SPRING 2010 SEMINARS

Seminars are small classes — limited to 15 students — that fulfill general education requirements. Many of the seminars involve activities in New York City. Seminars are an excellent way to connect with peers and faculty in a relaxed and friendly setting.

ANTHROPOLOGY

1. ANTH 14S, sec. A: Why Chimps Don't Drive Ferraris (BH) (4 s.h.) T/TH, 2:15-4:10 p.m., Anna Feuerbach

Society is defined by the relationship between people and products, whether Wiis or stone tools. The aim of this course is to understand how our things influence our view of the world. Students take a broad anthropological approach, together with history, art, science, business and marketing, to provide a holistic understanding of commodities, from their conception, through production, to their distribution, use, and eventual disposal. Students learn how to think independently, solve problems creatively, argue for and support their points of view, and develop an understanding of how a single decision has a multitude of consequences.

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ART HISTORY

2.AH 14S, sec. A (AA): Asia in New York (4 s.h.) T, 4:30-6:25 p.m.; F & SA, TBA, Aleksandr Naymark

With classes held in more than 20 different locations around the five boroughs of New York City, this course introduces students to the famous Asian art collections and other embodiments of Asian culture in New York. The course aims to provide a basic knowledge of Asian art (Indian, Southeast Asian, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese and Korean). Among the many venues are: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, China Institute, and exhibitions of modern Asian art in commercial galleries,
as well as the Chinese Scholar’s Garden in Snug Harbor, tea rooms and garden of the Urasenke Chanoyu Center, and Buddhist and Hindu temples.

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ASTRONOMY

3. ASTR 14S, sec. 01/01L (NS): The Universe (3 s.h.), T/TH, 2:20-4:10 p.m., Brett Bochner
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ASTR 14S, sec. A/AL (NS): The Universe (3 s.h.), T/TH, 4:15-6:05 p.m.

This course provides an overview of objects larger than our individual solar system, ranging from stars and stellar systems, to the universe as a whole. We will study a variety of topics, including (1) the births, lives, and deaths of stars and planets; (2) the generation of stellar energy through nuclear fusion; (3) the explosions of stars as supernovae;(4) black holes and other unusual effects of Einstein’s theory of gravity (general relativity); (5) the structure and behaviorsof our and other galaxies; and (6) dark matter, dark energy,
and the Big Bang theory of the creation of the universe. The class includes lectures, participatory labs, and astronomical observations at the Hofstra Observatory.

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COMPARATIVE LITERATURE AND LANGUAGES/LINGUISTICS

4. CLL 14S, sec. 1 (LT): Voices of the Modern Jewish Experience (3 s.h.) M/W, 2:55-4:20 p.m., Nitza Druyan

Jewish culture is often identified with stories about gefilte fish, matzoh ball soup, bagels and lox, matchmaking, circumcision,Bar Mitzvahs, or the Borsht Belt comics of the 1960s. The voices and visions contained in the vast repertoire of modern Jewish literature indeed touch on these themes, but they also explore much more. The course will survey a wide range of writings that relate to the experiences of diverse Jewish communities that flourished and sometimes faded and disappeared, from the 1800s to the present.

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5. LING 14S, sec. 1 (LT): LING 14S, (3 s.h.) T/TH, 2:20-3:45 p.m., Josef Fioretta

Interested in how language works? This course introduces students to linguistics through a hands-on approach to the
detailed structure of Old Icelandic. Not only is it a highly inflected language, but also a language subject to many
rules regarding phonology, morphology and syntax. Through weekly exercises, students will acquire an understanding of
the linguistic structure of this language. Students will also see the profound effect Old Icelandic has had with respect to
English, both being Germanic languages.

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ECONOMICS

6. ECO 14S, sec. 1 (BH): The Modern World Economy (4 s.h.) M/W/F, 9:50-11:05 a.m.,Massoud Fazeli

Modern capitalism has experienced a number of industrial revolutions that have fundamentally transformed our social life.
These transformations have changed our institutions and have substantially increased the global output and prosperity in the past few hundred years. Is this modern economic order a flat world of rising opportunity or a system that increases absolute poverty for those who are marginalized? And is there any viable alternative to our existing global order? We will discuss the challenges facing industrially advanced economies as well as developing countries.

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ENGLISH

7. ENGL 14S, sec. 1 (LT): African American Studies: From Jamestown to Obama (3 s.h.)T/TH, 11:10 a.m.-12:35 p.m., Joseph McLaren

This course focuses on social, historical, political, literary, and cultural developments from the 17th century to the
present. Beginning with slavery in Virginia and the first arrivals in Jamestown, the course will proceed chronologically to the 21st century and will consider the impact of the election of President Barack Obama and the possibility of a “post-racial” society. We will cover themes such as African American identity, racial attitudes, political protest, and literary achievements.

