First-Year Seminars, Current
ARTHIST 49S.01
ART STARS: MODERN ARTISTS AS CELEBRITIES FROM PICASSO TO JEFF KOONS (ALP, CZ)
Instructor: Pamela Kachurin
This course examines the status of artists in the age of superstardom, beginning with Pablo Picasso and Frida Kahlo and focusing on American modern artists including Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Jean-Paul Basquiat, Cindy Sherman and Jeff Koons. Readings and discussions will be devoted to the following topics: how and why artists become celebrities, fame and women artists, what role celebrity plays in creative output, the role of dealers and the art market in creating art stars, and how artists cultivate celebrity as an aesthetic strategy. Readings will be drawn from the mass media and from the fields of sociology, art history and cultural studies.
| Pamela Kachurin, Ph.D. (Indiana University, Bloomington) is a visiting assistant professor in the Art, Art History and Visual Studies department at Duke. Her fields of teaching and research interests include modern art and Russian and Soviet visual culture. |
BIOLOGY 49S.01
SEA CHANGE: HUMAN INTERACTION WITH A CHANGING OCEAN
(NS, STS)
INSTRUCTOR: Dan Rittschof
Human activities are increasingly affecting aspects of the ecology of animals and plants in the ocean. This seminar will consider problems and public policies associated with whales, turtles, fish, coastal land development, global warming and marine pollution. Sessions will be conducted by faculty from the Beaufort Marine Laboratory and will meet once a week. The seminar includes a field trip to the Marine Laboratory.
| Dan Rittschof, Ph.D. (University of Michigan), Professor of Zoology at the Duke Marine Laboratory and the Nicholas School, has global and regional research interests ranging from the molecular to the organismal level. |
BIOLOGY 49S.02
DARWINISM IN THE AGE OF GENOMICS (NS)
INSTRUCTOR: John Willis
How do modern discoveries in genetics, molecular biology, and genomics inform our understanding of evolution and the origin of species? What is the role of "selfish genes," DNA parasites, and whole genome duplications in shaping the incredible diversity of life around us? How has sex left its indelible imprint on our genomes? In this course we will explore these topics and more as we look at the interplay between Darwinian ideas of evolution and modern understanding of genomics. The course will include readings that range from classic literature and the popular press to original scientific research articles.
| John Willis, Ph.D. (University of Chicago), is an associate professor of Biology at Duke. His teaching and research interests include evolution, genetics, ecology and genomics. |
BIOLOGY 49S.03
DOES EXTINCTION MATTER? THE ETHICS, ECONOMICS AND ECOLOGY OF EXTINCTION (NS, EI, STS)
INSTRUCTOR: Justin Wright
We are all aware of the mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs. But did you know that at least four other mass extinction events have been documented over the course of the planet's history, one of which was estimated to have caused 96% of all marine species to become extinct? Did you know that many biologists think that we are currently undergoing the sixth mass extinction event? In this seminar, we will learn about the mechanisms that have generated Earth's astounding biological diversity and the forces that are leading to current extinctions. We will then focus on why we should or should not care about the loss of biological diversity by examining a variety of philosophical and religious arguments about the value of nature and its diversity. In addition to these ethical debates, we will look at attempts to determine the economic value of biological diversity. While the answer to the question of whether extinction matters is, in the end, a personal one, this seminar is designed to expose students to several different positions, each of which will be critically evaluated.
| Justin Wright, Ph.D. (Cornell University) is an assistant professor in the Biology department at Duke. His fields of teaching and research interests lie in ecology and conservation biology. |
BIOLOGY 49S.04
LIFE ON THE EDGE: LIVING IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS (NS, STS)
INSTRUCTOR: Amanda Curtin
In this seminar we will examine the seemingly impossible places in which organisms can live. Organisms that can survive in extreme environments have an extreme biology, which involves many aspects of their physiology, ecology and evolution. We will examine these, as well as how humans are challenged by extreme conditions like high altitudes, high pressures, extreme temperatures, extreme energy demands, and even living in space.
