focusing on the often-fraught intersection between political, economic, social, and religious understandings of nature. As we do so, we will examine the various answers that Americans have given to a set of slippery core questions: What responsibilities do humans have to the broader natural world? Are humans a part of nature, or outside of it? What, ultimately, is the nature of nature? This will be a dynamic course that requires students to connect the lessons of history to the world they inhabit today. In addition to learning from texts and primary historical sources, students will engage with podcasts, popular journalism, literature, and more. As a class, they will visit sites like the Coker Arboretum, the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery, and the Carolina Community Garden to explore how the environmental history they are studying has shaped even their most immediate on-campus surroundings. Students will also each have the opportunity to dive into a research projects on a contemporary environmental issue of their choosing. Joanna SmithDr. Joanna Sierks Smith has a PhD in American Religion. Her research focuses on nature, foodways, and environmental philosophy, and her most recent project on the history of the meat industry took her to slaughterhouses and farms around North Carolina. In addition to teaching, Dr. Smith serves as the Associate Director for State Outreach at Carolina Public Humanities, where she works with partners at community colleges, libraries, and historic sites around the state to organize public conversations about some of today’s most pressing issues – including environmental issues. |
IDST 89-001: "Says Who?" Climate Research and the Pursuit of Truth |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 PM | Instructor(s): Rebecca Patterson-Marcowitz, Joshua Miller, Hunter Hughes, Aurora Yu |
From battles in the courtroom to disputes in the comments section, scientific authority and its role in policy and practice are under increasing scrutiny. In 2021, more than 20% of adults in the United States were estimated to have little or no confidence in scientists and medical doctors. While distrust of research and academic institutions may seem like a uniquely modern issue, it is rooted in a broader history of anti-intellectualism, the “generalized suspicion and mistrust of intellectuals and experts”. In fact, debates over the nature of truth and whose “truth” is considered fact have persisted since antiquity. This course will introduce students to different theories of knowledge (e.g., positivism, constructivism, critical theory) and examine how each impacts what types of questions are asked, how data are gathered and analyzed, and the ways by which evidence is appraised. We will apply these systems of knowledge production to ongoing debates about climate change and its impacts on health and well-being. Teachings will focus on the validity of the scientific process while critically reviewing its shortcomings, from embedded power imbalances to the proclamation of value-free research. Students will also engage in discussions and exercises focused on ways to improve upon the status quo, including identification of innovative scientific research methods that promote equity, sustainability, and inclusivity. Rebecca Patterson-MarcowitzRebecca Patterson-Marcowitz is a feminist health geographer with an interest in embodiment as it relates to trauma, justice and healing. After completing an MA in Geography at the University of Arizona focused on the paths to justice and healing created by Guatemalan women survivors of sexualized political violence, her doctoral work takes up those same themes in the context of the US, looking at how healing frameworks are being integrated into movements for social justice and abolition. Rebecca’s research is informed by her background as a victim's advocate, dance teacher, and training in somatics. Joshua MillerJoshua (Josh) Miller is a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Nutrition. He uses a biocultural approach to understand how social and environmental factors influence health and development throughout the life course. His current research explores how food and water insecurity experiences during early life impact subsequent physical, psychosocial, and nutritional well-being. Hunter HughesHunter Hughes is a Ph.D. Candidate and Royster Fellow at UNC Chapel Hill’s Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Science. Hunter’s research is centered on coral reefs and climate change. Specifically, how can the chemistry of coral skeletons tell us about past tropical ocean conditions? Prior to becoming a Tar Heel, Hunter completed his master’s at the University of Maryland where he showed how small changes in seawater chemistry could have large impacts on coral-derived ocean temperatures. In keeping with his love of research, Hunter is passionate about educating the next generation of scholars in both marine and geosciences. Aurora YuAurora Yu is a third-year graduate student with interests primarily in Early Modern Philosophy, Ancient Greek Philosophy, Moral Theory, and 20th century Continental Philosophy. She holds a BA in Philosophy and Classics from the University of Rochester, and an MAPH from the University of Chicago. |
INLS 73-001: Smart Cities |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Arcot Rajasekar |
A smart city is one where the needs of a populace meet the needs of environmental sustainability. The balance between the social and environmental issues is governed by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) that power a smart city infrastructure. In this course, we learn about the influence of urban networks, smart city urban planning, energy as a catalyst of sustainable development, smart city infrastructure, sustainable transportation, flow of information and communications, smart grids, digital infrastructure and the role of data and information technology. We will discuss criteria for measuring the smartness of a city, including quality of life, citizen governance, and discuss issues that go towards the making of a future smart city. Several case studies will be presented with guest lecturers invited to present on critical thinking and practices in smart city development. Students will be involved in group projects to assess smartness of cities. Arcot RajasekarArcot Rajasekar is a Professor in the School of Library and Information Sciences, a Chief Scientist at the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) and co-Director of Data Intensive Cyber Environments (DICE) Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A leading proponent of policy-oriented large-scale data management, Rajasekar has several research projects funded by the NSF, NARA, NIH and other funding agencies. Rajasekar has a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Maryland at College Park and has more than 100 publications in the areas of data grids, digital library, persistent archives, logic programming and artificial intelligence. His latest projects include the Datanet Federation Consortium and the Data Bridge that is building a social network platform for scientific data. |
JWST 89-001: Jewish Spain: History and Culture Across the Hispanic World |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 8:00 AM – 9:15 AM | Instructor(s): Adam Cohn |
This seminar explores the history and culture of Jews in the Golden Age of medieval Spain, as well as how modern Hispanic cultures have interpreted and reimagined this historical past. We will explore how this fascination with Hispanic Jews overlaps with a variety of topics such as national identity, anti-Semitism, liberal democracy, colonialism, exile, and Holocaust memory, among others. Throughout this journey across time and space, we will think about the relevance of Jewish Spain, to our present by working with a diverse group of cultural products that includes poetry, paintings, film, memoirs, and novels. The texts we will study come from numerous Hispanic cultures: Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, and Cuba. No knowledge of Spanish or Jewish history is required. Adam CohnAdam Cohn specializes in modern Spanish literature, with a focus on the nexus of race, diaspora, and Judaism in early twentieth-century Spain. His current research project analyzes the relationship between liberal philosephardic thought and (anti-)colonialism in the Spanish novel. He is also interested in contemporary Jewish culture in Spain, Federico García Lorca, and Spanish Civil War literature. Adam holds a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and joined Carolina in fall 2023. |
MATH 130-01F: Precalculus Mathematics |
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FY Launch | TTH, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM | Instructor(s): Linda Green | Prerequisite, MATH 110; a grade of C- or better is required. |
