Spring 2015 First Year Seminars

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Spring Seminars 2015

hofstra.edu/fyc

ANTHROPOLOGY 1. ANTH 14S, sec. 01: New York and Slavery: Time to Tell the Truth (BH), CRN 23513 (3 s.h.)

TU/TH 2:20-3:45 p.m., Alan Singer This course examines the history of New York City before the Civil War through the struggle to end slavery. We cannot understand the history of the United States unless we understand the role of race and slavery. The class will visit the African Burial Ground, Underground Railroad sites, and current archaeological digs in New York City and Long Island, and students will take the Lower Manhattan New York and Slavery Walking Tour.

Please note: This course satisfies a University graduation requirement in the Social Sciences.

ASTRONOMY 2. ASTR 14S, sec. 01 and 01L: Our Solar System: From the Ancient Greeks to Interstellar Life (NS), CRNS 24256 and 24257 (3 s.h.)

Lecture, TU 2:30-4:20 p.m.; Lab, TH 2:30-4:20 p.m., Stephen Scott Lawrence In this survey of our solar system, we discuss the evolution of ideas about the nature of our world, and the structure of our cosmos — from visions of an Earth-centered universe to the modern view of Earth as a small, blue dot in the vast Milky Way galaxy. This seminar covers the sun, the planets and their moons, and the small, wandering asteroids and plutoids orbiting in the empty places of the solar system. We also learn about planets orbiting other stars in other solar systems, and consider the possibility of extraterrestrial life in all these places, far beyond the boundaries of our home on Earth.

The class includes lectures, participatory labs and astronomical observations at the Hofstra Observatory.

Please note: This course satisfies a University graduation requirement in the Natural Sciences.

3. ASTR 14S, sec. A and AL: From Stellar Explosions to Supermassive Black Holes: The Cataclysmic Lives of Stars and Galaxies (NS), CRNS 24258 and 24259 (3 s.h.)

Lecture, M 4:05-5:55 p.m.; Lab, W 4:05-5:55 p.m., Christina Kaye Lacey This course investigates the birth and lives of stars, including stars like the sun. We study how stars produce energy and how some stars die with a whimper and some die spectacularly in massive supernova explosions. From there, we discuss galaxies that are composed of these stars and the supermassive black holes that lurk at the hearts of most galaxies.

Please note: This course satisfies a University graduation requirement in the Natural Sciences.

DRAMA 4. DRAM 14S, sec. 01: Improv for Everyone (CP), CRN 23517 (3 s.h.)

M/F 9:35-11 a.m., Christopher Dippel Trust, teamwork, honesty, communication, risk: these are the foundations of improvisation. These skills are useful in every career field. This course employs theater games and performance exercises to help students learn to think on their feet, work collaboratively, communicate effectively, and trust their own creativity and ideas. Students attend performances of various types of improvisation.

Please note: This course satisfies a University graduation requirement in the Humanities.

5. DRAM 14S, sec. 02: The Marx Brothers – An American Treasure (AA), CRN 24214 (3 s.h.)

M/F 11:10 a.m.-12:35 p.m., Edward Elefterion This 4-credit course examines the origins of the Marx Brothers in American Vaudeville and traces their transition to film. Students will find an entrée into America's rich tradition of physical (screwball) comedy and the emergence of the Ridiculous as a form of entertainment. By studying several of the Brothers' films, reading the original Broadway scripts upon which the films were based, and researching excerpts from the personal memoirs of Harpo and Groucho, the class will come to understand and appreciate how the Marx Brothers developed their material and helped give rise to Absurdist Theatre, Theatre of the Ridiculous, and the modern sitcom structure.

Please note: This course satisfies a University graduation requirement in the Humanities.

ENGLISH 6. ENGL 14S, sec 02: Hip-Hop Generation Literature (LT), CRN 23514 (3 s.h.)

TU/TH 2:20-3:45 p.m., Joseph McLaren This course examines literary and cultural aspects of the hip-hop generation from the late 1970s to the post-hip-hop period of the present day. Hip-hop can be defined as a blend of cultural manifestations, including fashion styles, “MCing,” “DJing,” rapping, and break dancing. We consider the origins of hip-hop in the Bronx, New York, and relationships between the BlackArts Movement, Jamaican sources, and hip-hop. The course also considers such themes as urbanism, street culture, commercialization, globalization, gender, and language. While emerging hip-hop culture produced both hip-hop artists and rappers, such as Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Nas, and KRS-1, it was also developed during a time when new literary artists were receiving recognition for their fiction and poetry. Selected recordings, videos, and films are part of the course material.

Please note: This course satisfies a University graduation requirement in the Humanities.

7. ENGL 14S, sec. 01: Paradise Lost In(to) the 21st Century (LT), CRN 24219 (3 s.h.)

M/W 2:55-4:50 p.m., Shari Zimmerman Come explore John Milton’s Paradise Lost, a poem that dares to rewrite Genesis, imagine Satan’s rebellion against God, represent the marriage of an unfallen Adam and Eve, and stage epic debates about matters still relevant today, among them: tyranny, revolution, and war; service, submission, and enslavement; love, gender, and sexuality; poetic creation; the acquisition of knowledge; and the exploration of new worlds. Students discover not only the power and beauty of Paradise Lost, but also why writers, artists, and filmmakers continue to engage with this epic poem — in novels such as Frankenstein or Moby-Dick, His Dark Materials or The Satanic Verses; in illustrations by Blake or Doré; or in such films as Fallen, Constantine, and The Devil’s Advocate.