| Amanda Curtin, Ph.D. (Drexel University) is Assistant Director of the Academic Resource Center at Duke. Her fields of teaching include comparative anatomy and physiology, paleontology, ecology, zoology and ecological physiology. Her research interests involve factors that affect the dynamics and evolution of animal populations, specifically how ecological constraints (diet, climate, etc.) impact aging and growth strategies and thus life-history evolution. |
CHEMISTRY 49S.01
A SCIENTIST'S FOOD FOR THOUGHT: FOLLOWING FOOD FROM THE FIELD TO THE TABLE AND BEYOND (NS, STS)
INSTRUCTOR: James Bonk
Renewable Energy. Genetically Engineered Food. Fast Food Nation. Persistent Trash.
This seminar will discuss the science and technology of the aforementioned significant issues concerning food that influence our current society and will affect the future of our world. Knowledge of these scientific concepts will empower students to take action and to make informed decisions that will impact their daily lives. Through lectures, student debates, and hands-on experience with laboratory techniques, students will be exposed to the science of food energy, growth and production, cooking methods, and disposal of waste.
A recommended prerequisite for this course is either a year of high school chemistry or one semester of college chemistry.
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James Bonk, Ph.D. (The Ohio State University) is a professor of Chemistry at Duke. His fields of teaching include general chemistry and chemistry for non-scientists, and his research focus lies in chemical education. |
CULANTH 49S.01
MUSIC AS SOCIAL CATALYST AND POLITICAL MOBILIZER (SS, CCI)
INSTRUCTOR: Ingrid Byerly
The role of music in social transitions has increasingly defined it as an instrument of change and, more recently in this era of downloading and file-sharing, as a powerful 'weapon of the future'. From the historical call to arms when Caesar crossed the Rubicon to present-day protest songs, music has played a seminal role in both expressing and forging political change globally. This course explores the methods and means by which musicians use their art to create their 'better world' and remedy social injustices.
| Ingrid Bianca Byerly, Ph.D. (Duke University) is an ACLS Fellow and visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Cultural Anthropology at Duke. She has taught in South Africa, Russia and England on such topics as cross-cultural communication, video production, cultural anthropology, and education. Her interests lie primarily in ethnomusicology and education. She is presently completing a book on South African protest music entitled THINGS COME TOGETHER: the Music Indaba of Apartheid South Africa, and one for students entitled TO A CERTAIN DEGREE: the Art of Graduating. |
ENGLISH 49BS.01
GREAT AMERICAN NOVELS (ALP, R)
INSTRUCTOR: Buford Jones
This seminar will focus on several remarkable American novels published mostly between the years 1850 and 1950. Students will read a total of four or five novels from a list of 12-15; three or four of the novels will form the basis for class discussions and several short critical essays during the first part of the course. During the remainder of the course, each student will do an in-depth study of an additional novel and write a term paper of 12-20 pages. Among the authors represented will be Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Harriet Beecher Stowe, John William De Forest, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, and John Updike.
| Buford Jones, Ph.D. (Harvard University) is Associate Professor of Literature at Duke. His fields of teaching and research interests include American literature, English literature, bibliography, and Orientalism. |
ENVIRON 49S.01
INTO THE WOODS: EXPLORING THE DUKE FOREST (NS, STS)
INSTRUCTORS: Jeffrey Pippen and Daniel Richter
What kind of tree is that? Why does it grow here? What other organisms depend on it? Preserving biodiversity, whether in a remote tropical jungle or right in your backyard, is a major world issue. Through class discussion and local field trips, this course will introduce students to the history and ecology of the Duke Forest, and the importance of forests to our quality of life. Topics will include community ecology and natural history, organism and habitat identification, and history and management of the Duke Forest. Field trips during class period will include visits to forested areas around campus as well as to research and management sites in the Duke Forest.
