Seminars

• Dr. Connie Shemo
• MW 3:30 – 4:45
• 3 Credits

For many people in the United States, the events of September 11, 2001 demonstrated a dramatically different attitude toward their country than they had previously perceived. From a sense of the United States as a benevolent world leader, many Americans were abruptly confronted with the depth of anger and frustration that many around the world felt toward the U.S. Yet the U.S. was never a purely beloved force for freedom and democracy. Currently, many people around the globe approach the U.S. with a mixture of frustration, anger, and admiration, rather than simple hatred. The complexity of these views of the U.S. has deep historical roots.

In this course students will explore the historical and current foreign perceptions of the U.S. from the early republic to the 21^st century. Questions to be explored include: What has “America” represented for people around the globe? How have perceptions of the United States changed as the country has grown more powerful? What has remained consistent? How can the writings of foreign observers help us better understand the United States? Why have American women consistently been a source of fascination for foreign observers of the United States (a theme that we can see from Tocqueville to Al-Qaeda)? Why have American race relations been a central theme of foreign observations?

The main conceptual objectives of this course are:

• To gain a new perspective on U.S. history through reading foreign observers of the U.S.
• To understand non-Western perceptions of the U.S.
• To expand the conception of “U.S. History” to include the impact the U.S. has had on countries around the globe
• To gain a deeper understanding of current global views of the U.S. through an engagement with foreign views throughout the country’s history

The title of the course self-consciously uses the term “America,” which theoretically could encompass all of North, Central and South America, to refer specifically to the United States. As Ziauddin Sardar and Merryl Wyn Davies argue in their book Why Do People Hate America?, “that everyone understands the word ‘America’ to refer to the USA is a testimony to power founded on a wealth of resources, economic strength and its application to an idea of nationhood that is unique.” Furthermore, the practice of referring to the United States as “America” predated the country’s current standing as a major global power.

Assignments will include a paper focused on how a particular author the student selects helped the student understand the U.S. Students will also make a presentation that analyzes contemporary view of the U.S. based on foreign radio broadcasts and newspaper articles. The final exam will be a take-home essay.

This seminar will satisfy the U.S. civilization component of the Plattsburgh general education program.

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121 Hawkins Seminar Room A.

• Dr. Raymond Carman
• MW 2 – 3:15
• 3 Credits

The United States has more laws governing sexuality than anywhere else in the world. It would be almost impossible to teach a course that systematically investigates local, state and federal regulations of sexuality. Furthermore, many of the regulations, especially at the local and state level are just plain weird. Therefore, this seminar will focus primarily on the investigation of government regulation sexual orientation, identity and expression. Topics to be covered include:

• Theories of sexuality
• State control and definitions of “family,” including issues surrounding marriage and parenting
• Sexual criminalization and sexual privacy
• Military policies that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression
• Discrimination by private entities on the basis of sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression

In addition, we will explore the extent to which beliefs regarding sexual identity, religion, race, morality, and gender have shaped the law's approach to sexuality, and the ways in which the movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights is different from and similar to other rights movements.

Students will write weekly reaction papers and be graded on their participation in discussions. Everyone will make a book review presentation.

This seminar will satisfy the social science component of the Plattsburgh general education program.

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121 Hawkins Seminar Room A.

• Dr. Charles McCoy
• TR 11–12:15
• 3 Credits

Does truth still exist in the 21^st century? Why do some people think something is true, while others call it fake? What even is truth? This class will explore how “truth” is not something “discovered,” just found on the street like a lost quarter, but instead truth is something constructed, something made by society.

This class is part of a tradition that is called the sociology of knowledge. Reading about 30 to 40 pages a week of different texts (all available in a binder for approximately $50 dollars) we will examine how society and social structures shape humans’ knowledge and how people think. For assignments, there will be online reading summaries and discussions, brief and periodic writing assignments throughout the semester, a term paper, and a grade for in-class discussion.

In this class we will read some of the most famous thinkers on knowledge from Descartes to Marx to Foucault. We will explore key concepts like ideology, phenomenology, and social construction. We will examine how even our mental experience of time and space is shaped society. We will see how knowledge is a form of power and also how power creates knowledge. We will look at the rise of fake news, how knowledge has become a commodity (something you can buy and sell), and why people gossip. We will see how even “objective” scientific knowledge is shaped by society.

A main goal of this course is for students to see how society gets in your head. Society is not simply something “out there,” affecting what you do from the outside, but rather society gets inside your mind and influences both what and how you think.

This seminar will satisfy the social science component of the Plattsburgh general education program.

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121 Hawkins Seminar Room A.

