FYS Courses 2008 – 2009

To be placed on the wait list for full courses, contact Jill Randles, at jrandles@umbc.edu

Turning to One Another: Beliefs and Behaviors
FYS 101 (AH)

Meets Arts and Humanities General Foundation Requirement (AH)

Diane Lee
Dean of Undergraduate Education
Associate Professor of Education
Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park
Email: dlee@umbc.edu

Jill Randles
Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
M.Ed., Lynchburg College
C.A.S., Loyola College
Email: jrandles@umbc.edu

We are witnessing renewed interest in matters related to truth, community, connectedness, and spirituality. Concomitant with headlines about war, ENRON, cloning, the Tsunami, and steroid use in sports is a vibrant dialogue about social responsibility, moral reasoning, ethical action, and the sources of beauty, creativity, and passion that give life purpose and meaning.

As we enter the twenty-first century, we will need people who can lead with head and heart, who can combine the life of the mind with work for the greater good, and who exhibit the skills, knowledge, imagination, and spirit to create an equitable, sustainable, whole, and hopeful world. This calls for a curriculum that explores the scientific, aesthetic, and ethical dimensions of thought and behavior. This course is oriented toward that exploration of questions that are both personal and global in their orientation. For example: What is my faith in the future? What do I believe about others? What is the relationship I want with the earth? When and where do I experience sacred? There will be opportunities for conversation to occur around topics such as these; literally a “turning to one another” in order to expand and inform our understanding of how our beliefs and behaviors have the power to transform.

Students will enter this exploration by:

  1. 1) examining writings related to beliefs and behaviors;
  2. 2) discovering different ways spirituality is represented in music, literature, poetry, across cultures, throughout history, and in patterns of involvement such as environmental stewardship, feeding the hungry, building shelters for the homeless, etc.; and
  3. 3) reflecting on class discussions and readings in guided journals.

Diane Lee is Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education.  Although in a primarily administrative position at this time, she is best known as “a teacher of teachers.”  She was selected by her colleagues to receive the Presidential Teaching Professor Award for 1997-2000. When she is not working you will most likely find her reading a good book, visiting a local craft’s fair, gardening, or playing with her grandchildren.

Jill Randles is the Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. She is a student advocate at heart and has worked closely with UMBC students as an academic advisor. She is the recipient of the 2002 President’s Commission for Women Achievement Award acknowledging her work in the areas of diversity and equity. When not on the job, she spends time with family and friends, runs, rides horses, judges horse shows, and is an avid reader.


Global Warming


FYS 103D (S)

Meets the Sciences General Requirement (S)

Raymond Hoff 
Professor
Physics 
Ph.D., Simon Fraser University 

Email: hoff@umbc.edu

The science of global warming involves a broad understanding of several scientific disciplines (physics, chemistry, math/statistics, biology).  The general public has a very poor conception of how scientific consensus is developed on complicated socially-linked issues.  This course will review the scientific literature behind this important issue and examine the processes by which scientists try to reach consensus on difficult issues.  Students in this course will be challenged to represent and refute the scientific arguments leading to our current understanding of the state-of-the-science and, subsequently, examine the process by which such scientific information can be used to affect the making of public policy. 
This will include the development of our current climate over eons (paleoclimate), the variability in modern climate (the last 1000 years), the concept of climate versus weather (the last 100 years), the evolution of our current atmospheric state due to emission of greenhouse gases and aerosols (last 50 years) and the predictions for the next 10, 50 and 100 years.