Covers the basic mathematical skills needed for learning calculus. Topics are calculating and working with functions and data, introduction to trigonometry, parametric equations, and the conic sections. A student may not receive credit for this course after receiving credit for MATH 231. Linda GreenLinda Green is a teaching faculty member in mathematics. In her early career, she did research in 3-dimensional topology and developed mathematical models of breast cancer for a health care research start-up. Since joining the UNC faculty in 2013, she has taught every class in the Precalculus-Calculus sequence, designed two first year seminars, recorded over 300 instructional videos, and hosted math enrichment programs for K - 12 students. She was a 2018 recipient of the UNC Math Department’s Teaching Award and a 2022 recipient of a University Teaching Award. |
MATH 231H-01F: Calculus of Functions of One Variable I |
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FY Launch | MWF, 11:15 AM – 12:05 PM | Instructor(s): Ivan Cherednik | Lab/Recitation: MATH 231H-620 | Prerequisites, score of at least 32 on the ACT math test or score of at least 700 on the SAT math 2 subject test or grade of A- or higher in MATH 130 at UNC-CH (or have equivalent transfer credit) |
Math 231 is designed to provide a detailed introduction to the fundamental ideas of calculus. It does not assume any prior calculus knowledge, but the student is expected to be proficient working with functions and their graphs as well as manipulating variable expressions and solving equations using algebra. Students may not receive credit for both MATH 231 and MATH 241. This is the Honors section of Math 231. It offers a more demanding and deeper treatment than the regular sections as well as more involved applications. There will be more emphasis on understanding theory than in other sections, and students will be expected to understand and reproduce proofs of theorems and formulas. In addition, this section will cover extra topics. Applications will be more involved and will sometimes involve real data. Homework will be more challenging, with more emphasis on creative problem solving and less emphasis on drill. Students will be expected to complete a final project. Ivan CherednikProfessor Cherednik is Austin H. Carr Distinguished Professor of Mathematics. Trained at the Steklov Mathematics Institute of the Soviet Academy of Sciences and at Moscow State University, his areas of specialization are Representation Theory, Combinatorics, Number Theory, Harmonic Analysis, and Mathematical Physics. Cherednik's particular affection for Combinatorics is well known: he proved the celebrated Constant term conjecture in Combinatorics. His recent papers were in financial mathematics, on modeling epidemic spread, and on some aspects of AI. |
MUSC 120-01F: Foundations in Music |
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FY Launch | MW, 10:10 AM – 11:25 AM | Instructor(s): Naomi André |
If you are planning on majoring or minoring in music: this course is designed to open up the pathways in music at Carolina for you. It’s an introduction to the different approaches to thinking about and doing music–whether you’re an active performer, an electronic music fiend, a budding music researcher, an entrepreneurial arts administrator in the making…or more! Our classroom meetings expose students to a range of ways to “think about music,” emphasizing the breadth of routes music and sound take through human lives. As a foundational component of the music major and minor, the course emphasizes a range of genres of music making and fosters curious listening. Sometimes we’ll be challenged to think differently about very familiar sounds, sometimes challenged to connect to music very different from that we feel as ours. Expect to leave the semester with a new sense of what music can be for you at Carolina. Naomi André |
MUSC 51-001: The Interplay of Music and Physics |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Instructor(s): Laurie McNeil, Brent Wissick | Same as: PHYS 51-001 |
This seminar is for students who are interested in how music is made, how sound is produced in instruments, and how those sounds have been used in music making from ancient times to the present day. Students will study the basics of physics and music: wave motion, resonance, the perception of sound, scales, harmony, and music theory. Students who have never studied physics or music theory are welcome to enroll; there are no prerequisites. We will conduct four laboratory exercises (called etudes) in which students will work in small groups to investigate the acoustics of string, woodwind and brass instruments. Keyboards and percussion will also be considered, and students can pursue their areas of special interest in a research paper. The final project for each student will be a public performance of an original musical composition for an ensemble of instruments that the students have constructed themselves out of found objects. This class is taught in person and does not accommodate remote learners. This class meets in various locations according to a schedule listed on the class Sakai site. Laurie McNeilLaurie McNeil spent her childhood in Ann Arbor, Michigan before studying Chemistry and Physics at Radcliffe College (Harvard University) and Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she received her Ph.D. in 1982. After spending two years conducting research at MIT, she moved to Chapel Hill, where she has taught elementary physics, optics, solid-state physics, and materials science. Her seminar grows out of her life as a choral singer (and, earlier, a violinist and recorder player). When not singing with the Choral Society of Durham, she can be found in her laboratory using lasers to study the properties of materials. Brent WissickBrent Wissick has taught cello, chamber music and early music at UNC-CH since 1982; and performs across the US and abroad. But he has had a life-long interest in how instruments work and how sound is made. He loves encouraging musicians to understand some of these issues, and getting a broad range of science students involved in doing “musical” things. He thinks about physics when practicing the cello or viola da gamba, making CD recordings, rehearsing with ensembles, giving lessons and listening to music in a variety of spaces. He still wakes up every morning excited to make and study music with professional colleagues and undergraduates. |
MUSC 89-001: Music and Women's Rights |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Instructor(s): Anne MacNeil |
This seminar is about the protest songs and history of the First and Second Waves of American feminism, from the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 – where women declared their equality with men and called for women’s right to vote – to the passage of Roe v. Wade and the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s. Issues for discussion include the intersectionality of women’s rights and civil rights movements. Anne MacNeilProfessor MacNeil grew up in the women's rights movement of the 1960s and 70s, marching in Take Back the Night Rallies and singing the songs of the women's movement. My hometown of Ithaca, NY is about 40 miles from Seneca Falls, where the first Convention on Women's Rights was held July 19 and 20, 1848. My grandmother was a member of the Wyoming County Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), my mother was a Link Trainer operator during World War II, and my godmother authored the first women's reproductive rights legislation for the state of New York - the legislation on which Roe v. Wade is based. I am thrilled to be working with you all this semester and to be exploring the history and music of the American women's movements from the 19th to the 20th centuries. The material content of our course this semester pays homage to women's struggles for voting rights and equality - struggles that have resulted in 2020 in the inauguration of the first female vice-president of the United States. |
NSCI 175-01F: Introduction to Neuroscience |
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FY Launch | MWF, 12:20 PM – 1:10 PM | Instructor(s): Monica Gaudier-Diaz |
Neuroscience is a field that seeks to understand the structure and function of the nervous system and the brain. In this course, we will explore fundamental principles of neuroscience, involving molecular, cellular, behavioral, and computational mechanisms of the brain. Monica Gaudier-DiazAs a college student at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Professor Gaudier-Diaz became interested in understanding the biological basis of behavior, which is why she decided to pursue a career in neuroscience. Since completing her PhD at the Ohio State University, she strives to promote successful learning by incorporating activities that strengthen the retention of core concepts and creating an inclusive environment in the classroom. |
NSCI 175-02F: Introduction to Neuroscience |
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FY Launch | MWF, 1:25 PM – 2:15 PM | Instructor(s): Monica Gaudier-Diaz |
Neuroscience is a field that seeks to understand the structure and function of the nervous system and the brain. In this course, we will explore fundamental principles of neuroscience, involving molecular, cellular, behavioral, and computational mechanisms of the brain. Monica Gaudier-DiazAs a college student at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Professor Gaudier-Diaz became interested in understanding the biological basis of behavior, which is why she decided to pursue a career in neuroscience. Since completing her PhD at the Ohio State University, she strives to promote successful learning by incorporating activities that strengthen the retention of core concepts and creating an inclusive environment in the classroom. |
