IN250 & IN251 Course Goals & Descriptions
IN250. United States Cultural Studies (3) Sophomore year. United States Cultural Studies courses explore the diversity of cultures in the United States, including historical perspectives that inform contemporary understandings of diversity issues. “Culture” refers to learned systems of meanings, and their representations, that people use to interact with the world around them, including language, values, beliefs, norms, traditions, customs, history, art, and artifacts. Students will build on their introduction to ethical thinking by considering ethical and social justice issues and their responsibilities for democratic citizenship. These courses include a significant research component, are writing intensive, and require exploration of primary sources (e.g., texts, scholarly research, music, artifacts, etc). Pre-requisites: sophomore standing.
The learning outcome goals for students taking a course that fulfills the United States Cultural Studies requirement are that students will be able to:
- analyze diverse cultures in the United States through the use of discipline-appropriate sources;
- reflect on ethical and social justice issues characteristic of a diverse democratic society; and
- engage in activities essential to responsible democratic citizenship in the United States.
IN251. United States Structural Studies (3) Sophomore year. United States Structural Studies courses explore the diversity of groups and institutions in the United States, including historical perspectives that inform contemporary understandings of diversity issues. “Social structures” refers to generally stable patterns of interactions, from the smallest units found in individual social relationships, through larger economic, political and social institutions in societies, to worldwide systems of relationships among nations. Students will build on their introduction to ethical thinking by considering ethical and social justice issues and their responsibilities for democratic citizenship. These courses include a significant research component, are writing intensive, and require exploration of primary sources (e.g., texts, scholarly research, music, artifacts, etc). Pre-requisites: sophomore standing.
The learning outcome goals for students taking a course that fulfills the United States Structural Studies requirement are that students will:
- analyze social structures within the United States through the use of discipline-appropriate sources;
- reflect on ethical and social justice issues characteristic of a diverse democratic society; and
- engage in activities essential to responsible democratic citizenship in the United States.
Fall 2008 Sections of IN250:
10420 IN 250 01 Intro to Criminal Justice TR 09:30 am-10:45 am
Richard E. Dunn
Introduction to Criminal Justice
This course addresses the principles and procedures of the criminal justice system, with emphasis on interactions within the system of law enforcement officers, crime scene investigators, forensic scientists, prosecutors and judges. Students read and discuss landmark constitutional law decisions involving search and seizure, custodial interrogation, representation by counsel, and cruel and unusual punishment. Students consider ethics in the context of the criminal justice system by identifying personal and government values, distinguishing law enforcement officer and forensic scientist ethical behavior traits, learning how to recognize and resolve ethical dilemmas relating to the topics of the course, and by having to come to appropriate solutions to these dilemmas they can explain reasonably. Students process a mock up crime scene. The course includes information about the scientific method, forensic science disciplines, and scientific and legal procedures applicable to the collection and analysis of evidence. Students also examine the law applicable to qualifying forensic science expert witnesses, as well as ethical principles central to trial testimony by these witnesses.
10421 IN 250 02 American Civil Rights, Vietnam War and Watergate (time tba)
Richard E. Dunn
The American Civil Rights Movement, The Vietnam War and The Watergate Affair
In the 1960s and 1970s, America’s Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and the Watergate Affair were gut wrenching events that left an enduring legacy of political distrust in the United States. Students will begin to address these three topics with a discussion of ethics, personal and government values, and how to recognize and resolve ethical dilemmas. From this ethics background, students briefly will discuss the post-Second World War evolution of the cold war and explore how the cold war’s mindset came to influence the principle topics of this course. Thereafter, students will examine in detail from an ethical perspective the dynamics, impact on society, and political significance of the civil rights movement in the United States, the war in Vietnam, and the Watergate political scandal.
13260 IN 250 03 World Religions in America TR 11:00 am-12:15 pm
Mary Jessup
Americans are a religious people and the religious life in America is diverse. To study religion in America is to study the religions of the world. This course will explore basic information about the religions of America and how the religions impact life in the United States. Through reading and writing assignments and class activities (lectures, video reflections, guest speakers and visits to local religious sites), students will be able to express in oral and written form their understanding of major issues and intellectual theories within the discipline of the history of religion. Students will demonstrate their ability to research and analyze objectively any historical or social and cultural topic and generate an independent and original point of view.
10991 IN 250 04 Sem: Drama & Rep of US MW 04:00 pm-05:15 pm
Vincent A. Landro (fulfills College of A&S literature requirement)
Drama and Representation of the United States
This course examines how American drama has depicted the peoples of the United States, the "American Experience," and the ways in which images in theatrical entertainment have been "played out" and, to a degree, "worked out" on the country's stages and have helped to shape our perceptions of our place in American society.
13961 IN 250 05 Outsider in Film & Fiction MWF 10:00 am-10:50 am
Judith A. Crowe (fulfills College of A&S literature requirement)
The Outsider in American Film and Fiction: An A”Depp”t Examination
Throughout our history an ongoing dichotomy has existed between the “insider” and “outsider.” We include and exclude our fellow citizens based on what we consider condoned behavior, beliefs, and appearance, often determined by a particular time and place. In this course we will attempt to identify, examine, and question our concept of “the acceptable” based on the parameters we place on those who appear as Other, or Outsider, who are marginalized without much thought as to why such judgments are made. As basis for discussion and examination, we will look at various characters in American film and fiction, in particular one body of work. An Outsider in his craft, Johnny Depp has and continues to choose roles that are not only non-mainstream but also particularly illustrative of various Outsider identities. His characters, among others we will look at, raise questions of who/what is marginalized and why and open up critical discussion of our values, beliefs, and judgments as we attempt an understanding of our own as well as others’ uniqueness and value.
