250. Sophomore Seminar.
Open to Honors students. (3). (SS).
Section 00l – Introduction to Historical Research. Understanding
of the past necessarily rests upon the study and assessment of
a great variety of records. These range from archaeological finds, official government documents, newspapers, diaries, letters to
rare books. Historians depend heavily upon the fact that such
materials have been collected and preserved by museums, archives, and even families. Here at Michigan are two well-known repositories
of historical materials, one the Bentley Library on North Campus, and the other the Clements Library on South University Avenue.
The first collects primarily those source materials that relate
to Michigan history, and the second collects primarily materials
pertaining to the discovery and early settlement of North America.
Early in the term we shall visit each library to see something
of the range and texture of their holdings. Then, each student
will carve out a modest historical problem or issue that can be
addressed from these sources during the remainder of the term.
Then the task will be to examine pertinent manuscript collections, take suitable notes, and put together an original work of history.
Again, the scope must necessarily be limited by the materials
available and the time available to complete it. (Livermore)
Section 002 – Integration, Segregation, Pluralism, and Diversity in Contemporary America. The contemporary debate
on "multiculturalism" has seemingly drawn nearly equal
numbers of supporters and detractors. On one side, advocates of
ethnic pluralism and diversity argue that American society must
come to grips with the realities of the "new" racial
and ethnic diversity if the country is to exist as a genuinely
inclusive democracy. On the other side, critics of the recent
"fever of ethnicity" argue that such advocacy far too
often degenerates into a romantic, uncritical "celebration"
of diversity for its own sake, ignoring the positive aspects of the historic ideal of a common culture. This seminar will explore these issues through intense readings and discussion, a portfolio, a short research paper/project, and weekly seminar reports on
selected ethnic groups (e.g., Asian Indians, Blacks, Chinese, Germans, Irish, Italians, Japanese, Jews, Mexicans, Native
Americans, and Puerto Ricans, and Slavic Americans). The central
texts are Ronald Takaki, ed., From Different Shores: Perspectives
on Race and Ethnicity in America (2d ed.), and Thomas Sowell's Ethnic America: A History. First day class attendance
is mandatory. (Wacker)
Section 003 – Critical Thinking and Problem Solving.
Guest lecturers will share insights into critical thinking and problem solving in their own academic and professional specialties.
Students will prepare two term papers – the first on critical thinking and problem solving, and the second on an article appearing
in the Skeptical Inquirer. Students will present a formal critique
of one of these two papers. The section does not fulfill a writing
requirement. Students will bring to class current written accounts
of news which illustrate flawed critical thinking for discussion.
(Whitehouse)
Section 004 – Disaster Journalism: Is it a disaster?
This is a seminar to explore crisis or disaster journalism, perhaps the least understood but most influential of the genre. How do
journalists respond to crisis and disaster? How do they hold institutions, particularly governmental leaders, agencies, and major corporations
accountable for the way they deal with such events? How do they
help the public take part in the debate of issues raised by such
events? Answering such questions and viewing the role played by
race, ethnicity, religion, social standing, or gender provide
an interesting view of journalism, as well as a starting look
at the state of intolerance and inequality in modern culture.
Through lecture/discussions lead by the instructor, a veteran
journalist, as well as case studies of some of the most famous
disasters of our time, including Pan Am 103, TWA Flight 800, and, yes, the death of Princess Diana (was it a crisis, and if so, why?), we'll broaden our understanding. The course also will include
guest lecturers, videotapes and electronic conferencing. (Hall)
Section 005 – Organizational Behaviors, Structures, and Dynamics. This course examines behavior in organizations, as well as the behavior of organizations. We all work in "organizations."
How does the organizational environment affect what we do and how we act? What are the main kinds or organizational cultures, and how do we fit into them? Four cultures will be specifically
explored – the clan culture, the hierarchy culture, the market
culture, and the advocacy culture. Implications for us personally
will be considered. But organizations are also actors. Organizations
make, or do not make decisions. They need to contend with rapidly
changing environments. Organizations which fail to contend and adapt appropriately become "boiled frogs." We will examine
conditions which distinguish those organizations which adapt from those which are rigid and die. Students will have the opportunity
to assess their own "style" and its fit with organizational
styles. Issues of leadership, gender, and race in organizations
will be a special theme. (Tropman)
Section 006 – Nation Formation: Race & Gender in the
Americas. What is the connection between the nation and "the
people?" Is there an authentic "national identity?"
