Fall 2006 Courses
Courses for First-Year Students
GST 110 The Global Experience
Professor Jean Schwind
This interdisciplinary seminar will examine the social,
economic, and political responsibilities of global
citizenship. It will explore cultural and natural diversity
from Mauritania (a police state in the desert supported by a
primitive and tribal form of slavery) to Calcutta (a filthy,
overpopulated, and impoverished "hellhole" in the
American press, but a magnet of hope for the world's
third largest population) to the low-density suburban sprawl
of Colorado Springs. It will also examine the challenges and
benefits of human communication and cooperation within this
diversity.
Like all General Studies courses at Elon, GST 110 strives to
promote scholarship, leadership, wholeness, diversity,
independence, and foundational skills. All sections of Global
Studies explore themes of the importance of individual
responsibility; the relationship of humans to the natural
world; globalization and tribalization as powerful world
forces; the impact of imperialism and colonialism; the nature
of culture; and the plights of disempowered groups.
Team-Taught Course for second-year students
HNR 230 Exploring Consciousness
Professors Mat Gendle (Psychology) and Jeffrey Pugh
(Religious Studies)
General Studies Distribution: Society or Civilization
Meeting time: Tuesday-Thursday 10:30-12:10
Gaining an understanding of the nature of
human consciousness is one of the great intellectual
problems faced by both science and religion. For
centuries, philosophers, scientists, and theologians have
debated the unitary nature of human experience. In
the past 100 years, remarkable advances have been made in
the study of the human brain, and the biological
underpinnings of many psychological processes related to
consciousness are beginning to be understood.
Although correlations between neural activity and certain
facets of conscious experience have been documented, the
precise characterization of human consciousness remains an
elusive goal. This course will discuss current and
historical theories and research on consciousness (from the
fields of religious studies, philosophy, physics, and
neurobiology) in an attempt to formulate an integrated view
of the differing and competing conceptualizations of the
nature of consciousness and self-awareness.
HNR 232 - History of Disability in the U.S.: From the
Afflicted to the Empowered
Professors Carolyn Stuart (Education) and Mary Jo Festle
(History)
General Studies Distribution: Civilization or Society
Meeting time: MW 1:40-3:20
What has it been like to be disabled in the past? What
is it like today? What can we tell from language and
other cultural sources about what Americans have thought
about people with disabilities? What has been the role
of public and private institutions, such as schools, churches
and religious institutions? How is disability related
to identity? Why have things changed, and have the
changes been for the better? This interdisciplinary
course will use a variety of sources - including scholarly
readings, first-person accounts, and historical documents -
to help us grapple with such questions. Each student
will also conduct an independent research project.
Courses for upper-class students
Upper-level GST seminar, GST 395 HW, The Politics of
Beauty
Professor Ann Cahill
Meeting time: Tuesday-Thursday, 10:30-12:10
What is beauty? How does beauty function as a political
force within society? This class will explore a variety of
issues surrounding beauty, including: the political
implications of beauty norms; the sociology of beauty,
including the connections between beauty and racism; the
claim that beauty is part of our genetic heritage; and the
philosophical claims concerning beauty and justice.
Courses open to all Honors students
MTH 112-H General Statistics
Professor Jim Beuerle
Meeting time: MWF 10:50-12:00
Upon successful completion of this course, students will
have greater competence in descriptive statistics,
inferential statistics, probability theory, regression
analysis, writing, and technology. More information available
at http://math.elon.edu/~jbeuerle.
