| Through the First-Year Seminar in Liberal
Studies, first-year students begin to experience intellectual
life at the university level. It is a primary goal of the
Liberal Studies program to promote a lifelong love of learning.
ANTH 190 The Cherokee World
Co-taught by a member of the Eastern Band and a non-Indian Cherokee Studies faculty member, this course explores the Cherokee history and current culture around us, while placing a heavy emphasis on students meeting Western's faculty, as well as Cherokee elders, artists. It is a unique opportunity to learn about issues of diversity, about what the Native American experience has been and is like today in America.
BIOL 192 Plant Biodiversity
Southern Appalachian plant diversity as a background in botanical sciences. Experience with field identification techniques and human use of plants in medicines, foods, and fiber.
CHEM 194 Forensic Chemistry
This course is an introduction to Forensic Science and Chemistry. In this course, we learn the role of forensic science in the US criminal justice system. Specifically we learn about the collection and handling of evidence and the subsequent measurement and analysis of scientific data.
CIS 195 The Information Society at Work
Students explore the changes information technology has made in their lives and community, and learn how computer culture affects their work, study, family and play.
CJ 190 Controversies in Criminal Justice
Topical issues in Criminal Justice are explored and discussed
in the context of political and social realities of contemporary
American society.
CMCR 190 A User's Guide to the Mass Media
People are immersed in the media every day and despite what you may think, the media do affect people's lives in dramatic ways. In this course you will get the "back story" and explore how the media operate and how the media affect your life in ways you have never know about, until now.
EDCI 191 Teachers, Schools, and Society
During our time together this semester, we will look at what "society" means and its influence on schools and education. This will include the importance of evaluating the choices we've made so far in our lives especially with regards to our own judgments. Through this experience, we will practice thinking critically, through reading, writing and discussion, and consider options for the possibility of teaching as a career.
ENGL 190-01 African American Literature
We will read The Color Purple and view the film, explore hoodoo through the love story Mama Day, and investigate hip hop culture and spoken word poetry through Saul Williams' The Dead Emcee Scrolls: The Lost teachings of Hip-Hop. We'll also watch a documentary about colorism, check out the performances on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, and take our explorations outside the classroom to see a step show or the Black Theatre Ensemble production. For more information, contact Dr. Annette Debo at ext. 3919 or adebo@email.wcu.edu.
ENGL 190-02 Magical Realism
We will study the literary genre of magical
realism, which expands reality to encompass myth, magic and other extraordinary
phenomena in nature or experience. Our discussions will begin with the origins
of magical realism in Latin America, focusing on such authors as Jorge Luis
Borges, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Pablo Neruda. We'll continue with
investigations into the works of current authors such as Laura Esquivel, Isabel
Allende, and Brad Watson. We'll also look at some experimental fiction that
pushes the boundaries of magical realism, a form that already travels across the
line between the real and the "unreal."
ENGL 190-05 Reading Cullowhee: Exploring Your New Home
In this freshman
seminar you will be introduced to readings and locations that will help you
connect to Cullowhee and understand the college experience at WCU. Readings
will include fiction and poetry by local writers, as well as some nonfiction
about the human experience. Also, we will discuss several “big name” literary
works which address the life adjustments you’ll be making as you begin your
college career. Class activities will include tours both on and off campus.
Ideal for students who like to read and/or those who enjoy nature.
ENGL 190-06 Discovering Southern Women’s Literature
Discovering Southern
Women’s Literature, will allow you to enjoy the unique, spiritual, gothic, and
sensual aspects of American Southern Literature. During the semester, we will
read selected works from the likes of Flannery O’Connor, Kate Chopin, Harper
Lee, Alice Walker, and Lee Smith. Texts from these and other “Southern Women”
reveal some of the most passionate, seductive, turbulent, and provocative
moments in literary history. Through the voices of women who have found their
place in this literary history, you will not only unbury the roots of Southern
Literature but also learn what keeps it flourishing. Course work will include
student-designed assignments surrounding common readings as well as unique and
individual work stemming from a novel chosen from a copious list of works
written by southern women authors. Collectively, the class will also study
films prompted by Southern Women’s Literature.
ENGL 190-07 Anti-Semitism and Shoah
Shoah (more commonly known in this
country as the Holocaust) emerged from centuries of anti-Semitism, much of it
condoned by the Christian church. This class will look at some of the historical
origins of anti-Semitism and explore the Holocaust through literature and film.
The class will learn about the Resistance Movement in France and in Germany,
about Schindler, Wallenberg, and many others who opposed the Fascists. The class
will conclude by examining the ramifications that Shoah has had on current
political problems and issues, on terrorist activity throughout the world today,
and on the rise of radical Islam.
ENGL 190-08 American Classics
This course will focus on a brief run through
of American literary classics. Students will be made aware of the broad talent
and differences between many early American authors. The focus will be mostly on
short
stories and novellas. 2-3 reaction papers will be part of the requirements. A
large anthology of American Literature is a purchase requirement.
ENGL 190-70 Monsters Do they lurk under the bed? Are they hiding in the
closet? Or are they staring back at us when we look in the mirror? What fuels
our fascination with monsters? What prompts an individual or culture to label
something as monstrous? This section of ENGL 190 will examine monsters and the
monstrous in literature, film and American culture.