NSCI 61-001: Drug Addiction: Fact and Fiction |
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FY Seminar | MWF, 10:10 AM – 11:00 AM | Instructor(s): Kathryn Reissner |
Illicit and legal drugs make the user feel good but also promote the development of dependence and long-lasting changes in brain physiology. In this biological psychology seminar, we will take a multi-disciplinary approach to learn about the neurobiology of drug addiction with a focus on the following questions: How do we define addiction? What are the beneficial and harmful psychological effects of abused drugs? What has scientific research revealed about the neurobiology of the “brain on drugs”? Do most users become addicts? How is drug addiction treated? We will tackle these and other questions through classroom discussions/debates, lectures, movies, reading and writing assignments, and an optional tour of a residential substance abuse recovery program. In this communication intensive seminar, critical analysis of information about the neurobiology of addiction will be used to separate fact from fiction. Kathryn ReissnerKathryn (Kate) Reissner received her PhD from the University of California, where she performed research on the neurobiology of learning and memory. Dr. Reissner went on to perform postdoctoral research at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she studied the role of glutamate transport in the development of cocaine addiction. She joined the Department of Psychology at UNC-CH as an Assistant Professor in 2013. Research in the Reissner lab is focused on the long lasting changes in the brain’s reward circuitry induced by cocaine abuse which mediate enduring vulnerability to relapse, with emphasis on neuron-astrocyte interactions. |
PHIL 51-001: Who Was Socrates? |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM | Instructor(s): Rory Hanlon |
No one would deny that Socrates, a 5th century BC Greek philosopher, was quite strange. He is perhaps the foundational philosopher of the West, yet he did not write a single word and claimed to know nothing; he was accused of corrupting the youth and undermining political institutions, yet is seen as one of history’s most important moral thinkers; he is infamous for his irony and playfulness, yet saw himself on a divine mission to convert people to the ‘examined life’; he cared little for his personal affairs or hygiene, yet believed that the only important thing in life is the improvement of one’s soul. In this course, we will seek to understand Socrates’ strangeness: what Socrates represented and continues to represent for so many, why he has had so much influence, and what we might learn from him, even 2,500 years later. We will read ancient authors who knew Socrates himself, (e.g., Plato, Aristophanes, Xenophon) as well as modern thinkers who are inspired by Socrates (e.g., Martin Luther King Jr., Hannah Arendt). Rory HanlonRory Hanlon is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Program for Public Discourse and the Department of Philosophy. Rory’s interests center on Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, especially how the Greek and Roman philosophers thought about the mind, soul, life, and personhood (and this all relates to contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science). He also loves film, and so the philosophy of film, film theory, and the presentation of philosophy through film. |
PHIL 51-002: Who Was Socrates? |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM | Instructor(s): Rory Hanlon |
No one would deny that Socrates, a 5th century BC Greek philosopher, was quite strange. He is perhaps the foundational philosopher of the West, yet he did not write a single word and claimed to know nothing; he was accused of corrupting the youth and undermining political institutions, yet is seen as one of history’s most important moral thinkers; he is infamous for his irony and playfulness, yet saw himself on a divine mission to convert people to the ‘examined life’; he cared little for his personal affairs or hygiene, yet believed that the only important thing in life is the improvement of one’s soul. In this course, we will seek to understand Socrates’ strangeness: what Socrates represented and continues to represent for so many, why he has had so much influence, and what we might learn from him, even 2,500 years later. We will read ancient authors who knew Socrates himself, (e.g., Plato, Aristophanes, Xenophon) as well as modern thinkers who are inspired by Socrates (e.g., Martin Luther King Jr., Hannah Arendt). Rory HanlonRory Hanlon is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Program for Public Discourse and the Department of Philosophy. Rory’s interests center on Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, especially how the Greek and Roman philosophers thought about the mind, soul, life, and personhood (and this all relates to contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science). He also loves film, and so the philosophy of film, film theory, and the presentation of philosophy through film. |
PHIL 61-001: The Self: Aspiration and Transformation |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM | Instructor(s): Shanna Slank |
This class critically examines the idea of aspiration and transformation. Readings will be drawn from philosophy, fiction, and literary criticism. The first goal of this course is to allow you to reflect on the nature of transformation and aspiration. By the end of this course, you will have developed a clearer understanding of these ideas and have developed your own perspective on them. The second goal of this course is to introduce you to philosophical methods of thinking and writing that will allow you to approach the topic of this course critically and rigorously. Finally, I hope that this course will empower you to get the most out of your college education. By the end of this course, you will be able to articulate a vision of your educational trajectory that aligns with your current values and with those of who you want to become. Shanna SlankShanna Slank is a Research Fellow at the Kenan Institute of Ethics at Duke University and a Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Professor Slank likes to think about the nature of morality, about what it is to live well, and how we can know these things. Professor Slank is interested in how answers to these questions shape and are shaped by various kinds of social injustices. |
PHIL 78-001: Death as a Problem for Philosophy: Metaphysical and Ethical |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Instructor(s): Thomas Hofweber |
This course explores both old and new questions regarding death. It will examine the presuppositions and cogency of the classical religious-philosophical conception of death. Thomas HofweberThomas Hofweber is a professor of philosophy at UNC and the director of the AI Project. He works in metaphysics, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of mathematics, with a particular emphasis on ontology and on the role of conceptual and linguistic representation in metaphysics. He regularly teaches a class entitled “AI and the Future of Humanity”. |
PHIL 85-001: Reason, Religion, and Reality in the Copernican Revolution |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Instructor(s): Marc Lange |
The reasoning by which Galileo and his contemporaries defended the Copernican model of the solar system (the “heliocentric” model – that is, with the Earth orbiting the Sun rather than the Sun orbiting the Earth) can puzzle us even today. Here are a few of the questions that we could ask about the reasoning given by Copernicus, Galileo, and their contemporaries. Did Copernicus’s arguments support the heliocentric model strongly enough to justify believing it true? Or was it unjustified until Galileo amassed telescopic evidence for it? Or was it unjustified until even later – when Newtonian physics was developed? Or did it remain unjustified until even later – when various mechanical and optical discoveries were made in the nineteenth century? Was the Catholic Church justified at the time of Galileo in regarding Copernicus’s theory as just one among many fairly successful techniques for predicting the night sky’s appearance? Did Galileo bring his sentence (at his famous – and notorious – trial) on himself? Could Galileo argue persuasively for his telescope’s reliability? Could Galileo use mere “thought-experiments” (as opposed to actual experiments) to defend Copernicanism? In this course, we will grapple with these and related questions in order to arrive at a more nuanced understanding of the logic by which scientific theories in general are tested and, ultimately, justified. We will also try to use this historical episode to understand better how political, social, and cultural factors can influence the reception of a scientific theory – even today! We will learn some of the means by which the biases and presuppositions introduced by these factors were overcome (eventually) in the