courses of instruction - Lafayette College

VALUES AND SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY SEMINAR
kratia (power), drama, arkhi(master)-
tektoniki (building), astro (star)-nomia
(arrangement), geo(earth)-metria (measur
ing), theatron, and Olympiaka games are
investigated. Ms. Boile
090. Life Writing. This seminar explores
the art and craft of biography and auto
biography. In journals, essays, and class
presentations, students contribute to the
seminar's investigation of the reasons for
examining a life, of the stories that come
from the inquiry, and of the effects of such
stories on readers. Readings are from
biographies, autobiographies, journals,
diaries, and letters which serve as models
and primary materials for each student's
project in life writing. Mr. Johnson
092. The Intrinsic Beauty of Structural
Form. Structural forms in nature, such as
bones, trees, and sloping terrain, arise in
response to stresses placed on these
structures. The natural proportioning that
ensues is aesthetically pleasing as well as
structurally efficient. Natural forms, as
well as ancient, medieval, and modern
structures such as domes and bridges are
critiqued. Class projects include laboratory
work on draping of cloth, sagging of cables.
Traditional aesthetic tools and elementary
engineering methods are introduced.
Mr, Saliklis
093. Engineers of Dreams: Builders of
Flying Machines, Automobiles, and
Bridges. This seminar focuses on notions
of invention and discovery in several
disciplines of engineering and examines
flying, flying machines and their
development, automobiles and their
impact on society and the environment,
and bridges as structures dreamed of and
built by engineers. Mr. Uhtcakli
094. Political Corruption and Literature.
This seminar uses literature to explore the
issue of corruption in politics. Is corruption
a matter of personal responsibility due to
political institutions or an attribute of an
entire society? The role of literature in
addressing political problems is discussed.
Does literature simply reflect society? Can
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it sharpen individuals' perception of social
life and motivate change? Can the reading
and writing of literature itself constitute
political activity? Mr. Englehart
095. Women Detectives. What image do
you have of detectives' lives? What image
do you have of women's lives? How com
patible are these images? Novels about
women detectives may challenge or
confirm these images. This seminar ex
plores the characters of a variety of fic
tional detectives: V. I. Warshawski, Kinsey
Millhone, Kate Pansier, and others. Stu
dents compare and contrast these women,
asking which they would like as role
models, friends, mothers, daughters, or
lovers. Ms. Latka
VALUES AND SCIENCE/
TECHNOLOGY SEMINAR
The Values and Science/Technology
(VAST) Seminar, normally taken in spring
semester of the second year, is required of
all students. Like the First-Year Seminar,
VAST introduces students to intellectual
inquiry by engaging them as active learn
ers, thinkers, speakers, and writers. VAST
seminars take advantage of Lafayette's
unique institutional character, which en
ables the College to offer a liberal educa
tion for a technological age. Each seminar
focuses intensively on individual and so
cial issues that attend advances in science
and technology.
VAST seminars are limited to 20 stu
dents per section and include significant
reading, writing, discussion, and presen
tations. Students make extensive use of
the library, and each section is affiliated
with the College Writing Program. Al
though VAST courses normally meet three
hours per week, a common fourth hour is
scheduled to be used at the discretion of
the faculty to facilitate cocurricular activi
ties.
A representative list of VAST seminars
follows, although the offerings change
each year. Each spring, a list of seminars
to be offered in the following year will be
sent to all first-year students and advisers.
While the majority of the seminars will be