Who is entitled to lead the nation and represent "the people?"
If we look at nation formation in the Americas we can see that
it has been based on both principles of inclusion and equality, and practices of exclusion and subordination. These practices
have been significantly organized around racial and gender hierarchies
which shape institutions, social life, and beliefs. This course
will examine different aspects of national identity and state
power, including: political power and norms of masculinity; racial
dimensions of political repression and opposition. We will look
at cases in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the U.S., and will
use a wide variety of materials from historical to literary and visual. (Skurski)
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Times, Location, and Availability
251. Sophomore Seminar.
Open to Honors students. (3). (HU).
Section 001 – Yin and Yang: Relationships Between the Sexes in
Chinese Literature and Culture. Romance, sentimentality, anger, revenge, hate, bawdiness, eroticism, modesty, faithfulness, infidelity: these and many other human experiences weave their
way through the rich Chinese literary tradition in ways that inspire, titillate, instruct, and entertain. This seminar will examine
male-female relationships in Chinese literature from ancient to
modern times. sources will include works of fiction, drama, poetry, other genres, and film. Requirements include regular attendance
and participation, two in-class presentations, occasional written
assignments, and a final paper. (Crown)
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Times, Location, and Availability
252. Sophomore Seminar.
Open to Honors students. (3). (NS).
Section 001 – Numbers and Reasons. Measurement in the natural
sciences typically deals with true values (constants); measurement
in the behavioral and social sciences, with problems of managing
social systems. Measurements in sciences on the boundary, like
neuropsychology or medicine, attempt with variable success to
capture stable latent aspects of individual hidden states or histories.
In this course we try to untangle some of this confusion by careful
attention to the proper role of quantification in the versions
of reality constructed by the various disciplines we consider, from astrophysics through, perhaps, literary history. Our approach
is by various methods, including logic, arithmetic, history of
science, and the careful analysis of instrument readings, answers
to questions, and various visual representations of same. Three
specifically statistical themes are covered in brief lectures, but there is no associated "homework." The most extensive
reading this year, I think, will be Herrnstein and Murray's The
Bell Curve. Assignments: four short papers and a term paper.
(Bookstein)
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Times, Location, and Availability
493. College Honors Seminar.
Permission of instructor or of the Honors Director.
(1-4). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of eight credits.
Section
001 – Rethinking Agriculture in the Age of Ecology. (2 credits).
Modern agriculture has been dramatically reshaped by economics
and technology and now poses severe environmental as well as social
costs. The Land Institute has been asking what agriculture might
look like if it were redesigned according to the principles of
ecology. This course will present for critical discussion the
philosophical underpinnings of an ecological approach to agriculture
as found in science, literature, and history. We will ask how
agriculture might be put on a sustainable basis in the future.
This two-credit Honors Seminar will be limited to 15 students
meeting in the first half of the term. The course will require
extensive reading and discussion as well as writing. The course
pack is expected to cost between $50 and $100. (Jackson, Worster)
Section 002 – Race and the Founding of America. (1 credit).
The Virginia Declaration of Rights, adopted in June 1776, asserted
"That all men are by nature equally free and independent..."
When the issue arose as to whether those words applied to Blacks, a Virginia Court of Appeals judge wrote in 1806 that the Declaration
did not apply to slaves because it was not intended to free those
who remain "in the same state of bondage they were in at the revolution in which they had no concern, agency, or interest."
This seminar will explore whether that perception is accurate
or whether the founding of the Republic offers a more complex
and more deeply human story than the one that animated the judge.
We will look at the issue of the Black stake in the nation's founding
primarily through the lens of the Virginia colony from its founding through the Revolution while observing some of the statesmen who
emerged from that culture – George Mason, George Washington, Thomas
Jefferson, and James Madison. The course will cover the period
running roughly from 1595 to 1799. We will examine economic, political, philosophical, and moral issues in attempting to probe the validity
of the judge's vision. (Wilkins)
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Times, Location, and Availability
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