Academically, Pilot students are expected to complete:
* Pilot 160, "The 'U' and You," a one-credit theme experience mini-course.
* Pilot 165, Freshman Composition Requirement (4 credits).
* One other Pilot course or mini-course per year or elect Pilot sections of math, psychology, or other Pilot courses when available in the semester when not enrolled in Pilot 165.
Pilot also has reserved spaces for Pilot Students in the following courses: one Pilot section of Chemistry 130 (section 320), two sections of Inteflex 211 (sections 004 and 006), one Freshman Seminar (UC 151.006) offered through the University Courses division, two Pilot sections of both Math 115 (Sections .002 and .017) and Psychology 111 (Sections .003 and .017), and two sections of Spanish (Spanish 101.011 and Spanish 231.002). Complete course listings will be in the Pilot Program Course Guide which is provided to students at Orientation.
Additional mini-courses will be added during the semester. These 1-2 credit courses are advertised in The Pilot Post, Pilot's student newsletter, and on the Pilot Bulletin Boards in Alice Lloyd Residence Hall. Look for them throughout the term.
160. Pilot Theme Experience. Participant in the Pilot Program.
(1). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. A maximum of 20 Pilot credits
may be counted toward a degree.
Section 001 - The 'U' and You. Transitions involve both connections
and changes. This course will support and focus your ability to navigate
your first year journey by acquainting you with the institution of the University
of Michigan. From philosophical, educational, and historical frameworks,
this introductory mini-course will provide a solid base for beginning your
transition from high school to college. All Pilot students are expected
to enroll in this course. Attendance, a journal, selected readings, and
one paper are required. Guest lectures, small discussions and activities
are planned. Class will meet during Welcome Week. Course dates and times
to be arranged.
165. Pilot Composition. (4). (Introductory Composition). A maximum
of 20 Pilot credits may be counted toward a degree.
Section 001 - Reproductive Controversies: Legal, Ethical, and Sociopolitical
Perspectives. Individuals, social movements, and social institutions
transformed sexual reproduction into an especially politically charged and
morally problematic social practice during the past two centuries. This
class will examine how reproduction issues emerged in the United States
as an often violently contested social controversy. We will explore, for
example, how individuals and social movements 'used' reproductive controversies
to express various cultural anxieties and to repetitively engage sociopolitical
questions concerning women and men's "proper place" in society.
In addition, we will investigate contemporary legal developments and ethical
debates concerning reproduction. For example, we will address so-called
"maternal-fetal conflicts" (encompassing abortion, reproductive
technologies, and fetal protection statutes) which evoke questions concerning
whose rights, needs, and/or interests society shall privilege when a pregnant
woman and 'the fetus' apparently possess "competing" or mutually
exclusive claims. This class will actively engage students rhetorical skills
(both written and oral) and will also feature archival and contemporary
readings. (Adwere-Boamah)
Section 002 - Freedom and Learning in Higher Education. The landscape of colleges and universities has shifted significantly in the past several decades. For example, there have been substantial changes in the makeup of the student body, student learning theory, and teaching methodology. While helping you master the basics of English composition, this course will highlight ways in which you can make the most from your college experience. Learn about yourself as well as your fellow students in this modern multicultural environment known as the University of Michigan as your critical writing skills are improved. (Johnson)
Section 003 - To be determined. Details for this section will be available in the Pilot Program Course Guide which is distributed at orientation. (Levien)
Section 004 - Voting is Not Enough. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the world has witnessed, especially in Europe but also elsewhere, an increase in claims to self-determination and self-government by populations previously silenced. This course examines some of the defining ideas of modern democratic theory, especially as it took shape in the United States during the late eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries, in order to provide perspective on the changes taking place today. The course will examine this time period because it in some ways embraces issues current today. The transition from monarchy to democracy in the last century was accompanied by worries about the limitations of democracy, the preconditions for its success, and the need for mitigating the dangers of this "radical experiment" in governing. As the suffrage spread in England and America, such fears were by no means alleviated, since transitions in the economic and social structure of those countries brought new concerns to the fore. As a result, criticisms of democracy extended throughout the nineteenth century, and the variety of those criticisms is worth examining. These ideas will be the subject matter of the critical thinking and writing in this class. (McKee)
