courses of instruction - Lafayette College

FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR
flicts in the twentieth century, but also to
equip each participant with the tools nec
essary to analyze any international con
flict. Topics include causes of individual
and collective violence, arms races and de
terrence, and means for prevention or re
duction of international conflict. Mr. Pekg
014. Individualism in American Culture,
Character, and Society. The term "individ
ualism" has long been used to describe
one of the distinctive qualities of Ameri
cans and of American culture. Using Alex
is de Tocqueville's Democracy in America
(1840) as the starting point, this seminar
systematically examines expressions of in
dividualism in American life, past and
present. Mr. Schneiderman
015. The Folktale in Society: From Beau
ty and the Beast to Big Foot. Fairy tales
are often thought of as amusing reading
for children, but to folklorists, such stories
are serious business. This seminar ex
plores the importance of studying fairy
tales in such disciplines as anthropology,
religion, literature, and psychology. The
development of fairy tales is traced from
the European oral tradition to their mod
ern expression in Disney stories, horror
films, and supermarket tabloids. Ms. Niles
016. Why Poetry Matters. Dismissed as
either difficult or trivial, poetry still sur
vives all around us. This seminar explores
the social manifestations of poetry and
our appetite for it in such phenomena as
poetry slams, subway posters, rap and
oral performance, as well as in more aca
demic forms. Students test definitions of
poetry against personal reading, listening,
speaking and writing experiences, study
ing how written and oral expressions both
complement and contend with each other.
Ms. Seetch
018. Dealing with Differences: Views
from the Margin. Through readings, film,
and community service, this seminar is an
attempt to step into the experiences of
people living on the margins of United
States society, due, for example, to ethnic
38
ity or economic background. In light of
historical and other critical assessments,
students rethink their assumptions about
these groups and individuals. Topics in
clude discrimination, privilege, and clas-
sism. Limited to students who engage in a
weekly volunteer experience in the commu
nity, such as a homeless shelter, a soup kitch
en, or a nursing home, which may be arranged
through the College's Community Outreach
Center. Ms. Beckman
019. Adventures in the Contact Zone. Im
migrants, travelers, and students in coed
ucational, multicultural colleges all inhab
it what Mary Louise Pratt calls "contact
zones." How do we construct the cultures
of gender, race, class, nationality, sexual
orientation, and generation that organize
our social lives? How do we speak, hear,
read, and write, across cultures? These
questions are applied to readings, interac
tions in the classroom, and experience as
volunteers in the community. Limited to
students who engage in a weekly volunteer ex
perience in the community, such as a homeless
shelter, a soup kitchen, or a nursing home,
which may be arranged through the College's
Community Outreach Center. Ms. Blake
020. Economics of Race and Class. This
seminar explores issues relating to the eco
nomic circumstances of racial minorities
within the U.S., specifically the rationality
underlying behavior and decisions in ar
eas such as education, politics, housing,
job training, and professional develop
ment. The seminar introduces students to
the role economic incentives play in deter
mining social and economic outcomes.
Students engage in a weekly volunteer ex
perience in the community. Mr. Hutchinson
021. Masculinities: Maleness in Contem
porary American Culture. What does it
mean to be a man, manly, masculine? Do
gender and race condition the way we
view masculinity? In journals, essays, and
group presentations, students analyze a
variety of texts from ads, cartoons, and
essays in popular magazines to scholarly
studies by sociologists and biologists.
Ms. Byrd, Mr. Martin, Mr. Washington