Issues in Biotechnology

FYS 103 (S)

Meets Science General Education Requirement (S)

Nessly Craig

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences


Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
E-mail: craig@umbc.edu

Almost every newspaper issue today has one or more articles about how our society is being affected by new advances in biotechnology, and how its impact is controversial. Some of these issues include: cloning, genetic engineering of plants and animals, DNA analysis as a means of determining parentage or involvement in criminal events, development of new medicines and vaccines, the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria, the human and other species’ genome project, the origin and genealogy of human groups, etc. For our society to discuss these issues in a rational and thorough manner, it is important to understand the scientific basis for the methods used, their limits and uncertainties, and their relationship to other areas of life sciences, medicine, public policy, and bioethics. Through directed readings, class discussions, and student presentations, this seminar will focus on understanding these various aspects of modern biotechnology with an emphasis on its scientific basis. Practical demonstrations and visits to UMBC labs using biotechnological techniques will be an important part of the course to illustrate how the methods theoretically discussed in class are actually done.

Nessly Craig has taught courses in molecular and cellular biology to undergraduates, graduate students, and adult workshop participants for many years and has seen the development of biotechnology first hand. He has been involved in research using the techniques of molecular biology and tissue culture to study the mechanism and control of protein synthesis, and the mechanism and the control of ribosomal RNA synthesis in mammalian cells. In his “other life” he has been involved in building a house, gardening, stained glass, and raising a son who is now in college and provides lots of “feedback” as to what students really want and find useful.


Sexuality, Health and Human Rights


FYS 102 (SS)

Meets the Social Science GFR/GEP Requirement (SS)

Ilsa Lottes

Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Email: lottes@umbc.edu

Who has the right to access scientific information about individuals’ sexuality and sexual health? What privacy rights do people have in their sexual relationships? Who controls when and if one has children? In the last decade, scholars and advocacy organizations have been asking such questions that link sexuality, health and human rights. Increasingly, these linkages are made by human rights advocates, those marginalized by their gender and/or sexuality, feminists and professionals in the health and, family planning fields.

In this seminar, we will consider a number of sexuality, health and human rights questions: What are sexual rights? What is meant by sexual health? How important are sexual rights? What characteristics of a society promote or hinder sexual rights? What responsibilities are tied to sexual rights? Do views on sexual rights conflict with the general welfare of society? To what extent do Americans have sexual rights? What laws restrict sexual rights?

Students will become sensitized to views on sexual rights and the reasons/justifications for these various perspectives.   In this process they will learn how to critique social science research, evaluate strengths and weaknesses of this research, and identify common errors of scientific and everyday reasoning.

Ilsa Lottes teaches Human Sexuality in Sociological Perspective and Human Sexuality in Cross Cultural Perspective as well as courses in social science research methods and statistics. Her latest publications include the book, New Views of Sexual Health, the Case of Finland and an article ‘Sexual Health Policies of Other Industrialized Countries: Are There Lessons for the USA?’.

She was one of the social science experts consulted for The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior (Office of the Surgeon General, 2001) and continues to do research in the areas of health, sexuality and human rights. She is a member of international professional organizations such as the International Academy of Sex Research and the World Association of Sexology and regularly presents her work at their meetings. She enjoys listening to jazz, dancing, traveling and visiting friends in Europe.


Intercultural Exploration Through Film


FYS 104 (C)

Meets the Culture GFR/GEP Requirement (C)

Alan Bell

Professor of Modern Languages and Linguistics

Ph.D. The Johns Hopkins University

E-mail: abell@umbc.edu

We find ourselves inundated with visual media whose principle raison d’etre is to exert influence in subtle and often hidden ways. The rigor with which we focus on in-depth analyses of text intended to elicit deeper meaning and significance is not generally brought to the task of deciphering visual material that surrounds our daily existence in a multiplicity of formats through the mass media. At the same time we find ourselves thrust into a world that everyday becomes more globally centered and one in which cultural knowledge and sensitivity have never been more paramount to the survival of complex modern societies. Through an intensive study of contemporary intercultural cinema and readings on the art of film making, we will confront both of these issues.

Films will be grouped into thematic units that include: Unit 1: The Intercultural Experience of the Immigrant Family; Unit 2: The Intercultural Experience in Times of War; Unit 3: The Intercultural Experience in Times of Peace. Because the films themselves are the core materials of the course, it is mandatory to attend each class, participate in discussions, and do the required reading for each session.