13962 IN 250 06 American Band Stands MWF 09:00 am-09:50 am
Sandra K. McKenna (fulfills College of A&S literature requirement)
American Band Stands in Film & Literature
In the film The Music Man, Professor Harold Hill sells marching bands as a way of saving the local youth from all the evil temptations in River City, Iowa. During this same era, John Philip Sousa, became a virtual Johnny Appleseed for municipal bands, playing in small venues and encouraging band members to find a small town, settle down and bring music to its citizens through the medium of a municipal band. Bandstands were built in town squares and city parks, places where communities gathered (and many still do) for celebrations, communion with family and friends, political debate and ice cream socials. Events that celebrated patriotism like Memorial Day, the Fourth of July always included rousing numbers by the local bands, with “Stars and Stripes Forever” raising public passion to a patriotic fervor. These band centered events were a reflection of American life and values.
By exploring film, nostalgia literature (fiction, non-fiction and poetry) and music, students will study the ways in which the advent of the municipal band in the 1890s grew out of a cultural need for communion, for supporting democratic ideas and debate, for honoring the local “heroes” and their achievements, for getting news about a war or for celebrating the end of that war. We will connect these ideals and values with our current views of small town life. Students will explore the impact of local bands on a community and community values and the relevance of local bands in the 21st century. In addition to the course materials, students, working in small groups, will "adopt" a town conduct video interviews and tape performances of local bands with the purpose of making a documentary based upon what is found. They will work with a mix of current band leaders, people who've been attending events over decades, people who perform in the bands, and people who find it as an escape to a simpler time. What calls people, even now in the fast-paced, media driven culture, to venture outdoors despite heat and bugs, to sit on blankets, eat homemade cake and melted ice cream, to listen to their local band? That’s what we intend to find out.
13973 IN 250 07 City in Modern American Novels TR 11:00 am-12:15 pm
Anne M. Matthews (fulfills College of A&S literature requirement)
The City in Modern American Novels
This course will examine works by Crane, Norris, Dreiser, Wharton, West, and Wright in their literary, historical, and cultural contexts, with special emphasis on the problems urbanization, industrialization, materialism, and determinism create for personal identity. Students will keep weekly reading journals, write two interpretive essays, and give a research presentation. Texts: Stephen Crane, Maggie, a Girl of the Streets (1893); Frank Norris, McTeague (1899); Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie (1900); Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth (1905); Nathanael West, The Day of the Locust (1939); Richard Wright, Native Son (1940). [Note: texts may change, but the course theme will remain the same.]
13974 IN 250 08 U.S. History to 1865 TR 09:30 am-10:45 am
Kevin C. Murphy
13975 IN 250 09 U.S. History to 1865 MWF 12:00 pm-12:50 pm
Amanda L. Podeschi
This course examines the European background to the settlement of North America, the colonial period, the American Revolution and early national period, the opening of American society during the age of Jackson, the sectional crisis and the Civil War.
13976 IN 250 10 Women in the U.S. M 06:00 pm-08:30 pm
Julie E. Jones
Women in the United States
This course will study the Importance women have played throughout American history. With the use of primary and secondary sources, the class will better understand the crucial role women played establishing this country’s pivotal history. From Traditional America (1600-1820) to Modern America (1920-1990), students will investigate lesser-known historical figures in order to glean a more personal experience and understanding. Simply, by studying personal letters, diaries, and contemporary works, students shall realize that women have not only shaped American history, they have established a path that affects everyone in today’s society.
13994 IN 250-11 Contemporary US Social Problems MWF 1:00-1:50 pm
(cross-listed as 13995 IN 251-01) STAFF
13996 IN 250-12 Contemporary US Social Problems MWF 2:00-2:50 pm
(cross-listed as 13997 IN 251-02) STAFF
Contemporary United States Social Problems
This course is a review, from a primarily sociological perspective, of major social issues facing American society, such as poverty, race relations, crime, deviance, the environment, sexuality, mental illness, and alienation. The class will devote special attention to explanations of why these problems exist and what ethical responsibilities we have as American citizens.
IN251 Bulletin Course Description
IN251. United States Structural Studies (3) Sophomore year. United States Structural Studies courses explore the diversity of groups and institutions in the United States, including historical perspectives that inform contemporary understandings of diversity issues. “Social structures” refers to generally stable patterns of interactions, from the smallest units found in individual social relationships, through larger economic, political and social institutions in societies, to worldwide systems of relationships among nations. Students will build on their introduction to ethical thinking by considering ethical and social justice issues and their responsibilities for democratic citizenship. These courses include a significant research component, are writing intensive, and require exploration of primary sources (e.g., texts, scholarly research, music, artifacts, etc). Pre-requisites: sophomore standing.
The learning outcome goals for students taking a course that fulfills the United States Structural Studies requirement are that students will:
- analyze social structures within the United States through the use of discipline-appropriate sources;
- reflect on ethical and social justice issues characteristic of a diverse democratic society; and
- engage in activities essential to responsible democratic citizenship in the United States.
IN251 Section Course Descriptions – Fall 2008
13995 IN 250-11 Contemporary US Social Problems MWF 1:00-1:50 pm
(cross-listed as 13994 IN 250-11) STAFF
13997 IN 250-12 Contemporary US Social Problems MWF 2:00-2:50 pm
(cross-listed as 13996 IN 250-12) STAFF
Contemporary United States Social Problems
This course is a review, from a primarily sociological perspective, of major social issues facing American society, such as poverty, race relations, crime, deviance, the environment, sexuality, mental illness, and alienation. The class will devote special attention to explanations of why these problems exist and what ethical responsibilities we have as American citizens.
(This course fulfills the new IN251 US Structural Studies requirement.)
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