| Jeffrey Pippen, MS (University of Michigan) is a research associate at the Nicholas School of Earth and Ocean Sciences. His research focuses on forest ecology. Daniel Richter, Ph.D. (Duke University), a professor at the Nicholas School, is a soil and forest ecologist. |
FVD 49S.01
BREAKING NEWS FROM WASHINGTON (SS, EI, STS)
INSTRUCTOR: Ted Bogosian
When a story with a Washington dateline breaks across a student's mobile device, computer screen, daily newspaper or radio, how was that news made? How do elected officials in Washington manipulate the news media to advance their policy agendas? How will the deployment of new messaging technologies like Twitter affect the 24-hour news cycle? And, above all, how can students learn to think critically about the onslaught of journalism and opinion that bombards them every moment? This seminar will address these questions by utilizing news cycles each week as a series of case studies that illustrate how news is made in our nation's capitol.
| Ted Bogosian, MPP (Harvard University) is a visiting filmmaker at Duke. He teaches and conducts research in the subjects of Film/Video Digital, Journalism, and Public Policy. |
GERMAN 49S.02
THE POETICS OF THOUGHT: PHILOSOPHY IN LITERATURE FROM ANTIQUITY TO MODERNITY (ALP, CCI, EI)
INSTRUCTOR: Michael Morton
This course will introduce students to some of the ways in which writers have made use of literary techniques in order to explore philosophical themes and to present philosophical arguments. Works to be considered range from the very ancient (Epic of Gilgamesh) to the fairly recent (Marat/Sade), and include selections from the Bible (Book of Job), the Greek Golden Age (Plato’s Symposium), the transition from classical antiquity to the medieval period (Augustine’s Confessions), the High Middle Ages (Dante’s Inferno), and the nineteenth century (Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground and Nietzsche’s Thus Spake Zarathustra). Some of these works bear a decidedly religious stamp; others are resolutely secular in outlook. Some propose definite answers to the questions they raise, others serve only to deepen our perplexity and intensify our unease. Throughout the semester students will have several opportunities to engage these issues in their own right, in the form of short written assignments and oral presentations.
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Michael M. Morton, Ph.D. (University of Virginia) is an associate professor of German. He specializes in 18th century literature, critical theory, and literary history & criticism, and his research interests include philosophy and literature and intellectual history. |
GERMAN 49S.08
REFORMATION AND RESISTANCE (CZ, CCI, EI)
INSTRUCTOR: Christa Johns
This seminar will examine the concepts of Martin Luther, Jean Calvin and other Reformers of the Continental Reformation as they relate to resistance to government and the relationship between religion and society and church and state. Students will then study the 20th century resistance to National Socialism and will investigate whether the teachings of the Protestant Reformers of the 16th century were responsible for German submissiveness and the relative lack of an effective German resistance to Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. Students will read historical sources from both periods in English translation and will view documentaries and films, particularly on the resistance movements in Nazi Germany.
| Christa T. Johns, Ph.D. (Free University of West Berlin) is a member of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literature with an interest in reformation studies. She has previously served as Assistant Dean and Director of the Study Abroad program at Duke. |
HISTORY 49S.01
LIVING THROUGH THE GREAT WAR (ALP, CZ, CCI, W)
INSTRUCTOR: Kristen Neuschel
In this seminar, we will examine the experiences of men and women who lived during the First World War, particularly the ways they made sense of the senseless conflict. Why did they go to war willingly at first, and how did they - especially the survivors - come to terms with the horror and pointlessness of the War? We will also examine the reactions of subsequent generations of Europeans and North Americans, including ourselves, who have also "lived through" the War by means of the effect it had on subsequent history, by its shaping of cultural forms or by means of memory. We will read poems, letters, novels and memoirs and see films made by participants in the War and by those in later generations who have tried to understand it.
| Kristen Neuschel, Ph.D. (Brown University) is an associate professor of History at Duke. Her teaching and research interests include European History and War and Society. |
HISTORY 49S.02
ORIGINS OF THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION, 1776-1791 (CZ)
INSTRUCTOR: John Hart
This seminar introduces students to a wide range of primary materials bearing on the historical events that resulted in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, and participants’ understandings of the meaning of various provisions of those documents. In addition to closely reading primary texts, public and private, we will consider how these texts have been interpreted subsequently by historians and others. We will devote relatively little attention to the Supreme Court’s doctrinal elaboration of the Constitution after its adoption.