Alan Bell teaches Spanish language, literature, culture and film. He has served as Coordinator of Spanish as well as Coordinator for Spanish Fulbright Scholars that every year brings a Fulbright candidate from Spain to UMBC. For over a decade he was Director of Spanish-TV Magazine, a video series that was a joint venture between RTVE (Spanish National Television) and UMBC. The series, which highlighted the incorporation of media images in the classroom curriculum, was broadcast nationally by PBS and distributed nation-wide by McGraw-Hill. He has co- authored a textbook on intermediate college Spanish, currently used at UMBC, in which the pedagogical approach to video images is at the center of its design. In addition, he has written extensively on video as visual text that should be examined with the same intensity and rigor as written texts. His current initiatives include involvement with Baltimore’s Hispanic Community by fostering programs that make meaningful links between UMBC and Hispanic businesses as well as social organizations. He is also working to establish distance-learning course to support teacher training and thus address the critical shortage of high school Spanish teachers in the United States. When not engaged in these activities you can find him on strolls with his chocolate Labrador or on his sailboat. He has served as advisor to UMBC’s Sailing Club.


Investigating Everyday Problems And Their Current IT Solutions


FYS 102 (SS)

Meets the Social Science GFR/GEP Requirement (SS)

Sue A. Evans

Senior Lecturer, CSEE Department

M.Sc.
UMBC 
E-mail: bogar@cs.umbc.edu

As we proceed through a normal day, we are faced with a myriad of small problems ranging from “How can I avoid that traffic jam?” to “What’s the number for the pizza place that delivers?” Other larger problems, such as “Are Maryland’s new voting machines accurate and secure?”, and “How do we train our surgeons without putting patients at risk?” also occasionally get our attention. 
The purpose of this course is to provide first-year students with an opportunity to study some real-world problems and to see how research is carried out on those problems at UMBC. This course will concentrate on problems currently being studied by members of the CSEE Department, but it is interdisciplinary in nature since those problems vary in subject matter tremendously.

  • The students will do hands-on exercises designed to familiarize themselves with the current available software solutions for the chosen set of everyday problems being investigated.
  • Each student will then chose a problem and work in a group with other students in the class who are interested in that same problem.
  • Each group will tour the CSEE lab that is working on their problem and will investigate the research being done at other institutions on their chosen topic.
  • Each group will write a paper about their problem, the current state of the solution, and the ongoing research in that area.
  • Each group will present their paper to the class.
  • Near the end of the semester, the students will attend UMBC CSEE’s Research Review Day, where they will listen to presentations and attend a poster session in a conference-like environment.

Susan Evans is a Senior Lecturer in the Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Department. She has primarily been responsible for the teaching and administration of Computer Science I for Majors (CMSC 201) and CMSC 201 Honors. She has also taught Problem Solving and Computer Programming, Network Information Retrieval and Principles of Programming Languages. She is actively involved in the CSEE Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Program, is the advisor for Alpha Sigma Kappa, and has been chosen as a Distinguished Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She received both her B.S. and Masters degrees in Computer Science from UMBC. Her interests include Computer Science Education, Information Retrieval and Electronic Document Processing.


Dynamics of Problem Solving



FYS 103 (M)

Meets the Math General Education Requirement (M)

Shlomo Carmi

Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Ph..D. Aeronautical Engineering, University of Minnesota

E-mail: bogar@cs.umbc.edu

Have you ever considered how problems are defined and then solved?  What kinds of questions do you ask when you are confronted with a choice?  As you have lived with decisions made by you and others, have you ever wondered if they lead to a good solution?  Do you want to play a major role in the decision making process…and understand how to challenge or support the decisions that will define your future?