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GEOGRAPHY

8. GEOG 14S, sec. 1 (IS, CC): Child Labor in the World Today (3 s.h.) M/W/F, 10:10-11:05 a.m., Kari Jensen

This course will present facts and theories about child labor in the world today. We will focus on the country-specific
historical and societal context of child labor issues, coupled with a study of governmental policies and NGO strategies to
help alleviate the problems related to child labor, such aspoverty and inadequate access to education. The course will
involve field trips to institutions such as UNICEF and the Human Rights Watch headquarters in New York City.

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GEOLOGY

9. GEOL 14S, sec. 01 and 01L (NS): Evolution: An Overview of Darwin's Dangerous Idea (3 s.h.) T/TH, 12:50-1:45 p.m.; T, 2:20-4:10 p.m., J Bret Bennington

Why is the theory of evolution still so controversial? The basic premise of biological evolution is that all living species,
including humans, are descended from previously existing species through processes governed by natural laws. The first
person to work out a plausible mechanism for evolution was the 19th-century naturalist Charles Darwin, who published
On the Origin of Species in 1859. We will look at the history of evolutionary thinking and its critics in an effort to understand why Darwin’s view of life is still controversial 150 years later.

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GLOBAL STUDIES

10. GS 14S, sec. 1 (IS): Intoduction to the Global Economic Crisis (3 s.h.) T/TH, 12:45-2:10 p.m., Grant Staff

Economic meltdowns, job losses, bank bailouts, outsourcing, home foreclosures, taxes, failing auto companies. What does all this mean? This seminar will explore these questions, introducing students to the fundamentals of the new global
economy and how this economy affects us all. The seminar will trace the history and trajectory of “globalization” and
show that the roots of the crisis run deep and that the current economic recession was not unexpected.

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HISTORY

11. HIST 14S, sec. 1 (HP): Islamic Youth Culture (4 s.h.) T/TH, 10:05 a.m.-Noon, Mario Ruiz

What does it mean to be young and Muslim in the 21st century? In Islamic countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia,
more than 60 percent of the population is under the age of 25.This seminar will examine how Muslim teenagers and young adults from the Middle East and the United States make sense of their identities in a globalized world. Beginning in the late 1970s, we will focus on the formative role of television, film, and music in young people’s lives. We will also discuss why sports, comedy, and the Internet have been important to the formation of Islamic youth culture in the last decade.

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12. HIST 14S, sec. 2 (HP): "Magical Urbanism": The History of Latin Americans in the United States (4 s.h.)
T/TH, 2:20-4:20 p.m., Brenda Elsey

Baseball, tacos, and city plans testify to the profound influence of Latin American immigration on the lives of Americans.
On Long Island, and around the country, waves of Latino immigration have sparked intense debate. After an overview
of the historical motivation, background, and impact of Latin American immigration, we will focus on contemporary themes, including popular culture, “border policing” and immigration law, gang violence, day laborers, and domestic violence. Field trips may include the Latino Film Festival, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and El Museo del Barrio.

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LABOR STUDIES

13. LABR 14S, sec. 1 (BH): New York's Hidden Economy (4 s.h.) T/TH, 2:15-4:10 p.m.,Gregory DeFreitas

This course looks at the people, institutions and economic forces – legal and illegal – that built New York, make it run
day to day, and shape its future. Finance, fashion, publishing, communications and the arts – New York City is justly famous as a world leader in these and other fields. But why does New York now have more extreme income inequality than any other part of the country? How does that affect the opportunities of most young people to attain the American Dream? How are record numbers of new immigrants remaking the metropolitan area’s visible and shadow economies?

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PHILOSOPHY

14. PHI 14S, sec. 1 (HP): The Meaning of Life (3 s.h.) M/W/F, 10:10-11:05 a.m., Harold Skulsky

For us to have a chance of succeeding in finding the meaning of life, human life must have meaning, or at least the lives of
individual human beings must have meanings. But perhaps these claims aren’t true, or don’t even make sense. If claims
about life having meaning weren’t true, or didn’t even make sense, would that result horrify or at least disappoint you? If
so – if life lacking meaning matters to you – does that reaction itself show that life has some kind of meaning after all? We’ll pursue these questions through class discussions and readings.

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15. PHI 14S, sec. 2 (HP): Values and the Future (4 s.h.) M/W, 2:45-4:40 p.m., Kathleen Wallace

This course will address ethical and social values in relation to the future. Is the future open, or is it as determined as the past? If the future is determined, may we pre-punish people for future crimes? If I make choices, what difference do I make to my own future or that of others? Do we harm future generations, for example, by contributing to the degradation of the environment? The goal of the course is to provide guideposts for thinking through some of the values that are at stake when we consider the future, whether our own personal future, the future of our society, or future generations in general.