ENGL 191-03 First Year Seminar in Creative Writing
Freshman Seminar in
Creative Writing allows interested and motivated students to become performers
in the art of fiction rather than just the viewers. 3 short stories are required
for this course, or, by mutual agreement of instructor and professor, a novella.
Our “text” will be the excellent anthology of stories by Ernest Hemingway,
perhaps the finest writer of short prose America has produced. The Complete
Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway is a required book, but it is usually
available in used paperback copies at a much lower cost.
ENGL 191-02 First-Year Seminar in Creative Writing
Allows students to explore,
practice, and discuss their creative writing, with emphasis on one or more of
the following: poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and screenwriting.
ENGR 199 Introduction to Engineering Practices
and Principles I
Introduction to the electrical engineering discipline, curriculum,
personal and professional development, teamwork, project planning,
communication skills, and conceptual design engineering. Freshman
Engineering majors only.
ENVH 190 From Black Death to Bioterrorism - The
Public Health Solution
Public Health solutions applied to past and future world health
concerns such as emergent diseases and international threats
such as bioterrorism.
ET 190 Technology Systems
A study of technology systems and processes in order to develop
an understanding of the history and impact of technology systems
on individuals, the environment, society, and the global community.
GEOL 191 Geology, Landscapes, and the Human Psyche
-Honors
How the physical world determines the appearance, climate,
and ecology of our planet and how this physical landscape
reflects a region's history, literature, and human ecology.
HIST 190-01, 03 The Atlantic World
The Atlantic world looks at history from an innovative, trans-national perspective. The geographical range of the course spans the Atlantic ocean to include Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Topics covered include the age of discovery, trade, pirates, slavery, women, religion, political institutions, and revolution.
HIST 190-02, 04 The Vietnam War
We call it the Vietnam War and think it began in 1965 under President Johnson. The Vietnamese call it the American War and think it began in 1954 under President Eisenhower. This course looks briefly at Vietnamese history prior to the American-Vietnamese war, but will focus on the period of 1954-1975. We will examine the reasons why each side fought in the war, how each home front was affected, and how each society was changed by the war, during the actual fighting and afterwards.
JPN 190 Introduction to Japanese Pop Culture
The class will introduce some aspects of Japanese popular culture through following topics: Martial Arts, Cuisine and Animation. The class will be conducted in various teaching methods including reading, writing, discussion, hands-on experience, and visual aids.
MATH 190 Mathematical Models of Population Growth
Learn to develop mathematical equations that model how populations change and to simulate population development over time using Excel and two mathematical software packages; see how simple high school mathematica can help you investigate and predict population behavior; and discover how mathematics influenced social philosophy.
MATH 192 Fractals: The Nature of Geometry
Fractals are complex, infinitely detailed shapes in which we see smaller versions of the whole shape: a fern leaf, galaxy systems, even the ups and downs of the stock market. In this course we will look at basic fractal structures, discuss Stoppard's play Arcadia and learn to design fractals using basic geometric transformation.
MUS 190-01, 02 First-Year Seminar Music
Freshman seminar examines the development of jazz, blues, country, rock, Motown, hip-hop, thrash metal and other popular musical styles and highlights diverse groups that contributed to the American popular music scene. The course combines an in-depth treatment of the music itself, including discussions of stylistic elements and analyses of musical examples, with solid coverage of the music's attendant historical, social, and cultural circumstances.
ND 190 Personal Nutrition
Analysis of the major concepts, principles, theories and research
methods in the science of nutrition, including how to find
credible sources of nutrition information. Students apply
these concepts to assess and adjust their personal nutrition
habits to meet current dietary recommendations for wellness
and health promotion.
PAR 190 Freedom, Culture & Technology
Sudy of classic utopian visions of ideal societies, along with criticisms arising from the implications for human freedom in such communities.
PSC 190 Active Citizenship: Making a Difference in
Your Community
Critical evaluation of political mavericks, identification
of patterns and practices in the American political landscape
and development of skills necessary to implement strategies
for political change. Students learn to find their own voice
and make a difference.
PSY 190 Experiencing Adventure: A First Person Perspective
What is the modern
experience of adventure? In other contexts psychology has considered many of the
attributes of adventure. Risk taking, decision making, feeling and needing
arousal are some examples of what psychology has studied and adventurers have
felt. This course will consider the array of psychological phenomena that
adventurers experience. You will read first person narratives of extreme
adventure trips and identify these phenomena within the writers’ narratives. You
will also consider how different perspectives on the same experience represent
these phenomena.
PSY 190 Thinking Critically with Psychology
Why do people do what they do? In this course, you will learn to ³think like a psychologist" about people, using psychologists' scientific, research-based approach to critical thinking. As we study psychology, we will take the time to develop and practice college-level skills in critical thinking, reading, and writing. You'll learn new information, but also new skills. By the end of the semester, you'll feel well-prepared for what comes next at WCU.
SOC 190 Social Institutions and
Issues
Exploration of various social institutions with a focus on
the impact on human behavior using the seminar method of instruction.
SPAN 190 Hispanic Literature & Film
What does it mean to be Hispanic? Since Spanish is the language
of some twenty countries, “Hispanic” can mean
many different things. If you like movies and reading and
are curious about the Spanish-speaking world, you will enjoy
this course. Students look at how Hispanic writers and film
makers deal with the issues that are vital to their world.
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