• Dr. Rob Keever
• MWF 9–9:50
• 3 Credits

Unlike many other math courses, this math seminar does not focus on content but on problem solving. The main objectives of the course are for students to study how to analyze and simplify a range of problems, how to estimate and check mathematical results for reasonableness, and arrive at answers in which they have confidence. Methods of problem solving include teaching oneself by doing simpler problems, translating between English and symbolic language of mathematics, and rewriting problems in ways that extract the mathematical content, ignore nonessential detail, thereby leaving well-defined mathematical problems that are (perhaps) easier to solve.

The assignments and class time are aimed at getting students to understand specific problem solving strategies, and we hope to accomplish this through direct engagement of students in the problem solving process. Students will work together to accomplish this goal. These methods embody the expectations of the Math category of the General Education program, to “introduce students to mathematical thinking and logic and foster students’ ability ‘to interpret and draw inferences from mathematical models such as formulas, graphs, tables, and schematics,’ ‘to represent mathematical information symbolically, visually, numerically and verbally,’ ‘to employ quantitative methods such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or statistics to solve problems,’ and ‘to recognize the limits of mathematical and statistical methods.’” We hope to accomplish this in a mutually supportive environment. Students will be graded on their ability to demonstrate this understanding as well as the ability to apply the methods to a wide variety of problems.

The assignments and class time will focus almost entirely on real world problems. The pedagogy will ask every student to actively engage in the education of their classmates as well as themselves. This is the ideal math class for students who lack confidence in their mathematical ability.

This seminar will satisfy the math component of the Plattsburgh general education program.

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121 Hawkins Seminar Room A.

• Dr. Ann Tracy
• TR 2 – 3:15
• 3 Credits

Coming of age — the passage from childhood to full adolescence or adolescence to full adulthood — is often tumultuous, frightening and confusing. Yet what more universal experience is there? We all make the passage, more or less, and we all, or most of us anyway, come out on the other side. Small wonder then that this period of life and the experiences it brings are the subject of some powerful novels and stories. Gibson’s Ellen Foster, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and Ann Tracy’s What Do Cowboys Like? all fall within this genre. But many other writers from Hesse to Hemmingway to John Irving have been attracted to this unique period in life.

This seminar will engage students in reading and writing about the processes and experiences of coming-of-age. Students will be engaged with issues of identity: Who am I and who would I like to be?; growth and transition: How do I integrate the many changes of life at this period into my personality?; moral responsibility: To whom, besides myself am I responsible? How do I live a life of justice, integrity and courage?; innocence and experience: What do I allow myself to experience? How do I give up innocence and at the same time avoid becoming cynical about life and the world around me?; What should I commit myself to and what should I avoid? These and many other similar questions operate on the personal level and at the same time are universal to virtually all people, cultures and times.

As students explore and struggle with such questions they will try their own hand at writing their own coming-of-age novella. This writing may be entirely fictional or, more likely, may be drawn from personal experience. In this way the process of writing itself will be a path of self-discovery and self-realization that will become part of the coming of age phenomenon. The work of this seminar will be intense, but exhilarating and the reward will be immense.

This seminar will satisfy the art component of the Plattsburgh general education program.

This seminar will meet in Hawkins Hall — 121 Hawkins Seminar Room B.

• Tony D’Angelo
• TR 2 – 3:15
• 3 Credits

The popular conception of yoga may include people who manage to get their bodies into strange or unusual positions or postures, it may generate thoughts of exotic places, or, yet again, it may be associated with poorly understood practices of meditation. As with most popular conceptions there is some truth, but also much that is false in these ideas. This seminar provides students with an opportunity to explore and experience yoga under the guidance of a life-long practitioner of yoga.

To understand yoga entails a familiarity with the cultural, religious and historical contexts in which it arose. Students will be introduced to major themes of Indian civilization, especially as these are manifested in the beliefs of Hinduism. The seminar will be based on the concept of the “Yoga of Synthesis” which is the integration of the four main paths of traditional yoga:

• Jnana Yoga — the path of knowledge, wisdom and discrimination
• Bhakti Yoga — the path of transforming emotions into devotion and love
• Karma Yoga — the path of selfless service to humanity
• Raja Yoga—the science of control of mind and body

These paths will be the basis to inquire into the most fundamental questions of human existence: Who am I? Why am I here? How can I achieve health and peace of mind?

The philosophy of yoga introduces students to new perspectives on our perceptions of reality, values and the role of the ego or self in daily life. The practice of yoga provides concrete tools for bridging the discord between the mind and body. It strives for integration and new levels of physical mastery, body awareness and mental control. The objective of the seminar is to expose students to all levels of the yoga experience through readings, discussion, yoga exercise and meditation practice. Student evaluation will focus on written papers, class presentations and participation in seminar discussions.