Please note: This course satisfies a University graduation requirement in the Humanities.

FINE ARTS 8. FA 14S, sec. 01: Design, Business and Innovation (AA), CRN 23523 (3 s.h.)

TU/TH 2:15-4:10 p.m., Thomas Klinkowstein The concept of Design Thinking or Innovation Design employs the processes of design as a tool to imagine new approaches to business, non-profit organizations and the future in general. This course introduces design fundamentals as well as the creative process as employed by companies like Apple and Nike. All students will create proposals for new profit or non-profit organizations with accompanying design and website or social media elements. No prior design, business or computer experience is necessary; this course includes trips to design-related studio(s) or other design-related event(s) in New York City.

Please note: This course is subject to a laboratory fee. This course satisfies a University graduation requirement in the Humanities.

HISTORY 9. HIST 14S, sec. 01: Family Stories (HP), CRN 23198 (3 s.h.)

M/W 9-11 a.m., Brenda Elsey Do you ever wonder if anything you’ll do will make a difference in the course of history? In this course, we explore the relationship between what we often consider “private,” and broader political and social history. Students complete genealogies of their families and connect them to historical events. We read histories of well-known families, such as Benjamin Franklin’s, as well as the less well-known families of slaves in the 19th-century South. The goal of this course is to build students’ understanding of the role of history in shaping everyday life, including their own. When it comes to analyzing the mundane and making sense of the everyday, historians draw upon a wide range of sources, including diaries, wills, tax records, census data, photographs, ship logs, newspapers, interviews, and so on. Likewise, we explore a variety of sources, from family photo albums to census records to local archives.

Please note: This course satisfies a University graduation requirement in the Social Sciences.

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10. HIST 14S, sec. 02: NYC Before and After 9/11 (HP), CRN 24198 (3 s.h.)

TU/TH 12:50-2:40 p.m., Mario Ruiz One of the common assumptions Americans share is that the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center changed New York City forever. In this course we examine this assumption by studying how New York changed after 9/11.

In addition to studying the events that led up to the September 11 attacks, we study the development of New York City as a magnet for immigration, art, commerce and, eventually, terrorism. We also explore the debates around the proposed Park51 project/Islamic community center near the World Trade Center site. Field trips in this course include visits to Ground Zero and Hofstra’s September 11th Project Collection. This course includes one semester hour of instruction in library research methods.

Please note: This course satisfies a University graduation requirement in the Social Sciences.

11. HIST 14S, sec. A: Sport and Society (HP), CRN 24199 (3 s.h.)

TU/TH 4:30-6:20 p.m., Johan Ahr In the world that you and I know, sport and society are inextricably linked: more than ever, sports are strands of the fabric that make us. Not every civilization has been organized in this way. Indeed, what function does the phenomenon that is Major League Baseball, etc., serve? And how did we arrive at a place in time when Tiger Woods – athlete, person, and brand all in one – fascinates and occupies us to the point of absurdity? To answer this question, we must read about the likes of Muhammad Ali and Andre Agassi – as well as about Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph and the phenomenon of the Olympics. The problem that is Pete Rose, baseball player and professional gambler, need also be considered. Students learn to analyze the role of sport, historically and sociologically, in our society.

Please note: This course satisfies a University graduation requirement in the Social Sciences.

MUSIC 12. MUS 14S, sec. 01: From iPod to Imax: Making Music on Your Computer (AA), CRN 23520 (3 s.h.)

TU/TH 12:45-2:10 p.m., Kenneth Lampl Do you have a hit song in your head? This course explores the fundamentals of making music using Apple’s Garage Band software. The course examines the compositional techniques of song-writing, mixing and film-scoring through creative exercises. No prior music-making or computer experience is necessary. The course includes trips to music production and marketing firms in New York City.

Please note: This course satisfies a University graduation requirement in the Humanities, and is not intended for music majors.

WRITING STUDIES AND COMPOSITION 13. WSC 14S, sec. 01: Mark Twain – Mark Zuckerberg: May Silence Rest in Peace (CP), CRN 24301 (3 s.h.)

M/W/F 10:10-11:05 a.m., Jennifer Marx We are bombarded by text messages, tweets, and Facebook updates. What, then, of silence? In Mark Twain’s Notebook, he reminds the reader of some famous advice: “The unspoken word is capital. We can invest it or we can squander it.”

Five years after Twain’s birth in 1835, Edgar Allan Poe penned his poem “Silence,” in which he posits the silencing of death itself – the ultimate silence. Even more chilling, perhaps, is when silence steps into the realm of nonfiction and becomes intertwined with the human experience, as is the case with Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl and Noam Chomsky’s investigations into human rights violations. Still, without silence, can great works come to fruition?

Without text messages, tweets, and Facebook updates, you may feel unable to comprehend the nature of silence.

As writers in a digital world, how can we regain the use of silence and implement its power in our own works?

Please note: This course satisfies a University graduation requirement in the Humanities.

Spring 2015 Registration hofstra.edu/fyc begins at 10 p.m.

Sunday, November 2, 2014.

For more information, 4 Center for University Advisement please contact: 101 Memorial Hall, South Campus • Phone: 516-463-6770 107 Mack Student Center, North Campus • Phone: 516-463-7222 Email: advisement@hofstra.edu

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