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16. PHI 14S, sec. 3 (HP): Self and World (4 s.h.) T/TH, 2:15-4:10 p.m., Nectarios Limnatis

This seminar will examine the philosophical, sociological, political, and psychological aspects of the relations between
individual and community. We will contrast the immediate sense of freedom of choice that everyone has with the
equally obvious idea of various “influences” upon us (on behalf of our family, friends, media, etc.), and we will
address questions such as: Are we social or antisocial? Are we free? How and to what extent? Can we be manipulated
while honestly believing that we act freely? How does social setting affect the implementation of individual freedom?

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PHYSICS

17. PHYS 12S, sec. 1: The Telescope (1 s.h.) T, 2:20-4:10 p.m. (Two classes will be replaced by
evening observation sessions.), Harold Hastings

Students will learn about the telescope, its history and co-evolution with modern astronomy, and uses through a
combination of short lectures, readings, and especially the hands-on construction and use of a telescope.

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PSYCHOLOGY

18. PSY 14S, sec. 1 (BH): Consumer Behavior (4 s.h.) T/TH, 12:10-2:05 p.m., Terri Shapiro

Why do we buy the things we buy? How do advertisers persuade us that one product or service is better than another?
What influences our satisfaction with a product, and how does that affect our future purchasing behavior? What happens when a product or service fails, and how does an organization recover from failure and win back its customers? What is the influence of e-commerce? In this seminar, we will integrate theory, research, and current practice to examine the psychology of consumer behavior, market research, and advertising.

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RELIGION

19. RELI 14S, sec. 1 (HP): Musics of the Muslim World(4 s.h.) T/TH, 10:05 a.m.-Noon., Hussein Rashid

Is hip-hop the first uniquely Muslim music in the United States? When Mos Def spits the basmallah, is he Muslim?
When Satchmo blows up the world, is he Muslim? Wherever Muslims have gone, including the United States, they have
created unique musical sounds. We will use music as a tool to explore Muslim law, popular traditions, and questions of
authenticity. The politics of music are also an important part of understanding how culture and religion interact. Using lyrics and sounds, our goal is to examine the multiple ways in which music and Muslims are bound together.

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TECHNOLOGY AND PUBLIC POLICY

20. TPP 14S, sec. 1 (NS): Science for a Sustainable World (4 s.h.) M/W, 9:05-11:05 a.m., Margaret Hunter

Interested in solving environmental problems? Students will use the Hofstra campus and the local community as laboratories in which to engage in projects to reduce negative environmental impacts and enhance sustainability. We will explore several areas of environmental research to improve sustainability of our society, including the impacts of our own choices. This course is designed for liberal arts majors and does not require a background in engineering.

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21. TPP 14S, sec. 2 (NS): The Biology and Promise of Stem Cells (4 s.h.) M/W, 12:50-1:45 p.m., Sina Rabbany

Stem cells have become front-page news. Why all the fuss? We explore the biology of stem cells, their potential uses in medicine, and some of the challenges facing stem cell research, from selfrenewal through clinical applications. We then focus on both adult and embryonic stem cells, including their isolation, growth and potential in regenerative medicine. The moral, religious and policy concerns surrounding this intensely debated area of science are also covered. This seminar is specifically designed as a science distribution course.

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WRITING STUDIES AND COMPOSITION

22. WSC 14S, sec. 1 (CP): Reach for the Stars: Writing About Science Fiction (3 s.h.) T/TH, 11:10 a.m.-12:35 p.m., Barbara Bengels

This is a writing course that uses for its inspiration works of fiction by the greatest science fiction writers, old and new
(from H.G. Wells to Gregory Benford – and beyond), as well as critical articles about the genre by authors such as James Gunn and Samuel Delany. We will discuss, dissect, analyze, and argue about the writing and the grand ideas generated by a literature known for its “sense of wonder.”

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23. WSC 14S, sec. 2 (CP): The Collective Genius: Collaborative Writing for Business and Pleasure (3 s.h.)
T/TH, 12:45-2:10 p.m., Frank Gaughan

Our culture provides a ready-made image of the writer at work: a cluttered desk, a laptop, half-empty coffee cups. So is the story: the writer begins with inspiration; confronts doubt, delay, and rejection; finds resolve; and concludes in triumph, usually in the form of publication. In this course, we will take a different approach to composition by studying co-authorship and collaboration. Collaboration can refer to a group of writers discussing their individual works, or composing a single text. For example, government reports, screenplays, and advertising
copy are often the work of many hands.