This seminar will satisfy the world systems component of the Plattsburgh general education program.

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121 Hawkins Seminar Room A.

• Andreas Stamatis
• MW 3:30–4:45
• 3 Credits

 

• How long does it take to get in shape?
• Is lifting weights better than cardio for weight loss?
• Do I need extra protein to build muscle?
• Are sports video games real workouts?
• How quickly will my performance decline as I age?

If you have similar questions, HON170 is perfect for you!

Prolonged periods of sitting or sedentary behavior are associated with deleterious health consequences independent of physical activity (PA) levels. This is concerning from a public health perspective because population-based studies have demonstrated that more than 50% of an average person’s waking day involves activities associated with prolonged sitting, such as television viewing and computer use. Evidence to support the inverse relationship between regular PA and/or exercise and premature mortality, CVD/CAD, hypertension, stroke, osteoporosis, T2DM, metabolic syndrome, obesity, 13 cancers, depression, functional health, falls, and cognitive function continues to accumulate. For many of these diseases and health conditions, there is also strong evidence of a dose-response relationship with PA. This evidence has resulted from clinical intervention studies, as well as large-scale, population-based, observational studies.

This seminar, apart from introducing the sub-disciplines of the Exercise Science, will promote, through a debate-based design, conversation and critical thinking. The hope of the instructor is for you, the student, to clearly understand the benefits of PA/exercise, but also enhance your ability to critique and combine current evidence from all sub-disciplines in order to use that aggregated information to create healthy habits and promote wellness in today's society.

This seminar will meet the natural sciences & technology component of the Plattsburgh general education program

This seminar will meet in Hawkins Hall — 121 Hawkins Seminar Room B.

• Eric Leibensperger
• TR 9:30 – 10:45
• 3 Credits

Historically, scientists and their research were viewed as unimpeachable and trustworthy. More recently, the presentation of scientific results has been skewed by personal bias and our mainstream discussion dominated by political mouthpieces. Science has lost its societal significance but is necessary for technological advancements and the sustainability of our society. This class will discuss the ongoing politicization of science through numerous case studies, tracing the motivations and actions obfuscating societal acceptance of scientific facts.

Students will explore the clash between science and politics, free speech, and religious beliefs. Our focus will include the scientific background of important issues, the role scientists play in the science-policy interface, the influence of government/private funding of research projects, and the diminishing relevance of the scientific method.

Course topics will include the science and political action against climate change, the ozone hole, acid rain, the smoking-cancer connection, immunizations, and natural selection. Students will study scientific topics within the current news cycles throughout the semester, learning how to identify trustworthy information and discounting partisan platforms. Students will prepare a final report outlining the competing forces acting to influence a student-chosen scientific issue.

Readings will include:

The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial is Threatening Our Planet by Mann and Toles.

Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming by Oreskes and Conway

The War on Science: Who’s Waging It, Why It Matters, What We Can Do About It by Otto

The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics by R Pielke, Jr.

This seminar will satisfy the natural sciences & technology component of the Plattsburgh general education program

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121 Hawkins Seminar Room A.

• Dr. Jean Ann Hunt
• MW 2 – 3:15
• 3 Credits

Over the past few years American politics have been particularly nasty and ineffectual. At times it seemed to some of us that the foundations of our democracy itself are in jeopardy. And perhaps the question of the health of democratic institutions and processes remains in question. For those of us living in an academic community an even deeper question emerges from the recent political context. We may…and should…wonder… what is the connection between democracy and education?

“What the best and wisest parent wants for his or her own child, that must the community want for all of its children.” This statement made by John Dewey epitomizes the spirit of a democratic community. This seminar is designed to explore the connection(s) between democracy and education. Throughout the semester the work of the seminar will be guided by two broad questions:

What is democratic education? and Why is it important?

In pursuing these questions the seminar classroom offers unusual opportunities. As we learn about democracy and education we will also gain experience in democracy by constructing what we might call a democratic classroom. Such a classroom will be collaborative in nature with shared responsibility for contributing to the learning and teaching that will take place. We will in short be exploring democracy as a way of life, not merely as an event such as voting or as an abstract idea. To paraphrase Naomi Wolf, the democratic life is “…difficult, personally exacting and vanishingly fragile.” So the work in this seminar is intense and rigorous, but it will provide each student the opportunity to delve into an exploration of the fundamental purposes of education and what kind of classroom and schools we all want in our communities.

Students will write reflection papers in response to assigned readings. They will also construct a “time-ball” that focuses on significant life events and what was learned through those events. Finally, the seminar will develop a collaborative answer to the two fundamental questions of the seminar.