Section 005 - Race, Racism, and American Law. The issues of race and racism are central to the construction of American law and society. From the framing of the constitution to the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement to the present debates on welfare and affirmative action, race has played a central role in the creation and application of American law. This course will provide an overview of the role of race and racism in American law from the beginning to the present and into the future. The course focuses on the experiences of African-Americans and other minority groups. Topics will include: (1) debates over slavery during the Constitutional Convention; (2) the Civil War and Reconstruction; (3) the Civil Rights Movement; and (4) legal cases and debates covering the issues surrounding integration and segregation, affirmative action, voting rights, and the criminal justice system. Students will be expected to discuss these controversial issues seriously and to learn how to think, rethink, and write their views on these issues. (Onwuachi)
Section 006 - Cross-Cultural Perspectives: An Introduction to Arab Culture. This course aims to heighten students' cross-cultural awareness by introducing them to a world perspective different from their own. We begin with an investigation of the concept of 'culture,' and then move to Arab culture as the point of departure from which we explore various areas, including geographical and historical background, politics, social norms, women's issues, religion, language, literature, and music. Students are encouraged to remove the culture-specific glasses from which they view the world and try out Arab ones instead. Extensive writing exercises examine provocative issues from various perspectives and aimed at various audiences. We use a variety of information sources and focus on strategies to effectively extract significant and relevant details. Upon completing the course, students can expect to have gained an ability to see the world from a different cultural perspective, to understand the foundations of Arab culture, and to effectively express themselves in writing. (Pimentel)
Section 008 - Visions of a Better America. Everyone knows about the problems in our country. This course focuses on solutions. We will explore some of the most visionary new ideas for transforming America. Specifically we will concentrate on three areas: (1) How to "save the earth" - the creation of an ecologically sustainable society; (2) Lessons for the future - the most innovative models for revitalizing education; and (3) Justice for all - proposals for a nonviolent, multicultural, democratic future. We will also learn the best methods for solving problems in our own lives and in our communities as well as improving critical writing and thinking skills. (Sherman)
Section 009 - Filming Law: Representations of Law in American Trial Films. Along with westerns and gangster movies, legal films constitute a major genre in American film. This course aims to take the legal film as a cultural object which, when closely analyzed, illuminates popular conceptions of law as well as the changing expectation of justice as witnessed through the camera. Films like In the Name of the Father, The Accused, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Twelve Angry Men will be viewed and discussed along side of a cultural theory both for their cinematic qualities as well as their contributions to popular constructions of legality that dominate our "legalistic culture." Through weekly writing assignments, and several essays, this course will attempt to hone the skills that help decipher the cinematic art as well as investigate a genre of films that while as old as the medium, are receiving a new status of importance since the legalization of cameras in the courtroom in 1978. (Silbey)
Section 010 - Buildings, Bridges or Boundaries?: Translating Architecture. The intent of this course is for students to learn to 'read' architecture. By the end of the course, not only will students have the ability to understand conventional architectural drawings of plan, section, and elevation, but they will also understand that architecture is a reflection of culture. Students will learn to decode evidence of a society's social, political and cultural values in its architecture. The course will begin with an exploration of architecture as shelter from the natural environment. It will progress toward an understanding of architecture as its refines sensations, defines social roles and ultimately teaches. There will be an emphasis on understanding architecture with a range of micro to macro - the individual building to the larger planning schemes of villages, cities, and countries. As a case study of how to 'read' architecture, there will be an exploration of the American built environment that will link racism with residential segregation in the United States. (Walsh)