courses of instruction - Lafayette College

of the earth. For many different reasons,
we are increasingly exposed to the often
severe consequences of living in areas ex
posed to the violence of nature. This semi
nar examines these processes from both
technical and personal perspectives to try
to understand why they occur and how
human activity has interfered with natural
processes, perhaps making many parts of
the planet more disaster prone.
Mr. Malinconico
041. Medicines, Perfumes, and Chemi
cals from Nature. The plant and animal
kingdoms provide humankind with a star
tling variety of complex organic mole
cules. This seminar examines the various
medicines, dyes, flavors,, and fragrances
obtained from nature. Related topics such
as biodiversity, chemical ecology, and
herbal medicine are also discussed.
Mr. Miles
042. What Happened to "Progress"?
Changing Perspectives on Science, Engi
neering, and Technology. This seminar
examines the changing role of science, en
gineering, and technology in society from
the nineteenth-twentieth centuries. Soci
ety's perspective of the impact of science
and technology has become more complex
as knowledge and capability have in
creased. Expectations for the future have
darkened as unexpected technological
side effects have been discovered in the
present. Mr. Seeler
044. Technological Solutions for Envi
ronmental Problems. This seminar ad
dresses the impact of industrial develop
ment on the environment. The character
istics of water, air, and land pollutants are
reviewed, and treatment and control
methods are examined. The limitations of
remedial technologies are explained, and
ongoing research to alleviate them is ex
plored. Topics include acid rain, global
warming, photochemical smog, radioac
tive waste, recycling, and energy recovery.
The course encompasses group projects,
laboratory experience, and a plant trip.
Mr. Tavakoli
FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR
047. Challenging Differences, Discover
ing the Possibilities of Community. The
world is increasingly fractured by differ
ences of race and class, for example
and is characterized by individualism. In
such a world, what kind of community is
possible? How is community created and
sustained? How do communities deal
with diversity and balance individual in
terests with those of the group? What ben
efits and responsibilities come with mem
bership in community? Students consider
human community through readings, dis
cussions, films, and a variety of writing
and library assignments. Limited to stu
dents who engage in a weekly volunteer expe
rience 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. Mr. G. Miller
048. Biodiversity. The abundance of
plant and animal species present in differ
ent environments is rapidly declining due
to the effects of human population increas
es, particularly since the beginning of the
industrial revolution. This seminar investi
gates the factors causing the loss, or ex
tinction, of species and discusses possible
solutions. Social and economic forces that
work against the maintenance of species
diversity and the "worth" to humanity of
these rich environments are explored.
Mr. Holliday
049. Fairness, Community, and the Just
Society. Students develop and refine,
through discussion and classroom experi
ments, their views about the fairness or
justice of the social institutions or rules of
the game (including customs and laws)
under which they live. The syllabus in
cludes diverse readings from classics past
(Adam Smith) and present (philosophers
John Rawls and Michael Walzer and econ
omists Gary Becker, Robert Frank, Doug-
lass North, and Thomas Schelling, and le
gal scholar Robert Ellickson).
Mr. Hochman
051. Toward Cultural Literacy: Demysti
fying the Non-Western World. This semi
nar engages students in an exploration of
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