This seminar will satisfy the Western civilization component of the Plattsburgh general education program

This seminar will meet in Hawkins Hall — 121 Hawkins Seminar Room B.

• Dr. Erin Mitchell
• MWF 11 – 11:50
• 3 Credits

***This seminar is open to students with sophomore standing or above***

Over the past four-hundred years there has been increasing opportunity for cross-cultural encounters. The contact between what were once isolated communities is often inflected by power dynamics, and the stories and histories of these encounters are often told from the point of view of the powerful. Sometimes, however, the conquered, oppressed, or marginalized points of view are given voice. World literature and film are two media in which these encounters are represented, often as misunderstandings and misrepresentations accompanied by alienation, conflict, and tension. Frequently, the pressure to assimilate conflicts with the desire to maintain cultural traditions. This tension may give way to mutual understanding or cultural hybridity. This seminar will explore the representation of cross-cultural encounters as a framework for understanding important global issues. Some of the topics to be included in this exploration are conquest, slavery, intermarriage, missionary work, colonialism, migration and globalization.

This seminar will provide students with a framework for thinking about constructions of race, gender, class and ability, as well as revealing how the apparatus of power impacts cross-cultural encounters.

Students will be required to read classic literature about cross-cultural encounters, such as “Heart of Darkness” and Things Fall Apart, and watch films that portray these encounters, such as Aguirre: The Wrath of God and Bend it Like Beckham. Students will also make suggestions about texts and films focused on cross-cultural encounters that the class should consider. The main requirements for the course are a reading journal in which students reflect on the course material, a creative project based on the theme of the course, two analytical papers using film or literature about cross-cultural encounters, and a take-home final.

This seminar will satisfy the global issues component of the Plattsburgh general education program.

This seminar will meet in the Honors Center — 121 Hawkins Seminar Room A.

• Dr. Margarita Garcia-Notario
• TR 11 –12:15
• 3 Credits

***This seminar is open to students with sophomore standing or above***

The word ‘ecology’ has become common in ordinary language and most people may associate it with the environment or with environmentalism. Some may even connect it with notions of biological communities. But what is ecology? And what does it mean to think ‘ecologically’? A central thesis of this seminar is the notion that “the way in which humanity has tried to reach a balance with nature is one of the most important events of the 20^th century.” How did this happen? Why did people begin to realize that they needed to think about their relation to the natural world in new and different way? What ‘old’ ways of thinking did ecology seek to replace? Understanding derived from questions like these will lead to the emergence of an even more radical way of thinking that is known as ‘Deep Ecology’.

The seminar will explore deep ecology’s advocates, like Anre Naess, George Sessions and Bill Devall, as well as it critics such as Murray Bookchin, various eco-feminists and Ken Wilber. How should we evaluate and relate to the non-human world? Do human beings have intrinsic value while the non-human world has only instrumental value? What is the Apron Diagram and what does it tell us about deep ecology and its applications? What is ecological experience and how does that differ from other modes of experience? These and many other questions will take students on an intellectual and philosophical journey through a stimulating history and literature of the quest for a better understanding of human place in nature.

Students will be expected to take responsibility for defining the terms of the seminar discussion. They will submit questions for discussion in advance of each class meeting. Students will continue the in-class discussion through an on-line discussion forum. Students will write frequent essays, they will make class presentations, and complete various other assignments.

This seminar will satisfy the global issues component of the Plattsburgh general education program.

This seminar will meet in Hawkins Hall — 121 Hawkins Seminar Room B.

• Dr. Susan Mody
• W 5 – 7:15
• 3 Credits

***This seminar is open to students with sophomore standing or above***

This course is cross-listed with the Gender and Women’s Studies course (GWS385A Women Gender & Sexuality In India).

This course will provide students with an introduction to gender and sexuality issues in India, contextualizing them regionally and historically. The main emphasis will be the intersections of gender, place, religion, caste and class in contemporary Indian society. Students will apply a critical analysis to the problems created by modernization, nationhood, and development, especially as these relate to issues of gender and sexuality in multiple contexts. The framework students develop for analysis will be applied to film, youth culture, and conflict zones. The main objectives of the course are to examine gender dynamics in multiple locations (rural, urban, and regional) in India, while analyzing issues of display, embodiment, voice, and agency in media and social practices. This will be accomplished by exploring the constructions of gender in ancient, colonial and modern Indian history. Students will also explore a range of responses to gender issues, including governmental, academic, NGO and activist efforts.

This seminar will meet the world systems (by petition) component of the Plattsburgh general education program

This seminar will meet in Hawkins Hall — 121 Hawkins Seminar Room B.