| John F. Hart, J.D. (Yale University) is a visiting assistant professor in the History department at Duke. His research has centered on the regulation of private property by American legislatures in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and on the courts’ development of new constitutional doctrines to invalidate such regulation in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. |
HISTORY 49S.03
FROM SOUL TO SELF: A HISTORY (CZ, CCI)
INSTRUCTOR: John Martin
This seminar explores the history of the “self” in western culture from antiquity to the present. Is there such a thing as a soul? A psyche? An ego? What is the distinction between mind and brain? How do cultural contexts and prejudices shape the way we see the self, and vice versa? What happens to us as we move from a scribal to a print to a digital culture? Who are we in cyberspace? Key authors include Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine of Hippo, Ficino, Descartes, Locke, Freud, and Foucault. The class culminates in a “self-portrait” that individual students present in the medium of their choice (an autobiography, a film, a website, photographs, a painting, and so on).
John J. Martin, Ph.D. (Harvard University) is a professor of History at Duke. His fields of teaching and research interests lie primarily in Renaissance and Early Modern history.
LIT 49S.01
RATIONALISM: DESCARTES' GIFT (ALP, EI, STS)
INSTRUCTOR: V.Y. Mudimbe
This course focuses on Rene Descartes' Discourse on Method and Meditations. It is an introduction to Descartes' theory according to which natural reason provides the only valid foundation for belief, knowledge and action. The course will qualify the fundamental claim of rationalism, according to which the Cogito is both a source and reference of knowledge in general, as well as of scientific and spiritual truths.
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V.Y. Mudimbe, Ph.D. (University of Louvain) has honorary doctorates from the University of Paris VI and Leuven. He has taught at the Universities of Louvain, Paris-Nanterre, Zaire, Haverford College, Stanford University and now Duke. He has published three collections of poetry, four novels, and several books in applied linguistics, philosophy and social science. His interests are in French phenomenology and structuralism, with a focus on the logic of mythical narratives and the practice of language. |
MATH 49S.01
APPLICATIONS OF MATHEMATICS TO PHYSIOLOGY & MEDICINE
(NS, QS, W, R)
INSTRUCTOR: Michael Reed
This seminar will introduce students to the uses of mathematics and machine computation in physiology and medicine. Topics will include: genetics; epidemiology; the heart and circulation; oxygen transport; biochemical reactions and regulatory mechanisms, including ovulation and glucose regulation; mechanisms for temperature regulation and salt and water balance; and information processing by neural circuits. Each student will give presentations to the seminar from the readings and will complete a substantial written project. Prerequisite: MATH 32 or the equivalent.
| Michael Reed, Ph.D. (Stanford University), a Professor of Mathematics, works on research problems in both pure and applied mathematics. |
MUSIC 49S.01
DRAMA THROUGH MUSIC: FIVE VIEWS PLUS ONE (ALP, CCI)
INSTRUCTOR: Harry Davidson
Sex, seduction, murder, deceit, infidelity, betrayal, jealousy, impersonation, thievery, evil spirits: the stuff of opera. Opera scares some. The "O" word can conjure up visions of corpulent people on stage singing at each other for hours on end. Yet, what is opera: a curious sort of mega art form, a sublime means of musical and dramatic expression, or an expensive luxury void of relevance in today's popular culture? This seminar will examine the works of 5 great composers: Purcell, Mozart, Wagner, Verdi and Berg. Then, to get an idea of what goes into the performance of opera, students will become personally involved in the Duke Symphony Orchestra's April production of Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" (NO PRIOR MUSICAL EXPERIENCE NECESSARY) with the hope of unlocking some of the mysteries and fun of "drama per musica."