Copernican Revolution, and we will apply some of these lessons to current science. At various points during our discussions, each student will submit in written form his or her own best reconstructions of some of the arguments that were given for or against the Copernican model. In other words, each student will offer his or her best advice regarding how a given scientist might have argued for or against Copernicanism, anticipating possible objections and responses. Students will occasionally form groups to examine and to critique one another’s proposals, with each group finally presenting its best thoughts orally to the rest of the class for further discussion. Students will, in effect, be putting Galileo on trial once again – not for heresy or for disobeying authority, but for having convincing or for having insufficient evidence for his Copernicanism. In all of these ways, students will learn how to appreciate sympathetically the competing astronomical theories from the perspective of the 16th and 17th centuries, when the truth was in some doubt. Along the way, students will wrestle with some of the puzzles and apparent paradoxes arising even from today’s best philosophical accounts of the logic of theory testing in science. No previous background in science will be assumed. Students will not need to purchase any books. Marc LangeMarc Lange is Theda Perdue Distinguished Professor of Philosophy. He specializes in the philosophy of science and related areas of metaphysics, epistemology, and the philosophy of mathematics, along with the philosophy of physics and the philosophy of biology. He won UNC’s 2016 Distinguished Teaching Award for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction and a Bowman and Gordon Gray Distinguished Term Professorship for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. (For a brief sample of his teaching, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SKmqh5Eu4Y) |
PHYS 118-02F: Introductory Calculus-based Mechanics and Relativity |
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FY Launch | MWF, 9:05 AM – 9:55 AM | Instructor(s): Yue Wu | Lab/Recitation: PHYS 118-401, MW, 10:10 AM - 12:00 PM (this studio lab operates as the FY Launch) | Prerequisite, MATH 231; Pre- or corequisite, MATH 232; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites. |
Mechanics of particles and rigid bodies. Newton’s laws; mechanical and potential energy; mechanical conservation laws; frame-dependence of physical laws; Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Students may not receive credit for PHYS 118 in addition to PHYS 104, 114, or 116. The lecture (PHYS 118-02F; meeting MWF, 9:05 AM – 9:55 AM; taught by Reyco Henning) is a large class shared with other lecture sections of PHYS 118. The studio lab (PHYS 118-401; meeting MW, 10:10 AM – 12:00 PM; taught by Yue Wu) is the First-Year Launch section. Yue WuYue WU was born in Beijing, November 1959. He began his undergraduate education at Peking University in 1978 and in 1979, he moved to Belgium to study at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) majoring in physics and received his B.S. degree in July of 1983. He then went on to obtain a Ph.D. degree in physics in December of 1987 at KU Leuven under the supervision of Professor Andre Stesmans. Between 1988 and 1991, he was a postdoctoral research associate with Professor Alex Pines at the Department of Chemistry of the University of California, Berkeley. In 1991, Yue Wu started as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was promoted in 1998 to associate professor, and then professor in 2003. He is currently a Kenan Distinguished Professor at UNC. Yue Wu is a member of APS, MRS, and AAAS and is an elected fellow of the American Physical Society. |
PHYS 118H-02F: Introductory Calculus-based Mechanics and Relativity |
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FY Launch | MWF, 9:05 AM – 9:55 AM | Instructor(s): Amy Oldenburg | Lab/Recitation: PHYS 118H-402 (this studio lab operates as the FY Launch) | Prerequisite, MATH 231; Pre- or corequisite, MATH 232; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites. |
PHYS 118 is a calculus-based introduction to Classical Mechanics. The course covers motion and kinematics in one and two dimensions, forces and Newton’s laws of motion, work-energy and conservation laws, frames of reference and Einstein’s theory of special relativity, rigid-body rotations, rolling, static equilibrium, and oscillations and waves. The lecture (PHYS 118H-02F; meeting MWF, 9:05 AM – 9:55 AM; taught by Reyco Henning) is a large class shared with other lecture sections of PHYS 118. The studio lab (PHYS 118H-402; meeting TTH, 10:10 AM – 12:00 PM; taught by Amy Oldenburg) is the honors First-Year Launch section. The honors version of this course is differentiated by requiring a final project and presentation. Early in the semester, each honors student will identify a project of interest and submit the idea to the instructor, who will evaluate and discuss changes or other details with the student to finalize the curriculum for the semester. Suitable project choices will integrate multiple topics covered in the course and will require a detailed description and a brief literature review of relevant papers. A computational aspect is highly encouraged. Amy Oldenburg |
PHYS 51-001: The Interplay of Music and Physics |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Instructor(s): Laurie McNeil, Brent Wissick | Same as: MUSC 51-001 |
This seminar is for students who are interested in how music is made, how sound is produced in instruments, and how those sounds have been used in music making from ancient times to the present day. Students will study the basics of physics and music: wave motion, resonance, the perception of sound, scales, harmony, and music theory. Students who have never studied physics or music theory are welcome to enroll; there are no prerequisites. We will conduct four laboratory exercises (called etudes) in which students will work in small groups to investigate the acoustics of string, woodwind and brass instruments. Keyboards and percussion will also be considered, and students can pursue their areas of special interest in a research paper. The final project for each student will be a public performance of an original musical composition for an ensemble of instruments that the students have constructed themselves out of found objects. This class is taught in person and does not accommodate remote learners. This class meets in various locations according to a schedule listed on the class Sakai site. Laurie McNeilLaurie McNeil spent her childhood in Ann Arbor, Michigan before studying Chemistry and Physics at Radcliffe College (Harvard University) and Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she received her Ph.D. in 1982. After spending two years conducting research at MIT, she moved to Chapel Hill, where she has taught elementary physics, optics, solid-state physics, and materials science. Her seminar grows out of her life as a choral singer (and, earlier, a violinist and recorder player). When not singing with the Choral Society of Durham, she can be found in her laboratory using lasers to study the properties of materials. Brent WissickBrent Wissick has taught cello, chamber music and early music at UNC-CH since 1982; and performs across the US and abroad. But he has had a life-long interest in how instruments work and how sound is made. He loves encouraging musicians to understand some of these issues, and getting a broad range of science students involved in doing “musical” things. He thinks about physics when practicing the cello or viola da gamba, making CD recordings, rehearsing with ensembles, giving lessons and listening to music in a variety of spaces. He still wakes up every morning excited to make and study music with professional colleagues and undergraduates. |
PHYS 53-001: Handcrafting in the Nanoworld: Building Models and Manipulating Molecules |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Otto Zhou |
This seminar provides a general introduction to nanoscience and nanotechnology, focusing on recent advances in molecular electronics, nanomaterials, and biomedical research. Course activities include group model-building projects, presentations, and discussions of reading material. Otto Zhou |
PHYS 55-001: Introduction to Mechatronics |
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FY Seminar | MW, 10:10 AM – 11:25 AM | Instructor(s): Stefan Jeglinski | Lab/Recitation: PHYS 55-401 or PHYS 55-402 |
Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary synergy of STEM fields, specifically physics, engineering, electronics, and computer science. All students, regardless of their educational goals, will achieve critical introductory skills in numerical reasoning and analysis, model-building and prototyping, computer programming and electronics, and will demonstrate proficiency and knowledge about topics that increasingly impact society. The course focuses on four areas: Numeracy and Proportional Reasoning, Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing, Computer Technology (Programming and Electronics), and Current and Future technologies (aka, shall we welcome our new mechatronic overlords – robotics, AI, quantum computing, with a new emphasis on disruptive technologies such as ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion). The course goals are to prepare students for academic success at UNC, to help science students be more capable scientists, and to help ALL students be stronger and better-informed citizens of the world. Stefan JeglinskiIn a previous 30-year private-sector career, Stefan Jeglinski designed and built instrumentation, learned to program from scratch, and performed R&D for large and small companies. For five years he was actually a rocket scientist, so when he says “this ain’t rocket science,” he knows what he’s talking about! He broke away from rockets to complete his PhD in experimental condensed matter physics at the University of Utah, and then returned to industry where he spent over 15 years in all aspects of product development for electron microscopy. He landed at UNC in 2010 to share everything he’s learned and to study new disruptive technologies. In addition to his love of teaching physics, he brings a lifetime of real-world experience and stories about building, making, and engineering across disciplines. |
PLCY 54-001: U.S. Immigration |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 8:00 AM – 9:15 AM | Instructor(s): Joaquín Rubalcaba |
This seminar provides students with an opportunity to discuss current topics in United States immigration. Students will explore theories of migration, acculturation and assimilation, and the ways in which policies influence the well-being of immigrants. Joaquín RubalcabaJoaquín Alfredo-Angel Rubalcaba is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Policy at UNC Chapel Hill. Dr. Rubalcaba received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of New Mexico and is an alumnus of the RWJF doctoral fellows program. His areas of interests broadly include health and labor economics. Specifically, he has explored the health and labor market outcomes among underrepresented and disadvantaged communities, while developing new empirical techniques to investigate the economic mechanisms and public policies driving these outcomes. Currently, Dr. Rubalcaba’s research addresses the role of public policy in the overall socioeconomic wellbeing of immigrant communities. In this line of research, he investigates how policies such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and the Real ID Act have impacted labor supply behavior and health insurance coverage. In another line of research, Dr. Rubalcaba is exploring new empirical techniques to estimate economic values. This particular research has demonstrated an empirically tractable method to assign economic value to health conditions, such as diabetes, ultimately increasing the economic tools used to inform policy decisions. |
PLCY 76H-001: Global Health Policy |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM | Instructor(s): Benjamin Meier |
Global health policy impacts the health and well being of individuals and peoples throughout the world. Many determinants of health operate at a global level, and many national policies, social practices, and individual health behaviors are structured by global forces. Concern for the spread of infectious diseases, increasing rates of chronic diseases and the effectiveness of health systems to provide quality care are among the daunting challenges to health policy makers. Benjamin MeierProfessor Benjamin Meier’s interdisciplinary research—at the intersection of international law, public policy, and global health—examines the human rights norms that underlie global health policy. In teaching UNC courses in Justice in Public Policy, Health & Human Rights, and Global Health Policy, Professor Meier has been awarded the 2011 William C. Friday Award for Excellence in Teaching, the 2013 James M. Johnston Teaching Excellence Award, the 2015 Zachary Taylor Smith Distinguished Professorship in Undergraduate Teaching, and six straight annual awards for Best Teacher in Public Policy. He received his Ph.D. in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University, his J.D. and LL.M. in International and Comparative Law from Cornell Law School, and his B.A. in Biochemistry from Cornell University. |
PLCY 85-001: Reforming America's Schools |
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FY Seminar | MW, 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM | Instructor(s): Douglas Lauen |
This seminar will examine the role of schools and other institutions play in determining life chances, which educational interventions work well for economically and academically disadvantaged students, and what to do when institutions cease to work well. Students will learn how to analyze complex educational public policy problems while exploring questions of effectiveness, inequality, resource management, and politics. Douglas LauenDr. Douglas Lauen’s work seeks to understand the effects of educational policies, school types, and school contextual factors on student outcomes. He focuses on areas that policymakers can control and that have high relevance to current educational policy debates, such as classroom poverty composition, educational accountability, performance incentives, and school choice. |
PLCY 87-001: Education in a Multicultural Society |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Instructor(s): Simona Goldin |
This course focuses on education in the multicultural society of the United States. Diversity has been at the center of the American educational story, as society has continued to struggle with competing goals of assimilation and diversity, opportunity, and competition. The American dream that promises a better life through education has played out unevenly for different groups. This course aims to help students develop new understandings of the role and nature of schools and teaching, as well as to construct alternative perspectives on and approaches to examining educational issues. It will study inequality in public education in a way that is place-based, featuring extended opportunities for engaged learning in and around UNC. Simona GoldinDr. Simona Goldin is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Public Policy. Dr. Goldin has studied ways to transform the preparation of beginning teachers to teach in more racially just and equitable ways, and has elaborated the teaching practices that bridge children’s work in schools on academic content with their home and community-based experiences. Dr. Goldin holds a master’s degree in management and urban policy analysis from the New School University, and a Ph.D. in educational studies from the University of Michigan. |
PLCY 89-003: Ethics and Food Policy |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Nora Hanagan |
If you eat, you are impacted by federal, state, and local food policies. These policies are, in turn, shaped by values. Over the course of the semester, we examine the values that underpin different approaches to food policy, including food labeling, nutrition assistance, agricultural subsidies, and responses to food deserts. Nora HanaganProfessor Nora Hanagan studies political ideas. She is particularly interested in the ideas that have animated American politics and history. She also researches different approaches to environmental and food politics. Her book, Democratic Responsibility: The Politics of Many Hands in America, examines whether individuals bear responsibility for harms that are caused by social institutions and processes. She is also affiliated with the Program for Public Discourse and the Philosophy, Politics, and Economic Program. When she isn’t chasing her young children around, she likes gardening and hiking. She is also still trying to make a sourdough starter. |
POLI 100-01F: American Democracy in Changing Times |
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FY Launch | TTH, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM | Instructor(s): Marc J. Hetherington |
Why do Americans love democracy, but hate politics? Why are there only two political parties? Why do voters hate, yet respond to negative campaigning? This course will introduce students to politics in the United States, addressing these and many more questions about how American democracy works. Marc J. HetheringtonMarc J. Hetherington is Raymond Dawson Distinguished Bicentennial Professor in the Department of Political Science. A scholar of public opinion, he specializes in the study of political trust and party polarization. Over the past year, Marc has devoted his research to the impact of politics and science colliding in the context of Covid-19. He’s authored a range of academic books and published articles in his discipline’s major journals. As for teaching, Marc regularly offers courses on American Government, Political Parties, Public Opinion, and Polarization. |
POLI 57-001: Democratic Governance in Contemporary Latin America |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Instructor(s): Jonathan Hartlyn |