Since the beginning of time mankind has been involved with problem solving, whether related to one’s physical existence or spiritual well being. In this day and age, technology-driven change is impacting the entire spectrum of the human experience. In this course, we will be engaged in exploring the available modern problem solving tools and needed skills.  These will then be applied, as we pay careful attention to the human element and to a diverse universe of cultural values.

Through the use of case studies and discussion sessions, students will work independently and in groups to analyze selected problems and arrive at reasonable solutions.  We will examine a variety of approaches to solving problems, how problems are perceived with different models formulated and with various degrees of success. These concepts will be applied to real world situations, in order to enhance our decision making skills. Our projects will include models in history, science, engineering and behavioral sciences. Students will present their projects orally, as well as in writing.

Additional Course Requirement:  A suitable score on the LRC algebra placement exam for a GEP mathematics course is required.

Shlomo Carmi is Professor of Mechanical Engineering (2006-present) and the former Dean of Engineering and Information Technology at UMBC (1996-2006); he was Professor and Head of Mechanical Engineering at Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (1986-1996); and Assist./Assoc./Full Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Wayne State University Detroit, MI (1968-1986).  Professor Carmi’s main research interests are in the Thermal-Fluid Science area where he published extensively, mainly in the area of Hydrodynamic Stability and transition to turbulence. In recent years, while holding administrative positions, his interests focused on the engineering education arenas. During 1985-86, while on sabbatical from Wayne State University, he was a Congressional Fellow, serving as a Science and Technology Advisor to Senator Carl Levin (D-MI). Recently, Dr. Carmi completed his term as Senior Vice President-Education of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (2003-2006).


What Should Government Do?


 
FYS 102 (SS)

Meets Social Science General Foundation Requirements (SS)

Tim Brennan

Professor of Policy Sciences and Economics 

Ph.D., Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Email:  brennan@umbc.edu

In thinking about how our society works, have you ever asked yourself questions like?

  • What should be “left to the market” rather than handled by the government?
  • Should government be able to take money from one person and give it to another?
  • Do we have “rights” to services, like health care or education, which the public is obliged to provide?
  • How can we possibly decide how much the government should spend to save lives? 
  • Can there be justified government-imposed limits to privacy or freedom of speech?
  • When should the government be able to tell us what to do, and when should we be able to do whatever we want?
  • Why should we obey the law?
  • When judges decide cases, are they just playing politics?

Cable news channels, network talk shows, op-ed pages, and other media outlets are full of opinions on these topics from pundits and politicians. Too often, their assertions are either blatant responses to political clout or gut reactions that public policies are “just unfair.”  Our aspiration is to go beyond superficial reactions and parochial politics, to apply ethical and economic principles to policy questions. The object is not to provide answers—many of these questions have been debated for centuries—but to understand what facts and values go into forming our judgments about “what should government do.”
Most of our time will be spent reading, writing, and talking about how multidisciplinary perspectives provide sometimes compatible, sometimes conflicting insights into crucial issues facing us as citizens. Students will be expected to think critically about what government does and does not do, and to share their discoveries, assessments, and questions with the class.

Tim Brennan is Professor of Public Policy and Economics.  He teaches courses in microeconomics, the economics of law, public finance, strategic behavior, and telecommunications policy.  His recent research includes a co-authored book on the electricity industry and a law review article on the Microsoft antitrust case.  In addition to competition policy and regulatory economics, he has written on philosophical and legal topics including privacy, copyright, the First Amendment, benevolence, moral rights, incorporating ethical behavior in economics, and the roles of theory and fact in justifying public policies.  In 1996-97, he served as a senior economist on the staff of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.  He is also a senior fellow at Resources for the Future, the premier independent energy and environmental policy “think tank” in Washington.  He has been an economist with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and a staff consultant with the Bureau of Economics in the Federal Trade Commission.  During 2006, he held the T. D. MacDonald Chair in Industrial Economics in the Canadian Competition Bureau.  When he isn’t writing or teaching, he can usually be found playing jazz and rock guitar.