| Harry Davidson, M.M. (Pacific Lutheran University) is a Professor of the Practice in the Music department and Director of the Duke Symphony Orchestra. He made his major orchestra debut conducting the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He has guest conducted numerous professional and conservatory ensembles, including the Charlotte Symphony, the Akron Symphony, and the Cleveland Institute of Music and Oberlin College Conservatory orchestras. |
MUSIC 49S.02
MUSICAL THEATER: OPERA TO FILM (ALP, CZ, CCI)
INSTRUCTOR: Jacqueline Waeber
For many centuries, music has played a privileged role in conveying drama in Western culture, particularly in the form known today as “opera.” The world of opera is filled with drama, including themes of tragedy, murder, betrayal, and impossible love affairs. In this seminar we will examine the word opera in its broadest meaning, considering a wide range of artistic genres where the music is dramatically justified. Examples will be taken not only from operas, operettas, and musicals but also from theatrical productions (including films) for which a specific musical score has been composed, from the early period of silent movies to modern productions. No prior musical experience is necessary.
Jacqueline Waeber, Ph.D. (University of Geneva) is an associate professor of Music at Duke. Her fields of teaching and research interests include opera studies; French musical culture (18th-20th centuries); melodrama; music; and the other arts.
PHYSEDU 49S.01
HISTORY AND ISSUES OF AMERICAN SPORTS
INSTRUCTOR: Al Buehler
How American sports developed, their place in education and society, and the issues and problems created and faced in today's world form the core of this seminar. Topics include: Olympic Games (ancient and modern); the end of amateurism in sport; the decline of youth fitness and the rise of superstars; politics, racism and nationalism in sports; the drug crisis; and the impact of technology on sport. The major focus will be on American sport history, studied through primary documents and an examination of the major example of modern sport: big-time intercollegiate athletics.
Professor Al Buehler coached Duke track & field for 45 years, retiring from the head coaching position in 2000. During his coaching tenure, he coached several all-Americans and was three-times team manager for the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team, plus many more achievements on the state, national, and international level. He has been inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and the Duke Sports Hall of Fame. He has just retired as chair of the HPER Department after serving nineteen years in this position.
PHYSEDU 49S.02
HOT TOPICS IN HEALTH
INSTRUCTOR: Lindsey Bickers Bock
This course is designed to give students the opportunity to explore the validity of current health and wellness issues being reported in the media. Issues addressed may include topics such as sexual health, nutrition, physical activity, substance abuse, integrative health, relationships, health disparities, and more. These issues will be examined through the review of academic journal articles, popular print media, and online resources. Course meetings will include many interactive, small-group activities and extensive discussion. Methods of assessment will include online blog postings, individual argumentative papers, group projects and individual presentations.
Lindsey Bickers Bock, MPH (UNC-Chapel Hill) is a Health Education Specialist at the Duke Student Health Center and an instructor in the Physical Education department at Duke. Her fields of teaching and research include college health issues as well as sexual and reproductive health issues.
PHYSICS 49S.01/02 (TWO SECTIONS)
A QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE: FROM QUANTA TO QUARKS (NS)
INSTRUCTOR: Moo Young Han
This course will cover the development of elementary particle physics in the 20th century, including its impact on cosmology, its relevance to the life sciences and molecular medicine, and its relevance to the technology of digital computers. Topics to be discussed include wave-particle duality of the quantum world, the hidden forces at play within atomic nuclei, and the mysteries and riddles of quarks and gluons hidden deep inside protons and neutrons. Other topics to be touched on include lasers, semiconductors, DNA and optoelectronics.
| Moo-Young Han, Ph.D. (University of Rochester) is a professor of Physics. He is a co-discoverer of the color charges for quarks, which are the sources of nuclear force. |
POLSCI 49S.01
THE WRITING AND RATIFICATION OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION (CZ, SS, W)
INSTRUCTOR: Michael Faber
This seminar will explore the writing and ratification of the U.S. Constitution, starting with the principles developed during the Revolution and continuing through the adoption of the Bill of Rights. We will read, assess, and critique arguments made in favor of and opposed to the adoption of the Constitution. We will also consider the relevance of these arguments to contemporary political debates.
| Michael Faber, Ph.D. (Indiana University) is a visiting assistant professor of Political Science at Duke. His fields of teaching and research interests include American political thought, political philosophy, and American politics. |
PSY 49S.01
BEYOND REASON: EMPATHY AND IDENTITY
INSTRUCTOR: Robert J. Thompson, Jr.