Over the past forty years, Latin America has experienced the most prolonged and extensive period of democratic politics in its history. State power today is accessed through reasonably competitive and fair elections in many countries in the region, in contrast to past patterns of openly authoritarian rule. This democratic shift, though, has often been challenged by serious problems with political representation and the effective inclusion of citizens, and in some cases with more serious setbacks. The way power is practiced by those in power reflects historical continuities and new forms of corruption or other types of abuses of state resources, as well as various forms of populism. With important variations across the region, countries have struggled to respond effectively to the Covid-19 pandemic, and more broadly to provide citizen security, economic development and social inclusion. Jonathan HartlynJonathan Hartlyn is the Kenneth J. Reckford Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He grew up in Latin America, in Cuba, Mexico and Peru. He received his B.A. from Clark University, and a M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Yale University. His research and teaching interests focus on the comparative politics of Latin America. He spent several months in Argentina in fall 2017 advancing on his current research on democratic governance in the region. He also has on-going research on constitutional change in Latin America and on the dynamics of executive approval. |
POLI 63-001: Social Movements and Political Protest and Violence |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Instructor(s): Pamela Conover |
This seminar focuses on explaining and understanding social movements and the collective political behaviors that they promote (e.g. demonstrations, protests, violence, and eco-terrorism). Our theoretical focus will be interdisciplinary, drawing on research in political behavior, social psychology, sociology, political theory, and the law. We will discuss when and why collective action occurs, who participates, what forms it takes, and how governments respond. Substantively, we will study a variety of movements including: Black Lives Matter, #MeToo movement, the Environmental movement, the White Nationalist movement, COVID protests, and the January 6th Capitol protest. We will use a variety of approaches and resources: class discussions, films, online forum discussions, and texts. Grades will be based on class participation, forum participation, a writing project, and several group papers. Pamela ConoverPamela Conover, Burton Craige Professor of Political Science, was educated at Emory University and received her Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. Professor Conover teaches courses dealing with political psychology, women and politics, and social movements and political protest. In the past, Professor Conover’s research has concerned the nature of political thinking and the politics of identity and citizenship. She also coauthored the book Feminism and the New Right. Her current research is focused on election aversion, religious freedom, and the effect of worldviews on political behavior. In her spare time, she enjoys cycling, yoga and being walked by her two golden retrievers, Sophie and Henry. |
POLI 76-001: The Obama Presidency |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Instructor(s): Christopher Clark |
This course examines the presidency of Barack Obama, the first African American to serve in the nation’s highest office. The course is broken down into four parts. The first part studies Shirley Chisholm and Jesse Jackson, two black people who ran for President prior to Obama. The second part examines Obama prior to running for office, reading a book that he authored. The third part of the class examines Obama’s presidency, both how he reached office and a look back at what he achieved while in office. The last part of the class considers American politics post-Obama, with a particular focus on race/ethnicity. Christopher ClarkChristopher J. Clark’s research focuses on black electoral representation and its influence on political processes. Clark earned his Ph.D. in Political Science in 2010 from the University of Iowa, and he has been on faculty at UNC since July 2012. Chris is a huge sports fan, with his favorite team being the Kansas City Chiefs. He is married to Tiana and is father of Kaya, Cadence, and Kinlee; they all bring him great joy. Chris enjoys reading, cooking, playing sports, and he is active in his church community. |
POLI 77-001: Immigrants and Refugees in World Politics |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM | Instructor(s): Niklaus Steiner |
The movement of people across international borders is one of the most politically controversial issues in the world today. This class focuses on two different types of global migrants, immigrants and refugees, and explores why these two groups move out of their countries and how they are treated by receiving countries. Immigrants and refugees have traditionally been thought of as politically, legally and ethically different from each other and this class explores these differences, but it also explores the many ways that they are similar. Finally, the class explores a third type of global migrant that politicians and policy makers frequently promote, guest workers, and considers to what extent guest worker policies can effectively address the challenges and opportunities posed by the two other migrant groups. This class encourages students from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to enroll because it benefits significantly from including such diversity. Niklaus SteinerNiklaus Steiner is a native of Thun, Switzerland, who moved to Chapel Hill with his family when his father became a professor at Carolina. He earned a bachelor’s degree with highest honors in international studies at UNC and a Ph.D. in political science at Northwestern University. He has had the good fortune of moving between cultures his whole life and because of this experience, his teaching and research interests are around immigration, refugees, human rights, nationalism, and citizenship. His textbook, International Migration and Citizenship Today seeks to facilitate classroom discussions on admission and membership in liberal democracies, and he is currently working on a 2nd edition. Before joining the political science department in 2020, he enjoyed working at UNC’s Center for Global Initiatives, the last 15 as the director, and he is especially proud of the work he and many colleagues from across campus did to bring diversity, equity and inclusion into global education at Carolina. When not at work, Niklaus is often cutting or replanting flowers in the garden, walking in the woods with his family or making something up in the kitchen. |
PSYC 58H-001: The Psychology of Mental States and Language Use |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Instructor(s): Jennifer Arnold |
As adults we constantly make judgments about other people’s beliefs, desires, goals, knowledge, and intentions from evidence like eye gaze and inferences from their words and actions. These judgments together can be called mindreading, or theory of mind (where “theory” refers to the theory someone might hold about another’s mental state, not a scientific theory). This information is known to guide some aspects of language use — for example, you wouldn’t ask someone to hand you “that book” if they don’t know it exists. But sometimes you might ignore what someone else does or does not know – for instance asking someone for “the red book” when that person is sitting in front of two red books. This course examines how children, adults, and individuals with autism infer other people’s mental states, and how they use it to guide decisions during speaking and understanding. A major focus of this course is on research methods, and how to investigate questions of mental state and language processing empirically. The course culminates in students conducting an original research project and reporting it in both spoken and written formats. Jennifer ArnoldDr. Jennifer Arnold is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. She studies the ways that our minds handle the jobs of speaking and understanding. How do speakers choose words and produce them? How do listeners pick out the speaker’s meaning? Her research is guided by questions about how people represent the thoughts, intentions, and mental activities of other people, and how this information influences specific linguistic processes. |
PWAD 89-015: September 11: Origins, Consequences, and Where Do We Go From Here |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Erinn Whitaker |
This first-year seminar will reflect upon the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, exploring how the terrorist attacks occurred and why the U.S. intelligence community and policymakers failed to anticipate and prevent them as well as the subsequent effects on the United States, the Middle East, and the world. The instructor, a former intelligence analyst, will lead students in discussions and in-class exercises to encourage critical analysis of the implications of terrorism, particularly on United States national security. A variety of assignments will require students to assess the causes and results of American national security decisions and alternative decisions that might have been made, supported with research and evidence. Erinn WhitakerErinn Whitaker, a former senior analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency and US State Department, is a Professor of the Practice for the Peace, War and Defense Curriculum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With nearly 15 years of experience overseas and in Washington, teaches courses such as “Writing and Briefing for Intelligence,” “Comparative Intelligence Regimes,” and “Cases in Counter Intelligence,” helping students interested in careers ranging from intelligence to public policy to journalism strengthen their written and oral communication skills. Whitaker earned a BA from Middlebury College, where she spent a year studying Russia in Siberia, and a MA from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. She speaks German and Russian. |
RELI 63-001: The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls |
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FY Seminar | MW, 5:00 PM – 6:15 PM | Instructor(s): Jodi Magness |
The Dead Sea Scrolls have been described as the most important archaeological discovery of the 20th century. The first scrolls were discovered in 1947, in a cave near the site of Qumran by the Dead Sea. Eventually the remains of over 900 scrolls were found in 11 caves around Qumran. The scrolls date to the time of Jesus and include the earliest preserved copies of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). They were deposited in the caves by members of a Jewish sect called the Essenes who lived at Qumran. In this seminar, students explore the meaning and significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls – and learn about broader issues such as how canons of sacred scripture developed among Jews and Christians – through classroom discussions, thought papers, and creative assignments. Jodi MagnessJodi Magness is the Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism. Before coming to UNC–Chapel Hill in 2002, she taught at Tufts University for ten years. Professor Magness received her B.A. in Archaeology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and her Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania. She has participated on numerous excavations in Israel and Greece, and currently directs excavations at Huqoq in Israel. Professor Magness’ publications include a book entitled The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls (2002). |
RELI 67-001: Nature/Culture/Self-Identity: Religion in the Construction of Social Life |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Instructor(s): Lauren Leve |
Beliefs about what a human being is—and isn’t—lie at the root of all religious traditions and also of secular ideologies. This course explores the ways that different religious and cultural communities have conceptualized human nature, and how those understandings are reflected in diverse forms of personal identity and ways of organizing public life. Readings will include historic and contemporary texts, and case studies from places including India, Nepal, and the USA. We will structure our inquiries around three thematic questions: (1) How do religious beliefs and practices shape the way that individuals and societies understand what it is to be human? (2) How do these beliefs manifest in seemingly unrelated areas of life such as personal aspirations, gender ideals, social structures, political institutions, and economic ideologies? (3) How do we know what we know about these things—i.e., what theories and methods do scholars use to understand other societies and also their own? This course also involves an experiential component that allows students to undertake original research. Lauren LeveLauren Leve received her Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology. Now an associate professor of Religious Studies, she has been living and working in Nepal since 1990; sometimes for a few weeks at a time, sometimes for a few years. Her research has also brought her to Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, and Singapore. She has written on topics that include Buddhism, globalization, women’s empowerment, theories of rural revolution, human rights, and suffering. Her recent book is titled “The Buddhist Art of Living in Nepal: Ethical Practice and Religious Reform.” She is currently working on a project on gender, health, politics, and the rise of Christianity in Nepal. Professor Leve is grateful to the monks, nuns, householders, newly-literate women, NGO staff, Maoists, Christians and others who have opened their lives to her and taught her to (try to) see through their eyes. She reports that it’s a little disorienting at first, but that once you learn to learn from others’ perspectives, there’s no better way to live in the world! |
RELI 70-001: Jesus in Scholarship and Film |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM | Instructor(s): Bart Ehrman |
This seminar will examine how historians have reconstructed the life, teachings and death of the historical Jesus. We will look at the Gospels of the New Testament, as well as references to Jesus in other writings (Roman and Jewish sources, as well as Gospels that did not make it into the New Testament). In addition, we will explore how Jesus has been portrayed in modern film, including such Biblical “epics” as The Greatest Story Ever Told, such “period pieces” as Jesus Christ Superstar, such brilliant retellings as Jesus of Montreal and such controversial films as The Last Temptation of Christ and The Passion of the Christ. The ultimate goals of the seminar are to see what we can say about the historical man Jesus himself and how Jesus came to be portrayed in both ancient sources and modern imagination. Bart EhrmanBart Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies. He has taught at Carolina since 1988. He is author or editor of thirty books and is widely regarded as a leading expert on the New Testament and the history of the early Christian church. He is also a well-known teacher on campus, having won the Undergraduate Students Teaching Award, the Bowman and Gordon Gray Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the John William Pope Center Spirit of Inquiry Teaching Award. |
RELI 72-001: Apocalypse Now? Messianic Movements in America |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Yaakov Ariel |
This course explores the messianic idea in America as well as the messianic movements that have been active in the nation’s history and their interaction with American society and culture. Yaakov ArielMuch of Yaakov Ariel’s research has focused on Protestantism, especially Evangelical Christianity, and its attitudes towards the Jewish people and the Holy Land; on Christian-Jewish relations in the late modern era; and on the Jewish reaction to modernity and postmodernity. He has published numerous articles and three books on these subjects. One of these books, Evangelizing the Chosen People, was awarded the Albert C. Outler prize by the American Society of Church History. His latest book, An Unusual Relationship: Evangelical Christians and Jews, was published in 2013 by New York University Press. His current project looks at the religious aspects in the life and career of poet Allen Ginsberg who was, in significant ways, a pioneer and prophet to many of his generation. |
RELI 78-001: Reading the Bible: Now and Then |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM | Instructor(s): David Lambert |
An introduction to the interpretation of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. We will look at the biblical text as modern interpreters and through the eyes of the Bible’s earliest Jewish and Christian interpreters with special attention to changing assumptions about how to read the Bible and the nature of Scripture itself. David LambertDavid Lambert is interested in the Hebrew Bible as a textual object whose interpretation stands to tell us as much about its readers and their communities as it does about ancient Israelite origins. In that vein, he looks to bring historical critical approaches to the Hebrew Bible into closer conversation with the history of biblical interpretation.This theme comes to the fore in his forthcoming book, How Repentance Became Biblical: Judaism, Christianity, and the Interpretation of Scripture. It considers the development of repentance as a concept around the turn of the Common Era and how it came to be naturalized as an essential component of religion through a series of reading practices that allowed nascent Jewish and Christian communities to locate repentance in Scripture. He works with a wide range of literature, and this project involves texts from throughout the corpus of the Hebrew Bible, as well as late Second Temple Judaism (Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, and Dead Sea Scrolls), Hellenistic Judaism, the New Testament, and Rabbinic literature. He is now focusing on a series of studies that aim to assess more broadly how modern Western notions of the subject have shaped biblical interpretation and, especially, translation practices. |
ROML 55H-001: Writing with an Accent: Latino Literature and Culture |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Instructor(s): Oswaldo Estrada |