One fundamental challenge confronting universities in preparing students for leadership roles in the 21st century is how to develop their abilities to go beyond mere tolerance and engage ethnic, religious and political difference. We will examine the notion that nurturing the capacity for critical reasoning is necessary but not sufficient to meet this challenge, and that it is also necessary to foster the growth of empathy and identity in individuals. In this seminar, we will take a developmental science approach to synthesizing and applying the knowledge and understandings, generated across the biological and social sciences and humanities, of the nature, development and enhancement of empathy and identity.
| Robert J. Thompson, Jr. is a Professor of Psychology at Duke. |
PUBPOL 49S.01
TERRORISM AND DEMOCRACY: CITIZEN LEADERSHIP AND THE ETHICS OF SECURITY (SS, EI, W)
INSTRUCTOR: Steve Schewel
Since the devastating terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, American foreign policy has focused intensely on eliminating the threat that terrorists pose to our nation. This course will involve students in a critical examination of the pressing ethical issues our nation faces associated with terrorism and counter-terrorism and face them with the responsibility of active citizen leadership during contentious national debate. Students will practice essential leadership skills designed to help them effectively raise difficult public questions, to go beyond their own authority to push for change, to be self-reflective in the midst of action, to find the right allies and partners, to manage conflict, to provide a vision of a possible future, and to involve their community in the work of change. While the course will include significant reading for historical context and understanding, we will also focus on current reporting and commentary on issues that emerge as the course unfolds.
| Steve Schewel, Ph.D. (Duke University) is Visiting Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Duke. His fields of teaching and research interests include leadership, civic engagement, religion and politics, and social movements. |
SOCIOLOGY 49S.01
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF EAST ASIA (SS, CCI, EI)
INSTRUCTOR: Bai Gao
The emerging Asian-Pacific region is widely perceived as the center of international political economy in the next century. Emphasizing China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, this seminar covers the most exciting topics in East Asian political economy. It is organized around the comparison between the Chinese model of economic development, driven heavily by foreign direct investments and exports, and other developmental models in East Asia.
| Bai Gao, Ph.D. (Princeton University) is a Professor of Sociology at Duke. His fields of teaching and research interest include Economic Sociology, political economy, and East Asian capitalism. |
SOCIOLOGY 49S
PRISONS, PUNISHMENT, AND SOCIAL INEQUALITY (SS, CCI, EI)
INSTRUCTOR: John Eason
While social scientists have historically viewed prisons as institutions of social control, far too few have taken an in-depth look at the relationship between the number of prisons in the United States and rates of poverty and other forms of social inequality. Over the past thirty-five years, the U.S. prison population and number of prisons have grown exponentially. During this same time period, the urban and rural "underclass" in America has also increased dramatically. While there is evidence to suggest a correlation between the rise/expansion of the prison system and increasing inequality, the causal relationship between these phenomena is still being debated. This course is designed to take an in-depth and critical look at these relationships by exposing students to emergent theories and research which link the study of inequality and crime and punishment through the lens of the prison complex.
| John Eason, Ph.D. (University of Chicago) is a Provost's Postdoctoral Associate at Duke. His fields of teaching and research interests include the sociology of punishment, race, inequality and community. |
THEATRST 49S.01
ACTING BASICS (ALP)
INSTRUCTOR: Dana Marks
This course will explore both the art of acting, including theoretical and historical components, and the craft of acting, derived from in-class exercises, scene work, and writing assignments. Students will work together to master the basics of realistic acting and to learn rehearsal techniques. The class will culminate with a performance project. Topics include (but are not limited to) text analysis, voice work, physical work, imagination, dramatic writing, improvisation, collaboration, and critical analysis. No performance experience is necessary.
| Dana Marks , M.F.A. (American Repertory Theatre/Moscow Art Theatre; Institute of Advanced Theatre Training, Harvard University) is a Lecturing Fellow in Duke's Theatre Studies department. Her fields of teaching and research interests include acting, voice, movement, and Viewpoints and Suzuki training methods. |