This seminar focuses on the literary production of Latinos living in the U.S. Using a variety of materials (essays, documentaries, films, music) and English-language texts (novels, short stories, plays, poetry) we will examine works by Chicano, Peruvian-American, Nuyorican, Central-American-American, Dominican, and Cuban-American writers. Topics to be discussed include: Latino or Hispanic? What’s in a Name?; The politics of Bilingualism; The search for Home in Migrant, Rural, and Urban Environments; The Many Faces of Machismo; Religion and Spirituality in Latino Communities; Forms of Prejudice and Discrimination; Music as a Cultural Bridge. All readings will be in English, though knowledge of Spanish is desirable. Oswaldo EstradaOswaldo Estrada is a Peruvian-American writer and literary critic. He is a Professor of Latin American Literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has authored or edited over a dozen books of literary and cultural criticism. He is the author of a children’s book, El secreto de los trenes (2018), and of three collections of short stories, Luces de emergencia (2019; International Latino Book Awards 2020), Las locas ilusiones y otros relatos de migración (2020; International Latino and Latin American Book Fair Prize 2020), and Las guerras perdidas (2021). He has recently edited the short-story collection Incurables: Relatos de dolencias y males (2020; International Latino Book Awards 2020). |
ROML 89-001: Iberian Identities |
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FY Seminar | MWF, 9:05 AM – 9:55 AM | Instructor(s): Paulo Rodrigues Ferreira |
Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, numerous Iberian intellectuals promoted the idea that Portugal and Spain could combine efforts to overcome the crises that plagued the Peninsula. The Iberian intelligentsia came up with theories whose aim was to bring Portugal, Spain, and their ex-colonies closer together. In this course, students will become familiar with the contemporary histories of Portugal and Spain and with Iberian literature. Students will study culture from perspectives that may inspire them to reflect upon concepts such as decadence and identity. Furthermore, we will discuss the connections between the end of the Iberian colonial adventure in America and the crises that led the elites of both countries to meditate on the necessity of rediscovering new lifestyles. We will address the following questions: Why is it utopian to think that Portugal and Spain could become a single country? What does it mean to be Portuguese, Spanish, and European? Paulo Rodrigues FerreiraPaulo Rodrigues Ferreira is a Lecturer of Portuguese. He received his Ph. D. in Contemporary History from the University of Lisbon, Portugal. He specializes in Iberian studies. In his doctoral thesis, he analyzed the cultural relations between Portugal and Spain, and focused on the evolution of the concept of Iberism – or the utopian dream that Portugal and Spain could form a unified country. Aside from publishing articles on the Iberian relations, he has been doing research on topics related to Portuguese literature. He is also a writer of fiction and has published three collections of short stories and a novel. |
ROML 89-002: What Makes Language Funny? An Exploration of Language Through Humor |
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FY Seminar | MWF, 11:15 AM – 12:05 PM | Instructor(s): Bruno Estigarribia |
This course provides an introduction to the study of language (the science of Linguistics) through an exploration of how humor uses structural and discourse properties of human language for comedic effect. Students will examine how different features of spoken and written language, as well as contextualized communication are put to the service of jokes, comedy skits, cartoons, and other kinds of wordplay. We will use both instructor-contributed and student contributed clips, anecdotes, jokes, tiktoks, etc., in order to illuminate why we find them funny (or not!), what can we learn about language from our reactions (or lack thereof!), and just plain have fun in the process. Bruno EstigarribiaBruno Estigarribia trained in Linguistics at the Université Paris V-René Descartes-Sorbonne and Stanford University. His 2007 dissertation explained children’s acquisition of English questions. From 2007 to 2011, he was a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Faculty in UNC’s Psychology Department, working on the language development of children with neurodevelopment disabilities and teaching Cognitive Science. Now he is a Professor of Hispanic Linguistics in the Department of Romance Studies, where he investigates the structure of Argentinian Spanish and of indigenous languages of the Amazon. He has recently published "A Grammar of Paraguayan Guarani" (UCL Press, Open Access Online). |
STOR 120-03F: Foundations of Statistics and Data Science |
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FY Launch | MWF, 10:10 AM – 11:00 AM | Instructor(s): Serhan Ziya | Lab/Recitation: STOR 120-408 |
This course teaches critical concepts and skills in computer programming and statistical inference, in conjunction with hands-on analysis of real-world datasets, including economic data, document collections, geographical data, and social networks. It delves into social issues surrounding data analysis such as privacy and design. Serhan ZiyaSerhan Ziya is a Professor in the Department of Statistics and Operations Research. He holds a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. His specialization area is using mathematical modeling and data science in problems that are directly motivated by practical contexts. He is particularly interested in problems that are related to healthcare and emergency operations, but he has also been involved in research projects that are related to operational improvements in various business settings. |
WGST 67H-001: Sexuality and Salvation |
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FY Seminar | MW, 12:20 PM – 1:35 PM | Instructor(s): Sarah J. Bloesch |
In Christianity and Islam, bodies populate the afterlife. What those bodies look like, how they act, what they feel, and who they engage with are subjects of contentious and long-standing debates. The various answers offered in these debates deeply affect Christian and Muslim responses to the body, sexuality, race, and gender in this life. This course examines how these two religious traditions’ diversity of histories and ideas construct theories of identity. In each tradition, we will look at attempts to dictate a wide variety of sexual norms and at the creativity followers have employed in interpreting such regulations. We examine the many ways that Muslims and Christians have used sexual practices, language, and images to enhance their devotion and pose questions about living out religion. This means analyzing how the afterlife affects earthly life, including family structures, health care debates, legal choices, questions of feminist agency, and imagery of war. Sarah J. BloeschSarah J. Bloesch (she/her) is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She teaches feminist and queer approaches to film, popular culture, and spirituality. Her research focuses on Christianity, gender, and race in the contemporary United States and how those aspects shape our understanding of sexuality, time, and relationships. She is the co-editor of the textbook Cultural Approaches to Studying Religion: An Introduction to Theories and Methods and loves spending time with her dog: a boxer mix, who is obviously the best puppy in the world. |
WGST 68-001: Assumed Identities: Performance in Photography |
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FY Seminar | TTH, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Instructor(s): Susan Harbage Page |
Our day to day lives are filled with selfies and social media images. This course asks students to re-examine these images through feminist analysis. Students will make self-portraits that reflect the multiple and changing aspects of their identity and contemporary society. Thru role-playing, performance, and documentation we work to understand the construction of identity and the ways in which photography can help us control our own narratives. We begin the semester with a close look at the ethics and issues of representation throughout the history of photography. Using visual analysis, we explore how photographers have historically used assumed identities and theatrical aspects of photography to push the boundaries of their realities and challenge society’s stereotypes. Students will complete the semester with a stronger set of visual literacy skills and a better understanding of how our identities are shaped by society and how we shape our identities and society in return. There are no specific camera requirements. Phone cameras are the perfect tool for this course. Susan Harbage PageSusan Harbage Page is an Associate Professor in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies. Harbage Page is a visual artist with a background in photography and lens-based work that explores immigration, race, and gender. She is well-known for her work on the U.S. – Mexico Border which explores bodies and belonging through photography, the creation of an "Anti-Archive" of objects left-behind on the border and site-specific art interventions which involve performative actions in the space of a border. |